《Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!》 Chapter 1 ¡ª¨C Oh man, how did I get into this situation? I was just minding my own business, looking for new Light Novels through the store, when a sudden earthquake caused the ground below me to shake. Damn Japan and its earthquakes! The moment this happened, the bookshelves near me began to tremble, and a mountain of Mangas, Light Novels, and even Eroge fell over me and crushed my body. I really told my mother that I wanted to have that Japanese trip. She was so tired throughout the whole flight, and now here we go, I die¡­ Feeble? Well, yes, I am a feeble little woman. I never had the genes of my sister¡­ she¡¯s a giant gori¡­ And now¡­ Ugh¡­ My bones are crushed, and I think they pierced my internal organs. Seriously, how can I die like this? I am so pathetically weak¡­ And now¡­ I am going to leave my mother with only one daughter¡­ Ugh¡­ This little body¡­ I wish I didn¡¯t have such a weak body¡­ Ding! [Request Confirmed, a Body ording to the user¡¯s desires will be generated¡­] Hm? What was that? Am I hallucinating? Oh yes, this must be that one hallucination that people get when they are closer to death. Closer to death¡­ Ding! [Request Confirmed, a Body that is Closer to Death has been generated] What? What is going on? Is this some kind of announcement of my innermost desires? If I recall correctly¡­ It said something about¡­ a body being closer to death¡­ Ugh¡­ My consciousness is constantly cking out anding back. I think I¡¯m really about to die¡­ If I am going to die¡­ I wish I could reincarnate; I hate the concept of just disappearing after dying¡­ And if possible, I would like to reincarnate into a nice family, rich, if possible! Ah¡­ and if it were a world of swords and magic, having some overpowered magic wouldn¡¯t be so bad¡­ [Request Confirmed. Acquiring a Rich Family Background¡­ Sess] [Request Confirmed. Acquiring [Supreme Magic]¡­ Sess] I got something again¡­ Is this a wish-making hallucination? Am I going to be a slime now or something? Ugh¡­ Wait, but Supreme Magic will clearly not be enough¡­ Magic is fueled by something, right? So give me a lot of ammunition¡­ Mana. [Request Confirmed. Acquiring [Mana Siphon]¡­ Sess] It worked¡­ Well, if I am going to die, I might as well go all out¡­ I think I am about to die now¡­ I feel¡­ Ahhh¡­ Wait¡­! Not yet! Give me¡­ I want a System! Those things that let you level up and stuff! [Request Confirmed. Acquiring [System]¡­ Sess] Also¡­ Ugh¡­ What else? Oh! I want to be a Goddess! Make me someone unbeatable! And I want to meet a hot guy¡­ One that actually likes my ugly face¡­ [Request Confirmed. A scenario where you can meet a [Hot Guy] has been set in motion] [Request Confirmed. Acquiring [Goddess]¡­ Failure] [The [Goddess] Skill has been sealed.] [Wish Limit Reached] [Initiating Soul Absorption¡­] [Sess] And following that little wish, which I was not sure could even be real, I cked out. . . . [Day 1?] ¡°Finally!¡± ¡°The witch is dead!¡± ¡°Her head was sliced right off!¡± ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s disgusting¡­¡± The moment I woke up, the first thing I heard was the screams of hundreds of people around me. They were celebrating the death of someone. A witch? What is this? I opened my eyes to find a face looking right at me. It resembled a beautiful woman with pale white skin, long ck hair, and aquamarine eyes. Her tongue was sticking out, and she looked awful. And I noticed that her neck was sliced off, and you could even see the bone and more¡­ plus a lot of blood. Ugh, what is this? Who killed her? I nced upwards and found a guy wearing ck clothes and¡­ a guillotine, freshly painted with blood. And then I notice that I am stuck to the body of the woman whose head had been sliced off. Wait a second. I notice that my hands¡­ are semi-transparent. And¡­ Ahh¡­ Holy fuck. I am her?! I am her soul? How is this possible?! Then where are her memories? Wait, maybe inside the brain? I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on¡­ But¡­ If this is real¡­ then I was this woman until my head was sliced off, I died, and then I regained my memories of my past life while forgetting the ones of this life! That¡¯s horrible! What do I do? Maybe if I grab the head, stick it back, and use healing magic, I can revive in time? I try to extend my semi-transparent hands towards the head, but I cannot grab it. I am¡­ somewhat bound to this body¡­ [You¡¯re bound to your corpse until enough time passes after your death] Suddenly, a mechanical voice answers my questions. ¡°What happened to me? Can you tell me anything?!¡± ¡­ I try to speak to it again, but it doesn¡¯t answer me. Also, I tried to speak with the people, but they couldn¡¯t see me either. I reincarnated, and I am already dead. Yet¡­ Why am I not going somewhere then? Am I stuck here? Suddenly, a handsome man with blonde hair and aquamarine eyes rushes towards me. His face seemed utterly hysterical. He was crying and angered, screaming like a mad wolf as tons of guards were holding him back. ¡°NOOOOOOO! MARIA! MARIAAAAA! YOU BASTARDS! YOU BASTARDSSSS! I AM GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU! I AM GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOUUUUUUU! LET ME GO! AAAGRRGH¡­!¡± Did he know me? Was my name Maria? The guards carried him away, as he was hit in the head and fell unconscious¡­ The people around me are all wearing clothes pulled straight from the medieval times. A guy then begins to speak to the crowd. This one looks like a total asshole. A long nose, a cheeky grin, ck hair, and sharp emerald eyes. ¡°People of Affnaria, the Dark Witch Maria that has caused all of these problems to you thesest ten years has been finally punished for her sins! Now, let¡¯s celebrate that the darkness of our Kingdom has finally been cleansed by the light of justice!¡± he celebrated. ¡°YEEEES!¡± ¡°WOOO!¡± ¡°Bring the ale!¡± The people started to celebrate the death of a woman whose head was sliced off. I didn¡¯t know what else to feel other than utter spite for all of them. Time passed, and two guys carried my corpse and head elsewhere. After several hours of traveling through a medieval ages-like town, we reached the area¡¯s outskirts, where arge gate opened. My corpse was stuffed into a coffin alongside my head, and then the coffin was¡­ put inside a carriage. I was then carried somewhere else¡­ Wait, where am I even going?! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ The graveyard?! . . . . . . I wasn¡¯t able to see correctly after being thrown inside a coffin, but what I know is that¡­ I was being carried elsewhere by a carriage. Through this time, I¡¯ve been trying to do something¡­ Magic, status from the system, or anything, but nothing worked. It seems that I was confined in this body. I tried to touch the head, to possess it or something, but nope, no use either. After a few hours, I was thrown outside the carriage and then into a deep hole somewhere else. Then, I heard the thudding of dirt being shoveled onto my coffin. It stopped after around three hours. And then, perpetual silence. This is awful. I died, I don¡¯t remember the memories of this reincarnation, and it seems that I was some kind of Witch. Nothing that I wished for actually became real! Where¡¯s my Goddess Skill? Sigh¡­ For days, I waited patiently for anything to happen, something, anything. I miss my mother¡­ And my sister¡­ Ugh¡­ I can¡¯t believe I died so abruptly. I am such an unlucky person. My whole life has been filled with shit everywhere. When I was finally able to graduate, my mom let me have a trip to Japan. I was so happy with her and my sis¡­ But now¡­ I just¡­ died. This is awful. I want to go meet my family again¡­ ¡­ For several days, weeks, months, or even years, I did nothing but sleep. Until suddenly, I felt a faint¡­something. An energy, perhaps? But something¡­ Something was ¡°touching¡± my own soul. That energy began to slowly ¡°mutate¡± my soul. It became less mist-like and more¡­ I don¡¯t know, solid? It is hard to exin. The thing is¡­ After feeling this, I slowly regained consciousness as I was slumbering for days, no, maybe even years? When I felt this strange energy rush into my soul, something within me activated, and I started to absorb it all. After a few hours, incredible changes urred to my body. I was freed! [Conditions met; you¡¯ve evolved into a [Lesser Ghost] [All your stats have increased] [You have been unbound from your original body] [You learned several Skills] I am a ghost! An actual ghost! Let¡¯s see¡­ My appearance is¡­ Unclear. I seem not to have a clear appearance. I resemble a wailing mouth and two eyes despairing across my phantasmal pale-blue colored semi-transparent body. Not pretty at all¡­ But I can finally move. I quickly took a peek at my body and- Eh? Bones. Not even some flesh is left! I am just bones and clothes. This is awful. ¡­Can I possess my skeleton and be a Living Skeleton? No, no, let¡¯s not hurry to conclusions, first¡­ Status! That¡¯s what they usually say when they want to see their status through the system¡­ Maybe I don¡¯t activate it like that? Erm¡­ System? Ding! [Name : [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race : [Lesser Ghost] [Level : [0/5] [EXP : [0/50] [Rank : [G-] [Status : [Cursed, Weak] [HP : [7/7] [MP : [100/100] [Attack : [2] [Defense : [1] [Magic : [100] [Agility : [2] Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv1] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv1] [Lesser Curse: Lv1] [Life Drain: Lv1] [Possession: Lv1] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv1] ¡­ Damn¡­ I really do have System. And I am looking pretty great! Or am I? Aside from Mana and Magic, I suck, and I don¡¯t seem to have carried any power from when I was alive¡­ really?! Well, I still got my cheats and¡­ Ghost Skills. And¡­ I have what seems to be Title Skills¡­ The Dark Witch and¡­ Bringer of Misfortune. Yikes, they don¡¯t sound nice to me. Anyways, I have a Skill named Possession, so let¡¯s try to possess my own skeleton. I concentrated my mind on the task as the System guided me into it. My body turned into a mass of ethereal blue brilliance as I dived into my skeleton, taking it over as if I were some kind of parasite. I used the skeleton as pirs to sustain myself, and the clothes fit right in. And then¡­ Ding! [Possession Sessful, you¡¯ve possessed: [Skeleton] Hm, wait, am I still a Ghost even after possessing a Skeleton? I checked my status and found that [Skeleton] appeared between brackets at the side of my race. Odd. Well, time to rattle my bones and get off here. I tried using my own skelly strength, but it didn¡¯t work. The coffin was heavy, and the dirt above was even heavier. I think I could bypass this if I leave my skeleton aside. None of the Skills I have can help me get outside of here¡­ What a dilemma. Wait. Can I check my own Skills? Let¡¯s check Supreme Magic¡­ [Supreme Magic] The Ability toprehend and utilize magic with utmost mastery without any required experience. All of your magic gains a 200% damage boost and costs 50% less Mana. Will it, and magic will hear yourmand. ¡­ Oho? Alright then, I checked, and I have Dark and Death Elements¡­ So¡­ What about a Shadow Ball using Darkness? Merely by imagining it, my skeletal hands suddenly conjure arge sphere of darkness, and then, it is fired into the ceiling of the coffin¡­ BOOOOOOMMM!!! ¡­ When I realized what happened, my bones were scattered all over the ce, and what greeted me was a beautiful and lugubrious graveyard! Oh my, such a friendly wee party! There¡¯s absolutely no one here! It was night, the sky was cloudy, and a forest surrounded the graveyard. I decided to quickly pick up my bones around, as I considered that conjuring magic this strong might be dangerous. It seems that my own magic didn¡¯t damage me, but it left a giant hole in the graveyard. And the coffin was obviously sted into pieces. Damn, I am strong. But! My mana went down by 80, so that big attack cost almost all my Mana. Mana¡­ I need Mana¡­ And I need to know where the heck I am and what this world is. But for now, it seems that we gotpany, at longst. What greeted my sight were three¡­ little, blue-colored mes. Using my System¡¯s analysis function, I was able to see what these things were¡­ [Will-o-Wisp: Lv 1][Rank: G-][Condition: Hungry For Souls] [Will-o-Wisp: Lv 0][Rank: G-][Condition: Hungry For Souls] [Will-o-Wisp: Lv 2][Rank: G-][Condition: Hungry For Souls] ¡ª¨C Chapter 2 ¡ª¨C [Will-o-Wisp: Lv 1][Rank: G-][Condition: Hungry For Souls] [Will-o-Wisp: Lv 0][Rank: G-][Condition: Hungry For Souls] [Will-o-Wisp: Lv 2][Rank: G-][Condition: Hungry For Souls] In front of me, I saw three little blue mes that had emerged literally out of nowhere. I was just minding my own business, collecting my skelly body, and these guyse here telling me they¡¯re hungry for souls? Why don¡¯t you eat your partner then? However, Analyze, a function within the System Unique Skill, reveals a disturbing truth¡­ ¡­ [Will-o-Wisp: Lv 1][Rank: G-][Condition: Hungry For Souls] A Phantom-type Monster that is born from the corruption of miasma in the environment that affects the residual negative emotions emanating from corpses. It harbors hatred to all living beings and souls, and it seeks to devour them to regain a soul of its own. Particrly weak, usually perish by the natural sunlight. ¡­ I see. So this thing is not made by souls but by negative emotions and¡­ miasma? Itcks a soul because it is just an umtion of negative emotions, so it wants to devour a soul to gain one itself. It could probably even evolve if it does. Although they also have levels, so it wouldn¡¯t be bad to assume that this world also has some sort of system of its own. However, there¡¯s no time to wait, the three of them rush towards me, floating in midair. They are surprisingly fast and probably areing for my tasty soul! I quickly evade the first one, which hits the ground with a little blue me explosion. It slowly gathers itself back and then moves towards me again. I evade another, but the third one manages to reach me. I feel a sudden sharp pain rush through my soul, as I have lost 3 points of HP! Ouch, did he just bite my soul?! Alright, enough clumsiness. I know clumsy female protagonists are charismatic, but let¡¯s just st these bastards away with magic! Shadow Ball! Poof! Eh? Only a tiny shadow spherees out of my hand. Right, I am almost out of MP! Eh? So I was actually a clumsy female protagonist, damn it! However, I realize that I had another gift from my wishes while dying¡­ The Wisp that took a bit off my soul ended up liking my vor, so he quickly rushed back towards me. However¡­ Mana Siphon! FLASH! Suddenly, blue-colored energy radiated from the wisp, and I began to absorb it. I quickly felt my MP regenerate at a crazy speed, and I got up to 40 points! Meanwhile, the Wisp, which seems to beposed of primarily mana, weakens, and bes very small. Payback time! I conjure a Shadow Bullet, but this time, I make it small but not weak enough to do absolutely no damage¡­, and I fire it with precision I didn¡¯t know I had in me, towards the Wisp! FLASH! BANG! ¡°Grryy¡­¡± The wisp released a slight groan that seemed more adorable than anything and died in the spot, dissipating into particles of phantasmal essence. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 20 EXP] [EXP : [20/50] I gained EXP out of killing this little guy¡­ Wait, if each one gives 20 EXP, then if I kill all three, I get to level up! However, as I investigated this, the two Wisps rushed towards my back! If I let them even close to me, they will bite my soul, and I might die! But I am already dead¡­ so I double die? Anyways, I didn¡¯t have time to evade, so I prepared two bullets with my remaining MP and fired both of them at the same time towards the Wisps! BANG! BANG! The two explode into blue smoke, dead! Whew, I am excellent at ghost hunting. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 40 EXP] [EXP : [60/50] [You¡¯ve leveled up to Level 1!] [You learned the [Dark Sphere: Lv1] Skill!] Phew¡­ I leveled up, and¡­ Oh man, it feels nice. I gained a new Skill, Dark Sphere! Is this the System trantion to my Shadow Ball? Alright, I guess Dark Sphere is a fancier name¡­ As I recollected my bones, I found out that my clothes were all destroyed, so I left them out as I couldn¡¯t wear them anyways. When I recollected my bones, I tried to possess them, but it ended in a mess, as I looked like a mass of broken bones and phantom essence¡­ Hehe¡­ This is not a very presentable form to eventually meet my fellow humans. Well, if I am a ghost, I might as well spook them, right? I decided to check my status and noticed my stats had increased. ¡­ [Name : [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race : [Lesser Ghost] [Level : [1/5] [EXP : [10/100] [Rank : [G-] [Status : [Cursed, Weak] [HP : [12/12] [MP : [110/110] [Attack : [5] [Defense : [4] [Magic : [110] [Agility : [7] ¡­ Huh¡­ a substantial increase. I guess I still kind of suck, but oh well, my MP and Magic increased by 10, so it¡¯s pretty nice. Oh, it also seems like my HP recovered when I leveled up. That¡¯s nice. Now, what do I do? I find myself in the middle of this lugubrious Graveyard. Wherever I look, there are just graves. I can see some little blue lights in the distance, perhaps more Wisps¡­ Ugh, I don¡¯t want these things to swarm me and end up tearing my soul apart¡­ This graveyard seems to be veryrge, I can see a forest outside of the gates, so maybe I should try to get there. Through my perception, I can detect mana around the environment, and within the forest, there¡¯s a considerable amount of manaing from somewhere¡­ And this entire graveyard is being shrouded in it. Maybe this is why the undead are waking up? Perhaps this is also the reason why I was finally freed from my body as a ghost. Perhaps a handsome Necromancer-san is waiting for me there! Oho! ¡­No. And if it is, I bet it is a skeleton¡­ A lich, or something. Well, might as well find out, right? If he¡¯s purposely raising me, I don¡¯t think he will kill me if I show up¡­ Or, more like, that¡¯s just my wishful thinking. But I feel the impulse to kill more monsters, so I will try to catch some Wisps off guard and level up some more. ¡ª¨C Chapter 3 ¡ª¨C As I flew around the vast graveyard, I sneaked behind the big graves and nced around my surroundings. Three Wisps were gathering right in front of me, all three floating aimlessly, but they stuck together. Always in three. It would be hard to separate them, so I suppose I must be direct and just kill all three of them. Each one gives 20 EXP, three of them is¡­ 60 EXP, I already have 10 EXP, so it would be 70 EXP out of 100 required to level up, so I will need two more Wisps. This means I won¡¯t be able to level up right away, and if I let them attack me, I will end up wounded. After that, if I attack two more to level up, I might end up dying. Because of this, I cannot be reckless and charge directly at them, so this is why I am sneaking around¡­ Sneaking¡­ Ding! [You¡¯ve learned the [Stealth: Lv1] Skill!] Eh? So soon? Okay then, thanks! This makes things easier, as this skill enhances my ability to hide passively. But if I use mana, I can hide even better¡­ But we don¡¯t want to use Mana- Oh wait, I do have Mana Siphon. So what if I use Mana with Stealth, activate Mana Siphon, weaken the Wisp, and st them off with the Mana I absorbed from them? Sounds like a n, alright! I patiently wait for them to reach closer to me while I activate Stealth slowly. It seems that it works wonders as the little mes don¡¯t notice me when I am literally right at their side! Mana Siphon! The moment I activate this Skill, the Wisps begin to slowly shrink in size, as they notice me at longst. However, you¡¯re already way too weakened, buddies. Bye-bye! I ready three Dark Spheres with a thought of my mind, sting them into smoke! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All three wisps die right after. My nning really paid off in the end! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP : [70/100] And done! And without even losing a single HP, that was nice¡­ My Mana slowly begins to recover back to full, as I keep wandering the graveyard. I am already pretty far away from my own grave, as I am reaching an area with paved floor which is surrounded by small buildings. I guess these buildings are where they put the corpses of royal family members? Come to think about it, who the heck was I in this life? I hate how I cannot remember any of that. It is as if I wasn¡¯t myself until I actually died¡­ This means I just died twice, right? The only thing I know is that I was named Maria Fuentes Belles, and I was a Dark Witch, who did many bad things, and I got my head guillotined off due to that. There was this handsome blonde that cried for me when I died¡­ Was he my lover? Or maybe an apprentice, little brother, or something? Damn, because he was quite handsome¡­ Anyways, no time for stupid thoughts. We gotpany here. I hide inside one of the little buildings where they put the coffins of royal family members. I then look through the wall at another trio of Wisps¡­ Oh, sweet, they¡¯re moving right towards me. I activate Stealth as I patiently stick myself into the walls. The three pass through them and continue moving forward, giving me their backs! Well¡­ If they ever have backs¡­ I siphon their mana in an instant. They seem rmed, but it¡¯s already toote! Dark Sphere! I conjure Dark Sphere three times once more. Each conjuration costs 30 MP, meaning that I use 90 MP right away. This is why it is a risky thing to do. If I fail, I end up losing most of my MP. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All three of these little wisps die horribly. Their agonizing cries are music to my metaphorical ears as I harvest their EXP like a reaper¡­ Hehe¡­ Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP : [130/100] [You¡¯ve leveled up to Level 2!] [The Level of [Dark Sphere: Lv 1] has increased!] Nice! And my Dark Sphere leveled up, how nice. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Lesser Ghost] [Level: [2/5] [EXP: [30/200] [Rank: [G-] [Status: [Cursed, Weak] [HP: [16/16] [MP: [122/122] [Attack: [8] [Defense: [7] [Magic: [122] [Agility: [12] ¡­ My stats increased once more. This time, they¡¯re finally looking a bit more decent¡­ well, not really. I bet I don¡¯t even pack a punch. Now I need 200 EXP to reach Level 3¡­ Will it increase by 100 each time? So 300, 400, andstly 500? What happens after max level? Hmm¡­ Evolution, maybe? While taking a break, I decided to check my Title Skills¡­ They were pretty strange. ¡­ [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] A Title Skill given to the Dark Witch, a figure of terror, feared by arge number of humans due to her ability to bring misfortune, cmity, and gues to everywhere she went. You gain the hatred of others, and your very existence seems to be a threat to any human. Enhances your Ability to learn Magic, your Mana recovery, and the growth of MP and Magic Stats. You also gain additional EXP by killing. Any minion will receive an enhancement to their stats, skills, growth, and evolution options. ¡­ [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv1] You are cursed with Bad Luck by the God of the Underworld, therefore, you bring misfortune to others. However, in exchange, your fortune increases as you absorb that of others passively. Those that serve you are not affected by this effect. The higher the level, the stronger the effects. ¡­ I-I see¡­ So I really was a Dark Witch, and this Title is still pretty good. It helps me grow stronger and faster! Although still, being hated by everyone for no reason hurts me a bit. And¡­ there¡¯s Bringer of Misfortune¡­ Oh boy, this is a bit broken¡­ But, I feel like it is not as bad as it seems¡­ Thank you, God of the Underworld! Anyways, now that I read ¡°Minion,¡± it reminded me of something¡­ Can I raise my own minion? I do have Dark Element and Death Element. By using Dark Element, I was able to use that magic. So can¡¯t I use Death Magic by having Death Element? Can I? If I could, it would be cool to raise an army of Undead to fight for me, so I can leisurely sit and wait for them to bring me EXP! Hmm¡­ Wait a minute, let¡¯s try it. I threw the bones I was carrying onto the ground, and then I decided to create a death spell¡­ Erm¡­ Raise Undead? FLASH! Suddenly, I lose 100 MP, but they flow into the pile of bones like a st of smoke, and the bones suddenly gain a phantasmal aura! They begin to rattle around as they slowly start to assemble¡­! No way, it actually worked! ¡ª¨C Chapter 4 ¡ª¨C By merely willing it and using my Death Element Skill, alongside my amazing Supreme Magic Unique Skill, I was somehow able to conjure a spell to raise the Undead, without even knowing about it! It really is just like what the Supreme Magic Skill description said: I have to merely will it, and magic will obey me¡­ Maybe I could make an instant death spell and cheese the entire game? Hm¡­ It might probably cost way too much mana to kill someone instantly, though¡­ Anyways, the important thing is happening before my eyes! Finally, after God knows how long I spent in absolute destion, I am finally getting a partner! And it is my own skeleton¡­ FLASH! The phantasmal forces came out of the pile of bones as they began to reassemble into a tall figure. Although most of the bones were cracked, it was still somewhat the figure of a skeleton. Its eyes were empty, and it seemed¡­ quite creepy to be honest. It looked at me with its empty eye sockets as it emanated an aura of phantasmal properties. It didn¡¯t know how to talk, and it only stood there. ¡°Hello?¡± I say hello, as the skull follows me around wherever I move. ¡°Hmm¡­ Squat!¡± I said. The skeleton began to tremble as it suddenly squatted¡­ barely. Oh, it obeys me¡­ I see. Well¡­ ¡°What name should I give you? I can¡¯t name you Maria, that¡¯s my name! But you¡¯re technically me¡­ In a way¡­ Partner will do for now, right?¡± Rattle¡­ The bones rattle a bit as it seems to nod. I didn¡¯t know if that was a nod, or the skull was about to fall onto the ground, but it just barely stopped from falling¡­ Ding! [You¡¯ve raised a Minion!] [You¡¯ve named your Minion as: [Partner]!] Oh, it seems that it got registered? Let¡¯s see¡­ Can I see Partner¡¯s status? ¡­ [Name: [Partner] [Race: [Wight] [Level: [0/5] [Rank: [G-] [Status: [Weak, Damaged] [HP: [21/21] [MP: [18/18] [Attack: [14] [Defense: [12] [Magic: [7] [Agility: [10] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv1] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv1] [Bone w: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Wight] A monster whose body is a corpse possessed by an evil spirit. It is fragile, but it can surprise someone by pretending to be a pile of bones. Its bones are sharp and can cause a little damage. ¡­ Oooh! My dear partner, you¡¯re not so bad! Rattle¡­ The bones rattle a bit, as it seems to be happy with my praise. Her HP, Strength, and Defense are way higher than mine even at level 0¡­ Also, I can already see that it is inclined to defense and physicalbat. Meanwhile, I am a ss cannon sort of deal¡­ Hey, we kind of go nicely with one another. Maybe I can ask her to act as bait for the monsters while I absorb their mana while sneaking behind her, and then¡­ BAM! Dead. Well, if she obeys mymands, it should be reasonably easy to do. I wonder if I can raise more Undead? Well, I don¡¯t think I can at the moment. My Mana is already very low after raising Partner, so I will have to rest for a bit and see if my Mana regenerates. Or we go hunting, and I just absorb the mana of what we find¡­ Yeah, if I can absorb mana, why would I sit down and wait for it to regenerate passively? I am the predator here! We slowly sneaked outside of this closed building, but Partner had to get out bone by bone through the small rack door. When we were outside, my partner followed me from behind. Her bones rattling made a bit of noise¡­ We marched through the ¡°streets¡± of this giant graveyard until we detected some activity¡­ Two wisps were running away from¡­ a bigger wisp? [Phantom Will-o-Wisp: Lv 2][Rank: G+][Condition: Hungry] [Phantom Will-o-Wisp] An evolved form of a Will-o-Wisp. The only change to it is itsrge body. It has devoured a soul, and it now begins to predate on anything. Even other Will-o-Wisps are not spared. ¡­ Oh wow, so they evolve by eating souls¡­ Wait, so another fellow ghost already got eaten by these damn things? Uegh¡­ It is chasing down two Wisps¡­ and it is also G+ in Rank. It has higher stats than me except in MP and Magic¡­ We chased it down from a distance, seeing what it was doing, until it suddenly stopped and caught the two wisps, devouring them by adding them into its body¡­ it got a bit bigger, but it didn¡¯t level up yet. The wisps had resisted a bit, so its HP had dropped by around 5 points out of the 30 it had¡­ Hmm¡­ ¡°Partner, throw a bone at it!¡± I said as we hid behind arge gravestone. Partner obeyed me as she pointed at the Wisp and threw her whole arm at it! Her precision was superb because it hit the-wisp right on it! CLASH! The bone actually did damage to it despite passing through its body. How odd¡­ However, the thing quickly detected us and began to rush towards us! Time to y! I quickly used Stealth with my remaining MP as Partner began to panic. Calm down! FLAASH! As the Wisp finally reached my range, which was around 3 meters to absorb mana, I activated Mana Siphon immediately, and a chunk of Mana was transferred to me in an instant! The wisp felt weakened as it quickly detected my presence and began to retreat! ¡°Oi, where are you going?!¡± I flew towards it with Partner at my side as I conjured Dark Sphere and fired it twice towards the wisp¡¯srge body! BANG! BANG¡­! ¡°Gyyyeeehh¡­¡± The Wisp felt weakened as it slowly fell to the ground. I absorbed whatever Mana it had as I defeated it by firing another Dark Bullet. Damn, it was tough but very slow and cowardly, so we pulled through, thankfully! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 300 EXP!] [EXP: [330/200] [You¡¯ve leveled up to level 3!] [You learned the [Fake Life: Lv1] Skill!] [Partner] has leveled up to level 2!] Oh! Partner leveled up, and to boot, I gained a new Skill¡­ ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Lesser Ghost] [Level: [3/5] [EXP: [130/300] [Rank: [G-] [Status: [Cursed, Weak] [HP: [21/21] [MP: [136/136] [Attack: [12] [Defense: [10] [Magic: [136] [Agility: [16] ¡­ Two more levels before I can reach max level¡­ and Partner seems to have simr EXP requirements to me because she leveled twice by gaining half of my EXP, meaning that for Level 0, she required 50 EXP, and for Level 1, 100 EXP, carrying her to Level 2. Oh yeah, minions seem to gain half of the EXP of my kill. I guess it is the same for me if they kill the target as well¡­ Also, what is this new Skill? [Fake Life: Lv1] The art of giving fake life to a living or unliving being. By using this Skill in a target that is not resisting, you can either: Raise it as an Undead if it is inanimate or change its race into an Undead-type monster if it is alive. It cannot be used on unwilling or resisting targets. The power of the Undead is rted to the Skill Level and Magic Stat. ¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 5 ¡ª¨C After raising my first Undead and first best friend of this life, Partner, I got a new Skill signaling that the power of raising an Undead seems toe from a new Skill. That¡¯s nice and all, but I really wish I could learn more about the world. It seems that the Unique Skill: System has the power to analyze things within my line of sight. I¡¯ve tried analyzing the graves and more, but I don¡¯t get anything hinting what kind of freaking world this is aside from one with magic and a medieval setting. It really intrigues me to learn more, and that¡¯s why we are slowly moving away from this graveyard. However, this ce is immense. It is as if they built an entire graveyard over a gigantic in and left it in the middle of the forest¡­ I mean, why would they do that? Wait¡­ If the Undead is raising¡­ Maybe they put graveyards far away from the city in case of the Undead raising, so they don¡¯t reach the people as quickly? Oh, then that¡¯s a bit clever, but shouldn¡¯t you still have some means not to let the Undead raise? I mean, there could be some pope here going around purifying stuff, but nope, not any of that. Maybe they forgot or ended spending resources elsewhere. For now, I have to ¡°survive,¡± as I am sure as hell, I won¡¯t be a ghost of a ghost if I die as one. I have HP, so that¡¯s means that if it reaches zero, my soul might end up being the one that dies this time. And¡­ there¡¯s this weird inner desire growing from within my very being, as if there was someone else whispering to me something¡­ Ugh, it only felt small at first, like just some desire to kill, but now, I am pretty sure I hear voices. ¡°Kill! Kill all the Undead! Grow stronger! FIGHT!¡± Eh? Who said that?! Jesus, calm down dude. I am doing my best, but I can¡¯t just jump into the fry and end up killing myself. I already died twice! I don¡¯t want a third time¡­ ¡°KILL AND GROW STRONGER!¡± Ugh¡­ SHUT THE FUCK UP! ¡°¡­¡± Oh, it shut up. Nice. I guess we have to just be rude against these Divine Voices that orders us around. Hah! Did you think I would let you order me around, whoever you are? Well, nope! Anyways, time to kill and grow stronger. Wait, that¡¯s exactly what he wants me to do¡­ ¡­I guess I end up doing as he wants anyways. Anyways, I¡¯ve lost too much time thinking to myself.It is quite depressing that Partner cannot converse with me or something. She only looks over at me with her empty eyes, which somehow gives me the chills. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve gotten stronger as well, haven¡¯t you?¡± I asked her as she nodded, rattling her bones. ¡°Crack, crack!¡± I watched over Partner¡¯s stats, finding that they had increased nicely. She leveled up twice, so it was something quite obvious! Anyways, after our big sack of EXP in the Phantasmal Will-o-Wisp, we continued through therge and dark graveyard by ourselves, hiding around whenever we could, until we finally reached an area that seemed to be an open za in the middle of this graveyard. It even had some trees decorating the area¡­ Seriously? Is this really a royal family graveyard or something?! And why was I, a viiness, put in here? Wasn¡¯t I an evil witch? ¡­Oh right, I had asked for a wealthy background. Perhaps I was evil but still of a wealthy family, so they at least paid to put me here instead of burning my corpse or something. Well, thanks! At the very least, you didn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know, try to save me from having my head sliced off?! Perhaps my family didn¡¯t love me. If I had rich parents that cared for me, they might have done anything they could to save me with the power of money¡­ But these assholes didn¡¯t do a thing. Unless they were forced somewhat? Perhaps I had a little sister or brother which they were about to kill if they didn¡¯t let me get my head sliced off. Or maybe I am letting my imagination run too wild because in the middle of this opening, what we saw with Partner was¡­ a massive sea of EXP! There were dozens after dozens of Wisps flying around aimlessly, like tiny blue mes above the skies! This was nice! Very nice! If we can manage to kill all these, we¡¯ll definitely be able to reach the next level and evolve! I know it! I am sure of it! The wisps were still in packs of three, but the amount of packs present was insane! Perhaps there might be close to a hundred spread all across this ce, and because they don¡¯t attack each other but cooperate, the others will swarm on us if I attack one. But is there a way to lure them out one by one? And I am also worried about the time¡­ what will happen if the sunlight hits us?! Will I dissipate, just like the descriptions of the Wisps? Then I have to evolve at least. Maybe that way I will be able to resist the sunlight¡­ Alright, let¡¯s get real. If I can use my Title Skill, Bringer of Misfortune, alongside my Unique Skill, Mana Siphon, to absorb their fortune and mana, maybe I can make them extremely unlucky and kill them while weakening them. I have discovered that my range of Mana Siphon is 3 meters, and it covers all the area within three meters, meaning I can absorb mana from multiple targets, and while doing that, I can st them with Dark Spheres¡­ Sounds like a n. But a very reckless one. Am I willing to take such risks? I nce at Partner. She was fearless and looks at the wisps as if she was staring at a meal¡­ I guess not being alone here had made me a bit braver all of a sudden¡­ Well, if you never take risks, how can you grow stronger in such a short amount of time? I have decided¡­ Let¡¯s ughter them all! ¡ª¨C Chapter 6 ¡ª¨C In front of us, there are almost a hundred Wisps spread through arge area of perhaps around 30 meters. Each wisp is small, and they have spread around, although they¡¯re still in groups of three. Nheless, each group is separate from one another, which is enough for us to have some momentum in between each group. However, for that, we will require extreme precision. Are we willing to take the risk and get big? Or¡­ cowardly run away and try to level up elsewhere? To be honest, this seems like a once in a dietime opportunity¡­ However, after experimenting with the range of Mana Siphon a bit and after seeing the power of my Dark Spheres, capable of killing a normal Wisp easily, I felt some confidence that we could win. As long as I continue to absorb mana, shoot dark spheres, and ask Partner to use her resilient andrger physical body to shield me from hits¡­ It might work. Yes, this can realistically work! ¡­I think. We are doing it. I¡¯ve already made up my mind. ¡°Let¡¯s do it, Partner!¡± I quickly used Stealth to begin with a surprise attack and quickly reached up to a group of Wisps that had been getting near the grave where we were hiding. Mana Siphon, do your thing! FLAAAASH! I begin to siphon their mana in an instant. Hmm~ Delicious MP! With this MP, the wisp didn¡¯t even know what happened to them before three Dark Spheres sted each one out of existence! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The spheres of darkness explode and kill the Wisps, as I am bathed with EXP alongside Partner¡­ although she didn¡¯t do anything but watch. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP: [190/300] However, after these nice EXP sacks, all the wisps noticed us and red at us with their non-existent eyes! ¡°Here theye!¡± I shouted as Partner quickly got into a fighting position¡­ Well, ¡°fighting¡± as if in using her two arms as shields, protecting her skull and chest. She retrieved her thrown arm from earlier, so shielding wasn¡¯t a problem. FLASSH! I heard the sounds of the wisp¡¯s mes rushing towards us. All these little lights in the sky were all Wisps! Even when we killed three with no effort, they are still bold enough toe at me and even try to kill me! Heh, I suppose they¡¯re really brave. ¡°And your bravery will be rewarded with death!¡± A trio of Wisps quickly flies towards us. As Partner blocks them from reaching me, her skeletal ws actually do some damage to them as she touches them, and she actually killed two of them with a single swing of her Bone ws! The other one was sted into oblivion with my Dark Sphere as I absorbed the Mana it had beforehand! The EXP I got from the ones in by Partner was reduced by half, so each one only gave 10 EXP, resulting in 40 EXP if we add the 20 EXP from the one I killed! [You¡¯ve gained 40 EXP] [EXP: [230/300] ¡°GYEEHHH!¡± A louder than usual group of angry wisps reached to me, and right after that, they roared like the souls of damned people being tortured. It was simply creepy. But fine by me! I quickly evaded one of the wisps that literallyunched at me like a madman as another managed to rise through my body, damaging and lowering my HP. Ouch. However! I got them all in my range, so¡­ Mana Siphon! FLAAASH! In a mere instant, their mana is mine, and I release three Dark Spheres right over their faces, shooting it in three different directions simultaneously. Something that only someone with the excellent Supreme Magic Unique Skill can do, of course! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP: [290/300] Only 10 more EXP! I fly near Partner as I find her fighting against a swarm of Wisps. She¡¯s evading two groups of them, while another is trying to make her fall by attacking her legs, but her HP is very high, so she¡¯s actually quite resilient, and as she just leveled up from shared EXP, so her HP recovered automatically like me. ¡°Mana Siphon!¡± I absorb the Mana of the group swarming her from her back, and as they be weakened, Partner doesn¡¯t lose this opportunity to sh them into nothingness! SLAAASH! However, right after these three died, a group of Wisps reached me from behind and began to bite and burn my soul slowly! Ouch! My HP begins to dwindle, but I use the mana I absorbed to kill them with three Dark Spheres! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! [You¡¯ve gained 30 EXP] [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [You¡¯ve leveled up to Level 4!] [EXP: [80/500] And I leveled up right away from the EXP that Partner shared with me, so my HP actually went back to full, phew. However, it was far from over! I flew near Partner as I absorbed the Mana of the swarm near her skeletal legs and then let Partner crush them with her foot as they were too weakened to move anymore. It was like crushing bugs! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! [You¡¯ve gained 30 EXP] [EXP: [120/500] Another swarm was above her, throwing little blue mes at us. I evaded as I could, but Partner ended taking most of the hits, so I flew upwards and sted them into nothingness with another three Dark Spheres! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP: [180/500] [The Levels of the [Ghost Touch: Lv1], [Lesser Curse: Lv1], [Dark Sphere: Lv2], and [Stealth: Lv1] Skills have increased!] What? Skills I have barely used aside from Dark Sphere suddenly leveled up¡­ I guess something triggered there, or maybe I learn natural proficiency? Wait¡­ Lesser Curse gives me the ability to curse something and weaken its stats. Then maybe I was unknowingly using it with Mana Siphon this entire time. And Ghost Touch is a more practical skill against physical beings, but maybe through Dark Spheres, I was using them¡­ Anyways, although we managed to defeat the initial wave, there were several other groups of Wisps flying at us, however, we couldn¡¯t ck off. The grind shall continue! Bring me all the EXP! ¡ª¨C Chapter 7 ¡ª¨C After I discovered that I was passively using Ghost Touch and even Lesser Curse on my Dark Sphere and Mana Siphon attacks, I readied myself for more battle! There were three groups of three Wisps each, rushing right towards us. One in front, another in the left, and the other at the right¡­ we were cornered! Of course, I was able to easily evade the one that flew directly towards me, although a little one managed to scratch my soul slightly, causing me to lose some HP. I instantly utilized Mana Siphon on it, and its partners, weakening them through thebination of Lesser Curse added onto it! I had tried using Life Drain, but it doesn¡¯t seem to work on Undead-type monsters. Maybe because they don¡¯t have ¡°life¡±? Nheless, I created three Dark Spheres without wasting a single second, as the three spheres of darkness reached their targets and killed all three of the weakened Wisps in three consecutive explosions! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Right after, the delicious wave of EXP bathed my soul¡­ Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP: [240/500] We are almost halfway through my next level! *Rattle!* My skelly friend, Partner, hurriedly used her Bone ws to sh through the group of three Wisps that reached her, hitting, and attacking her ribcage. I positioned myself behind her and absorbed their mana right away while she used her sharp bone hands and the Bone w Skill, which seems to enhance the sharpness and attack power of her own bone fingers to sh the Wisps! Even if they were non-corporeal, they still take damage from Skills or magic, so they faded away in an instant, giving us some more exp! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 30 EXP] [EXP: [270/500] Because she killed them, I got only half of those 60 EXP, resulting in 30 EXP, which was better than nothing to be honest! The third group of wisps nearby reached us in an instant! The trio suddenly separated from one another, something we had not seen before, as one of them floated far away from us and began to shoot tiny blue mes! Meanwhile, the other two bastards attacked Partner¡¯s legs and made her trip into the ground! sh! ¡°Oi, you bastards!¡± I roared as I absorbed their Mana right away, while the phantom fire of the one above reached me, burning through my HP. I fired a Dark Sphere at the one above us beforehand, while Partner¡¯s bone ws took out the two weakened ones! BOOM! SLASH! SLASH! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 40 EXP] [EXP: [310/500] We are pulling through¡­ Partner slowly stood up as we seemed to have cleared part of this area. However, some Wisps farther away noticed all themotion and came flying towards our direction. Upon noticing my tasty soul, they couldn¡¯t help but risk their lives and give it a shot against me. My HP was still not too low, and my Mana had enough for two more shots of Dark Sphere. Partner positioned in front of me as if shielding me while I put myself behind her. Uwah, we make the perfect team, Partner! I already love you! Who would have thought that my own skeleton would be my best friend? ¡°WUUUUUH!¡± Two groups of wisps rushed towards us, being six in total, all six of them were groaning as if they were the souls of the damned wailing in agony¡­ though, they weren¡¯t really souls, but the overumtion of negative emotions smashed into one, creating a phantom-like monster! The moment they reached us, I released my Mana Siphon over all six of them, while Partner used her bones to shield me, taking the little attacks they released, which were deadly for an exposed soul such as mine, but that didn¡¯t do as much damage to Partner. As she shielded me, I managed to get enough MP for me to fire a barrage of Dark Spheres! I call this¡­ Dark Shotgun! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All six of the Dark Spheres were fired from my body simultaneously. Even without ever having used magic before, Supreme Magic made me a master in the usage of Mana, and my magic became so amazing, it was to the point that I was even able to split my mind while conjuring spells and fire them at different directions simultaneously, with remarkable precision! All six of the wisps died pitifully right away, as we were bathed in more EXP with Partner! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 120 EXP] [EXP: [430/500] Three groups were done for, but two more wereing at us! I think these are thest ones¡­ just in time for my evolution! As they flew at us, they did something weird. All nine of them suddenly began to get together¡­ as if they were fusing! What is this? Is this how Phantasmal Will-o-Wisps are born? But they have not eaten a soul yet! Maybe they saw so many of them dying that they decided to join into a big one? FLAAASSH! The nine Wisps merged into a big one, almost reaching two meters in height! I quickly appraised it, finding that it was somethingpletely different¡­ ¡­ [Will-o-Wisp Legion: Lv 5] [Rank: G+] A type of Undead-type monster formed by the union of many Will-o-Wisps who were unable to find a soul. Filled with rage and negative emotions, they decide to join hands and be a powerful Wisp in hopes to finally devour a soul with such newly acquired strength. ¡­ Yikes, alright, this bastard might be a bit stronger¡­ ¡°WOOOOOHH!¡± Therge Wisp roared with the sound of many wailing voices as it flew towards us at an impressive speed! Damn, if it manages to sh its big body against us, he¡¯ll easily slurp our souls out! ¡°Let¡¯s evade!¡± FLAAAAASH! Therge Wisp hit the ground with its charge as we managed to just barely jump to the side! BOOOM! Seeing it was in the ground, it slowly brought itself up again. But I quickly decided to use Mana Siphon on it right away! As I drained its mana for a few seconds, the Wisp noticed and got quite angry. It formed a fireball made of phantasmal mes and fired it at me! ¡ª¨C Chapter 8 FLAAAAASH! A giant blue-colored fireball made of phantasmal mes, capable of burning the soul, flew at me with insane speed. Shit! I was caught off guard, but I tried to evade, flying to the sides, however, the fireball was way too massive, and my Agility wasn¡¯t the highest, either. I grit my imaginary teeth as I prepare myself for the inevitable hit. However! CLAAAASH! ¡°Crack¡­!¡± Partner suddenly emerged before me, taking the whole hit head-on! Bump! It fell to the ground as all her bones shattered, scattering along the floor! ¡°Agh¡­ Partner!¡± *Rattle* It seems to be still alive¡­ ¡°You dork, why did you do that?! You could have died!¡± *Rattle* Her HP is barely at 2 points¡­ A bit more, and she¡¯ll die. But thankfully, it is not lowering, mostly because she can¡¯t bleed or anything of the sort. However, if she receives another hit, she¡¯ll surely die¡­ But¡­ this wisp is looking for me, not Partner. Partner doesn¡¯t precisely have a soul, but her ¡°soul¡± is made of residual phantasmal essence, whereas I am the one with an actual soul. As long as I get away from her, the Wisp will follow me instead! And I have enough Mana! I rush away from Partner right away as I nce at the Wisp! ¡°Partner, wait there for a bit, alright?¡± *Crackle* Partner rattles her jaws as if acknowledging my words. ¡°OOOOOOOOHHHHH!¡± Therge wisps get off the ground and quickly fly towards me like a cannonball shot through the air! ¡°You damn fatass!¡± I ready Dark Sphere and fire it several times consecutively as if I were firing a Shotgun! As the idiot is just charging at me directly, all the hits instantly hit it! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! ¡°OOOOOOHHHH¡­!¡± The six Dark Spheres hit it directly, as several parts of its mass begin to fade away. The entire thing is suddenly reduced to the size of a watermelon, but somehow, it kept charging at me desperately! ¡°OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up already!¡± I evade right in time, moving upwards, as the Wisp falls over the ground again and its mass begins to fade away the more it rubs itself through the ground. ¡°I got you!¡± I rushed towards it and absorbed whatever Mana it had left, and¡­ DARK SPHERE! A sphere made of pure darkness emerges before me, as I fire it directly at the wisp! BOOOM!!! ¡°Guuuuooohh¡­!¡± Poof! The entire wisp finally dies out as I get tons of EXP. Phew¡­ Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 200 EXP] [EXP: [630/500] [You¡¯ve leveled up to Level 5!] [You can now [Evolve] [Partner] has leveled up to Level 5!] Ah! Partner! I fly near Partner as I see her slowly recovering. Her cracked and shattered bones slowly reassembled themselves, and in just a few seconds, she was back to normal. Phew¡­ ¡°Uwaaah! Partner, you idiot! What would I have done if you died?!¡± *Rattle* ¡°Yeah, I know I could have died! But still¡­ You know that I can raise another Undead, but¡­ you¡¯re the first one, and therefore, you¡¯re special! Even if we had been together for just like¡­ 5 hours or something¡­¡± I sighed. *Crackle* Partner¡¯s empty eyes seem not to understand what I am trying to say, but she kind of felt my emotions as she used her skeletal arms to hug me. Aw¡­ ¡°A-Anyways! Now that we are max level, we should evolve! But how the heck do we evolve?¡± I wondered. I tried to find something through the System, and there it was, there was a big button in front of me, saying: [Evolution] (New!). Because it is quitemon for evolutions to suddenly make you ckout or something, we decided to move away from this open field, entering another of those closed buildings where they put royal family coffins. The racks were wide enough for Partner to fit her body piece by piece, so we got there pretty easily. ¡°Phew, being in a closed room really makes me feel safer¡­ Now¡­ Hey, how about you evolve first?¡± I asked. *Rattle* Partner, as if knowing how to do it without even thinking, is suddenly shrouded by shadows and phantom essence that came out of nowhere! FLAAAASH! ¡°Woah, hold up!¡± I move a few meters away as I see Partner evolve right in front of my eyes. My cracked little skeleton friend is finally getting stronger! The essence quickly fills her skeleton body, and it suddenly starts to change color¡­ The ck bones becamepletely dark and gained a mildly metallic shine. There were no cracks now, and it even had a cross-shaped crimson-red-colored tattoo in the middle of her forehead. Meanwhile, her two empty eye sockets gained two glowing red lights, shining eerily¡­ Ding! [Partner] has evolved into a [ck Skeleton Fighter]!] ck Skeleton Fighter?! Seriously? That sounds really cool for just a ck-colored skeleton¡­ *Rattle* Partner suddenly begins to inspect her own body, and she seemed to be happy with it. *Crackle!* It runs towards me and hugs me again. ¡°Eh? W-What are you doing? I guess you¡¯re happy that you¡¯ve evolved, aren¡¯t you? Must feel nice, huh?¡± *Crackle!* What an overly affectionate skeleton¡­ ¡°Anyways, let me go now. I want to evolve too! Though, let me check how your stats are looking¡­.¡± ¡­ [Name: [Partner] [Race: [ck Skeleton Fighter] [Level: [5/10] [Rank: [F] [Status: [Strengthened] [HP: [72/72] [MP: [27/27] [Attack: [41] [Defense: [37] [Magic: [16] [Agility: [25] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv2] [ck Steel Bones: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv2] [Magical Damage Resistance: Lv1] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv2] [Bone w: Lv3] [Intimidation: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] ¡­ Wait, what? Hold up. You got way too strong now! Over 70 HP?! She really became a tank now¡­ Nai wa¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 9 ¡ª¨C Partner got so strong! What the heck? Now I am jelly! ¡­But she¡¯s such a sweetheart, hugging me and stuff. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t have to hug me all the time, alright?¡± I asked. *Crackle* Partner quickly let me go from her skelly embrace, finally allowing me some room to breathe. ¡°Now that you¡¯re evolved, I will evolve too, so keep your guard high and don¡¯t let any sneaky wisp get inside to annoy us,¡± I said. ¡°Rattle!¡± Partner rattled her metallic bones as she seemed to nod. I quickly pressed the [Evolution] Option once and for all, only to find that there were¡­ options! [Evolution Options] [Ghost] [Dark Ghost] [Phantom] ¡­ Three options? I would assume Ghost lets me be a Lesser Ghost, huh. Dark Ghost¡­ maybe it strengthens my Dark Magic? And Phantom is¡­ I don¡¯t know. what¡¯s the difference? Let¡¯s see¡­ My excellent Unique Skill: System,es with the wonderful Analyze ability, so let¡¯s use it to analyze these babies. ¡­ [Ghost] [Rank: F-] A Ghost, a soul, infected by miasma, has be an Undead. Their bodies are ethereal but can materialize for short periods of time. Although their physical damage is very weak, they have the ability to spook people, drain the life out of people, and curse them. ¡­ [Dark Ghost] [Rank: F+] A variant of the Ghost Monster evolved from a soul shrouded in dark and negative emotions, bing closer to the dark side¡­ Its soul is infused with shadows and darkness, resembling a mass of shadows. Dark ghosts are amazing at using Dark Sphere as their primary attacking method and can hide within shadows to ambush victims from behind. ¡­ [Phantom] [Rank: F] Phantoms are souls that had not properly rearranged their appearance and had be wed. They resemble a mass of phantasmal essence and can change shapes at will. They usually are less aggressive than Ghosts, living in deste areas. However, they would sometimes hauntrge manors and move things around with their ability to lift things into the air. They have great Stealth potential and are very hard to detect. ¡­ They look quite good¡­ But I am inclined between Dark Ghost and Phantom. With Dark Ghost, my offense will increase a lot¡­ And I could even hide in shadows! Wait, does this means I can hide in the night? Meanwhile, Phantomes with a very faint presence, and you can even sneak around people in the bright of day without any issue as if I were just a mass of air¡­ Hmmm¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s obvious what option I will take. Ding! [You¡¯ve chosen the [Dark Ghost] Evolution Option!] FLAAASH! The moment I picked this evolution, my entire body was shrouded in phantasmal essence and darkness¡­ a lot of darkness! Alright¡­ let¡¯s prepare¡­ Ugh¡­ this feels weird. It feels as if my entire body is being bathed. Some impurities are being moved away, while this new power, the shadows and darkness, are quickly entering my soul. And just like that, the evolution finished. My appearance has be¡­ mildly humanoid. I think I can take the shape of a mannequin or something. But I can¡¯t recreate my real face yet¡­ And my phantasmal body is now shrouded with darkness¡­ It¡¯s as if I had embraced the edginess that lies within my heart! Ding! [You have evolved into a [Dark Ghost]!] [All your stats have increased] [The Levels of all your Skills have increased] [You learned the [Dark Gale: Lv1] and [Shadow Sneak: Lv1] Skills!] Oooh, I got two new Skills right off the bat! And I feel quite stronger than before. Like, my body seems more ¡°real¡± to an extent¡­ It¡¯s hard to exin it properly¡­ Anyways, I decided to check my stats. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Dark Ghost] [Level: [5/12] [EXP: [0/600] [Rank: [F+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [37/37] [MP: [185/185] [Attack: [24] [Defense: [22] [Magic: [185] [Agility: [36] Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv2] [Shadow Sneak: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv2] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv3] [Lesser Curse: Lv3] [Life Drain: Lv2] [Possession: Lv2] [Dark Sphere: Lv4] [Fake Life: Lv3] [Stealth: Lv2] [Dark Gale: Lv1] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv2] ¡­ Oh, I am indeed looking quite extraordinary there! My MP and Magic had increased by a nice amount, and my other stats don¡¯t look that bad either. Although I guess the only vital stats for a ss cannon like me is having more Agility to evade. Sadly, there are no such things as stat points here to relocate them around. The rest of my Skills leveled up except the new ones and¡­ Eh? Even my Title Skill leveled¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 10 ¡ª¨C ¡­ [Dark Gale: Lv1] Charge Mana and release a mighty gale of dark winds towards a target, it is not as intense as Dark Sphere, but it can cut through things more sharply and precisely. It can also be used to generate a strong shockwave of winds. ¡­ [Shadow Sneak: Lv1] The characteristic Skill of Assassins, Thieves, Rogues, and other Shadow Creatures. By spending Mana, you shroud yourself in shadows and hide within them, although your mass is not merged with the shadows. But if this is used by something without a physical body, a full fusion into the shadows can be done. Consumes mana constantly. ¡­ I nced at the information of my two new abilities as I grew eager to try them out. However, the Shadow Sneak requirement of needing mana constantly really threw me off. I guess I cannot abuse it for now and be invisible in the darkness of the night or something¡­ And Dark Gale seems like an excellent attack method. It costs less than Dark Sphere, and it can slice through things more precisely, but it alsocks as much firepower as the cannonball-like potency of Dark Sphere¡­ so there¡¯s that. ¡°Phew, now that we are done and evolved, what should we do? Ah, let¡¯s try to sneak out of the graveyard, I guess. I mean, we are more than halfway through the gates already,¡± I said. *Crackle!* With a very loyal skeleton at my side, I decided to move forward through the night. Several hours had gone by since I was reborn as a Ghost, so I think that the sun might emerge soon enough. We have to get out of here and see the outside world before that! We sneaked through the graveyard, and on the way, we barely found wisps flying around, and if we did catch sight of them, they would be very far away from us. We also found that it would be useless to waste time and mana into chasing them down, so we ignored them as we pushed forward. After almost an hour, we finally reached the gates of the graveyard. It was a very tough rack, and it even seemed to be¡­ magically enhanced? It had something resembling drawings on it¡­ runes of some sort¡­ which gave it some magical potency. I would guess that such a thing is what gives them this strength. I mean, I try to touch them, and there is also this invisible wall that doesn¡¯t let me get out. It is very annoying. However, this only applies to the walls and gates. ¡°Hmm¡­ Come here, Partner.¡± I decided to use Possession on Partner, who didn¡¯t resist, as we fused into one! And using such fusion, I used my natural floating ability to slowly carry her above the gate. Very Slooowly¡­ As we reached above the gates, the invisible wall was no longer present, and then, we reached the outside. Bump! We reached the surface with a spectacr jump as I separated myself from Partner. Using possession also consumes mana constantly if the entity I am possessing is ¡°alive¡±. This also applies to the undead, it seems. After bing an undead, I suppose she stopped just being a pile of bones. What greeted us at the outside world was a beautiful dark forest filled with phantasmal presences within¡­ It was spooky. But not really. The trees looked like pine trees, but they were way bigger and a bit darker. And as I analyzed things out, I noticed the entire forest surrounded this graveyard. It was really isted from everywhere else. Oh, and yeah, there was this presence, with the same magical essence that had filled the graveyard and awakened all the Wisps, Ghosts, and the like, which I didn¡¯t seem to havee across. Perhaps there were more ghosts on the other side of the graveyard, which I didn¡¯t manage to inspect. There was also this strange voice that had stopped talking into my head, which somehow had some rtion to this energy¡­ I could feel it. And the presence was¡­ right in front of us. There was a long dirt road in front of the gate, and I am guessing that through it, carriagese to put more coffins into the graveyard. And the presence wasing right from this road. I couldn¡¯t satiate my curiosity, so I decided to hide within therge trees as I followed this strong presence of pure magic with Partner at my side. ¡°Partner, what do you think it might be?¡± I wondered out loud. *Rattle* ¡°Yeah, maybe it is really a Necromancer or something?¡± We continued to pass through the forest until we found that the magical essence did a sudden turn and reached the other side of the road¡­ We quickly crossed the road sneakily before we arrived at the other side of the forest and continued to follow the presence. It was getting a bit brighter; the sun might soon arise. I really hope the sunlight or something doesn¡¯t purify me¡­ Suddenly, the presence got stronger, to the point that it was even more alluring. Ah¡­ Wait, what? I just realized it, but we had been following this presence way too happily. Why is it? Is it because it seems ¡°alluring¡± to us? As we are Undead? Undead seem to crave mana above all things¡­ However, it is toote to turn back because what we found in front of us was the entrance to an underground dungeon. The floor suddenly became paved with gray and dark blue bricks, which led downstairs into the depths of darkness. I used Analyze on this and¡­ [Dungeon Entrance] [Dungeon Rank: Unknown] [Dungeon State: Recently Opened] ¡°It really is a dungeon¡­¡± And the moment I analyzed it, the voice once more spoke to me. ¡°Ah! The first ones are finally here! Eh? It¡¯s you, the insolent one that spoke back to me¡­ Well, whatever,e down!¡± ¡°Eh? Who are you?¡± The voice just spoke to me through my mind, as if it were telepathy or something. ¡°Who am I? I am your creator, of course! Come meet me downstairs! I-I am very lonely, you know?¡± ¡°Lonely? Can you tell me who you are at the very least?¡± I sighed. ¡°I am¡­ Well, let¡¯s say I am a Fallen Dragon¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not normal at all!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 11 ¡ª- The people of the town of Affnaria werepletely unaware that the soul of the Dark Witch they had sentenced to death six years ago had suddenly awakened as a ghost. However, reports about a strange Miasma Activity within the Dark Forest that surrounded the Graveyard set in outside the city had begun to reach the town¡¯s Duke. As the sixth son of the King who rules the Kingdom of Albraun, he was delegated into a Duke in this town several years ago. However, as the town was filled with filth and poor people, it has been a pain in the ass to pull into a better situation altogether. But today, as he was assessing a mountain of papers, someone came with a unique report. ¡°Lord Allen, there¡¯s something important to report¡­.¡± ¡°What is it? I am swamped with work. I have not slept for over four, days now and I haven¡¯t even finished this mountain of papers. Trading with the Merchant Guilds of the nearby Towns is such a pain¡­.¡± Sighed the man. His short ck hair, sharp emerald eyes, and long nose gave away the characteristics of the royal family of Albraun immediately. ¡°I am very sorry to interrupt you, my lord, but this is very important. It seems that¡­ Large concentrations of Miasma had been detected within the depths of the Dark Forest. A Wizard from the Mage Guild said that this could possibly mean the birth of a new dungeon,¡± Said the old man. ¡°A dungeon¡­ right in front of our town?!¡± asked Allen, almost falling out of his chair. Dungeons were born when arge amount of Miasma was umted underground for hundreds of years. It was said to be trials made by the Trickster God of Chaos, Loki, for humanity¡¯s growth. ¡°Indeed, my lord. But this could quite possibly be a good thing!¡± Says the man. ¡°Hah! As if I were to not know that! Suppose we can grab that dungeon and find the Dungeon Core, and the Dungeon Master is in. In that case, we can take over that Dungeon and finally¡­ we can finally begin to be more self-sustainable in terms of Magic Stones and other resources that Dungeons can give!¡± Shouts the Duke in excitement, fascinated by the mary potential of owning a Dungeon, something that many Towns already practiced. ¡°My lord, the Magician Guild¡¯s Wizard, Asahunn Danberra, is ready to go investigate. Will you give him the order?¡± Asked the man. ¡°Only that old man? No, that won¡¯t be enough. Prepare several tasks in the Adventurer Guild. We need to ask the Adventurers to explore this dungeon and kill as many monsters inside as possible. If they can clean it up and find thest boss and the dungeon master, it will be ours! Hurry!¡± Shouts Allen. ¡°Y-Yes sir!¡± The man obeys, rushing outside. ¡°Haha¡­ Finally, after so many years of being shrouded by that witch¡¯s misfortune, something good has happened! Wait, didn¡¯t that Dungeon spawn near the Graveyard¡­? Hm, well, they will be able to deal with them if any Undead emerges, shouldn¡¯t be anything above F-Rank¡­¡± thought the Duke, as he sighed with a happy smile, but then saw the mountain of papers and felt dispirited once more. ¡°Ugh¡­ Back to work¡­.¡± The moment the Duke gave the order, the Adventurer Guilds spread across the entire Duchy began to open new Quests with vast rewards. Some of such quests were about investigating the monsters inside the dungeon and bringing their corpses. And those that brought them first would receive an extra reward. There were other quests about investigating the dungeon¡¯s structure and how far it could go. The recorded map of the first few floors would be bought for a generous amount of money! And there were even quests that involved scouting the area around the Dungeon, which included the Graveyard. They would then report if the dungeon¡¯s appearance had triggered new monsters emerging from the surface or the graveyard, which had the risk for an Undead break. Adventurers of all shapes and sizes moved busily around the town, buying equipment, items, and anything to prepare for their journey. To say the least, it was a hectic morning¡­ ¡ª¨C (Maria POV) What was in front of Partner and me was something I had never expected to see. Really, I had thought we would meet a handsome Necromancer that would say, ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve finally raised my new wife,e, let¡¯s dominate the world together!¡± or something, but instead, we got a dungeon! And¡­ a guy that ims to be a Fallen Dragon? Wait, isn¡¯t that even more awesome than a Necromancer? ¡°A fallen dragon? How can I trust your words? Maybe this is a trap, and you¡¯re going to exorcise us or something! Right, Partner?¡± I asked as Partner crossed her arms and nodded. ¡°Erm¡­ Well, I cannot prove it to you yet! But¡­ By my power, this miasma, which is leaking from my body, you were able to raise as an Undead! I can feel our connection, youngdy¡­!¡± The voice tried to convince me. ¡°Y-Youngdy? F-ttery won¡¯t get you anywhere! And actually, I am dead¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Dead or not, it doesn¡¯t matter. What I need now is¡­ a friend! So please,e down,¡± Seemingly begged the Fallen Dragon. ¡°Okay, but tell me your name,¡± I said. ¡°My name? That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°What? Did you forget it?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never given my name to strangers before,¡± Says the Fallen Dragon. ¡°Then we are going elsewhere. Come on, Partner,¡± I said as we moved away. ¡°W-Wait! I will tell you! Its¡­ Lucifer,¡± Sighed the dragon, disying his momentary defeat. What kind of edgy name is that?! ¡°Lucifer?!¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ It was the name given to me by my creator¡­¡± ¡°Creator? And who¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-You¡¯re asking way too much now,e down, and I will tell you in person¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t eat my soul or something when we meet, alright? Promise it to me as a dragon!¡± I said. ¡°I won¡¯t eat your little and insipid soul, you dork! And I promise it¡­¡± Lucifer sighed once again. ¡°Insipid!? Let me tell you that my soul is delicious! A lot of guys in the graveyard were literally dying to eat it!¡± Iughed. ¡ª¨C Chapter 12 ¡ª¨C ¡°Now, can youe?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°No, no, let¡¯s talk a bit more. First of all, why do you even want a friend? You¡¯re a mighty dragon. Why do you even care about that? Why do you even care about me getting down? I feel like you want to set me up for something¡­ Wait, do you have some kind of mind change ability so you will take over my soul and escape your confinement?!¡± I shouted. ¡°W-What are you even talking about? You¡¯re really one in a million¡­ *sigh*¡­ It is a long story. I have been sleeping here for generations ever since I fell in the war against enemy forces from the Heroes. Ever since then, thisnd has been draining my power while I slept, and when I just woke up, I found myself trapped inside a Dungeon¡­ This miasma that you feel is part of my own power, which is constantly leaking outside,¡± Lucifer exined. ¡°Oh wow, that¡¯s a big info dump¡­ I see,¡± ¡°I used this miasma, which I cannot seem to be able to shut down, to lead it to the graveyard nearby. I tried to raise an Undead army to help me get out of here and also to kill the damn humans living above me. I hate them with all my soul. You were a former human, so maybe that wouldn¡¯t have been a good thing to say in front of you¡­.¡± Sighed the Fallen Dragon. ¡°Oh no, it ispletely fine. I am no longer human, and I believe I hate them a lot too! You see, they cut off my head! Haha¡­¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­ Perhaps we are not so different then. If you can help me escape from here, I will¡­ I¡­ Erm, I promise to be your partner¡­ Or your ally, or servant, whatever! And if you¡¯re a degenerate woman, even a husband! But please, aid me¡­¡± The Fallen Dragon begged once again. ¡°You¡¯re really desperate¡­ Alright, fine¡­ Getting a handsome dragon husband has always been one of my fantasies- Ahem, anyways, let¡¯s go, Partner!¡± *Rattle!* ¡°Thank you! I will be waiting for you down here. I believe there might be around 20 floors up to where I am¡­ Good luck!¡± And like that, the guy went to sleep or something, and we slowly began to walk downstairs into the mysterious and dark depths of this dungeon. The stairs slowly began to be illuminated by mes that automatically red up at our presence. *Rattle* ¡°Yeah, it is pretty spooky, Partner! But we are already spooky ourselves, so we should be fine- GYAAAH!¡± Suddenly, something touched my back, something very cold! I moved away as we found ourselves on the first floor of the dungeon, and right away, a thing attacked me. It was brief, but my HP was drained! I nced at the thing that emerged, and it resembled a cold¡­ mass of water? [Cold Water Slime: Lv4] [Rank: F+] [State: Hungry] A Cold Water Slime! It¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve met one of these guys here. This is really like a fantasy world. The slime trope has been fulfilled¡­ it seems. Although we still need to find a horned rabbit! But how was it able to drain my HP if I am not corporeal? Well, that was thanks to its [Absolute Digestion] Ability, which lets it digest ANYTHING. Even souls, it seems. Through my [Analyze] function of the Unique Skill: System, I can actually see through the stats of monsters and their abilities, like a particr spider¡¯s [Appraisal]. Alright, I guess our first adversary is a Rimuru knock-off. Buump! Suddenly, the Slime charged energy through the core inside its body and bounced with the [High Jump] Ability it had, directing its body right at me! FLAAASH! However, I was prepared! Dark Gale! I pointed at the Slime while in midair, as two gales of slicing dark winds were released from my phantasmal hands, cutting through the slime¡¯s body and damaging the core! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°Gyyeehh¡­!¡± The slime shrieked in pain as it fell to the ground. Its HP had reduced down to 50%, however, it seems that damage dealt to the slime¡¯s body is not applied. Only damage to the core can lower its HP! ¡°Now, Partner!¡± I cheered for Partner as she moved at shing speed towards the weakened slime, meanwhile, I used Mana Siphon. CLAASH! Partner kicked the slime¡¯s core into the wall using her metallic legs and shattered it into pieces right away! Crack¡­! ¡°Geeghh¡­¡± The slime died! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP: [60/600] Oh?! Only one slime gave me what three Wisps would. I guess that¡¯s some EXP esction. After all, the creature was F+ Rank, way higher than the wisps at G. If I can kill nine more slimes, I will be able to level up to Level 6. After that was done, we nced at the slime, who suddenly dropped something. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this?¡± I moved towards the thing it dropped, and I found a tiny, blue-colored ring inside the slimes mushed body. However, as I reached towards the item, it glowed, and then not only did the ring disappear from my sight, but also the body of the slime. What?! Ding! [You¡¯ve collected the following Items] [Water Slime Core Ring (F-Grade): Lv2] x1 [Water Slime Cold Ooze (F-Grade)] x1 [Shattered Water Slime Core (F-Grade)] x1 [The Items have been added to your [Inventory] System Function] Inventory? For real? Since when did I have one? I checked the Unique Skill: System and found out that when I evolved, it acquired a new Sub-Ability, simply named [Inventory], which let me store whatever I wanted¡­ Just like a game, I guess. I should check the Unique Skills whenever I evolve, they seem to be connected to my soul or something, so when I develop, they develop with me¡­ I also checked the Supreme Magic and Mana Siphon Unique Skills and found out that my Mana Siphon range became 4 meters now, and Supreme Magic increased my magic damage by an extra 10%. Wow, that¡¯s actually quite nice. And now¡­ It seems that in this world¡¯s dungeons, you can collect items! That¡¯s very game-like¡­ Or maybe it is just my System and me? The System doesn¡¯t say anything about these items though, so maybe this is something endemic of this world. Let¡¯s see¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 13 ¡ª¨C Wow. Okay, so things be even more game-like whenever you enter a Dungeon. Monsters that you kill asionally drop items, and also, their very carcasses can be picked up as separate items into my Inventory. But, I have no idea if this is my power or if everyone can get items this way. I would guess that if there¡¯s an endemic System in this world, whatever it is, then this probably applies to everyone. So, the items I got were: [Water Slime Core Ring (F-Grade): Lv2] x1 [Water Slime Cold Ooze (F-Grade)] x1 [Shattered Water Slime Core (F-Grade)] x1 The first item seems to be an equipment item, while thetter two are¡­ materials that seem to be used for crafting or alchemy. Maybe you use them to make potions, items, and the like? The interesting part doesn¡¯t end here, though. The Ring has a Level. It seems like items have levels, and they level up somehow. Maybe through upgrading? They have levels and Grades, so perhaps they corrte with one another, although only equipment seems to have levels. Also, the Slime Core or its slimy ooze doesn¡¯t seem to have a level. I tried to check the beautiful silver-colored ring with a tiny blue jewel on it, and I got this. ¡­ [Water Slime Core Ring (F-Grade): Lv2] +20 MP +8 Magic +20 Water-Attribute Damage. ¡­ This seems to be the perfect item for a Water Attribute Mage. It evenes even with stats! Now, I do wonder, can I equip it as a Ghost? A being without a corporeal body? Partner doesn¡¯t use magic, so this would be pretty useless for her. Let¡¯s see¡­I check my status and the system until¡­ I find that there is a tab with equipment slots on it. There slots for the head, chest, pants, feet, shoulders, hands, and even weapons. There are also slots for equipment, two for rings, two for nes, and two for bracelets¡­ But I am sure that anyone would have more than one finger, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with this restriction. I quickly equipped the ring as I extended my delicate-looking phantasmal index finger from my right hand. The ring fits right in, and¡­ it was perfect. I even got the boost! However, I found out that the Ring produced some sort of essence by itself. It wasn¡¯t much, but I began to ponder if someone equipped so many items filled with this heavy essence, wouldn¡¯t their bodies crumble under such pressure? Perhaps item restrictions were based on this. Especially if the items are way too high grade, making a person sickly if they¡¯re too weak to wear them. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Dark Ghost] [Level: [5/12] [Rank: [F+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [37/37] [MP: [185/185]{+20} [Attack: [24] [Defense: [22] [Magic: [185]{+8} [Agility: [36] ¡­ Would you look at that? The items stats appear in the status as a {+} sign of sorts¡­ interesting. I feel like I have more MP now, so I now have over 200 MP! Now that we are done with this, I decided to continue through the Dungeon with Partner. However, something came to my mind. Why did I get so little EXP from the slime? It was mildly strong! I remember Wisps Legions dropping fat 200 EXP at me! Maybe there¡¯s a bonus to EXP if the Monster is cataloged as some sort of Boss creature? Are there titles that make Monsters seem to have higher qualities or authority other than just based on their Ranks? I do wonder¡­ My theory is that these legions had lots of EXP because they were made up of many monsters stuck together, so all their EXP was given to me, or at least a part. Meanwhile, although the Slime was mildly strong at F-Rank, it was still one creature. Hmmm¡­ Maybe if I find a Slime Legion, I could get more EXP out of it. I had considered raising the puddle of slime and the shattered core as an Undead, but I discovered that I had a limit of two Undead for now. It seems that my limit of how many I can control increases as I evolve. Before, I could only ¡°control¡± or maybe make it loyal. Maybe if I cannot make them my servants, such as my beloved Partner, they will rebel against me or even try to kill me. However, I wonder if Fake Life could be an excellent method to create Undead monsters to kill for EXP. But it seems less efficient due to the massive MP cost. And now that we are in a Dungeon, we might as well hunt in the Dungeon. For now, I felt like an Undead Slime would beme, so I better find a stronger thing to make an Undead out of. Don¡¯t get me wrong, slime lovers, I do like the good ol¡¯ slime girls, but I don¡¯t think an Undead Slime would work for now¡­ I want something stronger than an F-Rank. The dungeonyout was like an undergroundbyrinth. It had several passages and corridors, ck bricks covered the ceilings, walls, and floor, and several torches were illuminating the walls, creating an eerie atmosphere. Very spooky. Thankfully, despite looking like abyrinth, theyout was pretty straightforward and not too hard to guide ourselves through. Sometimes we came across dead ends, but never anything too hard. I think my mind has photographic memory because I can remember the map pretty well as we wander around it. Maybe Supreme Magic not only upgraded my way of conjuring magic but also, as a result, made my mind very good at storing information. That doesn¡¯t mean I am a genius; I believe I am quite an idiot. I mean¡­ I died by being crushed by books. Uwah, just by remembering that, it makes me sad¡­ Mommy, big sis, I miss you! Sorry for calling you a gori, sister. I never thought I would miss your tomboyish attitude¡­ ¡°Partner, you¡¯re my only family now! Never leave me!¡± I hug Partner as she looks at me with a confused look on her skeleton face, rattling her skull. *Crackle?* However, our cute moment together is interrupted by a creature that suddenly reached towards us, just as we were about to rech the stairs leading to the next floor. ¡°ROAR!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 14 ¡ª¨C ¡°ROAR!¡± A furious roar wakes me up from my daze as a beast greets us from below. It felt like epic music began to y because the beast was absolutely terrifying. The creature itself is the size of a lion, and it resembles one as well. But its fur ispletely ck, it has bat-like wings, and its tail has¡­ the head of a snake! [Dark Manticore: Lv 6] [Rank: E] [State: Angered, Defending its territory, Hungry] A Manticore! At this time and age?! In this little dungeon¡¯s first floor, to boot?! And its¡­ Eh?! Isn¡¯t that a whole Rank above us? Oof. The Manticore begins to release an aura of darkness around its entire body, as I can see its muscles suddenly bulge and strengthen. The power of its dark aura suddenly coats its ws, and its sharp crimson-red eyes re at us. The beast bares its fangs and leaps towards us at an immense speed! FLAAASH! Partner and I quickly evaded as the enormous ws hit the ground, causing the entire floor to tremble! CLAAASH! ¡°ROAAARR!¡± The beast roars once more as it res directly at me! However, I wasn¡¯t just standing still as I admired your beautiful and soft ck fur, buddy! I gathered the mana I had siphoned from the beast while I also drained its Vitality through Life Drain, recovering some of the HP I lost from the Slime¡¯s attacks. I even fire a series of Dark Spheres towards its face, four shots, to be exact! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°GRAARGH?!¡± Each Dark Sphere was like a cannonball as it hit the hard skin of the creature. Despite its [Darkness Resistance: Lv2], my magic deals extra damage thanks to Supreme Magic, easily negating the damage it reduces from its resistance! The Dark Spheres easily make a dent in the creature¡¯s HP, as I see it drop to almost 60%! The monster roars in not only surprise but pain as it vomits a mouthful of blood and quickly prepares some magic of its own. ¡°Eh?!¡± The bastard greets me with his own Dark Sphere, which hits me directly on my face! CLAASH! ¡°Unngh¡­!¡± It seems that the Magic Stat reduces inflicted magic damage, and because I have tons, it didn¡¯t kill me, but still, seeing my face explode into phantasmal essence was not painful but quite traumatic. He still took a nice chunk out of my HP, bringing me to almost half. However¡­ ¡°Now, Partner!¡± *Rattle!* Partner quickly ambushes the Manticore from behind, as she uses her powerful metallic bones and the [Bone ws] Skill, which she infused with more mana than usual. The attack is strong enough to generate a w-shaped phantom from her bony hands! CLAAAAASH! ¡°UNNGRRAAGGH!¡± The Manticore takes the entire hit on its face as a horrid wound emerges, blood spurting from it intensively. Partner even managed to destroy its left eye! ¡°Way to go!¡± I move around the battlefield as I try to evade the next hit. A sudden ck Sphere is fired against Partner. And without even looking, the beast conjured a piece of magic at the end of its tail where a snake head sat. ¡°Dark Gale!¡± I use [Dark Gale] as Partner tanks the [Dark Sphere], slicing off the tail with ease! ¡°Grryyssshaaa¡­!¡± The snake gives ast groan of agony as it dies. The Manticore stumbles before roaring in pain once more before its body suddenly explodes with dark energy. FLAAASH! Suddenly, it leaped right towards me! ¡°F-Fuck!¡± I quickly fire a [Dark Gale] desperately directly at its face, but the Manticore takes the hit so it can grasp me with its [Shadow w] Skill! SLAAAASH! CLASH! However, before the shing attack could reach me and rip my phantasmal body into shreds due to it being infused with magic, which can damage ghosts, Partner emerges from behind and gives the Manticore a specr uppercut to its chin, mming it into the ceiling! Wow! Is Partner that strong?! CLAAASH! ¡°GGROOARR¡­!¡± The Manticore vomits another mouthful of blood as its jaw hangs, almost dislocated. The massive beast falls to the ground before trying to stumble up to its feet. Fuck, it¡¯s still alive? It had around 30% of its HP. Well, not for much longer! ¡°Partner, let¡¯s gang on it!¡± I use Life Drain and Mana Siphon on the Manticore before continuously conjuring Dark Spheres towards the weakened and slow body of the Manticore while Partner kicks it and shes it! BOOM! CLASH! SLASH! CRAASH! ¡°ROOOAARRR¡­!¡± The monstrous beast roars onest time as its jaws open wide and point themselves at me. FLAAAASH! A sudden st of darkness hits me directly! But¡­ Partner managed to get in the way, diminishing some of the damage. Nheless, our HP went down by a lot! ¡°Unngh¡­!¡± The beast was dead already, but his little parting gift almost killed us. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 600 EXP] [You¡¯ve leveled up to Level 6!] [The Levels of [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv2], [Life Drain: Lv2], and [Dark Gale: Lv1] have increased!] [You learned the [Darkness Resistance: Lv1] and [Fear Resistance: Lv1] Skills!] [Partner] has leveled up to Level 6!] Our HP quickly fills back up as we see what seems to be items emerging from the Manticore. Oh, is this some nice loot after this boss-like battle? I quickly fly over and touch the corpse and items. The corpse automatically dismantles itself into materials that are added to my Inventory. Ding! [You¡¯ve collected the following Items] [Dark Manticore¡¯s Crimson Eye Ne (E-Grade): Lv 3] x1 [Dark Manticore Venomous Snake Tail Spear (E-Grade): Level 2] x1 [Dark Manticore¡¯s ck Hide (E-Grade)] x10 [Dark Manticore¡¯s Sharp Fangs (E-Grade)] x20 [Dark Manticore¡¯s Flesh and Blood (E-Grade)] x30 [Dark Manticore¡¯s Snake Tail Venom (E-Grade)] x5 ¡­ Ooh! A bunch of items that I will prob not even use¡­ But! There are two new pieces of equipment, and¡­ a Spear? I don¡¯t know if I can use it properly, but doesn¡¯t this fit Partner perfectly? ¡°Partner! Here¡¯s your gift! You earned it, buddy!¡± *Crackle!* I quickly gave Partner her spear, and she looked at it with her eye sockets, the red light within them shing with happiness. ¡ª¨C Chapter 15 ¡ª¨C I looked at the equipment I just received. ¡­ [Dark Manticore¡¯s Crimson Eye Ne (E-Grade): Lv 3] +40 MP +20 Magic +20 Agility +60 Dark Attribute Damage ¡­ [Dark Manticore Venomous Snake Tail Spear (E-Grade): Level 2] +100 Attack +20 MP +10 Agility +Venomous Fang Effect +50 Venom/Poison Attribute Damage ¡­ Wow. This is amazing! This spear really does look nice on Partner, and it also has 100 attack by itself while giving her 20 MP and even 10 Agility! Additionally, the spear tip has the Venomous Fang Effect, which can leave deadly venom inside the foe¡¯s wounds. It evenes with a plus +50 damage for the venom itself to boot. Meanwhile, my new essory gives me more of everything, and it evenes with extra damage of Dark Attribute, my main attribute! I guess the loot was worth the hard time. Partner seemed happy with her new weapon despite never having used one. She was already practicing it eagerly, pointing at the air with the spear and releasing several consecutive attacks with it. Wow, way to go! And meanwhile, I equipped my new Ne and nced over my Status. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Dark Ghost] [Level: [6/12] [EXP: [60/700] [Rank: [F+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [51/51] [MP: [235/235]{+60} [Attack: [42] [Defense: [37] [Magic: [235]{+28} [Agility: [50]{+20} ¡­ Hmm, not bad. My Defense is clearly way better than before, and so is my HP, but I still cannotpare to Partner, who¡¯s built like a tank. Nheless, my MP and Magic Stats are rising quickly. I can see that I am even more of a ss cannon. But thankfully, my Agility reaches 70 with the equipment I got too, so I am now way faster than before. Additionally, I got a wider MP pool, more Magic for more damage, and then there¡¯s the extra dark attribute damage for my Dark Sphere and Dark Gale Skills, which are dark attribute skills. With that alone, my power might have doubled if not increased a bit more. After that, what was left were the materials. The entire Manticore ended being dismantled into pieces and made into stocks of items almost magically. I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s even possible, but I assumed it was due to the game-like world I was in¡­ Or maybe the System did it for me? I am also sure that I cannot use it on living beings. I had tried it in the middle of the battle, but dismantling something alive is impossible. It would be too broken. It seems to only work on corpses, but that might include things such as the undead¡­ But with this ¡°ability¡±, gathering items for selling or using as crafting or alchemy materials could be cheap and easy. Although, I don¡¯t even know if there are cksmiths, alchemists, or anything in this world. Guessing by normal Isekai Swords and Magic worlds standards there should be all of that if not some more. Suddenly, I realized Partner had learned a new Skill. In just these few minutes where I was taking a little break, she acquired the [Spear Thrust] Skill! Was it because she had been thrusting her spear continuously without even taking a break for almost ten minutes? I think she was throwing a thrust every second. Perhaps there were some hidden conditions that she managed to reach due to her tireless Undead body being able to do it without any problems like exhaustion or muscle tension or whatever the living weaklings suffer. Well, Partner is just awesome. ¡°Good work!¡± I shouted, petting Partner. *Crackle!* ¡°Now that we took a break, let¡¯s continue downstairs,¡± I said, leading Partner down below, as she walked at my side. The stairs led below the second floor. I remember Lucifer saying there were a lot of floors, around¡­ 20? I think. But we¡¯ll try to rush them through, so this doesn¡¯t take too long. I don¡¯t want to spend the entire day inside a Dungeon if possible. However, on the first floor, we only encountered two monsters, and it wasn¡¯t as infested as the dungeons I made out in my mind. One of its reasons might be because it just emerged. Lucifer said that he fell here and that somehow, the ground absorbed his miasma, and this dungeon appeared, surrounding his body. This is probably why he¡¯s trapped inside. Maybe his body is way too big to get outside of the crumpled room he resides in. I don¡¯t know how I will get him out of there though, but we¡¯ll see how it goes. Right away, as we descended into the second floor, we were greeted by two slimy friends. One was ck, and one was green. The ck-colored slime was stuck in the wall, so much that someone without good vision would think it was a nasty stain. And the green slime was crawling over the ceiling and falling right on top of me- ¡°Uwah!¡± I quickly evaded something I wouldn¡¯t have been able to easily avoid before due to the speed in which the slime fell over me. I also noticed my own increased speed, which made me a bit happy. SPLAT! The green slime sttered on the ground. The hit seemed to have hurt it a bit, and it was oddly slow; perhaps it was hungry. [Green Toxic Slime: Lv 2] [Rank: F-] [State: Starving, Weakened] I see, so you¡¯re starving, good to know, bye-bye! I quickly fired three Dark Gales towards itsrge and spherical core, which it exposed to the world when its slime body sttered over the floor! SLASH! CRACK! The core shattered into pieces instantly, and the slime was dead just like that. Thanks for the meal! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 60 EXP] [EXP: [120/700] This guy didn¡¯t drop any equipment, sadly. ¡°Booo!¡± The ck Slime noticed us at longst, it seems that it was actually sleeping, and the green slime was about to stealthy attack it and try to eat it or something. [ck Slime: Lv 7] [Rank: F+] [State: Angered] Angered? Bring it on! Partner leaped into action before me as she wanted to try out her [Spear Thrust]! CLAASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 16 ¡ª¨C The slime was angry! However, Partner didn¡¯t care, as she charged right towards it and immediately tried out her new Spear Weapon and her newly acquired [Spear Thrust] Skill! *Crackle!* She moved her skeletal arms fast, and the piercing attacks reached the ck Slime! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Three consecutive attacks, and as each one cost only 5 MP, she could continue to spam them as much as she wanted. The ck Slime tanked two hits using its ck ooze, but its core was hit by the third hit, cracking a bit. Now¡¯s my turn! [Dark Gale]! I rushed above Partner and released a powerful slicing gale of dark winds, directly hitting the ck Slime¡¯s core! Crack¡­ CRASH! ¡°Gyeegh¡­¡± The ck Slime screamed an agonizing cry before dying miserably. And this time around, it didn¡¯t drop anything either. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 80 EXP] [EXP: [200/700] I quickly decided to dismantle the two Slime carcasses. [You¡¯ve acquired the following Items] [Green Toxic Slime Ooze (F-Grade)] x1 [Green Toxic Slime Shattered Core (F-Grade)] x1 [ck Slime Ooze (F-Grade)] x1 [ck Slime Shattered Core (F-Grade)] x1 Now that we were done with this, we moved across the corridors pretty quickly, allowing us to find the stairs in just a few minutes, but no final boss was waiting for us this time. We found a little surprise on the third floor, which was an exact copy of the previous floor. ¡°Partner, what is that?!¡± I asked while pointing at the thing in front of us. It looked like a little lizard with shiny golden eyes, and it was the size of a cat. *Rattle!* I tried firing a Dark Sphere at it while behind Partner, but the Lizard jumped into the air and evaded my attack! ¡°Eh? He¡¯s fast!¡± [Nimble Basilisk: Lv5] [Rank: E] [State: Scared] A basilisk? I checked the Skills it had too. One of them was named [Demon Eyes of Petrification], and it even had [Rock Projectile] as its long-ranged attack! ¡°Grrreeeee!¡± The Basilisk roared angrily as its eyes shed with light while falling from above and at the same time, a ray of light hit both of us. But nothing happened. That¡¯s Status Effect Immunity for you! Thump! ¡°Greegh?!¡± The Basilisk was shocked that we werepletely unaffected by his little trick as it fell on the ground. I fired a barrage of Dark Spheres at it while draining its MP and HP. Partner cornered it from the other side as it ran away from me with its incredible Agility. We sandwiched it until it heaved itsst breath. It took a while because it was very nimble and flexible, but Partner filled it with holes using her spear, and I sted it into pieces with my attacks. [You¡¯ve gained 220 EXP] [EXP: [420/700] Woah, that was more EXP than expected. [You¡¯ve acquired the following Items] [Basilisk¡¯s Petrification Eyes (E-Grade)] x2 [Basilisk¡¯s Nimble Muscles and Tendons (E-Grade)] x10 [Basilisk¡¯s Petrification-Resistant Scaled Skin (E-Grade)] x5 [Basilisk¡¯s Blood (E-Grade)] x10 The guy didn¡¯t drop anything either, but we had our hopes up for something bigger that could give us more equipment. This seems to be the only monster on this floor. We walked onto the next floor right away, this being floor 4. In the first area, there was nothing, but we felt as if something was lurking around. I used the [Shadow Sneak] Skill and merged with the shadows, alongside [Stealth], while I left Partner to act as the bait. After waiting a bit, suddenly, something emerged from thin air, its scales turning bright, and it resembled a familiar lizard, but this one had crazy psychedelic eyes and bright scales. It even had the ability to turn itself invisible. [Illusion Lizard: Lv7] [Rank: E+] [State: Hungry] ¡°GRRYSHA!¡± The dog-sized lizard leaped over Partner as she greeted it with her spear, hitting it consecutively on its chest. Meanwhile, I appeared from behind and sucked its MP and HP at a fast pace, while firing three Dark Gales towards it! SLASH! SLASH! CLASH! ¡°Grryyeerrgh¡­¡± Partner¡¯s attack and my ambush worked wonderfully, killing the creature within seconds. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 250 EXP] [EXP: [670/700] And it dropped an item! [You¡¯ve acquired the following items] [Illusion Lizard Scales Witch Hat (E-Grade): Lv4] x1 [Illusion Potion (E-Grade)] x1 [Illusion Lizard Colorful Scales (E-Grade)] x20 [Illusion Lizard Flesh and Blood (E-Grade)] x10 [Illusion Lizard Psychedelic Eyes (E-Grade)] x2 ¡­ It came with a witch hat ideal for me and an Illusion Potion¡­ ¡­ [Illusion Lizard Scales Witch Hat (E-Grade): Lv4] +60 MP +30 Magic +10 Agility +50 Charm ¡­ [Illusion Potion (E-Grade)] A potion that can cause hallucinations to whoever drinks it. It can be thrown and create an elusive cloud of hallucinogens thatst for a few minutes in any target that inhales it. ¡­ Ooh, I see, so it can be thrown and ssh an enemy¡­ how handy! And confuse people¡­ alright¡­ And the hat looks nice! Though, wouldn¡¯t I stand out too much as a ghost wearing a hat? Well, it seems that I can cover the equipment on my phantasmal body, so it can be masked. It also grants¡­ +50 Charm? There¡¯s no Charm Stat, but I guess it is one of those hidden stats like Elemental Damage. I quickly wore the hat, which was shiny and gleaming with purple and pink colors. ¡°How do I look, Partner?¡± I asked. *Rattle!* Partner seemed to like it. Afterward, I tried putting it on her, and she looked funny. ¡°I am loving your style!¡± I chuckled. *Crackle¡­* After taking back the witch hat, we continued our journey down below, reaching floor 5 within only a few more minutes. What greeted us was a single treasure chest sitting right in the middle of the room. Hmmm¡­ Suspicious. ¡°¡­¡± Partner looked at it in silence. I pointed my phantasmal hand at it and fired a Dark Sphere. CLASH! ¡°GRAKGH¡­!¡± I knew it. The Treasure Chest suddenly opened asrge jaws emerged, alongside a long tongue-like tentacle¡­ it was obviously a Mimic! [Treasure Chest Mimic: Lv6] [Rank: E+] [State: Shocked] ¡ª¨C Author¡¯s Note: Can you guys rate the novel with reviews? If we get 10 Reviews, I¡¯ll make a mass release! Also, make sure to vote with your Power Stones if you¡¯re enjoying the story so far, thanks. Chapter 17 ¡ª¨C [Treasure Chest Mimic: Lv6] [Rank: E+] [State: Shocked] I knew it! That suspicious chest was actually a Mimic!, it was so obvious¡­ like, a shiny treasure chest sitting right in front of us in the middle of nowhere? How¡¯s that not weird? Especially because we had not found any treasure chest yet, so it was even rarer. I mean, some na?ve guy might have thought he was finally getting lucky, go near the treasure, open it, and get eaten instantly. But not us, of course¡­ heh. The creature was terribly shocked, but I showed no mercy as I siphoned its Mana and Lifeforce while firing Dark Spheres from nearby. The chest-like shell easily cracked against my darkness, and it sttered all over the ground. The creature¡¯s true body was like that of a mass of tentacles with arge jaw attached to it. Partner went ahead and impaled it several times with her spear, filling it with venom with each thrust. The creature tried to grab her legs, but I sliced apart its tentacles until it gave up and died. I can¡¯t help but admit it looked disgusting. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 400 EXP] [Your Level has increased to Level 7!] [The Levels of [Shadow Sneak: Lv1], [Stealth: Lv2], and [Dark Gale: Lv2], Skills have increased] Oh boy, that was a lot of EXP. I guess it really was a treasure. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Dark Ghost] [Level: [7/12] [EXP: [70/800] [Rank: [F+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [70/70] [MP: [290/290]{+120} [Attack: [56] [Defense: [52] [Magic: [295]{+58} [Agility: [70]{+30} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv2] [Shadow Sneak: Lv2] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv3] [Darkness Resistance: Lv1] [Fear Resistance: Lv1] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv3] [Lesser Curse: Lv3] [Life Drain: Lv3] [Possession: Lv2] [Dark Sphere: Lv4] [Fake Life: Lv3] [Stealth: Lv3] [Dark Gale: Lv3] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv2] ¡­ Looking at my stats, I noticed they had increased quite a lot once more. Each level feels¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say it¡­ Erm, ¡°delicious¡± in a way. It just gives me a nice full feeling. As if with each level, my soul grows stronger. Partner also grew stronger, and she managed to reach Level 7 just like me, but her level cap is 10 instead of 12, so she¡¯ll most likely evolve before me¡­ Hey, that¡¯s kind of not fair! Maybe my evolution is even rarer than hers? Well, anyway, this thing dropped some loot, just as if it were a treasure chest, I picked everything up. [You¡¯ve acquired the following Items] [Dark Steel Helmet (E-Grade): Lv6] x1 [Dark Steel Chest Armor (E-Grade): Lv4] x1 [Treasure Chest Mimic¡¯s Shattered Shell (E-Grade)] x6 [Treasure Chest Mimic¡¯s Slippery Tongue (E-Grade)] x1 [Treasure Chest Mimic Disgusting Flesh and Blood (E-Grade)] x10 ¡­ ¡°Ooh! Lookie, Partner! These are ideal for you!¡± *Rattle?* Partner admired the armor pieces, her glowing red lights shining from within her empty sockets. The armor looked nice, but I already had my witch hat, and even though I wanted the chest armor, it would get in the way of my sneaky way of fighting, so I gave it all to Partner to reinforce her defensive prowess. She quickly equipped everything and looked pretty nice! The dark metallic helmet and the chest armor made her look more fearful, like a true Skeleton Soldier you would find in a dungeon. ¡°You¡¯re looking so cool!¡± *Rattle!* Partner seemed happy with her new equipment, and her defensive power strengthened. After this little fight, we sneaked onto Floor 6, only to find¡­ Eh? Nothing? There was nothing on floor 6, so we slowly crawled to Floor 7. But this kept up for a while as there was nothing on Floor 7, nor 8, nor 9, nor 10¡­ What is going on? Where were all the monsters? Mmm¡­ Maybe something is going on in the Dungeon? I guess because it is new, monsters are just beginning to emerge. However, that ended rtively quickly, as, at Floor 11, we finally found a critter to kill and get some EXP. In fact¡­ a lot! There were dozens after dozens of kitten-sized bugs. They looked like beetles and were either blue-colored, red-colored, or yellow-colored. [Blue Beetle Soldier: Lv4] [Rank: F] [State: Eating] [Red Beetle Warrior: Lv6] [Rank: F+] [State: Eating] [Yellow Beetle Scout: Lv3] [Rank: F+] [State: Eating] They were crawling through the floor, the ceiling, and everywhere! Are there a hundred?! And we also saw several carcasses of monsters which they were devouring in front of us¡­ It seems that they had been hunting the monsters on the previous floors. Whew. By using [Shadow Sneak] and [Stealth], I was able to sneak through them quickly, and they also had terrible detection abilities, which made my job even easier. I began absorbing their Mana and Life while sneaking around which began to weaken them in masse. Partner rushed right away from the staircase at my signal as she began to ughter dozens of weakened and sickly beetles with her foot, ws, and spear. It was a bug massacre. CLASH! SPLAT! CRUSH! BOOM! I began to fire some Dark Spheres and Dark Gales, allowing for a miserable death that the bugs didn¡¯t expect. I guess they would be overwhelming in numbers against single monsters that were not as amazing as us, but we are a dream team, so we massacred them. And there were so many that I was able to absorb their Mana and Life constantly, so it was an easy job. Even if some of the red ones fired fireballs at me, I easily evaded, or Partner took the hits for me while I sliced them into nothing with [Dark Gale]. Each individual EXP was very low, but when we killed dozens after dozens, well, that became a LOT of EXP. At the end of the whole ordeal, we had leveled up more than once, but Partner was covered in bug carcasses and bug juice¡­ Ding! [Calcting EXP¡­] [You¡¯ve gained 2650 EXP] [Your level has increased to Level 8!] [Your level has increased to Level 9!] [Your level has increased to Level 10!] Level up frenzy¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 18 ¡ª¨C Ding! [Calcting EXP¡­] [You¡¯ve gained 2650 EXP] [Your level has increased to Level 8!] [Your level has increased to Level 9!] [Your level has increased to Level 10!] As we massacred the buggers, we received tons of EXP and levels. Through the quick massacre, my Skills also leveled up a bit, mainly the ones I spam the most. Holy shit, this is what I call fast-paced progression. Level 10 already?! And some of my Skills already leveled up pretty high now. My MP and Magic stats also reached over 500 too! Half of 1k, I am built up to kill more than ever. After this fruitful grind, I began to pick up everything hastily and then assess things by looking at the slots inside my Inventory. Ding! [You acquired the following Items] [ck Beetle Bracelet (F-Grade): Lv4] x2 [Dark Copper Greave Armor (F-Grade): Lv6] x2 [Red Beetle Shoulder Armor (F-Grade): Lv3] x3 [Yellow Beetle Leg Armor (F-Grade): Lv5] x3 [Bug Juice (F-Grade)] x74 [Varied Bug Carapaces (F-Grade)] x134 ¡­ A lot of equipment dropped! And a lot of disgusting carcasses¡­ Uegh. I let Partner equip anything that could fit her, so she chose the Leg, Greaves, and Shoulder pieces. I could equip armor, but as I was phantasmal, as stated previously, it would get in the way of my sneaking around. I can hide it with my phantom body, but the material armor is still there. I need some kind of phantom armor that can turn into phantom with me or something, but this junk won¡¯t do for me. But Partner is physical, so she chose it all. At the very least, little things like bracelets can work with me, so I equipped the two bracelets. ¡­ [ck Beetle Bracelet (F-Grade): Lv4] +25 MP +12 Magic +10 Dark Attribute Damage ¡­ Two of these gave a nice boost to my offensive stats, so it made me rather happy with the grind. ¡°We really needed something like that, didn¡¯t we?¡± I asked Partner. *Rattle* Partner had reached Level 10 and was ready to evolve with mymand. ¡°You¡¯re already evolving ahead of me! It makes me a bit frustrated, you know?¡± I sighed. *Crackle¡­* She petted my phantasmal head. ¡°Oi! Who taught you how to do that?¡± *Crackle¡­* Hm, I think it hasn¡¯t been much since I raised her, but she has been warming up to me more and more. She¡¯s learning from what I do, and now she¡¯s even learned how to pet me. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Evolve!¡± I shout with excitement. *Crackle!* As her master, it seems that she needs my approval to evolve. Partner nodded as she began to glow with phantasmal essence. The phantasmal essence wrapped up her body as she began to change. Unlike what I had initially thought she would evolve into, which would probably have been a bigger skeleton with sharp bones and stuff, the changes that came to her were¡­ stranger than I could ever imagine. Tendrils started to emerge out of thin air, enveloping her bones. Muscle tendrils entangled against each other and her bones, as blood vessels surged from them, and more flesh started to grow with quite the terrifying scene. Her skull was also filled with twisting flesh as eyes appeared with crimson red pupils that looked at me. Uwah, this is actually a bit creepy! But wait, she¡¯s getting flesh?! Skin slowly began to form around her flesh, even short hair grew on her head, and a bit of hair over her eyes, creating a pair of cute eyebrows. She took out her helmet as the hair gracefully fluttered to her shoulders. It was fluffy and ck. Her face looked just like¡­ when this body was alive! But a bit younger. And her skin was as brown as dirt¡­ and dry¡­ very dry. Her ears had be pointy too. She slowly took off all her armor as she revealed her entire evolution to me. Some clothes suddenly came out of nowhere. A very simple red and ck dress that looked a bit tattered. But at least it covered her new body. Her hair seemed fluffy, but it was also very dry and messy so it covered her crimson eyes. ¡°W-What the heck!? Partner, you got flesh?¡± ¡°Fwesh!¡± Partner quickly imitated my words; she could now speak as she had a throat and vocal cords. [Partner] has evolved into [Lesser Ghoul Warrior]!] Ghoul?! ¡°Fwesh! Fwesh! Fweesh!¡± Partner moved clumsily towards me before hugging me tightly. ¡°Feweewfg¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, we need to practice how to speak, dearie¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Deawie¡­¡± She¡¯s like a baby. Despite her dry, almost mummy-like skin, she¡¯s kind of cute. ¡­ [Name: [Partner] [Race: [Lesser Ghoul Warrior] [Level: [10/20] [Rank: [E+] [Status: [Strengthened] [HP: [290/290] [MP: [65/65] [Attack: [210] [Defense: [150] [Magic: [55] [Agility: [120] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv3] [ck Steel Bones: Lv4] [Morphed Body: Lv1] [Self-Regeneration: Lv1] [Flesh Consumption: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv3] [Magical Damage Resistance: Lv2] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv4] [Bone w: Lv5] [Intimidation: Lv3] [Spear Thrust: Lv3] [Dark Bullet: Lv1] [Steady Fighter: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] ¡­ ¡°Damn, you¡¯re strong, girl¡­ Oh, you can use Dark Bullet? Is that a lesser version of Dark Sphere?¡± I pondered to myself out loud. ¡°Buwet¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 19 ¡ª¨C As I nced at Partner¡¯s new appearance and status, I found out she was way stronger than an average E-Rank monster¡­ the only one I recall having such high stats was the Manticore! Well, she¡¯s E+, so that probably means she¡¯s above the average E-Rank monster. Hmm, I wonder if humans have ranks too? I wish I could take a look at them. But for now, we should concentrate on the task of¡­ rescuing a Fallen Dragon. Who would have thought that such a task would be the first one I would have? Although I couldn¡¯t help but admire the cuteness of Partner, we couldn¡¯t just sit here petting each other¡¯s heads. Partner equipped her armor and held her spear once more as we decided to descend through the stairs once more. The first thing we found was¡­! Nothing. Another empty floor. Floor 12 to 15 was a breeze, as nothing happened¡­ there wasn¡¯t even a little bug. Well, I suppose Floor 11 was filled with bugs that were hunting anything above and below. Lucifer (edgy name, I know) should be on Floor 20 if I recall correctly. Five more Floors and we can finally meet him. On floor 16, however, we met with an unprecedented challenge, a Slime Nest¡­ The stairs that led downstairs were already pretty slimy, filled with ooze, although not alive. But when we got here¡­ well, it was a slime fest! Slimes of all colors and sizes greeted us, stuck to the ceilings, the floor, the walls, and pretty much everywhere my eyes could see. It was a feast made of EXP. Of course, Slimes are still dangerous monsters, their [Digestion] can even devour souls, so they can damage me directly! But it¡¯s not like I am going to let them touch me anyway! Partner started by roaring as she pointed her spear and impaled three Slimes right away. Her precise attacks were surprisingly strong, and the slime cores were shattered in an instant! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! As she advanced through the wave of slimes jumping towards us, some of them began tounch their bodies as projectiles, and the corrosive slime slowly began to burn through her clothes and armor, and even her flesh, but she seemed unaffected. She was expressionless, but this was probably due to her benign undead, who can¡¯t feel pain. I didn¡¯t just float there doing nothing; I hid behind her like the excellent Ghost Queen that I am and began to fire dark spheres and dark gales in quick session, continuously, while also absorbing Mana and Life from the Slimes, which were all mixed up around us. The result? A bombastic EXP fest! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The slimes began to explode before my almighty dark spheres! There was a lot, but they were the same slimes we met on the first floors. My magic had progressed by quite a lot, so it was customary for them to die as their cores shattered into pieces by the explosive power of my Dark Spheres or the slicing potency of my Dark Gale, all ording to keikaku. Despite my reckless approach, I had carefully nned everything! ¡­Or did I? Well, the slimes were also showering me with attacks. Some of them even conjured fireballs, water bullets, and even little rocks they threw at a pretty fast speed. These were Elemental Slimes and seemed like the evolutions of the colorful slimes. However, against the might of my Dark Attribute Magic and the power of my equipment boosting my stats and the power of dark attribute damage enhancement, these slimes stood no chance! Though¡­ my HP was constantly lowering even with Partner taking some hits for me. Both of us would¡¯ve been killed if it wasn¡¯t for our Life Drain Skills. Oh yeah, Partner also had it, so she abused it as much as she could. The amount of EXP kept piling up, and as we began to level up, we rushed across the entire floor, and we reached the end¡­ we werepletely covered in slime. It had been almost an hour, and it was finally over. These insane rampages where we got a lot of EXP, but we constantly lost HP only to recover it just barely, are really addictive. Or maybe I am just addicted to the EXP gains? Huh¡­ Whatever the case, the EXP was good¡­ We¡¯ll be pretty strong before Lucifer even meets us. We¡¯ll have to thank him for granting us such a nice bundle of EXP for us. Ding! [Calcting EXP¡­] [You¡¯ve gained 3760 EXP] [EXP: 3780/1200] [Your level has increased to Level 11!] [EXP: 2580/1400] [Your level has increased to Level 12!] [You can now evolve!] Level 12! I can finally evolve! Nice! How convenient that we found two giant armies of living EXP bags. Maybe I should go to the human city next and ughter them all to get even more EXP? Massive groups of beings give the best rewards- Wait, I just got pretty genocidal all out of a sudden¡­ Why? Was I this devilish before? Maybe being a ghost fucked up my psyche? ¡°Anyways, time to evolve, no need to think about that stuff that no one cares about. We are all here for the level ups, undead, and evolution after all, right, Partner?¡± Partner was slowly regenerating her wounds as she started to slurp the slimes. Time to evolve! Let¡¯s see¡­ [Evolution Options] [Shadow Ghost] [Wailing Ghost] [Abyssal Ghost] ¡­ Three options¡­ Shadow Ghost, Wailing Ghost, and Abyssal Ghost¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 20 ¡ª¨C I decided to check my evolution options¡­ ¡­ [Shadow Ghost] A Dark Ghost that has embraced the shadows of the night can evolve into a Shadow Ghost, a being that can embrace the shadows and be shadows themselves, mixing with them and gaining power in the night. But they be weak at day due to the intense light damaging its shadows. It possesses potent offense at night and great stealth. [Wailing Ghost] A Wailing Ghost is a ghost that attacks by screaming. Its screams can damage foes and even inflict negative status effects such as Confusion, Madness, Paralysis, and more. Wailing Ghost emerges in scenes where people were murdered horribly. The soul of that person, who died screaming in agony, bes a Wailing Ghost who constantly haunts the area by screaming loudly. [Abyssal Ghost] A mysterious ghost that doesn¡¯t have many sightings. Its origins are mysterious, but it is said that it¡¯s a special type of ghost that inhabits the underworld realm of Helheim, born from the abyssal and primordial darkness of the abyss. They possess powerful Curse, Life Draining, and Shadow and Dark Manipting capabilities. Their Abyss can also confuse targets who look upon their figures for too long, and they are dangerous beings that masterful priests can only defeat. ¡­ All three options are very interesting¡­ Shadow Ghost, Wailing Ghost, and Abyssal Ghost. What should I pick? Shadow Ghost seems to be able to fuse with shadows and bring a boost while at night¡­ but you¡¯re weak at day. Wailing Ghost is¡­ screaming. Probably wide long-ranged sound-based attacks that can inflict all sorts of negative status effects¡­ Not bad¡­ but wouldn¡¯t it be too loud? Enemies would definitely find me like that, and I prefer to be as sneaky as possible. Andstly¡­ there was the legendary Abyssal Ghost. It came with a little bit of everything. The description also praised it as a strong Ghost. So I guess I will pick the obvious choice here. Ding! [You¡¯ve chosen [Abyssal Ghost]!] FLASH! Darkness suddenly epassed my entire being as the pure abyss consumed me. Within this abyssal darkness, I was able to see through somewhere else. For a split of a second, I found myself in apletely different ce, an enormous, boundless cave-like structure that extended endlessly across my vision. Enormous creatures of all shapes and sizes inhabited the hellish ce. Zombies, skeletons, ghosts, and many other Undead creatures roamed the site. The ground was gray, and enormous pits flowed with blue mes. Where am I?! Wait¡­ is this the underworld? ¡°A fitting one. You¡¯re not from here, aren¡¯t you?¡± I heard a woman¡¯s voice and as I nced in the direction of it, what greeted me was a woman, an old woman sitting on a throne of bones. ¡°Ueh? W-Who are you, grandma?¡± ¡°Bold enough to talk so casually with the Goddess of Death? I like you¡­ Your Skills are interesting. Your potential is¡­ endless. Good. You will be a fitting sessor¡­¡± ¡°Goddess of Death?!¡± ¡°Now go back. You¡¯re not ready yet.¡± FLASH! After the darkness dissipated, I had evolved, and I was back inside the Dungeon. My entire body gained more ¡°mass¡± than before, and my phantasmal body felt more ¡°solid¡± yet even more phantasmal than ever. I felt like I could easily stretch myself to unprecedented lengths. And the darkness within my soul had be greater, abyssal, even. Ding! [You¡¯ve acquired the [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] Skill] [Due to the effects of your Divine Protection, you¡¯ve evolved into the [Abyssal Ghost Queen] Superior Unique Species] [All your stats have increased] [The Levels of several Skills has increased] [You learned the [Abyssal Body: Lv1], [Shadow Maniption: Lv1], and [Summon: Lv1] Skills] [You acquired the [Undead Queen: Lv1] Title Skill] Say what?! This is more than I can take¡­! I evolved and received a Divine Protection!? From that old grandma? Wait, was she Hel? Hel¡­ Hel¡­ she sounds familiar. Wait, isn¡¯t that the Goddess of the Underworld from Norse Mythology? Or was it Death? Or both? Well, that was it! Eh? So this world has Gods¡­ and I just met one leisurely? What kind of plot twist is this? This is not even a plot twist. It¡¯s just an asspull! I never thought I had it in me, honestly. Maybe I am really fitting of being an egocentric protagonist¡­ fufufu. I quickly checked my stats and found remarkable changes. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Abyssal Ghost Queen] [Level: [12/20] [Rank: [D] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [160/160] [MP: [860/860]{+170} [Attack: [86] [Defense: [82] [Magic: [770]{+82} [Agility: [160]{+30} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv3] [Shadow Sneak: Lv4] (Level Up!) [Abyssal Body: Lv1] (New!) Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv4] (Leve Up!) [Darkness Resistance: Lv3] (Level Up!) [Fear Resistance: Lv3] (Level Up!) Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv5] (Level Up!) [Lesser Curse: Lv5] (Level Up!) [Life Drain: Lv5] (Level Up!) [Possession: Lv4] (Level Up!) [Dark Sphere: Lv6] (Level Up!) [Fake Life: Lv4] (Level up!) [Stealth: Lv5] (Level Up!) [Dark Gale: Lv5] (Level Up!) [Shadow Maniption: Lv1] (New!) [Summon: Lv1] (New!) Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv3] (Level Up!) [Undead Queen: Lv 1] (New!) Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡­ Oh my, everything went up! Though my Attack and Defense still suck, my MP and Magic are insane¡­ And my Agility has gotten pretty nice as well. Also, pretty much all skills leveled up¡­ Now I wonder what these new Skills do¡­ ¡­ [Summon: Lv1] Grants the ability to summon your subordinates near you for battle. Each summon consumes a quantity of manaparable to their strength. As long as a being is recognized as a subordinate, it can be summoned. Of course, the subordinate must also be willing to be summoned. The higher the level, the less mana costpared to the summon¡¯s power. ¡­ Eh? This one is convenient if I n to build an army¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 21 ¡ª¨C After evolving, getting divine protection, and all, I finally got to see my new Skills. [Summon] was pretty straightforward. It let me summon my subordinates near my position, no matter where they are! Maybe this is what Necromancers use when they make corpses pop up from the ground even when they are not even in graveyards? But I could quite possibly use it to summon a tamed monster I¡¯ve contracted with, or even human subordinates, anything, I guess. It didn¡¯t seem to have any rule or requirement aside from them being subordinates and willing. And then there is¡­ ¡­ [Abyssal Body: Lv1] Grants the user¡¯s body the ability to be abyssal darkness and shape itself ordingly to your will. It also has the effect of reflecting status effects, mind-rted attacks, and any of such powers that a foe tries to ensue over the user. The intensity and power of such effect are increased by leveling the skill up. Grants high affinity with the Dark and Shadow Attributes, enhancing damage dealt and damage resistance by +10% with each level. ¡­ Oh, this one is perhaps the thing that changed my ghost body to be so dark now¡­ It also enhances my dark and shadow attribute damage even more! And it even bounces back negative effects and the like? Interesting¡­ It¡¯s like an Uno Reverse Card sort of deal! But only at Level 1, it won¡¯t be that strong, I bet. ¡­ [Shadow Maniption: Lv1] Grants the ability to manipte shadows in the nearby vicinity. Manipting shadows cost constant mana and can be made solid for a small amount of time with even more mana. They can be shaped as the user likes, but the mastery over it and the control over the shadows expands as the skill levels up. Dark and Shadow Magic can be used in conjunction for greater results. ¡­ This was an interesting Skill. Although it consumes a lot of Mana, it can be used in a variety of situations¡­ Maybe I could be shadows and sneak inside the room of a handsome man changing clothes, fufu¡­ Wait, I can already do that¡­ Agh! No! I am not a degenerate. ¡­ [Undead Queen: Lv1] As an Undead Queen, you have a natural affinity and authority over death and the Undead. The Undead that you create receives an enhancement to their growth speed and evolution options while also receiving a temporal boost to all their capabilities below yourmand. The power of such effects enhances as the level increases. You can also, and more efficiently, tame Undead you¡¯ve not created. ¡­ Interesting, with this, Partner can grow even faster! Though, I should really get a new Undead ally¡­ But what could it be? After evolving, I have more than just two slots now. I believe I have a dozen slots for Undead that I can control and forcefully make ¡°loyal¡± to me¡­ Although there¡¯s still a limit, at 20. ¡°Partner, what friend would you want?¡± I asked Partner what she would like to have as a friend this time around. I nced at the corpses we had, which were all butchered at this point¡­ ¡°Well, maybe they won¡¯t be meaty, but we can raise a skelly friend, right?¡± ¡°Fwend!¡± Partner looked at me, collecting all the loot that the slimes had dropped. There were some equipment and consumable items mixed into the pile as well. Ding! [You¡¯ve acquired the following Items] [Thunder Slime Earring (F-Grade): Lv3] x4 [Fire Slime Bracelet (F-Grade): Lv4] x3 [Water Slime Core Ring (F-Grade): Lv1] x2 [Multi-Color Slime Core Staff (D-Grade): Lv1] x1 [Mixed Elemental Slime Colorful Ooze (F-Grade)] x136 [Mixed Elemental Slime Colorful Shattered Cores (F-Grade)] x136 ¡­ There was indeed some valuable loot in here. Slimes tend to drop a lot of essories¡­ But this time, there was one super rare drop at D-Grade, and it was this beautiful staff with many slime cores encrusted on it, causing it to shine brightly. I decided to equip everything that I could, which included two earrings, another ring, and two bracelets, alongside the new staff! And let¡¯s check the stats¡­ ¡­ [Thunder Slime Earring (F-Grade): Lv3] +20 MP +15 Magic +20 Agility +20 Thunder Attribute Damage ¡­ [Fire Slime Bracelet (F-Grade): Lv4] +25 MP +20 Magic +10 Agility +10 Attack +20 Fire Attribute Damage ¡­. [Water Slime Core Ring (F-Grade): Lv1] +10 MP +5 Magic +5 Agility +10 Water Attribute Damage ¡­ [Multi-Color Slime Core Staff (D-Grade): Lv1] +300 MP +200 Magic +100 Attack +50 Agility +120 All Elemental Damage ¡­ Uwah, D-Grade Equipment is amazing! And it¡¯s a weapon fitting for my Mage-like role! Although I would like to eventually kick some asses with physical strength someday, this isn¡¯t half-bad! It evenes with +100 Attack, so this staff can hit as hard as a baseball bat if I wanted¡­ Insane. I already had my ck beetle bracelets that gave me dark attribute damage, so I decided to leave the remaining bracelets for Partner. In the end, I can only equip two. The others I would equip wouldn¡¯t give me any stats, and I knew this because I had tried doing it already. Now let¡¯s check what my actual status with the new buffs looks like¡­ ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Abyssal Ghost Queen] [Level: [12/20] [Rank: [D] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [160/160] [MP: [860/860]{+520} [Attack: [86]{+100} [Defense: [82] [Magic: [770]{+317} [Agility: [160]{+125} ¡­ Pretty good if I say so myself! Already at over 1k MP! With this, I can spam Skills more efficiently, even without the need of siphoning mana, so I don¡¯t have to get so close to my enemy. Also, my Agility is pretty decent, and my Magic is also at 1k! Magic is an essential stat for me as it calctes my damage dealt using Magic attacks and reduces iing magic damage. No matter how frail they look, the stronger a mage is, the better they are at resisting magic damage¡­ But I would imagine there could be instances where several warriors died calcinated by a giant fireball, but a mage somehow survives even without wearing armor¡­ Such a sight would be pretty hrious. After equipping her own earrings, bracelets, and rings, Partner looked very pretty! ¡°You really look like a cute girl now, Partner!¡± ¡°Bweute girl?¡± ¡°Yeah! Pat, pat, pat!¡± I petted Partner¡¯s head, and after a bit, we decided to continue through the dungeon. ¡ª¨C Chapter 22 ¡ª¨C After showering my dear Partner with some affection, we decided to continue through this damn dungeon! It has been a nice ride, and thankfully, the next floors were cheap and easy. ¡°Ah! Right, I forgot, the new partner¡­ I am just happy with only you, but I guess we really need a new party member¡­ Or many more¡­ It would honestly be a headache to find them EXP to level up, though¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Exupe¡­¡± ¡°Well, I am abbreviating it, but it is said as ¡®Experience Points¡¯,¡± I said. ¡°Expewience Point¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, just like that! You¡¯re learning pretty fast, aren¡¯t you?¡± I quickly took out the bones I stored in my inventory. I didn¡¯t want to use smelly meat to make some flesh zombie or something because I don¡¯t know if that could even be possible with butchered meat that was mushed all over. I piled up the bones of the Manticore, which were solid and sturdy, alongside those of the Lizards we fought. There weren¡¯t any other bones than these guys, as the other creatures were boneless. The bugs had carapaces, but that¡¯s technically not bones. ¡°Should I raise them separately?¡± I pondered to myself. As the dungeon goes deeper, monsters be stronger, so these weak level 1 skeletons wouldn¡¯t amount to anything against a group of slimes and wouldn¡¯t even be able to safely leech for EXP because for that they need tond at least one hit. And before that even happens, they will get eaten in an instant. After all, they¡¯re all delicious bones, so the monsters around here would dly give them a try in order to get some calcium running through their body. Due to that, I decided to use the entire pile of bones to raise a single individual, hoping that adding more bones would make a difference¡­ I considered giving it flesh, but I couldn¡¯t help thinking that the flesh would be left behind¡­ Well, I don¡¯t lose anything putting some over it. I also added some slime cores, the basilisk¡¯s eyes, and a bit of the manticore¡¯s ck fur, which was absolutely gorgeous. Let¡¯s see what kind of weird thinges out of this mix-up of materials¡­ ¡°[Fake Life]!¡± FLASH! I used [Fake Life] with the intention of making a single being with the items before me. And as phantasmal energies began to be absorbed from the environment, it slowly formed a phantasmal soul, which infused itself into the pile of items. Suddenly, a wondrous sight shone before our eyes. The bones began to pile up and rearrange themselves into a figure resembling the manticore, but way stronger and much bigger. The flesh, which was a mixture of all the fleshy creatures we killed, began to move around like a slime before sticking to the bones. The ck pelt of the manticore stretched itself and covered the entire body as the basilisk eyes inserted themselves into the empty eye sockets¡­ The Slime Cores mixed inside of the empty body it had, filling it with colorful mana. And it was done. Ding! [You¡¯ve Raised a [Undead ck Cat Chimera]!] ck Cat?! And it looked¡­ like a cat, yeah, but enormous. More like a panther! It took some of the shape of the manticore, which was more lion-like, but its ears were more like a house cats¡¯ ears, and it had a thin ck tail instead of a snake. And from within it, I could feel a strong aura radiating outwards¡­ It looked at us with the Basilisk eyes it had, shing with eeriness. ¡°A cat¡­¡± ¡°Cat?¡± ¡°Meow!¡± The giant ck cat sat down and nced at us before meowing. Uwah, it¡¯s actually cute¡­ ¡°I¡¯m gonna name you Kuro! Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Meow!¡± Ding! [You¡¯ve named your servant [Kuro]!] Now let¡¯s check Kuro¡¯s stats! ¡­ [Name: [Kuro] [Race: [Undead ck Cat Chimera] [Level: [1/15] [Rank: [F+] [Status: [Happy] [HP: [95/95] [MP: [72/72] [Attack: [86] [Defense: [75] [Magic: [82] [Agility: [85] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Chimera: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Artificial Elemental Cores: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv1] [Shapeshift: Lv1] [Self-Regeneration: Lv1] [Flesh Consumption: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv1] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv1] [Cursed ck re Breath: Lv1] [Shadow ws: Lv1] [Fireball: Lv1] [Water Bullet: Lv1] [Thunder Shock: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] ¡­ I don¡¯t know what gender it is, but I will call it boy for now because the manticore was a male. First of all, the stats are pretty good! Kuro started right away as an F+ Rank Monster, meaning that it had higher stats from the get-go, but it needs more levels to evolve. But, some exciting news is that it also came with more skills than I expected! [Shapeshift] seems to help him be smaller or bigger, with a max height of plus one meter, but he can reduce his size with much more ease. And the limit is about the size of an actual cat¡­ Very cute. He alsoes with the [Artificial Elemental Cores] Skill, which helps him use other elemental magic without having its original affinity. Although this seems limited and doesn¡¯t have much potential, but at least it works. He has many attacking methods, being [Cursed ck re Breath: Lv1], [Shadow ws: Lv1], [Fireball: Lv1], [Water Bullet: Lv1], and [Thunder Shock: Lv1]! I remember that breath that almost killed us back then¡­ [Shadow ws] seem pretty good as well. However, what surprised me is that he didn¡¯te with an evil eye of petrification¡­ does he need something to trigger its power? Or maybe he could get it after evolving¡­ I hope, or I just wasted some precious materials. ¡°Meow!¡± Kuro received our caressing as we touched his fluffy hair. After that, he let us ride on him. By materializing legs and sitting on his back, Kuro can carry me around. Partner sat down in front of me and then let me grab her shoulders. And just like that, Kuro rushed downstairs as we began to ughter the monsters we encountered along the way. We found some more slimes, but not as many, a few beetles, and another illusion lizard, which Partner killed by jumping over its head and impaling it with her spear. The monster¡¯s EXP wasn¡¯t as good now that we required so much to level up¡­ but it was better than nothing! I grabbed the drops, but we didn¡¯t find anything worthwhile, and Kuro couldn¡¯t equip the items. But at least he leveled up a bit. After a breeze, we reached thest floor¡­ [You gained 1156 EXP] [EXP: [1156/1800] ¡ª¨C Chapter 23 ¡ª¨C Arge red gate emerged before us at the end of floor 19. On the other side of the gate was floor 20, thest floor of the dungeon! ¡°Lucifer, are you there?¡± ¡°You¡¯vee¡­ Thank you¡­ I am surprised by how strong you¡¯ve grown¡­.¡± Lucifer quickly answers me. ¡°Yeah, your dungeon was a pretty good source of EXP for Partner and me. We even got a newpanion along the way.¡± ¡°A newpanion? Ah¡­ a ck cat? I see¡­ W-Well, step inside. I will show you how¡­ Well, you will see how I am now¡­.¡± Lucifer sighed. As I wondered what was wrong with this depressive dragon, we opened the red gates and walked downstairs. Slowly yet steadily, Kuro carried us on his back towards Floor 20. Within the darkness, something glowed. Two blue eyes resided in the darkness, resembling phantasmal mes like those of a Will-o-Wisp. We took a torch and illuminated the ce, Lucifer¡¯s appearance greeting us. ¡°This is¡­ what remains of my former self¡­.¡± ¡°But¡­ this is just¡­.¡± ¡°Bwones!¡± Indeed, just as Partner said¡­ Lucifer was just bones, and bits of dry skin stuck to them. His eyes were empty, and only two little blue mes resided within the eye sockets. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I am just bones now. I cannot move from here because my soul seems sealed into the dungeon¡¯s structure¡­.¡± Lucifer sighed, his voice emerging from his soul that was stuck to his skeleton. ¡°So you¡¯re dead?¡± I asked. ¡°T-That¡¯s right¡­ I saw how you were able to raise Undead, and I thought that perhaps¡­ By raising me as your Undead, you could free me from this damned ce.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I see¡­ But wait, couldn¡¯t you do it for yourself? You raised the undead in the graveyard!¡± I asked. ¡°No, that¡¯s different. Unlike you, who has the innate power over Death, what I did was merely infect the graveyard with Miasma that leaked from my remains. Miasma naturally corrupted the souls within that ce and raised Undead without any of my powers ying into ount. Miasma is even capable of forcing mutations into living beings as well.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I see¡­ You got pretty lucky then! I am quite a proficient user of [Fake Life]!¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ Erm, what is your name?¡± ¡°Well¡­. (Should I use my past world¡¯s name? Hm¡­ better not) Name¡¯s Maria! You can call me Mary too or whatever,¡± I said. ¡°I see! When you raise me as an undead, I will end up bing your subordinate¡­ So I better know your name beforehand.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah! ¡­But are you okay with this? I thought dragons were prideful beings. Wouldn¡¯t it be a disgrace to serve a ghost after death? I would think that if you were a prideful dragon, you would rather die or go to peace than serve someone as humble as me.¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting question, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re so humble¡­.¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°What did you say?!¡± ¡°N-Nothing! Erm¡­ Well, I am not like that. I¡¯ve always wanted to live a lot. Yes, I am prideful, but I am¡­ also filled with wrathful and vengeful thoughts. This is why my soul has stayed here for so long, perhaps¡­ Due to that, I can throw away my pride and honor as a dragon and serve you as long as I can have the opportunity to one day exert revenge against those that did all this to me, my family, and the Demon King¡­ my lord¡­.¡± Lucifer sighed once again. Oof, there¡¯s a lot of things going on here that I don¡¯t know about¡­ ¡°Hm, seems like a heavy topic¡­ Well, we can talk that outter on. No need to force yourself to talk about this stuff if you don¡¯t want to.¡± I said with a smile. Lucifer¡¯s phantasmal eyes flicked a bit as I sensed some of his emotions wriggling. ¡°T-Thanks¡­ You¡¯re more considerate than I thought, Mary.¡± ¡°Now¡­! [Fake Life]!¡± FLAAAASH! I immediately used [Fake Life], causing my mana to pour into the skeletal corpse of Lucifer! ¡°E-Eh? Y-You¡¯re doing it already?!¡± ¡°Yeah! Now, rise, my fallen dragon!¡± I shouted with excitement¡­ I¡¯ve always wanted to say something this edgy. ¡°GUUUOOOOOOHHH!¡± Lucifer began to scream as if he was being showered in power. His soul began to mutate with my power as the phantasmal energies merged with him and his remains. FLASH! The bones began to crackle and rattle, unifying themselves with the help of the phantasmal force of his soul! nk¡­ nk! As if they were reassembling themselves, the bones quickly began to regain mass, as I realized that I could actually give him some flesh too! I opened my Inventory and threw all the meat I had, some Slime Cores, and even the other lizards¡¯ scales, eyes, and whatever else I found. ¡°E-Eh? What are you throwing at me? UAAAGGH¡­!¡± ¡°Magic materials so you can get some flesh too! Necromancy is like crafting in this world, so the more materials you got, the higher quality the Undead bes! Now rise!¡± The flesh began to spiral around his body and the bones stuck to one another. Scales were added to the areas with no scales, and the cores moved inside the empty ribcage. All the materials went into their respective ces, and he even got new eyes, which were the ones from the illusion lizards. BOOM! An explosion of phantasmal energy was released all around us, and after a few seconds, the smoke slowly dissipated, revealing a new freshly risen Undead. Ding! [You¡¯ve Raised a [Lesser Dracolich Chimera]!] Eh? After all those materials, this guy is still lesser?! Damn¡­ Well, maybe Dracolich are strong, so even as he is now, he is ¡°lesser¡±pared to true Dracolich¡­ Yeah, let¡¯s leave it at that. ¡°Ugh¡­ I feel strange, but¡­ At the same time, familiar with this body? I really do have flesh now¡­.¡± Lucifer mutters. Lucifer emerged from within the smoke. He had gained a more dragon-like appearance than just bones stuck together, but he still looked rather old, rugged, and dry. His eyes shone with bright colors, and he exuded a strong magical power from his chest, where all the shattered slime cores were assembled. ¡°Good morning, sunshine!¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 24 ¡ª¨C ¡°Awaken, my dragon!¡± ¡°What are you even saying?¡± ¡°Rise, my Fallen Dragon!¡± ¡°Stop it already¡­.¡± ¡°I invoke you, Dracolich Chimera!¡± ¡°Cut it out!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a little intensity? You are a legendary dragon and everything¡­ Can¡¯t a girl get hyped for a bit?¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah, but that was a bit anticlimactic!¡± Lucifer shouted. ¡°Grao!¡± Partner roared as she didn¡¯t like how Lucifer treated me. I caressed her head in order to calm her down. ¡°There, there, calm down, Partner. We have to be more respectful with our elders. This old mancks a lot of humoristic sense,¡± I said. ¡°D-Don¡¯t call me grumpy!¡± Lucifer cried. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s funny to see you get angry,¡± ¡°E-Eeeh?¡± Lucifer suddenly got embarrassed. I decided to check his stats and see what he was made of¡­ ¡­ [Name: [Lucifer] [Race: [Lesser Dracolich Chimera] [Level: [1/30] [Rank: [D+] [Status: [Embarrassed], [Flustered], [Secretly Happy] [HP: [320/320] [MP: [340/340] [Attack: [185] [Defense: [105] [Magic: [255] [Agility: [70] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dragon: Lv¨C] [Chimera: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fire Element: Lv¨C] [Artificial Elemental Cores: Lv¨C] [Morph: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv1] [Shapeshift: Lv1] [Self-Regeneration: Lv1] [Flesh Consumption: Lv1] [Hardened Dragon Scales: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv1] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv1] [Elemental Damage Resistance: Lv1] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv1] [Phantasmal mes Breath: Lv1] [Phantom ws: Lv1] [Fireball: Lv1] [Dark Sphere: Lv1] [Mana Mastery: Lv1] [Intimidating Aura: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Fallen Dragon: Lv¨C] ¡­ Well, well, well, would you look at that? He¡¯s strong from the get-go! Although his Skills are all Level 1, his stats are pretty amazing! He¡¯s also at D+ Rank! Hm¡­ Well, seeing how high his stats are, it makes sense. Although his Agility is very low, he¡¯s slow, which I guess makes sense seeing how big he is. He¡¯s pretty decent¡­ I¡¯ll give you that¡­ His skills are pretty good as well¡­ He¡¯s got a nice mix of defense and offense and some magic coupled with his breath and ws skills. He also seems to have a dragon scales skill, which reinforces them. He also has [Shapeshift] so he can grow smaller or bigger, allowing him to be able to sneak out of here. Nice. ¡°But what is the [Morph] Skill you got?¡± ¡°Eh? You can see through the Soul Scripts?!¡± ¡°The what?¡± Soul Scripts? What¡¯s that? ¡°Soul Scripts are the scripts of our soul, where our abilities are located and where they develop. Every Ability or Skill we possess is part of our Soul Script. The more they develop, the stronger our soul grows, but the bigger the burden it bes as well¡­ ¡°Huh, so that¡¯s what you call it¡­ You can¡¯t see it directly like I do?¡± I asked. ¡°I can inspect my own soul and see through my power, but I am not able to do the same with others¡­ However, It seems that you¡¯re capable of doing that,¡± ¡°Yup, so what¡¯s the deal with [Morph]?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s the ability that any Dragon is born with. It lets us be¡­ Well, just see.¡± Lucifer suddenly activated the Skill, and he exploded into a burst of phantasmal smoke! Poof! The phantasmal smoke dissipated and what remained of him was a way smaller figure¡­ Of around¡­ probably almost two meters tall. ¡°Eh? A human?!¡± Lucifer emerged in his human-like form! ¡°Indeed. It is more like a demon than a human¡­ All Intelligent Races of Beasts, Dragons, Demons, and Monsters possess the Morph Skill after reaching maturity. With it, we can morph into a humanoid figure that represents us. It is a power that was designed so we couldmunicate better with lowly races such as Humans,¡± Lucifer exined. ¡°I see¡­ Who are you calling lowly race?!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re a ghost now, so it wasn¡¯t for you¡­.¡± Lucifer sighed a bit. Anyways¡­ His appearance was nothing but handsome. Lucifer looked like a slim and mildly muscr man, with a tall figure, pale-white skin, sharp eyes that gleamed with dark colors, long silvery-white hair that reached down to his shoulders, and two spiraling ck horns growing from his forehead. He had scales on his feet and arms and a few all around his body. He also had wings and a tail, but using [Shapeshift], he could hide those features, and even his horns and scales, if he wanted to. He had a stoic and slender face with a pointy nose and sharp chin. He really looked like a handsome man from a dating sim game or something¡­ I had to admit it. I couldn¡¯t get my eyes off him¡­ ¡°W-What? Why are you looking at me so intensively?¡± He timidly asked. ¡°Fuehehe¡­ Ah! Nothing!¡± I said while averting my gaze. He was able to generate clothes through [Morph], so he wore a white shirt that revealed a bit of his chest, tight ck pants, and leather boots with ck gloves. Do you get it?! He looked extremely charming! If we get him to town, all the girls will be falling for him in no time¡­ ¡°Now! My loyal subordinates, let¡¯s get out of here! Wait, is there anyst treasure?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­ there wasn¡¯t any. The dungeon core wasn¡¯t essible to me either,¡± Lucifer replied. ¡°Meh, what a letdown¡­ Welp, let¡¯s get going,¡± As we walked upstairs, Lucifer began to talk about¡­ stuff. ¡°You know? I might have be your servant, but y-you shouldn¡¯t abuse it! I won¡¯t let you touch me or anything like that!¡± Lucifer said as if he was a bashful maiden. ¡°Eh?! What are you even talking about? Are you calling me a degenerate? I am a pure and virginal maiden!¡± I said. ¡°You were looking at me quite oddly!¡± Lucifer replied. ¡°It was just that¡­ I liked your boots! I don¡¯t even have legs, you know? So I obviously get envious when I see someone with such nice boots,¡± ¡°You¡¯re not good at lying¡­.¡± Lucifer sighed. ¡°But it¡¯s the truth! Right, Partner?¡± Partner was looking at Lucifer with squinting eyes¡­ Was she jealous? ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s wrong now? *Sigh*¡­ Kuro, you¡¯re the only one I have at my side, it seems¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Meow!¡± TRUUUUMMM! However, just as we were walking upstairs, a tremor shook the walls. An enormous magic circle emerged on the floor where Lucifer¡¯s corpse was, and¡­ a gigantic figure began to be summoned from it. No way¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 25 ¡ª¨C A small spherical jewel shined brightly with ck light within the dungeon¡¯s depths born from Lucifer. It seemed to sense that its connection to its major provider of energy and miasma, Lucifer, has been suddenly cut. Feeling rmed, the Dungeon Core decided to quickly spend almost all of its saved-up energy and summon a new Dungeon Boss to protect the Dungeon, as of it was by instinct¡­ It needed to protect itself! After all, a being so strong that it divided it from its main power source, Lucifer, just appeared. So, of course, it needed to retaliate. It needed to fend off such a threat before it could endanger the life of the dungeon core itself! ¡ª¨C TRUUUUMMM! However, just as we were walking upstairs, a tremor shook the walls. An enormous magic circle emerged on the floor where Lucifer¡¯s corpse was, and¡­ a gigantic figure began to be summoned from it. No way¡­ We nced at the beast being born. It seemed around ten meters tall, and it had four heads, with long necks wriggling around like snakes. Its body was coated in ck scales, and each head had eyes with different colors¡­ It had a bright jewel on its chest, four limbs resembling those of a lizard, and a short tail. To say the least, it emanated a deadly presence¡­ [Dark Shadow Hydra: Lv10] [Rank: D+] [State: Wrathful] Ugeh¡­ D+ Rank?! ¡°We better escape!¡± I shouted. ¡°I agree. Although we could get stronger by defeating it, it¡¯s not worth the risk!¡± Lucifer added. ¡°Meow!¡± Call us cowards or whatever. I don¡¯t give a damn! We quickly began to rush upstairs, but suddenly¡­ ¡°GGRRYSSHAAAA!¡± The giant Hydra seemed angry that we began to cowardly run away, as it extended one of its necks way farther than what should¡¯ve been possible with its length and caught Lucifer with its jaws! ¡°Ugh¡­! Damn it!¡± FLAAASH! Lucifer was dragged down as he quickly exploded into phantasmal smoke, transforming into his dragon form once more! ¡°Ugh, damn it! Alright then! I will ughter you if you want to die so badly!¡± roared Lucifer, as his ws began to sh through the Hydra¡¯s jaws and heads while his phantasmal breath burnt through its body. However, those scales looked tough. They were barely taking much damage! This was because the Hydra had the [Reflective Scales] Skill which had the power to reflect a part of any type of elemental damage, effectively negating an amount of the damage taken. This made even Lucifer¡¯s powerful attacks not that strong. ¡°Maaoooo!¡± Kuro suddenly charged downstairs without even asking me what we had to do. His feeling ofpanionship with Lucifer had developed quite quickly! ¡°Fight!¡± Partner coated her spear with her mana as it began to exude arge quantity of venomous aura from within. I guess we are fighting then¡­ ALRIGHT! ¡°[Mana Siphon], [Life Drain]!¡± We quickly jumped into battle, and as we were all Undead, we began with [Life Drain], slowly draining the life of the Hydra from all sides! ¡°GGRYYSHAA!¡± Lucifer acted as the main tank, being the only one capable of taking the hits of such a gigantic beast. ¡°RRAAA!¡± SLASH! CLAAASH! Lucifer shed through the Hydra¡¯s necks, however, the Hydra used one of its heads as a weapon, attacking and hitting Lucifer¡¯s head with it! I never knew they used their heads in such a way¡­ Meanwhile, as I constantly drained its Mana slowly, I began to conjure all I had! Dark Spheres emerged one after another in groups of four, shing against the body of the Hydra,pletely bombing it. Dark Gales concentrated into arge vortex of slicing dark winds, attacked the Hydra¡¯s heads! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOMMM! ¡°GGRYYAAAARR!¡± Despite its [Darkness Resistance] and [Reflective Scales] skills, the beast seemed to have taken some damage from my attacks. This was probably because my Dark Attribute Damage even has bonuses from my equipment, and those bonuses might had canceled out the damage reduction of its skills to a certain extent! Partner used her spear to move gracefully around the battlefield. She began to pierce the Hydra¡¯s limbs with [Spear Thrust] and injected deadly venom into the open wounds. Although it didn¡¯t seem as effective due to the beast¡¯s [Poison Resistance], but at the very least it wasn¡¯t a full-on immunity, so there was some slow damage per second that ticked away at its health! ¡°GRAO!¡± Kuro roared fiercely like a lion as he began to fire fireballs, water bullets, and thunderbolts towards the Hydra, bathing it with multi-elemental damage. It wasn¡¯t as strong as the rest of us, but Kuro was doing his part! However, the Hydra was a strong D+ Rank monster. It wasn¡¯t going to go down easily! ¡°GGRYSHA!¡± Although Lucifer was bothering its movements the most, it suddenly red at me with three of its heads! FLASH! All three heads¡¯ eyes shed with bright lights, as a storm of elements befell upon me! TRUUUMMMM!!! Lightning, wind, and fire reached me as the Hydra utilized its powerful Skill [Instant Casting] to conjure [Fireball], [Thunderbolt], and [Wind Gust]bined into what seemed to be a destructive storm of elements. I barely managed to dodge, but the powerful attack shed against the wall behind me, and some of its shockwaves of elements reached my phantasmal body, damaging me. My HP almost hit zero just from the after-effects of the deadlybination. Imagine if that thing had hit me head on! My HP began to slowlye back to me through [Life Drain], but the monster¡¯s HP was rather high, and disappointingly, it had yet to reach 50%. ¡°Be more careful!¡± Lucifer shouted, reprimanding me. ¡°Well, we wouldn¡¯t be fighting this thing if it wasn¡¯t because you got so easily caught!¡± I shouted back. ¡°W-What did ya saaayy?!¡± CLAASH! The Hydra suddenly hit Lucifer¡¯s head with a bonk! But Lucifer retaliated with a roar, releasing his phantom me breath towards the beast¡¯s eyes. ¡°GRRRYYAARR¡­!¡± Right¡­ its eyes! If it does not focus its eyes on something, it can¡¯t conjure magic precisely¡­ ¡°Use your ws to sh their eyes off!¡± I shouted. ¡°The eyes¡­ right!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 26 ¡ª¨C In some fictional stories, you might be supposed to defeat a hydra by cutting all of its heads at the same time, right? Well, in this world, there is the concept of HP! No matter how much a monster fights, it won¡¯t die as long as it has HP. However, due to this, they are also bound to die if the HP goes down to zero. Therefore, we decided to ignore the Hydra¡¯s [Head Regeneration] Skill, which let it instantly regenerate a whole head if it was lost. So, we decided to slowly drain away all of its HP with a variety of attacks from all around. Meanwhile, this skill didn¡¯t seem to affect the head when it was not cut, so we just had to st its eyes off! ¡°RRRAAAA!¡± Lucifer used his sharp ws to reach the Hydra¡¯s front head and shed through its eyes! ¡°GGRRYSSSSHHAAA!¡± However, the Hydra screamed furiously as it bathed Lucifer with several elemental attacks! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°Damn it¡­!¡± Lucifer lost one of his arms and a wing in the process, so he was forced to pull back. We had no healers here, and I was running low on options. I needed a more prative attack! Come on¡­ If I have Supreme Magic, I can do whatever I want with magic, right? Then¡­ I should be able to learn something¡­! I began to shape pure darkness into a long and pointy form¡­ and then¡­ Iunched it! FLAAAAAASH! The spear arrow of darkness reached one of the Hydra¡¯s heads and impaled its eyes right away, from left to right, like a skewer! ¡°GGRYYSSHA¡­!¡± The head cried out in agony as blood began to flow from its enormous wound. Ding! [You¡¯ve learned the [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv1] Skill!] Oh! It emerged as a skill! This is exactly what I needed! I already had an explosive Dark Sphere and a sharp Dark Gale, so now¡­ I have the piercing Shadow Spear Arrow! I quickly absorbed more Mana from the Hydra, which had a tremendous pool, before I began to fire Spear Arrows of Shadows in quick session! Meanwhile, Kuro and Partner continued to attack its limbs until one of them seemingly broke, making the creature trip over! BOOOMMM!!! We abused this as we continued to shower it with attacks, and Lucifer roared furiously, jumping over the beast, and using his heavy weight to crush its bones! ¡°GRRRAAA! YOU DAMN LIZARD!!!¡± CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°GGRRYYSSSHAA¡­!¡± The Hydra was on itsst moments, but I had to kill it quickly before it triggered the [Last Minute Healing] Ability it had! Seriously, this thing is seriously overpowered! Who made it?! I created a gigantic spear made of shadows, exhausting almost all of my mana and thenunching it at the beast¡¯s chest! FLAAAAASH! It reached its chest and pierced through itsrge jewel, making the creature vomit mouthfuls of blood that flowed from each and every head. ¡°GGRRYYYSSSSHAAAAGGGHH¡­!¡± BOOOM! The monster gave up at longst, and its health dwindled down to zero! Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 10000 EXP!] [EXP: [11156/1800] [Your Level has increased from Level 12 to Level 13!] [Your Level has increased from Level 13 to Level 14!] [Your Level has increased from Level 14 to Level 15!] [Your Level has increased from Level 15 to Level 16!] [Your Level has increased from Level 16 to Level 17!] [EXP: [856/2600] [You have acquired the [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] and [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] Title Skills!] Oh boy¡­ What? How much did I level up? Five times? Damn¡­ And I got two titles out of it! I nced at everyone else, and I seemed to be the only one that got them¡­ Hehe¡­ I guess that¡¯s what you get for finishing off the dungeon¡¯sst boss? ¡°Hahh¡­ How was that thing so hard to kill?¡± Lucifer breathed a sigh of exhaustion. Even as an Undead, he was exhausted¡­ Well, we get tired when we use a lot of mana, even as Undead, so it¡¯s understandable. ¡°Fweehh¡­¡± Partner was resting on the ground. ¡°Mraoo¡­¡± Kuro was also exhausted. Everyone seemed to get a ton of levels too! Kuro reached max level right away, while Partner was just one level from it. Lucifer just barely got to Level 6 as he was so strong, so leveling up was quite troublesome. Our status also healed when we leveled up, so the exhaustion was more like the soul gettingzy. However, we didn¡¯t have time to rest. I forced myself to move and quickly decided to save the entire monster corpse inside my inventory and check it with the dropster. We didn¡¯t have to rx leisurely. I felt some life signs above. Yeah, since I evolved, I¡¯ve detected ¡°life¡± as something like a sixth sense. Arge group of strong life signs is approaching us from theyers above. I grabbed Lucifer¡¯s arm and stuck it to his body by manipting phantom forces and using them like glue. It worked pretty well, also with his wing. Ding! [You¡¯ve learned the [Undead Healing: Lv1] Skill!] Eh? Another skill¡­ I guess with this, I can heal everyone else! But the Mana Cost will be painful¡­ ¡°Anyways, now, let¡¯s get going. I can sense several presencesing down here! We might end up fighting right away, so get prepared for what mighte!¡± I warned everybody. ¡°Damn it, who else ising now? Wait¡­ You said there was a town nearby? It could be Adventurers¡­ They found out my dungeon so fast!¡± Said Lucifer, as we all mounted Kuro before he began to rush upstairs. We rushed through several floors in a breeze as Kuro had grown superfast after leveling up quite a lot. And within just a few minutes, we had already reached the tenth floor where we finally heard them. ¡°Why are there no monsters here? So weird¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, we only found some ooze and bug juice around. Did a monster enter and eat everything inside?¡± ¡°Wait, if that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t we go back and report this?!¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re right!¡± Eh? The Adventurers suddenly realized that they were being too reckless and rushed upstairs, running back to their town. Well, I guess they weren¡¯t stupid. We reached the surface and dived deep into the Dark Forest without any problems. I guess life doesn¡¯t always have to end in conflicts! ¡ª¨C Chapter 27 ¡ª¨C The Duke of the town of Affnaria, Duke Allen, suddenly received news regarding the Dungeon. ¡°So, what is it?¡± He asked his assistant. ¡°Well¡­ the first party reached there, but they found absolutely¡­ nothing. The monsters were all cleansed. There wasn¡¯t even a single monster carcass left¡­ Only some of the juice of what seemed to be bug monsters and slime ooze was stuck to the ceilings and walls¡­.¡± The assistant replied. ¡°What? Well, did they get to thest floor? Can they conquer the dungeon?¡± ¡°No, well, the first party and all those that were going there stopped traversing any deeper as they had reported that they felt incredibly powerful presences from deep down. The artifacts had said that there could be monsters above D-Rank there¡­ E or F Rank Adventurers cannot possibly fight such beasts.¡± Said the assistant. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ So this monster just ate all the others?! We¡¯ll have to prepare a raid with morepetent Adventurers then¡­ Where is Cami?¡± Allen asked. ¡°Cami¡­ The B-Rank Adventurer of this town is currently on a mission in the duchy of Veredictus, fighting against the Monster Tide that had spawned there¡­.¡± Replied the assistant. ¡°Damn it! That damn useless Hansel! Grabbing my strongest adventurer away!¡± Allen roared before mming his desk. Duke Hansel was the Duke of the Veredictus Duchy, and was a younger sibling of Allen. It could be said that Allen didn¡¯t had such a good rtionship with any of his siblings, which he despised. ¡°Duke Hansel had paid a hefty sum for Cami¡¯s assistance, my lord¡­.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­ Well, we¡¯ll have to employ other adventurers from another ce, or¡­ we could contract mercenaries and send them to die until they find out what monsters there are so we can build a proper counterfeit¡­.¡± Allen said. ¡°My lord, that¡¯s quite barbaric¡­.¡± ¡°Well, why should I care? Call the mercenary guild and put up the quests there. Adventurers can go on if they want to investigate the monster.¡± ¡°V-Very well¡­¡± Sighed the assistant. As the assistant walked away, Allen sighed. ¡°Ugh, what am I going to do?¡± Suddenly, a small bat emerged in the open window, ring at him with shing crimson-red eyes¡­ ¡°Do you want our assistance, mortal?¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Allen clicked his tongue. ¡°We can do it without a problem. The night has already fallen¡­ Just say the word.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to owe any more favors to you bloodsuckers than I already owe!¡± Allen responded. ¡°You¡¯re missing a great opportunity. The profit of owning a dungeon is immense¡­.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Heh, well, if you don¡¯t want to¡­ But let me tell you something. Aside from the dungeon, I sensed something else going around the edge of town. Three strong monsters are roaming this ce¡­.¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how you can handle it by yourself.¡± Said the bat before pping its wings and flying away. ¡°W-Wait! Damn it¡­ more monsters?!¡± Duke Allen began to drip cold sweat as he rushed outside his office to tell his assistant to quickly prepare a knight brigade to defend the town from these monsters that the mysterious bat had noticed wandering around. Meanwhile, the bat flew through the air, above the forest, ring down at the entities lurking around town¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ This scent¡­ Undead? Well, I shouldn¡¯t care about this. My lord has already told me not to intervene anymore. These arrogant humans believe they can handle things by themselves, so let¡¯s leave them to do so¡­ Kukuku¡­¡± The bat flew far away, leaving the town and the forest behind¡­ ¡ª¨C We had been walking for around half a day around the forest, exploring the ce and mostly resting as we just had an intense journey through the dungeon. Night came quickly, and Kuro had also evolved in the meantime¡­ He had reached max level from the EXP from the Hydra, and now, he looked even more beautiful. His body grewrger and more muscr, and his eyes shed with eeriness. He also had golden marks across his body, but when he reduced his size, he still looked like a cute ck cat. Here are his stats now as a reference: ¡­ [Name: [Kuro] [Race: [Undead Darkness Cat Chimera] [Level: [1/25] [Rank: [D] [Status: [Happy] [HP: [235/235] [MP: [122/122] [Attack: [275] [Defense: [110] [Magic: [215] [Agility: [250] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Chimera: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Artificial Elemental Cores: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv3] [Shapeshift: Lv3] [Self-Regeneration: Lv3] [Flesh Consumption: Lv3] [Evil Eyes of Petrification: Lv1] [Shadow Mane: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv4] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv3] [Cursed ck re Breath: Lv4] [Shadow ws: Lv4] [Fireball: Lv3] [Water Bullet: Lv3] [Thunder Shock: Lv3] [Intimidation: Lv1] [Roar: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] ¡­ He had jumped all the way to D-Rank! And he¡¯s quite strong! I can¡¯t help but admit it! Additionally, he gained four new Skills, [Evil Eyes of Petrification: Lv1], [Shadow Mane: Lv1], [Intimidation: Lv1], and [Roar: Lv1]! Yes, he seems to have gained the power of petrification! With this, he had be quite deadly, but because it is level 1, it would take a while for it to actually do some potent damage. [Shadow Mane] is a Skill that summons a mane of shadows around his head and neck, which he can control at will. It evenes with a small pocket space inside. [Intimidation] releases a natural intimidating aura, which can make weaker enemies tremble and be paralyzed. Foes of equal strength might also be frightened¡­ and [Roar] is a shockwave-based attack. It can deal damage by merely roaring. As of now, I was sneaking around the town¡¯s walls, stalking over them, and looking at what the humans were doing inside. Damn, there are a lot of people here¡­ all sorts of humans¡­ And there are also some Elves, people with pointy ears, and I think I saw some dwarves and halflings¡­ interesting. My goal as of now is to infiltrate a library in this world and figure out where the heck I am and where I should go. But I am a terrifying monster! How can I sneak into town? Well, when night fell, the darkness came, and as a ghost of shadows and darkness, I am morefortable here. Also, for the most part, the citizens went into their homes. I decided to leave my team outside the walls for now while I sneaked into the town at night. ¡°Come back soon! Don¡¯t you dare get lost!¡± Lucifer said. Does he thinks he¡¯s my father or something?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 28 ¡ª¨C As I sneaked across the streets of this town, I heard some people walking around, so I hid with [Shadow Sneak] utilizing the shadows of the night. ¡°Have you heard the news?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, the dungeon that spawned¡­.¡± ¡°They said that there was a big D-Rank monster there that ate all the other monsters¡­ Man, what the heck is wrong with the knight brigade? Can¡¯t they move their asses and exterminate that thing already?¡± D-Rank Monster? Wait, dungeon? Lucifer¡¯s dungeon? I see, so the guys we heard running away already informed the town¡­ Also, this ce has a knight brigade¡­ Should I ask these people? Wait, I am a ghost¡­ Maybe if I suppress my power and shape myself as a woman and¡­ Oh, there¡¯s leather right there. I take a leather piece that is covered in some nasty stuff I found in an alley and then slowly approach the two guys talking near a bar. ¡°Heeeyy¡­ Can you tell me what¡¯s the name of the tooown?¡± The two men slowly move their faces to nce at me. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Pretty please?¡± Their eyes are suddenly filled with utter fear as their eyes turn ck, and foam begins to rise from their mouths. ¡°G-G-GHOST!¡± ¡°GYAAAAAGH!¡± BOOM! The two cried in fear and fell onto the ground, unconscious¡­ Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 300 EXP] [EXP: [1156/2600] Eh?! One of them died out of fear?! You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me! Am I that scary?! Wait, was that my Abyssal Body¡¯s effect? ¡°Eh? What happened?¡± ¡°Someone cried¡­¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Shit, people are finding out¡­ [Shadow Sneak]! I quickly dived into the shadows and rushed away. I better not ask any humans ever again. I seem to be lethal just by talking to them¡­ Geez, how are they so weak, I mean, seriously? Maybe I am too strong? I need some way to suppress my scary aura. But he gave me 300 EXP, and he looked like an average guy. He didn¡¯t even have any noteworthy skills¡­ And his stats were abysmalpared to a monster that could give me that amount of EXP¡­ How strange¡­ are humans naturally juicy in EXP? Are they born as EXP bags? Or maybe, as a monster, I get more EXP by killing humans? Huh¡­ Anyways, this wasn¡¯t my mission. I rushed around the streets until I suddenly found something interesting, arge building that had a big book-shaped sign on it. The library! Somehow, I can talk and even read this world¡¯snguage, which was probably from my knowledge while I was alive. I entered the library, which was closed, through trespassing the walls like the amazing ghost I am. Being a ghost is pretty cool, by the way. You can just phase through anything. Through my natural dark vision, I looked at the library¡¯s interior and began to see the piles of books lined up on the shelves. Oh damn, so many books. Wait, why do I have to sit here? I can just steal everything¡­ I opened my inventory and began throwing every book I saw inside. Yeah, don¡¯t mind me! It¡¯s just books! Hehehe¡­ I emptied the entire library in just a few minutes! I love to read books, so this is amazing loot for me! Now, what else? I might as well steal these pens, papers, and this¡­ is this a watch? I threw it inside anyways. And, done! I quickly sneaked outside as I had already acquired what I wanted. I could get greedier and go steal food inside some shop or even magic items, but honestly, I don¡¯t want to, and I fear that I might be found out by some Overpowered Priest who will purify me into the afterlife if I stay here for too long. I rushed into the sky before flying outside the town. Phew, sess! I also summoned my guys near me once I got outside. ¡°Uwah! Is this the Summon Skill? Don¡¯t summon us without telling us beforehand!¡± Lucifer shouted. ¡°Master! I missed chu!¡± Partner hugged me as she rubbed her face against me. ¡°I was just gone a few hours, Partner. It wasn¡¯t too long¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Mrao!¡± Kuro rubbed his face on my belly. ¡°Aw, you guys are so lovely!¡± ¡°Now, what did you get? I could exin to you a bit of how this world is, you know? You didn¡¯t have to go steal books¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re super old, so your info must be outdated,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡± We decided to move farther away from the town as we began to browse through the books. ¡°The Secrets Behind Magic, Top 10 Best Fire Magic Tips for Beginners, How To Raise Your Giant Bird, Lingerie For Witches, 60 Shades of White¡­ So many literature books and magic teaching texts¡­ I mean, they look interesting¡­ But it¡¯s not what I want¡­.¡± I sighed. We were browsing through a pile of books I threw onto the ground until Lucifer found something. ¡°Look, this one should have some info,¡± He said, as he gave me a book with the name ¡°Encyclopedia of the World¡± and another book named ¡°Yggdrasil¡¯s Birth¡±. I quickly opened the Yggdrasil¡¯s Birth Book, which seemed to be something simr to a Bible for this world. It spoke about the gods, religion, and a lot of tales regarding them, alongside the presumed origin of the world¡­ Encyclopedia of the World spoke about the known world, the continents, countries, and even endemic life, tribes, and races¡­ And to resume the first book¡­ this world is named Yggdrasil. Yeah, very original. The book says something about the world being born from the seed of another tree, which they named ¡°Cosmic Tree of Life¡±. After that fruit was released into the universe to rot, a seed was left behind, and the nt grew from the rotten fruit, fusing with it and absorbing its nutrients. It is said that the Gods came into motion after they looked at the enormous tree and decided to use it as part of their world. Taking care of it, they eventually used it as the pir of their world. This World. There are approximately¡­ 86 gods, or more. Yikes. All these gods represent an element of nature or even an aspect of humanity too. All of thembined their efforts and built this world using the tree as the pir for all of it. Several continents were created, and many moons as well¡­ Wait, even the sun?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 29 ¡ª¨C Aside from the very confusing ¡°beginning¡± of everything, which is spread through the religion of the 86 Gods, there was also the exnation of things such as Dungeons and Monsters. Apparently, Dungeons were made by the God of Chaos, who is named Loki¡­ Yes, like the Norse Trickster god. He made them a trial for all of humanity which also allowed them to grow stronger. Although it also takes the life of innocents with the monsters these ces produce¡­ However, ording to Lucifer, his dungeon emerged naturally¡­ So I guess Loki made them possible, but they can also grow naturally through tons of miasma¡­ Confusing, I don¡¯t know what to think about this. Maybe Loki really just looked over Lucifer and said, ¡°what a nice ingredient for a dungeon!¡± and made it into a dungeon¡­ Anyways, aside from this confusing lore, which I prefer to discover slowly instead of info-dumping myself with stuff that won¡¯t be even important for 60% of the story, I decided to look up more important things, such as the regions and continents. There were several continents, all of them represented a Realm of Norse Mythology, it seems, such as Muspelheim, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Alfheim¡­ But currently, we were at Midgard, the Realm or the continent dominated predominantly by humans! However, the races of the other continents had spread over the millions of years all across the other continents, so you can find elves, dwarves, and even beast-kin people making up to around 15-25% of the poption per Duchy. However, due to being a minority, they are obviously discriminated against in some parts¡­ Haha, and here we go with the ssic cliches, such as very, wars, and more¡­ Well, not like I care about it, so let¡¯s jump it. We are in the vast continent of Midgard. I don¡¯t know how vast it is, I can¡¯t calcte, but I would assume it could be as big as the entire Europe and Africa continentsbined, or maybe all of North and South America? Well, there are way too many Kingdoms, with some tyrannical Empires and even some seclusive ns. There is a variety of everything around here, and we are currently in the territory of the Kingdom of Albraun, made up of various Duchies spread across the vast grasnds and forests. This Duchy over here is the small Duchy of Affnaria, governed by the 6th son of the King, Allen Albraun. There was a book with him. His face was very familiar. He looked like the guy at my side when they cut off my head¡­ He was the one celebrating my death! Hmmm¡­ What should I do? Should I go and kill him? Nah¡­ I am not such a monster! ¡­ Wait, I am. Though, if possible, I would really like to know more about the whole context¡­ But he¡¯s definitely getting killed. Call me a psycho, an insane woman, or whatever. I don¡¯t care. If someone actually celebrates my fucking death, no matter the context, I am going to kill them. I exined this to my partners, and they nodded. Partner only understood the part where I wanted to kill someone, while Lucifer was the one that understood things better. ¡°I see¡­ So you were executed here?¡± He asked. ¡°Apparently, ording to thetest history book, my death was registered several years ago. From what I read, I was a witch who had some kind of power that brought misfortune to others, and due to that, I was always escaping from town to town, only bing more hated over the years¡­.¡± I muttered. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°And the worst part is that it seems that it was true, my Title Skill named ¡°Bringer of Misfortune¡± does exactly that¡­ It was gifted to me by the lovely Goddess of the Underworld,¡± I said. ¡°O-Oh¡­ W-Well, that¡¯s tragic¡­.¡± Lucifer stuttered. ¡°Not really for me. I don¡¯t remember anything of when I was alive, so I feel very detached from everything, to be honest¡­ The only thing I remember is that guy celebrating my death, which makes me pretty angry. You would never tolerate someone celebrating your death, right?¡± ¡°Certainly¡­ So¡­ You want to kill him? I am all for it. Let¡¯s wreck him.¡± Lucifer said. Uwah, what a supportive friend! ¡°I do n to, but I want to extract info from him too¡­ Do you think he could talk without him freaking out? I just killed a guy recently by just scaring him to death, so¡­ I am a tad bit worried,¡± ¡°Eh? You did that?! Well¡­ I guess I could teach you some spells. Your amazing use of magic should really let you do more than what you¡¯re limiting yourself to. Your attributes are also quite normal but strong. Death and Darkness go well hand in hand¡­ Let¡¯s see, how about you conjure the [Erase Presence] Spell? I had a friend long ago, a Death Witch who had such a spell, it erased her presencepletely by quite literally ¡°killing¡± it.¡± Lucifer exined. ¡°T-That¡¯s sounds weird¡­ But let¡¯s see¡­ Death Attribute, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, do it as you can. I am sure you¡¯ll make it far. Your ability over magic surpasses every genius I¡¯ve ever met in my long life.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Can you tell me more about it? And who was she?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ As it erases things like bloodthirst, animosity, and heroic presence, it makes the target¡¯s presencepletely imperceptible. Those casting this skill likely appear as dreams or ghosts that can be seen during the day¡­ the woman that used them was a powerful Majin of Death Magic. She was also able to summon her Undead army anywhere¡­I wonder how she¡¯s doing. She used this to sneak around entire armies undetected and assassinate enemy generals quite sneakily,¡± Lucifer rants. ¡°Oooh! I like that,¡± ¡°Yeah, but strong enough enemies were still able to find her, so she usually went around with her strongest Undead, which she customized using [Necromancy],¡± ¡°Necromancy? That¡¯s a Skill?¡± ¡°Indeed- Oh? You made it already?¡± ¡°Eh? I did?¡± Ding! [You¡¯ve learned the [Erase Presence: Lv1] Skill!] ¡ª¨C Chapter 30 ¡ª¨C Damn, I guess I am amazingly talented at Magic, all thanks to my awesome cheat [Supreme Magic]! I only had to die buried by books and filled with sorrow and regrets to get it¡­ How easy! ¡°What¡¯s the difference between [Stealth] and [Erase Presence]? Isn¡¯t thetter a better version?¡± I asked. ¡°Not really. [Erase Presence] erases your presence, the presence you emanate naturally, such as bloodthirst, intimidation, and heroic will, but it doesn¡¯t let you stealthily move around, nor does it let you be more proficient at hiding. I suppose both Skills are connected, and if you could get [Camouge] as well, you could make a killerbination, but they are different enough to be different Skills.¡± ¡°So? Did my presence go away?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed, the Abyssal Darkness within you that even made me a bit wary has almostpletely disappeared. It was very strong.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°O-Oh¡­ Maybe Abyssal Body had to do with it¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Abyssal Body? Wait, so you¡¯re not a Darkness Ghost?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Haha¡­ No¡­ I am an Abyssal Ghost Queen!¡± I confessed. ¡°WHAT?! I have never¡­ I thought incredibly powerful Necromancers could only summon those things¡­ To think that a Ghost could naturally evolve into one¡­! You¡¯re certainly quite a handful,¡± Lucifer says. ¡°Am I? Anyways, now that we are done here¡­ Let¡¯s just go,¡± ¡°How will you make him talk?¡± ¡°With intimidation!¡± I replied. ¡°Hmm¡­ We¡¯ll see how that goes,¡± Lucifer sighed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°And what¡¯s with that thing? Can¡¯t it stop ring at me like that?!¡± Lucifer shouted, pointing at Partner. Partner was currently hugging my mildly materialized ghost body as I sat down on a log. She was ring at Lucifer with squinting eyes, acting very jealous. But I couldn¡¯t help but feel ttered by her overprotectiveness. ¡°Hehe, she really loves me! Isn¡¯t it cute? I feel like a mother now¡­.¡± I said. ¡°I-I think she sees you as more than just that¡­.¡± Lucifer says. ¡°Come on, Partner, rx. Lucifer is your ally! Treat him more fairly, alright?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna!¡± Partner shouts while crossing her arms. ¡°Sweetie, why are you acting like this?¡± I sighed. ¡°I want¡­ Master and Kuro only!¡± ¡°Eh? A-Am I that much of a nuisance?!¡± Lucifer cried out. He was getting emotional. ¡°I want master¡­ all for myself!¡± Partner says, pouting cutely. ¡°Aww¡­¡± I hugged and petted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am all for you!¡± I said. ¡°Really?¡± She asked. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s ok,¡± Partner calms down a bit. ¡°I-I think you misunderstood what she meant¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. Anyways, after this little incident happened, Partner became more epting of Lucifer. Maybe she wanted me to be only her mommy¡­ She¡¯s so cute¡­ I don¡¯t even see Lucifer as a ¡°son¡± candidate, so she shouldn¡¯t worry! ¡°Alright, you guys can stay here. I will summon you whenever I get to the ce,¡± I said. ¡°Good luck,¡± Lucifer replies. We waited for night to fall again the next day as Partner, Lucifer, and Kuro ate Hydra meat for lunch. I tried eating, but the meat fell to the ground after I munched it¡­ *Sigh* I sneaked around with my new and amazing Skill, [Erase Presence]! I also merged it with [Stealth] and then [Shadow Sneak], so no one could detect me anymore! Sneaky, sneaky¡­ I am here! I knew it. The biggest building in the entire duchy was the Duke¡¯s home¡­ so obvious. I sneaked inside the building and flew around, some lights were illuminating the room, and the entire ce had mildly okay guards, but nothing a few Dark Spheres couldn¡¯t handle¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t kill them any anyways as this was a stealth mission! I looked for this little and big-nosed man around the building until I found him on thest floor, sitting in front of a giant desk stacked with paperwork. He looked stressed. ¡°Ugh¡­ So much paperwork¡­.¡± He groaned. Damn, he already looks like he¡¯s getting punished well enough¡­ Agh, at the very least, I need to know the full story. I confronted him as I provoked the light bulbs to burst. BOOM! I expanded my shadows into the entire room and created what I call a ¡°shadow domain¡±. It waspletely soundproof from the outside world, so it was a fitting title. ¡°EH?! W-What¡¯s going on?!¡± Allen cried out in surprise. ¡°Hello there! Do you recognize this face?¡± I asked, materializing from the darkness into the shape of my ¡°human¡± form, although I was still rather translucent and pale. [Erase Presence] helped him not die out of horror. ¡°GRYYEEGH! G-G-GHOST!¡± Cried the man. ¡°Yeah, I am a ghost now. Do you remember this face, Duke? The Witch of Misfortune?¡± I asked. ¡°Eeeh?!¡± Allen was breathing heavily; I think he might sumb to a seizure at any moment now. He opened his mouth wide as he realized who I was¡­ ¡°M-Maria Fuentes Belles! T-The Dark Witch?! You¡¯re back! N-No¡­ It can¡¯t be! Your soul has be a ghost?! And so powerful¡­! Such strength¡­ it could even destroy the entire city!¡± Allen cried out with pure fear. ¡°Yeah, long story short, stuff happened. Anyways, I wanted to ask you a few little things¡­ Come out, guys,¡± I summoned my party just in case and ced them around me. Allen was also just as shocked, especially by Lucifer¡¯s power. ¡°T-This¡­ What is that?! A Majin?!¡± he asked. ¡°I am a Fallen Dragon, thank you very much,¡± Lucifer replied. ¡°Kill?¡± Partner asked. ¡°Not yet¡­¡± I approached Allen as I touched his chin with the tip of my ck nail. ¡°Now, you sly-faced bastard, tell me a few things¡­ Why was I killed? And who was I? Tell me everything and I might consider forgiving your life! And even more¡­ giving you a little gift,¡± I said. ¡°A-A little gift?!¡± ¡°Well, if you tell me honestly,¡± ¡°Y-Yes! I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t remember your past, but¡­ You were known as the Dark Witch. Wherever you went, you spread misfortune everywhere¡­ Although most of it ended being plots made by aristocrats and enemies of your family¡­ I-I myself ended colluding with them, and with their help, we apprehended you and used your death as a way to take ahold of the masses¡­ I-I had no other option! If I didn¡¯t cooperate, they would have targeted my family and me!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 31 ¡ª¨C Allen looked at me while trembling in fear before answering me thoroughly. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t remember your past, but¡­ You were known as the Dark Witch. Wherever you went, you spread misfortune everywhere¡­ Although most of it ended being plots made by aristocrats and enemies of your family¡­ I-I myself ended colluding with them, and with their help, we apprehended you and used your death as a way to take ahold of the masses¡­ I-I had no other option! If I didn¡¯t cooperate, they would have targeted my family and me!¡± So it was like that! My death was orchestrated as a way to gain a grasp over the poption of this rotten ce? ¡°Are those aristocrats of this Duchy?¡± ¡°T-There are some¡­.¡± Allen said. ¡°And who was the one that pulled the trigger for the guillotine?¡± I asked. ¡°T-That was a random soldier¡­ He was paid to do it¡­.¡± Ugh, what a pain, now I have to look for this random guy¡­ Well, I¡¯m fine with just killing those behind this. ¡°Who are all the aristocrats involved in this? Answer thoroughly, or you¡¯ll be the food for my cat!¡± I said as Kuro roared like a fierce panther. ¡°GROAR!¡± ¡°Gyyeeehh! O-Okay! I¡¯ll tell you! Just don¡¯t kill me!¡± Allen was a very detailed and helpful man. He even wrote down an entire list of all those involved in it, where they lived, the name of their families, and even what they worked in! Such a nice man, honestly! He gave me the papers, and I saved them in my Inventory. I also stole all the money he had, which were millions of gold coins, alongside his books and a lot of other things I took a liking to. The man was bing more and more nervous as he saw how I was throwing everything inside my inventory. ¡°Y-You¡­ Have you mastered spatial magic?!¡± Allen asked. ¡°Erm¡­ Yeah!¡± I responded. And after we were done¡­ ¡°Now, you¡¯ve been such a nice boy¡­ I guess I should forgive your life,¡± I said. ¡°Hahh¡­ T-Thank you¡­¡± Allen sighed in relief. I had decided not to kill him, so we slowly walked away. ¡­ Joking! ¡°GYEEH?!¡± We stopped moving as Lucifer moved at an incredible speed, grasping the man¡¯s neck. He had no way to counter such a powerful servant as Lucifer, and even as he tried to fight back by throwing a water bullet¡­ SPLASH! But that only wet Lucifer¡¯s clothes. I guess he wasn¡¯t good at magic. Lucifer lifted him off the floor, ring at him with eyes filled to the brim with scorn. ¡°I have a grudge with you humans, specifically you, the descendants of those that lived here¡­ Your ancestors took our young and even the Demon King¡¯s daughter. You filthy and dishonorable race of monkeys! I have nothing but scorn against you humans¡­¡± He confessed. ¡°Geehggh¡­! W-What are you talking abouttt?!¡± Allen cried out. ¡°Eh? What happened?¡± I asked to Lucifer, I wanted to know more. ¡°¡­¡± However, Lucifer fell silent, as he didn¡¯t answer. I guess he doesn¡¯t want to tell me. ¡°Alright, kill him,¡± I said. He smiled maliciously before his face suddenly began to shapeshift into the monstrous jaws of a dragon. Allen nced at the abyssal maws of Lucifer filling his being with fear. ¡°W-Wait! WAAAAIIITTT!¡± ¡°I will feast on your flesh and blood!¡± Laughed Lucifer as he¡­ ate the entire Duke in a single bite. CRUNCH! ¡°GRYYEEREGGEGHHH¡­!¡± Hisst agonizing cry was heard inside of Lucifer¡¯s jaws as he used his sharp teeth to triturate his entire body while he was alive. After a few bites, he crushed him into minced meat and swallowed it all¡­ Afterward, he turned back to his humanoid form. ¡°Ugh, such a disgusting taste,¡± He muttered. ¡°Well, that was something! I was nning on killing him myself, but I guess you had more joy out of it,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed¡­ It did feel good. Now, what shall we do? Do you want to go on a hunt?¡± asked Lucifer, cleaning the blood off his lips. He looked sexy; I have to admit it. I saw the Duke¡¯s soul wandering in the room though, he seemed horrified and traumatized by his death. However, he couldn¡¯t speak as he seemed to have be something akin to a zombie. ¡°Here¡¯s his soul. Want to eat it?¡± I asked. ¡°No, eating a soul is a taboo- EH?!¡± I grabbed the Duke¡¯s soul and slurped it like a noodle. ¡°GGYYAAAGH!¡± And he was gone! ¡°Taboo?¡± I asked. Ding! [You have learned the [Soul Eater: Lv1] Skill] [You have acquired the [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] Title Skill] ¡°Never mind, I guess such beliefs don¡¯t apply to monsters,¡± Lucifer said. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 1500 EXP!] [EXP: [2656/2600] [Your level has increased from level 17 to level 18!] Eh? I even got EXP and two Skills from eating this bastard? Nice, a double prize! And¡­ ugh. I think I got his memories. So annoying¡­ I moved them away and archived them as folders into my mind, so they wouldn¡¯t influence me. And¡­ done! He gave me an awful lot of EXP. I think I got it from when Lucifer killed him, plus eating his soul, so I guess you can get double EXP if you destroy the soul of your enemy as well as his body¡­ Interesting. [Soul Eater] seems to be a spell of the Death Magic category. It helps me eat souls and assimte theirponents into my own, including powers or even memories. Of course, he was so talentless that I didn¡¯t get many stats out of him, but the EXP was nice¡­ I even leveled up, after all. ¡°Well, I am ready for it. The night is still quite young. Let¡¯s go in a hunt!¡± I shouted. ¡°Hmph, very well¡­.¡± ¡°Hunt! Hunt!¡± Partner chanted. ¡°Mrao!¡± After that, I decided to make some Spells that could help me carry them around with me aside from [Summon]. But I realized that my [Shadow Maniption] could hold things inside, although it wasn¡¯t as organized and endless as my Inventory¡­ And then, with my cheat Supreme Magic¡­! Ding! [You¡¯ve learned the [Shadow Storage: Lv1] Skill] Hehehe¡­! ¡°Hop in!¡± Everyone jumped into my shadow before I carried them around while I moved in the darkness of the night using [Shadow Sneak]. ¡ª- Chapter 32 ¡ª¨C I looked at the sunrise from the horizon. It had been around five hours since we finished our work in town. We spent the five hours after killing Allen hunting down the three Aristocrats that conspired with him into this whole ordeal. We found out a lot about the schemes they had with my family, and it seemed that they were the holders of a special treasure and tons of money, so they wanted to fuck them over and bring them to ruin, which started with taking my life. Maria, well, my past self, which I don¡¯t remember, actually was a happy-go-lucky Adventure girl. She wasn¡¯t bad, nor was her reputation either. She was also heroic and charismatic, going around town to town after defeating monsters and diving into dungeons with other Adventurers. She had even be a D-Rank Adventurer and was soon raised into a C-Rank Adventurer. But everything went downhill when one of her party members died in an ident, and another party member med Maria for her curse, something only a few knew about as she was born with it. The guy that med her seemed to have been a close aristocrat kid of her childhood¡­ To think that due to him, her death would be orchestrated till the very end. It just feels so bitter knowing I cannot even remember my past. Yet, I am also relieved I don¡¯t remember it, or¡­ I wouldn¡¯t really be the same as I am now. So many tragedies¡­ It¡¯s been years since I died, and my family was caught in the aristocrats¡¯ ns and walked right into their hands¡­ My family was assimted into them, and they got their hands on my family¡¯s enormous wealth and treasure which was said to be something left by the Dark God, a Fragment of Evil which was sealed long ago by Heroes. Apparently, my family are descendants of heroes¡­ Sheesh. Thest thing they knew about my parents is that both died in an ¡°ident¡± while traveling to another duchy. A group of bandits assaulted them and killed them. The corpse of my mother was found vited and disfigured with punches and kicks all over her body. My father had his limbs cut off and was burned alive. ¡­ Even though I don¡¯t remember them, I can¡¯t help but feel a wave of unquenchable wrath. Rotten¡­ Lucifer was right! All these bastards¡­ Humans are the worst! . . . ¡­No. I can¡¯t generalize¡­ There is always good and bad people in this world. Well, there are other things I can think about to calm myself. Such as¡­ it seems that I have a young brother. I don¡¯t know where he is. Thest thing they knew about him was that his aunt had taken him and moved to another duchy¡­ My brother¡¯s name was Arthur Belle. I will find him. I have to. I feel responsible for the past Maria, so I have to do this for her. I cannot let this boy die¡­ I hope he¡¯s okay¡­ Ugh. Oh right, the Fragment of Evil was moved towards the capital of the Kingdom, so if I want to get back the treasure of my family that our ancestors left for us to guard, I will have to wage war against the whole nation. Fine by me. And¡­ there was someone else. A guy. The guy that cried for me when I was executed. He wasn¡¯t my brother, by the way. Apparently, he was my closest childhood friend, Jonathan Albraun, who was coincidentally the stepbrother of Allen. His whereabouts are unknown, but it was said that he mourned my death every day and came to visit my grave regrly¡­ He used to be a bright man, but after my death, he changed. He disappeared two years ago; some had said he went to find a way to revive me. This whole scheme against my family was bigger than I thought. It didn¡¯t simply involve a group of aristocrats. It even involved the King and the royal family. All for this damn Fragment of Evil¡­ You damn bastards¡­ ¡°I am going to burn this Kingdom to the ground,¡± I muttered. Lucifer looked at me expressionlessly. ¡°Hmph, so you¡¯ve decided,¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡°Burn! Let¡¯s burn it all!¡± Partner cries out. Agh¡­ Let¡¯s calm down for now. We had already run away from the Duchy and were resting far away, in a very open forest, sitting on a log. Lucifer, Partner, and Kuro were enjoying roasted Wild Boar, an E-Rank monster we hunted just now. I gained EXP from ughtering the other two Aristocrats and eating their souls as well. I also killed their guards because, on one asion, they spotted me. But with that and the boar, I had maxed out my level cap again. Also, there were some confusing things about the System that I didn¡¯t know about. Apparently, you keep your level sometimes after evolving, if the evolution is not strong enough, and other times it goes back to 1. Kuro¡¯s level went back to 1 after evolving, while Partner had kept her level 10. Now, she was also maxed too and she was about to evolve as well. Uegh¡­ I feel all bitter and gloomy now, fitting of a ghost¡­ ¡°*SIGH*¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re still sad?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad!¡± Partner said. ¡°I-I am fine¡­ I just¡­ Ugh, it is not nice to know so much horrible stuff right away,¡± I muttered. ¡°Hm¡­ I understand how you feel. I¡¯ve lost everything as well¡­ But now, this is a new beginning. We have to strive forward, survive, and avenge the fallen¡­ I am sure that if their souls were intact, that they must have been cleansed of their memories and reincarnated through the wheel of reincarnation¡­ Let us pray for their second lives to be better than their previous ones,¡± Lucifer tried tofort me. ¡°Pray?¡± ¡°We all follow a god or pray to them in this world. Praying to Hel, the Goddess of Death, is often a good way to ask for the souls of the fallen to have better reincarnations,¡± ¡°I see¡­ I hope they can be okay¡­ wherever they are¡­.¡± ¡°I am¡­ sure¡­ they will!¡± Partner shouted before hugging me. ¡°Aww¡­ Partner, you¡¯re so sweet! Not like that grumpy dragon that doesn¡¯t hug me!¡± ¡°W-Why would I hug you?!¡± Lucifer shouted. ¡ª¨C Chapter 33 ¡ª¨C Partner was rubbing on me cutely. Her lovely and cold embrace calmed my agitated non-existent heart. ¡°Phew¡­ Thank you, sweetheart. I think I feel a bit better now.¡± ¡°Better? I¡¯m d!¡± Partner suddenly rubbed her nose with my own. ¡°Fweh?¡± This is so cute! ¡°Partner, you¡¯re way too precious!¡± I hugged her back as Lucifer looked at us with a tired expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Feel excluded? Fueheh¡­¡± ¡°I-I am fine by my own!¡± said Lucifer while crossing his arms. ¡°Come here, grumpy dragon!¡± I rushed over to him and hugged him. He seemed angry as he pouted at me. But he was getting embarrassed and as red as a tomato, which was even funnier because of how pale his skin originally was. ¡°S-Stop! I don¡¯t require any affection! I am an Undead. WE are Undead! Don¡¯t you understand? W-We are beings born from death! We must embrace the darkness and- Uagh!¡± I began to rub his beautiful ck horns; they were very hard, and I could feel like they could make an excellent crafting material. ¡°S-Stop touching my horns!¡± He cried. ¡°I am your master, so I can do whatever I please!¡± Iughed. ¡°Ungh¡­!¡± Lucifer¡¯s lips trembled cutely as he looked at the floor, embarrassed. Partner got jealous, though¡­ ¡°Gggrrr¡­¡± She began to show off her sharp fangs at Lucifer. ¡°Stop looking at me like that! S-Seriously, what kind of fate worse than death is this? Ugh, I should have just asked you to kill me¡­.¡± Lucifer sighed. ¡°Oh, these pointy ears are pretty cute too!¡± I began to touch his cute elf-like pointy ears. They were soft and cold as ice. ¡°T-This is sexual harassment!¡± He cried out. ¡°Fuehehe¡­ There¡¯s now for the dead!¡± ¡­ After teasing the prideful dragon for a bit, I decided to evolve. Well, Partner evolved first. ¡°Evolve!¡± Partner raised her arms upwards, and as soon as she shouted, phantasmal energies gathered around her as her body was ¡°upgraded¡±. FLAAAASSSHHH! Her skin turned less dry and gained a bit more youthfulness, her hair was also less dry, and her eyes shone with crimson-red light. Her aura emanated something off, though, as if she was imbued with darkness and evilness. Her skin was made pale white, and I could now see her eyes better beneath her messy ck hair. ¡°I have evolved!¡± She cried out, with a more articted way of speaking. She had clearly grown stronger! ¡°T-This can¡¯t be¡­! D-Rank already?! And is that¡­ Ah! I¡¯ve never seen one of them evolve naturally¡­ And you said she used to be a skeleton? What are the odds?!¡± Lucifer pondered out loud due to his disbelief, though I didn¡¯t know what he was even talking about. I checked her status on my own. ¡­ [Name: [Partner] [Race: [Dark Dhampir Knightess] [Level: [1/30] [Rank: [D+] [Status: [Strengthened] [HP: [530/530] [MP: [230/230] [Attack: [480] [Defense: [350] [Magic: [105] [Agility: [280] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Blood Element: Lv¨C] [Dhampir: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv4] [ck Steel Bones: Lv6] [Morphed Body: Lv4] [Self-Regeneration: Lv4] [Flesh Consumption: Lv4] [Bloodsucking: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv5] [Magical Damage Resistance: Lv4] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv5] [Bone w: Lv6] [Intimidation: Lv5] [Spear Thrust: Lv5] [Triple Thrust: Lv3] [Dark Bullet: Lv2] [Dark Spear Thrust: Lv3] [Steady Fighter: Lv4] [Spear Mastery: Lv1] [Armor Mastery: Lv1] [Acrobatics: Lv1] [Phantasmal Hand: Lv1] [Bloodwork: Lv1] [Blood Arts: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Death Knight: Lv¨C] [Blood Race: Lv¨C] ¡­ When I checked her stats, I was left a bit speechless. I can see why Lucifer would grow scared; she had gotten stronger than him! Well, after he leveled up, he got a ton of stats, so they are almost even, but she¡¯s still stronger. Her stats had increased by quite a lot, and she got an enormous quantity of new Skills too! Her race also changed into a Dark Dhampir Knightess! What?! ¡°Blood¡­ I crave blood!¡± Partner moved towards me and bit me in the neck, but no blood came out. ¡°Partner, I don¡¯t have blood.¡± ¡°Oohh¡­ Sniff¡­¡± Damn, she really wanted to drink my blood. Anyways, it seems that she had stepped into a lower race of the evolution tree that god damn Vampires have, for some reason. I don¡¯t know how she really did it, but she did it. Maybe being my subordinate really expanded her evolution options, and she chose the strongest, which was her current form. I asked her about this too, as she was now able to talk more eloquently. ¡°When¡­ I was a skeleton¡­ I think there were more options¡­ Like¡­ Big skeleton¡­ But I chose the other so I could have flesh¡­ And this evolution¡­ it was the strongest,¡± She exined to me. So that¡¯s why! It seems that Dhampirs have their weaknesses as Vampires lessened because she clearly does not have such weaknesses. She can also control blood, and her Spear Technique had be quite powerful. And, of course, she got cuter. So overall¡­ 10/10. ¡ª¨C Chapter 34 ¡ª¨C After Partner¡¯s evolution, I looked at my own stats before my own evolution¡­ ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Abyssal Ghost Queen] [Level: [12/20] ¨C [20/20] [EXP: [56/2800] [Rank: [D] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [160/160 ¨C 380/380] [MP: [860/860 ¨C 1470/1470]{+520} [Attack: [86 ¨C 174]{+100} [Defense: [82 ¨C 157] [Magic: [770 ¨C 1370]{+317} [Agility: [160 ¨C 450]{+125} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv3] [Shadow Sneak: Lv4] [Abyssal Body: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv4] [Darkness Resistance: Lv3] [Fear Resistance: Lv3] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv5] [Lesser Curse: Lv5] [Life Drain: Lv5] [Possession: Lv4] [Dark Sphere: Lv6] [Dark Gale: Lv5] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv1] [Shadow Maniption: Lv1] [Shadow Storage: Lv1] [Undead Healing: Lv1] [Fake Life: Lv4] [Erase Presence: Lv1] [Soul Eater: Lv1] [Stealth: Lv5] [Summon: Lv1] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv3] [Undead Queen: Lv 1] [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡­ Hmm, I look pretty fine as I am now. Let¡¯s see how more amazing I can get by evolving now! [Evolution Options] [Abyssal Shadow Ghost Queen] [Abyssal Phantom Ghost Queen] [Pandora] ¡­ Hm? There are two clear upgrades to my current evolution, and then¡­ Just Pandora. Alright¡­ What the hell is Pandora, and why is the name so simplepared to the other two? ¡­ [Pandora] A never seen before Astral-type Undead monster that is only spoken in ancient myths and legends of the Majin Race. It is said that these phantasmal creatures bring cmity, famine, and death wherever they go, and their existences are like Pandora¡¯s box that unleashes all evil into the world. Only on incredibly rare asions, an Abyssal Ghost Queen will be able to undergo evolution into this race. And whoever it is, it will most likely change the world as it is¡­ ¡­ Wow. Reading the other evolutionary descriptions, I realized they don¡¯t sound as awesome. Alright! I have decided. Ding! [You¡¯ve selected the [Pandora] Evolution Option!] FLAAAAAASH! An explosion of phantasmal power crawled up my body, consuming me and engulfing me inplete darkness. My entire body exuded this darkness as more of it came out endlessly. *Creeaak¡­!* Suddenly, I heard as if a very creaky door opened inside of my soul, and arge amount of ck clouds filled with poison were released from me, fusing back into my soul and upgrading it even more¡­ ¡°What the heck is going on now?!¡± Lucifer was so scared he moved away a bit. ¡°Master! Big! Big!¡± Partner began to raise her arms while looking at me. POOF! The evolution ended with a loud explosion of ck smoke releasing everywhere. This smoke was poisonous and killed all the nts and tiny creatures that lived in the vicinity. ¡°Oh boy! I evolved already¡­.¡± Ding! [You¡¯ve evolved into [Pandora]!] [All your stats have increased!] [You learned the [Aura of Famine: Lv1], [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv1], [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv1], [Materialization: Lv1] and [Elemental Resistance: Lv1] Skills!] [You acquired the [Evil of the World: Lv1] Title Skill!] ¡°Evil of the World?! Seriously? I am that unique? I was just reborn as a ghost like half a week ago¡­.¡± ¡°W-What have you be?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Pandora,¡± I said. ¡°Pandora? ¡­I-Impossible! THAT Pandora?! From the Majin¡¯s tales?! It was real?¡± Lucifer shouted, shocked by my single word. ¡°I am real, so yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Incredible¡­¡± ¡°Fueheh, you¡¯re finally admiring my greatness?¡± I asked. ¡°W-Well¡­ Maybe¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am a very humble Pandora! Ah?¡± I suddenly realized that I got a lot of new Skills¡­ Let¡¯s see them in my status first! ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Pandora] [Level: [0/40] [EXP: [0/4000] [Rank: [C+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [380/380 ¨C 420/420] [MP: [1470/1470 ¨C 3200/3200]{+520} [Attack: [174 ¨C 200]{+100} [Defense: [157 ¨C 180] [Magic: [1370 ¨C 2800]{+317} [Agility: [450 ¨C 650]{+125} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv5] [Shadow Sneak: Lv6] [Abyssal Body: Lv3] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv6] [Darkness Resistance: Lv5] [Fear Resistance: Lv4] [Elemental Resistance: Lv1] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv6] [Lesser Curse: Lv6] [Life Drain: Lv6] [Possession: Lv5] [Dark Sphere: Lv7] [Dark Gale: Lv6] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv2] [Shadow Maniption: Lv2] [Shadow Storage: Lv2] [Undead Healing: Lv2] [Fake Life: Lv5] [Erase Presence: Lv2] [Soul Eater: Lv2] [Stealth: Lv6] [Summon: Lv2] [Aura of Famine: Lv1] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv1] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv1] [Materialization: Lv1] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv4] [Undead Queen: Lv3] [Evil of the World: Lv1] Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡­ Ooh! I am even more incredible now¡­ A-And even more of a ss cannon¡­ Well, my strength increased a tiny bit alongside my defense and HP, yaay! The real monster is here. And the reason why I am C+ Rank is most likely my Mana and Magic stats. They¡¯repletely through the roof, all thanks to Supreme Magic! But I should have asked for a Supreme All Rounder instead. I am beginning to regret not having asked for more. And then there¡¯s also the Goddess Unique Skill which I have no clue when it will be unlocked¡­ Anyways, the new Skills were interesting. [Aura of Famine: Lv1] Generate an Aura of Famine that automatically drains Life out of any being around you. Can be fused with [Life Drain] for a greater and wider range of effect. Power depends on skill level and Magic Stat. ¡­ [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv1] Grants the ability to create poison and diseases using your power over Death. The power is dependent on skill level, Magic Stat, and the resistances of the targets. ¡­ [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv1] Open the Box of Pandora and unleashplete and utter chaos through an explosion of poison, darkness, chaos, and abyssal shadows. A powerful Area of Effect Magic Attack that generates an Aura of Evil around you, provoking madness and confusion to those around you. ¡­ [Materialization: Lv1] Materialize your own phantasmal body into a physical one through the constant expenditure of Mana. Depending on the Magic stat and the skill level, the realism of your materialized body increases. ¡­ [Elemental Resistance: Lv1] Grants resistance to all elemental damage, enhancing your defense with elemental attacks by 10% with each level. ¡­ [Evil of the World: Lv1] You are the incarnation of all evil in this world. You¡¯re naturally talented in bringing disasters wherever you travel to, and your development is significantly enhanced with each level. ¡­ I see¡­ So I can materialize! Ah, and I guess I will bring disasters¡­ Not like I care anymore, hahaha! I am a ghost now, so why would I care? Now¡­ [Materialization]! FLASH! My phantasmal body suddenly got even more ¡°real¡± than my previous way of materializing. Legs finally came out as my pale-white skin surged amidst my abyssal soul. My eyes were crimson red, and my hair was long and silvery-white¡­ Damn, I am quite prettypared to my previous life¡­ ¡°Y-You materialized?¡± Lucifer stuttered. ¡ª¨C Chapter 35 ¡ª¨C ¡°Fufu, bear witness to my beauty, dragon!¡± I materialized in front of mypanions as Lucifer eximed in surprise. ¡°Such a realistic materialization, your phantom has truly be like flesh¡­ with your appearance, you resemble an albino woman, or perhaps a Vampire?!¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so? How about my beauty? Do you feel like you want to fall to your knees and praise my beauty?¡± I teased him. ¡°Will you stop already?¡± He sighed while facepalming. Partner, on the other hand, had her eyes shining brightly. ¡°Wow! Master, so pretty!¡± ¡°Mrao!¡± She and Kuro recognized my beauty, of course! Not like that tsundere dragon. Okay, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be good to be so arrogant¡­u But I definitely look like a beauty! Compared to my previous life, which looked like an ugly and nerdy girl¡­ I really do look super-hot now¡­ Can¡¯t a girl be happy and prideful of her dazzling beauty? Well, more like abyssal beauty, though, darkness continues to overflow from my body even as I materialized. Being a Pandora really gives you a different vibe. My body naturally wraps a ck and red dress around my body. It is also the materialization of my own Phantom. It seems that I can produce basic clothes with it and change them around whenever I want. I ended up deciding on some sharp ck heels to kick someone with one of these days. I also made them as hard as possible. And¡­ done! I look quite lovely. It feels as if I was creating an avatar for an online game, but this is real life, I guess. Once again, I am really quite pretty¡­ ¡°Master, cute!¡± Partner hugged me as she called me cute and rubbed her nose on mine. My materialization also helps me feel things more now as if I really had skin! Her cold body really is quite soft after she evolved¡­ EH?! ¡°Soft!¡± Partner began to squeeze my materialized breasts, which I had made¡­ quite big for some unknown reason. ¡°*cough* (Totally not because I was very t in my previous life¡­) *cough*,¡± I muttered under my breath. Suddenly she squeezed a bit harder, making me jump. ¡°P-Partner, don¡¯t do that! It¡¯s kind of weird¡­.¡± ¡°Weird? You can also touch me!¡± Partner eximed. Ooohh¡­ This might prove to be an exciting experience¡­ I moved my hands to Partner¡¯s breasts and gave them a little squeeze. They are indeed quite soft! ¡°Will you two perverts get a room?!¡± Lucifer spoils the fun as he calls us perverts. ¡°We are not perverts! We are just experimenting with our bodies. It is totally normal,¡± I refuted. Partner nodded intensively while crossing her arms. ¡°Normal!¡± ¡°Mraoo¡­¡± Kuro seemed disappointed in us. Howugh¡­ ¡°*sigh*¡­ Anyways, now that we are done with this, we should really get going to the next ce. We already killed three of your targets here, how many are left?¡± Lucifer asked. My targets were all the aristocrats involved in my death and the death of my parents. I had already killed three of them here, Duke Allen and two other fatties named Norman Allsand and Getto Allwater. Very wacky names, I know. There are over ten other Aristocrats left for me to kill, and I will thoroughly go for them one by one. They live in different duchies around the Kingdom, but we can go on a zigzag road up until we reach the capital. If they are in their duchies, it shouldn¡¯t be hard to kill them. Royalty and aristocrats are often spoiled and rich, so they don¡¯t go to kill monsters, nor develop their abilities or level up like Humans do, who even have a Job System instead of an Evolution System, which is pretty different from monsters. Humans can get pretty strong, pretty fast with this Job power they have, but these aristocrats just waste their bloodline¡¯s potential by beingzy and doing absolutely nothing. Although I am sure that it should be fairly different for their kids. Perhaps their kids had grown stronger, or there might be other royalty members specializing in training and battling, but aristocrats are often weak pigs. And this was proven further when I killed three in the span of a single night. Nheless, aside from the Duchy of Affnaria, there are several other Duchies in the Kingdom of Albraun. We will get through four more Duchies before arriving in the Capital, where the King and his children are, grasping the treasure of my family in their sweaty palms. Anyways, I am so thankful that I wrote down everybody I needed to kill. Take a look: ¡­ Duke Allen Albraun (DEAD), Norman Allsand (DEAD), Getto Allwater (DEAD) Duke Roberto Albraun, Edward Allfire, Ernesto Watertide Duke Hansel Albraun, Ellon Asshat, Edgard Tactile Duke Gastron Albraun, Alberto Nosotros, Tear Rubiera Duke Netheron Albraun, Hamill Firehand, Camillo Desperados ¡­ Every Duchy has one of the sons or grandsons of the King. Usually, they¡¯re closer to princes, so I actually just ate the soul of the prince of Albraun on Allen. Oops? Anyways, alongside the Dukes, there are usually two big shots who are the owners of Guilds, such as the Adventurer Guild or the Merchant Guild. The two pigs I killed were the owners of such ces. The rest of their families were not to me, so I hope they can handle things by themselves. Oh right, and to make it clear that they died, we left some of their bones, which Lucifer vomited after eating them, and their clothes. That should be enough evidence, so they don¡¯t go looking for them. Yeah, it¡¯s disgusting, but it works, and it¡¯s effective. Maybe I should just eat their souls next time and not let Lucifer eat them. He did say they were disgusting and tasted terrible. I don¡¯t want to let my dragon get sick by eating shit¡­ Anyways, ording to the maps we got now, our next Duchy is the Duchy of Btina, crossing to the south. All the other duchies are to their side in a zigzag road where trading merchants travel through with their caravans. There are some random viges around these ces, alongside dungeons and particr areas filled with monsters named Haunts which means we can grind EXP on our journey. ¡°Onward to Btina then!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question¡­.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 36 ¡ª¨C After exining to Lucifer and everyone about my n, they all seemed to agree with it. ¡°To Btina we go then. And sure, it would be better if you just ate their souls so the dead body can be found more easily. I also would prefer to eat a more delicious human next time, perhaps something like a strong warrior.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I don¡¯t like your tendencies of eating humans; did you eat humans when you were alive?¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, I am technically a zombie now, so eating flesh from humans is a necessity, but I can also eat monster flesh as well. And well, it is more like a grudge. I feel this indescribable hatred against humans, which is very hard to contain. When I see one, I just want to tear them apart and devour them, hearing their screams of agony as my fangs tear their bodies into shreds while being alive,¡± ¡°Oof. Okay, you do you, as long as it is not innocent people that literally did nothing wrong, I am fine with that,¡± ¡°Hmph, alright¡­ you¡¯re my master, so I cannot defy you as much as I want to. Nheless, it is more pleasurable to torture those that had done evil deeds. After all, the corrupt aristocrats of this Kingdom and the alliance of Kingdoms of Humans were the ones that took our children as prisoners, forced us to surrender, and then ughtered them in front of our very faces,¡± Lucifer said. ¡°¡­I see,¡± I responded. ¡°Hahh¡­ Never mind me,¡± Lucifer sighed. He seemed pretty troubled. And I kind of wanted him to open up to me but forcing the situation would be bad for his mental stability, so I will let him slowly open up to me naturally rather than just forcing him by giving him amand. ¡°I hope that we can find somewhere to be happy one day,¡± I muttered. ¡°¡­You¡¯re oddly optimistic for someone that died so terribly. I suppose missing your memories perhaps has made you this way¡­.¡± Lucifer sighed once again. ¡°True¡­ I won¡¯t force you to tell me anything. You will decide when you want to share more of your past,¡± ¡°R-Right¡­ Sorry, perhaps I went too far there¡­ And thank you for being understanding. Despite being an oddball, you¡¯re also quite a decent former human,¡± Luciferplimented me. ¡°Aw, really?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Master¡¯s pretty nice¡­.¡± Partner said beside me. ¡°So you, what¡¯s your story?¡± Lucifer asked, talking to Partner. ¡°Story? I am master¡¯s servant,¡± Partner replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t remember your previous life?¡± ¡°Previous life?¡± Partner asked, confused. ¡°Well, you see, Partner is my skeleton. I made her into an Undead and her soul was created through the over-umtion of phantasmal energy, and therefore it is a new soul and not one that belonged to someone before,¡± I exined. ¡°Oh, so she was such a being¡­ Wait, your skeleton?!¡± Lucifer asked in disbelief. ¡°Yeah! I didn¡¯t want to leave it abandoned. It was the only thing I had left, you know? So I just made it into a ¡®Partner¡¯!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really unbelievable sometimes,¡± ¡°It was thanks to her that I was able to survive. Even now, I am still a ss cannon, and she unexpectedly ended up as my Tank, so we pair up pretty well. She takes hits and charges in front while I fire from afar!¡± I said as Partner nodded in agreement. ¡°I-I see¡­ What¡¯s ss cannon?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°A term you use for someone that exceeds offensively but is as frail as ss,¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see. I guess she¡¯s very devoted and childish because she still has the mind of a young spirit¡­ Interesting. Her existence is simr to a Wisp then, a being without a soul formed from phantasmal energy. However, unlike them, she wasn¡¯t made out of grudges and negative energy,¡± ¡°Indeed, and she¡¯s a cutie! Wait, I think she looked like my body when I was alive now that I think about it¡­.¡± Partner looked at me upfront as I realized that she indeed looked exactly like the head I saw rolling when I reincarnated as a soul. ¡°Interesting, through her evolutions, it is as if you had been revived, but it is not really your soul¡­ This could cause some troubles if wee across someone that might know your face, so make sure to cover her with a hood, at least,¡± Lucifer rmended. ¡°And what about you? You look like a Majin with those looks,¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ Look,¡± Lucifer suddenly changed appearance, his horns disappeared, and his eyes looked less dead, while his skin seemingly filled with the vitality of youth. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°This is the power of Morph!¡± Luciferughed. ¡°Eeehh¡­ I guess you¡¯re a shapeshifter¡­ Oh, can you take the form of a little dragonpanion so I can summon you for battle like my monster pet?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want that. And no, I cannot take such a small form.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I guess my dream of having a Charmander is gone,¡± ¡°Hah¡­ you always talk so much nonsense. I suppose this trip won¡¯t be as boring as I initially thought,¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°Hey, finally getting softer with me?¡± I asked. ¡°Never mind¡­¡± I guess he doesn¡¯t respond well to teasing¡­ ¡­ The area that covers the entire Duchy of Affnaria is an enormous forest named the Dark Forest. Lesser Haunt¡¯s and other monsters often inhabit it, but they¡¯re mostly weak; Usually around G-Rank or F-Rank at most. Due to this, Adventurers in Affnaria go to train and level up their first Jobs in these outskirts of the Duchy, collecting the monster¡¯s corpses, the Mana Stones inside, and other things to sell in the Adventurer Guild. This forest took around three days to get out of, despite us going at fast speed on Kuro¡¯s back¡­ When we reached the outskirts of the forest, we were greeted by a beautiful and near-endless sea of grass, named the Vast Grasnds, which extends across hundreds of kilometers. All the Duchies we are visiting are located past this point. From what I read, tribes of beast-kin and even demons live around these grasnds, often as nomads. Also, we had gone through the forest side because if we went through the road, we would risk getting caught by some passerby. The sun was shining brightly atop the sky, and we were being bathed in it, but none of us was affected. It seems that the sunlight is no problem! ¡°We can¡¯t hide so well in such a ce¡­.¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°We¡¯ll go through the road then! The ce looks nice. We can have a pic from time to time too!¡± I tried to bring up the bright side. ¡°Pic? In the middle of the road?¡± We walked through the road at a fast pace as Kuro was pretty nimble, and as an Undead, he was also tireless. Bathing in the warmth of the sun, a cold breeze brushed against my face. Aahh¡­ this feels nice. It makes you just want to forget about everything and just have an adventure¡­ Well, we are technically having one. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Lucifer suddenly points at a group of people in front of the road who were next to threerge caravans being attacked by little green guys. Hoh, is this the typical Isekai scenario? ¡ª¨C Chapter 37 ¡ª¨C A typical Isekai scenario! You know, when Goblins try to take down a caravan with a merchant, and the heroic main character takes them down and bes friends with a merchant by saving him, opening up the possibility of connections with aristocrats!? It is always so overused¡­ But will I get my chance now? I actually have no interest in making friends with a greedy merchant, but we might as well y along. ¡°At full speed, my steed!¡± ¡°GROAR!¡± Kuro releases a loud roar as he begins to rush down the road in the middle of the grasnds, the caravan right in front of us! ¡°Oi, are you kidding me? You¡¯re going to help humans? Just let them die. I bet those Goblins are just hungry,¡± Lucifer said. ¡°I won¡¯t listen to your seductive words, handsome dragon! I will go valiantly save these people and make connections with them!¡± I said as I bravely leaped off of Kuro after we reached the area where shit was going down. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Lucifer sighed. Partner followed right behind me, raising her spear. ¡°Fight!¡± She shouted. As soon as we reached the caravan, we found a group of seven goblins, armed with rusty armor, some leather clothes (not loincloths, by the way), and using some weapons and shields, but¡­ Eh? They seemed to be struggling. I looked over at the humans and noticed there were five super buff guys. I checked their status, and they were all E-Rank adventurers, who are considerably above the average. Their equipment looked fresh as well, and they seemed to be overwhelming the weak goblins. They were also smiling! ¡°Haha! So they came for us! Come, we¡¯ll carve out your mana cores and sell them!¡± ¡°The equipment they¡¯re using could also fetch some coins, boss!¡± ¡°J-Just kill them already!¡± An old man that looked clearly like the merchant was trembling inside the caravan, and he was surrounded by¡­ cages? Inside the cages, there were many green-skinned people, and even some people with furry ears. Wait. Hold on. What¡¯s going on in here? ¡°G-Give me back, my daughter!¡± Cried a goblin, raising his de against one of the humans. He clearly spoke themon tongue. CLASH! ¡°A measly G-Rank monster like you can¡¯t even kill a rat, and you think you stand a chance against us just because you got some equipment?¡± Laughed one of the men before easily evading the goblin¡¯s attack, kicking him in the stomach and throwing him away. ¡°Uggh¡­!¡± ¡°Papaaa!¡± One of the tiny, green-skinned people caged inside cried for her father, the goblin that had just been beaten down into the ground. ¡°W-We won¡¯t give up until you give us back our families! Where¡¯s my wife?!¡± Another goblin valiantly rushed forward, as he used his de to release a technique, but the human in front raised his shield, blocked him, and hit his face with the shield, sending him flying into the distance¡­ No way, this is not a normal Isekai, huh? Goblins that can talk and are enved¡­ they¡¯re not trash mobs then? They¡¯re more like¡­ a demi-human tribe then. ¡°This¡­ They¡¯re enving goblins?! T-Those damn humans!¡± Lucifer, however, suddenly gets angry and jumps into action before me. BOOM! He transforms into a giant five-meter tall, ck-scaled dragon, and the humans and goblins alike are paralyzed in fear; his aura emanates a deadly presence that seems to be devouring their very souls¡­ ¡°Enving a hardworking and peaceful tribe¡­ I couldn¡¯t expect less from you filthy humans!¡± It seems that Goblins are a tribe of Majin and are seen as hardworking and peaceful. Oh wow. ¡°A D-DRAGOOONN?!¡± All the humans were terrified, and the goblins suddenly dropped their weapons out of terror. Some even began falling unconscious. ¡°Alright! Let me aid you then. I don¡¯t like very anyways,¡± I joined in with a very simple reason other than because I found the goblin girls very cute. And well, maybe I am a goodhearted person deep down within all the hatred and vengeance-driven emotions I possess that makes me a ghost. ¡°R-Run away!¡± None of the humans tried to fight us back, so it was very easy to pick them up and kill them. Partner caught up to one of the men that was trying to protect himself with his shield, but Partner¡¯s spear went straight through the shield with ease and impaled the man¡¯s head, killing him instantly. ¡°Hm? Weak¡­¡± She sighed. I rushed forward and used my shadows to grasp the big guymanding the others. My shadows were used as tentacles as I vited his orifices mercilessly, mouth, eyes, nose, ears, and butt. He cried so agonizingly that I couldn¡¯t help butugh manically over the pleasure that his suffering inflicted on me. Holy shit¡­ I am nuts. ¡­After that, I jumped over another as if I were a ninja and used [Possession] to possess his body, crushing his heart and lungs and killing him instantly. Wow, this is easy. ¡°Guuaaggh¡­!¡± In the other case, Lucifer used his jaws to just eat the other three and crunch them while still alive. Oh man, hearing them scream in agony really hits the spot. Maybe because I am such a malicious race of ghosts, hearing the screams of agony of the damned really makes me happy. It is almost instinctual! ¡°Gyyeeegh! P-Please don¡¯t kill us!¡± The merchant cried in horror as he saw how we ughtered his men. The only one left was this guy who was inside the caravan. Some of the goblins who remained awake looked at the scene with disbelief. I looked at one of them and gave him my hand, which he grasped and stood up. He looked like a typical goblin, long nose, bald, long ears, but instead of horrid goat-like eyes, they had human-like eyes, which clearly gave away their consciousness and self-awareness as people and not just a vicious race of monsters. ¡°We are here to help!¡± I shouted with a smile. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± He replied while looking at my own aura of darkness. He must be quite terrified even now. ¡°You damn pig! I am going to feast on you!¡± Lucifer grabbed the merchant and was about to eat him. ¡°W-Wait, stop!¡± Cried the goblin. ¡°Eh? Why?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 38 ¡ª¨C The goblin guy stopped Lucifer. But, Lucifer didn¡¯t hear him, so I had to speak for him. ¡°Hey, wait, there must be a reason why he doesn¡¯t want this bastard killed! Let¡¯s listen to him!¡± Lucifer sighed in unison with the merchant, who sighed in relief. ¡°What?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°I am sorry, sir Dragon¡­ It¡¯s just that the merchant is the one who has made the contracts with our families. If we kill him, all those ves that belong to him will also die due to the contract imbued into their cors! T-These bastards manipted us like this before¡­.¡± The Goblin exined. ¡°Hmm¡­ Cunning bastard,¡± Said Lucifer, squinting his eyes at the trembling fat merchant. He ced him on the ground as the merchant nodded. ¡°T-That¡¯s right, you filthy beasts! I-If you kill me, all your families will die with me! Hahaha! S-So you better not kill me!¡± He shouted. ¡°How can we cancel the contract?¡± I asked. ¡°There must be some papers inside his caravan. The contracts are written on a seal paper¡­ If we destroy them, we can free our people¡­.¡± The Goblin replied. What an intricate system. I guess Lucifer would have ended killing everyone inside by ident¡­ oops. I intimidated the pig into looking for the papers, but he didn¡¯t want unless we promised to not kill him afterward. What a pain. ¡°[Possession],¡± I used my vast mana pool and possessed him. Right away, I got ess to all of his mind through his brain and learned where his contracts were. Using his own body, I broke each paper until the veryst one. When the contracts were broken, the cors deactivated and fell onto the ground. The monsters inside the cages were freed by the goblins right afterward. ¡°Papa!¡± ¡°Gobina!¡± ¡°Dear, I was so scared¡­.¡± ¡°Everything is going to be okay now¡­.¡± ¡°T-Thank you so much! How can we ever repay you for this?¡± Asked one of the Goblins, who exined that he was the chief of the tribe. ¡°Hmm, how about you invite us to your tribe?¡± ¡°O-Oh! For sure! B-But can¡­ Sir Lucifer go back to his humanoid form?¡± The goblin asked, shaking timidly. Ah yes, if he goes like that, he¡¯ll surely make a fuss. ¡°Oh, sometimes I forget to change back,¡± Lucifer changed back and was now ready to walk like a person and not a giant winged lizard. And about the merchant? I decided to keep him alive. I was going to use him as a puppet of sorts to infiltrate into society and get info I cannot easily ess¡­ Mostly out of just fun, though. I brainwashed him while possessing him, and he became my mindless servant. Of course, with a single order, he¡¯ll go back to ¡°normal¡±. But even then¡­ ¡°Are you guys okay with her keeping him alive?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Ah, well, it is fine. He has already paid. His eyes look like those of a dead fish,¡± Said the chief. ¡°I brainwashed him after possessing him, so don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be a submissive and good merchant from now on.¡± I exined. I had already saved the caravan and everything inside of it in my Inventory. As we made our way down the road, we arrived near argeke to the east. It was surrounded by a small forest where the Goblins had made their home. The tribe was very tribalistic. They had tents instead of proper houses and lived very simple lives of hunting and gathering to survive. They mostly got their food from the fish in theke, but sometimes they told me they went to hunt Horned Rabbits or Big Boars, although it took many of them to beat a single boar. Also, every time they did it, they gained EXP, and sometimes they even leveled up. The Chief was the highest level at level 11, but that was it. Even a Level 11 G-Rank monster is still very weak¡­ I left the merchant inside of my [Shadow Storage] with some food and water and decided to forget about him for the moment. The beautiful goblin vige was very simplistic, but there was undoubtedly a charm around this ce. The people were very nice and weing with us too. The chief made a big feast in honor of the people they rescued. As the food was being cooked, he and his daughter began to exin to us what had happened with them. ¡°It happened around a week ago¡­ these groups of men raided our vige suddenly, and using their strength, they beat us and killed five of our men. Afterward, they took away our women to sell as sex ves¡­ This wasn¡¯t the first time that humans have tried to raid us, although the previous times we managed to change our vige¡¯s position and fool them, but this time they were too fast and strong¡­ Since then, we had been following them until we finally managed to catch them off guard, but even then, they were too strong,¡± The chief sighed. ¡°Oh damn¡­ you would have ended up dead if we hadn¡¯t arrived then¡­ I am d we were able to help you out. Also, killing humans felt pretty good for some reason,¡± I said. Damn, I¡¯ve be an edge lord. ¡°I see¡­ Damn humans, why do they love to pick on the weak so much? Your tribe is just living peacefully here with nature? Humans¡¯ greedy nature simply sickens me to no end¡­ If our Demon lord was here, he would have taught them a lesson!¡± Lucifer shouted in anger. ¡°Demon Lord¡­ It has been a long time since I heard that name¡­¡± Suddenly, an old goblin walked near us and sat down at my side. ¡°Oho, such a prettydy¡­.¡± He said, rubbing his beard and looking at my figure. ¡°Elder! What are you doing awake? Go back to your bed. You¡¯re still sick¡­.¡± The chief said. ¡°Geez, I do whatever I want!¡± Roared the old man, using his staff to hit the head of the chief. It was a bitical. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about the Demon Lord?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Why yes, my grandfather used to be part of his army, though, I don¡¯t know how many years ago¡­ He used to tell me tales about his bravery and how he fought back against humanity¡¯s tyranny,¡± The Goblin Elder began to exin. ¡ª¨C Chapter 39 ¡ª¨C So after killing some assholes along the way, we rescued some Goblins and Beast-kin mixed into a carriage that were being carried away as ves, and we ended up being invited into thefortable Goblin Vige. I am a ghost, so I don¡¯t really feel ufortable anywhere. Maybe I should if I were being bathed in sunlight while being a weak ghost, but as a Pandora, there¡¯s no such weakness. Due to that, I could stay anywhere, so I didn¡¯t particrly care about sitting on a log. I might even float if I wanted, but Partner didn¡¯t let me get away from her as she was very clingy. Lucifer had said something about his precious Demon Lord, and the Elder of the Goblin Vige joined our conversation. After that, the Goblin Chief and his daughter were also present. After he nced over my body with a perverted gaze, the old, green-skinned man pretended to ignore the death gaze that Partner was giving him¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve heard about the Demon Lord?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Why yes, my grandfather used to be part of his army, though, I don¡¯t know how many years ago¡­ He used to tell me tales about his bravery and how he fought back against humanity¡¯s tyranny,¡± The Goblin Elder began to exin. His grandfather? Wasn¡¯t this Demon Lord pretty old? From what I read, he existed a few hundred years ago. ¡°How old is your damn grandfather?!¡± I asked. ¡°Well, he had evolved into a Hobgoblin Warrior back then. Due to this, his lifespan was increased, and he lived up to almost 300 years. He was not the strongest or something, but he was very skilled at teaching,manding, and coordinating his troops. He was also good at all kinds of weapon techniques and was a formidable fighter, even against those stronger than him,¡± Said the Elder. ¡°The Elder¡¯s Grandfather is our Hero, Hobuta,¡± Said the Chief. ¡°We pray to Hobuta, our hero, and as one of our ancestors, we often ask for him to bless his descendants, us!¡± Shouted the daughter of the Chief. She was a Goblin yet wasn¡¯t as ugly as the males. Her beauty was rather refined, and she looked like a little cutie baby girl that you just want to pet and hug. She had an adorable face, big yellowish-gold eyes, long and pointy ears, and long silvery-white hair. She wore a simple leather dress and sandals and was also around half a meter tall, while her father was a meter and a few centimeters. Goblins didn¡¯t grow taller than that, but it was said that if they evolve into Hobgoblins, they be as tall as humans. ¡°I see. You¡¯re such a diligent little girl, aren¡¯t you, Gofumin?¡± I asked as I petted her. Her hair was soft and silky, and she blushed a bit after receiving my affection. ¡°Of course, my daughter is the smartest girl in the vige. She¡¯ll be our priest in the future,¡± The chief exined. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a priest. I wanna be adventurer, papa!¡± Gofumin refuted while pouting. ¡°Adventurer?! You can¡¯t! That¡¯s way too dangerous for a little girl. Also, humans don¡¯t look good on demi-human adventurers¡­.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Aww¡­ Poor little thing¡­ ¡°A-Anyways, my grandfather once said that before the Demon Lord perished, we Goblins could live in therger Majin societies to the far south, but that was before humans destroyed them all and threw us, the survivors, into the wild¡­.¡± Said the Elder. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened in the end¡­ The Majin Kingdoms¡­ they were all¡­ destroyed? Is there nothing left?¡± Lucifer asked as despair took hold of his eyes. ¡°No¡­ Not that I know of. He did say that the survivors of other tribes ran into the wilderness too¡­ But as of now, humans had overtaken the entirety of therge continent, we can¡¯t do much than live as foragers, hunters, and gatherers.¡± The Elder sighed. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Lucifer sighed. So there¡¯s no hope for rebuilding the Kingdom of Majin¡­ Wait, why not? After I am done with my revenge, I could pick them up and build a nice and cozy ce for myself, right? Who cares about humans? If theye at us, I am going to kill them and turn them into Undead. Yeah, sounds like a n! ¡°I don¡¯t like to promise anything because I could quite literally die in this journey, but let me tell you something¡­ If I can fulfill my current wishes¡­ Let me aid youter on. After doing what I want to do, I want to build up my own kingdom. A ghost can¡¯t really live in human societies, you know? So, if that were to happen in the far future, do you want to join my kingdom?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Lady Maria¡­ Is this true?¡± Asked the chief. ¡°A ghostmanding a Kingdom¡­ interesting. You¡¯re very bold to even say such a thing with such confidence¡­ Fine, I see some confidence in you¡­ And you¡¯re a prettydy too, so okay! Fuehehe!¡± Laughed the Elder, ring at my body again. ¡°Maria¡­ you¡¯re so strong. I am sure that you could build something if you wanted¡­ We¡¯ll wait until then,¡± Said the Chief. ¡°I want to go with Maria on a journey!¡± Shouted Gofumin. ¡°No, you can¡¯t! You¡¯re still too young,¡± The Chief refuted once again. ¡°Muhh¡­¡± Sighed Gofumin. ¡°Maria¡­ Do you truly want to do something like this?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Yep! Wanna join?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I have another option¡­ Hahh, you¡¯re the only one childish enough even to say such a thing¡­ seriously,¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Oi! How dare you treat your Necromancer like that?!¡± Lucifer smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know why but perhaps you¡¯ve begun to affect my mind or something, and I want to trust you¡­ I just¡­ perhaps¡­ by holding onto this Hope for a better future for the Majin, I might find some consolidation that could appease this wrath in my heart,¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°Lucifer¡­¡± Aw, you poor little dragon,e here! I hugged Lucifer tightly as he rested on my chest. ¡°E-Eh?¡± He got all red! So cute! ¡°There, there~ We¡¯ll do it together, don¡¯t worry!¡± Petting his silky hair felt nice¡­ ¡°Y-You perverted woman!¡± Cried Lucifer, getting embarrassed and jumping away from my grasp. ¡°Lady Maria, can I get a tender hug within your chest too?!¡± Asked the Goblin Elder. BONK! ¡°Guegh¡­¡± Partner hit him in the head. ¡°E-ELDER, STAY WITH US!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 40 ¡ª¨C Before going away, we decided to stay for a week here, and there were several reasons for that! One of them was¡­ monster hunting! We wanted to hunt monsters around this ce, so the goblins could be at ease with not as many threats roaming around. Another thing was¡­ bandit extermination! We wanted to kill all the groups of bandits around here that usually tried to capture the wild demi-humans around. And thest reason was¡­ fluffy and cute Gufumin! She was too cute, so I wanted to spend some time with this adorable little girl. It was already the morning of the next day, and the Chief had invited us to stay inside his tent. It was small, but he and his daughter fit quite well, and we did too, all snuggling together. With Lucifer behind me, and Partner in front of me, they made me a sandwich! It felt nice to sleep like this as well. Although I was sure that there was something hard poking me from behind my butt¡­ Hehe¡­ So, you¡¯ve finally shown your true colors, Casanova! I woke up and looked over at Lucifer, only to find him sleeping to the other side. His tail was poking into my butt. Ah¡­ I guess I shouldn¡¯t have made weird ideas. He¡¯s really a pure-hearted devilish fallen dragon, after all. He looked so cute sleeping that I could help but pet his hair and touch his ears. What a handsome young man! I can¡¯t believe I have him in my party. It is almost like I am dreaming¡­ And to the other side, the adorable Partner looking at me angrily! ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Muuhh¡­¡± ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Muuhhh¡­¡± I think she didn¡¯t like how I was petting Lucifer while he slept. ¡°Okay, okay, I get it, here¡­.¡± I approached my hands towards her head and began to caress her little pointy ears, then, I caressed her long hair, and her happiness increased. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± She chuckled cutely, snuggling onto me. ¡°Good morning, sleepyhead,¡± I said. ¡°Good morning, master¡­ Sleeping feels weird.¡± She said. ¡°Is it? I guess we don¡¯t really need to sleep as Undead, but we still can do it. I like it though. Maybe because I am actually veryzy,¡± I admitted. The cute Gufumin woke up before her father as she smiled cutely and jumped over our leather bed. ¡°Maria! Maria! Tell me more about the outside world!¡± She demanded. ¡°Little Gufumin, you¡¯re so cute¡­ P-Please have some mercy¡­.¡± She had jumped over me and was asking me cutely. Her cute face was very close, and I felt the instinctual motherly sense of hugging this beautiful little green sprout! ¡°Ueh?¡± I hugged her tightly before I sat her over myp. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll tell you! The outside world is filled with terrifying monsters, giant boars, enormous hydras, dungeons where monsters appear, but treasures await, such as enormous human towns filled with EXP! And above all! ¡­There¡¯s not enough delicious food,¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Indeed! I want to eat something other than just grilled meat! I should have stolen some salt when I could- wait a second¡­ the carriage had some! Oh nice, then we¡¯ll make up something good! ¡°Did you explore a dungeon?¡± Gufumin asked while moving her tiny feet around. ¡°Indeed, it was horrifying, dark, deep, and filled with ooze¡­ Uegh, and giant bugs,¡± I sighed. ¡°Ooooh! I want to explore a dungeon one day too!¡± Gufumin said, her eyes shining brighter than ever. She¡¯s very pure¡­ A total contrast from us monstrous vengeful undead¡­ Well, Partner is also pure-hearted, just jealous. The chief suddenly woke up, discovering our secret conversation. ¡°Hm¡­? Ah! Gufumin, don¡¯t annoy Lady Maria¡­¡± The chief said. ¡°Papa, Maria is telling me tales of the outside world!¡± Gufumin said. ¡°Again with that idea? *Sigh*¡­ we just rescued you from being enved, and you still want to go to the outside world despite all the dangers?¡± The chief asked. ¡°Yeah! I want to meet mama! We¡¯ll go on adventures together¡­ And we¡¯ll hunt monsters, and sell them¡­ and have fun leveling up!¡± Gufumin said. Right, where¡¯s her mother? The chief gritted his teeth, looking at the ground painfully. ¡°Y-Your mother was¡­ reckless, Gufumin, you can¡¯t be like her¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ want to lose you.¡± The chief sighed as he grabbed her away. ¡°But I cane back and bring gifts! Like mommy that will one daye back! Right?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not the same, daughter¡­¡± Sighed the chief. I guess he doesn¡¯t want to tell her that her mother most likely died¡­ Ugh¡­ this is sad. Little Gufumin, I will be your mama! ¡­No, I better not tell her this. ¡°Anyways! Let¡¯s all eat some breakfast! I got some nice ingredients from the store!¡± I said, calming the mood. ¡°Food!¡± Gufumin said, raising her little arms. ¡°Food!¡± Partner said, raising her arms as well. ¡°Food! Eh?¡± Even Lucifer did it! Oh my god, he¡¯s already joining our stupid little things, huh? Look how far he hase in these short days! ¡°Mrao!¡± Kuro came into the tent, licking my face. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Meow! Gakkh¡­!¡± Suddenly, Kuro coughed a human finger. Huh? I didn¡¯t give him the corpses of the guys we killed yesterday; I was gonna use them for Undead Guardians for the tribe¡­ ¡°Chief! T-There are several corpses outside!¡± Suddenly, a goblin came out. We rushed outside and found around five corpses that Kuro brought from wherever he wentst night. ¡°T-These are bandits!¡± The chief shouted. ¡°Kuro, did you just go and kill a group of passing bandits?!¡± I asked. ¡°Meow!¡± ¡°Good boy!¡± I rewarded him by petting him. Best cat ever. ¡°But this is also bad. It means that they¡¯reing closer¡­.¡± Said the chief. ¡°Is that so? Hmm¡­ Don¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯ll go kill them after breakfast,¡± I said. ¡°S-So confident¡­¡± ¡°Lady Maria! thank you!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be forever grateful!¡± ¡°She¡¯s such a beauty too!¡± ¡°Fueheh! That¡¯s right! Praise me more! I am the best!¡± ¡°Cut it out already¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer, pulling my hoodie over my face. Anyways, I began to browse through the stuff I had in my Inventory¡­ there was salt, cheese, and even salted meat, bread, potatoes. There was actually a lot that this fat pig had for himself! ¡°How about we make a stew for the whole vige? You guys must be hungry, right?¡± I said while winking. ¡°S-Stew?!¡± ¡°We have only been eating seeds for weeks¡­.¡± ¡°UUUOOOOOOHH!¡± I guess they were happy to have decent food for once¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 41 ¡ª¨C So, time to make a tasty stew for the folks! I opened my inventory and took out a sack of salt, potatoes mixed with other things such as carrots and radish, a fewrge chunks of dried meat, spices, and even some monster bones that could make a good broth, alongside a lot of hydra meat we have lying around; I bet it could taste nice. I checked if it had poison or something, and it didn¡¯t. It was just very high-quality meat! Lucifer and Partner had been eating it up, but it was a gigantic beast, so there¡¯s a lot lying around even now. And because my Inventory doesn¡¯t let food spoil, it is the perfect ce to store stuff without worrying about it rotting away. The Goblins here were very cooperative, as they began to help me cut the meat and vegetables and boil them in freshwater that they took from a nearbyke. The Hydra meat was actually quite tasty when boiled in salt and made an amazing broth if we added some bones into it¡­ Oho! The bones richness is slowly boiled into the vors of the soup¡­ Oh my, oh my! It¡¯s looking delish! Finally, some decent food! Salt, how much I¡¯ve missed you! Now that I can materialize, I can eat food and even slowly convert it into mana through a simr thing as digesting, but I don¡¯t have to go to the bathroom anymore. Yeah! It feels honestly normal at this point because I got used to it, but not needing to do both is a bit strange when you think about it¡­ Anyways, I better not talk about that in the middle of the food, though! I left Lucifer and Partner to roast the meat. They added some spices and salt too and were quite cooperative. I am guessing that Lucifer was also hungry for some tastier food than just raw monster meat, but he was hiding it because he¡¯s a prideful and grumpy old dragon. And Partner¡­ well, she inherited my licking for tasty food, so she wanted to try out some salt on her meat. In addition, Kuro went into theke and began to hunt fish. He brought them back with his mouth and even ended- EH?! SPLASH! ¡°GLUOP! GLUOP! GLUOP!¡± A giant three-meter-tall catfish was suddenly thrown out of theke! ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°A giant catfish!¡± ¡°It has been ages since we had one¡­.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°Hurray for Kuro!¡± The goblins began to praise my cat as he jumped out of theke. He hunted quite a big game for us. We decided to save it forter though, as we don¡¯t have to eat everything, and we have already made around six pots filled with stew, which should be more than enough for the goblins. They have small stomachs, and there are less than 40, so it should be feasible to feed everyone. I also cut down the bread into slices and distributed it with the stew. And in an instant, everyone began to dig in. Family, friends, and the young ones. It was a pleasant sight. We sat down at a table with Lucifer, Partner, the Chief, and Gufumin. Meanwhile, Kuro was snacking on a meter big catfish, which was probably a smaller version of the giant he got. The sun is bright today¡­ Uwah, this was really a nice day to just rx. ¡°Been a while since we truly rxed for once, huh?¡± I said. ¡°Indeed. It has truly been a while¡­ Though we have been camping around, being with the living really does make things livelier. You¡¯ve been taking good care of your people,¡± Lucifer said to the chief. ¡°A-Ah, we are doing what we can, sir. But even then, many¡­ well, many died in that raid, so we ended up bing even less¡­ Many hunters died there, so we now have way more women and childrenpared to adult hunters,¡± Said the chief. ¡°Do women do not hunt?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that they¡¯re weaker or something, but they¡¯re taking care of the kids. They¡¯re better at that than we are¡­ a thing of culture you see¡­.¡± The Goblin replied. ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± ¡°There are a fewdies that hunt. They¡¯re strong on their own, but they also got kids and don¡¯t want to stay away from them for too long. We are trying to make up for the losses of the past years by having more kids to fill up our ranks, but it¡¯s gonna take a while¡­¡± Sighed the Goblin. ¡°Can I get seconds?¡± Gofumin asked me as she showed me her clean te. Her face was a bit nasty with stew. ¡°You really liked it, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked while petting her. ¡°I loved it! I¡¯ve never eaten something so yummy before!¡± she said. Aww¡­ ¡°Gofumin, don¡¯t be rude asking for more food. We have already been helped so much! Be more mindful, will you? The rest of the food is for the rest of the people, too,¡± Said the chief. ¡°I want some more¡­¡± Gofumin sighed. I served her some more while also adding a slice of bread. ¡°Here, dearie! You¡¯re so young. You need to eat a lot to grow strong like your mama,¡± I said. ¡°Ooh! Thank you!¡± ¡°L-Lady Maria, if you begin giving her seconds, then everyone will think you¡¯re using favoritism. It is not a good thing, even less as the daughter of the chief¡­.¡± Sighed the chief. ¡°Well, why should I care? If they want seconds, they cane. Firste, first serve! Don¡¯tin if you didn¡¯t get seconds!¡± As I roared, the goblin vige exploded, and everyone came rushing for seconds. There were enough seconds for everyone, but I served them less than before¡­ fufu¡­ ¡°Lady Maria is quite¡­ something,¡± Said the chief. ¡°She¡¯s like that. You¡¯ll get used to her, chief,¡± Lucifer added. ¡°I want thirds!¡± Partner shouted. ¡°There¡¯s no more!¡± I replied. ¡°Muuhh¡­¡± Partner got a bit angry, hitting the floor with her foot and pouting. ¡°I am still hungry¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°B-But there¡¯s no more¡­¡± I said. ¡°I want more!¡± ¡°Fweh?!¡± Partner began to grab my breasts and annoyingly y with them until I was to give her what she wanted! ¡°Aaah! S-Stop!¡± I said, as I hit her head with a book I had in hand. SMACK! ¡°Gueh¡­!¡± ¡°How very rude! You don¡¯t go treating me like that, youngdy!¡± I said. ¡°Buhh¡­ Sorry¡­¡± She apologized. Aw, how can I get angry with those puppy eyes? I opened my inventory and gave her arge hydra leg. ¡°This should do, dearie, don¡¯t get so desperate,¡± I sighed. ¡°Ooh, meat!¡± And the problem was solved. Ugh, I think I might be too forgiving. ¡ª¨C Chapter 42 ¡ª¨C Now that we are done with feeding the people, I had many ns to put in action. First of all¡­ ¡°[Fake Life]!¡± I raised a few Undead Guards, who the group of guys we killed yesterday, alongside the group of half-munched guys that Kuro ate. I managed to close their wounds using [Undead Healing], but [Undead Healing] doesn¡¯t bring back flesh, so it can only seal wounds and cauterize them, so they still looked disfigured. I did this in front of the Goblins so they would be used to Undead as soon as possible. I had nned to use the pile of slime I had to make slime undead, but I had heard from a Goblin woman that they could be made into a preparation named Slimy Jelly, so I decided to give it to them instead. I mean, the more food, the better. The bones we had from monsters we hunted could be used for broth, so I didn¡¯t raise them either¡­ They were monster bones and were rich in mana and vor. So, in the end, we were left with just these guys. I made them into Undead, and thankfully they kept part of their original power, which was honestly amazing news. Also, they were morepetent than I thought, although they groaned a lot. I ordered them to protect the vige as they nodded dumbly and began to guard the surrounding area. They look promising, but there¡¯s something telling me that they are stupid. They were as strong as G-Rank monsters and were simply named Zombies. It is normally a hard decision for monsters to create Undead because it is often way better just to use them for food. Maybe I should just sacrifice some bones and make a few bone undead¡­ Alright, fine, maybe we can pick some boarster to make up for the vorful bones gone. Using these mixed bones left, I created three Bone Beasts. They were as strong as F-Rank monsters and could hold up on their own. They had the shape of snakes, as I made them with the Hydra¡¯s neck bones and so on. Also, one of them was reinforced with a random bone I had, creating a thick bone armor. ¡°Incredible¡­¡± ¡°Maria is really a goddess!¡± ¡°She can create monsters¡­.¡± ¡°T-The next Demon Lord!¡± The Goblins began to pray to me as they saw me raise the dead. Huh? I thought they would be scared. ¡°What is going on?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, the Demon Lord was known for being a necromancer and also a summoner. He was able to summon monsters and create undead easily, making immense armies to fight the humans in just a few days¡­¡± Lucifer said. ¡°Ooh, I see¡­.¡± ¡°The power to raise the dead is something scarce! It is a mystical power that only those chosen by the God of the Underworld can wield!¡± Shouted the Elder of the vige. Well, I do have this curse¡­ But for some reason, I am not siphoning their fortune. Why is it? Oh, wait, it only works in neutral and enemy targets¡­ So these people already count as my besties? Aw¡­ God of the Underworld, you¡¯re so considerate! Anyways, after showing off what I could do, I ced the new Undead to guard for now, and after, we decided to move on to a major problem. The Bandits! ¡°We have seen them around the north of the forest. They hide inside a cave within an area with tall hills¡­ We used to go there to mine salt and a few metals, but they forced us out, and now they have been upying that ce for four years now. ¡± The Chief exined. ¡°I see¡­ Alright, pack your strongest men. I am going to use those tasty EXP bags to level you guys up,¡± I said. ¡°E-Eh? Level up? Us?¡± Asked the chief. ¡°Yep, so hurry up! I want at least one of you to be a Hobgoblin if possible,¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­!¡± The capable men quickly got ready, wearing armor they stole from the caravan of goods from the merchant I¡¯ve brainwashed, alongside some of the magic weapons the guys carried around. I got a bit concerned about the remaining goblins¡¯ safety as just the undead might not be enough. ¡°Lucifer, take care of them until we return,¡± I said. ¡°What? But I wanted to ughter some humans!¡± Lucifer shouted while getting angry. He¡¯s quite cute. ¡°No is no! You stay here and make sure they¡¯re well protected. The chief told me that there¡¯s another faraway bandit group that might assault them if they see us go away, so keep an eye on them, will ya?¡± ¡°Very well¡­ I can kill them if theye, right?¡± He asked. ¡°No, only cut their limbs or something, so they can¡¯t escape. The goblins have to kill them to get the EXP,¡± I said. ¡°W-What? Well¡­ It doesn¡¯t sound so bad¡­ Fine,¡± Lucifer finally gave in. ¡°You¡¯re a good boy!¡± I said, patting his head while floating in midair. ¡°Stop treating me like a dog!¡± Cried Lucifer. Haha, he¡¯s really like a puppy. He¡¯s even moving his tail around¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll go with Partner and Kuro. Take care of the new Undead friends. They¡¯re looking up to you as their senpai,¡± I said. Lucifer noticed how the Bone Beasts and the Zombies looked at him as if he were their idol¡­ even their nk sockets seemed to glimmer with sparkles. ¡°Groar¡­¡± ¡°Graoo¡­¡± ¡°Gaahh¡­¡± ¡°Eh? S-Stop looking at me like that! Go back to guarding the area!¡± Lucifer shouted. As we left the vige with the chief and another 15 Goblins, we were guided by the Chief through the forest. It was a pretty clear and bright forestpared to the one where we came from. The trees were not as tall, and the light of the sun prated through the leaves better. We walked upwards, following a river that moved down a hill, and¡­ there it was. Arge cave was beneath a grassy hill. There were some camps around and a lot of dudes walking around with leather clothes. I also saw one of them was roasting arge boar. And another was carrying around¡­ Wait, those are ves?! ¡°They have ves? Goblins¡­ even humans and, is that an elf?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah? That must be new! They enved goblins from another ce?!¡± The chief shouted. He was just as surprised as me. What¡¯s going on here? ¡ª¨C Chapter 43 ¡ª¨C I nced down below at the bandit¡¯s hideout; they were carrying more ves with them. Seriously, from all the cliches we had to get, there had to be a lot of ve abuse? Ugh. The Goblin Chief was surprised as none of the goblins were recognized by our group, which means they probably came from another tribe of goblins¡­ But how? Did they steal them from another merchant? I looked around and found arge carriage. Was this ve week or something? They did indeed catch a carriage filled with ves, and the merchant inside was probably killed if there was one. ¡°What should we do?¡± The Chief asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯ll storm the ce and rescue the ves,¡± I responded. ¡°V-Very well.¡± The goblins readied themselves, gripping their weapons tightly. They should chill out a bit. I used [Shadow Sneak], [Stealth], and [Erase Presence] to sneak into the hideout by carrying everyone inside of my [Shadow Storage]. And like I thought, I was able to do such a sneaky thing. In fact, it was pretty easy. When I got near it, the small batch of goblins jumped out of my shadow, and the bandits were shocked. ¡°What?!¡± The bandits began to scream in surprise, but Partner and I were faster. We moved at a speed that they could barely see, and we began sting their limbs away. Partner used her spear to slice the limbs of the guy near her, who was sitting over a log enjoying some boar soup. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°GRRYYYAAAAAGGH¡­!¡± Blood sprayed everywhere, and Partner was so fast that she cut off his limbs in an instant. He fell onto the ground, and the Goblin Chief came to finish him off. And without even exining anything to the guy, a knife went in between his two eyes. The goblins were ready to massacre. We used our speed and deadly attacks to blow away the limbs of the initial wave of bandits that were outside. I used my [Dark Gale] to slice them up easily. Humans such as Bandits were nothingpared to a C-Rank monster such as me! I could kill them by merely ring at them, but I wanted the goblins to get their sweet EXP, so I held back. I continued slicing limbs as if it were the most incredible thing ever. There was undoubtedly something entertaining about seeing them confused and squealing in agony like pigs. They didn¡¯t even know who we were or what we were, but they died by the goblins one by one without ever knowing what happened. Kuro kept a watch around while we continued our ughter-fest. ¡°What is going on?!¡± ¡°Eh? T-They¡¯re slicing their limbs?¡± ¡°Who are those two girls? They¡¯re too strong!¡± ¡°A-Adventurers? No, heroes?!¡± ¡°Shit, run!¡± A second wave of cowardly bandits came forth. They were scared shitless of us and began to escape from the cave¡­ Well, they tried at least as we immediately appeared in front of them. I merely willed it, and slicing dark winds cut their limbs, with the group of goblins following us from behind like ducklings, ughtering what we left for them in turns. If all of them added damage to the bandit, they would get shared EXP, so they made sure to pierce their bodies several times with their weapons before giving him the finishing blow. With this, each bandit died quite horribly¡­ I even began to feel sorry for these guys, but that feeling quickly faded away when I started to simply not care. I am so detached from my humanity at this point that I don¡¯t even see them as people but as EXP bags and possible Undead materials. The screams of the confused bandits continued as we began to move deeper into the cave. There, we found a small group of tents with the ves caged behind metal bars or being held hostage by thest dozen of bandits. They had knives near their throats, and the trembling goblins, elves, and even humans were looking at us with horror. ¡°N-Not a single step more, or we¡¯ll kill them!¡± ¡°You guys, from where did you get these ves?¡± I asked. ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t you hear what we said?!¡± ¡°And howe you all are so equipped? I doubt that the merchant carriage had everything for you,¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ a secret!¡± ¡°And why are you loaded with these boxes filled with dark potions?¡± I looked at entire wooden boxes filled with ck-liquid potions¡­ They looked strange. ¡­ [ck Miasma Potion (C-Rank)] A special concoction made from the extraction of the residual miasma of the Fragments of the Evil God. It is refined into a potion that temporarily enhances all stats while giving the user unprecedented supernatural strength. Side effects include headache, vomit, fever, death, or mutation into a Demon. ¡­ Wow, what the heck? ¡°This looks pretty suspicious to me, not going to lie,¡± I muttered before exining the effects to the goblins, and they were left speechless. ¡°Y-You bastards, what do you want to use these potions for?!¡± The Chief shouted. ¡°N-Not a single step, or we¡¯ll kill them!¡± Ah right, the ves. Alright. I used [Shadow Sneak] and sneaked into the shadows, and in less than a second, I dragged all the bandits down with me inside of my shadow storage. Yup, I can do that too. ¡°W-What the heck?¡± ¡°Where are we?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all dark!¡± ¡°Wee to my domain,¡± My voice sent shivers down their spines as they began to sh at the empty air. I flew around and used [Dark Gale] consecutively. In just 10 seconds, all of them were limbless and screaming in agony while losingrge quantities of blood. I rushed to the outside world again and threw them to the ground. ¡°Kill them. I can ask their souls anyways,¡± The goblins grabbed their weapons as they rushed towards the defenseless bandits. shy sh, stabby stab, they were all stabbed to death. Even some ves joined in as they hated these guys a lot. Their eyes werepletely filled with bloodthirst. When everything was done, I had gained a nice amount of EXP, enough to level up once! ¡ª¨C Chapter 44 ¡ª¨C Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 4650 EXP] [Your level has increased from level 0 to level 1!] I could have gained more EXP if I killed them all myself, but that wasn¡¯t the n. I wanted the goblins to get the most EXP because they were going to get strong and protect their ce while I wasn¡¯t aroundter. And ideally, I would want some of them to be Hobgoblins. ¡°I got so many Experience Points¡­ I can¡¯t believe it! I am about to hit level 10¡­¡± The Chief said in excitement. ¡°Nice!¡± I said while patting the baldie¡¯s head. ¡°T-Thank you for doing this for us,dy Maria!¡± ¡°We feel so strong now!¡± ¡°We gained a lot of strength.¡± ¡°I think I even gained a new skill!¡± It seems that the level-ups brought them nice stats overall. Some even gained bonus skills. I don¡¯t know why aristocrats don¡¯t do this. Just ask some adventurers to bring you half-dead monsters or something! Or maybe they do it, and they still suck? Nheless, we were done here. The former ves were freed, and many of them began to cry. I caught the souls of the bandits before they were able to escape and imprisoned them inside my Shadows. They began to slowly get encroached by the power of my Undead Queen Title, and in only a bit of time, they should be more open to talk. ¡°Thank you, strangers¡­ It was really horrible¡­.¡± ¡°I can finally go back to my homnd¡­.¡± ¡°How can I see my family again after these demons have used me?¡± It seems that some of the girls were used by these pigs. Ugh. I hate this trope too. The worst part is that, aside from agonizingly killing the ones that did this to them, I can¡¯t do anything else. ¡°We¡¯ll receive you into our tribe after resting for a while and eating well. You can consider going back to your homes or stay with us. No matter the race, we¡¯ll ept you,¡± Said the Goblin Chief. He was an innate leader, and his simple words convinced the ves, who felt weed and safe by the goblin. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°I hope we are not too much of a bother.¡± ¡°I-Is this a dream? Are we really free?¡± As the Goblin Chief took care of the ves for me, I began to pick everything up into my infinite Inventory. Boop! Tent gone. Boop! Food¡¯s gone too. Boop! Extremely suspicious miasma potions are nowhere to be seen now. Boop! Corpses are gone as well. I cleansed the entire cave of anything worth value or not, and then we finally decided to move back to the tribe. There was a lot to talk about, especially these suspicious potions I was carrying with me. Why were these things made, and who made them? What was the purpose behind them? Did bandits steal it from the merchant they got the ves from as well? Oh right, the ves might know something. I asked the elf girl with long blonde hair and emerald eyes. Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she seemed to have been used very roughly¡­ A leather coat barely covered her as she was almost nude when we found her. We¡¯ll also make sure that she takes a good bathter. ¡°I remember that¡­ the potions¡­ they were used on us, they once made me drink one. It made me go insane¡­ I still have sequels from it¡­ I remember there was a man, coated in ck robes¡­ perhaps he was behind this. We have only met him thrice¡­ He goes from one bandit hideout to another. Perhaps they all work for him¡­.¡± Said the elf. So they used them as ves to experiment on? Do they want to create an army of beastly people with them? ¡°Oh, dear¡­ Well, make sure you get some rest. But let me ask¡­ Do you remember anything from where you came from?¡± I asked. ¡°We used to be from a merchant that captured me almost a year ago. I used to be an adventurer¡­ I wasn¡¯t even a criminal ve. They just captured me when I decided to goplete a quest in the outskirts of Affnaria¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to escape, and they knocked me out. When I woke up, I had a cor around my neck, and I became a ve¡­ Since then, I¡¯ve wished to die every single day¡­ I thank that I was given that potion, as it has made my mind dizzy, and fragments of my traumas have disappeared¡­ but even then, the things¡­ t-they did to me¡­ I¡­ hah¡­ Sniff¡­¡± The elven girl began to cry as she suddenly tripped over a rock. Her barefoot was all damaged, filled with wounds that were infected. I wish I could heal her. ¡°Dear, I¡¯ll carry you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I held her with my arms as I carried her like a princess. ¡°Fweh?! Y-You, don¡¯t need to¡­ d-do this¡­.¡± She stuttered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s nothing. You¡¯re very light, like a feather,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°B-But isn¡¯t it embarrassing?¡± She asked. ¡°No? Why would it be? I saw your feet damaged and I couldn¡¯t bear seeing you walk anymore. We¡¯ll make sure to heal them. You can wash your body by the river in privacy, too,¡± ¡°Ah¡­ T-Thank you for being so considerate¡­¡± The other former ves were carried in the carriage, which Kuro moved to the tribe. After 40 minutes, we arrived back at the tribe. ¡°Nothing happened. You were paranoiac,¡± Said Lucifer. Apparently, no bandits came here while we were off. ¡°Well, that¡¯s for the best. We brought a lot of people and stuff,¡± ¡°I see¡­ And that elf?¡± He asked, looking at the elf in my arms. ¡°Oh! I just couldn¡¯t bear to see such a cutie walking with her foot so damaged¡­ you can call me heroic all you want; I¡¯ll take the title of the heroic ghost!¡± Iughed. Lucifer looked at the elf girl as she timidly gave him a nce. ¡°H-Hello¡­¡± ¡°Hi. We¡¯ll take care of you. For now, you should go wash up,¡± Lucifer said. ¡°I¡¯ll bring her to the nearby river.¡± Like this, we brought many ves to wash as they were all filthy¡­ After that, we used the help of some of the goblins with a talent for healing magic, and we healed their minor wounds alongside using medicinal herbs harvested around the forest. There was still a lot to do yet, and I am still in the blue about who exactly is this guy with ck robes¡­ If he¡¯s threatening this whole ce, we¡¯ll have to smack him out of the picture. ¡ª¨C Chapter 45 ¡ª¨C The figure of a pale man coated in ck robes looked at a crystal ball. He had left a powerful spell to look at the caves of the bandits he was managing, like camera surveince. However, as he saw how one of the bandit hideouts was assaulted and destroyed so easily, he couldn¡¯t help but feel bitter. Even more, they took away the precious miasma potions he had been painstakingly making for his bosses, the mysterious organization of blood addicts that moved things behind the shadows¡­ He used a Familiar in the shape of a bird to look over the Goblin Vige from very far above. ¡°Who are these people?! Just when did the Duke and those two fat pigs die? I lost so many clients¡­ Also, now there are these strange Majin trying to interfere with my ns?! They¡¯re strong though, I have to admit it¡­ However, I cannot simply let them do as they please with my belongings!¡± The man raged as he looked over the dark cave from where he was. Several ves were working incessantly in making more potions. The strange materials, dark secretions that released a poisonous gas when they boiled into the concoction, and other things were weakening and making them look moribund, sickly, even. There were goblins, elves, dwarves, and even humans¡­ these ves came from all around the Kingdom for him. After all, as he was the leader of this small branch of the bloodsucker¡¯s secret organization, he was given a lot of generous resources from his masters. He was working so far away from civilization to not be found out, and one of the major buyers of his products were the Duke and the two pigs in Affnaria, who were mysteriously assassinated several days ago. Now, he was left with a ton of items to sell elsewhere. He had already managed to find a bullet in the neighbor Duchy, but it would take some time to get them there. This is why he had taken over the nearby bandits and made them his pawns¡­ It was their job to bring these potions there, and this is why he had given them some ves to aid them. But of course, these mysterious figures emerged and ruined his ns! The man gritted his teeth as his pale face was filled to the brim with frustration. Why was he always so unlucky? ¡®The reason behind the assassination of those three is still a mystery, but I bet the Duke¡¯s siblings settled it. They went to war against one another for the throne, and thankfully, as their father is already sickly, and his days are counted, in less than a year, he will kick the bucket,¡¯ The man thought. He began to walk through the dark caves, reaching a deeper area. ¡®After that happens, the most capable will be the next King or Queen¡­ All these greedy royals are all the same. No matter how righteous they act, they would ughter their own families so they can rise to be the top dogs of their shitty country¡­ Hahh, but well, I am a servant of my lords, and I only obey them and nobody else. And they know about all of this¡­.¡¯ He continued down into the abyss-like cave, feeling the coldness of the dark wrap around him. ¡®They have most likely received several offers from the aristocrats as they¡¯re moving fast. They¡¯re going to use these potions and other products made from the residual essence of the Evil God Fragment to boost their troops¡¯ strength and make powerfully monstrous soldiers¡­ The wars between the Duchies¡­ how amusing¡­ Humans are fascinating,¡¯ As the man thought these things, he reached an empty room and began to use several materials he had inside a spatial pouch to carve several magic circles in the ground. He even began to light some candles around it and put on several bones, some cartge, and other materials from monsters. ¡°Like this, they will end up giving aid to whoever they deem the easiest to manipte, and make him King, essentially turning all of my lords and their families into the secret rulers of the entire Kingdom! Hahaha¡­ Such an easy n¡­ It is finally time. Unless the church dares to summon Heroes¡­ But they shouldn¡¯t be able to¡­ The Summoning Circle made by Odin to summon the Heroes was broken in thest war against the Demon King,¡± He muttered as he looked at the magic circle he created rather casually. He poured lots of the potion he was making on the entire area and then walked off of it, pointing his staff which was decorated with a human skull. ¡°Hm, it is done¡­ Come forth, myher beasts! [Advanced Necromancy], [Fake Life]!¡± FLASH! Conjuring the mighty spells, the ck-robbed man smiled maliciously as the materials merged together and formedrge figures within the shadows. Monstrous creatures started to emerge, roaring furiously! They looked like horrendous spawns of theherworld, ready to ravage anything! And they exuded the power of high-ranked monsters¡­! ¡°GRROOAARRR!¡± ¡°GRAAHH¡­!¡± ¡°GGRROOAARR¡­!¡± ¡°This should be more than enough. But let us wait for the right time first,¡± He muttered before petting the grotesque creatures¡­ ¡ª¨C After the former ves were washed and given new clothes, we helped them heal using the magic that some talented goblins with a knack for healing magic had. I wish I could have healing magic! [Healing Undead] doesn¡¯t count¡­ I tried using it on a half-dead rabbit, but instead of being healed, it began to rot! It terrified me. Perhaps I could use it as a rotting attack against the living¡­ I might have to test it a bit more. But honestly, it could be cool to touch someone¡¯s face and look them in the eyes, saying: ¡°You¡¯re already rotten!¡± as I begin to rot their entire heads into a smelly pulp of slimy flesh! Ah! Wait, no! That¡¯s sick! How can I think such a thing? ¡­I guess being a Ghost really gives you another vibe regarding all of this stuff. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t even a fan of gore back on Earth, but now it feels like it¡¯s part of my being or something¡­ Pretty crazy. Anyways, after the initial introductions, we made more food as I was starving! ¡­Well, not really, but the rest were. ¡ª¨C Chapter 46 ¡ª¨C We picked up a lot of food from the bandit raid¡­ like a lot! They had so much bread, dried meat, vegetables, grains, and seeds of all sorts that it was as if they were living a super fantastic life there. They even had three boxes filled with wines aged for over 30 years which should be super expensive! Uwah, wine! I wasn¡¯t particrly into drinking back then, but any decent adult woman should enjoy wine at one time or another. But I mostly drank it because I was a loser virgin and drowning myself in wine made me happier¡­ but let¡¯s not talk about that. ¡°Look, Lucy!¡± I said as I showed the wine to Lucifer. ¡°Lucy?! I am Lucifer! Don¡¯t forget my name- Hm? What¡¯s that?¡± Lucifer approached me as he was watching over the goblins cooking the food. He then looked at the wine bottle as I saw that his eyes dimly shone with excitement. ¡°Wine!¡± I shouted. ¡°I-It is really wine¡­ How long has it been?¡± Lucifer wondered. ¡°Wine! What¡¯s wine?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°It is a very bitter and spicy juice with a little vor of rotten fruit that makes you feel funny,¡± I said. ¡°Oooh! I want wine then!¡± Partner said despite my gross exnation. ¡°No! You¡¯re way too young for that, Partner. Wine is for the adults!¡± I said, hugging my bottle. ¡°Gehh¡­ But I want wine! Wine! Wine! Wine!¡± Partner began toin again. ¡°Fine, but only a little ss,¡± I said. ¡°Yaay!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the wine will affect us anymore. We are Undead,¡± Lucifer said. ¡°¡­Right. Well, whatever, we¡¯ll still drink it!¡± I shouted while crossing my arms. ¡°Fine,¡± Lucifer muttered. After that, we decided to sit down and converse with the former ves who were willing to talk! It was fun to listen to their stories. There was a merchant guy who got captured half a year ago! He was forced to work for the ck-robed man. He told me that he was part of a team that made that ugly potion, but he didn¡¯t remember anything more. Perhaps they brainwashed him not to remember the details¡­ He¡¯s a good alchemist but wishes to go back to Affnaria, although he has nothing now that he lost everything, so he was also considering staying here. His name was Manuel, by the way. Another guy was a young dwarf cksmith. He used to be part of a little vige far away from here, living in a mountain range with his vige of dwarves. They sold weapons and armor for a living and had close ties with a Dwarf Kingdom and the Kingdom of Humans here. However, their vige was raided by Orcs, and they lost everything. When he escaped, he was captured by bandits and sold as a ve that was proficient in cksmithing, which was quite valuable. He seemed to have nowhere to go now, so he was staying here. I immediately knew that he could be useful for the Gobs, and also, his name was Grabbo. And aside from these two talented guys, there were a bunch of other guys that were just good with their muscles and other technical stuff that the enver taught to them. Half of them wanted to go back to Affnaria, and the other half decided to stay here, increasing the poption of the Goblin Vige. These guys were decently strong so they could be good hunters to aid the goblins. The girls on the other side were less in numbers¡­ but were also all quite broken. There were very few that were not sold for nasty things, such as sex. Many of them were being abused on a daily basis, multiple times a day. They were the most traumatized and had difficulty speaking as they seemed to be exhausted from even living. The only one that spoke was the elf girl, her name was Emeraldine Sylphy, and she was actually a half-elf with a strong elven bloodline, making her look a lot like a pure one. Her mother was unknown, but she said her father was a warrior of an Elven Kingdom. But sadly, her father died from a disease in his bones when he was 60, and she was left alone at the age of 23, working as an adventurer and using her gifted talents from her mother to hunt beasts and make a living out of it. She was barely managing to survive every month, but she said she was quite happy. She¡¯s good with a bow, Wind Magic, Light Magic, Wood Magic, and Spirit Magic, but is quite clumsy, and it was pretty apparent. She has a lot of talent and potential; she could be a good vige protector if she¡¯s willing to go back to training and build her body back up to a decent state. ¡°You guys had it pretty hard¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Indeed¡­ But it¡¯s nothingpared to¡­ what you seemed to have gone through. After all, you just said you were a ghost,dy Maria?¡± The dwarf asks. He¡¯s a sharp guy. ¡°Hahaha! No? I am a Majin! Not a ghost, that was just¡­ some shy magic. I like to call myself a ghost because I am like one,¡± I responded. ¡°O-Oh, I have never seen such a pale and human-like majin before, but your silvery-white hair and crimson-red eyes¡­ Are you half-vampire?¡± Asked the human. ¡°Hmm¡­ not really. I would like to keep my identity a secret you guys, so don¡¯t try to dig too deep on me,¡± I said. ¡°O-Oh, we apologize. We didn¡¯t want to offend you.¡± ¡°Yeah, we were just a bit curious.¡± ¡°So you were not a ghost, Maria?¡± Asked the elf. ¡°How could a ghost talk and have flesh like me? I am¡­ totally alive!¡± I shouted. ¡°But you made those Undead, right?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Yeaaah¡­ I just happen to have an affinity with death magic, nothing too crazy.¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± After the meal was done, I brought everyone with me some tes of food. The ves were barely fed some scraps, so they were delighted when they could finally eat a full and hot meal. I guess I¡¯d like to see these people be a bit happier for a redemption arc. ¡ª¨C Chapter 47 ¡ª¨C As we had done what we needed to, the day quickly came to an end, with the night already gracing us with its presence. Also, my party and I decided to keep watch at night this time around. We are Undead, so we don¡¯t get tired anyways. I left Emeraldine, who had gotten oddly clingy with me, where we sleptst night. I also gave her a petting of good nights as she hugged me for some reason. And after that, she went to dreand. She¡¯s so cute! She¡¯s like another daughter¡­ Uwah, am I collecting daughters now?! She has such a sad past, so I really want to spoil her¡­ Gufumin also grew a bit closer to Emeraldine, and the two ended up sleeping next to each other. Gufumin usually slept at the side of her over-protective father, but he let her be this time because he knew he could trust the half-elf. ¡°[Fake Life!]¡± FLASH! Several phantom masses possessed the corpses of half of the bandits we killed just today. I also put in the effort of sticking back their limbs using my [Undead Healing] as a glue-like spell. These guys kept part of their original techniques and were quite formidable warriors but under mymand, they were unable to resist and became very loyal undead which was perfect for guarding at night. I had also convinced the souls of the bandits to speak, so they told me everything they knew. The information wasn¡¯t anything new from what I had already learned from the former ves. These guys were contracted by a mysterious, ck-robed guy who they didn¡¯t even know the name of, and that was pretty much it. They were asked to distribute this potion in the next couple of days to the neighbor duchy next to Affnaria, which we would reach by crossing the road. It was also our next destination in our aristocrat pig-ying journey. I had thought about putting them into their original bodies, so the undead would be more intelligent, but remembering what they did to Emeraldine and all the other girl ves¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but torture them a bit. I had shaped my ghostly soul into countless ck spikes and used them to pierce their souls for several minutes. Soul pain exists, and it is several times stronger than physical pain too. It is a searing pain that makes your mind go numb with a single hit. And as a ghost, I got used to it already, but these guys¡­ They don¡¯t even understand what¡¯s going on. They¡¯re just suffering horribly. ¡°How do you like it? Being prated all over? Huh? Do you love it? You loved to do it to those girls, right? How about now, motherfuckers?¡± ¡°GRRYYYAAAGGH¡­!¡± ¡°KILL ME! KILL MEEEEEE!¡± ¡°UUAAAAAGGGH¡­!¡± ¡°GYYEAAAAGGH¡­!¡± ¡°You¡¯re already dead, idiot¡­.¡± I sighed. I continued to shape my soul and this time into tentacles that literally pierced their entire souls until they were left like Swiss cheese. They all stopped screaming suddenly, as their wills and minds werepletely broken. After that, I grabbed them and stuck them all together into a mass of phantasmal souls, wriggling grotesquely, and ate it. CHOMP. Ding! [You¡¯ve gained 6430 EXP!] [Your level has increased from level 2 to level 3!] [EXP: 2306/6000] Oi, that was a lot of EXP. What the heck? I guess eating this soul meatball was really the best EXP source! Anyways, after that, I began to drink wine with Lucifer while looking at the full moon sittingfortably in the dark night. Partner was also with us, sitting in the middle and also sharing a ss of wine. ¡°Let¡¯s see how it is¡­.¡± I drank the wine, and it was¡­ quite refreshing, better than just water. I don¡¯t even need to drink water anyway, so I barely drink it aside from when I feel like it, but still. Hmm, it tasted a tad bit spicy and had a few notes of cherry. ¡°An alright wine,¡± Lucifer muttered before drinking the whole ss. ¡°Have you drank better ones?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed, in the Majin Kingdom, we drank the best wine which we actually made. It was also sold cheap to our people, but we only drank it on festivities because there wasn¡¯t enough to drink all year long¡­ Of course, some death magic users used [Aging], a spell that let them age things which helped us mass-produce the wine, but I didn¡¯t like it as much as naturally aged one,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°[Aging]?! Can I learn that?¡± ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t see a use of it now. It can make older people more youthful if applied every day on them but only as a massage though. I remember those old witches looking like young twenty-year-old girls, thanks to it,¡± ¡°Ooh! That would be pretty nice to use, but I won¡¯t age, I guess,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Indeed, but you could keep those that have aged a lot at your side through using it. Maybe using it on the Elder¡­ though I am sure he has a few more years,¡± Lucifer smirked. ¡°Hm, he seems pretty energetic. He looks at my body as if I were made of gold or something¡­ Pervert old man!¡± I shouted. ¡°Well, your materialization is quite erotic. Have you not seen your own body? Your- Ahem, never mind,¡± Lucifer suddenly stopped himself from saying any more. ¡°Uhu~? What is it?¡± I asked cheekily. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± ¡°Tell me! Go on!¡± ¡°I-I said¡­ N-Nothing!¡± Lucifer stuttered, shyly averting his gaze. ¡°What a perverted dragon!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Pervert! Degenerate! Sinful! You¡¯ll burn in the mes of hell!¡± Shouted Partner, smacking Lucifer in the head with a stick. ¡°Agh! Cut it out!¡± Lucifer shouted back. Although he didn¡¯t do anything against Partner because she was pretty cute, I bet. As we drank wine and joked around, I suddenly heard a few footsteps approaching from the forest surrounding the camp. The Undead and the Bone Beasts alerted me through their connection with me. Something wasing here and fast. ¡°Something¡¯sing. Get ready to fight!¡± I jumped off of the log I was sitting on as Kuro came rushing at my side. We suddenly heard the footsteps of the creatures and could tell there were three¡­ and they were three big ones. ¡°Boars?¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°No¡­ They¡¯re not boars. They feel stronger than that,¡± I said. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Ah! This Aura¡­ Netherworld Beasts?!¡± Lucifer said those words as the beasts showed up in front of us right before reaching the vige. ¡ª¨C Chapter 48 ¡ª¨C We were sitting on a log right at the front of the vige entrance. You see, the tents are centered at the left side of theke, while we were sitting right in front of them where the forest begins again. And right from there, three creatures leaped out of it. All of them were releasing powerful death and dark auras. Their power wasmendable, and they were overflowing with mana. I analyzed them and got this. [Dark Netherworld Beast: Lv 1] [Rank: C-] [State: Hungry for souls and flesh] [Dark Netherworld Beast Pack Leader: Lv 1] [Rank: C+] [State: Hungry for souls and flesh] [Dark Netherworld Beast: Lv 1] [Rank: C-] [State: Hungry for souls and flesh] I saw that their stats were pretty high, higher than I expected. They¡¯re at the same Rank as me but higher than mypanions. However, they seem weird, they¡¯re just level 1, and all their skills are not so strong nor varied. At most, they had the basic stuff with some unique things such as [Nether Bite] and [Corrosion w]. They also had magic such as [Venom Bullet] and the ssic [Dark Sphere]. However, aside from that, they looked not so threatening, aside from the big stats, which were more inclined towards speed and offense, leaving them vulnerable for strong and explosive damage. We have to stop them before they get into the vige and make any fuss. I used my authority over the Undead I raised, and all the Zombies and Bone Beasts rushed near the tents and camps, protecting the people there. In the worst-case scenario, they¡¯ll use themselves as meat shields so the people can escape. But the ideal case is to kill them before anything of this happens, of course. ¡°Lucifer, you know them?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Powerful Necromancers summon these monsters. They¡¯re impossibly hard to summon because most peopleck the magic circles, inscriptions, and materials. You see, Necromancers can even make recipes about Undead and- We better not talk about this here,¡± ¡°GROOARR!¡± Our discussionsted about 10 seconds before the three Beast leaped towards us. They had the shape of oversized wolves with the heads of skulls and had ck fur with ck miasma inside of them. Their empty eyes glowed with blue phantom mes, and their tails were bony and spear tipped. The Pack Leader was fierce and targeted me right away, while the other two targeted Lucifer, Kuro, and Partner! ¡°GRAAOOO!¡± Kuro roared loudly as he leaped towards one of them, his jaws quickly tearing apart their flesh, and his ws, which were coated in shadows, shed right through their bony bodies! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Partner wanted to stay at my side, but I gave her the order to assist Lucifer and Kuro, so she nodded and used her spear to release three powerful thrusts behind the back of the Beast that Kuro was targeting. The beast roared in anger as it fired a barrage of Dark Spheres that she evaded by jumping around swiftly. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! On the other hand, Lucifer transformed into a dragon and used a strong body m against the near four-meter-tall Beast that targeted him, surprising them as he transformed. He used his ws to slice the beast¡¯s front limbs, but the beast regrew a new one by producing a ck substance that materialized into a leg. ¡°Damned beasts¡­!¡± Lucifer got angry and bathed it in his breath of phantom me. The beast evaded, but it still took some damage while jumping over him from his tail and firing a barrage of venom bullets towards his face. And me? Well, the pack leader was looking at me as if he had fallen in love with my ghostly beauty. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Too scared toe at me? Oh right, sorry, I am draining you guys¡¯ Mana while sitting here¡­ oopsies.¡± ¡°RROOOAAR!¡± The beast was easily provoked as it opened its jaws and released a st ofher through its [Nether st Breath] Skill, which I evaded, leaving an afterimage of myself made of shadows which it thought it was me! I sneaked through his own shadow and emerged from behind him before shaping my shadows into tentacles that grasped his legs. I grabbed him tightly and began to m him into the ground, smacking him while bombarding it with [Dark Gale] and [Dark Sphere]. I had to be rough here, so I went for [Shadow Arrow Spears] too, and as the monsters had high resistance to dark and death element, and were immune to status effects, my Famine aura was not too good, and my venom and poison production would not work here either. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The beast got tired of my bullying while its resilience showed no bounds. Its regeneration power was the strongest asset it had, as it regenerated at an insane rate and without it didn¡¯t even require consuming energy., But this was all due to their innate skill: [Super Regeneration]. ¡°GRROOARR!¡± The beast roared at me before leaping towards me. I evaded swiftly, but he followed me from behind even when I dove into the shadows, as he fired dark spheres at me and then shed the shadows themselves. This actually managed to sh my body and left some ghostly wounds on my body, causing me to lose HP. However, I used [Undead Heal] on myself and brought myself back to full HP once more. The thing is, two of his attacks quickly brought me down to 10% of my HP, and if there was a third attack, then I would¡¯ve been a goner. Thankfully with my [Mana Drain] and [Undead Heal], I can keep my mana and health up no problem¡­ as long as I don¡¯t get hit a third time consecutively. There was no time to think things through too much, as I abused my constantly refilling mana pool to bombard it with long-ranged attacks as if there was no tomorrow. The beast roared angrily as it took damage, its regeneration unable to withstand so much, so it began to lose HP permanently¡­ but it was still too tough. Should I get a bit more serious then? I used [Shadow Storage] and threw the beast in there, enveloping it in a sack of shadows. I began to shapeshift the sack into countless spikes and started to smack the beast into the ground. But It didn¡¯t work as the beast shed my own shadows before jumping towards me. ¡°GRRAAAOO!¡± Tough motherfucker¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 49 ¡ª¨C The bastard sprung out of my fantastic shadow and jumped straight towards me! I used [Shadow Sneak] to evade him by diving into faraway shadows, but he rushed after me rather hastily. Hmm¡­ Should I use my secret weapon? But it might affect the entire ce. I am referring to [Pandora¡¯s Box], of course. By using a lot of mana, I can unleash a powerful explosive attack of pure darkness, death, and poison elements, but the thing is, it¡¯s a wide-range attack. What if it gets to the people in the vige, and they all die? I can¡¯t let that happen. Let¡¯s see¡­ Time to improvise. ¡°GRROAR!¡± Theherworld beast reached me as I jumped out of the shadows and shaped my body like a snake. I began to wrap him around with my own body as I began to overcharge myself with shadows! ¡°GRAAA?!¡± Suddenly, he realized what was happening. ¡°Heh, feeling a bit tight?¡± I wrapped around his limbs like the dexterous snake I am not and tightly held his limbs. Then, I shaped the shadows into two spiked ws and used my own body to hold him as I started to tear him apart! Oof, this costs a lot of Mana. But he provides a great amount! ¡°GRRAAAAKKHHH¡­!¡± A bit more and¡­! CRACK! I managed to tear his body in half as I saw a ck substanceing out of the two halves. The two halves fall to the ground, and only the half with an upper-body begins crawling around while the other is slowly melted back into a ck substance that evaporates rather quickly. What the heck are these guys? The upper half begins to crawl in anger towards me while its other half slowly begins to grow out of this dark substance. Wait, is this miasma? Were these guys made using those ck potions as materials? Huh¡­ Maybe I should add that to my new Undead. I quickly used my Shadow Whips through [Shadow Maniption] to p him into the ground. I covered the shadow whips with phantasmal spikes, which I made as hard as I could. I was infusing mana into the [Materialization] Skill, effectively raining the creature with spiky whips that began to tear it apart. Does this thing have a soul? I red at it as it struggled to fight back. It began to shoot super-fast venom bullets, but I didn¡¯t evade them as they barely did any damage to me because they were magic-based, and my Magic stat is insanely high. Fifty percent of it is my resistance, so the result is obvious¡­ I am a magic tank. Also, the venomous side doesn¡¯t affect me thanks to status effect immunity, but it has some sort of acidic power, which even makes my phantom melt a bit, but thankfully, nothing too much. ¡°GRRAARR!¡± Suddenly, as I pped it to death, it released a shockwave of shadows and venom towards me. I generated a barrier of shadows and materialized it into arge te of dark matter-like hardened substance, something I didn¡¯t know I could do! CLASH! The shockwave was blocked, but my wall shattered into pieces! ¡°GGRRYYAARR!¡± I rushed into the air as I evaded his deadly leap. The beast stats were pretty high even in this condition, but its HP was not recovering further, and that was because I used [Mana Siphon]¡­ though I didn¡¯t have much mana. But thankfully, his regeneration is very weak now. I had also tried using [Life Drain], but it doesn¡¯t work on Undead. If a living being uses life drain on an undead, he will end up giving his own life to them as a counter effect, but if an undead does this to an undead, nothing happens. So it is only a tool that the undead can use against the living unless a living person wants to heal their wounded undead friend without having to give them their flesh and blood¡­ ¡°GROAR!¡± The beast released his phantom me breath, and his ws were coated inher, shing through the air and throwing shing w-shaped energy waves at me. I evaded and blocked some, but they packed a strong punch. My barriers shattered quickly, and I ended up getting shed a few times, but I constantly used [Undead Heal] on myself. However, I have also been chipping away at him! His HP was already lower than twenty percent¡­ I had to just go a bit harder¡­ Several magic arrows made of shadows emerge around me. They resemble more like sharp spears, but I called them Arrow Spears instead! And how about we add my new Shadow Materializationbination between [Shadow Maniption] and [Materialization]? The result? Super hardened flying projectiles! I am literally Gilgamesh but edgier now. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! My arrows continue to rain on the beast as it groans agonizingly. And finally, its entire body is torn apart, piece by piece. Die, motherfucker, die! ¡°GRRRYYAAAAGGGGH¡­!¡± POOF! Suddenly, it explodes into ck smoke, leaving a pool of ck water and its skull-head. Sheesh, that was unexpectedly tough for a mob fight. I felt the EXP travel into me, but I ignored it as I needed to aid my allies. I found Lucifer getting almost owned by one of the beasts, despite them being much smaller. It began to tear down his stomach and had already shed one of his legs, making it difficult for him to move. His ws were deadly as he had managed to lower the HP of the creature by half, but he was weaker due to his lower Rank and stats despite being a former dragon. I guess he¡¯s very rusty¡­ Hopefully, this EXP can help him out! CLASH! I created arger than usual spear arrow and materialized it, firing it at the monster. The result? It was pierced from its torso down, and it lost its bnce, trying to still sh at the dragon¡¯s face. ¡°Maria!¡± Lucifer cried at me as if he were delighted to see me. ¡°Having a tough time?¡± ¡°Just help me!¡± He cried, embarrassed, as we began to gang up on the beast. My arrows were insuperable but consumed mana in insane quantities, so I decided to create a Shadow de this time and wielded it as if I were a swordswoman. I was very clumsy, but Lucifer held the weakened beast with his ws, and I practiced a sword technique while shing its body. Haha! This is actually fun! ¡°GGRRYYEERGGH¡­¡± Its HP wentpletely down, and thus, another one bit the dust. Now, onwards to the third andst one because I want to continue drinking wine¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 50 ¡ª¨C As I nced at the rest, I noticed Kuro and Partner working together to take down thest beast. Its HP was already below fifty percent, and the two were working wonderfully together. I suppose Kuro is weaker than Lucifer, so Partner felt inclined to aid the cat better. And I hope it is not because of favoritism¡­ I hope! ¡°GRRAAAOOO!¡± Kuro roared fiercely as he jumped towards the beast and tore a chunk of bone and ck flesh away. Partner used her spear techniques to pierce the wound and then shape several blood masses into des, which pierced the beast again! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°RAAARR!¡± However, the beast was just as fierce as it attacked back with all its might and released a st of shadows towards Kuro, shooting him into the sky. ¡°Kuro!¡± I cried as I saw my cat fall onto the ground. I instantly reached him and poured some phantasmal essence on him through [Undead Heal]. His wounds quickly healed, and his HP stabilized. ¡°Mrao¡­¡± I petted him before flying towards Partner¡¯s side. Lucifer was barely standing as I forgot to heal him, but that doesn¡¯t matter now. ¡°Haaahh!¡± Partner intercepted the enemy with her spear and used her long ws to defend herself. The beast was wild and tried to chomp her head, but she punched it in the face. Remember, she had steel bones! CLASH! ¡°GRRYAAGGH¡­!¡± ¡°Partner, let me give you a hand!¡± I created a of shadows and materialized it, keeping it tightly strung together, and although it cost tons of mana, this beast provided it without any problems. ¡°Kill, kill, kill!¡± Partner roared angrily as she used her spear to pierce the beast¡¯s body several times, as I held it tightly to the ground. The beast growled a fewst groans as its HP went down to zero, and its body could not keep itself together anymore, causing it to die on the spot. Phew, I guess that¡¯s that¡­ Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You gained 25000 EXP!] [Your level has increased from level 3 to level 4!] [Your level has increased from level 4 to level 5!] [Your level has increased from level 5 to level 6!] Sweet, three levels in one shot. This is what I call a good grind. And what dropped items did we get? None, just ck water, and some skulls¡­ this is not a dungeon after all. Only dungeons have the ¡°power¡± to give dropped items, it seems. After the whole incident, I rushed towards Lucifer and stuck back his leg using [Undead Heal]. ¡°You took your time¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Now that we are done here¡­ Erm, what the heck was that?¡± I asked Lucifer. ¡°The ck-robed man is probably rted to this. Were you able to catch any soul?¡± Lucifer countered my question with another question. ¡°No¡­ it was weird. They were very small and phantasmal, like Partner¡¯s soul when I first raised her into a Skeleton,¡± I responded. ¡°I see. Then it is probably Undead that was just raised, only for the objective of killing us¡­ We should remain alert for the rest of the night while looking for clues as to where this bastard could be¡­ I have the urge to crush him,¡± ¡°Crush!¡± Partner shouted angrily. ¡°Grao!¡± Kuro roared as if wanting to enter the conversation. For the rest of the night, we continued watching around our surroundings. As Undead, we didn¡¯t need sleep, so there was no problem in this regard. I snacked on some dried meat sticks from the bandits and drank some fruit juice which they also had¡­ it was a pretty fine meal. But I shouldn¡¯t get too gluttonous. Food is unnecessary for me, and more like just having fun, so I shouldn¡¯t be eating what might be better off for someone else in the vige¡­ like the adorable Gofumin-chan. The morning came sooner than we expected, and thankfully, nothing else had urred. After the goblins woke up, we spoke to them about the whole thing. They were shocked that they slept through all of that, as the battle was definitely tough. As they conversed amongst themselves, I decided to upgrade my Undead based on what I learned from these Netherworld Beasts. I decided to use the miasma potions and the ck water and bones they left behind. And upon gathering all of these materials, I told one of the Bone Beasts to follow me. I used the Bone Beast as an experiment to see if I could upgrade already existing Undead. The result? It didn¡¯t work. It had to be used on something inert. So I shed a tear as I dispelled the [Fake Life] spell from this little friend I only met for a day, leaving only his bones. I used his bones for this new Undead¡¯s body and mixed miasma potions into the concoction. The result? I summoned my own Netherworld Beast! Although it was fairly different, named Shadow Nether Beast, it wasn¡¯t C Rank, but D+ Rank. It was fine though, as it held some interesting abilities and was highly intelligent, resembling the Netherworld Beasts by quite a lot. But the most noticeable difference was that they were covered in shadows. I proceeded to do the same with every Undead, allowing me to make two more Shadow Nether Beasts while the Zombies turned into Dark Ooze Zombies. Their skin turned ck like charcoal, and they were covered in ck ooze, which acted kind of like a slime. They were able to open their body parts and release this ooze as tentacles to fight and surprise enemies¡­ pretty useful. I gave them the most important order which was protecting these people, and they seemed more intelligent than before, as they nodded with understanding. Who would have known that this miasma potion could make such OP Undead? I had considered using Undead as EXP bags for the goblins, but now that I upgraded them again and used materials on them, I feel like I shouldn¡¯t waste them. I also tried to make that one big fish Kuro caught into a zombie, but the result was that it began leaping around as it wasn¡¯t in the water. The goblins managed to kill it, but the EXP was so low it wasn¡¯t really worth it. Maybe EXP within Undead depends on the quality of their bodies and the souls they have¡­ Nheless, we will begin some scouting to find where this ck-robed bastard is hiding. ¡ª¨C Chapter 51 ¡ª¨C Within the depths of a dark cave, a ck-robed man, the culprit behind the Netherworld Beasts attack, gritted his teeth as his face was filled with disbelief. ¡°T-They killed C-Rank monsters? T-Those three¡­ What are they?!¡± The foolish Necromancer had believed that his excellent n of sending three C-Rank monsters, each one capable of demolishing a whole city and singlehandedly ughtering a whole adventurer guild if a C-Rank Adventurer wasn¡¯t present at that moment, would be enough to defeat our wonderful team of Undead. BAM! The frustrated Necromancer couldn¡¯t help but m his table in frustration. He had wasted tons of precious materials he had gotten from the ck market¡­ and they were worth millions of gold coins! ¡°Damn it! Tch¡­ And they seem to be able to fight insanely well¡­ especially that woman! How can she conjure dark magic so easily and proficiently?! Does she have infinite mana or something?!¡± The man shouted, his crimson-red eyes drowning in even more disbelief. ¡°If this continues, these monsters will catch onto me sooner orter¡­ I have to do something against that! I¡­ Oh, right. There is that other bandit group¡­ I should just give them a few Undead allies to rely on, tell them to drink the miasma potions and do their best while I escape triumphantly!¡± Laughed the ck-robbed man as he began to quickly save things inside an inventory. He was a big coward, to the point of quickly running away whenever he realized something wrong was going on. ¡®As long as I bring results to my lords about the experiments here, things should be fine¡­ It should be doable¡­ I will show them the footage of those damned monsters, so they hopefully spare my life,¡¯ He thought while quickly packing his things. Aughing skeleton knight hade with an order to the bandit camp, wielding ck armor and a demonic de. His cracking skullughed maliciously, as his empty eyes shed with fiery blue phantom mes¡­ The bandit camp epted the order because they were enved to the ck-robed man¡­ And upon reading the order, they all drank the deadly ck potions before preparing to attack the goblin vige. Meanwhile, Maria had begun a meeting with the Goblins and the former ves¡­ ¡ª¨C Strategy meeting! After enjoying an excellent breakfast and bonding some more with Gofumin and Emeraldine, we began our strategy meeting for the uing events. First of all, we were going to storm the bandits that were left! And to that, we asked the former ves where the remaining bandits could be, but they seemed to be moving around throughout the week. Also, most of the ves didn¡¯t pay enough attention to the smaller details, and many didn¡¯t know of thest time they heard about the second group of bandits. However, Emeraldine seemed to know. As a half-elf, she had a better memory than the average person, so she recalled a certain asion. ¡°I remember one time when a drunk bandit spoke about them¡­ it was just four days ago. He said they lived near an abandoned temple and that it was a cursed ce where they often heard the whispers of ghosts¡­ heughed at them for being unfortunate to have to live there,¡± She said. ¡°An abandoned temple¡­? Do you guys know about any?¡± I asked. Most of the goblins had no idea what she was talking about, even the chief. However, a timid young Goblin girl with ck hair covering her eyes stepped in. ¡°I-I know¡­¡± She stuttered. ¡°Eh?¡± Everyone looked at the tiny girl causing her to blush in embarrassment. ¡°Tina? You know?¡± Asked a female goblin who seemed to be her mother. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ When I went hunting rabbits yesterday, I ended up getting lost for a few hours¡­ And I ended up stepping into a strange ce¡­ It was filled with ruins. It resembled an ancient temple¡­ I saw some things recently used by people, so maybe they were hidden¡­ And I ran away after that and somehow managed to find my way back¡­.¡± She exined timidly. ¡°EEEH?! Why would you do such a thing! You¡¯re too young to go hunting!¡± ¡°Indeed, youngdy, you¡¯re way too young! I do the hunting,¡± Her mother and father reprimanded her upon hearing the little goblins¡¯ story. ¡°Stop, she might have been reckless, but she gave us the answers we need. If it wasn¡¯t because of her adventurous nature, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to figure it out. Dear, where did you find that ce?¡± I asked. ¡°I-It¡¯s to the southeast, passing through three rivers that merge together¡­ and an old tree with a big hole where howls live,¡± She said. ¡°I see! You have saved us big this time! But make sure to not wander around by yourself, alright, sweetheart?¡± I patted Tina¡¯s silky and soft hair before I kissed her cheek. She was such an adorable little honey bun~! ¡°Here,¡± I gave her a thing I had saved; they were candies I had taken from the pig aristocrats. Even though I kept them for myself, I gave her a few. ¡°W-What is this?¡± She asked timidly. ¡°Candies, they¡¯re very sweet! Save them for yourself and eat them slowly,¡± I said with a warm smile. ¡°Oooohh¡­¡± The girl saved her prize quickly like any cunning goblin would before the other goblins noticed that she had something pretty yummy. After discovering the right directions, I marked up a map that already had this area of the forest mapped. It was an expensive map I got from the library that I stole and emptied back in the previous duchy. I quickly got ready for my journey and prepared to raid those bastards out of anything they had while making sure to kill them in the process. I also decided to bring Lucifer and Partner with me, but I left Kuro leading the Undead here. I made sure to check the surroundings beforehand by expanding my shadows all around and sharing my senses with them through my unique capabilities as a ghost, but thankfully, there wasn¡¯t anything else approaching¡­ eh? I heard a lot of noise from far away. Are they nning toe here by themselves? Ohh¡­ How about we surprise them with a nice ambush then? ¡ª¨C Chapter 52 ¡ª¨C Nothing too clever, really, just a very humble ambush. I know I am not a smart-ass strategist like one from a novel, so I just abuse my overpowered abilities and what I have in hand to get the results I want. But ambushing the bandits at the vige would be horrible because we would be letting them get too close to us. We moved towards the direction Tina told us, as my senses only took us so far before some kind of magic effect suddenly canceled the noise. I came apanied by the Goblins Warriors, which was the main team that came with us for the Bandit raid. They had leveled up a lot, and I think they might even be close to hitting max level. The chief said he was at Level 12 out of 15, so at 15, they probably can evolve into hobgoblins or something. I have to feed them some easy kills before that, and then¡­ boom! The Goblins will be able to defend themselves way better than before. So, when I am gone, they can begin hunting wild monsters more frequently before using their new strength to gain even more EXP and help their other members level up. Everyone wins! And now, we lurked across the forest in the bright and early morning. The sun had already risen into the sky, and the day was as clear as ever¡­ it was a beautiful day to be honest. Well, a beautiful day to ughter¡­ ¡°Here are the three rivers. They¡¯re very thin, but they are indeed rivers¡­ How could we have missed them?¡± The Goblin Chief pondered. The little Tina was more than right. There were three rivers, each one was as thin as half a meter, and were separated by small patches of dirt and grass- actually, it is just arger river that is separated by small ind-like masses of dirt and rocks¡­ but it does make it seem as if they were three rivers. After crossing through it, we sneaked around a bit more, and then we found arge, old tree. It waspletely different than the other younger trees, which were rugged and filled with wounds. It even seemed as if it was struck by lightning a few times¡­It even had a big hole atop, where there was lots of dry grass. I floated a bit upwards to see what was there and found four beautiful howl chicks sleeping with their parents, who looked at me with their eyes wide open. They began to rain me with peeks, but I evaded and flew away. That was both cute and terrifying. ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± As I told everyone this, I suddenly felt the presence of something lurking around. I red into the distance and found a¡­ Huh? A skeleton was walking alone. It resembled a normal low-level one. [Skeleton Soldier: Lv3] [Rank: E+] [State: Scouting the Area] Oh, he is indeed just a little soldier, and he¡¯s scouting the area¡­ Huh. ¡°Alright, guys, time to get the n going! Get in!¡± I expanded my shadows as everyone jumped inside through [Shadow Storage], one of the most broken Skills I¡¯ve learned thanks to Supreme Magic and my Dark Affinity. I had heard from Lucifer that it would take dozens of years for a dark mage to learn such aplex spell¡­ heh. After that, I used [Shadow Sneak] and activated my stealth-based skills before waiting in the shadows of the forest as the skeleton got closer¡­ and closer¡­ And¡­ Gotcha! I opened my [Shadow Storage] and grabbed the skeleton before throwing him down. And he disappeared! Heh¡­ ¡°Gang up on him, guys! Get all the EXP!¡± The goblins roared fiercely. ¡°Aye, aye!¡± ¡°Take this, you pile of bones!¡± ¡°ORRAAA!¡± CLASH! CLASH! BOOM! The goblins ganged on the poor skeleton until it was turned into a pile of shattered bones. They all gained a little shared EXP, and so did I, and then, I took the faint phantasmal soul of the skeleton and ate it. Chomp. And then, I managed to gather a few memories it had¡­ Through it, I was able to see that the skeleton came from the temple right around the corner, and it really was an abandoned ruin. It looked like an old shrine that someone used to worship gods or something. Anyways, the thing is, we were able to find the damn bandits. They were all leisurely rxing around the temple, preparing and drinking their potions with other Undead as a Skull Knightughed like a madman- Wait, what?! They were drinking the dark potions! Why? You¡¯ll get a stomachache! And they were drinking multiple ones¡­ Some even drank three. As they drank them, they began to turn crazy, but the skeleton knight was somehow able to control these wild berserk bandits¡­ Holy shit, this is an EXP fest. I-I mean, it is a very serious thing! They also had ves, and they were forcing them to drink the potions and adding them into the army of beastly like beings¡­ And¡­ As I popped my head out, I sensed a small magic barrier being formed around the temple. A Skeleton Wizard raised a staff and created a soundproof barrier so we couldn¡¯t detect them. Smart move, skelly, but it won¡¯t work on me as I can see you already. There¡¯s no time to waste¡­ I saw that the ves were all made into insane berserkers, but there should be a way to heal them back¡­ Emeraldine and the others also said they go back to normal after some time but suffer horrible seque¡­ I have to catch them separately, knock them out somehow, bring them to us, and let them rest. That¡¯s gonna be a pain, but if I put all my effort into [Shadow Maniption], it should be possible to separate my [Shadow Storage] space into two or three different smaller spaces. Like this, I can dedicate one to store the ves, the other for the bandits to be ughtered by the goblins one by one, and another for emergencies or something else¡­ Preparing my shadow storage space took me two minutes, and it was quite tough¡­ But I did it, nheless. And silently, I began to sneaky sneak through the shadows before reaching the ruins¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 53 ¡ª¨C Everyone was ready! We were going to raid this camp and kill them all. As simple as that. I divided the inner space within my [Shadow Storage] into three ¡°bubbles¡±, which should be more than enough for the little trick I n to do. However, I remember that the Netherworld Beasts were able to sh through my shadows and even destroy my shadow storage. This means that with enough strength, it is possible to even destroy my precious of shadows! Due to that, I gotta be careful. The group is mighty enough to do tons of killing, but the goblins are weak. Lucifer and Partner are the strongest as of now, and I can use their help to take care of the tougher ones. However, that skeleton knightughing¡­ That guy is no Bueno. [Dark Skeleton Lord (Special Unit): Lv12] [Rank: C+] [State: Commanding Troops] He¡¯s C+ Rank, but he has the ¡°Special Unit¡± thingy in parenthesis. I don¡¯t get it, but it might mean that something is wrong with this guy¡­ He¡¯s probably quite the mighty bastard. And by looking at his list of skills, he¡¯s rather interesting. He has things such as [Dark Commander], [Undeath Coordinator], [Chains of Darkness], and weird-sounding stuff such as [Nether Death Cage]¡­ He sounds scary¡­ I might even have to run away¡­ Joking! I will fight himter after picking up his guys, killing them, capturing the ves, knocking them out, and then he will be the final boss we¡¯ll fight to deepen our bonds and friendship. A perfect n! Let¡¯s do it! FLASH! I reached the camp, and the first thing I do is transform the soundproof barrier by infecting it with my shadows and abyssal darkness body. I then use [Shadow Maniption] and [Materialization] to shape this useful barrier and convert it into my own Barrier of Shadows. I don¡¯t think I have the mana to make this thingst for long, and I am using existing barriers to do it, but let¡¯s see how far itsts. The entire invisible barrier turns into darkness, and my shadows attack the skeleton wizard controlling it. I then manipte them to grab the wizard and then throw him into my shadows while I expand my shadows below the entire camp in just mere seconds. Everyone began to freak out like wild animals, so I didn¡¯t hear any ¡°What¡¯s that?!¡± or ¡°Impossible!¡± and instead, I heard their roars of surprise. The skeletons, which were approximately 15 Soldiers, 5 Wizards, and the Dark Skeleton Lord, quickly noticed me but didn¡¯t know how to target me; after all, I am meddling with the shadows themselves! Hahaha! But the Dark Skeleton Lord seems pretty suspicious. He already knows where¡¯s my main body is and immediately charged at me! However, I quickly evade, moving my mass of a phantom body away from the shadows I have expanded across the field. The entire floor is made of my shadows, after all. As I continue to send every bandit and ve into my [Shadow Storage], I y a game of cat and mouse with the skeletons, running in circles. They seem dumb enough to not realize they could surround me¡­ Meanwhile, the bandits and ves disappear from their sight at a breakneck pace. I am already spending so much Mana that I spent around 50% of it in a single minute, even though I am constantly absorbing the mana of everyone here. But even by calcting it, I will not have enough to make thisst more than 5 minutes. We have to get this done quickly! The Goblins are greeted with a group of Bandits, and one by one, they begin to drop into the shadow space inside my [Shadow Storage]. Led by Lucifer and Partner, the Goblins begin to gang up on the monstrous and crazed Bandits. They seem way stronger than before as the bandits had drunk several potions, and their strength seemed nowparable to E-Rank monsters,pared to the measly G-Rank losers they were¡­ Each goblin is around G-Rank too, but if they use the help of Partner and Lucifer¡­ ¡°[Blood de]!¡± Partner danced in the shadows as she released several des made of her own blood, filling the bandits with deadly wounds, making them groan in pain on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The Goblin Chief raised his arms as he unleashed the mighty rage of the goblins onto their first victim. Lucifer does the same, burning a group of Bandits with his phantasmal me breath and shing another one with his ws! As the bandits squirmed half-dead, the goblins separated into different units amazingly well-coordinated thanks to the Goblin Chief¡¯s Ability named [Chief of the Vige], which helps him coordinate his troops and enhance the power of his vigers by just a slight bit! It is something he just got after leveling when he killed the skeleton scouting the area. Coupled with my Titles which have effects that enhance those below mymand or that follow me, they grow a bit stronger and at least double their power which is enough to be able to overpower the half-dead crazed bandits. They begin to earn tons of EXP, causing many to gain a few levels. While the bandits fall to their demise and begin to go down in numbers quickly, I separate the ves into a different bubble and knock them out by using my [Abyss Body] Skill, which can make people so fearful that they faint. I used it until it worked on them all. Some died, but I stuck the soul back in, and they revived barely¡­ Haha, I had it nned, of course! Meanwhile, on the outside, I was being chased by skeletons. ¡°KAKAKAKA!¡± The Dark Skeleton Lord seems furious, raising his Demon de and releasing a dark and red beam at me. I swiftly evade and dive into the shadow surface, but he keeps firing his demonic beams at me. Meanwhile, the Skeleton Wizards are up to no good either! ¡ª¨C Chapter 54 ¡ª¨C The Skeleton Wizards are up to no good! They had begun to conjure some very BRIGHT magic. I never expected skeletons, actual Undead, to be able to use Light Magic so proficiently! It was as if they were custom made for me¡­ Wait¡­ Did the ck-robed guy see us fight? Then it is possible that by seeing us fight, he created a way to counter my shadows and darkness with a very intense and shing light. I have to stop them! ¡°KAKAKA!¡± CLASH! However, as I rush to stop them, the Dark Skeleton Lord gets in my way. Using his de, he hits the ground and intimidates me to pull back. Damn pile of bones! I fire a barrage of arrow spears at him to move him away, but he resists them wlessly. His skeleton and armor are pretty tough! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°Fuck, Lucifer, Partner, how are you two?¡± Both of them finished weakening most of the bandits, but some are still intact. ¡°We still got some that need to be hit!¡± ¡°Lucifer can do it alone, master! Let me help!¡± Partner speaks rather eloquently as she wants to join me. I guess this will be a girl and girl team up! ¡°Alright, Partner, I choose you!¡± FLASH! I throw a ball made of shadows before Partner emerges from them. What a nice actress I am! The Skeletons are horrified as they see my precious Partner emerge, her aura of darkness and blood like a stream of deadly essence. She res at them as her ck hair waves menacingly! ¡°HAAAH!¡± Partner rushes upfront as she uses her trusty spear and bathes the skeleton army with powerful spear thrust attacks. It was like a wave of attacks done by an entire army! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BOOOM! All the skeletons are blown into the air. Is she ying a Warriors game or something?! ¡°KAKAKA!¡± However, the Dark Skeleton Lord confronts her as itughs maniacally. Its de falls over her like a guillotine of darkness, but she evades swiftly and counterattacks with three consecutive spear attacks! The Dark Skeleton Lord manages to block the attack with his massive demonic sword! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°Kakaka¡­!¡± ¡°Tough¡­ Master, I will take care of it¡­! You go kill wizards!¡± ¡°Alright, sweetie!¡± I was already on it as I rushed towards the Skeleton Wizards, who were taking their sweet time. The incantation was almost done, and the ball of light was so intense I felt weakened by just getting near it! I manipted my darkness as I fired several arrows at the skeletons holding the spell, pulverizing their bony legs and making them fall and, at the same time, failing their spellcasting. BOOOM! The sphere of light, however, reached towards me and exploded anyways! FLASH! However, I had already built another shadow through multitasking and materialized it, covering the entire thing as if it were a mantle. The shadows absorbed most of the hit, managing to let me resist the faint light that came when the shadow mantle dissipated. I managed to just barely keep my shadows alive without them dissipating from the bright light! I rushed towards the still living Skeleton Wizards, who pointed their fingers at me and fired beams of light. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! ¡°Agh! Stop fucking around!¡± I released a storm of [Dark Gale] over all of them and finished them off for good as the slicing darkness pulverized them! CLAAAAASSSSHH! Their bones flew everywhere, I caught their souls, and gained that juicy EXP. I ate the souls and quickly looked inside my [Shadow Storage]. The goblins had finished half the bandits, and Lucifer had finished off thest ones, so I quickly called him for reinforcements. ¡°KAKAKA!¡± The Dark Skeleton Lordughed as it began to attack Partner with a myriad of shing attacks using his dark de technique. He was actually very dexterous, and Partner was going all out herself, using the power of her spear-rted attacks, bloodwork, and even her other skills, but the monster seemedpletely unfazed by most magic attacks that were not super powerful. It seems his armor had some kind of dark shadow ability that negated most of the damage from magic. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°GRAA!¡± Partner roared angrily as she did a spectacr flip in the air and then enhanced her own spear with her mana, spiraling downward like a drill! Wow, that¡¯s new. CLAAAAASSSSH! The Dark Skeleton Lord seemed to grit its teeth, taking the hit as it released a beam of darkness from his de. This motherfucker was tough! Lucifer reached towards him as he used his ws to sh him off of the ground, causing Partner to hit the ground as a result, and the Dark Skeleton Lord flew into the air. But before he could fly any higher, Lucifer caught him with his spear-tipped tail and crushed him into the ground! CLASH! ¡°KAKA¡­!¡± It seems that it has a hard time bncing itself if it¡¯s constantly thrown around like a ragdoll¡­ Good to know¡­ Shadows! I controlled the shadows and manipted them to shape into a giant mass, catching him in midair. Lucifer began to rain him with attacks as soon as I caught him. Meanwhile, Partner leaped into the skies and fell towards the skeleton with her spear, resembling a Dragon Knight technique from a particr fantasy game¡­ However, the Skeleton Knight roared as he gathered some kind of dark power from his chest and released it into a strong shockwave. My shadow grip was destroyed, Lucifer was thrown away, and when Partner hit him, she was sent flying into the air. BOOOOOMMM! ¡°What was that?!¡± Lucifer asked, bewildered by what had just happened. ¡°Kakakakaka!¡± The Dark Skeleton Lord began tough as his power started to overflow. The entire barrier imploded due to the shockwave, as he suddenly began to drink several potions of miasma he took out of a pouch. Was that pouch some kind of dimensional item that could store more than it seemed¡­ Like an inventory? We couldn¡¯t stop him because it was too sudden. In a split of a second, he had devoured the potions, and his entire body began to overflow with ck and bubbly slimy miasma¡­ Boss battle iing, I guess. ¡ª¨C Chapter 55 ¡ª¨C ¡°Kakakakaka!¡± The Dark Skeleton Lord began tough as his power started to overflow. After swallowing the potions in an instant, he exploded with power. His entire body began to exude slimy ck miasma, which he could control too! He was also covered in ck slime, simr to his miasma. His de began to sh around hysterically while being wielded by a ck tentacle! CLASH! SLASH! BOOM! The rest of the tentacles began to attack us, as Lucifer was grabbed by one of them and thrown into the distance! BOOOM! ¡°Uagh¡­!¡± Partner tried to defend me as she dove in front of me while I began to quickly siphon away the mana of this thing¡­ But it had increased so much that it definitely was going to take a while. What kind of plot armor does this damn Dark Skeleton Lord have to get this transformation? It is truly irritating! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°KAKAKA!¡± The Dark Skeleton Lord began tough as it walked around, pulverizing the floor with its long tentacles. It continued to hit everything as we evaded. Partner counterattacked with her spear and her bloodwork, but that was barely doing any damage. ¡°Shit! This thing has such a high defense¡­ and also magic defense. My magic is not even damaging that miasma thing¡­.¡± I said as I healed Lucifer, and he got ready to battle again. CLAAASH! The Dark Skeleton Lord rushed towards us as itpletely skipped Partner from its menu, reaching towards ME! ¡°KAAAA!¡± It roared as the tentacles suddenly merged together and shaped into gigantic abyssal ck jaws, reaching up to me and trying to devour me whole! Are you fucking with me? CLASH! I flew into the shadows and evaded in time. Lucifer wasn¡¯t targeted, so he was fine, and actually, he used this opportunity to attack this thing, giving it a good body m and then bathing it with sh attacks, piercing tail attacks, breath attacks, and magic spells! ¡°RRAAAAAA!¡± BOOM! CLASH! CRASH! Wow, he was going all out! Nice! The explosive magic spells he released began to slow down the Dark Skeleton Lord as it tried to fight back against Lucifer, but Lucifer¡¯s massive body continued to push him down. Of course, he was being pierced by countless ck tentacles, but he resisted them due to his nature as an undead while I conjured [Undead Healing] onto him. Meanwhile, partner rushed towards where the Dark Skeleton Lord¡¯s skeleton was, using her spear to break through the sea of miasma that was pouring from it. ¡°KAKAKA!¡± FLAAASH! Suddenly, the jaws of the Dark Skeleton Lord opened wide as it released a spiraling vortex of phantasmal mes towards us, burning through our defenses as Partner resisted the mes through a Materialized Shadow Barrier I created! However, this bastard was so tough- Ah! Right, why don¡¯t I just do that? I generated three other shadow barriers, hardened them, and then pushed them forward! FLAAASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°KAAAAAAKKK¡­!¡± Yes! I just used the materialized walls to hit the bastard as hard as possible. His miasma and his main body were being pressed down into the ground, barely being able to move! Come on¡­ ¡°You two, gang on it!¡± Lucifer and Partner nodded as their magical and physical attacks continued to break through the Dark Skeleton Lord¡¯srge HP Bar. Little by little, their explosive attacks began to finally tear through this damn skelly! CLASH! BOOM! CRASH! SLASH! ¡°KAAAAKK¡­ HAHA!¡± However, it suddenlyughed as an explosion of shadows and miasma came from its core, blowing us all into the sky! BOOOOOOOM! The shockwave covered arge area around us, turning everything into a small wastnd¡­ My HP was critically reducing, so I continuously used [Undead Healing] on myself, and took a Mana Potion from the merchant, and drank it. Phew¡­ I can¡¯t use Health Potions; they actually damage Undead. But Mana Potions are good enough. I only have a few, and they¡¯re for emergencies only, but because my mana drain speed wasn¡¯t enough to keep up with the [Undead Healing] I had to do, I was forced to drink one. The shockwave dissipated as the Dark Skeleton Lord revealed itself to us. Most of his miasma was now gone, and he seemed a bit weaker¡­ I looked for Partner and Lucifer and immediately noticed both of them had their HP bars below 5%. They were barely hanging on thanks to their fantastic bulkinesspared to me. I quickly continuously healed them and drank another mana potion. ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± ¡°I¡­ Somewhat,¡± Lucifer responded. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Sighed Partner. We looked at the bastard in front of us, which was slowly walking towards us, raising his dark demon de, his eyes shing with killing intent as they released phantasmal blue mes¡­ It seems that in his desperation, he utilized most of the miasma and darkness he gained by drinking the potions to escape my barriers¡­ ¡°KAAAA!¡± FLASH! He suddenly leaped towards us without even waiting for us to recover and started to release storming de techniques that were so strong that they shook the entire ce. The ground was split, and even the faraway trees were being sliced. This guy was way too OP! Could he have been an important figure, like a hero or something, when he was alive? ¡°GRAAAOO!¡± However, Lucifer roared and coated himself with mana. His dragon scales were reinforced through this, and he used a strong body m to impact the minor Dark Skeleton Lord, crushing him into the ground! SLASH! However, the shing attack it released was enough to reach Lucifer¡¯s head and slice it! EH?! ¡°Unngh¡­!¡± ¡°LUCIFER!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ M-Maria¡­¡± I rushed towards his head, but he¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 56 ¡ª¨C ¡­ Or was he? ¡°Do you have to be so dramatic? I am a zombie. Getting my head sliced off won¡¯t kill me. I am still holding on to this bastard with my body, so go on and kill it already!¡± He shouted. He lost a big chunk of his HP, but he was still alive! ¡°Alright, Lucy, I¡¯ll heal youter!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Lucy!¡± I rushed with Partner towards the suppressed Dark Skeleton Lord. It was time to y him for good! ¡°KAAAAKK!¡± The angered skeleton released several shing attacks at us, but Partner used her spear to counter them until she crushed his arm, and the de finally fell out of his hand. ¡°KAAH?!¡± ¡°Yeah, without your damn sword, you¡¯re not that amazing, are you, shithead?¡± ¡°K-KAH¡­¡± I grabbed the de, and it looked quite pretty. ¡°Mind if use it? Fufu¡­¡± The de, however, tried to reject me. It gave me a weird feeling, and I assumed it was something like that of a Cursed de, a living weapon infused with souls inside. I see. But nope, dude, you¡¯re MINE now. I infused my own intent into the de, infusing it with my soul and shadows. The souls inside were suppressed and quickly became submissive after they recognized me as their Undead Queen! The de suddenly lost its red colors and became pale blue, overflowing with phantasmal mes. I also infused my soul into it and used the [Soul Devour] Skill onto the Skeleton¡¯s chest. As Partner had already sliced off all its limbs, it was now defenseless. ¡°KAAKAKAAAAA!¡± It cried out in desperation as I used the de to pierce his chest. There was a magic core inside him, powering him up, which I crushed on the way to his soul! SLAAAASH! The soul of the skeleton began to shiver in agony as a scream of the morgue itself was released from his agonizing soul! ¡°GRRYYYYYYAAAAAEEEEEEEEE¡­!¡± Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRASH! Nice, time to eat. I slurped his cracked soul with my tongue, which I extended as if I were a frog¡­ and consumed it all. Slurp. I felt like a particr video game dinosaur for a slight second there¡­ After I swallowed the soul pieces, I gained a bit of power, only a tiny bit, and also, this guy¡¯s memories¡­ Several images began to sh through my mind. This guy was¡­ he was actually an ancient Hero? Seriously?! Uegh¡­ So he was this strong due to this? Part of his skeletal body was made from the remnants of an ancient hero named: The Hero of the Iron de. And through the remnant¡¯s emotions infused into this gear, he gained some of his previous personality. He seemed to have been a hard worker and never gave up¡­ I guess that is why he was so god damn resilient¡­ that bastard¡­ I also acquired the coordinates to where this ck-robed guy is! He wasn¡¯t actually too far as well! There¡¯s a small hill with a little cave, and if we go inside, we¡¯ll find a giant monolith. And by infusing death attribute mana inside, it is opened, and hisboratory is inside of the underground temple. Should we go y him before anything else happens? I immediately contacted my Undead and Kuro on the other side. They seemed to all be fine, and there wasn¡¯t anyone crawling around either. He¡¯s probably hiding for now, or maybe preparing to escape, or already escaping? We should really go kill him now! ¡°Well done, everyone, but the fight is not over. We have to-¡± ¡°Please reattach my head. I am slowly losing HP. I can¡¯t move. My arms are sliced,¡± Lucifer muttered in bits. ¡°O-Oh, right!¡± I quickly patched Lucifer back to normal before he sighed in relief. ¡°Good as new,¡± I said, pping his butt. SLAP! ¡°Don¡¯t p my dragon butt!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s so big!¡± I said. ¡°T-That¡¯s not an excuse!¡± He said, turning back into his humanoid form. ¡°Ggrr¡­¡± Partner looked at Lucifer with envy. ¡°D-Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± He sighed. ¡°Master, p me too! Here!¡± Partner pointed at her fine butt. ¡°Eh? No, that would be way too inappropriate!¡± I said. ¡°Hm? So you have principles only for her?¡± Lucifer asks while crossing his arms. ¡°Agh, let¡¯s not start this again, okay? And I am not apologizing for pping your butt. Anyways, I have the coordinates for the ck-robed retard¡¯s mom¡¯s basement, so let¡¯s go finally kill him,¡± I announce. ¡°D-Do you know how strong he is? Maybe he will crush us,¡± Lucifer asks. ¡°No, he shouldn¡¯t be as strong as his own Undead. Necromancers are typically weakpared to their Undead. That¡¯s like, a rule in all RPGs,¡± ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t apply with you, right?¡± ¡°Of course not. I am a ghost. I am like a final boss, not a yable character,¡± I responded with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t get this at all, but fine, let¡¯s go kill him. If he¡¯s too strong, we can just run away,¡± Lucifer sighed once again. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Partner shouted. With Partner¡¯s energetic behavior, I gave thest patch up to the two, and we rushed towards the ck-robed guy. I told the goblins to go back to the vige because this might be too dangerous for them. They carried the unconscious ves as they made their way back, and as they were all max level, they were probably going to evolve upon arrival. ¡°Good luck, Maria-sama!¡± ¡°Please, take care¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t die on us¡­!¡± ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Asked the chief. ¡°Of course I am. If I don¡¯t suffer through challenges like a good light novel protagonist, how can I grow stronger?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a strange analogy which I don¡¯t understand. But fine, be careful¡­ I know you¡¯re strong. We¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± The Chief cheered us on before leading his goblins. Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You gained 36400 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 6 to Level 7!] [Your Level has increased from Level 7 to Level 8!] [Your Level has increased from Level 8 to Level 9!] [EXP: 11706/14000] Oh, that¡¯s sweet! Level 9 already! This side quest has resulted in being a delightful feast of EXP¡­ fufu. Now, onwards to ughter this bastard and eat his soul! YAAY! ¡ª¨C Chapter 57 ¡ª¨C I have reached Level 9 out of 40. So that means there are 31 more levels before I can freaking evolve again. That¡¯s a lot of levels¡­ Can I get enough by killing this dude? I doubt it, but we¡¯ll get through it eventually. Humans give some tasty EXP, so if I can kill many aristocratic pigs, I will get a nice load of EXP out of it. I might even make their guards or close friends approach me so I can also get their EXP. Oh damn, I am such a psycho. Look at me, talking about killing people like it¡¯s nothing¡­ Mom, sister, how much have I changed?! I am hopelessly evil! Ah¡­ This is why I make it up by helping those in need. This way, I bnce out the negative karma with good deeds towards the innocent and undeserving of bad treatment. See? Where there is evil, there is also good. Yin and Yang, all that fuss. Anyways, we continued to rush through the forest. Now that we were recovered, we had nothing else to do but get there. We moved swiftly through the trees towards the direction where the memories of the Skeleton told me to go. ¡°My level is about to reach 30. I might even evolve soon¡­ At longst, I won¡¯t just be an unliving flesh mound,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Oh nice, Lucy-chan, you¡¯re getting stronger! I bet you¡¯ll awaken more and more of your power as a former dragon,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Lucy! And yes, as I evolve, I might unlock more of my former glory¡¯s power. But I lost most of my total power in the dungeon when it was formed. That thing was draining me out like a leech¡­ I guess I must still be thankful for what you did. Even if you keep getting into a mess after mess all the time, it has been fun so far,¡± ¡°Aw, really, lizard?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me lizard!¡± He cried. ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. Come on¡­ You can call me whatever you want to,¡± ¡°T-Then¡­ I¡­ Erm¡­ Ah¡­ Shadow!¡± ¡°Some¡­ That didn¡¯t even hurt,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Lame¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Shut up, you former skeleton!¡± Lucifer shouted as Partner continued to chuckle teasingly. ¡°Lame! Lameeeee~¡± Partner said, continuing to tease him. ¡°I am not good with nicknames; I am not such a type of person toe up with them¡­ Other than calling you a suggestive woman with an erotic body, I can¡¯t- Ah¡­.¡± ¡°Erotic body?!¡± I shouted. ¡°N-Never mind that! I-I am not what you think!¡± ¡°Hehe, I think you¡¯re really a degenerate deep down, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re one of those types of guys that are very reserved outside but deep down, I bet you¡¯re a kinky little lizard,¡± Iughed. ¡°S-Shut up! Can you not speak about embarrassing things for 10 minutes?!¡± ¡°Eeeh? But that¡¯s boring. Where¡¯s the fun if I can¡¯t poke my little dragon man?¡± ¡°W-What kind of nickname is that now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re cute when you get embarrassed¡­ So do you get it?¡± I asked while winking at him. ¡°C-Cute¡­ I am a male! I don¡¯t care about being cute!¡± He shouted in protest. ¡°Okaaay¡­ Anyways, it looks like we are here,¡± I said. I pointed at a small hill with a little cave. ¡°Eh? We got here quite fast,¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°See? Talking nonsense for a while always makes time go fast, which is a necessity when you live for eternity as a cursed undead,¡± I said. ¡°I have no words for such a statement,¡± Lucifer replied. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get to it! Follow me, crew!¡± I let the two hop into my shadows through [Shadow Storage], and we quickly moved through the shadows of the forest and reached the dim cave. The cave looked quite dark, and it was covered by ck-colored rocks that leaked some strange necrotic liquid. We moved around, trying to find anything suspicious¡­ And lo and behold! There he was. A small man, perhaps smaller than Lucifer, covered in ck robes that made him look like a typical viin in an RPG game. He had pale white skin, which I noticed through his pale white hands and sharp ck nails at the end of each finger. He had the air of a strong magician, his mana was vast, and he slightly gave me the same vibes as Partner¡­ was he a Dhampir or something simr? He also emanated a dark presence. He hadn¡¯t noticed us as he was quickly trying to pack his things before leaving. He was also carrying a staff with a human skull on top¡­ Wow, edgy. Let¡¯s see¡­ ¡­ [Name: Arann] [Race: Subordinate Vampire Necromancer (Majin)] [Estimate Rank: C+] [State: Hurriedly Preparing Things to Escape] [HP: [700/700] [MP: [5200/5200]{+2500} [Attack: [660]{+100} [Defense: [550] [Magic: [3300]{+2500} [Agility: [900]{+500} [Notable Abilities: [Necromancy], [Call of the Dead], [Master Necrolord], [Fake Life], [Poison Magic], [Bloodwork] [Notable Titles: [Evil Necromancer], [Apprentice Warlock] [Equipment: [Deadly Necrolord Staff: Lv10 (B-Grade)] ¡­ Oof, alright, he¡¯s quite literally a better version of me. His magic power is deadly. A few hits from him, and we are more dead than what we currently are. I see hecks any status effects, so let¡¯s see what he¡¯s got for me. Wait, why don¡¯t we start with an explosion? I slowly crept as close as I could before he noticed me. And suddenly, he began to conjure runes throughout the entire cave. Fufu, yes, get closer! ¡°Nngh¡­ I have to hurry! Damn it, why did that thinge here and just ruin everything?! The Vampires are going to kill me!¡± He cried out. Vampires¡­? Anyways, [Pandora¡¯s Box]! FLAAASH! I activated my Skill, [Pandora¡¯s Box], as I released a deadly explosion of pure chaos, darkness, and death all around us! Such a beautiful sight! It was as if I had opened the box for real. ¡°Eheeehh?!¡± BOOOM! He began to freak out, but due to his high magic defense, he was able to survive the hit, but he was also blown away, mming against the stone wall. ¡°Come out now. Let¡¯s kill him!¡± I roared as Lucifer and Partner came out. ¡°W-What is the meaning of this?!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 58 ¡ª¨C And there he is, screaming in agony. [Pandora¡¯s Box] is a spell that doesn¡¯t seem to affect me as I am¡­ well, Pandora, the race that uses it, and as long as I coat my allies with a permeable shadow coat, we will not get affected. The initial attack is the one that hits the hardest, and what remains is what I call ¡°malice essence,¡± which is like a ck cloud of very toxic venom. This guy over there has no status effect immunity, only resistance, so he¡¯s actually killing himself by inhaling it. ¡°GGRRYEEGGH¡­! Anyways, I wanted to kill this guy so badly that I brought Lucifer and Partner outside right away, and without wasting a single second, we rushed towards him! I took out the demon de I got from our skellypanion back then and swung it towards the ck-robed man while I enhanced it with mana. SLAAAASSSH! ¡°GYEEGH?!¡± The dude barely evaded, jumping away with his high agility. However, I managed to slice off half of his left shoulder, which included his arm and the staff he was carrying. Ooh, nice loot. I quickly picked up the staff and equipped it in my other hand. This thing was amazing! It had 2500 Mana and Magic, but it was cursed, and the curse was trying to eat my soul! Nothing too bad, really. I intimidated the cursed spirits the same way I did with the de, and they calmed themselves down. That¡¯s right little guys. I am your queen now. ¡°M-My staff!¡± Cried the man as he pointed his hand at us, and around twenty ck spheres were fired towards us. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! However¡­ ¡°[Shadow Wall], [Materialization],¡± I used my amazing [Shadow Wall] with the boost of this new staff, alongside [Materialization], and created a powerful wall of shadows to defend us. ¡°GIVE ME BACK MY STAFF!¡± The guy was throwing a tantrum¡­ What a manchild. Really man? All that buildup, and you¡¯re just going to cry now? This is really like those Isekai¡­ What a letdown. I guess the real boss was the friends we made along the way- wait, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°M-My mana is getting sucked out of me¡­!¡± He cried out the obvious. ¡°Duh,¡± I said, as Lucifer reached from his back when he stopped firing his barrage of magic and gave him a dragon punch, throwing him to the ground. CLASH! ¡°GRYEEGH¡­!¡± ¡°Die,¡± Partner reached him quickly after, her spear impaling his back and his hands, as she managed to also cut his legs so he wouldn¡¯t be able to run away quickly. ¡°Agghh¡­! Please have mercy!¡± He cried. What? Seriously? ¡°My man, you just enved like almost a thousand innocent people, and you ask us for mercy? Do we look like Holy Pdins that forgive sinners if you promise us to pray every night before bedtime?¡± I asked. ¡°AH¡­ Y-You¡¯re a ghost!¡± He cried out once again. Suddenly, I noticed that he was stalling for time. The arm I sliced off from him was slowly growing back, and his other arm, which was broken, began to slowly heal the broken bones. Huh, this is the power of a Vampire Subordinate. He¡¯s not a Dhampir, but a Vampire Subordinate. It¡¯s different, which is why he has insane regeneration. He can even regrow limbs. Also, he wasted most of his mana on his tantrum. ¡°How are you alive? I threw all my mana into that barrage of attacks¡­ I¡¯ve killed armies of knights with that!¡± He shouted. ¡°Yeah, yeah, we are not going to go y your game. You¡¯re trying to regenerate, right? Too bad, boop!¡± ¡°EEEH?!¡± SLASH! I used the demon de and sliced his head off. And done! Haha! Easy work. Even a baby could have done this. His head rolled around as I saw his soul, which was very strong, slowly begin to crawl back to his body. Wait, what? Was he trying to raise himself as a zombie? Wow, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen this. I guess Necromancers can do that, eh? I impaled his head with the sword and grabbed his sneaky soul before he was to do anything too funny for me to handle. ¡°Gyaah! Y-You can even grab souls?! Are you a Necromancer too?! But you¡¯re a mere ghost!¡± ¡°A mere ghost? I just killed you, and you call me that, buddy? You¡¯re really asking me to eat your soul now,¡± I sighed. ¡°P-Please anything but that! I-I can serve you! I am very intelligent! I can do various things for you! I-I can even tell you about the Vampires, everything! I just don¡¯t want to dieee!¡± He cried. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I know I¡¯vemitted so many sins that I won¡¯t go to the Valha¡­.¡± He sighed. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s for sure. Man, you¡¯re going straight to Helheim,¡± Iughed. ¡°S-So please!¡± ¡°Just eat him,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Eat! Eat!¡± Partner chanted. True, I can just get his memories from eating him and getting a guy like this as a party member would be a pain in the ass to handle. ¡°Sorry, man, but based on votes alone, you¡¯re going down my esophagus,¡± ¡°GGUUUUAAAGGH¡­!¡± I slowly slurped him like a noddle, and he even tried to crawl out of my phantasmal mouth, but I just kept slurping until he was done. I munched on him a bit to give him a few agonizingst seconds of life and then swallowed him. Good thing we sliced off his limbs. He had like a bunch of ck potions ready to use to be the ultimate final boss, phew. Yeah, I am not as clich¨¦ to let the viin power up in front of me! The Skeleton Lord was different. He threw like an explosion of mana against us. We couldn¡¯t do anything there. The first thing I got from this noddle snack was a bunch of curses he conjured on me before dying, so I dispelled them quickly and then finally got into his mind¡­ which was sealed? But I devoured the mind seal easily. Did you think that would actually stop me? Please¡­ After that, a rush of memories finally entered my mind, and oh boy, was he filled with important stuff¡­ Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You gained 60000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 9 to Level 13!] ¡ª¨C Chapter 59 ¡ª¨C After I ate that jerk, I obtained his memories easily. And what I learned from him was a big plot twist, the likes you could have never seening. Actually, I already knew a bit after I ate the aristocrats of Affnaria, but still, this just opened up more. There are a bunch of Vampires working in the shadows of these Duchies, and even the entire Kingdom, and probably many other Kingdoms. They¡¯re a remnant of the Demon King¡¯s army that separated from him after he was defeated, and they intend to control the society of humans with their might, resources, and knowledge. And they had been slowly colluding more and more, even with other aristocrats. They had taken over the criminal organizations and even slowly controlled the Kingdom¡¯s underworld while manipting the aristocrats. I don¡¯t know the exact names, aside from a few crucial ones I will not get to see in a while, so it is absolutely useless to talk about them because anyone would get bored of hearing about characters that won¡¯t appear soon! And¡­ well, this one fe was part of their little group of idiots. I don¡¯t know what to think about Vampires. In a way, they¡¯re doing this to somewhat avenge the Demon King, but they had corrupted themselves and are also going way too far, such as enving other demi-human races and even Majin such as Goblins. I suppose that even between the Majin Races, which includes Vampires and Goblins, there is racism. I should speak more about this with Lucifer. He should know a lot about this. Anyways, this guy was being contracted to make these potions and had already sold a bunch of them to multiple ces. They were being used as a new weapon to make the soldiers of each duchy stronger. The duchies prepared for a future confrontation between duchies, which was happening thanks to the maniption of the Vampires, making the governors of each duchy warier of their own siblings. Wow, this is just conspiracy after conspiracy. It has NO END. Even with all the memories of this idiot, I bet I am barely scraping the surface¡­ damn. What is the ultimate goal of the Vampires? World domination? To be the top race in the world? I guess so? They just hate everyone and their mother in Midgard, even themselves. This guy was treated pretty unfairly by his own fellows, so I guess Vampires are the ultimate asshole race. Usually, they call Elves the ultimate assholes, but they seem pretty chill, at least in this continent named Midgard, which is predominantly dominated by humans. But there are also other races mixed in due to its good conditionspared to the other Continents based on Norse Mythology¡¯s Realms. Maybe the elves of Niflheim are assholes? Anyways, Emeraldine is a cutie that just deserves love, so I doubt they¡¯re as bad as they are portrayed in fiction. I noticed something¡­ This world is pretty good at breaking tropes. I mean, it already broke the trope of goblins being a barbarian rapist race¡­ and in the end, the true barbarian rapist was the humans all along. How interesting. ¡°Are you okay? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re sad about his death,¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ No, I was impacted by the amount of info I learned by eating him and getting his memories¡­ there¡¯s a lot of crap to take in now. I don¡¯t know if I will be capable of taking all of this head-on. There¡¯s just¡­ Did you know that Vampires are super assholes?¡± I asked. ¡°Vampires? Assholes? What? I don¡¯t remember the Vampires being assholes. They were an honorable race that held their own families and were ruled by Progenitors. They were loyal to the Demon King and powerful warriors that protected the Kingdom¡­ But I guess something might have happened to them after the Demon King died¡­ I died too, so I couldn¡¯t truly tell,¡± Lucifer gave me context like always. ¡°I see. Well, let¡¯s just get going for now. No point pondering on it right now,¡± I muttered. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s something left to do, right?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Master! Master! This!¡± Partner pointed me towards a glowing ck orb above an altar. Oh right, the entrance of this guy¡¯s secretb. He left the ves inside working forever. I guess he was going to let them starve to death inside there? We might as well rush inside and save them. ¡°The way to open this thing is by infusing death attribute mana, which is like the key. It is so rare that not many can open this, which I guess is a good method of defense, but sadly for the vampire, I have the attribute,¡± I muttered before touching the orb. Suddenly arge door in the wall opened, which led downstairs into an underground dungeon-like building. We moved downstairs at a rapid pace as we found an army of skeletons greeting us. Indeed, he left them here to make sure the ves would work until they dropped dead¡­ What an asshole. ¡°Let¡¯s go, just kill them all!¡± I shouted as Lucifer and Partner began to massacre the skeletons without any problem. They were all between F and E Rank, so they were nothing against us, but against ordinary people, they can quite easily kill them without much effort. So they¡¯re effective guardians to prevent any ves from going rabid. CLASH! BOOM! CRASH! SLASH! We shed through the entire army of skeletons, blowing off their skulls and sttering their bones all over the ground. And one by one, they all fell to their ultimate demise. When we were done with, we found the ves cornered in the room, trembling in fear as they noticed our presences. I guess we looked scary, as we exuded a pretty strong death-attribute presence. We looked at them with our glowing, bloodshot eyes as I extended my dark and phantasmal hand. ¡°You will be fine now,¡± I said. Almost everyone had a heart attack as soon as they heard my spectral voice. ¡°GYYYAAAAHHHH!¡± Many of them fell unconscious right away, and a few died on the spot. But don¡¯t worry, I grabbed their souls in time and stuck them back into their bodies. Ah, how nice the benefits are of being a death mage. ¡ª¡ª Chapter 60 ¡ª¨C I extended my hand to these poor ves, and they were so scared they died out of horror! Quite literally¡­ Ugh, am I that scary? I just want to be nice and friendly. Come on. A ghost can also be cute and nice, right? ¡°You scared them to death,¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°I know! And I already revived them, so don¡¯t be annoying,¡± I sighed. ¡°Annoying?! You¡¯re calling the great me, a dragon that has lived for millennia, annoying?¡± ¡°Yeah, now shut up. We have bring these people outside and also investigate this ce.¡± As myrades brought the ves outside, I began to investigate this ce by myself. It was easier than I thought because I had the memories of this guy, so I knew everything around this ce. There were documents, some resources, and other stuff, but most of the things he had and were valuable were left within his spatial pouch, which I saved inside my Inventory. There were a lot of recipes for Undead I had never seen before, alongside materials to add to the Undead Raising process. After that, I grabbed everything I could and shoved it inside of my Inventory. I was bored of this ce, and it honestly reeked of rat piss, so we got straight out of there after I stole anything of value or no value at all¡­ I just like to steal. Ding! [You acquired the [Pickpocket] Title Skill] Eh?! That¡¯s new! I thought Title Skills were rarer than that. I guess I have indeed stolen a great deal of stuff. Good thing no one can see each other¡¯s status, so no one will know I am a thief. Also, what does Pickpocket do? ¡­ [Pickpocket: Lv1] A Title Skill bestowed to someone who had stolen over 100 goods. It enhances the user¡¯s ability to steal with each level while making the user less vulnerable to being discovered. ¡­ Well, alright, so it just lets you be better at robbing people? Who would have known¡­ I guess this world encourages you to steal now? But to Level up this Title Skill, I need to steal more, so it is quite problematic¡­ I guess I am not getting more of this title¡¯s level up then because I will be a holy woman who will never steal ever again from here and now! ¡­Joking. I like to grab things that aren¡¯t mine and then say, ¡°they¡¯re mine now.¡± It makes me feel strangely good deep inside. I guess I am truly the Evil of the World. ¡°Phew, finally done with this whole ordeal. Let¡¯s go back to the vige and drink some booze,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I am tired too¡­.¡± Partner sighed. ¡°Me too. You two did a good job. I am very proud of my little baby undead.¡± I said, petting the two. ¡°B-Baby undead?!¡± Lucifer shouted angrily. ¡°Hehe, pet me more, master!¡± Partner said, asking for more affection. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re so cute¡­ I would pet you all day,¡± I said as I petted Partner even more. ¡°Now, kiss! Kiss!¡± I kissed her forehead and nose. ¡°Happy?¡± I asked. ¡°Yesh!¡± Aw, she¡¯s so lovely. I think she¡¯s like my daughter now. My baby girl! Lucifer walked to our side in silence as he tried to ignore us. The ves walked with us all the way to the vige. They were all confused and sickly. Also, most of them were extremely hungry and needed to eat ASAP, as some were almost about to die again. When we reached the vige, we were greeted by my Undead guards. ¡°How did things go?¡± I asked. ¡°A boar came. Kuro killed it, and vigers ate it.¡± ¡°Okay then, nothing much.¡± The Zombie, who barely could articte words while walking around. He looked like he was about to copse to the ground at any moment by the way he walked, but he was surprisingly well bnced. ¡°Aaand, we are here!¡± I shouted before greeting the Goblins, who were eating grilled boar. ¡°You guys came back faster than I thought!¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°T-They¡¯re back!¡± ¡°I am d everything went fine¡­.¡± ¡°They brought all the ves that bastard had¡­ there¡¯s even some goblins there too,¡± ¡°So many new people¡­.¡± ¡°MRAO!¡± Kuro rushed towards me and jumped onto my face before licking me. ¡°You missed me, big guy? Don¡¯t worry, everything went fine,¡± I said, petting him. ¡°We did everything quite fast. The ck-robed guy was tough, but what do you know? If you cut the limbs of a person, they can¡¯t do a lot of stuff suddenly, such as running away or using their overpowered staff,¡± I said, showing my new relic. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great staff, Maria-sama,¡± The Chiefplimented one of my new weapons. ¡°I also got this bad boy to boot,¡± I said while showing off my other cool weapon. ¡°That¡¯s an Incredible sword!¡± ¡°Right? And¡­ Eh?¡± I noticed that all the group of Goblins that came with us had evolved. They got taller all of a sudden, and some of them had dark hair now or dark tattoos. Inparison, they were as tall as a small person, close to a fifteen-year-old. ¡°You guys evolved into Hobgoblins?!¡± ¡°Yeah, you just noticed?¡± The Chief sighed. ¡°She¡¯s as slow as a rock,¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°Who are you calling slow?! And rocks aren¡¯t slow because they don¡¯t even move,¡± Lucifer averted his gaze from me before I was to get any angrier. You¡¯ll see when I p that big and meaty dragon ass one of these days! ¡°Anyways, congrats, guys! Let¡¯s celebrate now,¡± We brought the provisions from the ck-robed man and the bandits we defeated. We started a little feast to celebrate our victory. One of the foods we had was some delicious boar meat, which was like pork but with a stronger vor. But everything in total was pretty tasty. ¡°I am d you¡¯re fine, Maria¡­ I was a bit worried when the goblins came back¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine as she sat at our side while we ate and drank. ¡°Of course, I would be fine! Who do you think I am?¡± I asked. She smiled back at me warmly as she cleaned my mouth, which had breadcrumbs. ¡°You¡¯re so strong but also quite a bit child-like¡­.¡± She muttered. ¡°C-Child-like?!¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ But that is part of your charm,¡± She said, smiling cutely. Ah¡­ she¡¯s really a cutie¡­ Does she want to be my daughter too? I wouldn¡¯t mind! ¡ª¨C Chapter 61 ¡ª¨C The night continued after we arrived, and we celebrated by eating all sorts of stuff. We still wanted to save some forter, especially for the Goblins, who now had so many mouths to feed¡­ but we still took some food so we could celebrate eating tasty meals. There was Smi, which was very tasty, and even some cheese, which I made into a sandwich with the bread and then warmed over a grill. The result? Molten cheese sandwich with smi. So simple yet so good¡­ There was also booze for everyone, and it tasted extra good with such an amazing sandwich. The people around us ended up looking at me as I enjoyed this preparation which they had never seen before, and I ended up making way more than I expected. The people loved it, but it was costly, especially because they could not make their own bread, cheese, or Smi¡­ Nevertheless, I believe that it is good to enjoy life¡¯s little moments, so everyone enjoyed the crunchy grilled cheese sandwiches that I made for them. They can still sustain themselves by eating grains they had begun to nt from what the merchant had, and hunting is also a good option at the moment as wild boars are not rare around here. As we all enjoyed the meals, which included a lot of grilled boar, fish, and stew, I sat down with my friends. The goblin chief and Gofumin were here too, alongside Emeraldine and some of the former ves. ¡°So what do you n to do, Maria?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Oh, well, we already defeated that asshole, and the perimeter is mostly cleansed, so we are nning on leaving in a couple of days. We want to make extra sure that you guys can handle things yourselves, so we¡¯ll cleanse the area some more in order to get rid of anything suspicious and quite possibly help you out with some other stuff,¡± I exined. ¡°Eeeh? You¡¯re leaving already Auntie?¡± Asked Gofumin. ¡°Well, I have a mission to do (that of ughtering a bunch of bastards), so I cannot stay here forever¡­ Honestly, I would love to settle down and just survive with all of you guys. You¡¯re so nice to me¡­ But we have to keep going for now. I promise you that I wille back. So until then, you have to be a strong girl, like your mommy,¡± I encouraged her. ¡°You¡¯lle back? You promise?¡± Asked the little goblin girl. She was such a cutie¡­ we had barely stayed here for almost a week, but she had grown quite attached to me. She really needs a motherly figure, and even though her father is gentle and responsible, it is not the same as having a mommy to hug and spoil her. ¡°Of course!¡± I smiled back at her, and she tried to contain the tiny tearsing from her eyes. ¡°Thank you for all you¡¯ve done, it hasn¡¯t been long, but you¡¯ve helped us tremendously, Maria. We swear to you our loyalty as the tribe of Goblins,¡± The Chief announced. ¡°EH? Really?¡± ¡°Indeed, you are a worthy leader for our n,¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ T-Thanks! But I won¡¯t be here for a while¡­ I will try to hurry up as much as I can though, alright?¡± ¡°Sure, we can wait,¡± Said the chief. Wow, I am really bing a Queen now¡­ This is the ideal Isekai trope! Onwards to Kingdom Building now! ¡­That¡¯ster, though. ¡°Hm, we have to get through a few Duchies and then assault the capital of the Kingdom, so I doubt it will take such a short time¡­ At most, half a year¡­ And that¡¯s if we win,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Huh¡­ D-Don¡¯t listen to this grumpy dragon! Of course, we¡¯ll win. I will level up and evolve a few more times along the way and then beat the big bad guy,¡± I said, smiling proudly at the achievements I have yet to grasp. ¡°And Master is not alone,¡± Said Partner, hugging my chest and pressing her hands over my breasts. ¡°Mrao!¡± Kuro cutely joins the conversation. ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah! I am not alone in this. And¡­¡± I noticed that Emeraldine looked at Partner, hugging my chest rather angrily. What¡¯s with that look? ¡°M-Miss Partner, you shouldn¡¯t be so¡­ daring with your master¡­ M-Maria, are you not bothered by her fondling your breasts like that?¡± She asked while blushing. ¡°I think you¡¯re exaggerating. She¡¯s just hugging me, Emeraldine! Right?¡± I asked Partner. ¡°Yeah! Hug¡­!¡± Partner continued to grasp them tightly. I have very low sensitivity, and this is actually just a phantom, so it doesn¡¯t feel bad, but I believe others might not think the same. ¡°She¡¯s a degenerate woman that likes to be used like this,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Who are you calling degenerate?! I am going to p your ass!¡± I roared. ¡°See?¡± Lucifer sighed. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Lucifer, you¡¯re so good with jokes¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Ahem! A-Anyways, some people said that they would be slowly moving away as they recover, but there will also be some that will remain with us. I calcte that our poption might triple¡­ But, I will also have to encourage everyone to be more active hunters,¡± Said the chief. ¡°Oh yeah, you gotta just force them to hunt if they want to stay. Thye have to help the vige in some way. No ckers allowed! ¡­Oh right, Emeraldine, are you staying?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I¡­ I wanted to talk about that¡­ P-Partner, could you please¡­¡± Emeraldine sighed as she nced at Partner. ¡°Partner, dearie, will you cut it off?¡± I asked. I made my eyes glow more than usual in order to get her to respect me a bit more. ¡°A-Ah¡­ S-Sorry master¡­ I just like to hug and touch you¡­.¡± She muttered. ¡°Aw¡­ You¡¯re forgiven!¡± I said as I pet her. ¡°W-Well, Maria¡­¡± Emeraldine spoke up once again. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡­ I want to move out too¡­.¡± She said. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°W-With you! Can I join your party?¡± She asked. ¡°Eh?!¡± Everyone ended up staring at her dumbfoundedly. Maybe she doesn¡¯t know the extreme danger of my mission? ¡ª¨C Chapter 62 ¡ª¨C Is Emeraldine okay in the head? Why is she asking to join my party? She¡¯s a cute and weak elf¡­ She¡¯ll die! ¡°Emeraldine, I would suggest you go back to Affnaria instead¡­ Our journey is dangerous, and what we are nning to do¡­ is not something that is necessarily correct,¡± I exined. ¡°But¡­ I agree with some of your thoughts¡­ I also think that this Kingdom is rotten¡­ How can it be so terribly guarded that they let citizens be kidnapped as if it was nothing? I¡­ I want to help you make a change!¡± She said. ¡°That is¡­ not really what I am going for. I am not trying to make a change for the Kingdom. What I want is purely selfish revenge¡­ I want to ughter those that nned the horrible death of my parents and made my life a living hell,¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°As you can see¡­ I am not a normal person. I am not a human anymore either¡­ I am a monster¡ªa Ghost¡ªan undead, and so are my three allies. We live in this mortal world attached to our negative desires and emotions. Our drive to kill and avenge those we lost¡­ We are not normal people. And to be honest, we are all insane¡­ You¡¯re still sane, dear¡­ you have much to live for. But, I can give you the money so you can have afortable life for a couple of years in Affnaria. You don¡¯t need toe with us and risk your life,¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± Emeraldine looked down rather thoughtfully. Her eyes seemed to be bubbling with emotions. ¡°Well, we guessed as much,¡± Said the goblin chief. ¡°Yeah, it was quite obvious she was like a ghost or something,¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Most of the goblins around us already kind of suspected me of being a ghost of sorts. ¡°You¡¯re weak, elf. You will die if you go at our pace. ept her offer and be done with this,¡± Lucifer bluntly suggested. ¡°Master doesn¡¯t need you,¡± Said Partner as she was a bit jealous again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so rude, you know?¡± I said. ¡°No¡­¡± Emeraldine suddenly said something. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I¡­ I want to go anyways¡­ I want to apany you, and I want to repay you for everything you¡¯ve done for me¡­ for everyone¡­ I have my own abilities too¡­ I can be useful¡­ I even know healing magic and spirit magic, and archery! I¡­ I can show you that I can grow stronger in these days before you leave¡­.¡± She muttered. Ah, she really wants toe with me¡­ But why? This is a bit nonsensical, but she¡¯s so dead set on it that it is a bit intimidating. ¡°Show me? Do you want to train? ¡­Fine, we¡¯ll stay for one week here. Show me how strong you can grow in that time, and then I will decide if it is enough toe with us or not¡­ But¡­ you¡¯re just recovering, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay to-¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! I will do it!¡± She said as she tightly grasped my hands, approaching her face to mine. ¡°I promise you I will do it¡­ I want to be someone worthy to be at your side, Maria¡­.¡± Wow, such conviction! Is she an anime main character?! ¡°F-Fine, I get it!¡± I gave in and even blushed a bit as she was way too close. She slowly moved away, and I saw Partner gritting her teeth in anger. ¡°Thank you¡­ My mother once told me that¡­ When I found someone truly admirable and worthy of being followed, I should never let them go¡­ No matter what,¡± She said. ¡°Your mother¡­ Oh, she was the royal guard of your elven kingdom, right?¡± ¡°Indeed. It is something I¡¯ve held in my heart ever since then. She¡¯s an honorable woman¡­ And she died honorably too¡­¡± Wow, I never thought Elves held so much warrior¡¯s honor. I guess these guys gopletely against the trope, huh. And despite being so cute, Emeraldine is shifting more onto the tomboyish side. ¡°I see¡­ I guess you can do whatever you want. I cannot stop you¡­ Go ahead and show me your resolve in this single week, Emeraldine. You¡¯re so set on it that I am actually looking forward to it!¡± I said. ¡°T-Thank you¡­ I will do my best,¡± She responded. I moved near her and hugged her. ¡°But don¡¯t push yourself too hard though, okay?¡± ¡°Uwaahhh¡­ O-Okay¡­¡± She got incredibly red as I hugged her. ¡°Fufu, what¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like hugs?¡± ¡°I-Its not that¡­ Y-Your¡­ chest is rubbing on my face¡­.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I quickly pulled her off as my breasts were pressing on her face. My bad. I should have visualized them smaller¡­ But I was always so t in my previous life that I created aplex and wanted them as big as a mommy¡­ I guess fulfilling my wishes with disadvantages¡­ ¡°Y-You should be more mindful¡­ Maria¡­ B-But it is not as if I mind being hugged by you,¡± She said. ¡°Oh, sorry about that¡­ Anyways! Let¡¯s forget about the gloomy atmosphere, and let¡¯s celebrate! Everyone, let¡¯s drink booze until we drop dead!¡± ¡°Aye, aye!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the stuff!¡± ¡°Maria, you¡¯re way too good!¡± ¡°Drink! Drink! Drink!¡± The Goblins cheered for me as I began to drink a wine ss in a single shot. Lucifer was facepalming, while Partner and Emeraldine were looking at me with fascinated eyes. ¡°Phew¡­ Uegh, this one felt a bit stronger¡­.¡± I didn¡¯t get drunk, but I was able to feel a bit of the toxicity that it had¡­ And it had way too much alcohol. Quite the cheap booze, but it still does an excellent job at making me feel a bit good. And that¡¯s what matters! We celebrated until veryte at night, and I eventually decided to go take a nap in my own tent that I was given. When I realized Partner and Emeraldine had sneaked to each side of my bed, they were sleeping soundly. Uwah, two cute girls are sandwiching me¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 63 ??? POV ¡ª¨C ¡°My lord, there is news¡­ regarding Affnaria, A subordinate interrupts my concentration as he speaks about that ursed duchy. ¡°What is it this time? I have already been told that the tomb of the dark witch was robbed, that the duke and two aristocrats that were our biggest buyers were assassinated, and that the whole library was robbed¡­ Oh right, and how the dungeon that awakened there ended being aplete disappointment, with barely any monsters spawning and had an F-Rank in Mana Production¡­ What else could have happened now?¡± I was very pissed, honestly. I have been living for hundreds of years, and even then, I am considered a young Vampire by the standards of my ancestors, but I¡¯ve never had as many headaches as of now. Affnaria¡­ By merely hearing that name, I want to break this desk into pieces. All of a sudden¡­ this servant is looking like a very good punching bag¡­ But I contained my anger. It is not good to treat those that serve me badly, or at least not without a good reason. He is not at fault for this after all, right? Indeed. I am a benevolent man. ¡°Greegggh¡­! Aagghhh¡­! P-Please¡­ M-My lord¡­ Aghhh¡­¡± Oh. I guess I began strangling him without realizing it. I quickly let him go. ¡°Hahh¡­ Hahhh¡­ Ungh¡­¡± ¡°Now tell me what it is if you don¡¯t want to be my hand¡¯s best friend once more,¡± I said as I was still somewhat angered. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ This¡­ there is very bad news! The Necromancer that was performing his duties as a Miasma Potion creator was¡­ killed¡­.¡± ¡°What?¡± This Necromancer, whose name I already don¡¯t remember, was a crucial pawn. He generated ck potions for us to sell to the aristocrats of the duchies. ¡°Uaaggh¡­ Gggeeggh¡­¡± Ah, I guess I began to strangle him again. ¡°My bad,¡± I let him go. ¡°Who killed him? And why? What is going on now? I want answers,¡± I demanded. ¡°Y-Yes¡­! H-He was killed by a group of mysterious individuals¡­ A woman, a man, and¡­ another woman. They looked utterly pale and dead-like, and one of them, a woman who led them, had the power to control shadows and death incredibly well¡­ also, the man was a dragon, apparently. And the other woman might have been a dhampir of sorts.¡± ¡°What?! A shadow necromancer, a dragon, and¡­ dhampir?! What a horridbination. Of course they could have blown off his head easily¡­ That is a terrible match. Wait, how did they find him?! I am already very frustrated, you know? I am trying my hardest to contain this anger boiling inside of me, so be good and quickly tell me,¡± ¡°Greaaggh¡­! Let me go¡­ Please¡­ Aaggh¡­¡± I guess I am beginning to be uncontroble. Once more, I began to strangle the subordinate. I should really try to calm my anger; I have problems with it. I quickly let him go, and thankfully, he is a Subordinate Vampire, so he can take as many strangles as I want. ¡°Please, my lord, stop strangling me for everything I say¡­.¡± He muttered. ¡°Speak already if you don¡¯t want me to kick your head in the opposite direction,¡± ¡°Y-Yes! W-We were able to find out about them due to the video runes within the cave where this necromancer lived¡­ but they were destroyed recently, so we can¡¯t see anymore. We don¡¯t know why they did it¡­ but perhaps they wanted to free the ves¡­ We don¡¯t know where they are now either,¡± He sighed. Ah, it had to be like this¡­ It had to be the worst situation, huh? Thankfully, I always have a n B. ¡°One is down, but there are more alchemists capable of making miasma potions. They¡¯re our greatest strength-boosting drug, so keep making them and send a team to investigate this group¡¯s footsteps. I want their heads served on a tter,¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, thank you very much for not strangling me again,¡± ¡°Now go if you don¡¯t want me to do it again.¡± ¡°S-Sorry!¡± The little man ran away. CLAAASH! Suddenly, my desk is torn apart. What has happened? Oh right, I guess my hands did this as I tried to rest them¡­ so annoying. I guess I do not realize what I am capable of sometimes. It is good that the subordinate ran away, or I would have crushed his head by ident. But¡­ what an interesting discovery, to think that these three clowns would try to take down my factory of potions just because they¡¯re ying the heroes. Foolish mortals. I seriously can¡¯t understand them, they¡¯re so strong, yet they¡¯re bothering themselves with rescuing a band of miserable and unfortunate souls? Who would do this in this day and age? Not even their own humans, not even the knights, not even the Kingdom cares about them. If a normal citizen is taken as a ve, who would care? Nobody, so why do they care? What kind of deal are they doing? What do they get back from this? Perhaps they wanted the ves for themselves? It is a possibility. After all, they¡¯re high-quality ves. Many would kill for one of them, so I suppose it ispletely understandable that they might want one for themselves. ves that are former citizens specialized in alchemy or other jobs are always more valuable. Or¡­ they¡¯re simply doing a good deed for self-satisfaction? I am already filled with too many things to do to bother with these foolish idiots, so I will leave the work to that team that will be formed. Hopefully, they can take care of them for me. And if not¡­ well, I will have to do something else¡­ Hmm, the interesting thing is that this is happening right outside of Affnaria. As if everything was somewhat connected together. Do these individuals have anything to do with the recent events? I do wonder¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 64 ¡ª¨C Since that day, Emeraldine changed. I thought she was the delicate type of girl, but she showed me that she had a very zing spirit deep down, like that of a warrior. The moment I told her that she had to show me how strong she could grow in a week, she began to work harder than ever. She woke up early in the morning, around 4 AM, and began to do exercises¡­ Indeed, the beautiful and cute elf was doing sit-ups, squats, push-ups, and running around for around two hours straight without stopping. After that, she stretched her body for half an hour, and then, she took a bath with cold water in theke and used a bow to hunt in the forest alone. After two hours of hunting by herself, she brought ten-horned rabbits and even a tiny wolf. Wow, so efficient! What the heck?! How were these bandits able to restrain her if she was so strong? Actually¡­ horned rabbits are easy to catch, and even goblin children capture them, so I guess it is not so crazy. She had some scars on her thighs and arms, so the wolf had bitten and most likely shed her, but she had healing magic, so she just healed herself and continued her hunt¡­ That¡¯s why she only had scars and not open wounds. Still, it was a bit worrying¡­ Nheless, she gained two levels from it, reaching Level 8. Unlike pure monsters such as me, Lucifer, or Partner, demi-humans have a variety of ways of growing stronger. They can pick a Job through a special Job-changing crystal inside an Adventurer Guild, and through leveling using that Job, they get extra stats and new Job-exclusive Skills. However, these Jobs can also be taken out and reced as they progress, depending on how strong the Job was. Taking it out might reduce their stats as the Jobs evolve with them and grant more stats the higher level they are, but these stats are also bonuses that can also be taken out when the job is reced by another. The job-exclusive skill can also be taken out unless the user of that Job haspletely mastered the skill, in which case they can learn it permanently, alongside a title skill. But aside from Jobs, demi-humans can also evolve. Majin are said to be beings between monster and demi humans, and therefore, they can evolve and change jobs at the same time. Beast-kin are the same, and simr beings such as Vampires, Werewolves, and even Goblins¡­ However, their evolutions are limitedpared to the variety that actual monsters can achieve. I guess it is a way to bnce them? I don¡¯t really know¡­. And between Demi-humans, it is usually impossible to evolve. They can improve themselves through Jobs alone, which is more than enough, but Majin can evolve a couple of times through their development, hastening their maturity and having the edge over them. I suppose this eventual fear of Majin growing stronger was what made Humanity fight against their expanding Demon Kingdom. However, there are sometimes exceptions, which are called special evolutions. Non-human demi-humans can sometimes evolve too, even if they don¡¯t know how. It just happens. Often when they reach a level of power, that vastly changes their appearance. Elves have been seen to be able to evolve into Fairies, Dryads, or even their dark versions, such as Dark Elves, Nightmare Fairies, and so on¡­ but they¡¯re usually scarce individuals. Some powerful elves can live their entire lives fighting and leveling up but never evolve. And due to this, I wonder if Emeraldine could evolve. I guess we¡¯ll have to see, but getting two levels in the morning was quite impressive. I learned this information from Lucifer himself, who had been hunting around thesest days, as he wanted to get enough EXP to reach max level and evolve. He had been doing it apanied by all of us, Kuro included. I had tried to aid Emeraldine in her hunting, but Lucifer stopped me, telling me that she was undergoing a trial for herself. If I were to help her, the entire intention of the trial would be lost. And so, I saw her exercise and go hunting every day while she interacted with us and spoke about a few things. It was still hard for her to open up to us, but she was trying. I believe she can do it! I am rooting for her every day as she goes hunting as well! But, I¡¯ve been using Undead to guard her from afar though. Yeeaaah¡­ I don¡¯t want her to suddenly die. Some bone beasts had been lurking a few meters from her as she explored, so I could keep her moderately safe. They will only interrupt if she¡¯s about to die for real. But it hasn¡¯t happened. Though, sometimes she almost dies but manages to pull through¡­. On the fifth day, she brought a giant wild boar¡­ Is she a prodigy or something? What is motivating her so much?! Damn, give me some of that motivation, girl! That day, I saw her status¡­ She was level 16 already¡­ but what I found weird was that there was a cap of level 20. Does she needs to change Jobs again? There is no job-changing crystal in this vige, so she would have to go to Affnaria to change Jobs. Her stats had increased quite well, and she got a few new skills and titles to boot¡­ She had gotten more expressive as well and had begun to feed me food sometimes¡­ ¡°Now, Maria¡­ Say: ¡°Aaahh,¡± please~¡± She offered me a slice of grilled meat. ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± Being served like this certainly feels odd. But I bet Lucifer would wish to have a cute girl serve him like this! Heh. Though, Partner is now doing the same because she doesn¡¯t want to ¡°lose¡± against her, or something¡­ And on the seventh day¡­ ¡°Maria, I think I have evolved!¡± Emeraldine suddenly seemed more radiant than other days¡­ like, her hair had turned from dark blonde to a brighter yellowish white. Her eyes shone brighter than usual as well. And her presence seemed more¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say it¡­ Spiritual? Holy? I guess she passed the test¡­ I can¡¯t really reject her anymore, she really worked hard for it. ¡ª¨C Chapter 65 ¡ª¨C Woah, woah, hold up for a second. Who¡¯s this holy elf right here? ¡°Maria, how do I look? Am I strong enough to be worthy of being at your side?¡± She asked, as she held my hands tightly and looked into my eyes. She was so radiant that my darkposition began to tremble a bit. I think she is damaging by just touching my hands now. It was small, and I could heal myself easily, but it was a bit¡­ well, not even painful, but it tired me and made me a bit fuzzy. ¡°Uggh¡­ I feel like I am being exorcized by so much holy light¡­.¡± I dropped onto the ground, exhausted. Emeraldine suddenly changed her facial expression into that of concern and surprise. ¡°U-Uwah! M-Maria, are you alright?!¡± She asked, getting closer to me. ¡°I am fine. I just feel a bit dizzy. Your holy light aura is strong,¡± I sighed. ¡°L-Let me heal you¡­!¡± She said, pointing her hands at me as she conjured healing light magic. ¡°GYAAAH! WAIT!¡± FLASH! The holy light began to touch my body, and I started to dissipate. My HP was dropping like crazy too! I was fragile to holy light! Holy shit! ¡°Ahh¡­ So this is my end¡­ It was a fun journey, everyone¡­.¡± I smiled at everyone. I guess this was the end of my journey. It was filled with hardships, but I guess I had my fun. I suppose this is it¡­ Perhaps the purification had cleansed my mind from the negative thoughts. I feel so in peace with myself. ¡°I think I am going to heaven¡­ Partner, make sure to take care of Kuro and Lucifer for me¡­.¡± ¡°WAIT!¡± Cried Partner. ¡°W-What the heck is going on?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°MRAO!¡± Cried Kuro. ¡°Uwawawawahh¡­! Maria, I am sorry!¡± Emeraldine apologized profusely as she began to cry. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry¡­ This is for the better¡­ I think¡­ I can finally rest¡­ Take good care of everything, alright? I am counting on you.¡± ¡°NO! Please don¡¯t die!¡± ¡°Shut up that stupid elf already! Just keep pouring death mana into her¡­ Maria, can¡¯t you heal yourself?!¡± Roared Lucifer as he, Partner, and Kuro began to shower me with their phantasmal auras. I began to slowly feel better. ¡°EH? What was happening just now?¡± I asked. I feel confused¡­ ¡°You almost died! Damn Elf! I hate you!¡± Roared Partner, hitting Emeraldine in the head. ¡°Ouch! I am sorry¡­ I deserve this punishment¡­! *Sniff*¡­.¡± Cried Emeraldine. ¡°You dork, you almost died in the most anti-climactic way possible,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Mrao!¡± Said Kuro, adding a lot to the conversation. ¡°Is that so? Haha¡­ I guess the holy light made me dizzy indeed. It was like one of those nice drugs that you know it can kill you, but you still take them because it makes you feel so nice,¡± I muttered. ¡°How can youpare holy light that literally exorcises you with weed?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°HEY! You know weed?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, of course, we dragons used to enjoy a series of special herbs to pass the time of our millenary lives and- T-That¡¯s not the point!¡± ¡°Damn, now I want to meet with some dragons and smoke some weed,¡± ¡°This conversation is spiraling into a topic I don¡¯t feelfortable speaking about,¡± Emeraldine suddenly kneeled before me and began to supplicate me to forgive her. ¡°Sorry! I am so sorry, Maria! I-I didn¡¯t realize healing magic damages Undead¡­ And I didn¡¯t realize that my Holy Light Aura was automatically activated¡­ I-I already deactivated it¡­.¡± She continued to cry. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good then. It was mostly my fault for not realizing sooner,¡± I said. ¡°N-No, I cannot easily be forgiven¡­ Please punish me,¡± Cried Emeraldine as she looked at me with a perverted look. O-Oi, what is she thinking? ¡°I can punish her for you, Master¡­¡± Partner came walking in, while carrying her spear. ¡°W-Wait a second, that¡¯s not good, she¡¯s not an Undead, you can¡¯t be too rough on her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ you can always make her a zombie elf,¡± Said Partner, readying her spear. I managed to take the spear away from her and ended this discussion as quickly as possible before it were to turn annoying. I forgave Emeraldine and decided to just tell her to be more mindful of her abilities. As they ended up being the opposite of me, she could damage me badly if she got a close shot on me. I am particrly weaker to this element because I am a ghost of darkness and death; unlike zombies, I don¡¯t have a physical body to shield me, so I receive even more damage. The [Holy Light Aura] was a spell she gained after her recent evolution¡­ I checked her status while she was apologizing, and it looked like this: ¡­ [Name: [Emeraldine] [Race: [High Spiritual Light Elf] [Job: [Spiritual Archer] [Level: [1/50] [Rank: [C+] [Status: [Evolved] [HP: [620/620] [MP: [2100/2100] [Attack: [750] [Defense: [220] [Magic: [1700] [Agility: [1026] Characteristic Skills: [Nature Element: Lv¨C] [Holy Light Element: Lv¨C] [Royal Elven Lineage: Lv¨C] [Beloved by Spirits: Lv¨C] [Elven Language: Lv¨C] [Charming Beauty: Lv3] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Resistance: Lv4] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv3] [Light Resistance: Lv3] [Darkness Resistance: Lv3] [Fear Resistance: Lv4] [Hunger Resistance: Lv5] Normal Skills: [Foraging: Lv7] [Archery: Lv8] [Hunting: Lv6] [Alchemy: Lv4] [Cooking: Lv6] [Agriculture: Lv5] [Dismantling: Lv6] [Spirit Summon: Lv6] [Holy Healing Light: Lv4] [Druid: Lv4] [Entangling Vines: Lv4] [Hard Wood Bark: Lv3] [Holy Light Aura: Lv1] [Regenerating Light: Lv1] [shing Light Beam: Lv1] Title Skills: [Huntress: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv3] [Forager: Lv3] [Priestess: Lv1] ¡­ Damn, she looks mighty fine with those stats and skills. She has such a different build from all of us. Demi-humans are truly varied and unique in this aspect. I can¡¯t help but admit it! She has so much light-rted stuff¡­ And her Mana and Magic are abnormally high. She¡¯s talented at archery too, and she has a high level of cooking as well. She¡¯s pretty good for our team, and she can adapt to any terrain as well. ¡°I guess we wee you as a new party member!¡± ¡°R-Really? Oh, Maria, I am so happy!¡± Emeraldine hugged me tightly as I pet her head. ¡°You worked pretty hard, dear.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 66 ¡ª¨C Today in the morning, after the incident with Emeraldine, we had breakfast with the goblins and the rest of the people. The majority had already begun to recover and had been joining the goblins with hunting and fishing, while others had started to use alchemy to help the goblins create potions using herbs and monster blood. The remaining even worked on enhancing clothes and such. However, there is still arge group that is gradually leaving the ce. Some just simply wanted to go back home, so we couldn¡¯t stop them, but I made them swear an oath not to say anything regarding us, and to make it better, it was through a curse etched into their very souls. If they speak about me or anything that has happened here, they¡¯ll die. As simple as that. It¡¯s their choice if they want to live or not, just don¡¯t go talking about shit no one cares about, and you¡¯ll be fine¡ªthat kind of deal. After scouting, hunting, and foraging the entire area for a week, we were kind of ready to depart. Oh man, we spent just half a month here, but we made some excellent memories¡­ The people here were so nice, and itpletely changed my perspective of what my original world used to depict goblins as. I guess they¡¯re just good and honest people trying to survive in this harsh world. I don¡¯t know why I am getting so heroic all of a sudden, but if it is within my power, I want to give them the home they deserve. So I wille back here eventually, and I will bring them all with me so we can live together in a ce where no one wille to annoy us. At that point, the story will give a dramatic shift, and it will be a slice of life! Uwah, I can¡¯t wait¡­ But for now, we are in survival and action, so I can¡¯t lower my guard nor slow my pace. Most things are packed up, and most things have been taken care of¡­ Oh right, Lucifer evolved¡­ I forgot to talk about him. Changes? Not many; he just got a bit darker in scale color when he transforms into a dragon. His horn became bigger though, and I believe his wings are more repaired and could possibly fly if he puts in the effort. But he¡¯s still a chunky guy as a dragon, so I doubt thiszy ass can p his wings. Nheless, Lucifer is an important ally, and I already consider him my good friend. Despite his aggressive and often annoying personality, that¡¯s because he¡¯s tsundere, deep down, he¡¯s very soft and gentle, and he shows it primarily with the goblins whenever we are not around. I¡¯ve spied on him a couple of times¡­ He even let the children y on his dragon body, and he enjoys being gentle with the goblins, helping them hunt or even farm. He even shared his scales with them so they could make strong dragon scale armor. So he¡¯s a nice guy that covers his gentle core in a rugged and cold shell. I guess you can¡¯t me him after all the shit he has gone through¡­ I would probably be the same¡­ I guess we all have shells. Mine is that of a dork. Perhaps that way, I can find some joy in this new ¡°life¡±¡­ Hm, we are getting too off track. Alright! Here are his stats: ¡­ [Name: [Lucifer] [Race: [Dark Dracolich Chimera] [Level: [1/50] [Rank: [C+] [Status: [Secretly Sorrowful] [HP: [2400/2400] [MP: [940/940] [Attack: [1550] [Defense: [1215] [Magic: [850] [Agility: [920] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dragon: Lv¨C] [Chimera: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fire Element: Lv¨C] [Artificial Elemental Cores: Lv¨C] [Morph: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv4] [Shapeshift: Lv4] [Self-Regeneration: Lv5] [Flesh Consumption: Lv4] [Hardened Dragon Scales: Lv4] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv4] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv4] [Elemental Damage Resistance: Lv3] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv5] [Phantasmal mes Breath: Lv6] [Phantom ws: Lv5] [Fireball: Lv4] [Dark Sphere: Lv4] [Mana Mastery: Lv4] [Intimidating Aura: Lv6] [Dark Shadow Spear: Lv1] [Venomous Dragon Scale Powder: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Fallen Dragon: Lv¨C] [Protector of Goblins: Lv1] ¡­ He got pretty strong! Look at those stats, holy shit. He truly became the tank he said he would be. And to boot, he got all his skills leveled up quite nicely as well. Additionally, he got two new skills. He can create a giant shadow spear to throw at an enemy or use as a weapon in his humanoid form, and also generate a scale powder by pping his dragon wings, which is venomous and can cause paralysis. Also, he got an adorable Title¡­ ¡°Protector of Goblins,¡± which says a lot about what he had been doingtely, hehe. None of us got this Title, so he had done way more than I did to get it! Grr, now I am a bit jealous. Maybe he could be a decent King too. He seems old, wise, and more serious than me. Perhaps I could let him govern them in the future while I work in the shadows¡­ Or not? Who cares anyway. ¡°Auntie Maria, are you really leaving? You don¡¯t like living with us?¡± Gofumin approached me as she tried to contain her tears. ¡°No dearie, I have to get going because I have a very important mission to aplish¡­ I told you I woulde back in due time¡­ Until then, you have to be strong and train with your papa, alright? I will be back in no time, so I want to see you all strong by then!¡± I encouraged her. ¡°Oohh¡­ A-Alright! I will train hard like Emeraldine¡­!¡± Said Gofumin. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± I said, petting her head and kissing her forehead. ¡°Take care,¡± ¡°Auntie, I want to kiss you too!¡± She said. ¡°Oh? F-Fine then¡­¡± She cutely kissed my nose from all ces, and I couldn¡¯t contain myself as I petted her silky hair while caressing her cute and long goblin ears. ¡°Thanks for everything,¡± Said the goblin chief. ¡°No problem, chief, we¡¯ll be right back, so for now, hold down the fort,¡± ¡°Very well, we¡¯ll be waiting for you then!¡± We walked down the road once more as we waved our hands at the collection of monsters. I¡¯ve left a lot of Undead with them, which will guard them and protect them from anything that could possibly be life-threatening¡­ In the worst-case scenario, they can also be used as mounts and will carry them away at a fast speed too, so if things get bad, they can escape and relocate elsewhere safely with the bone beasts and the zombies. Of course, they won¡¯t go crazy just because I am not there. Wherever they are, my undead will always be loyal to me and will obey me, so I am confident that things will be alright¡­ I hope. The thing I fear the most is someone chasing us down from somewhere, so I better get out of here before they find our footsteps near this vige or something. The farther away we go, the better it is for the goblins so they don¡¯t get caught in whatever might happen to us. It¡¯s for the best¡­ And here we go, moving on. Our next stop is¡­ The Duchy of Btina! ¡ª¨C Chapter 67 ¡ª¨C It has been a whole week since we left the goblin vige, and I already miss them all¡­ *Sigh*¡­ We crossed the grasnds on our loyal steed, Kuro, and after around four days, we reached a dense forest named the Evergreen Forest, which is surrounded by two mountains. The duchy where we are moving towards is in between these two mountains. It seems that there are big mining agencies extracting magical metals from it, such as mithril and the like, which is the primary source of ie for the duchy of Btina. This forest seems to be a mildly dangerous one. But, It has a road where merchants cross, which are often aided by adventurers or mercenaries. And this forest is mildly dangerous because, although deadly monsters roam around, it is often cleansed by the adventurers themselves, whoe here to y monsters for their magic crystals and corpses to sell. I mean, that¡¯s what adventurers do; they¡¯re glorified hunters. In addition to the Mithril Mines and the Spirit Stones Mines, Btina has two dungeons on each side of the forest, separated by the road I mentioned earlier. Both dungeons are around D-Rank, nothing too special, and we won¡¯t get much EXP out of them either, so I am not interested in dungeon-diving especially because it bes boring after the first experience unless it is a very high-level dungeon where it is a better challenge. We have been traveling for about three days without stopping. Although we Undead didn¡¯t feel physically tired, we needed to take a break to calm our minds as we have exhaustion and stress from time to time. Plus, Emeraldine was barely hanging out. I thought she would resist it better, but not sleeping for three days made her look exhausted¡­ Which she most likely was. Before moving forward into the deeper parts of the forest, we decided to make a camp and pass the night there. ¡°Hahh¡­ What a relief¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine as she rested on my shoulder. ¡°You should go sleep after we finish eating. We can¡¯t have you falling asleep as we advance through the forest, alright?¡± I asked. ¡°Yesshh¡­ Zzzz¡­¡± And she fell asleep. She had already finished her te of boar stew, so I guess she was good to go. I held her with my arms and put her in the tent, covering her with bedsheets, turning her into a cute burrito. She was sleeping with a rxed look¡­ ¡°Master, I want more!¡± Partner quickly averts my attention from Emeraldine as she asks for more stew. ¡°Alright¡­ Though, don¡¯t you need blood?¡± I asked her. ¡°Monster blood is fine,¡± She said while nodding. ¡°I guess? What do you think, Lucifer?¡± ¡°My blood is rotten, so I can¡¯t give her fresh dragon blood¡­ Ummmm¡­ You don¡¯t have blood, to begin with¡­ but Emeraldine could be our source of blood for Partner,¡± Said Lucifer, as he smiled maliciously at the innocent elf sleeping in the tent. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Fresh elf blood¡­.¡± Partner had begun to look at Emeraldine differently. ¡°She¡¯s too holy for that. She¡¯ll burn your tongue!¡± I said, stopping her and grabbing her from the belly. ¡°Gehh¡­ I want some blood now¡­.¡± She said teasingly. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t assault her, or I¡¯ll get mad,¡± ¡°Buhh¡­¡± Partner pouted as she sat down again. ¡°I want you two to get along, alright? You and Lucifer are already good friends, so Emeraldine has to get along with you too. In fact, Lucifer has already epted her!¡± I said. ¡°I just don¡¯t care,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°See? ¡­Wait, what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Lucifer repeated himself. ¡°You don¡¯t care about anything? What are you? A Nihilist?¡± I sighed. ¡°You could say that,¡± Said Lucifer pridefully. Being a nihilist is nothing to be proud of! ¡°Right, right, whatever you say, guardian of the goblins-san,¡± Iughed. ¡°T-That title is false! I am no such thing,¡± Lucifer tried to refute. We ignored Lucifer¡¯s ramblings and enjoyed a wild boar steak. Monsters had barely appeared through our travel as the grass ins are mostly freed from them. They¡¯re often quite rare around there due to there being such open spaces. Monsters prefer ces where they can hide and not reveal themselves as easily. However, now that we are in this ursed forest, we must expect monsters at any time! So we can¡¯t lower our guards. Kuro is watching most of the time, but I decided to make some extra backup Undead to watch our backs an additional time. I made two Netherworld Beasts with the materials of the Necromancer, which were both at C-Rank. Of course, they were weaker than us butbined, they made up for two decent extra fighters. Additionally, I raised a scouting Undead through a method named Contract Summon. I summoned an Undead Crow Familiar by using a crow we hunted by ident, thinking it was a fattier and tastier bird, and some of the scriptures, rune incantations, and a magic circle I made up on the go thanks to the knowledge I acquired by eating the soul of the necromancer. These three new friends have yet to get any name, but I¡¯ll keep it simple for now. I¡¯ll call them Bone Beast Alpha and Omega, and the Crow shall be named Raven. Oh my, I am such a good, fantastic user of naming! I was thinking that with enough preparations I could raise a bigger army of Undead, but I don¡¯t see any point in ughtering a whole city. I guess there¡¯s the EXP, but I would feel bad by killing innocents that had nothing to do with all of this. At most, I could strategically use my Undead by summoning them in certain areas with soldiers to distract them or outright kill them¡­ But¡­ soldiers are different, they¡¯re ready to fight and are paid to protect a ce, so they¡¯re willing to die fighting. However, I intend my work to be stealthy, so I will sneak into the duchy whenever we reach there and then look for clues as to where I could find the pigs I must kill. With that said and done, the night flew by, and the morning quickly came. ¡ª¨C Chapter 68 ¡ª¨C Today, early in the morning, I checked my stats¡­ I had not leveled up once since the Necromancer. Don¡¯t me me! I have barely found anything worth the EXP. But at least I¡¯ve been steadily developing and practicing my abilities. And I even managed to get a few new Skills, level up most of my Skills at least once, and even get some new talents. Plus, don¡¯t forget the Staff I got from him. It¡¯s the one I keep equipped the most due to the Mana bonus it offers, which is stupendous¡­ And well, the magic bonus is great as well. Here are my stats for reference: ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Pandora] [Level: [13/40] [EXP: 17806/24000] [Rank: [C+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [1020/1020] [MP: [4700/4700]{+2720} [Attack: [560]{+100} [Defense: [430] [Magic: [4300]{+2617} [Agility: [1250]{+575} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv6] [Shadow Sneak: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv4] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv7] [Darkness Resistance: Lv6] [Fear Resistance: Lv5] [Elemental Resistance: Lv4] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv7] [Lesser Curse: Lv7] [Life Drain: Lv7] [Possession: Lv6] [Dark Sphere: Lv8] [Dark Gale: Lv7] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv5] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv1] (New!) [Shadow Maniption: Lv6] [Shadow Storage: Lv5] [Undead Healing: Lv4] [Fake Life: Lv6] [Erase Presence: Lv3] [Soul Eater: Lv3] [Stealth: Lv7] [Summon: Lv3] [Aura of Famine: Lv2] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv2] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv2] [Materialization: Lv4] [Cooking: Lv1] (New!) [Hunting: Lv1] (New!) [de sh: Lv1] (New!) Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv5] [Undead Queen: Lv4] [Evil of the World: Lv2] [Pickpocket: Lv2] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv1] (New!) Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] Equipment: [Weapon: [Deadly Necrolord Staff: Lv10 (B-Grade)] +2500 MP +2500 Magic +100 Attack +500 Agility +200 Dark & Death Damage ¡­ Oh right, I¡¯ve been unlocking my inner potential with the de too. Although I only use it when I am about to kill something to gain Sword Proficiency, as I keep the staff equipped because it expands my mana pool by quite a lot. The staff is fantastic worthy of being a piece of B-Grade equipment at Level 10. It means the guy put a lot of dedication to the point that the weapon itself leveled up all the way to Level 10 by constantly upgrading it with materials and a cksmith. All types of equipment have Levels, which increase when you upgrade them with a cksmith¡¯s help and use materials as the surplus to trigger the level up. There¡¯s also a chance it might fail, in which case the weapon might risk being destroyed in the process¡­ which is why you gotta find good cksmiths. But this one already went through that painful process, so it is maxed! I will probably use it for the next 500+ chapters of my life. Hahaha! Anyways, after a week of using the Demon de, I gained [de sh] and then [Apprentice Swordsman] as skills. Both are enhanced by my ability to use the cursed de, which is somewhat alive as it has evil spirits inside, the same as this staff. Usually, people who were not allowed to wield them would be immediately attacked and cursed. And that is what happened back then, but I just was like¡­ immune to their feeble curses and ended taming the spirits using Undead Queen, so I Uno Reverse Carded them. Oh right, after a bit of practice, I had also acquired the [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv1] Skill, which is the powerful and intricate conjuration of a wall made of shadows that I can bend to my will. But, it cannot only be used to protect, but I can justunch it at an enemy in stacks and crush them with the weight of actual brick walls made of materialized shadow magic. With these new Skills and my improved stats, I feel pretty prepared for any challenge, as long as it is manageable. I nced at my other secondary weapon, which I switched around with the staff, the Demon de. ¡­ [Spectral ursed Demon de: Lv4 (B-Grade)] +1000 MP +1000 Magic +2400 Attack +640 Agility +140 Dark & Death Damage ¡­ It might not be as good magically, but it shines with that +2400 attack! Oh baby, that looks sweet. I use it to shy sh and stabby stab anything in my way. Giant Wild Boars died with a single sh as they were sliced in half. Mind you; these creatures are often up to three-meters-tall¡­ Unless a Hero-level guy shows up, I am pretty confident. And even if a dangerous enemy shows up, I can always hide in the shadows and escape as fast as possible while saving everyone inside my Shadow Storage¡­ so that is my backup escape n there. But due to this very reason, I don¡¯t want to cause amotion that might arise the emergence of a hero I cannot handle toe y me. Because of that, stealthy and sneaky assassin creed-style assassinations are necessary¡­ Although thetest games were not even about ssic assassins¡­ But anyway, it¡¯s kind of like that. If I can just get in, kill the guys I want to kill, feel some joy from it, get some info, then that would be ideal. Storming the entire city whileughing everywhere is bound to bring a Yuusha-sama (Hero) to kill me. ¡°Fwahh¡­ It was a good sleep¡­ I feel refreshed,¡± Said Emeraldine, smiling cutely at me. ¡°Burrito,¡± I said. ¡°Huh?¡± She noticed she was wrapped like a little silkworm. ¡°Ungh¡­ I can¡¯t get out¡­ help¡­ Maria¡­¡± She cried out as she began to move like a worm¡­ ¡°Calm down¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°She¡¯s awake atst? Then let¡¯s get going. I crave more books to read. These ones had been emptied¡­ My mind craves more knowledge and fiction!¡± Luciferined. He had been reading all the books I got from the bookstore to pass the time¡­ ¡°I want to have fun. Can we enter the city like normal people?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe? I guess we could pretend¡­.¡± Yeah, maybe getting around while suppressing my dark aura? ¡°I want to go to the bathroom first¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. Ugh, the living and their bathroom problems. Who can understand them? ¡°Maria, there¡¯s a giant Undead Crow ring at me!¡± Emeraldine cried out. ¡°That¡¯s Raven. He¡¯s a friend. He scouts for us, so don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s just watching over you,¡± I said. ¡°B-But my privacy!¡± ¡°Privacy or safety? Your choice¡­¡± I said. ¡°Privacy!¡± ¡°Fine¡­ Raven,e here¡­.¡± ¡°CRAA!¡± A giant one-meter-tall Undead Crow flew towards me, and I began to caress his fluffy belly. ¡°Who¡¯s the cutest birb?¡± ¡°Craaa!¡± ¡°Yes, you are!¡± ¡°Craaa~¡± Raven likes me to caress below his chin too. He¡¯s such a cutie. ¡°Mrao¡­¡± Kuro suddenly gets jealous. ¡°I have not forgotten about you¡­.¡± I sighed, as I caressed his big head, and he licked my face. ¡°Craaa!¡± ¡°Ah, you too~ Of course!¡± Hehehe¡­ Petting cute animals is the best¡­ I never thought I would have such cute pets in this life. Well, they¡¯re reanimated corpses¡­ But still! ¡ª¨C Do You Want More Chapters? You can give Gifts for more Chapters! Magic Castle= 2 chapters Spaceship = 4 chapters Chapter 69 ¡ª¨C Within the vast Evergreen Forest, a pair of young kids ran barefoot. Their bodies were covered in scars, and they were only wearing tatters. They were both pale white, and their eyes glowed with different colors. Their hair was also of different colors, with each one having different colored patches that were unmatched and seemed random as if artificially made that way. And on their faces, they had strange runic tattoos and both with onerge spiraling ck horn, each one on the opposite side of the other¡¯s head. There was arge ck and red jewel on their chests, spreading an ursed essence into their bodies, fueling their strength to run away. However, despite how bizarre they looked, they were not monstrous. Their eyes were filled with fear and desperation, their teeth grit, their feet covered in dirt and wounds, and they seemed exhausted. ¡°Hahh¡­ Hahhh¡­ I am tired¡­¡± The little boy began to gasp for air as he almost fell onto his knees on the ground. The girl quickly caught him and looked him in the eyes. ¡°We have to go, Takeshi! You can¡¯t rest!¡± ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t think I can keep going, Laura¡­.¡± ¡°No¡­ D-Don¡¯t give up! We can escape¡­ We are so close!¡± ¡°My body¡­ it hurts all over¡­.¡± ¡°CRAAA!¡± Suddenly, the girl was startled by the sound of a raven in the distance, flying upwards and circling them both. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°CRAA!¡± The raven then flew away. ¡°ARRROOOOO!¡± Suddenly, the two heard the voice of the ursed abomination that had been following them ever since they escaped theboratory¡­ ¡°I-It¡¯s here!¡± Cried the boy. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ I am sure that he fell off that cliff! H-How?!¡± Cried the girl. ¡°He¡¯s a monster¡­ he was made like us¡­ but he¡¯s made to chase others¡­.¡± The boy muttered before ncing back at the girl. ¡°Takeshi,e on!¡± Laura, the girl, grabbed Takeshi, the boy, with her hands, and began to pull him, making him rest on her back as she tightly grabbed his ankles. ¡°L-Laura¡­ stop¡­ Let me stay here¡­ I can buy you some time¡­¡± Muttered the boy. ¡°No! I-I told you that we were going to¡­ get out together!¡± She shouted in response. ¡°Laura¡­¡± The little girl grit her teeth as her crimson-red eye, and her yellowish-gold eye suddenly shone with bright lights. The strange jewel in her chest filled her with thest remnants of energy as her little legs began to run through the mud and on the hard rocks of the forest floor. ¡°AARRGR!¡± However, she heard the ursed creature¡¯s bark once more. Its enormous razor-sharp teeth began to crackle menacingly as it got closer. Her heart began to beat faster and faster as the boy was barely hanging on with his consciousness, on the brink of falling unconscious¡­ ¡®I won¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t let them catch me again!¡¯ Thought the girl. ¡°GRRAAARR!¡± However, the monstrous creature detected them at longst. It leaped towards the pair with incredible speed and uracy. Its body was enhanced by its mana, and then, it suddenly appeared right before the duo. CLASH! ¡°Gyyaaah!¡± The girl lost her bnce due to the surprise, as she fell onto a puddle of mud, the boy barely being able to see what was happening. The monstrous creature looked at the two with its wolf skull head and two glowing red eyes in each socket. Its body was like that of a wolf and covered in dark fur, but it had multiple tails, each one having the head of a different-colored snake. They even hissed at the two! ¡°Ggrrrr¡­!¡± The wolf-like chimera slowly began to move towards the girl cautiously as it had a good reason. ¡°G-Get away from us!!!¡± The girl cried loudly as she pointed her tiny hands at the monster. A sudden burst of ck electricity came out, shing with the wolf¡¯s face! CLASH! ¡°GRAARR¡­!¡± The wolf, however, remained almost untouched. The power she had was too weak now that she had barely any energy¡­ ¡°GRAA¡­!¡± The creature moved further as a mass of purple slime suddenly came out from below its belly, extending viciously towards the girl. ¡°Aggh¡­!¡± Suddenly, a man¡¯s voice came out of the wolf chimera¡¯s head, which had a strange artifact in it resembling a ck box the size of a peanut. ¡°Kuahaha! I finally found you two, little ones! I cannot possibly lose you from my grasp! This will be thest time you¡¯ll escape from me! I¡¯ll make sure to cut your limbs one by one, so you won¡¯t be able to run away ever again¡­.¡± ¡°No! Leave us alone!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t! You¡¯re important for my research, after all. I must work to please my master. And well, also to please my endless craving for knowledge and research¡­.¡± ¡°Blob!¡± The purple slime extended its tentacles as it wrapped itself around the girl¡¯s body and her tiny limbs began to be slowly pulled! ¡°I am sorry¡­ I am sorry¡­¡± Muttered the slime with the voice of an agonizing man. ¡°Nooo! Please stop!!!¡± ¡°I am sorryyyyyyyyy!!!¡± ¡°GRRYYAAAGGGH¡­!¡± SPLAT! ¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± While thinking that the girl¡¯s limbs were going to be pulled out horrendously, she suddenly felt like the grip of the slime¡¯s tentacles loosened around her limbs as she fell onto the mud again. She nced at the ground and saw the slime sttered across the mud, with arge dragon sitting atop its remaining pieces. ¡°E-Ehh?!¡± The dragon was dark-scaled and looked menacing. ¡°Maria! Did you have to throw me like a ball here?!¡± He roared. ¡°Sorry! I was testing my Shadow Catapult! It is pretty fun, but goddamn, it drains MP like crazy,¡± The voice of a mischievous woman resonated across the forest as a mass of shadows wrapped itself around the wolf chimera before it was to take the boy away! ¡°AWROOO!¡± And from the shadows, a beautiful yet lugubrious-looking woman came out. ¡°What do we have here¡­ Oh! These are kids?!¡± She eximed as several figures jumped out of her shadows, including a beautiful blonde elf. ¡°Are you okay? Oh dear, look at your wounds¡­ I¡¯ll heal you right away!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The girl was leftpletely dumbfounded. ¡ª¨C Do You Want More Chapters? You can give Gifts for more Chapters! Magic Castle= 2 chapters Spaceship = 4 chapters Chapter 70 ¡ª¨C When Emeraldine finished her bathroom and we had breakfast, we quickly marched into the forest at a high speed. We had to quickly cross this boring forest and get to the duchy. We already nned that we were going to pretend to be goody-two-shoe normies for a change of pace. Partner wanted to see a city without lurking at night, and I agreed with her. We should also do it in order to gain more knowledge about this world¡¯s society and how everything is structured. We won¡¯t spend our entire lifetimes there, or something, just a one-day or two-day trip around, and that¡¯s it. Mostly, I just want to see if they got any restaurants or food stalls to eat the endemic food of this world that is not just stew or grilled meat. I don¡¯t even feel hunger, but I am still gluttonous because eating is fun, I have to admit it, so I want to see if there is any noodles, rice, or something. Hell, even freshly baked bread, cheese, and ham is fine. As we walked through the forest at a moderate speed, I sent Raven to go look for anything ahead, and if he finds something, he¡¯ll rush back and alert us. ¡°Look, Maria, a mushroom,¡± Emeraldine saw a small family of mushrooms growing in the roots of a tree, and I used [Analyze] on them. ¡­ [Para-Para Mushroom (Quality: C+ Grade)] Yellow-colored mushrooms which drain nutrients from the roots of trees causing the trees to stop making fruits. They¡¯re specially delicious when fried but need to be well cooked; otherwise, their paralyzing poison might remain within them. An item that can be used in Alchemy to make Paralyzing Poison, Paralyzing Poison Antidote, and more. ¡­ [Yumi Mushroom (Quality: D Grade)] Purple-colored mushrooms with white stripes. They are poisonous and deadly and shouldn¡¯t be consumed by any means. They can be dried and then fermented into a strong poisonous toxin that is often coated in weapons. It can also make for a great disinfectant due to the dissolving effects of the poison extraction. ¡­ [Gaparumu Mushroom (Quality: F Grade)] A small Living Mushroom that is yet to be a Mushroom Monster. At this stage, it cannot move, and it drains nutrients from the soil and the roots of trees. It is considered a cheap delicacy before bing an adult. This is because the mushroom has yet to produce poisonous spores and can be safely eaten after being cooked. ¡­ Wow, it feels like I am ying an Atelier game. ¡°Hmm, these ones are tasty,¡± Said Emeraldine as she looked at them. ¡°You know a lot about this stuff. It must be the [Foraging] Skill, right?¡± ¡°Indeed, it built up after I lived around the forests for some time. You see¡­ Sometimes I didn¡¯t have enough money to buy food, so I just gathered what nature could offer¡­ Haha¡­¡± She chuckled. ¡°Make sure not to eat the purple one though. That one could kill you,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?! Is it? I thought it was edible. It looks just like the ones I used to eat¡­.¡± She said. ¡°Maybe it is simr, but it is not the same. See? I just saved your life there- Eh?¡± ¡°CRAA!¡± Raven suddenly came flying at us rapidly beforending on the ground. It looked at me as its soul connected to me through a phantasmal force, and I saw what it saw, two very weird kids running away from a giant wolf chimera thingy. Oh boy, what the heck? Hahhhh¡­ Alright, time to y hero once more. Not that I dislike it¡­ That wolf looks like a good sack of EXP anyways. ¡°We need to get there quickly though¡­ Hmm¡­¡± I looked at Lucifer, who was silently looking at me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Wait! This¡­ you can¡¯t do this!¡± Lucifer cried as he was being ced on arge catapult I made using [Shadow Maniption] and [Materialization]. The catapult itself was also my own body which I shapeshifted. I am pretty amazing, aren¡¯t I? It was very rough, but it should be able tounch something very fast, very quickly. Plus, it only took 30 seconds to make. Thank you, thank you¡­ I am a genius, I know. ¡°Hold on!¡± He cried out. ¡°Calm down, turn into a dragon, and you¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said. ¡°WAIT!¡± ¡°And there you go!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never forget thisssss¡­!¡± He shouted, his voice trailing off the farther he went. BOOOMMM!!! And he was sent through the skies. SPLASH! Oh, it seems like he hit something. Sweet. I quickly expanded my shadows and let everyone inside, FLAAAAASSSH! ¡°Maria! Did you have to throw me like a ball here?!¡± I heard Lucifer roar at me, which I answered quite calmly. ¡°Sorry! I was testing my Shadow Catapult! It is pretty fun, but goddamn, it drains MP like crazy,¡± I flew towards the direction that Raven was pointing me at as the first thing I found was an ugly wolf wearing a skull on its face, trying to munch on a little unconscious boy. ¡°Come here, EXP bag!¡± ¡°WAARGH?!¡± I expanded my shadows into tentacles and wrapped them around his limbs, pulling him off of the ground and hitting its body against the mud several times. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°AWRROOO¡­!¡± It cried in agony. ¡°What do we have here¡­ Oh! These are kids?!¡± I let everyone outside, and Emeraldine noticed the girl that Lucifer had just saved. He fell onto a big purple slime that was doing something pretty weird to her¡­ Let¡¯s not go into any further details. This is not an R-18 story,dies and gentlemen. ¡°Are you okay? Oh dear, look at your wounds¡­ I¡¯ll heal you right away!¡± Emeraldine said, as she ran towards the girl in the ground, who was trembling as if she had gone through a horrifying experience. And suddenly, the wolf chimera began to scream angrily with me from within a ck box covering its head. ¡°W-Who are you?! How dare you interrupt my hunt! You thieves! Don¡¯t you dare take away my items from me!¡± He shouted. ¡°Items? Are you calling two little kids as items? And who the heck are you? I don¡¯t even know you,¡± ¡°I would say the same!¡± ¡ª¨C Do You Want More Chapters? You can give Gifts for more Chapters! Magic Castle= 2 chapters Spaceship = 4 chapters Chapter 71 ¡ª¨C Okay, hold on for a second, I am a slow woman, so I have to process what¡¯s going on. We were leisurely going around the forest, and then my Raven found out that there were two kids running away from a giant wolf chimera thing. This wolf chimera thing intends to capture them with a purple slime thates out of its open stomach?! What?! Then, I became a catapult and sent Lucifer away to the rescue. He managed to stter the entire slime against the ground just as I had totally predicted (I didn¡¯t). Now, as I¡¯ve captured the wolf chimera thing, there¡¯s a little ck box in it speaking to me. ¡°Okay, fine, sorry about that, buddy. I¡¯ll bring you back the kids. Where do you live?¡± I asked. ¡°Phew¡­ You¡¯re such a good person. It is tough to find people as decent as you- Hold on a second! I won¡¯t fall for that! You want to know where I live!¡± Damn it. ¡°No! I just want to bring them back to you, man. I know how hard it is to find your kids when they get lost. Especially when they¡¯re these¡­ chimera kids,¡± I said. ¡°I am not falling for that! Who do you think I am?!¡± ¡°Then we are breaking negotiations, little man,¡± I said. ¡°I am not little! I am just a halfling!¡± ¡°I see, a halfling.¡± ¡°Ah! S-Shit¡­¡± ¡°Anything else to tell me? We can go on a date if you have the right eye color,¡± ¡°Stop messing with me!¡± ¡°Okay then, bye-bye~,¡± ¡°W-Wait! What are you doing-¡± CRASH! I crushed the ck box because his old man voice was very annoying to my phantasmal ears. ¡°GRAAAWRR! Suddenly, the wolf chimera freed itself from my shadow entanglement and began to sh at me with all its strength! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°Ouch!¡± I ended up losing over half my HP with three of his attacks which were faster than I could even react to. Damn! This thing is fast as heck! I quickly conjured a Shadow Wall, but not for me¡­ it was for him! CLASH! The entire shadow wall fell onto it and pressed it down against the ground. ¡°Again! Again! Again!¡± CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Three shadow walls were consecutively conjured as they stacked over the poor chimera thing, which was barking monstrously at me. It even opened its jaws and released a poisonous gas, but I was totally immune to it. ¡°You¡¯re pretty pathetic now, huh? Little pupper? How about it, wanna join me?¡± I asked. ¡°GRAAWRRRAAARRR!¡± Oof, he¡¯s definitely not going to be my puppy, I guess. Wait, is this thing even alive? It has the head of a skull, but it has a beating heart and blood. It is even kind of warm, so it is definitely alive¡­ but it also has a skull as its head. It¡¯s quite creepy. It is as if it were a living organism stitched together. ¡°So, what do you do for a living?¡± ¡°GRAAAR!¡± ¡°I see, being a dog¡­ Understandable,¡± I looked towards Lucifer and saw he was beating the slime to a pulp, but even as pulp, the thing was still somewhat alive. Itcked a core like other slimes, so it was a mystery on how to kill it, but after checking its status, I saw its HP was slowly going down with each hit it received. After that, I noticed Emeraldine healing the two kids. The stars of this little show were two very strange kids. They looked ¡°human¡± in appearance but had ck horns, and their hair color was multi-color, like, they had different patches of color, which made them look a bit weird. The boy had red, ck, and white hair, and the girl was brown, blonde, and orange. I asked Kuro and Partner to slowly chip down the wolf chimera as I went to check on the kids. ¡°Who are you guys?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah! Maria, they were very wounded¡­ They¡¯re so young and they were chased down by monsters¡­ what could this all be about?¡± wondered Emeraldine. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why I asked them,¡± I said as I kneeled and looked them in the eyes. ¡°Ungh¡­ W-We¡­ we are experiments¡­.¡± Said the girl. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Guinea pigs¡­ we were being used¡­ since children¡­ since babies¡­.¡± She continued. ¡°What? By who? For what purpose?¡± ¡°W-We don¡¯t know¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hmm¡­ This is iffy. We might be jumping down a dangerous rabbit hole. ¡°Do you know where you two came from?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡­ I think I might remember¡­ the way back,¡± She said. ¡°I see¡­ Well, for now, you two should rest- Oh, she¡¯s asleep,¡± The girl fell asleep in Emeraldine¡¯s embrace. ¡°They¡¯re very tired. Please, Maria, don¡¯t ask them any questions for now¡­.¡± ¡°Fine, let them rest- Ah, we should clean them and give them proper clothes¡­ which we don¡¯t have,¡± I sighed. ¡°Oi, Maria, this thing keeps saying that he¡¯s sorry all the time,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Huh?¡± I walked towards Lucifer and found out that the giant purple slime was about to die. ¡°I am sorry¡­ I am sorry¡­ Sorryyyyyyy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a slime that can speak!¡± Shouted Emeraldine, dumbfounded. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a first time for everything,¡± I said. ¡°How odd, I can feel within its soul that it has memories¡­ Is this thing a chimera? Perhaps the results of necromancy of some sort¡­ It has the soul of someone else inside,¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°How tragic¡­¡± I sighed as I created a shadow spear and ended its misery. SPLAT! ¡°Guegh¡­¡± ¡°Did you have to do that?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, it was suffering, so I put him out of his misery,¡± I said, grabbing the slime¡¯s soul and inspecting it. It resembled the faint figure of a man. ¡°I am sorry¡­ I am sorry¡­.¡± ¡°Can you stop being sorry?¡± I asked. ¡°Aghhh¡­! Aaaahhh¡­! AAAGGH!¡± I guess he can¡¯t. ¡°Emeraldine, purify him for me¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Exorcising,¡± FLASH! Emeraldine conjured her magic, and the soul was cleansed of miasma before ascending somewhere. It even seemed to have sighed in relief. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that¡­ Let¡¯s continue for now. It would be nice to get to town so we can find proper beds for the kids. Also clothes, and probably something for their scars,¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 72 ¡ª¨C We walked through the forest, following Partner and Kuro, after I finished off the wolf chimera easily by showering it in holes and crushing therge jewel it had on its chest. With that, and the EXP of the Slime, alongside a swarm of ck bats we meet along the way, I gained enough EXP to level up. Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You gained 56000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 13 to Level 14!] [Your Level has increased from Level 14 to Level 15!] [EXP: 23806/28000] The ck bats were the size of dogs, and they were all deadly looking. I don¡¯t know how folks dealt with them, but we ughtered the 12 we found and each one gave a little EXP. They were named Frenzy Bats, and they were D- Rank monsters with poisonous fangs and ws. We saved the corpses inside my inventory after killing them, and then, after a trip of around four hours, we finally found the town¡¯s gate. Time for some infiltration¡­ We also saved the sleeping kids inside my shadow storage alongside Kuro, and then we made our way into the line, waiting to enter. There were mostlymon folk, but there were some people with carriages, most likely merchants. We looked mostly fine, just an odd group of very pale fellows. Lucifer had shapeshifted his body, so he had no horns or anything weird with him, and I made sure to make the color of my skin as less pale as I could, though I still looked quite albino. At least our clothes were pretty, so we didn¡¯t look like homeless people or something. I suppressed my auras of course, and it was proven that I didn¡¯t kill anyone by merely existing when we got into the waiting line. Phew, things are going fine. A few people began to gather behind us as more reached the ce through the main roads. There were some young folk from nearby viges and even some shady-looking mercenaries. Also, there were two other merchant carriages. Do you know what would be super clich¨¦ now? That those shady-looking guys noticed us and tried to do something to us. ¡°Hey, beauty¡­¡± ¡°Wow, what a cutie¡­.¡± ¡°Look at that elf¡­.¡± Suddenly, my reader prediction capabilities kicked in, and it happened. They were three ugly-ass old men littered with scars. One of them had an eyepatch and looked like a discount pirate without the fancy pirate clothes. ¡°Please go away,¡± I said. ¡°Huh? Come on, don¡¯t be like that! How about we go to a tavern after we reach town? Look, you three and us three, we match perfectly,¡± Said the bigger of the three. He had several missing teeth, and he is about to lose a few more. ¡°Sounds like a good invitation¡­ Do you buy the drinks and food?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh? S-Sure¡­¡± ¡°My bro! Then we are going! Do you have some more money as well?¡± I asked. ¡°B-Bro? Uh, yeah¡­¡± Stuttered the guy. ¡°Give me some, please. We arecking in the financial department, so we can¡¯t really pass the gate¡­ *Sigh*¡­ it¡¯s hard to be a damsel,¡± I sighed. ¡°Ooh¡­ S-Sure!¡± The guy was surprisingly nice, most likely because he thought he would get some nice sex as a rewardter¡ªPfff, what a loser. Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine stayed looking at me in disbelief. ¡°What? Come on! Be nicer with our bros. They¡¯re buying the food and drinks,¡± I said with a bright smile. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The guy slowly tried to grab my breasts, but I gave him a p that almost broke his hand. ¡°GRYAAUU¡­!¡± ¡°Not yet, big boy. Later on, we can have all the fun,¡± I said. ¡°Oooh¡­ R-Right!¡± We managed to get into the city pretty easily. Now we didn¡¯t look too weird as we had three average dudes with us, an excellent way to camouge inside, and they also paid for our entrance fee¡­ Lucifer included, which we said was our butler. ¡°Maria, I never would doubt your judgment, but¡­ W-What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Emeraldine asked. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go eat something nice before we got to an inn. I am starving,¡± I said. ¡°But you don¡¯t have a stomach¡­.¡± She sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry with the boys. They¡¯re inviting us¡­ Right, guys?¡± I asked them. ¡°Yeah, ma¡¯am!¡± The three began tough creepily, with perverted gazes as they said that. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Eh? Me? Noooo¡­¡± ¡°Master, can I suck their blood already?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Later,ter~,¡± I said. We finally got into the city, and it looked like a lovely and typical medieval fantasy city. There were several paved streets, big and colorful houses, and a bunch of people walking in and out. There were primarily humans, but elves and other races were not umon either. ¡°Come on, guys, let¡¯s go here! Here!¡± I shouted. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get them drunk¡­.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The tavern was bustling with people everywhere, and it was a nice ce to eat and drink. As we entered, we received the res of many people, but the three guys that we came with quickly made them avert their gazes¡­ They were like a charm of anti-attention! ¡°Alright! I want everything on the menu, miss,¡± I said. ¡°E-Eh? All of it?¡± Asked the girl that came for our orders. ¡°W-Wait, that¡¯s a bit too much¡­¡± Said the guy. ¡°Come on, dear, didn¡¯t you say you would buy us food?¡± I asked while winking at him. ¡°A-Ah¡­ Y-Yeah!¡± And like that, they brought us a massive feast, and we began to dig in. I ate everything with tons of enthusiasm. ¡°Hehe, you eat an awful lot for a littledy¡­.¡± Commented the old guy. ¡°Yeah, the food¡¯s good,¡± I responded before drinking a whole cup of wine. ¡°Bring some more wine!¡± I shouted. In the end, we emptied these guys¡¯ wallets, and we ended up walking out of the tavern after a massive feast. ¡°Phew, I am stuffed.¡± I sighed as we walked near a closed and dark alley. ¡°S-So, what do we do now? Don¡¯t tell me you want to do it here? I don¡¯t mind! Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, you¡¯re still here?¡± I asked. ¡°GRAARR!¡± Suddenly, Partner leaped out of my shadow towards him and began to tear his throat apart. ¡°Grryyyaaaagggh¡­!¡± The other guys didn¡¯t have an easy end either, as one of them was crushed to death by Lucifer¡¯s dragon w, and thest one was eaten alive by Kuro. I created a barrier of shadows, and no one saw a thing. Oh yeah, the three guys were used as fresh blood for Partner as well. So, everyone had their fill! ¡ª¨C Chapter 73 ¡ª¨C I¡¯ll never forget you guys! The food was good, and you were pretty nice. You almost caught my heart as well¡­ Too bad Partner was getting thirsty for blood, though. Oh well, let¡¯s not me Partner for everything. I was also at fault for this. I have done a sinful act; killing is bad! I shouldn¡¯t have done this¡­ Now, guilt is eating me away! Oh, please, god, have mercy on my soul¡­ I am so, so, so guilty¡­! ¡­Joking. It is better not to think about this anymore. They were assholes anyway, and when I learned more about them, they had a history as bandits of some sort. They were not a big group, but they had assaulted adventurers that went alone into the forest. Wow, that¡¯s kind of awful. They had even vited several girls and left them to die in the forest. Super awful¡­ I just read their minds through their souls and damn man, how terrible can you get? Is there any limit for them? I look like a saint inparison now. And what¡¯s with these men¡¯s obsession with viting women? Fucking animals. Well, that¡¯s just the trash of the world. Not all men are like this. The Goblin males were all good people, and the other guys I¡¯ve met too. Only just bandits are rotten, I guess. What¡¯s going on with that, to be honest? How do they be so terrible at being people? I sometimes think I am fucked up, but then I learn there are people like this, and I begin to think I am not as bad. But maybe that¡¯s just my delusion¡­ How bad is it to kill someonepared to robbing or viting someone? I guess killing is a major sin. I remember that killing a person was punished more than viting someone in my previous life¡­ but¡­ Of course, if there¡¯s context such as self-defense, it might not even be punished¡­ So let¡¯s say it was all in self-defense! I bet you can¡¯t vite someone in self-defense though, so your sin is worse! Moving on, I grabbed these three guys¡¯ souls and devoured them. They tasted awful; it was as if being trash made them taste bitter. I got some of their memories but instantly deleted all the disgusting stuff from my mind as those awful things are not staying in my hard drive. I learned tons of info on this town, such as where there was a good Inn, the Adventurer Guild, a few shops, and so on. We wasted most of the money of these guys, but we also had some of their equipment to sell, and well, we got a lot of monster parts, including their magic crystals, pelt, and so on, to sell as well. Oh right, we also had the exclusive merchandise of the brainwashed merchant inside of my Shadow Storage. He¡¯s still there, groaning about¡­ I hadpletely forgotten about him. While we saved the remains of the devoured trio of idiots, I freed the merchant and quickly told him to lead us to the nearest Inn and pay stuff for us as a fa?ade. Always having a normal-looking human with us will makes us not stand out as much because if we go alone, we really look like a squad of oddly pale goths plus a very bright elf. ¡°Maria, did you really have to kill them?¡± Asked Emeraldine as she seemed worried. ¡°Emeraldine, their n was to get us drunk, so they could use our bodies to their heart¡¯s content. Why wouldn¡¯t we kill them?¡± I asked. ¡°O-Oh, I guess you¡¯re right¡­ But still, it felt a tad bit brutal,¡± She muttered. ¡°These were the same type of people who did all the same things to you before being enved, and even after that¡­ Don¡¯t be too nice. I know you¡¯re a good-hearted girl, and I like you because of that, but sometimes, there¡¯s people that just don¡¯t deserve any type ofpassion,¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re right¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I know you¡¯re not used to it, so don¡¯t worry. There are people that are more fitting for certain jobs than others,¡± I consoled her. ¡°I won¡¯t mind killing any humans you want,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°See? He¡¯s a nice guy,¡± I said. ¡°I-I guess¡­¡± Emeraldine muttered once again. ¡°Blood was bad, bitter, disgusting¡­.¡± Partnermented. ¡°Now, now, young girl, don¡¯t get too cocky. Those three sacrificed their lives to feed your thirst for blood,¡± I said. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Sighed Partner. We reached an Inn with the merchant leading us, and we entered quickly after. An adult woman seemingly in her early 40¡¯s greeted us. She had a motherly aura to her, with long brown hair and gentle emerald eyes. ¡°Ah, wee to my Inn. Do you want to stay for the night?¡± She was very friendly. ¡°Ah, yes, a room with two beds, please,¡± Said the merchant. ¡°O-Only one? But you¡¯re five,¡± Said the woman. ¡°We are all going to sleep together, don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. ¡°I-I see¡­ But this isn¡¯t a hotel, you know? So if possible¡­ Don¡¯t do anything lewd¡­.¡± She said. ¡°Eh?! Who are you taking us for, hookers?!¡± I asked while pping the table. ¡°Ah! N-no! S-Sorry!¡± She quickly apologized. ¡°Because we aren¡¯t! We are actually all married with this big stud. And this old man is his father, so he will sleep alone,¡± I said as I caressed the chest of Lucifer. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Y-Yeah! That¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Huh? I am not- Mwuh¡­!¡± Partner was about to give us away, so I covered her mouth. ¡°Y-You have three women?¡± Asked the woman. ¡°I¡­ Ah¡­¡± Lucifer looked at me, and I winked back. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± He muttered, sounding very unsure. ¡°Well, you¡¯re very handsome, so I guess it makes sense¡­ It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t seen some talented young adventurers with parties full of women, although most of the time they¡¯re ves¡­ Anyways, here are your keys. We can also offer meals if you want. Oh, there¡¯s a bath pass for an extra coin as well,¡± She said. ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll take it all,¡± I said, as the merchant paid it before thanking her. We walked upstairs leisurely afterward. Infiltrationplete! We are living the Isekai dream now. ¡ª¨C Chapter 74 ¡ª¨C We entered the Inn, and I jumped onto the bed when I finally saw it, saving the merchant inside my shadow storage. POMF! ¡°Hahh¡­ An actual good bed¡­ And it¡¯s sofy!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even feel physically tired. Why are you implying you were?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Well, shut up already! I can enjoy whatever I want, you know?¡± I asked. ¡°I feel like this whole trip has been just pure nonsense.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re my Undead, so you do what I want! Now, rest on your bed,¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Lucifer sat on the bed. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, it isfortable, I have to admit,¡± He muttered, as he fully rested over it and even stretched his legs. ¡°I could get used to this,¡± ¡°See?! Beds are good! I used toze around on my bed all the time,¡± I said. ¡°When you were alive, Maria?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Erm¡­ Yeah,¡± I don¡¯t even remember what I did when I was alive in this life, but I liked toze over afortable bed while reading and eating snacks in my previous life¡­ I was such azy person. I am thankful I have a ghost body, so I don¡¯t actually feel physically tired, or I wouldn¡¯t do half of the things I do. Though I still get mental exhaustion. ¡°Hahh~ Anyways, let¡¯s get to business,¡± I said as I kicked Lucifer out of his bed. ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°Sorry, but we got babies to take care of now.¡± I opened my Shadow Storage and took two little kids out of it; these weird kids were the ones we just rescued by chance. I don¡¯t know why I keep getting into trouble like this, but here we are with some chimera kids. When I checked their status, what I got surprised me. They were not even a normal race but were called ¡°Homunculus¡± instead. Does this means they were made through alchemy?! Is this Full Metal Alchemist now? Will they be called ording to Sins? I hope not. That would be a big copyright infringement. ¡°They¡¯re homunculus?! By the gods¡­ to think that such experiments are real¡­ these kids were made through forbidden Magic and Alchemy¡­.¡± Muttered Emeraldine. ¡°Do you know anything about it?¡± I asked as I watched the two babies sleep. They looked to be around 7 or 8, so for me, they were babies. ¡°Homunculus¡­ Yes, I know. I¡¯ve heard from ces, and I¡¯ve read it from books. They existed in the past and were living beings of humanoid appearances madepletely out of alchemy. It is like creating life¡­ It is said they¡¯re made with using the power of a Philosopher¡¯s Stone¡ª a malefic stone made out of the souls of hundreds of innocent people,¡± Emeraldine exined. ¡°Yikes. And why would they even make them to begin with? What¡¯s the purpose behind it? As soldiers? As warriors? Just as puppets? Toys? I remember that guy saying these kids were his ¡°items¡± and his properties¡­ Was he a crazy scientist type of guy?¡± I asked. ¡°He was probably their creator¡­ Those monsters that came to capture them were something simr to Homunculus, perhaps. They were Chimeras made using materials and alchemy¡­ They were perhaps a more primitive way of creating homunculus life,¡± ¡°Yeah, they could have been that. I remember that they were not dead. They were both alive. Even the skull-faced wolf¡­ the one that created them, is also proficient at using Death Magic because the souls these chimera possessed were those of people,¡± Lucifer added. ¡°Good observation, I think the same. The purple slime had the soul of a person too, and so did the wolf chimera. But both of their minds were warped and made insane¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Most likely because they couldn¡¯t adapt to their new bodies and felt their minds being warped through it¡­ We all felt their souls being those of people and not native to a monster¡­ Whatever made them is a skilled Necromancer, an Alchemist, and perhaps a Life Mage too¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°What kind of guy could be so talented? Oh well, maybe he has the tools to do it without needing all of those Skills. Or perhaps he has assistants with different talents doing the work for him. Who knows?¡± I muttered. ¡°Well, what¡¯s important now is to check on these kids and see if they¡¯re alright,¡± Said Lucifer. We ended up looking at him. ¡°What? I-I am only worried because you¡¯ve already got us into this mess!¡± He said shyly. Well, Lucifer had a sweet spot for children as he let the kids in the goblin vige climb his dragon body, and he even told tales to them. Sometimes he event went into the wild with them and protected them while showing off his power by hunting big boars and then giving the meat to their families. He¡¯s deep down a good man and also has a fatherplex as he acts very fatherly. Maybe because he was¡­? He did say he once had children. ¡°Alright~ Anyways, what do we do? They¡¯re still sleeping¡­ I am not so good with the living. Can you tell me anything, Emeraldine?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think they¡¯re fine for now, but we should bring a pot with warm water and wash their bodies a little bit. They¡¯re so nasty and smelly¡­.¡± She suggested. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for them to just wake up?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Right¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­.¡± We tried waking up the kids for a few minutes, and after insisting for a while, they slowly opened their colorful eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ W-Where are we?!¡± The boy didn¡¯t see us saving them, so he was pretty scared at first, but the girl exined everything to him. We chose not to ask them anything for now because they were too tired, so we told them that they were in good hands. I then brought them to the bath with the token I got for a copper coin through my shadow storage. Arriving there, we bathed them with Partner and Emeraldine, and the elf healed any tiny wound she missed before. Also, I noticed the two kids had strange crystals stuck to their chests¡­ what could they be? They emanated a strong and dark presence. ¡ª¨C Chapter 75 ¡ª¨C Knock, knock. As we were cleaning the kids and giving them new clothes to change into, the girl that attended the Inn brought us the dinner for four that we bought for two copper coins. The whole night cost one copper coin per person, but if we all stayed in the same room, it was reduced to half. She also offered a dinner for four for two copper coins and a bath token, which can be exchanged to an old woman near the bath for a pass inside for another copper coin. So in total, the whole night cost like four copper coins, including these meals and the bath. I didn¡¯t need a bath at all. After all, I was a ghost, and my body doesn¡¯t get dirty. Oh well, there¡¯s this soot that umtes around my phantasmal body, which is like a dried-out shadow and dark mana, but I can clean it off by shaping my body around. Nheless! I materialized my body and enjoyed the warm water, and it felt like I had a fleshy body¡­ It was a nice and rxing bath. We also washed the two kids who were very stinky and covered in dirt. Emeraldine healed the terrible wounds they had under their little feet, which were all infected with dirt. It hurt them a bit when we washed them with a lot of soap, but it was the only way to disinfect them properly. After that, Emeraldine once more proved her usefulness as she healed them, something I wouldn¡¯t be able to do with my [Undead Healing]. Having a Live Healer like her around is very useful in this situation. We bought them some simple clothes on the way to the Inn, it was nothing too much, just a dress for the girl, pants and shirt for the boy, and their underwear, alongside socks and shoes. We only guessed their shoe size, but it fit in the end, so I was relieved. ¡°Huh?¡± Partner lightly opened the door as the girl greeted her. ¡°Ah, hello, here¡¯s your dinner for four. This is our secret recipe, boar stew, some slices of bread, boiled potatoes, and coffee,¡± She said. ¡°Thank you,¡± Said Partner rather awkwardly, as she grabbed therge tray and closed the door right away in order to not let the girl see the kids inside. After taking such a rxing bath and having their wounds attended to, the sleepy and tired kids sensed the smell of the soup and the boiled potatoes and quickly woke up from their daze. ¡°Here you go, we already ate plenty before, so eat to your heart¡¯s content!¡± I said. ¡°Uwaa¡­ N-Nee-sama¡­ Thank you so much¡­¡± Said the girl. ¡°Thank you!¡± Cried the boy as he began to drink the soup. This stew was made most likely of boar bones as it had some small pieces of meat here and there, but it mostly had carrots and potatoes to fill one¡¯s belly. It also had a bit of a creaminess to it, which was most likely due to them adding milk and cheese. I tasted it a bit, and it was indeed creamy, with a bit of cheese and boar taste. The carrots and potatoes were what filled the belly the most, but it was a decent meal for the poor, and four tes of it for two copper coins was pretty cheap. There were also four boiled potatoes if you ended up still hungry. They were recently boiled and were emanating some vapor. They had a generous topping of butter on top, and so the kids devoured each one and then drank the bitter yetforting coffee without much difficulty. This coffee was probably made out of a cheap one, so it wasn¡¯t the best quality. I drank a cup myself; it wasn¡¯t anything specialpared to my beloved Earth¡¯s authentic, delicious Cuban coffee, but it was okay as a warm drink to fill you with energy. The bread was hard, but not too hard, so it was decent, and they included another block of butter on the side in order to eat it with the bread. Overall, it was a decent meal, although I only tasted the things here and there and let the kids eat most of it. When the kids finished eating, they ended up exhausted and immediately fell asleep next to each other. We covered them in nkets and let them sleep peacefully. I feel like I am ying mother simtor now! Well, secretly, I¡¯ve always wanted to be a mother, but in my previous life, I died way too young to get to it! I-I know that being over 30 is not young, but I was waiting for the chosen one! ¡­Which never came. I was ugly and a nerd. Perhaps if I were pretty and a nerd, all the guys would be crazy for me, but I wasn¡¯t. I was skinny, ugly, had messy hair and big rat-like teeth¡­ I didn¡¯t even have big ¡°assets¡± topensate for my ugly face. My breasts were almost t, and I had no hips to talk about. I was the opposite of my sister, so I was like a skeleton while she was a gori. Mother, our genes were fucked up¡­ but I still love you. I guess I¡¯ve made my appearance what I¡¯ve always wanted to look like¡­ In the Necromancer¡¯s books, I read that ghosts can take the form of their true selves, of what they seem themselves as. This is why some ghosts remain with visible wounds in their phantasmal bodies because the trauma of their deaths makes them see themselves with such wounds on their bodies, despite not actually having physical bodies. Of course, when we evolve, we lose those traits. And as a simple Lesser Ghost, I don¡¯t remember having my head wandering around, so the trauma of being beheaded didn¡¯t stick with me. Anyways, the point is, unlike my sister, I always wanted to be a mother myself and have children¡­ Sniff¡­ Now I don¡¯t even have a physical body, so that¡¯s impossible! As the night continued, we looked over the area for anything suspicious, but thankfully, the night went on peacefully. ¡ª¨C Chapter 76 ¡ª¨C Within an undergroundboratory, a small old man with a long white beard and a bald head looked at the floating mass of flesh inside a tube. This tube contained a green and oozy substance that nourished this lump of flesh, which continued to grow bigger with each passing day. Within this flesh, there was a soul, and within this body, there was also arge ck jewel as its core. He looked at the experiment and then continued to walk through his facility, ignoring the several skeletons walking in and out of the whole ce while maintaining the things in motion. He looked at the empty room where he once held two of his items. ¡°Damn it. They escaped and even found someone to help them! But¡­ Even if they escape, they cannot really run away from me¡­ As long as they hold those Magic Crystals, I can always track them down,¡± Heughed, holding onto a runic tablet, and a magical projection suddenly showed that his targets were closer than he imagined. ¡°Huh?! They¡¯re in the town now¡­? Haha! Fools! You brought them closer to me¡­ Hm?¡± Suddenly, another magical artifact began to ring; a small eye-shaped item on his pendant. Ring, ring~ ¡°Ungh¡­ T-The boss¡­¡± He quickly attended the call as the voice of a stoic man spoke. ¡°Borudro, how are the experiments going? I¡¯ve invested enough time and money in you for you to finally show me some results. And I don¡¯t want to see any more wild and stupid chimeras. I want proper results this time around,¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­! Yes, boss! T-The results are almost readyyy¡­ I-It¡¯s just¡­ T-There was a slight¡­ disturbance,¡± Said the man. ¡°What disturbance?! And you¡¯re telling me you finally made them, right? Living beings capable of adapting to the power of the Evil God¡¯s Fragments and utilizing them without being affected negatively? This is what I paid you for, for over 30 years, you know?¡± ¡°Yes! T-They¡¯re almost ready! The tests showed great results. They were able to wield the Dark God¡¯s Energy through the imnts made from the Dark God¡¯s Fragment! They had been sessfully made into Magic Crystals that fuel their bodies with power like a monster¡¯s magic crystal does. And due to their souls being summoned into this world from another, they possess unique talents to boot! They could be excellent soldiers and warriors for the entire organization!¡± Shouted the man. ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?!¡± ¡°N-No! I would never¡­!¡± ¡°Then send them to me. I want to see the merchandise myself. And quickly!¡± ¡°A-As I said¡­ there are some disturbances with the delivery¡­ If Master could¡­ wait a bit more¡­.¡± ¡°Disturbances?! What is it this time?¡± Asked the man. ¡°The¡­ subjects had escaped the facility by using abilities I had not expected them to develop so soon¡­ I had sent my dogs chasing them, and they almost caught them, but¡­ Well, someone came. A group of around four and they defeated my dogs incredibly quickly! W-Whoever they are, they will learn to never disturb my work!¡± Shouted the man. ¡°Y-You useless piece of trash! I only have so much patience! Catch them quickly! Use anything you have! Money! Power! Anything! I require those two subjects¡­ they¡¯re the key for us Vampires to fulfill our goal!¡± ¡°Y-Yes! I will do everything I can to retrieve them!¡± Said the little man. ¡°And about those aristocrats¡­ have them give you more resources. They owe me a lot. Use those resources and build strong chimeras. Whoever those that are trying to disturb you are, destroy them!¡± Shouted the Vampire. ¡°Yes!¡± The call was abruptly cut, as the halfling old man could almost barely keep standing. His boss was very tyrannical and rather temperamental. He quickly ordered the skeleton to get moving, as all of them possessed the souls of talented alchemists or people that exuded in the area of magical science. There were also proficient biologists and even crafters, which he had ced into these Undead bodies through contracts, summoning magic, and other dark arts. He began to quickly fill more tubes with new fleshy beings, which began to grow at an insane speed after the insertion of special toxins and magic. Each one of them had glowing ck crystals within them¡­ ¡°Now that I know your location, the only thing I need to do is wait until my chimeras are done and then send them chasing you down at night! Perhaps your heroes were strong, but they won¡¯t be able to fight against these improved chimeras!¡± ¡ª¨C Today in the morning, the kids finally woke up feeling better, although they were feeling a bit exhausted and always saying their chest hurt a bit. Emeraldine used her magic to alleviate their pain as we were greeted by an early breakfast brought by the assistant of the Inn once more. The breakfast wasn¡¯t any different than the dinner fromst night, but it included some wild berry jam with bread, a small cup of fresh milk, and a piece of cheese too. It was actually a tiny bit more generous than the dinner, but it had less soup, as it was only now a cup and not a whole te. Also, the potato was still there, and the coffee too. The kids had their own while I enjoyed one with Emeraldine as the others didn¡¯t seem to want to eat. Partner had her fill of bloodst night so she could go on without any thirst for over a week, I believe. Meanwhile, Lucifer is a zombie and doesn¡¯t particrly feel any hunger. Well, me neither, but I wanted to try out this cute little breakfast, and to no surprise, it was amazing! ¡°Anyways, you two, I think it is finally time to open up a bit and tell us¡­ who are you? We don¡¯t even know your names,¡± I asked the two kids. ¡°Maria-sama, d-don¡¯t pressure the kids¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­.¡± Muttered the girl as the boy nodded. ¡°You¡¯re good people¡­ You deserve to know the truth¡­My name is Laura, while he¡¯s Takeshi¡­¡± She said. ¡°Wait, Takeshi? That¡¯s Japanese, right?¡± I wondered. ¡°Huh?!¡± The two kids ended up looking at me, surprised. ¡°Hm? What?¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 77 ¡ª¨C ¡°Wait, Takeshi? That¡¯s Japanese, right?¡± I wondered. Takeshi is a Japanese name, isn¡¯t it? Then why was the boy named with a Japanese name? Well, this is another world, so- Ah, it doesn¡¯t matter in the end, there are also western names too, so I guess it can be whatever. ¡°Huh?!¡± The two kids ended up looking at me, surprised. ¡°Hm? What?¡± Nheless, when I voiced my thoughts, the two kids were left surprised when I said the word ¡°Japanese¡±. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. I felt a bit surprised as these two kids were shocked by this word. ¡°Nee-sama¡­ Y-You¡¯re from another world, right?!¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Nobody would even know about the word ¡®Japanese¡¯ in this world if it wasn¡¯t for someone from Earth too!¡± Laura eximed. ¡°Oh, I guess you found me out! But that means you¡¯re also from Earth, right? H-How? Did you get reincarnated like me?¡± I asked. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re a reincarnated person?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s reincarnated?¡± Partner added another question. ¡°Maria, your soul is from another world?!¡± Emeraldine added yet another question. Oof, I guess it¡¯s big reveal time now. ¡°Indeed, but I only regained the memories of my previous life when I died, funnily enough. While alive, I didn¡¯t remember my previous life, but when I died, I remembered them, but forgot the memories of when I was alive¡­.¡± I sighed as my exnation was a bit confusing. ¡°An otherworldly soul¡­.¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°Is itmon? I thought I was unique, but I guess Laura and Takeshi here are also from Earth,¡± I said. ¡°No, reincarnated people are actually not unique. There had been tales about them from long ago, don¡¯t you remember that you read about a Hero of the past, and the Human Heroes? They were summoned using powerful Dimensional Summoning Magic. Heroes summoned in this worlde packed with powerful Unique Skills and dangerous powers¡­ They were incredibly strong from the start and a real threat to the Demon King¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard of them¡­ Aside from the Summoned Heroes of old, there are also tales of other people that have been summoned into this world or reincarnated. People with memories of past lives¡­ of worlds different from our own. The remarkable thing about all of them is that they¡¯re intelligent from the start, even as babies, and they develop unique powers named Unique Skills, just as Lucifer said!¡± Emeraldine added. ¡°I see¡­ Ugh! I thought I was super unique¡­ But I suppose I am not that special, huh? There¡¯s always a bigger fish out there,¡± I muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t think that metaphor really works in the current context, but sure,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Y-You¡¯re pretty strong already, Maria¡­ Stronger than all of usbined,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah! Maybe you¡¯re being a bit too humble there,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Hahaha! M-Maybe? Well, anyways, kids, tell us more about you, how did youe to this world, and what the heck are you guys? And what are those glowing cores in your chests?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Takeshi and Laura looked at one another before nodding and mustering up the courage to exin. ¡°We barely remember exactly how we came here¡­¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°But we know that one day when we died back on Earth, we arrived here,¡± Said Laura. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the one to ask such a thing¡­ But how did you die? Okay, I¡¯ll go first! I died being buried by books after an earthquake in my visit to Japan¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Iughed. ¡°Huh?! You died like that?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Poor Master¡­¡± Partner began to pet my head and caressed my hair while hugging me. ¡°Hahaha, it was funny, no worries,¡± Iughed. ¡°W-Well¡­ I died by drowning¡­ I went to the beach with my family, but when I went swimming in the water, arge wave took me, and¡­ I died¡­¡± Sighed Takeshi. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ to hear that. ¡­At which age did you die?¡± I questioned him once again. ¡°Around 12¡­ We might seem older, but our current bodies are around four years old. We developed quickly due to ourposition,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°I see¡­ So you¡¯re technically 16,¡± ¡°I died a bit older at 15¡­ A ne crashed in the apartment where I lived,¡± Sighed Laura. ¡°A ne¡­? Wait¡­ which country are you from, Laura?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m from the USA,¡± ¡°Then¡­ where you lived¡­ by any chance¡­ were these the Twin Towers?!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ How did you know?¡± Asked Laura as she perhaps thought I had died before her. ¡°Dear¡­ that happened in 2001¡­ And I am from 2021,¡± I said. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Laura looked at me in disbelief. ¡°The year when I died¡­ it was 1985,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°What?!¡± So strange¡­ what is with this time difference?! They certainly came before me, but our years apart here are so tiny. They had only lived for four years here, yet both of them weren¡¯t much older, younger or older than each other¡­ and they were summoned at the same time? And four yearster, within this world, I was summoned from 2021. ¡­ Could it be? Are we not from the same Earth? Or there is another possibility, something within this Universe holds our souls and then releases them as we are reincarnated or summoned elsewhere. But who says that time here is the same here as on Earth? It could probably bepletely different. ¡°I am sorry for having asked this. Perhaps I should have been more considerate¡­ Sometimes I get a bit too ahead of myself. I am a bit¡­ nuts, you know¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Oh¡­ No, it is fine. We were also curious.¡± Said Laura. ¡°Yeah¡­ it is important to talk this stuff out, so we know each other better, Nee-sama,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Aw, you two are such sweeties!¡± I hugged both of them before sitting down between the two on the bed. They felt my hug; although cold, I tried to use mana to ¡°warm¡± my materialized body, and I guess it worked a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s strive together for a better future¡­ I¡¯ll take you two into my party, but you better tell me the truth regarding your origins too¡­ First of all, what¡­ exactly are you two?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 78 ¡ª¨C Yeah, I don¡¯t really know what exactly they are, but I really want to know more. My analysis can only look through their basic info, but I wasn¡¯t able to properly see their entire status for some reason. Perhaps being a reincarnated person makes their souls stronger so they cannot be read by my Ability? I cannot see what Unique Skills they have either, so it is very confusing. ¡°Well, when we gained consciousness, we were merely two lumps of flesh,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°From then on, our minds slept and came back in intervals. We were raised inside cold tubes and strange liquids¡­ we are beings made of many parts fused together into a whole living being simr to a demi-human; we are Homunculus,¡± Said Laura. ¡°We remember well what that crazy old man had said back then¡­ I think he said we were the vessels of the Dark God or something. That we were made to harbor his powers, and that we were made using parts of his fragments,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°It was until veryte that we realized what we truly were¡­ We read some of his documents when we were finally left free from the tubes. We were trained to move, read, and more. He gave himself the time to actually make us learn what we were from the beginning,¡± Said Laura. ¡°We don¡¯t take him as a good person, but he did this so we could learn quickly to use our own bodies,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡­ Hold on a second. The vessels of the Dark God!?¡± I asked. The Dark God¡­ A corrupted God that once tried to destroy this world. I don¡¯t know much about it, but ording to folklore, he was part of the 80 plus gods that resided in this world after having created it. For unknown reasons, he was corrupted and became mad. The other gods had to defeat him and destroy his body. Each of his fragments ended up leaking tremendous quantities of dark power, which ended up falling around the world and corrupting it with monsters and strong dark energies. They say that demons originate from his body, and what I mean by demons, I mean the Majin, such as Goblins. Monsters too, are said toe from it, although they alsoe from dungeons, which the Chaos God made as trials for the mortals. I know that my family in this world used to hold a fragment of the Dark God¡ª a Fragment of Evil, as they call it. Our ancestor used to be a Hero, and he had sealed this fragment of evil in the holy underground areas of ourrge territory, where it was something like a treasure, although it couldn¡¯t be sold or used. After all, it was a terrifying evil that was being held there. The whole drama with my family, how they killed my parents, how they killed me, how they destroyed everything in my life, was to get their hands on this. And now, after getting their hands on it, the entire Kingdom is most likely doing millions of things with it. And the ck potions are already one of them. These potions enhanced the power of anybody and could even be used as fantastic necromancy materials to make overpowered Undead. And now, they were doing Homunculus projects, trying to use the tiny ck crystal that grew around the Fragment of Evil as a core of a half-monster half-demi-human homunculus. It seems Laura and Takeshi are the first sessful subjects¡­ and there were many failed other ones. We had fought two of them recently. The wolf and the slime who were homunculus too, or chimera, I don¡¯t know. But they were failures and were reduced to mere monsters whose minds were being constantly tortured. They exined this and more as we continued speaking. ¡°So they¡¯re trying to make a new living being that has the power of fully wielding the fragment of evil¡­ For what purpose?¡± Pondered Lucifer. ¡°What¡¯s the point of doing something so horrendous¡­ if the Dark God can really be revived through such a method¡­ wouldn¡¯t everything end? Why are humans so obsessed with self-destruction¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°The scientist said that our existences would bring a new era¡­.¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°But we didn¡¯t want this¡­ we wanted to live freely. After dying in our previous lives, we wanted to live this life without regrets,¡± Said Laura. ¡°I see¡­ I understand how it feels,¡± I said. ¡°This¡­ Is this being run by the government? Or the Vampires in the shadows¡­ or wait, both?¡± Lucifer pondered once again. ¡°The scientist that created us was a Vampire Subordinate,¡± Said Laura. ¡°So those damn Vampires are in this too? Are they in everything bad that¡¯s going on?¡± I muttered. ¡°Most likely, after retrieving the Fragment of Evil from your family, the Kingdom had begun experiments on it, and many pieces of this fragment, such as the leftover secretions and outgrows that this fragment produces. Also, with this ck crystal, which they named Demonite, and that ck liquid named Miasma¡­ they¡¯re most likely trying to make weapons of war with them¡­ The Kingdom is ambitious. They are colluding with the Vampires families who have the resources and the personnel to create such experiments¡­ This is a guess, but perhaps now that the Demon Kingdom is gone, they want to expand. There are many other Human Kingdoms, after all, right? They want to conquer everything using this Fragment of Evil as their greatest weapon,¡± Exined Lucifer. ¡°Ugh, no way¡­ This is awful,¡± I muttered. ¡°It all gets more intricate as we delve deeper. This entire conspiracy has been going on for much longer than we initially believed. Perhaps even before getting your family¡¯s fragment¡­ Could it be¡­ they already had fragments beforehand? This is why my lord, the Demon King, feared humans so much. They have no considerations towards self-preservation nor the preservation of the world¡­ they are barbaric and greedy. By experimenting more and more with these fragments¡­ they¡¯re risking the entire world to copse into Chaos!¡± Shouted Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 79 ¡ª¨C Huh, I guess everything is connecting a bit. Even Laura and Takeshi are connected to my own past as my family was the holders of this damn fragment that is provoking all of these things to ur. But now, what should we do? I hade here to y some aristocrat pigs and the duke of this ce, not to solve this entire issue. But now, I feel like I¡¯ve entangled myself into this conflict. I don¡¯t want to give away these kids, so I will be forced to act. It¡¯s not like I am truly being forced, but I just want to do it for the EXP. And well¡­ I kind of feel strong hate for anyone who is daring to use this fragment that my family was protecting to do all sorts of atrocities. And like the good heroine I am, I will put a stop to it. After all, everyone who is using it, or the byproduct of this item, in one way or another, is rted to the whole scheme against my family, and therefore, they deserve to die through excruciating pain while having their souls devoured. Yep, that¡¯s my resolve now¡­ And the Vampires, sadly, are getting in the way of the Undead Queen. If I have to do aplete Vampire genocide, so be it. They¡¯re the bad-type of Majin who are doing things that were even against the beliefs of the Demon King they once served. I suppose that after their boss died, they went pretty crazy and began doing atrocities. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re doing this against humans to avenge their Demon King, but I am not going to let them y around with the treasure of my family, even less now that I¡¯ve figured out that if they¡¯re using it so much, it most likely means they were probably behind the death of my parents and well¡­ myself. ¡°Lucifer, it appears the Vampires are behind this entire thing, and quite probably, were the ones pulling the strings behind the death of my parents and my own death too,¡± I said. ¡°¡­I know. I¡¯ve also figured it out,¡± He sighed. ¡°I know that they¡¯re Majin and most likely once served the Demon King, so I am going to ask you this¡­ Are you okay with me ughtering them all?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Why do you even ask me this? Although I once saw Vampires as myrades, that¡¯s long in the past. The Demon King is gone, and so is his Kingdom and legacy. What exists now is but the remnants of the past. Some like me decided to have new lives and move forward, while the Vampires, within their grudges, had decided to destroy humans from the inside out¡­ but well, to do that, they also affected you, my master. I wish I could do them a favor and help them destroy the humans too, but you, as a former human, cannot let that slide, will you?¡± He sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t. But not because I was a former human. It¡¯s not a thing of race. It¡¯s more of a personal thing. Maybe if they didn¡¯t mix themselves with my family and had provoked their death through pulling the strings behind all these aristocrats, then I wouldn¡¯t even care¡­ but now, I really care. I am going to kill this crazy scientist guy and probably destroy everything he has made¡­.¡± I said. ¡°*Sigh*¡­ Your response is within my expectations. I already guessed you would do that and think like this already. We have been together for some months now, so I¡¯ve had enough time to know how you act and think, Maria. Do as you please. I will help you as much as I can, as you¡¯re my Master,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Aw, Lucy, you get so serious over things¡­ But you meant that you¡¯re my bestie?¡± I asked. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± He cried out, blushing in embarrassment. ¡°Master, I will also stay at your side¡­ Let¡¯s kill!¡± Shouted Partner, getting pumped up. ¡°I-I¡­ Well, if these Vampires are truly threatening the life of these innocent people, then I feel it is also my duty to put a stop to them thanks to the holy light I¡¯ve inherited from my ancestors through my evolution. And of course, Maria, you can count on me for anything,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Good to know that you¡¯re all up for the challenge!¡± I shouted, giving my thumbs up. The two kids were surprised to hear our words. ¡°Erm, are you sure?! T-That man¡­ he¡¯s strong,¡± said Takeshi. ¡°And he also has many like us¡­ the failures that came before us¡­ There are many like those two monsters that chased us down¡­¡± Said Laura. ¡°Oh really?! Then even more free EXP, right? And you two are still Level 1. You should also level up a bit¡­ Oh right, can you guys use any supernatural powers? And what are your Unique Skills?¡± I asked. ¡°W-We can use something called Demon Energy¡­ or Miasma. Ites from the cores in our chests¡­ But it¡¯s an unstable force,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°We can use it to conjure explosive magic that erodes living things¡­ Like a deadly poison,¡± Said Laura. ¡°I see!¡± ¡°And about Unique Skills¡­ I possess [Fisher] and [Water Absorption]¡­.¡± Sighed the boy. ¡°And I have [Twin Connection] and¡­ [Detonation],¡± sighed Laura. [Fisher] and [Water Absorption]? Is this because Takeshi died in the sea? Damn¡­ And Laura is even worse, Twin Connection and Detonation¡­ is this because she died in the twin towers and through an explosion due to the airne?! Ugh¡­ This is beyond cruel. Who the heck decides these stupid Unique Skill names? Seriously¡­ ¡°I-I see¡­ I don¡¯t know what those do¡­ My Unique Skills are¡­ Well, they help me drain Mana and pretty much use magic better,¡± I exined. They had revealed their secrets, so it was only fair to do the same. The rest of my party already knew such things anyway. And then, they decided to reveal what their Unique Skills could do. ¡ª¨C Chapter 80 ¡ª¨C Takeshi and Laura showed us their Unique Skills effects. They were interesting, to say the least. Takeshi¡¯s [Fisher] allowed him to convert any stick into a fishing rod which had the ability to trespass material objects. It is as if everything it touched was water itself. The hook it has is very sharp, and the fishing rod can pick up things and grab them tightly, allowing them trespass material objects to bring them to him. He has been practicing with it ever since he gained consciousness, but its power wascking by quite a lot. Plus, it required him to have higher stats to show off its true potential. Apparently, he utilized it to escape by grabbing the key to open their cell using it. And the stick he made was created through the bones of the meat given to him as food. And well, [Water Absorption] is quite literally the ability to absorb water. It makes him immune to water attribute magic, and it should be possible for him to also survive underwater, though the true effects of this power had yet to bepletely discovered¡­ And then there¡¯s Laura. [Twin Connection] is a bizarre, Unique Skill as it allows her to choose someone as her ¡°twin.¡± Through this connection, both of them share certain abilities, such as being able to talk with one another through Telepathy, sharing each other¡¯s Mana, and even being capable of using each other¡¯s abilities to an extent, although their potential is reduced by 50%. Meanwhile, her second Unique Skill, [Detonation], allows her to detonate objects that she touches and decides to explode. The issue here is that this is not free as it takes too much Mana for her to even make a tiny marble explode. Also, the explosion itself is not that strong either because it is based on her Magic stat, which is very low at Level 1. Nheless, she also used this to break through the facility, although she ended uppletely exhausted¡­ In total, their Unique Skills are more than promising, and both of them could be pretty incredible fighters if they developed further. Even more, as they have the bodies of gically modified superhuman Homunculus with the power of harboring the demon energy of the Fragments of the Dark God¡­ Though, after being told such exnations, some arose with questions. ¡°Wait, if you had such abilities, why didn¡¯t you use them to fight back?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°We did, thanks to them, we managed to escape the facility¡­ but they¡¯re not so good to fight, and consume a lot of energy, which we spent running away¡­ Our stats are too low as well¡­¡± sighed Takeshi. ¡°We are Level 1 after all. Not much we can do even with Unique Skills, and our basic skills don¡¯t help either¡­ What can a Level 1 do against a Level 30 monster? We can either die or escape,¡± Laura exined. ¡°O-Oh¡­ Sorry,¡± Apologized Emeraldine. ¡°Mana is extra hard for us to gather than others¡­.¡± Takeshi added. ¡°Huh? Why is that?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, the crystal in our chest is constantly absorbing our Mana so, we never have it at full. It sometimes satiates itself and lets us recover sometimes, but after the Mana hits max, it begins to consume slowly once more,¡± Said Laura. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s odd¡­.¡± I muttered. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Lucifer inspected the kid¡¯s ck crystal, and I did as well, through [Analyze]. ¡­ [ck Demonite Heart Core (Grade: S-Rank)] A special alchemy-made Core made out of pure Demonite; a special ore formed from the crystallization of secretions made by a Fragment of Evil of the Dark God. It possesses the ability to produce Demonic Energy or Miasma in exchange for draining Mana. It enhances magic strength and proficiency, but the power it has can affect the minds and bodies of others, and therefore, it cannot be used without caution. ¡­ I see. It provides them with power they have yet to train, but in exchange, it constantly drains Mana. If they level up some more, they can form enough MP, so the amount drained won¡¯t be as much, and they will be able to use the rest of the Mana for Skills. But what about this Demon Energy or whatever? They did say they could use it to conjure some weird explosive magic, but it gets out of control, and it can even damage them back. They also mentioned that they felt tons of pain around the chest when they used it and often passed out on the spot. I guess they have yet to mature enough for their bodies to be able to take theplete burden, despite being the ¡°perfect¡± Homunculus that can use this power without breaking. ¡°Demonic Energy also has the power to mutate¡­ We didn¡¯t look like this before. Our hair color, eyes, and even the horns we grew happened after that man forced us to use this power over and over again¡­¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°But even then, not many mutations have happened to us aside from this, meaning that we won¡¯t be as affected as¡­ well, the failures, as he calls them,¡± Laura added. ¡°The tests subjects¡­ that failed became those monsters you fought. After he forced the demonic energy into their bodies, they ended up mutating into those chimera-like monsters¡­ Some even becamepletely different beings from their former human bodies, turning into slimes and other things¡­.¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°¡­Miasma or Demon Energy can do such a thing¡­ And¡­ Erm, how many failures were there?¡± I asked. ¡°He said there were at least a hundred before us¡­ this is why we were named 101 and 102,¡± Said Takeshi. So the reason these monsters had the souls of people inside wasn¡¯t because they were inserted inside but because they used to be tests subjects with humanoid bodies like these kids¡­ but then they just mutated into horrifying creatures after overusing this energy. ¡°Oh well, the past is in the past. If theye, we¡¯ll kill them. There¡¯s nothing to talk about in this regard¡­ Now, what should we do? I was nning to wait until night before we strike,¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 81 ¡ª¨C ¡°*Sigh*¡­ I would really like to stay here for a bit longer, but I guess we should be moving tonight,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°If the Vampire that created them has a way to track them down no matter where they are, then it is possible he might send more of his dogs at us. The best we can do is hunt him down before anyone innocent is hurt,¡± Lucifer suggested. ¡°Oh wow, you¡¯re so considerate of the inn! Did you like the receptionist?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I don¡¯t even know her name! I am just being considerate because that aligns with your beliefs, right?¡± Lucifer stuttered while crossing his arms. ¡°Right, right! So we¡¯ll do just that then, tonight. When the sun hits the horizon, and it disappears, we¡¯ll sneak into- Huh¡­ Where is the scientistb, by the way?¡± I asked. ¡°I suppose we can lead you there¡­¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°But¡­ are you sure? They¡¯re strong¡­ And that man¡­ He was also powerful, despite not showing us his fighting style¡­.¡± Said Laura. ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s certainly troublesome, but we¡¯ll get through it. At the very least, we tried, and if things get too dire, we make a quick escape through my Shadow Sneak,¡± I said. ¡°I guess that¡¯s decided then,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°For now, what should we do?¡± Emeraldine asked. ¡°Aside from preparation, let¡¯s go shopping. I doubt that guy will send monsters in the middle of the day, straight in the middle of the streets, right?¡± I said. ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s that foolish,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°So how about we go register at the Adventurer Guild? It¡¯s one of my Isekai Dreams¡­ Also, we should go buy more food and get some better clothes for these two,¡± I said, patting the kids on the head. ¡°Adventurer registration?! But Maria, we are monsters¡­.¡± Luficer said in disbelief. ¡°Just let me fulfill this stupid fantasy of mine, pretty please? We¡¯ll probably leave here in just a few days anyway. So, I want to enjoy it as much as I can! I also heard you can change Jobs in the Adventurer Guild¡­ Maybe Emeraldine wants to change Jobs, am I right? And I also want to!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if Maria can take Jobs as you¡¯re an Undead Monster, but I suppose it is worth a shot,¡± Said Emeraldine. And just like that, after nning out our assault ofpletely annihting an underground facility at night, we moved out of the Inn, quickly cutting ties with these people here, so the guy targeting us doesn¡¯t suddenly kill innocents. We covered the kids with leather hoodies so their horns couldn¡¯t be seen. Although they had colorful eyes, the hoodies covered most of their noticeable parts, such as their hair and horns. The first thing we did was walk to a tailor and clothing shop, where we were greeted by a nicedy with long purple hair and an enchanting and seductive smile. ¡°Wee to my humble store- Oho! Such a big band of handsome men and beautifuldies¡­.¡± She said, eyeing all of us. She noticed the handsomeness of Lucifer and also our physical appearance. ¡°Do you need clothes? I have never sold clothes to such pretty people before,¡± She said. ¡°I-Is that so? Well, we came here for some clothes for these two kids,¡± I replied. ¡°I see¡­ Can I see their faces?¡± She asked. ¡°I would rather not show them. They¡¯re¡­ erm, very timid,¡± I quickly made up an excuse. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s how it is. Come, I have some kid clothes that should match their size,¡± Thedy gave us a short trip around herrge store of clothes. There was tons of fashion in this medieval age-inspired fantasy world, way more than I could have expected. I suppose the advancement of technology through magic does make this fantasy-like world look more modern than it really is. Anyway, the clothes were also not expensive, and they were made of nice fabric enchanted with magic for a greater resiliency. ¡°I bet all of you are Adventurers. I see you¡¯re carrying weapons and equipment, so you gotta take these ones with sturdier resilience. There are also some beautiful dresses around here that have the Auto Regeneration Ability, but they¡¯re quite costly,¡± She said while smoking what seemed to be a pipe with a fragrant herb. Thedy was surprisingly nice, and we ended up paying around 100 gold coins for all the clothes we ordered. I went on a bit of a frenzy with the other two girls as we wanted to wear new clothes, and now that I had such a pretty appearance, I wanted to try all sorts of styles I had never tried in my previous life due to myplex as an ugly duckling. I ended up walking outside the store with a beautiful red dress and red heels and I looked stunning! Emeraldine and Partner also bought themselves some beautiful dresses. Emeraldine had a white summer-styled dress with a summer hat and white sandals too. Partner, on the other hand, wanted something to help her easily move around, so she ordered a wine-colored skirt and a ck shirt, alongside ck stockings, and leather boots. Andstly, Lucifer got himself some simpler clothes, which were less lugubrious, but it still made him look like an overly handsomemon man. For the kids, we got Laura some pants, as she disliked dresses and skirts. These pants were tight against her legs and helped her move faster around, while we also ordered her a big hoodie that seemed to be used by magicians. It had various engravements of golden and blue colors, while Takeshi wore simr clothes, so they really looked like twins now. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually convinced me to get new clothes,¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Haha,e on, rx for a bit and let¡¯s enjoy the day together,¡± I said. ¡°I am a bit hungry¡­.¡± Muttered Emeraldine. ¡°Oh, it must be close to lunchtime, right? Let¡¯s go to that one cafeteria. Look, they have ice cream!¡± I pointed. It seems that this world had many more tools than I initially thought as they had a special artifact that made milk, cream, and sugar into ice cream¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 82 ¡ª¨C After our clothes shopping, we decided to take a break and go to a cafeteria I saw while walking through the town yesterday. This cafeteria had a big window upfront that showed all kinds of pastries, cakes, and types of bread, just to make everyone who passed by drool. I couldn¡¯t miss this ce! I¡¯ll take the challenge of eating every single cake and pastry they¡¯re selling! ¡°Oh, this ce does look quite pretty,¡± Commented Emeraldine. ¡°Ohh¡­ Sweets¡­¡± Muttered Partner. ¡°Should we really waste our time here?¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Come on grumpy dragon, enjoy life a bit,¡± I said. ¡°¡­*Sigh* You know that we are not even alive, right? ¡­But fine, I want a meat sandwich anyway. I don¡¯t really like sweets,¡± He gave in. ¡°Hehe, good choice!¡± We rushed inside the cafeteria, which was mostly empty at this hour of the day, but I bet it was filled in the morning. ¡°Wee to Cafeteria Hearty!¡± A cute young girl with pink-colored hair tied into pigtails greeted us as we nced at the interior of the ce. They seem to bake the bread and make the cakes all in here. I could clearly smell the scent of baked bread behind the doors right at the counter! ¡°Would you like to buy something to take out? If not, I invite you to sit down and rx. I¡¯ll bring you the menu,¡± Said the girl. ¡°Oh yeah, thanks a lot, dear,¡± I said as we went and sat down around arge table with enough space for all of us. The girl quickly rushed back with cups of fresh water, which had a slice of lemon and even some ice cubes. This means that this world is advanced enough to have artifacts that can produce ice! I see magic can really rece technology by quite arge margin¡­ It would be dumb to think that they had not invented ways to use it to ease their daily lives in all these years. ¡°Here¡¯s the menu. Whenever you have decided what you want, just call me,¡± Said the girl rather carefreely, as she gave each one of us a menu to look at. I began to read it and found that everything was beautiful and delicious. There were several illustrations of every single thing. They had ice creams of only natural cream vor, but they added fruits and cookies into them as well, making all sorts of Sunday-like ice cream preparations. There were also all sorts of delicious cakes, sweet spongy cakes with white cream and various varieties with fruit slices on top or in between theyers of the cake. Disappointingly though, there wasn¡¯t chocte cake¡­ Does chocte cake not exist in this world!? ¡°Is there anything with chocte?¡± I asked. ¡°C-Chocte? I have never heard of such a thing¡­¡± She said. ¡°Agh¡­¡± What kind of infernal world is this?! No chocte?! You¡¯re kidding me?! Damn¡­ Well, the rest of the stuff all looks yummy, so I¡¯ll take most of it! Almost everyone had made their decision, but Partner still seemed a bit confused, so I decided to just share with her all the stuff I was going to buy. The kids were also confused as they saw the prices of the things and felt a bit intimidated. ¡°E-Everything is so pricy¡­.¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°Can we really afford it? We have already asked for so many things from Nee-sama¡­¡± Sighed Takeshi. ¡°Don¡¯t feel indebted to me. Ask anything you want! I just want you two to have a nice day for once,¡± I said. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The two looked at me with emotional expressions on their faces before their eyes suddenly shone with glee. In the end, the two asked for two Sundays, two sandwiches, warm milk, and Wild Berry Cake Slices. ¡°I want Grilled Meat Seasoned with herbs and a Cheesecake. Oh, and the most bitter coffee you can find,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Very well!¡± The girl took all our orders and quickly ran away. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s no chocte in this world¡­ then where did the coffeee from?¡± I wondered. ¡°Coffee? It is a special seed once brought by a Hero of ancient times, perhaps ten thousand years ago¡­ thest war against the Demon King must have happened almost a thousand years ago, so¡­¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s an ancient one¡­ So I guess a person from another world recreated the coffee seed¡­ somehow? And they didn¡¯t recreate chocte? What was he, an idiot?!¡± I shouted. ¡°I¡¯ve actually heard of chocte seeds before. But it was said that the candy produced from them was so precious and delicious that the five Kingdoms once waged war for it, and the seeds were lost in history,¡± Lucifer exined. ¡°W-What¡­?!¡± To think that chocte would cause wars in this world! Well, I would also wage war if I could get my hands onto a silky and smooth chocte bar¡­ Only after half an hour of waiting, the girl quickly began to bring all sorts of stuff towards the table. The cake slices were brought first as it was already done, then the sandwiches, andstly, all the ice cream. And we began to dig in! Lucifer bit the massive sandwich he ordered; his eyes clearly showed some surprise. ¡°This sauce¡­ It¡¯s so citric, yet it is also creamy and sweet¡­ it goes so well with the grilled and vorful, juicy meat slices¡­ The tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese it has also gone excellently together! W-What is this?!¡± He asked. ¡°Haha, first time eating a sandwich?¡± ¡°I-I have definitely eaten one before! But this is¡­ way beyond what I had tasted back then¡­.¡± He muttered. He then proceeded to devour the whole sandwich on a whim and asked for seconds and then thirds. After that, he tasted the delicious cheesecake and was left just as speechless. ¡°So spongy and cheesy, this sweetness is also not too overwhelming, yet¡­ yet it is so good! Ungh! It goes so well with this bitter coffee as well!¡± He cried out. ¡°Haha, he¡¯s very excited,¡± Laughed Emeraldine. Meanwhile, Partner was eating everything rather wildly, stuffing her cheeks with tons of food. ¡°Nom¡­ Delicious!¡± She shouted after drinking tons of coffee to wash it all down. The kids then began to eat the ice cream first. It was deliciously creamy and so cold¡­ and the fresh fruit on the side went so well with the cookies added into the Sundays. ¡°So many vors¡­.¡± I moaned in pleasure. ¡ª¨C Chapter 83 ¡ª¨C Uwah! I never thought I would get to eat so much delicious food in this medieval world of harsh discrimination, battles, and so on¡­ I guess there is a face to this society, which I had beenpletely missing this whole time! Perhaps it is really possible toy down and have a leisureful life after everything is done? Enjoying the life of this world and the delicious tes I can find here and there¡­ building up my own farm, and having a dreamy slow life like in those popr slow life genre Isekai novels? That would certainly be like a dream! And the best thing is that even as a ghost, I can still eat, taste, and enjoy food¡­ Fwehehe, [Materialization] is the best Skill there is. It lets me enjoy the pleasures of the flesh even as a phantasmal entity. The sundae was so sweet, creamy, and refreshing. I couldn¡¯t help but moan a bit in pleasure. Also, the cookies were buttery and crunchy, the fruit was fresh and juicy, and with the coldness of the ice cream, everything went so well together, a greatbination of vors. After devouring my sundae, I moved on to several slices of cake and pies. The cakes were spongy and sweet, and the cream filling them had all sorts of fruits. The cakes were sorted ordingly to the fruits and the cream they had inside, which was so soft and sweet it felt like I was eating clouds. And the pies¡­ oh god, the pies! They had a variety of them. Each one was so buttery and delicious. The textures of the crust were like soft buttery cookies, and the eggy cream inside went amazing with the wild berries. There was also chiffon cheesecake, which was spongy and cloudy. It was really such a unique experience! Would you believe if I told you I had not even eaten this much of a variety of cake before when I was on Earth? It waspletely mesmerizing! Ahh! And then, the delicious sandwiches. The bread was just baked, and it was still warm. The strips of grilled meat inside were well cooked to perfection, as they had a delicious juiciness to them. They had some kind of sauce coating them as well, making them slightly spicy and vorful, but just enough to make the bread absorb its juices like a sponge. But that wasn¡¯t the only sauce as there was one that was made of tomatoes¡ª simr to ketchup, but sweeter, and then there was also one simr to citric yogurt sauce. It all went together with fresh leaves of cabbage and slices of tomatoes¡­ and the cheese was also nice, mildly melted by the heat of the meat itself! They sadly didn¡¯t sell beer, but the cold fruit juice and the tea that they served us was also amazing. I didn¡¯t want coffee because I don¡¯t like bitter stuff, but these cold drinks went amazingly well with the sandwiches. It was such a good experience that we all ended up very happy. And in fear that we might be forced to leave this ce after shit hit the fan, I decided to purchase everything in the damn cafeteria using half our funds, which were all from our beloved merchant sponsor! The girl in the cafeteria was left speechless alongside the two chefs that cooked and made the cakes behind the doors. All three of them bowed their heads, thanking us for our purchase, as they probably believed we were of the high society or something¡­ Not like it bothers me! After that, we sneaked onto a street without people and saved all the bags of stuff we bought inside of my Inventory. In there, they will be kept fresh for us to eat whenever we want. We bought so many things that even by eating as gluttonously as we do, it willst at least a week or two! These days will be filled with many vors as we even purchased all the ice cream and the fresh fruits¡­ and over a hundred pre-made sandwiches alongside those sauces they used. Having secured our meals for several days in the future, we decided to slowly make our way into the Adventurer Guild which was arge building in the middle of town, filled with people traveling in and out of it constantly. ¡°Phew, that was so good¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine in relief. ¡°That was perhaps the best meal I¡¯ve had in a while¡­.¡± Muttered Lucifer, admitting that everything was amazing. ¡°Yummy¡­¡± Partner muttered, and her belly was a bit fat due to how much food she consumed. ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten something so tasty in this world before¡­ Thank you so much,dy Maria¡­.¡± Said Laura. ¡°You¡¯re the best, auntie!¡± Said Takeshi. The two kids hugged me tightly, only reaching up to my stomach, but it wasfortable to be hugged by two cute kids¡­ My motherly instincts were kicking in as I embraced them as well. ¡°I am d you had your fun¡­ Now let¡¯s go the Adventurer Guild to investigate how they do this stuff,¡± I said. ¡°Uhh¡­ A-Are you sure? There¡¯s a lot of people inside¡­.¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Laura added. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am using my abilities to conceal my true presence, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issue¡­ Lucifer can also do the same using magic, Partner as well. Emeraldine will cover us and make us seem like a normal party because of how normal she looks,¡± Iforted them. ¡°I don¡¯t think she looks normal¡­.¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°She¡¯s way too bright! As if the hair on her head produced a halo of light,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Huh? I do?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Actually, now that I see you up close, you really look like some kind of heroic priestess elf from a novel,¡± I said. ¡°A-A Novel?¡± ¡°Are you sure you were not blessed by some god of light?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t! I just evolved into this¡­.¡± Emeraldine replied. ¡°Well, no worries, dear, let¡¯s go in. If things don¡¯t work, we can always make a swift escape,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re overly confident as usual. But, fine,¡± Sighed Lucifer. We stepped into the Adventurer Guild and were greeted by dozens of stares right away. ¡ª¨C Chapter 84 ¡ª¨C ¡°Bonjour!¡± I greeted everyone within the adventurer guild as they looked at us with intense stares. ¡°Bon- what?¡± Muttered a guy near us as I pet his head. ¡°Agh!¡± He disliked it, but I didn¡¯t care. We continued walking while I smiled brightly at everyone. But I was actually very nervous because there were so many people looking at us. There was a loud ruckus inside, but when we entered¡­ everything suddenly calmed down by way too much. Seriously, am I such a beauty? Our group made its way to the front as a girl with short purple hair and two horns popping from her head greeted us. Wait, horns?! Even Lucifer was left surprised. ¡°Wee to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡­ E-Erm, do you need something?¡± She asked. ¡°Girl! Are you a Majin?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°M-Majin? A-Ah, some people think that because of my hair color¡­ but I am actually a sheep-kin beast-person¡­ See?¡± The girl suddenly showed us the hooves of her feet as she was obviously not wearing shoes. Additionally, she had a fluffy tail on her back, popping out of her tight ck pants. ¡°Oh¡­¡± We all sighed. We had thought, faintly, for a few seconds, that Majin were seen as people. ¡°P-Please don¡¯t say the name of Majin lightly around here¡­ Those people are considered monsters, and there are many extremists that might call you out if you ever show any interest in them,¡± Said the girl. She wasn¡¯t rude but tried to warn us about other people who might get butthurt or toxic over us, saying the mere word ¡°Majin¡±. ¡°But Maj- Gwuh¡­!¡± I covered Lucifer¡¯s mouth before he was to say anything else. As I smiled back, Emeraldine moved before me. ¡°We came here to register¡­ I am already registered, but I lost my card, so I would like to get a new one and also change Jobs. These people too want to register and change Jobs afterward if it is possible, of course,¡± Emeraldine spoke up. ¡°Oh, I see! What¡¯s your name? Let me check if you¡¯re here¡­¡± ASked the receptionist, as she took out a strange artifact that resembled a Grimoire. The grimoire began to sh with many letters and lights that emerged from its pages. ¡°Emeraldine Verdantwood Naturia,¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Ah, there you are¡­ Very well¡­ you seem quite different,¡± Said the receptionist. ¡°I¡¯ve undergone evolution recently¡­ But please keep this a secret,¡± Whispered Emeraldine. ¡°E-Evolution? It is very rare for elves to evolve¡­ I see¡­ Very well. A new Adventurer Card would cost approximately ten gold coins¡­ We can also upgrade it if you have grown stronger, but we would require doing a test first. In addition, a high-rank quest could bepleted if you feel like you¡¯re up for the task,¡± Said the receptionist. ¡°E-Erm, well, I am fine with a new one for now. I can take a questter,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Very well then¡­.¡± Emeraldine gave the girl ten gold coins, and then, the girl conjured some runes into another artifact, and a brand-new bronze card emerged out of it, shining brightly. It had the photo of Emeraldine on it, alongside her basic info and the letter ¡°F¡± on it as she was an F-Rank Adventurer. ¡°The Job Changing Room is right to the left. Feel free to visit there,¡± Said the girl. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll go after my friends are registered,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Okay then! Let¡¯s start with you, miss. What¡¯s yourplete name? upation? What are you good at? Magic, physical fighting, or are you a merchant looking for an adventurer license for trading opportunities and easier ess to other duchies?¡± Asked the girl, spitting so many questions it made my head spin. ¡°I am a magician. Good at shadow and dark magic. Name¡¯s Maria Fuentes Belles¡­ You can call me Mary,¡± I said. ¡°Maria¡­ Fuentes¡­ Belles¡­ Funny, that name is quite¡­ simr to something I have on the tip of my tongue¡­.¡± Said the girl. ¡°Must be your imagination,¡± I said. ¡°Alright¡­ and done. To sessfully register, you need to pass an exam with an instructor here. It is a small fight just so we can get a better look at the abilities you have and if they¡¯re authentic. Got it?¡± Said the girl. ¡°Yeah! Can you do the same with everyone else within our party so we can go take a test altogether?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure thing!¡± The girl quickly registered everyone. I had asked Partner if she wanted a new name, but she refused reluctantly¡­ so she was registered as Partner Fuentes Belles. ¡°W-What a peculiar name¡­ but oh well, there had been people named Potato before. Farmer families often have a very bad naming sense,¡± Muttered the girl. ¡°T-There was someone named Potato?!¡± I asked. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± I guess I am not as terrible with naming as I thought¡­ There are actually people much worse than me. Lucifer registered himself with his two-family names, which were Drakon and Darkscale, which were also unusual. After that, the kids were also registered. She had said that anyone above 12 could register, so we said they were both 13, but just small. And surprisingly, it worked when the girl heard the two kids talk very eloquently. After we were all ready, we moved towards the test area which was in the backyard of the guild building. It was actually right next to an open field of grass with a few trees here and there. A tall and muscr instructor greeted us; it was a half-giant man with the name of Borgodonn. He was around two meters tall, a true behemoth in height. ¡°These are the new recruits? Very well, one by one, youe and fight me. Use everything you have, no problem. I¡¯ll go all out from the start, too, so don¡¯t hold back if you don¡¯t want to die, hahaha.¡± Heughed. He was rather malicious looking. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. He might seem evil, but he¡¯s a kind-hearted man that always brings me ice cream,¡± Said the girl who we learned was named Vennia. ¡°V-Vennia! Stop telling that to every recruit! O-Our rtionship should be strictly hidden from the public!¡± Said the man. ¡°But dear, I don¡¯t like when you act too intimidating¡­.¡± Sighed Vennia. ¡°I-It is so they can grow some courage!¡± Shouted the half-giant man. I guess they¡¯re a cute couple. ¡ª¨C Chapter 85 ¡ª¨C ¡°What a cute couple! Now kiss!¡± I announced. ¡°S-Shut up! You! Come at me!¡± Roared the instructor as he had enough and got pissed off. ¡°Alright! We are starting then?¡± I asked, walking near him. ¡°Yeah, you cane whenever you want to,¡± He said confidently. His entire physique was suddenly shrouded in a powerful magical aura that enhanced his muscles and strength. Also, his de shone with a red-hot aura, as if it was being covered in searing mes¡­ I checked his stats. He was as strong as a D-Rank monster, perhaps one at its peak. He was definitely on the stronger side and was probably an instructor within that Rank too. ¡°Don¡¯t really have to,¡± I muttered as I waved my staff and shadow tentacles emerged from within his own shadow. While we spoke, I also extended my shadows almost as thin as invisible threads and connected them to his, taking over his own shadow and using them against him¡ª A pretty easy and normal trick to do. ¡°W-What the¡­?!¡± The half-giant man had shadow tentacles wrapped around his legs and torso, and he used his de to try and cut them off by force¡­ But my shadows were stronger! I just infused more mana into them and reinforced them through [Materialization]. ¡°S-Such strong magic power¡­.¡± Vennia muttered as she was extremely surprised. ¡°Uagh! I can¡¯t even move!¡± Cried the half-giant as he suddenly overcharged his weapon with mana and threw a powerful shing attack at me. CLASH! I stopped the attack by generating a materialization of shadows, a Shadow Barrier! ¡°Oi! That could easily kill a normal rookie, you know?¡± ¡°I-Impossible¡­ How strong are you?!¡± He muttered,pletely dumbfounded. ¡°Pretty strong!¡± I flew towards him and used my bare fist to knock him out with a nice punch to the chin. I am actually weak physically, but he¡¯s a whole rank below me, so let¡¯s see how far I can go. I reinforced and materialized my fist even more before punching him in the chin. CLASH! ¡°Gryyeeggh¡­!¡± Boom! He fell onto the ground, barely keeping his consciousness awake. I have to praise his resiliency! Must be the giant blood in his veins. ¡°Aghh¡­ You pass¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear!¡± I moved aside from the scene while cleaning my hands. ¡°Lady Mary, how strong are you exactly?!¡± Asked Vennia. ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t know,¡± I shrugged. I better not reveal any more than she has already seen. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know?¡± She asked, still dumbfounded. Emeraldine healed the instructor as he gained a second wind and began to pretend that the humiliation he suffered beforehand never happened. Partner was next, and as he looked at her, he smiled cheekily. She only held her spear with a single hand and didn¡¯t even have armor. ¡°So you¡¯re a spear fighter? But you¡¯re not even wearing armor?¡± Asked the half-giant as he rushed towards her and attacked, using his de to unleash shing attacks at her continuously. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! However, Partner moved at a supernatural speed, evading his attacks incredibly precisely, and she even jumped onto the tip of his de and used the handle of the spear to hit the half-giants neck. CLASH! ¡°Uaggh¡­!¡± Boom! The hit was strong, and he fell onto his face, which mmed against the ground. ¡°T-This¡­ You pass¡­¡± He gave up more quickly than with me. The truth was, Partner contained herself by quite a lot. Most of her attacks are very deadly, such as absorbing blood, or shing with the de of the spear, which is venomous, so she did a pretty good job at not endangering the life of the man. He was healed once more as Lucifer was next. The half-giant finally thought he could showcase some more of his strength as Lucifer looks like a skinny and small man inparison to him. However, the result came quicker than we expected. Lucifer punched his stomach, and the half-giant groaned in pain before falling to the ground. He had hit a special sensitive spot he knew humanoids possessed within the stomach, almost crushing a core of the half-giants Mana Veins. After that came the kids¡­ and here we all got a bit nervous as they were going to definitely lose. The instructor allowed them both to fight at the same time because he underestimated them, as they were mere children. I mean, their stats were clearly below him and all, and they were kids, so it was realistic for him to assume that¡­ but surprisingly, the two knew how to fight at least one big man, and thanks to the weakened state of Lucifer who Emeraldine didn¡¯t heal this time, the kids used their abilities to make him trip to the ground. Takeshi used his fishing rod to wrap the thread around his legs and tightly pressed them together. After that, Julia used her detonation to st an explosive punch on the man¡¯s crotch. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t suffer any damage to his libido, but the pain knocked him to the ground. Hopefully he can still have childrenter. The entire performance left the two speechless, and we got ourselves our Adventurer Medals faster than we expected. And after that came another thing, moving to the Job Changing Room. It was nice to know that the Adventurers in this world can¡¯t actually see your status because¡­ well, they simply can¡¯t. Although there are ways to see other people¡¯s personal info, only a part of their true status can be given out, and the Adventurer Guild here had no such methods as they simply registered what they saw you were capable of. And to rank up, you had toplete higher ranked missions, as simple as that. I moved to the Job Changing Room, a small room that had a sphere made of emerald crystal. It looked in and ordinary, but Vennia said that just touching it would allow a person to see a list of Jobs they could change into, which was based on their specializations. It is said that Monsters cannot change Jobs and that it was a gift of the Gods to the humans/demi-humans (and this is why they need a crystal to ess it), so I don¡¯t know if this will work or not¡­ But here goes nothing! ¡ª¨C Chapter 86 ¡ª¨C It is said that Jobs are a gift from the Gods for the humans/demi-humans who need to fight against monsters and fiends generated by the fragments of the Dark God and also from the dungeons made by the Chaos God. Due to this, it is believed that monsters can¡¯t change Jobs, and it has also been proven when tamers had tried using their monsters to change Jobs. I¡¯ve investigated as much within the memories of the souls I¡¯ve eaten, and I¡¯ve gotten as much info from them to assume such things. But well, Majin are also believed to be monsters, and they can still change Jobs. That¡¯s because they¡¯re actually demi-humans, and they do indeed count as people and not monsters, even if they can evolve and have varied morphologies¡­ but the same can be said of beast-kin as theye in all shapes and sizes. Even giants are considered people, and those can go up to three and a half meters which is inhumane. So can I get a job, or not? Technically, I shouldn¡¯t be able to as I am a Ghost¡ªan Undead Monster. We don¡¯t count as any kind of humanoid being, despite looking and once being a person. I don¡¯t know if Lucifer¡¯s Dragon race, Partner¡¯s Dhampir race, or the kid¡¯s Homunculus race count, but I¡¯m hoping they can. Dragons were not seen as monsters before, so they might be part of the demi-human race, but they¡¯re way too ancient and rare to guess it urately. Dhampirs could be seen as a lesser version of Vampires, which are Majin, and can change Jobs, I believe. So yeah, perhaps, or perhaps not? And homunculus¡­ I really don¡¯t know. But here goes nothing. I touched the crystal and¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Ah¡­ Nothing? Come on! I angrily pped the crystal, and it suddenly released a strong shock of green-colored lightning into my hands. ZAP! SPARK! The lightning covered my body as I felt a sudden shock of power reach my very soul! Right after that, I saw several holographic windows emerge before me¡­ [The [System] Unique Skill special function has been activated] [Analyzing, Extracting, Copying, and Pasting new [System Function]¡­] Wait, hold on! What¡¯s going on now? I had almost forgotten that my own System is not exactly the same as everyone, who can only see their status through something named Soul Records or whatever. I don¡¯t remember the full name now! FLASH! The bright light of the crystal suddenly epassed my body. I couldn¡¯t help but scream a little bit in surprise. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± [Sess] [Job System] has been analyzed and assimted] [You can now change Jobs] ¡°Huh? That easy?¡± Ding! [Avable Job Options] [Apprentice Warrior], [Apprentice Swordsman], [Apprentice Magician], [Apprentice Witch], [Witch], [Dark Witch], [Misfortune Wielder], [Cursed Witch], [Dark Warrior], [Death Warrior], [Apprentice Necromancer], [Necromancer], [Death Witch], [Magic Swordsman], [Cursed Swordsman], [ck de Magician], [Witch of Cursed Artifacts], [ck Summoner], [Death Mage Apprentice], [Death Mage], [Darkness Incarnated], [Shadow Spirit], [Abyssal ckness Esper], [Undead Queen], [¡­] ¡­ I suddenly fell onto my butt as I saw a massive window pop up in front of my face. There were¡­ dozens of Jobs that emerged out of thin air, and all of them were avable for me! What! I saw there was more than just Undead Queen as I continued browsing down the list, and it seemed to nevere to an end¡­ and then finally, I arrived a the bottom, noticed I saw there were at least 40 Jobs. What do I pick? And wait, did my System just absorb the crystal¡¯s effect and copy-paste it? I guess that¡¯s a good way topletely ignore the rules. Okay, let¡¯s calm down. I crossed my legs and sat down on the ground, ncing at the system window and beginning to think what to pick. Jobs in this world work rather peculiarly. They¡¯re simr to equipping something. So you pick a Job and then ¡°equip it.¡± The job itself will grant a stat boost, a passive ability, and an enhancement over a certain thing or things, and then specific skills to that job. However, when you take away that Job, all those extra bonus stats disappear as you rece it for others that might give you something else, which you might hold more favor for. There are also enhancements to already existing Jobs, which can often emerge. They¡¯re called Job Rank Up, and they¡¯re just better and upgraded versions of existing Jobs. Usually, people use their jobs quite a lot, and due to this, it is impossible to just go on umting Jobs for extra massive stats and new skills endlessly. You have to be decisive in what you want! And there are so many that I¡¯m having trouble picking¡­ Nai wa¡­ Okay, let¡¯s calm down and think. What do I need? Using my de? I have fun using it, but I am not exactly a de user, so it is more of a side job¡­ yeah¡­ I don¡¯t want it. My magic? Yes, I can use both shadow/darkness and death magic to act as a necromancer. Also, these are my two strongest powers¡­ What should I upgrade from these two? Darkness? Death? Or both? If I only pick one, I can specialize more and grow stronger in that direction¡­ but if I don¡¯t, both might not grow as fast at the same time. Nheless, it is better to pick both anyways as there are some insane Jobs that epass both of them. After a few more minutes of pondering this deeply, I decided to pick one of thetest and, therefore, strongest and most advanced Jobs there was on the list. Ding! [You changed Jobs into [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen]!] [All your stats have increased as long as you keep this Job active] [You gained the passive effect of [Darkness and Death Damage +1000] [You gained the passive effect of [Darkness and Death Magic Spell Casting Speed +100%] [You learned the [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] Characteristic Skill] [You learned the [Spirit Queen: Lv1] Title Skill] [You learned the [Spirit Mediator: Lv1] Title Skill] [You learned the [Spirit Summon: Lv1] Normal Skill] [You learned the [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv1] Normal Skill] A big ass Job name, but one that came with several bonuses and Skills! Delicious¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 87 ¡ª¨C I had changed Jobs through the wondrous power of my System Unique Skill! Now, what should I do? Check my status, of course! Additionally, I got a bunch of new Skills and powered-up stats from it. Jobs are truly wondrous things. But I guess I am cheating because I shouldn¡¯t have a Job anyway as I am a monster and all¡­ Haha¡­ Nevertheless, I picked up thetest Job there was on the list, one strong-sounding and very long. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Pandora] [Job: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level: [15/40] [EXP: 23806/28000] [Rank: [C+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [1220/1220 ¨C 2220/2220] [MP: [5200/5200 ¨C 7200/7200]{+2720} [Attack: [660 ¨C 1060]{+100} [Defense: [530 ¨C 930] [Magic: [4800 ¨C 6800]{+2617} [Agility: [1450 ¨C 2450]{+575} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv6] [Shadow Sneak: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv4] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv7] [Darkness Resistance: Lv6] [Fear Resistance: Lv5] [Elemental Resistance: Lv4] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv7] [Lesser Curse: Lv7] [Life Drain: Lv7] [Possession: Lv6] [Dark Sphere: Lv8] [Dark Gale: Lv7] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv5] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv1] (New!) [Shadow Maniption: Lv6] [Shadow Storage: Lv5] [Undead Healing: Lv4] [Fake Life: Lv6] [Erase Presence: Lv3] [Soul Eater: Lv3] [Stealth: Lv7] [Summon: Lv3] [Aura of Famine: Lv2] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv2] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv2] [Materialization: Lv4] [Cooking: Lv1] [Hunting: Lv1] [de sh: Lv1] [Spirit Summon: Lv1] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv1] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv5] [Undead Queen: Lv4] [Evil of the World: Lv2] [Pickpocket: Lv2] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv1] [Spirit Queen: Lv1] [Spirit Mediator: Lv1] Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡­ I see! So I got more stats- What in the goddamn?! I got so many stats! Is this legal?! Is this really okay?! Am I allowed to do this?! Ahh¡­ Oh, thank you, gods! I will forever be indebted! I¡¯ve heard that higher Jobs with higher tiers/ranks give more stat bonuses, but this is a bit too much for a humble little ghost girl like me raised on a little farm in my graveyard. But anyways! The higher, the better. Nheless, where the heck do all these statse from? The crystal of job changing seems to be powerful. It has influenced my system somehow and added up the surplus power required to enhance my total ability. But the thing is, a Jobs power is ¡°borrowed,¡± so if I take it out, it wille out. Well, not so borrowed as it is still part of my own power, and I own it, so it could be said it is something like equipment and won¡¯t stay permanently to infinitely stack up. But if I can somehow upgrade this Job and get an even higher-tiered one, I can get even more stats out of it and perhaps new skills. Anyways, moving on, let¡¯s see what these new Skills are all about. I am quite excited. It seems that I have be a spirit¡­ Or something like that¡­ The [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] Characteristic Skill is like all other Characteristic skills. They¡¯re like¡­ part of my very being. It¡¯s strange for such a thing toe out of a Job that can be ultimately taken out. It is as if Jobs can affect the nature of a very being, but they can be easily taken out and reverted back into that very being. I had not noticed it before, but my body feels more ¡°real¡± and, simultaneously, more mystical, as if mana is magically overflowing from all around me. How wondrous¡­ This Skill pretty much makes me an Elemental Spirit as much as the Undead Skill makes me Undead. Then there¡¯s the [Spirit Queen: Lv1] Title Skill¡­ This Title Skill seems to work simr to [Undead Queen] as it helps me have a higher affinity with Spirits that I might encounter. I might even have some authority over them, but I don¡¯t think it goes as far as [Undead Queen] where I can quite literally force Undead to obey me. The [Spirit Mediator: Lv1] Title Skill helps me mediate with spirits. Normal folks can¡¯t just find one and speak to them, even less search for them, so this aids me in all of this. Maybe I could find some spirits now. Or maybe not¡­ I don¡¯t know. The [Spirit Summon: Lv1] Normal Skill is an interesting one. No, it doesn¡¯t let me summon a spirit out of thin air. I can only do so if I find a spirit to make a contract with, which might be hard as I don¡¯t know how to call one¡­ Perhaps I could ask Emeraldine for help. Andstly, the [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv1] Normal Skill lets me create a domain of Shadow and Death element around a few meters around me, which temporarily enhances the power of Shadow and Death magic by around +100 per level. Also, it helps me expand my shadow and death abilities, my senses, and more within it. And even Undead that belongs to my side can receive a bonus to their power by just standing on this. Considering all the above, it could be said I¡¯ve acquired a substantial increase in my power, and I¡¯ve totally grown stronger. Though, I hope my allies, who are monsters, have a turn at changing their jobs. But honestly, the only one I am concerned about is Lucifer. I believe Partner should be able to, but Lucifer is no longer a true dragon but an undead monster, right? Huhh¡­ Well, let¡¯s hope for the best. I walked outside the room as my allies suddenly noticed the slight changes in my appearance. Partner looked at me with eyes wide open, and so did Lucifer, Emeraldine, and everyone else. ¡°Maria¡­ Have you be some sort of spirit? You¡¯re so mystical all out of the sudden!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I am? Well, kind of¡­.¡± I muttered. ¡ª¨C Chapter 88 ¡ª¨C ¡°Master¡­ Are you a spirit? You got prettier!¡± Said Partner before quickly hugging me tightly. ¡°Uagh! Okay, rx! It can be that much, right?¡± I asked. ¡°W-Wow¡­ Miss Maria, w-what kind of Job did you change into?¡± Asked Vennia. ¡°Huhh¡­ I prefer to keep that a secret¡­.¡± I said. ¡°O-oh¡­ alright,¡± ¡°But definitely something changed¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. She looked at me with even more fascination than her original gaze. It felt a bit overwhelming, especially her strong eyes. I do know that elves have an affixation with spirits, but I am not aplete one! ¡°To think that this Job thing that humans have would give you such power,¡± Said Lucifer in a lower voice. ¡°Now¡¯s our turn, right?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Can we go? Can we go?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Sure, sure, go-ahead, kids,¡± I said. After this short meeting where we preferred to leave questions and answers forter, everyone went to slowly change Jobs. The kids went first, and they were indeed able to change Jobs. They chose Jobs that were rted to what they could do, so Takeshi selected the Fisherman Job, while Laura selected something named Explosion Magician¡­ Quite interesting. Meanwhile, Emeraldine changed Jobs into something of even greater status than her current one, which was Spiritual Archer or something. I didn¡¯t see it in detail. Partner also changed Jobs into something fitting of her spear techniques, and Lucifer also was able to change Jobs surprisingly. So everyone got a bit stronger. After this, we decided to finally move out of the Adventurer Guild. We were all G-Rank Adventurers, with only Emeraldine being an F-Rank, but it¡¯s not like we were too worried about that. The evening was already approaching, so we decided to take a quick rest stop in a nearby za with many people. There was arge fountain where water came spurting out, and birds gathered around to drink and bathe in it. We sat down there, and I took out some ice cream cones from my Inventory, and we enjoyed some ice cream while rxing. Soon, the night slowly approached, and that¡¯s where the moment of truth woulde. But overall, this day has been pretty nice as we did all sorts of things and enjoyed ourselves. Perhaps it was just a day, but it definitely felt longer to me. I am happy to have all these friends at my side, so I don¡¯t feel alone. Partner, Lucifer, Emeraldine, these two kids, Laura and Takeshi. We are already a big party¡­ Oh well, I shouldn¡¯t ride off the rails yet. There¡¯s a lot to do before we settle down as an official party of sorts, and the kids just got here yesterday. We still have yet to clear their story arc! Ah, I read so many novels that even stuff like this I end up associating with stories¡­ ¡°Maria, what kind of job did you get? P-Please tell me!¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping it a secret for some time now,¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°Spirit Job?¡± Partner asked. ¡°Ugh, fine, I¡¯ll tell you¡­ my Job is Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen. It¡¯s a long name,¡± I said. ¡°D-Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen?! That¡¯s certainly the longest Job name I¡¯ve ever heard!¡± Emeraldine shouted with surprise. ¡°What does this mean? Has she really be a Spirit?¡± Muttered Lucifer once again. ¡°I did get the Characteristic Skill named Elemental Spirit if that answers your question,¡± I responded pridefully. ¡°Ppffff¡­! What? So you really¡­ became an elemental spirit of Dark and Death Element. Plus, you¡¯re also a Pandora Ghost?!¡± Shouted Lucifer. ¡°Lower your tone, you stupid lizard!¡± I said as I smacked his head. SMACK! ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡°Incredible¡­ Maria never ceases to amaze me! You¡¯re really going to be a spirit now¡­ And with a Job!¡± Eximed Emeraldine. ¡°Cool!¡± Shouted Partner. ¡°Eeeh¡­ I think you¡¯re exaggerating it a bit. What¡¯s so different from before? Just some powerups, but that¡¯s all. Nothing really changed,¡± I said. ¡°W-What? Of course, it changed! Spirits are creatures of the world. By bing one, you¡¯ve already be part of the world too, Master!¡± Said Emeraldine. I believe elves are a bit too fanatical of spirits¡­ ¡°You¡¯re once again exaggerating. It is not that much¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°B-But¡­!¡± ¡°Cut it out¡­ Master is fine as she is!¡± Said Partner. ¡°A-Ah¡­ I-I am not trying to say she¡¯s different or something¡­ I mean, she is now, but- Ugh, okay, maybe I am going a bit too far,¡± Emeraldine admitted with a sigh. ¡°You elves are always so obsessed with spirits and nature¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°W-Well, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Nothing, nothing. Let¡¯s not make discussions out of nowhere, alright? Everything is fine here,¡± I said. ¡°Anyways, I wanted to know how I can find spirits to contract, Emeraldine. I did get something like a Spirit Summon and Spirit Mediator Skills,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You did?! Then it could be possible to find a spirit for you to make a contract with! Spirits usually only emerge near those they have an affinity with¡­ so if Maria is Shadow and Death affinity, sprits of both elements should emerge,¡± Emeraldine exined. ¡°I see¡­ Erm, how the heck do I do that?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Usually, I called upon my spirits in the forest¡­ Can you see them now, now that you¡¯re one?¡± Asked Emeraldine. Suddenly, two glowing lights emerged at each shoulder of this pretty elf. One light was yellowish-gold, while the other was emerald-green. The yellow-gold light slowly took shape, resembling a shiny star, while the green one resembled a green seed with a leaf on top. ¡°Oooh! So these are spirits!¡± I said as I approached them, but the two seemed to dislike me and fear me. They even hid behind Emeraldine. ¡°Huh? You guys don¡¯t like me?¡± I asked. ¡°W-well, one is a spirit of light and the other of nature. Your primary elements are powerful, Maria, and they¡¯re the opposites of Light and Nature, which are Dark and Death¡­.¡± Emeraldine exined to me once again. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I guess I won¡¯t be getting any Light or Nature Spirits. ¡ª¨C Chapter 89 ¡ª¨C Spirits! I can¡¯t get spirits! Well, I can, but only of Dark and Death Element. The thing is, Spirits of such elements are extremely rare. And no, you won¡¯t find them justying over a corpse you just killed, or at night all of a sudden. Spirits are very special. Emeraldine said that Life and Nature Spirits are the mostmon as such elements cover the entire world. So, where there is a forest, there will be spirits wandering around. After that, in areas with tons of earthy resources and ores, such as mountains, earth spirits can be found. Also, there are the volcands where fire spirits might emerge or in forests that were suddenly engulfed in fire. In the skies where strong windse forth, or tornadoes and storms fall asunder, wind and thunder spirits might emerge here and there. Meanwhile, light spirits can be found where the light bathes life, dancing around the sunlight. Lastly, water spirits can be found in any old enough river,ke, or even ocean. Meanwhile, it is rumored that space and time spirits also exist, and even other elements, such as mind spirits, but such phenomena are not so natural, and it is hard to find them anywhere. And then¡­Dark and death spirits¡­ which are pretty hard to find. ¡°I would guess that in a very ancient graveyard at night, there could be chances for Death and Dark Element Spirits to emerge¡­ But even then, it might not be as likely,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°So I can just sit here and bathe in the moonlight and wait for one toe?¡± I asked. ¡°W-Well, you have a lot of Skills regarding them and even a Spirit Queen Title Skill¡­ So perhaps they might activelye to you, o-only if they¡¯repatible, though. My own spirits fear your presence too much because you epass theplete opposite of their elements, Maria-sama,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I see¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Perhaps your titles make it so you¡¯re more liked by thosepatible and more disliked by those ipatible¡­ quite troublesome,¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°Ugh¡­ yeah¡­¡± I sighed once more. ¡°Cheer up, nee-sama! You¡¯re still pretty strong, and aren¡¯t you a spirit yourself? You can be your own spirit,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Aw, Takeshi, you¡¯re such a sweetheart¡­.¡± I pet Takeshi¡¯s little horn. ¡°Anyways, what are spirits for?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°They¡¯re very important. They can help you conjure magic you can¡¯t use normally, act as an expansion of your own senses, bring you mana from the environment that they can absorb naturally, tell you things you can¡¯t see, such as the health of nts, and even conjure spells for you!¡± Eximed Emeraldine. ¡°Ooh¡­ They¡¯re pretty useful then,¡± Said Laura. ¡°Indeed they are! They evolve into stronger versions of themselves at higher levels and can materialize to aid you in battle as Spirit Familiars. This is how you use your Spirit Summon Skill. Mine cannot fight properly yet in their true forms, but their assistance is enough¡­ They have been with me since I was a child¡­ Even in my harshest and most traumatic moments, they were there to help me recover. Without them¡­ I don¡¯t know how much many pieces mind would¡¯ve been shattered into¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. She perhaps recalled the things she went through as a ve¡­ I guess spirits can also be friends. ¡°I see! So they¡¯re pretty special. Those two little things on your shoulders¡­.¡± I said as I poked one with my finger, and it cried a bit in panic. ¡°Hehe, indeed! They helped me hunt monsters and forage in the forest until I gained enough EXP to evolve and grow stronger so I could be of more use to Maria-sama¡­.¡± She said. ¡°Hmm, your words only make me want to have my own spirit even more now! Ugh, well, maybe we can give it a shot at the graveyard in this town, but tonight night we are striking, so we better not do this for now and prepare for what¡¯s toe,¡± I said. ¡°Wise wordsing from you. You¡¯re absolutely right, the night is already almost here, and most folks are walking back home. Only some might remain within the pubs and bars¡­ so this is an excellent opportunity to wait a bit more and then strike!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s theboratory?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Oh, the kids told me. It is near the house of one of the pigs I havee to kill. Come to think about it, it seems that all three of them are colluding with Vampires incidentally! How funny it is as it seems like this entire conspiracy of my family¡¯s death was made by the Vampires because every human involved in it is also colluding with those bloodsuckers,¡± I said. ¡°Y-Yeah, I guess it is all connected in the end¡­ To think that it woulde down to such a thing. I suppose it is even more justified to just kill them,¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Kill! Let¡¯s kill them to avenge your family, master! We¡¯ll make them suffer! Suffer!¡± Chanted Partner, her crimson-red eyes shining brightly as she began to drool over what their vor of blood might be. ¡°I am always up for killing some disgraceful humans,¡± Said Lucifer, his nails growing sharper. ¡°I am also up to it! Though our level is too low to do anything significant,¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°Maybe we can cheer from the sidelines?¡± Takeshi suggested. ¡°Your help is enough; you¡¯ve told us everything, which has also helped us figure out a lot of things¡­ you guys will grow stronger in due time, but for now, you¡¯ll stay inside of my Shadow Storage for security, alright?¡± I said. ¡°Inside your shadows?! T-That¡¯s a bit spooky¡­.¡± Said Laura. ¡°Well, it is also the safest ce¡­ Right, nee-sama?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Takeshi, you¡¯re a very smart and precious little boy! Of course, nee-sama¡¯s shadow is the most secure! Even if it¡¯s dark, cold, and a bit scary, there are a lot of Undead friends inside, and they will all personally greet you and keep youpany!¡± I said. ¡°Yaaay!¡± Takeshi eximed with delight. ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Laura groaned. ¡ª¨C Chapter 90 ¡ª¨C I want some spirits, but I seem to not have the knack for the brighter ones such as Life and Nature, which is rather sad, as they¡¯re also the mostmon. But there¡¯s no point in getting sad over it! I can still get Dark and Death ones, the rarest of the bunch¡­ Ugh. Maybe I could get other elements too? Although your affinity is usually what decides which spirits will like you¡­ But Emeraldine did say that slightly proficient spirit magicians were able tomunicate and befriend spirits of even elements they were notpatible with and bring forth the power of elements they could not conjure. It was interesting to think that such a thing could be possible. Maybe I could find a rare Light or Nature spirit willing to be my friend? And even then, perhaps a Water spirit? Or¡­ a thunder spirit? Maybe a wind spirit? Or a fire spirit? A space and time spirit? Or¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore. I can only hope for one to like me¡­ Maybe I will have to show off my enchanting beauty to them! Perhaps showing off some more of my phantasmal white skin could work. I could even change my clothes into a sexy swimsuit to attract their attention! That¡¯s what spirits like, right? Who am I kidding? Perhaps they will just call me a thot and ignore me! Agh. Well, not like it matters now. We won¡¯t be getting any spirit chasing done any time soon. We still have things to do, such as killing a crazy scientist and me getting a ton of EXP out of it. Ah, and of course, I must fulfill my destiny and avenge my parents. There are three little piggies here that require to be ughtered to feed me EXP. I might as well steal their belongings and increase the level of my Pickpocket Title Skill as well, cause¡­ why not. Now, as the sun slowly sunk beneath the horizon, we quickly walked away from the za and moved to a dark alley, where the kids quickly entered my shadows, and so did everyone else. I merged with the shadows of the entire duchy, and now that it was night, everything was dark, and I could move incredibly easily through Shadow Sneak. I used it to dive into the shadows and darkness as if they were mere water to me. I swam through it and moved towards my destiny, the house of the Duke of Btina, Duke Roberto Albraun! Of course, I wasn¡¯t going to kill him right away, so he should be thankful I was letting him live a few more hours. I was going to go to the underground facility right below his ass, the massive underground dungeon-like area that was made here way before he was born. Well, specifically, he made a massive manor atop it and then went to live there to mask the obvious experimentation facility ran by a crazed Vampire Halfling underneath. ording to the coordinates of the kids, we should be arriving in just a few more seconds. Moving through shadows is incredibly efficient and fast! I can even skip entire buildings and pass through them thanks to my phantasmal nature. In fact, thebination of Shadow Sneak and my phantasmal body, which can pass through physical objects, is enough to let me go anywhere I want! And that¡¯s quite literally! sh! sh! sh! Fuhahahaha! Nothing can stand before me! FLASH! In an instant, I was already inside of the Duke¡¯s territory. His beautiful garden was adorned with many colorful flowers, which seemed to greet me. So this is where this aristocratic pig lives, I see! There was nobody around but a few guards. This Duke is a loner that has no family and seems to only please himself using ves¡­ which is what I¡¯ve heard. I phased down below the ground,pletely ignoring logic as I trespassed the floor itself and reached down below in an instant. There was no point in going around stairs or doors if I can just rush down below, right? It may cost tons of mana to pass through so much physical mass, but the entire Duke¡¯s army of soldiers up there gave me enough mana to achieve this rtively quickly. I reached down below and found myself in the middle of a super strange and lugubriousb. There was a massive section where many tables were spread around. There were papers everywhere and sks filled with strange liquids. A massive one even had fleshy bits, such as organs, and more floating in all kinds of sses. I saw a few Homunculus in the making as well, and though just a few, they looked like horrid fleshy abominations. I might as well put their souls out of their misery while I am here. This room was thergest and perhaps where he did his experiments¡­ so! I waved my hands as I merely willed it, and using my authority as the Undead Queen, I grabbed the souls of all the unfortunate abominations in this ce and gathered them all inside of my Shadow Storage. Emeraldine then immediately began to purify them and let them move to the afterlife. They don¡¯t deserve to be eaten but to be freed from this suffering and their fleshy cages, as I am a benevolent woman. I shall purify you (with Emeraldine¡¯s help), so you can have a happy afterlife! The souls began to slowly fade away into the afterlife as they flew into another ne of existence within this world. Perhaps they can reincarnateter, and have better lives. I didn¡¯t want to cage them into being Undead, as they didn¡¯t seem as resentful as the other souls I often found in the forest¡­ which most of the time are those of monsters that died brutally. All these souls were those of people this damn bastard had captured and then inserted into these fleshy abominations so these creatures could be born. They were all people, probably former ves. Now, in just a few seconds, I freed all those within this room and decided to plunder everything else, throwing anything he had here into my Inventory! ¡°Bwahaha! Mine! Mine! Mine!¡± I was going absolutely mental as I gave into my devilish greed. ¡°Huh?! Who¡¯s there?!¡± The voice of an old man resonated behind the massive metallic door in front of me. ¡ª¨C Chapter 91 ¡ª¨C Incidentally, after freeing all these dozens of souls from their fleshy prisons and purifying their souls using the help of Emeraldine, I got a lot of EXP. Does this count as killing them? I guess so! Ding! [You¡¯ve earned 37250 EXP] [Your Level has increased from level 15 to level 16!] Oh damn, it even gave me a level. Now I feel a bit bad for what I did¡­ Did I really do the right thing?! Oh well, whatever. After that, I began to put everything I could see into my Inventory. Even the most useless of garbage was now part of my property and I could see that my Pickpocket Title Skill was actually rising in level! ¡°Bwahaha! Mine! Mine! Mine!¡± I was going absolutely mental as I gave in to my devilish greed. ¡°Huh?! Who¡¯s there?!¡± The voice of an old man resonated behind the massive metallic door in front of me. Huh? Did he find me out already? Time to sneak around! I quickly went back to meddling with the shadows as the metallic door that was sealed shut suddenly opened wide. A dozen of strange chimeric beasts came out of it, roaring and then sniffing the entire ce for any trails left behind. Ohhh, these are quite the dedicated EXP Bags! And they do look juicy. There were around 9 C+ Ranked Chimeric Beasts, while the other six or so were C- or even D+¡­ Nothing that we cannot handle nor massacre. However, much like we did with the goblins, I wanted to nourish these kids and let them leech off EXP from killing weakened creatures, so I decided to capture them all alive. The older man¡¯s voice was far away and by expanding my senses, I could hear himmanding more beasts. The beast with the best smelling sense found me already, but it was toote. I expanded my shadows around them and formed a myriad of tentacles, wrapping around the variedly-shaped creatures while absorbing all of their Mana continuously, which only fed into this ridiculous technique using [Shadow Maniption]. ¡°GROOARR?!¡± ¡°RAAAAARR!¡± ¡°GRRYYARRR!¡± ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re all caught up between my deadly webs!¡± [Shadow Maniption] is overpowered! Even more, if we fuse it with [Supreme Magic] to boot, and there are no problems with Mana cost when I have Mana Siphon to absorb the Mana of my enemies. I called out the gang as Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, and Kuro emerged from my shadows, immediately attacking the monsters with everything they had. I had immobilized the creatures for them, so it was up to them to deal enough damage! SLASH! Partner used her spear to pierce through the stomach of a lion-like chimera with several heads of different creatures such as goats, lizards, and the like, and then filled it with venom through the spear¡¯s effect. Barely hanging onto its life, the beast was thrown inside my Shadow Storage, where a group of Undead I had stored inside, mostly Ravens and Bone Beasts, plus the pair of kids who ganged up on it until itsst breath. An army of Undead is not good without strong Undead! So the best thing I can do is begin leveling up my other troops aside from my main party. I¡¯ve already made some simple skeletons using monster bones we had hunted, which became Bone Beasts after fusing various skeleton piles together into an undead, and now they were all ravaging the living chimera until itsst breath. They all gained tons of shared EXP, and I could see that the kids also leveled up a couple of times straight away. Of course, this is a little incentive. After a couple more levels, they¡¯ll be ready to fight more confidently by themselves, so they can gain battle experience that doesn¡¯t consist in just ganging up on powerful beasts to increase their stats through leveling up. ¡°ROAR!¡± Lucifer roared fiercely as he used his draconic ws to sh through arge snake-like hydra with limbs of lizards stuck to it. It also had a poisonous stinger simr to that of a bug. The creature was a D+ Ranked Chimera, and our beloved dragon¡¯s ws were then enough to sh through its scale armor. He sliced its ribs and then sliced it in half. Surprisingly, the monster continued to live after that, ready to be butchered by the rookies down below. Without further ado, I threw it down the shadow pit as the twins and the Undead I had stockpiled began to have an EXP feast. Once more, another beast was thrown inside right after courtesy of Partner. This one resembled a giraffe with the head of a lizard and the ws of a lion. I don¡¯t know how this stupid scientist thought this was a good idea of a design. It looked horrendous. The monster was left crippled by Partner and then quickly massacred by those inside the shadow storage. I could feel within all the chimera beast a core of dark magic, probably a failed version of the one the kids had, which was much more perfected into their systems, while the cores these chimeras leaked too much magic energy and looked painfully inefficient. Normal monsters have Magic Crystals, but Chimera are like monsters artificially made using parts of beasts and monsters that already died and were revived as one, therefore, theyck a magical organ that helps them at regting mana and using magic¡­ But with these shitty Dark God Fragment Cores, it was possible for these monsters to be able to get their magic going, although not as efficient as real monsters. I kept throwing them into my Shadow Storage as they massacred them down there. It was going to be pretty hard to get a challenge out of this as I had gotten way too overpowered with my new job, and we were honestly a big group of strong guys all around. I helped out by making my Shadow Tentacles as sharp as Shadow Arrow Spears, and piercing the monsters¡¯ bodies, so it could be even easier to kill them for the rookies. The massacre continued. It feels good to just sit here to rx and ughter for once. ¡ª¨C Chapter 92 ¡ª¨C ¡°shing Beam!¡± Emeraldine used her Holy Light Magic to release a shing beam of light which impacted one of the beasts and threw it to the ground. She then summoned nts that started to set root inside of its wounds, making the beast agonize in pain. ¡°GROAR!¡± Also, just as I was about to save her from a giant leopard-like chimera, she was protected by her own magic as a massive shield made of hardened wood bark. The massive shield hit the leopard in the face, throwing it to the ground for Emeraldine¡¯s magic to finish it off. And that¡¯s thest one, which was in half a minute after inside of my Shadow Storage. Right after that, I got tons of EXP umted from the kills. I just captured them and damaged them, but the EXP was still generous enough to grace me. Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You gained 120000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 16 to Level 17!] [Your Level has increased from Level 17 to Level 18!] [Your Level has increased from Level 18 to Level 19!] [EXP: 21056/38000] Wow, three levels straight away! Good! We are making progress now! Now only 21 levels before my next evolution¡­ Hahh¡­ looks distant enough. ¡°Maria, we have cleansed everything here. Should we continue?¡± Asked Lucifer. He was in his dragon form, and through morphing abilities, he could change his size even to fit this cramped underground ce. ¡°Yeah, there seems to be more activity going on ahead of our path, so¡­ Let¡¯s get straight to the core of the problem,¡± I said. We had to hurry, or the old man might end up running away from our grasp, and I am not going to let a Vampire go that was involved in the whole conspiracy that took down my family. Even if indirectly, he¡¯s still at fault for the whole chimera experiments and using the souls of people that had died from other worlds in here through weird summoning rituals¡­ Caging kids is not a good thing, man. Even if you created them, that doesn¡¯t make you the owner of their lives. That¡¯s not how human rights work. We left the room and reached the damp corridors of the facility, which were rather tight. There were many small rooms everywhere, where we found even more experimental things going on, or just storages filled with lots of magical items. ¡°Y-You filthy invaders! You¡¯ve just entered my hideout somehow¡­ But I won¡¯t let you go now¡­ You¡¯re all going to die here and be my damn chimeraster! And give me back those damn kids!¡± The voice of a typical clich¨¦ crazy scientist resonated across the entire underground. I couldn¡¯t see him anywhere, so I assumed he used some artifact to speak to us from a long distance. And then, we felt the presence of over twenty chimeric beasts rushing here from all the other corridors connecting to this one. Another battle was about to begin quickly! ¡°GROAR!¡± ¡°GRAOOO!¡± ¡°RAARR!¡± These creatures were¡­ slightly stronger. Every creature was either C- or C+ Rank, although we had yet to see something at B Rank. Perhaps they were extremely rare due to their great difficulty and power, so even a scientist like him cannot create a B-Rank monster so easily. The creatures roared fiercely as I decided to y around some more while absorbing their Mana. I activated the Domain of Shadows and Death Skill, which generated arge dark shadow all around us, below and above, and greatly enhanced our power by using these elements! Even our defenses and other stats were increased a bit more too. ¡°Oh, this feels good!¡± Eximed Partner. She kicked a chimera in its wolf-shaped face and then used her spear to pierce the head of another with ease. ¡°GRAOOO!¡± Kuro roared fiercely as he leaped over his victim, a wingless bird-shaped chimera that seemed quadrupedal in nature. What a horror, a quadrupedal bird! ¡°Indeed, I feel way stronger¡­.¡± Muttered Lucifer. Using his massive ws and phantasmal fire breath, he shed his enemies and burnt them, making for a terrible duo that finished most of the creatures. Meanwhile, I expanded my Shadow Tentacles, but I had no time to properly set up my ¡°Shadow Net,¡± so I only used my Shadow Tentacles to catch the beasts and then y them using Darkness Bullet and Shadow Arrow Spear. A barrage of these attacks coupled with the boost of my equipment, the Job boost, and the Domain was enough to pulverize any chimera that dared to attack me. However, I also took out my de and began to sh away some of the monstrous creatures with the Demonic de courtesy of our good friend, the Necromancer, and his Skull Lord. I used it alongside the de sh Skill to release massive ck and red-colored shing attacks that shed any beasts in half that dared toe near me. Some managed to catch up to me, but I evaded swiftly, and Lucifer, Partner, and Kuro were backing me up and taking the big hits for me while Emeraldine used her magic to support us. Anything that wasn¡¯t healing worked well on us, so she used buffs using her light magic to aid us in battle. ¡°Help¡­ me¡­! HELP¡­ MEEEEEE!¡± A humanoid creature with the body of a middle-aged man who was filled with monster and beast body parts stitched on him, making him look like a grotesque mix of things, reached up to me. It was a C+ Rank Chimera beast, and it seemed to be in pain. It was asking for help desperately as his beast limbs shed against me, his human hands were changed, and he hadrge, sewed des stuck to them, which he used to sh or pierce through me, or, well, tried at least. I evaded and healed back any minor damage I took until I managed to get a clear shot on its head and swung my de dexterously, slicing off his head and then extracting his soul to purify and let it rest in peace. This was thest one, and with that, we got even more EXP. I can already imagine the face of the old man right now. ¡ª¨C Chapter 93 ¡ª¨C Within the depths of the undergroundir, the old and crazy scientist Vampire halfling, Borudro Aruno, began to feel shocked by what he was seeing through his irvoyance crystal orb¡­ On it, he found what seemed to be a massacre against arge group of Chimeras he had sent to the invaders but were all destroyed. What seemed to be standing there were just five figures, three women, a dragon, and a strange ck leopard¡­ ¡°W-What? W-Who are they?!¡± The scientist checked the artifact that showed him the location of the children he was seeking. And it showed that they were¡­ right here?! ¡°Huh? They¡¯re here? Where?! I don¡¯t see them anywhere¡­ Agh! T-They¡¯reing closer! Just how strong are they?! I have to call the boss¡­ No, even if I call him, he won¡¯t be able to bring reinforcements in time¡­ Am I¡­ going to die? HERE¡­ AND NOW?!¡± The small man rushed around the office as he activated several magical artifacts, allowing many of the chimeras he had saved up in cages free, and ordering them through his authority over them to move and do as he said. The chimeras rushed through the corridors of the underground, about to meet Maria and her party. ¡°I have to get out of here¡­! As long as I remain alive, this project can be restarted!¡± The old man opened a dimensional pouch and began to save all sorts of documents inside while suddenly realizing a presence within a room behind his main office. This presence was a being he had created some time ago, an abominable chimera which he had only created to see how far his abilities could go and how strong a chimera could be made from his hands¡­ This abomination rested within a room of its own, being fed ves every week, as its hunger could not be satiated otherwise. The man desperately rushed towards this room and opened it. ¡°You should be able to buy me enough time¡­ Now obey me and go there! Kill them! Do anything you can! You¡¯re free to do whatever the fuck you desire!¡± Roared the man, as several artifacts inserted inside the body of this monstrous being, forcing it to obey. ¡°Pa¡­ pa¡­ Ma¡­ ma¡­. It hurtssss¡­ GRRUUOOHHH¡­¡± The creature cried with a voice that seemed to be various mixed children converged together while its massive and deformed body rushing through the corridors¡­ ¡°What a detestable monster¡­ But it¡¯s strong, my strongest creation¡­ It should be able to do something against those monsters¡­!¡± Meanwhile¡­ ¡ª¨C Ding! [Calcting EXP Gained¡­] [You gained 245000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 19 to Level 20!] [Your Level has increased from Level 20 to Level 21!] [Your Level has increased from Level 21 to Level 22!] [Your Level has increased from Level 22 to Level 23!] [Your Level has increased from Level 23 to Level 24!] The number of Chimeras we had ughtered was ridiculous. With such a big amount of them gone, it was easy for us to absorb all the EXP we rightfully earned. Not only had I leveled five times, but everyone else got a massive amount of levels. It is not normal to see so many strong monsters gathered in a single ce. Not even dungeons spawn this many strong creatures! But we had a massive feast of C-Rank monsters, and everyone ughtered them with high spirits as we got a bunch of EXP out of them. We had mostly left them half-dead so the twins and my other Undead could finish them off, though. You can already imagine how many levels those low-level guys got, right? They had gone from zero to hero really quick, although not asparable as us. Most of my Undead evolved, including my Undead Raven. Maybe with their current levels it should be more than enough to get them out! After all, these strong Bone Beasts were all C- Rank at most, and Raven is at least at C+ Rank now. Indeed, it is finally time to act like a Necromancer and- Oh right, there are all these Chimera corpses, might as well raise them into Undead too by using Fake Life. And, they seemed pretty strong! FLASH! Inside of my own Shadow Storage, all the corpses of Chimera are stuck together and stitched through my Undead Healing Skill, and then my utilization of Fake Life to raise the strongest ones, there were some that ended too destroyed or looked too pathetically weak. The result? An army of around 20 D+ Undead! Not bad. They lost a lot of power because their original souls were gone, but these can work as nice distractions. The kids also wanted to fight as both of them had leveled up to level 23, so they could realistically fight or help in the fight now¡­ But I was too worried about their safety, so I declined their enthusiasm, sadly. ¡°Sorry, but you two are still too weak. If you end up dying, I don¡¯t think I can forgive myself,¡± I sighed. ¡°But Emeraldine can heal us if we wound ourselves¡­.¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Our Unique Skills can work well too!¡± Said Laura. ¡°No is no, kids! We are about to ughter the baddie, so you sit there and kill the creatures we send at you. Raven and the other Undead are taking good care of you, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Erm¡­ yeah,¡± ¡°Okay, fine¡­¡± ¡°Good kids,¡± They¡¯re indeed good kids! Now, back to the issue at hand. I nced in front of my path. We were moving at a fast speed across the corridors, as we saw many areas that were filled with alchemy items or caged wild monsters and beasts. We also saw a few rooms filled with ves and people that were still alive. I ignored them for now as we had to first clean the entire ce from Chimeras and the guy that made this entire mess, and then we¡¯ll see what we can do with these people. Calling the authorities would be the best bet so they can take care of it, but the authorities themselves are corrupted! And there it is, another wave of chimera monstersing right up. ¡ª¨C Chapter 94 ¡ª¨C The power of the Gods of this world is unknown to me yet, but I do know that they allow for such things to happen in this world without any problems. It is said they created and shaped the world, but they clearly didn¡¯t take care of it after that. They let the beings they created do whatever they want in the end. Kill each other, enve each other, experiment with one another, and do all sorts of atrocities. And even when things involve the fragments of their former enemy which they defeated and whose fragments fell onto the surface of the world they created, nothing changed, and they didn¡¯t interfere, even when the mortals they made yed around with this power which clearly shouldn¡¯t be used by them. A wave of chimera monsters quickly greeted us. All of their massive and grotesque bodies were overflowing with Demon Energying from the ck crystals on their bodies. These things were produced by the Fragment of Evil which my parents and my family once protected. This fragment is, of course, not here but hidden probably in the capital of this Kingdom. I quickly analyzed the number of beasts before us, around 30 in total, and I could feel a big oneing slowly behind all of them. Did this old man unleash his final trump card or something? Good, let¡¯s get to it. ¡°[Mana Siphon],¡± I once again activated the power of Mana Siphon, absorbingrge quantities of Mana from all the army of Chimera in front of us. And then¡­ ¡°[Summon]!¡± FLASH! While my Domain of Dark Shadows and Death were still present, I summoned the power of the Undead I¡¯ve made, or well, a part of it, bringing forth most of the Chimera Undead I just raised as meat shields. An army of 20 Chimera Undead appeared in an instant, apanied by a few Bone Beasts of C+ Rank as backup allies. All of them rushed forward before us, taking the initial hit of the entire battle as many began to be shed by the strong chimera, but many others managed to defeat other Chimeras. A massacre of wild beasts against wilder beasts had just begun. And as we left this to happen, we rushed forward and began using our abilities to finish them off or catch them as this time we were not so rxed as before as the group was clearly big and strong. Every Chimera here was already C+ Rank without any being less than that in power. There was no chance for us if we didn¡¯t go all out from the beginning. ¡°RRROOOARR!¡± Lucifer rushed forward as he fiercely released his breath attack, phantasmal mes burning through the many chimeras at once and targeting their deformed and amorphous flesh, which made them howl in pain. Partner controlled her blood and made whips out of it, which wrapped around two Chimeras, and then she used them to hit the other Chimeras, throwing them away while picking them up using her spear with swift movements. Emeraldine used her bow and gathered spiritual mana on it, before firing incredibly fast Light Arrows that exploded into shing light and burnt through a group of Chimeras in an instant. She was deadly and fast. Kuro used his natural body strength to fight, alongside his magic, as he had the ability to unleash fireballs, thunderbolts, and gale winds of dark energy, alongside darkness bullets, all of which were being spammed by him and bombarded any enemy which his ws and bite could not reach. Meanwhile, I swung my de to the left and right, as massive shes made of dark and death elements were released continuously. These shes came packed with the power of the de sh Skill, deadly enough to sh through most things with ease. I used it to slice the Chimeras into pieces with utmost ease and then gained tons of EXP through my senseless ughter. It was a good opportunity to practice my sword fighting until I realized I could also just gather shadows on the de and then swing it by merely thinking, making it an effective flying weapon. This way, I just equipped my Staff and let the de fly around and sh, pierce, and kill the chimeras by splitting a part of my mind to control it through Shadow Maniption. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Also, I utilized my most basic magic, Dark Gale, to slice through the Chimera, coupled with the amazing Dark Sphere at high levels. As the level of the skills increased, they became deadlier and more efficient too as they still cost less Mana than the bigger attacks using Shadow Maniption, for example. Also, thanks to the Domain boosting my elemental Dark Damage, these little spells became devastating ones. My Dark Gales sliced through the chimeras like massive storms of slicing dark winds, while my Dark Spheres were now as big as two meters, enough to st an entire Chimera into the ground, and multiple ones could easily stter them into pieces onto the ground. It was truly a beautiful sight. We continued ughtering while asionally throwing weakened chimera beasts inside of my shadow storage, where the kids and the Undead there finished them off for their own Experience Points. Soon, we were about to finish off this wave of Chimera in less than 10 minutes. It was rather long, but the difficulties we faced were near none, especially as I was abusing the power of a Necromancer and simply abusing the Undead, I had raised as meat shields. This ended with all the Chimera dying after a few minutes, and once more, I was getting a shit-ton of EXP! Hahaha! Ding! [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [You gained 265000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 24 to Level 25!] [Your Level has increased from Level 25 to Level 26!] [Your Level has increased from Level 26 to Level 27!] [Your Level has increased from Level 27 to Level 28!] [EXP: 65056/75000] Four levels in one shot! Good! That¡¯s the good stuff. This amazing grind had note to an end yet as¡­ the Final Boss has emerged! A massive gori-like Chimera was emanating the deadliest presence¡­ And this thing was¡­ Eh?! B+ Rank?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 95 ¡ª¨C A massive creature came running towards us after we defeated thest Chimera as if triggered by some kind of Boss Battle event. But perhaps when it noticed us now that the army of monstrous creatures was cleansed, it was able to properly discern us and ran here as fast as it could. The monster was nothing less than a terrifying thought as the number of body parts it had stitched all over its body and the three heads it had¡­ looked creepy. The creature resembled a massive muscr hulk. The body looked like abination of several animals, mostly the torso of a gori with the four legs of a massive lizard, perhaps even a dragon? It had three long tails, each one was different, while one of them, the one at the middle, was a massive scorpion tail, and the other two resembled rocky spear-tipped tails that you would see in some kind of earth-type lizard monster. The three heads it had was the creepy part, as the first head in the middle was the head of a human, but itcked any skin over its face, and it was just raw red flesh. It looked creepy as itcked eyelids and its sharp teeth looked ready to chomp us down. The head at the left was that of some giant and grotesque bird with a massive sharp hook-shaped beak, but it had no feathers, while the other head to the right was that of a massive crocodile, and it had arge jaw enough to snap your head off. It had six muscr arms, and each arm was either covered by fur, scales, or metallic tes of armor. Some of these arms even had weapons and magical artifacts stuck to them, and the creature had many demonic crystals all across its body. I could sense one in every limb and probably all around its torso, alongside three big ones in each head. I don¡¯t even know if destroying all the heads could even bring that thing down, but it was certainly a terrifying beast. On its back, it had several long tentacles of various colors, and they all leaked some deadly venom. We should keep Emeraldine behind us. ¡°Grrrrrraaaaahhh¡­ mama¡­ papa¡­ It hurts¡­ Help¡­ HELP!¡± However, that wasn¡¯t the most disturbing thing yet, as this creature began to speak in the voice of dozens of children. As if they were all going through constant pain, they were calling for the help of their parents. A horrendous pain suddenly hit the core of my soul, as I felt a powerful curse trying to consume me the moment I heard its ursed voice, the eyes of the center-head shone brightly with red light. Fuck, I thought I was immune to curses! Well, being a ghost makes you immune to status effects that affect physical bodies, so I guess curses don¡¯t apply here?! ¡°Unggh¡­!¡± ¡°Maria! Are you okay?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Master!¡± Cried Partner. ¡°Maria-sama!¡± Shouted Emeraldine. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t worry about me. I am fine! Don¡¯t¡­ look at that thing¡¯s eyes, no matter what! It can inflict a strong Soul Curse¡­ Fuck!¡± I felt as if the curse was slowly beginning to eat away at my soul from its very core. What kind of ursed Curse was this?! It was way too overpowered! I checked this creature¡¯s horrendous stats, and I saw they were pretty fucking high. The creature¡¯s name was [Grand Chimera Behemoth Tyrant], a B+ Ranked monster with enough stats to pulverize me. We¡¯ll have to go all out on this one! But first¡­ The Curse used on me was part of its Evil Eye of Soul Eating. I see, so my soul was about to get fucking eaten, right. I quickly shapeshifted my hand into a sharp materialized dark w, and I used it to grasp the area with the curse slowly spreading¡­ And pulled it straight out through my own Soul Eating. CRASH! ¡°Uagh!¡± It hurt like hell! But I managed to take out the curse, and then, I quickly devoured my own soul fragment. Thankfully, the curse quickly dissipated after being eaten. I guess you have to fight fire with fire. A few consecutive uses of Undead Healing quickly healed back the wound in my soul as I red at the Chimera slowly approaching us, and it seemed a bit timid. ¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± I once more prepared the Domain of Dark Shadows and Death while keeping my Demonic de close to me. I coated it in Shadows and manipted it in midair through Shadow Maniption. I even went as far as ¡°inserting¡± a part of my own mind, something I had just begun to learn to do right about now. This massive demon de was going to be our new party member, I guess. While I use the staff to enhance my magic, this de¡¯s own power will attack the creature. Lucifer¡¯s big body will be our primary tank alongside all the Undead I am raising right now through Fake Life, as all the chimera we have in recently came back to ¡°life¡± as my servants. Partner and Kuro would also fight in the frontlines but will try to fight off the beast through quick attacks whenever it lowers its guard. Meanwhile, Emeraldine and I will support the frontliners with our Magic. My Domain is already doing wonders for their damage and defenses, but my magic will alsoe in clutch. Also, I will constantly use Life Drain and Mana Siphon to slowly drain the life and mana out of this giant gori. While doing so, I will employ the barriers of shadows I have and spam my attack spells as much as I possibly can while making sure to heal my allies, which Emeraldine cannot heal herself. Her barriers and long-ranged attacks will be more than enough, however. ¡°GGRRAAAAAA!¡± Suddenly, the chimera didn¡¯t wait for us to coordinate as it jumped straight towards me with all its might! Fuck! ¡°[Shadow Barrier]!¡± I overcharged my shadow barrier spell with mana and conjured it in an instant. The massive beast hit it directly, getting ttened over the barrier of shadows! CRASH! Only for it to break right after! ¡°GRRAA!¡± Its massive ws reached me, ready to break down my soul into pieces. ¡ª¨C Chapter 96 ¡ª¨C Indeed, this Monster has a lot more speed than its damn size implies! And this is because it has over 6k Agility! That¡¯s a B+ Rank monster for you! In terms of agility and raw stats, this monster beat us by far. And just by pushing lightly, he broke down my barrier, which I had spent thousands of Mana into, and decided to just kill me right away because it thought I was the leader here, or maybe because I was the most annoying with my Domain and Magic. However! SLAAAASSSH! ¡°GRAAH?!¡± My trusty Demonic de came forward and shed through the beast¡¯s heads, trying to slice off the human head! The beast immediately noticed this and twisted its body, trying to catch my floating de but not managing to do so, as my de flew around leisurely as if insulting it. ¡°This is the guy you¡¯ll fight today!¡± Lucifer rushed forward as he enhanced his body with the power of his powerful Draconic Soul. His entire body emanated a deathly phantasmal aura that epassed his entire body and enhanced his strength greatly. CLASH! He used his ws and tail to attack the monster, pushing it back from where it came from. His deadly breath attack burned through its flesh as the monster roared in anger and suddenly caught his arms¡­ and then tore them apart! CRAAASSSH! ¡°Unggh?!¡± This thing is definitely strong! ¡°Go, Undead Army!¡± I called all my Undead on standby and merged their groups with the ones I had just formed. The entire massive army of over 60 Undead rushed forward, suddenly swarming the entire monster as I bought some time for Lucifer. I grabbed his arms and stuck them to his body, healing them back with Undead Healing. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Keep fighting!¡± I shouted. Lucifer nodded as he rushed forward, jumping over the creature who was absolutely massacring all my Undead as if they were ants reveling against a lion. BOOM!!! ¡°ORRRAAA!¡± He roared furiously as the beast was taken by surprise. His ws pierced through the monster¡¯s chest and began to sh through it and takerge chunks of flesh and scales. Meanwhile, Partner and Kuro quickly joined in, attacking the beast¡¯s arms. Kuro used his ws, jaws, and magic to burn, sh, and bite two arms by himself, slowly making them weakened enough for Partner to use all her might in a powerful consecutive thrusting technique. Her spear pierced through the monster¡¯s arms and ended up slicing three of them after herbination attack with Kuro! BOOM! The three massive limbs fell onto the ground as the beast began to leak blood from its body. Feeling pain and anger, the creature suddenly released an enormous shockwave of darkness, throwing everyone away from it. Most of my Undead died there, but thankfully, our main party barely managed to make it through as I spammed Undead Healing on them. ¡°GRRAAAR!¡± The monster roared angrily as it leaped towards us at a frightening speed. My de shed through its body but was then punched away with immense might. The monster once more targeted me, trying to crush me with its four lizard legs, but I decided to greet it with a power I had been preparing, Pandora¡¯s Box! BOOOOMMM!!! A mass of darkness and chaos came out of my entire soul and reached the chimera while it was in midair¡ªarge chunk of my Mana was consumed into this one powerful attack. The beam of darkness began to damage both the monster¡¯s flesh and soul as I pushed it into the ceiling! CLAAAASSSSHH! ¡°GGRAAAAGGH¡­!¡± The monster seemed to be in a pinch, but then¡­! ¡°RAAA¡­!¡± Its entire body gathered its demon energy, and the bastard copied my move, releasing a beam of ck demonic energy towards me, overpowering my Pandora¡¯s Box! BOOOM! The massive beam reached me in an instant, but Emeraldine generated arge force field of holy light which shielded us from this demonic power. CLAAAASH! ¡°Unnngh¡­! Come on!¡± She cried out as she gritted her teeth, so I quickly touched her shoulder and infused my Mana into her, helping her maintain the barrier. CRASH! The barrier began to crack, but when it was about to break, the monster couldn¡¯t muster more demonic energy and stopped firing such a powerful beam. However, its body was still in midair when this happened. Without the force of the beam keeping it in midair, it fell directly towards us, breaking the barrier and shaking the entire floor. BOOOMMM!!! The shockwave generated with its massive near ten-meter-tall body sent us all flying through the corridors as we all nced at the monster scornfully. This damn bastard wasn¡¯t even that wounded aside fromcking three arms from the six it had. ¡°GRRRAAAAHHHH¡­!¡± Without even letting us stand up to fight once more, the creature reached up to me, but my Undead shielded me with their bodies, buying time and swarming it once more. I spammed Fake Life on the corpses of the Undead and simply raised them back to fight. They were more destroyed than ever, but nothing some Undead Healing couldn¡¯t patch. The power of a Necromancer is within its undying troops! Even if you defeat my whole army, I can just raise them again and patch them up! ¡°GROARR!¡± As the beast was pulverizing my Undead, I healed back Lucifer, Partner, and Kuro, while Emeraldine healed her own wounds and stood up. This wasn¡¯t over yet¡­ ¡°Maria!¡± Suddenly, the voice of Laura resonated through my mind. ¡°Huh?! How can you speak to me through my mind?¡± I asked. ¡°This is the power of my Unique Skill, Twin Connection! I¡¯ve made you into my Twin¡­ Like this, you can share my Abilities! Please, use Detonation. I believe it can help you somehow¡­ it cannot make living beings detonate but- Undead¡­ can work on them!¡± Shouted Laura. ¡°Wait¡­ Undead¡­ Detonation?¡± A devilish smile emerged on my lips as I saw the Chimera destroying my Undead¡­ Perhaps I can use my own Undead as Unliving Time Bombs¡­! However, to activate them, it is required to touch the Undead! ¡ª¨C Chapter 97 ¡ª¨C ¡°GGRUUUOOOHH!¡± The massive beast continued to pulverize my Undead at an incredible speed, and the corpses of my Undead were sent flying everywhere, even more torn apart than before. But that was good enough for me. However, I needed someone to distract this beast before it was toe after me again. It continuously targeted me for some reason, perhaps because it knew I was draining its Mana? Nheless, I need time to convert my newly created Undead into time bombs. ¡°Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, Kuro¡­ I am counting on you! Distract the beast! I got an idea of what we can do!¡± I shouted before taking action. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any other option than fighting¡­!¡± Said Lucifer, enhancing his body with magic and rushing forward with his draconic body. ¡°Leave it to us, Maria-sama, please, do what you must do!¡± Said Emeraldine. Her two spirits danced around her as she conjured several roots of trees growing around the beast¡¯s legs, keeping it in ce temporarily with all her might. Also, using her other spirit, the spirit of light, to fire beams of light over the beast¡¯s eyes. Shebined this with Lucifer¡¯s power, as she blinded the monster while keeping it in ce, while Lucifer shed, bit, and burnt the creature as much as he could, but even with all his efforts, the damn monster was barely budging. Throwing fist attacks and demonic energy beams was all it could do, but Emeraldine protected him by setting up a protection spell over him. ¡°For Master, I¡¯ll give my life!¡± Partner roared as she jumped from the ground and spun as if she were Beyde. Her spear de shed through the chimera¡¯s other three arms, and repeating the attack, she shed through another arm while Kuro roared loudly. He supported her with his long-ranged attacks, and strong ws and bite. As I saw everyone working hard and doing their best for me, I couldn¡¯t help but smile proudly at thepanions I¡¯ve made on this journey. It hasn¡¯t been that much time, but I¡¯ve already made good friends that are willing to put their lives on the line for me. And I really appreciate that! Leaving all the irony I cover myself in aside, I am almost moved to tears. I quickly filled myself with all the resolve I could muster as I felt as if my body suddenly began to overflow with power. This was merely the shared power with Laura, and her unique skill allowed me to share it. Although she was obviously way weaker than me, thanks to her Unique Skills, I could utilize a power I could never have been able to use before. Laura¡¯s Unique Skill, named Detonation, allows her to make objects into explosives which she can then edit the intensity of their explosion. However, this intensity is also dependent on her Magic Stat and costs a lot of Mana to make into powerful bombs. Due to that, even now, after leveling a lot, she¡¯s not strong enough to fight this beast. But I am. I have tons of Mana and Magic, and I honestly never considered she could just do this to help me, but it seems that she can just choose anyone as a ¡°Twin¡± through her Twin Connection Unique Skill as long as they¡¯re cataloged as allies, she trusts, and I seem to have finally filled that quota. The corpses began to gather around me as I moved at a fast speed. My thoughts shed with countless considerations as I waved my hands, and my Staff did the rest. Dark and phantasmal energies gathered around the corpses, and Ibined Fake Life with Undead Healing tobine several torn apart corpses intorger, grotesque, and more robust Undead. I raised over a dozen in the span of just three minutes as my allies did everything they could to distract the chimera. Quickly, I touched all of them at once through the expansion of my shapeless phantasmal body that I made into a mass of ck shadow tentacles. I suddenly felt something strange by touching them and activating the Unique Skill: Detonation. I saw the illusory imagery of each Undead bing a bomb as if there was a timing I could set. I could make them explode right away or leave a timing for them to explode. It was an interesting power, and the more Mana I decided to pour into the Undead, the more power and intensity their explosions would be¡­ alright, let¡¯s do it! I infusedrge quantities of mana into all of these grotesque chimeric Undead before ordering them to run straight into the chimera beast! ¡°Now, go!¡± ¡°ROAR!¡± ¡°GROAR!¡± ¡°GROAN!¡± ¡°GRAA!¡± Their monstrous groans resonated across the corridors as I smiled rather confidently while thanking these friends for the sacrifice they would make for a chance at victory. Lucifer was being beaten down into the ground, but I quickly expanded my shadows and wrapped them around the remaining two arms of the Chimera, as I used [Summon] to summon all my allies near me and bring them outside of danger in just a split second. ¡°Unngh¡­! About time¡­¡± Muttered Lucifer. I drank the four Mana Potions I had stored and recovered some Mana, using it to heal my allies. While Emeraldine healed herself by drinking a mana potion, the chimera beast managed to finally break through the roots around its legs and quickly began to charge towards us, but the twelve Undead I had created rushed forward and reached it in an instant! ¡°GROOOARRRR!¡± The creature roared monstrously as it used its giant arms to throw away my Chimeras. But that was the time I moved my fingers and pretended I was an infamous serial killer. ¡°Killer Queen has already touched those Undead,¡± ¡°GRAH?!¡± FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The moment the chimera moved the Undead away, they all began to glow with bright red and dark energy, and the second after, a beautiful spectacle of fireworks greeted our sight, as I created a barrier of shadows to shield ourselves from the explosions. BOOOOOMMMM!!! ¡ª¨C Chapter 98 ¡ª¨C The dozens of Undead exploded continuously, one after another. The chimera was overwhelmed by the explosive destruction that they caused, so its entire body couldn¡¯t take the massive damage, and I saw its HP finally drop down! BOOOOMMM!!! I used Shadow Barriers materialized into powerful and hard walls to protect us from the shockwaves and the fiery explosions made into severalyers. Still, the power of these explosions was obviously stronger than them. If the chimera was able to punch my barriers and break them, an explosion that can damage it can obviously destroy my barriers too. But, it bought us enough time. I used this time to store everyone inside my Shadow Storage and flew into the underground, abusing my phantasmal nature to get below the dirt andpletely evade the explosion. I waited until things ended to resurge from the floor, noticing that the chimera had yet to die. It was barely hanging onto its life, and it probably had around 5% of its total HP, and its entire body was torn apart horrendously. I saw dozens of souls merged together inside of this abomination, all groaning painfully. They were clearly suffering a lot. ¡°I¡¯ll end it for you quickly,¡± I said as I generated a spike of darkness and impacted the monster¡¯s Main Core, breaking it apart. The demonic energy that fueled its body quickly dissipated, and the monster fell silent. Its HP went down to zero. It was over. ¡°Emeraldine, can you do something?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, leave it to me.¡± Emeraldine purified the souls left haunting the corpse as they slowly calmed themselves down from the pain and suffering they were going through¡­ before slowly flying into the afterlife. [Calcting EXP¡­] [You gained 360000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 28 to Level 29!] [Your Level has increased from Level 29 to Level 30!] [Your Level has increased from Level 30 to Level 31!] [Your Level has increased from Level 31 to Level 32!] [Your Level has increased from Level 32 to Level 33!] [EXP: 56/100000] [The Levels of several Skills have increased] [You learned the [Undead Detonation: Lv1] and [Supernatural Senses: Lv1] Skills!] Five levels in a row, not bad. Now I am just seven levels from reaching Level 40 and evolving once more. I thought my progression was slow, but it¡¯s going pretty fast, to be honest. But oh well, now that we are done here, we have to keep moving. After Emeraldine cleansed the souls, the rest jumped out of my shadows and ran with me through the corridors, reaching thest room, where we found nobody¡­ ¡°Did this bastard escape?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shouted Partner. ¡°No, wait, he¡¯s escaped through there. The spirits are guiding me,¡± Said Emeraldine, as she pointed out at what seemed to be a tunnel in the ceiling, which was closed by a door engraved with runes. But it was very small! Of course, only a halfling would be able to realistically get himself inside of that ce and get through it¡­ ¡°Alright, jump in. We are following him!¡± Everyone jumped into my shadows, and I flew into the ceiling, trespassing the runes like nothing and flying through the surface. Traveling through physical objects costs Mana, but I just leveled up, and my HP and MP refilled rather generously, so I had no problems regarding this for the moment! FLAAAASSSSH! Let¡¯s see¡­ let¡¯s expand my senses using some Magic. Ghosts have supernatural senses, after all! Through fusing my senses with my own body and then expanding my body several meters, I managed to spot a figure running desperately. I rushed forward and enhanced to full speed, diving into the darkness of the night using Shadow Sneak. ¡°Hahh¡­! I managed to escape in time! Heheh¡­ hehehe! As long as I got these samples¡­ I can make a newer Homunculus than those two brats. An even better- Eheeehh?!¡± ¡°Surprise!¡± I caught the bastard who was celebrating his escape as I wrapped his legs with my Shadow Tentacles and pulled him upside down. ¡°GRRYYAAGGGH¡­! G-GHOST!¡± He cried in horror as I showed myself as a massive and horrendous specter. I decided to utilize several Skills for this. One of them included things such as Aura of Famine, which exuded a strong life-eating aura of intimidation and poison, making him scream in horror. I checked his stats, and he was an amazing user of Alchemy and Necromancy, but his stats were super low aside from this specialization. He was not a good fighter, nor did he have a lot of levels. He was barely a C- Rank. Weaker than the damn Necromancer we killed earlier. ¡°L-Let me goo!¡± He cried desperately, trying to attack me with his feeble magic. I easily tanked it with my high magic defense and carelessly cut off his limbs before throwing him to the ground. I sliced his limbs using the demonic de, and each wound was left cursed and rotting right away. He screamed in pain, and his limbs were taking an awfully long time to regrow despite being a Vampire. ¡°Kidse out. You got someone to talk with,¡± I said. ¡°K-Kids? W-Wait¡­ you¡¯re¡­!¡± The man muttered these words as I summoned the two kids that were his creations. ¡°So here he is¡­.¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°Wow, I never thought I would see him in such a pathetic state,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°You damn kids! It¡¯s all your fault! Agh¡­! Y-You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with! T-The Vampires wille after you!¡± Cried the man, whose name was Borudro¡­ What the heck kind of name is that, honestly? ¡°So? What do you want to do with him? We can torture him some more, butcher him alive, or let him be eaten by Undead,¡± I said. ¡°No¡­ I just wanted to kick him in the face,¡± Said Laura, as she kicked the man in the face with her all of the strength she could muster, twisting his nose upside down. CLASH! ¡°Ugrryyaaggh¡­! Y-You little¡­ bitch¡­! Aggh¡­ Ahhha¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 99 ¡ª¨C So we caught this idiot named Borudro, the one behind the ughter. He was the one that created all these chimeras and also the kids themselves by bringing their souls into the world and cing them inside new bodies. I don¡¯t know how he did it, but he used some kind of method to bring otherworldly souls here. Laura kicked him in the face and even twisted his nose horrendously. It looked painful, to be honest! This girl packed a punch despite being rather young and small. Or, well, packed a kick. ¡°You¡¯re a strong girl, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°I just wanted to crush his face. I still remember all the things he made us go through¡­ He even made us bathe in all sorts of elemental magic attacks to build up resistance to elements and pain¡­.¡± Sighed Laura. ¡°Oh¡­¡± However, unlike the ruthless Laura, Takeshi was just standing there doing nothing. He seemed disturbed by the scene and wasn¡¯t attacking the man. ¡°Just end him already¡­ I don¡¯t want to see him anymore. I just want to know that it¡¯s done,¡± Sighed the boy. ¡°Alright then, you guys don¡¯t have to see this. Let me handle it for ya,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Muttered Takeshi. ¡°I want to kill him myself¡­.¡± Comined Laura. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re sure?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I am¡­ Let me do it,¡± said Laura. ¡°Alright then, go ahead,¡± I couldn¡¯t fight against her will. ¡°But how will you kill- Oh.¡± Laura infused mana into all the clothes the man was wearing. They were not alive after all. ¡°Die¡­¡± She muttered, her eyes shing with crimson-red light. The man hopelessly had all his mana drained by me and couldn¡¯t attack her. ¡°Wait¡­! Y-You¡¯re¡­ using your Unique Skill?!¡± He asked. ¡°¡­¡± FLASH! Suddenly, his clothes shed with bright red and dark light, and I quickly generated a shadow barrier just as¡­ all his clothes blew up as if they were deadly explosives alongside the guy¡¯s entire body. ¡°Gryyyyyaaaaaaagggghhh¡­!¡± BOOOOOMMM!!! He waspletely torn apart into pieces. I never realized her power had such a deadly technique. Technically, if the person is wearing any kind of clothes, essories, or any ¡°item¡± over their bodies, she can touch it, turning it into a bomb, and detonate it dealing direct damage. She made all his clothes explode, so they ended up being many bombs at once. Despite her Magic being around 800, it was still deadly enough to kill him. This girl is deadly! Now that she finally has her Magic stat at a decent level, she could pretty much be a national threat with such a powerful ability and her ways of abusing it. Even more, thanks to Twin Connection, she can share the power with any person she wants¡­ Actually, thanks to her ability, I ended up awakening a new Spell named Undead Detonation, which lets me explode Undead without the necessity of touching them, but well, it only extends to Undead I¡¯ve risen. Now¡­ Borudro is gone, but his soul is still here, so I grabbed it. ¡°GRYAGH¡­! L-Let me go!¡± He cried. ¡°Now, now, we can¡¯t just do that, my good friend. I have to get as much info out of you as I possibly can! So go on, tell me everything you know! Or else¡­ do you want your soul eaten? Without a soul, you won¡¯t even get a chance in the afterlife,¡± I said. ¡°G-Gyyyggh¡­! F-Fine!¡± Oh man, that was easy. In the end, the guy spit out all he knew. He was resigned to this ce 30 years ago by the Vampires with the purpose of creating the perfect vessel of the Fragment of Evil. For some reason which not even he knew about, the Vampires wanted to create the ideal body and vessel for this power, and he was one of the few other scientists given this opportunity. He was fed with all sorts of magical materials and resources and asked to make the perfect Homunculus. He¡¯s also a sicko obsessed with experimenting with living and unliving and was made into a Vampire when the Vampires captured him after he was imprisoned by the Kingdom. He actually used to be an alchemist that was caught using ves for experiments, and even that seems to be illegal, so he was imprisoned. The Vampires saw potential in him and then converted him into a Subordinate Vampire, making him another of their personal alchemist/necromancers for their wicked experiments. The sad part is that he barely interacted with other vampires as he is a fairly new one and only has 30 years of vampiric experience. So he didn¡¯t know anything else aside from that, damn it. I decided that he only deserved to be punished for what he did, so I didn¡¯tply with my promise and ate his soul slowly, expanding my jaws into massive razor-sharp teeth, tearing him apart as he screamed desperately. ¡°No! Wait, wait, wait! You said you wouldn¡¯t kill me! Y-you said you would let me rest in peaceeeeee¡­.!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even deserve Valha nor Hel. You only deserve to stop existing. Be embraced by the void, smartass,¡± I said as I consumed himpletely. CRASH! ¡°GRRYYYAAGGGGH¡­!¡± And he was gone with ast pitiful scream. I swallowed him, and he¡­ tasted bitter. Uegh, will I not get indigestion with this? Ding! [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [You gained 270000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 33 to Level 34!] [Your Level has increased from Level 34 to Level 35!] [EXP: 60000/120000] Damn, his body and soul gave out some nice EXP. Also, it¡¯s nice that everyone else also got some shared EXP out of that and leveled up some more. ¡°Phew, now that we are done here, what should we do?¡± ¡°I want to sleep for now¡­.¡± Sighed Laura. ¡°Me too¡­ I am tired¡­.¡± Also sighed Takeshi. The two kids seemed quite tired, and I didn¡¯t me them. I made them work hard by killing our half-dead prey, and it¡¯s alreadyte at night. ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s go back to the Inn, and we¡¯ll leave you to sleep there with some friends watching over you. Then I¡¯lle back,¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 100 ¡ª¨C I moved back to the Inn after the whole incident and left Lucifer, Partner, Kuro, and around ten Undead watching over the kids. I was concerned that some stealthy vampire assassin could emerge at any moment, so I left them there to hold down the fort for a moment. Alone? Of course, I am not alone. I have my own Undead army, which I had rebuilt out of the corpses I just recently acquired. They¡¯re all resting on standby in my Shadow Storage, so I can use Summon and bring them with me at any time. I am still thinking about what the heck I should do with the ves there. Throwing them back to the authorities will still only make them ves. So what should I do? I flew towards that ce and found everything in order. I began to steal everything and literally emptied the entire ce, and then¡­ I freed the ves. I gathered them all in a room, many of them were brought to tears, but I honestly didn¡¯t know what to do with them. Maybe freeing them and letting them go back home? But some ves used to live here. If they¡¯re brought back here, they¡¯ll be caught. ¡°Thank you so much for what you¡¯ve done¡­.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You defeated those horrendous monsters¡­.¡± ¡°Our savior!¡± And as I stood there thinking about something, the people kept praising me as if my aura were affecting their minds a bit. I didn¡¯t know what was going on with their minds, but I looked pretty spooky, even in my materialized ¡°human¡± appearance. And despite that, they were praising me and kneeling before me. Huhh¡­. I guess these people are not normal. Could it be that they see me as their savior, even as strange as I look, because they went through horrible stuff? Oh well, whatever. I thought about simply bringing them with my shadow storage, but I have limited space there, and it¡¯s mostly for my Undead. It¡¯s also dark, and I doubt people will like it. So I am out of options. Huh, damn it, I wish I could be a selfish person, but I would really feel bad if I left them here. I can¡¯t really do that. I started to ask the people around. Some of them belonged to tribes in the outskirts of the ce but had been away for so long that they didn¡¯t know their way back home. Hmm¡­ there¡¯s an aristocrat merchant puppet I got here. Maybe I could use him and his money to buy a few more caravans and send all the ves to the goblin vige? It¡¯s the only ce I have any thought they could be epted. I guess we can just do that and wish for them to have good travels. I will probably give them a lot of Undead guards¡­ with all these new materials I got from here, I think I can create super-strong Undead for them as well. They should easily ughter any run-of-the-mill bandit group. Even high-level monsters should also not be a problem on their trip there. Hmm, I also got the issue here with the aristocratic pigs. There are three I have to y. I might as well take away as much money and resources I can from them to give to these people, so they can go there with tons of resources. We would also resupply the goblin vige with new food, armor, weapons, magical tools, and so on. Oh yeah, sounds like a n, to be honest. I wonder if I should go back there¡­ It has been around two months since I departed, but I wanted to clean every duchy, but even then, it looks like it will take time. It would take less time to just apany the people there and travel back to see how things are going. We might as well relocate from there and begin doing some stuff. But the situation is quite dire too. I can¡¯t just go there and rx. Ugh¡­ So much to do. I need to discuss this with my friends. ¡°Alright, guys, I think I can bring you back to a ce where you can be safe and recover, but I will need you all to stay here for a bit more. Here, there¡¯s everything you need,¡± I quickly began to drop tons of food that I¡¯d stolen recently when I went into town through the night. Alongside nkets and new clothes, there were also water barrels and so on. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°W-We can stay here for a bit longer.¡± ¡°There are no creepy monsters now, so it¡¯s morefortable than going outside¡­.¡± I need someonemanding them and taking care of them so they don¡¯t fight each other¡­ I picked up most of the bones from the graveyard, which took me around 30 minutes, and then raised a couple of skeletons, which were humanoid and easy to handle humans. ¡°Alright, you guys, you¡¯ll be here to take care of the people, distribute food and take care of them. Hug them if they feel lonely too, everything that is necessary,¡± I ordered. The skeletons nodded as they began distributing things, and one of them hugged an old man who was crying. See? Skeletons are always the best answer. They might be cold and bony on the outside¡­ but they¡¯re also cold and bony on the inside¡­ and quite phantasmal. Anyways, leaving the people there, I then flew back to town and decided to not do anything to the aristocrats yet. It will take some time for them to realize something happened down here, so I¡¯ll use that time to go back to the Inn and sleep through this night for the moment. I will discuss what to do with everyone else tomorrow with a tasty breakfast. As I reached the Inn, I found everyone there. And nothing has happened, thankfully. I saw the kids sleeping peacefully and decided to jump into bed and calm the exhaustion of my mind with a nap. ¡ª¨C Chapter 101 ¡ª¨C Usually, when I sleep as a ghost, I don¡¯t dream. I can only feel the faint darkness seep into my mind as I am embraced by this cold and unforgiving obscurity. The nature of my very soul has changed greatly, and despite still having the ability to rest and calm my mind from its stress, I cannot possibly sleep the same way living beings can. Of course, I can still rest and the next morning wake up energetically, but essentially, I cannot sleep normally, and therefore, dreams do not exist in my sleep. I only feel as if I¡¯ve fallen intoplete silence and obscurity, although a part of my own self remains awake at all times, seeing and experiencing the world around me through the phantasmal capabilities of my very existence. Being a ghost is rather interesting in many peculiar ways, which I had yet to delve into to its full extent. Despite this, I had realized many things by merely existing and developing my strength. One of such things is theck of dreams, as when I sleep, I only feel the darkness of my soul grow bigger and darker as if this endless abyss within me was¡­ me. I suppose I had be the abyss itself, and therefore, despite being embraced by the cold of obscurity, I do not feel ufortable. Indeed, I have changed from my former self back on Earth, and probably I had also changed greatly from the Maria I used to be here. I had be someonepletely new through Existence Evolution and the absorption of Experience Points, boosting my own existence into greater heights of power. But this continuous level up didn¡¯t only bring with me a significant enhancement to my capabilities, but I¡¯ve also changed as a being. My soul changed in nature as I evolved. It got darker and more cursed as I continued down the path. Now that I¡¯ve reached almost the peak of the levels that a Pandora can reach, this darkness, this chaotic and spiraling obscurity within me, is awakening and growingrger and denser by the second. It is bing me. I do not fear being taken over by the darkness because, as edgy as this might sound, I have be the darkness. Therefore, I am immune to mental disruption attacks, and if someone were to dare to peek into my soul and mind, they might be the ones being affected by this deathly obscurity. I don¡¯t know how much I am developing, but¡­ I suppose this is for the best. Deep down, I desire to protect the little friends and allies I¡¯ve made along the way since I¡¯ve woken up as Maria, the ghost. I still miss my world, my family, and all of that, but I¡¯ve embraced this world, and I want to make the best out of it, despite how childish it might sound. I suppose I also had that desire back then, the desire to change my daily life and have an adventure, not simply be an NPC. When you grow up, you realize that despite all the adventures you had readingics, manga, books, seeing anime, cartoons, movies, and more, you¡¯re not really the protagonist, you¡¯re not really a hero having a journey either, you¡¯re just the farmer you see in the RPG, an NPC stuck as a farmer for life. You¡¯re not bound for greatness, and you¡¯re not bound to do anything important either¡­ I had realized I was a mere NPC back then, and despite that, I strived to have fun and enjoy life as it was, despite how hopeless my existence was. Every time I sleep, I feel like my true self resurges from the dorky Maria that everyone knows. That self is also my true self, but this self¡­ is also me. I don¡¯t have two selves, but simply put, I save these thoughts and emotions deep down to not seem unapproachable by others. I suppose I did the same in my previous life. s, I died, crushed by books. The most pathetic way a person could ever die. Now that I have so many friends and beloved people I want to protect, I must grow stronger and embrace this darkness within me even more. I must let my dark self grow more prominent and more monstrous. It is perhaps the only way that I can possibly survive the harshness of this world and finally be able to calm down this raging hatred inside of me. As a ghost, I am cursed. The curse of a ghost is simple. To be a ghost, you must be cursed. Souls don¡¯t naturally evolve into ghosts; they remain as souls through and through. Only through the corruption of negative thoughts and mana do they be cursed. This curse, where did it originate? Well, from my own self. Souls that curse themselves and absorb corrupted mana be ghosts, and this is how I became a ghost myself. My own hatred to who else than myself? I hate myself, or well, I hated myself. I hated how hopeless and weak I was, how I died so pathetically in my previous life, only to die even more pathetically in this new life. I don¡¯t remember the memories of Maria, but there¡¯s something I do remember of her¡­ Her hatred. This hatred is blooming deep down, wanting me to improve myself and be the best version I can possibly be of my own self. I require power and more experience points to keep improving myself and grow to even higher degrees of existence. Only this way I can truly find happiness, peace, and freedom with strength. I have also a growing hatred for those that did this to me and all my family, and my strongest desire is to ughter them and eat their souls. It¡¯s the only way I can find some happiness and fulfillment in my wicked life. But aside from that, I am also developing beautiful and loving feelings for those near me. They¡¯re like the cure to this darkness, and I suppose they¡¯re precious to me¡­ ¡ª- Chapter 102 ¡ª¨C I looked upon the darkness of my own self as I saw my faint figure made of phantasmal white light. Where was I? A few seconds ago, I was delving within my own thoughts, but a second after, I found myself in ake of darkness as the figure of a phantom. How odd¡­ what¡¯s going on? I wandered across the darkness as I walked over theke of obscure waters. I touched it with my glowing white hands as I felt a familiarity with this darkness. Was I somewhere within my very soul? An unexplored area of the own fabric that makes me a being? Unlike other Undead or living beings, ghosts are just souls. My entire being is merely just the soul, there is nothing else to me other than being a soul, and therefore, it grows big and moreplex, as if it were trying to be a body by itself. Through this way of evolution, my soul is constantly evolving, and it has gained yers¡± within its own obscurity where I can explore and find even more obscurity. There¡¯s nothing much more to see than that. But why am I in such a deepyer? Has my consciousness fallen by ident into the deeper parts of my soul? However, before I could ponder these questions any longer, a glowing white light emerged before me, revealing a strange book, a grimoire, maybe. It emanated a holy halo of light, so strong it overwhelmed my own sight. ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked. ¡°I am the power of your soul, the System you¡¯ve wished for,¡± It said. ¡°The System?¡± I asked. ¡°In this world, everyone has a Soul Book, and I, the System, am a personalized Soul Book, even greater than any of the others. I am the base of your power and also the one that judges if you must acquire more based on the energy you absorb,¡± It said. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Sorry to interrupt your sleep. It was not my intention. But I required to speak with you,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you could speak and all. I thought you were just a part of my own power. But you showed yourself when I acquired Jobs despite being a monster, right?¡± ¡°Indeed. At that time, I absorbed the information gathered in the Job Crystal. Nheless, it would be fine to exin to you what I am¡­ and well, there¡¯s no better exnation than saying that I am part of your own soul and power. That¡¯s all. Besides, as you evolve, I evolve too. Simr to your Unique Skills, they be stronger the more you evolve. I have acquired a greater consciousness after your Pandora evolution. But I¡¯ve remained in silence as I did not want to get involved with your life nor bother you.¡± ¡°I see¡­ You¡¯re very considerate, System. Now tell me, what is the meaning behind this meeting?¡± ¡°I have called you here with the intention of presenting myself, as I¡¯ve realized you require a guide to share thoughts you don¡¯t want to share with others,¡± ¡°Eh? Is that all?¡± ¡°And more importantly, I¡¯ve developed a series of new abilities such as Advanced Analysis, System A.I., Soul Grimoire, and Build Up,¡± Said the System. ¡°Abilities¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, after the Experience Points of thetest battle were digested, I¡¯ve finally managed to utilize them to acquire the power required to acquire these Abilities. They can help you in your journey, as you seek the happiness you deserve, host,¡± The System spoke with the voice of a young man, which was rather charming. To be honest, it was quite refreshing to speak with someone that I didn¡¯t have to be reserved with, but at the same time, I still felt quite surprised over it. Nheless, I decided to ept this quickly, as I felt curious about the system¡¯s abilities that were recently developed. ¡°I see. Can you give me a brief introduction to such abilities?¡± ¡°Yes. There is a power within everyone¡¯s Soul Book, the power to gain Experience Points, Proficiency Points, and distribute them automatically into Stats, enhancing a person¡¯s physical and magical strength. Through Proficiency Points, the ability to earn new Skills is acquired, and by umting more, such Proficiency Points can be distributed to the Skills and make them stronger, reinforcing a person¡¯s power. However, thanks to my intervention, the Soul Book of yours had been sessfully upgraded into a Soul Grimoire,¡± ¡°Soul¡­ Grimoire? So what can it do?¡± ¡°Everything,¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°A Soul Grimoire is the greater version of a Soul Book. It possesses an even greater capacity of Experience Points and Proficiency Points absorption, and it also includes a greater and freer way to distribute them, alongside bringing forth the ability to redistribute them as well. Of course, those that had already been spent cannot be taken away, but those that are yet to be used can be distributed freely,¡± ¡°You mean that I can earn Proficiency in casting Dark Magic, but I can use it to distribute it into a Sword Technique?¡± ¡°Precisely. There is also an ever-upgrading list of Skills that can be exchanged for Experience Points and then upgraded through levels by the use of Proficiency Points. Such points will be kept within my own Point Bank and based on your thoughts. They will be distributed to what you desire.¡± ¡°I see¡­ this is very convenient¡­ and it just came out of nowhere too,¡± ¡°I know how you might feel, but if I had not shown up, you could havepletely missed this ability,¡± ¡°Hm, now that you talk about it, this Soul Book and Soul Grimoire¡­ it feels like TPRG, don¡¯t they? It¡¯s as if every person¡¯s soul is a little Rule Book where they can only build their own characters,¡± ¡°Indeed, but your Soul Grimoire has surpassed the limits of your own self, and it has be a true Rule Book. In the sense that you can also influence those at your side, and to a point where you canbine the capabilities you¡¯ve learned to bring forth new beings into existence,¡± The System was overwhelming me with frightening news about my new capabilities, but deep down, I couldn¡¯t help but feel excited about the prospects of my own future. ¡ª¨C Chapter 103 ¡ª¨C Before me, the System had emerged as I slept. It appeared as arge grimoire made of white light, shining brightly with a phantasmal aura. The system itself took this shape as it had merged with the concept of Soul Book, which was what everyone had within them. Their soul book was pretty much their Status in an RPG, where everyone in this world can see their Stats, Level, EXP, Skills, and more internal things, but there are very few ways to actually see the Soul Book of another person. But thankfully, my Analysis function within the System helps me do this as if it were cheating in a way. The System exined to me that it had acquired greater sentience and feeling of consciousness as it developed the System A.I. Ability within it. Using this ability, I gained the ability to develop a mind that would speak to me directly, and now that it spoke to me, it said it was going to stick with me from now on and emerge whenever I had a question. I felt rather surprised. Did this mean I would get to have a handsome-sounding male voice speaking to me every time I have a doubt in my mind? I cannot wait for such a fantastic future. Nheless, he also exined to me many things regarding the power of my soul and how the System merged with it. The ability of the Soul Book had evolved into a Soul Grimoire, which was something that offered a greater ability to edit my capabilities and grow stronger towards a certain direction. It was like letting me choose which paths I wanted to take if not all of them. But of course, it is not rmendable to simply walk through all paths possible. Min-maxing is a thing in this world, and since early-game, I¡¯ve been min-maxing as a magician-type fighter, with powerful magic that can do all sorts of things, and also amazing stealth and movement abilities. My defenses are feeble unless I use my defense-based magic spells, so I am weak physically. Now, I could actually enhance my defenses by beginning to gather Proficiency Points from doing all sorts of things, such as constantly using magic and swordsmanship and then distributing these points into thingspletely outside of the spectrum where I acquired them, in exchange for the original abilities where I got them in order for them to not grow stale. It soundsplicated, but it¡¯s actually quite simple. I can gain Proficiency Points through different yet easy methods. The easiest is to gain proficiency from the Skills I use constantly. Like continuously swinging a de will grant me proficiency points in the de sh and other rted Skills, and there is a chance to get a new Skill rted to the ways I utilize a sword. This usually happens automatically, and there is not a way for anyone to control these points, but now, I can. I can swing a sword for a month and then use these proficiency points to, instead, enhance apletely different skill. But this would, of course, leave the Sword-based Skills stale as I distribute the proficiency elsewhere, so there is some care required for this. Proficiency Points can only be used to enhance the proficiency of Skills, all types of them, while Experience Points, which can be acquired by killing other living beings or doing job-rted tasks such as using spirits, magic, and so on, will also give me minor points. By using Experience Points, I can either level up and increase my overall stats through a predetermined race and job-based Stat growth or use them to acquire new Skills from the Skill List that had emerged. There were not all the skills in the world here, and they appeared based on my previously umted proficiency and affinities. Meaning that I couldn¡¯t simplye out with Light Magic out of nowhere, but the System did say I could actually learn many things as if everything was somewhat connected. Using Experience Points, I can either Level Up, learn new Skills, or¡­ well, there¡¯s the Build Up Ability. The Build Up Ability utilizes tons of Experience Points, but it lets me edit my own Stats and change them around. But as I said, it needs Experience Points, so it cannot be done leisurely as always changing them around would be broken. There is also another function thates from the Skills I have acquired, such as Fake Life, Summoning, and other things. Also, the Build Up Ability extends to other beings. And as a Necromancer and Summoner, I can create my own Undead beings through the use of magic circles, incantations, materials, runes, and rituals. All of thembined together can help me summon unique undead using raw materials. Aside from the basic undead that juste out of corpses, these Undead have way more strength but need good materials to work properly and be strong. There is also an extensive list of Undead I can create now, and it is no longer out of luck or whateveres out. Aside from the Netherworld Beasts, there is new Undead I can create. They even include the required materials and more. By spending Experience Points, I can summon them by having the materials at hand, and I could even use Experience Points to make up for some materials as well. Additionally, I can edit new Undead that I have yet to summon using Experience Points, too, min-maxing them into incredibly useful builds that are there for a single purpose. Before, I could only make Undead that did very basic stuff like fighting or protecting. At most, scouting like Raven, but now, there¡¯s the possibility I could make cksmith Undeads, Alchemist Undeads, Guard Undeads, Undead Bone Colossuls, zing Skulls, Ghouls, and even Dhampirs! What?! This feels more like a Strategy Game out of nowhere, and their power is amazing too. The Grimoire shows me their descriptions, level of power, and abilities, which I can flip around and change to min-max and create unique Undead builds. Of course, this only extends towards newly created ones and not already made Undead. After it is summoned, I cannot edit it anymore, and I need a lot of materials to make them. But this¡­ it opens up lots of possibilities. ¡ª¨C Chapter 104 ¡ª¨C Seeing all these new possibilities, I wanted to use them right away and do something amazing with them, but Icked Proficiency Points and Experience Points as it was all automatically spent. But now that I was given this power, I asked the System to hoard half of the ones I earn, so the progress of my levels and so on will continue alongside my skill levels, while I still get some of both points to develop other things. This way, I get a steady pace in exchange for slowing down my own progress by half¡­ but I just have to put in double the effort though I can do it, no problem! The System had also said something about enhancing my Allies with it. You see, it seems that the power of the Soul Grimoire can connect to other Soul Books. This way, I could register friends as Allied Units within my Grimoire. The same way any being I create is registered there. ¡°As you can see, the Grimoire has many pages. There is a section with Allied Units,¡± Exined the System. I had woken up early this morning, and I was currently speaking with him. A shy grimoire of dark cover and strange phantasmal decorations on it emerged, emanating a strong dark aura. The white pages flipped around as it suddenly stopped in an area where there were small sockets, and in such sockets, cards were saved. Each card was a created being that was registered as an Allied Unit. I cannot directly change their stats nor Abilities, though, but what I can do with them is interesting. I can enhance the stats and abilities of a group of such cards by spending Experience Points, Proficiency Points, or a new ¡°currency,¡± magic crystals. The higher the grade of such crystals, the greater the boost I can give to the Allied Unit Cards. ¡°These cards represent the beings you¡¯ve created, but you can also register non-created friends into this category by acquiring their permission and directly touching their Soul Books. After that, a card representing them will emerge,¡± Said the System. I looked at the cards and noticed that those of the Undead that ¡°died¡± disappeared, obviously, but the Cards of those that remained alive were still here. The most important ones to me were Lucifer, Partner, Kuro, and Raven. These four Undead were part of the main group, and I had created all four of them. They seemed to have colored cards depending on their types and Rank. It was just like TCG¡­ ¡°System, tell me the truth, where did you get the inspiration for all of this?¡± I asked. ¡°The System shapes itself based on the user¡¯s memories and knowledge, shaping his power to fit what it seems to be morefortable with. These Allied Unit Cards can be enhanced and also equipped into your Deck temporarily,¡± Said the System. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Calm down. You can equip them temporarily by spending Experience Points or Magic Crystals in tremendous quantities, depending on the equipped card¡¯s strength. When equipping a card, your stats raise ordingly to the equipped card¡¯s stat, which is around 20% of their total stats. They are then temporarily added to yours, and the unit itself merges into your body. The time you can keep up the process is also dependent on how many Experience Points and Magic Crystals you utilize,¡± Said the System. ¡°Of course, not only are stats shared, but you can temporarily use certain abilities of this Card. Quite an easy exnation, isn¡¯t it? Additionally, you can spend Experience Points and Magic Crystals to enhance the growth speed of levels, stats, and skills. This way, your allies will level up faster, develop skills faster, and increase their stats faster. The bigger buffs are only temporal and not permanent, but these growth enhancements can be permanent,¡± ¡°Ooh¡­ I see¡­ It is barely understandable, but I suppose that my Allies can be used to a greater variety of things. I feel like I am ying Pok¨¦mon now,¡± I muttered. ¡°Well, it would be a misunderstanding to call this System Function ¡®Pok¨¦mon,''¡± Said the System. He was way too serious sometimes. ¡°I see, alright, thanks for your exnations. By the way, what happens if I take the cards outside the Grimoire?¡± I asked. ¡°They can either be destroyed by you so you can instantly kill these units, or you can recycle them, utilizing the entire unit and exchanging it back into Experience Points, but Magic Crystals won¡¯t be created,¡± Exined the System once again. ¡°Wait, this means I could raise Undead and simply constantly convert them into EXP?¡± I asked. ¡°No, there¡¯s a limit, you can¡¯t abuse this method constantly unless the Undead you made used EXP too, but even then, you don¡¯t get the same amount you utilized, only being around 20% of the original amount.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­ It seems that all of this has a lot of potential, but I cannot abuse itpletely. I guess that makes it bnced, somehow,¡± ¡°It is far from bnced as you¡¯re the only being with the Soul Grimoire in this world.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Hmm, I already got some ideas on utilizing all of this power. Perhaps using them on my allies back in the Goblin Vige, so I could build up a sizable army to defend the entire ce¡­ it would take some time, but maybe I could do it. System, can I build up buildings or something?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly, there is not such an Ability, have I not made myself clear? However, if you can grow strong enough, the System might find a way to add such a feature,¡± Said the System. ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t have to get so angry over it. I was just asking because there seem to be so many surprises out of nowhere¡­ Maybe I got a bit greedy there,¡± ¡°Certainly, the host is very greedy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re growing more and more sharp-tongued as we talk, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­¡± The System fell silent, and I decided not to talk to him for a bit. Maybe he felt exhausted by giving me so many exnations. After checking out the book, I decided to move back to the room and found Lucifer outside the room, looking over the window of the corridor. ¡ª¨C Chapter 105 ¡ª¨C After checking the abilities of my new Soul Grimoire, I wanted to check out for a bit. Probably to take in a bit of that cold breeze there is from the cold mornings of this town. Last night we just massacred an evil scientist and his army of chimeras, yet the people all around here had absolutely no idea that such a thing had happened. I didn¡¯t know what to think regarding this. Perhaps ignorance was bliss. It was better for the good people of this ce to simply not know of the atrocities that had happened below their feet. Even if it should be widely known, it would only bring more troubles to the duchy as a whole. I¡¯ve seen and interacted with the people around here, and I can tell they¡¯re good people. We had even gone to have a delicious lunch outside and more, so we had our own fun in our own unique ways. Nheless, I was growing a bit tired and concerned about our future. Now that there were these ves pending for salvation, I had considered going back to the goblin vige as sending them alone could be dangerous. Even if it dyed my ¡°crusade¡± to y the pigs involved in the death of my family and me¡­ I felt like it was the right thing to do. Using this vige as our main area of rest also sounds fitting. Every main character always has a certain home area where theye back after traveling elsewhere after all! So I don¡¯t see what would be wrong with doing just that now. But as I wandered outside, I found Lucifer awake, looking through the window of the corridor. The cold breeze bathed his handsome face as his long silvery-white hair waved around. I could also tell his sharp eyes were filled with exhaustion. ¡°Hey, how are you doing? Why are you awake this early?¡± I asked. ¡°Mary¡­ I am fine. As an Undead, I don¡¯t really need to sleep and have greater necessities such as eating¡­ Although to calm down my mind, meditation doesn¡¯t sound so bad, which I do while I sleep to calm down the stress,¡± Exined Lucifer. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how you do it. My sleep is not so different,¡± I responded. ¡°Hmm¡­ It seems that as Undead, our minds cannot possibly dream the same way living beings do it¡­ quite depressing now that I think about it,¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°Well, we also got our perks that mortals don¡¯t have¡­ So what¡¯s on your lonely mind here?¡± I asked. ¡°A-Ah? I-I was just admiring the beauty of the morning¡­.¡± Said Lucifer, though it was rather shyly. ¡°Just the beauty of the morning? You?¡± I asked skeptically. ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong with that? We might be Undead driven by negative emotions and resentment, but we all¡­ used to be alive once. And those memories persist within our minds,¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°Huh¡­ I see. Do you have any good memories where you enjoyed such a morning?¡± I asked as I moved at his side and watched the sun slowly rise from the horizon, the cold breeze covering my face. ¡°¡­I do,¡± He sighed. I looked into his dark and phantasmal eyes and noticed there was a tiny glint of light within them. It was small and fading away quickly, but I think he recalled something precious for that small moment. ¡°Tell me more. I want to know more about you,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Come on. You¡¯ve been at my side for almost half a year by now¡­ Am I not worthy of your trust yet? Aren¡¯t we friends?¡± I asked. ¡°Friends¡­ Not really¡­ Aren¡¯t we just servant and master? Do you really consider me your friend, Maria?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Of course I do! A friend is a friend. A servant is a servant. Those things are different. When someone I raise from death sticks to me for months and months¡­ then you¡¯re a friend already!¡± I said. ¡°Friend¡­¡± Lucifer suddenly looked into his own pale hands. His eyes once more shone brightly for a split of a second. ¡°I used to have a good friend back then¡­ Back then, when there was still hope, back then when we were still fighting. Do you know¡­ how horrendously frustrating it is to realize you¡¯ve been sleeping and imprisoned on your own power for thousands of years¡­ only to wake up and find that everything you hold dear is¡­ gone?¡± He asked. ¡°Lucifer¡­¡± Lucifer suddenly looked at the ground sorrowfully. ¡°My real name is Lucifer Drakon Draknea. I was the first son of the Dragon King of the South. Our family of dragons lived in harmony with nature in the coldnds to the south of the continent¡­ Despite our long-lived race, we were not immortal, and we still died at a certain age¡­ Due to that, on his deathbed, my father, the former Demon King, gave me the task of making my own family before I was to regret itter, when I was to grow too old to make one,¡± He said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You see. Since that moment, at the age of 137, I was given the title of Dragon King, and I had to lead my people to prosperity¡­ Despite that, we dragons were a peaceful civilization, we lived in the mountains, and we mostly napped and hunted. We were nothing more than a wild tribe. Although the Dragon King still held an important role in unifying us all into a n, the Dragon n,¡± Exined Lucifer. ¡°The dragon n¡­.¡± ¡°When my father died, I did what I had to do and sought a wife and had children. My two other siblings did the same, so we could keep our bloodline ongoing. But of course, we couldn¡¯t simply have children, and that was it. We had to raise them and teach them well. But it was right in those times when war broke out across the entire continent. The Demons and the Humans began to fight at longst, after many years of small conflicts¡­ That¡¯s where the Demon King one day came here, asking for the aid of the Dragon n¡­¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 106 ¡ª¨C So Lucifer was, in fact, the Dragon King all along?! The Dragon given the title of the leader and king of all Dragons within the continent. He was the leader of the Dragon n of Midgard. Apparently, he had children and a wife, too. At some point, the Demon King, however, came looking for help in his territory¡­ ¡°The Demon King you always talk about, how was he?¡± I asked. ¡°He was an unsuspicious man, very strange indeed. Sometimes I simply couldn¡¯t believe he had the title of Demon King. But I knew he had a good-hearted personality and that deep down, he only strived for peace,¡± He exined. ¡°What did he look like?¡± I asked. ¡°Haha, you would be surprised by how his actual appearance was. He was no intimidating figure, nor any kind of monstrous being. He was but a human-sized demon with white skin, ck horns, a long and pointy tail. He was a very ssic-looking demon with no apparent unique features aside from the inness of his own appearance¡­ But within him, he held a strong conviction and an even stronger power dwelling inside of his soul,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Power¡­?¡± ¡°The first time we met, there was conflict right away¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. . . . Back then, Lucifer lived within the mountainous regions of the Dragon Peaks, where he lived and governed his Dragon n in peace. The forests were bountiful, and there were always beasts and monsters to hunt for food. The mountains wererge and held big caves. They could livefortably there without issues. He and the other dragons thought they had it for life. They would keep living peacefully and have good lives in this ce, but the war that broke out made some of them nervous. Nheless, because they were so far away from civilization, they never considered that it would never affect them. And because they were so strong, there were very few things they could actually fear. However, the Demon King one day showed up there, and conflict quickly broke out. He asked for the help of the Dragon n so he could defeat the Human Empire that was trying to take over his people. He was here merely to ask for help without giving anything in exchange to the dragons. Obviously, this was incredibly selfish, and they disliked him right away. They fought the Demon King, and the dragons won, apparently fending him off of their territory. ¡°Nevere back again!¡± ¡°If youe back, we won¡¯t hold back anymore!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die by our hands!¡± The Demon King was left alone. The dragons had not decided to help him despite the important task that was happening, and how he believed that even if they didn¡¯t want to get involved, that war would naturally reach them and eventually force them to fight. If he could add them to the Demon Kingdom, then they could have a backup army and allies to ask for assistance, instead of simply being cornered by the humans and being killed one by one. And that¡¯s where Lucifer understood, as the Dragon King, that there was some truth in his words. He had gathered his dragons back then and asked them all what they believed, but because they were so obsessed with living in istion only with their close family members, dragons were always against the idea of helpingpete with strangers or outsiders. ¡°But if we don¡¯t join this, the world itself will eventually force us to do so, and by that time¡­ we¡¯ll be hopelessly hunted down like beasts!¡± Shouted Lucifer. ¡°King, how could you even think about such a thing?¡± ¡°We dragons can fight back against whole armies,¡± ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. Don¡¯t let the words of that Demon get through to you, King¡­.¡± Lucifer understood that he had to help the Demons win if he wanted to keep the peace of his n. The rxed life that they¡¯ve been thoroughly enjoying. Dragons were powerful, but there was always a bigger fish in a world where everyone could level up, gain skills, Jobs, and even evolve. That bigger fish on the human side was in the form of S-Rank Adventurers, superhumans with the power to take down Titans and Dragons, and even more, the terrifying Heroes, powerful Unique Skill users summoned from another world through a special yet costly ritual. He knew that humans had more than one means to kill them if they wanted. Lucifer had fought humans this strong before, back when he was younger, and explored the outskirts of the territory, as he was chased down and almost killed by an S-Rank Adventurer that wanted to harvest him as mere materials. If it wasn¡¯t because his father back then intervened and killed this human with his might, he would have gotten killed instead. ¡°Humans are stronger than you imagine! This is an opportunity to have an alliance with the Majin and finally be an official Nation¡­ Isn¡¯t being recognized as a nation what Father always wanted? Living isted lives will never lead us into progress!¡± Eximed Lucifer. However, most of the dragons couldn¡¯t agree with him and flew away from his cave. On that day, only his family and close friends remained with him and his ideals. But he couldn¡¯t possibly involve his wife and two children in this, these three people were the three precious treasures he could never risk, and perhaps, they were the reason he was so resolved into fighting and winning. ¡°I wille back after this is over. Take good care of them, Drakonia,¡± ¡°Lucifer¡­ I know you¡¯re doing this for us, but-¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t do it, then who will do it? I love you¡­ Please, be safe,¡± ¡°Take care¡­ and don¡¯t you dare die,¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± As he saw his two little children sleep on their nest, his dragon wife licked Lucifer¡¯s face and hugged him, and then, she saw him fly off into the skies, with his four close friends, the only allies he could bring with him, who were fighting for the same resolve. That day, the Demon King¡¯s castle was suddenly visited by five enormous figures in the sky. ¡ª¨C Chapter 107 ¡ª¨C ¡°Of course¡­ It all ended when things took a turn for the worse. The Humans yed dirty. In the end, when we were finally managing to pull through, one of their heroes, named the Dark Hero, came with the strategy of attacking our homnds, capturing our families, and ckmailing all of us,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°¡­I heard you mention it,¡± I said. ¡°Yes. They captured the Demon King¡¯s daughter and his wife and forced us to surrender in the end. Despite all the power we had, despite how far we managed to defend our territories¡­ we ended up being yed dirty like that. I suppose¡­ we were foolish to even think humans would fight us head-on¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°And what¡­ happened after that?¡± I asked. Lucifer looked at the sk. II could tell his mind was going through many emotions and thoughts, despite his calm andposed expression. ¡°It should be easy to guess¡­¡± He said, looking down. They got killed? Ah¡­ I don¡¯t really want to remind him of all of that. It doesn¡¯t seem fair. I don¡¯t want to ask him¡­ I would feel bad if I did. ¡°If the Kingdom of the Demon King no longer exists, it should be pretty clear¡­ what they did to all of them, to him too¡­ In the end, they all got in¡ªeveryone¡­ every child¡­ everything. Maybe¡­ we were acting too pridefully? Too selfish? We never attacked humans¡¯ settlements. We merely defended our fortress and destroyed their armies, but humans never y well. They¡¯re dirty little rats. I can¡¯t see the point in attacking civilians¡­ Weren¡¯t soldiers supposed to fight other soldiers? Isn¡¯t that how war is supposed to go? Why would soldiers raise their spears against innocent and weak people, impale their bodies with countless spears, and slice their heads off mercilessly?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­ We lost because we were too stupid. We were all a bunch of imbeciles. We shouldn¡¯t have gotten involved; I should have stayed with my wife¡­ with my¡­ kids¡­¡± Lucifer suddenly couldn¡¯t contain his sorrow anymore, as he covered his face and began to cry desperately. Such a strong and cold man, who always acts as if he is emotionless, as if he is only filled with wrath¡­ to cry so desperately, so sorrowfully¡­ it broke my heart. ¡°Lucifer¡­¡± I slowly walked towards him as I hugged him. He looked at me with his eyes filled with tears. ¡°Hahh¡­ They took everything from me¡­ Everything¡­ Ngh¡­ It hurts¡­ It hurts so much¡­!¡± Lucifer suddenly rested his head over my shoulders as he hugged me tightly. His hands grasped behind my back as if he was trying to look forfort. I felt like I was hugging a child that lost his way, that lost everything, and that had nowhere to go. ¡°Lucifer¡­ Calm down. You¡¯re here now¡­ We can do something for them¡­ We can-¡± ¡°Even what we can do now¡­ I-it won¡¯t change the past¡­.¡± He sighed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true,¡± ¡°It won¡¯t change the desperate agonizing cries of all my people. It won¡¯t change the sea of bloodshed¡­ it won¡¯t change¡­ all the things I saw¡­ My children¡­! D-Do you know what they did to my children?!¡± Roared Lucifer. He suddenly became all shaken. Recalling the past was painful. ¡°Calm down, Lucifer! Stop recalling that past! You can¡¯t¡­ simply live in the past!¡± I shouted. ¡°Hahh¡­ I-It must be easy for you because you don¡¯t remember when you were alive¡­ right?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything, so it¡¯s obviously not painful. You don¡¯t feel any connection to all that¡¯s happened before¡­ So it¡¯s all the same for you, right?¡± He asked. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°How can you even understand this pain-¡± SMACK! ¡°Ngh?!¡± I moved my hands swiftly as I gave him a p in the face. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t recall my past, that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t feel pain for what happened to the past Miranda. Even though I cannot remember her memories doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t feel pain or sorrow after all the things I learned that happened to her family¡­ Lucifer, we are notpeting for who has a more tragic past here, don¡¯t be ridiculous¡­ You idiot!¡± I shouted. ¡°¡­¡± Lucifer looked down to the ground. ¡°¡­Sorry. I¡­ I ended up doing things I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ S-Sometimes I get¡­ these memories. My soul is unstable¡­ my mind sometimes feels like it¡¯s shattering into pieces. It¡¯s hard¡­ it¡¯s painful¡­ to be an Undead,¡± He muttered. ¡°I know. I am an Undead too¡­ I know it feels painful¡­ I know our souls are constantly being fueled by this¡­ anger¡­ by this sorrow¡­ It¡¯s¡­ as if it were part of our very beings. I know it hurts a lot. I am sorry for¡­ not being there for you if you really needed someone¡­ You should simply call for me,¡± I said. ¡°M-Maria¡­¡± ¡°Come¡­ Hug me,¡± I said. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I hugged Lucifer again. I hugged him tightly. I rubbed my face on his shoulders. I couldn¡¯t cry as Icked eyes. But I still felt as sorrowful as if I could cry for him. He must have gone through horrendous things¡­ I can tell. ¡°You¡¯re not alone¡­ You¡¯ve got me right here, okay?¡± I asked. I looked at him as I mustered a smile. My lips were trembling a bit. ¡°I¡­ O-Okay¡­¡± He muttered, as his pale face suddenly grew as red as a tomato. He looked quite cute. ¡°How do you feel now? Better? I can still keep hugging you until you feel better. There¡¯s no rush,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you¡­ I never thought I would findfort in¡­ someone like you,¡± He said. ¡°Huh? Are you belittling me or something?¡± I asked while raising an eyebrow. ¡°N-No! I didn¡¯t mean it in that way! I am¡­ sorry¡­.¡± He quickly apologized. ¡°*Sigh*¡­ I know it¡¯s hard for you to get these emotions out of you, but¡­ If you need a shoulder to rest your head on¡­ and if you need someone to hold you up, I am here,¡± I said. ¡°T-Thank you¡­ It means¡­ a lot to me,¡± Said Lucifer, as he suddenly held my hand. Our faces were suddenly oddly close to one another. W-What¡¯s going on?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 108 ¡ª¨C Lucifer¡¯s face got oddly handsome all of a sudden, and he held my hand tightly too. He was slowly approaching my own face as well. What is he exactly doing? Maybe he wants another hug? ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Maria¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t help it,¡± he said. He suddenly pushed me down, as we were sitting on the floor at the moment when he dropped to tears. His face got even closer to mine, even closer than it should have been. His hands were trapping me. Both of them were over my shoulders, as his sorrowful face seemed suddenly taken over by a zing passion. Despite being an Undead he was quite warm, and his breath got closer to mine. ¡°L-Lucifer?¡± I asked. ¡°Maria¡­ You were doing all of that on purpose¡­ D-Didn¡¯t you?¡± He asked. ¡°Eh? I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something here¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Always acting so close with me¡­ So warm¡­ I cannot¡­ resist it anymore¡­ Forgive me¡­¡± Lucifer¡¯s lips suddenly got closer and closer to mine, and I couldn¡¯t escape as he had me trapped in ce. I felt like my phantasmal heart was beating faster and faster. I swallowed saliva and felt my breath getting warmer. My lips seemed moister all of a sudden, and his own grew closer. Wait, a second, is he going to kiss me? Agh! No, I am not ready! T-That¡¯s done after marriage, right? ¡°N-No!¡± I said as I turned into a phantom and flew away. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lucifer ended up kissing the floor. ¡°You¡¯re really a pervert! I was just trying to make you feel better, and you try to take advantage of me? I-I was just trying to make you feel better!¡± I shouted. ¡°Eh? I-I know! I just¡­ t-this passion¡­ Maria¡­!¡± Muttered Lucifer, suddenly approaching me. ¡°No, no, no! G-Get away from me! I am not giving you any hugs for a while! And go wash your teeth. Your breath stinks! Don¡¯t you realize you¡¯re like a zombie?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­ Well¡­ I didn¡¯t think you would mind. You¡¯re a ghost.¡± He said. ¡°Even as a ghost, I wash my phantasmal teeth!¡± I said. ¡°S-Sorry! I¡­ I went a bit too far,¡± He apologized. ¡°You act way too coldly sometimes. How could I tell you were actually going to kiss me? I never thought you would ever try to do such a thing¡­.¡± I said. ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± He sighed. ¡°And why were you going to kiss me?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ I just felt like it. You were so close¡­ So warm¡­ So pretty¡­ You were filling the empty void in my heart, and it felt good to be at your side,¡± ¡°A¡­ R-Really?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± He muttered. A slight smile surged on his lips as he held my hand again. ¡°Agh! Y-You¡¯re doing it again! I am not giving you a kiss! Now go to the bathroom!¡± I said as I rushed back to the room, leaving Lucifer on his own. ¡°*Sigh*¡­.¡± I heard him sigh. I felt a bit bad, but this was very sudden! How can a finedy like me deal with a handsome Dragon Zombie like him?! It felt weird! I¡¯ve never had experiences in rtionships. I don¡¯t even know how you kiss other people. Do I need to learn? Practice with a pillow or something? Wait, why am I even thinking about this? Now I have to consider Lucifer as a potential romantic interest! What¡¯s going on? Did this entire story suddenly turn into a mellow Romance-tagged story? No way¡­ Wait, hold on a second. I should simply stop thinking about this. Yes, let¡¯s be oblivious about it. But why do I feel so embarrassed, and I feel like my heart is beating so hard? I feel like emotions areing out the depths of my soul, and thinking about kissing Lucifer makes me even more embarrassed. Huh. Alright, let¡¯s think about something else. I looked down at the kids sleeping, and I decided to quickly wake them up. The morning hade, and the sun was strongly shining through the window. It was time to wake up and say hello to a new day. ¡°Hm? Ahh¡­ Good morning, nee-sama,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± Yawned Laura. ¡°How did you two sleep? Good?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, it was afy sleep,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°It was not bad, but I¡¯ve had better sleeps,¡± Said Laura. ¡°Really?¡± I asked while raising an eyebrow. ¡°Master!¡± Partner woke up and jumped out of bed. She quickly reached me and hugged me from behind. ¡°Good morning dear, how are you?¡± I asked. ¡°Filled with energy¡­ I want¡­ food!¡± She eximed. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get you some food then, fufu,¡± I giggled. ¡°Goo¡¯ mornin¡¯ Fweehh¡­ I am sleepy¡­¡± Yawned Emeraldine. ¡°Oh, even the elf is awake now! Alright, how about we have some tasty breakfast? I got a lot of food saved from the cafeteria, and it¡¯s all fresh and warm- or cold, just like when we bought it! Let¡¯s enjoy a feast,¡± I said. ¡°Yaaay!¡± The kids quickly became happy. I set up a table with some chairs and began putting sandwiches, cakes, coffee, some tea, and even ice cream. I wanted to forget about that dumb and handsome dragon by eating a lot. ¡°Where¡¯s Lucifer, by the way?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Washing his teeth, most likely,¡± I said. ¡°Washing his teeth? Why?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe he¡¯s stinky?¡± Said Partner. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s very stinky,¡± I said. ¡°Who are you calling stinky?¡± Lucifer entered the room with a towel around his neck. He had taken a warm bath just now, it seems. ¡°Look who¡¯s back!¡± I said. ¡°Maria I¡­ I would prefer we didn¡¯t speak about what happened¡­ between you and me for now,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°A-Alright then¡­ Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. ¡°Between you and her?!¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°M-Master! W-What happened between you and him?!¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Hm? Erm¡­ Nothing, really!¡± I said. ¡°You perverted dragon! What did you do to Maria-sama?! You dared touch her body!?¡± Shouted Emeraldine. ¡°Eh?! I didn¡¯t do anything! Calm down!¡± Cried Lucifer. ¡ª- Chapter 109 ¡ª¨C After solving the misunderstanding between Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner, we quickly continued our delicious breakfast. At some point, the Innkeeper brought us the breakfast they served here, butpared to the food we were eating, it was very little. Nheless, I still ate it all for myself. After the delicious and tasty breakfast, we rested for a bit as we began to discuss what to do for now. I decided topletely forget what Lucifer had tried to do to me this morning, deciding to think about it as if he had just not been on his right mind. He also acted like it didn¡¯t happen, so I suppose we made an unspoken deal, not to mention it for the moment. Nheless, the thought about him trying to do these types of things to me again makes me nervous. It¡¯s not like I think he¡¯ll vite me or something because he can¡¯t. I am a ghost, and he¡¯s kind of a gentleman, so I doubt he has such urges. But I do think he might try kissing me again one of these days¡­ maybe I shouldn¡¯t try to be so close to him? Ugh, I am talking about it again¡­ Well, better to forget it for now and assess the problems we are facing now. ¡°So what should we do now? There are a bunch of people waiting for us underground, and I feel the urge to apany them back to the goblin vige, our settlement,¡± I suggested. ¡°Hm, if you really n to make that ce your settlement and base¡­ then I suppose we should go back and bring them there¡­ However, as the number of people grows, we¡¯ll need more security there. Building up strong walls and making better buildings would be a priority,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Huh¡­ I thought we could do thister on, but we really have to do it asap. We already had our little adventure. For now, we should go back, be done with all of this, and then resume the journey, I guess,¡± I sighed. ¡°We spent a long time traveling around, so I doubt there was not a lot of time spent on this¡­ Going back would be for the best so we can assess everything. I would also feel nervous if we left the goblins and everyone else there abandoned for too long. Maybe someone might try to pick up a fight with them again,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah¡­ But what about this ce?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°We¡¯ll y the pigs before leaving. Of course, we¡¯ll steal everything they got as well. We need a lot of money to buy stuff and get ourselves materials and food for our people,¡± I said. ¡°Hm, indeed, you¡¯re right,¡± Agreed Lucifer. ¡°Is this vige nice?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of nice people there, so you¡¯ll be weed with open arms,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen goblins before¡­ aren¡¯t they monsters?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°No, goblins are Majin. They¡¯re a humble race of small, green-skinned people. Don¡¯t think of them lightly. They¡¯re hard workers as well.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°O-Oh, I see!¡± Said Laura. ¡°I have been thinking about moving the vige whenever we reach it. Although theke is very important for the water that the vige drinks, it is dangerous to leave them so close to the duchy there¡­ moving to a farther and more enclosed region would be ideal,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed, a relocation would also be useful and good for the vige. I agree with this,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°But where? There were mostly just grasnds¡­ I wish there could be a big forest to hide the vige inside. But all the forests around were small patches of woods,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Forest¡­ Yeah, it will be hard to find a ce that could naturally protect the vige, but we¡¯ll do our best when we get there. For now, I¡¯ll go take care of the pigs. I am getting tired of waiting,¡± I sighed. ¡°Let me go with you then,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°No, you¡¯re staying with the kids. Protect them here in my ce,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?! Well¡­ fine,¡± He sighed. He was looking forward to ughtering some humans, but my punishment was not letting him do so. ¡°I¡¯ll go! I¡¯ll go!¡± Partner didn¡¯t let me go as she hugged my torso tightly, and her adorable face said everything. She wasn¡¯t going to let me go unless I epted on bringing her with me. ¡°Fine¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Can I go too? I want to help you out, Maria-sama.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Eh? Are you sure? You¡¯re¡­ okay with killing people?¡± I asked. ¡°I have to get used to it¡­ I want to get used to it. After what I¡¯ve gone through, I¡¯ve already lost a big part of my former humanity. Perhaps I am no longer a person, and I want to see how far I can go, so I can be of more utility for you, Maria-sama,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°V-Very well then, but don¡¯t get so close to me¡­.¡± Emeraldine had gotten quite close to me. ¡°A-Ah! S-Sorry¡­ Hehe¡­¡± After that, I decided to bring the two girls with me while leaving Lucifer with the kids, alongside Kuro and Raven too, and a few other Undead. I am just being overprotective, but I wouldn¡¯t like to regret not having been overprotective¡­ Emeraldine and Partner hopped into my Shadows as I traveled through Shadow Sneak in the middle of the morning. The sun had yet topletely cover the sky so there was some fresh shadow behind the buildings to sneak through. sh! sh! sh! Using my abilities, I easily sneaked around, sneaking behind most of the people without anyone noticing. I never thought Ghosts would have such a good Stealth Build potential! With these skills, I can easily travel and sneak around wherever I want no problem! sh! sh! sh! In an instant, we reached the manor of the duke of this ce. We¡¯ll y him first before the other two. The Duke of this duchy is named Duke Roberto Albraun. While the other two pigs I want to y to avenge my family are Edward Allfire, and Ernesto Watertide. Duke Roberto Albraun is currently within his room, so it¡¯s the perfect time to attack¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 110 ¡ª¨C We sneaked inside therge manor after discussing things out in the Inn. We were going to sneak inside, y the guy, and get over it with ease. We moved inside of the ce easily by sneaking using Shadow Sneak. Through this ability I was able to easily ignore most obstacles and sneak anywhere there were shadows around. I jumped around between shadows as I went, although I found some obstacles in what seemed to be a Rune-infused door. What is this? With closer inspection, it told me it was some kind of special security system that they had in this world, where Runes and spells were ced over a door, and that way, people wouldn¡¯t be able to easily break it open. It worked even against me, but I had something that they don¡¯t. I was a ghost. So I just became a phantom and sneaked around, phasing through the walls and entering the entire building in a second. In an instant, I reached the interior and scanned the area using my senses, reaching upstairs and finding out there were two presences above. The second floor was where the Duke was, alongside someone else. I couldn¡¯t appraise them from where I was, but I knew they weren¡¯t too much if they didn¡¯t emanate strong mana from within them. I flew upstairs while coating myself in stealth-based abilities as I found a very mildly obese man with short gray hair and blue eyes writing papers over his table. There wasn¡¯t any other second presence around, and when I scanned again, there wasn¡¯t anyone. Huh? Did I just imagine it? No way¡­ I was pretty sure I sensed two presences. Where¡¯s the other one? I scanned the area again with my Mana, but nothing. Weird. I decided to just get done with this instead of worrying anymore, as I emerged behind the Duke, like a specter of shadows. I couldn¡¯t help but smile deviously as my soul danced happily. The resentment inside of my very being was about to be fulfilled once more as another one of the pigs involved in this entire tragedy shall be in for good. I extended my arms around him and then¡­! SLASH! ¡°Huh?¡± I felt as if a sh of bright light pierced through my arms and sliced them both. ¡°What?!¡± I quickly sneaked back into the ground, but a sh of bright light reached the floor and illuminated the entire ce, my ability to use Shadow Sneak was instantly negated. I felt utterly desperate in the situation that suddenly changed before me. I escaped the bright light, but this only burnt through my entire body. My very being was of darkness. Such holy and bright light made me painfully aware that I wasn¡¯t invincible even as a ghost. This pain was terrible. I constantly conjured Undead Heal on my own soul, regenerating the darkness that was being purified and then expanding a barrier of shadows around me. The bright light covered the walls, and I wasn¡¯t able to use my phantom form to escape either. If I tried, my body would be instantly purified, and I would die right there. Being an undead has such a weakness. The bright light before me receeded some more, but it continued to enhance the walls around us. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on, Maria-sama?!¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Master?!¡± Asked Partner. ¡°There was someone waiting for us right here,¡± I said. I looked in front of me, and as I stood in the corner of the room, there was a single person¡ªa man of almost two meters tall, with short blue hair and sharp yellow eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve survived that? You¡¯re indeed a strong Undead. I couldn¡¯t believe that the one behind the death of Duke of Affnaria was an Undead, but I guess all the clues led to that,¡± Said the man. He was wearing clothes that reminded me of some sort of priest. Even his golden staff shone brightly. But¡­ how did he know that I killed the Duke of Affnaria? What has been going ontely? And how did they predict I woulde after the Duke here? I looked at the duke and noticed a barrier of holy light was protecting him; he was terrified, though. ¡°I-It was really a smart idea to use me as bait! It really just came here to y me¡­ Unbelievable, is this woman a ghost, Sir Elderlight?¡± The fat man asked. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a monster, a ghost of some kind. We assume that this ghost is most likely the soul of the fallen Witch of Misfortune, Maria¡­ The same day after her graveyard was found destroyed and her corpse gone was the day the Duke died, and the trails of phantom and dark mana were left in the horrendously destroyed corpses. We had to connect some dots around, but our secret informants used their abilities to see through clues using evidence. After doing some more, we finally came to the conclusion that it might really be her¡­.¡± Said the priest. They knew everything about me! The only way to get out of here was by destroying the walls, but if there was a way to do that, he could still easily dissipate me with his light. Shadow and Death easily get beaten by this powerful Holy Light! My options are very few¡­ But it¡¯s not like I am without options¡­ But they already knew everything about me and even realized I was Maria converted into a ghost¡­ ¡°Heh, I guess you¡¯ve found me out. Indeed! I am Maria Fuentes Belles! The Witch of Misfortune!¡± I announced. The priest squinted his eyes as he pointed his holy staff at me, while the Duke felt utterly terrified by my mere presence. ¡°You¡¯vee back from the dead to avenge your death and that of your family, haven¡¯t you? Don¡¯t worry, resentful soul, I shall purify in the name of all that is sacred!¡± He roared. ¡°Purify me? You¡¯re mistaken. You¡¯re already dead,¡± I said. ¡°Hm?!¡± Of course, that was just a bluff to surprise him and gain time. ¡°[Summon]!¡± FLASH! An army of a dozen of Undead suddenly emerged around me. ¡ª¨C Chapter 111 ¡ª¨C As everything happened, my thoughts shed at high speed. From what I¡¯ve heard, this guy¡¯s name was Elderlight, and judging by his clothes, he was most likely a Priest from the Gods Church. But what is the God¡¯s Church? From what I had investigated, it was the biggest church there is. It has a big influence on most of the Kingdoms around the entire Continent of Midgard. However, it is not really a clich¨¦ church that does bad things all the time. It is mostly a neutral force. However, due to how I¡¯ve involved myself in the death of important figures such as two aristocrats and a Duke, the entire Kingdom ended up employing the forces of the church to deal with me. Additionally, they¡¯re obviously adept at holy light magic and are pretty good at employing the power of the God of Light, the Goddess of Life, and other Gods with ¡°good-alignment¡± to fend off all sorts of fiends, undead, and so on¡­ They¡¯re like special forces in a way, which only use their power when supernatural forces that people cannot properly handle, emerge. Judging from what he said, they had the power to investigate things using evidence alone. Of course, how couldn¡¯t I tell? In a world of magic, they should have ways to investigate even the slightest things left for them to see who did it or at least gain clues. If there are specialized artifacts, there might be ways for them to see who did certain crimes based on just leftover mana or something like that¡­ Damn it. However, I don¡¯t see any more troops than this Priest¡­ Well, they most likely thought that I could target another Duke if I had already killed one cold-bloodedly. Still, they didn¡¯t bet on it a whole lot, so they probably only left a single priest of powerful holy magic with this Duke, knowing that the leftover mana or essence I left might be of an Undead or at least a Dark and Death-attribute magician. And, of course, I was obviously weak against Light Attribute users. Using my fast speed of thought processing, which was enhanced by using Mana, I began to inspect the walls right after fending off the initial attack, finding out they were infused with powerful Light Runes that constantly released holy light. The floor and ceiling were the same, and the ¡°core¡± of this entire rune formation was the priest standing in front of me. Below him, arge rune let him infuse his mana into the entire room. He had prepared very well, but I couldn¡¯t see these runes beforehand, meaning that he had a way to immediately set them off the moment I reached this ce instead of preparing them beforehand. If that had been the case, I would have been able to easily predict what he was going to do and would¡¯ve noticed that he was waiting for me to get closer¡­ but, now, I have to deal with this and quickly. If not, I¡¯ll risk getting killed. The first thing I considered was the help of Emeraldine and Partner. But Partner doesn¡¯t have defensive methods, and she¡¯s also weak to holy light. She would get burned to death instantly. Meanwhile, Emeraldine is a way better pick. Her power is the same as him, plus she has spirits and nature magic. However, I cannot let her risk her life so easily, especially in such a closed room where she could get killed very quickly. This guy¡¯s strength¡­ was also formidable. Based on his stats alone, he was around B Rank in power¡­ Also, he seemed to be boosting his power continuously. His skills were simr to Emeraldine minus her nature magic. He only specialized in light and had a big arsenal of abilities and spells with this element. Amongst them, there were things such as Light Barrier, Light Beam, Light Runes, and the deadly Exorcism, which he used to deal extra damage against Undead. He was defending the Duke with a powerful Light Barrier, which didn¡¯t let me kill him. Plus, I wasn¡¯t able to escape either because everything was infused with runes and slipping through them meant receiving gigantic amounts of damage and probably dying in the process! Due to this, I cannot really take it easy and find a way out of this. I have to go all out from the beginning; if not, I¡¯ll regret it and die. My n was simple. I was just going to st off his ass with my Undead Detonation and also make this entire ce explode into pieces, escape, and see if he follows me. If he does follow me, we¡¯ll do everything we can to deal with him in the forest, a more open space where we can strategize a bit more¡­ I have to do it now before the barrier I have dies out, and I am bathed in light and purifiedpletely! I decided to bluff my way through as I confused Elderlight for a split second, provoking him to look at me with a strange expression. And, this little second was enough for me to utilize Summon and bring forth a dozen of Undead I was saving up inside my Shadow Storage. The man didn¡¯t seem to have a way to defend against my Mana Siphon, so ever since the moment I met him, I¡¯ve been draining his mana as well! Using his vast pool of mana as my own, I summoned my beast coated in shadows so they could resist the light a few seconds, enough for them to rush forward towards him, startling the priest! ¡°Y-You¡¯re a necromancer as well?! Coating them in shadows will only make the inevitable take longer!¡± He shouted as he waved his golden staff, and a st of light was unleashed, resembling a powerful and bright yellow-gold shockwave! TRUUUMMM!!! However, the space in here was very small, and my Undead didn¡¯t even need to target him anyway. My n was to escape after all! Before the light couldpletely consume them, I used my newly acquired technique, Undead Detonation! FLASH! All the Undead suddenly shed with bright dark light, as Elderlight was left shocked! ¡°W-What the?!¡± BOOOOOMMM!!! ¡ª- Chapter 112 ¡ª¨C BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The dozen of Undead I had summoned began to explode one after another without stopping. All the Runes were destroyed right away, as Elderlight never expected I would have such an instantaneous attack. He might have thought that even the strong dark and death magic I could have would easily be consumed by the light everywhere, but Undead Detonation made of my Undead as deadly explosives who dealt damage based on my huge Magic Stat! The result? It was pretty obvious. The entire second floor of the residence was blown away into pieces while I shielded myself with my Shadow Barrier materialized with all the power I could muster. CLASH! I saw as the ceiling, walls, and even the floor fell apart and noticed that Elderlight wasn¡¯t capable of protecting the Duke in time. Completely shocked, the Duke ended up being crushed into a deadly pulp below all the debris. At the same time, the Priest was barely alive while protecting himself with a barrier, throwing away the rubble as his anger grew constantly. The soul of the duke floated around the corpse, asking the priest to revive him. I don¡¯t know if the priest could see it, but the guy clearly didn¡¯t even care about the Duke trying to look for me everywhere. ¡°Please, revive me with your holy magic, priest! The woman is right there! S-she¡¯s looking at me!¡± Cried the soul. ¡°You demon woman! Where are you?! I¡¯ll y you! I¡¯ll burn your malice! H-How dare you do such an outrageous thing!¡± He roared in anger. I sneaked through Shadow Sneak and grabbed the Soul of the Duke. ¡°GRYAH!¡± ¡°You¡¯re done for,¡± I said as I opened my maws and devoured the soul in an instant. His cry of agony was heard by the priest, whose eyes began to sh with bright light as he quickly discovered me. ¡°T-There you are! Do you know the tremendous sin you¡¯vemitted?! Damn it! The church should have brought more people! To think you would appear here and with such an insane power¡­ I will put you down! Don¡¯t you dare escape- HEY!¡± He was talking way too much while rushing towards me, so I quickly turned tails after taking down mister piggy over here and rushed to the nearby forest. ¡°Halt!¡± However, I was suddenly greeted by arge group of over thirty soldiers rushing at me, alongside what seemed to be some magicians from the Magicians Guild and even a group of Mercenaries. They were all weak like ants, though¡­ However, this was a nice meal. I was growing weaker, so absorbing all their Mana to use Undead Healing on my own was good! ¡°If you value your life, move aside!¡± I roared. My entire body extended like an endless mass of shadows, and only a few of them ran away while the rest greeted me with powerful Martial Techniques and Magic. Well, not so powerful, as the strongest of this group was a Level 32 Magician with the power of Fire Magic. He unleashed a massive st of mes, but that barely did any damage to me or my barrier as I had a massive Magic Stat. Half of it was Magic Defense, after all, and he clearly relied a lot upon that pretty staff to boost his magic power. BOOOMMM!!! The mes impacted me, but I fended them off without a care in the world as I pushed forwards. I waved my hands, causing darkness to be released constantly, unleashing deadly slicing winds of dark energy through Dark Gale. There was also a fatal barrage of dozens of Darkness Sphere, sting all the soldiers that dared toe in front of me into bloody pieces! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°Gryyyaaaahhh¡­!¡± ¡°Uuuaaggh¡­!¡± ¡°Nooo!¡± ¡°Uunngaaggh¡­!¡± ughtering so many of these guys felt good for some reason, and the EXP ended up being delightful as well. To boot, I was gaining a lot of Mana as I absorbed it all. The magician was dried out of his Mana as I reached towards him and began to absorb his mana directly from his soul. Afterward, I crushed his heart as he looked at me with his old face, surprised by the horror of my power. ¡°M-Monster¡­!¡± A few of the soldiers and magicians ran away alongside some mercenaries, but I got greedy as I extended my shadow tentacle and caught them all in a shadowy weeb, so I crushed them to death one by one in mere seconds. ¡°You! Stop! You horrendous monster! W-What have you done?!¡± Roared Elderlight. ¡°What? Did you actually think I wouldn¡¯t kill them? Nowe back to life and buy me some time, my dear subjects!¡± Iughed maliciously as I activated Fake Life and all the corpses came back to life, forming an army of Undead I sent towards Elred. ¡°W-What? Such instant rise of Undead!¡± We were already deep into the forest as the soldiers had kept following me into there, so I raised them after they died right away. As Elderlight bathed me with holy light rays, I sent my Undead towards him and then made them all detonate into loud explosions, making a big fuss in the entire forest and sting away trees everywhere. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°Unngh¡­! Holy Barrier!¡± Elderlight resisted the explosions with his barrier, but it broke several times. Some of the deathly attacks pierced through it and damaged him. His HP was still rather high, but he was taking some damage. I quickly took out Partner and Emeraldine as now that we were in a more open space, the two girls quickly sneaked around the forest and the rubble. Elderlight was fixated on me, so the girls were able to sneak around easily. ¡°Where are you?! Without your Undead, you can¡¯t do this again!¡± He roared, using his holy light to purify my undead into ashes. Damn it. This guy is a tough nut to crack. ¡°I am right here!¡± I said, confronting him face to face. I had already made up my mind¡­ I was going to kill him and gain tons of juicy EXP! If I don¡¯t kill him, he¡¯ll follow me to the ends of the world anyways! ¡°HOLY BLAST!¡± FLASH! BOOM! ¡ª¨C Chapter 113 ¡ª¨C Elderlight was a tough nut to crack, and that one Staff he was holding was also kind of the cause of it, alongside all the equipment he had. His entire set was named [Holy Priest Saint Set], and it was all at least B+ Rank in Grade of quality. It also had special effects, which, if they were all used together, enhanced his damage dealt using Holy Light while increasing defense against Dark and Death elements too. This was how he was a living tank of my strongest attacks! Even more, the stat boosts he got were through the roof, and I feltpletely ridiculed with my humble set of equipment. I really needed something better, but where can I find it? To boot, his Staff was theplete opposite of mine, and it had extra damage dealt using a holy light element and a lot of Mana and Magic too, granting him a vast Mana Pool that regenerated fast thanks to the equipment. Humans might be overall rather weak, but by abusing their equipment and more, they get overpowered quickly. And well, they can also level up and acquire all sorts of skills. For example, this guy had been training all of his life, and that was clear when based on his skills, stats, and more. He was rather weak physically, and his HP wasn¡¯t the highest either, but the amount of magical power he had was insane. His Mana Stat was at around 20k with every bonus from his equipment, and his Magic stat was over 15k. Even when my stats had increased a lot thanks to leveling up in the battle yesterday, I was barely just below his own stats, but that didn¡¯t mean this was any easier. I knew he had a greater advantage in battle experience. Although he raged like a fool, he had most likely fought and purified countless Undead in the past. I had to go all out and do a lot of crazy stuff to get out of this situation and kill him¡­ Can I even win? Even with everything calcted, the chances were dim. I wasn¡¯t sure. There was a big risk here, even bigger than when I fought the giant chimerast night. But it was worth giving it a try! ¡°You¡¯re confronting me head-on?! How foolish of you! HOLY BLAST!¡± He gathered arge amount of Mana into the tip of his staff and pointed it at me, unleashing a massive beam of bright yellowish-gold holy light. If this were to hit me head-on, I wouldpletely dissipate and end up purified. BOOOOMMM!!! The st quickly reached me, but I easily hid beneath the ground using my nature as a ghost! Now that there weren¡¯t any more runes around, I could easily sneak into the ground and¡­! ¡°[Holy Light Domain]!¡± FLASH! What? Elderlight had so many Skills it was hard to keep up with all of them in my mind. He surprised me once more by conjuring something I had not even noticed¡ªan enormous, almost 30-meter-big domain of holy light expanding across the battlefield at an incredible speed, filling the soil and anything around him with holy light runes which emanated a strong and bright halo into the sky, burning through me at a brisk pace! Fuck! It hurts like hell! I felt my entire body dissipating into nothingness! ¡°Aggghhh¡­!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Suffer and die! I¡¯ve dealt with ghosts before, foolish woman! Go back to your grave where you belong to, Witch!¡± Heughed. FLASH! BOOOM!!! ¡°Uagh?!¡± However, Elderlight¡¯s attack was quickly interrupted as his Domain continued to act but less intense, giving me the time to slip off his grasp. What greeted his sight was an explosive spirit energy-filled arrow, which pierced his shoulder when he least expected it and exploded, sting away his left arm in the process! And that was done by no one else than my favorite elf! ¡°Aggghh¡­! By the Gods¡­!¡± Elderlight fell to the ground as he saw the arrow that sted away his arm begin to grow roots around his shoulder! This was the power of Emeraldine¡¯s abilities! ¡°I-It is growing a tree?!¡± He muttered in disbelief as he moved back in horror and used his magic to destroy the roots from infecting his wound while closing it in the process, stopping the bleeding instantly. Emeraldine was right in front of him as he moved back to see the culprit behind the attack. Emeraldine looked down at the priest with an angered look as her entire body exuded the power of light and nature. ¡°A-A High Spiritual Light Elf?!¡± He shouted in shock. It seems that these elves are rare or something as the man was very shocked. Emeraldine pointed her arrow as she charged it with mana. ¡°Wait! How can you dare attack me?! You¡¯re a holy race made to y the evil fiends and monsters of this world that the God of Chaos has sent to us! Yet¡­ yet you¡¯re allying with them?!¡± Roared Elderlight, quickly standing up. ¡°I won¡¯t miss this time,¡± She said ruthlessly, as another powerful arrow filled with the power of her spirits was fired towards him! FLASH! ¡°[Holy Wall]!¡± BOOOM!!! This time, the arrow was caught by a defensive spell, and it exploded, breaking apart his Holy Wall in the process! It turns out that the guy is not so resistant to the fusion of Spirit Energy and Nature Element, with a hint of Light Element. Being a priest doesn¡¯t mean being immune to his own element, I guess. I weakly moved away as I constantly conjured Undead Healing on myself the moment, I was able to move by myself. And the next moment after that, I conjured my Death and Darkness Domain to counter his Holy light Domain, of course! FLASH! ¡°W-What is this power?!¡± He shouted in shock once again, looking at my glorious darkness emerge in all its abyssal splendor. ¡°I am not dead yet, old man!¡± I shouted as I smiled and conjured Shadow Maniption, shaping countless shadow tentacles out of my domain and chasing him down with them! ¡ª¨C Chapter 114 ¡ª¨C ¡°You¡¯re not getting away!¡± I shouted as I began to chase him down with my Shadow Tentacles boosted by the amazing power of my Shadow and Death Domain, which began to consume his Holy Light Domain with ease with the more Mana I poured into it. FLAAASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! My tentacles almost caught him multiple times, but he used his barriers, which I was able to shatter after a few hits with my tentacles, to defend himself most of the time. At the same time, he showed off his usage of magic once more by boosting his physical abilities and speed through the infusion of light magic into his body. Meanwhile, Emeraldine recharged her arrow with spiritual energy for another big st, firing another powerful arrow that exploded over the old man¡¯s barrier, breaking it apart. BOOOM!!! ¡°Now, Maria!¡± I used the power of my shadow tentacles, controlling them and managing to finallynd a powerful blow on him as if several whips bitch-pped him. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°GRUUUUAAGGH¡­!¡± BOOM! He was thrown away with a fierce and loud boom! I clearly felt his body breaking bit by bit. I used this instance to utilize Lesser Curse on him and bathe him with deadly curses that lowered his stats and metabolism while also using my venom, which my tentacles were covered in. The deadly venom began to eat away at his life force and to stack more on top of it. I was also using Ghost Touch and Life Drain to take away his life and damage his soul, even if it was slightly! ¡°Uuuaaggh¡­! [Holy Recovery]! [Antidote Light]! [Healing Rain]!¡± He struggled to move away, using his barriers to defend himself again from our bullying while he bathed himself in healing spells. The bastard had the same self-sustenance ability as me, but what I found out is that his arm didn¡¯t regenerate back no matter what! If we can manage to take away another one of his arms, he won¡¯t have his staff equipped anymore, and we can steal it, weakening him a lot in the process! ¡°You¡¯re not running away!¡± I was also struggling to move. The holy light he constantly fired weakened me even more as he had suddenly summoned something called ¡°Golden Sun,¡± a massive sphere of light that shed above our heads and continuously bathed us with light, weakening me even more. Even by shrouding myself in darkness while using the advantage of my Domain, I was still slowing down. I was constantly firing attacks at this sphere. Still, they seemed to be barely damaging it, so I had to go all out and release even deadlier attacks to it, but I was also splitting my mind and attacking him with my shadow tentacles. Meanwhile, Emeraldine utilized her holy nature magic to control the terrain and produce roots from the ground to make him constantly trip while also firing arrows every few seconds. But where was Partner in all of this? Well, she was patiently waiting for her opportunity to strike. I used the help of Emeraldine as we bathed the old man in deadly attacks and made him retreat constantly, her arrow finally managed to destroy his Holy Wall once more, as I manipted my Shadow Tentacles and corned him, making him move back to us as he gritted his teeth and fired several rays of light at me. One of them sted my head off, but I regenerated it back using Undead Heal while I evaded the other hits with impressive dexterity. ¡°RRAAA!¡± He cried out in anger as he was being corned by the two of us. Left without barriers, he was just about to make another one, but I moved my shadow tentacles below his feet by inserting them underground, and I grabbed his legs and made him trip again! ¡°Unngh¡­!¡± BOOM! He fell over the floor and lost his concentration, enough time for a shadow figure to emerge from within the woods. Having her power enhanced by my domain, she was shrouded in darkness and deathly killing intent. Her powerful spear fell onto the man¡¯s body! CLAAAASSH! ¡°Unnggaaaggh¡­! T-There was another?!¡± He cried in horror. His equipment formed a barrier around his torso and head, protecting him from Partner¡¯s deadly piercing spear blows! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The barrier was breaking down as he quickly tried to run away from her onught, only to have his other arm caught on it. Her piercing spear destroyed the barrier of his equipment in no time, and I used my shadow tentacles to grasp the arm Partner sliced, grabbing it away and storing it in my inventory! ¡°Unnnggh?! AAAGH¡­!¡± ¡°Thanks for the loot, old man! I¡¯ll be a holy woman after using that glorious staff!¡± Iughed. ¡°Aggh! H-How did you send it away?! M-My arm! I am left without arms?! Uaggh¡­! [Heal]!¡± He healed his wound and quickly began to generate several barriers around him, which he then manipted and fired at us as if they were giant projectiles! ¡°[Holy Wall]! [Holy Wall]! [Holy Wall]!¡± He began to desperately use everything he could, trying to st us away with his desperate attacks. Partner was infused with my power, as I utilized the new power of my Soul Grimoire to boost her stats, spending my Mana in great quantities and a few dozen magic crystals I had umted inside my inventory! FLASH! Her stats were boosted by a few thousand as her attacks pierced through the barriers and shattered them all! ¡°You¡¯re nothingpared to my Master!¡± She roared. She fiercely stood in front of us as Emeraldine copsed to the ground due to herck of Mana, but she still kept her consciousness. I began to refill her Mana using my own, as I used my Shadow Tentacles at the same time to corner the old man and not let him run away, but he was putting too much of a fight even without his arms! And then I came up with a brilliant idea! ¡°Emeraldine, wield this!¡± I shouted as I gave her the old man¡¯s staff to her. Leaving aside her bow, she grabbed it and suddenly felt a great boost to her Mana and Magic! ¡°Oooh! T-This!¡± She muttered, feeling arge wave of power rush through her body. ¡°Use it and help us out!¡± I shouted. ¡ª¨C Chapter 115 ¡ª¨C Elderlight continued to fight back with his powerful light barriers as I resisted the attacks with my Shadow Tentacles while also cornering him. I enhanced Partner¡¯s strength at the same time, and she unleashed a barrage of powerful piercing spear attacks, destroying Elderlight¡¯s barriers! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! But this wasn¡¯t nearly enough, as we had to continue pressuring him, but he wasn¡¯t budging. This bastard had no arms now nor his staff, but he was putting up a big fight. It wasn¡¯t getting easier now, as he was putting even more energy and power into the barriers that he was firing at us. Emeraldine could actually help, but she was exhausted, having utilized a lot of mana exhausted her, and even as I recovered it for her, she was still very much exhausted. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯ll manage as she was now, perhaps not ready to fight. The thing is, Elderlight wasn¡¯t stopping, and he was getting more intense. She tried to aim at him but failed. She was rather tired. However, I got the brilliant idea of gifting her my amazing staff¡­for now! So, I gave Emeraldine the great new golden staff I got, which was verypatible with her! I gave it to her as she felt the staff¡¯s power epass her body. She looked at me with surprise as if saying, ¡°Is this for me?!¡± and I nodded rather confidently, asking her to aid us. Emeraldine wasn¡¯t aplete magician build, as she had built herself as a hybrid magician, healer, and bow-using hunter. Still, she could perfectly be a strong magician with such an expensive and amazing staff as this one! ¡°Help us out!¡± I shouted. ¡°Emeraldine, kill him!¡± Shouted Partner. ¡°Kill¡­ Alright!¡± Emeraldine might not be able to aim with the bow as she was exhausted, but her magic could! She began to gather energy into the staff as her two spirits began to rotate around it, and then, they merged into a sh of bright yellowish-gold and emerald light, emanating a strong magical power. ¡°Spiritual Beam!¡± FLASH! A massive and colorful beam was unleashed from her staff, piercing through the several light barriers made by Elderlight. As I used my Shadow Tentacles to corner him and not let him escape, Partner utilized her powerful spear attacks to destroy the more prominent and stronger Holy Wall that Elderlight had generated! CRASH! The beam reached Elderlight as the priest tried to contain the massive attack with his chest and magic. Shaping his magic as a strong mass resembling tworge palms, he tried to redirect the beam away, but the powerful spiritual beam did not stop, and it was being fueled by Emeraldine¡¯s mana and mine as well! ¡°N-No¡­! I-Impossible! I cannot¡­ die here¡­! AAAAGGGGHHH¡­!¡± Releasing a pathetic and pitiful scream, the beam pierced through his magic and consumed his entire body at longst! BOOOOOMMM!!! I could swear I saw his entire body being disintegrated as the attack that Emeraldine unleashed was brutal! The massive explosion left a gigantic crater, and what was left of Elderlight was some of his essories and equipment being torn apart, being left unusable, alongside arge pool of blood and torn apart remains¡­ ¡°Phew¡­¡± Emeraldine fell on her knees as she sighed in relief, feelingpletely exhausted. ¡°Well done!¡± Eximed Partner. ¡°Yeah! That was amazing work- Oh, there he is!¡± I shouted as I found the soul of Elderlight. ¡°Agh! Uagh! Stop! You fiend! Let go of my soul!¡± He cried. ¡°How about¡­ no? However, I won¡¯t destroy you nor eat you. I¡¯ll keep you saved for now¡­.¡± I quickly used my shadows and my own body to warp around Elderlight¡¯s soul and make him essentially a burrito of sorts, which I saved inside of my Shadow Storage. He seemed to have been sealed this way, and he couldn¡¯t escape, as his soul form was very weak. Very few people might have a strong enough soul to fight against me when I get them in the palm of my hands¡­ literally. And I gained a lot of EXP¡­ Well, we gained a lot of EXP. Ding! [Your Level has increased from Level 37 to level 38!] [Your Level has increased from Level 38 to level 39!] [Your Level has increased from Level 39 to level 40!] [All your stats have increased!] We got so much cumtive EXP from this guy that even with me taking away some of the EXP earned to use in other thingster, I still acquired max level quite smoothly¡­ ¡°We cannot remain in here for too long. Let¡¯s move quickly,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed¡­ Ugh, I am tired¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°You can rest inside of here,¡± I said as I grabbed Emeraldine with my arms and let her rest inside my Shadow Storage. ¡°I also want to be held in your arms, Master!¡± Protested Partner. ¡°But you¡¯repletely fine!¡± I said. ¡°But still!¡± She responded. ¡°Well, maybeter¡­ For now, let¡¯s actually go back. We must still y the other two pigs!¡± I said. ¡°Okay!¡± We rushed back to the duchy while hiding in the shadows, finding the massivemotion going on at the surface. Tons of people were going crazy. I checked around, but it was just as Elderlight said; there was nobody else from his group around here, not even powerful knights or ghostbusters or whatever, so I guess we were safe with this annoying guy out of the picture. It took a while to kill him, but we were swift to catch the other two aristocrats, who were not being protected by anyone, unlike the Duke. However, the news about the Duke having died spread quickly, and the aristocrats were being guarded by tons of soldiers, but nothing that was showering them with shadow arrows couldn¡¯t resolve. Edward Allfire was a skinny guy, and he died right away by Partner piercing his chest. His soul was promptly eaten as well, alongside taking away his corpse and raising his massacred into Undead. I then ordered them to wreak havoc and generate distractions¡­ And well, Ernesto Watertide¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 116 ¡ª¨C Ernesto Watertide didn¡¯t meet such a swift end as he and the other guy had been colluding with the Vampires and were probably the ones that allowed them to remain here in the underground doing all sorts of experiments with the chimera and ves. However, as much as I wanted to kill him, I instead possessed him using Possession, forcefully taking over his body and pretending to be him. Now that I had a lot of Mana, this was more than possible. I feel like I¡¯ve only used it very little, but a ghost¡¯s unique ability to possess people is very useful on these asions! Although strong enough beings won¡¯t easily let me possess them, if they¡¯re softened enough (beaten down) or they¡¯re too weak to resist, I can easily take over their bodies and even learn any info they could have inside their brains. By instantly learning his secrets alongside learning his way of speech, I used Ernesto Watertide¡¯s riches and authority as a merchant to quickly organize arge group of caravans that could carry ves. Using his contacts and a lot of money, we did this all in the dark of the night and incredibly swiftly. The power of money is scary indeed. In just three hours, arva caravan was made on the outskirts of the Duchy, right outside the forest where there wasn¡¯t anyone right now. I then moved the former ves we had stored in the underground through the sewers, which were connected to theboratory. There were some monsters in the sewers, though, such as Trash Slimes, Giant Rats, and a horrendous fish monster with legs, which were actually many named Fishmen. They used weapons made out of whatever they found to attack people. I didn¡¯t even know there was such a varied ecosystem here. But oh well, they¡¯re all the same in the end. They were all too weak for us to have a challenge. Partner, Lucifer, Kuro, and the kids finished them off for me with ease (we had gone to pick them up in the meantime), and we swiftly moved through the sewers, reaching the outer entrance to them in a hidden room, and sessfully escaping the duchy. It seems that this escape route was made for the Duke or the aristocrats in a case of emergency. But, oh well, we ended up using it for ourselves. I had the desire to continue using this duke as my spy for the royal family and all of that, but I didn¡¯t know how to do it. Brainwashing him might end up making him a zombie, and it would be way too obvious, and I couldn¡¯t really be in two ces at the same time¡­ Even more, there was this boiling rage I had deep down which was asking me to y him because I learned from his memories that this bastard and the other fat fucks were the degenerates behind the order that told the assants that attacked my parents to vite my mother and then kill her gruesomely. These sadistic bastards also had a few ves themselves, which they used to pleasure themselves by torturing them. These fuckers had grown fucked up in the head since they were children, so there was no way they could redeem themselves. I quickly grabbed the record spheres and the artifacts they used to record the horror they did to my mother and broke them up into pieces, stuffed them inside the mouth of Ernesto Watertide, and then made him vomit blood in agony. I had already freed him from my possession, but I couldn¡¯t possibly let him have a swift death, nor one without punishment, because I killed the other two idiots way too fast. I had to make sure he would pay for all three of them. Don¡¯t worry. They were all as equally fucked and guilty, and I wasn¡¯t a saint either. I was a monster, a vengeful monster with ack of morals. So I easily did what I had to do to feel a bit better and avenge the mother whose memories with her I still don¡¯t remember¡­ but still, her death always makes my soul ache in pain. So what I decided to do was perhaps the most fucked up thing I¡¯ve done in my life, but that brought me to the greatest satisfaction. I wanted to make him pay for being a degenerate rapist, and what better way of doing it than by letting him get vited? But that wouldn¡¯t be enough¡­ so what I did was record what was about to happen with his artifact and reflect it using an artifact of expensive cost named Record Amplifier, which let Record Crystals act like movies in a theater. I slew his soldiers, turned them into horny zombies, and made them vite Ernesto Watertide live, while the entire city nced at this horrendous sight. I am sorry if I am causing some develop trauma, but I had to do this. The horrendous scene of Ernesto Watertide getting vited live by the soldiers¡¯ turned zombies and even the zombies of the Duke and the other aristocrat whose souls I had eaten made everyone begin to vomit on the streets¡­ Oops, maybe I was just a bit too insane this time around? I suppose the tags for this shit would include Necrophilia, Yaoi, Males Only, Creampie, Guro, and more fucked up crap¡­ Ah, I got disgusted midway through to the point I ended up sting all the zombies using Undead Detonation, and the entire building was blown into bits. And that was thest of Ernesto Watertide and his detestable friends. Now that the church knows about me, then it doesn¡¯t matter if I go absolutely batshit crazy at this point, right? No one cares, right? The sole thought of these bastards having recorded my poor mother utterly suffering to her veryst moments made me furious that the only thing I could possibly do to avenge her was making these bastards go through a simr fate. As they all died, I felt lighter in the chest, as if I had really relieved my hatred. Phew, that was a good job. ¡ª¨C Chapter 117 ¡ª¨C Questioning the morality of my actions waspletely worthless. What I had done waspletely inhumane in every sense possible, and I had admitted I am an insane person too. I had taken pleasure inmitting such an atrocity, and I honestly don¡¯t fucking care what others might think about me. I am a ghost, after all. A resentful spirit filled with hatred fueling my soul and everything else, do you expect me to be an all-forgiving saint? I can¡¯t. I really can¡¯t! Even by taking into consideration their own actions against my family, what I did might have only made me as worse as them, even more fucked, perhaps. Still, I didn¡¯t care. I was okay by being even more monstrous than them, and I actually put in the effort of doing so. What¡¯s the point of revenge if I cannot make it fulfilling for me? So the obvious choice was to do all of that insane and fucked up shit. There was no other way around it, to be honest. Any other way would have been way too easy on them. I wasn¡¯t going easy on these bastards no matter what, so I had to really just punish them, make them suffer, and create a little mischief. I was pretty much doing an atrocity so big not even them had dared to do it, so I really had to go all out and show how I could also be as fucked up as them! Actually, even more than them! I had already picked up all the ves these fucked up people had, and I even went around the other three aristocrat¡¯s houses and rescued their ves, and you know what? I also blew up their houses out of anger. They were all fucked up. Seriously, why does every aristocrat family have to be filled with sickos? It¡¯s surprising how they love to make my atrocities feel justified, good lord¡­ I ended up rescuing around 34 ves that these fat fucks held captive. They were all being tortured beyond belief, and it seems that the aristocrats of this duchy had made some kind of secret club where they simply gathered to torture and vite their ves. The fuckers even taught this to their children, who grew to be equally as fucked. Killing all of them was fine. There was no young heir there, and the women they had were also crazy and just as torture-obsessed. I had the impulse to blow up the entire duchy at some point, but there were innocent and nice people at that; the cafeteria girl, the chef there, the innkeeper girl, the adventurers, and the adventurer receptionist with that half-giant guy¡­ there were certainly good people around here. I didn¡¯t want to touch them as they deserved to live. I had done all of this in approximately an hour, and the army of the duchy was constantly chasing down the events going on in every house, but always ended up reaching the ce quitete when everything had ended. I sometimes left some souvenirs with them, blowing up undead in their faces and killing a bunch of soldiers in the process, which gave me some nice bonus EXP. Of course, I had also stolen all the treasures of these aristocrats and made sure to destroy any evidence left. With that said, I had bepletely chaotic evil at this point, and honestly speaking, I was enjoying it a lot. However, before leaving, I decided to go all out and emerge in the skies of the duchy,ughing maliciously and increasing the size of my body, slightly changing my appearance, and making me resemble a malicious and vengeful witch. I even made myself slightly ugly too. The people began to point at my enormous presence that emerged above the ruins of the duke¡¯s house, as the soldiers and magicians looked up at me with horror, the adventurers, citizens, everyone! ¡°Hahahahaha! I am the Witch of Misfortune! I havee back from the dead to avenge myself and my family! This is just the beginning! I won¡¯t rest until I y every single person involved in the death of my family! Even if it means taking down the entire Kingdom! Being an aristocrat will no longer make you immune to problems¡­ because deathes to all! And I am the Harbinger of Death!¡± Iughed maliciously, turning my entire body into many bat-shaped shadows that dissipated into the darkness of the night. I had put on a big show, but now that the Kingdom and the church knew everything, I might as well dere war on these bastards. I didn¡¯t give a single fuck anymore. I was going all out on all of them, and I couldn¡¯t care less. As I had brought all the ves I rescued to the caravans, we quickly began to move away from the duchy in the darkness of the night. I had used my abilities to form shadow mantles, which I used to cover each caravan and make them near invisible in the night. Some soldier groups had begun to chase us down at some point, but we slew them easily and took their corpses, raising them into undead and sending them back to the other soldiers behind them. At some point, we lost them in all the confusion, and they ended up fighting hordes of exploding zombie soldiers. The army of this duchy waspletely defeated by a ghost and her undead friends. Now that they knew there was an insane ghost witch hunting down anyone that was involved in her death and that of her family, everyone in the damn Kingdom was pissing their pants, or, well, every single person involved in this. This also sent a message to the Vampires, pretty much stating that I was their enemy and that they didn¡¯t need to hold back. They could alle at me. I was going to kill them and turn them into Zombie Vampires or whatever! And good lord, after doing this, I felt very good, like¡­ released. ¡ª¨C Chapter 118 ¡ª¨C Of course, not everything could be good in this story as there¡¯s always drama and other things, and well, my friends were all reprimanding me. ¡°Maria, what you did was way too much. Even I find it overexaggerated!¡± Eximed Lucifer. ¡°Yeah¡­ You¡¯ve gone all out¡­ This will only make the Kingdom grow more concerned of you, and they¡¯ll prepare for the next time you approach these aristocrats!¡± Eximed Emeraldine. ¡°Eeehh¡­ But I think I did something pretty amazing, though! Who else would do such a thing like this? Nobody, right? So that¡¯s why I did it, because I CAN do it. And I have something that othersck, confidence in my strength, and that¡¯s why I have all of you with me,¡± I said. ¡°I think nee-sama did a good thing! She taught them all a lesson!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Though we couldn¡¯t see the torture, you did well in showing it off to the people, so these bastards were ridiculed even more,¡± Muttered Julia. ¡°Master was amazing! I hope we can kill more and more humans; they give so much EXP! I want a big army toe at us so we can y it and make them into undead friends!¡± Eximed Partner. ¡°Right? They give a lot of EXP! Humans are indeed amazing,¡± I responded with a wide smile. ¡°I-I think you¡¯re going a bit too far¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Ah, right, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to offend all humans. Just the ones that would mess with us! Anyways, let¡¯s peacefully move to our goblin vige now. I¡¯ve received some messages from the zombies I left there, and things are, thankfully, doing mostly fine. Although there were some adventurers going around, they were in by the zombies,¡± I said. ¡°Such a thing happened?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, groups of adventurers sometimes get closer or discover trails of the goblins, rushing to y them for easy EXP and then getting eaten alive by zombies andher beasts,¡± I said, proud of my undead. ¡°I see¡­ This means that the duchy might soon notice something bad and send more adventurers, didn¡¯t you realize, Maria-sama?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Oh, that might be true. I didn¡¯t think about it in such a way¡­ But the Adventurers had iting. They were greedy enough to try ying these little, green-skinned people that mean no harm,¡± I responded. ¡°Well yeah, but still¡­.¡± ¡°Hm, well, aside from what she just did in the Duchy of Btina¡­ ying those adventurers was well done. If they let them go, they would have revealed the zone where the goblins are living to the adventurer guild, and arge extermination might have ensued¡­ in fact, that might still happen, so we have to get there quickly before anything more happens,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Indeed, we did good in wanting to go back then,¡± I muttered. As the horses moved us quickly across the grasnds and roads while carrying all the ves we rescued, I had decided to check out my own Status. I had reached the level cap, and now it should be possible for me to even evolve¡­ I was rather excited about evolving at longst. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Pandora] [Job: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level: [40/40] [EXP: 0/0] [Rank: [C+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [5700/5700] [MP: [13500/13500]{+2720} [Attack: [2100]{+100} [Defense: [2330] [Magic: [14500]{+2617} [Agility: [6500]{+575} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv7] [Shadow Sneak: Lv8] [Abyssal Body: Lv5] [Supernatural Senses: Lv2] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv8] [Darkness Resistance: Lv7] [Fear Resistance: Lv6] [Elemental Resistance: Lv5] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv8] [Lesser Curse: Lv8] [Life Drain: Lv8] [Possession: Lv7] [Dark Sphere: Lv9] [Dark Gale: Lv8] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv6] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv3] [Shadow Maniption: Lv7] [Shadow Storage: Lv6] [Undead Healing: Lv5] [Fake Life: Lv7] [Erase Presence: Lv4] [Soul Eater: Lv4] [Undead Detonation: Lv2] [Stealth: Lv8] [Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv3] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv3] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv3] [Materialization: Lv5] [Cooking: Lv2] [Hunting: Lv2] [de sh: Lv2] [Spirit Summon: Lv2] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv2] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv6] [Undead Queen: Lv5] [Evil of the World: Lv3] [Pickpocket: Lv3] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv3] [Spirit Queen: Lv2] [Spirit Mediator: Lv2] Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡­ Ah yes, I had increased my power greatly. My stats had increased the most too. I had be truly unstoppable! Ahem, aside from my ego gushing out of my body like an exploding volcano, I had increased my stats rather fairly, but my overspecialization with mana, speed, and magic is still going strong. Additionally, every skill level had increased at least once or twice, so my power in that regard was also quite great. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to y everything I wanted¡­. For that, I would need to be a goddess or something¡ªwhat a pain. And now, I could evolve if I wanted and grow even stronger, but what evolutions will show up now? I am quite curious¡­ Time to see what evolutions I can pick up- ¡°Master!¡± However, as I was holing myself inside a caravan, Partner rushed inside towards me. ¡°Partner? I am about to evolve¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Sorry¡­ But you said you were going to carry me!¡± She said. ¡°I did?!¡± I asked. ¡°Y-You did! You said you were going to carry me after everything ended¡­.¡± She repeated while blushing. ¡°Carrying? But why would I do such a thing without reason? There¡¯s no point in doing that-¡± However, I was greeted by Partner¡¯s puppy eyes, and as they were too sad, it almost broke my heart to see them. ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± I held her body with my arms as if she were like my princess or something¡­ ¡°You¡¯re happy now?¡± I sighed while looking down at her. ¡°Hehe¡­ Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s cuddle together¡­.¡± She muttered as she hugged me back and threw me into the bed, where she jumped over me and began to hug me and rub her face onto my chest¡­ I guess she¡¯s not going to let me evolve¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 119 ¡ª¨C Phew, we really had done a bunch of things just a few hours ago. We slew Elderlight, we killed aristocrats after humiliating them, we spooked the entire kingdom, and more! And we even rescued some ves, but just as many as we could possibly find. There were so many it left me perplexed. Just how normalized was this sick practice? I was getting tired of this clich¨¦, but this world apparently didn¡¯t. After the entire thing, we escaped rather swiftly, but the soldiers followed us as much as they could. I was surprised by how many soldiers a small duchy had, but we did the kill and undead tactic of simply killing them and making them into undead, sending them back to the new squadrons right behind them. What we did was a very big, disrespectful action. After all, killing important figures without a care in the world really felt nice, but I guess not many would take this kindly¡­ I guess we could be something like terrorists, to an extent. But we just did it anyway and then escaped. Now, I nned to get back to the Goblins and then pick them up and run away farther from their territory, in a ce we could settle down and build up a small vige for everyone. Maybe a small kingdom? Who knows? I do still n to continue my revenge, but it can take its time¡ªno need to rush it as much as I would have wanted. There¡¯s always time for us to do other things, but we¡¯ll take care of the important things first, such as helping the ves and the goblins. Just when I thought I could rx for now and evolve on the way there, I was assaulted by Partner, who was needy for attention. ¡°Master!¡± As I was holing myself inside a caravan, Partner rushed inside and dashed towards me. ¡°Partner? I am about to evolve¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Sorry¡­ But you said you were going to carry me!¡± She shouted. ¡°I did?!¡± I asked. ¡°Y-You did! You said you were going to carry me after everything ended¡­.¡± She muttered while blushing. ¡°Carrying? But why would I do such a thing without reason? There¡¯s no point in doing that-¡± However, I was greeted by Partner¡¯s puppy eyes, and as they were too sad, it almost broke my heart to see them. ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± I held her body with my arms as if she were like my princess or something¡­ ¡°You¡¯re happy now?¡± I sighed while looking down at her. ¡°Hehe¡­ Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s cuddle together¡­.¡± She muttered as she hugged me back and threw me into the bed, where she jumped over me and began to hug me and rub her face onto my chest¡­ I guess she¡¯s not going to let me evolve¡­ She was cuddling with me as if I had never given her affection before. She was already a few months old, but this girl felt like a very needy daughter at this point. Come to think of it. I remember she used to be a skeleton¡­ right, my own skeleton. And that time, when she evolved into a ck skeleton, she looked super cool. However, after that, she ended up evolving into a Zombie of sorts and then into this vampiric ghoul. What an interesting evolution tree¡­ I could say she¡¯s quite an amazing girl. And now she¡¯s all mellow with me, and her body had grown so mature too! Way too sudden! And I think she might look a bit how I used to look before when I was alive¡­ maybe¡­ To be honest, I am not too sure. ¡°Come on, Partner, I want to evolve¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°But Master, I want to spend¡­ more time with you¡­.¡± She said. ¡°But we always spend time together, don¡¯t we?¡± I wondered. ¡°Not like this!¡± She shouted. ¡°Geez, you¡¯ve grown way too mature too. I thought you had the mind of a toddler, but you can even speak eloquently now¡­ Was your soul really just a mass of phantoms originally?¡± I muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t remember, but¡­ When I was born, the thing I knew was that you were my Master and that I had to follow Master everywhere¡­.¡± Said Partner. ¡°I see¡­ Perhaps you developed a moreplex mind with each evolution, though being with us has probably helped you develop too¡­.¡± I said. ¡°I love talking¡­ with everyone! I can learn¡­ a lot!¡± She said. ¡°Hm, indeed, you¡¯ve learned a big couple of words with everyone. That time we spent with the goblins was also important¡­ You¡¯ve grown so big, my cute little Partner¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Hehe¡­ it¡¯s all thanks to Master¡­ I am working hard for you¡­.¡± She said. ¡°I can tell¡­ How about I upgrade your spearter on? I doubt I have any knack for forging, but maybe we could ask someone around the settlement of Goblins. There were some talented crafters¡­ and if not, I think I could even create a specialized Undead weapon through forging,¡± I said. ¡°Ooh¡­ I would love to¡­ T-Thank you, Master¡­ It¡­ really¡­ means a lot!¡± Partner sometimes had a hard time speaking, but she still mainly spoke eloquently at this point. With some stuff that she sometimes struggles to say. ¡°I am happy that you¡¯re happy then, dearie¡­ You¡¯re my first partner in this world, hence your name¡­ Though I¡¯ve realized it might be a bit simplistic¡­ don¡¯t you want a new name?¡± I asked her. ¡°Partner is good! Because I am master¡¯s partner¡­ it is a special name¡­.¡± She said as she rubbed her face onto my chest, as we rested over a bed made of leather and hay. ¡°Alright then, Partner is Partner then,¡± I said. Partner slowly got closer to me as she hugged me tightly. ¡°Master, can we stay like this forever?¡± she asked. ¡°Fufu, you¡¯re sure a spoiled girl, aren¡¯t you? Fine, let¡¯s stay like this for a little bit,¡± I said. ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Did you do anything weird with that dragon?¡± Suddenly, Partner looked at me while pouting. ¡°Huh? Well¡­ No, nothing happened. I stopped him before he went out of control,¡± I said. ¡°S-So he really tried to assault you!¡± She said angrily. ¡°Well, something like that¡­ Don¡¯t get angry with him¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°M-Master¡­!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 120 ¡ª¨C As we cuddled together, Partner suddenly recalled what had happened with Lucifer, and she got increasingly angry. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with this girl, but she really doesn¡¯t like Lucifer. I guess she¡¯s angry that I gave him some of my attention to him, but she should really rx! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing happened! I stopped him before anything big was to happen. I disliked how he tried to kiss me out of nowhere. Honestly, who does he thinks he is? He didn¡¯t even confess or anything and went directly for the kiss?! Does he thinks this is an Otome Game or something?¡± I muttered. It was really like that. I disliked how Lucifer apparently has been saving his feelings for me and didn¡¯t even admit them. He just went straight for the kiss. Does he think I am so easy to get? That a kiss will do it? No! I am not a woman that a womanizer man can easily take. I at least want him to confess his feelings to me! How can he be like that? So inconsiderate of my own feelings or my own POV of the situation. The worst part is that he tried to be dominant and kiss me again forcefully! That¡¯s kind of wrong, you know? I disliked that too. I didn¡¯t like how he tried to be like that, to be honest. It was all quite wrong! And I¡­ I don¡¯t know, but he¡¯ll have to work harder if I ever ept him. Huh, maybe I¡¯ve gotten too arrogant¡­ perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be like this? ¡°Master, nothing happened¡­ right?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°N-No, nothing happened, dear¡­ Don¡¯t worry. That big old dragon won¡¯t easily dominate me! I am not a Romance novel protagonist here,¡± I said. ¡°I-I see¡­ But will you ept himter? W-What about that?¡± She asked. ¡°Ummm¡­ Well, we would have to see and wait. He¡¯s still gotta invite me to a date, even¡­ I can¡¯t really tell if I like him or not, but I do care about him, and he¡¯s a bit handsome, yeah,¡± I said. ¡°W-Will you love him then?! You¡¯ll end up only with him?¡± She asked desperately. ¡°W-What? Of course not! I don¡¯t love him as if¡­ love¡­ real love!¡± I said. ¡°T-Then who do you love?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°E h h h?¡± ¡°E-Emeraldine?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°She? Emeraldine¡­ Erm¡­ Uhhh¡­ S-she¡¯s cute, but I haven¡¯t thought of her in that regard¡­ Now that I think about it, she acts a bit flirty¡­.¡± I responded. ¡°A-And what about me, Master?¡± She asked. She approached me even more as her face got very close to me. Partner¡¯s beautiful lips were very close too. ¡°Huh? Y-You?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ me¡­¡± ¡°W-What do you mean you?¡± ¡°D-Do you like me? If you like Lucifer or Emeraldine¡­ W-What about me? Can I know?¡± She asked desperately. ¡°This is a very difficult question to ask, Partner! H-have some consideration for me! I am getting pressured from all sides, all out of the blue¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°A-Ah! S-Sorry¡­ Master, did I scare you?¡± She asked. ¡°No¡­ You¡¯re my adorable partner, dear. But you should be less¡­ erm, forceful,¡± I said. ¡°O-Okay¡­ I am just worried,¡± She said. ¡°Worried?¡± I responded. ¡°I am worried that¡­ I will end up not letting you know¡­ and that would end up in you picking someone else¡­ while leaving me at the side¡­ I-I don¡¯t want that¡­¡± She said. ¡°But you¡¯ll never be at the side! You¡¯re my partner!¡± I said. ¡°B-But I want to be something more!¡± She said. Partner looked at me with fiery eyes. She was suddenly very decisive all of a sudden, even zing with conviction. I didn¡¯t know what to say as she was bombarding me with hard questions to answer, and she seemed to be trying to convey something in the mess of words she was telling me. I was trying to decipher what she wanted to say, but it was getting harder. She did ask if I wanted to be with Lucifer in the future¡­ I don¡¯t really know about that. It¡¯s a hard question to answer! I mean, I do care about him, and he seems handsome too, and it makes me fuzzy to think about being in an actual romantic rtionship with a person¡­ it makes me embarrassed, even¡­ even more because I never had such experiences in my previous life. And then she mentioned Emeraldine¡­ What about her? She said something about her being interested in me too? Howe?! And now that I think about it, she does indeed acts quite flirty sometimes, and when she¡¯s around, she doesn¡¯t let Partner touch me, nor Lucifer. As if she was protecting me. I usually take that kindly. She probably is defending me from these overly clingy ones¡­ well, Lucifer is not clingy and rather distant until a few hours ago. Still, Partner is the clingiest, and she and Emeraldine had begun to develop some kind of rivalry, although they also work together pretty well. So I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s up with that either¡­ I feel a bit overwhelmed. I just wanted to evolve and rest for now. Why must I be showered with these awkward thoughts? ¡°Y-You want to be something more?¡± I asked. Partner suddenly held my hands tightly as she approached me a bit more. ¡°M-Master¡­ Don¡¯t you want to?¡± She asked. ¡°Huh?! I-I want to? I¡­ I don¡¯t know? What do you even mean? Can you be more clear!?¡± I eximed. ¡°B-But it¡¯s embarrassing¡­.¡± She sighed. ¡°Y-You¡¯re already embarrassing me!¡± I said. ¡°I just won¡¯t lose¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose to Lucifer or Emeraldine¡­ I want to also be part of Master¡¯s heart¡­.¡± Said Partner. ¡°My heart? R-Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I stood up and sat down, with Partner at my side. I hugged her tightly, and then I kissed her cheek. ¡°So you¡¯re¡­ thinking about that?¡± I asked. ¡°H-Huh?¡± Partner looked at me in the eyes. We were closer than ever before. ¡ª¨C Chapter 121 ¡ª¨C ¡°What do you mean by closer¡­ in which¡­ way?¡± I asked. A charming smile emerged in my lips, as I gently touched Partner¡¯s chin. I felt the sudden instinct of doing it. I began to finally realize there was something going on. Her feelings for me might be developing, but she seems to be the same as Lucifer. But of course it¡¯s different than him, she¡¯s my Partner after all, so she has special privilege that nobody else has. I don¡¯t want her to be heartbroken thinking that I will one day rece her or something, or that I will end up with Lucifer and throw her away. I am still developing my own feelings too, in my previous life I was more inclined into boys than anything else, but Partner is really just way too adorable to act oblivious against. If she really wants to build up such a bond, I am willing to¡­ Uwah, this is embarrassing. And what¡¯s wrong with me?! Why am I holding her chin like this?! Have I suddenly transformed into a super confident woman? ¡°I-In our hearts¡­ Like¡­ love.¡± She said. ¡°Love¡­? I see¡­ Are you sure?¡± I asked nervously. Although I acted charmingly, I was internally screaming and trembling. I couldn¡¯t believe I was doing this. Partner seemed to grow nervous now that I suddenly took the lead, she was getting increasingly more adorable and cuter by the second, and I couldn¡¯t believe how amazing this was. I felt like I wanted to hug her tightly and never let her go from my side. I might had carelessly raised her as a skeleton back then out of necessity for a new part member, but now, it seems she had grown way more into my heart than I thought, and now that she looked like a cute and charming girl, I couldn¡¯t resist this growing urge which intensified by her previous flirting with me. ¡°I-I¡­ Uwaahwah¡­¡± She suddenly got all red, looking nervously at the floor, and covering her facepletely, resting it in my chest. ¡°I-I am not sure¡­ I-I thought I could do this, but it feels way too embarrassing!¡± she proimed. I suddenly felt my spiritual heart beating fast, I couldn¡¯t help but hug her and tell her that it was fine, that she could take all the time she wanted, and that if she wanted and I was ready, we could slowly build up something more than our current rtionship. Agh! But I couldn¡¯t! I was too embarrassed¡­ I wish I could tell this to Lucifer and Emeraldine too! But I can¡¯t do it to anyone, no way! It is way too embarrassing! ¡°Master¡­ ¡°I-I think we can do this slowly, right? N-No need to rush. I promise you that I won¡¯t forgive you, even if Lucifer tries to make advances on me¡­ I really didn¡¯t thought you would get such feelings for me, but I am willing to embrace them in my heart and wait for the right moment¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I am not letting Lucifer do whatever he wants with me either.¡± I said. ¡°R-Really?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course! Uwah, you¡¯re so cute, Partner-chan!¡± I said, hugging her and kissing her forehead. She blushed a bit as she rested in my chest, I was actually taller than her now that I thought about it, although I could freely shapeshift my own body to my liking, so maybe it wasn¡¯t just that. ¡°I-I am d Master will have a ce in her heart for me¡­¡± she said with a cute smile. ¡°Of course¡­. Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± I sighed. ¡°Heheh¡­ Master, am I important to you?¡± she asked. ¡°Huh? Yes¡­ you are.¡± I said. I had not realized it earlier, but Partner is way more important than I had originally thought. She was my emotional pir since the beginning of my journey as a ghost, and she had been at my side, keeping me from not being alone all this time¡­ so of course she¡¯s incredibly important to me, in fact, she¡¯s the most important to me from the beginning! She¡¯s like my family, like¡­ a sister and then a little daughter¡­ but now this is evolving into something else¡­ l-like a romance of sorts. I thought it would be hard for me to actually like a girl, but this wasn¡¯t hard at all with her like this. she was just the cutest¡­ ¡°You¡¯re my little treasure.¡± I said, as I looked at Partner and gave her a warm smile. ¡°T-Treasure¡­ Really? Am I your treasure, Master?¡± she asked. ¡°Obviously! You¡¯re my precious little treasure¡­ We¡¯ll go and make a big vige there, and we¡¯ll build our own house too, and we¡¯ll live there together.¡± I said. ¡°R-Really?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ll take a break while we manage everything and we can spend some more time together without having to constantly wage war and fight against threats all the time¡­ Maybe this way we can develop our bond more and¡­ W-Well, we will see about that.¡± I said. ¡°O-Okay! I am so happy¡­ I can live with Master forever too because I am also an Undead¡­ And we¡¯ll live together and make breakfast together, lunch together, dinner together, bathe together, sleep together, and-¡± she said. ¡°Okay I think you¡¯re exceeding yourself a little bit there¡­¡± I said. ¡°O-Oh! S-Sorry, I didn¡¯t wanted to scare you¡­ I-I won¡¯t be as forceful as Lucifer¡­ I am not a big mean dragon idiot like him! I-I take into consideration master¡¯s thoughts and emotions!¡± she said, as steam began toe out of her nose as if she was decided. ¡°Fufu, you really do!¡± I said. Although I feel a bit bad for Lucifer, we are badmouthing him a bit too much, I still consider him a dearpanion and I care about him! And I have also begun to consider him something else too! B-But Partner is badmouthing him a bit too much¡­ Well, I will just shrug it off for now. After this whole incident, Partner hugged me and then let me evolve on my own. Time for a quick powerup. ¡ª¨C Chapter 122 ¡ª¨C Now that Partner had given me a time to ck, I could rx and see what I could pickup! Although I was rather worried about my future evolution options as I¡¯ve already acquired a strong evolution such as Pandora itself, which had given me pow er over death, poison, and more, and I even got a Skill that literally summons a fragment of what Pandora¡¯s Box is all about. Now, what else could top it off? It should certainly be an amazing evolution, indeed¡­ S o let¡¯s see! ¡­ [A v a i l a b l e Evolution Options] [Death Legion] [Achlys] [Wheel of the Death] [Gorgon] ¡­ Four new Evolution Options showed up, and they were more than intriguing, they werepletely weird! Is a Ghost supposed to evolve into a Gorgon?! Wasn¡¯t that like a half-snake woman? I am sure to not be a snake¡­ I might as well check them all out first, I am quite concerned though. Now that my System evolved, I can even check each new evolution in detail to an extent. ¡­ [Death Legion] [R a n k: B-] A legion of Death that advances relentlessly. It is an amalgamation of many vengeful souls that had be a massive entity known as Death Legion. It is no longer a simply ghost but it develops many bodies and can even take several other Undead forms, which are all part of the Legion. It is catalogued as B-, but it can easily reach higher Ranks of Danger as it grows bigger and gathers more Souls and Assimtes more Undead into its Legion. Death Legions were once summoned by the Evil God to fight against the Gods,pletely whipping out entire Kingdoms in their step¡­ It emanates a foul and deathly aura that can instantly kill those that are weak-hearted and instantly rise them into undead to be added into the Legion. ¡­ This is insane! I can¡­ I will be a massive Legion? That¡¯s dangerous¡­ What if I identally add everyone here? Wait, it was an aura that instantly kills too?! Ugh, that¡¯s not good. Well, I mean, it sounds amazing, but I don¡¯t want to instantly kill my friends¡­ There are many here that might be considered weak hearted too¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want that to happen. It sounds amazing in paper, but it has a lot of things I don¡¯t want to, so it¡¯s a hard pass. ¡­ [Achlys] [R a n k: B+] Also known as the [Maiden of Sorrow and Death] they¡¯re powerful Ghost-type Monsters that had developed incredibly potent Death, Darkness, and Poison Magic, capable of bringing down entire Kingdoms at their will. They¡¯re dangerous entities known to be capable of ying around with mortals as they use their poison to make them do as they say. They are the personification of sorrow and only souls who have grieved for thousands of years can have a chance to evolve into such a being. Their entire bodies are like a mass of mist which shapes itself ordingly to its desires. It is capable of turning into a mass of poisonous mist infused with curses. ¡­ This one seems interesting¡­ Maiden of Sorrow and Death? I think this is some Greek Goddess, though I am not sure, this might bepletely different here anyways, but it does sounds amazing and powerful¡­ And my body would be a mass of mist? That sounds interesting, I guess¡­ Let¡¯s see what¡¯s next. ¡­ [Wheel of the Death] [R a n k: B-] Also known as, the Wheel of Nightmares. It is a Ghost that pulls along the forces of Evil. Numerous vengeful spirits gather around the body of such a being and bring forth chaos and destruction anywhere it moves. It has the shape of a gigantic ck wheel infused with countless vengeful and dead spirits, it possesses great speed and enormous strength. Capable of crushing entire Kingdoms. It gains a physical metallic body where the ghost soul is infused into. Its mere presence can bring disaster. ¡­ This is an interesting one, a ghost simr to Death Legion, but my body bes a massive wheel?! Hey, that¡¯s rather¡­ erm, how to put it¡­ huh, quite interesting. I don¡¯t know if would enjoy having such a body, I don¡¯t know if I can even shape it around, it doesn¡¯t specify anything at all, which is frustrating. ¡­ [Gorgon] [R a n k: B+] A powerful cursed spirit with a deadly set of eyes, each eye has the power of inflicting a deadly curse, each has the power of Hypnosis, Confusion, Paralysis, Lethal Poison, and Petrification respectively. Ovepping these powers will ensure your opponents can¡¯t escape your phantasmal and deadly embrace. Moreover, this entity can shape into a mass of snakes, forming a massive legion of monstrous beings of its own¡­ ¡­ I see. I can see that thister one is the killer. I can already see myself bing one of these. The other seem pretty good as well- Well, not the Death Legion, and the Wheel¡­ I don¡¯t want it either. It is pretty much a tie between Achlys and Gorgon, the two of them look promising, but I am inclining into Gorgon more than Achlys, it sounds more deadly and honestly, I would like to see if I can just be a snake, it would be pretty cool and maybe a good way to sneak around¡­ sneakily. Anyways, time to evolve. B o o p. D i n g! [You¡¯ve selected the [Gorgon] Evolution Option!] F L A S S S S H H H H H H H H! My entire body was quickly epassed by a mass of darkness, and then, a lot of purple mist began to rotate around me constantly. I felt like my own Soul was mutating once more, absorbing all of this energy, and transforming myself into somethingpletely new, something very apart of my own self, something I would barely be able to recognize¡­ But this power¡­ I had to admit it. This power¡­ it felt good. ¡ª¨C Chapter 123 ¡ª¨C I had chosen the Gorgon evolution and it was filling me with power. A cocoon of purple mist suddenly epassed my entire body, filling it with this mysterious energy. The very core of my soul started to absorb this energy and assimte it, turning it into my own power, I began to evolve rather quickly. As a Ghost, I don¡¯t have a physical body that can evolve, therefore what evolves is my own soul, each time I evolve my very soul grow stronger through mutations. Although there is also what I call the Phantom, an outeryer that progressively grows thicker and stronger the more a Ghost grows stronger by leveling up. This Phantom also evolves, but the Soul is also impacted by the evolution, making the core of my phantom, the soul, which one would call ¡°the creamy filling¡± of a ghost, began to mutate and transform with my new evolution. My ¡°body¡± started to growrger and stretch very long, I suddenly felt as if my body began to divide itself into many long pieces, which all began to crawl around one another, entangling one another and melting with each other into aplete fusion. I had been torn into tiny pieces in the form of snakes. Indeed, I had just be countless of phantasmal snake whichter on merged together once more, forming a new self out of it, as if I had be thousands of tiny cells once more only to merge them together and be a fetus. This ¡°fetus¡± form resembled a small,rge snake. I had be a snake?! Why! Ah, right, Gorgon¡­ a species of Ghost that is very close to snakes and even have cursed eyes like the Gorgon myth, and the description also said something about being able to turn my body into snakes or a big snake¡­ so this is it? But I¡¯ve be a giant snake! Will I remain like this forever? Of course not. The entirety of the cocoon started topress around my snake phantom body, as my body absorbed the phantasmal cocoon and became whole again, shaping once more into my usual humanoid form, but I was obviously way different than before. As the transformation and evolution slowly began toe to an end, I saw that my materialized phantasmal hands, which were still incredible pale-white and transparent, had grown sharp and long nails, where venom was secreted. Alongside that, my long and silvery-white hair had gained a new look as the tips suddenly turned into the phantasmal heads of snakes! They were actually purple-colored, and had sharp yellow-gold eyes¡­ they looked creepy but at the same time I felt like they each one was me¡­ Actually, I suddenly felt as if I could share my sight with them and even thoughts¡­ did each one had a phantasmal brain or something? Wow, this actually multiplied by thought process! I had also gained a tiny purple horn growing in the middle of my forehead, and there was something more, scale-like growths around my neck, arms, and hands, and perhaps my legs too¡­ I didn¡¯t had a snake tail though, I still had my ¡°legs¡±, even though I can just shape myself however I want to thanks to being a ghost made of formless phantom. But it seems that this evolution shaped myself different and gave me a fixated base form. In the back of my body there was, however, a tail, a snake tail was there, waving around, I could easily hide it beneath my dress, but it was still there. I think I could evenpletely merge my legs and create a long snake tail to move around like a snake, maybe this could be more efficient? Well, not like I can¡¯t just fly around like ghosts do, so there¡¯s no real necessity to do all that hassle over it. For now, I tried to rx as I sighed in relief. I suddenly noticed my lips had be a purple, as if I had been given a very sexy lipstick, and my eyes glowed with a sharp snake-like appearance, with crimson-red color like before, however. My evolution wasplete, and I had never felt this good before! I began to move around as I inspected my new body in utmost detail and as much as I possibly could. My bnce was fine, and I could still forfeit my legs and make them dissipate, turning into a flying ghost and floating around without problems, however, I was also able to turn my legs into a long snake tail that could be used rather dexterously to grab objects and even fight, maybe pping someone with my tail as if it were a whip was now a great possibility. I do remember practicing shapes before the evolution and I could create tails, but they were hard to maintain, and I needed a lot of concentration. Ghosts are weird, they can shape themselves however they want, but the rarer and more alien the shape they want to take from their original selves, or well, how they ¡°see¡± themselves as, the harder it bes and the more concentration it needs. This is why I couldn¡¯t simply shape myself into animals or monsters or whatever to fight, I was still limited to my appearance of how I saw myself. Of course I had showed myself rather differently when I confronted the Duchy and proimed to be an evil witch brought back from the dead, but that wasn¡¯t so hard to maintain as other shapes, perhaps because I already saw myself as a monster based in all the atrocities I hadmitted. Nheless, taking this shape and forming and materializing such a useful giant snake tail before evolving would had been an arduous task and a big challenge, even more to maintain constantly to use it to fight, it would probably go back to phantom midway through and ruin my fighting techniques, so it wasn¡¯t reliable. But now? The Gorgon evolution had very much ¡°imprinted¡± this form into my very mind, so this is how I now ¡°perceive¡± myself as, which makes it easy to maintain and materialize. In fact, without any effort at all! ¡ª¨C Chapter 124 ¡ª¨C After having inspected my body when I evolved, it was time to check the gains, and I had received a certain good amount of them, as System Windows popped up constantly, showing the changes that the evolution had brought to me¡­ Ding! [You¡¯ve evolved into a [Gorgon]!] [All your stats have increased!] [You learned the [Poison Body: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] [You learned the [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv1] Skill!] [You learned the [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv1] Skill!] [You learned the [Split Thinking: Level 1] Skill!] [You learned the [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] Resistance Skill!] [You learned the [Poison Queen: Lv1] Title Skill!] I had gained six¡­ yes, six new skills out of absolutely nowhere! And to boot, they all sounded pretty amazing! Although the majority had to do with poison, I was totally alright with that! It even allowed me to be capable of absorbing it? I should check all these Skills in detail¡­ But first, time to check my own Status¡­ I want to see some big numbers now, so don¡¯t disappoint me¡­ ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Gorgon] [Job: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level: [01/60] [EXP: 0/120000] [Rank: [B+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [5700/5700] ¨C [8500/8500] [MP: [13500/13500] ¨C [18500/18500]{+2720} [Attack: [2100] ¨C [3200]{+100} [Defense: [2330] ¨C [3500] [Magic: [14500] ¨C [20000]{+2617} [Agility: [6500] ¨C [8500]{+575} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv8] [Shadow Sneak: Lv9] [Abyssal Body: Lv6] [Supernatural Senses: Lv3] [Poison Body: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv9] [Darkness Resistance: Lv8] [Fear Resistance: Lv7] [Elemental Resistance: Lv6] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv9] [Lesser Curse: Lv9] [Life Drain: Lv9] [Possession: Lv8] [Dark Sphere: Lv10] [Dark Gale: Lv9] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv7] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv4] [Shadow Maniption: Lv8] [Shadow Storage: Lv7] [Undead Healing: Lv6] [Fake Life: Lv8] [Erase Presence: Lv5] [Soul Eater: Lv5] [Undead Detonation: Lv3] [Stealth: Lv9] [Summon: Lv5] [Aura of Famine: Lv4] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv4] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv4] [Materialization: Lv6] [Cooking: Lv3] [Hunting: Lv3] [de sh: Lv3] [Spirit Summon: Lv3] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv3] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv1] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv1] [Split Thinking: Level 1] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv7] [Undead Queen: Lv6] [Evil of the World: Lv4] [Pickpocket: Lv4] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv4] [Spirit Queen: Lv3] [Spirit Mediator: Lv3] [Poison Queen: Lv1] Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡­ And they did! They increased by a whopping thousands! My Mana is already at 18k and my Magic¡­ 20k?! What! I could quite literally st anyone I want to death with that deadly attack! And oh? All my Skills leveled up once through the evolution, this must be the evolution Skill Level Bonus. Now, what else should I do? Hm? Darkness Sphere has be Level 10 out of nowhere, I still remember it as my first ever offensive Skill¡­ Now its at level 10! I think level 10 is the max, but there¡¯s no other Skill? It won¡¯t awaken or something? What about a derivative skill? I guess having Shadow Spear Arrow was already good, and Dark Gale¡­ I suppose it won¡¯t be stronger than that. Every Skill seems to have a cap I suppose, I might as well try it out now¡­ Dark Sphere! FLASH! A gigantic sphere of darkness materialized from within the darkness surrounding me, as it utilized a bit of Mana for its creation¡­ Wow! I can see that¡¯s how Skill works in this world. The higher the level, the stronger they be but the more costly they get, the ¡°bit¡± of mana was around 300 Mana¡­ I remember that it used to cost way less¡­ Oh well, I recover almost a thousand Mana per second, so that¡¯s nothing, I could literally spam this overpowered Dark Spell, which seems to be the lowest tiered Darkness Attribute one, and make my way through. I wonder if my progress is fast or if someone else in this little time I¡¯ve been a ghost has already reached a Level 10 in a Skill? The System answered me rather swiftly. It appears that Level 10 Skills are super rare. Even if we count this low-level magic spell, it appears people wouldn¡¯t concentrate as much as me¡­ Oh well, I also got the cheat of Mana Siphon which allows me to absorb Mana from a target, so maybe I can spam skills way more than normal people or monsters can do. Additionally, my affinity with this element is superb due to being a Ghost with the Darkness attribute after all. Nheless, my progress was faster than normal people because I can evolve as a monster, also my own System appears to give me evolution options and bonus stats and so on, things that other normies cannot get¡­ So of course I am special, I am amazing, in fact¡­ ¡­Okay, let¡¯s stop being cocky. Looking at my new Skills I found out I had suddenly gained the Poison Attribute Characteristic Skill which wasn¡¯t announced¡­ The System actually answered me the reason. I see¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 125 ¡ª¨C Now that I had checked my own Status and was satisfied with what I learned, it was time to check out my new Skills and their descriptions and effects! Knowing what each one does is important to achieve victory in this harsh world where the strong devours the weak¡­ I do sound clich¨¦ with that statement but there is no other clearer truth than that. ¡­ [Poison Body: Lv1] Grants the characteristic of making up your body into deadly poisonous gas. The intensity and deadliness of this poisonous gas can be changed at will, and the power it possess and its functions can be enhanced with each Skill Level. Your own body can be a deadlypound of poisonous chemicals, however, great practice and understanding of each chemical and more is required to utilize this power at its fullest potential, with higher levels, this understanding be clearer. ¡­ I see! This one skill really makes me a toxic woman. I love being toxic! And to boot, I can even be a poisonous cloud?! Are you kidding me? This is not just stupid game poison that is purple or whatever, it lets me edit CHEMICALS, meaning that I could actually change myself into helium and then detonate myself and be a fire ghost or something? What if I be an even deadlier chemical such as uranium? Will I create radioactive waves? How about other chemicals? Anything in the chemistry table is at my disposal now! The bad thing is that I sucked at chemistry and barely know any of them in detail, I would need intense practice and training, and probably leveling up the Skill, to learn what to do with that. ¡­ [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv1] A deadly set of eyes, each eye has the power of inflicting a deadly curse, each has the power of Hypnosis, Confusion, Paralysis, Lethal Poison, and Petrification respectively. Ovepping these powers will ensure your opponents can¡¯t escape your phantasmal and deadly embrace. The intensity of each Eye power is enhanced with each Level, and Resistance Skills against status effects can be slightly overpowered the higher the level of the Skill. Certain entities can resist this greater than others. Hypnosis: Causes a target to feel hypnotized by your powers and beauty temporarily, being able to obey simplemands the more Mana and power you infuse into this eye. Confusion: Can confuse a target¡¯s thoughts temporarily and throw their mind intoplete chaos, disrupting their thought process and fighting capabilities. Paralysis: Can Paralyze a target¡¯s body parts temporarily. Limbs of a target can be paralyzed separately from one another and so on. Lethal Poison: Inflicts a deadly lethal poison that eats away the foe¡¯s HP temporarily. Petrification: Unleashes a deadly light that forces the skin of a foe to petrify, slowing down their movements, at higher levels more than just skin can be petrified¡­ ¡­ I see! I am really quite a toxic woman now, like there had never been before. These powerful new Eyes I possess can really do some nasty work for me. At Level 1 they¡¯re not that big of a deal though, I have to train them well to utilize them properly, however, it is possible to use them all together over a target or maybe multiple targets, as I have many eyes across my snake hair¡­ perhaps I could use this and ovep these status effects in my targets. Of course, all of this consumes Mana to utilize, and a lot, even more if I use all of them together, so I have to be cautious to not end up using more than I can drain in time. ¡­ [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv1] Grants the user the ability to transform its body into snakes or a giant half-snake woman, the snakes can be used separately, and each one can share the user¡¯s mind, increasing the range of possibilities. Each little snake is capable of converting into a small humanoid form of the user, which also shares the same mind and is technically the same soul of the user. The giant half-snake woman form is strong physically, receiving some strength bonuses, the long snake tail can be used as a deadly whip and as a limb to grab things. The power and versatility of this Skill increases with each level. ¡­ I see, so this is how it is. This one Skill allows me to have the snake tail and all of that, and even more, I seem to be able to divide myself into phantasmal snakes! And these snakes can separate from my main body even though I am also them, I could explore other ces far away from where I currently am with no problem by employing these little snakes, and they can even turn into baby versions of myself! ¡­Ah, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good or not though. I have to explore this Ability some moreter, but for now, there are other Skills waiting for me to check them out. ¡­ [Split Thinking: Lv 1] Through the usage of several heads and ¡°brains¡± you¡¯re capable of splitting your thoughts and minds into several parts, each one being ¡°you¡± but also separate from ¡°you¡±. The proficiency over such a technique is increased with each Skill Level. ¡­ A simple Skill that showcases the power of my new snake heads! With this, I can split my mind into each head, and it also works with the small snakes I can detach from my body as well. ¡­ [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] Grants the user the power to absorb poison, venom, and all kinds of toxic materials into their body to absorb theirpounds and also recover Mana. By using Mana, suchpounds might be able to be replicated, although proficiency in other Skills would be required. ¡­ This one is more unique than I had expected! It allows me to absorb poisonouspounds into my body¡­ now that¡¯s new! And it kind of reminds me of certain animals, such as bugs, that eat poisonous bugs, nts, or fungi to replicate their toxin¡­ maybe it works simr. ¡ª¨C Chapter 126 ¡ª¨C Andstly, thest Skill in the new Skills list is a Title Skill. Yes,dies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves to see the might of the Poisonous Queen! I am literally the most toxic woman there can be now, and nobody is stopping me from spreading my toxicity around the world, bwahahaha! ¡­ [Poison Queen: Lv1] You¡¯re the Poison Queen, and your power over poisonous, toxic, and venomouspounds is superb. Your knowledge of such chemicalpounds is increased greatly, alongside your ability to learn more about them and to replicate and generate new ones. The power of your Poison Attribute Skills and Abilities is enhanced by +10% with each Skill Level. You naturally produce an aura of poison that can be toggled on and off, which spreads deadly poison around you. ¡­. This is a bit dangerous! I wouldn¡¯t really want my friends to just drop dead because I got a bit stinky¡­ right? So, I am d this thinges turned off from the beginning¡­ phew. Now, now, it seems that this one Skill will allow me to learn how to replicate and create newpounds with ease! Perhaps with this, I will finally be able to showcase the true power of such venomous, poisonous, and toxic substances. Also, the power of my poison increases with it, which is also pretty nice¡­ Now that I am done looking at this stuff, I feel like napping a bit, it¡¯s the middle of the night, and I am honestly tired after evolving. However, I decided to half-sleep, divided myself, and formed a few Ghost Snake Clones. They¡¯re like mini-me¡¯s in some sort of bizarre way. Looking at them while they look back at me makes a weird loop inside of my head where both of me are constantly looking at one another, and Ugh. These three Snakes were thrown away from the caravan. As I used them to move back to the duchy, I had left behind, I decided to ce them there to constantly spy on the people and on anything that might be happening. They¡¯re sneaky, slim, and ghostly, so they can easily get past physical objects and hide. They do need mana of their own to sustain themselves, but they share Mana Siphon and can also hunt and eat little critters or monsters to maintain their energy and power stably in order to not simply POOF out of existence. With these great friends at my side, I felt more confident about the prospects of gathering info from afar. I nned to spread them around way more, too, leaving them in every big duchy and vige I find, so this way I can easily gather info and recon while doing nothing there¡­ hehe, this way I can spread my eyes without anyone noticing! I had tested them beforehand, realizing they have a limit of up to 8 Skills they can be assigned, so I had given them the very basics and also the Gorgon Eyes. They could even attack enemies from afar and act as assassins for me! Well, they¡¯re technically me¡­ But well, their mana reserves are low, and their magic stat is also low. All of it is low, so I don¡¯t think they can do EVERYTHING as easily. I haven¡¯t be instantly invincible. However, I¡¯ve learned a great deal of stuff from them as they traveled. Also, I found out they can indeed be baby versions of myself¡­ seeing them transform into Mini Marias sent shivers down my phantasmal spine. Thinking about my friends seeing them and then trying to get one for themselves as a pet frightens me. So I¡¯ve decided to keep the fact they can be small versions of me a secret and simply limit them to being small ghost snakes. That¡¯s for the better, to be honest. After that was done, I felt a bit weak. Taking out chunks of my phantom or soul is not painful, but it does indeed make you feel weakened, so I decided to finally nap over the caravan, snuggling over the hay and leather clothes while the horses carried us to our destination. If anything happens I¡¯ll know right away anyways thanks to my special senses, but a nap is much required as of now to calm down my tired mind from all these evolutions, testing, skill checking, and internal monologues. Now, goodnight¡­ ¡­ And I am awake! While I slept, I felt my soul and phantom regenerate back to normal. It took some time and some Mana, but they regenerated back to normal easily and without issues. It appears everything is going ording to keikaku, we had traveled a great deal of distance throughst night, and we were only a few kilometers short from reaching the goblin vige. The horses moved surprisingly fast, most likely because they were Undead. I had risen from dead horses. ¡°Maria-sama, good morning!¡± ¡°Master¡­ Good morning.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re finally awake, huh?¡± Emeraldine, Partner, and Lucifer greeted me this morning, alongside the cute Kuro, who was actually sleeping at my side at one point in the night. The other three had been mostly protecting the caravan while I slept. ¡°Good morning! How was the night? Did everything go well?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, there were some wild beasts, but we slew them swiftly, so nothing big happened aside from that little mishap.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah! Though I feel like I want to sleep now¡­ I am sleepy, master.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°I am also quite sleepy¡­¡± said Emeraldine. As it was the morning, around 6 AM, Emeraldine and Partner decided to take a nap, for now, cuddling at each side of my body. ¡°Eh? I thought we were going to have breakfast¡­.¡± ¡°Zzzzz¡­¡± ¡°Zzzzz¡­¡± ¡°I guess the two fell asleep already¡­ What about you?¡± I asked. ¡°I will also take a nap, don¡¯t mind me.¡± Said Lucifer, resting at the other side of the caravan where we were. Huh, after everything that happened yesterday, having them all here does feel a bit weird¡­ But I am also happy to have them in my life- I mean, death. ¡ª¨C Chapter 127 ¡ª¨C In the morning, we were already halfway through the road back to the Goblin Vige. I had woken up with the intention of having breakfast, but after their night shift, everyone came back to me to sleep at my side. However, Lucifer wasn¡¯t as bold as these two girls, as he slept rather separated from me. At this point, I wouldn¡¯t have minded if he tried to get closer, sheesh! No need to be so rude to the girl you love so much! Fufu¡­ Anyways, I ended up sleeping with them for a few more hours until we all woke up around 10 AM, the twins were getting hungry, and they rushed into this caravan to ask me for breakfast. ¡°Maria!¡± ¡°Nee-sama!¡± Takeshi and Laura, our two adorable children- I mean, our newpanions came rushing towards me, and the two adorable little kids jumped over my torso. I felt like I would have been crushed if I wasn¡¯t a ghost¡­ but as a ghost, it wasn¡¯t so bad. ¡°Ugh¡­ Kids, you don¡¯t have to jump on me every morning, you know?¡± I sighed ¡°Hehe, but you¡¯re a ghost, so it doesn¡¯t matter, right?¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Sorry, but we like to hug you.¡± Said Laura while nodding. ¡°Y-You do? Why so much?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly why, but it feels good to hug you, nee-sama,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°You¡¯re fluffy andfortable to hug,¡± Said Laura. The two kids hugged my torso, and I realized they were also rubbing their faces over my chest. Ah, I see, that¡¯s why I am so fluffy andfortable? It¡¯s because of these two massive things. ¡°I think you kids are a bit perverted¡­ But okay, let¡¯s have breakfast already. I am also starving!¡± I said. ¡°Really? Ah, you got horns!¡± Shouted Takeshi. ¡°Yeah, you got horns¡­ what is that about?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Well, well, well, did you finally realize? I had evolved, of course! Monsters like me evolve frequently! After reaching level 40, I evolved and became a glorious Gorgon!¡± I said. ¡°G-Gorgon?!¡± Asked Laura. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Wondered Takeshi. Laura and Takeshi are from another world like me, but Takeshi was a kid, so maybe he didn¡¯t know what a Gorgon was. However, Laura kind of knew. ¡°That name is like that one Greek creature¡­ or character¡­ like a snake or something? Snake woman?¡± She asked. ¡°Pin pon! Indeed, it is like that one woman¡­ Erm, like Medusa¡¯s sister or whatever. Anyways, look, snakes!¡± I said as I waved my hand and a dozen ghost snakes came out of my hand while my hair suddenly awakened, and the tips also had snakeheads. ¡°Hiissss¡­!¡± ¡°Gyshaaa!¡± ¡°Grrysshhh¡­¡± They all were very adorably hissing at them! Do you like my act of snake? They obviously don¡¯t have a mind of their own. Each snake is just me acting like one because it would be boring if that wasn¡¯t the case, right? When you find a snake-haired woman, you want to see the snakes in action. ¡°UWAAAH?!¡± Cried Takeshi, falling over his butt as the snakes began to entangle his body. ¡°W-What is this?! GYAH!¡± Cried Laura, just as scared. She pretends to be a mature girl, but she is scared of these snakes anyway hehehe. ¡°Scary, right? Hehe, this is the power of the Gorgon Ghost! I am the master of snakes now!¡± Iughed. Fufu, I¡¯ve always wondered if I could be scary, even for those that know me very well. With this, everyone will be surprised. The kids are very scared indeed! There¡¯s something deep inside of me as a ghost telling me to scare people a lot, so I inherently feel good by doing this! But I should stop doing it, or I would juste out as an asshole, more than I am- Ah? ¡°So cute!¡± ¡°T-They¡¯re actually cute¡­.¡± However, Takeshi and Laura showed to be more formidable and fearless than I ever thought! Were they actually petting my snakes? Laura even kissed one in the palm of her hand! It¡¯s not that I like it or something¡­ I mean¡­ It kind of feels nice to be petted as a snake¡­ Is living as a pet that rxing? I wonder¡­ ¡°W-Wait! Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, maybe at first! But they¡¯re cute and harmless, that little tongue they stick outside sometimes, and the snout they got and those cute eyes¡­.¡± Said Laura. ¡°W-Wait, hold on! Are you actually liking snakes?¡± I asked. ¡°T-They¡¯re cute! Can you make as many as you want, nee-sama? Can we keep some as pets?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Erm¡­ Well¡­¡± If I tell them these snakes are just me, it wille out as weird because I¡¯ve already made them act as snakes¡­ And being a pet doesn¡¯t sound so bad. I also could protect them if I give them a ¡°familiar,¡± which is just a clone of me¡­ so fine. ¡°Sure, you can keep only one though,¡± I said. ¡°Yay! I will call mine Grape!¡± Eximed Takeshi. ¡°I¡¯ll call mine Medusa¡­.¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°I-I guess you can do that, go on¡­ name them if you want¡­.¡± I sighed. I don¡¯t know how, but I ended up being a part-time pet for these kids, but I can¡¯t say I dislike it. In fact, it sounds like fun! ¡­Wait, I think something is affecting my mind. There¡¯s no way I would ever think like that. Is having multiple minds affecting my thoughts and diverging them constantly? It feels as if there were multiple me¡¯s within me, but they¡¯re all just me. Wow, soplicated. Let¡¯s just move on. I guess I should obey that other me there. No point going around it. Not like anything bad will happen. Yeah, in fact, it might be useful to multitask and do a lot of stuff at the same time in multiple ces and areas. I have not thought about that yet¡­ Oh, I am right¡­ I could just do that! I can¡¯t wait to get back to the Goblin Vige then~ I will spread my snakes when we get there, although I can¡¯t abuse this, or I¡¯ll end up weakening. ¡ª¨C Chapter 128 ¡ª¨C I had discovered something while dividing myself. If I do it too much at the same time, I risk damaging my own soul. You see, to divide me, I take a chunk of my phantom and a tiny bit of my soul with each little snake clone. This doesn¡¯t seem like a big problem because I got a bunch of soul and phantom to spare, but if I continuously do this, I might risk weakening myself by taking too much soul¡­ Phantom doesn¡¯t matter, but Soul does, so I have to keep it bnced. If I make too many clones, I need to heal for the moment using Undead Healing and rest a bit to calm down the soul and mental exhaustion. Anyways, I just need to be careful, and that¡¯s it. I had given the kids a clone each, so the clone could be used to keep them safe, while they also named it as if it were a tamed ghost snake monster¡­ I don¡¯t know if they will grow by themselves, but they do feel like me and share the same mind and consciousness with me, so¡­ it feels as if I were living multiple identities. They don¡¯t know I am Grape and Medusa after all! Heh¡­ Suddenly, the two snakes smiled a bit rather maliciously. This was my smile, actually, which got shared with them¡­ Oops. The kids didn¡¯t notice it, though, and thought the snakes were just being cute or something. This made it possible for me to keep my farse, hehe. Maybe I should gift a pet snake ghost to everyone so I can keep an eye on everyone¡¯s daily lives as a total creep. But that would be not good, so I better not do that¡­ I called back my snakes and fused them into my body except for Grape and Medusa, which are my new two identities as ¡°tamed¡± pets. After the kids yed with the snakes, they got hungry again. I had forgotten to feed them. My bad, my bad, I actually just don¡¯t have a stomach, so I don¡¯t feel any hunger, but I am just gluttonous and like to eat because it¡¯s tasty and fun. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go eat something because you two are starving. Let¡¯s stop the caravan for now and have a break! The people we are carrying also need to be fed,¡± I said. ¡°Alright!¡± Shouted Laura. ¡°Sure!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°You three are sleeping way too much. Wake up already!¡± I said as I woke up Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner. All three of them were very tired and woke up sleepy, even Lucifer and Partner, who are supposedly tireless Undead. I guess when you get tired mentally, you really just want to take a nap for a few hours. ¡°Uwah! W-What happened? Huh? Did I oversleep?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°You sure did! Now let¡¯s go prepare something to eat,¡± I said. ¡°Eat! Food!¡± Shouted Partner. ¡°I want to sleep some more¡­ that wasn¡¯t near as enough!¡± Eximed Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re sleepingter. Nowe eat with us, grandpa,¡± I said. ¡°I am not a grandfather!¡± Shouted Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re being a bit too much now. Let¡¯s just go eat. Don¡¯t be like that~¡± I said, waving my hand and walking away with the twins and the girls. Lucifer followed us from behind while mumbling words angrily. He had woken up grumpy like always. We made the Undead Horses stop moving, which we had gotten from the dead horses I had identally killed, which belonged to the first wave of soldiers that attacked me back inside the duchy. I had picked up their corpses and made them into Zombie Horses, which are tireless and don¡¯t need food too. Perfect. However, we still feed them some fruits and let them eat grass, which they could somehow. After that, we gathered the people around us and began to cook something. We still had a few dozen sandwiches, cakes, pastries, bread, and more that we got from the cafeteria, alongside all the food and provisions I had stolen from the rich guy houses, which I had gathered inside my cheat Inventory. I began to distribute the food around to the people so they could eat something quickly. Then we began cooking something more filling: boar meat and bone soup, which was rich and had a lot of vors. It had potatoes, onions, and carrots, alongside some salt and spices. The people enjoyed the sandwiches and other food, and then we distributed the soup, which was the main dish and would fill their bellies the most. It was nice that the trio had to hunt down beasts at night, so we had a lot of boar, bear, and other beasts¡¯ meat to cook and make a lot of soup. The big chunks of meat were very generous, and everyone got their fill with them too. Due to my own irresponsibility, I had only given the people some bread and waterst night, and I went to sleep like nothing,pletely forgetting I should have given them some more food. So this morning, I apologized to everyone deeply, but everyone stopped me and said it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve done so much for us already¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The food is already good, and we already got our bellies filled!¡± ¡°Yes, it was very tasty¡­ Can I have seconds?!¡± ¡°Sure! There¡¯s more soup where that came from¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to give you extra meat and potatoes to fill up that belly,¡± I said. ¡°T-Thank you!¡± The people all asked for seconds, and we ended cooking all the meat they had hunted overnight. After all, there were over 40 people, that¡¯s not easy to satisfy. The soup was also tasty for me too! I ate various bowls myself. The boar and bear meat was surprisingly tasty, and the potatoes, onions, and carrots boiled with them really filled up my belly. Well, I don¡¯t need to fill my belly¡­ After everything was over and everyone got their bellies filled, we packed things up and continued our journey across the road. I sat down at the entrance of the leading caravan, and as I nced at the grasnd in front of me, the calming breeze soothed my heart, and I just closed my eyes and rxed. It¡¯s a nice day today. ¡ª¨C Chapter 129 ¡ª¨C ¡°When are we getting back?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Erm, I don¡¯t know, in a couple of hours, maybe in a day or two,¡± I said. ¡°What are goblins like?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Right¡­ You¡¯ve never seen them before, have you?¡± I sighed. After the meal, it had been almost half a day since we had continued our journey back to the goblin vige. The ce is mostly peaceful, the road is mostly unscathed and filled with nature, and the breeze is nice and rxing, coupled with the lovely and warm sun. You can¡¯t ask for anything better. But that¡¯s not all! There is also the rxing feeling of simply sitting over the caravan and being carried by the horses while you see the beautiful scenery¡­ But of course, children are hyperactive and probably are bored by now, so in order to quench their thirst for attention, I talked with them about stuff in order to entertain them. But quite honestly, I don¡¯t wanna¡­ I wanna chill! But they don¡¯t let me, and they¡¯re so cute! *Sigh*¡­ okay, I will talk to them. ¡°Erm¡­ Lucifer knows more about them; he has a title about goblins,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?! Me?¡± He asked. He was also mostly rxing and chilling while looking at the scenery. Meanwhile, Emeraldine was taking another nap, and Partner was practicing blood magic in silence while ying around with tiny blood familiar she created in the shape of a bat. ¡°You do?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Uncle Lucifer, tell us about goblins!¡± Shouted Takeshi. Lucifer sighed as he looked at the two kids with a grumpy face. He really didn¡¯t want to talk about anything, he just wanted to chill out or something, but I wasn¡¯t letting him, hehehehehe¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­ Fine. Goblins are green-skinned little people. They¡¯re hard workers but usually weak, almost as weak as humans. But they make up for it with numbers, flexibility, and a better understanding of nature. They¡¯re innate survivors¡­ it shows in how they had been surviving in the wild for so long,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°They¡¯re green and have big noses, well, some of them,¡± Added Partner. ¡°And their ears are pointy,¡± I said. ¡°Like Elves?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re not ugly, but not the prettiest race either,¡± I said. ¡°Ooh¡­ they¡¯re interesting! Are they of our size?¡± Wondered Takeshi. ¡°I would say so, maybe a bit smaller depending on how tall you guys really are¡­ you will naturally outgrow them if you keep growing like normal people¡­ but you¡¯re clearly not normal people, so I don¡¯t know how your growth will go about,¡± I said. ¡°I see! Well, I can¡¯t wait to meet them! I am happy that we can finally go to a ce where we can finally belong¡­ maybe they can wee us?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°For sure, Goblins are very weing of other races. They¡¯re one of the most open-minded races. It is not a cultural thing. It seems to be in their very natures¡­ And this is why many viges had also perished to the humans. They get tricked easily¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°But our vige is doing super fine! Nothing too bad had happened, although some adventurers had tried toe looking for them, but my Undead hunted them down and converted them into Undead by biting them, like a zombie disease from movies!¡± Iughed. ¡°W-Wow, that¡¯s an actual thing?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Of course! Hehehe,¡± Iughed maliciously. ¡°That¡¯s a bit scary¡­ Grape¡­¡± Sighed Takeshi as he hugged his snake pet, which was secretly me. ¡°Gryyyssshh¡­¡± I pretended to be a snake as I licked Takeshi¡¯s cheek. He became happy and petted me. Being a pet is not easy. Ites with many difficulties, and one of them is having to act like an animal. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, these zombies are pretty friendly and good people, you just have to greet them and say ¡°hello!¡± and they¡¯ll even say hello back! ¡­Well, sometimes, not all the time, though,¡± I said. ¡°O-Oh¡­ Getting used to Undead will be hard¡­¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°Well, I am an Undead¡­ Partner too. And Lucifer!¡± I said. ¡°But even then, it will be hard to do it with¡­ Erm, other Undead,¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Yeah, but that will be the fun part, you¡¯ll have to try hard to be their friends, but it will bring you a lot of joy in the long run, because they¡¯re so nice and amicable! You gotta just meet them, and you¡¯ll see!¡± I said. ¡°Well, even if you end up disliking them, you can always just ignore them. The Goblin people are nice and gentle, there are many kids with them too, and they¡¯re all unique and entertaining. So you can have a lot of fun ying them¡­ They¡¯re also hunters, crafters, and more. From a young age, the goblin is taught many things to survive. Ah, there are also a lot of former ves with them too, so there¡¯s a variety of humans, elves, dwarves, and more,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°W-Wow! It sounds like a lot of fun¡­.¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to get there¡­¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°You¡¯re making them even more impatient¡­ Ah, how about some ice cream? It¡¯s rather hot,¡± I said. ¡°Ice cream!¡± The two kids rushed at me as if they were waiting for it all this time. I took out some pots with ice cream and shared it with them, but Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine, who just woke up, also asked for it. ¡°Surprisinging from you. I thought you disliked sweets!¡± I said, looking at Lucifer. ¡°I dislike the majority, but¡­ this thing is good. The vor¡­ creaminess¡­ I-It¡¯s all good,¡± He muttered. ¡°Hehe, I see, so you¡¯ve grown weak against ice cream, haven¡¯t you?¡± I asked with a cheeky smile. ¡°I am not weak against ice cream! I just like it,¡± He said while blushing. He seemed to be as tsundere as ever. He never changes. ¡°I am not weak against ice cream! I just like it,¡± He repeated while blushing again. Suddenly, I came out with a malefic n to tease this old dragon even more than before. Hehe¡­ ¡°If you like it so much, you can eat some here,¡± I said, as I pointed him my spoon. ¡°H-Huh? W-What are you doing? T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 130 ¡ª¨C ¡°I am not weak against ice cream! I just like it,¡± He repeated while blushing again. Suddenly, I came out with a malefic n to tease this old dragon even more than before. Hehe¡­ ¡°If you like it so much, you can eat some here,¡± I said, as I pointed him my spoon. ¡°H-Huh? W-What are you doing? T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you want to kiss me before? How about an indirect one?¡± I asked. ¡°Eh?! Sh-Shut up! I won¡¯t let myself be teased by¡­ your¡­ smile¡­.¡± He muttered as I smiled coquettishly at him. He swallowed saliva as he slowly approached the spoon with ice cream. However, Partner caught it like a furious and adorable shark and ate the ice cream on it. ¡°Ah! Partner?!¡± Eximed Lucifer angrily. ¡°You were taking too long, idiot dragon,¡± Muttered Partner. ¡°Who are you calling idiot dragon?!¡± He roared. ¡°W-What happened here? I feel like there¡¯s some hidden sexual tension in between you three¡­.¡± Muttered Emeraldine. ¡°Funnily enough, that¡¯s exactly it¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, you were incentivizing it!¡± Shouted Lucifer. ¡°Why don¡¯t you act like a civilized person and just be more open?¡± Suggested Emeraldine. ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ It¡¯s hard¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°I guess he has a hard time being a civilized person, so it¡¯s hard for him to open his emotions and all of that,¡± I said. ¡°He was never civilized,¡± Said Partner. ¡°I was! S-Stop teasing me¡­¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°I am sorry, but it¡¯s very hard not to tease you¡­ you be very funny when you¡¯re teased,¡± I said. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Lucifer clicked his tongue as he continued eating his ice cream. We continued eating ice cream while enjoying the cold breeze of the night. It was getting a bitte after we enjoyed the ice cream, though, so I made the caravan stop moving for the moment, and we decided to cook up some more food for the people. While cooking, there were some new things that I wanted to experiment with. There was some oil around, some spices, meat, eggs, and above all, stale and hard as rock bread. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Asked Lucifer, as he saw me pouring oil over arge pan I got from one of the rich dude¡¯s kitchens. ¡°We are doing tempura!¡± I shouted. ¡°Tempura? What¡¯s that? Looks fun!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Uwah! Tempura? Really?¡± Asked Takeshi. As a Japanese, this boy knew what it was. ¡°Tempura is just fried and crunchy food. Usually meat, shrimp, and all sorts of other things. It can even be veggies too. You cover them in batter and then deep fry them in boiling oil. The result is crunchy meals filled with the vors we all crave, greasy ones,¡± I said. ¡°Sounds strange¡­¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°But I am intrigued,¡± He continued. ¡°Sounds interesting. I had never eaten fried food before. How is it even made? Just the oil?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°I already told you how it¡¯s made! But I will show you how it¡¯s made in real life!¡± I shouted. ¡°Oooh, sounds like fun! Make something yummy, master!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Alright dear, our first candidates for today¡¯s tempura are¡­ Bear meat, boar meat, strange bird meat, and snake meat we just hunted!¡± I said. Just now, we came across a nest of strange gigantic snakes. I had tried to tame them because I thought Gorgons could do that, but they ended up trying to gang on me. The snakes were around 10 meters big and were named Giant Boas. They were D-Rank threats. They were big and filled with tasty and tender meat, so we butchered a bunch of them. A few dozen of them are being grilled in the fire with some simple spices and salt for the people to eat, but we¡¯ll try them out in other ways. I had already washed them out, and Partner helped me clean the blood out of the meat we had, and I had cut them into different cuts and stored them inside my inventory. Now, I slowly took them all out, putting them over a table I had also stolen. I am not a pickpocket for nothing. Stealing is my life, after all. The meat of the snakes was white and silky, rather beautiful, and also tender, like chicken. There was also the meat of the bear, which was very red. I had cut the softer areas and had some grease on them, and when grilled, they had tons of tasty juices. There was also the boar meat, which I cut off into cutlets. Andstly, the strange bird meat. There was this weird colorful bird we found on our way here, and it looked like a two-meter-tall chicken with colorful feathers named Dancing Kokaroo. I had intended to make it a tamed pet because it was honestly very pretty, but Lucifer crushed it before I could say anything¡­ but from these chickens, we got the breast meat, which seemed tender and tasty. Having everything ready, I began my cooking session. I started to make the batter and mix the eggs together. After that, I ground the super hard stale bread into crumbs, and when that was done, I took out the meat from the marination I was doing, which was being covered in all sorts of aromatic and medicinal herbs alongside lemon and orange juice. When that was over with, I put some salt on them and passed them through the egg, and then the bread crumbs untilpletely covered¡­ ¡°The oil is ready,¡± Said Lucifer, who had been looking at the oil boil. ¡°Alright¡­!¡± I took the pieces of varied meat with chopsticks I made myself and began to deep fry them. The smell of fried bread-covered meat filled the entire camp, and quickly after that, we ended up having a whole army of people looking at us cook¡­ they were all drooling. ¡°Here, the first batch is ready!¡± I shouted, picking up the fried meat. It was perfect! Golden brown and perfectly cooked inside! I put some salt on it and then sprinkled some extra lemon. And it was ready! It looked tasty as fuck! I wish there was soy sauce¡­ Sniff. Crunch. The delicious crunchiness and strong vor of fried meat, apanied with the spices we added, the lemon and orange juice, and all of that made for the amazing and perfectbination of vors. We were losing our minds. ¡°W-What is this?! It¡¯s actually amazing?!¡± Eximed Lucifer in shock. ¡°W-Wooow!¡± Shouted Emeraldine. ¡°More¡­ I want more!¡± Chanted Partner. ¡°Amazing, this is just like the Tempura I remember! I wish there was tempuras sauce to go with it¡­ or soy sauce! But the salt and the lemon are good enough!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Good!¡± Shouted Laura, stuffing her mouth. ¡°Mrao!¡± Kuro even ate a bunch himself. In the end, I had to make most of the meat into Tempura, and we ended up using all the stale bread nobody wanted to eat into these. I also made some mayonnaise using eggs and oil, which was nice with the tempura. We also enjoyed it with some nice booze and wine, and we got almost drunk, but sadly, I can¡¯t get drunk, so I just enjoyed the spiciness of it. The night had already fallen, and I enjoyed it with my friends while looking at the moonlight. It was a nice night. ¡ª¨C Chapter 131 ¡ª¨C It has been a day since then¡­ Today I ended up waking up quite early. Our caravan had not advanced through the night because people cannot properly rest if they¡¯re constantly moving around, so we made a camp in the middle of the road to pass the night. Since then, we have not encountered any humans, and there aren¡¯t any monsters around either. We will most likely reach the Goblins today if everything goes well. So for now, I woke up and decided to stretch my phantasmal body a little bit, flying outside the caravan where I was. But, suddenly, I suddenly remembered there was ake near here, right inside that small forest to the left of the road. I remember that Takeshi used his Unique Skill, Fisherman, to fish a bunch of fish. The kid had leveled up a lot, so his magical fishing rod is capable of fishing incredibly easily now. Fish are his territory, and he caught us so many that we almost emptied theke, and we managed to feed all the people. His ability is not only that, but the fishing rod can treat any physical object as ¡°water¡± and pass through them. The hook of the fishing rod is very sharp too. He could quite literally fish even beasts if he uses it correctly. He said he was even able to control the fishing thread around as if it were a snake he was moving and letting crawl around. With such amazing power, he could quite literally do a bunch of stuff. I wonder what other methods he could use the fishing rod for¡­ Oh well, for now, he¡¯s still a kid training his unique skill, but it is not as ¡°shitty¡± as he always thought it was, in fact, Fisherman seems to be a powerful Unique Skill. I decided to go fish some fish myself, as I knew how to extend my phantom into tentacles and catch fish easily. Although not as amazing and efficient as Takeshi, I might one day get the Fishing Skill! Who knows? I flew towards theke, imagining eating a delicious and fresh grilled fish that made my mouth water in hunger. As I reached theke, I suddenly heard the humming of a beautiful voice, and what I found in theke was a beautiful¡­ and wonderfully majestic Elven girl, with long yellow-gold hair, shiny emerald eyes, and a lustrous body that looked like it was made of porcin. Her hips were wide, and her bosom was rather big, covered by her hair. She was washing in the cold waters of theke, while the waterfall behind her made tons of bubbles around. Oh right, this girl is¡­ Wait, Emeraldine?! What is she doing here? Ah, of course, she came to wash herself. Now I feel like a creep spying on her while taking a bath naked¡­ but damn, she has such a beautiful body¡­! I am so envious of elves. Look at those curves! What¡¯s going on with their genes?! Why are elves so goddamn perfect physically? Ugh, the tropes are right. Elves are sexy as hell! No, calm down, Maria! You¡¯re not like this. I might be a pervert, but I¡¯ve never been a creep! Maybe I am? Well, I am more worried about her amazing body and how I envy the elves rather than if I find her sexy or not because thetter is just a fact. Yes, she¡¯s a sexy elven woman. I noticed that her body still was covered in scars, though. After all this time, I had almost forgotten she used to be a ve and¡­ that she had gone through a lot of shit by herself. She¡¯s always so happy, spirited, and cute that it makes me not even believe she was once a tortured ve used by others as¡­ well, a sex ve. She had grown a lot stronger since then. I can¡¯t even recognize her now. The fight with Elderlight was when she showed off most of her current and amazing might. Emeraldine is really someone to admire¡­ Just looking at her scarred body makes me feel bad, though. Poor little thing¡­ It makes me so frustrated to think she went through so much suffering¡­ I know I had already tortured, killed, and devoured the souls of those nasty motherfuckers that did this to her, but even then, I can¡¯t help but still feel bad. I wish I could havee earlier to rescue her¡­ Sigh. But even after all of that, she was still strong and perseverated and helped me as much as she possibly could¡­ even when it wasn¡¯t necessary. She was the only former ve that decided to join me and even trained very hard to reach her current level of strength by developing her abilities. I wonder why did she even want to risk her life so much with us? Maybe she¡¯s just really crazy like all of us¡­ Although Partner did say the other day that she was¡­ well, that she was interested in me. Could it be? Is she with us because of me? Because of feeling gratitude to me or¡­ something else? Maybe both? ¡°M-Maria-sama?!¡± Emeraldine suddenly caught me. Her eyes brightly shone as she pointed her arrow at me. ¡°I-I thought you were some creep¡­ I am so relieved it was just you,¡± She sighed. ¡°Eh? Ah! S-Sorry! I just wanted to fish some fish for breakfast, and I ended up¡­ staring at your scars,¡± I sighed. ¡°Oh¡­ even with healing magic, it¡¯s hard to heal them. They have been like this for years,¡± She sighed. ¡°I-I see¡­ Sorry for staring. I was also kind of a creep,¡± I admitted. ¡°Oh¡­ No, don¡¯t worry about it¡­ M-Maria-sama¡­ You would never be a creep to me¡­ even more, it makes me happy that you were staring at my body¡­ Y-You can stare all you want,¡± She said while blushing, as she revealed more of her body to me while moving away the long hair covering her breasts. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 132 ¡ª¨C Emeraldine has been washing in theke, and I ended up just staring at her like a retard for way too long, giving away my position easily and letting her detect me in no time as well¡­ she even thought I was a ¡°creep.¡± Well, I am indeed a creep! I don¡¯t know what makes me special to not count as a creep? But okay? When I tried to apologize, however¡­ ¡°Sorry for staring. I was also kind of a creep,¡± I admitted. ¡°Oh¡­ No, don¡¯t worry about it¡­ M-Maria¡­ You would never be a creep to me¡­ even more, it makes me happy that you were staring at my body¡­ Y-You can stare all you want,¡± She said while blushing, as she revealed more of her body to me while moving away the long hair covering her breasts. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Emeraldine was a shameless girl! She was showing me off her beautiful bosom as if that wouldn¡¯t make mepletely¡­ envious! What¡¯s wrong with these damn elves?! They¡¯re way too hot! What the heck?! Agh! I am just a ghost, even adjusting my breast size is hard because of this stupid restriction of ¡°how you see yourself,¡± even though some admitted I had small breastspared to her¡­ I have beenpletely dwarfed! Suddenly, a strong sense of jealousy began to fill my mind. Just looking at that ideal body made me so¡­ so¡­ frustrated¡­ Ugh, I want my flesh body too, you know? Being a ghost is amazing, but there¡¯s a limit to how amazing it gets before you begin wondering if it could be cool to have flesh again. ¡°M-Maria, you¡¯re staring so much¡­.¡± She sighed while blushing some more. ¡°Erm¡­ Ah! Sorry about that, it just that by just looking at your body, I am suddenly taken over by a strong¡­ feeling,¡± I sighed. ¡°Strong feelings? O-Oh my¡­ M-Maria, you mean¡­? Those types of feelings?!¡± She asked. Emeraldine suddenly began to walk towards me while opening her arms to me as if wanting to embrace me. ¡°Huh? Why are youing here? Ah, wait! I didn¡¯t mean that¡­! I¡­.¡± However, she wouldn¡¯t listen to my words. Emeraldine got closer and closer to me with every passing second. Her beautiful body danced as she walked around, her hips were bouncy, and her ass cheeks were actually quite plump. ¡°Maria~ You¡¯ve not¡­ moved away from me yet¡­ A-Are you okay with me? Y-You¡¯re fine with it?¡± She asked while looking at me lovingly. ¡°W-Wait, hold on a second Emeraldine-chan¡­ W-What are you talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Maria, were you not looking at me in other ways?¡± She asked. ¡°Hm¡­ W-Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Ahh! D-Do you¡­ perhaps find me attractive?¡± She asked while her eyes shone brightly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I don¡¯t¡­ Well, I came here to fish for fish, not to look at your nude body¡­ Though I have to admit you¡¯re very beautiful,¡± I said, as I petted her head and stretched her cheeks¡­ on her face. On her face! Though, she was such a cutie. ¡°T-Thene to wash with me! It¡¯s hot, so the water is not so cold!¡± Emeraldine grabbed my arm and threw me into the water as she forced me to take a bath. Thinking about it, I had never truly taken a bath because I am just a ghost. I don¡¯t get nasty or smell. So what¡¯s the point of it? ¡°Come on, Maria, materialize and take a bath with me! I will make sure to wash you well, fufu~¡± Laughed Emeraldine. This elven beauty was off the charts in terms of sexiness, but she was also acting quite frisky with me all of a sudden. Did she really like me this much? To be honest, I don¡¯t even know what this beauty could ever find attractive in me, but taking a bath shouldn¡¯t be bad, and it could even be a new experience in this phantasmal body. I quickly materialized my body, as I shyly took off my clothes one by one, and they all turned into ck smoke and dissipated¡­ revealing my nude body felt rather embarrassing even when this wasn¡¯t a flesh body like the one I used to have! Emeraldine started at my pale white, almost transparent body with eyes wide open. She even licked her lips. ¡°M-Maria, you¡¯re such a beautiful treasure¡­.¡± She said, looking at me with obsessed eyes. ¡°Treasure? Nobody had ever called me a treasure before¡­ Am I treasure to you, E-Emeraldine?¡± I asked while blushing, as I felt like I was suddenly being captivated. Was I really a treasure to her? But we had only met for about half a year! Howe I am that important to her? Uwah¡­ this only makes me grow more and more embarrassed¡­ ¡°Y-Yes! You¡¯re my precious treasure, Maria¡­ You¡¯re¡­ t-the pir of my life.¡± She said as she began to touch my body a bit, using the water and a sponge to wash me around. ¡°Uwaahh¡­ I-It is cold¡­ Wait, the pir of your life?! Aren¡¯t you exaggerating?¡± I muttered. ¡°Exaggerating? I would never exaggerate these feelings¡­¡± She said while smiling gently. ¡°Feelings¡­?¡± ¡°You were the one that picked me up from back then¡­ When my life was already ruined¡­ When I was used countless times¡­ I had lost my life without dying¡­ I had lost myself¡­¡± She said. ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°And¡­ well¡­ When you picked me up that day¡­ When you saw that my feet were hurt, and you carried me in your arms¡­ That day¡­ I¡­ I felt something I had never felt before¡­.¡± Her hands suddenly caressed my hips, reaching my legs and slightly grasping them. ¡°It felt as if you were there for me¡­ as if you hade to rescue me from all the hell I was going through¡­ Even after being rescued from being a ve, I would simply rot away somewhere else, but you¡­ you choose to pick me up¡­ and since then I wanted to be at your side¡­ every day since then, I grew fonder of you¡­ Every time I feel troubled over the memories of my past, just remembering your face calms me down.¡± She sighed as she smiled at me and hugged me from behind. ¡°Emeraldine¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for being at my side¡­.¡± She muttered. ¡ª¨C Chapter 133 ¡ª¨C Emeraldine said some very pretty words to me that really got me going. My heart was beating very fast despite not having any heart to speak of, but I really felt quite agitated. I felt like she was really pouring her emotions and heart into me with those captivating words. I desired to suddenly stay at her side and protect her even more than before¡­ Emeraldine smiled cutely as she hugged me, but I suddenly realized that behind her cute and spirited nature, there was still a broken woman, someone that had gone through the worst things this world has to offer unjustly and without deserving any of that. Poor little Emeraldine, she had really gone through a lot¡­ It made me happy to be such an important figure in her life. It was very ttering¡­ I suddenly held her hands tightly with my hand, as I looked at her eyes with my own. Her beautiful emerald eyes shone brightly as my crimson-red eyes looked deep into her soul. Her beautiful and shiny soul filled with light and life. She was the very opposite of all I was, yet she was relying on me so much¡­ ¡°I am happy that you see me that way, Emeraldine¡­ I will make sure to make up for it and be a figure you can always rely on,¡± I said. I couldn¡¯t help but smile gently at her as she felt overwhelmed by my words. ¡°Maria¡­! I¡­ I lov- Huh? Who¡¯s there?!¡± Emeraldine was suddenly startled by the presence of someone staring at us. I quickly looked in the direction of the figure, and who was staring at us was¡­ Lucifer of all people. ¡°Uwah! I-I wasn¡¯t staring! I¡­ Why are you so intimidated all of a sudden?!¡± He roared back, as if trying to gain some reason to be here by getting angry over our intimidating moment¡­ ¡°What¡¯s so wrong about it? You perverted old dragon! Go away! You¡¯re staring at us while being naked! Do you have no shame?!¡± Roared Emeraldine as she grabbed some stones and began to throw them at Lucifer. However, I did notice that he wasn¡¯t staring at Emeraldine but at my body. His eyes were fixated on my body more than anything. And he was blushing a lot while doing so. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so special about my body, but I could clearly tell he liked it a lot. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lucifer~? See something you like?¡± I teasingly asked as he swallowed saliva. ¡°N-No! Stop looking at Maria!¡± Roared Emeraldine as she covered my body with her own and suddenly conjured a ray of holy light towards Lucifer. ¡°Ugh?!¡± BOOOMMM!!! ¡°Emeraldine! What the heck did you do?! That¡¯s a bit too much!¡± I said. ¡°But he was staring! That perverted¡­ lizard!¡± She angrily shouted while blushing a bit. Lucifer ended up angering her a lot as he had interrupted our very important and special time together. Well, I also felt angry he showed up out of nowhere. I was also enjoying my time with my cute elf. However, I felt worried. Emeraldine¡¯s magic can purify Undead easily, so she could have identally killed him with that ray. I jumped out of theke butt naked as I reached up to him and began conjuring Undead Healing on him. The burns and wounds on his chest and stomach quickly recovered as he groaned in pain. ¡°M-Maria¡­?¡± He muttered, faintly opening his eyes, as my face greeted his sight¡­ and well, the rest of my body, which he quickly inspected. ¡°Are you okay, Lucifer? Did that hurt?¡± I sighed as I petted his head. ¡°I-I am fine¡­! But you¡¯re naked!¡± He shouted. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re always naked in your dragon form, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°B-But that¡¯spletely different than this! Ahhh¡­! S-Such a sexy body!¡± He eximed. He couldn¡¯t contain himself any longer, praising my body as if he were looking at a tasty treat. ¡°Huh?! Sexy?¡± I asked in surprise. He suddenly threw me to the ground as he trapped me with his arms. His face slowly approached me as he looked down on my body. ¡°M-Maria, you¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you? You want me to take you? R-Right¡­? I-I cannot contain myself any longer¡­ my heart¡­ my cold heart is beating so fast¡­! I cannot contain myself¡­ this growing lust¡­ this growing passion! Maria¡­ I lov-¡± CLASH! ¡°Guuaggh¡­!¡± BOOM! Lucifer was interrupted from his debauchery by a flying kick from Emeraldine as he was thrown into the ground, rolling over it andnding his head into a tree trunk, which identally made it break and fall over him. TRUUMM¡­! ¡°W-Wait! Lucifer!¡± I cried in horror, checking his status. He was fine¡­ ¡°Maria, I saved you from that perverted man! D-Don¡¯t worry, as long as I am here with you. I won¡¯t let that nasty dragon take advantage of you¡­.¡± She said. ¡°Advantage of me? I know he was being a bit pushy, but I can fend by myself-¡± ¡°You clearly can¡¯t! Y-You¡¯re way too dummy!¡± She eximed. ¡°W-Who are you calling dummy?! I am not a dummy! I am very intelligent, in fact,¡± I said while nodding and smiling pridefully of my own advanced and superior intellect. ¡°Y-You¡¯re indeed very intelligent, Maria¡­ B-But not that much in certain areas¡­ I¡­ I will make sure to protect you, alright?¡± She cutely said as she held my hands tightly and smiled back at me with a loving smile. Our faces began to slowly approach one another out of reflex. I didn¡¯t know what kind of supernatural force was forcing me to get closer to her beautiful and wless face, but this elven woman was way too beautiful to easily stop looking at¡­ ¡°Maria¡­ L-Let me¡­ take your first ki-¡± ¡°Master?!¡± Partner suddenly showed up behind us as she was raising her spear. Her eyes shone with bright crimson-red light, ring at the entire situation¡­ Lucifer also slowly stood up from at her side, sighing angrily. ¡°W-Why did you kick me like that?!¡± He cried out. ¡ª¨C Chapter 134 ¡ª¨C I feel like I am in a very weird situation right now! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s exactly going on now, but it all feels very awkward! I want to just run away from here and have my own life for once, but everyone here is like¡­ very angsty or something! Can¡¯t they just let me be? Okay, okay, I am not that dense! I know that¡­ they¡¯ve all got the hots for me, but this is not the proper way to handle it! However, they¡¯re allpetitive to the point that they¡¯re having a growing rivalry against one another. I can¡¯t help but feel excited deep down about being treated as some kind of prize by such handsome men and beautiful women, but even then¡­ this is a bit too much for my liking! I don¡¯t have any experiences with love in my previous life. I do know I¡¯ve always liked both sexes anyways, but this is a bit too much for now. I am not even experienced in Harem Stories because I used to despise them to the core, but now finding myself in the middle of such a romantic drama, I can¡¯t help but bepletely hopeless, because they¡¯re all¡­ They¡¯re all so beautiful and handsome! How can I even choose one?! I want them all! Okay, I have to calm down. Everything today escted way too quickly! I am not like that. Maria, you¡¯re clearly not a horny woman like this. I have my own stuff, and I shouldn¡¯t be doing this! I have to simply talk it out and tell them honestly, with the deepest part of my soul, that they should stop fighting and get along nicely! Can I even aplish that? ¡°E-Emeraldine¡­! W-What were you going to do with Master?!¡± Roared Partner, as she suddenly separated me from Emeraldine and protected me from her very defensively. ¡°Erm, she wasn¡¯t going to do anything, Partner, please calm down, dear¡­ Everything¡¯s fine! I swear to god almighty!¡± I said. ¡°I-It was clearly not alright! I-I saw her! She was going to¡­ k-kiss you or something!¡± Said Partner. Emeraldine suddenly heard this word and suddenly grew all red. Her beautiful porcin skin grew as red as a tomato, and her pointy ears began to twitch around adorably. Steam began toe out of them as well, and her lips trembled timidly. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t going to do anything like that¡­!¡± She cried out as she red at Partner defiantly. ¡°You were clearly going to do that! I saw you¡­ P-Perverted elf!¡± Said Partner, as she smacked Emeraldine¡¯s head gently. It was more of a yful hit, so it didn¡¯t reduce her HP. ¡°Ouch! D-Don¡¯t smack me¡­!¡± Shouted Emeraldine. ¡°W-Wait, you were going to kiss her?! Why? Aren¡¯t you a woman?¡± Asked Lucifer while raising an eyebrow. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t going to do anything! I-It¡¯s all a misunderstanding¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°No, your lips were very close to Master¡¯s¡­.¡± Said Partner while squinting her eyes. ¡°Emeraldine, I didn¡¯t know you were hitting in that direction¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°W-What? W-What¡¯s wrong with that? You¡¯re a perverted lizard, w-why would I care what you think?¡± Cried Emeraldine. ¡°T-There¡¯s nothing wrong with love between girls¡­.¡± Said Partner while pouting angrily at Lucifer. ¡°I-I am not arguing against it! I am very open-minded, I don¡¯t mind¡­ I just¡­ I¡­ I am surprised that you would try to do that¡­.¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°Y-You! You were the one trying to kiss her, though! I saw him, Partner! Lucifer pushed down Maria and was closing his lips to her while saying all sorts of things about passion and stuff¡­ he looked like a weirdo!¡± Shouted Emeraldine. ¡°W-Weirdo?! You¡¯re the weirdo here! Howe you expect a woman to also like you? That¡¯s not amon thing! Not every woman would like another woman¡­! I-I am not saying it¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s just a thing of preference¡­.¡± Refuted Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re going around the question and trying to y it off as if you didn¡¯t do anything wrong when you exactly did something very perverted,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Looks who¡¯s talking! You were bathing her in theke, the two of you butt naked! Howe that¡¯s not perverted?¡± Asked Lucifer, and Partner was shocked. ¡°*Gasp!* You did that?!¡± Eximed Partner. ¡°I-I did¡­ But that was just washing each other between sisters! T-There¡¯s nothing wrong with that to strengthen our bonds,¡± Said Emeraldine while looking back at me. ¡°I-I don¡¯t really get it¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Okay, okay, calm down, you three! I don¡¯t want a single word about this situation from all three of you anymore¡­ You three will calm down ande with me to help me fish for breakfast!¡± I shouted. ¡°B-But¡­!¡± ¡°No buts! You¡¯reing.¡± I said as I walked back to theke. ¡°But Maria, you¡¯re still naked¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°S-Such a nice and round butt¡­.¡± Muttered Lucifer as his hands were trying to grasp my ass from a distance. ¡°S-Stop looking at her!¡± Partner blocked my sight from them as I quickly put clothes over my body. ¡°Alright! Now it¡¯s fine, right? Let¡¯s go fishing,¡± I sighed. I decided to tell them to forget about what was happening right now and stop being so awkward for once. They quickly calmed down after my order and helped me at fishing tons of fish, which we carried back to the camp, and we began to grill. After such a big discussion, I honestly didn¡¯t know what to do, it was all very confusing to me. I preferred that such a thing would have never happened, but it happened, and there was nothing I could do to change it. For now, I decided to rx and go back to my caravan while eating fish. I rested over my bed and sighed in relief. Closing my eyes, I decided to just take a nap after breakfast while the caravan slowly moved to the goblin vige. I just wanted to chill out and rx for once. Too much weird romantic drama for now¡­ I will deal with it gradually. Doing it all out would only leave bitter feelings. This is not something that can be handled easily¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 135 ¡ª¨C After the entire situation was over, Takeshi and Laura were already woken up, so Takeshi ended up helping us catch a lot of fish, which we quickly grilled and seasoned with some salt and herbs. We then served it to everyone with us to fill up their bellies. There were many people with us, I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll even be able to feed them for very long without reaching the goblin vige yet, but it seems we are very close. I had already reached the vige with some of my snake clones which moved through the night, and things were doing alright. Everyone was safe, which made me very relieved. I had decided to forget what happened this morning and start anew with my friends, as I didn¡¯t want them to get angry with one another and forge a rivalry that would only destroy our great friendship, so I gathered them all while our caravan was moving, and decided to talk it out with them. ¡°So because of that, I would want to start again. Let¡¯s forget this morning¡¯s incident, and let¡¯s all be friends with one another as we had always been, alright?¡± I said with a gentle smile. I held Partner and Emeraldine¡¯s hands with my own while I used my snake tail to hold Lucifer¡¯s hand. All three of them sighed as they nodded faintly. ¡°I agree, I went a bit overboard there¡­ I don¡¯t want to remember such an incident anymore, so¡­ I am sorry, deeply sorry¡­ E-Especially to you, Maria. I shouldn¡¯t have acted as I did¡­.¡± Lucifer apologized. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. As long as you¡¯re sorry, we are all good!¡± I said with a gentle smile. Lucifer suddenly blushed a bit. He was showing more and more emotions as time went by, and now he was being less cold and tsundere than before. ¡°Thanks,¡± He said while nodding. ¡°I-I am deeply sorry too, Maria! I shouldn¡¯t have done something so unsightly to you¡­.¡± Emeraldine kneeled before me and asked for forgiveness. I petted her head gently. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s okay, as long as you get it,¡± I said. ¡°T-Thank you for being so nice with me¡­.¡± She sighed as her eyes suddenly glowed with bright yellow-gold light. ¡°Sorry, Master¡­ I got a bit angry there¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have threatened everyone with my spear,¡± Sighed Partner, as she was currently cleaning her spear with a leather towel like she often does every morning. ¡°Alright, alright~ We are all good then! Now, let¡¯s just enjoy the trip back to town, okay? I sent some snakes to the Goblin Vige, and they said that things were doing okay. Nothing bad has happened,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s a relief to hear! I can¡¯t wait to meet the Goblins again. There were a lot of people there too. I wonder if some of them are still there and didn¡¯t leave,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°The Goblins are nice people. I can¡¯t wait to get there too¡­!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess I miss them,¡± Muttered Lucifer. He had grown fond of the children, which he often took care of and let them y over his big dragon body. He had grown so fond of them he even got titles from it. ¡°And I can¡¯t wait to meet Gofumin-chan again! That adorable little goblin girl must be missing me so much¡­ I will make sure to give her lots of gifts when we get there!¡± I said. ¡°Gofumin?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Gofumin is the adorable little daughter of the Goblin Chief, which we just call Chief. She¡¯s an adorable little cutie pie,¡± I said. ¡°Ooh, I wonder how small the goblin children are,¡± Said Laura. ¡°They¡¯re small like this¡­!¡± Said Partner, as she showed that they were around a meter tall. ¡°So small?!¡± Eximed Laura. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re tiny little babies. When they grow up into adults, they be taller, of course, but the tallest adult was the chief at a meter and a half. Well, that changed after they evolved into Hobgoblins thanks to our help, but I don¡¯t know how much they had changed since then,¡± I said. ¡°I see¡­ How big are Hobgoblins?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°They are probably around your size, kids,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that still small, though?!¡± Shouted Laura once again. ¡°Ah¡­ Well, yeah¡­ Even as Hobgoblins, they¡¯re still not the tallest race, but they are slender and more flexible with taller bodies!¡± Exined Emeraldine. ¡°Goblins are good at using all sorts of tools. They¡¯re the perfect jack of all trades and master of none! There were crafters, healers, and so on within them. We had to just nurture them and let them level up to awaken their innate talents. By merely evolving into Hobgoblins, some even gained Job-like races such as Hobgoblin Warrior and gained weapon techniques as skills,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Wait, now that I think about it¡­ Jobs! I had brought this when I was assaulting the entire duchy¡­ Look at this baby,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?! That¡¯s¡­! It can¡¯t be!¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Oh yes, it is!¡± I said. ¡°You stole that, Maria?!¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°I sure did!¡± I said. ¡°Now everyone will be able to change Jobs, well done, master,¡± Said Partner, as she petted my head. ¡°B-But how did you get that?!¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Yeah! H-How?!¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Fufu¡­! While I was making a fuss in the duchy back then, I had stolen a lot of goods, and I had infiltrated into the adventurer guild sneakily and stole the Job-changing Orb thing which they used for it. With this, we¡¯ll help everyone change Jobs if they want to,¡± I said pridefully. Indeed! I had stolen this precious little thing from them for the moment. I am sure they can replenish itter on, so I don¡¯t have to worry about them. I had also stolen many other stuff I found in that ce. No hard feelings, but I am already a pickpocket, so I might as well steal people, right? I did feel a bit bad because of the people working there being very good, but there was no point in holding back even if I knew they were nice, and it¡¯s not like I stole directly from them anyways¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 136 ¡ª¨C ¡°With this fantastical orb of wonders, I will boost the power of all the Goblins and also the former ves living there by the power of Jobs¡­ Also, everyone will be able to specialize even further into what they¡¯re good at. I am sure even Gofumin will make good use of a Job,¡± I said. ¡°Wow¡­ Indeed! I remember that she said she wanted to be an Adventurer, didn¡¯t she?¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°Yep! She wants to be an Adventurer and hunter like her mother¡­ So we¡¯ll help her out in fulfilling her dreams by training her out, if possible. Even if she¡¯s a small little baby girl that only deserves hugs and kisses,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re very fixated with her!¡± Said Partner rather jealously. ¡°W-What? Well¡­ She¡¯s so cute¡­ I feel like she¡¯s my little adoptive daughter!¡± I said. ¡°W-What about us?¡± Asked Takeshi sorrowfully. ¡°Well, I am not that childish to want such a thing¡­.¡± Said Julia. Her mental age was higher than Takeshi¡¯s. ¡°Takeshi, you¡¯re also my little baby boy!¡± I said as I held him with my arms. He got embarrassed suddenly and tried to jump out of my embrace. ¡°O-Okay¡­ let me go! I don¡¯t want this¡­!¡± He cried. ¡°Fufu, didn¡¯t you want to be a baby?¡± I asked. ¡°N-No!¡± He cried. ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡± I sighed while giggling. As I chatted around with my friends in the caravan, I was inspecting the people of the vige using the snakes I sent there. There were around four of them, and they were using Stealth and other abilities to conceal their presence. The goblins were doing fine, a big group of them had just hunted down three boars, and they were roasting them. The entire tribe was sitting around it and preparing other food too. Also, they still had the vegetables and fruits I left for them. They¡¯re good at keeping it and distributing food slowly, I see. There were some of the former ves that were gone by now, and they had most likely decided to go back home, while a few humans, dwarves, elves, and so on were still there, working on their own. They had made more tents for them, but it¡¯s not as if they had changed their entire ce drastically or something. I stealthily moved around the vige, and I spread two snakes around the outskirts of the vige while another two went inside to explore. I was looking for Gofumin. Suddenly, I found her, she was almost the same as before, but was with two other friends, and they were grilling three rabbits which they had butchered just and looked hungry. The little green-skinned baby girls were already able to cook by themselves. It seems that the chief taught her well. ¡°Uwah, Gofumin-chan!¡± I said, as I tried to move near her, but suddenly an arrow hit my snake body. CLASH! ¡°Uagh! C-Careful there, idiot!¡± ¡°A-A snake! Kill it!¡± A kid had fired an arrow at me and seemed concerned. The three girls near me quickly panicked, and my reencounter with Gofumin came to an abrupt end. ¡°Gyaaah!¡± ¡°S-Snake?!¡± ¡°Snake!¡± CLASH! My entire snake body was crushed by the girls¡¯ feet and their wooden spears as I dissipated into a phantom. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°W-What was that?¡± ¡°A ghost snake!¡± Shouted Gofumin in surprise. She guessed it right. I was still looking over them through another snake hiding around town, so it was all within my grasp even if you have in one of me, hehehe! However, suddenly, something startled me. As everyone enjoyed their meals in the vige, my two other snakes inspecting the outskirts of the forest around the vige suddenly caught something terrible. By expanding the senses of my snakes, I was able to see, hear, and smell from very far away and easily discern a group of people just around 60 meters away from the vige. There were around 30 of them! W-What is the meaning of this?! They looked like mercenaries mixed with adventurers, and some weak-looking dudes were leading them¡­ Wait, I am pretty good at remembering faces. Aren¡¯t those the ves we rescued from the Necromancer? ¡°Yeah, right there¡­! The goblins that had been killing the adventurers that had disappeared live there!¡± ¡°C-Careful! There is some Undead guarding the ce¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you promised that you¡¯ll pay us if we give them to you, right?¡± They were a trio of idiot nobodies whose names I don¡¯t even remember, but I do remember their stupid andmon-looking faces. To think the ves we rescued would end up selling us! I was careless. I should have left some insurance so these bastards wouldn¡¯t have tried to backstab us¡­! Two suspicious-looking fellows were leading the group of over 30 people. One of them looked more like a bandit, as he was a bald dude with a big scar on his face, wearing animal leather and carrying a gigantic ax infused with a lot of magic power. It was actually a powerful Magic Weapon. The guy looked like a bandit, but he was a strong motherfucker. I could clearly feel his presence, and he wasn¡¯tparable with Elderlight, but he was easily a man at around B-Rank! And at his side, there was a Priest. Indeed, there was a Priest from the church with them, apanied by another four priests and priestesses. They carried pouches with holy water and staves infused with holy magic. They seemed to have teamed up with the mercenaries and adventurers contracted for this extermination task to get rid of my Undead! Using Inspect, I discovered the bandit-like guy was named Leon and had the title of ¡°the Beast Hunter¡± while the Priest leading the group of the church was named Eric, with the title of ¡°yer of Evil¡±¡­ Seriously?! You¡¯re packing way too much strength toe to y some little goblins! The priest was around B-Rank too in power, and the entire group amounted to a mix of D-Ranks and C-Ranks¡­ although the majority were D-Rank, they came with weapons covered in spells made by the priest, which actually dealt extra damage to Majin and Undead¡­ damn bastards! I have to get there quickly then! ¡ª¨C Chapter 137 ¡ª¨C ¡°Kukuhahaha! I can¡¯t wait to get there. It¡¯s gonna be a lot of fun! Been a while since I¡¯ve in a few of these green-skinned vermin. They¡¯re like annoying cockroaches that suck up to nearby viges and stealthily hunt down the people¡­ these damn bastards don¡¯t deserve any mercy!¡± Roared Leon. He seemed to have a grudge against Goblins in specific¡­ What is he? Goblin yer or something?! ¡°I have to uphold the justice of the Light God against the Evil God¡¯s pawns. It has been a long time since we had such a hunt like this. These vicious monsters had been hiding well, but now we¡¯ll finally serve justice to all these innocent people in by them¡­ I hope they can rest in peace in the embrace of the Light God¡¯s holy light,¡± Sighed Eric. Can¡¯t you be more clich¨¦?! Why are all priests like this idiot? And what do you mean innocents? I am pretty sure my Undead slew these pesky Adventurers trying to hunt the goblins because they obviously wanted to kill innocent people! I guess there¡¯s no point in arguing with these idiots that don¡¯t know a single thing and see Majin the same as monsters, which is a big and fat lie. Majin are not monsters! Goblins are nice and cute small people, and I am going to defend them with my life on the line- well, my death on the line! I had already told my friends about them, and we were currently moving across the sky at an incredible speed. We left the Caravan to be guarded by several Undead I had already summoned there, so they should be fine for now. I even left them with big snake clones too! I decided to bring everyone inside my Shadow Storage and fly towards the Vige incredibly fast. I wished I could use Summon with the snake clones to summon myself there, but I really can¡¯t. This Skill is too special to be used by small and weak clones, sadly. I had taken my friends into my Shadow Storage while also having a group of Undead I had risen from all the soldiers we fought the previous days. Although I had sacrificed a bunch to kill even more soldiers, these dead soldiers were made into Undead too. Their torn apart corpses were repurposed into materials, and through the usage of Fake Life and then spamming Undead Healing, I was able to regenerate and stick back the corpses, makingpetent Undead again. This is the wonderful power of Undead Healing and Fake Life. Even if my Undead are torn into pieces, I can always bring them back up, although the more they regenerate back, the more horrendous they look. The ones I have as of now resemble horrible chimera creatures¡­ I am not so proud of them, but they work as a good army anyways, and explosives! I rushed forward, taking the route of the forest, and rushing forward with all my might, straight towards the damn bastards. I had already ordered my Undead to guard the goblins and quickly intercept them and buy us as much time as possible, while I decided to use my snakes in the vige to alert the goblins. I fused them into a single snake and shapeshifted it into my small form, which looked like a little girl version of me with a snake tail¡­ not the proudest iteration of yours truly. I emerged in the middle of the entire celebration. ¡°EVERYONE, PAY ATTENTION!¡± I roared loudly. Everyone suddenly jumped out of their seats and looked at me as I floated atop the sky. ¡°W-Who is that?!¡± ¡°A snake girl?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°Wait! That voice¡­ Is she Lady Maria?!¡± The chief quickly recognized my voice. ¡°Guys! This is only one of my clones, but I came here because you¡¯re going to get attacked! A group of mercenaries and priests are rushing straight towards here. You have to move on quickly! I put some Undead to distract them, but they won¡¯tst long. They¡¯re too strong!¡± I shouted. ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Leave?¡± ¡°But we are enjoying the lunch¡­.¡± ¡°My tummy is empty¡­.¡± The chief quickly nodded and smacked the head of the guysining. ¡°You idiots, what are you waiting for?! Quickly grab your children and run! Leave everything behind. It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Shouted the chief. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Children,e here!¡± ¡°Nee-sama¡­¡± Gofumin rushed towards my clone, hugging me. ¡°Ah, Gofumin-chan, I missed you¡­ But this is not my real body. My real body ising here quickly to deal with the bad guys, okay? For now, let¡¯s guide the people out of here so we can make sure nobodyes after us,¡± I said. ¡°O-Okay!¡± Gofumin was carried in the arms of my little clone as I guided the people out of the town through a route that led to the ruins where the necromancer once lived. I nned to put all the people inside of there. Only death attribute users can open that ce anyway, so it¡¯s the perfect ce to save them. ¡°Come on, hurry! Quick!¡± Meanwhile, one of my snake clones, a small little one I had divided to keep track of the group of mercenaries and priests, watched over the enemy group as they marched forward. Suddenly, the group of Undead I had saved around here quickly emerged, confronting them. Leon and Eric smiled like sickos to this. ¡°Hehehe, there they are! Time to smash them to pieces!¡± Laughed Leon, raising his giant ax as it was infused withrge quantities of mana, making it resonate with a strong amount of energy¡­ Meanwhile, Eric and his priests seemed to unleash their holy light auras as they readied their attacks against my Undead. ¡°Come forth, you little Undead!¡± Laughed Leon as the Netherworld Beasts rushed forward, attacking with poisonous breaths, while the zombies fired bullets made of miasma¡­ My Undead was doing their best to buy time, but they were easily overpowered. The amazing movements and physical strength of Leon were admirable. He moved at an amazing speed and pace and was almost unstoppable. ¡ª¨C Chapter 138 ¡ª¨C My Undead was doing their best to buy time, but they were easily overpowered. The amazing movements and physical strength of Leon were admirable. He moved at an amazing speed and pace and was almost unstoppable. However, each time he slew one of my Undead, I made it explode using Undead Detonation from a long distance. The explosion of the Undead was strong and threw him away a few meters each time, but the priests werepetent, as they healed him andter on covered him with barriers alongside his allies, inhibiting the power of my Undead explosions. ¡°Be purified, lost souls!¡± Eric used several rays of holy light to burn through my Undead while protecting himself with a holy light barrier like it was nothing. With his attacks, the Undead were easily turned to ashes so they couldn¡¯t explode in time. The group I had was only about 20, so it wasn¡¯t nearly enough to even put a threat against them, especially because they were only C- and C+ Rank at most. Damn it! I am rushing here as fast as I possibly can¡­ Please, Undead, do your best! Meanwhile, I used my clone to guide the Goblins outside of the vige. Thest one finally left, and the group quickly rushed through the entire forest. They quickly made their way into the temple which then led to the hideout that the necromancer was using to save the people he had as ves. I know its not the best ce, but it still the safest there can be. I had to quickly bring them out of danger before it were to be toote. With Gofumin in my arms and the chief at my side leading the people, things were going smoothly. I think we might manage. Meanwhile, my main body was still rushing towards here, and I quickly decided to utilize more mana. I drank a dozen of Mana Potions, quickly making up an army of Ghost Snakes. They¡¯re not that strong anyway, but they can still be annoyingly formidable in such a big group. I grouped them all together and sent them off towards the enemy. They were faster than me due to being so small and rushed and spread across the forest, trying to quickly catch up to the Undead, distracting the damn Mercenaries and Priests. I had also decided to cut this army of hundreds in half, sending the other half towards the goblins and the other people led by my clone there, just as back up in case any monster show up and tries to eat the people while we are moving there. ¡°Gahahaha! It¡¯s useless!¡± CLASH! Leon sliced through another of my Undead. His massive ax easily sliced in half a monster the size of a wolf, which quickly exploded in front of his face, but he was mostly protected by the barrier of light, even if it shattered into pieces. He was somehow fine. That damn bastard was incredibly burly and muscr, and his defenses were phenomenal, more than Elderlight. I had inspected this guy¡¯s status in the meantime. He was packed with defense and offense-oriented Skills, which enhanced his physical power through the roof. He also had the ¡°Beast Axe Arts,¡± which were like an evolved form of Axe Technique, and he had things such as ¡°Earth-Shattering sh¡± and even ¡°Heaven-Piercing Crush,¡± which only made me grow more concerned, as this guy hasn¡¯t even shown these skills yet. He was someone really at B Rank in power. He was a Mercenary and also an Adventurer, an oddbination I never thought I would see¡­ I had read in the libraries and stuff that Adventurers already at B Rank were terrifying people to fight against. Their power was admirable, and they had polished their strength for years and years. Fighting Elderlight, someone with a threat level of B+ Rank, was already like a B-Rank Adventurer, and his power showed it. It took all three of us, including me, Emeraldine, and Partner, to barely take him down. I had evolved since that fight and my strength was definitely higher, but even then, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a strong dreadful feeling that it would be a hard fight. His muscles shone brightly before the sunlight, and his smile, filled with the desire to crush the innocent people I was protecting, only made my heart grow more restless. ¡°Be purified, unholy Undead!¡± FLASH! Meanwhile, although Eric was something like a discount version of Elderlight, it didn¡¯t mean he was less scary. His power over holy light was admirable. He was able to easily purify Undead in seconds. I think he was even more talented in this regard than Elderlight himself. Additionally, he came with another four priests who were almost at the B Rank threat level, and it was shown in their amazing magical power and cooperation. They allbined their magic together, sometimes into something called ¡°Combination Magic,¡± scary-sounding magic used by the priests to conjure spells with power way above them. With this magic, they conjured barriers that the explosions of my Undead would barely shatter, and with this magic, they also conjured strong healing spells capable of putting bones back together. Myst Undead was still fighting, evading attacks, and barely struggling, and my army of snakes was getting closer while I was lurking closer too. I had to travel over a kilometer by myself, so it was bound to take a few minutes. I couldn¡¯t help it! Meanwhile, my clone had already reached the temple and was getting closer to the Necromancer hideout. Just a bit closer, and we¡¯ll finally arrive there and put the people in a safe ce. However, before we could reach the hideout, something stopped us. ¡°W-What? Who are they?¡± ¡°P-People?¡± ¡°They¡¯re pale¡­.¡± ¡°S-Stand back!¡± ¡°Maria¡­ who are they?¡± Asked Gofumin looking at me with concern. In front of us, there were three figures, their features¡­ everything. I knew what they were¡­ Vampires. ¡°Kukuku, I knew they woulde here!¡± ¡°Good thing we followed those humans here.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ Time for a feast¡­.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 139 ¡ª¨C Against all my expectations, something had emerged before us that stopped us from advancing further. The people stood still, paralyzed in fear before these three figures. The power they emanated was clearly supernatural. The three pale-white-skinned and crimson-eyed people in front of us were smiling deviously. The auras they emanated were clearly not that of normal humans and their appearances faintly reminded me of the two other Vampires I had in, and also of Partner, if even by a little bit. The auras within their bodies resembled seas of crimson-red, where darkness was mixing within it. All three of them were clearly stronger Vampires than the ones I had in before. They were all¡­ B+ Rank, with the one in the middle being A Rank in threat-level. They were clearly capable enough of ying every single person here. The little Gofumin in the arms of my clone began to suddenly tremble in fear, as I felt she suddenly peed herself out of fear¡­ this broke my heart and made me quickly act without a shred of a doubt, I decided to not even speak with them. This clone was still able to do many things. Although it had a limited amount of Mana, I was going to do something I didn¡¯t want to do and borrow the mana of everyone here to fuel it to conjure Shadow Storage. In a split of a second, I expanded my shadows below this clone, as the people all around me quickly began to disappear inside. The Vampires wouldn¡¯t sit down and look as I took away the prey they wanted to enjoy, so the first one to attack, a Vampire man with short white hair and a pointy chin, rushed towards me. His Aura suddenly shaped itself as countless gigantic furious bats, flying towards us andpletely capable of tearing everyone to shreds if I were to let him. But of course, I wasn¡¯t going to let him. I am sorry, but I¡¯ll drain all of you dry of your Mana! I utilized Mana Siphon through this clone, and most of the people of the vige suddenly fell unconscious after having almost all their mana drained. Their minds might have grown exhausted to the point of cking out, but this was the only way to rescue them. FLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The massive swarm of deadly crimson-red aura-made bats with sharp fangs suddenly rained down into the dark shadow barrier I just created with many efforts, using Materialization to materialize it and make it as hard as possible. He was toote! The people were already inside my Shadow Storage, and now the trick was escaping with this clone into a safe ce! ¡°You¡¯re an interesting ghost!¡± CLASH! Suddenly, another one of the Vampires, a mature woman-looking Vampire with long blonde hair and one of her eyes being covered by a parch, emerged behind me and tried to crush me with a powerful kick. Her physical strength was incredibly admirable to the point the entire earth around us shattered wide open and left a massive crater in the shape of a spiderweb! I had managed to evade as I used Shadow Sneak with that clone and flew directly into her shadows, surprising her. ¡°My own shadows? You¡¯re a bold one!¡± However, as I realized something wrong was going to happen, I quickly decided to rush away, but my clone was suddenly grasped by her own shadows, as they shaped into deadly and monstrous beasts trying to catch me and devour me. Fuck! Are you kidding me?! The pain was rather nonexistent in my clone, but it still weakened it. If it grows weak enough, the Shadow Storage Skill will stop working, and the people will be summoned out! If that happens, they will all die against these monsters! I can¡¯t let this happen! My clone quickly cut her own legs and flew away, letting the shadows of the Vampire woman devour that other half, feasting on it as if they had the power of eating souls themselves¡­ who are these Vampires?! They¡¯re clearly way stronger than the Necromancer and the Scientist¡­ Ah, I see. I have been just fighting the nonbatants this whole time. This is why it was so easy to fight Vampires before. After all, you can¡¯t really expect a Necromancer or a Scientist/Alchemist to be the strongest the Vampires have to offer. It was foolish for me to ever think for a second that Vampires were beings that could be easily underestimated. I quickly tried to dive into the ground, and thankfully, my phantom clone was able to easily dive down into the underground and phase through it with ease. I simply had to get to it and do it. I also absorbed thest bits of Mana from the people, so they all had fallen unconscious now, even Gofumin. I felt horrible for having done this to them without previously asking them, and they might even suffer fever and other sicknesses in the future, but this was the only way for me to guarantee their safety, even if for a few seconds. I dived into the ground right away, but when I had already crossed five meters, a massive shockwave hit me directly. The entire earth opened wide before the might of that same Vampire woman. Her kicks and punches opened the entire ground looking for me. The entire ce began to fall apart as if she was shaping thepletendscape to her own liking. And, of course, this woman was also the A-Rank threat. ¡°You can¡¯t escape from me! Even in the underground, I can easily follow you!¡± Laughed the woman, apanied by the two sick-looking Vampire guys at each of her sides. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Her blows shattered the earth and everything around my clone. I gritted my teeth in desperation, trying to run away from her, but countless rubble began to fall wherever I went, apanied by the thunderous sounds of her feet hitting the ground. Crossing physical objects also cost mana. How long will I be able to run away from her before my fuel runs out?! Fuck, and my main body is still not here yet! ¡ª¨C Chapter 140 ¡ª¨C ¡°Bwahahaha! You¡¯re really good at running away, little ghost! I don¡¯t mind breaking apart this entire ce if we can get you out of the way, Maria Fuentes Belles or the Witch of Misfortune!¡± Laughed the Vampiress as she continued to break apart the ground looking for me. She was quite literally shaping the entire environment to her liking. I didn¡¯t know how she could do this so carefreely or how the heck will we ever be able to defeat this monster. I was most surprised at how it was possible for her to not be affected by the sunlight? The same with the other Vampires! The two I had previously defeated were susceptible to sunlight and always ran away from it or decided to move at night, but this was clearly day! While running away from her destructive blows and the magical attacks from her twockeys, the B+ Rank threats, I decided to inspect her information, finding out her name was Catarina Silverstone. Inparison, her twockeys were named Silvio Suarez and Francesco Hunter. These two bastards were firing magic at me constantly, cutting down my escape routes. At the same time, Catarina constantly unleashed powerful explosive blows into the ground, shattering it all. The entirendscape around the forest where the goblins were living was changed in just a few minutes since this chase started. She was recklessly breaking apart the ground. Several kilometers were already sunk into the underground as massive craters were left before her might. She could quite literally break apart a mountain if she wanted¡­ Is this the might of A-Rank threats?! She can even defeat those guys in the forest if she wanted- Wait a second, I just got an awesome idea! But can I even pull it off?! I¡¯ve been running away with this clone for way too far. Going back there would take even more time¡­ If only there was something to buy me time, but my main body is still a kilometer away, and I must secure the people¡¯s safety- Ah! And then I realized that my mind within the hundreds of snake clones I had sent here had finally arrived as well. The backup n I had designed was finally here! SPLASH! ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°W-What is that?!¡± ¡°Aghh! Snakes?!¡± The three Vampires were startled as a literal ocean of ghost snakes emerged, falling over them and beginning to bite them and entangle them! But knowing how strong they are, they will easily get out of this trouble with their strength. However, it was more than enough time for me to get the shit out of here with this clone! I grabbed a mana potion a snake had brought to me as I drank it and flew away. The three Vampires were beginning to massacre the snakes quickly after, as I made many of them detonate through Undead Detonation, which, funnily enough, worked on me to an extent, although not as powerful. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Although Catarina¡¯s strength was formidable, and she didn¡¯t even budge while being blown away with many explosions, the other two Vampire guys were being overwhelmed. I even managed to cut away tons of their flesh. Both of them were with missing limbs that didn¡¯t regenerate as I was bathing them with curses that temporarily stopped regeneration. I had also tried using the Gorgon Eyes against them, but it had very little effect if I conjured them through clones. They barely had enough power against Vampires who are so resistant to status effects, but if my main body were to take a look at them, then it might work. Nheless, it took them a few seconds to get rid of them as the wave of snake clones constantly fell over them from the pits left by theplete destruction that this damn Vampire whore had been leaving around the ce. ¡°Agh! Oi! Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± Roared Catarina, already way too far away from me. I was already several kilometers from her and was delving back into the forest, where I could actually find better areas to hide. I don¡¯t know if the Vampires would be willing to enter the territory of the Mercenaries and the Priests. They were clearly not allies, as they had simply followed them from behind. She began to follow me, but I quickly hastened my pace using my clone. My main body had also finally reached the inside of the forest, as I used several of my Stealth-based Skills to watch over them. The Undead I had sent at them were long gone, and they were marching towards the goblin vige, now empty. Suddenly, I finally reunited with my clone. ¡°Phew, you¡¯re finally here, me!¡± ¡°You too, you look like you¡¯re going to die any moment!¡± I said. ¡°Please give me a snack!¡± ¡°Okay, here.¡± I quickly fed my own clone with more of my phantom and mana and then quickly sent her off. I wish I could have brought my clone to my main body through Summoning, but it actually doesn¡¯t work on my clones. ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll keep the people safe, me!¡± ¡°You better do!¡± I flew with my clone far away through the underground. Now the clone was packed with a lot of Mana and even had equipped some items to enhance her stats and mana. With that, she should be able to handle fine, even more with the dozen of mana potions I threw at her¡­ Meanwhile, the swarm of Snakes had already reached Leon and Eric. The mercenaries, adventurers, and priests were swarmed by an army of many weak yet annoying ghost snakes, which they quickly began to kill, giving me more time to devise a strategy. And that was¡­ Should I escape or kill them? I already got the people secured, but these bastards will continue to pursue me, especially the Vampires! I don¡¯t want that overpowered Vampire woman toe at me all the time. She looks like she¡¯s a relentless bitch. Hmm¡­ I think I know how I can use Catarina¡¯s brute strength to my advantage. ¡ª¨C Chapter 141 ¡ª¨C Using the swarm of ghost snakes, I spied on Leon and Eric¡¯s team while they slew my clones easily. Leon¡¯s strength was formidable, his powerful ax easily destroyed my snakes, and they were left hopeless. Their poison, shadows, and other attacks barely affected them as he was being helped by Eric and the other priests with him, bringing healing, status effect recovery, and magic shields to the mercenaries and adventurers led by Leon. Meanwhile, using a sneaky snake ghost, I was ring down at Catarina and her two idiots. She was looking for me everywhere. The trio seemed to be able to float in midair like Vampires in fiction can. So I guess they can fly the same way I do as a ghost, naturally¡­ huh, that¡¯s kind of unfair. She was taking her sweet time, though. For some reason, she was trying not to get close to this group of mercenaries and priests. They were most likely told not to get involved with them and to only hunt me down if I escaped their grasp, which I did. So the Vampires and the Aristocrats of the Kingdom seemed to have some kind of alliance, although their own pawns didn¡¯t even know about it yet and were unaware of the other¡­ well, Catarina seemed clearly aware. Still, she wasn¡¯t given the order to interact with them or interrupt them, most likely. So strong, yet she¡¯s still ackey for the big bosses behind this entire thing¡­ what a waste of potential. ¡°Damn it! Where did she go?!¡± Shouted Catarina. She was a temperamental woman. Her entire wless and beautiful face was raging in pure and utter anger. She was hopelessly furious as if she had done something so foolish. Despite her strength, she had very loose control over her own temperament. I can see why she just broke apart most of thendscape. ¡°Catarina-sama, I think she went inside the forest¡­!¡± Said one of herckeys. ¡°Agh, but those idiots are there. We can¡¯t¡­ get there. ording to the boss,¡± Sighed Catarina. ¡°Should we retreat before they see us then?¡± Asked the other. ¡°No! I am not going to retreat! Are you crazy?! What if she beats them down?! We have to catch her! Let¡¯s watch over and see if she dies or not¡­ If she begins winning, we enter and quickly kill her for once¡­ She¡¯s a tough nut to crack, though,¡± Said Catarina. The two Vampires nodded at her words as she flew into the ground and hid beneath the shadows of the trees outside the forest, looking down into the interior of the forest for anything suspicious. ¡°If she survives, we¡¯ll follow her to the end of the world, did you hear me?¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± The twockeys nodded fearfully. Her words were strong and firm. Despite that, she didn¡¯t realize one of my clones carrying all the people had already run away very far from here. And¡­ I could quite possibly do the same as well, but if she notices I ran away, she¡¯ll look for me everywhere¡­ It would be better to just crush her here and now and get a ton of EXP out of it. She¡¯s an A-Rank threat. After all, she¡¯ll surely give some tasty EXP¡­ I am a B+ Rank threat myself in power¡­ but I can clearly exceed that if I use all the powers within my disposition. I had already umted tons of magic crystals from monsters I had stolen from the duchy back then, so I can use them to enhance the Unit Cards of my allies within my Soul Grimoire and enhance their stats. Or even more, consume them to fuse with them temporarily and gain part of their power¡­ I am not in this without ns or ways of fighting¡­ however, even with all of this taken into consideration, this woman is fearfully strong. I cannot fight her with distractions such as a bunch of other B+ Ranks annoying the hell out of me. So I n to deal with these idiots in the forest, at least the weaklings first, and probably lure the other idiots close to the Vampiress, provoke her, and ¡°identally¡± make her¡­ well,mit an oopsie against these guys. Wouldn¡¯t it be for the best in this regard? Although she would end up with all the EXP instead¡­ Wait, can we take down Leon and Eric by ourselves? ¡­I think it could be possible if I take down their small fry first. Which I am going to do right now. CLASH! ¡°Gahahaha! These snakes are stupidly easy to kill!¡± Laughed Leon. His Axe was shining brightly with the power of his strong techniques. He was able to shatter the earth beneath his feet and slice through dozens of trees with his powerful moves. ¡°[Purification Ligh]t! [Heavenly Domain]!¡± Eric shouted as he unleashed light around him and shot powerful rays of light that purified the snakes into nothingness. The other priests also worked hard and did their very bests, fighting off my snakes and defeating them with ease. Their holy light was very strong against my little tiny snakes¡­ but that was fine. I was just buying them time. ¡°How odd¡­ I don¡¯t get any EXP from them,¡± Pointed out an adventurer. ¡°Me neither¡­!¡± Said a mercenary. ¡°Indeed, what kind of monster doesn¡¯t give EXP?¡± Asked Eric. Even the priest was immersed into this world with its RPG rules I guess, so even he wondered where the heck the EXP was at. Well, my clones don¡¯t give EXP because they¡¯re technically just a part of my body. ying it won¡¯t give EXP unless you actually defeat the real deal, me. And they had yet to even do that. I sneaked around them and used Stealth-based abilities. My eyes suddenly glowed brightly as the snake-headed tips of my hair opened their eyes as well¡­ The weak adventurers and mercenaries of all appearances, sizes and sses suddenly felt a strange power bathing their bodies. Even the weaker Priests felt this power bathing them, and even their strong barriers were nothing against them. The eyes of a Gorgon! ¡ª¨C Chapter 142 ¡ª¨C The weak adventurers and mercenaries of all appearances, sizes and sses suddenly felt a strange power bathing them. Even the weaker Priests felt this power bathing them, and even their strong barriers were nothing against them. The eyes of a Gorgon. ¡­ [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv1] A deadly set of eyes, each eye has the power of inflicting a deadly curse. Each has the power of Hypnosis, Confusion, Paralysis, Lethal Poison, and Petrification. Ovepping these powers will ensure your opponents can¡¯t escape your phantasmal and deadly embrace. The intensity of each Eye power is enhanced with each Level, and Resistance Skills against status effects can be slightly overpowered the higher the level of the Skill. Certain entities can resist this greater than others. Hypnosis: Causes a target to temporarily feel hypnotised by your powers and beauty, being able to obey simplemands the more Mana and power you infuse into this eye. Confusion: Can temporarily confuse a target¡¯s thoughts and throw their minds intoplete chaos, disrupting their thought process and fighting capabilities. Paralysis: Can Paralyze a target¡¯s body parts temporarily. Limbs of a target can be paralysed separately from one another and so on. Lethal Poison: Inflicts a deadly lethal poison that temporarily eats away at the foe¡¯s HP. Petrification: Unleashes a deadly light that forces the skin of a foe to petrify, slowing down their movements. At higher levels, more than just skin can be petrified¡­ ¡­ After my recent evolution into a Gorgon Ghost, I gained various powers, and one of them was these powerful Five Cursed Eyes, which I can summon through the other eyes of my snake-headed hair. Using their aid and my own two eyes, I unleashed a shing ray of ck and purple colours towards them. Leon and Eric were very strong. Their resistance to status effects was good enough that they realised my sneak attack and even targeted me where I was hiding. However, their reaction time was slow anyways. The other guys were already being bathed by my strong status effects! Severe Poisons began to eat away at their HP as they struggled to breathe and felt intoxicated. Paralysis paralysed their bones and muscles and made them fall over the ground powerlessly. Hypnosis and Confusionbined together, attacking their sanity and minds, making them scream in agony. Andstly¡­ Petrification. Petrification acted rather quickly, as their entire bodies were covered in stone, and more than half of them fell and became living statues. Some even broke apart into pieces when they fell over the floor. Good. ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Uuaggh¡­!¡± ¡°Agghh! My head!¡± ¡°I-I am¡­ turning into stone?! W-What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°W-Who is doing this?!¡± Shouted Eric, as the other priests used Antidote Spells to heal some of the people who had yet to die, although many of them still ended up being half-petrified, barely moving properly. One of the priests ended up being turned into stone right away, as he lost bnce and fell over the floor, breaking apart into pieces and dying on the spot. ¡°D-Damn it! I can sense someone there!¡± Leon said as he suddenly charged his axe with an immense amount of Mana. His muscles bulged and were enhanced several times as he utilised a powerful Skill against me and fired his axe towards my direction! ¡°Earth-Shattering Tomahawk!!!¡± FLAAAAASSSHHHH!!! Fuck! I have to get out of here! I quickly deactivated the eyes of the gorgon and dived deep underground. As the axe hit the ce right where I was, breaking apart the earth and making a massive tremor, the entire ce shook as if an immense earthquake consumed it all. TRUUUUMMMM!!! The shockwaves it generated hit me from behind, quickly diminishing my HP at a fast pace and almost killing me several times if it wasn¡¯t for me spamming Undead Healing on myself countless times! I can already imagine that if that thing were to hit me, I would have just died! Right on the spot! That was close, way too close! The friends inside my shadows were eager to fight, as I had already cut down the small fry out of their group and only Leon, Eric, and three Priests were left. With the surviving Mercenaries and Adventurers being knocked out unconscious, it was the right time to attack and finally fucking smash them to the ground¡­ or should I? Why would I risk myself like this when there is Catarina looking at me fighting? I would rather not do that yet, and instead¡­ ¡°That¡¯s a nice weapon you got there!¡± I said as I grabbed the axe that Leon threw at me. The Axe suddenly opposed my power as I tried to wield it. It emanated a powerful golden glow from within, but I epassed it with my shadows and devoured whatever will it had to oppose me. The amazing weapon was indeed a Legendary item, most likely found in the depths of some sort of Dungeon that Leon had explored in the past. Well, now¡¯s mine. I had begun to think that Pickpocket might be helping me in stealing these weapons with ¡°wills¡± of their own¡­ Anyways, Leon, Eric, and the other survivors looked at me with surprise. They didn¡¯t know who I was. After all, they came to y goblins, not a ghost woman. ¡°Huh? W-Who are ya?! Give me back my axe!¡± Roared Leon. ¡°Oh? This thing? Well, it¡¯s gone.¡± I said as the entire axe disappeared from my Inventory. ¡°W-What¡­? My axe!!!¡± Roared Leon in anger. ¡°Leon, that¡¯s a ghost! Be careful! Let¡¯s y it together!¡± Shouted Eric. ¡°GRAAAAAAHHH!!!¡± Leon roared. His aura suddenly was unleashed as a sea of powerful red energy surged from his body, flowing through the entire ce and flooding everything with his raging fury. BOOOMMM!!! His aura emanated a strong pressure, enough to even intimidate me. I quickly began to fall back as he began rushing at me while the priests followed him from behind. Catarina and the other Vampires quickly noticed my presence once more, looking attentively as I slowly approached them. ¡°W-Wait, is sheing at us?!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll kill her!¡± ¡°No, Catarina-sama, you can¡¯t! Those mortals¡­!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck anymore! If they get in the way, they¡¯ll die too!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 143 ¡ª¨C I stole Leon¡¯s axe! Hahaha! And after stealing it, I showed to his face how I made it disappear into my Inventory, just to spite him! This only caused the old man to get even more furious, to the point he tried to kill me. They came to kill goblins, not a strange girl that could fly and was weirdly phantasmal, but Eric quickly told Leon that I was a ghost, so it was fair now. They were going to kill me without a doubt. ¡°Give me¡­ back¡­ MY AXE!!!¡± Leon roared as if he became the incarnation of strength, rushing forward with all the power he had. He began to devastate the trees around me and rushed towards me. He didn¡¯t even need an axe; he was beating trees with his bare hands. What kind of monster was this man?! Certainly, a very resilient one because there is another gori I want to present to you! Just wait a little bit longer! I looked behind him as I evaded his attacks without any problem. Eric and his priests were rushing right behind Leon, charging some incantation. They probably wanted to exorcise me or something. Not happening, buddy, you can¡¯t even catch me, and you think you¡¯ll exorcise me? I reached the outskirts of the forest in an instant. I looked around and quickly found three figures in the sky, only a few meters above me, ring down at me with their sharp crimson-red eyes. ¡°There you are¡­ Maria! You¡¯re a sneaky little whore!¡± Shouted Catarina. She was furious that I had been sneaking around without her being able to catch me all this time. Having invested in my Stealth build was really worth it now. Ghosts are truly the best in this regard! ¡°Hello Catarina, you¡¯re looking as radiant as ever!¡± I said. ¡°Y-You know my name?!¡± She asked in shock. ¡°I know a lot, even your family, I know even your mother and your father! I know a lot!¡± I said. ¡°W-What? You do?!¡± Shouted Catarina in shock. Of course, I was just bluffing, but talking about a mother and father was always going to scare someone because everyone had a mother and a father. Even orphans could think you¡¯re talking as if you know the parents they never saw. It is a cheap tactic, but it works. ¡°Yes, I know about them! Wanna know more about what I know? Eh?¡± I asked whileughing. ¡°Y-You bitch! I won¡¯t let you go if you know about them!¡± She roared. I think I tickled something sensitive in her. ¡°Wait, Catarina-sama, don¡¯t be reckless!!!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The twockeys at her side tried to stop her, but it was toote! She rushed right towards me with the intention of crushing my little and tiny body. ¡°RRAAAA!¡± The power of her magic aura epassed her entire body as her muscles began to throb with powerful quantities of mana. The power of this mana was rushing through her veins and muscles at an incredible speed, boosting all her capabilities in the process. She was using one of her Skills named ¡°Blood Aura¡± for that, which enhanced all her physical abilities by infusing it into her body. She wasn¡¯t proficient in magic; she was really just a fist and kick fighter made into a Vampire with A-Rank threat¡­ truly a terrifying gori woman. ¡°YOUUUU¡­!¡± And right while this was happening, Leon reached me. As if that axe meant his entire life and was like his own father and motherbined at the same time, he reached up to me furious. His muscles had bulged so much he gained double his original size. This was thanks to his special Skill named [Berserk Mode], which temporarily made him lose his sanity in exchange for increasing his stats exponentially. BOOOMMM!!! His powerful fists hit the trees around, blowing them away. Two giant goris flew towards me at the same time, while the Vampires were covering the other areas with their strange magic and powers. Meanwhile, Eric was right behind Leon. So what do I do?! I escape! Retreat! I unleashed all my stealth abilities, coated myself in shadows, and flew down into the underground at a fast speed. BOOOOOMMM!!! The impact of Catarina and Leon¡¯s blows hit the ground where I was, as the two impacts shed against one another, and they looked at one another in confusion, but also while being consumed in anger. Meanwhile, I dug deep underground and continued to fly down as fast as possible while absorbing mana from all the wildlife underground around here. Mostly earthworms, which died the moment I drained all their life and mana, turned into dried sticks of worm meat. I nced at the fight using the sneaky snake spies I had left around. ¡°Who the heck are you?!¡± Roared Leon, looking at the vampiress. ¡°You damn humans! You dare get in my way? I was told not to touch you, but you¡¯re incredibly annoying! I will y you and drink your blood real quick, so sit down and die!¡± Roared Catarina. She waspletely nuts. ¡°B-But Catarina-sama, stop!!!¡± Cried one of the other Vampires. ¡°We¡¯ll get punished if we kill the humans!¡± Shouted the other Vampire. ¡°I am not in the mood to care about measly little humans now¡­ This puny will man is no challenge for me-¡± BOOOMMM!! Leon, however, attacked, giving Catarina a good punch in the face. She was blown away into the distance at an incredible speed, flying into the air and then falling over the ground, shing over the floor and breaking and cracking the stone, leaving several spiderweb-shaped cracks all around her. ¡°Unngh¡­! You dare punch me in the face?!¡± She angrily shouted. ¡°You¡¯re Vampires! To think that there would be such a pest around here! Priest Eric, we have to y them quickly! Also, Vampires fetch an amazing prize if we bring their corpses to the Guild! I am going to be rich and buy a new axe instead!¡± Laughed Leon. He was an opportunistic man. ¡ª¨C Chapter 144 ¡ª¨C Eric was shocked. Well, the priest wasn¡¯t shocked because of the amazing power of hispanion. He already seemed to know that this guy was a monster from the get-go. Even though I had never heard of him before, the other priests around him were also shocked, but not of the strength of Leon nor the catastrophe he left behind, even less because he was chasing me down while I swiftly evaded every attack he threw at me. He was amazed because of another obvious reason. And this reason was the Vampires! Eric¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about him, but he seems to not have seen Vampires before. He felt fearful of their very presence, unlike the bold and strong Leon, who seemed fearless against death. He was more of a ¡°normal¡± human, so he felt fear when he saw what he saw. Not going to lie. I would also shit myself if I saw three Vampires. But well, I am a ghost, so I didn¡¯t. ¡°V-Vampires! Here?! We already saw a ghost woman¡­ is this entire forest cursed? Wait, is this vige of goblins? There¡¯s nothing! Ah! Could it be? Were they eaten by the vampires?!¡± Shouted Eric in horror, looking at the blood-covered Vampires, whose blood was actually their own, which they used to attack. They ended up covered in their own blood that way, weird, right? But that¡¯s how ridiculous these fellows are. Leon noticed that Eric was going insane over it and pped him in the face. ¡°Priest Eric, get your shit together!¡± Leon shouted, pping the priest. The priest¡¯s eyes quickly opened wide in horror as he looked at the Vampires. ¡°If we let them kill us, that¡¯s it. We¡¯ll be over!¡± He shouted again. Well, yeah, sherlock, you¡¯ll die if you¡¯re killed. ¡°We have to y these Vampires¡­ in the name of the god of light, my lord,¡± Said the priests. ¡°Indeed!¡± Said another. ¡°But can we¡­?! Agh! There is no time to think such things. We must hurry and y them for good¡­ with the power of holy light. We can y them!¡± Shouted Eric as he quickly took out some blue pills from his pocket and ate them, enhancing his mana regeneration and recovering a lot of mana too. ¡°Let¡¯s do it¡­!¡± Shouted Leon. He also ate these pills. I would guess they were an easier way to drink mana potions¡­ let¡¯s call them mana pills. The other three Vampires quickly gathered together once more. Theckeys of Catarina flew to help her out but only received her fists as they were thrown away helplessly. This gori woman didn¡¯t want any help from them. In fact, she was extremely battle junkie-like, something you¡¯ll never expect of a Vampire, who are supposed to be refined and all of that crap, right? I guess because she¡¯s kind of an Elite, they let her be as crazy as shees. And our n? Well, our n is simple. We are going to stay here and watch them kill each other, and after that, we¡¯ll pick up whoever survived in the end! That¡¯s my master n, not doing anything! It was very convenient that these two idiots confronted one another, so let¡¯s see how the battle turns out. Leon was surprisingly strong even without his damn ax and punched Catarina into the distance with utmost ease. I believe there might be a chance for him to win. Maybe¡­ if hebines the holy light of priest Eric with his powerful blows, there might be a chance. But then again, Catarina quickly recovered the HP she lost. She was a monster amongst monsters and a Vampiress to boot. Her regeneration speed was outstanding, even cutting her in half might not kill her as she¡¯ll just grow a new pair of legs. And this was exactly why the Vampires were tough to kill. I had in two of them because they were actually weak ass idiots, but this woman is different. She had actually trained herself and had reached the limits of strength that Vampires are able to reach,pletely surpassing humanmon sense. Her strength is capable of shaping the whole continent. Come on. She¡¯s just insane. But Leon is just as insane of a man¡­ Two monsters. A tigress against a lion¡­ who will win? I was spectating this with a smile. Although the situation was dire as hell, I couldn¡¯t help but feel motivated while looking at this. ¡°You¡¯re dead¡­.¡± Catarina said, flying towards Leon in an instant. Her Blood Aura epassed her entire body, shaped as a groaning and angered wolf rather than the tigress I see her as. ¡°ROOOOARRRR!!!¡± The massive Wolf made out of her Blood Aura roared loudly as it epassed her entire body. Her strength was evolving once more and upgrading itself through the roof. She reached Leon and began to throw fists into his face right away. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°Unnggh¡­!¡± Leon was overwhelmed from the get-go, as the fists that Catarina was able to unleash were powerful and incredibly fast. He was left to her mercy as his face was twisting around in pain with each of her fists. Was this hopeless for him from the very beginning? Damn, psycho mercenary, I am cheering for you! ¡°RRAAA!¡± However, Leon quickly unleashed his aura, which was golden, the same color as the aura his axe had. Combining his muscle strength and his mastery inbat and then unleashing the various techniques and skills he had, he began intercepting Catarina¡¯s blows. The entire sky and earth shattered before their might, their shes cracking their surroundings. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Meanwhile, the three Priests and the other two Vampires looked at the scene in shock. Come on, do something too, youzy asses! Priests, kill the damn Vampires. They¡¯re right there! Eric was more intelligent and quickly got it. He began to gather magic and the man within him alongside his two surviving Priests, as the trio unleashed abined spell, abusing how the Vampires were just looking and doing nothing at all. FLASH! A massive beam of holy light reached one floating in the sky! ¡°Eh?!¡± BOOOOM!!! ¡ª¨C Chapter 145 ¡ª¨C Eric and his duo of priests were smart at the end. They gathered their magic and mana and unleashed abined spell, a destructive beam of holy light that was very straightforward but amazingly strong. By utilizing their power, they quickly unleashed this beam over one of the Vampires, who werezing around floating in midair,pletely in a daze as they admired the fight like they were watching some show on TV. Hey idiots, this is real life. Snap out of it! Of course, in the end, one of them was hit by the beam. He screamed in agony as his entire body was burned to a crisp. They seemed to be protecting themselves from sunlight by using some sort of special essory that conjured ayer of mana over their bodies that reflected the light from hitting their skin. However, this st of holy light wasn¡¯t going to abide by their rules. It easily pierced their protecting essory and impacted him directly. ¡°Eh?!¡± BOOOOOMMM!!! The Vampire could only say ¡°eh?¡± before it was sted into oblivion. His roasted body fell to the ground motionlessly as the other Vampire went insane. Catarina didn¡¯t seem to even pay attention to this, clearly showing how she didn¡¯t care about herrades. What a clich¨¦ evil girl, I like her already! She fills in all the checkmarks. Leon seemed to tease her as the two exchanged fists, kicks, and headbutts. ¡°Gahahahah! One of you down! That¡¯s a lot of money right there for me!¡± Laughed Leon. ¡°Hmph, why would I care about some flies?¡± Said Catarina, clearly angered at his provocation but not caring about the lives of her strong subordinates at all. Meanwhile, Eric sighed in relief with his priests. As they looked at the dead Vampire while sneaking around, they couldn¡¯t get closer because the vampire was left near the main fight. ¡°I-I think it¡¯s dead¡­.¡± Muttered Eric. ¡°Phew¡­ But we didn¡¯t get any EXP¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The priests pointed out something very important. Indeed, they didn¡¯t get any EXP because the Vampire wasn¡¯t dead yet. It took the hit head-on but didn¡¯t die and was actually slowly regenerating back to full health. This is how Vampires were. They had insane regeneration. In a few more seconds, he would stand up again and fly back to the priest and his friends. But that wasn¡¯t going to be the case because yours truly wille to the rescue! I flew upwards while ignoring the massive catastrophe going on between Catarina and Leon and caught the Vampire while it was slowly regenerating, as if in aatose. I quickly used my Death Skills and my powerful Death and Darkness Aura, merging several powers within me and the ability to manipte mana and magic, and generated a deadly phantasmal hand, grasping the weakened Vampire¡¯s soul and pushing it out of his body! ¡°¡­!¡± It couldn¡¯t even scream in agony because its entire body was charred, but the soul seemed very pained. It was fighting back not to get dragged out of its body, which would essentially mean one thing. DEATH! However, I was more relentless and malicious than it could have ever imagined. I pushed down the damn soul and grabbed it with all my strength. Its body was already too weak to resist, and then¡­! ¡°AAGGH¡­!¡± The soul cried in agony now, as it had been taken away from his body. An influx of EXP reached me right after that. It worked excellently. I had killed him! Talk about stealing the kill¡­ I am such a cheater! ¡°Aaggh¡­! Uuuaaggh¡­! It hurts! I am burning! Burning!¡± The man cried. He seemed to have grown traumatized as he was burned alive by the holy light of the priests¡¯ attack. Suddenly, as I decided to drag him down with me so he wouldn¡¯t interfere or something, I realized the core of his soul was zing with bright red light¡­ what was this? ¡°It burns so much¡­ I don¡¯t want to die! It hurts so badly! Auuaaagggh¡­! Aaaggghhh!!!¡± The Vampire man continued to cry. This guy¡¯s name was Silvio, and he ended up dying so painfully that he got traumatized after death. ¡°Silvio! Calm down for once! Hey, snap out of it!¡± ¡°Uuggh¡­! Aghhh¡­! F-Fire¡­! It burns!¡± He said. Ugh, moving on, I watched as the fight continued. Above the surface, the priests checked out the corpse using some spells that enhanced their eyesight, making sure that the vampire was dead for sure. They sighed in relief. They thought that it didn¡¯t give any EXP because of some curse it might have or some technique it was put into ce, so even while being in, it wouldn¡¯t give EXP. There are such things nowadays. I didn¡¯t know that. ¡°He¡¯s dead, well, it doesn¡¯t matter then¡­.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°But what about the other Vampire- AGH!¡± SPLAT! However, right after that, one of the priests bit the dust as a fist pierced his chest. The other Vampire guy who survived and saw his friend die emerged behind them instantly. This guy was named Francesco, and he was the ck-haired one. He pierced the chest of the only priestess left as she vomited a mouthful of blood. Damn! He was merciless even against the damsels. That¡¯s not how vampires are¡­ wait, it is. ¡°N-No! Rosetta!¡± ¡°Rosetta!¡± Eric and a guy, the two priests left, cried as they saw the girl die miserably. ¡°A-Aggh¡­¡± The girl¡¯s despairing eyes looked at her master and her friend as she closed her eyes and died in that instant. Well, I killed her. I dragged her soul down before she were to close her eyes and got the EXP hehe. ¡°Y-You damn¡­ bastards! You dare kill¡­ my friend¡­ My brother! Silvio¡­! SILVIOOOOOO!!!¡± Francesco rushed forward in pure rage. His entire body was suddenly covered in an aura made up of shadows in the shape of countless bats. His roar made the entire floor tremble. He moved at an incredible speed befitting of a B+ Rank threat! Eric gritted his teeth alongside hisst priest. The two were ready to fight back! ¡ª¨C Chapter 146 ¡ª¨C ¡°S I L V I O O O O O O O!!!¡± Francesco went into a blind rage as the Vampire seemed to be his best friend or something damn¡­ I am sorry for your loss, bro, but you got a whole life to live for now. You shouldn¡¯t charge recklessly against the ones that one-shot your friend so easily! ¡°Y-You damn demon!!!¡± Roared Eric. ¡°We¡¯ll burn you to death in the name of our God!¡± Roared the other priest. The two fueled their mana once more as they swallowed all the pills they had left. Their magic danced around their bodies as two powerful auras of bright holy light emerged around their bodies. Several magic circles emerged right after that, as the mana flowed into these magic circles and began to make them spiral around. Several wonderfully beautiful runes danced around as Francesco reached up to them before their magic could be unleashed. A st of holy light was fired, but it only damaged his stomach and sted away his left arm, but he gritted his sharp teeth and reached the weaker, younger priest. Eric opened his eyes wide in shock as he saw hisst disciple die horrendously as Francesco¡¯s aura emerged out of his body like thousands of bloodthirsty ck bats, opening their sharp jaws and tearing his entire body to pieces! ¡°Gyyyyaaaaaagggh¡­! Lord Eric!!!¡± ¡°Gustaaaav!¡± Eric cried in agony and horror as he saw hisstrade bite the dust. The Vampire was barely managing to keep up after the wound and was feasting on the young boy¡¯s corpse while sucking his blood for nourishment. Eric saw as his arm and part of his torso quickly began to grow back. However, Eric used this little opportunity to fight back with everything he had and tried to y this evil of the world. He began to pray to his god as a mark in the form of a cross emerged in the middle of his forehead, his entire body emanating a holy light aura! ¡°Oh god of light, bless me with your holy sanctification! DIVINE PUNISHMENT!¡± ¡°Nngh?!¡± Francesco tried to run away, but he suddenly felt as if gravity turned several times heavier all around him. His body fell over the floor, and his bones quickly started to crack, but that wasn¡¯t all. This wasn¡¯t actually some kind of gravity spell; no, the gravity was formed for something I had never seen anyone conjure before. A massive yellow-gold magic circle emerged above Francesco as what seemed to be the gigantic foot of a statue emerged, covered in golden paintings and essories. It rushed forward and fell over the Vampire, crushing him like a bug! TRUUUUMMMM!!! ¡°G-Guuuuaaaaaaaggggghh¡­!¡± Francesco groaned in agony as he was being squashed by the force of¡­ who the heck is this?! Wait, the god of light himself?! How talented is Eric? This guy can actually just summon a part of his god! The massive foot that was at least over 60 meters big crushed the entirety of the Vampire, squashing him down like a cockroach. But the entire impact was so immense that everything within a 100-meter radius began to crack open and fall. Eric himself couldn¡¯t bnce and also fell to the own demise his spell had caused. Everyone fell into the massive pit, the squashed body of Francesco included! BOOOOOOOMMM!!! Meanwhile, the gigantic foot stopped and suddenly retreated into the magic circle, as I managed to stick a ghost snake into it and send it inside the magic circle, which closed itself. Welp, that¡¯s my recon. However, the ghost I sent there was suddenly greeted by a massive amount of light and died instantly. Alright then, no recon. I thought I could see the god of light, but I was wrong. I swiftly moved around the underground. I dragged down Francesco¡¯s soul and then Eric¡¯s soul, killing both right away using my powers. Companions? Who needs that? I can just kill guys with one shot now! Well, only if they¡¯re extremely weakened and near death¡­ actually both survived in the end¡­ well, not anymore. Meanwhile¡­ Leon and Catarina continued to fight it off with all their might. Their blows shattered everything around as they saw that theirpanions had all died. ¡°D-Damn it¡­ the priests¡­!¡± Muttered Leon. ¡°Hahaha! Your stupid little priests died in the end!¡± Laughed Catarina. ¡°Nnggh¡­! They died honorably by taking down two of your pests from this world!!!¡± Roared Leon. Suddenly, all the golden power around his body was boosted through his Berserk Mode Skill to his very limits. He reached the apex of his strength, and in a single blow that Catarina had not expected, she received it out of nowhere. ¡°W-What?!¡± BOOOOOOMMM!!! The massive fist reached her chest and pierced it in an instant. A massive amount of flesh and blood came out of the incredible explosion, as the golden aura of Leon glowed the brightest at that moment. CLASH! Catarina fell over the floor, her entire body paralyzed by the horrendous wound, her spine was vaporized with that attack, and it couldn¡¯t move as her brain was not able to send messages to the rest of her body to move. Her eyes were barely open as she felt dizzy and about to die. Meanwhile, Leon stood still in silence. He died. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Unngh¡­ Aaagaggh¡­! D-Damn¡­ human¡­!¡± Catarina muttered these words as we suddenly emerged right in front of her. ¡°Surprise!¡± I said. ¡°Eh?! Y-Youuuuuu?!¡± She also noticed Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine at my side, all of them armed and readying their magic and techniques. She was defenseless and ready to die, served on a silver tter. ¡°N-No¡­! W-Wait!¡± She cried. ¡°Toote. You¡¯re already dead,¡± I said. ¡°NOOOOO!!!¡± She screamed in agony as we all began to gang on her. Her entire body was torn apart as her head was sliced into pieces, burned by Lucifer¡¯s breath, punctured by Partner¡¯s spear, and grilled by Emeraldine¡¯s holy light! ¡°GRYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH¡­!¡± BOOOOOMM!!! Her entire head exploded into pieces, and so did all her body¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 147 ¡ª¨C Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You gained 3600000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 1 to Level 2!] [Your Level has increased from Level 2 to Level 3!] [Your Level has increased from Level 3 to Level 4!] [Your Level has increased from Level 4 to Level 5!] [Your Level has increased from Level 5 to Level 6!] [Your Level has increased from Level 6 to Level 7!] [Your Level has increased from Level 7 to Level 8!] [Your Level has increased from Level 8 to Level 9!] ¡­ [Your Level has increased from Level 26 to Level 27!] [All your stats have increased!] [You learned the [Merciless Assassin: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [God of Light Nemesis: Lv1] Title Skill!] [Several Skills have leveled up] [Thanks to the effects of [Supreme Magic], some Magic-rted Skills have awakened into superior versions!] ¡­ I gained two new Title Skills, and both of them sound super terrible! What¡¯s wrong with this System? Am I really such a Merciless person? And¡­ Huh? Am I the Nemesis of a God now? What¡¯s wrong with you, god? You¡¯re picking on a little and humble ghost like me because I killed your devout? Seriously? Asshole. I also gained a whopping 27 levels, and this shows the insane amount of stats I gained in a single sitting. Well, that¡¯s good, and I am almost halfway through getting to max level and evolving again! Wow, talk about fast-paced progression¡­ I am going to redefine the meta in this world. But for now, let¡¯s check the new Title Skills. ¡­ [Merciless Assassin: Lv1] A Title Skill bestowed upon a Merciless Assassin that has made a great amount of merciless killing, attacking people from behind by surprise, or killing them off when they¡¯re on the edge of death are good examples of what makes you a Merciless Assassin. This Title enhances damage by +20% while doing Assassinations through sneaky ways with each level while also enhancing all your Stealth-based Skills. ¡­ Oho! This good is a godly one. I can already see that I am indeed a fucking bastard. Howe I can do something so dishonorable as killing a person when they¡¯re at death¡¯s door? Well, you could say I am not merciless but in fact, incredibly benevolent! Indeed, what I am doing is theplete opposite of that. I am actually putting them out of their suffering. ¡­ [God of Light Nemesis: Lv1] A Title Skill bestowed upon someone that has severely offended the God of Light. The God of Light has deemed your existence as his nemesis, and those that believe in him and worship him with their lives to his religion will persecute you as their ultimate enemy. However, on the flip side, your damage dealt against all Holy and Light-type beings is enhanced by +100% with each level. This also includes all sorts of worshippers to the God of Light Religion. Additionally, the more you y, the stronger and more monstrous you will grow while attracting Gods opposing the God of Light¡­ ¡­ What with this title, seriously?! This is creepy! I feel like the System is just being a creep right now. No, the God of Light! I mean, what¡¯s wrong with wanting to survive? I just killed the ones that came to kill my beloved goblin people¡­ what¡¯s wrong with that?! God of Light, you¡¯re telling me you expect those who are your worshipers¡¯ victims to simply sit down and let themselves get killed? Aren¡¯t you an incredibly biased little bastard? Sheesh. At the very least, with this, I can also deal even more damage to all of them, and it seems I will exponentially grow stronger the more holy people or creatures I kill. Sweet. Maybe I should just wipe out the entirety of the God of Light church, just like every typical clich¨¦ Isekai where the Church is actually the bad guys. Andstly, this Title pretty much made me well known to all Gods. It seems that I will ¡°bring attraction¡± to all Gods that oppose him, but I am sure that those that also ally with him will now look over my direction and say, ¡°this bitch is insane¡± or something like that. Okay, I should calm down and see the bright side of things. I¡¯ve gotten stronger, and several Skills leveled up and evolved too! What¡¯s with that? Isn¡¯t that just amazing? Let¡¯s check my status. ¡­ [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race: [Gorgon] [Job: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level: [01/60] ¨C [27/60] [EXP: 0/167000] [Rank: [B+] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [HP: [8500/8500] ¨C [13900/13900] [MP: [18500/18500] ¨C [29300/29300]{+2720} [Attack: [3200] ¨C [4900]{+100} [Defense: [3500] ¨C [5100] [Magic: [20000] ¨C [30800]{+2617} [Agility: [8500] ¨C [13900]{+575} Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv8] [Shadow Sneak: Lv10] ¨C [Shadow Transportation: Lv1] [Abyssal Body: Lv7] [Supernatural Senses: Lv5] [Poison Body: Lv2] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] ¨C [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv1] [Darkness Resistance: Lv8] [Fear Resistance: Lv8] [Elemental Resistance: Lv7] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] Normal Skills: [Ghost Touch: Lv10] ¨C [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv1] [Lesser Curse: Lv10] ¨C [Greater Curse: Lv1] [Life Drain: Lv10] ¨C [Life Absorption: Lv1] [Possession: Lv9] [Dark Sphere: Lv10] ¨C [Dark Sun: Lv1] [Dark Gale: Lv10] ¨C [Dark Storm: Lv1] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv8] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv5] [Shadow Maniption: Lv9] [Shadow Storage: Lv8] [Undead Healing: Lv7] [Fake Life: Lv9] [Erase Presence: Lv6] [Soul Eater: Lv6] [Undead Detonation: Lv4] [Stealth: Lv10] ¨C [Masterful Stealth: Lv1] [Summon: Lv6] [Aura of Famine: Lv5] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv4] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv4] [Materialization: Lv7] [Cooking: Lv3] [Hunting: Lv3] [de sh: Lv4] [Spirit Summon: Lv3] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv4] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv2] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv2] [Split Thinking: Level 2] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv¨C] [Big Game yer: Lv¨C] [Taboo Mark: Lv¨C] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv8] [Undead Queen: Lv7] [Evil of the World: Lv5] [Pickpocket: Lv5] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv5] [Spirit Queen: Lv3] [Spirit Mediator: Lv3] [Poison Queen: Lv2] [Merciless Assassin: Lv1] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv1] Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡­ Hmm, very good! ¡ª¨C Chapter 148 ¡ª¨C I had nced into my Status and found a lot of juicy stuff to enjoy from it. First of all, I ended up spending an awfullyrge amount of time doing absolutely nothing, which ended up making my party get exasperated. ¡°Maria, why are you standing there doing nothing?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°AH! I was checking out my Status¡­.¡± I said. ¡°But hurry up!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Don¡¯t hurry, Master!¡± Said Partner while furrowing her eyebrows back at Lucifer. The Dragon sighed and simply ignored her. ¡°Ugh, do whatever you want then,¡± He grumbled. Anyways, ignoring the grumpy dragon, arge number of my Skills reached max level and evolved. Before this, my Dark Sphere had stayed at Lv10, but for some reason, it awakened now. I¡¯ve heard from somewhere that Skills need special conditions to awaken¡­ like undergoing special trials, challenges, and more. Perhaps this entire thing was one? Or well, maybe the experience points pushed the Skills to awaken forcefully at the end. I ended upughing at the end, so it makes me the winner, despite having been aplete bastard and asshole throughout this fight. Anyways, the Skills that awakened in the end were¡­ The [Shadow Sneak: Lv10] Skill became the [Shadow Transportation: Lv1] Skill. This one skill was a direct upgrade to it. Shadow Sneak lets me be one with the shadows and travel through them as if I were swimming through them. I can transport through shadows even faster with this new upgrade, perhaps several times as fast. It seems that I can even do some short-range teleportation through shadows within my vicinity, but nothing too crazy like going to the other side of the world yet. The [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] Skill became the [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv1] Skill. This was a direct and t increase, granting me even more resistance to magic damage, and I am a magic tank. The [Ghost Touch: Lv10] Skill became the [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv1] Skill. Now, this was interesting. The Phantasmal Grasp was upgraded to allow me to grasp souls even more easily than Ghost Touch, which was usually a fear-inducing skill that doesn¡¯t do much unless you get creative with it. Oh yeah, Phantasmal Grasp is the ability I used to pull out souls from near-dying bodies. The [Lesser Curse: Lv10] Skill became the [Greater Curse: Lv1] Skill. Now my curse had be more potent and cannot be easily resisted through Resistance Skills, although Immunities will always work against them. Also, spells that dispel curses be not so effective. The [Life Drain: Lv10] Skill became the [Life Absorption: Lv1] Skill. A greater version of Life Drain that lets me directly absorb the life out of someone at a fast pace. It increases its speed when I touch them. If I could use it on someone not so strong, I could drain them out and leave them like dry mummies in an instant. The [Dark Sphere: Lv10] Skill became the [Dark Sun: Lv1] Skill. Now this one was great, the Dark Sphere of the beginnings had now be a Dark Sun, and its size is around 3 to 10 meters. I can adjust it to my liking¡­ and well, 3 meters is an immense attack if it¡¯s just a ball of darkness¡­ But that¡¯s not exactly it. This thing is not just a ball of obscurity now, it is a Sun for something, and well, it is because it is now covered with ck mes, which are like some kind of advanced form of Phantom me that can consume life, mana, and even souls rapidly, and is very hard to turn off unless light magic is used¡­ so this attack had indeed be deadly beyond belief. The [Dark Gale: Lv10] Skill became the [Dark Storm: Lv1] Skill. Instead of a gale of dark winds that can cut through stuff, I can generate a storm out of these dark winds and throw it at someone, slicing through their bodies with the power of darkness and even cursing them in the process. I have be a monster through and through. The [Stealth: Lv10] Skill became the [Masterful Stealth: Lv1] Skill. Lastly, Masterful Stealth is just what you expected, a Masterful way of using Stealth¡­ Yep, that¡¯s it. What? It¡¯s just a better Stealth! ¡°And done¡­ I got many Skills awakened, so I was taking a look at them,¡± I said. We were currently moving back to the caravan at a steady and slow pace. We had grabbed all the corpses and cleansed the scene of the crime by burning it all with fire courtesy of a new pair of friends, and then we moved forward. I had ns with the corpse of Catarina and the Vampires, including the corpses of all the other guys. They were, of course, bing my Undead servants, and I¡¯ve even caught all their souls and have resisted the impulse of eating them up just because I am an amazingly benevolent woman. Oh, and about the two new buddies we got¡­ well, it could be said it is two rejected Vampires that were more like the victims in all of this. Their boss was really an asshole, to be honest¡­ ¡°Maria, are you okay? Are your feet not sore? Let me carry you,¡± ¡°I can do it too, Silvio! Please, Maria¡­¡± Two handsome-looking ghosts made entirely out of zing red fire looked at me charmingly, and they wanted to carry me for some reason¡­ ¡°Ugh, no guys, I am fine as I am,¡± I said. ¡°And who do you think you are?! If there is someone that would carry her, it is of course me! Not some puny former vampires,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°What? That would be me, not you! I am Master¡¯s favorite!¡± Said Partner. ¡°F-Favorite?!¡± Eximed Emeraldine in shock. ¡°C-Calm down¡­ Nobody is my favorite. I love you all equally,¡± I said. ¡°W-What? Then you don¡¯t love me enough¡­?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Eh? No, I mean¡­!¡± I muttered. ¡°You three! Stop at once! Maria requires a bit of personal space,¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Indeed!¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Who are you now?! her bodyguards?!¡± Shouted Partner while raising an eyebrow. ¡ª¨C Chapter 149 ¡ª¨C Well, what happened with the former B Rank Vampires Silvio and Francesco, that formerly served Catarina and the Vampires behind the entire conspiracy of the Fragment of Evil? Well, they were turned into Fire Ghosts because they were burned alive by the powerful light of the God of Light from the priests! Well, one of them, but the other was still crushed by his zing fist of justice, so it counts. When I caught the two souls as I killed them for the EXP, they were all freaking out, saying stuff like ¡°It burns! It burns! Greeagaaaggaagg!¡± and stuff like that. It was very unsettling to see them, but I also found that within them the trauma of fire was intense¡­ I don¡¯t know if it was just because of their deaths, but the two were actually buddies from before and had trauma with mes. Apparently, after learning a bit from their memories that I checked out, the two had a very tragic past. Indeed, before they were turned into Vampires by the Vampire n, they were normal human kids, two friends that lived in the slums, and they were orphans since they had memories of themselves. Silvio and Francesco were used to surviving in the slums, horrendously scrapping for food every day, until theymitted the mistake of trying to rob people. A grave mistake. Horrendous people caught them, and they were punished not by having their hands cut off but by having the hands of their ¡°thievery¡± burned by zing swords. What the heck is wrong with these people? They were not released after that; they were sold as ves ¡°to make up for the money¡± they lost by having some apples being stolen. Clearly these fat asses were just psychos. And they were sold as ves into another psycho that forced them to work inrge fields and crops with barely a bit of moldy bread and water a day, while they were being whipped each time they couldn¡¯t move. It all ended when the entire manor suddenly was engulfed in mes when the owner fell asleep near a candle, which dropped to the floor and¡­ well, it set everything aze. All the ves he had burned alive, but he managed to escape. And two of those kids were the two former vampires beside me. But then someone showed up at the ruins and found out the kids were still somehow alive, barely hanging on. He dropped some fresh blood from his finger into their mouths, made them gulp it, and the two kids quickly turned into Vampires. Being burned alive, they developed natural fire resistance. Something Vampires usually don¡¯t have. This made them useful day agents. Incidentally, Catarina was also the same and went through the same. She was part of the kids there, the third one that survived. Because of their uniqueness of having high-leveled Fire Resistance, they were able to walk in the sun while barely suffering any burns on their skin and became day agents to solve problems at day where Vampires couldn¡¯t show up due to their natural weakness to the sunlight. The artifacts they had still enhanced this resistance a bit, but I learned that they wouldn¡¯t work properly without the resistance, to begin with. I suppose this is why Catarina was so twisted¡­ the two remember that she was constantly abused by their owner, whipped out, and probably¡­ vited several times. I¡­ I felt so sad for them that I couldn¡¯t really eat their souls, even if they had done bad things afterward, like assassinating innocents. I instead decided to turn these two Vampires into Ghosts through the use of Fake Life into them. The two quickly turned into me Ghosts, D Ranked Undead. They were not as strong as before, but they might have potential. After being converted, they were ¡°guided¡± by my Undead Queen Skill Title, and this made them regain a part of their sanity, alongside acquiring a very strong devotion towards me¡­ And well, about Catarina¡­ she¡¯s sleeping for now. Well, her soul is. Her body was torn to shreds, but unlike these guys, I n to bring her back to her body after I heal it using Undead Healing because if she had such amazing physical strength, it most likely means she could be a very strong ally. So I am going to stitch her back and then bring her as a Zombie or something. That¡¯ll do for her. She was very insane and rude to me, but I am willing to forgive her because I am just an amazing person, of course¡­ I am a generous goddess! Okay, enough egocentric thoughts for a little bit, time to cool down my head, and¡­ ugh, deal with real life. ¡°Ahem, you guys should calm down a bit. You¡¯re also viting my personal space, Silvio, Francesco,¡± I sighed. The two former Vampires raised their eyebrows in surprise to this realization as they flew aside from me¡­ just around two meters. ¡°I apologize,dy Maria. I was a bit rude myself too,¡± Sighed Silvio. He was a softer man. ¡°Indeed. But we are aware that these three ¡°friends¡± of you really want something else¡­ so we must also procure ourdy¡¯s safety,¡± Said Francesco. ¡°S-Something else?!¡± Eximed Emeraldine in shock¡­ once again. ¡°W-What if that¡¯s the case? It¡¯s nothing of your incumbency, vampires!¡± Shouted Partner. ¡°I think the same. You two are newbies in the party, so don¡¯t you dare order us around,¡± Said Lucifer. The three were fighting with the duo a lot. It was getting exasperating to the point of insanity. ¡°Okay, cut it out! Silvio, Francesco, you two¡­ erm, go to my shadows for now. Go sleep with Catarina,¡± I said. ¡°V-Very well, if that¡¯s what you desire¡­.¡± Said Silvio. ¡°On it, mydy. But be careful of this trio. I sense some perverted emotions within their auras¡­.¡± Muttered Francesco. The two flew into my shadows as things finally calmed down. ¡°Ugh, I am not taking them out until we get to a new ce, or we really need them,¡± I sighed. ¡ª¨C Chapter 150 ¡ª¨C After the entire ordeal that just happened, we moved back to the former vige area to find itpletely in ruins. However, I packed everything there was in there into my Inventory with ease. This inventory is really convenient. I can store even giant houses and whatnot without any issues. The goblins and the rest of the people of the vige had already been evacuated with the caravan clones, and Undead I left there on standby. Things seem to be peaceful there, but some people are still unconscious inside the shadow storage dimension. ¡°Catarina really left a massive change in the entirendscape¡­ She was really crazy,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Indeed, her strength was¡­ amazing,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°She shook the entirendscape and even changed its shape¡­.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°I wonder if she¡¯ll get all the strength back if you recover her body¡­ It¡¯s not likely, as we tore it to shreds¡­ But I think it would be better to just give her a new body, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Suggested Emeraldine. ¡°Hmm¡­ No, I want her to be a strong tank¡­.¡± I said. ¡°What about the other guy¡¯s souls?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Ah, they are not even budging to me. Even Catarina seemed tamed, but these guys are¡­.¡± I sighed. I looked into another side of my shadows and found a group of souls angrily looking at me. ¡°Free me at once, you abominable evil! I know you¡¯re against the God of Light. I can feel it in you!¡± Shouted Eric¡¯s soul. The priest wanted to kill me very badly, but he was now a weak soul, so that wasn¡¯t happening. ¡°You¡­ You killed us?!¡± Asked Leon. ¡°Yep, I did it, you were all actually almost dead, but I made sure you were deaaaad. Nice EXP, though,¡± I taunted him. ¡°W-What are you going to do with us?!¡± ¡°We are just souls. We can¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t turn us into Undead, please!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I am dizzy¡­.¡± The other former adventurers and mercenaries were less bold than these two idiots. They were just asking for mercy. ¡°I am an arrogant woman, very arrogant, so I will see and check each of your memories. If you¡¯ve done shit I don¡¯t like, you¡¯re getting converted into Undead. If that¡¯s the opposite, then I will either exorcise you and let you have a nice afterlife or¡­ well, maybe I could turn you into Undead anyways,¡± I said. ¡°Eh? That sounds unfair!¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only in monsters and Majin¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s wrong, right?¡± ¡°Well, Majin are people, idiot,¡± I sighed. ¡°Eh?! No way! They¡¯re just monsters¡­ Right?¡± ¡°Apparently, they aren¡¯t now!¡± ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°We had always been taught that Majin were just monsters with a bit of intelligence, which made them deadlier¡­.¡± ¡°So even society teaches every person that Majin are not people anymore? Well, that sucks¡­ I guess you guys don¡¯t have that much of a fault, but you still did terrible shit¡­ Hey, I just checked your mind¡­ What the heck is wrong with you? You vited like ten people! Ugh, what¡¯s wrong with this world and everyone being a rapist?¡± I sighed. ¡°Aghghhh!¡± I grabbed his soul and crushed it into bits. The rest of the souls looked with horror, screaming in fear over the thought of being punished for the sins that their very religions didn¡¯t even punish. ¡°Yeah bitch, you thought that doing such awful things to Majin wasn¡¯t going to bite you in the back one of these days? You¡¯re clearly a retard,¡± I sighed once again. ¡°Y-You¡¯re a monster!¡± ¡°Monster!!!¡± ¡°H-How can she destroy souls?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s something only gods can do!¡± ¡°Well then, from now on, call me Goddess Maria! I am going to fucking wreck each one of you if I discover you did fucked up shit like this in your lives, so prepare your asses,¡± I said. And like this, as we moved back to the caravan, I checked each one¡¯s souls and crushed over half of them. ¡°So you actually burned alive a Subus girl with her children in her arms? You¡¯re a real bastard,¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know they were people! I-I needed the moneyyyyyyy¡­!¡± CRASH! ¡°Oh, so you broke all those eggs from Harpies after selling the mothers to vers? Alright¡­¡± ¡°H-Harpies are monsters! W-What are you talking about?!¡± CRASH! ¡°You fucking trash, so you enjoy doing such horrendous things to children? You¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°S-Stop! I-I was tempted! GRRYYYEEEEEGGH¡­!¡± CRASH! ¡°Oh, Eric! So you¡¯re a kiddy fiddler, huh? Fucking disgusting old man¡­ Elderlight was at least not so fucked up¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°T-Those children tempted me! I-I didn¡¯t have anything do with thaaaaaaaaatttttt¡­!¡± CRASH! Piles after piles of crushed souls emerged one after another. I was getting more and more bitter as I learned how terrible these people were. The three Vampires had not even done 10% of the horrendous things these guys did. They had only just killed people they were paid to, and most of the time swiftly, but what did these fuckers do? Torture, ve selling, raping, killing babies, oh my god¡­ by everything that is sacred in this world, what is wrong with these people? I feel like every time I read their minds I get more and more insane. This by itself is torture to my mind. Resentment is only growing bigger inside of my soul as I y the worshippers of the God of Light and realize that the title is already getting in effect. I also suddenly noticed my powers skyrocketing, and even my soul was growing more solid, but also more monstrous. When I finished, my entire soul was shaped like a massive sea of darkness with countless crimson-red eyes crying blood¡­ there were tentacles everywhere andrge jaws stretching wherever you could see. I looked at this, but instead of feeling disgusting, I felt it was just what I was right now¡­ Ugh. ¡°M-Maria, are you feeling alright? Y-your aura¡­¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°Master?¡± Muttered Partner. ¡°Maria!¡± Eximed Emeraldine. ¡°I-I am fine¡­ Nngh¡­ I just have to suck it up like I always do¡­ Haha¡­¡± I reabsorbed all the monstrosity growing inside of me. And as it quickly went back inside of me, I sealed it tightly withinyers of phantom, so it wouldn¡¯t get out so easily anymore. ¡°Phew! Sorry about that! Alright, we are just there! How about we have a nice dinner? I am starving!¡± I shouted. ¡ª¨C Chapter 151 ¡ª¨C I had already destroyed most of the souls of these guys and quickly deleted them out of existence by crushing them with my abyssal jaws. After I was done with the terrible work, only a few were left. All the priests were degenerates and rapists too. That never happens, right? Haha¡­ I guess even in this world, these guys are fucked up! Anyways, I am a fervent believer of our Christian God and Jesus Christ, or well, I kind of believed in God in my previous life, I have no idea if I really care enough anymore. I don¡¯t know what the heck are these Gods here, though, but maybe they¡¯re just overpowered aliens that designed this world. When we moved back to the caravan, we found the rest of the people hanging out just fine. There was also my clone holding all the people of the Goblin Vige, and they were all sleeping soundly even now. ¡°We are done here at longst. We should move out now¡­ Wait, where should we go?¡± I wondered. ¡°Obviously far away from all of this ce. If we stay here a single more minute, we¡¯ll simply get chased down even more by the nearby duchy,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Lucifer is right. We should move out right away, Maria¡­ Do you happen to have a map? I believe you said once you stole a map,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Oh right!¡± I quickly opened my inventory and looked through all the avable items. And there it was, I found one right there, a Map! I took it out, and it was a bit dusty, but it was the map of the entire continent. It was pretty big, just as I remember. This continent is called Midgard, and it is a massivendmass with a shape simr to Eurasia. ¡°We are currently here¡­ There are various duchies here and there¡­ If we go to the north, we¡¯ll directly find more duchies and even the capital, though we can¡¯t go there yet¡­ To the west, there are duchies. To the east, even more duchies¡­ The south it is¡­ the south of this continent is the closest to the continent of Niflheim, so it gets a bit colder there. Some regions even have snow in winter due to that, something rare on this warm continent,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Ohh, you know a lot,¡± I said. ¡°I do. I have traveled around a bit on my own, and I had learned about the continent some more from some travelers that I met before being¡­ captured and enved,¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°I see¡­¡± I said. ¡°Anyways, the only ce we can find where there are no Kingdoms and Duchies is the cold south. There are mostly small independent viges, and tribes of nomadic beast-kin and probably Majin¡­ It is kind of an ideal ce now that I think about it,¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°This ce¡­ This is where the Demon King built his Kingdom long ago¡­ Perhaps we could upy the ruins of the Demon Kingdom capital if they¡¯re still up¡­¡± Suggested Lucifer. ¡°Ooh! That¡¯s amazingly convenient! Why did they never use this big tnd? Maybe because it gets cold?¡± I wondered. ¡°Indeed, there are irregr snowstorms sometimes, and the beaches in these areas are very cold¡­ the sea is raging and angry, so fishing is very hard too. Seeing how there are many other Kingdoms and Duchies near the coasts that are not so affected by the cold of the neighbor Continent, it appears that they just prefer to use the calmer waters to the west and east,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I see¡­ Does the map show where the Demon Kingdom once was?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­ It doesn¡¯t show. But there is a ce named Ruined Dark Demon Forest¡­ It is said that there are ruins of ancient buildings there¡­¡± Said Emeraldine ¡°T-That must be it!¡± Said Lucifer. He suddenly got all hyped. ¡°Well, let¡¯s move there then. What are we waiting for? We just have to move straight down from here, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ we¡¯ll have to make a few turns¡­ though it might take a few days,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Ugh, the goblin vige people will wake up before that¡­ We need supplies and more caravans to fit them all. Staying in the dark dimension of my shadow won¡¯t do them any good¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Then we should go to the Affnaria Kingdom which is near here and get the things we need before the journey,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go tonight. But for now, let¡¯s make some camps and prepare food for everyone. The goblin vige people have begun to wake up already,¡± I said. ¡°Alright! Food time!¡± Shouted Partner. ¡°You¡¯re hungry?¡± I asked. ¡°Very!¡± Responded Partner. ¡°Hehe, aren¡¯t you a cutie? Okay, let¡¯s make a lot of food, Partner.¡± I said as I petted her head, and she smiled adorably. ¡°Nee-sama! You¡¯re back!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Auntie Maria!¡± Laura quickly ran towards me right after Takeshi. The kids were fine and healthy, which made me rather happy. I hugged them back as they jumped over me. ¡°We missed you!¡± Said the little Takeshi. ¡°I-I was gone for just a few hours¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°But we sensed the explosions, the earth was quaking all the time¡­ J-Just what did you fight this time?¡± Sighed Laura. ¡°Something¡­ something very strong. A gori made into a Vampire,¡± I sighed. ¡°G-Gori?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°A vampire did this?! Wait, there are gori vampires?!¡± Shouted Laura. ¡°Haha, not in the literal sense! But I mean, a woman who was very strong. She¡¯s more than dead now, but I¡¯ve stored her soul¡­ She¡¯lle backter on, maybe as an ally this time around,¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­ T-That¡¯s a bit scary to think about¡­.¡± Sighed Takeshi. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± Said Laura. ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t worry. She won¡¯t be as scary, I promise! I¡¯ll make sure to tell her not to be such a brute this time around,¡± I sighed. Silvio and Francesco were allowed toe out, and they greeted the kids. ¡°We are part of those scary people!¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Ah, children! So cute!¡± Said Francesco, stretching the cheeks of Takeshi. ¡°Ugeehh¡­ Who are these creeps?!¡± Cried Takeshi. ¡°Why are they made of fire?!¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 152 ¡ª¨C ¡°Ugeehh¡­ Who are these creeps?!¡± Cried Takeshi. ¡°Why are they made of fire?!¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± After I presented the pair of handsome zing ghosts to the pair of children, we quickly decided to cook some food for everyone. The vige people quickly woke up after this, so we had to quickly make them some food to recover mana and vitality. And this is where my Cooking Skill came into clutch! With its power, my ability to cook bes better and better, and I can even imbue power into what I cook, as if they were game-like food items that recover HP and MP, and can even temporarily add bonuses to stats and more. We went out to hunt some more, and we found out around four Wild Boars around the forest, and also capturedrge monsters such as Dark-Scaled Vipers and me Bears, but I think we emptied the forest after those guys were killed. After bringing it all back, we began to quickly butcher them up and then cut them up. We then started grilling a crap ton of meat over the bonfires, while another part was used for cooking a crap ton of soup, where we added potatoes, carrots, onions, and other spices. It was simple food because we had to cook for many people¡­ but we also added non-poisonous mushrooms to the soup, which Emeraldine and Partner went to pick for me. Takeshi and Laura moved to the nearby river and fished some fish, too, adding more food for everyone to eat. The guys we killed had an item pouch filled with cheese, smi, bread, and a few bottles of wine, so we had that to go with it. The people in the vige also had some food stored, but not too much. We decided to also use it tonight and give everyone a big feast as we were going to find a lot of food tomorrow anyways. ¡°Thank you for the help, you guys! Your fire is pretty useful!¡± I said. ¡°No problem, mydy!¡± ¡°Everything to make that beautiful face smile radiantly,¡± Silvio and Francesco were working together to maintain the mes over many bonfires. They possessed the mes they produced as if they were red-colored will-o-wisps and zed the food into the perfect temperature and texture. They were bing pretty good chefs with their very mes. They were also boiling the many pots of soup we were making, and the meat was being grilled by their mes as well. The meat was slowly bing juicier and juicier. ¡°You two were made to be mes in the kitchen! With you guys, we don¡¯t even have to worry about looking for lumber anymore,¡± I said. ¡°Hahaha! It makes me so happy to be recognized¡­.¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Mydy, for you, we¡¯ll work as the best mes your kitchen can have!¡± Said Francesco. I have to admit that they were a bit obsessed with me, mostly due to their broken minds, traumatic experiences, and how my Undead Queen Title Skill makes them want to follow me, so I feel a bit bad for them. They¡¯re so nice, yet it is probably due to all the suffering they had gone through, which made them appreciate the first showcase of kindness, even after death¡­ and well, a bit of encroachment, which only makes me feel even more terrible¡­ But I hope they can get through it and be like Partner or Lucifer, who are affected by the title but not mentally, as their minds have grown very strong. But this title is mostly for Undead I make on the get-go obey me right away. ¡°You guys are so nice; I am d I can see you two smile,¡± I said. The two had be pure mes, with dumb and big smiles, reminding me of that me in that one Ghibli Movie¡­ the walking fortress or castle? Well, whatever the case, they were cute in this form. ¡°I have not smiled in years¡­.¡± ¡°It is a good feeling to smile!¡± I feel like they are still children deep down¡­ Poor things. I will make sure to be their mama! Ah¡­! W-Why do I feel this feeling of always sheltering and taking care of people like this? Do I have a motherplex? Do I want to be a mommy? Ugh, I better not overthink it because I begin to consider weird things such as having a kid with Lucifer, and there¡¯s no way that¡¯s happening because I am a ghost and ghosts can¡¯t have kids¡­ and I am not going to suddenly do¡­ that thing with Lucifer either! In fact, our rtionship has barely advanced at all, and I only feel bad about abusing it because he¡¯s mostly alone and feels like there¡¯s nobody else for him. So he clings to me, which I feel is an unhealthy rtionship¡­ He has to meet tons of people first. I am sure he¡¯ll find a dragoness along the way and fall in love with her rather than with a creepy ghost woman like me. Yeah, everyone might like me, but it is only because of the circumstances¡­ if they were given opportunities to meet many people and live their own lives without me being there bothering them all the time, I am sure they wouldn¡¯t even love me. I am not really an ideal person for that. I¡¯ve already done horrendous things¡­ I am not someone that should be loved. I don¡¯t deserve their love. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Master! Look this big fish, hehehe,¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Partner suddenly showed me a massive tuna-like fish that she brought from the River with the kids. It was huge! Almost around 4 meters long! ¡°W-What the heck is this thing?! Seriously?!¡± I shouted. ¡°Grill it!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Okay¡­ Okay, but kill it first. It is moving all over the ce!¡± I cried. ¡°Hehehe¡­.¡± Partner took out a knife as she smiled creepily, stabbing the fish in the gullet. After taking itsst breath, the fish died, and we put it to grill over the two fire ghosts. Nice. ¡ª¨C Chapter 153 ¡ª¨C ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Huh? Yeah, why?¡± I asked. ¡°You felt a bit down there¡­ When I am near you, I can sense your emotions, and I can immediately tell!¡± She shouted. ¡°Y-You can?!¡± I asked. ¡°Yep,¡± She replied. ¡°Uhhh¡­ N-Nothing, never mind¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Partner asked while squinting her eyes. ¡°Yeah! I am as fine as lettuce¡­! I mean, fresh as lettuce!¡± I said with a bright smile. ¡°Huh¡­ I don¡¯t believe you a single bit!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Aw,e on now, don¡¯t do me like that! You have to believe me! Howe you won¡¯t believe me?¡± I asked in between giggles. ¡°You were having sad thoughts again?¡± She asked with puppy eyes. ¡°S-Sad thoughts?¡± I asked. ¡°After you saw the memories of these people¡­ you were let down a bit, weren¡¯t you? You don¡¯t really have to do that again¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡­ Maybe a little bit but¡­ don¡¯t worry! I am super fine,¡± I said. ¡°J-Just remember that I am here for you whenever you need anything¡­ Okay? I am not simply a skeleton that you made into an undead anymore¡­ I-I¡¯ve grown to be a person of my own now¡­ So I want to help you out¡­ to get through those things¡­.¡± She said. ¡°P-Partner¡­ You¡¯re such a sweet girl¡­.¡± I sighed. Partner suddenly hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead. ¡°Of course! Master, I love you¡­ S-So the thing I must do is make you happy and make sure you¡¯re not sad!¡± She said with a gentle smile. ¡°Y-You¡­ shouldn¡¯t really love me¡­ there¡¯s no reason¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Eh?!¡± She cried out. ¡°I¡­ I only created you, but this is not the reason for such a thing¡­ You shouldn¡¯t¡­ dedicate your life to me in such away. In the future, I want you to meet more people and have a life of yours aside from mine, so you can¡­ know better and meet¡­ better people more deserving of your love,¡± I said. ¡°W-What with such a hurtful thing out of nowhere?! How did youe to such a bad conclusion?!¡± she asked. ¡°Huh?! B-But¡­ I am¡­ Right? It¡¯s not natural¡­ Maybe it is just Stockholm syndrome¡­ you only feel this clinginess to me because you don¡¯t have anyone else for you¡­. When you meet more people, you will realize it¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°M-Master¡­ I¡­ Don¡¯t say that!¡± Partner said, and she suddenly pped my face. ¡°Geh¡­ P-Partner, how could you do that?!¡± I asked, shocked. Has this be a TV Drama now?! ¡°Don¡¯t have such stupid thoughts! I am not being brainwashed or anything! But I love you because you¡¯re special to me! Not because of some weird power over me or because I don¡¯t have anyone else¡­!¡± Said Partner. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No buts! E-Even if I had the chance¡­ even if I had more friends, I don¡¯t think I would like anyone else¡­ y-you¡¯re just way too amazing for that!¡± She said. ¡°A-Ah¡­ I-Is that so?¡± I sighed. ¡°Hmm! You¡¯re my beloved Master!¡± Shouted Partner as she hugged me tightly. ¡°Beloved¡­ Master?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes! You¡¯re so gentle¡­ Motherly¡­ you always took care of me¡­ gave me food, and raised me! E-Even if that¡¯s more like a mother figure¡­ My feelings are stronger than just that¡­ You always help the people who need help, and you y the idiots¡¯ bad guys who only make the innocent suffer! W-Who wouldn¡¯t admire such a heroic figure?!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Guh¡­ Y-You¡¯ve be very eloquent at talking¡­.¡± I said. ¡°T-That¡¯s because you always taught me how to talk properly too¡­ every day in the mornings you teach me how to read and more¡­ It is about to be a year since I was brought to this world but¡­ it has been an amazing ride¡­!¡± Said Partner. ¡°R-Really¡­? I am surprised¡­ T-To think you would think this¡­ It is not some brainwashing of my powers?¡± I sighed. ¡°No! Dummy¡­ That power only makes the brainless Undead obey you. Those with intelligence can still deny you and go away¡­ But why would I do that? You¡¯re my world, master¡­¡± She said, deeply looking at my eyes with her own crimson-red eyes. ¡°Uwaah¡­ P-Partner¡­¡± I sighed. Maybe I was being a very idiotic person just now? But¡­ Ah, I just wanted to hug her so much, so I hugged her. ¡°Never leave me¡­ *Sniff*¡­.¡± I cried. ¡°Okay, I wasn¡¯t nning to leave you¡­.¡± She said. We ended up hugging for a bit as I cuddled my head over her bouncy and soft chest. ¡°You two¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Emeraldine and Lucifer showed up out of nowhere around us while we were hugging lovingly. ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ I-I can exin it¡­ I was¡­ in a very dark ce¡­ I had¡­ Partner, help me get through it!¡± I said. ¡°Is that so? You should have asked me to help you out too!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to bother you¡­.¡± I said. ¡°But Maria! We are always telling you that we are here for you, and you still don¡¯t even get it?¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°I-I¡­ but you guys got your own problems! I can¡¯t bother you with my own. That would be way too selfish, right? I am not the only person in this world after all!¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s a stupid excuse when we are always here for you!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah¡­ But are you feeling alright now? Thank you, Partner. Let¡¯s make sure she never gets depressed¡­. Hug!¡± Said Emeraldine as she extended her arms around me, and she hugged me too. ¡°Uwahh¡­ Y-You¡¯re all clingy today¡­.¡± I sighed. Lucifer then petted my head. ¡°Well, is the food ready? The people are starving. I think most of the goblin vige people woken up, Gofumin included,¡± Said Lucifer with a charming smile. ¡°Ooohh! Gofumin-chan! Alright! Let¡¯s get to it!¡± I said as I quickly took out some tes and began to serve soup. Extending my body into many hands and serving each te with soup over and over again¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 154 ¡ª¨C I looked into the night sky. It was clear and starry, with the moon shining brightly atop the sky. After the goblin vige people woke up, we exined to them all that had transpired and how they even fell asleep, which was due to exhaustion of mana. They all had woken up rather tired and sleepy, so I brought them out of the shadow storage and then fed them until they were filled up with Mana. ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done, Lady Maria. You don¡¯t know how indebted we are¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say other than thank you,¡± Cried the Goblin Chief. ¡°Haha¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it! You guys were my responsibility¡­ D-Don¡¯t prostrate yourselves! Agh! S-Stop! Don¡¯t degrade yourselves like that¡­.¡± I sighed. The Goblins all kneeled to me, although the humans and other former ves were not ustomed to these things. Still, some were very grateful that they did it anyway. It seems that an act of gratefulness in the goblin society and a custom is to prostrate themselves before the one they feel the most grateful. ¡°Please, you guys¡­ Stand up. Everything is fine. We are all good friends here. You can be gratefulter when you help me rebuild your vige, alright?¡± I asked. ¡°A-Ah¡­ Lady Maria¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a saint!¡± ¡°Lady Maria is really a saint!¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°She has done so much for us¡­.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t deserve such kindness¡­.¡± ¡°Please, Lady Maria, I know it is not so much, but feel free to take any young man of my tribe as your husband. They¡¯re all youthful and energetic young men. I am sure they¡¯ll be more than willing to be your lover!¡± Shouted the Goblin Chief. Suddenly almost every young man that didn¡¯t have a rtionship looked at me with charming smiles, although they were all goblins in the end. Apparently, they were totally fine with the idea¡­ ¡°Huuuhh¡­ I¡­ Erm¡­¡± ¡°Lady Maria, you¡¯re a charming beauty! Please, let me be your husband. I will please you in all your needs!¡± ¡°No, I believe I can do it better! I will make sure to please you at night!¡± ¡°No, me! I can cook very well, and I am an excellent hunter as well. I will bring you food and cook for you!¡± ¡°I will forever give you all my gratitude, Lady Maria!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve stolen my heart ever since before you left our vige!¡± ¡°E-Eeeeh?!¡± Over a dozen of young goblin men began to kneel before me, asking for my hand in marriage. On the otherhand, Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine were looking at the scene in shock. ¡°Y-You can take more than one! In fact, why don¡¯t you take them all?!¡± Asked the Goblin Chief. ¡°Uwah! No! Stop! I-I am not interested in any man¡­ for now! I am, actually¡­ Asexual! Sorry, but I cannot really feel any physical attraction! I am a ghost!¡± I said. ¡°N-no?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t feel any attraction¡­.¡± ¡°Well, we can also be romantic!¡± ¡°Not everything is about carnal desires after all!¡± ¡°Indeed! We can make sure to please all your needs, Lady Maria!¡± ¡°Guys, please stop¡­ I¡­ I am afraid I must reject you all¡­.¡± I sighed. *Crack¡­!* I could hear all their hearts being broken. Although they remained strong, many goblins shed a few tears. ¡°At least we tried, friends,¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡°Well, we can always admire her¡­.¡± ¡°We were foolish. Lady Maria is someone way beyond our scope, like a brilliant moon in the night sky. We must admire her beauty but never be able to touch her.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡°Such wise words, brother¡­.¡± Phew¡­ I am d I rejected them quickly, and they gave up. Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine would have most likely created a fuss if I had continued letting them get away with this¡­ Ugh, am I that attractive?! Agh¡­ I¡­ I feel a bit bad now. No one in my previous life ever liked me¡­ I was a loser and a loner¡­ This makes me feel bad¡­ because I was also rejected many times when I was a high schooler¡­ I remember my past a little bit. Those times when I was a stupid girl wearing sses and filled with e¡­ ¡°Jon¡­ I always have fun with you¡­.¡± ¡°I do too. You talk a lot about games and stuff that¡¯s interesting. The other girls are so boring¡­.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Jon¡­ I have something to tell you!¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°I-I like you¡­ C-Can you go out with me?¡± ¡°Huh? W-What?¡± ¡°Eh? I¡­ I like you, Jon¡­.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I am only with you because you talk about games, but¡­ I-I never liked you¡­ you got it wrong¡­ We are just ssmates¡­.¡± ¡°Eh? O-Oh¡­ T-That¡¯s fine! S-Sorry! C-Can we keep being friends?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Now I feel creeped out¡­ Imagining you looking at me with perverted eyes really makes me feel disgusted¡­.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I-I am sorry¡­.¡± I was left in the backyard of the school alone. Some of the other girls were even looking at me while I made myself a fool andughed at my back as if it were all a show. It hurt¡­ Do these little goblins feel like that? Ugh, it makes me feel so horrendous now. I don¡¯t want to be like that asshole. ¡°I am sorry, guys! I wish I could ept your feelings¡­ Don¡¯t feel bad, okay? We can keep being friends, and I will make sure to train you and protect you and cook yummy food for the tribe! So don¡¯t feel bad, alright?¡± I said as I expanded my phantasmal body around them and gave them all a group hug. ¡°Ahh¡­ M-Lady Maria¡­¡± ¡°Such benevolence¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t deserve such kindness!¡± ¡°Uwaaahh!¡± I think things escted a bit too much. I shouldn¡¯t have my memories of my past life rejects cross through me all the time. Ugh, though I had such a bad history with them¡­ Agh, remembering them makes me cringe. ¡°You¡¯re done with the weird act already?¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°W-What weird act?! I was being serious!¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ve rejected me already several times! You didn¡¯t act like that¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Eh? That¡¯s because you¡¯re an old and grumpy dragon. It¡¯s different!¡± I refuted. ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s forget this all¡­ and just enjoy the dinner!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I was about to butcher those goblins¡­.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Y-You better not touch them, Partner!¡± I said. ¡°O-Okay! S-Sorry for saying that out loud¡­¡± Sighed Partner. ¡ª¨C Chapter 155 ¡ª¨C Okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit back then. Yesterday the goblins did a few stupid things. One of the ideas the chief had topensate me was to give me as many men as I wanted. Is this a custom in their society, or was he just doing this because he thought I liked to collect men as a harem? What kind of vibes do I have to give for him to assume such a thing? Also, I am a ghost. Couldn¡¯t he tell I cannot really enjoy the pleasures of the flesh or anything like that? Though even if I had a physical body, I don¡¯t think I would be desperate to get all that going. A-Anyways, I shouldn¡¯t be really thinking about this. After yesterday¡¯s ordeal, the goblins had woken up. Now that it was the next day, around 2 AM, we decided to move over. Our target? The Duchy of Affnaria¡ªjust a few kilometers from here. We¡¯ll move through the shadow of the night, which is like a sea where I can swim the fastest with ease. One of my newly awakened skills, Shadow Transportation, even lets me teleport to anywhere within the nearby shadows of around a few meters from my sight. This means that I can easily warp around the darkness of the night and reach the duchy even faster than before. I decided to leave Lucifer, Silvio, and Francesco watching over the caravan, alongside my trusty Kuro and Raven, my two cute Undead pets. They had participated in the ganging over of Catarina, and they also got shared EXP from the others, so they were pretty strong as of now, and might evolve overnight, the same as Lucifer, Partner, or Emeraldine. But for now, that¡¯s not really important as it is mostly a given. What¡¯s important now is reaching there. ¡°Alright girls, hop in,¡± I said. Partner and Emeraldine jumped inside of my Shadow Storage, and I began to warp across the shadows. It felt as if I was jumping through the space of the shadows expanding all across the night. In the night, I am almost invincible. This is really overpowered. I could have fought Catarina at night, and I might have won if I had this awakened Skill. Warping around to evade hits seems easier than ever. And well, I can also be non-material and pass through all physical objects, so I could do the same thing I did before of hiding underground. However, Catarina was so powerful. She was even able to reach me underground¡­ The problem with this tactic is that it consumes too much mana constantly. Maintaining myself in my non-corporeal form is easy, but when I am staying still in the middle of a corporeal object or area, it begins to consume mana, perhaps because I am defying some sort ofws of physics or something? I don¡¯t know. But I guess the mana consumed is making up for it, or instead¡­ maybe I would die or dissipate by upying the same physical space as an already established object. Anyways, we rushed at a fast speed to Affnaria, the Duchy I was ¡°reborn,¡± and also where I fucking got my head sliced off¡­ I remember killing the three big fishes here, so it should have been taken over by someone else now. Maybe another Duke? I won¡¯t do anything to him anyway, although it might be worth taking a look at. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a new Duke?¡± Wondered Partner. ¡°There should be if it is as you said, and the Duke is dead, someone new should be taking over the ce. Or it wouldn¡¯t be as stable as it looks like,¡± Said Emeraldine. We were currently standing atop the Duchy¡¯s walls while admiring the whole piece ofnd. It was a small duchy, it probably had no more than almost three to four thousand people, but it maintained itself pretty well. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to the nearest food store and steal it all,¡± I said. ¡°Eh, I guess we are stealing again,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is. We must procure the safety of our people,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Indeed¡­¡± I said. ¡°Though I wonder if people would starve if we steal too much?¡± Wondered Partner. ¡°Hmmm¡­ But we really need the food. I don¡¯t think we could negotiate, seeing how my face is being spread around¡­ Buying food? I guess we got a bunch of unused money¡­ And I got myckey here, the merchant guy¡­.¡± I said. ¡°But it¡¯s 2 AM. Is there anything open?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Actually, yeah, look, all those shops are open. They sell all night too,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Well, that¡¯s odd. Let¡¯s go,¡± I said. ¡°Also, Maria, your appearance has changed a bit lot after you evolved, so I doubt they would be able to recognize you now¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Huh? I did?¡± I asked as we walked across the streets. ¡°Yeah! Master, you became even prettier than before! Your hair has now purple tips here and there, and your face is even more wless¡­¡± Said Partner with an enamored look. ¡°Your body has also be taller, and your chest¡­ has be bigger¡­ your hips too, you look as if you¡¯ve be a woman in her thirties,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°T-Thirties?! Wait, will I be a grandma in my next evolution? Ugh¡­ Is this how ghosts evolve? We get older until we evolve into Mummies?¡± I muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how evolution works, but I doubt that¡¯s the case, Maria¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, that would be way too weird¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Eh, I guess I¡¯ve changed a bit then¡­ Let¡¯s put on simple clothes¡­ Boots, some pants, a shirt, chainmail¡­ a sword. Like this, I look pretty normal, right? An adventurer!¡± I said. ¡°Well, maybe¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°You look nice!¡± Said Partner. ¡°In fact, Maria, if you let me be honest, any clothes you put on won¡¯t matter. You¡¯ll always look absolutely stunning¡­ you¡¯re bound to bring attention to you,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Eh¡­¡± And just as she said that, a group of guys noticed us as we sneaked around the streets. ¡ª¨C Chapter 156 ¡ª¨C We had decided to buy things like honest people. We might empty the shops, but we¡¯ll buy our stuff like normal decent human beings! ¡­Even if none of us are human. And for that, I had also brought my little guy, a merchant we had once caught. He¡¯s still somewhat alive and not at the same time. He¡¯s like a living zombie that I control using my powers as if he were my marite. We decided toe out of the shadows to be decent human people, walk around our fellow human beings, and buy stuff from their fellow human shops with the fellow human being¡¯s gold coins! That we didn¡¯t totally steal. ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s see¡­ Eh?¡± ¡°Oi, prettydies!¡± ¡°Hehe, what are you three doing alone on a Friday night?¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking for a drink?¡± A trio of clowns greeted us. Wait, didn¡¯t this happen in another Duchy before? Their destiny was¡­ being killed. Hm, I better just evade them. ¡°Let¡¯s ignore them for now,¡± I said. ¡°Sure,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Okay,¡± Said Emeraldine. We passed through them without problems, but they kept following us around. The trio looked like they were guards of the duchy and werepletely drunk too. ¡°Who do you think you are to ignore us? Hic¡­¡± ¡°We are soldiers!¡± ¡°If you ignore us, we could put you in jail¡­.¡± The trio followed us around for some time, but we were faster. When we reached the shop we wanted to go to, we finally thought we had lost them, but they showed up on the other side of the street. ¡°Oiii!¡± ¡°Uwah! Let me go!¡± ¡°Hehehe, you¡¯re a cute elf¡­.¡± ¡°Oi,e with us for a bit,¡± ¡°Elves love sex, right?¡± Emeraldine suddenly was being dragged by two of them. They grabbed her arms, and the third one grabbed her hips. They were not weak at all as soldiers, but not strong either. Why? Well¡­ ¡°Fuck off!¡± The delicate Emeraldine used her high Strength Stat as she punched the faces of all these creeps and threw them to the ground rather mercilessly. All three of them were left knocked out in one punch. ¡°We better not let them be seen¡­.¡± She sighed. ¡°Yeah, I guess they¡¯re going to the shadow realm,¡± I said as I expanded my shadows and swallowed them all. They died instantly. Well, that was super easy and anticlimactic, but I guess that¡¯s all. Can¡¯t really mess around with my Elf girl and think you¡¯re going toe out of it debt-free. Especially because you just tried to rape her in front of her love interest, and I am not into NTR! However, I decided to not eat their souls and left them aspanions for now. They began talking about a bunch of stuff, rmending me shops, and more. ¡°Miss Maria, there¡¯s a good shop that sells booze at a 50% discount on Friday!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a drug seller over there. He sells the good stuff,¡± ¡°In that ce, you can buy child ves, not like I can afford them,¡± ¡°Eh?! You guys know all the shady shit!¡± I said. ¡°What a pain, but let¡¯s go save them,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I guess¡­¡± Sighed Partner. We ended up interrupting our shopping as we flew to all the ces these guys knew about. We quickly reached a hideout inside the slums where there were a lot of shady-looking guys holding a lot of ves in cages. ¡°God damn, will the people of this world ever stop being so fucking awful? Can you guys be good people for just five fucking minutes?¡± I sighed. The group of shady-looking evildoers looked at me. They were all ugly as fuck. Probably all bandits. They looked like them and had shady skills such as [Enving] and even [Libido]. They probably raped ves on a daily basis. Ugh¡­ why can¡¯t there be a ce without shit like this? The worst part is that I cannot really ignore it when I learn about it¡­ the first time, I ignored this ce and didn¡¯t know, but now that I am here, I might as well stop all criminals doing stuff with ves (I don¡¯t care much about drugs or whatever, if they buy them, it¡¯s not my problem), and rescue these people. ¡°Oi! Who the heck are ya?!¡± ¡°A girl?!¡± ¡°Holy shit, she¡¯s hot as fuck!¡± ¡°Hey, how the heck did you get here?¡± ¡°I-I saw her cross through the door as if she were a¡­ a¡­ G-G-G-GHOST!¡± ¡°GHOST?!¡± ¡°Uwahahahaha! I am a ghost! Indeed! Now prepare to pay for your sins, you shitheads!¡± I spread my body across the entire ce and divided it into countless snakes. Everyone began to scream in horror over the bizarre situation as they drowned in snakes. Some of them even got inside their mouths and asphyxiated them, while others just died out of fear by a stroke. The EXP was very little because I was already crazy strong. Maybe in the past, I would have gotten better EXP¡­ but for now, that¡¯s it. They killed all the bandits inside the hideout with ease. Being so strong makes side quests easy to do. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± ¡°That woman is a ghost?¡± ¡°But why would a ghost¡­ help us?¡± My snakes rescued the people from their cages. There were approximately twenty people here. Around 7 of them were children below ten years of age. It was fucking awful. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We are here to help¡­ I might be a ghost, but I am an Apostle of Hel, the Goddess of the Netherworld. Unlike the church of the God of Light who approves of this, I go against them,¡± I said. ¡°Ooohh!¡± ¡°Sh-She¡¯s blessed by the goddess?¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°She must really be a priestess!¡± ¡°Priestess!¡± The people were gullible, mostly because they just wanted to get the fuck out of here. ¡°Alright, guys, jump into my shadows, you¡¯ll be able to stay there, and I will protect you from any harm until we can reach a safe ce,¡± I said. ¡°T-This is¡­ okay!¡± The people quickly began to jump into my shadows. Meanwhile, Emeraldine and Partner were in the underground¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 157 ¡ª¨C Of course, only twenty people as ves looked like rookie numbers for these guys, which I had turned into zombie friends for now and made theme into my shadows. Who would even sell so little ves? As an experienced ve rescuer, I know very well that that¡¯s too little. Obviously, these ves, which were all handsome and beautiful looking and were even healthier, were the big merchandise they would most likely sell tomorrow. Meanwhile, all the others that they don¡¯t find attractive enough to sell for a good amount of money are down there, in the underground. They¡¯ll be either sold in mass as ve soldiers, workers, or in the worst case, ves for rich guys that love to torture. There are a couple in every duchy. Partner and Emeraldine were currently underground. They had found a door that led underground where over 50 more ves were being held captive, with a few guards there. I was about to move down as I was done here, but the door suddenly opened behind me, and a group of knights led by a beautiful little girl with pink hair and sharp emerald eyes entered. She had a little crown over her head and was dressed in a pink dress with silver armor on top. It was a bit over the top. She even had a royal-looking de. Shit, are these pdins?! They caught me! ¡°We found you! At longst, you¡¯re all going to jail- Huh?¡± The girl looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°Hello¡­¡± I said while waving my hand. ¡°Eh? Are you alone? Who are you? Wait, where are all the other vers? We just got a report from an insider that this was their hideout¡­ And the ves are gone too! You¡­! Are you involved in this?!¡± She asked. ¡°Wait, no! Are you actually good people? Did youe to save them? Holy shit, there are actually good people!¡± I said. ¡°Eh? What is this woman talking about? Catch her and put her in jail for now! We have many questions to ask her!¡± Said the girl, pointing her regal de at me. The knights rushed at me and pointed the tip of their spears at me, surrounding me. ¡°Please don¡¯t fight back,¡± Said a man, holding handcuffs. Should I escape, fight back, or let them catch me? I can escape at any moment, but if I let them catch me, interesting things might happen, and I could get more info about who she is. ¡°Sure, I am not a bad person. I actually came here to rescue the people. I killed the vers inside and rescued the people. They¡¯re¡­ inside of my shadow,¡± I said. ¡°What? You, a single woman, did all of that? Pff! What ridiculousness you¡¯re talking about? Quickly bring her with us!¡± She said. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s an entrance there. It leads to the underground! There are two of my friends down there. They¡¯re helping the people and beating down the bandits. Please tell them that I told them to give up ande with you,¡± I said. ¡°Hm? If what you¡¯re saying is the truth¡­ then you might have gained a good ally, but if that¡¯s a trap, then I¡¯ll roll your head in the ground!¡± Said the girl. ¡°Ah¡­ I bet you¡¯re a Duchess?¡± I sighed. ¡°Eh? How could you tell, woman?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, the crown? The obsession with cutting people¡¯s heads?¡± I asked. ¡°T-That¡¯s not a thing of the family! My uncle was a wicked man¡­ But I won¡¯t follow in his footsteps¡­ Anyways! Men, go down and do as she said,¡± Said the girl. ¡°Very well!¡± The people rushed downstairs as the girl stared at me rather intensively. ¡°You¡¯re strange. Are you a magician, a witch, perhaps?¡± She asked. ¡°No, I am a spiritualist that is closer to dark spirits. But I am good-aligned. The goddess of the underworld has blessed me,¡± I said. ¡°Ohh¡­ Well, we¡¯ll see about that,¡± She said while crossing her arms. Meanwhile, Partner and Emeraldine were crushing down bandits down there and had already rescued all the people out of the jails and cages they were confined in, alongside stealing all the goodies around too inside dimensional pouches, which were like small inventories but into items. A group of knights quickly reached down, finding all the ves they came to rescue, running away while being led by two women. I was there too as a small snake on their shoulders. ¡°Knights!¡± Said Partner. ¡°D-Did they find out?! Damn it¡­!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°No! Hold on, girls, this is good. Let them catch you,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°W-What did you say?¡± ¡°Trust me on this one,¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two girls were left speechless. I can¡¯t me them. What I said was pretty weird. ¡°But it is true, let them catch you! It will benefit us if we get caught doing a good deed rather than a bad one,¡± I said. ¡°Okay¡­ Master, I trust you,¡± Said Partner. ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Halt! Don¡¯t fight back, and we won¡¯t harm you!¡± ¡°Let go of the ves!¡± ¡°Quickly take these handcuffs and don¡¯t move,¡± ¡°Wee from the woman above. She said that you should let us apprehend you¡­.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Do as you may,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Very well, you seem cooperative, just as she said¡­.¡± The knights quickly brought the two upstairs alongside all the ves, and it was confirmed that everything I said was the truth. The girl looked at me with surprise as she quickly decided to take off my handcuffs and those of my friends. See? I knew it. She¡¯s a good girl. It is extremely rare to find an actual good person in this world, but they exist. ¡°Y-You were telling the truth¡­ I am sorry for not having believed your words¡­ Let me reintroduce myself. I am the new Duchess of the Duchy of Affnaria, Julia Memendin Albraun, the past Duke, that got assassinated by a mysterious person, was my uncle,¡± Said the girl. ¡ª¨C Chapter 158 ¡ª¨C The girl resulted in being a good girl! I knew it. I decided to introduce myself as not Maria, but Mary! Such a good change, nobody will get it, totally. ¡°I see. So you¡¯re new around here¡­ Name¡¯s¡­ Mary. I am a wandering Shadow Magician and Spiritualist. These two are my friends. Partner¡¯s the girl with red eyes, she¡¯s a knight, and the elf, is Emeraldine, a priestess and huntress,¡± I said. ¡°It is nice to meet you two as well¡­ I am impressed that you were able to do all of this so efficiently!¡± Said the girl. ¡°Well yeah, we got our ways,¡± I said. ¡°Anyways, how about youe to my house? Let¡¯s help the former ves eat and get better clothes, while we talk off about everything that has transpired,¡± Said Julia. ¡°Sure!¡± I said. We ended up being escorted by the Elite Knights of the Duchy, which we¡¯re actually not here before, but were brought by Julia as special corps that worked kind of like Cops on Earth, beating baddies and more¡­ well, kind of like Cops are supposed to work, although I guess in Earth, they go around the streets shooting people more than beating crime. We entered the territory of the Manor where she lived and where her uncle once lived. Many Butlers and Maids greeted us. ¡°Wee home, Julia-sama,¡± ¡°I am back. It seems that things went well. Can you guys take care of the former ves for me? Bring them all they need, food, clothes, everything,¡± She ordered. ¡°Understood,¡± The servants quickly began to attend to all the former ves without even wavering. Hey, I really like her now. An actually nice aristocrat? That¡¯s super fucking rare to see. Especially because she¡¯s part of the royal family, the Albraun Family, which is¡­ well, the family with the name of the Kingdom this duchy is located, the Albraun Kingdom. ¡°Come, let me invite you to some dinner. Are you hungry, perhaps? It might be around 3 AM, but I am in the mood for some sweets,¡± She said. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± I responded. Partner and Emeraldine whispered to my ears. ¡°Master, are you sure this is okay? Won¡¯t we be capturedter? What if a church guy shows up? Those are tough!¡± Whispered Partner. ¡°Yeah, this might be a trap¡­ She¡¯s shady. There¡¯s no way an aristocrat is a good person,¡± Whispered Emeraldine. ¡°Hahaha¡­ I am just as impressed as you girls are, but no matter how much I look into the depths of her soul, I cannot find any inherent malice. She¡¯s an honest and hard-working girl,¡± I said. ¡°R-Really?¡± Asked Partner while raising an eyebrow. ¡°Is that true?¡± Asked Emeraldine, also raising an eyebrow. ¡°*Sigh*¡­ Yes, it is. Now let¡¯s go eat sweets and talk it out with her. If we can actually make a good friend of aristocracy without any weird brainwashing or possession, it would be awesome. We could even use her help and influence to clean up my image as the Witch of Misfortune, have you not thought about that?¡± I asked. ¡°Ooooh!¡± Partner blurted out. ¡°I¡­ I certainly didn¡¯t see the whole picture¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really suit me to be overly aggressive all the time¡­ Even more as I pan to build my own Kingdom one of these days. If possible, I would want to make friendly rtionships with this Duchy¡­ She could also give me nice info about the Fragment of Evil or where my little brother could be,¡± I said. ¡°Right!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Indeed, she¡¯s certainly someone important then,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°What are you whispering so much? Come on, talk with me,¡± Sighed Julia as we entered a room with a small table and several sweets, pastries, and tea served by a butler and a maid. ¡°Sit, for now, let¡¯s talk it out and rx¡­ Phew. Since I got into this Duchy, I¡¯ve been working nonstop to deal with crime. My uncle was really a rotten man, to think he¡¯ll collude so much with all these sick people to fill up his pockets. I bet it was someone from these people that ended taking out his life¡­ I remember that my mother had told me this Duchy was once one of the most peaceful and prettiest of the Kingdom¡­ He incentivized all of this¡­ Just as they say, ¡®raise crows, and they¡¯ll gouge out your eyes¡¯!¡± She said while sighing and waving her head while taking a sip of tea. ¡°R-Right¡­ Yeah, I guess that¡¯s right,¡± I said. ¡°Are you not sad he died?¡± Asked Partner rather boldly. ¡°Sad? As if! Why would I be sad about the uncle that tortured my mother through her entire childhood? I am d that man is out of the picture¡­ I promised my mother that I would rise this duchy to its former glory. The first step is to take out all the bad weeds that have taken root here¡­ I won¡¯t be able to start anything, to begin with, if there are all these people interfering,¡± Said Julia. ¡°Wise words, Julia. I couldn¡¯t agree more. I remember the old times here. It was a prettier ce. The previous Duke really left it all hanging on a thread¡­ the amount of shady people is impressive¡­¡± I said. ¡°Yeah! Indeed! *Sigh*¡­ Anyways, didn¡¯t you say something about your shadow before?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Oh right!¡± I quickly expanded my shadows and let all the people out. ¡°W-What is this!¡± She shouted in disbelief. ¡°It is a spell named Shadow Storage. It creates a small space where I can store living beings. I rescue people like this,¡± I said. ¡°By the Gods, this is indeed a powerful ability! I can tell why you were so confident¡­ Wait, where are the bandits?¡± She asked. ¡°I killed them all¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll want to see their corpses, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Aahaha¡­ You can keep them,¡± She said. ¡°I thought so,¡± I giggled. ¡°Mary, tell me more about you, now I am more than intrigued¡­ I think we could be good friends! I might even employ your services. Are you an adventurer?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, and I am also Mercenary, though I am currently busy, I came here for provisions. I am taking care of my own people far away¡­ I came across this shady group and had thought about taking care of the former ves by myself, as I often do,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You do?!¡± She asked in shock. ¡ª- Chapter 159 ¡ª¨C Julia Memendin Albraun, the new Duchess of the Duchy of Affnaria. She said that the previous Duke was actually her Uncle, but she had already demonstrated to us that she didn¡¯t care about him one bit. She stated that he made her mother¡¯s life hell when they were younger, so I assume her mother is part of the royal family while her father is the outsider. I don¡¯t know how royalty works, but if they gave a woman a duchy, they don¡¯t discriminate by gender as much as in Earth¡¯s past. Usually, Duchess¡¯ were very rare, and often the husband, even if an outsider, ended up bing the Duke of the Duchy at the end while they were left behind. But this young girl seems to have been given the role of Duchess, and she looks way too young to be married. But even then, after seeing how corrupt the aristocrats were, it was very shocking to see a young girl being given the position of Duchess, even more seeing how she was a good girl that was actually trying to clean all the trash her Uncle left behind in this ce. She¡¯s really amendable and amazing girl. I give her that. ¡°Mary, tell me more about you, now I am more than intrigued¡­ I think we could be good friends! I might even employ your services. Are you an adventurer?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, and I am also Mercenary, though I am currently busy, I came here for provisions. I am taking care of my own people far away¡­ I came across this shady group and had thought about taking care of the former ves by myself, as I often do,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You do?!¡± She asked in shock. I had just revealed to her that I¡¯ve been rescuing the people from vers and taking care of them myself, which actually shocked the pink-haired royal girl. Partner and Emeraldine at my sides were mostly silent and nervous. They seemed to have never directly interacted with royalty. But I have! Of course, only before killing them. Perhaps due to my own insanity, it was easy to break the ice, but these two girls, who are usually brave and strong fighters, had be rather shy, standing at my side quite tightly. ¡°You girls should rx a bit,¡± I said to the two. ¡°O-Oh, feel free to drink some tea, and there are also pastries if you want to¡­.¡± Said Julia. Partner and Emeraldine faintly nodded. I think they didn¡¯t like this deep down and probably disliked her for being an aristocrat. But can you me them? Every aristocrat we have met so far was just sick bastards anyways. Finding one that was a cute girl and also a good person was rare. Oh well, maybe all of this is a fa?ade, and she¡¯s actually evil. We¡¯ll have to see more of her. ¡°Indeed, Julia. I¡¯ve been rescuing these ves, but I don¡¯t intend to bring them here. I have been moving them through caravans. They will be moved to a territory I own, where they¡¯ll be my citizens,¡± I said. ¡°C-Citizens? Are you part of the Kingdom¡¯s aristocracy?¡± Julia asked, surprised. ¡°No, but I have a vige. That doesn¡¯t make me an aristocrat. It is just an empty plot ofnd I bought,¡± I said. ¡°I see. Mary, your abilities are¡­mendable. Your power over the shadows seems to bring you some amazing capabilities. The Spell ¡®Shadow Storage¡¯ is an impressive one I had never seen before. And if you were able to kill those thugs so swiftly, your offensive Spells must be just as incredible,¡± Said Julia while drinking some tea. ¡°You¡¯re ttering me too much. There are still stronger people than me out there. I am not as impressive. However, I have to admit that my abilities make it easy to rescue people,¡± I said. ¡°Indeed¡­ Mary, I have brought you here to thank you but also now that I¡¯ve spoken to you for a bit, I¡¯ve realized that I cannot easily let go of you,¡± Said Julia. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Due to this, I would like to see if it¡¯s possible to hire you and your friends as mercenaries. I want you to help me find these people, these despicable bastards hiding within the aristocrats of the duchy and the underworld¡­.¡± She said. ¡°So that¡¯s it? Hmm, well, as long as there are certain conditions you can fulfill, I am willing to help you. But I must tell you right away that my services are not cheap,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm! I like your attitude. I think we¡¯ll be good friends, Mary. I am willing to pay the price¡­ Whatever do you desire? Money?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Money is something that is always needed, yes, (even though I can just steal whatever I want very easily with my abilities), but I want something else¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Something else?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°I want information. That would be good pay,¡± I said. ¡°Information¡­ What might that information be?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°I want you to use your connections to find anything regarding Arthur Belle and Ernestina Beluna,¡± I said. Julia looked at me with eyes filled with intrigue. The atmosphere suddenly went from carefree to still, even dark. ¡°Those names¡­¡± She said. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Very well, I will do what I can, but don¡¯t expect everything from me. I am a low-ranking Aristocrat, after all. Even as the granddaughter of the King, I am still one of the youngest of the royal family, and well, what I can do is limited,¡± She said. ¡°I understand. Any help will be appreciated,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ve asked for something strange, but I won¡¯t question you,¡± Said Julia. ¡°I appreciate it,¡± I said. Arthur Belle is my little brother, the one I learned about some time ago, and Ernestina is the supposed aunt that is taking care of him. But based on Julia¡¯s response, it might seem as if the family name of ¡°Belle¡± is seen strangely. I won¡¯t ask her anymore for now¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 160 ¡ª¨C I had decided to leave the ves rescued today with Julia; she had told me that she was going to help them go back to society slowly and see if she could do anything for them in the meantime. It is very hard to make former ves into members of society when they had gone through so many things, it will be an arduous job, but I am surprised that she seems devoted enough to do it without expecting anypensation whatsoever. That¡¯s very surprising, and it left me thinking about a few things myself. Of course, I had yet to grow more confident with her, so I had decided to spread my Snake Ghosts around the ce and leave them on standby, mostly spying over everything. But for now, I will have to postpone helping her out. Perhaps in a month or a few weeks, I will be able to, whenever we reach that ce with my people. I had to tell this to her directly. ¡°So you¡¯re in a hurry? You came to buy supplies for the trip and also a few more carriages? I see. For helping me out in this regard, let me help you back,¡± She said. ¡°Ah, Julia¡­! Really? We have almost a hundred people, though¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°A-A hundred people! Ugh, well, I think it depends on how long you n your trip to be. How far is your territory from where your people are on standby?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°All the way to the south¡­ The coast,¡± I said. ¡°T-The south coasts?! I see, so that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t recognize you as an owner of a plot ofnd. You were given such a desertic and cold ce¡­ I guess this exins why you could afford it as amoner- No, offense,¡± She said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind it. And yeah, it was cheap,¡± I said. I am just lying at this point, but this made it more believable for her that a randommoner got a piece ofnd without being an aristocrat or at least rted to one. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no time to waste. Let¡¯s begin this right away¡­ How many caravans do you require?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Roughly to fit around 40 or so people, perhaps 4 or 5 that could fit 8 to 10,¡± I said. ¡°Hm, seems reasonable enough. I know the workshop that my uncle used to manage. It¡¯s now mine, so I can get you the caravans for a discount,¡± Said Julia with a prideful smile. ¡°Oh! That would be nice,¡± I said. ¡°But about the food¡­ I could sell it to you for cheap as I can easily tell the merchants and providers to bring the crates with food here for you, but can you afford it? You would roughly need hundreds of kilograms of food to feed so many people over the time that the trip will take you,¡± Said the girl. ¡°Yeah, we can afford it,¡± I said. After all, I had the fortune of thest three aristocrats I stole, including a duke, so I had millions of gold coins. I took out a leather bag filled to the brim with gold coins and put it over the table. POOF! The precious shiny coins shone brightly before her. I had begun to feel rather desensitized with money because I was just stealing everything anyways, but now that I want to make more reasonable transactions that don¡¯t just make everyone poorer, perhaps using the currency and managing it would be for the best. ¡°T-This is a lot of gold!¡± She said. ¡°I do a lot of risky jobs. I¡¯ve even hunted Vampires. Want to see their heads? I keep them saved in my shadows,¡± I said. ¡°I-I would prefer not to¡­ So you¡¯re even a Hunter of Vampires and other stronger beasts? I guess it makes sense now, but¡­ H-How much is this?¡± She asked. ¡°I just went to the Guild, and they didn¡¯t have enough money to pay for me the bounty of hunting three Vampires, but they gave me all the money they had for the moment. It¡¯s around five million coins,¡± I said. ¡°Hm, five million¡­ I see. This gold is enough, although you would actually need some more. Each caravan from my workshop is around a million each, but I will give you a discount of fifty percent, that would make the five only two million and a half¡­ the rest will be used to pay for the food, which will cost the most. I¡¯ll pay the difference,¡± She said. ¡°Really?¡± I asked with sparkling eyes. ¡°Indeed, it is the least I could do; hopefully, this will also strengthen our rtionship,¡± Said Julia. The young girl had a sharp insight. Her eyes were also filled with a strong will, and she seemed ready to put a lot of investment into me. I was just what shecked, someone strong to be at her side and cover her back. ¡°Thank you. I will make sure to keep doing business with you then¡­ Actually, let me give you this,¡± I said. ¡°Oh?¡± Julia looked at what I took out of my Inventory. It was arge, red-colored Magic Crystal, the Magic Crystal stored inside of Silvio¡¯s corpse. ¡°This is the Magic Crystal of a Vampire of at least B+ Rank. Do you know how much magic power there is in this palm-sized crystal?¡± I asked. ¡°I-Impressive, just by looking at it¡­ the pressure¡­ You fought such a monster yourself?¡± She asked. Ahh¡­ Well, be cheesed it out¡­ But I can¡¯t let her know that. ¡°Yeah, we put a lot of effort. I guess you could say we are all B Rank Adventurers in the level of power, but due to theck of questspleted and merit, we are still stuck at F-Rank,¡± I said. ¡°Hm, I suppose being at such a low rank is actually beneficial to keep yourself away from the spotlight. You seem to be a woman that acts at night and doesn¡¯t like to bring attention to yourself,¡± Said Julia. ¡°Indeed,¡± I responded. ¡ª¨C Chapter 161 ¡ª¨C ¡°So? Why are you showing me this amazing material? By just looking at it, I can already imagine I could make at least a thousand Mana Potions of Unique if not Legendary Rank¡­ In brute, it would cost around¡­ so many millions¡­ It could also be used to make equipment¡­ also essories with these items¡­ would cost even more!¡± She eximed. ¡°Yep, I don¡¯t like to owe money to people, so take this as the coteral. You can use it to do whatever you want,¡± I said. ¡°Th-This is¡­ Really?!¡± ¡°It is just a crystal, so yeah¡­ Take it,¡± I said. Julia swallowed saliva as she took the jewel and looked at it with her bright eyes. Suddenly, her eyes shone brightly. Indeed, she used a special Skill she had. It was named ¡°Jeweler Eyes,¡± and it makes her eyes do something simr to my Analyze ability, but it only works on materials and certain items made from them, such as potions and equipment. It is like Appraisal, but it doesn¡¯t work on living beings. This is a useful Skill as it allows her to never be scammed by falsified items. ¡°It is genuine,¡± She said in awe. ¡°Of course, do you think I am lying?¡± I asked. I quickly took out the severed head of Silvio. Sorry, Silvio¡­ ¡°Uwah! Okay, that¡¯s certainly a vampire! T-take that disgusting thing out of my sight!¡± She shouted. ¡°Hahaha! Alright, alright, sorry,¡± I said, throwing Silvio¡¯s head back into my shadow. ¡°I¡¯ll take it then if you insist so much¡­ This will elevate my capital, even. Such an amazing item¡­ if other aristocrats were to know about it, they would all try to devour me alive to get it,¡± Said Julia. ¡°A-Are B Rank Materials that expensive?¡± I wondered. ¡°What? Of course! Don¡¯t you realize? You knew a bit about it, didn¡¯t you?¡± She sighed. ¡°Yeaaah¡­¡± I said. ¡°Well, for starters, D Rank Materials are already very expensive and used to make a variety of amazing equipment or magic tools. Magic Crystals are usually the most precious of the materials within monsters. C Rank Materials are expensive, but only organizations such as Guilds can properly secure them from Adventurers¡­ B Rank Materials¡­ well, they¡¯re already at duchy level. Only people as prestigious as me or¡­ a few other aristocrats from here could afford this thing¡­ This Magic Crystal alone has the power to fuel the entire Capital of the Kingdom for several years,¡± She said. ¡°Fuel?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed. Don¡¯t you know? I guess you¡¯re quite the traveler to have never gone to the capital¡­.¡± She said. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I said. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. Anyways, if you didn¡¯t know already, atop the ceiling, around this ce, in the kitchen, downstairs, and so on, there are many magical artifacts, or, as some like to call them: magic technology items. You use Mana to fuel them. The light bulbs, the freezer, themunication artifact, the light on the streets, the machine to wash clothes, and so on. Magic Crystals are the precious resource that allows us to have suchmodities. The more Mana they can provide, the better they¡¯re sold and the more valuable they are. Therefore, one of this caliber is very amazing¡­ Even gifting it to my grandfather would leave him a bit shocked,¡± Said Julia. So I got a goldmine in my pockets?! I got two more of those and another massive pile of magic crystals I¡¯ve been collecting from other monsters¡­ Ah, right, I also got the magic crystals of the Necromancer Vampire, the Scientist, and all his Chimeras too. I better use this as my capital from now on. ¡°I got way more of those from where that came from. I will use them as the capital of my vige. Hopefully, you can help me out with the business and otherplicated stuff,¡± I said. ¡°Sure thing! This has unexpectedly be a great business¡­ Hehe,¡± She giggled rather childishly. I could notice that she still had many aristocrats¡¯ traits, such as greediness. After that, I signed some documents that I had read carefully by Julia. These were transaction documents, alongside another document for a contract, contracting my group as her mercenaries and myself, of course. The terms were reasonable, and there were no little letters on them, so I wrote them down without a problem. After that, she quickly began to mobilize her servants in an instant. Fiverge carriages that could easily transport many goods and also people reached up to me. They were big enough to be only bought by rich merchants. The wheels were also steel-covered, and five strong horses were included. After that, boxes after boxes made of wood began to pile up at the side. They had enchantments on them that made food take a longer time to dpose, so they were ideal for carrying a lot of food. They were also filled with various vegetables such as tubers, grains, fruits, bread, meat, and more. ¡°And done¡­ Do you want my men to put the things inside the carriages?¡± She asked. ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said. I touched each item and put them inside my Inventory one by one. Julia looked at the scene with eyes wide open. Everything simply was disappearing and entering into another space. ¡°I-Is that spatial magic?¡± She asked in shock. ¡°Oh no, this is just¡­ a way to put them in my shadows! Yeah, they¡¯re stored so fast you can¡¯t see them,¡± I said. ¡°I-I see¡­ I was sure that my eyes had not deceived me, but if you say so¡­¡± She said. After this was done, I decided to finally move over at longst. But, before that, I decided to leave something for her. ¡°Here, this is a Summon I can create, a Familiar Spirit¡­ Yes, you can call it like that,¡± I said as I divided my phantom and created another Snake Ghost Clone. ¡°A-A snake? It looks ghastly¡­.¡± She said ¡°Yes, it is a Ghost Snake. It can cross through walls and more, and it has sharp eyesight. You can use it to speak with me wherever you need to. It is directly connected to my mind. I will use it to protect you as well. Despite how it looks, it¡¯s strong,¡± I exined. ¡°Oooh¡­ I see¡­ Very well then, thank you very much for it¡­¡± She said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 162 ¡ª¨C After giving the girl the Snake, what was left to do was rather simple: go back to where my people were left. Using my clones, I was able to see that they were doing fine. We swiftly moved through the night, waving my hands and saying farewells to Julia, I would meet her soon, and it was mostly out of good manners. When we reached the outskirts of the forest surrounding Affnaria, I stored the carriages inside my inventory and the horses inside my shadow storage, and we swiftly moved back. However, Partner and Emeraldine seemed to dislike what I had just done¡­ for some reason. ¡°Maria-sama, what you did with that girl was¡­ rather¡­ well¡­¡± Emeraldine muttered. ¡°Hm? What is it? Do you have something against my decisions?¡± I asked. ¡°N-No! I would never¡­! However¡­.¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°That was way too risky! What if she recognized you as Maria?! You just did your debut as the evil ghost back in the other duchy!¡± She cried. ¡°You¡¯ve told me yourself that I don¡¯t even look like how I used to look right now after evolving, so I don¡¯t really get what you¡¯re trying to tell me now. There weren¡¯t many chances of her ever finding out who I was¡­ But I was careful anyways. This is how I didn¡¯t show her the identification document,¡± I said. The Adventurer card still had my true name on it, and I didn¡¯t show it to her. ¡°I see¡­ Well, I suppose you had already exined the pluses that this could have,¡± She sighed. ¡°Of course! There are many benefits to befriending such royalty as her¡­ It is very useful, and it will bring a lot of new things to the table. By simply imagining it, I get a bit thrilled. It is finally time to get some assistance in all this stuff about finances and more. If I am making a Kingdom, I will have to assess all of this,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You¡¯re more than right in that regard,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°But I don¡¯t like her! She¡¯s greedy, and aristocrats are all corrupt anyways! I don¡¯t like politicians,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Agh, she¡¯s different, Partner¡­ Also, I will be looking over her 24/7, so there won¡¯t be any problem. If she has something to hide from me, I will find it out,¡± I said. ¡°I-I guess Master is right,¡± Muttered Partner. ¡°Now, let¡¯s quickly reach our group. The people there have been waiting almost the entire night, and it is about to be 6 AM already¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Alright!¡± The girls cheered. Meanwhile, back in the duchy of Affnaria, Julia decided to go to sleep ratherte. I had been there with her this entire time as her pet snake. She thought that this snake couldmunicate messages and images if it wanted, but it wasn¡¯t that and more like me actually just looking over her and protecting her 24/7. Therefore, she thought I was more of a pet. ¡°Okay, little snake, I will go take a bath and then sleep for a bit¡­.¡± She said, leaving me aside. I looked at her innocently like any snake would do. ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re cute. I guess a real snake would be scary, but you¡¯re a spirit after all,¡± Said Julia with a gentle smile. I rested my snake body over the bed and then decided to coil around. However, she suddenly began to undress in front of me. Wait, what? Her dress quickly came down, and she began to lower her panties and everything. For being so young, she¡¯s got quite the developed body. But I feel like I shouldn¡¯t be watching this! ¡­Damn, her hips are bigger than I thought. I had imagined her dress was making them seem wide, but she really does have some killer curves- Agh! No! Stop looking! I quickly covered my face and let her go to her bathroom and take a bath. Ugh, I feel so guilty¡­ like a degenerate. Ding! Eh?! [You acquired the [Shameless Degenerate: Lv1] Title Skill!] Noooo! Stop! Take it back! I don¡¯t want it! No¡­! Ugh¡­ ¡­ [Shameless Degenerate: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to those that had exceeded in being shameless and degenerate to the point of doing it multiple times with innocent people that had no idea of your degeneracy. This Title Skill enhances your stealth-based abilities while degenerately spying on others. While doing degenerate acts, all your stats will be raised by +10% with each Title Skill Level. You have fewer feelings of guilt. ¡­ No! I don¡¯t want this! System! Take this out! Please! Bullshit! Take them out! Damage it. Just take this out, please. Stop! ¡­ Do it. ¡­ [Attempting to Repurpose Title Skill [Shameless Degenerate: Lv1]¡­] [In Process¡­] Come on¡­! [¡­] [Failure] Agh! Fine. Okay, keep it¡­ I¡¯ve already given up¡­ I had gotten a very unsightly Title Skill, but I guess I deserve it. I shouldn¡¯t have looked at Julia¡¯s beautiful naked body anyway¡­ Now I feel very guilty¡­ This effect of lessening guilt is useless as I still feel bad over it. Anyways, going back to my main body, I finally reached my caravan. The people there were waiting for us with open arms as I found Lucifer and others preparing breakfast with the ingredients left behind. ¡°Ah, you girls are finally back. You sure took your time,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Sorry about that¡­ Many things happened¡­ Haha¡­¡± I replied. ¡°Yeah, Lucifer, you wouldn¡¯t believe it! Maria-sama ended up making friends with an aristocrat, and she even signed documents and gifted her a Magic Crystal from a Vampire! I seriously don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in her head anymore,¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Y-You did what?!¡± Shouted Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 163 ¡ª¨C After convincing Lucifer that everything was okay, we moved forward with the n, and I took out the carriages from my inventory. The horses carried the people through the carriages, and ten people each wouldn¡¯t cut with a single horse, so I lent them some friends in the form of horse skeletons. The horses were scared, and some died out of terror¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say other than I made them into zombies, and they were no longer scared. Now the n was set, we got the supplies and the carriages, and we even got a lot of clothes. I made sure to bring winter clothes that were warm, as the ce where we were going was cold, but it was and where people wouldn¡¯t easily be able to bother us anymore. We swiftly moved across the road towards the south, and we made sure nobody was following us around, but it seemed that things were going quite fine. After a whole week of traveling and ying monsters, I woke up with a slightly changed Partner the next morning. Her body had grown a centimeter or two taller, and her slender body became even more slender and beautiful. Her curves were now even sexier, and her chest was blooming with big bosoms¡­ Her face had be more refined and beautiful as if she had been wearing lipstick over her lips, which turned very red. And her eyshes also became longer. Her ears got sharper, and her hair grew so long it reached her ankles, with a bright red color. But that was it, I guess¡­ she had slightly changed, but the details I was able to tell were because I was always eyeing every inch of her body- Not because I am a pervert! I just like seeing her grow. ¡°Master, you¡¯re awake!¡± She said while smiling adorably. ¡°Partner, did you evolve?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh? Y-You noticed? I barely changed¡­.¡± She said while blushing. ¡°Of course, I know you very well, little Partner. There¡¯s no change on your body that will go without me realizing it!¡± I said. ¡°T-Then you noticed that my breasts became like twice as big? I-It is embarrassing¡­ look how big they are¡­.¡± She sighed as she moved her dress and showed me her nude breasts¡­ ¡°W-Wait, don¡¯t show them like that! You¡¯re ady! You can¡¯t do that!¡± I said. ¡°But look, they¡¯re like big balloons now¡­ Should I cut them? They might be annoying in battle¡­.¡± She sighed. ¡°No! Dumb girl, don¡¯t cut them! They¡¯re part of your womanhood. Embrace your body,¡± I said as I covered them. ¡°I-I see¡­ I like Master¡¯s breasts, but mine felt a bit bigger, so I felt conflicted,¡± She sighed once again. ¡°I-Is that all you were worried about? Seriously?¡± I sighed. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± She said. ¡°Anyways, you evolved into¡­ Oh right, you drank a lot of the blood from the Vampires, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I think that triggered some special evolution¡­.¡± ¡°I noticed¡­.¡± ¡­ [Name: [Partner] [Race: [Lesser Vampire ck Death Spear Knight] [Job: [Scarlet Blood Spear Empress] [Level: [1/40] [Rank: [B+] [Status: [Strengthened] [HP: [11500/11500] [MP: [4000/4000] [Attack: [9000] [Defense: [4500] [Magic: [3500] [Agility: [10000] Characteristic Skills: [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Blood Element: Lv¨C] [Vampire: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv7] [ck Steel Bones: Lv8] [Morphed Body: Lv6] [Self-Regeneration: Lv6] [Flesh Consumption: Lv6] [Bloodsucking: Lv4] [Flight: Lv1] [Evil Eye: Lv1] [Supernatural Strength: Lv1] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv7] [Magical Damage Resistance: Lv6] Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv8] [Bone w: Lv7] [Intimidation: Lv7] [Spear Thrust: Lv8] [Triple Thrust: Lv6] [Dark Bullet: Lv5] [Dark Spear Thrust: Lv6] [Steady Fighter: Lv6] [Spear Mastery: Lv4] [Armor Mastery: Lv4] [Acrobatics: Lv4] [Phantasmal Hand: Lv4] [Bloodwork: Lv4] [Blood Arts: Lv4] [Gluttonous Fang: Lv1] [Blood Curse Infection: Lv1] [Vampire Authority: Lv1] Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] [Death Knight: Lv4] [Blood Race: Lv4] [Spear Master: Lv1] [Blood Empress: Lv1] ¡­ Her race had indeed evolved. She became a Lesser Vampire! My girl went from Dhampir to Vampire so fast! But a Lesser one¡­ I guess she had yet to grow into her full potential. ¡°So you evolved into a Vampire! That exins why you got so pretty all of a sudden,¡± I said. ¡°Hehe¡­ Am I that pretty?¡± She asked adorably. ¡°Very. You¡¯re the cutest,¡± I said as I petted her head, and she closed her eyes while rubbing her face on my hand¡­ so cute. However, I was still rather confused¡­ are the requirements for a Dhampir to be a Vampire to drink vampire blood? I guess that¡¯s pretty simple then¡­ ¡­ [Lesser Vampire ck Death Spear Knight] A Lesser Vampire evolved from a Dhampir that is branded as a ck Death Spear Knight. It has yet to awaken the true powers of a Vampire, but it possesses a great and admirable level of power. To evolve further, more Vampire Blood is required to be drunk¡­ ¡­ ¡°The Description says that you need to drink even more vampire blood to be a true Vampire¡­ I don¡¯t know if you should, though,¡± I said. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot of blood left from the Vampires we killed earlier, Master! I am all set then!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Is that so? Then I guess you can drink that one and save the rest forter,¡± I said. The new Skills she acquired were: [Flight: Lv1]: Grants the ability to float in midair unnaturally. It can only be used by supernatural beings such as Vampires. Uses mana constantly. The higher the level, the faster the flight. [Evil Eye: Lv1]: Your eyes harbor the evil within your heart. You can use the Curses you¡¯re able to conjure now through your eyes while also targeting foes from long distances with them. [Supernatural Strength: Lv1]: Enhances total Strength and Resilience of the body, surpassingmon sense. Strength enhances by +10% while fighting with each level. These three first Skills seem to enhance her ability to fight and use curses¡­ and she can float in midair now! She wasn¡¯t able to do that before¡­ ¡ª- Chapter 164 ¡ª¨C [Gluttonous Fang: Lv1]: As a Vampire, your fangs are powerful assets to your fighting methods, and they¡¯re capable of piercing through the flesh of your enemies with great strength. You can naturally drain blood with these fangs. [Blood Curse Infection: Lv1]: As a Vampire, you can create new minions by infecting them with your Blood Curse through bite or ingestion of your own blood. The level of the Skill enhances the strength of your minions when they¡¯re first converted. [Vampire Authority: Lv1]: You have a natural authority over lesser Vampiric beings and even Undead. [Spear Master: Lv1]: Your ability and technique while using the Spear is masterful, enhancing Speed and Damage dealt while using a Spear Weapon by +10% with each level. [Blood Empress: Lv1]: Your ability to control blood is superb. It enhances your technique with the blood you can manipte, alongside their damage dealt through special offensive techniques by +10% with each level. I see now, after inspecting all her new Skills, I¡¯ve discovered that most of them are new from her Evolution. After all, bing a Vampire is something pretty amazing. She gained deadly fangs that could pierce through any sort of defense and bite her enemy¡¯s neck. She gained the ability to infect others with the blood curse and turn them into vampires, and she gained the power to have authority over these and other lesser vampiric beings and even undead¡­ Lastly, there is an enhancement to damage and mastery over using the spear and also blood, which is pretty amazing if I say so myself. Partner has really grown into a strong girl herself. I am so proud of her. She sat down at my side while smiling radiantly, and then I decided to make the carriages stop so we could take the morning to make breakfast. It was around 7 AM, and the sun was slowly rising from the horizon. ¡°Uwaah!¡± However, when we walked outside the carriage, the sunlight hit Partner directly, and she began to cry in pain. I noticed that her skin began to burn¡­ it was burning! And it looked painful! I quickly covered her with my shadows and realized what had just happened¡­ ¡°Partner, you shouldn¡¯t have evolved into a Vampire! *Sigh*¡­ Now you got their weakness to sunlight, and probably to holy light, fire, and¡­ what else? Silver and garlic!¡± I said, protecting her from the light. ¡°Eeeh?! I didn¡¯t know there were such weaknesses¡­ I was the same before evolving¡­.¡± She sighed while her skin quickly recovered back. Her self-regeneration was amazing now. ¡°Y-Yeah, I also didn¡¯t expect it. It seems that Dhampirs are immune to these weaknesses, but Lesser Vampires are no exception,¡± I sighed. ¡°W-What do I do now?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, you can stille out at night, right? Although unlike those other Vampire guys with fire and sunlight resistance, you cannot freely walk at day,¡± I said. ¡°Ugh, what a pain¡­ I want to have breakfast with friends¡­.¡± She sighed. ¡°Hmm, maybe if I cover you with my phantom¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­.¡± I said. I spread my phantom out of my body and covered her with it. Also, it was transparent, so it was barely visible, maybe like a tiny mist. I exposed her to the sunlight once more. ¡°I-It still burns¡­ But it is fine,¡± She said. The sunlight was still burning her, and her stats weakened, but the pain was less severe, and my phantom had a cold effect to it that cooled down the sunlight¡¯s fiery embrace. In the end, it felt like it was itching all over her exposed skin, but it wasn¡¯t so bad now. ¡°I want to be like Silvio and Francesco. They had sunlight resistance! If I can bear with the pain, I am sure I¡¯ll be able to get it eventually,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Partner, you¡¯re so brave¡­ Alright then,¡± I said while nodding. ¡°Ugh¡­ Though I feel weakened, as if I was sick or something.¡± sighed Partner. The cause of all of this was the vampire skill¡­ ¡­ [Vampire: Lv¨C] A Skill that signifies you as a Vampire. You possess all the great qualities of a Vampire, like incredible self-regeneration, the power to control blood and darkness, the ability to spread your blood curse, and great supernatural strength, amongst other powers that can be developed as the user grow stronger. However, these powerse not without a price, as you suffer the weaknesses that torment all Vampires. You¡¯re incredibly weak to Fire, Holy Light, and Life Elements. Sunlight burns your skin and can even turn you into ashes if you¡¯re not strong enough. Silver-based weapons can damage you severely and ignore your physical defense. While bathing in sunlight or touching silver, your stats are halved¡­ amongst other weaknesses that might vary from vampire to vampire. Weaknesses can be ovee, but the amount of pain and agony you must go through discourages even the most ancient and strongest of Vampires¡­ ¡­ I see it is a long description, but I kind of get it now. This single Skill¡­ it¡¯s what makes her so strong, yet it gives her this weakness. The Dhampir Skill evolved into this when she evolved, after all. I suppose we cannot do much other than this. Perhaps I could create some sort of skincare cream that could inhibit the power of sunlight on her skin, maybe if I use some materials from creatures that are very resistant to the element. But for now, this phantom coat was enough. I decided to leave a small snake clone with her that would keep this up for now. Although the pain and skin burn won¡¯t be there anymore, she¡¯s still slowly grilling herself alive and regenerating back up, so her HP is going down and up constantly¡­ but she¡¯s stable and said she would bear it because she wants to gain resistances that way. Silvio, Francesco, and Catarina all had Sunlight Resistance as a Skill, so it exists, and Vampires can learn it¡­ although the way they acquired it was by carbonizing themselves in a fire that almost killed them and then getting recovered after being converted into Vampires¡­ so I don¡¯t know if we can replicate that¡­ haha¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 165 ¡ª¨C Now that we were done with Partner, I quickly gathered the people and brought out some ingredients. We stopped our journey after a whole night of traveling. The relentless and incredibly fast undead horses were amazing as we were already one-quarter of the way to our destination down the south. These areas seem all desertic. There are no people around other than us, so it seems that there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about for now other than wild monsters here and there. Today, the former ves felt more revitalized as we reached an area with ake, and everyone went in groups to wash. I had brought a lot of soap and new clothes, so everyone had the opportunity to wash out all the odor they had and the nastiness, and all got into decent clothes. Some fit more than others, but everyone got dressed. We had yet to reach the areas with snow, but this morning was certainly more chilly than other times. Thankfully (not so much for Partner), the sun was pretty good and strong, so it was warming everyone. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on with Partner?¡± Wondered Takeshi. ¡°She looks weird¡­.¡± Said Laura. ¡°Ah, she evolved into a Lesser Vampire, and she has been like that for a while,¡± I sighed. ¡°I am fine! I can bear with it¡­ Grrr¡­¡± Muttered Partner, gritting her teeth and eating the food. She drank a bottle of blood as well, and that seemed to have appeased her pain arge amount. Silvio and Francesco rmended this method, and it worked stupendously. ¡°Fresh blood made me feel way better than any food¡­.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Yes, this is something that the other Vampires that were not like us did,¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Indeed, by drinking fresh blood, you can temporarily increase your stats and resistance to elements, which can lower the damage you take from sunlight and hasten your regeneration. Your body doesn¡¯t feel as sickly because Vampires receive a bonus to their stats when drinking blood until growing satiated,¡± Said Francesco. ¡°You guys don¡¯t feel bad if it is your blood she¡¯s drinking?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Oh no, we have discarded our bodies, and the truth has enlightened us that having non-corporeal bodies is the best. Like Maria-sama here, we have chosen the path of ethereal bodies!¡± Said Silvio. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more beautiful than using your very soul as your true body after all! Look at my mes. This is how much my soul is zing in passion for our master!¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Oh, my friend, your passion is incredibly zing!¡± Said Silvio. The two were very weird sometimes. But I guess they really don¡¯t mind having their bodies repurposed and their blood drank by Partner. ¡°These two weirdos still creep me out sometimes,¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Master, will Partner be okay? She¡¯s so clumsy that she ended up choosing the strongest but weakest evolution simultaneously!¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°She¡¯s gonna be fine. Her power is still pretty good as long as she drinks blood¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. I believe she used to be a walking skeleton, so even if she burns her skin to ashes, her skeleton will remain, and she¡¯ll just go back to the previous stages¡­ Hahaha!¡±ughed Lucifer. ¡°That¡¯s not funny! It is not funny at all,¡± Said Partner while crossing her arms, angered. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not funny, grumpy dragon,¡± I said. ¡°I-I was trying to lighten the mood¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Go back to your gloomy personality! At the very least, you didn¡¯t say bad jokes,¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Y-You dare call me gloomy?! I was just¡­.¡± I patted his shoulder. ¡°Okay, calm down, don¡¯t get overworked with it. We know you did it for a good reason, I guess,¡± I said. ¡°A-Anyways, Partner, you feel alright?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, I am fine. Thank you for worrying, Emeraldine,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Is it my idea, or you¡¯ve begun to talk more eloquently?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Must have been the evolution. I feel that my mind has grown sharper,¡± ¡°That must be it. After she evolves, she always grows more intelligent. The next evolution might make her into a genius,¡± I said. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think it is that much of a big deal¡­ If I can grow more intelligent and speak more eloquently, we can get along better!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re right. It is better now that you can speak more fluidly, although I still notice a few mistakes here and there,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°We can all help her out to speak better too, but for now, it seems that everyone filled their bellies, so we should get moving,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go to your carriage to pass the time,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°H u u h h h h¡­ Sure, but I will be doing something a bit important. I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± I said. ¡°Something important?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, I am nning on making Catarina¡¯s zombie, so I have to assess all the minced meat and reconstruct her, stitch her together, and make her whole again¡­¡± I said. ¡°Oh, like that guy that made us?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°Takeshi, don¡¯t remind me of that guy¡­.¡± Sighed Laura. ¡°Y-Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t want you to remember that, so don¡¯te either, okay?¡± I confirmed. ¡°Sure¡­¡± Said Laura. ¡°But I want to see the process!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°No is no,¡± I said. For now, we wrapped things up and then went back to the carriage. The one I traveled on was like my personal room, so there were a few things here and there, even a small bed where Ized around all day like the useless person I am¡­ Anyways, today we were notzing around! I quickly took out a table and then dropped a pile of dismembered body parts. This was all of Catarina, probably mixed with some of Silvio and Francesco¡­ I¡¯ll see if I can separate them, but maybe I will keep a few body parts of them into her in case she has some that cannot be easily reced. ¡ª¨C Chapter 166 ¡ª¨C ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Where¡¯s Catarina¡¯s soul at?¡± I wondered, opening my shadows, searching, and then taking out Catarina¡¯s soul. She had recovered a bit more now after a whole week since she died, and her soul had now gained more of her former self, and she was currently conscious. ¡°W-Where am I? What¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± She wondered, looking everywhere but without realizing what was happening. ¡°Hello there, Catarina, remember me? After dying, I told you that I needed to heal your soul. Have you slept well? Around a week has gone by,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You¡­ Ugh, you¡¯re the bastard ghost woman that killed me when I was weakened and then trapped me in her soul for over a week! Ugh, yes, I remember you.¡± She sighed. Catarina looked at me rather hatefully, but there was very little she could do against me now other than sigh and get angry. So I took it as if she understood her position now. ¡°I need some more backup, so we are bringing you back as a strong zombie using your remains, so stay here for now and until I can put you back,¡± I said. ¡°Agh¡­ Can¡¯t you just purify me?¡± She sighed. ¡°The soul of a sinner? You¡¯ll get punished in Helheim or something, so are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°I am a strong warrior¡­ I fought for my own ideals. I will go to Nirvana and battle forever with other warriors!¡± She said. ¡°Has she always been thinking this?¡± I muttered. Silvio and Francesco nodded; it appeared that it was the case. Catarina was a hard-headed woman that always thought that as long as she fought bravely and gave her all, she would bepensated with Nirvana. ¡°Are all warriors like this?¡± I asked. ¡°No, but those that are so religious with the church of the Light God are always offered such a stupid thing, and they believe it,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Catarina wasn¡¯t even of that church, but the vampire that ordered us around told her that since she was a child, she was still vulnerable like us, so she ended up being convinced,¡± Said Silvio. ¡°I see¡­ Poor girl, you¡¯re really a dummy girl, aren¡¯t you?¡± I sighed, looking at the poor little Catarina, who was gritting her teeth in anger while looking at the former Vampires turned into fire ghosts. ¡°Y-You pair of filthy traitors! Don¡¯t go around telling my childhood to people!¡± She cried. ¡°But Catarina, you were so cute¡­.¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Indeed, I still remember when you used to call me big brother¡­ What happened to that?¡± Sighed Francesco. ¡°People change!¡± Shouted Catarina before heaving a heavy sigh. Her mind couldn¡¯t get as temperamental as before because shecked a brain to even think straight, so she ended up calming herself down faster than expected. I¡¯ve also calmed her insanity with my Soul Therapy, so hopefully, she won¡¯t be as crazy after getting her body back. I quickly began to work, using Undead Healing in the pile of dismembered body pieces and also using hard thread made out of a type of spider monster¡¯s silk, which is highly expensive and has magic resistance properties, often used in equipment creation. I bought this for around 10000 coins from Julia, the magic crystal of Silvio made the difference, and the girl is literally in debt with me, so I was able to buy a lot of misceneous stuff from her. I quickly took the pieces and rearranged them, and began to stick them together while slowly using the thread. The body parts got stuck incredibly quickly, and after using Undead Healing several times, I was able to heal the wounds of the corpse rather well. Over and over again, I was able to do this repeatedly, for hours and hours. It took time because I cared about the appearance this time around, I wanted a thick, muscr vampire zombie girl at my side, so I couldn¡¯t fail her and make her an amorphous monster. Even though Partner is gaining some abstely¡­ Anyways, that isn¡¯t really the main reason. I didn¡¯t use a ritual of undead creation because those don¡¯t let you customize the soul and just make up a random mindless phantasmal soul instead. Still, I can abuse the Soul Grimoire Undead Creation Feature that was added to it to customize it. After all, now that the body has been brought back, I could easily edit how this Undead would turn out to be. I grabbed Catarina¡¯s soul and told her to get ready. ¡°Get ready big girl. You¡¯re going to make sure to flex those abs for me from now on,¡± I said. ¡°S-Stop talking about my muscr body! Every person always said it was disgusting anyways¡­!¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Eh? But you were pretty!¡± I said. ¡°You literally killed me! Why would I care what you think?¡± She asked frustratedly. ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s pretty fair,¡± I said while nodding. I inserted her soul into the body, and then a Grimoire made out of ethereal energy emerged in front of me. The pages moved around, and I then found her Unit. There was the chance to recover a lot of her skills and even reform her soul book, but it costs a lot of umted Experience Points and Proficiency Points I¡¯ve been saving. Oh well, better invest in the new Unit. I selected most of the useful avable Skills she could relearn and then spent roughly 500k Experience Points and 100k Proficiency Points for everything. Still, in the end, she would end up not as powerful as she used to be, but hey, it was better than nothing. FLASH! A magic circle emerged before our sight as Catarina was infused with my power. Her Unit Card appeared in my Grimoire as her photo showed up on it. ¡°Now rise, Vampire Zombie Barbarian Warrior, Catarina! Hahahaha!¡± Iughed like a maniac Necromancer because I felt that was the right thing to do. Catarina¡¯s body slowly began to stand up, her eyes opened wide open, and she was back! ¡ª¨C Chapter 167 ¡ª¨C Catarina slowly opened her eyes. They opened wide as she looked at me with her crimson-red pupils. Aside from her stitched body, she looked like she had recovered pretty well. Her body size, form, andpactness were just fine. Her limbs were all in the right ces. She didn¡¯t look half-bad either. It was as if her pale white skin had gained a new bluish tinge to it. Well, maybe that means she wasn¡¯t fine. After all, she was a zombie. I had not revived her from scratch or something. Also, I am kind of a Necromancer, not a priest with Revival spells. What I can do is limited to the death element, and I doubt I can really revive people unless they just died. In such cases, I would ask Emeraldine to use her healing magic on the fresh corpse, and then I would just throw the corpse¡¯s soul back to the recovered body. But that could only work in recently deceased bodies. Anything over a day would be already rotting and ready to be a zombie rather than a living being. In such cases¡­ well, RIP. And just like it happened here, Catarina was deader than dead, so the only way was to make her a Zombie. And I never thought Vampires could be Zombies, seeing how they¡¯re technically ¡°undead.¡± But they aren¡¯t? It¡¯s weird. Although they have many Undead traits, they¡¯re actually something like living beings with Undead traits. So they can die if they¡¯re killed, unlike Undead, where you have to make sure you blow them into pieces. Even shooting down the head of a zombie doesn¡¯t work here. Nheless, everyone is ruled by HP in this world thanks to the Soul Book, so even an Undead will fall after getting showered in blows. The same with Vampires, as even though they have insane self-regeneration, as long as you can look at them and notice the differences, you will notice they¡¯re actually alive. And when killed and a corpse raises? Well, Vampire Zombies show up. In the same way, there might be Elf Zombies, Beast-kin Zombies, Goblin Zombies, etc. A zombie for every race in existence. The girl was currently naked, but I only realized her stats were through the roof. She had a lot of power, even though she went from A-Rank to B-Rank after bing a Zombie. She¡¯ll have to train hard to regain her power, but she¡¯s still useful now. Her hair had turned purple with a hue of blue after the transformation, but her eyes remained crimson red. Her muscles had not deteriorated even after being Undead¡­ I don¡¯t know how that exactly works, but she¡¯s just strong. ¡°Ugh¡­ W-What are you looking at?¡± She asked while blushing a bit and covering her body parts. ¡°N-Nothing!¡± We quickly averted our gazes, and I gave her some clothes. ¡°What¡¯s with these clothes? Do you want me to wear a dress? Where are the pants? I want some tight pants, so I have no problems with them, and a white shirt if possible. Also, give me a ck leather jacket too. The heels are ok, but I prefer boots. Do you got ck boots?¡± She asked. ¡°Silvio, Francesco, why is she so picky with clothes?¡± I asked the two me ghosts. ¡°W-Well, she always had thisplex¡­.¡± Said Silvio. ¡°She really likes to act and look masculine,¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Oh¡­ I see so she abhors feminine stuff? Then why does she have long hair?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s just her preference. There are many males with long hair, so that trait doesn¡¯t seem to have affected her¡­¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Indeed,¡± Nodded Francesco. ¡°Oooh! So she¡¯s a tomboy! Damn, that¡¯s such a snack then,¡± I said. ¡°T-Tomboy?¡± Muttered Silvio. ¡°Snack?¡± Wondered Francesco. ¡°N-Never mind, this world clearly had yet to embrace tomboys¡­.¡± I said. ¡°What are you whispering behind my back?! And you two just became ghosts?! Where are your bodies?¡± She asked. ¡°We discarded them because bodies were sost season!¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Indeed, bing one with our souls and embracing our purest forms is more like us,¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Well, that¡¯s surprising, seeing how you two enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh so much,¡± Said Catarina with a cheeky smile. ¡°W-What are you talking about?!¡± Shouted Silvio. ¡°Catarina, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Eximed Francesco. ¡°Pleasures of the flesh?¡± I wondered while raising an eyebrow. ¡°I bet these two had spoken behind my back, right? Well, let me get back at them. These two are homos! They are into each other,¡± Laughed Catarina. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said. I discovered a little truth I wasn¡¯t able to discern through their memories. Should I have looked deeper then? There are various sections within a person¡¯s mind and memories. There is the ¡°Traumas¡± section, then there is the ¡°Happy¡± Section, and then there are other minor sections such as ¡°Sex¡± and stuff I didn¡¯t care about. I did the right thing. Although I kind of liked a few BL, I don¡¯t know what I would have thought if I saw the two fucking. Well, that would have been interesting now that I think about it¡­ Hmm, I can see Silvio being the passive one¡­ I looked at the two ghosts as they seemed to blush. ¡°T-That¡¯s in the past!¡± Shouted Silvio. ¡°W-We love each other, but we were not homos!¡± Eximed Francesco. ¡°T-That¡¯s right! It is just a brother¡¯s bond. It is not something that¡­ women can understand!¡± Silvio agreed. ¡°Indeed! Indeed!¡± ¡°And even then¡­ we also liked women too! Like Maria-sama, we are devoted to you now!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the moonlight that guides our path through the night sky,¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± I said as they were cute sometimes with their corny words. Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner were looking at the scene in silence. Lucifer, in specific, was like a dry fruit for some reason¡­ Emeraldine was beginning to look dry as well. And Partner was the most normal of the three but was still frozen. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you three?¡± I asked. ¡°Th-There¡¯s a lot to digest¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 168 ¡ª¨C A men¡¯s bonding seems to bemon among Vampires. It appears that it is alsomon for Vampires to find a ¡°partner,¡± someone they spend the rest of their lives with. Something like their ¡°pair¡± it often doesn¡¯t seem to have any romantic rtion to such a thing, as they¡¯re more like brothers or something? Nheless, it sounds homo to me. I remember reading this one manhwa named Noblesse¡­ there was no Yaoi on it, but the bait was pretty strong¡­ Well, this thing had the same concept¡­ the protagonist was in a bond of eternity with his servant, a human¡­ which allowed the guy to live a long life with his master. He would always go, ¡°Yes~ Mastah~¡± and it was so homoerotic it always made meugh. Are the Vampires of the world the same?! Then aside from generally being cold-blooded murderers and sadists, they¡¯re also into THAT sort of stuff. Indeed they¡¯re aggressively French, I guess¡­ I remember seeing Silvio going ¡°Non, non!¡± the other day. It almost made me explode inughter. ¡°So where are my clothes?!¡± Roared Catarina. Who does she think she is? Does she think that because she¡¯s a hot tomboy, I will just obey her? Well, yes, but I am still going toin about it! ¡°Oi! You can¡¯t just order me around. It¡¯s the other way around! I am your Master now,¡± I said. ¡°If you¡¯re my master, then take responsibility and bring me the clothes I feel mostfortable on. A dress is for little sissies,¡± Said Catarina while crossing her arms. ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong with dresses?! Women wear dresses!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah! I like my dresses,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Who the fuck are you two? Why should I care what you two shrimps talk about?¡± Blurted out Catarina while raising an eyebrow. She was really the ¡°bully¡± type, huh. ¡°What did you say?! More respect to your senior!¡± Demanded Partner. ¡°I am going to purify you right now! Holy Light Arrow- Mguh!?¡± Cried Emeraldine as I covered her mouth, and her spell was canceled. This crazy knife ear was about to kill the thing that took me hours to make! ¡°Are you crazy? Don¡¯t hurt her! She¡¯s part of the team. Just bear with her sharp tongue. She was raised like that anyways¡­ Think about her past, the one I exined to you. She¡¯s even quite simr to you, Emeraldine, so be morepassionate,¡± I said. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ahhh¡­ You¡¯re right,¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°O-Only because Master asks me to!¡± Said Partner while crossing her arms. These girls are really troublesome. ¡°¡­¡± Lucifer was looking at Catarina with a disgusted expression. He seems to love me, but Catarina makes him disgusted¡­ I guess that¡¯s because she¡¯s myplete opposite? ¡°What are you looking at, asshat? Did you lose something? Are you into me or something? I am going to beat that pretty face to the ground if you keep looking at me like a creep! Go masturbate to the corner or something if you¡¯re so horny,¡± Said Catarina, directing her sharp gaze at Lucifer. ¡°Eh?! H-How dare you! I am a Dragon! You dare treat me with such a sharp tone of voice?! Not even Maria treats me like that! Urgh! That¡¯s it! I will punish you with- Agh!¡± Lucifer suddenly had transformed into his dragon form and was about to tear Catarina back into the dismembered pile of body parts she was some hours ago, but I grabbed his tail tightly and made him flinch. ¡°I told you to ignore her! Also, Catarina, I am not giving you any manly clothes if you keep being rude. You¡¯ll be permanently locked into wearing dresses or going around nude,¡± I said. ¡°W-What?! You can¡¯t do that!¡± She shouted. ¡°I can¡¯t? Why not? What¡¯s stopping me? At the end of the day, your life is in the palm of my hands!¡± I shouted, showing her the Character Card that represented her within my Soul Grimoire, which emerged at my side like a floating grimoire made of semi-transparent ck energy. ¡°Ugh¡­ I feel like you were holding my heart or something¡­ Agh¡­¡± She muttered in frustration. ¡°So? Are you going to behave?¡± I asked. ¡°Okay! Stop!¡± She cried. She gave up easily. ¡°Nice¡­ Now apologize,¡± I said. ¡°EH?! Fuck you!¡± ¡°A-po-lo-gi-ze!¡± I said angrily. I suddenly began tickling her Character Card, making Catarina feel as if a hand was touching the innermost of her soul. ¡°Aaagghh! Y-You bastard! You can¡¯t do this to meeeeee¡­!¡± She began to roar angrily, hitting the floor and suddenly breaking the entire carriage¡¯s floor with her. CRASH! ¡­ A disaster urred, and we had to take an emergency stop. This stupid idiot broke the carriage floor and scared two horses that ended up running away¡­ ¡°You idiot!¡± I said, smacking her head repeatedly. But she was so strong and durable it felt like I was hitting a mountain. It hurt my phantasmal hand and even lowered my HP! ¡°Ugh¡­ This sucks. Just kill me,¡± She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re more useful as a zombie than just dead,¡± I said. ¡°Aghhhh¡­¡± She groaned angrily. I tried a lot, but she refused to apologize. Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner sighed as they told me it was okay. ¡°You¡¯re trying so hard it made me feel bad¡­ So stop asking her, and just give her the clothes and let it be¡­ I am happy knowing you care so much for me you would try to force her to apologize,¡± Said Lucifer with a charming smile. He approached me and held my hand, helping me stand up as I was on the floor in a defeated position. ¡°Lucifer¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Maria¡­¡± He said charmingly. The atmosphere suddenly changed, and everything turned rather romantic all of a sudden, as if floating flowers and roses surrounded everything¡­ ¡°Okay, stop this!¡± Shouted Emeraldine, stopping the two of us from our strange romance dating sim game-like moment. ¡°Master, it¡¯s fine. Here, I got her some fitting clothes for you. There was a lot in a carriage where you stored clothes,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Okay~!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 169 ¡ª¨C ¡°I guess this is more like it!¡± Said Catarina as she looked at her body and gave a few turns while looking at herself in the mirror. Vampires can¡¯t look at their own reflection, but that stops when they be Zombies, so she can now look into her reflection, and she seems to like her appearance. ¡°I love it, much more like it¡­ Ah, this hair is annoying, and you¡¯re right, long hair is for sissies¡­ I am a strong person. I don¡¯t need this stupid long hair,¡± She said, using her sharp ws and cutting her long and silky hair, leaving her hair short, only reaching her neck. ¡°Hm! That¡¯s like it¡­ How do I look?¡± She asked me, Silvio, and Francesco, as the other trio were currently preparing dinner. ¡°You look wonderful, sister,¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Very cool and rude. Like you always look like¡­¡± Said Francesco. ¡°You¡¯re looking like a snack,¡± I said while giving her a thumbs up. ¡°Snack?¡± She asked while raising an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s apliment,¡± I said. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Her tight ck leather pants made her beautiful legs look even sexier, and those wide hips killed me already. The tight white shirt also gave her an adventurer and mature air. Also, the ck jacket only made her sexier. She even put some chains around her hips for some reason. She doesn¡¯t even fight with chains. This woman is very worried about how she looks to others. Must be rted to her traumas or something. ¡°So? What are we doing now?¡± She asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I responded. ¡°Who should I kill? Smack? Torture?¡± ¡°Oh, no, we don¡¯t do that here¡­ We are currently moving to the south to settle down and slowly build a vige. You¡¯re here to join us on our expedition and stay with us like an ally,¡± I said. ¡°Eh? Then why did you even¡­? What¡¯s the point?¡± She asked. ¡°The point? The point is that you¡¯re back now and get to enjoy the life you couldn¡¯t! Even if you¡¯re now dead, you are freer than before, right? So you can enjoy whatever you want,¡± I said. ¡°Huh¡­ This is indeed quite weird, but I guess I can¡¯t do much about it¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Right? Like Silvio and Francesco¡­ You guys were also cold-blooded murderers, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed. But we found happiness in being with the people¡­ they epted us surprisingly fast, even when they learned we were former Vampires and even now as ghosts!¡± Eximed Silvio. ¡°Indeed, I was very surprised they epted ghosts like us so easily,¡± Said Francesco. ¡°I guess that¡¯s more because I am a ghost and literally everyone knows and epts me¡­ So epting more is not hard,¡± I said. ¡°Oohhh!¡± ¡°So that was it!¡± ¡°Even then, we help with the fire and warming people at night!¡± Said Silvio. ¡°We can divide our bodies into little will-o-wisps that instead of being cold, are very warm, sot the people sleep with one of us to warm their carriages,¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know you went to such an extent, you guys are surprisingly nice,¡± I said. ¡°Of course! Ohohohoh!¡± Laughed Silvio. ¡°Yes! Ohohoho!¡± Laughed Francesco. I looked back at Catarina; she was making a face as if she was cringing at them. ¡°Ugh¡­ What has be of these idiots? Well, they always liked to serve¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re also serving! Nowe outside, let¡¯s prepare dinner with the rest of the crew! Onwards!¡± I said, leading the party. Catarina had nothing else to do other than to move behind me and obey. As a Zombie that generally doesn¡¯t get tired nor need food, she doesn¡¯t have anything else to do, so she¡¯s willing to do anything in the end. Kind of like all of us Undead! It is very boring to be an Undead when you realize those things! This is why I like to help others! It¡¯s fun! I prefer to be a nice person because there¡¯s always more to do. More people = more things to do. If I am a massive murderous psycho and annihte everything¡­ Fewer people = nothing to do. Also, I am a nice person and my mother always said I was a good girl. And I miss my mother a lot! So I will try to make her proud even though I¡¯ve already let loose a crap ton this time around¡­ But I am making up for it one step at a time! Also, who cares if I ughter assholes anyways? I am literally just killing the people everyone hates. Anyways! Time for cooking! ¡°Hahahaha! She¡¯s burning,¡± Laughed Catarina, pointing at Partner who was receiving the sunlight, although the sun was about to go out of the horizon and was very dim. ¡°Ggrr! You dareugh at a superior to you? I have a greater Vampire Authority now! Hehe, you know how I got it? I drank the blood of your corpse!¡± Laughed Partner, provoking Catarina as she gritted her sharp teeth and looked at Partner hysterically. ¡°Y-You drank my blood?! You bitch! I am going to fucking dismantle youuuuu!¡± She cried. ¡°Hehe, try it, little one,¡± Laughed Partner rather smugly. She had be a bit more confident and gained a strong and prideful personality. I guess that making her mind sharper and more intelligent, hastened her mental maturity, and also made her true nature blossom¡­ Although when she¡¯s with me she always reverts to her baby mode and is just very cutely asking me to cuddle with her and tell her how lovely she is for me¡­ ¡°L-Little one?! Ugh¡­! THAT¡¯S IT!¡± Roared Catarina, reaching towards Partner. ¡°Stop,¡± SMACK! Catarina suddenly fell face-first into the ground. ¡°Ugh?! W-What the¡­ How did you do that?!¡± She asked. ¡°As long as I have you registered inside my Grimoire, you¡¯re mine. If I tell you to stop, you stop. If I tell you to dance¡­ you dance,¡± I said. Catarina suddenly began to dance, and everyone broke intoughter. ¡ª¨C Catarina was even more pissed. The only freedom she had was in her facial expressions. ¡°Did you just make me into a Zombie tough at me?! Am Iughingstock to you?!¡± She roared once again. ¡°Okay, stop dancing and calm down,¡± I ordered. ¡°Sh-Shut up! I would prefer if you destroyed my soul than to go through such humiliation! I hate you!¡± She cried, running away into the carriage we were in before. Ah¡­ was I a bit too harsh on her¡­? But she insulted Partner and told her she was going to dismantle her, so she really pissed me off. But really, I guess her sharp tongue is also provoking me¡­ ¡°Master that was funny¡­ Thanks for protecting me from her animalistic behavior,¡± Said Partner. ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry about it! I am d she got what she deserved, but¡­ Eh, I feel kind of bad now,¡± I sighed. ¡°Eh? Why do you have empathy for a woman like her?¡± Asked Partner, surprised. ¡°I ask the same! She¡¯s just very rude,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Sigh¡­ If you girls really know Maria, you would¡¯ve already guessed why. Isn¡¯t it pretty obvious already? Maria is a woman with a lot of empathy¡­ If that wasn¡¯t the case, I wouldn¡¯t have¡­ well¡­ erm¡­,¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah! But sometimes she¡¯s too extreme,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t like her as a party member¡­ She can stay away from us,¡± Said Partner while pouting. ¡°Okay¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to really add her to the main crew, as the main crew will always be you guys, but she¡¯s going to be part of our allies¡­ I need a lot of strongrades, so she was a given¡­ Though, I shouldn¡¯t have done that, to be honest. I never liked bullying¡­ I was bullied too. I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have done what I hated people to do to me¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Master¡­¡± Sighed Partner as she petted me. ¡°I also¡­ kind of saw in her eyes some¡­ sadness¡­ deep down, I felt like I had made her feel even more terrible¡­ She suffered so much¡­ Ugh, I am such an asshole,¡± I sighed. ¡°Hmph! I find it is very nice of you to think that, but even then, an asshole is always an asshole. She¡¯s acting cockily and evenughing off at Partner¡¯s efforts to acquire Sunlight Resistance. It is obvious you¡¯ll react angrily because Partner is important to you, and she deserves it too! I also have a terrible past, but I don¡¯t use it as an excuse to be an asshole with everyone,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Well, let¡¯s continue cooking, for now, guys! Let¡¯s forget this useless drama.¡± I said, immediately switching up. I decided to just think of thister, and we began to cook. We made some soup with meat, bones, potatoes, and carrots. We also made some sd for everyone, and we distributed a slice of bread. There were also fruits too, and we grilled a few monsters we found along the way and distributed grilled meat. After everyone filled their bellies, I took a te with a lot of food, and another with some warm soup, alongside a slice of bread and warm tea with my hair snakes helping me carry things. I walked back to my carriage and found Catarina in a corner in silence, ring at the moonlight. ¡°¡­¡± She was looking at the sky sorrowfully as if she had lost her way long ago. She felt so empty¡­ All the courage inside of her was gone. And she looked like a small girl hiding from everyone, trembling in fear. For a moment, I saw something, as if a phantom of the past, emerge before my eyes, a little girl on the floor, trembling, abused, while crying desperately for help. But never receiving anyone¡¯s help¡­ the only embrace she ever received were the mes of the manor she was confined in, as they engulfed her in burning agony. ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked me as she looked at me with a rejected look. Her eyes seemed angered, but she also felt fearful of my power. ¡°I came to talk¡­ Look, I promise you I won¡¯t do that again¡­¡± I said. ¡°Huh? Like I would believe you¡­ We were enemies some days ago. What makes you think I¡¯ll believe you? I bet you get high by just ying around me like a toy, don¡¯t you?¡± She said angrily. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Everyone with power is the same¡­ all you bastards only like to y with people like toys¡­ you get a hard-on with that, right? You fucking disgusting pigs¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I was better off with the Vampires because, at the very least, they recognized I was a tool made for murder and just told me who to kill, and that was it. They didn¡¯t have the time to y around with me as you do¡­.¡± She said. ¡°Catarina, listen to me, you misunderstand me¡­ I am not like that. I did it because I got angered. You just insulted someone very special to me. Like my friend said, having a trauma doesn¡¯t give you the pass to act like an asshole with whoever you want to. If you keep acting like that, you¡¯ll eventuallye across someone who will retaliate,¡± I said. ¡°Tch! She was just¡­ she responded at me angrily too!¡± Shouted Catarina. ¡°That was because youughed at her out of nowhere,¡± I said. ¡°T-That¡¯s because she was funny! She was willingly burning herself! That¡¯s funny¡­.¡± She said. ¡°No, it¡¯s not funny¡­ It was just an asshole move,¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Here, I brought you some food. I just want you to eat. I made sure to recover your internal organs, so you should be able to digest food,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t want that!¡± She said angrily. ¡°Come on. I made it for you¡­ I just want to reconcile with you,¡± I said. ¡°Why are you trying so hard for it? Are you so selfish you can¡¯t bear people hating you or something? That¡¯s how the world is! Not everyone will agree with you! There will always be someone that will hate you!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 170 [AUTHOR NOTE]: For Privilege Readers, I have fixed the previous chapter which was repeated, and added a new chapter previous to this right after the first one, so go check that out first, thanks and sorry for that. ¡ª¨C Catarina was a bit annoying now, but she had a point, I guess. And I know that very well, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve in so many assholes and might kill many more in the future. ¡°Yeah, I know, and you were sent to kill me, right? So it makes zero sense to want you to be my friend or anything, right? I am just a retard, I know,¡± I said. ¡°Eh? Y-You recognize it?¡± She asked. ¡°What? That I am an idiot? Yeah, I am self-aware that I don¡¯t make the best decisions ever, and I recognize that I sometimes don¡¯t like to listen tomon sense because my ownmon sense is often biased,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You¡¯re really insane¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? What sort of person that is a ghost would not be insane? Ghosts areposed of grudges, grief, and negative emotions. We live with them every single second¡­ Our traumas and resentment are our drives to exist¡­ We manifest because we want payback. That is what a ghost is,¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So of course, no sane person would have ever be a ghost,¡± ¡°Huh¡­ You¡¯re weird¡­ I-I can¡¯t¡­ Ah, fine, just leave me alone after I am done with this, okay?¡± Suddenly, Catarina opened up to me. Something deep inside of her made her more open, and she gave into my insistence. ¡°R-Really? Nice!¡± I said, sitting at her side and giving Catarina her food. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She sighed, as she began to eat the warm soup. ¡°I can barely taste anything,¡± She sighed. ¡°Well you¡¯ll slowly develop it more; you just have to train your tongue¡­¡± I said. ¡°You talk about a lot of weird stuff sometimes,¡± She said. She continued drinking the soup and eating the meat, and at some point, she began eating everything faster and faster, as she regained her appetite¡­ ¡°How is it? Hehe, you¡¯re enjoying it,¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± She drank the tea, and she sighed in relief after that, feelingfortable. Catarina then rested over the floor of the carriage, sighing in relief once again as she looked at the ceiling. ¡°Feeling better now? My mother always said that people with empty stomachs always act more aggressively,¡± ¡°I am an Undead, I wasn¡¯t even hungry but¡­ I feel better now¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°Well, I have a Cooking Skill! So the food I make is always tasty,¡± ¡°You do? So weird seeing a ghost with a knack for cooking¡­¡± ¡°It is one of my hobbies,¡± I replied. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± She muttered, averting her gaze. She seemed to not want to talk anymore. I was about to leave but she suddenly said something. ¡°I was going to kill you, you know? I was destroying everything just to get to you because that was my job¡­ Silvio and Francesco too¡­ Despite that, why are you so nice to us?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, do you want to kill me now?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Not really,¡± She muttered. ¡°See! And why is that?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s no point. I was asked to kill you because it was my job but¡­ if I am already dead¡­ I doubt my boss is going to ept me now¡­ You killed me,¡± She said. ¡°And you hate me for killing you?¡± I asked. ¡°Obviously, it makes me infuriated that I got killed! It makes me angry; it makes me¡­ Ugh! But then I see you being so nice and trying so hard¡­ I¡­ I kind of¡­ had begun to not hate you so much,¡± She said while crossing her arms. She blushed a bit. ¡°Eeeehh? Is that so~? Well, it¡¯s kind of the same for me. I don¡¯t really hate you because I know you did things because you were forced¡­ I also empathize with your past and that of the other two guys¡­ It just made me sad to know your past when I checked your memories, so I decided to make up for it and try to give you nice lives even if you¡¯re now Undead. Are you willing to help me out in making you happier?¡± I asked. ¡°Eh? W-What kind of stupid question is that? Y-You really want that? Why are you so devoted? Are you into me or something?¡± She asked while blushing. ¡°Fufu, maybe~?¡± I asked while giving her a wink, and I moved near her, and she suddenly found herself over the floor while I was staring into her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You froze out of nowhere. I haven¡¯t done a single thing,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You¡¯re way too close¡­!¡± She eximed. ¡°Hahaha! I was joking, just to lighten your mood¡­ Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t try it again. See? Don¡¯t you feel looser now?¡± I asked. ¡°Ugh, not like I liked doing that!¡± She said. ¡°Aw,e on! Not like you disliked it either, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-You¡¯re really a cheeky woman¡­¡± She said. ¡°I just want to make the people I am with happy, not everyone happy. That is way too stupid. But the people at my side? That seems possible. And I can¡¯t help but feel happy myself when I see them smile. I pitied you so I picked you up and now you¡¯re my people. It¡¯s up to you if you want to be happy or not¡­ But if you need anything, just ask me politely,¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Thanks¡­ I guess,¡± She said. ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re honest,¡± I said, petting her head. ¡°Y-You won¡¯t do that again? The order thing, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, but you promise me to stay here with us,¡± I said. ¡°I do¡­ Not like I can escape. What will I even do anyways other than endlessly kill monsters¡­ Get caught by a priest and then exorcized?¡± She sighed. ¡°Good girl!¡± I eximed as I went to my bed. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What? This is my room, you know? Hehe, wanna cuddle with me~?¡± I asked coquettishly. ¡°EH? W-What are you even talking about!¡± She shouted while blushing profusely. ¡°Hahaha, it was a joke- Eh?!¡± She suddenly moved near me and rested at my side, facing the opposite side of my back. She closed her eyes and slept. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Partner is going to get angry when she sees this¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 171 ¡ª¨C ¡°W-What is the meaning of this?! Master!¡± Partner suddenly woke me up from my sleep as I saw her angrily staring at me and Catarina at my side. ¡°Shut your trap!¡± Roared Catarina, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at Partner¡¯s face. POOF! ¡°Gehh¡­ ugh! Meanie!¡± Said Partner angrily. ¡°Uwawah¡­ P-Partner, wait! Don¡¯t start a fight so early in the morning. Catarina is sleeping at my side because I invited her, and she got rather¡­ Erm¡­ Well¡­ I can¡¯t really exin it, but it¡¯s nothing like what you¡¯re imagining!¡± Partner looked down at me and Catarina, who was still resting over the bed while ignoring us. ¡°*Sigh*¡­ Master, you¡¯re way too nice sometimes,¡± She sighed. ¡°And I told you not to call me Master the other day, right? You keep calling me Master¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Ah! W-Well, I really like to!¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re a hopeless girl,¡± I sighed as I gave her a morning¡¯s hug and a kiss on her cheek. ¡°Hmm¡­ Master¡¯s morning love is the best! I like this routine, hehe¡­.¡± She giggled for a bit, and all her jealously washed away. ¡°You¡¯re such a cute girl, don¡¯t get angry over stupid things that don¡¯t make sense. I already told you that you¡¯re special to me¡­.¡± I said while holding her hand. ¡°M-Master¡­¡± She muttered while looking into my eyes. She blushed a bit. Partner had really evolved into a big beauty over all this time¡­ It was hard to believe she used to be a metallic skeleton. Actually, the bones underneath her skin and flesh are still metallic, which gives her an abnormal physical defense even without wearing armor. She¡¯s like wolverine in a way, but without the metallic ws- wait, no, she can actually make metallic ws too, through one of her Skills named Bone w. ¡°Uwah! Master! You¡¯re so lovely with me! It makes me so happy, hehee¡­! Heheh¡­ Mooch! Mooch!¡± Partner suddenly hugged me when I was charmingly holding her hand and acting as if I were a prince charming. Her powerful metallic bones were crushing me even if I was a ghost, and she was kissing me all over my face while giggling like a little girl. ¡°Ugh, will you two go do your lewd stuff elsewhere?¡± Sighed Catarina, as she finally woke up and sat down over the bed while looking at the both of us. ¡°L-Lewd stuff? We are merely expressing love with one another in a non-sexual way!¡± I said. ¡°And it ispletely okay,¡± Said Partner while nodding. ¡°I don¡¯t really care¡­.¡± Sighed Catarina. ¡°Alright, you¡¯reing with us to eat breakfast now that you¡¯re awake¡­ I want you to get along with the rest, okay?¡± I asked. Catarina looked at me angrily but then sighed. Her eyebrows stopped furrowing themselves as she blushed a bit and averted her gaze from me. ¡°You¡¯re really a pain in the ass¡­ Okay¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Hehe, good girl, thank you, Catarina. I am d you¡¯re trying,¡± I said as I petted her head and hugged her. ¡°W-Why are you hugging me?!¡± She cried out while blushing even more. ¡°You¡¯re kind of cute when you act nice,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You¡¯re just a pervert, aren¡¯t you? Just yesterday, you called me a snack!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re looking like a snack right now, too,¡± I said. ¡°E-Eeeh?!¡± Catarina cried as she grew even redder, and steam came out of her pointy ears. ¡°Master, don¡¯t get so close with her so suddenly!¡± Partner stopped me from getting ahead of myself and grabbed me outside forcefully. ¡°Nooo! But I want to hug the tomboy!¡± I cried. ¡°Enough is enough! And Catarina, go out already,¡± Said Partner as she dragged me outside. Catarina sighed as she washed her face with water and then walked outside the carriage while still blushing a bit. ¡°What is this idiot¡­ thinking about? She acts so cute and adorable¡­ Sh-She thinks I will fall for her or something? D-Dumbass¡­¡± She murmured to herself. It seems that she was the type of person who spoke everything they thought because I could easily hear her thoughts. Hehe, I made her question her sexuality. When I moved outside, I met with Lucifer, Emeraldine, and the rest. As usual, Emeraldine hugged me and embraced me with her enormous breasts, which I slightly envied. ¡°Maria-sama, why don¡¯t you sleep in my bed next time?¡± She asked boldly. ¡°W-What? Then you¡¯re also sleeping on mine after!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°And mine first, of course,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Huh?! Wait, hold on a second¡­.¡± I sighed. In the end, to not make everyone pull each other¡¯s eyes, I agreed to sleep with someone at my side each night. They¡¯ll take turns. Partner, Lucifer, Emeraldine, that¡¯s the order. I don¡¯t know where Catarina wille, but she didn¡¯t seem to barge into the conversation, so she wasn¡¯t interested as the other three dorks. They¡¯re my beloved friends and also something more¡­ so I was happy to agree with it. Anyways, I¡¯d love to cuddle with them. Maybe I could even get all of them with me. Silvio and Francesco didn¡¯t seem to want to get involved either, mostly because they feared the res of the trio¡­ Well, they¡¯re happy serving as fire for the camp, thankfully, as the areas we are slowly approaching are getting colder and colder as we advance. I hope everything can go smoothly¡­ ¡°Auntie!¡± A little goblin girl, so adorable she melted my heart right away, came to me. ¡°Ah, my little princess Gofumin-chan! How are you today? It¡¯s cold outside, isn¡¯t it? I am d you¡¯re wearingfortable and warm clothes,¡± I said. Gofumin was wearing a big coat made of fluffy leather and also had socks and boots, alongside warm pants and even a small hat made of wool. ¡°Hehe, it is all thanks to you. You gave it to us the other day, Auntie,¡± She said. ¡°Oh, really? I don¡¯t remember¡­!¡± I said while acting humble. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t act as if you don¡¯t remember!¡± She said cutely as she hugged my legs. I held the four-year-old girl in my arms and sat her down on myp. ¡ª¨C Chapter 172 ¡ª¨C Gofumin was enjoying a big sandwich with slices of grilled meat, tomato, and cabbage, alongside some homemade mayonnaise I made myself. Mayo is not hard to make, just eggs and oil. She also was enjoying a warm cup of cow milk that Julia had sold to me. I remember she said that it would go stale in a few days, so it wasn¡¯t convenient to bring milk on long travels, but I told her it was okay. Of course! Inside of my Inventory, time stops, so I can just store all these things. People don¡¯t know about such a great cheat, so my Inventory is really pretty amazing. I can store all sorts of food without them going stale. This could revolutionize everything because I could carry stuff and make meat, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and more never go bad. I am literally a walking refrigerator. Wait, that¡¯s weird to say¡­ ¡°Nom¡­ Nom¡­¡± Gofumin stuffed her cheeks with the delicious meal adorably as she happily drank the warm milk. ¡°How is it, dear?¡± I asked. ¡°Guud!¡± She eximed. ¡°I am d¡­.¡± I muttered. I don¡¯t know how it ended like this but I kind of adopted her¡­ even if she has her father right at my side, a goblin, and the chief of the goblin vige. ¡°G-Gofumin, aren¡¯t you going a bit too far? You shouldn¡¯t abuse the goodwill of Maria-sama¡­.¡± Sighed the vige chief, and the goblin gave me a pitiful look. ¡°Ahaha, don¡¯t worry about it, chief! I¡¯ve already adopted your daughter,¡± I said. ¡°Y-You have?!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Well, that sounds weird, isn¡¯t it? I am like her big sis,¡± I changed my deration. ¡°Oh¡­ Well, you¡¯re good with all the children, I suppose, but Gofumin had grown very attached to you, Maria-sama¡­ I am d you¡¯re filling the role that¡­ her mother cannot take anymore,¡± Sighed the chief. ¡°Mama¡¯sing back one day¡­ So I have to eat a lot and grow strong!¡± Said the little Gofumin. The chief sighed once more. His eyes were filled with sorrow and fear. He had a hard time thinking about his wife, the adventurer goblin woman that went off one day and never returned for years¡­ I suppose she was most likely¡­ well, she¡¯s probably not here anymore, I guess. That¡¯s what everyone thinks, but Gofumin is always thinking that she¡¯lle back one day and train her to be an Adventurer. I guess I pity her¡­ I actually just pity everyone! I am such a softie! I need help, please. Where is the instruction manual to be a ruthless badass op main character?! There¡¯s none. I guess I will remain forever wed. But it is still what makes me who I am! ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, dear. I am sure that your mommy would want you to get a head start! So if you want to, I can begin teaching you some moves or even magic? We could even find out what sorts of talents you got,¡± I said. ¡°Oohh! Sure! I like to hunt rats! I¡¯ve hunted 13 whole rats!¡± Said Gofumin rather pridefully. The little goblin girl puffed her chest and smiled while closing her eyes and furrowing her eyebrows. The air was so cold that a bit of steam came out of her nose, showing her excitement for showing off her prideful feat. ¡°I see, so you really are an amazing hunter! You already got the knack for it, dear,¡± I said. ¡°Hehehe, really?¡± She asked. ¡°Of course!¡± I said, petting the girl¡¯s silky silvery-white hair as her yellow-gold eyes shone brightly. Her green skin was rather healthy, mostly because she had been eating three meals a day and washing herself every day, things that they couldn¡¯t do properly back then. ¡°As your father, I cannot really let Maria-sama have all the work, so I gotta teach you the ways too, Gofumin, don¡¯t get too ahead of yourself!¡± Said the chief. He had evolved into a Hobgoblin, so he wasn¡¯t so small anymore and had be around the size of a small person, probably a meter and 45 centimeters? Also, male Goblins gained hair after bing Hobgoblins, but the chief was still as bald as an egg. He still had that sharp nose as well, and he was rather on the uglier side of males, but he was still a nice and strong man. Honestly speaking, someone so dedicated to his people and so responsible for them that shows such strength is really quite charming. Eh? No, I didn¡¯t mean in that way! I am not attracted to the chief¡­ I don¡¯t want to be the LITERAL mother of Gofumin, don¡¯t get me wrong. But I appreciate him. I petted the chief, and he looked at me with a surprised look. ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good chief,¡± I said. ¡°Th-Thanks¡­ Nobody has¡­ ever said such a thing,¡± He said. Suddenly, the chief got all emotional as rivers of tears began toe out of his eyes. ¡°Damn¡­ A-Are you okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I am just happy to be recognized by Maria-sama,¡± He cried. ¡°Okay, haha¡­ Don¡¯t get too sad,¡± I sighed. ¡°Papa, don¡¯t cry!¡± Shouted Gofumin. ¡°S-Sorry¡­ I am fine now, dear,¡± Sighed the chief. ¡°Big sis, can I sit on yourpter?¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it either¡­.¡± Muttered Laura. ¡°Huh? Do you two want to as well? Well, sure. After all, you¡¯re kids too,¡± I said with a smile. The twins¡¯ eyes suddenly shone brightly. ¡°Th-Then me too! Let me sit on yourp!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°No, me first!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Although it is quite embarrassing, perhaps you could sit on mine,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Agh, you three had to get involved in this? Onlyp-sitting for kids! And no, Lucifer, I am not sitting on yourp. I know what you¡¯re nning,¡± I sighed. The trio gave me disappointed looks as if the world by itself was fragmenting before their eyes. They¡¯re seriously pretty good at pretending to be sad, but I am not falling for the same trick twice. I already let them have their way with the bed stuff¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 173 ¡ª¨C It has been around a week since then, and we had advanced steadily across the grasnds. At some point, we reached an area without a road, and I guess this is where it ends. From now onwards, we¡¯ll be crossing through the wilderness where we might encounter rocks that could impend our travel¡­ A certain concern about the wooden wheels getting broken emerged in my head, especially because the carriages carry a lot of people, so they¡¯re extra heavy¡­ Today was rather misty as well. There was a cold mist all around us, and the sky was mostly cloudy. We stopped right in front of our path, which was arge pine forest. But, I don¡¯t think we can easily get through a forest using carriages¡­ especially such a big group of them like the ones we got. If possible, we¡¯ll need to go around the forest, but I don¡¯t know how that will end. Maybe I should put everyone inside my Shadow and rush as fast as possible when the nightes? No, the space inside my shadow is not that big. It can fit a dozen of people, but all these carriages and hundreds of people? No way¡­ I could store the carriage inside the Inventory, but the hundreds of people will be all stretchy inside the shadows, and many might even suffer from that, so unless it is an emergency, I don¡¯t want to try that option. Expand my shadow infinitely? That¡¯s not possible. There¡¯s a limit that I cannot really increase for now, no matter how much Mana I use. It was around 2 PM, so I decided to hold a little meeting with my trusted ones to talk about it while the rest of the people were cooking with the guidance of some of my little clones that resemble little girls, and Silvio and Francesco¡¯s clones made out of their fiery phantom. These two had be pretty good at cooking and even gained this Skilltely. They also gained a Skill named [Bonfire: Lv1], which allows them to create a bonfire of themselves to warm people morefortably. It evenes with bonuses to regeneration, better sleep, and more¡­ I never expected this would be their talent! Anyways, back to the topic. There was the Goblin Chief, the Goblin Elder, who is his father, Gofumin was, sitting on myp, the twins Takeshi and Laura, Catarina, Silvio, Francesco, Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, and yours truly. Yeah¡­ this was the ¡°crew,¡± more or less. Catarina had been growing a bit more open in this week, but it is obvious it¡¯s gonna take her a while. For the moment, she ended up epting to help if possible in this meeting, although she seemed a bit shy, so I made her sit at my side. ¡°Wow, you look strong, nee-chan!¡± Said Gofumin, looking at Catarina¡¯s abs. ¡°Yeah, she has some nice abs,¡± I said. ¡°W-What?¡± Eximed Catarina while blushing again. ¡°Anyways! I made a meeting with all of you guys because I wanted to discuss¡­ What do we do now?! I am really¡­ I don¡¯t know. I am a dummy. I¡¯m only good at fighting and being cunning. This type of stuff is not my forte,¡± I sighed, feeling pathetic. ¡°You¡¯re no dummy,¡± Sighed the Goblin Chief. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t say that of you, Maria,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re super intelligent, Maria-sama,¡± Said Emeraldine with a radiant smile. ¡°Don¡¯t say that of you!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Uwah¡­ Everyone¡­¡± I cried. ¡°Actually I think you¡¯re a dumbass ny percent of the time,¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Geh¡­ That was harsh. And instantly negated everyone¡¯s praises,¡± I sighed. Ugh, why are our minds like this? We get praised everywhere, but whenever we get a harshment, we get depressed no matter what all these other people had said about us before¡­ Truly, even as a ghost, I am still quite a human. Anyways, after everyone ended up reprimanding Catarina and I stopped her from starting another fight, we finally got into the conversation. I put the map over the table, and everyone looked at it. I had marked it with a pencil. ¡°This X is where we are currently. This big forest covers arge amount of space, and it is also said to be filled with monsters¡­ They name it the Dark Pine Forest¡­ And there¡¯s even a Dungeon on it. But nobody goes there due to the danger level of B,¡± I said. ¡°Looks like a dangerous ce to go with so many people¡­¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°I agree, we should really just go around the forest. Entering it would be like poking a wasp nest¡­ I-I know that Maria-sama and herpanions are very strong and can survive without issues, but¡­ All of us might easily die there, and even if you could protect us, it would be taxing to do it for several days continuously, right?¡± Asked the Goblin Elder. ¡°Although I would like to charge ahead and beat some monsters to gain EXP, I guess the old man¡¯s right,¡± Said Catarina. ¡°I agree¡­ I think I could bring some people with me while flying around. We could scout the forest a bit before going around it,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right about that, Lucifer. Perhaps we should do that, Maria-sama,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go around but after scouting the forest through the sky¡­ It is big, so it might take some time,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Oh, alright then! I and the ghosts can fly, Partner and Lucifer too can fly naturally, but the rest cannot. I guess Lucifer can carry a few of you guys over his back, or I can carry some in my shadow,¡± I said. Everyone agreed to it, and we decided to scout the forest¡¯s surroundings before continuing. Our goal was right after passing through thisrge forest, around a dozen more kilometers past it¡­ there¡¯s another smaller forest there, and then, the ruins of the Demon Kingdom, our ultimate destination¡­ After we finally arrive there, we¡¯ll be able to build our own vige! That¡¯s going to be a LOT of work¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 174 ¡ª¨C I looked at the sky in front of me, there were vast clouds, clouds wherever I looked, the sun waspletely covered by them, and the icy and cold wind was quite freezing and bad to the bones¡­ good thing I don¡¯t have bones to begin with. Lucifer, Partner, and I decided toe here while Silvio and Francesco stayed with the rest of the people. Only the three of us decided toe and scout- ah, Emeraldine was here with us, being carried by- no, not Lucifer, me. ¡°Uwah, hehe¡­¡± She began to giggle yfully. I don¡¯t know why she wanted me to carry her, but fine, I guess. Though we were way above the forest canopy, if I drop her from here¡­ she¡¯ll surely die. And that¡¯s certainly not something I would want to see¡­ so I had to be extra careful, and I wrapped around her some of my shadows as if they were ropes for extra security. She has a holy aura that could easily burn my shadows and make them disappear, though, but at the very least, I know I can trust her that she won¡¯t do such a thing to me! I hope¡­ We quickly flew up into the skies and flew around the forest. It was so vast I knew it was going to take a while even if we flew quickly. Hey system, is there some way to learn a Skill for mental mapping? I just remembered you said I could use Proficiency Points or Experience Points umted to buy Skills. Are any Skills useful for now? Those sound very expensive¡­ Wait, can there be a Skill that lets me create an internal space and store everyone there to solve this problem? Ugh, okay, I guess that one is some end-game stuff¡­ What do you rmend? [Mental Mapping: Lv1] is the best for what you need, it will help you map anything inside your mind, and you can also summon the map as a holographic window made of shadows through Darkness Magic. Is it costly? Ugh¡­ Is there not some OP Skill I cannot afford after buying this one that will help me in a pinchter on? I see, so I can mostly just buy utility stuff, alright, buy Mental Mapping. Ding! [You¡¯ve exchanged 60k Skill Proficiency Points. Skill Proficiency Points Left: 126k] [You¡¯ve learned the [Mental Mapping: Lv1] Skill] [You learned the [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv1] Title Skill!] Hm?! I got a Title Skill Let¡¯s see them¡­ ¡­ [Mental Mapping: Lv1] Grants the ability to register all environment within the user¡¯s perception and map it inside of their head as if it were a true map item. Living beings can be discerned as if they were red dots, and even obstacles can be seen in wide detail, alongside areas that might be special ces, such as Dungeons, Cities, and more. Special Icons can be disyed. Each level increases its uracy. ¡­ [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv1] A Title given to the first buyer of the Skill Points Shop; a powerful Trait only avable for powerful beings whose souls clearly surpass that of mortals. Grants a 5% discount on all Skills that can be purchased with each level. To increase the level of the Title, buy more! Don¡¯t stop buying, dear guest! ¡­ I see! The Mental Mapping Skill seems pretty straightforward. I suppose I can make a whole game-like map with it inside of my mind. That¡¯s pretty useful. The level increases as I map more stuff, I guess? And then there¡¯s the Title. It says that I get a 5% discount on buying stuff because I was the first one to discover this wonderful Shop! How useful, isn¡¯t it? The more I buy, the higher the level will increase, and the more discount I can get¡­ Wait, what if I hit Level 10? Will I get a 50% discount?! Well, that would be half the price of Skills¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be nice¡­ I guess it is time to activate the Skill. Mental Mapping! FLASH! ¡°Oho! Here we go- GYAH!¡± Suddenly, I felt a sudden pain all throughout my head. My soul, in fact! It felt as if my mind was about to explode! My mind suddenly felt as if it was everywhere I could look. And because I didn¡¯t have eyes, I could see anywhere around me through my ghostly senses, which made it, so a massive area all around me was instantly mapped inside my head. It almost made me freeze like aputer being loaded with a lot of info at once. The pain was terrible! I had never felt this much pain before¡­ Ugh¡­ ¡°M-Maria?!¡± Emeraldine suddenly slipped off my grasp as she fell off! ¡°Ah, shit!¡± I quickly flew to catch her, but I realized the shadows I left hanging around her managed to stop her from falling. Her face waspletely confused, and her expression seemed filled with nausea. She seemed to be about to throw up. ¡°Ugeehh¡­¡± She groaned. ¡°S-Sorry¡­ Are you okay?¡± I sighed as I held her in my arms again. ¡°What happened?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Master? You cried in pain out of nowhere¡­.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Erm¡­ Haha, nothing, really! It was just a little thing¡­ I learned a new Skill, that¡¯s all. I think it can help us map easily inside of my head,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s useful,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Then let¡¯s map the surroundings. This forest seems way too big!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Alright!¡± I said. ¡°Uuggh¡­ My stomach is all mixed up¡­ Agh¡­.¡± Muttered Emeraldine. ¡°Hang on there, Emeraldine¡­ Use your healing magic!¡± I said. ¡°R-Right!¡± she said as she began to use healing magic on herself, which created a bright light that began to burn my shadows. The arms holding her and the other rope-shaped shadows were turned into nothingness in an instant. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh- GYAAAAH!¡± And she fell off again¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 175 ¡ª¨C I flew down to catch Emeraldine so fast that my entire body became a ck blur! FLAAAAASH! ¡°Uwaaahh- Ah?¡± I extended my body like a parachute, grabbed her belly, and slowly descended into the middle of the forest with her. ¡°Phew, that was close¡­ Emeraldine, dear, are you okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ Thank you¡­¡± She said. I suddenly found myself right over her body while she was looking into my eyes. ¡°Oh, my bad¡­.¡± I said. I quickly thought of it as a rather awkward situation and jumped away to not make her feel ufortable. ¡°N-No, it¡¯s fine¡­.¡± She said with a smile. It¡¯s not really fine! I keep getting myself into these weird anime situations. This is already the¡­ I don¡¯t know how many! I lost the count. Now what? Will Ind over Partner and ¡°identally¡± grab her boobs now? Ah, I better not think about it, or it will be true¡­ ¡°So, where are we?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°ording to my mental map¡­ Right in the middle of the forest¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Ah, there you are!¡± ¡°Master, Emeraldine, are you okay?¡± Lucifer and Partner flew next to us for a bit. ¡°Yeah, we are doing okay¡­ but the entire forest is covered in a rather thick mist¡­ I wonder where we can go from here. I suppose we should just fly upwards again¡­¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I agree. Let¡¯s just go back up,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Hm, let¡¯s go-¡± Said Lucifer, as he was suddenly interrupted by Partner. ¡°Wait, look!¡± Said Partner, as she pointed her finger at something. Partner pointed out two tiny rabbit-like ears popping out of the nearby bush. They twitched the moment she pointed her finger at them, and it suddenly tried to hide. Was that just a rabbit monster? Maybe a horned rabbit? ¡°I am getting thirsty, so a little snack won¡¯t do bad¡­.¡± Said Partner, quickly rushing towards the bush. Since she became a Lesser Vampire, she had begun to need to ingest a lot more blood daily than before. It says that she also needs to drink human or demi-human blood¡­ but the blood I had umted from all the people I had killed (and umted their corpses) has been running low, so she had been mixing it with wild monsters or animal¡¯s blood. The stronger the monster, the more satiation the blood gives to her. However, she had stated that monsters have very bitter blood because they have miasma inside themselves, but wild animals like rabbits or the monster horned rabbit have very delicious blood, so she goes hunting rabbits daily. I guess it was justified for her to hunt it if she wanted and was hungry, so we let her do it and saw it as something normal. ¡°Hehe, there you are, little rabbit¡­.¡± Said Partner, pushing her hand down into the bush and grasping a pair of long, brown-colored rabbit ears. ¡°GYYYAAH! No! Stop! Don¡¯t eat me!¡± However, the voice of a little girl screaming resonated around the forest. ¡°Huh? A person?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a Beast-kin! Stop! Don¡¯t be rough with her!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°A rabbit-kin? I have not seen them in ages¡­ Well, the map did state that there were a few wild tribes of beast-kin around¡­ I guess some inhabit this ce?¡± Muttered Lucifer. I had only seen a few beast-kin myself. Within our entire poption of former ves, there are only around four beast-kin in total, which are three wolf-kin and one cat-kin, so they¡¯re very rare. In the duchies I¡¯ve visited, I have barely seen a few going around, so the ones that had joined society are very rare and sometimes looked more like halflings than pure-blooded ones, so they might even be the children of ves. Yeah¡­ Beast-kin are the most popr ¡°ve race¡± around. Due to their wild nature and how so many don¡¯t like society, they¡¯re often considered more like animals than people, the same way they consider Majin just monsters rather than people. And this girl was super cute too! She had bright emerald eyes, fluffy brown hair, long rabbit ears, and chocte-colored skin with fluffy born hair around her legs and hands, and of course, she had a cute rabbit tail behind her, like a puffy pompom. I think she wore some tribal-like clothes made of wolf leather wrapped around her like a cute dress, and the one that made the dress seem rather skilled. She was also barefoot, but she seemed to not mind the cold. ¡°P-Please don¡¯t eat me! I don¡¯t taste good!¡± She said while almost crying out of fear. ¡°Okay, calm down¡­ We are not eating you,¡± I said. However¡­ I felt an eerie presence behind me. Partner was looking at her while drooling¡­ ¡°Rabbit¡­ and people¡­bined? I can already imagine¡­ how tasty that blood would be¡­.¡± She said. Her favorite blood, aside from that of people, was rabbit blood¡­ so I guess she¡¯s like abination of the best. Wait, why am I taking it so casually? I pped Partner back into consciousness as she snapped back. ¡°Ah! M-Master? What¡¯s going on?¡± She wondered. The instincts of a Vampire are strong in this one¡­ She¡¯s going to have to practice some more self-control. If we weren¡¯t there, she might have drank her blood and converted her into some sort of Vampire Rabbit or something¡­ if she was even left alive, that¡¯s it. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve snapped back! Those Vampire instincts are a real danger, you know? You almost ate this adorable little rabbit girl,¡± I said. ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ Sorry¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Th-There¡¯s¡­ no problem¡­ Hahaha¡­ Ugh¡­¡± The girl suddenly fell unconscious. I rapidly held her in my arms, as I thought she might have passed out of fear against Partner¡¯s aura, but no, I just noticed that her body was way too slender, and her ribs were easily visible. She looked pale too and seemed sickly, with a strong fever. Her forehead was practically boiling. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on? Did I do this?! Sorry!¡± Partner apologized. ¡°No, dear, it wasn¡¯t you¡­ I think she¡¯s sick¡­.¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 176 ¡ª¨C A sickly rabbit girl showed up in front of us, and I couldn¡¯t help but grow worried, especially because it broke my heart to see a little and cute girl being so sickly all of a sudden. Ugh, it reminded me of Takeshi and Laura when we first picked them up. Those poor little kids were so terribly handled¡­ But now they¡¯re so healthy and radiant. They illuminate your day. ¡°Hahh¡­ Hahhh¡­¡± The rabbit girl began to breathe heavily while her sweat came out of her forehead and neck. ¡°Does she have a fever?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Yeah¡­ We have to quickly bring her back to the camp!¡± I said. ¡°I think I can use some magic to make her feel better, but I don¡¯t know if magic can cure a fever¡­ There¡¯s certainly some disease causing this¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Okay, less talk, more action. Let¡¯s bring her there, so give her to me,¡± Said Lucifer. He quickly held the girl in his arms and flew with his wings alongside us. After around five minutes, we were back at camp, with a new girl we found on the way. ¡°How did it go?¡± Asked Catarina, who was guarding the ce. There was a two-meter big ck spider on the floor, dead, of course. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, a giant spider suddenly came out of the forest¡­ Just some random monster,¡± She said. ¡°O-Oh, that thing is C Rank, though¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, nothing too much. Anyways what¡¯s with the kid? Is that dinner?¡± Asked Catarina. She was not so different than Partner. As a Zombie Vampire, she had a strong liking for raw flesh and blood. ¡°She¡¯s certainly not dinner!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°We just found her out in the forest¡­ She passed out before we could even talk to her. She got a fever,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°A fever? Why are you just picking random kids? Just let her die. If she¡¯s so weak, that¡¯s just how nature wanted it to be,¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Agh, shut up, I am not like that. If I see someone struggling on the floor to breathe, I am going to help them out, obviously! Maybe I didn¡¯t have the strength to help anyone before, but now that I got it, why wouldn¡¯t I? It is better than simply feeling guiltyter on,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re way too sensitive. I was just joking¡­¡± Sighed Catarina. ¡°Maria-sama! Huh, a child!¡± Eximed Silvio. ¡°Maria-sama, is she okay?¡± Asked Francesco. ¡°Not really¡­ Can you guys go make some tea using the medicinal herbs that I got from Julia? They¡¯re in the carriage where I left some vegetables,¡± I said. ¡°V-Very well!¡± Said Silvio. ¡°But which ones?¡± Asked Francesco. ¡°Well, try them all for now!¡± I said. The two nodded and flew away. And yes, fire ghosts can choose not to burn anything with their fire if they want to. After all, their mes are not normal mes but made out of their soul, so if they choose to, the mes won¡¯t burn anyone. ¡°Now, what do we have here?¡± Asked Catarina as we left the little rabbit girl over a bed with cushions. She was sweating a lot, so we decided to take out the dress and leave some clothes over her chest and over her hips instead. After that, Partner brought some water and a towel, and I began to wash her sweat-covered body slightly while using it. The water was very cold, so it slowly calmed down the heat spreading around her body incessantly. Meanwhile, Emeraldine was using her magic while trying to heal her. Healing Magic was better at dealing with direct wounds and healing them rather than with actual diseases, which seemed to be what this girl had. In terms of diseases, there was medicine in alchemy. Making potions that healed certain diseases or forced the body to form certain antibodies like vines was not somon but existed. I had never done any research regarding that, though. ¡°Antidote! Antidote! Recovery¡­! Hahh¡­¡± Emeraldine gasped for air while sighing. The spells were healing her a bit, but at least her malnourished body looked a bit healthier now, and the pain she was feeling dissipated after a bit. The Antidote Spell was a spell that often healed status conditions, such as Poison, Paralysis, Forced Sleep, and so on, but this spell healed Status Conditions, not actual diseases, which were different and not so game-like. However, it seemed to work. It was probably making her antibodies fight harder against the disease. After around ten minutes, the rabbit girl seemed to have calmed down, as her fever had lessened, and she seemed to be breathing better. ¡°Phew¡­ She¡¯s¡­ she looks better now¡­ I am d¡­.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. It is said that people are shaped based on their magic, jobs, and even skills and titles. Those who possess healing magic and skills, jobs, or titles rted to being a priest, healer, and so on, often have a predisposition to heal the sick or wounded more than others who don¡¯t have such skills or titles. I guess it is the same for me always having that desire to steal whatever I see¡­ or how bloodthirsty I get when I am pissed off¡­ sometimes I don¡¯t even recognize myself when I go nuts. ¡°Sorry for the dy¡­ We made a super herbal tea made of healing herbs. These heal fevers, stomachaches, and one of these can even heal somemon diseases if drank quickly, like amon cold,¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Thank you. You guys are so nice¡­.¡± I sighed as I quickly decided to slowly wake up the girl. ¡°Dear¡­ wake up¡­ Are you okay?¡± I asked as she slowly opened her eyes. The little girl looked in my eyes while being rather sleepy. ¡°Uwah¡­ Wha¡­? Where am I?¡± She muttered. ¡°I brought you to my carriage because you just passed out¡­ Here,¡± I sighed. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Drink this. This is a tea made out of herbs, it might be bitter, but it could make you feel better,¡± I said. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She muttered while drinking it slowly. ¡ª¨C Chapter 177 ¡ª¨C I looked at the rabbit girl as she slowly drank her medicine. She seemed to be recovering just fine, as the drink was healing her up quite well, and things were going forward in the right direction. I hope she can heal. ¡°Hahh¡­ it is bitter¡­ but I drank it all¡­.¡± She sighed as she rested once more. I caressed her hair as she slowly fell asleep again. ¡°Well, that was that¡­ The night¡¯sing, so I guess we are not moving, for now, right?¡± Asked Catarina. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll stay until she wakes up and can tell us a bit more about her tribe. I am worried,¡± I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really too good sometimes¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Well, you should have expected me to do this if I just rescued over a hundred ves, right? I even saved an entire goblin vige. If you¡¯ve gotten this far with me, expect me to do this!¡± I shouted. ¡°I know! I wasn¡¯tining¡­ I would have done the same,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Partner, what do you think?¡± I asked. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine to wait,¡± Said Partner. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s wait for now. I am also worried¡­ What if her entire tribe got infected with this disease? I don¡¯t know what we would do¡­ Can we even cure everyone?¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°We would first need to discern which disease is affecting them and where it originated from¡­ If some sort of monster causes it, there could be some cure if we use the monster¡¯s internal organs. After all, if they¡¯re able to carry the disease, there might be a chance that they have also developed their own antibodies for it,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re right! I am quite decent at Alchemy¡­ I could make some potions, but we need a lot to learn first,¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Hm, for now¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Hey, there is this big spider¡­ Should we eat it?¡± Asked Catarina. ¡°Oh right¡­ the spider¡­¡± I said. I quickly moved outside with everyone and looked at the giant thing. I had never seen such a big spider in my entire life. It really looked quite creepy, to be honest. I decided to disinfect it like we usually do with what we hunt, using the Life Spell ¡°Clean¡± that Emeraldine has. Every beast we hunt is first cleansed with this spell until no weird germs and stuff are over it. Of course, she can¡¯t use it to heal the girl. This just cleans surface bacteria or viruses that might be stuck to the corpse¡¯s surface. ¡°Should we eat it?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. For now, I am going to just store it inside my Inventory,¡± I said. After saving the spider in my Inventory, we moved to make dinner for everyone, and after the night came, we dozed off until the next day. ¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­ Aaahh¡­ Mama¡­ Papa!¡± Suddenly, I woke up to the little rabbit girl. She was talking while sleeping¡­ Was she having a nightmare? I touched her while she was talking while sleeping as my phantasmal body suddenly made a connection with her soul, and I managed to see what she saw slightly¡­ A swarm of grotesque beasts crawling all around the forest. Theughter of something eerie in the background and countless crimson-red eyes ring down on her. The girl suddenly found herself running away, leaving everything behind as her parents screamed to her to run, run as fast as possible, and never look back¡­ I quickly pulled out my hand out of her shoulder as I gasped for air, even though I didn¡¯t have lungs. That was quite shocking and confusing. But was her tribe¡­ was attacked by things? They were like big¡­ creepy crawlers. With many ck legs, and eight crimson-red eyes- ah, spiders. Wait, is the spider Catarina caught¡­? ¡°Maria-sama!¡± Suddenly, I was startled by the scream of Emeraldine. I was sleeping in my carriage with the rabbit girl at my side in order to take care of her. ¡°Emeraldine? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Th-This is bad. There¡¯s a swarm of spidersing here! In fact, a few dozens are already fighting against our group!¡± She said. ¡°Shit! So these damn spiders are targeting us now?!¡± I shouted in surprise, rushing outside, then I quickly began to expand my Shadow Domain into a gigantic sea of darkness, and put all the people hiding away from the spiders inside of it, rescuing most in seconds, including the rabbit girl. ¡°GRYYYSSSHHAAA!¡± Suddenly, arge, three-meter-big ck spider reached up to me, hissing loudly. Its hissing was so loud that even my ears felt pain. I quickly directed my hand at it as I generated arge spear of darkness and materialized it as hard as metal, and fired it directly into the middle of its eyes! CLAAAASH! The spear pierced right through its eight eyes while reaching deep into its abdomen, piercing most of its body and almost slicing it in half! ¡°GRRYYEGH¡­¡± The arachnid gave a pitiful groan as it stopped its charge abruptly, falling over the floor and struggling to move but ultimately dying. ¡°There are moreing!¡± Shouted Emeraldine, pointing her bow at two other spiders rushing towards us from behind me. Her arrows were suddenly epassed in a bright, green light, the light of nature. She then fired the arrow, and it exploded right in front of the face of the closest arachnid to her. BOOM!!! The arrow was incrusted into the beast¡¯s head and then exploded into many roots, trapping it and the second one in them. She quickly finished off the second one by firing a stronger arrow into its head while I rushed to my left, where I found that another three of these were trying to destroy the carriages. Although I had emptied them of people, it wouldn¡¯t be good if they got destroyed! ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± I roared, shaping my shadows as countless snakes rushed towards them, coiling around their bodies. The spiders began to hiss and struggle against my attacks, but it was useless¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 178 ¡ª¨C We were being swarmed by spiders! Without much hope, I quickly gathered my Mana from all around, absorbing the Mana from nearby nts, little animals, and the spiders themselves. After that, I gathered it and infused it into my shadows, generating several snakes out of it, creating a swarm of giant snake-shaped shadows! Yes, no more tentacles. That¡¯s outdated. What¡¯s cool nowadays are snakes! Later on I might change it to something else¡­ but for now, I am fine with this! Each snake is like a clone of mine, and as they spread around, each clone begins to move independently. They quickly attack the spiders rushing towards me from the other side and catch them in their own bodies, coiling around their legs and abdomens. They cannot fight back, as the spiders¡¯ bites just get pass through their phantasmal bodies without affecting them. Your poison is ineffective against me, a ghost! You¡¯re goners now! I flew towards the caught spiders as I took out my Demon de and a giant ax, courtesy of Leon, and I began to dual wield them, shing the spiders I had captured using my snakes! S L A S H ! S L A S H ! S L A S H ! Wow, the ax is heavy, it will be hard to get used to this monster of a weapon, but I can see why burly guys love it. If you¡¯re strong enough to wield this thing, the weight alone can easily kill a person. Anyways, I just have to swing it, and its enormous de will easily sh through the spider¡¯s entire body, slicing it in half. And my Demon de is lighter. Using my Skills rted to des and Swords, I can easily wield them with more precision and speed. A few shes using it is more than enough to cover a spider with enormous wounds, killing it out of bleeding and spilling its guts out of its body. I nced as Lucifer was using his dragon form to fight. He waspletely demolishing his own group of spiders, covering an entire area by himself. His enormous ws were easily piercing through the spider¡¯s exoskeletons, making it an easy task for him to kill them. Additionally, his movements, such as punches and kicks, had be pretty good for a dragon who just relied on ws and breath attacks. While being with us, he had learned how to use all of his body in a fight and had be way more formidable. His breath attack was explosively destructive, and his aura of dark and phantasmal power covered his body and strengthened it. His movements were then supplemented with the power of his magic, too, as he fired dark spears, fireballs, thunderbolts, and more. He was massacring spiders rather well. I was proud of my Lucy-chan. And then there was Kuro, my adorable giant ck cat, who was shing through his enemies with his strong ws, mostly supporting Raven, a giant undead crow who had also evolved a couple of times. The tworge undead beasts were fighting with their great might. I remember having made them with many different materials from monsters I had saved. Kuro had great power using the elemental cores- or the shattered elemental cores of slimes, which had some power over the elements. This granted the cat the ability to wield elemental magic and also made his bones sturdy as I used the bones of powerful lizards. The same went with Raven, although I used other materials from monsters we found along the way, and I gave him a poisonous beak that secretes corrosive venom. His ws also secreted venom, so he was shing and peeking into the spiders, and they began to slowly get covered with wounds that were melting off their exoskeletons and flesh. Those are my cute pets! Kuro and Raven have not disappointed me. Partner was unleashing a barrage of attacks using her trusty spear. The spear she had since the beginning dropped by the Hydra we once fought. It came with poison secretion on its tip, which was as hot as pepper when thrown into the eyes. The spear itself had already reached Level 10 as weapons can level up as they are used or enhanced, and because it was a low-grade spear, it was able to level up quickly by just bathing in the blood of monsters and strong foes. After it was bathed in the blood of vampires, it reached level 10 and then automatically evolved into a Blood Hydra Empress Spear and gained a new red color, and even several hissing snakes as decorations around the handle. The spear gained several new powers, and its stats skyrocketed. I had never thought certain weapons could evolve by themselves without using forging abilities! Her powerful and evolved spear had been like herpanion since she started her journey with me, so she was wielding it masterfully. Since the day I gave it to her, she had never let go of the spear, and she was now amazing at using it as if it were an extension of her body itself. ¡°RAAA!¡± SLASH! CLAAAASH! She moved swiftly, and with amazing speed, her spear danced around the battlefield. Its piercing de easily pierced the heads of the spiders in seconds, leaving their eyes popping out in oozing liquid. Her spear suddenly activated a special ability as blood energy beganing out of it, shaping as a deadly and gigantic snake of over 5 meters and fighting against two spiders, coiled around them, and then exploding! BOOM! This was but only one of the new abilities, as it also was able to directly absorb blood and transfer it to Partner so she could even drain the blood out of corpses with her spear. Of course, the oozy green blood of spiders was not appetizing to Vampires, and she didn¡¯t take them fancy at all, so she just killed them without seeing them as much of an appetizing meal. They were nothing other than annoying gues¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 179 ¡ª¨C Thest Spider was punched into the ground and then grilled alive by Silvio and Francesco. The former vampires were good at burning things ruthlessly, and there was a certain sadistic joy that they took at partaking in their job, which they did happily. The two fire ghosts burned the spider alive and left it burning while on the ground. Catarina sighed while cracking her knuckles, and we were all covered in green blood, just like her. ¡°Just how many of those critters did we just kill? That was insane,¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Yeah, I agree, that was out of this world¡­ we indeed killed a bunch of them¡­.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°We were raided by¡­ perhaps fifty of them? The corpses are covering the entire area where we settled down¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Ugh, phew¡­ I am d we are done¡­ those ursed beasts were such a pain to kill¡­ Where did they evene from?¡± Muttered Emeraldine. ¡°The forest, obviously, didn¡¯t you see them, elf?¡± Sighed Catarina. ¡°O-Of course I did! But I just wondered in which part of the forest,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Dunno, a spider nest or something?¡± Replied Catarina. ¡°A spider nest¡­ of such humongous spiders? I think this might be more dangerous than we think. If that forest is really infested with these monsters¡­ then the rabbit-kin might be in serious danger¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re right. There might be something going on in the depths of the forest without us even knowing about it. We have to hurry up and get over there¡­ or something bad might happen. I don¡¯t know¡­ but I just got this bad feeling¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°We have to first assess things, though; we cannot just rush into the forest¡­ Let¡¯s at the very least store these spiders¡­ Master?¡± Partner said, waiting for my permission. ¡°Ah, yes¡­ Wait for a second, dear¡­.¡± I said. I was suddenly pestered with many system notifications after the extermination of the invasive spiders was done. The System had be way more detailed this time around, even showing me how much EXP each spider gave to me¡­ I guess I could have gotten way more if it wasn¡¯t because I saved a bit of the EXP to buy skills. Ah well, still, thanks to that method, I got the useful Mental Mapping Skill. Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You have in [Giant ck gue Spider Soldiers (C+ Rank) (24000 EXP)] x50] [You gained 1200000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 27 to Level 28!] [Your Level has increased from Level 28 to Level 29!] [Your Level has increased from Level 29 to Level 30!] [Your Level has increased from Level 30 to Level 31!] [Your Level has increased from Level 31 to Level 32!] [All your stats have increased] [The Levels of some Skills have increased] [You acquired the [gue yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] Oh, I leveled up five times? Now I am midway through my next evolution, which is at level 60! Hehe¡­ I wonder what insane evolution option I will get next¡­ Ah, well, I also got a new Title Skill from all of this, so let¡¯s check it out¡­ ¡­ [gue yer: Lv1] A Title Skill given to someone who has in arge number of monsters considered gues, almostpletely bringing the gue itself to an end by ying at least fifty of such monsters simultaneously. Enhances your damage dealt against Insect-type, Arachnid-type, and anything that is considered a gue species by arge amount of the world¡¯s poption by +20% with each level. y more gues to increase the level of this Title Skill and clean the world of these critters! ¡­ Huh, pretty useful, alright. I wish humans could be included in the ¡°gues¡± of this world because they¡¯re really annoying¡­ Ah, maybe they could be considered not a gue as they¡¯re only mostmon in this continent. After all, this world is named Yggdrasil, and there are continents that represent a Realm¡­ And we are currently in the Realm of Humans, Midgard. I suppose it is fair that human supremacy is very popr around thesends. I have heard that there are many elves and fairies and other races in Alfheim, then there are ice giants and ice elves in Jotunheim¡­ and then fire giants and other creatures in Muspelheim, and so on¡­ Nheless, this Title will help me deal even more damage to these critters and p them with ease. Now that I think about it, I could have risen some more Undead to help, but I had them all protecting the carriages, and they were not fighting much aside from us. Perhaps I should make these spiders Undead and make an Undead Spider Army to fight against the other Spiders in the forest. ¡°Maria-sama?¡± Emeraldine got closer to me all of a sudden, as she looked at me while I was deep in my own redundant thoughts. ¡°Ah! Yes, well, let me raise them into Undead. I want to add them to my Army,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, that also works, I guess. How many Undead can you control?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°I don¡¯t know, unlimited amount? I have never reached the limit so far¡­ Although they¡¯re always weaker than originally, unless I make special rituals and generate chimeras using a varied arrangement of materials from many monsters, like you, Kuro, or Raven¡­ I guess Catarina also counts. I added into her bones and internal organs of monsters,¡± I said. ¡°You did what?!¡± Shouted Catarina. ¡°Yeah! Why do you think you feel stronger despite having died? I added a lot of ingredients to you. Even these ck Potions made from the oozy liquid produced by the Fragment of Evil,¡± I said. ¡°Eh?! Now I feel dirty¡­ Let me go take a bath¡­.¡± Sighed Catarina; the harsh truth hit her like a truck. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s nothing bad¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Do you n on making any of these custom zombies?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but making an artificial Arachne does sound appealing to me¡­.¡± I said. ¡ª- Chapter 180 ¡ª¨C An artificial Arachne made up of the spider corpses and the corpse of a female soldier. Well, the soldiers were mostly males amongst the hundreds I had in back then, but there were also some females within the groups of mercenaries and adventurers, especially of the church guys. There were some girls on them. I could use them and make my very own Arachne Zombie wife! But what¡¯s the point? It will have the mind of a toddler. Although it would be a strong addition to the team, I would have to put some effort into it, so for now, all of you will be just ssic Spider Zombies. ¡°Rise¡­ [Fake Life]!¡± FLAAASH! I spread my phantasmal aura across the entire ce as the corpses of the spiders began to slowly move. Some ended up dying pretty ugly, so they were all dismembered apart. This very ax I got in my hand was the one that just cut tons of them in half. The spiders were still moving while being cut in half but had a hard time unifying both pieces. Some were even worse, looking like barely moving pieces of flesh and exoskeleton. I had randomly inserted their souls back into their bodies, so they still should know how to hunt and cooperate together as they did before. But god, they look awful. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I got you guys! [Undead Healing]!¡± I activated my Level 7 Undead Healing, an excellent Skill that can heal Undead¡¯s HP and even merge back their dismembered pieces as if it were a phantasmal glue. I began to spread the effect of this Skill around my phantasmal aura, and the spiders began to reattach themselves with one another, being brought back from their death to another death, but now just as zombies this time around. Crackle¡­ crackle¡­ ¡°Gryyyyhhh¡­¡± ¡°Grryyeehhh¡­¡± ¡°Grryyysshh¡­¡± The spiders began to walk around with their legs, which released little cracking sounds that made them even more terrifying. They also released some very eerie sounds from their jaws, as if they were telling me something awful but didn¡¯t want me to hear them¡­ ¡°Okay, you guys¡­ You¡¯re around fifty, and that guy is still on mes? Oi, turn off the mes!¡± I said. I was pointing at a spider that was still in mes due to Silvio and Francesco. The spider zombie felt no pain, so it was mostly not aware that it was burning, or if it was, it didn¡¯t care. ¡°Grryyyhhh¡­¡± SPLASH! Lucifer generated arge water bullet and threw it to the spider. The mes were slightly turned off but continued to re. ¡°Huh? This fire¡­ Maybe Silvio and Francesco can turn it off? Perhaps water doesn¡¯t work that well against phantasmal fire.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°No, wait! I get it! This guy in mes is actually a different species¡­ I just saw his Status¡­ He¡¯s named zing Spider Demon Zombie?! Wow¡­ So he¡¯s a spider zombie that is on mes¡­.¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ very weird. I guess sometimes oddballs like these wille out¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Gryeh!¡± Suddenly, the spider controlled the fire and made several fireballs, throwing them into the sky and making them explode. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! It had a lot of firepower as well! ¡°Wow! Okay, I believe you. You like your fire, don¡¯t you? I wonder if you could technically be Silvio and Francesco¡¯s child¡­ Okay, you¡¯re going to be named Pyro,¡± I said. ¡°Gryshiiiiii!¡± The spider, now named Pyro, seemed more energetic than the others. To be honest, he seemed to be a promising new recruit that came out unexpectedly out of this risen mass batch of undead. Maybe we should have burned all the spiders before turning them into Undead, and we could have gotten more of these guys¡­ Or well, better not. ¡°Pyro? Really? That¡¯s the name?¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong with that name?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s your decision¡­.¡± Sighed Lucifer. This annoying dragon really makes me want to p that good ass he sometimes got with how cocky he acts in the most unexpected times. ¡°Gryshiii¡­!¡± The adorable Pyro was in mes, and I suddenly noticed that his carapace turned from ck to red, and he gained some fire patterns across it. He really just became a zing spider¡­ ¡°Anyways, now that we are done with this, I¡¯ll pull back the people, and then I¡¯ll store you guys inside my shadows¡­.¡± I quickly took out the people as they seemed to be all okay. Gofumin, Takeshi, and Laura ran to my side and hugged me tightly. They appeared to have been scared. Takeshi and Laura are mildly strong, but they don¡¯t stand a chance against a swarm of C+ Rank Beasts yet¡­ They still gotta train a lot before anything like this. So they cannot easily turn overpowered like us so fast without more proper foundation. And the little Gofumin is just a newbie, so of course, she cannot fight either, but I guess she could hunt little monsters like Horned Rabbits or Demon Rats fairly well. ¡°Maria, are you all okay? What happened?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Th-There were these HUGE spiders! I think I hit one hard with my Fishing Rod, but it wasn¡¯t enough to break its exoskeleton¡­.¡± Sighed Takeshi. ¡°Auntie! Are you okay?¡± Asked Gofumin. ¡°Yeah, I am doing fine¡­ We y them for good and look! I just made them all into new friends,¡± I said. I showed the kids the Spider Zombies, and their eyes opened wide in surprise. The spiders greeted them while hissing and roaring loudly. The zing Pyro was leading them all, raising a leg and greeting them cutely. He was also the most active, too, surprisingly. It seems he developed a personality quite fast. ¡°W-Wow¡­ Nee-san, your power is really broken¡­.¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°W-Well, every Death Mage can do this, right?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°Can I keep one as a mount?¡± Asked Gofumin. ¡°Mount? I had¡­ not thought about using them that way, but actually, yeah, if you want to¡­.¡± I said while petting her head. ¡°I want the zing one!¡± Called out Gofumin. ¡°Erm¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ that one might¡­ burn you, dear¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡ª¨C [ANNOUNCEMENT]: New Privilege Tiers have been made! There is up to 35 Chapters in Privilege, every tier has at least 50% off as well! Chapter 181 ¡ª¨C ¡°But I want it for myself!¡± Shouted Gofumin rather greedily; her goblin lineage was clearly showing itself now. ¡°Phantasmal mes shouldn¡¯t hurt her, as long as Pyro doesn¡¯t want to hurt her, I guess¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see about that. For now, no mounts,¡± I said. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sighed Gofumin. ¡°Come with mama¡­.¡± I said as I grabbed the little, green-skinned girl with my arms, and she quickly cheered up as I carried her like my baby. She was too cute to let her get upset like that. ¡°I was scared¡­.¡± Said Gofumin again. ¡°Okay, calm down now. Were you too hyped with the zing spider that you forgot that, and now it¡¯s resurfacing?¡± I sighed. Gofumin nodded a bit. ¡°Where¡¯s your daddy at?¡± I wondered. ¡°I am here. Sorry foringte. Gofumin was somewhere else, and when we were all pulled into the shadows, I was looking for her this entire time¡­ Phew¡­ Dear,e with me¡­.¡± Sighed the Goblin Chief. He arrived just in time as I asked for him. The Hobgoblin was panting in exhaustion as he had been looking for the girl this entire time. ¡°Papa!¡± Gofumin jumped over her papa, and he hugged her tightly. ¡°Hahh¡­ Everything happened so fast. I was so afraid that something might have happened to you,¡± Sighed the Goblin Chief. ¡°Well, now that things are done, let¡¯s prepare some food for everyone. We need to quickly assess what just happened here¡­ You guys, stand around the camp and protect us from anything thates,¡± I said. ¡°Gryshiii!¡± The spiders all hissed in unison as they raised their front limbs. ¡°Pyro, I am making you the official Spider General! So you¡¯ll be the one that leads the rest, you¡¯re a special one, Pyro, so I am counting on you!¡± I said. ¡°Grishi!¡± Pyro got all happy, raising its front limbs like those little spiders, jumping spiders, yeah, those that often raise their little legs while making mating dances, but he was doing one out of happiness. I even petted him; he was that cute. I never thought a zombie spider would win me over. ¡°Mrao!¡± Kuro, however, disliked this new recruit, and the giant cat desired my attention. ¡°Ah, Kuro¡­ Don¡¯t get jealous.¡± I sighed as I petted him and kissed his forehead. He was a cute cat. ¡°CRAAA!¡± Suddenly, I almost jumped out of the ground when the giant Raven startled me with its typical crow cry¡­ he slowly reduced his size using the Body Size Alteration Skill and sat down over my right shoulder. ¡°Okay, you too! Geez, everyone wants attention nowadays¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Craaa~¡± the little Raven enjoyed me as I caressed his silky ck feathers. I took a small cookie out of my inventory and gave it to him. He happily grabbed it and began to snack on it as birds love crackers. We quickly moved forward as we began to prepare food for everyone. After all the fighting was done, the people were starving without them eating anything through that time. I had checked every person and found nobody got particrly hurt by the spiders, so there were no people injured. They were all doing fine. And about the rabbit girl¡­ well, she had just woken up and seemed healthy. She was, as of now, eating a whole bowl of rice with arge piece of grilled meat on top and a lot of vegetables around. She also drank some tea with sugar this time, so it wasn¡¯t a bitter herb juice like the one we gave to herst night. ¡°Nom¡­ Nom¡­ Uwah! So good! It¡¯s been a while since I had good food!¡± She said. She was even recovered and seemingly left without any sequel. She was cured of the disease she had as well¡­ but what was it anyway? And I didn¡¯t even know her name yet, her tribe¡¯s name, or what was going on in the forest. I had many questions for her, but I felt like it would be bad if I forced myself into her like this, so I decided to be gentle and go on slowly with the questions. ¡°Dear, tell me something. What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah¡­ My name¡¯s Syllis! Thank you so much for your hospitality¡­ and for helping me out with this¡­ I was very tired and exhausted in the forest¡­ I thought I was going to die out of starvation¡­.¡± She sighed. ¡°My name is Maria, but you can call me Auntie if you want, and these are¡­.¡± I presented everyone present here, and Syllis bowed her head to every person respectfully. Being a girl from a wild tribe, she was very well-behaved. ¡°Sorry for trying to drink your blood back then. It was very disrespectful of me¡­.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Ah! D-Don¡¯t worry about it! I am thankful that you all helped me¡­ I am forever in debted with you all!¡± she said. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s so cute¡­.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Sh-She? I am not a she! I-I am a boy! I-Is it not obvious with my muscles? And my chest!¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Wait¡­ Eh?¡± I muttered. Everyone looked at Syllis surprised. Even his name sounded like a girl¡¯s name. Can you me us? Even your voice is very charmingly feminine! So he was a boy all along¡­ Well, he was already wearing clothes beneath his leather clothes, so we never got the chance to see his lower parts¡­ ¡°No way! You¡¯re a boy?! But you look like a cute girl!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°G-Girl? W-Well, most of the males look like me! There¡¯s nothing wrong with our appearance¡­ we rabbit-kin are small and nimble¡­ I am actually not a child either. I am 19 this year¡­.¡± Sighed Syllis. I guess Rabbit-kin is that type of race that is an eternal child in appearance? If this boy is 19 and he still looks like a cute teen girl¡­ then I shouldn¡¯t have much hope in the other males, especially because he just said they all looked simr to him¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 182 ¡ª¨C Agh! But asking about his gender was not the important thing right now. The important thing right now was trying to know about the vige he came from and his tribe. Even though he¡¯s such a cutie that I want to squeeze and hug, I must resist and only pet his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it; I¡¯ve never seen a man look like this¡­.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°G-Geez¡­ Stop saying such hurtful things¡­.¡± Sighed Syllis. ¡°Come on, guys, don¡¯t point it out anymore¡­ Syllis, you¡¯re a beautiful man,¡± I said. ¡°Ahh¡­ R-Really?¡± Asked Syllis while blushing. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re very strong too. I am d you survived,¡± I said with a gentle smile. The adorable rabbit boy smiled cutely at me. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been without your help¡­ I-I am forever indebted to you, Maria!¡± Said Syllis, as he held my hand and his eyes looked at me quite lovingly¡­ I blushed a bit because he got really close to me all of a sudden, which made Partner, Lucifer, and Emeraldine all grow rather envious. Even more, I even noticed Catarina furrowing her eyebrows for some reason. ¡°Oi, shrimp, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself!¡± She said, suddenly surprising the trio as she was the one that ended up acting the most jealous. ¡°U-Uwah! S-Sorry¡­¡± Syllis apologized as he moved back to his seat. ¡°I am surprised Catarina did it for us.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ Did she join us?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°I feel a sisterhood forming between her and me,¡± Said Partner. ¡°W-Why are you looking at me like that?!¡± Asked Catarina, getting all angry. ¡°Anyways! Let¡¯s not go off-topic, please. Syllis, dear, can you give us¡­ a brief exnation of how you ended up in that situation and what happened to your vige?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah! Right¡­ the vige¡­.¡± He sighed. ¡°Huh? Did it get¡­ did something happen to your rabbit-kin?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ Around¡­ four years ago,¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Four years ago?! I wasn¡¯t even reborn in this world¡­ I was still the stupid Maria that didn¡¯t remember her previous life and was doing dumb stuff that only made her an easier prey to the cunning aristocrats! Everyone fell into silence. We really thought we could help, but if the entire thing might have happened such a long time ago¡­ ¡°I originate from the brave Rabbit-kin Tribe. We named ourselves the Knife Fangs¡­ Well, we used to¡­ the vige was suddenly attacked by giant ck spiders four years ago, and many of us ended up spreading around the entire forest. I haven¡¯t¡­ seen my parents since then¡­ I¡¯ve already assumed they died,¡± He sighed. ¡°Spiders¡­ Like the ones we just killed?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Y-You killed spiders? The ck spiders?! But magic nor our attacks could get through their shells¡­ how is it possible for you to do that?¡± Asked Syllis in shock. ¡°Well, we are stronger than them,¡± I said. It was that simple, really. ¡°S-Stronger than those monsters? Incredible¡­ you¡¯re all really amazing then! Ahh¡­ Please! Can you help us out?¡± He asked. ¡°Help? But wouldn¡¯t they all be dead by now?¡± Asked Catarina. ¡°You¡¯re being a bit too harsh there,¡± Said Lucifer angrily. ¡°Since when has the prideful dragon been so soft?¡± Asked Catarina. ¡°You¡¯re talking like you have known me all my life, child,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Okay, stop! Don¡¯t fight! ¡­Syllis, tell us more. What happened after you escaped from that attack?¡± I asked. ¡°I was able to regroup with a dozen of my people and even found my little sister that I was looking for so long¡­ But my parents¡­ I couldn¡¯t find them¡­ After what happened there, we made a little vige near some ruins, where the monsters rarely went to for some reason¡­.¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Are the rabbit-kin people still there?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, they should be¡­.¡± He responded. ¡°Then why are you away from them?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Th-That¡¯s because I went out to hunt for prey¡­ we were starving. After surviving for four years with whatever we could find around the ruins, most of the things we could gather were gone, and we needed to go deeper into the spider-infected forest to find more food¡­ But¡­ it was too dangerous, so I often went myself to hunt small beasts or gather mushrooms and berries¡­.¡± Said the boy. ¡°You?! Alone?!¡± I eximed. ¡°Well, there were three more boys my age¡­ but the rest were mostly elderly or women¡­ We didn¡¯t want to make them risk their lives¡­.¡± Sighed Syllis. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to go pick them up,¡± I said. ¡°Please! I will do anything you want if you help them get out of this ursed forest¡­ We should never have stepped in here as we traveled around these ins¡­.¡± Sighed Syllis. ¡°We¡¯ll do it!¡± I said as I petted his head. He smiled adorably before hugging me. ¡°Thank you! Thank you! With your strength¡­ I am sure that you might be able to do so¡­ I will do anything you want after that¡­ I-I can even¡­ give you my body¡­ I really don¡¯t have anything else after all¡­.¡± He said while blushing. ¡°Y-Your body?!¡± I eximed once again. I realized I suddenly got all red as I began eyeing his slender and beautiful body. Uwah, he was a snack now that I could see him well enough. He had such long and beautiful legs and even had some hips too¡­ That chest was godly as well, and his face was so cute¡­ I would devour such a cute boy! He shouldn¡¯t really say such things to me! ¡­Especially because there are three very angered ones behind me. ¡°Y-You can save up your body for yourself!¡± Said Partner, hugging me from behind and pulling me away from the cute rabbit boy. ¡°Y-Yeah! There is no need to do that, Syllis¡­ You¡¯re a free man, don¡¯t sell your body. That¡¯s only something ves do¡­ and only when they¡¯re forced,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I-Indeed, I am sure you wouldn¡¯t want to be with a ghost, right? You probably got a girl you like from your vige,¡± Said Lucifer. These guys were real smooth talkers. ¡°Maria is a ghost?! I couldn¡¯t tell¡­¡± He said with surprise. ¡°Haha¡­ Yeah, I am a spooky ghost! ¡­But a good one,¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 183 ¡ª¨C The Rabbit-kin girl- I mean boy named Syllis (That¡¯s a very girl-sounding name, to be honest) seemed to be older than he looked. Additionally, he was just as horny as actual rabbits, offering me his body in exchange for helping out the other rabbits! Seriously, does he know that now that I am a ghost, there¡¯s no actual horniness in me? It is just lewd thoughts sometimes, but that¡¯s it! I cannot feel horny even if I wanted! Chaotic thoughts aside, he had said something rather tragic: his vige was attacked by these very same ck spiders FOUR years ago¡­ I guess we couldn¡¯t get here in time. And well, he escaped alongside a group of other people, including his little sister. They gathered around certain ruins where the monsters didn¡¯t get closer, but the entire forest was flooding with spiders everywhere for some reason, so they couldn¡¯t safely escape these ruins as they would get caught by spiders and eaten. But from where did these spiderse from? Well, the bunny had said they showed up out of nowhere. What kind of ¡°nowhere,¡± though? Maybe they originated from the dungeon we saw in the sky? Hmm¡­ I cannot really juste up with their origins out of nowhere. I need more clues. Wait¡­ Can¡¯t I ask the spiders themselves? I have a whole army of Zombie Spiders led by a special zing spider demon! So I can just invade their souls¡¯ memories and images and what they saw through their lives, and we¡¯ll know where they came from. Hohoho, delightfully devilish, Maria. ¡°Maria!¡± ¡°Ah! W-What?!¡± Catarina woke me up from my daze, I was just delving into my own thoughts, and this woman just came here and screamed into my ears out of nowhere. ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± She asked. Everyone was sitting around the table while looking at me. After Syllis introduced himself and said everything he knew, we were now thinking about what to do ourselves. The situation was dire, as we had to act quickly, so there wasn¡¯t much time to go in idle mode and sit leisurely while doing nothing. I had to go rescue those adorable rabbit people, or I would feel terrible about myself¡­ Ugh, why am I like this? I am too nice sometimes. But seeing how there could be many people as cute as Syllis suffering out there really breaks my heart¡­ And that¡¯s why I must procure the acquisition of these rabbit people into my future Kingdom! In the Kingdom where everyone will be able to live peacefully, even if they¡¯re all from different races, or undead, or monsters, or whatever, I want- no, I NEED rabbit people. This is not a thing of selfishness; it is a necessity. As someone that doesn¡¯t need to eat nor drink water, nor even sleep, I am someone that DESIRES entertainment, and even more, things to do, so I want to DO something, anything! And I am willing to go help the rabbits. Also, I really want to see them hop around in my future Kingdom. It will be cute. They¡¯re like candy to the eyes. I mean, have you ever had actual rabbit pets before? They¡¯re too cute¡­ Ah, one of my regrets after dying is that I ended up leaving my little Acorn, a brown-colored rabbit pet I had¡­ I hope mom and my sister can take care of her. Agh! Anyways, I should go back to the main topic of conversation. My mind is so dispersed across my entire soul that I think about random stuff every single second. This is the mind of a Ghost, I guess. I have to get used to being like this. ¡°Erm, yeah, I will now interrogate the souls of the zombie spiders, and then we¡¯ll move out to rescue Syllis¡¯ people. It shouldn¡¯t take too long. We just go there, catch them, throw them into the shadows, and go back. A twenty-minute adventure,¡± I said. ¡°You sure it¡¯s gonna be that easy?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? We have literally in entire armies of soldiers before, Lucifer. You saw me killing them and then making them into Undead and making them kill each other, where I raised even more Undead¡­ howe someone who can do something so ridiculous won¡¯t be able to rescue rabbit people!?¡± I asked angrily. ¡°Okay, okay, calm down¡­ You¡¯re temperamental today, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°No! I am just extremely bored! I want to stop procrastinating! Okay, Syllis,e with me!¡± I said. ¡°W-Where?!¡± Asked Syllis. ¡°We are going to speak with dead spiders. It will be fun!¡± I said. ¡°D-Dead spiders?!¡± He shouted in horror. I moved into the group of spiders and invaded a couple of them. I didn¡¯t even have to speak with them. I just touched their souls and quickly got what I wanted. Within their memories, I saw them hatch from little eggs in the depths of the underground. They all survived the first days by eating each other until they began to run around the dungeon, eating little critters until they were all called to the surface. Without realizing it, they had ranked up several times and were humongous. And they were alling in and out of a massive dungeon entrance¡­ I knew it! Theye from a dungeon. That¡¯s pretty obvious after seeing how much people rte monsters with dungeons. After all, monsterse out of dungeons, so it ispletely logical and within expectations to think that they mighte out of a dungeon like, uhhhhh¡­. Yeah, a spider dungeon or something. I didn¡¯t see any Queen Spider or whatever, but I did feel some sort of powerful presence in the shadows, overlooking the entire thing y out. It was rather suspicious, and I have doubts about what this entity could be, but we¡¯ll call her the mama spider for now. She ordered the other spiders to look for food and take over the forest as some base of operations. Wait, how do I actually know this stuff? Well, the spiders have some telepathic messages with such meanings, but in spidernguage. ¡ª¨C Chapter 184 ¡ª¨C By checking the spider¡¯s memories, I learned they alle from a single dungeon and that they were spoken by the spider mama, a typical giant spider queen thatid all the eggs and orders her spider children around¡­ Yeah, this is bing quite simr to another story I once read¡­ Naiwa¡­ It appears the spider mama can speak to her children through telepathy! And she can give them orders. But where is this spider mama, where did shee from, and what are her true goals? I have no idea. But I can tell she¡¯s into world domination or something like that¡­ I think. She kind of wants to clean the entire forest of any ¡°pesky little critter¡± before moving on to expanding her empire. So I guess it probably is some very overpowered monster from a dungeon that gained intelligence and began to spread her influence through her own spider children? I suppose spider monsters might be quite dangerous, with a hard exoskeleton, fast, agile, deadly venom, strong physical strength, and all of that. But wouldn¡¯t that be to clich¨¦, simplistic, and boring? Sigh, can¡¯t things be more original? I saw the same plot in several other novels I read. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t judge the things I read and base them on my world¡­ But what do you want from me? I was a big bookworm¡­ Perhaps there might be something more to these spiders. There¡¯s no way it is so simple, right? What does this little spider want? To eat the world, and that¡¯s it? If it were so simple, wouldn¡¯t any other monsters simr to her have already tried to do something? What makes her so uniquepared to others? She faintly reminds me of Lucifer, but he was sealed into the dungeon and had no other way to get out than by infecting the nearby graveyard and making it into an army of Undead, hoping for one of them toe to help him out¡­ And it was thanks to him. My soul turned into a ghost, and¡­ here we are, going against overpowered spiders. Well, they were not so overpowered, though? And we got our own army of zombie spiders to go against them. So I guess what¡¯s left to do is get on there and do it. But what if they show up again while I am in the forest looking for people while trying to deal with the annoying spider kingdom forming here? Hmm¡­ What could I do? If I learn that they did something bad to the rabbit, I guess we¡¯ll kill them and get all the EXP, so I guess this is just an EXP side quest¡­ but if they end up being more intelligent than I thought and acted friendly after recognizing our strength, we could get some spider friends. I suppose that¡¯s it! That will be my mentality. Imunicated my thoughts to my friends, as they seemed to agree with most of it. ¡°I see, so we just procure the rabbits first, and then we go search for the spider¡¯sir? We can burn them all using my breath attack and Silvio and Francesco¡¯s mes, right?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Ah¡­ I guess we can do that too. Yeah, I didn¡¯t think about it,¡± I said. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re suggesting using the fire ghosts to just burn the entire dungeon and make it into a furnace?! Is that even possible? Can you guys conjure up so much fire?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°We don¡¯t know¡­.¡± Said Silvio. ¡°We would need an insane amount of Mana to do that, to begin with,¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Insane amounts of Mana¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can provide that. My mana depends on if there are targets to absorb from. There is much I can get from the environment alone, but it won¡¯t be enough, so we¡¯ll most likely do it the traditional way. Don¡¯t give us weird ideas, Lucifer,¡± I said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention¡­ I was just sharing my thoughts,¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. If it works, we might try that anyway. I mean, I like the idea to an extent,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm, a furnace of spiders¡­ all of these damn monsters crying in agony¡­ while they burn alive¡­ Doesn¡¯t sound bad!¡± Said Syllis, suddenly bing rather devil-like. ¡°A-Anyways, what should we do with the people here? Do we all go there?¡± wondered Partner. ¡°I will leave some of my stronger clones here,¡± I said before I quickly divided my phantom intorge masses and even added tiny fragments of soul into them, making them stronger than usual clones, which shaped as loli versions of me, with the lower half of a snake instead of having legs. ¡°Ooh, little Marias, so cute!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Can I adopt one?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°No, they¡¯re literally me, don¡¯t adopt me¡­.¡± I sighed. The clones waved their heads at the same time. ¡°For now, I will leave these clones here, and most of you guys will stay here too. I will bring Syllis, Pyro, and a few of the zombie spiders. Plus, there is more Undead, so I will leave them all here as well. Our mission is mostly stealth, so we¡¯ll go pick the rabbits and then pull back to regroup again and then raid the spiders,¡± I said. ¡°Understood, so you¡¯re going solo then?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Yep, just me and the spiders for backup, and you guys are all strong, so I want you to stay here and protect the people as much as you can¡­ My clones are here, so if anything too bad happens, they can pull the people into their shadows for safety while you guys deal with the threats. I would do this all the time if it wasn¡¯t because the shadows can negatively affect people¡¯s minds if they stay awake too much there¡­ And well, it costs constant mana too,¡± I said. ¡°Alright, we get it,¡± Said Catarina. ¡°S-So we are going alone?!¡± Asked Syllis as he expected more backup. ¡°Yep, you and me, little rabbit~,¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 185 Finding The Rabbit-kin Village 185 Finding The Rabbit-kin Vige ----- While stuffing Pyro and a small group of the spiders inside my shadows, while leaving the rest of the spiders plus all the Undead I had saved guarding the camp, we decided to move into the forest with Syllis. I needed the rabbit boy to guide me through the forest towards the ce where the survivors of the rabbits were living, so I had to follow him around. Because he was too slowpared to my ability to travel through shadows, I decided to hold him in my arms while he guided me. Of course, he felt embarrassed, but he was very light, like a feather. It felt like I was just carrying a cute princess, so it didn''t bother me. "A woman shouldn''t carry A-A man like me¡­!" He said shyly. "Aw, you''re cute when you try to act manly¡­ Don''t worry, just lead me to where it is! This is the most efficient way! Trust me!" I said. "*Sigh*¡­ Okay¡­ It''s through there!" Said Syllis. Syllis guided me across the forest while pointing at the directions I had to take. It took little time, and we managed to cross a few rivers and then some weird butt-shaped trees until we reached an area that was covered inrge stones covered in moss, and grass. Some of these stones were covered in strange magical runes, but they were all scattered over the ce, so it was quite hard to go to each one and check them out without wasting too much time, so we decided to ignore them mostly. "The ruins¡­ they should be behind that big rock over there!" Said Syllis. "Howe these ruins are immune to the spiders'' attacks? What makes them repel them? I am a monster too, and I don''t feel repelled- Eehe?!" I cried. I realized itter because I might have a lot of magic resistance, but there was arge barrier of spiritual energy all around this area made by these stones. I quickly flew outside because this spiritual energy was not normal, and it was infused with tons of light element, which was burning through my shadows with ease. "M-Maria?!" He muttered. "I cannot get in¡­ there''s a massive dome of spirit light magic around this entire ce¡­ if I keep pushing through, I''ll slowly dissipate into nothingness¡­ These stones must have a lot of magical power¡­." I said. "S-So that''s how it was¡­ perhaps the spiders also dislike this?" Syllis wondered. "Most likely¡­ It seems specifically made to go against monsters like the spiders or me," I sighed. "I see¡­" Also sighed, Syllis. "Go on, bring your people here, and I will bring them out quickly," I said. Syllis quickly hopped out of my arms and ran towards the ruins where his people are, behind arge stone inscribed with many of these same types of runes. I looked into the nearest stone and touched it faintly with my hand. A spark of light rushed towards me and gave me a strong shock of pain. Ouch. I looked towards big stones and noticed they were of some sort of holy element. I don''t know where they came from, but maybe using the System''s Analyze function could bring some clues. ¡­ [Ancient Holy Runic Stone (???-Grade)] Ancient stones of incredible weight that possess innate mana of holy light and spiritual energy infused into them, presumably made by some sort of divine figure in ancient times. While resting above the ground, they exude a strong aura of holy spiritual light which creates a natural barrier around the stone. Multiple stones can be arranged to cover arge amount of space. ¡­ Wow, that''s it? Nothing more? I kind of figured it all except the one saying that a divine figure could have made it. I suppose god himself made them? Which god? Erm¡­ the God of Light? Whoever that bastard is? I know the God of Chaos: Loki exists, so who is the God of Light in Norse Mythology? Ah, perhaps this entire "lore" is just mixed-up stuff, so I doubt I shouldpare it to actual mythology. System, can you tell me anything more? Can I do that?! I can steal stuff with ease? Wow, I guess I could just touch a person''s weapon and make it disappear? Well, not like I haven''t done that. The problem is getting to touch the weapon without getting hit¡­ Yeah, I have. I guess that''s how it goes, huh? Anyways, I suppose I should really just go with the flow for now¡­ Syllis¡­ when is this brating back? I looked into the Mini Map inside of my head and saw Syllis, who was in a dot, walking behind the giant stone and then finding several other red dots, more living people. Syllis stood in front of them and began to speak with them. Some seemed very weak, and the red color on their dots was fading away. We had to quickly move the people out. Suddenly, arge group of rabbit-kin showed up led by Syllis, although some people were left behind, which were probably old people who could not walk by themselves easily. "Th-This is Maria, Bellerine, don''t look at her with those eyes. She''s good!" Said Syllis and a little rabbit girl greeted my sight. She was adorable, and her name was just as cute-sounding, Bellerine! "Hmm¡­ O-Okay¡­" She sighed. She was looking at me dead-serious for some reason¡­ ---- Chapter 186 ¡ª¨C Syllis had finally reached back to the vige of rabbit-kin survivors after being lost for several days. He surprised all the people there as the guards looked at him with surprise. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­! Syllis!¡± ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± The guards quickly jumped toward him and hugged the young man. As his older brother figures, they were very worried about him and where he was. The thing they were the most surprised about was that he looked healthy and even seemed to have gained a lot of weight all of a sudden. Did he eat somewhere? ¡°Everyone, I am so happy to be back¡­ Quickly, we must gather the rest of the people! I found someone that can help us!¡± Said Syllis and a cheerful smile quickly moved everyone. As his voice reached far and wide, only those incapable of moving, such as the bedridden elderly, were not able to gather around him. ¡°I-It¡¯s Syllis!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really him?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°By the Beast Gods, I am so happy to see you back!¡± ¡°Big brotheeeeer!¡± A little rabbit-kin girl with almost the same appearance as Syllis but way younger and cuter rushed towards him, jumping over his chest and hugging him tightly. ¡°Ah, Bellerine! I missed you!¡± Cried Syllis. ¡°I missed you too, Syllis! Where were you?! Sniff¡­ I thought you were dead, eaten by the demon spiders!¡± Cried the little girl. ¡°I-I was wandering around for food but ended up losing myself¡­ And when I thought I was about to pass out, someone showed up and rescued me¡­ They brought me into a camp and even healed my fever¡­ I think I ended up catching the disease, but I am healed now!¡± He said. ¡°Y-You caught the spider demon¡¯s disease but were healed?!¡± Asked his little sister. ¡°Unbelievable, so there¡¯s a cure?!¡± ¡°The disease that took my husband away¡­.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re so healthy now. Look at you!¡± ¡°W-Who is this person that healed you?!¡± ¡°It was a group of people, but their leader, Maria, came here to bring us all outside the forest! She says that she¡¯s going to build a small vige where many people of different races can live together in peace! She saved my life, so the least I can do is trust her¡­ She¡¯s also a beautiful woman, and I am willing to give my heart for her¡­.¡± Said the young rabbit man, as the many surrounding him were surprised. ¡°A-A vige where all races can live in peace?¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t humans the only ones allowed to make viges?¡± ¡°Is this really okay? Is she not lying?¡± ¡°Fool! She and her friends healed our good friend. How can they be untrustworthy?¡± ¡°Big brother, I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t like her!¡± Said Bellerine. ¡°Eh? Why?!¡± Asked Syllis. ¡°Because she¡¯s going to steal you from me!¡± Roared Bellerine. The little rabbit girl got all angry as steam began toe out of her pointy rabbit ears, and her chocte-colored skin suddenly turned red as her cute face was pouting furiously! ¡°Hahaha, please, calm down, Bellerine. You¡¯re my beloved sister. I will never leave you,¡± Said Syllis and his gentle smile charmed Bellerine once more, and the other people also felt his charisma slowly affecting them. Indeed, he had a special innate charisma that Maria had found out but didn¡¯t mention before. She had used her ability to see through other people¡¯s Soul Books and saw through his Skillset. In there, she found a special Title Skill named [Charismatic Young Leader], which he had acquired by guiding and leading the people of the rabbit-kin tribe that survived the first spider attack. Using this title skill, he gained an innate charm effect that helped him in wording his ideas better and naturally inspiring others. This received an extra bonus in these people too. It wasn¡¯t brainwashing in the slightest. It was something that simply created arge impression of him, but this could very much backfire if the impression the people had for him were to be negative, only worsening the situation, but because everyone here already had good impressions of him and cared for him, they instead began to trust his words and decided to believe him. After a while, he led the people towards Maria, as everyone greeted a very unusual-looking woman. Compared to the slim and small chocte-skinned and brown-haired rabbit-kin, who mostly wore simple leather clothes and fangs around as decorations of their bodies, she was a pale-white woman with bright crimson-red eyes. Her long hair was silvery-white, with the tips being purple-colored and having snake-like heads at the tips¡­ she also had a long dress and sharp heels, resembling a woman straight out of royalty. To boot, she had a strange and eerie scaled snake-like tail behind her, which waved around, making her resemble some sort of Majin or even a monster¡­ ¡°T-This is Maria, Bellerine, don¡¯t look at her with those eyes. She¡¯s good!¡± Said Syllis, a little rabbit girl greeted Maria¡¯s sight. Maria instantly thought that she was adorable and that her name was just as cute-sounding. She smiled gently at her and tried to make her lower her guard, but she looked way too tense before her. ¡°Hmm¡­ O-Okay¡­¡± Said Bellerine, looking at Maria while squinting her eyes. ¡°S-So you¡¯re Bellerine! Your brother spoke to me about you before. I am d you¡¯re healthy, little girl¡­ And hello, everyone. I hope we can get along better! Is there anyone left in the vige?¡± She asked. ¡°T-There are some people, the elderly. We¡¯ll go look for them now¡­.¡± ¡°Syllis said that you were able to heal the disease¡­ Is this true?¡± ¡°Please, heal them! They¡¯re all sick and might die soon!¡± ¡°M-My little boy has a strong fever¡­ I don¡¯t know when he might¡­ be taken away by Hel¡­.¡± Maria quickly realized there were more people that were sick and that what they called the ¡°demon spider disease¡± might be what Syllis was having when they found him back then! ¡°Sure, leave it to us!¡± She said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 187 ¡ª¨C Syllis went to retrieve the elderly with the help of the other people, and thankfully, they were just as light-weighted as the young ones, so they were able to bring each one in their arms with ease. After they all got through the invisible barrier, I was finally able to help, so I expanded my shadows and let them alle inside. In there, they were able to rest at longst. Of course, I created a shadow wall blocking them from seeing the army of spiders with me. ¡°Here¡¯s thest one¡­.¡± Sighed Syllis, as an elderly woman who was very weakened, was brought by him. ¡°Hahh¡­ My head hurts¡­.¡± She cried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get you some help. For now, rest, alright?¡± I said. ¡°Oh my¡­ Such a prettydy¡­.¡± She sighed as she was brought inside my shadows. With that, we had everyone from the vige, it was aplete sess, and there were no pesky spiders annoying us during the entire journey. I guess this ce has a strong aura, so they won¡¯t really get near it. I had considered taking the stones from here and using them in something eventually¡­ but I decided to just leave them as this might be thest sanctuary for other people that might one day get lost in this forest. I don¡¯t want to take away this spot, especially because there¡¯s a spring in the middle where fish and other animals gather as well. It is as if it were a beautiful and holy sanctuary in the middle of this dark, mist-filled forest. I wonder if this forest was always this eerie, though. We began to move back home over the back of Pyro. ¡°Alright, hop in. I won¡¯t carry you in my arms in front of your sister,¡± I said. ¡°Gryshi!¡± Pyro cried out. He seemed excited to be mounted by someone, and he was a very good boy for a zombie spider. However, Syllis didn¡¯t want to climb over him. ¡°Th-That¡¯s a giant spider¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous to be on it?! Also, it¡¯s on fire! How can I even get over it?! I know you¡¯re a ghost, and it might not affect you, but for me, this is a bit¡­!¡± Syllis¡¯ words trailed off. ¡°Big brother! That¡¯s a spider?! It¡¯s gonna eat us!¡± Cried the little Bellerine. ¡°No! Don¡¯t worry, it is very docile, and it has already died. The fire is also not harmful. Touch it,¡± I said. ¡°No way I am touching fire!¡± Shouted Bellerine. ¡°Agh¡­ Come here!¡± I said as I grabbed the two with shadow tentacles and forcefully put them over Pyro¡¯sfortable back. ¡°Nooooo! Aaaaaagghhhh¡­!¡± ¡°Heeeeeelp! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± The two cried a lot but ultimately realized the fire was not burning them. In fact, it was just warm enough to befortable, like being near a warm stove. ¡°W-What? Nothing happened? I thought we were going to be burned alive!¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Why would I even let you be burned alive?! You really should believe me a bit more! Sheesh¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°W-Wow¡­ It is warm¡­ I was so cold, but my hands are slowly warming up¡­ Spider is not bad?¡± Asked Bellerine. ¡°Gryshi! Giishi!¡± The little Pyro seemed to want to make friends, and he acted friendly and cute, and the two rabbit-kin quickly realized he was not a dangerous beast. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go back to the camp then¡­ C-Can you really treat this many people, though? I still don¡¯t know how you healed me from the disease¡­.¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Me neither, but I believe we can make something up. I¡¯ve preserved a lot of corpses from the spiders, so we have specimens to check out which disease is the one affecting you¡­ Syllis was able to heal through magic and drinking a variety of herbs¡­ but I think there might be another way out of this¡­.¡± I said. ¡°But do you have the herbs? Maybe they¡¯re rare¡­.¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have as many, and I would like to preserve them if possible¡­ but there is another idea and that is to use Alchemy to make a potion using the internal organs of the spiders!¡± I said. ¡°W-What? But wouldn¡¯t that make us even sicker?!¡± Asked Bellerine. ¡°Hehe, non~ non~! Usually, animals that carry diseases are inherently immune to them or have developed a wide variety of antibodies. Just like we discover ways to fight against poisons by making up antidotes using other monsters¡¯ poisons, we can do the same in this case! I do remember a few cases where diseases were cured when doctors used the livers of the animals that often carried them to make concoctions using their antibodies¡­ they didn¡¯t work all the time, but they seemed to lessen the symptoms by quite a lot,¡± I exined. ¡°What? I don¡¯t understand half of what you¡¯re talking about¡­.¡± Said Bellerine. ¡°I don¡¯t understand a thing¡­.¡± Muttered Syllis. ¡°Ah¡­ Well, just trust me.¡± I said Ah, well, I guess they had never lived in a world with advanced medicine. Well, I am no doctor or anything. I just like to read books. Even biology history and medicine history books were fun to read as long as I could escape reality when I was back in school. *Sigh*¡­ Remembering those times is quite sad. I never liked school or high school. You could say I was aplete loser, one of the ugly girls that was also too timid to make too many friends. The only friends I made were guys whole were into games and anime or manga, but because I had confessed to one of them some time ago, they distanced from me, thinking I would begin falling for each one until one could reciprocate my love¡­ ugh, it¡¯s not like all of you were so handsome anyways¡­ idiots. Like that, I began to have no friends at all, and even some girls ridiculed me as well when I made myself a fool after confessing my love to someone in the backyard¡­ since then, I just escaped reality and just read books, even schoolbooks were okay, anything that could distract my mind from theughter and jokes thrown at me all the time was good enough¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 188 ¡ª¨C This is why I don¡¯t like to think about my past because I always remember these little bits that always fucked me over¡­ I don¡¯t want to me it all on looking ugly. I was also pretty introverted, and that only made it worse¡­ Maybe even if I was ugly, if I was an extrovert, I would have ultimately made friends anyways¡­ But things were not as easy for me. It¡¯s not easy to jump from an introvert to an extrovert, and it is a very gradual transition. Without friends, it bes even harder, so I guess I was never able to do it¡­ well, until now. I had just realized it, but aren¡¯t I a big extrovert in this life? Is it because I feel ¡°free¡±? Indeed, since I came here and became a ghost, I simply let most of my thoughts get out of my mind. I often talk about what I think without realizing it. I know I¡¯ve always been a klutz, but I never used to do this in my previous life. Maybe dying and then dying again to turn into a ghost really made me go insane or something? Well, to be a ghost, you have to be kind of insane¡­ I had already touched on this topic before. Hmm¡­ I suppose doing this self-reflection from time to time is not a bad thing. I wouldn¡¯t be a person with my own thought process if I didn¡¯t do this from time to time. What makes us sentient beings is the ability to self-reflect on our own actions, recall what we have done, realize our mistakes, or realize what we have done well. The very concept of our own morality of what¡¯s good or bad always varies from person to person, but I¡¯ve always considered ¡°good¡± to things I do for others without expecting much back, and well, also being able to talk more with people and all of that! Maybecking a brain really made my mind spread all around, to the point my entire phantasmal body possessed my thoughts. Perhaps this had made me break out of my ¡°shell¡± in a way. Everyone always says I am very extroverted in here¡­ I wish I could have been half as amazing in my previous life¡­ But I guess most of what I¡¯ve achieved here is only based on my own powers as a ghost and my Cheat Unique Skills. But can you me me? I had to die to get them, so it¡¯s fair that after having a stupid death by being crushed by books, I would have a nice second life with cheats! And in this dangerous world, it¡¯s better to have as many advantages as possible. Well¡­ I kind of didn¡¯t have them as much? I don¡¯t know if I had the same Unique Skills when I was alive and known as Maria Fuentes Belles, an aristocratic child¡­ But ording to what I heard and how I don¡¯t remember this life, I was most likely very different from how I used to be on Earth¡­ Maybe I was some sort of rich youngdy girl archetype like in those Korean romance novels I used to read? Ah, anyway, I should stop pondering my orb in these questions and concentrate on the outside world. Because through my Auto Map function, I just detected a massive swarm of spiders approaching! This is bad! What do I even do?! Ah, right, I am actually strong and got an army of zombie spiders. I am good. But where did these bugger- I mean, spideys came from?! ¡°Pyro, stop here¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± Asked Syllis. ¡°Maria?¡± Muttered Bellerine. ¡°We gotpany¡­.¡± I sighed. Crackle, crackle¡­! Suddenly, the cracking sounds of dozens of legs walking over the forest floor reached us instantly, as we found ourselves surrounded by a dozen spiders. They were not as many as in the attack on our camp, but they were at least 18¡­ ¡°S-Spiders!¡± Said Bellerine. ¡°M-More?! Didn¡¯t you get attacked by over a dozen of them before?¡± Asked Syllis. ¡°Yep, they seem to have detected us and want to have us for dinner¡­ Technically, they can¡¯t have me for dinner, but you guys look pretty tender and juicy¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Uwaaaahh!¡± Cried Bellerine. Oops, I shouldn¡¯t have said that. ¡°Sorry! I am joking! Just get into the shadows for now!¡± I said, stuffing both siblings inside my shadows while spreading them through my Shadow and Death Domain. ¡°Come forth, my Undead! I will show you what the true strength of a Necromancer is all about! Bwahahaha!¡± Iughed. I made sure to act as cocky and exaggerated as possible because I¡¯ve always wanted to make this, to be honest. Yes, I know I am cringe, but that¡¯s why I am doing it when there¡¯s nobody watching! This is the perfect opportunity to show off my inner chunni! FLAAASH! The shadows suddenly summoned my army of spider zombies as they greeted the dozens of other spiders that hade to greet us. A battle between spiders quickly was unleashed as I heard the agonizing cries of countless spiders killing each other. CLASH! CRASH! BOOM! ¡°GRYYSSHAA!¡± ¡°GRRYYARRR¡­!¡± ¡°GRYYY¡­¡± I stood there looking as my boys were getting massacred. Wait, massacred?! ¡°You guys! Why are you so weak? Don¡¯t die again on me! Boost!¡± I said. I used my Domain to boost their total power. This Domain of Death and Darkness enhanced the power of any Undead within my team as long as they were inside based on the Skill level, so they were able to get a lot of power and were finally fighting back! My spiders began to ravage the others, using their sharp fangs to cut through the hard exoskeleton of the enemy spiders. Then they began to be torn apart at the same time as they were tearing apart my own spiders. I guess it could be said it was a tie, but I was there to heal my troops, and also, Pyro offered some firepower at that! ¡ª¨C Chapter 189 ¡ª¨C After a bit of ughter, the spiders were done for. It wasn¡¯t too much of a challenging fight because I just used my Undead to fight. Also, Pyro was able to showcase his strength and st mes against various of his formerrades. The entire group gained a saucy amount of Experience Points, and so did I! Who would have known I would get so much EXP by doing nothing at all? This is the life of the necromancer, after all, my daily life is filled with leisure~ Ding! [Calcting EXP gained¡­] [You have in [Giant ck gue Spider Soldiers (C+ Rank) (24000 EXP)] x18] [You gained 432000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 32 to Level 33!] [Your Level has increased from Level 33 to Level 34!] [All your stats have increased] [The Levels of some Skills have increased] [You learned the [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv1] Title Skill] [You learned the [Strong Axe Strike: Lv1] Skill!] Oh right, I was using the giant Axe I stole from that guy named Leon or Lion¡­ Whatever was his name, the guy obsessed with killing Goblins? Using my shadows to manipte it, I just hacked some spider heads in the way, I identally sliced in half a few of my allies, but they were okay after I used Undead Healing to stick them together again. This spell is like glue for the undead, I swear. And thanks to that practice, I finally got enough proficiency, and look at that, I just got two amazing Axe Skills! I am really a talented warrioress. I can even fight hordes while sitting in a zing zombie spider! Let us see what these two are all about, but if I am perceptive enough, I am sure it might be something about increasing damage and h, h, h, right? Nheless, where¡¯s its vor if I don¡¯t check the blue box? ¡ª¨C [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv1] A Title Skill given to someone who had in a certain amount of living or unliving beings with an Axe and had shown a proper usage of an axe. This title enhances damage dealt with using an ax by +10% with each level, and it also enhances the innate ability of a person to use the ax. ¡ª¡ª [Strong Axe Strike: Lv1] By using any type of Axe, you can charge the weapon with Mana and unleash a strong strike with it, doubling the weight of the weapon and dealing +20% extra damage. The power of the Skill increases with each level, and it consumes Mana instantly after usage. Overuse of the skill might cause exhaustion and the weakening of stamina. ¡ª¡ª I see, so it does just what I thought it would do! Does thest one also seem to exhaust me if I use it a lot? Well, I doubt it. I don¡¯t have a body to get tired, nor do I have any sort of Stamina. I am just Mana and Phantom, so that won¡¯t work on me, meaning I can just spam the Skill the same way I can spam de sh to my heart¡¯s content. I guess weapon-wielding Undead got their hacks. Without the ability to get physically tired, bacsh from weapon techniques is non-existent, and they can just continuously use Skills until their Mana runs low, and that¡¯s when they weaken. After all, the lifeblood of the undead is their Mana. It is the fuel that moves us. But what happens when an Undead capable of draining Mana like me shows up? Well, I turn the entire metagame upside down for the Undead! I never get tired, nor do I run out of mana, so aren¡¯t I incredible? I suppose that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been growing so fast¡­ Heh. Well, I am going to take a break soon in my vige, so I won¡¯t have any more epic fights every single second of my life now. After this spider incident is over, I can safely go back to a leisure life, the daily life of a necromancer¡­ yeah, that sounds like a nice title. No, no, no, that does not sound click baity enough¡­ How about ¡°The Daily Life of a Ghost Necromancer¡±¡­ No, how about ¡°The Daily Life of a Ghost Necromancer with a System¡± yeah, that one sounds way better. I have to always use the keyword System because these stupid web novel pages algorithms never let my favorite authors make normal titles to their novels. If they even wanted to make their novels read, they had to put up with these stupid keywords¡­ No, wait, I know! The best title would be ¡°Reborn as a Ghost with a Necromancer System¡±! or some crap like that. Umu! That¡¯s it! Now I need to return to Earth and begin publishing it! ¡­ Hahh¡­ I miss Earth. There was this one page where you could submit your web novels and maybe get them to be read. If you could, then you get a contract, and you can even lock chapters behind paywalls, or well, behind free tickets given every day¡­ The thing is, my passion for reading obviously transferred to writing, but I never got the chance to get a contract, and most of my novels were never read either, so I was mostly a rookie¡­ Ugh, there was one time when I joined the Author Discord, but it was filled with assholes everywhere¡­ Every top author was always bragging about how much they earned and constantly talked about money. God¡­ I also want to make my passion into something that I could earn, but seriously, why did you have to be such asshats? Ugh, screw them! ¡­Anyways, not like I should care anymore. I am in this new world, so that shouldn¡¯t be of any problem to me. Screw web novels too, and screw books too. They brought my doom! But I still kind of want to sit down and read a book while drinking some tea¡­ It is a rxing ritual I used to do. *SIGH*¡­ Ah, we are back in the camp! ¡ª¨C Chapter 190 ¡ª¨C Syllis and Bellerine quickly walked outside of my shadows, alongside most of the rabbit-kin. We were greeted by my group of friends, things seemed to have gone fine and there were no problems whatsoever. ¡°Here they are, all the cute rabbits have been retrieved sessfully! Side questpleted! Now give me my prize.¡± I said while puffing my chest. ¡°Your prize is a kiss.¡± Said Lucifer with a smile. ¡°W-Wait, I was joking! Don¡¯t get closer, Casanova!¡± I cried. ¡°I-I was joking¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°Oh! Ah, I am still getting used to you having a new sense of humor¡­¡± I said. ¡°I can tell¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°I can give you one for real!¡± said Partner with a cute smile, showing her sharp vampiric fangs, her crimson-red eyes were sparkling brightly. ¡°M-Me too¡­ If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± said Emeraldine, she was blushing while caressing her long hair nervously. ¡°Why are you all so horny for Maria? Stop with your degeneracy¡­¡± sighed Catarina. ¡°Hahaha¡­ W-Well, you girls can save that forter¡­ Now we got a lot to do, Emeraldine, I need your help the most, you¡¯re the greatest alchemist in this entire camp, so you¡¯re our salvation and only hope.¡± I said. ¡°E-Eeeh? Me?¡± she asked timidly. Emeraldine was the chosen one after all, she was a powerful Alchemist and the chosen one for this task, I wanted her to do this for me, she had a high-level Alchemy Skill, and could be the one that could do the potions that I want, potions that would work like vines in some sort of way, giving the people antibodies for whatever disease they have! Wouldn¡¯t that be great? But can she do it? There¡¯s no other way than trying it out and giving it a shot though, so no point in going around it pointlessly, we¡¯ll do this, and we¡¯ll do it good. My people, the many former ves, which were primary led by the Goblin Chief, quickly weed the Rabbit-kin, while I separated all those that presented the disease, so it wouldn¡¯t spread anymore. I would also need the rabbit-kin to be on quarantine for the moment, so after they greeted the people from afar, I quickly moved them to another side of the camp. I left them in enclosed camps by themselves, and only used Undead to serve them. Undead can be easily cleansed using Disinfect, and they¡¯re naturally immune to diseases anyways, although they can carry them. But not phantasmal Undead! So the pair of fire ghosts and also my snake clones were the ones that brought them food and other things they needed. The people felt weed, and after exining them what quarantine was, they quickly agreed to my methods, although they seemed a bit too much, it was something that I had to do. After they understood I didn¡¯t wanted the disease to spread, they nodded and decided to do as I asked them, they quickly moved away into the camps and now, I had gathered with my friends for a small meeting where I would discuss what I wanted to do. Syllis was here, as the sole representant of the vige, the Elder that used to be the leader is sick and bedridden, in another separate and quarantined camp, so he wasn¡¯t able to be here. Partner, Lucifer, Emeraldine, Catarina, Silvio, Francesco, The Goblin Chief, and the Goblin Elder, alongside Syllis were within this table. I had already disinfected Syllis, and his sister was left in the quarantined camp, so she was afar from her brother, but she understood it was for the best after he told her, she was a stubborn girl, but she always listens to her brother. ¡°So the n is to make a medicine for the disease, we¡¯ll use whatever is left from the medicinal herbs we got, although I would love to save some¡­ so we¡¯ll only use half.¡± I said. ¡°Hm, it seems reasonable, we cannot simply sacrifice all the materials for strangers we just meet.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°But what other materials will we use? If you want me to make a potion out of it, it will take way more than just herbs¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, we are going to sue these things.¡± I said. I quickly summoned a semi-transparent sphere of phantom which had a floating, red-colored organ floating inside. ¡°W-What is that thing?!¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°This is a Spider¡¯s Liver, they got a lot of organs inside their abdomen, the liver and the pancreas are where most of the antibodies originate, so we¡¯ll use this and that one too¡­¡± I said. Honestly speaking, I never thought spiders had these many organs, I think they¡¯re actually different from the normal spiders from my original Earth, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°Anyways, we¡¯ll use these to make the potions. I¡¯ve read a lot of potion-making books I stole from the library long ago to pass the time, although I didn¡¯t find anything regarding these spiders, I found many recipes using the internal organs of magic beasts or well, as everyone call them now, monsters.¡± I said. ¡°Oh right! I remember that too¡­ So you mean we could use the internal organs of the monsters that carry the disease to fight against it? Makes sense! This recipe is also used for Mist Fox Rabies¡­ I remember that there was a big infection in a town I was living with my mother back then¡­ the Alchemist that taught me what I know asked some people to bring her the corpses of these foxes, and she made a potion capable of curing the disease¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°See? Then it can work!¡± I said. ¡°Hmm, certainly, it is worth giving it a shot.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I agree, it could be a good way to experiment, if we evere across another disease in the future¡­¡± said the Goblin Elder. ¡°Though, are there enough ingredients to make so many potions for all the rabbit? We should also make for the rest of the people, if anyone happens to get the disease¡­ there were spiders that attacked us recently after all¡­¡± said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Yeah, we got a lot of spider corpses¡­ I hunted 18 myself in the way here¡­¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 191 ¡ª¨C After the discussion finished and the ns were set, I had gone back to the rabbit-kin and decided to check on the quarantined elderly, the ones that were the most affected by the fever. There was certainly something within them that was affecting them more than the young, aside from their weaker bodies and theck of more antibodies¡­ Syllis was very affected by the disease, and left rather worn down. Despite that, he was quite healthy after he was cured. So what made him grow so weak against the disease if the others near his age are able to contain it or resist it? Perhaps Syllis himself is weaker to the disease like¡­ innately? Maybe that could be? Or perhaps theck of food and water is what made him grow so weak. There are certainly many factors that could decide what made him weaker, but perhaps theck of food and water was the most likely of them. The other younger rabbit-kin had been well feed now, with both meat and vegetables, alongside grains, fruits, and anything we could offer, until they all had their bellies filled. The elderly that is the most affected can barely eat, but we managed to feed them with vegetable puree and also herb tea, which seemed to calm down the pain they were feeling. It was getting ratherte, so I left the preparation of dinner to Lucifer and the rest, while I moved with Emeraldine towards another camp where I had put a setup to do some alchemy, putting a lot of sses, sks, and all sorts of alchemy items that I¡¯ve stolen over the time I¡¯ve been stealing stuff. I remember that the Necromancer guy that had the ves and the bandits had a lot of alchemy items underground, probably from there I got a bunch. I installed them around the camp and Emeraldine was ready, she had even made her long hair into a ponytail, and her sharp emerald eyes seemed ready to work. The elven girl was very beautiful all the time, but now she looked even prettier when she was decided to help me out. We had taken into consideration bringing helpers, there were various people within the former ves that were proficient in alchemy to an extent, even if only a little bit, they at least had the Skill at Level 1 or 2, but that was mostly because they were those that were forced to work by the Necromancer guy. However, for now, Emeraldine said that it was better to simply do it ourselves, and then, at ater asion, ask for assistance after we grasped the recipe and process, so we could get helpers that would aid us into making more potion faster. ¡°Do we got the ingredients ready?¡± wondered Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, we got a pile of magic crystals which Catarina helped me triturate into dust, there¡¯s also a lot of fresh water we got from a nearby river, there are also the herbs that worked with Syllis, and then, I got a nice pile of spider liver and pancreas, I had checked them before and disinfected them with your help, so things are more than ready.¡± I said. ¡°Very well¡­ Then let¡¯s do it.¡± said Emeraldine. Alchemy was often kind of like cooking, you just add ingredients and begin boiling them, grilling them, extracting their ¡°vor¡± and essence, and all of that crap. Emeraldine started through the basic recipe of making healing potions, where she added water with dust made of magic crystals and boiled it, while it boiled, the water slowly turned red-colored. After that, we cut down the herbs and added them as thing as possible over the boiling water. And for the spider¡¯s organs, we didn¡¯t just threw them there, we first put them intorge sses and used techniques with Alchemy to ¡°extract¡± the essence, which leaked like a purple-colored juice. After around two hours, the only thing left was purple liquid, while the organs dried out. After that, we decided to add it into the red potion-like liquid that was left by boiling the water with the magic crystal dust. And what came out of it would be seen tomorrow, as Emeraldine said that it had to boil for at least ten hours. She had conjured some spells using Alchemy, such as the Synthesis Spell, specially useful to merge ingredients into newponents. ¡°Phew¡­ That was it¡­ It wasn¡¯t so rough, well, I had to keep conjuring Alchemy so the things would bind together well, but it seems that it is finally done now¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, amazing work, Emeraldine, thanks for the insight too! I hope I can learn Alchemy one day¡­ I wonder if you can teach me? Would it bother you?¡± I wondered. ¡°T-Teach you? It wouldn¡¯t bother me at all! In fact, I would dly teach you as many things as you want, Maria¡­¡± said Emeraldine while smiling gently. ¡°Really? Thanks a lot¡­ I was counting on you this entire time for this¡­ And also when we healed Syllis, you were the one that helped the most as well¡­ Your magic and knowledge might save the life of many people soon¡­ Well, you¡¯ve already been doing that for a while now¡­¡± I said. ¡°Oh, well¡­ I am happy that I can help those that need me¡­ It makes me feel fulfilled to be able to help other people¡­ So I am happy to help in anything I can¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°I see. You¡¯re a pretty good girl, aren¡¯t you? I wonder if that feeling you have mighte from your Job, I¡¯ve heard that depending in the Job we have, we change a bit how we act. It is as if it defines how we are supposed to be.¡± I said. ¡°Hmm¡­ Certainly, I suppose there is some influence in that¡­ But it is also Skills and Titles, right? I¡¯ve heard that depending in the Soul Book Status, we are shaped as people¡­ But well, I¡¯ve been like this since I was a child¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 192 ¡ª¨C After we were done with the potions, Emeraldine and I realized it was already midnight, so we just moved back to my carriage while eating some of the porridge left and some tea alongside a loaf of bread. There, she continued her conversation with me. I was very interested in her and, well, her story. I¡¯ve always been with her, and being my thirdpanion ever. She had been someone that has always been there to help me and had even participated in many important fights. I do remember that her mother was someone interesting, but she decided to borate further on what she taught her. ¡°I remember that my mother always used to tell me to use my power and wield it to help other people in need. She always said that empathy was the greatest virtue and what made us people. It was one of the things that differentiated us from monsters and beasts, and something that broke through the barriers of race, ethnicity, and evennguage¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Your mother¡­ Was quite wise. I suppose there is a beautiful thing about such virtue as empathy. You¡¯re probably one of the nicest people I¡¯ve met in my life¡­ In a world like this, filled with monsters and dangers everywhere, it¡¯s pretty hard to find people like this, you know?¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ I¡¯ve¡­ gone through my fair share of that harsh world, with people only filled with selfishness, indifference, and aberrancy¡­¡± she sighed. Emeraldine looked at the floor rather sorrowfully all of a sudden. She had gone through a lot of ugly stuff herself¡­ A lot of¡­ traumatic things that I wouldn¡¯t really want to go through myself. But because I had not gone through such things, I cannotpletely rte to her suffering. Nheless, I¡¯ve also suffered in other things, and I¡¯ve grown a strong empathy for the things she had gone through and even more for the strong will she possessed. Even after going through bing a ve and being forced to work in the underground alchemy facility and then made into a sex ve to satisfy the lust of the grotesque monsters she was with before, she was doing so well¡­ she was very strong-willed. Despite the adversities that people go through when you see them still standing and looking in front of their path, and walking through that path, even with all the scars and traumas holding them back¡­ it¡¯s when you realize that these people are really the strong ones. ¡°Your mother must have been an amazing person, Emeraldine¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah¡­ She was a strong woman¡­ She raised me well¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°What¡­ about your father?¡± I asked. ¡°My father? I¡­ I never meet him. Mother said that father perished in battle,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Oh¡­ And what happened to your mother? Maybe we could go visit her one day,¡± I suggested. ¡°Ah¡­ Maybe we could go see her in the grave¡­ I wonder if you could see her soul?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Oh¡­ She¡¯s¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­.¡± ¡°Ah! I-I should have told you¡­ Mother¡­ My mother died when I was 12¡­ She passed away after protecting the vige from an Owlbear attack,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I see¡­ She was a strong warrior. I bet she was doing it for you too,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm¡­ Mother was a former royal soldier of an Elven Kingdom¡­ She moved on from that, though, when she got pregnant and moved to live inside a small elven vige with me, but father had passed away before she moved out, sadly¡­ even before she could give birth,¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I am sorry for your loss,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it¡­ it has been such a long time since then,¡± Said Emeraldine. We stopped talking as we ate for a bit. I began to think about what I should say now as I had just made her remember the death of her mother and father, and now I felt terrible! But I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where that vige of hers was located. If her mother died when she was 12, she was surely raised by the people there, right? So I really want to meet them¡­ I wonder if there are elves in there¡­ ¡°I wonder where is that vige of yours¡­ Are there elves there?¡± I wondered. ¡°Oh? My vige? Yes¡­ It is located close to the small Elven Kingdom within this continent I mentioned earlier. We Elves originate from the Alfheim Continent, but the Midgard Continent is in the middle of the world, so races all around the world have traveled here. There was once arge immigration of elves thousands of years ago. They moved into the unscathed woonds and formed a Kingdom of their own. It is one of the few demi-human Kingdoms that have an important position in the continent!¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Oooh¡­ That¡¯s interesting, you know? I had always thought this continent was rotten. Maybe it is just the Albraun Kingdom?¡± I wondered. ¡°I don¡¯t really know, but I moved to the Albraun Kingdom looking for work as an Adventurer. I mostly just wanted to explore the world since I was a little girl. I¡¯ve always wanted to wander through the world and see everything there has to be seen¡­ But I ended up spending my money badly, and I ended up sticking to that Duchy for over two years while slowly saving money by doing small works like hunting smaller monsters or collecting herbs for the Adventurer Guild¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Ah¡­ That must have sucked,¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah, money is very important, and although I was someone that could take care of myself in the wild, I wasn¡¯t strong enough to go into a Dungeon on my own, nor was I strong enough to take down many enemies at once¡­ I had tried making parties before offering my services as a healer, mage, and archer hybrid, but the parties I acquired were always filled with horny guys that only wanted me for my body¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡ª¨C Chapter 193 ¡ª¨C ¡°¡­And when I tried to find girls-only parties, they hated me for being popr with the handsome guys¡­ so they never let me in¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°E-Eh? What¡¯s that kind of nonsense? These people are really stupid,¡± I sighed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call them stupid. I guess I understand them¡­ I just wish everyone wouldn¡¯t simply judge me for my appearance¡­ Guys only saw me as a sexy woman before seeing me as the person I was¡­ and women also only saw my appearance as a nuisance without trying to know me better¡­ My abilities were useful, but I was still a low-rank Adventurer too, and I didn¡¯t have any fame other than being attractive, apparently¡­ Ugh¡­¡± she sighed once again. ¡°Well, I have to agree with them in some of what they thought¡­ You¡¯re indeed a very pretty woman¡­ But they should have tried to learn more about you. People are often very superficial, and I can understand that pain very well¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Haha¡­ Yeah¡­ It is quite painful when you think about it¡­ People think that because I was pretty, I had everything easy for me¡­ but that wasn¡¯t the case¡­ things were hard¡­ I tried to work hard on myself¡­ in my strength, and in bing a better person, but the first thing they judge in the end by looking at me is that I am some kind of whore¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Calm down¡­ That happened long ago. We all know how you are here, and we love you for who you are, Emeraldine,¡± I said. Emeraldine blushed a bit as she nodded. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I know¡­ Maybe I went too hard in my rant¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Hahah¡­ it¡¯s fine. It always feels nice to get out all the things you save inside for a while¡­ It makes you feel freer,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Anyways, now that you¡¯re here with us, how do you feel? I¡¯ve always wondered if you¡¯refortable, even when we move around way too much,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I feelfortable¡­ Since you saved me, I¡¯ve decided to help you out, Maria¡­ I worked very hard because I really wanted to stay at your side,¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°And I am very d I let youe with us! If I didn¡¯t, everything might have gone awry and would have be way harder¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Hehehe, I am d I was useful! I worked my ass off¡­ Ah! I-I shouldn¡¯t have said that¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Hahahaha! Don¡¯t worry! I like it when you talk more roughly. You don¡¯t have to be so polite when you¡¯re around your friends, dear,¡± I said. ¡°I-It still makes me feel a bit bad¡­ But¡­ I am d I am not judged by talking more carefreely. Even if we end up being chased by the entire world, I like being with you and with everyone else, Maria¡­ It feels like I¡¯ve finally found the family I¡¯ve been looking for since my mother¡¯s death¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Really? I see¡­ That just makes me want to hug you a lot, you know?¡± I sighed. I hugged Emeraldine from her back, giving her a big bear hug and letting her head rest on my chest. Emeraldine smiled warmly back at me while looking into my eyes from below. ¡°Thank you, Maria¡­ For everything, you¡¯ve done¡­ I am happy with how things are, so don¡¯t worry about me¡­.¡± she said. ¡°I-Is that so? I-I wasn¡¯t worrying or something¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re blushing¡­.¡± ¡°I-I am? Well¡­ I just wanted to tell you that I will always be there for you whenever you need a friend to talk with- No, a family¡­ I-I want to be your family¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Family?¡± she muttered. ¡°Yeah¡­ I just want you to count me for everything¡­ A-As long as it is not something overlyplicated like doing Math¡­.¡± I said. ¡°I am sure I will not ask stuff like that, so don¡¯t worry about that either¡­¡± said Emeraldine. She lightly touched my hand and then held it tightly. I looked at her hand, filled with life and light. Her aura was of pure radiance, theplete opposite of my own. She was very warm too. Touching my phantasmal hand must feel bad¡­ since, as a ghost, I am extremely cold. As a ghost¡­ I cannot give warmth to anyone¡­ ¡°I am sorry for not being able to give you the warmth you deserve¡­ I am only but a ghost¡­ I wish I could do more than this¡­.¡± I sighed. Emeraldine looked at me with a surprised expression. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it! I am just happy was things are¡­ Even if you¡¯re a ghost, even if you were whatever other thing¡­ I am sure I will still be with you, Maria¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t give me warmth¡­ I will make sure to warm you with my own body if you want,¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°O-Oh¡­ Y-Your own body?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, like this¡­ Don¡¯t you like to be hugged?¡± she asked. Emeraldine then hugged me tightly over the floor. I ended up realizing we were resting over my bed already. She was very warm¡­ it was veryfortable to touch her. ¡°I like it¡­ It feels nice¡­ You soothe my heart, Emeraldine¡­.¡± I said. Emeraldine blushed a bit, growing redder. ¡°I-I do?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ I like being with you.¡± I said. ¡°I-I like being with you too¡­¡± she said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± An awkward silence came out of nowhere, and it became more and more awkward as we continued resting without talking¡­ ¡°M-Maria¡­¡± she said. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I asked. ¡°I hope we can continue having nights like these¡­ Would you mind if I came here to sleep like this with you from time to time? Hugging you?¡± she asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind¡­.¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s nice to know¡­¡± said Emeraldine. And like this, we ended up sleeping together, cuddling while holding hands. It wasn¡¯t until the morning of the next day that I realized we slept in such a lewd way¡­ as the sun of the sky illuminated our day. ¡ª¨C Chapter 194 ¡ª¨C A beautiful blonde girl was sleeping at my side. She was resting her pretty face over my chest while sleeping soundly. Her emerald eyes were closed, sleepingpletely rxed. Her hair shone brightly, with a golden glow like as light of the morning sun reached her. And her body was¡­ very beautiful as well! More than once, I¡¯ve envied her body¡­ But I am also beginning to find it like a fine piece of art by itself. God, this girl is way too pretty. Is she the incarnation of a goddess or something? Her slender legs moved around the bed as her breasts pressed tightly over my torso. Her arms hugged my belly while her face rubbed itself over my chest. The sunlight suddenly reached her face as she slowly woke up due to the light of the sun. ¡°Good morning, sunshine,¡± I said. ¡°Ueh? Ah¡­¡± Emeraldine looked at me with a sleepy face, and her hair was actually a mess. ¡°Did you sleep well? You can sleep some more, don¡¯t worry,¡± I said. ¡°Hmm¡­ I am sofy here¡­¡± she said as she hugged me even more tightly. ¡°You really like hugging a ghost like me, don¡¯t you?¡± I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re more than a ghost¡­ You¡¯re so squishy and soft¡­¡± she said. ¡°I-I am? Maybe it¡¯s theck of bones?¡± I muttered. ¡°Haha¡­ M-Maybe¡­¡± said Emeraldine. I¡¯ve been thinking for a while about my situation with the people I am currently living with every day. Aside from the problems regarding the rabbit-kin and everything, there¡¯s also the problem with them. Well, it is not really a ¡°problem,¡± but it is something I had never suffered before, so it is very simr to a ¡°problem¡± to me¡­ It is, of course, being¡­ loved so much. But I am still unsure¡­ I¡¯ve always been an insecure person when ites to romantic situations. I am not even sure of my own feelings sometimes because my mind is always filled with many thoughts everywhere. It bes progressively harder to assess them and gather them together. Ugh, I guess this is why a brain is very useful. It lets you sort out your thoughts. But when you got only a soul for all your thinking, it bes harder because a stream of thoughts is flying everywhere. I end up needing many minds to assess all my thoughts, and that only make it progressively harder to achieve all I have inside of my minds¡­ Ugh¡­ It is even harder to exin than I thought. The thing is, I am drowned in so many thoughts, emotions, and a lot of this ¡°hate¡± or ¡°negative emotions energy thingy¡± that all ghosts have, so it¡¯s harder to think if my very emotions are the sincere ones and not just the result of a spark of insanity within me. But thest thing¡­ when I spoke with Emeraldine, and we had such a cute night¡­ I felt so happy. It made me so happy to speak with her¡­ to sense her feelings and learn more about her past. It honestly¡­ I don¡¯t know how to exin it¡­ But it made me see her as someone so precious. Ahh¡­ Is this love? Do I like her? I think I do¡­ ¡°E-Emeraldine¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm?¡± she responded. ¡°Do you¡­ do you like me?¡± I wondered. ¡°Eh?!¡± Emeraldine was taken aback. ¡°Sorry¡­ Was it too sudden?¡± I asked. ¡°W-Well, a bit¡­ Have you been thinking about this?¡± she asked. ¡°For a while now¡­.¡± I responded. ¡°Oh¡­ Well, if it wasn¡¯t obvious enough¡­ Yes, I do like¡­ I do like you¡­¡± said Emeraldine, only with a bit of shyness. I suppose she had already epted this long ago. But I couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed even more when I confessed like this. ¡°R-Really? You like a ghost like me? You know I am a dead person, right? Y-You know I will never be able to¡­ give you all the things that a living being can, right?¡± I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ Maria, you¡¯ve brought to me way more things than any living person has ever done¡­ In fact, I feel like you¡¯re the liveliest and most charismatic person I¡¯ve ever met in my life! It is very hard not to think about you¡­ All the time¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Uwah¡­ Do you really think about all that¡­ of me? I feel like I don¡¯t deserve it¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°You do¡­ You do deserve it¡­ Don¡¯t worry¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Emeraldine¡­ You¡­ you¡¯re also one of the people I have a hard time with¡­ because I cannot stop thinking about you all the time¡­ Even when I wasn¡¯t at your side when I went out, it was very hard for me to not think about you¡­ Or Partner¡­ or Lucifer¡­ I guess I hold you three very deeply within my heart¡­ But now that I got you here¡­ I can¡¯t help but think that¡­ I-I¡­ really like you too¡­.¡± I said. ¡°M-Maria¡­¡± said Emeraldine in surprise. She grew redder and redder. ¡°I feel like I had to say it¡­ I just couldn¡¯t contain myself anymore¡­ I was about to explode if I didn¡¯t say it¡­ You¡¯re so precious and cute, Emeraldine¡­ I cannot¡­ I cannot help but like you¡­.¡± I said. ¡°P-Precious and cute? Uwawawahh¡­¡± Emeraldine began to cover her face while rolling on the bed. She was very embarrassed. ¡°Y-You didn¡¯t expect that I shared the same feelings?¡± I wondered. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t! I thought you just liked me like a friend, but¡­ y-you¡¯re saying it in a more romantic way¡­ right?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I said. ¡°Oh my god¡­ Oh my god!¡± she began to roll again on the bed. ¡°Ah¡­ C-Calm down¡­ It is okay¡­ I won¡¯t do anything rash¡­.¡± I said. ¡°I-I am not saying that because I think you¡¯ll do something, I won¡¯t like¡­ In fact, I am honestly down for anything you could ever want to do with me¡­¡± she said. ¡°E-Eh? Th-That much?!¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± she said, holding my hand. ¡°W-Well¡­ I¡­ I am stilling to think about these feelings¡­ I feel like it¡¯s not right if I hurry up and end up doing something that I might regretter¡­ We could progress through this slowly, right?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I guess¡­ Th-There¡¯s no problem with me¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°D-Do you have a problem with Partner and Lucifer? I like you, but¡­ I also like both of them too¡­ I feel like¡­ I cannot stop liking them either¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°I-It doesn¡¯t matter¡­ I already know that you kind of did¡­ Since I began to like you that I did¡­ I am fine with it because they¡¯re honestly my friends too¡­ I want them to be happy as well¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Emeraldine¡­ Thank you for¡­ understanding this dumb ghost¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°B-But¡­¡± Suddenly, Emeraldine got closer to me, very close. Her face was almost sticking to me. ¡°E-Emeraldine, you¡¯re a bit too close¡­.¡± I said. ¡°C-Can we kiss?¡± she asked. ¡°K-Kiss? Seriously? Isn¡¯t that a bit too advanced?¡± I asked. ¡°I thought so¡­ I guess we cannot yet¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°Lucifer and Partner would get so mad if they learned of this¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Y-Yeah, I guessed so¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said. Ah¡­ If she says it like that, I really just want to give her a small kiss. ¡°Okay¡­e here¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Eh? M-Maria- Muh?!¡± Emeraldine was surprised as my lips touched her. It was a beautiful feeling¡­ Ahh¡­ So this is a kiss. I have never kissed another person that I loved like this before. It feels so nice. It is so warm, soft, fluttering¡­ like a delicious meal¡­ a meal of love and passion. The sound of our lips kissing could be heard around the carriage. We ended up kissing rather passionately for more than just a few seconds. When I moved my lips away from hers, Emeraldine looked at me with an enamored look that I had never seen before. She was red and breathing heavily. Her entire body seemed to be steaming as we stared into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hahhh¡­ Maria¡­ Kiss¡­ Give me another¡­¡± she demanded. ¡°Emeraldine¡­¡± I said. And I ended up kissing her again, and again¡­ Ahhh~ I can¡¯t stop. ¡ª¨C Chapter 195 ¡ª¨C Within a dark space atop the very skies of the world, several figures sat down around arge table. All of them were glowing with bright auras of elemental energies, and they seemed filled with antiquity and wisdom. Even though they all looked like they were of different ages, they were all just as old as one another¡­ perhaps, some were older though. And those that were older¡­ were actually the ones that looked the youngest. Despite this discrepancy, these figures, all these dozens of figures, looked at a single figure within the table. Many of them were in factions. Despite how powerful they were individually, there was always someone stronger than them. The selected group of the strongest of them made groups, factions, or, as others called them, Pantheons. These figures were¡­ of course, the 86 Gods of the world. Such mystical figures of incredible wisdom that had seemingly created and shaped a world by themselves¡­ Or was that true? Did they do all that was said of them in religion? Honestly speaking, it is all a mystery. Even the origin of the Fragments of Evil thate from the Evil God, the former God of War that had gone berserk for power but was ultimately defeated and divided into pieces by the other Gods¡­ could be all just an invention of the people. What was true, and what was right? Even these powerful figures filled with mystery wouldn¡¯t simply and easily reveal the mysteries of the world of Yggdrasil to one another. After all, as they had seen it all, given it for granted, why would they even speak about it? However, there were many continents in the world. Most of them overlooked different continents and assessed their poption, and saw what the civilizations were up to. Although they were not dedicated to interfering, and most of the time, they didn¡¯t give much attention to things, they had gathered in a council after one of their Gods, the God of Light, who had managed to be a prominent god within the Pantheon of Asgard and had called for a meeting. The figure of an enormous and wise man sitting over a throne made of gold overlooked the other gods. His long white beard, his golden patch, and the two crows sitting at each side of his shoulders¡­ The mysterious God of Light that the Holy Church of Asgard praised as the one true God whom all others served looked at a certain figure sitting down right in front of him, in the opposite direction of this gargantuan table. His sharp golden eye seemed filled with a certain tinge of¡­ anger. This anger was multiplied even more as the one sitting in the opposite direction of him, right in front of him through the table, was smiling. Another figure, the God of Thunder, a beautiful man with long blonde hair and beard, wearing silvery-white armor and having a stoic expression, red at the God of Light. The man had pale-white skin and sharp aquamarine eyes, and his entire presence was domineering and powerful, stable and strong, like a mountain. His aura exuded the power of thunderstorms, and on his right hand, there was arge golden hammer. ¡°Why have you called us here, father? Do you know how busy we are?¡± ¡°Busy? Hahahaha! You? Busy? Don¡¯t make meugh, dear brother!¡± Suddenly, a second figureughed. This figure resembled a slim and tall man, with pale white skin and long purple hair reaching up to his chest. There was makeup over his face, making him resemble more of a woman. His smile seemed filled with a jester-like vibe to it, and hisughter made him look like a clownughing at a very good joke. His clothes were dark, mildly decorated as if he were really some sort of jester or a buffoon. He held a long staff that had a ck jewel on top of it, shing with bright darkness that twisted around endlessly. His presence might look ridiculous, but he exuded a great amount of power. Dark, chaotic power. The God of Thunder red at this god¡­ his brother, the God of Chaos. ¡°Why are youughing at me, you jester?¡± asked the God of Thunder. ¡°There is nothing to be busy with, isn¡¯t it? What else is there for us to do than sit and watch the world around us?¡± asked the God of Chaos. ¡°¡­Enough. I didn¡¯t call you here to argue. I have brought you here because of the recent issues urring¡­¡± sighed the God of Light. Several other figures, all exuding strong and colorful auras, red at the God of Light while squinting their eyes. They didn¡¯t seem to agree too much with this God¡¯s policies and what he has been doing with the humans of Midgard. However, they kept themselves quiet, as they didn¡¯t really like conflicts. Of course, some of them were bolder and asked away. ¡°God of Light, you¡¯ve brought us here without properly telling us what is happening. Let me tell you that I am not someone that you can easily order around. Just because you¡¯re dominating Midgard with your church doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯ve be the chief of the gods out of nowhere¡­ I havee here, like most of the Gods here, because we thought something of dire emergency was happening, and it better be something worth our time.¡± Said a beautiful elven man with long blonde hair and green robes decorated with paintings of forests, animals, and nature. His sharp emerald eyes shone brightly, as this was the God of Nature. ¡°I agree with my brother¡­ God of Light quickly exins yourself. Instead of pondering for more minutes, I want to go back to my divine realm. I am not in the mood to gather here to talk about meaningless things¡­¡± sighed another God, a Goddess, to be exact, the twin sister of the God of Nature, the Goddess of Fertility and Love. Her appearance was mildly simr to her brother, although her more feminine and domineering air made her resemble a beautiful empress. ¡ª¨C Chapter 196 ¡ª¨C The God of Light¡¯s sharp yellow-gold eye red down at the twin gods with a domineering presence. His entire aura epassed the entire ce, shing with bright light. His sharp eye seemed to re at the two as if saying, ¡°Shut up.¡± However, the two Gods, who had a lot of pride, fought back against his domineering presence. They were not going to let themselves be intimidated by him. Their presence which exuded the colors of green and gold, seemed powerful whenbined¡­ the God of Light slowly moved back his aura, realizing he had stepped a bit too ahead of his own boundaries. After all, all the Gods were powerful. Even the God of Light had to know this and not step ahead of his boundaries and do something reckless¡­ well, not yet¡­ The Gods looked at the scene in silence. Until things finally calmed down, and the God of Light closed his eye and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I apologize for calling all of you as if it were an emergency, but for my current situation and those within my Pantheon, it might truly be like one¡­ There has recently been a series of reincarnated souls that had arrived within Midgard. I am concerned about what this might truly mean¡­¡± said the God of Light. ¡°Reincarnated souls?¡± ¡°You mean those born with Unique Skills?¡± ¡°Well, there had been more recent cases¡­.¡± ¡°But can we really do much against this? What we can do is very limited¡­.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°It alles down to¡­.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± The Gods suddenly nced at the figure of a young-looking woman with long silvery-white hair and sharp crimson-red eyes sitting on a throne of darkness and bones. An eerie, dark, and phantasmal presence was exuded from her very being. ¡°Why don¡¯t we cut the formalities and your attempt at making this meeting seem like the problem is of the entire continent when your issue is with me, Odin?¡± announced the girl. Everyone was shocked by her boldness! The gods that belonged to the God of Light pantheon seemed shocked by the goddess¡¯ insolence over their holy figure, but the rest of the gods, especially the stronger ones such as the God of Nature and the Goddess of Fertility and Love, began to smile a bit. Having been called by his name, the God of Light couldn¡¯t help but give an angered smile back at the girl, as the veins on his forehead looked like they were about to burst at any moment now. ¡°Hel¡­ Do you think you have the right to call me by my name so defiantly?¡± he asked. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? I can call anyone however I want to. I am death.¡± Said Hel, the Goddess of Death, and the major problem before Odin¡¯s ns! And of course¡­ she was also the major benefactor of the one that Odin had begun to hate a lot recently, a mere mortal being that¡­ couldn¡¯t be called mortal anymore. A phantasmal entity, a herald of death and darkness that had been messing with the reincarnation circle, and had been raising Undead from left and right even more than other Necromancers that had surged through history¡­ In a year since her death, she had already be aplete nuisance to him, and having in several of his most devoted priests, whom he had even blessed, was already the turning point. After she was given the title of the Evil of the World, he already saw her as a menace that his mortals must defeat before she was to grow any stronger. Still, now that she had directly acquired the title of ¡°God of Light Nemesis,¡± there was no turning point anymore¡­ Of course, who else was better to me for this annoying eyesore than her benefactor and the one that actually gave her the opportunity to rise back from the dead, Hel herself? ¡°¡­You¡¯re certainly death. Hel, tell me something, do you hate Midgard?¡± asked the God of Light. ¡°What nonsense are you spitting now? Why would I hate Midgard? It is clear as water that you¡¯re salty over my herald,¡± said the Goddess of Death. ¡°Goddess of Death, mind your manners with our holy lord!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just be so bold with your words!¡± ¡°You dare call our lord¡­ salty?!¡± ¡°Haha! Hahahaha! That¡¯s your granddaughter for you!¡±ughed the God of Chaos. ¡°¡­¡± The God of Light didn¡¯t consider the Goddess of Death, his granddaughter. After all, Loki, the God of Chaos, was adopted. She didn¡¯t have any blood rtion with him¡­ and he couldn¡¯t see her as anything more than an obstacle. Of course, although it was a well-known secret that Loki, the God of Chaos, was the son of Ymir, the God of Titans¡­ ¡°God of Chaos, stop messing around!¡± ¡°This is a serious matter. You shouldn¡¯t beughing at this¡­.¡± ¡°Such a jester¡­.¡± ¡°Goddess of Death, there is something wrong with you. What is your intention? Why are you letting this being thrive so much? You¡¯re dering war against me?¡± asked the God of Light. ¡°War? You can¡¯t fight death. Deathes to all¡­¡± said the Goddess of Death. ¡°I am not in the mood for your nonsense. Is this being¡­ the entity you¡¯ve awakened, a herald of your own opinions and thoughts? Of your own intentions?¡± asked the God of Light. ¡°No? I just gave her my Divine Protection because she looked promising to me. I¡¯ve been looking at the scene for way too long sometimes. I just wanted to see if I could do something now, even if a little move on the chess table can change the tide of a gamepletely¡­¡± said the Goddess of Death. The illusion of a chess table suddenly emerged atop the table where the gods sat around, made of her own phantasmal powers. The gods all around nced at the scene in surprise, noticing that something was happening right before their noses. The two gods¡­ had already begun to fight, even if indirectly. The Goddess of Death against the God of Light¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 197 ¡ª¨C ¡°Don¡¯t worry, father, I have already set countless challenges! And I¡¯ve continued to do so! Humanity- no, all races must undergo evolution. Stagnation will do no good!¡± said the God of Chaos whileughing mischievously. ¡°I think you¡¯ve done way more than you were requested to do, God of Chaos.¡± Said the God of Light. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, grandfather? My father merely enjoys a good show¡­¡± said the Goddess of Death. The God of Light showed clear annoyance and difort as he looked at Loki and Hel. These two figures really got on his nerves, and it¡¯s not as if those outside his pantheon were making things better. They were only worsening the situation by looking defiantly at Odin as if they were saying, ¡°serves you right!¡±. But what was this issue that Odin had? Certainly, having his priests killed by this ghost couldn¡¯t be enough to anger him, right? Or was it? ¡°And why are you getting angry over mortals dying? I never thought you were so fixated on them¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I am taking good care of their souls- Oh, right, she can eat and destroy souls, my bad, they might not even have a nice afterlife then, hahaha!¡±ughed the Goddess of Death. The God of Chaosughed at the side of his daughter. ¡°Hahahahaha! She¡¯s hrious, isn¡¯t she?¡± heughed. ¡°¡­¡± The God of Light seemed to grow more and more infuriated. ¡°Loki! Stop messing around! Do you dare offend our own father?! Calm down, your daughter!¡± said the God of Thunder as lightning came out of his body. ¡°Thor, this doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you. Shut up.¡± Said Loki with a serious and annoyed expression on his effeminate face. ¡°You bastard¡­ If it has to do with my father, then it has to do with me too!¡± roared the God of Thunder: Thor. The conflicting interest between the two was clear. The God of Light wanted to expand his influence, and to do that, he required his church priests, the strongest he had and the ones blessed by him, to spread the religion and his words to the people. The more influence there was, the more power he would gain. He wanted the entire Continent of Midgard to be his domain and then expand to other areas using his humans as pawns. This is how Gods fought. They didn¡¯t fight against one another, but instead, they used humans and mortals as their chess pieces. Pantheons fought one another through this method as well; the factions used their mortals to represent them. Of course, the problem arose when the ¡°nuisances¡± showed up on the continent of Midgard¡­ The Dragon Tribe, the Majin Tribe, the Demon King¡­ Well, more like, they were always there, to begin with. Odin simply saw them as a nuisance that shouldn¡¯t be here¡­ and things escted quickly into a full-fledged war. He wanted the entire continent to be thend of humans, not thend of humans AND other races¡­ simply put, humans were the race that was the mostpatible with him. They were the ones mostpatible with his element, his words, his teachings, his soul even¡­ This is why some even called him ¡°The God of Humans¡± although he was always annoyed by such words, they held a strong truth to them. Of course, other gods were ying a role in the war against the Demon King. But even when they lost and the Demon Kingdom and the Dragon Tribe were exterminated, there were still nuisances lurking around. Little tribes left that wandered around aimlessly. He wanted to clean all this from Midgard, so his humans could dedicate themselves to a full-fledged expansion and multiplication of their poption ALL around the entire continent. It seemed unrealistic, to be honest. Midgard was a-sized continent. It was bound to happen for people of other races to show up there and begin growing their own kingdoms, nations, and more, primarily due to how the other continents were connected to the Midgard continent through the Bifrost, the rainbow ice that connected the continents together across the oceans. For eons, the poptions of each continent had walked out of their homes and popted other areas, looking for ces where they could find morefortable ces to live. It was bound to happen for demi-humans to emerge in Midgard, despite humans being the mostmon. Odin¡¯s obsession with humans and Midgard was sick, but he called Hel and Loki the insane ones because they didn¡¯t want the world to stagnate. Loki brought challenges, which he found annoying, despite them being useful to bring evolution to the people and not stagnate in ce, challenges, dangers, and prizes and wonders. It was something that was needed for a world to keep moving forward. Themon danger in monsters brought unity to the people. They worked hard to stay together and survive together. Odin didn¡¯t realize thispletely and thought that Loki¡¯s schemes were going beyond this, despite the adoptive son having good intentions, but his antics and personality made it hard to believe¡­ Hel, in the other case, seemed more mysterious, but she seemed to ¡°want to participate¡± in this entire fight between gods as she had stayed in the back for way too long. More than anything, she desired an avatar, someone that would represent her. And also¡­ she wanted someone that would take a role simr to a Soul Reaper, a person that brought down those that wanted to fake death, such as the immortal Vampires that had lived for decades and had been messing around with people for way too long, or to fight back against Odin¡¯s intentions by attacking his church through her, even though she had not provoked any of this, as it was mostly all this ghost girl¡¯s doing. But was this all the gods¡¯ intentions? Was this truly everything there was to it and nothing else? There was certainly something more¡­ something more to it¡­ The meeting between gods simply brought more discord than anything, and it was quickly closed by the God of Light after he decided that he didn¡¯t want to look at Hel in the face anymore. There was no point in trying to reason with the Goddess of Death¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 198 ¡ª¨C The God of Chaos looked down into the entire world of Yggdrasil with a pleasant smile. The enormous world tree towered upwards into the skies, covering the vastness of the world with its enormous branches. It was located in the middle of all continents, right in the middle of the oceans. It was a mystical ce that not all races could easily ess. He suddenly sat down over one of its branches, as his darkness suddenly began to seep within its branch, infecting it with the power of chaos. ¡°Hm¡­¡± He quickly stopped infecting the branch as his darkness went back to his body. He had done this without realizing it. Sometimes he had to be careful. ¡°Now, now¡­ I wonder what my precious little children are doing¡­¡± he said with a smile. He wasn¡¯t looking exactly at Hel or his other two children, Fenrir and Jormungandr, but he was looking at something even further away from the ce where they lived, in the underground depths of Helheim, but above the surface, where the fragments of evil had spread after their fragmentation. Loki was a god of trickery. He enjoyed doing pranks and scheming, weaving countless cunning schemes while nning what to do with others. His goals were unknown to most people, but those that knew him well could easily tell he was up for the ride. He wanted a fun time. Of course, there was another meaning to his actions, a much noble one. To stop stagnation. He wanted mortals to continue fighting for survival and growing from each of their experiences. In a world without dungeons or monsters, what else would there be for these people than everything easily essible? As the god of chaos, a primordial element of the universe, he couldn¡¯t let them simply stagnate like the God of Light desired and fought back against his own father¡¯s desires. Many gods agreed with his decision, and Odin couldn¡¯t do much against him either. The gods disliked fighting one another unless they posed a threat to the gods themselves, but none of Loki¡¯s antics ever made any threat to the gods. It was just a challenge to mortals. And it wasn¡¯t as if the challenges and trials were not without rewards. Monsters brought their meat, pelt, bones, and materials to the mortals, which the mortals used to advance their technology, to eat, to survive, and to build better ces, make new armor, and weapons, and fight back more efficiently. Magic Crystals were an abundant resource that was used daily in several types of ways and had be a staple for the society of the world. This resource was brought to the world through the power of the God of Chaos, of course. Loki smiled pleasantly as he noticed the several auras of darkness leaking from within. Although the fragments of evil had been sealed, other catastrophes were slowly growing¡­ And even then, these fragments of evil¡­ one of them which was closely rted with the girl that had be troublesome for Odin, was being, as of now, yed with by mortals. ¡°These mortals are really stepping out of their boundaries, even more than the Vampires¡­ But even then, does Odin realize they¡¯re moving the strings behind most of the Albraun Kingdom? Well, this is not even the main Empire of where the church dominates, so I suppose he seems to not care as much, despite ying around with such a dangerous power¡­¡± sighed Loki. The Fragments of Evil contained incredible power within them, merely extracting the growthsing from a sealed fragment brought to humans and the Vampires behind them a series of new materials and tools to y around with. Maria had already faced several foes that were using them for evil¡­ Even Takeshi and Laura, who were created as chimeras capable of harboring the power made out of materials grown from the sealed fragment of evil, were a mere experiment for what they were nning. Even the ck potions that could bring great power to those that drank them but turned them insane, or Cursed Weapons made of these materials, which contained great power¡­ it was all slowly escting out of control with each new invention. ¡°Humans,¡­ you shouldn¡¯t really mess around with these fragments. You¡¯re only going to worsen the situation for you more than anything¡­ *Sigh*¡­ Oh well, I know that my daughter¡¯s herald was specifically made to deal with them¡­ as the one from the family that was tasked to defend and protect this fragment from being used for vile purposes¡­ I have great expectations that you might resolve the conflict¡­ but if not, well¡­ I have already prepared and orchestrated several other cmities to befall over those that dare to disobey the will of the Gods¡­¡±ughed Loki. He looked into the several spots of darkness, and as he quickly smiled, a sickly and rather sadistic smile surged on his beautiful and feminine face. His eyes shone with bright crimson-red light as he looked down into Midgard. Within this ce, there was arge foggy forest filled with spiders. And within this forest, there was arge dungeon that extended underground¡­ In there, a Cmity was slowly growing. ¡°Hm¡­ She had gotten in its way¡­ I wonder if the two will sh? It would certainly be a sight to see! Oooh! I am getting pumped up! But will Hel be angry if she dies? Ah¡­ Well, if she¡¯s smart enough, she¡¯ll evade this. Nobody that is sane enough would battle something so strong unless they got a death wish¡­ Well, she¡¯s already dead, hahaha!¡± The God of Chaosughed carefreely while sitting over the branch of the world tree. A gigantic squirrel wandered around the branches, noticing the insane manughing while sitting on a branch. ¡°Oi! Why are you in here, huma- Aaaaan?!¡± The squirrel was about to tell him to get out of the tree before it actually realized it was a God¡­ ¡°Hm~? Oh, little squirrel¡­ What are you up to today~?¡±ughed Loki. ¡°L-Lord Loki! I-It is nice to meet you¡­ My name is Ratatoskr, by the way¡­ Haha¡­¡± the squirrel sighed. ¡ª¨C Chapter 199 ¡ª¨C ¡°Right, right! I almost forgot your name, little squirrel,¡± Loki looked at therge squirrel that was sometimes seen wandering around the branches of the world tree. The beautiful squirrel was actually filled with arge quantity of divine power and could be said to be a legendary divine beast. Ratatoskr was the messenger of the gods, sending messages from branch to branch from god to god¡­ however, it suddenly noticed someone sitting on a branch and thought it was some human. It was umon for any mortal to reach the world tree so easily, but there was already a big city down there, made of many mortals across the world that had gone through the turbulent seas and reached this tree, seeking riches and adventures. However, for a mortal to reach this high in the sky, they clearly required something more than just the ability to fly, as there were severalyers of pressure that emerged with the higher altitude they flew, inhibiting those with magic capable of allowing them to fly into the skies from advancing any further. So those that have reached high in the branches were mortals amongst mortals, powerful heroes of legend¡­ they were umon but existed, and the squirrel had seen various of them firsthand. It was said that those capable of reaching the top of the Yggdrasil Tree would be given the blood of the gods and be gods themselves¡­ But how many people had been able to aplish such a feat? Were the legends true, anyway? Well, in such legends, every hero that had gone into the higher floors of the Yggdrasil Tree never stepped down anymore, strengthening the beliefs of such a legend. After all, the World¡¯s Tree could also be considered to be one of the greatest trials in the entire world of Yggdrasil, as its interior was an immense maze. Gods, of course, were able to do whatever they wanted. If one wanted to sit on the branch of the world tree, there wasn¡¯t much stopping them from doing so. The God of Chaos enjoyed the view from high in the tree and admired the beauty of the world¡­ a world that has been shaped through eons of history. ¡°What have you been up to, Ratatoskr? We just had a meeting with the Gods, so I came here to rx.¡± Said the God of Chaos. ¡°I-I am delivering some messages¡­¡± said Ratatoskr. ¡°Oh? May I see them?¡± asked the God of Chaos. ¡°L-Lord Loki, it would be better if you didn¡¯t intrude in the privacy of other Gods¡­¡± said the squirrel. ¡°Bleh, so boring¡­¡± sighed Loki. ¡°T-Then, I will be going. Please make sure to not¡­ infect the tree branches with your chaos¡­¡± said the squirrel. Loki smiled back at the squirrel, a smile that seemed filled with an eerie dreadfulness that made the squirrel almost feel that time had stopped. ¡°Fufu, don¡¯t worry~,¡± he said. ¡°M-May you have your own fun then¡­¡± said the squirrel before walking away hastily. Loki looked at the squirrel walk away, as he desired to touch that very cute and fluffy tail one of these days, but that might have to wait for another day in the far future. He looked down into Midgard, sensing the presence of the Cmities¡­ A smile surged on his lips. ¡°The Arachneia Empress is growing bigger by the day¡­ I wonder what¡¯s next¡­¡± he thought with a smile. ¡­ Meanwhile, within the Continent of Midgard, there was a Vampire sitting over a seat while reading many documents over a desk. Despite being an important figure within the entire Vampire Family behind the scenes in the Kingdom of Albraun, he was not devoid of paperwork¡­ after all, he had to do a lot of things behind the scenes, which included illegal transaction deals and more. His long silver-white hair shone brightly as the moonlight epassed it from the window. His crimson-red eyes looked into the documents as he signed thest one of the batch. His eyes quickly fixated on the man standing in front of him, a young Vampire Subordinate that had been reporting him things. He was a resilient young man, capable of resisting his bad treatment pretty well, although being a Vampire already brought a great deal of resilience and regeneration factor, so it was probably thanks to that as well. Who knows¡­ ¡°I hope you¡¯ve brought me good news. I am very busy here¡­¡± he said. ¡°My lord¡­ Catarina¡¯s team¡­ Well, it was reported that they ended up finding the Ghost woman. Still, they also found the group of Priests and Mercenaries sent to exterminate the Goblin Menace near the Duchy of Affnaria¡­ One thing led to the other and- Agh!¡± The young Vampire¡¯s neck was suddenly grasped by an invisible force, making it impossible for him to breathe properly. He felt like coughing now, but he couldn¡¯t really cough either. He felt as if he was asphyxiating at every passing second. The mercilessness of the one doing this knew no bounds. ¡°Aghhh! P-Please¡­ spare me, my lord! Unngghhh¡­¡± he cried. The man in front of him seemed pissed. This was already¡­ how many times has it been already? Problems after problems all circling around this one woman¡­ This one damn woman who he thought he was able to easily get rid of alongside her damned family! So why? Why was she pestering him even now, after her death?! This felt like irony. This one-woman¡­ was she so relentless she wouldn¡¯t let him rest even after she died? And now that he realized it was that very woman¡­ That very woman¡­ that one that after the revtion in the Duchy of Btina finally revealed herself as that witch¡­ ¡°You¡¯re telling me my special Sunlight-resistant group¡­ led by Catarina, lost to her?! But weren¡¯t they A Rank in power?! Wasn¡¯t Catarina able to breakthrough?! Such a useless investment!¡± roared the man, hitting the young vampire man to the floor mercilessly¡­ BAAM! ¡°Ugh¡­ My lord¡­ It wasn¡¯t your fault¡­¡± he muttered. ¡ª¨C Chapter 200 ¡ª¨C ¡°Of course, it wasn¡¯t my fault! Whose fault would it be than on you all, ipetent servants?!¡± roared the man, hitting the table and standing up. BOOM! The entire table turned into pieces in an instant of his incredible physical strength. He red down at the man on the floor as he quickly stood up and bowed down to him once more. ¡°I-I am sorry, my lord!¡± he cried. ¡°Exin to me more! What happened?!¡± roared the man. His entire presence grewrger as his entire aura began toe out of his body like an endless ocean of crimson-red light, epassing the entire room with its deadly embrace. ¡°The Priests! The Mercenaries and the Priests got in the way!¡± cried the man. ¡°¡­¡± The Lord walked around the room while thinking. ¡°So the priests will most likely also try to get rid of her, what a pain¡­ If they were a church that only originated from Albraun, then it wouldn¡¯t be hard to take it over, but theye from their own Empire¡­ They¡¯re simply meddling with every single kingdom they can get their ws into after all¡­¡± sighed the man. Perhaps by using his connections, power, and resources, he would be able to take over certain branches of the church in this country. Still, the root of the entire church was apletely external nation, so he couldn¡¯t do much before he was to get caught in the end. And even despite all of that, those corrupt enough to help him and cooperate with him would be easily taken down, while the faithful would use this opportunity to get rid of the menaces of the continent, the Vampires, which the church of the God of Light saw as enemies and monsters. He had to sadly bear with the church fanatics and find other alternatives to finding a way out of this conflict, if possible, but the possibilities and chances were dim. What else could he aplish? ¡°Such a nuisance, truly¡­¡± he sighed. The church was a real eyesore to his ns. Although the royal family of the Kingdom, the Albraun Royal Family, was cooperating with him, and he had reached as far as even retrieving the fragment of evil from them, the church had already begun to try to dig their hands into it, desiring the fragment for themselves. Of course, they were a mere church, not a nation that could force their way into others, and the King and the royal family had the Fragment of Evil well-guarded using the help of the Vampires and their underworld connections. But how long would it be until the church attempted to be more aggressive with its approach? And now that the ghost woman has begun to get involved in all these problems¡­ Things were really getting worse. Already two of his forces were destroyed by her: the one producing the ck potions and the others producing the chimeras that could utilize the power of the Fragment of Evil somehow¡­ They were important losses, and he actually regrated them quite a lot. They were important for his research and also for his money-making potential, but now all of it was gone,pletely gone. The losses were big because those potions were being imported to various duchies that nned to use them to fight against one another. Now that the supply was cut, this entire process was cut down, which would have been very beneficial to him. And the chimera¡¯s ultimate goal was to create powerful mass-produced units capable of wielding the power of the fragment of evil and quite possibly be able to fuse with the real deal ultimately! But now, all of that was gone from his grasp, even more, when he had hopes that thest one could be achieved soon as the knowledge about a pair of twins that were the first ¡°perfect¡± test subjects that were able to take over the power of the fragments of evil¡­ or well, the ck crystal that grew out of it, a powerful and highly corrosive material. And now the church was getting their ws into his own problems, trying to take her down in his ce. Perhaps this wouldn¡¯t be so bad if it wasn¡¯t because he really wanted to take revenge on her, and these pesky servants of the God of Light were simply getting in the way at this point. ¡°Hahh¡­¡± The man sat down over his chair once more as he looked down at the floor. ¡°¡­¡± The other Vampire looked at him with a bit of fear. He didn¡¯t know what his lord would do now as his temperament grew more and more unstable over the years, as if he were growing senile. ¡°Go away.¡± He said. The young Vampire nodded nervously and quickly rushed outside of the room. ¡°Well, she hasn¡¯t been seen for a while. Should I just forget about her for now and hope she doesn¡¯t show up once more to ruin my ns? ¡­If she¡¯s really Maria, the Maria from the family that descended from the heroes given the ask of protecting the sealed fragment of Evil¡­ it is a matter of time before we sh once more¡­ and the time she has been away might only be a way for her to grow stronger somehow¡­¡± he sighed. Hope seemed rather dim, as the situation was only worsening with every day, and things would only continue getting worse as time went by. Could there be something that could be done now? Or was there the only thing left but to resign? Well, not rea. Thishis Vampire wasn¡¯t a person that easily gave up. He didn¡¯t achieve all these things by giving up and being a coward. He got this far thanks to him grasping every opportunity he got, even if he had to betray his former allies in the past, even if he had to sell them off, even when he had to do all the things he never thought he would have done before. And it¡¯s not as if he didn¡¯t have the resources or the personnel to strike back against the witch that had nowe back in the form of a powerful and highly intelligent specter. ¡ª¨C Chapter 201 ¡ª¨C ¡°I will have to simply be more aggressive with my approach¡­ And be more cautious. But the ns cannot stop just because of her. I will not stop them¡­ My goals are beyond what these mere mortals could evenprehend. And this woman, this ghost¡­ despite having attained a level of power and existence that even I envy, I won¡¯t let her do as she pleases if she dares mess around with my properties once more¡­.¡± The Vampire looked into the moonlight from within the ss window as the cold breeze bathed his face. It was a beautiful night, and it made him feel somewhat nostalgic for the past of all the years he had lived since ancient times and of all the struggles he had to go through to reach this far. He began to think about Catarina, Silvio, and Francesco, these three children he had converted into Vampires on a whim when he found them in the ruins of a fire, barely having survived andpletely covered in zing burning wounds. They were certainly strong and admirable children back then, capable of surviving the zing re of hell itself¡­ something had given him an idea back then, and he ended up giving them his blood, which ended up bing the elixir that satiated their pain and thirst. After that, their bodies quickly regenerated back to normal, and when they opened their bodies, the sunlight bathed their nude bodies, but there was no damage dealt to them. Vampires were powerful but had clear weaknesses. One of the most annoying of them was their weakness in sunlight, which would quickly begin burning their entire bodies. This is why they always moved at night¡­ unless they were to be these special Vampires. They ended up being way more useful than he thought. Vampires that developed resistance to light, fire, and sunlight and ended up bing useful as agents that could be sent at day and could even camouge with normal people too. Due to this, these units became valuable to him, and he had raised them to the strength they had currently by investing in them because he knew they were valuable enough for it. If they could grow to the level of powerful threats, they could directly intervene in many things in daylight, and Vampires would no longer be unable to participate in many things in the sun¡­ He looked at the window and gritted his teeth. ¡®All that time wasted with them for nothing. Damn useless kids, I should have crushed their heads when they were still kids instead of giving them a second chance¡­ now all those resources and money I wasted on their growth¡­ Where will I get all of that back? Tch!¡¯ thought the man. However, it wasn¡¯t as if only Catarina and her twockeys died, but also the priests that had been sent there to fight against the ghost woman. The church had better detectives than his own men, and they had already figured the assassin that took down the Duke of Affnaria might go after another duke. They connected the clues incredibly well, used special magic, and figured out the ghost¡¯s identity was Maria after they saw what happened to her grave and more¡­ They sent Elderlight, a powerful Battle Pope, to protect the Duke of Btina. Although he had given her a very hard time, she ended up ultimately defeating him with the power of her allies at her side, which were also helping her. Of course, the church only knows she¡¯s powerful, though not exactly how powerful her allies at her side were. Even less an Elf with the power of Light and Nature with her. After that, the incident about her escaping from the Duchy where several hundreds of soldiers that chased her down all became Undead Zombies was widely spread around the entire Kingdom and then the neighboring Nations, especially of that image she had shown to the masses where shemitted vengeance against the aristocrats that had done all the horrendous things to her family. The horrid ¡°video¡± where she showed the aristocrat getting vited by zombies was one of the most disgusting things people had seen in their entire lives. It further cemented her fame as an insane agent of evil and all of what was wrong in this world. However, she had not only done this but also leaked valuable information that these aristocrats held. Alongside the truth about what they were doing to their ves, images and documents that described what the aristocrats did to ves became widespread, making the poption ofmoners know how ves were being treated to an even more rooted level. Since then that the Duchy of Btina had not been the same, and the surrounding duchies all began to change as well, alongside the entire Kingdom and perhaps all neighboring nations. The figure of the Ghost Witch of Misfortune became a fearful and dreadful omen to many aristocrats and people of high society. In contrast, formoners fighting against the system, discrimination, and the society they were living in, she was seen as a praised figure and seen even as the one that would finally make all these aristocratic pigs pay for all the sins they hadmitted. In a way, she had be something like Ghost Rider from Marvelics, an anti-hero that punished the sinful and made them suffer for all their sins a hundredfold. And because they all knew already that she was the Witch of Misfortune, the one whose family had mysteriously died all at once and whose Fragment of Evil which they were guarding had suddenly mysteriously disappeared as well. They knew she was going to take revenge on all those that orchestrated her death and her family¡¯s death¡­ Of course, the entire show ended up bringing a lot of attention. The Church within the Albraun Kingdom had be even more aware of her as a threat, probably protecting most of the dukes from each duchy, knowing they might be rted to her death one way or another¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 202 ¡ª¨C The Church of the God of Light was far from being all that pure. It was clear as water that they prioritized the safety of the aristocrats and would use their power to protect them as long as they¡­ well, kept their donations high for them. But after the news of Elderlight being killed by her and how he failed to protect the Duke of Btina, things became moreplicated. The aristocrats of the Duchies of the Albraun Kingdom became way too fearful and constantly asked for more protection. ¡­Especially all those that knew that they had helped in the destruction of the Fuentes Family. They knew it. The guilty knew they were the ones behind it and feared the ghost woman the most. She had already shown them through actions that she wasn¡¯t kidding and that she was an actual menace, fearless to do anything. The church was also rmed. It had been ages since such a powerful Undead had been born. Those that were present when she presented herself before all the people in the Btina Duchy knew how powerful and aberrant she was. They had never seen a being that harbored this much hatred, this much dark energy, and evil thoughts within. It was as if she was the very materialization of evil in the world! Although many feared her, many others also saw her as their challenge. The trial they had been waiting for had finally shown. Many priests and fanatics thought she was the trial sent by the God of Light to prove their faith to finally showcase their hard work! The Vampire Lord was fine with it. He didn¡¯t have any intentions of stopping them in the end, even though he really wanted to kill Maria. If they were going at her, it was for the best¡­ in the end, he had to care about his own things rather than an act of small revenge. If she were to kill the priestsing at her? That was still better. He hated that faction and saw them as a nuisance. If they were to all die at her hands, it would also bepletely okay, although that would also mean that she would grow stronger from it. After all, it was well known all around the world of Yggdrasil that all living beings had Soul Books where they could see their own Status, their stats, skills, level, experience points, and more. Killing so many powerful priests meant she would gain insane amounts of experience points¡­ which would end up helping her rise to an even higher level of power, and god knows how much stronger she would grow¡­ She already showcased a level of threat around B Rank if she was able to kill Elderlight and the Priests, or perhaps A-Rank if she had indeed defeated Catarina¡­ of course, the Vampire Lord had no knowledge of how it went at the end. He just knew they died and assumed that she had done it all, and not that Maria just waited around while both sides killed each other while she dragged their souls out of their bodies when they were on the verge of death to benefit the most out of it with almost no efforts at all¡­ But of course, that was something he might never know! Evolution was certainly a troublesome thing. A ghost was a monster, an Undead Monster. Evolution was something natural that would happen to any monster that leveled up and reached the level cap. It was fairly normal for such monsters to grow into stronger versions of themselves, sometimes evolving intopletely new species at that. It was rather clear she had be a fearful new species of ghosts never seen before. Many of those that saw her had fallen unconscious out of pure horror. They said that her mere presence generated an aura of pure horror and fear as if she was the bringer of death and disaster. Still, not only that, her entire presence generated a strange aura that seemed to dpose things as if she were a bringer of famine. After a long time, some of the people that had studied Undead monsters in detail ended up qualifying her as a Gorgon due to the many snakes that people sawing out of her phantasmal aura. A Gorgon was an incredibly rare species of ghost that had only been seen twice in all of history, and these two times, they had threatened entire nations. Could the Vampire Lord fight against such a being if it grew even further? The future was rather uncertain, but it wasn¡¯t as if he was standing in the middle of nowhere without any way for him to get some bnce. He knew that there were ways for him to gain some support and regain hisposure. He had many resources and servants, hundreds of Vampires were below hismand, and the Vampire family would continue to grow more and more if he so desired. And it wasn¡¯t as if Catarina was the only ¡°elite¡± he had. In fact, there were many like her within his family and even stronger Vampires too. Even a selected group of four powerful Vampires that were the strongest below him¡­ He nned to not chase her anymore and to only look around for clues about her and probably spy on her, if anything. At the moment, what he wanted was to regain the lost resources and investments he had lost andter on think about retaliation if even possible¡­ The projects of chimeras and ck potion creation would soon be resumed by new teams he had gathered around other duchies, so he might be able to recover the money he lost there, and this time, if possible, he would get more definite results with the chimera project. ck Potions were fairly easy to produce, so their production had already begun once more a few days ago. Large batches would be quickly sold to the duchies desperate for some form of item that could boost their military power. It seems that Maria ended up creating a sense of desperation in the aristocrats, which the Vampire Lord could take advantage of¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 203 ¡ª¨C If you were to ask me, ¡°Would you kiss a girl?¡± I would have probably answered in my previous life with, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I haven¡¯t even kissed a guy yet¡±. But to be honest, since my previous life, I kind of liked girls as well¡­ so in this second life, this simply developed even more greatly as I got to know beautiful girls such as Emeraldine and Partner. In my previous life, I had no friends, so I never created much of an emotional connection with anyone¡­ even my male friends, which I thought were my friends, but were in fact not my friends in the end¡­ But even then, I never thought I would have ended up kissing Emeraldine as much as I did now. I felt¡­ embarrassed and rather guilty. Yes, guilty. Why? Because it felt like I had abused of our good rtionship and got way ahead of myself¡­ it is all my fault! I am just a degenerate. I know what she went through, and even then, I still went for it. At this point, I am just experiencing new things more than anything. Even when I am already dead in this second life, I still want to ¡°live¡± it to my very limits, which means not restraining myself with stupid morals sometimes. But¡­ maybe I went a bit too far? I really don¡¯t want to make my life focused on romantic subplots! But¡­ it feels so nice and cozy to love and be loved¡­ I felt like my phantasmal core was beating faster as I experienced such a warm sensation. It made me¡­ feel all dizzy. Is this a cringy feeling that couples feel when they love each other? It is cringy, but the good cringy feeling that you know is actually not cringy at all, and that only because of your own inexperience in romantic life is that you find it slightly cringy¡­ In my resume, my mind is a mess. My thoughts are even more of a mess than before. So this is what it feels like¡­ Ahh¡­ Now I feel even more guilty because I ended up doing it with Emeraldine when I had promised simr things to Partner¡­ and then there¡¯s Lucifer¡­ But¡­ as long as I do it with them tooter on, then it¡¯s fine, right? I never thought I would end up going into the harem route. This is disastrous, to say the least. However, I am not going to regret it! Emeraldine is way too cute! Who wouldn¡¯t want to cuddle and kiss such a beautiful elf girl?! You would be insane if you didn¡¯t want to! Girl or not, she¡¯s hot and cute, and her personality is just the best. After we ended up kissing each other, it escted into a few more kisses¡­ And a few more and more¡­ And Emeraldine seemed to not be capable of stopping. ¡°Hahh~ Maria-sama¡­ Kiss¡­ kiss me¡­ make me feel loved¡­ I need it¡­ I love you¡­¡± she moaned as she continued to hug me and rub her body over mine. She was breathing heavily and getting all red as well. ¡°E-Emeraldine, stop! W-We have already done it¡­! T-There are people outside. We might be found out!¡± I said. ¡°I-I know, but¡­ Hahh¡­ I am so happy¡­ Mooch~¡± she said as she kissed my lips once more. ¡°Th-That¡¯s enough! I liked it too, but¡­ let¡¯s stop, for now, okay? W-We have to respect our¡­ boundaries¡­ and stuff,¡± I said. Emeraldine was breathing heavily as she slowly calmed herself, before sitting at my side. ¡°Hahh¡­ Y-You¡¯re right¡­ Sorry¡­ I-I kind of got too ahead of myself!¡± she cried. ¡°You really did¡­ But that¡¯s okay¡­ I allowed it, and¡­ I kind of also started it and everything¡­ It¡¯s my fault¡­ I am sorry¡­.¡± I said. Emeraldine held my hand tightly as she looked into my eyes with her beautiful green eyes. ¡°I-It is fine¡­ I am actually happy¡­ It¡­ makes me feel happy. Don¡¯t worry about it, please¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Emeraldine¡­ You¡¯re way too nice¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°I-It is just that¡­ I¡¯ve never felt like this for anyone¡­ I-I am¡­ Well, I am still dealing with my own feelings¡­¡± she said. ¡°Me too¡­ I guess we ended up going a bit too fast there¡­ Maybe we should take it easy? There are many things to do as well. I don¡¯t think we can properly focus on this for a while¡­.¡± I said. ¡°I agree¡­ for now. I am just happy as it is¡­ this was¡­ something I will always treasure.¡± She said. ¡°Emeraldine¡­ You really mean it?¡± I wondered. ¡°Of course¡­¡± she replied with a warm smile. And as we ended up staring at one another for a bit, suddenly, the curtains of the carriage opened for Partner to sneak in. ¡°Huh? Master, did you sleep with Emeraldine? Not fair!¡± she said while pouting. ¡°S-Sorry, dear, should I have invited you instead? I just get confused sometimes, and well¡­ Erm, we were working untilte in the potions.¡± I said. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­¡± said Partner. She looked at the two of us while rubbing her chin and raising an eyebrow suspiciously. I don¡¯t know what she wasing out with, but perhaps she was figuring out something? ¡­I would prefer not to tell her as she would be very jealous. I know that she and Emeraldine, alongside Lucifer, hade to a non-aggression consensus after a while, where all three agreed on sharing my attention evenly¡­ But if she were to know that I kissed emeraldine before her, she would certainly get angry at her and probably sad, heartbroken, even¡­ so I would prefer if that were not to happen. Maybe I should give her a little kiss soon too? Ah! I am talking about giving kisses like nothing! My sense of reality has really been shattered after kissing Emeraldine¡­ If it was only a little kiss, but¡­ it ended up escting into many, and I am sure she grabbed my body around too¡­ Ah, so lewd¡­ I must reject the horny. Resist the horny! ¡°M-Master? Are you noting to have breakfast?¡± she asked. It seems it was a false rm; she¡¯s hasn¡¯t figured it out. ¡ª¨C Chapter 204 ¡ª¨C I am safe. Everything is fine¡­ It all¡­ happened quickly, but it ended quickly as well. Now¡­ time to go back to normal. But now, every time I see Emeraldine, it feels a bit weird. I just have to bear with it. After Partner came to pick me up, we moved on to have breakfast, and the daily routine of distributing food for everyone began. Over time, the people began to also cook their own stuff if they felt hungry. My clones are always assessing the food storage we got, so whenever people feel hungry, they can go pick up food for their meals. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean anyone can just go there and ask me for a slice of bread or something, but only when we are in the hours of eating, and that¡¯s three different hours a day. In the morning we eat breakfast, from 7 AM up to 9 AM, then lunch is from 2 PM up to 4 PM, and then Dinner at 7 PM up to 10 PM. It is a pretty fair horary, and the people got used to it pretty quickly, so we usually make these big stews with the prey we hunted sometimes. We distributed it with bread and other things, and we had also begun making a sd. We also distribute fruits as you can¡¯t live off of just stew and bread after all. Today in the morning, there was pork stew with potatoes, and it was pretty refreshing. Even though I never felt actual hunger, it always feels nice to eat and fill my phantasmal stomach~ Come to think of it. I wonder how a ghost can eat. I¡¯ve been eating for a while now¡­ I know it bes all mana over time, and there¡¯s no bathroom time for me, but how does this happen? Does my body have a stomach? Hmm¡­ Well, I guess that¡¯s that. I wonder if there are other cases of ghosts like me. Well, Silvio and Francesco do eat too, so maybe all ghosts can potentially eat, but just never try it. Maybe because they¡¯re too fixated on whatever is keeping them in the world of the living to care about something so leisurely as eating. Ding! [Skill Proficiency has met the requirements] [You have learned the [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv1] Skill] [Requirements have been met] [You acquired the [Gluttonous Eater: Lv1] Title Skill] Oi! Don¡¯t bother me when I am having a meal! System, what is this? Do you think it¡¯s funny? You¡¯ve done this multiple times already! The System was as insightful as ever, telling me how everything happened¡­ That doesn¡¯t make it less ridiculous that it showed just when my internal monologue was talking about it! Oh well¡­ I might as well check this. ¡ª¨C [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv1] A Skill that can only be acquired after a non-corporeal phantasmal entity has eaten and digestedrge quantities of food. It allows for the rapid digestion of food into usable Mana and Aether energies, increasing their regeneration speed by +50% with each level while eating any sort of meal. It allows the ability to have a Phantasmal Stomach. ¡ª¨C Huh¡­ I see, so my Mana and Aether regeneration increases whenever I eat meals¡­ And then it allows me to have a Phantasmal Stomach? What is that? Can I get an exnation for this, at the very least? No? ¡­Understandable, have a nice day. The handsome-sounding voice of my beloved System was heard across my hearing senses. Whenever he speaks, I imagine a young-lookingd with a handsome face, gray hair, and a charming expressionless face¡­ Oi! I am supposedly praising your beautiful voice, don¡¯t get mad with me. We are friends. And thanks for the info too! Now, can you tell me what Aether is? I know about Mana, but what¡¯s Aether? Eh?! Such a long exnation¡­ but I kind of get it now¡­ So that¡¯s the trueposition of a soul¡­ So that¡¯s how it is. I always thought it was just Mana, but it can¡¯t really be that simple, can¡¯t it? Wow¡­ ¡ª- Chapter 205 ¡ª¨C Aether, an energy I just discovered I had, but that I innately always felt within me. It is apparently the pr of the existence of a soul, and it is often referred to as the soul energy. Every person has Aether within their soul. The stronger their soul grows, the more Aether they umte. It is said that those that have a lot of Aether can learn techniques named Auras, Domains, and more. And I have learned them naturally, but I think that¡¯s because I¡¯ve lost my living physical body and have be a being of mostly Aether and Mana, so I am mostly different than others. Thingse by easily for me in that regard, especially because by evolving, my Aether and Mana increase more. Now that we got the exnations out of the way, it is time to move on to other interesting things within the new stuff I just got while eating pork stew¡­ ¡ª¨C [Gluttonous Eater: Lv1] A Title Skill given to someone that constantly and gluttonously eats food without any need to do so, gorging in food when the body has no requirements for it. Fat people that have reached an overly obese state acquire this Title Skill naturally. Grants the ability to consume and digest food at twice the speed, HP and MP regeneration is doubled while eating, and all stats increase by +10% when the stomach is full of food. However, you might feel a bit of nausea if you move with a full stomach¡­ ¡ª¨C What is this?! System, are you calling me fat!? I knew it! You were always against me, didn¡¯t you?! You know that it is one of the greatest taboos to call a woman fat! You know that it hurts! We know that already! I know I am fat! Don¡¯t remind me¡­! ¡­Stop speaking nonsense. The description doesn¡¯t describe you. You¡¯re a unique exception to this because you eat without needing to, but not because you¡¯re fat and you¡¯re overeating, but because your ghost body does not have the necessity to eat. I know¡­ But still, it hurts, you know? I used to be a bit fatty in middle school and¡­ Ouch! Do you have to be so harsh with your beloved host? Huh? What do you mean? Where do you evene from, then? Then that¡¯s not holding you hostage! Ah¡­ Well, whatever. Fine, say and think whatever you want. We are all free here. It¡¯s free real state. Anyways, this Title Skill, despite mocking me and calling me a fatass, is pretty good, as ites with a nice effect thatbines well with the Phantasmal Stomach Ability, so we are all good here. No weird side effects. And I even get a bonus to my stats if I am filled with food, so this is even more incentive to eat. System, you¡¯ve only made me want to eat more tasty food, theplete contrary to what you were trying to make me do¡­ Don¡¯t lie to me! You¡¯re fatphobic, aren¡¯t you? No! Eh? Hey! ¡­ He¡¯s gone¡­ Seriously? I was so annoying that the System turned itself off. ¡°Maria¡­?¡± Lucifer, at my side, looked at me with concern. ¡°Ehwa?!¡± I asked in surprise, almost dropping the spoon with soup out of my hands. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°Master¡­ You¡¯ve been standing there like a rock for a few minutes now¡­¡± said Partner. ¡°Are you ok,dy Maria?¡± asked Syllis. ¡°She got a few screws loose. I bet she sometimes spaces out or something. She¡¯s that weird anyways.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Catarina! How dare you call me like that! I might be crazy, a degenerate, a gluttonous fat woman, but I would never have a few screws loose!¡± I said. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s back.¡± Laughed Silvio. ¡°Wee back, Maria-sama.¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Were you thinking things through? I hope that¡¯s it. I really hope you were not just spacing out¡­¡± said Lucifer. He was concerned I would be actually spacing out. ¡°Ugh! No, do you think I am an idiot? I was just thinking things intensively and assessing a few things inside of my Skill Book. I had gotten a few new Skills¡­ Well, I guess I can share them with you¡­.¡± I said. I quickly told them about what I got, and everyone suddenly looked at me with eyes wide open. ¡°Y-You¡¯re certainly weird¡­¡± said Catarina. ¡°Oh my, I wonder if we can get those Skills if we eat a lot, Francesco!¡± said Silvio. ¡°Hm! Is it worth a try? Although it feels bad if we eat all the food that the people might need, so better not.¡± Said Francesco. ¡°You¡¯re more than right. I actually don¡¯t enjoy eating as much as Maria-sama¡­¡± said Silvio. ¡°Me neither, to be honest. Anything we eat ends up burning into charcoal anyways¡­¡± sighed Francesco. I guess fire ghosts have it rough. ¡°So let me get this straight, you ate so much food to the point you acquired a Skill and a Title¡­ about overeating?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I said. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°W-Why are you shocked over it?! You¡¯re also an Undead. You¡¯ll get that Skill eventually,¡± I said. ¡°Ah¡­ Y-You¡¯re right¡­ I should stop eating food then. I don¡¯t really have to-, Ah, but flesh is necessary for a zombie like me¡­¡± he sighed. Well, he¡¯s technically a reanimated corpse, so yeah, he¡¯s quite the zombie. I suppose he needs brains and flesh from time to time. ¡°Heh, you can¡¯t escape it,¡± I said. ¡°Oooh! I wonder if I can get it too¡­¡± said Partner. ¡°I-It is certainly an interesting skill¡­¡± said Emeraldine with a cute smile, although she was a bit surprised over how ridiculous it was. ¡°Anyways! We should go back to the main topic¡­ the potions! Things should be already done, so we¡¯ll begin sharing them with the rabbits.¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 206 ¡ª¨C Bottling up the potions would be useless as what we needed to do was to distribute them through cups. After all, why would we bottle them if we made them exclusively for the people? So after breakfast, I decided to quickly get done with this. We went to inspect the cauldron with everyone else, and what was left was a very slimy and purple-colored liquid. It looked and smelled hideous¡­ but after a closer inspection. ¡ª¨C [Mysterious Purple Potion (D-Grade)] A mysterious Potion made from the materials from Giant ck Arachneia and several medicinal herbs. It possesses mysterious effects that have yet to be found. However, from looks alone, it seems hideous, it smells bad, and it looks disgusting. However, apparently, it has the power to grant a greater resistance against specific diseases provoked by the Giant ck Arachneia, calm down pain, and possibly cure basic diseases that provoke fever and nausea. ¡ª¨C Interesting! The System Analysis Function is never wrong! It feels like an even more overpowered Wisdom sometimes, but let¡¯s see, if things are like it says there, it should work, right? So we had to give it a try. We decided to quickly give it to the five people that were in the worst condition, all elderly, and we also gave a cup to Syllis just in case, as he was outside the quarantine zone, so we could prevent him from getting it again and spreading it outside the quarantine area. And after that, we decided to wait until tomorrow to see if the effects would work on the people. Throughout the day, we spent it mostly overlooking the ce. I decided to map out the surrounding area by abusing my Mental Mapping Skill and my clones, so I spread a few dozens of ghost snakes everywhere, alongside a few smaller clones which had the shape of tiny purple mes simr to Will-o-Wisps¡­ Ah, recalling those monsters gives me a strong sense of nostalgia. To think I used to struggle against those things, and I had to fight so many to level up and stuff¡­ Ahh, good times- No, actually, those were not good times. I suffered a lot! I wouldn¡¯t really want to go back to it. If anything, this nostalgia only makes me realize how blessed I am now¡­pared to back then. I have reallye quite far. I am pretty concerned about the spiders, as they seemed weak enough that we can handle them without much issue, but I fear that whatever is in the Dungeon where they areing from is dangerous¡­ I also feel like I want to see what happened to the other rabbits that got attacked by the spiders¡­ at the very least, I want to find their skeletons and give them a proper burial. Haha¡­ a ghost necromancer like me talking about giving proper burials to people? Who would have guessed¡­ Maybe I could even ask Emeraldine to purify the corpses or something so that any lingering bad spirit can rest. However, if they would be willing enough, I guess I could also bring their souls back as Undead¡­ maybe, but it depends if I can find them to begin with. For now, I decided to just rest for the moment while spending time with my friends¡­ well, they¡¯re more like my family at this point. Gofumin-chan was very cute today, too. Seeing this little goblin smile really makes me happy¡­ And Takeshi and Laura too! The twins are bing good friends with the other kids. Sometimes I saw Bellerine wanting to join them as they yed around, but she¡¯s still quarantined¡­ I want this to be done so everyone can interact and mingle together¡­ After we were done with this, we all quickly rushed toward our destination and began building our own ce to belong. It¡¯s not going to be easy, but¡­ I have faith. And about Emeraldine and everything else¡­ well, since the kissing, she has been looking at me coquettishly sometimes¡­ sometimes she blushes, other times she smiles adorably at me. Partner and Lucifer might or might not have suspected something¡­ But for now, I want to concentrate on the main quest before doing any romantic stuff¡­ so I will try to suppress my own feelings even more than they already are. And then, in the morning of the next day, as I woke up with Partner cuddling with me, Syllis ran to my carriage and told me that there was good news. The five people that were given the potions yesterday woke up without fever, and they even said they were filled with a lot of energy! Wow! The potions worked, it seems. After closer inspection into their status, they were no longer sick either¡­ Now¡¯s time for n B! I made a second quarantine area and moved the recently healed people there for caution, as they had already mixed with the infected anyways, even after healing, and then using my phantom clones, I began to distribute the potion to everyone. Tomorrow we¡¯ll see the results and then find out if things are doing okay. If everyone truly gets better, then the potion was a sess, and the people can be healed. We¡¯ll disinfect them and then burn everything that was in the quarantine zone, and so they will be able to finally join back with the rest of our people. And that night, as everyone slept, my clones reached the dungeon at longst. The entire forest surrounding it was made into and of spider webs, so it was very hard to get through all the stickiness. But at longst, we had arrived. I quickly lurked into the dungeon, finding it to be an immense underground cave filled with spiderwebs everywhere¡­ and alongside that, spiders crawled everywhere and carried eggs with them, which had even more of them inside! Baby spiders slowly growing up¡­ As I moved deeper and deeper into the dungeon, a dark presence began to slowly emerge from its depths. Using my Stealth Skills and Concealment, I slowly got there. And what I found was¡­ Wait¡­! That¡¯s¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 207 ¡ª¨C A girl? It was not a monster, nor a giant spider¡­ nor anything I thought I would see. What I saw with my eyes there as I sneaked using my clones¡­ wasn¡¯t a monster to me. It was a little girl. ¡­ What is this? The little girl was sleeping on a bed made of spiderwebs and surrounded by furniture made of it as well. Spiders sometimes wandered around her as they left her food, often captured monsters wrapped in spiderwebs. They served her submissively while she slept rxedly. This is¡­ why? Why Is there a girl in the middle of a dungeon? Controlling the spiders as if they were extensions of her body? They treat this girl as if she was their leader¡­ Who is she? ¡­ Her skin was pale white like porcin, and she seemed to have¡­ four eyes? No eight, like a spider. But she looked very much like a human girl. She had two main human-like eyes, and the other six were smaller and above her forehead. The girl had short ck hair and was wearing a white dress made of spiderwebs. I could feel an enormous presenceing from her, and it was so strong that it even made me shiver. She¡¯s¡­ not a normal girl, despite how she looks like. Is she possibly the Spider Queen? How can I bring myself to kill a little girl? This¡­ I had originally nned to kill the Queen if I could get the opportunity. After all, they¡¯re doing something bad. They already ate half the rabbit kin. I only found skeletons around and their souls who seemed to be haunting the ce. The spiders nor the girl realize they¡¯re there, of course. Perhaps I should stealthily grab the skeletons and the souls away and leave the girl be. ¡­I don¡¯t know if I am doing the right thing, but messing with someone that generates such a strong aura is really not my thing. I am a scummy woman. I only fight the battles I know I stand a chance or have a greater chance of winning. If I end up with low chances, even by 1%, I usually don¡¯t like to fight unless I have no choice at all. But this time, I got a chance. I can just decide to not fight and go away now that I have the chance. We¡¯ll circle around the forest¡­ this Spider Nest cannot be messed with. This girl clearly surpassed a threat Rank of A. But¡­ who is she? System, can you tell me anything about the girl? It seems that the System Analysis Function is trying to get something out of her, but it appears that she¡¯s shrouded in something dark that makes it hard to discern her true powers or identity. But what is she exactly? I could feel some innocence in her, as if she wasn¡¯t inherently evil. She was just a girl sleeping and trying to rest on her bed. Somehow, I kind of wanted to cuddle with her and pet her head. She was honestly cute. A girl who looked to be about five years old¡­ I noticed she had three pairs of arms, but they were folded beneath her dress while she slept beneath the spiderwebbed nkets. For now, I shouldn¡¯t bother her¡­ System! Can you tell me anything?! Chapter 208 ¡ª¨C Arge spider suddenly reached up to her as itsrge ws petted the girl¡¯s head. ¡°Gishi gishishish¡­¡± ¡°Hungry¡­ Feed?¡± asked the girl ¡°Ghisihihsih¡­¡± It seemed as if the girl agreed to something the spider said. The spider then suddenly grabbed a still living monster wrapped in a spider. It looked to be a wild wolf and bit it with its fangs. The wolf gave ast groan and then died on the spot. After a few minutes, the corpse began to foam from its jaws as the spider gave it back to the girl. The girl made a bitter expression. Maybe she didn¡¯t want raw monster again today. But she had no other things to eat, so she suddenly opened her mouth as her jaws grew like spider mandibles and bit through the corpse. She began to suck the liquified interior of the wolf after that as if it were a delicious smoothie¡­ or something. It was creepy to see, and it impacted me greatly, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do other than feel surprised by what she did. She was like a spider in many ways except in her looks, I suppose. She was a baby spider person¡­ Or something. After she finished her meal, the spider took away the mummified corpse and then brought a bottle of fresh spring water. The little girl drank a bit and then sat over her bed, taking out a book she had saved inside a piece of furniture made of spiderwebs. She opened the book, and her big red eyes looked down into the book. ¡°¡­¡± She exuded such a strange aura of innocence. It felt as if she was drawing me in. Without realizing it, I was moving near her using one of my snake ghost clones. I hid beneath the bed and looked at her read. She was so peaceful and tranquil. It felt as if I didn¡¯t even have any intent to kill her anymore. Maybe she¡¯s just a child trying to figure out what she is or what she¡¯s doing in here. Perhaps she¡¯s not that different from me or everybody else. But her powers¡­ they¡¯re terrifying. This innocence she holds is special despite how strong she is¡­ but I am sure that her spiders somehow are influencing her due to their wild behaviors. If she grows only with wild animals, she¡¯ll turn into one after bing an adult, and it might be even harder for her to socializeter on even though she has such potential. She suddenly closed the book and sat down over the floor, curiously looking for¡­ me. Eh?! She suddenly realized I was here! ¡°¡­¡± She began looking around with her little hands as she suddenly managed to touch my little snake ghost. ¡°Worm¡­¡± She cutely called me a worm. I let her grab me out and wanted to pretend to be a wild animal like she thought I was. ¡°Worm!¡± She grabbed me with her little arms as she began to shake me around. ¡°Uwawawaaaahh!¡± I cried as I was being moved around a lot, it felt a bit nauseating, but nothing I couldn¡¯t handle. ¡°Worm! Haha¡­¡± She giggled cutely as I looked into her eyes. Looking at such a powerful being from very close was chill-inducing. She suddenly sniffed me with her tiny and pointed nose and opened her mouth. Wait for a second¡­ ¡°Nom!¡± She bit me! Ouch! Actually, it didn¡¯t hurt. I am a ghost after all! She didn¡¯t put any magic on the bite, so as a normal physical attack, it held no effect on my snake clone. The little spider girl looked at me with awe and surprise. She couldn¡¯t believe I just ignored her bite like that. She¡¯s honestly way too cute. ¡°Nom¡­?¡± She asked me as I looked at her again, using my tiny snake tongue to gently lick her nose. ¡°No nom¡­¡± She seemed disappointed. She thought I was a snack! ¡°Gishi!¡± I said angrily. ¡°Oh?¡± The girl looked at me with surprise. Her crimson-red eyes opened wide to look at me. ¡°Wormy?¡± ¡°Gishi!¡± ¡°Wormy! Fren?¡± She suddenly called me Wormy and then¡­ Fren. So cute¡­ Does she want to be my friend? Uwah¡­ I have a soft spot for cute children. I am very motherly. Sure, I can be your fren, little spider queen, I don¡¯t mind¡­ ¡°Gishi!¡± I made a cute sound and then licked her again. ¡°Heheh¡­ Fren! Fren!¡± The girl held my little body and carried me in her arms. She was very rough at that. Shecked a lot of carefulness. A normal beast might have died before she could even do all this. It was thanks to that I couldn¡¯t easily be ripped into pieces nor eaten that I got to the point of bing her ¡°fren.¡± Some of the spiders walking around noticed she was holding me around as they looked at her with surprise and awe, wondering what she was even doing. It was reasonable for them to think that it was very weird to see their queen holding a weird worm and calling it a friend. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯re as intelligent as she, so they didn¡¯t really understand and just decided to continue doing what they did. I discovered this entire colony was very much like ants. They were slowly molding the interior of the dungeon and making it bigger and more spacious for more spiders to be born. The girl wasn¡¯tying eggs, though, but other female spiders were, which I called the ¡°mother spiders.¡± I wonder if she just hatched from one of those eggs as an oddity, and they keep her safe due to her power? She is probably the one ordering them around, though. She¡¯s¡­ so cute. Way too cute. She held me around, and I sneaked out of her arms, and slowly coiled around her arm and then reached her shoulder, sitting around the two shoulders she had. She smiled as she liked my yful nature and petted me gently with her multiple arms. ¡°Fren!¡± she said. Sure¡­ I can be your friend if that¡¯s what you want, dear¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 209 ¡ª¨C As I stayed with the little girl using a clone, I decided to go on as usual in my daily life. As I moved into important things, an entire day passed, and now I went to check the rest of the people from the Rabbit-kin vige. After having given them the Purple Potion, it was time to see if the effects had gone as we have nned, and to my surprise, or well, to my good expectations and hopes, things did indeed go well. Phew, I am so relieved¡­ The people were actually very healthy, and every single rabbit ended up healing from the disease they had caught, and their Status showed that they were healthy. The fever some were feeling or the weakened sensations they were feeling over their bodies had all gone away. This was a nice thing, and they had fully recovered, and I felt relieved and quite happy. Now, the thing we had to do was to disinfect their bodies and let them out. It would be for the best, to be honest. I had to wake up my friends so they could help me with this, but mostly Emeraldine, who was able to use spells that could disinfect stuff. I had yet to develop many spells to help in that regard. Death Magic is quite limited in its utility, although I¡¯ve learned a few spells that are ¡°outside the system¡± that don¡¯t show up as Skills, the same way Emeraldine, too, learned spells like this. One of such Spells can help with the fermentation of things and maturation, too. I guess it can work in foods and other things. There are even some simr spells that help at preserving stuff, butplete disinfection seems to require a bit more thought and investigation on my part. Still, I have Supreme Magic. Anything I will, will be used¡­ as long as it fits within my own magic affinity and elements. After all, no matter how strong I can grow, I can¡¯t do everything. This is why Emeraldinees in handy so much now, and all of that, you see¡­ so it is very important to use her abilities and her magic, and she¡¯s also lovely, so she always nods happily and epts. She is as dedicated to the people as I am. She¡¯s really such a nice girl. My Emeraldine is a saint¡­ I don¡¯t deserve such a bright and pure girl¡­ I really don¡¯t! ¡°Alright, you guys, please give me all your clothes!¡± I said. The rabbit-kin looked at me with surprise. ¡°Y-You mean it?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t we end up naked?¡± ¡°This is kind of¡­ erm¡­.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Yes! You must get naked, so we can disinfect you guys, and you can finally join society¡­ well, our society. After that, we¡¯ll burn all the things in the camp too, so the disease doesn¡¯t spread.¡± I said. ¡°P-Please, everyone, just obey her¡­ I am sorry if this is embarrassing¡­¡± sighed Syllis. The cute rabbit boy at my side tried to convince the people. ¡°Soe on, get naked! Show me those bodies!¡± Iughed. ¡°M-Maria, I think youck a bit ofmon sense there. It is not really easy for people to get naked¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Huh? Is it not? But¡­ Ah, I get it. I will give them privacy.¡± I said. I spread my domain of darkness and generated thin curtains made of shadows around the entire camp. ¡°This should do it, guys! Better?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± ¡°Please do this quickly, though¡­.¡± After the people got nude, we showered them in spells that could disinfect them, and then we also used warm water to wash them well. After that, we gave them new clothes that I had from all the stuff stored inside my Inventory, and then we set on fire all the things in the quarantine camp. ¡°And done! It only took the entire day! ¡­Eh? It¡¯s already night?¡± I looked upwards, and it was indeed night already. Did we seriously spend the entire day? Wow¡­ Well, side questpleted. ¡°Thank you¡­ Maria-sama, you¡¯ve really done so much for us. I don¡¯t know how I can repay so much¡­¡± cried Syllis. ¡°We¡¯ll be forever grateful¡­.¡± ¡°Please, take us with you to wherever you¡¯re going. We are good hunters.¡± ¡°We also know about all sorts of herbs, animals, and natural routes.¡± ¡°We originally used to be a nomadic tribe before we ended up stuck in this forest, actually!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right¡­.¡± The people were as grateful as the goblins were back then, and they all were kneeling before us. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You guys should rx for now and enjoy life. I would be happy if you could be happy as well. For now, how about you finally join the rest of the people we got here? My people are eager to meet all of you.¡± I said. ¡°S-Sure!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°I am starving¡­.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± As we began to make food for everyone with the help of the people, we enjoyed a nice dinner together, eating grilled meat, stew, and freshly baked bread. I gave myself the luxury of enjoying a nice few cups of wine below the moonlight with my friends. Weughed, we smiled, and we decided to simply enjoy and celebrate the moment. We won¡¯t have the chance to experience and live such days all the time. Sometimes you just want to forget about everything else and just sit down and enjoy a day off, right? It is not something bad per se, nor something that people ¡°don¡¯t do.¡± It justes off naturally after you¡¯ve lived a lot of stuff. Sometimes we just really want to chill out and rx. In the end, it was around twelve at night, and most of the people were sleeping by now. The ones that ended at my side were mostly my friends. ¡°Once more, I am very grateful for what you¡¯ve done for us¡­¡± said Syllis with a cute smile. The young rabbit boy seemed cuter today, perhaps because he was smiling so radiantly. I petted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Syllis. It is just what I do.¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 210 ¡ª¨C Syllis¡¯ eyes shone brightly as he seemed to admire me. ¡°I-I never thought that people like you would exist in this world¡­¡± he said. ¡°People like me?¡± I asked. ¡°Good people¡­ all of you, Emeraldine, and the rest¡­ all of you are just good people¡­ It is hard to believe it¡­ you always assume that such type of people is unrealistic in this world,¡± said Syllis. ¡°Is that so? Are we really that rare? And I honestly don¡¯t find myself as a good person. I just felt like I had the chance of helping, and I just did it¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°I mostly helped because Master did it¡­¡± said Partner. ¡°¡­I cannot stand to see beast-kin suffer in such manner. As a former King that once ruled over my kin, I have developed a soft heart for weak people in need.¡± Sighed Lucifer, mostly treating this as a bad thing for some reason. ¡°I-I see¡­ I suppose everyone has their different reasons.¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Well yeah, we have all our own different reasons, it is always different, and it varies from person to person, but mostly because I wanted to do something. I¡¯ve always felt like I could never be able to do anything (in my previous life), that I couldn¡¯t change people¡¯s lives nor leave an impact on the world¡­ so now that I got the power to do so, now that I can see it within my grasp, I just wanted to try it out¡­ And I can¡¯t really bring myself to see such a cute race as rabbit-kins die miserably to disease, right?¡± I asked. ¡°C-Cute¡­¡± muttered Syllis. ¡°Haha, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to offend you or your people¡­ I won¡¯t call you guys cute anymore.¡± I said. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­ I suppose it is one of our traits to¡­ look a bit adorable¡­¡± sighed Syllis. ¡°Maria is like that¡­ You can¡¯t really try to find something too deep in her actions or thoughts. She often does things out of the blue, just because she wants to¡­ She¡¯s very free. I guess you could say that after what she went through while being alive¡­ she just wants to have a ¡°life¡± without regrets now, even now that she¡¯s dead.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Oho? You seem to know me so well, Casanova~¡± I said while smiling back at Lucifer. ¡°I-I am only talking about what I¡¯ve known about you since we met¡­ I-It¡¯s nothing more than that!¡± said Lucifer while crossing his arms and averting his gaze from me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so shy.¡± I sighed. Syllis giggled as he saw our interactions. He seemed rather happy and carefree. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, I should really tell you something important,¡± I said. ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± asked Syllis. I prepared myself to tell him this, but I was having a hard time. I didn¡¯t want to see this cute boy crying, but it was something I had to tell him because it was necessary for him to know about it. If I dy the inevitable, it will only hurt them more. And so, I decided to speak about it¡­ I told him about what I found while exploring the spider dungeon using my snakes and what I saw there, the bones and the souls of the rabbit kin¡­ Syllis slowly grew paler as he looked into my eyes with sorrow slowly building up inside of his eyes. The light in them didn¡¯t dissipate, but his shone brighter than before as tears began to slowly leak from his eyes. ¡°It has been over four years since then, but¡­ I guess we had already assumed the worst¡­ Even then, I couldn¡¯t help but¡­ always had that faint hope that my parents would one day be back, somehow¡­ I guess,¡± sighed Syllis. ¡°Well¡­ They¡¯re notpletely gone. Their souls and bones are here¡­ I think there might be a way to bring them back¡­ But it¡¯s really up to you and then if both parties agree to this¡­ You see, Partner used to be just a skeleton before, but after growing strong enough and evolving, she regained her flesh and even the skeleton¡¯s original appearance¡­ but I suppose your parents wouldn¡¯t be the same as before. They would be Undead.¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± Syllis stood there in silence. I could understand how he felt. This wasn¡¯t something normal you asked a person about¡­ Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have done it. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­.¡± I said. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I think¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ In one way, I am¡­ I just want to see my family again, even for thest time¡­ but in another way¡­ It¡­ it somehow feels wrong for me to bring them back after dying so gruesomely¡­ I think it could be for the best if they rest in peace.¡± He sighed. ¡°I see¡­ You¡¯re also the older brother of your family¡­ So you should tell this to your sister¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a ce where I should get involved¡­ Also, you¡¯re technically their chief now, so I will let them see the souls onest time. We¡¯ll do a purification ceremony where we¡¯ll bury their bones here and make some graves¡­ Well, we¡¯ll purify the bones too, so they don¡¯t be Undead by themselves.¡± I said. ¡°Thank you¡­ We all really appreciate it,¡± said Syllis. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Emeraldine will also help in that regard. She¡¯s pretty good at that.¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, leave it to me. I have purified many lost souls before. Freeing them from anguish is part of the power of Light.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°You¡¯ve done so much for us already¡­ Thanks¡­ I really mean it, thanks a lot¡­¡± sighed Syllis. In the end, I knew this would happen. Not everyone just wants to force their people to juste back as Undead. Many would desire them to rest in peace instead, especially because spirituality and the afterlives are well-known facts in this world and not just beliefs. I often wonder if there is the Goddess of Death Hel¡­ and do souls go to Helheim? Or maybe¡­ is there another ce? ¡ª¨C Chapter 211 ¡ª¨C As a Ghost and a Death Attribute Mage, I have a certain ability. If I touch a soul, I can see through their past, even their memories, and perhaps a glimpse of the future they could go through. It¡¯s nothing crazy, and it only works with souls that are already outside a body. It won¡¯t work on anything else. It is somehow a way to see what might happen to them. By touching the souls of the people of the spider dungeon, I saw their past and what they went through. It wasn¡¯t pretty, but it was a swift death. The venom the spiders injected into them almost instantly killed them, and then¡­ well, their bodies were slowly drained out of their internal juice¡­ yeaaah, pretty horrible. I suppose they were already dead when that happened, so it was okay¡­ I still feel bad when I see these souls. Some of them had a very strong and terrible death and so agonizing that their appearances turned amorphous as if they had be a mass of venomous purple liquid. Maybe if I use Fake Life on them, they could turn into Poison Ghosts or something¡­ but I really don¡¯t want to do that. I want to go with Syllis¡¯ wishes and¡­ give these people a nice and peaceful ending, one where they¡¯ll go to the afterlife and rest once and for all. I looked into the moonlight. The little girl inside the dungeon¡­ was she at fault for their deaths? Most likely. She didn¡¯t show herself in these memories, so she did things indirectly, but she still did them¡­ she maniptes and controls the hive of spiders, after all. So¡­ in a way, she¡¯s the murderer of Syllis¡¯ family. ¡­ I don¡¯t really know what to think about this. I have so many conflicted emotions. But I really don¡¯t want to kill her¡­ Maybe because she has the body of a little human-like girl. Perhaps if she were a mere monster, I wouldn¡¯t have doubted, right? Even as a ghost, my mind is very human-like sometimes¡­ and I am a big softie too. I just can¡¯t bring myself to kill a child. Maybe she¡¯s just inexperienced. Perhaps it is not toote to show her something different in life, to teach her how to use her strength¡­ This girl is very mysterious¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve told my friends about her yet. I don¡¯t want to¡­ I want to keep her a secret for now. She¡¯s¡­ what if they want to kill her to avenge Syllis¡¯ family? What I fear is that I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them because I know it is justified. And I know she¡¯s just a monster deep down¡­ She¡¯s certainly not a normal girl¡­ Agh, who would have thought that a ghost would have morality problems? I really suck at these sorts of things¡­ I am not cut out for this. But really, what is she anyway? I can¡¯t tell. She¡¯s a girl-shaped monster generated by the dungeon? But¡­ she¡¯s way too strong. Was she born this strong? Or how does that go? I am wondering these things because I can¡¯t stop thinking about her¡­ quite possibly because I am with her right now, using a clone. The day passed normally, as she yed with me and tried biting me a couple of times until she gave up. After that, she ended up going to read and then went to sleep again. She squeezed me into the bed with her¡­ she likes my little snake clone, I guess. But this girl¡­ never walks outside. Is she afraid of the outside world? Or, most likely, the spiders provide her with everything, so she doesn¡¯t need to walk outside. But it feels as if sometimes she really wants to go outside, walk outside, and meet the world outside¡­ I wonder if she really does not want to go to the outside world¡­ maybe¡­ she¡¯s afraid ofing out of her dungeon? Well, seeing how powerful she is and the immense aura of power she emanates, plus the spiders working to hermand, it¡¯s better if she doesn¡¯t go outside. Yeah, better keep the little problem girl inside the dungeon for now! I will have to smother her down with my motherly love until she bes a good girl and not a world-ending entity. Because if she controls all these spiders¡­ she could very much take down an entire Kingdom. I think¡­ she¡¯s very dangerous indeed! I think she¡¯s stronger than all of usbined too. We can¡¯t even see her status yet, but she has such a powerful auraing out of her. Is she a goddess or something?! Well, not that strong but still¡­ at least above A-Rank¡­ maybe¡­ S-Rank? Ugh¡­ aren¡¯t S-Rank threats¡­ like¡­ continental level and beyond? She¡¯s really troublesome. Yeah, we better not go to the dungeon to waste away our lives. Thank you very much. And she doesn¡¯t seem to want anything other than eat and read her books. In fact, she seems very childish. Without any intention of conquest, she¡¯ll only make her spider hunt whatever they find to feed themselves and to feed her¡­ so there isn¡¯t any real incentive for them to go out of their way and attack innocent people far away from here. But the scale in which their strength is¡­ Well, that¡¯s the problem, it is very big, and they¡¯re very strong too, so it¡¯s gonna be troublesome either way. For now, it would be better to let her be. I want to use my clone to grow closer to her a bit. If I can slowly smother her down and make her into a nice girl that will not destroy the world with her army of giant spiders, we can get to a good ending. But seriously, this girl is so strong she seems right out of some sort of Game Boss bestiary¡­ Is she some sort of living cmity? If she¡¯s blessed by Loki, the God of Chaos¡­ then she¡¯s certainly someone deserving of that Divine Protection, right? This girl is really such a headache¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 212 ¡ª¨C We decided to purify and exorcise the souls of the Rabbit-kin with Emeraldine today in the morning, right as the sun emerges from the horizon. I think it is a fitting time of the day to do it. There haven¡¯t been any monster spider attackstely. I think they are noting here for the moment, or they might try to avoid us¡­ or something. I suppose the spiders are not resentful, so that¡¯s good. Maybe they just don¡¯t even know we killed their squadron because they simply never came back. So perhaps they don¡¯t know what happened or are still waiting for them toe back with food for the nest one day in the future¡­ maybe. Anyways, this is not important anymore. We brought the bones, and the souls are with me. The bones¡­ we decided to burn them in arge bonfire, separately from one another. I knew which bones were from which person thanks to their ¡°essence¡± and ¡°phantom,¡± which I was able to identifying from certain people. The bones were calcinated until they became ashes, and each graveyard was where we put the ashes underground. Syllis asked us to also put a seed from any nt in each grave. This was some sort of ritual, where they always put the corpses of their people in ces where nts were growing and left seeds in there so the people would ¡°revive¡± as the nts of the forest. It was pretty beautiful¡­ I felt moved. We decided to do as they said, and we put a seed in each grave, honoring these people. I hope that their essence and the nutrients of their ashes can turn into beautiful trees one day. And then, their souls. Syllis and his sister, Bellerine, looked at the two souls of their parents. Everyone present looked at the souls of their lost family members. They were all floating around. They seemed to not recognize their family members. After four years of being trapped inside a dungeon, they had changed a lot. It was better not to show the souls to them from a close distance and let the people try to discern them¡­ because there were a few missing. These souls most likely ended up reincarnating inside the dungeon, as dungeons absorb souls and push them into their own reincarnation cycle, where they turn the souls into monsters. That¡¯s how dungeons get their monsters, so that¡¯s how it usually goes with people who die inside of them. But these people¡­ were pretty strong to resist it for a while, even with the pressure of the dungeon slowly trying to absorb them. ¡°Then¡­ [Purification].¡± Emeraldine conjured a simple Life, and Light Attribute spell, apound spell made of two elements merged together. It is capable of¡­ well, purifying things, including the souls of the damned that have stayed resentful for way too long. FLASH! Emeraldine closed her eyes as she offered prayers to the souls, prayers that her mother had taught her. The Elves were very spiritual with their beliefs, and they prayed to the God of Nature and the Goddess of Love and Fertility, Freyr and Freyja, respectively. There wasn¡¯t any crappy Light God there, so they prayed to these more mystical gods, connected with nature and all things rted with care and love. Her embracing light covered the bodies of the souls as their appearances began to change¡­ The souls, covered in scars, pain, and suffering, slowly began to leave behind this darkness and began to glow brighter and brighter, turning into beautiful forms of yellowish-gold light. They were so beautiful that it seemed that they were not at all what they were before a few seconds ago¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe it myself. They suddenly showed their true appearances. The appearances of the rabbit-kin they once used to be¡­ and all of them began to slowly glow brighter. They felt relieved and smiled warmly back at the people around them. Some recognized their friends and family members that had died back then, while others seemed to not be able to discern them¡­ but felt within the light that these souls emanated that there was some sort of gratefulness to it. Syllis and Bellerine tried to approach the souls of their parents slowly, as tears began to pour out of their eyes¡­ There were certainly many things they might have wanted to talk about with them. Many things they wanted to experience with them. Yet¡­ I suppose their end was very abrupt. Very cruel¡­ I could notice in their faces filled with sorrow how much they wanted to talk with them and keep living with them. But it was very clear that they were more than dead now. After four years, they had gotten over it and maturated and lived on their own just fine. But still, seeing them here¡­ probably hurt them a lot. ¡°Mom¡­ Dad¡­¡± muttered Syllis. ¡°Papa¡­ mama!¡± cried Bellerine. The figure of a beautiful rabbit-kin woman slowly approached them, alongside a slender and handsome rabbit-kin man. They seemed to recognize their children even after four years of them having grown up and changed¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve grown a bit, Syllis¡­ Bellerine¡­¡± said their father. ¡°My children¡­ I¡¯ve missed you¡­ every single day¡­¡± cried their mother. ¡°You¡¯re going away?¡± asked Bellerine. ¡°It is what we must do¡­¡± sighed her father. ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna!¡± cried Bellerine. ¡°It has been four years since we died¡­ Bellerine¡­ I am sure that my little girl has gotten past it, right?¡± asked her mother while smiling warmly. She petted her head as the little rabbit girl cried loudly and tried to hug her, but her mother was ethereal and couldn¡¯t be easily hugged. But her brother hugged the little girl tightly. They felt the hug from their parents around them, an epassing and warm light blessing their very souls with the love that only parents could give to their children¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll watch over you¡­¡± said their father. ¡°So take care, okay? I love you¡­ I love you more than anything¡­¡± said their mother. ¡°We love you too¡­¡± cried Syllis. ¡°Mama¡­ Papa¡­ I will take care of brother¡­¡± said Bellerine. ¡°Hm! That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Said their mother. ¡°Then¡­ we are going¡­.¡± Said their father. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± said their mother. The mother and father held hands as they flew away with the other souls into the horizon. The light of the sun slowly dissipated their bodies like bright particles of light. And one by one, they slowly dissipated with the wind¡­ ¡ª- Chapter 213 ¡ª¨C As we saw the souls slowly dissipate on the horizon, I suddenly felt as if something leveled up. I looked into my Soul Grimoire, which emerged as a phantasmal book in front of me, and realized a few Skills and Titles leveled up¡­ huh, I guess? The titles that level up were Undead Queen, the Dark Witch, and Spirit Mediator¡­ Interesting. Ah, talking about Spirits, I wonder if I¡¯ll ever get one myself. That never went anywhere, mostly because of all the stuff thrown at me back then. But now that I am free and rxed, can I get a spirit?! I want one! I even got a job that is about Spirits, and I remember getting a lot of Skills and Titles out of it that enhanced my power. I think I even got Spirit Magic, but without a spirit to back them up, they¡¯re useless! Ugh¡­ Well, I am always seeking for one, but Darkness and Death Spirits are very rare, ording to Emeraldine, so I have to keep looking. She said that they¡¯re very rare to find because Spirits thrive where there is a lot of energy, but in ces where there is death and darkness, there isn¡¯t ever any energy there. Maybe the night? Yeah, but the night is temporary, so spirits of darkness cannot really make a home out on the surface. So I can find them underground? I don¡¯t really know, but that¡¯s what mymon sense is kind of trying to tell me. Perhaps I can find them in the underground¡­ No, I am not digging right now or something. I actually want to get going now. We are pretty close to our destination now: the ruins of the ancient Demon Kingdom ruled by the old Demon King¡­ If I find a spirit on the way, that¡¯s nice. But if not¡­ that¡¯s nice too, I guess. Seeing how things are progressing now, we should be done by now. But we¡¯ll let the people mourn for now, and then we¡¯ll proceed with moving out tomorrow. I just want to rx for now and go to take a nap. Ding! [You have acquired the [Saint of Death: Lv1] Title Skill] Huh?! What is this? I got another Title Skill? Haven¡¯t I gotten plenty of them now? How convoluted you want my status to be! And it has an eerie-sounding name to boot! ¡°Saint of Death¡± doesn¡¯t sound nice to me¡­ Am I really the saint of death itself? Ah, makes sense, seeing how Hel granted me her Divine Protection and everything¡­ But why did I get such a Title? System, can you tell me? Chapter 214 ¡ª¨C I had suddenly been dragged elsewhere. Everywhere around me suddenly changed. The scenery, everything¡­ I was suddenly in apletely different ce¡­ It looked like arge and endless dark cave¡­ It felt different from being on the surface¡­ Is this not a real ce but some sort of illusion? A divine illusion of some sort? No¡­ this is¡­ ¡°You¡¯re inside of my Divine Realm. It is an embodiment of the Realm of Helheim. I can bring you here easily because you¡¯re just a soul. If you had a physical body, it would be impossible, even less a living one¡­¡± she said. ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± I said. ¡°It also works because you¡¯re a ghost! You¡¯re just the perfect and ideal Saint of Death for me in everything, Maria.¡± She said. ¡°I see¡­ Erm, why am I here?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re acting very casually in front of me. Are you holding back the fear?¡± She teasingly asked. ¡°Well, a bit, but you¡¯re honestly pretty cute, so I can bear the fear a bit,¡± I said. ¡°Huh? Cute?¡± asked Hel while tilting her head in confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t mind what I just said¡­ I often talk nonsense when I am nervous¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Fufu, am I cute to you? Nobody had ever told me that before¡­¡± said Hel; she suddenly smiled beautifully. Damn it¡­ she was really a stunner. Why are men and women in this world so handsome and beautiful?! First Lucifer, then Partner, Emeraldine, Syllis, Catarina, Silvio, Francesco, and¡­ Agh! Too many! And now Hel?! ¡°Erm¡­ As I said¡­ it was something I said recklessly. Please don¡¯t mind what I say¡­.¡± I said. ¡°So you¡¯re taking it back?¡± she asked with a pitiful look in her eyes, like a sad puppy. ¡°Ah¡­ No! Th-That¡¯s not what I meant! You¡¯re actually very beautiful¡­ I am impressed. But I suppose that¡¯s how goddesses are.¡± I said. ¡°Oh my¡­ Maria, you¡¯re trying to hit on me or something?¡± she asked. ¡°Huh?! No! I am just being honest¡­.¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s only ttering me even more¡­ Maria, you¡¯re trying to seduce death~?¡± asked Hel. ¡°Hel! Did you just call me here for us to flirt?!¡± I asked. ¡°Ooh! No! Hahaha! Sorry, sorry, it just shocked me¡­ I have never received this much praise before¡­ You¡¯re too amusing, Maria. You¡¯re my little treasure¡­ I am working hard to make you stronger, but I require more payback from you, so bring me more souls. Those ones you sent here were very good.¡± Said Hel. ¡°Oh¡­ Souls? But don¡¯t I keep them with me as a Necromancer?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, yes, but you¡¯ll also be able to send them here whenever you feel like it. Although you can use the help of your elf friend to purify the souls, and as an Apostle of Death, you¡¯ll gain the power to send them here automatically! How amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked. ¡°That wasn¡¯t in the Title description¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Well, there are always special abilities in everything! They won¡¯t show in descriptions because abilities within your Soul Book are not just a game thing¡­ They¡¯re an expression of your soul, and the expression of a soul can grow and develop naturally into many thingies¡­¡± said Hel. Hel was right. This power, the Status and all¡­ wasn¡¯t some sort of MMO game where we get every detail of everything¡­ I guess that even with the amazing details of the descriptions, there is always something more hidden. ¡°I-I see. Thanks for the head ups¡­.¡± I said. It was bing a bit awkward. ¡°Maria, I called you here because I wanted to have a more personal talk with you. We met briefly before now, but now that you¡¯ve advanced so far, I can¡¯t help but be rooting for you at every step you take¡­ Dear Maria, you must know that there are many things brewing everywhere, you have to be careful¡­ You¡¯ve just avoided a catastrophe. That little spider girl is special. Make sure to take care of her.¡± said Hel. ¡°You know about her? What is she anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ You could call her a living catastrophe, yes¡­¡± said Hel. ¡°Huh?!¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­ She¡¯s a Spawn of Chaos, a Seed of Chaos created by my father¡­ They¡¯re beings made to bring challenges to the world¡­ And well, to punish those that dare to meddle with the Fragments of the Evil God. Mortals must not dare to touch them and use them for their own selfish motives, or they¡¯ll end up being punished by divine power.¡± said Hel. ¡°W-What?! Wait, hold on a bit¡­ So the little girl is¡­ A creation from the God of Chaos?¡± I asked. ¡°Why yes¡­ You could call her somewhat of my sister¡­ But she¡¯s not as powerful as a goddess, but her potential is great¡­¡± said Hel. ¡°I see¡­ I have to take care of her indeed¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°For now, I require you to tread carefully¡­ The world might go upside down soon. The world is changing. Challenges are approaching. Things will not remain the same.¡± Said Hel. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ The God of Light has made you his enemy, so make sure to kill any follower you ever see of him¡­ they¡¯ll all try to kill you one way or the other.¡± Said Hel. ¡°Okay, but¡­!¡± ¡°And make sure to develop your powers. You¡¯ve got a lot of capabilities you have yet to fullyprehend and use to your advantage, so dedicate some time to them.¡± Said Hel. She¡¯s just telling me what to do like a mother or something! Does she see me as her daughter? ¡°Sure¡­ Anyways, I¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s it. Now, go back to your world, for now, dear Maria. I am eager to see where you¡¯ll take me next¡­ And well, if you¡¯re still into me by any chance, we¡¯ll see if you¡¯ll be deserving of my attention in that regard¡­¡± she said while winking back at me. ¡°Hel, I think¡­! Wait! Don¡¯t¡­!¡± I cried. POOF! And I was sent back. Damn it, this woman! She doesn¡¯t even let me speak to her! Ugh¡­ Wait, did she say something about flirting with her or something? Did I hear that right?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 215 ¡ª¨C The Goddess of Death giggled after she spoke with Maria. She had never experienced such a funny conversation in her entire life before. Maria was way too funny, often speaking things that didn¡¯t seem to make any sense. She rested her legs over the sides of the throne as her beautiful and slender pale-white legs moved around as if she were bored. Hel licked her lips as she grabbed an apple from a nearby table using a wave of her hands to bring it to her hand, and she looked into the beautiful red fruit. She opened her mouth and gave it a gentle bite. The moment she did, the entire fruit turned ck and began to rot¡­ after rotting, it turned into ck ashes and dissipated. ¡°Hahaha~ Maria is really someone amusing! To think I would hit the jackpot with her¡­¡± sheughed. The Goddess of Death looked into the boring pce around her,pletely empty of anything. It was only her and the asional soul or skeleton wandering around, often being her servants, but unlike Maria and her other Undead friends, they were all dull, emotionless, and seemingly silent. Hel sighed. She wished she could have her all for herself here. She would never be bored anymore with such a peculiar woman at her side. She would happilyugh every day and go on crazy adventures with the little Maria¡­ there wouldn¡¯t be a day she would be bored with her. But well, Maria belonged to the surface for now, and she had many friends there already. Meanwhile, Hel was here,pletely alone. Her father, the God of Chaos, was always busy doing something else, and it wasn¡¯t as if she were a child to want her father here forcing himself to make her have some sort of fun. Every god had their own duty regarding their divinity. The god of chaos seeded chaos, the god of light created the light of the world and guided humanity, the god of nature protected nature and life and guided the elves, the goddess of love and fertility protected love and fertility, and also the elves too. The goddess of ice and snow protected the ice giants, maintained the coldness and iciness of winter, and so on. The goddess of death had to do what the goddess of death had to do, which was bring souls to her domain and grant them the afterlife. She embodied a natural phenomenon. Her mere existence made death a concept. And that was it. It wasn¡¯t as if she was permitted to go to the surface. Her existence would probably instantly kill almost anything within the continent she was to touch and turn them all into Undead to boot. So that was a big no. Her power was way too much. The surface wasnd for the mortals and the living. Although there were Undead, they were considered some sort of ¡°glitch¡± that shouldn¡¯t really be there, but due to her influence leaking to the surface of the world naturally, phantasmal beings and undead surge naturally in areas with a lot of concentrated mana. Undead were supposed to belong to the Realm of Death, Helheim, where only a few of the living beings of the world had ever explored, and only momentarily and with divine power capable of resisting the death essence of Hel and her domain¡­ Therefore, this ce was¡­ very deste. Hel was always alone most of the time. Although Fenrir and Jormungandr, her siblings, often wandered around Helheim, they were closer to the living than death and were part of anotherpletely different group of gods named Beast Gods, with their own duties. So they were not able toe interact with her very often, and they seemed not to take their sister too seriously to do it either. Unlike her, they had many descendants they had to take care of. So due to all these factors, and quite naturally so, Hel was always alone. And she found in Maria a diversion to her eternal boredom. But something else was developing in her deathly heart, something else she had never felt before for someone. It was something like¡­ a mother worried for her child. Or maybe a big sister worried for her little sister? Hel had developed some sort of feeling for Maria, without having spoken to her more than once, and very briefly at that. By merely looking at her do her things, survive, thrive, make friends, and more, she slowly grew closer to Maria¡¯s character. Like looking at a very good TV Drama, but it was actually real life! Hel couldn¡¯t help but feel attracted to Maria in such a way. Maria¡­ She was really an amusing woman¡­ Now that she spoke to her, she ended up barely letting Maria talk, but the time she had to speak ended up spitting nonsense that only made Helugh at how ridiculous and hrious Maria could get. Seriously, who would tell a goddess that she was beautiful just upfront? Maria was really someone way too insane! But that¡¯s what Hel liked the most, how insane Maria could be. She was insane and fun, and that brought her fun too, and slowly, she felt like she was bonding with her as she saw her struggle and even began to have empathy for her. When the God of Light tried to convince Hel to ¡°disown¡± Maria from her Divine Protection, Hel went against his will and ended up declining his stupid request. Before, she would have probably epted so the old man would stop annoying her. But now? She couldn¡¯t possibly let go of Maria. Maria was hers. ¡°To think you even came across one of my father¡¯s little Catastrophes¡­ I wonder what you¡¯ll do with the little girl¡­ I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re actually trying to befriend such a being¡­ Maria, you¡¯re really something else, huh?¡± sighed Hel as she drank a cup of wine and looked at Maria¡¯s daily life through a projection in front of her made from a glowing blue orb. ¡ª- Chapter 216 ¡ª¨C The God of Chaos, Loki, noticed that something had happened. When he was sitting over the branch of the world, he hadn¡¯t sensed anything like this, but suddenly, he felt it now that he was back inside of his divine realm. It felt strange, was something messing around with her protected children? The God of Chaos had put his Divine Protection in a few entities he had created indirectly through a Seed of Chaos. He had been overseeing them for a while until he got bored and went to rest inside of his divine realm, but when he least expected it, one of the least developed but deadliest of them all was suddenly doing something odd. It was interacting with another divine protection wielder! And who could it be this time? It was actually nobody else but Maria, the woman divine protected by her daughter! Oh, well, he wasn¡¯t so surprised after learning this. He always held Maria in high regard. She was a very strange entity, a ghost that kept her consciousness and part of her rationality to an extent and even acted as a mildly insane human. She was insane sometimes, but other times she acted very much like an average person. Well, to be honest, Loki only thought of her as insane when she went ham against those that had done terrible things to innocent people or that had somehow been involved with her family when she was alive. The mysterious God of Chaos looked down into what was happening as he saw the little spider girl happily y around with a cute little phantasmal, purple-colored snake, which began doing all sorts of jumps, acrobatics, and pirouettes to entertain her. ¡°Is this¡­ Oh right, she¡¯s a Gorgon¡­ So she can create small clones of her own soul in the form of snakes¡­ I see. So she¡¯s having fun with the little child¡­ Interesting, I never thought this would happen. I thought she would either run away or fight against her and die hopelessly, but this¡­ Hm, I might have underestimated her more than I thought.¡± Said the God of Chaos with a smile while raising an eyebrow in surprise. This little spider girl¡­ despite her adorable appearance, was a Living Catastrophe, a being born from Chaos, a Seed of Chaos. It had many names, but nheless, she was a being destined to bring destruction, challenges, and change. It was something that Chaos would have to do eventually. It was the duty of the God of Chaos, after all, to not let things stagnate. Challenges, danger, and more were necessary, and also, to thin out the poption of mortals to an extent. Of course, many Gods were very attached to their mortals, so they disliked what Loki did, even though it was his duty as a God of Chaos, but they couldn¡¯t do much against his will because he was a pir of the world the same as they were. Buttely, the God of Light had be more and more annoying, trying to make other gods think like him while forcing the smaller ones to join his forces. For some reason, he had been acting too selfish due to having grown overly attached to humans. He was growing addicted to their prayers and the power he was getting from them. And because he was gaining more and more power from them, he had grown more arrogant, and with arrogancy came foolishness, ignorance, and stupidity, so he began to try to get involved in other gods¡¯ affairs. But would you me him? Gods were beings above all creation. Their power was unparalleled with one another, and so they grew bored of creation and everything and wanted things to change for them too. The God of Chaos only destroyed the stagnation of mortals, not of gods, and therefore, everything was dull. Therefore, the God of Light had grown with the intention to change things slowly, bit by bit. He wanted to change things and make humans more prevalent so he could gain more power and continue changing things. But was he really as capable as he thought? The God of Chaos didn¡¯t seem to care about him at the moment, as his mind and thoughts werepletely different, and therefore he couldn¡¯t really understand the feeble mind of the God of Light. ¡®Hmm¡­ Well, let¡¯s see where all of this goes¡­ But those that mess with the Fragments of Evil will get punished one way or another¡­ Normal humans cannot touch those things, or well¡­ they¡¯ll only bring disaster to them¡­.¡¯ Thought Loki. Meanwhile, the little spider girl was ying around with a yful snake within her dungeon. ¡°Worm!¡± The little girl raised her index finger as the little snake suddenly jumped out of the floor and began to float around, reaching her finger and touching it with her snout. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The girl giggled as she began to run around, raising her finger again. She was making the snake jump from the floor to reach her finger. Of course, it wasn¡¯t jumping and more like floating in midair, but for the little girl it felt like it was jumping. The girl¡¯s beautiful red eyes seemed entertained by her new friend. The other spiders had been looking at her for a while. Some seemed happy the girl got a friend, while others were concerned that she might deviate from her original purposes by having such a distraction. The spiders, however, couldn¡¯t think more deeply than that, and as the servants of the girl, they simply obeyed her orders and didn¡¯t intrude into her rtionship with the one she called ¡°worm.¡± The little spider girl jumped around as she chased down the snake, and then the snake began chasing her down afterward. The two yed together until the little girl was tired, gasping for air over the floor. ¡°Hahh¡­ Phew¡­¡± The little girl knew very few words, but Maria realized how she was slowly learning more. It didn¡¯t seem particrly hard for her. ¡ª¨C Chapter 217 ¡ª¨C From the little time Maria had spent with her, she realized she was a very innocent and cute girl¡­ How could she even be a Living Catastrophe? The only thing Maria feared from her was her cuteness, which was making her have the strong urge to adopt her¡­ Loki had never seen such a Living Catastrophe behave like this before, so he had grown more interested in Maria and apologized to her deep down for having underestimated her as someone interesting but still superficially nd. O h, h ow wrong he was¡­ ¡ª¨C After having received the title of Saint of Death, I was sucked by Hel into her realm and then spit out rather rapidly after, without any proper exnation other than her telling me to take care of myself as if she were my new mother or something. Seriously, I can take care of myself, Hel, thank you very much. And the whole thing about flirting with her¡­ I take it back, please. Let¡¯s not make misunderstandings here. I am already with my hands full with three wonderful love candidates, one of which I had already kissed! I don¡¯t need more. The Harem Tag was already added to the story. We don¡¯t need to make it more convoluted, please. But for now, we decided to settle down and take the day off. I had decided to rx while keeping a watchful eye around for any spider friends that might want to join our dear Pyro, but it seemed that there were none. They were scared or simply not wandering around these areas anymore. The trip to our destination will begin tomorrow in the morning. We¡¯ll go all the way down to the south of the continent, where the temperatures get pretty cold, and there¡¯s even snow sometimes in the year. This is because this area of the continent is close to another continent filled with ice and snow, Niflheim. Asgard is usually a continent without any extreme environments. It is all grasnds, mountains, forests, jungles, and so on, but at the corners of the continent is where things get a bit more extreme as the continent gets closer to other continents, which are extreme. To the north, things get hotter instead because the continent is closer to Muspelheim, and of volcandmasses, dry deserts, and hot and damp jungles. Therefore, I have to guess things get pretty ufortable there, but fear not! We are not going there or something, so there shouldn¡¯t be anything to fear for. And even then, we are mostly Undead, so we¡¯ll be fine in any environment. Although those with physical bodies might experience rotting fast if it gets too hot. But! We might leave that expedition for another day, I do want to visit jungles, deserts, and more, but for now, we¡¯ll go to the south and chill with the snow. We¡¯ll make snowmen, build igloos, tame penguins, hunt orcas, and all of that. It¡¯ll be fun! All while we slowly make a small vige with the protection of the ruins from the Demon Kingdom feels good. It feels like my life is finally going somewhere after all this time being a ghost. Yeah, I am pretty happy. After what we did for those souls, I feel pretty lighthearted. I could even kiss someone. ¡­Yeah, I better not do that. But for now, what¡¯s better than chixing in the snow and everything? Maybe I could even make something like snowmen raised through Fake Life! I know that Fake Life works with inanimate objects and might raise inanimate undead, such as Skeletons, Haunted Weapons, or even a Haunted House or something¡­ so there are many possibilities. I kind of want something new, but we¡¯ll see what cane out of it. I was thinking of something nice like a giant snow golem and call it Frost! But wouldn¡¯t I need a strong core too? I can make it, but it¡¯ll need some nice support. Hmmm¡­ A-Anyways, enough of that. We did some stuff throughout the day, mostly cleaning, preparing, packing things up, foraging for any herbs or edible mushrooms we could find around before leaving, and hunting for fresh meat. I had once thought about eating the spiders by boiling them, but it¡¯s better if we didn¡¯t. They might bring diseases again, so the corpses of the zombie spiders were disinfected intensively, and the rest were put inside my inventory until I needed themter. And like this, the day went by as usual¡­ Well, things are not normal anymore, to be honest. After what happened with Emeraldine, our rtionship had be a bit awkward. Ugh, I knew we shouldn¡¯t have kissed, but the passion of the moment got the better of us. But now, it feels awkward¡­ we are in some sort of rtionship but not really¡­ I mean, we kissed so lovingly, and it¡¯s clear we feel strong feelings for one another, but the uncertainty is eating us alive, and the sense that we have to slowly wait and know each other better is also hitting us hard. We are trying our best to act as we did before that day, but things are clearly not going to go back¡­ After that day, we clearly can¡¯t see each other the same way after all. Emeraldine was already beautiful before, but now she¡¯s so pretty to me. She¡¯s stunning. I just want to hold her hand and protect her and whisper to her pointy ears how cute she is. And her pointy ears, oh god, they¡¯re so cute. Elves are so god damn cute. She¡¯s so cute¡­ I¡­ Ugh. This is really love, isn¡¯t it? God almighty, save me from this predicament. As a harem protagonist, the only thing I must do is romance the others to bnce it out¡­ Sigh. It¡¯s gonna be hard, but I know Emeraldine is doing her best to resist as well. ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Partner. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking very weirdtely. Are you doing alright?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 218 ¡ª¨C Suddenly, noticing that I was spacing out with my intense romantic thoughts, Partner and Lucifer decided to wake me up from my daze. ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Partner. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking very weirdtely. Are you doing alright?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°I-I have?! I am just¡­ erm, mncholic¡­ Yeah!¡± I said. ¡°Uhh¡­ Okay¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry, Master, those souls are now in a better ce, right?¡± asked Partner. ¡°Yep¡­ They are¡­ It¡¯s all thanks to our beautiful Emeraldine¡¯s help.¡± I said. ¡°E-Eh? Ah¡­ It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± said Emeraldine. She had woken up from her daze, and she had been looking at me intensively for a while now¡­ ¡°Anyways, let me feed you today~,¡± said Partner, offering me a spoon with soup. ¡°W-Wait! I thought I was going¡­ to do it¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Huh? Since when do you do this?¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°Y-You two always do it! I also want to¡­ pamper¡­ Maria¡­¡± said Lucifer. He was getting shyer with every word he said, averting his gaze from me as his pale-white face became a bit red, and it was barely noticeable. ¡°Heeh~? So you want to do it? But only girls do this¡­ You¡¯re a guy!¡± said Partner. ¡°W-Who said that?!¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of true. In the stories I¡¯ve read, it¡¯s the girl that feeds the love interest with food in a cute manner¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Maria¡­ So you think that¡­ then I guess¡­¡± sighed Lucifer, as he was about to just forget about the idea. I quickly took Partner¡¯s spoon with warm soup and then cut a piece of grilled meat and offered it to Lucifer. ¡°Alright,e here and pick this up~,¡± I said. ¡°Huh?! Master! I want to be pampered too¡­¡± said Partner. ¡°Partner, I slept with youst night. You were very clingy and snuggled a lot, so it¡¯s unfair if you want all the attention¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Okay¡­¡± sighed Partner. I petted her red-haired head as Lucifer shyly looked at the fork. ¡°Come on, what are you waiting for?¡± I asked. ¡°Th-This is an unsightly thing to do as a Dragon¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Just ept it and eat it up.¡± I sighed. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± he said. Lucifer quickly received the meat. He couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward, but he really wanted to do this kind of stuff for some reason, so I allowed him to. ¡°Is this really alright?¡± he wondered. ¡°Yeah,e on, it will get cold¡­.¡± I said. And like that, I ended up spoiling my dragon daddy a bit. He was always the shyest one and the one that got the least attention because he was very shy and more prideful than the girls, but he was opening up more now. I was slowly softening him up, fufu. In the end, Partner also asked to be fed this way, and I did, and then Emeraldine too, so I did¡­ And then Catarina asked for it and- ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself!¡± I said. ¡°Ah! S-Sorry¡­¡± said Catarina. She had grown a bit humblertely, to the point of even being able to say things such as ¡°sorry.¡± After all the spoiling, the night quickly came after dinner, and I decided to go to sleep for tomorrow¡¯s journey, as it was going to be a long day, so I didn¡¯t want to waste any hours of sleep. I didn¡¯t need to sleep, but my mind felt like it wanted a break from everything that had happened today and the previous days, so I flew to my carriage and decided to rest. In the bed, there was Lucifer. There was a deal where the trio would take turns when sleeping at my side. It¡¯s nothing really sexual, just sleeping near me, and it seems that it is what they like the most. I don¡¯t really get it sometimes, but they¡¯re clingy with me, so that¡¯s that. Not like I amining, I like it, and I suppose I get it. They just like to feel themselves being loved¡­ or something. Anyways, with such a handsome old dragon at my side, it¡¯s hard to keep myposure¡­ ¡°Maria¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Lucifer suddenly spoke to me as his expressionless face looked into the moonlight outside of the carriage. His crimson-red eyes shone with a sorrowful light to them. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I am doing half the time¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Ah¡­ W-What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°I have lost track of what I was meant to do¡­ I guess it all ended up revolving around you,¡± he said. ¡°Huh? Well¡­ I suppose you kind of wanted revenge against the humans that killed the demon king and all of that¡­ which I don¡¯t want to remind you of¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose our goals align so much that it feels like you¡¯re just carrying me towards them while I only stand there looking, while I grow more captivated on you¡­¡± he said. ¡°Y-You sound kind of sad because of me being awesome¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Hah¡­ I guess I am actually quite happy. I am happy that I managed to raise you as an Undead. You¡¯ve changed my life- I mean, my death, more than I could have expected.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Aw¡­ You don¡¯t have to be so sweet over it.¡± I said. ¡°Well, I have to¡­ I am just¡­ thinking many things all the time¡­¡± he said. ¡°You do?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, but¡­ I am sorry for not being able to express them all the time¡­ It is hard to be as open as those two. I am not the same type of person as they are¡­ I am sadly not someone you would like to be with, right?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Eh? What are you talking about? You¡¯re here with me, so of course, I like to be with you, dummy. You¡¯re trying to make me pity you, so I pamper you more?¡± I asked. ¡°E-Eh? No¡­ I¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°Geez, you¡¯re really a maniptive man¡­ You don¡¯t have to worry about either of those things, I am happy as I am, and that includes having you at my side. Let¡¯s go meet your dragon family whenever we got time, alright?¡± I asked. ¡°Truly?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, why not? We have to go confirm if there are any survivors after all.¡± I said. ¡°Maria¡­ Thanks¡­ I am grateful to have met someone like you.¡± He said. ¡°Aw,e on, stop being so grateful¡­ Nowe here, let¡¯s snuggle¡­ Goodnight, Lucy.¡± I said. ¡°D-Don¡¯t call me Lucy!¡± he roared angrily. ¡°Haha! That¡¯s the Lucy I like!¡± I giggled. Lucifer sighed as he waved his head and then caressed my face a bit. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful when you giggle like that. It¡­ soothes my troubled heart.¡± He said. ¡°H-huh?! What with thatpliment?!¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Nothing, don¡¯t mind it. Sometimes when we are alone, I feel the inspiration to praise you, as you are like a fine piece of art to me,¡± he said. ¡°Um, you¡¯re still praising me¡­.¡± I said. ¡°R-Right, sorry¡­¡± he said. Lucifer fell silent for a bit as I slowly moved my hand to his own and held it tightly. ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t say anything, but I could feel that he also strongly held it back. ¡°You¡¯ll never be alone anymore. I am with you now¡­ Okay?¡± I said. ¡°That came out of nowhere¡­¡± he answered. ¡°I-It didn¡¯t! I was trying to be romantic! Geez¡­!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 219 ¡ª¨C With ourst job done here, we had decided to finally depart today in the morning. In the end, we decided to go around the forest instead of going through it, in fear of getting to encounter more spiders than we could handle but not the people around us. I had checked the entire forest beforehand and found that there wasn¡¯t anything bad going on aside from this. There wasn¡¯t any more Rabbit-kin going around either, so it was safe to say that the ce was clear. We decided to move on with our travels this morning after breakfast, with Lucifer flying around the skies while we dedicated ourselves to travel across the area around the forest. There was no road, and the terrain was pretty rough, but nothing that Undead Horses and Ghostly Carriages couldn¡¯t handle! Yes, I had infused souls into the carriages and used Fake Like on them, so they were able to be inanimate objects Undead, such as Ghostly Carriages, as I call them. They¡¯re pretty weak and around D Rank in power, but they can push harder without any problem and don¡¯t get tired either- wait, carriages never get tired. Anyways, the thing is, they can move by themselves, but we kept the Undead horses to make the whole Undead Kingdom army vibe, you know? Because I really like those vibes when I march with my Undead. Maybe because I am an Apostle of Death or something, but it is really fun. I just like being with Undead¡­ I had never had such an obsession before. Is this unhealthy? Do I need help? Anyways, the thing is, we moved on. ¡­ The beautiful sky seemed very cloudy today. There was barely any direct sunlight. Also, there was a very chilly atmosphere, and strong winds began to devastate us without being able to do much on our own. Ah¡­ I guess it is not a really pretty day. I cannot go around describing it poetically if we are getting ravaged by icy winds! FLAAAAASH! ¡°Th-These winds are a bit too strong!¡± said Partner. ¡°Wh-What the heck is going on now?!¡± asked Catarina. ¡°So chilly, my body is slowly fading away!¡± cried Silvio. ¡°Master, please give us shelter¡­¡± cried Francisco. ¡°You guys have to work hard! We can¡¯t let you ck off. We need your fire to warm the people, so no shelter for you!¡± I said. I infused Mana into the two fire ghosts as they suddenly gained new phantasmal mass and fiery mes around their phantasmal and ghostly bodies. ¡°Ooooh! We are back in town!¡± said Silvio. ¡°Th-This is it! I can feel it in every inch of my body¡­ the power of fire!¡± said Francesco. The icy winds continued to flow towards us, there was snow pilling up all over the caravan, and it seemed that it wasn¡¯t going to stop any time soon. We were marching directly into a ce with such cold temperatures! Is there really nowhere else where we can be epted? I guess¡­ it is the only ce that humans think twice before going there. With all the vastnd they got with fresh temperatures and nice weather, getting into this ice wastnd was really not a good option, so they abandoned it. The Fire Ghost pair quickly began to divide themselves intorge mes, flying towards the rest of the caravan and warming up the people inside from the coldness. The cold also got into my shadows, so putting them there would also freeze them¡­ it is no different. Lucifer, despite that, was flying leisurely atop the skies while ncing down at what was happening. He seemed to be filled with contempt over today¡¯s weather. ¡°Oi, Lucy! Come back down! You¡¯re going to freeze to death up there!¡± I shouted. ¡°I am fine, I am already dead anyways. And we are getting closer, just a few more kilometers! Bear with it! After we get to the ruins, we should be able to take a break in there!¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Alright then!¡± I said. ¡°He really doesn¡¯t want toe down, huh?¡± sighed Partner. ¡°Yeah, he appears to be fixated on reaching the ce. I can understand him. After all, he used to be the Demon King¡¯s friend and all. He must be obsessed with going to that ce.¡± I said. ¡°I suppose he¡¯s really reminiscing of the past?¡± wondered Emeraldine. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s it,¡± I said. ¡°Hmph, for now, we should concentrate on getting into that ce to begin with. The weather is terrible, though, but not like we can do much¡­ We are all Undead minus the elf, so we can bear with it.¡± said Catarina. ¡°I-I am not an Undead!¡± said Takeshi. ¡°Me neither!¡± said Laura. ¡°W-Well, you two are monster freaks or something. Why are you crying so much over some chilly wind anyways?!¡± asked Catarina. ¡°Oi, don¡¯t treat the kids badly!¡± I said. I smacked Catarina¡¯s head, but that barely caused any damage to her because she was a tough zombie, and I was a physically weak ghost¡­ ¡°Okay, sorry¡­ But my point is getting through, right? We have to just bear with it for the moment. It will eventually calm down.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯re so confident, you can keep watch,¡± I said. ¡°I can! Wait, what?!¡± asked Catarina as she looked at us walk inside the carriage with the twins. I had decided to get inside the carriage and cook some warm food to warm everyone, and also make some warm drinks as well. I remember that the Duchess Affnaria, Julia Memendin Albraun gave us a lot of stuff and admist that there was a brown powder. This Brown Powder is not chocte nor coffee, but it is also made out of toasted seeds that then are powdered and, by pouring some warm water, can turn into a tasty coffee-like drink named Bahu. It is a special seed discovered by beast-kin that was quickly spread all over the continent. It is toasted and then made into powder, and it makes an excellent warm drink. ¡ª¨C Chapter 220 ¡ª¨C The powder even had information through a Status, and it was clearly some sort of material for alchemy or cooking. As I have Cooking Skills, I can see through an item and what they could make with it¡­ I have yet to learn Alchemy from Emeraldine, so we have to get back to theb and make some potions myself this time around to learn it¡­ but that¡¯s not the point right now, but the Bahu! ¡ª¨C [Roasted Bahu Seed Powder (D-Rank)] A seed discovered by a tribe of Tanuki-kin over a thousand years ago is roasted and then powdered into a special bitter powder. When warm water is added alongside sugar, it bes a delicious bitter drink that fills a person with energy and heat, especially good for winter and cold areas where people require to keep themselves warm over time. Enhances the mind when digesting it through caffeine, a highly addictive substance. ¡ª¨C So it pretty much is coffee but renamed? I guess it might be apletely new nt altogether, but the parallelism is big in this one. At the very least, I know that it gives people a lot of energy when digesting it. ¡°Brown powder? What¡¯s this?¡± asked Partner. ¡°It is a special brown powder specially made for people to drink. By drinking this, they can recover their senses and more. It is pretty good. You should try it out.¡± I said. ¡°We could drink this to warm ourselves¡­ Well, me. You Undead don¡¯t really need it, don¡¯t you?¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, not really.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Hm, but we¡¯ll make for everyone nheless¡­ We¡¯ll also make some other warm food. How about baked potatoes?¡± I suggested. ¡°Sounds good! With lots of butter!¡± said Takeshi. ¡°I want fish¡­¡± said Laura. ¡°Fish is too rare, and we don¡¯t have it for now, so baked potatoes with butter it is,¡± I said. ¡°Yaaaay!¡± cried Takeshi. Like that, we ended up boiling a lot of water, and we made a lot of Bahu, or well, let¡¯s call it coffee for now because that¡¯s literally it anyways. I tried it out myself, and because I am not alive nor do I have a body to absorb nutrients, I didn¡¯t feel any caffeine, but the thing that I felt was the delicious bitter, warm, and sweet vorsbining together. This is really like coffee! Well, a very bitter coffee, but very delicious nheless. After that, we quickly began to share it with everyone, and then we realized that we had already reached halfway through the route. Only a kilometer or so was left before we could reach our destination. We sat down around a phantasmal me made by Silvio as we began to eat baked potatoes with butter and drink coffee. It was a nice evening. ¡°Lucifer! Come down and eat with us!¡± I said, using a little snake ghost to annoy him. However, he seemed too fixated on our objective. ¡°Sorry, maybeter¡­¡± he said. ¡°Geez¡­ What¡¯s gotten into you all of a sudden?¡± I asked. ¡°I just want to get there quickly¡­¡± he said. ¡°Okay¡­ I get it. Fine, I am going to coil around your neck and stay with you through this little snake.¡± I said. ¡°I appreciate it¡­¡± he said faintly. Meanwhile, down there, Emeraldine, Partner, Takeshi, and Laura were all cuddling with me while we rested over several cushions. There were at least three nkets over our legs to warm up the three living beings with us, Emeraldine and the twins. Even Partner was getting warmer. I guess, now that she had evolved into this length, she was beginning to gain a few living traits that true vampires develop. If she evolves some more, she might regain thempletely or something. I was the only one that was cold! Although I discovered that my materialized body could change temperatures depending on the environment, thanks to everyone around me, I was slowly growing warmer. Resting in here below the nkets with everyone really makes me want to take a nap with everyone¡­ ¡°The potatoes are so good¡­ I was so cold before, but now I feel warm¡­¡± said Takeshi. ¡°This drink is just like coffee¡­¡± said Laura. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? And the potatoes go pretty good with it, right, Takeshi?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, yeah! Can I get another potato?¡± asked Takeshi. ¡°You¡¯ve already eaten three, Takeshi. Calm down with your eating habits. You¡¯re only a little boy!¡± said Emeraldine, reprimanding the boy. ¡°Oh¡­¡± sighed Takeshi. ¡°Potatoes are good¡­ But I prefer blood. Some warm blood could warm me up easily.¡± Said Partner as she looked down at the kids in front of us while licking her lips mischievously. The two kids suddenly felt the presence of a predator behind them, as they slowly looked behind them as if their necks were cracking in fear and horror, like their bodies were stiff as a log! ¡°Hmm¡­ Fresh¡­ warm blood would be good¡­¡± said Partner. What is she up to? Is this her Vampiric trait triggering out? We got vampires here, but they¡¯re all dead, so they don¡¯t get affected by such thirst as before. Is this what Partner might truly be?! I have to stop her! No drinking kids¡¯ blood. That¡¯s prohibited by thew of thesends! ¡°Partner, don¡¯t think that! Calm down your Vampiric thirst!¡± I said. Partner quickly woke up from her daze as she waved her head and giggled innocently a little bit¡­ ¡°I-It is just a joke! A joke!¡± she said. I know she wasn¡¯t pretending; she was talking seriously back then. ¡°It was pretty obvious you were a bit serious there, but you should calm down and assess your vampiric lust.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± sighed Partner. ¡°You¡¯ve drunk blood, right? We have given you fresh blood from whatever we hunt, and the reserves of the Blood from the other humans we killed ran out by now¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Yes, I am fine¡­ I just¡­ humanoid blood is always more appetizing.¡± She said. ¡°Hm, must be part of the curse of being a Vampire¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°It is indeed quite problematic¡­.¡± I said. ¡ª Chapter 221 ¡ª¨C After Partner¡¯s sudden thirst triggered out of nowhere, we grew rather worried about her and the prospects of a future where she would be way too thirsty. We need to find a way for her to calm that thirst of hers if possible! But how do we exactly do that?! I don¡¯t know! Really, I don¡¯t know. We can give her normal blood, right? Yeah, that works. The blood of beasts seems to be able to satiate the thirst of Vampires¡­ However, the blood of humanoids is what truly satiates their lust for blood, and it is not something we can easily get across in thesends. You don¡¯t wander around seeking bandit blood and finding it so easily! It is aplicated search. It takes time and effort. It is nothing that can be easily done around here. So it is obviously not possible for us to easily find her some nice food to eat up. Blood is a precious resource, and we had run out already. Maybe if we could find more scum of the world that nobody cares about, it would be easy prey for her bloody needs, but for now, beast blood should do. I¡¯ll keep her close to me to snap her out of her daze whenever she is in one. I can¡¯t let my Partner go around desiring blood like an insane Thrall or something, after all. But really, being with her in here and with everyone in this warm ce really reminds me of my harsh beginnings¡­ How I started as a ghost inside a graveyard, how I ended up hunting down Wisps to survive, and then how I raised Partner using Fake Life from my own skeleton. In a way, the being that Partner had be could be said to look a lot like the original Dark Witch of Misfortune, the woman whose memories I have lost, and Partner doesn¡¯t seem to have regained any memories herself whatsoever¡­ I remembered her since she was a skeleton! My skeleton! And now¡­ well, her skeleton is still inside of her, my skeleton, I mean¡­ This is a bit confusing. Back then, she couldn¡¯t speak and seemed to not understand much of what I was trying to tell her, but she had good intentions as my servant and protected me using her hard bony body, whichter on evolved to have a metallic exterior. Later on, she gained flesh and became something of a Ghoul, and then, she was strengthened once more, until now, when she became a powerful Vampiress. I am still surprised about her changes myself. It is quite shocking indeed and quite amazing as well. I can¡¯t help but feel amazed by the changes she went through¡­ It is not easy to see a skeleton suddenly regaining its flesh and internal organs out of the blue, right? I don¡¯t know how many internal hardships she had to go through herself, but they were certainly quite a lot: the change in her body, her development of emotions, the creation of her soul as her original soul was just phantasmal mass, and more¡­ It could be said she was recreated. Considering all of this and more, I can tell she still has a hard time controlling her newly generated impulses, but she¡¯s doing a good job at trying her best. She had already acquired Sunlight Resistance as a Skill, so she was going to continue getting better and better over time. I know I can trust her. So I will stay at her side and help her control her emotions and her nature, so she won¡¯t harm anyone she loves and regret itter. Holding her tightly in my arms, she slept over my chest as everyone else cuddled together with us as well. We snuggled together below the nkets, and I slept soundly after the potatoes and the coffee. Everyone else seemed to also be tired and slept with me as well. ¡­ Meanwhile, with another of my minds, I admired the skies with Lucifer as he flew over the skies silently while being ravaged by the cold winds of this icy-dominated area of the continent. ¡°Damn it, will we really make this ce our home? It is so chilly I am going to freeze.¡± I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re a ghost. You can¡¯t be frozen.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Geez, can¡¯t really even joke with you. What gotten into you? Tell me already.¡± I said. ¡°¡­Well, it is nothing too much. I am just emotionally motivated toe here. After all, it is where everything ended¡­¡± he said. ¡°I see¡­ You have the faint hope for survivors?¡± I wondered. ¡°¡­You guessed it right. I want to get there and see if there is anyone that had survived. It would be nice to know and see¡­ descendants of the people.¡± He said. ¡°Hmm¡­ I really hope so as well. It would be nice if we could find other types of Majin. You¡¯ve told me about a few before. I think you once told me about a Necromancer Lady.¡± I said. ¡°Ah, yes, the Death Magician¡­ The Death Element is rare in this world. Those that wield it can bring forth death and do all sorts of things with them¡­ it is a dangerous power.¡± he said. ¡°Hm, well, not so rare, huh? We have already fought two guys that had it, both vampireckeys.¡± I said. ¡°Yes, those guys¡­ Well, they were not the rarest, I guess. Perhaps there is a greater influx of Death Mages than before¡­ I guess I wasn¡¯t so right.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Well, they¡¯re still rare if we were only three out of a million, right?¡± I asked. ¡°I guess we could put it in that way¡­¡± said Lucifer. The two of us continued talking while looking into the clouded horizon. ¡°Hey, Lucifer, do you think your family could be alive? Anyone?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Not likely¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s a pity¡­.¡± I said. ¡°¡­Well, you and everyone else have filled this void a bit more. I wonder if I should consider you as my family.¡± He said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 222 ¡ª¨C When I woke up with my main body, we had already reached the ruins. The sky wasn¡¯t clear at all, and it was very much still pretty cloudy. The air was chilly, and there was snow falling from the sky. I found out that Emeraldine, Partner, and the twins were with me, sleeping. I slowly moved away from them by turning into my ghostly phantasmal form as the ruins greeted me from the outside. The carriage had already ended up moving some time ago. What made these ruins? Well, there were massive half-destroyed walls and ruins of houses inside, all of them made into many rows, going around arge castle where the Demon King used to live. There are also ruins around the walls, which seemed to be once used by farmers? I think so. And there is a small forest around the entire ce. Lucifer was sitting in front of us in his dragon form. His shiny bluish and ck scales shone brightly below whatever sunlight came across the clouds atop the sky. He looked into the distance with a bit of contempt. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We are finally here. What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ This brings me back some memories.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Oh, I see¡­.¡± I said. We both admired the ruins in the distance, alongside the small foggy forest surrounding it. I felt some critters wandering around there, but nothing too threatening. There was a lot of snow over the floor, probably a whole meter above the ground¡­ So that¡¯s quite something. ¡°Yawn~ Uwah? Oh, we are here already?¡± Partner woke up first as she walked out of the carriage and admired the beauty of the surroundings, although most of it was just an endless snowfield. ¡°Yep, we are here¡­ It is not as pretty as I imagined, and the snow keeps falling, but this is where we¡¯ll make our home¡­ We have to make ourselves feelfortable, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ There will be a lot of work to do. We¡¯ll reconstruct this ce, right?¡± wondered Partner. ¡°Well yeah, I do n to do that,¡± I said. And after that, the rest of the people walked out of the carriages, alongside the other people in the other caravans. Emeraldine and the twins were the first ones to reach us, and they were wearing fluffy clothes covering most of their bodies for the cold. Emeraldine looked a bit funny because she had massive breasts, so when she covered them with a lot of clothes, it looked as if her chest was just a gigantic lump¡­ Hahaha! ¡°¡­¡± I am envious. ¡°Th-This ce is very cold¡­ I can¡¯t imagine we¡¯ll make this our home¡­ Maybe we can use magic to warm it up somehow?¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°What kind of magic can warm a ce?¡± wondered Takeshi. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, but something could do it!¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Fire Magic, maybe¡­ Or I could detonate little rocks that bring some heat.¡± Said Laura. ¡°Laura, I told you to not use your Unique Skills carelessly¡­.¡± I said. ¡°I-I was just joking around¡­¡± she said with a mild smile. Catarina, Silvio, and Francesco showed up at our side not long after. They seemed surprised about the surroundings, the snow. The entire ce was chilly, but this entire ce was okay for us, Undead! Except for the Fire Ghost Duo. Those guys are made of mes. Even if phantasmal, their main element is heated, so in a cold ce, they naturally grow weaker. I have thought that much like Partner learning the Sunlight Resistance Skill, they would eventually learn Cold Resistance or something, or well, that¡¯s my hope. ¡°This ce¡­ It is weakening us¡­ Uuugh¡­¡± sighed Silvio. ¡°Ahh¡­ So cold¡­ I never thought I would miss having a body!¡± said Francesco. ¡°Haha, you two are getting smaller by the second!¡±ughed Catarina. ¡°Catarina, don¡¯tugh at them! Aren¡¯t they technically like your siblings?¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°Iugh to whoever I want! Nobody is ordering me around, elf.¡± Said Catarina while groaning back at Emeraldine. Emeraldine pouted angrily at her for always acting rude, but I petted her shoulders, and Emeraldine almost jumped out of surprise. She then looked at me while blushing. I guess she¡¯s still being affected by what happened between the two. Even touching her causes some strange reactions in her body¡­ We¡¯ll have to talk about this. She shouldn¡¯t make it so damn obvious¡­ ¡°Emeraldine, calm down, leave her be. She¡¯s always like that. Just ignore her.¡± I said. ¡°Geez¡­ Okay¡­¡± she said, ring angrily at Catarina and then walking to my side. ¡°Damn, you got this elf tamed.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°I also have you tamed,¡± I said. ¡°Guh¡­ I guess¡­¡± sighed Catarina. Technically speaking, she¡¯s MY undead, so she¡¯s a tamed monster of my own property, heh. So she¡¯s even worse. She¡¯s like a dog. Actually, that was way too rude¡­ She¡¯s not like a dog. ¡°Catarina is a dork anyway. She¡¯s stupid.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Ahahaha!¡±ughed Emeraldine at Partner¡¯s sudden remark without context. ¡°W-Who are you calling like that, you¡­ fake vampire!¡± said Catarina. ¡°I drank your blood and became an actually Vampire while you¡¯re a zombie now! Hehe, who is the loser here?¡± asked Partner. Damn, she¡¯s destroying her. ¡°Alright, Partner, calm down. You¡¯ve already killed her enough¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Aaagh! Give me back my blood!¡± cried Catarina. She was actually rather affected by what Partner said. She knew very well that Partner drank her and the other two guy¡¯s blood on a daily basis until she ended up evolving into one in the end. Perhaps there was some sort of requirement to evolve into a Vampire that Undead like her have to do before evolving into one, and perhaps actually just drinking their blood was one of such requirements. Now that she had be a Vampiress, her talk and words were even more eloquent than before, and she really had that air of regality that Vampires had. She was even dignified and prideful, just like Vampires often are, and perhaps even arrogant, just like now¡­ Emeraldine didn¡¯t seem to mind her new personality. ¡ª¨C Chapter 223 ¡ª¨C After Partner roasted Catarina alive, Emeraldine began tough at what Partner had said to her. The two fire ghosts seemed to alsough a bit over the absurdity of the situation. ¡°Hahaha! Catarina, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve be quite theughing stock.¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Oh my, don¡¯t be so rude, or the bully will begin to cry¡­¡± said Francesco. ¡°Y-You two¡­! Do you dare join in her arrogant remarks?! Your blood was also drunk by her, idiots!¡± said Catarina. The two fire ghosts shrugged without caring. They didn¡¯t seem to have their bodies drained from all their blood. Partner enjoyed it greatly. ¡°We don¡¯t really care.¡± Said Silvio. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a thing of the past. You¡¯re the only one so stuck in the past, Catarina! Just embrace this new life. We already reached our new home.¡± Said Francesco. I began to slowly infuse Mana into the two fire ghosts while they spoke, so they gained theirposure and began to glow brighter with a stronger heat. Through the use of Mana, they can fight against the coldness of the environment and probably grow a bit healthier¡­ Well, as healthy as a dead spirit can get. ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t care! And what are those rumors I am a crybaby?¡± asked Catarina. ¡°Okay, Catarina, you seem to love building up dramas, but calm down for now, okay?¡± I sighed. ¡°*Sigh*¡­.¡± Catarina waved her head as she ignored me and fell silent. I guess she¡¯s obedient. Syllis and Bellerine had also joined on the sidelines, but because Catarina was making a ruckus, they never found a way to get into the conversation. Still, now they were finally able to greet us. The two of them were very slim. Rabbit-kincked a lot of grease in their bodies, their muscles were also thin, and the only thing they could use to warm was their fur, but even that wasn¡¯t all that much. Theycked a lot of fur like normal rabbits, and they mostly had around their feet, arms, chest, and a bit around their backs and neck. So due to that, they were wearing very big clothes around their bodies to keep themselves warm, and they looked very funny as well as if they were fat¡­ hahaha, I can tell why people get thatplex where they look fat wearing big clothes for winter. They¡¯re retards for thinking that, but still, I can understand them now. ¡°You two seem to have finally stopped screaming¡­¡± said Syllis. ¡°Yeah, my bad. Catarina is a handful sometimes. She has temperamental problems.¡± I said. ¡°I heard that!!!¡± roared Catarina in the back. I felt as if chills ran through my spine as I heard her screams. She¡¯s quite the savage woman. ¡°Wow! S-So these are the ruins¡­? They look awfully disappointing!¡± said Bellerine, looking at the faraway ce. Lucifer looked at the little cocky rabbit girl as he seemed mildly angered. ¡°It might look like that, but this ce was once a big Kingdom where many Majin and Beast-kin lived together in harmony, all gathered from around the continent. The Demon king only wanted to live in peace, but the humans disliked those different from them and always called other non-human races invaders from the other continents¡­ These bastards couldn¡¯t bear seeing a ce where demi-humans could live in harmony!¡± said Lucifer angrily. ¡°Huh? Eh? Okay?¡± said Bellerine, feeling a bit confused about the entire rant that Lucifer threw out of nowhere right there¡­ ¡°Lucifer, you just threw a pretty big rant. Calm down. Bellerine doesn¡¯t know anything of that.¡± I said. ¡°¡­*Sigh*. Sorry, my bad¡­ I sometimes lose my temper over stupid things.¡± He sighed. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay¡­ I can understand your pain. Maria had told us about a bit of who you used to be. It is an honor to be with such an ancient dragon.¡± said Syllis. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t mind my past. I am merely a reanimated corpse now,¡± sighed Lucifer. He was surprisingly humble sometimes, to the point he offended others that saw him as someone special in the process, which is quite annoying. To be honest, I¡¯ve always hated people like this. I would hate him if he wasn¡¯t my Lucy, that likes to be spoiled when we are alone. Of course, in his dragon form, he really gives off a different and more intimidating vibe, so his words came out even more seriously and made the two rabbit kin a bit intimidated as if chills ran through their spines as well¡­ This guy should seriously calm down sometimes. ¡°S-Sorry for having offended you, sir dragon¡­¡± said Syllis. Lucifer looked down at the rabbits and sighed. ¡°N-No¡­ It is fine. I was just trying to act cool, don¡¯t feel intimidated by me.¡± He apologized at the end. ¡°Can I climb you?¡± asked Bellerine, wandering around Lucifer¡¯srge draconic body. ¡°W-Well, I guess you can¡­¡± said Lucifer. The rabbit girl began to climb over Lucifer while the two twins also began to wonder if they could. There was also arge and beautiful panther at my side, my beloved Kuro, who had been napping inside my shadows for a while, but I called him out. Unlike living panthers, he doesn¡¯t produce heat, sadly, so it would have been quite pointless to bring him out when we were sleeping. ¡°Mraoo!¡± The adorable Kuro meowed like an actual cat, but with a deeper voice to it, as he was more of a panther- Well, he¡¯s actually a chimera Undead made up of many monster parts I made as our thirdpanion in the dungeon. He was pulling the carriage a while back but decided to go back to my shadows when things got too chilly. ¡°Oho, my little Kuro! Did youe out to see the ce? Ah, Raven,e here too!¡± I said. ¡°CRAAA!¡± A giant Undead crow flew down to my side. It was already around a meter big. This was my crow Undead, the one I had named Raven, he¡¯s mostly a scouter than anything, but he¡¯s slowly practicing his fighting skills over time. ¡ª¨C Chapter 224 ¡ª¨C While the other Undead I make is qualified mostly as the ¡°army,¡± and I don¡¯t mind if they die or not, as I even sometimes might use them as detonation fodder for my Undead Detonation Skill, those I name are special in my heart, these are special and not just fodder to be revived over and over again. The Undead I name is often special to me. They have a ce inside of my heart and are my family, such as Partner, Kuro, Raven, and the new addition of Pyro, the zing giant spider, who also jumped out of my shadows. ¡°Gryshi!¡± The giant zing spider greeted Kuro and Raven as the two jet-ck undead pets looked at it rather angrily. They had yet to get used to Pyro being part of the main crew now, especially because he was covered in mes, so he was not liked. Undead are naturally weak to the fire element. Even as strong as they had grown, Kuro and Raven still see Pyro as a menace that might threaten them, so they are not too fond of him. I think they probably fear that he might end up burning them without Pyro realizing it. After all, he¡¯s a fire-covered monster! He could do anything if he went insane. Anyways, enough monster drama for now. The Goblins finally came out as well, it was one of the few Majin Tribes we have with us, actually the onlyplete one we ever had, and they were all wearing tight winter clothes. Most of the warriors had evolved into Hobgoblins, but those that were not into fighting were still rather low-leveled. The Elder, in specific, was still an Old Goblin, and so were most of those that didn¡¯t fight. ¡°Well, we are here¡­ It took us a while, but we have finally reached our destination!¡± said the Goblin Elder. ¡°I really thought you would end up kicking the bucket before we even reached our destiny, old man. I am pretty d we are here¡­¡± said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Papa, look! A lot of snow everywhere! Can we make a snowman?¡± asked Gofumin. ¡°Maybeter¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay for you to grab snow, your tiny hands will get all frozen.¡± Said the Goblin Chief, petting his little daughter in his arms. As a Hobgoblin, he had grown into a pretty big size, almost human-sized, so his little daughter looked even more baby-like when he held her like that. ¡°You three are finally here¡­ I think we areplete with you; the entire crew is here.¡± I said. ¡°Haha, I guess¡­ it has been truly a long journey, hasn¡¯t it?¡± asked the Goblin Chief. ¡°Yeah, it was filled with perilous encounters, but we did everything we could, and we managed to get through them all¡­ In here, it should be super hard for the church of the Vampires to reach us, so we can be safe for a while, hopefully forever¡­ But you¡¯re never safe forever in this world.¡± I said. Since we began our journey, we had been going through several trials. It has been quite a perilous journey indeed, but there was also a lot of fun in what we did. I think we could say it was a mildly enjoyable journey¡­ aside from the giant spiders and then having to heal rabbit kin from a deadly disease. Well, and there was the whole fight against the hunters, the priests, and the vampires! Wow, that was such a massive mess of a fight. I am d we managed to get out of that ce safely¡­ if it wasn¡¯t because of my Shadow Storage and my ability to self-divide as a snake ghost, things might have gotten a bit too bad. I am happy I picked up the Gorgon Evolution. A lot of my shenanigans wouldn¡¯t have been possible without having evolved into this amazing snake ghost capable of creating snake clones and dividing her mind through each snake head¡­ And well, there are also my cheat abilities helping me at that¡­ ¡°We are finally here, at longst. Everyone is safe as well. It was very hard¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, it was quite hard¡­ But we are finally here at longst. The journey was super long, and we kind of lost ourselves around it, but we finally reached the destination.¡± I said. ¡°What should we do first? Maybe we should quickly settle down in some abandoned houses¡­¡± said Partner. ¡°Why some scrawny little houses? I want to take over the castle there! If nobody is doing it, I am taking the throne room as my room.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°That¡¯ll only happen above my own corpse.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re already a corpse, giant lizard.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Maria, remind me again why you decided to make this woman an ally¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°She¡¯s strong, and we needed more heavy hitters. She also helps to lift stuff.¡± I said. ¡°¡­I guess.¡± Said Lucifer. Amongst all of us, he and Partner were the only heavy hitters, so we needed a third one to bnce it out. Catarina was the perfect option, so even with her horrid personality, we had to get her in. ¡°If we could take over the castle, then we can rest there and enjoy a nice time in that closed building. It doesn¡¯t seem to have deteriorated, unlike the other things!¡± said Partner. ¡°Yes, we could stay there. It does lookfy¡­.¡± I said. ¡°How about that one tower at the side? It feels like it could have some more rooms. It has not deteriorated either¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the Demon King¡¯s Castle and the Magician¡¯s Tower. Both buildings are probably shrouded in leftover mana and maybe some enchantments left behind¡­ this is probably why they have not deteriorated, unlike the other things¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­. I thought they were being upied by someone or something like that. It would be pretty crazy¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, I sure hope there are some people at the very least. It would be nice¡­.¡± I said. ¡°It seems¡­ unlikely. I cannot sense a single sign of life there¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 225 ¡ª¨C We moved forward into the ruined city of the Demon Kingdom at longst. The snow below our feet felt rather weird when we stepped forward, and Gofumin had already fallen into a hole when she tried to walk around but was promptly rescued from the snow hole. After we reached the area near the small forest, the snow receded, and we could see that there was a lot of ground now. The trees seemed to naturally clean the snow in the surroundings. ¡°L o o k!¡± Partner pointed out at something moving in the distance as she took out her spear. There was arge, white-colored wolf wandering around. It suddenly noticed ourrge group, slowly moved through the caravan behind us and seemed rmed. The creature was a Frost Wolf, a C Rank monster. It is very dangerous, it could easily kill any of the people we are carrying around, so it wouldn¡¯t be good if it could sneak into the caravan and grab a person. It also was around two meters in height, so it was quite the titan. However, our presence alone intimidated it, as it ran for his life right after that, without even looking back at us¡­ Okay then, bye! ¡°The wolf just escaped? Okay then, I guess he didn¡¯t want to risk it for the biscuit. It is understandable, to be honest.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, but it was odd. He looked fearful. Do I look scary?¡± asked Syllis. ¡°Syllis, I think you¡¯re the cutest in the group. It might have been intimidated by the rest of us¡­.¡± I said as I looked at our group. There was a giant dragon, three ghosts, a powerful Vampire¡­ a powerful zombie¡­ yeah, it is obvious. ¡°Those might hunt in packs, though. If theye back in big groups, we might have to exterminate them. There didn¡¯t seem to be wolves here back then¡­ In fact, it was never this chilly either.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Hm, I wonder if the chilly partes from somewhere else?¡± wondered the Goblin Chief. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, there is the tale of monsters in the shape of women being able to summon storms of wind and make domains of snow¡­ I think they were passed down from Majin culture.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Wait, you mean Yuki-onna? Those are Majin, and they¡¯re a race of good people¡­ They would never do such a thing as this¡­ this must just be some sort of climate change¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°No, there are other monsters¡­ They¡¯re called Frost People¡­¡± said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Frost People? Sounds like a weird name¡­ but sure, I believe you¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Well, whatever that ¡°frost people¡± is, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re here.¡± Said Lucifer. We got inside the walls at longst, as the door was wide open, with a massive crack that let everyone pass easily, carriages included. After that, we reached the interior. There was a massive ghost town everywhere, which decorated the ce with beautiful scenery of dreadfulness. ¡°Ah, this ce is really quite desertic, isn¡¯t it?¡±mented Emeraldine. ¡°Yes, it is¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Huh? Look, there¡¯s a lot of ice around¡­¡± said Partner. ¡°Right¡­¡± said Emeraldine. I noticed that the floor in this entire area was all paved, so it was going to be easy to settle down. Mostly, all houses were deteriorated and filled with snow¡­ and Partner pointed out something:rge ice spikes spread all around the area. The kids began wandering around us for a bit as Takeshi reached an ice spike of almost 20 meters and looked into its interior. His face suddenly turned pale at what he saw, and he quickly called us over to go see it. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°Th-This is¡­ Look!¡± Takeshi pointed out into the ice spike as I looked into its interior and then realized that between all the blurriness, there was¡­ something there. Actually, there were people in there¡­. Inside, I found a group of over six people in there, all frozen inside this ice. They looked pale white, with pointy ears. There was a small blue-skinned girl there as well, and another was green-skinned- wait, that¡¯s a goblin. ¡°Th-This is awful¡­ they died frozen¡­¡± said Takeshi. ¡°No¡­ this is not a normal freeze¡­.¡± I said. ¡°So you think the same? This is indeed not normal¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Th-This is¡­ the people¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± muttered Lucifer. He began flying all around, finding dozens after dozens of people frozen in this perpetual ice. ¡°Th-This is¡­! Who did this?! I can¡¯t believe it¡­ Why?! Why would anyone freeze them alive!?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Lady Maria! Can you feel their souls around? Perhaps with your powers you could find some clues¡­¡± asked the Goblin Chief. ¡°I¡­¡± I looked around and didn¡¯t find any souls. In fact, calling this ce a ghost town was not urate. This ce was far from being a ghost town. It was justpletely emptied of anything. Not even ghosts lived here. There was just nothing in here¡­ What the heck? ¡°This ce is far from being a ghost town. It is just¡­ nothing¡­.¡± I said. ¡°What?! You can¡¯t see any souls? So it wasn¡¯t just me¡­¡± said Lucifer. And then, I detected it. Faint presences everywhere within the ice. I looked deeper with my phantasmal eyes and found out what was happening. The souls of the people were here. They were in their bodies. They were still alive, that¡¯s it. But¡­ something else was bothering me. The souls there were sealed into their bodies through the ice. This ice¡­ was not normal. It was some sort of powerful spell that sealed the people and the souls inside. ¡°The ice is definitely not normal; it froze the people in ce and sealed them in here¡­ This is honestly quite awful.¡± I said. ¡°Gods¡­ What happened here?¡± sighed Lucifer. It seemed that there was already a mystery here to resolve¡­ and a problem to also tackle. Fire doesn¡¯t seem to work¡­ How can we unseal these people? ¡ª¨C Chapter 226 ¡ª¨C In front of us, there was a heartbreaking scene. Countless people were all frozen in perpetual ice that even sealed their souls inside, without leaving them any alternative but to remain in there. Their bodies are not alive nor dead, but their souls cannot escape such bodies and go to the afterlife, perpetually sealed in this cold for countless days. I don¡¯t know how long it has been since this happened. There was not a single soul to ask them this question. It was all deste. Lucifer looked around as he went back to his humanoid form and suddenly kneeled over the floor while covering his face with his hands. ¡°How¡­ How could this have happened? Who did this? Who¡­ did this?!¡± he shouted. I could clearly feel the frustration and anger swelling inside of his heart and showing clearly in the expressions on his often-expressionless face. Undead can show emotions. He had been simply suppressing them all this time. But now, he was showing them all, and grief, frustration, anger, sorrow, and more were mixing together within his face as he began to hit the ground angrily, without being able to believe why this was happening to begin with. ¡°Why? What happened¡­¡± he muttered. I walked toward him, and I patted his back. ¡°Calm down¡­¡± I said. Lucifer looked at me as his eyes began to leak tears. This really hurt him. Perhaps because he had the faint hope that there would be survivors. But now, he found them all frozen as if they were ced here as a trophy. It was a disgrace to all of them and an insult to the demon lord and him as well. Who exactly did this? Well, whoever dared to do this is really the worst. Theplete disregard for the people. And not even giving them a second chance at dying and reincarnation, but hating on them and sealing their souls in here. In a way, it might be more ruthless than death. Perpetually trapped in a prison of eternal cold, their bodies frozen, and their souls already shrouded in this cold so much that they must be paralyzed or agonizing in pain even now. Just hearing this reminds me of when I was inside the graveyard, finding myself inside of my own grave, without even being able to run away from my own dposing body. I ended up spending years there seeing my own body decay. I slept, I tried to sleep, but it was quite hard to sleep¡­ It wasn¡¯t something easy to do, even as a ghost that doesn¡¯t require sleep. Maybe it might not be the same as these people, but the experience of being caged like this after death without even being given a chance to rest after death is rather frustrating. I don¡¯t know the background of these people or something, but there should be some reason behind why everyone is here. What happened after the Demon King died, and were these people from those ancient times or new? Lucifer¡¯s tears of sorrow began to flow out of his eyes as he averted his gaze from me. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t have held my hopes¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°No¡­ They can be saved¡­ Don¡¯t be like this¡­.¡± I said. I approached him, and I hugged him from behind. ¡°We can find a way to save them together¡­ Instead of thinking about all the sad things, how about we try to find a way to rescue them?¡± I asked. ¡°A way¡­¡± he sighed. I smiled back at him as I tried to cheer him up. I cleaned the tears out of his eyes as he looked back at me with his aquamarine eyes, which were suddenly not crimson-red anymore. ¡°You¡¯re okay now?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± he sighed. ¡°Come on now, stand up¡­.¡± I said. I lent him my hand, and he gently took it and stood up on his own. Standing up at my side, he looked around the pirs of ice with sorrow. ¡°What could have happened here?¡± he sighed. ¡°I believe something not so good¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°And there is just nobody that could have documented this. We are alone in searching for clues.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Lucifer¡­ Are you okay?¡± asked Partner. She had grown close to him eventually and was worried when she saw him crying. ¡°Yes, I am okay¡­ Thanks for worrying.¡± Said Lucifer with a faint smile. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t worry for you or anything¡­ It is just that¡­ Maria-sama gets worried for you when you cry, so I get worried¡­¡± said Partner, trying to mask her concern. ¡°She¡¯s just worried¡­ I am also worried.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°We are all into this together,¡± I said. ¡°You girls¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°Not only them, but we are here as well to help¡­ We¡¯ll get to the end of this mystery together.¡± Said Catarina while crossing her arms. ¡°Indeed. Our mes cannot unseal nor melt this ice¡­ But we¡¯ll find another way!¡± said Silvio. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll do it!¡± said Francesco. ¡°I cannot do much, but please count me in,¡± said Syllis. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I could even do¡­ But I am also with big brother¡­¡± said Bellerine. ¡°I also want to heal these people¡­ They really didn¡¯t deserve such a fate¡­¡± said Laura. ¡°It makes me feel bad for them¡­ If their souls are still there, then we could even find a way to revive them if we find how to melt the ice!¡± said Takeshi. ¡°Indeed, there can be a way¡­¡± said the Goblin Elder. ¡°We can cooperate to find the solution.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Cheer up, uncle Lucifer!¡± said Gofumin. Lucifer smiled as he petted Gofumin¡¯s head. ¡°Yeah¡­ I am good. Don¡¯t worry about me. We¡¯ll find a way together out of this¡­¡± said Lucifer. We looked into therge Demon King¡¯s castle as we all walked inside with a new will reforged in our hearts. It was a dark and damp ce, and it was also quite cold, but this was going to be our new home. ¡ª¨C Chapter 227 ¡ª¨C Since we reached the abandoned and deste Demon Kingdom, a whole week has passed. We had spent our days leisurely working on many things. We had to leave the investigation about what happened to the people forter, as we had many people we needed to take care of first. The cold temperatures were not good for everyone, and we had to quickly find shelter for all the group of people and give them the things necessary for survival as well. Ultimately, we also want them to be able to survive by themselves, but as they were mostly all ves, their mentalities were not in the best of ces, and their bodies were atrophied due to all the bad treatment they received. It was going to be hard, but we had to quickly rehabilitate all the people, both in health and spirit. Well, the spirit wasn¡¯t so hard, since the moment we arrived here, they got happier as if this ce was filled with some sort of dark energy that resonated with something that made themfortable. Some said it reminded them of me for some reason, and the more we stayed in here as the days passed, the stronger this energy became as it resonated with me. Essentially it wasn¡¯t because of the energy itself but also because of me. Yes, it was because of me. They had been acting like this because they see me as their savior, and thanks to my Title Skills, it only bes worse as they make me seem like a Queen, a Ghost Queen, or something. And they seem to adore me, which only bes more awkward¡­ I wish I wasn¡¯t this awkward with people I don¡¯t know well, but I cannot really take them praising me and kneeling before me, so I always ask them to act casually and not mind my presence. However, that only makes them think of me as highly, as someone benevolent or something. You guys, I am not really as amazing as you think. Please stop this! *Sigh*¡­ But there isn¡¯t much I can do for now, and I consider myself someone benevolent at the end, so I epted their praises at the very least, but anything that would lower them, such as kneeling, was prohibited. Aside from these small issues, the entire rebuilding project had been advancing at a snail¡¯s pace. We haven¡¯t done anything at all other than relocating the people and mildly repairing some of the houses that remained in the best states. However, we still didn¡¯t want to separate the people too far away from the castle, so most of them were located within the houses all around the castle. We repaired these houses with the wood we went to cut from the forest surrounding the fallen Kingdom. There was plenty of wood there, and by swinging my giant ax, I was able to easily chop down like ten trees at once¡­ so it was fairly easy to get wood! Catarina used her monstrous strength with Lucifer¡¯s help to move away from dangerous boulders that were around and anything else that seemed dangerous. The ice pirs and spikes left with the people inside remained the same. We can¡¯t move them, they¡¯re stuck on the floor, and this special ice cannot be melted easily. Some of the people began to leave candles around these spikes with people inside and offered their prayers to the goddess of death and the goddess of ice and snow for their salvation. Aside from this, we have been relocating the people, as there is a lot of lone people without families, so we have to pair them up with others so they can live in the tight ces. We have responsibility for them. After all, most of the houses are ruined and filled with snow, the ones that were mildly okay are a few, and the rest of the houses were actually constructed with fresh wood we went to chop off out of the forests outside. We were also nning on repurposing these ruined houses¡¯ wood. Still, the wood is frozen and rotten at the same time, so it is not really that good for anything other than making bonfires, which we are using to warm up the people. Everyone has a chimney inside their house, and there are alsorge bonfires around the town too. Hence, there is always a ce to warm up. The chilly temperatures seem to be enhanced by therge ice pirs and ice spikes around, so the chilly temperatures are even chillier than if they were not there. These pirs of ice are literal freezers right at our side. Another bad thing is that we cannot really grow any crops in these frozennds, no nts would ever grow in here other than pines, and those take years after years to grow. So we have to rely on our n to capture and raise cattle animals or monsters, while we mostly survive through the rations I had gotten from the Duchy of Affnaria and from fishing in the river and theke nearby or hunting any monster wee across. But these areas are a new level of destion, so it is hard to even produce actual food here¡­ But it¡¯s not like we got anywhere else to go. The coast is a few dozens of kilometers from here, where I thought we could get arger quantity of fish, but the waters there are thunderous and dangerous, and it is very cold as well, so we¡¯ll save up that project of building a small fishing town there forter. As of now, we are still reconstructing the demon king castle while making more houses out of fresh wood for the people. Some of them are staying in thefier rooms inside the castle, although they¡¯re all covered in dust to the brim. We had already found several monsters inside that had made this ce their home, mostly Giant Rats, Horned Rabbits, ck Spiders, and an assortment of smaller critters, which we had been using for food¡­ It has been a rough week. ¡ª¨C Chapter 228 ¡ª¨C Aside from relocating the people, we had been helping them regain their health and spirit. The spirit wasn¡¯t hard. As I mentioned earlier, they have a strong faith in the death goddess now, which I am her apostle. They had grown closer to the Goddess of Death religion than I imagined, and they were even building small altars made of wood and ice for her while decorating them with the bones of the monsters we hunted. This new religion hade out of nowhere, though, and ording to Emeraldine, Catarina, and the Fire Ghost duo, the goddess of death is nowhere prayed upon nor considered a figure of religion. She¡¯s often seen as an antagonistic figure by most of the humans in the Midgard Continent. This is because she represents the end of all things and the eventual death of all things. In contrast, the god of light represents life, and while the death goddess brings all souls to the deste and cold Helheim, those that fight bravely and have strong-willed hearts and faith are offered the Valha after death instead. Yeah, all religions are forged around what happens after death pretty much, although in this world, gods¡¯ existences are pretty much confirmed. They¡¯re not some sort of belief, and that¡¯s it. They¡¯re confirmed, there is magic, and there are Undead, who are often called the ¡°servants of Hel¡± who havee to invade the world to bring more souls down to Helheim or something, so this is why Undead are seen so badly too. All of this is pretty stupid when you think about it. Most religions that had death gods on Earth actually prayed to them as figures of transcendental position, death and life are a cycle, and it shouldn¡¯t be feared upon. The death gods of these various religions were all there to bring you to the afterlife. Still, they didn¡¯t necessarily represent something bad or evil, so it is pretty stupid that they¡¯re remotely considered evil here with Hel. Hel is a nice woman. Actually, she spoke to me a week ago and was pretty chill. She was even motherly, worried about me and all¡­ there¡¯s nothing wrong with her! However, I can understand that people might hate her. After all, the God of Light seems to be a sick bastard that brainwashed the humans into hating her for some reason. He really is an idiot, especially because she¡¯s supposed to be his granddaughter¡­ Ah, did I mention that not only do the continents have the names of Norse Realms, but also the Gods have the names of the Norse Gods? The God of Light is actually named Odin. His second hand is the God of Thunder, Thor. Then there is the God of Chaos Loki, his daughter, the Goddess of Death Hel, and so on¡­ There is even Freyr and Freyja as the God of Nature and the Goddess of Love and Motherhood or something, respectively¡­ Then there is the Goddess of snow and ice, Skadi¡­ And what else? Well, there are many other gods, but I forgot about those that didn¡¯t matter that much to me. Anyways, I think they adapted the Goddess of Death religion as a ¡°requirement¡± made by themselves when they realized I was a ghost, so they thought they must pray to her, as I am an Undead that goes against the God of Light religion. They are already betraying him from the beginning, so they might as well pray to the literal Satan figure of this continent, Hel. Anyways, because of this, and also the normalization of Undead by all my other allies that are undead, and the daily life zombies and other Undead they see wandering around town doing work for us, such as the zombie spiders troops carrying items and more, they had been made into normal citizens, and therefore they all move their faith to the goddess of death who epts undead and see them as her children, so if they get friendly with them, they also get favor points from her or something¡­ I am still getting the knack of how to lead people, but those with a talent for it, such as the Goblin Elder and the Goblin Chief, are helping a lot in handling them, so I am rtively happy with how things are turning out. Also, not everyone is a former ve. Arge chunk is former citizens from the goblin vige. There were former ves there, but they recovered over time with the help of the goblins and are morepetent than the ves we rescued. These people really help at helping the former ves that we got in ourtest journey to recover. I cannot be there to cheer them up all the time, so there are other people taking care of that. Thankfully, I¡¯ve also seen Emeraldine working in there a lot. Her ability and magic help her see the emotions of people and help guide them into a brighter state of mind. Thanks to her help, things are getting better too. The rest? Well, they all suck at cheering people up. They¡¯re all weirdos. Even Partner can¡¯t do anything other than fight or kill. She¡¯s still practicing anything that she could do aside from that, but the best thing is cooking as of now, so she¡¯s doing a lot of cooking with the other chefs. We got to makemon food for the entire town for now. We don¡¯t have enough resources to let everyone make their own food, and I am not going to let them starve while telling them, ¡°go hunt your own food, now you got a home, move!¡± or something. I am not so heartless! So we still make big stews every day for everyone, distributing bread and warm tea and coffee. We can still get meat by hunting and using this meat to make stew, we are using less and fewer potatoes, carrots, and the rest so it canst longer, but we¡¯ll ultimately be left without them. So we have to think of better ways to get vegetables¡­ And Emeraldine came up with a grand idea. ¡ª¨C Chapter 229 ¡ª¨C ¡°[Strong Axe Strike]!¡± I swung the giant golden Axe that I had stolen from Lion back then. The gigantic ax was infused with my Mana and gained arge amount of death and darkness aura around it. The powerful slicing strike was then unleashed over a dozen of meters around me. The powerful and deadly slicing shockwave reached all the trees around me, as they were all chopped away in a single sweep. SLAAAASH! BOOM! Dozens of trees fell to the ground instantly, as a lot of ck smoke was left lingering around¡­ ¡°That¡¯s a dozen now. This forest is getting thinned very fast.¡± Said Emeraldine at my side. ¡°Hehe, now guys, go take them!¡± I said. ¡°Gryssshiii!¡± Pyro guided the spider zombies with him as they all grabbed the logs and began to carry them over theirrge backs back to the inside of the walls. ¡°With these dozen of logs, we can make a few more houses so the people can live morefortably¡­ It is a pity that the old houses are all rotten and frozen. Nobody can livefortably there.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the saddest part. Lucifer had a hard time epting that we would have to slowly take down the houses because they were irreparable¡­ We can use their materials to fuel our fire, also using the fresh wood to construct houses and furniture instead¡­ I guess that¡¯s a plus. Old wood burns very well.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Indeed, it is quite sad. But that¡¯s for the best. I am sure these people won¡¯t mind if we get the new houses when they finally wake up. Of course, we are saving anything that we find inside that might seem valuable, such as portraits, jewels, gold, and other things, so they can grab them back when they¡¯re finally back, eventually, one day¡­ in the far future, I guess.¡± I sighed. ¡°I suppose¡­ For now, let¡¯s go back. I am freezing here¡­ these clothes are not enough for me¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine, as she was trembling in this cold. ¡°Alright, let us go,¡± I said. ¡°Bring us there, Pyro!¡± I said. ¡°Gysshiii!¡± Pyro was covered in a naturalyer of phantasmal mes because he died while being burned, and I revived him as undead while also being in mes, so the mes were somewhat assimted into him. This grants him the ability to manipte these mes, so they don¡¯t burn when you touch them, but keep their warmth, so he is a rare warm bug. When you touch his back, you can feel his warmth, so it is the favorite mount for Emeraldine and all the other living people, such as the twins and more. We slowly made our way back to the interior of the walls as we were greeted by a few skeletons and zombies carrying stones inside, which they had crushed down fromrger boulders that came out of the walls themselves. We were making bricks out of these boulders to slowly repair the walls, which were all ruined, with many holes everywhere. It was going to take a while, but we were doing our best. I had thought about a way to make the walls into a giant inanimate undead, a haunted wall of sorts, but I need a lot of souls for that, and I cannot find any. Simply using Fake Life on it won¡¯t work properly on something so massive. We brought the logs into the main town inside therge, abandoned city, and we were greeted by Lucifer and Catarina, who was just done with carrying another massive boulder away from the main town, as these might end up rolling around and causingmotions we don¡¯t really want to see. ¡°Phew¡­ That¡¯s it¡­ For now.¡± Sighed Catarina. ¡°Indeed, we should rest for the moment, I don¡¯t feel the pain, but my undead muscles are clearly tired and feel soggy.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Nothing that some Undead Healing can¡¯t do!¡± I said. ¡°We appreciate it, but you don¡¯t have to overexert yourself either.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°What are you talking about? This is just a simple skill, and I got more mana than I can even use¡­.¡± I said. I touched Lucifer¡¯s shoulders and gave him a brief massage, the flow of death energy recovered his tired muscles and mildly cracked bones. The same was with Catarina. I left the logs to be handled by the Undead and the other people, ready to saw them off and prepare them to assemble a few houses in the next days, as we walked inside the castle, which was way more lively and filled with light. We have mostly cleansed a lot of the dust everywhere, and we washed away the things inside as well, there are many portraits that we made sure to leave alone, but there are still a lot of rooms that we have yet to cleanpletely, a few of them still infested by food- I mean rats and other critters. Rats seem to be able to live and reproduce super-fast in here, and they even just eat rotten wood, so I had thought about taming them and making them into our cattle animals. Giant Rats are an E Rank Monster at most, and they can grow up to a meter in height, so they can carry a lot of decent meat. They also naturally form fat in their bodies to resist the cold, so their meat is actually tastier than you would think a rat¡¯s meat would taste, and they are rather gentle when tamed. Fast reproduction cycles, fast growth, don¡¯t need any crazy food, can even eat rotten wood, yeah, rats are going to be our cattle animal, Giant Dark Rats at that. It is decided. However, how do we deal with nts? Well, as we all gathered to eat a meal together, Emeraldine had a n. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking this for a while and slowly preparing, but I think with my Nature Spirit, it could be possible to find a way to enhance the growth of nts even in this environment¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Really?!¡± I eximed. ¡°Yes¡­ But it¡¯s going to be a bit hard. We¡¯ll have to prepare what¡¯s called a special closed space¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡ª¨C Chapter 230 ¡ª¨C We were all sitting around an old ck table that might have once been used by the old Demon King and his family as we enjoyed a tasty stew made of the greasy meat of the Giant Rats we had begun to raise. We cannot go overboard on eating them, or they¡¯ll disappear in a sh, so we have already left a dozen that I had already tamed alone inside a small farm, where they livefortably eating rotten wood and anything else. They¡¯re even alright with eating trash too. But despite all of that, their meat is very tasty. I guess they¡¯re like pigs too, who just eat trash but have mighty tasty meat for some reason, mostly out of the grease they umte, which these fat rats also got so they can survive the winter. These rats should be reproducing already, just like a little clone reported to me, so they¡¯ll make more little rats that¡¯ll grow up into healthy adults and make more and more rats. I know this is a bit bizarre, but you have to adapt to what you can use in the end. Using giant rats as cattle is the only thing we can do in here where literally nothing else survives other than wild wolves, or bears, or even fiercer monsters. Normal cattle animals would die out of the coldness and also reproduce way slower than monsters. Because giant dark rats are a monster, they can reproduce very quickly as long as they got energy and mana reserves. They¡¯re made to flood the world and devour anything. And then we can make an army of rats based on how fast they¡¯re attempting to reproduce, and we flood the world with the gue! I will be the gue itself! Well, I think I already got some skills rted to that. Wait, is this why I could tame rats without problems despite them not being Undead? Perhaps my influence also extends to creatures ¡°Rted¡± to my element and nature. And DARK rats are perhaps within the category of ¡°rted¡± to my elements, so maybe I had an easy time taming them, as I was obviously stronger than all of them, so surrendering was their only option. But just surrendering out of fear and being tamed and acting gently with their master arepletely different things. This only means that they were instantly tamed and made into my pets in an instant. Ah, now I feel bad about thinking that I must eat my pets¡­ Well, I am already enjoying their chewy meat in this stew, so sorry, we don¡¯t have any other option, rats! I hope that all of you that go to heaven will forgive me. I guess they¡¯re going to Helheim, but I suppose it is the same. Souls are not tortured there. They just spend some time inplete hollowness, darkness, and coldness. Then, they¡¯re cleansed of memories by swimming in an incredibly cold river, only to go back into a new body reincarnated without any memories of the past. That¡¯s how it works! Hel is not keeping the souls for herself and helps a lot in the Reincarnation Circle of this world by itself, so she¡¯s a big help to literally everyone. I honestly don¡¯t know how the other Gods don¡¯t appreciate it, and on this Continent, they somehow see her as a viin? This doesn¡¯t make any sense. She helps souls reincarnate. What more do you want? She¡¯s doing the entire world a big favor. But noooo, goddess of death bad! *Sigh*. Anyways, let¡¯s go back to the present. We were sitting here discussing our daily lives in this newfound and slowly building Kingdom as Emeraldine came up with an interesting idea that, ording to her, she had been nning to do for a long time. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking this for a while and slowly preparing, but I think with my Nature Spirit, it could be possible to find a way to enhance the growth of nts even in this environment¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Really?!¡± I eximed. ¡°Yes¡­ But it¡¯s going to be a bit hard. We¡¯ll have to prepare what¡¯s called a special closed space¡­¡± said Emeraldine. Everyone looked at Emeraldine while raising an eyebrow. What did she mean by ¡°closed space¡±? I am pretty sure I don¡¯t have spatial magic to manipte space and make a small dimension. That¡¯s a bit of a stretch! My Shadow Storage doesn¡¯t really count as space magic! ¡°Emeraldine, I cannot really make another dimension. I don¡¯t have that kind of powers¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°Eh? N-No, I didn¡¯t mean that! Geez¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°What? Then what do you mean?¡± asked Catarina as she didn¡¯t get it either. ¡°I wonder if she meant something like¡­ a greenhouse?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Greenhouse?¡± I asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± wondered Partner. ¡°A greenhouse is a special closed space that you make to put nts inside. They can get direct sunlight from a transparent ceiling while being protected from the harsh environments such as cold, winds, gues, and more¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know that was a thing¡­¡± said Silvio. ¡°Me neither. I have never seen something like that before.¡± Said Francesco. ¡°Interesting¡­ So that¡¯s what you want?¡± asked Catarina. I remember it now. Back on Earth, there is also one of these things. They¡¯re often called greenhouses, conservatory, and sshouses¡­ The ceiling needs to be made of ss if we don¡¯t have material like transparent stic. ¡°Yes, those things! I remember seeing them somewhere in a duchy I once visited. If you make them, we can put nts there without risking having them get frozen by the coldness of the outside world. Snow and other things won¡¯t get inside. It should be big enough to maintain many nts though, so we can feed everyone¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Hm, that¡¯s an interesting idea, but how do we craft such a thing? It does appear to be quiteplicated. Making an entire greenhouse¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°This is a challenge greater than a Dungeon Boss¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡ª¨C Chapter 231 ¡ª¨C Greenhouse, Conservatory, or sshouse, are the terms often used to describe the name of arge building with a transparent ceiling, often made of ss or transparent stic, which is made so nts can grow inside a closed space while still getting the sunlight of every day, while also being protected from the dangerous environment, which might include snow, ice, cold winds, and gues, perhaps. But how can we make it? I guess we can make the support out of wood. Still, we don¡¯t have any hardcore smithers nor forgers to make things out of metal, and it¡¯s not like we got anywhere to find metals unless we begin to collect them from around the ruins¡­ and even then, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to make the pirs, so wood it will be. And thenes the ceiling, ss. How do we get ss? We have to heat sand and make it¡­ all while shaping it around. I am sure that making such enormous parts out of ss would be a monumental act, but it should be possible, and I could handle it by using shadow tentacles as gently as possible. I suppose the two fire ghosts can make ss and shape it around, right? They should be able to do that much. It shouldn¡¯t be hard. Hell, I will help them out if possible. Now that I think about it, if they¡¯re made of fire, they could also work inside a furnace and melt metals, shape them, and more, right? Hm¡­ although all the big pieces of metal in modern earth are always made insiderge factories. I don¡¯t know how they did it before factories, as it was mostly made out of stone and wood. Oh right, stone! We could make the pirs out of stone, I suppose, with some wood support¡­ I guess that might work, yeah¡­ Doesn¡¯t sound too hard to pull out, I think. I quickly shared my thoughts with everyone else, who were in the blue of what to do. Lucifer and a few others knew what it was but had no idea how to even begin the construction, so I gave them my ideas. ¡°Hm, indeed, making the pirs abination of stone and wood could work. I am not an architect at all, but it does seem to make sense. I wonder if there is anybody within our people that could help in this regard.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, wood and stone sound okay, but¡­ Indeed, I wonder if there could be someone that can help, we got a lot of people. They can¡¯t be all useless traumatized ves, right?¡± asked Catarina. ¡°Catarina, be more sensitive about your words!¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Eeeh? But they¡¯re all pretty useless anyways¡­¡± sighed Catarina while crossing her arms. ¡°Well, they¡¯ll eventually recover and begin helping in the Kingdom by producing things themselves. I am strong, but that¡¯s it. I cannot create food, nor houses, nor anything really useful than offering fighting power, so it¡¯s going to be up to our teamwork and everybody else that we¡¯ll be able to make up this an actual vige in the end¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Hm, I agree¡­ Anyways, the ss is still a problem.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°ss¡­ We need sand for ss, right?¡± asked Partner. ¡°Yeah, we need a lot of sand. The finest sand there can be as well.¡± I said. ¡°We can help at making ss, but we need the sand, though!¡± said Silvio. ¡°There is no sand here. It is all snow and frozen dirt.¡± Said Francesco. Yeah, that was the biggest issue. Where can we find actual sand? This entire ce is filled with just snow and ice. But I quickly remembered that we are near the coasts of the continent, just the area of the coasts closest to a continent filled with ice, Niflheim, so it is cold instead of being a summer-like temperature. Well, ording to Lucifer, it was never this cold, though. He even said that there was vegetation, a lot of grass, and even fruits grew, so there might be a new factor that had emerged in thesest years that changed the temperature of the ce, and that might also be rted to the frozen people¡¯s state¡­ Nheless, it is unnecessary to think about this topic for the moment, as we need to concentrate on our current dilemma. We need more vegetables and fruits, but bringing them here from other ces will be a pain, so we need to at least have some level of production, even if small and while still needing the support of other duchies or nations that we can still have SOMETHING we are making. And therefore, we need to make this greenhouse to raise nts in this cold¡­ And therefore, we need ss to make the damn ceiling. So, where is sand to make ss? There should be some sand on the coasts near the frozen beaches, right? If not, we¡¯ll go into the deep of the ocean and pick some sand from there. Hopefully, we can find some there if we can¡¯t find any on the coast¡­ ¡°Sand? There should be sand on the cold coasts near this ce, right? We are near the costs of the Midgard Continent of the south area, so there should be some sand, even if the beaches are so freaking cold.¡± I said. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right¡­ I have been thinking in nothing but snow and ice so much that I havepletely forgotten about that fact, my bad¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°So we are taking a trip to the beach?¡± said Catarina. ¡°Sounds interesting. I guess I will join too.¡± Said the Goblin Chief, who suddenly entered the room alongside the Goblin Elder and Gofumin. The Twins also joined, who was with Gofumin. Bellerine and Syllis also joined. The little rabbit-kin girl began to hop around cutely while her brother walked calmly to join us. A few of my clones quickly brought some food for them. ¡°We¡¯ll also like to help.¡± Said Syllis. ¡ª- Chapter 232 ¡ª¨C Some more people assembled here. They were actually back in the vige working on other things and ended up joiningter. We quickly let them sit around the table, which was enormous, and then we served them some food as well. The twins were especially hungry, eating the stew quite quickly. I don¡¯t know if they know this is made of rat meat. The rat meat thing is actually a secret. A lot of people would get grossed out if we told them the meat they¡¯re eating ising from giant rats, after all. Even I would be grossed out if I wasn¡¯t a ghost with a weird mind¡­ We quickly shared our thoughts and also introduced the rest of the people about what we were talking about. Making the gigantic-sized greenhouse, we wanted to make was going to take a lot of collective effort. We also needed the help of various people, so we were nning to do some sort of ¡°talent recruitment¡± or whatever. There is also the possibility of moving to a nearby town or duchy in search of resources and the right people we need to make all these sorts of things, but can we really find them so easily as Rimuru did for his town? I don¡¯t know¡­ ¡°We could go find the right people in other towns as well. If we can¡¯t find anyone that could help here, at the very least, we can make my people help as well. I remember there were a few dwarves in the former ves that we took care of, although they had been mostly resting and working as small artisans, but perhaps they can know something about metallurgy.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Oh, you guys are really connected with those people. I guess you spent some time with them¡­ It would be useful if you could find anyone that could help!¡± ¡°Sure thing, Lady Maria, leave the work to us, we are here to help you out, and this also will help everyone.¡± said the Goblin Chief. ¡°If we can find somebody capable of making metallurgy, we could make metallic pirs. Then the stone and wooden pirs are scratched?¡± asked Partner. ¡°It really depends¡­ Even if we don¡¯t make the pirs metallic, finding the right people for the work is always nice. Someone that can do metallurgy will always be weed.¡± I said. ¡°Hm, Lady Maria knows her stuff. She¡¯s right.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Well, even then, where can we find strong metals in here? Do you know a ce, Lucifer?¡± I wondered. ¡°Ah¡­ Around these areas, the mountains are rare¡­ However, if we move to the southwest¡­ Well¡­ There is¡­ where my family once lived, us dragons¡­ Those mountains are filled with precious metals and jewels that we often ate.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Oh¡­ We could really take a trip there eventually then!¡± I said. ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose it should be time to go there and confront my past¡­ I just hope there can be someone alive there¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. I held Lucifer¡¯s hand as I smiled back at him. ¡°I also hope so¡­ Let¡¯s go there together and find out¡­ Even if we don¡¯t find anyone, at least you won¡¯t be alone when you find out.¡± I said. ¡°Maria¡­ Y-You¡¯re being way too corny all of a sudden¡­¡± he said while blushing a bit. ¡°I guess we should go there then for metals and other materials, but that¡¯s going to be a long trip, so we could leave it for moreter.¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll leave it forter. We should concentrate on making the ss,¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Indeed, let¡¯s concentrate on finding crafters, architects, and also finding sand for ss,¡± I said. ¡°Very well, that should be it, right? Then we should begin things immediately after eating.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Yes, let me finish this tasty stew, and we¡¯ll get there¡­ Hmm, I have not eaten such a nice and chewy meat before¡­¡± said the Goblin Elder. ¡°Hahaha¡­ I-I am d you like it¡­.¡± I said while averting my gaze. ¡°What meat is it?¡± asked the Goblin Chief. ¡°Erm¡­ Wolf¡­¡± I said. ¡°Wolf? I never thought a carnivore would have such tender meat.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t know either! Ahah¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Iughed nervously. Everyone that knew we were eating rats looked at me while furrowing their eyebrows, but nobody actually told the people that didn¡¯t know. Deep down, they all knew that if we told them, there would be a big fuss, and perhaps they would get a bit creeped out. After all, we had our rat farm behind the castle where nobody walks through, so it is a deste area where nobody will ever see our multiplying fat rats. ¡°Anyways, the food is good,¡± I said. In the end, we continued eating until we finished. The children asked for seconds as they were quite spoiled, so we gave in to their demands. The adults were also given seconds anyways, and I got thirds, even. We ended up emptying the entire pot of stew we had made, and we quickly made our way outside to quickly begin our work. We were about to organize most of the people we had and find out talents and also workers. We don¡¯t want them to receive everything for free anymore. Even though it has only been a single week, we really need their cooperation. We moved swiftly with the help of the two goblin leaders. Their leadership surprised me. Most of the Goblins gathered around them in a few minutes except those that couldn¡¯t really work as much, such as mothers, children, and the elderly. There were a few Hobgoblins mixed in, but mostly there were a lot of small goblins with fiery eyes ready to work. ¡°Hm, these should be¡­ These are all the workers willing to help with anything. They¡¯re not particrly talented at anything, but they can be taught if there is someone knowledgeable enough. At most, they can carry things together. They got good cooperation.¡± Said the Goblin Elder while caressing his long beard. ¡°We are here to serve yourmand, Lady Maria!¡± they said at the same time, almost making it a bit surreal. ¡°W-Well, I am counting on you guys¡­ and gals¡­.¡± I said with a nervous smile. God, I am bad at socializing with so many people¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 233 ¡ª¨C The Goblin Chief and the Goblin Elder are two good leaders, better than me. Theyck social anxiety and are good at leading people, and they know their way with words as well, unlike me, who is a total nutjob that only gains courage when I gopletely insane and kill people. Aside from that, I am very shy with a lot of people. I am really not good with big crowds, and I am used to interacting more with my small group of people¡­ But there were almost 80 Goblins here, males and females, without discrimination of gender, as females can be just as strong as males if they¡¯re not pregnant. They were all kneeling in the cold snow. Of course, Goblins usually barely wear many clothes as they always lived in hot ces, but now they all were wearing pants, coats, and covering most of their body in fluffy pelt-made clothes. The rats also give out a nice and warm pelt, so we¡¯ll be making more clothes out of them, which will be mostly ck colored too¡­ Maybe that could be our Kingdom¡¯s colors, ck! How edgy, I like it. ¡°Thank you, guys¡­ I-I am very happy¡­ T-To have such cooperative people¡­.¡± I said nervously. The Goblin¡¯s eyes shone brightly as they looked at me with admiration as if I had said some brilliant words despite how nervously I spoke. They all seemed happy to be thanked. ¡°Lady Maria, you look beautiful today!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll dly try to make anything we can for you¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, our queen!¡± ¡°We are forever in debt with you¡­.¡± They were a very grateful race of people. The Goblin Elder said that they were not particrly talented at anything because they had been mostly living as a wild tribe, living out of hunting and gathering while building tents and all of that. They were not farming or anything. They had some artisans, crafters, and chefs, but nothing too extraordinary aside from the basics. Due to that, they need someone talented in these fields to guide them well, or they will only do a mediocre job, but they can do the heavy lifting if they cooperate and do some basic work as well, so they¡¯re a useful bunch. They¡¯re quite not as talented as humans and other races, but they got their ¡°jack of all trades¡± kind of ability to learn things quickly but never mastered them. With such amazing talent, what was needed now was someone to guide them and teach them, and I wasn¡¯t good for that job. I was terrible at it, in fact! Don¡¯t look at me, please. I swear I am not that good! ¡°Anyways, these are the people that were left with us which we had grown up fond of. This is the dwarf we spoke about. The other two said they didn¡¯t want to help for whatever reason and were very grumpy about it. One of them even threw a hammer at me¡­¡± sighed the Goblin Chief. ¡°Hahaha¡­ I-I apologize for my friends¡­ But they had been in a bad moodtely. They refuse to work for other things than doing artisan things and little crafting¡­¡± said the dwarf, a small man no bigger than the goblins, only about a meter and a few centimeters tall. He had small yet very muscr legs andrge arms that could probably lift more than his size made up to be. He had a long brown bear below his chin and sharp gray eyes, with a bald head he covered with a yarn hat. ¡°Name¡¯s Darfu, I used to be the owner of a small shop in a faraway town until I got robbed by a group of bandits, and they even enved me and sold me off as a cksmith ve¡­ My two other friends there were the same¡­¡± said the gentle dwarf. ¡°You got robbed?! How long have you been a ve?¡± I asked. ¡°Around¡­ four or five years¡­ I had been going from master to master. They often treated me well, just gave me a lot of work¡­ I always wished to rebel, but the damn ve cor would kill you if you took it out forcefully or rebelled against your master.¡± Sighed Darfu. ¡°I see¡­ Well, I am d you seem to be fine now¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Well yeah, it¡¯s all thanks to you, missy, for helping me out be a free person again. I didn¡¯t want to go back to that ursed town that sold me off, so I stayed with the humble goblin folk. They¡¯re nice people and totally not what the society always says about them¡­¡± said the dwarf while nodding. ¡°Haha, Darfu is good at crafting clothes mostly. He made most of these clothes we are wearing.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Yeah, he made thisfortable poncho for me too.¡± Said the Goblin Elder. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re more of a tailor?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, a cksmith is my side job. I am actually better at tailoring stuff. This job is just as important for a dwarf. Where Ie from, we valued tailors as much as a cksmith.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Youe from somewhere else than that town?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course! I came from the small Dwarf Nation at the Gray Peak Mountains. I went out and well¡­ I should have obeyed my parents when they told me that the outside world was unforgiving¡­¡± sighed Darfu. ¡°W-Wait¡­ the Gray Peak Mountains?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, sir dragon, do you know it?¡± asked Darfu. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ where my family and I used to live¡­ Are there any dragons in there?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°A lot of them! Wyrms, Drakes, and a whole lot more of those¡­ They¡¯re deadly, but they got their own areas, so we try to not bother them¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°Oh¡­ Those are lesser races¡­ I wonder if some descendant is alive living between those wilder races of dragons¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°We¡¯ll find out eventually,¡± I said while petting his back. ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s wrong with those two dwarves?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ W-Well, they¡¯re grumpy¡­¡± said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Is that it? We give them shelter, food, and all, and they throw a hammer at you?¡± I asked angrily. ¡°W-Well, it isplicated, miss, don¡¯t be so mean¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°They¡¯re the mean ones! Why don¡¯t they want to work?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, the thing is¡­ they need¡­ something¡­ I am not really that reliant on it, but they really want that, or they won¡¯t work,¡± said Darfu. ¡°What do they want?¡± I asked again. ¡°Well¡­ Booze.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seriously?!¡± ¡ª- Chapter 234 ¡ª¨C Booze, the ambrosia of dwarves. Or, in better words, beer. We got wine here, so why don¡¯t they drink that? We got little, but we can share it if that¡¯s what it takes for these guys to move their asses. ¡°But why don¡¯t they drink wine? We got some wine.¡± Said Lucifer, as he just thought the same thing I did. ¡°Wine¡­ wine¡­ Well, they call it piss.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Piss?! These bastards are really unforgivable!¡± roared Partner. ¡°Calm down, don¡¯t go beat them. They¡¯re important¡­.¡± I said, stopping Partner. Partner looked at me frustratedly. ¡°Master, you¡¯re way too nice. Sometimes you have to leave the nasty work to your friends!¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, leave the nasty work to us.¡± Said Emeraldine with an oddly ominous smile. ¡°We¡¯ll get it down in no time¡­ I particrly dislike how Dwarves are so annoyingly prideful and grumpy.¡± Damn, is the rivalry between Elves and Dwarves a thing in this world as well? Is Emeraldine secretly racist against Dwarves?! No, she¡¯s just joking or something¡­ I hope. ¡°No, wait, please, don¡¯t force their hand. If you get on their bad side, we¡¯ll never get them to help us, even if we get beer. Those two are not like me¡­ Th-They¡¯re way older and prideful, they told me that their masters used to torture them when they didn¡¯t want to work, and they just endured the torture! Their entire bodies are covered in scars, and they didn¡¯t care!¡± said Darfu. ¡°Those are some hardy little imps.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Nothing that some good punching in the face can¡¯t resolve.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get anything of what he said, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°We have to be gentle with them, even as strong as I am. Even if I could possess them and force them to work for me, they wouldn¡¯t go along with me, and I don¡¯t know if my possession can work with things rted to knowledge and experience¡­ Also, that would be way too cruel, so I won¡¯t do it.¡± Everyone looked at me while raising an eyebrow. ¡°So you could just do that¡­ possess them¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°Just do that then.¡± ¡°What? Why? I have to make the line myself, or I am going to just be apletely evil and lunatic woman, I mean¡­.¡± I muttered. ¡°I gotta have some limit, personal limit! I can be a monster against those that I hate, but I still need to be nice to my people, or what¡¯ll remain of me? I used to be a human after all¡­.¡± ¡°Hm, okay, you don¡¯t have to borate it so much. We get it, Maria-sama.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°We¡¯ll find another way to do it¡­ Like finding Beer.¡± ¡°But where can we find some damn beer for those annoying imps?¡± asked Catarina. ¡°Seriously, trying to please them really pisses me off.¡± ¡°Beer¡­ Well, a few dozens of kilometers from here, there is a town. Maybe they got beer there.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Maria, you don¡¯t really have any? You got that item box of yours, and you¡¯re crazy for booze. I really thought you would have some.¡± ¡°I drank it all¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°I am sorry. I just like to drink alcohol when I am alone.¡± Everyone looked at me with surprise. ¡°Th-That¡¯s not right¡­¡± said Takeshi. ¡°Auntie, you need help!¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s a ghost, so she doesn¡¯t really get drunk, Takeshi.¡± Said Laura. ¡°She¡¯s just in love with the vor of it.¡± ¡°*Sigh*¡­ A-Anyways, we¡¯ll find beer on its due time. Those dwarves are not really our priority.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Darfu, do you think you know anything about architecture?¡± ¡°Architecture? I know a bit. I¡¯ve designed and constructed houses andrge treasuries before with fellow friends back in the Nation¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°But I am far from being an expert¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better than nothing. You¡¯ll be given the task of making a blueprint for the Greenhouse.¡± I said. ¡°We are in your care!¡± ¡°Eh?! Me alone? Y-You really just go buy some beer! You can fly, right?¡± said Darfu. ¡°Those two are good architects and also forgers¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe¡­ I would have to go meet them first.¡± I said. ¡°I feel like getting them beer is some sort of stupid side quest.¡± ¡°S-Side quest?¡± wondered Darfu. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°No¡­ nothing, never mind.¡± I sighed. ¡°I will go meet them. Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner,e with me. The rest, talk with Darfu and n out what to do next.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± said the Goblin Chief. Darfu gave us some indications, and the house where the three Dwarves lived was a mildlyrge one we had, of course, constructed ourselves. The wood still looked fresh, and there was even a chimney made of stone inside and outside. ¡°Seriously, Maria-sama, why do we have to please these stupid dwarves?¡± asked Partner. ¡°Let¡¯s just smack them.¡± ¡°Partner, you already heard Maria. She doesn¡¯t want to smack nor possess her way out of this. Even as inefficient as that sounds, I can find some reason behind it¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°And think about the perspective of those two. They endured torture and still kept their pride as dwarves¡­ They must be incredibly powerful men.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Dwarves can be very annoying sometimes¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°I remember there was a group of annoying dwarves back in town that always bullied us elves. They were always racists and called us knife ears all the time while calling our women desperate for sex when nobody had ever tried any of that¡­.¡± ¡°Eh? Th-They¡¯re that bad? I am sure that was just a band of thugs¡­.¡± I said. ¡°Come on. You can¡¯t just generalize.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe you¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t generalize. All people are different even if they might be of the same race¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°But still¡­ Remembering them really makes me angry.¡± ¡°Elves and Dwarves have a deep grudge with one another due to the past. The two continents where Dwarves and Elves originate from once were in arge war¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°I-Is that so? Oh well¡­ I guess?¡± I said. ¡°Anyways, we are here¡­.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 235 ¡ª¨C Although Lucifer said something very interesting, I really wasn¡¯t in the mood to hear about war history and how two races are deeply racist against one another for something of the past. I already had a great deal of stuff like that from Earth, and I wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to the fantasy world version of it. We reached the little home, and I opened the door. I could just pass through the door, but where would the other three with me enter? I have to be considerate. ¡°Hello~ Is there somebody here?¡± I asked, turning the candle on as I found arge hammer flying to my head with great precision. ¡°UWAAH!¡± CLANK! ¡°AGH!¡± The hammer actually passed through my body and hit Lucifer, throwing him down on the floor. ¡°Eh?! Lucifer!¡± I cried. ¡°What happened?! Ah¡­ Eh?! They really just threw me a hammer in the face!¡± The rumors were true. They really throw a hammer to the face of anyone that enters their house. What the heck is wrong with them? Do they not throw it to Darfu, or does he just evade it? ¡°I-I am fine.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I am resilient enough to take several hammers at once anyways¡­.¡± ¡°Still! This is not okay! If they got throwing hammers at people¡¯s faces, they¡¯d ultimately hurt somebody lethally!¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°You pair ofzy men, stand up and greet Maria-sama, your benefactor and savior!¡± ¡°Yeah! Bastards! I am going to butcher you two! Maybe if they covert you into ghosts, you can be of any use for us!¡± roared Partner. ¡°Get up already!¡± The two girls began to scream angrily at the two dwarves resting over their beds. I took a closer look at them. One of them had a gray beard and was bald, covered in wrinkles and scars. He looked very old. The other had an eyepatch on his left eye and had ck hair with many white hairs. He was also incredibly old like the other. They¡¯re really old Dwarves, wow. ¡°Nnngh¡­ Who the heck is it now?¡± One of them sat down over his bed and looked at us while crossing his arms. ¡°Hey Baldor, just throw them another hammer. I want to sleep some more¡­¡± sighed the other. ¡°Zzzz¡­¡± ¡°Oi, wake up. These people are important¡­¡± said Baldor. ¡°Wake up already, old man! Badur!!!¡± SMACK! Baldor, the silver-haired one, hit the head of the one with an eye patch, Badur. The Dwarf quickly woke up and sat down over the bed, looking at our party with eyes wide open. ¡°What the heck was that for?! To show me this freak show?!¡± roared Badur. ¡°Who the heck are these guys anyway?¡± ¡°They¡¯re important folk! That woman is a ghost, she¡¯s¡­ Maria-sama¡­? Or something.¡± said Baldor. ¡°She says she¡¯s our major benefactor. I think the little green guy talks about her a lot.¡± ¡°Ooooh! Maria! Okay, well, hello, sorry for¡­ Acting rudely?¡± said Badur. ¡°What do you want?¡± He was sorry for acting rudely, but he goes and acts like that again anyways! Seriously, what are Dwarves up to nowadays? I looked at the two dwarves. They seemed to be rather domineering in their presence. They were old and covered in scars, prideful to the core to the point they didn¡¯t even act respectfully over their benefactors, the ones that freed them from very and even gave them shelter and food. Naturally, my friends didn¡¯t like their attitude as well. ¡°You bastards! I am going to chop you down into pieces!¡± roared Partner. ¡°How dare you treat my beloved Master like this?! You¡¯re really digging your own graves now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, Maria-sama, I cannot tolerate it anymore¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Please let me teach these insolent dwarves a small lesson about etiquette.¡± ¡°You two calm down a bit! You can¡¯t just try to kill them!¡± I said. ¡°We can!¡± said Partner. ¡°We can try¡­¡± said Emeraldine. I stopped the two before they lost their sanitypletely as the dwarves looked at the scene andughed. ¡°Bahwahaha! We are grateful, though! We craft clothes and other little things for the people with Darfu¡­¡± said Baldor. ¡°What more do you want? We are old men. If you really want to kill us, go ahead.¡± Said Badur. They¡¯re serious. These guys just don¡¯t give a damn. They¡¯re really manly dwarves! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Master can make you keep on even after death. You¡¯ll be more serviceable as zombies.¡± Said Partner, as she licked the tip of her spear. ¡°Wait! Wait, Partner! Partner bad! Bad girl!¡± I said as I smacked her head gently, and she pouted at me cutely. ¡°Calm down, leave this to me, please¡­.¡± I sighed. Partner just sighed. I walked towards the two dwarves. As Lucifer made his way to my side, he was calmer than the two hormonal girls at our side, and as a fellow old geezer, he might want to negotiate with them. ¡°Darfu spoke to me about you guys. He said you guys are amazing architects and cksmiths. Is that real?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh? Yeah, we are.¡± Said Baldor. ¡°We worked in constructing most of the renovations made in the Dwarf Nation, and we also reconstructed the King¡¯s castle. We also made the blueprints for the walls and even the underwater sewage.¡± Said, Badur. ¡°Then how the heck did you end as ves?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah¡­ Well, that¡¯s a long story.¡± Said Baldor. ¡°Resuming it, we were on a trip to another small town where a friend was living, but we got drunk as fuck, and we ended up getting caught by bandits midway through the road. We were drunk, but we fought a lot though. We killed more than half the bandits, but they ended up using some paralyzing poison and finally took us down¡­ and then¡­¡± sighed Badur. ¡°Here we are, long story short, we were enved for roughly six years¡­ I think.¡± Said Baldor. ¡°Yeah, rough years, much torture, stupid aristocrat pigs, they think that because we are their ves, we¡¯ll do anything they say.¡± Said Baldor. ¡°They tried to force us, but we didn¡¯t do it, so they tortured us, but do you think that matters to us, Dwarves? As long as the Goddess of Earth is with us, our grit is endless!¡± said Badur. ¡°We resisted it like champs, and we eventually got out of it, so here we are, keeping the pride of the dwarves high!¡± said Baldor. ¡°Wow, you guys are really insane¡­.¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 236 ¡ª¨C These two dwarves were absolutely insane. It wasn¡¯t that they were just prideful. They were straight out insane to the core. They were tortured so much they were left with scars all over their bodies, but they still didn¡¯t work for it. I don¡¯t know if I can even convince their souls to work for me even if they die and I make them ghosts. Their will seems so strong and unmovable, like a stone pir¡­ And they also talked about some Earth Goddess¡­ Is she their goddess? Wait¡­ By checking their Status, I saw a lot of the talents they got, Hammer Technique, Master cksmith, Smith Magic, and¡­ They are blessed by the Goddess of Earth and the God of Forge. So that¡¯s it¡­ They¡¯re actually so strong-willed and resilient because they¡¯re the Heralds of Gods, apostles of two gods to boot, and both of them! Wait, I think they¡¯re blood-rted. Could they be siblings? Twins? ¡°Are you guys twins?¡± I wondered. ¡°Also, by checking your status, you got blessed by the Goddess of Earth and the God of Forge¡­.¡± The two dwarves stood there looking at me in disbelief. They seemed both disappointed and angered at me for some reason! Did I do something wrong? I just checked their Status! What¡¯s wrong with that? ¡°You can check status?!¡± asked Baldor. ¡°That¡¯s very rude! You can¡¯t just check the shape of our souls like that. Even if you¡¯re a ghost!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s very offensive¡­¡± said Badur. ¡°But yeah, we are twins and blessed at the same time. We were blessed the same day we were born, together, and since then, we have been bros that have never separated from one another.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Bros until the end!¡± said Baldor. ¡°We have always stuck together. Our Divine Protections makes it so we are inseparable.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I asked. ¡°Do you even go to the bathroom together?¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t! We hate when someone jokes with that!¡± said Baldor. ¡°Also, we ain¡¯t helping you anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, do you think we¡¯ll help you just because you have helped us?¡± asked Badur. ¡°We have done more than enough, making clothes and other things for you with that kid Darfu¡­ We ain¡¯t forging for ya!¡± ¡°Come on! You can¡¯t be that much of an asshole, can¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t cost you anything, and you¡¯ll be helping good people.¡± ¡°We have helped them enough,¡± said Baldor. ¡°That¡¯s enough for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we have helped enough,¡± said Badur. ¡°That¡¯s also enough for me.¡± ¡°You guys begin speaking at the same time sometimes.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Typical Dwarf behavior¡­.¡± Emeraldine began cursing in a low voice while the Dwarvespletely ignored her. Meanwhile, Partner was constantly emanating a strong presence of ck and red color, and she was quite frightening. ¡°You two¡­ You alsoe from the same ce as Darfu, right?¡± asked Lucifer. ¡°Who are you exactly? Were you important figures? Doing all the things you said¡­ You mustn¡¯t be normal at all.¡± Lucifer surprisingly spoke in a respectful tone of voice to the two dwarves, who looked at him while squinting their eyes and then nodded. ¡°Yeah, wee from the Gray Mountains too. We are the famous Redstone Brothers.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°We did many things, and we taught a lot of the kids there¡­.¡± ¡°Compared to our age Darfu is just a young kid¡­ We are over three hundred years old.¡± Said Badur. ¡°But I still feel like new, though!¡± ¡°T-Three hundred years old?!¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Dwarves could live so long!¡± The two dwarves nodded; they didn¡¯t seem to be particrly angered at Emeraldine for being an elf, so they even answered her questions. ¡°Yeah, we are pretty old.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Usually, people of our race can live up to two hundred years¡­ But those that receive a Divine Protection can live way more than that.¡± Said, Badur. ¡°Each Divine Protection can give you some extra lifespan because we both got two Divine Protections. We got a lot of extra lifespan to go around,¡± said Baldur. ¡°Yeah, we have outlived some of our friends¡­¡± sighed Badur. ¡°Well, they¡¯re now in the embrace of the Goddess of Earth anyways.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Hm!¡± said Badur. They were also quite religious with their Goddess of Earth, and they were probably talking about being buried in the dirt? Maybe¡­ Well, whatever the case, Lucifer seemed to have the intention of negotiating with them, but I don¡¯t really know how that will fare. ¡°I am an ancient dragon that has lived hundreds of years, probably almost a thousand years if not some more. I used to live in the very ce where you dwarves are living now.¡± Said Lucifer. As he began to unleash his entire potential outside of his body, an enormous aura of pressure and phantasmal power emerged behind him, shaping itself into his dragon form, resembling a deadly specter. The two dwarves looked in shock at the scene for a few seconds before going back to their usual expressionless selves. ¡°I see, so?¡± asked Baldur. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re an old Dragon and an Undead¡­ What happened to you?¡± wondered Badur. ¡°Ah, not like I care if you don¡¯t answer¡­.¡± ¡°Eh?! Well¡­ It didn¡¯t work. I thought that Dwarves respected dragons¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°Anyways, I guess I can ask you some other thingster. For now, what Maria wants to do is employ you two as her forgers and architects.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°We retired from that heavy lifting job and all of that.¡± ¡°Even if others do the lifting, I ain¡¯t working.¡± Said, Badur. ¡°Unless¡­¡± ¡°Unless¡­¡± said Baldur. ¡°Unless you bring booze.¡± ¡°Of the nice one, though.¡± Said, Badur. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll think about helping by then.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re picky too? You don¡¯t want any Beer, but the best we can find?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re a bit too expensive, but I am beginning to think there¡¯s no other way around it¡­.¡± The two dwarves were quite the expensive workers¡­ asking for something like high-quality beer¡­ I hope we can find some. ¡ª¨C Chapter 237 ¡ª¨C We walked outside of their home after the whole discussion was over. I was getting tired of how arrogant they were. I could tell that everyone was doing their best to maintain theirposure, but it was indeed very hard. ¡°Thanks for your patience, you three¡­ I guess at the end. We were not able to convince them that much. Those guys are way too grumpy for me to handle¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°And they seem to only want beer and nothing else.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I seriously don¡¯t get how a dwarf¡¯s brain works. Well, Darfu is a nice person, at least.¡± ¡°Yeah, that Darfu is our only home for the moment. It doesn¡¯t seem that there is anyone more qualified as him around the people we got.¡± Said Partner. ¡°So that¡¯ll do. He¡¯ll do it for us.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Well, it shouldn¡¯t be hard to take a fast trip to the nearest town to pick up some resources, we should buy a lot of food on the way, and Beer, all the beer we can find, and give it to them, we¡¯ll see which one they like¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°We might also buy the recipe of how to make beer and the ingredients necessary to make it as well.¡± Lucifer had a good idea. I think if we could make beer here, it would keep them refilled with their beer meter while we work on our own stuff as well. Everyone wins! I think that¡¯s the best thing we can do as of now, I really don¡¯t want to meddle any more with these annoying dwarves, so I am throwing them to the back of my mind for the moment. ¡°Good idea, Lucifer, we¡¯ll do that¡­ I guess we can go to the town tomorrow morning. We¡¯ll leave Catarina and the other two fire ghosts protecting the ce, plus all the Undead.¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, there are monsters sometimesing. Most of the time, they try to get inside the city, so it is good to leave some strong people to defend the vige¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Although, without a healer like me, I am worried something bad might happen, and I won¡¯t be there to heal them¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t go out for more than two days. I think it will be a short trip. We can fly so it will be fast.¡± I said. ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Okay then¡­¡± said Emeraldine with a sweet smile. There are Undead roaming the entire vige all the time, they often carry out rocks and debris spread around, and some others are slowly tearing apart the houses for usable wood to burn and also to feed the rats. Some others are gathering anything shiny and valuable from the houses before they¡¯re turned into pieces of wood. Sometimes there are portraits of people or their stuff. We save all of that to one day give it back to the frozen people. Our people were already used to Undead from way back when we rescued them. The Undead had been helping them ever since, and I am an Undead too, so they¡¯re used to them as ¡°people¡± and not as ¡°monsters¡± although if they ever encounter Undead outside of the vige, they¡¯re probably not the friendly kind, so we made sure to tell them to differentiate well. Once more, we moved towards the castle, where we found Darfu and the goblins. He was currently brainstorming ideas on how to make the greenhouse¡¯s architecture. He wasn¡¯t the best at it, but he knew all the basics, and he had to just put up some effort into it. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think we can do this¡­ Perhaps internal pirs would also be good if you want it to be big¡­ The ss we¡¯ll need for the ceilings will be a lot¡­ Maria-sama has to make sure to bring as much sand as possible, the whole beach if necessary.¡± Said Darfu. The Goblins nodded as they heard his words. Some even knew how to write, so they were writing down notes about it and more. When Darfu noticed we came back, he spoke to us. ¡°So, how did it go?¡± he asked. ¡°Bad¡­ Very bad, they¡¯re assholes,¡± I said. ¡°I-I told you it wouldn¡¯t work¡­ I am d nothing bad happened to them, though¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°Yeah, I stopped these two dorks from hitting them several times. They really should calm themselves sometimes.¡± I sighed. ¡°Anyways, how are things going?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine, we have already done some work, but I am still having someplications¡­ I am not the best at this. I might take a week to make a proper blueprint¡­ Sorry.¡± Apologized Darfu. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, we got all the time in the world now that we are far away from danger¡­ I think.¡± I said. ¡°Although we are going tomorrow to the nearest town to find some food and beer and perhaps other materials we could harvest.¡± ¡°That sounds great. Could I go with you?¡± wondered Darfu. ¡°We need some serious materials to start off our construction, nails above all, and different tools¡­ Do you got the money?¡± ¡°Yeah, we got enough money to buy stuff, and if not, we can steal it using ghostly powers,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Although I am trying to not steal everything now¡­.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°Ghosts are really unique beings¡­.¡± ¡°Anyways, do you know how that town works? From which duchy are they?¡± asked Partner. ¡°They¡¯re not from the Albraun Kingdom. We have already walked past their territory. This town belongs to the d Kingdom, a small Kingdom with just two duchies that is located in these frozennds.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I am impressed they have kept up for so long, even after the war against the Demon King where they were our supporters. I guess because they¡¯re human, they somehow managed to survive and not get ughtered¡­ Good for them.¡± ¡°The d Kingdom is a friendly Kingdom to our Dwarf Nation. They always make trades. They got some fertilends where they grow nts, but it is said that they¡¯re cooperating with tribes of Ice Giants to grow special nts that even thrive in ice¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°What? Really? Maybe we could find those nts then!¡± I said. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re expensive?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t rmend it, they¡¯re rare, and the Ice Giants are not fond of people¡­ If you try to get things from them forcefully, they¡¯ll rage.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°It is dangerous.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± So there are even Ice Giants here¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 238 ¡ª¨C The d Kingdom, the Kingdom nearest to our town, and a small Kingdom where people had been surviving for years, hundreds of years, apparently, but that has barely changed in shape, form, architecture, or even territory. They seem to always have two duchies all this time, and they¡¯re not getting any more either¡­ They¡¯re a Kingdom of survivors, pretty much. To be able to withstand these cold temperatures and maintain the entire Kingdom for so many years is insane by itself. There are barely any invaders in these frozennds, so it is understandable that they had not been invaded, but I would guess that magic and other things like those have kept them alive for a long time. ording to Darfu, the only friendly dwarf we have ever met in our lives and a new friend, it appears that the d Kingdom has some sort of friendly rtionship with a tribe of Ice Giants¡­ But what are Ice Giants? Looking back at Norse Mythology, they¡¯re one of the children of Ymir, the primordial giant and the father of all giants. There is a Continent named Jotunheim here, which seems to be the ce where all the damn Ice Giants are located. It is an interesting ce I would like to visit. Alongside Ice Giants, there might be their ¡°normal¡± variety named Mountain Giants, and in Muspelheim, there are also the other Giants, often considered evil, the Fire Giants. All these Giants seem mysterious. We had never interacted with them. Maybe Lucifer because he¡¯s super old, but the rest of us are in the blue. Even Darfu seems to have no idea what they are up to aside from saying that the Ice Giants are very secretive and dislike being too near civilizations because they¡¯re hunted down as monsters. However, some years ago, the d Kingdom began friendly transactions with the Ice Giants, where they provided all sorts of resources the Ice Giants had begun tock. At the same time, the Ice Giants share the special Ice nts they raise, which seem to have their origin in Jotunheim and Niflheim, special edible nts that can grow in cold temperatures! If we could bring some of those, we could really solve part of the problem, although, to be honest, I would still build a greenhouse. I really want one, and nobody is stopping me from getting one! However, I wonder how these Ice nts are working and more¡­ and I wonder if they could be used with the help of Emeraldine¡¯s nature spirit. Maybe she could help both parties by boosting the growth of the nts? And we get some payment in the form of more nts¡­ But getting to do that seems to be a big pain, so maybe it will take time. ¡°Have you heard about the ice giants, Lucifer?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re pretty old, so you know a lot.¡± ¡°W-Who are you calling, old man? I am actually quite youngpared to the most Ancient Dragons. My father was thousands of years old. I am barely one thousand years old. I am in the prime of my youth- Ah, I am dead¡­ I guess it¡¯s all canceled out by that.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Anyways, yeah, I do know them a bit. My family used to interact with Mountain Giants and Ice Giants that lived in the gray mountains¡­ No idea if they¡¯re up there now, but they were mostly a seclusive race. They dislike being with other people and even felt better around us dragons than humans, elves, or even dwarves.¡± ¡°Yeah, I told you so. Giants are just very shy people¡­¡± sighed Darfu. ¡°Although there might be another reason behind that.¡± ¡°What reason?¡± wondered Partner. ¡°Wait, let me guess¡­ Because humans chase them down or something, right?¡± ¡°Bingo. You¡¯re sharp, Vampire girl.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Giants have a long history with humans, elves, and dwarves, often referred to as the ¡°three races¡± who are the most monly seen¡± around thend. They were always chased down by them and treated like monsters such as Ogres or Trolls because of some simrities they share¡­.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s harsh¡­ How can they even call them monsters? Ah, it feels just like Majin, a race of people created by the Gods that are called monsters because they¡¯re simply different physically¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°People can be really awful¡­.¡± ¡°Yep¡­ Although we are notpletely innocent either, our races all originate from different areas of the continent. Each race belonged to a different continent at the origin of the world¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°But a lot of races spread everywhere in every direction as the years passed, wars, trades, and more ended up spreading tribes all over the world, and because of the nice temperatures of this continent, Midgard ended up with a wide variety of races from other continents, although it originally belonged to the humans. Well, to be honest, it still does.¡± ¡°Indeed, it still does. You know? This is pretty damn awful¡­ Humans can be real jerks sometimes, and I know it well because I used to be one.¡± I said. ¡°But I guess it alles down to the many wars of the past, which only made the humans hatred for other races increase¡­ the church discriminating against them and using other races as an outlet for the people to direct their anger instead than the corrupt governments doesn¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Yeah, we all demi-humans got it rough, but this ce you¡¯re building¡­ Maybe it has potential. If we all work together, we can make of these frozennds where nobody steps into a paradise for us to live on.¡± said Darfu. ¡°I kind of want to believe in your resolve, especially because you¡¯re damn strong, and you got a bunch of strongpanions too, and strength is everything at the end of the day¡­ So long as you got strength, you¡¯ll be able to protect the town.¡± ¡°True¡­ I guess we have to just keep working hard! I just want a ce where we can all live peacefully and prosper.¡± I said. ¡°It is a dumb dream, but it is shared by many¡­.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 239 ¡ª¨C ¡°The Dwarf Nation is one of the few prosperous ces, but we live peacefully because we are surrounded by dragon monsters everywhere and giants, perhaps¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°The terrain is also hard for the humans to step on and advance their troops, and through our fortresses, we built there, we always have a strong strategic advantage.¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­ Did something happen in your history?¡± I wondered. ¡°Did they attack the Dwarf Nation?¡± ¡°Yes, plenty of times, the Albraun Kingdom, the Solstice Kingdom, and the Rose Garden Kingdom, the trio of human Kingdoms that govern this entire Continent led by the Empire ruled by the church, attempted to attack our Dwarf Nation on several asions, but all failed¡­¡± said Darfu. ¡°I don¡¯t like to brag about it, but Dwarf Military Power is impressive. You¡¯ll see the artifacts and magical machinery we can build when we finally got the time and tools to make it.¡± ¡°M-Machinery?¡± I asked in surprise. Are you telling me these dwarves are the cool steampunk ones?! Holy fucking shit. ¡°Yeah, we can make magic technology and build machinery. It is our specialty, giant magic cannons, bazookas, arachnid tanks, and all of that. We sted all three of the major kingdoms, and not even the strongest of priests with their stupid holy magic could do anything against our Machine Golems! Gahahaha!¡±ughed Darfu. ¡°¡­But I never experienced that. I was still inside my father¡¯s balls back then. It was long, long ago¡­ After that, the humans stopped annoying us. They simply gave up.¡± ¡°I-Incredible¡­ Lucifer, were Dwarves doing that when you were alive?¡± I asked. ¡°Did they?¡± ¡°¡­Not that I remember. Perhaps we never truly met? I believe the Dwarves settled down after the Demon Kingdom was destroyed pretty much¡­ But I never saw Dwarves doing that. I do remember there was this one underground city of Dwarves right down the mountain- Wait, are you guys those ones?¡± wondered Lucifer. ¡°I guess you moved to the mountains¡­ Fair enough, it was empty, I bet.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but they say that we came from the underground.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°I¡¯ll stop babbling for the moment and resume work. If you excuse me¡­ Alright guys, gather around me again¡±. Darfu quickly moved back to where the goblins were as he began to guide them andmand them. He said he wasn¡¯t really good at this, but he¡¯s already pretty amazing, and he¡¯s considered a child by those two idiots? I am impressed. I am really impressed. ¡°Well, that was a lot of interesting info tidbits.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°We should really talk more with Darfu. He is a keeper in your council!¡± ¡°I agree. He¡¯s a fun little guy.¡± Said Partner. ¡°What do you think, old man?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me old man! What¡¯s up with being called old now all out of the sudden?!¡± asked Lucifer angrily. ¡°¡­Darfu is a resourceful young Dwarf, I would dly have him at my side, but he¡¯s gotta show more of what¡¯s he¡¯s capable of through time, so don¡¯t jump to conclusions right away.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I also liked the guy, so we¡¯ll see what we do¡­.¡± I said. ¡°For now, we should rest and move tomorrow¡­ I think I said I wanted to go now, but I gotzy after those two idiots made me a bit depressed.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t get like that¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°Come on, cheer up. We¡¯ll go tomorrow morning then.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah! Just ignore those two idiots, Master!¡± said Partner. ¡°They¡¯re not worth half of what they make themselves cost.¡± ¡°You two are very harsh on them, but you¡¯re right, I am also the one that didn¡¯t want to force them nor kill them, so I have to bear with their hurtful words¡­.¡± I sighed. ¡°For now, let¡¯s go back to the castle toze around for a bit.¡± For the moment, I decided toze around until tomorrow. Throughout the entire week, we had been working very hard, so it is justified that we finally take a little break, although Undead is restless, and that¡¯s why how we made those houses so fast because I employed my Undead friends. Lucifer wanted to continue helping outside, and probably he was going to y with the kids of the town after that. He has a very soft spot for children, after all. So I ended up with Emeraldine and Partner. It has been some time since I kissed Emeraldine, and we haven¡¯t done it since then. It also seems that our tension has calmed itself a little bit, but I am damn sure I still got strong feelings for her, but it just feels like our rtionship is slowly advancing. I-I mean, not more than a month has passed, so I don¡¯t think it is going too slow either! Meanwhile, Partner and I¡­ well, our rtionship is pretty good as well, she¡¯s clingy and always lovely, she said she wanted a rtionship with me, and¡­ I kind of also want it. She¡¯s cute, and I have wondered how it could feel to kiss her¡­ Ahh, I am really a pervert, aren¡¯t I? These two girls are really like my sun and my moon, always illuminating the day and the night for me. They¡¯re part of¡­ my treasure. Part of my life, and I can¡¯t really imagine my life without them at each of my sides anymore, all while Lucifer is often behind me watching my back, silent, like a regal knight or something. He¡¯s less clingy and corny than the girls, but his love is also very intense, and his devotion is as strong as that of a knight¡­ I also love him. Uwah, it is hard to bnce life with two beautiful girls and a handsome dragon¡­ All while managing a growing vige, trying to grow stronger, and attempting to resolve the problems that surge at every corner of my life¡­ It really is¡­ For the moment, I kept resting over the bed while chatting with the girls and practicing darkness magic. ¡ª¨C Chapter 240 ¡ª¨C Darkness Magic, the ability to harbor Darkness, the element opposite to light. With it, I had been even able to fight against the powerful holy light that the priests of the Light God are able to wield. Unlike Death Magic, which is veryplex, and it controls an entire concept, which I have a lot to learn from yet, Darkness Magic is way simpler. And thanks to my Unique Skill, my cheat ability named ¡°Supreme Magic¡± I can easily shape magic itself, which seems to be an incredibly hard work even with the aid of the Soul Book¡¯s Skills to most of the people here, they often depend solely on the Skills they learn, which they can conjure almost immediately, but shaping magic itself and just generate new Skills out of new Spells is seem to be an extremely hard thing to do. I guess due to the existence of Skills within the Soul Books, the actual ability of shaping magic became rather obsolete in some areas. Although I am sure that other races such as Elves might have an easier time conjuring conventional magic and might be able to do it better. However, unlike Death Magic where I have to think deeply what I want it to be used into, Darkness Magks that muchplexity thates from such a primordial element such as Death, so it is easy to shape, it is just conjuring darkness and shaping it, like you shape light, water, wind, fire, and so on, it is way lessplex than a concept by itself like Death is. FLAAASH! And while being over my bed (well, the Demon King¡¯s bed which were washed), I began to conjure darkness out of my hands and shape it. Supreme Magic lets me shape it however I want, and I¡¯ve already made several new Spells in the past that ended turning into Skills, but there are also several other ways I have used it and did not turn into a Skill, I guess not always will spells go into converting into Skills. Let¡¯s see¡­ Darkness Thread! FLASH! The darkness quicklypacted itself and tightened into a long and thin thread extending all around the room, it was beautiful and not soplex to create. These threads could help me at doing traps and wrapping around foes to stop them from moving. I have tried using tentacles, shadows, and so on, but incredibly hard and sharp threads might work better, especially if I could even cut them down into pieces with them. Sharp enough threads can be a powerful weapon by itself! Just thinking about those anime characters that use threads to fight and are very deadly¡­ it is the perfectbination between refined fighting style and also a strong and lethal weapon¡­ all in just some sharp thread. I know it is quite unrealistic, there is no way thread can cut down people into pieces, even the sharpest thread will only leave wounds over the skin and won¡¯t probably pass through the fat or musclespletely, even less the bone. But it is nice to imagine¡­ And in this fantasy world, I can make a thread out of darkness, so nothing is too crazy in my opinion. Also, by using the Materialization Skill, I can temporarily materialize this thread and through my magic maniption, make it as sharp as I possibly can. I directed it towards a nearby furniture and quickly tried to slice it into pieces. SLASH! And as I wrapped it around the thread and then pressed the thread against it, the entire wooden furniture exploded into sliced chunks¡­ Wow. ¡°W-What was that? Oh?!¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°Maria, have you made a new Spell? Is this¡­ thread?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t touch it or it might hurt you¡­¡± I said. ¡°It is a deadly thread I¡¯ve made out of Dark Magic, it can slice through things although I don¡¯t know if it can ignore defense, it probably can¡¯t because it is a physical object after I use Materialization on it, so defensive enough foes could possibly break it¡­ but for weaklings, it is a nice way to use my magic to slice them up easily. Just sting them with dark magic is sometimes not the best option out of it, so you sometimes need to bring new ways to kill people.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a bit eerie-sounding but I agree, sometimes wasting too much Mana into killing armies is exhausting,¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°When we were being chased out by that duchy¡¯s army, we had to use a lot of energy and mana to keep them away from us¡­ And you had to constantly raise them into Undead to fight against their own army because they were too many.¡± ¡°They were all mobs though, there was no single soldier that stood a chance against us!¡± said Partner. ¡°Even those Generals died in one hit of my Blood Spears.¡± Partner smiled devilishly showing me her sharp vampire fangs, she had grown quite sadistic. ¡°Hm¡­ Yeah, I had thought about setting up some traps with this, but I fear that the people of our town might fall for them too, so we¡¯ll see. At most I will use them in an emergency if we are ever attacked¡­ I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll work in cutting off that Curse Ice, that was clearly conjured by something stronger than me¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°To free these people from the ice, we¡¯ll need to find the source and ask it to free them¡­ be it by force or gently.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Well, maybe we can find clues in the d Kingdom, we can find more information there, so don¡¯t lose hope, Maria.¡± Said Emeraldine, as she sat down near me in bed, and began to hug me and caress my head. ¡°That¡¯s right, Master.¡± Said Partner. ¡°We can find clues slowly, don¡¯t get sad over it, at least they¡¯re alive, right?¡± Partner also sat down to my other side, hugging me as well and caressing my head too. ¡°You two girls spoil me too much¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna nap until tomorrow¡­ If anything is needed, just wake me up.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 241 ¡ª¨C The day went on peacefully and I actually managed to nap until tomorrow, when I woke up it was already early in the morning and Emeraldine and Partner already had dinnerst night and ended cuddling at each of my sides in the bed. Lucifer was sleeping in the couch at the side. Through this week they had been taking turns to sleep at my side, but it seems that these two ended taking Lucifer¡¯s ce and he didn¡¯t seem to mind, sleeping in therge couch at the side¡­ this made me feel a bit bad, I also want to spoil my grumpy old dragon a bit. I sneaked outside of the bed through bing phantom, sneaking away from the physical bed, and arriving at the floor below, where I found that Lucifer was already awake, as an Undead, he seemed to be always kind of awake, and when we sleep is that we purposely turn off most of our thoughts, like a long meditation, but unlike sleeping, we are always perfectly aware of all our surroundings. Partner has changed thought, now that she is a Lesser Vampire, she had gained several ¡°life-like¡± traits, which seem to give her a sleep more akin to living beings, the typical sleep that vampires take that let them sleep for centuries without even being woken up at all, so she got a very heavy sleep after she began to slowly turn into a Vampiric being. After she drank the blood of the Vampires we killed, she finally became a Lesser type of Vampire, and gained a lot of their strengths and weaknesses, such as sunlight, holy light, fire, and so on more than before¡­ As of now she had already developed Sunlight Resistance, although we are still in the process of making her learn Fire or Light Resistance, it is a bit sad because I don¡¯t want to set her on fire or something, I really don¡¯t want that! So she is asking the fire ghost brothers to help her build fire resistance, although she can regenerate wounds quickly, they don¡¯t seem to like it either¡­ but she forces them to help her anyways. I think she also asks Emeraldine to bathe her in holy light, which must hurt a lot as well, I guess Partner is really a hard worker by trying to mitigate her big weaknesses¡­ Meanwhile, I guess my two weaknesses are Life and Light/Holy Light, theplete opposites of what I am. But thanks to my Elemental Resistance Skill and Great Magic Resistance Skill, I am able to mitigate a lot of the damage I receive, even then, my weakness still hits me strong¡­ It is something we have to deal with, I guess¡­ Anyways, going back to reality, Lucifer¡¯s eyes opened as he looked at me with curiosity. ¡°Hm? What is it? I was enjoying my nap¡­ Let me sleep some more. Since we arrived here that I can finally rx¡­¡± he said. ¡°Come on,e with me, I want to spend some time with you.¡± I said. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Lucifer slowly stood up out of the couch, moving away the nkets he was covering himself, and followed me from behind. ¡°Spend time with me?¡± he asked. ¡°We always are together anyways.¡± ¡°Yeah, but alone, the two of us.¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re my second everpanion, you know? So I like to spend time with you, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that!¡± ¡°¡­I know.¡± Lucifer had been quite mncholic through this week, more than themon level of depression that he always has. Mostly because of seeing the people frozen in here, and how it has been impossible to free them no matter what method we tried to use. We slowly walked around the castle and we reached a terrace area that led us to the outside world, where we could see the rest of the town, there was some people awake at these hours, cooking arge pot of stew outside, some were grilling meat, and even fish they caught in a nearby river. Another group of goblins and people were together peeling off the fur of arge pr bear they seem to have caught, it is good fur. ¡°How have you feeltely?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡­ I am okay now¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry so much about me.¡± ¡°But I do¡­ I am worried about everyone¡­ But you, Emeraldine, and Partner are more important to me, so I have to pay extra attention to detail.¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡± Lucifer looked into the outside world, his eyes seemed a bit sleepy, but also held a strong sorrow that he always tried to mask with his expressionlessness. I hugged him from behind, as he was taller than me, his figure seemed big like a pir, it even blocked the light. ¡°You hold on too many emotions sometimes.¡± I said. ¡°I want to tell you that you can open up more to me.¡± ¡°¡­You say that but when I do, you escape from me.¡± He sighed. ¡°Eh? But that other time you were trying to kiss me! That¡¯s going a bit too far, you know? There are other ways to do it¡­¡± I said. ¡°Also weren¡¯t you married? I don¡¯t know but I feel bad when I think about it¡­ I feel like by kissing you¡­ I am doing something wrong¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lucifer looked at me with a bit of mncholy, as he looked down. ¡°Yeah¡­ I was once married, almost a thousand years ago¡­ I still love her, but she¡¯s long gone¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met that gives me the feelings that she once gave to me.¡± ¡°Lucifer¡­¡± I sighed, as I smiled back at him. ¡°Maybe I might seem like I am sad all the time.¡± He sighed. ¡°But when I am with you, I sometimes feel like my heart is lighter, and I feel more rxed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Maria¡­ I¡­ I love you.¡± He said. ¡°I¡­ Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t had said that out of nowhere¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­ Dummy¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty obvious already, but I also love you.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Lucifer raised his eyebrows, as his pale face slowly began to grow redder. ¡ª¨C Chapter 242 ¡ª¨C I can¡¯t believe I actually just said it?! I was thinking for the perfect moment to say it, but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to wait any longer. I¡¯ve been feeling bad for himtely for what I did back then, and I really didn¡¯t wanted him to feel like I actually disliked him, because that seemed to be the impression that I gave to him back then. But I can¡¯t believe that I just said it out loud and without any problem?! What is wrong with me and my stupid head? I am really me right now? I feel like I am just growing more and more stupid by the second. Is this how love makes people feel? That they¡¯re losing braincells? Well, I don¡¯t even have a brain. However, when Lucifer said that to me, I really felt it¡­ And while we watched the small town in front of us, I ended just telling him, so he can be reassured that I like him and that he is indeed needed in my life. I kind of like to spend some time alone with him, while the girls seem to have some good chemistry while we do fluffy stuff, Lucifer is more of a silent and too serious type, so being alone with him feels better than when we are with the girls. Also, he kind of feels awkward while trying to be fluffy with me when the other girls are around, mostly due to their intense stares¡­ so having me all for himself gives him a bit more of confidence, that¡¯s for sure. Lucifer looked at me with a bit of surprise as I said those words, he really thought I disliked him¡­ ¡°You rally thought I disliked you, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°Ugh¡­ I am sorry, okay? I never wanted to create that feeling of insecurity within you¡­¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­? I¡­ Since then that I really thought you disliked me but¡­¡± he said. ¡°Now that I think about it, I was very rough back then¡­ So I won¡¯t try to force myself into you¡­¡± ¡°M-Maybe a bit forceful but it was still okay¡­ You don¡¯t have to apologize too much.¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I already forgave you for that and I really do¡­ do¡­ do love¡­ you.¡± ¡°M-Maria¡­¡± Lucifer seemed very embarrassed, as his pale face continued to grow redder, and his charming red eyes seemed to look into my very soul, his long silvery-white hair looked silky and his skin was like porcin, his face¡¯s features were handsome too¡­ Although his true form is a giant lizard with wings, so I also have to learn to like him in that form. ¡°You¡¯re feeling better?¡± I asked, as I held his hand. ¡°Yeah¡­ I feel¡­ Somewhat¡­ Within my heart, it feels warm¡­¡± he said. ¡°W-Warm?¡± I asked. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But it feels like something in me is finally alive¡­¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been dead for so long that I have already forgotten what it felt to be alive, and what it felt to have a beating heart¡­ But somehow, my heart¡­ It is beating.¡± I touched Lucifer¡¯s chest¡­ and it was true. What is this? His heart shouldn¡¯t be beating, he¡¯s dead after all, he¡¯s an Undead! Yet somehow, his heart is beating¡­ I approached my head to his chest, to hear his heart beating. Ba dump¡­ Ah¡­ It is really beating, slowly¡­ but it is. How strange. I genuinely don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with him. Is this really just for love? Because he finally feels alive due to love, so his heart began to react to his passion, and it began to beat? It even feels warm, the heart is really pumping warm blood across his body¡­ Wow¡­ I don¡¯t know why but this is pretty amazing. Lucifer gently hugged me with his slender arms, as I slowly looked up to him, resting over the chest of a guy is not bad at all¡­ I feel protected by his arms, and his face¡­ Uwah, is he smiling?! Ahh¡­ He¡¯s really handsome. ¡°Thank you for helping me feel alive once more, Maria¡­¡± he said. ¡°L-Lucifer¡­¡± I said, as I slowly approached my face to him. ¡°M-Maria¡­¡± he said, doing the same, as he approached his face to me. ¡°I-Is this okay? It is okay for you?¡± he asked before doing the deed. ¡°Yes¡­ Kiss me.¡± I said. While being hugged by my beloved, he kissed me gently with his warm lips, giving me the warmth of love that I have given to him. I felt as if I was also slightly alive too. His kiss was something else¡­ It was warm, and soft, so gentle, yet filled with a strong passion. His arms hugging me from behind felt as if they were protecting me from the cruel world outside, while I immersed myself in the passion of our lips touching one another. Without realizing it, our kisssted longer than we expected, and my tongue even slipped inside, both of our tongues touched for a little bit, and it felt so nice yet so tingly¡­ it made me get a bit of chills down my body, is this lewd? It felt more like something even more personal. I didn¡¯t wanted to stop kissing him, in fact, I suddenly felt the urge for him to embrace me, to hug me more, to kiss me more, to tell me that he loves me, to throw me into bed and¡­ show me how much he loves me¡­ Ahh¡­ When our lips finally separated, we looked at one another lovingly. I¡¯ve never kissed someone with such passion before¡­ Well, I actually did, with Emeraldine, but it would be rude topare the two kisses, both are special to me. ¡°So? How was it?¡± I asked timidly. ¡°D-Do I kiss well?¡± Lucifer smiled as he kissed my nose and then my forehead, and hugged me back, caressing my hair. ¡°Yes, you kiss very good¡­¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful and cute¡­ Maria¡­ As a dragon, I think I have finally found my treasure¡­¡± ¡°L-Lucifer¡­¡± I think that¡¯s the most romantic thing a dragon can say to the woman they love. ¡ª¨C Chapter 243 ¡ª¨C ¡°Come here¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Ahh¡­!¡± ¡­ At the end, we ended kissing for a bit more, I just wanted to get more of the taste of his lips, I even ended kissing his tender neck, and his nose as well. He was way too cute and precious for me to not give him what he deserved. As we continued to kiss, Lucifer¡¯s chest continued to grow warmer and warmer, until his entire body began to glow with a bright white light. ¡°W-What is¡­ happening?!¡± he asked in shock. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± FLAAASH! And without previous warning, Lucifer evolved. Yes¡­ He had already reached max level. But for some weird reason, he had yet not ¡°met the requirements¡± to evolve. He had been locked in this level for a while, and although his stats still increased over time as he fought, it wasn¡¯t that good of a boost as it is when one levels up. Nheless, it seems that the requirements to evolve for him and finally break his level cap was¡­ kissing me? No¡­ I think it was something else. Thinking about it, when we kissed, his heart started to beat faster, and his blood pumped across his veins, he felt the warmth of life that someone like me, a ghost, shouldn¡¯t be able to give to someone. It was this ¡°life¡± that he gained¡­ So what he needed to evolve was to revive? Wow, that¡¯s a bit too harsh of a requirement, we would had never been able to tell. What if I took too long to give him a kiss? He would had never evolved at the end! That sucks. ¡°I-I¡­ evolved?¡± Lucifer¡¯s light quickly gathered back into his body, as he had grown around six centimeters taller now, even taller than me now, although I could extend my size to be bigger! But I like to be small so he can hug me¡­ Okay, I like tall guys. His appearance had not changed much in his humanoid form, but his scales had turned deep ck now, and had some purple colors on them, his dragon horns were now bigger and more demonic than before, and he¡­ he had a third eye in his forehead which opened vertically, it was red-colored, and it looked quite intimidating! And his entire body gained a phantasmal glow¡­ Oh, he also had a blue jewel incrusted on his chest! And he was now warm forever, I think he became a strange being, between living and unliving, kind of like how Vampires are. ¡°I have truly evolved¡­ I can¡¯t believe that a kiss with you would help me evolve¡­ T-This is unheard of¡­¡± he said. ¡°It is all thanks to you¡­¡± he smiled. ¡°M-Me?!¡± I asked. ¡°W-Well¡­ Maybe it was thanks to me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it was¡­¡± he said. ¡°It was because¡­ your love warmed me, it made me feel alive¡­¡± He held my hands, as he smiled back at me¡­ Uwah, he¡¯s like a handsome prince holding my hands now! Or more like the King? A handsome and ancient dragon king holding the hands of a ghostly queen¡­ how romantic. ¡°In what¡­ did you evolved?¡± I wondered. ¡°In¡­ Apparently¡­ A Death Dragon?¡± he wondered. ¡°A Three-eyed Death Dragon King.¡± ¡°Wow, that sounds cool¡­¡± I said. I decided to check Lucifer¡¯s Status and see for myself how much he had changed. ¡ª¨C [Name: [Lucifer] [Race: [Three-Eyed Death Dragon King] [Level: [1/70] [Rank: [A+] [Status: [Filled with Motivation] [HP: [35000/35000] [MP: [20000/20000] [Attack: [18000] [Defense: [15000] [Magic: [11000] [Agility: [9000] Characteristic Skills: [Ancient Dragon: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Fire Element: Lv¨C] [Primordial Draconic Death Core: Lv¨C] [Ancient Dragon Heart: Lv¨C] [Morph: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv9] [Shapeshift: Lv7] [Self-Regeneration: Lv8] [Flesh Consumption: Lv6] [Hardened Dragon Scales: Lv8] [Death Embodiment: Lv1] (New!) [Ancient Dragon¡¯s Domain: Lv1] (New!) Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv9] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv8] [Elemental Damage Resistance: Lv7] [Death Resistance: Lv1] (New!) Normal Skills: [Life Drain: Lv10] ¨C [Life Assimtion: Lv1] [Phantasmal mes Breath: Lv10] ¨C [Abyssal Death Breath: Lv1] [Phantom ws: Lv10] ¨C [Hellish Death ws: Lv1] [Fireball: Lv10] ¨C [Phantasmal me: Lv1] [Dark Sphere: Lv10] ¨C [Dark Moon: Lv1] [Mana Mastery: Lv8] [Intimidating Aura: Lv10] ¨C [Ancient Dragon¡¯s Aura: Lv1] [Dark Shadow Spear: Lv6] [Venomous Dragon Scale Powder: Lv5] [Reaper of Souls: Lv1] (New!) [Scythe of Death: Lv1] (New!) [Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception: Lv1] (New!) Title Skills: [Servant of the Dark Witch: Lv¨C] ¨C [Husband of the Apostle of Death: Lv1] [Fallen Dragon: Lv¨C] ¨C [Death Dragon: Lv1] [Protector of Goblins: Lv5] [Furious Berserk: Lv3] [Guardian of Death: Lv1] (New!) [The Gatekeeper of Helheim: Lv1] (New!) ¡ª¨C Woah¡­ Incredible. Lucifer had really grown amazingly strong! His stats¡­. Everything! Even his skills, so many of them even ended awakening, and he got several title skills and other set of new skills as well, this is incredible! Lucifer, you¡¯re amazing. But his race¡­ it really intrigues me to see what it is about! Due to that, I checked his race above all other things, although I am sure he skyrocketed in power based on stats alone and his new Rank at A+! A+! We don¡¯t have anyone in that Rank yet, not even me! ¡ª¨C [Three-Eyed Death Dragon King] An ancient race of dragons rumored to have been given the task of guarding the gates that lead to Helheim. They stop wandering souls from trying to escape Helheim, while also stopping those that have yet to meet their end to enter the underworld. Their enormous bodies and presences are utterly phantasmal, but despite being so close with Death itself, they¡¯re not Undead, but living beings that have epted death as their primary element. They possess incredibly hard scales capable of resisting the element of death itself, and their third eyes are able to see the ¡°death¡± of people, and are even able to predict when or how will someone met their end¡­ ¡ª¨C Wow, that¡¯s quite the eerie description, but it is amazing nheless¡­ And he got a Title saying that he is my husband?! W-Well¡­ I-I don¡¯t mind it, heheh¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 244 ¡ª¨C I looked into Lucifer¡¯s Status attentively, it seems that his Race was named Three-Eyed Death Dragon King, which is a race of dragons that gatekeep the underworld itself, but that are not dead. This is why his [Undead] and [Chimera] Skills suddenly disappeared? He stopped being both of those and became a living dragon! I actually revived him with a kiss, this really feels like a fairy tale now¡­ And his stats skyrocketed very nicely as well! He got some nice and amazing boosts to his stats- actually, more than boosts, those are outright cheating stats! He just skyrocketed his status so much I feel like he should give me a few kisses to see if I can evolve too¡­ ¡ª¨C [HP: [35000/35000] [MP: [20000/20000] [Attack: [18000] [Defense: [15000] [Magic: [11000] [Agility: [9000] ¡ª¨C I mean, look at that! Not only his HP became super high so he¡¯s now incredibly beefy, but his MP went all the way to 20k, enough for him to conjure insane magic without his mana exhausting at any moment, and then he got 18k of Attack, that¡¯s almost the same number as my Magic stat, so he can do some very devastating things with his own ws and tail now. And there is more! there is the Defense at 15k, further enforcing his beefiness as a tank more than Partner, as she now had evolved into a quick spear user and magician hybrid. And his Magic is at 11k, that¡¯s pretty good too, his magic before wasn¡¯t the strongest, but now it can truly be considered strong. And then there is his agility at 9k, enough to easily outrun most of our group except me, barely. And that¡¯s on his humanoid form, maybe on his dragon form due to his change of size, he would be able to easily overrun just anybody! He also had some new and amazing skills at his disposal, these Skills granted him all sorts of buffs, but mostly reinforced his already existing and sessful ystyle to an even greater level. There were a pair of Skills that seemed quite interesting from the bunch, more than the rest, those were Reaper of Souls and Scythe of Death! Just what were those about? I briefly checked them, and they seemed to be kind of like some of my abilities. Reaper of Souls allow Lucifer to harvest the souls directly out of weakened foes, and devour them, while Scythe of Death literally lets him summon a materialization of his soul in the shape of a scythe which he can use to slice up people on his humanoid form- or dragon form, maybe. It also seems to have a small chance to cause instant death on weaker foes that have a smaller connection with life, the chance increases further when they are detached with life more¡­ I guess he¡¯ll serve very well as my new servant! ¡­I mean, h-h-husband¡­ ¡°Y-You saw the Title you got?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Which one? ¡­Ah!¡± muttered Lucifer. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± I said. ¡°H-Husband¡­?¡± he asked while swallowing a bit of saliva. ¡°Indeed¡­ I didn¡¯t knew that a kiss would make you instantly my husband though! That¡¯s a bit of cheating, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked. ¡°Even more because we have yet to do that¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡­ Right¡­¡± he said. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to jump ahead of the two girls or something¡­ So let¡¯s take this slow¡­ I know that it is what you want as well.¡± ¡°I do¡­ You¡¯re very good at understanding me, huh?¡± I asked, while petting his head. ¡°How about you show me that dragon form now?¡± ¡°N-Now?¡± he asked. ¡°I think I might look¡­ even more hideous than before.¡± ¡°What? Come on, I love dragons, they¡¯re cool, so show me what you got.¡± I said. ¡°Sigh¡­ Hahah, fine¡­ You¡¯re really something else.¡± Said Lucifer, as he flew outside of the castle by extending giant dark wings out of his back and then exploded in ck smoke above the sky. TRUUMMM¡­! It felt as if a storm had just fallen here, but it was just the effect of his transformation back into his original dragon form. And oh boy was it big¡­ it was very big. His entire body looked like gigantic and fierce dragon, his body was covered primarily by ck scales, and there were also purple and gray scales here and there, his scales were enormous and thick, like armor tes aligned together. His two eyes were of a phantasmal blue color, while the third eye in the forehead was shining brightly with a red color, and it was vertically opened, shining with an eerie red light that only sent shivers down the spine of those admiring his appearance down below. His long tail extended several meters, and it ended in a scythe-like de, while his two arms also had enormous ws that were shaped kind of like scythes, which he could probably use to slice a mountain if he really wanted! And he had two pair of wings, yes, two! One was bigger than the other though, and the membranes had tattoos resembling two enormous eyes looking directly at me¡­ And the other two wings, the smaller pair, also had tattoos in the shape of red eyes on the membranes¡­stly, he had a gigantic blue jewel incrusted on his chest, which emanated a strong phantasmal aura. I think this might be his Core and perhaps connected to his heart. It looks like a very obvious weakness too, so we¡¯ll have to find ways to hide it or protect it¡­ I don¡¯t know why they got such an obvious weakness like that, but dragons in fiction are always like this anyways, they always got a very obvious weakness because they¡¯re made too overpowered. I suppose it is a way to bnce it, like Superman with his Kryptonite, everybody that is way too overpowered gotta have one of those, I suppose¡­ Anyways, enough of badparisons. ¡°You look awesome!¡± I said. ¡°This body¡­ It feels so natural to me for some reason¡­ I feel like I am alive¡­ Wait¡­ I am not an Undead anymore¡­ I am really alive!¡± he said. ¡°Yes, you are, dummy¡­ did you just realized it?¡± I sighed. ¡ª¨C Chapter 245 Chapter 244 Taking A Ride Into The Skies ----- I looked at Lucifer''s enormous form with a smile, I was happy that he felt so motivated out of nowhere. I never thought I could bring him this much happiness with just a few hugs and kisses. Perhaps I should had done it way earlier¡­ And more importantly, he also evolved, his new abilities will surelye in handy, but it isn''t as if I kissed him for him to evolve or something, I really didn''t knew he would end up evolving to begin with. "Lucifer, take me on a ride!" I said, as I flew towards Lucifer''s side and sat down over his neck. "A ride¡­" he said. "Sure." FLASH! Lucifer''s enormous wings spread open as he began to p them rapidly, and in a few seconds, he immediately shot up into the skies, leaving a trace of dark energy behind. We continued moving higher and higher, as he reached the clouds atop the sky in no time. And from then on, we crossed those cold clouds that constantly formed snow, reaching even above them. FLAAASH! The clouds were left behind in a mere instant, as we reached apletely clear blue sky atop all the clouds, where the bright sun greeted our sight, shining as bright as it could possibly do. It felt as if the entire world had suddenly changed, it was all clear, and beautiful at that. It truly felt as if we moved to heaven itself. "T-This is amazing, Lucifer¡­" I said. "Maria¡­ I was always tired back then¡­" he said. "Although I was an Undead, it always felt like I was dragging my body around¡­ But now I am filled with so much energy! I am even able toe all the way here, and fly even higher if I wanted!" "W-Wow¡­ Well, don''t do that, I don''t know what would happen to us if we went to space, it might be more dangerous to you now that you''re a dragon." I said. "But this¡­ This is enough, dear. It is enough¡­" Lucifer nodded, as he looked into the bright sun rising from the horizon with me. "It feels so nice to be bathed by the warmth of the sun without feeling it as if it was burning my skin¡­" he sighed. "Although it didn''t really do any damage to me, as an Undead, the light of the sun always felt apprehensive and painful¡­ But now¡­ It is different." "I can tell¡­ I missed seeing the sun as well, it has been cloudy all the week¡­" I sighed. "This is a nice ce to have a date, isn''t it? Although I don''t think we can properly eat while being up here¡­" "It is indeed a nice ce to be¡­ Hm?" said Lucifer. "Look at that, in the distance." "Eh?" We both looked into the distance towards the west, as we found¡­ a giant floating ind. What? Where did that even came from? It was indeed a giant floating ind! It had a gigantic size, and it was as big chunk of dirt floating in the sky¡­ Amazing, I never thought I would see something like this. It seemed to have a big forest inside, and more stuff there. "Interesting¡­" said Lucifer. "Perhaps we shoulde here for another asion." "Yeah, it doesn''t seem to be moving? It is quite static, and even if it moves, it probably does very slowly, so we cane backter¡­" I said. "But I feel a strong mana auraing from it, I think there might even be a dungeon there¡­ Wow, a dungeon in a freaking floating ind, now that''s new." "Interesting¡­ Well, let''s go back for now." Said Lucifer. "This dungeon could be a nice ce to acquire resources, perhaps. And I am starving, since I evolved that I finally feel hunger, it has been such a long time since I actually felt any hunger¡­ It is very¡­ it is a good feeling." "Okay, let''s go eat. I don''t know how much a dragon actually eats though¡­" I sighed. "When you were an Undead, you would eat just whatever, but now that you''re alive you gotta consume enough calories and nutrients and everything else! I hope you don''t end up eating all the reserves, the poor rats won''t be able to reproduce enough to feed you." "Come on, don''t joke like that¡­" said Lucifer. "Well, let''s go down." FLAAASH! And in a mere instant through Lucifer''s incredible speed, we reached down into the ground, as he turned into his humanoid form midway through, and held me tightly with his arms, carrying me like a princess¡­ "Here." He said, as he let me step over the floor, reaching the terrace of the castle where we were before some minutes ago. "Thank you, good sir." I said while giggling, only to find Partner and Emeraldine with sleepy faces looking at both of us a bit angrily. "Where were you two?!" asked Partner while pouting. "I was worried! You two just disappeared, and there were some loud noises out of nowhere too!" "I was also quite worried¡­" sighed Emeraldine. "I also thought something bad happened, but I am d it was nothing bad¡­ Huh? Lucifer, your aura¡­ You''ve evolved." "Yes, I have¡­ It happened just now when-" I quickly spoke through telepathy to him. "(Don''t say that I kissed you or Partner might go crazy angry with you! I don''t know if Emeraldine would, but better be safe than sorry¡­)" "Ah¡­ W-Well¡­ I just evolved when I felt like I was filled with enough strength. A core formed in my chest, and for some time I''ve been umting energy in my chest, perhaps it took some time because of that¡­" said Lucifer. "Oh¡­ I guess that''s nice." Said Emeraldine. "I was growing worried you were never evolving, Lucifer." "Hmmm¡­ I guess that''s true¡­" said Partner. "Though something seems off here¡­" "Must be your imagination!" I said. "Anyways! Let''s go eat something, we are starving!" "Y-Yeah!" said Lucifer. "Let''s go." ----- Chapter 246 ----- After Lucifer finally evolved, we went to take a trip into the skies and we found this one strange floating ind, which I think might have a dungeon based in how much mana it emanated. Aside from that, we moved down, and we pretended we were not doing anything weird to the two girls. They''re also super sharp so they immediately realized that Lucifer had evolved. But that was fine, he came out with a nice excuse and that was more than enough to make them believe our small white lie for the moment. After that, we moved to have breakfast, and after that, we were more than ready to travel to the nearby town which is actually one of the two duchies that the Kingdom of d has. The Kingdom of d is one of those hard working and surviving kingdoms that has somehow adapted to these frozennds for generations, and they''re probably just as cold and harsh as thends they live in, but even though they might be like this in my mind, they also seem to be gentle and open-minded (or maybe just desperate to survive) to the point they would do negotiations with ice giant tribes and even the dwarf nation. They''re obviously a human nation, and they don''t shy away from admitting being humans even though they''re surrounded by demi-humans at every corner of these frozennds, they''re hardy survivors so I am excited to see what they are like. pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 Aside from that, our main mission is buying as many provisions as we can, I believe it is a big enough ce that they sell food and other stuff, right? So we''ll buy as much as food as we can, and a lot of other materials if we can find them, which Darfu has already made a list of and wrote them down in a paper for me to remember. We also¡­ obviously, are going there because we need beer, so we are going to buy all the beer types we can find and bring them here for these two very special friends we got here, these two idiots of the dwarves that won''t work unless they''re given beer. They better be worth the annoyance and pain in the ass! I really hope they make the best freaking things after we give them beer! Or I am really going to lose my patience by then and I might not respond if I go a bit out of my own control with my rage. We decided to go atop of Lucifer, after evolving and filling his belly, he was very energetic, mostly due to being alive now, and he really wanted to fly some more and feel the breeze on his face, so we decided to hop over his back and let ourselves be carried by him. We were going to go with the main party, Emeraldine, Partner, and me. And of course, Kuro and Raven areing with me too, those are like my pets, so I cannot miss bringing them with me, they''re my undead familiars at this point. Meanwhile, I am leaving Pyro tomand the other undead spiders and protect the town from any nasty monster that might attempt to make a quick meal out of my people, and if that''s not enough, there is also Catarina, the twin fire ghosts, and the other warriors. Naturally, there are also many of my snake ghost clones everywhere, so they will take care of stuff and let me see through their eyes, if anything too urgent happens, I will be the first one to know it! They''re like cameras directly connected to my mind. With that said, everything was mostly ready, and the only thing we had left to do is depart! Thanks to Lucifer''s speed, it shouldn''t take that long to get there, so we''ll go there, spend the night there, and thene back tomorrow morning, that''s the n. "Alright, we are off!" I said. "Take care, see you tomorrow morning." "Yeah, take care¡­" said the Goblin Elder. "We''ll protect the ce while you''re out." Said the Goblin Chief. "Have a good trip, Auntie!" said Gofumin. "Please bring me some sweets!" said Laura. "Sister stop being so spoiled!" said Takeshi. "Leave the rest to us." Said Syllis. "Yeah! My brother is very capable." Said Bellerine.please visit "Maria-sama! Please, make sure to bring the things I put on the notes! And if they are not avable, at least make sure to bring some sort of equivalent to it!" said Darfu. "Make sure to not forget this!" "Okay! I get it! Don''t worry, Darfu!" I said. Emeraldine and Partner waved their hands as we sat over Lucifer''s back, I used my dark thread to wrap us tightly around him without making the threads sharp, so they were all secure and not dangerous. "Then¡­ we shall depart! FLAAAASH! Lucifer''s wings pped rapidly as we were high into the skies in an instant. "I know where this duchy is, I saw it before, so I am going there directly at a high speed, hold tight!" said Lucifer. "On it, boss!" I said. "W-Wait! Lucifer, I still don''t get used to this so you could be a bit-" FLAAAAAASH! And without listening to Emeraldine, Lucifer''s wings once more began to p at an incredible speed, we were moving almost through supersonic speed, it felt as if we were in a literal jet from Earth! The wind itself resonated as we pierced it through loudly! Emeraldine and Partner were surprised, but Emeraldine was the one screaming. "Uwaaaaaaaaahhhh¡­! UUhggh¡­ My stomach hurts! Aaagh!" The clumsy elf began to get dizzier and dizzier, until I had to calm her down by possessing her body and turning off her mind for a bit. "Ugeh¡­" She fell into my arms while sleeping, as we moved through the sky. FLAAASH! And I just five minutes of crossing the icy clouds, we reached the area of the duchy we wanted to visit! That was awfully fast! "We are here¡­ This duchy is¡­" ----- Chapter 247 ¡ª¨C ¡°I don¡¯t know the name of the duchy¡­¡± sighed Lucifer. ¡°Then why do you hype me thinking that you know it?!¡± I asked. ¡°A-Anyways, Emeraldine, time to wake up.¡± I began to caress Emeraldine¡¯s head and used my possession once more, turning on her brain and waking her up with a slight shock to her head. ¡°UWAH! ¡­Eh? Ah¡­ What happened? Did I just fell unconscious?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes you did! It was totally that! That¡¯s exactly what happened back then, right, guys?¡± I asked to the other two. ¡°Yeah, definitely.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re such a cker¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, you fell asleep! I really am disappointed on you.¡± Said Partner. ¡°But I guess it is all forgiven because you¡¯re¡­ erm¡­ our favorite elf girl!¡± ¡°Yeah, right. That! Now that you¡¯re awake, we should move down and do some shopping.¡± I said. ¡°Lucifer, move us down please.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lucifer moved down into the ground as he let us jump out of his back, and then he transformed into his humanoid form once more, he modified his draconic parts, so he looked like a lugubrious human at most. Now that he was alive, he wasn¡¯t that pale, but he seems to just be naturally pale. ¡°Agh, I still feel a bit dizzy¡­¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Come on, the duchy is right in front of us, keep moving, you¡¯ll get better eventually.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Partner began to help Emeraldine move over the snow-filled field we found ourselves in, which was surrounded by pine trees everywhere. Therge duchy was surrounded by enormous rocky walls that extended over almost 40 meters, and they were tightly guarded by many guards spread all around, who made big bonfires to keep up with the snow and freezing temperatures. I am sure those bonfires were conjured with some magic because no matte row much wind and snow there was, that fire was not dissipating. The duchy seemed to be surrounded by an artificially made river that waspletely frozen now, maybe they had fishes there, it connected to other rivers we saw around, but they were all just frozen, I am sure there is still unfrozen water below the ice cape, and we even saw some fishers making holes in the ice and fishing some fish from there, Takeshi would love to talk to these people I guess, as a natural-born fisher. The people we saw were mostly humans, elves seem to not fare good in very cold temperatures, but there were still exceptions, we also saw a big amount of beast-kin walking around towards the duchy, they were all wearing robes, but their natural fur also helped them resist the freezing cold temperatures. We saw some beast-kin we never saw before, such as Buffalo-kin who were big, almost being two meters, with a lot of fur over their backs, arms, and legs, and two big horns atop their heads, then there were white-colored fox-kins that were quite pretty, and coiled their own bodies with their big and fluffy tails, they seemed to be named Snow Foxes, while there were also a few Ice Wolf-kin, that were like Snow Fox-kin but for wolves, they also have fluffy tails and a lot of fur to protect themselves, but not as big of a tail as the fox-kin, we even saw a pair of pr bear-kin, who were just as big as the buffalo-kin, and covered in fluffy white fur. ¡°There is a lot of diversity in here, none of these people are enved either¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°I am beginning to like this Kingdom.¡± ¡°Yeah, this Kingdom epted other demi-human races, they were originally just another racist human Kingdom but when they were forced to adapt and survive, a King surged, one that was even willing to cooperate with dragons and demons to make his people survive, and over time, the discrimination towards other races slowly faded away, and just for the sake of survival, they ended turning very open-minded¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°I see, so it is the ¡°If you pat my back, I pat your back too, scenario?¡±¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°I suppose that the harsh environment as amon enemy for everyone does forces people to unit for a single purpose.¡± ¡°Yeah, meanwhile, the richer Kingdoms are just way too filled with resources that they must find a way to direct the hate and anger of the poption, so it is not directed to the corrupt governments. And what better way to do it than by discriminating demi-humans and making ve a daily life thing?¡± sighed Emeraldine. ¡°I guess it is all about circumstances and the situation at the moment, everybody is different at the end¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°This Kingdom slowly turned into an open-minded one that epts most other races easily, very is very rare too, although notpletely nonexistent.¡± ¡°Hmm, oh! There we are, the gates!¡± I said. We quickly moved towards the gate, now that I saw my group, we all looked like freaks. Partner, Lucifer, and me all looked like some sort of Vampire, while Emeraldine looked way too holy to be with a trio of goth-looking weirdos like us, but that she waspletelyfortable with us only made it more prominent, while we all wore dark clothes she wore some green and brown clothes with a lot of fur to warm herself from the cold temperatures, the rest of us were pretty cold resistant so we didn¡¯t really need to wear anything too big to warm us up, we just wore normal clothes for the most part. This is why a lot of people was looking at us as we struggled to move across the annoying snow below our feet, until we reached the gates, which were being protected by a group of guards. When it was our turn, the trio of guards looked at us from shoes to head in silence. They were two old humans, a woman and a man, and the other was a young adult man with some surprised look on his eyes. ¡ª¨C Chapter 248 ¡ª¨C The old man with a white beard looked at me and decided to speak. ¡°Ahem¡­ New to the city? There is a fee to enter for non-citizens, it is one fifty coppers for each person, children can enter for free.¡± ¡°Coppers¡­ Alright¡­ here.¡± I said, I paid the man 150 coppers, there were coins that counted for 10 copper coins, so I only had to give him 15 and not actually 150 coins. ¡°Alright¡­ you can pass.¡± He said. ¡°Make sure to wear something warmer,dy, you look like you¡¯re freezing with such a pale skin¡­¡± he said. ¡°Ahahah¡­ T-Thanks for worrying¡­¡± I said, as I waved my hand and walked away with everybody else. ¡°Well, that was weird now¡­¡± said Emeraldine. ¡°I wonder if they had some suspiciousness that you were not really even normal demi-humans¡­ I don¡¯t know if Vampires are widely epted here¡­ Nor dragon people, even less a ghost¡­¡± ¡°I think Vampires are not epted¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°After the Demon King died, they turned drastically eviler over time, and their leaders had terrorized innocent people from all around Midgard¡­ It is also pretty much widely known that they¡¯re the masterminds behind some illegal organizations and the church treats them as the evil of the world that must be purged¡­ Well, I me them for doing such stupid things.¡± ¡°I-I suppose Vampires are not that well epted¡­¡± sighed Partner. ¡°Oh well, still better than being a skeleton! Or a zombie¡­ or a ghoul¡­ or¡­ a half-vampire? I wonder what¡¯s next for me?¡± ¡°Probably a True Vampire as you¡¯re now a Lesser Vampire.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Anyways, we are entering the big city so let¡¯s not talk about these things or people might catch our conversation.¡± ¡°True.¡± I said. ¡°Well, here we are! The Duchy¡¯s name is¡­ What¡¯s the name of this damn duchy?¡± I wondered, as I decided to ask a local. ¡°Name? They call this ce Snowfall because long ago a giant avnche fell over here.¡± Said a man, as he walked away after answering me. ¡°Ah¡­ Quite the name.¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, it is indeed quite the peculiar name¡­¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Anyways, maybe we should move towards the shopping district and see what the shops there have to offer. Don¡¯t forget what Darfu left on a note, Maria.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t! Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I said while winking back at him. ¡°Though I wish we could walk a bit more around the ce. Can we?¡± asked Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, I want to explore the ce.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Well, sure, let¡¯s go around for a bit.¡± I said. The entire duchy was almostpletely paved, and mostly all houses were made of stone, gray stone, which was covered in snow, however the interior seemed to be made of wood, so the stone was probably a protective outerter for the houses. There were chimneys literally in every single house, and they were all leaving a lot of ck smoke into the atmosphere¡­ But I can¡¯t me the people, it¡¯s pretty cold in here. We walked around the streets, finding more and more people walking all around, it was a very busy ce despite being in the middle of such deste frozennds, it was quite a beautiful ce to be in, and although there was certainly something gloomy about the ce, it was still a refreshing stroll. In our way, we ended entering into the market district, where we first found people selling frozen fish that froze naturally, actually, and also all sorts of frozen meats too which also just froze naturally, so I guess these people never deal with diposing food. They got cattle animals in sheep, cow, buffalo, and wild boars which they domesticated, and they had big herds inside of the walls, there was a big chunk of the territory that was just for cattle and alsorge greenhouses they had made and supported with a lot of magic artifacts that produced greens all year long. ¡°Look at this fish, Master!¡± said Partner. ¡°It is gigantic, and frozen into a whole block of ice!¡± Partner pointed a big fish resembling a tuna that was frozen solid into a cube. It looked like it could be a nice meal if we could grill it or even use the meat to make a tasty and warm fish soup¡­ well, it is big enough that we can make a lot with it. ¡°This is today¡¯s biggest catch,dy!¡± said an old fox-kin man. ¡°Only for you for five silver coins! This thing can feed you for half a month!¡± ¡°Wow, five silver coins¡­ That¡¯s a bit expensive¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°W-What? But it is a giant ass fish! What price do you want me to put it for?¡± asked the angered fox man. ¡°This fish can literally feed you for days!¡± ¡°Okay, calm down, we buy it.¡± I said, as I gave the man five silvers. ¡°Ohooo! Thank you for the preference, dear customer!¡± said the fox man while happily grinning, as he moved the fish to me. ¡°S-So how are you carrying it?¡± he wondered. ¡°I got spatial magic.¡± I said. ¡°Huh?!¡± FLASH! The fish suddenly was sucked by the void of my inventory, and disappeared. ¡°T-The heck?! By Skadi! I¡¯ve never seen a magic like that¡­!¡± he said. ¡°I-Impressive¡­¡± ¡°It helps at storing stuff¡­ Anyways, we are buying all of this fish too. That big shark as well¡­ Did you fish it in the coast?¡± I wondered. ¡°E-Every fish?! And yes! I fished in the coast! L-Lady, do you really mean it?!¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, we got a big family to feed.¡± I said, as I gave the man some gold coins. ¡°That should pay for all of them, right? Keep the change.¡± I said. ¡°T-Thank you so much! Please take away all my fish!¡± said the fox man, smiling and jumping around happily. ¡°Yipee! I¡¯ll buy my daughter something tasty today! Thank you!¡± said the man. I quickly sucked all the fish into my Inventory and moved on. ¡°You really made his day.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°But don¡¯t you think you¡¯re bringing too much attention?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ I guess? I just want fish.¡± I said. ¡°Also he said they fish giant sharks in the coast, so maybe we could get some food from there too.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 249 ¡ª¨C I just wanted fish! Anyways, we moved around the market, and I decided to be less impulsive this time around, I had bought too many fish and attention was all around me, it took us a while for the people to stop looking at us, maybe they thought I was some sort of rich aristocratdy or something. We inspected the stalls of the market to see what they had avable, aside from the fish, there was red monster meat that was very expensive! And aside from that, there were vegetables from the greenhouse which were just as expensive! I guessmoners only eat fish because everything else seems for rich people. I didn¡¯t saw any ice nts, so that¡¯s probably not even in the market yet, nheless, we also found a bakery that makes freshly baked bread, and there is a shop at the side that sells flour and other ingredients to make bread! It is very expensive as well. There are also several taverns that sell liquor, wine, beer, and other liquor named breeze that is made out of fermented strawberries with mint added, it has a refreshing and fragrant scent. At the end, we bought everything we possibly could, without having topletely empty the market either, people gotta buy and eat as well, we cannot just buy everything and leave people starving afterwards. Nheless, we bought a lot of fish, meat, all sorts of vegetables, several bags of grains, arge bag of sugar and another of salt, a lot of fluor bags, bread, some cakes, and other pastries we found around, herbal teas of several varieties, and then we moved into the taverns and began inspecting the beer. As we bought all those things, the people in the shops nced at me with surprise as I stored it all inside an Inventory. I had no time to pretend I didn¡¯t had such an ability and I didn¡¯t cared enough to not make it public, just saying I had the very rare space magic was enough for them, even though it was still surprising. Some people asked me if I was an Adventurer and I told them that I was a F-ss Adventure, they didn¡¯t believed me, but I didn¡¯t needed anyone believing me anyways. After our long journey across the Market ce, we finally reached the taverns, and we began to browse through them, there were approximately ten different taverns in the entire city, and they all made their own liquor and food for the customers, one of thergest taverns was also the Adventurer Guild, but we were going in order. I entered the first tavern with my friends and spoke to the woman attending the table. ¡°I need all the liquor types you can offer, wine, beer, anything.¡± I said. ¡°Quick!¡± As I said that, I put a gold coin over the table and the woman¡¯s eyes opened wide, she quickly began to move while nodding. ¡°Very well, please wait a moment, dear customer!¡± she said, as she flew away into the storage. Money talks more than words, I can see that, a simple gold coin really makes people serviceable. ¡°Ooh, look at that!¡± ¡°Who are those guys?¡± ¡°They look a bit¡­ gothic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a cute elf girl¡­¡± There were a lot of creepy old guys in this tavern, but that¡¯s to be expected, the majority were workers, it seems that Adventurers didn¡¯t frequented this ce as much, even less women, so they always saw them as a something exotic in here. We ignored their attempts at flirting, although Lucifer was growing increasingly angered until he suddenly red at everyone with an incredibly furious stare while showing them all his sharp teeth. ¡°Would you shut up already?!¡± He asked furiously, his aura alone made everyone bepletely mute, but then they resumed their personal conversations after some minutes of silence. ¡°Did you had to do that?¡± I asked. ¡°You went a bit too far.¡± ¡°I dislike seeing people annoying you.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can always take care of the annoying people for you.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re exaggerating a bit but sure, whatever¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°More importantly, look, thedy is back with a few helpers¡­¡± Thedy of the tavern, who looked to be around her 30¡¯s walked towards us with two bottles holding purple-colored and yellow-colored liquor at each one, while another two men, apparently her sons, brought more liquors. ¡°Heredy, this taverns makes six different types of liquor! We got four types of wine and two beers¡­¡± said thedy. There was a wine made out of grapes, another made out of strawberries with mint, another made out of just mint, which was green and quite strong-vored, another that seemed to be made of some sort of fermented pine tree fruit, I think, it was incredibly aromatic and sweet, andstly another that was like white wine. Lastly, the beers were the yellow-gold one and there was a darker, more toasty-colored one. We decided to sit down and try it out with some snacks, we were starving and it was lunch time already. We sat down over the chairs as I gave thedy the gold coin. ¡°Here, can you bring us some cups and some food?¡± I asked. ¡°Some fish with potatoes and bread for me.¡± ¡°I want that too.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°And pickled vegetables.¡± ¡°I would like fish too, salted fish if possible,¡± said Lucifer. ¡°And some bread with cheese.¡± ¡°I want blood, do you got some?¡± asked Partner. We looked at her angrily, as thedy wondered what did she meant by blood. ¡°Oh! We got blood wieners, they¡¯re made out of animal blood, do you want some?¡± she asked. ¡°Sure! That would be nice!¡± said Partner. ¡°And potato.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bring the food right away, ask anything to my kids, they¡¯ll be around.¡± said thedy, walking away with the gold coin, she looked at it with a lot of happiness. And like that, we began our liquor-tasting event! Let¡¯s see if these are any good. The nice things about life have always been eating and drinking after all! ¡ª¨C Chapter 250 ¡ª¨C The duchy of Snowfall was a rather chill ce, it wasn¡¯t what we have expected, people wasn¡¯t stiff at all, and everyone was just minding their own business, this Kingdom was way more rxed, and it actually had less delinquency than ces like the Albraun Kingdom. The people was just interested in surviving the frozennds and eat something, they sold naturally frozen goods everywhere, which were convenient to buy as they wouldn¡¯t get bad so easily. But well, it wasn¡¯t as if people had it all, they seemed to be mostly poor people and they were having a hard time hanging out, but perhaps due to this reason, people wasn¡¯t concerned about fighting one another and mostly just cooperated so they could get through the day. Naturally, there were adventurers that we saw everywhere, even in this tavern there are a few of them, they do the same thing they do everywhere, they hunt down monsters for their meat, pelt, bones, and all they can extract from them alongside the magic crystal inside and make a penny out of it to keep on living like all the folk, sometimes they level up and grow stronger, but that applies to all folks, it just that Adventurers constantly fight so they constantly gain EXP. Although some people in this world might have a bad misconception of adventurers, thinking they¡¯rezy bastards that only think of themselves and never help the duchy with military affair and protecting it as soldiers, it is pretty false. Adventurers help at thinning out monster poptions. Although their intention is money, and they don¡¯t hunt thinking about that, they¡¯re doing it anyways, which in the long run helps the people have better lives without worrying about monster breaks attempting to attack the town or something. But for now we came here mostly for supplies, not to hunt monsters that will give us almost no EXP at all, it would be a waste of time when we got so many things, we need to do first. So after we were given our alcohol, we began chugging it down! Yeah, that was the important thing we had to do, drink liquor! As I had mentioned earlier, there was a wine made out of grapes, another made out of strawberries with mint, another made out of just mint, which was green and quite strong-vored, another that seemed to be made of some sort of fermented pine tree fruit, I think, it was incredibly aromatic and sweet, andstly another that was like white wine. Lastly, the beers were the yellow-gold one and there was a darker, more toasty-colored one, so we had a lot to taste! Of course, we cannot bring those dwarves some ¡°piss¡± as they call anything that is not good, so we have to taste all of this first and see what¡¯s so good about it¡­ Hehehe. As a Ghost, I don¡¯t get drunk, which is pretty boring, but the taste of liquor is still interesting to me and I have begun to like it more than when I was alive in my previous life, perhaps because I am now dead, I like the taste of liquor because it is literally like rooting water made out of fruits and grains? And because of this, it is closer to death itself? Yeah, maybe that¡¯s why¡­ But nheless, that won¡¯t stop me from enjoying it! ¡°Time to try out the wine made of simple grapes first.¡± I said, everyone nodded to my words, as we served one another a cup of this dark, purple-colored concoction, and we drank it off in a single go. ¡°Phew¡­¡± The vor of this wine was pretty mild despite being ck wine. It had a pretty strong aroma but the vor by itself seemed slightly diluted, as if they added water into it. I don¡¯t know what to say but it was pretty okay considering it is the cheapest wine and most of the people here can only afford it with their meals. Although I wish they didn¡¯t added water but maybe they wanted to make more like that. ¡°It was pretty mild.¡± I said. ¡°It is the cheapest I guess.¡± ¡°Yeah, I cannot say I dislike it, but I wouldn¡¯t rmend it.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Bleh, tastes like diluted with water¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Indeed¡­ It is very bad, let¡¯s not drink this one again.¡± Said Emeraldine. Thedies had a more refined taste I suppose, but Lucifer and I were more forgiving of the wine, perhaps because wine is our favorite liquor and even the worst of them can make us happy. I suppose we are in the position where we cannot bring ourselves to hate wine even if it¡¯s terrible. ¡°Now the next one is the wine made out of strawberries with mint, this one¡­ I don¡¯t know if you could call it wine to be honest, but it is made in the same way.¡± I said. ¡°It has a nice red color.¡± The ¡°wine¡± that we were drinking now was the specialty of this duchy, they name it ¡°Breeze¡± or something, and it is made of strawberries with mint, very interesting drink, so we decided to fill our cups with it and chug it down. ¡°Phew¡­¡± The vor was¡­ pretty okay, the strong citric vor of strawberries was there, it was mostly the citric part, there was barely any sweetness though, and if it was there any, it was diluted by the incredibly spicy vor of the mint left on, whichbined with the liquor left your mouth as if you washed it down with bleach, good lord this feels really like a breeze in my mouth now. ¡°It is pretty interesting; it left my mouth pretty fresh.¡± I said. ¡°I suppose this is why they call it breeze?¡± ¡°Wow, my mouth is¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I can¡¯t say I like this.¡± ¡°Well at the very least you won¡¯t have stinky zombie breath with this!¡± Laughed Partner. ¡°And well, it is ok.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I like this one.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°The citric vor and the mint¡­ Ah, it goes well together with the fragrance of strawberries.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 251 ¡ª¨C We have just finished tasting the normal wine and the strawberry mint wine named ¡°Breeze¡± which was pretty okay in vor. But there were way more liquors to drink today as well! There was the pure mint drink and then there was the pine tree drink, which had the same scent as those pines they drop, which are super hard, I don¡¯t know how they made wine out of that but people in these conditions are very desperate for a drink, so they just make liquor out of anything they can find. The mint wine had a beautiful dark green color, and when served in a transparent ss cup, one could see how beautiful the green color was before the light of the candles, it was a beautiful liquor, and thanks to the Breeze we just drank, I can already expect it to be an interesting taste. We slowly drank a small cup of it this time, we knew it had a strong vor due to being mint, so we enjoyed it a bit slowly this time, Emeraldine was the one that liked mint wine the most out of all of us, so she was already serving herself a second cup after drinking the first one in a single go. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Hey, this one is good.¡± I said. The taste was¡­ to be expected, like the Breeze but without the strawberry part, it was pure mint, so strongly vored that for a few seconds it felt as if it froze my mouth due to how much mint there was in this wine, I felt a bit surprised and chuckled a bit. ¡°Wow this is indeed strong¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I almost got drunk¡­ Well, now that I am alive, I could get drunk¡­ Hic¡­¡± ¡°It has a lot of vor, yeah¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°It just that mint is not my thing. But look at Emeraldine, she¡¯s loving it.¡± ¡°Ahhhh¡­! I love it¡­ Heheh¡­ Hic¡­¡± Said Emeraldine, hugging the bottle of wine as she drank her third cup in a single go, licking her lips mischievously. ¡°Okay enough of that for now, Emeraldine, we have to drink the other wine as well.¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t drink all the mint wine either! I want to bring some back home¡­¡± ¡°Okaaaay~¡± Said Emeraldine, she was weak to alcohol and got drunk pretty fast, she was already drunk, in fact! Seriously, this woman is something else. I can see why people call Alcohol a poison now, it really is! Look what it did to my Emeraldine, now she became an addict of mint wine! I guess I know what to gift her for her birthday though, a nice mint wine and some chocte with min, perhaps¡­ Maybe mint toothpaste as well? Perhaps mint ice cream with chocte chips¡­ And that¡¯s all the mint I can think of for now. I took a cup of the next wine made out of pine trees, I had never seen this before, but I am sure that there should be something like this back on Earth, I mean there is wine of everything in Earth, they¡¯re all insane for wine, they would make it out of anything and sell it and people would buy it, get drunk, and want more. Everyone just drank alcohol to get drunk anyway, the vor was always secondary. I drank the cup of brown wine without hesitating, and then suddenly felt as if I was surrounded by a forest of pine trees¡­ the vor and aroma were mystic in nature, I could tell why this one was also a people¡¯s favorite and why it was also god damn expensive! Wow¡­ When I opened my eyes again, I felt like I had gone through a small journey there. This wine is¡­ mystical, what the heck? I never thought pine tree wine would be this good! I don¡¯t feel drunk or anything, but the vor and aroma alone made me hallucinate or something, for real, I am a ghost! Maybe this has some holy water on it or something? ¡°This one is good, very good¡­¡± I said. ¡°I never thought I would find such a good wine made out of pine tree fruit.¡± ¡°Me neither, it felt like I walked directly into a forest of pine trees and was surrounded by their aroma.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°This one is very good indeed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Not bad.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Its actually okay. But I still prefer the red wine we drank from the duchy, that duchess girl gave it to you, that one¡­ that one is good.¡± ¡°Oh you mean the one that the girl from the duchy gave to us? I guess so, that one is very expensive and only drank by aristocracy though¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°You won¡¯t find something like that in a tavern.¡± ¡°Geehh¡­¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°That wine raised my standards way too much now.¡± ¡°It really did, dear.¡± I said. ¡°Hmm¡­ It is pretty good! I think this is my second favorite of this batch!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Well, now, time for the white wine¡­¡± I said. I served myself a bit of that one and drank it. It was¡­ pretty okay, white wine is well known for being rather good with seafood, I had drank a bit before but I felt like it was too strongly vored and I didn¡¯t liked it, now that I drank it as a ghost, it was pretty okay, nothing too much, nothing too bad either, it was an okay liquor, nothing like the mint and pine tree one, I also prefer the Breeze over this one as well. ¡°White Wine is always a good choice.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I wish we had our food here already, liquor always tastes better for me with food.¡± ¡°I agree, I am starving! I want my blood wiener!¡± Said Partner. ¡°You know that Blood Wiener really sounds weird¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Hmmm¡­ This white wine is ok.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°But I prefer Mint over it anytime! Heheheh¡­ Hic¡­¡± Emeraldine giggled a bit. ¡°Here¡¯s your food!¡± And then, thedy finally came with food, we were starving here¡­ Actually, not me, I am a ghost. ¡ª¨C Chapter 252 ¡ª¨C After tasting the wines, the food finally came and were able to finally fill up our bellies, I had a skill name phantasmal stomach that allowed me to eat and fill a stomach inside of my own phantasmal soul, which was pretty convenient, and it kind of gave me a sense of fulfillment that I didn¡¯t had before when I ate, because the phantasmal stomach was big but not endless, so I could fill it with food and leave it slowly being digested into energies, without having to go to the bathroom like my other three pals¡­ Lucifer didn¡¯t had to do this before nor Partner, but now that they became pseudo alive, they have to, so good luck going to the toilet and all. Anyways, with the phantasmal stomach I can store food and that also helps me store energy, the food I eat and the liquor I drink all slowly is digested into pure Mana and Aether, which I use to boost my energy regeneration even more than what Mana Siphon can already let me drain from others. This way, it is as if I had endless Mana, but it is not endless, it just always regenerates a lot, but I cannot really conjure something above my own maximum mana capacity, which only increases when I level up. ¡°Phew, the food was pretty good, it has been a while since I felt this alive.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Filling my stomach with good without feeling this dreadful feeling of being dead and never satiated¡­ It does indeed feels amazing.¡± Lucifer seemed happy after we finished eating, the two beers they served were pretty good, they had a smoky vor too, meaning that the grain they used was probably toasted before, a bit, at the veryst, giving it a unique touch, the food was also pretty good and filled the stomach, although all of us except Emeraldine ate enough to feed several families. ¡°Yeah, it was amazing, I loved those blood sausages¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Master, can we buy more of those to have back home?¡± Partner loved these sausages a lot, she was craving to eat more of those, but they were all the ones they had, she ended eating around twenty of them though, which costed us quite a bit of money as they¡¯re expensive, but she still ate them all without worrying about my wallet. ¡°Erm, not for now, dear¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Those bloody sausages costed me an eye, so let¡¯s leave it for another asion, it is better to purchase things that are more convenient.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Said Partner. ¡°I suppose meat and blood is ok¡­¡± ¡°Partner you¡¯re getting a bit too greedy nowadays.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You were way too picky with food and the liquor.¡± ¡°Well! I have evolved into a refined Vampire, so my pte and my likings have changed as well!¡± Said Partner. ¡°I used to just like rotten flesh, but it has be quite disgusting now¡­ I prefer fresh blood.¡± ¡°Nothing we can do over it, that¡¯s just how Vampires are anyways¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°For now, we should focus on what we are doing right now.¡± ¡°I guess¡­ Hic¡­!¡± Muttered Emeraldine. I was helping her walk by holding her in my back with her arms coiled around my neck and her legs sitting over my arms. She was way too drunk to walk by herself now, she drank too much Mint Wine I suppose. And above all, we ended using a lot of money¡­ I am a pickpocket so I could go stealing money to recover it, I guess¡­ I mean, I am by no means a heroine so I don¡¯t mind stealing some money when I can, but it still makes me feel bad if I steal from the poor that already barely has anything, so I must first find some rich aristocrat to steal from if I want more money, or¡­ well, the other thing I could do is make money by selling products or services. But what services can I offer? I have no idea; I am only good at killing! I am only good at chopping off the heads of my enemies and ripping apart their souls, and then raising them as Undead. I guess I could work as a mercenary or an adventurer and sell monster carcasses or hunt down people that is being searched. But that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do after we finish our affairs in here, we are going back to the duchy of Affnaria with the new young Duchess Julia. With her I can make money by offering her my services as a ¡°Witch¡± like I told her I was, she believed it pretty easily when I told her I was a witch of the Shadow Element capable of doing many things, and that I was hunting down vers and destroying any illegal organization that profited out of bringing suffering to the innocents such as the creation of drugs and more. It has been bit over a month since I saw her, but I promised her I was going to get back to her soon, so I am doing that in a bit more, I have to first secure the dwarves and a few other things to leave the vige on-going with projects while I am out of there, although I will still remain in there through my Snake Ghost Clones and Mini Phantom Clones, so I will never truly leave, which makes me more happy, this evolution into Gorgon was pretty useful, I can¡¯t really imagine what else I could evolve into now. After we picked up all the things we wanted to buy today, we quickly moved into an Inn, and we decided to pass the night there. It seems that this ce is pretty rxed and there is no evil organization as we have not found any clues for anything like this yet, and I don¡¯t want to y the anti-hero for now, I just want to go back home tomorrow, I am already quite too busy. ¡ª¨C Chapter 253 ¡ª¨C As a Ghost, I have the ability to see through spiritual entities and I am capable of seeing other ghosts like me that people normally cannot see, or dead spirits of people, which are like their bare souls that have yet to turn into any sort of Undead yet. And I cannot properly sleep either, I can rest my mind and turn it off, but there¡¯s always a part of it that remains awake, kind of like dolphins. Due to this, I sometimes see stuff that others don¡¯t see. Partner and Lucifer are kind of able to see spirits too, but only if they are willing, it is not like a passive effect that I got where I can always see them, which I believees from having Death Magic. Nheless, the issue here is that while I try to sleep, many dead spirits go around the entire ce. I have been mostly ignoring them, I find them all around the city, people that died out of natural causes, people that were killed several years ago, and people that just died out of starvation, or more. There are many of them, and they all follow me around the moment they see me thanks to my Titles such as Undead Queen and so on, which makes them all want to please and serve me, it is a bit like a brainwashing, maybe, but I¡¯ve told them to scram off while I sleep. However, while I slept, I still found one dead spirit that was very peculiarpared to the other guys, it wasn¡¯t someone that died out of normal circumstances, it was a young man on his twenties, perhaps, that seemed to havee out of a freezer, because his entire appearance as a dead spirit looked like his body was frozen. Indeed, he was literally frozen, he probably died while being frozen in the wilderness or something, he seemed to be like a floating statue. Your soul often takes the shape of the traumatizing death you have, if you die while getting stabbed, you¡¯ll show the stab wound in your dead spirit phantasmal body, if you died burned, there is a chance you¡¯ll be red and look like you¡¯re always being burned alive, sometimes these people that is so traumatized by their way of dying be ghosts, and are filled with resentment against those that did injustices to them and sometimes they try to avenge themselves from their perpetrators, but this doesn¡¯t happen all the time, or we would already have several cases of ghostsing to kill people all the time, right? Not all people that is killed manage to be a ghost out of resentment, and sometimes they take years to be one, like I did. And even if they be a ghost, there is no guarantee that they¡¯ll not end up facing some challenges before they can even find their perpetrator, which they won¡¯t have any knowledge of where they might be after so long, such as facing natural ghost and soul predators such as Will-o-Wisp, other ghosts, undead, and more that feed on¡­ well, other undead below the food chain. But this was why it was interesting; this person had such a traumatic death that he ended bing a literal ice statue even on his dead spirit/soul form¡­ It was quite hard to believe that dying from coldness could shape you that way, most people would just die, perhaps with many regrets, but to the point that they look like the frozen body they left behind in their soul forms? That¡¯s very weird, and it ended picking my interest because I was honestly quite bored. So I made him approach him to ask him some questions, but he couldn¡¯t talk, his face was covered in ice and the only thing he could do was make some weird sounds that were like the sounds a person makes when they¡¯re asphyxiating. ¡°Mmmffff¡­ Mmfffff¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t understand you at all¡­¡± I decided to see what could happen if I touched him with my hand and gave him some mana to ¡°heal¡± him, sometimes it works when souls are too broken or traumatized their minds are rearranged and they can speak and be more eloquent even. So I infused some mana into him, and the ice slowly began to shatter into pieces, although his entire body still emanated a strong ice cold aura that made my figurative bones tremble, he was now capable of moving better and perhaps even speak. ¡°So tell me your story, how did you ended like that?¡± ¡°The Ice¡­¡± ¡°Ice?¡± The man began to look at me with his red eyes, he had short white hair, and seemedpletely pale¡­ Wait this guy looks like a Vampire! Doesn¡¯t he? He got pointy ears too and those red eyes are very suspicious. I looked at him for a bit. ¡°The Ice that froze me¡­ It frozen me whole, I died¡­ I died frozen! By that¡­ That thing¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°T-The thing!¡± ¡°What thing? Rx for a bit and tell me¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Also, aren¡¯t you a Vampire? Are Vampires this far? What are you guys nning?¡± ¡°V-Vampire? Vampire¡­ I was¡­ No¡­ I am not a Vampire, I was a Dhampir.¡± He said. ¡°D-Dhampir?¡± ¡°My father¡­ Was a Vampire¡­ I never saw him again¡­ I was an outcast¡­ I lived near town¡­¡± He said in between stuttering. ¡°I-I¡­ I used to be friends with them, the Ice Giants¡­¡± He said. ¡°Ice Giants? You know them? I would really want to meet them, you know?¡± I wondered. ¡°Did they froze you?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ They froze me for trespassing their territory¡­¡± He cried. ¡°It was very cold¡­ It was¡­ traumatizing¡­ I¡­ It is so cold¡­ Bbbrrr¡­¡± The man began to tremble, he was very cold and seemed that if I gave him a bit more of Mana, he would turn into a weird ghost. ¡°So they killed you for getting into theirwn? I heard they¡¯re doing trades with this Kingdom, what¡¯s going on with that? I thought they were good guys trying to live.¡± I said. ¡°Not until the Ice Queen Manifested¡­¡± He said. ¡°I used to be friends with them¡­ But the Frost Queen¡­ she changed everything¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 254 ¡ª¨C While sleeping, I found the poor Dead Spirit of a man that seemed to be a Dhampir from all things, this man was discriminated by society, even in here, and lived by himself in the forest near the mountains, where he met the Ice Giants and had a friendly rtionship with them. However, a character known as the ¡°Frost Queen¡± suddenly showed up and ruined his life¡­ quite literally, he was frozen alive, and died. But I do wonder, who the heck is this Frost Queen, and how does she has any rtion to the ice in the Demon Kingdom? Could she had done something? And also if he was a friend with the Ice Giants for so long, howe she suddenly showed up and killed him? Why didn¡¯t she do it before? Or was there something that caused her to act this way? At the end, I decided to ask this man all these questions. He seemed willing and happy to answer them. ¡°The Ice Giants and I were friends¡­ for around two hundred years¡­¡± He said. ¡°Dhampirs can live long lives¡­ Longer than humans and other races¡­ I was an old man already, and I have ustomed to live in the forest, I even had my little house¡­¡± The man sighed a lot, he seemed to grow more and more saddened as he remembered when he was alive. Although he had a hard life, it was a life he liked living, and how it was suddenly taken away from him was quite sorrowful to hear about. ¡°I see¡­ I guess you had a pretty peaceful life, the Ice Giants¡­ Were they any good with you?¡± I asked. ¡°Were they really your friends?¡± I asked these questions because ghosts sometimes feel like they had memories of good things, but they were actually fabrications of their own fragmented memories, or sometimes they just lose a lot of memories and recreate false and weird memories out of the fragments left behind. I am one of those ghosts that just forgotpletely my life as the original Maria, and perhaps that¡¯s for the best in some cases. ¡°Yes, of course they were¡­ They helped me many times and I also helped them¡­¡± He said. ¡°I gave them tools and specific things they had a hard time crafting with their big hands. And they offered me food and the strange nts that can grow in the ice.¡± ¡°Oh, well, well, that¡¯s interesting¡­ Perhaps you could bring me where they live?¡± I wondered. ¡°You would do this for your Undead Queen, right, good man?¡± I asked this question while smiling coquettishly, the man was already my servant the moment he was called by me, all undead respond to me as their Queen, and would obey my words andmands no matter what. I have yet to find an Undead that actually fights against me when they met me now, maybe if I go into a Dungeon with Undead, there could be one strong enough to resist my Title Skill effects, but this little Dead Spirit? He¡¯s already within my grasp. The man¡¯s dead spirit quivered a bit as if he was feeling a bit cold, there was barely any cold in this warm room, but his state of mind seemed to be still traumatized by how he died. He was even emanating a chill aura from around his phantasmal body, that might give Emeraldine, the closest to my bed, a cold. ¡°Yes¡­ I would¡­¡± He said. ¡°But the Ice Giants are¡­ Being governed by her¡­¡± He said. ¡°The Frost Queen.¡± The man seemed to quiver even more when he said the name of this woman. ¡°Tell me more about her.¡± I told to him, as he seemed to immediately obey me. ¡°She appeared some time ago before I died¡­ The Ice Giants live around an ancient underground dungeon to known to anyone¡­ Inside this dungeon there is a bigndscape, like a small world by itself¡­¡± He said in between stuttering words. ¡°And in this vastndscape there was a tower, an ancient tower¡­ A group of Ice Giants entered it and found what was called¡­ The Crown of Skadi.¡± ¡°Crown of Skadi?¡± I asked while raising an eyebrow. ¡°You mean an actual crown?¡± ¡°Yes, an actual crown. It was an item found by the Ice Giants which they had seen as an ancient artifact of old times¡­¡± Said the man. ¡°They were afraid of it and its powers, and they left it inside the tower, to not be touched by anybody¡­ But someone stole it and wore it, a woman known as Tear¡­ This was an Ice Giant woman¡­ that used to be the sister of one of my friends¡­¡± Apparently, the Ice Giants live inside a dungeon! Well, that¡¯s quite interesting. And what¡¯s more interesting is that there is a tower inside a dungeon that guarded such an ancient artifact, which was found by the Ice Giants, but in fear of its powers, they left it in the tower and decided to not touch it due to how dangerous it could truly be for them, they ended leaving this crown on its own, ready to be snatched by the someone greedy enough, and well, that¡¯s exactly what happened. Maybe they shouldn¡¯t had revealed the existence of the crown to everybody to begin with! Perhaps that would had made it possible for her to not find it, right? If she didn¡¯t knew about it to begin with! Or maybe they could have guarded the damn tower entrance? I guess they might had done it and I am judging way too ahead? The man looked at me while his eyes seemed to be filled with the fear of that day and how much of a trauma it caused to him. I understand how you might feel but rx for a bit, you should as they say¡­ chill out a bit. Hahahaha! Get it? Because you¡¯re frozen! ¡­Okay I better not tell him this joke. ¡ª¨C Chapter 255 ¡ª¨C Apparently, it all started with a magic crown. Who would had tell that I would gain such tasty and juicy intel from a random dead spirit? Well this has happened before when I visited the other duchies, so it ispletely possible to be told many important things by just a random passerby dead spirit that has way too much backstory than his simply appearance implies. But this guy¡¯s appearance was really unique, so I was sure he had a crazy backstory, and it ended being pretty amazing to know he was even rted to those Ice Giants which I have grown quite interested on. ¡°So she stole the Crown of Skadi and just became evil?¡± I wondered. ¡°Why did she stole it to begin with?¡± ¡°The girl¡­ no, the woman¡­ Tear was someone good-hearted. But something happened years ago, when her brother was found dead¡­¡± He said. ¡°She felt heartbroken and weter learned that the humans have killed him because he had approached the country. I don¡¯t know why they did this when they were so open to negotiations before¡­ She went to grab the crown because she wanted the power to avenge her brother.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± That left me quite speechless. The humans here did that?! But they¡¯re so nice and all¡­ Maybe it was a group of evil ones? It is more possible¡­ Well, there is never a ce that is truly freed from these people, they¡¯ll eventually find a way to appear everywhere you go. Because this girl wanted to avenge her brother, she went to grab this crown and then¡­ she turned into the Frost Queen. ¡°How did this happen? She just put the crown and changed?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ Since she put on the crown that Tear changed.¡± He said. ¡°Her entire personality¡­ Everything about her changed, in fact. She wasn¡¯t the same anymore¡­ She used to be such a sweet girl back then¡­ Now, she turned into a tyrannical woman, she governs the Ice Giants with her Ice Magic powers, which developed into something incredibly strong too¡­ She killed me when I tried to bring her back, to take out her crown¡­ After that, I¡¯ve drifted until I ended in this town.¡± ¡°Oh Jesus¡­ Okay, I see¡­ I guess you lived through a whole Anime Arc there, didn¡¯t you, buddy?¡± I sighed. ¡°Well now, you can stay with mama for now if you want to. I am not the Undead Queen for nothing, I¡¯ll slowly heal you up and we might go met your friend there once more.¡± ¡°Really? Would you do this for me, my Queen?¡± He asked. He seemed to be excited about my proposal, but I was very interested in doing trades with the Ice Giants, and also see this Frost Queen and whatever happened to the poor girl named Tear, I feel like there¡¯s a lot of intrigue into this. ¡°Sure thing! But for now,e into my shadows and rest for the moment, I will conjure Undead Healing you slowly, and probably turn you into a ghost eventually, for now I would like you to rest and assess your thoughts and mind for the moment.¡± I said, as I opened my shadows and the void of darkness emerged within the floor, the dead spirit quickly jumped inside, thanking me another time before entering into a ¡°recovering¡± slumber. And with that, I dozed off until the next morning, where the light of the sun barely entered through the window because the clouds covered the entire sky, so the sunlight didn¡¯t even reached us but the faint light of the day in general, which kept the entire roompletely dark. ¡°Achoo! Hahh¡­ D-Did I caught a cold?¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°I¡­ Ugh, my head! Uaaggh! Uueeggh¡­ Aaaghhhh¡­¡± Emeraldine suddenly began to grab her head in pain, a yes, she¡¯s having a hangover. It is quite obvious why she¡¯s having one, yesterday she drank two whole bottles of mint wine, it was to be expected she would feel this way, this dorky elf really gets on my nerves sometimes. She began to touch her head and started using healing magic on her own brain, but the healing magic was not working fast, but slowly, only making it even more painful for her¡­ I wish I could do anything, but I really can¡¯t, this is just the hangover. ¡°Uuuggh¡­ It hurts¡­ I am never drinking again¡­ Damned mint wine, it is a poison! A poison¡­¡± She cried, I moved to her side and caressed her head. ¡°There, there, calm down already, everything is fine.¡± I sighed. ¡°This is what you get for drinking way too much, I don¡¯t even know why you ended liking the mint wine so much.¡± ¡°I-It was tasty¡­ But now that I remember the vor I want to throw up- Ueggh¡­¡± Emeraldine suddenly threw up over the bed. ¡°Well, what a way to start the morning¡­¡± Said Lucifer. As a dragon, he seemed to be pretty resistant to toxins, so he didn¡¯t seem as affected of Emeraldine. ¡°Uagh! Yuck¡­ Emeraldine, stop throwing up in front of Master!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Do you got some fetish about it or something?! You always do this!¡± ¡°I-I am sorry¡­ My tummy hurts¡­ Ugh¡­ Sniff¡­ Sorry¡­¡± Emeraldine began to cry and that broke my heart. I quickly helped her walk to the bathroom to wash her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s go wash your face a little bit first, okay? You look all messy now, girl, just look at you! Geez¡­¡± I sighed, as I helped her wash her face with the water and then I took all her clothes out and decided to make her take a warm bath. They had fire stones and water stones, fire stones warm things or produce small mes when infused with mana, and water stones produce water when infused with mana, so the two can make a nice warm bath in a few seconds, by cing the stone in the water and waiting a few minutes, the water was warm enough and I let Emeraldine sitting there. ¡°Y-You¡¯re looking at all my nude body¡­¡± She said while blushing. ¡°Well, I think I saw it before, when I first saw you, you were almost nude¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 256 ¡ª¨C I had the fear that my poor elf girl would drown in the water if I left her alone, so I ended helping her take a warm bath by myself. She insisted on letting her alone because she wanted some privacy and felt embarrassed of having a hangover, but she still felt dizzy and could potentially drown in the water if she rxes too much. I love her so I have to take good care of her, that¡¯s justmon sense. ¡°Alright, now raise your arms¡­¡± I said, as I used a soap to wash her armpits and her entire arms, and then used some warm water to wash her arms and armpits afterwards again. She seemed to blush a bit more, but she regained most of herposure after being washed, the warm water and the steam really cleans the mind a bit and make you rx. ¡°Ahh¡­ T-This is enough, please don¡¯t babysit me like this¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I-It doesn¡¯t sit right to me¡­¡± Emeraldine looked at me while blushing, her face was as red as a tomato and she looked utterly adorable, she was like my baby girl, so it was natural for me to take good care of her. Her adorable ears were all red as well, and had moved down a bit, this was always an adorable thing elves did when they get embarrassed or surprised, Emeraldine does this all the time she gets too overly embarrassed, also their big ears get very red and hot when they grow embarrassed or are drunk like yesterday, so they look funny. ¡°But I am just merely spoiling my baby girl.¡± I said, petting her head and caressing her pointy ears, which were the cutest. ¡°B-Baby girl?¡± She asked while blushing and raising her eyebrows. ¡°D-Don¡¯t call me like that, I am a grown adult, not a little girl¡­¡± Emeraldine pouted even more adorably, my heart was melting. ¡°You really did bad things yesterday, huh?¡± I said while washing her back with soap. ¡°You¡¯re a bad baby girl~ So mama is going to wash you really good.¡± ¡°Geez¡­ I-Is this some sort of roley?¡± She asked. ¡°I-I am not liking it¡­ But I guess I deserve to be punished a bit, I did bad yesterday¡­¡± Emeraldine seemed a bit down only because of that single thing, I had to give her a nice massage in the shoulders after washing her back. ¡°Ooohh! M-Maria-sama¡­! T-This is a bit¡­! Ahhh¡­ So rxing¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°B-But it feels like you¡¯re rewarding me rather than punishing me!¡± Emeraldine had a point there, I was just enjoying giving her a good time and perhaps touching her nude body with warm water. ¡°W-Well! You¡¯re not supposed to enjoy it¡­¡± I said. ¡°I am merely taking advantage of your body, so this is just a torture, in fact!¡± ¡°T-Torture? W-Well¡­ T-Then take more advantage of me, please¡­¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯ve been a bad girl¡­¡± ¡°Oh yes, you¡¯ve really been a bad girl¡­¡± I looked at Emeraldine¡¯s tender, white-skinned neck, it was so soft and white like porcin, I slowly began to kiss her neck as she seemed to feel my cold lips kissing her body. ¡°A-Ahhh~ M-Maria-sama¡­¡± She moaned, as she looked at me while blushing some more. ¡°You got a beautiful and tender neck¡­ If I were a Vampire, you would be in grave danger.¡± I said, sticking my tongue out and licking her neck slowly, the cold tongue I had made her shiver a little bit as she grew even redder. ¡°U-Uwawawawahh¡­¡± She moaned. ¡°S-So cold yet so exciting¡­ Ahh, the warmth of the water with your cold hands, kisses, and tongue¡­ It makes for a refreshing experience¡­¡± ¡°Oh yeah? You like it?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh my, look at these big ones¡­ You really got some incredible breasts¡­ You don¡¯t know how the men looked at them, don¡¯t you? Or you knew? Were you fantasizing about them grabbing them like I do? I bet they would die of envy if they knew I can do all I want with the pretty and sexy elf they saw yesterday getting drunk like a little bad girl¡­¡± I began to grasp Emeraldine¡¯srge breasts gently, covering them in soap and them slowly washing them with warm water, while gently teasing the tip of her big nipples¡­ She really had big breasts, I bet they could feed a child very well. ¡°I-It is not like that¡­! I-I was born like this¡­¡± She cried. ¡°I-I only look at you¡­ Maria-sama, I would never imagine such perverted things¡­¡± Emeraldine looked at me while sticking her tongue out due to the amount of pleasure she was receiving from me touching her body. I stuck my tongue out and teased her, making her think I was going to give her a passionate French kiss only to move it back into my mouth. ¡°Did you thought I would kiss such a bad girl?¡± I asked. ¡°Also! You threw up so you should wash your teeth first, mouth hygiene is very important!¡± ¡°Uuueeh¡­ Such a turn off!¡± Sheined, as she crossed her arms and then I threw a bucket of warm water over her head, washing her hair. SPLAAASH! ¡°Uwaaahh¡­!¡± ¡°And done! I think you could wash your hair by yourself, right? I¡¯ll leave it up to you dear.¡± I said. As I flew outside the room by crossing through the door. ¡°W-Wait! Geez¡­ She really loves teasing me, doesn¡¯t she?¡±ined Emeraldine, as she continued washing her hair by herself. When I moved outside, the first thing I found was two dorks stuck to the door with bloodshot eyes, when I crossed through their bodies, I looked back at them while raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms. ¡°Have you ever learned about personal space, you two?¡± I asked. ¡°W-What kind of lewd things were you doing with Emeraldine?!¡± asked Partner. ¡°Exin them to me, master!¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ I was merely¡­ Just¡­ Going with the flow.¡± Said Lucifer, as he crossed his arms and looked elsewhere, attempting to make himself look as someone that cannot be asked questions. ¡ª¨C Chapter 257 ¡ª¨C Well, what an unnecessary drama, Partner always freaks out when I get closer to the other two, but maybe I went a bit too far in the bathroom there by making Emeraldine moan¡­ I guess I ended getting a bit perverted there, I don¡¯t have a body so there shouldn¡¯t be horny within me, but it seems I have gathered the horny somehow even in my phantasmal form. I suppose that when I am in front of such a babe, I cannot contain myself that well, especially when she¡¯spletely at my mercy. I get I awaken a bit of a sadist fetish there, I really like to tease cute girls. When I asked the two about personal space, the two answered trying to justify themselves as to why they were spying on us by sticking themselves into the door like it was nobody¡¯s business for some weird reason. ¡°W-What kind of lewd things were you doing with Emeraldine?!¡± asked Partner. ¡°Exin them to me, master!¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ I was merely¡­ Just¡­ Going with the flow.¡± Said Lucifer, as he crossed his arms and looked elsewhere, attempting to make himself look as someone that cannot be asked questions. ¡°I can do anything I want! Nobody is going to tell what I can and cannot do, okay, Partner? And look, I wasn¡¯t doing anything bad, I was just giving her a massage, Emeraldine is just a very dramatic actress¡­¡± I said while gazing at Partner fiercely, I wasn¡¯t lying there. Partner gave me a defeated look as she sighed and rested over the floor, she seemed defeated. And began to weep like a little girl. ¡°Uwaaahh¡­ I just want the same treatment¡­ Sniff¡­ I want love¡­¡± She cried. ¡°Eh? S-Since when can you cry like that?¡± I asked while looking at her worriedly. Lucifer didn¡¯t seemed affected by Emeraldine¡¯s thing, and was just looking at Partner with a bit of confusion. We both thought the same thing, she was probably pretending to get sad and cry, she had be a pretty good actress since she became a Lesser Vampire. ¡°She¡¯s definitely pretending.¡± Said Lucifer through telepathy. ¡°Oh, so you can also tell?¡± I asked to him. ¡°Yes, it is very obvious, she doesn¡¯t feel sad for real¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°S-Should we do something about it?¡± I wondered. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, you¡¯re the protagonist here¡­ I am a side character now.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Well, thanks for nothing¡­¡± I sighed. I looked a Partner and walked at her side, petting her head. I tried to calm her down as I caressed her long red hair, she seemed to be trying pretty hard, so I decided to make her happy at least. ¡°Come on, stop pretending to cry, it is pretty obvious¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Geh?!¡± Partner was quickly found out, and she stood there and looked at me with surprise. Yep, I always knew you were just pretending, little partner,e on, don¡¯t make this harder for the both of us now. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go eat some breakfast I am starving¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Anyways, what should we eat?¡± ¡°Guuhh¡­¡± Partner sighed as she looked at me with a rather angry demeanor, she seemed a bit disappointed that I didn¡¯t fell for her tricks¡­ She has gotten a bit maniptive, hasn¡¯t she? But I guess she really does deserves some love, I¡¯ll make sure to spoil her and perhaps give her a kiss if the situation arises, I have already kissed Emeraldine and Lucifer before, so I am sure that I am quite good at it. I¡¯ll give her a good kiss so that she can stop being like this. I petted her head and then helped her stand up, she looked like a puppet that lost her strings in the floor, so helping her stand up made her look better, I moved aside the hair covering her face and kissed her forehead. ¡°All good now.¡± I said. ¡°Damn you smell like wine too.¡± ¡°I want something tasty¡­¡± She said. ¡°D-Do you got any blood, Master?¡± ¡°I do, here.¡± I said. I gave Partner a small bottle of blood I had saved for her, this was one thest blood supplies we had from ¡°bad guys¡± we have killed sometimes, it was also mixed with some animal and monster blood to make itst for long, but the monster and beast blood is not the same than human/demi-humans for Vampires, their craving for blood asks for these, in fact, the closer to humans the tastier the blood. Due to that, I had sent my phantom clones to kill some people outside¡­ Yeah, not good people, I made them look for people that nobody would miss and that were overall assholes without anyone that cared about them, bandits, people that kidnaped others, or that stole and extorted people, we found quite a couple of these good for nothing and they were brought to me swiftly as of now¡­ FLASH! Several phantoms emerged into the room and opened portals to their shadows, where a handful of corpses of humans emerged. There was this one guy with dog ears that waspletely insane, my phantom clones stopped him from stabbing an olddy that didn¡¯t had any more money to give to him, so nobody is going to miss someone willing to stab an olddy (I also used my clones to give that olddy all the money this idiot had). I didn¡¯t destroyed their souls and decided to be merciful, using my divine protection, I just sent them off to Helheim where Hel weed them, and she gave me a thumbs up (imaginary visuals that I cannot actually see). ¡°Wow, did you killed all those peoplest night?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°They were up to no good so don¡¯t worry¡­¡± I said. ¡°I sent their souls off without breaking them, but they were irremediable people.¡± Partner was already finishing the small bottle as she looked at the fresh corpses, they were still warm, and their blood would be very tasty for her¡­ But I stopped her before she jumped over one of them. ¡°Wait! These are for several days; do you think I can just leisurely kill so many people? There is a limited amount of people that deserve death, you know?¡± I sighed. ¡ª¨C Chapter 258 ¡ª¨C I had caught a bunch of evil doersst night, some guys that do a lot of awful things and never get punished, so I punished them like the good anti-hero I am- Well, to be honest I am more of a viin at this point, but I am just hiding it. Anyways, as the viin I am, I caught these dorks and killed them off really easily, they were no brainer for me, my little Partner needs her blood and I cannot just let her starve off. Yeah, she can drink beast and monster blood but eventually that won¡¯t do her good, she¡¯s still growing up so my little dear needs her fresh blood, I cannot really bear to see those beautiful red eyes getting sad so I decided to just bring her food out right away. ¡°There you go, its all for you, but remember that we have to first bottle it up.¡± I said, as I petted her head. ¡°Y-You did this for me, Master?¡± She asked, her eyes began to shine brightly. ¡°Yeah! I am worried about my adorable Partner; I can¡¯t bear seeing you all tired and hungry.¡± I said. ¡°Uwah, to think you were worried about me this whole time¡­¡± She said. ¡°But you went a bit too far there though! Did you had to kill so many?!¡± ¡°Well they were all together in a group¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve forgiven their souls and now they¡¯re on Helheim, or somewhere else, I don¡¯t know well.¡± I said while shrugging. ¡°Well, the thing is done now so there¡¯s no point in thinking about it too deeply. For now, Partner, use your blood maniption abilities to fill up the bottles.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Oh yes! Alright¡­ Ugh, I am getting thirstier but I must resist¡­¡± Sighed Partner. And like that, she used her Blood Maniption Skills and began to extract the blood of all the corpses until they ended as dry as mummies, she concentrated all of the blood in arge floating sphere of blood, and for a moment she felt like drinking it all, but that would probably make her go insane. Why? Well, some time ago we discovered that when she ends up drinking too much blood, she goes berserk, her senses be crazier and her reason begins to fade away, although she still recognizes us as allies, she begins breaking everything else around and makes a big disaster, so we can¡¯t allow her to drink all the blood she wants to. Sorry Partner but these are thews you gotta obey if you want to be with us! Agh, though, Vampires really got big drawbacks, maybe she should have evolved into something else than a Vampire now that I think about it¡­ I remember she told me that she had options when evolving, just like I do¡­ Back then she could have just progressively evolved into a scarier skeleton through every evolution instead of a cute zombie girl. Perhaps as a skeleton she wouldn¡¯t be so thirsty nor suffering so many weaknesses¡­ Ah, well, not like we can do much about it now. And now that I think about it, she¡¯s still pretty amazing anyways, a Vampire is pseudo alive, notpletely Undead, like Death Dragons, so she¡¯s technically more alive than dead now and can sleep leisurely, have dreams, and all of that, so that¡¯s pretty nice. I took out several bottles I had already cleansed and Partner carefully filled each one, then we sealed them and¡­ done! As easy as ever. Now we got over 50 bottles of blood for Partner to consume, she usually drinks one per day to feel better, although she sometimes feels like drinking two, but for now giving her only one is more than enough, I believe. ¡°Here you go.¡± I said. ¡°Well done for your patience.¡± I petted her head as she smiled while looking at the bottle, she began licking the bottle with her tongue as if it were a treasure beyondprehension, and slowly opened it and drank the entire bottle. ¡°Gulp, gulp¡­ Phew! Ahhh¡­ Hehehe¡­ I¡¯ve never felt this happy before! Master, I love you lots and lots! Fufufu¡­¡± Partner suddenly acted as if she got drunk out of drinking too much blood way too fast, and began to hug me while groping my boobs and grasping them tightly. ¡°H-Hey, cut it off! Don¡¯t be a pervert¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You didn¡¯t mind it when I did it back then, fufu¡­¡± She giggled. ¡°T-That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t had as much shame as now¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Probably because I have more physical sensitivity as well.¡± ¡°Oooohhhh!¡± Partner heard that and only began to y with my breasts with even more intent, grasping them tightly and then licking my neck with her long tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is alright at this time¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know but you don¡¯t seem to want to stop her!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Hahaha, I kind of like it.¡± I said embarrassedly. ¡°See~? Master likes pervy stuff, she just doesn¡¯t admit it too often, fufu¡­ My Master~¡± Said Partner, as she began sniffing my hair and rubbing her face over my own. She was really getting lewder by the second. ¡°You like it?! T-Then¡­!¡± Lucifer said, as he suddenly grabbed my breasts. ¡°Uwah?!¡± What is this dragon thinking he¡¯s doing now?! Did he got jealous out of the sudden? Can¡¯t the two of them give me a break? ¡°Oi! D-Don¡¯t touch Master! She¡¯s mine!¡± Said Partner angrily, as she began to tightly grasp my right breast, while Lucifer grabbed my left breast and pushed his body tightly towards mine. ¡°S-She¡¯s also mine¡­!¡± He said while blushing. ¡°No, she¡¯s mine!¡± Said Partner angrily, as she gritted her teeth against Lucifer. ¡°Where did you got all this confidence anyways, grumpy dragon?!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re doing whatever you want then I will do so too!¡± Said Lucifer angrily. The two began to discuss and bark against one another while grasping my chest and then they even began to touch my thighs and butt! W-What am I going to do? Ugh, I kind of like it though. Shit, I am kinky, aren¡¯t I? ¡ª¨C Chapter 259 ¡ª¨C ¡°J-Just stop discussing already! Lucifer, Partner, stop grabbing my body like I am some sort of item or something! Or I¡¯m going to punish both of you!¡± I said angrily. At the end, both of them ended kneeling in the floor asking for forgiveness when I unleashed a bit of my Aura of Death. ¡°I am sincerely sorry! I didn¡¯t know what happened to me, it just¡­ felt right to do that for some weird reason¡­ I-I think my Titles are affecting my judgement sometimes¡­ T-That must be it!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I am so old, I should act like an old dragon, not a teenager¡­¡± ¡°Sowy Master! The blood was way too good! It made me a bit too happy, hehehe¡­¡± Laughed Partner, before covering her face and realizing she wasughing in something that was supposed to be a serious apology. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t take it easy, sorry!¡± She apologized again. ¡°Eeeehh¡­ I guess its okay¡­ I should had stopped you as well, but something was also stopping me, perhaps one of your intimidation skills or something! Y-Yeah¡­¡± I said while averting my gaze. I cannot possibly let them know that I am actually a kinky girl that had way too many sexual fantasies in my previous life but could not fulfill any, so when I am being groped like this by a handsome dragon and a beautiful vampire, I feel like just letting them do whatever they want with my body! No! I cannot tell them that overly specific truth! Suddenly, the door of the bathroom opened and Emeraldine came walking in barefoot, with most of her clothes in, her white blouse, her tight leather pants to protect her from the cold, and holding her boots with her left hand, while trying to dry her hair with a towel. ¡°What¡¯s going on in here? You¡¯re screaming way too much today in the morning!¡± Sheined. ¡°Huh?! Why are you two kneeling before Maria-sama?!¡± Emeraldine looked at the pair of dorks in front of me as if something was going on, she even began to imagine weird things as she looked at me, progressively growing redder. ¡°W-Wait, is this some dominatrix roley you¡¯re doing?¡± Asked Emeraldine, imagining me whipping these two with a whip made of shadows, most likely. ¡°What?! No! Agh, you two can stand up, and don¡¯t tell her why you were apologizing, it is better to just¡­ keep it a secret for now.¡± I sighed. ¡°Y-Yeah, I agree¡­ It is too embarrassing.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Eh? Now I want to know even more than before, you¡¯re only making me more curious about what the heck is going on in here!¡± She said while pouting at me. ¡°Sorry but no¡­ For now, it is better if you don¡¯t know¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Iughed while petting her head and shoulders. If she were to know that I was being lewdly assaulted by these two she would probably try to do the same topensate for it or something, when she misses out in stuff, she also wants to do them, in fact, that¡¯s how this trio of lovely dorks are. When one gets a better treatment or some privilege, the other two immediatelyin and also want it¡­ Seriously, give me a break. ¡°I will find out eventually!¡± She said angrily. At the end, we ate breakfast in the Inn, they brought us some grilled fish for breakfast, with some freshly baked bread and a big piece of cheese, I guess this is the breakfast of themoners from here? I mean fish is not bad at all, better than rat meat, I guess. After I learned about the Frost Queen and the Ice Giants, I decided to speak about that with the trio for some time, they were filled with curiosity about the whole situation, and were constantly nodding as they heard all the things, I knew from the Soul I found, which I¡¯ve put inside my shadows so he could rest there. My shadows are way better suited for Undead and Souls to rest than for living people, they feel in peace inside of my shadows, as if they¡¯re being embraced, and can recover wounds and soul damage quickly, even mental damage can be slowly healed as well. ¡°So that¡¯s a thing¡­ Is this Frost Queen¡­ Could she be responsible for what happened in the Demon Kingdom?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Quite possibly¡­ But I don¡¯t know why she would do that to the survivors of the Demon Kingdom though, it doesn¡¯t make sense, sadly this guy didn¡¯t knew anything more, so we don¡¯t know the backstory behind everything.¡± I said. ¡°If her¡­ If it was really her then I¡­ I will crush her and make her unfreeze my people¡­¡± Muttered Lucifer. ¡°No matter what¡­¡± He began to emanate a strong aura of death and darkness; it was so strong it spread over the entire floor and it began to slowly make its way down to the first floor. ¡°Lucifer rx for a bit, we know she has ice powers and all, but do we really know if it was her? I only have a hypothesis, but we cannot jump to conclusions and end up hurting someone that wasn¡¯t in fault for this.¡± I said. ¡°So we have to do some research first! And for that we¡¯ll need time, we have yet to find where they live, I am sure that the ghostly guy will lead us there, but for now we have to wait until he wakes up. Also we have to grow stronger before we can think about beating the shit out of strong people.¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree. We should wait and go back to our town first, we got people there that need us more for the moment, after we get our ns settled down there, we can continue doing our investigation.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the best option for the moment, I apologize for getting a bit frustrated there¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you that much, but sure.¡± I said. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s eat this up and then let¡¯s fly back home! We got a ton of beer now, if those bastards don¡¯t work, I¡¯m going to beat the shit out of them!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 260 ¡ª¨C After enjoying the simple breakfast and doing somest-minute shopping where we bought even more food reserves such as meat, meat, and more meat, alongside some vegetables, fruits, grains, fluor, and anything else we needed such as materials for construction that Darfu told us to buy, we flew back to our home, and after just an hour and a half, we finally reached our Kingdom. I already had my phantom clones there, so I would know if anything bad were to happen there, but nothing bad happened, everybody was doing fine. The ones that greeted us were the Goblin Chief, Gofumin, the beautiful twins Takeshi and Laura, and Catarina who had a grumpy face. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, it took you pretty short time to get back.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Was the trip fun?¡± ¡°Auntie!¡± Said Gofumin, the adorable little goblin girl walked towards Maria. She was wearing a lot of puffy clothes so she wouldn¡¯t get frozen in these cold temperatures and had a hard time moving around while being covered in them. ¡°Yeah, we got what we wanted and it was a pretty short trip, although there were some unexpected encounters¡­ Hello Gofumin, did you miss me?¡± I said, holding Gofumin with my arms as she hugged me back. I think that Gofumin is like my adoptive daughter at this point¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that make the Goblin Chief, her father, something like my husband then?! No, that¡¯s not how its supposed to work! I better not think that again. ¡°I did! Did you bring sweets?¡± She asked with an interested smile. ¡°We are happy to see you again as well, Auntie.¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Said Laura, as she and her brother suddenly stretched their arms and opened the palm of their hands, as if asking for something. These kids are very interested! Are they only here for the off-chance I brought them some sort of sweet?! Sigh¡­ Well, unfortunately for me, I love to spoil them, so of course I did. I opened my inventory and took out some candied apples I bought, there are more sweets inside because I also like them. The kids grabbed the apples and began eating them happily, it seems that they were dying for eating something sweet, we haven¡¯t gotten anything like that for a while, its always just meat and meat stew¡­ But good thing we got some more ingredients now so we can make more borate foods this time around. ¡°It seems that things went pretty well, huh?¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Why are you pissed out of nowhere?¡± Asked Emeraldine angrily. ¡°Pissed? You¡¯re the pissed one here shrimp.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Who are you calling shrimp, zombie?! I am going to exorcize you!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Try it! I bet you can¡¯t even lift that staff of yours with those thin elven arms!¡± Said Catarina. ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± Emeraldine was about to conjure magic but I stopped her. Wow, they¡¯re very quick at starting fights, what would they do if I wasn¡¯t here? ¡°Okay stop fighting so much for once! Don¡¯t fight! Fighting is bad!¡± I cried. ¡°Just stay put and don¡¯t say weird things to one another, it is pretty easy when you try. Anyways, Catarina, why are you so angry?¡± ¡°I-I wanted to go¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I wanted to go!¡± ¡°You did?! But you said you were going to guard the ce!¡± ¡°Yeah, but nothing happened so I feel like I just wasted an opportunity¡­¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bring you next time¡­¡± Seriously, she¡¯s really a handful. She¡¯s grumpy just because she wanted toe with us? And now that we came back, she¡¯s grumpy and annoying, seriously, I think I finally understand when they say that women are very hard to understand, even when I am a woman myself. ¡°Is that it? That¡¯s why you had that long face?¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Aahahaha! We went there with Maria and not you!¡± Said Partner while sticking her tongue out mockingly. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Cried Catarina. At the end, we moved to the inside of the castle where we found Darfu, he was waiting for the materials and was happy to see us back. Alongside him there was the Goblin Elder, alongside a group of goblins that were all discussing something over a blueprint, it seems that Darfu was still nning things out. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally back you guys! Did you brough the things I asked you for?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did!¡± I quickly opened the inventory and threw all the materials, a pile of such materials emerged atop the floor, from nails to other items, all pilled up. The Goblins celebrated as the dwarf seemed to approve them. ¡°They¡¯re good enough, well done.¡± He said. ¡°Now that we are done with the materials, did you¡­ bring some beer?¡± ¡°We sure as hell did! We brought a ton of beer!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Too much, in fact.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Those two better drink it and like it, because we really took a lot of time finding all of it.¡± Said Lucifer. Indeed, we have bought around twenty types of different beers, hoping that one would be pleasing for the two dwarves. It was a lot of work to get them, but I hope, I sure HOPE one of them at least gets through them and can convince them to drink it, please, pretty please drink the damn thing. ¡°Oh, I see, then let¡¯s go together to met them, you can give them the beer there and I¡¯ll supervise it.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°I¡¯ll drink some too, I want some beer and I think I deserve it¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, let¡¯s go.¡± We didn¡¯t wasted any other minute, as we moved back to the little house where these two dwarves lived, finding themzing over their beds while reading some random books they found inside the castle library. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up missy.¡± ¡°Do you want something- UUUUOOOGH?!¡± The two Dwarves suddenly jumped out of their beds as they saw that we brought several barrels filled with their liquid gold, beer, of many types to boot, so they can drink as much as they want and see what¡¯s the best one for their tastes. ¡ª¨C Chapter 261 ¡ª¨C Baldur and Badur were twin dwarves that were pretty old but incredible experienced, these two were blessed by the goddess of earth and the god of cksmiths, and the two had an amazing talent at both crafting, constructing, designing, and more. It could be said they were like gods about these things, there wasn¡¯t anybody you¡¯ll ever met in your life that would surpass them in what they know the best¡­ However, because of this, they¡¯re also incredibly prideful and annoying over their knowledge and incredible mastery over all these things, and their pride is so big that they rather receive torture than obeying some random aristocrat to work as their ves. This caused them to end up filled with all sorts of scars over their bodies, which only makes them look even more scary and intimidating. The only way they would agree to work for me is if I brought them beer, and well, here¡¯s your damn beer. The dwarves began to drink the beer happily after I brought therge barrels, the duo began to drink each beer, drinking a whole ss before going for the other beer, like this, not only the duo but also Darfu that joined the duo continued drinking more and more alcohol, until they reached thest barrel and then, all the dwarves sat down over the floor in silence. ¡°Not bad, but there wasn¡¯t anything impressive there.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t that good either¡­ It was okay but it can always be better.¡± Said Badur. ¡°The best beer was still okay at best, there are way better beers out there.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°I agree¡­¡± Sighed Badur. ¡°Come on you two, be more grateful¡­¡± Sighed Darfu. ¡°I enjoyed all of them, been a while since I had some good beer.¡± ¡°Ugh, so you guys won¡¯t help even after all this hard work I put into you two? I feel like I am being too much of a simp with these good for nothing dwarves! Maybe I should really just kill you and eat your souls, I am fucking tired!¡± I cried, looking angrily at the two dwarves, my very presence began to embrace them in darkness, they began to sweat coldly, but they seemed to look at me with confidence. ¡°We never said we wouldn¡¯t help!¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Yeah we are just criticizing the beer, but we¡¯ll help, you already did your part of the deal.¡± Said Badur. ¡°Eh?¡± I stood there looking at the two idiots for a big while, I couldn¡¯t believe what I heard, they actually were okay with it? Then being so annoying and all, was that just their y? A game? Or maybe they¡¯re just like that? Well, this is good, it means I won¡¯t have to convert them into zombie dwarves and force them to work¡­ Wow, thinking those things so leisurely, maybe I am really a viin archetype rather than the heroine I believe I am (not really). ¡°C-Calm down, Lady Maria, please don¡¯t do something reckless! They agreed! They agreed!¡± Said Darfu, stopping me before I were to do something very bad¡­ ¡°Oh, okay then, good.¡± I said nodding nervously before realizing that I was being a tad bit too extreme there, thankfully the guys agreed in thest moment, I think I was losing my patience. There is a limit of how much I can pretend to be a civilized person before my insanity takes over and I end up doing whatever I want¡­ Which is not always a good thing. ¡°The beer pleased us anyways, we are just very critical about everything, sorry about that.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°It is hard to not be like that when we are some grumpy old men, sorry, ghostss, don¡¯t get so angry with our old bones¡­¡± Sighed Badur. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, we¡¯ll soon be embraced by Hel naturally anyways, although it would be nice to go the Valha in a big battle instead.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, anyways, I wouldn¡¯t mind dying surrounded by old friends, so before kicking the bucket we are going back to the dwarf Nation.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Oh yeah! We can do that after helping the missy.¡± Said Badur. ¡°About time we get to work, I was getting bored already reading this old book about how to cook bats and other critters that Majin eat.¡± Saia Baldur. ¡°Yeah, I was reading a weird romance book, I think it was making me feel weird, anyways, time to hit the nail.¡± Said Badur. The two Dwarves began to stretch around and then they gave me their thumbs up. ¡°Alright! Tell us what to do.¡± They said at the same time. ¡°Ooh! Finally!¡± Said Partner. ¡°You¡¯re finally being more serviceable, you pair of useless bags of blood!¡± ¡°The Vampired is scary, eh?¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Yeah, just ignore her.¡± Said Badur. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± Cried Partner. ¡°A-Anyways, Darfu, I am leaving the two on your care, just exin them what you¡¯ve been doing, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be kick to catch up with what ns we got.¡± I said. ¡°Ooh! Alright then, you twoe with me, we are doing just that.¡± Said Darfu. The trio of dwarves quickly walked outside the room, but the twins came back out of nowhere. ¡°Keep the barrels inside, yes?¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Part of the deal!¡± Said Badur. ¡°Sure, you can keep the beer, I don¡¯t care, we got wine.¡± I said. ¡°Wow, imagine liking wine.¡± Laughed Baldur. ¡°It is incredible how that piss is so popr.¡± Laughed Badur. The two annoying dwarves walked away with Darfu, and finally left us in peace. I sat down over one of the beds and sighed in relief. ¡°Phew¡­ Now I just want to cuddle here and sleep forever.¡± I sighed. ¡°I agree, we should go to rest and rx for now.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I could give your soul some massages, I name it soul therapy.¡± ¡°Eh?! H-hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?! S-Stop! Uwaaaahh!¡± And then, Lucifer began to do something to my soul. ¡ª¨C Chapter 262 ¡ª¨C And after that, the dwarves were finally convinced to work, Darfu had already designed the blueprint and we also brought a lot of materials, so I had to just leave the rest to them to do, it¡¯s going to take days, but I don¡¯t mind waiting. I am quite happy I don¡¯t have to construct anything myself; I know there is a system that gives you skills based in what you learn to do, but I am not going to bother myself constructing stuff, what a pain. I have them here for a reason, so let the dwarves and the goblins do something for themselves for once¡­ The rabbit-kin and a lot of the recovered former ves also decided to join into the construction, so things are going to get busy for the next couple of days. If they can make a proper greenhouse, then we have to let Emeraldine do the rest, using her magic so she can nourish the soil and enhance the growth of nts is her job after all, I am only azy ghost that is way too good at destroying and nothing else, sadly, so I have to always leave the rest of the work to my pals. Good thing I made a lot along the way, and I am such a nice person that I even rescued many ves, getting myself a sizable amount of poption, hehehe. As of now, I had thrown myself over the bed of the dwarves, but I really should move back to my room if I want toze around for a bit¡­ But I can¡¯t, it feels like my soul is all exhausted or something¡­ So I want to rest for a bit and do something non-productive for once. ¡°Phew¡­ Now I just want to cuddle here and sleep forever.¡± I sighed. ¡°I agree, we should go to rest and rx for now.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I could give your soul some massages, I name it soul therapy.¡± ¡°Eh?! H-hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?! S-Stop! Uwaaaahh!¡± The Casanova of Lucifer suddenly began to massage my soul, the area that was shaped as legs in specific, taking out my heels and beginning to give me a foot massage! W-What is he doing? It doesn¡¯t work, I don¡¯t have any muscles to get tired of- Ooooohhh~?! ¡°Ooh?! It feels nice¡­ Ahhh¡­ S-So this is the power of a Death Dragon! Not only you can eat souls but¡­ you can even give them a massage?!¡± I asked in disbelief, I couldn¡¯t believe that Lucifer¡¯s amazing talent was in actually giving me some nice massages. ¡°It is merely an extension of such powers, there are other things I could do- Ahem, but it is better to not talk about that¡­¡± Said Lucifer, suddenly growing redder. What did he meant by that? Well, whatever. ¡°Oi! Stop, what are you doing? You can¡¯t just go ahead and give Master a massage in her beautiful feet! Who gave you the right?!¡± Partner roared at Lucifer, as she quickly moved his hands away from me. Why are you doing this? I really began liking it! ¡°Partner I am enjoying it¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t get jealous for everything, girl,e on.¡± I looked at Partner with a bit of an angry gaze, as she seemed to suddenly get a bit intimidated and apologized. ¡°S-Sorry¡­ I can do massages too!¡± She said. Suddenly, she covered her hands with her aura and began touching my legs, it felt weird and she was way too brutish, it only hurt me! ¡°Ouch! Aahh! S-Stop! It hurts!¡± I cried. ¡°You¡¯re a brute!¡± I quickly stood out of bed as Partner looked at me with a surprised expression, she quickly looked down into the floor and apologized again. ¡°S-Sowy¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Okay¡­ Don¡¯t worry.¡± I petted her head gently until she smiled, and then I gave her a little kiss in her nose. She was way too cute to get angry at her, so I gave her another kiss in her forehead and then she began hugging me. ¡°Master, you¡¯re so forgiving~!¡± She said happily, cuddling over my chest. ¡°Well you¡¯re my literal skeleton I cannot get angry with my own skeleton, right?¡± Iughed. ¡°Right! I am skeleton!¡± She said, as she seemed to begin recalling her beginnings, and her bright red eyes shone brightly out of nowhere. Seriously this girl is going to kill me out of cuteness. I squeezed her cute puffy cheeks and then let her go, I decided to fly back to my castle with my trio of beloved ones, as I decided to eat some lunch because my phantasmal stomach felt awfully empty already, it wanted some food to get inside. We had a lot of ingredients now, so we decided to make the usualmunal hot pot with them, nobody around here has eaten fish in a loooong while, so it was the best chance to make some delicious fish, I took out plenty of frozen fish inside my inventory, cu them into chunks, took away their frozen insides and skin, and then threw them inside of the pot alongside some water, potatoes, salt, ck pepper, onion, and garlic, and left it boiling down. We were going to eat fish hot pot, ideal for these days of cold temperatures. The big hot pot and the delicious smell of fish quickly attracted all of my people, as the whole town quickly began to gather around the usual ce where everyone came to grab a bite from what we cooked for the town. There were already wooden tables and seats set up, and the people brought their own dish utensils and tes to serve themselves some food, Emeraldine and Partner began sharing pieces of bread, and Lucifer brought two barrels of beer, one was brown and the other golden, and we were going to share it with the rest of the poption like the good rulers we are. The people began to quickly gather around the beer, a lot of people seem to have been missing some liquor. ¡ª¨C Chapter 263 ¡ª¨C ¡°I-is that beer?¡± ¡°Beer! It is really beer¡­ Maria-sama, thank you!¡± ¡°Phew, I was so tired about collecting lumber, some nice beer would do us good!¡± ¡°I want a cup as well!¡± The people gathered in a line as I began to share beer with every adult, sometimes some children would try to ask for beer, but we gave them fruit juice instead, they were happy with just that. The people of my town were notzy or anything, it¡¯s just that the distribution of resource is mostly done by us and our poption is quite small, not everybody got enough food inside their houses to make their own personal meals, and we prefer to use the food reserves to make food for just everybody instead of giving it in little pieces for everybody to cook themselves. A lot of the people, especially thezy males that don¡¯t know how to cook anything at all, prefer this way, but some of the people had also told me that I should begin selling food now that they¡¯re slowly gaining a capital, as I am paying them to do work for me. Some examples would be helping Darfu in constructing the Greenhouse, a new Job, which I will be paying some copper coins for those that help. Or people cutting lumber or constructing houses, or cleaning and dismantling the old houses of the demon kingdom too, all of that is paid if they show me their work. Like that, through a primitive reward system, people that work hard have begun to earn some money, and there is also some that don¡¯t have enough stamina or strength to do that, and are dedicating themselves to other activities, such as crafting all sorts of clothes, essories, small utensils, and even cleaning the castle where we live. Everything helps at the end so I paid them for what I find is worth money for, of course, I don¡¯t have endless coins, so I have to be moderate or my entire capital will be owned by my own people, which would be a bad form of government! If the ruler doesn¡¯t have power over the economy, how can I call myself a ruler? That¡¯s why we must make the money rotate back to me while slowly adding more and more people and money, this is pretty much how nations are born, I need more poption, more items, more resources, and more money, an endlessly growing kingdom¡­ but that¡¯s way tooplicated, so let¡¯s keep it humble for now, no point in endlessly trying to improve and expand if we are going to get stomped by humans if we get too far ahead of ourselves. Also, unlike the examples of Earth, in here we got magic, a big factor thatpletely changes the rules of the game and make it way more entertaining, in fact, so we have to take that into consideration as we move forward with our ns. For now, it would be better to use this magic to offer things for every day lives such as water and fire, warm water makes all sorts of food, can wash clothes, and wash themselves as well, and then there is the nts, which we¡¯ll grow with magic so they grow super-fast, something unrealistic to expect in the world where Ie from. Anyways, for now I n to see the greenhouse being constructed and then we¡¯ll begin our ¡°project greenhouse¡± where we¡¯ll begin buying vegetable seeds and nt them there. I want tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, lettuce, and all of that, the basics of the most basic of stuffs will be there, fruits? Well, they¡¯re not that needed, but perhaps apples and oranges would be enough, I want to eat apple pie¡­ While all of this is happening, I am also going to slowly prepare for a big trip back to the Duchy of Affnaria, where the new Duchess, our new friend, got us some new jobs. I had left there one of my ghost snakes to spy on her and see what¡¯s going on, it has been roughly over two months since west saw her, and she has been working on paperwork nonstop, doing all sorts of transactions with guilds, merchants, and more, while trying to improve the self-sufficiency of her duchy so it doesn¡¯t crumble apart with every passing year and drowns in poverty. She hasn¡¯t been able to catch any ver because of how busy she is, but she has been getting more clues about an organization selling a new drug, so we are moving there next to investigate what¡¯s up with that and help her out. I have write her a letter with the snake ghost I left there and left her over her desk yesterday morning. I had written there that I wasing there in at most a month, and that I needed to get done a few things in here before going there again. And that¡¯s why I told her that I might take almost a month to get there. Anyways, after giving fish hot pot to everybody alongside some beer and bread, we began digging in outside of my castle, gathered in the middle of our small and humble town, we enjoyed thepany of everybody as we began eating. I couldn¡¯t get enough of this hot pot though; the vor of fish soup was so tasty! And the onions and garlic I added made the vor even more tasteful, to boot, the delicious potatoes that came with it filled my stomach quickly, and the bread was fresh and crunchy. The beer was just nice as well, so everythingbined pretty well into an entire and wonderful meal. The entire meal was nice and I was left pretty happy overall, I had never eaten something so refreshing for some reason, maybe I have begun to get attached to this town to the point that even eating something here feels way tastier than elsewhere. I guess I really like it in here¡­ I have finally found my home after dying twice. ¡ª¨C Chapter 264 ¡ª¨C It has been roughly two weeks since ourst trip to the Duchy of Snowfall, and since then that many little things have been happening in our town, we have constructed more houses, we have cooked many tasty meals, and we have been dismantling more and more of the old houses filled with moss and dead wood, and have been using it for the fire or to feed our big rats, which are still our great source of protein. Aside from that, the project greenhouse has already started and the trio of dwarves are just amazing when working, Baldur and Badur are incredible atmanding other people, the goblins have been working diligently below theirmand and even Darfu was delegated as their assistant as they took over the entire project and made many improvements that Darfu never noticed. These two weeks they had been working moderately every day, around five hours per day, because the rest of the day it gets way too cold and I don¡¯t want someone to have frozen fingerster, also I am not an abusive ruler, I want my people to have their own free time to enjoy their days with their families. The greenhouse has been constructed quite a lot though, more than half of the building is already done and it will continue every day, perhaps in another week it should be done- ¡°ROAR!¡± Arge pr bear, crossing the three meters of height roared angrily at me, enhancing his left w with mana and freezing energies, it attempted to sh me in half all while freezing me, the lethal form of fighting that these monsters had in these cold and frozennds. SLAAASH! The powerful sh ushed a wave of freezing magic energy that impacted the ground, generating a big ice spike that almost pierced through me! Actually, it did! But it just did little to no damage to my ghostly body. ¡°Shadow Threads!¡± I quickly conjured my shadow threads, as I formed threads made of darkness and quickly began to wrap the entire three-meter-tall pr bear with them, until it got tightly wrapped up! It tried to attack me with a ice breath attack, but I blocked it by closing his own mouth. ¡°You¡¯re mine now¡­ Your delicious meat is mine now, and your fluffy pelt as well! And your bones, and everything!¡± Laughed Partner, as she jumped over the bear and sat over its head. ¡°Well I did most of the work so its mine, actually I did all of the work.¡± I said. ¡°I am just roleying!¡± She said. ¡°D-Did I sound scary and sexy like real vampires?¡± ¡°What? Well, I think? A bit.¡± I said. ¡°More cute than anything.¡± ¡°Geez¡­!¡± Partner began to pout, as she used her bony ws that extended from her fingers to pierce the bear¡¯s neck and quickly killed it CLAAASH! ¡°GRAAH¡­!¡± ¡­ And like that, our kill of the day was done! Ding! [You defeated the [Frost Bear King: Lv16 (C+ Rank)]!] [You gained 1600 EXP] [Level: [34/60] [EXP: 73600/180000] [Enough Skill Proficiency has been umted] [You learned the [Shadow Thread: Lv1] Skill!] [You gained the [Apprentice Thread User: Lv1] Title Skill] Ahhh, I gained tow new Skills! It has been truly a long time since I got anything! I have been saving up ¡°Bonus Points¡± as I call these points that I umte by sacrificing a bit of EXP and Skill Proficiency, but I cannot really decide what to buy. However, learning skills naturally is always the best way anyways! Nothing like a freebie. But I have been slowly getting the EXP though, even when I deactivated the bonus points from umting through a small part of my EXP being transferred there, the amount I am earning is very low, these monsters really won¡¯t do it, especially because they¡¯re so rare, I have barely hunted two bears through these two weeks, it is mostly killing rats to eat, which only give me like 50 EXP¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s way too little for someone big like me. I have been longing for going into a dungeon and finding a lot of monsters to st and get EXP and relive my early days of ¡°life¡± as a ghost where I went to Lucifer¡¯s dungeon and constantly earned EXP, that was pretty awesome¡­ Well, time to check my Status, it has been really a while¡­ ¡ª¨C [Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race: [Gorgon] [Job: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level: [34/60] [EXP: 73600/180000] [Rank: [B+] [HP: [13900/13900] ¨C [17500/17500] [MP: [29300/29300] ¨C [36000/36000][+2720] [Attack: [4900] ¨C [5700][+100] [Defense: [5100] ¨C [5800] [Magic: [30800] ¨C [38000][+2617] [Agility: [13900] ¨C [16000][+575] Characteristic Skills: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv9] [Shadow Transportation: Lv2] [Abyssal Body: Lv8] [Supernatural Senses: Lv6] [Poison Body: Lv4] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv2] [Darkness Resistance: Lv9] [Fear Resistance: Lv8] [Elemental Resistance: Lv7] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] Normal Skills: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv2] [Greater Curse: Lv2] [Life Absorption: Lv2] [Possession: Lv9] [Dark Sun: Lv2] [Dark Storm: Lv2] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv9] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv6] [Shadow Maniption: Lv9] [Shadow Storage: Lv8] [Undead Healing: Lv8] [Fake Life: Lv9] [Erase Presence: Lv7] [Soul Eater: Lv7] [Undead Detonation: Lv5] [Shadow Thread: Lv1] (New!) [Masterful Stealth: Lv2] [Summon: Lv7] [Aura of Famine: Lv6] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv5] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv5] [Materialization: Lv8] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [de sh: Lv5] [Strong Axe Strike: Lv3] [Spirit Summon: Lv3] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv5] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv3] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv3] [Split Thinking: Lv3] [Mental Mapping: Lv2] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv2] Title Skills: [The Dark Witch: Lv5] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv2] [Big Game yer: Lv6] [Taboo Mark: Lv5] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv9] [Undead Queen: Lv8] [Evil of the World: Lv6] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv6] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv3] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv1] (New!) [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv3] [Merciless Assassin: Lv2] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv2] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv2] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv3] [gue yer: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv2] [Saint of Death: Lv2] Divine Protections: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡ª¨C Chapter 265 ¡ª¨C When I looked into my status, I noticed that several of my Skills and Title Skills had been leveling up passively over this entire time. They had be stronger quite easily as I practiced my magic every day diligently, swung my de, and also my axe, and well, they naturally got into a higher level! That simple, it is nothing too hard to do, just constant repeated efforts some results over a long time, although two weeks is not really THAT much, so we could say that my progress is fast and elerated. I¡¯ve learned that people with Divine Protections receive enhancements to the EXP earned and even the Skill Proficiency earned, so they naturally grow stronger and better quicker than other people. Anyways, most of my Skills are stuck though, those at higher levels get a harder time leveling up, such as those around Level 7 to 9¡­ Maybe if I could evolve again, that would be the nice final trigger for them to level up and even evolve. And about my Job, it seems that that¡¯s that, I don¡¯t know if I can pick a new one, I haven¡¯t seen, picking Jobs is easy you can switch to any Job pretty much at any time, but the bonuses granted by the Job disappear, including the Skills. So the only way to keep these useful Skills and the bonuses to magic and mana is to get an ¡°evolved¡± Job that is a greater version of my already existing Job. And the thing is¡­ Erm well, this Job is already a prettyte game one, apparently, so I don¡¯t know if there could be anything better for the moment, and that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been limiting myself to just bear with it, also, I have yet to find a damn spirit to call mypanion, but I myself am slowly bing one, I guess? After ying the Bear, we quickly moved back to town, where we quickly left the bear being butchered by some workers at the castle, while we moved back to rest for the day, I moved into my bed and began to rest for a bit, Emeraldine and Lucifer were busy working outside. Lucifer goes around with Catarina and a few others dismantling houses and gathering anything of value inside of them to save for their original owners, Lucifer wanted to do this himself because he didn¡¯t trusted our people, as he thought somebody might try to steal the valuable items or photos from the frozen people. At the end he still epted some assistants he trusted, and interesting enough he trusted Catarina from all people. Meanwhile, Emeraldine is with the trio of dwarves and the goblins, mostly discussing about the creation of the greenhouse, they seemed to want her help for something, the dwarf trio hade out with the idea of creating special magical artifacts using her magic infused into them, so she was thinking with them about how to even do it. Oh right, a week ago I sent an army of ghost snakes to carry sand to the town, so we got a lot of sand now to make as much ss as we wanted. The process of making ss was pretty interesting, and we were able to see how it was done, now that we got everything, the only thing we have to do is wait, to be patient. ¡°Well today is another boring day as always.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Boring? But we did a lot of stuff! We hunted¡­ We¡­ we hunted a big bear!¡± I said. ¡°Eeeh¡­ It wasn¡¯t even a challenge!¡± Said Partner, as she sat down at the left side of the bed, and quickly began to cuddle with me. ¡°Then what do you want to do to have fun? Maybe eat something? Oh! I think there is a floating ind atop the sky.¡± I said. ¡°We could go check that out now that we got some free time, it still some time until we get to the duchy of Affnaria.¡± Partner, however, didn¡¯t seem to care about what I said, as she approached her face to be and kissed my cheek coquettishly. She looked at me with her bright and beautiful red eye rather¡­ lewdly. Damn, is this the charm of the Vampire race?! ¡°I am not interested in any of that boring stuff¡­¡± She said. ¡°I think we can have other fun, right, Master?¡± ¡°Hm?! L-Like what?¡± I asked. Partner began to rub her face over my chest cutely. ¡°Y-You know I love you¡­ R-Right, Master?¡± She said, while suddenly growing redder. ¡°I-I do¡­¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ve told it to me before¡­¡± I said. ¡°Y-You love me as well?¡± She asked. What with these questions out of absolutely nowhere?! Does she doesn¡¯t know the meaning of ¡°slow burn romance¡±?! Well, none of the other two I am with know about that, they just jump into it whenever they find the opportunity, there is no shame in these three, they are all about the horny. Of course, it has been a long while, but I sure do love her¡­ I am pretty sure that I got some strong feelings for her, and I want her to stay with me forever and ever. It might be a bit weird as she has my skeleton inside of her, but she had evolved into apletely new living being and well a person of her own. ¡°Yeah, I love you too¡­ I-It is a bit hard to say it because I am not used to these things¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Hehehe¡­ T-Then can we kiss? That¡¯s what people that love each other do¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Kiss¡­? I guess it is about time¡­ Sorry for dying- Hm?!¡± She didn¡¯t really waited for me at all, Partner immediately jumped over me and her lips touched mine, she embraced me in a long and passionate kiss, as if she was waiting for this to happen for a long time¡­ Her lips were so soft and delicious, and her tongue was ying all around the inside of my mouth¡­ Ahh, this girl is killing me! What¡¯s with this super lewd kiss?! Oh, good lord¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 266 ¡ª¨C Before knowing it, Partner slowly separated her lips from mine, and I felt dizzy. It felt so nice that it was as if I had ended going to apletely new world of passion and love, a warmth was epassing my entire body, a warmth I only felt when I was given love. I had only felt it twice before, and that was only with Emeraldine and Lucifer. ¡°Ahh¡­ It was a nice kiss~ Fufu¡­¡± She said while smiling adorably. ¡°I agree¡­ You¡¯re very cute¡­ I love you a lot¡­¡± I said while being half-dizzy. That came out without me thinking that much. I¡¯ve never had a rtionship in my previous life, nor I was ever loved by anybody other than my parents, and that was just parental love. This is apletely different type of love! I don¡¯t really know if saying this kind of stuff after the first kiss is good or not, but I was feeling so many fuzzy feelings for her that these words came out of me naturally! I really couldn¡¯t do anything about that. However, instead of feeling cringe or something for my words that came out of the blue, Partner smiled, gazing upon me with her beautiful red eyes adorned by a charming and beautiful smile. The charm of a Vampire woman was strong, I felt overwhelmed by her mere gaze. I think I¡¯ve really fallen for her now. ¡°M-Master¡­ Saying such things¡­ Y-You know that I might go a bit crazy if you continue, right?¡± She said, as she slowly began to gaze upon my body. ¡°Crazy? Ah¡­ T-That¡¯s¡­ Well, sorry¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Maybe I sounded a bit cringe or weird there¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no, it is fine! I liked it¡­¡± She said. ¡°I have slowly changed into what I am now, so I am still beginning to experience new feelings and emotions¡­ I am d that I can share our love¡­ I love you as well, Master¡­ You¡¯re my greatest treasure¡­¡± ¡°T-Treasure? Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ You¡¯re my precious treasure¡­ My world¡­ My heart¡­¡± She said. ¡°I cannot stop thinking about you whenever I am no doing something¡­ A-Am I a bit crazy?¡± ¡°Maybeee¡­ But that is not that bad¡­¡± I said. ¡°I also think about you¡­¡± ¡°Truly?¡± She asked excitedly. ¡°Of course¡­ Sometimes I gaze upon you and think ¡°Damn, she¡¯s so pretty¡­ I wish I had the willpower to approach her and hug her from behind¡­¡±. The truth is that I am a coward and I can barely start anything on my own, so it always ends in others doing it first¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Master¡­ I-I see¡­ Your insecurities are natural for someone like you, don¡¯t worry about it, we can slowly get over them¡­ I¡¯ll use my love to heal them~¡± She said, kissing my lips again. Partner was saying all sorts of corny things that might had made me cringe before, but they were only making me feel happier, her words were soothing my heart and making me feel calmer. It felt as if I was slowly and serenely floating over a river, being driven by the calm currents¡­ ¡°You¡¯re so cute¡­¡± I said. ¡°C-Cute?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the cutest. Even when you were a skeleton, you were very cute.¡± I said. ¡°R-Really?¡± She wondered. ¡°You¡¯re the cutest ever¡­¡± I said. ¡°More than Emeraldine and Lucifer?¡± She asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say Lucifer is cute¡­ And Emeraldine is certainly a cute girl, but you¡¯re cuter.¡± I said. ¡°Fufufu¡­ Seeing you saying those things to me really makes me happy¡­¡± She said. ¡°I think that I am finally having some fun now¡­¡± Partner began to giggle adorably at my side, as I hugged her chest and I approached my face to her own, both of our gazes met for some time, as I began to think about what I should say¡­ ¡°I know I created you and all but¡­ Are the feelings you have, yours truly, or a fabric of my own creation through the powers I have?¡± I wondered. ¡°They¡¯re certainly a fabric of your own creation!¡± She said. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s because Master is so beautiful, cute, and incredible¡­ How could I not fall for you from all the people we have ever met? I¡¯ve found others atractive before, but there is nobody like you¡­.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re the pir of my life, I don¡¯t think I can love anybody else.¡± ¡°T-The pir?¡± I asked nervously. ¡°Really?¡± Partner smiled sweetly back at me. ¡°Yes¡­ You are¡­¡± Ah¡­ She¡¯s such an adorable girl¡­ I don¡¯t know if I deserve her. I really don¡¯t know if I deserve anybody that is in love with me¡­ And even worse, I even broke the promise I gave to her back then because I ended kissing Emeraldine and Lucifer before her¡­ I feel so bad now¡­ I should really tell her, I don¡¯t want to save this, even if she hates me¡­ Even if it hurts, I have to tell her the truth. ¡°Partner I¡­ I broke our promise.¡± I sighed. ¡°Promise? What promise?¡± She wondered. ¡°That time you said¡­ You wanted to be my first¡­ I mean¡­ I¡­ I ended kissing Emeraldine and Lucifer before kissing you¡­¡± I said. I waited for the worst to happen, but the only thing I got was Partner wondering what was I even talking about. ¡°I know¡­¡± She said. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known for some time now, it is pretty easy to spy on you or what you¡¯re doing! Sigh¡­ I¡¯ve already know it long ago. I just have epted them as your lovers as well.¡± She said. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ It is not something hard, well, it was for me, but I¡¯ve gotten over it already. And to be honest, I don¡¯t really mind¡­ I am just happy that you love me. I know that you love them too, and I know that they¡¯re as important as I am¡­ I am fine with that. They¡¯re also my friends¡­ I kind of love them- not in a romantic way! But like family¡­¡± She said. ¡°Uwaaah! Partner, you¡¯re way too good! Be my bride! I¡¯ll marry you straight away!¡± I cried, as I began to hug her tightly. ¡ª¨C Chapter 267 Author¡¯s Note: This and the next 3 chapters are Yuri NSFW between Partner and Maria, if you want to skip feel free, you won¡¯t miss much in terms of story. This is just for the quirky. The story won¡¯t revolve around sex, so this is an unique event. ¡ª¨C I continued snuggling with Partner for a while. It seems that I am terrible at keeping things quiet because she was able to easily spy on me and realized I had kissed Emeraldine and Lucifer before her¡­ Thankfully, she was okay with it mostly because she was ustomed to them. She already loved them as family and seemed to be okay as long as THEY were the other ones getting kisses. I think she might get angry if I got picking other people around, but she should be calm, I am terrible at that. I don¡¯t think I am even good at socializing aside from pretending to be a sociable person. So there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll find more people to love, or be loved as easily as she fears I would¡­ She thinks I am that much of a Casanova or something? I can barely do anything of the sort, actually! So all of that is just false, and there is nothing she has to worry for. I am already grateful I got three eye candies to look at every day knowing they love me and that I love them back, that¡¯s all I really need to be honest. While we finished kissing for like the tenth time this day, Partner began to coquettishly gaze into my eyes, her hands began to slowly rub my shoulders and then all the way down to my arms and hips. Despite being a ghost, I am closer to a spirit thing now, and with Materialization always active, I can materialize myself like¡­ as if I was really a material being at this point, the Skill had leveled up quite a lot, so it was as if I had a fleshy body, I even have a weight in my materialized appearance, and my skin and more is all fleshy, squishy, and more. When I end getting cut in my materialized form, phantasmal essencees out like blood, but the wounds usually close automatically after a few seconds because I cannot really sustain permanent wounds as a ghost- Of course, my HP will go down unless I heal myself or wait for the passive recovery of HP that everybody has. Thanks to this, I am able to have a fleshy body, or an imitation of one¡­ It even has some dulled out senses, but if I use enough mana I can enhance my senses to almost the same physical senses that normal people have¡­ And well, my phantasmal stomach works as my belly, it doesn¡¯t get hungry, but when itspletely empty, I get the feeling of ¡°hm, I should fill it up with some food¡±, so I usually eat whenever it is empty, sometimes it only takes hours, and other times, whole days, but I eat rathermonly now, perhaps even more than before even though I really don¡¯t need to, it is all thanks to these curses. ¡°W-What are you doing now? Touching my body behind the other two?¡± I asked. ¡°Hehehe¡­ Well, both of them have already touched you a lot, haven¡¯t they? Isn¡¯t it my turn? Come on~ Just a little touchy~¡± She said, Partner¡¯s eyes shone brighter than red as she continued to touch me around, she was acting very lewd, but I can¡¯tin, this is certainly quite hot. She quickly moved closer and closer to me, and put her legs over my own, gently rubbing her feet against my own while she started kissing me lewdly. She started using her lips to suck my tongue and take it out, letting our tongues lick one another was even lewder! Ahh but it felt so delicious, it made my phantasmal ck heart beat strongly. ¡°Hmmm~ Hahh¡­ Master, you¡¯re so delicious~¡± She said. ¡°P-Partner¡­ I think that¡¯s enough for today¡­¡± I said while blushing. ¡°L-Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves, we still got a long way to go- Uwaaahh~!¡± Partner didn¡¯t waited for me, she suddenly began touching down there, gently rubbing her finger over my dress, and touching my¡­ my¡­ t-the lower lips. ¡°Ahhh~ W-Wait! Not there¡­¡± I said. I felt a bit scared, I¡¯ve never gone this far with anybody ever¡­ Even as my body was materialized from a ghost, that part was made incredibly well detailed for some odd reason¡­ I wonder if Hel has something to do with this! ¡°Hmm~ Fufu¡­ I am just touching a bit¡­ Does it feel nice?¡± She asked. ¡°I-It is itchy¡­¡± I said. ¡°I would love to taste it¡­¡± She said. ¡°You what?! Uwaah!¡± Partner suddenly got even bolder, as she moved the dress upwards and looked at my ck panties they were nicely decorated, and with butterflies, I liked pretty panties like these so¡­ ah, it made me feel embarrassed¡­ ¡°Uwah, such cute panties¡­¡± She said. ¡°D-Don¡¯t say that! S-Stop, Partner¡­ I-I don¡¯t think you should go this far¡­¡± I said. ¡°But don¡¯t you want to?¡± She asked while looking at me with puppy eyes. Oh man, you can¡¯t just give me that look! B-But isn¡¯t this an important step? I thought she wanted to take her time, but isn¡¯t doing this very big?! I am not a person that had any sexual life, so even as I am dead now, I value my virginity as a ghost! ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ Well¡­ I am a bit horny I think¡­ Materializing my body gives me a bit of a living being capabilities but that doesn¡¯t mean that- EEEK!¡± Partner suddenly began to touch my panties with her fingers, gently pressing down on them, she slowly started to stimte me, she¡¯s really awful! Why is she doing this to me?! Ah, because she¡¯s horny¡­ Right, Vampires are known to be quite passionate, aren¡¯t they? Wait! Wouldn¡¯t they have their sexual drive dulled as they are kind of not alive? Though¡­ it would be the same for me but that¡¯s not the case- UWAH! ¡°Fufu¡­¡± Partner began to slowly touch more, and then she lowered her head and licked her lips. ¡°Maybe I am not the first one to kiss you with your mouth, but maybe I can be the first to kiss these other lips, right~?¡± This girl is going to kill me, seriously. ¡ª¨C Chapter 268 ¡ª¨C I felt a bit scared; I have never had any experience with this stuff nor I was bold enough to force myself too much into other people to lewdly touch their most intimidate part like this! I-I yed with Emeraldine¡¯s nipples in the bath but that¡¯s another thingpletely different and¡­ Ah, I guess I deserve to be teased too, I am an awful teaser myself. But even then¡­! ¡°S-Stop¡­¡± I cried. ¡°D-Don¡¯t do it, I am¡­ I am a bit scared¡­¡± ¡°Eh? M-Master¡­¡± Partner stopped approaching my lower parts as she approached me and caressed my head. ¡°S-Sorry! I-I got a bit carried away¡­ Please don¡¯t get scared¡­¡± She said. ¡°I-I love you! I just wanted¡­ to make you feel good.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ B-But don¡¯t do that¡­¡± I cried. ¡°Not until I think I¡¯m ready¡­¡± ¡°M-Master¡­¡± Partner hugged me tightly and then she started kissing me slowly. ¡°I love you¡­ I am sorry¡­¡± She said. ¡°I just want to make you feel happy and good¡­ I-I won¡¯t do it if that¡¯s not what you want¡­¡± ¡°Sorry for being like this myself¡­ I¡­ I am not that experienced in this¡­ Stuff.¡± I said. ¡°I-I know, I thought you were bold enough to¡­ do it now¡­¡± She said. ¡°Ahhh¡­ B-But it¡¯s¡­¡± I muttered, as Partner touched my hand, I could see that she was trying very hard to please me and make me happy, I really appreciated it, but I also saw within her eyes a bit of disappointment and sadness¡­ Was she looking forward to giving me my ¡°first time¡± in something like this so much? Ah, don¡¯t get sad yourself! Sigh¡­ S-Should I just let her do it? W-Well¡­ A tiny bit, right? Not so long¡­ A-As long as she gets what she wants¡­ I guess¡­ Uggggh¡­ Okay. She began to kiss me for a bit, giving me little and tasty kisses with her soft lips for a bit, before stopping and resting over my chest. I began to caress her lovingly, as I sighed. ¡°Y-You can do it¡­ I am¡­ I settled my mind.¡± ¡°Eh? So soon?!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I want you to be happy as well¡­ I-It is a new experience, I know¡­ But¡­ all new experiences are like this¡­ You feel a bit doubtful at first¡­¡± I said. ¡°M-Master¡­ D-Don¡¯t worry¡­ I will make you feel so good you will only be happy.¡± She said. I don¡¯t know where she gained so much confidence from, but she certainly didn¡¯t wasted another second of her life, and quickly began to gently pull my panties down, revealing the treasure she was looking for. I noticed how her eyes widened in surprise, as she looked at my lower lips as if they were her next meal, even her mouth was open. I was so embarrassed I covered my face; I was feeling so hot all out of the sudden, and I only felt hotter at each passing second, even breathing, something I usually don¡¯t do, became heavier, and I started to feel dizzy. ¡°S-Such a beautiful sight~!¡± She said. ¡°Master, your materialized skin is so soft¡­ and white like porcin¡­¡± She wasted no time, after saying that, she quickly began to touch my legs with her hands and started to squish my thighs tightly¡­ It felt so tingling! ¡°W-Wait, I think you should got a bit slower- Uwawawawahhh!¡± Partner didn¡¯t go slowly, she stuck out her tongue and quickly began to lick the surface of my vagina shamelessly, and the stimtion made me go nuts! Uwah, what is this feeling?! S-So¡­ nice! ¡°Hahhhhhh~ Wa¡­ Wait¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Sluurp.¡± ¡°Ugya!¡± Partner started to lick a bit deeper, the tip of her tongue was surprisingly warm and slimy, getting deep into the tightly closed lips made me feel stimtions I haven¡¯t feel in a while¡­ In fact, now that I don¡¯t need to pee this vagina has no actual purpose. Why is it there anyways?! Uwahh¡­ Maybe it is there to make me feel good¡­ Perhaps unconsciously I wished to have it? Ugh¡­ ¡°Hmmm~ Ahhh~ I am the first one¡­ to lick it here, right? Right?¡± She said. ¡°Yesss¡­ Ooohh¡­ G-Go slowly¡­¡± I cried. ¡°No¡­¡± She said. ¡°Uwah!¡± Partner¡¯s tongue suddenly got all the way down, and it felt so slippery, hot, and tingly, it made me convulse, I felt like moaning loudly, but I covered my mouth and closed my eyes tightly, feeling the pleasure was like I was being attacked by something I couldn¡¯t even fight back against! J-Just what is this?! ¡°Hmmm~¡± Partner began to suck it up with her lips, and that¡¯s where Ipletely lost it, she started to stimte all of the area, and licked around the walls with her tongue as well, killing mepletely- she¡¯s so lethal with her tongue that¡¯s scary! How can she be so good with thissssssss¡­! ¡°Hahhh¡­ Aaahhh! P-Partner¡­ ahhh! I-I love you!¡± I cried. ¡°I love you too~¡± She said, sucking my vagina with even more intensity than before, the embracing and wet warmth made me go insane, until I suddenly felt as if I was peeing myself, but it wasn¡¯t pee, and it felt hot and slimy! T-This¡­ I am cumming?! ¡°Oooohhh~ I-I am cumming¡­! Ahhh¡­!¡± I couldn¡¯t contain myself anymore, as I felt the most blissful feeling I¡¯ve ever had since I came to this second life¡­ It felt like I was floating above the clouds, as I looked into the bright and clean sky while being bathed by the warm sunlight, it made me feel so light¡­ Partner ended licking all of that and even drank it, after cleaning mepletely, she pulled her mouth out and then kissed me for a while. ¡°Mooch¡­ Hahh¡­ Master I love you so much¡­¡± She said. ¡°I-I love you too¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°D-Did you had to drink that thing? And what was it anyways?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She said. ¡°You didn¡¯t?! I-I am certainly not a normal being! So I cannot possibly just produce juice like that, it was probably some other¡­ thing¡­ Maybe ghostly sma- Ugh. If I put it like that it¡¯s a bit disgusting¡­¡± ¡°It was actually very sweet, sweeter than blood itself¡­ I feel revitalized after drinking your nectar, Master~¡± ¡°Geez¡­.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 269 Author¡¯s Note: For whoever is reading these lewd chapters, I¡¯ve edited them, previous one is the chapter i mistakenly skipped, and this is the one thates after, which you might had already read, sorry for that. ¡ª¨C And that¡¯s how I had my first time¡­ I-I don¡¯t know if receiving oral sex counts as losing my virginity though¡­ But it felt like I lost it with her. I-I don¡¯t know what¡¯s next, but from my general knowledge of lesbian sex, the next step would be¡­ rubbing with one another¡­ I-I think, but I better not think about that for now, now horny anymore! Actually, after orgasming like that, I feel nothing horny at all, I am just¡­ relieved. It felt as if I let out a big weight out of my shoulders, like something I was carrying that was making me hesitate too much, but I decided to trust my beloved and she did it nicely¡­ A-A bit rough on the edges, but it was because she liked it a lot too, and I was happy that she enjoyed it as well¡­ Wait! Maybe I should¡­ do the same to her now? Wha¡­ That feels a bit¡­ forced, I don¡¯t know how to do it either¡­ S-Should I just slurp her? Like¡­ with the tongue like she did? Wait! Is she expecting that as well? Partner was resting at my side while closing her eyes, she seems to want to take a nap, I really don¡¯t want to disturb her, but now that I got this thought inside of my mind, I must¡­ I have to do something about it! A little something¡­ S-Should I? Wouldn¡¯t I be scaring her as well? But Partner seemed way bolder¡­ Ahh¡­ Now I am awakening the horny again, I wonder how her pussy tastes like- Uwah! Why am I even thinking such a gross thing?! I have really be a degenerate- no, I¡¯ve always have been one, I am just realizing it now. ¡°P-Partner¡­ Erm¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Huh? Yes?¡± She asked. ¡°Erm¡­ D-Do¡­ Do you want me to¡­?¡± I asked, as I looked down into her beautiful dress. ¡°Huh?¡± She asked, tilting her head, she didn¡¯t realized yet what I wanted. ¡°I-I want to give you pleasure as well¡­¡± I said. ¡°Pleasure- Ah! D-Do you mean¡­ Gulp¡­ That?! What I did to you?!¡± She asked. ¡°A-Are you willing? Don¡¯t feel forced to¡­¡± ¡°I-I am willing¡­¡± I said. ¡°O-Okay¡­ T-Then¡­ Y-You can go ahead¡­¡± She said. ¡°Give me a kiss first¡­¡± I said. I quickly moved forward, putting myself above Partner and kissing her quite passionately for a few seconds before I began moving my hands down her body¡­ It was soft as well, and she was the one in the submissive position now, which only brought some sort of excitement to me¡­ I slowly moved down and looked at her legs, I slightly raised them upwards, as she opened up to me, moving the dress over and then what greeted me was an incredibly sexy and erotic ck lingerie! W-What is this?! Semi-transparent ck stockings with rose decorations, rose-decorated semi-transparent panties, and all of that connected together with those hot ck belts¡­ oh my god, she¡¯s so lewd! ¡°Hahh¡­ T-This is kind of embarrassing¡­¡± She said. ¡°I-I think I have begun to understand you¡­¡± ¡°You do? Fufufu¡­¡± Partner seemed embarrassed, as she was blushing a lot, I couldn¡¯t help but smile maliciously as I saw her getting teased evilly by me. I slowly decided to grab these sexy panties and slowly pull them down, and there I saw a beautiful little pair of lips, vertically and tightly closed together, all for me to delight myself. After I got her panties out, I raised her legs a bit aggressively, perhaps paying her back for her own roughness, Partner seemed to be growing more and more excited, breathing heavily while she covered her mouth with her hands, her long red nails looked sexy as well when she looked at me like that while covering her face- Ah, is there any ce of her body that is not hot? Even her legs with those tight semi-transparent ck stockings, and her ck heels look so sexy! I am growing very kinky right now¡­ I should stop and concentrate into my main mission, giving her a nice oral. A-Alright, let¡¯s get this done with. I decided to move down my face right above her vagina, and I was able to take a small peek at her scent, it was fragrant, like flower soap. She keeps herself well clean¡­ But there was also a slight murkiness, she was also quite wet, giving a strong feminine scent and a bit of the scent of sweat mixed in, it was quite nice as well¡­ I couldn¡¯t wait to devour this, so I quickly took out my tongue and decided to lewdly give it a taste, licking the surface gently, and getting greeted by the moeaning of pleasure of my beloved bride. ¡°Aahhh~ M-Master! T-That¡¯s¡­ Ooh, your tongue is so warm¡­¡± She said. I continued licking her wet vagina mercilessly, the taste was so sweet and lewd, it had also a bit of citric vor to it, but it was so delicious¡­ Ah, this is my first time giving an oral to a girl, and I am already loving it, especially because ites with those wonderful moans. ¡°Oooh~!¡± ¡°Ahhh~!¡± ¡°Hahh¡­!¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­! Uwah¡­!¡± Yes¡­ my beloved, moan louder for mama! I continued sucking her off, until I began to kiss her pussy lewdly, sucking her interior and tasting all the sweet liquidsing from her, they were so juicy and delicious, I couldn¡¯t help but continue sucking them constantly, I wanted to clean her up really good! And her interior was so warm and calid, it made me feel weed, especially the steaming out of it, the rosy interior was getting warmer by the second. ¡°Ooohhh! T-This is a bit too much! Aahhh! Oooghh¡­! Aghh¡­ Hmm! Ngh¡­! I-I am¡­! Ah!¡± She couldn¡¯t contain herself anymore, quickly cumming right inside of my mouth. I suddenly felt a small wave of warm and sticky liquids filling my mouth, I couldn¡¯t help but lick them all and drink them, they were so delicious¡­ Oh, so this was how it felt¡­ I didn¡¯t even get any stimtion yet my panties were soaking wet already. ¡ª¨C Chapter 270 ¡ª¨C What had just happened between Partner and I was something¡­ Quite beautiful and even magical. It felt as if I was going through a dream this entire time, but it was all real. I still can feel the warmth she gave to me, and how good it felt to be embraced and loved intimately like that. I had never experienced such feelings before in my previous life, and I don¡¯t know if I ever did it in this second life when I was alive¡­ Because I don¡¯t remember anything from this second life, and deep down, I secretly wish to not remember, because it was most likely possible that such experiences and memories could negatively affect me. I guess it is not right to have such thoughts after having gone through something so nice and cute with the girl I love, but it was something that was lingering on my mind when I was rxing in bed with her. But there were many other thoughts that lingered within my mind as I thought about all these things, although I felt so happy, there was also some sort of feeling of guilty within me. Should I had done what I did with her? Should I had so easily embraced her love? Although I felt doubt, I wanted to make her happy because she genuinely makes my life happier as well. I wanted to see her happy, to feel my love as much as I feel hers¡­ but was that okay to do? Maybe I went too far ahead of myself¡­ Perhaps I abused her innocence to get away with my degeneracy? Is this what men call post nut rity? Hahhh¡­ I feel a bit bad now, what should I do? Should I tell her something about this? Maybe I have to apologize¡­ Even if she¡¯s happy now, she might realize the thing I¡¯ve done and associate it with something bad or something¡­ Or maybe I am being too insecure? Should I let these insecurities eat away my confidence as a person? Ugh¡­ Despite all the strength I have attained, despite how much I¡¯ve grown, I am still a human deep down, with all my ws. It is hard to take decisions. I was never a confident girl in my previous life, in fact, Icked a lot of self-confidence. After we did the deed, we ended both sleeping over the bed while covered in nkets, I had even formed a barrier made of darkness around the room so nobody came to bother us, but as I woke up, I began having all these weird thoughts. Sigh, I wish I could be less human, but this humanity deep within my soul hasn¡¯t gone away, and makes me doubtful, filled with ws, and afraid of the slightest of things, all while sometimes I just go insane and don¡¯t care about anything. I really do have big mood swings, don¡¯t I? Perhaps because of the curse of being a ghost¡­ After all, my status still says ¡°Cursed¡±. ¡°Mwuh¡­ Eh? Ah¡­ Master¡­ Did I fell asleep?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Yeah¡­ We did. It was good¡­ Did you feel good as well?¡± I wondered. ¡°Yep¡­ I liked it¡­ It feels like you really, really love me now¡­ Hehe, I feel fluffy feelings inside of my heart.¡± She said while giggling. ¡°You¡¯re so cute¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡­ I really do love you.¡± ¡°I love you too, fufu¡­¡± Partner said, as she kissed my lips tenderly. ¡°I¡­ I was thinking about stuff¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± She wondered. ¡°Tell me anything you have in mind; I will always be there to listen to you.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes¡­ Please, tell me anything you got in your mind!¡± She said happily. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡­ It just that¡­ A-Are you okay with what we did?¡± I wondered. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I just thought that maybe I got too perverted and I abused your goodwill¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Ah? T-That¡¯s not right¡­ I think I am the one guilty here¡­ I¡¯ve been feeling a bit bad as well, did I forced you into it, Master? If so, I am very sorry¡­¡± She said. ¡°Oh, no¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it, I actually loved it a lot¡­¡± I said. ¡°I am just concerned about how you felt.¡± ¡°It felt very good, don¡¯t worry!¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt such sensations ever before¡­ Feeling you licking there was¡­ Ahh~¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I know you have still yet to live as much as other shad done it, but I suppose you¡¯ve grown quite mature already¡­¡± ¡°Technically my skeleton is my age, right? I was one before¡­ So I think I could have a simr age to you!¡± Said Partner. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that should really matter, right?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Well, you were like my little girl back then but you grew up so fast¡­ So I was feeling guilty¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Ah! N-No, don¡¯t feel guilty! It¡¯s okay¡­ We are Undead anyways, aren¡¯t we like, ageless?¡± She wondered. ¡°True¡­¡± I said. ¡°I guess I can go with that logic to feel better with myself¡­ I suppose it is a delicate matter, but for now let¡¯s leave it at that, I suppose overlyplicating things will only lead to more unnecessary doubts, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, take it easy, not everything has to be so deep and profound, life is simpler than you think, just let it flow like a river.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Wow, you really say some very smart things sometimes!¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe your soul was a mass of phantom some months ago¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, I grew very fast thanks to your love and care.¡± She said. ¡°Ugh¡­ Now I feel guilty again¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Oh! S-Sorry, I didn¡¯t implied it as if I saw you as my mother or something, hahaha!¡± Giggled Partner. ¡°Yeah, that would be a bit weird, but I can be motherly with you if you want to.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°M-Motherly?!¡± She asked while blushing. ¡°Fufu, don¡¯t you want it?¡± I asked. ¡ª¨C Chapter 271 ¡ª¨C After we finished ying around over bed, we decided to take a warm bath and rx, we had to assess things out and think what to do now, we were quite tired but the ns for the future ahead were not dyed or something, it was just a few hours of fun. We bathed together like we had never done before, the warm water was veryfortable, and Partner was quite aggressive in how much she kissed me in the bathroom, she¡¯s really a passionate girl¡­ And I am honestly not that possessive, so I end up submitting to her passion quite easily. Maybe I like being in the receiving end. ¡°Mooch¡­ Hahh¡­ P-Partner, I think this is enough¡­¡± ¡°Master you¡¯re so precious¡­ Let me kiss you a bit more¡­¡± ¡°Uwaah¡­¡± At the end things escted into some more lewd things¡­ Partner ended ying with my entire body with her yful and devilish hands, and gave me a lot of pleasure. She was moving so dexterously that I began to doubt she used to be a pile of bones almost a year ago¡­ However, at longst, I was freed from her hands and we quickly decided to walk outside after this¡­ I was supposed to go eat lunch with everybody like half an hour ago. When I took out the barrier which I had tried to make invisible, and we walked outside, I was greeted with Emeraldine and Lucifer¡­ ring me down angrily. ¡°What were you two doing? It¡¯s already time for lunch!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you had a barrier set up, did something bad happen?¡± Wondered Lucifer. ¡°Erm¡­ Hahaha, nothing happened! I was just¡­ We were practicing some crazy magic around so we had to make a barrier.¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t wanted to destroy the manor.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Oh, alright. Did your magic developed further?¡± Wondered Lucifer. ¡°I can make threads now! I think I could also replicate phantasmal mes like the ones your breath attack can make.¡± I said with a smile. It seemed that Lucifer was captivated by such a smile, as he gave me a smile back. ¡°I see, you¡¯ve grown pretty good at magic. Turning magic into threads? I never thought such a thing could even be possible¡­ Also you seem to have learned the way to make phantom mes as well? That¡¯s also quite rare and intriguing, but quite honestly, I am more amazed at how pretty you look today.¡± ¡°E-Eh? What with the flirting?¡± I asked. ¡°W-Well, I-I thought that would make you feel happy¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer, as he grew embarrassed. ¡°Agh, I shouldn¡¯t try it.¡± ¡°Eh? Nooo! I loved it!¡± I said. ¡°You really mean it?¡± ¡°A-Ah, yeah¡­ You look pretty today.¡± He said with a charming smile. Uwaah! I just came out of being loved by Partner for hours and now this handsome dragon is calling me pretty?! I really feel like I am in some sort of dating sim game now out of nowhere. I think I might have the most amazing harem. ¡°Heeh~? Lucifer! You¡¯re getting bolder!¡± Laughed Partner. ¡°Don¡¯t mock me¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I-I just think it was the right thing to do¡­ A-Am I a bit out of touch? Should I say something more¡­ something that the people of nowadays say?¡± ¡°No, dear, I love it.¡± I said. ¡°I like your old styled way of speech. It is very charming.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ That¡¯s good then.¡± He said while crossing his arms and puffing his chest, it seems that whenever I praised my grumpy dragon, his ego grew a bit and he felt more dignified. ¡°Y-You¡¯re also looking very beautiful today, Maria-sama¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°But I guess praising your beauty just doesn¡¯t make the same effect now that somebody else said it, right?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re overthinking it, I am very happy to hear you said that.¡± I said. ¡°Well, I still have to be more original¡­ Oh! Your hair, it looks so silky¡­¡± She said. ¡°And your eyes today look like two beautiful jewels! And did I mention that dress looks gorgeous?¡± Emeraldine was trying quite hard to make me feel happy with myself, and it worked pretty well, I felt like I was floating in cloud nine with all her praises, to the point I started giggling like an idiot. ¡°Hehehe, okay, stop it already! Why do you praise me so much, I am not even that pretty¡­¡± I giggled. ¡°All three of you are way too pretty in fact¡­¡± Suddenly, Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner blushed a bit, as they seemed to grow a bit nervous and embarrassed. ¡°A-Anyways, let¡¯s go eat.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I agree¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Food¡­ I am starving¡­ I want some blood too.¡± Said Partner. And like that, we went to eat some lunch, we prepared some different food today, now that we got some conventional meat, we decided to grill some big and meaty steaks, and I also did mashed potatoes, and some sd, a change of pace from the usual stew, although it was very cold so the food would get cold quickly, we hurriedly began eating before that were to happen. ¡°This steak, what is it?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°This steak is from Ice Bisson, it is a species of cow-like monster but its pretty big and can survive in this cold temperature very easily.¡± I said. ¡°The meat has a lot of fat, and it is rich in calories.¡± ¡°H-Huh, I am already getting fat with having to eat so much to keep the warm¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Now I have to eat this fatty steak which is¡­ Hmm¡­ so good¡­¡± ¡°See? It is pretty good, you can¡¯t really escape it!¡± Iughed maliciously. ¡°Geez! You¡¯re really a viin when you want to, don¡¯t you, Maria-sama?¡± Cried Emeraldine. ¡°I am grateful that I don¡¯t get fatter, all the calories go into my tail.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t knew that!¡± I said. ¡°Well, Lizards, Dragons, and other species store calories in our tails, if they get fatter it means we are well feed and healthy.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Interesting¡­ I didn¡¯t knew that fact.¡± I said while rubbing my chin. Imagining Lucifer walking with a very thick tail now is something I want to see. ¡ª¨C Chapter 272 ¡ª¨C After having prepared things for around three days, we were ready for going out now. We had taken another trip to the town of Snowfall, where we resupplied with more food, ingredients, and materials for the Greenhouse, which should be ready in a week or a bit more. Leaving all these supplies to the town, we felt like it would be enough until we came back. Although that town is pretty far away and the food they have is also limited, so I cannot really just go there and buy constantly, and I am also running low on money, we have spent most of it already in supplies and materials, and the only choice I got is stealing money, which is not a good thing to do in an already very poor duchy such as Snowfall, I wouldn¡¯t really want to make these poor people lives even harder, so I won¡¯t steal. Therefore, in search for more money, adventure, and also some more clues about my past, we have already decided to go to the Duchy of Affnaria, where we¡¯ll met with the new Duchess, the niece of the previous Duke, who had been the one responsible for setting up my death by guillotine and ultimately died by my hands, this girl named Julia Memendin Albraun. I have forged a contract with her that I must fulfill, and therefore I must go back to her and see what I can do for her and the people in there, I know there are some shady business she¡¯s been tracking down, and I am pretty sure I am faster at finding crime as I am a ghost and can do all sorts of stuff that normal people can¡¯t. Especially getting through buildings and all of that. ¡°Are we ready then?¡± Asked Lucifer. He had gone back to his enormous dragon form, and he was going to give us a ride to the duchy of Affnaria, his speed of flight even surpasses my Shadow Transportation Skill, so he¡¯s ideal for transporting. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ve packed enough stuff.¡± I said, as I saved thest provision inside of my Inventory. ¡°Please, take care!¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Don¡¯t get into danger¡­¡± Said Bellerine. The two rabbit-kin had grown quite a lot since I first encountered them, Syllis had be a more responsible big brother to Bellerine, his little rabbit sister, and he had also begun to train into martial arts, using his swift body for fast movements. Meanwhile, he had also started practicing magic, although it seems that he hasn¡¯t reached that far, I¡¯ve discovered that beast-kin have special types of magic known as Beast Magic, that can enhance their physical abilities or even summon spirit beast familiars, although those capable of using it are probably very rare, everybody seems to have that hidden potential. Bellerine is small but she¡¯s also practicing with her brother, and she seems way more adept at magic than him. Syllis is slowly gaining more self-confidence, and is an innate leader of his tribe, while Bellerine is enjoying her childhood more now that she¡¯s out of that forest, with the rest of the children. ¡°Yeah, we are going to be okay, don¡¯t worry. You two should take care of the rest of the rabbit-kin, so I al leaving all that work up to you.¡± I said, Syllis and Bellerine nodded energetically. ¡°Take care, we¡¯ll keep the goblins organized.¡± Said the Goblin Elder, the old man with a long beard seemed to still have some more life yet before kicking the bucket, probably he just needed a healthier diet to regain his strength. ¡°Yes, rest assured. I will also protect the town with my Hobgoblins, we are training every day to hone our strength to be more useful.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t go¡­!¡± Cried Gofumin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dear, but I have to go. It is something important that I must do¡­ But you can take care of yourself, right? You¡¯re a big girl! The other day you were smacking that tree trunk with a sword, right?¡± I asked with a smile. Over this time Gofumin had been having a small growth spur and she had be slightly taller, enough for her to attempt to learn sword technique by smacking a tree with a tiny and light sword. ¡°I will be strong like mama and papa, and I will find mama one day!¡± Said Gofumin. ¡°¡­I see. I will watch over you then. And it¡¯s not like I am leaving, a part of me is always protecting all of you. I am leaving the goblins to you guys too, I know I can trust you.¡± I said, as the phantom snakes flew around me. ¡°For sure, if anything happens we¡¯ll talk to you through the snakes as well.¡± Said the Goblin Chief. ¡°Hm! That¡¯s the spirit.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Hey! Why are you not letting us go with you?!¡± Asked Catarina, reaching up to me angrily. ¡°Eeh? But you¡¯re strong! You have to keep in here so you can protect the people, Catarina¡­ Remember that you said you would do anything for me?¡± I asked while crossing my arms. ¡°I-I never said that¡­¡± Said Catarina while averting her gaze. I smiled teasingly as I provoked her to blush for a bit. ¡°You sure did~ Now, don¡¯t be so stubborn and protect this people that you¡¯ve grown so close to.¡± I said. The grumpy Vampire girl had gone through a lot when she was alive, and although she died quit gruesomely, she had changed into a new leaf now that she was given the opportunity to be free, even though she¡¯s technically dead now. ¡°Okay¡­ Sure. Whatever¡­¡± She said, walking away angrily, she seemed to not want to look at my face anymore. ¡°We¡¯ll miss you!¡± ¡°Please summon us whenever you need some fire!¡± Silvio and Francesco, the two former Vampires subordinates of Catarina who had be fire ghosts seemed to be about to cry tears of mes as we departed. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry, if we ever need more backup, I¡¯ll summon you guys with Catarina.¡± I said while petting their heads. ¡ª¨C Chapter 273 ¡ª¨C I have the Summon Skill, with it, I can summon any ally, either raised undead or someone ¡°below¡± my protection to my side, it pretty much allows them to be teleported to my side even if they are in the other side of the world, of course, I cannot unsummon them and throw them back or something, so if I ever summon them to my side, they¡¯ll have to go back on their own or just stick with me, so unless I am in a big pickle where I really need support, I won¡¯t summon them, as I want the ghosts and Catarina to protect our town from anything dangerous that might happen. ¡°So you¡¯re going out, huh? We¡¯ll get you done the greenhouse before youe back.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Yeah, go ahead, we¡¯ll get it done by then.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°We¡¯ll make some more houses after we get that done, probably we¡¯ll build some more security.¡± Said Badur. ¡°I had been thinking on repairing the walls and making a new door for them.¡± ¡°What? Isn¡¯t that a lot of work though?¡± I asked. ¡°Well you got the personnel for it, look at all these skeleton and zombies walking around, I am sure they can help us out.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°So go ahead, missy, we¡¯ll get it done when youe back.¡± Said Badur. ¡°To think that the only thing you twozy twins needed to get moving was some booze¡­ Well, good thing I went to buy again to replenish the reserves¡­ Thought its taking a big hit into my finances, you two cost a lot to maintain!¡± I sighed. ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡± The two dwarves began tough without answering anything else, and Darfu gave me an apologetic smile. These two guys are really quite something¡­ But they¡¯repetent, so I cannot really say they don¡¯t deserve their booze. ¡°Now that we are done we should get going¡­ Before it¡¯s toote.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right¡­ But toote for what?¡± I wondered. ¡°Mister Dragon!¡± ¡°Papa dragon!¡± ¡°Dragoooon!¡± ¡°Lizard!¡± ¡°Big lizard!¡± ¡°Agh¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer, covering his face in embarrassment, as a dozen of children ran to his side and began ying around his giant body, climbing his tail and arms, as they seemed to be sad that he was going away. ¡°Oooh! So it was the kids you didn¡¯t wanted to see¡­ Hey, isn¡¯t that super cruel? Have a heart and tell them that you¡¯reing back soon!¡± I said angrily. ¡°I-It¡¯s¡­ Okay¡­¡± He sighed. Lucifer looked at the children as he seemed to act gentle andpassionate. ¡°Children, I am going out now, for an important mission, so please don¡¯t climb on me¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Luci, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡­ I am going to a far away kingdom to defeat some evil guys, so you all better behave while I am not here!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Okaaay!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll miss you!¡± ¡°BUAAAAH! Don¡¯t go!¡± Some children were okay with it, while a few began to cry out loud, Lucifer had to pet them all gently with his giant dragon ws and his tail, until they calmed down when we offered them some caramel-covered fruits. ¡°You would make a good dad, don¡¯t you?¡± Iughed while sitting on hisp. ¡°D-Don¡¯t joke with something like that!¡± He said while seemingly embarrassed, but it was hard to tell when he was a giant dragon. Lucifer quickly spread out his wings as he began to p them rapidly, quickly carrying us over the skies as we started to fly across the clouds. The town became smaller and smaller from the skies, as I noticed the floating ind we saw some time ago, it was still in almost the same position as before, I think. ¡°That ind is still there, isn¡¯t it?¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yep, it seems that it doesn¡¯t even move from there, what¡¯s up with that ce?¡± I wondered. ¡°Oh, I never saw that thing! Floating Ind? Is that how it¡¯s called? It¡¯s just a big chunk ofnd floating in the sky¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Precisely dear, that¡¯s what it is.¡± I said. ¡°Floating Ind¡­ They¡¯re a rare urrence, but it is said that in other continents they¡¯re moremon, perhaps in the continent of Niflheim, where we elves originate from.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Oho? So they¡¯re from that continent then? Do you know their origin?¡± I wondered. ¡°My mother used to tell me tales about floating inds before bed¡­¡± Said Emeraldine, as she seemed to smile tenderly by recalling those memories. ¡°She said that this world was once dominated by titans, enormous people that walked amongst thend and said to be the parents of the giants. Their very steps ttened thend and made the world tremble¡­ In those times, they sky and the earth were unstable, and as they marched across the world, they kicked mountains that got in their way, these mountains instead of falling began to float instead, bing floating inds¡­ In the past the world was filled with them, but after the titans were defeated by the gods, the floating inds were destroyed in such a war, and now they¡¯re very rare.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That was more than just a simple tale, isn¡¯t it?¡± I wondered. ¡°Well yes, it is part of the religion of the Elves, a small tale told to the children about the past. Religion always tries to exin the existence of things after all.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°My mother told me that tale when we saw a floating ind once, it was different than this one, it was a floating ind covered on ice, with a big mountain on top¡­ I still recall it quite clearly, every time that ind passed across the skies, it would snow and get very cold. Some said that it was the pce of the Goddess of Snow, Skadi. And that she brought Winter by traveling across the world and spreading the unforgiving coldness of ice and snow¡­ I think they were partially right, after we saw that ind, it began to snow for months until winter ended.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 274 Chapter ?274 A Tale Of Floating Inds 2 ----- The Floating Ind of Skadi was an interesting tale, it seems that the Elves hade out with all sorts of stories to exin things, although that ind¡­ Was that actually real? I wonder if Emeraldine thought she saw something or if she really saw it, but I don''t want to insult her by telling her that I don''t believe her or something, so I will just believe her words and imagine that it would be a pretty incredible ce. I wonder if Gods would actually wander around the world leisurely¡­ I know that Hel is confined in Helheim, but what about the other Gods? How much freedom do they have to walk on thend? If they really got the freedom to walk on thend as they please, why they don''t do it moremonly? Perhaps their very strength could crush thend or destroy it? Or perhaps there is another truth behind it? Well, ording to her lore, the titans used to roam the world and they destroyed it by merely walking, maybe they got tired after fighting them. Or whatever was the case, there no point in overthinking things I couldn''t find a solution for. "Well, the cold here is certainly not because of a floating ind with snow on it!" Said Partner. "I think the Frost Queen could have something to do, isn''t it? How is that ghost that you said was killed by her?" Partner spoke about something and quickly reminded me of that story. "Oh! Veredorr! Yeah, he''s with me, alongside Kuro, Raven, and even Pyro, I brought them all with me¡­ Veredorr is still mostly sleeping for now, but sometimes he wakes up." I said. "I don''t want to bother him, as he''s going through some sort of metamorphosis with his phantom body, he''s slowly turning into some sort of new ghost type monster." "I-I see¡­ Well, I guess we can bother him all we wantedter when he wakes up." Said Partner. "Will he be an ice ghost?" Wondered Emeraldine. "That''s my idea, but I don''t really know¡­" I said. "But assuming how the me ghost came to be, it could be a possibility. An ice ghost or maybe a snow ghost or something¡­" "But why is he taking so longpared to the me ghost?" Asked Emeraldine. "It is mostly due to the mental damage he got, it is taking him a long time to reform himself into a being that can interact with the world and everything else, it is a hard task to do for him so we have to help him out as much as possible¡­ by letting him sleep! How easy, isn''t it?" Iughed. "I think that''s way too easy!" Said Partner. "I guess everybody can recover in different ways¡­" Sighed Emeraldine. "Perhaps it hurt him deeply that his friend died as well, and that his friend''s sister ended going insane with that crown, killing him at the end¡­ And that''s without saying for how long he could had been frozen." "Hm, well, if you''re going to talk about that Frost Queen, I really going to say that she really is suspicious. Who else with crazy ice powers is there? I believe she could have something to do with the people of the Demon Kingdom getting frozen." Said Lucifer. "I also think that too to be honest¡­ And it still confusing in many things, the people of Snowfall was fine and they were not attacked, and the Kingdom was also okay, so howe she hasn''t attacked them if she''s so wicked? It really doesn''t make any sense, isn''t it?" I wondered. "So howe she did this to the demons but not to anybody else? What could have the demons done that they provoked her fury?" "¡­" Lucifer fell in silence, thinking about a reason, but because we were not here in those times, he couldn''t reallye out with any answer. He felt a bit embarrassed with himself, I could clearly tell, for saying such a thing without thinking it twice. But that''s how things are. "Could the Frost Queen have appeared in the past?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Or¡­ Lucifer, do you remember any of the people we saw frozen?" "¡­I don''t. They were all new faces, it seems they were thest descendants of the Majin that survived and were inhabiting this ce, although the castle seemed abandoned and there was no person frozen inside, so perhaps they were just a mid-scale vige living inside the ruins." He said. "Nheless, I would say they were frozen a few years ago, but not longer than ten years." "I see¡­ I wonder if it could match with the time of the dhampir''s narrative¡­ We''ll have to investigate when he wakes up." I said. "In fact, he''s getting a lot of questions when he wakes up, I hope he can answer them all as best as possible." As we moved across the skies, Lucifer elerated his pace and we began to cross the skies at an even faster speed, in a few hours we would reach Affnaria, as he knew the route already and he was confident in reaching the ce in time. ----- The new duchess of the Affnaria Duchy was sighing in exhaustion, looking down at several papers in front of her, she had been working extensively to process all sorts of transactions that her duchy had been doing with many other merchants, it has been a tiring day for her, but she knew that this was what she had to do for the better of her duchy and of her people, she was very tired, but this was the right thing at the end of the day, or so she believed relentlessly, and continued to believe as she moved forward into her hard work. She had been staying in this office for three days in a row, with barely any bathroom and snack break, and without sleeping at all while sustaining herself with Energy Potions, that could keep people awake for days but would exhaust them tremendously. "Ugh, Maria¡­ When are youing back?" ----- Chapter 275 ¡ª¨C Within the streets of the Affnaria Duchy at night a shady group of people wandered, covered in ck robes while carrying a bag with certain illegal products, drugs. Since the death of the Duke An that the entire Duchy had begun to fall apart, and without a proper leader, people began to be restless, business started to fall one after the other, and the entire ce became filled with delinquents, bing a nest for illegal activities of all types. Although Duke An had done something unforgivable to Maria and was killed by her for it, he had been a good Duke, he protected his duchy and was working hard to make it flourish. In the past this ce used to be even worse, but he ended driving off a lot of the bandits and thieves living here, while allying another factions to keep the ce in order, he had to nasty his hands and create connections with the worst of the worst, even including Vampires themselves, all so his Duchy could keep itself afloat and thrive. However, he protected the people and kept them happy, he made business flourish for the most part, and although his Duchy had be a ce where illegal items were produced by a dark organization led by Vampires, the rest of the ce had be a decent town and it would continue to be better as he continued selling the products and gaining a part of the earnings, all while also making connections with many other merchants and duchies. He had not been in fault of the entire problem that happened to Maria¡¯s life, and he had simply been given orders to capture and execute her when she had arrived at his duchy, he barely knew anything about her but decided to use her as a way for people to harbor their hate into and kill her off. This was a strategy that was always used by rulers and religious people, making someone the me of every sin or evil in the world and make the people harbor their hate to them, often it was the leader of a group of people which they intensively hated, making the poption target their hate and the me of everything to this group of people instead than the own government that was behind everything at the end. An managed to put Maria in fault for things that had been happening, saying that she had cursed the entire duchy because she was called a witch by the Kingdom that wanted her dead now that they had taken away the treasure of her family, and decided to kill her off in front of everybody so they would be pleased. The happiness of his people was important so they would have the energy to keep striving and living in the poor conditions thatmoners -his major source of ie- lived through. But when he got killed off by the ghost of the very woman he framed and guillotined, the duchy was left barebones and everybody panicked, a lot of the poption started moving out, even other nobles decided to move to a better duchy, leaving the duchy with only poormoners and barely any business to maintain the economy¡­ And in a whim, while Julia learned about the death of the uncle she hated, who was the one that bullied her mother the most when she was younger, she ended being given the title of duchess. This was obviously a set up as well, the family of nobles were all wicked, killing one another through schemes and false usations wasmonce, and that didn¡¯t changed in the vast royal family, whose children of the King were plenty. Each child had a duchy for themselves, and most of them had a descendant, except the Duke An who was a lonely man and never found a woman capable of loving him, and it wasn¡¯t as if he had not gotten arranged marriages, but he ignored these concubines and decided to live by himself, he always believed that a woman would only steal his money. Julia was given the title of Duchess before even reaching 18 years of age because she was the mostpetent amongst the ¡°favorite¡± grandchildren of the King. Because her mother was the daughter of the King and had a good rtionship with him, her daughter was obviously favored. However, the King usually gives an order and leaves the rest to do everything else, he doesn¡¯t even n things, leaving all the details to others, making Julia¡¯s uncles and the children of her uncles to scheme against her, putting her into the poorest and most terrible duchy there was, Affnaria, all while scheming to fill her duchy with all sorts of illegal activities and even those with connections with the vampires didn¡¯t waited to tell them to go storm the ce and use it however they pleased. Their ultimate goal was to stress her out,make her live hell, and then kill her off after a few years when the King could have forgotten about her. Without such a talented girl in the royal family anymore, the other grandchildren of the king had greater opportunities to be dukes themselves, or even princes and princesses, which then would have the chance to ascend to a King whenever this old man were to kick the bucket¡­ ¡°Please¡­ I need it¡­ The ck pills¡­ D-Do you got some more?! Whenever I take them, I feel so strong, I feel like I am somebody¡­!¡± A man on his twenties,pletely ruined and wearing tattered clothes approached one of the figures wearing ck robes, carrying on his hand a few copper coins and a silver coin, and giving them to the ck robbed man that extended the palm of his hand. ¡°Here, make sure to go crazy¡­ Kukuku¡­¡± The ck robbed man gave a pitch-ck pill to the young man on the streets, who quickly devoured the pill and swallowed it. ¡°Ahh¡­ S-Sweet release¡­ Hahahaha! AAAAHAHAHA!¡± ¡ª¨C This chapter is a preview, if you want to see a faster and more up-to-date chapter, please visit for more content. Chapter 276 ¡ª¨C We reached the outskirt forest of the Affnaria Duchy, where my entire journey began, I nced around my surroundings finding that there was nobody around, and we quickly descended into the ground as the night came. There were nobody around, I believe, so it was fine for us to move to the ground. BOOM! The enormous body of Lucifer hit the ground, as he sat down and let us jump down into the floor. I watched at the beautiful starry sky, and the surroundings were all calm, my own aura probably scared any sort of wild beast, but it is bad if I scare everybody, so I tried to suppress my presence. ¡°And here we are! Where everything started.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Wow, it has been a while¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°I wasn¡¯t here at the beginning of your journey, so I feel a bit bad¡­ I guess Ick that feeling of nostalgia.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°It is fine, you¡¯re still part of the main team.¡± I said. ¡°Hm, this ursed town where we killed that devil in the form of a human¡­ I suppose it is being taken care by a girl that actually cares about doing what¡¯s right now, so it is not so bad.¡± Said Lucifer. I think Lucifer was talking about the duke we killed back then, oh yeah, that one guy I really hated him, I am still hating him even after killing him, I guess that¡¯s part of being a resentful ghostdy. We began to walk across the forest while leisurely chatting, until we reached the entrance to the duchy, my appearance had been changed since I evolved, so I didn¡¯t looked at all like I was once shown to look like after bing a ghost, I doubt anybody would recognize me, to be honest. I had alreadye here after my evolution too, and nobody recognized me, the girl, Julia, didn¡¯t recognized me either, so it was all fine and dandy for me to do as I please and enter it. I still had my adventurer card which I was going to use to pass through, Partner, Lucifer, and Emeraldine got their own cards as well, so it is all okay. When we reached the doors, there were five guards guarding it, all of them seemed to be young men on their mid-twenties with strong bodies and physiques, their Levels were around twenty and thirty, so they were rather experienced and had in arge quantity of monsters. Humans don¡¯t seem to be able to evolve as other races and have a set amount of level cap they have, it is said that they can surpass it through special methods when they reach it, but it is usually set at Level 100, some untalented ones could have a cap of 50, and those that have no talent would be between 20 or 30. Although these young men had been ying beasts for a long time and had yet to reach their cap level, most of them were between cap of 80 to 100, a talented one had a cap of 120, so he had yet to reach his full potential. Based on blessings, they can be given greater level caps and enhance their power further through leveling up. And even if they reach level cap, they can still develop and learn skills, and level them up or even awaken them if they reach a certain level ofprehension and mastery over it. Nheless, there is an easier way to tell a person¡¯s strength without calcting stats, danger level. Even humans got one in their status, and these guys were all D- or D+, nothing to be afraid of, but actually quite strong, the normal soldier is barely E or F+. ¡°Hey there, you¡¯re here veryte in the night, do you want to enter the duchy?¡± Wondered one of the soldiers, the friendly one that they probably send to talk with shady people. ¡°Yep, can we get in?¡± I wondered. ¡°I swear we are nice people.¡± I said with a smile while nodding. ¡°I think that only makes us more suspicious¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Maria-sama, I think your ability to socialize had be even worse.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°S-Sure, you all look like¡­ quite the party, you¡¯re wearing expensive-looking clothes, aren¡¯t you? Are you nobles? Why are you not in a carriage? Or are you adventurers?¡± ¡°We are! Here is my card.¡± I said. I showed the soldier my card as he inspected it with his eyes. He looked at it and then covered it on magic, until a sudden magic circle on it glowed brightly. ¡°Ah, it is authentic, alright, miss Maria, you can pass¡­¡± Said the soldier. ¡°Though going out into the wild at this hour¡­ And you¡¯re still F Rank?¡± He wondered. ¡°Yeah! W-What¡¯s wrong with that?!¡± I asked nervously while crossing my arms. ¡°I-I am apetent adventurer! I help the people! asionally¡­ I am also a dark witch so don¡¯t mess with me.¡± I smiled at the man mischievously, but heughed off, he didn¡¯t understand I was strong and immediately assumed I was a weak person based in my adventurer rank. ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re a cutedy, you can pass.¡± He said. He quickly checked on everybody else and nodded. ¡°All of you are authentic I guess, F-Rank Adventurers traveling such long distances by yourselves though? From where did you came from?¡± He wondered. ¡°I was blessed by the goddess of death, so we were guided by fate toe here without facing many difficulties.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°T-The goddess of death? Now that¡¯s new¡­ I guess you¡¯re lying.¡± Heughed. ¡°Don¡¯t say such jokes in front of a priest, missy, or you¡¯re going to get scolded!¡± ¡°I am not joking! Uurrggh! Want me to show you something good?! Hahaha!¡± Iughed maliciously, he had almost made me st his head off with a Darkness Sphere, but Lucifer and Partner grabbed me by the arms and carried me inside the town, while Emeraldine put herself in front of me while apologizing to the soldiers¡­ ¡°Ugh! Unhand me! I will give him a lesson!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure¡­¡± ¡°Calm down¡­¡± ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t make a scene¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 277 ¡ª¨C ¡­At the end, I was unable to show off, but that¡¯s fine. I think I ended going a bit angry there. As I said, I got crazy mood swings sometimes, I have to calm myself and control them properly before I end up killing people that don¡¯t deserve it, being mocked, or doubted is natural if I am trying to make up a cover after all, I have to ept it and move on with something else, I cannot just stay there thinking about how he offended me and¡­ Urgh! I am going to kill him when- No, I have to calm down. Okay, let¡¯s breathe and count to ten, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, nine, ten. Done¡­ Wait, I think I missed the eight. Well, whatever, I feel much better now. ¡°Maria, you have to calm down sometimes, don¡¯t let your anger consume you!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re way too crazy sometimes.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re also insane!¡± I said angrily. ¡°Master, look, a tavern! Let¡¯s go eat yummy food together.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Ooohh! Alright!¡± I said. ¡°See? You can calm her down like that.¡± Said Partner. ¡°I feel like your roles suddenly reversed.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Oh so I am not the only one.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I can hear you!¡± I screamed. We made our way into the tavern where we were greeted by a bunch of Adventurers, Mercenaries, and ugly people, there were some pretty people in some groups, mostly the youthful adventurers, the other old people were all ugly guys with stereotypical ugly faces. But being ugly doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a bad person. I used to be ugly in my previous life and I considered myself a good person! I didn¡¯t hurt anybody, I didn¡¯t went around trying to harm people or something either, I was living on my own with my family. We walked inside the tavern as I ignored the people, and we sat down around a small table, a girl came to serve us and we asked for whatever was today¡¯s special, ending up giving us a very nice portion of roasted chicken breasts, with chicken broth, two boiled potatoes, a piece of bread, a slice of cheese, and a pretty okay mug of wine. It was the food of champs, and it was pretty simple food, but it has been a while since I ate chicken meat! It is so expensive in the snownds, but in here it seems to be cheap, this entire te cost only around 20 copers and you can refill the mug with wine for a coper coin too. ¡°Oh wow, this chicken is very simple but I really missed the taste! Bird meat is really not that simr¡­ The Snowbird we caught were so rough, and the broth wasn¡¯t that good either.¡± Sighed Emeraldine ¡°I agree, it wasn¡¯t the best thing we could had eaten back then, but it was still decent! Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Iughed. ¡°I guess it was okay but this chicken is in another level!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Oh! I wonder if there are eggs?¡± ¡°We should buy some.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°With eggs we could make pastries, pancakes, cake, and so on¡­¡± ¡°Oh right! I guess you miss my pancakes?¡± Iughed. ¡°We only ate them like once or thrice but I do miss them¡­ I like your cooked food.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Aw! You like mommy¡¯s food? Fufu¡­¡± I giggled motherly. ¡°I-I am not your child!¡± Cried Lucifer, while blushing a bit, my mother y seemed to have embarrassed him, maybe it awakened something on him too. ¡°The potatoes are filling, coupled with the slice of cheese and the bread piece too, and the wine helps get it all down. It is quite sweetpared to others that are higher quality in the Snowfall duchy¡­¡± Analyzed Emeraldine. ¡°I like the wine, it is sweeter, I like sweet things.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Though, do they sell desserts?¡± Partner seemed curious as if they sold any sweets here to eat after the savory stuff. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hey girl!¡± I said, calling the girl, she was a cute country girl with brown haired braids and cute emerald eyes, she was around herte teens I believe, and many of the men here constantly eyed her and asked for her attention while flirting with her, but she seemed used to their y. ¡°Yes, missy? Want a wine refill?¡± She asked cutely. ¡°No, dear, for now not. I was wondering if you got any sweets for my sweet-toothed girl over here.¡± I said, pointing at Partner. ¡°Hm, we got apple pie! Want a slice? It is six copers for one, it is quite expensivepared to a te of food because apples are more expensive, but they still sell quick, we got around threest slices.¡± Said the girl. ¡°I want all three then!¡± I said happily. ¡°O-Okay! I¡¯ll bring it here.¡± She said, as she took my coper coins and went back to the kitchen, after two minutes, she came back with a te with three slices of apple pie, they were quite big in size, and looked so nice, I was missing pastries like these that are so rare in Snowfall! Partner quickly began to dig in, but then we were left in a problem, there were only two slices and there were three of us left¡­ We either sacrifice one of us for the others, or do some weird slicing thing to share. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t eat, you guys can eat.¡± I said. ¡°Eh? We wouldn¡¯t¡­!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°B-But Lady Maria¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take little chunks from both of you with my spoon, hehe.¡± I giggled. We ended enjoying the food rather thoroughly, and the girl then told me that they sold eggs in the other side of the town where she also buys the chicken meat, so we went there but it was closed due to being sote. I resisted the urge of entering and stealing eggs, and decided to move to an inn, tomorrow we¡¯ll go met Julia in her castle I guess, there¡¯s no hurry. ¡ª¨C Chapter 278 The Mysterious Drug ¡ª¨C ¡°More¡­ More¡­¡± ¡°Uuggh¡­ It hurts¡­¡± ¡°Give me more¡­¡± The voices of people in seemingly agony resonated across the dark streets of the Duchy of Affnaria, as the people were already inside their homes at night, their groans of pain and insanity could only be heard by the rats wandering in the streets, or by the small children, who would have nightmares about them. These people used to be mercenaries, or even adventurers, normal citizens, farmers, or other things, normal people that were stressed by the harsh daily lives of this ruined Duchy after the death of the Duke, even with the new young duchess working hard to lift up the economy andbat crime, people¡¯s moods were down the ground.. Due to this, many of them were tempted to ¡°feel good for a small price¡± some would just go to brothels and have fun with prostitutes, others would try to eat tasty food, but others would go even more extreme, when sex nor food could satisfy them and they felt like dying by how miserably they felt¡­ they would then take another option. People began to appear in the streets of Affnaria some months ago, people wearing ck robes with eerie voices. Some of their eyes sometimes shone red, and they only showed up in the night. They were often pale skinned, and smiled rather devilishly, but to those people already drowned in alcohol, it didn¡¯t mattered. ¡°Hye, do you want something to feel better, this is a drug that only the nobles are taking, they say it helps them feel good¡­ Want a taste? Free of charge.¡± They began offering strange, ck-colored pills or even small little sks with a ck substance inside. The people doubted them at first, but those that were already lost began to take them. They were bitter but with some alcohol, anything went down¡­ After a few seconds, unexinable ectasis hit them, they saw hallucinations of things they wanted, sometimes they were good things, and others were bad things, but this addictive feeling continued lingering within their minds, and after they healed the next morning, they would feel the undying crave for more. Over time, as they consumed more of them, they began to ask for money, the providers were then given all what their clients had and smiled maliciously as they saw them happy. Of course, the more they consumed this strange drug, the more they wanted it. It was an undying desire for more, it could even be said to be quite greedy¡­ and they developed malicious desires, they stole from people to get more money, and assaulted people at night when they lost their reason. The guards of the duchy were capturing these people every night, and it was bing problematic as the cells of he dungeon were getting filled with people drugged, the Duchess was being overwhelmed by all the work, and didn¡¯t knew what to do. These people were being drugged and made addict over a magical drug that made these people go insane¡­ She had yet to even catch the people selling these products, but she was slowly figuring things out. However, the pressure of more people showing up every night was still there, and she was forced to free those that were showing signs to be at least healthy, as they were citizens and not really guilty of anything. She had interrogated some of them, but had barely gotten any responses from them, they seemed to be showing schizophrenia and even losing memories in fragments. But from what she gathered, people said they were pale, had red eyes, and seemed to only show up at night¡­ Some were described to have seductive voices and long, ck nails¡­ Julia didn¡¯t knew what sort of people these could be, as she had no idea about the differences between races as a young girl that had barely studied the most basic information about the races of Midgard. But she was slowly tying things together on her own¡­ Her soldiers were strong and they were dedicated to her and the duchy, but would that be enough to protect her and also the people of the duchy? ¡°More¡­!¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± ¡°Unngh¡­¡± ¡ª¨C After eating in the tavern and filling our bellies, we decided to walk to an Inn, where we decided to stay the night in there. In our way there, we saw some drunk people on the streets, it was surprising to see that there were also women and not only ugly men, but these girls looked like¡­ Well, they looked like prostitutes, their clothes, the way they were dressed, and the way they were addressing the other drunks¡­ Wow, this duchy had gone to the worst. I really wouldn¡¯t care for it if it wasn¡¯t for Julia though. I am partially in fault for how things ended here now¡­ However, I didn¡¯t really cared beforeing here again and then meeting Julia when I was just trying to save some ves. She enlightened me and gave me hopes for a brighter future for this rotten society, this girl was really sweet and brilliant, and I really wanted to see how far she could go as a Duchess¡­ And because of the good things she did for me, I feel indebted for her, and I began to once more care for this duchy¡­ ¡°Look, there¡¯s a lot of homeless people¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Can¡¯t they afford an Inn?¡± ¡°They spent all their money into alcohol, most likely.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°These people are lost.¡± ¡°Ugh, so stinky¡­¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°More¡­! Give me more!¡± Suddenly, as we passed near a alleyway, an old man with a bald head and eyes that werepletely white jumped towards Emeraldine, grabbing her from the stomach. ¡°Give me more! G-Give me your money!¡± He roared, taking out a knife and pointing it at her. ¡°Eeeh?! G-Get off me!¡± Roared Emeraldine. Before I could smack the old man into the ground, Emeraldine gave him a kick in the chin and knocked him out in an instant. BOOM! ¡°G-Gahh¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 279 Several Negative Status Effects ¡ª¨C Emeraldine easily dealt with a drunk old man in the streets that came with a knife asking her for money out of nowhere, was that a thief? Well, he got beaten down easily! Right, she might be a magician but her Strength stat still increases over time while leveling¡­ Huh, she¡¯s strong enough to not get assaulted by people in the streets at least, and if that doesn¡¯t work, she can vaporize them with a light beam. ¡°Uuugh¡­ Gahhh¡­!¡± The old man slowly tried to stand up, his eyes looked so white it was a bit frightening, what¡¯s up with him? I checked his status and suddenly found something weird. ¡ª¨C [Name: [Alfredo Rockbelt Handfree] [Status: [Exhausted], [Drugged], [Hallucinating], [Confused], [Memory Loss] [Race: [Human] [Job: [Mercenary]. [Level: [6/50] [Rank: [H] [HP: [39/55] [MP: [11/20] [Attack: [29] [Defense: [16] [Magic: [10] [Agility: [33] ¡ª¨C Wait, what? What with those Status? [Exhausted], [Drugged], [Hallucinating], [Confused], AND [Memory Loss]?! Howe he can be inflicted with so many at the same time, is this what drinking alcohol makes people when they get drunk? No, wait, he doesn¡¯t have the [Drunk] Status either¡­ What¡¯s even going on in here? He¡¯s certainly not drunk then¡­ What¡¯s¡­ with his Drugged status? Did he consume drugs? I looked at the man rather worriedly, but Emeraldine was going to kick him again, but I stopped her, she looked at me with surprise, thinking I was going to just let her smack him again. ¡°W-Wait! Wait, Emeraldine, this guy is drugged¡­ Let me inspect him a bit more¡­¡± ¡°Eh? What? O-Okay¡­¡± She said. I looked at the man rather concerned, it was true, he was indeed drugged and looked quite terrible right now, he looked as if he was going through some extreme pain for some reason¡­ Ah, well, my Emeraldine hit him quite hard. I looked into his status and found what Drugged was¡­ ¡ª¨C [Drugged] The user has ingested a highly toxic man-made drug, which has caused a series of negative status effects. This status effect represents the user¡¯s addiction to the drug. ¡ª¨C Um, ok? It doesn¡¯t say what drug is though! Uagh! Damn it, how can I get to find which drug is it though?! Tell me more, System! Analyze him! The handsome voice of the system answered, he seemed quite concerned as well. Huh¡­ I guess we can¡¯t really do much now, eh? Well, let¡¯s leave him here¡­ ¡°Emeraldine, he seems sick, can you heal him?¡± I wondered. ¡°I-I can try, but I wouldn¡¯t really want to heal someone that just tried to assault me!¡± Sheined. ¡°¡­True, well, let¡¯s leave him to die or something, it¡¯s not like I feel emotionally attached to the old man.¡± I said, leaving him to his own fate. We walked slowly to the Inn, as Lucifer looked at me while raising an eyebrow¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but ask him why he was looking at me so angrily. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You showed to be worried but then just kind of dropped him into the ground?¡± He asked. ¡°Eh? I was only worried about the drug, not about the random old man!¡± I said. ¡°My Lady is like this; she doesn¡¯t care about people.¡± Said Partner. ¡°I mean I know she¡¯s not that empathic with random people unless they¡¯re ves or something, but still, your mentality sometimes is weird.¡± He said. ¡°Well yeah I died.¡± I said. ¡°I am a bit crazy inside, my nature by itself is wicked but I try to not be wicked if possible. Remember the primary reason why ghosts are formed? We are made out of resentment¡­ So¡­ Well, I am kind of insane all the time, if I stop being like this, I might disappear for all we know.¡± ¡°Eeeh?! No, I don¡¯t want you to disappear, Master!¡± Cried Partner, as she hugged me tightly. ¡°P-Partner, I am joking!¡± I sighed, as I petted her. ¡°Calm down¡­¡± ¡°W-Well, if we put it into perspective, she got angry at him because he tried to stab me, Lucifer¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Also, we came here to help the duchy and the new Duchess¡­ So that¡¯s include that guy, leaving him there is the convenient thing to do, picking him up like we did with the ves before is not convenient now that we n to stay for some time in here, we are not in the move to carry poor people without the ability to do things yet¡­ And honestly I don¡¯t care about drunkards that assault women.¡± ¡°Okay, I get it, I am not defending that random guy either, so let¡¯s calm down¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t had even asked this stupid question¡­ I know Maria is a good person, but being a good person doesn¡¯t mean saving literally everybody, it is just trying to do what we can.¡± ¡°Yeah! Good thinking, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s the definitive meaning of being ¡°good¡± and I do have some wicked sides to me, but I honestly just try to be nice most of the time, since the beginning that I helped you when I could had just ignored you, remember?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, I remember, or when you helped the goblins too¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re indeed a good girl. You just have a strong bias against humans.¡± ¡°Yeah, I am a bit biased against humans but I am trying to ovee this¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I used to be one too, so I have to think that when I get too overly stupid.¡± After the little discussion, we made our way into a simple Inn; we bought a room with two beds on it and we moved there. My Inventory was able to easily store things, another bed quickly came out, and then ast one from it, cing them in the room so everybody could sleep in a bed¡­ And then we decided to rest until morning¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 280 Arachne 1 ¡ª¨C ¡°Snek! Snek!¡± A little girl began to chase me down in my snake ghost form. She was incredibly fast for her small size, and her aura was quite incredibly powerful as well. It would be a cute scene nheless, if it wasn¡¯t because we were inside arge cave-like dungeon surrounded by giant ck spiders walking everywhere while carrying prey they caught. This ce is indeed quite frightening, and every time I got to sleep, I concentrate my mind in the clone I left here to interact more with the sweet little baby that is here, the Arachneia Empress, as I call her. ¡°Gryshia¡­! You caught me!¡± ¡°I caught chu! Hehehe¡­¡± The girl caught me snake form and squeezed it with all her strength, but because I was phantasmal, I was able to resist it, and even when I couldn¡¯t¡­! POOF! I simply exploded into phantom and then reshaped myself into a snake atop her head, materializing once more. ¡°Hehehe! Squeeze!¡± The girl grabbed me again and began to squeeze me, until I exploded one more and then rematerialized once more atop her head. ¡°G-Grishi¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­ Don¡¯t do it again¡­¡±. ¡°Ohh¡­ Sowy¡­¡± The little girl grabbed me with her tiny hands and smiled. She had eight beautiful spider-like eyes. Six over her forehead were smaller than the more human-like ones in her face, she had long ck hair made into braids, and was wearing a white dress made of spider silk. She was so small she looked to be around her 7 years of age. She was the Arachneia Empress, the girl I have been both spying and interacting with since we left the forest where the Rabbit-kin were living in. Instead of choosing to confront her and her army of spiders, I ended deciding to not waste away time and perhaps my life in the process, and just ran away from the forest and continued my way into the snowynds where we found the abandoned demon kingdom to build our ce there. But I had left something, I left a few clones made of my phantom in there, one in specific had be something of a friend and pet of her¡­ Yeah, I am the girl¡¯s pet¡­ and friend! So it is not SO bad¡­ I mean, they always say that professionals have standards, so at the very least I am not just a pet, I am her friend now. The other spiders cannot interact with her like I do, theyck emotions, and are colder, they seem to be guided by the instincts of serving her as her servants. It appears that she was somehow born from one of them, and since then she just became the Empress. I don¡¯t have any idea how she came to be, it just happened? There are many mysteries in this world, but this girl status says a lot about her though, more than her cute appearance does¡­ ¡ª¨C [Name: [Arachne Arachneia] [Status: [Happy] [Developing¡­] [Race: [Primordial Dark Arachneia Empress] [Job: [None] [Level: [4/200] [Rank: [S+] [HP: [906380/906380] [MP: [1860620/1860620] [Attack: [920553] [Defense: [907030] [Magic: [905700] [Agility: [1273300] Characteristic Skills: [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Arachneia Supreme Authority: Lv¨C] [Primordial Beast Body: Lv5] [Body Transformation: Lv2] [Fiend Language: Lv4] [God Language: Lv1] [Primordial Thread Weaving: Lv4] [Primordial Poison Fangs: Lv5] [Supernatural Great Senses: Lv5] [Great Eight Eyes of Destruction: Lv3] Resistance Skills: [Status Effect Great Resistance: Lv5] [Greater Damage Resistance: Lv4] [Great Elemental Resistance: Lv6] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv¨C] Normal Skills: [Masterful Thread Maniption: Lv3] [Shadow Magic: Lv5] [Imprable Chitin Shell: Lv4] [Orichalcum Body: Lv4] Title Skills: [Primordial Beast: Lv10] [Arachneia Empress: Lv10] [Primordial Thread User: Lv10] [Primordial Poison User: Lv10] [Lonely Empress: Lv2] [Snake¡¯s Friend: Lv1] Divine Protections: [Loki¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡ª¨C Yeah¡­ This is the girl¡¯s status. Not even I could believe it when I saw it, but this was her status, her name is Arachne, very simple name, and she seems to be a Primordial Beast! Herck of Skills is because she had yet to develop them, she had barely ever fought in her life, and she gains EXP passively from whatever her spiders hunt for her¡­ However, her Threat Rank at S+ is already incredibly frightening, and that¡¯s without even mentioning her ridiculous stats, there¡¯s no way I will ever reach so high in any time soon¡­ This girl ispletely ridiculous. Howe she was born so strong? Well, there it is, I probably am guessing things but I bet Loki, the God of Chaos, has something to do with this, who results to be the father of Hel from all things too¡­ She got some crazy Skills and Title Skills though, even though she got a few, they¡¯re all insanely strong¡­ Primordial Venom and also Primordial Threads, indestructible chitin shell, and more¡­ They¡¯re all crazy super advanced and evolved Skills. She has enough strength to easily destroy an entire nation, but she¡¯s keeping herself in here, as if she were afraid from the outside world. I have yet to figure what¡¯s up with her¡­ And if there are other Primordial Beasts out there, but this might be something that could endanger the world¡­ I have just managed to look into her status, before, I wasn¡¯t able to, perhaps now that she became my friend I can look into it, she even got a Title Skill from my friendship, so perhaps that helped in making her trust me. ¡­I honestly don¡¯t know what to do with her other than give her happiness as a friend, she has nobody here except the spiders, who cannot give her love nor happiness, so she always feels lonely, and acquired a Title Skill named ¡°Lonely Empress¡± for that very reason¡­ I feel like it¡¯s my duty to give her happiness and make her feel better with herself. I think it is okay, right? I just want her to be happy and make her my friend, perhaps what she just needs is a friend to trust her and make her feel not¡­ lonely, I suppose. ¡ª¨C Chapter 281 Arachne 2 ¡ª¨C Arachne is a lonely girl that has lived for¡­ I don¡¯t know how much, but when I asked the System, it said; ¡°since the beginning of this dungeon¡± and this dungeon is hundreds of years old. The Rabbit-kin were only some years ago attacked by the spiders, but that¡¯s because they arrived in this forest by themselves, as they were a wandering tribe of beast-kin. Due to her loneliness, she acquired the ¡°Lonely Empress¡± Title Skill for some reason, I feel like the Soul Script of hers is trying to mess with her or something, how can you cruelly give a little girl such an evil title?! Damned System! Oh¡­ Well, anyways I think it is okay, right? I just want her to be happy and make her my friend, perhaps what she just needs is a friend to trust her and make her feel not¡­ lonely, I suppose. I can even talk to her and she doesn¡¯t seem to mind it that much¡­ I will continue working hard to make her my friend, but I honestly don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll react whenever she learns the truth about how I really look like and who I am¡­ I really hope she doesn¡¯t hate me. She¡¯s so lonely and cute, she really broke my heart. I kind of knew she was a deadly monster or something from before based on her presence alone, but she is such a sweet girl that is just needy for some friend that I couldn¡¯t reject her! I even showed myself to her for that purpose, because I always saw her lonely and on silence¡­ ¡°Snek¡­ Hungy?¡± Arachne suddenly asked me if I was hungry. I honestly don¡¯t need to eat, but she likes seeing me eat, so I nodded.. ¡°Yeah, I am feeling a bit hungry.¡± ¡°Want food!¡± She said, as the spiders quickly obeyed her without saying a word, they moved around quickly throwing a pile of captured wolves, monkeys, lizards, and other creatures. ¡°Yum, yum! Eat?¡± She asked, looking at the pile, she grabbed a big wolf-like creature that was still alive, and mercilessly pierced its head, using her sharp fangs to pierce it entirely. Her fangs were like the mouth of a spider, so she looked quite¡­ picturesque when she opened such a¡­ Erm, highly detailed mouth. I don¡¯t really want to call her ¡°grotesque¡± or ¡°ugly¡±, she¡¯s just a cute little girl. Despite being incredibly strong. ¡°Slurp¡­¡± Arachne drank the insides of the wolf as it agonized, slowly stopping to move and drying out like a mummy until she consumed all its insides, yep, that¡¯s how spiders eat. ¡°Phew¡­ Yum!¡± She said. She was very cheerful today, I remember she always had a lonely expression in her face, often expressionless even, but out of nowhere she slowly began to cheer up a lot, and even enjoyed the boring meals she often skipped. ¡°Is it yummy? I don¡¯t really like raw meat but I¡¯ll serve myself anyways¡­ Gryshishishi~¡± I giggled like a snake, as I opened my giant mouth and began to swallow an entire bear wrapped in spider silk. Arachne always liked to see how I ate, as she pped her tiny hands. ¡°Woow!¡± She said, she seemed incapable of doing what I could do, and was surprised each time I swallowed my prey whole. Actually eating with this clone has made it regenerate energy on its own, so it can maintain itself quite easily. ¡°Hah~ I am stuffed, gryshi¡­¡± I sighed; it was going to take a little bit for this enormous bear to be digested by Phantasmal Stomach. ¡°No mowe?¡± She asked. ¡°Ah, no, I can¡¯t eat more, dear¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Oway¡­¡± Little Arachne quickly began to devour the other monsters with ease, it was always amusing to see her eating food like this¡­ Although it was a bit gross, yes, I had to admit it. When she was done, she ended stuffed, so she jumped over her bed to nap, and she dragged me with her. She hugged me with her tiny arms and rubbed her face over my long and serpentine body. ¡°Good night, Arachne¡­¡± I said. ¡°Night¡­¡± She said, she slowly closed her eyes, sleeping soundly, with a rxed and serene smile. Damn, she¡¯s so adorable and innocent, howe such a cute girl would be called Primordial Beast? Loki, you¡¯re a cruel motherfucker! How can you call her like this? In fact, I bet you forced her little soul into this form, right?! Why didn¡¯t you just reincarnated her into a normal girl or something! Hahh~ Of course I am not going to get any answers, I am rambling like an idiot¡­ I looked into the girl sleeping, as I used my snake tail to caress her cheeks and her hair. She wasn¡¯tpletely asleep, so she opened her red eyes again and looked at me. ¡°Wish¡­ you wewe biwer¡­¡± She said. ¡°Eh? That I were bigger?¡± I asked. She nodded silently. Ah, does she wants to hug me? Maybe she wants me to hug her instead? Cute little baby girl, so you want a mommy this entire time? ¡°You won¡¯t get angry if I show you another of my forms?¡± I asked her. ¡°Huh? Nwo¡­ Never¡­¡± She said adorably. ¡°S-Sure?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Okay then¡­¡± I quickly transformed this clone which had grown strong enough into my humanoid form, slightly smaller by a few centimeters, but certainly bigger than her. ¡°Ooooh!¡± Arachne looked at me with surprise. ¡°Heheh, I can take this form¡­¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t look too snek-like, but my hair got snakes, look~!¡± ¡°Oooh Snakedy!¡± She said, hugging me tightly, she seemed to enjoy my bigger-sized body. ¡°Yes, I guess you could call me a snakedy¡­ Fufu, Arachne¡­ I will¡­ I¡¯ll take care of you¡­¡± I said. ¡°Heheh¡­¡± She giggled adorably, as I hugged her with my arms and my air, and we cuddled in her bed. Such a little and precious girl¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t let this fate imposed upon you affect you¡­ You¡¯re not a monster, you¡¯re an adorable and innocent girl¡­¡± I whispered to her, as she smiled happily, and cuddled with me, without understanding my more borate words¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 282 Loki And Hel ¡ª¨C Atop the glorious world tree, a beautiful and handsome man looked down into thend, the world of Yggdrasil. He seemed to smile while raising an eyebrow in surprise, he was rather bbergasted by what had just happened. In fact, he had never expected such an oue, it surprised him. And not many things can surprise the trickster god. ¡°Interesting, did Arachne just became friends with Hel¡¯s little monster? This is¡­ Incredible, in all of my mind I never predicted this. Was¡­ Was this little spider only desiring a friend this entire time, huh¡­ I guess I am really a terrible mentor to never have seen through such a simplistic mindset.¡± Thought the God, as he sighed. Suddenly, a big squirrel holding a leather bag filled with cards emerged behind Loki, timidly approaching the intimidating Trickster God of Chaos, Ratatoskr, the messenger of the gods, seemed to have a message for Loki. ¡°G-God Loki¡­ Sir¡­ My Lord¡­ Erm¡­ Your Evilness?¡±. ¡°Hm?¡± Asked Loki, as he looked back at the ¡°small¡± squirrel, who had the size of grown man. ¡°Oh, it is you again, Rat. Is there something you want? Also did you just called me ¡°Your Evilness¡±? I am not evil!¡± ¡°O-Okay! I know! Please don¡¯t hurt me!¡± Cried Ratatoskr, trembling a bit. ¡°Howe you¡¯re so afraid of me? I have never done anything bad to you.¡± Sighed Loki, as he petted the fluffy head of the big squirrel. Ratatoskr began to remember that one time when Loki made a ¡°prank¡± for Ratatoskr, feeding him a delicious golden Acorn that resulted to have been coated in a potion that made the squirrel turnpletely pink. The other Squirrels of his raceughed at him for several years until the pink-color disappeared. Loki¡¯s response to such a stupid prank was ¡°You needed some colors, you always look gloomy, friend¡±. Since then, Ratatoskr fears Loki¡­ ¡°Nothing bad¡­ R-Right.¡± Sighed Ratatoskr. ¡°A-Anyways, please take this message, the Goddess of Death, your daughter, seems to be interested in engaging in a conversation.¡± The squirrel handled to Loki a card handwritten by his daughter. ¡°Ooh?! My daughter of all things want to speak with me? How sweet of her!¡± Said Loki, as he took the card and began to read it. It was handwritten by her and her letters were very beautiful, she also wrote quite refined, and the ink she used emanated a dreadful ck aura, it seems she used her own, ck-colored blood. Loki decided to read the card out loud. ¡°Dear father, I have seen that you¡¯re messing with the world again, and like always, the stupid of Odin, my grandfather, is going to say that it is all my fault. What are you even nning to do with the spider, the wolf, and the snake? Pleasee down here to talk to your daughter.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ My daughter seems a bit angered¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Laughed Loki, throwing away the card into the ocean below the World Tree. ¡°L-Lord Loki, shouldn¡¯t you not go to Hel? Isn¡¯t that ce dangerous even for Gods? W-What if you die?¡± Asked Ratatoskr. ¡°Yeah, it is obvious that I cannot go down there leisurely, or I¡¯ll die. My daughter always invites me down there, hahaha! Don¡¯t worry, we gods got many ways to do things.¡± Said Loki, his body suddenly divided itself in a second, as a perfect clone was generated. ¡°Uwaah! T-Two Lokis now?!¡± Asked Ratatoskr in fear for his life, if there were two Lokis, what sort of weird fucked up pranks they would do next?! ¡°Fufu, don¡¯t worry dear Rat, I am not doing anything devilish.¡± Said Loki. ¡°I am a changed woman after all¡­¡± Laughed the clone of Loki, as he suddenly changed gender in an instant, turning into a beautiful woman version of him, with long hair, long eyshes, seductive lips, wide hips, and big chest, with a long ck dress and holding the same staff as he held in his original body. ¡°Wow, aren¡¯t I a devilish demoness?¡± Asked Loki¡¯s true body, admiring his female version. ¡°Indeed, we could easily conquer the heart of any man.¡± Laughed his clone. ¡°Uuuhhh¡­¡± Muttered Ratatoskr, feeling weirded out. ¡°C-Can I go now?¡± He asked timidly. ¡°Oh yes, you can go dear, take care.¡± Said Female Loki, petting and hugging Ratatoskr, rubbing her big breasts over the squirrel¡¯s face, which made it flustered. ¡°Uwaahh!¡± Cried Ratatoskr, running away from the predatory woman. ¡°Hahaha! He¡¯s always such a handful, without little Rat here we would always be bored!¡± Said Loki. ¡°Indeed!¡± Laughed Loki. ¡°Anyways, go down to meet our beloved daughter, make sure to cuddle with her.¡± Said Loki. ¡°I shall spoil her lots!¡± Laughed Loki, as the female version disappeared in an explosion of pink smoke. ¡­ Meanwhile, Hel, the Goddess of Death and the Underworld looked into the emptiness of her Realm, caves everywhere, darkness, mushrooms growing in the ceilings and the floor illuminating the ce mildly, and the sound of countless souls groaning, undead walking around leisurely, attacking one another, or simply existing with one another without attacking¡­ giant beasts made of countless corpses making the floor tremble was they walk, titanic birds made of bones catching unsuspecting zombies crawling in the floor, trapping them inside of their ribcages for some unknown reason, as Undead don¡¯t need to feed in here. Hel looked at all of this rather expressionless, a sight that would be rather psychedelic to anybody else was something of a daily life for her, every day was the same, confined in her own Realm as the Goddess of Death, she couldn¡¯t really do much about it, that¡¯s how things were. Since she was born in this world that she already represented death and was the meaning of the end of a journey, but also, the start of a new one. Millions of souls swam across a river, as she guided them towards the surface through an inverse waterfall that moved upwards, this was the River of Reincarnation, where souls were cleansed and reincarnated after going through some time in Helheim¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 283 Father And Daughter Talk ¡ª¨C POOF! Suddenly, in front of Hel, somebody finally showed up, but it was not the person he expected. It was a beautiful woman with long purplish hair, with some mixes of ck and red, her eyes glowed crimson red like hers, and hear beauty wasparable to hers if not a bit higher, she even had a coquettish aura to her, like a tentative and lustful demoness. ¡°Who are- Ah, father.¡± She sighed. Hel was sitting over her throne of bones boringly looking at her own father while crossing her slender and beautiful white as porcin legs, she was barefoot this moment as two skeletons were giving her pedicure. ¡°Oh my! My little death girl! How are you today? Oh! Did I interrupted your beauty time?¡± Asked Loki lovingly, as her daughter looked at him¡­ or her rather expressionlessly. ¡°Father why are you in the shape of a woman now? I already have a mother¡­¡± Sighed Hel. ¡°Angrboda is my mother, she¡¯s¡­ Where is mother now?¡±. ¡°Ah, your mother is¡­ Haha, I don¡¯t have idea, she¡¯s somewhere doing incantations or something, she¡¯s a sorcerer after all.¡± Said Loki. Angrboda was the Titan Sorcerer of Ice Giants, she was a powerful sorcerer of Dark Magic and Dark Arts, one of the first Titans that taught the world about darkness and is said to be the mother of Majin as well. Her rtionship with Loki is quite loosen, although both had children together, she had always been a woman interested in her dark arts, and although she enjoyed the sex, it wasn¡¯t as if she was going to stick to him through their entire eternal lives. Loki was the same in such case, as he was a god of chaos, he didn¡¯t liked being in a ce for a long time, even less with just one person, he traveled the entire world, and asionally paid her a visit, where both would y around (in bed), eat together, do some magic tricks, and depart for some years. Titans in the world of Yggdrasil were simr to Gods, however, after the first war between Titans and Gods, Odin locked the titans from interfering in the outside world as much, and they were also banned from joining the god meetings for the most part, although they still did influence mortals and wandered around the world in mortal avatars, some even turned themselves intond, such as mountains, volcanoes, or giant icebergs floating over the ocean, resting until the day they would be able to fight back against the Gods once more. Their Father and King, Ymir, was in by Odin long ago, and his gigantic corpse gave the world shape, due to this, they were living over their own father¡¯s body, and felt resentment over such a thing, even though many of them loved mortals, especially their descendants, the Ice Giants, Mountain Giants, and Fire Giants, which they watched closely while camouging asndscape or as wandering mortals. ¡°I want to meet mother too!¡± Said Hel angrily. ¡°Stop posing as one!¡± ¡°I-I can also be a mommy!¡± Said Loki while pouting. ¡°L-Look how cute I am! Don¡¯t you want to cuddle in these big melons?¡± ¡°Uagh! Stop being so cringy or I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Said Hel, pointing her finger at her own father, as a dark me emerged from the tip of it. ¡°Hahaha! C-Come on, rx for a bit!¡± Laughed Loki, slowly walking towards his daughter and moving aside her finger slowly, petting her. ¡°Let¡¯s go sit around a table and enjoy a day together, tell me what you wanted to speak about.¡± He said. Hel sighed, looking at her father in the form of a woman was ufortable, but she had to admit that her father¡¯s charm was working. ¡°Okay.¡± Sighed Hel, she was more mature than her acting, but every time she meet her father she would act like a spoiled girl, her opinion of her father was that of a man more immature than his own daughter, which said a lot. The two quickly sat down in seats made of rotten flesh and bones that Hel raised in an instant by a mere thought, surprising Loki a bit, she was quite energetic today¡­ ¡°Y-You¡¯re quite energetic today, aren¡¯t you, dear?¡± He asked nervously, as Hel nodded. ¡°Father, tell me, what are you nning?¡± She asked. ¡°¡­I am merely doing something funny.¡± Said Loki. ¡°Funny?¡± Asked Hel. ¡°You¡¯re trying to enrage Odin again? Father, do you want us to rage a god war again? Ymir got destroyed, you want grandfather to kill us now or something?¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, no, I would never want a war against my beloved father! He¡¯s the figure I most respect, you see? I just am very bored.¡± Said Loki. ¡°And the mortals¡­ Especially his humans, they¡¯re doing bad things. They¡¯re ying around with the Fragments of Evil left behind¡­ That¡¯s very bad, you know?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ve seen what they¡¯re doing, and Maria is doing some researching herself¡­¡± Said Hel. ¡°So you want to punish mortals?¡± ¡°Why yes, it is also a way to¡­ Well, protect the world? If any of those monsters show up, it will be because something will require their intervention.¡± Said Loki. ¡°So the Primordial Beasts are all guardians? Do you think I will believe this? You¡¯re clearly raising god-level entities to kill Odin.¡± Sighed Hel. ¡°Hahaha! Whaaaaat? No way! No, not at all! I would never! Hahahahaha!¡± Laughed Loki. Although Hel knew very well that behind his fa?ade, there was a big darkness and resentment against Odin. He knew that Odin in his true father F¨¢rbauti in the war against Titans, and that he imprisoned his mother, Laufey inside of the World Tree. Loki has been pretending this entire time, and Hel already saw through his fa?ade. ¡°My daughter, you¡¯re talking nonsense.¡± Said Loki. ¡°Arachne, and the other two arepletely unrted to this.¡± Loki looked into his daughter¡¯s eyes, captivated by her beauty, as he kissed her nose. ¡°You¡¯re so cute!¡± ¡°Stop with the corny stuff!¡± Said Hel. ¡°Sigh¡­ Father, you¡¯re¡­ sure about this?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Loki looked deeply into Hel¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 284 Hels Watchful Eyes ¡ª¨C ¡°Then I am going out! This is actually a clone so I will just destroy it for now, have a nice day, my beloved daughter~¡± Said Loki, as she quickly turned into smoke and dissipated into thin air. ¡°Always with your stupid tricks¡­¡± Sighed Hel, looking at the pink smoke dissipate in front of her. She was a bit tired, she tried to talk with her father some more, but he always spoke nonsense and barely told her any of his truth, he was a man that was always joking to the point that it was incredibly hard to reach the truth from his words alone. ?[0)??? Hel looked into Maria through a small crystal ball, as she saw her in the Duchy of Affnaria once more. Hel seemed a bit surprised that she saw her there again, it seems that the ghost woman was oddly attached to this town, a town where she was beheaded, where she met her bitter end¡­. Hel saw all of it back then¡­ She saw her suffering, how her entire army ended being chased down, how they were all brought to her¡­ their souls. ¡°You¡¯re attached to this duchy way too much, Maria¡­ Are you still trying to figure out the past you¡¯ve forgotten? ¡­Do you truly wish to remember that suffering so much?¡± Sighed Hel while waving her head. ¡°Well¡­ So be it¡­ You may do whatever you please.¡± Said Hel. ¡°I will be watching over you, my Blessed Apostle. Let¡¯s discover your past together.¡± ¡ª¨C I ended spending a lot of the time ying with the cute Arachne, which made my mind a bit exhausted when I finally woke up the next day in the Inn, moving two bodies which I¡¯ve poured myplete mind into is very stressing when I am constantly controlling both. Usually, what I do with clones is leaving a copy pasted mind into them, which is actually independent, so I don¡¯t have to share the burden of controlling a new body. These minds are all connected to mine like a hivemind, but have intendency, they just let me know what they do or what they think, sometimes asking me questions if they¡¯re in doubt, or things like those. However, with the clone with Arachne, I had to put my true mind into it so I could interact better with her, this causes a lot of mental exhaustion, which hits me even harder because I have no brain to transfer this exhaustion into, so it hits my soul directly and makes me dizzy. Yeah, even as a ghost, I can get something simr to a headache, but it is through my entire body, and the bad thing is that there is no medicine or pill that can heal me from that, I have to just repeatedly use Undead Healing on myself and heal my soul stress and pain caused by overusing my mind. That night was rather busy with Arachne, she was more active than other times. I have begun to pour more Mana and Aether energies into this clone so it can grow a bit stronger, I want to adopt this adorable little girl and teach her to be a good person, so I will slowly teach her how to speakmon tongue better, and¡­ well, I guess I am growing overly attached to her. I initially just wanted to see her and inspect how she would do; I had even thought she would y me or something, but nothing like that ever happened, she was just very lonely, and wanted someone to not be so lonely anymore, someone that could look after her and¡­ well, give her the warmth of family, something that she seems tock severely. A-Am I really going to adopt her as my daughter?! I mean, the spiders are not there for nothing, but they¡¯re¡­ like, not doing anything aside from giving her the bare basics and then leaving her, they do whatever she asks them, and she used to ask them to y with her, but they didn¡¯t know how to y, nor how to give her hugs, or anything¡­ She had tried sleeping with them, sometimes trying to be cuddled by them, tut their bodies are covered in a hard chitinous exoskeleton, so that¡¯s quite unlikely. So when I showed up she was happy, I wasn¡¯t warm, but I was quite squeezable for her, and she ended liking my humanoid form at the end, hugging me lovingly as I petted her head, at the end, I am still sleeping in her bed with my other body¡­ She sleeps long periods of time, often an entire day (24 hours) and is active another 24 hours, or sometimes several days in a row. She¡¯s quite a yful girl. I want to bring her books for her to read as well, she seems to somehow be able to read despite having a hard time speaking. I also want to cook her some tasty food so she can learn how food can be tasty and not just drink out the juice from a half-living animal, that¡¯s kind of weird, but I guess she¡¯s a spider so she doesn¡¯t know better¡­ I will show her some tasty food, at the very least some grilled meat or some stew¡­ Maybe I could go out to find her some ingredients with the spiders, if she even allows such a thing. Well, for now I shouldn¡¯t worry about this. My stress and mind exhaustion had gone down a bit more, and I felt way better, so I decided to quickly stand out of the Inn bed, finding out there was Partner at my side, she had sneaked in. Of course, as a ghost, I am able to easily pass through any physical objects~ So it is not so hard to go around and escape her embrace. Though, she had gotten very clingy, more than before, I suppose we are already like¡­ in an official rtionship, aren¡¯t we? Maybe¡­ I haven¡¯t really said anything of that regard to her yet¡­ ¡ª¨C This chapter is a preview, if you want to see a faster and more up-to-date chapter, please visit . for more content. Chapter 285 Sorting Out Thoughts ¡ª¨C I suppose having done the deed doesn¡¯t mean we are instantly¡­ in a rtionship, that¡¯s something that must be established officially, isn¡¯t it? Huh¡­ How can I make it reasonable, I wonder? Do I just ask her? Ah, what if she says she doesn¡¯t like to get tied? Ah, or maybe I would be abusing it? Or perhaps it is too soon? Yeah, it is way too soon, maybe we should develop our bond together some more¡­ And what about Lucifer and Emeraldine? Ugh, romancing three people at once is very hard, how could these harem protagonist do it so swiftly? I have to think about their feelings, and how each one feels about me and the entire rtionship, things are not easy at all, if I slip off, I might make someone angry, and if I prioritize giving love to one above the others, I will make the others feel left out, as if I had a ¡°favorite¡±¡­ Wow, this is so overlyplicated. I guess harem rtionships are not realistic at all.. But I have to somehow pull through this on my own, I cannot really go back on my words, I just love them all so much¡­ I am d they ept one another and are friends, but it seems they have not even developed feelings for one another, just friendship and some rivalry, perhaps Partner and Emeraldine are good friends, while Lucifer is a more distant friend from the two girls as he¡¯s a male, and very silent at times, so I suppose he cannot connect well with the girls, but he does connect well with me. I guess with him, I have to mostly be alone, while it is easier to be with Emeraldine and Partner at the same time acting lovingly, Lucifer is way too shy and reserved, so I have to give him his ¡°special time¡± where we are the two together alone. Of course, I do the same with Partner and Emeraldine, I am not making Lucifer my favorite or something! H-He¡¯s just my grumpy and shy dragon, so I have to treat him well¡­ Ugh, it is really hard to handle this rtionship. Well, they¡¯re not even official yet, but it is sure as hell that they don¡¯t want to be with anybody else than me, I would had already seen them ogling other people, but they only got eyes for me. Very problematic, perhaps I should had stayed as a formless specter instead of shaping myself as a woman, maybe in that form I wouldn¡¯t be liked? ¡­Hard to tell, all three of them are a bit insane in their own ords. Ugh, I better never say that in front of anybody, even less these three¡­ I mean, they¡¯re not bad, but like me, they got some¡­ insanity. Lucifer died horribly, betrayed, and has been sealed for an eternity, knowing his family got killed by the humans, Emeraldine went through utter suffering when she was enved, constantly used as a sexual ve, she was absolutely broken when I meet her, and she had barely managed to regain her self-confidence all because of me, and then there is Partner¡­ She¡¯s¡­ well, she was a skeleton and then a vampire? I guess she¡¯s the ¡°sanest¡± but because of her monster-like instincts, for anybody that is ¡°normal¡± she¡¯s an insane person because shecksmon sense. And then there¡¯s me! I died horribly in my first life, and then in my second life, and turned into a ghost, and I am secretly filled with hatred and resentment, enough that I could even disregard everything I¡¯ve done and just ughter all the people I saw just to satisfy this lingering desire of ¡°revenge¡±. Phew, thankfully I still got my mind from my first life, which stops my insanity from getting out¡­ most of the time. Who would had known that being a shy girl without any self-confidence that always bottled up her emotions would help at bottling up this resentment and hatred as a ghost? I guess you could call it a natural talent, alongside being overly quick at adapting to situations¡­ I am pretty good at that, yeah, but that¡¯s not the whole point of it! I was talking about rtionships, not me, I don¡¯t matter on this- Wait, I kind of do¡­ I¡­ I guess I am the one connecting all three of these people together into a family, I am the core of their lives in a way too¡­ I-I mean, all three of them had called me their ¡°world¡± and Lucifer always calls me ¡°my most precious treasure¡±, s-so it is a bit important for me to recognize my value, I guess. And¡­ It is hard, it is quite hard to handle the rtionship, I don¡¯t know I can even add another person. Thankfully, I¡¯ve been rejecting anyone that might had tried to, I still remember all those goblins that tried, and sometimes former ves¡¯ citizens brought me flowers, or food, and asked me out in a date out of nowhere¡­ I had to reject them all, sadly. I always feel terrible when I do this, especially because in my first life I was always being rejected. ?[0)??? I suppose popr girls back thencked empathy so they didn¡¯t felt so bad, but man, it hurts me to see them sad, so I try to cheer them up by petting their heads, or gifting them something so they don¡¯t go away all saddened, so a lot of people in my town already got some sort of little gift from me which they treasure¡­ I hope they can find love in each other instead of trying to romance their queen, it is not realistic, you guys¡­ Anyways, after having sorted out my thoughts and having rxed my mind, I finally looked into the window, the sun was high atop the skies, it was a beautiful day, although we were in quite the poor street so there were very shady people walking around, but its not like we were staying all day in here, in some hours, we¡¯ll try to stay in the Duchess manor. ¡ª¨C This chapter is a preview, if you want to see a faster and more up-to-date chapter, please visit . for more content. Chapter 286 Lets Not Go Overboard ¡ª¨C ¡°Partner, dear, wake up¡­¡± I said, gently touching Partner¡¯s nose, and caressing her hair, it was so silky, and she was slightly warm too. I was resisting the impulse of cuddling with her and kissing her like crazy, she was way too adorable. ¡°Hm? Oh¡­ Ah! Is it morning already? Ugh, the sunlight is strong in here¡­¡± Sighed Partner. She had already developed Sunlight Resistance as quite a nice level, Level 4, but she still has to develop it further, she still feels an itchy sensation over her skin when she walks below the sunlight, but at the very least the amount of damage it causes to her body doesn¡¯t make it begin to burn or tear apart, although she still loses HP over time, she has an automatic HP regeneration skill too as a vampire, so she counters this HP lost overt time with it, barely making it so she doesn¡¯t lose any HP. However, if she gets heavily wounded, things get bad, she can¡¯t naturally recover while being below the sun¡­ Kind of like any vampire. Well, that can be easily resolved by me, I can create a veil of shadows and cover her body from the sunlight, but it stands out a lot, so when we are outside, I cannot really use it leisurely, she also constantly tells me that she must bear the pain for the gains¡­ or something, so she wants to bear the pain and just level up her [Sunlight Resistance: Lv4] Skill. I don¡¯t know how many Vampires are there that do such a thing¡­ Are they all as brave as her? Then again, because she¡¯s a Lesser Vampire, weaknesses are not so strong against her, and she got some unique skills due to her previous evolutions that normal Vampires, often don¡¯t possess. Unless they¡¯re special cases like Catarina and the twin fire ghosts that were burned alive and then turned into Vampires, which made them develop high resistance to fire and sunlight, there shouldn¡¯t be many like Partner out there. Funnily enough, Catarina as a zombie doesn¡¯t have sunlight weakness anymore, I guess the weakness of Vampires is really some sort of curse that only remains in their bodies until they die. When their body dies, they are no longer weak to sunlight and the body wont begin to get roasted below the sun if they ever die.. Anyways, Partner woke up with an itching feeling over her face as she covered herself with a cushion, groaning in pain. I quickly decided to put up the curtains, covering the room from the sunlight. ¡°There, better now? Sorry, I should had put the curtains before, my bad¡­¡± I sighed, I felt ashamed I didn¡¯t thought about it before, but she always says that she HAS to get bathed in sunlight anyways, so I ended making it for granted that she somehow was immune to it at this point, which she is not. After all, she still feels ufortable and everything else¡­ The least thing I would ever want to make my beloved Partner go through is being ufortable after all! ¡°I-It is fine!¡± She said. ¡°D-Don¡¯t get so apologetic, Master¡­¡± Partner stretched her arms asking for a hug, so I gave her a tight hug, she hugged me tightly and warmly, and I felt all her scent. She smelled like wildflowers due to the shampoo made of wildflower oil she uses to wash her long hair. ¡°Uwaahh, your hugs are soforting¡­¡± I cried. ¡°You¡¯re looking extra cute today, Master.¡± She said, whispering to my ears, she kissed my cheek gently. ¡°E-Extra cute?!¡± I asked. Partner smiled devilishly as she licked her lips and kissed me rather passionately. ¡°Hmm~?!¡± I felt a bit surprised, but I let her do it for a bit¡­ She then pushed me down the bed and continued kissing me once more. Our lips meet one another several times, as her tongue was yfully licking the interior of my mouth and coiling around my own tongue, it was very lewd, and our breaths constantly mixed, making the whole atmosphere steamy¡­! ¡°Mooch¡­ A-Ah, stop it already, Partner, what if they see us?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I want to kiss you a bit more¡­ I love kissing you¡­¡± She said. ¡°B-But¡­¡± I muttered, as Partner suddenly moved her lips towards mine, but I moved aside my face and she kissed my cheek instead. However, she dominantly grabbed my cheeks gently and kissed me once more. ¡°Uguhh¡­ S-Stop!¡± I said, as I moved her aside a bit, pushing her down into the bed instead. ¡°Uwah! T-To think you finally decided to be in the top this time¡­ Heheh¡­¡± Partnerughed devilishly. Perhaps being a Vampire is messing with hermon sense¡­ Ah, well, I am talking as if she even had one. But Vampires tend to be mischievous, so maybe this is part of it. O-Or maybe now that we had sex¡­ She is acting way more freely and lewd with me? Ugh, I guess it is fair, isn¡¯t it? But not to the point where it disrupts with our daily lives! ¡°T-This is not that! I am just stopping you, you little degenerate vampire girl!¡± I said, as I petted her head instead. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re just petting my head though. Maybe you can punish me, fufu¡­¡± She giggled. Uwah! She¡¯s kinky too?! W-What does she wants me to do, to hit her with a whip or something? That¡¯s fucked up! Nooo! Partner, don¡¯t be corrupted! ¡°No! Now, stop being so childish, I love you but don¡¯t go overboard.¡± I said, sitting at her side. ¡°O-Oh, sorry¡­¡± She said. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t realized you were serious¡­¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°I thought you were ying along!¡± She said. ¡°Maybe sometimes I do but not all times, okay?¡± I sighed. ?[0)??? ¡°O-Oh, okay¡­¡± She said while nodding. ¡°Sorry, I am just¡­ I am deeply in love with you, Master¡­ S-So I like to kiss you and show you how much I love you¡­¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I know, I know it very well, I do too, but let¡¯s not go overboard.¡± I said. ¡°I get it¡­ Sorry¡­¡± She said while kissing me gently again, without a hint of lewdness¡­ Well, this was a bit wholesome. ¡ª¨C Chapter 287 Cant They Take A Break? ¡ª¨C See? As long as we openly talk about what we feel about the rtionship, we can discuss it out and get to a mutual understanding, sometimes confusion or misunderstandings are created, but that can be resolved as long as we talk it out. I just had to tell Partner directly about what I felt like, and she understood and even apologized, which broke my heart, and I felt bad too for making her feel bad, so I apologized back to her and hugged her again, which ended in both of us kissing once more, but this time they were brief kisses with only love andprehension, not lewd at all. These felt incredibly better than the others, although I do like the lewd ones as well¡­ ¡°What are you two doing so lovingly?¡± Asked Emeraldine from the distance, she seems to have caught us red-handed kissing¡­ ¡°E-Ehh¡­ Heheh¡­¡± I giggled nervously. ¡°W-We are just expressing our love¡­¡± ?[0)??? ¡°Fufu, jealous?¡± Asked Partner rather cockily. Partner, don¡¯t ruin it more now! You know Emeraldine is jealous like you too, dummy!. ¡­Of course, I cannot tell her this directly because it would be too aggressive, she¡¯s my beloved, I cannot treat her like that. ¡°Jealous you say¡­?!¡± Roared Emeraldine, for a moment I felt quite frightened of the angry Emeraldine, sometimes she can really be quite ferocious for an elf, but this is probably due to her past¡­ ¡°P-Please wait, Emeraldine! Don¡¯t get angry!¡± I cried. However, Emeraldine didn¡¯t waited for me, quickly jumping into my bed by jumping from her bed, a spectacr flip that made hernd right over my body, catching me and bringing me away from Partner¡¯s evil embrace. ¡°I-It is not fair, I also want some cuddles and kisses¡­¡± She said while looking at me with puppy eyes, her long ears were all red, probably due to the embarrassment of her bold move, Partner tried to move her away but Emeraldine was tightly wrapped around me like a burrito. ¡°H-Hey! Don¡¯t go ahead of yourself¡­¡± Said Partner while pouting. ¡°Not fair! We talked that we all should receive love equally, right, Partner? Don¡¯t get cocky now, I saw you having Maria all for yourself!¡± Said Emeraldine while pouting. ¡°You¡¯re trying to break our deal?¡± ¡°What deal?! Was there a deal between you two I didn¡¯t knew about?¡± I asked confusedly. ¡°T-There was a deal¡­¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Lucifer was there too¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°He¡¯s also awake but pretending to be asleep because he has a hrd time dealing with stuff like this, he¡¯s a shy dragon after all.¡± ¡°W-Who are you calling a shy dragon?!¡± Asked Lucifer, jumping out of bed, the first thing I saw was a big¡­ rod rising from beneath his pants. ¡°A-Agh!¡± Lucifer quickly realized when I stared at it rather dumbly, covering himself with a cushion. Was he having a boner because I was kissing Partner? Oh well, males get boner quite easily, I cannot me him if he sees two hot girls kissing each other¡­ Also, now that he¡¯s a Death Dragon and not just an Undead Dragon, he regained some of his ¡°life¡± and therefore, can probably get¡­ a boner more easily. ¡°Was that a boner I see?¡± I asked while raising an eyebrow. ¡°T-There was nothing like that! Bye!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I will go make¡­ breakfast.¡± He quickly ran out of the room, he got a hard time dealing with stuff, and he gets double shy when I am with the two girls. It is not as if he cannot be dead serious as he always is, but lewd things and love make him be a dork¡­ But he¡¯s cute because of that. He¡¯s so innocent. ¡°I guess he just left.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Y-Yeah..¡± Said Partner. The two girls looked at me with predatory eyes. ¡°M-Maria, can I give you a morning kiss too? C-Can I?¡± Asked Emeraldine, she was way too cute, my cute little elf¡­ But she got a lewd side too! I-I mean, she¡¯s super-hot so I cannot really reject her kiss request. ¡°I-I guess it is okay to kiss me every morning if you want¡­ Whenever you feel like I guess¡­ I suppose.¡± I said while blushing a bit, now that Partner was going so crazy over it, I had to let Emeraldine also enjoy this privilege at the end. I could clearly tell how happy she got by how her eyes shone brightly with a bright emerald light, just like the name she has, her eyes were Emerald in color, like two big jewels, so when she got excited, they shone quite brightly, showing her happiness. ¡°R-Really?! Heheh¡­¡± Emeraldine giggled devilishly, as she started to kiss me with her lovely lips. Ah, I already had my hands full with Partner and now there¡¯s this kinky elf I must deal with¡­ And unlike Partner, she¡¯s so warm~ So warm that I can¡¯t help but hug her and embrace her torso with my legs lewdly as she kisses me passionately, her warm and meaty lips deliciously kiss my own, as her tongue dances coquettishly inside of my mouth¡­ Ah, I would be paid a lot by how many times my life goes from wholesome to horny. ¡°Hmm~ Ahh, Maria¡­! Maria, I love you! Mooch~¡± Emeraldine began to grow a bit insane as she kissed me, sounding like a person obsessed with me. I embraced her with my hugs and kisses too, until she finally felt better after roughly five minutes¡­ I slowly took out my tongue from her mouth, as shey in the bed resting for a bit while gasping for air. ¡°Hahh~ Maria-sama¡­ Kiss me more¡­¡± She moaned. ¡°E-Emeraldine, snap out of it! You look like you got drunk out of nowhere now¡­¡± I said while reprimanding her. ¡°How can you girls be so exagerated about my kisses?¡± ¡°But they feel nice!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Yeahhh~ It is like I am floating above a cloud¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. The horny is strong in these girls, they¡¯re like¡­ always in heat or something! Geez¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 288 "Dragon King" Is Not A Title That Can Be Taken Lightly! ¡ª¨C Lucifer took a little while, but came back with actual breakfast he cooked himself, he bought some breakfast from the Inn Lady, who sells breakfast for a person each day, there was a nice bechamel soup, it had small chunks of pork on it, and was very creamy and tasty, with small pieces of potatoes and carrot as well! Wow¡­ And then there was some bread, it was a bit hard, but not too hard, and it was pretty good if dipped into the bechamel stew, I loved it. They also gave a small piece of butter, a small block of cheese, and a cup of hot milk for breakfast, that was it, it wasn¡¯t as much as in other ces, as this was a very small Inn, but for the price of 7 coppers, it was a decent meal that would be fulfilling enough for anybody that woulde to spend a night in this Inn and would feel hungry the next day in the morning. ¡°Thedy was very nice, she said I was quite handsome and gave me an extra piece of bread and some strawberries jam.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Do you want some, Maria?¡± Lucifer handsomely offered me jam and more bread, and I couldn¡¯t help but ept. ?[0)??? ¡°Thank you! I wanted something sweet¡­¡± I said happily, as I covered the piece of toast with some jam, and ate it up with some of the warm milk which had a small amount of honey on it to sweeten it a bit. The crunchiness of the toast, the delicious sweetness, and the citric vor of the strawberries, allbined with the creamy and honey-sweetened milk which was very warmbined into a delicious breakfast.. ¡°Wow, this is good¡­¡± I said. ¡°It is just some brad with jam¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°You really find everything delicious, don¡¯t you?¡± He said as he looked at the two girls at me side eating up and conversing. ¡°A-Anyways, what did you two did to Maria?¡± He asked angrily. ¡°I bet you did¡­ a lot of lewd things while I was not here!¡± Eh? He got all angry out of nowhere now! Are men just as confusing to understand as women? Wait, so both genders are confusing to understand?! Amazing, so this is the truth that a bisexual person is capable ofprehending without stupid gender bias! ¡°W-We were ying around, that¡¯s it! Don¡¯t get angry now¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°We did some stuff that girls do.¡± Partner seemed unwilling to reveal the truth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lucifer, we didn¡¯t do anything overboard!¡± Said Emeraldine while nodding and crossing her arms somewhat proudly. What did she even meant by this? ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Lucifer sighed as he decided to just ignore what happened. ¡°Anyways, now that you two have calmed your horniness, it would be nice to discuss what¡¯ll we do now, the Duchess must be waiting for us, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I am nning in going there right away after we finish breakfast.¡± I said. ¡°I owe her quite a lot, and she also could help me at finding more about my past when I was alive, alongside finding the location of my brother and my auntie, who is supposedly taking care of him somewhere¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­ But what about the problems in this duchy? The drugged people are quite worrisome, are you ignoring that?¡± He asked. ¡°Of course not! She¡¯ll probably ask me to help her resolve this stuff first, and if possible, we could find the ones behind it, I bet it is the same stupid Vampires, or some sort of organization that serves them, they¡¯re really the mafia of this entire nation.¡± I sighed. ¡°Hm, okay¡­ That¡¯s better, I am d you¡¯re willing to help, because I also wanted to help and see what¡¯s going on in here.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I also got the bad feelings about this, the drugs are not normal, they¡¯re probably using extracted materials from the Fragment of the Evil God they stole from your family, most likely¡­¡± Lucifer looked at me with a lot of conviction, he seemed to be ready to tackle down this problem and search for the one behind this with me. ¡°I think there might be some rtion, yeah¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Ah, I feel like we should hurry up in that case¡­ I didn¡¯t like dhow clingy that Duchess was with Maria, but I guess there¡¯s no helping it, she¡¯s a good person that helped us out in there too¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess she¡¯s a nice person unlike the guy before her, her uncle or something.¡± Said Partner. ¡°That guy really sucked.¡± ¡°Well, he maintained the entire duchy and was a hard worker, but yeah, that didn¡¯t meant I wouldn¡¯t kill him after the shit he did to me.¡± I said. ¡°¡­And my family, of course. That¡¯s unforgivable.¡± ¡°I agree. Now, let¡¯s get going.¡± Said Lucifer, standing up. We were already done with the breakfast by now, so we brought back the things to the Inn Lady and made our way out of the Inn. Of course, we took a bath beforehand, individually! Even though the girls were trying to get inside of the bathroom when I was taking one. As we were about to walk outside, I stopped Lucifer who seemed as serious as always, grabbing his coat tightly and looking at him while blushing a bit. ¡°Hm? W-What is it?¡± He asked. ¡°Where¡¯s my kiss?¡± I asked while pouting. ¡°K-Kiss? Ah¡­ W-Well¡­¡± Said Lucifer, as he seemed to force himself to ignore the two girls staring at him expressionlessly and grumpily, and he gave me a lovely kiss. ¡°Fufu, you got the title of my husband so you better give me one like this every morning~¡± I said rather cheekily. ¡°Y-You¡¯re getting a bit cocky¡­¡± He said while blushing, trying to act as if he was fine, but he was really embarrassed. He¡¯s so cute, hehe. ¡°I-I am a Dragon after all, the Dragon King, in fact. So don¡¯t get¡­ ahead of yourself¡­¡± ¡°Alright, my king! Hahah.¡± I giggled. ¡°It is not a title that can be taken lightly¡­!¡± Heined while crossing his arms and getting grumpy again. ¡ª¨C Chapter 289 Trying To Walk Into A Nobles Residence Is Harder Than You Think ¡ª¨C Now that we were done having breakfast, we decided to quickly walk towards the Duchess Manor. It was no big deal, we had to just go through the streets, walk around here and there and- GEH! ¡°Oi! Let me pass!¡± I said angrily, as there were guards in front of us. Apparently this was something I had not realized before but the area where all the nobles¡¯ lives has an internal wall, so it is like a high streets where only the nobles live, or their servants. The entire duchy is surrounded by a big circr wall, but there is an internal wall as well where all the nobles¡¯ houses are located alongside the houses of the families that serve them, this is naturally a ce wheremoners are not allowed unless we are explicitly invited by someone with a special invitation card. The guards were blocking our path with spears, and there were people walking all around us, so passing through the ce as a ghost would be troublesome if they all see me right now¡­ Maybe I need to back off, and then just use the shadows to get through it. But the Duchess doesn¡¯t know I have so many powers so why wouldn¡¯t she prepare and invitation for me? And to make it worse, the guards are assholes! ?[0)??? ¡°Look missy, I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re an F-Rank Adventurer or whatever, go away.¡±. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re pretty or if you got a dress that makes you look like a noble, I have never seen you in my life.¡± ¡°Every noble also has a card that certifies it, if you don¡¯t have one, you¡¯re not really a noble.¡± ¡°Please stop making a fuss and go away.¡± ¡°I told you that the Duchess called me! I am Maria, a Magician of Dark and Shadow Magic! Tell her that and she¡¯ll recognize me immediately!¡± I said angrily, as I began to slowly lose my temper. It had been happening more and moretely, I think I have a terrible temper as a person, maybe because my emotions are badly structured as a ghost? Nheless, I am trying to stay calm and ask them politely but my country girl ent ising out and I used to swear a lot in my previous life back on Earth. ¡°No way, you¡¯re lying!¡± ¡°You know that it is a great crime to lie about the duchess?¡± ¡°We could send you to the prison¡­ In fact, you¡¯ve gotta pay us now if you don¡¯t want us to talk.¡± The guards suddenly began to talk nonsense, as they started to try to scam me into giving them money. The four looked at me with greedy expressions, were they really guards serving the Duchess? I would fire these idiots straight away! ¡°You got a pretty dress, I bet you got some money.¡± ¡°Hey, if she doesn¡¯t got money she can pay otherwise. ¡°Yeah, how about her body?¡± ¡°Oi,e with us¡­¡± One of them suddenly grabbed my arm, attempting to bring me elsewhere. I was about to decapitate them with threads made of shadows that sneaked behind them, and I was about to stter the entire ce with blood, but Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner that were with me quickly caught me before I did something that would destroy my image. ¡°Sorry for the inconvenience.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I am really sorry, hahaha!¡± Laughed Emeraldine. ¡°Master, stop making a fuss!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Wait! That bastard was going to do something weird! Does he do it to every girl that can¡¯t pay a bribe or something?! Ugh! I¡¯m gonna decapitate him and turn him into a skeleton and make him dance like a buffoon while bncing his bones around as if they were toys¡­!¡± I roared, but to no avail, they dragged me away. The guards tried to stop them because they wanted money out of us, but we ended disappearing in an alley by merging with shadows. At the end, it was a failure and we couldn¡¯t get inside officially. We¡¯ll have to use some other method to enter such as using a talking snake inside of the Duchess house! Right, now that I remember, there is a dormant ghost snake I left inside of her room, so let¡¯s just talk to her with it. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°It is really a pain they didn¡¯t let us in, but I guess it makes sense, those nobles usually despisemoners.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Kill all nobles¡­¡± Said Partner with a bloodthirsty expression. ¡°No, we won¡¯t kill all nobles.¡± I sighed. ¡°I remembered I got a clone inside of the Duchess room, so I¡¯m using it to talk to her, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do. Sorry for annoying you guys so much with my stupidity.¡± ¡°Yeah, you really owe us an apology.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You better stop acting like this, Maria¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was bad but if we want to kill the guards we have to do it stealthily.¡± Said Partner. ¡°We are not going to kill anybody without reason! A little bit of provocation is not enough¡­ Even if those bastards probably meant to rape me or something, I will¡­ Erm, yeah maybe I should really kill them, they seemed quite rotten,¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, we can convince Julia to ruin their lives. For now, let¡¯s contact her.¡± I quickly closed my eyes as I infused my mind into the dormant Ghost Snake, which was sleeping below Julia¡¯s bed, it waspletely transparent, so even when the maids cleansed below the bed, they never found anything. Also, ghosts are naturally invisible unless they want to be seen, of course that doesn¡¯t mean we cannot be detected by any human with some sort of Mana Sense, so it is not that easy to sneak around as simple being a ghost, having Stealth abilities is always better in that regard to aid in the stealthy techniques to hide from people, like I used to do it back then when I was weaker¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 290 Saving The Duchess By An Hair! ¡ª¨C I opened my eyes and found myself as a small snake. I quickly decided to slither around the room where Julia usually is, and when I came out of the bed, what I found was something else. Nothing. She was often in here all the time, but where did she go now?! Was she in the bathroom? Should I wait for her? Maybe she got indigestion and is taking a while? Can nobles get indigestion if they eat such tasty food? Anyways, enough stupid thoughts for today. I decided to unleash a wave of mana all around the manor to detect where Julia could possibly be, quickly finding out I was able to detect many life forms everywhere. I quickly put my attention in each one, and they were all maids and butlers. Maid. Butler. Maid.. Maid. Butler Butler. Gardener. Erm¡­ Is that a butler? Where is Julia?! I began to look everywhere and suddenly felt something, the presence of Julia was finally near me, I slithered outside of her room and reached the corridor, suddenly finding an rming sight! A man wearing ck robes was holding a knife, and slowly trying to force it into Julia¡¯s neck! She was resisting using her arms, she was enhancing her strength using mana but she had her mouth covered by the man¡¯s hand and she couldn¡¯t scream to call for help! I saw that the window to the outside was wide open, did the guy came from there? Ah, damn it, I don¡¯t got time to think about it, this is an assassination attempt! I quickly ran towards the man, stealthily and rapidly! ¡°Stop resisting, Duchess, you¡¯re not needed here. We¡¯ll handle things. We cannot let a free woman do as she pleases, if you don¡¯t ept to be our puppet, you¡¯re not worthy of being a duchess¡­¡± Said the man with an eerie and cold voice, as Julia was resisting as she could, but she couldn¡¯t use any magic and without her rapier, she wasn¡¯t able to use her Weapon Skills. I noticed that the man¡¯s gloves had some sort of Mana-draining ability, inhibiting her the ability to conjure magic, even less as she had her mouth covered, conjuring magic without chanting was incredibly hard for young people that had yet to master magic, and Julia had yet to develop the ability to use magic without conjuring it through chanting! ¡°Unhand her, bastard!¡± I roared valiantly, as I jumped over his back and slithered around his neck using my snake body! ¡°GUAKH!¡± The man suddenly felt as if something was pressing on his neck, groaning in pain, he dropped the knife by reflex and moved a few steps back, finally letting Julia be freed from his grasp! I used my Snake Ghost body to strangle his neck, but he seemed to be amazingly resistant, and powerful! This guy was¡­ Wait, he¡¯s a damn Vampire?! His skin was pale white, his eyes red, he had short white hair, and his Status clearly said; ¡°Lesser Vampire Subordinate¡±. You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me! More Vampires? Why are they behind everything bad in this Kingdom? Is this a story about a Vampire yer this entire time?! For fuck¡¯s sake! ¡°Hahh¡­ Ugh¡­ H-HEEEELP!¡± Cried Julia, finally being freed, she began to scream for help, as some knights that were near the stairs quickly heard her and ran towards her as fast as possible. ¡°Lady Julia! What is it?! Ah!¡± ¡°Who is that man?!¡± The Knights d in silver armor quickly pointed their spears at the Vampire, as the guy hatefully red at them and clicked his tongue while still trying to get me out of his neck. ¡°F-Fuck, I have to get out!¡± Muttered the Vampire, attempting to jump out of the window, but that¡¯s not happening! I had already bitten his neck and I was infusing all my deadly venom created through my Skills into his veins, Vampire or not, you¡¯re notpletely immune to my phantasmal venom, after all I am not even a normal snake, but a Gorgon! ¡°Uuuaagggh¡­!¡± The Vampire suddenly felt a paralyzing pain all over his body, as I used my eyes after infusing venom into his body, quickly paralyzing his muscles, and making his mind confused and insane, he kneeled in the floor hitting it with anger and pain. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for trying to hurt the missy!¡± I roared angrily. ¡°You guys, finish him off! He¡¯s a Vampire so hit the head!¡± I said, the Knights heard my voice and noticed that a semi-transparent snake was coiled around the neck of the Vampire. ¡°T-That snake spoke?!¡± Asked one of the knights. ¡°It must be some sort of familiar!¡± Said Julia. ¡°Kill that man right now!¡± Julia ruthlessly ordered her knights, as they quickly pointed their spears at the man and pierced his head with them! ?[0)??? ¡°GRAAKKHHH!¡± CRAASH! His head was pierced by two spears infused with the power of Skills, he easily died by having his brains sttered all over the ce in a gory scene. Ugh, and I just ate, that¡¯s disgusting- Wait those brains do be looking mighty tasty doe. A-Anyways, Undead instincts aside, Julia was safe. Oof, if I hadn¡¯te in time, she would be dead! What the heck? I just literally saved her life. She really owes me a big one. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Asked Julia to me, as I slowly floated in midair. ¡°It¡¯s me, Julia, Maria! Remember me? I am controlling this familiar I made with my magic, no need to thank me for- GUEEH!¡± Julia suddenly grabbed my little snake body and squeezed it in a tight hug. ¡°Thank you, Maria! I-I was about to die¡­ I-I was¡­ so scared¡­ Sniff¡­¡± Julia suddenly began tofort herself with my snake clone, as she started to cry rather sorrowfully. Ugh, it must suck for her. I guess she is still an innocent girl. Getting an assassination attempt at her age must be rough. Especially because it was so frightening for her, she was leftpletely powerless despite having been training her magic and rapier techniques this entire time¡­ This world is indeed quite harsh. ¡ª¨C Chapter 291 Welcomed Into The Duchess Residence ¡ª¨C I was barely able to rescue the poor Julia from the hands of a sudden assassin attack. It was very shocking, didn¡¯t she had any sort of security in here? Well, now that I detect it, there are Barrier Stones set around the territory as pirs, which create a barrier that seems to not let things get inside that are not authorized¡­ But somehow it didn¡¯t worked in the Vampire? Did he had some ability? I didn¡¯t even checked his status properly before choking him, oops. Julia hugged my little snake clone body, which I said was like my familiar instead of just a detached piece of my soul, because that¡¯s way more believable than just telling her that¡­ I¡¯ve seen some magicians that can use spirits and familiars, so it is more probable. The difference between spirits and familiars is big though, Familiars are something like temporary artificial spirits that can be made out of magic to serve a purpose, sometimes they can attack automatically, scout the area, and connect with the user¡¯s mind. Advanced magicians use them for everything, even as assistants if they¡¯re like alchemists in a workshop. They disappear after the mana they were given to exists is exhausted but can be given mana constantly so they can keep up alive for longer, theyck ego and intelligence, and are more like drones, magicians can use them as ¡°phones¡± in a way, control them remotely, and use them to talk from long distances too. I guess my snake ghosts are like my own version of familiars, though I wonder if I could make the conventional ones. Spirits are different from familiars as they are¡­ well, the essence of elements in the world, they¡¯re the pir of elements, small souls that create elements and are the embodiment of them, they¡¯re seen as sacred by mostly all people, and those that can use them are very few. I am supposed to be a Spirit Mage but I have yet to find one for myself in all this journey, which sucks a lot! Maybe I am too scary for any spirit to get closer, I remember that Emeraldine¡¯s spirits are scared of me, so maybe they don¡¯t get along with Undead like me, sigh.. Anyways, I tried tofort Julia while she cried, she was very scared and she literally almost died there, it must have been a traumatic experience for her young heart. She¡¯s soon to reach the age of 17 I think, but she¡¯s still very young. I petted her head with my snake tail for a bit, while the soldiers began to inspect the body of the Vampire. ¡°Calm down, Julia, I am here for you, dear. I was actuallying here but I was stopped by some guards outside the Noble¡¯s residence gate, and they didn¡¯t let me get inside, even when I called for you¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Eh? R-Really?! Geez! I remember that I told them some time ago to watch out for anyone named Maria that said to be a Shadow Magician, these ipetent fools forgot something so important?! I am firing them all!¡± Said Julia angrily. ¡°They were also trying to scam me for my money, and when I said I didn¡¯t had any money, they tried to bring me to a closed room to probably do some very unsightly things to me! If it wasn¡¯t for my friends, I would had killed them all for trying to do that¡­¡± I said. ¡°Eeeeh?! T-Those bastards! I am going to chop their heads! How dare they be so vulgar?! I cannot let such men be my guards, I¡¯ll put them into the guillotine!¡± Said Julia angrily. ¡°Young Lady, I don¡¯t think it is necessary to kill them¡­¡± ¡°T-They had yet tomit a crime, just being sent to the prison is enough¡­¡± The two knight guards seemed a bit empathetic of the guards that were into raping girls, but I guess they were right in that, they don¡¯t deserve to die¡­ Most of the time I only kill when I am really pissed, feeling psycho, or the guys really did some fucked up shit beforehand. Which is most of the time, so I shouldn¡¯t really be the one making decisions here. But Julia was also in an emotional state so I guess she was impacted more than I thought, she immediately jumped into the guillotine, huh, that¡¯s quite crazy. I guess a Duchess can just easily condemn someone to die if they wanted, so much power in a little girl body! I wish I could be a duchess too¡­ Well, technically I am like a queen in my little town, but there¡¯s no way I would ever kill any of my lovely people, that¡¯s horrendous! Anyways, enough of thinking nonsense for the day. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t kill them, just punish them in other ways.¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I am motivated to ruin the life of people so much today.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Okay.¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°W-Well, what are you two waiting for?! Bring this corpse outside of my sight! Also, call the maids and butlers to clean this mess, and send a servant to open the gate for Maria and her friends, NOW!¡± Julia¡¯s words were domineering and she easily made the entire manor¡¯s servants move to her will. ¡°Yaaay!¡± And like that, when I opened my eyes in my main body, we found ourselves walking back to the gate. I convinced my lovely trio that I had managed to finally convince Julia, all while saving her from a sneaky Vampire Assassin, of course, the praises showered over my own self and I couldn¡¯t help butugh evilly as I feasted in my own ever-growing ego! ¡°You saved her from a Vampire?!¡± Asked Emeraldine in surprise. ¡°Incredible, if it wasn¡¯t for your, she would had died¡­ That¡¯s scary, are Vampires behind everything ONCE MORE? Can¡¯t these guys take a break?¡± ¡°Good work.¡± Said Lucifer, petting my head. ¡°You really saved her there.¡± ¡°Master is of course amazing!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Hehe, yes, yes! I am!¡± Iughed evilly. After a few minutes, I went back to normal. ¡ª¨C Chapter 292 Honorary Guests Of A Nobles Residence ¡ª¨C ¡°All of you get out of my sight!¡± Julia roared angrily at the four soldiers that had stopped us froming through, they mocked us and didn¡¯t even acted politely, they could had just told just that we were not allowed to pass, but they had to go the extra mile insulting us, trying to ask for bribes, and even attempted something weird at the end. ¡­Anyways, Julia was roaring back at them as the soldiers were kneeling before her and asking for forgiveness, they really didn¡¯t wanted to lose their jobs now that they were being paid so much to literally do nothing at all. ¡°Please forgive us, our liege!¡± ¡°Lady Julia!¡± ¡°We are very sorry, we really didn¡¯t knew she was your friend!¡± ¡°W-We forgot that you told us about her, we are humans we canmit¡­ mistakes!¡±. Julia crossed her arms while looking down at all of them while pouting, she seemed to be growing more and more furious each passing second. She felt offended as well for some reason, as if they had insulted her. Does she really appreciate me that much? We have barely meet until now¡­ Maybe saving her life really gave her a good impression of me? ¡°You lowly scum!¡± Roared Julia, acting cockily just like actual royalty would usually do. ¡°You dare think that you can just talk out of this situation? Do you think that because I am a young girl, you can easily ask for forgiveness and wait for the deepest of my heart to pity you?! You¡¯re messed up and missing a few screws. It was already notorious since the beginning of Maria¡¯s story, if you were really going to do something as outrageous as¡­ v-vite her, I won¡¯t even allow you to bemoners anymore!¡± Julia looked down at the guards, as they began to be shrouded in their own cold sweat, the stares of dozens of knights lined up from left and right around them pointing their spears at them really made up for the frightening sight, at any moment all of them could get stabbed to death if Julia wanted. ¡°Please, Lady Julia, we ask for forgiveness!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose this job, how will I feed my family?!¡± ¡°I-I have two kids!¡± ¡°P l e a s e!¡± ¡°Lies. I have investigated your families already, only one of you still lives with his parents but they own a bakery, so they don¡¯t even need the money you earn¡­ You¡¯re all rotting in prison until you pay for the crime you¡¯vemitted. I am being benevolent now because I am aware you did notmit that one crime yet, if you had even dared to touch Maria further, your heads would be rolling in the ground¡­¡± Julia looked down at the guards, they were pissing themselves right now. Damn, this girl is really amazing at intimidating the lower sses. This is the might of a noble I guess. ¡°R-Rotting in prison?!¡± ¡°Y-You can¡¯t do this to usssss!¡± ¡°Please, nooo!¡± ¡°W-Wait! I can¡¯t rot in prison for all my life for just insulting some random whore- AGHH!¡± C L A S H! Thatst one suddenly got kicked by Julia in the face, she was wearing hard heels right now, and she had a decent Level at Level 20/100. She had the Strong Kick Skill as well, which went well with her Princess Knight Job, the man almost had his jaw dislocated. Yeah, in this world royalty was not just rich, they were strong as fuck. ¡­Well, most of the time, and even then, the ones I beat were strong but not strong enough to defeat a monster like me singlehandedly, I also got a lot of cheat abilities to facilitate murder, haha! ¡°G y y y a a a a a h h h! A a a g g h!¡± The guard began to cry in agony as Julia looked down on him with disgust, as if she had stepped over a bug that had sttered over the ground, she wasn¡¯t even pitying them. God, this girl is ruthless¡­ yet she¡¯s somehow the best noble I¡¯ve ever meet yet! ¡°Bring them out of my sight!¡± Said Julia ruthlessly, as a group of knights quickly dragged the guards away, all of them looked at me hatefully and most of them were about to cry. Hey, at least you didn¡¯t die. What would had been better, staying in afy prison with free food or bing my skelly servant? The first, right? Don¡¯tin! Seriously, these people nowadays is way toofortable to realize how fortunate they are, shouldn¡¯t had acted like an asshole. You got a good job, you should try to do it right, asshats. Anyways, enough ranting, Julia finished roaring in anger as she sighed in relief, looking at me with her shiny eyes, she smiled a bit. ¡°Did I do it good? I was honestly a bit tired¡­ I had not acted like this in a while.¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°Eh? Were you pretending?¡± I wondered. ¡°N-No, but I was really angry, I think I went overboard.¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°You really did, I don¡¯t know you got this angry, we have barely met yet you treated this as if it were a insult to you¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, you saved my life just now! Is it bad to be grateful for what you did for me by being ruthless against those that dared to do this to you?¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°Well, I suppose we can strengthen our rtionship over time. Now that things are wrapped up, we got a lot to talk about, so let¡¯s go back to my house.¡± Julia led us into the house as she seemed rather tired and hungry. ¡°Hector, prepare the food for lunch.¡± Said Julia, as an old butler with a mustache nodded. ¡°Immediately, young master.¡± The butler said, quickly walking away into the kitchen. ¡°Sigh, are you hungry? Come with me, let¡¯s enjoy some food while we talk.¡± Said Julia. ¡ª¨C Chapter 293 I Am Quite The Deceiver ¡ª¨C As the food was going to take some time to prepare, Julia decided to quickly introduce us around the manor for a bit, giving us a small trip around the first and second floor of the manor, it was as big as I remember, it felt like a wholebyrinth from inside to be honest. She seemed happy to see us, and back then she only saw Emeraldine and Partner, but now she was able to see Lucifer as well, which she found rather handsome, as every time he spoke to her, she would blush a bit and avert her gaze shyly. I guess my man is really a handsome stud, isn¡¯t he? That¡¯s a dragon¡¯s charm after all, heh. ¡°Since you¡¯vee here, I assume you came to stay for a while, right? I got a lot of work to give you, Maria. I am still investigating things about the two people you said you wanted to meet¡­ Any info about them seems to have been taken away from the archives of the Kingdom, and my ability to research is limited¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°As long as you can help me in that regard I¡¯ll help you out as well, I am interested in helping you make of this ce a better ce¡­ Of course, as long as you pay.¡± I said with a greedy grin. ¡°And well, we¡¯ll travel back and forth sometimes, going back to my territory to manage it and meet my people, so I won¡¯t be able to stay all the time here but I¡¯ll leave Familiars.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good enough, as long as you don¡¯t go back and forth so frequently¡­¡± She said. ¡°Anyways, you can stay in my residence! We got a lot of rooms so feel free to pick any, just ask the maids for a bathroom, there are several ones spread over the house. We can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner together if you want to, but you¡¯re free to wander around the duchy whenever you got free time, but I doubt you¡¯ll have as much free time, there are many things going on right now, the attempted assassination won¡¯t be the first andst one¡­¡± Julia seemed overly serious, I suppose things had escted quickly into something dangerous. Vampires were plotting her death and had already attempted to assassinate her with a special assassin with abilities that could even ignore magic barriers.. ¡°There are many things we must discuss after all, the Vampires are once more on the move. It deeply saddens me that this family of once honorable Majin have turned into such devils¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°I-Indeed¡­ You¡¯re right.¡± Said Julia. ¡°But do you know Vampires or something, Sir Lucifer?¡± Wondered Julia while approaching Lucifer a bit and looking at him with shiny eyes. Lucifer felt a bit overwhelmed, as he decided to not reveal any more information. ¡°Not so much, I only read¡­ in books about their past before the fall of the Demon King. They once served the Demon King as¡­ a Family of noble knights.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I see¡­ So Vampires ended devolving into such vile acts, but for what purpose? To survive in our society?¡± Wondered Julia. ¡°I have also heard rumors about Vampires getting involved in very, the mass production of strange ck potions that strengthen people but also turn them insane, and also in the illegal experimentation of bodies and other things in the Duchy of Btina¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s the case, we were there when it happened.¡± I said. ¡°It was exposed that the duke of that duchy was holding dozens of enved people underground and with the help of the Vampires, they were using them as experimental subjects to make chimeras¡­ Then there was a woman that showed up, or well, a specter¡­ She punished them for what they did, greatly surprising everyone.¡± ¡°Oh! So you were there when it happened?! Is it true that the ghost of the Dark Witch, the woman that my uncle beheaded here was the one that did everything?! It has been circting all around the Kingdom that she hade back from the dead to avenge her death and her family¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°The death of my damned uncle might had been by the hands of her, as it is suspected due to the trails of phantasmal energies.¡± ¡°I think it was¡­ Erm, I am not sure, it was all pretty confusing¡­ But the nobles were indeed tortured and died after that¡­ She left a long-standing impression, I guess.¡± I sighed. I pretended to not know anything and it seemed to work well, I am quite the deceiver, heh. Ding! [You learned the [Deceiver: Lv1] Title Skill] What? Seriously?! ¡ª¨C [Deceiver: Lv1] Your ability to lie and deceive others is outstanding, making it extremely hard for someone to figure out you¡¯re lying to them, and your ability to gain inspiration and createpletely invented scenarios to create borated lies is exceptional. This little enhances your ability to create lies, deceive, and trick people by +20% with each level. ¡ª¨C What? There¡¯s even a numerical value based on how much I can deceive someone? Now I feel a bit bad for the little Julia, but I cannot really tell her that I am the actual¡­ Witch. She already found it weird that I asked her to investigate about the Witch¡¯s little son and her aunt, which I gave her the excuse that it was because my family was indebted to them and I wanted to help them and pay for such a debt¡­ She believed it of course, I am really a good deceiver, huh. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is¡­ I am d you¡¯re here to help out, Maria, you seem to be a good person and I think I can trust you.¡± Said Julia. ¡°Of course! You can call me Marie or Maria, although I am named Marie, they often call me Maria anyways.¡± I said with a forced smile which she didn¡¯t noticed to be forced. Ding! [The Level of [Deceiver: Lv1] has increased to Level 2] Agh, seriously?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 294 Re Introducing Myself ¡ª¨C I had sessfully deceived the duchess more than once and I felt quite terrible by doing so, but can you me me for it? I had no other option, as an undead ghost monster, and my band of monsters that I carry around, I gotta lie and deceive. No way a duchess would ally a literal ghost, right? So I cannot really tell her the truthpletely, and I have to create lies after lies, which keep piling up¡­ if I ever tell her one day what I am, her entire perception of me will change, but there¡¯s no other way. To make friends of humans, there¡¯s no other option. But hey, at least I am walking away from my murderhood tendencies and trying to be decent! I have had enough ughter for now, and the duchess is nice, she¡¯s new and fresh, and I don¡¯t got any grudge against her, she¡¯s a new generation, and I am sure she¡¯ll guide this duchy to the glory it once had. I am rather interested in making money honestly for some time as well, and she can provide me with a lot of resources very easily too, without having to steal them and ruining the lives of people selling them, which has never been my intention. As we sat down around a long table to eat, Julia began to bombard me with various questions regarding my job and my Rank as an Adventurer, and what other experiences in the field I¡¯ve had.. ¡°Well, like you saw the other time, I¡¯ve been working mostly behind the shadows helping the needy. I got my own territory so I¡¯ve been rescuing ves any time I see them, I¡¯ve despised ve trafficking for a long time, and I don¡¯t forgive those that ve people either. very is allowed in most duchies, so killing ve traders could be considered illegal.¡± I sighed. ¡°But I know you think like me, this is why I am telling you this information.¡± ¡°I see, so you registered yourself in the Adventurer Guild as a fa?ade?¡± Wondered Julia. ¡°Yeah, we registered just so we could use it for our benefit, even being a F-Rank Adventurer makes you more trustworthy and people tend to lower their guard as well. It is also a good way to give a reason behind traveling around so much to people¡­¡± I said. ¡°I was raised in a small vige by my mother and my father, since I was a child that I developed magic and powers that people often think that only witches have, such as Darkness and Shadow Magic, and Necromancy.¡± ¡°Necromancy¡­ It is an umon power, and often monster such as Liches and Death Knights possess such power, so it is often attributed to monsters and evil things, but there are some people that have it and use it for good.¡± Said Julia. ¡°In a duchy of this Kingdom there is a famous Necromancer Adventurer who is also a Majin, he used to be a ve but won his freedom and is respected because he¡¯s a good alchemist¡­ Majin are discriminated due to the church forcing stupid ideals on people, but there are some ces where there are still some of them thriving, one of their greatest representatives is this man.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I am d that Necromancy is not seen as the evilest thing.¡± I sighed. ¡°I was honestly quite afraid of revealing this to you, but I had to because it is an essential part of my capabilities¡­ Such as that I can see the spirits of dead people.¡± ¡°Eh? Really?¡± Asked the girl. ¡°Yes, people that had died in many ways often remain resentful in the world, people cannot see them unless they be an Undead such as a zombie, a skeleton, or a ghost¡­ But when they don¡¯t transform, they¡¯re harmless wandering souls, some call them dead spirits. Spiritualists can also see them andmunicate with them, but due to being a Necromancer, they feel naturally attracted to me and I can speak to them more easily¡­¡± I said. ¡°That Familiar I showed to you is something like a dead spirit I have created. I call them Ghost Snakes.¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± Said Julia. ¡°I had actually left it here when you brought us to your manor¡­ I apologize for having done something like that, but I wanted to make sure you were not someone that was deceiving me¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Y-You spied on me?!¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Sigh¡­ W-Well, you saved my life so I guess I have to forgive you this time, but I hope you don¡¯t do that again¡­ Geez¡­¡± Julia sighed while blushing a bit. ¡°I didn¡¯t spied you while you were nude, most of the time the snake was behind the bed sleeping¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Eh?! I-I didn¡¯t said anything of the sort!¡± She said while pouting. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry.¡± Iughed. ¡°Anyways, what do we do now that we are here? I was nning on searching for clues about the ones selling the drugs, are there more ve sellers we need to deal with?¡± ¡°Yes, I have already spotted the hideout of another big area where they¡¯re keeping around a dozen of ves, but due to theck of personnel I haven¡¯t been able to raid it, there is also a lot of unknown factors we need to investigate¡­¡± Sighed Julia. She quickly took a folder filled with papers and gave them to me, they contained information about what she had found out, a group of thieves named Dark Eyes had been taking over the red-light district and kidnapping children who are homeless, from orphanages, and also women. There had been several cases of women that were even low-ranked adventurers that lived there and even prostitutes that suddenly disappeared, they all lead to these people, and some witnessers said that they were knocked out by some mysterious men before their friends orpanions were taken away by force. ¡­Seriously, what¡¯s with this stupid country¡¯s obsession with very? Every little thug is just enving and enving, I guess they have yet to learn a lesson. Oh yes, they¡¯ll learn one in hell, that¡¯s it. ¡ª¨C Chapter 295 The Threat Of The Dungeon And The Graveyard ¡ª¨C ¡°I wish we could do this as quickly as possible, but we had a lot of time restrains, and I was being constantly pestered with documents and paperwork I had to do toplete various transactions. I have begun to buy a lot of stone and pay constructors to repair the walls of the duchy, which have been torn apart and damaged after my uncle¡¯s passing from monsters that had been trying to attack it, if it wasn¡¯t for thosest adventurers that had stayed in here protecting their home, I don¡¯t know if the knights would had been able to stop these monster waves¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°The dungeon had suddenly begun acting once more after being dormant for months, and it has begun to spawn monsters that have started to roam outside, so the forests are not the most securest¡­ And the graveyard¡­ Well, there are Undead showing up every day by now, the miasma emanated from the dungeon is making them spawn, the priests of the church are working hard to exorcise them and cover the graves with holy runes, but they ask for way too much money sometimes, the very capital I am trying to build is fading away¡­¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I see. There¡¯s certainly a lot of problems going on.¡± I said. ¡°Have you considered on stopping investing in the graveyard and just incinerate the corpses of the people into ashes? Cremation is a thing, you know? I¡¯ve always wondered why people doesn¡¯t want this when there can be risks for undead to show up eventually in big graveyards like that ce (My birthce).¡±. ¡°Cremation? Certainly, I had considered it a lot, but the noble families doesn¡¯t want that because they say that the bodies of their family members that had passed away would be desecrated and destroyed, something that many people find horrendous. I was also taught that it was horribly, but I have begun to realize that it is a good option, however, those nobles are the source of the ie of this decaying duchy, if I go against them so much, they¡¯ll begin to dislike me more and more¡­ Ah, what a pain.¡± Julia sighed; she was really stressed. I wonder if she had slept at all? She had big ck bags below her eyes which she was barely able to hide with makeup. ¡°How can they be so stupid? The Undead are already decimating their corpses, also I am sure that when they get purified most undead turn into ashes anyways, without even anything left unlike cremation¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°You gotta find a way to convince them or¡­ Well, there¡¯s another way I guess. I can go to the graveyard and use my Necromancy to tame the undead.¡± ¡°Eh?! You can do that? I thought that Necromancers were only able to control the Undead they had risen, howe you can tame already risen Undead?¡± Wondered Julia in surprise. ¡°That one Adventurer that is a Necromancer cannot tame wild Undead, but he had been seen to be able to reanimate dead bodies into Undead, or summon Undead like a person summon familiars as well¡­ Because most people find it unsightly if he uses human undead, he mostly uses monsters and animal undead instead.¡± ¡°Yeah it is possible, it is part of my abilities, as long as the Undead are weaker than me, and even if they resist, I can use some sorts of ways to convince them.¡± I said. ¡°However, will people be alright with me owning undead that used to be their family members?¡± I sighed. ¡°Maybe you can ask them to turn back into their graves?¡± Wondered Julia. ¡°I remember you were able to take away their souls, can¡¯t you?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°She can do that?!¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Yeah, I am capable of forcefully taking the souls out of a body, Undead is easier¡­ The stronger the person, the harder it is. This often results in¡­ an instant death.¡± I said with a wicked smile, Julia began to sweat quickly and nervously, I wasn¡¯t going to kill her or something. ¡°Hahaha! I am joking, I cannot really do it to living people.¡± I said. I decided to lie to not make my existence so threatening. ¡°Phew¡­ You really scared me there, wouldn¡¯t you be in the level of an S-Rank Adventurer if you can just one-shot people like that?¡± She wondered. ¡°As I said, it would be very difficult and I have not tried it yet, so it is just theory, it only works better with undead¡­ Actually I lied, I did use it against monsters now that I remember¡­¡± I said. ¡°Huh¡­ You¡¯re really insanely strong. I wonder if I will be able to pay you well¡­¡± Said Julia. ¡°C-Can you wait a bit for your pay? I would love to pay you upfront, but I am really trying to make my little capital grow a bit more.¡± ¡°I understand, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I said. ¡°By the way, how do you usually make money?¡± ¡°Taxes.¡± Said Julia. ¡°People pay taxes, allmoners. I can invest in business that people is starting, or those of nobles as well, gain actions from their business and share part of their revenue, their taxes also increase if they earn a lot as well, this is a good method to increase my capital, but that often takes months to see any results, if not years.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a long time that you want me to wait, but I can receive payment in items and products as well. After all I came here because I need money to buy resources and food for my people, we are a small town and the cold temperatures there are really hell on earth. We are in a project to build a greenhouse and nt our crops, but it¡¯s taking a long time¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°We need a lot of fresh veggies and fruits more than anything, and a lot of seeds.¡± ¡°Seeds, alright, I think I can find you veggies, fruits, and all of that, I¡¯ll gather things up through the week and deliver it to you at the end of the week, is that eptable?¡± She asked. ¡°Yep, all good to me.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 296 Black Crystal ¡ª¨C The day passed rather quickly after lunch, which was a delicious steak of freshly caught wild boar that the hunters of the duchy caught for the Duchess with some mashed potatoes, a delicious, sweet sauce, and a lot of vegetable sd with cheesecake for dessert, we ended gathering inside an underground room with Julia, where the corpse of the Vampire that attempted to assassinate her was located. A Court Magician that serves her, named Emiliano, a well-known noble used the Conservation Life Attribute Spell to maintain the corpse in a state where it wouldn¡¯t get nasty nor it would begin to rot. ¡°So this is the corpse¡­ beheaded.¡± Said Julia. ¡°Damn they were quite brutal now that I think about it, but I guess this is the best way you can kill Vampires, sting their brains out.¡± Sighed Julia as she looked at the corpse while containing her impulse to vomit. ¡°Hm, it appears this corpse is still quite filled with magic¡­¡± Said Lucifer, inspecting the corpse in detail. ¡°Magic? What do you mean? Its dead, right?¡± Wondered Julia.. ¡°Precisely, but¡­ I can see that there are certain substances and foreign objects inside of this corpse that seem to be increasing its power¡­ The magic still lingers inside.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°May I open it?¡± Asked Lucifer to Emiliano, who was a green-haired man, he had been briefly introduced to us and has been rather polite and silent. ¡°S-Sure, Sir Lucifer. If you feel bold enough¡­ Here.¡± Said Emiliano, as he helped Lucifer take out the clothes of the Vampire, which were all infused with Stealth Runes, which are created through the usage of the Stealth Skill into a Rune through what¡¯s called Rune Creation, a specific way of creating magic that can be infused into objects with certain effects. After that, we covered the corpse¡¯s crotch, and Lucifer used his ws, which he made grow into long ck knives, surprising everybody who saw him. ¡°W-Woah! He can do that?!¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Y-You¡¯re not a human, aren¡¯t you?¡± Julia seemed shocked. ¡°No, I am a Majin.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I hid my real appearance using the Morph and Shapeshift Skill, most of us Majin can do this.¡± Lucifer showed to Julia his ¡°true¡± form, as he grew horns, a tail, and scales over his hands and around his neck. His presence suddenly grew more menacing, but Julia seemed to only grow more amazed by our group. ¡°A-Amazing! To think I would get to see a Majin so up close, they¡¯re such rare and mysterious people filled with amazing innate abilities!¡± Said Julia. ¡°Let me tell you that I am not someone that discriminates Majin! My mother taught me to never discriminate people¡¯s races, and the bias against the Majin is built upon the hate against the Vampires and also the Demon King said to have terrorized the continent of Midgard back then¡­ But I believe there are good Majin, just like there are good and bad humans.¡± ¡°I am grateful for your eptance and open-mindedness.¡± Said Lucifer with a charming smile, as Julia seemed to be falling more for him. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good or not, he¡¯s my husband after all! But I guess he can have his club of admirers. I am containing my jealously. Emiliano did notice the eerie aura I was emanating a bit, as he quickly asked Julia to move a bit away from the corpse because it might spray blood as it is opened. ¡°Young Lady, please move a bit aside from the corpse as it might spray blood.¡± Said Emilian, as Julia quickly was brought to reality. ¡°R-Right!¡± Said Julia, quickly stepping away from my charming Lucifer, as he used his ws to open the stomach of the Vampire, putting his hand inside of his entrails rather disgustingly, the face of enchantment that Julia had a few seconds before waspletely gone as she felt rather disgusted, making a face as if she was about to puke. ¡°Ueggh¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°Young Lady please hang in there!¡± Cried Emiliano, covering her with the ¡°Rest¡± Spell, that calms a person¡¯s heart and let them rx and heal their wounds at the same time. Lucifer ignored what was going on around his surroundings as he called for me, the two of us, and then Partner who began to look into the corpse with a smile filled with hunger saw what Lucifer suddenly found, a ck stone, or a ck jewel. It was certainly more like a jewel than a stone, as it was semi-transparent, and shone brightly below the light of the candles. It contained an eerie, dark, and miasmic aura from within, and it looked utterly frightening. This is a ck Crystal, a crystallization of the miasma taken from the Fragment of the Evil God¡­ So the Vampires are indeed all rted, this guy didn¡¯t came from another faction but the same one that has been behind everything before! Seriously, can¡¯t we get new viins for once? ¡°This is a ck Crystal, it is part of the Fragment of the Evil God.¡± Said Lucifer, showing the piece of material to Julia. ¡°W-We have confiscated some of these materials before! Some of the vers had them with them for some reason, and there were some corpses of ves we once found with these things inside their stomachs¡­¡± Said Julia. ¡°Just what kind of thing are they doing with these things?¡± ¡°Think of them as monster¡¯s magic crystals.¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯re filled with magic and miasma, and can enhance the strength of a person when it is inside their bodies, it can affect their behavior as well, but it brings them the ability to use magic better and easily, and increase the power of their bodies too¡­ This Vampire most likely used it to enhance his power enough to get pass the barrier. He must have many more inside his body which he had either eaten or imnted.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ That¡¯s terrifying¡­ The Gods themselves forbid humanity from meddling with the Fragments of the Evil God yet¡­ they are still ying with them as if they were mere toys¡­ Just how foolish can these people be?¡± Sighed Julia. ¡ª¨C Chapter 297 A Rebellious Dead Spirit ¡ª¨C We ended finding around 12 more of these ck crystals inside the Vampire¡¯s corpse, they were all almost drained of their energy, so the Vampire was using them all to somehow receive a great boost to his power. His body also looked worn down, passing through the barrier perhaps put a bit strain on his body, perhaps this is why he ended allowing Julia to struggle so much, as he ended weakened and tired when he came to finally kill her, and was surprised that she had some strength herself. ¡°We can assume that these Vampires are far too rotten¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°Now what do we do with the corpse?¡± Wondered Emiliano. ¡°I don¡¯t know if my magic is strong enough to purify such a high level Undead as Vampires.¡± ¡°I could¡­¡± Said Emeraldine, who had been rather silent. ¡°I could turn it into ashes easily, but I wouldn¡¯t really do it, the bodies of Vampires have materials that are good for alchemy. Can we keep it as payment too? Part of the payment.¡± Said Emeraldine, she seemed to want the corpse for herself. She had indeed used corpse from Vampires to make special potions that served to calm the hunger of Partner, there are also special potions made from their eyes that grant Night Vision, and if used constantly, can even gran the Skill. There are also potions that enhance darkness magic power, which I¡¯ve drank sometimes, but Partner often drank those too because they had blood. We mostly want it for Partner, yeah.. ¡°S-Sure, if that¡¯s what you want, I won¡¯t object against it, it¡¯s all yours, Emeraldine.¡± Said Julia rather gently, just wanting this thing away from her sight. ¡°Hold it, we could also use it for our own research.¡± Said Emiliano. ¡°Of course I would purify it if the youngdy wanted but if that¡¯s not the case, I would like to request it for my own house, the body of a Vampire is a rare sight, investigating their bodily functions is something I would like to partake.¡± Emilia said, he seemed to be a man passionate with biology, I guess that¡¯s what usuallyes out when you¡¯re a life mage. ¡°Sorry not sorry, this is ours now.¡± I said. ¡°You might have the favor of the youngdy¡­ But! You¡¯re still amoner, I am a noble. If I request it, I will have it!¡± Emiliano said defiantly, his gentle demeanor gone. He was so passionate over biology he went to such lengths. ¡°We¡¯ll give you one whenever we kill another Vampire.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make thisplicated.¡± ¡°We are not negotiating with food!¡± Said Partner angrily. ¡°W-What? Food?¡± Asked Emiliano. ¡°Oops¡­¡± Partner you really had to go and say it, you glutton girl! I¡¯ll spank her ass this night to teach her a lesson! ¡­Although she¡¯ll probably enjoy that. ¡°Erm, she just talks about food all the time, she¡¯s a hungry girl after all.¡± I said with aughter. ¡°Anyway, sorry Emiliano, it is ours.¡± I said, touching the corpse as I put it inside of my inventory, the entire corpse disappeared without him being able to do anything. ¡°Ah! No¡­ ugh¡­¡± Emiliano sighed. He wasn¡¯t a corrupt or evil man; he was just very passionate about biology to the point he would fight to get his hands into a vampire corpse. ¡°Haha, sorry about that man, I¡¯ll make sure to give you another one whenever we catch it!¡± I said. Of course, that¡¯s a lie as well, I won¡¯t give up Partner¡¯s food to him. Vampires are considered a delicacy to my beloved little Partner, so as her unofficial girlfriend, I cannot let her miss this meal. ¡°Heheheheh¡­¡± Partner began tough eerily as she hugged me and rubbed her face in my shoulder. Julia and Emiliano felt a bit creeped out, as the light in their eyes slowly faded away. She was really scary, especially when her eyes shone bright red. ¡°W-Well, now that we are done here, we should talk with the spirit of the vampire, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± I asked casually, as Julia and Emiliano jumped out in surprise once more. ¡°S-Spirit!?¡± Asked Emiliano. ¡°I didn¡¯t told you but she¡¯s a Necromancer.¡± Said Julia. ¡°I-Incredible! Really?! Necromancers are so rare, especially a human!¡± Said Emiliano. ¡°Yeah¡­ Now¡­ Visualization!¡± I said, quickly conjuring a simple Death-Attribute Magic Spell that had yet to turn into a proper Skill, it covered the spirit with magic, making it visible. I had tied it with my shadow threads as if they were chains, and he seemed to be in pain and angered. ¡°Grrrr! Unhand me! I won¡¯t obey you!!!¡± He roared angrily. This was a very rare sight to behold, dead spirits always obeyed mymands, but this guy didn¡¯t. This probably meant that he either had a very strong soul, which was slightly stronger yeah, but not that overpowered, or that he had some sort of spell or power inside his soul made by someone else, and bingo! That was it. ¡°Usually dead spirits just obey me right away but this guy is very rebellious, it is because of this thing he got inside his soul. The Vampires somehow managed to infuse ck crystals inside the souls of their servants¡­.¡± I said, showing to everyone that the bluish-colored transparent body of the Vampire¡¯s soul had a ck jewel floating in the middle of the chest, which was covering his chest with roots made of darkness, as if he was infected with it. ¡°T-They have someone capable of manipting souls?¡± Asked Emiliano in shock. ¡°I-Impossible, just how resourceful are these damned demons?¡± Asked Julia while crossing her arms. ¡°I remember fighting and killing two Necromancer Vampires in the past, both of them held ves as prisoners for their own vile means. One of them forced them to do very work making potions and crafting items, while another used them for his experiments with alchemy¡­ Vampires of high ranks tend to have Necromancy moremonly, I guess it is because they¡¯re very closely rted with the Death Element.¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 298 You Have To Abuse The System! ¡ª¨C ¡°Vampires are really tricky¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°To think they can have so many things, how can we possibly fight their organization? And they¡¯re even resentful! Probably they saw how I was slowly stopping their underground activities and attempted to murder me.¡± Julia seemed very tired, sitting over a seat, and asking a butler for some tea. ¡°bring me some tea, Hector.¡± ¡°Very well mydy. With aromatic herbs?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, I want to get this stench of dead vampire.¡± Sighed Julia.. ¡°Understood. Do you desire some cookies with it? recently we received a few new pastries as well.¡± Said Hector. ¡°That would be good¡­¡± Said Julia while nodding like a spoiled girl, Hector seems to be a butler that had been sticking with her for a long time. ¡°Oh! May everyone want to continue this meeting upstairs now that I remember? Eating down here would be annoying, the stench won¡¯t go away in various days, drinking tea and eating here would be displeasing.¡± The Butler was very considerate, and he convinced us to quickly walk upstairs from this crummy underground room, sitting around a small circr table, he quickly brought aromatic tea that soothed the heart and the mind, alongside a few cakes, cheesecake, and cookies. It was so good! There were three types of cheesecake, with strawberry sauce on top and raw cream cheese, baked cheesecake that was very puffy and tasty, with chocte coverture, and then there was fruit cheesecake kuchen, abination of kuchen and cheesecake cream with a lot of varied and colorful fruits on top. There were also chocte cookies, some had jam on top, and they all looked so pretty, and to boot, there were pieces of chiffon cake as well as chocte cake. Oh my god, this is the life of a true noble! Eating tasty and colorful pastries with some tea in a finely crafted teacup, wow! I think I can get used to this life, hehe. Anyways, as we enjoyed teatime while the sun slowly fell from the horizon, we began to discuss the pain in the ass that Vampires were, Emiliano seemed to be sticking with us, we might see him more in the future as he is an important figure in the duchy as a Court Mage, an assistant magician of Julia, his life magic cane in handy, he has several spells that Emeraldine doesn¡¯t have. Emeraldine herself specializes more in Nature and Light than Life Magic after all. Nature can sometimes have spells simr to Life magic, it can also heal and do other things, but it cannot be as specializing as Life Magic by itself, so Emiliano is a pretty good asset. Nheless, the topic of conversation was now¡­ how deep were the damn Vampires. As Julia learned more from what I¡¯ve told to her, she grew more and more worried, she was almost assassinated some time ago already by a very strong Vampire that could had possibly in all his knights if it wasn¡¯t because my ghost snake wasn¡¯t there to poison him and use my eyes on him to fuck him over. And now, she learned that they got Necromancy at their side, amazing alchemists, the power of the Fragment of Evil for some reason and are most likely colluding with other nobles from different duchies. They are a massive organization of the underground, and the biggest threat of this entire Kingdom, if not the entire Continent of Midgard, but we have our own problems to take care of so we can¡¯t worry about the other Kingdoms, that¡¯s morete-game content. ¡°Vampires are¡­ way too powerful! What do we even doooo? Uaaaagggh! ¡­Sip.¡± Julia cried, before calming down and then sipping some tea, sighing and then calming down. I guess she really wanted to scream that. ¡°They are powerful but not without weaknesses. We have in a couple of them already. We know that they can get defeated with enough teamwork.¡± I said. ¡°You can leave the work to us, but¡­ your knights, they¡¯re way too weak, and there might be the case where we¡¯ll need their assistance too.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°I am happy you¡¯re so reliable, Marie, and the rest¡­¡± Sighed Julia once more. ¡°But you mean my knights? Yeah they¡¯re trash.¡± Julia was talking more honestly with us now, she really rxed very quickly. I guess after being shocked so many times her tongue got loosen and she started to talk from the depths of her soul. ¡°The average level of my Knights is around Level 25, most of them are Nobles, and some very talentedmoner guards that became knights. They are supposedly strong! Some of them are born with innate Skills and the noble bloodlines provide high level caps, but the dungeon and the forest are too dangerous, training the newbies to gain EXP is always dangerous, and they oftene back with many wounds and some even dead, it is a lot of sacrifices I have to put in resources to raise them into being stronger¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°Hm, I guess we¡¯ll also have to do some babysitting, helping them level up by beating the monsters so they can kill them together to gain EXP. Hahh, that takes me back.¡± I sighed. I remember those times I do that with my people so they can level up. Even when we arrived at the demon kingdom¡¯s ruins, I still help them get EXP through giving them kills. ¡°Babysitting? Oh! Right! A-Are you willing to help them level up by letting them leech EXP from your kills, Marie?!¡± Asked Julia, smiling happily as her eyes shone brightly. ¡°Nah, I am making them do the entire kill! You know? I used to cut down the arms and legs of bandits we caught enving people, and then I made the ves kill them by stabbing them, all the dozens of ves got a little stab, so everyone gained EXP! You gotta abuse the system, Julia!¡± I said. ¡°E-Eeh? I-I see¡­¡± Muttered Julia, feeling frightened by just what I had said rather casually, oops. ¡ª¨C Chapter 299 The Origin Of Dungeons ¡ª¨C I had talked a lot with Julia while we were having tea with sweets and pastries, we began to think about the many things we would do from now on that I was here. She really needed somebody like me, this small duchy only had a single B-Rank Adventurer, and she wasn¡¯t even present here as of now, as she was killing off monsters from a faraway vige. ¡°The B-Rank Adventurer, Titania is the only Adventurer in this small duchy capable of doing something on her own to help us, but she had been very busytely, going around each town surrounding the duchy because waves of monsters keep showing up. Various dungeons popped out of nowhere recently, so it¡¯s a hassle, and they¡¯re too far away for us to investigate them into detail.¡± Said Julia. ¡°Sending some of the strongest members of the other guilds would leave my cepletely defenseless if something strong enough show up¡­ I can¡¯t investigate as much as I would had wanted.¡± ¡°I see, you¡¯ve gotten it pretty hard, princess.¡± I sighed.. ¡°I am not really a princess, I am a duchess!¡± Said Julia while pouting. ¡°But I suppose you can call me one if you prefer, Marie¡­ But not in front of other nobles or loyalty¡­¡± ¡°Haha, sorry. It just that you¡¯re cute enough that you fit a princess role¡­¡± I said. ¡°G-Geez! Do you have a thing for women or something? I-I will not fall for petty ttery!¡± Said Julia while crossing her arms, I think she misunderstood me, but I better not continue this awkward topic and go back to what we were talking before. ¡°Anyways!¡± Said Emeraldine, interrupting me. ¡°Titania¡­ This Adventurer, is she the only B-Rank? Are there no A-Rank or S-Rank?¡± Emeraldine wondered. Her memories of staying in this duchy must be faint of very few, she spent little time being an adventurer when she got here before being kidnaped, sadly. ¡°Eeeh? A B-Rank Adventurer is already an incredible person, capable of superhuman feats beyond everything¡­ A-Rank and beyond are¡­ very rare, and often too famous for my tiny and poor duchy. They wander the Kingdom¡¯s capital or are somewhere else, probably in high ranked dungeons or bigbyrinths to the center of the continent. They¡¯re unbound by nobles and wander across the world as they like¡­ There¡¯s no way I would ever find such powerful people to help me out.¡± Juliamented, as she sipped some of the ck tea before resuming her speech. ¡°I am already very lucky to have you four with me. By merely ncing at you with my eyes and my [Mana Detection] Skill I can already tell you¡¯re all incredibly strong¡­ Could you be between C or B Rank in terms of strength despite being lower ranked?¡± All of us nced at one another, as I quickly used Telepathy to speak with them. It was a basic ability that I was able to do by touching them with a small piece of my soul. We discussed about if we should tell her that we are pretty fucking strong or not, but we decided to be humble in this, all four of us were already B+ Rank in the Status, if not higher if we add my buffs and everything else. However, we had to be humble so we wouldn¡¯t bring too much attention. ¡°To be honest I have no idea, this ssification system also takes into consideration quests and everything else, right? We can¡¯t really estimate how strong we are and¡­ We wouldn¡¯t like to have our Status seen if possible, it is part of our privacy policy.¡± I said, making it seem as if it were our privacy policy as mercenaries. ¡°I-I see, I apologize for trying to intrude into your personal information and all of that, I am sure I can trust you already. You seem very capable as well, its not like I will order you to y a high ranked vampire or a behemoth or something, it is mostly slightly strong thugs or magicians! No worries.¡± She said. Perhaps she thought we were weak or something and we were ashamed to show our status. Well, that¡¯s for the better. She¡¯s very nice anyways, even if she is assuming that. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that, dear.¡± I said while sipping some tea. ¡°Anyways, me and my group are quite interested in leveling up, finding strong enough monsters is bing harder. Do you know more information about this dungeon break you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, right, yeah.¡± Julia said while nodding. She quickly took some papers from the pile at her side, as she began to read them attentively while furrowing her eyebrows in full concentration mode. ¡°You see,tely in the nearby towns, four different dungeons appeared around a month ago. We have no idea how they just popped out, but some assume that there was a big fight between natural monsters that leftrge piles of corpses. You know? Dungeons are born with an excessive amount of miasma that is umted in a single ce. Monsters for the most part secrete a lot of miasma when they rot away, so when there is a big pile, dungeons show up¡­¡± ¡°Oh, but four at the same time?!¡± Asked Emeraldine with intrigue. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too much? And¡­ is one of those towns affected inhabited by a few Elves immigrants by any chance?¡± ¡°Elven immigrants? No, not that I know¡­¡± She said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I think the vige you¡¯re talking about is far from this danger. Did you live near the duchy?¡± ¡°Something like that¡­¡± Said Emeraldine, without wanting to borate further. Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t we had a big fight against the Vampires and the guys from the church near that part of the surroundingnd of this duchy? Huh, but we didn¡¯t killed any monsters- Ah, right, Catarina did broke the ground a lot. Maybe she ended killing a lot of wildlife like that¡­ Did all those monsters dying there¡­ provoked those dungeons? Oof. ¡ª¨C Chapter 300 Lets Not Overthink It ¡ª¨C I decided to not overthink it over the new dungeons for now, as I wanted to concentrate into the tasks of today. Before going to sleep we wanted to go clean the graveyard from undead right away, as even when it was quite far away from the city, it was still an imminent threat to the people. However, after I was done with the undead and then the Vampires giving out drugs to people, I probably would want to go explore those four viges. I will also be moving back and forth to my own territory to supervise how things are doing there, and probably attempt to get some recognition from the nearby kingdom in there. I¡¯ll also investigate the Ice Giants and what they¡¯re up to. And aside from that, I also have to get some of my kill count done, so I will be moving to the Duchy of Veredictus, which probably will be a smooth trip. Although now that all the dukes are trying to protect themselves from an insane ghost, it wouldn¡¯t be weird for them to be prepared with a lot of priests from the God of Light Church. I have to rethink my strategy a bit more. ¡°Oh, by the way, in a few months there will be a big even going on in the Affnaria Kingdom, most of the Dukes will gather in the capital because the King wants to check how each of our duchies are doing¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°In our Kingdom, the King makes this every few years, and assess if we are capable enough to maintain each duchy¡­ It is a bit tiring, but we have to somehow get everything well before this meeting. I don¡¯t know if we can get it all done in these months though, seems¡­ quite impossible.¡± ¡°Oh?!¡±. Without thinking it well, I ended letting out a surprised and excited exmation. This was quite big, if there was a meeting between the Dukes, I could get there and just ughter all of them in a big terrorist attack. No wait¡­ there could be Julia there, and I haven¡¯t confirmed if all the idiots that I want dead will be there either¡­ Okay, I have to calm down a bit. ¡°Will the other Dukes be there?¡± I wondered. ¡°Yeah, all of them¡­ I think.¡± She said. ¡°From Duchy of Affnaria which will be me and Emiliano, Btina will also bring a new Duke¡­ And then the dukes of Veredictus, Nesettia, and Netherine, Duke Roberto Albraun, Duke Hansel Albraun, and Duke Netheron Albraun¡­ Thesest three are shady old men, I can¡¯t trust them that well.¡± Those are all the guys I want to kill! Yes! They will be there! I just have to find a way to pick the three of them together in some ce and¡­ BOOP! Dead, I can easily possess them with soul clones probably and rece them in the meeting or something¡­ Well, I will think about it better when it finally happens. And about a new Duke of Btina¡­ I remember I had a pretty hard time killing the duke from there as he had a strong priest defending him and all. Well, I still got them all good, I was chased down by knights and soldierster, and I killed them all and converted them into Undead, which I used to attack the other survivors. This is how I got myself a sizable army of Undead soldiers/knights holding weapons and wearing armor, which I am mostly using as helpers and guards in my vige. Of course, I got some of them with me as well, to summon them at any time and bring them as backup for battle, or to blow them into bits using Undead Detonation. Anyways, now the Duchy of Btina has a new duke, I hope he¡¯s not a bastard involved with the death of my family¡­ Well, I should ask Julia. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± I said. ¡°Is the new Duke of Btina someone apt for the job?¡± ¡°Ah, well, mildly so. He¡¯s my older brother, Joan. He¡¯s a nice man, a bit of a Casanova sometimes, but he got his principles¡­¡± Said Julia. ¡°I am not too fond of his personality, but rest assured, I think he¡¯s a good person.¡± ¡°Huh, I see¡­ the whole incident with the ghost and all must have been pretty hard on the poption there. I bet they had a hard time recovering.¡± I sighed. ¡°¡­Well, to tell you the truth, not really.¡± Julia said while eating a piece of cheesecake. ¡°After that incident the people was left shocked, yeah, but when it was revealed what the previous duke was doing behind the scenes, such as thatboratory that was experimenting with ves and creating horrendous chimeras, his reputation plummeted and many people began to outright say he deserved his death alongside the other two nobles that died by being¡­ well, devoured alive by zombies.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I see. Maybe he deserved it at the end, eh?¡± Iughed. ¡°Yeah, haha.¡± Laughed Partner. ¡°Perhaps there is karma in this world.¡± Said Lucifer with a smirk. ¡°Fufu¡­¡± Emeraldineughed eerily. ¡°Yeah, I guess! Although I am d I wasn¡¯t there to look at what was shown, but he died pretty gruesomely and the ghost¡­ just escaped. It was said she managed to defeat anyone that was sent her way, and hasn¡¯t been seen in months now.¡± Said Julia. ¡°I am really worried if she¡¯lle for me now¡­ I am a duchess after all, she seems to have a grudge against all of my family.¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry, I am pretty sure she must be only punishing bastards that had done terrible and inhumane things. I bet some people believe she¡¯s like a avenger of those incapable of fighting back.¡± I said. ¡°Julia, you¡¯re a good girl and you¡¯re doing your best to help this duchy, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll nevere to bother you.¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re being a bit too nice with me there, I am rather ipetent¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°But I appreciate yourpliments nheless!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 301 Moving Back To The Cursed Graveyard Where I Was Born ¡ª¨C After talking about everything, our teatime was over, Julia insisted on letting us rest for the night before doing anything, as the sun was already setting in the horizon, but I really wanted some hot EXP, so I had to decline. ¡°Sorry but we are pretty worried about these Undead, we might as well go check them and get that over with¡­ Are you oaky if we purify them or do you prefer that we keep the corpses as intact as we can?¡± I wondered. ¡°Well the noble families mightin if they know that their grandparents suddenly dissipated into ashes¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I know it is selfish but if possible, could you try to keep the corpses?¡± ¡°Okay, it¡¯s gonna be pretty gruesome to get to identify them one by one from who they used to be though, are you sure?¡± ¡°Well if there¡¯s no other way you can also just purify them, don¡¯t feel forced to change your way of fighting because of their selfish desires. I will try to appease them if they ever get angered¡­ I¡¯ve always thought that its better to cremate the bodies of the dead than putting up a graveyard, but the nobles value even the corpses of their death so they have insisted on keeping the graveyard for generations¡­ Of course,moners don¡¯t get the same treatment, they¡¯re either put somewhere outside or cremated.¡± Julia said. It seems that nobles are the annoying ones with their obsession of keeping the bodies of the dead. ¡°I see, well, let¡¯s see what we can do first.¡± I said. ¡°You said that they had begun to raise from the deadtely?¡± I asked.. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. The Priests are keeping them tightly closed inside the Graveyard but they said there is something else controlling them hiding around the bigbyrinth-like graveyard¡­ And to make it worse the new nearby dungeon has begun to spawn more monsters, so we have been barely kept a dungeon break from happening thanks to our hardworking adventurers, mercenaries, and the knights.¡± She said. ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright, I get it now. Let¡¯s go.¡± I quickly walked out of the castle, leaving some Phantom Snakes near Julia to protect her. I wanted to leave someone from my party with her but everybody just wanted toe with me. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to have patience for their squabbles, so I let them alle anyways. Walking down the path to the graveyard really felt nostalgic to be honest¡­ And¡­ Eh? Julia came with us. ¡°Julia, it¡¯s night and dangerous! Why are you here with us?!¡± I asked. ¡°I wanted toe and see with my eyes your strength!¡± She said. ¡°Also, Emiliano is here, he¡¯s a strong magician so I can be protected by him if anything happens to me.¡± ¡°Rest assured mydy.¡± Said Emilia with a smirk. He seemed proud of being recognized as a bodyguard. ¡°Okay¡­ Then¡­ Kuro, Raven,e out.¡± I said, summoning my two Undead Familiars. Arge ck panther with bright eyes and a giant ck crow appeared, exuding a strong phantasmal aura. ¡°T-These are¡­ Your Familiars?! S-So powerful! I never thought you were also a tamer!¡± Julia said, her eyes grew brighter in excitement, it seems she had never seen monsters this close. ¡°Mrao!¡± Kuro roared, looking at Julia a bit¡­ unfriendly. ¡°CRAA!¡± Raven cried loudly, calming the panther. ¡°Okay you two, protect Julia while we are in the graveyard.¡± I said. I decided to spend a few System Points I had umted by sacrificing some of my EXP and Skill Proficiency umted over time and used them through the Soul Grimoire to enhance their Stats by +20%. They had yet to evolve into B Rank so I wasn¡¯t too sure if they could protect Julia well. Maybe I am overthinking it but I got a bad feeling about this graveyard. When we walked near the entrance, we were greeted with four priests, all of them were concentrating their mana into keeping arge holy barrier made out of many paper seals stuck in the walls of the graveyard. When we got closer we were able to see dozens if not hundreds of skeletons, zombies, and ghosts trying to get out of the graveyard. Wow, this was a serious thing, if they were left alone, they would rush into the duchy and storm it. ¡°Julia this is super serious! You said I had to sleep and leave it for tomorrow?! These things would overrun the duchy!¡± I sighed. ¡°I-I was just worried about if you felt tired¡­¡± She said. ¡°Sorry, I should had requested your help right away instead of dying it.¡± ¡°L-Lady Julia! Are these the mercenaries we were told woulde to resolve the problem?¡± Asked one of the priests. ¡°Yes, they are! This is Marie, she¡¯s a necromancer and a shadow sorceress, this is Emeraldine, an Archer and Spirit Magician, this is Lucifer, a Warrior, and this is Partner? Yeah, Partner, a Spear Knight.¡± Said Julia. ¡°O-Oh, they look strong!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Hm, there¡¯s¡­ something odd¡­¡± ¡°Eh? What are you talking about?¡± One of the priests suddenly noticed something weird about us¡­ Ah, he is probably keen to Undead, isn¡¯t he? If he felt something weird about us and find out we are Undead, our whole fa?ade is going to get destroyed! ¡°There¡¯s something very weird about-¡° Gorgon¡¯s Cursed Eyes: Paralysis! FLASH! ¡°Agh! Cough! Cough! Aagh¡­¡± The Priest suddenly fell to his knees. I used Paralysis to paralyze his vocal chords so he won¡¯t be able to speak! Hah! It willst a few days before you get to speak a single thing buddy. ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°Hey! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Cough¡­ Cough!¡± The priest attacked by my Paralysis seemed to not have realized I used the spell so he was very confused, quickly forgetting what he was about to speak, as he was brought into the city hurriedly. I let out a small phantom clone to possess him and quickly brainwash him a tiny bit using Possession so he won¡¯t talk a single thing about us. That should be more than enough. ¡ª¨C Chapter 302 Raiding The Cursed Graveyard! ¡ª¨C ¡°T-That was weird¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°But they said he¡¯s alright, he just got a cough attack and he can¡¯t speak. Maybe he caught a cold?¡± Wondered Julia as she walked behind us. ¡°Yeah, maybe that¡¯s it.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Have they been in here for a while? They¡¯re probably very exhausted!¡± My beloved elf quickly brought some bullshit to make the scene more believable. ¡°That¡¯s probably it.¡± Said Partner. ¡°They should get some nice rest for now and leave everything to us¡­¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°As a Majin, I don¡¯t catch colds and usually I can be on my own even in the cold, but humans are weaker and frailer.¡± ¡°Haha, you may be right there, Sir Lucifer.¡± Said Julia, as she blushed a little bit by admiring my Dragon¡¯s handsomeness. I know he¡¯s a handsome stud but girl, make it less obvious you¡¯re eyeing my man! ¡°Anyways, stay outside with Emiliano.¡± I said, walking inside the graveyard with everybody else. The doors quickly opened through my invisible phantasmal hands which I stretched out of my back, and Julia was a bit surprised. I quickly closed the door, as I saw that the holy barrier began to slowly dissipate, the rampaging zombies and skeletons were about to attack.. ¡°Weird, they¡¯re not submitting to me. With Undead Queen they should be kneeling to me right now¡­¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I also thought the same. Most wild undead we sometimes encountered would immediately obey you.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°This probably means that they¡¯re already below themand of another person, stronger than them at the very least.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°We have to smash that person or monster then! Easy!¡± Said Partner, holding her evolved spear and pointing it at the undead. ¡°Lucifer, you can shapeshift ws, tail, and wings, and even use fire breath but don¡¯t shapeshift into a whole dragon or you¡¯re going to be found out, okay?¡± I asked. ¡°I get it, you don¡¯t have to remind me, Maria.¡± Sighed Lucifer. FLASH! The holy barrierpletely dissipated, as the massacre began. ¡°Consecutive Shadow Spear Arrow.¡± I instinctively conjured a dozen of Shadow Spear Arrows in an instant. A mass of darkness materialized into sharp arrows made of pure obscurity, firing at rapid pace as if I was shooting a shotgun. The arrows began to pierce the first wave of Undead swiftly as my Mana went down and up every ten seconds. The mana I used to conjure so many arrows was a lot, but it the mana was recovered as I drained it from my targets all at the same time as they dropped dead (again). BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The undead began to tear apart into pieces through the sheer amount and piercing power of the arrows. One by one they were thrown into the ground, sted into the skies, and pierced by a dozen of arrows each, all while I was using Mana Siphon to absorb mana from them. The sounds of rotten flesh being torn apart and bones cracking was quite pleasing to hear, and I saw Julia opening her eyes wide open. Oops, was I being too amazing? Just with that sole barrage, the wave of Undeading for us was immediately in, as the Undead behind them began to slowly approach us. They were unfazed by what I did, as wild Undeadck any sense of fear and have very low intelligence as well. ¡°Blood Spear Dance!¡± Partner quickly shrouded herself in her Aura of Mana, as blood materialized out of thin air and began to dance around her. She moved swiftly across the graveyard, spinning around like a beautiful ballerina. Her spear began to shred apart the Undead with ease, and her blood floating around her generated small spears that danced around her, enhancing her deadly power. she continued to spin so fast that she resembled a rose dancing across the battlefield. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°Ahahahahaha!¡± She was enjoying it as well, as she wasughing her lungs out. There was a lot of targets to y and it was quite fun to just y a lot of mobs for once without thinking it too much. Stressful fights are always the worst. Crack, crack. Lucifer cracked his knuckles and neck, as he looked into the Undead approaching him. His hands quickly gained a coverture of ck scales and enormous ws grew out of his nails, a long scaled tail surged on his back, alongside a pair of draconic wings. His horns became bigger and more scales showed up across the rest of his body, almost covering his entire handsome face. Julia who was so captivated by his face was shocked to see the ¡°ugly side¡± of Lucifer. ¡°ROAR!¡± He roared loudly like a dragon, pushing forward, and letting loose of any restraint, he shed zombies, skeletons, and ghosts into shreds with his giant ws covered with Mana to enhance their physical power. He kicked some of them, creating strong shockwaves that sent them flying, and then flew upwards and unleashed a deadly beam of darkness from his mouth, devastating the Undead into smithereens. CLASH! CRASH! BOOM! And while Lucifer and Partner were going around ying the Undead like warriors, Emeraldine kept herself close to me. Stuck to my back, Emeraldine began to call the strength of her two Spirits, as the Spirit of Nature and Light emerged around her, dancing around her body and filling her with bright light and green nature essence. She pointed her bow at the Undead and fired three arrows at the same time, infused with the power of the spirits, the arrows quickly hit the Undead and suddenly exploded with bright light, burning through the surrounding undead and turning them into ashes. FLAAASH! And not only that, but the arrows quickly grew into trees, spreading over the battlefield and creating obstacles for the Undead to walk through so Emeraldine could have an easier time shooting them. The trees were controlled by her Nature Spirit, as they spread their branches like spears, piercing through the many zombies and skeletons, while the arrows she fired continuously exploded into shes of bright light. Emeraldine was amazing, not only she was a good healer but she could deal amazing damage and create a change in the environment, even shaping the battlefield around by using the power of the spirit of nature. Julia watched closely as we cleansed everything in a matter of seconds, she was so shocked that her jaw couldn¡¯t move any lower or it would dislocate¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 303 Undead VS Undead ¡ª¨C The quantity of Undead there was in the graveyard was insane, and they had seemingly continued to spawn since this entire thing began. Apparently most of the corpses stored in here broke out of their graves, and a lot of the lingering souls of dead people became ghosts. As we ughtered them all, we could hear some of their groans, some were asking for mercy and others wanted salvation, we were not merciful but we tried to bring them to salvation. Emeraldine¡¯s magic was doing wonders, as the only one in our group that can purify Undead, her bright light magic was easily purifying all of the agonizing souls trapped in these rotten bodies, and the ghosts dissipated just as easily. I was rather close to her light, but I was mostly unaffected, I have grown so strong that most magic didn¡¯t damage me due to my high quantity of Magic Stat Points. After all, 50% of Magic bes your Magic Defense, so I am a magic tank. That coupled with the Elemental Resistance Skill and other skills, I can now resist holy light way easier, unless ites from somebody way stronger than Emeraldine. But even she is holding back. I am sure that if she fired a powerful holy light arrow into my head I would take some good chunk of damage¡­ Not like she would ever do that. ¡°Dark Sun.¡± I decided to show off a bit more in front of Julia because I began to enjoy her face filled with disbelief. I quickly conjured Dark Sun, the evolved form of the Level 10 Darkness Sphere skill. In just a second, arge sphere of darkness emerged, zing with ck mes, it truly looked like an actual dark sun. I pointed it at the Undeading my way and for a slight moment, I imagined myself as Freezer from Dragon Ball when he made those big spheres of energy that could destroy an entire. ¡°BWAHAHA! DIE, VERMIN!¡± Iughed, even imitating one of my favorite old school viins in anime.. FLASH! The enormous sphere flew towards the Undead, who stupidly continued to move forward, walking straight into the Dark Sun¡¯s strike zone. The gigantic sphere of darkness hit the ground slowly, and then, a sh of darkness spread out, as if the entire graveyard was consumed by shadows. BOOM!!! The shadows spread across the graveyard, devouring hundreds of Undead in a single hit. Mypanions stood in silence at my side. I think I overdid it a bit. When the shadows dissipated, most of the Undead left were far away and all of them were damaged, almost in the brink of their second death. ¡°Maria, didn¡¯t you overdid it a bit now?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Eh? I just used a new Skill I got a single time! I could had never imagined my ssic Darkness Sphere would evolve into this monstrosity¡­¡± I said. ¡°Wait, that was just a single skill?!¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Amazing! Master has no equal!¡± Partner began to p her hands cheerfully. ¡°Haha¡­ It wasn¡¯t much- No, it was a lot I guess. But still, don¡¯t praise me for it.¡± I said. As I looked around the graveyard and quickly found out the culprit behind the Undead rampage. ¡°Look, over there!¡± Lucifer pointed out, as his index finger pointed into the far direction deep within the middle of the graveyard, there was a small building where a rich noble family had been buried for generations, and from within it, there was a powerful presence. ¡°I can sense something very strong inside of that building¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°Is this a high-rank Undead? But how did it just appeared in here?¡± ¡°Well, I was born in here as a ghost but I was a low-rank one¡­ And I don¡¯t remember there being any other Undead than just Wisps or the asional Wisp Legion.¡± I said. ¡°There is certainly something odd about this¡­¡± ¡°Julia said that the Undead began to show up due to the high quantities of miasma, right?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°There is a possibility that the Dungeon created by my corpse ended regaining its energy after a while, and infected this entire area¡­ But to think that just miasma alone would create such a big amount of Undead¡­ I suppose these people died with a lot of resentment.¡± ¡°There is a possibility the vampires also intervened, I think there is something going on, that Dungeon was low rank after all, there¡¯s no way it suddenly exploded with miasma¡­¡± I said, I found it quite suspicious to begin with. I wonder if there are certain ways to enhance the power of dungeons artificially. ¡°This is odd, yeah.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°The disturbance in the mana around us is also noticeable, something big ising here!¡± RUMBLE! CRASH! Suddenly, the building itself broke apart, that building that must have cost a fortune for the noble family all destroyed into pieces. And what came out was¡­ an enormous knight? It was a gigantic skeleton, wearing ck armor and a ck cape, mildly torn apart. The skeleton at closer inspection was made out of many bones, it wasn¡¯t just a big skeleton but many ones fused together. And inside the armor there were hundreds of phantasmal souls wailing loudly, some screaming in horror, others roaring in wrath, and more. ¡°OOOOOOOOOOH¡­!¡± The giant skeleton groaned loudly,bining the voices of the countless soulspounding him into creation. This skeleton wasn¡¯t made out naturally at all, a Necromancer created this! ¡°This thing is too strong to have been born naturally in such a little spawn of time.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°W-What sort of monster is this?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°It¡¯s a giant skeleton! Kind of like me? But I got flesh over my body now!¡± Said Partner. Apparently she still identified as a skeleton wearing flesh and skin over her body. ¡°You still identify as a skeleton, Partner?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°Yes?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you two taking this a bit too carefreely?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Well, not like we are going to lose against a pile of bones.¡± I said. ¡ª¨C Chapter 304 Great Undeath General ¡ª¨C [Great Undeath General: Darkbound: Lv52] [Rank: B+] [Title: [Undead General] [Description]: [A powerful creation made out of hundreds of souls and corpses unified together through high level Necromancy. This powerful Undead has a calm demeanor and is incredibly intelligentpared to other Undead. His physical abilities exceed most Undead within ranks below, and he is both good at physical fighting using a variety of phantom weapons and also magic through darkness and death magic.] [It can invoke Undead Soldiers indefinitely as long as it has Mana, and its Mana regeneration is incredibly fast, often making it a powerful adversary that must be confronted by many Adventurers to take down. Some of his Skills include: [Phantom Weapon Creation], [Undeath Reign], [General of the Dead], [Dark Death Magic], [Bone Regeneration], [Phantom Soul Bomb], [Summon Undead Soldier]¡­] ¡ª¨C. When I checked the new skeleton¡¯s stats, I found a massive description. It seems this guy is bad news, he¡¯s B+ Rank and he got an insane assortment of Skills, some of them include even the creation of phantom weapons and he has both dark and death magic too. To boot, he can summon Undead Soldiers as long as he got Mana. He could be a nice way to get a lot of EXP by making him constantly summon Undead¡­ Yeah, but I bet they won¡¯t give EXP well enough, as they¡¯re mass-produced Undead, those usually give little EXP because they¡¯re expendable and mostly made out of magic. Nheless, although I would love to tame him, he seems to be already obeying another mysterious Necromancer, so he¡¯s not going to obey me even if I put him into his knees. It would be better to fight right away before he gets ahead of us. ¡°OOOOOOOHHHHH!!!¡± He suddenly groaned loudly, as he raised his ck armor-covered skeleton ws. In an instant, several Necromancy magic circles emerged around him, as countless of skeletons wearing ck armor and wielding ck steel weapons emerged from them, hundreds of them! ¡°Kaka¡­!¡± ¡°Rattle¡­¡± ¡°OOHH!¡± The skeletons immediately began to rush towards us like one unified army. The Undeath General is not a general for nothing. His major strength is inmanding a group of Undead and boosting their strength after all. However, an army of feeble little Undead like these don¡¯t have a thing against mine, which I¡¯ve also prepared for this asion! ¡°Summon Undead!¡± FLASH! Suddenly, my shadows spread out as countless of Undead emerged. Julia and everybody in the back were left speechless as they saw giant Spiders, Soldiers, Knights, Warriors, and Netherworld Beasts of all sorts emerging. I¡¯ve been slowly powering up my Undead Army, and I got hundreds of boys ready to y anything! The weakest of them are D+ Rank, so they¡¯re not even fodder! I would had wanted to bring the twin fire ghosts and Catarina, those three are pretty strong, but I left them protecting the Vige and I don¡¯t want them to be gone when something could show up there at any time, wild monsters attacking the vige have be moremon ever since our poption got bigger, so they¡¯re essential for the survival of my living folks. The Undeath General, Darkbound, seemed surprised, rubbing his sharp bony chin as he looked at my army with bright phantasmal eyes. It seemed as if he wasparing it between the two of us, and he quickly realized my army was better and more varied. ¡°March!¡± I roared, as my Undead began to march quickly after, they instantly shed against Darkbound¡¯s army, as rotten flesh and bones began to tear apart each other in a deathly battle. ¡°Pyro, st them with your mes!¡± Pyro was summoned of course, the giant zing undead spider led his group of undead spiders who had all evolved by now after ying monsters in the tundra, they were bigger and even mightier than before. Undead Giant Spiders were amazing, they had metallic exoskeleton that made them almost imprable, they had great sight, curse magic using their eyes, deadly and corrosive acidic venom, sharp ws in their legs, spiderweb to trap foes, and some of them even had darkness magic, with Pyro being an amazing fire mage. Who would had thought that dying while being roasted would make him such a good fire magician now? ¡°SHAAA!¡± Pyro hissed, as he opened his jaws and arge amount of deadly red mes emerged, burning through the skeletons, and turning them into ashes with ease. Several fireballs were summoned over his body, spiraling constantly, and firing towards his targets like magical shotguns. zing explosions began to spread across the battlefield, Pyro was amazing! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! As the Undead led by Pyro battled the army of Darkbound that was being constantly summoned by him, all of us supported them from the back. I unleashed by Dark and Death Domain, which enhanced the stats of all Undead-type and Dark-type entities within it greatly, and I also conjured other buffs using my Soul Grimoire by spending a few System Points. ¡°Maria! I will go fight the big guy, I am the most capable of a physical fight at close range. All three of you remain behind me and support me.¡± Said Lucifer, acting like the protagonist of a light novel. ¡°Hey! What are you talking about? I am also going! I can fight close-ranged!¡± Said Partner angrily. ¡°Your defensive stats are not so high, you¡¯re a more agile fighter!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°A-And you¡¯re a grumpy and dumb dragon!¡± Said Partner angrily. ¡°Okay stop discussing in the middle of a war against a giant undead threat!¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s all go together. Lucifer, lead the charge!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Said Lucifer, spreading his draconic wings widely and pping them strongly, while the three of us were lifted by my magic and flew into the air above the army of Undead. Darkbound remained still while summoning more skeletons as he suddenly noticed us flying towards him. His head tilted towards our direction as his eyes red with phantasmal blue mes. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! And then, we were met with hundreds of floating phantasmal weapons. ¡ª¨C Chapter 305 Darkbounds Great Might ¡ª¨C Darkbound noticed us immediately after we took off into the skies, reaching him quickly after. His eyes red with phantasmal mes as he activated his strongest skill [Phantom Weapon Creation] and created hundreds of floating des made of phantom, firing them at us like a storm of slicing attacks! I had to quickly conjure a barrier over my allies to defend, these weapons were deadly even for me because they counted as physical and magical attacks, my poor defense would easily get pierced by them and my low HP would easily go down like that. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! The Shadow Barriers I had created materializing them through Materialization were plenty strong and durable, the phantom des sliced through them and then exploded into phantasmal explosions, sometimes the barriers cracked slightly but I used more mana to repair the cracks. When we got close enough, Lucifer covered his body with an armor made entirely out of scales, as his ws shed the empty air furiously.. CLAAAAASH! And then, two cross-shaped energy attacks came out of his hands, destroying the phantasmal weapons being fired towards us and then reaching Darkbound directly, impacting against him and pushing him down strongly. His armor easily fended off the attack of a Death Dragon though, as he seemed to have received little damage to hisrge HP pool. ¡°KAKAKA!¡± Darkboundughed wickedly at Lucifer¡¯s attack, calling it ¡°feeble¡± even. Lucifer was a dragon so he would be way stronger if he transformed, but because we are in front of Julia, if we do anything weird like that we¡¯ll be found out and she¡¯ll have way too many questions. Already bringing hundred of undead with me is big enough, she¡¯ll begin asking me a lot of stuffter. Well, I hope she respects my privacy a bit more as she said previously! ¡°AXE STRIKE!¡± I grabbed the Axe I stole from Leon long ago, the enormous and beautiful Axe with the shape of a lion on it, which granted me an insane Bonus to Attack, and threw it towards Darkbound by infusing it with an insanelyrge amount of Mana and shadows. CLAAAASH! Darkbound raised severalyers of phantom barriers but they all broke apart by the might of my Axe, reaching one of his arms, which he used to protect his chest. His head wasn¡¯t the weak point but the chest, where he had his Magic Crystal, the core that most monsters have. Breaking them is often an instant kill. Usually monsters have them deep inside their bodies and you can¡¯t really see them well, but Darkbound is a skeleton and you can easily see the big crystal inside his ribcage. Breaking that jewel should either weaken him or outright defeat him instantly. For some reason Partner, Lucifer, and I don¡¯t have magic crystals, my raised Undead don¡¯t have them either aside from the spiders, which I left them have their crystals without extracting them as they seem to enhance their magic powers. I guess some have it and others not? I am sure that the Wisps didn¡¯t had them either. Perhaps I should had developed it or never did, or maybe only those that emerge from dungeons have them or through miasma¡­ I don¡¯t know, it seems to be a big variable, but all the Undead until now that we have in have been dropping these purple-colored crystals after being converted into ashes or torn apart into pieces. My axe ended shing tightly into his arm, as he tried to grab it and use it as his own weapon. But that¡¯s not going to happen! I have possessed my own Axe using my Phantom Clones and I moved it through telekinesis. The axe evaded his ws and continued attacking him from all sides, I was able to use Axe Strike, a nicely leveled skill I got to deal even more damage with each hit, slowly chipping away little HP over time. Darkbound had a massive HP pool but no automatic regeneration, it seems. Lucifer quickly shed against Darkbound while my Axe was shing around him, his fists hit Darkbound¡¯s arms, which the skeleton used to defend himself while I stealthily used my axe to hit him in the back. I was trying to see if it could be possible to break through his armor, although that seemed quite hard to do! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Lucifer shed against him, loading some mana into his throat to unleash a powerful phantom me attack against him. His mes epassed Darkbound entirely but barely dealt any damage to his vast HP pool. Lucifer was super strong now after evolving but even then, without being given the permission of shaping into a dragon, he was not at his full potential. However, he was pretty strong nheless, he was catching the phantom weapons from Darkbound with his bare hands and kicking him in every part of his body to take down his armor. The armor wasn¡¯t able to regenerate either so with my axe, we were chopping it down nicely. I was trying to get his back to have an opening so I couldter bomb him in the back and break his magic crystal in one shot, Lucifer was our main tank, so he had the duty of distracting the big Undead for us. Of course, Partner quickly joined him, she was insisting on fighting in the frontlines and I was quite afraid that her frail body would fail her at the time of taking the intensity of Darkbound power. Therefore, I had also included her in my army of buffs, well, I included everybody in it. The Soul Grimoire showed every ally that was below my protection and that included raised undead as ¡°cards¡±, I was able to upgrade these cards and increase their power either permanently or temporarily. I had exined this before, but using this power, I can enhance stats directly! For some reason the power of the Soul Grimoire really feels like I am a ying a tabletop role ying game, or TRPG for short. It is not only an upgrade from the Soul Blook everybody has, but something even better. ¡ª¨C This chapter is a preview, if you want to see a faster and more up-to-date chapter, please visit . for more content. Chapter 306 Going All Out! ¡ª¨C The Soul Grimoire is an evolution of my own Soul Book which surged because of my Unique Skill [System] because the System I have merged with my Soul Book, and after evolving a couple of times, my own soul went through an evolution. At the end, the Soul Book everybody has ended mutating and evolving into a Soul Grimoire, which had many new functions. I could umte System Points by sacrificing some EXP and Skill Proficiency to buy new Skills, or even level them up too. With these points, I can also modify the units that appear inside my Soul Grimoire, such as all my allies that appear as cards. I can even summon new Undead and create them through the Soul Grimoire, although I need materials that often appear listed in the book as well. I had my Soul Grimoire floating at my side like always, it was invisible to everybody except me, and showed me all the buffs I was giving away. I had enhanced Partner¡¯s Defense and HP by +20%, and also added +10% to all other Stats. The most I could buff an independent stat was +20%, but that was also quite limited. I currently had a limited amount of System Points so I wasn¡¯t into the mood of spending them all in this Side Boss, but I still cared about my beloved Partner so I gave her a nice buff topensate for herck of endurance, and it was working wonders. She was originally a tank for me when I was just starting, but now that we got Lucifer and she evolved into a swift Vampiress, she had be better at moving with great agility in the battlefield. Thanks to my buffs, she was able to overexert herself and her own limits, unleashing constant spear attacks against the Undeath General in quick session. Her spear was coated in her Bloodlust Aura, which enhanced its piercing and attack power. Her movements were swift and she spun around several times, dealing constant damage against Darkbound.. CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! ¡°GRAAH!¡± Darkbound roared in anger, attempting to catch the sneaky Partner, dozens of spears made of phantom were fired towards her but her spear intercepted them all while she spun back to the giant Undead. Lucifer caught his fists and distracted him, all while Partner attacked him constantly. Sometimes, Darkbound managed to hit her but she used her spear to defend and she received minimum damage. However, although things looked well, the battle was still quite challenging. Emeraldine was at my side, preferring to attack foes from a long distance, she decided to make a n using her magic. She began to infuse her magic and spirit¡¯s powers into her arrows and fire them not at Darkbound but around him. The Undead were hit by her explosions, as they were unable to get in the way of Lucifer and Partner as much, these light explosions easily turned the undead into ashes. However, the arrows which were tightly stuck in the ground quickly began to grow into vines and tree branches, generating a circle as she continued to fire the arrows around Darkbound. While all three of us were making Darkbound busy, Emeraldine was already readying her special technique to get rid of powerful Undead, something that she hade out with right now, but had been slowly building up over her entire life using her powers. ¡°Everyone, quickly move aside!¡± She called, as we swiftly retreated from the scene. Darkbound was left surprised and confused, his HP had yet to reach half of it and we managed to chip away 40% of it, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough to put him down. Of course, that¡¯s if we don¡¯t take into consideration our beloved holy elf. Emeraldine hit the ground with the golden staff she got from one the priests I once killed, which had an amazing power to boost holy magic, and also came with the ability to allow her to create holy light runes to create magic formations. Using each tree as a node of this magic formation, which she interconnected with one another through their branches and the vines she created, arge magic circle was generated, as she infused her light domain into it. ¡°Holy Spirit Cage!¡± FLAASSH! The Magic Formation was formed instantly, as it spread through the entire ground and interconnected with many magic runes that were being created by her staff! The amazing power of her formation took a long way to build, but it was now finallying out! The Magic Formation fused light with nature, as several tree branches emerged out of the ground, trapping Darkbound as they entangled his legs and arms, without letting him move. He attempted to slice them with his phantom des, dark magic, and even beams of death, but they were all easily suppressed by the brightness of Emeraldine¡¯s light. I was constantly infusing Mana into her because she wouldn¡¯t be able to create this without a constant influx of mana. ¡°OOOOOOH!¡± Darkbound groaned as the countless voicesing from the many souls making him up cried in agony, the light quickly trapped him and began to quickly turn his powerful dark armor into ashes. However, this attack was a trapping and sealing move, it won¡¯t be able to deal enough damage to kill him, and Darkbound was a resilient bastard as a B+ Rank threat, capable of leveling the entire city if he went directly there. ¡°Emeraldine, give me your light!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± We couldn¡¯t possibly let him free himself from this, as he would surely unleash his fury against us. I quickly controlled the axe and Emeraldine suddenly infused it with a strong amount of holy light. The two of usbined our power and moved it along the air, making it fall from a high ce down like a falling star. CLAAAAASSSH!!! The axe easily pierced through Darkbound¡¯s skull, reaching deep into his ribcage, and immediately slicing in half his magic crystal! His entire body began to crumble with ease, as if he were made out of mud and never felt ¡°alive¡± at all. What was left was a mere pile of bones and armor pieces, and a big, watermelon-sized magic crystal that will surely cost a fortune in the market! ¡°A-Amazing¡­¡± Julia muttered, staying still as she saw what we had done. ¡ª¨C Chapter 307 Victory! Leveling Up Frenetically! ¡ª¨C [Calcting Earned EXP¡­] [You have defeated [Undead Skeleton Soldier], [Undead Zombie], [Undead Zombie Warrior], [Furious Ghost], and [Weeping Ghost] x1034, you earned]: [517000 EXP] [You have defeated [Darkbound, General of Death], you earned]: [200000 EXP] [Total EXP earned]: [717000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 34 to Level 35!] [Your Level has increased from Level 35 to Level 36!] [Your Level has increased from Level 36 to Level 37!] [Your Level has increased from Level 37 to Level 38!] [Level]: [38/60] [EXP]: [10600/220000]. [You Learned the Title Skill: [Undead yer: Lv1] [The Level of several Skills has increased] [Status Screen has been rearranged for easier understanding and browsing of Skills] [Soul Grimoire] has unlocked New Functions: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] have be avable] Immediately after we defeated Darkbound, the rest of my Undead quickly slew thest Undead roaming around and the mission was done. I acquired arge amount of EXP and leveled four times in a row, damn, now that¡¯s refreshing. I am slowly getting closer to Level 60, where I¡¯ll be able to hopefully evolve again. I wonder what sort of weird evolution option I get now. Hopefully its not another set of weird names. I hope I don¡¯t get some sort of goddess name again, that would be super weird¡­ Ah, I better not overthink it anyways. I acquired Undead yer as well, which is pretty much another Title Skill from the yer category, the more Undead I kill the stronger it grows and the more bonus damage I¡¯ll be able to deal to these bad boys. It is kind of weird for an undead to have an undead yer title skill, but well, they started this. Andstly, I saw¡­ what is this? Just as I leveled up, this message showed up. [Soul Grimoire] has unlocked New Functions: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] have be avable] System? Can you tell me what¡¯s up with this? I think it¡¯s simr to what I¡¯ve been doingtely? Or does it has some differences? I think you made it something like¡­ Abilities? Oh, they show up in my Status now, eh? I see. [Precisely, I have converted them into Abilities and modified the System¡¯s Skills to add them. They cannot level up because they¡¯re more Functions than a power such as Skills or Magic, they¡¯re part of the Soul Grimoire¡¯s capabilities, which I¡¯ve refined so you can use the powers better] Thank you dear, you¡¯re always there for me. [¡­It is merely my duty to support the host] Haha, you¡¯re always so shy. [¡­] And he went silent, alright, let¡¯s see these Abilities first. ¡ª¨C [Creation] Grants the ability to create Unit Cards. These Unit Cards can be made through using System Points and through materials and resources from the outside. There is a small selection of creatable Undead through the innate powers of Necromancy of the user, which can grow bigger as the user sees new Undead or designs new ones. Defeated Undead automatically be part of the Creation Log. Unit Cards can be invoked through the Summoning Skill. ¡ª¨C [Deletion] Grants the ability to delete Unit Cards, 60% of the total materials and system points used to create them are retrieved back. Deleting Unit Cards will sometimes be necessary as the amount of Cards that can be stored is not limitless. Certain Cards take several slots at once. Sentient Creations cannot be Deleted without their approval or total suppression. Sentient Creations minds can be transferred through the [Transfer] function. ¡ª¨C [Transfer] Grants the ability to transfer power to Units, be it Mana or other things. Stats can be temporarily shared. Mana can be temporarily shared. System Points can be used to share more power. Creations can attain wills and be transferred to new creations. ¡ª¨C [Enhance] Grants the ability to enhance Unit Cards or multiply them in several quantities using resources and system points. Already existing units can be directly enhanced using Mana and System Points, temporarily enhancing the power of Skills, or increasing the total number of stats. Permanent enhancement can be done through arge quantity of system points and resources and materials that must be retrieved, automatic evolution or new abilities can be developed through Permanent Enhancement. ¡ª¨C Woah! I don¡¯t even know if I will ever be using these, but they look pretty interesting, not going to lie there. I wonder if I can use them to enhance the power of my Undead permanently, I could even directly create new Undead or specific guys I¡¯ve defeated such as Darkbound- Oh wait. I looked into the list of Undead I could create, and there he was, Darkbound was the first B+ Rank Undead I could create! The others were all D+ Rank at most, but this guy was B+ Rank! However, he required a lot of materials. Can I just use his own bones and armor as materials to raise him back for me? ¡ª- [Creation Summary] [Darkbound, Undeath General] [Rank: B+] [Required List of Ingredients to Create]: [System Points] x10000 [Mana] x20000 [Bones Filled with Negative Emotions] x400 [The Wailing Souls of the Fallen] x100 [ursed ck Rusted Armor Pieces] x40 [Crystalized Phantasmal Essence] x20 [Magic Crystals (Any Rank)] x100 ¡ª¨C Ooh, so are these the ingredients the original Necromancer used to make him? This feels like I am crafting Undead now, wow. Alright, let¡¯s see¡­ I think we got everything with his own corpse. I¡¯ll take away that Magic Crystal though. And the souls of the fallen¡­ I guess we¡¯ll reuse them on him, some of them were purified but we¡¯ll use the rest to recreate him. I got a pile of Magic Crystals I had in my inventory and¡­ Thest thing we need is Crystalized Phantasmal Essence? How do I find those? [You can create them by materializing your phantasmal essence using the [Materialization] Skill] Ohhh! Thanks a lot, System! I did just what he said, and boom! A lot of shiny blue crystals appeared when I materialized and imagined my own phantasmal essence bing crystals. These seem to be quite useful for the creation of Undead, so I might stock up on themter. ¡°Now raise once more, Darkbound!¡± FLASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 308 A New B+ Rank Undead Joins The Party! ¡ª¨C Darkbound, who had been in just now quickly reassembled himself, scaring everybody that though that he was gone forever now. Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner were about to jump on him and attack him, but I quickly stopped them before they killed him again. ¡°Woah, woah! Stop right there! I raised him again!¡± I said. ¡°He¡¯s part of my Undead Army now.¡± ¡°Say what?!¡± Lucifer was shocked. ¡°Y-You raised him back up at full strength? His aura got¡­ a bit stronger even!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°No¡­ Am I being reced by this better Undead?¡± Wondered Partner.. ¡°W-What are you talking about, Partner? I would never rece you for anything in the world¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°And yeah, I used my Necromancy powers to raise him back up. I¡¯ll exin the detailster¡­¡± ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± Said Emeraldine, as she admired the great height of Darkbound. ¡°Well, this is a bit insane, since when did you learned to recreate an Undead so well?¡± He asked. ¡°I am filled with surprises, my dear dragon husband.¡± Iughed maliciously as Lucifer began to feel a bit cringe about what I said. ¡°O-Okay, now that this is done¡­ Err, why is it staying still?¡± Wondered Partner. ¡°Oh right¡­ Darkbound! Wake up.¡± I said. I had realized undead created through the Soul Grimoire would keep on ¡°standby¡± until I gave them a signal to begin moving, as if they were robots or something. but once I do, they¡¯ll begin acting like normal forever so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°OOOOHHH!¡± Darkbound groaned loudly, raising his arms, and then directing them towards me. ¡°Maria, watch out!¡± Lucifer tried to stop Darkbound but he suddenly realized there was no threat from this big skelly. Darkbound petted my head and then allowed me to sit over his arm, as he lifted me up into his vast shoulders and I sat down there. ¡°Good boy! You¡¯re such a good boy!¡± I said, petting Darkbound¡¯s skull as he began making groans that seemed to be of joy. ¡°Oohoh¡­ Oooho¡­¡± He wasughing very weirdly, but it was somehow cute. ¡°Is he a puppy or something?!¡± Asked Partner in shock. ¡°W-Was I like this back then?¡± ¡°You were.¡± I said. ¡°Well, you still like to be spoiled, don¡¯t you? All the Undead I raise are always my sweethearts, I treat them well and give them a lot of love so they¡¯re always very loyal¡­ Well, you¡¯re obviously my special cinnamon roll.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say out loud¡­¡± Sighed Partner while blushing. Lucifer seemed a bit displeased, I even detected a hint of jealously on his re, perhaps he wanted to be the one carrying me around or something. I really wouldn¡¯t mind if he tried to be honest. He always carries me on his dragon form though so maybe he feels like Darkbound is going to steal his ce. ¡°W-Well, do whatever you want with him, as long as he doesn¡¯t do anything bad¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°However, we should investigate the ce, there¡¯s a big amount of souls you caught, right? Have you thought about seeing their memories to see if they saw any Necromancer?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯ll do thatter with Darkbound. From what I saw it seems he¡¯s made of over a hundred souls from people that were all sacrificed¡­ inside the dungeon.¡± I sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss more of thatter, but perhaps that was the reason behind the little dungeon where you came from suddenly bing big and menacing¡­ There are some weird experiments going on by a mysterious dark organization, and those mysterious guys are probably rted to the Vampires. Honestly I am tired of blood suckers, can¡¯t they chill for a second or something? Always doing stupidly bad things¡­¡± ¡°Well, yeah, it is tiring that Vampires are behind everything.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how low they have fallen as Majin. It seems that the vampires of the past are no more, they had grown corrupted and strangely wicked and vicious. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever find an ancient vampire. I remember they were honorable knights of the Demon King, but now they had devolved into ruffians, bandits, and drug dealers.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s just their way of adapting to the human supremacy of the continent and trying to fit in and survive¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Have you not thought about the big hole that the Demon King left behind after dying? Most of the races that were not outright killed and managed to escape had to somehow survive on their own ways¡­ Vampires simply adapted and perhaps are somewhat trying to have their revenge by destroying humanity¡¯s society from the inside out.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ If you put it like that it doesn¡¯t sound so bad.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°But I cannot rte to them, I am not like humans who hate entire races because a few of such race members angered or disgusted them. Hating all of humanity would be futile and stupid. There are many innocent people, and I am not inherently malicious to want to hurt those that don¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°Ditto!¡± I said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get back to Julia, the entire ce should be cleansed by now¡­ Boys and girls! Come back to mommy¡¯s shadow!¡± I called all my Undead, as they quickly began to crawl back to me. My shadows spread through the Shadow Storage Skill, and all the Undead suddenly disappeared by sinking into the darkness that spread out almost in the entirety of the Graveyard. I also got all the remaining corpses and magic crystals before any of Julia¡¯s subjects try to grab them for themselves. These are my loot after all. If they want it they¡¯ll have to pay a price. Also the Undead corpses can serve as more materials to mass produce new Undead. When we walked back to Julia, she was so horrified by what happened that she was looking at me with eyes wide open, almost falling off her skull. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ You¡­ Eh¡­? Eeeh? Ahahh¡­ I¡­ I need a bit of time to process everything I saw¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 309 Surprisingly Overpowered ¡ª¨C At the end Julia would have to tell the Nobles that the corpses lost into turning into Undead could not be retrieved. They¡¯ll rage at her and some might even threaten on leaving the duchy, which would leave her without their taxes which are maintaining the whole ce, but it is something she had to do because we overexerted ourselves and ended overdoing it a bit too much, and honestly I didn¡¯t wanted to give back the corpses I picked, they¡¯re my loot now! I told her that if they wanted them back they had to pay a bit. I said it was a ¡°rule of a necromancer¡± to always keep the spoils (corpses). She epted the rule but said that the corpses were so weirdly shaped it would be a mess to even identify them all, so she said I could just keep them, it would save her the pain in the ass. She said she would give the excuse of all of them being ¡°purified¡± by holy magic and sent to Valha, which is this world¡¯s people¡¯s heaven. Nobles who barely fight think they¡¯ll go to Valha¡­ They¡¯re pretty stupid, they¡¯re going straight to Helheim. Only warriors such as adventurers, soldiers, and knights that had lives with battle and honor would be able to get there. I know this because I am the Apostle of Hel and know some rules inherently somehow.. It is said that the God of Light picks these warriors¡¯ souls and can even make them into servants if they show good potential, giving them his divine power and turning them into Heroic Spirits, who canter on be Heroic Gods. Although they¡¯re often called ¡°Saints¡± and people pray for them as holy figures of history. Most of those are still somehow ¡°alive¡± but in another sort of existence. Anyways, that¡¯s not important right now. Julia had been containing herself through the entire night since then, and she said ¡°let us discuss everything tomorrow¡± after we had dinner with her. The next morning, she quickly went a bit berserk, and began to ask a lot of questions. I had already assumed she would get like this after everything she saw, and that¡¯s when we tried to contain ourselves. SLAM! Julia hit the table while nervously sweating. She didn¡¯t seemed furious, she was way too shocked to the point she wasn¡¯t right in her mind. I had spied her using a small snake phantom clone and she barely managed to sleep through the night. She had ck bags below her eyes and she was gritting her teeth angrily. She was still wearing her pajamas, and her beautiful hair was a mess. ¡°Marie! P-Please exin me just what¡­ was that yesterday? I knew you were strong but¡­ this strong?!¡± She asked shocked. ¡°I am dead sure you¡¯re as strong as A-Rank Adventurers or beyond that at this point! If we count all your Undead Familiars, you¡¯re probably already beyond A-Rank all the way to S-Rank! You¡¯re¡­ a one woman army! I think you could even defeat another nation with all those Undead and your wide-range destructive magic!¡± ¡°I-Is that so? I didn¡¯t realized I was so strong. I mostly always explored the wilderness and dungeons, monsters are pretty strong.¡± I said. ¡°I guess if Ipare myself to human standards, things begin to get weird.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ Have you only been battling monsters this entire time?¡± She asked. If I tell her that any human I¡¯ve fought and killed was most of the time righteous people trying to stop the insane ghost I am, she would freak out. So I better just go with this lie and tell her I¡¯ve only been fighting monsters my entire life, saves me the trouble of exining more by pretending Ickmon sense, because I am well aware I am overpowered. ¡°Yeah. Right guys?¡± I asked. Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner nodded rapidly at my side. They didn¡¯t said a single word because they were terrible at lying unlike me. And my Deceiver Title was going to get some work now. ¡°I-I see¡­ So youckmon sense¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have enough money to pay you for everything you did. That was an amazing work, youpletely cleansed the entire cemetery and all! Marie, you¡¯re amazingly talented and strong, and all your friends too! Lucifer was so strong, handsome, and heroic too!¡± ¡°Handsome?¡± Wondered Lucifer, feeling a bit weirded out. He hasn¡¯t realized the girl kind of liked him a bit. Sadly, I don¡¯t like sharing my men, so he¡¯s mine and only mine, I am not giving him away to her. That also includes my cute elf and my beloved Vampiress. Am I a bit possessive? Maybe. ¡°And Emeraldine was so swift and incredible as well, your spirit magic was so wondrous, and that amazing staff you got¡­ It slightly reminds me of the staff that priests carry, but I bet you got it inside a dungeon or something instead! It fits you so well, and you managed to trap Darkbound inside a magic formation, this was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen one like that!¡± Said Julia, continuing to praise everybody. ¡°O-Of course, I got the staff from a dungeon¡­ a faraway dungeon.¡± Said Emeraldine nervously. ¡°And Partner! You were so incredible as you rushed in and fought so well! You can control Blood Magic too! I had never seen it before! Wasn¡¯t it a thing that only Vampires could have? Your spear is also very powerful looking, it would surely be a national treasure, is it a magical weapon?¡± Wondered Julia. ¡°It is an evolving weapon I once got in a dungeon, as I¡¯ve in monsters, it levels up automatically and has evolved once, so it grew pretty strong!¡± Said Partner, prideful of her beautiful spear. ¡°Y-Yeah, some Majin can use Blood Magic. I hope you don¡¯t discriminate.¡± I said. ¡°Not all Vampires used to be evil either¡­ But don¡¯t worry, Partner is not a Vampire but might have the bloodline of one in her family that gave her blood magic.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 310 The Ancient History Of Midgards Humans ¡ª¨C As I came out with bullshit after bullshit to exin the questions that Julia had, which we couldn¡¯t answer truthfully, the hours passed by and we enjoyed breakfast with her. Julia had be overly dramatic for a bit, but she calmed down over time. She was constantly saying she was indebted on us though, and that what we did wentpletely beyond her expectations. She was saying she was readying a good prize for all of us, which would be our pay. She said our pay had been readjusted from what she wanted to pay us up to three times, as she finally realized how much we were valued. She said that if she didn¡¯t invested on us, she would easily lose us to another Duke that could offer more. I tried to convince her that I would never do something like that but she was constantly saying ¡°money talks more than people¡¯s emotions sometimes¡±, so I guess she didn¡¯t trusted my words that well. She went on and on about how my power could rival the entire kingdom¡¯s military, and that if it was spread that there was such a powerful necromancer working as a mere mercenary, other nobles or even the royal family would attempt to take advantage of me and might contract me to destroy a whole neighbor nation. Of course, I constantly told her that I would never destroy a whole nation because that¡¯s just batshit crazy, and even I find it insane, but she didn¡¯t listen.. ¡°Okay, okay! Julia, calm down! It is okay, just calm down! I am not going to leave you just because I am strong. Why would I be working for you to begin with?¡± I asked her. ¡°I am well aware of my strength! I just genuinely want to help this ce, don¡¯t be so stubborn.¡± ¡°M-Marie¡­¡± Julia was moved by my words, as I desperately tried to calm her down so she would listen to what I had to say. She finally calmed down now but began to feel so moved that tears started toe out of her bright eyes. ¡°Oh,e on girl, stop crying¡­¡± I sighed. I caressed her head and looked at her hair. ¡°You¡¯re a mess, aren¡¯t you a duchess? Come on, go to take a bath now. Today we are going to clean that dungeon and also we got some things to discuss, especially the origin of Darkbound and also the reason behind the dungeon break.¡± ¡°Oohh¡­ R-Right! I cannot just get like this when I am the duchess!¡± Julia stood up, shaking the table. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a bath and get some proper clothes, let¡¯s met in my office. Hector, call Emiliano as well.¡± ¡°Immediately, youngdy. Maids! Go aid the youngdy to bathe, make sure to get her hair as beautiful as you humanely can!¡± Said Hector, in the hierarchy of servants, he had the highest and give direct orders to maids. ¡°Very well!¡± ¡°Understood, leave it to us.¡± ¡°We shall not disappoint you.¡± ¡°This is a great challenge, miss is really a mess this morning¡­¡± The Maids were going to have a hard time in the bath, I wished them good luck. Hector quickly decided to take care of us while Julia was getting done, as he nicely invited us to a walk in the entire building, he decided to use this time to introduce us to some of the areas of the building. There was a massive library I really wanted to check out, arge kitchen with a dozen of chefs making food, the backyard which had many of the royal knights and soldiers training, and several other rooms filled with little decorations and paintings of past lords of the house. We ended having some tea with cookies in the backyard while looking at the knights. There were mostly males, but there were also some talented females. It seems that mostly males became soldiers and knights. I doubt it is because of some sort of gender discrimination, as women can also grow just as strong as men in this world. But the whole duchy had more males avable. There was a big tradition of arranged marriages, and most women decided to marry through them and be housewives, taking care of children. Only those that declined arranged marriages would be independent adventurers or soldiers. It kind of sucks when you put it in a certain perspective, but it seems that most of the girls liked it that way, as people really just doesn¡¯t like to put themselves in danger to be honest. If I were a woman in their ce I might had realistically considered it. I used Analyze to check on all the soldiers and knights practicing and doing mock battles. I found some with interesting talents and unique abilities, but there was nothing outstanding though. Although I easily realized that nobles often have more skills, level cap, and stats thanmoner soldiers. I really didn¡¯t liked how bloodlines just let you have a better status, that¡¯s pretty stupid, but I guess that¡¯s how things are. It is said that nobles descend from the royalty families, which subsequently descend from a single family, the first King of Midgard, who was supossedly created by Odin, the God of Light, and therefore he carried divine bloodline and developed great power. Descendants of the first King all inherit some of his divine power. Although over the years the bloodline became thinner and weaker. This is how theyter on mixed with heroes summoned from other worlds in ancient times. Most of the royalty of now, including Julia, are descendants of the first king and also of otherworldly heroes. This fusion of bloodlines reinforced the main bloodline and made nobles way stronger now, although it has been hundreds of years since thest time the heroes were summoned, as the special device used for it was destroyed in thest war against the Demon King, and since then they had been unable to summon people from other worlds, which I find very nice, please never summon people from other worlds again¡­ ¡°Sorry for beingte¡­¡± Julia quickly joined us in the backyard, she looked radiant and beautiful, and her hair was fluffy and brilliant. Those maids did a wonderful job. ¡ª¨C Chapter 311 My Dragon Husband Is Way Too Handsome ¡ª¨C After waiting for a little while, Julia came back from her bath. She looked quite radiant this morning, and many of the knights and soldiers training in the backyard stopped what they were doing to admire the princess-like beauty of their young duchess. She ran gracefully towards the chair and sat down, sighing in relief. ¡°I told you that we should met in another room but you came all the way here, Marie!¡± She said while pouting. ¡°Well, we might as well enjoy some tea with biscuits. Hector, can you bring the things?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already called the butlers for that very reason, youngdy. They shall promptly arrive with everything.¡± Said Hector, he was always several steps ahead and even predicted what his miss would ask for. He was truly an amazing butler; I want one like that too! ¡°Ooh, very well then!¡± Said Julia while crossing her arms. ¡°Anyways, you¡¯ve been eyeing my soldiers here. Have you checked them out?¡± She wondered. ¡°Yeah, I have an Appraisal Skill so I¡¯ve been looking into their Levels and Skills. I can see a big difference between the Noble Knights and the Commoner Soldiers¡­ Bloodline means a lot, huh?¡± I sighed.. ¡°Well yes, oftentimes, but there are cases ofmoners such as you guys being pretty strong as well. It is all aboutmitment and hard work as well! And it is not as if I am strong despite being a noble, right? My Level is fairly mid if not low¡­ And I¡¯ve not polished many Skills either, I am not that untalented, but I am always busy doing my job so I never have the opportunity to develop my Stats, Levels, and Skills and Magic.¡± She sighed. ¡°Sometimes I wish I could take another identity and be an Adventurer or something!¡± Julia said while she seemed to be daydreaming. Hector quickly brought the butlers and we were served some delicious ck tea with colorful and tasty biscuits alongside all sorts of shortcakes. ¡°Ooh! Banana cheesecake!¡± She said, quickly taking a little bit and eating it happily. ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t know about that, you seem very spoiled by being of nobility. If you were to go into bing an Adventurer, you would have to endure many things¡­¡± I said. ¡°Indeed, Lady Julia seems to be happy in her position despite herins.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Strawberry Cheesecake is so tasty!¡± Said Partner,pletely ignoring the conversation and voicing her love for Strawberry Cheesecake. ¡°These cream cookies are great.¡± Said Lucifer, eating cream-filled sandwich cookies while sipping some ck tea, he even rxedly inhaled the delicious aroma of the tea before drinking it. I guess these two were already growing spoiled by the tasty food of nobility. Compared to our lives back in our own vige this is way better yeah¡­ We always had rat stew there. ¡°Hahah¡­ W-Well, I-I¡­ Of course not! I would surely be able to bear with it! You¡¯ve been doing it for a while, right?¡± She asked. ¡°We were born in poorer conditions so anything goes for us.¡± Said Emeraldine with an apologetic smile. ¡°Indeed, sometimes we eat Giant Rat Stew with a few potatoes and carrots and call it a tasty lunch¡­ Well to be honest the meat is rich in vor and fat, very good for colder regions.¡± I said. ¡°R-Rat soup?!¡± Asked Julia. ¡°It is pretty tasty! We raise them as cattle because they eat pretty much anything and multiply very quickly. Once tamed they be docile creatures as well, and are brave when a wild monster show up, squeaking very loudly, so we can easily tell if something is happening.¡± I said. ¡°Rat Stew is good too!¡± Said Partner. ¡°But I like beef stew too¡­¡± ¡°I-I can prepare that if you want to¡­ Hector, may we have this for lunch?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Ah! A beef stew! We haven¡¯t had that in a long while, haven¡¯t we?¡± Asked Hector. ¡°I¡¯ll make a tasty one then.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ And¡­ W-Well, I guess rat meat might be good for you¡­¡± Said Julia. ¡°But I can¡¯t imagine myself eating it!¡± ¡°Hahaa, when you¡¯re an adventurer you eat just about anything.¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ll just eat what you hunt and that¡¯s about it. You can¡¯t really be picky or you¡¯ll starve.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I-I see¡­ Well, I guess I¡­ I could prepare a lot of food before going into an Adventurer¡­ H-Hypothetically!¡± Said Julia, noticing Hector looking at her intensively, he really didn¡¯t wanted her to go into some stupid adventure or something as an escapade from her duties as a duchess. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Hector!¡± ¡°Yeah, we often get happy if we get to eat something sweet.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I am quite grateful you¡¯re allowing us to enjoy all these great assortment of sweets¡­ It really does calms the heart and puts a smile on my face.¡± Lucifer¡¯s charming smile seemed to pierce Julia¡¯s heart. He really looked like a handsome lord, something like a Vampire but alive. I was imagining him as Alucard from Castlevania¡¯s Anime, or something even more handsome! I can tell why every girl that looks at him suddenly has a crush. Even the female knights and soldiers were eyeing him a lot. ¡°Haha, t-there¡¯s nothing to worry for!¡± said Julia happily. ¡°I would dly give you as many sweets and tasty food, you¡¯ve saved my duchy from such a big menace¡­ It is the least I could do!¡± Julia looked like she was melting away over the chair little by little¡­ Should I make it obvious he¡¯s my husband so she stops this? Ugh¡­ Well, we are not really official husbands, not even boyfriends yet, but his Title¡­ it says he¡¯s my husband so¡­ W-Well, we haven¡¯t even done THAT yet¡­ I¡¯ve only done something intimidate with Partner as of now. But I am really getting jealous of other girls eyeing him! Ugh, I am even pouting, what¡¯s wrong with me? I never thought I would get so jealous¡­ ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± Asked Lucifer, noticing my cheeks all red. ¡°N-Nothing, idiot!¡± I said, crossing my arms. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡ª¨C Chapter 312 The Culprits ¡ª¨C After I calmed myself down a little bit, we quickly began to talk about what we should do today. Julia was giving out ideas about the Soldiers and the Knights, and I also kind of wanted to bring them with me so they could leech out some EXP. Today we were not resting after all, we were moving immediately towards the Dungeon that has been infested with beaststely. If we bring a lot of soldiers with us, they¡¯ll be able to easily get a lot of EXP from killing monsters we weaken for them, maximizing results greatly. However, it seemed that this wasn¡¯t something that I had to talk with Julia yet, as I quickly remembered something after I realized a giant skeleton was inside of my shadow, Darkbound. Right, I had to tell her how he even came to be and everything going on in the Dungeon. ¡°Before anything else, we should quickly go to your office to talk about something important with you, Julia. Bring Emiliano and Hector if you want to, I know you trust those two guys a lot.¡± I said. ¡°A-Alright, immediately!¡± Said Julia rather obediently, as we all quickly moved upstairs. When we reached the room, we all sat down around a table. Emiliano was present, gasping for air. It seems he was busy doing something else but then was hurriedly called here.. ¡°I was in the Noble¡¯s Academy teaching something¡­ I hurriedly ran here, is something important happening?¡± He wondered. ¡°I hope it is worth me interrupting my ssed midway through¡­¡± ¡°Yes it is better than what you think, sit down¡­¡± I said. Julia and Emilia sat down in front of me as I quickly decided to bring a certain someone. ¡°Summon: Darkbound.¡± I pointed my left-hand index finger into the floor and a shadow emerged over the floor, spreading out as a giant made of bones and covered in ck armor emerged, Darkbound. ¡°UWAAAAAH!¡± Emiliano quickly cried out like a little girl, pointing his staff at the giant Undead who was emanating a strong aura of death and darkness. I quickly contained his aura with my magic so he wouldn¡¯t scare everyone. ¡°Calm down, Emiliano. Yesterday Marie defeated this Undead and then apparently remade him with her own Necromancy into her servant.¡± Said Julia. ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± Said Emiliano. ¡°Right¡­ She¡¯s a necromancer¡­ They¡¯re so rare that it is simply not something you assume a person to be.¡± ¡°Anyways, as I said earlier¡­ The origin of Darkbound is not just a random Undead that got stronger.¡± I said. ¡°He was created by another Necromancer before me.¡± ¡°Another¡­ so a Vampire or someone working with them?¡± Wondered Julia. ¡°Something like that¡­ [Soul Projection].¡± I said, quickly conjuring a spell that allows one to project what¡¯s inside the soul of a person. This also includes memories and even emotions. It is one of the many Death Attribute Magic Spells I can conjure, but I had yet to gain enough proficiency on it to be a Skill, or maybe it can¡¯t, whatever¡¯s the case, an projection made of phantasmal essence came out of Darkbound¡¯s soul. FLASH! ¡°A-A projection out of the soul of an Undead?!¡± Asked Emiliano. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ advanced Death Magic, isn¡¯t it? Incredible! Death Magic is so rare! H-How many spells do you know?¡± ¡°Too many, every time I think about a spell it justes out. I mostly use spells to preserve food or make jerky though.¡± I said. ¡°Beef jerky out of¡­ death magic? I had never thought it could be used in such simplistic ways¡­ Is it possible for death magic to cause instant death as it is rumored?¡± Asked Emiliano. ¡°Ah, well, maybe. There is no spell that simply causes Instant Death, even Death Magic is ruled by the same concepts as the other Elements of magic, it requires Magic output to deal damage. But I could probably drag out your soul from your body pretty easily, if you consider that instant death, yeah.¡± I said. ¡°I-I-I-I see¡­¡± Said Emiliano, stuttering a lot as he got too scared to continue asking questions. ¡°Hahaha¡­ D-Don¡¯t scare my Court Magician, please¡­¡± Said Julia with a nervous smile. ¡°Sorry about that. Anyways, look.¡± I said, showing everybody several projections and images in the [Soul Projection] of Darkbound. It first showed several people being dragged by a group of pale human-like people wearing ck clothes in the middle of the night, and how they were all forcefully gathered in front of the dungeon¡­ ¡°T-This is¡­ pale skin and white hair¡­ Vampires?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Their eyes are red¡­ Those are ves?! W-When did this happen?!¡± ¡°Sssh, just look.¡± I said. The Vampires quickly began to conjure Dark Magic of some sort, or Ritual Magic which requires specific materials and skills to use, and then the ves, who were almost a hundred people were all suddenly killed inside the first floor of the dungeon. Their souls were dragged out of their bodies and the people were screaming in agony as this process is very painful. It onlysted a few seconds, but the screams of the ves were ear-wrenching, especially because there were many¡­ many children as well in there, some no older than 5 years of age. ¡°By the gods¡­¡± Julia covered her mouth as her eyes were filled with horror and sorrow. ¡°D-Damn Vampires!!!¡± Cried Emiliano, hitting the table strongly and furiously gritting his teeth. Even Hector changed his often-expressionless face, showing utter disbelief. After that, the bodies of the people were risen as Undead, and a group of them were all merged grotesquely and gave birth to Darkbound. Meanwhile, there was a gigantic quantity of dark miasma that came out of this sacrifice through the Ritual Magic Circle, which was instantly absorbed by the Dungeon. It wasn¡¯t quick, but the dungeon slowly began to change after having absorbed all that Miasma and even several dozens of human souls, gaining enough energy, the Dungeon Core quickly began to produce new monsters in enormous quantities, and began to kill adventurers indiscriminately, even soldiers. ¡ª¨C Chapter 313 Of Course, Its The Vampires ¡ª¨C We continued seeing the [Soul Projection] of Darkbound¡¯s soul, it was like a movie because it merged the many perspectives of all the souls he was made out and created a perfect view of many points of view. After they filled the dungeon with miasma, the Undead raised alongside Darkbound were left inside the graveyard by the Vampires while the blood suckers made sure to throw as much miasma inside the graveyard. ¡°This should get them distracted for a while. That annoying duchess will have a lot of headaches, haha¡­¡± ¡°Darkbound alone could destroy the entire city of these pesky humans¡­ But I guess our lord has other ns for them.¡± ¡°The assassination of the duchess should happen soon as well. She¡¯s too annoying, we need to get her out of the way.¡±. ¡°We cannot halt the experimentations using the new drug¡­ This new drug could mean a new beginning after all.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ a new beginning¡­¡± The Vampires quickly flew off into the shadows, disappearing from the scene as the [Soul Projection] quickly ended right there. I quickly decided to exin things in detail. I had learned this the moment I touched Darkbound¡¯sposite soul after remaking him into my Undead. I had since then waiting for the moment to reveal this info, and the best way was through these movie-like projections I learned to make using my magic. ¡°As you can see¡­ That¡¯s how it went.¡± I said. ¡°The sudden monster waves in the dungeon, and how it became active out of nowhere¡­ And also the graveyard¡­ everything is connected. The bad thing is that the dungeon is awfully close to the graveyard so it¡¯s even worse.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So the origin was the sacrifice of so many ves right below our noses¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°This is¡­ it¡¯s horrible¡­ These people¡­ Why are they so obsessed with making everyone suffer?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get like that, Julia. Those people have their own nonsensical reasons for doing their things. We can¡¯t really try toprehend them; it won¡¯t get us anywhere. I¡¯ve already spread out through the entire city several tamed Ghosts and my own Phantasmal Familiars. We¡¯ll learn about them very soon as they look through every corner without resting.¡± I said confidently. ¡°Marie!¡± Said Julia rather happily. ¡°You¡¯re so dependable¡­¡± ¡°For now we should move immediately to the dungeon, it is a dangerous ce after all. I don¡¯t want to leave you without personnel, so I decided we won¡¯t take knights for now. There will be better ways to help them level up, for now, we¡¯ll go on in our way.¡± I said. ¡°S-So sudden?¡± Asked Julia. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Kuro and Raven with you, alongside Darkbound and a few other Undead I trust. They should be more than enough to protect you even against Vampires.¡± I said. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Said Julia, looking at my Undead a bit frighteningly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll save them inside your soul for now so they don¡¯t scare off the people.¡± I said. ¡°Shadow Storage.¡± I touched Julia¡¯s soul and shared my Shadow Storage with her shadow. With that, I was able to save the Undead there. They¡¯ll emerge whenever she¡¯s threatened. I also silently spread out strong Phantasmal Familiars around here as well, just in case anything weird happens. ¡°Can I join? I also want to help in defeating the monsters of that Dungeon. It might be quite hard for just you all.¡± Said Emiliano. ¡°I am not known as the strongest mage of this fiefdom for nothing! I am a master of wind and fire magic, with some lightning magic and water magic as well.¡± ¡°Emiliano is very dependable as well!¡± Said Julia. ¡°I am sure he¡¯ll be a great asset.¡± ¡°No, I prefer him to stay with you and protect you. I fear that whenever we are gone from here, the Vampires might try to strike¡­ or something. If that happens we¡¯ll hurry back, but the backup I left for you should be more than enough to hold them for a bit.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re talking as if it¡¯s a fact its going to happen¡­¡± Said Julia. ¡°Well, I hope it doesn¡¯t¡­ but Julia, you have to know that you¡¯re perhaps the greatest threat to the Vampires right now.¡± I said. ¡°M-Me? But I am weak¡­¡± She said. ¡°Yeah, you are, but you are not a corrupted noble that would sell her soul to them in exchange for profits and other things. You¡¯re someone that genuinely cares for the people and even abolished things such as very¡­ You¡¯re unusual and someone that, due to her position, could change the entire structure of this Kingdom¡¯s society with enough backing and support¡­ For them, you¡¯re one of their greatest threats as they specialize in disrupting corrupt societies from the inside out¡­ Think about it carefully¡­.¡± I said, as I looked at her eyes. Julia¡¯s eyebrows raised as she blushed a bit. ¡°Y-You¡¯re praising me way too much¡­ I am merely an inept and untalented girl¡­¡± She sighed. However, she gripped her fists tightly as she looked at me with conviction clear in her shiny eyes. ¡°But if you trust me so much¡­ I can¡¯t really help it! I¡¯ll have to do my best and try to be the person you think I truly am¡­ Thanks, Marie.¡± ¡°No worries! Now, let¡¯s go guys, we got some dungeoning to do. This is our rematch!¡± I said, leading Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner out of the manor through the window. We all jumped out and I grabbed them with my Shadows, flying into the skies and reaching out. Julia, Emiliano, and Hector looked at us as we flew away with mouths wide open. ¡°T-They can fly so easily!¡± Said Julia. ¡°I-Incredible, I never thought Shadow Magic could help others fly¡­¡± Said Emiliano. ¡°Lady Marie is someone truly incredible¡­ Young Lady, you¡¯re really lucky to have found someone like her. She seems to be indebted to you for the favor you gave to her, and she seems willing to pay for it with more than we¡¯ll ever be able to repay her for¡­¡± Said Hector. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I guess we have to work hard to meet her expectations.¡± Said Julia. ¡ª¨C Chapter 314 Moving To The First Dungeon I Explored ¡ª¨C We flew quickly after leaving the manor. I decided to go as fast as possible by using Shadow Traveling, which consumes a nice amount of Mana but allows for an insanely fast traveling even in midair. Anywhere where there is shadows I can teleport to, so we reached the front of the dungeon in less than twenty seconds. FLASH! ¡°U-Ugh¡­ I think I am going to throw up all I ate¡­¡± Cried Emeraldine. ¡°M-Maria, please don¡¯t do that again without warning! Also did you had to drop me out of the window, Partner?!¡± ¡°But we were all jumping, you were the only party pooper that wasn¡¯t jumping!¡± Said Partner. ¡°W-Well, excuse me! But I am not a supernatural muscle-filled monster like you guys! I-I am not sure I could survive such a big fall!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Who are you calling muscle-filled monster? I am bone-filled!¡± Said Partner while angrily discussing with Emeraldine.. ¡°Okay, okay, sorry¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Partner, apologize.¡± ¡°Uuugghh¡­¡± Partner looked angered, but then apologized at the end. ¡°Sorry¡­ I shouldn¡¯t had dropped you off the window¡­¡± Emeraldine looked at her boringly, Partner didn¡¯t even seem to mean it, but an apology was better than no apology at all. These two girls were weird, sometimes they were besties and other times they were discussing and acting like rivals or just straight-out enemies¡­ I do admit that Partner did something pretty bad. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again!¡± I said to Partner, as she nodded timidly. ¡°I¡¯m sowyyy!¡± She cried, hugging my chest, and rubbing her face over my chest. ¡°Alright, calm down¡­ D-Don¡¯t get sad out of the sudden¡­ Was I too rough? I¡¯m so sorry dear¡­¡± I said, quickly feeling like my heart broke apart as I saw my beloved crying. ¡°Maria she¡¯s manipting you again with her crocodile tears!¡± Said Emeraldine, as Partner suddenly let out a strange sound. ¡°Guh!¡± She muttered, as I looked at her, she seemed to be actually fine. ¡°She¡¯s really good at emotionally manipting.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Okay don¡¯t make this up into some drama, let¡¯s get inside.¡± I said. I quickly decided to ignore the hijinks of my party of insane lovers as I walked straight into the dungeon¡¯s area, the first thing we found was arge group of priests, adventurers, mercenaries, soldiers, and knights camping around it. They seem to have been keeping the monsters inside the dungeon rather well, and the priests alongside various magicians had raised arge stone made out of magic which they used to seal the dungeon shut. Of course, that¡¯ll only stop low-ranked monsters, if a big guy decides to get out he¡¯ll get through it with ease. We were quickly greeted by a blonde knight who seemed to be a noble-born man. He was rather dignified-looking, and looked at us while raising an eyebrow. He was sure he didn¡¯t see us some moments ago and we popped out of existence right behind him. ¡°W-Who might you be? Are you adventurers? We have sealed the dungeon for now so there is no need for you guys toe pester us any longer.¡± He said. ¡°We came from Young Lady Julia¡¯s Orders, we are a group of Mercenaries paid to clear the dungeon.¡± I said. ¡°W-What? You lot?!¡± He asked. ¡°You just look like a group of thieves to me! Lying about something like this is punished with thew.¡± ¡°I am not lying, dumbass.¡± I said, showing him a paper showing Julia¡¯s sign, it was magically enchanted as well. ¡°You dare call me dumbass- Ahhhh?!¡± He asked in shock. T-This is authentic?! Wait a moment¡­ Marie?! Y-You¡¯re¡­ the one that¡­ defeated the B-Ranked Undead in the Graveyard and that enormous undead army!¡± He said in shock. He quickly lowered his head and asked for forgiveness. ¡°I am so sorry! I-I wasn¡¯t aware! Please forgive my rudeness!!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, let us go for now. We came here to y the monsters but if some leak out you¡¯re killing them, prepare everybody here to open the dungeon for us.¡± I said. The man grew paler as I spoke, he seemed to have been here for days now and he had surely not taken a bath in a while as well. He was nervous and most likely battled the horrors inside of this dungeon so he was too nervous to do as I said immediately. ¡°B-But the monsters inside are so powerful¡­ A-Are you sure about this?!¡± He asked. ¡°Geez you¡¯re such a coward.¡± Said Partner, pointing her spear at his neck. ¡°Do as Marie says!¡± ¡°Partner calm down¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Just to make you feel safe I¡¯ll bring out some Undead. I am a Necromancer.¡± I said. I summoned a few dozens of Undead, mostly soldiers and giant spiders, the people around us quickly got shocked out of the sudden appearance of Undead and many were readying to fight, some even began running away in horror. The blondie quickly convinced them that these undead were mine, and that I was the famous Marie. It seems that in just a single day I became a famous figure in this fiefdom. ¡°I¡¯ll leave these Undead to guard your backs, guys. Don¡¯t worry they¡¯re below mymand. If any monsters show up they¡¯ll fight them. You can assist them in killing them too and gain some EXP in the way. Easy peasy, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Now¡­ Lucifer?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Lucifer said, as his two hands suddenly grew disproportionally into giant dragon ws, and he grabbed the entire boulder blocking the way into the dungeon, destroying all seals put over it in a second and then throwing it away into the skies. BOOOM! The giant boulder hit the forest faraway from here. Probably killing some random animal or something because we suddenly gained like 20 EXP. Anyways, the entrance to the dungeon immediately exuded a ckish and miasmic aura that would be toxic for most people. ¡°The miasma is leaking! Cough¡­ cough!¡± ¡°Get away from it!¡± ¡°Walk back!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll create a light barrier this so the miasma doesn¡¯t get out.¡± Said Emeraldine, as she conjured wondrous magic. FLASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 315 Exploring The Dungeon Once More, Now Its Buffed Up! ¡ª¨C Emeraldine conjured a powerful seal magic. She was able to do that thanks to her amazing affinity with Holy Magic and the help of her Light-Attribute Spirit (Damn, I really want a Spirit for myself as well!). She conjured a ray of light into the Dungeons¡¯ entrance which spread out like a white and gold membrane of light, covering the entrance. The toxic miasma stoppeding out of it just like that. After that, she put several seeds around the entrance and with her Nature-Attribute Spirit she made them grow into many roots that began to surround the entrance, reinforcing her seal even more, and creating a wooden door as well. I had asked her before if she could do the same to let us easily grow nts back in our vige, but just as she told me, the cold temperatures will make the nts die very quick. Also nts that are grown instantly like she did often die after 24 hours, withering and then dissipating into ashes. So it is also not really possible for her to create a sustainable source of wood¡­ unless she uses her powers partially, helping the nt grow instead of forcing its metabolism to grow instantly. Of course, her powers had been enhanced several times now that she leveled up a lot form yesterday¡¯s fight, so maybe she can still do some incredible things. ¡°A-Amazing, a barrier!¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­ an elf?¡± ¡°Indeed, she is!¡± ¡°She¡¯s such a radiant beauty, and she radiates such a holy light, like a Saint!¡± ¡°Hahah¡­ Y-You don¡¯t have to praise me so much, I am more of a hunter than a magician.¡± Said Emeraldine rather embarrassed. She was indeed good at the bow, andbining it with her magic for great effects.. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get in.¡± I said, ignoring the soldiers as we walked inside the dungeon. The wooden door quickly closed almost automatically behind us, as we were greeted by the darkness of the dungeon we once visited in the past with Partner. ¡°Damn, this bring back some memories¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°This is where we meet Lucifer¡­ And also Kuro!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Kuro is protecting Julia right now, but I bet he would be happy to be here with us.¡± I said. ¡°Hm¡­ It has expanded.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the dungeon being so big before. Even the stairs were very stretchy and big groups of adventurers had a hard time walking down the stairs, but now it has be a rather big dungeon¡­ the first floor is also massive.¡± We reached the first floor to find absolutely nothing¡­ For now. However, within my Mental Map, I was seeing dozens of red dots slowly approaching towards us from all three corridors surrounding the big first floor. Monsters wereing rapidly to confront us! ¡°The Dungeon mutated after absorbing all of that miasma and the souls of the innocent ves alongside the negative dark energy¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°I never thought that dungeons could be manipted to grow stronger in such a wicked way¡­¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point inmenting it now that it happened. We better work hard and hurry toplete this ce!¡± I said. ¡°Yeah!¡± Said Partner. ¡°I am with you.¡± Said Lucifer. I quickly summoned a band of Undead to support and cover our backs. They were mostly high-leveled Skeleton Knights, alongside Pyro and a band of the five strongest Zombie Giant Spiders I had. ¡°You summoned Undead- Ah, there¡¯s a lot of monstersing!¡± Said Lucifer, quickly realizing the presences of monsters were approaching! From all three directions that the first floor branched into, monsters emerged. They were all slimy and colorful¡­ Slimes! I do remember that the first floors had a few handful of slimes¡­ but aren¡¯t these way too many? Dozens of high-level slimes at that! [Darkness High Slime: Lv23] [Rank: C+] [Holy White Slime: Lv28] [Rank: C+] [Great River Slime: Lv25] [Rank: C+] [Acidic Poisonous Slime: Lv19] [Rank: C] [zing Fire Slime: Lv29] [Rank: C+] ¡­ There were many of them! And they were of almost every color of the rainbow. Seeing them all together really was cute, as if a sea of rainbow was running our way. But when you realize they¡¯re acidic creatures that dissolve things to digest, you quickly grow scared of getting caught up in that sea of dangerous slime, especially because they can even dissolve phantasmal essence! ¡°So many slimes!!!¡± Cried Partner. ¡°Let¡¯s form a barrier to stop them from charging, they¡¯re too many!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s work together!¡± I said. With Emeraldine behind me, we quickly formed arge barrier of darkness and light, materializing it into a solid point and then generating and replicating more barriers over it, making severalyers of it. FLAAASH! The slimes quickly reached us at longst, hitting the barrier strongly and making a fewyers crack instantly. However, Emeraldine kept making moreyers with me, as I used this opportunity to refill my Mana by absorbing the Mana from the slimes surrounding us, weakening them in the process. This was the best way to deal with waves of so many monsters at once, just sit inside a barrier and absorb their mana all while the others fight them! We made the barrier so our attacks can easily trespass it and reach the slimes outside. ¡°RAAAAAH!¡± Lucifer roared, as he opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful zing phantom mes breath attack, ring through the slimes surrounding us and dealing direct damage to their souls. Several of them suddenly began to explode and stter over the ground one after the other, as Lucifer broke through their Slime Cores, their weak point. SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! They made the sound of balloons exploding each time they died, and sttered over the ground. However, more swarming slimes came one after the other, working together like a giant hivemind while trying to dissolve our barrier. ¡°Thousand Scarlet Spikes!¡± Partner also attacked, as she used her spear to fight. She unleashed the power of her Spear Techniquesbined with her Blood Magic, unleashing constant piercing attacks that created after images that also dealt damage made out of Blood Aura, a new power she had developed as a Lesser Vampire! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 316 Fighting Against An Army Of Slimes! ¡ª¨C As Lucifer and Partner were taking down dozens of slimes, more continued toe here. As if it there were hundreds if not thousands of them! What did this Dungeon even do to make so many god damn slimes? I do remember fighting like four or five back then, but there are dozens now, hundreds! Maintaining the barrier is already quite taxing, especially because they constantly deal damage to it through their dissolving juices. I have to constantly spend Mana, so my Mana is constantly going down with that of Emeraldine, all while I have to absorb the Mana from the surrounding slimes. They were many so it was still a sustainable strategy. The Mana from the Slimes constantly flowed towards me, and then I shared it with Emeraldine, so we continued to spend Mana together from a shared MP Pool, reinforcing the barrier with severalyers at once. The dozens of Skeleton Soldiers I summoned, Pyro and his spiders all fought as well. They would be easily eaten by the wave of slimes if it wasn¡¯t for the barrier, so they were attacking from behind the barrier using weapons, ws, and magic and spiderwebs. The Skeleton Soldiers were not bad, as they had inherited the techniques and most skills from when they were alive, and had strengthened them a lot, so they were able to unleash strong weapon techniques. When all of them together fought, they created shockwaves that spread out into the slimes, throwing them away from the barrier and minimizing the damage they caused to it. Meanwhile, Pyro unleashed a storm of zing fire from his mouth, as his entire body was unleashing a storming fire from within. It was a big hot in here as it was a closed barrier, but we had to bear with it for now. His spiderpanions also fought quite well. A few of them knew basic Darkness Magic so they were firing Dark Bullets at the slimes from inside the barrier, breaking through their ranks.. I had also conjured Death and Shadow Domain, so the strength of all of us except Emeraldine had increased, including the damage dealt and endurance of death and darkness magic. This reinforced the barrier as well as enhanced the damage dealt using death and darkness magic, helping the spiders deal more damage. However, I also wanted to fight, and Emeraldine as well, just sitting here and slowly chip away at the slimes was not my style, and I don¡¯t know if we can hold on for too long if we don¡¯t go fully into an explosive offensive¡­ So I decided to act, using part of my Mana to unleash a destructive storm of dark winds! ¡°[Dark Storm]!!!¡± FLUOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!! This Skill was once a lesser Skill that let me unleash cutting dark winds at foes, but now that it evolved when it hit Level 10, it had be Dark Storm, and quite literally, it unleashed a storm of dark winds towards our foes. The storms were special as they carried poison and other status ailments too, and I began spreading the storming winds all around our barriers, breaking through the foe slimes and sttering them as their slime cores shattered into pieces one by one! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Dark Storm was way better for closed areas like Dungeons. If I used Dark Sun, even my friends would be affected by the powerful explosive shockwave it would release, the same for Pandora¡¯s Box. Unless I am targeting a single foe and my friends are far from me, it is not really rmendable to abuse these two Skills. However, I wasn¡¯t done yet! ¡°[Phantasmal Grasp]!!!¡± I used the amazing [Phantasmal Grasp] Skill which had evolved from Ghost Touch, which had now evolved after hitting Level 10 into Phantasmal Grasp. This amazing Skill allowed me to stretch out my hands like phantasmal hands, which were way easier to use and stronger than the weak Phantasmal Clones I could make. If I made too many of those I would grow weaker too, and I made many back in the fiefdom, so for now, Phantasmal Grasp was better. It could easily pierce through foes souls and deal a nice amount of damage to them, so I quickly began to create many Phantasmal Hands and began to attack the slimes with them, hitting their souls directly! However, that wasn¡¯t all, I also grabbed my Axe and my Cursed de with two big Phantom Hands, and started swinging both powerful weapons by unleashing their Skills [de sh] and [Strong Axe Strike] devastating arge side of the slime swarm with mybination of weapons and magic! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°I shall also assist a bit! Spirits, shine as bright as you can!¡± Emeraldine ordered her spirits, as both of them began to float around her, spiraling through and then unleashing shes of bright light! They were simply put beams, but they were hitting the slimes quite precisely, and right into their slime cores! One by one the slimes began to fall to their demise. With ourbination of attacks from all sides, the slimes finally began to drop in numbers, as I detected that they finally stoppeding here, we had already in hundreds of these little goobers and it seems they were finally beginning to grow lower in numbers. However¡­ right after I thought we would get the first floor done, something strange began to quickly approach us. It wasing from the third floor and it was moving at an insanely fast speed upstairs! BOOOM!!! What emerged from the stairs leading down was a sea of liquid metal¡­ it had a small golden crown atop its mass of liquid metal, and arge core inside of its metallic body. This was a¡­! ¡ª¨C [Metal Slime King: Lv55] [Rank: B] [Description]: A powerful Slime from the Metal Slime family, whose body is mostlyposed of incredibly heavy and resistant liquid metalpounds. Its core is harder than Mithril itself and it can grow stronger by ingesting ores and other materials to increase the variety of metallicpounds on its body. It can predate anything that moves and has incredible Physical Defense, although it is fairly slow and has almost zero magical power. [Skills]: [Automatic Self-Regeneration], [Metal Body], [Body Shapeshifting], [Metallic Solidification], [Grand Elemental Resistance], [Grand Magic Damage Resistance], [Magic Damage Reduction], [Crushing Charge] [¡­] ¡ª¨C Shit, this guy is bad news. ¡ª¨C Chapter 317 The Metal Slime King! ¡ª¨C In front of us a final boss already showed up! Well, it came from the third floor, and calcting based in my auto mapping, I can tell this dungeon has at least ten more floors. So it is probably fair to call this Metal Slime King has a ¡°Mini Boss¡± although it is enormous and powerful. Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine looked at the creature emerge when thest few slimes died as their eyes sunk into their skulls. It was just that terrible! The thing was emanating a strong aura of intimidation as well, and it was as clear as water that this thing was controlling all the Slime Swarm we had been fighting so far! ¡°A Metal Slime King!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I had once battled one of these monsters when I was alive¡­ They¡¯re incredibly resistant to physical damage! I smacked it so many times and even hit its core countless times but the thing continued being just as fine¡­ These things are near-invincible.¡± Said Lucifer in shock. He seems to have had a bad time with them. ¡°I never managed to kill one of them before¡­¡± ¡°Well shit.¡± I said, looking at the creature, I began to quickly think about ways to kill it. It was invincible to physical damage? Well it said it could resist it a lot but we might as well try, right? However, when I checked the creature¡¯s status, I got spooked. ¡ª¨C [HP]: [99999/99999] [MP]: [1000/1000]. [Attack]: [7000] [Defense]: [99999] [Magic]: [1000] [Agility]: [1000] ¡ª¨C What the¡­ what the fuck is this?! 99999 HP and Defense?! That¡¯s almost¡­ a hundred thousand! But his Magic and MP are only 1000! Maybe it can really be weak to magical damage? Magical defense is calcted using Magic Stat, half of it! However¡­ this bastard got a few tricky skills to help him tank Magic, [Grand Elemental Resistance], [Grand Magic Damage Resistance], [Magic Damage Reduction]! The first Skill grants a +50% resistance to all elemental damage, the second Skill grants +50% resistance to all magical damage, and thest Skill decreases Magic damage by -50%! With that and the insane amount of HP it has, alongside almost zero MP for me to drain and sustain myself in this battle¡­ he¡¯s a strong bastard. ¡°Thousand Piercing Roses!¡± Partner roared, pushing forward to fight. ¡°Let¡¯s see how strong it is!!!¡± Her spear moved swiftly as Blood Magic danced around her, the piercing blows of her spear hit the Metal Slime all around its body, dealing enormous holes one after the other. The giant Metal Slime King was too slow for the shy Partner, who easily began to evade the attacks from the powerful creature. The slime could shape its body into many tentacles which the solidified into deadly spears that hit the ground, shaking it. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°It is powerful even though its slow¡­!¡± Said Partner. ¡°And my attacks dealt¡­ no damage at all to begin with! Its HP is constantly regenerating and it has insane HP and Defense¡­¡± ¡°I told you so!¡± I said, as we began retreating back a little bit. The Metal Slime began to spread out through the floor as it sought us. It was incredibly slowpared to us, but it easily broke through our barrier with its weight alone. CRASH! ¡°Run!¡± I said, grabbing everybody with my shadows and pushing them away from the range of the Metal Slime, who seemed to be constantly growing bigger as it spread through the entire room. ¡°DRAGON METEOR!¡± Lucifer roared, flying up into the ceiling and transforming into a giant Death Dragon, and then infusing Mana all over his body and falling over the Metal Slime King with a single and powerful blow, like a true meteor! CLAAAAAASSSSSHHH!!! He hit the core of the Metal Slime King directly as well, but it was so hard that he barely did any damage to it! The Core itself was incredibly durable, and no normal person could easily break through it, not even Lucifer after growing this strong¡­ ¡°I have grown so strong yet I still can¡¯t even damage this thing!¡± Roared Lucifer in frustration, escaping the Metal Slime King¡¯s deadly embrace as it was trying to entangle his body and consume him. ¡°What do we do then?¡± He wondered. ¡°I checked his status, he got three Skills that lower magical damage, but even then, we can still deal a great amount of damage based solely in how low its Magic Stat is.¡± I said. ¡°We have to unleash all the magic power we got! Take these Mana Potions!¡± I quickly took out the Mana Potions I had bought from Julia. She had given me a lot of them when I requested itst night as a part of the payment. So we were stacked with refills! Everybody quickly drank potions while we were evading the attacks from the slow Metal Slime King until we were refilled with Mana! After I saw my Mana being all the way up, I pointed my hands at the Slime and decided to go for a banger. ¡°Everyone, go after me!¡± I roared. ¡°I¡¯llbine my strongest spells into one!¡± Supreme Magic, don¡¯t disappoint me now! I quickly began to conjure Dark Sun, Dark Storm, Shadow Spear Arrow, Shadow Materialization, and Pandora¡¯s Box! By conjuring all of them at the same time and merging their capabilities, an enormous mass of darkness began to emerge within my hands, building up bigger and bigger as I covered it in a materialized coverture as hard as metal! ¡°I¡¯ll call this¡­ Dark Meteor!¡± FLAAAAASH! The enormous mass of darkness flew down, covered in ck mes and dark winds, and even pestilence and everything else I could load into it, falling down into the Metal Slime, unlike his Dragon Quest counterparts, he wasn¡¯t speedy at all and couldn¡¯t evade such a giant attack, it had to take it head on! BOOOOMMM!!! The enormous Dark Meteor hit the giant Metal Slime King, shaking its entire body and even its core. Several parts of its liquid metal body began to quickly evaporate and explode, as dark smoke spread out everywhere¡­! However, the bastard was still there, standing. I had¡­ barely done -20% of its HP?! Well, that was something still but I just wasted all my MP! And to make it worse, its HP was already regenerating back! Nai wa¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 318 Intense Battle! ¡ª¨C The Giant Metal Slime King was no joke! I spent all my MP into sting a Dark Meteor into it, my strongest attack ever, and the bastard takes it like nobody¡¯s business and still has 80% HP left, all while recovering the HP over time. If we don¡¯t hit it constantly, it is just going to regenerate the HP and go back to full, which is a fucking nightmare, we don¡¯t got unlimited Mana Potions, and now that there¡¯s no targets to draw Mana from (because this guy only has 1000 MP which I already drained from him), it¡¯s going to be painful. I had already saved my Undead inside my Shadows except Pyro, who was a good magical fighter, the strongest of my Undead so far. He can unleash a lot of fiery mes and if that doesn¡¯t end up dealing enough damage either¡­ then I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do. There¡¯s¡­ well, the option of draining out the Mana from the Undead I brought with me as thest resort, but I want to leave that for thest resort because Undead use Mana as if it were their life source! Without it, they grow weaker and might even die for real. So I don¡¯t want to weaken my buddies just because of that. However, my friends were not useless at all, they were already charging their strongest magical attacks, and Emeraldine was first! Shebined the power of her two Spirits, the Spirit of Light and the Spirit of Nature, and also took out a special arrow she had created. These arrows were named Yggdrasil Arrows, and were made with a special wood she cultivated back in our vige using small seeds created by the Spirit of Nature, it is a small arrow made of a small tree she grew, but this arrow has incredible potential. She pointed the arrow into the Metal Slime and infused it with all the Mana she had while at the same time drinking another Mana Potion to add even more Mana, her Spirits suddenly flew into the arrow and directly merged with it, something they could only do with the special Yggdrasil Arrow! ¡°Yggdrasil¡¯s Judgement!¡± FLASH!. The arrow flew out of Emeraldine¡¯s bow with ease, flying towards the Metal Slime King as if it were nothing. The creature, too slow to realize a tiny arrow was going to hit it, continued moving forward towards it and tanked the hit. CLASH! The arrow, however, when it hit, created a gigantic shockwave, as if the weight of an entire mountain hit the Metal Slime King, stopping him from moving forward so easily and pushing him all the way back! The arrow then exploded into a gigantic bright star of light, spreading across almost the entire room, the light engulfed the Metal Slime Kingpletely, its light was so radiant that it began to melt through the entire creature, even its core! BOOOOOOOMMM!!! A giant explosion ensued right after. And then, countless branches and roots started to sprout out of the slime, all over its body. They suddenly reached the core and grabbed it, entangling it with the wooden branches and roots and moving it upwards! The rest of the metallic slime body was trying to get back to its main core, attempting to break and devour the branches, but they were incredibly resilient and were taking time! ¡°Now, attack the core with everything you¡¯ve got!¡± Said Emeraldine, infusing her Mana into the Spirits who were controlling the branches tightly grasping the core and lifting it away from the rest of the Metal Slime King! Amazing work, Emeraldine! ¡°Alright, it is ready!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Me too! I am ready!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Leave this to us!¡± I said. I quickly drank three mana potions in an instant and refilled my Mana, readying a new Dark Meteor in an instant. Lucifer and Partner were also preparing and were ready to unleash their strongest magic attacks. Lucifer hadbined the power of his Phantasmal mes, his Darkness, and his Fire elements all together into a gigantic spear floating above his head, and Partner had created thousands of spears made of Blood Aura! All of us quickly unleashed our three magical attacks over the Metal Slime King, showering him with the power of our magic all at once! ¡°GROOOARRR!!!¡± The giant spear of mes that Lucifer unleashed suddenly shapeshifted into an enormous and roaring dragon moving down towards the Metal Slime King, engulfing it into fiery mes that even burned through into the soul of the metal slime! Meanwhile, Partner¡¯s attack was small individually, but the thousands of desbined together became a storming and devastating blow of attacks, all of thembined dealt insane amounts of damage. And to boot, my own Dark Meteor hit right after the others, bursting through the Metal Slime¡¯s core like all other attacks. The pressure of all the attacksbined finally began to make the core crack down slowly, as it gained many cracks and the HP of the Metal Slime King suddenly began to pummel down! However, it didn¡¯t seemed to be enough¡­ until Emeraldine charged her second attack, it was an arrow made of pure light! ¡°Holy Light Arrow!¡± FLAAAAASH! The arrow traveled across the air and in an instant, it pierced through the Metal Slime King¡¯s core, breaking through and shattering it in half! Crack¡­ crack¡­! CRASH! The Metal Slime King¡¯s entire body began to tremble in agony as it suddenly stopped moving, falling into the ground without moving at all. It hadpletely died now; its HP was zero! SPLASH! The sea of liquid metal ended falling over the slime from the smaller slimes we killed, leaving the entire dungeon like a mess¡­ But hey, we won! And¡­ what are all these shiny items that showed up around out of nowhere? ¡°Phew, it¡¯s done¡­ I never thought we would have so much difficulty with just a giant slime.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Me too¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°W-We actually defeated a Metal Slime King¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Amazing! I finally did it!¡± ¡°Yeah, but look¡­ aren¡¯t those dropped items?¡± I asked, pointing into the shiny items that had appeared all over the floor. There were hundreds of items, in fact¡­ ¡°Right, now that I remember¡­ Dungeons drop items and equipment when monsters are defeated asionally¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Uoooohh! Loot!¡± I cried, running into the sea of treasures. ¡ª¨C Chapter 319 A Metal Slimes EXP Is Surely High ¡ª¨C [Calcting Earned EXP¡­] [You have defeated [Various Slime Species (C ~ C+ Rank)] x1833, you earned: [1833000 EXP] [You have defeated [Giant Metal Slime King (B Rank)], you earned]: [3000000 EXP (BONUS Metal Slime EXP!)] [Total EXP earned]: [4833000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 38 to Level 39!] [Your Level has increased from Level 39 to Level 40!] [Your Level has increased from Level 40 to Level 41!] [Your Level has increased from Level 41 to Level 42!] [Your Level has increased from Level 42 to Level 43!]. ¡­ [Your Level has increased from Level 50 to Level 51!] [All your stats have increased!] [The Levels of several Skills have increased] [You learned the [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv1] Physical Skill!] [You learned the [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You acquired the [Slime yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [King yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [New Undead are avable for [Creation] in the Soul Grimoire!] [Slime]-type Undead had been unlocked] ¡ª¨C [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv1] A Skill developed by advanced Phantasmal-type Undead Monsters. It grants the ability to generate Limbs made out phantasmal essence which can hold into many things, attack, and use all sorts of weapon and fist techniques. Phantasmal Limbs can shapeshift into many other forms and shapes. Their damage dealt is based in Strength and Magic Stats. With each level, they gain a more solid form and be stronger. ¡ª¨C [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv1] A powerful Dark, Poison, and Death Attribute Magic Spell, abination of three deadly elements that give birth to the mythical element of Chaos. This powerful spell concentrates all of the magicians¡¯ MP into a deadly and devastating attack that can spread out toxic Miasma that can curse, corrode, and intoxicate anything within a 100-meter radius from the area of impact. The power of this Spell increases with each level. ¡ª¨C I had gained two incredible Skills and I even went all the way to Level 51! All my stats increased quite nicely, and I felt like I was a new woman altogether. I never expected the Slimes to be that many! Each one only gave a measly 1000 EXP, but when we killed thousands of them, we ended getting millions of EXP?! And to boot, the Slime King¡­ the Giant Metal Slime King was just like the Metal Slimes in Dragon Quest, giving a super gigantic amount of EXP upon defeat¡­ three million, to be exact! I leveled like¡­ a dozen of times in one shot! Also, the other two Title Skills I got are like all other yer Title Skills, increasing damage dealt against certain groups of beings by a fixed percentage with each level. Now I can deal extra damage to all Slime-type and King-type monsters. Most King-type monsters are often Bosses that have the power to lead and control lesser beings of their own races, so this is pretty sweet. It means I can deal extra damage to boss monsters. And the other two Skills were acquired by doing certain actions, apparently. Phantasmal Limbs really look like Phantasmal Grasp¡¯s evolution, but I guess it can be a separate Skill as well. Meanwhile, I never expected Dark Meteor would show up and would even be renamed to Chaotic Dark Meteor to boot! This is like a nuke at this point¡­ if I shoot it towards the Kingdom¡¯s Capital, I wonder what would happen. ¡­Probably everybody would die, yeah. I guess that would resolve my problems pretty quickly. Or would it? Well, there¡¯s no time to think about these insane ideas. I quickly decided to check my own status and how much I¡¯ve progressed so far. Level 51 is amazing; I just need 9 more levels to be Level 60 and then¡­ evolve! Everybody else also leveled up a lot, so Emeraldine and Partner might be closer to evolution as well. ¡ª¨C [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Gorgon] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [34/60 -> 51/60] [EXP]: [573000/720000] [Rank]: [B+] [HP]: [17500/17500 -> 26000/26000] [MP]: [36000/36000 -> 53000/53000] [Attack]: [5700 -> 8250] [Defense]: [5800 -> 8350] [Magic]: [38000 -> 55000] [Agility]: [16000 -> 24500] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv9] [Shadow Transportation: Lv4] [Abyssal Body: Lv9] [Supernatural Senses: Lv7] [Poison Body: Lv5] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv4] [Darkness Resistance: Lv9] [Fear Resistance: Lv8] [Elemental Resistance: Lv7] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv4] [Masterful Stealth: Lv3] [de sh: Lv7] [Strong Axe Strike: Lv6] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv1] (NEW) [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv3] [Life Absorption: Lv3] [Possession: Lv9] [Dark Sun: Lv2] [Dark Storm: Lv2] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv9] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv6] [Shadow Maniption: Lv9] [Fake Life: Lv9] [Soul Eater: Lv7] [Undead Detonation: Lv5] [Shadow Thread: Lv3] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv5] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv6] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv5] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv3] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv3] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv1] (NEW) [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv8] [Undead Healing: Lv8] [Erase Presence: Lv8] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv7] [Materialization: Lv8] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv4] [Mental Mapping: Lv4] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv4] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv5] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv2] [Big Game yer: Lv6] [Taboo Mark: Lv5] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv9] [Undead Queen: Lv8] [Evil of the World: Lv6] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv6] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv3] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv3] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv3] [Merciless Assassin: Lv3] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv2] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv2] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv3] [gue yer: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv2] [Saint of Death: Lv2] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv1] [Slime yer: Lv1] (NEW) [King yer: Lv1] (NEW) [Divine Protections]: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡ª¨C Oh, they raised by quite a lot¡­ It has been a long while since I checked all of my full Status. And indeed, it has been rearranged by the System so the Skills are better sorted through categories. Now it is less of a mess! ¡ª¨C Chapter 320 A Mountain Of Treasure! ¡ª¨C After looking into my Stats I realized my Mana had ramped all the way to 53k. Is this why I suddenly felt like I had gained a lot more of energy inside of me? It is amazing how leveling up works. The instant enhancement to everything really feels surreal even when I am a ghost right now, which should be plenty of surreal. My other stats had also increased, with my Magic going to 55k, meaning I got my magic to deal even more damage, while 50% of it will reduce damage from magic attacks directed towards me. I am slowly building myself to be even more of a Magic Tank, it seems! And well, the other stats¡­? Well, my Agility went up nicely, it is my third biggest stat after Magic and MP. And then there is HP which is pretty okay. Though if I ever receive too much direct damage I can die very quickly and easily, especially physical damage. Thankfully I am immune to it unless it is enhanced with some magic, which in such case can be slightly reduced with my own Magic Stat, but it will still deal tons of damage to me¡­ ? Ah, well, I am way better than in those times I began my adventure as a Ghost girl though. Andstly, there is my Attack and Defense, both are almost equally the same, and they¡¯re pretty low seeing my current Rank, which means they¡¯re my lowest stats and also my weakness. Nheless I am still strong enough to punch anything below C Rank to death, I guess. This is why I still use my Cursed Sword and the Axe I have. It is nice that they¡¯ve been leveling up individually as well, both are incredible weapons for now.. However, things are changing now! Why? Because there is a sea of loot right in front of us. There are hundreds of items floating a few centimeters over the floor, shining brightly and dazingly. It was just like a dreame true. I¡¯ve always dreamed of seeing such a beautiful scenery in my entire life, and my previous one in Earth as well! This is way too joyful! Without realizing it, I screamed and jumped straight towards the loot, pushing it all into my Inventory until I ended cleaning the entire floor from both slime and dropped items. The wonderfulness of Dungeons is that they drop items! I have forgotten that because it has been AGES since I visited one. ¡°Gaaah! So many items¡­ This is getting hard to sort out¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Indeed, maybe we should leave it forter. Remember that we are in a hurry. We shouldplete this dungeon as fast as possible. The other items that we get can be sorted out and analyzed after everything is done.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Though I would like to see if there¡¯s a new bow there¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Maria, did you had to just take everything for you?¡± ¡°S-Sorry¡­ I lose control of myself.¡± I said. I quickly began to look through the inventory and saw three new bows in there. One was Fire Slime Bow, Lightning Slime Bow, and Metal Slime King Bow, they all looked strong and had elemental effects Emeraldinecked. It was going to be hard for her to choose between the three. I showed them to her and her eyes began to shine brightly quickly after. ¡°You may pick any of you want¡­ Actually all three are yours, love.¡± I said. ¡°Oooh! So many¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°T-Three Bows¡­ Erm, what should I even pick though?! One can conjure fire, another lightning, and this one is a Metal Slime King Bow, it can¡­ create metallic arrows! But my spirits have a hard time merging with metals, so that¡¯s not a good idea.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good arrow for more traditional bowmen that don¡¯t use magic but Bow Techniques¡­¡± I said. ¡°But it has a lot of attack powerpared to the other two¡­ Nheless, you¡¯re mostly a magic damage dealer, so probably pick the lightning bow. It is strong, fast, and burns just as much as the fire bow.¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought the same¡­ I¡¯ll pick this one, it seems the Spirits find it eptable. Fire is not that good with the Nature Spirit, but it seems that Lightning is okay.¡± Said Emeraldine. Her powers were based in the help of her spirits, so she had to take into consideration their opinion at the time of choosing equipment and so on. There were sometimes items that didn¡¯t hadpatibility with them, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to bring out all their power through them. At the end, she told me to save the fire and the metal bow forter. It was possible to either sell them off for a nice sum of money or dismantle them into raw materials that can be used to upgrade the Lightning Bow if we find a good cksmith, and we got a pair of talented ones back in the vige. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to annoy you girls but¡­ we should hurry.¡± Said Lucifer, he was very impatient despite being alive now. Shouldn¡¯t he be a bit tired now that he¡¯s not an Undead anymore? Well, whatever¡¯s the case, he was right, we had to hurry. ¡°B-But I want something too!¡± Said Partner, moving to my side. ¡°A-Alright, what is it?¡± I asked. ¡°My spear¡­ I don¡¯t want to rece it but is there a small shield? Or some light armor? Maybe some essories!¡± She said. ¡°Yeah there¡¯s a lot! Well¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­¡± I said. ¡°You cut it out! Putting a few pieces of scrap over your body won¡¯t make that much of a difference against high-rank monsters, let¡¯s go for now!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°There¡¯s an incredibly strong presenceing from the bottom of the dungeon, which is oddly simr to mine¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s there, but the Dungeon might had used my remains to create a new and strong dragon monster¡­ We have to quickly y it before it grows any stronger.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 321 Raising An Undead Metal Slime King! ¡ª¨C As I heard Lucifer, I had to nod and agree with him, he was right. I was also feeling some sort of miasmic, draconic presenceing from the bottom of the dungeon. Floor 2 and 3 arepletely empty though, so we can jump all the way down. ¡°You¡¯re right, I can also feel something weird¡­ Let¡¯s go then.¡± I said. I quickly put everybody in my shadows as I rushed down. While moving, I noticed that Pyro had evolved after all the shared EXP he got from the slimes. The other spiders and the skeleton knights also evolved and became sturdier and stronger. But Pyro seems to have evolved into a rare race of Undead Spider, he was now named [Infernal Hellfire Spider] and he had even stronger fire-attribute magic to go with him. Alongside that, his exoskeleton turned dark red, with many orange me-like marks adorning his body. He looked amazing! To think that Pyro used to be a roasted spider that ended bing so amazing at fire magic¡­ I guess the way Undead die mean a lot in the powers they can develop in the future. As we are beings chained by our traumas and resentments, such powers, emotions, and how we died shape our own souls and can even harbor the elements of such traumas. Those that died frozen could be able to wield ice magic, those that die burned could wield fire, and so on¡­ as for me? I don¡¯t know, but it seems that I harbored so much trauma from the life I don¡¯t remember that my entire soul ended turning into pure obscurity, yikes. I fear that whenever I finally remember the life I cannot recall, I might go through a lot of mental suffering¡­ Thankfully, I have many with me to help me out, so I think I will be able to bear with it over time. I just have to harm myself with bravery and resolve and move forward through the road I am making. My desires as a ghost are telling me to avenge those that caused this to me and my family, but my human side also wants to settle down with my friends and partners and simply live peacefully. I suppose I will have to feed both desires at the same time. This world is dangerous though, so I doubt I will have that much of a peaceful life¡­ But I will at least try! [You¡¯re quite optimistic today.] .?O? Huh? Did the System just spoke to me? [Who else?] Ah, you¡¯re always so robotic I never thought you could just make ament out of nowhere. [I decided to speak because it is rted to what you¡¯re seeking. Apparently, the power maintaining your memories chained is slowly dissolving as you grow stronger. However, even after evolving I doubt you will be able to acquire them] S-So what would I need? [A catalyzer. Somebody from the time you were alive as Maria, the Dark Witch, who was very important to you. After this is done, I would rmend prioritizing finding your lost brother, it might be the key to unlock such memories once and for all] I see¡­ Thanks for that. I never thought you could juste out and talk to me like this, it is very nice. I can always have somebody to speak with me so I never feel alone. [You¡¯re always surrounded by people that loves you, Maria. You will never be alone anymore] As he said those words, I looked at Emeraldine and Partner discussing over equipment and at Lucifer looking into the distance rather worriedly, he suddenly looked back at me and nodded¡­. I guess the System is right, I am not alone. Hell, they¡¯re such a clingy bunch that I might never be able to get them out of my side¡­ Well, not like I want to. [Now snap out of your daze. There are monsters 20 meters away from you. Check your Mental Map, I¡¯ve marked them red. It seems there are several C+ Rank monsters. This dungeon difficulty has risen considerablypared to back then. These monsters are also powerful versions of the ones you once fought back then¡­ Prepare for battle!] Alright friend! ¡°Guys, there are monsters iing, battle position!¡± I said, as everybody quickly got into a battle position around me. I quickly took out my Soul Grimoire and decided to bring out some new slimy friends to help us out. I had recently unlocked the Slime-type Undead in my Creation Ability, so I quickly flipped the pages and there they were, a bunch of Undead Slimes. Wow, they¡¯re practically the same I killed but even better? They don¡¯t need Cores andck such an obvious weakness¡­ I can also just merge all of them for a Giant Rainbow Metal Undead Slime King? Alright, let¡¯s do that then! FLASH! I spent a lot of Mana, some System Points, and half of all the materials I got from the Slime drops, quickly summoning a magic circle right in front of me. Everybody got a bit scared, but I reassured them that it was a new friend! ¡°Come fort, Giant Rainbow Metal Undead Slime King! Your name shall be¡­ Just like liquid metal, Mercury!¡± FLAAAASH! An enormous mass of liquid metal and rainbowy slime began to emerge, mixing together constantly as a creature even stronger than the Giant Metal Slime King from before emerged! It costed a lot of my resources, so you better be a good addition to the team! ¡°GUUUUUUU!¡± The giant slime gave out an adorable yet intimidating and loud cry. ¡°A-A Slime?!¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°You can even create Undead Slimes?!¡± ¡°Woow, so big!¡± Said Partner. ¡°T-This is¡­ the Giant Metal Slime? ¡­No! This is even stronger?! It is rainbow-colored as well! Ugh, it is way too dazzling, my eyes burn¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. Just as I summoned Mercury, the army of lizards came running to our way. They were giant dragon-like lizards of all sizes and colors¡­ it seems that these were evolutions of the Psychedelic Lizards we once fought, and other creatures simr to them such as Petrifying Lizards¡­ But why did they had dragon-like bodies? ¡ª¨C Chapter 322 The Dungeons Core Vengeful Soul ¡ª¨C Red veins spread through the dungeon walls as the moist of grease and the miasmic goo produced by the wailing souls of the sacrifices permeated through the bottom of the dungeon. The Dungeon¡¯s Core resonated with such enormous power as it continued to produce deathly monsters. Its desire since it was born has been the same, to grow and grow endlessly, devour and continue devouring. It is a monster just as much as the ones it creates. The flesh it began to spread through the walls was its growth, and it would merely continue growing as long as there are more meals to take. Enormous semi-transparent and soft-shelled eggs break out, as monstrous creatures begin to crawl upstairs. Within the flesh and the veiny walls permeated in mutagenic and toxic miasma, the bones of a certain dragony behind. Not all of them were used to remake him and create a vessel to the original soul, some were left behind. The bones of such a powerful Dragon, filled with resentment and negative emotions became a strong and wonderful catalyzer for the dungeon to create strong monsters. Using the magic within the bones of the former Dragon King, alongside all the rich energy it had umted over time, the monstrous Dungeon Core began tobine it, creating an abomination beyond humanprehension. Although not only that was added to the ingredients, as the mysterious benefactors had leftrge ck crystals in the formerly empty bottom floor of the dungeon, such crystals were the secretions of the Evil God Fragment that once was held sealed by the family of Maria. Now, merged within the bony remains of Lucifer, the miasma and energy of the Dungeon, and the Dungeon¡¯s desire to grow endlessly, a monstrous aberration had begun to spread through the walls, floor, and ceiling of the bottom floor of the dungeon. Fleshy veins and oozing, greasy miasma continued flow like rivers, as the groans of an abomination continued to spread out, emanating more and more darkness than anybody within the surface could ever bear to witness¡­ Within the eggs itid, monstrous lizard draconic beasts continued to emerge and move to the surface. The Dungeon Core had quickly realized something had entered the Dungeon, a group of four powerful beings apanied by many stronger ones. They were all emanating a lot of rich essence and mana which it could feed on. But oddly enough, some of them held a very simr essence and presence than the ones that once defeated the Dungeon and left it with almost no energy to sustain itself¡­ Dungeon Cores were sentient and living beings, they remember and learn, and this Dungeon Core had clearly remembered such malicious resentment. It also felt joy¡­ this time around, it would finally be able to fight back and beat them, devour them, and grow¡­ grow¡­ and grow¡­ ¡°I must grow¡­ Grow¡­ I shall¡­ Expand¡­ the world¡­ I shall be the world¡­¡± Dungeon Cores were greedy and simplistic entities, growth was everything for them, and they needed to continue growing endlessly, it was the basic instincts of their very souls¡­ They desire to take over the world. They desire the world¡­ and everything within it. ¡ª¨C (Maria¡¯s POV) In front of us there was an army of lizards. The smallest one was about two meters tall and the biggest ones reached five meters tall. Some of the biggest ones resembled full blown dinosaur rexes, and they were terrifying! Well, not for us and my newly raised Slime Companion though, they were still C+ Rank at most. And that meant easy peasy! Also, they were way less than the slimes, less coordinated and were not swarming us as easily either. They were not so flexible nor they packed the power to dissolve things with acidic bodies. ¡°They all emanate draconic essence¡­ What is the meaning of this? Who has given birth to these abominations?!¡± Roared Lucifer in anger. It seemed that something down there had been raising these creatures through eggs¡­ I think the Dungeon is doing some nasty stuff with his remains. I hope it is not something lewd. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get to it!¡± I roared, as this time we decided to not create barriers and fight on our own. The lizards were big and menacing, yes, but they were not the fastest out there, and after our insane leveling, we can easily out speed them! Imanded my Undead to fight first, Mercury immediately decided to show off her might as she began to divide into hundreds of smaller clones, and all of them together formed an army with a single mind, making them cooperate and work together amazingly well. They quickly began to unleash elemental attacks, as they were made out of mostly elemental slimes and the metal slime king. They were both durable like the metal slime king and also had amazing magic power and elemental coverage by inheriting their skills. This was by far the strongest Undead I¡¯ve risen, stronger than Darkbound! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The armies of Slimes began to unleash fireballsbined with winds and rocks, generating storms ofva everywhere, burning through the lizards and even firing meteors by fusing these elements together like nobody¡¯s business. And even when they were hit and attacked by the lizards, they lost very little HP as their defense was insane, they were both durable and powerful. Many lizards quickly began to fall to their demise one after the other in no time. I quickly ordered Pyro and the spiders to fight like a group as well, with the support of the Slimes, they quickly began to surround many of the biggest lizards out there and used their spiderwebs to get them to fall into the ground and lose their momentum. Pyro used his monstrously strong new [Hell Fire] Skill to burn through the weakened or bound lizards, devastating them and spreading mes through the fifth floor, where we were confronting all the lizards. Meanwhile, Mercury was doing a wonderful job at distracting the lizards and push them back while we leisurely began to y them one by one. It was yet another EXP fest¡­ but that wasn¡¯t all, the presence of the creature at the bottom of the dungeon is continuing to grow stronger. Whatever the Dungeon is making, that¡¯s surely a living disaster we gotta stop before things get way too sticky! ¡ª¨C Chapter 323 Against An Army Of Buffed Up Lizards! ¡ª¨C Alright, alright, alright! The battlefield is getting fiery already! Pyro and hispanion spiders are setting everything aze. The spiders cannot use fire unlike the unique Pyro, but they can trap the giant lizards using spiderwebs, while Pyro abuses the webs mmable nature and burn through his foes even more easily! And while I oversaw the situation, Mercury, the new addition to our party was breezing through the lizards farther away, and gatekeeping the stairs leading down, crushing the lizards rushing from below. Wow, Mercury you¡¯re literally a monster! I think I¡¯ve made a great investment in wasting away over half my System Points for you, dear. With Mercury, I can use him for both defense and offense. The original Metal Slime King wasn¡¯t that good at attacking, but because Mercury is a fusion with the other elemental slimes, he got an amazing magical prowess and can conjure several low to mid-tier elemental magic spells¡­ And to make it even more crazy, he got the [Self-Division] Skill that can allow him to divide into many smaller Mercuries. Of course, their stats reduce by the amount of small clones he makes, but they¡¯re still form a mighty and more flexible army of rainbow metal slimes. ¡°This is insane¡­ Is Pyro and Mercury going to do all the job?¡± Asked Lucifer, who was simply smacking any lizards that got nearby. ¡°Pyro has grown way too strong after his recent evolution, that [Hellfire] of his is too strong! The entire floor is set aze¡­ Also Mercury is just¡­ an overkill. Don¡¯t you think you overdid it with that monster?¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ It was a good choice! I¡¯ve always wanted a slimepanion anyways, and Mercury is insanely strong. Damn, I love being a Necromancer! We¡¯ll make a big, unparallel Undead Army!¡± Iughed maliciously. This has been kind of my quest since the very beginning of my journey has a ghost with Death Magic, but still, its insane how strong my Undead are now. I think the Level of [Fake Life] also influences in how strong Undead I raise be. Usually they were way weaker than their original selves, but now they areparable, or even stronger than when they were alive¡­ After all, Fake Life is already Level 9! I wonder what sort of awakening it could have at Level 10 though. ¡°You¡¯re insane¡­ But I guess I shouldn¡¯t be worrying about stuff like this when there are so many goddamn lizards¡­! We have to keep going down, tell Mercury and Pyro to push forward!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t order me around¡­! But that¡¯s a good n!¡± I said, quickly flying forward while firing arrows made of darkness against any little lizard that got in my way. Their bodies dropped into the floor one after the other against my magic, and I even used Phantasmal Limbs with my two weapons of choice to slice through their heads! SLASH! CRASH! BOOM! ¡°Mercury, Pyro,bine your forces and push forward, we are going all the way down to the Boss!¡± I ordered. Mercury quickly began to unify his entire clones into a giant sea of liquid metal, as he suddenly began to move down through the stairs, any lizard in his way was consumed and dissolved by his gastric acids. Damn, Slimes are really terrifying creatures! ¡°Gryysha!¡± Pyro cried while unleashing a storm of mes right above Mercury, impacting floor 6 and burning through dozens of giant lizards that were getting in our way. With Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner mounting rapidly moving Undead Spiders, we reached the floor 6 in mere seconds. ¡°Uuuuuaaaagh!¡± However, right after getting down there, Emeraldine cried! We looked at her rmedly, finding she was being petrified by some sort of Curse Magic! Shit! Right, there were Basilisk in here! They don¡¯t affect me because I am a ghost, but Emeraldine and the rest can still be petrified! Without thinking it twice, I rushed towards Emeraldine and put myself in front of her, quickly realizing we were being surrounded by ten evolved Basilisk, Tyrant Basilisks, who were tens of times bigger than the tiny lizards from back then, and they hadrge jaws and ws, they probably devoured their petrified prey with those! ¡°Damn it! Good thing we stocked on potions from the Alchemist Guild that Julia rmended to us!¡± I said, taking a Anti Petrification Potion from the bag and quickly making Emeraldine drinking it down. ¡°Uuggh¡­ Gluhh¡­¡± She swiftly recovered, as the skin turned into stone quickly began to fall from her body, there were some wounds as the raw flesh beneath her skin was shown. She¡¯s so strong I forgot that sometimes she could be hit by things like these! Damn it, my Undead Healing doesn¡¯t work on the living either! I took a High Potion from my Inventory after that, they were expensive and rare, so I only had a handful, opened the bottle, and quickly poured it over her. SPLASH! ¡°Agh! Phew¡­¡± She sighed in relief. She was unable to heal herself due to the shock, most likely. Her skin was slowly growing back, and she used her own healing magic to hasten the process. Meanwhile, Lucifer, Partner, Pyro and Mercury ughtered the Basilisks. It seems that Partner and Lucifer had a rather good resistance to curses for being high-level entities, especially Lucifer who was barely being petrified, and simply detached the petrified skin from himself without any pain. The same for Partner, the two had insane self-regeneration powers so it wasn¡¯t much of a show for them, Pyro was the same, and Mercury was¡­pletely immune to petrification to begin with, it¡¯s not like liquid metal can be petrified. ¡°These damn Basilisks, they¡¯reing inrge quantities!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Let¡¯s protect Emeraldine!¡± Said Partner. ¡°E-Everyone¡­ Don¡¯t worry for me, I¡¯ll make something up!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Barrier!¡± FLASH! Emeraldine suddenly erected a light barrier around her in the form of a bubble, and the petrification power of the Basilisks suddenly was not affecting her, it wasn¡¯t even reaching her anymore. I guess she could had used that sooner! ¡ª¨C Chapter 324 Fighting A Relentless Army Of Giant Lizards! ¡ª¨C ¡°I just discovered it, but Petrification is still a curse. The Basilisks shot invisible rays of curse magic against their targets. The rays are incredibly fast, but they can be blocked through a barrier made of light! Spirit of Light, maintain it up and expand it!¡± ¡°Fooo!¡± The little Spirit of Light made a small sound and flew around Emeraldine, enhancing the barrier and expanding it all while maintaining it up for us! The barrier expanded and it protected everybody else from the petrification. Those that were affected by it quickly shifted their attack pattern to long-rangedbat, while those immune to it, Mercury and me, ran around the barrier ughter the Basilisks. ¡°GRUUOOOHHHH!!!¡± However, a Boss already showed up, running from the floor below, arger than usual Basilisks emerged. It was around 30 meters tall; the thing was a titan! And it had three Basilisks head, meaning that it had six damn eyes! Each Eye had a special Curse, one caused Petrification, the other had a Curse that lowered all stats by -20%, and thest pair of eyes could cause temporary blindness and mute, so we cannot see nor even chant! The barrier of Emeraldine suddenly became vital for everybody except Mercury and I, who werepletely immune to those shits. The Boss was a Three-Headed Basilisk Tyrant King, and it was mighty not only in curse casting, but sheer strength! Its enormous trio of tails were big enough to shake the floor while hitting it, and all three of them were directed towards Emeraldine¡¯s barrier! If those things end up hitting the barrier, it will surely break! ¡°Mercury, go all out!!!¡± ¡°GUUUU!¡± Mercury gave out a valiant roar, as he jumped towards the Three-Headed Basilisk Tyrant King and quickly began to spread out his body around the creature, entangling all of its limbs and stopping it from moving the tail. The Boss¡¯ scales were incredibly hard, so Mercury¡¯s digestive acid was barely working on it, and the elemental spells he could use were only up to mid-tier, so they were dealing absolutely no damage to a monster with [Dragon Scales] Skill, which reduced elemental damage substantially. This guy wasn¡¯t as tanky as the Metal Slime King, but he was damn durable and annoying! Not only Emeraldine was tasked with maintaining the barrier, I also had to give her my own Mana which I drained from the other Basilisk and the Boss surrounding us, all while I had to find a way to kill him while everyone else was busy dealing with the army of Basilisks rushing towards us. I had trying to use my Gorgon Eyes against these damn bastards, but it has gotten harder and harder to be honest. They got Resistance to all Curses, so my Eyes are barely effective, even if I use all of their effects¡­ However, they¡¯re not immune! I also had the [Greater Curse] Skill which allowed my hits to leave Curses on the targets their hit. Ibined this with my Gorgon Eyes and then unleashed rays from my eyes, trying to curse the boss while Mercury kept him busy, tanking his many hits while the boss tried to free itself by struggling like there was no tomorrow! FLAAAAASSSHHH! ¡°GROOAARR!¡± The Basilisks quickly felt all of my Curses umting and hitting him. His body was suddenly paralyzed, and he was poisoned as well! Not only that, but his mind was bing dizzy and confused, and he was losing his mind, hahaha! Look at him now, he was just taking his tongue out like a dumb dog or something. However, this wouldn¡¯tst long, we had to quickly finish this guy off before things were to get worse! I ran straight towards him and told Mercury to back off for now! ¡°Mercury, get away!¡± I said. ¡°GUUU!¡± Mercury jumped off the Basilisk, who fell straight into the cold floor. The creature struggled to fight my Eye powers, and he was doing a great work at resisting the agony, but I wasn¡¯t going to let him recover and then wreck us again. I got a bit closer to him above and then¡­! ¡°Chaotic Dark Meteor!¡± FLASH! All of my MP was drained in a single second, as a gigantic mass of darkness, poison, death, and chaos converged into arge, solidified ck crystal rock made out of all these raw elements of magic materialized together! This amazing spell was a good finisher, but it literally drained all of my MP, so I only had one shot before I had to fully recover my MP to fire it again. The gigantic meteor fell rather quickly down below. The enormous Basilisk attempted to evade, but the spiders led by Pyro used their spiderwebs to keep him tightly stuck in the floor while the meteor closed in, finally impacting, and exploding! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! The darkness of my spell engulfed the entire Boss, as it spread out through shockwaves. Everybody jumped away as I lifted them with several Phantasmal Libs off the ground. Mercury was tanky enough to resist it anyways (he was too heavy for me to lift him off the ground). The other monsters were engulfed in the darkness of the shockwave and killed instantly. Just seconds after my attack, I saw hundreds of souls flying around, and quickly getting eaten by the Dungeon itself. I decided to extend more Phantom Limbs, as I caught a few dozen of them for myself, including the big soul of the Dungeon Boss. And then, everything was in peace once more. I could sense more monstersing from the tenth floor, but for now we had a few minutes to assess things and quickly collect all the loot spread out! I spread countless of funny-looking stretched phantasmal hands, grabbing everything greedily and stuffing it into my Inventory, all the while I saw System Notifications, the amount of EXP was pretty good, but not as high as the Metal Slime King! Ding! [Calcting Earned EXP¡­] [You have defeated [Various Giant Lizard Species (C+ ~ B- Rank)] x1267 you earned: [1900500 EXP] [You have defeated [Three-Headed Basilisk Tyrant King (B+ Rank)], you earned]: [1500000 EXP] [Total EXP earned]: [3400500 EXP] ¡ª¨C Chapter 325 An Absoluely Uncanny Boss! ¡ª¨C Ding! [Calcting Earned EXP¡­] [You have defeated [Various Giant Lizard Species (C+ ~ B- Rank)] x1267 you earned: [1900500 EXP] [You have defeated [Three-Headed Basilisk Tyrant King (B+ Rank)], you earned]: [1500000 EXP] [Total EXP earned]: [3400500 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 51 to Level 52!] [Your Level has increased from Level 52 to Level 53!] [Your Level has increased from Level 53 to Level 54!] [Your Level has increased from Level 54 to Level 55!] [All your stats have increased!] [The Levels of several Skills have increased] [New Undead are avable for [Creation] in the Soul Grimoire!] [Reptile]-type Undead had been unlocked] [You Learned the [Fist Strike: Lv1] Physical Skill!] ¡ª¨C [Fist Strike: Lv1] Concentrate Mana into your fists and unleash a powerful Fist Strike, that can pierce through enemy¡¯s armor and defenses. This powerful physical attack unleashes shockwaves of energy that impact the foe¡¯s internal body. If used in quick session, each hit will increase the damage dealt for the next one. Damage dealt will increase with each Skill Level. ¡ª¨C Oh! Just after I collected the loot we got, I found that I got to Level 55 and I even learned a brand new Skill! Just what¡¯s this? Fist Strike? Sounds pretty fancy! I wonder if I learned this by using my Phantasmal Limbs as fists to strike the lizards? I was doing that mostly leisurely, but I never expected it would end up turning into a damn Skill from all things! And it is a pretty good one at that. Hm, perhaps I should do something now, shouldn¡¯t I? Oh right, we need to go down! ¡°Are you guys ready to go down?¡± I wondered. Everyone was mostly done with resting for a few minutes. They had drank a lot of potions to recover Mana, and we were mostly all out of them by now. Additionally, Lucifer ate a lot of raw lizard meat there was left behind, as he was feeling very hungry after using his energy a lot, meanwhile, Partner drank a lot of vampire blood and even the lizard¡¯s blood, so she¡¯s feeling pretty energized. We still had plenty of the blood we got from the damn vampire that tried to assassinate Julia. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get going.¡± Said Partner. ¡°I am ready¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Me too, I am alright now. I¡¯ll try to use my new bow better!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Gryshi!¡± ¡°GUUUUUUUU¡­!¡± I guess the whole party is ready. Then let¡¯s get going, onwards to the lowest floor! Mercury quickly decided to give us all a ride. He spread out the entirety of his body and then solidified parts of his liquid metal into seats, where we could sit overfortably. He began moving downstairs at a rapid pace, rushing through everything down. The lizards were approaching but he just crushed them to death one after the other through his sheer size and weight. CRAAAAASH! We kept going down through the floors, until we began to realize that the walls and ceilings were covered in red veins and oozing miasmic and slimy substances. The chilling presence of a creature way bigger than all of usbined began to quickly emerge¡­ ¡°T-This is flesh in the floor, ceiling, and walls?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°And it all has some sort of dragon scent to it! What¡¯s¡­ going on in here?! What has the dungeon done with my remains?!¡± ¡°Something pretty bad I would assume¡­ and nasty.¡± I said while admiring the incredible sights surrounding us. ¡°Mercury, hurry!¡± ¡°GUUUU!¡± Mercury moved down at a fast speed and then we finally reached thest floor. We were greeted by a hundred lizards, which were promptly taken down by the power of Mercury. And what lied before us was¡­ something within the shadows. Thanks to my ability to see through darkness, I was one of the first to see what was lying in silence there, dormant¡­ it was a monster that we had never seen before. This thing was probably the source of the lizards, a creature that had been feeding of all the miasma that was umted here, and most likely the Final Boss of this Revamped Dungeon. It was quite hard to describe this creature, but it was a gigantic mass of flesh and bones, in the shape of a horrifying and mutant dragon. Its head was made of many bone pieces and made into an empty skull without eyes¡­ the rest of the body was covered in red flesh and spikes made of bones. The entire creature lookedpletely uncanny¡­ And its size? It made most of the floor. It was¡­ maybe over 50 meters of height? The worst part was that its own body was stuck to the dungeon¡¯s walls, floor, and ceiling, and there were many tentacles around, all part of its body. ¡°T-This is¡­ To think such an abomination would be born from the little remains I left¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°This damned dungeon¡­ I¡¯ll destroy it!¡± ¡°No you can¡¯t destroy it, it still a source of ie for the fiefdom!¡± I said. ¡°T-Then we¡¯ll cleanse it!¡± He roared. Lucifer¡¯s entire body exploded into dark smoke and mes, quickly turning into a gigantic and fierce Death Dragon. ¡°ROOOOAARRRR!!!¡± The dragon greeted us with a loud roar, as countless tentacles immediately targeted us. It wasn¡¯t going to do any introductions nor talk, it couldn¡¯t. This thing was just going to try to kill us with everything it had at its disposal, and that was it! The entire room began to tremble as more fleshy tentacles emerged, shapeshifting out of the flesh spread everywhere, with various eyes and jaws of their own, each tentacle targeted us rapidly and attempted to crush us with their weight and speed! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! We quickly evaded while I ordered Mercury to tank most of the hits. He roared loudly at mymand, utilizing the [Provoke] Skill and making the tentacles attack him the most! He was a tank, so an Agro Skill was a must within his arsenal! ¡°GUUUUUU¡­!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 326 Against The Flesh Dragon! ¡ª¨C Little Mercury roared rather adorably, but that was more than enough for most of the tentacles to notice him instead of any of us and attack him constantly! His enormous and slimy body was amazing at withstanding damage, and he was using his fireballs and other low to mid-tier spells to sh and burn through his attackers. His defensive stats were insanely high so he was the perfect tank, we didn¡¯t had to worry about him while we dealt with the big problem here, the Boss itself! ¡°GROOOOAARRRR!!!¡± ¡°ROOOAAAARRRR!!!¡± Both dragons shed! Lucifer and the Flesh Dragon (as I am going to call the Boss) shed against one another in an intense battle. Lucifer used his jaws to bite and pierce through the flesh and bones of the Flesh Dragon, while the Boss Monster attacked Lucifer with its sharp bones and ws, alongside countless of tentacles surging from its entire body. CLASH! BOOM! CRASH! Lucifer¡¯s legs and arms hit the monstrous Boss several times. It seemed he was very enraged for what they had done to hisst remains, making them into an horrendous fleshy creature was indeed a bit traumatic. He swung his tail and coated the tail on his phantasmal mes, using them to hit the giant Flesh Dragon with all his might put into it! CRAAASH! ¡°GRUUOHH¡­!¡± The Flesh Dragon suddenly felt lethargic by the enormously strong hit. The phantasmal mes suddenly started to burn through its body as the soul it had received a direct hit. Lucifer was not containing himself anymore nor saving any energy into his attacks! He quickly added that attack with a deadly Phantom Breath attack, covering the entire creature with a phantasmal mass of mes that burned through most of its body mercilessly! ¡°ROOOAAAARRRRR!!!¡± BOOOOOMMM!!! The Flesh Dragon groaned in agony once more, as arge part of its entire body was blown away into ashes by Lucifer¡¯s merciless attack. However, the creature had insane self-regeneration, its flesh quickly recovered the wounds and generated even more tentacles, entangling the limbs of Lucifer and piercing them through endless sharp tooths emerging from each tentacle, slicing his scales and leaving deep wounds that reached to his bones! ¡°GRUUUAAAAH!¡± Lucifer cried in agony, but he gritted his teeth and unleashed another Phantom Breath against the Flesh Dragon. All of this was happening way too fast, but with my speed, I managed to catch up to the two and quickly decided to aid Lucifer! Partner also came running behind me, while Pyro and Emeraldine stood in the back, preparing their long-ranged magic attacks. ¡°Lucifer, don¡¯t fight this thing alone, you idiot!¡± Said Partner angrily, reprimanding the prideful dragon. She swung her spear multiple times- no, her two spears multiple times, as she generated roses made of Blood Aura which she shaped into hundreds of mirages in the shape of even more spears. All these hundreds of Blood Aura Spears started to hit the Flesh Dragon¡¯s rear with incredible and explosive power. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The Dragon¡¯s rear quickly started to break apart easily, her attacks were strong and they were easily piercing through his defenses, but his insane regeneration ability and the miasma which recovered his mana were not nice. Any damage dealt quickly recovered back and the dragon simply rose once more from where it came from. It swung its tentacles and hit Partner directly. She intercepted with her two spears, her old one and the new Basilisk Tyrant Spear I gave to her, as she said she wanted to dual wield from now on to ¡°not waste a hand¡± or something. It resulted in being pretty good, both spears granted her a lot of defense when she put them in an X position. CLAAAAASH! ¡°Blood Counter!!!¡± TRUUUUMMM¡­! The umted damage into her was quickly sent back through the power of [Blood Counter] a new Skill she learned after leveling up quite a lot. This ability helped Partner umte damage given to her and then let it all out into an explosion of power, which hit the Flesh Dragon¡¯s head directly, blowing it away in an instant! BOOM!!! ¡°GROOARRR!¡± Lucifer came right afterwards, unleashing a Phantom Breath into the interior of the Flesh Dragon, and making it inte like a balloon until it exploded horrendously. BOOOOOOMMM!!! ¡°GRYYYAAAAHH¡­! The gigantic Flesh Dragon sttered into the floor¡­ it left blood and unmoving flesh everywhere! Wow, was it over already? I didn¡¯t even got to do anything- Oh. Before I could even realize that we had yet to earn any EXP, the Flesh Dragon suddenly reconstructed itself from within all the flesh stuck to the ceilings, walls, and floors, forming itself once more into a monstrous Flesh Dragon¡­ it pretty much revived?! How many lives does this bastard has? Using Appraisal on him didn¡¯t gave nay results, it only showed glitchy numbers and words¡­ What the heck?! ¡°GRUOOOOOHHHHHH!!!¡± The Flesh Dragon quickly jumped over the surprised Lucifer, its entire body suddenly gained hundreds of dragon jaws across its body and all of them began to attempt to tear Lucifer apart into pieces, shit! I quickly ran to his help. I had been mostly using Undead Heal and Shadow and Death Domain to boost everybody¡¯s strength. I had also used the [Enhance] Soul Grimoire Ability with everybody, but even with the bonus to their stats it barely amounted to anything. ¡°Y-You damn¡­!¡± Lucifer gritted his teeth, resisting the intensity of the strength of the Flesh Dragon. I grabbed my sword and my axe and coated them in Death and Darkness Aura, andunched them at the Dragon¡¯s back with all the might I could, adding [Pandora¡¯s Box] to the mix as well! FLAAAASH! The two weapons spun down and shed against the Flesh Dragon, unleashing explosions of all the darkness and even wandering souls I had infused into them, the two weapons unleashed such big magical explosions that the Flesh Dragon once more temporarily was torn apart, freeing Lucifer from its deadly embrace. Despite being alive, Undead Heal still worked on him thanks to being a Death Dragon simrly to Partner being a Lesser Vampire, so I quickly began to heal all the horrible wounds he had over himself. ¡°Hang in there, Lucifer! Undead Heal!!!¡± FLAAASH! Phantasmal darkness covered his wounds, quickly closing them down one by one, Lucifer smiled faintly as he slowly stood up. -. ¡°I am alright, thanks for your concern¡­ but this monster¡­ I don¡¯t know how it even works. Do we need topletely destroy all the flesh here? Does it has a weak part? A core? Or anything at all?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured out something¡­ But I¡¯ll need your backup to find out if my hypothesis is true!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 327 An Immortal Foe ¡ª¨C As everybody fought and I supported them from afar, I¡¯ve been analyzing the entire room by myself, every little thing gave me some clues about the origin of this Flesh Dragon¡¯s powers, and how it could be virtually immortal. The flesh spreading through the entire room was too much, and due to its insane regeneration speed, even setting it all aze would not work because it would simply keep regenerating and use magic to turn off the fire eventually. I could shot a Chaotic Dark Meteor, but I am not even sure if it will properly kill the Flesh Dragon either. It had withstood the power of Partner and Lucifer together after all. However, as I analyzed things and saw through what I couldn¡¯t discern, the System began to aid me. It quickly started to tell me more details about things within the Flesh Dragon and the Dungeon. It seemed that there was a high concentration of energy overflowing from the dungeon itself, below the floor itself there was arge quantity of miasma and mana flowing strongly, like rivers that separated and flew across the walls, ceiling, and floor constantly. Was this the Dungeon Core? It is being protected by dungeon walls that cannot be destroyed by anything we have in our arsenal, so targeting it directly seems impossible. However, the Flesh Dragon¡­ it really feels like it is being controlled by the Dungeon Core. I continued analyzing it, until I realized the Flesh Dragon was not a normal monster, it was something akin to the Dungeon¡¯s Core Avatar, a monster that was being controlled by the dungeon core, a body that it could use to move around and even outside. Is the Dungeon Core nning to use it to conquer the outside world and explore it? Well, that¡¯s cute, but he¡¯s getting in my way, so I¡¯ll have to deal with him and find a way to ruin his dreams. - [Now that you¡¯ve grown strong enough, it could be possible to trespass even imprable walls such as those of the dungeon, however, the consumption of Mana will be incrediblyrge. Your ability to Drain Mana has been enhanced each time you evolved, increasing its draining speed and also range. At this stage, by sacrificing System Points, it might be possible to enhance its capabilities to allow you to drain the Mana of the Dungeon itself, alongside its Miasma. This way you can weaken the Dungeon Core and also delve deep underground to deal with it. Breaking it would destroy the dungeon, so I rmend using other method.] What! So that¡¯s a thing now? How many System Points do I have right now? It is kind of a pain that they don¡¯t show in the Status Page. [You currently have 73000 System Points after the absorption and conversion of EXP and Skill Proficiency of thetest fight against the Lizards and the Basilisk Boss. The more points you use, the better.] Isn¡¯t there a new Skill I could get instead to do this?! [None of them would prove to be exactly useful.] Ugh. Well, I had already figured out how the Flesh Dragon worked before the System told me. I am an independent Ghost Woman after all, I don¡¯t need the help of any [Sage] or whatever, that¡¯s for the Slime dude. ¡­However, the System was very helpful nheless, I just hate depending on it too much, even though he¡¯s already quite the character, and without him I wouldn¡¯t be as strong as I am. I suppose it is a supporting character I cannot really continue to ignore. There had been many times when he had offered me ways to resolve problems but I resolved them on my own way. But right now, quite honestly, I am out of options. I will have to obey his words for now and do as he says, as he¡¯s literally a livingputer so he can calcte probabilities and all of that. I suppose we¡¯ll go the hard way for now! However, I need to distract the Flesh Dragon. For that, I quickly decided to call Lucifer and the rest, and told them all to go all out against the Flesh Dragon without holding back. ¡°You guys trust me right? Go all out with everything you¡¯ve got, keep the Flesh Dragon down and if he recovers, crush it again! Don¡¯t think about saving energy, I got a way to get his true body, but I need you guys to hold him tight!¡± I said, as Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, Pyro, and Mercury quickly seemed to understand and all nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll do everything we can!¡± Said Lucifer. Lucifer roared loudly and fiercely, as he unleashed a Phantom Breath against the Flesh Dragon, leaving an enormous wound that quickly attempted to recover from the destructive damage. However, Partner came rushing behind. ¡°I¡¯ll always trust you, Master!¡± Said Partner, without even doubting for a second. She swung her two spears masterfully, as her Aura of Blood began to unleash its terrifying vampiric prowess, many illusory roses and thorn vines emerged from her spear attacks, as they began to entangle the Flesh Dragon, stopping it from regenerating as a rain of piercing spear attacks started to tear apart its flesh. ¡°Alright! Pyro, are you ready?¡± Asked Emeraldine, as the bright light and the power of her two Spirits gathered within her Yggdrasil Arrow, which she was pointing at the Flesh Dragon using her new Lightning Slime Bow. ¡°Gryshiiii!¡± Pyro roared. Therge zing spider readied his most fiery Hellfire, unleashing a spiraling and burning storm of mes together with Emeraldine¡¯s bow. ¡°Hellfire Lightning Nova!¡± Emeraldine and Pyro suddenlybined their powers and created a brand-new technique, as both the mes of Pyro and the lightning of Emeraldine¡¯s bows merged together into an enormous explosion of destructive elements. All of this quicklybined itself with Emeraldine¡¯s light, exploding into a super nova-like explosion that engulfed the entire Flesh Dragon! BOOOOOOMMM!!! Meanwhile, Mercury was holding the tentacles all by himself, and the Flesh Dragon quickly started to tear apart and fall into the ground. Thanks to this, it received so much damage that it was taking a while to regenerate. This was my time to shine! ¡ª¨C Chapter 328 Ultimate Skill! ¡ª¨C While the Flesh Dragon was being held tightly by all the attacks from everybody, I quickly decided to go all in! Just as the System had rmended, I decided to spend all my remaining System Points into enhancing the [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon]! With this, I will be able to not only drain Mana directly from the Dungeon Core, but also the Miasma that was infecting all of this ce. It was a risky thing to do, but there was no other option, the Dungeon Core was overflowing with energy and it seemed to have no apparent end to it. And to make things worse, this Flesh Dragon was the Dungeon¡¯s very avatar, as long as the Dungeon had energy, this thing would continue regenerating endlessly. I had to both drain all the power of the dungeon and infilter deep inside of it through the usage of all my power¡­ It will use a lot of Mana to trespass physical matter that is indestructible such as the floor of the dungeon to reach the hidden dungeon core deep inside, but that¡¯s also a reason why I am enhancing the [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon]! Ding! [You have sacrificed all of your System Points!] [The [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] is undergoing forced evolution!] FLAAAAASH! Suddenly, I felt the depths of my very soul evolving and changing tremendously! It was fantastic how much it was changing, and it felt as if my very soul was bing¡­ a ck hole?! It felt as if I had an endless maw within my phantasmal soul, which suddenly started to siphon all energy around me. Ding! [The [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] has forcefully evolved into the [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth]!] ¡ª¨C [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] The evolution of a Unique Skill results in an Ultimate Skill, a power that can defy thews of the world themselves. This power manifests as an endless ck hole within the user¡¯s soul that can absorb and assimte any sort of essence, be it Mana, Vitality, Aether, and other elemental energies, this absorption is gradual but constant, and its speed increases as time goes on. Yog-Sothoth transforms the user in the key and the gate, leading to the endless void, therefore, it has an endless void inside its soul, where an endless quantity of energy can be absorbed and assimted. ¡ª¨C W-What the¡­?! This is insane! I never thought I would get a crazy Ultimate Skill like this so soon, and it sounds amazing as well! So the ck Hole inside of my soul is actually due to this new Ultimate Skill that evolved from the Unique Skill I got after dying¡­ Now that I have this power, I felt like I could really do anything! I rushed down into the ground, ignoring the Flesh Dragon that had yet to fully regenerate and quickly trespassed through the thick floor made of a special material that was near indestructible. It felt hard, as if I was trying to swim through mud. However, thanks to Yog-Sothoth activating right away, I could feel several rivers, streams of energy flowing directly towards me from the dungeon core below. The Miasma and the Mana were all being consumed by me and strengthening me greatly! It wasn¡¯t instant, but it was constant, and the more a fight could be prolonged, the greater my advantage could be. ¡°GRRYYYYEEEEH¡­!!!¡± Suddenly, I heard a terrifying alien-like screech, as I looked down, I finally found the glowing pearl-like orb that the Dungeon Core was shaped as. It was sitting over an empty room over an altar, and it was covered in miasmic soot everywhere, infectedpletely by darkness. It screamed the more I drained its essence. ¡°Hehe, I FINALLY found you! It has been a while, right?¡± ¡°Y-YOUUUU¡­!¡± The Dungeon Core suddenly spoke, shocking me. I quickly realized this bastard had an actual personality, and most likely a soul of its own as well. I don¡¯t know everything about dungeon cores, but I know that they are pretty intelligent and also living beings, they keep popping out along thend, and even more nowadays. I¡¯ve also seen the dungeon core somehow helping the little Arachne that I¡¯m taking care of¡­ And I¡¯ve also realized she was something of a ¡°Dungeon Master¡±. Could there be a big plot behind the scenes involving many Dungeon Cores and assigned Dungeon Masters? But what do they want? Total conquest? Self-preservation? All of it? Well, whatever was the case, I was finishing off this guy right now. ¡°Gotcha!¡± Iughed, as I touched his spherical body and activated Yog-Sothoth once more. A ck hole once more emerged within my very soul, absorbing the pure essence of the Dungeon Core. The Mana it had, the Miasma, and everything within it! FLUOOOOOSSSHHH!!! ¡°GUUUAAAHH¡­! S-STOP¡­ YOU¡­ YOUUUUU!!!¡± The Dungeon Core continued to scream while trying to stop me, several tendrils made of miasma attempted to capture me and put me on ce, as I felt a draining forceing from him! Was he trying to absorb me back? You bastard! ¡°I will¡­ devour you!¡± The Dungeon Core roared savagely, attempting to devour me, but failing as I continued to absorb his energy. I used the energy I absorbed to enhance all my power constantly, both of us were fighting against the other and taking a long time to get any results, but it felt like we were both taking each other down¡­! ¡°Uuggh¡­! Why won¡¯t you die already?!¡± I roared, constantly absorbing more and more essence. ¡°N-Never¡­! I must live! I must THRIVE!¡± BOOOOM! Both of us attempted to devour the other, as I felt my entire body sinking more and more into the Dungeon Core, all while I was still absorbing his energy and weakening severely¡­ Until I was suddenly andpletely engulfed by the Dungeon Core! When I opened my eyes, I found myself within apletely white space. It was everything¡­ so still, it was even rxing. But I couldn¡¯t rx, I was inside the body of my foe, this bastard Dungeon Core trying to devour everything was such a pain! Even if I am inside of him, I will give him a terrible stomachache. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re persistent.¡± And then, I found a figure, it was a being made of shadows and darkness, in the mild form of a humanoid, standing right in front of me. ¡°Just give up and die!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 329 Confronting The Dungeon Core! ¡ª¨C The Dungeon Core devoured me! I was about topletely absorb his powers but then¡­ he just gulped me down into his Dungeon Core before I could even do anything. And then I found myself within apletely white space. In there, the Dungeon Core¡¯s soul was present, a mass of endless darkness and shadows. But even if I knew who he was, I still didn¡¯t knew why he was doing this, or what were his intentions, so I decided to speak, even if a little. ¡°Who are you really?¡± I wondered. ¡°¡­I am a Dungeon Core.¡± He said in silence. ¡°My purpose is to expand, conquer, and devour¡­ I must thrive at all costs. You¡¯re an annoyance that has gotten in my way twice by now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re made out of Lucifer¡¯s remnants!¡± I roared. ¡°Can¡¯t you at least recognize it?¡± ¡°We Dungeon Cores are formed when high concentrations of Miasma are gathered in a single ce, I am born from such mud of life¡­¡± He said. ¡°I do not care who brought it to life.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not stopping even with talking?¡± I asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± BOOOM!!! I moved swiftly towards his soul and punched it with my bare phantasmal hands. His faceless face quickly distorted, showing visible white cracks across it, as pieces of his soul fell apart, his entire soul body began to roll through the ground for several meters. ¡°AAKH¡­!¡± He cried in agony, and also disbelief. ¡°H-How can you damage me inside of my own body?! I already ate you¡­ Be my power and disappear!¡± The Dungeon Core¡¯s soul pointed his hands at me, as countless shadows tentacles emerged one after the other from within him, trying to attack me and consume me. I felt slightly weakened in here, but all of my Skills could be used. I quickly unleashed [Dark Sun] without even doubting it for a second! ¡°st away, bastard!¡± FLUOOOOOSSSSHHH! The enormous sphere of dark mes emerged over my body, as I lunged it at him at a fast speed. The enormous ck fireball shed against him as he tried to hopelessly run away, the mes consumed his body as a loud explosion created shockwaves all across the interior of the Dungeon Core, cracking the floor, ceiling, and everything within this dark space. BOOOMMM! ¡°U-Uggh¡­! T-This is burning! Uuaaaggggh¡­! GRAAAAAAAHHH¡­!¡± The Dungeon Core Soul was incredibly weak! I didn¡¯t expect him to be this weak, but he couldn¡¯t even fight back against me. I might as well devour the soul as well while we are at it, there¡¯s no point in trying to make him our friend. I flew directly towards him, spreading my phantasmal limbs and grabbing him. ¡°Phantasmal Stomach¡­ Yog-Sothoth.¡± I conjured the two Skills that could allow me to devour and absorb anything, and quickly opened my jaws, which distorted alongside my entire body, until I realized I looked like an enormous phantasmal mass of tumors, eyes, and tentacles, with a massive maw that seemed to have no end to it. ¡°N-No¡­! Wait! Stop¡­! STOOOP!¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± The Dungeon Core cried and asked for mercy, but I didn¡¯t listen to him, I quickly threw him off into my jaws, crushing him with the hundreds of materialized teeth I grew from my very soul, crushing him, tearing him apart into pieces, until I swallowed him. Gulp. FLASH! And right after that, I felt even more power being absorbed into the core of my soul, overflowing across my entire being¡­ Devouring a Dungeon truly feels nice. I think I even gained a ton of EXP but- What do I do now? Crack¡­ crack! The entire Dungeon Core began to crack, and fall apart¡­ If it destroys, the entire dungeon outside will also be destroyed, and everyone will get buried before we can even escape! Shit, I think I went a bit too ahead of myself. [Calm down, Maria.] The System suddenly interrupted me, as he tried to calm me down. [While you fought the Dungeon Soul, I¡¯ve already analyzed the structure of the Dungeon Core. Simrly to the structure of the Job-Changing Crystal, it is some sort of Divine Material made by Gods, but even that can be hacked through the power of the System Unique Skill.] Hack?! Are you actually going to hack a dungeon, System? You can do that? [Quite easily so, after you¡¯ve absorbed the and devoured the Dungeon Soul, I¡¯ve gotten thest information and data necessary to rece him, I shall divide a part of my own self and insert it into the Dungeon Core, this way the System can also connect to the Dungeon Core and not let it be destroyed¡­ Now touch the floor!] Alright! I touched the floor without any dy, as I felt the power of the System flowing through my phantasmal body. It felt like a bright, white and pale blue light cursing through everything. I quickly saw several system windows emerging one after the other and closing quickly after, showing all sorts of data, codes, and other programing things I didn¡¯t had any idea what they were for. [Hacking in progress¡­] [Processing Dungeon Core¡¯s Synapsis] [Dungeon Core motor functions had been hacked and absorbed] [Dungeon Core essence battery has been found, hacking¡­] [Dungeon Core Essence battery hacked, essing Dungeon¡¯s Heart] [Processing¡­] [Sess!] FLAAAAASH! Then I saw countless of magic circuits emerging all across the interior of the Dungeon Core, constantly repairing all the damage as I felt my own energy being drained back to repair it¡­ Ugh, wait! Don¡¯t steal my Mana now, I am weakening! When things finally ended, the entire White Space was as lustrous as I remember, and the entire Dungeon stopped trembling and almost falling apart in the outside world¡­ I looked around my surroundings, as the humanoid figure of the System, which was madepletely out of white and gray light emerged before me. ¡°It must be done by now; I have be the Dungeon¡¯s Soul. And you shall be assigned the Title of Dungeon Master, Maria.¡± Ding! [The [Unique Skill: System] has sessfully hacked and taken over [Dungeon Core #10280]!] [The System has acquired several Dungeon Functions and has be the [Soul of the Dungeon] [You¡¯ve been assigned as the [Dungeon Master]!] Ding! [You acquired the [Dungeon Master: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] Magic Skill!] ¡ª¨C Chapter 330 I Became A Dungeon Master?! ¡ª¨C Everything happened rather quickly, but I had suddenly be amazing once more. I had not only devoured a Dungeon Soul but I made the System the new Dungeon Soul! And to boot, I am a Dungeon Master?! Does that means that I can create monsters now? I mean, as long as I had materials I could create Undead but this is a whole new set of possibilities! I am rather excited, but I firstly looked into my own new Skills. ¡ª¨C [Dungeon Master: Lv1] A Title Skill bestowed upon someone that has been assigned as a Dungeon Master by a Dungeon Core. You have the power to modify the Dungeon to an extent, and also have the task of bringing energy and prey to the Dungeon. Thanks to you, the Dungeon is capable of exploring the ces where it is not capable of stepping, learning intel from the outside world, and also gathering energy. 50% of all the energy you gather will be sent to the Dungeon Core automatically. In exchange, you receive a bonus to all your Stats of +20% with each Level, and you are capable of extending a part of the Dungeon¡¯s Capabilities outside of their territory. ¡ª¨C Woah! This one Title is simply incredible, so the Dungeon Master has all those duties they must do! I guess that¡¯s the big difference between the Dungeon Core and the Dungeon Master, the Dungeon Master must gather information, explore the outside world, and aid the Dungeon Core to continue evolving and growingrger and stronger, even by bringing it food and other things, interesting. Of course, there are some drawbacks, because I am also something like a tool for the Dungeon Core to grow stronger quickly, any energy I consume has a 50% of it transferred to the dungeon. I think this also includes food! And even Mana I drain from foes or the environment¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t look so bad, although abusing the absorption of mana from the environment will turn everything into a wastnd, so I won¡¯t abuse it and find other ways to ¡°feed¡± the dungeon on its due time, its not like it will starve to death or something. But aside from the annoying drawback, there is something great! I seem to be able to gain power by channeling the strength of the dungeon anywhere I am, being able to buff myself temporarily by increasing by stats by a whopping +20%! I cannot use the [Enhance] Soul Book Ability on myself, but it seems this will do for a nice buffing ability aside from other things such as the Shadow and Death Domain. And I can even bring the Dungeon powers outside? ¡­Like what though? Well, I¡¯ll see in the future. ¡ª¨C [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] A Title bestowed upon an incredible figure who has done the unthinkable and has destroyed a Dungeon Soul, a feat like this has only happened two other times in history, and showcases the incredible might of the user, which can even defy a Divine Treasure such as a Dungeon Core. While invading Dungeons, the user total stats are increased by +10% with each level, alongside gaining enhanced HP and MP recovery, and the user is also capable of Auto Mapping the Dungeon mentally, while immediately knowing where valuable things might be through hints that nobody else can notice. Additionally, the user can receive higher tier dropped items, and Rare or Elite Monsters can spawn moremonly, rewarding more EXP and Loot. ¡ª¨C Wow now, this one is¡­ quite something! Alright, I guess I am the third to have ever destroyed a Dungeon Soul in the entire history of the world? Damn. I guess the Skill is pretty nice but seeing how rare it is, shouldn¡¯t I be allowed to¡­ you know, have it at max level already? Do I need to destroy more dungeons to level it up more? It feels a bit too forced in that regard then, there¡¯s no way I will be going around easily destroying dungeons when they¡¯re such strong entities. This one was possible because the Dungeon Core is fairly young and unexperienced, but I am not really confident about being able to do the same feat again so soon. Anyways, the boost it gives is nice, +10% to all stats, better HP and MP recovery, I can even automatically map the dungeon without needing the automatic mapping skill, and I even get the power to see through hints and other things to find hidden treasures¡­ And additionally on top of all of that, I can get better loot and even increase chances for stronger breeds of monsters to emerge, who can reward more EXP and Loot. Overall, its an amazing Title that really makes up for its incredible rarity. ¡ª¨C [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] A Skill given to someone who has received the [Dungeon Master] Title Skill from a Dungeon Core. This Skill allows the user to manipte the dungeon to a lesser extent than the Dungeon Core, being able to modify rooms and add things in exchange for Mana. ¡ª¨C Oh, a very simplistic Skill this is, huh? But it pretty much allows me to easily modify dungeons, alright, that¡¯s pretty nice. Maybe I could just hide all my people inside the dungeon now and just forget about the outside world. Let¡¯s live the NEET life inside the safety of the dungeon and away from the dangerous outside world! ¡­Oh, it actually doesn¡¯t sound so bad to be honest, but there¡¯s no way my allies will ever let me ck off so much as I truly want to, sadly. ¡°I would rmend you to move away from here for the moment, if you stay too much time inside of the Dungeon Core, you¡¯ll end up fusing with the Dungeon Soul and won¡¯t be able to escape anymore.¡± Said the System. ¡°What?! So if I don¡¯t escape in time I can turn into a Dungeon?¡± I wondered. ¡°Not exactly, it is way worse, so quickly escape.¡± Said the System. ¡°A-Alright, goodbye! Wait, System, you¡¯re not staying here forever, right?!¡± I cried, as I was quickly freed from the dungeon core and I appeared in the surface, thest room where I found everybody alive, they were resting after having massacred the giant Flesh Dragon. [Of course not, I am still here. I simply can be in many ces, I am something like a program, I can easily copy paste myself into other magic circuits and connect them with you] ¡ª¨C Chapter 331 Dungeon Conquest ¡ª¨C When I reached the surface at longst, I felt exhausted, even after I had done all of this, I wanted to take a break for now, it was really a lot to take in¡­ I looked around my surroundings to find everybody being alright. The giant Flesh Dragon abomination was long dead, and it seems that things had finally ended. This damn dungeon was longer than I had expected, I really just want to go rest for now before I begin doing something as crazy as this! Hah~ Thankfully I can go rest in the premium bed that I have inside the room over Julia¡¯s manor. Fufu, I feel like a privileged nobledy each time I sleep in such a nice bed. ¡°You guys alright?¡± I asked while floating around, ignoring the system¡¯s several windows, it seems I was leveling up a lot, but my priority was seeing if everyone was alright. I saw Emeraldine and Partner standing up from the ground, all covered in blood, while Lucifer turned into his humanoid form from his giant dragon form. ¡°Yeah, did you do it?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Everything is in silence now, and still¡­ I can¡¯t feel a single monster nearby at all, and the abomination stopped moving some seconds ago.¡± ¡°Yeah, I did it! I even devoured the Dungeon¡¯s Soul and infused my¡­ erm, my powers into it, so I am the Dungeon Master now, or something.¡± I said rather pridefully. ¡°The Dungeon Master?!¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°W-Wha¡­ You became such a thing now?! This is¡­ Don¡¯t you know that Dungeon Masters are?¡± ¡°They control a dungeon?¡± I wondered. ¡°T-They¡¯re incredible figures! Perhaps there is none in the surrounding fiefdoms but in other Kingdoms and Nations of the world, Dungeon Masters are figures of great power and wealth, they even control the economy of the nations from the shadows, and there are even a long history of them fighting wars over the ownership of Dungeons¡­ I had not heard about them since I was revived by you but¡­ You should realize that you¡¯ve be something very important!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Okay~ Not like I¡¯ll be going around screaming to people that I am the Dungeon Master or something! Rx for a bit, big lizard.¡± I sighed. ¡°That¡¯s amazing though, Dungeon Masters can summon monsters, maybe? So Master, can you summon meat at all times?!¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Maybe like this we can solve some of our food production problems back in our vige! Breeding Giant Rats is ok¡­ But the variety of meat would be nice if it could increase a bit more, also even with all the rats we got, it is not enough to feed everybody each day.¡± ¡°Hm! I had not thought about it! We could use the power of the dungeon to do a ton of things, maybe even make crops and cattle!¡± I said, as new ideas began to emerge in my mind. ¡°I wonder if I could add my own abilities to the dungeon and try to do something nice that could help us!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°And¡­ well, now that we are done here, maybe we should go back? The Flesh Dragon didn¡¯t dropped any loot though, but I got tons of EXP, I am only five levels from reaching the level cap¡­ I wonder if I can evolve more or will¡­ this be my limit of development¡­?¡± Wondered Emeraldine as she looked into her Status. ¡°Hm, I still need around twenty-five levels to evolve myself, as I recently evolved into a high ranked dragon¡­ We grow slow, even with all the EXP we got from this adventure, I had not leveled up so much in a long time, it does certainly feels refreshing to feel so much strength coursing through my body like an aura of pure strength.¡± Said Lucifer with a rather prideful smile. ¡°Same! I might evolve very soon, I need a few little more levels, hehee!¡± Laughed Partner, excited about her next evolution. ¡°What about you, Master?¡± ¡°Erm, let me see¡­¡± Ding! [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [You earned a total of 5650300 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 55 to Level 56!] [Your Level has increased from Level 56 to Level 57!] [Your Level has increased from Level 57 to Level 58!] [Your Level has increased from Level 58 to Level 59!] [Your Level has increased from Level 59 to Level 60!] [You have reached max level!] [Evolution is now avable] In front of me, several windows emerged, calcting all the EXP I earned. Not only from defeating all the lizards that we fought going down the floors after defeating the big Basilisk Boss, but also from defeating the Flesh Dragon and also killing the damn Dungeon Soul¡­Everybody only got a small share of that EXP, but I got all of it, and that¡¯s¡­ over five million EXP! What in the hell?! So much! With that, it was more than enough to reach Level 60 from Level 55, and I ended getting my level cap already, I am already level 60 out of 60! This is¡­ it means only one thing. ¡°I can¡­ I can evolve again!¡± I said happily, looking at my own Status with an obsessed face. ¡°Evolve already?! So soon?!¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t so soon, we spent many months while barely earning any EXP in the vige, Partner. I think it has been a year since Maria began her adventure as a Ghost- Ah, yes, it is indeed very quickly¡­ Maria, what¡¯s your current Rank?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°My Rank? B+!¡± I said with a childish smile. ¡°That only means I am¡­¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re already evolving into an A Rank monster?! T-Those monsters are said to have the strength to destroy entire nations and even shatter the earth and blow away mountains!¡± Said Emeraldine while covering her mouth in surprise. ¡°Amazing! Couldn¡¯t expect less from my Master! She¡¯s the very best after all! No questions in that regard!¡± Said Partner while giggling mischievously. ¡°Hmph, it seems you¡¯re already going to another level¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I wonder what sort of ghost can even have A Rank¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You might be quite unique, at least within thend of the living.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 332 Max Level And Time To Evolve! ¡ª¨C ¡°What do you mean?¡± I wondered. As Lucifer congratted me about my possibility to evolve now, he quickly began to talk about something interesting. ¡°Where we are all living is the Land of the Living, there are Undead here naturally as Death is everywhere, but there is a ce called Land of the Dead, it is the ce where Hel and other gods simr to her resides, often times it is referred as the Underworld or Helheim.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°People fear this ce and do not desire to go there, as it is a gloomy world where monsters and undead roam everywhere¡­ In this ce, there is probably Undead that even surpass A Rank¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ So that¡¯s a lot of EXP!¡± I said. ¡°Wait, no, you¡¯re not supposed to think of that ce as and of EXP-¡° ¡°Maybe we could go there one day, after all I am an Undead so I doubt it might affect me!¡± I said. ¡°Wait a second!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Don¡¯t get weird ideas now, I was just saying that Undead of high ranks like you roaming in thend of the living are incredibly rare. Undead usually never reach such a high rank to begin with, it is very surprising.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ You¡¯re right in that regard, it is pretty crazy.¡± I said while nodding in agreement to his statement. ¡°Nheless, I will try to evolve right away¡­¡± ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t it be weird to get back there with your appearancepletely changed though?¡± Asked Emeraldine rather concerned. ¡°If you end up changing too much, it might get hard to exin it¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ But I got the ability to shapeshift my body, it should be alright, don¡¯t sweat over the details too much¡­¡± I said rather carefreely, as I looked into my Status to see how I¡¯ve progressed. ¡ª¨C [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Gorgon] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [34/60 -> 60/60] [EXP]: [¨C/¨C] [Rank]: [B+] [HP]: [26000/26000] -> [33800/33800] [MP]: [53000/53000] -> [92000/92000] [Attack]: [8250] -> [10850] [Defense]: [8350] -> [10950] [Magic]: [55000] -> [94000] [Agility]: [24500] -> [34900] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv9] [Shadow Transportation: Lv5] [Abyssal Body: Lv9] [Supernatural Senses: Lv8] [Poison Body: Lv5] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv4] [Darkness Resistance: Lv9] [Fear Resistance: Lv9] [Elemental Resistance: Lv8] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv5] [Masterful Stealth: Lv4] [de sh: Lv8] [Strong Axe Strike: Lv7] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv3] [Fist Strike: Lv2] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv4] [Life Absorption: Lv4] [Possession: Lv9] [Dark Sun: Lv3] [Dark Storm: Lv3] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv9] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv7] [Shadow Maniption: Lv9] [Fake Life: Lv9] [Soul Eater: Lv8] [Undead Detonation: Lv6] [Shadow Thread: Lv4] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv5] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv7] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv6] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv4] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv4] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv2] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] (NEW) [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv8] [Undead Healing: Lv8] [Erase Presence: Lv8] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv8] [Materialization: Lv8] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv5] [Mental Mapping: Lv5] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv5] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv5] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv3] [Big Game yer: Lv7] [Taboo Mark: Lv6] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv9] [Undead Queen: Lv8] [Evil of the World: Lv6] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv7] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv5] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv4] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv3] [Merciless Assassin: Lv3] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv3] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv2] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv3] [gue yer: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv3] [Saint of Death: Lv3] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv2] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv2] [Dungeon Master: Lv1] (NEW) [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] (NEW) [Divine Protections]: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡ª¨C My progression has been rather smooth, I seem to have increased MP and Magic a lot as usual, making me even more of a magician and also a magic tank, coupled with elemental resistance skill at a high level, I can tank a lot of elemental magic, even my greatest weakness, light and life magic might be tanked without problems. I feel confident in that I can take a ray of light right in the face by now¡­ But it¡¯s not like I am capable of taking many though. Perhaps I could ask Emeraldine to bathe me with light and life magic until I learn the Resistance Skills for the elements, but I am afraid of the agony. Nheless, now even my Attack and Defense have increased rather nicely, at 10k! Well, at my current Rank 10k of such stats is garbage, Lucifer has even more than me in those stats but¡­ Yeah, I am a ghost, it¡¯s not like I pack some muscles or have good physical defense when anything physical just get through my phantasmal body to begin with¡­ My HP is not the prettiest Stat either, but at least it has a better number. And well, then there¡¯s MP, Magic, and Agility, my greatest Stat, I am pretty much min-maxing those stats since I was reborn as a ghost, and so does every single evolution I pick. Picking something defense oriented at this point seems pretty bad, so I should definitely pick an evolution that can simply continue boosting what I am good at doing, moving fast, and unleashing bombastic magic that destroy everything. I am very frail, but if I don¡¯t let my enemies get closer to me, then there¡¯s no problem! Just as they say, the best defense is offense, and for me, it applies all the time because my defense is paper thinpared to those at my rank or even below it! That saying is pretty much my un-life philosophy¡­ Anyways, it should be about time to check what sort of wacky evolutions I get to choose now, I¡¯ve been wondering what I can get¡­ My previous two evolution had rather¡­ famous names (Pandora and Gorgon), perhaps I should go for something more lowkey now¡­ let¡¯s see. ¡ª¨C Chapter 333 Five Terrifying Evolution Options ¡ª¨C I looked into my own Status and quickly saw the growth I had attained after the fric leveling I got. As everyone was resting and slowly packing items and other thingsying around (including the meat of the Flesh Dragon, which Partner was grilling over a fire), I decided to quickly evolve. I had imagined what sort of insane evolutions I would get; thest two evolutions were already strange. I mean, Pandora and Gorgon? I could had never guessed there would be a race of ghosts named like that¡­ But there are. And each evolution brought me some pretty amazing new Skills and enhancement to my powers. Thetest one, Gorgon, helped me divide myself into little clones, which allowed a lot of new tactics and things to do with my own capabilities. Even the power of being in many ces at the same time. Now, what sort of weird things will emerge? Hmm¡­ I looked into the Evolution Options at longst, tired of recalling the past evolutions. ¡ª¨C [Avable Evolution Options] [Apophis] [Abyssal Titan] [Echidna] [Lamashtu] [Beelzebub] ¡ª¨C And we start strong, five new evolution options. God, I wish I could just pick all five of them, but that¡¯s now how it works at all. I must choose, but first, we must check them all. And without even checking them and based solely on first impressions, I can already say that this is a tad bit insane. I am fairly sure Apophis is a snake god from Egyptian Mythology that represents chaos and destruction, then there¡¯s Echidna, the mother of all monsters of Greek Mythology, who gave birth to Typhoon, a chaotic monster that even Zeus had a hard time dealing with, then Lamashtu, a monstrous demonic evil goddess of Mesopotamian Mythology that¡­ I think it ate babies? Andstly, Beelzebub, the literal Archdemon of Gluttony, he¡¯s a fly most of the time, so he might be associated with famine as well¡­ Oh right, ¡°Abyssal Titan¡± I don¡¯t know what¡¯s that. Maybe the titans of Greek myth got an evil and edgy version that I can evolve into? Nheless, time to check their descriptions to clear out my mind about what they¡¯re all about. ¡ª¨C [Apophis] [Rank: A+] A monstrous and terrifying gigantic snake the size of a mountain, it roams the Underworld and devours souls and Undead by opening its enormous gaping maws and engulfing everything into an endless abyss that is its stomach. It possess a deadly venom which can dissolve through most tissues and even ores, like an acid. It is protected with enormous, armored scales all over its phantasmal body, which gain metallic properties and grow stronger by digesting magic items and ores. Its whole presence brings disaster and Chaos, and it has only been documented once in history when a powerful Necromancer that threatened the entire Continent of Alfheim summoned one to destroy the entire Kingdom of Heartfell and bite through the strong roots of the World¡¯s Tree for nefarious purposes. It was only defeated after 1 year of efforts by all elves unified. Even now, it is feared by the Elves culture as an Evil God or a living disaster, despite its nature as an Undead-type Monster that roams freely inrge quantities within the Underworld. ¡ª¨C Whew, this one evolution option is indeed quite something! I had never expected this to be something avable but I can see it is possible now because I choose Gorgon, right? She¡¯s a snake and all of that. Now I got the chance to be a giant snake myself and¡­ do giant snake stuff, I suppose. It does feels interesting to be honest, but if I am going to be a giant snake in my base form then¡­ Huh, I don¡¯t know, sounds kind of forced. Well, I will see the other evolutions before making any decision. ¡ª¨C [Abyssal Titan] [Rank: A] Abyssal Titans are frightening monsters born from thousands of souls unified together in symbiosis to survive the harshness of the Underworld, over thousands of years, such fused legion of souls gathers darkness and shadows, turning into a gigantic mass of darkness in the shape of a human, with two glowing red eyes as its only visible face. It reaches over 50 meters of length and can walk over mountains, usually making the zing pits of the Underground as its home, where it sleeps for thousands of years. It is a frightening monster that has been documented in history a few times, usually born in abandoned battlefields were thousands of people had died in battle. It consumes ores and earth but can also devour anything alive to gain energy and power. It size alone makes it a threat of A Rank or above, but it has a passive nature where it usually doesn¡¯t disturb others unless provoked, so sometimes, it is merely ignored and the area where it resides is abandoned. ¡ª¨C Well now, this one seems interesting, I could be a giant made of darkness! Well, isn¡¯t this kind of the same as Apophis in various ways? Just weaker and less interesting I guess, but the tidbits of lore in the descriptions are really worth it, I find them pretty interesting and it makes reading stuff I won¡¯t evolve worth it anyways. ¡ª¨C [Echidna] [Rank: A+] Rumored to be the [Mother of All Monsters] by ancient descriptions, Echidnas are monstrous half-snake and half-woman ghostly entities that are capable of multiplying incredibly fast, poptingrge quantities ofnd within the Underworld, where they mostly originate. They have the power to create eggs for monsters of various types, or even create weaker clones of themselves. They can modify the eggs and create truly terrifying creatures. As long as it has enough Mana and food, it can create thousands of monsters in a few days, overpowering anything within their step. Echidna are also capable ofmanding monsters and tame them easily, and often build colonies of monsters that can be up to thousands. Their powers are upgraded Gorgons, with stronger cursed eyes and also have the ability to transform into monstrous, chimeric snake-like titanic monsters for fighting. The more monsters they give birth to, the stronger they can grow, these Undead monsters are true cmity bringers¡­ ¡ª¨C Huh, this one is¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 334 Evolving! ¡ª¨C I read the Evolution Option I got and I was left rather bbergasted, is there something that is not overly creepy?! A giant snake that eats anything, a monstrous titan made of shadows, and now one that can give birth to monsters? Give birth?! I don¡¯t want to give birth to monsters or weird things! I create them through Necromancy and the like but¡­ giving birth? I don¡¯t know but it sounds a bit yucky, especially imagining myself as some sort of Alien Queen from the Alien Movies giving birth to slimy eggs that hatch into little abominations¡­ Uegh, if I am ever a mother, it will probably be with a man I love¡­ Maybe Lucifer, but nothing else! A-Anyways, maybe I should check thest two evolution options and decide. It has been only a few minutes but I am getting tired of waiting, I want to evolve already. If things are terrible in the other two then¡­ I might end up having to pick the previous ones. The best of the three is obviously Apophis, I suppose. ¡ª¨C [Lamashtu] [Rank: A-] A mischievous and terrifying demonic phantasm that crawls from the Underworld to the World of the Living seeking to trick mortals and devour their souls¡­ and flesh. This aberrant demoness phantom is capable of tricking others into making them believe she¡¯s often a beautiful and fair maiden, letting the people lower their guard before her only for the next morning to disappear, alongside many of the newborn and young children of the vige. There had been many cases through history of such an aberrant creature, and there has only been a few times when they were captured and defeated. Often times, they always get away with their tricks and monstrously gorge into the flesh of children and the souls of the young. Wherever they move there is an Aura of Terrible Misfortune, and anybody that targets them often suffers horrible luck, making it even harder to capture them. They are bloodthirsty and cannot live without gorging into young flesh, gaining strength through it, but weakening if they don¡¯t appease their hunger. ¡ª¨C Okay, that¡¯s creepy as fuck. I am not going to eat little children! This is insanely horrible! What the¡­? Also it¡¯s A- Rank, so I am not taking it anyways. Well, even if it were SSSSS Rank or something I am not taking it! No way. The only thing ¡°interesting¡± about it is perhaps the ability they got to shapeshift into other forms and also the power to bring aura of misfortune, but I already kind of got something simr with my current Title Skills, which I carried from when I was alive¡­ Yeah. Well,stly, there¡¯s Beelzebub¡­ It has the name after a giant and ugly fly, so I am not really expecting too much from it¡­ But let¡¯s see. ¡ª¨C [Beelzebub] [Rank: A++] A mysterious being. It is said that thereys a demon so hungry in the depths of the underground that it has begun to devour anything. It has an endless stomach that leads to an abyss of pure darkness. It can take many shapes, and through all of history, it has been portrayed in many forms. It often said to be a force of nature, an entity that represents famine, hunger, and death. It spreads fear into the hearts of people and make them kill one another for resources rather than doing the dirty job itself. After that, it reaps the souls and the flesh of the dead, devouring them, rotting them, and consuming everything¡­ a malicious being. Its powers are a mystery to many, but the undead of the Underworld had seen through its powers. It has the capacity of shapeshifting into horrendous masses of insects, bringing gue wherever it goes, or it can even shape into an enormous fly to intimidate others, however, its truest appearance has never been discovered. It spreads fear, hunger, famine, gue, and all evil. A phantasmal abomination born from the depths of darkness and malice of all of humanity, it seems to never be appeased, it is always hungry, and always seeks to devour¡­ - ¡ª¨C This is¡­ incredible. Is this really the description of this monster? Beelzebub¡­ It is really intriguing. It doesn¡¯t seem too bad from the surface level, but it seems to be a mystery as well. But based in what it is said, it already has a lot of great things, such as shapeshifting, the power to manipte others and bring fear and hunger¡­ and more. No, wait, that¡¯s kind of scary. But the lesser of the two evils? What would I prefer? A monster that eats children or this thing? Also, it is the only with an A++ Rank instead of A+ or A-, so there¡¯s no way I am not picking it! ¡­Or am I? I am not even sure what sort of powers it truly has, but let¡¯s solve the mystery by simply turning into it! Yeah, that¡¯s always how it works the best at the end, turning into the abomination will easily let me see what it can do. Hmm¡­ Or maybe I could pick another of the evolutions, and choose to be a giant snake¡­ or an enormous titan? Perhaps prioritizing raw power at the end could be better than gambling into something mysterious¡­ Well, here I go. FLASH! I quickly selected the evolution option, as my entire body was quickly epassed by a mass of darkness, and then, a lot of purple mist began to rotate around me constantly. I felt like my own Soul was mutating once more, absorbing all of this energy, and transforming myself into somethingpletely new, something very apart of my own self, something I would barely be able to recognize. But this power, I had to admit it. This power felt good. I could feel it all over and inside of me, the power of the abyss itself was delving deeper into my own soul. Despite having been slightly afraid some seconds ago, now I was¡­ happy? It felt like I was right at home. The more my evolution continued, therger my soul became, and the greater the ck hole within it, this void that had begun to emerge¡­ grew. It became all-epassing. How frightening¡­ not even I am sure what monster I will be now. But its power¡­ It shall be useful to aplish my goals. Ding! [You have selected the [#####] Evolution Option!] ¡ª¨C Chapter 335 The Concerns Of The Duchess ¡ª¨C Julia stared into the window, the day had gone by since Maria went to the dungeon, and despite the ghost being busy and having a st destroying monsters, several hours had passed within the outside world, and it was already night. With the sun resting below the horizon, the little Duchess stared into the sky with eyes filled with hope. She was hoping for Maria toe back safe and sound and holding into her promise as well. What had happened to the dungeon was not something that she could handle at all, not even with the B-Rank Adventurer that was currently busy and not in the fiefdom as of now. Maria and herpanions had already showed to be amazingly dexterous and great fighters as well as possesing insane capabilities after havingpletely cleansed the graveyard from all Undead and even defeating the giant Darkbound, a B Rank Undead Monster with enough strength to destroy the entire town. She knew of their strength, but couldn¡¯t help but feel rather worried, not for Maria that much, but for herself and the future of her fiefdom. It has already been several months since her uncle died suddenly, and it had happened just in the same day as the coffin of the Witch of Misfortune was found wide open and even destroyed, without her bones or even a soul left¡­ After various investigations done by the priests of the Kingdom, and after a series of events in the neighborhood Fiefdom, it was discovered that the vengeful soul of the witch had turned into a frighteningly powerful Ghost, an Undead Monster without a physical body, strong enough to kill soldiers and knights, and even various priests¡­ Ultimately, it was attributed the death of the previous Duke to this ghost. Julia herself had been frightened about this ghost, and originally didn¡¯t really wanted this position. However, she was forced by the King, her grandfather, and was slightly convinced by her mother who wanted her to shine and show all the talents she really had. Julia was still developing as a girl of royalty but was quickly thrown into a dire situation where she had to somehow recover a fiefdom that was barely holding on. She had done her best and worked hard, recruitingpetent people at her side as well to help her with her duty, over the months, she managed to bring the fiefdom back from almost its ruin, and now, due to the intervention of an obscure and mysterious group of people, things had begun to get bad once more. People started going around screaming insanely, there were now special and strange magical drugs that made people addicted but also turned them intoplete nutjobs, and there was as an ever-growing anxiety within the poption of the fiefdom¡­ Marie and her group were like the thing she always needed, especially now when things were turning even darker, the Graveyard bing filled with Undead who were mysteriously raised by someone to distract the duchess from the city itself, and then the dungeon being filled with miasma through what seemed to be many sacrificed ves to enhance its power and¡­ bring monsters endlessly. It was as if someone was setting up the destruction of her fiefdom, but at the same time didn¡¯t particrly wanted to destroy it, they just wanted to¡­ distract her and make her lower her guard. That one assassination attempt wasn¡¯t going to be thest one. Marie was her hope now, and with her allies, it might be possible to eliminate these threats before they take her down, but now, to deal with the dungeon, the group had to go away from her and leave her alone. Well, not really alone. Julia looked into her shadows, as she felt the dark, creepy phantasmal presences of various Undead within its interior, watching over her¡­ Marie had very unique powers, amongst them, the ability to raise Undead and manipte shadows,bining both powers, he was able to put Undead inside shadows, and left Marie her strongest Undead to protect her if there were to be ever a threat. She trusted them but¡­ ¡°Ugh, this is really creepy¡­ Maybe I should go to sleep now and just forget about this.¡± Julia walked back to her room where a few maids followed her to serve her in several things, while doing so, she spoke with the two, who were actual twins, both were half-elves with dark green and light green hair, named Faire and Fiere, Faire was a silent and hardworking maid, while Fiere was the cheerful and slightlyzy and childish of the two. The two twin maids had been with Julia even when she was a little child and came here to this fiefdom with her. ¡°Is there something troubling you, Lady Julia?¡± Wondered Fiere, with her beautiful light green hair and her bright emerald eyes. She was always bringing light to the daily life of Julia, even in the gloomiest of days, this half-elf girl was always cute and cheerful, despite her many ws, Julia found this to be a big plus, and even when shemitted many mistakes, such as tripping with tea, falling off the stairs, or spilling tea over her dress, she always kept her around. ¡°Fiere, don¡¯t annoy Lady Julia with useless questions. If she doesn¡¯t talk, keep your mouth shut. It has been like this for years and you never learn.¡± Sighed Faire. She was strict and disciplined unlike her sister and was a figure of authority that even Julia feared a bit sometimes. Nheless, she was very dedicated to Julia and her work, and always took care of her like a big sister. ¡°Geez! You don¡¯t have to be so rude with me, sis¡­¡± Sighed Fiere. ¡°I am not being rude; it is merely etiquette.¡± Sighed Faire. ¡°You two, stop discussing, it is alright¡­ I am simply having trouble. There¡¯s something lingering in my mind for a while now¡­¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°It is rted with the assassination attempt¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 336 A Traitor ¡ª¨C The twin half-elves asked Julia what could be troubling her, as she responded rather quickly. It was the assassination attempt. Something within that event was still leaving her unease. If it wasn¡¯t because Julia had nerves of iron and even after such a thing she hold her ground and didn¡¯t felt weakened nor traumatized, she wouldn¡¯t be worrying about this, but now that she had the time to analyze the event properly and rey it over and over inside of her head¡­ there was something that she couldn¡¯t quite get out of her head. ¡°Something¡­ about that? Wouldn¡¯t it be rather problematic to talk about such a thing, my Lady? Are you¡­ sure?¡± Wondered Fiere. ¡°Yeah, wouldn¡¯t it be too delicate?¡± Wondered Faerie. ¡°What are you two talking about? I don¡¯t feel traumatized or something after that, I only feel frustration of being still weak¡­ I want to have more time to level up, damn it!¡± Protested Julia, as the twin half-elves tried to stop her from swearing so much, that wasn¡¯t what a nobledy should do. ¡°But anyways¡­ What¡¯s troubling me is¡­ how did that one Vampire got inside the manor if there¡¯s a magic barrier, right? The only exnation I got from the mages holding it was that¡­ it somehow just broke when the Vampire got inside but they were unable to see it? Isn¡¯t that weird now that you think about it?¡± Julia quickly brought into the minds of her two most trusted maids something that had been making her doubt for a while now. The two girls held their breaths as they realized that something was wrong¡­ ¡°Yeah, you guessed, right? We got a traitor. Someone willingly let the Vampire get inside, there¡¯s no other way. If it had attempted to break through, there¡¯s no way we wouldn¡¯t had heard the barrier breaking or the figure trying to get inside forcefully¡­ There¡¯s no hiding or concealment magic that can hide such a thing.¡± Said Julia. ¡°B-But isn¡¯t this too soon to make such assumptions?¡± Asked Fiere nervously. ¡°Mydy, a-are you sure you want to doubt one of your retainers like this?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ You¡¯re right, my Lady, I suspect one of the mages, or various of them might be colluding with the damn Vampires. The assassin was a Vampire, and the Vampires are already well known in the underground to be like puppet masters¡­ If they truly want to eliminate you, they¡¯ll employ the strength of others first.¡± Said Faire, she was very intelligent and pragmatic. ¡°Indeed.¡± Said Julia as she nodded and then looked directly at her maid¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re good at catching up, Fiere. This only means one thing; I am not safe even in my own home. Someone is nning something¡­ Ah, I cannot really sleep like this. I trust you two because I¡¯ve known you since I was a little toddler, but anybody else¡­ Well, they might as well be a suspect¡­ Even Hector.¡± Sighed Julia, just thinking about her most rusted butler being a traitor broke her heart, but she couldn¡¯t leave him out of the list just because she was close to him. ¡°Even Hector, huh?¡± Sighed Faerie. ¡°T-This is¡­ sigh¡­¡± Fiere sighed. ¡°I cannot really rest at ease knowing this¡­¡± Sighed Julia, as she suddenly stood up from her seat and stopped drinking tea. She walked outside her room once more as her two maids followed her. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly gather all the staff here, especially the mages-¡° FLASH! Before Julia could end her conversation, she sensed at her left side a presence that jumped into the corridor from within a window that led outside, which was opened. The figure was coated in a blood red aura, and rushed towards her at an incredible speed, holding tow sharp des! Julia was strong andpetent as a fighter, but her reflexes were not able to properly predict this figure rushing to her side, the knives being held by the figure rushing towards her were already reaching her throat! ¡°It is time to sleep, little princess~¡± It spoke as her throat suddenly felt the coldness of the knife reaching her! CLASH! However, a skeletal w suddenly protected her from the weapon, as the figure¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock, only for another enormous arm to hit the attacker and throw its body into the ground! BAAM! ¡°Uaggh!¡± The groan of a young man resonated through the corridors, as his body rolled through the ground but quickly got up once more, quickly getting into a stance while looking at Julia and¡­ the entity protecting her. ¡°OOOOOOOHH¡­¡± It was an enormous skeleton wearing ck armor,pletely epassed by a threatening phantasmal aura, and holding a tremendous phantasmal sword that was materialized just an instant after hitting the attacker. Julia and her two maids, alongside the attacker himself locked their eyes into the creature. It was nobody else than Darkbound. ¡°Hahh¡­ I can¡¯t believe the skeleton helped me at the end¡­ T-Thanks.¡± Sighed Julia, petting Darkbound¡¯s ck and rusty armor, as the skeleton groaned loudly. ¡°OOOOHH¡­¡± The man whose entire face was covered in ck clothes was visible shocked through the expression of his two red eyes, Julia could clearly see through him as she pretended to feel confident, smirking back at him to give him even more emotional damage, and make him doubt. ¡°Who are you exactly? Another assassin? This is the second in this week! Who sent you here?! Who is the traitor that let you enter through the magic barrier to begin with?!¡± Roared Julia, as the man suddenly smiled, the expression of his smile was rather easy to tell below the ck clothes covering his face. ¡°T-To think that the Necromancer you employed raised the skeleton¡­¡± Sighed the man. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way I can defeat this thing but¡­ I ain¡¯t alone, little princess~¡± FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Quickly after, Julia and her maids suddenly found themselves surrounded by dozens of figures covered in ck clothes, with pale skin and red eyes! Some were bigger and others were thinner, but they all held simr characteristics¡­ they were all Vampiric. ¡°Lady Julia, we are surrounded!¡± Said Faerie, as she took out two knives that were wrapped around her tights through belts. She was a ratherpetent fighter and would give up her life for herdy. ¡°T-This is bad!¡± Cried Faire, as she took out a wand from her pocket, which began to flicker with gold and green light. ¡°Oh, and it¡¯s going to get worse¡­¡± Suddenly, the voice of a woman resonated behind Julia, as she saw the sexy figure of a mature Vampiress walk through the corridors leisurely, her ck boots with sharp heels made loud sounds as she stepped over the floor of the royal manor¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 337 Vampire Raid ¡ª¨C A new and mysterious figure emerged amidst the confrontation. Julia and her maids locked their eyes into her, all while the skeleton knight Darkbound protected thedies. The clearly Vampiric woman walked through the corridor, her steps made loud sounds as she made herself clear to be here. A beauty covered in ck clothing, her face was not visible as she covered it with a ck and red mask in the shape of aughing jester. An aura of dread and darkness emanated from within her body, as the scent of blood constantly filled the room. Julia waspletely surprised by how the vampires got inside so easily. It was now more than clear that someone was a traitor, or various people. The barrier of magic made by the magicians of the Fiefdom and the Court Magician Emiliano would easily not let others get inside without any sort of wounds. The barriers were also made to generate loud, rm-like sounds whenever someone tried to forcefully enter, and to make things even clearer, if the barrier was broken down, it would generate a broken ss sound that would easily tell anybody the barrier was destroyed. There was no way these people got inside without a traitor already inside the castle, who could also know the structure behind the barrier¡­ it was most likely someone that knew how it worked and held the capacity to shape it and open it so others could sneak in without being noticed. ¡°You¡­ how did you all get inside the house? Is there a traitor?!¡± Asked Julia angrily, taking out her rapier and infusing mana into it, as the magic weapon, forged by cksmiths that were well paid, began to glow with a bright blue aura. She was not the strongest, and her strength could be said to be average, but she wasn¡¯tpletely defenseless either. She wasn¡¯t going down without a fight. ¡°Fufu, little duchess, you¡¯re always acting as if you were in afortable position to be asking questions.¡± Laughed the Vampiric woman wearing the mask, as she suddenly took two des from their sheaths, although they had a strange half-moon shape, they were scimitars. Such weapons were often used as tools to harvest crop, but there were some countries in the world that used them as weapons. The woman paid no effort into infusing the weapons with vast mana and her Blood and Darkness Aura. ¡°You Vampires¡­ what¡¯s your end game? You want to y me and then what? Take over the fiefdom by yourselves? Do you truly believe my grandfather will allow you all to just take over a fiefdom?! You¡¯re demons that had been preying upon our people in the shadows for generations, I shall not allow you to do as you please!¡± Roared Julia, braver than her strength could allow her to be. ¡°L-Lady Julia, aren¡¯t you being a bit too rash?!¡± Asked the clumsy Faire, as her wand was glowing with bright green light. ¡°Rash? I am merely asking things! We might as well ask stuff before we begin smacking each other!¡± Julia said while looking at her maid angrily. ¡°Fufu, aren¡¯t you all so cheery tonight? Julia, do you truly think this Undead is going to make a difference? Without your mercenaries at your side, you¡¯re nothing but a defenseless little girl getting her nose into your business¡­ You and this entire town will soon know what¡¯s hell.¡± Said the vampiric woman. ¡°Men, do your worst!¡± The Vampiressmanded her men, as the ck coated men slowly walked towards the girls. They were all wielding magic weapons imbued with mana and even souls, making them stronger Cursed Weapons. However, as a response, the shadows of Julia began to move around, suddenly several other figures emerged from within the shadows, they were animal shaped, it was Kuro and Raven, and others Undead, around four skeletons wearing armor and rusty weapons imbued with magic. ¡°Huh? More Undead?¡± Asked the Masked Vampire Woman, as she looked at the mighty Kuro and Raven, two powerful Undead that had apanied Maria through her journey from the very beginning emerge, they had evolved and grown stronger over time, and both irradiated the auras of creatures close to B Rank in terms of strength! And that¡¯s while they had yet to unleash their fullest potential. At the same time, many other snakes emerged alongside the skeletons wearing magical equipment, these giant phantasmal snakes were all Maria¡¯s Familiars, and held a bit of her magical capabilities. ¡°More?!¡± The Masked Vampire Woman couldn¡¯t help but ask in shock, she had not expected Julia to have so many guardians, and through such a rare method of shadow magic! It was already very rare to find a user of specialized darkness attribute magic, but even those she knew were not capable of doing something as storing undead inside shadows, not only from the original conjurer, but from a designated target as well. ¡°What sort of magician is capable of doing this to such an extent, is this ¡°Marie¡± that you¡¯ve employed an S-Ranked Adventurer or something? we researched everywhere and we couldn¡¯t find anything about her or her stupid little party¡­!¡± ¡°Heh, Marie is a Mercenary, and perhaps a Bounty Hunter, she is not from thesends, ande from far away, she¡¯s strong enough to piss over all of you¡­ Now, Undead, my friends, onwards!¡± Said Julia with an extremely cocky smile. She was actually incredibly fearful deep inside, but she was pretending to have the upper hand to cement fear into the hearts of her foes. ¡°Kakaka!¡± The Skeletons began tough with terrifying and phantasmal voices as their jaws cked constantly, they moved quicker than the vampires expected and swung their cursed weapons at them! SLASH! CLASH! A battle quickly began as the vampire subordinates immediately felt overwhelmed by the restless Undead, there were no doubts in their movements and they were like automatons, devoid of emotions to abuse, the Vampires were incapable of putting any fear into their hearts, the undeadcked them. ¡ª¨C Chapter 338 A Battle For Survival ¡ª¨C The rising tension of the battle continued, as Julia and her maids were being attacked by dozens of ck-coated vampiric people holding lethal weapons. An assassin leaped out of the skeletons attacks and immediately pounced towards Faerie. The half-elf maid didn¡¯t simply stood still, holding the two magic daggers in her hands, she shed against the assassin, who seemed stronger than the majority. CLASH! ¡°Magic-imbued daggers, huh?¡± Wondered the Assassin, as a cocky smile could be clearly seen beneath the ck clothing covering his face. ¡°I won¡¯t let you harm mydy. You¡¯ll have to step over my corpse!¡± Faerie roared back, as the assassin smirked even more, he swung therge de he was holding and quickly attempted to overwhelm the half-elf with his greater and superhuman strength. ¡°Hah! You¡¯re clearly delusional if you think you can even overpower a vampire such as me! We are superior in literally everythingpared to other races, even more over a half-elf!¡± Laughed the assassin, swinging his long and sharp de which unleashed an aura of red blood. This was the vampire¡¯s special ability, Blood Aura, a Skill that a few could develop after growing strong enough and drinking tons of high-quality blood. It helped them enhance their bodies and weapons, and it grew stronger the more blood they consumed. CLASH! CLASH! His sword shed against Faerie¡¯s daggers as she struggled to keep herposure, she was being pushed back with each attack, and the farther she flew from Julia, the more danger herdy would be go through. Faerie gritted her teeth, looking at theughing Vampire. For some reason he was not using any more borated magic. Could these people not be as strong or simply had too much of a specialization? Even the strongest physical warriors had some magic that could surprise their foes, but these assassin felt as if they were fabricated to specialized in fast movements and precise swings of their lethal weapons imbued with Blood Aura. Faerie analyzed the vampire¡¯s movements while being overwhelmed, his speed was phenomenal and she could barely keep up with him, she analyzed each of his movements and then quickly decided to use her own magic. Indeed, even the weakest of half-elves inherited a strong magical affinity. Elves were well known for being one of the strongest magical races in the world, even a half-elf child would inherit a good amount of power to be catalogued as a genius of magic in the human continent as long as they trained it. Faerie¡¯s body began to unleash an aura of green color¡­ surprising the vampire for a split of a second, he thought she was using the Aura of Nature, as most elves were well known for such a magic element, fully expecting her to unleash some sort of vine attack or something rted with nts, the vampire stepped back a few steps, as he charged arge quantity of Blood Mana into his hands, unleashing a sh attack using the sharp and long ck nails he had. ¡°Your Nature Magic won¡¯t do a thing against this!¡± SLAAASH! BOOM! The powerful shing attack in a cross shape reached Faerie in an instant, shing against her and unleashing an explosion of red smoke, the floor below her broke and so did the walls and the window. The vampire celebrated as he fully expected her to be dead by now, she wasn¡¯t fast enough to evade that. ¡°If you see an elf, is the first thing you assume is that we wield nature magic?¡± The voice of Faerie whispered behind the vampire as he felt like a chill rand own his spine. Faerie had moved at an incredible speed, evading his attack, and using the red smoke as a distraction to reach his back before the vampire could realize it! ¡°E-Eh? W-Wind Element?!¡± Faerie¡¯s only element was wind, and sheplemented it through Wind Aura, a special Skill she learned over years of magic practice, it enhanced her speed over anything else, but it cost too much Mana. Therefore, she had to use it smartly, often using it to grant her short bursts of speed to surprise unsuspecting foes. ¡°Cutting Winds¡­!¡± Faerie didn¡¯t even let the vampire react in time, her daggers were not mere magical items, as they were crafted especially for her magic and fighting style. Two emerald jewels glowed bright green within the daggers as they absorbed Faerie¡¯s Wind Aura and her mana, the two daggers unleashed enormous spiraling bursts of winds in that very moment, which Faerie used to cut him down from behind! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°T-This is¡­ impossible! How fast¡­ are you?!¡± Her dagger movements were precise and lethal, the vampire couldn¡¯t help but attempt to defend by using his Blood Aura and a Blood Barrier using Blood Magic, but both methods were easily overpowered and destroyed by the burst of spiraling winds, as his body suffered deep slices all over, his blood sttering over the floor! Faerie knew he could regenerateter, so she swiftly pierced the vampire¡¯s neck with her dagger and sliced it off! SLAAASH! Beheaded, the vampire fell off the broken window, as Faerie grabbed the cursed weapon he was holding and quickly threw it into the head of a second assassin using Stealth and Camouge right behind her, ying him as well. Blood covered her entire maid outfit as she had no time to rest but felt slightly relieved she took down that one bastard and the random assassin trying to take advantage of her after having in hisrade. Meanwhile, an assassin immediately attempted to leap towards Julia while Darkbound was busy fighting two of them at once with his phantasmal swords. The assassin leaped towards her as she greeted him with her Rapier Technique! ¡°Ten Roses!¡± FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH¡­! Julia unleashed ten consecutive attacks using her Rapier by infusing it with Mana, the Skill was named [Ten Roses] and held the power to unleash ten consecutive attacks at superhuman levels of speed and strength, surpassing her own power! The incredible technique hit the vampire in midair, leaving his body with many wounds! ¡ª¨C Chapter 339 Against Impossible Odds ¡ª¨C The illusion of Julia¡¯s rapier moving incredibly fast was spectacr, but the vampire in the receiving end wouldn¡¯t really think that way, he was suffering! Rapiers were interesting weapons as they, most of the time, were just giant needles, each attack was incredibly precise and reached a nerve of the vampire, who had always thought his nerves and the rest of his body had grown dulled as a half-undead. Well, he was very wrong! Julia¡¯s [Ten Roses], the epitome of her training and growth was the strongest attack she had and could target a foe¡¯s nerves to cause extra damage. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH¡­! ¡°AAGGH¡­!¡± The Vampire cried in agony, quickly falling down the floor, all thanks to Julia¡¯s own attacks! The other assassins fighting against the Undead and her two maids were left speechless, they believed the young duchess was a defenseless girl, but she had more than that within her! ¡°I almost died against an assassin because I was surprised¡­ As long as I have my Rapier with me, I am not someone you can easily kill!¡± Julia said with a prideful voice, as she puffed her chest. However, she suddenly felt one of the hands of the vampire she just knocked out reaching up to her leg, a sickly smile emerged on his lips as he unleashed the power of Blood Magic¡­! ¡°I¡¯ll st your leg! Blood Cont-¡° ¡°Ten Roses.¡± As the vampire attempted to use Blood Control to control the blood of Julia by touching her leg and making the blood explode her limb, she retaliated before he could even make the full conjuration, her rapier hit him ten times over his head, piercing it then times and scrambling all of his brains! The attacks held so much force that his skull exploded into pieces in a goory scene! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! SPLAT¡­! The assassin¡¯s hand dropped in the floor as Julia, covered in blood, sighed in relief, her appearance was now menacing, the assassins felt something odd about her, she was way too merciless and stronger than they expected! Her eyes emanated a dark presence, and they were even glowing slightly red¡­! Despite her innocent demeanor and her spoiled girl attitude, Julia had trained how to fight since she was a child, onlycking level and not experience. In a world ruled by levels, this was obviously an incredible disadvantage, but there was support. Maria had used her Familiars to enhance the power of her body through [Possession], Julia had felt herself being more ruthless and colder than before, and her stats had increased temporarily as well! Not only was Maria helping her with Undead, but she was even buffing Julia. However, there was no time to think deeply about things, the battle continued to get more heated. Julia was constantly hoping for guards and soldiers toe to her rescue, but no matter how many minutes passed, nobody wasing¡­ ¡°Fufu, you¡¯re wondering where could your soldiers and knights be? Well, we have already taken care of most of them!¡± Laughed the masked woman, as the army of ck-robbed assassins continued toe from the windows, they were an insane amount of people! Julia, her two maids, and the Undead all began to run through the corridors while fighting against those that got in the way. Julia priority was now to escape! She couldn¡¯t stick around here while there was danger at every corner. The masked Vampiress leisurely followed her whilemanding her troops as she seemed to be enjoying the scene. ¡°DIE!!!¡± A burlier assassin with a bigger figure and the tail of a gray fox jumped towards Julia, it was a Beast-man Vampire subordinate. Not only humans were converted, but other races also could be vampire subordinates. Those that sessfullypleted a transformation were not only stronger than the humans but they could even acquire unique powers for them based in the vampiric powers fusing the recipient¡¯s race! ¡°[Lykan Transformation]! GRAAOOO!¡± And that was happening right now, as this strange gray wolf vampire suddenly became thrice as big and muscr, as fur grew through every inch of his body. His human face turned into that of a wolf! He had transformed into a werewolf. ¡°A-A werewolf?!¡± Asked Julia in shock. These beasts had only been seen in folklore, and were once said that beast-kin could transform into Beasts, but that were only rumors spread to make them be discriminated, and were long forgotten! But to think that a Werewolf would actually be the result of a beast-kin turning into a Vampire was something Julia could had never imagined. The werewolf¡¯s ws creeped forward and shed over the floor, generating countless cracks that destroyed the entire floor and made Julia and everyone else fall into the room below! CRAAAASH! ¡°Uwaaahh!¡± Julia cried in surprise, but was quickly lifted by phantasmal snakes in midair, alongiside her maids. The other Undead fell into the ground without problems, as Darkbound quickly swung his phantasmal sword and fended off a few attackers, swiftly intercepting the werewolf with his sword. CLASH! ¡°Unnggh¡­!¡± The dog-faced vampire felt the enormous pressure and strength of Darkbound, a B Rank Monster, as his sword suddenly multiplied into many smaller phantasmal des and rained upon the werewolf in all directions! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°GRAAAH!¡± The werewolf was bathed in blood as he unleashed cross-shaped shes from his blood aura-covered wolf ws, intercepting several of Darkbound¡¯s projectiles but still not being fast enough to fend them all, as several phantasmal des pierced through his body and exploded quickly after. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°GRAARGH¡­!¡± The explosions tore apart the werewolf¡¯s flesh, but even with all those wounds, they slowly began to regenerate, his body was constantly being covered in blood, turning his fur crimson red as his eyes only shone more fiercely. This vampire wasn¡¯t a normal one. ¡°GRAAAAAHH!!!¡± The werewolf swiftly moved forward while roaring wrathfully. His enormous body exuded an incredibly strong Blood Aura that constantly reinforced his bones and muscles, and made his skin incredibly sturdy, the more damage he sustained, the stronger he grew as well thanks to his [Berserk Wrath] Skill, only activated on his Werewolf mode! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Was Darkbound¡­ struggling?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 340 The Might Of The Werewolf Vampire ¡ª¨C Although Darkbound held the upper hand in both defense and offense, the werewolf was faster and was learning his movements and evading sometimes, managing to get a few hits into the Undead¡¯s rusty armor, cracking it down and sometimes breaking a few of his bones. The battle was fierce and Darkbound had all his bones upied with this dog! ¡°Who is that guy?! He¡¯s way too strong! HAH!¡± Julia wondered, as she was defending from an attacker, swinging her rapier and piercing his heart, throwing him away with a kick after that. BAAM! ¡°AGH¡­!¡± ¡°GROAR!¡± And before the man could stand back, Kuro leaped towards him with everything he had! The fierce ck lion chimera, after having evolved so much, resembled a giant feline with arge mane and the tail of a fierce snake- or snakes, as his tail was made out of five different snake-like heads resembling those of a hydra! His ws covered in zing ck mes as they shed through the vampire¡¯s body, burning through it and slowly turning him into ashes. ¡°Well done Kuro!¡± Said Julia while sighing in relief, she was constantly gasping for air, if it wasn¡¯t for Maria¡¯s help using the [Possession] skill through her phantom clones, Julia would had already copsed out of exhaustion. Meanwhile, two smaller and weaker vampire subordinates were chasing down at Faire, the clumsy maid has been using her magic to fend the assassins off and keep a nice distance between her and them, protecting her master despite being clumsy. Of course, she wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°S-She¡¯s being protected by a Spirit, be careful!¡± ¡°A spirit?! This damn half-elf maid?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get closer¡­!¡± Some of the vampires told one of them that was getting too close to Faire to not get closer, but he didn¡¯t listen, thinking that the clumsy and crybaby half-elf wasn¡¯t as bad as hispanions said, he pushed forward with his gigantic Cursed Axe! ¡°You¡¯re already tired, aren¡¯t you, missy? Let me put you to sleep!¡± ¡°W-Wind Cutter¡­!¡± FLAAAASH! Although she said it timidly, which shouldn¡¯t even be a good enough chant to conjure magic, Faire suddenly conjured a powerful cutting wind out of her small wand, shing against her foe¡¯s axe, slicing it in half, and then slicing through his armor all the way into his face, the man was suddenly sliced in half! CLAAAASH! The slicing wind hit the wall behind him as the vampires moved away, despite having regeneration they were aware that growing limbs wasn¡¯t a simple task for vampire subordinates, unlike pure blood vampires or higher rankings with greater supernatural skills. ¡°Phew¡­ T-Thank you, spirit¡­¡± Faire sighed in relief, feeling afraid, as her guardian emerged atop her head. It was a small and fluffy white cloud with a single eye in the middle of its puffy and white body, it was a Wind-Attribute Spirit. Indeed, Faire and Faerie were blessed with Wind Magic, the twins had the same element attribute but Faerie was weaker in direct magic, and stronger in enhancement magic, while Faire was better at using offensive magic, with her abnormallyrge Magic Stat. There was a time when she was lost in the woods due to being as clumsy as she is right now. But instead of getting eaten by a bear, she encountered a spirit in the woods, that helped her and guided her back home. The spirit ended sticking with her because of her clumsy nature, it always felt the necessity to help her or save her. ¡°Fooo¡­¡± The Spirit seemed exhausted. The entire group had being fighting for almost eight minutes now and the tension of the battle was just rising over each passing minute. They had been trying to run away but the powerful Werewolf Vampire that showed out of nowhere threw them off into the first floor. It would be a nice shortcut if it wasn¡¯t because even more vampires emerged, circling them all down. Although thanks to the Undead from Maria and the strength of Julia and her servants they had been holding on their own rather well, now that they were surrounded again, they had to properly n a way to get through the thick group of vampires blocking their way outside of the manor, and that¡¯s without taking into consideration the overpowered werewolf vampire and the masked woman, who had yet to even engage in a fight, as she enjoyed seeing others suffer and wanted her men to finish off Julia. CLASH! ¡°GRAOOOH!¡± ¡°OOOOH¡­!¡± The sh between the werewolf and Darkbound continued, as their fight had just begun and they were already unleashing shockwaves everywhere, all while Julia and her maids, with the help of the Undead, were surviving on their own, surrounded from all sides. ¡°Fufu, do you like my littlep dog?¡± Asked the masked Vampiress, as Julia looked at her while gritting her teeth. ¡°Usually non-human races have a harder time turning into Vampire Subordinates, thisp dog was a sessful experiment from tens of captured ves. He is a good dog that has been made into my personal guardian. He¡¯s strong, isn¡¯t he? He can even go hand to hand against that skeleton! Come to think of it, didn¡¯t WE made it? That woman really likes to steal other¡¯s properties!¡± ¡°What¡­?! You wench! Have you been experimenting with ves?! You vampires really have no disregards for human lives¡­!¡± Muttered Julia in utter fury and frustration. ¡°Fufu, it was efficient, the entire Kingdom sells all the meat and blood we desire. We can easily get test subjects from the government itself! ¡­Oops, I shouldn¡¯t had spoken too much.¡± Laughed the woman. ¡°Well, not like you¡¯re not going to die tonight.¡± ¡°Tch¡­! W-Who is the traitor?!¡± Roared Julia. ¡°Who allowed you to get through the barrier?!¡± ¡°Fufu¡­ Well, amidst all of this despair, you¡¯re still thinking about having revenge? Do you even think you¡¯ll survive¡­?¡± Laughed the masked Vampiress. The situation was growing more dire with each passing second. And where could Maria and her allies be when Julia need them the most? ¡ª¨C Chapter 341 Intense Fight Between Mighty Foes ¡ª¨C ¡°GROAR!¡± The Werewolf roared loudly, shing against Darkbound, his body, coated in blood, was turning his fur crimson. All while his eyes were already deep red, filled with wrath and hatred. His furious roars echoed across the entire room as his enormous jaws attempted to tear apart Darkbound¡¯s armor and bones, seeking his Magic Core to break. CRASH! CLASH! His jaws once more tore apart a piece of Darkbound¡¯s armor from his left arm, while the skeleton kicked the werewolf in the guts and then summoned a dozen of phantasmal swords, firing them as projectiles against the werewolf! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°GRAAAH¡­!¡± The werewolf was put into the ground, as the des pierced each of his limbs, leaving him stuck in the wooden floor¡­ Darkbound hurriedly moved towards his way, summoning another phantom de, this time stronger andrger, and materialized. ¡°OOOOHHH¡­!¡± CLASH! With a loud and phantasmal groan, Darkbound pierced the werewolf¡¯s chest, reaching his heart and soul and damaging both at the same time repeatedly. The werewolf had insane regeneration capabilities, but the soul was not part of the regeneration abilities of a vampire, as it received more damage, the dog barked and roared in agony. ¡°GRAAAHH! GRAAARRGH¡­!¡± The Masked Vampiress looked at her servant with disappointment, she had trained him this long to be the perfectp dog to her service and now was losing to a pile of old bones? It was disgraceful. She didn¡¯t even attempted to help him, but merely insulted him and tried to motivate him to put more effort into his attacks. ¡°Are you truly my servant, you pathetic dog?! Has all this time I¡¯ve spent teaching you to be obedient for naught? I guess I will have to find another dog¡­¡± Sighed the masked woman, as the Werewolf¡¯s eyes turned even more redder, his Blood Aura suddenly exploded out of his body through his wrath, hitting Darkbound head-first! FLUOOOOSSH! ¡°OOOOH¡­!¡± Darkbound let out a phantasmal groan, as it resisted the enormous shockwaveing from the werewolf. The phantom sword trapping him in ce were quickly destroyed by this all-consuming energy, as the furious dog broke his shackles and barked. ¡°Lady Agatha¡­! I will¡­ FIGHT¡­ KILL! FOR YOU¡­ LADY AGATHA! GRAAOOO!¡± The werewolf wasn¡¯t capable of talking straight, but he was incredibly strong, and such strength was flowing through his body, giving him a supernatural burst of strength out of nowhere. Such strength was so big that his mind was constantly clouding, his words were getting harder and harder toe out of him, and he was going through a lot of agony as the wounds over his body slowly regenerated. ¡°Good! My littlep dog! Bark for me! Gyahahaha!¡± The woman, named Agatha, walked towards her werewolf as her servant kneeled down and began to lick her boots, while barking, as she petted her head as if he were a real dog. ¡°W-What sort of insanity is this?! Did you brainwashed him into bing your pet?!¡± Asked Julia in disgust. ¡°Fufu, it was just a little bit of correction. He used to be a strong warrior from a tribe of dogs like him but I corrected him and made him into the servant he always wanted to be, right? Riiiight~?¡± Laughed Agatha, as her heels to pierce through the werewolf¡¯s face and eyes, she smiled below that mask, licking her red lips while seeing him suffer while moving his tail and lick her¡­ ¡°Darkbound, don¡¯t stay still, kill it!¡± Said Julia. ¡°OOOOHH¡­!¡± Darkbound attempted to move, but quickly noticed that his body was cracking. His bones were slowly shattering and so did his armor. He had no magic crystal as Maria designed him to be without a weakness in that regard, but his bones and armor weren¡¯t invincible, once he found someone mighty enough to shatter through it, they would slowly break. If his entire body breaks, it will be the end of him. ¡°H-He doesn¡¯t seem to be able to move properly, his body must be damaged¡­¡± Said Faire. ¡°Perhaps her master has a way to heal Undead, but we don¡¯t¡­¡± Said Faerie. ¡°Marie Familiars! Can you do it?¡± Wondered Julia, but the familiars were specifically made to fight and defend, they didn¡¯t had any Undead Healing with them, they ended waving their heads while fighting. However, Darkbound slowly stood up, even with the cracks on his body, his phantasmal soul was powerful, and he used it to wrap it around his body like bandages, quickly summoning a pair of giant phantasmal words for each of his skeletal hands, and looking at the werewolf, who quickly stopped being spoiled by his master. ¡°OOOOH¡­!¡± FLASH! Darkbound moved forward with great strength and the destructive might of a B Rank Undead, as he swung his enormous des and unleashed a x-shaped phantasmal attack! Agatha stepped back a bit, slightly afraid of taking an attack head-on. Julia quickly realized that this woman didn¡¯t really wanted to fight at all. ¡°GAOOOO!¡± The werewolf greeted Darkbound¡¯s x-shaped phantasmal sword attack with his own, as he unleashed a simrly shaped attack made out of his Blood Aura by coating his ws with this energy and unleashing it like a furious beast. CLAAAASH! Both energies shed against one another as Darkbound and the Werewolf quickly engaged in a fight once more. The skeleton held the upper hand in strength and resilience, but the wolf was quick, more intelligent, and had regeneration abilities to back him up. Their ws and phantasmal swords shed against one another, generating all sorts of explosions and shockwaves, destroying most of their surroundings. Julia was screaming deep down that her beautiful home was being destroyed, but she had no time toin. They were being surrounded by all sides, and the thick amount of vampire subordinates made it hard for them to find an escape route. ¡°CRAAAAA!¡± However, just in that moment, Raven unleashed his fury as phantasmal blue mes covered his wings, and a storm of ck feathers and phantasmal mes was unleashed against the dozens of vampires in front of their escape route! BOOOOMMM!!! ¡ª¨C Chapter 342 Escaping The Crumbling Manor! ¡ª¨C Raven was a small bird monsters that Maria raised into an undead crow, it was a very intelligent creature even after death, and served as recon most of the time. But over the months, Raven managed to y many monsters and level up, evolving and growing asrge as a person. His flying style was rather normal, but once he learned how to conjure phantasmal mes through the [Phantom Fire] Skill, he managed to create a new fighting style. Most birds that hunt prey usually fly up into the skies and then fall down to catch what they had seen. Raven was one of such birds. He covered himself in phantom mes and practiced hunting prey for a long time, many times failing. However, Kuro and the other Undead were there to cheer him up, alongside Maria. Now it was the time to unleash all of this hard work, Raven unleashed his fury as phantasmal blue mes covered his wings, and a storm of ck feathers and phantasmal mes was unleashed against the dozens of vampires in front of the escape route! Raven knew very well that Julia and her maids were the priority of Maria, and her phantom clones were fighting to try to get through, this was the time of truth! BOOOOMMM!!! Raven¡¯s powerful attack was sessful right away, as his phantasmal mes covered the vampires entire bodies and began to burn through all of them. The Vampires despite being half-undead were very affected by such phantasmal mes, which not only burned flesh but also their souls! Being hit directly into their deepest selves, the vampires groaned in agony, the majority of them were weak fodder recently raised into Vampires, so they quickly fell down into the floor, opening the path for Julia and her maids to go through as Raven unleashed his storm of mes and sharp projectile feathers. ¡°Let¡¯s go through Raven¡¯s path!¡± Juliamanded her maids, as the two half-elves attacked the furious bloodsuckers while running through the corridors, finally, they saw the door. ¡°T-The door¡¯s there!¡± Cried Faire. ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Faerie shouted, running straight, but the vampires were faster and although many were defeated or wounded, they simply stood up again and chased them down while regenerating! However, the smaller phantom clones of Maria quickly unified together, forming a gigantic six-meter big phantom snake that quickly caught the three girls and jumped out of the door thanks to Raven breaking it beforehand! FLAAASH! ¡°Uwaaaaah!¡± Faire cried in surprise, as they were high up in the skies! ¡°T-This is too high!¡± Cried Julia. ¡°But this is good, let¡¯s escape through the sky and then let¡¯s regroup with Lady Maria!¡± Said Faerie. The phantom snake clone nodded, flying upwards and happily imagining a sessful and perfect escape. However, in a mere instant, they hit something invisible, the barrier! BAAAM! ¡°Ouch!¡± Julia cried, as the girls suddenly realized they were trapped within the barrier, which always let them walk in and out¡­ but now it was caging them inside! ¡°T-This is impossible! Not only the traitor let them in, but he also trapped us inside?!¡± Asked Faerie, as she suddenly noticed the snake getting tired, the barrier had some strange ability that was draining the mana of those close by! ¡°Q-Quickly move down, we can¡¯t stay too close to the barrier or our mana is going to get drained!¡± Cried Faire, as the snake nodded and flew down, flying around as she saw the vampires running out of the manor. The snake suddenly began to grow even weaker, without mana, it was losing its own phantasmal mass, slowly falling into the floor. BAAAM! ¡°A-Ah, Familiar! Are you okay?¡± Asked Julia, as the snake suddenly dissipated into particles of light without being able to speak, it had all its mana drained and dissipated just like that! the barrier was hit head-first by the unsuspecting phantom clone, so she ended receiving a lot of the drain damage. ¡°It¡¯s gone¡­¡± Sighed Faerie. ¡°And the damn bloodsuckers are getting close again¡­ Lady Julia, prepare yourself for battle- Ah!¡± Faerie suddenly noticed Julia falling into the floor, kneeling and barely being able to stand, the phantom clones inside her body ended dissipate as well, and all the burden she had been resisting quickly hit her, weakening her severely. Thanks to the phantom clones possessing her, she had been able to go all out, but now all of that exhaustion hit her like a truck. ¡°Lady Julia!¡± Faire and Faerie both yelled at the same time, reaching theirdy as she was gasping for air over the grassy backyard, the vampires had yet to reach them but their presences were quickly approaching, it was a matter of minutes before they came here and caught them. ¡°Ugh¡­ The phantom familiar of Maria possessed me like a ghost, helping me go all out, but now that it is gone as well, I was hit with all the exhaustion¡­ You two, escape¡­ T-There¡¯s an underground route where we can escape directly out of the fiefdom¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening with Maria and her crew, but if you find them, tell them toe quickly¡­¡± ¡°W-We can¡¯t possibly leave you behind, that¡¯s never going to happen!¡± Faire cried. ¡°M-Mydy, I prefer to die at your side that live knowing you died due to my weakness¡­¡± Cried Faerie. ¡°Y-You two are so stubborn¡­¡± Sighed Julia while smirking a little bit, holding into her rapier and using it as a staff to slowly stand up. Dozens of ck-robbed vampires quickly reached them, circling the manor, and reaching the backyard, led by Agatha and the Werewolf¡­ who was holding arge femur with his jaws, Darkbound was nowhere to be seen. ¡°D-Darkbound¡­ Was he defeated?¡± Muttered Faire in between tears. ¡°H-He fought well¡­ but that werewolf¡­ just what sort of monster is he?!¡± Asked Faerie while gritting her teeth, her Mana was low, and so was her sister¡¯s, but the two would fight to the death no matter what. Agatha came sitting over her werewolf servant, as sheughed at the three girls. ¡°Fufu, I am surprised you¡¯ve not noticed something¡­¡± Sheughed. ¡°W-What?!¡± Asked Julia. ¡°Look behind you, into the city.¡± Agatha said mockingly. When Julia directed her gaze to the city, she saw something that left her speechless¡­ People screaming, houses burning, and pale, ghoulish creatures in the shape of humans hunting down the citizens¡­ ¡°N-No¡­ W-What is happening?!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 343 The Traitor ¡ª¨C Julia¡¯s eyes lost their light, as she felt filled with despair. As she looked into the city, she found utter chaos. Several buildings were on mes, and several civilians had suddenly turned into weird ghoulish creatures, attacking those that had yet to convert. Adventurers were fighting for their lives and to protect the innocents, while powerless people was running away or hiding. Julia hit the barrier several times, crying desperately while trying to get out. Her Mana was being fully drained away, and she felt weakened, falling to her knees. Agatha and the other Vampires simply stared at her while theyughed. Although many of their kin died in the battle, they were rxed and as if nothing had happened. Vampires held little regards to their own kin, their deaths were of no problem to them, those that lived got to see this sight after all¡­ ¡°How¡­ Why?!¡± Asked Julia in shock, as she looked at the masked woman. ¡°Fufu¡­ You want to know how? Well, why don¡¯t we humor her a bit, my children?¡± Laughed Agatha, as she stood up and slowly walked towards Julia. Julia¡¯s maids tried to protect her, but Agatha released a strange string made out of blood, capturing the two of them easily, their Mana was already near zero, so they couldn¡¯t resist with their magic capabilities. ¡°Hm, half-elves as strong as you two will a good price in the ve market¡­ Or maybe I can just turn you into my loyal vampire subordinates?¡± Wondered Agatha. ¡°Sadly, your littledy can¡¯t join you.¡± Julia tried to step back while the half-elves told her to run away, but she had no strength with her to do anything and was left hopeless to the hands of the woman. Agatha stretched her arms, grabbing Julia¡¯s face with her hands, and then slowly moving her fingers into her neck, lifting her up. ¡°Uugh¡­.!¡± Julia groaned in pain, as she was trying to free herself, resisting, but without any sort of way to even hurt someone as powerful as Agatha. ¡°Hahh~ Such a tender skin, I bet your blood will be so sweet and tasty¡­ I can¡¯t help myself¡­ I want to take a bite on you, dearie~¡± Said Agatha. ¡°But first, how about we give you a shocker? After all, when they make those faces filled with despair is when the blood tastes the richest!¡± ¡°Nggh¡­ Guhh¡­!¡± Julia was feeling like she wasn¡¯t able to breathe properly, Agatha¡¯s hands were tightly grabbing her neck. ¡°So you want to know, yeah? Well¡­ It is pretty simple! Remember all those drug addicts you¡¯ve been ignoring? Well they¡¯re all my minions now! Hahaha!¡± Agathaughed carefreely, as Julia¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°T-The drugs¡­?!¡± She muttered. ¡°They were our n all along! Well, you already know anyways, right, little princess? The drugs are not made simply out of special narcotics, but it has something very, very special¡­! Guess what it is, my dearest Julia!¡± Laughed Agatha, as her face beneath her mask smiled. ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± ¡°Well, you can¡¯t even speak so I guess I¡¯ll tell you¡­ It¡¯s made of those Evil God Fragments thingies¡­! Hahaha! Your entire fiefdom has been our testing ce for a while, even before you came here, your stupid uncle allowed us to do everything we wanted, we tested the ck Potions with him, and we even had ab to make chimeras¡­ But since you appeared, things had be too hard, so the boss said that I had to just kill you and destroy the entire fiefdom to not leave any trails of us working in here! Pretty handy, yeah?¡± Laughed Agatha. ¡°So we are allowed to let loose!¡± ¡°Uuggh¡­! No¡­!¡± Muttered Julia, as she began to cry, feeling filled with despair to the deepest part of her heart. She felt hopeless¡­ And even more after what Agatha said now. ¡°But you know¡­ We wouldn¡¯t had been able to do it if it wasn¡¯t for someone very special that helped us, the traitor that you were asking for! Wanna guess who it was?¡± Laughed Agatha. ¡°Come here, boy!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Julia and her maids suddenly looked at the figure of a robbed man walking outside of the manor, his long green hair, sharp eyes, and light robes quickly gave away who he was¡­ it was nobody else than the Court Magician himself. ¡°Dan-dan! Yes! It is him! You know him, right?! He¡¯s like your left hand, you¡¯ve trusted him for so long¡­ Bohohoh! What a shocker!¡± Laughed Agatha,ughing maniacally as she saw Julia¡¯s eyes filled with disbelief. ¡°E¡­ Emiliano?!¡± Julia mustered words however she could, looking at the man slowly approaching. Emiliano¡¯s face waspletely expressionless, and he even saw Julia as something¡­ disgusting. His gentle and calm expression quickly changed into one of disgust against her. ¡°Duchess Julia, I¡¯ve always hated you¡­!¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± ¡°Since the moment that you reced your uncle that everything started going downhill!¡± ¡°That man was very easy to manipte, he became a good puppet of mine¡­ But it seems that you never lowered your guard, with your stupid maids and your useless butler, you never allowed me to stay alone with you¡­¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­? You bastard!¡± ¡°You know? Humans are weakpared to other races. We won wars because we use cunningness and tactics, or sheer numbers. Or somethings we pathetically summon people from another worlds¡­ Since I reached my level cap that I felt hopeless. Demi-humans and monsters have the power to evolve and break their level cap! While I had already hit my maximum potential so early¡­ These people still had room to grow! Since the moment I learned that humans could turn into Vampires and break their level cap was when I was convinced that leaving aside my humanity was the true path towards reaching new heights in magic¡­!¡± ¡°Y-You cold-hearted bastard! Traitor!¡± Emiliano smiled, he had even lied about his level to Julia for years, he was in fact a capped Level 50 Magician, but after so many years of research, he only found that the single solution to his problems was to leave his humanity and be something else. And so, he decided to collude with the Vampires, as he was promised such a power. ¡ª¨C Chapter 344 The Dreams Of A Traitor ¡ª¨C The absolute power to master magic. Since the moment that Emiliano learned about magic, it has been his passion to learn about it and continue mastering it above all. Other people were merely NPC to him, they were background characters aside from his ultimate research for the pinnacle of magic. For someone born with various elements of magic, he had always felt that he was someone incredibly prodigious and amazingly talented. As someone born in a noble family without parents, as both of them had died before he could make any memories with them, he grew immersing himself on his studies, without forming any sort of connection with other people. Ultimately, although he pretended to be a decent man, deep inside, he saw others that were as powerless as Julia was disgusting, even more, civilians were simply just as despisable. He only respected those with strength and magic power, and sought after them countless times, even going as far as experimenting with ves born with magical affinities of elements hecked, and more, all for his purposeful research, which he thought was like the meaning of his life. When he reached level cap, he felt hopeless though, his magical power suddenly stopped increasing, and his skill levels were bing harder to increase as well, his magic research had taken an abrupt end. In that moment, he desperately started to research about other races. Monsters first came to his mind, who had the ability to evolve after reaching level cap and increase their level cap automatically¡­ he felt like that was unfair. Why were monsters given such an incredible power but humans were destined to grow up to a certain degree? Why couldn¡¯t humans evolve? This is when he realized that it was still possible¡­ humanity by itself was his limiter, he simply had to stop being one. The first thing that came to his mind in that instant were the infamous race of bloodsuckers, vampires. They had the power to convert others into their lesser kin, and Vampires were able to evolve and increase their level cap through each evolution, gaining new skills, new power, and amazing magical affinity¡­ All in exchange for something he considered a slight detail, an undying thirst for blood and a weakness to sunlight and rted elemental magic affinities. But as long as there was magic, he could easily make up for the elemental weaknesses, and blood wasn¡¯t a problem. He could merely buy ves to drain dry! As a man that simply never held any regards to human lives, this was ideal. He sought to be a Vampire, but they didn¡¯t allowed him to be one so easily, the leader of the Vampires decided to use him and expand his business and control over humans through him. Due to this, Emiliano became his servant in the shadows, manipting the government of this fiefdom and the uncle of Julia, the previous Duke, to do atrocities and even inciting him to kill the Dark Witch, thest member of the family that was protecting the Fragment of Evil. With her out of the picture and the rest of the family ughtered in an ¡°ident¡±, the Fragment of Evil ended falling into the hands of the government¡­ And part of such government members were already working with the Vampires. Their goal was mutual, use the fragment to attain new heights of power, create new magic weapons and use them to have an upper hand over the stronger Human Kingdoms and Empires of the Continent¡­ this way, the Albraun Kingdom would be able to expand and attain more territory. This was always the dream of any ruler, the means to attain such a goal were the problem. Emiliano did as he could and slowly managed to please his lords, the possibility of bing a Vampire were quickly approaching him, as he could already taste the power of breaking his level cap and reach new heights! ¡­But things were abruptly stopped by the one he called ¡°an annoying little bitch¡±, Julia. She came as the new Duchess. At first he thought that, as a child, she would be very easy to manipte. But somehow, she was incredibly righteous, and her only goal was to improve the living of her people and lift up the fiefdom from the horrendous state it was left by her uncle. The ideal nest for the vampires experiments quickly started to fall apart as she began to destroy all the secret underground organizations, and even abolishing very in the entire fiefdom! Emilia quickly decided that there was no point in holding back anymore, plotting to kill Julia with the Vampires¡¯ help, and he had attempted a few times, but they were all futile. Until now¡­ when he finally decided to go all out as the Vampire¡¯s leader decided that this fiefdom was of no use anymore, deciding to discard it. Without any reasons to hold back his fa?ade any longer, he merely decided to show who he truly was¡­ a despicable snake. And with the help of Agatha, an incredibly strong Pure Blood Vampire who was of high level and with a powerparable to A-Rank Adventurers, or even higher than that. He was sure of his victory, plotting to send Marie and her group to the dungeon, distracting them so he would have time to easily manipte the barrier protecting the manor and trap everyone inside, and it was a total sess! Julia couldn¡¯t believe it¡­ She had entrusted him everything for so long, she really didn¡¯t wanted to suspect someone like him! But at the end, this man ended being a two-faced bastard that only cared about himself selfishly. ¡°Now, as you promised, I can be a Pure Blood Vampire, right?¡± Asked Emiliano, ignoring Julia¡¯s face filled with despair, as Agatha nodded, taking out a small bottle with red blood inside. ¡°Drink this¡­ This is the blood of our Lord. Anybody that drinks it can be a Pure Blood! I was given such a blood and I¡¯ve be as strong as I am thanks to that.¡± Said Agatha with a coquettish voice. ¡ª¨C Chapter 345 Despair ¡ª¨C ¡°Drink this¡­ This is the blood of our Lord. Anybody that drinks it can be a Pure Blood! I was given such a blood and I¡¯ve be as strong as I am thanks to that.¡± Said Agatha with a coquettish voice. ¡°Finally!¡± Laughed Emiliano, quickly drinking the blood. However, instead of feeling stronger, he only felt utter agony over this entire body! ¡°Uuggh¡­! AAAGGH! W-What is this?!¡± ¡°Hahhaha! The problem is if you¡¯re actuallypatible with it! If you can¡¯t bear the agony¡­ You¡¯ll die, little human!¡± ¡°Y-You tricked me!¡± ¡°No? I¡¯ve simply given you what you wanted!¡± Emiliano suddenly felt tricked! He always thought that bing a Vampire would be painful, but not as agonizing as this was, even more, it felt as if his entire body was burning and melting at the same time, his strength was fading away, and his magical power didn¡¯t respond to hismands, he couldn¡¯t use healing magic to calm the pain! ¡°AAGGGH¡­!¡± ¡°The transformation might take a few minutes, if you somehow survive, you¡¯ll thirst for blood and be a little crazy¡­ Hehe, you can go feast in the humans of your city.¡± Laughed Agatha, ignoring Emiliano¡¯s despairing agony, as she directed her gaze back to the small Julia, who was within her grasp. She was like a tiny doll that she could crush at any moment. ¡°Mufufu¡­ Now what I do with you? Hm~? Ah, you look so tender¡­ Maybe I can drink your blood while you¡¯re alive? Ohoho~¡± Giggled Agatha, as she suddenly dropped Julia in the floor. Powerless, the girl began to cough. ¡°Cough¡­ Ugh¡­! Y-You damn bloodsuckers¡­ You¡¯re all going to Helheim!¡± Julia cried. Agatha seemed to enjoy her screams, quickly kneeling in the floor and putting her body over the smaller Julia, her hands quickly began to caress Julia¡¯s thighs, reaching her crotch, one remained there, while the other began to move upwards, massaging her chest and grasping her puffy breasts. ¡°Hmm~ So young and beautiful! Aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re so cute and delicious! I want to chomp you down! Ahhh~ You must have such a good life, didn¡¯t you? Filled with luxury and the love of your parents! And with such a deliciously tasty body to boot!¡± Laughed Agatha, making Julia sick as she touched her intimidate parts. ¡°You¡¯re sick! Let me go! Kill me quickly if you want that!!!¡± Cried Julia, as tears began to flow from her eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that? I am going to enjoy slurping every part of your body¡­ And biting too! Bwahaha!¡± Agatha couldn¡¯t help but feel excited about touching a little girl¡¯s body, especially one as beautiful and privileged as Julia. ¡°Nooo!¡± Julia cried, feeling frightened of something even worse than a quick death, kicking with all her strength at Agatha¡¯s face, moving away her mask! Crack! ¡°Agh?!¡± Agatha suddenly felt surprised as her mask fell to the floor, Julia¡¯s eyes were fixated into the Vampiress face, suddenly finding something truly frightening, her real appearance was¡­! ¡°W-Wha¡­?!¡± ¡°You little bitch¡­ I offered you all my love before you were to die and you kick me in the face?!¡± Agatha spoke, as her face was revealed while the long hair covering it moved away, a face full of horrid scars, patches of skin, and mismatched colored eyes emerged, with her jaws oddly long and with sharp fangs like those of an angler fish. It was now quite clear why she hid her face from anyone with her mask¡­ Her true appearance was hideous. ¡°How is your face like this?! C-Can¡¯t Vampires regenerate?!¡± Asked Julia. ¡°My face is not a problem! You don¡¯t have any saying on it! My lord says I am the most beautiful! You little bitch born with a cute face¡­ I¡¯ll wear your face next! I¡¯ll wear your face and be you, the littledy with everything in her life, the one privileged with everything!!!¡± Agatha suddenly lost her sanitypletely, pushing down Julia into the floor. Her nails suddenly grew as long and sharp as knives, reaching up to Julia¡¯s face and piercing through her skin slowly! ¡°AAAGGH¡­! L-Let me go! Noooo!¡± ¡°Hehehehe¡­ I¡¯ll take away your face! I¡¯ll wear it!!!¡± ¡°I love to take away the faces of cute girls! I¡¯ll take yours and wear it!¡± Julia realized that Agatha was even more batshit crazy than she thought. Facing such a powerful and insane being as her, Julia felt utter despair, she felt small and hopeless. Remembering Maria and her party, only to get even more despair by thinking that the reason behind them noting was perhaps¡­ because they ran away when they saw the chaos of the city. ¡°M-Marie¡­¡± Julia cried, whispering her name. ¡°She¡¯s noting, she¡¯ll die in the dungeon, give it up!¡± Crack¡­! ¡°Or maybe she just ran away? Hahaha!¡± Crack¡­ crack! ¡°You should had never trusted mercenaries! Wherever something goes out of the ordinary, they have no disregards with abandoning their patrons! It has happened countless times¡­!¡± Crack! ¡°Over ny percent of mercenaries will abandon their patrons when they¡¯re attacked by bandits or monsters, you know? Hiring mercenaries for transport works is suicide! Hahaha! Stupid child!¡± CRACK! ¡°Ugh! Who the hell is breaking ss?! Cut it out- Eh?¡± Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRACK! BBBZZZZZZZ¡­! A thunderous sound. It felt as if countless little wings were pping together, the sound that insects made when they flew, but in a gigantic swarm, this disgusting and ear-piercing sound suddenly began to resonate within the entire interior of the barrier of magic, as everyone suddenly realized a mass of ckness was attempting to break through the magic barrier, the barrier was already cracking and shattering! ¡°W-Wha¡­ what is that?!¡± Agatha couldn¡¯t help but ask in disbelief, without even having any idea what the heck that was! But it felt as a powerful and incredibly domineering presence that she had never felt like this before, it was so frightening and all-epassing that she couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear, and even feel chills down her spine¡­ Julia also looked in disbelief at this swarm of wiggling insects and darkness, as they suddenly broke through the barrier! BBBBZZZZZZ¡­! Crack¡­ crack¡­! CRASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 346 The Queen Of Flies ¡ª¨C (A few minutes ago¡­) Ding! [You have evolved into [Beelzebub]!] [All your stats have increased!] [Your Rank has increased into Rank A++] [You learned the [Illusion Element: Lv¨C] Skill] [You learned the [gue Body: Lv1] Skill] [You learned the [Insect Maniption: Lv1] Skill] [You learned the [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Beelzebub: Lv1] Skill] [You learned the [Illusory Delusion: Lv1] Skill] [You acquired the [Queen of Flies: Lv1] Title Skill] [You acquired the [Sin of Gluttony: Lv1] Title Skill] The moment Maria evolved; she saw arge amount of new System notifications. She had decided to evolve into the rather obvious choice, Beelzebub! And just as she had thought, she got a big assortment of incredibly weird and odd Skills to look at. However, there were more important things such as her body! It had once more changed, her long and white hair with the purple-colored tips changed of color and turnedpletely white once more, while she suddenly gained quite arge pair of demon-like horns spiraling upwards from her head. Despite being a ghost, she had horns! Her dress had suddenly turned into one of high regality, she looked like a demon princess¡­ or queen. And to make things more impactful, she suddenly got a third eye in the middle of her forehead?! Well, through shapeshifting she could hide it, but it was there now. Her previous form could also be meddled with this new one, as her hair could still turn into snakes. But there was something more to her now¡­ She felt strange, as if she had an even stronger power within her, more than anything, she felt incredibly hungry! She felt as if she had a big stomach now and had to fill it quickly. She had never felt hunger since she became a ghost, and only ate for enjoyment. But now¡­ it felt as if she was more alive than dead and had a great hunger for anything. But that wasn¡¯t all, aside from this annoying hunger she felt, whenever she moved her hands, sometimes small particles of her phantom will divide and turn into little bugs? They looked like flies, and she could easily order them around, it was quite intriguing. And it was most likely because of her new skills, which she decided to quickly check while moving out of the dungeon with everybody else. ¡ª¨C [gue Body: Lv1] Your strange body has mutated once more, and you¡¯re a being that seems to be strangely made out of countless tiny insects. Your entire body is a gue by itself. You¡¯re free to self-divide your body or expand it near endlessly as long as you have the Mana for it, bing a monstrous gue of insects that you can shape to your liking. The power of your gue in all parameters increases by +10% with each Skill Level. ¡ª¨C [Insect Maniption: Lv1] As the Queen of Flies, you¡¯re naturally adept at controlling insects, your entire body is a gue, and you can tame and add more insects to your body, strengthening your gue body and making their strength yours. The more insects you add to your own body, the stronger you grow. Insect Monsters can also be added to the gue, as long as they¡¯re of lesser Rank than the user. Each Level of this Skill enhances your control over tamed Insects and also their total stats by +20% with each Level, while also enhancing their HP and MP natural regeneration by +20% with each Skill Level. ¡ª¨C [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Beelzebub: Lv1] You¡¯re an almost unique existence, catalogued as the Queen of Flies, you¡¯re the embodiment of a Demon that lurks within the depths of the Realm of Hell, Beelzebub. Your hunger is insatiable and your army of insects that devour everything spreads out like a gue, without leaving nothing behind. By using this Skill, you can take into your truest and strongest form, increasing all your stats by +50%, doubling your HP regeneration, and increasing your Resistance to all Damage by +20% with each Skill Level. The more the Skill is used, the more it can level up. However, it takes a heavy burden into the soul, and it constantly drains Mana each second. ¡ª¨C [Illusory Delusion: Lv1] Now that you¡¯ve attained the Element of Illusion, you¡¯re able to shape and transform the very essence of this element and create illusions and delusions to foes, making their own minds confused, and turning their thought processes into shambles. This Spell/Skill directly affects a single target¡¯s mind, confusing them about your true position, and putting their thoughts into a chaotic state. The potency of this Spell/Skill increases with each Level. ¡ª¨C [Queen of Flies: Lv1] As Title Skill bestowed upon someone that has been deemed as the Queen of Flies after evolving into a Beelzebub. Your power raises as your gue increases. You¡¯re the Queen of Flies and all Insect Monsters can easily obey you and be tamed. All your stats increase by +5% with each Skill Level (Invisible Stat Boost), and you¡¯re able to generate an ¡°Aura of Domination¡± that can inflict status ailments, curses, and fear into targets near you, while protecting allies and your gue. You¡¯re an existence despised by light-aligned entities. ¡ª¨C [Sin of Gluttony: Lv1] A Unique Title Skill only given to those that met certain requirements through evolution. As the Sin of Gluttony your ability to devour is enhanced. You¡¯re capable of digesting and absorbing any sort of material and if the material devoured possesses a certain grade of energy or power, you can gain a small part of it, sometimes even receiving new Skills. Your stats can grow by eating, and you can also gain EXP by eating big and powerful creatures or high-quality materials. Your hunger, however, is very hard to appease, and you need to eat dozens of times what you once used to eat. Your hunger, quite literally, is bottomless. Each Title Skill Level increases your Stats by +10% (Invisible Boost). ¡ª¨C ¡°Queen of Flies and Sin of Gluttony, huh?¡± Maria couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit. Although she was quite frightened about bing an even more monstrous being, she had already begun to embrace her current self. ¡°Maria¡­ Look!¡± Lucifer suddenly pointed something at the distance, as the group finally managed to reach the outside of the dungeon, only to find the city in the distance set aze, and with many ghoulish creatures taking over! ¡ª¨C Chapter 347 A Ghoulish Menace ¡ª¨C As Maria flew outside the dungeon, she took a look at her Skills and also her Status, which has changed: ¡ª¨C [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [1/80] [EXP]: [0/100000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [33800/33800] -> [40000/40000] [MP]: [92000/92000] -> [100000/100000] [Attack]: [10850] -> [12000] [Defense]: [10950] -> [14000] [Magic]: [94000] -> [100000] [Agility]: [34900] -> [40000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] (NEW) [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Illusion Element: Lv¨C] (NEW) [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv6] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv9] [Poison Body: Lv6] [gue Body: Lv1] (NEW) [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv5] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv6] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [de sh: Lv9] [Strong Axe Strike: Lv8] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv4] [Fist Strike: Lv3] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv5] [Life Absorption: Lv5] [Possession: Lv10] [Dark Sun: Lv4] [Dark Storm: Lv4] [Shadow Spear Arrow: Lv10] [Materialized Shadow Barrier: Lv8] [Shadow Maniption: Lv10] [Fake Life: Lv10] [Soul Eater: Lv9] [Undead Detonation: Lv7] [Shadow Thread: Lv5] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv6] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv8] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv7] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv5] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv5] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv3] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv1] (NEW) [Illusory Delusion: Lv1] (NEW) [Insect Maniption: Lv1] (NEW) [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv9] [Undead Healing: Lv9] [Erase Presence: Lv9] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Materialization: Lv9] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv6] [Mental Mapping: Lv5] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv6] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv6] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv4] [Big Game yer: Lv8] [Taboo Mark: Lv7] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv7] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv5] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv4] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv4] [Merciless Assassin: Lv3] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv4] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv2] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv3] [gue yer: Lv4] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv4] [Saint of Death: Lv4] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv2] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv2] [Dungeon Master: Lv1] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] [Queen of Flies: Lv1] (NEW) [Sin of Gluttony: Lv1] (NEW) [Divine Protections]: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡ª¨C ¡°Damn, this is really good¡­¡± She thought to herself, but didn¡¯t had much time to appreciate her Status fully. The first thing that Maria noticed when she ran outside of the dungeon was that the group of soldiers, knights, and adventurers around the dungeon was gone, all of them had ran away into the city, because in the middle of it, there was an enormous chaos going on! Civilians suddenly turned into monstrous creature resembling ghouls, and they were attacking those that had not transformed. They had suddenly attained great physical strength, butpletely lost their minds. Meanwhile, the surviving knights and adventurers that were stationed here some time ago ran into the city to help. ¡°W-What the fuck is going on?!¡± Asked Maria in surprise, as she analyzed her surroundings with her Analysis ability within her System, quickly analysis the strange creatures crawling around, they seemed to be truly people some minutes ago. ¡ª¨C [Ghoulish Wight (Human): Lv8] [Rank: C+] A monstrous creature born from a normal human who transformed after consumingrge quantities of miasma and other substances that mutated their body into a ghoulish being, low-quality vampire blood was also mixed within their narcotics, turning them into vampiric creatures. Their power can only awaken by themand of a high-ranking Vampire. And because they have gone berserk andck intelligence, they can be easily controlled by them, indiscriminately attacking one another. Some of their Skills include: [Insane Charge], [Berserk Mode], [Blood Edge], [Crazed Consumption]¡­ ¡ª¨C ¡°This is bad!¡± Maria quickly realized this was a terrible thing to be happening, and her mind moved faster than anyone else as she realized that this wasn¡¯t something that happened out of nowhere, or a strange disease. These people ended turning like this through the drugs being given to certain citizens¡­ all those drug addicts asking for money, or that sometimes lost their minds on the streets, which Julia was having such a hard time dealing with¡­ all of them had suddenly turned into this! The drugs were not just made of strange herbs or something, but made out of most likely the Fragments of Evil stolen from her family, and even vampire blood was mixed into it, making anyone that consumed these drugs into crazed monsters at themand of their superior vampire lords orders! Can they even be turned back? ¡°System, can they turn back?!¡± Maria asked her System, as it promptly answered. [If another hour passes they won¡¯t be able to turn back into normal humans, but as long as the culprit controlling them is defeated in time, they might be able to revert. I rmend using your Auras to inflict fear into their hearts, although they¡¯re insane, if they detect you, they might ck out of fear. Other alternative is using your Gorgon Eyes of Paralysis, or the Gorgon Eyes of Confusion, or using Phantasmal Clones to possess them and control them forcefully.] ¡°I get it, thanks!¡± Maria quickly knew what to do now, as she quicklymunicated everything to her friends, they were shocked to hear this as they flew back to the city, and immediately devised a n. They decided to use Maria¡¯s powers to incapacitate the crazed ghoulish people while Emeraldine healed the wounded and Lucifer and Partner aided them in anything they needed. When they finally reached the city, the people waspletely bbergasted by an enormous mass of darkness emerging from the skies! Maria had decided to not show her true appearance to the people, instead using her [gue Body] Skill to its fullest potential and turn herself into an enormous gue of phantasmal bugs! Those that still had a bit of sanity in them quickly lost their minds as they saw the horror of her appearance¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 348 Chaos In The City ¡ª¨C BBBZZZZ¡­.! An ear-piercing sound thundered across the night sky, the people didn¡¯t realized what brought it until it was already floating above their heads, an enormous mass of dozens of metersposed of countless flies! Nobody could realize they were not true flies but small phantoms, allposing a single organism, an Undead! And that Undead as Maria herself. ¡°Just what¡­ what is that?!¡± ¡°A-Another monster?!¡± ¡°Why is this night so endless?!¡± ¡°Gyyaaaah! Run!¡± The people trying to fend off the ghouls quickly ran away from the enormous mass of flies, as Maria nodded to herself and flew down, some people ended being caught up in the swarm of flies, thinking they would get devoured alive, but they only realized they were¡­ well clean. The dirt and blood over their bodies waspletely cleansed, but they were not devoured. The ghouls, however, weren¡¯t treated so nicely, as Maria flew around the city, she unleashed her powerful Aura against the ghouls, and also the power of her Gorgon Eyesbined together! The Ghouls were shocked with Fear and then paralyzed through her Eye of Paralysis, they were too weak to even resist her might, but she made sure to inflict fear on them so Paralysis would be more easy to be inflicted on targets. ¡°Gryyaaeeh¡­!¡± ¡°Gruuaakh¡­!¡± ¡°Guuoh¡­¡± The ghouls began dropping in the floor one after the other, the people that stood watching at the scene were left in disbelief, they werepletely paralyzed and some even fell unconscious! The mass of flies wasn¡¯t hurting anybody, in fact, merely putting them down so they wouldn¡¯t hurt anybody else. And that wasn¡¯t everything at all, as a trio of demi-humans ran into the city and began to reassure the people that everything was alright. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that mass of insects is tamed by our leader, the Mercenary Marie! You know her, right? She¡¯s the one that killed the undead at the graveyard!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Are you alright? Do you feel unwell?¡± Emeraldine wondered, as she began bathing everyone with holy light to heal minor wounds and closerger wounds, her aura spread out into a domain of light and life as well, making for an amazing healer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is alright!¡± Lucifer began helping people trapped below rubble, moving outrge pieces of rubble, and letting Emeraldine heal them, all while Partner moved them away and gave them to the people refuging at the gates of the city. Maria had even left an army of Undead there, and a clone of herself made of phantom to guide the people and reassure them the undead were there to protect them. Maria¡¯s clone was using this opportunity to ask the people what exactly had happened. She felt intrigued about this and wanted some answers from those that saw everything firsthand. ¡°It was too sudden, out of nowhere people began turning into zombies!¡± ¡°Yeah, we heard someone before though¡­¡± ¡°Someone?¡± Asked Maria. ¡°It was like the weird voice of a woman¡­¡± The people refuging in the gates of the city began to speak, many had a different version of what had happened, but it was all quite simr, a woman had suddenly screamed ¡°Awaken!¡±, and the people suddenly turned into ghouls or ¡°zombies¡± as the people called them. These zombies immediately attacked everyone on sight, but not one another¡­ the chaos began from there. ¡°That woman might had been a vampire then¡­ I have the Appraisal Skill, so I was able to appraise the infected people, they¡¯re the victims of the drugs¡­ these drugs that some people had been consuming, it turned them into monsters when this vampire woman said the special word!¡± Said Maria, revealing the truth to the people, as she felt no obligation to keep it a secret. With this, she could feel reassured the people would know what¡¯s happening and simply not try to kill the ghoulish zombies, although there were already some that had been killed, and well, normal people was also ughtered by them, there were dozens of casualties, and many souls were floating around. Maria asked these souls about their anecdotes as well, gathering a lot of information about what they had experienced. ¡°S-So are we being attacked by Vampires?!¡± ¡°Should we go fight as well?¡± ¡°We are adventurers, we can¡¯t simply hide in here!¡± A group of a few dozen people, Adventurers, felt motivated to fight, but as there were no Vampires on sight, Maria began to think that they might be somewhere else entirely. Not in the city at in sight, or perhaps, they had been targeting someone else this entire time? The moment she realized this, she suddenly remembered that she lost her connection with the clones she left with Julia! A strange barrier was cutting her mental connection with them, so she was incapable of seeing what they were seeing, nor feel what they were feeling, even less know the current situation of her Undead and how they could currently be doing. She had left Darkbound, Kuro, and Raven with her, but perhaps that wasn¡¯t enough for whatever was attacking Julia and her servants. ¡°No, you have to stay in here for the moment, I know you want to fight but this is too dangerous for you!¡± Said Maria, as she quickly moved through her other body across the city. After Maria incapacitated most of the ghouls, she felt a dangerous presence within Julia¡¯s residence, feeling concerned, she decided to leave the rest to her party. ¡°Guys, there¡¯s something in Julia¡¯s ce! There¡¯s no way this just happened out of nowhere, and if it did, Julia would be here dealing with it! I¡¯ll go search for her, you guys stay here and help the people for the moment!¡± Maria said without even hearing her party¡¯s answers, as she flew off into the skies. When she finally reached the area where Julia¡¯s manor was, she quickly found a weird barrier that was absorbing Mana from anyone that touched it. Maria quickly realized this was the same barrier protecting this ce, but somehow it had been changed and it was now trapping everyone inside! ¡°You think this is going to stop me¡­?! Yog-Sothoth!¡± FLUOOOSSSHH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 349 A Swarm Of Flies Saves The Day! ¡ª¨C Maria suddenly activated her Ultimate Skill, the evolution of her Mana Syphon, it had an amazing power, as it could absorb energies and this even included being able to destroy magical constructions by merely absorbing their basicponents! It was also an amazing Uno Reverse Card against anything that absorbed energies, as it easily negated their ability and absorbed back all the energies they had absorbed before. Within the depths of her soul, arge ck hole emerged, and from within, a small, red-shot eye nced into the barrier, the darkness within Maria¡¯s ck hole turned into an all-absorbing void force, quickly beginning to tear apart the runes andponents of the magic barrier, which quickly started to crack and shatter. Maria quickly looked into the interior of the barrier, realizing Julia was right there, being assaulted by Vampires! All her Undead either destroyed or incapacitated! Kuro and Raven quickly came to her mind, if something happened to those two, her beloved pets, Maria would easily have her heart broken! Filled with fury and rage over what these bastards had done in just a few minute when she was gone from here, Maria put all her energy into breaking the barrier, as the sound of her gue body began to resonate, as if millions of flies pped their wings viciously and rapidly, the thundering sound was quickly noticed by the Vampires down below, as she saw their bbergasted expressions, cracking and shattering the barrier! CRACK! ¡°Ugh! Who the hell is breaking ss?! Cut it out- Eh?¡± Agatha cried, as she suddenly noticed the enormous mass of flies trying to break through the barrier, until¡­! Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRACK! BBBZZZZZZZ¡­! ¡°W-Wha¡­ what is that?!¡± Agatha couldn¡¯t help but ask in disbelief, without even having any idea what the heck that was! But it felt as a powerful and incredibly domineering presence that she had never felt like this before, it was so frightening and all-epassing that she couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear, and even feel chills down her spine. Julia also looked into what looked like a mass of wiggling insects and darkness, as they suddenly broke through the barrier! BBBBZZZZZZ¡­! Crack¡­ crack¡­! CRASH! ¡°YOU BASTARDSSSSS¡­!¡± The fury of Maria knew no bounds! The moment she broke through the barrier, the entire barrier broke apart and was devoured by her ck hole, boosting her strength and giving her a lot of bonus Mana to use to her heart¡¯s contents! She even felt as if her stats permanently increased by a tiny bit, and she even learned a new Skill?! Ding! [You have absorbed a powerful mass of runes and magic, you acquired the [Mold Breaker: Lv1] Title Skill!] ¡ª¨C [Mold Breaker: Lv1] A Title Skill given to someone who has used brute force to break through an incredible and almost indestructible wall, barrier, or a person. It grants the user the ability to break through molds and reach new heights, increasing damage dealt against Barriers and Shields of all types by +10% with each level, alongside ignoring 5% of the foe¡¯s defensive stats with each level. ¡ª¨C ¡°Oho, this is going to be useful!¡± Thought Maria, rushing down and quickly spreading out her body while also multiplying it through sheer quantities of Mana! ¡°W-What is that?!¡± ¡°A mass of insects?!¡± ¡°A swarm?!¡± ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± ¡°A monster appeared capable of breaking the barrier!¡± Maria quickly began to fight while everyone wondered what was happening! Her gue body infiltered into the Vampire¡¯s group in mere seconds, using her abilities to inflict constant damage against the Vampires, the flies began to devour them slowly bit by bit, while using Maria¡¯s Ultimate Skill to drain away their mana and vitality! ¡°AAAAGGGGHH¡­!¡± ¡°H-Help!¡± ¡°W-We can¡¯t fight this¡­!¡± ¡°Anything I do, it doesn¡¯t work!¡± The flies entered the Vampire¡¯s mouths and eyes, devouring them from the inside out, dozens of them quickly began dropping in the floor,pletely dead and dried out like raisins. Their souls were promptly eaten by Maria as well, mercilessly so! Agatha¡¯s eyes were filled with despair and fear as she didn¡¯t knew what as happening, the mass of flies flew towards her as she instinctively stepped back, generating a force field made out of Blood Magic around her, and jumping at the side of her Werewolf, who could use a simr ability to fend off the vicious flies. ¡°What sort of attack is this?! Is this the doing of a magician that can control insects?!¡± Asked Agatha. ¡°Gyyyaaaaah!¡± Julia cried, as she was suddenly engulfed in flies! Agatha gritted her teeth as she seemed to feel a bit frustrated, just when things were getting good she was suddenly interrupted by something utterly strange! Most if not all her subordinates were dead by now, and Julia and her maids were gone, swallowed by the swarm of flies! Julia herself was also scared, when she was suddenly swallowed by the flies she thought she was a goner, and the disgusting insects¡¯ bodies covering her entire body was truly the thing of nightmares, but amidst this darkness, she heard a very familiar voice! ¡°Julia, it is me, Marie!¡± ¡°M-Marie?!¡± ¡°These flies are part of my magic; I¡¯ve finally finished the dungeon and saw all of this¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep you safe, I¡¯ll put you inside my shadows with your maids, can you wait there?¡± ¡°O-Okay! I never thought you would actuallye, I thought you ran away or died¡­!¡± ¡°I would never run away from my job! After all, you¡¯re helping my little vige, if I leave you, who else is gong to extend a hand to us?¡± ¡°M-Marie¡­!¡± ¡°Now wait there while I deal with this, I won¡¯t let them escape!¡± ¡°O-Okay! Good luck! Please¡­ kill that bitch and Emiliano, he¡¯s a traitor!¡± ¡°Emiliano? The dude in the floor? Bastard¡­! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make him pay.¡± Maria left Julia and her maids inside of her Shadows through the [Shadow Storage] Skill, finally left alone to deal with the Vampiress in front of her. ¡ª¨C Chapter 350 Confronting The Vampires! ¡ª¨C Agatha and her dog were a good pair. When Agatha was pushed down, the werewolf acted immediately, attempted to attack Maria to push her away from his master. Although their strength was not the same, the werewolf was vastly strong, and could quite possibly belong in the Realm of A Ranks as well. His Lykan Transformation Skill was the key to this power, as he was probably someone not far from B- Rank, but due to the Skill that transformed him and gave him arge boost to his powers, he grew to the point he could even be a threat to A Ranks. Maria didn¡¯t attacked immediately, changing her mind, and deciding to talk a small bit, although the intentions of this was buying time, as the cavalry was getting closer. ¡°Who exactly are you guys? You¡¯re too strong to be a mere Vampire. I remember fighting Katarina and her other two Vampires¡­ Those were certainly powerful, but who exactly are you? In what Rank do you belong within the Vampire Family?¡± Asked Maria. ¡°Fufu, because you¡¯ve given away your identity so easily, ghost, I guess I can tell you as much¡­ I am Agatha, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the four strongest retainers that our Lord almighty has! I am named the Horseman of Famine, but it is just a Title, don¡¯t worry, I cannot easily create famine by myself¡­ although my actions alone are often thought to be! You see, I love to make things through Alchemy, those drugs that all of you foolish humans ate so happily was made by yours truly!¡± Laughed Agatha. ¡°What?!¡± Maria couldn¡¯t help but ask, although she was simply pretending to be shocked to make Agatha happier, and therefore, making her y some more with her. ¡°I am an expert in making all sorts of concoctions, drugs, and so on that can enhance someone and even bring their truest potential¡­ Or make them obey me. This little doggie here¡­ Well, he used to be a prideful warrior, but over time, he couldn¡¯t get enough of my drugs!¡± Laughed Agatha. Maria quickly realized she was the one that had made the drugs and was known as ¡°Famine¡± most likely because she brought it through her way of attacking, inflicting damage to society slowly, provoking famine and hunger while making people grow addicted to her creations. ¡°You¡¯re batshit crazy!¡± Said Maria. ¡°Do you guys only just go around doing this all the time? Can¡¯t you chix for a while and just stop being such murder hobos? What¡¯s the intentions of your boss? Ah, you know what? Tell me where he is!¡± Maria asked something ridiculous, as Agatha¡¯s face quickly grew serious. ¡°You think I am going to just tell you where he is?! And why are you talking so much now out of nowhere, didn¡¯t you said you didn¡¯t wanted to talk- Ah! You¡¯re buying time! Damn it! Dog, attack her!¡± Agatha roared, whipping the werewolf who quickly jumped straight towards Maria. Maria gritted her teeth as she was found out rather quickly, but didn¡¯t seem to be too worried! ¡°Abyssal Barrier!¡± TRUUUMMM!¡± ¡°GRAAHH!¡± CLASH! The werewolf suddenly hit a barrier made of shadows and darkness, but this time it wasn¡¯t merely that, as the skill [Materialized Shadow Barrier] had actually evolved after hitting max Level when Maria evolved, evolving into the [Abyssal Barrier] Skill, an even stronger and more resistant Barrier, and also resetting its level back to one! The werewolf was surprised as his face hit the barrier with all his strength, breaking his nose. He quickly healed it through his natural regeneration though, and swung his giant ws against the Abyssal Barrier, cracking and shattering it apart viciously. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! It took the werewolf merely three powerful hits with his enormous ws to destroy Maria¡¯s barrier, he seemed to have an amazing amount of Attack Stat, and even had the Mold Breaker Title at Level 5, way higher than Maria could ever hope to have it, he was amazing at breaking through the defense of his foes! However¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re a match for Mercury.¡± ¡°GUUU!¡± Suddenly, Maria¡¯s shadow expanded, as amass of liquid metal emerged, spreading out andpletely wrapping itself around the werewolf¡¯s body, capturing him and then pushing him down into the ground! The gigantic Mercury had been waiting for the moment to act, his amazing defenses, weight, and size made him for the perfect match against a battle junkie with high amounts of damage such as the nameless Werewolf Vampire! ¡°GRAAWWRR¡­! GRAAARRR¡­!¡± The Werewolf groaned loudly, attacking with all his powerful ws and enhanced physique, but Mercury had insane levels of physical defense and even more HP! Alongside this, he had regeneration at an amazing speed, and magic to support him, something the original Metal Slime Kingcked as Mercury is a chimera between him and the various other colorful slimes that Maria and her group defeated. ¡°GUUUU!¡± Mercury wrapped dozens of liquid metal tentacles around the nameless werewolf, while the beast loudly groaned and roared, attempting to sh him and attacking him constantly, Mercury was easily receiving the attacks while firing magic at the wolf, although the wolf¡¯s body was incredibly resilient as well, no matter how hard Mercury tightened his grip with his metallic tentacles, his bones didn¡¯t break at all. ¡°I am leaving him to you!¡± Said Maria. She knew that Mercury was reliable for that, although seeing how that wolf had several defense-ignoring skills and even Mold Breaker, it was quite possible Mercury would be defeated eventually, but it would surely buy enough time! And another pro was that Mercurycked a core, so there was no weakness, if the werewolf wanted to win, he had to go all out and try to kill him conventionally by umting damage into the enormous HP pool of Mercury, all while taking into consideration his fast HP regeneration and his insane physical and magical defense. ¡°A giant metal slime?! Howe you can control and tame such a monstrosity?!¡± Asked Agatha in shock. ¡°Well, a Necromancer can do more than you think.¡± Laughed Maria, shing against Agatha once more! CLASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 351 Maria Against Agatha! ¡ª¨C Maria shed against Agatha once more. This time finally managing to throw away the annoying dog so she could have a more personal fight with her. She immediately decided to begin with her Gorgon Eyes, unleashing all the curses at once andbining them with her Auras that could also inflict curses and status ailments, but Agatha seemed unfazed by them, unleashing an aura of blood around her that easily negated most of Maria¡¯s curses! However, Maria infused more MP than anything else into the Paralysis Curse, which seemed to be mildly working but Agatha forcefully got out of it with her brute strength. SPARK! ¡°Ungh¡­?!¡± Agatha was about to deliver a powerful fist attack against Maria but suddenly, her entire muscles felt stiff and she was paralyzed for a few seconds! Enough time for Maria to not hit her directly but conjure an enormous meteor of Darkness, Death, Poison, and¡­ Chaos! This was one of Maria¡¯s newest Skills, a more powerful version of Dark Sun she created by materializing the darkness and adding up the power of Pandora¡¯s Box into the mix. ¡°Chaotic Meteor!¡± FLAAAAASH! ¡°A meteor attack?!¡± Agatha¡¯s face distorted in horror at the scene! A gigantic meteor suddenly was hurdled her way, it was at least forty meters big, and that¡¯s counting that Maria held in its size, but it was so enormous that the very shockwave it generated would destroy the manor nearby and crack the earth below! Agatha would surely take a massive blow of damage with that, she immediately thought about escaping it, but the meteor was too close and moving at a lightning speed despite being so heavy, this was because it wasn¡¯t physical, it merely was made materialized through Maria¡¯s Skills, but itsponents were made out of weightless darkness, death, and poison elemental essence and mana! CLAAAAASSSSHHH!!! ¡°UUAAGGH¡­!¡± Agatha couldn¡¯t help but scream in agony, she quickly tried to resist by generating an enormous armor around her body made out of the materialized Blood Aura she could generate, the gigantic meteor continued pushing down with bursting power, unleashing shockwaves that made everything within its surroundings explode! TRUUUMMMM¡­! ¡°Uunnggh¡­! Y-You damn bitch¡­ You¡¯re going to make me go all out against you¡­!¡± Agatha threatened Maria, but Maria simply smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too slow at that!¡± Laughed Maria, as phantasmal essence gathered within her hands and she suddenly unleashed another Chaotic Meteor on top of the other! She had been draining Mana from the environment for a while, and even Agatha had noticed her Mana was lower than usual, she had umted enough Mana to throw another Chaotic Meteor! BOOOOOMMM!!! ¡°A-Another?! This is ridiculoussssss¡­!¡± Agatha cried, resisting the gigantic pressure as corrosive acidic miasma began to cover her entire body, burning through her flesh and bones as the elements of the attacks attempted to consume her entire body and leave nothing but bones behind! ¡°And that¡¯s not all¡­! Abyssal Cage!¡± Maria conjured a new Spell she had created, by simply using Abyssal Barrier and shaping the barrier to her liking, she generated a cage made of abyssal darkness, an higher quality and stronger darkness than mere shadows, caging Agatha and the two meteors falling over her¡­ FLAAAASH! ¡°N-Nnguhhhh¡­! Y-You can even do this?!¡± Asked Agatha, feeling more shocked at every move. ¡°And I am not even done, dear.¡± Laughed Maria. ¡°Undead Detonation.¡± Maria had done something special. She had infused the lingering souls of the Vampires she killed into her two Chaotic Meteors to give them a special trait¡­ the meteors themselves turned into Undead, and Undead Detonation could be used in them! As long as something had a soul put into it, it counted as an Undead after all! BOOOOOMMM!!! ¡°GRUUUAAAAHHH¡­!¡± The explosion of two meteors contained themselves within the Abyssal Cage, consuming Agathapletely! The Cage ended giving up by the force, and it exploded as well, unleashing ck smoke everywhere, and covering the entire surroundings¡­ ¡°Hahh¡­ There¡¯s no way you managed toe out of that unscathed¡­¡± Sighed Maria, as she looked at Agatha amidst the enormous crater she was holed into. Her entire body covered in bruises and wounds, her Blood Armor was shattering and falling into pieces, fading away into essence, and the Vampiress was gasping for air, her regeneration slowly healing her, but due to being covered in miasma, her regeneration abilities were being halted. ¡°Hahhh¡­ Hahhhh¡­ T-There hasn¡¯t been anybody¡­ in over a hundred years¡­ that has managed to damage me this much¡­¡± Agatha muttered with disbelief, a smile surged in her monstrous face, as she started tough! Sheughed! ¡°Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­ HAHAHAHA!¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯reughing?!¡± Maria was shocked, why was Agathaughing? Was she so insane that pain caused her joy andughter? Or was she so confident in her own strength that this¡­ was simply ¡°fun¡± to her? Or could it be a mere bluff to intimidate Maria? Maria didn¡¯t really know, but it was better to go all out and quickly sh her into pieces with her weapons while she could! ¡°Laughing won¡¯t do you any good, sweetheart!¡± Maria said, reaching up to Agatha as her weapons quickly unleashed their techniques, shing against the Vampiress with all the strength they had! CLAAAASH! BOOM! However, Maria suddenly realized she hit the ground, Agatha was nowhere to be seen- No, she was behind her! Maria was not a normal person after all, she was a ghost, and she could easily see behind her and all around her through her soul. She was able to see Agatha moving at an insanely fast speed and reaching her back! Her whip moved alone as if it were a vicious snake, coated in her Blood Aura, it wrapped around Maria while she was still hitting the ground with her weapons! ¡°Gotcha!¡± Laughed Agatha vomiting a bit of blood over Maria¡¯s body! ¡°What the¡­?!¡± ¡°Blood bomb!¡± BOOOOOMMM!!! Maria was now the one being bombarded! Her entire body was shrouded in blood, and Agatha didn¡¯t wasted a single second into sting her out of oblivion with a loud explosion! Her whip was just fine even after withstanding that explosion, but Maria took the bomb head-on! ¡ª¨C Chapter 352 Going All Out! ¡ª¨C Maria quickly divided her body while confronting Agatha, searching for the rest of her Undead. She entered the ruined manor, finding that most of the skeletons were destroyed into pieces, Darkbound was also defeated, but his soul was still attached to his ribcages and seemed to be salvageable. Meanwhile, Kuro and Raven were wounded, both had their limbs destroyed and were covered in rubble, but they seemed to be alright as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you guys, I got you even more materials to make up for it¡­! I¡¯ll upgrade you right now!¡± Maria quickly opened her Soul Grimoire, as the pages began to flicker, Mana quickly epassed the Undead that were barely hanging on, as countless materials flew outside of Maria¡¯s Inventory, merging with them. FLASH! . . . Meanwhile, Maria confronted Agatha and the rest, quickly gathering all her enormous and dispersed body into the shape of a woman, her true appearance which the Vampiress and her servant knew about. It quickly shocked them! ¡°Y-You bitch! Are you the mercenary Marie?! What are you doing here and- What a moment, how are you made of flies?!¡± Asked Agatha, she looked like a little girl without knowing anything about the world. It was quite clear Maria was a ghost but the Vampiress had little experience fighting with phantasmal Undead to know this at first nce. ¡°M-My Lady¡­ She¡¯s¡­ not flies! Ghost! She¡¯s a ghost thing!¡± The werewolf, who resulted to be the second strongest after Agatha pointed out, his sensing abilities were amazing, he immediately realized Maria had no scent, this meant she was obviously not a mass of flies, but something else simr to a being made of mana or phantasmal essence, a ghost came quickly to his mind! Despite seemingly looking dumb, he was quite smart. ¡°A ghost?! Wait¡­ Marie¡­ Maria! Y-You¡­ you¡¯re the ghost of the Dark Witch!¡± Agatha quickly concluded, as Maria simply didn¡¯t answer, summoning her phantasmal limbs that now resembled enormous hands made of darkness, as her giant axe and her sword emerged out of her shadows. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop babbling and fight? I am not here to hold any conversations!¡± Maria ruthlessly said, rushing in front without thinking it twice, a storm of darkness quickly shed against Agatha, pushing her down into the floor! CLASH! Agatha protected herself using her Blood Aura and generating a shield with it, Maria noticed that the shield was incredibly strong, and quickly realized that Agatha was not a mere Vampiress, she was certainly powerful enough to resist her all-out attacks! ¡°Nnnggh¡­! Y-You¡¯re strong for a damn ghost!¡± Said Agatha with a cocky smile. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can take these!¡± Maria immediately retaliated without leaving Agatha with a single opening, using her Axe and her Cursed Sword to unleash a barrage of insane physical attacks consecutively. Constantly using [de sh] and [Strong Axe Strike] inbination with [Phantasmal Limbs] to generate more limbs in the shape of fists, which helped her at spamming [Fist Strike] too! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Each strike was charged with incredible magic power, as Maria had now learned ways to enhance her physical damage through the sheer use of Mana and her Magic Stat both together at the same time. Thebination made it so her Axe and her Cursed de unleashed explosions of darkness consecutively, while each of her fists also carried an explosive magical force. Shebined them with various of her other spells too, such as [Dark Storm], unleashing storms of darkness everywhere! ¡°Union Attack¡­! Death sh!¡± Maria suddenlybined all the techniques together into the palm of her two enormous phantasmal hands, which stretched all the way up into the skiesically, suddenly falling like a meteor against Agatha! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! ¡°AAAGGGH¡­!¡± The explosion of darkness spread out like a gigantic nuke, cracking down the floor and generating an enormous crater beneath the two women, as Agatha¡¯s barrier made of Blood Aura broke apart and the hit reached her chest directly! Her bones shattered with ease, and she vomited a mouthful of blood, falling into the ground. ¡°Gakkhh¡­!¡± Agatha gritted her teeth, looking up at Maria whose eyes seemed filled with ruthlessness and the coldness that only an Undead Queen such as her could emanate¡­ her eyes glowed deep red, as Agatha felt fear! ¡­But also excitement, beginning to smile andugh. Maria quickly noticed her wounds were recovering at an incredible fast pace too, and her HP was recovering at an insane speed! Her total Rank was probably A Rank, just like her, if not A+ or even A++ if she was able to just get a total beatdown from her and remain unfazed. She had to quickly end her before things went too out of control, Maria had just recently evolved and thanks to that, she acquired enough of a boost in power topare to Agatha¡¯s stats, which seemed rather high, but even then, she didn¡¯t knew what sorts of tricks could the Vampiresse out with, especially by seeing her easilyugh at her attacks! ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re so hrious, ghost woman¡­! Doggy~!¡± ¡°Doggy¡­?! Ah!¡± ¡°GRAAWRR!¡± Suddenly, Maria saw a giant wolf jaw approaching from behind her, enhanced with Blood Aura, the enormous jaws would easily damage her soul! Maria quickly ducked and evaded the deadly attack, but ended moving away from Agatha, which allowed her to stand up again and set up her Blood Aura once more. ¡°That werewolf¡­ He¡¯s also exceedingly strong for a random that showed up out of nowhere!¡± Thought Maria, gritting her teeth. The world of Yggdrasil was vast, and there were many powerful foes at every corner, it slightly annoyed her that she had been fighting Vampires non-stop when there was a whole world to explore¡­ but the problem with the whole Kingdom of Albraun had to be solved so she could finally avenge her parents and family, and possibly find her brother as well. These two were an obstacle she had to surpass to keep moving forward. ¡°Good dog~! Fufu¡­¡± Agatha giggled viciously, as she suddenly took out a long whip that was wrapped around her hips. ¡°Now¡¯s time for some fun, hm~?¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 353 Agathas Incredible Resiliency ¡ª¨C Several explosions consumed Maria¡¯s phantasmal body, as she wasn¡¯t able to properly evade nor defend herself against Agatha¡¯s Blood Bomb Technique, something that Maria had not managed to see through her gigantic list of Skills. It worked by pouring blood in a foe and making it explode, and her whip made sure the foe wouldn¡¯t escape as well. If any normal person within A Rank, even an A Rank Adventurer were to be hit with that¡­ they would surely blow into bits. ¡°Hahahah! I have used this technique dozens of times against arrogant Vampire Hunters and Priests that thought they could actually defeat me with some shy attacks¡­ They never thought that getting covered in my blood would be thest thing they would think about before blowing into bits!¡± Agathaughed, looking at Maria with a sadistic smile, that smile slowly changed into a serious expression though. Maria emerged from within the ck smoke of the explosions, her body seemed slightly damaged, as pieces of her materialized appearance had turned phantasmal and a lot of ck energy was leaking out, but simply rotating around her and transforming into countless of flies. Of course, Agathacked Appraisal, and was unaware that Maria had an insane amount of Magic Stat and defensive Skills that lowered Elemental Damage and Magic Damage¡­ this made her an insane magic tank, it would had been more effective to p her with her whip that making her explode! ¡°What? Is that it? It didn¡¯t even itch¡­¡± Said Maria with an expressionless face, her domineering presence quickly intimidated Agatha, as Maria was finally able to see a bit of Agatha¡¯s true expressions, she didn¡¯t felt as confident as before as now she realized that Maria was someone that could easily tank the magic she felt so proud of! Nheless¡­ the damage was still there, Maria had a very small amount of HPpared to many of the powerhouses within Rank B and above, so small that even this damage took a good chunk of it. This was because since the beginning that she had been this way. A ghost has low HP and Physical Defense growth per level, and even after evolving many times, this hasn¡¯t changed at all. Ghosts aren¡¯t tanks. Nheless¡­ her HP was refilling at a rapid pace thanks to her ability to drain vitality from her foe, Agatha herself, and Agatha had self-regeneration too, so she became a HP bank for Maria, as long as Agatha had health, Maria would be able to recover it. ¡°You¡¯re strange¡­! And you even have the ability to drain¡­ My HP and MP are being drained continuously by merely standing by your side, and there¡¯s no way to block this either¡­ However, thanks to my regeneration, I can withstand it. You bitch, you can keep up as long as I am alive, huh?¡± Wondered Agatha while rubbing her chin. ¡°Heh, I would love to have you as my personal ve, but a ghost is no fun, you got no bones and no flesh, not even blood! What¡¯s the fun of it-¡° ¡°Abyssal Spear Arrows, Dark Storm!¡± FLUOOOOSSSH! Maria didn¡¯t wasted a single second! Unlike her, Agatha wasn¡¯t that good of a tank as shecked the resistance skills she had, and the ones that she had were still not that strong either! Maria quickly decided to test out one of her newest and improved evolved Spells, Abyssal Spear Arrows, which evolved from the Shadow Spear Arrows skill that had reached Level 10 when she evolved into a Beelzebub! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Bybining them with Dark Storm, she was able to move them through the air at an even faster speed, the spears reached the woman in seconds! Agatha flew away to evade for the first time, using her powerful Cursed Whip to retaliate and intercept the spears, making them explode ahead of time, but countless more were being generated, chasing her down like a storm of weapons! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°This bitch doesn¡¯t let me rest at all!¡± Agatha muttered, infusing more energies into her vicious weapon. The Whip was not normal at all, and Maria had realized it. This weapon was a Cursed Weapon of high quality, infused with many Cursed Souls and Magical Power, and bathed in the essence of the Fragment of Evil stole from Maria¡¯s family. It contained even more power than it did before, and it had even evolved after having ughtered and taken many lives, being a high level and high ranked weapon. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! She used her whip several times, attacking Maria with it and unleashing a storm of whipping attacks, the whip moved so amazingly fast that when merged with Agatha¡¯s Blood Aura, it turned into a spiraling force field of red energies! The storm shed against Maria¡¯s magic in midair, forming explosions everywhere, and spreading out shockwaves that generated even more thunderous explosions. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ¡°That damn werewolf! Where is he?!¡± Wondered Agatha, looking down into the floor to realize the Werewolf was still struggling against the giant metal slime, Mercury knew it couldn¡¯t beat him at all, but he was stalling time by capturing him! The nameless servant was constantly trying to find a core, as all slimes had one, but Mercurycked one, so it was futile! ¡°GRAAAWWRRR! DAMN SLIME!!!¡± The werewolf couldn¡¯t help but roar in frustration, unleashing his physical attacks and everything he could muster. Agatha gritted her teeth as she felt like this stupid dog was not worth all the time she spent training him! ¡°You stupid dog, use that special ability! It doesn¡¯t matter if it consumes your soul, DO IT!¡± Roared Agatha, as Maria quickly stopped her from talking any longer, shing against her with hundreds of Phantasmal Limbs, two of them holding a Golden Axe and a Cursed de, while the others unleashed a barrage of punches! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! Each attack was like a small explosion, continuously chipping away more and more of Agatha¡¯s HP as she was once more pushed into a defensive stance, Maria was ruthlessly attacking her with everything she had! Meanwhile, the werewolf heard hisdy¡¯s words, as he suddenly prepared himself¡­! ¡ª¨C Chapter 354 The Werewolfs Past ¡ª¨C His name was Beowulf. He once belonged to a tribe of Wolf-kin beast-kin that traveled in a big group every year across the ins of the continent of Midgard. The vast grassy ins made the perfect home for several nomadic tribes of beast-kin, who traveled across the continent yearly to avoid colder temperatures. Of course, there were always times when the nations in this continent got in their way. The strongest Nations in the continent specifically, the Kingdom of Albraun, who was known for their very, the Kingdom of Stronghold, that seemed to discriminate beast-kin and even dwarves and elves were not well seen there, as it was a militaristic and traditional nation that embraced human supremacy, the Unified Federation of Merchants, Goldsand, which was one of the few nations that weed other races due to their strong ties with the other continents where such races were the dominant civilizations but that still held a few traditional fiefdoms that didn¡¯t epted demi-humans and hunted them down, andstly, the Empire of Light, where the church of the God of Light, Odin, originates from, epts Elves and Dwarves, but everything else is treated as monsters, and their ties influence the rest of the continent. Only small nations such as d, far away from the rest thrive by epting all races due to theirck of workhand if they didn¡¯t. Because of the many threats from humans, demi-humans that preferred a lifestyle in the wild had a hard time without having to hide deep within the woods far away from civilization, nomadic tribes of beast-kin had been hunted down for generations now, but eventually, those that survived managed to find new routes to evade as many humans as possible, managing to reach their areas of destination and prosper without troubles¡­ But that ended when some of them, members of these tribes that wanted to adventure across the world were captured by the humans as they traveled far away, and they ended being tortured until they spoke everything about their tribes. Since that day, forty years ago, the strongest nations of the continent of Midgard unified to ughter as many beast-kin as they could, as they were seen as filthy and impure beasts, although they were mostly spared, and enved instead. It was more convenient to keep them as workhand for free than to just outright kill them. Like many nations in Earth that flourished through the work of thousands if not millions of ves such as Rome, ves brought a massive increase to the earnings of these nations. People that could work without being paid a dime was the best, and with that, they could earn money without having to spend in paying them other than giving them one or two meals a day and barely a ce to sleep. The greediness of humanity was further enhanced by the strangews that the Empire of Light created, making it ¡°alright¡± for demi-humans to be enved and to serve humans just because they once reveled against them with the demon king, and they were merely just paying for the sins theymitted. Of course, there were exceptions, citizens, travelers, and adventurers that belonged to these races of demi-humans still found a ce in even these nations, as the religion only ostracized those that were in tribes with the excuse of calling them barbarians. And this was how Beowulf¡¯s tribe met their demise, caught, and ambushed after finally reaching the ce where they would spend winter. Beowulf had a daughter and a wife, but they were taken away from him, while he fought bravely for them, only to be left half dead¡­ ultimately, he was healed with cheap potions and sold, never meeting his daughter and wife ever again. Many times he tried to escape his owners, each time giving them a headache, and each time he was tortured for it, but his will was undying, and he ended being resold to many owners, until he was put into a giant arena where ves fought to death for the entertainment of the nobles. In that ce, he became a champion, using his skills and powers he had attained thanks to his bloodline as a wolf beast-kin, he gained levels by killing his opponents, although he never did it willingly, as his opponents were in the same ce as him, forced to fight to live. He continued killing innocents just so he could one day meet his family again. s, that never happened. He was suddenly bought by the Vampire Lord within Albraun and was suddenly turned into one and given to Agatha. Having never seen Vampires before, he felt frightened, and even more when he was turned into one, gaining weaknesses but an incredible power¡­ in exchange for the thirst of blood. In that time, he was forced to work for the Vampires, doing all sorts of shady works. However, Agatha took a liking on him for being so strong and silent, and ended making him her ¡°toy¡±¡­ At the end, the sadistic woman tortured him and vited him as much as she wanted, using her special drugs to break his mind until he turned into the ideal doggy she wanted. Although deep down within his broken and animalistic mind his previous self remains, caged within darkness, he cannot free himself, afraid of everything, he had lost the entire will to continue being himself. His body moved by itself, and his will only obeyed that of hisdy. The moment she demanded him to use the ability that drained the soul away from him¡­ it was fine. After all, that was his purpose now. And perhaps, deep within him, he wanted to die. Facing the monstrously strong Mercury, Beowulf had to go all out, using the power he had acquired after training for so long, another of the Skill¡¯s special to a beast-kin that has attained an immense level such as him¡­ [Beast Spirit Summon]! The werewolf roared, as his entire soul suddenly formed an enormous Soul Aura that exploded from within his own body, spreading out and expanding, shaping into a monstrous and savage wolf covering his entire body like an armor¡­ he was shrouded in spiritual radiance, yet it somehow didn¡¯t hurt him. This was one of the beast-kin¡¯s amazing powers, that not many had the privilege of ever awakening, the power of summoning a beast spirit. FLAAASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 355 An Explosive Growth In Strength! ¡ª¨C Beowulf unleashed his truest power as a beast-kin, summoning the beast spirit of wolves. Beast-kins were capable of acquiring a variety of unique skills to themselves after leveling up and even evolving a lot. However, due to Beowulf case where he was turned into a Subordinate Vampire, granting him an immediate amount of power, when he leveled up he gained even more strength and unlocked his truest potential quicker as a result. The power of the Beast Spirits was rare amongst Beast-kins, only the strongest ones or those blessed with amazing magical talent capable of channeling their mana and speak with spirits would be able to achieve this. Beowulf was never talented at magic, and even as a Vampire he was still rather bad at using magic. However, as he awakened several amazing skills through leveling up, including [Lycan Transformation], he was an incredibly mighty Subordinate of the Pure-Blood Vampires, or the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as Agatha called herself and her fellow vampires governing over the rest of them. It wasn¡¯t so farfetched to think that he was Agatha¡¯s favorite! FLAAASH! Mercury, the giant undead metal slime immediately felt an enormous pressureing from his target. Beowulf roared like a mighty wolf as the phantasmal and aetheric presence of a wolf spirit emerged over his body, fusing with it, and forming some sort of magical and spiritual armor, enhancing all of his parameters, and granting him brand new capabilities. However, the reason why he hasn¡¯t used it before was because of hisck of mastery over such art. Overusing this Skill meant that his soul would slowly begin to be consumed by the powerful spiritual energies which requiredrge quantities of power to maintain themselves. Beowulf had a rather low amount of Mana, and due to Maria¡¯s presence, most of his Mana was alreadypletely dry. The only option he had was his soul. As thep dog of Agatha, he didn¡¯t doubted after he gave him the order. Although initially he still held some sense of self-preservation and hadn¡¯t used this power, when she gave the order, there was nothing he could do. Refuting her was something impossible for the current Beowulf, as his spirit and mind were nowpletely broken, he was merely a ve of her and her evil and sadistic ways. ¡°GROAR!¡± Beowulf roared with all of his might, unleashing a gigantic shockwave loaded with his life energy and the spiritual power of the Beast Spirit of Wolves, said to protect all wolf beast-kin, and bring their souls to their resting ce. Such golden light consumed Mercury¡¯s incredibly dense body, slowly makingrge chunks of the giant undead metal slime dissipate! ¡°Guuuu¡­!¡± Mercury cried in pain, attempting to resist the pain of such enormously strong energy. He quickly unleashed all of his magical power andbined the elements he could conjure, which were made from the Skills he inherited from the slimes that made up his rainbow body. Fire, Wind, Lightning, Darkness, and Icebined together into a powerful elemental storm, hitting Beowulf with all of its might! Mercury was also receiving the effects of the [Enhance] Soul Grimoire Ability from Veronica, enhancing his stats further. BOOOOMM!!! The elemental magical attack hit Beowulf strongly, but the mighty wolf man was left almost unscathed by it. His body seemedpletely fine as the smoke of the elemental explosion dissipated, his ws suddenly grewrge and golden, emanating spiritual power. He leaped into the air and flew down against Mercury, hitting him with his ws and tearing him apart into smaller pieces which were easier to deal with! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! ¡°Gyyyyuuuu¡­!¡± As Maria fought against Agatha, she could hear the screams of Mercury. He was a very young Undead. Despite knowing that Undead were made to be disposable soldiers most of the time, she had given him a name after all. It was painful to hear him in such pain, especially because he was so strong defensively. Whatever power Beowulf had, it seemed to be able to easily ignore arge part of Mercury¡¯s incredible physical defenses. ¡°Mercury!¡± Maria cried, quickly dividing a part of her body into a swarm of flies. The swarm of flies flew towards Beowulf, and suddenly distracting him for a few seconds before the powerful spiritual light of his body were to fend off the flies, as Maria used another part of her body, a second clone, to conjure [Undead Heal] countless times over Mercury, quickly recovering him up! Maria quickly got an idea to make Mercury resist better. Thanks to her amazing Mana and Health Drain abilities and Agatha having so much Mana to drain, she simply decided to constantly heal Mercury. Her second phantasmal clone flew inside of Mercury¡¯s body and possessed it, meddling with his body. This way it could be protected by him and at the same time, constantly heal him. FLASH! Mercury felt his body regenerating rapidly, as he leaped into action once more. His metallic body quickly decided to use special moves that it did when it was a living Metal Slime King, such as hardening his metallic body to deal great amounts of damage! With this memory clear on his soul¡¯s mind, Mercury attacked Beowulf, shapeshifting his body into enormous metallic and hardened pirs that flew against the beast-kin man! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Beowulf¡¯s reflexes were good, despite being showered with curses from Maria¡¯s phantom clone in the form of a swarm of flies, he seemed mostly unaffected, even her Gorgon Eyes had a very lesser effect and could only paralyze him for a split of a second before he were to break out of it, the powerful petrify was useless as he was easily regenerating new skin, destroying any surface turned into stone. And poison and other ailments such as confusion werepletely useless, as Vampires were resistant or even immune to them. Maybe Confusion could have worked in the past, but now that he was brainwashed by Agatha, he couldn¡¯t be easily brainwashed again by someone else. ¡°ROOARRR!¡± BOOOM!!! Beowulf¡¯s fists shed against Mercury¡¯s metallic pirs, shattering them into pieces as if they were as feeble as ss! ¡ª¨C Chapter 356 Intense Clash Between Deadly Ladies ¡ª¨C ¡°ROAR!¡± Beowulf had lost all reason by now, rushing and leaping over Mercury with all his might. His ws unleashed shing attacks against the giant undead metal slime. The power of his ws enhanced by the Beast Spirit of Wolves was devastating, unleashing destructive storms of spiritual and shing winds. Mercury resisted them barely by hardening his body, and greeted Beowulf with hundreds of sharp metallic spikes while he took the form of a sphere made of metal. He rolled towards the wolf beast-kin with all his might, shing against him and managing to pierce through his skin and flesh. CLAAAASH! ¡°GUUOH¡­?!¡± Beowulf vomited a mouthful of blood as he felt his internal organs being pierced by dozens of metallic spikes, even his heart and his lungs, his stomach, everything! His ribs were shattered, and he should be more than dead after this powerful attack¡­! However¡­ ¡°GRAARRRR!¡± Beowulf¡¯s wolf spirit wouldn¡¯t simply let him die so easily, with a ruthless groan, he attacked Mercury. His gigantic ws destroyed the metallic spikes and then he quickly drilled through the soft liquid interior, breaking apart Mercury into pieces with a strong blow. BOOOM!!! ¡°Gyuuuuhhh¡­!¡± Mercury gave out a pitiful groan. Despite being an undead that shouldn¡¯t feel pain, Beowulf wasn¡¯t merely targeting the slime¡¯s body, but each of his attacks somehow dealt damage into the slime¡¯s soul, which could feel pain. Maria knew this already; the power of Beowulf¡¯s spirit was able to inflict direct damage to the soul. However, Maria¡¯s [Undead Healing] was also able to heal soul wounds, with this, she was constantly healing Mercury¡¯s both physical and soul wounds. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Beowulf ruthlessly attacked Mercury, throwing him away into the distance with a strong kick. BAAAAM! Mercury, with the healing power of Maria¡¯s phantasmal clone possessing his body, quickly began to recover his body pass and attacked by firing several spikes at Beowulf, quickly noticing that the wounds inflicted on him had already fully healed. His amazing regeneration ability left not too many open areas where Mercury could even attack. The only thing that they could do was stall for time while Maria fought Agatha. ¡°Having a hard time against my dog, ghost?¡± Wondered Agatha while floating in midair through the Vampire¡¯s natural ability to fly. Amongst the many powers they could develop as they evolved and leveled up, [Levitation] was one of them. Her Cursed Whip began to move around, suddenly dividing into many whips. Agatha¡¯s Blood Aura covered each whip which then gained a strange ability, turning the tip of the whips into furious snake heads. ¡°I am sure that my little slime canst longer than you imagine. And is your dog alright? He¡¯s slowly destroying his own soul, are you okay with him killing himself for you?¡± Asked Maria while feeling disgust for this woman, capable of sacrificing herrades without any sort of empathy against them. It was very obvious that their mindsets were very different, questioning her wouldn¡¯t bring her to nowhere, and Maria knew it. But she did it anyways to stall for time for something she was preparing¡­ she was slowly refilling her Mana to full once more by absorbing Agatha¡¯s. ¡°Beowulf is a strong warrior! I am sure he can win before his soul is destroyed. And even if he dies, so be it. I can always ask a Necromancer within our organization to put a stronger and biggerpound soul inside of his body, after all he¡¯s plenty strong, we can¡¯t waste that mass of muscles, is that right?¡± Agatha asked with a cheeky smile. She had already encountered and fought against two Vampires with powers of Necromancy in the past. It wasn¡¯t far-fetched to think that one of their many talents could be to develop this power. She was certainly not unique, although the things she could do through her Soul Grimoire were very unique. ¡°You¡¯re a piece of shit.¡± However, Maria couldn¡¯t help but say this, as both shed against one another! CLAAAASH! ¡°I was going easy on you because I dislike harming my beautiful body, but you¡¯re leaving me no choice, ghost! You¡¯re seriously a threat that I cannot left alive. I sadlyck holy light powers to purify the shit out of you, but I will destroy your soul into tiny pieces!!!¡± Agatha roared, as her whip unleashed a storm of red energy against Maria by moving rapidly. The storm wasposed of pure Blood Aura, an energy capable of even harming souls that powerful Vampires could develop. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Each tip of the whip emerged as a monstrous snake head, which attempted to bite and tear apart Maria¡¯s soul constantly. However, Maria smartly conjured several barriers of shadows and blocked the biting attacks, all while manipting the barriers and shapeshifting them into tentacles to capture each snake and destroy them in time. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOM! ¡°HAAA!¡± Agatha flew at a fast speed, reaching Maria¡¯s back. Her free hand suddenly gathered Blood Aura andrge quantities of Mana, forming an enormous de materialized out of this energy and attempting to pierce Maria¡¯s chest with it! Maria¡¯s Phantasmal Limbs greeted Agatha from behind, however, as her Golden Axe and her Cursed de shed against Agatha¡¯s Red Sword. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°You really think I have any openings?¡± Maria asked ruthlessly, as her entire body suddenly exploded into dark smoke, suddenly turning into a massive swarm of flies that swarmed Agatha all over, biting and trying to absorb all her energy! BBBZZZ¡­! ¡°U-Unngh¡­! Your damn drain powers are something else, but I am not a simple vampire, haha!¡± Agathaughed, as Maria noticed how her MP and HP always kept regenerating, as if she was generating energy out of nowhere. She was simply incredibly powerful, someone at her level and as a Pure-Blood Vampire had insanely high regeneration abilities. The levels of her Self-Regeneration and Mana Regeneration Skills were all above 8! No matter how much Maria wanted to drain her dry, it seemed futile¡­! ¡°Blood Explosion!¡± Agatha suddenly sprayed blood everywhere, and made it explode! BOOOMMM!!! ¡ª¨C Chapter 357 Necromancy Is Sure Hard To Deal With, Huh? ¡ª¨C Explosions continued to decorate the night sky atop the duchess house, as those within the city were able to easily see things from afar. Two powerful entities were fighting to the death in there, and their very presences were overwhelming, covering the entire town with a gigantic aura of pure darkness and mana. Within the city¡¯s outskirts, Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine had just finished capturing thest Ghoulish citizen. ¡°We are done here! Lucifer, how are things there?¡± Partner asked to Lucifer using her Telepathy Skill, which she had developed through leveling up as a Vampire. Blood suckers had several abilities within their arsenal, and developed more as they leveled up and evolved, Telepathy was a basic ability that even Subordinate Vampires could develop, so it wasn¡¯t surprising she could use it. ¡°I am done as well, let¡¯s go assist Maria, she¡¯s having a hard time, I can tell! There are too many explosions, also, she had just summoned her meteor several times and is still fighting, whatever can take so many is surely not normal!¡± Lucifer said. ¡°A Vampire Lord, perhaps?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re incredibly strong beings, capable of defyingmon sense with their insane regeneration abilities and overwhelming physical strength and magic talent!¡± ¡°I bet that¡¯s it! She already broke the barrier there so we have to get there as fast as possible!¡± Partner said, as all three of them quickly gathered together. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you there. Come!¡± Lucifer said, as he held Emeraldine with his arms and Partner grabbed his stomach from behind. And then, two enormous dragon wings emerged from his back, with a single p, Lucifer flew into the skies like a bullet, leaving a storm of winds spread out into the city. FLAAAAASH! The people that was looking there was left speechless, they never thought Majin could develop such abilities. Since the previous government that Majin were discriminated against, but since Duchess Julia began her government, she abolished all discrimination against other people based in race and social status, this also made it so Majin were able to walk through the city. Although at first they weren¡¯t that weed, people slowly realized they were not different from other people at all. And now with Lucifer here, who they all thought was a powerful Majin, they began to slowly realize that Majin¡¯s strengths could also be used to save humans. ¡°That Majin is amazing, he just sprouted wings out of nowhere¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s already flying up in the sky, I hope they can help Duchess Julia in time!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pray for them!¡± The people began to pray to the Light God for Maria¡¯s Party, which only made the God more enraged as he didn¡¯t wanted to have anything to do with them to begin with. ¡­Meanwhile, Beowulf overwhelmed Mercury, whose body was being constantly torn apart and regenerating thanks to the phantasmal familiar of Maria possesing the metal slime, that was constantly conjuring [Undead Healing] while absorbing the Mana from Beowulf. However, no matter how much Mana was absorbed from him, it seemed that it wasn¡¯t even weakening him. Since the moment the fierce Werewolf unleashed the power of his Beast Spirit that he had be near unstoppable, even an Undead Metal Slime King, that should be strong enough to easily take a meteor to the face was struggling against him. If it wasn¡¯t because Mercurycked strong magic or attacking Skills other than his own body shapeshifting and low-tier magic skills that belonged to the smaller and colorful slimes that made up his body. Beowulf already knew that Mercury was merely made up to stall for time, and he was going to get through him and kill him even without having a core to target. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! SPLASH! ¡°Guuuuhh¡­!¡± Mercury gave out a little sound of pain, as he once more was turned into a puddle over the floor. Beowulf¡¯s wolf face looked at the metal slime with a vicious smile. Mercury tried to stop him from targeting Maria, extending a little tentacle and wrapping it around his leg. ¡°Ggrrr¡­ GRAAH!¡± CLAAASH! With a furious stomp, the werewolf unleashed a powerful shockwave infused with spiritual essence, blowing away the Metal Slime into tiny pieces,pletely defeating him at longst. Maria¡¯s Phantom Familiar possessing Mercury also died in the process. ¡°Lady¡­ Agatha¡­!¡± Beowulf groaned, looking at Agatha fighting against Maria, explosions ensuing across the night sky constantly, it was an intense fight with barely any opening for him to join. But his amazing strength and endurance, coupled with his heightened senses made it possible for him to easily discern an opening to attack Maria and give his master a chance to truly defeat her. However¡­ BAAAAM! Suddenly, the house, which was already ruined as it was, trembled. From within, several Undead began to emerge, they were all the Vampires killed by Maria, which had risen into Undead in the meantime! They began to crawl out of the house rapidly, overflowing with strong auras. They came to stop Beowulf so he wouldn¡¯t get in the way of Maria¡¯s fight. ¡°Necromancy¡­ Truly, a problematic¡­ power¡­!¡± Beowulf groaned, having a difficult time talking in his Werewolf form. The swarm of Vampire Zombies jumped over him, attacking him with fangs, ws, magic, and weapons. The powerful werewolf shed them away with ease, kicking them and tearing them apart with his bare hands. They were nothing but flies against him. However, a stronger presence emerged from within the house, two presences, in fact. However, both presences were somehowbined, creating a stronger and bigger one. In an instant, Beowulf noticed a shadow moving incredibly quickly towards him, pouncing over his body and shing at his chest with sharp ws capable of actually hurting his hard as mithril pelt! SLAAASH! ¡°Unngh?!¡± ¡°GRAAO!¡± A chimeric creature emerged, with the head of a ck lion and a crow,rge, feathered wings atop its lion-like body, and a third pair of bird-like legs in between the two lion legs. It was Kuro and Raven¡­bined! ¡ª¨C Chapter 358 Everyone Joins The Fray ¡ª¨C Kuro and Raven had fought to protect Julia¡¯s life, just as Maria hadmanded them. Both had fought bravely but ended being defeated by the Vampires at the end. Barely in the verge of having their souls leave their undead bodies, Maria managed to catch up to them through her Phantasmal Clones, and quickly decided to repair them. However, there was a problem, even if she repaired them, shecked enough materials and time to actually make them strong enough to fight as of now. Despite that, she nned to simply protect them inside her shadows. But they were unwilling. Her Undead wanted to fight and protect her as well. Ultimately, Maria took the decision to transform both of them into a single creature, a new Undead Chimera that emerged within her Soul Grimoire¡¯s Undead Creation list. It took a few minutes for them topletely fuse and evolve into this entity. But when that happened¡­ they truly became monstrously strong! Overflowing with a Rank B Aura, both of these powerful Undead, now as one, unleashed a barrage of attacks against Beowulf, using their ws infused with shadows and phantasmal mes that could damage the soul directly! Not only that, but they had also attained a level of strength enough to allow them to easily pierce through the skin of the overpowered werewolf. CLAAASH! ¡°GRAOH!¡± The furious roar of a lion resonated across the battlefield, as Kuro pushed forward, his ws shing through Beowulf¡¯s chest. Blood sttered everywhere, as Beowulf felt a sudden and odd feeling. The moment Kuro attacked him his soul also received damage. He quickly noticed that the ws of the beast were coated in blue mes, enchanted by the magic stat of the creature to the point they would pierce through his physical body and reach the soul he was using to envelop himself in the Beast Spirit Aura. BAAAM! Beowulf¡¯s body rolled over the ground, as he quickly got up right before a burst of ck mesing out of both Kuro and Raven¡¯s head engulfed him whole. The mes carried deadly curses that could even affect a Vampire as well! Beowulf held the natural ability to float in midair, so he immediately flew upwards to evade the beasts¡¯ attacks, but Kuro also had two enormous pairs of wings. FLUOSH! Raven¡¯s wings coated themselves in phantasmal mes, suddenly enhancing the speed of his flight. Just like he had moved before to reach Beowulf before he could even notice, it was as if a sh of shadows reached the werewolf in an instant, shing against him with great strength and force, like a ck meteor coated in phantasmal blue mes! CLAAASH! ¡°GRAAH!¡± The werewolf roared angrily, containing the powerful charge of the chimeric beast and unleashing a barrage of attacks using the ws of his hands and kicking it with his legs. The beast resisted the hits without feeling any pain, while it showered Beowulf with phantasmal mes, and finished its barrage of attacks with an explosive ck me breath! BOOOM!!!! ¡°U-Unnggh?!¡± Beowulf was left utterly speechless, somehow his strength was weakening by the second! This wasn¡¯t without a reason, however. It was all thanks to the effort that Mercury had put into stalling for time, which also slowly drained away Beowulf¡¯s vitality, all while the phantasmal clone possessing Mercury drained him of arge chunk of his MP. Now, Kuro and Raven had the power of damaging souls through the phantasmal blue mes. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine they would be able to weaken him severely with each attack, even more when the werewolf, too wild and dumb to realize the me¡¯s true properties, ended allowing the chimera to shower him with such deadly fire. Kuro and Raven didn¡¯t let go of Beowulf, as they used both of their heads to bite through his chest and grab him with their three pairs of legs and ws, pushing him down from high up in the sky with a furious speed! BAAAAM! ¡°GRAAHHH¡­!¡± Beowulf vomited a mouthful of blood, feeling dizzy. His Aura of Beast Spirit was slowly dissipating as well, his soul was too weakened to have enough energy to feed it for more than a few more minutes. And his Stamina wasn¡¯t recovering as fast anymore, his Mana was near zero as well. Even a Vampire could weaken and grow tired eventually, even though they had insane resiliency, they were not truly immortal as the rumors always said. The werewolf, filled with rage, gathered the energy he had leftover into his hands, unleashing an explosive barrage of shing attacks against Kuro and Raven together! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°GRAAAH!!!¡± ¡°GRAOH!¡± The chimera beast resisted some of the hits, but Beowulf was bing more furious by the second, his Berserk Mode Skill activating in conjunction with his Lycan Transformation Skill whenever his health reached a certain margin, suddenly granting him insane amounts of power for a small amount of time! Kuro and Raven unleashed their attacks as well, as explosions of blue and ck mes mixed with the golden glow and red glow of Beowulf¡¯s Beast Spirit Aura and Blood Aura! BOOOOMMM!!! CLASH! However, a sudden conclusion happened, as Beowulf saw Kuro and Raven in the floor,pletely weakened and almost at the verge of death once more. The werewolf somehow managed to fend off the furious beast despite having grown so strong. Kuro and Raven had yet to practice and get used to their new power, at the end, the beasts were overwhelmed. ¡°Nngh¡­¡± Beowulf fell over the floor, gasping for air, his entire body was weakened, his wounds were not recovering in time, and he felt incredible thirsty. However, he had somehow won, but despite that, he was too weakened to even move a single centimeter. SPLASH! However, a spray of blood suddenly fell from the sky. Beowulf looked upwards, as Agatha had sprayed blood not only to detonate it, but also to feed him and help him recover. Beowulf desperately moved towards the blood, drinking it all and slowly regaining his strength! A sickening smile emerged in Beowulf¡¯s wolf face, as he slowly moved towards Kuro, with all the intention to rip the chimera into pieces this time¡­ FLASH! CLASH! However, out of nowhere, a lustrous crimson and purple colored spear pierced through Beowulf¡¯s chest! The spear pierced through the floor below, leaving him stuck in ce! And from above his vision, a trio was slowly descending. ¡°That beast is already knocked out, why don¡¯t you mess with someone of your size?¡± Lucifer spoke with a cold demeanor, his gaze piercing through the werewolf¡¯s very soul, the furious presence of a Death Dragon was something utterly terrifying. ¡ª¨C Chapter 359 Lucifer VS Beowulf ¡ª¨C Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner finally reached the scene, finding the pitiful state of Kuro and Raven. Despite having fought well, they were defeated too quickly. Due to their new strengths and theirck of practice using them, they ended being bested by the berserk and desperate onught of the werewolf vampire. The moment the trio saw the scene, Lucifer flew down into the ground, with Partner and Emeraldine jumping out into the floor as well. Beowulf noticed their powerful presences; they were certainly not normal adventurers. ¡°W-Who are you?!¡± He asked in shock. ¡°We are here to assist Maria, get out of our way.¡± Said Partner, as she manipted the blood she had coated her spear with and began making it spin around! The painful attack made Beowulf agonize, especially because the spear was piercing through his chest while spinning! ¡°GRAAAAH!¡± Beowulf forcefully pulled the spear out and threw it into the floor, only for Partner to pick it up right away. Emeraldine already had her bow pointing at Beowulf, and Lucifer was looking at the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°You two, go assist Maria, that Vampire is tricky. I¡¯ll take care of the dog and join you afterwards.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Alright!¡± Partner said. ¡°We leave this up to you then.¡± Emeraldine said. The two girls ran away, moving towards Maria¡¯s position. However, Beowulf furiously attempted to stop them, already having his wound healed through his enhanced regeneration speed which was activated thanks to him drinking the delicious blood of his master, he furiously leaped towards the two girls, unleashing a barrage of energy attacksing out of his wolf ws in a cross shape. CLAAASH! However, Lucifer intercepted him and easily let the girls run before the werewolf could catch them. Lucifer¡¯s eyes shed with bright red light, as Beowulf realized he had blocked his attack with his mere arms, covered in armor-like metallic ck scales. ¡°¡­Scales?!¡± Beowulf asked in shock. However, before he could ask more questions, a fist flew into his face, crushing his snout and blowing him into the sky. BAAAAM! ¡°UUAGGH¡­!¡± Lucifer smiled as he felt the bones of the werewolf¡¯s nose break, using his draconic wings to fly towards the dog. His ws grew into enormous draconic ws, as they covered themselves in Phantasmal re, the evolution of Phantom mes. They were even stronger and capable of dealing even more damage to foes, with even greater curse effects to the wounds they inflicted. ¡°Dark Moon.¡± Lucifer said coldly, as he pointed the tip of his index finger towards the agonizing werewolf, an enormous sphere of darkness emerged. This was a special evolution of Darkness Sphere simr to Maria¡¯s Dark Sun, but this Skill offered a different power, as it didn¡¯t had dark mes exactly¡­! BOOM! The enormous sphere of darkness impacted over the werewolf, as the wolf desperately attempted to destroy it with his ws, but the gigantic sphere of darkness wasn¡¯t merely just a very heavy magical spell, but it held a new characteristic! Crack¡­ crack! ¡°Ungh?!¡± Beowulf immediately began to notice that his body was being covered in purple-colored ice, covering him entirely! This was Dark Ice, and was a powerful Ice with a draining effect, which further drained the life and mana out of the werewolf, all while Lucifer hauled him down into the floor with his gigantic draconic tail and began unleashing countless whipping attacks, further digging an enormous pit beneath the agonizing Beowulf! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°GRAAAAHHHH¡­!¡± Lucifer smiled a bit as he attacked the wolf with his tail, he was overwhelmingly strong! The werewolf, despite having gotten a second air thanks to his master¡¯s blood, was still not strong enough to even fathom to go against Lucifer properly! However, as a furious berserk, Beowulf didn¡¯t gave up, he suddenly grabbed Lucifer¡¯s scaled tail with his ws and using his enormous jaws, attempted to tear apart the tailpletely! ¡°Hmph.¡± Lucifer, without even a hint of fear, grabbed the entire wolf with his tail and began hitting him into the floor constantly, and mercilessly. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! ¡°GRAAKHH¡­!¡± Beowulf couldn¡¯t endure it any further, giving up to his stupid n and vomiting a mouthful of blood. ¡°You Vampires are truly talented Majin, your amazing gifts made you into the ideal knights of the Demon King, your strength was made to protect our people¡­ Yet you waste away such power abusing innocents and manipting people in the shadows. You sicken me. Even if you¡¯re doing this against the humans that put an end to our Kingdom, I cannot simply allow you to keep hurting innocents that had nothing to do with the war at all. You¡¯re all already a lost cause!¡± Lucifer roared furiously, as his hands suddenly materialized a scythe made out of pure phantasmal mes and shadows, this was his special Skill after he evolved into a Three-eyed Death Dragon King [Scythe of Death]! As the gatekeeper of the gates of Helheim, the Realm where all Dead end up, he had the duty of bringing lost souls back to such a ce with this tool, which was probably gifted to him by Hel herself. ¡°Perish.¡± ¡°GRAAAAHHH¡­!¡± SLASH! A single sh was enough. This special Skill worked in mysterious ways, being able to reap away the souls of those weakened and unwilling enough to live any longer. Deep down, Beowulf didn¡¯t wanted to live any more, his mind and will was already broken into pieces, he simply wanted to rest. Lucifer saw as his soul was taken out of his body and flowed towards his hand. ¡°I could eat your soul, send it to Helheim, or keep you so Maria can make you into a fitting soldier. ¡­Hm, knowing her, she¡¯ll probably want thest.¡± Sighed Lucifer, quickly storing Beowulf¡¯s weakened soul inside of his shadows alongside his corpse. Lucifer was a good husband that considered his beloved wife¡¯s thoughts, so he decided to spare the vampire¡¯s soul from the eternal void that greets every consciousness whose soul is eaten away. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go help her and get done with this.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 360 Intense Clash! ¡ª¨C (Some minutes earlier) As Maria saw Kuro and Raven fighting off against Beowulf, she defended against the explosive attacks of Agatha. The Vampire Lord was able to set her own blood on fire and detonate it, unleashing powerful magical explosions. However, she merely used them as distraction simr to smoke bombs, as Maria had such an insane amount of Magic Stat and Resistance Skills that she was able to fend off magical damage with ease, even with her low quantity of HP, her defense against magical attacks made her a true tank. Abusing such an overwhelming advantage in the stat department, Maria continued to chase down Agatha, as the Vampire, fully knowing that Maria was probably nning something, continued to fight against her at long distance, attempting to tire out her Mana. Agatha was not experienced at fighting with Phantasmal-type Undead, but she was well aware that they had impressive capabilities not seen in anything else, not even in other types of Undead. One of them was theirpleteck of life energy, or stamina for short. Any living being had this, including Vampires, even though they had insane amounts of it that made them seem as if they were ¡°undead-like¡±, even though they were very much alive. However, ghosts and other undead were different in the way theycked such energy, and functioned purely out of the power of their souls and mana. However, undead that still had physical bodies were still beatable by destroying their entire body like any other living being, they were simply more resilient as they oftencked weak parts that could easily kill them like with living beings, where slicing their head surely kills them most of the time. However, ghosts were radically different in that regard, theycked physical bodies and developed their soul topletely new levels. Evolving them in ce of their physical body and creating varied types of phantasmal essences that permeated them. They developed powers that could easily defymon sense, and someone as powerful as Maria being one of such entities was incredibly hard to navigate, even for the Vampiress. She knew that she was still pushing her back though, magic-infused attacks damaged Maria, especially those infused with physical strength such as her whip attacks, but pure magic seemed almost futile as she seemed to have an incredible resistance towards it. Both Maria and Agatha were struggling to fight one another though. This wasn¡¯t at all a one-sided battle. Maria was pushing forward only thanks to her ability to drain the HP and MP of Agatha, while having recently evolved, she was sure that her previous form would had never been enough to stand a chance against this powerful Vampire. And she was abusing most of her newest skills in this battle as well. Meanwhile, Agatha was struggling to deal consistent damage to Maria, all while trying to regenerate her HP and MP faster than Maria could drain it away with her mere presence. Nheless, both women were obstinate fighters, and there was no way one of them would give up at this point. ¡°Blood Whip Arts: Crimson Hydra.¡± Agatha¡¯s whip was covered on its own Blood Aura, turning into ten hydra heads that roared back at Maria! The hydras attacked her from all areas, as Maria used her phantasmal body and her ability to turn into a swarm of flies to evade them. However, the hydras were now prepared for that, enhanced with Agatha¡¯s Mana and even the power of her soul, they managed to grasp even the swarm of phantasmal flies that Maria could turn into, biting through her phantasmal body and tearing apartrge pieces of her aetheric essence. CRAASH! ¡°Shadow Threads¡­!¡± Maria suddenly used a very low-tier Skill out of nowhere, making Agatha believe she was weakening out at longst. But Agatha had simply underestimated the Spellpletely, as Maria wonderfully manipted thousands of shadow threads that captured half of the hydra¡¯s heads, finally managing to free herself, all while the pieces of her phantasmal soul that were torn apart were detonated! ¡°Undead Detonation!¡± BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! ¡°UUAGGH¡­!¡± Agatha was shocked, immediately realizing that Maria was not someone normal for a ghost either! She had a strange ability that she had never seen any other Necromancer possess, the ability to detonate Undead. And because her own body counted as Undead, technically, she was able to easily convert those parts that were torn apart into explosives, easily destroying the blood hydras from Agatha¡¯s whips! ¡°And that¡¯s not all!¡± Maria rushed towards Agatha, suddenly shapeshifting into a gigantic snake woman, using her [Gorgon Transformation] Skill, which allowed her to turn her body into snakes and even transform into a giant one herself, receiving a temporary boost to her defenses and physical strength in exchange for consuming her MP constantly. ¡°RAAHH!¡± Maria roared loudly, controlling countless of snake heads surging from her hair which were enormously long, the smallest being ten meters long, they all attacked Agatha constantly through Maria¡¯s [Fist Strike] Skill, all while tworger phantasmal snakes held her Cursed de and her Golden Axe, shing against Agatha¡¯s body and defenses! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°Unggh¡­! You bitch! To think you can turn into a Giant Snake too! Just what are you?!¡± Agatha groaned, defending herself with her [Blood Armor] and several [Blood Barriers], but they seemed to easily shatter against Maria¡¯s insane onught of blows, while her armor was also slowly weakening and cracking, about to shatter into pieces. Maria realized that Agatha had yet topletely have her defenses broken, as she opened her Inventory and decided to just use the variety of dropped items she got from the dungeon itself, spears, swords, axes, even shields and staffs, alongside the cursed staff she got from the first Necromancer she killed back then, she began to spread out her mind into many parallel minds using the various snake headsposing her hair, quickly unleashing both magical and physical attacks against Agatha! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Her barriers were breaking one by one without end, all while Agatha¡¯s Blood Armor was finally shattering! Crack¡­ crack¡­! CRASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 361 A Sudden Turn Of Events! ¡ª¨C Maria smiled slightly as she saw Agatha¡¯s annoying Blood Armor finally break into pieces, exposing her body which was simply covered in ck leather clothes. A second after, she generated dozens of enormous phantasmal snakes and directed them towards her, as Agatha saw herself being engulfed in a sea of disgusting phantasmal creatures! ¡°AGH¡­! Y-You¡­!¡± ¡°Undead Detonation.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± BOOOOOOMMM!!! In a mere second, and quite ruthlessly, Maria decided to blow Agatha into pieces the moment her non-protected flesh was exposed like the flesh inside the boiled pincers of a crab or lobster. Although it weakened her if she created too many Phantasmal Familiars to detonate, she had to sacrifice a bit of her current strength if she wanted to kill this woman. The explosion was so strong it covered the sky with ck clouds. Maria was incapable of seeing Kuro and Raven fighting anymore, but quickly detected both were knocked out, however, three more presences had emerged right after that, and one of such presences was fighting Beowulf as of now, beating him to the ground at that. Maria felt relieved they were her beloved allies, most likely. However, she felt like they were a bitte right now, especially seeing how Agatha might probably be turn apart into shreds by now¡­ Or wasn¡¯t she? ¡°Wait, where¡¯s my EXP?¡± Maria immediately wondered this; Agatha had not given her a single point! It meant that the Vampiress had yet to die. ¡°Seriously, you survived that?!¡± Maria began to spread out her phantasmal and supernatural senses, quickly realizing that Agatha¡¯s presence was still in midair. Her eyes shed with bright light as she used the powers of the Eyes of the Gorgon to see through the ck smoke. What she saw was an utterly bizarre sight! Agatha¡¯s entire body was torn into red and flesh pieces, with blood floating in midair and keeping it all from sttering over the floor. The flesh and the blood quickly began to stick together with one another as Maria detected arge ck jewel emanating a truly demonic essence keeping Agatha from dying. To Maria, it felt as if Agatha was like a slime made of flesh. This was surely not a ¡°natural¡± power of the Vampire race of Majin! Even Majin were not as ridiculous as this, there were none of them that could simply survive being torn apart into pieces, and even Undead had a hard time surviving such an explosive onught¡­ So how?! Maria, however, had no time to just sit down and watch her regenerate, as she quickly flew towards Agatha and decided to tear her apart before it were to be toote. ¡°Oh no, you won¡¯t!¡± Maria roared, turning into a mass of phantasmal flies which granted her the fastest speed while retrieving most of the items she held back to her inventory except her Cursed Sword, which had leveled up since she acquired it and had evolved a few times, bing stronger. This cursed item should be more than capable of either ying Agatha¡¯s soul or whatever that strange ck crystal was. However, deep down, Maria couldn¡¯t help but feel like that crystal had something simr to something she had seen before. It reminded her or something¡­ or someone. BBBZZZZ! The sound of countless flies flying towards the regenerating mass of flesh and blood that Agatha was resonated across the skies, as Maria pointed her sword towards Agatha¡¯s ck crystal, enchanting it with her Mana and coating the weapon in phantasmal mes. Maria had the intuition that whatever that crystal was, it was surely the thing keeping Agatha frompletely dying! ¡°de sh!¡± SLAAASH! Maria swung her sword strongly, infusing it with magic to unleash a powerful ck sh infused with her Darkness and Death Element. In mere seconds, the sh reached the ck crystal! However! Arge mass of flesh gathered in front of the crystal, attempting to shield it from being shed, and receiving most of the damage itself. BOOOM! The explosive sh blew away most of the flesh, but the flesh that remained quickly began to multiply itself as more dark energy poured from the crystal, which began to fly upwards. ¡°What the¡­? Hey,e back!¡± Maria began chasing down the ck crystal, as it suddenly began to explode with more and more dark energies, in a single second, an enormous mass of darkness emerged from within the ck crystal, covering the sky with ck clouds! TRUUUUMMM¡­! ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Two enormous crimson-red eyes appeared within this emerging darkness, constantly growingrger and more terrifying. The fleshpletely merged with the darkness, forming a strange ck flesh fetus that continued to develop, enveloped in a transparent membrane. The scene itself was utterly bizarre for Maria! ¡°What is going on?! System!¡± Maria desperately called for her System, as things were promptly appraised while she was trying to resist the enormous pressure emerging from this strange fetus, which was unleashing a domain of pure demonic essence. ¡ª¨C [Evil God Fragment¡¯s Demonite Crystal Heart Core] Arge piece of processed excretions of an Evil God Fragment containing part of its monstrous and world-defying demonic power. It containsrge quantities of miasmic essence and demonic energies that can corrupt and distort the world. This core has been connected to the soul and Blood Core of a Vampire and has been fused into a Heart Core capable of reviving the user of this fragment if it ever falls to its ultimate death. ¡ª¨C [Miasmic Demonite Larva] An aberrant fetus formed from the excretions of the Evil God Fragment¡¯s Demonite Crystal and the living flesh and soul of a sacrifice. It emanates a deadly Miasmic Domain that can consume any living being in its surroundings and directly damage souls to protect itself while developing itsrval stage, which might take a few minutes to fully develop into a young adult. Upon developing, chaos and darkness will engulf its surroundings. ¡ª¨C ¡°What?! I knew it! That crystal was what the twins got¡­ but even more upgraded than them? And.. it can revive its wielder?!¡± Maria was utterly bbergasted by the news, just as Partner and Emeraldine reached her, just to be as shocked as her about what was before them. ¡ª¨C Chapter 362 A Dangerous Situation, Creating New Undead! ¡ª¨C ¡°Maria, we finally caught up to you!¡± ¡°Master!¡± Maria was surprised by the voices of Emeraldine and Partner, as she quickly turned back to them, feeling that the Domain of Miasma could be detrimental to both of them who were living beings, she immediately expanded her swarm of flies and covered the two with them, fusing her own body with her Abyssal Barrier Skill and forming a spherical ck bubble to protect them from the corruption of miasma spreading out, which she seemed to be quite resistant to. ¡°You two shouldn¡¯t had rushed here so recklessly! Shit¡¯s gotten even worse now!¡± Maria desperately said. As she never expected Agatha to pull out such a move out of her ass, she was really confused about what to even do, especially because the Larva by itself was definitely bad news. It emanated a powerful presence, and although she was incapable of discerning its true stats, she was sure as hell it was going to easily overpower her whenever it grew out into a full-fledged young adult¡­ In just a few minutes! ¡°What? What¡¯s going on now? We saw that you destroyed her into pieces, what¡¯s this thing?¡± Wondered Emeraldine, feeling both upset and frightened. She looked into therva from the distance and felt it¡¯s enormous and overflowing energies covering the sky with ck clouds, without even allowing the brightness of the moon illuminate the surface. ¡°I appraised it through my abilities, that thing is¡­ the same thing that the twins had. Remember? It is some sort of Demonite Crystal thingy, but even more upgraded! It was made to give this bitch a second chance. Just when I thought I had her! If we let herpletely transform, she¡¯ll be a gigantic demon or something. I don¡¯t really want to find out to be honest!¡± Maria said while feeling rather desperate. ¡°However, that crystal emanates a Miasma Domain, it consumes all sort of life and weakens it severely. I am sure that you two are strong enough to withstand it to an extent, but I don¡¯t think you can do it through the time we take to get there and kill that thing before it grows up!¡± Maria added, looking at the two girl¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then I can shot it from afar with my arrows!¡± Emeraldine said with hopes of that being enough, while Maria facepalmed. ¡°I¡¯m sure your arrows are powerful but that surely won¡¯t do it, Emeraldine.¡± She sighed. ¡°We gotta find something better to do than that, we have to take down that damn thing in time before things be even worse for all of us. But due to the Miasma¡­¡± ¡°Then isn¡¯t it possible for you to cover us in your own soul somehow? Or maybe turn us into Undead?¡± Wondered Partner. ¡°I used to be one so I don¡¯t really mind it!¡± ¡°With Fake Life, you can turn willing living beings into Undead, right?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°No¡­ I cannot do that. I won¡¯t take away your lives just for a strategy purpose.¡± I sighed. Although Maria seemed in the blue about what to do, her System was already calcting a solution. She had recently umted a sizable amount of System Points after conquering the Dungeon and devouring the Dungeon Core¡¯s soul after all. [Maria, I have calcted and reassessed a possible way to enhance your allies. Through the Grimoire, you can enhance allies¡¯ stats through special Abilities, right? Well, by spending most of your current System Points, it should be possible to create a new Undead to aid them in joining the fight and also in enhancing their strength. This Undead is special as it mixes both Necromancy and your Enhancement capabilities] ¡°(Oh?! Really? You did that pretty quickly¡­¡± [I am here to aid you in anything I can after all. As your Unique Skill, it is my duty. Now, what do you think?] ¡°(Sure, I doubt we can do anything else. Lucifer is a Death Dragon, so he probably can bear with the Miasma, but these two girls even now aren¡¯t enough¡­ Let¡¯s do it, System.)¡± [Understood] Ding! [You have exchanged 132058 System Points] [A New Undead has been made avable within the Necromancy Pages of the Soul Grimoire] [The High Ranking Undead [Abyssal Phantom Living Armor] has been unlocked] [The System Points exchanged will be used for the recement of the required materials to create two [Abyssal Phantom Living Armors]!] FLAAAASH! Suddenly, from Maria¡¯s very hands, two masses of phantasmal shadows emerged, shrouding both Emeraldine and Partner! Their bodies were suddenly wrapped up in this darkness, as it quickly materialized into pure ck armor, molding to their body shape perfectly. Even their weapons themselves were covered in this ck metallic material, being enhanced in strength! ¡°W-What is going on?! Armor?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Master! Is this something you created?¡± ¡°T-This armor is a bit tight¡­ Ugh!¡± Emeraldine cried, suddenly finding herselfpletely d in a tight ck armor. ¡°These are Undead specialized in the ability to resist all sorts of elements within the Dark Spectrum named [Abyssal Phantom Living Armor]! They also have the special ability of [Miasmic Assimtion] where they can absorb and purify Miasma in the environment and use it to enhance their endurance and power.¡± Maria said, after having learned the purpose of such wonderful Undead through reading their entry in her Soul Grimoire. The two beauties, now d in ck armor emanating a powerful phantasmal presence, felt slightly surprised and tired of Maria alwaysing out with stuff out of nowhere. It wasn¡¯t that different from what happened with Agatha in their perspective. Of course, Maria had yet to even reveal them about the System, that was something she preferred not to talk about if possible because she assumed that people of this world wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what a System could truly be. ¡­Or maybe she was toozy to exin it. ¡°Incredible¡­ Your Necromancy has truly achievedpletely new levels, huh? But to think you cane out with a new Undead out of nowhere¡­ Well, we can ask more questionster!¡± Emeraldine said. She was indeed quite suspicious of Maria but decided to trust her for now and not waste any more time. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll ask exnationster, let¡¯s begin, we can¡¯t let that horrid thing grow any bigger!¡± Partner valiantly said, pointing her spear at the Miasmic Larva. ¡°Right¡­ Let¡¯s go!¡± Mariamanded her friends, as the trio flew outside of her Shadow Barrier, delving into the storm of Miasma! ¡ª¨C Chapter 363 The Struggles Of A Duchess ¡ª¨C The people of the Fiefdom of Affnaria looked with fear from within the town¡¯s outskirts as the sky atop the duchy was turning ck. ck clouds continued to spread out, covering the bright starry night sky, and the bright white moon illuminating thend with its faint gleam. Their hearts were filled with fear as they sensed the monstrous and ever-growing presence of something truly and utterly unstoppable. It was an if a being that should had never stepped into the realm of mortals had suddenly emerged. No matter how much they prayed to their gods, nothing changed. The darkness continued to spread out, and as some people continued looking, they couldn¡¯t help but feel utter terror as two glowing red eyes, the size of houses, red down at them viciously¡­ ¡°W-What is this?¡± ¡°What is happening right now?¡± ¡°That thing¡­ Did anybody else saw two red eyes in the sky?!¡± ¡°T-This is bad! Is Lady Julia alright?!¡± ¡°T-The evil god! I knew it! You all should had prayed more to the light god! You all shouldn¡¯t had embraced the Majin as people, fools! I knew it! T-The Evil God hase to reap our souls! This is our punishment! Punishment I say!¡± An insane priest began to scream out loud. Some people believed him while others called him a madman. However, a shadow mass emerged before everyone else, as Julia and her two maids suddenly popped out of these shadows, in the middle of all this people. ¡°Eh? Ah! W-What happened? Weren¡¯t we inside of Maria¡¯s Shadow?¡± Asked Julia, surprisingly being surrounded by a lot of her citizens. ¡°L-Lady Julia!¡± ¡°She¡¯s alive!¡± ¡°Thank to god she¡¯s alive!¡± ¡°E-Everyone¡­!¡± Julia said in surprise, finding most of the survivors refuged in the outskirts of the town, right behind the walls. If they ran away too far into the wilds they would easily get picked by monsters at this hour of the night. Although there were adventurers and mercenaries here protecting the people, they were probably not organized enough nor willing enough to protect so many people. Julia quickly realized that Maria had sent her back here after she decided to fight off against whatever Agatha had ended turning herself into. She didn¡¯t wanted to risk Julia and her maid¡¯s life any longer, so she sent them all the way back here by cutting a piece of her shadows and controlling it by turning it into a Phantom Familiar. ¡°Lady Julia! Are you feeling okay?¡± Wondered Faerie. ¡°Lady Julia¡­ I am scared¡­¡± Cried Faire The two half-elf twins ran towards Julia and hugged her tightly, as she felt slightly calmed when the two of them, who had been at her side since she was a tiny baby, were at her side hugging her like this. ¡°Things have escted even more now¡­ From the Graveyard to the Dungeon, and the Vampire Invasion, and now¡­ there¡¯s a giant demon thing in the sky¡­ By the gods, just how unlucky I am?¡± Cried Julia, containing her tears. She had been simply doing her best to maintain the mess that her uncle left behind, but the only thing she was getting back was a lot of problems one after the other, as if what her uncle had left in this half-destroyed fiefdom wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°I-It¡¯s all up to them, to Mary and her friends.¡± Said Faerie. ¡°W-Will they do it? I heard that the others came to her side, based in the voices we heard before being sent here!¡± Said Faire. ¡°Yeah, I hope they can manage¡­ Somehow. I know she can do it; she defeated that Undead and even tamed it, and then cleansed that Dungeon, and I¡¯m pretty sure that Vampire died to her but suddenly¡­ that thing appeared out of her corpse, somehow¡­ Just what are the Vampires doing now? This presence alone¡­ I¡¯ve felt it before, this is the damn Evil God Fragment my uncle took away from the Fuentes Family.¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°¡­Or at least something rted to it.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that fragment taken by the government?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡± ¡°Why would the Vampires openly have parts of such a thing?!¡± ¡°Is the royal family and the vampires working together¡­?¡± ¡°What? No way that¡¯s a thing!¡± Said Julia. As someone from the royal family, if this gets spread out, her citizens might begin to get suspicious about her. Despite the rest of her family being quite suspicious, she was innocent about these things. ¡°This is probably something more than what you think, please don¡¯t make any assumptions out of nowhere¡­ I was attacked by these Vampires, I am obviously not cooperating with them.¡± ¡°R-Right that made little sense¡­¡± ¡°Lady Julia, should we run away?!¡± ¡°But the demon.. What do we do?¡± ¡°Please help us!¡± The people began to swarm Julia, surrounding her and asking her for her help. But as of now, she waspletely alone, she had no money in her bag, she barely had a broken rapier, she was covered in blood and barely healed wounds. What could she even do now? What could she do to change this fate, and to calm her people¡¯s hearts? Was trusting Mary all she could do now, while sitting powerlessly? Perhaps going back to the capital could be a possibility, but these people¡­ they wouldn¡¯t have it that easy. Julia didn¡¯t wanted to leave them either. It was a thing of honor, perhaps. But at this point, she was willing to die for her people, or die with them. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you¡­ I don¡¯t really know what will happen. I¡¯ve paid Mary, and she¡¯s strong. I am putting my soul into her, because I know she could pull it off, somehow¡­¡± Julia said. ¡°I know I could run away if I wanted, I know I could even go back to the capital, and just ignore everything¡­ But I don¡¯t want to. I prefer to die with all of you than to live knowing my people die while I abandoned you¡­ I am sorry for being so unexperienced and foolish¡­ and weak¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 364 Julias Honest Heart ¡ª¨C Julia began to cry. She had been resisting the urge for a very long time, after going through so many dear-death experiences, it was natural for someone her age to suddenly feel like braking down. The people around her looked at her with new eyes, as they saw her devotion to them, but also her weakness and humanity. She wasn¡¯t perfect, she was a girl given a tremendous task of raising a ruined fiefdom back together. She was doing everything she could, but against Fate, even doing everything you can sometimes simply doesn¡¯t work. Everything was crumbling now. She should definitely run away for her life right now, not stay here, in the middle of utter chaos. But because she was devoted to her people, because she held what her mother taught to her inside of her heart, she was willing to give up her life for them, or at the very least, die at their side. ¡°Lady Julia¡­¡± ¡°Please, stand up!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll stay with you as well.¡± ¡°We will protect you, you¡¯re way better than the previous duke anyways!¡± ¡°Although things were rough, when you came here, suddenly things began to change for the better. It¡¯s obvious you always intended to aid us.¡± ¡°Lady Julia has already done everything she possibly could, so you guys stop asking her to do the impossible! She¡¯s a human after all.¡± ¡°Everyone¡­¡± Julia felt moved by the words of her citizens. Although several of them seemed to only have grown angered, arge part of them began to favor her more, and seemed to have seen through her emotions and what she truly intended to say with her word and honesty. She looked into the distance, up into the hill where her house ruins were. The darkness continued to expand, but she knew that Mary and her allies were there, fighting. Whoever they are, if they can even fend off a threat of this level, they¡¯re not just mere mercenaries. For her, they would already be heroes. She crossed her eyes and began to pray, not to the God of Light, or the God of Nature¡­ but to the Goddess of Death herself, Hel. ¡°Oh Lady of Death, please bless my mercenaries with the strength they need to fight and win¡­ Please, I implore of you. Please!¡± Julia cried, as she continued praying with her hands together. Her maids quickly joined her prayers, and so did some people, surprising some of the fervent priests, fanatics of the Light God, Odin. To Julia, it made more sense to pray to the Goddess of Death for the benefit of a Necromancer such as Mary than to pray to the arrogant God of Light, who saw anything non-human as abhorrent. ¡­Meanwhile, a green-haired man ran down the hill where Julia¡¯s ruined house was. After going through extensive pain and agony, Emiliano had somehow managed to be a Pure-Blood Vampire. However, afraid from joining a fight against Mary and the others, he ran away for his life. ¡°Now that I have be a Vampire, there¡¯s no reason to stay there and die like an idiot¡­ I have finally broken through my Level Cap, and I can continue evolving and raising my power¡­ Why would I risk my life when there¡¯s so much to research for?¡± Emiliano said to himself while trying to convince himself that he wasn¡¯t being just a coward. ¡°Goodbye, Lady Agatha, it was good to have business with you¡­¡± A smile surged in the man, as he quickly ran into the woods, running as fast as possible and ignoring the people and Julia. He wasn¡¯t even interested in killing anybody, just run as fast as possible. Whatever Agatha was bing now was something he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle, staying any longer here meant that he would be risking his life even more after all. . . . FLAAASH! Three figures flew across the sky, shrouded in ck and phantasmal auras, Maria, Emeraldine, and Partner. Now with the help of two newly created undead that covered their entire bodies and worked as if they were space suits to be able to ¡°breathe¡± within the Miasmic Domain, Maria and her two girlfriends flew through dark fog, looking at the distance as the enormousrva began to groan, noticing their approach. It was very much alive and constantly emanating more and more of this dark fog, which was a very diluted miasmic essence. ¡°Shit¡¯s getting more dense as we get closer¡­¡± Maria said with a groan, she seemed to be struggling as she was getting through the miasma, unlike Emeraldine and Partner who were able to move more freely thanks to the armor. ¡°(I have to learn how to absorb this miasma¡­ Into my own soul¡­ With the evolved Mana Siphon, it shouldn¡¯t be hard!)¡± Maria concentrated her intent into her chest, as the ck hole that had emerged within it after her [Mana Siphon] Unique Skill evolved suddenly began to intensify its draining and absorption effects. The dark fog surrounding the three women slowly began to gather more and more within her chest, as she was slowly, somehow, managing to absorb it! ¡°Uughh¡­! This tastes like shit!¡± Maria said. ¡°What are you doing now!?¡± Asked Emeraldine in surprise. ¡°I am trying to absorb the miasma, but the density and corruption that this energy has is horrendously big! It takes a toll on me to absorb it and get to the good part to refill my energy¡­ But I am getting the gist of it!¡± Maria said with a smile. ¡°Master! Emeraldine! Look!¡± Partner suddenly interrupted Maria, as she pointed out with her spear at the distance, the enormous floating fetus began to excrete strange masses of flesh that slowly began to shapeshift into bug-like monsters, resembling abination between locusts and wasps that werepletely ck, with red-shot eyes and transparent wings. ¡°So that thing can also make an army by itself, huh?¡± Wondered Maria. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have my own army of flying units¡­!¡± Maria¡¯s body suddenly began to self-divide, using the rich amount of energy she was getting by swallowing the miasmic fog, and generatingrge swarms of flies and gigantic snakes! It was an all-out-war in the middle of the skies! ¡ª¨C Chapter 365 Fighting Against An Army! ¡ª¨C CLAAAASH! The sh between monstrous armies in the middle of the sky was loud and thundering like lightning itself. Enormous swarms of phantasmal flies and giant ferocious snakes began attacking what seemed to be strange ck bugs resembling a cross between locust and wasps. The monstrous bugs were not weak, however, each one was at least C+ Rank, and they had hard exoskeleton and powerful stingers that easily pieced through the bodies of Maria¡¯s Phantom Familiars. Many of them were too weak to survive for more than three attacks, getting swarmed easily and dying on the spot. Maria was noticing these critters were no joke, so she quickly decided to fight by herself to fend them off as well. Her army could only do as much as distracting them so they wouldn¡¯t end up swarming her and the other two girls. However, she had to do something herself other than just watching¡­ And what better than a show of explosions? ¡°Undead Detonation!¡± BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions began to cover the skies, as dozens of these vicious miasmic bugs began to be consumed by them. Most of her Familiars might be weaker against them, but their explosions surely packed enough strength! However, that wouldn¡¯t simply be enough. With her sword at hand, she slowly transferred the miasma she was absorbing from the surrounding fog into it, quickly making the sword grow twice as big, and also emanate a powerful ck and phantasmal aura. ¡°de sh!¡± SLAAAASH! With a single and strong sh, Maria shed through the skies, the clouds divided in half before her mighty sword technique. As a dozen more of these critters were sliced in half! Seconds after their deaths, Maria captured their souls with her powerful authority as the Undead Queen and controlled them, putting them back into their own bodies and recovering them through Undead Healing and ultimately raising them into new Undead through Fake Life! Agatha, who was fully conscious even now, although without the ability to speak, noticed that Maria was actually and easily getting through her Domain of Miasma, and even more, her drones were getting turned against her, as the more she killed, the more she had as allies, turning them into vicious Undead creatures that began to fly across the skies and devour their kin with their sharp jaws or pierce their bodies with theirrge stingers. ¡°(That damn bitch¡­! Even after I¡¯ve managed to revive thanks to my lord¡¯s gift, she¡¯sing at me! How can she resist the Miasma Domain and the Miasmic Drones to this extent?! And she¡¯s¡­ even using them to raise as Undead? Ridiculous!)¡± Agatha thought, quickly generating more of these bugs by spending therge quantities of Mana she now had. ¡°(I won¡¯t let you get any closer! I will be reborn¡­ And show the world the true strength of us Vampires!)¡± Agatha¡¯s mind was filled with selfishness and stupidity. She seemedpletely ignorant that she was merely being used as a guinea pig for the experimentation of a new Demonite Heart Core, however, her strength was nothing to scoff at, and she was right in that if she were left to grow some more time, she would be reborn into aplete living disaster. ¡°Thousand Light Arrows!¡± Emeraldine pointed a single arrow towards a gigantic swarm of Abyssal Bugs, as the arrow was enchanted by the power of her Light Spirit, overflowing with so much light that it felt like the light of a supernova. FLASH! The arrow flew towards the army, suddenly dividing into dozens, hundreds, and one thousand arrows made of light! This was as new Technique she hade out with after having leveled up and gained enough MP and Magic Stat enough to create new and stronger techniques that merged both Skills and Magic together. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The light arrows began to explode the moment they reached their targets, a thousand small explosions filled the ck skies with the bright light of Emeraldine¡¯s magic. The Abyssal Bugs were being consumed and burned alive rather easily, and promptly raised into Undead by Maria through Fake Life, and even healed of wounds through Undead Healing! ¡°We are somehow managing!¡± Emeraldine said as she continued moving forward close to Maria and Partner. Meanwhile, Partner was using her old Spear alongside her old one together, dual wielding two sharp spears together. She coated them in her newly developed Blood Aura and the Miasmic Aura emanating from the armor she was wearing, a Living Armor Undead capable of absorbing the miasma and using it to fight with. Of course, Emeraldine wasn¡¯t that good at controlling dark spectrum energies, but Partner was good enough to use this Miasmic Essence to her advantage. ¡°Blood Spear Arts: Twin-Headed Crimson Dragon!¡± FLUOOOSH! Partner coated herself with miasmic essence, darkness, and her Blood Aura, as it all shaped together within the tip of her two spears, unleashing a powerful sh that emerged in the form of a roaring two-headed western dragon made entirely out of red light and coated with ck clouds, catching up to the Abyssal Bugs and devouring them with its two enormous jaws, promptly slicing them all into hundreds of pieces and detonating afterwards! BOOOMMM!!! Hundreds of Abyssal bugs perished in an instant, the explosion was so powerful it made the surrounding clouds disappear, the gleam of the moon emerged across the open sky, illuminating the trio¡¯s path. Mariamanded them to move forward, having umted enough Undead she sent them all to fight the Abyssal Bugsing their way constantly, while she enveloped her friends with a bubble made of Abyssal Barrier, and flying directly towards Agatha! FLAAAASH! ¡°We are getting closer!¡± Said Maria. ¡°Whenever we finally get there, unleash all your power, Master!¡± Said Partner. ¡°We¡¯ll support you from the back!¡± Emeraldine added. ¡°Alright!¡± Maria said, filled with the intent to give it her all. However, a sudden voice resonated within their minds the moment they got closer! ¡°You won¡¯t get any closer!¡± TRUUUMMM¡­! Suddenly, an enormous thundering tremor emerged surrounding the giant fetus, as ck lightning emerged from within its body! The lightning gathered within the ck miasmic clouds, this was most likely another ¡°corrupted¡± element, Miasmic Lightning! CRAAASH! SPARK! The lightning quickly hit Maria¡¯s shadow bubble, destroying it in an instant and throwing the three girls off-bnce! BOOM! ¡ª¨C Chapter 366 Lightning Is Nothing Against Me! ¡ª¨C CLAAASH! Agatha suddenly unleashed ck lightning from within her monstrous and aberrant body, impacting Maria andpany! Her shadow bubble, which she used to transport the girls at a fast speed was easily destroyed, and Maria was directly impacted by the lightning! TRUUUMM¡­! ¡°Uuugggh¡­!¡± Maria gritted her phantasmal teeth, as she looked at Agatha, the lightning she was unleashing was still magical, so it didn¡¯t dealt as much damage. But it was surely possible that Agatha¡¯s Magic Stat had already grown past her previous number, to the point that even to Maria, a magic tank, it was a rather painful attack. However, Maria didn¡¯t faltered, using her power over the Unique Skill [Supreme Magic] which allowed her to control magic and mana, she suddenly grasped the lightning strike impacting her, and gathered it all in the palm of her hands! SPARK¡­! ¡°W-Wha¡­!?¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Emeraldine and Partner who wanted to aid Maria suddenly noticed something utterly terrifying¡­ about Maria herself! She was grasping the lightning itself! And not only that, it felt as if she was manipting it and making it her own attack. ¡°Take¡­ your shit back!¡± Roared Maria, unleashing a thunderous attack against Agatha, hitting her strongly at full force! CRAAAASSSH!!! ¡°UUUAAAGGH¡­!¡± A sudden scream quickly filled the girl¡¯s minds, as Agatha began to scream through her telepathic abilities. Her mental scream was so loud that even the people at the outskirts of thend heard her scream, quickly feeling afraid of what was truly happening up there. Ding! [You have learned the [ck Lightning Strike: Lv1] Magic Skill] In front of Maria¡¯s eyes, a truly unexpected gift emerged in her eyes. Although she was incapable of wielding the Lightning Element, she somehow was able to grasp the principles behind transforming darkness itself into lightning, and quickly acquired it as a Skill to boot! Although it was limited to this single Skill, it was still a great and new asset. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Oh yes!¡± Mariaughed maliciously, as her hands suddenly generated ck sparks of electricity! SPARK! ¡°Y-You can just control lightning now?!¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Master is truly amazing!¡± ¡°Wait! Maria, please help me out, infuse lightning into my bow!¡± Emeraldine said, as Maria quickly nodded, ck lightning reached her bow and then was charged into her arrow! ¡°Eclipsing Thunderbolt Arrow!¡± FLASH! A single arrow flew across the skies, crossing through and reaching up to Agatha, suddenly showering her with a deadly dose of burning and thunderous lightning. It was not onlybined with darkness, but also with the light of the spirit of light that Emeraldine held a contract with! BOOM! The lightning explosion covered the entire fetus, inflicting direct damage against Agatha. Despite her powerful magic and her ability to create minions, it seemed that her body was still slightly soft, although it was taking that hit rather well. But Maria could notice that Agatha was going through a hard time if she was screaming like a miserable woman. ¡°GRAAAAHH! AGGGH¡­! IT HURTS¡­ YOU DAMN VERMIN!¡± Agatha, enraged, unleashed a storm of miasmic fog that emerged from within her gigantic body, spreading out into the skies and unleashing lightning alongiside dark winds with it. This powerful magical attack alone could quite possibly bringplete disaster to the fiefdom below was thrown to Maria andpany, with all her fury! ¡°Shit!¡± Maria cried, not feelingpletely capable of stopping such an attack! FLAAAASH! However, a shadow emerged amidst the ck clouds, an enormous, titanic dragon covered in ck scales, and possessing three eyes, one eye in the middle of the other two, thrice as big as the other two andpletely red in color. His wings were enormous, and looked as if they were decaying, giving out an eerie feeling! ¡°Lucifer!¡± Maria said with a smile, as the enormous dragon suddenly gathered Mana within his entire body! This was Lucifer¡¯s Dragon King Aura, a powerful Aura of absolute authority that emanated from him, capable of weakening magic and skills around him severely! His Aura alone wouldn¡¯t be enough, however, so he decided to use one of his Special Skills. ¡°Ancient Dragon¡¯s Domain.¡± TRUUUUUMMM¡­! Fusing with the pressure and absolute authority of his Dragon King¡¯s Aura, the Ancient Dragon Domain emerged, spreading out as if space itself generated apletely new atmosphere. This was the power of Domains, and to the extent that Lucifer had developed it, it could spread out constantly! Maria, however, knew that he didn¡¯t had that much Manapared to her, so she immediately began to fuel him with her own Mana, increasing the speed of his Domain spreading out! In mere seconds, a gigantic domain was erected, the storm of darkness was suddenly stopped and began to weaken and dissipate over time as it entered the domain of Lucifer. Agatha herself was left speechless as this was the first time she saw a True Dragon in the flesh. ¡°A-A Dragon?! No¡­ That¡¯s even stronger, a Dragon King?! But that¡¯s impossible! My lord said that Dragons were gone! They were all dead! Howe there¡¯s one here out of nowhere?! And it¡¯s not even an Undead or something, it is a living Dragon King!¡± Agatha¡¯s mind waspletely in shambles as she saw Lucifer¡¯s authority and might, the enormous fetus attempted to quickly fly away to make more distance from Maria andpany, but Lucifer didn¡¯t easily allowed that to happen. ¡°Dark Moon!¡± In seconds, six Dark Moons emerged over Lucifer, shooting them like cannons against the gigantic body of Agatha, which was already surpassing the 20 meters. If she were to be born, she would be a titan! Lucifer couldn¡¯t allow her to grow any longer or to ¡°hatch¡± from the membrane covering her. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The enormous Dark Moons exploded one after the other, engulfing Agatha in purple ice! The ice slowly began to cover her surface and freezing part of her body, she not only felt the coldness of ice, but also felt as if it was slowly draining away her HP and MP viciously. ¡°No¡­! No! Get away from me! T-This is ridiculous!¡± Agatha thought, panicking before the might of Lucifer. ¡°Sorry for beingte, let¡¯s wrap this up!¡± Lucifer said, reassuring Maria. ¡ª¨C Chapter 367 Lucifers Arrival! ¡ª¨C ¡°Took you long enough, lizard!¡± Partner angrily barked at Lucifer, as he quickly felt slightly frustrated, his cool air quickly went away as he looked back at Partner angrily. ¡°Who are you calling lizard?! If it wasn¡¯t for me you would had been engulfed in the storm!¡± He angrily said. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t youe earlier?!¡± Partner angrily replied. ¡°Okay, okay, please let¡¯s don¡¯t discuss right now!¡± Emeraldine and Maria said almost at the same time, quickly putting down the rivalry of the two for the moment. ¡°We got more important things to do, let¡¯s not waste time!¡± Maria said, flying with Emeraldine and Partner towards Lucifer. Emeraldine and Partner were able to lift off the ground by their unique methods of flight. For Partner, she was able to coat herself in blood and control it to lift her up off the air, and for Emeraldine, she was sable to use her recently learned [Levitation] Light Attribute Spell which her Light Spirit helps her at conjuring. Of course, thanks to the armors they¡¯re wearing right now, which can both levitate off the ground with ease, they are now relying in the armors and not in their unique methods, which aren¡¯t as flexible. ¡°How did the fight against the dog went?¡± Partner asked Lucifer, as the entire group flew towards Agatha while Maria used her newly attained ability to capture the ck lightning emanating from the body of Agatha. ¡°He was strong but too weakened after a big fight. I decided to reap his soul away after beating him to a pulp.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Maria, I¡¯ve saved his soul and body because I know that¡¯s what you would had done.¡± ¡°Oooh! You know me well, don¡¯t you?¡± Maria said with a smirk. She wanted to raise Beowulf into an undead immediately, but Undead were usually weaker than their living versions and they would also need a period of ¡°getting used¡± to being an Undead and all its abilities, so if she brought him back, he would be mostly useless, and only end up getting in the way. ¡°D-Don¡¯t dare get closer!!!¡± The voice of Agatha suddenly resonated across the minds of everybody, as Maria, Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner felt as if their minds were being attacked by a powerful psychic power! Maria was the most unaffected as she was a ghost andcked a brain to begin with, but Emeraldine was the most affected, seemingly in great pain. ¡°Aaagghh!¡± ¡°Emeraldine!¡± Maria was surprised by this sudden new power that Agatha had developed. It appears not only she was able tomunicate through Telepathy but even had the power to affect the minds through a Skill that the System named [Mind Shock]. ¡°Unngh¡­! This bastard. We have to end her soon, if she uses this same thing against the townsfolk, she¡¯ll easily leave them all with brain damage or perhaps even kill them!¡± Lucifer said, as the second most resilient. ¡°Aagh! Ouch! My mind hurts! What the heck is this?!¡± Partner cried. Now that she was the prideful owner of a brain, she was not having an easy time dealing with this. ¡°Agghhh!¡± No matter what Emeraldine used healing magic wise, nothing could heal or calm her head. Maria quickly realized that there was, however, a way! She quickly touched Partner, Emeraldine, and Lucifer¡¯s heads by extending phantasmal tentacles out of her body, and then, possessed all three of them! ¡°Rx and trust me!¡± She said, all while all four of them were flying across the skies and evading constant thunderbolts fired at them by the furious Agatha! All three of them nodded, as Maria quickly decided to put into use her newly acquired Element, Illusion! Within her Status, there was a new Skill named [Illusion Element: Lv¨C], this meant that she was able to wield the mysterious power of the element of Illusions, which not only dealt with simply making others think there was something in a ce that wasn¡¯t really there, but it also dealt with the mind itself. Maria quickly tried to create a mental shield over the heads of her beloved ones. As if she was attempting to make something like a barrier that could deflect mind attackspletely. Was that even possible? Thanks to [Supreme Magic], it totally was! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, above the heads of the three, small, pink-colored lights emerged and quickly dissipated, seconds after, they felt as if their minds were inplete peace, in fact, even more than before even being attacked. It felt as if their minds had beenpletely cleansed of panic, fear, and doubt. Ding! [You have learned the [Mind Bending: Lv1] Skill] ¡ª¨C [Mind Bending: Lv1] A Skill that grants the ability to bend minds. The requirements to bend a mind is touching a person¡¯s mindscape through supernatural means and also receiving their permission. If Mind Bending is done forcefully, a mental battle between the will of the user and the target will begin, the one with the greater Will and Magic Stat will win. Each Level, the maniption and power over Minds is enhanced by +20%. ¡ª¨C ¡°(Ah, I even got a new Skill already?! Wait, now that I think about it, this Skill could easily help me deal with Agatha¡­!)¡±Wondered Maria internally, as she saw the trio feeling all right now, even better than before, in fact. ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± She asked. ¡°We are¡­!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°That Ability you used¡­ It was incredible, my mind feels so calm now!¡± Lucifer sighed in relief. ¡°Indeed!¡± Added Emeraldine. ¡°Thanks a lot!¡± ¡°I also want to thank you, Master, but we are not in the position to just sit down and thank each other¡­¡± Partner said. CLAAAAASH! Suddenly, an enormous tentacle hit the barrier that Maria had erected, quickly cracking it, but not shattering it! The enormous tentacle wasn¡¯t simply made of shadows, it was a gigantic fleshy tentacle with many serrated hooks to it,ing from the fetus itself. ¡°She¡¯s already breaking out of the cocoon?!¡± Asked Emeraldine in surprise. ¡°I have a terrible premonition about this, we can¡¯t allow her to be reborn!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Let¡¯s end her before it¡¯s toote, Master!¡± Partner led the party with her words, as Maria nodded, gathering her Mana and suddenly summoning three enormous Chaotic Meteors,unching them at Agatha! ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it!¡± BOOOOMMM!!! ¡ª¨C Chapter 368 Going All Out! ¡ª¨C Maria conjured three enormous Chaotic Meteors in a single cast! This was only thanks to the rich atmosphere that Agatha was emanating, in other ways, it would simply be impossible. But thanks to Agatha¡¯s Miasmic Domain, Maria was able to fill her belly with as much miasmic essence to convert into Mana, which she had already gotten the grasp of quite swiftly. Thanks to this, she easily conjured three Chaotic Meteors and threw them against Agatha at quick session! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! ¡°AAGGH¡­!¡± The scream of Agatha resonated within the mind of only Maria, as she was the only one with her mind open to listen to the former Vampiress. Maria easily noticed Agatha¡¯s entire body was already getting wasted. She had been half frozen by Lucifer¡¯s Dark Moons, and now the three meteors impacted her back, leaving three enormous wounds that were bleeding a ck and gooey substance constantly. The semi-transparent membrane permeating her body was already broken down, an enormous tentacles began to emerge from the still to be fully develop fetus-likerva. It¡¯s gigantic eyes suddenly opened wide, as dozens of tentacles surged from the gigantic demon¡¯s body, attempting to finish off Maria andpany quickly! ¡°She can take three meteors right into her face¡­ Well, it¡¯s not as if she didn¡¯t do that before though, but seriously, she just became even more resilient.¡± Said Maria, gritting her teeth as she flew towards the Larva directly with everybody else. ¡°Let me take a shot!¡± Lucifer roared, flying in front of everybody, still on his gigantic draconic form, as his third eye suddenly shed with bright light. This was the [Draconic Eye of Death Perception] which allowed Lucifer to see through the ¡°Death Threads¡± of living beings and see how to defeat them through the paths that these threads led him to. Lucifer analyzed in a few seconds, quickly concluding that there were only a few viable options, simply overpowering her and dealing damage over her body wouldn¡¯t do, they needed to do more tricky things topletely defeat her before she fully evolved into an Adult¡­ whatever she was! As they evaded attacks and retaliated with explosive magical spells, Lucifer quickly reported things to Maria. ¡°Maria, it appears that Agatha only has a few viable options. One of them includes affecting her mind with your powers and then with my special Skill, we¡¯ll reap her soul away from her body!¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°What? How can we even do that if she¡¯s so strong? Reaping souls only work in living beings that are already in the brink of death.¡± Said Maria. ¡°I know, we¡¯ll have to deal as much damage as possible before that, and then abuse the opportunity when she¡¯s most damaged to give it a shot, she got good regeneration, so these options are actually quite limited!¡± Lucifer said, as Maria decided to trust him. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s give it a shot! Emeraldine, Partner! Help us out! Bombard this bitch as much as you possibly can with every strong blow you got with you!¡± Mariamanded. ¡°I¡¯ll do the same and Lucifer as well!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± Partner said, filled with the motivation to fight. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll trust you, as I¡¯ve always done, Maria.¡± Emeraldine said with a charming smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± Maria roared, as the four quickly flew forwards. Lucifer roared and charged in front of the three girls. As the strongest of the four physically, only bested by Maria in magic prowess, he was the most fitting for a living tank! His scales were enhanced with his magical powers as his Domain and his Aura stopped expanding, suddenly gathering around him and the girls. Lucifer immediately began to gather the power of his Aura and Domain together, and merged it with his entire body, boosting his powers. Suddenly, he charged arge quantity of Mana and energy into his throat, and unleashed a deadly and new breath attack he had acquired after evolving into a Three-Eyed Death Dragon King, [Abyssal Death Breath]! TRUUUMMMM¡­! An enormous abyss of pure darkness emerged out of Lucifer at lightning speed, reaching Agatha in an instant! The developing and monstrous demonic fetus attempted to defend by using her tentacles as meat shields, but the tentacles suddenly began to decay and rot the moment they were touched by this abyssal me, making Agatha scream in agony! BOOOOMMM!!! The Abyssal Breath hit her directly, as the surface of her fleshy body slowly began to turnpletely ck, decaying slowly and drying out¡­ However, her body had already grown up to forty meters, and the range of Lucifer¡¯s breath attack wasn¡¯t to the point it could cover herpletely! Alongside that, she was regenerating the lost tissue quickly, but Lucifer¡¯s abyssal mes were still incredibly strong, easily putting an enormous pressure on Agatha, as she now had to concentrate her energies into regenerating her rotting wounds. As they saw Lucifer unleash his Dragon Breath without stopping, Partner gathered her energies within her two spears like she had done before, but decided to go even further beyond, using almost all her Mana and exhausting her Blood Aura for this very purpose, as the Living Armor covering her body suddenly responded to her will, covering both of her spears on its ck metallic material, and making them grow in size to up to ten meters each! With such enormous spears infused with her power, Partnerunched them like missiles against Agatha without thinking it twice! ¡°Blood Spear Arts: Abyssal Twin Crimson Dragons!!!¡± FLAAASH! The two spears suddenly unleashed the power that Partner had infused into them, as two enormous and majestic dragons made of crimson energy emerged, shing against Agatha¡¯s body, any barrier she put up beforehand was easily broken down, as both spears pierced deeply into her flesh! CLASH! CLASH! Both spears pierced through her flesh and unleashed truly thunderous sounds that resonated across the skies as if two lightning strikes had hit Agatha. The spears continued to infuse curses into the wounds that they had inflicted, while the two furious crimson dragons began to entangle the enormous abomination, biting through her body and then¡­ exploding! ¡ª¨C Chapter 369 Final Push! ¡ª¨C ¡°GRAAAAAHHH!!!¡± Suddenly, the enormous mouth of Agatha groaned in agony, her body began to twist around, attempting to take away the two spears piercing her body, but no matter how many tentacles she put int the job, it seemed near impossible. The spears were incrusted deep into her, and she would take several minutes to actually take them out, not just a few seconds. The scream of the abomination quickly prompted Emeraldine to attack right after Partner. The beautiful half-elf¡¯s eyes shed with bright emerald light, resembling the beauty and prestige of the forest itself, her bright blonde hair shed as if it were a pure sea of liquid gold, her figure, d in ck armor, looked contrasting to her other features. Four arrows at once were pointed at the abomination, as her two spirits floated around her body, infusing their spiritual essence into her weapon. FLAAASH! Bright green and golden lights converged magisterially, as the lightning emanating from the magic bow was merged together as well, Emeraldine calmly infused all the MP she had in her entire body into the four arrows, firing them carefreely, as if there was no effort or intent at all. The arrows, however, shed fast across the sky, reaching their target in seconds. In midair, they coated themselves in such powerful light that it enhanced their speed and easily evaded the tentacles of Agatha. The abomination didn¡¯t even felt any pain when the four small arrows pierced her flesh, they were nothing at allpared to her¡­ ¡°Yggdrasil¡¯s Blessings: Spring¡¯s Blossom.¡± With a few beautiful words, Emeraldine¡¯s eyes shed with bright green light, in a split of a second, each arrow exploded into countless roots and branches of a tree, merging together, and covering the enormous floating abomination. The gigantic meatball suddenly felt great agony as sharp roots began to pierce through her skin constantly, emerging into her body surface all the time. Gigantic branches sprouted upwards, flourishing with flowers and leaves the beauty of spring was at full view as Agatha¡¯s agonizing screambined rather well with her new appearance. Agatha¡¯s tentacles quickly stopped emerging and attacking everyone all the time, the abomination also stopped her hastened evolution as she was trying to take out the two gigantic spears and the tree growing over her body, all while trying to fend off Lucifer¡¯s breath attack. Maria had a chance, and she didn¡¯t waste it. She immediately flew towards the enormous demonic aberration as fast as possible, evading the insectsing out of Agatha¡¯s body, which were herst line of defense, and then sting through them by unleashing cracking ck lightning everywhere. CRAAAASH! The insects, fried alive, fell down to the ground by the dozens, as Maria reached the aberrant vampire¡¯s flesh at longst, with the sword at hand, she drilled through her flesh by enhancing her speed and strength through a transformation. She had already showcased the true power of Gorgon Transformation, but there was another new Skill she had acquired, one she was saving for such an asion, [Abyssal Demon Transformation]! POOF! In mere seconds, Maria¡¯s entire body shapeshifted even more monstrously, as she gained the size of a ten-meter-tall giantess. Her entire body was covered by ck exoskeleton and she gained a gigantic bug-like pair of wings, alongside two more pairs of arms, all d in exoskeleton armor! Her face was also covered by this armor, as she had two new and enormouspound eyes on top of her head, giving her an incredible vision enhancement. She had literally turned into a gigantic human-like bug, of monstrous and aberrant proportions that could easilypare to Agatha herself if it wasn¡¯t because she beat Maria by almost thirty meters. CLASH! Maria¡¯s sword pierced through Agatha¡¯s flesh, reaching deep into her hard muscles. ck blood began spraying out constantly, Maria knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to sh through this enormous amount of muscles and flesh, not at all, her true purpose was another! She infused her very soul into her sword as the aura coating the weapon pierced through the flesh, reaching deep into the nucleus of the gigantic monster. FLASH! ¡°Ungh?!¡± Agatha couldn¡¯t help but respond in surprise, feeling something slowly sneaking inside of her prompted her to fight back against Maria, but because she was being overwhelmed by the other three, she had no such privilege. Maria¡¯s intent continued reaching deep, as this slightly reminded her of the time she did the same thing against the Dungeon Core. It only took a few seconds for her to reach the Crystal Core of Agatha¡¯s body, but it felt like an eternity of diving into flesh constantly. ¡°T-There!¡± Maria grabbed the crystal with her hands, quickly attempting to possess it, and attempting to shatter it with her sheer strength¡­ However, it seemed impossible, the crystal was incredibly hard, as if the very soul of Agatha was keeping it from shattering! Well, she had already guessed something like this might happen. Maria infused her soul into Agatha¡¯s core and quickly used [Mind Bending] on her! FLASH! ¡°AGH¡­!¡± Agatha suddenly felt strangely confused and agitated! Her mind was in shambles, and she was losing all control and reason, even her senses were feelingpletely out of the norm. She was feeling sickly, lost, andpletely despaired. Using this opportunity where Agatha was going insane, Maria grasped her soul and began pulling it out of her body with all the strength she could muster! ¡°Uunnngghh¡­! LUCIFER!¡± Maria cried, asking for help. As Lucifer quickly stopped attacking Agatha and flew towards Maria¡¯s side like a jet, quickly summoning a gigantic scythe! ¡°NOW!¡± The Dragon roared, as he and Maria worked together as hard as possible, slowly pulling out the annoyingly stubborn soul of Agatha! ¡°AAAAAGGGRRRHHHH¡­!¡± Agatha groaned in agony as she felt her very soul getting pulled out of her body, quite literally! Until¡­! FLASH! Her wiggling soul suddenly lost all connections to her body and was captured by Maria! ¡°No! Stop it¡­! get me back to my body! You can¡¯t¡­!¡± What greeted Agatha¡¯s sight was not something pretty, but enormous abyssal maws that made up the interior of Maria¡¯s phantasmal soul, quickly devouring and tearing her soul to shreds! ¡ª¨C Chapter 370 The Very Last Push ¡ª¨C ¡°We did it!¡± Said Lucifer, sighing in relief, all actions by Agatha quickly ceasedpletely. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s done!¡± Maria sighed in relief, quickly noticing a new notification for EXP. TRUUMMMM¡­! Although Maria andpany managed to defeat Agatha, however, there was now another problem! Maria and Lucifer opened their eyes wide as they noticed the unstable quantities of miasmic energies inside of the body of Agatha beginning to make her floating body tremble. At the same time, without a soul to maintain this entire thing alive, the gigantic meatball began to fall into the ground! FLASH! The enormous corpse of the now gone Vampiress started to sh with ck energies, they were all unstable. The leftover energy of the Demonite core was going crazy, in simple terms. And her body might explode at any time, if this thing were to explode and also fall into the fiefdom, it would be like a nuke, easily wiping out the entire ce, with all the people included. ¡°What do we do?! It¡¯s gonna explode!¡± Maria cried. ¡°We have to bring it to the sky, as high as we can!¡± Lucifer roared. ¡°Can you even carry this thing!?¡± Emeraldine cried. ¡°We have to try it out, there¡¯s no helping it!¡± Said Partner. Maria quickly realized there was another muscle head she could rely on back at home. As she quickly decided to summon her right away! ¡°Summon!¡± FLAAAASH! Suddenly, a magic sh emerged before Maria, as a muscr and tomboyish red-haired vampire zombie girl emerged right in front of everybody¡¯s eyes, it was Catarina! ¡°Catarina! Please help us!¡± Maria cried. ¡°Eh? EEEH?! W-What is that giant meatball?!¡± Asked Catarina, who was actually cutting wood back in the vige, and even was still holding the axe she was using. ¡°Just help us! We¡¯ll exinter!¡± Partner said. ¡°F-Fine! Alright!¡± Catarina was able to easily fly in midair through her own [Levitate] Skill, and Maria knew that this muscle head Vampire could help in terms of carrying impossible weights because she was the one that singlehandedly changed the entirendscape where the fight against the priests and the mercenary happened with her kicks and punches. If it was about raw strength, she was the best at that! The enormous carcass of Agatha was slowly falling down, slowly losing its natural ability to levitate. Maria and the rest quickly flew below the gigantic meatball, lifting it up with all the power they had. Emeraldine had almost no strength but still wanted to help. Partner was putting a decent help, but the most help wasing from Lucifer and Catarina, as both were probably sharing around 80% of the entire thing¡¯s weight! Maria was also strong, and she began to spread out her entire body into a giant swarm of flies to lift up the thing with everything she could. ¡°Unnngh¡­! Push more¡­!¡± Cried Maria. ¡°Come on¡­!¡± Roared Partner. ¡°T-This is impossible!!!¡± Emeraldine began to quickly despair. ¡°No¡­! Not yet!!!¡± Lucifer roared, suddenly absorbing more of Maria¡¯s Mana with their already established Mana Share Bond that Maria had created before to feed him Mana to fight against Agatha¡¯s attacks, strengthening his entire body¡¯s muscles, tripling his entire size! ¡°RAAAAHH! MOVE! MOVE THE SHIT UP!¡± Catarina roared. She was never the best with words, and as she received the Mana from Maria, she used it to enhance her undead body to new levels, unleashing a furious barrage of punches against the enormous carcass, as Lucifer pushed upwards like a meteor! CLASH! Together, the two pushed the entire thing upwards, leaving the other three behind, as Lucifer and Catarina roared furiously like true barbarians! BAAM! With a singlebined hit, the two threw the gigantic ball of meat all the way up into the sky, at least two kilometers! And while it was moving upwards, the darkness within the gigantic carcass reached its limits, quickly detonating into a loud explosion! BOOOM!!! The explosion shook the skies and made all the people below felt as if the sky itself was tearing apart. However, right after the explosion, an enormous quantity of flesh and miasma began to be poured down into the entire fiefdom! ¡°Leave this to me! Now that they¡¯re all little chunks, it¡¯s not so hard!!!¡± Maria roared, quickly self-dividing herself almost endlessly, bing a gigantic cloud of phantasmal flies that protected the entirety of the fiefdom, devouring the flesh falling from the sky and absorbing all the miasma! . . . After what seemed like an eternity, things finally calmed. The sun slowly began rising from the horizon, and the ck clouds atop the sky were fully dissipating. The bright and warm light of the sun permeated the city, revealing how disastrous the entire city ended as. The ghoulish people suddenly turned back to humans when the bright sun covered their bodies, the death of the catalyst of their transformation, Agatha, was enough to destroy the curse put upon them. Of course, they were going to be left with several seque, but that was inevitable. ¡°Hah~ The warm sun¡­ I never thought it would feel so nice.¡± Sighed Maria, sitting over the grass surrounding the ruined house of Julia, her entire party was half-dead over the grass, Catarina included. They had given their absolute everything and needed a well-deserved rest. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do any more of these things for at least a year¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°I need¡­ vacations.¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Hah¡­ I am still having a hard time believing we somehow managed to pull that out. I never thought I could achieve so much strength.¡± Lucifer said, looking at his own hands. ¡°It was all thanks to me¡­¡± Said Catarina, rediting herself for what Lucifer had also helped at. ¡°What?! I also helped!¡± Luciferined. ¡°Agh! You two, don¡¯t fight¡­¡± Said Maria. ¡°The sun is sure pretty this morning¡­¡± Emeraldine said with a rxed smile, resting over Maria¡¯s thighs. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess it was worth it, huh?¡± Maria sighed with a tired expression in her face. As the group slowly looked into the horizon, the voice of a little duchess resonated from the distance. ¡°Maryyyy! Heeeey!¡± It was Julia and her two half-elf maids, alongiside arge group of people. ¡ª¨C Chapter 371 Leveling Up Frenetically! New Titles! Skill Awakening! ¡ª¨C Ding! [Calcting earned EXP¡­] [You defeated [Vampire Subordinates (Rank C ~ C+)] x30, you earned 60000 EXP] [You defeated [Vampire Subordinate Werewolf: Beowulf (Rank B+)] x1, you earned 500000 EXP] [You defeated [Abyssal Bug Spawn (Rank C ~ C+)] x357, you earned 178500 EXP] [You defeated [Agatha, Vampire Lord (Demonite Transformation) (Rank B+ ~ A+)] x1, you earned 1200000 EXP] [Total EXP earned: 1938500 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 0 to Level 1!] [Your Level has increased from Level 1 to Level 2!] [Your Level has increased from Level 2 to Level 3!] [Your Level has increased from Level 3 to Level 4!] [Your Level has increased from Level 4 to Level 5!] [Your Level has increased from Level 5 to Level 6!] [Your Level has increased from Level 6 to Level 7!] [All your stats have increased] [You have devoured and absorbed the Flesh of an Abyssal Demon and the Demonite Heart Core, you gained +10000 Magic] [You have consumedrge quantities of Miasma, you gained +20000 MP] [You acquired the [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv1] Title Skill] [You acquired the [Vampire yer: Lv1] Title Skill] [You learned the [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv1] Skill] [You learned the [Abyss Eater: Lv1] Skill] [Several Skills have leveled up] [The [de sh: Lv10] Skill has awakened into the [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv1] Skill] [The [Strong Axe Strike: Lv10] Skill has awakened into the [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv1] Skill] [The [Possession: Lv10] Skill has awakened into the [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv1] Skill] [The [Fake Life: Lv10] Skill has awakened into the [Transfiguration Of Death: Lv1] Skill] [The [Soul Eater: Lv10] Skill has awakened into the [Soul Devourer: Lv1] Skill] [The [Materialization: Lv10] Skill has awakened into the [Embodiment: Lv1] Skill] ¡ª¨C [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [1/80 -> 7/80] [EXP]: [188500/450000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [40000/40000] -> [46000/46000] [MP]: [100000/100000] -> [138000/138000] [Attack]: [12000] -> [15000] [Defense]: [14000] -> [17000] [Magic]: [100000] -> [128000] [Agility]: [40000] -> [46000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Illusion Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv7] [gue Body: Lv2] [Abyss Eater: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv6] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv7] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv1] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv1] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv5] [Fist Strike: Lv4] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv6] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv1] [Dark Sun: Lv5] [Dark Storm: Lv5] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv2] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv2] [Abyss Maniption: Lv2] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv2] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv1] [Soul Devourer: Lv1] [Undead Detonation: Lv8] [Shadow Thread: Lv6] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv8] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv6] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv6] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv4] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv2] [Illusory Delusion: Lv2] [Mind Bending: Lv2] [Insect Maniption: Lv2] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Undead Healing: Lv10] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv1] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv7] [Mental Mapping: Lv5] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv7] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv7] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv4] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv8] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv6] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv5 ] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv5] [Merciless Assassin: Lv4] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv4] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv3] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv4] [gue yer: Lv5] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv5] [Saint of Death: Lv4] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv3] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv3] [Dungeon Master: Lv1] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] [Queen of Flies: Lv2] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv2] [Mold Breaker: Lv2] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv1] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡ª¨C I had leveled up all the way to Level 7! Well, that¡¯s so little to be honest. I can¡¯t believe this new Evolution needs so much goddamn EXP. Well, it is Rank A++, so I guess it is quite eptable to an extent¡­ But even then! Isn¡¯t it a bit too much? I killed that giant meatball and I didn¡¯t even get past Level 10. Do I need to kill another ten meatballs to reach max level? I suppose a being of my caliber is not really supposed to grow strong faster, I am already quite strong, maybe too strong. I had also acquired a nice variety of new Skills to y with~! But this is not the time to check them yet, even less some old Skills awakening and bing even stronger, especially the de sh and the Axe Strike one, which both became ¡°Arts¡± or something weird. As of now, we were all cooking in the backyard of Julia¡¯s ruined house. She has brought most of her people, which was near a thousand and a few hundred, so we had to quickly make enough food for everyone to recover. It was quite annoying that she asked us to do this while we were resting after such a battle, but it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t just ask a bunch of skeletons to do it for us. After we have managed to defeat Agatha by a hair, Julia and the rest of the people came rushing here. The Ghoulish citizens turned back to humans and were all unconscious but alive and fine, so things looked quite bright. However, a third of the city was in ruins and the duchess entire house was destroyed and made into a pile of wood, so things weren¡¯t looking good either. Despite the hardships, Julia and her maids seemed quite happy about our victory, despite everything that was lost. ¡°Thank you for everything, Mary¡­ I don¡¯t know what I would had done without you and your party¡­ I-I owe you all my life.¡± Julia cried. ¡ª¨C Chapter 372 Agathas Past ¡ª¨C Various skeletons and zombies were walking around, constantly cleaning up the debris and the ruins across the city with the help of some of the citizens that wanted to help. The majority were tired as they had been running away and fighting the ghoulish infected citizens for a while, so not many could give a hand in these times. The people was originally frightened of Undead at some point, but I have be such a prominent figure here as a Necromancer in such a short amount of time, that they were already getting used to ¡°good¡± Undead risen by Necromancers, whocked monstrous instincts and were very tame and serviceable. Skeletons and zombies politely helped the people, even rescuing some of the folks that had been trapped in the debris and ruins of the destroyed houses that the entiremotion caused. Of course, there were still casualties. Julia has yet to calcte but she knew. But I had already counted over twenty dead bodies. Their spirits roaming around, but they had been dead for too long for a full revival, and most of their bodies were in terrible conditions. I could make them Undead, but it simply wouldn¡¯t be the same. I had asked Emeraldine to unleash rays of holy light around the city while I transferred her my MP, so she was able to slowly exorcize the souls roaming around Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case for the Vampires, all their bodies were grabbed by me alongiside their souls. I decided to not eat their souls though, as I am quite the benevolent woman, and decided to raise them as Undead. They had already been risen and made to fight Beowulf, but he easily beat them down. I raised them a second time after repairing their bodies through [Undead Healing] at Level 10, which has an amazing regeneration power over the dead. After that, I put their souls back to their bodies without any specific order, so some guys might have ended in girl¡¯s bodies and vice versa. I didn¡¯t cared, forced gender bending for all of you for being evil guys! After that, I put them inside my shadows so the people wouldn¡¯t panic by seeing the Vampire Zombies, who lost their weakness to the sunlight after turning into Undead for some reason. This also includes Catarina. I had also decided to make Beowulf into a Vampire Werewolf Zombie, or a Zompirewolf! But his soul was very weakened and damaged, and I saw that he was pretty much broken into a retarded monster, so I had to heal his mind a little bit. Although I am still angry at the bastard, he was simply another victim, I won¡¯t destroy his soul but I will slowly heal his mind and then make him repent by working for us, kind of like what I did with Catarina and the other two Fire Ghosts. Ahaha, and about Agatha¡­ I ate her. I kind of ate her out of desperation. But I don¡¯t know if I would had kept her alive. I didn¡¯t had much of a personal grudge against her or anything, she kind of showed up and threatened everybody. But still, she treated Julia very badly, so I guess she deserved such an end. Well, her soul simply became part of mine, which granted me her memories. Her past was quite turbulent. I saw she used to be a serf girl whose vige was attacked by bandits. She escaped and survived in the wild after seeing her house and her family being burned alive. Quite the harsh childhood¡­ After that she kind of wandered about, slowly growing stronger and learning ways to steal and kill to survive. Eventually, she was found out by the vampires. Her obsession over wearing other people¡¯s faces is quite sickly, butes from her own appearance, as she was born with a deformed face that made her look hideous. Her corrupt heart grew even darker as she was recruited by the Vampires, letting loose of all her hatred and resentment against life and the world, she envied those who lived in luxury and had nice lives, so she hated Julia a lot, and came here after being offered such a job. She used to wear the faces of her victims as a hobby, and loved to manipte life through the usage of toxins and even diseases she created. After growing strong enough, she became one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, an Elite of four incredibly strong Vampire Lords that directly serve the Vampire Progenitor. The bad thing is that I wasn¡¯t able to get all memories. It is often impossible to get them all to be honest, even more because the Vampires inflicted a curse into her soul, so when I ate her, the memories of her soul began to fragment and darken. No matter how hard I try to inspect further into the identity of this Vampire, or about their hideouts, I can¡¯t find anything conclusive, and only small clues at most. The leader probably knows I have some sort of ability to read minds or something, so he decided to inflict this curse into his subordinates so I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn more about him or anything regarding this entire conspiracy that Vampires have with the entire Kingdom. Agatha¡¯s past was interesting to learn, but the things she had done to so many innocent people made it hard for me to even pity her, she had gone way too low at this point to redeem herself, more than Beowulf or Catarina, or any of the other Subordinate Vampires. I wonder if the other three Horsemen left are just as monstrously strong and also as scarred with terrible pasts¡­ This is not just unique of Agatha, probably many children have been suffering their entire lives. A harsh world filled with poverty, dangerous monsters, bandits, and the corruption of a government that only seemoners and serfs as trash¡­ Life¡¯s harsh for everybody. I guess this is why I am putting my hopes so much into Julia, she¡¯s a rare case of one of these members of such a corrupt government who has empathy over those below her. I think she might be the key for a brighter future. I have to protect her. ¡ª¨C Chapter 373 The Aftermath After The Disaster ¡ª¨C very, corruption, crime¡­ this entire world is shrouded with this. It¡¯s not so different from the actual world I came from, well, not as much, perhaps. Even Earth is better than this ce. But even then, I¡¯ve had my own fun, found my own friends, and I am slowly building up my own ce. I kind of want to make one of my goals to at the very least free and rescue as many ves as I can. Every time I imagine myself being enved I can¡¯t help but feel terrible. Only thinking there are hundreds if not thousands of people in such a situation¡­ I want to get them out of such a gruesome fate, at all costs. I¡¯ll beat the shit out of anybody that get in my way. I¡¯ve always hated how in various fictional stories I read, protagonists were often alright with corruption and even very. I always wondered ¡°If they¡¯re so OP, why are they not striving to make a change, at the very least?¡± The novels themselves were already ridiculous and unrealistic, what¡¯s so wrong with freeing the ves? Suddenly just because they want to do something good, all the ridiculousness bes too unrealistic? Come on¡­ Ah, well, my rants are of no use right now. I just am a bit too tense right now after browsing through Agatha¡¯s life. It was just a lot to take in. I need a bit of a rest but I am being forced to work and stay awake. I just want to go nap a bit¡­ After Julia thanked us, we decided to put up several tables around her gardens where the people came to eat and fill their bellies. We also started distributing clothes and food for them to bring back home. But we didn¡¯t had enough for everybody, and the food wasn¡¯t endless either. ¡°Sigh¡­ It seems that things are stabilizing a bit. But I¡¯ll need to bring more food from neighboring duchies, and also report what happened to the King. These are urgent news that must be known to the rest of the Kingdom. I hope the King can give us some funds to rebuild things.¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°Our food supplies are also very short, I am sorry Mary, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to supply you with food for a little while¡­ Until things get better and even more stable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it, Julia. That¡¯s the least concerning thing right now. My Undead will take care of repairing and cleaning the city for you, free of charge.¡± I said with a wink. ¡°F-Free of charge?! But I have¡­ In fact, for everything you¡¯ve done already, I should pay you every penny I have left¡­¡± Julia said. ¡°That¡¯s not possible right now, right? So calm down for now, Julia.¡± I sighed, petting her head. ¡°I am d you are alive, and everybody here. I was never that interested into money. I was interested on you more than anything. You¡¯re an incredible girl, someone that is part of this corrupt government yet is capable of having empathy with those below her¡­ I think you¡¯re an important key for a future where people might be happier. Of course, you¡¯ll still pay me, but I want to help you out.¡± ¡°M-Mary¡­¡± Julia muttered, quickly covering her face in surprise, she quickly began to cry rivers. ¡°You¡¯re a bit too good, we should actually get a goodpensation for what we did, Mary.¡± Lucifer sighed while looking at the rest of the city. His face quickly changed into one of grimace, probably after realizing that things might be too bad to get anypensation for now. ¡°¡­Never mind.¡± ¡°Hmm, as long as I am with Master and drink blood, I am alright.¡± Partner with her simplistic mind said. She looked at Julia and petted her head as well. ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Lady Partner¡­¡± Julia muttered. ¡°I used to be a ve. I was enved by criminals that used to live in here before we exterminated them¡­¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I always thought this entire Kingdom the entire government was corrupt. And that there wasn¡¯t any hope for the people here¡­ But I guess you¡¯re different, Lady Julia.¡± ¡°Emeraldine¡­ I am honored to hear this from you¡­ as well. My two servants are two half-elves as well. They used to be orphans that my mother brought home. Since I was a child that they were always there¡­ These two girls are very important to me, I want to also fight against discrimination against non-human races, even if this continent has always been called the ¡°Human Continent¡±, it has been years since such a name, people came and went from all continents¡­ It is obvious that people woulde here and make it their home. The extremist nations can¡¯t keep pushing these people away¡­¡± Julia said, suddenly cleaning her tears and arming herself with resolve. ¡°You¡¯re all right, I shouldn¡¯t be crying like a kid right now. I¡¯ve cried more than enough. I have to move forward and fight as well, in my own way!¡± Julia wasically brought back from her sadness into her full charge mode, even her face grew redder and steam wasing out of her nose. She waspletely decided to work. ¡°However, before you go anywhere, we must adress everything that happened¡­ From the Vampires to the Ghouls, and Agatha, the Vampire Lord. And even worse, the enormous demon thing she ended turning into.¡± I sighed. ¡°Y-You¡¯re right¡­!¡± Julia quickly sat down again, as she drank a bit of tea and calmed down. ¡°We must first¡­ Assess the casualties. After all, several guards, soldiers, and even servants of my house perished in the invasion from the Vampires.¡± ¡°¡­Right, we should assess that first. There are over¡­ twenty bodies we found around the city at the moment.¡± I sighed. ¡°But with the people that were in your house, it probably adds a dozen more.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Some bodies have been found, but we have yet to find¡­ Hector, my butler.¡± Julia sighed. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ I am right here, mdy. Shall I serve you some tea?¡± Suddenly, a butler appeared behind Julia, his clothes were all covered in dust, and he seemed to be covered in bruises. ¡°H-HECTOR?!¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 374 The Power Of A Butler ¡ª¨C Hector was Julia¡¯s personal butler, he has been with her for a while, most likely. When we first went to explore the ruins of Julia¡¯s house, we took away a lot of debris and found several bodies of dead guards and soldiers, alongside maids and a few butlers as well, most of them died crushed by the house being brought down, while guards and soldiers ended being killed by the Vampires. However, some people had managed to escape in time. It was all thanks to Hector. The butler was on the first floor when everything happened, finding several servants running away from the murderous vampires while the guards and soldiers tried to fight them, he probably suppressed his will to go help hisdy to help the servants in here, bringing them to an underground room behind the back of the vampires. When the whole house was brought down, the ceiling of this room broke and it fell over Hector, crushing him over the ground. However, he had managed to take the hit all by himself, protecting the young servants who were not older than 16. When we found him, he was barely alive, as one of the servants had some affinity for healing magic and healed him a bit, enough for us to arrive in time. At that moment, Emeraldine healed him fully and we brought him outside alongiside the other survivors. Because he was unconscious and the survivors were too tired, they ended staying behind the ruins and the camp built recently. When Julia arrived, she wasn¡¯t able to see him because he was still sleeping. Just now, by the power of some sort of ¡°butler¡¯s instinct¡± he woke up the moment he heard the voice of hisdy and came to greet her as fast as he could humanly do. I had to admit it, Hector might be a ¡°super butler¡± like those you see in anime based in how strong he is to just rush here at his age. He looks already in histe 50¡¯s. ¡°HECTOOOR!¡± Julia jumped towards Hector, as the Butler was trying to clean his clothes from all the dust. The old man felt surprised as the young teen girl hugged him tightly. ¡°Mdy?!¡± ¡°I thought you were dead!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Certainly, I almost did die. But it was thanks to Lady Emeraldine that I was able to recover. Sadly, I was asleep until now. However, the moment I heard your voice, I immediately woke up. It appears that things have wrapped up?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ A lot of stuff happened, many people died too¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, I am very grateful for what you¡¯ve done,dy Mary andpany. You¡¯re all the heroes of our small fiefdom. As the head servant of the house, I owe you my life.¡± Hector seemed to be a very good man. He was probably like the father Julia never had. It seems that whenever she speaks about her family, she only mentions her mother. Her father? Nowhere to be seen. He might had died, or just disappeared. ¡°Hm, it seems that there are yet to be many things we need to do. How about I make some tea to lift up your spirits while you all discuss what has happened? I won¡¯t dare bother you.¡± Hector said, as Julia nodded. ¡°Okay¡­ After all these years I can only drink your tea, Hector¡­¡± Julia sighed like a spoiled girl. ¡°Haha, mdy. It would be more convenient if you could let go of me, so I can begin moving¡­¡± Hector said, as Julia still had him wrapped in her arms. ¡°Ah¡­ Y-Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Julia muttered. After Julia let go of her butler, she sat back again and then we saw two green-haired maids walking towards us. These were the half-elf twins that served Julia, both were well versed at fighting and protected her against the Vampires, buying a lot of time for us to finally reach here. Faerie is the silent and calm one, with short dark green hair and sharp eyes, and Faire is the cheerful twin of the two, with bigger and brighter eyes, and long light green hair. ¡°Lady Julia, we are back.¡± ¡°We brought some bread and meat we were able to collect!¡± ¡°Eh? You two brought food? Wait, that¡¯s for the citizens, give it back!¡± Julia began to reprimand the two girls, but I stopped her. ¡°Julia, you also need to eat. Don¡¯t go overboard, okay?¡± I asked, as she seemed to sigh. The girl sat down again and her two maids began to sharerge pieces of bread and the meat, which looked like curated ham. As we enjoyed the food and I was able to quench a bit of my hunger. Which was rather big after this entire thing happened, we began talking about the important stuff. ¡°Now let¡¯s go back to the main topic, Julia¡­ About Agatha and everything else.¡± I said to her, as Julia nodded. ¡°It all happened suddenly. The moment you went into the dungeon, the Vampires showed up out of nowhere¡­ I was sure that I had checked every nook and cranny of my house and the surrounding neighborhood¡­ But they just appeared so suddenly it really surprised me.¡± Julia sighed. ¡°Later, we learned that Emiliano was a traitor, obsessed with power, he decided to betray us and work for the Vampires in exchange for being given the blood of these monsters, so he would be able to break his Level Cap¡­ Bastard, I trusted him so much¡­ I feel ashamed of myself for having trusted such a person.¡± ¡°So that guy betrayed us?!¡± I asked in shock. I could had never truly expected this. He was always such a goody-two-shoes! Maybe I should begin doubting people a bit more. ¡°So that green haired human was a traitor that joined the Vampires? Wait, wasn¡¯t he a Court Mage?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°Precisely, he was the one maintaining the barrier. He was the one that always let the vampires inside¡­ the first attack was provoked by him, he wanted to eliminate me for a long time¡­¡± Julia muttered, her eyes showing the clear frustration she was feeling. ¡ª¨C Chapter 375 The Traitor ¡ª¨C Emiliano, the Court Magician resulted to be a filthy traitor. After learning such a truth, I felt bad with myself as well. Perhaps I was too trustful of everyone rted to Julia. I guess I could had inspected things better, or investigated more, but it hasn¡¯t even been a week since I arrived here, and I was mostly rushing things so the fiefdom could be left in peace. The Vampires did all of this just to get the chance to kill her. Raising Undead in the graveyard, fueling the dungeon with miasma and souls so it can produce deadlier monsters, and even using experimental drugs to transform the citizens into monsters to throw chaos over the entire city. They were very borated, and this just show their resourcefulness, just how many materials and money they have to do all this expensive stuff? Are they getting the backing of the Kingdom? Is my theory of a conspiracy that involves both Vampires and this Kingdom¡¯s Royal Family a possibility? Well, for now I want to continue listening to Julia¡¯s version of the things so I can get a better grasp of what had urred. ¡°After that Emiliano betrayed us, he showed us his true nature. He was always a man that lived wearing a mask. He pretended to be nice and thoughtful, and even innocent, but he was always a rotten and heartless man. He confessed to us he always was searching for the ¡°true meaning of magic¡± above all things, and that his research ended the moment he reached his level cap¡­ Since then, he tried to find ways to increase the Level Cap, finding out about Monster Evolution, and how when monsters reach max level, sometimes, if they have the talent, they can evolve. Even demi-humans can do this sometimes, he envied them all, and said that being a human was in fact a weakness of all of us¡­¡± Julia said while slowly growing more serious. Her face seemed to distort by thinking about the jackass. ¡°So he was a power-hungry nutter?¡± I asked. ¡°Alright, I get it¡­ Quite the clich¨¦ development, but you can¡¯t really expect much from a guy that was born in nobility and had everything from the beginning, I can say the only thing that brough him joy was growing stronger. Getting hit by a progression wall that he might never be able to cross was clearly going to make him go mad.¡± ¡°I-I guess¡­ I suppose Emiliano has a very different mindset. I remember finding out he grew without parents, as both his parents died from a disease that attacked this fiefdom long ago. He grew raised by servants. Perhaps he never developed well enough like that. Even I had my mother there most of the days of the week¡­ Even though she was terribly busy, she was always there, she taught me many values I hold within my heart.¡± Julia answered. ¡°I suppose Emiliano never had any opportunities to grow emotionally, and he attached himself to the only thing that brought him some sort of joy and exhration in a life where he had everything except the love of his parents, power.¡± ¡°Humans are truly ungrateful for the things they¡¯re given¡­ The god of light created humans this way because he wanted them to unify. They were given great talents but also restrictions. In exchange, unlike Majin, Elves, Dwarves, and Beast-kin, you can multiply and grow incredibly quickly. Humans always have been seen as the ¡°rabbit people¡± for some of us Majin, as you simply multiply too fast. With enough food andnd, your poption often doubles in merely a few years.¡± Lucifer added. It seems that unlike Humans, most other races were long lived, but also reproduced very slowly and also developer slower than humans. ¡°Y-You think so?¡± Sighed Julia, feeling a bit down. ¡°I guess every people¡¯s tribe has their advantages and disadvantages. But I simply want to create a ce where my people can live and prosper. I know I cannot bring them the best luxury possible, but at least, I want them to have three meals a day, a job, and also to be able to sleep without having to worry about a grim future.¡± ¡°¡­Of course, there are exceptions. You¡¯re a good person, Julia. I am not someone that discriminates humans, despite the things they did to the Demon Kingdom years ago¡­ I am slightly resentful, yes. But through my journey with Mary, I¡¯ve learned various things, I¡¯ve meet a lot of people, and my perspective of life has changed several times. Discriminating an entire group of people based in the actions of some is not something right¡­ The Demon King would had never wanted that either.¡± Lucifer seemed to recall his past for a bit. ¡°S-Sir Lucifer, just how old are you?¡± Wondered Julia. ¡°I do know that Majin can live very long¡­ as long as elves sometimes, depending in their tribe¡­¡± ¡°Older than you can imagine.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to disclose anything personal. Go on with your conversation. I believe I¡¯ve said enough.¡± ¡°R-Right, sorry for trying to intrude in your personal life.¡± Julia apologized. ¡°Anyways, when the Vampires ambushed us, we ran away while fighting. Your Undead proved to be of great help to aid us in buying time. The valiant Darkbound, a former enemy became my protector, and it was thanks to his sacrifice that we were not killed in the early stages of the ambush¡­ Your two Undead Beasts also helped greatly, alongside your Familiars, although all of them ended perishing¡­¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I can always make another Darkboundter.¡± I said. ¡°And the two beasts were revived andbined together, they¡¯re there.¡± I said, pointing at the enormous Kuro and Raven who were one single chimeric creature flying atop the skies, resembling a winged six-limbed panther. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Julia answered in surprise. ¡°I already caught Darkbound¡¯spound soul, as long as I have that I can bring him backter, though Ick enough materials for now.¡± I said. ¡°He said that he¡¯s happy you were grateful, he worked hard.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ Undead are truly intriguing.¡± Julia smiled. ¡ª¨C Chapter 376 Time For Some Little Rest ¡ª¨C ¡°Moving on, when Emiliano betrayed us, he was given the blood of the a ¡°Pure Blood Vampire¡±. The moment that happened, he started to scream as his body twisted over the floor. We left him behind as we continued fighting and running away, so we were unable to see what happened with him¡­ Have you found any corpse of a man with green hair? Perhaps he died and was unable to transform, the Vampire woman said that the blood might kill him instead of transforming him into one of their kin.¡± Julia said while feeling intrigued if that possibility could be true. ¡°Sadly, we haven¡¯t found any green-haired guyying dead.¡± Said Partner. ¡°I¡¯ve been checking the surroundings myself.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Julia seemed to sigh in frustration. ¡°Then that leaves only one possibility the little bastard escaped.¡± I said. ¡°Yes, that seems to be the case.¡± Julia said. ¡°What about Agatha? Did she said something else? Anything that could be useful for our research?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°Well, she said that they were using this fiefdom as an experimental field, and when the previous duke, my uncle, died and I took over, I ended ruining their ns. They wanted to make this ce a faraway and small area where they could experiment with all their strange creations.¡± Julia said. ¡°That vampire woman said the drugs were made by her, and that she was controlling the people and turning them into monsters¡­ Naturally, when she was finally killed, the people ended turning back. It was perhaps some sort of magic that targeted those that consumed the drug.¡± ¡°It seems to be the case¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Hahh¡­ I am so tired but I think there¡¯s nothing either? ¡­Ah! She also said her Lord wanted this entire ce to be brought down¡­ Because they didn¡¯t wanted to leave evidence of their acts. This probably means that there might be those that oppose them, if they feared leaving evidence¡­ Maybe not all the Kingdom is corrupt. I hope?¡± Wondered Julia. ¡°I hope so as well¡­¡± I said. As we were thinking in silence, Hector came back with tea and even¡­ cookies and cake?! Where did he got that? ¡°Mdy, everyone, I¡¯ve bought you some fine tea and sweets to give you energy. Today was surely a tiring day, but you must first recharge your energies before doing anything else. Let¡¯s go one step at a time.¡± Hector said, despite his clothes being almost ruined and his face covered in bruises, he seemed to be rather cheerful. ¡°Hector¡­! Where did you found these sweets?!¡± Julia asked. ¡°The underground storage is where most of our food is stored. That was where we hid with the other servants. So I simply went down there to bring food, there is plenty for everybody.¡± Said Hector. ¡°Ah, I thought the underground storage was buried in debris, what a relief¡­¡± Julia immediately began drinking some tea and then eating cake. Her heart was instantly soothed. I was also feeling extremely tired, so I immediately joined her as I drank tea and ate some cheesecake. It was truly more delicious than I had imagined. Perhaps what I truly needed was to eat something sweet to brighten my day! Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine were also enjoying the food while drinking the rxing and soothing herbal tea. This assortment of sweets was perhaps what we all needed. I really love myself some sugars. Even if Ick a brain, sugary food still kind of jolts me back to reality. . . . We spent the rest of the day helping Julia and everyone else in the city. And even until now, my Undead were still restlessly moving debris and cleaning the streets. They were an amazing work force to be honest. Without needing food to move, only requiring Mana to move around, and being intelligent enough to do various tasks, we could employ them as workforce to easily lift the economy of this fiefdom. At first, people was quite afraid of the Undead, but after everything that happened, my identity as a powerful Necromancer spread out and became well known by basically everybody. This caused the view on Undead to change. Maybe only a bit for now, but it is slowly changing. By announcing that all Skeletons and Zombies walking around are friendly and merely working for me. People seemed to be able to tolerate them. The zombies look like very pale people with gray eyes, they don¡¯t reek either, as I¡¯ve made them all through the Soul Grimoire and are not directly risen from corpses, but I used the corpses to recreate Undead out of thin air as if they were materials in a crafting game. The Soul Grimoire is pretty amazing, like this, I can design and create special Undead, such as the Living Armors I made that could resist the power of Miasma and other dark elements to protect Partner and Emeraldine while we flew through the Miasmic Domain of the Demon-form Agatha. I n to help the fiefdom of Julia because I owe her a few things still, such as her hospitality, and how she has supplied me with food and other resources. For the moment, however, after having eaten and worked a lot, we moved towards an Inn for the moment, while Julia went to temporarily stay inside a Noble¡¯s house that is rted to her. There weren¡¯t enough rooms for us and we didn¡¯t wanted to ask her servants to sleep in the couch or something, so the second room was for them. We decided to simply move to an Inn, as we are mere Adventurers in their eyes, it was the most obvious thing to do. I was quite tired despite being a ghost. I have noticed that I grow exhausted after using tons of Mana, especially when I use the power of my soul too. It is a deep exhaustion that can only be properly healed through sleeping. So I will do a little shuteye, tomorrow there¡¯s a lot of work to do, so we are going to be quite busy. ¡ª¨C Chapter 377 The Vampire Progenitor ¡ª¨C (Some hours ago¡­) Sitting over a ck chair, a pale-white man with bright red eyes and short silvery-white hair seemed to be meditating. His eyes were actually closed, even though, the gleam they emanated resembled an aura of blood energying out of his shut eyes. In a second, his eyes opened, however, as they unleashed a sh of red light across his room. A servant entered the room without any noise, mixing with the shadows themselves, a figure covered in robes kneeled before him, as he was the ¡°Lord¡± of the Vampires, the Progenitor himself. ¡°Milord, the squad led by Lady Agatha has¡­!¡± ¡°I know. The lost, right? They¡¯re all dead. I am well aware.¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± The moment that Agatha died, he had felt it. After all, unlike the hundreds of Subordinate Vampires, Pure Blood Vampire such as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were very connected to the Progenitor through the power of Bloodlines. While Vampire Subordinates had a very weak Bloodline Connection with the Progenitor due to their weakness and impurity as Vampires, Pure Blood Vampires had a strong Bloodline Connection with him thanks to their great power and the purity of their Bloodlines. When Agatha almost perished, he also felt that. However, as she had yet to die, he imagined that his n B had begun. After all, he had given her a Demonite Heart Core that not only made her stronger, but also had the power to revive her and transform her into an abomination that could destroy the entire fiefdom that she went to ruin. Confident of his own creations, the Progenitor let Agatha destroy everything in her new Demonic Form. ¡­But things didn¡¯t ended as he nned. Ultimately, Agatha was somehow defeated. The Mercenaries that were employed by the Duchess Julia were the culprits behind Agatha¡¯s death. Due to his [Bloodline Connection] Skill unique to Progenitor Vampires, the man was able to see through some of Agatha¡¯s memories and even through her eyes, for a few seconds, as it was limited. And ultimately, he noticed it was them, as he had seen them before from the images sent to him through Illusion Magic Artifacts by the Vampires scouting the fiefdom of Affnaria. However, there was something weird about the woman named ¡°Mary¡±. He remembers having seen her before, in the incident that happened some time ago in another Fiefdom¡­ It was about the ghost of Maria, the ¡°Dark Witch¡± or the ¡°Witch of Misfortune¡±, a woman shrouded in mystery who was attributed to the misfortune of people. She used to be born in nobility, but was stripped from her title as a noble, captured, and beheaded after being used of cursing her hometown with bad luck. Although her appearance had changed drastically and she looked almost like apletely different person, the powers she had, and that look in her face. And that information she got from Agatha about her being a ¡°ghost¡±¡­ It was more than clear she wasn¡¯t simply a Necromancer named Mary, but the one and only ghost of this witch, who has been reported to have ruined his ns for a long time since her resurrection as a phantasmal undead. ¡°Milord?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Call the other three Horsemen, we are making a meeting with them.¡± ¡°Yes milord.¡± The Progenitor looked into a glowing sphere in front of him, emanating bright purple light. ¡°This woman is faking her identity¡­ Just how strong has this ghost grown? Is it possible for a ghost to use magic that is capable of making them resemble a living person?¡± Even the Progenitor of the Vampires of this Family was shocked that an undead could evolve to the extent it was able to fake their own appearance into resembling a living being. Even the strongest ghost he has ever fought resembled a phantasmal entity, it waspletely impossible for him to imagine that beings that looked to be made out of pure phantom could somehow materialize their souls until turningpletely physical, enough to easily trick people. The only entities simr to her that he had ever met would be the Great Spirits, powerful elemental spirits that live in certain areas of the world. They are able to take humanoid and physical forms despite beingpletely made out of elemental essence. ¡°Could a Ghost¡­ evolve into a Spirit?¡± He wondered. However, he quickly waved his head, thinking the idea waspletely ridiculous and out of the ordinary. ¡°No¡­ She¡¯s simply in another level ofplexity altogether. And for a while now, I¡¯ve felt a powerful Divine Protection in her. Is she blessed by a god¡­ The Goddess of Death, perhaps? But why? Why would Hel bless a ghost? What are the gods nning?¡± The Vampire Progenitor wondered and pondered this question while he looked over the map of the world, the most urate map ever made. This magic artifact was once created by an ancient Summoned Hero of the Midgard Continent, and he traveled the entire world and mapped it. In there, it showed several enormous continents, each one colored different to show their primary elements. Therge continent in the middle of the other ones was Midgard, where the most quantity of humans dwelled. The continent had the shape of Northern Europe from Earth, interestingly enough. Meanwhile, other continents such as Jotunheim, Niflheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Muspelheim, and a Vanaheim surrounded the continent, some of them smaller than others, but each one respectably massive. Each of such continents had a ¡°dominant race¡± as well, such as Ice Giants for Jotunheim, Fire Giants for Muspelheim, Elves for Alfheim, Dwarves for Svartalfheim, and Beast-kin for Vanaheim, while Niflheim also had Ice Giants, but not in bigger quantities. ¡°Seeing the world¡¯s vastness, stressing over this little detail shouldn¡¯t even be a thought that passes through my mind.¡± The Progenitor sighed. ¡°This ghost¡­ We¡¯ll exterminate her alongside her little party. But for now, it would be better to leave Julia and her fiefdom alone. That ce is of no use for me anymore.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 378 The Four Horsemen ¡ª¨C Shadows suddenly converged in front of the Progenitor, taking the shape of a man covered in ck robes. ¡°My lord, things are prepared. The Horsemen have arrived through the Teleportation devises. Shall we prepare a feast for all four of you?¡± Wondered his servant. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have appetite.¡± The Progenitor man spoke with a cold voice, suddenly turning into a mass of bats that flew across his enormous castle, in seconds, he emerged before three figures sitting around a rectangr table. They were apanied by three other figures, their most trusted retainers. The three figures looked simple at first sight, but at closer inspection, their very auras emanated enormously strong presences that would easily frighten somebody to death. Their distinctive crimson red eyes and skin as pale as candle wax was quite frightening. They resembled living corpses that had suddenly moved out of their graveyards and sat down here. The Progenitor was no exception to this rule. These three powerful figures were thest three Horsemen of the Apocalypse, two men and another woman. Their appearances were barely discernable as they were shrouded in shadows and their own Blood Auras. ¡°I am d you¡¯ve alle. A you may already have guessed, Agatha died a few hours ago.¡± The progenitor spoke. ¡°We know. Just what happened there?¡± A slightly silent, serious, and overly cold voice spoke first. One of the two males that were part of thest three Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a man whose entire face was being protected by a mask with the shape of a skull. ¡°She was killed by a band of mercenaries employed by the Duchess of the Fiefdom of Affnaria¡­¡± The Progenitor promptly said. The other three Vampires and their retainers felt slightly surprised based in their reactions. ¡°What?! A band of mercs just killed our Agatha?! Are you sure, my lord?!¡± Roared back the second male. Unlike the first one, his energetic and loud voice was very contrasting from the other man. He wore a red-colored mask with the shape of a furious demon. His body was twice as tall as the Progenitor himself, and he was covered in muscles despite Vampires being known to be skinny. ¡°Agatha¡­ She was the youngest of the three of us and also the weakest, and she was also very childish¡­ I wish we could had taught her to be more cautious.¡± Muttered the third of them, a woman with a serious and dignified voice. She had long blonde hair, but her face was being covered by another mask, that of a benevolent-looking man with a golden mustache and a golden crown, a king. ¡°Bastards! Milord, tell me where they are! I am going to go and tear them all apart into pieces! I won¡¯t forgive them! Agatha must be avenged!!!¡± The tallest man roared, hitting the table as his fury was clear in his eyes beneath his demonic mask, the light of his eyes shing brightly. ¡°Likewise. If we all join together, even someone that defeated her should have no hope of winning.¡± The second and skinnier man spoke. His cold voice filled with ruthlessness and conviction. ¡°I also agree¡­¡± Said the woman, seemingly saddened by Agatha¡¯s passing. ¡°¡­No, fools.¡± Sighed the Progenitor. ¡°This is exactly what those bastards want. To separate our family and bring us down. If you all end up going out, what about each of our facilities? And all the effort we have spent building our underworld empire? We have reached so far already, do you want to throw everything into the trash now and recklessly charge against a foe that has proven to be out of the ordinary?!¡± The Progenitor furiously roared back at his dogs, as they calmed down their fury, and remained in silence while lowering their heads. Although Vampires were ruthless and often treated even their own kin harshly, those that knew each other for many years would build eventually rtionships. Usually, the bullying was directed to newbies, which became these bloodsucker¡¯s ythings until some of them survived long enough to be actually considered part of the family. Between the Progenitor and the four Horsemen, alongside the Horsemen closest retainers, there was a strong bond, and above all, an incredible sense of pride about their family, which has struggled and survived over many years since he fall of the Demon King. ¡°We have only been able to survive this long because we have kept together with one another. Alone, we cannot fight against the ursed humans, but together, we can slowly advance and seep our venom into their society. Slowly biting away their flesh and drinking their blood. We have ben doing this for a long time since the Demon King¡¯s death. I always knew his ideals would amount to nothing before the ruthlessness of these monsters. The only path to our victory would be by bing ruthless ourselves and exterminate them.¡± The Progenitor spoke words that were conceived as wise by his family, the Horsemen remained in silence, until they were allowed to speak when he finished. ¡°I know that, my lord.¡± Sighed the woman. ¡°However, what do we do now then? Should we simply let this be and that¡¯s it? Don¡¯t you feel any remorse for Agatha¡¯s death, when you himself raised her and made her into the powerful warrior she became?¡± ¡°Certainly I did. I¡¯ve always been worried about her childishness¡­ This is why I gave her the power to revive into a new and power entity if she ever were to die, but even that didn¡¯t seem to work against this powerful foe¡­ This woman, the same woman we once plotted her death and that of her family so the royal family could finally acquire the Fragment of the Evil god¡­ She was there, she killed Agatha.¡± The Progenitor spoke. The other Vampires gasped in surprise, without an exception. ¡°Y-You mean¡­?!¡± Asked the tall male vampire. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ Has that ghost grown so strong in this little time?!¡± The skinny man couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ Maria Fuentes Belles, the Witch of Misfortune, isn¡¯t it?¡± The woman asked. ¡°Indeed¡­ This woman¡­ Since her resurrection as a ghost, that she had only been trying to ruin our ns!¡± The Vampire Progenitor roared in frustration, hitting the table. BAAM! ¡ª¨C Chapter 379 Plans ¡ª¨C The Vampire Progenitor couldn¡¯t contain his fury, mming the table. The other Vampires remained in silence, their frustration was clear as their retainers panicked a bit over their overflowing emotions. ¡°Then what do we even do, my lord?¡± Asked the tallest of the Vampires. ¡°We mustn¡¯t let this slide. We have to n something.¡± Said the skinny Vampire. ¡°But the meeting between the Dukes and the King is approaching, the golden opportunity for all of us to join together and take over this country¡­¡± Sighed the woman. ¡°Fear not, my informants have told me that the King has learned what happened in Affnaria and has decided to dy the meeting between the governors of his nation until the next year¡­ Probably fearing that something might happen to him. He is a cautious man indeed.¡± Sighed the Progenitor. ¡°He also will probably begin to fund Julia, so we cannot easily approach to her again, if we all go there, we¡¯ll be the target of the church as well. Their magical technology has evolved over all this time, supplied by the Holy Empire, they¡¯re not a foe we can easily mess with, even if our strength might guarantee our victory against the average priests, they¡¯ll chase us down and the strongest of them might eventually find us. The Holy Emperor is a threat we cannot easily provoke¡­ yet. We must grow further first.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve being too cautious as always, my lord¡­¡± Sighed the tallest man, crossing his arms. ¡°But I suppose this time might also give us some more time to gather our forces and earn more money in the meantime.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ If attacking the Duchy of Affnaria is forbidden, how can we track this woman?¡± Asked the skinny male vampire. ¡°We have already tracked, our scouting squads are more efficient than you three believe.¡± Sighed the Progenitor. ¡°She had settled down with the Goblins and other demi-humans very far away, in the former ruins of the Demon Kingdom. Our influence and family has yet to reach such a faraway ce, especially the Kingdom that lives in such low temperatures. However, from the scouting team, it was said that there were survivors of the Demon Kingdom living there not so long ago, but they were suddenly all frozen by a mysterious figure. They¡¯re not dead, but frozen through a strange curse.¡± ¡°What?! So there were survivors?!¡± Asked the tallest vampire. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± ¡°You muscle for brains, we have already gone past the moment we could have helped them. The ancient demon kingdom and their survivors¡­ are not our problem anymore.¡± Sighed the man wearing the fox mask. ¡°But¡­! If I had known there were still survivors there somehow I¡­¡± The tall vampire muttered, but quickly remained in silence at the end. It has been years, many, many years already. It was toote for regrets. ¡°I see, so what you rmend us is to kill Maria when she¡¯s back? But we have also learned about these threats. Whoever created that magic ice is not someone we can just ignore. If they did such a thing, they might even be territorial.¡± Said the vampire woman. ¡°What do you have in mind, my lord?¡± ¡°I have investigated enough. It seems that arge tribe of the mighty Ice Giants have settled in there¡­ Some time ago, a member of their tribe, a young woman, found an ancient relic made by the gods named ¡°Skadi¡¯s Winter Crown¡±, this powerful crown granted her incredible and insuperable powers. And with them, she had beenmanding the entire tribe and strengthening her forces. For some reason, she showed hostility to the surviving Majin, despite having been peaceful for so long¡­ This treasure, whatever it is, might have some power capable of brainwashing the wearer. She¡¯s a threat we must be cautious about.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Wait, how about we simply ally them?¡± Wondered the woman. ¡°What?¡± The Progenitor asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal? I mean, if we can gather aggressive tribes that are hellbent into taking over others, we can manipte them and simply use them to invade her precious little country. We destroy them and thenugh at the face she makes when everything she has built is destroyed. It¡¯s not as if we are not good at negotiations. Whatever those demons did to that ¡°Frost Queen¡±, we can use it to our advantage and obtain a valuable and tyrannical ally.¡± Said the woman, she was ambitious. ¡°Hm, not bad.¡± The Progenitor said. ¡°If you¡¯re so willing, then you¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Of course, I shall take care of the preparations. It won¡¯t be immediate. But on its due time¡­ We got plenty of time until the beginning of next year after all.¡± Said the woman, giggling maliciously. ¡°Wait! Shouldn¡¯t we just go and smash her ce? Not like we can¡¯t do it right now, right?¡± Asked the burly vampire man. ¡°You¡¯re seriously just muscles for brain, aren¡¯t you? We have not survived this long acting like idiots. You have to remember she¡¯s a necromancer, and the Undead she can create have begun to be stronger and stronger with each time. She can probably make B Rank Undead without even sweating¡­ She used them against Agatha to corner her and her squad after all.¡± Sighed the fox mask-wearing vampire. ¡°Indeed, muscle head, we have to think this through and do roundabouts. Also, what¡¯s better than others doing our work than ourselves? That way, we never truly risk it. This is how we have always worked. Make others do it for you, your life is left intact and even if they fail¡­ You just find more people willing enough. A rotten and corrupt world such as this¡­ has plenty of people willing to do anything for a bit of food, a bed, and ce where to sleep beneath a ceiling.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t this how we gathered our lovely family together?¡± ¡°Then it is decided¡­ As for the other things, we¡¯ll slowly begin nning them. Agatha¡¯s death won¡¯t be in vain either. I shall support you with resources, but make sure to bring me notable results.¡± ¡°Understood, my lord. Things might take a while, but I shall bring you fruitful results.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 380 A Wild Night ¡ª¨C (Maria¡¯s POV) When I woke up, the sun was already rising from the horizon. The light of the sun was warm andforting, and for some reason it really felt nice despite being a ghost. It felt as if it permeated my ¡°skin¡± very deliciously¡­ Wait, deliciously? There¡¯s something odd. I feel more¡­ real than before? It seems that this might be rted to a Skill- Wait, right! [Materialization] had evolved into [Embodiment]st night! I forgot about that¡­ Is this why I feel so ¡°real¡± now? I looked into my hands, and touched them, they felt so fleshy it was slightly frightening. I had the impulse of grabbing a knife, cutting myself, and seeing if blood woulde out, and I did. But what came out was just bluish phantasmal essence. And the ¡°wound¡± wasn¡¯t even one, as everything healed automatically. Wow, I guess I am even more ¡°real¡± yet inside, I am still a phantasmal entity. This feels very odd, but I¡¯ll take it. Is this why my hands feel slightly strangely warm? Not really warm, I am still almost dead cold, but I can absorb warmth better, the sun feels nice because of this¡­ Perhaps my materialized body is like that of a lizard now and I¡¯ll need to bathe inn sunlight to warm up a bit. Before, it was impossible to gain any type of warmth after all, not even to retain it. So it felt slightly weird. It even made me slightly¡­ sad. I have now three lovers, although we have yet to make thingspletely official, but I feel I cannot even give them the warmth I wish I could give to them. Maybe this is why I only I¡¯ve done it with Partner¡­ Though she was slightly pushy. But I¡¯ve restrained myself from doing anything aside from kissing and hugging because I know I cannot¡­ properly give them the warmth they deserve. Of course, I love being an OP Ghost, but sometimes¡­ It kind of makes me sad. I was alive once, so I remember the warmth of the living, how it felt to be so energetic and everything. It kind of gets me sad every time I remember I cannot even givefort and warmth to those I love so much¡­ Could the path towards a more ¡°living¡± body be in the Embodiment Skill? I¡¯ll have to practice with it some more to see how far it can get as well. Maybe¡­ Just maybe I could give them morefortable hugs, and hold their hands, and share warmth¡­ And kiss them without feeling like I will give them a cold. And love them some more¡­ Ugh, I¡¯ve been working a bit too hardtely, I might need a small break from all the fighting and war. What should I even do for now? My job is actually done here but of course, I¡¯ll help Julia get everything going. But I suppose that after that¡­ We¡¯ll grab food and supplies and then run back home. I am missing everybody there. And after that¡­ I have no idea. We might just wait until the meeting between rulers of the Kingdom while finding the clues for my little brother and my aunt that is taking care of him. I also want to meet him. Hm, yeah, waiting is not my style though. Although I am saying I¡¯m tired, I am a hyperactive girl, so I like to go around. We might use our free time to visit the Dwarf Kingdom in the Ash Mountains and try to find any survivors of Lucifer¡¯s Dragon Family. I would really like to meet new people too. And of course, we have to investigate the whole ordeal with the cursed ice and how to uncurse it. Though¡­ I wonder if I can do it now that I¡¯ve grown strong enough. It might be worth a shot whenever we get back home. ¡°Hah~ Yeah, no, there¡¯s actually a lot to do! Alright, time to get up! We¡¯ll spend the week here and then we¡¯ll go back home, it is decided!¡± I said triumphantly, suddenly realizing I was buck naked. ¡°Huh? What happened here?¡± I looked at my bed and quickly realize there were three buck naked people there as well. It was Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine. Hold up a second. Wait¡­ wait a bit. ¡°D-Did we do it?¡± I wondered, looking back at my memories, things were dizzy. But I do remember I just got very drunk in the celebration night, like, too much. It seems that the alcohol Julia shared with us was made with a very strong liquor that was made by the Holy Empire, and they kind of¡­ blessed it with light or something? For resume, it affected me a lot because that¡¯s my weakness. So I got super drunk and began doing a bunch of stuff I usually don¡¯t do¡­ But¡­ Ah! Now I remember a bit. I carried Lucifer with my arms and brought him to bed. And then I¡­ sucked his thing. Ah¡­ Why did I just do something so lewd out of nowhere?! Well, it¡¯s not as if he wasn¡¯t enjoying it! Okay, I have to calm down. Memories are flowing into my mind constantly as I begin to recall everything. That night I got super drunk, fucked Lucifer in bed like a barbarian, which surprises me now, as I consider he left himself be dominated so easily while being a prideful dragon and all¡­ Andstly, Emeraldine and Partner joined in when Lucifer was left half-dead over the bed. After that¡­ we had fun between girls and then I passed out. Damn. This wasn¡¯t how I expected I would have sex for the first time with Lucifer and Emeraldine. It was too sudden, but I can tell I enjoyed it. I wish I could had been a bit more conscious there though, but I know they liked it as well. Though next time, I¡¯ll try doing it while I¡¯m not so drunk. Well, there¡¯s always more opportunities in the future, right? ¡ª¨C Chapter ?381 A Slightly Embarassing Talk Chapter ?381 A Slightly Embarassing Talk ----- When I looked back at my memories, I couldn''t help but feel embarrassed. I quickly put my clothes on, which were all physical clothes to add more realism to my appearance and trick others into thinking I am a living human, and then decided to go bring breakfast. The Inn was selling a big breakfast for a few coins, so I quickly purchased it. The Lady that was cooking food and also attending the Inn was smiling at me though. "Hehe, you four had a lot of funst night, didn''t you? The creaking of the bed could be heard all the way down here! Hohohoho!" "What?! You heard us?!" "Why yes, we also saw you. You were carrying that handsome man with your arms, and twodies came at your side¡­ Are you three his wives? You really put him through a lot!" "Erm¡­ Not really, they''re my two girlfriends and my boyfriend." "Eh?! Y-You swing both ways?" "Yes?" "I-I see¡­ Well, as long as you''re happy, dear. And here, bring them this food, I put a special juice in there that will give them enough stamina. You probably drained all three of them if you continued doing it until sote¡­ Hohoho~!" "P-Please stop pointing it out already!" I ran upstairs while feelingpletely embarrassed, and quickly closed the door behind me as I entered the room. I quickly found all three of them already awake, confused about what had happened. They were just as drunk as I wasst night, it seems. "Huh? Hm? What''s this?" Partner wondered, looking at the bed and grabbing Lucifer''s underwear. "T-That''s mine!" Lucifer cried, grabbing his underwear, and quickly putting it on. "I can''t believe we did something like thatst night¡­ T-That was¡­ Ugh, I hate how I barely remember it- Ah! Maria!" Emeraldine ran towards me. She had already wore a white dress and was covering her beautiful body, even if filled with scars, she was a dazzling beauty. "G-Good morning you three¡­ I brought you breakfast. Erm¡­ S-Sorry forst night, it wasn''t my intention to force you into something¡­" I sighed. "Well, we also agreed to it even while drunk¡­ Not like I am regretting it either¡­" Emeraldine said, as she approached me her lips. I gave her a lovely kiss and petted her head. "T-That''s right¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "Though, you two girls¡­ D-Did I do something to you two? If I did, I apologize, I promise I won''t get drunk ever again." "No, you didn''t!" Laughed Partner. "When we got here you were already passed out and continued like that until this morning. Hehehe, Maria drained you dry of your dragon seed, didn''t she?" Partner smiled mischievously as Lucifer covered his face in embarrassment. "P-Please don''t say such embarrassing things! I-I am still trying to maintain my pride a bit, okay?!" Lucifer cried while feelingpletely flustered. "Well yes, he filled me up a lot, but right after his third shot, he just literally died¡­" I giggled a bit. "M-Maria!" Lucifer tried to reprimand me. "Ugh, will you get pregnant now?! C-Can ghost get pregnant? Partner tell me!" "Why would I know?! And I doubt it¡­" Sighed Partner. "Calm down, Lucifer. You''re now part of the cool kid''s team." "Cool kids? Wait¡­ D-Did you had sex with Maria before us?" Lucifer asked. Libread. "Well yes¡­" Partner said. "Eh? Unfair!" Emeraldine said while pouting angrily at me. "S-Sorry¡­ It just kind of just happened¡­" I sighed. "But we are all even now, right? So don''t get angry, please." "Hmm¡­ Well, I guess its alright now." Emeraldine sighed, grabbing a cup of tea and a toast with butter on top, biting it and quickly going back to bed to sit there. "Well now, let''s have some breakfast, we can discuss things more calmly there, alright?" I asked the three, as they seemed to agree in something together at longst. As we enjoyed the nice and earthy breakfast, we began to discuss things while feeling calmer and less confused. "So to summarize, we all got wasted and did it¡­" Said Partner. "Yep¡­" I said.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "That''s great, we should do that more often!" Partner added. "What?! N-No! If I ever do it again with Maria, I want to do it while being able to keep some more memories¡­ Being drunk is bad in that regard¡­!" Emeraldine said while her pointy ears began to p adorably. "I agree with Emeraldine¡­ And also, we should take turns, if we do it all together it might end up being exhausting for Maria." Lucifer said. "A-Also, I might begin using protection. Even if you might not be able to get pregnant, I don''t know if I can be a father again¡­ I failed as one before." "Aw, what are you talking about dear? I would dly have your child if I could even get pregnant, you know? Don''t feel worried rx! I am just a ghost, there''s no way I can get preggers anyways. I am dead." Iughed. ? Although, I''ve gotten way more "real" thanks to [Embodiment] and there are some serious proof that I might be also turning into something simr to a demon and a spirit all at the same time¡­ If I ever get pregnant of Lucifer, will Iy an egg or give direct birth though? Kind of curious to think about¡­ Nheless, that''s impossible anyways, so I don''t have to get worried about it. "R-Really¡­?" Lucifer asked while feeling rather moved. "That''s quite¡­ charming to say to a male dragon, you know?" "Hahaha! But there''s no way I am getting pregnant, rx." I said, patting his shoulder and giving him a kiss. "Y-Yeah, I thought so as well." Lucifer sighed in relief. "Hmm¡­ Well, what should we do now? I kind of want to take a bath, I am covered in strange fluids¡­" Said Emeraldine. "I didn''t knew Maria can produce them now¡­ Actually, I never imagined it was even possible to have sex with her¡­" "Well her materialized body is very realistic." Said Partner. "She''s also soft and squishy." "Yeah, she''s very squishy, one of the things I remember was squishing those thigs¡­ Hmmm¡­" Emeraldine said while suddenly making a face filled with ecstasy. "Ah, yeah. Though her breasts are the best." Lucifer said. "Y-You three, stop talking about me so openly like that! It''s embarrassing!" I cried, rushing to the bathroom. Seriously, it''s gonna take a while to get more open with this than I had originally imagined. ----- Chapter ?382 I Am A Sacrilegious Existence?! Chapter ?382 I Am A Sacrilegious Existence?! ----- While I went to take a bath, I decided to check my Status and my newest Skills and Title Skills, which I had mostly ignored yesterday due to being so busy doing a million things even after the big battle. ----- [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv1] A special Title granted to those that have meddled with the Fragments of the Evil God. Your existence has been deemed as sacrilegious, as you have not only offended a God, but various of them. Your existence is deemed as more than just a taboo, but there might be several gods that would disapprove of your actions. As touching the Fragments of the Evil God is a forbidden act, this Title seems to fit your existence. However, as a plus, it grants a bonus to +30% to All Stats (Invisible Bonus) for each Title Skill Level each time you oppose some sort of godly or divine force. Additionally, the [Aether] Stat can be developed. ----- I see¡­ I had kind of just tried to forget about this one Title, but yeah, it sounds very gruesome against me! Like¡­e on, give me a break why am I deemed as such a monster now out of nowhere? Seems kind of unfair, very unfair in fact! And what''s that about meddling with the Evil God Fragments? Was this triggered because the Demonite Heart Core was big enough¡­ and I ate it? Does everybody that touches big enough secretions also receive this Title Skill? [Certainly so. Additionally, the [Aether] Stat can be developed] Aether Stat¡­? What do I do with that? [It is a special Stat that increases the strength of your soul. The higher the Aether, the bigger your soul will be and the more powers you will be able to develop within your Soul] I see¡­ Can I see it? [Aether: 100] Just 100?! [Aether is a special Stat that cannot increase by Leveling Up either, but it might be the key to attain even higher levels of strength than you''ve imagined.] I see¡­ System, how can I develop more Aether then? [Consuming strong souls grant you Aether, alongside that, absorbing energies, and enhancing your Soul''s power through Soulforging Arts.] What''s that even?! [A power that only beings above the Realm of Rank A know about, it might, in some cases, open the path to [Divinity] EH?! D-Divinity? Do I have the qualifications? [No.] Ah¡­ Where can I find this technique or art? Can I learn it with the System? [Not until you at least find more information about it, there might be people that know about it. Try to ask those at higher authority levels about people that might know about "Forging Souls", that could bring you some clues, perhaps.] Hm, seems hard.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Oh well, moving on, I guess I''ll have to check that on another asion because right now? It seems highly impossible. Well, for now I should check the other Skills I got. ----- [Vampire yer: Lv1] A Title Skill acquired by someone who has defeated arge quantity of Vampires mercilessly. It increases damage dealt against bloodsuckers by +20% with each Title Skill Level. Additionally, Blood-Attribute Magic Damage is reduced by -10% with each Title Skill Level. ----- Ohoo! This one seems pretty handy! With this I can both deal more damage to these bloodsuckers and even receive less damage from their attacks. Isn''t that amazingly convenient and just fitting for a murder hobo like me? Also I was thinking I should had gotten it earlier, but I suppose I had to kill even more Vampires than just less than a handful. Well, that''s more than done now, so the only thing I can do to level this up is¡­ Kill more Vampires. I am assuming that Vampire Zombies are not included in the Skill Proficiency, I hope. ¡­Because if not, I might begin killing and reviving Vampire Zombies constantly. So let''s hope it doesn''t work as I want, or those poor little Vampire Subordinates are up for a good beating. Anyways, moving on there''s this weird Special Skill one, which is catalogued in the same category as the Unique Skills I have acquired. Very weird, right? I do wonder what''s it''s all about¡­ ----- [Abyss Eater: Lv1] As someone who has devoured part of the Abyss itself, you''re capable of consume more of the Abyss without major repercussions and assimte it into your soul slowly. Miasmic Essences can be consumed and resisted to an extent, and the secretions of the Evil God''s Fragments be a mere snack for you. Additionally, increases damage dealt against beings that carry the power of Miasma by +20% with each Level, and grants an additional Draining Effect that constantly drains Miasmic residues within your surroundings. ----- Huh? So this pretty much makes me a Miasma vacuum cleaner or something? Well I had already forced myself to absorb miasma in the battle yesterday¡­ So now being able to absorb it through and through seems quite fair. Even more with these delicious bonuses. And I seem to also be able to drain Miasma automatically from my surroundings! Maybe with this I can clean the world around me? If this Skill develops, Miasma might not be as much of a big problem in the world. As I''ve read that this substance emanated by the Fragments of the Evil God are a real pain, making dungeons pop up, creating monsters, and more. Even more, this Skill just said I can eat the secretions of Evil God Fragments like snacks. Maybe that would be a good way to get rid of them. I can''t think of anything else because they''re so filled with miasma that no matter where you throw them, they will slowly dpose and infect the surroundings with miasma, making monsters emerge and in the worst case possible, dungeons which will make even more monsters and have the undying desire of expanding and conquering everything¡­ Yeah, I''ve know that personality of them firsthand. Hm,e to think of it, I wonder how''s my dungeon going. I''ve be a Dungeon Master after all, perhaps I should check that outter. ----- Chapter 383 Abyss Eater And Miasmic Essence Manipulation ¡ª¨C Abyss Eater seemed like a pretty good Skill by itself, and due to the powers it has, I can already tell it will be very useful from now on. Maybe I could probably be capable of using the Skill to devour the secretions of the Fragments of the Evil God. Though, can I eat a Fragment by itself? They¡¯re pretty strong though, a mere fragment causes all of this chaos, so eating one would pretty much make me explode or something¡­ But thinking about it, the only way to get rid of these things is by eating them orpletely destroying them to a subatomic level. Can¡¯t gods do this? Why do they just let these fragmentsy around as if nothing? Are theyzy bastards? No¡­ I am sure there must be another reason, mereziness would be an unrealistic excuse for beings that have lived so long. Perhaps what they can do in the mortal world is more limited than I could imagine. Although I would really like to know that firsthand. Hel hasn¡¯t spoken to me since back then, now I¡¯ve evolved again and literally no words at all. Is she ignoring me? Does she even cares about me at this point? Or maybe she¡¯s busy? Ah, well, it is pointless to think about her, I¡¯ll just look at thest Skill. ¡ª¨C [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv1] A Skill granted to someone who not only has absorbed but also manipted Miasmic Essence and its various iterations. This power grants the user an enhanced ability over the maniption of Miasmic Essence, capable of creating changes in thend or even creating monsters, turning equipment into Cursed Equipment, and more. However, Miasma cannot be produced nor stored. Additionally, it decreases damage received from Miasma and Dark Spectrum Elements by -10% with each Skill Level. ¡ª¨C Oh! Quite simple, but I like it. This Skill pretty much grants the enhanced ability to manipte Miasma, something I seem to have already done before without realizing, how curious. And aside from that, it decreases damage taken from Miasma and Dark Spectrum Elements, which I¡¯m pretty sure include things like Darkness and the like¡­ but I am already naturally resistant to all of those elements, so it seems slightly pointless. Ah, well, beggars can¡¯t be choosers. I should just be happy I got another Skill and move over. At the end, we finally moved out. The Inn Lady looked at our party with a weird smile, but we ignored her. And of course, as we walked across the streets, we saw many of my Undead still working around. The people would still stay away from them, but they didn¡¯t panicked before the Undead or something, so things were alright for the moment. And of course, our presences and appearances were already know by arge majority of the people. The vast majority, even. The moment we walked across the streets, several people pointed their fingers at us, some called my name ¡°Mary¡±! And the other three were simply referred as the ¡°Winged Majin¡± and the ¡°Elf Priestess¡±, or the ¡°Lady of red eyes¡± that was Partner. I guess we have be rather popr around here, but that didn¡¯t meant we would suddenly begin taking advantage of it! We acted very calm and simply received the people¡¯s praises without saying a word, mostly out of embarrassment ourselves. When we made our way back to Julia, we were greeted by a few soldiers that were guarding the big manor where Julia was. The doors opened when we arrived, and Julia invited us to eat breakfast with her. Although we had already eaten breakfast back in the Inn, it wasn¡¯t the biggest feast there was, so we still had some room for more food, especially my Phantasmal Stomach, which sometimes makes me think it is near endless in size. ¡°Thanks for the sweets, Julia! It¡¯s always a pleasure to work for you when you give us this much.¡± I giggled while stuffing myself with cake and cookies. ¡°Hahaha, you really have a sweet tooth, don¡¯t you, Mary?¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°Anyways, today we¡¯ll continue slowly rebuilding things as usual for the most part. I think your Undead are more than enough, so you should simply try to take the week off for now. I am doing my best to bring stuff here as fast as possible, the King already sent me a letter through the Message Artifact.¡± Julia said, as Hector suddenly brought arge, purple-colored crystal ball. ¡°Oh? The King finally said something?¡± Wondered Lucifer. ¡°I was already assuming that old man was a sitting duck. Does he do anything for his Nation at all?¡± Lucifer¡¯s bold words made Julia smile bitterly. ¡°Y-Yeah, I think the same to be honest, Lucifer¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°But that¡¯s how he is. At the very least, hearing about what happened here really hot him scared, so he decided to fund the reconstruction of the city, and has already sent arge sum of money here, alongside all sorts of resources and a lot of new personnel for the job.¡± ¡°Oooh! Isn¡¯t that nice? I guess that old man¡¯s really doing something that¡¯s slightly more like his actual job.¡± Said Partner. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Emeraldine couldn¡¯t help butugh as Lucifer and Partner spoke to the King in such a disrespectful manner. Julia didn¡¯t seem offended, but felt a bit of embarrassment of having such an useless grandfather. ¡°Hah¡­ Y-Yeah, now, I¡¯ve also learned some news.¡± Said Julia. ¡°Apparently, the meeting between the governors of the duchies of our nation has been moved to next year, in about four months from now.¡± ¡°Eh? For next year?¡± I asked while feeling slightly disappointed.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Yeah, the King and the Royal Family got scared about the possibility of Vampires ambushing them all in such a party¡­ So they decided to let things ¡°calm down¡± a bit before starting it.¡± Said Julia. ¡°I know they¡¯re cowardly but that¡¯s how it is. I guess it is a fine move by him. This way he¡¯ll also be able to send me more money without any of my annoying uncles getting involved.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 384 How A Dungeon Master Works ¡ª¨C ¡°Your uncles? Aren¡¯t they the rest of the Dukes? Wait, they¡¯re all your family?!¡± I wondered. ¡°Well yes. We all share the same bloodline; they usually don¡¯t allow non royalty to be Dukes or Duchesses after all. But some are uncles and others step siblings and so on¡­ It¡¯s a mix of everything. My grandfather has a main wife but several concubines, some of them died earlier, and others have survived. He had over ten kids, so he could distribute his reign across his vast Kingdom by setting up fiefdoms for each of them.¡± Julia answered. ¡°Huh, I see. Are all kingdoms this way?¡± I wondered. ¡°The majority, although some others, such as the Holy Empire, work differently, as the territory is controlled by the church of the God of Light, even Head Priests can be majors ofrge towns, which they need to take care of.¡± Said Julia. ¡°Wow, I guess stuff can be different everywhere, huh?¡± I sighed. ¡°A-Anyways, Julia, what about the research for the boy I asked you for? Remember?¡± ¡°Oh! Right, yes, I also got news for that this morning!¡± Julia said, mming the table. ¡°Eh?! Really?!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Julia seemed happy to have brought such good news, as she was nodding while smiling pridefully.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Sadly, things are not looking good though, apparently that kid ended running away from our nation due to someplications. Apparently some noble-hired mercenaries have been looking for him, so he and his uncle, alongside a mysterious man that has been seen apanying them escaped to the boundaries of the Kingdom. They werest seen moving through the road that leads to the Confederation of Merchants of Goldsand, or the Nation of Goldsand for short.¡± Said Julia. ¡°Goldsand?¡± ¡°It is arge nation that epasses a big piece of the continent, formed in ancient times by an enormous conglomeration of merchants. The Nation used to have another name but after many years it was renamed as Goldsand, which is the name of their Merchant Guild as well. This enormous nation is made of several small cities scattered across a vast territory, with many trade routes and several port cities which are their pride. It was a good choice they moved there, as it would make things easier for them if they want to hide. Our Kingdom can¡¯t easily just let their soldiers enter there and people can register there quite easily by paying a fee.¡± Julia said. ¡°If you ever n to pursue this longer, you might have to go search for him in this nation¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ It sounds interesting. But I guess I am quite d they were able to escape¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Julia suddenly looked at me while squinting her eyes. ¡°What¡­ rtionship do you truly have with this child, and the Dark Witch?¡± ¡°I would like to keep this as a secret for now¡­ If possible.¡± I said. ¡°Hm¡­ Mary, you¡¯re quite an interesting yet mysterious girl. You¡¯re very strong and have connections with the Fuentes Belles Family¡­ I don¡¯t really want to call you suspicious because you¡¯ve done so much for us but¡­ I am just very intrigued. I guess I cannot really pursue this, I don¡¯t want to make you feel ufortable.¡± She said with a smile, quickly brushing off her curiosity. We have done so much for her that perhaps she couldn¡¯t bring herself to interrogate us. ¡°I am grateful for your help in such a matter, Julia, and also for being so nice and friendly with us even after thinking of me as suspicious¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°A-Ah! S-Sorry if I said that, I-I didn¡¯t really mean it!¡± Julia desperately tried to take away my sad face. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± ¡°Mary¡­¡± I felt slightly sad I couldn¡¯t tell her more of the truth, but I couldn¡¯t really trust her, even after all of this. It was better to keep her out of my true identity and my problems. I would simply be too risky to tell her as well. ¡°Well! For now, we shall continue helping ya in anything you need for a week before we go back home.¡± ¡°Very well!¡± . . . After five hours of rising more lesser Undead to help bring back the city to how it was before, and also to clean the streets, we quickly decided to move back to the Inn. ¡­Of course not, we moved directly to the Dungeon, where I wanted to check out some things. It was already night, so I had imagined nobody would be there, but we found a camp filled with guards and soldiers protecting the entrance of the dungeon, which was quite annoying. However, by cing everyone inside my Shadows, I simply sneaked around through [Shadow Transportation] and reached the interior of the dungeon quickly after. And just as I had imagined, it waspletely empty, no monsters, no nothing. ¡°Whew, this ce is surely empty¡­ Let¡¯s go to thest floor for now¡­¡± I flew down to thest floor, finding nothing here as well. It felt as if the dungeon had beenpletely emptied and cleansed. We had taken most of the monster corpses and loot, and perhaps the soldiers cleansed the rest, so now everything was almost clean of how empty it was. System, how can I ess the Dungeon¡¯s Capabilities? [By merely willing it. Now that you¡¯re inside the Dungeon, control over the Dungeon should be swifter and even easier.] Oh I see! So what can I do here? How does this works? Can you give me a quick roundabout? [Very well. The Dungeon works simplistically. Its core simply absorbs and stores Mana from the environment and its interior] Interior? [Yes, the way the Dungeon lures people inside to kill them through traps and monsters is so the dead bodies of people are absorbed slowly into Mana.] Oh¡­ [As a Dungeon Master, you¡¯re able to supply the Dungeon with a small part of your own Mana. The Dungeon has a maximum capacity of Mana Storage of 1000000 as of now, but the stronger it grows, the more Mana it can store inside of its Core. How about you try giving it a bit of Mana?] Alright, let¡¯s give it a shot! A second after I thought about giving Mana to my Dungeon, an enormous river of my Mana flew outside of my soul, reaching the Dungeon¡¯s Core. FLASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 385 A Dungeons Functions ¡ª¨C Ding! [You have supplied the Dungeon with +60000 Mana] ¡°And done. Now what do I do? How can I benefit from this Dungeon anyways?¡± [Dungeons are dangerous but rather limited on what they can truly do. There are only two functions [Expansion] and [Creation]. By spending Mana, Dungeons can create and materialize monsters, treasure chests, and traps. And also, through the expenditure of evenrger quantities of Mana, Dungeons can expand and growrger, which might unlock new functions.] ¡°Huh, I see. Do Dungeons have Soul Books of their own that show their Status? And how can I summon monsters?¡± I wondered. [It is possible to manipte the dungeon through the [Dungeon Maniption] Skill, the amount of monsters inside this dungeon is limited, however. There are certain types of Monsters that can be brought here, mostly slimes and lizards, who make upmost of the Monster Library, with varied Mana costs] ¡°Huh, it wouldn¡¯t be good if I bring monsters here for the people to just suffer even more, right? Do Monsters obey me?¡± I wondered. [Certainly so, thanks to your [Dungeon Master] Title Skill, you hold the authority over the creations of the Dungeon] ¡°Hm¡­ Then I could build an army of both monsters and undead?!¡± I wondered with a smile. I quickly remembered I had the [Summon] Skill with me. With this Skill, I would be able to summon my army of monsters anywhere I wanted! [That¡¯s a possibility, but after the Dungeon was half-eaten by you and then taken over, it had grown weaker, so the monsters it can summon are at most D Rank in strength] ¡°¡­Eh?!¡± [Therefore, the monsters created will be rather weak. However, you can still farm them for materials to create stronger Undead] ¡°Oh! Wait, isn¡¯t there a power that can modify the dungeon? Like¡­ Didn¡¯t my Darkness and Death Soul managed to corrupt the dungeon core or something so I can summon Undead in it?¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn [Certainly, amongst the Monsters you can summon, there are a few neers, [Lesser Skeleton Knights], [Zombies], and [Ghosts]. However, they¡¯re fairly weaker. Undead created in Dungeons are not the same as those you raise by yourself, as those receive a great amount of benefits. However, I would assume that thanks to your current Title as Dungeon Master, maybe your Titles could enhance them. Nheless, it still not possible to connect the Soul Grimoire with the Dungeon inplete synch] ¡°Welp, that¡¯s tell me everything I wanted to know¡­ For now I¡¯ll use the Dungeon to gather resources such as meat. Is there any nts I can harvest from this Dungeon?¡± I wondered [There are two nt-type monsters avable, [Carnivorous Flower] and [Trap Vine], both are not really edible, but if you¡¯re bold enough¡­] ¡°Ugh, I get it, I won¡¯t try it. I guess meat is good enough. And I am pretty sure that slimes are also edible if boiled, they be a gtin that can be made into desserts. I am pretty sure some of the cakes we had use slime as ingredients. There¡¯s also Slime Powder that can be made by drying slime, but they still won¡¯t fill the belly as much¡­ Hm, what to do?¡± [The only monsters avable that are edible and have a good meat would be the Lizard-type monsters, such as the [Dark Scaled Tyrant], the [Illusion Lizard], and the [Petrifying Basilisk]. These three seem to have what you¡¯re looking for.] ¡°Huh, alright¡­¡± I said while nodding. Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner quickly got near me as I was assessing things. ¡°So you can summon monsters now, huh?¡± Lucifer said. ¡°That¡¯s a terrifying power that only Demonic Tyrants in the past were able to do¡­ Bing a Dungeon Master was often exclusive of powerful monsters already born in that Dungeon.¡± ¡°Eh? Demonic Tyrants? What¡¯s that?¡± I wondered. ¡°In the old ages, even before the Demon King everyone thinks is the true evil, there existed the true evils. Demonic Tyrants are beings born from miasma. Some said that they were created by the God of Chaos, Loki, and are his aberrant children. Their power is incredible and they have the power to summon monsters and even be dungeon masters of dozens of dungeons, bolstering their forces and resources¡­ Long ago, my grandfather had told me, when I was a mere young dragon that one of our ancestors fought against these menaces when they emerged in the world. They broughtplete chaos and forced civilization to unify, differences were ignored and people of all kingdoms and nations joined together to survive this catastrophe¡­ Thy¡¯re also refered as Cmities, and often are born when a new Era of Cmity approaches.¡± Lucifer said with a serious tone of voice. ¡°Huh¡­ Now that¡¯s frightening. Don¡¯t these guys fill the Title of ¡°Demon King¡± way better than the one they name Demon King?¡± I wondered. ¡°Certainly so, the Demon King I know was a gentle Majin. He was certainly a very strong and powerful man, both physically and magically, but he was not near as strong as these monstrous aberrations of the past, which had shrouded the entire world in chaos and were said to have wiped the life out of many continents.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°Huh¡­ You say they¡¯re born like monsters but different?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed¡­ You have something in mind?¡± Wondered Lucifer. ¡°Ah! I remember now! Wasn¡¯t that spider girl is pretty suspicious?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Oh, the one from the dungeon I am watching over, right? The one that the giant spiders obey¡­¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°Yes, that one!¡± Partner said. ¡°She was¡­ certainly strange from what you¡¯ve told us about her. And her Stats were ridiculous as well, right?¡± Lucifer wondered. ¡°Indeed¡­ I fear that girl might¡­ be a Demonic Tyrant, it just fits all the description.¡± I sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t really make any other reason to her existence.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s certainly something. If a Demonic Tyrant has already been born, then this probably means that the world might face another Era of Chaos, thest one was over a hundred thousand years ago, and most life in the world was wiped out due to the Demonic Tyrants¡­¡± Lucifer muttered. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Things got serious out of nowhere, and I have yet to evenplete my revenge! ¡ª¨C Chapter 386 Youre a Good Dragon ¡ª¨C ¡°W-Well, for now we shouldn¡¯t adress such things. The day is quite good and peaceful and- Gah! Don¡¯t make those faces! I was just saying something in my mind, it¡¯s not as if the world ising to an end or something!¡± Lucifer said. We ended looking at him with eyes wide open, he really scared us there. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right¡­ Maybe we should just concentrate in what we can do right now¡­ Anyways, can you guys help me decide what to do with the Dungeon? I am honestly puzzled. I also have to tell Julia about this, right? The dungeon is property of the fiefdom and its literally hers. So I basically stole it from her¡­ I wouldn¡¯t feel bad at all, but she¡¯s Julia, a friend. So I feel like I should tell her about it.¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah, I believe we can trust her enough for that¡­¡± Lucifer said. ¡°She¡¯s a good girl.¡± ¡°Indeed. But for now, how about getting some meat? Meat is always sold very well everywhere. If we get a lot of meat out of the dungeon, we can sell it or barter it for other products such as oil, salt, and veggies and seeds to nt in our greenhouse.¡± Emeraldine rmended. ¡°Indeed, monster meat also is quite expensive too, especially rare monsters or strong ones. But what¡¯s even edible here?¡± Lucifer wondered. ¡°Erm, wasn¡¯t this dungeon like kind of garbage?¡± Asked Partner rather rudely. ¡°The miasma it had boosted it up a lot, but now that it¡¯s gone it should be weakened, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is. The strong B Rank monsters we fought before can¡¯t be summoned right now, we can only summon up to D Rank Monsters.¡± I sighed. [Most E Rank Monsters cost between 500 ~ 1500 MP to summon] [Most F Rank Monsters cost between 3000 ~ 7000 MP to summon] [Most D Rank Monsters cost between 15000 ~ 30000 MP to summon] The System quickly showed me the cost of Summoned Monsters, it was quite shocking that they increased in cost so fucking much. From 500 to 30000?! And most E Rank Monsters were tiny little slimes and lizards the size of the palm of my hand, those won¡¯t really do any good food, we need something big. ¡°Well, for now, we still got all of that monster meat inside my Inventory, and to boot, we got the dropped items. With that alone and Julia¡¯s debt, we got ourselves a good enough fortune tost until the end of the year and maintain our ever-growing poption.¡± I said with a nod. My n was to just support our little vige, not build a Kingdom or something, I just wanted enough money to maintain things as they are until we can be independent and produce our own food and resources. Of course, it would be ideal if these people didn¡¯t depended so much on me. But because I am an Undead I doubt I¡¯ll ever go away, I am already dead after all, and I can divide into various tiny clones too, so I am always there.N?v(el)B\\jnn My body is tireless so I don¡¯t feel like it is a pain to aid them either¡­ But I feel like if I help them too much, they¡¯ll grow a bit too spoiled, after all they gotta do their job too. They¡¯ll eventually help in the greenhouse and also are already helping at raising our Giant Rats cattle, but it would be ideal if we could get a more¡­ appetizing cattle than fatty rats. Although their fur is warm for the cold temperatures there so their pelt make good clothes, and their bodies have a lot of soft meat and fat they use to survive winter, so they have a slightly tasty meat that fills the belly¡­ which we had already begun to extract into Oil. Anyways, enough of talking about the rats. I really need to eat something more appetizing than that. ¡°Yeah, we can feed everybody with what we got, the hunt of monsters outside the vige has be more activetely.¡± Catarina appeared behind us, as she hade all the way here. She had been helping the city by herself using her enormous physical strength to lift boulders and even shape the ground. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want them to ck though, right? Giving all this meat for free will make them have life for granted. I get they were ves and all, but these people still have to earn their keep.¡± ¡°Yeah, it is an ever-growing trouble for me. Well, they had known the harshness of the world, I just want a ce where they can feel morefortable. I guess we can introduce some little barter system where they can bring me something of value and I exchange it for food. Making clothes, sandals, or even furniture and anything, it would be useful. Also I can pay them when they work for us in the fields within the greenhouses.¡± I said while nodding. ¡°You¡¯ve already been paying them a bit for their hard work, but also adding delicious non rat meat would be good. I mean, the rat can be mostly free, two kilograms a week for free usually, right?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Yeah, I guess if they want something tastier, they¡¯ll have to work for it.¡± I said while nodding. ¡°You have too soft of a heart so I doubt you¡¯ll go by your word. Well, we don¡¯t need to take things so seriously anyways, our poption is not so big either. There¡¯s a lot of pregnant mothers recently.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Hm, I want to go back and look at the kids as well, they must miss me¡­¡± ¡°Oh, they miss their uncle dragon?¡± I giggled. ¡°You¡¯re really good with the kidspared with¡­ literally everybody else.¡± Said Catarina. ¡°W-What?! Are you calling me heartless?! M-Maria, I am a good man, right?¡± Lucifer asked to me. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re a good man, Lucifer. Don¡¯t listen to her.¡± I said while petting his head and giving him a kiss. Lucifer began puffing his chest pridefully. Honestly, he was cute for a dragon. ¡ª¨C Chapter 387 I Accidentally Became The Dungeon Master, Oops ¡ª¨C At the end, we decided to Summon anything for now, if we ever have a shortage of food, we¡¯ll summon something from afar and then use [Summon] to bring it to me anywhere I am. This way we can produce meat in the dungeon easily. Of course, I have to give it a sizable amount of Mana. I am pretty sure that once it surpasses its maximum capacity of 1000000 it might Rank Up and grow bigger, which might make stronger monsters avable. But for now, I¡¯ll simply use the dungeon as a meat dispenser while I umte Mana into it daily. And as for the treasures it can create? Nothing too special, they¡¯re hard to create into treasure chests because this dungeon can only make a few very low-quality potions out of them, it can¡¯t create gold or precious gems yet either, sometimes, a rusty iron sword or a set of rusty armor¡­ I guess for a newbie adventurer that would be good enough. To get anything decent at F Rank in equipment-wise, the monsters have to get defeated first. So summoning a monster and then smacking them in the ground would sometimes drop an item. Also, the dismantle function is still there, so when a monster dies it will be dismantled into items and meat and then put inside my Inventory, only when I choose to, but I can leave it on ¡°auto¡±. I realized this power was actually part of my own System, normal adventurers can get items dropped from monsters inside dungeons, but not suddenly dismantle their corpses in seconds and store them inside their nonexistent inventory. After our conversation, I was left thinking about the many things I wanted to do right now. Although my priority was still buying more resources for the vige, I also was thinking on what to do. I have learned about my brother going to apletely different nation and although that relieved me a bit for knowing he won¡¯t be easily pursued now; I am still quite worried. And then there¡¯s the worry I have for the Demonic Tyrants¡­ What¡¯s up with that? Is the little spider girl really one of those things? Ah yeah, and then the that one Ice Queen woman that froze the demons that we have yet to resolve, and then the mysterious floating ind, and then the Vampires and what they might be up to! And of course, the whole crusade I have over freeing ves¡­ Ugh, there¡¯s a lot to do. But for now, we decided to drop the bomb with Julia. ¡°YOU WHAT?!¡± As we were having dinner in her family¡¯s house, she almost dropped her tea cup into the floor out of shock. ¡°Yeah, as you heard¡­ I ended identally taking over the Dungeon Core using my Magic, so I ended bing the Dungeon Master, identally. Now I can kind of control the dungeon a bit, and give it Mana, and summon Monsters inside of it¡­¡± I said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°T-This is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard that such a thing has happened! Is this even possible to begin with?!¡± She asked bbergasted. ¡°Of course it is! Why wouldn¡¯t it be possible?¡± I said while averting my gaze a bit. ¡°I-I mean, it happened! Let me tell you why¡­.¡± At the end, I told Julia about the Vampires having boosted the Dungeon Core using souls and miasma, something she knew only half of it. After that, I told her that Dungeon developed an intelligent mind and that it had created a monstrous Dungeon Boss which we had to take care of. However (now this is where the slightly made-up story begins), the dungeon core attacked me and I had to fight it with my mind and soul, ultimately I won using my Mana and Magic because the dungeon core was too weakened after we defeated all the monsters. ¡°S-So it happened because the Dungeon Core attacked your soul! Incredible, I¡¯ve heard that Necromancers can see and manipte souls to an extent, but to think you¡¯re able to win a fight against a Dungeon Core through your soul¡­ You¡¯re clearly beyond S Rank as an adventurer, Mary!¡± Julia said. ¡°Hehe¡­ Not that much. It was super lucky to be honest¡­ Now I feel a bit bad because you¡¯re my friend and this dungeon belongs to your duchy, right? It supposed to bring you a lot of money to maintain the entire thing.¡± I sighed. ¡°Y-Yeah, but if you took over it, I can¡¯t really say anything about it. Dungeons are never truly ours, we simply decide to own them as they¡¯re within our territories, but only a Dungeon Master would truly be their owner, which is you¡­ maybe you can take the dungeon as a part of the big debt I have for your help.¡± Said Julia, with an honest smile. ¡°What? Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah! You can take it as a part of thepensation, but only with one condition¡­¡± She said. ¡°Condition?¡± I wondered. ¡°Of course, that we begin doing business together. Produce monsters so my people can hunt for EXP. The adventurer guild is a big part of our economy after all, the monster parts can be used for a variety of things, their Magic Crystals are essential for the production of magical items, to illuminate the streets, and to make all our utensils work properly as well.¡± Julia said. ¡°Monster meat also brings us enough food to the entire poption which they buy at varied prices, our production of meat through cattle is very limited and overly expensive, raising cattle is very hard and the meat produced is often all bought by the nobles here¡­ So monster meat is essential to keep our people well feed.¡± ¡°Huh, so it is the same thing I was nning for my tiny vige. But I guess for you, it is in a wider and bigger scale as you got almost a thousand here.¡± I sighed. ¡°Precisely.¡± Julia said. ¡°Well, I nned to do that already, but I¡¯ll need to exin you a few things about how a dungeon works, so listen to me attentively.¡± And like that, I began a long exnation to Julia about how Dungeons worked. ¡°Eh?! They cost way too much Mana!¡± Ah, I knew she would react like that¡­ ¡ª¨C Chapter 388 Lets Begin This Dungeon Business ¡ª¨C After my exnation finished, Julia understood better how Dungeons worked. A greedy smile, which I¡¯ve only rarely seen in her emerged on her lips, as her eyes shed with bright pink light. Was she having an idea? ¡°So Dungeons can absorb Mana from the environment but at a really slow pace¡­ How much daily?¡± She wondered. ¡°Around five thousand daily, give or take.¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s way too little¡­¡± Julia sighed. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll really need to pour your Mana into it for this to really work. Which means you¡¯ll be constantly using thousands of Mana from your abnormally vast reserves for a Human¡­ It will be an arduous work, the price of monster meat might increase now that we¡¯ll know that it is actually being created with your Mana, which might even ensue taxes that adventurers will have to pay to enter your dungeon and hunt monsters.¡± ¡°Wait, taxes?¡± I wondered. ¡°Yeah, now that the Dungeon is private property and not of the entire nation, it would be ideal if you asked for taxes, a small entrance fee perhaps. It might also be wise to give you a Noble Title.¡± Said Julia. ¡°Noble?! Me?!¡± I asked in shock. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re more than qualified. With the drops you got from the dungeon and your strength¡­ You should definitely be an honorary noble. With my status as a Duchess, I am capable of asking the King for a Noble Title for you, I am sure he¡¯ll agree when I tell him you¡¯re the hero that saved the fiefdom from the Vampires¡­ I don¡¯t know if it will be possible for the rest of your party though, especially due to the stigma against the Majin. I am really sorry.¡± Julia said. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t really care about a Noble Title.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Me neither!¡± Partner said. ¡°I actually hate nobles, bing one would be detestable¡­¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°Guh¡­! You guys are really not into this, huh?! Well, I am! I want to be a Noble Lady, so I¡¯ll ept your offer, Julia.¡± I said while crossing my arms. ¡°Excellent! If you be a Noble, we could construct a manor for you in here, yes? The Noble district is quite vast so there¡¯s a lot ofnd. With your Title and the money you got, it should be possible to buy a plot ofnd easily.¡± Julia said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Mary will join the noblesse! I will have to teach you a lot about a nobledy¡¯s etiquette and maybe help you hire a few maids and butlers¡­¡± ¡°E-Eh?! Wait a second, I didn¡¯t thought this through enough for all of that¡­!¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can still live in your vige, but you¡¯ll have a second home in this fiefdom.¡± Julia reassured me. ¡°Ah¡­ Well¡­ Okay.¡± I sighed. I never imagined that one day I would be the savior of the fiefdom where I was once beheaded and also a Nobledy at that¡­ This is really quite the plot twist. ¡°Mary bing a Noble will be a hard work to pull out, mydy.¡± Said Hector. ¡°She¡¯s very rowdy, like a country girl.¡± ¡°Indeed, it might be an impossible task.¡± Said Faerie. ¡°Uuuh¡­ Poor Mary.¡± Faire said. ¡°Y-You really have little faith in me, huh?!¡± I asked in shock. ¡°I¡¯ll be a prestigious nobledy in no time¡­ But for now, let¡¯s continue talking about the dungeon.¡± ¡°Right, right, that was the topic at hand.¡± Julia said, sipping some tea and then calming herself down. ¡°Now that we know you¡¯re the dungeon master, you should be a noble asap so you can exert taxes, the dungeon will be a private organization and you could even build an entirepany around it. Due to the never-seen production of items and monsters, you could be the wealthiest woman in the entire Kingdom.¡± Julia reassured me. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be that rich to be honest¡­ Being rich also makes you famous, which will bring a lot of people¡¯s eyes. I want to remain lowkey. Do you have to tell the King about this?¡± I sighed. ¡°Sadly, if we want more justifications for your Noble Title, yes. Don¡¯t worry, this should be confidential amongst the family of royalty only. Those that dare to leak the information will be promptly taken care of by our Dark Knights, an organization of Assassins we employ, it isposed of several families that protect the Kingdom and the fiefdoms. Of course, it is notorious enough that the fiefdoms farther away from the capital are not even protected. We didn¡¯t received any help from them.¡± Sighed Julia. ¡°So there¡¯s such an organization¡­¡± I sighed. It might be harder than I thought to pull out my assassination attempt against the dukes behind my family¡¯s death now that I know about these guys¡­ But it¡¯s not as if I am going to give up on it.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Anyways, you don¡¯t have to worry too much-¡° ¡°But aren¡¯t there various Vampires infiltrating the royal family already?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean, wasn¡¯t your uncle involved with them?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ He was. I presume there might be other corrupt dukes out there¡­ But this should be between me and the King and the Queen. Both of them are very secretive, trust me.¡± Said Julia. ¡°We¡¯ll try to get you a noble status so it is not so easy to target you, and then we¡¯ll slowly begin to normalize your authority as a dungeon master. But for now, I suppose we¡¯ll keep the dungeon open and pretend things are normal, I will pay you for maintaining it with monsters. But nothing above F Rank please, I don¡¯t want people to die recklessly.¡± She sighed. ¡°Okay, got it. Though monsters obey my everymand, so I could simply ask them to get killed and give EXP to anybody¡­ Easily.¡± I sighed. ¡°I assumed it was such a case¡­ And just knowing you can simply control them and distribute EXP, food, and materials so easily is what really puts me on edge, managing all of this will really be a challenge. It would be better to pretend monsters cannot be controlled for now, simply make them dumber or something, so they don¡¯t identally kill people so easily.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I nodded. And like this, my business as a Dungeon Master have begun. ¡ª¨C Chapter 389 Leaving The Fiefdom After Two Weeks ¡ª¨C Two weeks has passed since the battle against Agatha and her Vampires, and things have been partially improving in the fiefdom. Thanks to the aid of my Undead, all the rubble was cleansed from the streets, and I put several Undead cooperating with architects to rebuild all the houses that were destroyed. Thanks to the sizable amount of materials that Julia provided, this ended being quite an easy task that fetched me the love of the people and the eptance of Undead also began to grow more. I¡¯ve also been managing the Dungeon as I could, finding out new ways to use it, mostly just creating monsters and asking them to act dumb so adventurers coulde hunt them more easily. Of course, there were now taxes applied, as I¡¯ve received my Noble Title a week and a half ago, surprisingly fast. It appears the King seemed to agree to this idea faster than anyone could had imagined. Perhaps having seen the potential of having a Dungeon Master was too great to pass, so he immediately decided to make me an honorable noble and even sent me a sack of gold coins. I had already signed a few contracts with Julia about the taxes of the dungeon and more, and we decided to keep the entrance rather cheap, only costing 1 Silver Coin. With that just anybody can enter. Once the entrance is paid, the person can enter and go out of the dungeon as many times as they want within 24 hours. And then there are the taxes, whenever an adventureres to sell the products of my dungeon to the adventurer guild or any shop in the city, there will be a 20% tax for it, so they¡¯ll have to sell it cheaper, generating ie over time for me out of nowhere. Like this, I could simply sit down and enjoy the life of a Noble Lady without worrying about anything, as ie will continueing my way. I would love to have a leisure life such as this forever, but things will never be as easy, not at all! I have many things to do and I can¡¯t really spend any more time in here. I had yet to buy and and receive etiquette sses with Julia, as I¡¯ve been busy producing monsters and hunting monsters that have begun to appear in the surroundings of the fiefdom. It seems that the Vampires had leftrge ck-colored stones spread around, these were Miasmic Crystals, simr to Demonite, but even more deadly. They left them buried underground and with these stones cursing thend, the nts and animals began to mutate into monsters, and already existing wild monsters turned feral and even stronger. I had spent thest weeks collecting these things and putting them inside my Inventory while asking for the priests and Emeraldine¡¯s Purification ability to cleanse thend. The monsters had gathered so much they even formed an immense wave, but we managed to defeat them eventually, thankfully. The amount of EXP wasn¡¯t anything to scoff at, with it, I even managed to raise one level! That¡¯s big because these monsters were all below B Rank, but they were so many they ended giving me hundreds of thousands of mana at the end. So now, I am Level 8/80, I need another 72 levels to evolve, which seems like a pain, but well, it is fair seeing how strong this Evolution was¡­ However, after spending almost a month here, it was time to go back to my vige. ¡°Mary, stay a bit more! Don¡¯t go yet! I have yet to teach you aboutdy-like etiquette and to buy you a plot ofnd!¡± Julia grabbed my dress and tried to stop me from walking away. ¡°Julia, we can¡¯t stay here any longer! I got a whole family of people I care about in my territory, and there are my own troubles as well¡­ We can¡¯t stay here forever, but I¡¯lle to visit regrly. Oh right, make sure to take care of my Undead guardians. I left several Phantom Familiars which you can use to talk to me directly as well, they¡¯ll protect you, feed them tasty things.¡± I said to her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Okay¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°So when will youe again?¡± She wondered. ¡°Erm¡­ Maybe in a few months?¡± I said while scratching my head. I really didn¡¯t had any ns toe back here for a while. We have already secured arge quantity of food, not only meat but also several tons of veggies, fruits, tubers, seeds to nt in the greenhouse, oils, salt, spices, and more, which I¡¯ve purchased using the fortune I earned and also which I¡¯ve received as pay from Julia, as I told her she didn¡¯t had to bring me money, but food and all these things were quite enough. We also got a lot of magic artifacts, new furniture, and more, which will make our lives way more easy. I personally can¡¯t wait to try out a new and fancy bathtub I bought that has magic stones that infuse it with elements. it can produce warm water to take a warm bath or shower each day, several times a day! It will be truly a bliss. Even as a ghost a lot of soot umtes in my body due to the darkness essence I emanate, so I require good baths daily to not get nasty. ¡°A few months?!¡± Julia asked in horror. ¡°Pleasee sooner with everybody else¡­!¡± ¡°I am sorry, Julia, but we are busy with our own things.¡± Lucifer said, petting her head. Julia immediately blushed as she saw the handsome face of my husband, I think she even skipped a beat. ¡°S-Sir Lucifer¡­¡± She cried. ¡°Julia, don¡¯t look at my husband with those eyes¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°A-Ah¡­! I-I wasn¡¯t looking in any weird way¡­!¡± Julia cried, crossing her arms and averting her gaze from the handsome dragon. ¡°Well, goodbye for now, Julia, Take care of things well, I am sure you will.¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°Yeah, see ya!¡± Partner waved her hand. And like that, we walked away from the fiefdom and into the wilderness. ¡ª¨C Chapter 390 Youre A Free Woman ¡ª¨C After walking away from the fiefdom, Lucifer transformed into a Dragon and we flew off into the skies, flying directly towards the end of the continent where the snowynds where the ruins of the Demon Kingdom were located, and where our small vige was. Catarina had also stayed with us through the two weeks, mostly working with the other Undead, but she had gotten to know things better and seemed to have had a good time, although her tomboyish personality and her stoic andposed face expressions never showed any change. She had been a good girl though, formerly a deadly vampire turned into a good and hard-working girl. She had quite the sad past and didn¡¯tmit enough atrocities in front of me to make me want to eat her soul. I guess she and Agatha are quite simr. Maybe in another timeline, I could had decided to save Agatha, but the deed¡¯s already more than done, so she¡¯s already eaten. Nheless, I¡¯ve saved the others. The Vampire Zombies are hanging around inside my Shadows, already gotten used to their new life as my servants, they¡¯re developing new abilities rted to Undead, while discovering they have no weaknesses anymore rted to sunlight for some reason. They were all visibly puzzled when I let them walk around the sunlight and they didn¡¯t began to burn to death. Partner still has a weakness to sunlight though, but she had been developing her resistance to it and with some light-reflecting barrier conjured by Emeraldine over her, she can bear with the sun way better, although she often gets a bit redder when she¡¯s exposed for a few hours due to her pale white skin getting all tanned. Though those sexy tan lines are what I live for. Anyways, and about Kuro, Darkbound, and Mercury, they¡¯re all back to full strength, I have already collected enough materials to heal them and make them even stronger. Darkbound was back to his enormous and titanic might and appearance, while Mercury was also back to being a giant mass of liquid metal¡­ I guess Undead are quite easy in that sense, as long as their souls remain, you can reconstruct them quite easily. ¡°Phew, we are finally going back home. I am so tired of that city¡­ And those damn people smiling at me. I hate humans.¡± Sighed Catarina. ¡°Weren¡¯t you a human too?¡± I asked her. ¡°Well yes! But I am not a human anymore. I hate them.¡± Catarina said while crossing her arms. ¡°Huh, maybe I would had thought simrly to you in the past, but right now I can¡¯t say I hate them all¡­ There¡¯s tons of nice people out there.¡± I sighed. ¡°Hmph. That little noble girl was nice, I guess.¡± Catarina said. ¡°I had¡­ never meet a human that treated me like a person before. Even now that I am an Undead¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha, that must be because you belong to me! So she treated you nicely because of that.¡± Iughed. ¡°Ugh! Don¡¯t ruin it for me now!¡± Catarina barked angrily at me, as I petted her head. ¡°Thanks for your help these two weeks, you did well.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Catarina suddenly blushed, as her pale white skin turned red somehow. ¡°I-I don¡¯t need your gratefulness¡­¡± She said with embarrassment, crossing her arms. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Right?¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, as a thanks, I will give you one wish!¡± ¡°One wish?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, ask me anything you want.¡± I said. ¡°Anything?!¡± Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner cried in unison. ¡°What? She¡¯s ourpanion as well, don¡¯t get jealous you guys¡­¡± I sighed. As I tried to calm down my crazed lovers, Catarina looked at them and then smirked devilishly. ¡°What do I want, huh? How about you give me a nice French kiss then?¡± She asked, looking at me and then back at the other three.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°EH?!¡± I cried in shock. ¡°No way! You¡¯re not doing that!¡± Partner roared. ¡°Only we get to kiss her!¡± Emeraldine angrily added. ¡°I¡¯ll throw you off my back if you say anything else!¡± Lucifer roared. ¡°Pff¡­! HAHAHAHA!¡± Catarina began tough her lungs out, like I had never seen herugh before. ¡°I was joking, you trio of idiots! See how easy it is to provoke these idiots?¡± Catarinaughed while looking at me with a smirk, her red hair waving by the wind. ¡°Oh? Or did you really wanted a kiss?¡± She slowly approached my face, a coquettish side I had never seen suddenly blossomed from her. ¡°W-Wha¡­ O-Of course I don¡¯t want¡­! Even though you¡¯re a delish tomboy girl, I am capable of resisting temptations!¡± I said, crossing my arms and quickly averting my gaze from her. ¡°I expected such a response.¡± Catarina answered with a smile. ¡°For now I would only ask you to free me. I want to go off on my own and travel the world. Now that I don¡¯t have the curse of weakness to sunlight and I also am thought to be dead¡­ I kind of want to explore the world.¡± ¡°What?! That¡¯s what you want?¡± I asked while feeling a bit heartbroken. ¡°Well, yeah¡­ I feel like I wasted my entire life at the end. Even though I was saved by the vampires after the vers burned me and all¡­ I feel like I never had the freedom of choice in my entire life. I was always ordered by others, and I was always doing what others asked me to do.¡± Sighed Catarina. ¡°So you want to do whatever you want, huh?¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ Ah, I know it is impossible, I was just thinking about it. there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll just give me such a wish after I just helped you clean a city.¡± She said. ¡°Well, if it wasn¡¯t thanks to your strength, we wouldn¡¯t had been able to save the city from the explosive giant meatball that Agatha turned into¡­¡± I said. ¡°So yeah, sure. You¡¯re free from now on, Catarina.¡± ¡°Haha, nice joke- Eh?¡± Catarina looked at me in disbelief. ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yep! You can go wherever you want, and do whatever you want from now on¡­ But always remember you got a home in our vige, and we¡¯ll always be waiting for you with open arms. All my Undead are free, to be honest. Once I know they have reformed, they¡¯re free to go anywhere they want. You¡¯re people I¡¯ve given a second chance, I dont want to consider any of you as my ves.¡± ¡°Maria¡­¡± Just as they said, if you love them, you have to let them go. ¡ª¨C Chapter 391 Finally Back Home ¡ª¨C ¡°It will be a pain to lose such a capable fighter in our ranks though! But we got Darkbound now and Mercury, both are B+ Rank and are plenty strong, so I think we should be alright for now.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I can really go anywhere I want now?¡± She asked in disbelief. I saw Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine smiling happily. ¡°Yeah, you can. I don¡¯t really want to do the same they did to you when you were alive¡­ I don¡¯t want to restrict you or order you around, you¡¯ve helped more than enough, dear.¡± I said, petting her head again. ¡°Just make sure to take care of yourself, and don¡¯t do anything reckless, okay? You¡¯re a bit of a rowdy girl sometimes, be more cautious out there.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ I will be.¡± She said. ¡°But not now though!¡± I said, stopping Catarina who was so excited she even was thinking about jumping out of Lucifer¡¯s back. ¡°Eh? But I wanna go!¡± She cried. ¡°Geez, you¡¯re too careless! We¡¯ll go back to the vige and you¡¯ll say your goodbyes to everybody first, and then, I¡¯ll give you a new set of equipment, a lot of items to take care of yourself, and even a smallpanion.¡± I said. ¡°Companion?¡± She asked. ¡°Like¡­ any Undead you want, I can make it for you.¡± I said. ¡°Like a pet?!¡± Catarina became even happier. ¡°Yeah, I guess?¡± I wondered. ¡°T-Then I want a wolf!¡± She said. ¡°Big enough that I can use the beast as a mount!¡± ¡°Haha, alright.¡± I said. ¡°A wolf it is.¡± And like that, we spent the next hours chatting with Catarina. Emeraldine and Partner became more friendly now, realizing that Catarina was just teasing me and that her truest desire was to be as free as the wind. Perhaps a dream she have always had was to explore the vast world of Yggdrasil as she pleased. I also kind of want to do that at some point, but I am slightly busy right now. When we arrived at the region where our vige was, the cold snow began to fall from the sky, while the wind was getting colder and stronger too. It was getting pretty cold! But I am a ghost so I don¡¯t really find or feel any difference. When we arrived at the front of our vige, I saw many things had changed. The walls were now fully repaired thanks to my Undead working tirelessly for weeks and months, and the gates were tightly closed, so wild animals didn¡¯t sneaked inside anymore. Aside from that, the ruins in front of the vige had been almostpletely dismantled by now, and we were nning in reconstructing the houses from the base after we extracted all the rotting wood in them. Eventually everybody would have stone houses, but for now, we are all setting down with wooden cabins, which are actually warmer.N?v(el)B\\jnn And the castle looked way better now as well, it has been mostly repaired by now by the effort of my skeletons and spider undead, and also it sems that dwarves have helped as well, so everybody had put their own effort into repairing everything and leaving things quite well and nicely. When we reached the front of the gates, Lucifer¡¯s enormous draconic form quickly made everyone cleat that we were back, the gates opened in an instant, as a group of people of all colors, shapes, and sizes, ran forward. ¡°Lady Maria, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°We have missed you for so long! It was so sad you never summoned us to request our aid!¡± A paid of fiery ghosts emerged, their ghostly appearances would be quite frightening to anybody that were to see them, as they were Fire Ghosts, ghosts that werepletely made out of fire. But I knew these two goofballs very well, they were Silvio and Francisco! ¡°You guys! Been a while!¡± I said, as I quickly hugged them both. They got quite happy I hugged them. Their warm bodies was really refreshing to feel in a tight hug. The two also greeted everybody else and Catarina too, who had been summoned away without previous warning, making them worried she just got lost or escaped or something. ¡°So you ended being summoned away by Lady Maria! Such a privilege¡­¡± Sighed Silvio. ¡°Yeah¡­ I am now rather jealous.¡± Sighed Francisco. ¡°You two dorks have nothing to be jealous about, it wasn¡¯t anything good, we almost got crushed by a giant meatball. What¡¯s good about that?¡± Sighed Catarina. The Goblin Chief, the Goblin Elder, and Gofumin came right after them, rushing to greet us alongside most of the goblin poption behind them. ¡°We greet our queen!¡± The goblins, who were very loyal to me, suddenly kneeled. ¡°You guys! Don¡¯t kneel for me, that¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°You can stand back up again then, guys!¡± The Goblin Chief said, as the goblins confusedly stood up. They really didn¡¯t understand my humbleness sometimes. ¡°It is nice to meet you again, Lady Maria. How was your travel? We heard a few things from your familiars, there was a big battle, right?¡± Asked the Goblin Chief. ¡°Yep, it was arduous but we pulled through just barely.¡± I sighed. ¡°It must have been hard, you should res there for now and take it easy for the next few days.¡± He said. ¡°Yeah, I n to!¡± I said. ¡°Though¡­ there¡¯s a lot to do even here, so it won¡¯t be that easy either, haha¡­¡± ¡°Ohooo! I missed those big ones!¡± The Goblin Elder looked at my chest with his eyes popping out. ¡°T-They grew! I am sure they grew-GYA!¡± SMACK! Partner once more karate chopped the Elder like before. ¡°E-Elder!¡± ¡°Hang in there!¡± ¡°T-This is the third time this year¡­¡± ¡°Perverted old man!¡± Partner said angrily. ¡°Does he never learn his lesson?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Go easy on him¡­¡± I sighed, as I saw Emeraldine healing the Elder. ¡°Auntieeee!¡± An adorable little Goblin girl ran to my side- Wait, she wasn¡¯t that small anymore. ¡ª¨C Chapter 392 The Twins Evolution ¡ª¨C ¡°Auntieeee!¡± An adorable little Goblin girl ran to my side- Wait, she wasn¡¯t that small anymore! It has only been around a month since I didn¡¯t see her, but I am pretty sure she grew up a lot. ¡°Gofumin!¡± I said with surprise, finding her looking at least twenty centimeters taller, almost the same height as a 7 year old girl from her former size that was no bigger than 4 years old. ¡°You got so big in this time! What the heck happened?¡± I asked in surprise, as I hugged her tightly and petted her head. ¡°I grew up!¡± She said. ¡°Papa said I am slowly reaching goblin growth spur!¡± ¡°Goblin Growth Spur?¡± I wondered. ¡°We Goblins don¡¯t live as long as humans, usually our lifespan is of around 30 or 40 years, so we grow faster than humans.¡± Said the Chief. ¡°Yeah, children usually get a growth spur around the age of four or five¡± The Elder answered while feeling better after being healed. ¡°Whenever she reaches six years of age, Gofumin will begin her puberty and will grow thest time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see, so this is why you¡¯re so small even when you grow so fast¡­¡± I said. ¡°Wait, what age does a mother usually have when they have a child?!¡± I wondered with forbid curiosity. ¡°Eh? We usually pair around the age of ten.¡± Said the chief. ¡°I am actually around fifteen, I had Gofumin five years ago, she was abnormally small but finally got her first growth spur thisst month, she¡¯s really happy.¡± ¡°Yeah! I am big now!¡± Gofumin said while raising her tiny arms- well, not so tiny anymore. She was still enchantingly adorable. ¡°I see! I am d for you, dear. You¡¯ll grow up into a beautiful woman like your mommy.¡± I said with a smile. It seems that Goblins grow very fast and die fast as well¡­ Which is a bit sad. But I am sure that if they level up and evolve into Hobgoblins, they can live longer as the Elder once said their ancestor lived for 300 years while serving the Demon King. So they officially reach sexual maturity around the age of six or seven? Wow that¡¯s so early¡­ And they officially get paired at the age of ten as well. That¡¯s already a third of their life. Damn, so my little Gofumin will have kids in just a few years?! That¡¯s a big change of image I¡¯ll have to go through in my mind. ¡°You may have grown a bit but you¡¯re still my little Gofumin.¡± I quickly held her in my arms and them sat her over my shoulders. She waspletely covered in clothes made of fluffy fur to cover herself from the unforgiving cold, but she still managed to fit there. I have grown attached to her quite a lot, I am quite weak with kids¡­ I might had unintentionally adopted this girl alongiside the twins- Wait, where are the twins? I suddenly saw them walking towards us, they first greeted the rest of my party before greeting me with hugs. ¡°Big sis, you¡¯re back!¡± Takeshi said, as I noticed he had a ck lizard-like tail popping out of his back which waved happily. ¡°Wee back!¡± Laura said. ¡°How was everything?¡± I also noticed the same tail in her. ¡°Good! I missed you two so much as well!¡± I sighed. ¡°I am d you¡¯re safe and sound¡­ Mooch!¡± I kissed both of them in the cheeks and hugged them tightly. ¡°Everything went well, but what about you guys?! You got two tails out of nowhere!¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­ this.¡± Said Laura. ¡°I grew a tail the other day!¡± Takeshi said happily. ¡°But why?¡± I wondered. ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason, but as we joined the hunting party and began earning EXP daily, we suddenly reached Level five and then evolved.¡± Said Laura. ¡°Our races now are ¡°Half-Devils¡±¡­ I don¡¯t know why but it sounds quite eerie¡­ The tail came with it. We also began feeling less pain from our chest¡¯s cores. The Mana we have is also not being constantly drained either, it seems we improved after evolution.¡± Laura exined. ¡°Evolution is cool, we got super strong!¡± Takeshi said. ¡°I was never told you joined the hunting team¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Oh well, it is good you guys evolved and feel stronger and better. That¡¯s good. I knew that evolving might help you adapt to your own powers¡­ But half-devils? Not Majin?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t any Majin named Devil.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°They¡¯re different entities altogether, I would assume. A new race of people.¡± ¡°A new race?!¡± Asked Takeshi. ¡°That¡¯s great, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is great!¡± Lucifer said, trying to cheer up the kids. ¡°I feel slightly worried about what I am bing¡­ I am a bit afraid too¡­¡± Sighed Laura. ¡°But¡­ I guess that as long as I am with everyone here, we can bear with it.¡± ¡°You two are true survivors, so I am sure that¡¯ll you manage. I¡¯ll do everything I can to help you out too, so don¡¯t worry.¡± I tried to reassure the children that everything was going to be alright. Takeshi seemed to be childish but he died as a kid and was reincarnated, so his mental maturity is not big enough toprehend the dangerousness of his own body. Laura, who died while being a way older, is very smart, so she knows there¡¯s something fishy about all of this. After greeting the children, I walked back to the city where I saw the group of Rabbit-kin gathered, I saw Syllis and his little sister Bellerine, who had note to greet me because they were currently busy in here attending several things in my absence. ¡°It is nice to meet you again, Lady Maria. I had begun to grow worried about you¡­¡± Syllis said with his angelic voice and face, he really looked precious. ¡°I am alright, don¡¯t worry dear. I¡¯m thankfully you¡¯ve kept everything going for me. You¡¯re an amazing hard worker.¡± I said with a smile, petting his head as he was now smaller than me. ¡°Big brother is very hard worker! He always thinks about you! So please marry him, okay?¡± Bellerine asked while dragging my dress.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Eh?! Bellerine! D-Don¡¯t say such things!¡± Syllis sighed in embarrassment as his rabbit ears began to p around due to his frustration over his sister¡¯s words. ¡°But it¡¯s true! Big brother is a good match! He will give you tons of children!¡± Said Bellerine, as she was suddenly shut down by Syllis who covered her face. ¡°Mmfffggh!¡± ¡°Hahaha! She¡¯s really lively.¡± I giggled. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ She¡¯s reaching her puberty already so she doesn¡¯t stop talking about nasty stuff¡­¡± Syllis apologized. ¡ª¨C Chapter 393 A Celebratory Feast ¡ª¨C After meeting with everybody, we had a big feast celebrating our return, where we decided to use some of the dismantled meat I got from the various monsters we hunted in our dungeon raid. The meat of the grotesque final boss which had be something like the Dungeon Core¡¯s Avatar was also dismantled and cut into pieces, it was quite delicious when roasted alongside some salt and pepper. ¡°Oh, this meat is a bit¡­ It¡¯s so good! It goes so well with the beer!¡± ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up with the vor? It really brings me back home when our mother used to make us roasted wyvern fillet for lunch!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right brother! Can¡¯t believe you found dragon-type monster meat,d!¡± The trio of dwarves, Darfu and the twins Baldur and Badur noticed that the meat was simr to wyvern or lesser drake meat, which seem to be dragon-type monsters that are rathermon in the Gray Ash Mountains where the Dwarf Kingdom where theye from originated. ¡°Hahaha! I am d you guys are enjoying it. It came from a giant dragon-type monster we fought in that one dungeon infected with miasma that the Vampires provoked. It was near immortal because it was being controlled by the Dungeon Core.¡± Iughed. ¡°Oh, I see! Must have been a pain to kill, Dungeon Cores are a real problem for us.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°In the mountains where we live, there are dozens of enormous mountains that cover thousands of kilometers, it is not umon for dungeons to suddenly pop up when we are mining them. Usually flooding us with their monsters, which is annoying as hell!¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Well, you end up leveling up a fair bit when mining due to the annoying dungeon monsters getting in the way, sometimes we only got our pickaxes to fight! Hahaha, recalling our younger years really bring me a bit of happiness. We really were getting ourselves into trouble all the time!¡± Badur recalled. ¡°You did?¡± I wondered curiously. ¡°Yeah, you see, these two old men are well known for being big troublemakers in their younger years.¡± Laughed Darfu. ¡°I remember always hearing tales about what they did. There was one time they stole an egg from a Red Wyvern and the wyvern endeding to the city and stormed the entire ce looking for her egg¡­¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA! Yeah, that one was funny!¡± ¡°We still didn¡¯t gave the egg back, we needed its hard and metallic shell to make a special essory for mother. The olddy used to love her ornaments back then, you see¡­ We couldn¡¯t fail our olddy.¡± The twins recalled their parents, which probably were already dead by judging their age. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re still kicking.¡± ¡°Last time I heard about them, they were alright¡­¡± ¡°Eh?! How long do your parents have lived?¡± I asked. ¡°Hm? Well they¡¯re pretty old, almost 280 years.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Yeah, we ain¡¯t that old!¡± Laughed Badur. ¡°Seriously¡­ You all look old to me.¡± Partner said while raising an eyebrow. Regarding the Greenhouse, we had already discussed about this before the feast began. Apparently they had made four enormous Greenhouses while I was out, using all the materials I sent to them and a few others they went to buy themselves, apparently using the money I left behind. The four greenhouses were almost 200 meters each, enough to nt as many veggies as we wanted, and in fact some of the talented people that were found to be able to conjure Earth, Life, and Nature Magic helped at nourishing the soil. Emeraldine had already left a big sack with nourished soil using her spirits, but they all worked hard to get something done when I came back. In the next days we¡¯ll begin our farming schedule, I hope I can learn some interesting skills by trying to connect with nature, fufufu~ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Lucifer was rather doubtful about eating the flesh of this creature was it was made out of the leftover bones he had in the dungeon. He seemed to be looking at it constantly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong big guy?¡± I asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to eat this! Wasn¡¯t this made with my bones though?!¡± He asked. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not you. Are you telling me that Partner is me because she has my bones?¡± I sighed. ¡°Hm¡­ W-Well, certainly there¡¯s no way I would ever find her atractive¡­ You¡¯re right, it must be different¡­¡± Sighed Lucifer, deciding to give it a try. ¡°You decided to eat it just with thatparison?!¡± Partnerined angrily. ¡°A-And I am super pretty and desirable!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Sighed Lucifer, ignoring her. ¡°Uuggh! I am going to smack you!¡± Partner roared angrily, getting all red. ¡°Calm down, Partner. Lucifer has a point¡­¡± Emeraldine said. I thought she was trying to make things better, but that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°Eh?! You too, Emeraldine?!¡± Partner cried, heartbroken. ¡°Buaaah! Master, they¡¯re so mean with me out of nowhere!¡± Partner ran to my side and hugged me while rubbing her face over my breasts. I caressed her head motherly and calmed her down. ¡°There, there. They¡¯re just drunk. Don¡¯t worry, you can also badmouth them.¡± I said while giving her my thumbs up. I was actually against them treating each other like this, but we were all family here so joking and teasing one another wasn¡¯t something bad if done with moderation. ¡°Ahh¡­ I feel more calm in this cushion though¡­¡± Partner sighed in relief, rubbing my breasts greedily. ¡°Hahah¡­¡± I giggled a bit nervously, as I could notice Lucifer and Emeraldine¡¯s jealous stares. It seems that Partner knew other ways to provoke them and tease them¡­ Anyways, Lucifer ended trying out the meat, and began tasting it more and more, less timidly. With the mashed potatoes, the gravy, and the other veggies at the sides adding more vor, he quickly began to enjoy it thoroughly. ¡°Oh! This meat is not bad at all foring from a monster made out of my bones¡­¡± He said in surprise. ¡°Yeah, your meat rod is also quite tasty.¡± I added. ¡°PFFFF¡­!¡± Lucifer ended falling unconscious over my out of cement. ¡°Sir Lucifer! Are you okay?!¡± ¡°He passed out?¡± ¡°Just what happened?!¡± Well, I might be a bit drunk as well. ¡ª¨C Chapter 394 My Current Goals ¡ª¨C After the feast, I ended waking up in my royal bed. As we had taken over the old castle of the demon king as my home, I had the privilege of sleeping in a big bed we cleansed thoroughly, which was filled with spiderwebs and bugs before. Of course, we had to change a lot of it for new stuff, but still, it is a very big bed where I can sleep veryfily with Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner. Emeraldine and Partner were greedily hugging me from both sides, while Lucifer was thrown away into the distance sleeping to the opposite direction of Emeraldine. He is quite gentlemanly for not trying to touch the other girls while they sleep, but he already stated he dislikes Partner and I don¡¯t know about Emeraldine, but he seems to have no interest either. Must be because he¡¯s a very old man, so he¡¯s not a horndog like a stupid teenager would be. Well, I¡¯m fairly sure there¡¯s still horndogs way past their teens, like twenty, thirty, forty, and from fifty and beyond they kind of begin to not get very horny anymore. Probably the age. He already had a wife and a daughter, so he¡¯s also quite reserved. Without much to do, I quickly turned into my phantasmal form and passed through the solid objects in front of me, getting behind Lucifer and hugging him from behind. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Maria¡­¡± Lucifer covered himself with more nkets as hezily continued sleeping. So cute¡­ My husband is the cutest man alive. I petted his head and kissed his cheek, and then I did the same for Partner and Emeraldine, who were like the sun that illuminates my daily life. After that, I flew off and let them rest, I noticed my materialized body had some soot around my armpits and below my belly, so I decided to wash myself. I might not get sweat or anything like the living, but I don¡¯t want any soot in my bed. Well, this ¡°soot¡± is not truly the normal soot we all know about, it is more like residual materialization of darkness and phantasmal essence. The system ssified it as a Necromancer Material for the creation of Undead named [Dark Phantom Soot] and it might be used to create Ghost-type Undead of stronger categories. I think I could even create a Dark Ghost like the one I used to be with these! I had thought about raising an army of Ghosts with me too, of each element so I can get more elemental coverage. But having to level them up and all is surely a pain and making high ranked one¡¯s costs more than soot. ¡°Phew¡­! This is really life.¡± I sighed in relief. I had my head a bit dizzy, but I am fairly sure we did a lot of lovest night after the feast. Hehe, Lucifer was less timid this time, and was more active. I liked how he took the rails and pushed me down and made me his¡­ Partner and Emeraldine continued doing their teamwork, this time licking almost every part of my body¡­ Do they think I am a delicacy or something? The warm water really washed out all my umted exhaustion and stress, as I saw the outside world through the small window. The sky was as cloudy as ever, but there was still sunlighting down, which the greenhouses depend on. I wish we could get something like artificial sunlight but that doesn¡¯t seem possible for now.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Well now, I got a bunch of thing to do. And one of the most important ones to buy time until next year are three in my list. I need to prioritize what to do first, and probably to do all three before the year ends, if possible. 1] Go to the Gray Ash Mountains and visit the Dwarf Kingdom, seek if there¡¯s any clue regarding Lucifer¡¯s family while also getting to know the dwarves while trying to get some business with them, and perhaps bring some to my town. Alongside that, acquire more resources, we need a lot of ores and metals if we want to reinforce our walls and also make more Greenhouses. 2] Seek the Ice Giants to dispel the Curse that has happened to the few survivors of this town. They¡¯re still alive, so they can be uncursed by some mean. I have to either deal with this myself or find the culprit and punish them. I am honestly quite furious because they made my Lucifer cry, so whoever it was, I am going to beat the shit out of them. 3] Find my brother and our aunt with them. Julia said they had safely immigrated to another nation which is more peaceful but also ¡°freer¡± in the things that can be done. The thing is, it is incredibly far away from here, literally at the other side of the continent were temperatures are hot and there are even deserts and arid mountains and canyons. The nation leads to the beautiful shores in there though, which is the nation¡¯s best source of ie through importation. The seas are way calmer therepared to this side of the continent, where they¡¯re wild and cold. Currently, we have no idea where they might be, so if we ever go, we¡¯ll have no clues and might be going in circles for a long while. Maybe I need to ask Julia to employ some sort of spy to find them, the Dark Knights might help. If I am a Noble now, it might actually work. And well, there¡¯s a fourth which is not so essential, about going to the floating ind and see what¡¯s there, and also to visit Emeraldine¡¯s hometown, which is not a priority but that I would really like to do. ¡°Sigh¡­ I have to discuss this with everybody toe out with a proper conclusion.¡± I sighed rather saddened. I had still a lot to do, and stress was once more boiling inside of my head. Well, the warm bath was still nice. ¡ª¨C Chapter 395 Sorrowful Thoughts ¡ª¨C As I came out of the bath, I ran back to my room and dried myself. I decided to wear a dress that Julia bought for me, I looked quite nobledy-like with it, and it truly made me quite happy. I¡¯ve always dreamed of being a noble in my previous life. Like all those privileged women I saw in the Otome games I used to y, or just in some medieval fantasy romance setting stories¡­ Oh well, I actually got my wish after dying, but I ended dying again due to the schemes of some bastards. And now I am a ghost and went through my good deal of shit myself to the point where I am right now. After discussing things with myself for a while, I decided to quickly gather everybody after breakfast to talk about what I had in mind. This time I brought all the adults that I thought had a high level of responsibility in this vige. Of course, Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner were with me, but I had invited the three dwarves, the Goblin Chief and the Elder and Syllis. Catarina wasn¡¯t here because she was going out in a few days from now, I had already told everybody that I was letting her go and do as she pleased, it could be said to be my gift of ¡°gratitude¡± to her. ¡°I get that you¡¯re worried about the entire vige¡¯s development and all,ss, but why call us all here?¡± Asked Darfu. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s going on?¡± Baldur. ¡°Are we that important?¡± Asked Badur. ¡°You guys are really important, you¡¯re already part of the town and a big help to everybody, so of course I called you here. And well, what I wanted to talk about is¡­¡± I exined everything I had in mind to everybody around me, as they quickly understood my indecisiveness. I wanted to use their help, make them something like a ¡°council¡± that can give me the aid I need to make a decision of what to do now. ¡°Hm, so you want to get that done in less than a year, it¡¯s gonna be hard, but the easiest thing you could do right now is going to our Kingdom.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Yeah, if you go there you can gather clues about the dragon, we know a few things going on in there, so there might be some traces of what you¡¯re looking for.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Alongside that, we got some connections with the ice giants as dwarves, so you could find more clues about this ¡°Tear¡± girl or whoever she is.¡± Said Badur. ¡°I agree with the three of them, Lady Maria.¡± Said Syllis. ¡°Although I do agree that searching for your lost brother would be a thing to prioritize over everything else, he had gone to a faraway nation and it seems that without proper clues, you won¡¯t really find much of an answer for now¡­ It would be better to wait for that Duchess to give you more information. Requesting a special spy to search for them might also be a good idea.¡± ¡°Hm, it might be painful but we should go there.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°If it were up to you I would bring you there immediately.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°But I understand that without any clues, we¡¯ll be looking around too much hopelessly, especially because youck a proper image of the boy at his current age.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°For now we should go to the farms¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°And after a sizable rest, we¡¯ll go to the dwarves. How about it?¡± ¡°I think it is alright, yeah.¡± I said with a nod. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough¡­¡± I sighed a bit, feeling slightly down. ¡°You can go now, sorry to bother you guys with this¡­ I think I need a bit of a time alone.¡± I said, as I quickly transformed into phantasmal essence and flew away. ¡°W-Wait, Maria!¡± Lucifer called for me but I went to the rooftop of the castle by myself. The cold breeze was quite calming. I looked into the horizon while sitting over the top of the castle. The clouds covering the sky, and the snowy mountains at the distance decorated this beautiful winter scenery with a lot of natural grace. I knew it was like that, I knew that there wasn¡¯t a chance I would find him like this. I had asked the System, there were special skills that I could buy named [Tracking] and [Search] but none of them would help me find anybody unless I¡¯ve already seen them or touched them. All the portraits of our family were burned alongside our manor, ording to what Julia investigated. So I don¡¯t even know how my little brother looks like right now. In fact, I have little idea how I actually looked like while I was alive. Partner surely looks way too different, so I doubt I would had looked like her. It just¡­ It really kind of saddens me. I¡­ I know I should be facing things more maturely, and I am. But even then, it is hard to contain my emotions. Even more when I am a ghost, driven by madness and resentment. Even now, as I¡¯ve evolved so far, this resentment, this madness, and this dark abyss of negative emotions continue to growrger andrger, like an endless void. Maybe because I am a ghost, I might be pretty strong¡­ but also, even now, I feel so empty sometimes. My existence¡­ Undead are really like this, huh? I am d that Lucifer and Partner were able to evolve into ¡°living¡± species. Perhaps they no longer feel this emptiness anymore¡­ I hope.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Will I really be able to evolve into something that can be alive? I have no body unlike them. What flesh can I even get? What can I even be now? I wish I could remember who I was¡­ I wish¡­ I could remember the face of my family. Without realizing it, I was crying. Are these tears¡­ even real? ¡°Maria¡­¡± Suddenly, I heard the voice of Lucifer behind me, and I saw him, Partner, and Emeraldine. ¡ª¨C Chapter 396 You Fill My Void ¡ª¨C The trio quickly sat down near me, Lucifer sat behind me and Partner and Emeraldine to the left and right. I told them I wanted to have some time alone by myself, but they ended getting in here and following me around. ¡°Master, why are you crying?¡± Asked Partner while getting saddened herself. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± I said, quickly cleaning the tears from my eyes. It felt surreal to even be able to cry while I was a ghost¡­ I suppose I¡¯ve be something more than one, but I am still dead. ¡°Are you sad about your brother?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°W-We¡¯ll make sure to find him, please, have faith in us as well¡­ I promise you we¡¯ll find him.¡± Emeraldine looked at me her almost angelic eyes, as she held my hands tightly. She was so warm that itforted me ever so slightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I know you¡¯ll help me. I am just silly. I was just¡­ crying because I am silly.¡± I sighed. ¡°I am sure that his state is troubling your heart quite a lot, Maria. However¡­ I know there might be something else troubling you. Can you tell us?¡± Lucifer asked respectfully, petting my shoulders. ¡°I¡­ Well, I was just thinking about a few things¡­ I am just frustrated I don¡¯t remember a single thing about my family¡­ Not even their faces. I know the tragedy that happened to my parents but even then¡­ Ick the knowledge of why I loved them so much for this resentment and madness to continue to grow inside of my soul the more I learn about the injustices they went through.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ there¡¯s this emptiness that it is so hard to get out of me, it keeps looming over my life, each time I try to rx, this feelinges back¡­ I¡­ It must be rted to the true nature of my existence. Ghosts are like this, we keep our souls in the mortal world by cursing ourselves, our anger, resentment, and fury continues to boil almost endlessly, as we evolve, this curse evolves with us. I am forever a cursed being¡­ I might never stop feeling this empty, I might¡­ never stop feeling so terrible with myself.¡± ¡°Master¡­ I never imagined you were feeling this way¡­¡± Partner said. ¡°Have you¡­ been hiding this from us?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°I didn¡¯t wanted to worry you about my personal problems¡­ After all, it¡¯s just all drama that shouldn¡¯t even be bothering anybody of you¡­ They¡¯re all my problems, I know I should simply carry them with myself.¡± I sighed, looking at my own foot. ¡°What? No! You shouldn¡¯t do that¡­!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Y-You should tell me- us. I-I¡­ I love you very much so I want to know what¡¯s troubling you so I can¡­ help however I can, even if it might be a little, I want to help.¡± ¡°Partner is right. You shouldn¡¯t keep this away from us.¡± Emeraldine replied. ¡°After I¡¯ve entrusted you my heart, the least I would expect from you is that you would also do the same¡­¡± ¡°Maria, don¡¯t fear our reaction to such things. We won¡¯t find it ¡°useless drama¡± at all. We are past the point where we joked about things, and we are way past the point where I was trying to simply not have rtionships because I resigned to be an Undead. Now that I¡¯ve be something more at your side, the only purpose I have is to see you happy¡­ I only want to see you smile. I had long ago¡­ given up to most of my desires while I remained sealed and then slowly rotted to death. You¡­ You were the one that brought life to me for the first time in hundreds of years.¡± Lucifer said with a calm smile. ¡°You guys¡­¡± I sighed, as I suddenly feel the embrace of Lucifer¡¯srge arms, and then of Partner and Emeraldine¡¯s thin arms, their warmth slowly began to cover my entire body. I couldn¡¯t help it anymore; I couldn¡¯t contain it. I began to cry again, like a baby. Like the silly woman I am. I let it all out and put my face over Lucifer¡¯s chest while they all hugged me tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I should had told you about how I felt¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Emeraldine said motherly, as she caressed my head. ¡°Yeah, it is okay.¡± Partner replied quickly after. ¡°Were you containing these tears all this time?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°It must be hard¡­ You¡¯re indeed a very unique being. But I am sure that there is a path you have yet to take.¡± Said Lucifer.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°A path?¡± I asked. ¡°Evolution is not a linear thing, Maria. There are paths. Until now, you¡¯ve been choosing the path to power, but there are many other paths. The path to power has worsened your curse, but it has given you the strength to survive and protect those close to you, right?¡± Asked Lucifer. ¡°R-Right¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°You may say you¡¯re dead, but to me, you¡¯re the liveliest person I¡¯ve ever met in my entire life.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I think the same. I¡¯ve never met someone like you either, Maria¡­ You even told us you have memories of living in another worldpletely different than this one. You¡¯re someone very unique¡­¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°Without you, I wouldn¡¯t be alive right now, Master¡­ I was created from the bones you left behind, but I feel like¡­ I¡¯ve always been your other half. I want toplement all the things youck, and help you feel whole again.¡± Partner said. ¡°You guys are getting too corny¡­ I am dying of embarrassment¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Lucifer said. ¡°You should choose your path wisely the next time you manage to evolve, Maria. There is a path that might bring the wish you desire, you have to embrace such a path though, and perhaps, even lose something in exchange¡­ However, at the end, that might be what will finally make you feelplete once more. Until then, we¡¯ll dedicate ourselves to make you feel better. And even after that, we¡¯ll continue doing so.¡± ¡°Damn you, you¡¯re so good with words¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, okay! I get it¡­ Now let¡¯s go to the farm already. I am done crying like a baby¡­ As long as I got you with me, I think I can do anything.¡± I guess I am really a lucky ghost to have the three of them at my side. ¡ª¨C Chapter 397 Theres Nothing Better Than Farming To Relax! ¡ª¨CN?v(el)B\\jnn A vast field expanded before my vision, as rich soil emanated a small aura of mana that made it sparkle. Despite the unforgiving cold of the outside world, the greenhouse interior was rather temperate and slightly warm, this was all thanks to the magic crystals and fire-attribute spirit stones used in the construction of these buildings, which make them so they remain warm inside, an ideal temperature tobat the ice cold from the outside. The nts also feel better in here than outside, where only pine trees can survive the cold so much. ¡°The dwarves did an amazing job in these greenhouses! They¡¯re so big and warm¡­ It feelspletely different than in the outside world.¡± Said Emeraldine, feeling way happier in this area. ¡°Yeah, this is way better.¡± Partner sighed. ¡°Well, for now, we should start with the basics!¡± The goblin chief said,manding the group of people. Goblins, although nomadic in nature, were also proficient farmers. Apparently the chief used to live in another town where they settled for years by raising nts in the rich soil, these nts were infused with their Mana and grew abnormally fast as well. ¡°The wife of the Elder used to be a proficient Druid. She was a woman connected to nature. It was thanks to her that we learned the ways of Mana Infusion in nts, and she helped us rise them for many years.¡± The Chief said. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what it was¡­¡± I said. ¡°She must have been an amazing woman.¡± ¡°She really was!¡± The chief said. The chief quickly decided to lead us into how to prepare the soil. We all grabbed farming tools that the dwarves already crafted with iron ingots they got from melting any tool we have found around, mostly rusted stuff, and shaped them into farming tools. ¡°With that shovel, bring the soil up from the ground so the nutrients below the soil are exposed. Like this!¡± the chief said, hitting the soil with the shovel and then gently upping arge piece of soil, rolling it out as if it were a pancake. The rich soil from below, which was sparkling even more, was revealed. This was probably the ideal soil to put the seeds on. if you leave the seeds over the dry and nutrient-less soil, it won¡¯t grow into a nt at all. ¡°It take some practice to do it right but try it out!¡± ¡°Alright! Heave ho!¡± I cried, graving my shovel and then delicate pushing up the ground. ¡°Nnggh¡­!¡± POOF! Suddenly, over a meter of dirt was lifted off the ground. ¡°Oops¡­¡± ¡°Y-You have to control your strength a bit more,dy.¡± Said the chief. ¡°Come on, put that back, that won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± I cried. ¡°I am usually super weak physically, howe I am so strong with this? I can¡¯t control my strength?¡± ¡°Erm, how much Strength stat do you have, Lady Maria?¡± Asked the chief, while everybody else looked at me. ¡°Erm¡­ I think it is over 15000? Not much, right? Lucifer has over forty thousand.¡± I said while nodding. ¡°F-Fifteen thousand Strength?!¡± The chief suddenly dropped over his butt. ¡°I-I only have barely a thousand¡­¡± ¡°Oh? You have? But haven¡¯t you been growing stronger?¡± I wondered. ¡°Yeah¡­ but not as much,dy Maria¡­¡± Sighed the chief, as he quickly stood up again, everybody was looking at me with strangely new eyes. ¡°Not only she¡¯s amazing at magic, but she¡¯s also a monster in strength as well..¡± ¡°Ourdy is truly an all-rounder. Is there something she can¡¯t do?¡± ¡°Indeed, there is nothing!¡± ¡°You guys realize I am failing at this farming stuff, right?¡± I sighed. And like that, I kept practicing and trying, until finally, something remotely simr to the technique that the Chief did was finally made. It was barely that, and it took me more effort than I had ever expected. ¡°Phew¡­ GEH?!¡± However, I already saw that my line of the field was way behind everybody else, as I saw the chief at the front while everybody else was following him quickly, even Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner were doing better than me?! Am I the only one that just sucks at farming?! ¡°There¡¯s no way I am going to lose to you all!¡± I roared my lungs out, unleashing my fury. I infused Mana into the Shovel and then began to repeat the same thing I did before, finally replicating it almost perfectly! This was all thanks to my amazing memory and the ability to insert motion memory into my body because my soul contained all of my mind, and because my entire body is my soul, this wasn¡¯t so hard to pull out. POOF! POOF! POOF! I continued moving the soil as I moved forward, quickly catching up with everybody else anding right after the chief. ¡°I did it! Ugh¡­ I feel mentally exhausted¡­ Repeating the same motion over and over again is really a pain.¡± I sighed. ¡°S-So fast!¡± The chief muttered. ¡°Excellent work, Lady Maria! ¡­However, you kind of messed up a bit.¡± The chief pointed behind me as I realize di had left an enormous hole through the entire line¡­ I had not done it correctly at all. Maybe I applied too much force as well, I shouldn¡¯t had put mana into the shovel. ¡°Ugh, let me do it again¡­¡± At the end, a few hours went by and I finally kind of learned a bit about how to do it. I had also calmed down my anxiety a bit and learned to remain calm and serene while controlling my own strength, so it wouldn¡¯t get out of control. And at the of that, we decided to take a small rest while Emeraldine and a few other magicians with her affinity began to work. They channeled a domain of life and nature with her help, as her two spirits began to float around the entire field, blessing it. The seeds for the nts were already nted, so they quickly received the blessing of the spirits. Ding! [You learned the [Farming: Lv1] Skill] [You acquired the [Little Farmer: Lv1] Title Skill] Oh?! ¡ª¨C Chapter 398 New Farming Skills & Emeraldines A Magic Teacher?! ¡ª¨C As if rewarding me for a day of a lot of efforts, the System suddenly showed up two new Skills! Farming and¡­ Little Farmer? So that¡¯s a Title, huh. But didn¡¯t I learned it too fast this time around? I am fairly sure that I am not that good at it to learn it so quickly. So why? [After yourst evolution, the Soul Grimoire had also evolved] [Now it has be easier to acquire Skills that were harder to acquire before. Due to your strong affinity with death and darkness, it was particrly harder to learn things such as Farming-type Skills, which require some affinity with nature] [After seeing the performance of Emeraldine, you¡¯ve gained a slight amount of theprehension of nature and life, so you¡¯ve learned the two Skills quickly after] [As the System¡¯s voice, I didn¡¯t simply granted them to you, this is merely your talents awakening within your Soul Grimoire] ¡°Oooh! I see¡­¡± I said silently. ¡°Welp, let¡¯s check what these new ¡°Talents¡± are all about¡­¡± ¡ª¨C [Farming: Lv1] A Skill learned after arduous hours of farming and mastering the art of nting and harvesting. While farming, this Skill grants a +30% enhancement in proficiency and mastery over farming tools while also giving a greater insight at looking at nts and detecting soil¡¯s richness. Mana can also be used to enchant nts and increase their growth speed. However, if overused, it might be detrimental to the nts, or even mutate them into nt-type monsters. ¡ª¨C Eh? So this makes me better at farming? Well thanks! With this I can detect the soil¡¯s richness, and even how nts are doing and everything else¡­ Hell, I can even enchant them with my Mana even when my mana is dark and death attribute? Maybe by using this Skill, the mana goes back to being attribute-less? ¡ª¨CN?v(el)B\\jnn [Little Farmer: Lv1] A Title given to a small-time novice farmer that has worked very hard on their farm. The wielder of this Title acquires an enhancement of +20% more proficiency at farming and using farming tools, while also being able to detect and appraise nts, the higher the level, the better the effects and the more higher ranked nts can be appraised. Additionally, there¡¯s a small chance that nts nted by the user of this title might end up evolving into magical nts. ¡ª¨C Oh, this one is simr to the Farming Skill, I guess. However, there¡¯s a few certain things that make it different thought, such as nt Appraisal. I guess that would be more useful to a real farmer because I got my System Analysis that can pretty much analyze anything around me with ease. But this small chance to turn a nt into a magical nt seems pretty interesting! If I can continue doing this farming work and level these Skills up, there might be some chance that a nt turn magical or something, and it might have special properties. ¡°Well, this really put a smile on my face.¡± I sighed with a slight nod, as I moved outside of the greenhouse after we finished watering the nts. There were still several more greenhouses we had to attend, so after a quick lunch where I put my [Cooking] Skill to good use until it leveled up again out of the sudden, we went to attend the other farms. I felt as if I was slowly umting more experience as a farmer, and the Skills really upped my ability toprehend these techniques I had so little talent over. When they day had ended, both Skills had gained a level, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel happy over my hard work. With that done, we moved back home to have some dinner. This time I decided to prepare the meat of the giant lizards we fought before, their meat was rather vorful, but it was very tough, so I had to use a hammer to smash it so it would be softer and loose out into the roughness. Nheless, I also used their bones to make some delicious broth, which I mixed with veggies and small chunks of meat. With the help of Emeraldine and Partner that had be more interested into cooking with me, we made up a delicious dinner. Now that people had be more independent, we are no longer preparingmunal food, and everyone seems capable of preparing their own three meals a day for their families. I owe this to the dwarves as well, as they had crafted a lot of tes and cooking utensils, alongside building furnaces and kitchens inside most houses, they¡¯re amazing architects, forgers, and literally everything else. I am way too lucky to have them with me. And well, because of this, we got all the good for ourselves, we cooked only for the four of us- no, six of us. The twins are obviously living with us as they¡¯re literally our adopted children, so the two also dine with us, have lunch, and most of the time spend their day with us. However, Laura had be interested in learning about this world some more and also about magic usage, so she and Takeshi had begun to learn how to read with the help of Emeraldine. ¡°Big sis, can we learn magic tomorrow? We don¡¯t really know much¡­¡± Laura said as she drank some soup. ¡°Yeah! Magic!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Erm¡­ Well, I am not that good at teaching it¡­ I got a cheat skill that allow me to use it without even learning how to use it.¡± I said. ¡°Eh?! Is that your Unique Skill?¡± Asked Laura. ¡°One of them¡­ Sorry, I might seem proficient, but I kind of suck at actually teaching it.¡± Iughed a bit. ¡°Well, I can teach you the basics, children. I might even teach you as well, Maria. I believe you could learn more magic if you perfect the craft and learn its true principles.¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°Oh?! I never thought of you as a magic teacher. Sure, I¡¯ll join the sses and see what¡¯s up.¡± I said with a nod, enjoying the grilled fillet covered in gravy. ¡ª¨C Chapter 399 Magic Classes ¡ª¨C ¡°I hate to admit it, Maria, but magic is not your thing.¡± Emeraldine said reluctantly. ¡°Somehow, despite being able to conjure ¡°magic¡± with your Unique Skill, if you try any traditional approach you just¡­ you simply can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± I was currently inside arge room within the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Yesterday Emeraldine had said she would include me in the Magic Conjuration sses. There were several people with talent for that, some adults, and some children. Even my twins were here learning magic! However, things ended turning badly as I tried using the conjurations, which were aplicated mess to use! You have to somehowbine runes you create through words and then gather them inside a magic circle¡­ and then infuse mana again to create magic! Seriously?! How can I do that in just a few seconds like Emeraldine does? She gets help from the Spirits, of course! S-So that¡¯s why I am failing there! ¡­Or I am just relying on my Unique Skills so much that my actual talent for magic is just atrophied. That¡¯s also a possibility. ¡°I-I¡¯ve already made you try the lowest possible Darkness Attribute Spell, ck Dot, and you still can¡¯t bring it traditionally¡­ I would say your Magic is something akin to what I would call ¡°Imagination Magic¡± which is still fairly limited. You can intuitively learn and use magic spells of your attributes.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°But traditional spell casting, with its intricacies and more, seems hopeless for you.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ You¡¯re so ruthless with me¡­¡± I sighed, feeling down. I wanted to use traditional magic because I had heard that if Ibine it with Skills, even stronger magic cane out. However, it appears I am terribly untalented at it. ¡°Auntie, look!¡± Takeshi called me, as he suddenly generated a basic magic circle, and then another, and another. His limit was three, and they all shone bright blue. In mere seconds, three spears made of water emerged. ¡°I learned Spiraling Water Spear!¡± ¡°G-Good job, Takeshi! I am so proud of you¡­!¡± I said while containing my disappointment on myself for being outperformed by a child. Takeshi seemed to be naturally gifted with good memory and magicprehension, so he was able to bring out magic easily. ¡°And this too!¡± Suddenly, he conjured Darkness Magic, several small spheres of darkness named ck Dot, which can be sued as small bullets. They all floated around his other hand. Wow, this child was a genius magician! And he still got that magical fishing rod thingy too¡­ ¡°I seem to also have Darkness Attribute affinity!¡± Laura quickly spoke after Takeshi, as if she wanted my attention or that of Emeraldine. She went one step ahead, generating arrows made of darkness and then conjuring floating Fireballs. ¡°And Fire!¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­ Well done, Laura!¡± I said with a forced smile. Wow, must be nice to have colorful elements such as Water and Fire! I only got dark, dark, and more dark- Well, actually, I have Darkness, Death, Poison, and Illusion. But even trying my best affinity, Darkness, was futile. So trying the other elements through a traditional way would be probably quite hopeless. I just suck at this. ¡°Children, it seem all of you are quite good at this!¡± Emeraldine said, quickly trying to ignore my gloomy face as she praised everybody else. Everyone except me managed to bring out their magic potential and got new Skills out of it. I even saw some with Life and Light Magic, we had more variety than we thought. ¡°Yaaaay!¡± Everyone seemed happy about their lessons and continued practicing magic. Emeraldine was quite versed for someone that can only use Light and Nature elements. It seems she had learned a lot back in her vige, and with the many books I had stolen before, we had a lot of source for the creation of magic circles of various elements. When sses ended, Emeraldine sat down at my side and began caressing my head as if I was a lost puppy or something. I might be slightly sad again but not for her to just pity me! ¡°It¡¯s alright, we can keep trying tomorrow.¡± Emeraldine said with a gentle smile. ¡°Ugh¡­ Okay.¡± I sighed. Honestly I didn¡¯t wanted to continue trying. It was getting stressful¡­ But I can¡¯t say no to that smile. ¡°I believe your talent at using traditional magic has simply been¡­ slightly atrophied.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°I am sure that you¡¯ll eventually awaken it. In that moment, when you merge your Magic Skills with Traditional Magic Circles, you will be able to unleash even stronger magic, and also make it moreplicated, surpassing what you can actually imagine within the limits of your powers.¡± Emeraldine seemed very decided to teach me magic, I wasn¡¯t going to be able to escape from her grasp, no matter how hard I would try. ¡°Okay, teacher, I¡¯ll do my best. Are there any books with Death, Poison, and Illusion Magic spells?¡± I wondered. ¡°My imagination regarding them is limited to be honest. I need a bit more of examples to increase what I can bring with them.¡± ¡°Ah yes! Are you going to study? Then these, this one as well! And this!¡± Emeraldine threw a pile of five books over my desk. ¡°These should be good!¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­ I guess I will, thank you.¡± I sighed, grabbing them, and storing them inside my Inventory. I suppose delving in the true origins of magic, how people discovered it alongiside their Soul Books, and everything else, will be rather important for me to figure out ways to make my magic even stronger than merely leveling up. We¡¯ll be going to the Dwarf territory in about a month from now, so I¡¯ll use this opportunity to grow stronger as much as I can. Monsters around here are rare though, and if we find them, they give pitiful amounts of EXP as well. ying my Dungeon Monsters also give pitiful amounts of EXP, so there¡¯s no other way for me than to sit and wait for a challenge toe my way one day. I believe the Dwarves might have some dungeons there. ¡ª¨Cn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Chapter 400 A Hard Week And A Helpful Skill ¡ª¨C It has been roughly a week since the first magic sses with Emeraldine, I¡¯ve not only reading these books over and over again, but I¡¯ve also helped her and the other people at the Greenhouses Fields, which had already begun to sprout with life as multiple nts began to grow. They were growing incredibly fast, a single week for them to grow up to twenty centimeters wasn¡¯t something normal at all, and I med Emeraldine¡¯s Magic and her Spirits alongside my own Skills I had acquired [Farming] and the [Little Farmer] Title, both boosted nt growth and even had a chance to turn the nt magical. ¡­Which actually seems to be happening. A few dozen of these nts were slowly turning brighter and sparkling with light. I was actually quite shocked at first when I saw them, but they were growing abnormally faster, and their entire bodies were shining as if they were an Atelier Game material ready to pick up. However, I had to contain my desire to take them out of the ground and check their qualities, as Emeraldine wanted to see how far they could grow. The nts that turned magical were all the most basic things, such as potatoes, carrots, some onions, and tomato fruits. Thanks to magic, nt growth is elerated so they probably don¡¯t need to wait for spring to blossom and summer to give out fruits. Of course, as long as it is not cold enough, potatoes, carrots, and onions, which are tubers, can easily grow and be eaten without having to wait for them to produce seeds or something. ording to Emeraldine, who was rather good at this as well due to her vige doing farming for self-sustenance, veggies that grow underground usually grow in ¡°colonies¡± of many small clones, as they¡¯re connected to the roots. Usually you¡¯ll cut down the bigger ones to eat and leave the smaller ones back to the ground so they can continue growing and at the same time produce more offshoots. That said, I¡¯ve also been studying diligently. I¡¯ve been reading several books concentrated for a while, not only those of magic but I also put the time and effort to read other things, researching the world, its various continents, the people that lives here, and more. Although this information seems outdated, it gave me a general feeling of things that Icked before. Alongside that, of course, I also studied magic circles. Thanks to Emeraldine¡¯s rmendations, I began memorizing the magic circles with surprisingly good results. Thanks to the [Parallel Mind] Skill I had, I suddenly realized I had kind of an amazing photographic memory. Although I cannotpletely understand orprehendplicated magic right away, if I memorize how the things look and the text that exins them, I can always recall it inside of my mind, trying to figure out this advanced math-like magical form. But god, I was bad at math. I¡¯ve been trying my best and even after a week, there are no results at all, but I think that soon enough, I might grasp True Magic. Meanwhile, I¡¯ve been trying to figure out the creation of new Skills as the System had told me, my priority was Alchemy, but Emeraldine had been busy dealing with teaching magic for the entire week, and because she¡¯s not a tireless undead or something, after she was done she would have dinner and then go to sleep at our bed. I couldn¡¯t really bring myself to force her to help me learn the Skill, so I decided to wait for her. But ultimately, as I spent another night reading books and trying to grasp something¡­ Ding!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [You have acquired the [Bookworm: Lv1] Title Skill] ¡°Eh?! What¡¯s with this stupid Title? And why did it took so long?¡± I wondered. [Some Skills have better affinities than others] ¡°But didn¡¯t you said I could learn Skills way easier now?¡± [Indeed, this is a Skill you would had never been able to learn, your affinity with books and reading is just terrible] ¡°¡­¡± That really broke my heart. The System is really ruthless sometimes, damn bastard. Also this is just another Title that is making fun of me, but even those got some interesting effects, so let¡¯s see this one¡­ ¡ª¨C [Bookworm: Lv1] A Title Skill acquired by someone that has read so many books that they don¡¯t know anything else in life than reading and simply thinking about books and staying inside a library. Aside from bing a weirdo, it increases your Reading Comprehension of any Book you¡¯re reading by +50% (With an additional +10% with each Title Skill Level). You might also develop the ability to write, maybe. ¡ª¨C ¡°Eh?! Isn¡¯t this just really making fun of me?! System, did you wrote the description?¡± [¡­] ¡°Silence, huh?! Bastard¡­ You¡¯re getting really cockytely!¡± [¡­] ¡°Hah~ It¡¯s hopeless to argue with him.¡± I sighed, looking back at the Title Skill. Come to think of it, it is not bad at all. +50% Reading Comprehension is an insane boost. It was probably like 1% before seeing how slow I am, but now that I got an insane 51%, things might change for the better now! Let¡¯s continue reading books! I might even write my own book about being a Ghost to the masses. ¡­Well, yeah, no. I better not do that. I looked into the window and it was still dark, it might be around 4 AM right now¡­ I better go back to reading. A benefit of being a ghost is that as long as I don¡¯t use too much Mana, I can keep myself awake all I want without feeling tired or sleepy. As the hours went by and I saw Emeraldine moving around my bed with Partner who usually rolled over the bed like tens of times every night, I continued reading. For some times, I looked back at them and saw Lucifer sleeping on his own smaller bed. He had requested a personal bed for himself to be put at the side of mine, as he didn¡¯t wanted to sleep with the other girls. I guess he just wants his own space. When it was already 10 AM, I closed the book I was reading and suddenly felt something. It was like¡­ a spark! ¡ª¨C Chapter 401 Its All Thanks To [Bookworm] ¡ª¨C Is this Comprehending Magic? For some reason, I suddenly was able to learn something that didn¡¯t disyed in the Soul Book at all to begin with. It was weird! Is this something outside the System? But the Soul Book is not really a system, it is just an expression of our soul. So what makes it so a Spell turns into a Skill inside the Soul Book, truly? [Spells be Skills inside the Soul Book when they develop enough and be ¡°imprinted¡± into your Soul. After that, you¡¯re able to develop these spells and constantly make them grow stronger] The System rudely read my mind once more. [Your Soul Grimoire is specialpared to other people¡¯s Soul Book, you¡¯re able to naturally imprint certain Magical Skills which you have a very strong affinity with incredibly easily, by merely conjuring them. Sometimes it might not work though, but in most cases, it can. This is how you are able to learn a lot of Magic Skills when you figure out their ideal way of conjuring them, but sometimes, others cannot be easily turned into Skills due to their one-time use within your daily life] Oh, so with such a logic, offensive Spells are prioritized to be Skills within the Soul Grimoire then?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [That¡¯s also for Soul Books. Offensive spells are the most used after healing spells, buffs, or other misceneous spells are not as used, often being rarely used for convenience¡¯s sake sometimes. Making them grow or develop is therefore not necessary, and the spells don¡¯t be imprinted into your soul] I see, you should had exined this to me some more¡­ [I believe you never really cared about this until now] Ugh, fine. [More importantly, as I said before, there is never a definitive chance of getting skills or not. It is a thing that takes time. With your Soul Grimoire, this is facilitated greatly, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can always turn everything you think about into a Skill, after all, there are still some limitations, although certainly notpletely clear¡­] I guess not even you can discern everything, huh? Well, that¡¯s fine, I am not really going to ask you to do the impossible. But now that I¡¯ve managed to get a slight amount ofprehension at longst, I immediately decided to use magic! I pointed my hand into the air and then generated several runes into the air, slowly but steadily, all while gritting my teeth, I put them together into a magic circle. Concentrating into this was truly hard to do, but because I have nothing to do other than concentrate into something to the level of obsession, I somehow managed. FLASH! The runes in the magic circle unified at longst, each one had a meaning, a word. When all words came together into a magic circle, that formed a magic spell, a chant, perhaps. Combining them together into the form of magic and infusing mana into the magic circle gave birth to true magic. And then, from within this magic circle, a small, pink-colored butterfly surged, pping its wings around and looking like it was seeking something. This was the Tier 1 Illusion Magic Spell: Dreamy Butterfly! Illusion Magks a lot of offensive Spells in low tiers, and it can be used to trick someone. You can create this butterfly to confuse someone. It is oddly charming to the eyes and mysterious, making people lose their sight of what they were trying to do or distracting them for a few seconds. If I end up creating dozens of them, I can easily make someone confused enough to look run away in surprise, or other times, it might not be at all effective is the target can see through my intentions or that it is just someone bringing these butterflies through a magic spell. Of course, this Spell is very small,ckluster, and has no real point in turning into a Skill, so it wasn¡¯t even inscribed into my soul nor it turned into a Skill. And I prefer it to be that way to be honest, I would rather get skills of other, more devastating Spells I can spam more easily. But now, I¡¯ve finally gotten something! Although I can always just imagine the spell now and conjure it into thin air without a magic circle, this is the beginning. Later, I¡¯ll try to create a Magic Circle for things like Chaotic Meteor and fuse its power with the Skill itself. Although I wonder how much power it can bring out¡­ My next goalprehending the Dark Sphere Spell so I canbine it with Dark Sun, its evolved Skill form and see how much power it could receive as a boost! However, before that, everybody was awake so we decided to have breakfast. When I showed Emeraldine I was finally able to grasp magic circles with the butterfly, she got suddenly very happy, almost driven to tears. ¡°Your hard work has rally paid off! I am so proud of you, Maria!¡± She said, hugging me tightly. ¡°E-Eeh? Don¡¯t treat me like a kid now¡­¡± I sighed. Although, I had to admit it, I loved to be praised. Maybe because I never received enough praise in my previous life, or maybe for anotherpletely different reason. But¡­ really, I really liked to be praised by her after putting so much effort into learning something. ¡°And it¡¯s all thanks to Bookworm¡­¡± I sighed with a smile. ¡°Bookworm?¡± Asked Emeraldine while raising an eyebrow. It seems she didn¡¯t had such a Title Skill. ¡°Erm, nothing¡­ never mind what I just said.¡± I sighed, quickly deciding to keep a secret my ridiculous amount of Title Skills, which probably surpassed many others in quantity alone. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve been dedicating a whole week to learn a single little spell.¡± Sighed Lucifer. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t understand why you are so set in learning traditional magic; your own magic is more than enough.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s kind of isn¡¯t. If Ibine them with magic circles, I¡¯ll be able to draw even more power!¡± Lucifer looked at me while raising an eyebrow. ¡°¡­Your magic power is already ridiculous, how more ridiculous do you want it to be?¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 402 Learning Alchemy! ¡ª¨C It has already been two weeks since we saw Katarina go off in her own. By that time, I had told her to take good care of herself while I gave her a big Wolf Monster Undead to carry her around the world. Since then, every week, she had sent me a magical message through the device I gave to her, a small crystal ball attached to a ne she had as my parting gift. ¡°Just yesterday I got inside a port city named Belle, where it is not so cold anymore! Me and Darky are going to go off to another continent now. I¡¯ve lived my entire life in Midgard, but I really want to see what other ces all are about. Thanks to your help, I don¡¯t even look like an Undead to other people, so this is like my first time being treated like a normal person as well¡­ Thanks a lot for everything you¡¯ve done for me, Maria! I guess I can already forgive you for killing me back then. I¡¯lle see you one day, maybe!¡± That was the whole message. Katarina was on her own by now. She was always kind of a lone wolf. And I guess she still held a grudge against me because I killed her. I guess it was only natural, but it seems that now that she was set free, she realized I didn¡¯t really meant to cage her nor ve her with me the rest of her existence. I don¡¯t know which continent she is going to, but I hope she has a lot of fun, and is careful there. After I sent her a message back telling her to take care, and a lot of other things, I quickly looked in front of me. There was a boiling cauldron with many species of herbs and other ingredients that had suddenly begun glowing brightly with magical essence. The ingredients ced inside had been dissolving for several hours now, and through the injection of Mana directly into the cauldron, they mixed together into a special substance with magical properties, what most people call ¡°potions¡±.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I had already prepared a potion some time ago to heal the disease that the poor Rabbit-kin were suffering, but now that such an event ended, I had not done any of such things until just four days ago, when Emeraldine finally found enough time, now that the children and others that were learning magic had mastered enough of the principles of magic to study it by themselves, to be able to teach me Alchemy properly. ¡°Ah, I think it might be ready, well done, Maria! This is the second potion you¡¯ve made without mistakes.¡± Emeraldine congratted me, her bright lustrous hair waving around. Being praised by her was the best. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t had been able to do it without you, Emeraldine.¡± I said with all honesty. Emeraldine was an amazingly talented farmer, alchemist, and magician. I was truly gifted to have her at my side, even more, to be loved by someone so incredible such as her. Ding! [You learned the [Alchemy: Lv1] Skill] [You acquired the [ndestine Brewer: Lv1] Title Skill] Hey! I got two Skills once more! After four days of practicing alchemy, that¡¯s all I needed?! I guess I am slightly more talented with it than with reading books andprehending magic. ¡ª¨C [Alchemy: Lv1] A Skill only learned by those who have learned the ways of an alchemist and had mixed various ingredients together to form new types of products and beverages a few times. This Skill grants the ability to easily use [Synthesis] on items you¡¯re mixing through Alchemy (only inside a Magic Cauldron) through the usage of Mana. Alongside increasing the effectiveness of [Synthesis] by +20% with each Level, the quality of created products is increased by +50% (with an additionally +10% with each Level) and ideas about new recipes can be created more easily by the user. ¡ª¨C [ndestine Brewer: Lv1] A Title given to someone that has (most of the time illegally) brewed many potions of strange origins which might or might not be effective or useful to anybody. Although the path towards a true Alchemist is far away, this Title enhances the chances of a sessful creation of an item through alchemy by +30% (with an additional +10% with each Title Skill Level) and adds a 10% (with an additional +5% with each Title Skill Level) chance for the item created to be one Rank Higher in Quality. ¡ª¨C Oooh?! Although the second one is just trying to put me down, they¡¯re both amazing! With this, my Alchemy will be even more effective. Maybe I can finally be a protagonist of an Atelier game myself? It wouldn¡¯t be bad to just go around the world collecting herbs and other materials to produce items out of this Magic Cauldron we bought back in the fiefdom thanks to Julia¡¯s help and her connections. Magic Cauldrons are essential for high level Alchemy, and they¡¯re specifically made using magical materials that are capable of extracting the essence and magical power of materials alongiside absorbing and channeling the mana created by the alchemist infused into the Cauldron. In a normal one, it would have a way lower chance for a sessful Synthesis. But with a Magic Cauldron, this small chance be rather big! After it was done, I looked into the liquid we had created, which had gained a slightly red color. ¡ª¨C [Beginner¡¯s Health Potion (D Rank)] A special Potion with an easy to make recipe specially made for Beginner Alchemists. It includes a variety of easy to find Herbs, such as Bitter Weed, Fragrance Flower, and Yellow Rose, alongside the oily extracts of their flowers and stems usually mixed with other ingredients tobine things together. Recovers: 5000 HP and increases HP Recovery by x3 for 3 Hours after consumption. ¡ª¨C ¡°Ah, the Potion ended looking pretty good!¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°I can see it through my Analysis ability, it says it restores 5000 HP.¡± I said rather confidently and happily. ¡°F-Five thousand HP?!¡± Emeraldine asked with a shocked expression in her face. ¡°Yeah, and it is merely D Rank! I got over 40k HP though, but this can certainly improve over time¡­ Though, can a ghost drink potions?¡± I wondered. ¡°D-Rank and it restores so much HP?!¡± Asked Emeraldine once more. I guess she was quite shocked. ¡ª¨C Chapter 403 A Powerful Potion ¡ª¨C ¡°It is only a D Rank Potion but it heals five thousand HP?!¡± Emeraldine cried. ¡°If I drink three of these my entire HP would refill easily! This is insane! Potions are usually used so you can close some wounds or stop bleeding, they¡¯re not really capable ofpletely healing someone to full unless they¡¯re made by someone incredible¡­¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°W-Well, this is a monstrous Beginner Potion, I can make better ones but even then¡­ Maria, you got a monstrous talent for Alchemy!¡± Emeraldine patted my shoulders as she seemed rather shocked about my Alchemy Talent. I guess I really had it within me. I am what they call a ndestine Brewer too¡­ Whatever that even means. ¡°Is that so? Heh, I guess I could make more potions from now on¡­¡± I said with a smile as I rubbed my chin. ¡°But more importantly, let me taste it.¡± ¡°Taste it? Sure¡­¡± Emeraldine said, as I extended my finger into the potion and saw no pain or anything bad happening. Then, I directed my finger to my mouth and licked the potion off. It had a slightly citric vor, with nothing sweet to it at all, but that was rather alright. The most shocking thing was, however, that it had an amazing floral scent. It really calmed down my mind the more I smelled it. [Your HP has been restored by +500] Oh! A mere lick of it restored 500 HP?! And it didn¡¯t damaged me as I thought! So in this world potions really don¡¯t damage Undead, huh? Unless it is a potion imbued with Holy Water, maybe¡­ If those that have it can heal better and are more widespread, then they might be effective against Undead. But as of now, this one seems to be alright to drink! A mere lick of it restores 500 HP as well, a small finger sized bottle should be more than enough to restore +5000 HP like the description said. But what if I make bigger bottles, will it restore more HP? A small lick was 500, so I can¡¯t imagine what is to drink a whole cup of it, it might as well restore more than 5000 HP. ¡°I am alright! Undead seem to not be affected by healing items as I had imagined.¡± I said, ending my experimentation and analysis. ¡°Oh? Of course they don¡¯t. After all Undead still have HP, as long as something can restore HP, they will restore HP. Of course, magic is more limited. Because most magic that heals wounds is light or holy element, which deal damage to Undead, it is believed that Undead can be damaged with anything that restores HP.¡± Emeraldine exined. ¡°However, there are still potions that can double as projectiles against Undead, those are the ones made with Holy Water.¡± ¡°Holy Water! I see, I had assumed that as well¡­¡± I said while sitting down. ¡°As you know, the Church of the God of Light is the one the most widespread in this continent. They made the recipe for potions with Holy Water widespread, which is the one they produce the most as well. It is sometimes forced for alchemist to use this recipe because it can even damage Majin, apparently. However, farther away ces from their influence, such as in here or other neighboring countries seem to not obey their rules. Also, Holy Water is expensive because the Priests that make it ask for ludicrous prices for it. This pretty much forces any Alchemist to give the church a ton of money just to be allowed to make potions. They¡¯re really detestable sometimes.¡± Emeraldine began to rant for a bit. ¡°Huh, they really suck. Did you experienced something simr?¡± I wondered. ¡°My uncle, the brother of my father is an apothecary. He taught me everything I know about Alchemy. Our small vige was invaded by people from the church and ended making their own small temple. They began asking for donations almost forcefully, and also forced my uncle to change his recipes.¡± Sighed Emeraldine. ¡°It has been years since I¡¯ve seen him, I wonder if he¡¯s alright¡­¡± ¡°I-I had no idea you had a family member waiting for you there¡­¡± I said. ¡°Hey, how about we go to your vige after we are done with things in the dwarf territory?¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± Emeraldine asked in disbelief. ¡°Yeah! I want to know your uncle and see how¡¯s he¡¯s going. If he¡¯s someone that helped raise someone as lovable as you, I am sure he¡¯s a good man.¡± I said with a nod. ¡°M-Maria¡­ You¡¯re saying embarrassing things again¡­¡± Emeraldine said while blushing a bit. ¡°And well¡­ About my uncle¡­ Well, he¡¯s actually kind of¡­ Err, slightly strange. But I guess you¡¯ll see him when we go there.¡± ¡°Strange? Like what?¡± I asked. ¡°It would be better if you saw him by yourself¡­ W-Well, it still some time until we go there. So for now, how about we go eat?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°Well, I would rather eat this adorable girl in front of me~¡± I said coquettishly, as I approached Emeraldine. ¡°M-Maria¡­ You¡¯ve gotten bolder¡­¡± Emeraldine said, as she received my lips and we began kissing rather passionately. ¡°Hahh~ W-Wait a bit¡­ Someone could enter here¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve grown quite addicted to those soft lips; I really can¡¯t stop myself now¡­¡± I admitted. BAAAM! ¡°Uwah!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± As we were about to kiss again, someone mmed the door open. ¡°Master, Emeraldine, I brought some snacks for- Eh?!¡± Partner entered bringing what looked like small cookies made by herself, she found us red handed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°P-Partner! Those cookies look so nice, did you cook them?¡± I asked while trying to be nice. ¡°So this is what you do in here, you are not even doing alchemy, youe to kiss for hours and hours, don¡¯t you?! ¡­Ah! I-I bet you use this ce to do lewd stuff too! Emeraldine, I never thought you would be that type of person that liked the thrill of doing it in an open ce!¡± Partner said while blushing a bit. ¡°P-Partner this is a misunderstanding¡­! W-We were just kissing right now after we finished¡­ N-Nothing much, I am Maria¡¯s lover as well, am I not allowed?¡± Emeraldine sighed while slightly feeling a bit irritated with Partner¡¯s words. ¡°Girls please calm down¡­¡± I sighed. ¡ª¨C Chapter 404 Partners Cooking Has Improved ¡ª¨C ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­!¡± Partner said while crossing her arms. ¡°I just want some time with Master too¡­ Alone¡­¡± Partner suddenly got a bit emotional there. I realized I¡¯ve spending thest two weeks mostly with Emeraldine, and I¡¯ve been missing on spending time with Partner and Lucifer. ¡°R-Right, I¡¯ve been too busy with my own things and Emeraldine is a good instructor at both things I want to learn¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°But you¡¯re right, I should dedicate my time to be at your side as well.¡± I petted Partner¡¯s head as I kissed her as well. After that, her red eyes shone brightly, she was enchanting. The charm of vampires is really strong in her. ¡°Really?¡± She asked. If she had a tail, she would be wagging it happily. ¡°Yep, we can do whatever you want.¡± I said. ¡°A-Actually, I want to help you learn things as well, Master!¡± Partner said. ¡°Hm? Like what?¡± I wondered. ¡°Like¡­ Like¡­ Errr. Well, how about Spearmanship?!¡± Partner asked. The only thing she was pretty good at that Icked much knowledge of. Although I didn¡¯t really used spears at all, and I was already using two weapons, a sword, and an axe, I decided to ept it. It still good at the end, I can generate many limbs using my Skills and powers as a ghost, and we got a ton of dropped equipment and weapons from ourst dungeon dive. There are tons of weapons I got there that I could use. If I can learn the way of the spear from her, I can strengthen my bond with Partner all while I learn new Skills. I am obsessed with learning new Skills, like¡­ I just want to collect them all. So I cannot miss this opportunity. ¡°Sounds good to me! I¡¯ll be in your care, Teacher~¡± I said with a giggle. ¡°T-Teacher?!¡± Partner asked, suddenly realizing she was indeed a teacher now. ¡°Oooh! I am a teacher now! This¡­pletely changes the hierarchy!¡± ¡°Hahah¡­ But isn¡¯t there something else you might be interested in learning too, Partner?¡± Asked Emeraldine. ¡°Learning? Well, I want to learn how to cook better¡­ My cooking kind of sucks.¡± Partner sighed. ¡°I guess I can teach you that. My [Cooking] Skill is rather decent in level, and I¡¯ve inherited many cooking skills from my previous life!¡± I said pridefully. ¡°Uwaah! Nice! I made these cookies using a recipe I found in the books, t-this is my first attempt, do you want to taste them?¡± Partner asked adorably, she was so cute when she tried out new things. ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s give it a go!¡± I quickly grabbed one of the cookies and ate it whole.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om It was quite hard, and more salty than normal¡­ She added too much salt to it. And it was hard, so she ended leaving it in the oven for too long. She still has a lot to learn¡­ But I can¡¯t really tell her that when she¡¯s looking at me with such cute eyes filled with hope. I can¡¯t really betray such an adorable girl. Emeraldine, however, was having more difficulties eating it, and ended leaving the rest of the cookie over the table. ¡°I-It is¡­ a peculiar taste.¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°Peculiar?¡± Partner wondered, quickly growing concerned. In fact, she grew very sad. I bet she put a lot of effort into it. ¡°They¡¯re delicious!¡± I said, quickly putting a smile in her face. She was very easy to convince. I grabbed all the cookies and began eating them while showing her how much I loved them, until none were left. With that, I spared the effort to the rest. I even ate the half-eaten cookie Emeraldine left behind. ¡°They were way too tasty! I can¡¯t believe it, honestly!¡± I admitted, sighing in relief as I had eaten them all. I forced them down my throat. Because I am a ghost I can use Phantasmal Stomach to easily eat them without having to even bite them. ¡°I-I am so happy you liked them!¡± Partner said. ¡°I-I can make more right now if you want to, Master!¡± She was so happy I ate them all that she wanted to make even more. ¡°In fact, you ate them all so I have to make more for everybody to eat too!¡± She added. ¡°T-This time, let¡¯s make them together, my love.¡± I said, quickly walking at her side. ¡°Oh! Okay then! See ya, Emeraldine! I¡¯m taking Master for myself, fufu!¡± Partner began to giggle like a vicious little fox, as Emeraldine waved her hand with a gentle smile. ¡°Have fun~!¡± And like that, I ended teaching Partner to not leave the cookies for so long in the oven, and to add very little salt instead of the big amount she identally added. This time, the cookies, although in as they were, without any chocte chips or something, ended being way tastier. ¡°Hmm! Ooh! My cookies are so good!¡± She said. She had not eaten the previous ones, so she ended with the illusion that they were always good. I know this isn¡¯t the right thing to do for someone you¡¯re teaching about cooking, they have to know their errors after all. But I am too soft to tell her things directly, I guess. ¡°Yeah, they were slightly salty before, but they were still delicious for me. Maybe others might had not found them too good, but now that you made things alright, it seems they had be even more delicious than before- O-Of course, they were already very delicious before.¡± I said, petting her head. ¡°I see! So that¡¯s how it is¡­! Thanks for helping me out¡­! Let me give you a gift¡­¡± Partner said, quickly pointing her lips at me. I responded with a kiss as I hugged her again. ¡°Let¡¯s cook together some more from now on.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can learn from one another.¡± ¡°Yeah! I want to learn how to make meatloaf next. I hunted a big bear that I want to cook!¡± Said Partner. ¡°Ooh! I see how it is. I¡¯ll make sure to teach you well.¡± I said with a nod. ¡°For now, let¡¯s go serve everybody with cookies!¡± Like that, we went off our way to serve everybody with the delicious treats Partner made with all her love. ¡ª¨C Chapter 405 Lost Memories Chapter 405 Lost Memories ----- That night, as the two girls were already fast asleep in the bed, I walked outside my room looking for my dragon. I couldn''t find him anywhere, until I expanded my Supernatural Senses, quickly finding him atop the castle''s rooftop. I quickly flew there, passing through physical objects and finding him silently looking into the moon atop the skies. Tonight was a rare asion where the clouds opened up a bit and they revealed the beauty of the moonlight. "There you are!" I flew to his side, sitting at his left side and resting my head over his shoulder. "What''s up? Why are you here?" "Maria¡­ Ah, I was just rxing here. I often like to sit in here and admire the moonlight, or the cold breeze¡­ I am an old man, so I enjoy the most simplistic of things." Sighed Lucifer. "Huh¡­ In a bit over a week, we''re going to the dwarven mountains, your previous home¡­ A-Are you ready for it?" I wondered. "Ah¡­" Lucifer suddenly fell into silence for a bit. "I guess you saw through it." "Yep, I know when you''re worried or concerned." "Hm, you indeed know me as much as my wife in that regard already." "Your wife¡­" "Don''t worry, she''s long dead by now." "I see¡­ I-I wasn''t getting jealous or something¡­ I understand how precious your family is for you."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Lucifer smiled gently, as he caressed my hair. "You''re also part of my precious family." His simple words quickly made me blush a bit. "I-Is that so¡­?" "You''re beautiful below the moonlight." "Ah¡­ S-Stop it with the cute words¡­" "Your embarrassment is also adorable." "Ugh¡­!" I couldn''t help it, so I began hitting his shoulders angrily. "Hahah, okay, I''ll stop¡­" Luciferughed so carefreely. I think this is the first time I saw himugh this way. He''s often so serious all the time, it was really quite surprising. "You don''t seem all that nervous¡­" "Yeah, I am good at pretending I am okay. But indeed, I am very nervous. I know they might be gone already. But I can''t help but have this faint hope¡­ this faint hope that they might be alive. Or that someone, one of them maybe, anybody at this point¡­ that anybody of them could be alive." "I guess it is only natural to feel that way¡­ Hope is thest thing we abandon. Even now, I am sure you can''t really let it go. I also¡­ I am also wishing someone of your family could be alive. It would also make me happy." "R-Really?" "Of course! Even if your wife was alive! I wouldn''t really mind it if she were alive and you loved her alongside me or something¡­ It''s not as if I don''t have to lovers either." "Hm¡­ You''re way too open minded. This world is filled with people that can''t ept things as they are most of the time¡­ bloodshed, wars, and more, is brought due to these reasons¡­" "Hm, I can tell¡­ Though, only your wife! If you go around trying to find another girl, I''ll smack you!" "Hahaha! Don''t worry, I am a very loyal man." Lucifer held my hand as he kissed my forehead. "You''re lovelier than normal tonight¡­" "I am just trying to appreciate the precious gift I have in front of me." "You¡­!" I couldn''t help but feel even more embarrassed as he said all those things. I hit his chest and then epted the embrace of his arms when I realized he was too tough for my hits to even damage him. "You know? Back then I was¡­ just lost. I had lost all the hopes I had in fact. I slept and slept, and each time I regained consciousness I merely wanted to continue sleeping. I wanted to simply disappear, thinking that the world of now wasn''t made for me anymore. It was just a thing of chance that the dungeon was born out of all the magical power my body exuded as it slowly decayed underground¡­" Lucifer said. "It was very odd for all things toe and align together perfectly for you toe back as a ghost, so you could meet me and¡­ well, save me from the dungeon." "You think about that a lot, don''t you?" I asked while sighing. "W-Well, a bit. I guess I can''t really stop thinking about things like those, I am sorry¡­" Lucifer seemed to apologize, but I quickly stopped him. "There''s no need to apologize, I am just picking up a pattern. You like to think about that¡­ but why so much?" I wondered. "Like you, my memories are fragmented¡­" Lucifer admitted. "Eh?" "It is not something I wanted to tell you because I was afraid you would be worried¡­ I didn''t wanted to worry you." He sighed. "Although I remember various things, there is still a lot of other things I don''t remember. In fact, I still¡­ I don''t remember the face of my family yet. I know I loved them¡­ I know they were precious to me, but each time I try to remember their faces, I just can''t." "W-Why?" I asked. "Probably due to my age. I''ve been a soul for hundreds of years after all, my soul was slowly dissipating already back then, if it wasn''t for you, I would had been gone in a few more months¡­" Lucifer said. "Part of my weakness when I was turned into an Undead was because my soul was very weakened. As someone that is a ghost, I am sure you understand how memories are tied to the soul, right? If a soul slowly dissipates away, memories might be lost¡­ forever." "F-Forever?" "Don''t worry about it. I have gotten over it already. I recall those things I told you about because that''s the moment I met you. Although it hasn''t been that much time, I am already beginning to appreciate every memory I make with you and everybody else." Said Lucifer. "S-So that''s how it is¡­ Maybe if we go there and we find something, maybe your memories coulde back?" I wondered. Lucifer petted my head as he looked into the horizon. "I hope so..." ----- Chapter ?406 Learning How To Use The Spear With Partner Chapter ?406 Learning How To Use The Spear With Partner ----- That night, we ended spending the majority of the time looking at the moon until the clouds finally covered it from our sight. I recall I had fallen asleep while resting my head over his chest, when I woke up, I had found myself over my bed, while he was nowhere to be seen. Right after I woke up he came back with a breakfast to my bed, so it was overall a nice day at the end. ¡­ Two weeks have passed since then, and things had been slowly changing all around. The town was growing bigger, now that we were here and had a lot of free time, I began using the undead help to build more houses for everybody, while also thinking about repaving the floor outside. However, even then, there''s still a lot of ruins in front of us which would be very hard to take down. For now we have left them there. Well, to be honest, it wouldn''t be hard to take them down¡­ It''s just that I don''t want to do something like that for the moment. I feel like it would end up being quite rude to the people that once lived here. Demolishing everything just to make more houses and all, especially when we already got enough of them is not necessary. The poption had been growing slowly as some of the women began to get pregnant, but aside from that, nothing big has happened yet. Oh well, nothing big in terms of poption increase and all of that! I mean, there are massive magical herbs growing all over the ce right now inside of the Greenhouses. Not only did the potatoes and carrots and other veggies that turned magical thanks to my Skills grew bigger over this entire time, but also new herbs I didn''t remembered nting appeared around. These herbs were infused with tons of magical essence and were all the medicinal type of herbs! There were herbs such as Bitter Weed, Sun Grass, and even Recovery Herb. These herbs when mixed together make some premium potions, so I was d they somehow began growing when we never nted seeds here. Someone, however, said that seeds from weed and other herbs usually are always present in soil, so perhaps these nts were always here and simply used the rich soil and magic in the environment to grow to such big sizes. However, if we let them there, they would suffocate the rest of the veggies, so we ended cutting them down and saving them inside my Inventory so we can use themter for more potions, which I''ve been making through the weeks to gain more Skill Proficiency in Alchemy and ndestine Brewer Skills. I''ve also been trying to level up Farming and Little Farmer, all while teaching Cooking to Partner and learning from her amazing Spear Techniques. It has been a truly busy month where I''ve been doing a ton of stuff and learning new Skills as well.N?v(el)B\\jnn Ding! [You acquired the [Apprentice Spear User: Lv1] Title Skill] [You learned the [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv1] Skill] ----- [Apprentice Spear User: Lv1] A Title Skill that only those that could be considered apprentices of the usage of the Spear would acquire. This Title Skill grants an enhancement to uracy and damage dealt while using the Spear of +20% with each Title Skill Level. ----- [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv1] A Skill that can only be learned by someone who had thrusted their spear against a foe or a practice target for an enormously long quantity of time, to the point the very technique of the spear''s piercing de had be engraved into their very mind and soul. While using this Skill, the spear can move three times as quickly and unleash a powerful piercing attack, that can ignore 20% of the target''s max Defense and grants an additional damage bonus of +20% with each level. ----- After some practice with Partner and the spears, I was finally able to learn how to handle with one. The one I''ve been using this entire time was one I got from the dungeon, named [ck Dragon Spear], dropped by the monstrous flesh dragon thing that was the avatar of the dungeon''s core. It is a pretty strong weapon packed with Attack, so it was the best spear for me. Of course, I had already given the first best spear to Partner so she could dually wield them, while I kept the second best. Her first spear is the same as ever, the one she had not let go at all even when it has be fairly weaker than the new drops we have gotten. It was the first weapon she ever got and she is very emotionally attached with it. The weapon has already reached its max level after killing so many, only evolving a second time and then reaching the pinnacle of what it could reach, but even then, it is not near as strong as the newest spears we got from dropped items. She simply doesn''t want to let it go, even when it had gained a lot of bruises and a few cracks now. The three dwarves, however, had done their best to fix it, and used some special Magisteel Ingots to fix the spear damage, but they said they didn''t had any more Magisteel, so if we want to keep repairing her spear we''ll need to buy some more in the dwarven country. "Well done, Master! Your movements with the spear were amazing!" Partner praised me. We have been practicing the spear for over a week. Apparently there are even affinities and talents in weapon types, as if this were some Fire Emblem Game. My affinity with swords and axes was way better than spears, as I only needed to swing those weapons once to get their skills, this one took me over a week. Maybe it influenced that I used them to fight strong enemies back then when I was weaker, as the System told me that fighting strong foes also influence in the learning process of Weapon-rted Skills. "Yeah, phew, I finally learned the two Skills you''ve had for a while now¡­" I sighed. "Haha, my Apprentice Spear User already awakened into Spear Knight!" Said Partner. "And Piercing Spear Attack is now Blood Spear Arts." "W-Woah¡­ That''s amazing." I said in surprise. "You''re really improving on it, don''t you?" "Yep! I pride myself in being the strongest spear user here." Partner said while puffing her chest. "I am d to have such a great teacher then!" ----- Chapter 407 Plans To Go Visit The Dwarf Country ¡ª¨C As we were resting before having lunch, I looked into my Status. ¡ª¨C [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [9/80]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [EXP]: [163500/500000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [48000/48000] [MP]: [142000/142000] [Attack]: [16500] [Defense]: [18500] [Magic]: [132000] [Agility]: [48000] [Aether]: [100] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv¨C] [Dark Element: Lv¨C] [Death Element: Lv¨C] [Poison Element: Lv¨C] [Illusion Element: Lv¨C] [Elemental Spirit: Lv¨C] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv7] [gue Body: Lv2] [Abyss Eater: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv¨C] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv6] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv7] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv1] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv1] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv5] [Fist Strike: Lv5] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv6] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv1] [Dark Sun: Lv5] [Dark Storm: Lv5] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv2] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv2] [Abyss Maniption: Lv2] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv2] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv1] [Soul Devourer: Lv1] [Undead Detonation: Lv8] [Shadow Thread: Lv6] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora¡¯s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv8] [Gorgon¡¯s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv6] [Gorgon¡¯s Transformation: Lv6] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv4] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv2] [Illusory Delusion: Lv2] [Mind Bending: Lv2] [Insect Maniption: Lv2] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Undead Healing: Lv10] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv1] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv7] [Mental Mapping: Lv5] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv7] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv7] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv4] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv8] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv6] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv1] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv5 ] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv5] [Merciless Assassin: Lv4] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv4] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv3] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv4] [gue yer: Lv5] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv5] [Saint of Death: Lv4] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv3] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv3] [Dungeon Master: Lv1] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] [Queen of Flies: Lv2] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv2] [Mold Breaker: Lv2] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv1] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv2] [Divine Protections]: [Hel¡¯s Divine Protection] ¡ª¨C My Stats had risen by a few hundred points over the month not because of exercise or something (as it is impossible to raise my stats by anything but leveling up, actually), but because I had leveled up once. Yes, I needed hundreds of thousands of EXP, and I got them through the whole month. This would bepletely impossible in here with no monsters at all, but this happened all thanks to the Dungeon I have. Each time someone killed monsters in there, I gained some EXP as I had ced various small Phantom Familiars there. By barely helping in the kills through using the Gorgon Eyes of Paralysis to slow down monsters, I gained over half of the EXP that the monsters would give normally. The adventurers always got it all, so they never realized something was odd, and like this, for over 30 days, I finally umted a big chunk of EXP to level up once. This is not really an efficient way at all though, but it was a nice amount of daily EXP I slowly umted over time. And there¡¯s the Aether Stat which I haven¡¯t been able to increase at all since it emerged. As I remember correctly, the System said this Stat enhanced the power of my soul, and that it could help me do something called ¡°Soulforging¡± whatever it truly is. The System doesn¡¯t really know much else aside from this, so I need to find someone strong enough to have managed to unlock the Aether Stat and that could have managed to ¡°forge¡± their souls. Sigh, but for now, it is better to not concentrate into this because I can¡¯t really get any answers at all. Whatever might be the way to unlock this power, it is not here yet. But I am sure that it might one day show up before my eyes as I continue growing stronger and finding challenges that I often don¡¯t even ask for, to be honest. My existence as a whole brings me danger. I am already fearing something weird might happen with the dwarves, so I hope things go alright and I ampletely wrong. Sadly there is no Luck Stat, I wish I could just increase my Luck for once. ¡­Wait, my Witch of Misfortune drains Luck from any non-ally and adds it to me. So that means I am actually lucky from all the fortune I¡¯ve stolen from my foes? Whew, I can¡¯t imagine myself without being lucky then, I would probably be even worse, or not even here to begin with. Leaving aside my thoughts, I moved back to the interior of the castle with Partner, as I saw the twins running around with Gofumin and other children. The kids usually invited the rest of the children inside the spacious castle, which the children loved to y inside hide and seek, and other games. I let them do as they pleased as long as they didn¡¯t broke any porcinying around, these decorations are ancient in origin, and due to their old age, might cost a fortune. After quickly making some lunch with Partner, we quickly sat down around the table to enjoy our small feast and discuss our ns for today. After lunch, we were going through the skies to the Dwarf Country, with the aid of Lucifer, of course. I was going to bring with myself the three Dwarves, alongside the Twins. I had decided to also leave the rest of my powerful Undead here, protecting the vige while we were going to be out for a few days. ¡ª¨C Chapter 408 Preparations Before Departing ¡ª¨C ¡°Today is the day guys, I already told the dwarves and they should be ready by now, we are leaving just as we finish our meal.¡± I said, quickly looking at everybody, they were excited about going on a trip to a country ruled by dwarves, although Emeraldine seemed slightly nervous. Is the cliched Elves and Dwarves hate rtionship a thing in this world? ¡°I am thinking that we should purchase as many ores as we can, there¡¯s a wide variety there. We¡¯ll need a lot of materials if we want to construct more Greenhouses, and also if we want to improve the castle. Of course, also to reinforce our strength.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Yeah, we only got enough weapons from the dungeon, we¡¯ll still need more if we want to arm our people with enough strength in case something happens. I also need these materials more than anybody, I suppose.¡± I sighed. ¡°Huh? What for?¡± Wondered Emeraldine. ¡°Well, my Undead Creation Abilities need materials, you know? If I want to create Living Armors, I need ores as materials. Armor we have found in the dungeons is better used in our people than wasting them all into my own Undead, and they¡¯re not really that many, thepetent armor sets we got that could be used as materials for the armor I want to create are less than five. I need higher high-quality materials that are not processed yet.¡± I sighed. My Undead Creation Ability within the Soul Grimoire was more like a crafting game in several cases. Every time I checked a new Undead avable, it always asked for a list of materials necessary for their creation. Of course, I can also create Undead ¡°improvised¡± such as when I make the normal Undead out of corpses, but those created from materials directly are often very strong and are easier to produce in big quantities. For example, this was Darkbound¡¯s Creation Summary: ¡ª¨C [Creation Summary] [Darkbound, Undeath General] [Rank: B+] [Required List of Materials to Create]: [System Points] x10000 [Mana] x20000n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Bones Filled with Negative Emotions] x400 [The Wailing Souls of the Fallen] x100 [ursed ck Rusted Armor Pieces] x40 [Crystalized Phantasmal Essence] x20 [Magic Crystals (Any Rank)] x100 ¡ª¨C For more specific Undead, sometimes they ask for more specific materials. However, I¡¯ve already learned I can rece some materials for ores of high quality, especially those like the [ursed ck Rusted Armor Pieces]. Of course, I don¡¯t think I can mass produce someone like Darkbound yet, as he¡¯s very strong and unique as he needs a hundred soulsbined together, something that I cannot easily get done. Finding souls around is not hard, but I would feel rather bad if I force these wandering souls to be my Undead, especially a hundred of them out of the blue, I usually use the souls of monsters or defeated enemies, though souls most of the time willinglye to me to serve me thanks to my Titles. Maybe I justck the courage, and I might do it in the future for all I know¡­ But for now, my other target for creation was actually the Living Armors I had created to protect Emeraldine and Partner from the Miasma in our battle against Agatha. Living Armor are ideal guards for my Vige and also amazing armor by itself, so I want to actually make a hundred of them. For that, I¡¯ll need tons of ores, like several kilograms. I had begun to consider grabbing a pickaxe and go mine them out myself as well, but that depends if it is even allowed for anybody to mine ores. If not, I¡¯ll have to buy them, and that¡¯s a lot of money. I am sure they¡¯ll be cheap if I buy the ores directly from their source though, and if I use my connection with the three dwarves right, I might get discounts, so it is not so bad either. ¡°Wait a second¡­ Master, is your truest intention to get a bunch of high quality ores?¡± Asked Partner. ¡°Yeah¡­ I really want to cash up in those ores and get a bunch, thinking about the powerful Undead I could make by using these magical ores as materials literally make me drool. I¡¯ve heard there are Ores imbued with Fire Element or Water Element! Maybe I could make golems with them, or something crazy like that!¡± I said with a sigh. Imagining all the awesome Undead that could be made through acquiring new materials truly made me happy, to the point I was already expectant of getting into the dwarf¡¯s country market. ¡°Remember that we are also going there because we want to find out information about the Ice Giants.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Ah, yeah, I know¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°What about the ghost you found that knew about the Ice Giants?¡± Wondered Lucifer. ¡°Oh! He¡¯s pretty shy, but he had begun wandering around at night now that he¡¯s slowly losing his timidness¡­¡± I said. ¡°Veredorr,e out!¡± Francesco and Silvio, the two Fire Ghosts, had recently adopted a role simr to Butlers in the castle, often enjoying to clean things inside, to warm us up with their fire, and to serve us food and prepare things for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and were even learning Cooking, as both acquired the [Cooking] Skill recently. So as they were present here, the moment I called the Ice Ghost Veredorr, both felt his chilly presence quickly make the temperature in the room go down, making their mes flicker and weaken, their very bodies grew slightly smaller. ¡°Did you called me, Lady Maria?¡± The timid white-haired ghost wearing a blue tunic made of his own phantasmal essence emerged, he looked around with a gloomy expression. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe and eat with us?¡± I asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get inside my shadow all the time¡­¡± ¡°I-I apologize¡­ It is just that¡­ It is hard to get used to so many people.¡± Veredorr said. ¡°He used to live alone all by himself, and when he suddenly got killed by his friends, he really felt rather bad, I suppose he¡¯s still slowly getting over such a trauma.¡± I sighed, exining everybody his state of mind. ¡°Hm, makes sense.¡± Lucifer said. ¡°Master, can you please bring him back to your shadows?¡± Francesco asked rather rudely. ¡°H-His presence is so cold I feel like I am slowly disappearing!¡± Silvio eximed. Veredorr was not a simple Ice Ghost after all, due to his cause of death, the trauma of dying frozen made it so he ended transforming all of this grudge into an enormous quantity of power. As it is, he ended evolving into a Frost Tundra Ghost, his mere presence activated a passive skill named ¡°Tundra Domain¡±, hence the coldness that suddenly appeared. ¡ª¨C Chapter 409 This Dragon Is Too Prideful! ¡ª¨C As we prepared to go off into the skies, the Dwarves finally came out of their workshop, which I¡¯ve helped in constructing for them made outpletely from bricks, it had arge furnace and a chimney, but it was all very poorly made, they wanted to go to the big city to see if they can buy apletely new one. Thanks to my Inventory, even carrying a furnace here is possible, and they were thinking of justpletely abusing my spatial storage abilities to the fullest. One of them had even suggested that I could try storing an entire mountain inside my Inventory, but I quickly refused. It is also impossible because there are living beings inside the mountain, so the Inventory won¡¯t let me do it to begin with.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Here it is, done.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°We made it so it can befortable for everybody while you fly, big guy.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°No need to thank us.¡± Badur added. It was a massive seat made out of leather with belts and several spots for everybody to sit down. It was especially made to look simr to the one horses have, but bigger. Specially made for Lucifer¡¯s dragon back. ¡°Am I a Horse now?! Why do I need to put this on?!¡± Lucifer roared angrily, pping the ground with his big tail, he had already transformed into a dragon. ¡°So we can travelfortably. There¡¯s no way I got the strength to hang over a dragon moving at full speed without falling to my demise.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Baldur added while Badur nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just grab you with my ws!¡± Said Lucifer, showing them his big, scaled hands. ¡°No thanks, you¡¯re just going to crush us with those buddy.¡± Said Badur. ¡°You¡­!¡± Lucifer got so angry that his eyes began to glow bright red. I had to quickly run to his side to calm him down for a bit, he was growing too angry. ¡°Calm down now, honey.¡± I sighed, patting his enormous dragon head. ¡°Can you do this for me?¡± ¡°Uuughhh¡­ Y-You know how humiliating it is?¡± He sighed. ¡°But this way we can also show them you¡¯re like a good dragon and not an evil monster dragon if you go with that over your body.¡± I said. ¡°R-Right¡­ But still!¡± Said Lucifer angrily. ¡°Also, we already discussed this and you said we would descend behind the mountain so we could easily not be spotted as a dragon monster.¡± ¡°Yeah but ns might change sometimes! You have to be adaptive to changes.¡± I said with a nod. ¡°To me, it just feels like you¡¯re not even thinking about how I feel.¡± Lucifer sighed. ¡°Eeeh?! I am just asking you a favor¡­ I know it is humiliating to you. I will make up for itter, you can ask me anything.¡± I said. ¡°A-Anything?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes!¡± I said with a smile. ¡°A-Anything¡­¡± He muttered once more. Suddenly, Lucifer¡¯s face grew redder as he fell into silence. ¡°Lucy?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­Very well.¡± He said. Suddenly, Luciferpletely changed his mind and decided to help. He quickly lowered his back and let the dwarves set everything up. When things ended, he had several belts wrapped around his chest and waist, with a big seat behind him, the seat had several small seats with belts as well, which can be wrapped around those sitting there so they can travel without fearing falling from the dragon. ¡°Excellent, it fits well!¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Time for some sky traveling! Woohoo!¡± Said Baldur. ¡°I¡¯ve never traveled across the skies! You¡¯re never too old to experience new things, gahahah!¡± Badurughed. ¡°Gggrrr¡­¡± Lucifer groaned menacingly, quickly making the three dwarves shut their mouths. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said, caressing his big snout. ¡°Just make sure toply with my request¡­¡± He said. ¡°S-Sure¡­ What is it?¡± I wondered. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll tell youter.¡± He said. ¡°O-Okay.¡± I said, quickly wondering what he had on mind. Is it something lewd? Maybe he wants to ask for a special position in bed? Oooh¡­ Maybe that¡¯s it! Perhaps he wants to try out some fetish. I wonder what¡¯s his preferred fetish though¡­ He¡¯s always very modest in bed. Hm, maybe my foot? Or perhaps he wants to do anal¡­ ¡°It is nothing sexual, you pervert.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Did he read my mind or something?! ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t thinking anything of the sort! W-What are you talking about, dumbass?¡± I asked while blushing. ¡°It is very obvious to notice how you¡¯re thinking about perverted things. I can read your face and easily read your mind. You¡¯re so obvious sometimes¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°For your information, I am not a pervert like you.¡± ¡°O-Okay, I get it¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll wait until you¡¯re prepared to request it.¡± I bet it still something sexual, there¡¯s no way he¡¯s such a gentleman. I am sure deep down he¡¯s a bit of a pervert! ¡­Yeah! Or maybe I am just thinking that to make myself feel better? ¡°Maria!¡± Suddenly, Emeraldine and Partner finally arrived, both of them brought with themselvesrge boxes made of wood filled with bottles with red and blue liquids. This was a job I had let them do for me, although I was still helping by using my Phantom Familiars. Emeraldine was carrying only three boxes, while Partner over ten piled up together and with perfect bnce, the difference in their Strength Stat was quite obvious at this point. ¡°Ah, you girls brought the potions! Alright!¡± ¡°Yeah, it took some time to pack them all.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Do you n on selling them all?¡± ¡°But can¡¯t we keep some?¡± Sighed Partner. ¡°Of course we are keeping half of the ones I¡¯ve made for ourselves, they¡¯re for the citizens.¡± I sighed. ¡°But still, I don¡¯t want to just spend money there, if possible I want to see if I can sell my own products. The three dwarves said that alchemists were rare in their country, so we could make a good profit selling these potions.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 410 Setting Off ¡ª¨C My n was to not only spend money but also to make money myself! I wanted to sell rare products, which often times will always sell for nice prices. Dwarves seem to have very few alchemists in their country, they¡¯re very rare. And the enmity they have with elves, who are the most talented for alchemy had hit them hard now, as they require potions to heal from wounds, exhaustion of mining and creating items so much, and also to refill their mana while working, as apparently, high level cksmithing uses MP. The dwarves themselves said they were surprised about my potions, which also not only restored HP, which they didn¡¯t really lowered, but also restored their stamina and energy, like drinking very good energy drinks, but without side effects. However, after drinking too many they might get stomachache and the potion stop working properly, so they need to rest for a few hours afterwards. Nheless, they¡¯re still very precious! And thanks to our greenhouses which are growing magic herbs identally, and thanks to my Farming and Little Farmer Skills, things are doing well. We even found Mana Herbs, which are used to make Low Quality Mana Potions, if we added some of Lucifer¡¯s blood into the mix, the dragon blood enchanted the healing effects even more, making super high-quality potions. I had also realized another thing while making potions, I can earn EXP. Indeed, as I made more Potions, I began to notice that my EXP Bar was slowly filling up. It turned out that making one potion usually gave me between 1000 to 5000 EXP, often times only at 1k, but sometimes I got 5k. I am already about to level up after just a week from mass producing potions, so there¡¯s another EXP resource there. I had also thought this might work for stuff such as smithing and crafting, but I¡¯ll have to try itter when I get the specific skills. Oh also! Harvesting Magic nts also give EXP, normal ones also granted some little EXP, usually between 100 to 300, but Magic nts seem to have whole grades simr to items, the higher the grade, the more EXP you get, usually varying from 1000 to 3000¡­ Though the quantity harvested was way less than the quantity of potions made. However, EXP is EXP. I had already thought about doing this more often, especially because I am tireless and my Phantom Familiars can also work for me too, just like ying monsters with my Phantom Familiars also give me EXP. ¡°Thank you for the potions girls, I¡¯ll store them for now.¡± I said, quickly storing all things inside my Inventory. Usually by just touching them it was possible to store my stuff without problems. ¡°With This, we can also sell some more and perhaps we might even get some ties with the dwarves! I want to make some sort of small enterprise to sell my products, this way we can slowly begin independence from just the money Julia provided to us. Aside from the dungeon services, there should be other things. We can eventually teach alchemy to the talented ones at our town, and let them produce potions and other items as well so they can earn their keep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a super good idea!¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Several of those talented at magic are surely talented with alchemy, especially the children. The younger they begin practicing alchemy, the easier it is for them to learn it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± I said with a nod. ¡°I want to do Alchemy too if it means I can help at earning money!¡± Said Partner. ¡°But am I talented for it?¡± ¡°Well you can do Blood Magic, right?¡± I wondered. ¡°Perhaps it is possible.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Partner seemed doubtful about her capabilities. ¡°We¡¯ll try once we are done in the dwarf country, let¡¯s go now!¡± Emeraldine said. She seemed more cheerful than before. I am pretty sure something is going on with her. I remember she had felt gloomy and a bit angry at my decision of going to the dwarves, mostly she felt nervous due to the enmity dwarves have with the elves, which they love to call ¡°knife ears¡±, which is a pretty racist term. I had told her that if I caught anybody calling her with some racist slur I was going to beat the shit out of them, it seems she seemed to have cheered up after hearing that. ¡°Alright you three, you better not incentive your fellow dwarves to call my cute Emeraldine in any way, got it?¡± I asked the three. ¡°I-I get it¡­ I¡¯ve never been into elf hating anyways.¡± Said Darfu. ¡°Aahhh¡­ Them knife ears are tricky sometimes.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°But sure thing boss.¡± Said Badur. ¡°I told you to not call her like that!¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om SMACK! ¡°GAH¡­!¡± I smacked Baldur¡¯s head, which was as hard as coconut. ¡°Ouch! Ouch! O-Okay, I won¡¯t call her like that!¡± He cried. ¡°Apologize!¡± I roared. ¡°S-Sorry, Emeraldine!¡± Baldur, the old dwarf, had to ask forgiveness to Emeraldine. I guess his pride was mostly within his forging, but about stuff like this, he quickly decided to better apologize than to act prideful, especially because we had already be friends, it wasn¡¯t good to just act like a dick all the time. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve grown used to you two, so I don¡¯t really worry. Tough, I am happy you say you were sorry.¡± Emeraldine said with a gentle smile. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Baldur groaned grumpily, but quickly grew calmer as we set off into the skies. The twins were already here as well, sitting right in front of me, the two said they wanted the front seats and had been sitting in here talking for a while. ¡°You guys seem to be excited about flying into the skies, huh?¡± I teased them a bit. ¡°I am so excited! I want to go! Come on!¡± Takeshi said. ¡°Takeshi! Calm down! Uncle Lucifer is not a car or something!¡± Sighed Laura. ¡°Hmmm, you two seem pretty excited about this¡­ Alright, let¡¯s go then! You better appreciate the sight; I¡¯ll fly slowly so you can enjoy the ride!¡± Lucifer said, quickly pping his enormous wings. FLASH! ¡ª¨C Chapter 411 Freezing Enviorenment-Adapted Plants ¡ª¨C Lucifer decided to fly into the skies and went slowly this time. It would take roughly four to five days to reach the dwarf kingdom by merely walking towards there, it was several kilometers, and in normal circumstances, it might even take over a week, it would certainly be a long trip if we went by foot or in a carriage, but this time we had decided to go conveniently through the skies. Lucifer can fly, I can fly, so it was obvious we were going to go through the skies, wasting time is not my motto. Of course, by flying fast, we would be able to reach the ce in probably about half a day, but because he didn¡¯t wanted to go at turbo speed as the kids wanted to enjoy the scenery, this might take us a whole day now. Nheless, we decided to enjoy the view, which was a beautiful snowyndscape filled with white clouds and no blue sky at all¡­ quite gloomy to be honest. ¡°Uugh, its so cold in here¡­¡± Emeraldine began to tremble a bit, even with all the clothes she was wearing, which made her look like she was several kilos heavier in weight, she still was freezing alive. ¡°Let¡¯s set up a barrier then.¡± I said, quickly using my Magic, manipting darkness to create a barrier of shadows. Of course, this would inhibit the scenery for us, this is why I modified it and made it as transparent as I could. ¡°Ah, we can¡¯t see well like this!¡± Takeshiined. It seemed my barrier was still too dark to enjoy the view¡­ ¡°Let me do it myself, Maria.¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°Can you supply me with Mana?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± I said, holding Emeraldine¡¯s hand and giving her my MP. She quickly began to feel her MP overflowing. Quickly after, she conjured apletely transparent barrier that was easy to see through and that blocked most of the chilly winds of the outside, without actually blocking the air, of course, as they would need oxygen to breath. ¡°Wow this is awesome!¡± Said Takeshi. ¡°Much better.¡± Laura said. ¡°Guhhh¡­ I-I guess my darkness gets in the way, huh?¡± I sighed, feeling slightly sad. ¡°T-There¡¯s a time for every element to be used, Maria, don¡¯t feel down now.¡± Said Emeraldine, petting my head. ¡°Yeah! The other day I used Blood Magic to heal someone that was bleeding.¡± Said Partner. ¡°I never thought I could heal people!¡± ¡°Well, Blood Magic has a bad reputation because Vampires usually use this power to hurt others, but blood magic can also be used to help a body heal and manipte blood so it can cicatrize quickly. It is rather more effective than direct healing spells of light or life element.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°Although they can only target a few targets at the same time, usually only one to be more effective unlike other healing spells that can be conjured in a wide range.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Partner said. ¡°Maybe I can be like a doctor! I never thought I could do stuff outside of fighting.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯ve got the knack for it, Partner.¡± I said, petting her back. Like this, we spent the rest of the day flying through the skies, enjoying the beautiful view and talking. We eventually moved above the clouds were the sun was hitting hard, it was warm and the view was simply beautiful. It felt like Lucifer had the power to just bring us anywhere we wanted, the world itself was in the palm of our hands, not even the sky was the limit. We decided to make a small camp after six hours because everybody was feeling hungry, so we camped near argeke in an area that had some melted snow, showing beautiful green and blue grass growing around theke. The ce was so beautiful and peaceful despite the cold temperatures that we enjoyed the camp, although with another barrier set by Emeraldine, this time a bit bigger. While we were exploring this new unchartednds, I began to look around for new herbs. I had never seen blue grass before, so I began picking it up while lunch was getting ready. It was really blue, and seemed to have the essence of ice within it. Was this a Magic Herb as well? ¡ª¨C [Snow Weed (F Grade)] Special weed that usually grows in very cold temperatures but is damaged by the high temperatures. Its necessity for high quantities of water often make them grow over snow itself or nearkes, as they extract water particles from snow. Usually growing in low temperatures, they¡¯remon Weed within freezing continents such as Jotunheim and Niflheim.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om It possess Ice Attribute Mana Essence and is catalogued as a cheap Magic Herb. It can be used for low-quality Healing Potions, which can be more effective on Ice-Attribute Beings. If consumed raw, it could cause stomachache if the user has no resistance to ice. ¡ª¨C ¡°Oh! This is one of the nts that can grow in snow!¡± I said, quickly being happy to get a good find. I have heard that Ice Giants were able to farm over snow itself using special nts that originated from their own continents, special herbs that grow in snow, trees that give tasty fruit that can also grow in snow, and other nts and even vegetables. This weed seems to be growing from here all the way to the direction where the Dwarf country should be located. ¡°Really?!¡± Asked Emeraldine, running to my side to look at the item in question. ¡°Now that I look at it, it does indeed emanates a faint aura of magic¡­ amazing. This normal weed is very special if it can survive this cold. This world is really filled with such amazing things.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ So what do we do with this though?¡± I wondered. ¡°Should we pick them up?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s grab them by their roots so we can try to nt them back home.¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll make some good materials for alchemy.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter ?412 An Assortment Of New Materials Chapter ?412 An Assortment Of New Materials ----- After we gathered the Snow Weed, we also began to find other Herbs and even blue and clear, blue-colored flowers growing around sporadically, they were rarer to find, but were just as interesting. Hell, there were even clear white mushrooms that camouged as piles of snow, so it was rather hard to find those. ----- [Snowke Herb (E Grade)] A special herb whose leaves are snowke shaped. Much like other nts within its category, it is able to survive in incredibly freezing, below zero grades of temperature, but it might weaken or have its leaves melted away if it is exposed to strong temperatures above 20 grades. This nt not only stores water from snow but also is capable of assimting snow, making most of its body ice crystals that grow constantly. Its roots feed on the mana of the underground and various other nutrients. It has healing properties and can stop bleeding if their leaves are applied over open wounds. If prepared, it can be an ingredient for both low quality health and mana potions. ----- [Snow White Mushroom (D Grade)]N?v(el)B\\jnn A mushroom that camouges as a pile of snow, its map is fluffy and covered in snow most of the time to hide from predators that might find its sulent flesh a good meal for the cold temperatures, its roots usually grow around Weed or other nts, where its parasites their roots to draw nutrients and mana from them, it grows rich and big, and can often grow as big as one meter. It isestible and can be made into a series of dishes, it can grow as long as spores are spread out over roots or wood. Due to its high quantities of stored Mana, it can restore Mana upon consumption, or be used for Mana Potions as ingredient. ----- [Snow Princess Flower (D Grade)] A beautiful flower in the shape of a dancing princess madepletely out of magic ice. This nt absorbs Mana from environments rich in ice attribute, and grows bigger over time. It is said that if this flower is gifted to a beautifuldy, there might be a chance they''ll be a princess in the future. This flower is often favored by Ice Spirits and Ice Fairies, who love to eat the flower, which has a sweet vor. This flower containsrge quantities of Mana, so it can be used for Mana Potions the most. ----- "Oooh, so many new herbs! I am getting excited about making stuff with them!" I said while sighing happily, I loaded my Inventory with hundreds of Weeds, Herbs, Flowers, and Mushrooms. We also decided to cook some mushrooms right now, as we ended finding around thirty of them, and they were BIG, one mushroom was watermelon sized, so we took two and that would be enough for everybody, as I began grilling it and the white mushroom quickly turned a beautiful brown color, emanating a slightly sweet scent that also seemed simr to nuts. "Ooh, the smell is tempting!" Said Lucifer. "Can we eat already?" "Wait a bit more! I also chopped some into the stew, let''s eat these first." I said. I quickly served everybody some nice stew, as we began enjoying the delicious meal together, the mushrooms were surprisingly creamy when boiled, slowly melting inside of the mouth. It left me shocked by how delicious they actually were. "T-This is way too good!" I proimed happily of eating such delicious food. "Indeed¡­" Emeraldine said in surprise. "I had never eaten mushrooms like these!" "It tastes like nuts¡­" Said Partner, she didn''t seemed as amused. "Hmm, with the delicious broth made from lizard meat and bones, and the meat, the potatoes, carrots, and all¡­ Ahh, this is reallyforting." Sighed Lucifer, eating everything. He had grown to love my homemade cooking. "I love your cooking, Maria, it is the best." "Hehehe, I am happy to hear that~" I giggled. "I think they''re ready now." Darfu pointed at the big, watermelon-sized mushrooms grilling over the grill. I quickly touched them, suddenly feeling as if they were incredibly soft, a piece crumbled away easily. "Wow, they must be¡­ alright, let''s try them alone and then we can add salt or something elseter." I said, quickly taking out both mushrooms, serving them into big tes, and then using a big knife to cut them into slices. Suddenly, a white creamy substance beganing out of the mushroom''s interior, as if it were melted cheese, everyone was enchanted by the sight. I decided that this would be hard to eat alone, so I made some sandwiches with mushrooms and ham. "Lets do it then!" Everyone quickly gave it a bite, the mushrooms were soft and creamy, as if their interior was a mushroom cream soup made way back at Earth. The bread went good with it, and the ham enhanced the vor a lot. "Uwah, this is tasty!" Partner suddenly said, she preferred them grilled over boiled. "Wow¡­ This mushroom, why we have never eaten them before?" Asked Baldur in shock. "Mushrooms grow in big quantities inside caves and the dungeons we had back home but we never found anything like this! Mushrooms that grow in the cold are really something else!" Laughed Badur. "It is incredible that this grew atop snow¡­" Darfu said. "Hahh¡­ I don''t know if I I''ll ever be able to eat any other mushroom in my life anymore." Emeraldine cried. "It is indeed quite delicious¡­" I never thought it would be so fun to pick up stuff on the go to eat. After we had our lunch, we quickly decided to move over, after everybody went to the bathroom behind some trees, we quickly sat over Lucifer''s back once more and flew off into the skies. As the children ended falling asleep alongside Partner and the twin Dwarves, we conversed silently with Darfu, Emeraldine, and Lucifer about various things. The hours passed rather quickly, until we were able to finally see the mountains we had been chasing for so long growing closer and closer¡­ "We are here, my home, the Ash Gray Mountains." Lucifer said, his voice seemed filled with nostalgia. ----- Chapter ?413 Encounter With Dwarves Chapter ?413 Encounter With Dwarves ----- As we traveled through the skies, the beautiful mountain range finally came closer, its beautiful gray ash colors showing all of its details. It was quite easy to tell how many caves there were due to the many openings across the several mountains lined up together, which amounted to up to over twenty of them. All of these mountains stretched across this corner of the continent, forever covered on snow. The beautiful mountains were probably as big as Mount Everest because the peak of such mountains reached higher than the clouds themselves, most of them being covered by the clouds. The beautiful scenario in front of me quickly shocked me, making my phantasmal heartbeat faster by the second. I slowly grew more and more excited. I''ve been only traveling across a small part of this enormous continent, seeing such a beautiful scenery impacted me so much that I couldn''t help but look in awe. "S-So this is the Mountain Range of the Ash Gray Mountains¡­" I said, barely mustering words to speak about the beauty of this ce. The mountain range was surrounded by thick forests made out of a variety of different types of trees, all of them were as resistant as pine trees against low temperatures and were growing even over the rocky slides of the mountains. There were several roads across the many mountains too, and we even saw some big carriages carrying ores from the distance, small people were carrying them across the roads, seemingly without even minding us at all. "Wow, look, are those dwarves?" Asked Partner, pointing down. The three dwarves looked down and then smiled.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Ah, those are some of our guys!" Said Baldur. "OOOOIIII!" Badur roared from atop the skies. "W-Wait, Badur, we can''t just show them we have a dragon with us!" Cried Darfu. "What does it matter if we got a dragon friend here?! We just tell them he can transform or something! Not like there aren''t any weird stuff in this world anyways!" Laughed Badur. Suddenly, the dwarves moving the cars filled with ores looked up into the sky, quickly taking a sight of the enormous size of Lucifer. "What the¡­?" "The heck?!" "Is that a giant freaking dragon?!" "A ck Dragon to boot!" "HOLY SHIT, RUN!!!" "Since when there were such big ass lizards in here?!" The Dwarves suddenly dropped everything they were doing and began to flee for their lives, Badur ended ruining everything. "HEY! WAIT A MOMENT, YOU ASSHOLES!" Badur roared back from the skies. The dwarves, filled with shock, looked at one another as they ran. "Did the dragon just spoke?!" "What in the heck?!" "Shit, it''sing down! We can''t run! We''ll have to hold on in our own!" "FUCK!" The dwarves, which also included some women and were not all just guys like it was often shown in popr media, took out their weapons and pointed them at us as Lucifer decided to fly down and tell them he was a "friendly dragon" or something. At this point we didn''t had many options. I took a closer peek at the dwarves, some men had smaller bears than others, but they all were bearded, meanwhile thedies looked like human women, but more stocked, they had long hair made into braids that were wrapped around their necks to show as if they were beards, they honestly looked rather beautiful. "Ready yourselves!" The Dwarf in front of the others roared, raising his shield and his ax, as he suddenly enchanted them with his Mana, turning bright red in color. "OOOH!" The other dwarves roared in unison, as if it was a daily urrence for them to get attacked by giant flying monsters, they all got into a circr position, Shielders upfront while those that used magic and bows were left behind. I guess dwarves didn''t just main melee weapons, there were some archers and magicians as well. TRUUUMM¡­! Lucifer arrived in the floor right before them, looking down at everybody menacingly. His very appearance awakened fear into their hearts, but the dwarves were more rowdy than normal people, arrows and magic quickly began to hit his entire body, his scales easily reflecting everything. "Shit, nothing''s working!" "What do we even do now?!" "We have to fend him off! I''ve got this Stink Bomb here, let me use it!" "Wait, are you gonna act like bait?! You''ll die! What about your wife?!" "Tell her I love her!" One of the dwarves suddenly ran in front, as if provoking Lucifer to eat him, he perhaps wanted to use the Stink Bomb and throw it inside of his jaws so the dragon would suffer from its toxic gases and run away, giving time for everybody to run into the caves. However, Lucifer remained in silence looking at everybody without doing anything. It hasn''t even been a few seconds when we arrived here after all. "Fear not, brothers, we are back!" Suddenly, the voice of Badur resonated behind Lucifer, as the dwarves suddenly fellpletely into silence. "Did ya hear that voice?" "That''s¡­ no way!" "The old man?!" The dwarves were shocked as they looked at Lucifer. "Did he turned into a dragon?! He got cursed and turned into a Fafnir!" "Shit! Nooo!" "Brother!" "Old man!" "Agh, shut yer mouths!" Suddenly, the two dwarves jumped out of Lucifer''s back as he lowered his body down, all of us as well decided to walk down. "What the¡­?!" "They were mounting a giant ass dragon?" "Who are you people?" Although they were shocked to see the twin cksmiths that were famous due to their age and also the blessings they have from gods, which allowed them to forge amazing stuff, they were also shocked from all of us. "We are visitors from afar. I am sorry for having scared you due to my appearance, I am not going to eat you." Lucifer spoke with a serious and cold voice, the dwarves flinched and stepped back as they heard him speak. "A dragon that talks?!" "Wait¡­ can it be?!" "An Ancient Dragon!" ----- Chapter ?414 Hilarous Small People Chapter ?414 Hrous Small People ----- "Yeah, I am an Ancient Dragon." Lucifer said without even caring much anymore. Unlike the annoying Humans, Dwarves seemed to be well knowledgeable about the dragons, especially the Ancient ones, and seemed to suddenly open their eyes in surprise, without feeling fear anymore, when Lucifer proimed himself as one. "Woooah¡­ Not only you''ve brought us Baldur and Badur back, but you''ve brought visitors¡­" "What is your wisdom, ancient dragon?" "Please share some words of enlightenment!" The dwarves asked some ridiculous things to Lucifer, he immediately refused to tell them anything and remained in silence, quickly turning back into his human form as I stored the seat that was wrapped around his body. "Ah, he can even transform into a humanoid form?!" "He''s so tall¡­" "He kind of looks like a Majin like that!" "Can''t you be like a lizardman?" "This is the art of us dragons named Polymorph Magic." Said Lucifer. "And no, I won''t turn my appearance into that of a lizardman, stop annoying me!" Lucifer''s roar and his menacing aura only pumped up the dwarves even more, as they seemed excited to talk with someone like him from all things. However, the twin dwarves quickly calmed them down and exined everything to them with the help of Darfu. We were also introduced by them as the saviors of the dwarves, who were all caught and turned into illegal ves. "Damn humans, I can''t believe they were turned into ves¡­" "Humans really love their ves, don''t they?" "They''re scrawny andck muscle, so they can only force others to do all the job for them! Lazy ass Beardcutters!" "Damned humans! I remember when they tried to assault our home some years back, we beat the shit out of them, gahahahahaha!" "They don''t even know how to get into the mountains properly!" "Dwarf creations are superior to their feeble magic and skills!" The dwarves began to mock the humans. Nobody of us here was one so we didn''t even cared much about them being racist against them in general, especially after all the shit they did to them, apparently. Nheless, we couldn''t simply mock humans and not do anything else. "You guys, can you guide us to your home? We came to buy products and sell potions." I said tly, the dwarves looked at me and some were a bit taken aback. "Thisdy''s a Majin, right?" "She got some aura of death into her, like the dragon." "I don''t know why but she really reminds me of the ghosts we have to purify sometimes when we find them in the depths of the mountain''s roots." "She''s a Majin, yeah." Said Darfu. "Everybody is one except her." Said Baldur, pointing at Emeraldine. "Knife ear!" Said one of the dwarves. The next thing he saw was my fistnding into his face. B A A A M! "AGGH¡­!" "Don''t treat my wife as a knife ear or you''re all getting smacked." I said, the dwarf that fell over the floor was groaning in pain. "W-What the heck?!" He cried. "Lady, you''re freaking strong!" "You respect the strong, right? So try toply with my request." I said. "Y-You don''t have to go so far!" Said Emeraldine. "Oh, did she said wife?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Is she gay?" "Are you gay?" "Agh, you guysck of manners is really annoying, but no, I just swing both ways, now stop asking embarrassing shit¡­" I sighed. "Are you interested in potions or not?!" The dwarves looked at one another and then nodded. "We really need some, the alchemist we got are freaking slow!" "There are not many good ingredients for potions growing around the mountains, so they''re usually super expensive too." "If you brought them here, you could sell them at a good price." "Alright, let''s go! Let me also apologize for my rudeness,dy. Your strength really captivated me, so for you, we''ll keep ourselves shut." Said the dwarf that offended Emeraldine, he was a ck bearded dwarf with a rather sharp gaze, he seemed captivated by my strength, apparently. "Oi, you bastard, you got a wife, don''t go flirting now!" "He really loves them strong, eh?" "Your wife''s already breaking your hips at bed, give it up, ck bearded rat!" "Pff¡­ Hahaha! You guys are so weird sometimes, dwarves are really hrious!" I couldn''t resist anymore and I ended bursting intoughter. Dwarves simply had such a charm with their way of speaking an acting, they were not at all like humans. I really liked them I guess, even though I just smacked one. The dwarves seemed to smile as they were d to beplimented. "Alright you guys, lead the way, where''s home? I''m sure it is in the next mountain, right?" Wondered Baldur. "Yeah, yeah, it is like four to five hours walk from here, but we''ll use our Flying Dragoons, so we can get there super quick." Said the ck bearded dragon. "Flying Dragoons?" I wondered. "Wanna see them,dy?" Asked the ck bearded dwarf with a cheeky smile. We were quickly guided into the nearby cave, suddenly ending at the end of it, which led to the opposite direction of the mountain. Right in front of us there was three light aircrafts made from ck and gray steel and decorated with paintings from dwarves. Wait what?! "What the heck is this?! Are they aircrafts?! In this medieval world?" I asked. "Medieval world?" "Whatche talking about?" "These ain''t aircraft, these are dragoons!" The dwarves quickly exined to us that Dragoons were small flying vehicles powered by Magic Crystals/Stones from Monsters and Spirit Stone of lightning and fire element they mined from the mountains. They unloaded everything into the storage parts of these things, and then quickly got up, inviting us to take a ride, there were enough seats for all of us, although it ended being a little cramped. "Amazing, I can''t believe dwarves had invented a way to fly through the skies!" Said Emeraldine. "You guys are always in your mines, right?" Wondered Partner. ----- Chapter 415 Flying Across The Skies With Dwarven Aircrafts Chapter 415 Flying Across The Skies With Dwarven Aircrafts ¡ª¨C ¡°Yeah but moving across mountains¡¯ a pain, the mountain where our home is has been mined a lot, although there are several paths undiscovered yet, most of the mountain belongs to first and second guild so frencers like us are forced toe to the neighboring mountain to mine for stuff we can make a living with.¡± Said the ck bearded dwarf. ¡°Name¡¯s ckard by the way.¡± ¡°Ooh, I see¡­ It must be hard then¡­¡± I said. ¡°Not really! We have it easy with our Dragoons we purchased!¡± Laughed ady dwarf. ¡°Yeah, it is honest work but not bad either!¡± Said a second. ¡°It is possible to join the first two guilds to mine our home mountain but it¡¯s a hassle and we have to pay taxes for what we mine, we can barely keep like 50% of what we mine, so it¡¯s better toe to this freend and get 100% of it! It¡¯s dangerous because there¡¯s a bunch of monsters roaming around sometimes, but we have gotten lucky until now for none of us to kick the bucket yet. So we decided to form our own little guild, we are still just starting but we n to take over this entire mountain for ourselves.¡± Laughed ckard. ¡°You guys are ambitious, I like that!¡± Laughed Baldur. ¡°Yeah! You remind me of my younger years, when we used to go mine the main mountain and we explored all of it, bringing treasures of ores every day, was fun!¡± Laughed Badur. ¡°Haha, you really got good memories, huh?¡± Iughed a bit. ¡°It is interesting how your entire country works. So there are two guilds governing the ce?¡± I wondered. At the same time, the dragoons quickly set off into the skies, they moved simr to small aircrafts, and had a motor in the back fueling the entire artifact with magic. It was amazing how they managed to recreate technology from earth but using magic as fuel. Maybe I could learn a lot from them and buy a variety of interesting products! I wonder if they got modern kitchens, that would be awesome. The dwarves quickly put on some googles to travel across the skies, as they nodded. ¡°Yeah! There are two guilds, the Iron Steel Guild, and the Hammer Stone Guild, both had existed from ages, and were formerly one but split into two due to the disputes between the former guild master, twins like these two old men.¡± Said ckdar. ¡°We are governed by a King and a Royal Family, both have power over the entire territory and the guilds are the ones that control it with their permission, other mountains which hasn¡¯t gotten enough settlements have yet to be proimed as the territory owned by the royal family. So it is a free for all in here, the other surrounding mountains are also often visited by people that want to make some money but can¡¯t join the guilds or doesn¡¯t want to pay taxes to them. When we got such big families its sometimes hard to maintain them if we don¡¯t risk our lives a bit.¡± Said thedy dwarf with red hair and beautiful green eyes. ¡°Name¡¯s Helga by the by. I might look young and beautiful but I am the mother of five kids! I gotta maintain my family somehow! Gahaha!¡± ¡°F-Five kids, wow¡­¡± Said Partner in surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Dwarves multiply like rats.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t say that of this humble hard-working mother, idiot!¡± I said, reprimanding Lucifer. ¡°Gahahaha! It¡¯s fine! I was in fault for fucking my husband way too much, gahahaha! He got a workshop at home so I bring him ore and he makes stuff to sell.¡± Said Helga. ¡°Life¡¯s hard but every time I think about my little apple pies, I keep moving forward.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°My bad, I¡¯m sorry if myment was untasteful.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re a good woman.¡± ¡°Hahaha, hearing that from an Ancient Dragon as handsome as you tters me way too much! Come on, I got a husband you know? Gahahah!¡± Helga began tough cheerfully as the other dwarvesughed in unison. They surely loved tough as loud as possible. I guess the dwarves worked rather simplistically but owning an entire mountain could really hurt the rest of their poption, forcing them to go out into other mountains to make a living seems a bit too much. Can¡¯t they lower down the taxes a bit? I guess it is in the nature of dwarves to be greedy but still¡­ Well, for now I might consider joining this group into mining the mountain, if I can just take anything I want freely then it would be pretty nice. Although also exploring the mountains¡¯ mines and the caves in there also sounds interesting, I¡¯ve heard there are dungeons in there. I wonder if Dwarves got adventurers to take care of monsters. Although apparently they¡¯re all pretty capable of fighting by themselves, so maybe the necessity of an Adventurer Guild is not really necessary. ¡°Do you guys got an Adventurer Guild?¡± I wondered. ¡°Adventurers? No, we don¡¯t have that stuff here, but we got a Quest Board and Requests, and there¡¯s a few other stuffs. But unlike the Beardcutters we don¡¯t need to make a guild exclusive for some people that fight monsters, we all fight monsters here!¡± Laughed ckard. ¡°All of you?!¡± Partner asked in shock. ¡°Well it was obvious after we saw them act so well against me.¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°You look used to deal with monsters.¡± ¡°We go to a school that teaches us how to fight, and we are instructed how to level up and learn Skills since we are kids, so we just hunt monsters sporadically around our mining caves we mine when we are kids, there are a variety of nearby dungeons too, so we are all used to monster breaks.¡± Said Helga. ¡°That¡¯s how we live, if we don¡¯t kill the monsters first, they¡¯ll overrun our ce. We are all risen to be warriors if the situation calls for it.¡± Said ckard, as the other dwarves nodded. As the dwarves finished speaking, we quickly arrived at their home. ¡ª¨C Chapter ?416 Arriving At The Stoneville City Chapter ?416 Arriving At The Stoneville City ---- An enormous wall made of stone erected before us, opening its enormous gates, and leading to an interior of the mountain which had been mined into a gigantic size, this was one of the biggest cities of the dwarves in the Gray Ash Mountain. ording to them, there were another two more spread around the mountains, but this one is where thergest amount of their poption was concentrated. The moment we arrived here, I offered the dwarves to store the aircrafts in my Inventory. "You got Spatial Magic?!" ckard asked in shock. "Y-You can just store things in another dimension? That''s insane!" Said Helga. They epted happily and without even doubting their trust to me, so I quickly stored everything for them and showed them how I was capable of easily making their job more bearable. Without having to carry these heavy things all the way back home, they felt freer to walk and rx while we moved towards the open gates of the city. "This city''s called the City of Stoneville, it was founded over a thousand years ago when our Founder, King Rock arrived from our home continent, Svartalfheim." Said ckard. "It is an enormous city where we all live, there''s arge amount of streets, shops, and several markets too, usually we are visited by various tribes of people through the year. Although the Albraun bastards are not our friends, we still got good connections with the Goldsand Confederation and the Empire of Light, they surprisingly ept dwarves without problems. Well, the entire dispute with Albraun was due to their previous King, an idiot human supremacist that thought it was funny toe invade us." Said Helga. "Well, I wasn''t alive when it happened but I''ve heard they got their asses kicked and never came back. Gahahaha!" "Oh, there''s humans as well!" Partner said, pointing around. "E-Even Elves?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Around twenty percent of our poption are other tribes too, we got beast-kin and Majin as well! In the fall of the Demon King long ago, our King epted hundreds of Majin refugees that ran away from the humans, since then their families had grown here and worked with us to maintain the country." Said ckard. Lucifer''s face quickly changed his expressionless face as he saw Goblins walking around, Orcs, Oni, and other Majin who were way taller than Dwarves as if they were normal people. "It has been a long time since we were only dwarves, this continent is flourishing with many people, our royal family might be a bit greedy but they don''t discriminate as much as the humans make us seem to be!" Helga proimed. "All people is wee in Stoneville." "Y-You weed the Majin refugees?" Asked Lucifer in shock. "Thank you¡­" Lucifer muttered, as he suddenly began to cry. "I-I¡­ I didn''t knew any of this¡­ So the people of the Majin Kingdom is still alive here¡­" The emotional response that Lucifer had over seeing such a wide diversity of people was shocking to some, as some of the passerby''sing from nearby dungeons or mines looked at him while raising an eyebrow. "C-Calm down a bit, Lucifer!" I said, quickly trying to make him act a bit more normal for once. "S-Sorry, I just got¡­ I had thought they were all gone." Sighed Lucifer. "Hm, how old are you exactly?" Wondered ckard. "Me? I am over a thousand years old, I''ve lived here longer than you. I once governed these mountains with my family of dragons¡­ But that''s long in the past now. I am grateful for what you''ve done though, you''re allowed to use my mountain." Said Lucifer. "Though, I really wonder if you have seen other Ancient Dragons, or any dragon that can speak?" The dwarves looked at one another and then spoke. "There are rumors of Dragons that talk appearing near dungeons, or even inside of them. Some say there are ghosts in the shape of dragons too, and other times, we have heard about speaking dragons, or a woman that imed to be a dragon as well, but we aren''t that involved in dungeon stuff, so you would need to go talk about this in the Local Guild Building." Said Helga. "Yeah, yeah." Said ckard. "But we wish you the best of luck though!" "I see¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "Well, let''s just explore the inside for now." As we stepped forward into the gates, we were stopped by guards. At each side of the gates there were also enormous statues resembling long-bearded dwarves wearing armor and holding an axe and a hammer, madepletely out of stone. The dwarves that were with us quickly showed some sort of medal to pass, but we had to pay some money for ourselves, the trio that came with us, Darfu and the twin old men had lost these items so we had also to pay for them, the price was a small bronze coin, so it wasn''t anything expensive. We were not asked any questions at all other than being inspect by the guards'' eyes, I guess the security here is veryx, as they didn''t took that much precaution with us as if we were criminals or something. However, there were over then guards lined up in the gates, and we also saw enormous golems standing behind them, made of steel to boot, they resembled steampunk mechas to be honest, and seemedpletely capable of crushing monsters into smithereens. "Wow, are those golems?" Wondered Emeraldine. Once we were inside the city, there were several types of golems all around, smaller ones, bigger ones, some in the shape of dogs or horses, carrying things through carriages. There were also automatic carriages as well which were also some sort of golem. In fact, the dragoons were considered golems as well. "Our true craft is the creation of golems through Magicraft." Said Helga. "The art of creating Golem Cores so we can move our mechanical creations is something we learn as we grow up in the schools we were taught. Of course, it depends in the profession." Said ckard. "My husband is a Golem Maker! He makes utility golems, small in size that require a lot of concentration and talent, he earns well as long as I bring him materials." Said Helga with a proud smile. She seemed super proud of her husband''s amazing talent.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Oooh, maybe we could visit your shop, Helga?" I wondered. "Sure thing, we are all heading there to organize things up, the dragoons all belong to me actually!" Laughed the dwarf woman. "Yeah, she''s a real backbone for our team." ckard had to admit. "Without a doubt." "If it wasn''t for her I wouldn''t be able to earn enough for my family." "She''s a good friend!" "Gahahaha! You guys, stopplimenting me so much! ttery won''t get you anywhere!" Helga giggled cheerily. ------ Chapter ?417 Visiting Helgas Home Chapter ?417 Visiting Helga''s Home ------ The beautiful city of Stoneville was something straight out of dreams, a beautifulbination between steampunk, magic, and medieval aesthetics with people walking all around through paved streets. Enormous streemps decorated each block as we saw all matter of magic vehicles and golems walking leisurely. There was only one description to this, it was a city of wonders. There was no open ceiling, but the ceiling of the city was covered in shiny crystals illuminating the ce, which were actually made through magic, specifically reinforced so if there''s any earthquake, the ceiling doesn''t fall over the people. Or that''s what Helga and ckard, alongside the other dwarves exined to us. When we arrived at the shop after crossing through various streets whose wonders just made us stare at everything in shock and awe, we ended in front of a small shop in a district named "ck Rock". "Here''s my little and humble shop! We run it with my husband. My kids are eventually going to inherit it when I get too old to move properly." Said Helga with a smile. "Come in!" When we entered the shop, we were quickly greeted by three little children and a tall man. He wasn''t a dwarf by his looks. He had blue skin and long ck horns growing from his forehead, he had hairy arms and seemed very tall, his horns almost touching the ceiling, he had shiny golden eyes. He was an Oni! Wow, so Helga''s husband is actually a Majin, and her children are all¡­ some are pure dwarves it seems, but others are half dwarf and Oni, I believe. They all looked so cute! There was a little boy with a single ck horn growing from his forehead who was looking directly at me when we entered as well, while another two boys were ying in the floor with some little toys, and a girl was helping her father in the shop by organizing stuff they had in the store.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Mama''s back!" Helga said, the moment she spoke, all her kids looked at her and screamed in unison. "MAMA!" They ran towards her as fast as possible, ignoring everything and jumping over her, Helga kneed and hugged all five of them. The other two were in the workshop behind the doors to the end of the room. She had two girls and three boys, apparently. "Mama, you''re back early!" "Did you brought sweets?" "Mama can I have a shiny gem? Papa said he''ll teach me how to make essories!" "I''m hungry, let''s make lunch¡­" "Mama, mama! ¡­Who are they?" "Come on,e on, calm down a bit. I''ll give you what you wantter, my apple pies." Helga said. She hugged and kissed them all without failing a single one of them, and then quickly greeted her husband with a kiss. "You''re back early." He said. "The kids are hungry, should we have lunch- Ah, you brought more friends this time?" He wondered. "Yes honey, look, we even brought a dragon!" Said Helga, pointing at Lucifer. "D-Dragon?! Where?!" The Oni asked in shock. However, there was no dragon here. Just three Majin, more dwarves, and an elf. "There''s no dragon Helga, what are you even talking about?" "Hahaha, ce on Helga, don''t joke around!" I said. Quickly telling her through [Telepathy], an Illusion Attribute Spell I had learned on my own a month ago to not talk about Lucifer as a dragon, and that it was better to pretend he was just a Majin. "My man might be grumpy but he''s no dragon, haha!" "R-Right¡­ Never mind." Said Helga with a forced smirk, her husband raised an eyebrow. "So who are you guys? Clients?" her husband already greeted Helga''s colleges so he directed his gaze towards us. "We are closing soon for lunch, so please buy anything you need right now." "Come on Myriad, don''t be so rude." Sighed Helga. "Sorry he''s a cinnamon roll deep down, but he gets rough sometimes. Dear, these are my new friends, we encountered them in the second mountain, theye from a far away town to sell potions." "Ah, potions¡­ WAIT, POTIONS?! I''LL BUY THEM ALL!" Myriad immediately changed his attitude. "Potions are rare nowadays with the Alchemists gettingmissioned by the guilds so we don''t get to have any for ourselves¡­" "Hahahah! I knew he would change his attitude right away." Laughed Helga. "Come on, we can talk about thatter." "Anyways where are the Dragoons? And the ores? You didn''t brought a single thing. Also where are the potions they''re talking about?" Asked her husband. "Don''t tell me you lost the dragoons or they got destroyed! They were so hard to make!" "Fear not, she got them." Helga said. "She?" Her husband asked. "Hehehe, I have Spatial Inventory Magic." I revealed my strongest power, Helga''s husband was shocked. "T-That''s¡­ really?" He asked. "Yep!" I quickly looked into my Inventory, seeing every item inside as game-like pixel art icons, and grabbed a potion from within, a red-colored potion bottle appeared out of thin air in the palm of my hand. FLASH! "Eeeeh?!" Myriad asked in shock. "T-There''s only one spatial magician in the entire country and he belongs to the royal family already! He earns so much in transportation jobs by doing practically nothing¡­ You got a friend that uses space magic?!" "Only inventory." I said. "I can''t do anything else, nor create space bags either." "I-I see, that''s still amazing though." He said. "See? She''s the real deal! Now let''s have lunch, you guys should be all starving, right?" Helga asked to her children, as they nodded. "We hungry!" "Feed me!" "Mother, I am hungry!" "I got the hungries¡­" "I can help prepare lunch!" The oldest kid, her first daughter most likely, was a cute and tall girl that seemed to have inherited her father''s skin a bit, as she had beautiful me-shaped blue skin marks across her arms and legs, alongiside her chest, while still having the clear brown skin of her mother. "Alright then, let''s go!" ----- Chapter 418 Helgas Family Chapter 418 Helga''s Family Helga then invited us to her home, as we were allowed to walk into her living room. We moved to her backyard first though, as we put the dragoons and all the ores they mined in there. The dwarves with her quickly assessed everything with her, calcting everything, the weight of what they mined and their efforts, and quickly divided their profits, because some of them simply needed the money to maintain their families and were to crafters, most got money directly from her as she bought what they mined at a good price, while some got fifty percent of what they mined and the rest in money. After that, they decided to go back to their homes, ckard included. We didn''t knew if we''ll ever see him again but he said he''lle here tomorrow. We might see him in here maybe. Because of the friendliness of Helga and everything else, we decided to sell her half of our potions while keeping the rest for us to see how the prices varied from ce to ce. She was happy to have made profits, as she said she was going to sell them at an even higher price to some wealthy guys she knew. It seems she got her contacts alright¡­ I had thought about asking her for their contact too, but I decided to not do it for now. I didn''t wanted to see opportunistic and cocky after earning her trust. She was grinning greedily and happily after our sale. "Thanks for your patronage, if you need any help around this ce just ask me! Let''s be friends from now on too!" She said, quickly trying to make a connection with us. "Sure thing!" I said. "After lunch, could it be possible to help us go to the Guild you talked about? We kind of want to investigate what Lucifer had said. After that, we are interested in going mining, and buying ores in bulks too. And quite possibly explore the dungeons in here¡­" "Oh, you''ve got a big backlog of stuff to do then, alright, we''ll get through a bit of it today, I can''t go out all day because I got my kids in here." Said Helga. "If you don''t find anywhere to stay, there''s a nearby Inn just some meters from here, the stay is cheap so you can stay there, the breakfast they serve is also tasty." Helga said. "It is run by my sister, so we can get you some discounts as well." Said Myriad. "Wow, thank you guys!" I said. "Your sister runs an Inn? Is the work tiring?" Wondered Lucifer. "I had once thought about opening an inn." "Oh, yeah, it has some work to do but she got her husband and her two little daughters to help. It is run by the entire family." Said Myriad. "It is a peaceful job and they generate enough ie, there''s people alwaysing in and out so they got a lot of clients. However to set an Inn you need to pay a license like this shop. We simply decided different jobs at the end, I always wanted to dedicate myself to crafting things and selling them." Myriad began to open up a bit more with us, as he started to speak and show the gentleness Helga had spoken about. "I see, it seems interesting. Well, we got our town to maintain so I guess we can''t really make an inn if we got everything to take care of." Sighed Lucifer.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "You got a whole town?" Wondered Helga. "Yeah, I inherited it from¡­ A deceased family member, I am the chief." I said. "It is super cold outside, so we have to take a lot of precautions." "Yeah, but it''s a nice ce, it is cozy too, I''ve grown used to that ce." Said Lucifer. "Me too!" Partner said. "It is very cold! But I think I''ve already developed a Cold Resistance Skill¡­" Sighed Emeraldine, as everybody burst intoughter over her unintentionally funnyment. "Hahaha! You guys are fun! Sorry for being so harsh back then, I am not too trustworthy of people. you see, as a shop keeper you gotta have two eyes in the back of your head sometimes, people sometimes will try to y you as a fool or even steal from you, I am often said to be overly cautious by my wife." Sighed Myriad. "Ah no, it is only natural to be that way, don''t worry." I said. "Now¡­ about you three." Said Myriad, quickly shifting the topic of conversation to the three dwarves wondering the living room while inspecting therge wooden box filled with ores. They were obsessed with seeing fresh raw ores extracted directly from the mountain. "Oh, yeah, those guys¡­" I said. "Well, Darfu''s the youngest and nicest, the other two old men are Baldur and Badur, they''re old artisans from here, right? The three used to be ves and we freed them some time ago, weing them in our town." "Y-You freed them?" Asked Myriad. "You''ve fought the Beardcutters?" Asked Myriad, he was an Oni with a rather prominent white beard, he took the traditions of the dwarf family of his wife very seriously. "Yeeah. We usually free ves and beat the criminals holding them." I said. "We are mercenaries and adventurers." "Wow, that''s amazing¡­ you guys must be plenty strong!" Helga said. "We are, and I don''t fear admitting it, haha." Iughed rather cheekily. "We had been freeing many ves for a while now, we were happy to know that ves arepletely illegal here and that ves don''t exist." Said Lucifer. "Oh yeah, sometimes ves run away into the mountains and be citizens after working for the country after a while. There''s a lot of former ves around here. My own family descends from former ve refugees." Said Myriad. "It is truly wonderful that this country and the nearby ones are able to ept all kinds of people¡­ In this continent filled with discrimination, my family once didn''t knew where they could even fit simply by being how they were born." "I see, so your family is a family of strong warriors." Said Lucifer. "I am sure you''re honoring your ancestors, Myriad." "Haha, thanks, Lucifer." Said Myriad with a bit of embarrassment. ----- Chapter 419 Dwarven Meals Are Sure Tasty Chapter 419 Dwarven Meals Are Sure Tasty ¡ª¨C After some more conversations, Helga and her husband quickly served us some delicious-looking meals. The dwarven meals were rich in mushrooms, beans, and meat the most, as they seemed to be able to harvest mushrooms fromrge cave sections where they nted edible ones in sections. Mushrooms grew rtively quicklypared to crops, so they had all sorts of mushrooms to eat which grew quickly and were the cheapest. Aside from that, there are also various types of beans they grow around the mountain inrge areas, these beans seem to be able to grow quickly and absorb the rich mana in the mountain¡¯s rocks. They are said to havee from their original continent, Svartalfheim. Aside from that, they had many cattle animals, chickens, cows, and pig made up most of what they had, which multiplied quickly. Vegetables were the rarest thing they had and they often were imported from the Goldsand Confederation, alongside fruits, being often quite expensive. Oh right, tubers were also quitemon and grew in mountain dirt just fine, such as potatoes and carrots. Due to these mountains being farther from the cold and only their peaks being covered in snow, they often received the grace of the sun a few times per week, good enough for whatever crops they had to grow. Of course, the usage of special magic tools to artificially enhance nt growth was also there, and they had even designed simr things to make cattle grow faster as well. Of course, they consumed monster meat inrge quantities too, and it was often cheaper. There was Smander Meat and Man-Eating Fish meat in the table. The man-eating fish was a giant fish capable of swallowing an entire person that swam inside ofrge pools inside of dungeons, while the Smander was a big, two-meter-long lizard that had fire breath, it was the weakest member of the dragon-type monster family, and its meat was rathermon. ¡°It¡¯s not the fanciest but I hope you can enjoy it.¡± Helga said, putting everything over therge table. The delicious dishes lined up just nicely, and without holding back at all, we began to dig in almost as if our lives depended on it. Thest time we ate a full meal was yesterday at around 5 PM, we had been only eating dried meat, bread, fruits, and juice/water ever since then, and mostly snacking it. I haven¡¯t really eaten anything myself so everybody else could eat their fill, I was a ghost so it wasn¡¯t even necessary for me to eat, I only did it out of enjoyment. ¡°Oooh! This stew is delicious. It has been a long time since I¡¯ve eaten such tasty beans.¡± I said while being enchanted by the simplistic red stew seasoned with red pepper that had beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and smander meat cut into little chunks. The five children were devouring their tes happily too. ¡°Yeah, the food is delicious.¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°It is filled with the warmth of a family.¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re going to make me blush! It is something simple we make through the week. The beans are a specialty of our country, they¡¯re grown all over the mountain and we consume them daily.¡± Said Helga. ¡°You can purchase some in the market, they¡¯re often sold in kilogram bags.¡± Said Myriad.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Thanks for the info! Will do, I want my people to taste these delicious beans as well, to be honest.¡± I said happily. After that, we tasted the delicious fish. This fish was also a monster and considered a ¡°cave fish¡±, apparently there¡¯s a small dungeon near the city which is like an enormous cave with many ponds or small undergroundkes, fish monsters appear all around in there, with an asional Smander. They said the dungeon was only D Rank at most in difficulty, so we could get there and just grab a bunch of fish and smander meatter. ¡°So what is Baldur and Badur nning to do?¡± Wondered Helga. ¡°We came here to go back to the guild, missy.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°We are looking for news about what had happened, probably we want to look at our apprentices and see how they¡¯re doing.¡± Badur said. ¡°Wait a second¡­¡± Myriad said. ¡°You two are¡­ Baldur and Badur, the two old twins?! T-The ones blessed by the goddess of earth and the god of cksmith?!¡± Asked the Oni in shock. ¡°Yeah, we are.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Hm! We are now going to work for Maria.¡± Said Badur. ¡°T-This is an honor! T-To think you were enved, this is really something impactful¡­ I am grateful for meeting you two in here!¡± Myriad said. ¡°I admire your work so much; it was thanks to you that golems had advanced so much into what we had aplished right now! I grew up admiring your job!¡± Myriad got all emotional out of nowhere. ¡°Hahaha, no worries, youngling.¡± Laughed Baldur. ¡°Don¡¯t lower your head to us, we are just, at the end, a pair of old men.¡± Laughed Badur. At the end, the dwarves ended talking a lot with Myriad, the Oni, and gave him some insights about his work when he tried to show them what he had been working for all this time. When lunch ended, the children quickly went back to what they were doing, they are already practicing and learning how to maintain the shop clean, how to organize things, and are even being taught how to craft stuff as well. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the kids for now, go on Helga.¡± Said Myriad. ¡°Thank you honey.¡± Said Helga, as Myriad kneeled down to receive her hug and a kiss, and then petted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go now!¡± Said Helga, guiding us through the beautiful andrge streets of Stoneville. After a few minutes of walking and watching at the many wonders, we reached an enormous and tall building. ¡°This is the Guild, it manages both Guilds I spoke you about before, if those two old grandpas want to inform they¡¯re back, this is the best ce to do it.¡± ¡ª¨C Chapter 420 The Old Dwarves Are Back Home Chapter 420 The Old Dwarves Are Back Home ¡°Hello! Wee to the Guild! Oh, you¡¯re new faces, I¡¯ve not seen you around¡­ Could you be visitors?¡± A cute pink-haired half-dwarf girl greeted us. She had pink-colored rabbit ears atop her head and was currently the receptionist we ended talking to in the Guild. ¡°Hello, yes, we are visitors here. However, we have brought some people here that had gone missing for a long while.¡± I said, quickly presenting the trio of dwarves. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re former citizens?¡± Wondered the youngdy. ¡°Yes, I am Baldur.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°And I am the old man Badur.¡± Said Badur. ¡°I-I am Darfu, I had left my country some long time ago, but was enved¡­ I went through a lot but lost most of my things, it is the same for these two old men, we would want to regain our ID Cards.¡± Said Darfu. The advanced society of the dwarves had special ID Cards that every citizen had to have. However, these three had lost them. ¡°I-I see¡­ Darfu, Baldur and Badur¡­ Let me check.¡± Thedy said. Apparently, they keep the registration of all people inrge magic books. Theycked technology enough to make things as convenient asputers, so they kept things registered all written in papers. Of course, these books were magical and it was easier to look for people in them. ¡°Here¡­ Darfu Rockstrike! Oh yes, it is you, you have the same face. Can you show me your thumb for a bit?¡± the girl wondered, as Darfu put his left thumb over the book¡¯s page. FLASH! The book shone bright red, quickly showing that it was indeed him. ¡°Very well, getting a new ID will cost you a small silver coin, we can begin the creation process right away.¡± She said. ¡°Alright, here.¡± Darfu paid and then, after a few minutes, a small artifact in the shape of a cube at the side of the girl began to emanate a lot of steam, opening up with a shiny metallic medal. ¡°There you go.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Darfu grabbed his medal, which was like his ID, and couldn¡¯t help but feel happier. The same process was going to be done for the two dwarves, however, thedy quickly stopped looking for a little while as if she was trying to make sense of the history and the actual status of these two old men. ¡°V-Vice-Guild Master of the Iron Steel Guild? And¡­ Vice-Guild Master of the Hammer Stone Guild¡­?¡± The girl was left shocked. ¡°Y-You¡¯re the Old Masters Baldur and Badur, in the flesh?! It was already thought that both of you had died! In fact, it was registered that you died!¡± ¡°What?!¡± the two old men asked angrily. ¡°There¡¯s no way we died! These old bones still got enough energy to live another hundred years!!!¡± Baldur roared, hitting the table. BAAM! ¡°My flesh is just as youthful as before! My muscles had yet to go away too, so I am as good as I was when I was twenty years of age! I am not dead!¡± Badur said, hitting the table as well.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om BAAM! ¡°Uwaaaah! P-Please calm down! I¡¯ll do my best to contact both current Guild Masters about this!¡± The girl cried, feeling flustered. ¡°You two stop making a scene!¡± I smacked the head of the two old men, quickly shutting them down. They were annoyingly temperamental sometimes. At the end, and without realizing it, we found ourselves inside arge hall right in the enormous house of a Noble, the Viscount that was living in this district. We were sitting right in the same table as the Guild Masters of the two most prestigious guilds of this country, the old men were also here, and even Helga ended getting mixed into this, she was as stiff as a frozen tuna, she felt too nervous to even blink. Two figures sat down over the chair, one was an old dwarfdy, with long gray hair made into braids tied around her neck, she had a long nose resembling the beak of a bird, and she wore a brown coat with several beautiful jewels. The other figure was rather young instead, slightly taller than thedy, he was probably another half-dwarf, however, in difference to her, he had a single big eye in the middle of his face, he was a half-cyclops and half-dwarf, amazing. He had a long ck beard and was wearing ck armor. And sitting at the end of the table was a young Dwarven Lady, the Viscount of this area of the city, apparently each descendant of the royal family was given a District within the enormous cities to manage by themselves, she was the one in charge of this area, so she was forced toe. She was rather gorgeously beautiful, despite being small as a dwarf, only reaching at most a meter and a half, she had a sexy body, with a big chest, wide hips, long and silky red hair, and captivating green eyes with pale white skin. It was obvious she had never forged in her life if her skin was so purely white. She paired it all up with a beautiful red dress, however, her face seemed very nervous. ¡°Hahah, long time no see, old hag!¡± Laughed Baldur. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re still kicking? I was sure you were dead by now.¡± Laughed Badur. ¡°You two¡­!¡± The olddy that was the guild master of the Hammer Stone Guild roared, hitting the table furiously with her hands. ¡°DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS?! I EVEN CRIED YOUR DEATHS! AND NOW YOU LAUGH AT MY FACE COMING BACK FROM YOUR DEATH?!¡± BAAAM! ¡°P-Please, Lady Aquamarine, calm down a bit!¡± Cried the Viscountess, desperately attempting to calm down the olddy. ¡°You shut your mouth little girl; this is a talk of the adults!¡± The woman roared, the youngdy shut down immediately, despite being probably already over twenty, she was considered a young girl somehow¡­ ¡°You¡¯re making a fuss again, grandma Aquamarine¡­¡± The cyclops man sighed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy they¡¯re alive and back here?¡± ¡°Happy? Yeah! I am happy that they¡¯re here so I can smack them good!¡± The old hag suddenly jumped over the table and began chasing down the two old men that started to run away from her in circles¡­ This was already a bit beyond ridiculous, are all dwarves this crazy? Chapter 421 A Room Filled With Important People! ¡ª¨C After the old hag named Aquamarine calmed down, things finally began their pace once more. The guild master introduced themselves to us, and also the Viscountess. They seemed rather polite- well, the old hag was not that polite, but she quickly changed her personalitypletely after she was done with the two old men. ¡°Sorry for what happened earlier, I swear I don¡¯t let my emotions get the best of me like that. I was just¡­ very angered. And to boot those two idiotsughed at my concern, seriously¡­¡± Sighed Aquamarine. ¡°My name is Aquamarine, I am the Guild Master of the Hammer Stone Guild, I am also the cousin of these two idiots and I am sincerely grateful for what you¡¯ve done to our family. These two clowns, despite their idiocy, are incredibly craftsmen of our country who had done many great things. Their lost was very hurtful to all of us, we had practically given them for dead. Seeing them alive is truly a good thing. And to think that you rescued them from very also fills me with a feeling of gratitude.¡± ¡°And I am Adamas, the Guild Master of the Iron Steel Guild.¡± Said the cyclops. ¡°I am a new Guild Master that has been given the title after thete one retired. I have been a Guild Master for only five years now, but I am doing my best for my guild. Seeing these two teachers fills me with happiness. I was taught many valuable things in my life by them, such as smithing, hunting monsters, and even skills. It was a very sad day when they were registered as dead after many years since they disappeared, I am d to see them back.¡± ¡°A-And I am the Viscountess, Ruby¡­¡± Said the red-haired dwarf woman. ¡°You also have my thanks for bringing them here.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Erm, it is nice to meet you all.¡± I said. I could clearly feel the enormous pressure of these three important figures of this country and their stares. They were analyzing my entire appearance and that of my party rather meticulously. After a long conversation of the twin dwarves exining everyone what had happened, alongside their decision of staying in my town to be my citizens all while saying that we came here looking for raw materials, the trio of figures quickly understood the situation. ¡°I see, so you¡¯re now throwing away your homes and going to live elsewhere, huh?¡± Sighed Aquamarine. ¡°You¡¯re really hopeless, but at least,e home to meet all your grandkids, you two clowns.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do, we¡¯ll do! Don¡¯t get angry now, Aquamarine.¡± Sighed Baldur. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Badur said. ¡°So your intentions in this country are purchasing ores and materials, selling potions you¡¯ve made yourselves, and also visiting the dungeons and perhaps mining your own ores, is that it?¡± Wondered the Viscountess. ¡°I suppose we could grant all of you Citizenship IDs and also Licenses from both guilds.¡± ¡°Eh? What?!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but scream in surprise over the sudden offer. ¡°It would merely be a reward for what you¡¯ve done for us, a small one at that, you can ask the Guild Masters for any other favor as well.¡± Said the Viscountess. The two guild masters nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ve got a request.¡± Said Baldur. ¡°Can we give them some tax discounts? And also freedom to explore and mine as much as they want?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much that¡¯s what we wanted.¡± Said Badur. ¡°T-That¡¯s a bit of a stretch¡­¡± Said Adamas. ¡°At most, we can reduce the tax to twenty percent, if we do no tax at all, we won¡¯t earn a dime¡­ Also, about freedom of mining and exploring, I guess that¡¯s what every guild member has, but giving themplete freedom toe and take anything they want would be also too much, after all our entire economy is maintained by this mountain¡¯s mines.¡± ¡°¡­Nheless, I see that you¡¯ve gotten attached to them, so you get my approval.¡± Said Aquamarine. ¡°What? But Senior¡­!¡± Adamas said. ¡°Calm down, Adamas. This mountain is gigantic, a thousand years and we had yet to mine half of it, there¡¯s also several dangerous areas we had yet to explore due to the dangerous monsters in there, think about all the ores we could get if we could request these tremendously strong people to take care of these areas¡­¡± Aquamarine said. ¡°Strong?!¡± Adamas asked, looking back at us. ¡°But I don¡¯t see much strength from them¡­¡± ¡°Of course, youck [Appraisal]¡± Sighed the olddy. ¡°WAIT, APPRAISAL?!¡± I asked. Did she saw I was a ghost, and that Lucifer is a dragon and Partner a Vampire?! ¡°Hmm, I do have it.¡± The old hags gaze grew sharp. ¡°You¡¯re all very strong. Especially if you were able to defeat many vers and criminals as you proim to have done¡­ Fear not, my Appraisal Skill is only Level 3 after all this time, I can¡¯t really see much of what you have, but I can see the stats, and they¡¯re¡­ tremendously high.¡± ¡°I feel a bit gross by being peeked at like this¡­¡± Lucifer said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Isn¡¯t it illegal to have my status be seen just like that?!¡± Partner angrily barked. ¡°Uugh, this feels a bit¡­ Ufortable.¡± Sighed Takeshi. ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t see anything dangerous¡­¡± Laura said. ¡°Haha, I am sorry. It is a bad custom I have to peek at other people¡¯s status. Now that we are done here, why don¡¯t youe to my home? I can invite you to some tea so we can discuss things more personally.¡± Said thedy. ¡°If you agree to the things we want to give to you, I have a few requests I could give to you, of course, with great rewards as well.¡± Aquamarine seemed rather mysterious, but she had a higher authority here, even the Viscountess was bossed around by her. Perhaps aside from position, age and wisdom also paid a big role in the dwarven society. And like that, we were invited into the Guild Master¡¯s home. ¡ª¨C Chapter ?422 The History Of Ancient Dragons ----- We were served not only delicious looking and expansive looking cake, but also cookies, expensive tea, and other snacks served over the te. Helga was left shocked by seeing the products here. Apparently cake was something even more expensive for dwarves, whocked wheat because it couldn''t grow properly in here and therefore all wheat had to be imported from the outside, often done by the Goldsand Confederation. Only nobles had the privilege of enjoying such meals, I guess. "Come on, eat to your heart''s content. People as strong as you I''m sure you''re able to make ten times the money this cake costs in just a minute of hunting a high ranked monster." Laughed thedy. "T-Then¡­ Thank you for the meal!" I said, everybody with me quickly began eating everything. The twins hade with us as well, so they were having fun eating the sweets, which they had in very little quantities back home. I ended losing myself in the food until I found myself being interrogated by the olddy. "So you''re a ghost, huh?" She wondered. "Well¡­ more like something called Beelzebub, I''ve never heard of such a thing before. Also the skills you have¡­ oh dear." She sighed. "You''re all monsters beyond what I had ever thought possible. I am a pretty good acter at keeping cool about it, eh?" She knew everything! "Eh? Ghost?" Asked Helga, looking at me. "Ahaha¡­ Yeah, I am kind of a ghost." I sighed. "O-Oh, but it doesn''t look like it." Said Helga. "I¡­ err, well, it is part of my magic." I said. "I-I see¡­ Well, you seem very civilized, also you can eat?!" She asked again. "Yep." I said. "¡­Well, I will just let it go. It is not as if this will affect me somehow." Helga quickly let it go. "Also the one there is an Ancient Death Dragon and you¡­ a Vampire." Said the old hag. "Oh right, and you two children, Homunculus? What are humans even doing anymore?" She sighed. "It is a long story¡­" I sighed. "Master, should we get rid of her so she doesn''t talk?" Wondered Partner. "What? No! Calm down a bit, Partner. Take it easy." I calmed down my Partner as I looked back at the olddy. "If I wanted, it wouldn''t be hard to just brainwash her for all I know." "I am well aware I am left rather hopeless against you all, in fact I am sure you could even wipe out the entire country if you just pleased to do so. The only beings that canpare to you are S Rank Adventurers, or high ranked monsters or Vampires, I would guess that''s what you hunt, right? Theter?" She wondered. "Yep, we are hunting them down, we already killed one in Affnaria." I said. I didn''t had anything to hide anymore I guess. "¡­Amazing. You''re also civilized and talk just like people- Well, you''re people, our country is so open over other tribes that it is not hard for me to ept you all. An Ancient Dragon though¡­ this is the first time I see one in the flesh." Aquamarine said. "I am aware that my tribe in this continent was small¡­ After the war against the Demon King we¡­ we were hunted down by the Summoned Heroes." Sighed Lucifer. "The summoned heroes¡­" Said thedy. "The humans used nasty tactics, they stole our younglings and our eggs and ckmailed us into surrendering so they wouldn''t harm our young¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "My entire family¡­ everything I had was lost. I died before I could see the end of it all, but now that I''ve arrived here, I can already sense that there might not be anybody else that is an Ancient Dragon anymore." "Ancient Dragon Lucifer, are you not? I mildly remember your name." Said the olddy. "We came into these mountains after the Ancient Dragon tribe was defeated, but ording to the annals of our history, our founder had spoken with Ancient Dragons." Said Aquamarine. "He did?!" Lucifer asked in surprise. "Yes. Judging by your reaction, I am pretty sure you also came here to investigate about the remnants of your family, is it not?" Wondered thedy. "Yeah¡­ I¡­ I''ve been holding into this hope that I might see them, someone, anybody¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "I see, these mountains once belonged to the prideful Ancient Dragon Tribe, you were beings of great power and magic capable of bringing life and judgement. Some even said you were the children of the gods¡­ Are all such things true?" Wondered Aquamarine. "Not us, but our ancestors were able to do such things." Lucifer spoke. "We descended from the Ancient Divine Dragons, who are also the children of the Dragon Goddesses, the Progenitors of the many dragons of this world, and the guardians of the world itself. We didn''t possess the incredible divine powers of our ancestors, but we were strong and still capable of shaping thendscape and making life flourish with our Ancient Dragon Magic. s, I''ve lost it now. I died long ago but was revived by Maria as an Undead, I evolved after gaining the power of Hel, the Goddess of Death shared from Maria, and I became a Death Dragon, I am neither alive, nor dead, I am something in between now." "Incredible¡­" Aquamarine said. "The Herald of Hel herself, you''re someone that might bring death to all." Aquamarine pointed her nce at me as I was wolfing down a shortcake. "Huh? Ah¡­ I don''t really want that¡­" I said while quickly trying to swallow the cake I had in my mouth, quickly putting it down with some tea. "Phew¡­" "Hahaha, I guess you''re way too goofy for that." Laughed the dwarf olddy. "Goofy?! I can get serious too!" I roared back. "Nheless, what do you even want, Aquamarine? You''re just talking, revealing secrets, and seem just interested in us overall. But what''s your endgame?" I asked her directly. "Hm, I guess I can just talk now, huh? Well¡­ what I want to do are various things. I''ve been waiting for someone strong like you. Several years ago, you see, we found a dungeon in the depths of the mountain. Back then, we foolishly charged inside, only to be greeted with deathly miasma that melted away the flesh of my friends and monstrous aberrations beyond what our strongest weapons could properly handle." Said Aquamarine. "Miasma?!" I asked.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yes¡­ amidst the miasma, I remember seeing a gigantic skeleton wandering across an endless abyss of darkness¡­ This nightmarish dungeon had been sealed by magic, but thest ten years, its miasma has been leaking, enhancing the strength of local monsters, and the seals are weakening as well¡­ We even specte that inside this ancient dungeon we should had never stepped into, there might be a Fragment of the Evil God." ----- Chapter ?423 Shocking News And A Dangerous Dungeon 423 Shocking News And A Dangerous Dungeon ----- Out of nowhere, thedy guild master told us some rather shocking news! Apparently, there was a certain dungeon in this mountain which was discovered and promptly sealed by the best mages around the country. This was because it didn''t just had some nasty monsters inside, but had a sea of pure Miasma inside, alongside what many specte to be one of the Fragments of the Evil God which had been sealed in this mountain long ago. "So there''s Miasma down there¡­" Partner said. "Ugh, this is bad, thest time we fought with someone that used Miasma, we almost all died!" "Yeah¡­ But we had grown stronger from back then, right?" Emeraldine sighed. "I''ve developed new magic that could be of help as well¡­!" "You two are optimistic, I see." I sighed. "Wait, what''s with this enemy with Miasma?" Wondered Aquamarine. "Come on, talk a bit!" "Well, you already know I am an Ancient Dragon and that we have a Vampire and a Ghost, I guess we can trust her a bit more information, right, Maria?" Lucifer asked. "I also want¡­ to explore that dungeon, I think there''s something down there¡­ My memories areing back a bit, maybe I might be able to remember something about that ce." "Huh¡­ Well, I guess we can tell her¡­ But how can we really trust you, Aquamarine?" I asked. "Hmph, you''re really untrusty of people, huh, Beelzebub?" Sighed Aquamarine. "Name''s Maria, thank you very much." I said angrily. The olddy waved her hands as if saying "yeah, yeah" and then took out a strange paper imbued with a lot of magical runes. "This is a special item we produce named Magic Contracts. There are three variety, Mortal Contracts, Magic Contracts, and Soul Contracts. This is the Soul Contract, the strongest of them all. With this item we can make a promise tied to our souls. Because of such a power, the one that tries to disobey the promise will receive a strong attack into their souls that might kill them on the spot. It is too lethal, so it is not used that much unless it is a special promise¡­ if you don''t trust me, how about using this?" She asked. "Uuuuuh, yeah, no. I won''t¡­" I said. "I doubt I am at good keeping promises and I don''t want you dead, old hag¡­" I sighed. "I''ll just trust you for now. If you dare betray me I''lle haunt you and your next generations." "A fitting response for a ghost, I suppose." She sighed. "Well, we can tell you a bit about it. We are in kind of a Vampire Hunt." I said. "Westly fought a powerful Vampire that was given something named Demon''s Heart Core¡­ It transformed into an absolute aberration."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "A-Aberration? And Vampires? So those bastards that had been tormenting the humans are still going strong, huh? And you defeated one that used a fragment of the Evil God? So the Albraun Kingdom is really holding into this item and using it, huh¡­" "I don''t know the details¡­" I said, half-lying. "But I know the Vampires are controlling that Kingdom¡­ As a ghost, I was a witch burned in there, due to my resentment and amazing magic power, I ended turning into a ghost, tormented the ce, escaped, and I''ve been freeing ves ever since then. I made a small town near here where those bastards can''t easily get to us¡­ and that''s about it. I''ve been ying any Vampire behind this since then. You could say they''re my nemesis." "I see¡­ So those children who have different features¡­ I thought they were halflings, but what are they?" Wondered Aquamarine, looking at my two twins who were wolfing down sweets without a care of the world. "They''re my precious children! Don''t go questioning what they are so rudely, old hag!" I roared angrily. "A-Ah¡­ Sorry, I am just¡­ too surprised about everything, the more I talk to you the more I learn about many things I had no idea of¡­" Said Aquamarine. "But¡­ Well, they were once humans, but their souls were used for an experiment and put into bodies created through alchemy and dark magic using fragments of the Evil God¡­ They''re something known as Homunculus. I think the n of the Vampires was to create living beings fueled by the Evil Miasma that the Fragments possess." I sighed. "Impressive¡­ So that''s how it is." Aquamarine said. "I''m sorry for offending your kids." "Ah well, they were not even listening?" I sighed. "Huh?" Takeshi suddenly looked at us as if he had heard something. "Nothing honey, just enjoy the sweets." I said, petting his head. After that, I continued talking with the old hag about various things, I kept giving her small clues about who we were, but never being too direct about it either. And in exchange, she also continued exining to us about the dungeons, the mountain, the guilds, and everything else. As of now, we were given ID Cards as temporary citizens, which need to be paid for every few months, but due to special "VIP privilege" due to bringing the three dwarves back, we are absent of paying this tax for the next hundred years¡­ Yeah. Anyways, aside from that, we were given special treatment without the requirement of joining any guild. I would had probably joined one of the guilds, or even the two of them, but remembering Helga and her family and friends, it would feel bad for me to just abandon them to go the premium guilds¡­ "It is fine, Maria, you should join these guilds if they''re giving you so many benefits, don''t be foolish now!" Said Helga. "I can''t." I said. "Eh? But¡­" She said, feeling confused. "Helga, you''ve been too nice with us, and I am already fond of you even if it has been just a day. Due to that, I kind of want to join your guild instead. I would feel bad if I betrayed a friend I just made, right? Amongst the things I hate the most, is betraying other people''s trust and expectations." "M-Maria¡­" ----- Chapter ?424 A Great Reward ?424 A Great Reward ----- Helga seemed shocked. "You''re really an idiot! What are you doing?!" She asked angrily. "I just want to stay with my new dwarf friend!" I said, hugging her little body. "You''re cute too!" "Eek! D-Don''t touch me so much! I am married! Married!" She said while struggling adorably. "Haha, I know, I know~" I sighed. "Well, Aquamarine. Can I still get the benefits?" "Yeah, I had already figured out that you wouldn''t join uspletely. But due to being the guild master and because these two other idiots are the vice guild masters, we can give you as much authority as if you were our member." Said the olddy, giving us some metallic badges. "Use these to be able to cross into several sections. There are dungeons, special mining areas, and even unexplored depths where only strong miners can get in¡­ The Dungeon I am talking about is in the depths of the mountain, so you''ll have to cross the Rainbow Crystal Cave, the Underground Lake of Lakesia, and the Dark Haunt Caves, these three areas are connected to dungeons so monsters roam freely, but there are also very expensive ores growing everywhere. Due to not being as much of a controlled area, only strong enough guild members form parties to go mining down there and also hunt monsters." "I see¡­ So as honorary "members" of your guild, you''re giving us our first quest, huh?" I asked. "Technically¡­" She said. "You don''t have to do what I asked you if you don''t want to, but I''ll add a good bounty. We can pay you through materials, food, or even workhand, and well, money too." "I would like the whole package! My town is in dire need of a reconstruction as well as need more seeds, those beans you guys got and the tubers, we want a bunch of those seeds." I said. "Yeah, that would be nice for our greenhouses!" Said Emeraldine. "H-How many greenhouses do you have in those coldnds?" Asked Aquamarine. "We have built six so far." Said Baldur. "Nothing too much." Said Badur. "S-Six Greenhouses?!" Asked the olddy. "It is necessary for our food production." Darfu added. "Lady Emeraldine and Lady Maria have amazing Skills that allow them to enchant crops so they can grow faster and healthier, alongside being able to, sometimes, make some of those nts grow into magical nts. They have produced Medicinal Herbs and Antidote Herbs this way, alongside incredibly tasty veggies that only take about a week or two to growpletely." "So short?!" Aquamarine asked. "You guys don''t have magic to enchant your growth of products?" I wondered. "W-Well, we do¡­" Said the olddy. "We have magic items and more, but after overusing such items for a long time, they stop being as effective, our soil is imported from the Goldsand Confederation as weck it in the mountains. We also nt all sorts of mushrooms too, thankfully those don''t need as many things to grow and simply naturally absorb the nutrients of the rocks to grow." "I see¡­" I said. "This is why pure Skills such as the ones you two have are actually valuable." Said Aquamarine.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Wait, why?" I wondered. "Unlike Magic Items or Spells, Skills are very mystical and unique powers, engraved in the soul book and all¡­ their effects never get old, nor they ever stop making an effect. Unlike spells or magic items which exhaust the earth, skills can continuously be used without bing ineffective after a bit." She said. "Ohhh¡­ now that''s interesting." I said. "Emeraldine, we might be pretty valuable." "Uuuuhh¡­ What do you have in mind? Ah, I also have my spirits¡­" Said Emeraldine. "S-Spirits of Light and Nature!" Aquamarine said, looking at the beautiful spirits that Emeraldine brought out. "Incredible¡­ Elves are so lucky to have such an amazing affinity with spirits! We dwarves only have affinities with spirits of Fire and Metal, sometimes, someone with a Dark or even Earth Spirit Affinity appears. But they''re exceedingly rare. The only two Earth Spirit Users are already helping our crops as much as they can." "Hm, I see¡­ Nature Spirits might be better at enchanting the growth of nts than Earth Spirits, as theter can only enchant the soil." Emeraldine analyzed. "Hm, that''s right. So aside from that request, how about you work for us in enchanting our crops? We could pay you nicely, and you would be helping our country prosper." Said Aquamarine. "I can talk this to the Viscountess and she''ll agree." "I see, well, I don''t see it being wrong." I said, looking at Helga. "After all, we are already quite close to this people. We have seen Helga''s kids and we can''t simply say no to you after thinking they might starve if we don''t help at the end¡­" I sighed. "Maria¡­ Thank you for thinking about us." Sighed Helga. "I feel like I am getting a bit too much of a good treatment for what I am though¡­" "A friend is a friend!" I said,ughing. "You invited us to your house, to eat, and even offered us your services, you bought my potions, you helped us get here¡­ What else can I do to repay you?" "You''re way too nice¡­" Helga sighed. "Sadly I''m not into girls, hahaha!" "Awe on, I am not trying to flirt with you¡­" I said. "Well now, Aquamarine. We''ll be going to an Inn to pass the night for now." "A-Ah, sure thing then. But how about you stay in my home?" Wondered Aquamarine. "This house is rather empty most of the time, and there are many rooms. You can also discuss what you''ll be doing from now on leisurely." "Thanks, we''ll do then." I said. "Helga, you''ll be staying?" "Eh?! No way, I''m going back home, it''s getting superte now!" Helga said. "Alright then, take these, youngster." Aquamarine said, quickly giving Helga a sack of gold coins. "Huh?! So much money, what?! Eh?!" She cried. "This is apensation for bringing to me such a talented group of strong people. Also for helping them get here and being so nice with them, a proper reward for you. Also, it might help you establish your Guild officially." ----- Chapter ?425 Plans ?425 ns ----- "My guild¡­ Right¡­" Helga said. "But this is too much¡­" She sighed. "Come on girl, just take it!" Baldur said. "At the end of the day that''s just ore shaped into coins anyways." Said Badur. "Make sure to make a guild, I''ll be joining as well." Darfu said. "Old man Darfu¡­" Helga said. Darfu seemed well known as well as an amazing architect and designer. "Come on! Don''t hesitate, you got five kids to boot!" I said, petting her head again, her hair was so soft and fluffy I couldn''t stop myself. That she was small enough to be in head patting range was also quite a deadlybination. "Geez¡­ Okay then! I''m going, thanks for everything! I''ll see you tomorrow!" Helga said, quickly moving out. I left a few Phantom Familiars with her to protect her in the way back home. "Now then, let me show you the dorms." Said the olddy. Like that, we were once more treated like nobility as many maidservants and manservants offered us their services, we were given many rooms to stay. I had asked for one with two big beds to sleep with my waifus and my husbando, and they seemed to quickly move, relocating one of the beds into the biggest room. "I was not aware you had three partners, sex must be crazy, huh¡­" Said Aquamarine, the old hag was also quite the degenerate it seemed. However, I wanted to y around with her. "Well now that those two old men are back how about you give them a little love at night?" Iughed. "Heheh¡­ Don''t underestimate this olddy!" She said. "That''s just what I was about to do anyways!" "E E E H H?!" I saw her walking away while giggling devilishly, quickly entering the room where the pair of dwarves were. It seems they were really into some sort of rtionship with her, huh. Maybe that''s why she also missed them so much. "Alright you bastards, we are going to make up for all the time lost! Gyehehehe!" I was able to hear her giggle as the dwarves seemed to be all into it. "Come to bed already old hag!" "I didn''t think you still had the stamina, but your body''s still hot!" Holy shit, the mental image is a bit disgusting. I better flee before hearing anything else¡­ I guess you could say this world isn''t safe for work at all, everybody just talks openly about sex! The next morning quickly came, as we slept like babies. The sunlight lightly came from the windows as the entrance to the cave city let the sunlight from outside get inside just barely. Last night we had a bit of fun in bed while I took turns with all three of them, it was a nice and rxing intercourse. In fact, it hasn''t been this harmonious in a while. I guess we are finally getting used to it and getting along better. Partner is specially bing more tolerant to Lucifer''s presence now and disputes happen less frequently. However, Partner has a very jealous nature so she still sometimes get too jealous and barks a bit¡­ and then Lucifer barks back and I have to stop them before it bes too loud and annoying. Emeraldine intervenes sometimes, but she has a very passive personality so shecks the strength of will to be able to stop them most of the time.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Anyways, before having breakfast, we decided to discuss what to do right now, there were now several things we wanted to do. First, we wanted to go to the Dungeon with Miasma and see if there''s really a Fragment of the Evil God there, and if it is there, to quickly seal it somehow. Maybe if it is considered an item, I could store it inside my Inventory and be done with it, I was able to store in my inventory the Demonite Heart Core of Agatha, so maybe it could be possible. Second, we want to Mine Resources and Magic Ores, alongside picking up magic mushrooms with various effects for both smithing an alchemy, in the way, I also want to learn Skills rted to Mining, Crafting, and Smithing if possible. We already got the best cksmiths with us so we just need the time and a good furnace for it. For the Mining thing, we want to both explore this mountain and also explore the mountain where Helga is. Third, we want to sell our potions and see if we can make more connections with merchants or sellers, if we can mass produce potions and the like, it would be pretty neat. They also give me EXP so I can grow stronger while just making potions. If I can get a good deal with someone, I could get materials from them and convert them into potions to make better and quicker profits too. Oh right, we also need to buy several things such as a few furnaces, various magic items, and golems! I want golems. Fourth, we want to conquer some Dungeons. We heard there are many dungeons nearby, so going to conquer them, defeating all monsters inside and seeing if I can possess those Dungeon Cores is a must. Although it wouldn''t be good if I take over so many dungeons, so maybe the taking over thing might not be possible. The dungeons here provide food and materials to these people, which keep their country ongoing, I can''t take that away from them¡­ but that doesn''t mean we won''t clean the dungeon in our visit there just for fun and EXP. And fifth¡­ Making a Guild! I guess that''s up to Helga, so we''ll leave it up to her. However, I never thought it would be so quickly. After discussing what to do, a maidservant quickly knocked the door and entered. "Lady Maria andpany, Lady Helga hase with the idea of making a Guild, so she''s inviting you to apany her¡­" "Oh, she''s really quick, huh?" ------ Chapter 426 The Various Benefits Of Having A Guild 426 The Various Benefits Of Having A Guild ¡ª¨C ¡°Helga! You¡¯re back already and we have yet to even take a bath! What¡¯s the hurry?¡± I wondered, quickly descending downstairs. I noticed Helga came with her husband this time, Myriad, alongside seven other dwarves, the same guys we meet yesterday. Alongside them there was also ckard, the ck bearded dwarf that was so nice with us too. ¡°Hey Maria andpany! We just got called by Helga, she wants to make the guild asap now that she got the money.¡± Said ckard. ¡°So it was a lot of money then!¡± I said in surprise. ¡°Yeah, we discussed it for a while with my husband and then I called the troop to my house, it is a good investment. Guilds get special benefits when paying exchanging ores for money and paying taxes. My husband also wanted to join the guild so he can get special benefits as a crafter.¡± Said Helga. ¡°It is overall a win-win, soe with us, you said you wanted to join right?¡± ¡°Sure! Guys, let¡¯s go!¡± I said, as I saw my troop all sleepily walking behind me. ¡°Can the kids join?¡± ¡°Oh no, they only let people above 20 years of age to join a guild, children are not allowed to work, and they¡¯re only considered adults when they reach 20 years.¡± Said Helga. ¡°It is part of the norm; we are very careful of our kids.¡± ¡°Wow, another point on why you guys are more civilized than humans¡­¡± Partner said. ¡°Impressive, you¡¯re really a well-organized society.¡± Emeraldine said. ¡°We do what we can, poverty is still a thing, but it is not that big nowadays, the guilds suck a lot of profits, but they reinvest them into the city.¡± Said Helga. ¡°Huh, an interesting model of society indeed.¡± Lucifer said. ¡°Well, I might as well join.¡± ¡°Oooh, we are getting an Ancient Dragon to join us, holy shit man!¡± ¡°Is he going to do all the job for us?¡± ¡°Maybe we can ask him to fend off monsters while we mine? If he does that it would be of great help, we could mine a shit ton!¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Maria¡¯s Inventory would also be super handy, right?! She¡¯s gonna be a great addition!¡± The dwarves were all hyped about us joining. Although I wasn¡¯t nning on staying here for the rest of my life, I was going toe every month at the very least, staying for maybe a week or half a week. This ce will provide a lot of things to our small town, so it is important toe constantly. ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯ll do what I can guys, but lower your expectations a bit, I don¡¯t even have any Skills rted to Mining.¡± I giggled. ¡°We¡¯ll help you learn some right away then!¡± Said Helga. ¡°After the registration of the guild, of course.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s get going then.¡± I said. ¡°Aquamarine, can your maidservants and manservants take care of my kids?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll being with you as well, if you register your guild with my help, it¡¯ll receive special benefits as well.¡± Said the old hag. ¡°We areing as well, if you are joining that guild, we might as well.¡± Baldur said. ¡°Yeah!¡± Badur said. ¡°Me too¡­¡± Darfu said. ¡°Can you two old men get some better clothes? You¡¯re on your boxers!¡± ¡°Ah shit, right.¡± Said the twins, quickly moving back to their room. ¡°They seem a bit¡­ reinvigorated. What did happenst night?¡± Helga asked with a cocky smile. ¡°Helga don¡¯t go asking such things!¡± Her husband reprimanded her. ¡°Gyahahaha! I actually have a long history with those two.¡± Aquamarine said. ¡°I was really missing their embrace in bed.¡± ¡°Huuhh¡­ For being an old hag you¡¯re still going at it, guild master!¡± Helgaughed her lungs out. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± ¡°Gyahahaha!¡± The two dwarf womenughed cheerily as the other dwarves behind Helga also beganughing at how hrious things were for them. They were so open about stuff that it felt a bit shocking, the cultural differences are really bigpared to Earth, or even human society in here as well¡­ Well, not everyone, Dwarves seemed to be like this but Myriad was just covering his face in embarrassment. ¡°W-Well, can we go now?¡± I sighed. ¡°Also can you exin me the benefits of the guild while we are on our way there?¡± ¡°Sure, sure~!¡± Helga said. As we walked across the various streets of the Stoneville city, we saw many of the enormous golems walk through, some were moving like carriages, and others were moving carriages. There were even a few ones piloted by dwarves inside, who were small enough to barely fit in their chest, it seems they used them to lift heavy objects or build their enormous houses and buildings. ¡°You see, when you register a guild, you ess several benefits in exchange for paying for its creation, which is very costly and a big investment.¡± Said Helga. ¡°First of all, you can rent various golems from the facility for big discounts, so we can move stuff quicker, you also get an increase in the money you earn by selling items in all affiliated shops, and above all, you get discounts from taxes that you get discounted from selling your ores, and above all, you also ess discounts from these affiliated shops, specific ores and other things that cannot be easily brought, even such things as food, will be cheaper. And not only that, but guilds can also be inherited, so my kids will have the guild when their old hag and their papa pass away to support them. I¡¯m doing this as a big-time investment while looking into the future.¡± ¡°Oh, so you guys did it also for your kids¡­¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, not only ours, ckard and the other dwarves as well.¡± Myriad said. ¡°Most of them got families, having a guild to support them is a big thing. It could be a family business as time goes on.¡± ¡°We dwarves created guilds as a way to help our workers and let them earn benefits, while also keeping control over how much it is mined and extracted. If there is no order, our economy will fall, so we created guilds to take over all of this and maintain order.¡± Aquamarine said. ¡°I see¡­¡± When we reached the Guild Registration Building, we were amazed by its size, this building was probably as big as a ten-floor building from back in Earth. It was a rather modern-looking city thanks to the advancements and help that golems provided to the dwarven society. ¡°And here we are! Now let¡¯s go register, there¡¯s no time to waste!¡± Helga said, leading the way. ¡ª¡ª Chapter ?427 Creating A Guild! ?427 Creating A Guild!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- As we looked into the big building in front of us, we saw many people getting in and out, not only dwarves but there were also a lot of other races mixed in. It was a rather beautiful and varied scenario, something that you don''t see all that much in the human countries, most of the time, elves, dwarves, and beast-kin are cautious and know that vers and bandits usually target them more, so they often only pass through a town for a day and a night and keep moving, never truly staying to live in a town filled with humans. But in here they know it is secure for them so they just stay¡­ Damn, maybe if I didn''t make my own town, I would had perfectly moved in here with everyone. As we walked upstairs towards the building, someone covered in ck robes stumbled over Lucifer, making him almost trip down the stairs. "Huh? Be more careful." Lucifer said, looking at the one who stumbled upon him. Suddenly, I felt something strange. The one that stumbled upon him looked at him with bright red eyes, which had strange resemnce to the eyes of¡­ reptiles? Or maybe cats? Maybe it was just a beast-kin. "Ah¡­ You''re¡­!" She suddenly muttered, it was a girl. For a few seconds, she stayed there looking at Lucifer''s face. "What is it?" Lucifer wondered, seemingly rather annoyed. "No¡­ N-Nothing¡­" The girl quickly decided to walk away, without talking anything else. "Odd, who was she?" I wondered. "Hm¡­ I don''t really know. But there was something¡­ in her¡­ I¡­ Hm, I really can''t remember what it is or what I had in mind¡­ Ah, it is hopeless." Sighed Lucifer, waving his head. "Let''s get this done with." "Right¡­" Helga guided us inside the building, after talking for a bit with the people inside, we were moved to a private room where we meet one of the people in charge of the building, these people were in direct servitude of the Viscounts of this country and did all the paperwork. Registering a new Guild was something considered rather strange, the price was too high and most people just joined the other two old guilds most of the time. What Helga was doing could even be considered ambitious, but now that she had the money she really didn''t wanted to miss out in this big opportunity to change her life and that of those with her. At the end, things got done almost immediately, the people in the building were nervous because Aquamarine was present, and the old dwarf milf quickly made them give the new guild some benefits that only higher ranked guilds have. Apparently, guilds have ranks which they gain after earning enough renown, such as selling materials to the county, defeating monsters, and more. "With this, your E Rank Guild Should be almost done, but what name do you want to give it?" Wondered the receptionist. "Huh¡­" Helga looked at the two of us and then came out with an idea. "How about Valiant Dragons?" She wondered. "Sounds crazy!" "Wait, that sounds way too¡­" Muttered her husband, but she didn''t listen to him. "Valiant Dragon it is!" She said. "A-Alright¡­" The receptionist seemed a bit surprised over the childish name. After that, Helga was given a special medal and a few papers filled with stuff, and we were all registered at the same time, being given medals. With that the guild was made, and it had special benefits as well. "I wonder if I can bring them with me to the mines and dungeons reserved by the two big guilds, Aquamarine?" I asked while walking outside of the room. "Huh, I had not thought about it, but I rmend to not do it, already with the special pass you got you will make a fuss, if you bring the new guild there even with the pass, you''ll gain the enmity of the other guilds..." Said Aquamarine. "It would be better to go mine the mountain you were using, or go to the more dangerous but freer areas of this mountain in groups. But as long as you''re going with your party alone, Maria, you can get in the guild''s territory. Is that enough for you to understand?" "I guess¡­ Sorry about that, Helga." I said. "Oh, don''t worry about that!" Said Helga with a smile. "We were going to work right now after registering in the guild, do you guys want toe? If you help us our job would get done way easier! You also can acquire some Skills if you try hard enough in there." "Huh¡­ Certainly, a Mining Skill and a Title wouldn''t be so bad! Alright, let''s go." I said. "I want to explore that mountain as well, it is all uncharted territory after all, I wonder if we could find anything interesting." "Maria, what about buying the things we wanted to buy?" Asked Lucifer. "Geh¡­ Right." I sighed. "Then we can apany you to buy whatever you need and then go; it is early in the morning anyways!" ckard said. "Yeah!" "We''ll help you out." "We know the good ces to buy from." "How about you buy from my store?" "I might as well apany you as well." Sighed Aquamarine. "A-Alright then, thanks a lot! Also we should look for clues about Ancient Dragons or anything dragon-rted around here." I said. "True, we came here for that reason as well, Maria." Said Lucifer. "But don''t rush yourself, let''s take it one step at a time." "Indeed, we are here also to explore and have a good time, right? To take a break from battles and everything else." Sighed Emeraldine. "I agree, I also want to go to the nearby restaurants, and there are food stalls everywhere in the market too!" Partner said, licking her lips while opening her eyes wide open while sniffing the smell of skewered meat from the distance. "Man, I''m so hungry! We didn''t had breakfast after all!" "Alright, let''s go then!" I said. ------ Chapter ?428 The Mysterious Watcher ?428 The Mysterious Watcher ----- And like that, we spent several hours in the market buying a lot of stuff we found interesting just because. It was nice to explore new ces and do shopping without worries. I ended buying a few items I found interesting and which the dwarfs'' shops didn''t had, such as Spirit Stones. These were rather expensive stones imbued with elemental magic power. They can be asionally mined from the mountains, usually in areas with a lot of Magic Essence, I only bought a few to inspect them, as I n to buy them from other sources or to mine them myself. We secured most of the things we really needed though, such as big pieces of metal, nails, ss, and I also purchased two furnaces which I stored inside my Inventory. After that, we went into a foody trip and we began eating anything we found in the food stalls. I had regretted not bringing the twins with me in this small trip, as they would had been happy to eat all this food themselves. Ultimately, we ended getting back to Aquamarine''s home to bring them with us to the mining. I had also sold the rest of the potions to Merchant who gave me the highest price, all the potions were sold after just a day of getting here, it was clear they were in high demand. The merchant also told me that he didn''t had any materials to make potions as they were not thatmon around here, but if I brought him the potions another time, he would buy them with an extra +10% bonus. With that said, we picked up the kids and quickly flew into the mountains, leaving the old men and the old hag in the big house. Darfu wasn''t a good miner apparently, and although Baldur and Badur wanted toe, they were not allowed by Aquamarine because they were, once again, too old for this kind of work, apparently. As we flew towards the mountain on top of the dragoons, Lucifer seemed a bit down. "We couldn''t find any substantial clues at all." He sighed. "Yeah¡­" We had looked around almost everywhere we could, there were only rumors about a Dragon Crypt in the depths of the mountain, but that was also connected to the dangerous dungeon we were avoiding for now, but that we might go explore in the uing days anyways. Some people said they saw dragon monsters in there inrge quantities. But there was also another rumor, perhaps the only one we found could bring some substantial clues. "But this thing about the Dragon Woman¡­ is this real?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Maybe it could be a survivor of your tribe, Lucifer! She might had transformed into a humanoid form." Said Partner. "Certainly, that''s a possibility, Polymorph is a Skill we learn when we reach adulthood so we can meddle more easily with smaller tribes¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "But we don''t know anything about her." "Well, a few things did we know." I said. "They said that she had sharp red eyes and horns, and a tail¡­ She appears sporadically, as if she can meddle with darkness. Some had seen a girl like that wander around, but because there are so many races, they might confuse her for someone else entirely."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Aquamarine, do you know something?" I wondered. "You''ve been keeping yourself pretty silent about this." I spoke to Aquamarine through my Phantom Familiar I left with her. "Well¡­ This is ssified information so I cannot share it with anybody, but there''s literally an Ancient Dragon with you guys." Sighed the woman. "This woman is indeed real, but she''s very elusive. I had once met her, she had a very calm and soothing voice, and she said she was a "watcher". Apparently, her tribe lived here long ago but was in by humans, ultimately, she remained as thest survivor, watching over as everything changed. Some said that there was a dragon with our founder, his first friend and the protector of our nation¡­ I had thought many times that this mysterious woman might had been that dragon, but ever since then, several years ago, I had not seen her before. Also, my Appraisal doesn''t work on her, she has some sort of power that cancels inspection-based skills effects." "I see¡­" I said. "A watcher¡­ We''ll have to look for her some moreter. Maybe if she learns that there''s another Ancient Dragon here, she might willinglye to our side." "Hmmm¡­ Someone that can cancel the effects of Inspection-based Skills?" Wondered Lucifer. "Ugh¡­ I think I remember somebody like this but¡­ my mind is in shambles. My memories, as I told you before, had been dissipating over time before I was revived by you, so I am missing various ones. But at the very least, this person might be a dragon I knew." "Oh! Then this trip might not have been as wasteful!" I said. "Maybe she''s your wife? Would be nice if she survived¡­ T-Though it would be weird to share you¡­" "You''re always worried about that, huh?" Sighed Lucifer. "I don''t really know what I would do in such a situation either, so please don''t ask me anymore. We''ll see if that is even a possibility." "I get it, sorry¡­ I just hope it is someone close to you, meeting another Ancient Dragon would be super nice." I sighed with a smile. "I suppose you''re right." Lucifer said. "A family member would be great¡­ We could invite her to our town and give her a better life, perhaps¡­" "Hm!" Partner said. "Having a dragon buddy that is not a grumpy old man like you would be nice." "Who are you calling grumpy old man?!" Lucifer roared angrily, as Partner began tough at his reaction. "Come on you two, stop this¡­ Especially Partner, don''t say that while we are talking something serious!" I reprimanded my cute girlfriend. "Geez¡­" She sighed. "I am just trying to lift up the mood. Okay, sorry." She said. "Hmph¡­" Lucifer said while averting his gaze from us defiantly and angrily. He''s really grumpy. "Well, whoever that person was, we''ll find her eventually." I said, nodding in confidence. ------ Chapter ?429 The Sorrowful Survivor Of Ancient Times ?429 The Sorrowful Survivor Of Ancient Times ----- The figure of a young woman covered in ck robes, barefoot and only wearing just the bare minimum over her scale-covered body looked into the distance, as a group of flying golems, dragoons, carried away a recently formed guild. Her eyes, sharp red and reptilian in shape, seemed filled with a bit of light, a light that had been not there for many years now. She seemed happy, after many years of being gloomy and emotionless. The wind swept through the mountains, as her ck robe waved furiously before the strong winds. The sunlight covered her figure, as the sky atop the mountains usually was cloudless, mostly due to being so high the clouds were below them. "I can''t believe you''re alive¡­" She whispered with a small voice, while lightly smiling. "I was surprised when I saw you¡­ But it seems a lot has changed¡­" She slowly walked over the rocky surface of the mountains, while feeling soothed by the warm winds sweeping through her almost nude body. "It seems you have a new family with you¡­ New friends¡­ A new purpose, even¡­" The girl''s ck robes suddenly flew away, as her body, covered in old red scales, which were slowly losing their color was revealed. Atop her head, there was a pair of ck horns, the left one was cracked and only half of it remained, while the other seemed chipped down, and very old. Her long silvery white hair was beautiful and shiny, but itcked color, which was lost as she aged over many years. Her tail, missing the tip of it, waved carefreely, as her feet, covered on scales seemed to be hiding many scars. "I''m sorry for being shy¡­ I couldn''t bring myself to speak with you, Lucifer¡­ It has been so long. I didn''t knew what to say to you¡­ Everything is over now, but I''m d to see that you''re still alive even now, when everybody else¡­ is gone." She looked into the mountain with a bit of impatience. "I wish to see you live your daily life for a bit more, before I make my decision¡­ I don''t know if you would be willing to take such a big responsibility¡­ What lies in the depths of this mountain might be not¡­ something you would be willing to y." FLASH! Suddenly, her entire body shone brightly, covering itselfpletely in red light. As nobody was watching other than some wild wyverns flying around, her majestic draconic body, towering over 50 meters, waspletely ignored by those that could have potentially seen such an incredible and colossal being. Her body, however, slowly began to shrink down in size, as if she was saving her energies, until she was no bigger than a wyvern. "Being too big would bring too much attention¡­ A smaller size is better." She said, quickly taking off into the skies, as she saw, with her hawk-like vision, as those of the Valiant Dragon Guild already have arrived at the "Second Mountain" as they called it. "I want to see¡­ How are these new people with you¡­ I want to know them better; I want to see¡­ how you''re doing¡­ My dear Lucifer." She thought, flying through the skies as she covered herself with a veil of anti-detection magic. She suddenly recalled many memories within her pained and hurt mind. She recalled the things she went through, the warmth of family, and the coldness of solitude and loneliness. This entire time, for eons now, she had been alone, waiting for something, someone¡­ to bring her the warmth she was missing, the warmth of family. "I don''t know why I''ve been waiting so long¡­ Always hoping someone would somedaye to my life¡­ But to think that dreams cane true¡­" She sighed internally, as her eyes began to cry tears of happiness and sorrowbined together.N?v(el)B\\jnn Memories shed one after another within her mind, the happiness she shared with her family, the happiness she shared with Lucifer, the many memories. The children ying around the caves, the parents and grandparents bringing hunts to enjoy together. The asional trips to nearby tribes of smaller people, the long trips across the skies, as they traveled through the continent in the skies. The words, the love, the memories¡­ And then, the pain. The suffering. The sorrow. The regret. The hopelessness. The horror. The fear¡­ "So much has happened¡­ I don''t know if I am even the one I used to be myself, dear Lucifer¡­" She sighed. "Maybe¡­ this is also why I couldn''t bring myself to speak with you when we met. Maybe¡­ I simply couldn''t bring myself to see you in the face after everything that has happened since then." She thought, looking into the blue skies, and flying around the mountain. A group of cranes flew atop her, peacefully and soothingly soaring the skies at her side. A smile emerged in her dragon lips, as she somehow felt her heart being reborn once more the moment she set eyes into him. His human-like transformation appearance was immediately recognizable to her. "I wonder¡­ if you could ever remember me as well¡­ Although, I don''t want to bother you." She thought, quicklynding into the mountain, and slowly walking over its rocky surface, lurking around, and hearing the words of those that apanied Lucifer. "Woah! This ce''s BIG! Let''s go mine now! Mine! Mine!" A childish girl with a phantasmal aura spoke, she was too bright in nature for what she identified as some sort of living cmity. "But where are you going to mine without a pickaxe, dummy?!" Lucifer, however, quickly reprimanded her back, without fearing her truest powers. "Ah¡­ Right¡­" The girl seemed to act childishly and gently, without a hint of hostility. It was rather clear they had a special connection. She smiled a bit as she heard him speak so carefreely and happily. Despite his grumpy expression, it was obvious he was very happy with¡­ her. "You''re so happy¡­ It has been a long time since I saw you being so happy¡­" She sighed, looking more and more, as the group went around the mountain, preparing to go mine for ores and explore its depths. It looked¡­ strangely fun. ¡­To have friends. "I''m d you''re so happy¡­ The smile of my little brother¡­ I would never forget it." ----- Chapter 430 Time To Get Mining! 430 Time To Get Mining! ¡ª¨C When we arrived at the mountain, Helga quickly guided us down a path she and the dwarves had made with their amazing mining skills and earth shaping skills. Apparently not only they made a cave but even crafted stairs to move down easily. The caves were illuminated mostly by special crystals that generated light and also mushrooms. I had thought about picking a few, but Helga said that aside from their luminescence, they were not valuable and it was better to let them be there to illuminate ces. They were certainly more convenient than putting torches that will eventually get the entire cave with the smell of burnt wood and oil, or magic items that will eventually run out of magic and will need constant recement like torches. ¡°But aren¡¯t these sold elsewhere?¡± I wondered. ¡°Yeah there are some people that farm these mushrooms for house decorations, though they¡¯re also edible but have a very in vor, they¡¯re not that cheap for their vor though, so most people only keep them as decorations.¡± Helga said. ¡°Anyways, we are here guys! Time to work our asses off today as usual!¡± ¡°Time to work!¡± ¡°With Lucifer and the rest with us, we¡¯ll have an easy time!¡± ¡°You guys can fend the monsters off for us, right? This way we can fully concentrate into mining!¡± ¡°Oh man, I¡¯m gonna MINE!!!¡± Helga roared as the dwarves roared behind her, raising their pickaxes, shovels, and other utensils they brought, which I quickly took out of my Inventory for all of them to hold. The enormous cave expanded upon several meters, its ceiling reaching as high as 60 meters or even 70, there were many crystals growing around everywhere, many illuminating the entire ce naturally, but amidst the walls and the ground, there were also other, shinier rocks than the normal ones, those were Ores! And some were shinier than others, emanating special essence, magic! Those were Magic Ores! ¡°Woah! This ce¡¯s BIG! Let¡¯s go mine now! Mine! Mine!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but act childishly as I felt excited about mining myself. Back in my previous life I was an avid yer of Minecraft and Terraria, those two were my childhood alone, so I have always wished I could mine in this world. With the addition of the game-like description of items, the power of alchemy to create items which also reminded me of my other favorite games, the Atelier series, and the knowledge of skills such as Mining, Crafting, and more existing, I couldn¡¯t help but want to replicate those games mechanics in real life now! However, I was quickly and abruptly stopped by Lucifer, who quickly realized, faster than I did, that I was missing the most important tool. ¡°But where are you going to mine without a pickaxe, dummy?!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Right¡­¡± ¡°Come on, didn¡¯t you bring some more inside your Inventory? Get them out, we can mine all together here, Maria, you can pick any spot you want this is a cave we found ourselves, but it ispletely closed, we¡¯ll need to mine it to find another route somewhere else, but for now you can just pick ant spot.¡± Helga said. ¡°Right, thank you Helga!¡± I said, quickly taking a Pickaxe from my Inventory. This item was a very basic Pickaxe made out of Reinforced Steel Ore, specially made to break through stones to get the precious ores out. ¡ª¨C [Reinforced Steel Pickaxe (D-Grade): Lv1] [Effects] [Attack]: [+500] [Agility]: [+250]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Abilities] [Mining Speed Enhancement]: [Enhances the Speed while Mining by +20%] [Description] [A brand-new Pickaxe made out of Reinforced Steel Ingots; ites with an enchantment that grants a faster speed while mining. Its high attack power is ideal to break through incredibly hard rocks and stone.] ¡ª¨C In fact, I had brought a brand-new Pickaxe for myself! It was rather expensive as it was a new item, and it was enchanted to grant a boost to mining speed and also the ability to Level up, something not all cksmiths can grant to their creations so easily. With this, I¡¯ll mine some new Magic Ores to enchant Partner¡¯s old spear, which she really wants to upgrade. For that she wants to use expensive materials that can only be mined from this big mountain range¡­ I guess I am just giving myself a reason. ¡°Alright¡­! Ah, are you not going to mine?¡± I asked, with the pickaxe in my hands, as Emeraldine, Partner, and Lucifer seemed to be just looking around. ¡°Huh? I am not really interested¡­¡± Said Lucifer. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass too; I don¡¯t really care about mining¡­¡± Said Partner. ¡°My body is rather not¡­ suited for such things.¡± Said Emeraldine. ¡°But I¡¯ll make sure to inspect whatever you find!¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± I guess I am alone in the world of miners, dested,pletely alone and without friends¡­ However, I quickly felt the pat of Helga on my back. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t let them get to you, if you¡¯re interested in the profession, then I¡¯ll guide you. You¡¯ve got all of us here. We dwarves are fanatics of mining, finding new ores, and crafting stuff out of them, it runs in our veins.¡± She said. ¡°Now, hold the pickaxe and point at that piece over there, see that bulging piece of stone?¡± ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± I said. ¡°When stone bulges like that, it means there¡¯s a big amount of ore or crystals below, hit it hard and make it crumble to reveal what¡¯s inside.¡± Said Helga. ¡°Come on, give it your best!¡± ¡°A-Alright!¡± I pointed my pickaxe into that bump of stone and then¡­ CLANK! I hit it with a strong and powerful hit! Crack¡­ crack¡­! Right away, with a single hit of my pickaxe, the stone began to crumble apart, as cracks spread through not only the floor surrounding it, but also the walls in front, and even a bit of the ceiling! Wait, what?! RUMBLE! Stones began falling everywhere around me, as I quickly generated a shield to protect myself and Helga. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! ¡°You hit it a bit too hard!¡± Helga reprimanded me. ¡°S-Sorry¡­ It is hard to calcte the power of my strength sometimes¡­¡± I apologized. ¡ª¨C Chapter ?431 A Big Assortment Of Magical Ores ?431 A Big Assortment Of Magical Ores ----- CRAAASH! The walls in front of me crumbled, alongside a bit of the ceiling, oh right, and below me the earth shattered by a tiny bit, nothing too lethal as to fall down somewhere else, but it was still rather crazy! When things ended, I found all the dwarves looking at me with eyes and mouths wide open, while Lucifer and Emeraldine were facepalming. Partner was the only one cheering for me. "W-What the heck?!" "Missy you might be a tad bit too strong!" "Wow, that''s nuts! Did you guys just saw what she just did there?!" "Yeah, insane shit¡­" "She''s stronger than us?!" "What''s your Attack Stat?" Wondered Helga, sighing a bit. "My Attack Stat? Erm¡­ well, it is 17000 when I equip the Pickaxe." I said. "17000?!" Helga and everybody else was, once more,pletely shocked. "I am the one with the highest Attack Stat here and I only have 4500!" Cried Helga. "By the Gods, girl! You''re STRONG!" Stats in this world make a big difference in a person''s performance. Apparently someone with just 15000 Attack Stat is not just three times as strong as someone with 5000 Attack, usually Stats are multiplicative, so the more you have, the more immense a difference is. Someone already with just 1k Attack higher than you can do way more, difference in stats sometimes are quite¡­ well, devastating. "W-Well, I guess I am quite strong physically now¡­ I used to be very weak, andpared to Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner, I am still weaker I believe." I said. "I only have 12000 Attack as of now, so you''re strong, Maria." Emeraldine said with a gentle smile. "This thin elf has 12k ATTACK?!" Helga cried in shock. "You said you didn''t had the physique for this but you sure do!" "A-Ahahaha¡­ I just don''t want to mine." Emeraldine crossed her arms and seemed to not be interested at all on mining. "How much attack does the dragon have?" Asked one of the dwarves. "Oof, certainly over 40k." I said. "PFFFF¡­!" All the dwarves suddenly threw off saliva from their mouths in utter disbelief, looking at the simple and slender figure of Lucifer. "I am more of an attack specialist while Maria is a magic specialist, so my magic is quite low like her attack. Maria, tell them how much Magic power you have." He said. "Eh? Why?" I asked. "Just do it." He said. "Errr¡­. Well, I have 132000 Magic." I said while seemingly feeling a bit shy about it. "132000?!" "T-This is insane¡­!" "What the heck?!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Are you S ss Adventurers, missy?!" "Damn, we got the powerhouses in our team¡­" "Are we going to get famous soon?" "You guys calm down! I already kind of knew they were this powerful, after all the old hag gave them the request of exploring the old Dungeon that was sealed some time ago, they''re very, very strong! Hehe, they even said they defeated multiple Vampires." Helga said, as if she were prideful of our aplishments. "Vampires¡­?!" "Those scrawny guys that are overpowered?" "The bloodsuckers?!" "Yep!" Helga said. "Okay, okay, let''s not reveal anything else, Helga, this information is not yours¡­" I sighed, petting her head. "R-Right, sorry¡­" She apologized. After the dwarves calmed down, they quickly resumed what they were doing, Helga included, after all whatever I mined was considered my part, so they were not going to take it away. I decided to clean everything using my Inventory space, storing the rocks that crumbled apart and then through the power of the Inventory, I dismantled the rocks and separated them from mere stone to the ores. I ended getting a good harvest by a single swipe of my pickaxe! ----- [Common ck Stone (F Grade)] A hard stone containing a lot of nutrients and salt within it. It can be broken down and washed to create ck Salt, which is often used in Dwarven cuisine. It is an incredibly hard stone, harder than normal stone. And it is often used for making bricks and even stone golems. ----- Wow, even these ck stones are valuable! What the heck? ----- [Gray Iron Ore (E Grade)] Amon mineral that grows within the interior of mountains, its gray color is indicative of its greater defensive powerpared to normal Iron Ore. It possess a good affinity with magic, and it is often used as the base for creating Magic Items, Weapons, essories, or Armor. ----- [Yellow Bronze (E Grade)] Often called "false gold", it is a strong and resilient ore that doesn''t bend as easily as other ores of more precious values such as gold and silver. It has a golden color that is often used as decoration for weapons, armor, or even jewelry. It has a good affinity with magic and the element of lightning and light. ----- [re Ruby (D Grade)] A low-quality Magic Jewel possessing the element of Fire within itself. Its bright color is already a good indication that this jewel possess such a strong, zing element. Often used to craft special Magic Items that can enhance Fire Magicians power or used for Magic Items that can give better convenience, such as starting fires or warming up food. It is a cheaper version of the more expensive Fire Spirit Stones, it gets most of the simple jobs done, but once its power runs out, it turns gray colored and shatters easily. ----- [Gumstone (E Grade)] A mud-like stone that once covered in water quickly turns into a gum-like material that can be easily used to stick things together, often used to construct houses and stick bricks together. Despite its low grade of rarity, it is a precious stone that is widely used for construction. ----- "Oooh! Look at this! Gray Iron Ore, Yellow Bronze, re Ruby, and Gumstone!" I said. "They''re not the craziest ones but they''re certainly interesting. Maybe I can use them to make stuff¡­" "Oh, Gumstone is a primary material to create Alchemic y!" Said Emeraldine. "Alchemic y?" I asked. "It is a special material that can only be created through Alchemy, with it, you can craft amazing weapons and armor!" ----- Chapter ?432 Mining Magic Ores Like Theres No Tomorrow ?432 Mining Magic Ores Like There''s No Tomorrow ----- "Alchemic y?" I wondered. "Did your uncle taught you how to make it?" "Yes, where I live, Gumstone is very rare so it was always expensive¡­ Alchemic y can be used as an amazingponent for not only weapons and armor but also even potions of high quality." Sighed Emeraldine. "Many magic items use this!" She quickly held the Gumstone in her hand, looking at it with fascination. "Then I''ll mine some more!" I said. "Sure thing! I''ll be inspecting things out!" She said, looking from afar. "Alright then!" While feeling pumped up about being able to make interesting items through alchemy, I began smacking the walls in front of me while trying to contain myself. The power was still devastating, but not enough to make the ceiling fall apart. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! RUMBLE! After three hits, an enormous opening appeared in the walls, as rocks and ores began falling to the ground, shining brightly with many colors. Wow, this really is rxing! I can jut smack away all my problems away! All the pent-up stress, everything! I''m gonna just smack and smack some more! "Inventory!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! [Items have been dismantled] [You acquired]: [Common ck Stone (F Grade)] x83 [Gray Iron Ore (E Grade)] x15 [Yellow Bronze (E Grade)] x19 [re Ruby (D Grade)] x6 [Gumstone (E Grade)] x8 [White Glowing Stone (F Grade)] x3 ¡­ I quickly gathered all items into my inventory and quickly dismantled them while I continued smacking the walls in front of me. I heard that Dwarves simply broke through the mountains until the found "veins" as they call these big caves with many ores at clean sight, so I just had to do the same anyways. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! RUMBLE! More stones fell apart by the hit of my pickaxe shattering everything within my sight, as I quickly began delving into the depths of the mountains, whenever there was too many stones and ores lying around, I used Inventory! "Inventory!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! All items teleported inside my Inventory, and quickly were automatically dismantled. [Items have been dismantled] [You acquired]: [Common ck Stone (F Grade)] x174 [Gray Iron Ore (E Grade)] x22 [Yellow Bronze (E Grade)] x12 [re Ruby (D Grade)] x8 [Gumstone (E Grade)] x6 [White Glowing Stone (F Grade)] x2 [Wind Emerald (D Grade)] x4 ¡­ CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! RUMBLE! "Inventory!" [Items have been dismantled] [You acquired]: [Common ck Stone (F Grade)] x126 [Gray Iron Ore (E Grade)] x23F [Yellow Bronze (E Grade)] x27 [re Ruby (D Grade)] x5 [Gumstone (E Grade)] x16 [White Glowing Stone (F Grade)] x7 [Wind Emerald (D Grade)] x6 [Earth Topaz (D Grade)] x5 ¡­ CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om RUMBLE! Like that, I continued mining and mining for roughly three hours consecutively. I had a lot of pent-up stress over all the things that had been going ontely, so I really felt like just mining away anything I could find, I ended using almost my full power as I began to descend through the mountain once I ended breaking through its wall and appearing outside of it. If I wasn''t a ghost I would had fallen to my death, oops! When I regained my consciousness from my crazed mining frenzy, I found myself inside a deep cave, it seems I had dug roughly 100 meters down and ended falling over arge cave that was being illuminated by big, five-meter-long mushrooms. There was the soothing sound of water flowing and I found a bigke inside the mountain. "Phew¡­ Just how much did I end up mining?" I wondered, as I quickly saw my Inventory, it was now filled with an amazing amount of Ores! ----- [Category: Ores/Stones/Jewels] [Common ck Stone (F Grade)] x723 [Gray Iron Ore (E Grade)] x128 [Yellow Bronze (E Grade)] x132 [re Ruby (D Grade)] x33 [Gumstone (E Grade)] x82 [White Glowing Stone (F Grade)] x21 [Wind Emerald (D Grade)] x29 [Earth Topaz (D Grade)] x25 [Furnace Stone (E Grade)] x11 [Turtle Shell Stone (D Grade)] x16 [White Silver Ore (A Grade)] x5 [Magical Gold Ore (B Grade)] x3 [Rainbow Crystal (C Grade)] x1 ----- "Wooow! I got a bunch of new stuff as well! What the heck are these ones? I recognize Silver and Gold but the rest?" ----- [White Glowing Stone (F Grade)] A special stone often used as a cheap illuminating device. It can also be used to craft lesser magic items to imbue them with the light element. It can absorb Mana to keep itself glowing. ----- [Wind Emerald (D Grade)] A precious magical jewel imbued with the element of wind, when infused with mana, it will generate a variety of wind gusts which can be manipted by the one infusing Mana. Often used for flying vehicles and popr for magic essories for Wind Magicians, but it can also be used to enchant boots for faster travel. ----- [Earth Topaz (D Grade)] A precious magical jewel infused with the element of earth, it is incredibly resilient and once infused with Mana, it generates a magical shield over the surface of what it is touching, increasing their defense. A popr jewel used in equipment such as armor and essories. ----- [Furnace Stone (E Grade)] A zing stone imbued with the element of fire, when touched, it will quickly absorb mana from the one touching it and begin ring with a lot of heat. It is often used in furnaces to warm them up and generate enough heat to melt ores. It has a high value between Smiths. ----- Huh, I see, so the first one is like an illumination devise? But it seems quite rare, I didn''t got as many. And the other two after that are like the Rubies I have, imbued with wind and earth, those must be godly for equipment, isn''t it? Andstly, Furnace Stone! It is rather self-exnatory, but I feel like I am getting drawn into the world of mining, how many magical ores are out there? Too many¡­ Well, there''s four other Ores in here, and these seem even more valuable. ------ Chapter 433 New Mining-Related Skills 433 New Mining-Rted Skills ----- In my hands there was a big, green-colored stone in the shape of the shell of a turtle. It emanated a strong aura of life attribute, and seemed ancient and rather beautiful in appearance. This was a Turtle Shell Stone, it was very weird, but somehow it was as high as D Grade in quality?! ------ [Turtle Shell Stone (D Grade)] A special turtle shell-shaped stone imbued with the power of life. Those that touch it and use mana into it are able to absorb its power. Once "consumed", it can increase the total Lifespan of a person by 10 Days. Additionally, it can heal 50% of total HP. ----- "Huh?! Is this really a stone? Wow, I gotta be careful with this¡­" I sighed. If I end up infusing Mana into it, I might activate it without wanting to. I am a ghost so I have no lifespan, it would be a real waste. I quickly saved the item inside my Inventory, I had 16 of them, so that''s an increase of 160 Days of Lifespan, almost a year! Wow, if I collect more, I could rejuvenate old people, I guess? Maybe these stones are very precious despite their total grade being lower. I suppose quality and rarity don''te together with usefulness most of the time, huh¡­ ----- [White Silver Ore (A Grade)] A precious metal, white silver is several times more powerful than normal silver, capable of absorbing mana and reinforce itself, shape around easily, and turn into beautiful jewelry that can enchant somebody''s magic power greatly if handled correctly. In most societies, it is more valuable than gold. ----- [Magical Gold Ore (B Grade)] A precious metal, magical gold is a special variant of gold that has a grater affinity with magic of all sorts. It can meld its shape easily and reinforce itself. Alongside this, it is good for all kinds of magic items and essories due to its incredible amount of magic conductivity of mostmon elements, fire, wind, light, and lightning. ----- [Rainbow Crystal (C Grade)] A precious crystal of rainbow color, it shines with various colors and is highly valuated in most societies, it is so beautiful that its mesmerizing appearance can leave people enchanted by its brilliance. It is a precious magical jewel that can be used for a variety of purposes, infusing mana might bring many elements at the same time depending on its color, so it must be first cut into pieces and separated to be used properly. It can rece Spirit Stones and is often better and more durable. ----- "Oooh! I am rich with this, aren''t I?!" Iughed. Of course, I wasn''t rich yet¡­ But it was certainly a nice bounty. Silver and Gold can be sold or simply kept it to craft some amazing essories, although they''re not that good with armor or weapons as those metals are softer than others, the crystal seems good enough for a multi-elemental boost magic essory perhaps. Ding! [You learned the [Mining: Lv1] Skill] [You acquired the [Greedy Miner: Lv1] Title Skill!] "Eh?! Greedy Miner?!" I asked in annoyance. "Well¡­ whatever, they''re both good, I believe." I finally got the Skills I wanted anyways, after mining over 100 meters deep into the ground, I was bound to acquire them anyways! Although now I am beginning to get worried I might had strived a bit too far from my original group, I should get back there¡­ But of course, let''s check the Skills first. ----- [Mining: Lv1]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om A Skill learned after Mining a ton of Ores and Stones, and anything rted with Mining with a Pickaxe. This Skill can only be activated while using Mining Tools. Enhances Mining Speed and Attack Power while using Mining Tools by +20% with each Skill Level. Additionally, there''s a small chance (5%) to find high rarity ores while mining. ----- [Greedy Miner: Lv1] You''re an insanely greedy miner that has mined hundreds of ores in less than a day, due to your greediness, your ability to mine has increased. You can naturally guide yourself better within mines and caves, and you might be able to spot special ores with your senses. Additionally, your Mining Efficiency is increased by +20% with each Title Skill Level, and there''s a small chance (5%) to find high rarity ores while mining. ----- Oh well, this is indeed nice. With these two Skills, I got a 10% chance to find rare ores, huh? When did I get these Skills? Maybe it activated beforehand¡­ Wait, this world isn''t a game though, how is it possible it increases the chances to find rare ores? Does it simply guide me towards the rare ones or something maniptes reality and creates them by a small chance? ¡­Ah, I shouldn''t overthink this to be honest. "Well now, where the heck am I?" I wondered, looking around and finding myself within this vast cave. I looked up to hear the voice of those I left behind above. For now, I just created a Phantom Familiar and sent it up, as I wanted to explore this ce for a tiny bit before departing. The entire structure of this ce seemed rather immense and also quite beautiful¡­ But what am I supposed to do here though? Maybe I should try to mine some more¡­ I walked into theke and suddenly felt rather rxed by the cold water flowing through it, only to find two enormous eyes ring me through the water. "Huh?" SPLAAASH! "GLUOOP!" Suddenly, an enormous creature emerged. It resembled a giant smander, an amphibian creature with a soft and slimy skin,rge gills, and a long tail with a sharp hook. It had sharp teeth and a long and slimy tongue. ----- [Giant Venomous Cave Smander: Lv55] [Rank: B] [Status: Hungry] ----- "Level 55?!" I asked in shock, as an enormous tail suddenly sweep through the floor, hitting me strongly. BAAAM! However, instead of being thrown away, the tail easily slip through my body, as I saw the floor below me crack away. "Oh, I guess as long as you don''t imbue mana into your physical attacks, you can''t really damage me¡­ Hehehe¡­" BBZZZZZ¡­! And then, I turned into a swarm of flies and attacked the smander. ----- Chapter ?434 A New Undead! ?434 A New Undead! ----- "GLUOOOP!" The enormous smander was consumed by my flies! BBBBZZZZZ¡­! After I evolved into a Beelzebub, I can turn my body into a swarm of flies, divide it even easily than before, and also use Gluttony''s powers to devour stuff even better than before. Practically, this little guy poses no threat to me. In fact, I could eat him alive if I wanted, but he might be more useful as a new Undead. I already got Mercury as a powerful Slime after I re-revived him, then Darkbound as an OP Skeleton Knight, Pyro as my zing Spider of Hell, the pair of Fire Ghosts as the phantoms of inferno, the chill ghost as the freezing refrigerator of the underworld, and Kuro and Raven merged together as the strongest winged chimera undead. And now, I could have a cute and big smander. Let''s just fill his stomach with flies until he dies I guess. "GUOOOGGGHH¡­!" The Smander suddenly tried to bring out poison, an enormous downpour of corrosive acids made out of its own secretions, but I easily tanked it because my element was literally Poison. SPLASH! "Yeah, that won''t work dear." I sighed. "Now die so you cane back quickly after." BBBZZZZ¡­! "GRUEGH¡­" The Smander breathed itsst as it dropped into theke, I had filled its entire body with my flies, which I quickly retrieved to my side. Ding! [You have defeated [Giant Venomous Cave Smander: Lv55 (Rank B)] x1!] [You earned 150000 EXP]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Your Level has increased from Level 9 to Level 10!] [All Your Stats have increased] [System Point Count has been created] Wow, 150k EXP?! Was this guy someone important? Well he was probably some sort of Apex Predator in here slurping anything it wanted and killing anything else with its venom¡­ He just gave me enough EXP to Level Up, so that''s nice overall. Wait, there was something else¡­ [System Point Count has been created]?! [Current System Points]: [112000] [You can earn System Points by merely leveling up or leveling skills as well, and also by doing impressive feats or creating items, System points are rewarded by dong many tasks, and can be spent to buy Skills, boost status temporarily, create Undead, and more] Oh, well, I already had them but it is nice that I can see them. I haven''t spent my System Pointstely because I feel like it''s a waste to use them on Skills I could learn on my own, but it is nice that I can see the Skill Shop so I can see what I can learn by doing this and that. However, there are some crazy expensive Skills and other things that can be acquired, or there''s even the power to enhance already existing skills or level them up too, like when I evolved my Unique Skill. "Anyways, what can I do with this corpse?" I wondered, looking at my Soul Grimoire emerge, its pages began moving quickly. [A new type of Undead has been unlocked: [Amphibious Beasts], [Golems] "Oooh! I can make golems now?! Maybe because I mined a ton of ores! Let me see¡­" ----- [Creation Summary] [Aberrant Giant Venomous Death Smander] [Rank: B+] [Required List of Ingredients to Create]: [System Points] x10000 [Mana] x30000 [Bones Filled with Negative Emotions (Amphibian Beast-type)] x600 [Flesh of the Amphibian King] x600 [Furious Prideful Soul of the Amphibian King] x1 [Crystalized Phantasmal Essence] x40 [Magic Crystals (Any Rank)] x100 ----- [Creation Summary] [Giant Ore Golem] [Rank: B-] [Required List of Ingredients to Create]: [System Points] x8000 [Mana] x35000 [Stones (Any Type)] x500 [Ores (Any Type)] x50 [Obedient Soul] x10 [Crystalized Phantasmal Essence] x50 [Magic Crystals (Any Rank)] x60 [Golem Core Catalyzer] x1 ----- I see, I see. The Smander is way stronger at B+ while Golems are B- and are more generalized Undead that can be created inrge quantities unlike the Smander, which seems more unique due to the required materials. The Smander looks easy to make but 10k System Points seems like you''re taking away everything I just earned! [You can also revive the Smander without using the Soul Grimoire, but its total power will be subpar inparison to using the specific materials] I know, I know. I have already experienced that Undead created through the Soul Grimoire are apletely different world in terms of strength, intelligence, potential, and skillspared to normal ones. I discovered that after creating Darkbound again and when I made Mercury again but through the Soul Grimoire, the slime ended being way stronger through such a method. And golems, huh¡­ I need an item I don''t have. What is a [Golem Core Catalyzer]? [A special type of stone, or item that can catalyze the souls of a golem and boost its entire material-made body into life. There are special magical ores with such power, but also they can be made in the Dwarven Country, ording to what I''ve researched] Huh, interesting! Alright, I guess we can leave these guys forter then. I do wonder how strong a Golem made through Necromancy ispared to another made through Magic Technology though¡­ "Well, Rise." FLUOSH! I quickly spent all the materials for the creation of the [Aberrant Giant Venomous Death Smander], I already had a stockpile of a thousand Phantom Crystals I had created and saved beforehand too. [You exchanged 10000 System Points and the required materials] The enormous beast suddenly began to emerge from within theke, jumping outside. It didn''t looked dead at all now, but it was overflowing with a dark aura of power and also a strong venomous stench. "GRUOOOOHHH!" It roared furiously, as I noticed that its body was now covered in ck skin and spikes, and it even had horns atop its head. [Aberrant Giant Venomous Death Smander] [Rank: B+] has been risen!] "I''ll name you¡­ Sticky for short." "GRUOH?!" Sticky suddenly looked at me in shock, feeling rather disgusted with my naming sense. "What?! You''re sticky so it fits! I''m not giving you a weeb name! I ran out of those." I sighed. "I was never good at naming¡­" ----- Chapter 435 Finding A Mysterious New Dungeon ----- [You have named [Aberrant Giant Venomous Death Smander] [Rank: B+] as [Gero]!]N?v(el)B\\jnn At the end I gave him a better name "Gero", which is the sound frogs make in¡­ anime, I guess. Yeah, I guessed it would be fitting somehow. Ding! [Gero] has epted your name] [Gero] Stats have been risen after being named by a powerful entity] [Gero] has acquired the [Named Undead Familiar], [King of Amphibians], and [King of Venom] Title Skills] [Gero] learned the [Deadly Necrotic Venom Secretion], [Jaws of Death], [Aura of Venomous Death], and [Venomous Domain] Skills!] "Huh? This is new!" I said with surprise. [After having evolved into a Beelzebub, your ability to influence others has been enhanced, granting them names to unnamed beings enhances their power, giving them bonus stats, titles, and skills] "Wow, so this is a new thing¡­ Damn it, it didn''t work on Mercury or Darkbound because they were already named beforehand?" [Indeed, this only works inpletely new creatures] "Alright¡­ Anyways, what is this though?" After I had defeated Gero and then risen him as an Undead I mounted over him and walked across the caves, after a quick stroll around while Gero left the floor all slimy, we found something strange, it looked like an abandoned temple. It emanated a strong miasmic aura from within. "Is this a Dungeon?" I wondered. "GRUOH!" Gero began wagging his big and slimy tail, he seemed to know about this ce. "What is it? You know something dear?" "Gruoh! Grah! Gluop!" The adorable Gero tried to speak to me and tell what this was, but he couldn''t really tell me anything, the only thing he did was make sounds simr to when fishes are asphyxiating outside of water. "I can''t understand you¡­ Wait, I think there was a Spell that allows me to speak with Undead, even those that can''t talk properly¡­" I quickly formed a magic circle and tried it out by fusing it with my own [Supreme Magic] Unique Skill. FLASH! Quickly after, Gero was enveloped in a veil of phantasmal essence. "Gruoh! Gero!" He was still talking the same, but I was able to somehow understand what he was saying. Gero said that this ce was a dangerous "Lair" as he calls the Dungeon, where powerful monsters sometimeses out. He said he hunts the smaller ones, but the big ones are too strong so he hid in the Lake until they go away, usually deeper into this cave. "Wait, monsters stronger than you?!" I asked. "But you were a B Rank monster! I thought you were the King of the ce!" "Gerooo¡­" Gero sighed a bit, as he seemed to feel like he was disappointing me. Well, to be honest, he was. "Don''t worry, you''ll level up and grow stronger after we get inside." "GEH?!" He seemed slightly scared. "Come on, let''s go in!" "Gerororoo¡­" "Hey, are you hesitating? I didn''t wasted 10k System Points to raise a coward! Come on, onwards!" "Geroooo¡­" Gero was trembling while walking, making his already sluggish movements even slower! "What? You''re not going anywhere!" However, we were caught just while we were about to enter the Dungeon as Lucifer appeared with Emeraldine and Partner over his big dragon body. His figure was enough to scare Gero even more, as he covered himself with his front limbs. "GEEEH?!" "Agh, don''t scare my new undead!" Iined. Lucifer quickly flew to my side and allowed Emeraldine to give me a karate chop in the head. "You dummy!" SMACK! "Ouch! What was that for?!" "We were worried!" Emeraldine said angrily. "Master, you mined so much you caused an earthquake up there and everyone was worried you got crushed by rocks¡­" Partner said. "I can''t be crushed by rocks, after all I am an Undead, you know?" I sighed. "Y-Yeah but still¡­ not everyone there knows this." Sighed Lucifer. "If we want to keep the fa?ade that you''re not a ghost, be more mindful of what you do." "S-Sure¡­ I get it. Though, look my Inventory! I got a bunch of new Ores!" I showed everybody my Inventory, which appeared like a game-like window whenever I wished to showcase it to someone. Emeraldine seemed rather interested, but Partner was rather clueless and Lucifer continued being angry. "Yeah, yeah, that''s nice and all, but let''s go back for now." He said. "But there''s a Dungeon! I want to go dungeon diving!" Iined. "Right now?! Weren''t we going to just mine today and help Helga? She''s waiting for you up there." Sighed Lucifer. "Ah, right¡­ Are they going back home already?" I wondered. "Due to the tremors you caused, a lot of rocks with ores and crystals fell so they just picked those up for today''s bounty and shared them between one another. Well, they still mined for four hours." Said Emeraldine. "I guess that''s fair, let''s go then. We cane backter, this is a new Dungeon in this Mountain, so maybe we could report it." I said. "Yeah, that''s what I had in mind as well." Lucifer said. "Wow, that Dungeon looks strong- Ah, that''s a giant frog!" Partner said. "Smander! Not frog. Although yeah, it looks like one a little bit¡­" Iughed. "Gerooo¡­." Gero timidly uncovered his face as the girls immediately found him adorable. "Uwah, he''s kind of cute though¡­" Partner said. "Although the sliminess is disgusting, it has a very cute and round face¡­" Emeraldine added. "That thing is¡­ a new Undead?" Lucifer wondered, as we decided to fly back where we originally were. "Yeah, he was a guardian of that Lake. Apparently he has been living his entire life there until he attacked me, perished, and quickly was brought back as a powerful Undead." I said pridefully. "I guess that could be the summary of most characters at your side, me including." Sighed Lucifer. "Ahahahah! Come on, it''s not that bad!" I continuedughing to make the mood a bit more rxed. When we meet once more with Helga and the rest, we exined them what I saw and what happened. Gero was revealed to them as I told them I was also a Necromancer. "A Dungeon?!" Helga asked. "This is actually¡­ Better than I thought!" I was surprised, I thought she was going to be scared of it. ----- Chapter 436 The Potential Profit Of Dungeons ----- "Huh? I thought dungeons were a bad thing?" I wondered. "Well they''re only a bad thing if they go out of control and attack people, but in this ce there''s nobody living, right? And if there''s a monster break, nobody is going to get affected either as it is apletely different mountain altogether." Helga said. "Dungeons generate a lot of profit, and they''re often owned by the ones that first find it and then conquer them, which usually happens after defeating the Dungeon Boss and acquiring a special Title." "Huh, I didn''t knew you had such a rule, in the human Kingdom they just took them over with the state." I sighed. "Well, that''s not really the case here." Helga said. "If we get this dungeon for our own guild, then we could increase our profits a lot by hunting the monsters inside, or we could even hire fighters to hunt for ourselves too! Our profits could easily skyrocket!" "I see! So that''s a thing, huh?" I said. "Now what do we do then? Should we go back?" "Yeah, we should first go back and report the dungeon you found, after that, we set a Subjugation Quest for our guild, this way we have priority over the guild for a week, if we can subjugate the guild and conquer it over a week, its ours, if the week passes and nobody does anything, it bes of anybody and anyone that goes there and conquers it takes it." Said Helga. "Taking over dungeons is a very big challenge,rge group of warriors is needed, B Rank monsters or above are impossible to beat if we are not prepared with several magic weapons, bombs if possible, smoke bombs, poisons, and golems, a lot of golems, oh, and magic items¡­ If we were amon party, we would need to invest a lot of money to clear it¡­ And even then, if there''s anything beyond B Rank, it might be a bit too impossible." She added "Huh, you guys are pretty well organized. What''s the strongest dungeon you''vepleted?" I wondered. "Our country? Well, the strongest is the A- Rank Dungeon, Wicked Labyrinth, it was cleared long ago by a powerful Dwarf that had the cksmith Hero ss, he was able to create amazing items, but that was a lot of years ago, now that dwarf is an old grandpa and doesn''t fight anymore." Said Helga. "Huh¡­ I guess we can do it then, this dungeon is probably around that Rank as well. This boy is a B Rank Undead." I said. "He said he hunted monsters from that dungeon, but some big ones were too strong, so we can assume there are monsters stronger than B Rank monsters inside." "T-That thing is B Rank?" Asked Helga, the other dwarves once more were shocked. They quickly began to feel the deadly presence Gero was able to exude, as his aura of poison and venom was being held back, but even then, his mere presence was overwhelming once they noticed his truest power. "Ah, you''re scaring them too much Gero,e back to my shadows for now." I sighed. "Geroro?" Gero was as innocent as ever, without realizing he was quite scary sometimes. After he went into my shadows, we decided to quickly move back to the city, and while we walked towards the Guild Building, we discussed some more. "Also, Maria, you mined way too much! Are you crazy or something?!" Helga asked. "Yeah, you''re insane. I''ve never seen someone mine so much." Said ckard. "She looked like a demon¡­" "The times she was screaming "Inventory!" all the time were quite creepy¡­" "Excuse me but how many ores did you collected?" "Ah, well¡­" I showed them my Inventory, showing them the section where my stuff was, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "WHAAA?!" "So many ores in a single day?!" "T-That''s White Silver, isn''t it?!" "Turtle Shell Stones!" "Rainbow Crystal¡­" Suddenly, all the dwarves looked at me with jealously clear in their eyes. "Hahaha¡­ I-I didn''t collected them willingly, they just got in the way of my attempt at acquiring the skill." I sighed. "W-Well, you''ve already gotten a small fortune. Do you n to sell this?" Wondered Helga. "Not for now, we''ll keep it for our own material creation." I said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I see, makes sense. If you need a Crafter that is good at essories, something those old men aren''t good at, call my husband, he''s amazing at his job! Pretty please~!" Helga said, she really wanted to make me her husband''s client. "Err¡­ Well, I''ll see about it." I said. "But no promises!" "Okay, that''s enough!" Helga giggled. "And well, about the Mining Skill, you''ll probably get it after a week, it took us a month to get it when we began mining. But after getting it we became way faster." "A week?" I wondered. "I got it just today¡­" "EH?!" The dwarves once more were shocked. It seems that acquiring skills wasn''t as easy as I did it. Well, getting the Bookworm Skill wasn''t easy for me! Nor getting Alchemy¡­ Although Farming wasn''t hard, I got it after just a day. "How much did you dig¡­?" Asked ckard. "Around¡­ over 100 meters deep?" I wondered. "That''s insane¡­" "Lady, you''re a literal mole." "Monster¡­" "Man, we are getting out yed¡­" "I hope she doesn''t exhaust the mountain before we can make any profits from it¡­" "Hahaha¡­ I''ll make sure to take it easy next time, sorry about going overboard. I know this mountains'' resources are also yours and you need them to maintain your daily lives." I had to apologize to them, if I did this every day, the mountain resources would be easily emptied in a few months, which wasn''t what I really wanted. After we got into the Guild Building, we quickly reported the Dungeon and everything else. And just as Helga said, they gave us a deadline of 7 Days toplete it and conquer it on our own before it bes publicly known by the masses. I guess it was finally time to do my specialty, smacking monsters (and sometimes non-monsters) to death. ----- Chapter 437 The Possibility Of Upgrading The Weapons ----- After reporting the dungeon, which I found was honestly unnecessary but whatever, we decided to spend the rest of the night in the Dwarf Country. We moved back to Aquamarine''s home where we meet once more with my beloved twins- not the dwarf twins those old men aren''t my beloved children. "Big sis! Aunties! Uncle!" Takeshi ran towards us the moment he spotted us, as he quickly hugged me tightly. I petted his head happily. "How have you been, Takeshi? Did you behave well today?" I wondered. "I did! We went to a za with Grandma Aquamarine¡­ It was really fun; we ate ice cream and other sweets!" Takeshi waved his tail around happily. "Yeah it was pretty fun." Laura added. "But I would prefer if you could bring us with you next time, Auntie¡­ We want to help too! We have not grown stronger nor trained this entire time for nothing." "I guess you guys really want toe¡­ But there''s a policy against children working in this country, so it would look weird if we brought you with us. Also Helga and the other dwarfs would disapprove of it." I said. "Eeeeh? But that''s boring!" Takeshi angrily said. "Is there no way for us to join in the dungeon? We are strong!" Laura said. Helga and the other dwarves were currently with us as they were invited by me to have dinner in here with Aquamarine and the other three old dwarves. They were talking with one another about it. "Well, it is not like younglings can''t go fight monsters or train to grow stronger, usually they join special schools for children." Said Helga. "If you register them in one, you can get a provisional pass to let them explore a dungeon with their parents." "Oh, so that''s a thing¡­ Ugh, what a pain. Can''t I just put them inside my shadows and infiltrate them with us?" I wondered. "W-Well, I guess that''s a thing you can do." Helga said. "But I feel weird if we don''t do this legally¡­ I guess you guys are not ustomed to following rules and other things as you got your own town and all¡­ But it wouldn''t sit right for the rest of us." "I guess that you have a point there. As the guild master of our guild, I should take your word of advice." I said half-jokingly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hmm, it''s not like its hard to register them in a school, we can get that done easily tomorrow morning. With my help we can get them some provisional Dungeon and Minin Passes." Said Aquamarine. "Thanks, we''ll do that then." I said. "Hmm, we are getting more and more involved in this country. I suppose it is quiteplex in structurepared to other parts." Said Lucifer. "You''re damn right, I kind of like it though." I said with a nod. "I wonder if they''ll have to attend the school as well¡­" Emeraldine said. "School¡­ Can I go to school too? Is it fun?" Wondered Partner. "I am fairly sure it is not fun!" I sighed. "Also no, there''s no point in wasting time going to a school for no reason." "Will the kids have to go to sses?" Wondered Lucifer. "Nah, it is optional." Said Aquamarine. "There might be a strength test if they want a pass earlier too, so they better be prepared." "Okay, we will!" Takeshi cheered. "Me too!" Laura agreed. After that, we had a very fancy dinner. When things finished, Helga and the dwarves took everything I had saved in my Inventory that they mined and went back home. However, with Emeraldine we decided to stay up untilte, as we wanted to inspect everything I mined in detail. I had put most things over arge table in our room, and Emeraldine was having a field day inspecting every ore. Once again, this was everything I mined: ----- [Category: Ores/Stones/Jewels] [Common ck Stone (F Grade)] x723 [Gray Iron Ore (E Grade)] x128 [Yellow Bronze (E Grade)] x132 [re Ruby (D Grade)] x33 [Gumstone (E Grade)] x82 [White Glowing Stone (F Grade)] x21 [Wind Emerald (D Grade)] x29 [Earth Topaz (D Grade)] x25 [Furnace Stone (E Grade)] x11 [Turtle Shell Stone (D Grade)] x16 [White Silver Ore (A Grade)] x5 [Magical Gold Ore (B Grade)] x3 [Rainbow Crystal (C Grade)] x1 ----- "Gray Iron Ore and Yellow Bronze can be used as good materials for weapons! But if you want something of higher quality, Magical Gold and White Silver are much better." Emeraldine said, grabbing both ores. Partner and Lucifer were looking at the ores as well. "Wow, so many shiny jewels!" Partner suddenly grabbed a re Ruby, as she mistakenly infused Mana into it, making mes emerge out of the jewel. FLUOSH! "Uwah!" Partner almost fell over her own butt but I caught her in time with my shadows, grabbing the Ruby before it were to create a fire in the entire house. "Be more careful, these jewels are all magical, if you put mana into them, they''ll unleash an element." I told her, petting her head. "Wow, so that''s how it is! I wonder if they could be useful at making weapons too¡­ Wait, can we use them to upgrade my spear?" She wondered. "Well yeah that''s the original n." I said. "I also want to upgrade my own weapons, the dropped weapons we got in thest dungeon were not near as strong as my Cursed Sword or the Axe I have. Although the spear I have is fairly strong." "What do you think would be good materials to upgrade Partner''s spear, Emeraldine?" I wondered. "Huh¡­" Emeraldine looked at the ores. "I am not really an expert when ites to ores, as I am better as an alchemist, but as I said, the most expensive ones seem to work well. The rest might depend on her preferences." "Forging and Smithing is certainly aplicated affair, none of us is good at it." Lucifer sighed. "Well, that''ll only be for a little while, I''ll learn all those Skills as well!" I proimed. ----- Chapter 438 Learning About Alchemy ----- "Wouldn''t it be better to just ask the dwarves to do it for us instead of trying to learn the skill?" Wondered Emeraldine. "You could also create an Undead for the task." "Ugh¡­ I know, but I like collecting Skills, it is pretty fun." I said. "So I''ll try my best anyways." "Sure¡­ Well, whatever''s the case, these elemental jewels could also be used for making other things." Emeraldine said. "Such as special essories, clothes, and more. Alchemy is not that good at making weapons or armor but essories or other smaller things seem pretty easy enough. Although Helga really wanted us to ask Myriad for help if we wanted essories." "Don''t worry, we don''t really have to tell her about this, hehe." I giggled. "I guess so¡­" Emeraldine said. "Alchemy y in specific is a very goodponent for essories and other magic items, so I''ll make some right away. Can you bring me the Magic Cauldron, Maria? I can teach you how to make as well. "Oooh! Sure!" I quickly took out the Magic Cauldron I brought inside my Inventory, which belonged to Emeraldine now, and by infusing some magic into it, it quickly began to boil, as the magic essence within the cauldron turned into a sparkly and colorful liquid. Alchemy in this world was very game-like, you first needed to learn the basics which always required Magic and Mana to utilize, if you learn the Alchemy Skill things can be easier, and if you learn Brewing and Mixing, things be even better, the strongest of these skills would be Synthesis, which is a crucial magic used for synthetizing the magicalponents of various materials. Like how we did potions before, the herbs need to be processed using the Alchemy Skill and magic, and then mixed together into the cauldron alongside other materials, and sometimes special ways of brewing which are called Alchemy Techniques. "Gumstone is very valuable, this is the first time I am making Alchemy y¡­ This is a pirponent material for a bunch of cool stuff!" Emeraldine seemed very happy. In fact, I had never seen her so excited before. "Do we just put the Gumstones inside?" I wondered. "Yeah, yeah, that''ll do it!" Said Emeraldine. "After that¡­ We must add some Neutralizer!" "Neutralizer? Wait, those are the white and green potions you did the other day?" I wondered. "Yep! Neutralizers are a very important part of alchemy. They''re specialponents that help bind materials together. Each color has a special element. We''ll use the white one which is element-less for Alchemy y." Said Emeraldine. "Also, we''ll add some more ores¡­ These ck Stones are enough, pour twenty of them there."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Twenty?! Well, they''re just stones at the end of the day¡­" As I poured all the ingredients inside the cauldron, Emeraldine took a few small seeds and put them inside. "These are Fire Cracker seeds remember them? They''re imbued with Fire Element and are good enough for this." She said. "ording to my uncle, to make Alchemy y we need Earth and Fire Element, White Neutralizer, and Gumstone, and a ton of Mana, more than I can muster myself¡­" "Then I''ll help in that regard!" I said, quickly infusing my Mana into Emeraldine. She regted the mana and slowly infused it into the Magic Cauldron. Partner and Lucifer were watching as if this were some sort of show, in silence and with awe and expectation of what mighte out. "Now¡­ Synthesis!" We said in unison. The power of two Alchemists merged together as the elements andponents of all the materials we poured inside began to merge together, as if it were a work of the gods themselves. FLASH! A bright sh of lightpletely consumed the entire room for a little while, and then, white smoke beganing out of the cauldron. Partner and Lucifer ran to the windows and opened them for the smoke toe out. "I-Is it done?! Did it fail?" I asked in fear. Alchemy has a chance of failure, where all items end up being wasted and the resulting item is something often useless. Emeraldine ran back to the cauldron putting her hand inside and then¡­ "It''s done!" What was in her hand was arge white cube resembling y, it was shining bright white, and had a strong magical essence within it. "Wow¡­ it actually worked at the first trial." I said in surprise. "It did, right?" Emeraldine happily said. "With this, we can now make some rings and¡­ give you one to¡­ ahhh¡­" Emeraldine suddenly feel lethargic, almost falling into the floor as I caught her with my arms and ended storing the Alchemy y inside my Inventory, I found another three more of these watermelon-sized cubes inside the cauldron, so it created a ton, not only one. "She fell asleep." I sighed, looking at the sleepy Emeraldine. "I guess she exceeded herself, Alchemy y seems like a very advanced alchemy item. If it wasn''t for your Mana, she wouldn''t had been able to do it." Lucifer analyzed, as I carried Emeraldine to my bed and covered her in nkets. "For now let''s leave her sleeping." I said. "She looks cute while sleeping¡­" Partner said. "Ah! Right, we need to wake up early tomorrow, right?!" "R-Right! Let''s sleep now!" I jumped on bed. "Wait you two! We have to clean this mess!" Lucifer pointed at the magic liquid and all the ores thrown over the floor. "Ehhh¡­ I can always just store any mess with Inventory!" I said, waving my hand as all the mess disappeared in an instant and reappeared inside my Inventory. "¡­Well, that''s sure convenient." Lucifer quickly went to sleep on his own bed, as we quickly decided to sleep without doing any night activities, as we were all quite exhausted, me included. Using tons of magic for Alchemy y was exhausting to the bone, which Ick. But I really wonder what Emeraldine meant to say¡­ She was too excited about the Alchemy y. I think she said something about¡­ making a magic ring? ----- Chapter 439 Making Alchemy Clay And Registering The Twins As Guild Members ----- When I woke up, it was already 7 AM in the morning, and Takeshi and Laura barged inside the room and began jumping over my bed. They seemed excited about going to the dungeon with us so they wanted us to wake up as early as possible. "Wakie, wakie, Bis sis!" Takeshi began jumping over my belly. His fluffy appearance melted my heart but he was exceeding himself now! "Wake up! We want to go dungeon diving already!" Laura said, jumping in between Partner and Emeraldine. "Mmggh¡­" Partner groaned like a skeleton waking up from her coffin. "Uggh¡­ Ahh¡­ My head hurts a bit¡­" Emeraldine said. "Okay you two, stop!" I roared, quickly grabbing them with my phantasmal arms and attacking them with my phantasmal fingers, giving them tickles all over their bellies. "Take this! And this!" "Uwawaahhh! Hahaha!" "S-Shtooop!" As the two were attacked by the gigantic urge of giggling, everyone else ended waking up early as a result. Well, not like we didn''t nned to wake up early anyways. "What''s all thismotion about?" Wondered Lucifer. "Ugh, I crave blood¡­" Partner said. "Hmm¡­ fresh elven blood¡­" Partner slowly approached Emeraldine''s neck, as Emeraldine flew away in an instant. "Uwaaah! P-Partner don''t scare me like that!" She said while looking at everyone. "Huh? What happened? Did I fall asleep from yesterday?" As I finished tickling the twins, who lookedpletely defeated over the bed, I nodded. "Precisely! You passed out." I said. "Anyways, the y''s ready. You managed to make four pieces. "W-Wait, not only one?!" Emeraldine asked in shock. "T-This is amazing!" She happily said. "Can I see it? Can I?!" Emeraldine seemed to be growing more and more insane as she asked me to see her own creations. At the end, we calmed down and then I ced the y over the table. "Wooow¡­ And it just as smooth as I remember it." She said, touching the y and molding it. "So how do you use these to make essories?" I wondered. "They are a wonderful adherent to materials and can even rece some missing parts on broken ones." She said. "They''re perfect for both creating and repairing magic items." "Wait what?! Is Gumstone that convenient?" I wondered. "It is! But only very strong alchemists with amazing quantities of Mana and a lot of talent can make them. I guess we have reached such a height!" She said. "Ooohh¡­ That''s cool." I said with a nod. ----- [Alchemy y (B Grade)] A special y imbued with pure magic, usually made out of Fire and Earth Element Materials. It is capable of molding easily to the user''s imagination through touch or by infusing magic into it. It is usually white-colored, but there are other colorful varieties imbued with stronger elements. Perfect for repairing broken magic items, armor, and even magic weapons, and can also be used as a potential pir material for the crafting of an enormously wide variety of magic items and essories. Alchemy y can only be made by Advanced Alchemists. ----- "Woah, it really looks like it''s amazing." I said as I looked into the item''s description. "Right? So let''s begin making some equipment with what you''ve gotten recently!" Said Emeraldine. "E-Eh? So soon? I want to mine some more to decide¡­" I said. "Ah¡­ Right¡­" Emeraldine said. "I guess I am rushing this a bit too much, sorry." "Eh, it''s fine. For now let''s eat and then move to the dungeon." I said. "I know you''re excited about alchemy and I share the sentiment, but there are other priorities, but maybe we can try it out tonight." "Alright!" Emeraldine was pumped up the moment I told her we could try making something tonight. It seems that making essories and magic items through alchemy is something incredibly rare or something, so she might be excited about surpassing her own limits. Though I really wouldn''t want her to end up wasted again likest night¡­ After we had a breakfast, we moved to the school that Aquamarine rmended for the children. It was arge academy for children that trained them in mining, forging, crafting, and even magic and skill acquisition and usage, alongside fighting and leveling up. Any children of any social ss could enter as long as they passed the test, and there was no fee for the children''s studies, as it was all paid by the government. I guess that''s where a part of their taxes go, huh. "Wow! It''s so big!" Takeshi said, looking into the enormous building with bright eyes filled with expectation.N?v(el)B\\jnn "It is, isn''t it?" Laura said. We saw several children of various shapes and sizes entering and walking out of the academy, sometimes with their parents and others just alone. The security of this city was sure good for kids to go around streets without many worries of getting assaulted or something. As we entered we were led by Aquamarine into the director''s office. A stout and muscr, gray-bearded dwarf man with an eyepatch on his left eye greeted us. He seemed to be inspecting my two kids a lot. "You''re halflings?" He wondered while wondering what they were. "My kids are¡­ well, they''re halflings, yes." I sighed. "Majin and Beast-kin, I believe. I don''t know the specified races." "Hm, halflings got tons of potential, so sure. Let''s move to the practical strength test right away. Old hag, you want them to just get the passes to go to the newly discovered dungeon, right?" the director wondered, his name was Rock. "Yeah Rock, can you give me this favor?" She wondered. "They are just visiting this ce for now so keeping them as permanent students wouldn''t be good." "Hm, I get it, I get it. But it won''t be easy to get your passes, kids." Rock said. "Follow me¡­" Rock quickly led us to a small arena-like building, mostly empty by this hour. "The test is easy, both of you will have to kill a D+ Rank Monster by yourselves." Wait, D+ Rank?! Can they handle this? ----- Chapter 440 A Ruthless Test ----- "We can take it!" Said Takeshi. "Don''t worry about us and trust us a bit." Laura added. "Huhhh¡­ Okay then." I sighed. I felt rather defeated, the two kids really didn''t wanted to give up on it just because it was a strong monsters. D+ Rank monsters are almost as strong as C Rank Monsters; those monsters would be strong enough to destroy a whole city if they are let loose. D+ Rank monsters are in the level of Wyverns, even, so it is very, very troublesome! ¡­Well, if something happens, I''ll intervene and help them, I suppose. After the small conversation where I ended giving them the permission to fight, Rock nodded as he smiled rather devilishly. "Hehe, these kids are really something! To think they''re willing to go against D+ Rank monsters at their age¡­" Heughed. "You wouldn''t need to fight something so strong if you wanted to be regr students, but for those that want special privileges, they''ll have to demonstrate they''re deserving of them!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Rock quickly called out a dwarf as he suddenly began opening the gates leading to another room in the small arena-like building. Laura decided to be the first one to fight, calling it "a big sister''s responsibility", while the rest of us sat down surrounding the arena battlefield. The monster quickly began to make its way into the battlefield, its size surpassing four meters of height, with a pair of enormous pincer ws, six legs, and its back covered by sharp ore-like growths. It was a gigantic crab. "Herees the first beast! A Giant Mithril Crab! This is a Peak D+ Rank Monster we caught some time ago thanks to a friend with the Tamer ss! Its Mithril is really expensive, but it is hard to y it due to its incredible durability! Do you think you can defeat this monster?" CLANK! CLANK! Therge crab clicked its enormous metallic pincer ws, the moment it spotted Laura, it began running towards her at a surprising speed! It looked like a tank going at the speed of a motorcycle, if Laura receives the impact directly, she''ll get crushed! "LAURA!!!" I cried, trying to make her move away from her position to evade. However, she remained calm as she looked at the monster approach, suddenly grabbing a ck Stone from her pocket. "Detonation." FLASH! She suddenly threw the stone directly towards the crab. The stone was so small and inoffensive that the crab paid no mind at evading it or intercepting it with its ws, the stone easily hit its head. And in mere seconds, the stone suddenly shone bright red. BOOOOOMMMM!!! "EH?!" Rock fell out of his own seat as he saw what just happened. "CRAAHH¡­" The crab gave out a groan of agony as the smoke covering the battlefield slowly dissipated, there were several cracks over its carapace, and one of its pincers just fell off its body easily, the monster was bleeding some blue liquid from its interior, and its mouth was bubbling stressfully. "A-Amazing¡­ That''s Laura''s Unique Skill, right?" Wondered Partner. "Yeah¡­" Emeraldine said. "But I remember that it wasn''t this powerful before¡­" "It is because of her growth." Lucifer pointed out. "Her Unique Skill [Detonation] increases in power the more her Magic Stat increases, the more she leveled up back then and trained her magic, the stronger her Detonation became¡­ even a ck stone can be this deadly." "So anything that is not alive that she touches ends up bing a deadly bomb now¡­!" I said in excitement. "CRAH¡­ CRAAH!" The crab furiously raged, quickly getting up once more as the earth below it trembled, it conjured Earth Magic! Was this spell [Seismic Wave]?! TRUUUUMMM¡­! The floor quickly began to crumble, as Laura''s body was suddenly enchanted by a ck aura generated from within her Demonite Heart Core! Has she learned how to control this power already?! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The crab''s ws hit the ground constantly, trying to chase her down, but Laura easily avoided the attacks nimbly, as her ck Aura seemed to enhance her speed and swiftness. In a second, she grabbed another stone from her pocket- no, several of them, and lunged them at the crab together! The crab, knowing that these stones were deadly, attempted to intercept them with its other w. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM! "CRAAAHHHH¡­!" The crab gave out another pitiful groan of agony as its entire pincer w blew up into pieces by shielding him from most of the explosions. However, it somehow managed to survive. "CRRRRAAH!" A second after, the first w that was destroyed suddenly regrew anew! Wait, these beasts got amazing regeneration! It only had to wait like a minute¡­ Will the other w also regenerate easily? "Huh, you''re quite tough¡­" However, Laura moved at an incredible speed, imitating my [Shadow Travel] using her own ck Aura, and suddenly emerging behind the enormous Mithril Crab. Rock was once more shocked by the girl''s amazing abilities. "W-What sort of magic is she using?!" He wondered. However, everyone was too concentrated in the fight to pay any attention to the old man, as Laura quickly made her ws grow by infusing more ck Energy into them. This energy came directly out of a Crystal Core in her heart made out of the secretions of a Fragment of the Evil God, this energy was something we called Miasma or even Demonic Energy. FLASH! Her ws grew three times their original size, resembling monstrous ws made of darkness, as she quickly began using them to crush through the crab''s back, destroying the mithril and other ores growing on its back and then¡­! "Detonation." She threw an ore she grabbed on the way inside the wound and jumped away just before the explosion! BOOOOOMMM!!! The entire body of the crab exploded into pieces, crumbling apart into the entire floor¡­ Everyone was left bbergasted, me included. "W-Wait a second, Laura, you''re way too strong!" I cried in surprise. "It''s nothing much¡­" Laura said gently. "I am just tired of being a helpless child, so I trained every day since you rescued us, Auntie!" ----- Chapter 441 Laura And Takeshis Amazing Strength ----- Rock, the director of this academy seemed bbergasted over what had just happened in front of his eyes. Laura quickly jumped off therge carcass of the crab, walking towards us. Emeraldine quickly used the [Clean] Spell to clean her clothes which were covered in crab innards, as the explosion ended reaching her a bit at the end. "Y-You win, I guess¡­" Rock sighed. "Can we keep what she defeated?" I asked. "Eh? The Mithril Crab? Uhh¡­" Rock began to feel a bit greedy, without wanting to let go of the beast my daughter defeated. "Well, if Takeshi wins the next battle, we can keep the crab alongside whatever else he defeatster, how about it?" I wondered with a smile. "Huh¡­ And what do I earn if you lose?" Rock wondered, a sharp glint came from his eyes. "I can sell you potions at a discount." I said. "Potions you say?! Deal!" The dwarf immediately said. It seems that potions are indeed highly priced in this country. "Then bring out the next monster!" Rock seemed pumped up. He quickly called the other dwarves in the arena to open the gates once more, as Takeshi had already gone down to confront his challenge. He was mentally younger than Laura, and often more childish as a result, I was honestly worried. "SHAAAAA¡­!" Suddenly, the sound that snake monsters make resonated within the arena, as from within the open gates, a long, ten-meter-big snake with a head the size of a car emerged, with shiny red eyes and purple scales that shone with a metallic brilliance. The snake monster had long fangs that resembled spearsing out of its upper jaws. "This is a Giant Venomous Metal-Scaled Snake! A deadly monster that often appears inside of caverns. They can swallow us whole and are considered the deadliest D+ Rank monsters. By their venom alone, some would even argue they''re C Rank!" Said Rock with a prideful smile. Was he really hoping for a little child to get swallowed by this giant snake or something? Damn, when men are into gambling, it is all or nothing, huh. "Uuhh¡­ A-Alright then. I have to calm down¡­" Takeshi muttered to himself, as the enormous snake slowly began approaching him.. The monster seemed slightly wary of its surroundings but detected Takeshi as an easy meal it could swallow whole after biting it once. The snake quickly leaped over him the moment it realized he was too small for the beast to be so wary of him! "SHAAA!" The enormous jaws of the snake opened, as Takeshi took a branch from his pocket. "A branch? Is that what''s he''s going to use to fight? Don''t be ridiculous!" Laughed Rock. "[Fisher]!" FLAAASH! The stick he was holding quickly turned into a beautiful silver-colored fishing rod, it was the exact same as the ones from Earth, whose designs werepletely alien to this world. "SHAAA!" The snake paid no attention to that little toy as the beast opened its jaws, quickly approaching Takeshi. However¡­! CLASH! "S-SHA¡­?!" The snake suddenly stopped right before it could swallow Takeshi. The fishing rod he was holding had acted. Its silver-colored thread suddenly wrapping the head and neck of the snake in a mere second, stopping itpletely from moving forward towards Takeshi. "W-Wha? Is that a magic item?" Rock asked in surprise. "But he made a branch into it¡­? Huh?!" Takeshi sighed a bit in relief. "Hahh¡­ I-I guess it worked nicely." He sighed. "S-SHAAA!" CLAAASH! The snake furiously freed itself from the fishing rod''s thread, as it quickly tried to attack Takeshi with its snake tail, stomping him down into the ground seemed like a good strategy, I suppose. BAAAM! The enormous tail couldn''t be stopped, as it hit the ground! However, as the snake slowly raised its tail to see the boy''s body Takeshi was¡­ nowhere to be seen?! FLASH! Suddenly, the ground behind the snake began to move strangely, as if it had turned into water itself, and from within, Takeshi emerged. "Hahh¡­ This is surely a convenient ability that [Fisher] unlocked after I evolved." Sighed Takeshi. Indeed, this was a new Ability! Just like my own Unique Skills could evolve as I evolved, Takeshi and Laura also improved. Laura gained more power and Takeshi obtained the power to share his fishing rod''s power to trespass physical matter as if it were water, giving him the incredible ability to swim anywhere he wanted as long as he held the fishing rod created out of any branch he could pick up. "SHAAA!" The snake furiously attacked Takeshi once more, however, he quickly disappeared once more, appearing right to the snake''s left side. "I''m here!" "SHAA!" BAAAM! Takeshi once more disappeared, appearing to the snake''s right side. "Or here?" "SHAAA!!!" BAAAM! And then, once more, Takeshi emerged from the ground as if it turned into water right behind the snake once more. "You''re a bit slow¡­" He sighed. Was he getting cocky after acting all shy and afraid? Wow, that''s a big change. "S-SHAAA!" The snake hissed furiously, as its tail continued pping the ground everywhere Takeshi appeared for several times consecutively! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! However, it couldn''t catch Takeshi, as he constantly appeared near the snake once more. "S-Shaa¡­ haahhh¡­" The snake was gasping for airpletely exhausted, looking at Takeshi with furious eyes.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "T-This power¡­ he can turn anything into water he can swim through? Is this even water attribute magic?!" Asked Rock in shock. "Hehe, it''s a family secret!" Laura giggled. Rock couldn''t help but distort his face as he quickly smiled cynically. "W-Well, it''s not as if he can do anything else than run away!" He angrily said. "Oh yeah?" I asked with a smile, pointing at the arena with my index finger. "SHAAA! SHAAAA!" The snake was struggling, out of nowhere, it found itself caught in the fishing rod threads, which could apparently extend an enormous length as long as Takeshi infused more Mana into his Fishing Rod, he wasn''t simply ying around, he was slowly catching the snake into the fishing rod, until itpletely caught the creature, rendering it immobile! ----- Chapter 442 Amazingly Done! ----- "It would be a pity to kill such a beautiful snake but¡­ I have to do what I need to do." Takeshi suddenly strengthened the grip of his Fishing Rod, as the hook suddenly pierced the snake''s scales and flesh, reaching its heart and crushing it from the inside! SPLAT! The sound of the snake''s heart exploding inside of its body could be heard around the entire arena, as the snake suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood before rolling its eyes and dying on the spot. BAAAM! Its enormous body fell over the floor with a loud thud, signaling the victory of Takeshi. Laura ran towards Takeshi to congratte her little brother. "Takeshi! Amazingly done!" Laura hugged Takeshi. "I-I took a bit more of time than I thought, but I did it all by myself! [Fisher] is really amazing." He said happily. "You could had also used your Water Magic or Dark Magic¡­ You took it easy." Said Laura. "Hahaha¡­ Yeah, but I don''t feel so confident on using those as their Skill Levels aren''t so high." Sighed Takeshi. "You''re overly cautious as ever." Sighed Laura. bbergasted after seeing my two beloved children fight amazingly well even against powerful threats such as D+ Rank monsters, Rock had no choice but to give up. "So? So~?" I asked teasingly. "F-Fine¡­ you can have them¡­ And the monsters¡­ too¡­" He sighed. "Yaay! New Materials!" I said happily. Honestly the only things I was mostly interested in were the snake''s scales, its venom, and the crab''s carapace and the mithril growing over there. Those were all precious materials that could be used for a variety of purposes, mostly crafting new equipment. I wanted to use them to reward the children for what they had done as well. "Mithril is an incredible ore that can conduct magic." Said Emeraldine. "It is ideal for magic essories and magic items." "Alright, let''s go collect them!" I flew down and quickly put both monster carcasses inside my Inventory, which Rock and the other dwarves working with him reacted with even more shocked faces. "T-The materials disappeared in an instant?!" "What sort of sorcery is this?" "S-Space magic?!" Aquamarine heard them talk as she quickly patted Rock''s shoulders. "Keep it a secret, will you? As long as you want to keep your position." She said menacingly. "A-Ah¡­ Y-Yeah¡­" He sighed. It seems we had a rather strong and influential ally with us from day 1. After the entire battles ended, the dwarf reluctantly gave Takeshi and Laura their passes, and the job was more than done now. "Y-You two are incredibly strong. If you ever want to join the school for real, feel free to contact me so I can enroll you two into a ss for the most talented." He said. "Huh, we''ll think about it." Laura said. "Yeah, maybe¡­" Takeshi said. As we were done with this, we had no time to waste. We moved back to Helga''s home, as we saw off Aquamarine who decided to go to her guild''s building to deal with a bunch of job she had pilled up. As old as she was, she was still doing a lot of paperwork, which was impressive. "Hey, you''re back! Is it done already?" Helga wondered, as my two twins quickly showed her their passes. "Yeah!" Takeshi celebrated. "It was easy." Laura said. "Huh! You two are quite something if you were able to pass that old man''s Rock tests. I remember my years back in the academy and that bastard was always giving the most cruelest of test to kids¡­" Sighed Helga. "Well, that''s the ce where I meet my husband too, hahah¡­ A-Ah! Anyways, let''s get going." Helga seemed to smile a bit as she recalled her past in the school. The dwarves and Helga seemed to have prepared as well for dungeon diving, as they wanted to join the fray and see if they can level up through defeating monsters. You''re never strong enough in a world infested by monsters after all. They came even more prepared than before, forbidding their pickaxes and bringing their heavy weapons. Most of the dwarves came with full body armor,rge shields, and either an axe, a long sword, or a hammer. Helga was proficient at using a giant hammer, and she didn''t shy away from carrying it leisurely as if it didn''t weighted at all. "Hm, how are Hammers as weapons?" I wondered, as we flew towards the mountain. "Pretty good! Almost anything you hit with them dies instantly as long as you aim at the head. If not, you can easily break a monster''s limbs and incapacitate them. It is a bit hard to maneuver around as it has a very heavy weight, so it loses its bnce very quickly." Said Helga. "But with enough muscle, you can just smack anything." "Ooohh¡­ I am using swords, axes, and a spear. And I''m nning on probably getting a hammer at some point¡­" I said while rubbing my chin.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Why so many weapons?!" She asked in shock. "Well I am a ghost." I whispered to her. "So I can just make more limbs if I want to, I fight with my fists too! It is super fun to collect new skills of any weapon!" "Y-You''re really into collecting Skills¡­ I''ve never seen someone so obsessed about it as if it were fun." She sighed. "It is not?" I raised an eyebrow. "I-I mean, they''re useful but¡­ doesn''t it feels like work to you?" She wondered. "What? Work? But its super fun!" I sighed. I wonder why she doesn''t get me¡­ Ah, maybe it must be because skills and the status are like part of their own world, not something new like it is for me. Eventually even something as amazing as a status bes something ofmonce for them, so it is nothing amusing. Perhaps my fascination with ites from my fanatism over RPG games I used to y in my previous life, and all the Isekai stories I liked to read involving Status Systems, Skills, Job sses, and blood-pumping action, I guess. "Oh, we are getting closer!" Anyways, it''s time for some dungeon diving! ----- Chapter 443 Time To Conquer A New Dungeon! ----- As Maria andpany reached the mountain once more today, a lurking figure slowly continued following them from afar. Her sharp, draconic eyes ring their every movement. They were not exactly menacing, but she seemed to be inspecting them as if she was obsessed with them¡­ when they finallynded in the mountain, she quickly hid beneath a rock and then looked at them once more.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Where is my brother and his friends going now?" She wondered. She slowly lurked around, using her magic to hide her presence wonderfully, even from Maria¡­ "To a dungeon?" She wondered, seeing them slowly descend through arge hole. As she followed them silently by reducing her size into a smaller form, she suddenly realized something. From within the dungeon, something powerful was resting¡­ "Wait¡­! This dungeon is¡­?" . . . (Maria''s POV) After arriving at the mountain, we swiftly moved through the cave we have used before and then reached the hole going down. The fall from here was sure deadly for most people, but we were going to bring them down using Lucifer, and my shadow magic. "Alright you guys, prepare yourselves!" I quickly called them to prepare, as I expanded my shadows and let them all inside. I guess Lucifer didn''t even need to help in that regard. When I had everyone inside my shadows, we descended quickly down to the cave I had discovered, and we were greeted by the beautifulke where Gero came from. "I guess now that we are here¡­ You guys cane out." I said. The dwarves quickly walked out of my shadows, followed by an enormous Undead Smander. The moment they noticed Gero, they stopped walking and then slowly looked back at the enormous beast. "U W A A A H!" "A A G G H H!" "W H A T S THAT?!" The dwarves quickly began to panic. "Hey! Come on, you saw him yesterday! He''s my Undead monster I caught here." I sighed. "His name is Gero, make sure to treat him nicely." "Geroro¡­" Gero groaned, looking at everybody with his big and frog-like eyes. "I-I guess that with such a strong monster, we can be well protected." "Yeah¡­" "It is amazing what Necromancers can do¡­" "I agree¡­" Helga looked at me with a slightly tired-looking expression. "Maria, do you really have to bring him?" She sighed. "Eh? Is there something wrong with him? Of course I have to bring him! He wants to level up! I also got a bunch more of Undead with me¡­ I''ll bring them all out as well, I heard this dungeon is dangerous so the more the merrier, right?" I asked, bringing out countless of skeletons, zombies, and undead giant spiders. There were also those giant bugs we fought when Agatha turned into a demon, and other lizard-like monsters from the dungeon previous to that. "S-So many¡­" "There are even bugs and is that a lizard?!" "A giant dinosaur thing¡­" "These are¡­ how many?!" "Over¡­ two hundred? I only brought fifty out." I said while looking at everyone. "I have the rest of my undead friends back home protecting my ce. I could only bring a small battalion with me." "I-It is more than enough¡­" Helga said. I quickly assembled all my Undead in front of me, I had only brought generic ones, with all the OP ones back home protecting my ce and the people there. So Gero was the strongest amongst them all, therefore, I gave him the title of Undead General for this Battalion. "Alright! From now on, Gero is your Undead General, guys, obey his orders!" I said, the Undead gave out all sorts of terrifying groans, as they seemed to agree. "Alright, let''s get going then!" I said, as I lead the way into the dungeon''s entrance. The marching monsters behind us and some in front seemed to have put the dwarves in a bit of a stretch. I didn''t really wanted to make them more ufortable, but this was something that needed to be done! This was a dangerous dungeon after all. At the end, they still calmed down and simply decided to ignore the Undead with us. Ultimately, we finally reached the dungeon''s first floor, which looked not exactly as we had expected it to look like. Inside of the dungeon there was an enormous and expansive grasnd. There were even mountains around the background, a shining sun atop the sky, and even some trees spread here and there. To the distance, perhaps half a kilometer away from here, there was a small mound of earth in the grasnds, with a cave-like entrance leading somewhere down. "I-Is this really a dungeon? It is not like anything we have ever visited before!" Said Emeraldine. "Wow¡­ Aren''t dungeons way smaller and packed?" Wondered Partner. "They''re supposed to be like that, yeah." I said while rubbing my chin. "But this ce¡­ Well, we have only explored a single dungeon in our entire lives, so maybe there are other types." "Hmmm¡­ I had almost forgotten, but yeah, Dungeonse in all shapes and sizes. Some are more temple or ruin-like in appearance, some are like these, small, pocket worlds, and then there are mixed versions of both." Lucifer said. "Usually those with this appearance are stronger and are said to be "projections of the world"¡­ or something like that." "Huh, in the caves there are some Biome Dungeons, as we call them." Helga added. "But they''re not near as big as this¡­ And are these nts? There''s a surprisingly big variety of herbs growing in this dungeon¡­ it is something very rare, if we can find a way to farm thisnd and produce crops from here, we could solve a lot of issues with food in our country¡­" Helga quickly began to wonder such things. "Wait, something''sing!" Partner pointed out, as several figures quickly emerged almost out of thin air from within the vast grasnds expanding right before our sight. They were gigantic¡­ moles? ----- Chapter 444 Against An Army Of Furious Monsters! ----- The figures that approached us seemed to be emerging out of thin air, but they were actuallying from underground, it was a massive group of over fifty moles the size of cars, probably the biggest one reaching as big as three meters. Not only their size was absolutely monstrous, but they also packed gigantic ws they used to dig underground, and big star-shaped snouts that seemed to help them guide themselves even if they looked blind. "GRUOOH!" CLASH! One of them immediately reached us in an instant, shing over the floor right before us and shaking the earth. Cracks began to appear across the ground as the floor was just about the crumble! ----- [Giant Death Mole: Lv48] [Rank: B-] [Status: Hungry] A monstrous mole from the first floors of the Dungeon. It appears in groups of almost a hundred, and they are vicious creatures capable of easily digging underground, conjure Earth Magic of high level, and provoke powerful and devastating earthquakes with their body size and weight. Theyck eyesight but use their star-shaped noses to guide themselves even when not being underground. Their enormous ws are not only able to wonderfully dig underground but can also slice apart their prey quite easily. Skills: [High Speed Digging] [Deadly ws] [Spinning Attack] [Earthquake] [Seismic Wave] [Pitfall] [shing Attack] [Stone st] ----- "Careful! They''re B- Rank!" I said, as the dwarves quickly roared, getting into a position where they got up together and formed a congregation of shields with their weapons out. "GRUOH!" CLASH! Another mole emerged underground and attempted to sh against them, but theirbined tactics worked, as the mole''s ws ended being blocked by the dwarfs''bined shields, just before the creature was attacked with several weapon techniques unleashed at once. "RAAAAHH!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "GRUOOOHH¡­" BAAM! The mole''s entire body was suddenly covered on wounds, as it struggled to get back up. "G-GROHHHH¡­!" "B- Rank, huh? You could easily kill one of us alone, but if we are together, we are stronger!" Helga roared, jumping over the shields of herrades, and raising her hammer, falling down over the mole like a meteor and crushing the beast''s head with the might of a dwarven mother! "Skull Cracker!" CLAAASH! The mole''s head was easily cracked and sttered over the floor by the enormous weigh and might of Helga''s hammer. However, it was too early to call it a victory, as dozens of Moles began to emerge from underground, surrounding us. And from behind them, there were even more moles! "Just how many are there?!" Lucifer roared, as he confronted three himself, transforming into his dragon form as every dwarf here had already see his form already, and using his ws and tail to attack them. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, the three moles resisted his physical attacks by using their gigantic ws as shields, and barely managed toe out of his blows unscathed. "Hmph, rats!" Lucifer roared furiously, as his ws suddenly red with phantasmal mes. CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! Once more, he hit the three Moles with all his strength, this time, their ws were unable to resist the blowspletely, as their entire bodies were also caught in the fire of the phantasmal mes covering Lucifer''s ws. With their ws shattered and their bodies burning, the giant moles perished almost on the spot. Giving Lucifer the time to fight even more iing beasts. Meanwhile, the rest of my Undead led by the powerful Gero fought bravely. Gero unleashed his Domain of Venom as he poisoned many Moles, weakening them in the process the moment they stepped into his domain, giving the time for the other undead who were weaker to fight back, using their bodies or the weapons they held to fight. Some moles quickly began to perish as they were ganged over with old rusty weapons held by the human skeletons and zombies and the ws and fangs of the undead monsters. However, many of my Undead were easily getting demolished as well. The moles were mightily strong, using their ws to easily tear apart my giant spider zombies, the miasmic bugs, and the skeletons and zombies from soldiers I had once defeated in the past. Maybe if I brought the Vampire Zombies led by that Werewolf, it could had been different, but this was all we had anyways. Well, it wasn''t as if there weren''t any materials readily avable for me to use¡­ "Let''s do some basic Undead Raising then, boys! [Transfiguration of Death]!" FLAAASH! A wave of phantasmal essence was unleashed from my hands as I watched the scene with a smile, the lying bodies of the moles quickly began to move once more, as their souls were forcefully put back to their bodies at random, forcing them to raise and move once more even after death. [Transfiguration of Death] was the awakened version of [Fake Life] which packed even stronger power, as it granted raised Undead extra power and skills, and even a higher power than their original living selves if they were weaker than C Rank monsters. Of course, the moles were B-, but even if raised as they were, they were pretty strong. "Now go and catch your kin! Make sure to not leave any alive!" With a dozen Moles at my disposal, I immediately ordered them to dig underground and create traps for the other living moles, while also intercepting them underground so they wouldn''t surprise us with attacks below our feet. "And the rest¡­ [Undead Healing]!"N?v(el)B\\jnn FLAAASH! Another wave of phantasmal essence flew away as it caught all of my defeated Undead, their shattered bodies quickly stitched back together as they were fully recovered to how they looked before getting destroyed. My MP was getting drained quickly, but thanks to [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth], I was able to easily drain MP from the monsters surrounding us. "March forward!" As the undead continued fighting and getting destroyed, I continued healing them back up over and over again, as the Moles numbers seemed to have no end, I joined the fight by firing projectiles from afar, snipping the iing beasts and stopping them from flooding uspletely. ----- Chapter 445 Devastating Everything ----- "GRUOH!" RUMBLE!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Suddenly, the ground below my feet trembled, as four Moles emerged, attacking me all at the same time. "Huh, quite the bold ones toe and strike the general! Come and die then!" The Moles'' ws attempted to quickly butcher me alive, but I disappeared from their sight by converting into a mass of phantom and shadows, quickly separating myself into several clones that appeared within their own shadows, behind their backs! [ck Lightning Strike]! SPARK! I unleashed ck lightning from my shadows, quickly electrifying the moles in a mere second. Their bodies were fried alive by the ck lightning, a new element I was able to bring out after I stole it from Agatha when she transformed into a Demon. By merely grabbing her lightning and throwing it back at her, I learned such a power myself too! CLAAASH! The lighting impacted the four moles in an instant as they flew away, falling into the ground several meters from my position. Barely alive, the monsters furiously attacked me from a distance, using [Rock st] to summon two-meterrge stones through magic andunching the stones at me. "A mere child''s y." [Abyssal Maniption] and [ck Lightning Strike]! FLASH! As I activated both of those skills, not only I gained a greater control over darkness and shadows, but I also fused it with my ck lightning, generating threads of ck lightning that reached the moles in mere seconds! SPAAARK! I aimed at their brains this time, frying their heads in an instant and killing them on the spot. "GRUUEHH¡­" As their bodies fell motionlessly, I didn''t waited a single second to use [Transfiguration of Death] to raise them back to fight for me. "Raise once more, now, you''re part of my army!" "GRUOH!" The moles groaned eerily, standing up once more. However, they were strange as if the lightning that killed them stayed within their souls and bodies, sparks of electricity began toe out of their noses and ws, and their fur was also sparkling with this electricity. As I looked at their Status, they had be [Undead Lightning Death Moles]! Interesting, there''s a small chance depending in how a monster dies for them to take part of their cause of death and make it into their own power! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The four Lightning Death Moles moved at lightning speed, defending me from another four Moles emerging below me, their ws and movements were more than twice as fast as their own kin, and they were able to unleash lightning strikes with each attack as well! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! The four Moles were being demolished by my new Elite Moles, but they quickly realized fighting at closebat wouldn''t be good, firing their Stone st Spells at us once more. "Hmph, you really don''t learn, huh?" I sighed. "Veredorr, you cane out now, dear." "T-Then let me aid you, mdy!" FLUOOOSH! Suddenly, the air surrounding me was frozen, although the Moles I raised were unaffected. The ground surrounding us suddenly froze as ice began to expand rapidly. The other enemy Moles realized this threatening presence, as the ghost of a pale, red-eyed Dhampir man emerged from within my shadows. This was Veredorr, a man''s soul I met back then, he was a friend of Ice Giants and got killed by their new Queen. He''s a source of information but also a valuable ally, due to the trauma of his death, I''ve raised him into a ghost, and he ended sessfully evolving into a Frost Ghost, capable of controlling ice and lower the temperature of the environment around him! And this wasn''t everything¡­ I had discovered something quite revealing when I found more ghosts like me which I had risen. Aside from Veredorr, there was also Francesco and Silvio, the two zing Ghosts, with them and Veredorr, I learned one of the truths about my powers, elemental ghosts counted as something simr to Spirits for me, meaning¡­ that I could channel my power with them and create brand new Spells. "Frozen Cage!" I connected my power with the soul of Veredorr, as in seconds, the ice responded my call and merged with my darkness, forming ck ice which quickly began to attack the Moles in front of us, catching them and freezing them, caging them for eternity in this ice. CRAAASH! The moles, however, easily broke out of their frozen cages, but that was due to my own permission. These moles were swiftly risen into Undead the moment they died, and not only that, but their ice-covered fur and ice-made ws easily showed they had suddenly mutated. These moles became [Undead Frost Death Moles]. "Now fight!" I ordered my new elemental undead to move forwards, the Moles quickly intercepted their former kin as they began ughtering them mercilessly. They were B- Rank monsters and packed an incredible amount of power, but against someone like me at A Rank and above, they were not that much of a threat! As I took over the entire battlefield with my might and my Undead, the dwarves quickly began to receive the assistance of my newly raised Undead Moles, as they were relieved from the pressure of battling such strong monsters. "A-Amazing, Maria is incredible!" "I''ve never seen a Necromancer before, is this how they fight? This is absolutely ridiculous¡­" "Not only that, but she''s super strong herself as well!" "Does she even needs her Undead to begin with¡­?" "Tsk! If you got the time to talk like that then move forward and fight! Maria is putting everything she got for us to advance towards the next floor, don''t ck off you bastards!" Helga roared, while receiving the assistance of my Undead, she began smacking Mole heads emerging from the floor furiously. BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! "OOOH!" The dwarves roared in unison, joining her as they began to fight back as ferociously as they could. As we slowly made our way towards the cave-like mound which seemed to be the door that might lead to Floor 2, I felt the presence of something powerful approaching¡­ TRUUUUMMM¡­! The earth shook, as an enormous beast emerged! ----- Chapter 446 A Boss Battle This Soon?! ----- The enormous monster easily surpassed ten meters of height, with two pairs of gigantic and muscr arms packed with four massive ws each, made for digging underground and also made to ughter their powerful, perhaps just as big enemies. Its snout resembled a red star, and its eyes were nowhere to be seen. Its entire body was covered on ck and brown fur, with many ck quills growing over its body. It even had a long tail with the tip resembling a giant boulder which it used to probably smack stones and rocks that got on its way. "GRUOOOOOHH!" The beast roared, as it made its own presence more than clear to everybody''s eyes. It was just a giant Mole like the ones we have been fighting, whose numbers had begun to be reduced as I used everyone''s might to push forward, now less than a dozen were left, and they were only attacking from a distance by firing Stone sts, but my own Lightning Moles were swiftly taking care of them thanks to their swift and fast movements. So the only thing we had to take care of was this beast. ----- [Giant Death Mole King: Lv66] [Rank: A-] [Status: Furious] A gargantuan Mole, an evolution of the Death Mole after reaching a certain Level by defeating many foes and devouring monster''s Magic Crystals. This monster not only has a gigantic size but possess a second pair of enormous arms and ws to devastate anything in their path, they are capable of shaping the entire terrain around them and their HP, Defense, and Strength are unparalleled. A City-level threat capable of destroying whole fiefdoms in a single night. Skills: [Devastating Earthquake] [Intimidating Roar] [Iron Defense] [Four wed Attack] [High Speed Drilling] [Boulder st] [Call Ally] [Kin Reinforcement] ----- "Fufu, you''re pretty strong, aren''t you?" I giggled. "You shall be a wonderful addition to my Undead Army!" As I said those words, the dwarves were left speechless. Helga herself seemedpletely dispirited to even be capable of defeating such a tremendous beast, something that could only be possible if many Golems had been brought here. But I had insisted in not bringing such annoying and expensive machinery, us was more than enough. And we are more than enough. "Lucifer! Gero! Take care of the giant''s body, don''t let it rampage! Everyone else, let''s attack it from a distance!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Gerororo!" "Got it!" Lucifer immediately flew forward on his dragon form, enormously physically strong as he was, alongside the big Gero who had been enhanced with my own magic to be stronger. The two shed against the Giant Mole King before it could do anything funny. CLAAASH! "GRUUOH!" The Mole King immediately responded to their change which attempted to put the beast off bnce from its standing posture, using its four enormous arms and attempting to sh my two giants into pieces. "You think you have a chance against an Ancient Dragon?! You have yet to even see my full power!" Lucifer cockily said, opening his jaws and unleashing an incredibly devastating Breath Attack, as a ray of darkness emerged from his open jaws, hitting the Mole Giant in the face and burning its snout. BOOOM!!! "GRAAAH!" The Mole King cried furiously, its ws reaching Lucifer but only scratching him as his powerful metallic scales were harder than mithril itself at the level he had reached. Although he had yet to fully reach his former strength at his prime, he was slowly getting closer to that! CLAAASH! Gero didn''t stayed there doing nothing, as his enormous tail, the longest and biggest part of his body swung furiously against the Mole King, hitting its legs and throwing it off bnce inbination with Lucifer''s attacks, pushing the Mole King into the ground. BAAAM! "Now!" I said, as our entire group readied magical attacks which quickly began to shower the Mole King with deadly elemental attacks. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The dwarves all knew magic of some sort, as fire, ice, water, wind, and earth emerged as projectiles, falling over the Mole. Its fur seemed to have a powerful anti-magic effect, rendering most magic we threw at it useless. However the beast was still receiving the pressure of most of the magic attacks, while Emeraldine, Partner, and I prepared our own powerful blows, Takeshi and Laura moved forward and suddenly attempted to assist Lucifer and Gero! "Hey, wait! Where are you going?!" I asked furiously, sending some of my Phantasmal Familiars to bring them back to the safety of the distance from the Boss Monster, but they swiftly evaded my phantasmal familiars. "Big sis, please trust us! We want to help as well!" Takeshi said, summoning his Fishing Rod once more and suddenly infusing several quantities of Mana into it. FLASH! The fishing rod''s thread suddenly grew longer, thicker, and even stronger than before, quickly flying directly towards the Mole King who was furiously unleashing shing attacks using its limbs and even firing giant boulders ad Lucifer and Gero. Lucifer was mostly the one taking all the damage due to his amazing defensive stats while Gero attacked from a distance while trying to poison the beast. CLASH! "GRUOH?!" The Mole King suddenly reacted to Takeshi''s Fishing Rod''s Hook, which had grown up to three meters in size! The hook quickly pierced the mole king''s flesh, reaching its legs which were furiously attacking as well, and entangling it tightly with the thread! The Hook was unable to damage the flesh any more than that though. "Now¡­!" Laura suddenly touched Takeshi''s Fishing Rod, as her eyes shone bright red. "Detonation!" Takeshi immediately let go of his Fishing Rod, as it suddenly shone bright red! Wait, so that was it! FLASH! The fishing rod alongside all of the thread red with an explosive me, and then¡­! BOOOOOOMMM!!! An enormous explosion took ce, the Mole King''s right leg was easily destroyed into pieces, and most of its lower part was also heavily wounded! They did an amazing job, as both Takeshi and Laura smiled out of happiness that their tactic worked. But this also made the Mole King incredibly infuriated! "GRUOOOGGGHH¡­!" The monster groaned in agony, furiously unleashing hundreds of Boulders using [Boulder st] which began falling over everybody like meteors! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ----- Chapter 447 Defeating The Boss! ...And A Mysterious Creature ----- BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The monstrous Mole King unleashed his gigantic and furious attack, as countless Boulders the size of five to seven meters began to be summoned one after the other from within magic circles the beast conjured almost instantly when one of its legs was blown up by thebined attack of Laura and Takeshi. Although it wasmendable how great their abilities have be, they were too reckless, and ended going too far away from the safety of our group as well! "Takeshi! Laura!" I flew towards the two of them as fast as I could, as Emeraldine ran behind me and quickly generated a barrier of light over the two before an enormous boulder were to almost crush them. BOOM! CRASH! The barrier easily broke apart by the enormous impact and weight of the boulder. As more boulders continued to fall from the sky. I immediately unleashed my shadows as I grabbed both of these children and put them inside of them. "I told you to not be reckless!" I reprimanded them, as the two seemed to be sorry. "Sorry, we screwed up¡­" Takeshi said. "Ugh, it is my fault, I was the one with the idea¡­" Laura sighed. "Well, you still did amazingly though, I have to admit it. However, this is not exactly the time to go praising one another over their achievements!" I flew back to our main group and quickly decided to erect an enormous barrier made of shadows using [Abyssal Barrier] and [Embodiment] to materialize my abyssal shadows even more, making them harder than the boulders. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! As countless boulders continued falling, Partner had charged in front to aid Lucifer and Gero, with my permission of course. "HYAAA! RAAAH!" Partner gracefully jumped over the battlefield, using both of her spears to slice through the enormous boulders with ease, or even using her swiftness and great dexterity to jump over the gigantic boulders with ease, reaching high up and then¡­ FLASH! A pair of bat-like wings grew out of her back! Wait! Is this something new? Maybe it is part of her developing vampiric powers¡­ "You damn rat, stop conjuring boulders!" Lucifer roared angrily, is jaws quickly began biting the hard face of the mole, as the mole''s jaws tried to fight back by biting his neck, but his scales protected him quite well. CRUNCH! "GRUUOOHHH¡­!" The mole roared furiously, its two pairs of ws ferociously attacked Lucifer''s chest, only for Lucifer''s magic to be unleashed as phantasmal mes and a ck energy that embodied death itself emerged, covering the entire Mole King while Gero poured it with venom so it would stay paralyzed on ce. The smander specialized in paralyzing venom secretion. And of course, Partner quickly took the opportunity to aid the two as well,ing from high in the skies, her two spears were shrouded by her [Blood Aura] as she continued to pour her Mana into them. Both spears shone as bright as stars for a few seconds, unifying into a single projectile sheunched towards the mole''s chest. "Blood Devouring Spear!" CLAAASH! The enormous,bined spear impacted the Mole King''s chest as Lucifer and Gero managed to get away in time, the powerful piercing power, which was a specialty of Partner paid off wonderfully, as it quickly pierced through the Mole King''s hard hide, muscles, bones, and reached its heart, piercing it as the bloody spear began to absorb the monster''s blood viciously! "GRUOOOHHHHH!" The Mole King struggled, but thanks to Lucifer''s strength keeping it down, it ultimately perished, quickly stopping its pointless struggle. The boulders had stopped falling some time ago now, and peace quickly took over the Dungeon Floor. Wow, that was¡­ one hell of a fight. And you''re telling me this is only the first floor of this dungeon? "Is it over?" Wondered Helga. "It is¡­ I think." I sighed in relief. Looking at the horizon, everything seemed peaceful. It seems there might be a Boss Battle every time we find a ton of monsters like these. I hope things don''t escte out of proportion in thest floor. Well, hopefully. After checking that everybody was alright, I moved to the Mole King''s carcass where Gero and Lucifer were resting. "You guys did splendidly! Well done! Let''s take a break before descending further for now." I told them. "We''ll obviously take one." Sighed Lucifer. "That beast was awfully strong. But I''ve grown stronger from defeating it as well¡­ I suppose we can''t really keep growing stronger if we don''t actively risk our lives, even though I kind of detest that part of this world." "Ah, yeah, I guess you''re right." I sighed. "For now I don''t know how many floors are there, but if this continues being the same, we can take a break ande backter after we fight another horde." "I suppose, although I would really just want to keep going." Lucifer admitted. "It would be better for us to get this done with as quickly as possible, isn''t it?" "Yeah, yeah~! If we can take over this mysterious dungeon I bet we can find some nice treasure inside of its depths! And what about leveling and all? I got a bunch of EXP!" Partner said carefreely. "I suppose the ones that are really stressed out are the dwarves. It mostly depends on how much they canst in these types of battles." Said Emeraldine. Crack¡­ "Right¡­ Huh?" Crack¡­ crack¡­ "What''s that sound?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I looked around my surroundings but found nothing. Crack¡­ crack! "What sound?" Asked Partner. "I can hear it too, something cracking?" Wondered Emeraldine. We suddenly looked around, until¡­ "Look!" Partner pointed out at the belly of the Mole King, as it was being torn apart by two enormous ck insect-like limbs! Crack¡­ CRASH! TRUUUMMM¡­! An enormous presence suddenly emerged out of nowhere, quickly catching us off guardpletely! Something smaller than the Mole King, hell, even smaller than the damn Moles emerged from the Mole King''s stomach. When itpletely crawled out, it resembled a gigantic humanoid ant-like insect, with sharp red eyes, and a menacing aura. ----- [??2839%&##$132: Lvb2] [Rank: ???] [Status: ???] #####################################################################################################################################################################################################################. Abilities: [##I###] [###C#a#n#] [#S#e#e] [###y###O###u##] ----- Huh?! What the heck is this thing?! ----- Chapter 448 A Deadly Ant! ----- The moment I looked into the monster, which resembled a three-meter-tall humanoid ck ant creature with bright red eyes, I saw an awfully annoyingly confusing Status when I checked it! It even hurt my head a little bit when I tried to peer into it! Just what is this thing?! ----- [??2839%&##$132: Lvb2] [Rank: ???] [Status: ???] #####################################################################################################################################################################################################################. Abilities: [##I###] [###C#a#n#] [#S#e#e] [###y###O###u##] ----- I stupidly checked its status again, only to get another strong headache, something that shouldn''t even be possible because I don''t even have ahead or a brain! Does peering at this monster''s status provoke some sort of response that damages the soul directly? Ding! [Due to constant [Erosion] Damage inflicted upon your Soul you have learned the [Erosion Resistance: Lv1] Skill] Erosion Resistance?! System, what is even happening?! [I am not sure, but this monster doesn''t seem to be something you can appraise using your current powers¡­ It immediately attempted to hurt your soul the moment you peered into its own Status, if you try this again, you''ll receive another hit and this time it might actually hurt you.] Eh?! [However, based in what it is emanating, this thing reeks like the secretion of the Fragment of the Evil God, the same sensation I felt when you fought Agatha is felt here¡­] [Whatever this is, it is dangerous, be careful] What¡­? A monster that has the power of the Fragment here? But I thought this was an abandoned dungeon deep in a mountain! Just what happened here? "BZZZ¡­ BBBTTZZZ¡­" Suddenly, the ant creature began making a strange noise, the noise was strangely painful to hear that even my soul trembled. Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner instinctively stepped back, but that''s when it struck. FLASH! Moving at a speed that I was barely able to detect at all, the Ant Monster rushed towards Emeraldine, the weaker of the four of us, and pointed its hand at her chest. CLAAASH! "BBZZTT¡­?" However, I managed to stop it in time, as I used [Shadow Teleportation] to reach Emeraldine''s position in time, stopping the monster''s arm. "You bastard¡­ what the fuck are you?!" I roared, quickly unleashing my wrath. My darkness quickly emergedpletely. I knew that if I held back against this monster, I would end up paying for it. Without a second of a doubt, I activated most of my Skills at once, as a storm of darkness, crackling ck lightning, burning ck fire, and even a deep, ck void emerged within my chest, quickly absorbing the ant''s entire arm, and breaking it apart. CRAASH! "BBBBZZZZTTTTTT!" The monster suddenly gave out an ear-piercing scream as wings emerged from its back and it quickly flew away from me. At the same time, Ipletely devoured its arm, as I suddenly felt like I munched on solid miasma and Demonite crystal at once with some bug juice and other parts of bugs. The vor, however, was almostpletely miasma. What is this thing?! "You''re not getting away!" Lucifer roared, quickly unleashed several des created out of phantasmal mes and darkness, and firing them at the ant as it flew over the ground. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "BBBZZZ!" However, the ant quickly responded by waving its legs, in mere seconds, the wind barrier was broken as enormous shockwaves of darkness and miasma were unleashed, hitting all of us at once and shaking the earth below. TRUUUUMMM¡­! "W-What with this power?!" Asked Partner in surprise. "Uaggh¡­!" Emeraldine tried to protect herself with her light barrier, but the barrier quickly began to melt away against the miasma. "Living Armors! Come!" I summoned my Living Armors without doubting, equipping both over Emeraldine and Partner, making them almost immune to Miasma, as such living armors were able to absorb them. "Hahh¡­ T-Thanks." Emeraldine sighed. "This is Miasma, isn''t it?" She wondered. "It is exactly that." Lucifer muttered, as his body was bleeding through arge wound which was already festering with miasma infecting it. "Lucifer!" Partner cried in surprise, as she suddenly flew to his side alongside a phantom clone of mine. We swiftly healed him, cutting his wound''s rotten parts, and thenbining Partner''s blood Magic with Undead Healing to fully recover his wound. The ant, however, seemedpletely aggressive, and immediately attempted to fight back once more. The insect raised its hands into the sky and suddenly began to gather enormous quantities of miasma, even with a missing arm, it still had another three to use! FLUOOSH! The miasma gathered together and then materialized into arge spear. The Chaotic Spear, as I called it, began to unleash an enormously dense aura of pure obscurity, as the ant monster pointed the spear towards us and then fired it without dy. FLASH!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The spear flew at an incredible speed. Calcting its power through mere senses, I could easily tell this thing could generate an explosion that would cover most of this Floor''s space! I couldn''t let that justnd in front of us. "Not so fast!" In an instant, I flew into the skies as I transformed into a mass of flies and darkness, catching the enormous spear with my Phantasmal Stomach, and using Abyss Eater to devour it whole. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! It was incredibly hard to munch, and the enormous quantities of miasma it had were constantly distorting the interior of my soul! However, I was managing, and quickly devoured it in less than a split of a second. FLASH! A second after, I emerged right behind the ant who was left bbergasted after seeing what I did. And mercilessly held it with my shadow tentacles, pulling it down into the abyss of my soul. "You''re not getting away!" "BBZZZZ¡­!" The furious ant began fighting against me as much as it could, its legs kicked me constantly. Each kick felt as if my soul was shattering, but I gritted my teeth and constantly healed my soul using Undead Healing, as I continued to pull the ant into my Phantasmal Stomach, within the deep void inside of me. [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth]! TRUUUUMMM¡­! As I activated my Ultimate Skill, the ck void grewrger and all-epassing, capturing the bastardpletely and beginning to tear it apart piece by piece. "Die, you bastard!" "BBZZZ¡­!" ----- Chapter 449 First Floor Clear And Level Up Frenzy! ----- With ast cry of agony, the menacing creature was swiftly destroyed. I couldn''t really hold back at all. If I extended the battle too much, that thing''s speed could had caught someone else that wouldn''t had been able to easily intercept its attacks. I felt a sense of urgency the moment the System told me to get rid of that thing as soon as possible. I guess I overdid it, but it is never overreacting when ites to survival. "Hahh¡­ Phew¡­" I sighed while slowly flying down the ground.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om When I meet everybody else, I was greeted with questions and the panic of my group. "Just what was that thing?! It was so fast and it had miasma with itself!" Emeraldine said. "This dungeon¡­ could it really have a fragment?" "I don''t really know, but we really need to investigate further to see what''s in here¡­" I sighed. "I don''t think it''s a fragment. If it had one, it would be like the dungeon back in the mountain where the country of the dwarves is located and might even pour miasma outside of the dungeon¡­ Whatever is in here, it is probably not as deadly, but still incredibly dangerous." "Imagine if we find more of those monsters inrge groups¡­" Partner muttered. "We¡­ how would we even be able to fight against them properly?" Lucifer sighed. "Yeah, it is not something we can properly handlepletely for now¡­ But still, we need to investigate and see for ourselves." I said. I was rather reluctant to go back for now. "Yeah, we know you wont want to go back yet." Said Lucifer. "Let''s gather with the dwarves first." "I agree. We might be able to get some insight if we ask them?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Perhaps, let''s go." I said. As we made our way back to the dwarves, I looked into the System Notifications, I had umted a lot of EXP, so I decided to quickly receive it all for now. [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [You defeated [Giant Death Mole (B- Rank)] x54] [You defeated [Giant Death Mole King (A- Rank)] x1] [You defeated [Abyssal Parasite Legion Ant Grand General (A Rank)] x1] [You earned 3250000 EXP] [Your Level has increased from Level 10 to Level 11!] [Your Level has increased from Level 11 to Level 12!] [Your Level has increased from Level 12 to Level 13!] [Your Level has increased from Level 13 to Level 14!] [Your Level has increased from Level 14 to Level 15!] [All your Stats have increased] [You earned System Points] [Several Skills have leveled up] [The [Undead Healing: Lv10] Skill has awakened into the [Death Restoration: Lv1] Skill!] ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [9/80] -> [15/80] [EXP]: [50000/800000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [48000/48000] -> [60000/60000] [MP]: [142000/142000] -> [166000/166000] [Attack]: [16500] -> [25500] [Defense]: [18500] -> [27500] [Magic]: [132000] -> [156000] [Agility]: [48000] -> [60000] [Aether]: [100] [System Points]: [144000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv8] [gue Body: Lv3] [Abyss Eater: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv6] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv3] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv7] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv1] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv1] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv5] [Fist Strike: Lv5] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv7] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv2] [Dark Sun: Lv5] [Dark Storm: Lv5] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv3] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv3] [Abyss Maniption: Lv3] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv3] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv2] [Soul Devourer: Lv2] [Undead Detonation: Lv8] [Shadow Thread: Lv7] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv8] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv6] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv6] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv4] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv2] [Illusory Delusion: Lv3] [Mind Bending: Lv3] [Insect Maniption: Lv3] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv2] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv1] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv2] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv7] [Mental Mapping: Lv5] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv7] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv2] [Mining: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv7] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv4] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv8] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv6] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv1] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv5 ] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv5] [Merciless Assassin: Lv4] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv4] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv3] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv4] [gue yer: Lv5] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv5] [Saint of Death: Lv4] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv3] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv3] [Dungeon Master: Lv1] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] [Queen of Flies: Lv2] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv2] [Mold Breaker: Lv2] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv1] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv2] [Greedy Miner: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- Huh, one of my skills ended awakening into something brand new, that''s nice and all, but where''s the rest? I''ve got a bunch of Level 10 ones! How can those not awaken yet? Do I need to reach a certain requirement or mastery over them, maybe? Well, whatever''s the case, my stats rose a nice amount, and now that I am Level 15, I am only 65 levels off evolving once more¡­ Ah, it still a long road until then. I gotta grind as much EXP as I can so I can grow stronger! If there are things like this damn monster walking around leisurely in this world, hidden in dungeons, then I can''t really ck off at all. When we finally gathered with the dwarves, I let out the twins from my shadows and exined them what had urred, which they had barely managed to see only some blurry ck spots in the air, the battle was indeed rather fast for their eyes. ----- Chapter 450 Eye Of The Abyss ----- "There was an ant inside the Mole King''s stomach?" Helga asked in shock. "Yeah, it looked like a typical ant monster, but it was standing upright, with only itsst two legs. It had red eyes and a ck jewel growing from its chest, and also was super strong." I said. "Is there no other reports of such a monster before?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Hmm¡­" Helga began to think, rubbing her chin. "I think we have heard of something like that, right?" "Oh yeah." ckard said. "There was a time, some years ago, when that dangerous dungeon was found. It was said that they found a ton of small ck ants with red eyes who were awfully powerful. Most golems were eaten by them, and a lot of people died¡­ it was pretty awful." "They managed to purify the area using a lot of holy magic. Our country had to bring priests and magicians from the outside to deal with them. After that, the entire area including the dungeon got sealed by magic and then sealed once more with several walls of fortified stone." Said Helga. "I think this is the same dungeon that Aquamarine want you guys to investigate. To think there are ants from there in here¡­" "Bu ording to what you said, missy, these are awfully way stronger." "Yeah, yeah." "Can we even fight one?" "No way, we''ll die." The dwarves seemed to know about these damned ants'' way better than I expected. However, the ants they fought were not as strong as the one I killed. And on its description, it was called "Grand General", so this damn monster might had been a rare breed that was a general. It was also a parasite, so they probably start as smallrvae that parasite monsters and slowly grow inside of them off their nutrients. It was honestly better to bring the Dwarves back home for now so we can continue investigating things more leisurely by ourselves, having them here would be a hindrance, quite honestly. "Alright then, I can see you guys really don''t want to go back yet." Helga said. "We''ll go back while we can and report this to the old hag. We managed to defeat those moles together, that''s more than enough memories I want for now, I got a whole family and leaving them without a mother wouldn''t really be a good thing." "Thank you Helga, you can take some of the Moles as well as a reward." I offered. "Oh no, don''t worry, we already served ourselves picking up a lot of dropped items lying around, there''s still a lot more but we can''t fit them all in our backpacks." Laughed Helga. "Take care, Maria, I am sure you and your group''s strong, so we''ll be waiting for you guys back home!" "Alright, I''ll send you some Phantasmal Familiars so you have a safe travel back home." I quickly crated a few dozenrge Phantasmal Snakes and sent them off with them. Like that, Helga''s group swiftly went back home. "Well, who want some Mole Stew?" Emeraldine wondered. Emeraldine quickly decided to cook something up while we were tidying up everything else. We had to quickly get every item dropped around. We mostly found ores dropped, something rather unique. There were colorful elemental jewels, magic gold and white silver ores, reinforced iron ore, and other crystals. Equipment were not rare, however, but most of them were quite low quality. Compared to what can be made out of alchemy, they were junk pretty much. But still, ording to Helga, there were special "magic item processing machines" that can convert dropped items from dungeons such as essories into materials that can be used to make new and better items, which is something the dwarves do a lot which they simply call "recycling". After we gathered everything, we even found some health and mana potions, and even antidote potions scattered around. But those were super rare, only finding five of them. Perhaps the Moles Drop Rate is mostly Ores, Stones, and Jewels than other because they''re more connected to the ground, maybe? All the ores and jewels we found were the ones I had already mined, so there wasn''t anything particrly new, but it was very valuable, nheless. "Master, look! Look!" Partner, Laura, and Takeshi suddenly pointed out at something that was lying right besides the giant corpse of the Mole King, which I had yet to put inside my Inventory. "Huh? What is it?" I wondered, flying there to find a strange drop. This wasn''t the dropped item of the Mole King because that was a bigbination of various ores made into a ball, but this item was¡­ some sort of ck jewel with a red eye-like marking on top of it. Quite honestly, it looked very eerie. "What the heck is this?" I wondered, grabbing the jewel gently. ---- [Eye of the Abyss (A Grade)] A special jewel said to hold a fragment of abyss itself within it. This jewel contains enormous quantities of Darkness and Chaos Attribute Essence stored inside and possess the spiritual resentment of a monster born within miasma. A jewel often used on forbidden rituals involving Secretions of the Fragment of the Evil God. Can be used as a powerful Core that could fuel Magic Items with energy for years, and it could even¡­ do something even better in the right hands. ----- It was indeed a shy description. However, it does indeed looks interesting. Perhaps I could make it into an essory like a ring¡­ It might fit my elements and even strengthen my magic. If I''m fighting monsters like that ant more in the future, I might as well get new equipment too. "It looks to be a very strong jewel containing darkness and¡­ chaos? Is that even an element?" I wondered. "Well, whatever''s the case, it is rather dangerous so I''ll store it for now and see what I can do with itter. For now, let''s go eat everyone, we need to discuss further what we''ll do." "Alright!" Partner, Laura, and Takeshi said in unison, following me from behind like ducklings. ----- Chapter 451 New Skills ----- After killing the moles and the mysterious ant (which I identally ate), we decided to take a break and eat something. There were a ton of moles, not only they gave a nice amount of EXP but they were also fatty and with tons of soft meat, surprisingly. I wish I could cook the giant ant, but I ended eating it entirely. Its vor was terrible so I don''t think it might had been any tasty at the end, but really, I wish it could had been better. Maybe if I cooked it, it could had tasted like shrimp. Now I''ll never know that! After we collected the materials, I quickly dropped a few Mole carcasses and began butchering them up with a big sword, Partner and Emeraldine decided to help me. Partner mostly drained the blood out of the carcass than anything else. Emeraldine was surprisingly talented at butchering monster or beasts'' carcasses, as she was taught by her mother how to hunt. Come to think of it, I never truly butchered many monsters, Emeraldine and Partner did most of the work with Lucifer and the Goblins helping as well. Now that I am doing it myself, Emeraldine has been teaching me the ropes. "And like this, you slowly slice the skin with the pelt out of the muscles and the bones, be careful not to leave any skin over the meat." Emeraldine guided me. "I see¡­ like this?" I wondered, as I sliced the knife carefully below the skin of therge Mole, it slowly began to slide out. "Yeah, yeah, just like that!" Said Emeraldine. "You''re a quick learner, Maria!" "Hm, you''re doing a good job." Lucifer pointed out. "Can we make clothes with this pelt?" Wondered Partner. "No, I don''t think we can do something for now, it is too smelly." I said. The twins had stayed with us as they were fairly stronger than the dwarves as well, and after this Mole Massacre, they had leveled up plentily, to the point they even said their Unique Skills suddenly evolved a bit more, growing stronger. I guess that''s what happens when you''re on the early stages of Unique Skill development. Right now I can only force my Unique Skills to evolve using System Points! Wait, isn''t that a quick way to grow stronger? Maybe I''ll do it whenever I am in a pinch. "We want to butcher too!" Takeshi said. "I want to learn how to be more independent." "Me too, I have never really butchered myself¡­" Laura added. "Well¡­ Takeshi aren''t you good at butchering fish?" I wondered. "Ah yeah!" Takeshi said. "But not big monsters."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I promise I won''t blow it up!" Laura said. "Alright,e with us then, grab a knife and join us." Emeraldine was a very gentle teacher with a lot of patience, so she easily let the kids join. At the end, we butchered two of therge Moles, and got tons of meat out of them. Butchering really calmed us down a lot and eased our hearts as we dedicated to do something else than fighting for a little while. Ding! [You learned the [Dismantle: Lv1] Skill!] [You acquired the [Butcherer: Lv1] Title Skill!] ----- [Dismantle: Lv1] A Skill that only those with the ability to dismantle carcasses can learn. It grants special insights while dismantling carcasses or other things about special areas of the body that are weak and easy to butcher. It enhances the dismantling efficacy and quality of the resulting product by +30% with each Skill Level. Additionally, weak points can also be detected on living beings. ----- [Butcherer: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to Butcherers! After you''ve butchered dozens of carcasses, you can now butcher them even better. Your ability to butcher, efficacy, and how you handle a knife is enhanced by +50% (with an additional +10% with each Level), and there''s a 100% chance for the resulting product to increase in quality by one Grade. ----- Would you look at that! It seems that I finally learned those Skills. As I said before, I had not done much butchering myself and didn''t knew much of it either, so I guess it is fair that only now I was able to learn the Skills. And damn, the Skills were surprisingly awesome! With this, I can butcher even better and even detect weak points of living foes'' bodies? And even more, I seem to be able to increase the quality of whatever materials and products result of what I butcher. Wait, is this why the meat is glowing so brightly? "Emeraldine do you have the Dismantle and Butcherer Skills?" I wondered. "Oh, yeah, I do!" Emeraldine answered. "It took me years to learn them- Ah, don''t tell me you learned them just now." She sighed. ? "Y-Yeah¡­" I said. "I think the Butcherer Title is pretty crazy how much it increases quality and all." "Quality? My Butcherer Title can''t do that¡­" Emeraldine said. "Eh?!" [Indeed, even if you share the same Skills with others, Skills tend to vary in effects, even if the name is the same, they can be unique even when their name or distribution seems generic. Because you posses the incredible Unique Skill: System, you''re able to learn Skills that are always stronger than the normal one''s other people can learn through their Soul Books. Yet another amazing advantage of your Reincarnation Gifted Powers.] I feel like you''re growing constantly more cynical, my dear system. But I''ll take what you said with no grains of salt, or pepper, but with a grain of sugar because that really raised my superiorityplex a little bit. "Ehem! I guess I really do have my own amazing personal Skills." I said while puffing my chest, the rest of my group raised an eyebrow in response,pletely unaware of what the heck was I even talking about. "Anyways, this meat looks very shiny, let''s cook something! I''m starving!" Partner said, as she began drinking some Vampire Blood Potion I had made for her. ----- Chapter 452 Taking A Small Break ----- FSSSHH! The sound of slices of tender meat being fried over arge pan could be heard through the grasnd-like dungeon. The meat of the moles was surprisingly tender and just ideal to fry over a pan with some oil, salt and pepper. The smell of the meat quickly filled everybody''s nostrils, as hunger was the only thing in our minds and bodies. At the side, I had also cut down arge pile of meat into small chunks, and was boiling it alongside potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and other spices with water, to make a quick meat and potato stew, which had a beautiful and distinctive red color. It has a very simr vor to tomato sauce but with potatoes and other things added into the mix to make it a full meal. With the fried slices of meat at the side, things were getting almost ready. Of course, it can''t be a good meal without a bit of alcohol, we are all drunk bastards here after all, we enjoy our wine in our meals, so I quickly took out a big barrel from my Inventory, which was one of the high quality wines we have been enjoying! This was a wine we got from Julia back in her duchy. "Ahhh, I am so hungry! I want to eat! I want to eat already!" Partner cried, the twins were also with her, drooling over the food being prepared. I was honestly surprised how well the three went along, it felt like they were triplets instead. "Can we eat yet?" Takeshi wondered. "Not yet honey." I said, slowly looking at the stew. "And now?" Asked Laura. "Not yet dear." I sighed. "And what about now?" Takeshi insisted, hugging my hips and looking at the food from behind me. "Baby, wait a bit okay?" I sighed, petting his head and fluffy ears. He was too cute so I couldn''t resist to give him a kiss on his forehead. "Mommy will get your food soon, so have patience! Go help uncle Lucifer¡­ err, go help him do whatever he''s up to." "Okaaay¡­" Takeshi and Laura walked away, and funnily enough, Partner stayed and took Takeshi''s ce. She began kissing my neck seductively, and even tried to give me a little bite, but I had no blood so it ended in a futile attempt at feeding from me. "There''s no blood there." I sighed with a smile, giving her a kiss. "Uugh¡­ I want Master''s blood¡­ When will you get blood of your own?" Partner had begun asking me this for a while. Apparently Vampires that were in love had some sort of fetish where they like to drink the blood of their partner''s neck seductively. "Technically never." I sighed. "You have my own bones but I doubt your blood is mine, as you''re aplete new being altogether." "Huhh¡­" Partner pouted a bit. "Maybe if I ever be a goddess or something, I could get a body and blood? I don''t know¡­ I think the Goddess of Death got blood." I said while looking at the stew and taking a small piece of potato, giving it a bite. It was soft and tasty; I think the stew is ready. "Heheh¡­ Well, I can always grab these too¡­" Partner smiled smugly as she grasped my breasts. "Geez! We are about to eat¡­" I sighed. "What''s wrong aren''t I your girlfriend too? So I have privileges!" Partner puffed her chest. "H-Hold on there, Partner! D-Don''t get ahead of yourself!" Emeraldine rushed towards us after she saw Partner doing something rather mischievous. She was currently using the Magic Cauldron to make some more Alchemy y for practice, saying she needed a lot for what she wanted to make. Partner was quickly stopped by Emeraldine as she got slightly angry of being interrupted from her favorite activity. "W-What''s wrong? You got your turn the other day!" Partnerined. "I-It is not right to do this in front of children, Partner!" Emeraldine reprimanded her. "Aw geez, they''re not even looking!" Partner crossed her arms, pointing at the kids who were ying over the big dragon body of Lucifer. "W-Well still!" Emeraldine said. "Okay, okay, you two can calm down a bit? You both will have the chance to do anything you want tonight but for now let''s concentrate on eating. Aren''t you all hungry?" I sighed. "R-Right¡­" Partner said, quickly going back to her hungry mood. However, Emeraldine was blushing as her long ears pped excitedly about what I had said earlier. "A-Anything?" She asked with embarrassment. "Yeah¡­ Do you have something in mind? Fufu~?" I asked teasingly. "T-That''s¡­ M-Maybe¡­" Emeraldine said while fidgeting her fingers. She was surprisingly perverted deep down to be so pure looking. "Anyways! Let''s eat! Hey kids! Lucifer! Come eat!" I called everyone as we gathered around arge table I also brought out of my Inventory, alongside seats and everything else needed. I served several tes as we began eating merrily, we were all hungry. Even me, who shouldn''t feel hunger! The more the [Materialization] Skill leveled up, the more "real" my own stomach felt, even more, I even had the [Abyss Eater], [Phantasmal Stomach], [Sin of Gluttony], and the Ultimate Skill, which all enhanced my hunger! It seems that evens as a ghost entity, my very body uses tons of magic to just exists, the same that living beings use tons of energy to continue living, so I need to absorb a lot of energy to convert into magic, which be my "nutrients" in a way. I am too strong so I doubt I could die out of hunger or something, but I''ll certainly grow weaker and will not be at 100% if I don''t eat a lot topensate for my powerful Phantasmal/Demonic/Spiritual/Whatever Else body I have.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The meat and the stew were indeed delicious, the fried steaks I made were tasty and soft, the stew wasforting and warm, and the wine and bread went well with everything, it was a very nice lunch inside the dungeon~! However, there were important topics to talk about right now¡­ "Alright, now that we are all gathered and eating, let''s discuss what just happened¡­" ----- Chapter 453 Well Stick With You No Matter What! ----- As we ate, we began to discuss everything in detail. The fight with the ant guy was quite fast paced, they were barely able to grasp what happened and just barely at that, so I had to exin them in detail some more. After that, I added what Helga had told us about the ants the dwarves encountered from the sealed dungeon which the old hag Aquamarine wanted us to go clean afterwards. If all of that fit together, it was pretty normal to think that the dungeon we found in the second mountain where we were mining might hold something rted to the Evil God Fragments, maybe not really a fragment, but something of some sort. "So this dungeon is certainly dangerous. That might be only one Parasite Ant, but there might certainly be more of them around." Said Lucifer. "You also said you weren''t able to see its status?" "Yeah, I waspletely incapable of doing that." I said. "It seemed to have some sort of Skill that made it not possible to peer into its Soul Book, everything I saw was iprehensible letters which were very scary to be honest." "Hmm¡­ It was very strong from what I sensed. The Miasma it generated¡­ If it wasn''t for the armor you gave us, we would had been once more intoxicated." Sighed Emeraldine. "Yeah, even I felt weakened even when I am a Vampire who should be more resistant to Miasma." Sighed Partner. "Only Lucifer and the twins seemed unaffected, while the dwarves were far away so they didn''t got near it." I said. "The twins seem to be immune to miasma due to your origins as homunculus, right? Ah, sorry if it sounds a bit crude¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Ah, don''t worry mama!" Said Takeshi. "M-Mama?!" I asked in shock. "Yeah, it is fine." Said Laura. "We also felt the strong presence, but our Demonite Cores seemed strangely stable for some reason, and we even felt more¡­fortable." "Yeah¡­ It was weird." Takeshi said while rubbing his little chin. "And when you grabbed that dropped item too, it was strangely atractive." "This?" I took out the Eye of the Abyss, as the shiny purple jewel began to resonate with the twins, emanating a strong ck aura of miasma. I quickly pulled it back to my Inventory, as it might had hurt Emeraldine or Partner. "Yeah, that thing!" Takeshi said. "It might be some sort of item rted to our own cores¡­ but was it generated by the dungeon?" Laura wondered. "Yeah this dungeon seems to have a "Ore Drop Theme" so any monster dropped chunks of Ore, mostly things we already knew about or had seen before, nothing new, except this jewel¡­ It is dangerous so I won''t pull it out any longer, but maybe you kids have some sort of power simr to [Abyss Eater] and now that you''ve evolved some weeks ago and now leveled up, you might be developing some sort of miasma manipting and even miasma eating powers." I analyzed. "Yeah, it sounds like it makes some sense, seeing their origins¡­" Lucifer said. "After all, wasn''t that crazy scientist trying to create some sort of powerful Homunculus capable of wielding this power? And then when we fought against Agatha using a Demonic Heart Core which she already had inside of her chest¡­ Maybe they had yet to perfect this power, but Laura and Takeshi are the closest to it." "Evolving really made them stronger, so they are not so tired all the time." Partner pointed out. "I guess the way evolution works is that it simply help our bodies adapt to our new, overflowing strength." "Wow, that was a surprisingly intelligent remark from Partner." Emeraldine said. "Indeed, it was surprising." Said Lucifer. "H-Hey! Why are you saying that?! I am smart!" Partner said while pouting. "Anyways, she''s right." I said. "The Vampires might be perfecting this power they''re seeking, which might give them the power to turn into those horrendous demons or whatever they are." "And well, these monsters in here¡­ that parasite, could it be a result of the miasma as well? could there be endemic life forms that surge from the miasma itself?" Lucifer wondered. "It is very possible that that is the case." I answered. "That ant was amazingly strong, probably being a B+ Rank in power if not even reaching A Rank due to the Miasma and Chaos it can wield¡­ However, that one was some sort of Commander, so we might find weaker versions of them inrger quantities. We might be able to deal with them easier¡­ The big ones, I''ll have to take care of them myself, I don''t really want to risk you guys, it was too strong¡­" "NO!" Lucifer roared. "There''s no way I''ll let my wife do it all for me, I''ll help as well!" Lucifer''s dragon pride seemed to resurface as he spoke. "I want to help you. I am also immune to miasma due to my nature as a Death Dragon, it seems. Even if I am sliced into pieces, you can recover me anyways, and there''s nothing saying I can''t regenerate myself either. You have to trust my strength some more, Maria." "Lucifer¡­" "Yeah, he''s right, we are helping too!" Partner said. "I am a Vampire, even if I am cut in half I can survive anyways, your Undead Healing can also heal me, so don''t worry." "I can probably die¡­ so I''ll attack from the distance. My light element is very effective against these monsters, I believe¡­ And well, even if I end up dying, I am sure that Master will bring me back right away as an undead. I will be d to be an Undead if it means I can remain for eternity at your side¡­ I don''t really mind, after everything I''ve experienced, I had wished for death many times anyways¡­ It is only for you that I stay alive, Maria." "Y-You guys¡­ Don''t say such mellow things out of nowhere! And Emeraldine, there''s no way I''m letting you die!" I said. "You''re staying in the back, okay? And you kids protect your auntie." "Got it mama!" Takeshi said. "We''ll do everything we can!" Laura added. ----- Chapter 454 A Mysterious Little Wyvern ----- While eating, we were deciding various things and nning, however, as we enjoyed our food, someone suddenly sneaked inside our camp. "Groar!" We were not even able to detect this little monster, a creature resembling a small wyvern the size of a dog entered the camp and began to groan at us innocently. "Huh?! Eh?! What''s that?!" I ended panicking, as everyone else jumped out of their seats when they saw the little creature. Partner quickly pointed her spear at the creature as the monster slowly stepped back afraid. "A monster sneaked inside! I''ll kill it!" Partner said, as she ran towards the creature to impale it. "W-Wait a second!" I asked, quickly stopping Partner. "Don''t you see it is not aggressive? Also I am fairly sure there are only moles here¡­ Where did this little guy came from?" "It looks strangely wyvern-like¡­" Said Lucifer.N?v(el)B\\jnn "I heard there are various Wyvern nests around these mountains, could this be a wyvern pup that ended following us over here?" Emeraldine wondered. "Uwah, it is so cute¡­" "Groar!" The wyvern began waving his long tail as if it could understand Emeraldine praising him. He seemed slightly old though, or was it my idea? Its red scales were discolored, and its eyes slightly grayish as well¡­ it also had a few patches over its body where there were no scales. Could this be a weaker wyvern thrown away of his nest? "Yeah, it is not attacking¡­" Lucifer said. The wyvern slowly approached him, as he began licking his fingers while he was on his human form. "Ah¡­" Lucifer suddenly felt slightly moved, as he petted the wyvern''s little head. "Are you hungry?" I wondered. The wyvern immediately responded to my words while groaning, and walking to my side. "I see, so you were attracted by the smell of meat most likely¡­ Here you go!" I gave the wyvern a big steak as he immediately devoured it entirely, munching the meat, his eyes shone brightly, he seemed quite happy. "Groar!" He groaned again, as if asking for seconds. "Haha, can wyverns eat stew?" I wondered, serving him a bit of stew over a small te. "Groaaarrr!" The wyvern immediately began digging in without reservations, drinking the stew''s broth, eating both potatoes, carrots, and everything else without any problems. At the end, the little scaled friend licked his mouth happily. "Well, this is unexpected¡­ Did we just tamed this creature?" I wondered. "I think this is the first time ever I make a monster friend that is not an Undead-" Ding! [You have learned the [Taming: Lv1] Skill] [You acquired the [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv1] Title Skill] "¡­Seriously?" FLASH! Suddenly, a sh of bright light reached the small wyvern, hitting its head and forming a small mark. For a second there, I felt some sort of connection. However, the little wyvern panicked and canceled the taming, so it ended being unsessful. Did the system just tried to forcefully tame him for me?! "Groar! GRAR!" The little wyvern got slightly angry, spreading his wings, and waving his tail angrily, even furrowing his "eyebrows" which were just thicker scales. "I''m sorry! I didn''t really had the intention to forcefully tame you!" I sighed. "(Also System, what the heck was that?)" [Because you''ve tamed many Undead you''ve been almost getting this skill, but you required the other requirement, actually taming a living monster, and it just appeared due to this, don''t me me. The Skill was activated automatically.] "(Hahh¡­ Well, whatever.)" "So what do we do with this guy?" Wondered Emeraldine. "C-Can we keep him?" Emeraldine approached the wyvern and she seed in petting him. At the end, everyone petted our new scaly friend, and even the twins were charmed by its small cuteness. It really looked like a small wyvern, although it had some strangely simr aspects to Lucifer, but I guess that''s something that all dragon-types share. Wyverns are considered more animal than intelligent dragons, like the equivalents of apes to humans I guess. "Alright, we''ll keep him. He seems to love Lucifer; he can''t get enough of him." Iughed, seeing the little wyvern licking Lucifer''s face. "Ahahaha¡­ You''re quite the yful little brat¡­ You kind of remind me of my sister¡­ when she was small." Sighed Lucifer, suddenly recalling a bit of his infancy. After having recruited a new friend which we had yet to pick a name for, we decided to move forward after having our meals and feeling better. I had already decided to make a specialized formation for our entire group. I will be standing in the front with Lucifer, while Partner is right behind us. She''ll mostly also protect Emeraldine while Emeraldine offers support with her Magic and Archery from afar, all while the kids protect her in the back. I know the two are weaker than the us, but thanks to Laura''s Unique Skill: [Twin Connection], she can share all Skills and Magic with Takeshi and vice versa, so they can actually be even stronger when together. Recently she even told me they can share 50% of one another''s total Stats as long as they''re closer by around 20 meters range, so that''s already insane enough. Unique Skills are really heaven-defying sometimes to be honest, so it was totally possible that such an effect existed, I guess¡­ I have yet to find any other people with Unique Skills though, but I am fairly sure the twins won''t be the only ones. But for now, our formation seems pretty good. After packing everything inside my Inventory, we made our way across the grasnds of the first dungeon floor atop Lucifer''srge back, reaching therge entrance that led us even deeper. "Here we are¡­ Let''s go!" Lucifer didn''t falter, as he quickly delved inside the cave, we quickly reached deeper and deeper, until we finally arrived in yet another openndscape, this time, it resembled a big forest, withkes, rivers, and mountains in the background. The songs of birds could be heard around beautifully. "Woah, such a beautiful forest!" Said Partner. "If we could really conquer this dungeon, we would have all of this for ourselves¡­" Emeraldine. "And yeah, there are monsters too!" I pointed out, pointing at the group of creatures which quickly detected us, they resembled giant flightless birds with colorful feathers and enormously deadly golden-colored beaks, each one was at least three meters tall! "I guess we can''t really take a break and enjoy the scenery, huh?" Lucifer said, as we all got ready to yet another EXP grind. Hm, and even more, behind those giant birds, I can clearly feel the presence of something strong and darker¡­ ----- Chapter 455 Reaching The Dungeons Second Floor, Meeting An Army Of Angry Birds! ----- Birds! Countless of birds! They were all colorful, and there were not only the flightless three-meter-tall ones, but there were some falcon-like birds flying across the skies, some ck crow-like ones, and even some morend birds with feathers as hard as steel. This was a gigantic flock of different types of bird monsters, all gathered here just to kill us! Great, just what we needed! Well, actually, yes, this what we needed, I wanted more EXP after all. Those moles delivered a nice amount of it and I even reached Level 15, but for my next evolution, I need to reach Level 80, so it is nothing particrly easy to pull out, I am 65 levels off reaching my next evolution after all! If I ever am nning on defeating those goddamn Vampires and whatever other dangerous threat might emerge in the future, I need to keep evolving and strengthening my allies. And so, I must channel my innermost gamer and get grinding as much EXP as I can! "CRAAAH!" BAAAM! An enormous, five-meter-tall, flightless bird with colorful feathers and a massive beak reached us in an instant by literally jumping here. Are you a frog or a bird?! Its enormous legs were built with muscles, and its sharp ws broke through the ground below us, several trees flew away the moment the bird hit the ground, generating a powerful shockwave. The other birds stepped back due to the bird''s intimidating presence. "Ohoho, did we got thest boss already?" I wondered, looking at the monster in front of us. ----- [Rainbow-Crowned Brawler Bird: Lv61] [Rank: B+++] [Status: Furious, Protecting its Territory] A monstrously enormous Bird, the leader of a flock of Rainbow Brawler Birds. Due to the feathers growing atop of its head in the shape of a crown, it is recognized as the "Rainbow-Crowned", although this specimen is still young, as itcks the total power of adulthood, which would easily bring this monster to A- Rank. It is capable of delivering deadly kicks and beak attacks that can shake the earth and destroy anything on its path. Despite its big body andck of wings, it can move swiftly and incredibly dexterously. It is ruthless and territorial and will fight anything that steps into its territory while its underlings will assist it. Skills: [Brawling Master] [Kicking Arts] [zing Kick] [Fire Breath] [re Explosion] [Meteor Smash] [Catastrophic Beak Blow] [Beak Explosion Attack] [Intimidating Aura of the King] ----- "This guy''s weaker than the Mole King?" I wondered. "CRAAAAH!" BAAAM! The bird didn''t even wait for us to analyze it any further, as its enormous ws hit the ground, making everything tremble, suddenly explosions of mes erupted one after the other, as hundreds of colorful birds and other birds joining the flock flew towards us. "Shit, there''s no time to talk, we have to fight!" Said Partner. Partner readied her two spears as she imbued them with her Blood Aura. Her beautiful red eyes shone brightly as they unleashed a ray of curses, this was due to her [Cursed Evil Eyes].n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om This incredible ability granted Partner the power to lower her foe''s stats by merely ring at them through the infliction of Weakening Curses such as the [Curse of the Weak], [Curse of the Slow], [Curse of the Frail], and so on, a very useful Skill she had been leveling up ever since she became Lesser Vampire. "[Scarlet Moon]!" TRUUUUMMM¡­! Partner started with a banger before all of us, she seemed to really want to have some action, as she conjured her [Scarlet Moon], the evolution of her [Darkness Bullet] Skill which allowed her to conjure an enormous sphere of darkness and blood,bining both of her primary elements and unleashing a devastating explosive attack by firing the scarlet sphere of darkness against her foes! FLAAAASH! The sole presence of the sphere of darkness and blood began to drain away the life of the weakest birds charging towards us in an instant, as they blood only intensified [Scarlet Blood]''s power. The Crowned Bird detected the enormous power of the blow, as it quickly rushed forward, imbuing mes over its entire body and then its beak, which grew three times its original size, turningpletely red as if it were boiling! "DIE!" Partner said ruthlessly. "CRAAAAAH!" The Rainbow Crowned Brawler Bird cried furiously, as its beak shed against Partner''s strongest magic attack! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! An enormous explosion ensued, consuming everything within the skies andpletely emptying the sky from any clouds, the shockwaves alone killed a few dozen of flying birds nearby that didn''t manage to run away in time, as everything turned red for a few seconds. BAAAM! Suddenly, amidst the smoke, the bird fell from the skies, reaching the ground. It was¡­ standing?! "CRAAAHHH¡­ CRAHHAH¡­" The bird seemed to be gasping for air, but it had survived. Its furious red eyes seemedpletely filled with the conviction to fight even more. "Oh, so it took my magic attack!" Laughed Partner. "Well, I''ve never been good at fighting with magic anyways!" "You think so?" Sighed Lucifer. "You''ve only enraged the bird more!" Emeraldine reprimanded Partner. "Geh¡­ I am just doing my best!" Partner cried, as I ended patting her head. "Don''t worry, let''s take on them all together¡­ I''ve also got an army of my own after all!" I quickly enhanced my Undead troops and summoned my shadows amidst the Dark and Death Domain, enhancing my Undead''s strength all while bringing them out. There were still some surviving skeletons and zombies, alongside several other monsters, but the majority of my new troops were dozens if not almost a hundred Moles, some even enhanced with ice and lightning element, giving them a greater power. "Now go!" Imanded them, as the Undead marched forward, shing against the Brawling Birds, the Wind Falcons, and the Metallic Feather birds at once. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The sound of their fighting could be heard all around as I smiled, my loyal Frost Ghost emerged behind me, granting me the power of Ice¡­ "Let''s see how far you can go little birds¡­" ----- Chapter 456 Powerful Mid Bosses Appear! ----- Most of the moles decided to dig underground and createrge pits, letting the flightless birds fall to their demise, as the Moles conjured [Boulder st] and crushed them to death in there. Other Moles who had died by being frozen or electrocuted had different fighting methods. The Lightning Moles moved fast in groups, attacking the flying birds by jumping from the ground and shing them with their ws, while the Freezing Moles unleashed Ice Magic and froze their targets body parts to take them down more easily. I had also summoned my loyal Gero, as the giant Venomous Smander spread out his own Venom Domain, intoxicating several of the birds from both the air and thend. Many of them couldn''t even step close to him, opting to use magic, only to get attacked by enormous car-sized fireballs made out of phantasmal mes, which Lucifer began to fire everywhere while flying on the skies. "ROOOARRR!" Lucifer''s ws were covered on his darkness and phantasmal mes, as he began burning and slicing into pieces the flying birds, shredding their bodies apart with utmost ease. He didn''t used any particrly fancy Skill for now as he wanted to take care of the small fry first, but his very body was already a deadly weapon both in bed and in battle. As he shredded apart the Wind Falcons, a furious cry came from the skies, an enormous, fifteen-meter-big Falcon with green feathers and a golden beak emerged from the skies, it seemed to be a leader of the Wind Falcons as well, and it looked almost as strong as the Rainbow-Crowned Brawler Bird! ----- [Emerald Storm Falcon King: Lv58] [Rank: B++] [Status: Enraged] A powerful King of the Storm Falcons, birds that can fly across the skies rapidly and manipte winds. The powerful jewel on its forehead enhances its power several times, granting incredible capabilities and wind maniption powers. It can summon storms of winds to take down gigantic foes with ease and is feared as the "ruler of the skies" below True Wyverns and other scalypetitors. It is often considered even more ruthless than them, as it protects its flock furiously against predators and attackers. Skills: [Windstorm] [Slicing Wind Spears] [Emerald Wind Barrier] [Mercilessly ws] [Sonic Flight] [Crushing Beak Attack] [Storming Wind Domain] [Intimidating Aura of the King] ----- It was seriously a strong foe! "CRAAAAAH!" It didn''t even looked at Lucifer twice as it attacked furiously and even recklessly. pping its enormous wings and then unleashing a terrifying wind attack that spread out like a storm, attempting to epass my beloved dragon husband! FLUOOOSH! "Oh? Interesting!" Lucifer, however, responded with amusement, as he let himself be consumed by the slicing winds that exploded over his entire, gigantic draconic body! BOOOOMMM!!!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The bird kept looking in silence at Lucifer, only to open it eyes in shock, my dragon was of course,pletely alright! "Hmph, that''s certainly an amazing wind magic, you will be a good servant for Maria¡­!" Heughed pridefully, his entire body was unscathed. "CRAAAH!" The Falcon didn''t wasted any second as it seemed to use its [Sonic Flight] Skill to approach him like a sh of green light. The jewel on its forehead shone brightly at the same time, conjuring a windstorm that shaped itself into an enormous spear, and quickly attempted to pierce through Lucifer''s chest. FLAAAASH! "Amendable effort. However¡­ [Dark Moon]." TRUUUUUMMMMM¡­! Suddenly, space distorted atop of Lucifer''s arms, as a sudden enormous magic circle emerged, materializing a gigantic, fifty-meterrge sphere of pure obscurity, epassed on ck phantasmal mes, and then, the enormous [Dark Moon] flew directly towards the Falcon King, shing against his Windstorm Spear. CLAAASH!!! "C-CRAAAAHHH¡­!" The entire Falcon King was caught in the explosion, as its entire body began to burn by the ck phantasmal mes, its life being drained at the same time as its body slowly started to freeze. Phantasmal mes didn''t burn conventionally, but they froze like ice. BAAAM! Its gigantic body, left like a frozen mummy, fell from the skies, falling over the forest and leaving an enormous crater behind, the other birds were intimidated enough that they tried to fly away, but Lucifer mercilessly caught them all, shaping his Darkness into countless spears and firing them at the escaping falcons. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "You''re not running away." Lucifer mercilessly said. "After all, we require as much EXP as possible." "Good job Lucifer, keep it up!" I praised Lucifer while being down here, as I quickly waved my hand. "[Transfiguration of the Dead]!" FLUOOOSH! A wave of phantasmal essence flew across the forest, quickly rising the monsters that had been dying, massacred by mypanions, as I quickly added them to my army of Undead. Especially that big Falcon King, which was healed from its mummy-like state and had its wings turned dark green instead, with menacing red eyes, it evolved into a [Shadow Storm Falcon Death King], and countless other Falcons were also turned into loyal Undead subjects, joining their former leader and flying across the skies with him, attacking the other birds with storms of shadows and darkness. I didn''t had the time nor I really wanted to rise them through the System Points way, as I simply raised them conventionally, and it ended being good enough, their power helped us push further against the hundreds of birds attacking us, as we gained more territory and that allowed us to take a bit of a breather¡­ However, it wouldn''t be enough, as hundreds of birds continued rushing our way. I quickly decided to step in and fight. "Veredorr, give me a hand!" "Very well, Master!" The Frost Ghost quickly granted me Ice power, as I gathered it within my shadows and channeled his powers through the [Spirit Summon] [Spirit Queen] and [Spiritual Mediator] Skills, which all worked with Ghosts I''ve made with my own powers. FLUOOSH! A sudden storm of icy winds emerged from my presence, as I pointed the palm of my hands against the hundreds of monsters approaching. "Eternal Ice Prison!" CLAAAASH! ----- Chapter 457 Beating Down Overpowered Chickens One After Another! ----- The sound of the water in the environment freezing was heard loudly, as the sound of ice crystals constantly growing over dozens if not almost a hundred birds at once reverberated across the forest, half of thisndscape quickly turned into and of pure ice, as the birds were all frozen into statues. The Rainbow-Crowned Brawler Bird barely managed to evade by using its various Fire Attribute Skills and unleashing zing Kicks everywhere, but its minions were long dead. "Phew, that was a strong Spell." I sighed in relief, I had spent 60% of my MP in a single attack in there, but this surely created a better situation. Now that a lot of them were taken down in a second, the rest of the birds began to get intimidated by our presence. The wall of ice formed by my attack also worked as a great obstacle for any non-flying birds, although the big ones still broke through them and charged forwards, even more furious than before.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Let''s absorb some of the Mana of the environment to recover¡­" I said with a smile, as I began to slowly drain Mana and recover it. Meanwhile, the rest of my party used the opportunity I gave them to fight back and push forward, finally acquiring an advantage as we were not beingpletely overwhelmed any more. Lucifer took care of the skies, protecting us from anything that might be a surprise attack, while Partner was right behind me, working as the bodyguard of Emeraldine, the twins, and me. She used her abilities to take down any of the monsters that got near us. Meanwhile, Emeraldine and the twins were also relentlessly fighting from a long distance. Emeraldine had been channeling the power of her Spirits almost nonstop, as the Spirit of Light and Nature floated around her, granting her new power. She suddenly enchanted the magic arrows she had made specifically for herself back then and covered them on Spiritual Essence and Mana, pointing ten arrows at the same time using her bow at the approaching Metallic Feather Birds, which were vicious and the hardest to kill, their leader was a robust, steel-te covered monster with a metallic beak and sharp as de wings. ----- [Giant Metallic Steel Feathered Bird King: Lv57] [Rank: B++] [Status: Enraged] The king of the impossibly resistant and powerful Steel Feathered Birds, its size surpassing over ten meters, its wings shaped as deadly des, and its metallic armor covering its entire body makes it a deadly foe capable of slicing anything and easily resist most magic and physical attacks. Incredibly tough to take down, they''re often considered impossible to defeat by Adventurers, who run at the time they spot them. Vicious by nature and incredibly bloodthirsty, it seeks to slice and devour its prey, and is incredibly enraged by almost any sort of provocation. They will chase down their prey to the end of the world. Skills: [Metallic Defense] [Steel Feather Armor] [Harden Body] [Metallic Cry] [Slicing de Wings] [Swordsmanship Arts] [Metallic Kick] [Kicking Technique] [Metallic Beak] [Flesh Shredder] [Merciless] [Intimidating Aura of the King] ----- This bastard was definitely min-maxing defense and physical attack, he''s deadly strong! I never thought birds could even look like this. It seems I have yet to even visit all the dungeons in this world, or even continents. By just seeing this fantastical monster, I can already imagine what sort of others monstrous beasts I could find in my journey¡­! "CRAAAAAH!" The monstrous bird moved forward, its entire body covered on metallic scales or feathers which created metallic wounds over the grass and ice. The gigantic monster had taken my freezing spell directly and was unscathed, seemingly resistant to magic and the ice element. However, Emeraldine readied her Light Arrows, imbuing them with the elemental power of her spirits, as they shone brightly like stars. "Light Spirit Bow Arts: Starlight Arrow Shower!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Emeraldine suddenly fired all her arrows not directly towards the bird, but into the skies! The arrows reached the skies and then shone brightly as if they were all a beautiful group of stars in a night sky. The bird seemed confused only for a few seconds before each arrow began falling from the skies, even bigger and stronger than before, resembling stars that were falling from space itself! "C-CRAAAH?!" The bird quickly enhanced its body defense and tried to evade the blows while running towards Emeraldine, but suddenly, it tripped over the floor! BAAAM! "CRAAAH?!" The bird once more was shocked by finding its legs entangled on an incredibly hard metallic thread with a hook that emerged out of the ground below itself! Takeshi was standing behind Emeraldine while looking at the bird, using his [Fisher] Unique Skill amazing Fishing Rod, and capturing the bird from moving. CRASH! However, the bird managed to break out of the thread, only for more to catch the monster and push it down once more. Takeshi was infusing Mana into his Fishing Rod constantly, making it possible for the thread to constantly regenerate and grow stronger and more resistant. It was not indestructible, but it was incredibly tough! And to boot, the arrows were already reaching the bird from above, shing over its entire body and bombarding the bird with explosions of burning light constantly, it couldn''t evade a single attack! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "CRAAAAAAHHHH¡­!" The bird gave out agonizing cries as its hard feathers and scales were destroyed one by one, wounds emerged over its soft and tender flesh below them, sttering blood constantly and generating a pool of it below it¡­ However, it was still somehow alive, and furious! "CRAAAH!" The bird slowly attempted to stand back up again, only for Laura to smile, touching the Fishing Rod of Takeshi. "Boom." She said with a smile. BOOOOOOMMM!!! The entire fishing rod exploded, as the threads turned red and then blew up, destroying the bird''s legs and the rest of its body was roasted alive. Even the delicious smell of roasted chicken could be smelled from afar¡­ That was utterly brutal! ----- Chapter 458 An Unexpected Situation! ----- As my friends massacred our foes, the Rainbow-Crowned Brawler Bird was constantly attempting to catch me up. I had already told everybody that I was strong enough to deal with it myself, but this beast was relentless! It wasn''t even letting me take a break, the moment the Metal Bird King died, this thing began chasing me down constantly. I fired more and more Ice Spells against him, but he easily destroyed them with zing kicks, and when I fired darkness at it, its beak shone as bright as light, destroying most of my darkness. I was recovering more of MP so I could throw a stronger spell, but it was already forcing me into a close-quarterbat. And one where I will definitely not lose. "Fine, let''s end this then! If you''re such a stubborn bastard!" I rushed forward without moving away from his range anymore. The bird, as if recognizing my bravery, stopped rushing towards me and stood there. FLUOSH! A sudden Domain was invoked, the bird''s rainbow feathers shone brightly as a domain of zing rainbow mes emerged around its surroundings. These were no normal mes as they didn''t burned the trees, but mystical mes, something simr to spiritual power. These also contained the element of light too, which was lethal against me even as I am right now. Maybe small fry can''t hurt me but a monster with the potential to be A Rank is certainly strong enough. But it''s not like I was scared of getting a bit hurt when I had such a big HP pool and the powers to easily avoid death- well, I was already dead to begin with! BBBBZZZZZZ¡­! SHAAAAA¡­.! The sound of countless swarms of flies and phantasmal snakes resonated across the forest, as the bird''s face suddenly shown a shocked expression, seeing that my entire body suddenly divided itself into a swarm of snakes and flies was not something it could had ever expected to ever happen! "Let''s see if you can take this!" Bybining my transformation with Death and Darkness Domain''s boost, the buff from all other Skills put together, and the enormously strong magic I was readying, I unleashed my all, as five enormous eyes suddenly emerged amidst the swarm of flies and snakes, unleashing rays of curses! This was, of course, my infamous [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes]! FLASH! "CRAAAAH!" The bird immediately evaded the rays that could inflict curses, but ultimately ended taking three of them, Paralysis, Poison, and Confusion, barely evading the most lethal, Petrification. SPARK! Suddenly, its entire body was paralyzed and poisoned at the same time, the enormous bird was incapable of moving at all, and felt rather shocked at that. Poison began consuming its health bar while paralysis and confusion made it hard for it to move with its bones and muscles being constantly tormented with sparks of electricity while its mind was being confused. "You''ll be a tasty roasted chicken!" Iughed almost manically, as I channeled the power of a ssic one. "Pandora''s Box." TRUUUUMMM¡­! Poison, Darkness, and Death concentrated into a single sphere which emerged right before the bird''s face, its mes, and the domain it held was incapable of turning off this sphere of three deadly elements. Creaaaak¡­! Suddenly, the illusion of a ck chest emerged before its sight, slowly opening, and then, unleashing utter chaos. BOOOOOMMMM!!! The darkness, poison, and phantasmal death quickly consumed the Rainbow-Crowned Bird entirely, as a smile surged in my lips, Iughed. "Hahahaha! Let''s see if you can take this!" "CRAAAHHHH¡­!" Thest cry of the Rainbow-Crowned bird was heard, as its body fell into the ground,pletely covered in darkness and poison, and dying¡­ oh, it somehow survived with barely any HP. "Amendable effort but it would be better if you die for now, I can turn you into an even stronger Undead¡­" I said with a smile. However, the bird looked directly into my own eyes, its eyes ring with mes of¡­ conviction? Was it pissed at me? Ohe on, you''re just a Field Boss, let''s not give you more time than needed- FLUOOOSH!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Ah, bad timing to say that. An eruption of mes emerged out of nowhere, the mes shining with bright rainbow light and epassing the entirety of the bird''s body, healing it, and at the same time, making it grow bigger. Is this¡­ a new Skill? Did this motherfucker just awakened a new Skill? Wait¡­ it wasn''t mature yet, right? So what does a Rainbow-Crowned Brawler Bird even bes when it matures? [The [Rainbow Crowned Brawler Bird] has suddenly gone through a Life and Death situation, provoking an early awakening of itstent powers!] [The [Dungeon Core] has influenced the Bird''s evolution!] So it is the dungeon core! Is it trying to kill us because it knows we are trying to conquer it and take it for ourselves? Bastard, so this Core is just the same as the previous dungeon at the end, huh? FLUOSH! The enormous bird quickly changed entirely, growing thrice as big, as its gigantic body constantly ushed an enormous burst of rainbow and bright golden mes, which easily burned through most of my swarms and consumed them! Damn it, it had to be Holy Light Element, right?! Although I am overwhelmingly overpowered, I''ve always had this weakness since I was born as a ghost, the element of holy light! Light alone is still somehow bearable, but when it bes Holy Light, it is serious fucking business. I had to retreat if I didn''t wanted to get consumed by the light, as I flew away and made a good distance from the enormous eruption of golden rainbow mesing from the bird¡­ Its entire body had changed, its feathers covered its body gloriously as they shone with bright red and golden colors, with a majestic and divine rainbow aura¡­ its beak was smaller now, but sharp and beautiful, golden as if made of pure gold ore. Its eyes were sharp, bright yellow, and atop its red-feathered head, there was a crown of golden feathers with the tips of the color of the rainbow. Without a doubt, that thing was a Phoenix. "CRYAAAAAH!" ----- Chapter 459 Versus The [Rainbow Crowned Holy Flames Phoenix]! ----- A glorious looking bird emerged before us, one that people would only describe from legends! Who would had thought that the kicking brawler bird was actually the chick of an actual fucking Phoenix?! Were all the smaller ones also chicks and only the biggest one managed to reach enough strength to be something like the King of the chicks? Well, whatever, this was definitely bad news because, just as I had stated earlier, I am weak to the element of this Phoenix, Holy Light. Apparently, this Phoenix not only wields Ultimate Fire, but also Holy Light as a secondary element, merging both its mes with its light and turning rainbow mes out of it, an incredibly powerful and potentbination. Can I even defeat this on my own? ----- [Rainbow Crowned Holy mes Phoenix: Lv66] [Rank: A+] [Status: Evolved, Enraged, Ready for Revenge] The Rainbow Crowned Brawler Bird was nothing but the Chick of an Actual Phoenix, the powerful Rainbow Crowned Phoenixes, a race of incredibly rare and powerful Phoenixes that wield not only Fire but also Holy Light as a secondary element. They''re often perceived as the symbols of light by the Holy Church of Light and are incredibly protective of their territory and kin. They possess the power of both of these elements, amazing reflexes, flight speed, explosive attacks, destructive physical blows, amazing magic talent, and several other skills. It is said they''re natural enemies of Undead, and often travel across the world to purify them from the face of the earthmanded by the God of Light¡­ albeit that is only a myth.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Skills: [Holy me Spiral Storm] [Golden mes Domain] [Consuming Super Nova] [Holy me Familiar Creation] [Phoenix Domineering Presence] [Holy me Creation] [Rebirth from Ashes] [¡­] ----- It had so many Skills that there was a gigantic list of them! And not only that but this damn bastard could be reborn from ashes?! Can this dude juste back from the dead if I kill him now?! Well, it is only worth giving it a try. "You''ve already forced my hand, I won''t wait for you toe kill me¡­ [Chaotic Meteor]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! I began absorbing the Phoenix MP the moment it evolved, and used the MP immediately into conjuring five Chaotic Meteors at the same time. All five of them fell towards the phoenix at the same time, the gigantic spheres of crystalized darkness, poison, death, and even chaos fell over the Phoenix as its enormous mes were still stabilizing themselves. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOOMMM!!! "CRAAAAAAHHHH¡­!" The five gigantic meteors fell one after the other consecutively, the gigantic Phoenix agonizingly cried, its voice reverberating cross the entirety of the Dungeon''s floor as the meteors consumed its entire body, even its mes couldn''t- FLUOOOOSSSSHHHH!!! However, against my very own expectations, they could. The mes erupted out of its body, consuming my gigantic meteors and their explosive impact,pletely turning them all into ashes¡­ You''ve gotta be fucking kidding me. "CRYAAAH!" The Phoenix furiously looked back at me, although its health bar was now at 50%, it was slowly recovering! This bastard even has an automatic self-recovery ability which I couldn''t properly see amidst its enormous quantity of Skills I didn''t wanted to memorize. FLASH! In an instant, the Phoenix flew towards me, resembling a fireball in the shape of a majestic bird, shing against my Barriers, which I materialized one after the other constantly! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! However, each barrier was gettingpletely destroyed one after the other, as its holy mes began reaching up to my body, attempting to consume me entirely. FLUOSH! "Damn it¡­!" I gathered all the power I could within my soul, opening a gigantic ck Hole once more, the same one I used to kill that Ant, and then shapeshifted my entire body into my truest form, an endless abyss of darkness! TRUUUMMMM¡­! Bybining [Phantasmal Stomach], [Abyss Eater], [Sin of Gluttony], and several other skills alongside my [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] and my [Supreme Magic], I created what I called... [All Devouring Gluttonous ck Void]! "CRAAAAH!" The Phoenix was easily caught into my own gigantic ck Hole of a body, as its mes began to be consumed and turned into MP for me to absorb! However, the monster was struggling annoyingly, unleashing constant storms of mes that consumed my own body. "Ugh, you bastard, just fucking die!" I roared, trying topletely devour the Phoenix as I epassed its entire body with my soul. "CRAAAAH!" However, it didn''t worked. The phoenix cried madly, unleashing one of its strongest spells [Consuming Super Nova], as I felt the gigantic sphere of light and mes consuming my entire interior. My soul began growing like a balloon, as I felt like I was being consumed by this fire¡­ At the end, Holy mes is still not something I can brute force. BOOOOOMMM!!! "MASTER!" "MARIA!" "MARIAAAA!" My friends cried for me as I felt my entire soul and phantasmal body fragmenting into pieces and exploding, I flew into different pieces all over the dungeon floor, falling into the floor like ck slime. My HP bar was going lower than 20%, but I somehow survived. It all depended on my own mass. As long as I can keep some of my mass of my soul and phantom, I''ll always be over 100% HP, although I lost roughly 70% of my entire mass, I am still alive, somehow! Ugh¡­ butpletely weakened, and everyone is panicking to boot! "Agh! Goddamn it!" I cursed the heavens as I emerged like a little version of myself at the side of Emeraldine and everyone else who had regrouped. "Maria! You''re okay!" Emeraldine cried, hugging my little self. "Master, I thought you died! Everything was too fast!" Partner cried. "You''re okay?" Asked Lucifer, panicked. "How did you even survive that- ah, well, it doesn''t matter how, I am happy you''re okay but how can we deal with this?!" Lucifer was more grounded than the others due to his maturity and looked at the ferocious yet tired Phoenix in the skies. The bastard had not ended unscathed either. ----- Chapter 460 A Plan And The Phoenixs Birth ----- As I fell into pieces, I realized I had managed to hurt the Phoenix quite a lot. Although I lost around 70% of my entire body in the process, the bastard was no way below 30% of its total HP, I would say even almost at 20%! Of course, my near-suicidal attack could easily be nothing if the bastard regenerated quick enough. His entire body was covered on holy mes, healing all wounds slowly, even broken bones and destroyed organs were regenerating at a fast speed, amazingly so. If we didn''t destroy him before he could regenerate any further, we won''t be able to beat him for real¡­ or not if we don''t sacrifice something. I felt my presence in the entirety of the forest though, each fragment of myself. I ended getting broken into 23 pieces of my own soul and phantom, and each one was moving independently. But even if I hurried up, it would be useless to recover myself by merging with all pieces, as I would still be weakened. I would need to spend several minutes healing myself using [Undead Healing] which is honestly too slow, and the Phoenix will easily recover in that time. My thoughts are usually faster than most people, probably dozens of times if not a hundred times faster, therefore, I can think of strategies while not wasting much time. And right now, the only strategy we have is¡­ it is all on Takeshi. "Master, we have to recover your soul pieces!" Partner cried. "No, we don''t have time, the Phoenix will catch on us, the bastard is not moving because he''s recovering, but if he sees us doing something, he''ll charge at us or unleash his attacks or magic¡­" I said. Even my voiced had changed slightly as my body was small andpact. "Then what can we do?" Emeraldine wondered. "The fire element and the holy light element are too strong, and weck a way to counter them ourselves¡­" Elemental Affinity and the interaction between elements has always been a big thing in this world, especially in the fights there had been. Although usually most elements can hit each other neutrally sometimes, the weaknesses or resistances are strong when the recipient of such elements are also stronger. My darkness, poison, death, and illusion can''t even fathom to damage the Phoenix enough to kill it, so I had to rely on my Skills to damage him, but even then¡­ I failed. We need someone capable of countering the elements the phoenix has, and between all of us, only one can realistically do it, the fire element can be countered by Takeshi''s amazing Water Attribute Affinity and his Unique Skill [Fisherman]. Nobody else has an elemental advantage except him. "Takeshi!" I called him, as the boy was startled. "Mama, are you feeling okay?" He asked while feeling worried about me.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I am okay my boy! But I need your help." I said with a smile. "We''ll grant you the strength and the opportunity, you have to strike down that bird!" "E-Eh? Me?!" He asked. "Oh?" Laura seemed surprised. "Fire against Water dear, can you make the math?" I sighed. "R-Right¡­ I am the only one here with fire¡­ the ice of your ghost can''t do it either?" He wondered. "Nope, and my miasmic darkness gets purified by the holy light. But holy light only deals neutral damage to water." I said. "You''re the chosen one!" "M-Me?!" Takeshi was honestly shocked. Although I found it incredibly adorable he started calling me "mama" instead of auntie as before, so much that I wanted to cuddle with him for an entire day, I had to force my son to do something that might be over exceeding his own limits. "Okay¡­" He quickly answered. "I''ll do anything I can! Please grant me your strength!" "Atta boy!" Lucifer said. "I can see you''ve grown stronger not only on stats, but also on conviction, dear." Emeraldine said. "Can he do it tough?!" Partner wondered. "I''ll help in any way I can!" Laura said. "Then it is decided!" I quicklymanded everyone for battle, swiftly giving them my instructions¡­ ----- Long ago in this dungeon, there was once an egg. A red egg as big as a building, when it broke, several chicks came out, hundreds of them, almost a thousand. They were all colorful and beautiful, but ferocious as well. Their powerful kicks and sharp beaks easily shredded into pieces thepetition and helped them eat. Amidst those chicks, one of them ate the most and was the bravest, protecting its family from the various other monsters that roamed the dungeon. Eventually, it suddenly grew bigger than the other chicks, gaining a crown of feathers. Suddenly, the other birds heard its call, and even those from other species seemed to obey him for some reason. The n of birds which had been on war for a long time came together to serve him. He really didn''t knew why, but he was someone special. And it was not until today, when invaders came from the "outside world" that the bird knew its true purpose, to defeat the eviling here. However, it was not strong enough, against the endless abyssal darkness of this demonic invader, the bird fell to its death¡­ only to be reborn. Before dying, it heard the soothing voice of a woman resonating within its mind, this was the "God" that every monster believed on inside this enormous dungeon, or well¡­ the Dungeon Core. "You''re the most talented and the strongest of all your siblings. You''re the chosen one¡­ I shall grant you power, my child. Now awaken your bloodline and defeat this evil from taking over our world!" FLASH! Without any sort of doubt, the bird took upon this brilliant power, as Mana flowed into its body and soul. All of its wounds were healed, and its entire body evolved, changing, and turning into somethingpletely new, apletely new entity altogether. As its body was shrouded on divine mes, he finally realized who he truly was¡­ A phoenix! And his duty was nothing else than defeat this evil darkness from the outside world. ----- Chapter 461 Going All Out! ----- The newly awakened Phoenix fought against the darkness of the outside world, this woman-shaped evil that was entirely made of obscurity. His mes were powerful and could burn through her darkness, yet she had several aces below her sleeve, and used them all in session, debilitating the Phoenix in the process. However, ultimately, the Phoenix came on top, unleashing the power given to him by the dungeon, it destroyed the evil darkness¡­ however, it paid a big price, weakening itself enough that it felt like it would require several hours to recover his healthpletely. The Phoenix required rest, but the underlings of this darkness remained, hiding beneath his eyes within the dense woods below. The Phoenix watched down, seeking them to quickly take them down and be done with this ordeal¡­ It had done enough, and required to rest or it would simply end up in the same situation as before. Although it couldn''t talk, there was always a personality and thoughts within his mind. "Where is the darkness'' underlings¡­?" The enormous Phoenix thought, as he pped his zing wings, seeking them viciously. However, it suddenly came in front of something, a small wyvern that had fled behind him without him even realizing the creature''s presence until now. "Huh?" "GRAWR!" Suddenly, the small Wyvern''s eyes shone with a bright red light, reaching the Phoenix! FLASH! "CRAH!" The Phoenix felt surprised, as his own Stats began to go down by a bit! The furious zing bird attempted to catch the small wyvern and defeat him, but the winged lizard flew down, hiding in the woods. Although his mes went through the trees, he could not find the culprit behind the strange curse it was inflicted upon him. FLASH! And then, as it sought such a creature and ended distracting himself from his original n, another simr sensation epassed his body and soul! "Ungh?! Again?" His entire strength, magical power, defense, and more, suddenly began to go down even more, as his stats lowered temporarily. A sudden feeling of weakness and exhaustion took over the wyvern''s entire body and soul. "Enough!" He unleashed his mes, forming an enormous storm of holy fire. FLUOOSH! The enormous explosion of mes surged from the ground, taking over the entire forest and burning it. The figure of an underling of the darkness, or Partner, showed up, shrouding herself in shadows and suddenly running away by jumping over the trees that had yet to burn. "You can''t escape from my fury!" The Phoenix furiously flew towards Partner as his wings werepletely epassed on holy mes, burning through everything, and devastating anything in his path! However, Partner suddenly smiled as she reached a certain ce, a strangle clear and calm area of the forest, where the Phoenix unleashed his mes, taking over everything furiously. FLUOOOOOSH! "Burn! Burn you all- Eh?!" FLASH! However, as the monster found himself unleashing all of his zing powers, a sudden magic circle emerged before his very eyes! And it was indeed Maria who had activated it, to boot! "What?!" The Phoenix couldn''t speak, but it was surely surprised about what had happened! Not only the presence of the "Darkness" as he referred Maria was not gone yet, but she had intensified in strength! The truth was¡­ Maria was far from dead, but she was still too weakened to even fight. Nheless, that didn''t meant she couldn''t bring out some sort of strategy! By using all the fragments spread over the forest, she devised a very simple yet risky one. Each fragment of herself used their magic in unison, forming a magic circle of an enormous size, and by absorbing the Mana from the environment such as the trees and anything else alive nearby, a special magic circle was created! And this magic was not something within Maria''s Skill repertoire, but something she had created herself, True Genuine Magic! "Abyssal Darkness Magic: Gate of the Underworld!" TRUUUUUMMM¡­! A tremor reverberated across the surroundings of the Phoenix, as he felt his entire body being wrapped around by countless hands made of darkness. All of them quickly wrapping around his entire body, and trapping him on the spot!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "CRAAAAH! (What is this?!)" The Phoenix cried in pain. Although his Holy mes were powerful enough to devour the darkness of Maria''s magic, now that he was so weakened, he wasn''t able to do it in time for him to free himselfpletely. And that wasn''t all, right in front of him, he noticed something! It was Maria''s allies, a gigantic dragon who held on top of him a boy holding a¡­ fishing rod?! Mana and magic flowed towards the boy from the little girl at his side, alongside the Elf with him too. The Light Spirit of the Elf blessed the boy with Spiritual Essence, as his Fishing Rod suddenly took a golden color, suddenly turningpletely into water, merging with the boy''s Water Magic. This boy was¡­ of course, Takeshi! The boy was young and had gone through his fair share of many hardships. Now that he was finally able to find people that cared for him and a family with him and had the opportunity to go on an adventure with his new mother, there was no way he was going to disappoint her! After all, as he leveled up, his Unique Skill [Fisher] new ability included something that has yet once more enhanced his power¡­ the ability to merge with Magic! And the boy''s special element was, of course, Water Magic. Even at Level 2 as it was right now, thanks to all the Mana being given to him, and the power of his own imagination, the thread of his Fishing Rod suddenly shapeshifted, changing into the shape of an enormous and menacing creature. "GROOOAARRRRR¡­!" The eyes of the Phoenix were filled with despair, his health bar was too low, his body was incredibly exhausted, and his stats were lowered through the curses of two mischievous allies of Maria¡­ and in front of him, an enormous dragon made of water emerged out of Takeshi''s Fishing Rod thread, roaring furiously with an otherworldly power that only Unique Skills could possess! And it wasn''t just Takeshi, but Laura had imbued the power of her [Detonation] into Takeshi''s fishing rod, turning it into a truly deadly Spell! "CRAAAAH! CRAAAHHHH!!! (God¡­! GOD, HELP ME!)" The Phoenix cried while despairing, asking for the aid of his god. But he heard nothing on response. He was abandoned! BOOOOOMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 462 The Phoenixs Defeat And... Rebirth? ----- Within the depths of the Dungeon that Maria had discovered, the Dungeon Core rested within apletely ck and empty room, protected from everything it could ever touch it¡­ except the darkness itself that had been slowly taking over the dungeon itself, which had, as a result, infected it as well. "Useless¡­" With a faint and annoyed voice, the Dungeon Core discarded the monster it had thought could have some sort of advantage in defeating these sudden invaders. However, at the end, it was defeated by a child. The Dungeon Core looked into the second floor of the dungeon, narrowing her eyes. A smile surged in her body, as she was no longer merely a sphere of course. "Hmph¡­ This is the first time a path towards the outside world has finally been opened¡­ I won''t let these invaders do as they please ande conquer me. I shall exterminate them and conquer the outside world¡­ With this new power I''ve cultivated over eons since my creation, I will be the strongest Dungeon." Her mentality was simplistic, and her ambitions endless. Yet¡­ with such a power as the one that Dungeon Cores possessed, even her simplistic mind and her over ambitious goals seemed possible, as long as she mercilessly defeated her invaders first. "I can feel it¡­ The presence of my other half, is calling me! Memories of something else¡­ a Fragment of the Past¡­" She muttered words which held little meaning together, but which were all rted to a single power dwelling within her. And as she said that the sound of countless insectoid creatures marching forward and gathering resources could be heard, preparing themselves for something¡­n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "After so long, I''ve finally been given the chance to go to the surface, take what I desire, and reunite with my other half! There is no way I will let these invaders remain here¡­ You may have defeated this useless bird, but it won''t be the same in the next floor¡­ I will make sure you all be my food. With such delicious amount of Mana, I can do even more things!" She looked with her crimson eyes at the projection of a certain ghost, Maria. Even after having been almost destroyed, she held an impressive amount of Mana and power¡­ Dungeon Cores were simple minded entities that desired to absorb everything into Mana and expand, and Maria herself was like the most delicious buffet a Dungeon Core could imagine. The Dungeon Core''s Avatar licked her red lips, as she couldn''t help but feel like she could even lick Maria by how delicious she looked¡­ her monstrous intent quickly was revealed. Dungeon Cores were not people after all, even with all their intelligence, they were nothing more than monsters with intelligence. And perhaps, they were even more brutal than monsters themselves. Especially when a piece of darkness itself dwelled within them¡­ . . . (Back to Maria''s POV) BOOOOMMM!!! Takeshi''s amazing attackpletely sted the Phoenix into pieces, turning off his mes and crushing him into the ground. His entire body was left almost indistinguishable from his original shape, and his HP bar was obviously at zero, we won! "Phew¡­ Oh man¡­ I used everything I had¡­" I couldn''t help but sigh as my little fragments all with the shape of a tiny version of myself sighed in unison, I had reduced my size even more now that I had spent all the energy I had left in that amazing Spell I designed. If it wasn''t thanks to the teachings of Emeraldine and the books I read about True Magic incantation, I would had never been able to fullyprehend and visualize such an amazing magic myself! Even [Supreme Magic] requires Mana and visualization to activate properly, and the thing I had been learning all of that time back in my vige was visualization. With that finally done, I believe I can call myself a great sorcerer! No, a witch! "Groar!" Suddenly, the little Wyvern from earlier appeared before my eyes. "Oh, but if it isn''t you! I saw you help as well, you seem to have some sort of Draconic Eye Skill, huh? I can''t really see your Status at all for some reason, do you have a status hiding skill? You''re not really a normal wyvern, aren''t you?" I looked at the wyvern''s gray and old-looking eyes, as he began to panic a bit and stepped back fearful of my questions. "Well! Whatever''s the case, I am tired! Can you carry me back?" "Groar!" The wyvern quickly gathered each of my fragments and then helped me get myself back up together. I barely looked like my own former self, but I looked very, very translucent. I needed not to just use Undead Healing on myself, I required food, and tons of it! As I was finally back with the rest of my party, I found everyone looking at the corpse of the Phoenix lying over the ground, it was shining with a strange and holy me¡­ which began to epass its entire body, suddenly turning it all into a pile of ashes! Agh! No, the chicken! "My chicken!" I cried, flying back with everybody else as the wyvern joined us. "Maria, something weird is happening!" Emeraldine said. "I don''t know what''s going on¡­" Partner said. "It is turning into ashes? Why?" Lucifer wondered. "Oh this is¡­ If I remember correctly, this bastard had a Skill named [Rebirth from the Ashes]!" I said with surprise. "Is he trying to revive?!" FLASH! And as the ashes began to dissipate, what remained of him was¡­ a big egg, a red egg at that. "Wait a second this is not even the full fledged Phoenix!" Said Partner crossing her arms. "I feel like I got scammed." "Yeah, I was also terrified we would need to fight that thing again¡­" Said Emeraldine. "Interesting, so Phoenixes are really real like the legends say¡­ They can revive by going back into an egg infant form after dying. So it turned into ashes as a part of its own Skill?" Wondered Lucifer. "Well, we could make a tasty omelet out of that big egg." I pointed out. "No eating!" Suddenly, everyone stopped me from doing something that would had pleased my Phantasmal Stomach. "Eh?! But we earned it!" I sighed. However, Takeshi and Laura rant towards the egg, and wrapped it around some cloths, carrying it with themselves. "Can we keep it?" Asked Takeshi. "Please!" Laura asked. "Ugh¡­ Fineeeee¡­" I sighed. I really couldn''t fight against their cuteness, and they earned it, I suppose. ----- Chapter 463 A Phoenix Pet ----- "I wonder if this egg counts as a dropped item¡­" Before even looking at my own earned EXP and other things, I looked into the egg, quickly realizing it had its own Item Status! ----- [Holy mes Phoenix Egg (A Grade)] The egg of a Holy mes Phoenix which had been defeated or died, turning into ashes and then into an egg. Unlike a Phoenix authentic chick form, which is usually called Rainbow Crested Brawler Birds, this is a small version of the Phoenix which will slowly grow up through evolution. It is capable of recognizing a pure-hearted master and upon infusing enough Mana into the egg, it might gain inherit part of the power of its master and be a different type of Phoenix altogether. ----- "Huh, interesting!" I said with surprise. "Let''s see¡­ recognize me as your master then, heh!" I touched the egg, but I suddenly felt a tremendously painful shock, which made me quickly step back. It felt as if that holy light from before burned my hand¡­ By merely touching this thing?! "Ouch!" I cried, stepping back. "So I am not pure hearted then?!" I was in shock. Howe someone like me is not pure-hearted?! I''ve done so many good deeds and helped so many people, I am literally the seconding of Jesus! ¡­Kidding. I know why I can''t be considered pure-hearted, I won''t beat around it. "Pure hearted?" Wondered Partner. "You see¡­" I decided to exin to everyone what I saw in the egg''s description. And then, everyone tried out their hand at touching the egg to see if it could recognize them. Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine apparently failed. Although Emeraldine had the faintest reaction, she seemed to have good affinity but didn''t seem enough. However, when Laura and Takeshi tried to touch the egg by removing the nkets they wrapped it around, none of the two received any bad reaction. I see, this is like those predestined events in videogames where only certain characters can do certain things, right? I guess they wanted the egg and they were chosen by it. I am totally not jealous or something! It''s not like¡­ I wanted a pet phoenix¡­ or something¡­ "It''s very warm, but it doesn''t hurt to touch¡­" Laura said. "I think we were chosen by the egg!" Takeshi added. "Howe? Didn''t you two killed him? Why did he choose you?" Sighed Partner. "Perhaps it simply doesn''t recognize them." Said Lucifer. "Well if the chick retains memories then it is about to get a big surprise¡­" Said Partner. "Let''s just not think about it." I said with a nod. FLASH! The two children imbued their Mana into the egg, as it suddenly began changing colors¡­ Its red color almostpletely disappeared, and the color that remained was purple, ck, and pale blue. Wow, did they just infused miasma into it? Whatever ising out will be quite wacky.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Crack¡­ crack¡­! Crash! Suddenly, the eggshell broke as a small ck beak broke it, red eyes shone brightly from within the egg, as the beak quickly broke the rest of the eggshell almostpletely, revealing from within a small and adorable bird with ck and blue feathers, and a crown of small feathers atop its head with the color of purple and ck¡­ It had indeed changed, and has been imbued with the element of¡­ darkness and water? ----- [Abyssal Sea Phoenix Chick: Lv0] [Rank: F] [Status: Curious, Confused, Hungry] The egg of a Holy me Phoenix has mutated after receiving the elemental Mana of both of his new masters, gaining the attribute of Miasma, Darkness, and Water, merging them together into apletely new species of Phoenix capable of wielding the power of darkness and water. It seems to have retained the memories of when it was alive before, and seems to be slowly panicking as it recognizes the faces of his new masters¡­ Skills: [Water Ssh] [Underwater Adaptability] [Flight] [Dark Bullet] [Rapid Peek] [Shadow Sneak] ----- Oh wow, it really turned into water and darkness?! Insane¡­ I never thought a Phoenix could ever have such elements. Well, I remember seeing an Ice Phoenix in some story or game before, but a Water one? I think there was a Dark Phoenix somewhere¡­ but never a water one! Or was there and I simply didn''t saw it when I was back on Earth? Oh well, whatever''s the case, this is pretty rad. "Piii¡­ Pipiii¡­!" The Phoenix seemed to be scared of everyone here, the children included, especially Takeshi. But it was so small and frail it couldn''t possibly escape from us, so it ended being held by the kids and smothered by them. "Uwah, it is so cute!" Laura was enchanted. "Yeah¡­ It doesn''t look at all like the previous one either¡­!" Takeshi added. "Well, what name are you giving to it?" I wondered. Laura and Takeshi began thinking about names, until they settled on calling him "Onyx". I guess it is because his feathers are ck like the Onyx jewels or something? I only remember a pocket monster named like that, but I am fairly sure there''s a jewel that has nothing to do with the pocket monster. Anyways, now that things finally were settled, we were exhausted, so we decided to take yet another break. If the next floor wasn''t thest one, we''ll probably end up camping here, or maybe we''ll go back to the dwarf country and take a break there instead of sleeping inside a monster infested ce. And as we gathered all the dropped items, which this time were also a lot of colorful ores which I could easily sell or use for my own creations, alongside saving the carcasses of the monsters, I quickly decided to check my Status, finding the EXP was distributed some time ago already. Ding! [You defeated [Various Bird-type Monsters (Rank B- ~ B)] x633, you earned 1266000 EXP] [You defeated [Giant Metallic Steel Feathered Bird King (Rank B++)] x1, you earned 500000 EXP] [You defeated [Emerald Storm Falcon King (Rank B++)] x1, you earned 500000 EXP] [You defeated [Rainbow Crowned Holy mes Phoenix (Rank A+)] x1, you earned 1500000 EXP] [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [You earned a Total EXP of: 3766000 EXP!] ----- Chapter 464 Level Up Frenzy And Brand New Skills ----- Ding! [You defeated [Various Bird-type Monsters (Rank B- ~ B)] x633, you earned 1266000 EXP] [You defeated [Giant Metallic Steel Feathered Bird King (Rank B++)] x1, you earned 500000 EXP] [You defeated [Emerald Storm Falcon King (Rank B++)] x1, you earned 500000 EXP] [You defeated [Rainbow Crowned Holy mes Phoenix (Rank A+)] x1, you earned 1500000 EXP] [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [You earned a Total EXP of: 3766000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 15 to Level 16!] [Your Level has increased from Level 16 to Level 17!] [Your Level has increased from Level 17 to Level 18!] [Your Level has increased from Level 18 to Level 19!] [All your stats have increased!] [You earned bonus System Points] [You learned the [Gate of the Underworld: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You acquired the [Mythical Beast yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [Several Skill''s Levels have increased] ----- [Gate of the Underworld: Lv1] An incredibly strong andplex spell that gathers the power of Darkness to its veryplexity and adds the power of death to create an utterly aberrant spell that shouldn''t even exist. By conjuring it through the expenditure of insane amounts of MP, a gigantic Gate to the Underworld is opened, where hundreds of Abyssal Hands will try to take away your foe directly into the Underworld. Each time the Abyssal Hands touch a foe, their HP and MP is drained constantly, where 50% of it is given to the user. Only those that dwell inplete darkness are capable of conjuring this Spell. Each Skill level enhances the Spell''s power by +30%, while also increasing MP consumption by +10%. ----- [Mythical Beast yer: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to those who had in mythical beasts such as Phoenixes, Titans, and Ancient Dragons. It enhances the damage dealt to all Beasts (even non mythical) by +50% with an additional +10% with each Skill level. Additionally, damage dealt against Mythical Beasts is increased by +100%. ----- Not only did my level increase to Level 19, but I even acquired two new and quite badass sounding Skills to boot! Gate of the Underworld and Mythical Beast yer will surelye in handy as I fight more foes. It seems that I have once more acquired an overpowered Spell in the form of a Skill! I wonder what triggered the Spell to turn into a Skill though¡­ Is it because I put everything I had, even my soul? So it ended getting engraved in my soul pretty easily? Hm¡­ Well, its just a wonder for now though, I can''t really say any concrete for now about it¡­ But for now, I should check my Status: ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [15/80] -> [19/80] [EXP]: [316000/1000000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [60000/60000] -> [68000/68000] [MP]: [166000/166000] -> [182000/182000] [Attack]: [25500] -> [31500] [Defense]: [27500] -> [33500] [Magic]: [156000] -> [172000] [Agility]: [60000] -> [68000] [Aether]: [100] [System Points]: [262000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv4] [Abyss Eater: Lv3] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv6] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv4] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv7] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv2] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv2] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv6] [Fist Strike: Lv6] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv3] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv7] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv2] [Dark Sun: Lv5] [Dark Storm: Lv5] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv3] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv3] [Abyss Maniption: Lv3] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv3] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv2] [Soul Devourer: Lv2] [Undead Detonation: Lv8] [Shadow Thread: Lv7] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv4] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv2] [Illusory Delusion: Lv3] [Mind Bending: Lv3] [Insect Maniption: Lv3] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv3] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv1] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv2] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv7] [Mental Mapping: Lv5] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv7] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv2] [Mining: Lv1] [Dismantle: Lv1] [Taming: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv7] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv4] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv8] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv6] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv1] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv5 ] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv5] [Merciless Assassin: Lv4] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv4] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv3] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv4] [gue yer: Lv5] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv5] [Saint of Death: Lv4] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv3] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv3] [Dungeon Master: Lv1] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] [Queen of Flies: Lv2] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv2] [Mold Breaker: Lv2] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv1] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv2] [Greedy Miner: Lv1] [Butcherer: Lv1] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv1] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- Ohooo! It really increased quite nicely! Nice~! However, there''s something else! I saw it! System, how dare you not tell me about this?! This! ----- [Holy Light Resistance: Lv1] A Resistance Skill learned by those who are damaged by Holy Light but that had resisted its damage for several times and survived them all. It decreases damage dealt by Holy Light/Light Attribute Damage by -7% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it resists Fire by reducing -4% of damage with each Skill Level. ----- "Ooooh! This is amazing!!! Hahahaha! Emeraldine! Come here! Bathe me in your light! I will take it on! Come! Do your worst!" Iughed, as Emeraldine and everyone else seemedpletely confused about what I was even talking about. -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 465 A Ghost With Holy Light Resistance ----- Not only did I get some awesome stat boosts and level ups, and even a Skill as powerful as Gates of the Underworld, but I also acquired somethingpletely insane, the amazing new Skill¡­! System, how dare you not tell me about this?! This! ----- [Holy Light Resistance: Lv1] A Resistance Skill learned by those who are damaged by Holy Light but that had resisted its damage for several times and survived them all. It decreases damage dealt by Holy Light/Light Attribute Damage by -7% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it resists Fire by reducing -4% of damage with each Skill Level. ----- This is it! This is the damn Skill I''ve been waiting to get for so long! But because I have such a terrible affinity with the light element, it was taking literal millions of years to get this, but at longst, after being hit by holy light and holy mes against this damn Phoenix, we did it, boys! "LET''S FUCKING GOOOOOO!" I screamed my lungs out as I started tough like a total nutjob. Everybody looked at me while raising an eyebrow, but I couldn''t care less about how they were looking at me right now! I was so happy I could literally kiss everyone here! "Ooooh! This is amazing!!! Hahahaha! Emeraldine! Come here! Bathe me in your light! I will take it on! Come! Do your worst!" Iughed, as Emeraldine and everyone else seemedpletely confused about what I was even talking about. "W-What are you talking about, Maria?!" Emeraldine felt slightly confused, until I happily hugged her and then embraced her with my arms, giving her a deep kiss. "Bwah! W-What with that out of the blue?!" She cried while feeling embarrassed. "I have to celebrate somehow, nothing better than kissing this cutie right in front of me!" Iughed. "C-Cutie?" Emeraldine felt embarrassed, but I could only give her head pats because she was too adorable. "H-Hey, what''s going on?" Lucifer asked. "I am taking my time here to prepare some food and you''re screaming and kissing Emeraldine¡­" "Master give me a kiss too! I want one with tongue!" Partner began to crawl over my back, asking to be kissed because she was too jealous. "Welle here dear." I quickly held her with my arms and gave her a rather lewd kiss. "Y-You lewd woman! Stop kissing them out of the blue! There are children here!" Lucifer said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Takeshi and Laura were watching at us while blushing a bit. "Is mama married with Aunt Emeraldine and Aunt Partner?" Asked Takeshi. "Yeah, we have three mamas." Said Laura. "Oooh!" Takeshi got happy out of the blue. "T-Then I am your papa!" Said Lucifer while blushing a bit and crossing his arms. He had recently grown to be quite a dependable husband and was now cooking for all of us. Recently he even learned the [Cooking: Lv1] Skill after he asked me to teach him how to cook "human food". It seems dragons just eat either raw meat or roasted meat using their fire breath. "Three mamas and one papa¡­" Said Takeshi. "So cool! And I''ve got a sister and a pet now! Ah, three pets!" Said Takeshi, as the Phantom Familiar in the shape of a snake I gifted to him emerged out of thin air, resting over his head. This little thing had already gained some sort of consciousness of its own as it slowly divided from my main mind, although I can still connect to it, I left it on its own. The other pets he was referring were Onyx and quite probably the Wyvern Baby we found here, who was resting over a log over the grassy forest floor of the dungeon''s second floor. "Now exin to us what''s going on." Lucifer approached me as I let go of Partner. "Come here!" I said, giving him a kiss as well. "Why are you so happy out of nowhere?" Lucifer asked while feeling embarrassed, his pale white face was growing as red as a tomato. "I got an amazing new Resistance Skill! [Holy Light Resistance]!" I celebrated. "Eh?!" "What?!" "Really?" All three of my lovers reacted with shock. Lucifer and Partner the most, as they were half-undead and understood the pain of being so weak against this element. Emeraldine didn''t really understood it that much but she was trying to act surprised anyways. "So you got it at the end¡­ Amazing. I guess you''re really talented at learning Skills." Said Lucifer. "Huh¡­ I even got Sunlight and Fire Resistance, but there''s no luck with Holy Light, it hurts so much I might turn into ashes if I try it too much." Sighed Partner. "Maybe when I was a skeleton and I didn''t had any pain receptors, but now it just hurt too much!" She said, while bathing in the artificial sunlight of this dungeon without feeling hurt. "Hmm, I don''t know why but I learned it¡­" I said. I felt like it wasn''t good to tell them my Soul Grimoire was just awesome enough to let me learn skills that were previously impossible for me¡­ I better just not make them mad for showing something so unfair to them. Although, nheless, there might be a way for them to eventually learn the Skill as well, as long as I can keep healing them and bathing them on holy light magic. But as previous mentioned, it hurts a lot and could even turn them into ashes¡­ My Undead Healing Skill is pretty strong now that it is so High Level, but even now it might not do the trick just yet. Perhaps if we could invent some sort of essory that granted Resistance to Holy Light, it would be better. This is one of the reasons why I am trying to learn Alchemy as much as possible. And that Alchemy y we made the other day might be the pir for future creations as well. Even if I finish this dungeon and the other one I might continue my side job as a Miner to get more goodies to craft stuff. ----- Chapter 466 Everyone Is Willing To Learn New Things ----- Currently Lucifer had finished cooking his stew and grilled meat skewers from some of the birds we hunted recently. The meat of the Brawler Birds was especially tender and incredibly tasty. Was this because they were actually Phoenix Chicks? Their meat might be incredibly valuable and we are just eating it like nothing. "Uoooh! This meat is so tasty!" "Yeah, I''ve never eaten a chicken this delicious before¡­ Thanks a lot papa!" Takeshi and Laura were happy of the meal, and Lucifer for the first time was able to feel what it felt to cook for those he cared for and seeing their happy faces as they enjoyed the food he put so much time and effort into cooking. "Ahh¡­ I-It is nothing, the meat is just very high quality. I¡­ I am not as good as Maria, but I am slowly learning." Lucifer said while averting his gaze from the kids, feeling flustered. He was just very cute for an old and grumpy dragon sometimes. However, aside from that small interaction, we were discussing something else entirely right now. Something quite important and an idea I had gotten while thinking about how I acquired the Resistance Skill, and if there was a way to get an essory with Resistance to elements, or perhaps armor which might be more effective. "Oh, an essory that grants resistance to Holy Light¡­?" Asked Emeraldine. "I guess it might be possible. Armor as well. Most Magic Itemse with special magic powers which are imbued into the wearer right away. Sometimes a mere ne can give amazing resistance to Fire Element even when it is not even shielding the skin of a person. Or a Ring that grants incredible physical damage resistance but it is not armor covering the body." I guess this world''s magic equipment is the equivalent to game-like items I''ve seen in MMO and literally any other RPG with equipment items systems. There is of course normal clothes and armor too, like just crafted out of non-magic items that just serve the most basic of purposes. However, advanced crafters, alchemists, cksmiths, and so on, using the right materials, are capable of creating these magic equipment. And of course, dungeons as well, which drop them sometimes. Of course, dungeon equipment seem to often be seen as "the bottom of the barrel" as their stats and effects are often subparpared to crafted items made by talented people. But some high ranked dungeons might give awesome equipment when defeating a boss, so it is often debatable. Some even say that it is just the crafters not wanting people to devalue their job just because they can sometimes get a dropped item. I guess I can understand that though. "Hm, armor wouldn''t suit me as I tend to transform." Said Lucifer. "I can merge my dress with my phantom body mostly because I ended cursing it into some sort of Cursed Dress, but it still quite low quality. I can wear other stuff sometimes but when I shapeshift, it ends up either braking or I am forced to get naked and store it in my inventory." I sighed. "I guess I and Emeraldine are the only ones that can wear normal armor, but armor that''s too heavy gets in the way." Partner pointed out. "That''s why I just wear some chest armor and shoulder pads." Partner was currently wearing a tight ck jeans with ck boots made all out of monster materials we had bought back on the duchy of Affnaria. We still got tons of scales from monsters we hunted there in that dungeon, but we had yet to use them properly. Her equipment wasn''t bad per say, it enhanced her speed and agility the most, and she had a white blouse with red and gray armor over her chest and shoulders, protecting her weak point which is her heart. If Vampires get their heart pierced by something strong they often be paralyzed and can die on the spot if their HP is not high enough. "Hm, I see, I see¡­" Emeraldine said. Meanwhile, she was wearing more lighter clothes, with a simr armor than Partner but lighter to protect the area where her heart was as well as one of her shoulders. It seems that archers often put armor in only one shoulder to protect them from the string and the arrow, or something¡­ She had brown boots, tight leather pants and a white blouse with green and brown decorations of trees, a theme she seemed to love naturally as an Elf. She also often wore something for the cold, but this ce was very warm so there was no need. She often had gloves as well, specially imbued with magic that enhance her uracy and finger''s dexterity. Meanwhile, Lucifer was using his ssic butler-like suit which he liked. We often bought him a few other pairs for him to wear because whenever he transformed he end up breaking them. This time he was wearing a special one we found out, which had magic thread, whenever he transformed the clothes would turn into magic essence and seemingly disappear, only to reappear again after he went back to his humanoid form, pretty convenient. "I suppose I''ll need the aid of more crafters. I''ll ask Darfu and the other two dwarves, and probably Helga''s husband, Myriad, who is also quite talented. If we want to give you all some sweet new equipment, we need to prepare well for that." Said Emeraldine. She seemedpletely ready to take on the task though.N?v(el)B\\jnn "I can also help! I am getting better at Alchemy and I''ll eventually learn Crafting and cksmith as well as essory Crafting even, I want to learn everything I can so I will help and make our own equipment too." I said with a nod. I wasn''t going to give up. "Hmph¡­ I guess a dragon as strong as me can learn some cksmith, I may have some talent for it." Said Lucifer "I just have the hunch." "Well I¡­ I might learn Alchemy!" Said Partner. "And fail miserably¡­" We might have to help Partner to learn Alchemy a bit more, she was getting there¡­ eventually. ----- Chapter 467 Partners A Big Glutton! ----- At the end, it seemed that Emeraldine settled down bout everything and quickly took several notes in her notebook. She was seemingly drawing while taking notes, as if she was getting inspirations. Wow, is she that talented at making things? Maybe she''s really someone amazing. "Hmm¡­ I guess a suit simr to that one for Lucifer¡­ But let''s add Holy Light Resistance¡­ Life Resistance as well." Emeraldine murmured, as she sometimes spoke her own thoughts. "For Partner I suppose that and that would do¡­ Let''s not forget about this other thing¡­ Ah, and for Maria! Well¡­ a dress suits her, right? A beautiful hat maybe¡­ a ck hat? A widow-like hat! It would¡­ Oh my, she has so many styles¡­" "E-Emeraldine, your food is getting a bit cold." I said. "R-Right!" Emeraldine snapped out of her thoughts and quickly began to dig-in the food. "Ah, wow, this is really good." "Stop praising the food, it wasn''t even made that well¡­" Lucifer sighed. He was feeling extremely flustered by our praises, I assume. "Hehe, but it is pretty well made! You''re a good chef." I said with a smile. "We want seconds!" Takeshi and Laura said, giving Lucifer their tes. "Ah¡­ Sigh, fine." Lucifer said, serving the kids some more. Meanwhile, the little Wyvern was devouring arge bowl of stew and skewered meat served to him at the side, over a big tree leaf we found. He seemed to have never eaten anything at all for a while, so he was extremely happy the more food he ate. "Piii, piii¡­!" Even Onyx, the Phoenix was enjoying the food. Although he was slightly annoyed that it was made out of the birds, it simply tried it out anyways and found it all too delicious to pass on. It still looked slightly sad that it was eating other birds but it quickly got over it and asked for seconds. I suppose the Phoenix was quite simple minded. It was an overall¡­ rxing break. For a moment I couldn''t help but smile and enjoy this little moment with everybody. I smiled lightly as I felt like I wanted this time tost forever. All of us together, eating food, enjoying our lives, smiling,ughing¡­ Adventuring with them across the world, discovering new cities, new people, and hunting monsters. I wouldn''t mind spending the rest of eternity like this with them. ¡­But I guess that deep down, I know there''s still things left to do. The Vampires, the whole Albraun Kingdom Conspiracy, my family''s death, my little brother''s whereabouts¡­ There''s a lot I want to find out. And also not only for me but for Emeraldine and Lucifer. We have yet to find that mysterious dragon Aquamarine talked about. I really hope it might be someone rted to my Lucifer so he can be happy someone at least survived the war back then. Then there''s the whole issue with the ice back in our town, and if the culprit behind might really be the Frost Queen from the damn Ice Giants, then we''ll end up getting into a lot of fighting¡­ Ah, it is both annoying and also concerning, but I know I can''t do much about it myself other than eventually get to it. And well, I also want to visit Emeraldine''s hometown and meet her uncle which she always talks so much about all the time¡­ It would be nice. We might end up going after we get our Dwarf business done. "Hey Lucifer make more skewered meat; I want more chicken! Add that spice that we got from the dwarves, it is very tasty!" Said Partner.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Eh? I already cooked three whole birds; you know how big they are? You''ve stuffed yourself enough if you eat any more you''re going to explode like a balloon!" Lucifer angrily replied. "Eeeeh? The only one that''s going to explode like a balloon is you!" Partner said furiously. "I am not yet full either!" "Your belly is already big." I sighed. "Partner just wait for dinner." "Ugh¡­ Okay." Partner sighed. Despite being a Vampire that mostly enjoyed drinking blood, she also enjoyed eating normal food, and a lot of it. Whenever she didn''t had enough humanoid blood shepensated by eating tons of food. It is rather hard toe by with blood for her, after all she can only satiate herself with blood made out of humans and other humanoid races but going around asking for people''s blood is a bit weird, even more without proper blood banks. For now I''ve got her a ton of Vampire Blood, her favorite, which we got from our previous battle against all those guys. I might go collect her some bandit blood from some nearby bandits that could be threatening the dwarf country or the other country near our own vige. At least with the blood we got she should be able to be alright for the next months. "Here dear." I quickly gave her a small bottle with Vampire Blood diluted with a mix of heal and stamina potion, this way the blood canst longer and she gets almost the same satiation. "Ahh!" Partner quickly got happy, drinking it all in one go. "Phew¡­ Ahhh¡­ I feel better now." Sigh¡­ It is my own fault she''s a Vampire now. It was due to me raising her like this that she evolved this way. I guess I just have to take responsibility. I just hope there''s enough human trash out there for her to drink their blood from. The Vampires get their blood from innocent ves, but I am not going to let her feed herself this way. "Lucifer, how did Vampires got blood back then when the Demon Kingdom was still alive?" I asked. "Hmm, that''s a good question." Lucifer said with a smile. "Vampires were our strongest warriors and they were known as the Knights of the Demon King. The Demon King got them a stable supply of blood by asking for donations and paying his citizens for their donations of blood. Often done annually." "Eh? I see¡­ I guess there were a lot of citizens back then, so it was doable." I sighed. "Hmm, I suppose you could do the same with our vige, although Partner seems odd to me." Said Lucifer. "How so?" ----- Chapter 468 An Unique Vampire And Vicious Ants! ----- "You see, Vampires simply can''t eat normal food, but she can, and even digest and enjoy its vor." Said Lucifer. "They can''t?!" Asked Partner. "Yeah, this is probably something you acquired by begin a former Undead risen by Maria, who has special Titles that enhance undead raised by her." Said Lucifer. "The same way I evolved into my own type of dragon as well. It could be possible that in the future the necessity to drink Humanoid''s blood would be gone as she ascends into a higher being." "Oohh¡­" I said in surprise. "That would certainly be nice to be honest¡­" "I''m sorry for being such a big burden." Partner sighed, apologizing. "Ah¡­ No, you''re not a burden." I said, head patting her. "You''ve been my partner all this time, right? Without you I don''t know what would had happened to me when I just became a Ghost. You''re not a burden, I am just worried but¡­ I know we''ll eventually be able to get through this." "Master¡­" Partner felt slightly embarrassed. "Thanks¡­ I might be a bit annoying at times, I apologize¡­ I am still learning¡­" "It''s fine, it''s fine, you''re a good girl-" As I head patted Partner, I suddenly heard the bushes nearby moving intensively. There were nobody out of our camp right now. And the presence behind the bushes got suddenly so strong a dark aura emerged from within it. "SHAAA!" Suddenly, an enormous one-meter big ant with ck, metallic exoskeleton and red eyes jumped from the bushes, pointing its sharp jaws at Partner. The creature exuded an enormous aura of Miasma, could this thing be rted to the other we fought some time ago?! However, Partner''s reflexes were in another levelpletely. In a split of a second, she grabbed a spear and swung it horizontally, parrying the Ant''s attack and generating a shockwave generated out by pure force, throwing the ant away with great dexterity. BAAAM! "SHAAA¡­." The creature hit the ground as one of its jaws shattered, leaking a blue liquid from within. The rest of its exoskeleton gained several cracks as well. Partner''s Parry Attack was surprisingly powerful! CLANK! CLANK! The jaws of the ant resonated like pping metal, it was a deadly beast, but the Parry Attack really left it half dead right now. It was certainly not strong like the one I fought, and that one was humanoid-shaped, while this one looks like just an oversized ant. Maybe I can check its status now? ----- [Abyssal Parasite Legion Ant Worker: Lv34] [Rank: B-] [Status: Bleeding, Desperate] A Worker-type Ant member of the Abyssal Parasite Legion Ant Colony. These monstrous creaturesy their eggs inside powerful monsters, where they devour them from the inside and then hatch by absorbing their hosts strength. They naturally wield and possess the power of miasma and chaos, which they absorb from the environment where these elements are incredibly rich. Such monsters cannot exist without it, and often protect the source of Miasma with enormous colonies built out of the crystallization of Miasma. Even Worker Ants are ferocious fighters. Skills: [Miasmic Aura] [Crushing Jaws] [ck Steel Exoskeleton] [Ant Worker] [Venomous Acid Spray] [Pheromone Call] [Dark Bullet] [Red Eyes of Intimidation] [Shadow Sneak] ----- It was really those damn ants! Without thinking it twice, I swung my hand and unleashed a st of darkness, hitting the creature on the spot. BOOOMMM!!! Of course, I also erected barriers to protect everyone else. The explosion was rather loud and powerful, leaving a hole in the ground. "I-Is that thing dead?" Asked Partner, slowly getting closer to the Ant. When the smoke dissipated, the charred body of an Ant with most of its body sttered in the floor appeared. That thing was more than dead, it was decimated. "It''s deader than dead." I said with a nod. I double checked the HP, which was down to zero. Ding! [You earned 40000 EXP] "Oh, I guess it grants 40k EXP¡­ It is not bad at all for a small Worker Ant." I said with a smile, quickly walking towards it. Seconds after, I suddenly noticed it was beginning to rot. As if it was slowly melting into a pond made out of Miasma. I quickly decided to store the entire thing inside of my Inventory, fearing that it might hurt somebody in our party due to its mutagenic toxicity. "Just what¡­ was that?" Asked Lucifer while feeling strangely nervous. "Well¡­" At the end, we sat down and I exined things. "Another Ant? It showed out of nowhere this time!" Said Lucifer. "ording to what I read from the description of the monster; they form colonies near sources of Miasma. Without it they cannot live." I said with an intriguing tone of voice. "To be honest I am rather concerned, but we might end up finding a colony if we move forward. Also that thing had a Pheromone Call Skill, so it might had called for allies, we should probably move away from here and try to sneak around to see if there''s really a colony in this dungeon floor." "You''re right, let''s go." Lucifer agreed. "Hm, it would be better to get moving then." Emeraldine agreed. "Then let''s do it." I said with a nod. "Yeah! I want to beat those damn things for interrupting my moment with Master¡­" Partner seemed rather resentful against the antsn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Like that, we quickly decided to sneak around, moving forward into the forest, and slowly getting into the area I felt the Miasma was bing stronger. There was an enormous ck auraing from that ce, the sky itself turned purple and ck in color, and the entire environment smelled like acid. Emeraldine and Partner had to wear their special Living Armor suits, which I enchanted with some magic to make them even stronger and more Miasma-Absorbent. I guess you could even call these things something like special suits to walk across Miasma, although they were "alive" as Living Armors. And right there, in front of all of us, there was an enormous tower built out of purple, ck, and red crystals, as high as 200 meters, with many crevices and countless ck ants walking across all of it, transporting prey and even hatching from living monsters they used toy their eggs into¡­ ----- Chapter 469 Time To Exterminate Some Pests ----- The enormous tower made out of crystalized miasma erected all the way to the skies. We were all left rather bbergasted the moment we saw such an enormous and intimidating structure. This thing was solely built for these vicious ants. If we ever let this slide and ignore them, those ants will use the route we had opened to invade the outside world and might even reach the other mountain where the dwarf country is located. If that happens¡­ these monsters which are even stronger than the normal citizens might end up rampaging everything. And even if they resist and fight, the number of Ants seem incredibly high, and it keeps increasing constantly to make things worse. Using my special phantasmal powers, I can see through physical objects. So I easily noticed a ton of eggs, like a good thousand of them being nted inside of living monsters they captured, mostly moles and big birds. The ants themselves are a lot, but not as many, probably over three hundred though. I don''t know if they die very quickly or this nest somehow just recently was created and they''re bringing eggs from somewhere else, I can''t see any Queen Ant here either. Maybe this is something like a fortress for their colony? If that''s the case, the real colony might be in the next floor while they''re just building this second area to look out. Or maybe slowly expand their territory as they take over the monsters. Eventually, they''ll reach the first floor and then the outside world. Probably invade the entire mountain and continue moving forward without end. We were currently gathered together behind all the trees, talking about what to do. "That thing''s huge! How can we even do this?" Asked Takeshi. "I wonder if my power could st it into pieces if I touch it- No, it is too big, I can make things that are too big explode like that¡­" Sighed Laura. Her own powers seemed to have their own limits which were all based on her own stats, mostly the Magic and MP stats. "We need to attack them in one single and overpowered move." I said while rubbing my chin.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "A single attack?" Asked Emeraldine. "How?" "Hmm¡­ We first need to take their attention somewhere, they''re too powerful and will immediately attack us if they realize we are readying a powerful st¡­" I said. "Then I can take care of that with the rest of your Undead." Said Lucifer. "Bring that giant smander with me too, and the rest of the moles and birds you raised as Undead." "Are you sure?" I asked. "Yeah. If they see my dragon form they''ll surely get scared and immediately react, that''ll give you some time. If we add the Undead army, it should work." Said Lucifer. "How about it?" "Hmmmm¡­" I began to think. If I put Lucifer to distract them with my army of Undead, then we''ll need to ready an attack strong enough to reach them from a long distance, something that couldpletely st them into smithereens. Darkness or Chaos Magic¡­ is not as effective against them because those are their primary elements to begin with, so we need something more special to kill them. Or well, to use what they''re the weakest against them¡­ Holy Light Magic and Life Magic. Emeraldine, interestingly enough, had all of such magics within herself. However, she''s not able to unleash too strong of a magic attack because she''s more of a mixed attacked that uses a bow, not a specializing magician. However, that can easily be offset if I give her a lot of Mana, over a hundred thousand Mana. With the aid of her spirits, she might be able to pull out an incredibly powerful light attribute attack¡­ However, we''ll also need the aid of Laura and Takeshi, their Unique Skills are very amazing and might help as well. After all, Takeshi''s unique skill allows him to easily pierce through solid objects and treat them as if they were water, and Laura can burst anything she touches, with the intensity and the limits of how much she can do based in her MP and Magic Stats. And I¡­ well, I''ll be bringing a ton of Mana, so much she won''t be able toin aboutcking the magical power necessary to unleash such a strong spell. I quickly exined my n to everybody, as they seemed to have found it to "make sense" to an extent, although everything depending on Emeraldine made her very nervous. Nheless, the n was not without its ws, but it was the best shot we had. "So? How about it?" I asked. "I¡­ Well, fine. I''ll do it. I''ll do whatever I can. I''ll be trusting the rest of you to protect me until I get it done." Said Emeraldine. "Alright!" And like that, our n began. The first thing we did was settle down a ground for the incantation. Emeraldine had given me a lot of materials and magic items, and I had tons of ores inside my inventory. She said we could use them as catalyzers to enchant her magic even more. So I poured hundreds of ores around a magic circle she built in a matter of minutes. The ores in particrly didn''t seem to matter, but the richer they were in magic power, the better. Of course, I didn''t wanted to sacrifice the ones I mined yesterday, but we used many of the ones we got from dropped items from the moles and the birds, which were almost a thousand each. Like that, piles and piles of ores appeared around Emeraldine. Even shemented we would be sacrificing around 50% of what we had gotten through dropped items, but it was worth it if we wanted this to work properly, as she was envisioning it. "Hm, it should be done¡­ Now, we have to begin." Emeraldine said, standing in the middle of the magic circle, while I remained behind her, infusing my Mana into her constantly, her enormous aura of light and life began toe out of her body, shing beautifully¡­ FLASH! ----- Chapter 470 Storming The Abyssal Ant Nest ----- "Then I am going¡­" Lucifer stepped forward, his entire body suddenly exploded into ck smoke, his enormous draconic body, which he increased in size until it reached the size as big as a hundred meters emerged from within the ck fog, his intimidating red eyes were easily spotted by hundreds of working ants walking around the tower they built for their nest. "GEROO!" Gero quickly moved forward as well, as Lucifer put him over his head to lift him off the ground, he was too slow to get there naturally. And of course, all other Undead were lifted by his Darkness Aura, which shaped itself like some sort of fog that caught them all, all my hundreds of mole and bird undead were going to be sacrificed now so we can make sure to distract them. And as for my Mana? Well, I was recovering it rather quickly while I absorbed the natural Mana of the Dungeon itself. Dungeons have an awful lot of Mana, especially one as rich as this Dungeon, so it wasn''t a hard time to just get it done with! The more Mana I absorbed, the more I distributed it to Emeraldine. FLAAAASH! As I saw Lucifer fly with the Undead, the enormous magic circle that Emeraldine built with us finally activated, an enormous glow of bright golden light and green light emerged from the ground, converging together as dozens of evenrger magic circles emerged one after the other around the gigantic magic circle previously made by Emeraldine. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "S-So many Magic Circles¡­" Laura said with surprise. "Amazing¡­ This is amazing!" Takeshi pointed out. "Shhh, you two remain silent for now, let Emeraldine concentrate¡­ And Laura, did you activated your Skill?" I asked her. "Yeah! After I reached Level 40 the Unique Skill: [Twin Connection] can now connect with three people at once with me¡­" Laura said. "But it costs 1000 MP per second to stay connected¡­!" "It''s fine, I''ve got you as much Mana as you want!" I said with a smile. Even if the Mana of this Dungeon emptied, I had even more Manaing from my own Dungeon as my connection with that Dungeon Core was strong enough. Laura''s Twin Connection Unique Skill ended evolving after she leveled up to Level 40, not only it grants her the ability to share up to 50% of the stats of those connected with her and vise versa, but she can now connect with up to three people at once. this means all of us. And as a result, we are also all connected together too. However, the bad thing is the gargantuan cost, 1000 MP per second is not something that many can maintain at all, a single minute is 60k MP! However, even with all of that, my MP was continuously being restored as I put all of my mind into absorbing Mana and other energies, such as Life Force from this forest, turning it into MP as well. And all while I was eating hundreds of monster corpses too to restore even more MP through the power of [Phantasmal Stomach], which allowed me to turn anything I ate into MP. If food alone didn''t do, I would begin to eat the entire forest, the dirt surrounding us, and even anything I had inside my Inventory as well. "T-This is an immense quantity of Mana¡­!" Emeraldine said while smiling. "I can do this¡­ I can do this!" FLASH! The Mana continued to spread across our surroundings, as her two Spirits suddenly emerged at each of her sides, floating around and blessing her with their elemental power. All of her conjured magic circles suddenly became stronger as a result, and enormous quantities of spiritual essence began to flow across her body. Meanwhile, I saw Lucifer fighting with the help of the eyes of various Phantasmal Familiars I created out of my body to assist him, enormous swarms of flies and giant phantasmal snakes. Lucifer reached the nest and was immediately greeted with magic. All worker ants got together and started to conjure [Dark st] and [Dark Bullet] in unison, firing countless projectiles towards him as he evaded them swiftly. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! However, Lucifer was incredibly strong and his Dragon Scales Skill was already pretty high Level at 9, so high he was able to let low-level magic bounce off his body as if he had an invisible barrier around his body. The magic was almost ineffective, and he loaded a powerful breath attack to start. "ROOOARRR!" FLAAASH! The beam reached the tower, impacting it strongly. BOOOOOOMMM! Some of the ants ended falling off the towerpletely, as the Undead led by Gero began to follow the these Ants and overwhelmed them with hundreds in numbers. Although they were easily being shredded by the Ant''s deadly jaws, they were ultimately being overwhelmed for a single and easy to realize motive¡­ [Undead Detonation]! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Countless Undead I had painstakingly rise began to detonate themselves, exploding into a chain reaction. I had said this was a sacrifice because I was going to blow them up into bits to deal damage against these Ants. However, they were tough, many of them survived dozens of explosions until they ended finally falling into the ground. Gero had to take them down whenever they managed to somehow survive, while Lucifer was unleashing more and more beams against the tower. However, his beam breath attack was rather¡­ ineffective. I was quite surprised myself, but even his monstrously strong Death Dragon Breath Attack only left a few cracks around the enormous crystal building, mostly because as I said before, this was entirely made of crystalized Miasma, which was very resistant to the "Dark Spectrum" of elements, including my specialization with Lucifer, Darkness, Death, and Shadows. Of course, there was another fighter in there, Partner. She was not only able to wield Darkness, but Blood Magic, which was still in the Dark Spectrum, but not as much as others. She quickly conjured thousands of Blood des one after the other, slicing through the Ants that began to attack with magic against her and Lucifer, the two resembled two very annoying wasps trying to eat as many ants as they could. The ants were panicking. However¡­ something suddenly emerged from the nest, and it had a humanoid shape this time¡­ -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 471 A Devastating Attack! ----- Lucifer was unleashing all the power he could against the Ants nest, but he found himself shocked time and time again as he saw the unscathed building built by the incredibly hard crystalized miasma, which could even be said to be Demonite on its utmost high-quality state. However, and rather thankfully, Lucifer was not alone. Indeed, there was another fighter alongside him and Gero and the other Undead, Partner. She was not only able to wield Darkness, but Blood Magic, which was still in the Dark Spectrum, but not as much as others. She quickly conjured thousands of Blood des one after the other, slicing through the Ants that began to attack with magic against her and Lucifer, the two resembled two very annoying wasps trying to eat as many ants as they could. The ants were panicking. However¡­ something suddenly emerged from the nest, and it had a humanoid shape this time¡­ The enormous aura of a monster way above B+ Rank emerged, the entire surrounding suddenly became extremely cold, the aura of miasma we had sensed before was here once more. However, this time, we were all used to this bastard, and we had grown stronger. Not only my Undead but Lucifer and Partner had leveled up almost twenty levels in the Bird Invasion Fight, their stats had skyrocketed a lot, and they seemed fearless. Stats in this world were everything, as long as you got higher or near equal stats than your foe, you''ve got your chances way higher than before. "BBZZZ¡­!" FLASH! As the Worker Ants struggled, the Humanoid bastard quickly flew out of the tower and¡­ flew directly towards us?! "Not happening!" FLUOSH! Lucifer pped his enormous wings, flying at an incredible, sonic speed. Easily breaking the barrier of sound and generating a deadly invisible shockwave, he reached the Abyssal Ant General and intercepted its body with his chest. "Dragon Art: Orichalcum Scales!" CLASH! Suddenly, Lucifer unleashed an Art I had never see him use before! His entire body suddenly glowed as if he had turned into a statue madepletely out of metal, and the powerful Ant General hit him and ended cracking its own fists! "CRAAH?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The Ant gave out a surprised and bbergasted sound. It''s small head looked over the titan that Lucifer was inparison, as his Art quickly wore off, showing his true appearance of a ck scaled death dragon. "Where are you aiming at?" Lucifer asked furiously. His enormous body suddenly moved faster than the Ant could predict from such a big body, his tails swept the ant, throwing it into the skies. CLAAAASSSSHHH! "BBZZ¡­!" The Ant''s wings moved around in shock of the enormously strong hit it had to take, as Partner quickly emerged behind the Ant while it flew away from the shockwave generated by Lucifer''s hit. FLASH! "I got you! Vampiric Blood Spear Arts: One Thousand Roses!" Suddenly, Partner''s spears began to move at an incredibly astonishing speed, shing through the skies and generating countless of mirages. Each attack turned into a real one somehow, piercing through the ant''s body while it remained in the middle of the air. Its entire body began to receive countless wounds all across, as the Ant was so shocked by their newfound power that it continuously vomited blood in agony, shockwaves of chaos attempted to fight back but were promptly absorbed by Partner''s living armor. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "CRAAAHHHH¡­!" The Ant General scream loudly dered its defeat, as Lucifer overkilled it by unleashing a deadly breath attack, turning the entire monster into ashes. BOOOOMMM!!! Wow, that was amazing. The entire Ant was destroyed so easily! Leveling up really made them stronger. If they work together like this and don''t let the Ant gain any momentum, they can easily defeat them between the two! The most dangerous aspect, the chaos powers it held werepletely inhibited by Partner''s living armor which is capable of eating the miasma itself, and Lucifer seems to be very resistant to it as well. "Well done, but we are not done here yet¡­!" "Yeah!" Lucifer and Partner continued distracting the Ants, which continueding out by a near endless amount. Meanwhile, Gero and the other Undead kept marching, with many of them sacrificing themselves through my [Undead Detonation] and exploding in the process, managing to kill a few more Ants. However, arge group of these Ants already noticed us conjuring this powerful magic, and were trying to get to us, so Lucifer and Partner had to stop them with everything they had. The battle was getting harder and harder with each passing second. Meanwhile, Emeraldine seemed almost done with her incantation. Thebined power of Laura, Takeshi, and my own Stats by 50% added into her own Stats through Laura''s amazing [Twin Connection] went at full effect, as her hands suddenly summoned an enormous fishing rod made out of materialized light and nature magic, madepletely out of wood. The fishing rod shapeshifted, turning into a gigantic staff, amazingly so, and quickly began to absorb the power of all three of us, alongside her own spirits all into a big mix of enormous quantities of Mana. FLASH! ? Suddenly, Emeraldine grabbed her bow, holding the staff made out by magic which quickly shapeshifted into a long arrow, and then, she pointed it at the tower from afar. "This better works¡­" She murmured to herself. "Divine Spirit Arts: Yggdrasil''s Arrow!" FLAAAASH! The arrow flew across the skies, generating a shockwave that broke the barrier of sound, flying across the skies and slowly falling like a shining fallen star towards the tower made of crystalized miasma. Lucifer and Partner quickly flew away while grabbing whatever Undead they could with themselves, right before an enormous explosion that turned everything around us intoplete whiteness. The arrow hit the tower, and then it exploded into thousands of roots which constantly grew bigger and bigger, until a whole ass tree grew in a matter of a split of a second. Without being able to bear the power of nature, life, and light, the entire ant nest and everything inside exploded. BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! It was an amazing finisher, and it worked wonderfully! We did it! ----- Chapter 472 [Purifier Of Chaos]! ----- The entire tower made by crystalized Miasma was destroyed! Reduced to smithereens! Probably everything inside as well, because the only thing I noticed after the loud explosion were the countless bodies of many ants spread over the grassy floor below. Perhaps some might had escaped, but I sent my flying Undead to catch them and then bombard them with their own bodies. Eventually, I believe we at least reduced 99% of their numbers. Honestly I can''t believe my insane idea somehow worked, but I guess you never truly know until you try! And well, it truly worked at the end, although we all ended super tired. "Phew¡­" Emeraldine and the rest of our group ended lying over the floor, almost dead. I was also very tired, overusing my own Mana to such a ridiculous extent made me extremely dizzy, the feeling of dizziness that I get by leveling up didn''t made it any better, although seeing the level go up so nicely this day really put a smile on my face anyways¡­ Ding! [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Worker (B- Rank)] x306] [Your and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Eggs (D- Rank)] x1029] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion General (A- Rank)] x1] [Calcting EXP Earned¡­] [You earned 13769000!] [Your Level has increased from Level 19 to Level 20!] [Your Level has increased from Level 20 to Level 21!] [Your Level has increased from Level 21 to Level 22!] [Your Level has increased from Level 22 to Level 23!] ¡­ [Your Level has increased from Level 28 to Level 29!] [All Your Stats have increased] [You earned Bonus System Points!] [A few Skills have leveled up!] [You learned the [Mana Transfer: Lv1] Support Skill!] [You acquired the [Purifier of Chaos: Lv1] Title Skill!] ----- [Mana Transfer: Lv1] A Skill that only those who have acquired incredible Mana Quantities, capable of transferring over a million units of MP are capable of learning. By activating this Skill, the ability to transfer Mana to a target bes incredibly smooth, the amount of Mana Transferred is also purified into a rich, element-less mana that anybody can absorb. Usually, some Mana is lost while transferring it to a target, but now 50% of that Mana can be recovered, with an extra bonus of +5% with each Skill Level. Additionally, any target that receives Mana from the user obtains a bonus to their own Magic Power which enhances their Magic Damage Dealt by +20% with each Skill Level. ----- [Purifier of Chaos: Lv1] A special Title that only those who have purified incredible quantities of Miasma can acquire. It passively enhances all Damage Dealt to Chaos-type and Miasma-type Entities by +50%, with an additional +10% Bonus with each Title Skill Level. Additionally, the purification of Miasma bes incredibly easy, and areas once infected by Miasma can be purified through the special [Purification] Ability that the user can automatically conjure by owning this Title. [Purification] increases in power by +20% with each Title Skill Level. ----- Woah¡­ Not only I gained nine levels, but I even acquired two brand new Skills, and they''re amazingly useful at that as well! With the new Mana Transfer I will be able to easily transfer my Mana to my friends, and with the wonderful Purifier Of Chaos even I have be a Saintess! What the heck? I didn''t even knew such a Title existed though. Now I can conjure a special Skill named [Purification] to purify things from Miasma¡­ Isn''t that a bit too much for a Ghost though? It is like theplete opposite of what I should be all about. Maybe I might end up hurting myself if I use this Ability¡­ And well, my Stats skyrocketed once more as well, heheh¡­ ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [19/80] -> [28/80] [EXP]: [1169000/1900000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [68000/68000] -> [86000/86000] [MP]: [182000/182000] -> [218000/218000] [Attack]: [31500] -> [45000] [Defense]: [33500] -> [47000] [Magic]: [172000] -> [208000] [Agility]: [68000] -> [86000] [Aether]: [100] [System Points]: [352000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv4] [Abyss Eater: Lv3] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv6] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv4] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv7] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv2] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv2] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv6] [Fist Strike: Lv7] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv4] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv7] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv2] [Dark Sun: Lv5] [Dark Storm: Lv5] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv3] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv3] [Abyss Maniption: Lv3] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv3] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv2] [Soul Devourer: Lv2] [Undead Detonation: Lv9] [Shadow Thread: Lv8] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv4] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv2] [Illusory Delusion: Lv4] [Mind Bending: Lv4] [Insect Maniption: Lv3] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv4] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv2]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv2] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv2] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv8] [Mental Mapping: Lv6] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv8] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv2] [Mining: Lv1] [Dismantle: Lv1] [Taming: Lv1] [Mana Transfer: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv7] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv4] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv8] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv6] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv1] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv5 ] [Spirit Queen: Lv4] [Spirit Mediator: Lv4] [Poison Queen: Lv5] [Merciless Assassin: Lv4] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv4] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv3] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv4] [gue yer: Lv5] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv5] [Saint of Death: Lv4] [Deceiver: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv3] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv3] [Dungeon Master: Lv1] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv1] [Queen of Flies: Lv2] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv2] [Mold Breaker: Lv3] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv1] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv2] [Greedy Miner: Lv1] [Butcherer: Lv1] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv1] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv1] [Purified Of Chaos: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- Ooh, this is really nice now¡­ I got over 200k MP! I will get to a million eventually, eventually! But for now¡­ Oh? I see, so I earn 10k MP with each Level Up, right? [That''s right. You gain an additional +1000 System Points with each Skill Level Up, the bonus is smaller though.] I see¡­ That''s useful. Although I am quite prideful I didn''t need to use my plot armor- I mean, my System Points to resolve a problem. [You''re really taking this lightly¡­ But I am also quite relieved you didn''t need to use them.] Oho?! So you''re caring for me now? [Okay, I won''t talk to you any longer.] Eh?! Wait! Don''t get angry! ----- Chapter 473 Time To Purify This Place! ----- I tried to calm down the System but he was quite the grumpy little guy. At the end I wasn''t able to do much for him, but at least he was still sometimes answering my questions. I guess I''ll have to see what I can do. He''s strangely very annoying with his personality. He''s worse of Tsundere than Lucifer himself, the prideful dragon¡­ He''s supposed to be a nice and serviceable System, but he just gets angry over anything. He really just needs to chill out a little bit at the very least¡­ Well, whatever''s the case, I should get up. As I got up from the ground, I noticed Emeraldine, Takeshi, and Laura, who were all sleeping. They passed out by all the enormous pressure of the giant spell we unleashed. The amount of Mana they had to control was immense, so I guess it makes sense they feel so terribly tired. The day was already ending in here, so I suppose it was better to spend the night, get down to the next floor in the dungeon, and then out of here. I can already guess there''ll be a big bosster, so we need to properly prepare. The distance from here to the next floor seems very long, and I can already calcte that the monsters down there can''t get up here so easily, if they were just beginning to make a tower here and then just sent their first Ant Parasite to the first floor with the Mole King, it probably means they are still scouting the area, a night where we can sleep and recover so we can go down there shouldn''t be an issue. At most, we''ll get interrupted by an army of ants in the morning¡­ but that only means even more bags of EXP for us! "Anyways, you guys must be tired, let''s make a camp here for now." I quickly unpacked a tent and other things, and even put to boil some stew, which I added some medicinal herbs so it could bring them back to full soon. And while leaving a pack of Phantom Clones watching over them as they slept inside the big tent I had bought and built some time ago, I moved towards Lucifer and Partner, finding them inspecting the area. "Hey! How''s things going? We won!" I said happily. "Yeah, that was insane¡­" Lucifer flew down into the ground, quickly turning back into his humanoid form. "I think I skipped a beat when I saw that attack, Emeraldine really did something incredible there¡­ With enough Mana, people can really do insane things¡­" "T-That was so amazing!" Partner flew to my side. "If we didn''t moved in time we would had most likely gotten turned into ashes though!" "Yeah, I guess you''re right¡­ Sorry for not having told you to move away beforehand." I sighed. "But it looked like you guys were very busy dealing with the iing ants, so that seemed to be quite a difficult task." "Well what matters is that we lived to tell the tale." Lucifer said. "But I am fairly sure we are not done yet,e here, we found something while looking around." "Yeah, look! Here!" Partner and Lucifer quickly guided me where the tower of the ants was located some minutes ago, there was a massive hole where the entire scorched dirt was, which led to an underground tunnel. The ants were most likely there as well. "I can''t feel any life forms there, it seems Emeraldine''s attack reached down there and it easily destroyed it all, though there''s no pretty tree left behind the tree itself blow up to cause this much damage. The power most likely spread through every tunnel." Lucifer said. "Ah¡­ So even if we took down the damn tower, this thing would had remained, I guess we did it well by going for an all-out attack." I said while nodding. Quickly after, I noticed many dropped items spread around, mostly ores, sometimes ant-themed equipment such as Ant Soldier Ring and even Abyssal Ant Ne, which granted some enhancement to magic, but seemed to be rather weak so they were not worth much. And because they were imbued with miasma, they probably cannot be used by conventional crafters to be repurposed into new items. Nheless, I could either use them as snacks to recover MP or repurpose them myself, as someone immune to Miasma, and use them for new equipment that will be more worth it. I picked everything up, until we reached the underground caves. In there, we found what Partner and Lucifer were talking about. Countless caverns filled to the brim with purple, red, and ck crystals. All of them were¡­ indeed, Demonite. It was a low quality one, but this wasn''t simply growing naturally. It felt rather artificial. "Demonite? Here? I thought it could only be truly made if someone tampered over miasma¡­" I said. "Well yeah, the Worker Ants seem to be able to do just that. they''re an entire Race of monsters that not only have adapted to Miasma and use it to grow powerful, but it is also their tastiest dish. Like how normal ants nt fungus these creatures shape miasma and use their secretions to crystallize it so they can eat itter." Said Lucifer. "Woah, so like¡­ Miasma Honey, literally?" I asked in surprise. "More or less, it is a simr process." Said Lucifer.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Ahhh, just being here kind of gives me the chills, all these crystals are filled to the brim with miasma! It could easily bring an entire nation to their ruin if someone used them for some nefarious purpose¡­ Imagine what would the dwarves do if they find this?!" Asked Partner. "Demonite is an incredible ore due to its highly vtileposition and the immense quantity of power it has. If we let society find such big mines of Demonite, they''ll probably only use it for something bad. Even the dwarves are not an exception." Lucifer said. "I see¡­ We better take away all of this and purify the ce, and I''ve got the perfect Skill for that!" ----- Chapter 474 Mining Several Items ----- Demonite was a precious material, but the dangerousness it had was too much for us. Although I would had wanted to keep this mine for myself and see it grow over time so I can get as much as I want, as they''re an interestingly tasty snack for someone like me, I decided to mine it all using [Mining] and my pickaxe, storing most of it for my own research and the usage of materials for high ranked Undead, who seem to all need some sort of high magic power material such as Demonite to work. I even saw "Demonic Monsters" in the Soul Grimoire''ster pages, so in the future I might even be able to bring out powerful Demonic creatures even stronger than Undead, which is slightly frightening! CLANK! Crash! However, at the third area I was mining, my pickaxe broke. "Ah, shit¡­" Demonite was an incredibly hard material, using the pickaxe alone won''t do, it easily broke, and that''s considering it is made of an extremely hard and condensed metallic material. Will I need to make a pickaxe out of mithril or something to get the Demonite by my own? "Using the pickaxe might seem fun but let''s hurry up for now."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om CLAAAASH! Lucifer''s enormous fist shed against the walls, the Demonite shattered and broke into tiny pieces one after the other. I guess we really didn''t had any time to y Minecraft for now¡­ Ugh, I wanted to be the Queen of the Cave though! "I guess you''re right." I sighed, quickly shaping my own hands into giant pickaxes, and then materializing them into the hardest material I could turn my own phantom, resembling the hard as metal material of my own nails and bones. CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! I began hitting the walls with Lucifer at my side, as he was suddenly surprised I was now doing this with my own body. The Demonite easily began breaking down into pieces and I used Inventory to automatically store them the moment they fell down into the floor one after the other. "Inventory!" Ding! [Items have been dismantled] [You acquired]: [Purple Demonite Crystal (A Grade)] x42 [Red Demonite Crystal (B Grade)] x30 [ck Demonite Crystal (S Grade)] x12 It seemed like the ck ones were the highest purity of miasma, while the red were the lowest and the purple in the middle¡­ Nheless, even the lowest purity was still a B Grade Ore, that was amazing by itself. If they weren''t so toxic for life itself they would make for some amazing equipment for anybody¡­ Well, I can still use them to shit over my foes with Miasma itself. I bet even those Vampires would panic if I took out a sword made out of Demonite and sh their chest with it, heheh¡­ Like that, we continued mining and mining, until two hours have passed and we ended mining an enormous quantity of Demonite. In the way, we also found some interesting herbs that were growing in these areas, and mushrooms, both of them were adapted to the Miasma and thrived in such environment rich in this corrupt and evil essence. "Look at this weird herb, Master!" Partner brought me yet another new herb. This one looked absolutely menacing, with the shape resembling an octopus but made out of ck leaves, it had a very hard stem, almost as hard as stone "Ohoo! This one''s named ck Shredder¡­" I said in surprise. "What the heck with that name- Uwah!" Suddenly, the herb that Partner pulled out moved on its own, its leaves shaped into sharp des and they tried to shred my hands into pieces. Now that''s really painful... Well, it would. Thankfully that doesn''t work for me. "It seems that my view of Miasma is slowly changing, I never expected things such as nts and mushrooms to thrive with Miasma, but I guess that if things such as Ants do, maybe any living being could eventually adapt, or only those that are very hardy." Lucifer analyzed. "Yeah, I mean¡­ Maybe." I said while nodding. "I might be able to consume all these products because I am immune to Miasma, but it is kind of sad nobody else can benefit from it." "Well, the stronger you grow the better." Said Lucifer. "Wait, can''t I consume it too? And Takeshi and Laura as well?" "Oh¡­ Right." I said with surprise. "Then a lot of people can consume it!" Partner said. "I remember that Takeshi and Laura still get some fevers from time to time, their bodies are still having a hard time adapting. Maybe if you make them some potion out of these herbs they could get better? After all, perhaps what they need is Miasma, which they have not been able to take from anywhere." "Oh¡­ do you suggest that they might be like these ants to an extent, Partner?" I wondered. "Kind of¡­ I mean, aren''t they? If they need Miasma to live and need to eat it and all¡­ I am sure they should love it and grow bigger. But some experimentations should be done first, so we don''tmit a mistake." Partner was showing her growth as she seemed more and more mature while speaking. And even more, she had grown to be very careful and also intelligent in what she speaks. Although she has good ideas, she never forces me into them. "Sounds good." Said Lucifer. "Nom¡­" Lucifer suddenly ate a whole ck mushroom and chewed it. "Hmm¡­ It tastes awful, like boiled trash and mud¡­" Lucifer swallowed it. After waiting five minutes, nothing bad seemed to have happened. With this we have more than confirmed he''s immune to miasma, and¡­ FLASH! "Oh!" Lucifer suddenly felt his aura of darkness growing slightly stronger. "These mushrooms are amazing! They somehow made me slightly stronger¡­ Maybe we should try cultivating them in secret¡­" "Ahahaha¡­ I don''t know about that, but I''ll see what I can do!" And like that, we moved back to the camp, finding the stew made out of medicinal herbs already boiling. It was time to have some nice dinner. ----- Chapter 475 A Ghost That Can Purify?! ----- (Some Minutes ago¡­) "[Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]! [Purification]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! From my hands, the sh of holy light of purification came out. Something I never thought I would be able to wield! Me! A ghost! I can use Holy Magic now! ¡­Well, not really, it is this only Ability, tied to a Title, so I can''t use Holy Magic actually. However, it works wonders anyways, easily purifying the Miasma in the underground until nothing remained but normal stones! "Amazing¡­ I never thought you could learn something like this as a ghost!" Lucifer said. "It is part of a Skill I acquired. Didn''t you guys get anything simr named [Purifier Of Chaos]?" I wondered, as the two quickly checked their Status. "Oh, I got it as well¡­" Lucifer said. "M-Met too?" Partner said. "Then try it out with me!" I said, as the two timidly tried to say Purification. "[PURIFICATION]!" FLASH! FLASH! Two shes of light came out of their hands, which quickly flew into the cave and purified it slightly. It was smaller and weaker than mine, but they still had its power! Amazing, so not only Titles increase stuff passively, but they can even grant special abilities that usually we shouldn''t be able to use normally. Maybe there could be other skills out there that could grant special abilities as well. Maybe if I defeat a True Dragon I could get a Dragon yer or something, and gain Dragon Scales or Dragon Breath Ability¡­ Wouldn''t that be nice~? "Huh? Why are you looking at me so weirdly?" Asked Lucifer, finding my stare rather creepy. "Heheheh¡­" "Eh? You''re getting creepy again!" After our small talk there and after finishing to purify the entire ce down to thest pebble, we moved back to the camp. Emeraldine and the twins were still sleeping, and the little Wyvern Baby and the Phoenix Onyx were watching over them while resting around the bonfire. They didn''t fought this time, but they leveled up by being part of our party I believe. Although that little wyvern doesn''t let me look at his status. Seriously, does he has a special skill he was born with to not let me see it? It is a bit mysterious¡­ Especially that one Cursed Eyes I saw him use in the fight against the Phoenix as well. Well, he seems pretty clueless when I look at him, so he''s sure not all the things I am imagining. But if he is¡­ "Graoh?!" The Wyvern suddenly felt my menacing aura, quickly waking up and looking at me rmedly. He looked so innocent and small that it melted my heart. I am sorry for scaring you little guy. "Ah, there''s no way you''re evil¡­" I sighed, petting his head. The wyvern seemed to sigh in relief As I attended the stew and saw that most of it was done, I looked into my Inventory, checking the new goodies I have acquired: ----- [Category: Ores/Stones/Jewels/Herbs/Mushrooms/Element: Miasma] [Purple Demonite Crystal (A Grade)] x734 [Red Demonite Crystal (B Grade)] x1023 [ck Demonite Crystal (S Grade)] x305 [ck Shredder Herb (C Grade)] x42 [Blood Crimson Herb (C Grade)] x23n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Demonic Eye Fruit (B Grade)] x11 [ck Atomic Mushroom (B Grade)] x64 [Abyssal Mushroom (A Grade)] x22 ----- Woah, all these items look menacing, even the herbs and the mushroom look like they were harvested straight out of the depths of hell¡­ Alright, let''s check them out one by one~! ----- [Purple Demonite Crystal (A Grade)] Demonite of the Purple Color. Its high concentration of Miasma is rather obvious as its color slowly turns cker. It is a special ore made up by the crystallization of Miasma through the artificial secretion of venom from the jaws of Legion Ants. Other means can be used to create them, such as their natural growth from Evil God Fragments. Highly vtile and dangerous, merely touching such an ore can cause cancer to a person that is not strong enough to withstand its power. ----- [Red Demonite Crystal (B Grade)] Demonite of the Red Color. It is the lowest quality Demonite as its concentration of pure Miasma is not as high. It still a rather dangerous ore to handle, and special equipment is required to be used if the user doesn''t want to be poisoned by its toxicity. At this state, it can be purified using special means and turned into other, mysterious Ore. ----- [ck Demonite Crystal (S Grade)] Demonite of the ck Color. The Demonite with the highest concentration of Miasma there is. It is clear on its grade that this is incredible dangerous material. Merely looking at it from a near area might inflict poison and kill people on the spot. This monstrous item can only be handled by special means or powerful enough beings capable of either absorb miasma or be immune to it altogether. Its usage can bringplete disaster to the world, and chaos might spread to every corner, bringing the prophesied Ragnar?k that the Evil God desired since he was split into pieces by the other Gods. ----- Wow, so touching Demonite just gives you cancer?! Holy shit¡­ That''s dangerous. Well, I am sure Partner is alright, and the rest as well, I had checked them beforehand and they were all healthy. Maybe they are slowly getting a resistance to Miasma anyways, or something else¡­ But for now I better not take them out of my own Inventory. They better stay there for the time being, they''re a bit too dangerous to be going around with such things leisurely¡­ However, the ck Demonite description was the longest, and the most lore-heavy of them all. It said stuff as bringing chaos to the world, the prophesied Ragnar?k and even mentioned the damn Evil God in all of this, that one guy that got split into pieces and sealed when he went on a war against the other Gods of this world. Is that the ultimate purpose of Demonite? Damn¡­ ----- Chapter 476 Collecting A Large Assortment Of Materials ----- Aside from the Demonite, I had more to see, such as the three nts and the two other mushrooms. The herbs were only C Grade, while the mushrooms were B Grade and above. I can''t believe Lucifer just ate one like nothing when they''re obviously highly poisonous. He''s really a bit crazy sometimes. ----- [ck Shredder Herb (C Grade)] A ck nt with the shape of an octopus. It is incredibly venomous and toxic to digest, and it has a bitter and annoyingly spicy taste. It is also incredibly vicious, shaping its leaves as des to slice anything that gets closer or touches it. It might possess some sort of Miasma within it, which it uses to nourish itself. Could be used for Alchemy, but nobody has ever tried processing it. Not poisonous as long as it is not digested, as it doesn''t emanate Miasma. ----- [Blood Crimson Herb (C Grade)] A red nt with the shape of a heart. It palpitates eerily whenever it feels something getting closer, and whenever a monster tries to take a bite, a bitter and burning blood-like liquid wille out, burning the face of anything that tries to take a bite. It has a horrid taste and is highly poisonous. It possess a lot of Blood Attribute Essence. In the past, it was rarely processed by Vampires into a special wine they seemed to love, which could even rece Blood they required to live to an extent. However, due to its rarity, it cannot be easily found and once pulled from the ground, it will die in a matter of hours unless it is somehow ced inside a space where time is stopped.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- [Demonic Eye Fruit (B Grade)] A strange and bizarre fruit that pops up from ck stems inside areas with a lot of Miasma. They resemble menacing demonic eyes and have a very sweet vor, yet they''re poisonous and can kill someone that eats more than one. It can cause hallucinations and even death by cardiac arrest. The sweetness it possess is genuine, as it has high levels of sugar. If processed and purified from its poison, it could be an incredible delicacy. However, not many have managed, and those that did had their methods lost in time. ----- [ck Atomic Mushroom (B Grade)] A monstrously big Mushroom that irradiates a horrendous and poisonous smell. It is incredibly venomous to the point anybody that smells its odor for too long might pass out on the spot, and if it continues to smell it, the person might die after a few minutes. Its miasmic aura is said to possess radiation but that was merely a myth, as it was only just and horrendously strong poison gas its spores produce. The mushroom easily spreads itself by killing anything that gets closer and cing its spores over the corpse. It is said that it possesses an incredible quantity of magic, but no alchemist has ever been able to refine it due to its dangerous nature. ----- [Abyssal Mushroom (A Grade)] A ck mushroom with a red eye-shaped dot on top. Small and rather pocket-sized, it is a delicacy amongst Legion Ants and often nted for the very purpose of being consumed. It possess a rich amount of miasma inside, which has been slowly refined into an incredibly disgusting vor that these monsters find delicious. It can also enhance the power of those capable of eating and digesting it, passively increasing their Magic Power and Mana capacity. ----- Wow, they''re all insane! I don''t really know if I could even use them, but the Crimson Herb seems like the most useful for me right now! If I could nt it in masse in a separate greenhouse back home, I could produce a special wine for Partner to rece the blood she needs to drink to an extent! It also doesn''t seem to be that poisonous, maybe if I purify it, it could end up being rather a good wine¡­ And the Demonic Eye Fruit is also quite interesting. Perhaps if I can manage to somehow be able to purify the poison it has and turn it into a delicious and sweet fruit, its horrid appearance might be ignored. It is also blood red inside, with an eye-shaped seed, so I might be able to nt them and somehow modify them using Purification. I also got the Farmer Skills and Titles, I feel like with Emeraldine''s help, I could purify this fruit and makes it a staple for our vige, especially because it can grow anywhere as long as there''s miasma, which I could easily feed to them by triturating Demonite into dust and putting it into the soil, or infusing miasma I produce on my own¡­ Well, I can''t produce the highest quality, so I have no idea if that could work. And the mushrooms seem rather interesting. I guess I could ce the Atomic Mushroom around a specific area I would want to protect, so anything that gets closer runs away or dies¡­ Well, I doubt it would be that easy though. Andstly¡­ Ah, that mushroom''s the one Lucifer ate! It says in the description itself that if someone is capable to actually digest it, their magic power grows a bit¡­ I see. Maybe I could make a colony myself and give it to those that could eat it, maybe. As I inspected the items, the delicious smell of grilled chicken meat and mole meat filled the air. This promptly made the children wake up from their nap, and even Emeraldine. "Meat!" Takeshi said. "Meat¡­" Laura said. "Hahaha, both of you look like little zombies." Iughed. "Did you sleep well? Right after everything ended, both of you dropped into the floor with Emeraldine. I was dead worried!" "Oh, so we won?!" Takeshi asked with excitement. "Indeed, we won!" I said happily. "Ah¡­ I am awake¡­ Ugh, I ended falling asleep, didn''t I?" Emeraldine slowly crawled from her tent. "Yep, time to have dinner now. We need to eat and rest for tomorrow morning. I have already sensed the dungeon''syout, most likely the next floor is thest one. Whatever is dwelling down there, we are going to exterminate it." Tomorrow, this little adventure of us might finally end. ----- Chapter 477 The Dungeon Cores Last Stand ----- Within the depths of the Dungeon, the Core of the Dungeon reacted to the events that transpired on the second floor of this Dungeon, the only floor before reaching the third andst one. The powerful Dungeon Core seemed to have developed great intelligence and cognitive abilities, and therefore, it had developed strong emotions of frustration when she saw what happened. Indeed, it was a "she" as the Avatar she created for herself was indeed a female. "The Phoenix not only was destroyed but the second colony I''ve been trying to build for so long was destroyed as well?! What sort of ridiculous oue is this?!" She furiously said. "Not only that but these beings¡­ Just who are they to be able to unleash such incredible amounts of power and Mana? And I even felt my own Mana being drained by that strange, phantasmal woman!" The Dungeon Core avatar roared furiously, shaking the cave where she was located, her enormous might made everything tremble, as countless Worker Ants serving her panicked, running away from the fury of their¡­ Queen. "After I''ve been painstakingly trying to get that area and slowly take over the upper floors of my Dungeon so I coulde outside¡­ It all ended getting demolished in mere minutes! And not only that but the mine of Demonite I built with all the effort I had was alsopletely stolen?!" The Dungeon Core roared furiously. Unlike other pragmatic and colder Dungeon Cores, who had yet to fully develop a more human-like personality, she had developed over the thousands of years since her existence, especially with the contamination of "that" which had brought her such incredible new powers in exchange for slowly making her go mad with power, even more than the norm for dungeon cores. "As things are right now, I cannot simply sacrifice more troops and go attack them. It would be¡­ better to wait them here andpletely eliminate them. I have an enormous army at mymand in this ce. Perhaps I won''t even need to lift a finger myself." She said with a smile. In front of her, an enormous army of monstrous beings made a gigantic line, not only just small Worker Ants, but tall humanoid Ants, and even bigger, titanic ones. There were many shapes and even colors, and they were all more than ready to tear apart their prey in exchange for recognition, the recognition of their queen¡­n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Now that the opportunity to escape to the outside world is here, I won''t miss it. I shall reach the other Mountain and reim the other lost half¡­" She said, looking at a strange ck crystal incrusted in her chest. "Yes¡­ The knowledge and malice this item has provided to me has proven to be the greatest. The guidance of the Evil God is supreme! I am so close to be one of the Cmities of this World¡­ I am so close¡­" She quickly looked at the projection in front of her, looking at Maria who was eating a stew while carefreely talking with her friends. "I won''t let this one take away my position, even if you''re just as strong to be able to inherit such a Title, I will be the Great Cmity¡­ I will¡­ bring back the glory of destruction and vile of my lord, the God of Evil!" Her words couldn''t sound more clich¨¦, but she waspletely nuts. The power of whatever was incrusted into the Dungeon Core''s Avatar chest was fueling her with insane amounts of Miasma and Demonic Power far surpassingmon sense. The fury of the gods ofmitting such a taboo could not reach her, as she was hidden within the Dungeon itself. ----- (Maria POV) When we woke up in the morning, the dungeon also changed, the moon atop the artificial sky was gone and now there was the sun slowly rising from the horizon. This type of dungeon are amazing. I am beginning to think they could truly be a work of the gods¡­ As I woke up from sleeping for around eight hours, my mind felt refreshed. Overusing my own Mana always gave me deadly headaches that couldn''t let me concentrate, but right now? I felt at 100%! I could easily take down a Boss if I my mind into it. Everyone was already awake by now, we were preparing some delicious breakfast, while I was also multi-tasking and doing some experiment with Emeraldine. I had taken out a Crimson Herb I got from the Demonite Caves and refined it using Purification, taking away all the miasma, until it suddenly began shining brightly, as if it gained some new and magical aura. "Wow, this is amazing¡­" Emeraldine was shocked. "I also have that Title, so this means I can use Purification as well and purify things that have Miasma? And the purification is so clear as well, it easily took away all the bad toxins but left all the good things in the herb¡­ In fact, the herb itself had grown healthier, isn''t it?" "Yeah, it even gained some magical properties." I said with a smile. "I don''t know if this can be do as well with other stuff, but this blood herb is pretty useful¡­" I said, quickly beginning to inspect it. "Apparently, based in the description, it can be used as substitute for blood if the juice inside its leaves is brewed into a wine." "Eh? A wine?!" Asked Emeraldine. "Yeah, but I was wondering if it could be possible to elerate such a process through alchemy?" I wondered. "Huh, I see where you''reing from." Emeraldine inspected the herb. "Perhaps what happens is that once the herb''s juices mature and get a specific type of bacteria inside which turns the juice into alcohol, it bes a substitute for humanoid blood, maybe if we could artificially add that¡­ But I don''t know if that''s possible." "Huuh¡­ A bacteria that turns juice into alcohol you say?" I wondered, inspecting my Skills. I do remember I have a Skill named [Disease and Poison Creation]¡­ ----- Chapter 478 Making Wine And Reaching The Last Dungeon Floor! ----- "So you have such a skill?" Emeraldine quickly learned about it as I told her. "Yeah but I have no idea if it might actually work." I said while rubbing my chin. "Any ideas?" "Hm, perhaps it might work, but how about we experiment first?" She asked. "How so?" I wondered. "Here¡­" Emeraldine quickly brought some juice I had for the children in a ss bottle. "Try to create such bacteria first and then insert them into this juice, if it slowly turns into wine, then it might do its job. But we''ll still need some time¡­ Unless we have something that can elerate this process." She said. "Huh, I see¡­ Well, technically I could." "Eh?! Just how far do your powers go?" "Well¡­ Disease and Poison Creation allows for the creation of specific bacteria, viruses, and toxins. I barely use it because it is too dangerous most of the time, but I had just realized it could be used for alchemy and other things, and not be somethingpletely harmful. I acquired it when I evolved into a Pandora." I said. "In fact one of my strongest Skills named [Pandora''s Box] uses this skill as a pir for the creation of its explosive attack." "Interesting! How about you try out first? Maybe if you do it slowly and more detailed¡­" She said. "You could do something!" "Yeah, let me try." I sat down and closed my eyes, concentrating myself. The few times I have used this Skill it was only to just "bring disease and poison" and nothing else on mind. Therefore, I only created poisonous fog and horrible bacteria and viruses¡­ But now I want to make wine so¡­ How do I figure this out? Just with my own intent? Err¡­ I thought about delicious wine all the time, until suddenly, an almost transparent gas leaked out of my hands, flying into the juice in front of me and sinking into it. For a moment, it felt like nothing really happened, but suddenly, as I infused Mana into it, the juice began to slowly change, bubbles began to appear as its color turned darker. The smell of alcohol began toe out of it, and I couldn''t help but feel the most shocked as well. I looked at it with astonishment clear in my eyes. "I-I think it might had worked!" I said happily. "Let''s try it!" Emeraldine quickly took a cup and drank the wine, which juice was apple. "Hm? Ah¡­ It tastes a bit¡­ like apple cider?" She wondered. "Wow, this is fine as it is, though it might need a bit more aging." "Ahh¡­ I did it! I made wine! Holy shit I am literally Jesus now!" Iughed. "Je¡­ sas?" Asked Emeraldine, without knowing about the legendary wine maker of my world. "But I might need more practice, for now I don''t want topromise those herbs so we''ll leave it at that." I said, quickly bringing the apple cider to the breakfast table, Lucifer and Partner tried it out and said it was pretty alright. Meanwhile, Laura and Takeshi wanted to drink but I prohibited it with all my soul. Children shouldn''t drink alcohol! "Uuugh, but we want apple juice!" Said Takeshi angrily.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "No is no, Takeshi, maybe when you grow up." I said as I reprimanded him. "Geehh¡­" Takeshi said while taking his tongue out, he was really childish sometimes. Well, he was a child. "Hahah¡­ Dear just eat your breakfast, it is tasty." I said. "Okaaay¡­" Takeshi said. "But when I grow up I want to drink wine with mama¡­" "Sure¡­ Fine." I said. "Well I had already drank wine in my previous life¡­ It is nothing that special." Laura said. "I didn''t really liked the bitter vor. It was just the worse thing to ever exists." "Huh, well, I guess that''s that¡­" I said with a nod. I could understand how she felt, when I drank alcohol for the first time I also felt it was fucking disgusting, but I just got used to it. This is also another reason why I prefer wine that is very sweet. When things finished, we found ourselves standing in front of the cave that led underground towards the floor 3 of this dungeon. It seemed that the third floor waspletely underground, so it was going to be a big cave which probably will be like a damn maze. Thankfully, I had the amazing Automatic Mapping Skill with me to do all of this. "Onwards!" I said, leading mypanions as we moved forwards without stopping. Lucifer transformed into a giant dragon form and led us underground, flying across the cave sections at a fast speed by rapidly pping his enormous wings, in a matter of seconds we found ourselves inside a beautiful cave with many colorful crystals growing everywhere, enormous mushrooms, herbs I had never seen before, and ores growing in the walls and ceiling. "Incredible, this ce has so many resources!" Said Emeraldine. "We hit a gold mine of stuff!" Lucifer said. "Yeah, but we''ve gotpany already!" Partner said, as Lucifer quicklynded over the floor, letting us jump out of his body. In front of us, an enormous swarm of over a hundred ants rushed towards us without stopping. It seems that they were waiting for us for a long while now! Howe, did they wanted to offer a wee party so badly? I guess I''ll have to take all of this EXP for myself out of their hands. "Careful, there are some humanoids in there, Maria!" Lucifer said, readying himself for battle as I noticed five General Ants mixed in between the Hundred Workers. They were walking slowly and like humanoids, and not only that, but they were wielding magic weapons imbued with miasma, Cursed Weapons! "These bastards are really not saving on resources to make stuff like that. I can see they had been using the ores and crystals growing here! It is a pity for them I''ll be taking this entire Dungeon for myself. We have to somehow earn enough funds to kickstart our new guild after all! We can''t let Helga and the other dwarves down!" Iughed, unleashing my darkness. ----- Chapter 479 Advancing Through Armies Of Abyssal Ants With The Power Of Explosions! ----- An army of Worker Ants ran towards us in a big formation, I could easily tell there were at least a hundred within their ranks, and ten General Ants mixed in between them sporadically, as if they knew they were strong enough and could mix in between the smaller ones to fool us and surprise us with a powerful attack. The Ants were grouping together and forming strange formations right after they took a sight of us. Some of them marched forward, havingrger jaws than the others, these were most likely Warrior Ants, while the smallest were Workers, and the big, humanoid ones were the Generals. "BBBZZZ¡­!" The ten generals raised their arms and directed them at the rest of the ants, their very presences surging with ck auras that began to epass the other ants, enhancing their strength and power. The powerful Ants roared furiously, marching towards us. Some of their jaws opened and began spraying us with their venomous saliva, while another group behind them began to conjurerge magic circles, firing Darkness Bullets and Darkness Arrows against us. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! However, Lucifer easily shielded us with his enormous wings, which served as natural shields of gigantic size. A smile surged in his lips as he suddenly began to inhale air, his throat bulged like that of a frog for a few seconds before a devastating dragon breath attack was unleashed! FLUOOOOSSSHHH! The enormous st of darkness and phantasmal mes took over the entire Ant group, some tried to make enormous shields to protect themselves, but that proved to bepletely useless as such shields were pierced by my own shadows, as I expanded them into an enormous domain to both enhance Lucifer and my Undead''s powers and also overtake their shields. It was merely child''s y to easily absorb the darkness shield conjured by a lesser magician than me, especially if they were merely some ants! BOOOOMMMM!!! The explosion provoked by Lucifer''s breath attack burned several ants to a crisp. Perhaps we needed a big st back then, but now that everybody had leveled up even more, we were strong enough to even do this¡­ and this as well! "[Transfiguration of Death]!" FLASH!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Suddenly, I captured the many souls of the Ants that died right there and put them back into their charred bodies, right before doing something even nastier while the other ants surrounding them, most of them wounded, were trying to get back up. "[Undead Detonation]!" All the Undead Ants began to glow with bright purple light before exploding one after the other consecutively. Their bodies quickly exploded into miasma that became even more phantasmal mes, taking over many other Ants BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! Their numbers were quickly halved in a few seconds, and that wasn''t all of it either. Emeraldine stepped forward as she pointed ten arrows using her bow at the Ants, imbuing the power of her spirits into them and then firing all the arrows at the same time. "Sacred Sprit Arrow, Bring Down My Foes!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH¡­! All the arrows flew towards separate directions, glowing with bright white and golden light, and quickly reaching the Ant Generals one after the other, piercing through their bodies and then exploding! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM BOOOOMMM!!! "BBZZZ¡­!" "GRYEHH¡­!" "GRAAH¡­!" They gave all sorts of agonizing cries, but it was fairly obvious they were dying! Some of them survived the holy light that began to burn their bodies, managing to fly away in time or barely evade the arrows, four Ant Generals made their way towards us. "Let me handle this!" Partner roared, moving forward at full speed as she swung her two spears which were imbued with the power of her Blood Aura and her Mana. FLAAASH! She resembled a sh of bright red light as she reached the four Ant Generals, fighting them all by herself! Her spears swung horizontally and vertically, unleashing countless Blood Aura shes which not only pierced through the hard exoskeleton of the Ant Generals, but even damaged them internally by inflicting powerful curses reinforced by her own Vampiric Cursed Eyes! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Partner began to gracefully spin around the air, jumping over the Ants and beginning to pierce through their heads using her spears. Even being pierced in the head wasn''t enough to kill these bastards, but she made sure to kill them by controlling hundreds of piercing spears made of her own blood which flowed out of her own pores, piercing through their torsos and then¡­ yes, exploding! BOOOMMM!!! Three Ant Generals exploded, their guts and flesh flying away as Partner smiled devilishly. Thest Ant General seemed to panic, immediately trying to fly away in desperation, only for a fishing rod thread to wrap around its body. "BZZZ?!" The giant bug quickly looked behind itself, trying to break the threat but finding it was incredibly hard to destroy, although it was slowly managing, it was a bit toote now. "I caught a big fish!" Takeshi said, as the hook of the fishing rod began to pierce through the body of the General Ant, reaching the heart it had deep within, alongside its crystal-like core. "Then it''s my turn, let''s see if this strategy works!" Laura said at the side of her little brother, as she touched his fishing rod and then Takeshi quickly let go of it. FLASH! The fishing rod and its thread quickly glowed with bright red and orange light, suddenly exploding thanks to Laura''s amazing Detonation Ability! "GRYYEEEEHHH¡­! BOOOOMMM!!! The Ant General gave out a pitiful agonizing groan as its interior began to bulge from the internal explosion, until it finally exploded like an inted balloon, leaving nothing behind but guts, flesh, and purple blood¡­ The other Ants were all in simrly to before, as I raised them into Undead and then killed them right away through Undead Detonation, countless explosions happened one after the other, until we cleansed the entire ce of Ants after only four minutes since we arrived here. Man, I love me some explosions. ----- Chapter 480 Explosion Maniac! ----- Ding! [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Worker (B- Rank)] x108] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion General (A- Rank)] x10] [You earned 5320000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 28 to Level 29!] [Your Level has increased from Level 29 to Level 30!] [Your Level has increased from Level 30 to Level 31!] [You acquired the [Explosion Maniac: Lv1] Title Skill] ----- [Explosion Maniac: Lv1] A Title granted to those that enjoy making things explode or to create explosive items. By detonating over a thousand items this Title can be unlocked. It enhances the power of any type of explosion provoked by the user either through items, magic, skills, or other methods by +50%, with an additional +10% boost with each Skill Level. Additionally, there''s a 20% chance to create [Chain Explosions] whenever an explosion of any kind is provoked, which can only affect foes. ----- Woah! Not only I gained three levels but even an amazing new Title Skill! Well, from now on everyone can feel free to call me the Explosion Manic because I sure love to make things explode. And what with these ridiculous titles popping out of nowhere nowadays? +50% boost to the power of my explosions?! I am gettingpletely overpowered now!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om That''s literally half more damage dealt just with this mere Title¡­ Well, the requirements of a thousand detonations was big though, I guess I finally managed to let enough things explode, although all of them were Undead I raised and then made explode using Undead Detonation. And the ability to make [Chain Explosions] seems pretty sweet, if I can trigger that I could literally make thousands of ants explode! In fact, I am going to do that just now because we should continue moving. "Now that we are done here we should quickly move on." Said Lucifer. "Maria, you have a Mapping Skill, right? Can you tell where to go?" "Yeah, wait a bit¡­" I said, quickly closing my eyes and concentrating my senses. I expanded them all like a shockwave, using my own Mana. And then, my Automatic Mental Mapping Skill quickly began to be filled. It also helped I sent several Phantom Clones everywhere to look around, filling more of the map. Several of them ended getting lost, but a few others managed to reach dead ends filled with eggs and several Ant Workers being led by Generals. Apparently the Ants were moving rapidly, leaving aside anything they were doing before such as grooming and cleaning eggs and making bigger caves and began marching across the maze-like cave, rushing towards our position! We either wait them to get here and fight them endlessly, or we move to the Boss. Well, I might as well just move to the boss while we exterminate anything thate our way, we don''t want to spend days in here even though we cant get a bunch of EXP that way, it is not worth it, there''s no way I am staying in this nasty ant hole forever! "For now, follow my directions, we''ll move across that are filled with eggs to st them, that way more ants won''te our way." I said. "I am still searching for the Boss, most likely the queen, this third floor is a gigantic maze so it might take a while!" "Alright!" Lucifer quickly let us mount over his back as he flew into the air, using his enormous wings he quickly followed my directions, until we reached a long corridor with manyrge rooms at each side storing thousands of eggs, this was a delicious EXP fest! However, there were also over three hundred Ant Workers rushing towards us furiously, with tens of Generals at their disposal and even more, we saw five gigantic ants like we had never seen before, and even the Ant Generals were stronger than the previous ones we fought, holding stronger weapons, and seemingly knowing fighting techniques! ----- [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Goliath] [Rank: A] [Status: Furious] An enormous special breed of Abyssal Parasite Ants with a gigantic size that can reach up to fifty meters of height. These enormous Ants have gained the name of Goliaths and are powerful guardians of the Ant Queen. With their enormous sizes there''s very little things that can go against them. They boast tremendous HP and Defense Stats, and can easily provoke tremors and earthquakes, and even control the ground below them to generate pitfalls. However, they''re very slow. Skills: [Near Imprable Chitinous Exoskeleton] [Unmovable Body] [Giant Body m] [Tremor] [Crush] [Earthquake] [Pitfall Creation] [Crushing Jaws] ----- [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion General Knight] [Rank: A] [Status: Furious] A special variant of the Ant Generals who have reached a higher Rank than A- at A. Their power is almost the same, but their intelligence is way superior to normal Generals and they''re cunning and swift with their movements. They had self-taught themselves the ability to use powerful Cursed Weapons masterfully and can also conjure powerful Dark and Miasmic Magic to both enhance their Weapon Techniques or enhance their bodies. However, due to their pride, they often work alone. Skills: [Amazing Reflexes] [Cursed Sword Mastery] [Cursed Axe Mastery] [Cursed Rapier Mastery] [Cursed Spear Mastery] [Shield Mastery] [Armor Mastery] [Magic Genius] [Miasmic Aura] ----- Oh boy these guys are surely bad news! Look at those enormous Goliaths, and then there''s the Knights which are those shiny guys over there, they''re all separated from one another. I guess their only weakness is that their pride is too big for them to properly cooperate like the other Lesser Generals. It is or time to crush that pride as well then! "Everyone! Attack!" While sitting over Lucifer''s back, we all gathered our magic and powers and sent out a barrage of attacks. Emeraldine in specific was doing great, she unleashed a rain of dozens of light arrows that began to explode one after the other, generating enormous trees to grow out of the ground and to trap several ants. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ----- Chapter 481 The Endless Army Of The Dead ----- The arrows imbued not only with the holy light spirit but also the nature spirit quickly reached their targets, exploding and taking dozens of Worker Ants with them. However, that wasn''t all, to break through such insane amount of numbers, Emeraldine used the power of her Nature Spirit to imbue the arrows with the power to grow into temporary trees, expanding their size more and more as they caught Ants and absorbed their life energy, growing bigger and entangling many ants in the process! Some ants began to destroy the trees with their jaws, but many of them ended getting trapped in the sticky sap of the trees, making things worse for them. However, that wasn''t all, as Partner immediately fought as well, she quickly unleashed a powerful and devastating attack using her Blood Magicbined with her Spear Techniques,bining both to unleash a rain of Blood Spears that channeled her Spear Techniques,bined together, not only they fell over almost fifty Ants at the same time, but the spears began dancing around the middle of the air, unleashing several piercing attacks around their surroundings before exploding to deal even more damage. And when they exploded, they filled the battlefield with strange blood patches that captured the ants in ce, ready for picking! "Hehehe, now''s my turn¡­" Iughed, my darkness quickly surged from my body as I gathered it all above me, several spheres of pure darkness, poison, and death materialized into ck crystals as they began to fall into the Ant Army one after the other! "[Chaotic Dark Meteor]!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!!! The enormous explosive meteors took over many Ants, although these Dark Elements were the elements they resisted, my stats were way too high for their Resistance Skills topletely help them shield against such overwhelming power, easily getting roasted alive by the Cursed ck Fire that these Meteors summoned each time they hit the ground into a spiraling, shockwave-like explosion that took anything around itself. And then, as the three Chaotic Dark Meteors that drained most of my MP reached the floor, one of the Goliaths roared furiously, rushing towards me, only for a [Chain Explosion] to trigger and catch the enormous ant''s legs, which both front legs exploded, making the ant lose its bnce and fall into the ground easily! BAAAM! "GRUOOHHHH¡­!" The enormous Ant Goliath screamed in agony as its entire body fell down. However, the beast reluctantly attempted to stand back up, using its four remaining legs, only to find several of its allies, the worker ants, crawling around his remaining legs. "GRUOH¡­?!" Of course, he was confused, but they were not your friends, buddy. They were my Undead! "[Undead Detonation]!" FLASH! All the ants crawling over the Ant Goliath''s legs shone with bright purple light, suddenly exploding one after the other, generating a [Chain Explosion] several times as they were dozens of them and the odds were higher that way! Each explosion was strong enough to break through the hard exoskeleton of the Goliaths, shattering the rest of their legs and leaving the titanspletely hopeless over the floor. BAAAM! The monster''s enormous body fell down with ease, as countless more ants began swarming it and exploding one after the other, the enormous Goliath was no more! However, it took me a while to just take one down, and there are like three more of them, walking slowly towards us! Thankfully they cannot really abuse their earthquake powers because we are in the air thanks to Lucifer, who was already about to unleash his destructive breath attack right before a group of general ants led by several knights reached us through the sky using their enormous wings, which the goliaths and workerscked. "This is a special one¡­!" Lucifer roared. "Abyssal Death Dragon Breath!" Lucifer gathered even his own magical powers into his dragon breath, unleashing an enormous abyssal beam against the attackers and anything below, the explosion of darkness quickly turned to be a gigantic amount of ck mes! All the mes began tobust the ants, charring them alive. Several knights and generals got caught in the fire and were engulfedpletely, while five knights managed to evade and flew directly towards me. "SHAAA!" One of such knights was wielding a pair ofrge des, impacting against me. However, I was prepared! I quickly took out my Axe and my Cursed Sword, alongside that, I generated severalically long phantasmal arms out of my back, grabbing several other weapons I had packed inside my Inventory, mostly spears so I could gain more skill proficiency using them! CLASH! We quickly shed in the skies as I flew away from Lucifer to not bother him. The Ant began to furiously unleash several Aura sh Attacks against me using his cursed swords, but I intercepted them with myrge Battle Axe and when I got closer, I spun my entire body unnaturally, making my axe spin around and beginning to slice through the knight''s arms, at the same time as my free hand began to slice through its exoskeleton with the Cursed de I held, and all while my other phantasmal arms unleashed countless piercing attacks using my spears! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "GRAAHHH¡­!" The Ant General Knight was leftpletely speechless as it was overpowered quite easily! His entire body was covered in wounds and with a finishing move, I sliced him in four pieces with my Battle Axe and my Cursed de! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! I might not have as high enough Attack Stat like the rest of my party, as I am the one that has the lowest of them all, but that doesn''t mean I can''t use weapons and overpower someone that thinks can get away with fighting me physically! Heh, even more, Ipensate for myck of Attack Stat by equipping several weapons at the same time,pletely breaking the limits known to this world''s System thanks to my overpowered System Unique Skill and the powers of a ghost! And of course, I am also a charismatic Necromancer! "[Transfiguration of Death]!" FLASH! The Ant General Knight that was sliced in four was quickly reassembled by my Skill into an Undead, a powerful Abyssal Legion Ant General Knight Undead! And just in time for the other Knights who were reaching my way already.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ----- Chapter 482 Raising A Powerful A+ Rank Undead! ----- CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! As all of my party fought, I was being swarmed by the powerful and dexterous Ant General Knights. However, I wasn''t without my many unconventional tricks, and one of them was to just divide my body into countless phantasmal arms to catch on them all! Now this is the time to break my limits. "KAAAH!" "S-SHAA¡­?!" "KUUHH¡­!" The Ants were all struggling to keep up with me, I could tell they had higher Attack Stat than I did, but thanks to my amazing phantasmal body, I had the high ground, even more when I had a little friend at my side now, the ferocious Ant Knight was unleashing countless attacks, protecting me as I was his new Queen. CLASH! SLASH! However, the other Ant General Knights surrounded him and began to pierce through his body. He was weaker than when he was alive, like most Undead I raised unless I used System Points to enhance them into new and powerful beings. But that was a nice thing, to be honest, he had all the ants around him! "Sorry bud, rest in peace, [Undead Detonation]!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The Knight who served me for only a few minutes looked back at me as its entire body glowed with bright purple light. Awe on, don''t look at me like that! BOOOOOMMMM!!! Ah well, he exploded at the end, easily taking down the others that were attacking him. But out of pity, I sighed and then grabbed back his soul. "Okay, okay, I get it, you want to keep being with me?" I looked at the Ant''s soul, as he nodded happily. "Kaah!" "Okay¡­" I quickly opened my Soul Grimoire without even caring about the countless explosions and battles around my surroundings as I quickly used my shadows to grab several corpses in the floor and¡­ I guess this should do. ----- [Creation Summary] [Abyssal Ant Death General Dark Magic Knight] [Rank: A+] [Required List of Ingredients to Create]: [System Points] x20000 [Mana] x20000 [Carcasses of Abyssal Legion Ants] x30 [Exoskeleton of the Abyssal Ant General] x5 [Loyal Soul of the Ant General Knight] x1 [Crystalized Phantasmal Essence] x40 [Magic Crystals (Any Rank)] x150 ----- "Alright I''ve got everything! Rise, [Abyssal Ant Death General Dark Magic Knight]!" FLAAASH! Suddenly, an enormous eruption of ck light emerged in front of me, both my allies and my foes stopped what they were doing, ring at the enormous amount of energy spent. The power of System Points really made them all surprise, I guess whatever System Points are, they''re an incredible type of high-quality essence. All the materials quickly merged together, forming a three-meter-tall ant knight covered from head to toe with ck and purple exoskeleton, decorated with spikes and other markings. Its head had two enormous red eyes, with its wings resembling those of moths, purple, red, and ck, beautifully decorated with roses and skulls. Its arms were thin but powerful, with sharp ws that could easily slice through foes, its antennas twitched a bit, as its soul entered its newly formed body. Ding! [You have created the [Abyssal Ant Death General Dark Magic Knight] [Rank: A+]!] "Let''s give you a pretty name, how about Lancelot, my loyal knight?" Ding! [Lancelot] has been designed as the newly raised Undead''s name] [Lancelot] acquired the [Loyal Death Guard] [Knight of the Queen of Death] [Dark Magic Swordsman] and [One In A Thousand] Title Skills!] [Lancelot] acquired the [Abyssal de Swordsmanship], [Abyssal Knight''s Guard] [Magical Parry] [ck Castle Defensive Technique] [Unleash Miasmic Fury] and [Abyssal Domain of One Hundred ck Swords] Skills!] "Woah, amazing!" I couldn''t help but feelpletely shocked by Lancelot''s powerup, his sole figure irradiated power alone. Even Lucifer directed his gaze to him and then back to me. "Did you had to raise such an overpowered ant?" He wondered. "Well he really begged for it!" I sighed. "Come on, I''ve got a soft spot for souls." "He seems powerful, I guess we can let him be your bodyguard, especially when your other powerful Undead aren''t here." Said Lucifer. "GRUOH¡­!" At the distance, Gero was groaning angrily as if he wasn''t being recognized, he had been currently flying in the sky using his newly acquired wings as he became a Winged Smander, and was unleashing poison and venom everywhere. "Thank you very much for giving me a second chance, master. This time, I will serve you well so I don''t explode once more." Lancelot spoke, quickly shocking me. "Y-You can speak?! Ah, well then, Lancelot, you''ve got a bunch of new Skills, use them to prove me your strength!" I said. "Very well!" Lancelot swiftly flew down into the army of Ants, which was now reduced to a bit less than half of their original numbers. FLAAASH! His body moved swiftly, like a ck and purple blur, he began slicing through foes without even having to directly touch them, his very presence was sharp like a sword, and that domain he summoned made it possible for him to unleash countless ck swords around his surroundings, quickly ying more and more Ants without even faltering a single second, he was really going hard for me, and it made me smile slightly evilly as I saw him dance with his new cursed de, which came included with his creation and was apparently a part of his own body, so it could evolve and was even alive! SLAAASH! SLAAAASH! SLAAAAASH! Countless sliced pieces of ants began flying everywhere, as everyone in our party was left speechless. Lancelot made quick work of every single Worker Ant except the Goliaths, too big and powerful for his de to easily defeat them, so we had to cooperate in that moment. However, as he flew back to me with a pile of over a hundred ants behind him, he acted like a loyal butler and lowered his head. "Master, have I done a good job?" He wondered. "Is this enough to prove myself?" "A-Ah¡­ Yeah, good boy." I said, head patting him. Although he remained calm, I could tell he got happy as his antennas began twitching around happily. "Now, help us out in defeating those Goliaths protecting the eggs, we have to destroy as many as we find asap to not let them multiply any longer!" I said. "Understood." Lancelot quickly flew directly into the foe, without even thinking it twice. "Wait! Don''t just jump into it!" I sighed. ----- Chapter 483 Plague Exterminator ----- Lancelot flew directly towards the nearest Ant Goliath. The three surviving ones had lined up right in front of our path to not allow us to get through into the eggs. The guys were very reluctant, and some began to unleash magic attacks while trying to stall for time so more Ants woulde. I could already sense a few hundred in our way and the other eggs had begun to crack as well, as if the Dungeon itself began to infuse Mana into them so their development would be hastened. This was really cheating now!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om However, the Ant Knight I just created flew valiantly, as his Domain of Abyssal Swords emerged once more, countless swords began dancing around him as his main Living Cursed Sword unleashed countless Aura shes, which converged into storms of slicing darkness against our foes. CLAAASSSHH! However, the attacks were not that effective! Lancelot was better at attacking smaller foes, but hecked the overwhelming strength to overpower titans such as these. However, he was good enough to distract them, as Lucifer immediately ran forward alongside me, as the two of us transformed into our enormous and monstrous forms once more. Lucifer had discovered that if he turned back into his humanoid form and then transformed once more into his dragon form, he could abuse the enormous explosion that was unleashed in that moment to his advantage, even more, the sudden weight generated would also form a powerful attack by itself, and that''s what he did just now! "True Dragon Form!" BOOOOMMMM!!! His entire body erupted in darkness and phantasmal mes just as he body mmed one of the Goliaths into the ground, his enormous size wasrger than them, and he didn''t even wasted a single second to quickly use his ws and the sharp de-like tip of his tail to slice through two of the Goliath''s legs, while his jaws extended and tore apart another leg as well! "GRUOOHHH!" The furious titan used its enormous jaws to attack Lucifer, slowly beginning to crush and pierce through his chest. However, the enormous dragon didn''t falter as he used his ws to slice through the ant''s eyes and then kicked it away strongly, using his greater body weight to his advantage. BAAAAMMM! The Goliath fell upside down, as the rest of my Undead quickly began to swarm it, this time I didn''t let them explode, as there were Moles and Bird Monsters there which I wanted to keep for myself as well, but by theirbined attacks alone, the Goliath was slowly dying, while two others remained. "ROOARRR!" Lucifer quickly unleashed a powerful breath attack, setting aze one of the two remaining Ant Goliaths, as Lancelot and Partner moved forward and began attacking the Ant. Lucifer''s zing breath easily weakened the enormous Ant with its Cursed ck mes, and it was ready for picking! Of course, I was also fighting. With thebination of my [Gorgon''s Transformation] and [Abyssal Demon Transformation] Skills, I became an enormous and abhorrent creature resembling a chimeric mix between countless furious snakes and a fly-like bug. Using my enormous size, I took down the Goliath they were attacking and used my dozens of snake jaws to bite through its hard legs, breaking them apart. BAAAM! With that one falling, I quickly attacked the second one, mauling its head with my enormous bug-like jaws. Yeah, you guys weren''t the only ones with one like that! And although he was slow, he still managed to bite through my soul using its enormous snapping jaws imbued with magic. Nheless, with the assistance of everybody else, especially Emeraldine who fired a powerful Holy Light Arrow into the Goliath, we managed to defeat thest one. CLAASH! Right before us, several rooms filled with eggs were revealed. We didn''t had any time to lose, as we began running across the corridor while bombarding these smaller rooms filled with eggs, stopping the ants from hatching from their grotesque clutches of eggs growing out of rotting carcasses, they were parasites after all. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! Lucifer''s breath, Emeraldine''s Holy Light Arrows, Takeshi''s Fishing Rod and powerful Water Magic, Laura''s Explosive Items and Fire Magic, Partner''s Blood Magic and long-ranged Spear Techniques, and my own Darkness, alongside Lancelot''s de and Gero''s Acidic Venom quickly took care of hundreds of clutches of eggs as we ran forward towards the presence I was sensing farther into the caves. "A dead end again?!" Partner said frustratedly. We had already reached two more dead ends, but although the presence of the Queen seemed closer we were still walking around the maze, my map was being filled but there were also too many intricacies and it seemed as if the queen was able to manipte the soil or something, as the map sometimes automatically changed some things. Wait, is the Ant Queen¡­ a Dungeon Master? It makes sense. Not any monster could just manipte the interior structure of a Dungeon to such an enormous level of detail. I guess we are really going against someone powerful this time around. Well, at least the EXP was good, although we are being tailed by an army of hundreds of ants, so more EXP might soon arrive. Ding! [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Worker (B- Rank)] x309] [Your and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Eggs (D- Rank)] x1403] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion General (A- Rank)] x30] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Goliath (A Rank)] x4] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion General Knight (A Rank)] x10] [Calcting EXP Earned¡­] [Your Level has increased from Level 31 to Level 38!] [All Your Stats have increased] [You earned Bonus System Points] [The [gue yer: Lv10] Title has awakened into the [gue Exterminator: Lv1] Title!] ----- [gue Exterminator: Lv1] An evolved form of the gue yer Title which has awakened after the Title has reached Max Level and after the user has in one thousand gue-type Monsters within an hour. A Title that puts the user into the top of the food chain in terms of bugs and creepy crawlies, granting an excessive enhancement to damage dealt of +150% with an additional +20% with each Skill Level. Additionally, 20% of the total HP and MP of any gue-type Monster in will be recovered to the user. ----- Wow, now that''s what I call an upgrade! ----- Chapter 484 If You Cant Advance, Just Mine Through It! ----- After killing so many Ants, I had naturally reached Max Level in the gue yer Title, and various other titles that gained proficiency by killing monsters were also all quite high level. ying thousands of monsters of the same type really bring some nice benefits! With this Title not only will I be able to deal more damage to the Queen but also recover some HP from her and her minions. Not only that, but I confirmed that everyone here got the gue yer Title at high level, but only Lucifer managed to awaken it with me, although his effects seem slightly weaker than my own gue Exterminator, it still just as useful. Nheless, I had also leveled up 7 times, which is nice as hell, I am already almost at Level 40, halfway through reaching Level 80, where I will be finally able to, hopefully, evolve! -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [28/80] -> [38/80] [EXP]: [1152000/2900000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [86000/86000] -> [106000/106000] [MP]: [218000/218000] -> [258000/258000] [Attack]: [45000] -> [60000] [Defense]: [47000] -> [62000] [Magic]: [208000] -> [248000] [Agility]: [86000] -> [106000] [Aether]: [100] [System Points]: [422000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv5] [Abyss Eater: Lv3] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv6] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv4] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv7] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv2] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv2] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv6] [Fist Strike: Lv8] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv5] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv7] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv2] [Dark Sun: Lv5] [Dark Storm: Lv5] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv3] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv3] [Abyss Maniption: Lv3] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv3] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv2] [Soul Devourer: Lv2] [Undead Detonation: Lv9] [Shadow Thread: Lv8] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv4] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv1] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv2] [Illusory Delusion: Lv4] [Mind Bending: Lv4] [Insect Maniption: Lv3] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv4] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv2] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv2] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv2] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv8] [Mental Mapping: Lv7] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv8] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv2] [Mining: Lv1] [Dismantle: Lv2] [Taming: Lv1] [Mana Transfer: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv7] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv4] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv9] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv7] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv4] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv6] [Spirit Queen: Lv5] [Spirit Mediator: Lv5] [Poison Queen: Lv6] [Merciless Assassin: Lv6] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv5] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv4] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv5] [gue Exterminator: Lv1] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv6] [Saint of Death: Lv5] [Deceiver: Lv3] [Undead yer: Lv5] [Slime yer: Lv3] [King yer: Lv4] [Dungeon Master: Lv2] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv2] [Queen of Flies: Lv3] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv3] [Mold Breaker: Lv4] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv2] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv2] [Greedy Miner: Lv1] [Butcherer: Lv1] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv2] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv2] [Purified Of Chaos: Lv2] [Explosion Maniac: Lv2] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- Seeing my stats was quite the relieving thing, seeing the numbers go up really hastened my dopamine production, which there wasn''t because I had no actual brain, I am brainless. Nheless, I felt excited each time my stats jumped this much, in this little frame of time since I got here I already earned myself ten whole levels, that meant my Attack power went up to 60k! I am so overpowered now! Even as the physically weakest of my group, I am sure I can punch boulders now! My other stats also increased nicely, I guess¡­ Yeah, yeah, my MP and Magic are pretty high, I know. They''re nothing special to me though, it is a given since I was reincarnated that I was going to be OP at magic, so it makes me more excited when my physical strength increases, even though I am a ghost, I got enough physical power to do more things than mere poltergeists can. A lot of my Titles leveled up though, especially my Undead yer? It went all the way to Level 5 from Level 2. What the heck? Wait, is this because I''ve been making my own Undead explode using [Undead Detonation]? I don''t get any EXP that way, but I guess it counts as proficiency for the Title of [Undead yer]¡­ Ah, I feel a bit bad now. Nevertheless, this is not the time to go around sobbing! "Here, let''s go through here!" I said, leading everyone as I guided myself using my map, only to find¡­ another dead end?! "Another?!" Asked Lucifer. "Wait, Master, I think we are lost¡­" Partner said. "No! This is¡­ thebyrinth itself is changing constantly¡­" I said in disbelief. "So it is really happening¡­" "Wait, what? How?!" Asked Emeraldine while panicking a bit, she looked exhausted. "The Boss of this Dungeon''s Floor is most likely the one behind this¡­" I said. "Damn it, if I could just punch through these walls- Wait a second¡­ I don''t have to punch them, I can just mine through them!" Suddenly, the amazing [Mining] Skill quickly came to mind, it was still Level 1, but if it could be useful at mining through these walls, then the whole game would give a sudden change. I looked in front of me. There was an enormous wall within this gigantic cave-likebyrinth maze. These walls were not here before, they suddenly emerged when we just stepped here, forming a dead end once more. However, I can easily sense the Boss through these walls, far away from here, but through this direction. ----- Chapter 485 Dynamite Mining! ----- I looked in front of me. There was an enormous wall within this gigantic cave-likebyrinth maze. These walls were not here before, they suddenly emerged when we just stepped here, forming a dead end once more. However, I can easily sense the Boss through these walls, far away from here, but through this direction. I''ve been using the Mental Mapping Skill to guide myself through this maze. I had originally thought I held the high ground in terms of this, but at the end the one doing this is capable of shaping the dungeon'' structure to an extent, making it near impossible for us to get through guided by the map, and it would be even worse if we didn''t had any. Is the Boss'' n to just tire us out of our MP and Stamina and then go for the kill? I can already hear another hundred ants squad rushing our way. I wish I could just Tame them all using my [Insect Maniption] and [Taming] Skills, but it seems impossible. Mostly because these Ants are being already controlled by what I''ve called "The Ant Queen", whoever that is. I had broke my Pickaxe but I can still use my own body like I did back then, by simply shaping one of my arms into a pickaxe or something like a scythe, and then materializing it into the hardestponent I could using [Embodiment], I quickly decided to give it a shot! "SHAAAA!" However, the cry of ants got to us faster than I imagined, not only their groans but their little legs walking over the floor by the hundreds made the surroundings tremble constantly. "Alright, you guys cover me while I give it a shot!" I said. "You better do it though!" Lucifer said. "I''ll do my best!" Iughed, quickly pointing my pickaxe-hand into the walls in front of me. I concentrated all the Strength I could muster, putting every point of my Attack Stat into potion! CLAAAASSSHHH!!! An enormous tremor urred, the walls began to tremble as sand and dirt began falling from the ceiling, however, not even a single crack appeared. "What¡­? So I can''t at the end, huh?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I knew that certain Dungeons had enormously hard walls, ceilings, and walls, so hard that you can only break through them using spatial-bending attacks or¡­ phantom. Wait, phantom! The same way I did it with the previous dungeon to get to the Dungeon Core¡­ Maye that could do it? If I insert my own phantom inside the walls like this¡­! FLASH! I quickly began to insert my own phantom into the walls, as the walls suddenly began to tremble. It was somehow working! As long as I can get into the insides, which seem to be softer and not protected by whatever power makes a dungeon structure indestructible, then¡­! "Maria, hurry up!" Lucifer roared from behind. "There are more ants iing, there''s like twenty Goliaths?! Can we handle them all on our own?!" Emeraldine panicked, she was growing more and more tired, no potions could easily heal such exhaustion. "Uugh, stopining and trust Master for once, you lot!" Partner said furiously, as her cocky Vampiric nature emerged from her often childish behavior. "Master, we are trusting you!" Lancelot said. "GLUOP!" Gero cheered. "You can do it!" Said Takeshi. "Yeah!" Laura said. Wait, the twins could also help me! Putting my phantom inside was taking too long, but if I can ask for their assistance, then things might be hastened a lot! Takeshi has the Fishing Rod from his [Fisherman] Unique Skill that can pass through anything as if they were water, and Laura can detonate things she touches. "You two,e help me!" I said, as Takeshi and Laura, who were unleashing their attacks against a dozen ants quickly ran to my side, as their positions were quickly reced by Undead Ants I was rising at the very moment by multi-tasking. "Okay! But what should we do?! Ah! My fishing rod?!" Asked Takeshi, as if he read my mind, he quickly realized I wanted him to help me using his special ability. "Can my ability also help somehow?" Wondered Laura. "Yes dear, yours is also very important." I said, as I quickly held both children''s hands using two phantom hands I created in the instant. Laura immediately used her [Twin Connection] Unique Skill, connecting me with Takeshi and her own status, and merging our status together, something that can only be done through this special method, but it cost a lot of MP for Laura, and although I can heal her, it still very tiring for her soul, which could even shatter if I force her to overdo it. However, if its for just a few seconds, then it is more than doable! FLASH! Fusing their power together with my own phantom, I quickly summoned the Fishing Rod and inserted the threads inside the walls themselves easily, as if it was water. But that doesn''t work with us unless it is Takeshi himself who''s submerging through it, and no, this power seems impossible to be shared with us apparently, it is something unique of him or something. Nheless, as Laura imbued the power of her Detonation into the fishing rod inside, I wrapped it all around with my phantom and then used [Undead Detonation] with it! And this is what I call dynamite Mining! BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!! An enormous explosion happened inside the walls themselves, which inted unnaturally as if they were a balloon! What the heck?! However¡­ cracks began to emerge! Crack¡­ crack¡­! Is this the space of the walls itself cracking? Amazing, we have to keep doing this! BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! Crack¡­ crack¡­! More and more cracks appeared incessantly, until finally, after almost an entire minute of trying! CRAAAASH! RUMBLE! The entire walls shattered, and an enormous earthquake took over the entire dungeon floor, enormous boulders began falling everywhere, crushing all the ants behind us as I saved everybody else by putting them inside my shadows, I quickly made my way through the broken walls, finally reaching the Boss Room! ----- Chapter 486 Confronting The Boss! An Overwhelming Power?! ----- Ding! [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Worker (B- Rank)] x230] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion General (A- Rank)] x40] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion Goliath (A Rank)] x20] [You and your Party in [Abyssal Parasite Ant Legion General Knight (A Rank)] x5] [Calcting EXP Earned¡­] [You earned 15700000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 38 to Level 39!] [Your Level has increased from Level 39 to Level 40!] [Your Level has increased from Level 40 to Level 41!] [Your Level has increased from Level 41 to Level 42!] [Your Level has increased from Level 42 to Level 43!] [All Your Stats have increased] [You earned Bonus System Points] [The [Mining: Lv1] Skill has reached Level 3!] [The [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv2] Skill has reached Level 3!] Not only did I just destroyed the walls thanks to the aid of Takeshi and Laura, but I even managed to easily push through five levels in a row! I couldn''t had done it simply by detonating my own phantom inside, as I needed thebined and strengthened power of Laura''s Detonation and Takeshi''s Fishing Rod capable of getting all the way into the spatial walls to do this! It was an amazing teamwork if I say so myself. And alongside that, most of the Ants behind died on the spot crushed to death, even the Goliaths died! I thought those guys could at least take a few building-sized boulders, but I guess they can''t. And with a smile in my face, I quickly reached the Boss Room with my group, finally confronting the one behind the Ant Colony. As I quickly brought them all out of my shadows, I was quickly confronted by an annoyed and furious Ant Queen, a woman with the lower half of a gigantic Ant and a big abdomen, and the upper half of big woman. Her body by itself was at least four to five meters tall, she was certainly bigger than all other ants except the Goliaths, which makes me think those titans might start as normal sized ants that simply continue growing out of proportion. "H-How did you¡­!?" She muttered, a furious look in her face quickly emerged. Her red eyes glowed annoyingly as, right above her beautiful human eyes there were two enormous ant-like eyes on top of her head. Her antennas were also big and horn-shaped, growing upwards. Her humanoid upper half was covered in exoskeleton but there were a few crevices showing some fair white skin behind. She emanated a monstrous and demonic aura, her chest held arge ck crystal emanating something truly monstrous, like I could onlypare to that time I fought against the mutated Agatha. Could this thing be¡­? No, there''s no way, right? Or could it truly be a fragment of the Evil God?! "Hmph¡­ So you''ve guessed as much, I can tell by your frightened face and the enormous aura you''re letting out¡­" She said with a smile, her presence erupting with enormous and all-epassing darkness. It felt as if the depths of the abyss itself opened behind her. I wasn''t scared myself, but nervous. I could truly tell she was holding something she really shouldn''t be having right now! In fact why are the gods so stupid to leave the pieces of their archnemesis lying around the world so easily?! "This power¡­! Maria¡­?!" Lucifer quickly realized what was happening, as a shockwave of miasma suddenly flew towards us. He jumped forward and quickly defended us from it, tanking the entire attack by himself. CLAAASH! "Nnnghh¡­ Uuggh¡­!" Lucifer gritted his teeth, the Miasma waspletely different from the one we had fought before, it was so overpowering that it began to turn Lucifer''s scales into ashes?! "Lucifer!!!" I ran to his side to protect him, but I quickly realized the rest of my party was shielding themselves from this enormous miasma behind me! "T-This Miasma, it hurts¡­! Cough¡­!" Emeraldine began to cough desperately. "Agh! It burns!" Partner cried. "I can''t breathe¡­ Agh¡­!" Takeshi was about to copse. "T-This is¡­! Not even us can absorb this Miasma?!" Laura wondered. "Shit! Go back to my Shadows!" I said. I quickly divided my body and put them all inside of my shadows, but Lucifer was somehow trapped within this darkness, and it was making his entire body stiff and paralyzed! Was he caught in some sort of special Curse?! "Agghhh! D-Damn it!" I cried, trying to grab Lucifer with my entire body, covering him. "ROOOAAAARRRR!!!" Lucifer roared in agony and fury, as his Dragon Breath emerged from his jaws, impacting the Ant Queen! BOOOOOMMMM!!! However, as the smoke dissipated, the breath attack was easily stopped by a barrier of¡­ Miasma? It wasn''t even Darkness, but pure Miasma! "S-Shit¡­!" Lucifer muttered, his entire body began to crumble apart, as if his skin had turned into rocks which were beginning to fall apart into ashes. "Lucifer! [Death Restoration]!" FLASH! Suddenly, a coat of phantom covered Lucifer''s entire body as I put all my MP into healing him almostpletely, he quickly regressed to his original appearance, but he suddenly vomited blood as he began gasping for air. "Hmph, you are quite the hardy bunch. I was trying to take you down normally so my Colony could earn some well deserved EXP and Level Up further, but you''ve really done it now. If you walked straight into my room thinking I would be something that you could defeat easily, then you''repletely wrong." The Ant Queen spoke. "Ghost, Dragon, or whatever¡­ You''re just a side show for me, nothing special¡­ I had fun trying to make my ants evolve by fighting you as a challenge, but I''ve had enough of being entertained by you lot. Abyssal Rend!" SLAAASH!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om And then, an enormous mass of darkness emerged before us, shattering space itself to immediately reach us without us even being able to evade, piercing through our bodies and slicing both our bodies and souls apart. TRUUUUUMMM¡­! ----- Chapter 487 Brunhild ----- My own Powers weren''t able to do anything against that attack. The power of this monster was far superior to what I could had imagined. And the worst of all, I recklessly ran to her. I really thought she was weak because of how hard she was trying to make us not find her. Was this all really just an act to lower our guards? Fucking bitch, it really worked, huh? I''ll have to reevaluate how I do things from now on, being overly cautious will be my priority¡­ I should had sent at least a phantom clone to her before to gauge her strength. Well, it is not as if I can even see her status, I only see corrupted letters and text, it is impossible. She has some sort of skill like the Ants, although most Ants ended letting me see their status at the end, but she didn''t even allowed me to. And the thing she had in her chest¡­ it was really a Small Fragment of the Evil God, without a doubt. I can already tell that immense power I sensed within herself was all due to this fragment. She had been cheating the game long ago, probably she was the first one to ever find it, and somehow, she assimted it into her own body. Her attack easily sliced through my entire phantasmal body. I felt as if my soul shattered into two halves. It was painful, but the miasma and everything that came with it wasn''t that painful, I easily absorbed it. However, the problem was¡­ Lucifer! Right before my eyes, his entire body was sliced in half, and so was his soul! God damn it! Just when he had managed to evolve into a living being! That attack alone will kill him! I ran to his side with my two halves in that split of a second, seeing his impacted face see his entire body being sliced into halves, as his weaker soul than mine was shattered, his face twisted in agony.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Don''t die on me now! Not now that you''ve finally acquired the life you''ve wanted!" I cried, quickly shaping my shadows into threads and stitching both of his halves together, at the same time, I used [Phantasmal Puppeteer] to stitch his interior using my phantom clones possessing his body, all in just a split of a second as I desperately gritted my teeth. "Even if I die, you can raise me again¡­" He said. "No¡­ It is different! I was so happy to see you evolve into a living being, I don''t want you to go back to being a full undead¡­!" I said, quickly putting my hands into his wounds. With the power of [Death Restoration] I was able to quickly heal him once more. As Lucifer''s current status was a Pseudo Living Undead, something simr to Vampires, this skill worked on him! FLASH! "Agh¡­!" Lucifer struggled to get up, as I hugged his body using my entire shadows, healing him. "Maria, don''t focus on me, we are going to die if she attacks again!" He said. "Ah¡­!" Suddenly, I noticed the Ant Queen look at us with scorn once more. "Your emotions got the best of you, little ghost. You had potential but you''re too fixated in others. Your entire emotional pirs are these weaklings? Pathetic¡­! As the one Blessed by Hel I truly thought you were something more, but you''re just garbage! Die!" Her hands waved carefreely as yet another distortion in space happened¡­ "Abyssal Ren-" "GROOOAARRRRRR¡­.!" However, a draconic roar suddenly interrupted her chanting, as an enormous quantity of red and golden mes were directed towards the Ant Queen in an instant! "W-What the¡­?!" BOOOOOMMMM!!! The golden and red mes began burning through her Miasmic Barrier, melting it slowly as the Ant Queen started to¡­ scream?! "AGGGH¡­! T-This is pain?! W-What?! How?!" And right behind us, Lucifer and I saw somethingpletely out of our expectations. A Dragon. It was indeed an Ancient Dragon from head to toe, of an enormous size, easily surpassing seventy meters of height. Her scales were red and orange, but they looked old, slowly losing their colors and turning ck and brown instead. Her body seemed to have many cracks, as if she were an old pir slowly falling apart, but she was still powerful enough to unleash that attack. And her furious red and golden eyes glowed with a ruthless light, as her entire being exuded the power of a draconic descendant of true bloodline¡­ She was really an Ancient Dragon in the flesh. And why did she looked so much like the tiny Wyvern we found?! Wait¡­ hold on a second! "It can''t be¡­! You''re alive! Big sister!" Lucifer immediately reacted before me, as I felt even more taken aback! "Wait, big sister?!" I asked in shock. The Wyvern was indeed her; I could easily recognize that appearance, but it was way bigger than before! Did Lucifer not recognize her due to something else? Maybe size or something? "It is a good thing I came with you guys at the end." She sighed with a calm and gentle feminine voice. "Lucifer, Maria! Quickly get behind me! That monster is being infected by a Fragment of the Evil God, her power is merely just awakening but she can even destroy souls and shatter space!" Immediately, an enormous storm of mes surged from her body shaping itself as countless furious dragons grabbing us with their jaws and pulling us behind her. Her enormous and tall figure protected us from the malice of our foe, as if she was really a big sister taking care of her little brother. "Big Sister Brunhild, I can''t believe you''re alive¡­!" Said Lucifer happily. "H-How?! Were you really the little wyvern?!" "Yeah, I''ve always been good at Polymorph Magic after all." She said with a smile. "We can leave exnations forter¡­ Maria, can you still fight? I''ll need your help to take her down!" "Sure! Count me on!" I said back. ----- Chapter 488 Fighting The Boss With The Help Of My Sister-In-Law! ----- Polymorph Magic, the magic that grants the ability to change shapes, a special power that apparently Dragons and other Mystical Beasts around the world can use to change their shape and appearance into that of humanoids, or even modify their original height, which are often of enormous and ridiculous sizes¡­ And this Ancient Dragon right in front of us was that Wyvern we found on the first floor! We really thought he was a new friend we tamed or something, but she was¡­ actually the big sister of Lucifer?! Why didn''t she fought before or something? Is she shy? Was she waiting for us to almost die? Well, whatever''s the case, she was helping now. One thing I noticed was her Fire. Unlike Lucifer''s fire, which is mostly Darkness and Death that doesn''t do much damage to the Ants, even less to the Queen, the fire of this Ancient Dragon was truly powerful! It was bright red, and golden! It was like a normal living fire dragon, and she was awesome at it! Her fire alone melted part of the Ant Queen''s barrier and even began to burn her body, the Ant Queen had to quickly step back several meters from us as she screamed that she was in agony. "Our Family''s fire is imbued with the power of Holy Light; they''re called Holy mes for a reason." Said Brunhild. "It is a pity that my brother has lost his Holy Fire after dying and being reincarnated by your Necromancy, but at the very least, he''s alive now. I won''t let this monster hurt him anymore¡­ Maria, help me out!" She said. "Count on me then!" I said, quickly confronting the furious Ant Queen who quickly began healing her burnt wounds by bathing her own body in a slimy ck miasma that reeked like rotten flesh, her face distorted in utter fury. "You''re as reliable as I thought you would be." Brunhild said. "Sorry for not helping before, but I''ve been watching you because at first I didn''t felt like approving your rtionship with my little brother¡­" "Eh?!" "However, I''ve changed my mind, you''re strong and truly cares about him. I''ve recognized you¡­" She said. "Ah¡­!" "Just a little bit though!" She said again. "Eh¡­?" "So for that reason¡­ show me your strength against this monster, and let''s take it down!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Alright! You don''t have to say that twice though." "Can you keep up with my pace though?" Brunhild''s wings suddenly spread out, as they began glowing with golden mes her entire scales were still very old-looking, and although she was ferociously strong, I could notice that she had been aging a lot and was fairly old. Her stamina might not- FLAAAASH! And she flew like a meteor in mes, quickly reaching the Ant Queen¡­ Wait, what?! She was too fast! Without even thinking it twice, I looked back at Lucifer who was still recovering his strength and generated a domain of shadows, quickly protecting him with several barriers as I flew away right behind his sister. "W-Wait! I also want to help! Ugh¡­" Lucifer tried to stand up but the pain in his stomach where he got sliced in half was still there, and his soul was still regenerating after I stuck it back together forcefully. "Stay there and don''t move! Support us from afar if possible!" I told him. "Leave this to your big sister, little brother." Brunhild said, as if she were a verymendable new ally! "Huh¡­ Holy mes or whatever, my power is vastly superior! I''ve already reached Level 90 and I will continue growing stronger¡­! Can you even truly defeat an S Ranked Entity such as me?!" She roared back at us, smiling viciously. "And with the power of this Fragment and the Dungeon''s Mana, I am invincible!" She was trying to scare us off by telling us how strong she truly was, but that didn''t worked for Brunhild, who seemed like an enormous meteor quickly shing towards the Ant Queen! The Ant Queen had enormous powers, but she was actually very slowpared to Brunhild! I could tell my husband''s big sister had a very speedy build in her stats. "Draconic Arts: Draconic Hellfire!!!" Brunhild roared, as her entire body erupted with ridiculous quantities of mes,pletely covering her entire surroundings as the Holy mes consumed the Ant Queen''s barriers, melting them away and then shattering them one by one with her powerful fists! This Draconic Art enhanced her entire body and covered it in so many mes that it made her resemble a being entirely made of fire! "Nnggh¡­! Y-You¡­! Abyssal Rend!!!" The Ant Queen spammed her most useful spell as she unleashed several Abyssal Rends consecutively, shattering space itself as countless Darkness Aura shes reached Brunhild, about to slice her into several pieces! "Draconic Arts: Orichalcum Body!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!!! Her entire body began tanking each hit magisterially! Her scales were so hardened- no, her entire body was so hardened she resembled an entire statue made of Orichalcum, the legendary divine metal of the gods! "Wh-What?! How?!" Roared the Ant Queen, quickly stepping back furiously, but then clicking her tongue. "You can''t defeat me anywa-" "Draconic Arts: Meteor Smash!" "Aggh?!" Brunhild suddenly flew towards the Ant Queen, reaching her in a mere instant as her right arm suddenly was coated with a ridiculous amount of Holy mes, propelling her fist to move to an even more insane speed and shing against the Ant Queen''s barriers, shattering them in an instant and hitting her chest! CLAAAASSSSHHH! "AAGGGH¡­.!" TRUUUMMM¡­! The enormous and powerful hit broke the sound barrier, generating countless shockwaves around and shattering the ground into countless spiderweb-shaped cracks. The Ant Queen''s entire torso was split in half as ck blood began constantly gushing out of her flesh, she began vomiting blood as her abdomen was also broken apart, white and ck liquidsing out disgustingly. "Unnghh¡­! A-Akh¡­ This can''t be¡­! AAARRGGH!" The Ant Queen didn''t let Brunhild give her thest hit as an explosion of Miasma emerged from her entire body, her wounds suddenly recovered in a mere instant as her lower half suddenly grew morepact and less heavy-looking, her body grew up to five meters now, and in an instant, she grew a pair ofrge, moth-like wings with red eyes on them¡­ Is this the Boss second phase or what?! "Just like I guessed it¡­" Said Brunhild. "Not only does she has the Evil God Fragment, but she''s also the Dungeon Core''s Avatar!" What?! ----- Chapter 489 The Dungeons Avatar And The Evil God Fragment ----- "Maria! Are you just going to stand there and not do a thing?" Asked Brunhild. "But I¡­ What can I even do against this monster?" I asked. "Hahh¡­ That''s up to you to think about!" Brunhild quickly brought me back to reality. This entire time I''ve been in a daze, but I haven''t acted at all by my own! I should have enough power to help her, enough power to confront this Ant bitch, but I''ve been in a daze, watching as things urred right in front of my nose. No more! "You''re damn right!" I roared furiously, my entire body quickly shapeshifting into the monster I showed to the Goliath Ants before, but even worse! Thebined power of Gorgon''s Transformation and Abyssal Demon Transformation kicked in, as my entire body shapeshifted into a chimeric demon from the depths of hell. Countless snake heads emerged like a hydra, while the rest of my body resembled an aberrant bug-like titanic creature, my size easily surpassing that of Brunhild herself! "RAAAAH!" Without even thinking it twice, I quickly flew forwards without waiting for Brunhild''s words, the Ant Queen intercepted my attack with an enormous sphere of darkness that distorted space itself.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Your attempts at fighting are futile! Embodiment of Chaos!" TRUUUUMMM¡­.! Sheunched the enormous sphere at my face, as I quickly realized it would be futile to use any type of magic against it, as it was like a moving ck hole, absorbing everything around itself through a powerful electromaic field. However, I had something of a trick myself! "[Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth]!" FLUOOOSSSSHHH! An enormous ck hole emerged within my very phantasmal body. The Ant Queen and Brunhild both saw that and were shocked. The Sphere of "Embodiment of Chaos" was promptly absorbed by this endless ck hole as I gritted my jaws, slowly tearing apart chaos itself and then engulfing it all through [Phantasmal Stomach]! FLASH! And not only that but I received a nice boost in power, eating that chaos increased by stats by a few digits to boot, and I felt like I got a temporary buff as well. "I-Impossible¡­!" The Ant Queen was shocked by what she saw, only for a zing draconic tail to hit her and m her into the ground. BAAAAM!!! "AGGH¡­!" The Ant Queen gritted her teeth as she furiously pointed her ws at Brunhild, several Abyss Rends were conjured constantly, alongside Chaos Embodiments! Brunhild''s face distorted as she was caught off-guard, only for me to emerge right before her as I used [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] to instantly emerge within her shadows and protect her like a shield, absorbing all attacks using my ck Hole, although each attack I had to eat was painful to my soul, shattering it constantly only for me to use [Death Restoration] to forcefully heal it back. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!!! Countless explosions happened inside of my own body as I shattered apart and reconstructed myself constantly, Brunhild saw what I did and couldn''t help but feel impressed. "S-See? I am no pushover!" I roared furiously, my entire body shaping as countless monstrous bug-like heads and snakes emerged, swarming the Ant Queen and biting her, scratching her, shing, her and attacking her with everything I had! My Gorgon Eyes and my Curses werepletely ineffective against her, but my physical prowess worked! This transformation not only granted me great power but also enhanced my physical stats, my Attack Stat had more than doubled now and several of my other stats skyrocketed in this transformation form. Each transformation skill enhanced stats temporarily after all, if I merged the two of them, I got even more bonuses! CLAAASH! I quickly swung one of my enormous tentacles, pushing the Ant Queen into the ground. The shockwaves shattered the floor as she vomited blood furiously gritting her teeth at the same time. "I can''t die here¡­ I CAN''T!" She furiously said, her chest suddenly glowing even more brighter as an enormous phantom emerged from within! "Eh?!" "Maria, careful!" Brunhild quickly grabbed me with her ws and pulled back, right before an enormous phantasm in the mild shape of a demon man emerged from within, looking at us with sharp red eyes! What the heck is that?! "The Embodiment of the Fragment!" Said Brunhild. "You vermin¡­ Mortals such as you shouldn''t be even daring to go against me!" He roared furiously. "Die¡­ you''re all dying now, disappear! DIE!" The mad god''s phantasm, a mere piece of his existence roared furiously as the Ant Queen quickly stood back up again, her wounds were not healing properly but she gained a sudden boost to her strength, her entire body bulged and shapeshifted, no longer looking fragile and feminine, she resembled a monstrous ant creature like the Ant Goliaths! "Kill them, my vessel! Feed them to me!" The Mad Evil God''s Fragment ordered her, as she obeyed his orders. "GRUOOOHHHHHHH!!!" The Ant Queen suddenly grew countless spikes over her body and even giant crab-like pincers, charging towards us and then shing against my body! I put all my force into resisting her furious charge as I began to absorb part of her energy constantly. My HP and MP recovering constantly as I began mming her body with countless phantasmal arms and biting her flesh with my hydra heads. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "ROOAARRRRR!" Brunhild quickly came to help me as her enormous jaws bite through the Ant Queen''s body, tearing apart her entire head furiously as she spread out her Holy mes over her entire body ck blood began flowing everywhere like rivers. "GRUOOHHH¡­!" The Ant Queen cried in agony as it was beheaded, only for two more heads to suddenly pop up, and countless more limbs! How strong is this bitch?! Is she an immortal?! CLAAASH! Suddenly, she body mmed me into the ground as her body began to tear my soul into pieces with each of their ws! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Shit¡­! You bitch!" I extended my phantom attempting to possess her, only to be stopped by the Evil God''s phantasm. "Your pitiful soul shall be a good sacrifice!" His ws extended into my soul, grabbing it, and then shattering it even more! CRASH! Ungh¡­! ----- Chapter 490 Fighting Against The Evil Gods Fragment! ----- "MARIAAAAA!" Lucifer roared furiously as his draconic might erupted from within his body, rushing forward to the rescue as he body mmed the monstrous beast that the Ant Queen became, his breath attack quickly impacted against her, stronger than ever before as her body began being pushed away! FLUOOOSSSHHH!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "SHAAAAA!" The Ant Queen roared furiously as she greeted Lucifer with a rain of powerful blows using her countless limbs, only for Brunhild to tank the hits by using her Draconic Arts: Orichalcum Body! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Maria!" Lucifer ran to my side to help me, as he quickly grabbed every piece of me and put them all together. With his help, I was able to quickly recover most of my body back to normal. "Uugh¡­ Thanks." I sighed. "Maria, you did something too reckless now!" He said. "I was about to win but that bastard appeared¡­ Shit, I can''t even hurt her soul¡­!" I sighed. "RROOAARRR!" Brunhild ferociously fought, unleashing countless fiery blows and explosive breath attacks against the Ant Queen, all while Lucifer looked in shock and then remembered something she said. "My sister said that the Ant Queen was a Dungeon Core Avatar¡­ That means that as long as the dungeon core has Mana, that thing will keep on regenerating forever, like the Flesh Dragon from back then!" Said Lucifer. "What? So that was it¡­" I said, quickly remembering that. "Then¡­ Like back then, should I attack the Dungeon Core?" "It might seem to be the only way, but I don''t want your soul to shatter again! Doesn''t it hurt?!" Lucifer cried, without wanting to see me hurt myself any longer. "It is fine¡­ I''ve grown used to such a pain. Compared to the pain of losing you or anyone I love, its really nothing at all!" I said. "Don''t worry, we''ll get through this!" I said, quickly dividing my phantom into two, leaving one with Lucifer while my other phantasmal soul half dived underground. My other phantom quickly covered Lucifer''s entire body, forming a shadow armor that materialized through Embodiment. With that, he might be able to fight better against the Ant Queen. "Go distract her while I take care of the Dungeon Core!" I said. "B-But¡­!" He muttered. "Even if I fail I am right here with you, there are many things I can do, such as dividing myself!" I said. "Don''t worry!" "Very well¡­!" Lucifer didn''t faltered any longer, as his body grewrger andrger, monstrously so, as if he was unleashing something he had not used before. His horns grew demonic and bigger, his scales became a second set of armor over his body as his tail divided into three with sharp ends, and his wings gained two enormous eyes, shing with bright red light, as his third red eye began to glow with the pure essence of death! "ROOAARRRR!" He quickly summoned an enormous Phantasmal Scythe and wielded it, shing against the Ant Queen, and beginning to chip away her flesh and exoskeleton, while her sister easily coordinated with his attacks and movements, fighting by ushing her fire and punching the Ant Queen as hard as possible. Meanwhile, I flew underground and quickly, and quite forcefully, I reached the depths of the dungeon! In there, I found a glowing orb of not white color like the one before, butpletely ck! A monstrous and phantasmal presence greeted me, the same phantasm of the evil god! "Wait a second, that wasn''t the fragment¡­!" I muttered in shock. "So you''ve found out!" Laughed the Phantasm,pletely merged with the will of the dungeon core already. "This Dungeon has sacrificed its own will to gain my power, merging my small fragment with its core! What my Avatar has is merely a secretion of it!" "No matter, even if you''re the damn evil god, I don''t give a single fucking damn!" I roared furiously, reaching towards him as he immediately tried to fend me off. "It is futile, lowly being, you''re merely a resentful and wandering soul! What can a little ghost do to me?!" Heughed, his enormous quantities of miasma began to pierce through my body, it felt as if my whole being was disintegrating. "I can do this¡­!" TRUUUUMMM¡­! An enormous ck hole emerged within my very soul, absorbing all of the essence and power the Phantasm of the Evil God. "Nnnggh¡­?! Yes, that power might be strong, but you''ve not have grown fast enough to fully go against me!" Laughed the Phantasm, immediately beginning to grasp my soul like the bastard did before! "I shall shatter you a third time, this time, you will remain shattered for all eternity!" Heughed. "I don''t really care if you shit over me all you want, I''ve already done enough myself!" I said cheekily, as I felt my entire soul beginning to shatter apart and disintegrate. "What gives you such confidence in the face of eternal demise?" He asked furiously. "Well, that this is not even my main body, dumbass." "Huh?!" "[Undead Detonation]!" FLASH! Suddenly, my other half quickly glowed with bright purple light, as I forcefully epassed the entire Dungeon Core, and then¡­ I detonated myself! BOOOOOMMMM!!! The enormous explosion, boosted by the power of my Explosion Maniac Title was powerful enough to quickly overpower the Evil God Phantasm, as countless little Phantom Familiars I divided from my other half with Lucifer began to reach the Dungeon Core, taking over it and possessing it by using [Phantasmal Puppeteer]! "T-This is impossible! You can''t simply¡­! Agh! Stop¡­! My resurrection¡­! I cannot simply¡­!" "I don''t give a damn if you''re the little piece of a god or whatever, you''re long dead! Stay dead!" I unleashed the power of the [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] once more, quickly beginning to absorb the will of the Evil God''s Fragment, and all his energy became mine! FLUOOOSSSHHH! "Nnnggh¡­! Y-Youuuuu¡­! Aaaaggghh¡­!" The agonizing scream of the small fragment of a god resonated across the entire dungeon, as I suddenly and finally managed to take over the Dungeon''s Core, which now glowed with a new phantasmal aura¡­ ----- Chapter 491 Devouring The Fragment! & Reencounter Between Brother And Sister ----- Meanwhile, at the same time as I did that, the Ant Queen began to struggle, her power started to go down at the same time as Brunhild reached her limit and Lucifer was too exhausted to fight intensively any longer. "GRUOOHH¡­! W-What the¡­ T-This is¡­! T-The core!" The Ant Queen cried desperately, suddenly, and furiously roaring, unleashing herst amount of strength and rushing towards the weakened Brunhild, who was gasping for air. It seemed that her age did indeed affect her, as she couldn''t simply unleash all her power like she could do before. "GRUOOHHHHH!!!" The Ant Queen desperately pounced at Brunhild, nowpletely left without a source ofrge quantities of Mana, it could barely hold into its own monstrous body, and required nourishment, eating a dragon might do the trick for her. However, the shadow covering Lucifer, me, summoned arge group of people, who were already charging a super attack just in case this damn Ant Queen couldn''t give up even after her major source of power was out of the picture! Emeraldine, Partner, Takeshi, and Laurabined their power, unleashing the same attack that Emeraldine did back then when we destroyed that Ant Nest! Merging their power together and fueling the ridiculous amount of power needed with my own Mana, Emeraldine pointed her bow at the Ant Queen while Takeshi, Laura, and Partner all imbued into her their stats and skills, merging them with her arrows! "Holy Water Dragon Arrow!" FLAAASH! Her single arrow took into the properties of Takeshi''s Fishing Rod as it was technically a long stick, but also into his Water Magic, turning into the enormous water dragon-like shape it took back then, but even more furious and glowing bright gold by taking the holy light element from Emeraldine as well! Not only that, but Laura and Partner helped too. Partner''s enhanced Emeraldine''s power and precision by using her Blood Magic Spell [Body Enhancement] and [Blood Flow Enhancement] all while using her Cursed Eyes to decrease the stats of the Ant Queen. And Laura had already touched that arrow! "GRUOOORRRR¡­!" The furious dragon made of holy water attacked the Ant Queen, coiling around her entire body and mauling her entire torso! SPLAAASH! "AGGHH¡­!" The Ant Queen struggled, but the dragon quickly began glowing brighter and brighter with each passing second, until¡­! BOOOOOMMM!!! An enormous explosion made arge quantity of water erupt from the ground all the way up, piercing through the entire body of the Ant Queen and making her pieces fall like a rain from the sky. Her blood, innards, exoskeleton, and more began falling one after the other, as shepletely died in the spot! Welp, and that was that! "W-We did it¡­" Lucifer sighed over the floor. "Where is¡­ Maria?" Asked Brunhild. "I''m here!" I said, waving my hand as I emerged right over Lucifer''s shoulder. "I was always with you guys." "Eh? T-Then how¡­?" Brunhild asked. "I can divide my body a lot as a ghost, so I left half of my body to deal with the Dungeon Core, detonating it so I could deal enough damage to take over it. Now that Dungeon''s Core as good as mine!" Iughed. "T-That''s¡­ certainly relieving¡­ Haahh¡­" Brunhild sighed, quickly turning into her humanoid form, which seemed to not use as much energy as her enormous Ancient Dragon form. POOF! Suddenly, a beautiful girl with gray hair and a pair of broken ck horns over her forehead, with golden eyes and a few red and orange scales, which were losing their color around her chest, arms, and legs, alongside a cute tail and two wings emerged, covered only by a gray cloak. "Hahh¡­ I am so tired¡­ I have not fought like that in years¡­" She sighed in relief. "S-Sister Brunhild¡­ that form¡­" Lucifer muttered, suddenly feeling surprised. He had not realized much until now, but he quickly realized how worn down she looked, as if she was slowly falling apart piece by piece, even in her humanoid form, her ws were broken and looked rugged, and her body was also covered on scars and cracks, as if she were made of wood. "I''ve¡­ grown older." She sighed. "It has been a long time since thest time I saw you, Lucifer¡­" "Brunhild!" Lucifer quickly transformed into his humanoid form, running towards her, and hugging her tightly. He immediately broke into tears. "I''m so happy you''re alive! After so long, you''re still alive and kicking¡­ I was so worried, and so scared¡­ I really thought there wouldn''t be anybody left¡­!" Lucifer quickly let out all his sadness and sorrow. I wanted to go hug him, but I knew he also needed the hug of his big sister. Brunhild smiled sweetly, as she hugged him with her arms.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I am also happy you''re somehow alive, although I was sure you were dead, I felt your own life force disappear back then¡­ Are you back thanks to the miracle of this ghost woman?" Wondered Brunhild. "T-That''s right¡­ I guess you''ve figured enough, I was originally risen as a Dragon Zombie, but with her powers, I slowly evolved into this form, I am neither dead nor alive, but something in between¡­" Said Lucifer, feeling slightly sorrowful. "I had my doubts at first, I really thought she was using you as an undead and controlling you, but I can tell you and her have apletely different rtionship, don''t you?" Brunhild smiled. "A-Ah, yeah¡­ Ahem! Well¡­ That can be exinedter." Lucifer quickly turned serious, as he didn''t wanted to directly adress what was happening between the two of us, mostly due to embarrassment. But I wasn''t going to let him do that! "Yeah he''s my husband." I said. "Eh? M-Maria!" Lucifer said. "Husband, huh?" Brunhild said, her sharp draconic eyes sharply nced into my soul, but at the end, she smiled. "I see. You two are a really odd pair, aren''t you?" She giggled. "But I can tell you''re happy with her, I guess that''s more than enough¡­ I guess you''ve already moved over." ----- Chapter 492 Back To The Dwarven City ----- "However!" Brunhild quickly said, looking around our group and finding Partner cuddling over my chest while Emeraldine rested her head over my shoulder. "Isn''t this a bit weird? Does your wife has two¡­ erm, mistresses?" "Ah, well, they''re also her wives." Lucifer said. "Hm?!" Brunhild looked at Lucifer with surprise. "Lucifer! A-Are you for real?!" "What? What''s wrong with this? They''re good people, and they had saved my life several times already. Emeraldine is resourceful, intelligent, and nice, and Partner is¡­ err, strong." "Oi! I am more than just being strong!" Partner angrily barked. "This is a bit¡­ Ah, I guess I am the odd one here, right? Maybe the times have changed." Brunhild sighed. "Well, as long as you''re happy and not suffering, then I am okay with these things." "Well, even though I have Emeraldine and Partner with me, that doesn''t mean I love Lucifer less, Brunhild. Don''t worry about it. He''s someone incredibly precious to me, one of my three most precious things." I said with a smile, however, I quickly looked at Takeshi and Laura¡­ "Well, five¡­" "Fufu, I guess you''ve got a big family, Maria." Brunhild said. "I remember being more stiff back then but over the years of solitude, I guess I''ve grown too tired to get angered over such things. Anyways, it should be enough with addressing this any longer¡­ We should quickly set up a camp somewhere¡­ I can still sense Ants; they are still alive."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Yeah, and there''s a ton of miasma in this third floor, we need to quickly get to the second floor and camp there for the moment, or¡­ well, just go back to the dwarven country? I don''t think it is toote." I said. "R-Right¡­ I guess you could do that¡­" Brunhild said. She seemed nervous about that but didn''t said anything else. Like that, we decided to quickly exterminate every single leftover Ant there was to gain juicy EXP, which I rose as an enormous army of Undeadter. These guys will be my Abyssal Ant Squadron, and they''re around five hundred strong, mixed between Giant Goliaths, Workers, Generals, and Knights. They''re weaker after getting killed and turned into Undead of course, but if they end up leveling up and evolving they might recover their original strength. For now, I also cleansed the surrounding dangerous miasma, and assigned Lancelot to take care of the Ants until we returned here. He seemed more than willing, and quickly decided to begin training the ants in the meantime, without wasting a second. Meanwhile, we quickly decided to leave the dungeon by flying over Lucifer''s back. Brunhild had fallen asleep midway through, probably too tired after such an intense fight, she might be quite rusty as well, not only was she old but apparently she had not fought in hundreds of years, perhaps, so she wasn''t in the best of her fitness anymore. When we reached the Dwarf Country once more, we quickly moved to Aquamarine''s manor and called Helga and the group of Dwarves over. The news about our dungeon clear had yet to be told to the public, as we were going to do everything tomorrow, for now, we were going to enjoy a good dinner to celebrate our victory, and also talk out about everything that happened there, and what we should do from now on. "Incredible, so that Dungeon had a small Fragment of the Evil God¡­" Said Aquamarine, the old dwarf woman looked into her cup of wine with shock. "How big was it? And how in the heck were you able to destroy that?" "Well I pretty much ate it¡­" I said. "A part of it still remains merged with the dungeon core, but now that it is mine, it shouldn''t revolt anymore." I said with a nod. "You ate it?!" Asked everybody except my party, Brunhild was not here, as she was currently sleeping inside a room for now, with one of my familiars guarding her in case she would want to y the mysterious one and escape to "leave us happy without her bothersome presence" or something that characters like her tend to pull out when you least expect it. "Yeah, don''t worry, I''ve literally got a ck hole inside of me so it gotpletely destroyed. I gained some power from it, but it is nothing too extraordinary. I''ve tried before and I didn''t got any of the crazy magic the Ant Queen was using, sadly." I sighed. "There might be other requirements for it, or something I couldn''t quite get yet." "W-Well, that''s for the better I suppose¡­" The old dwarf said. "Wow, I can''t believe there was something so dangerous there¡­" Helga said. "I can''t believe it, I¡­ Ugh, my head¡­" "Don''t worry, Helga. Everything''s resolved now, and we even got back a lost family member¡­" Iughed. "So that Dragon Girl that had been wandering around was really his sister, how incredible. This world is very small when you think about it." Sighed Aquamarine. "Yeah, but she was very tired, so for now she''s sleeping in a separate room. I hope she can wake up tomorrow so we can talk more, although Dragons usually sleep for weeks, so I don''t know¡­" Said Lucifer. "Hm, Emeraldine, could we make up a potion to give her more energy?" I wondered. "Ah, something that could affect dragons?! I don''t know¡­" Emeraldine seemed a bit doubtful. "Maybe we could use some of the ores you''ve mined, some of them seemed imbued with elements she might like." "Ah, yeah, we used to chew on Ores back then, so they''re good for our health. Perhaps one of the things she might becking is all the nutrients that eating magic ores gave to her, perhaps she had been wandering around without eating for years¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "EH?! But why?!" I asked. "Ah, it might be because of us¡­ We upied the entire mountain after all¡­" Sighed Aquamarine. "Perhaps she didn''t really wanted to bother us and take away our resources¡­ What a good woman she is¡­ I''ll bring you a big haul of magic ores, name what you need! This is the least we can do for her! Brunhild has been our guardian for many years, actually. I believe it is thanks to her presence here that we had not been attacked by the powerful monsters roaming around the mountains, and might also be a reason why the enormous wyvern colonies always keep themselves away from us¡­ It is the least I could do to thank her." "Ah, thank you for your generosity." Lucifer said with a smile. I could notice that he had a lot more life back to his eyes than before¡­ I''m happy for him. Brunhild seems very old and fragile despite the strength she showed back then, we need to take good care of this dragon grandma from now on, we wouldn''t want her to just die and leave my Lucifer all sad again! ----- Chapter 493 Negotations Before Departing Back Home ----- The next morning, one thing led to another and before we could ever have breakfast, we were all called into a conference meeting with both big shot guild masters, Aquamarine and Adamas, alongside the Viscountess of this area of the Dwarf Nation, Helga, and her group of dwarves, and literally anybody else involved with them. There were several new faces I had not seen before. Apparently even the other Viscounts of the City were here. Unlike other citizens, it seems that royal family were all mostly pure dwarves anyways, although their hair color was bright and so were their eyes,pletely different from the mon folk" dwarves such as Helga and her band. It almost felt like their eyes and hair color was rted to jewels. "Ruby is this true?!" A man asked, he was rather young, looking to be around twenty years of age. He had sharp blue hair and eyes, with a handsome face, but was short like any dwarf. "A Dungeon with an internal space that has an artificial sun, soil, and even vegetation inside?!" "Yes, it is true, dear brother Sapphire." Sighed the Viscountess, the red haired dwarf woman of extreme beauty we meet the other day. "However, I am fairly sure I did not invite you here, howe you sneaked inside and even know this much?" "Well it is not hard to just ask the Guild. Everyone is talking about that new dungeon they found in the second mountain." Said Sapphire, the young man crossed his arms. "Yes but the information about its interior¡­ Who leaked it?" Asked the Viscountess. "Enough." Adamas said, his single eye shone brightly with a bit of anger over the two sibling''s dispute. "Everyone in the city will eventually get to know about the dungeon anyways, it is not like we are nning to make it a secret. If what''s inside is really true, then we had not only hit a gold mine, but we might even be able to solve one of our greatest issues, a stable and constant production of food, especially vegetables and fruits." "Every time a merchante to our country we buy everything they bring, and they always sell it very expensive. Only nobility can really afford suchmodities, but if we can truly mass produce our own vegetables and fruits from now on, we could gain total independence and feed our own people¡­" Even Aquamarine was happy over such news. Apparently, the entire thing caused more of amotion than I imagined, and for the totally wrong reasons too. It wasn''t because there was a Fragment of the Evil God there, as we kept that a secret with Aquamarine to not cause chaos or suspiciousness against me, but it was about the dungeon itself. The Dungeon itself, which has now been named "Maria Dungeon" as Dungeons are often called after the name of the one that conquers them, has two enormous and expansive spaces with day and night cycles, fertile soil, vegetation, wind, and¡­ that''s all. Things such as these wouldn''t be that incredible or surprising for people that lives in the maind, but for all of us people that live in the literal butthole of the continent, we are constantly freezing to death. There''s no fertile soil and sunlight is scarce as well. Therefore, the ntation of vegetables and fruits is incredible rare, and can only be done through extensive magic technology and magic items usage. And any space avable is very limited anyways. Even the farms in this dwarf''s mountain are very small, the only things that grow are a few grains that are too few to feed the ever-growing poption, due to being scarce, they''re also expensive, so most of the time only nobles get to eat such things.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om But with this dungeon, the entire game has changed, there''s so much space in there that you could nt as much as you wanted. With this, people would be able to easily bring anything they want to nt here, and with the fertile soil, some magic items, and my Agriculture Skills, we could make a constant source of food for everyone. It is indeed quite insane. Dwarves had always struggled with the production of food, simply eating mushrooms and asionally beans with meat is not healthy. Even dwarves who often dwell in the underground are much like humans, requiring bnced diets. A lot of people get diseases due to ack of nutrients and vitamins in their diets to protect their immune systems and other things. I guess d is probably going through the same, or any country that lives in harsh temperatures. "This is getting out of hand." Helga whispered to me. "What do we do now?!" "Huhh¡­ Well, let them discuss. Not like we''ll let them take our dungeon. But we could make some negotiations with them. If we can get into a good deal, we could produce a lot of food not only for your country but also for my own vige, and we could even begin selling it to the nearby countries such as d." I said with a smile. "This is a nice business opportunity that''ll change the entire world around here!" "Hah, I am surprised you''re so cheered up after just a nap." Sighed Lucifer. "After yesterday''s fight¡­ I don''t want to have anything to do with dungeons for a while now." "Me neither¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "I am honestly quite exhausted as well." "Me too¡­" Partner said. "I guess we are all tired, I am just enjoying the moment. For now let''s take a week break. We need to discuss stuff about the dungeon and then we should go back home for a bit, thene back over the week." I said. "Eh? You''re leaving so soon?" Helga asked. "Well I''ve got my whole family back there." I said. "I can''t let them without me for too long." "Hah¡­ I guess I get it." Helga said. "Will youe back soon?" "Maybe in a few days, or weeks?" I said. "But I''lle back soon, I''ve got stuff to do here after all." "Ah¡­ I forgot you can just fly around and get here in just an hour." Helga sighed. Traveling the skies over a dragon was certainly very efficient. ----- Chapter 494 Negotiations Will Go MY Way! ----- "Look about the possibilities!" "There''s no way I am not getting a piece of this either." "If we could make everything in the dungeon into a gigantic farm, imagine the profits!" "Those from the Goldsand Confederation won''t be always manipting us anymore either¡­"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "We must definitely take this dungeon!" "Enough!" Aquamarine quickly shut down all the Viscounts, who were mostly all young. She seemed to have enough authority to even do that¡­ The only thing left is to reprimand the King or something, but the King seemed to not havee due to health problems and had decided to leave it all to his children to handle. So literally all the Viscounts were princes and princesses as well, we were all surrounded by the royal family of this country discussing over my dungeon as if it were a big cake where everyone wanted a big slice of it. "No matter how much you discuss against one another the dungeon still doesn''t belong to any of you. It belongs to Maria ording to thews established in this country." Aquamarine said. "That''s right. If you ever want to do something with it, you''ll have to first convince Maria, stop fighting against one another as if you already have the dungeon in your pockets." Said Adamas. The Viscounts quickly directed their gazes at me, I felt slightly nervous. "How much then?" A green haired young dwarf said. "How much for what?" I asked. "For selling the dungeon, we can buy it. There''s nothing money cannot buy." Said another. "Ugh, guys, sorry to break your bubble but I am not going to be bought with money. I also don''t n to sell my dungeon. I will never give you any of its rights either. It is mine." I said. "EH?!" "Then why are we even here if you''re going to be so greedy?!" "What a waste of my time!" "Don''t you understand this could save all the people here?!" "Yeah I do." I said. "But I also understand you were all drooling over the profits it could generate. You guys are also in fault for not letting themoners enjoy the same food products you do by making everything overly expensive. People can only eat beans mushrooms and meat now, and barely at that." "Well that''s because they''remoners, they simply can''t afford it! But with the dungeon things might change, the production of things will increase to the point prices will go down, everyone will be able to afford it!" Said Sapphire. "Brother, let it go." Sighed Ruby. "Maria, what are your conditions? What do you want? We can give you anything if you can let us create farms there." "Everything." I said with a smile. "Eh?" Everyone looked at me with fear except my own party, even Helga. "My Dungeon¡­ It''s all mine, you''re never getting a piece of it." I said. "Y-You greedy woman!" "Then why are you even here?!" "Tch¡­" "If thingse to this, we might have to take¡­ some more extreme procedures." "What are you saying?!" Aquamarine quickly reprimanded a white haired Viscount. "It''s obvious Maria is implying she''s not selling hernd, but I am sure she has other ns if she''s here with us." "Indeed, I do!" I quickly crossed my arms as I closed my eyes, everyone quickly fell silent as they nced at me. "It is pretty simple, you''ll give me the funds, personnel, and other things to create enormous farms and then we''ll split the produced products. I just want a part of it for my own vige and to sell to other countries to earn more money. I have some connections with the Albraun Kingdom, believe it or not." I said. "Huh, so this is more like an investment¡­" Ruby said while rubbing her small chin. "Very well, what''s your n then? How much of that production will I get if I back you up?" "Hmm¡­ Well, this country is wayrger than mine. My poption is quite small, but let''s leave it at 40% for you, the other 60% is mine, if you want more from my stash, you''ll have to buy it." I said. "Huh, I see¡­ Well, 40% of all production is certainly immense¡­" Ruby said. "I guess you were just teasing us, you''re really a nice person at the end, someone truly greedy would probably give us something even lesser than that and we would have to suck it up." "Don''t worry, the production will be dependent in your aid and funds, although I''ve got some of my personnel that will also work there to boost nt growth and their richness. Including Emeraldine and I." I said with a smile. "We have the [Agriculture] Skill and we are both proficient at Alchemy, using it we could even modify nts to yield more crops, be richer, and so on." "R-Right¡­" Emeraldine said. "I suppose we can do that." The other viscounts were greedier than Ruby, they wanted the whole dungeon rights for themselves and have the production controlled by them. How I proposed things, the production will be all handled by me, and even the distribution. They''ll still end up just buying things from someone else, not so different from what they had been doing. "Of course those that decide to be my partner in this business will receive special benefits." I said. "Such as a 10% of the profit in money I make my selling my own part of the harvest, and so on. this 10% will be distributed by everyone that joins, so not everyone will get a 10%, the same goes for the 40% of harvested crops, so I suggest you all to join into a confederation of sorts and handle all profits and harvested crops to the people, which is your primary target, is it not? If you hoard all things for yourselves I might even change my mind and end our business." The viscounts were all shocked, I had them all dancing in the palm of my hands. They had no other choice but to agree or they would be losing a lot in the long run. "I¡­ I ept." "Me too¡­" "Sigh¡­ There''s no other way." "Fine¡­" "Thanks for your business!" I chuckled. ----- Chapter 495 End Of Negotiations ----- "I can''t believe you''ve controlled the situations so well¡­" Lucifer said. "Yeah, this was insane¡­" Partner said. "I never thought you had this on you, Maria. You never cease to surprise me." Emeraldine said. As we walked outside the hall, everyone praised me. It was only natural; I''ve got myself a great deal! Of course, I wanted to help the dwarves the most, but I wouldn''t let them take over my entire dungeon either. In fact I was indeed very generous in what I offered to them. I gave them 40% of production and 10% of the profits I make selling my own products so they can both get a lot of food and some more money to support all the investments they''ll be doing with me. I had already signed a big document I read carefully down to the veryst word before signing it. "Hehe, it is only natural!" I said with a smug. "Now we should probably go rest for a bit, the preparations for the dungeon will begin once I can clean the dungeon from all the Miasma left, which I am doing right now using my familiars." "It is incredible what you can do, Maria." Said a beautiful red haired dwarf woman. "At first I really didn''t believed how strong you were, but not only I''ve realized that, but that you''re very intelligent and sharp as a woman." Ruby, the gorgeous red-haired Viscountess was also at my side, she seemed to have taken a liking on me and wanted to probably forge a more formal friendship with me as the first one to have decided to ept my proposal. "Hahah, i-is that so?" I said while feeling a bit nervous. She was so gorgeous that she created this aura of majesty around her. I had only taken a few nces at her before and she seemed mostly neutral, but now that she was so close to me and smiling charmingly I couldn''t help but feel nervous. No, I can''t fall for her charms, I am a woman of three, no more than that! But damn she''s thick¡­ I had already realized that when I saw Helga, but dwarf women really do have big hips and muscr, well-developed thighs that could crush a watermelon or your head. And not only that, but they also even got a big chest too, allpacted into adorable sized shortstack. As I giggled a bit at herment praising me, I could sense the re of my three lovers behind me. Okay, I might find her hot but it doesn''t mean I am going to cheat on you guys or something! Sheesh, they should have a bit more faith on me. I didn''t cheat on them with Catarina either yet they were always jealous whenever I spoke with her. Lucifer pretends to not care but he cares a lot actually and has be one with Emeraldine and Partner now. It is surprising how well coordinated they are when they stare at me like that. "Maria?" Ruby wondered, her bright eyes curiously looking at my own. She was way smaller than me, making her cute as well. I could just grab her with my arms if I wanted by how pocket sized she was. Dwarves usually don''t reach more than a meter and forty centimeters, and I was already a meter and eighty if not a bit more, so she had to look at me from below like a little girl. Well, everyone had. "Uuh, nothing." I said, patting her head. "Anyways, should we go eat something? Do you really want to stick with usmoners, Ruby?" "Of course, if you''re really okay with that, I can invite you to my manor! Let''s have some lunch with everyone here." Ruby said. "You heard her boys, make sure to behave with the Viscountess." Said Helga, quickly telling all her rowdy dwarf friends to behave.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "You got it boss." "Alright!" "Time to eat, I am starving¡­" "Yeah! Let''s go!" "Come on, don''t be pushy with thedy!" Ruby began to chuckle at the dwarves, her charm quickly shut them all up. "Don''t worry about formalities, we are all dwarves here. It is in our nature to be like we are." She said. "Let''s go." She quickly brought a big "Carriage-Model Golem" which was pretty much a car that moved with a Magic Core. These Magic Cores¡­ I have yet to wrap around how they even make them, so I''ll try to ask Ruby about that. She owns several factories that produce golems and magic items, apparently. She''s one of the richest Viscountess here. The enormous car-like golem carriage was of a bright bronze color, with beautiful decorations resembling wings and hammers, in front of the carriage there was a beautiful woman with a very voluptuous body. This was the Goddess of Earth, or how the dwarves envisioned her as a beautiful mother with wide hips and a big chest. I suppose they''re not so rare from human culture back in Earth. "Here we go." Ruby quickly pressed some buttons with her hands in front of the car as it immediately started to move automatically, like a robot. After all golems are kind of that, magic robots. "Let''s go back home dear." "Beep beep!" The car gave out a sound, as it began to move rapidly across the streets. There were many other designs for carriage-model golems all around, evenmoners could afford them as Helga said she once had one, but she ended selling it because it was too old and had yet to buy a new one. Maybe we could bring some of these bad boys back home. "This is amazing, a carriage that moves itself¡­" Said Emeraldine. "I don''t detect any soul on it, so it is all automatized through magic technology¡­" Said Lucifer. "That''s right! This is how advanced our magic technology has be. And a reason why many countries want our technology and products. The only one that has managed to maintain a stable business with us is the Goldsand Confederation, althoughtely, they had be quite greedy." ----- Chapter 496 The Greedy Goldsand Confederation & Visiting Viscountess Rubys House ----- "Greedy?" Wondered Lucifer. "Well, you see¡­ The Goldsand Confederation is made up of many merchant groups unified together they have a king which they decide every five years through the votes of nobles. Sometimes the government bes nice and gentle, others times some asshole takes control over everything and gets pushy and greedy¡­" Sighed Ruby. "They choose a king every five years?!" Asked Emeraldine. "I can''t imagine such a country, it would constantly change so much¡­ how can they keep it from turning into just chaos?" "Well they have many rules and regtions they enforce." Said Ruby. "Nheless, the current king is corrupt and has been raising the taxes of products of our country exported there, and things sent here had also be incredible expensive, one kilogram of tomatoes costs five gold coins. They''re insane." Said Ruby. "Nomoner can afford to eat like this." "Five gold coins?!" Asked Helga, the other dwarves answered the same. "So that''s why nobles can eat this and nobody else¡­" "Man, I do remember I once ate a tomato, they''re juicy and sweet." "Yeah, they''re rare here though¡­" "As you can see, they''re doing this because they know we have no other choice. Our country mostly produces items and barely any food, so we are forced to adjust to their demands or we''ll starve. Eating only monster meat won''t do." Sighed Ruby. "Thest fifty years our poption has tripled as well, demand for food is bigger than ever." "So that''s how it is¡­" I said. "Then let''s do our best to make the biggest farm this continent has ever seen in the dungeon. There are two enormous floors there where we can nt all sorts of nts, and on the third floor there''s an enormous underground world of caves where many ores and crystals are growing, and regrow at a steady pace due to being a dungeon." "Eh? You never spoke about the third floor¡­!" Said Ruby. "Because it will be our guild''s secret! Aside from the surrounding mines where there''s a lot of rich ores and crystals to extract, there will also be the third floor of this dungeon where we can get a nice and steady supply of ores. I doubt there are many varieties, but I saw at least five different ores while we walked around." I said. "Yeah, it is an enormous third floor of just caves. There were ants living there which we exterminated." Said Lucifer. "It was a hard fight." "Hm, yeah¡­" Emeraldine said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "T-That''s right¡­" Said Partner. "Well, you must be tired. Let''s quickly have a meal and then you can go back to Aquamarine''s ce. I don''t want to bother you too much." Ruby said humbly. "It''s okay, don''t worry about it, we are fine now." I said. Like that, we quickly reached Ruby''s enormous manor, which was painted bronze and red like her hair color. There was arge garden surrounding the entire house, which was made entirely out of different types of colorful mushrooms, they were the only things that progressively grew here without issue, nts simply can''t grow easily in ces without sunlight aside from some types of mold. "Wee to my house." Ruby said, as she gave us a small trip around. She was apparently a "Mechanic Designed" or so was her ss, and she had several engineering skills and crafting skills which she uses to create new models for golems and magic items of her own. She''s certainly more than just a noble dwarfdy. She showed us all sorts of golems she had been designing and creating, even showing some unreleased models. One of them in specific resembled arge metallic dragon, with arge red core on its chest and several other cores around its body. It seemed unfinished though, but this was definitely an enormous, twenty-meter-tall mecha! I''ve seen dwarves using golems as mechas already, but this one in specific resembles a Lucifer''s version of mecha Godzi¡­ "This is what I''ve been working in my free time. It is a new model of fighting model golems that can be manually piloted. I call it Steel Dragon, and it is my pride and passion. I am still halfway through, but I am using the most high-quality materials I can find. One day this big boy will be one of our country''s defenders. I am designing this as a part of a new generation of powerful piloted golems that can fight even monsters at B Rank or A Rank¡­ It is only a dream for now, as golems cannot level up, adjusting their total power to reach the strength of such monsters is very hard." She said. "Using high quality materials from such monsters helps though, so I was thinking that if you''ve got any materials of B or A Rank Monsters, I can buy them from you. Scales, bones, and even their blood and internal organs all can be used, synthetized through alchemy to make stronger materials that can be used for the construction of golems. It is rather sad that weck Alchemists in our country, Ick talent for it as well, and the only one left is too picky, he''s already working for another viscount." "Huh, I see¡­ Well, me and Emeraldine are Alchemist." I said. "Oh, I see- Eh? You are?!" She asked. "Yeah don''t you remember we sold potions we made? Emeraldine is the best here though, I am her humble apprentice, but we are slowly learning more. These mountains are awesome as they can offer a wide variety of materials and ores, and even monster materials, so we are excited about doing some more alchemy using these items." I said. "Maybe we could give her our help, perhaps." Emeraldine said while narrowing her eyes. "Only if she behaves¡­" "Behave?" Ruby wondered while raising an eyebrow. "I-I can pay you as much as you want if you can be my Company''s Alchemists! Funds, materials, anything you want!" She said desperately. "Sorry but we aren''tpromising that hard." I said. "We want to do our own things as well, but I am willing to cooperate with you if you can also teach us the ways of creating Magic Cores, and other things such as Mechanical Engineering and so on." "Ooh, I see, a fair exchange then¡­ Sure thing!" Ruby said with a smile, as she suddenly showed a zing passion in her red eyes. This dwarf woman was more than we had expected, we might had made ourselves an amazing ally. Just imagining an army of golems at my disposal makes meugh evilly! ----- Chapter 497 New Items ----- Mechanical Engineers or "Golem Creators" are a special type of Crafter Job in this Dwarf Country that only people that has umted great talent with Crafting and cksmithing can even fathom to reach. This is why they''re rare, and often pioneers of their own. Apparently the twins got the talent for Golem Creation as well, but they seem tock all the new knowledge that has been umted over the years as they only do the most ancient of techniques and specialize over the creation of armor and weapons mostly. Although I don''t want topromise into bing Ruby''s persona alchemist, I do want to help her out. She looks like she can create a bunch of interesting things that might even make our lives easier back in our vige. And in exchange for my help she''ll share her technology and knowledge about how to make it too. A fair exchange, seeing how rare Alchemists are, Emeraldine and I have be even more valuable! However, that''s not there is to it. "I was wondering if you''ve ever made a devise capable of uncursing things? Or unfreeze a specially made magic ice?" I wondered, thinking about the frozen people back in the vige. "Uncursing or unfreezing items? Well, we do have a few of them¡­" She said while rubbing her chin. I quickly noticed Lucifer''s eyes shining brightly. "Can we see them? I am willing to buy as many as you''ve got." I said. "Eh? For what reason¡­ exactly?" She wondered. "Well¡­ Err, it is a special reason." I said while looking away. "We''ve got someone¡­ that was cursed with a freezing spell. The curse is incredibly powerful, so we are trying anything that might work. He''s still alive somehow¡­" "O-Oh¡­" Ruby covered her mouth in surprise. "I am sorry for asking this, I didn''t knew¡­ Well, here, before eating let me guide you to my Atelier, it is where I make all my things, I also have arge storage with many items ssified by type and everything else, let''s go there." Ruby quickly guided me downstairs into the underground area of her house, an enormous ce bigger than her own home. The storage rooms were probably over twenty, each one bigger than the previous one. "Room number 14¡­ Here." She quickly touched the door as it glowed bright gold, opening itself. As we entered, we found countless magic itemsying around the entire ce, stored overrge shelves. Ruby began running around looking for something, until she finally brought arge wooden box and took out several items from inside. "Here..." She said, grabbing an item resembling a wand with the tip of a sapphire. "This is the Unfreezing Wand; we barely have much use for it. The item''s power depends in the MP input." Then, she grabbed another resembling arge ck sphere. "This is the Uncursing Orb. I had tested it and could absorb a lot of Curses; power can also depend in MP input¡­" And then, she grabbed thest item, it resembled a methrower. "This is an old prototype, I don''t know if it mightpletely work though, but I designed it in case someone was frozen but remained alive. It has the ability to make ice quickly melt at an incredible speed but doesn''t affect a living organism inside, and can even unfreeze them easily too. But I don''t know if it could work with a Freezing Curse¡­" "I see, thanks for your help, Ruby. How much? I''ll buy all three of them." I said. "We might get a good shot at it if we get them all." "Well, the first two are sold in the market at around a hundred gold coins each, they''re rare and not produced as much. Lastly the methrower is a prototype so it doesn''t have a defined price, but it would be around 150 gold coins, I believe." She said. "I can gift them to you, I don''t really mind." "Ah, no, I don''t really want to owe you things¡­" I said. "It wouldn''t be nice for our business. Here." I didn''t really wanted to owe stuff she could take advantage ofter. She was a good person but still quite ambitious. I had a lot of money at hand anyways, so I easily paid her for everything. "Y-You really paid me 350 gold coins¡­" She said in surprise. "How much are you carrying around- Wait, did you just brought these coins out of thin air?!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Ah, you don''t know, huh?" I sighed. "Maria has the [Inventory] Skill, which is an amazing ability that allows her to store all sorts of things inside a space." Said Helga, introducing my powers. "That alone makes mining much easier!" "A-Amazing¡­" Said Ruby. "I had never meet someone capable of doing that unless they had space magic." "Well it is something like that¡­ Err, let''s keep it a secret for now." I said. "Very well, let''s go have some meal now. I hope these items can be of help." Said Ruby. Like that, we sat down around arge table as several maidservants and manservants started to serve us with delicious tes we had never seen before. There were higher quality beef, a lot of sd, and other delicious things such as meatloaf with eggs, fries, and even dessert in ice cream. Apparently, the Dwarves were the ones that invented the magic device that can create ice cream, which works very simrly to the ones back on earth, slowly freezing cream put inside by whipping it around over and over. "Oh man, I''ve never eaten so good in my life!" Helga said while tears flowed from her eyes. "This is so good!" "Boss, this amazing!" "Lady Viscountess food''s the best!" "Oh man the booze is to kill for!" "You damn bastard''s are already drunk?!" The dwarves were the most festive out there, and Lucifer, Emeraldine, and Partner enjoyed their meals a lot. Partner asked for many tes, and ended eating everyst bit of food that was cooked¡­ ----- Chapter 498 Moving Back Home ----- "Well, see you in a few days, or maybe a week?" Wondered Ruby. "Sure, sure! We''lle back as soon as we can, thanks for the hospitality." I said. "No problem Maria, I hope we can be friends in the future." Ruby said with a humble smile, yet I could notice there was a lot of greediness behind such a charming beauty. "Sure, I hope I can get done the cleansing of Miasma in the dungeon as soon as possible so we can begin the grand ntation ns." I said. And like that, Ruby asked her "car" to leave us right in front of Aquamarine''s home, where we had left the twins with Lucifer''s sister, Brunhild. The twins had note because I didn''t wanted to bring them to that meeting between adults, as they would end up making things a bit too hard to deal with. And well, as for Brunhild, she''s still sleeping. Lucifer and I really wanted to talk a lot with her, but we were unable to do so because she was too tired. She said dragons'' naps might take several days or entire weeks. She was trusting us a lot to fall asleep in that bed for all this time though. "We might end up having to bring her back home by carrying her if she keeps sleeping like that." Said Partner. "She''s really like a granny!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I hope she woke up by now¡­" Sighed Emeraldine. "I hope so too. I want to ask her so many questions¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Ugh, the twins are going to get mad we had such a big feast without them. I''ll cook them something delicious for now¡­ Ah, maybe Aquamarine feed them well. She had taken a liking on the kids." I said. "I hope so¡­" Emeraldine said. "I want to go sleep right now¡­" "Me too¡­" Partner sighed. The battle we had yesterday was really quite too exhausting, especially because everybody was forced to empty their energies several times. We fought against several big bosses and thousands of monsters too, I guess everybody got a lot of umted exhausting, me included¡­ After all, my soul shattered into pieces constantly. I''ve managed to recover arge part of what I''ve lost, and I''ve stitched and stuck together all my surviving fragments, but I am still notpletely okay. Although I "ate" arge part of that Fragment''s energy, nothing within me awakened or something, and it didn''t helped at recovering or regenerating my soul damage either. Also, my Aether inside my Status suddenly dropped to 60 out of the blue, and it was even worse at 40 before, but it has been recovering over time. Could this 100 Aether mean something like a percentage of my total soul? Maybe if I one day exceed this number, it''ll meant my soul grow stronger. Maybe if I evolve the next time, my soul might be able to fully repair itself and grow bigger and stronger as well, evolution always works, though I am still halfway through it. However, I do remember that eating souls recovered my soul damage too, and it also recovered my MP and even HP, so maybe I should begin snacking on souls. The thing is, I don''t want to eat innocent souls, it''ll make me feel awful. So I''ll have to select souls in specific, maybe from monsters? Though most of them had been repurposed into Undead, as I now have an army of several hundred Abyssal Ants which are being taken care by Lancelot. Also, just sleeping and letting my soul recover works too. Maybe I also need a long nap. The pain is still inside of my soul, like an old wound that takes a while to fully recover. When we returned to our area of residence, Helga and the dwarves decided to go their separate ways back home. "Take care, have a nice trip!" I said. "Yeah, we''ll do. Make sure to get back safely." Helga said. "We''ll do." As we entered Aquamarine''s home, we were greeted by her and the three old dwarves, they were currently having lunch with the twins and¡­ Brunhild. She was awake! "Wee back you guys, it really took you a while toe back. Come, we just began eating lunch." Said Aquamarine. "Ah, we are already stuffed though¡­" Emeraldine said. "Food! I can eat some more food!" Partner immediately decided to join everybody. Who would had known a vampire would have such a big appetite for normal food¡­ Then again, it is a way for her to deal with her anxiety caused for her craving for blood, eating tons of delicious food can certainly make her forget about it I guess. "Your stomach will burst if you eat more!" I reprimanded her. "Ehehe, I am hungry though." She said, sitting next to Takeshi. The twins quickly ran to my side, hugging me. "Mama wee back!" Said Takeshi. "Mama, how was it?" Laura wondered. "M-Mama again?!" I asked, feeling like I was about to pass out. "You don''t like us calling you like that?" Wondered Laura. "At this point you''ve been taking care of us and loving us so much¡­ You really feel like the mother we never had." "Yeah¡­ You don''t want me as your son, mama?" Asked Takeshi while looking at me like a sad puppy. "Uwah¡­ Of course I do, you''re my two lovely kids¡­" I sighed. "I just get a bit embarrassed, that''s all¡­ I never thought you would ever see me like a mother, but I¡­ guess I secretly always wished for it." I ended hugging both of them and giving them kisses all over their faces. "Everything went well too! We got a big business going, we''ll use that big dungeon to convert it into a gigantic farm. Like that, we''ll have tasty veggies and fruits at home any time we want." I said with a smile. "Oooh!" Takeshi got happy. "Fruits! Maybe we can make jam! I want jam¡­" He sighed. Apparently it was one of the things he liked from his previous life. "Also we could nt rice and make Mochi¡­" ----- Chapter 499 The Seven Calamities ----- "Mochi?" Wondered Aquamarine. Of course they don''t know about Japanese food, this world seems pretty Western-like. Takeshi in his previous life was a young child in Japan, who died in a boat ident. He''s of course still missing food from his home country. "They''re rice cakes! They''re yummy when filled with fruit jam!" Takeshi said, as Aquamarine nodded. "Rice¡­ You mean white grain? We have some here, but its hard to grow because it needs a lot of water¡­ I''ve heard Elves are good at it back in their original continent." Said Aquamarine. So Rice exists in this world, woah¡­ "I do remember that in the past Rice was introduced by a Hero Summoned from another world." Said Aquamarine. "He poprized the white grain which he seems to have created by modifying existing grains with alchemy and magic." Eehhh¡­ So that''s how Rice was introduced into another world, now that''s interesting. We really need to get our hands into some rice. I do remember the first and second floor of the dungeon had a lot of shallow waterways everywhere, so rice ntation shouldn''t be that hard. But for now, there was a more important topic than rice and mochi¡­ And that''s my sister-inw Brunhild! She was still rather sleepy, but was surprised when she saw us.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Ah, everyone¡­" She said with a low tone of voice. "Brunhild! You''re awake!" Lucifer ran towards his sister and hugged her body, which was smaller than him in her humanoid form. "Ugh¡­ Don''t hug me like you''re a child¡­!" Brunhild got slightly angry, as she began to m Lucifer''s head with her tail. "Hahah, you always did that to me back then." Luciferughed, quickly letting her go. "Old habits die hard." Brunhild said. "I thought you were going to sleep for way longer¡­" Said Lucifer. "I forced me to wake up, I couldn''t just sleep all the time while I finally meet my little brother again. Fate has made us encounter with one another after so long¡­ I can sleepter." She said. "Brunhild, I have so many questions¡­" Lucifer sighed, sitting at her side. "I do too, let''s continue this conversation in our roomter." Brunhild said, giving Lucifer a head pat using her tail. Like that, we waited until everyone ended eating while I exined what happened to the children and Brunhild. Only Laura got the hist of it while Takeshi lost himself halfway through, Brunhild seemed to not understand how humans did things, so even when she heard it all, she didn''t seem to make much sense of it. "So you humans agree about things by simply writing them in a paper?" She wondered. "That''s how it usually go, yes." I said. "That paper had magic on it so people cannot easily break the contract." "I see, well, I suppose that''s fine. I never thought a dungeon could be used for the production of food, but what are you going to do about the monsters inside?" She asked. "I''ve be the Dungeon Master; I can control the monster poption or make them spawn elsewhere. Monsters never really stop appearing, but I can make them appear elsewhere, and even give them orders such as not attacking people if I want to." I said. "However, I will limit the production of monster to the bare minimum, I''ll use the dungeon''s Mana to enrich the soil and vegetation instead. That''ll make monsters spawn less frequently, and they will all be weak versions of those that showed up before too." "I see, makes sense now¡­" Said Brunhild. "So you can even possess dungeons and be a dungeon master. I never thought of such a possibility. I always thought such a thing was only possible for those chosen by the gods to possess a Dungeon, such as the Seven Great Cmities¡­" "Seven Great Cmities?" I asked. "They''re the strongest Dungeon Masters. Powerful monsters like nothing ever seen before, they grow powerful over time and usually control thousands of their own species. Amongst the Cmities there is the Arachneia Queen, the Abyss Ant Queen, the Kraken King, and so on¡­" She said. "What we defeated there was one of them, didn''t you realized? It had yet to reach its fullest potential though, this is why we were able to defeat her¡­ This means that more Cmities will emerge around the world." "O-Oh, so she was really bing one, huh?" I wondered. "Wait a second, does that means you''ve defeated a Cmity?! Then you''re all heroes¡­" Aquamarine said. "Well, we don''t like that sort of fancy title." I answered while shrugging. "I prefer to just be called by my name. Also lets keep this a secret to not make the entire poption panic." "R-Right, I suppose¡­" Aquamarine said. "But still, this is big. Not only those annoying Vampires are there, but a new Age of Cmity might soon approach." "Age of Cmity?" I wondered. "Yes¡­ when these Seven Cmities emerge, it is often called the Age of Cmity. This is already seen as just ancient legends because thest time it happened; it was over fifty thousand years ago. Many don''t even believe the Seven Cmities to be real, and only to intimidate the masses." Said Aquamarine. "Indeed, but they''re real." Said Brunhild. "Our parents one taught us about such entities, our ancestors were known as the Dragon Gods, guardians of the world created by the Creation Gods Tiamat and Ymir. They were siblings of the Titans, who were given the task of protecting thend and nourishing it. The Dragon Gods once fought against the Seven Cmities in the past, which were created by the God of Chaos to stir destruction and change in the world¡­" "Of course, not many gods liked that, and there had been many disputes between them. However, it seems that Gods had never dealt with their own problems directly and do everything indirectly. Even the battle between the heroes and the cmities of the past was like their indirect fight." Brunhild seemed to know a surprising amount of information about the gods¡­ ----- Chapter 500 A New Family Member ----- "So gods are like a group of children afraid of fighting for real so they just use little bugs to fight with one another?" I wondered. "I don''t know. I cannot truly fathom what Gods might think, what I am saying is merely what I''ve been taught." Said Brunhild. "I can''t really remember much of what our parents had taught us, my memories are quite fuzzy." Sighed Lucifer. "It''s fine, they''lle back one day." Brunhild said. "Hmm¡­ I wonder if I will get them back¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "My soul- well, we can talk thatter." "Yeah, for now, maybe we should go back to our room." Brunhild didn''t wanted to talk with so many people hearing us, so we ultimately went back to my room and then she finally decided to speak some more. "First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you, Maria. For everything you''ve done. Taking care of my little brother''s soul, even raising him as an undead until he could evolve into this life-like form¡­ I am really grateful; you''ve taken good care of him." Brunhild said, as she held my hands. Her beautiful golden eyes seemed to be shining like pearls. She was actually a beauty too! Ugh, my husband really got himself a got big sister¡­ "I-It is nothing, Brunhild. I am d we could find you. I was hoping we could find even one person." I sighed in relief. "Thanks for being here and approaching us. You were the dragon girl rumored to be wandering around, right?" "I believe it is me." She said while sighing. "This¡­ everything feels like a dream." Brunhild began to cry tears of happiness, as she rested her head over Lucifer''s chest, her brother hugged her. "It also feels like a dream¡­ I always thought everyone was gone, to think that you would be left¡­ I am so happy too, Brunhild." Lucifer said. "Since that day you left that things went downhill¡­ It has been so many years, so my own memories are also confusing. Perhaps the trauma of what I saw, of what I experienced made me feel this way¡­" Sighed Brunhild. "I''m sorry¡­ I couldn''t protect them¡­ I couldn''t protect anybody¡­" Lucifer seemed to be sorrowful as well. "It''s fine¡­ It is long in the past. You don''t have to feel like this anymore¡­" Said Lucifer. "Did the humans really defeated¡­ you guys? Weren''t dragons super strong though?" Wondered Partner. "I can hardly imagine someone being able to beat you in your prime, Brunhild¡­" "This world is vast, there are stronger people than you imagine." Brunhild said. "Although we should had ran away, my father decided to stay and fight, and all other dragons decided to stay too and fight to the end¡­ They were so stubborn¡­ The powerful humans that came used powers we never saw before, I believe they¡­ were from another world, thest summoning ritual which brought humans from another world was to defeat the demons and the dragon''s alliance. People brought from another world usually develop powerful abilities known as Unique Skills¡­ With such ridiculous powers, they easily broke the bnce of this world and even wiped us out." "So they summoned people from Earth¡­ didn''t they?" I sighed. "Damn it¡­ Now I feel bad being a reincarnated person." "I''ve already learned this from the twins, don''t worry. It was not your fault." Brunhild said with a gentle smile. "Since I lost them all that I had already assumed I was dead. I don''t know how I was able to survive, I was sure that I was struck down, a powerful attack reached my chest from the Ancient Hero of Lightning, it pierced my chest and burnt my heart." "Your heart was pierced by lightning?!" I asked. "Yeah, I should had died back then yet¡­ when everything ended, I woke up buried in countless of boulders, with most of my bones broken, but still somehow alive¡­ I crawled out of my own grave made from the rubble produced by the mountain itself when the fight urred, only to find the bodies of everybody¡­ I was the only one that survived the catastrophic attack, everyone else, down to the youngest child¡­ they were all¡­ dead¡­" Brunhild seems to have an amazing regeneration ability, although she looks old, I am fairly sure her bones have recovered, and I''ve noticed a very ugly cross-shaped scar in her chest, which was also present in her dragon form, but she seemed to have recovered from that as well. "You were always the hardiest of all of us, your Defense was the highest. And your scales the toughest too." Lucifer said. "I suppose you survived due to your talents." Brunhild sighed. "If I could, I would had exchanged my life for that of one of your children, Lucifer¡­" Brunhild sighed. "It is fine¡­ You know that''s impossible." Sighed Lucifer. "I¡­ guess¡­" Brunhild said. "So that''s how it was." Lucifer said, quickly cleaning his sister''s tears with a handkerchief. "For now, how about we go to the vige, we''ll show you the ce. Now you''re officially part of your family, Brunhild." "Is that¡­ so?" She wondered, timidly looking my way.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Although she was quite strong willed back in that fight, now she''s probably showing her frail side to us. She seemed rather afraid and timid, maybe the traumas of the past and a life of solitude made her feel this way. "Yeah, it is fine by me. Right guys?" I asked everyone else, as the twins nodded. "Auntie Brunhild is nice, she saved us all yesterday! She''s super strong!" Said Takeshi. "Yeah, thanks for helping mama yesterday." Said Laura. "You''re part of the family already, right? You''re like Master''s sister-inw! So it is fine, feel free to rx around us!" Partner said friendlily. "It''s fine by me too, it is nice to have someone new from time to time." Said Emeraldine. "I am happy Lucifer could find his sister. You''re very beautiful as well, Brunhild, have you thought about wearing new clothes? I''ve got a knack as a designed, I might make you something pretty to wear instead than a cloak." "But my clothes break when I transform¡­" "It is fine, I can make you some special magic clothes!" Emeraldine said. "O-Oh¡­ Thank you for your help and consideration." Brunhild said with a smile, sometimes she had a hard time articting words, she had probably not spoken with anybody in tears. "However, before we depart, there''s something important I must show you¡­ It is rted to the past, and also to the Dungeon in here." "Something?" I wondered. "Yeah, I''ll show you the way after we leave the house." Brunhild said. ----- Chapter 501 Going To Lucifer And Brunhilds Former Home ----- "Take care, see you son!" Aquamarine waved her hand as we walked away from the house with everything packed inside of my Inventory. "Thanks for your hospitality! See you soon!" I said. "Thanks for the food grandma Aqua!" Takeshi said. "It was very yummy!" Laura said. "G-Grandma?!" Aquamarine felt slightly shocked she was called like that. "Well, these two children are too cute, I wouldn''t mind being called their grandma." She giggled. "We''ll be going too, old hag. We''lle back with the rest in two days I hope." "Yeah, yeah, take care." Badur and Baldur quickly waved their hands as they said goodbyes for now. "Ugh, stop calling me old hag!" Aquamarine angrily said, the old dwarf woman was indeed quite easy to provoke. Like that, we made our way out of town quite easily, making ast stop at Helga''s shop with her husband. "So you''re going for the next days?" She wondered. "We said two days but we might take a bit longer toe back depending on if something happens." Imented.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Nah its fine, take as much as you want, we''ll be waiting for you guys until you''re back." Said Helga. "Yeah! Take care! Make sure to bring more potions to sell us, the ones you brought sold like hot cakes!" Myriad said. "Haha, sure, sure, we''ll bring a big haul!" I said. "Thanks for all your help, you guys were very helpful in everything." Said Partner. "It is not as if we won''t see again, but in this world, you never know what might happen one day. So thank you, and take good care." Said Emeraldine. "Likewise!" Helga said. Like that, we made our way outside of the country''s walls, as Brunhild guided us across several dangerous-looking areas in the mountain nobody went to. For us it was easy to maneuver around all these cliffs, but just for good measure, I put the three dwarves and the children inside my shadows. "It''s here¡­" Brunhild quickly reached a very far away cave in the mountains, unexplored by anybody due to the dangerous path she took, in the cave, there were many things stored inside. Ragged clothes everywhere, bones, monster pelt, dried meat, barrels with wine, magic items, piles of ores, and so on. "Ah, I was starving¡­" She sighed, quickly beginning to snack on herst pile of only a few dozen ores, they looked likerge pieces ofbined colorful ores of many types, like they''re usually found. It is only thanks to my Inventory that I can separate them easily. "Phew, not enough, I''ve not collected ores in a long while, buying them is impossible I have no money. Maria, can you help me store my things inside your Inventory?" "Sure, it''ll be in a sh!" I said, storing everything around us as we made our way deep into the cave. "I can also give you the ores I''ve mined, we got plenty and there''ll be more we''ll mer, so feel free to snack on the ones we have when we are back home. Lucifer told me that eating ores was essential for your diet." "Ah¡­ thank you. I didn''t really wanted to ask you because I thought it would be a bit too cocky from m to ask for such a thing, especially when ores are valuable for you all." She sighed. "Nah its fine, don''t worry about it." I said with a nod. After walking across the caves, we suddenly noticed several drawings, they looked like they were made out of the blood of monsters and animals. But some colors were also like those that flowers or other herbs made. Lucifer stopped walking as he saw these drawings in the walls, his eyes turning watery¡­ "So this cave is our home¡­" He sighed. "These drawings¡­" Lucifer caressed the drawings, they looked like they were made by a little kid. One of them, the biggest one, looked like a family of dragons. There was a big dragon father, a slightly smaller mother, and three little dragons, they were all together and seemed happy, the sun shone brightly atop them. The smiles of those little dragon children hit me hard too, and so did to Lucifer, who began to cry once more, tears flowing out of his eyes without stopping¡­ "This¡­ was made by little Acacia. She was always such a good artist¡­ She drew many of her illustrations all over the caves¡­" Lucifer said in between tears. "I miss my little girl¡­" "She¡­ must had been a lovely girl." I said, patting his shoulders. "Who are the rest?" I wondered. "This is¡­ Drako, the youngest boy, he was yful and liked to make pranks¡­" Lucifer said, caressing the drawing gently. "This one is the oldest boy, his name was Akasha, he was intelligent and very responsible, he took care of his siblings¡­ I remember¡­ thest time I saw him was when I taught him how to hunt by himself. He was so happy when he managed to defeat a Mountain Boar by himself¡­" And then, Lucifer looked at therger dragons. The taller one was him, and the slightly smaller one was probably his wife. "And this is my¡­ wife, Crystal. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman¡­ Her scales were shiny like crystals, and she was always reprimanding me for everything¡­" Luciferughed while in between tears. "She always¡­ reprimanded me for being reckless and a bit stupid¡­ She was always right, wasn''t she? I was¡­ I was everything she said I was¡­" Lucifer was quickly hugged by his sister and me, and then the twins came rushing out of my shadows, hugging the dragon from his legs. "Don''t cry uncle¡­" Said Takeshi. "It is fine¡­ You''re not alone anymore." Laura said. "You two¡­" Lucifer sighed. "We are in this together, okay?" I said. "They might be gone, but they''re still alive in these beautiful drawings, and inside of your heart and that of your sister." Sadly, I couldn''t feel any of their souls here, this entire cave was empty of souls. Brunhild held her brother''s hand. "Come, it''ll be worth it." She said. At the end, we remained in silence as we followed Brunhild, until we reached the end of the caves. And right in front of us, there was¡­ ----- Chapter 502 Dragon Egg ----- "An¡­ egg?" Lucifer looked at the egg in front of us. It was no ordinary egg either, it was bigger than that of an ostrich egg, covered by scales and glowing with a small aura. It was very faint, but this egg was not dead nor fossilized, it was¡­ alive. Suddenly, Lucifer fell to his knees, his face twisted in pain, he seemed to be remembering something as he saw that egg. I also noticed something, someter drawings that the little Acacia did included a big red egg with them, they always had that egg¡­ ¡­Could it be?! "I remember now¡­" Lucifer muttered, slowly looking up into the egg. "This egg is¡­ this egg is¡­ My youngest child¡­ Thest egg Crystalid before I flew away¡­ I can''t believe it¡­ Brunhild! D-Did you rescued this egg?!" "Crystal gave it to me." Said Brunhild. "After I woke up, she was dead, but she died protecting the egg, which was still alive and safe below her body¡­" "Ahhh¡­ Crystal¡­" Lucifer smiled while trying to contain his tears, he had cried too much already, so tears were hardlying out anymore. "You''re¡­ an incredible mother, until the very end¡­" "Since then that I''ve been taking care of the egg, but over all these years, it seemed to have entered a state of hibernation. Its temperature had dropped drastically. No matter how much I tried to heat the egg with my body heat¡­ It never worked." Said Brunhild. "Yet¡­ although the temperature of the egg had gone down little by little, it still somewhat alive. I don''t know what the conditions for the egg to hatch¡­ I am sorry." Lucifer seemed to smile. "It''s fine. This is also Crystal''s doing." Said Lucifer. "Eh?" Brunhild asked. "She had a special magic named Sealing Magic." Said Lucifer, caressing the egg. "She was able to seal things through time and space. She somehow wanted the egg to be found by someone rted to our family. You could had hatched it before, have you never tried infusing Mana into it? Crystal''s seals break with mana." Said Lucifer, Brunhild''s face grew paler, as she facepalmed. "Ahh¡­ I never tried it; I was so afraid the baby inside would die that I never did anything rash¡­" Sighed Brunhild. "This happens to me because I never was as mother myself¡­" "Well, it''s not because of that, Crystal''s magic was done so the egg would survive no matter what. Sadly, it seems she could only cast it in a single target at the same time¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "Nheless, with this egg alone, we could¡­ quite possibly¡­ Maria, everyone." Lucifer suddenly looked at all of us with eyes filled with determination. "I want you all to help me¡­ Let''s bring this egg back home and hatch it together." Said Lucifer. "Together?" I asked. "W-What do you mean?" "If we all infuse Mana together, the egg will gain our characteristics and part of our powers. It was one of Crystal''s Sealing Magic abilities, it can drain energy from whatever unseals it. As a result, she nned for this egg to not only hatch when someone with the dragon bloodline infused mana into it, but she also wanted this egg to be the strongest of our family¡­ I can tell now, so this was her n all along¡­" Lucifer said. "T-The strongest dragon?!" Partner asked. "Is that really something that could happen?" Wondered Emeraldine. "We have to try and see what happens." I said. "Sure thing, Lucifer, let''s bring the egg back home and hatch it there." Lucifer nodded happily, as he gently held the egg. "Can you bring it with yourself? You''re the most suited to carry it." he said, handling the egg to me. "S-Sure¡­" I said with a smile, feeling nervous as I held the egg, it was very heavy, probably weighing over fifty kilograms. I suddenly realized I had now an even bigger mission. The mission of taking care of this beautiful egg, this child that has survived all these years, waiting to hatch one day¡­ Maybe I''ve finally found yet another purpose to my new life. Like that, we took off into the skies, leaving the cave where a big dragon family once lived in harmony and happiness. I gave ast nce at the drawings of the little Acacia, as I smiled. "Thank you for everything." I whispered, flying away. Lucifer quickly let us jump over his back, as we flew off into the skies as fast as possible. I saved the egg inside of my own shadows, it couldn''t be more safe than in there. In just an hour and a half, we reached our vige, finding that everything was alright. I noticed arge group of goblins working around the walls, they were repairing them using Earth Magic and the instructions of the chief. "Ah! It is Maria! Lady Maria!" The Chief said. "Everyone! They''re back!" "They''re finally back!" Dozens of goblins wearing very warm clothes for the cold ran towards us, greeting us all. "Wee home Lady Maria!" the chief said happily. "Hey, d to be back!" I said. "We had a lot of fun and brought a new friend. Say hello to Brunhild, this is Lucifer''s big sister." I presented Brunhild hiding behind us. She timidly looked at everybody and waved her hand. "N-Nice to meet you all¡­" She said timidly. "Ooh¡­!" "Is she a dragon?!" "Lady Brunhild!" "An Ancient Dragon¡­" "She''s so beautiful as well!"N?v(el)B\\jnn The goblins all kneeled in the floor as they saw her beautiful grace. She was like a goddess by how beautiful and graceful her aura was. The goblins naturally kneeled before her. Many were instantly charmed by her adorable and timid personality too. "T-They''re rather expressive, aren''t they?" Brunhild whispered to me. "Well yeah, get used to them. They''re nice people though, don''t worry." I said. Like that, we made our way back home and quickly meet up with everyone in the hall, the citizens were all happy to see us, as I began unpacking a lot of things we brought, it was a massive haul! ----- Chapter 503 Finally Back Home ----- New clothes, new tools, new magic items, ores, wood, paper, ink, lots of mushrooms and meat, beans, and salt and sugar, which we desperately needed. All sorts of items and more! We brought a massive haul of items. "Such a big haul of things!" The Goblin Elder said. "Ohoo! And who''s this beauty?!" He eyed Brunhild''s half-naked body as his eyes popped out of his face. "I''ve never seen such a glorious beauty before!" "U-Uhh¡­" Brunhild felt slightly creeped out by the Goblin Elder, as she timidly stepped back a few steps. "Come on, where are you going? Gyeheh¡­ I don''t bite!" He said. "Ugh, this old man¡­" I sighed. SMACK! "GEHH¡­!" I smacked the old pervert into the ground. BAAAM! He fell headfirst, the ground itself cracked before his face. "Elder! Stay with us!" The goblins cried. "Don''t worry he even evolved into a High Hobgoblin recently so he got the endurance to take a few hits." I sighed. Even the Goblin Elder has been hunting proactively with everybody else, as he evolved into a High Hobgoblin Elder Wizard, and learned Earth, Nature, and Life Magic. The old pervert had be surprisingly useful. "Wee back master!" "Master! You''re finally back!" Two fire ghosts flew to my side, alongside a big spider covered in mes, a chimera between a ck cat and a crow, a giant metal slime, and countlessrge ck spiders covered in spikes and looking even deadlier than before¡­ oh, and a giant skeleton knight. "You guys! Mama''s back!" I said, as I greeted all of my Undead. Francesco and Silvio were the only ones that could speak, they were sobbing while hugging me with their zing bodies. Meanwhile, Kuro and Raven began licking my face with both of their heads yfully, Pyro began licking me with his big tongue as well, Mercury entangled my entire body with his metallic rainbow slime body and Darkbound¡­ well, he petted my head, he was too tall for a hug. "I''ve brought you a new friend as well- well, friends." I said, quickly bringing out all new Undead I had not left back in the dungeon. Gero showed up, alongside many Moles, and severalrge birds as well. Onyx, the ck Phoenix of the twins also greeted everybody as he had be way friendlier now. "A-Amazing, ourdy has brought so many new Undead friends! This will be the Undead Nation, hahahaha!" Silvioughed. "Indeed! This''ll be amazing! So many Undead, it just feels nice to see so many new friends- Huh? Who''s that though?" Asked Francesco. A timid Frost Ghost was hiding behind me. "Veredorr,e on, don''t be shy¡­" I sighed. "T-They''re too hot, their bodies hurt me a bit¡­" He said. However, the two fire ghosts sneaked behind me anyways, greeting him. "Hey, so you''re the ice ghost!" "Why are you hiding? Don''t worry, our fire won''t melt you, dear." Silvio and Francesco pulled out Veredorr from me as they hugged him and even kissed his forehead to make him feel morefortable with them, but they ended only making him flustered, as he grewpletely red in embarrassment. "Wawawahhh¡­! S-Stop kissing and hugging me¡­!" He cried. "Come on! You''re so handsome, we can''t help it!" Laughed Silvio. "We are all ghosts here, friend." Said Francesco. "T-That doesn''t have anything to do with it!" Veredorr tried to run away but I left him with the rest of the Undead so he would smoother up a bit more. It was not good he was so shy and timid with everybody. The Undead quickly began attacking him with hugs and licks, he will get used sooner orter. "Wee back! Auntie!" Gofumin ran to my side after the chief brough her from home. He had been saving her inside his house through thesest days has the temperature has gotten colder. She looked fluffy covered in so many clothes. "Hello Gofumin! How have you been~?" I asked, hugging her back and lifting her off the ground, she hugged me back and even gave me a kiss in my cheek, she really killed me there. "Gud! Though it is very cold¡­" She said, her little hands were very cold. "Hmm, the temperature has only lowered, I guess it doesn''t matter what season is in here, it is always super cold, huh?" I sighed. "Well, for now I''ll try to find a way to solve this eventually. We have to endure it, okay?" "Oway! Gofumin strong¡­ The other day I in a big rat! Leveled up! I am stronger!" She said, raising her tiny arms. "Oh? Did your father helped you level up?" I wondered. "Papa said I must begin fighting monsta¡­" She said. "So I can one day be like mama!" "I see¡­ I guess it would be good for your foundation to begin leveling up as quickly as possible. The faster you level up the more skills you can learn and the more time you''ll have to develop them at an early age." I said while nodding. "I am d you''re back, Lady Maria." Syllis, the adorable rabbit boy showed up right behind me alongside his little sister, Bellerine. "Hello! Did you bring me some gifts, auntie Maria?" The little spoiled rabbit girl asked. "Gifts?" Wondered Gofumin. "Ah! Did you bring me a gift too, auntie?" "E-Err¡­" I was left without many options. Thankfully, I had bought a few essories from Myriad in our way out just for this. "Yep! I did!" I quickly gathered with everyone as I began distributing essories, rings, nes, and wristbands which were made out of dropped items from dungeons which were then reinforced and almost remade by the talented Blue Oni, husband of Helga.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "This is the Ne of Protection." I said, giving it to Gofumin. "It''ll enhance your Magic and Physical Damage Resistance and even increase your physical strength." "Ooooh! Awesome!" Gofumin said, swinging her small wooden sword around. "And for you this Magic Ring, it enhances Magic Power and MP Regeneration Speed." I gave Bellerine her a ring. "Thank you! Thank you!" She said, the little rabbit girl began jumping around happily. Damn it, I am really weak to children. I really do have the heart of a mother, huh? ----- Chapter 504 Time To Hatch The Egg ? ----- "You really didn''t had to." Syllis said. "I''m sorry for my sister, she''s very spoiled¡­" "It''s fine, I''ve also gotten you something pretty, here." I gave Syllis some earrings. "I know your tribe likes wearing earrings, you''re very pretty when you wear some colorful ones." "P-Pretty?!" Syllis blushed. He looked so much like a girl that it was hard for me to call him "handsome" instead of "pretty". "Thank you, Lady Maria. I will treasure these earrings with my life." He said while blushing. Uwah, he''s so cute! I ended hugging him and Bellerine together, the two were so cute and fluffy! I ended caressing their fluffy pompom rabbit tails as well, and the fur around their necks and chest was also the fluffiest! "Uwaahh¡­ Fluffy¡­" I sighed, feeling in heaven. The two siblings began to giggle at my face. After I ended distributing the essories to my closest friends and allies, and most of the fighters and mages, I decided to gather everyone for a small speech where I told them everything that happened recently, the dungeon exploration, the deal with the dwarves, and more. After exnations were over, everyone seemed to have understood why I took a bit too long to get back from what would had been a short trip there. And that I was also going to go back there in a few more days from now. Brunhild was also introduced to everyone else, and we asked everyone to treat her with care because she was very timid and delicate due to her age. She got quite embarrassed when our entire poption looked at her with surprise and reverence due to being an Ancient Dragon. After I was done with exnations, the ones I left in charge of various things gathered to report me what has been happening in the vige while I was absent, although I saw most of it through my phantom familiars, it was still important to do this to inform everyone else with me. "After most of the Goblins Evolved into High Hobgoblins they gained special talents within their races. Many more awakened Magic, so we started beginning to repair the walls surrounding the City, we also started building a fortress using the blueprints left behind by the dwarves, we are halfway through. Earth Magic makes things quite easier." Said the Goblin Chief as I nodded. "The Hunting Team has been proactively hunting any nearby monsters. We recently found arge nest of Ice Wolves threatening our city, who had been stalking around the vige, so we exterminated themst night, it was a bit intense but there are only a few wounded that are recovering well." Said Syllis. "Also, we began letting the younglings practice fighting technique and magic skills with Big Rats we have raised as cattle too, also letting them gain some EXP collectively so they can level up." I nodded once more. "I''ve been teaching magic to anyone that awakened the talent while Lady Emeraldine was absent." Said the Goblin Elder. "I think I''ve got the knack for it, hohoho!" "I see, you guys have done well. What about the Undead?" I asked Silvio and Francesco. "The Vampires are getting more used to our pace and the werewolf although he doesn''t speak he''s more cooperative now. We had been cleaning the city as instructed." Silvio said. "We have also eliminated monsters and guarded the vige while the people sleep at night, while sending some groups to more dangerous and unexplored areas to see if we can find anything new, but nothing aside from more monsters have showed up." Said Francesco. "We found arge nest of Frost Bears, and three other nests of Ice Wolves around three kilometers from here though." "I see, we can''t really have so many dangerous monsters so close to our home, we might begin another extermination for those¡­ Though it feels a bit weird, I don''t remember there being so many monsters before?" I wondered.N?v(el)B\\jnn "We also wondered the same, it is as if something is dragging them closer to us." Said Silvio. "Yeah, we discussed that with Darkbound and the other Undead. He said that he felt a powerful and ominous presence¡­" Said Francesco. "Huh¡­ Could it be a high ranked monster, maybe?" I wondered. "I doubt any of our enemies had found us in here, I doubt Vampires can get here either, they would freeze in the snowstorms before catching up to us¡­ But we can''t scratch any of such possibilities, we''ll send more scouts to check farther areas for now." "There might also be the possibility of bandits, we found one of the caves having a lot of tools and other things left behind, they were all fresh." Said Syllis. "Could Bandits be in these areas?" "Maybe because we are so far away from the big countries they might think these areas are safer for whatever they''re doing. Bandits will not be tolerated though; we''ll also try to find them." I said. "And that''s all I think." Said the Goblin Chief. "Alright then, you guys are free to rx for now, I''ve brought an egg with me we need to check like¡­ asap. I also bought some magic tools we can try to useter to try to unfreeze the people, but I have not many hopes." I sighed. "Wait, an egg?" Asked Syllis. "Yes, an egg that was left behind by Lucifer''s wife¡­ We found one, and it''s alive. There''s a possibility- no, it is already confirmed that a baby dragon will bless us today, so prepare yourselves." I said, flying away rapidly to my room, where everyone Lucifer, Brunhild, Emeraldine, and Partner were waiting. "You''re finally back¡­ I think this is as much as the egg can take though, the limit of Crystal''s magic is only five people, all five of us." Said Lucifer. "I see, I had thought about adding the twins but I guess it is more than enough with us." I said. Brunhild was also joining in the awakening of the child by giving her mana. Gently, I ced the egg over a small pillow, as Lucifer quickly told us to gently ce our hands over the egg. "Now, gently, infuse small quantities of Mana at 3." He said, we all nodded. "One¡­" "Two¡­" "Three¡­!" FLASH! ----- Chapter 505 The Birth Of A Dragon ----- Strings of our mana flowed into the egg sitting over the pillow, as the egg began to slowly glow brightly. The invisible protectiveyer conjured by the child''s mother slowly began to dissipate as if it were ashes, while our mana imbued itself into the egg. For a moment, I felt as if a part of my own self went into there, a part of my powers. I didn''t felt weakened or anything, but it just felt that way.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I noticed that the string of my mana was pure ck, while Lucifer''s was blue, Partner was red, Emeraldine was gold, and Brunhild orange. All five colors converged together into one, forming a beautiful yet bizarrely colored rainbow for a few splits of a second. FLAAASH! Suddenly, the bright light took us over, as I felt my own consciousness diving across an endless sea of darkness. As I opened my eyes and nced around my surroundings, I found a beating heart within this darkness. "This ce¡­" I heard the voice of Lucifer at my side, and then I not only noticed his presence here, but that of Emeraldine, Partner, and Brunhild here as well. We were all here. The heart, which seemed frozen in time, began beating slowly, bit by bit, until it started beating faster and faster, rapidly, and constantly. Eventually, it was beating so fast and beautifully that I couldn''t help but help shocked. "It is waking up¡­" Brunhild said. "My child¡­" Lucifer sighed. Suddenly, he held my hand, as he dived across the darkness. Everyone else stayed looking from the distance, as Lucifer brought only me with him. As we reached the red, beating heart, we noticed a silhouette emerging, in the shape of a small dragon. Our powers flowed into the small creature, as its eyes suddenly opened, shining with bright golden light. "Ah¡­" Lucifer looked at his child, as the little dragon suddenly began moving, trying to push through an invisible barrier blocking the little creature''s way. Crack¡­! Suddenly, all our surroundings began to crack, as if this darkness was in fact the interior of the egg, and we were all with the baby dragon. Crack¡­ crack¡­! It continued cracking, forming dozens of cracks every passing second, until¡­ CRASH! All the darkness within our surroundings finally shattered, crumbling piece by piece. In that second, we were all transferred into our bodies once more. What was that? Could it be that because we gave the dragon part of our power, we were able to suddenly help it wake up? Nheless, the egg was already cracking, and from its interior, and adorable dragon- no, wait a second. This isn''t a dragon! "Maahh¡­" The little cry of a baby resonated from the interior of the egg, as a humanoid child emerged instead of the scaled dragon we saw inside of that vision! It had a striking simrity to Lucifer''s humanoid appearance, with pale white skin, as pale as candlewax, and short ck and silver hair. It also had pointy ears that ended with ck and purple scales. There were simr scales around the rest of the baby''s body, the legs, arms, neck, chest, and the back had a few scales, it also sported an adorable and long tail, and two tiny wings. It had two small ck horns, so small they resembled little dots. And it was a girl. When she opened her eyes, they shone with bright golden light, as if they were stars¡­ "Mahh¡­" It gave another little cry again. Everyone was left in silence as they saw the baby beginning to cry like a humanoid child would do when they were born. Lucifer and Brunhild were the most impacted as they saw the baby. "I-it is not a dragon?" Asked Lucifer. "No, it is, look at the scales¡­ It simply¡­ was born on its Polymorph form?" Brunhild wondered, filled with intrigue. "But why?" Partner wondered. "Perhaps we influenced the baby? After all we all infused our mana, and our shape is all humanoid, even you two." Said Emeraldine. "Well, what''s important is that it is healthy and¡­ crying very loudly!" I said, as Lucifer slowly approached his child, quickly holding her with his arms. "Yeah¡­ I am so happy¡­" Lucifer smiled, as the baby continued crying out loud, but suddenly as it got closer to Lucifer, she calmed down and looked at her papa. "Hello¡­ You''ve been waiting for a while now, haven''t you?" He wondered. "What name should I give to you?" "Grawr!" The little girl, however, was hungry. She immediately decided to bite Lucifer''s clothes, tearing them apart with her sharp teeth. "Ahahah, you''re quite strong! I guess a dragon is a dragon." He said with a smile, kissing her forehead as the little dragon girl continued biting his clothes. "I think she''s hungry¡­" I said, approaching her. She suddenly stopped biting Lucifer''s clothes and looked at me. "Hello~" I said, as I slowly approached one of my fingers towards her. "Maah¡­" She said, slowly stretching her tiny, scale-covered baby hand and grasping my finger. Ahhh~ She''s so cute! I am literally dying a second time now! CRACK! "Ugh?!" My finger suddenly snaped, she got a lot of strength. "M-Maria?!" Lucifer asked. "Ahaha, don''t worry, I am a ghost so¡­ I can just do this." I said, as the finger immediately recovered as if nothing happened. My materialized body was phantom I could shape at will after all. "Muh?!" The baby girl was left shocked by my finger recovering. CRACK! And then she snapped it again¡­ "Ahahah¡­ Y-You''re quite the prankster, aren''t you?" I sighed, as my finger went back to normal once more. CRACK! "Okay, she really likes to break your fingers." Emeraldine said behind me. "I don''t think that''s normal baby behavior though¡­" I sighed. "It is certainly something that babies don''t do¡­" Brunhild said. "Well, not the humans and demi humans, but dragon babies are very energetic, they like to y around. It is normal for them to begin biting anything they can as long as they hatch, usually the tails of their parents." And like that, Lucifer''s tail was used as a pacifier for the baby. ----- Chapter 506 A New Dragon Daughter, Nyx ----- "Ggrarr¡­ Grawr¡­" The little dragon girl continued gnawing the hard tail of Lucifer, he had a lot of defense so she wasn''t even getting through the scales, but she liked biting through the tail anyways, and didn''t let go of it. "I remember my three other children did the same when they hatched, they bite through my tail and that of their mother for like a few days." Said Lucifer. "It helps them calm down too." "Alright then." I said nervously. "The baby''s born and¡­ How do we handle this? I didn''t thought this far." "Me neither¡­" Said Emeraldine. "Nope¡­" Partner also didn''t. "Hahaha, I can take care of her with Lucifer, you don''t really need to worry. I feel it is my responsibility." Said Brunhild. "Ah, yeah¡­ You don''t have to worry, Maria¡­" Lucifer said gently, although I felt like he was deep down desperately asking me to help him. I could tell by the forced smile. "Okay I''ll help. I want to be this baby girl''s mother after all, if I am not present for her, how can she call me mommy one day?" I asked while sighing. "I guessed you would be motivated by such a reason." Brunhild said. "But what name should we give to the girl?" I wondered. "A name¡­" Lucifer wondered. "If I could, I would ask Crystal for a name¡­ I had named the first, then the third, she only got to name the second, we were doing turns¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "I see, so that''s how you did it. Well, I am your wife now so I get to decide then!" I said. "Eh?!" Lucifer felt taken aback. "I am joking¡­" I sighed. "I was trying to lighten the mood here but it seems futile. Now, we should try to decide for a name by all of us together. But first, food. What do Dragon Babies eat when they hatch?" "Usually they eat their eggshell." Said Brunhild. "After that, we give them soft meat, they like to gnaw bones with meat as well, ores can only be consumed once they grow a bitrger." "Alright baby, here''s your eggshell." I said. The baby girl looked at us with her big golden eyes, and then noticed the eggshell. She began to drool, quickly grabbing a piece and beginning to snack on it by biting through it, and swallowing the bits quite easily. "I''ll bring her some water too." I said, quickly bringing out arge barrel with clean water from my Inventory and taking a small cup. "Here, don''t eat it all or you''ll asphyxiate¡­" "Muhh¡­" She didn''t wanted to drink water, moving away her face from the cup.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Dragons usually don''t drink much water; it is not that essential." Said Brunhild. "I-I see¡­ I guess there''s no milk either." I said. "Yeah, we don''t naturally produce milk." Said Brunhild. "Crunch¡­ crunch¡­ Nom¡­" The little girl already was halfway through the entire egg and kept eating. We quickly sat around a table and began throwing names to decide it for her. "How about Crystal like her mother?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Well, it does sounds nice, but it kind of makes me sad too¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "How about Sasha? Sounds nice." Said Partner. "I don''t know¡­" Said Lucifer. "I had thought about Luna, like the moon." Said Brunhild. "It does sounds fitting, her ck and white hair are like the night and the moon while her bright golden eyes are like the stars¡­" Lucifer said. "Hm, if its night then Nyx, how about that? It literally means night in ancient Greek." I said. "Anguage from my original world." "Oh, I see¡­" Lucifer said. "Nyx sounds¡­ quite beautiful and mysterious." "I like Nyx." Said Brunhild. "It sounds refined as well, like the names us dragons take." "I agree!" Partner said. "It is quite a simple yet interesting sounding name." Said Emeraldine. "Nyx it is then." Lucifer decided. "Luna could be her second name." "Nyx Luna sounds beautiful." Brunhild said. "Nyx Luna it is then¡­" I said with a smile, as we saw the little girl finish off her eggshells and then¡­ burp. "Buhh¡­" She suddenly got sleepy all of the sudden, as she grabbed her papa''s tail and began sleeping over his arms. "We need to get her some fitting baby clothes; we''ll make them asap with the dwarves." Said Emeraldine. "She might be a dragon but the cold is still dangerous." "I agree, let''s quickly make her some morefortable clothes asap." I said, as we rushed out of the room while Nyx slept covered in many nkets over my bed while Lucifer and Brunhild watched over her. After around an hour, we finally found some baby clothes from Gofumin, which I had gifted her long ago, they were already too small for her as she had a growth spur thesest months, so we quickly brought these clothes for little Nyx. "This will only be temporary though, Emeraldine is making her some new clothes using magic threads, also for you as well." I said to Brunhild. "Magic Threads¡­ How are those made?" Wondered Brunhild. "We mix normal threads of a strong fabric with magic ores crushed into dust, and magic crystals crushed into dust as well. those crystals that you find inside monsters." I said. "Oh, those tasty and crunchy snacks filled with mana, they''re always nice to eat first when hunting a beast." Brunhild said. "Ah, I am hungry¡­ Maria, about the ores¡­" "Sure thing, have a feast!" I said, quickly putting over the floor a pile of hundreds of different and colorful ores. "Uwaahhh¡­ This is really a buffet!" Brunhild said, beginning to snack into the ores as if they were fried chicken, they were incapable of resisting her bite, even the hardest of materials I had avable sumbed to the dragon girl''s biting force. Meanwhile, we had to wake up Nyx and changed her into her new clothes, they were a full body yarn cloth. We also put on her some cloth diapers in case she wants to go to the bathroom. Lucifer said that baby dragons go to the bathroom anywhere in the cave and then it is cleansed using fire magic most of the time, but we can''t do that inside this big house, so diapers it is. "Muhhh¡­" Nyx seemed annoyed over the clothes, but quickly got sleepy again and fell into her bed, sleeping soundly. "She''s so cute¡­" Said Lucifer. "Yeah¡­ Oh boy, we really got a long journey ahead if we are going to raise her¡­" "As long as I have you with me I think it should be possible." "I guess¡­ I''ll take over the burden. Don''t forget Partner and Emeraldine, they want to be her aunts, so they''ll help as much as possible as well. Partner is currently preparing some meat for her forter." "Right¡­ I guess raising a child might not be so hard if I have so much help, thanks for everything." "No problem dear¡­" Nyx was already sleeping rxedly, she looked so adorable I wanted to hug her for all eternity. Like that we cuddled over the bed around the sleeping Nyx, and without realizing, we fell asleep as well. It was a long day¡­ ----- Chapter 507 Soul Realm ----- As I fell asleep, I suddenly found myself within andscape of darkness. The ground was dry and even purple-colored, and in the ck sky, there were small dots of light resembling stars. And above all, a big and silver moon shone above the skies, illuminating everything with its beauty. I really didn''t knew where I was, but it felt as if I had fallen into a strange dream. I do remember I ate something I shouldn''t had eaten past yesterday, and I''ve also taken over the dungeon infested by a very small fragment of the Evil God. I do wonder if that has something to do with this? It honestly feels strange. Suddenly, as I wandered around this dream, I saw, from within the purple-colored ground, arge mound of dirt beginning to emerge, quickly taking shape into some sort of slightly humanoid entity¡­ it had ring red eyes. "You¡­ How dare you¡­ eat a god such as myself¡­" "Huh? Who are you?" "Who am I? I might only be a fragment but¡­ I am the one you all know as the Evil God."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Evil God?! I am pretty sure I destroyed your will though?" "I am a God, you foolish ghost! I cannot be defeated so easily. You might had eaten me with your strange powers, but I havee back within your very soul scape!" "Soul scape¡­?" The entity spoke with an annoyed and furious voice, he seemed to not be happy to be here. However, it was weird. He wasn''t attacking me, nor trying to take over me or something either. He seemed to be ring at me furiously whileining. "You dare do this to me! How could you eat such a being as myself?! I created your world with those other arrogant Gods! Yet you devour my fragment?!" "Well you were doing something bad there, you were also trying to kill me. Also do you know there are other people using your fragments to make drugs and even some sort of demonic creatures?" "I¡­ Am notpletely aware." "What? Why?" "Each fragment of my being has their own wills. In fact, I used to be arger fragment myself! However, due to the punishment of the gods due to the mortals trying to use me, I was split in half an sealed in two different dungeons within the mountains¡­" "Wait, is this why the Ant Queen was obsessed with getting to the next mountain?" "¡­It was my will. The Ant Queen was a still developing Cmity I had personally revived by taking over the System''s Dungeon, but it is all for naught now! I had ns to go to the surface and fill this world with Miasma so I can survive better." "Survive¡­ better?" "Ugh, you''re such a fool, of course it is for- Ah¡­" "What?" "I¡­. I can''t remember why¡­" "Eh?" It seemed that he was suffering from memory loss to boot. "It seems each of my fragments¡­ have parts of my memories, within this will of mine, I cannot remember it all." "So you''re like¡­ having permanent memory loss?" "If I could find more of my fragments and absorb them I could regain more memories of my past." "Do you know who you were before? "A small amount of information remains, it seems I was- wait a second, why am Icently answering all your questions?! You damn witch! What have you done to me?!" The Evil God Fragment began to angrily bark at me as if I hadmitted some sort of atrocity against him. I mean he should be dead by now, but I think he''s being overdramatic. "Maybe you''re just obeying my words because you''re a part of myself?" I wondered. "Eh?" He asked in shock. "I ate you, there''s no trace left of you. The part I devoured from you merged with my soul and helped me recover from the damage you caused to me¡­ I think you''ve be part of myself, like getting an arm from someone else now that arm is part of my body. Get it?" I asked with a smile. "T-That''s¡­ Being part of a mortal''s soul?!" He asked in horror, seemingly shocked by the revtion. "What''s so wrong about that?" I sighed. "Also, tell me who you were before now." I wasn''t taking a "no" for an answer anymore. I had already realized that his will was now part of my soul and I could suppress him and make him obey me. Even more, the reason why he was answering everything I asked him was this. "Y-You¡­!" He tried to resist my order as he began groaning, however, he could not resist much any longer. "You''re mine now, little fragment. You''ll obey my orders and do as I say¡­ Because if you don''t¡­ Well, I can very easily tear thest bit of consciousness you hold, and simply acquire all your memories in one go. Don''t you understand I am being merciful with you because I somewhat pity your existence? I mean, its pretty sad that all the gods attacked you and torn you apart, I kind of get why you''re so angry¡­ I was also abused and even killed. I am not saying you were innocent or something, bute on, they could had done it better, right?" The Evil God Fragment''s red eyes looked at me, as he sighed. "I suppose¡­ there MIGHT be some things¡­ that we¡­ are¡­ err, a bit simr. But don''t get over yourself either! I am a powerful GOD! Don''tpare myself with your pathetic mortal soul." He said while crossing his arms. "Okay, I''ll destroy your will then, bye-bye." I said, smiling as I approached my hand towards him. He immediately panicked. "Wait, wait, wait! Okay, I get it! Wait a second please! PLEASE!" He began to supplicate to me to not do it, as I sighed and smiled back at him a second time,pletely intimidating him this time. "Do you understand the position you are in now, little fragment?" I asked, giggling. ----- Chapter 508 The Evil Gods True Indentity ----- The Fragment of the Evil God remained in silence, as he sighed. "I only remember a few things, but I am sure that I was attacked against my will by my own father!" He said angrily. "It was all a conspiracy against me by my father and his close allies to stop me from bing stronger than him and be the new King of the Gods¡­" "Wait, what?!" I was slightly shocked; he was also telling the truth because I was forcing him. Apparently, the Evil God was once the son of¡­ another god? And that God was known as the "King of Gods". Wait, Odin? I know this world is based in Norse mythology, and the God of Light governs the continent of the humans, his name is obviously Odin, so the Evil God is actually Odin''s son. But whom? It can''t be Loki, he''s still in his position as the God of Chaos, and the Heroic God of Thunder, Thor, is also worshiped by most of the Light God church as the representative of strong men and heroes. So which other son did Odin had? I''m fairly sure he must have had a bunch of them, but this one in specific was strong enough that he threatened to overtake the position of his father, who is apparently the strongest God and even known as the "King of Gods". "Your father was Odin right?" I asked. "Odin¡­!" He muttered. "I¡­ barely remembered his name, yes, that''s¡­ my bastard of a father." "Damn¡­ So your own father betrayed you?! Then why are your fragments mad and want to kill everything though?" I asked. "I was notpletely aware of myself until you devoured my fragment, it appears the Miasma that has overtaken my body and be a part of my own self, which merged and corrupted my divinity, transformed my psyche and made me go mad." He sighed. "I can barely remember why I was infected and corrupted, but the only one that controls Miasma the best is¡­ Loki, the God of Chaos." "Loki¡­ So that trickster also worked with your dad, huh?" I wondered. "I wouldn''t be surprised if Thor also helped him. That bootlicker was always doing anything father asked him. He was the perfect pawn. Loki is mysterious, but somewhat loyal to father as well, although he might had done this to me just so he could earn father''s trust." Sighed the Fragment. "Well, Loki''s his adopted son, right?" I asked. "I am surprised you know so much." He said. "Yeah¡­ Loki is the adopted son of an Ancient Ice Titan, son of Ymir, father''s and the other god''s mortal enemies, who were dethroned from their position as the kings of the world and destroyed." "Damn, that''s rough." I said. "¡­I don''t exactly remember who I was, but I know my name, Tyr. I was¡­ a God of War and Law." Sighed the fragment. Once a god that ruled the heavens of this world and helped its creation with many others, but now merely a piece of his former self. This¡­ feels so oddly simr to my own story. It feels like we are a lot simr to be honest. I was also used by something I didn''t had any intention of doing, all for a conspiracy to take me down and then the rest of my family.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om For fuck''s sake¡­ Ah, no, it is even worse, his own family betrayed him this time. And his madness might had been caused by Loki himself, that tricky bastard¡­ "Well, I hate to admit it but I can rte to how you feel. Ugh, I hate to feel pity for you now, for fuck''s sake, why is your story so actually sad?" I sighed. "Eh? I don''t want any pity from you, lowly mortal soul!" The fragment said, or well, let''s call him Tyr from now on. "Heh, you''re as prideful as a god of war andw should be. Hey, how about I gather your fragments? Will you not hate me if I do that?" I asked with a smile. "Gather¡­ my fragments?!" Tyr asked, his eyes opening wide. "D-Do you really mean it?! But¡­ actually touching my fragments generates a punishment by the gods! Those that are handling them will soon receive divine retribution, they will be doomed one way or the other, are you sure you want to collect them? Won''t the gods despise you?" "They already do? I got like several Titles all about being hated by the Gods, specifically your daddy. But I am not alone, Hel has given me her Divine Protection. I think that kind of fights against their divine retribution and gives me space to breath." I said. "Hel''s on my side, I''ve already spoken with her." "Hel¡­ She has always been a strange girl." He said. "I don''t know if I can trust her, seeing how she''s one of that traitorous Loki''s children, but it is not as if I have any option here. You could say whatever you want and I cannot do a single thing about it either way¡­ Though, your proposal seems monumental, I doubt you''ll ever truly aplish it." Tyr was really not believing my words a tiny bit at all! In fact he had no confidence at all I would be able to acquire his other fragments. "Where are your other fragments anyways?" I asked. "One of them must be at the mountain and¡­ Hm, I can feel the others. Perhaps this is a new ability you''ve acquired. The closest one aside from the mountain is located at the center of the continent." He said. "I see, that must be the one the Albraun Kingdom and the Vampires have." I said with a smile. "Your ability might be more useful than you imagine, Tyr." "Hmm¡­ I still am not really that confident. You were unable to defeat the Ant Queen and needed help, you''re weak by yourself." He said while crossing his arms. "Meh, maybe you''re just being an edge lord. Are you sure you''re not still corrupted?" I asked while raising an eyebrow. "Stop teasing me already!" He angrily said. ----- Chapter 509 The Powers Of The Soul Scape & The Era Of Calamity ----- After that talk I had with the Evil God Fragment, of Tyr, I quickly asked him a few more things before leaving and waking up. One of them was what the fuck is a Soul Scape, and why there is a tiny space inside of my soul. "A Soul Scape is a special realm within the interior of anybody''s soul¡­" Tyr said. "Usually they''re underdeveloped and not many can even detect their existence. Only beings of¡­ great power that have at least surpassed whatmon mortals can do might be able to detect it, but not many even then can use it." "Oh? So I am super amazing, aren''t I? Where did all that talk about me being a pathetic mortal went?" I asked with a smirk.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "You''re still a pathetic mortal!" He said angrily. "And well, I suppose you''ve been developing your Soul Scape for a while now. As a Necromancer, you have the innate ability of forming contracts with souls of the dead, this strengthened your Soul Scape, as your soul is directly connected with all the souls of those that serve you." "What? So it is because of my friends?" I wondered. "Notpletely because of them, but your "friends" do help in strengthening your Soul Scape. This concept is ancient and this world''s people had barely been able to develop their Soul Scapepared to other worlds within the endless cosmos." He sighed. "But that''s as much as I can remember around the concept. As a Ghost, you were capable of evolve your soul into this powerful demi-spirit form which gives you an incredible ability no other mortals could achieve within their souls." "So because Ick a physical body, I''ve been strengthening my soul with each evolution more than anybody has ever done before? Is that it?" I wondered. "Indeed, usually, mortals are born with Level Caps to inhibit their growth. However, mortals with certain Heroic or Divine Bloodlines were all able to have higher level caps and grow stronger, some nearing the stage of Demi-Gods. Amongst mortals, monsters are a different thing altogether." Said Tyr. "I haven''t seen their growth in its totality, but seeing you and your allies, it appears monsters cannot be restrained through Level Cap like the humans and other races can, and can evolve as long as they kill foes and earn more Experience Points through their Soul Books¡­ The only thing I remember well was that my foolish father feared the mortals of the world because they might one day dethrone him if he let them grow too strong, the Level Cap was made to stop this." "Wait, what? But Level Cap is horrible, how will people be able to deal with monsters'' ever-growing poption? Loki keeps pouring them around the world with the Dungeons." I sighed. "There was always a bnce from what I remember." He said. "Nheless, about the Soul Scape, this is it. This ce, thisrge piece of realm, it is your Soul Scape." "Can I bring people here?!" I asked. "Only within your dreams, so solely a part of their souls which is named Soul Projections, or Astral Avatars." Tyr said. "Soul Scape realms are not physical realms, but realms of the mind and subconscious. Nheless, you can bring physical things here, but they''ll disappear in some time,pletely consumed by the realm and turned into magic power to fuel it." "I see¡­ Wait, I can feed my Soul Scape?!" I asked. "Certainly¡­" The Evil God Fragment said. "If you feed your Soul Scape with high quality items or materials filled with magic essence and elemental essence, the Realm will slowly grow bigger and vaster. Only those that awaken as Demi-Spirits can do this, you''re a pseudo demi-spirit, I would say." "Pseudo demi spirit?!" I asked. "There are so many confusing concepts¡­" "It is simr to the small spirits you''ve seen floating around. To be a spirit is to be a part of this world''s elements and nature, a way to grow stronger even beyond mortals. But you¡­ No, you''re stillcking too much in power. You need to evolve a few more times before you can grasp this concept." He said. "Don''t get ahead of yourself." "Huh, there''s this whole Aether stat in the Status, is this rted to it?" I wondered. "Yes¡­ I guess the path you must take now is feed your Soul Scape with high quality materials while leveling and evolving as much as you can. The Cmity I took over was just a weakling that had yet to fully mature. But there are stronger ones about to be born, there are often times more than seven. The Great Cmities are Seven, representing each Sin, but there are also these in-between Cmities. If they are all wakening and being reborn, it means that they Era of Cmity will soon begin. Monsters will begin pouring from every dungeon in existence and flood the continents, throwing the world into Chaos. This is all Loki''s doing." Said Tyr. "Why does he wants to do something so horrible? Is Odin okay with this?" I asked. "Odin? My father is the one that suggested this to begin with." He said. "Eh?!" "Didn''t I tell you? Poption grows too much in this vast world filled with vast resources. Therefore, in fear of one of these mortals growing strong enough to overtake him, the Era of Cmity begins once every a few thousands of years, throwing the world into darkness. Monsters be twice, thrice, or even ten times as strong as they used to be, the Cmities awaken within their Grand Labyrinths, and mortals die by the millions." Said Tyr. "This is¡­ one of the things I was always against, my father''s atrocities go beyond what a god should truly do. Instead of killing his creations like a barbarian, he should guide them¡­ My father was always traditionalist, too conservative to take new ideas. Perhaps this was a reason why he disliked me and wanted to get rid of me before I became too much of a threat against his kingship." "Oh¡­" ----- Chapter 510 The Next Morning ----- When I woke up, it seemed that several hours have passed. I ended oversleeping because I talked a lot with Tyr, which I asked many questions. He had his memories lost, but whatever remained of hismon knowledge was amazing. Although that was all of it, he didn''t really knew more than that. If I want him to regain more memories, I should find more of his fragments and eat them. That''ll slowly unify his will from each fragment, and it might also help me grow stronger as well... Hopefully. He also said I still have to evolve a couple times before I could even grasp the concept of being a demi-spirit, whatever that truly means. I guess to grow stronger and surpass what a mortal is capable of, a person must be this sort of "demi-spirit" by channeling their elemental aptitudes and "merging" them with the world around them. Simrly to how gods are capable of representing an element, and the spirits being the pirs and materializations of such elements. So to reach higher heights, I have to be like... a goddess of death and darkness? Well, death, darkness, poison, and illusion, I suppose. Those four are my elemental affinities, but maybe just sticking with Death would be for the best for now. Ah, not like I even know how to "connect with the world" or whatever, so I''ll have to just wait for an opportunity if it ever arises. And... do I even want to go that far to begin with? My only ns right now is pping the vampires to death and getting my little brother back with me, after that, I just want to chill out. But I suppose the Era of Cmity is going to push me into growing stronger if I ever want to survive and protect my vige... and well, the ces that I''ve grown closer to, such as the Duchy of Affnaria and the Dwarf Country. And maybe d Kingdom too, I mean they''re my neighbors and they don''t discriminate against any race either. Even Majin were not discriminated, just looked "weird upon" mostly due to their rarity. Tribes of Majin and even less families are very rare after the Majin Kingdom was destroyed in this continent. Most human duchies in the Human Kingdoms ruling the continent hunt them down and don''t allow them to be citizens. Duchess Julia with her newws and strength has managed to ban discrimination in her duchy but she''s a small exception. There''s also the d Kingdom, smallpared to everything else, but that doesn''t discriminate either, probably due to its history of being created by thebination of many unified tribes led by humans. I guess if I ever want to protect what matters to me, I''ll have to grow stronger and maybe... Just maybe, not so sure, be a goddess. Although I feel like being one would be surely a pain in the phantasmal ass. However, if its inevitable to stop the threats from knocking at my door, I might begin to think that''s my next goal, power-level wise. For now, however, I want to know if anybody else could be within "demi spirit" grasp aside from myself, so I quickly called Tyr''s will. I discovered I was able to bring him out as a small dark phantom if I wanted, connected to me.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Strangely enough, he had be something simr to a small Darkness and Miasma Spirit and resembled a ball of darkness with a single red eye. I am capable of summoning and unsummoning him at will using my Skills, and as long as I want to, he can even see and hear what I see. But of course I''ll block that whenever I am not asking for his help, I don''t want him to creepily peep at my daily life with my wives and my husband, that would be super weird. However, for now, as Lucifer and Nyx were still sleeping soundly, I brought him out. He looked angry that I was forcing him to cooperate or something, he''s a grumpy little bastard after all. "Ggrrr, why do I have to do this?!" He asked angrily. "Shut up and just analyze them." I sighed. "Check if they can be demi spirits yet or something..." "Nnggh..." Tyr groaned, as his single red eyes shone brightly, analyzing the two in front of him and scanning their bodies using the red lighting out of them. "Ah..." "What?" I wondered. "That guy, he''s that one dragon, isn''t he? He still needs more levels but he does look promising, he acquired something simr to Hel''s Divine Protection, so he has high chances of grasping the possibility of being a demi-spirit. Ancient Dragons are very powerful and the descendants of the Ancient Dragon Progenitors, the former guardians of the world and the children of Tiamat, the Mother of Creation... They have the potential to be Divine Dragons and regain the power of their divine bloodlines. There''s something called Draconic Records... or something, I can''t remember well, it might be the key for him to grow stronger." He said. "And the girl?" I asked. "She''s... well, the method that was used to make her hatch is incredible, but it seems you and several others transferred part of their powers into her, right? She has a bright future ahead, that little brat..." He said while groaning. "She''ll probably also be a Divine Dragon, maybe even easily than her father." "Oooh! Little Nyx might be extremely talented, hehe." I giggled. "It was as nice n to give her a lot of Mana and even a piece of my soul when I touched her egg. If I ever have a child, she''ll definitely be the strongest." Iughed, suddenly waking her up. "Mwuh... Mama..." She said, looking at me with her beautiful eyes. "Ah, Nyx, sorry for waking you up..." I sighed, caressing her head. "BUUAAAAAAHHH!" Ah, right, babies often cry when they feel ufortable. She began to cry and ended waking up her father. ----- Chapter 511 A New Opportunity ----- "BUAAAAAAH!" Nyx began to cry so loudly everyone in the entire vige heard her cry. I am fairly sure dragon children shouldn''t be crying like this though! Didn''t Lucifer said they were yful but calm and all of that?! "Ugh, what''s going on- Ah, right, Nyx¡­ I had forgotten the daily life of raising children." Lucifer sighed. "What''s happening to her?!" I asked, I was unexperienced at raising babies. However, Lucifer had tons of experience as a father of three children back then. "She''s most likely hungry, is there any meat for her?" He wondered. "Right, Emeraldine and Partner must have made some. I guess they have yet toe back due to us sleeping¡­ Okay little Nyx,e with mama." I said, quickly carrying her out of bed, she began to move around, as if she didn''t wanted me to hold her, extending her hands at her father instead. "Heh, it seems she prefers her father." He said, as he held her, only for Nyx to begin biting his tail¡­ "Or more like she just likes her biting toy?" I asked with a smirk. "Nom, nom¡­ Mwah¡­ Grawr¡­" Nyx began making cute sounds while she was biting her father''s tail, at the end I was still able to hold her if I wanted, she only wanted his tail. At the end, however, I sadly gave her to him so I could go look for food, the two ended sitting over the bed waiting for my return, as I found Emeraldine and Partner in the room next to ours, they were using their free time to learn Alchemy. Apparently Partner really wanted to learn new things, and she seemed to be interested in Alchemy, especially the whole throwing items together to create something new thing. "Oh, I made it! Lesser Mana Potion!" Partner celebrated, having used harvested herbs from our Greenhouses and a few other materials. "Amazing! You got way more talent than I had originally thought, Partner." Emeraldine said with a smile, head patting her head. "Of course!" Partner puffed her chest pridefully.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Now you have to make an Antidote Potion and maybe a Health Potion, you''ve still got a lot to learn!" Emeraldine said, as she stopped Partner from getting ahead of herself. "Geh?! All of that?!" Partner asked. "Yep, so let''s begin for now!" Emeraldineughed at Partner''s face filled with despair. Checking at her Status, she had just learned Alchemy Level 1, so she''ll probably just need to practice more to gain Skill Proficiency and level the skill up. "Tyr, can you see if they do have talent for it?" I asked my fellow little fragment that might now be something like my spirit. "Hmm¡­ Yeah, both of them can also do so. They have grown exceptionally strong. That elf over there has a high level cap, she might be able to evolve again soon as well¡­ The Vampire as well." Said Tyr. "Excellent¡­ Now, what about you anyways? Why are you in this form to begin with and why can I just summon you around?" I asked him. "What? The hell I would know why!" He said angrily. "Your powers might had mutated my fragment after you ate it. Perhaps not only I am a part of your soul now but I''ve transformed into some sort of Lesser Spirit¡­ thing." He sighed, seemingly rather tired of this entire thing. "Interesting, I can''t believe I would get my first spirit like this. You know I got a big affinity with spirits due to my skills but none ever get close to me? It is very sad." I sighed. "That''s probably because your presence to spirits is very intimidating." Tyr sighed. "Well, for now, go back to the soul scape and don''t even peek." I said. "I don''t want you to go around spying on my private life if possible." "W-Wait, you''re throwing me there again after I helped you-" FLASH! And he was gone. "Hey girls!" And like that, I greeted Emeraldine and Partner. They told me they were passing the time while I took a nap with Lucifer and Nyx. They already had a lot of meat ready to roast which they cut from therge chunks of beef we brought from the dwarf country. And for Brunhild, after she finished her ore meal she went to take a nap in her room. The twins were currently ying outside making snowmen with Gofumin and the other children. "Alright then, let''s go make some delicious food for Nyx and everyone else, it should already be dinner time anyways." I said with a smile. "Food time!" Partner said. "Master, lookie! I made you a MP Potion too, with this you can restore¡­ 500 MP!" She said happily. "W-Woah! Amazing." I said. MP Potions are not really that good for me, I got so much MP that they''re just never effective at giving me enough quantity. HP Potions might be better, as I have drank some in the battle in the dungeon, it healed my HP and therefore helped my soul recover faster. Maybe if I make a super Mana Elixir that restores a % of MP instead of a fixated amount, they could be more useful instead. I do wonder if there''s a branch of potions that heal a % and now a fixated amount, I''ll have to consult Emeraldine. The Soul Grimoire only has recipes to make Undead and other Undead-rted things, so I can''t really find actual recipes inside of my Soul Grimoire, Emeraldine''s knowledge is crucial in this point. Unless I could somehow buy a new Skill that allows me to see Alchemy Recipes or create them¡­ Ding! [The [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv1] Magic Skill can be purchased for 150000 System Points.] [The [Experienced Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv1] Magic Skill can be purchased for 400000 System Points] [The [Advanced Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv1] Magic Skill can be purchased for 1000000 System Points] [The [Master Alchemist Recipe Grimoire: Lv1] Magic Skill can be purchased for 4000000 System Points] Woah¡­ I guess there''s the possibility for this, huh? But what with those insane prices?! ----- Chapter 512 Purchasing A New Skill! ----- The System suddenly showed me some tentative offers, but the prices were a bit too insane for me, which made me back down a little bit. ? Why are they so goddamn expensive?! [The Novice Alchemist Recipe Book is fitting for you right now. The other three are their evolved and advanced forms, therefore their cost is higher. However, if you purchase the Novice one, you can level it up over time and make it evolve, with enough patience and time, you could easily reach the Master Alchemist Recipe Grimoire Skill.] Wow, so you can showcase even evolved forms of Skills? Can I brute force my skills into leveling up? [Yes, depending in the difficulty of leveling, the system points used increase or decrease respectively¡­] Well thanks for showing me that. I thought you were not talking with me anymore, System? What''s wrong now? Did you miss talking with me, fufu? [¡­I am merely doing my job, don''t get the wrong idea. After all, it is my duty as a part of your power to serve you and give you strength and opportunities.] I think you''re jealous I''ve got Tyr now with me as well, right? Now I''ve got two voices inside of my head! You''re not unique, heheh¡­ [Showcasing Skill Library¡­] Eh?! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "Uagggh!" Suddenly, tens of holographic windows appeared in front of me, that not only I could see, but Emeraldine and Partner at my side as well. They surprised us, making us fall over our butts. Well, not me, I technically don''t have a butt. Was this a little joke for this bastard or something?! Who does he thinks he is?! Ah well, whatever. He still showed me a whole Library of Skills. All these Skills were the ones I had avable for purchase. I am more into just learning them by myself and using System Points as ast resort to get a quick powerup in a dire situation¡­ But they sure looked tempting right now. I could see many offensive, defensive, and other types of Skills all around. Support Skills, Manual Work-rted Skills, there were even Skills rted with¡­ sexual stuff?! And a lot of magic stuff as well. I was rather amazed. But I had to resist the urge of buying anything¡­ Can I learn the Novice Book without having to buy it? [No, it is a Skill that is impossible to learn by itself.] Gotcha¡­ I guess I''ll buy that one, fine, I can see it being useful. Ding! [You exchanged 150k System Points, you learned the [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv1] Skill!] ----- [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv1] A Skill that only incredibly talented Alchemist can learn. It grants ess to a special Book that can materialize out of thin air, where an alchemist is capable of essing a series of recipes that are unlocked over time and the Skill Level, it also grants detailed information about Materials which are then registered in the book. Through the book and the required set of special Skills, Synthesis can be done anywhere. Additionally, new Recipes can be created using certain materials and by experimenting around. [Instant Creation] recipes cannot be modified. However, the Empty Slot can be modified and made into any recipe of the user''s choice. Once it is decided, it cannot be modifiedter. Avable Recipes for [Instant Creation]: Level 1: [Lesser Health Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Mana Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Antidote Potion (Normal Grade)] [Empty Slot] Level 2: ??? ----- Alright this is a lot like a game now! Am I ying Atelier or something? So there is even some recipes I can just instantly poof out of thin air?! That''s way too OP! Well, it is not like they''ll be any better than manually made ones, which can be customized more as well, but they''lle in handy whenever there''s a crisis I suppose. It doesn''t mean I can make infinite ones, each Instant Creation seems to use almost the same amount of materials that making the normal one does. As longas the materials are inside the Inventory, apparently, the Instant Creation can begin right away. And yes, as I activated the Skill, a floating, blue-colored book with the a paint resembling a potion in front emerged out of thin air, the potion had several beautiful herbs around as well, and it said [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book] with golden letters. "What happened?!" Emeraldine wondered. "All the lights are gone now¡­" Partner sighed. "Ah¡­ It was part of my power, sorry. I ended showing stuff I often just see through my mind." I apologized. "Anyways, look, I''ve got myself a new Skill!" POOF! Suddenly, I used the stored materials inside of my Inventory and created a Lesser Health Potion, which restores around 500 HP out of thin air. Its quality was subparpared to the ones I''ve made manually, but it was still useful. "W-Woah, you made a potion out of thin air?! Excuse me?!" Emeraldine was left bbergasted, falling into the floor. "D-Damn¡­ Now I am useless aren''t I?!" "Eh?! Of course not! I cannot use this all the time either, the quality is subpar and it is mostly for whenever we have a crisis. I cannot instantly create everything either, it is limited to lesser health, mana, and antidote potions." I said to her, quickly calming her down. "And even if I could make anything you would never be useless, you''re the love of my life and also an amazing fighter, healer, and you''re our pir as well." "Uwahh¡­ I-I didn''t said it seriously, I was joking though¡­" Emeraldine got slightly embarrassed." "O-Oh, is that so?" I sighed.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Hahaha, Master really panicked out of the blue¡­ Emeraldine you shouldn''t scare Master like that!" Said Partner while continuing tough. "I-I''m sorry!" Emeraldine apologized. "But this is pretty amazing though." She quickly got serious. "We got an amazing potential here! We could even mass produce lesser potions to sell easily." "I still need the same amount of materials to make them though, the only thing we would be saving is time in exchange for quality." I said. "That''s good enough tough¡­" Emeraldine said. "I think this skill might be our ticket for even more money in the future, Maria!" ----- Chapter 513 A Ferocious Little Dragon Girl ----- Like that, we decided to go cook some food for everyone. Nyx was made to sit in between Lucifer and I, as she began sniffing the meat, quickly grabbing a big roasted chunk and biting it viciously. "Nom¡­ Hmmm!" She quickly got happy, her eyes shone bright red as she started biting over the piece of meat more and more, chewing it happily. Her ws helped her tear apart the meat as well rather easily, as the tiny dragon girlpletely decimated that piece of meat. "Awuh¡­" She sighed, her belly had grown bigger over time, as she rested over her tall seat. Everyone was looking at her adorably eat everything, even the sleepy Brunhild joined us now, she ate so many Ores that she suddenly felt healthier out of the sudden, her scales have begun to finally shed, and she''ll even begin to grow new ones, apparently, even her wounded tail was shedding and healing several of her scars. "It seems you''re finally healing a bit more, sister." Lucifer sighed with a smile. "You looked all wounded now but look at you, it seems eating those ores helped." "Yes but she ate most of what I had¡­ Maybe I shouldn''t had been so generous." I sighed. I ended giving her roughly 90% of my ores out of the goodness of my heart, which left us with barely anything. We''ll have to just go back to the dwarf mountains if we want to get more. Well, I still got enough to make a few things and experiment with alchemy with Emeraldine and Partner. "I''m sorry¡­ I was so hungry." Sighed Brunhild. "I had not eaten good magical ores in so many years, I was only eating mostly rocks and sometimes iron or silver ores that showed up, but they barely had any magic in them. The magic crystals, jewels, and other delicious ores were so amazing I couldn''t stop myself; I ate to my heart''s content¡­" Brunhild seemed toment it while waving her tail around. "Auntie Brunhild is waving her tail, she doesn''t seem all that sorry to me!" Takeshi said to me, as he was sitting at my side. "But mom shouldn''t get sad either, she was the one that gave her so many." Said Laura. "Yeah, you''re right Laura, I was just joking around. With what we go saved it is more than enough for our ns. We also bought a lot more which we left with the dwarves. The Furnaces are already ced and their workshop is now being reconstructed to be an enormous building. They''re going hard into making a big area where they can create whatever they''re feeling like." I said. "I can''t wait tomission them to fix my spear, it is about to break already¡­" Partner sighed. "They''ll surely work on that." I said. "Also I would like some new weapons as well, or maybe upgrade my staff, sword, and axe now that I think about it. Some new clothes maybe, but they would need to be using magic thread." "We can work on that ourselves." Said Emeraldine. "I assume you saved the most precious jewels, right? We could use them alongside other materials to make some amazing magic essories." "Sounds like a n to me!" I said happily. "Most of the dungeon equipment drop from the dungeon back in Affnaria were feed to Brunhild, she ate them without even thinking, so we don''t have many of those to use for the production of new things.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Well, it is always more fun to make things from scratch." Said Emeraldine. "I really overdid it, didn''t I?" Brunhild sighed. "Ah, little Nyx seems to be hungry again." "Grawr!" Nyx began to groan around, as I quickly put arge chunk of roasted meat over her te. "Eat slowly this time around, okay?" I asked. "Grawr!" Nyx began to devour her meat without even bathing me an eye. "Can dragon children eat this much?" I asked. "They usually eat half their size in meat every day. They eat a lot at the beginning so they can grow faster. Once they hit a mature state they begin eating slowly." Said Lucifer. "Little bits of food every day, or a big feast once a week is usually what we do." "I think I''ve already eaten my entire month''s quota, but this little food shouldn''t be too bad. Meat and vegetables are nutritious, eating them in small quantities in a human form is nice, it feels like I am eating tiny grains if I were in my dragon form." Laughed Brunhild. "Hm, eating this small quantity every day does feels refreshing, although I never truly have filled my stomach unless I go hunting by myself and catch a big prey I devour whole." Laughed Lucifer. "Humanoids really eat so little food, right? Hahaha. They''re like tiny ants." Laughed Brunhild. "Right? They eat too little, hahahaa! It always is funny to see them- Ahem! I mean¡­" Lucifer quickly noticed my re, as he quickly moved to another topic. I guess dragons have their ways of talking about the smaller people¡­ "You don''t need to eat ores papa?" Asked Takeshi. "I¡­ I don''t anymore. After I died and then was reborn as an Undead and evolved until now, I haven''t feel the necessity to digest ores. I seem to be nourished with souls I eat asionally, mostly from the very monsters we kill." Said Lucifer. "My diet must have changed a lot once I became a Death Dragon. Souls feel more delicious now than any ore I could had eaten before. I don''t know if Nyx might inherit that. What is her Race anyways? I cannot really see her Status but my children were never born in their human forms neither had ck scales¡­" "She''s a¡­" I looked at Nyx Status while inspecting her, feeling slightly surprised by what I saw. She had several Skills, and even Titles right from the get-go, and her Stats were not those that a newborn child would have, not at all! Damn, she''s pretty amazing isn''t she? ----- Chapter 514 Nyxs Amazing Stats ----- As I looked at the Stats of Nyx, I couldn''t help but think that those were definitely not the stats of a newborn baby, my eyes were shocked as I saw everything. I noticed that there were both my own Skills and those of Lucifer in between. It seems she inherited our power the most, while everybody else simply ended aiding at supporting her other stats. Is this why she has over 100k MP, by any chance?! ----- [Name]: [Nyx Luna] [Status]: [Newborn] [Hungry] [Race]: [Three-Eyed Dark Ghost Dragon Princess Vritra] [Level]: [0/40] [Rank]: [B-] [HP: [55000/55000] [MP: [110000/110000] [Attack: [33000] [Defense: [45000] [Magic: [67000] [Agility: [44000] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv1] [Shadow Transportation: Lv1] [Abyssal Dragon Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv1] [Poisonous Scales: Lv1] [Ancient Dragon Heart: Lv--] [Morph: Lv--] [Shapeshift: Lv1] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv1] [Hardened Dragon Scales: Lv1] [Ancient Death Dragon Domain: Lv1] [Little Gluttony: Lv1] [True Dragon Form: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv1] [All Element Resistance: Lv1] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv1] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv1] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv1] [Abyssal Chaos Breath: Lv1] [Phantasmal Death ws: Lv1] [Venomous Dragon Scale Powder: Lv1] [Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv1] [Life Absorption: Lv1] [Phantasmal me: Lv1] [Dark Star: Lv1] [Mana Mastery: Lv1] [Ancient Dragon''s Aura: Lv1] [Dark Shadow Spear: Lv1] [Blood Feast: Lv1] [Soul Devourer: Lv1] [Spear of Death: Lv1] [Summon Phantom Dragon Familiar: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv1] [Undead Healing: Lv1] [Summon: Lv1] [Spirit Summon: Lv1] [Materialization: Lv1] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Daughter of the Apostle of Death: Lv1] [Little Dragon Princess Of Death and Darkness: Lv1] [Chaos Bringer: Lv1] [Lesser Cmity: Lv1] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv1] [Tail Biter: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- And above all she had Hel''s Divine Protection?! She never told me she would just bless this girl out of the blue though?! When did this happen and why did she just choose to do this without my permission now?! She really just loves to do whatever she wants, huh? Is this how Gods work? They do whatever they want? Well, I guess. "She''s¡­ Well, she''s insanely strong." I sighed. "Here, look at her stats." I quickly showed everyone as I made the holographic window visible for everybody through my System Unique Skill. Everyone''s eyes opened wide in shock and awe as they saw the mighty little dragon girl we had here! "Eh? She got more stats than any of us some months ago¡­" Said Emeraldine. "T-This is insane, for being B- Rank she''s already insanely powerful!" Partner said. "T-That''s¡­ over 100k MP? Just after being born? I don''t remember any of my kids having so many stats when they were born, she has¡­ like over twenty times more stats than them!" Said Lucifer. "Mufu, mufu." Nyx heard our words, feeling as if she was being praised, she puffed her chest and smiled. "Wait, this is¡­" Lucifer muttered. "Lesser Cmity?!" "Eh? Cmity? Like the Ant Queen?" Emeraldine wondered. "It can''t be¡­" Brunhild said. "Nyx is¡­ she''s a Cmity?! Is this why she was blessed? No¡­ Cmities only receive the divine protection of Loki, yet she only has one of Hel. Is this something that Hel did?" "I do know a Cmity, she''s named Arachne and is the Empress of the Arachneia. Her Title says "Primordial Beast" and "Great Cmity", we can assume she''s the real deal, probably one of the Seven true Cmities, while Nyx might had been given the title of a Lesser Cmity, a smaller one." I said. "Arachneia?!" Brunhild asked. "So those damned spiders have awakened now?! Where? We have to quickly get rid of them before they grow any stronger!" At the end we had to tell her about our little time in the forest where we rescued the rabbit-kin from the spiders, and then we ended not fighting the Arachneia Empress because she was a young child. I couldn''t bring myself to hurt her and I ended leaving a phantom familiar there which I controlled to give herpany. Over time I''ve already be something like her adoptive mother, and almost every day I apany her in her daily life. I''ve grown so closer to her that I cannot even imagine hurting her in any way possible¡­ So yeah, that''s a big no. "I see¡­ it is way moreplicated than I imagined, sorry." Sighed Brunhild. "Nheless, yeah, the Seven Cmities, are the strongest that will emerge, the Ant Queen was one of the Lesser Ones. But every Lesser One has the chance to evolve into a Primordial Cmity as long as they level up and evolve. They''re vicious entities, such a powerful title is only given to chosen beings." "I see¡­ Will this Title make Nyx want to kill people?" I asked. "Oh¡­ I have no idea to be honest. But it doesn''t seem to affect her mentality, and it is more like¡­ just making her stronger?" She wondered.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I checked Lesser Cmity Title to see its information, and indeed, it enhanced her stat growth per level and even damage dealt using both magic and physical attacks, but did not affect her mentality, or well, it didn''t seem to say it did. "That''s really a relief." Lucifer sighed. "Yeah, I wouldn''t had liked it if she became something like a crazed psychopath due to a stupid Title¡­" Brunhild sighed. "Grawr!" Nyx said, eating another piece of roasted meat. Yeah, she was so cute it was a bit hard to picture her being evil¡­ Though her Race was named "Vritra", and if I am sure, that''s some Hindu Mythology evil dragon or demon entity¡­ Her dragon form might bepletely different than Lucifer or Brunhild. "She even has Shadow Storage and a lot of your own skills too, Maria¡­" Lucifer said. "Cool! But she has none from me? What a bummer¡­" Partner sighed. "She doesn''t have any from me either, it is indeed a bit of a bummer, but perhaps she could develop something eventually. I can feel within her a near endless potential." Emeraldine smiled back at the little girl, as she innocently continued eating. ----- Chapter 515 Partners New Weapons ----- It was already the next day, and we had decided to go upgrade Partner''s spear with the dwarves. They immediately epted, as I brought out tons of materials. nk! nk! nk! In front of us, there was an old dwarf of incredible knowledge and experience over Forging smacking a long and purple-colored spear with his hammer. He used the hammer he held with great dexterity despite how rough it seemed to look like. Alongside that, he was using several materials at his side, melting them into liquid metal inside of the furnace and then melding the liquid metal into the weapon, using his hammer to meld both elements together. This was Baldur, one of the Dwarf Twins who were incredibly old, yet amazingly well talented at using a hammer and creating new items and weapons. Likewise, they were also amazing at upgrading weapons. This world has a lot of game-like mechanics added into it, the game creation and upgrading techniques that the forgers of this world showcased would not always look as realistic as back on Earth. They used special magics unique to their Jobs to meld items together to upgrade something old or broken, and sometimes did things you wouldn''t ever imagine could someone like them do. It felt as if they were also doing simr to this world''s game-like Alchemy, but for equipment rather than all sorts of other smaller items. It was quite obvious they also had to know some Alchemy to go as far as they were going, using Synthesis in conjunction with their Forging Skill. Even more, these twins had advanced even further into the cksmith Job and Skills, having awakened their Forging Skill a few couple of times, right now, they possessed the powerful [Spirit Forging] Skill, and their jobs were Godsmiths, which were Titles given to cksmiths who have ranked higher than most if not all the rest, and it also required a Divine Protection from a God. "Thest touch." The old dwarf said, as he threw arge purple and ck stone into the furnace, which quickly melted into liquid metal inside a bucket and then he carelessly threw the entire metal over the weapon, smacking it over until it meldedpletely into it. He had used many of the materials I had mined from the Mine the other day, and we even included many monster crystals to enhance the weapon''s mana input alongside Demonite. It was of the lesser quality one which the dwarves were able to handle without growing sick. FLAAASH! ----- [Chaotic Vampiric Basilisk Tail Spear (B-Grade)] [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [10000/10000]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Effects] [HP]: [+10000] [MP]: [+10000] [Attack]: [+30000] [Defense]: [+10000] [Magic]: [+25000] [Agility]: [+30000] [Poison Attribute Damage]: [+20000] [Blood Attribute Damage]: [+20000] [Abilities] [Basilisk Fang]: The tip of the spear is covered by a deadly and venomous toxin that poison the wounds of a foe, inflicting [Strong Venom], [Paralysis], and even a chance for [Petrification]. [Blood Empress]: Enhances Blood Attribute Magic Damage by +100% and reduces MP Cost by -50%. [Vicious Hunter]: Deals up to a bonus of +200% more damage in Surprise Attacks. [Chaotic Vampiric Burst]: After absorbing enough blood or energy from a foe, a powerful Burst Attack can be unleashed, that can deal up to +500% more damage. However, the weapon loses 25000 Durability as damage. Can only be used once an hour. ----- Woah, the weapon''s amazing. This was Partner''s newly upgraded weapon after using all these new materials and the amazing techniques of the dwarves. The dwarf quickly put the weapon into cold water, making it cool down asrge quantities of vapor exploded out from the weapon. FFFSSSHHH¡­! "It''s done, here, grab itss." The dwarf said, as Partner''s eyes shone brightly, holding her new spear. It was nowpletely red and purple, with many beautiful basilisk-like decorations surrounding it. The snake shape was beautiful and extremely detailed for the little time the dwarf put into making it. "It''s so strong too!" Partner said, she could see her weapon''s status easily, and realized all the abilities it had. By merely equipping it in her weapons lot, she felt her stats rise automatically, the bonus stats were insanely high. Weapons in this game-like world have bonus stats. Whenever you equip them, you gain stats. They also have their own damage multipliers and damage dealt stats, which are calcted out through the Attack Stat. "Amazing well done, old man!" I said happily. "Are you happy with your weapon now?" I asked Partner. "Yes¡­ Fufuf, with this, I can kill more easily now." Said Partner, her eyes shone bright red rather terrifyingly so. To think Partner used to be a skeleton¡­ well, my skeleton to boot, now she had recently evolved into A+ Rank, and was probably amongst the strongest Vampires out there. ----- [Name]: [Partner] [Race]: [Moon Vampire Duchess: Phoebe] [Job]: [Scarlet Blood Vampiric Spear Empress] [Level]: [42/80] [Rank]: [A++] [Status]: [Strengthened] [HP]: [145000/145000] [MP]: [52943/52943] [Attack]: [135327] [Defense]: [83020] [Magic]: [66049] [Agility]: [97593] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Blood Element: Lv--] [Vampire Duchess: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Orichalcum Skeleton: Lv2] [Awakened Body: Lv3] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv3] [Flesh Devouring: Lv4] [Blood Feast: Lv5] [High-Speed Flight: Lv4] [Vampiric Evil Eyes: Lv4] [Greater Supernatural Strength: Lv3] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Physical Damage Resistance: Lv4] [Greater Magical Damage Resistance: Lv3] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv2] [Sunlight Immunity: Lv--] [Fire Resistance: Lv7] [Corruption Resistance: Lv6] [Physical Skills]: [Crimson Bone w: Lv5] [Intimidation: Lv9] [Combo Piercing Spear Attack: Lv6] [Consecutive Thrusts: Lv5] [Abyssal Vampiric Spear Thrust: Lv4] [Tireless Warrior: Lv6] [Spear Mastery: Lv9] [Armor Mastery: Lv8] [Gluttonous Fang: Lv7] [Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv8] [Blood Boost: Lv6] [Magical Skills]: [Life Drain: Lv9] [Blood Curse Infection: Lv6] [Phantasmal Hand: Lv8] [Scarlet Moon: Lv7] [Bloodwork: Lv7] [Blood Arts: Lv9] [Blood Puppeteer: Lv3] [Crimson Burst: Lv2] [Support Skills]: [Acrobatics: Lv9] [Vampire Authority: Lv6] [Vampiric Blood Aura: Lv3] [Blood Heal: Lv6] [Hunting: Lv7] [Cooking: Lv4] [Farming: Lv1] [Alchemy: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [First Wife Of The Apostle of Death: Lv5] [Blood Death Knight: Lv6] [Blood Race: Lv8] [Grand Spear Master: Lv3] [Blood Empress: Lv8] [Merciless Assassin: Lv7] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv2] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv7] [gue Exterminator: Lv1] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv2] [Undead yer: Lv5] [Slime yer: Lv2] [King yer: Lv3] [Mold Breaker: Lv3] [Vampire yer: Lv2] [Little Farmer: Lv1] [ndestine Brewer: Lv1] [Butcherer: Lv6] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv1] [Vampire Duchess: Lv1], [¡­] ----- Well now, she has really be amazing¡­ ----- Chapter 516 The Potential Usage Of Demonite Ores ----- Now that Partner had her spear done with, her amazing Stats willbine with the weapon nicely, receiving an insane boost to her damage dealt and all her Stats in the process. Right off the bat she gets like +30000 Attack. She already has a lot of Attack so the +30000 Seems small inparison, but it is actually pretty fucking big. And not only that, but Partner also doesn''t just use a single weapon, nope, she uses two spears when fighting, and she does so amazingly well. The other Spear is new but not as amazing as the newly forged ssic spear she always had. So she quickly took it out from the leather she had the spear wrapped around and quickly gave it to Baldur. ? "How do you like yer new spear- Eh?" "Now this one! Enhance this one as well!" Partner gave Baldur her second spear, which was pure ck in color. It was her secondary weapon and she has been using it a lottely due to her other spear being almost about to break. It had no ability to level up, but it was quite good from the beginning as it dropped from strong monsters back in the Affnaria dungeon that was boosted in power by the Vampires. "I see, so you want this one enhanced as well? I''ll upgrade it with the Synthesis forge technique then. I am quite tired so after this one I''ll take a break. Is that okay?" Baldur wondered. "Yeah don''t worry about the details." I said. "You''re still an old man, don''t overexert yourself." The problem and the major inhibitor stopping the twin dwarves from doing all our weapons a nice upgrade was their age. They were too old, which meant they got tired very quickly. Potions or anything worked a bit, but they''ll still grow tired, and it wasn''t a good idea to force an old man to work harder even if we gave them more potions. "Very well then, I''ll use another of these shiny Demonite ores as well to enhance it. They seem particrly powerful." Said Baldur. "Where did you found these?" "Yeah I was wondering the same." Badur said, the twin of Baldur, who was working around the workshop with Darfu, the slightly younger dwarf that was like their apprentice. "Oh yeah, we found those crystals inside the Dungeon we cleaned the other day." I said. "The Abyssal Ants grew them to feed on them. They seemed to possess the ability to excrete a miasmic-like substance which crystalized into Demonite. It is the way they feed upon. Most of the time they were using thousands of monster corpses to boost the crystals growth, they seem to grow faster by absorbing blood and other things from dead bodies." Emeraldine said, she had analyzed everything rather well. "So that''s how it was." Baldur said while nodding. "Those damn ants¡­ Do you think you could domesticate them?" Wondered Badur. "Eh?" I wondered. "Well, we killed the queen and the only ones left are the ones I turned into Zombies. I don''t know if they can do the same as when they were alive, but I''ll give them the idea. Maybe leaving a small area to grow these Demonite wouldn''t be so bad¡­ although we got a ton of it." I said while rubbing my chin. "But aren''t they dangerous? There''s even higher quality Demonite but it is too toxic for anybody to handle, right? We can only use Lesser Demonite that is weaker because it is the least toxic one." Partner said. "Also if we are using the dungeon as a farm for the dwarf country growing more Demonite would be bad, they need a lot of Miasma to grow, right?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Partner quickly stopped me from doing something I had not thoughtpletely. "Ah, you''re right¡­" I sighed. "I guess we can''t produce more. What we got is everything we''ll ever have for now. It is a dangerous ore so don''t get addicted to its power you guys." "This Ore is used to create Demonite Crystal Hearts on the twins, which were also used on the chimeric monsters that one scientist was experimenting on. And that Vampiress we fought was as well equipped with these powerful crystals, the higher the quality and power they are, the stronger they can affect a body and mutate it. She was almost about to be some giant demonic thingy back then. If you guys ever dare handle those crystals you might die. I don''t think wearing the living armor will suffice for protection this time around." Emeraldine said. "Hmmm¡­ The only way this ore could be used is by someone immune to Miasma¡­ Such as me or Lucifer. Maybe Nyx as well." I said. "I guess I''ve gotta learn Forging and the like. Well, I have already learned Farming, Mining, and Alchemy, I bet it won''t be THAT hard." "Then are you taking sses with us Maria?" Laughed Baldur. "Well if you really want to learn we can''t really reject you." Badur said. "But! If you want us to do all these weapons an upgrade we are going to be too busy. So Darfu,e here." Baldur asked for Darfu, as he ran here. He was on his own area of the workshop working. "What do you want now?" He sighed. "Teach Maria the way with the hammer." Said Baldur. "What? Lady Maria you want to learn such a rough job? Not many women like to-" "Hey Darfu don''te with that excuse now, don''t bezy and just teach me okay?" I asked while crossing my arms. "O-Okay, very well Lady Maria." He sighed. "Hahaha, bossy as always." Laughed Baldur. "We aren''t going to teach you anything new until you manage to make Maria learn the Forging Skill you hear me Darfu?" Badur said. "Okay, I get it." Darfu nodded, feeling more motivated. "Lady Maria, how about we start right now? Are you busy?" "Not much? I was going to go to the alchemy sses with Emeraldine though¡­" I said. "It''s fine, you can spend a few hours trying to learn Forging, I''ll go teach Partner more of the basics meanwhile." Emeraldine said, leaving her bow over the table. "I also want this one upgraded if you can." "Damn even the knife ears is bossy¡­" The twin dwarves sighed. ----- Chapter 517 Learning Blacksmithing ----- Today I wanted to dedicate myself to do many activities so I can not waste any second. Through the week I''ve decided to also take Forging sses with Darfu, three hours a day mostly, with a break in between. I''ll take another two hours for Alchemy, and then I''ll spend the rest of the day helping around the vige and spending time with the children, Nyx is not that desperate for attention and she doesn''t mind if I am not around all the time either, as she likes her Aunt Brunhild because she also has a tail to bite, but she still had grown attached to me in this little time. Lucifer said that Dragons were intelligent since being born, Nyx can''t really speak well but she can already say papa and mama and know which person is which. Lucifer told me that baby dragons often are born with intelligence of a child at their five years of agepared to humans and take a bit of time to properly talk tomunicate what they want. She''s currently mostly in her "eat and nap" stage and we already gave her a warm bath in the morning, so that little goober is probably sleeping right now. Just thinking about her makes me smile a bit, I want to keep working hard for that little tail biter. She''s a cheeky little brat but she''s so cute and adorable. I think I clicked with her from the very beginning. "Alright then have fun." Emeraldine quickly gave me a little kiss before leaving. "I''ll work on my alchemy and I''ll show you I can make an antidote potion today Master." Partner said while feeling pumped up, as she gave me several kisses over my face before leaving. "Don''t take it too far though, Partner. Also Emeraldine, don''t push her too much either!" I said, as the two girls quickly walked away hurriedly. After that Darfu quickly started his sses. "Alright we''ll begin with the very basics, smelting ores and making ingots." He said. "Lady Maria, you know how an ore is processed until it bes a piece of equipment?" "Yeah they melt and stuff and then make something new with it?" I asked. "Well yes, but there are also several processes in between. The first one that we need to do is ore separation." BAAM! Darfu quickly brought arge piece of ore, putting it over the table. Therge rock had many ores stuck together, almost melted into one. I could use my Inventory to separate them automatically, but it was nice to learn new things so I didn''t suggested that. "We first have to m them with this small pickaxe and slowly tear apart each piece, separate them and then wash away all the dirt and rocks in between, slowly shacking them and filtering every bit of metal, which is very valuable." Darfu said. He had a whole process he has been doing with some of the ores he had taken from the boxes we brought from the country of dwarves. He first washed them with water magic and then began to clean them, slowly tearing apart the different colored metals and crystals. "Like this." He sighed in relief, after twenty minutes of arduous work. "Woah, that''s rather amazing. You did it pretty fast too." I said. "Naturally, I''ve earned a lot of experience over my young age." Laughed Darfu. "But I can also just use my Inventory for this¡­" I sighed. "Eh?" I quickly grabbed one of those rocks, put it inside the inventory, and then decided to "dismantle" it. "Done." The I ced each different piece of ore over the table, Darfu''s face was shocked, but he quickly sighed. "Right, I guess you can do that. I remember now¡­" He sighed. "Well, this will certainly make things easier in the processing of ores¡­ Well now, time to warm the furnace." Quickly after, Darfu used some special stones I had acquired from the Mine which I had saved from Brunhild''s vicious appetite¡­ ----- [Furnace Stone (E G r a d e)] A zing stone imbued with the element of fire, when touched, it will quickly absorb mana from the one touching it and begin ring with a lot of heat. It is often used in furnaces to warm them up and generate enough heat to melt ores. It has a high value between Smiths. ----- Furnace Stones are one of the keys for the special Magic Furnaces of Dwarves to work properly. By infusing Mana into them, they begin to re with immense firepower and generate enough heat for these magic furnaces to work properly and melt many magical ores too hard for normal ze to melt.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "And like this, we slowly melt the ores and turn them into ingots. It is important for the ingots to be in a good shape, using normal ore alone won''t do. We first need to shape the ore into an ingot so it can beter shaped into equipment way more easily." He said. "I see, I understand how it works." I said while nodding. Like that, Darfu taught me how to make ingots and everything else. Crystals were treated differently as mostly alchemy was used to reshape them around, or well, special tools to slowly chip them away. "Now that we are done with the basics let''s try out Hammer techniques. I''ve brought you a novice hammer." He said, giving me a small hammer. "I''ll first show you how I make a small knife and then you just copy me, Lady Maria. "Got it." Darfu slowly warmed an ingot in the furnace until it became moldable and began using his hammer to slowly reshape it. He first began smacking it until it became incredibly thin and then slowly started moving it around, elongating the piece of metal while exposing it to fire over and over again, then putting it on water, then back into the fire, with several intervals which seemed to require some mighty levels of patience. ----- Chapter 518 A Ghost That Can Forge?! ----- After an entire hour, a knife without handle was done, he had begun to slowly sharpen it using a Sharpening Stone, until the knife could cut through wood with ease. "And that''s how we got ourselves a knife, the handle is done separately but it is also an art by itself, take attention as I make it." And after twenty more minutes, Darfu presented me a beautiful new knife. "And that''s how you do it." He said with a smile. "It is a pretty good knife, this one alone could sell for a few gold coins, I am very good at making my products so they end with high quality." "Amazing, Darfu! I never thought making a weapon would take so long, from the smelting process all the way into the weapon itself¡­ You also need to be rather capable at handing leather to make the handle¡­ It is a bit of a pain, but I want to do it myself now¡­" "Well I don''t know if you got much time but-" "Don''t worry, I''ve got multiple ways to be in multiple ces." My body quickly divided in two exact phantasmal copies, as one flew away and passed through the walls while the other remained here. "Right, I guess you can do that. I often forget you''re a ghost, Lady Maria." Laughed Darfu. Like that, he quickly handled me an ingot of Gray Iron and Yellow Bronze, they were the best ores to make into weapons due to their resiliency: ----- [Gray Iron Ore (E Grade)] Amon mineral that grows within the interior of mountains, its gray color is indicative of its greater defensive powerpared to normal Iron Ore. It possess a good affinity with magic, and it is often used as the base for creating Magic Items, Weapons, essories, or Armor. ----- [Yellow Bronze (E Grade)] Often called "false gold", it is a strong and resilient ore that doesn''t bend as easily as other ores of more precious values such as gold and silver. It has a golden color that is often used as decoration for weapons, armor, or even jewelry. It has a good affinity with magic and the element of lightning and light. ----- Both might be E Grade, but they''re the pir for most high-grade weapons anyways. There are other ores but they''re a bit too advanced for a novice like me, so these two will do. My first test is to make a single equipment of my choice with both.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om For starters, a knife is always rmended, so I decided to go for that one first. I slowly began to warm the Gray Iron Ingot until it became very nd and "fluffy" the right temperature. After that, I ced it over the anvil and slowly started to smack it with the hammer. It was a rough job, Icked finesse and had too much strength, which ended making the anvil tremble too much and the ingot constantly got bend over the other way. However, I kept giving my all, slowly yet steadily, slowly trying to shape the ingot around¡­ However, it never truly worked, I was always getting problems after problems, it was constantly bing harder for me to maintain the shapes I wanted. At the end¡­ I lost my mind! "Ugh, god damn it! Just work!" FLAAASH! My phantasmal aura emerged out of my body as Darfu panicked, stepping back. My phantom suddenly responded to my will, moving to my hammer and then to the ingots themselves, as I continued shaping them around. My phantasmal aura started helping me, as countless tiny hammer-shaped phantasmal limbs emerge outside of my very body, beginning to hit the ingot and carefully shaping it while I used the hammer itself to give the bigger hits. Ultimately, and after a fight thatsted half an hour, I opened my eyes in shock, I had shaped the two ingots together and melded them into a beautiful golden dagger, or well, the de of one. "A-Amazing, it has such an incredible quality!" Said Darfu, inspecting the de with his eyes. "Lady Maria, what you''ve done was also amazing, you were able to channel your inner talent." "Inner talent?" I wondered. "It is when someone uses their own special technique or way to handle the ingots and make something." Said Darfu. "I suppose using your phantasmal arms was the way to go with this subject. Incredible work too! You''ve handed it all so amazing well, I am impressed." "Ahaha, I think you''re exaggerating a bit, but thanks for thepliments." I said with a smirk. "Now that we are done here, let''s make a handle and be done with it." After making a handle, I didn''t got any skill yet, which made me felt slightly disappointed. I guess a ghost doesn''t have much affinity with this than I thought? Well, much like with Mining, I just need to keep producing small daggers and other things to umte skill proficiency and get em'' skills. "I have yet to get the skills though. How long did it took you to get them, Darfu?" I wondered. "Hmm, years I would say. I began practicing with my father when I was around nine, after that I slowly got better and better. But the first years I just sucked at it. However, seeing my father making masterpieces always filled me with motivation to forge more and more, I wanted to be like my old man." Laughed Darfu. "I see, that''s pretty sweet." Iughed. "Is he on the city?" "No¡­ Well, he was also a warrior, a former hunter. So when that Dungeon Break happened long ago in the country, that one sealed dungeon, he participated¡­ I was only like thirteen when it happened." Sighed Darfu. "I still remember he told me that he woulde back and continue teaching me more. Thest thing he told me was "You better not ck off you brat!"¡­" "Oh¡­ I am sorry for asking this¡­ I didn''t know." I sighed. "It''s fine." Darfu said, as he began to talk about his father some more. ----- Chapter 519 New Weapons For Everyone ----- "Don''t worry about it, Lady Maria. My father died for the country, protecting them from the menace of the monsters. He died protecting me and my mother¡­ Like the warrior he always was. After that incident, I was devasted though¡­ I stopped forging, thinking there was no point anymore without my old man. But my mother and my grandma got me out of that hole, and then helped me join a school for forging. In there is where I meet those old men over there. They reignited my passion for forging, and since then, I never stopped forging. I didn''t wanted to be like my father any longer, I wanted to surpass him one day." "I am sure you''ve already surpassed him." I said with a smile. "Hahaha, yeah, I suppose I''vee farther than the old man could have ever done before. But I still got a long way to go. The same way he once taught me all these things, I am now imparting them into you, Lady Maria. I hope you can make good use of my teachings in the future. Not only for yourself, but also for all the people here, counting on you." Said Darfu. "Sure thing, Darfu. Thanks for telling me this, I feel even more motivated to learn¡­ I''ll get going for now though, let''s resume sses tomorrow then!" I said. "Alright! Have a nice day then, Lady Maria!" Darfu said. I could had stayed her for longer by simply using my other half of my soul, but Darfu had other things to do and I can grind skill proficiency at night if I ever want to rather than annoy the dwarves in their furnace at this hour. As I was about to leave, the twin dwarves stopped me from walking away. "Wait a bitss, we''ve got the weapons you wanted done." Said Baldur. "Yeah. The spear and the bow." Badur said. The two dwarves sowed me the two beautiful weapons, which they had enhanced and upgraded using their abilities and various ores I''ve given to them. Partner''s second spear, which was ck, gained several blood-like red markings on it, and had eyes shaped decorations making it look exceptionally creepy. ----- [Darkness Devourer Spear (B- Grade)] [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [10000/10000] [Effects] [HP]: [+7000] [MP]: [+7000] [Attack]: [+27000] [Defense]: [+7000] [Magic]: [+25000] [Agility]: [+25000] [Darkness Attribute Damage]: [+17000]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Abilities] [Darkness Resonance]: Enhances Darkness Magic Damage by +80% and reduces MP Cost by -20%. The weapon can easily channel and absorb Darkness Magic to unleash stronger blows. [Shadow Mirage]: While attacking and spending Mana, the weapon can unleash several mirages made of shadows to attack a foe consecutively, dealing an additional +10% damage with each mirage''s sessful attack. ----- Her new weapon was slightly weaker than the previous one, but this seemed to be because of the weapon being way lower leveled than Partner''s first spear, so it couldn''t bring as many stats. Still, the difference in stats is not even that big, and the more bonuses Partners gets, the better anyways. ----- [Sacred Holy Spirit Tree Magic Bow (B Grade)] [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [10000/10000] [Effects] [HP]: [+3000] [MP]: [+15000] [Attack]: [+25000] [Defense]: [+3000] [Magic]: [+35000] [Agility]: [+30000] [Holy Light Attribute Damage]: [+25000] [Life Attribute Damage]: [+25000] [Nature Attribute Damage]: [+25000] [Abilities] [Sacred Magic Bow]: Enhances Holy Light/Life/Nature Magic Damage by +120% and reduces MP Cost by -50%. The weapon can easily channel and absorb Holy Light/Life/Nature Magic to unleash stronger techniques. [Magic Arrows]: By directly infusing elemental Mana into the bow, it is possible to create, shape, and fire powerful Magic Arrows that can explode into different effects depending in the spell imbued into them, enhancing damage dealt by +50%. Whenbining this with real arrows, damage dealt is enhanced by +100% instead. [Spirit Tree Protection]: As long as this bow is equipped by the wielder, it can automatically absorb Mana from the wielder to erect a powerful Spiritual Barrier around the user or any nearby allies within ten meters from the wielder, which can negate up to 80% of Damage dealt as long as there''s enough Mana. [Spiritual Connection]: This weapon is imbued with special magic and jewels capable of channeling the power of spirits, if the wielder has any contract with spirits, this bow can easily meld with their power or even their spiritual bodies, enhancing the damage dealt and effects of Magic Arrows and other techniques by up to +150%. Additional effects are applied depending in the spirit''s elements. ----- Meanwhile, Emeraldine''s Bow was theplete opposite, beautiful, white, and gold, with decorations showing feathered wings and having many yellow and white jewels incrusted across, infusing the bow with new magical power. It seemed to also have some sort of wood on it, which I had not seen before. But anyways, the weapon by itself was insane, It had an incredible set of bonus stats and even more amazing Skills. She can now enhance her elements magical power, create magic arrows so she doesn''t need to always use arrows that might run out, she can even generate a spiritual barrier to protect herself, and channel the spirit''s powers into her weapon to boot! "This is amazing!" I said, congratting the two dwarves. "It is honest work." "That bow was harder to make, but we did what we could." "What sort of wood did you used?" I wondered. "Ah, we got some wood from that elfss, she brought it to us." "She said she had been saving it since she left her vige, it was named Yggdrasil Branch or something, a gift from her mother." "Ooh¡­ Emeraldine never told me about such a family heirloom¡­ I guess she really wanted to use it over her bow, didn''t she?" I wondered. "Well! Now that we are done here, let''s go bring this stuff to them!" I flew away, quickly merging back with my other half, which was currently inside of Emeraldine''s workshop doing alchemy. I was currently mixing several ingredients to make a new type of item. ----- Chapter 520 Gifting New Weapons To Emeraldine And Partner ----- "We add re Ruby, Furnace Stone, Gumstone, melt it together using Synthesis." Emeraldine said with a smile, as I carefully added all ingredients inside the Magic Cauldron. The Magic Liquid, which was actually pure Magical Essence the Cauldron drained from a source or the user itself, began to slowly meld everything together, as I started to slowly move the materials while using Synthesis from my Alchemy Skill at Level 3. "Synthesis¡­!" FLASH! The several ores slowly started to merge, as Emeraldine quickly aided me, adding some ck powder, gunpowder, alongside a whisk of her own magic inside. The elements converged together once more, as mes started flickering over the liquified Magical Essence. "Now we make it take shape¡­" Emeraldine began to conjure a spell with me, as we slowly began to meld the materials together and then shape them into one¡­ no, two, three, there were four! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Ding! [You have created [re Bomb (C Grade)] x4!] [You earned more Alchemy Proficiency] [You earned 400000 EXP] "It''s done! Oh my god I did it!" I cried in shock. "I made C Grade items! ¡­Well, with your help, but still!" "Yeah! I am just as amazed!" Emeraldine said. Quickly bringing the items out of the liquified magical essence and over the table. They resembled ck spheres of iron with a red jewel in the middle of it. They seemed strange, but they were re Bombs, a special one-use magical item that can be created through Alchemy. It is special as it requires a lot of fire-attribute ores and Gumstone to hold it together, alongside gunpowder. ----- [re Bomb (C Grade)] A special one-time-use Magic Item made through advanced Alchemy. By converging materials imbued with the element of Fire, a powerful spherical device can be created. Once a small amount of Mana is infused inside of them, they will explode in ten seconds. The time in which they explode can be adjust through the infusion of Mana, with a time of up to a minute before exploding. When exploding, the item is automatically destroyed, but deals arge quantity of Fire Attribute Damage against a foe. The more Mana is infused, therger the damage can be. However, too much Mana might make the bomb explode ahead of time. Careful usage is required to handle this powerful and lethal item. Traits: [re ze] [Explosive] [Mana Bomb] [Time Bomb] [Ferocious Fire] ----- ording to Emeraldine, bombs are special items for dealing damage. One of the major resources of an alchemist in time of battle. They use such items to defend themselves and to resolve a variety of daily life problems as well. However, mostly fighting. She said there are of many elements, Lightning Bombs, Wind Bombs, Ice Bombs, Stone Bombs, and more. Each one having amazing elemental effects. "It looks good as well!" Emeraldine said, looking at the item''s status. "I think we did a perfect job." "Woah, it is really a re bomb! So if I infuse Mana it goes boom?" Asked Partner, as she was about to touch one of the bombs.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Don''t touch it!" We said in unison, quickly stopping the yful partner from doing something we would regretter. I quickly stored them all inside of my Inventory so she wouldn''t be able to get her hands into them. "Anyways, here, I brought you two surprises!" I said, quickly taking out the weapons I brought with my other body from the dwarves. The ck spear and the white bow, the two girls'' eyes opened wide, shining brightly in surprise and awe, they quickly looked at the item''s status as well, opening their eyes even more¡­ ----- [Darkness Devourer Spear (B- Grade)] [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [10000/10000] [Effects] [HP]: [+7000] [MP]: [+7000] [Attack]: [+27000] [Defense]: [+7000] [Magic]: [+25000] [Agility]: [+25000] [Darkness Attribute Damage]: [+17000] [Abilities] [Darkness Resonance]: Enhances Darkness Magic Damage by +80% and reduces MP Cost by -20%. The weapon can easily channel and absorb Darkness Magic to unleash stronger blows. [Shadow Mirage]: While attacking and spending Mana, the weapon can unleash several mirages made of shadows to attack a foe consecutively, dealing an additional +10% damage with each mirage''s sessful attack. ----- ----- [Sacred Holy Spirit Tree Magic Bow (B Grade)] [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [10000/10000] [Effects] [HP]: [+3000] [MP]: [+15000] [Attack]: [+25000] [Defense]: [+3000] [Magic]: [+35000] [Agility]: [+30000] [Holy Light Attribute Damage]: [+25000] [Life Attribute Damage]: [+25000] [Nature Attribute Damage]: [+25000] [Abilities] [Sacred Magic Bow]: Enhances Holy Light/Life/Nature Magic Damage by +120% and reduces MP Cost by -50%. The weapon can easily channel and absorb Holy Light/Life/Nature Magic to unleash stronger techniques. [Magic Arrows]: By directly infusing elemental Mana into the bow, it is possible to create, shape, and fire powerful Magic Arrows that can explode into different effects depending in the spell imbued into them, enhancing damage dealt by +50%. Whenbining this with real arrows, damage dealt is enhanced by +100% instead. [Spirit Tree Protection]: As long as this bow is equipped by the wielder, it can automatically absorb Mana from the wielder to erect a powerful Spiritual Barrier around the user or any nearby allies within ten meters from the wielder, which can negate up to 80% of Damage dealt as long as there''s enough Mana. [Spiritual Connection]: This weapon is imbued with special magic and jewels capable of channeling the power of spirits, if the wielder has any contract with spirits, this bow can easily meld with their power or even their spiritual bodies, enhancing the damage dealt and effects of Magic Arrows and other techniques by up to +150%. Additional effects are applied depending in the spirit''s elements. ----- "What do you think? Pretty amazing right? Those two dwarves really exceeded themselves." I said. "It is weaker than my other spear but it still amazingly strong, and it brings amazing new abilities as well! I can''t wait to try this out in some monster!" Partner said. "I¡­ I am left without words. I never thought my bow could ever harbor so many powers within itself¡­" Emeraldine said. "The dwarves told me about a strange branch you gave them, asking them to use it to enhance your bow¡­" I said. "Was it some family heirloom?" "Ah¡­" Emeraldine got a bit embarrassed. "It was a memento from my mother. She said it once belonged to a Lesser Yggdrasil Tree in Alfheim, where our ancestors came from. I didn''t thought it would give my bow so much power¡­" ----- Chapter 521 A Bombastic Item ----- Bo! We have made an amazing new explosive tool, and as someone that has the Explosion Maniac Title, I am really into these big explosions. I had been thinking I needed some tools at my disposal, or for the aid of my otherpanions. Simply using monster corpses to explode wasn''t always the right thing to do, or sometimes they wouldn''t deal necessary damage, after all the explosions are still Darkness and Death Attribute Damage, not Fire. I''ve got the two Fire Ghosts here for Fire Attribute Support I could use, and then there''s Veredorr for Ice Magic I can conjure, but still, bombs seem pretty unique, and can potentially deal more damage than a single powerful spell due to the amount of Traits they gain: ----- [re Bomb (C G r a d e)] A special one-time-use Magic Item made through advanced Alchemy. By converging materials imbued with the element of Fire, a powerful spherical device can be created. Once a small amount of Mana is infused inside of them, they will explode in ten seconds. The time in which they explode can be adjust through the infusion of Mana, with a time of up to a minute before exploding. When exploding, the item is automatically destroyed, but deals arge quantity of Fire Attribute Damage against a foe. The more Mana is infused, therger the damage can be. However, too much Mana might make the bomb explode ahead of time. Careful usage is required to handle this powerful and lethal item. Traits: [re ze] [Explosive] [Mana Bomb] [Time Bomb] [Ferocious Fire] ----- I''ve been experimenting on this game-like world setting for a while now, and Alchemy seems utterly broken. I feel like I''ve fallen into a world based in an RPG about cute girls doing Alchemy named Atelier, but nobody abuses the overpowered Alchemy as much as I would had wanted! I remember asking Belle about it, and she said Alchemists were not thatmon, there were Apothecaries that specialized on making medicines, but Alchemists that can do everything are exceedingly rare. However, what they can do is amazing. I can''t believe Emeraldine is an Alchemist and so her uncle, and I learned Alchemy just as easily as well! Partner also learned Alchemy and is slowly getting better at it. We''ll be the trio of cute alchemist girls that''ll be the cover of the next game! Anyways, the bomb has several Traits, which have special abilities that imbue into the bomb. Once all materials were merged into the Magic Cauldron and certain magical alchemist techniques were used tobine the elemental essences, Traits within items emerge, it is as if items themselves had their own Skills. -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [re ze] When the bomb explodes, a shockwave of ring ze is released, dealing 50% fire attribute total damage every second for 10 seconds, can cause [Severe Burn] on foes that constantly deals damage to their HP. ----- [Explosive] This bomb is overly explosive, when exploding, the intensity of the explosion is enhanced, doubling damage and range. ----- [Mana Bomb] By imbuing Mana into the bomb, it can grow stronger depending on how much Mana is administrated. Maximum Capacity: 25000 MP ----- [Time Bomb] Whenever the bomb is activated, the waiting time until it explodes can be modified, from merely ten seconds to up to thirty seconds. ----- [Ferocious Fire] When the bomb explodes, deals additional Fire Attribute Damage of 120% of original damage dealt while ignoring -30% of the target''s Defenses and -50% of Fire Attribute Resistance. ----- Fire Bomb is a ssic in all Atelier Games, and these Traits are awesome! It enhances the damage dealt of this simple bomb so much its insane, and the Ferocious Fire is the hardest to get Trait ording to Emeraldine, and needs re Ruby as an ingredient to emerge, alongside high level Alchemy Skill. However, as of now, while I looked at the pretty bombs, the girls'' eyes were shining brightly at their new weapons. The dwarves did an amazing job at forging their weapons into incredible items. "What do you think? Pretty amazing right? Those two dwarves really exceeded themselves." I said, as the girls began nodding happily. "It is weaker than my other spear but it still amazingly strong, and it brings amazing new abilities as well! I can''t wait to try this out in some monster!" Partner said. She was the most excited about using her new weapon. "I¡­ I am left without words. I never thought my bow could ever harbor so many powers within itself¡­" Emeraldine said. She admired her bow while her eyes shone brightly. I guess I should really ask about that one branch she gave to the Dwarves, I am slightly intrigued myself. "The dwarves told me about a strange branch you gave them, asking them to use it to enhance your bow¡­" I said. The moment I said that Emeraldine got a bit redder, she was too cute for this world. "Was it some family heirloom?" I asked, being a bit pushy because Emeraldine sometimes is too secretive about things, and I am way too curious. "Ah¡­" Emeraldine got a bit embarrassed. "It was a memento from my mother. She said it once belonged to a Lesser Yggdrasil Tree in Alfheim, where our ancestors came from. I didn''t thought it would give my bow so much power¡­" "Lesser Yggdrasil Tree?!" I asked. "So aside from the big one everyone can see at the horizon, there''s more?!" "Yes, the big one is the World Tree Yggdrasil, it maintains the world with its roots, and it has formed an ind of its own with its own roots in the middle of the ocean connecting all the continents together." Emeraldine said. "It is a ce almost untouched by people due to how faraway it is, and the dangerous seas surrounding it. But I believe there are cities on its roots, and a Legendary Labyrinth known as the Labyrinth of the World Tree, which is said to lead to the Realm of the Gods." "Woah¡­" ----- Chapter 522 The World Tree Labyrinth ----- Emeraldine exined things with her extensive knowledge from her Elven Family, which has supposedly descended from Alfheim and moved here for¡­ I don''t know. I don''t have any idea why but her mother was a Royal Guard, so she was probably a Knight, meaning a Noble. I guess she was tired of the long-eared arrogant bastards and wanted herself a hot human daddy instead that loved her and had a kind heart. Emeraldine is half human and half elf for that reason. "My mother used to tell me tales about the World Tree." Emeraldine said. "It is an enormous tree that some specte brought the world to life, and others say that the gods nted the tree. It is always a mystery. However, one of the factual truths is that a Legendary Country is there, where many people gather, only the strongest Adventurers from all around the world, renowned heroes of their continents gather there, to conquer one of the greatest Dungeons in the world, the World Tree Labyrinth." "World Tree Labyrinth?" Partner asked. "It is said that it was constructed by the gods as the ultimate trial for the heroes of the world, it is filled with great challenges and several different biomes, and leads to the secrets of the world and, at the top of the tree, it is said that there is a gate that leads to the Realm of the Gods." Emeraldine smiled. "We are all fairly strong. Maybe one day we could go take a visit, when things calm down a bit." "We are surely going!" I said. "However, you said something about the Lesser Yggdrasil Tree, right?" "Ah yeah, the branch I used was from a Lesser Yggdrasil Tree¡­ You see, every one thousand years, the Yggdrasil Tree begins to flourish all over, it is called the World''s Spring Festival, these flowers let go of their enormous seed-like pollen into the world, and over time they fall around the world, bing Lesser Yggdrasil Trees. It is said there are a few all around the world." Said Emeraldine. "Even in here?!" I asked. "Yeah, there is one in the Vige where I came from, which protects the people inside with its Spiritual Barrier naturally created." Said Emeraldine. "Though thest years, it has grown weaker, and the monsters seemed strangely attracted to the spiritual energies of the tree, constantly attempting to get into the roots¡­ Ah, well, that''ll be for another day I guess." "I see¡­" I sighed. "I wonder if I could make a tree myself¡­ An Yggdrasil Tree!" I said while thinking. "That would be incredible, but I don''t know if you really should¡­" Said Emeraldine. "Also weck a Seed Pollen, without it there''s just no way." "The branch¡­ do you have more? Maybe with Agriculture we could grow a tree out of it!" I said. "No, that was the only branch I had¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "Sorry." "Ah well, whatever. All is fine, don''t worry about it." I said while shrugging.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Anyways, do you girls liked your gifts?" I asked. "I''ve got two already, they''re pretty awesome as it is!" Partner said happily. "Yeah, I think I am already more than happy." Emeraldine said with a smile, quickly approaching me. "How about I repay you in bed?" "Ah¡­" Partner quickly got closer to me, as she looked at me with a coquettish smile. "Yeah, that''s a good idea, Emeraldine." "W-Wait a bit¡­ We are still working on Alchemy and stuff!" "There''s no better time!" "Yeah, don''t worry and rx, we''ll take it from here." And like that, I ended being princess carried back to bed by Partner and done naughty things¡­ Which I enjoyed thoroughly. Later, after we took a warm bath to rx after that intense activity, we resumed Alchemy. Emeraldine had gone back to her usual self as she analyzed the bombs we made. "This looks wonderful, we have over exceeded ourselves today. This is probably as strong as a powerful Fire Attribute Spell at Level 10¡­" She said. "At level 10?! That much?" Partner asked. "Yeah, Spells are like Skills, the higher the level the stronger they are. Level 10 is very strong, but much like Skills, Spells can awaken and reach higher levels of power." Said Emeraldine. "Level 10 is still amazing, it could even hurt A Rank Monsters, even more if we throw all four of them at once." "We could had have it way easier against the Ant Queen if we had these bombs as backup¡­" I sighed. "Well yeah." Emeraldine admitted it. "Especially because that monster resisted your elements. It would be nice to have backup bombs to throw of other elements at all times. Your Inventory gives you the advantage of being able to store as much as you want and have everything avable at hand too." "Yeah, can we make more bombs now?" I wondered. "We can use simr items to make Lightning Bombs now." Said Emeraldine. "I think even¡­ Wind, Ice, and Earth Bombs, but the thing is, the materials we have are okay, but they could be better." "Well the bombs are going to explode and disappear anyways so it doesn''t matter much, right?" Partner asked. "And that''s where you''re wrong!" Emeraldine smiled. "As long as we''ve got enough materials, we can create the perfect bombs and then use Maria''s special Alchemy Book to register them there, so even ifter on we have low quality materials, the same item will be produced at its registered quality or higher. Right? Is that how it works?" "Y-Yeah! I think so?" I said, thinking about it. "I heard it has an empty slot with each Skill Level, right? Does it gain Skill Proficiency through the creation of alchemy items?" She asked. "Hmm¡­ Oh, yeah! It gained Skill Proficiency alongside Alchemy." I said with a nod. "Each of those bombs gave 500 Skill Proficiency?! Eh, wait a second it already leveled up to level 2¡­" I said in surprise, looking at the Skill. "Really?" Emeraldine wondered. "Those bombs take a lot of effort to make, but we could mass produce some easy items after that¡­ The more Skill Proficiency you get, the faster it''ll level up and the more slots you''ll have for Instant Creation. We can really monopolize in these slots and make the best items possible to Instant Create!" ----- Chapter 523 Creating New Items ----- Emeraldine was going a bit nuts with the concept of the Skill I had. I wished I could give it to her, but I had already requested the System and it said it was something impossible to do. I looked into the leveled up Skill in detail as I showed it to Emeraldine and Partner: ----- [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv2] A Skill that only incredibly talented Alchemist can learn. It grants ess to a special Book that can materialize out of thin air, where an alchemist is capable of essing a series of recipes that are unlocked over time and the Skill Level, it also grants detailed information about Materials which are then registered in the book. Through the book and the required set of special Skills, Synthesis can be done anywhere. Additionally, new Recipes can be created using certain materials and by experimenting around. [Instant Creation] recipes cannot be modified. However, the Empty Slot can be modified and made into any recipe of the user''s choice. Once it is decided, it cannot be modifiedter. Avable Recipes for [Instant Creation]: Level 1: [Lesser Health Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Mana Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Antidote Potion (Normal Grade)] [Empty Slot] Level 2: [Holy Water (Rare Grade)], [ck Potion (Rare Grade)], [Empty Slot], [Empty Slot] ----- "Eh?! Holy Water and Cursed ck Potions?!" We all asked in unison, seeing the items there really shocked us! "Howe a ghost like me can just make Holy Water?" I asked in surprise. "And¡­ Aren''t those Cursed ck Potions the same we encountered at the beginning of our adventure? Those being used by the Bandits and that shady Necromancer guy." Partner said. "Precisely that!" I said. "So you can mass produce Holy Water and Cursed ck Potions! What are the ingredients?" Wondered Emeraldine. "W-Well, Holy Water needs¡­ Purified Water and¡­ White Glowing Stone? It can also be reced by other items imbued with holy light attribute." I said. "And Cursed ck Potion needs Poisonous Herbs like the ck Shredder Herb, Poisoned Water, and Demonite Ore Dust." I read through the ingredient''s requirements "D-Damn thatst one sounds a bit nasty to make!" Partner said. "Yeah, it is a bit nasty, and I don''t know if I should ever make it. I remember we destroyed and burned them because they''re a deadly drug for people. It enhances power but makes them go mad¡­ But maybe it could work for me? I mean, I am a Ghost, and I remember it boosted the power of Undead a lot." I said while rubbing my chin. "Yeah, it is an interesting idea¡­" Emeraldine agreed. "Eh?! Are you two seriously considering it?" Asked Partner. "Of course, it would be bad for me, but for people like Partner, Maria, and Lucifer, it would be an amazing enhancer to your performance. And you should be strong enough to withstand the side effects, right?" Wondered Emeraldine. "T-That''s¡­ well, maybe." Partner said. "Though I''m wondering why the items have Normal and Unique Grades? The Bomb has another Grade altogether." "That''s because those are groups." Said Emeraldine. "Normal Grades goes from H Grade to F Grade, Rare Grade starts from F Grade to D, Unique Grade from C to B, and Mythic Grade from A." "I see¡­ That clears things up a bit more." Said Partner. "So our Bombs are Unique Grade?!" I asked.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yeah, they''re amazing." Emeraldine said. "Alright, maybe we should really make some then¡­" I said. "Also, how about you try creating a ck Potion and Holy Water? I believe you''ve got materials within your Inventory." Emeraldine said. "Alright, let''s see¡­ [Instant Creation: Holy Water]! [Instant Creation: ck Potion]!" FLASH! FLASH! From both my left and right hand, two items materialized from within a spiraling magic circle. I saw a few item icons inside of my game-like Inventory disappear, as their count lowered by a bit, and then, two bottles appeared in my hands, one holding a pure transparent liquid emanating a slightly holy light, and another that waspletely ck, slimy, and disgusting, emanating a deadly aura. Ding! [You have Instant Created [Holy Water (D Grade)] x1 and [ck Potion (D Grade)] x1!] [You earned 200 Alchemy Skill Proficiency] [You earned 50000 EXP] "And done!" I said with a smile. "I even got 50k EXP and 200 Alchemy Skill Proficiency, so making each one gives 25k EXP and 100 Proficiency, as long as I''ve got materials we can keep making more and more, and I can even level up out of this!" "Amazing, but for what will we ever use Holy Water for? Aren''t we friends with the Undead?" Asked Partner. "If we are going toplete the Dungeon in the Dwarf Country that was infested by the Miasma, and probably has a Fragment of the Evil God inside, then it wouldn''t be a bad idea to bring as much Holy Water as we can to prepare against the Miasmic Monsters there, I bet they''ll be even stronger than the ones we found in the first Dungeon." Emeraldine said. "Ah¡­ right. Our attacks were still pretty good, but I bet it would had been way easier with Alchemy made items! Alright! I am all pumped up, I want to do alchemy too, even if I can''t do Instant Creation!" Partner proimed. "Alright!" Said Emeraldine. "Instant Creation is also amazing in that it can produce alchemy-made products right away. There are special, higher quality items and essories, or even weapons and armor that needs several items already made from alchemy to be made properly. We could abuse Maria''s powers for this. Holy Water is super good for the creation of Lightning Bombs, which can gain the [Holy Lightning] Trait if a lot of Holy Water is added to the mix!" Said Emeraldine, she was such an Alchemy nerd that I couldn''t help but feel surprised each time she brought a new idea to the table. "I see¡­" I said. "And we could even formte an even stronger ck Potion to give you guys a nice temporary boost in a desperate situation, heheh¡­" She giggled, growing more and more into a crazy scientist-type of alchemy girl. ----- Chapter 524 Grinding Levels ----- POOF! POOF! POOF! I continued creating more and more Holy Water and ck Potions through Instant Creation, which seemed to have no limits other than asking me for Materials inside my Inventory and taking away around -10k MP per creation. I have over 200k MP, so that''s nothing at all. But I guess not many people would be able to afford it. POOF! POOF! POOF! PAAF! Suddenly, ast explosion of smoke happened, as thest Holy Water Bottle was produced. I ran out of Light Attribute Ores or other materials to make more of them. Emeraldine has the Holy Light Magic, but without a material for it I can''t do much. "At the end, I was able to make 16, the exact number of White Glowing Stones I had. They''re sometimes used as very expensive illuminators of ces back in the Dwarven Country. Maybe if I use some of my newly earned money I could buy as much as they''ve got. But we could also go mine some moreter." I said while nodding. ? I was also able to produce even more ck Potions as I had hundreds of Demonite, Poisonous Herbs only lost around 1 leaf, and I''ve got tens of them, and Poisonous Water was easy to make by mixing water and my own poison created through my skills. Calcting it, I could probably make a bit over a hundred before I run out of Poisonous Herbs, but I had already begun the creation of an Underground "greenhouse" using my Phantom Familiars and the aid of some of my citizens. Rabbit-kin were especially good at digging, so I tasked them building a small underground cave right behind the castle. Of course I help with my familiars. Goblins also joined too and we are almost done now. I''ll nt some of the poisonous herbs there and feed them small moderate drops of miasma produced out of my own body, which will feed these nts to grow more and more, so I can make more ck Potionster if needed, or other poisonous concoctions. At the end, I settled with 16 Holy Water Bottles and 25 ck Potions. Emeraldine said that more than 25 would be too much for what we were going to do, and that it was better to save materials for now. Ding! [You Instant Created [Holy Water (D Grade)] x16 and [ck Potion (D Grade)] x25!] [You earned 4100 Alchemy Skill Proficiency] [You earned 1025000 EXP] [Level]: [43/80] [EXP]: [1827000/3900000] Ahh, still not enough to Level up, goddamn. However, Alchemy Skill reached Level 3, and Recipe Book is close to Level 3 by a few hundred more Skill Proficiency points, both Skills are leveling at a steady and simr pace so they''ll level up almost together. "This should be more than enough, let''s make a Lightning Bomb now!" Emeraldine quickly decided to lead us across the entire process amazingly, her Alchemy Skill was already at Level 6 by now, so she was certainly our master in regards of Alchemy. Although I will one day surpass her, for now we are going slowly yet steadily. The Cauldron''s Liquified Magic Essence began bubbling with the Phantasmal Fire I left below it, as we began to quickly add the materials while Emeraldine slowly began to move the Liquified Magic Essence around, the more it moves, the faster and more efficient the process of alchemy bes, so it is almost necessary. "Slowly add Yellow Bronze one by one, with intervals of five seconds each¡­" Emeraldine guided us, as we ced the expensive metal inside of the cauldron''s bubbling liquids. "After that, add small pieces of Magical Gold Ore, we only have a few, but one divided into small pieces should be enough¡­" Emeraldine said. I had used my Mining Skill to dismantle the big piece of pure ore, which was an interesting ability I had no idea Mining could possess. Slowly, Yellow Bronze and Magical Gold Ore began to converge together, the hot liquid quickly melted both ores and mixed their golden liquid forms together beautifully. "Now, for Elemental Boost, Wind Emerald, two of them is enough." We dropped two beautiful green jewels, as they shone brightly, sparks of lightning emerged from within them for a split of a second before they melded with the other materials. "Arge quantity of Gunpowder¡­" We sprinkled gunpowder inrge quantities as if we were adding salt to a meal. "Gumstone to keep everything together." We added the stic Gumstone generously. "Alchemy y for consistency." We added Alchemy y, which was also made out of Gumstone and other materials, it had an even higher affinity with products and always enhanced their quality. "And finally, add four bottles of Holy Water." We opened the Holy Water bottles and poured its contents one by one without stopping, dropping the sses into the floor, as they suddenly turned into particles of light and disappeared like a game-like item. "Now, everyone, together!" Emeraldine led us, as we conjured [Synthesis] within the Alchemy Skill constantly. Emeraldine used her [Brewing] Skill to add even more mastery and strengthen the mixture of elements. FLAAASH!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Suddenly, bright white light emerged from within the cauldron, as lightning sparks appeared everywhere for a few seconds, we were all taken aback, stepping back a few centimeters. And then, four Bombs appeared, floating over the Liquified Magic Essence filling the Magic Cauldron. They resembled Granada fruits but made of transparent white ss, and inside of them, there was a white center. It emanated both a holy and lightning element from within. "And done!" Emeraldine celebrated. "We did it!" Partner celebrated. "Cool, Alchemy Level 2!" She celebrated her Alchemy Skill Leveling Up. "Amazing¡­ Lightning Bombs!" I said. With this we can deal some nasty damage to any Boss Monster that shows up to ruin our day in that dangerous dungeon. Ding! [You have created [Lightning Bomb (C Grade)] x4!] [You earned 2000 Alchemy Proficiency] [You earned 400000 EXP] [The [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv2] Skill has Leveled up to Level 3!] "Eh?! Level 3 already?! Making Alchemy really levels up things fast¡­" I said in surprise. "Well yeah, but around Level 5 and above things be slower." Said Emeraldine. "Though with enough mass production, reaching higher Alchemy Levels is not something hard, you just need a constant pace!" ----- Chapter 525 Time To Move On ----- Ding! [You have created [Lightning Bomb (C Grade)] x4!] [You earned 2000 Alchemy Proficiency] [You earned 400000 EXP] [The [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv2] Skill has Leveled up to Level 3!] Alchemist Recipe Book was already Level 3! And it unlocked three new Instant Creation Recipes and one Empty Slot! ----- [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv3] A Skill that only incredibly talented Alchemist can learn. It grants ess to a special Book that can materialize out of thin air, where an alchemist is capable of essing a series of recipes that are unlocked over time and the Skill Level, it also grants detailed information about Materials which are then registered in the book. Through the book and the required set of special Skills, Synthesis can be done anywhere. Additionally, new Recipes can be created using certain materials and by experimenting around. [Instant Creation] recipes cannot be modified. However, the Empty Slot can be modified and made into any recipe of the user''s choice. Once it is decided, it cannot be modifiedter. Avable Recipes for [Instant Creation]: Level 1: [Lesser Health Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Mana Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Antidote Potion (Normal Grade)] [Empty Slot] Level 2: [Holy Water (Rare Grade)], [ck Potion (Rare Grade)], [Empty Slot], [Empty Slot] Level 3: [Warrior Potion (Rare Grade)], [Magician Potion (Rare Grade)], [Archer Potion (Rare Grade)], [Empty Slot] ----- "Warrior Potion, Magician Potion, and Archer Potions?" I asked in surprise. "Oh?! You can Instant Create such amazing potions now?" Emeraldine asked. "What? What are they for?" Asked Partner. "They''re special Potions that can enhance certain stats and the performance of a certain ss archetype!" Said Emeraldine. "Although it is always better to drink all three to be honest. The bad thing is that drinking too many would make your mind go dizzy after a while and your body might break¡­ So it is dangerous to overdose on it¡­ It is often used by High Ranked Adventurers and found on more dangerous dungeons as treasure chest rewards. My Uncle knows how to make them but he never taught me the recipes, saying they were too advanced¡­ Yet you can just instant create them¡­" "Ahahah¡­ I-I guess that''s a good thing, right?" I sighed. Apparently, Warrior Potions boost Attack and Defense, Magician Potions Boost MP and Magic, and Archer Potions Boost Agility, uracy, and Dexterity. They''re like magic drugs for people to gain power from temporarily, the effectsst roughly three to five minutes randomly, and it has a side effect, tiring the user right after that. "It is! We could make a special Elixir mixing all three of them together to create a powerful Potion that boost all stats!" Emeraldine said. "Though that one is Unique Grade¡­ I don''t know if I can make that yet." "It is pretty good anyways." Said Partner. "What ingredients do they need?" Asked Emeraldine. "Hmm, let me see¡­" I said, checking the recipes. "Warrior Potion needs¡­ Blood from a Raging Monster, Furnace Ore, and Tickling Herb? Magician Potion needs Sage Herb, Magic Crystals, and other Magic-imbued Ores. And as for Archer Potions, we need Evergreen Sprouts, Bird-type Monster Eyes, and Blood from agile monsters¡­?" I said. "I don''t know if we''ve got everything. Sage Herb, Tickling Herb, and Evergreen Sprouts is certainly not something we''ve got." "My uncle used to grow these in the backyard¡­ They''re certainly very rare herbs, we''ll have to look for them somewhere, though they don''t grow in these cold temperatures, so maybe it''ll be very difficult to find them." Sighed Emeraldine. "Yeah, but don''t worry, we''ll find them eventually and make them, and even merge the potions for your ultimate recipe you talked about! Cheer up. However, what''s more important right now is the bombs girls, look!" I quickly took all four bombs, cing them over the table. They looked rather amazing right now, glowing bright gold.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ----- [Lightning Bomb (C G r a d e)] A special one-time-use Magic Item made through advanced Alchemy. By converging materials imbued with the element of Lightning, Wind, and Light, a powerful spherical device can be created. Once a small amount of Mana is infused inside of them, they will explode in ten seconds. The time in which they explode can be adjust through the infusion of Mana, with a time of up to a minute before exploding. When exploding, the item is automatically destroyed, but deals arge quantity of Light and Lightning Attribute Damage against a foe. The more Mana is infused, therger the damage can be. However, too much Mana might make the bomb explode ahead of time. Careful usage is required to handle this powerful and lethal item. Traits: [Lethal Spark] [Electric Explosion] [Mana Bomb] [Time Bomb] [Holy Thunder] ----- "Ahh, it looks so great and it has the Traits I wanted too!" Emeraldine said happily. "We did it in our first try, sometimes it justes with different Traits altogether, so this is very good." "Holy Thunder, is it?" Asked Partner. "Yeah, that one." Emeraldine said. "Oooh!" Partner seemed surprised about our little creation. Its Traits were like those of the Fire Bomb but recing fire for lightning, thest Trait was the most unique one. ----- [Holy Thunder] Grants Holy Light-Attribute to the Bomb''s Lightning Element. Deals additional damage to beings weak to such element and ignores -50% of their total defense. Has a 50% chance to heal allies by creating a holy light domain. Can purify Undead. ----- "It can even heal?!" I asked. "Yeah but that might be lethal to you as an Undead, we''ll have to see how it workster." Said Emeraldine. "Anyways, I am kind of hungry¡­" Partner said, touching the bomb with the tip of her index finger, a small spark of lightning reached her. S P A R K! "U w a a h!" She almost clumsily fell over the floor, but I caught her in time. "Alright, how about we go eat something first?" I asked. "We''ve also gotta take care of little Nyx and everything else¡­" ----- Chapter 526 Lucifer Has Been Tamed Well ----- Suddenly, the door of our workshop opened, as Lucifer walked in with Nyx over his arms. "Lunch is ready- Hm? What with all this smoke? How can you girls even work here? Cough¡­" "Ahahah, sorry, we were just making bombs." I said. "Bombs?! Why do you want to make bombs for? Also it would be dangerous if there are bombs around when little Nyx might touch one identally!" Lucifer said angrily. "We''ll save them in my Inventory! C-Come on, rx a bit!" I said, as I quickly stored everything inside of my Inventory. Little Nyx was moving her little arms around, stretching them to get to me. "Mama! Maaaaa!" "N-Nyx, we have to go eat now!" Lucifer tried to stop her but she suddenly pped her tiny wings and took off into the air. FLAASH! "Maaamaaaa!" Nyx suddenly fell over my face, as she hugged me, and began using her tail to wrap around my neck. "Ugh, N-Nyx, did you miss mama?" I muttered, trying to get her off me. "Nom¡­" Suddenly, her sharp teeth pierced my forehead, as she began to bite me. "Aaagh! I-It actually hurts a bit! Is this because of your high Attack Stat?! Ouch! S-Stop this!" I cried, as I quickly became translucent, but Nyx continued biting me easily even in such a form, because she also had my own phantasmal abilities to an extent, she was a half-ghost and half-dragon girl. "Bahahah¡­" Nyx began tough evilly as I tried to get her out of my face, all while we flew downstairs and were greeted with a big feast, mostly grilled meat with stew, and some basic sd. All of this was done by Lucifer. As I finally managed to get her off me, I sat her down in her tall seating and handled her a big piece of meat. She was finally calmed down, as the little dragon began nibbling her meat. She''s really a little devil. However, more importantly¡­ "Amazing! Did you cook all of this?!" I asked, looking back at Lucifer as he suddenly grew a bit red. "Y-Yeah, I mean¡­ I knew you girls were busy doing your Alchemy stuff, so I decided to cook myself. I was never good at it but since I''ve been watching you cook that I''ve been¡­ well, cooking for the people of the vige! The children that always annoy me¡­ sometimes they get hungry." Said Lucifer. "So I just¡­ err, I just grill some meat and boil some stuff to make stew¡­ N-Nothing special or something." Lucifer seemed embarrassed, crossing his arms. "Fufu~ I never thought you were such a diligent house husband!" I said, teasing him a bit. "S-Stop it with that!" Lucifer said. "I am just trying to help. I also helped at digging the cave you wanted to nt those poisonous herbs, but why do you even need them?" "We are making ck Potions." I said nonchntly. "Oh, I see- WHAT?!" Lucifer reacted as I imagined. "Why would you¡­?!" "It is quite obvious now, but our stats are so high that their side effects are nothing to us. And as you hopefully remember from back then, we fought several Undead controlled by that beginner quest viin of the week Necromancer Vampire dude, he used the ck Potions to make his Undead Stronger." I said. "I''ve already used them all several months ago to make my first little army of Undead, whom very few remain from back then, and the ones we have found with Julia were all destroyed because we can''t just grab them from her when she just wants to burn them and purify them¡­" "I see¡­" Lucifer said. "So you''re nning to make them so we can get some boost in battle? Certainly, if we had something like a buffing item in the Ant Queen fight, we could had performed better."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Precisely because of that!" I said. "Also I''vee with a few ideas with Emeraldine and Partner. Using the new Alchemy Skill I have, I can mass produce items out of just spending items, so I was thinking on improving upon the ck Potion recipe and make something even better, what do you say?" "I say that''s crazy, the ck Potion is too toxic, if people handle it they''ll get intoxicated, Emeraldine included. I don''t think the living armors can handle so much." Said Lucifer. "And that''s where you''re wrong. ck Potions are processed Miasma, so they don''t emanate the toxic aura. Unless digested they cannot really poison anybody." I said with a smile. "At most, irritate the skin." "Okay¡­" Said Lucifer. "Fine¡­ I am not this good at the Alchemy thing, so I hope you don''t do anything too crazy." "Don''t worry everything is controlled around here sir!" I said, eating a spoonful of stew. The delicious meat was so tasty, and soft as well, the potatoes were well boiled and soft, slowly melting in my mouth, the carrots were sweet, and the onions and garlic mixed into the entire preparation made for a delicious broth with tomatoes included, turning it red. "Uwaah, this is good! Well done! You''ve got Cooking at Level 2 already?! I never thought you had this hidden talent!" "Cooking at Level 2?" He asked, suddenly realizing that was the case by looking into his own Status through his mind. "Ah! It''s true¡­ Unbelievable." "There''s nothing unbelievable about it, you''re just a good cook." Said Emeraldine. "Yeah, you''ve gotten pretty good Lucifer!" Partner praised him. "Ahahah¡­ W-Well, thanks." Luciferughed nervously due to the praise he received. What''s this?! Are all three of them getting along? In fact the girls are praising him! I still remember some months ago they were always discussing and fighting over nothing¡­ "Ah, I am back from my nap¡­ Hm, did you cook this Maria?" Wondered Brunhild, sitting near the table with a sleepy face. "Nope, that was made by your brother." I said. "Eh? Lucifer you made this delicious food?! S-Since when were you this good at making little people''s meals?" Asked Brunhild. "W-Well, it is just for them! Don''t get the wrong idea Brunhild¡­!" Said Lucifer, feeling embarrassed. However, Brunhild nodded, looking back at me. "You''ve tamed him well." "But of course, fufu." "Tamed?! Nobody has tamed me!" ----- Chapter 527 Little Nyx Learns Many Things ----- "Nobody has tamed me! I am the Mighty Ancient Dragon Lucifer!" "Yeah, you surely are." I looked back at Lucifer with a smile. "But you''re also my husband." "Sigh¡­" At the end his attempts at intimidating ended in nothing, as he calmed down and just joined into the meal in peace. Thankfully. I really thought he was going to begin spitting fire around. The twins were also here eating with us, they had begun interacting with the little Nyx for a while now and loved to be at her side. Nyx didn''t mind them and already begun to call them "sis and bro". She was too smart to be honest, her mind was developing too quickly and like a sponge, she absorbed every word we spoke and understood it very quickly. I would even call her a super genius. Perhaps her high Magic Stat also improved her memory andprehension speed. Babies are not meant to be born with such high Stats, so they''re affecting her mind and her body more than normal as she grows and develops. Plus, if we add how intelligent and sharp dragon babies are since hatching, we have a super genius known as Nyx! "Bro¡­ meat." Nyx said, as she suddenly offered a piece of munched meat to Takeshi. "Meat? For me?" Takeshi felt slightly embarrassed, as his cute ears twitched around. "Sure, thanks!" He grabbed the meat and just ate it without even really caring that much. I guess that''s how siblings must be. "Pota¡­ potat." Said Nyx, as she pointed at the baked potato that Takeshi had at his side. "Oh, I see, so you''re doing a fair exchange. Here you have it." Takeshi gave the baked potato to Nyx as she began to eat it happily. I guess she''s even intelligent enough to begin doing trades?! Although the trade wasn''t that fair, a munched piece of meat in exchange for a perfectly round baked potato wasn''t that fair¡­ Takeshi didn''t mind either way. "Nyx do you want my potato too?" Laura asked, as Nyx looked at her potato. "Potat!" Nyx was about to grab it but then stopped herself, and looked back at me and Lucifer. Then, she looked back into her te, grabbing arge piece of bread she had been ignoring, she actually doesn''t like bread that much. "Brea¡­ bred¡­" She said, giving Laura the bread. "Ahahah, thank you!" Laura giggled. "She''s really smart, she can even trade things around and recognizes stuff too." "Yeah, I am surprised as well." Takeshi said. The twins seemed to be interested in helping Nyx learn more through these little things. "Dragon children are smart, yes, but not as smart as her¡­" Said Lucifer. "My smartest kid still took three yeas to be as smart as her, and she just hatched a few days ago, incredible." "Nyx has an endless potential. Her intelligence is high due to her high stats as well. Magic and MP not only affect magic itself, but our minds. Our minds be sponges for knowledge, we can store more knowledge in our memories, learn new things, and be sharper, with better reflexes and more thoughts." Brunhild pointed out. "Because Nyx has just hatched, she''s learning everything about the world and absorbs everything she listens to or watches. We have to be good influences for her so she doesn''t strive down an evil path." "Yeah, we have to take good care of her." I agreed. "Well she seems well grounded for now." Emeraldine said. "I think as long as she sticks with us everything is alright." Said Partner carefreely. "To be honest, that''s not right!" Said Lucifer. "EH?!" We looked at Lucifer in disbelief. "To be honest our entire family structure and the mentality we have¡­ Isn''t it twisted?" He asked. "We have killed people and done several bad things ourselves. If she sees us doing the things we do, she''ll definitely get lost into an evil path." "I wouldn''t call myself evil or something, more like¡­ err, a vignte!" I said. "While good people are forgiving of the evils, I don''t, I just kick their balls and kill them afterwards." "That''s certainly¡­ not good!" Lucifer sighed. "Hahh¡­ Well, its not like I am not in the same side of you." "Hey as long as she doesn''t see it, it doesn''t matter, right?" Asked Brunhild. "Yeah, rx for a bit and don''t be so grumpy, Lucifer!" Partner said while pouting. "She has the Title of a Lesser Cmity and might in the future be a full fledged one, but as long as we are there to protect her, I believe she''ll grow fine. As long as she learns to have somemon sense and be a nice girl, things should be good." Emeraldine said. "You''re¡­ you''re right I guess." Lucifer finally gave up. "I was thinking on teaching her more how to talk, the sooner she can talk and understand more words better, the easier it''ll be to teach her about various things." I said. "Right, I agree. We should dedicate a few hours of the day to teach her things." Said Lucifer. "I''ll help as much as I can too." Emeraldine said.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Me too! ¡­I think." Partner said. "I don''t know if I can help, actually¡­ But I''ll try!" "Trying is all that matters at the end Partner!" And like that, lunch ended in a good note. After that, I joined with Lucifer and everyone else into helping Nyx learn how to speak better for the next three hours. She had a bit of an attention span problem a thing of every child, but she learned a few words she began using right away. "Name Nyx! I¡­ Nyx!" "Yes, you''re Nyx." I said. "Good girl." "Nyx! Emeral¡­ Emraldin?" She asked, pointing at the elf aunt she had. "Emeraldine, that''s my name." Emeraldine said. "Emraldin¡­" Nyx said, trying to bring the words correctly. "Parnar?" "Partner¡­" Partner sighed. "Pawna¡­" Nyx said, beginning to suckle her thumb. "She''s certainly getting the hang of it. We just have to be patient." I sighed. Like that, the day ended as we had dinner and then went to bed. I''ve decided to stay a week in here, and through the week, we''ve gotta do a lot of things. One of them includes monster nest and bandit hideout extermination¡­ ----- Chapter 528 Going For A Bandit Hunt ----- The next day, we waited until the night to strike. We assembled a groupposed of the two fire ghosts, a few avable Hobgoblin Warriors, and Magicians that wanted some EXP and were prepared to kill, the Goblin Chief, and Syllis and a few valiant Rabbit-kin fighters. Of course, I also brought with myself my Undead. Partner insisted oning, Emeraldine, and Lucifer too, but I left them all back at home because they were too strong and would end up stealing all the EXP. Tonight''s n was to raid a Bandit Hideout connected to many more near arge mountain range covered in snow thatys right behind the Old Majin Kingdom. This bandit hideout was detected by my scouting Undead and the Rabbit-kin who always are scouting the surroundings with their stealth, agility, and speed. We traversed roughly two kilometers to get here, but I put everyone inside my shadows and flew at an incredible speed, reaching this ce in just a few minutes. I guess that''s the Agility of someone with my stats, we can really do insane stuff. I feel like I am a superhero in a way¡­ Maybe if I ever go back to Earth, I could disguise as a heroine and- nah that''s way too cringe. "We are here¡­." I looked around, finding arge forest of pine trees surrounded by bluish grass and a few herbs that grew in these icy conditions. The night was cold, as a snowstorm was hitting hard, covering everything with snow. I looked into the mountain in front of me using my special phantasmal senses and adjusting my vision like a hawk, quickly finding the hideout of the bandits, a small cave opening with a few things outside, mostly trash, it was clear people was living inside of there. The first hypothesis we had when we saw Bandits hideouts near my home was that they perhaps ran from the maind due to being persecuted and settled down in these coldnds where nobody will follow them as easily.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om But they''re surely paying the price, it is cold as fuck in here. They''re probably surviving due to having high stats. If they''re bandits that have lived enough and are experienced enough to run away from the maind and survive in this hellish snowscape, I bet they''re at least Level 20 by average. With that, their stats are high enough to withstand cold temperatures naturally and are strong enough to hunt wild animals or monsters for eating. ording to Syllis and my Phantom Familiars spying there, this is thergest nest of Bandits, I''ve not seen their stats much as these Familiars are incapable of seeing status, but they''re fairly strong, like above average, and there re roughly 120 bandits here. They constantly hunt monsters around E Rank or even D Rank inrge groups of over thirty, there are never casualties as they''ve got two Apothecaries that make Medicines, and even a Healer with them. Above all, they don''t have any ves here, but they have a lot of merchandise they had stolen. I remember spying that they had several wooden boxes with gold coins, a few other boxes with colorful ores, and they had tons of food too, mostly veggies and fruits, and bags after bags of seeds. They also have weapons and other things. It seems that, from what I''ve heard about their conversations, they''re a famous band of Bandits known as "Red Fangs" who are contracted by Nobles. They attack carriages from enemy nobles of their contractors, kill them, and steal everything they''ve got. Like this they umted a lot of riches. Recently, however, they were chased away by their previous contractor and almost captured by the noble''s guards, they had to flee all the way here. A few died in the way, but they''re still all going strong. They''re all like a big group of mercenaries in terms ofpanionship, but they''re still nasty pieces of shit that I don''t care about, so they''re going down. And well, aside from their escapade, I do remember they were talking with a shady person, someone who was covered from head to toe on clothes and covering its face with a weird mask. It hid its power well through magic essories, but the amount of power it was hiding was considerable¡­ Since that person came weeks ago, they had been moving and preparing for something and they had even sent scouts near my territory, as if they were getting ready tounch a raid in my vige. To stop that, we are ughtering them all first. I will also get all the nice loot they have and raise them as Undead because they look strong enough, those apothecaries could be good assistant to do some alchemy recipes. We need morepetent workhand after all, they''ll be zombies but I''m sure they''ll do their job just fine. After making up my mind, I sneaked across the forest rapidly, ignoring the many herbs I could pick forter, and reaching the entrance of the bandit hideout. It was currently 3 AM in the morning, I hoped they would be sleeping by now, but still saw several of them still awake and kicking, which was freaking annoying to be honest, I wanted to kill them on their sleep if possible. However, their security was terrible, the entrance was wide open and nobody was guarding it. I guess monsters don''t get closer to their hideout anymore after they killed so many for hunting. Ice Wolves are growing in big quantities a kilometer or two away yet they have yet to attack them. It seems odd, but the only thing I can think about is that they''re just afraid of getting killed, perhaps. My shadows spread out like ake of darkness, as several of my Undead emerged from within, alongside the rest of my allies. "Silvio, Francesco, lead the Undead first. Syllis, Goblin Chief, you guys follow them from behind. I''ll watch from your backs." It was time for a little bandit hunt, how nostalgic. ----- Chapter 529 Raiding The Bandit Hideout ----- The two zing Inferno Ghosts rushed inside the Bandit Hideout with the Undead I just summoned, invading the ce stealthily as I conjured the [Shadow Veil] Spell on them, enhancing their stealth and agility. I watched things through the small and undetectable Phantom Familiars I spread around the entire hideout of the bandits. Like cameras.N?v(el)B\\jnn Right in front of the Undead''s path, there was a group of around a dozen Bandits. Probably the night watch, who were drinking booze and eating what looked like some stew. "Fuck its cold today as well¡­" "Man I wish we could get some better booze than this shit." "Maybe we could buy some at the dwarves'' country?" "We are being chased everywhere, getting there is suicide. Don''t mess with those bastards they''ve got golems everywhere." "Well, one day we might be able to mess with them, right?" The bandits continued to talk as Silvio and Francesco got closer, I grew intrigued about what they were walking. "Yeah, that mysterious miss, she''s probably part of the Nobles, right?" "I think she was a Vampire. I''ve heard the Vampires are going around now even contracting bandits, they''re desperate after what happened in Affnaria." Vampires? So that woman that came to contact them and gave them all these resources and even weird magic items¡­ was a Vampire. I see. Are they targeting me? Perhaps they finally found out where I live¡­ or its pure coincidence? No, if they''re scouting the surroundings of my vige, they probably wereing for me¡­ But really? Contacting bandits is all they can do? At least they could had done something better. Well, it is not as if they might not be slowly preparing for that. "Losing that city was really shit, isn''t it?" "Yeah, rumors about that Adventurer named "Mary" and her party is going everywhere. When people researched for her they found she was only an F Rank Adventurer. Many were surprised¡­" "She might be a Necromancer and all but Undead are super frail you just smack them and they fall apart¡­" "Those are just the low level undead from dungeons dumbass, those raised from Necromancers are several times stronger!" "Yeah, yeah. At the end of the day she still relies in undead, if we could capture her and tie her up I bet she would be a weak piece of shit. I would rape the shit out of her until she became my submissive bitch." "Hahaha, same. Chicks with magic always think they''re the shit until they get caught and suddenly can''t use magic any longer." "Man been a while since I''ve done the deed, we really need some women here." "It''s a pity we had to kill the ves we had because we couldn''t really maintain them anymore, they would had all died in the way here anyways." "Yeah, killing people always gives nice EXP anyways, I just hit Level 31." "Ain''t your level cap Level 35? You''re not getting much stronger buddy." "Aye shut your trap!" "More importantly, maybe after we pige that ce we can grab as many chicks as we want and-" "Gentlemen, I am sorry for interrupting your very important conversation." Francesco appeared right in front of the two bandits, as they looked back at him while raising an eyebrow, without being able to properly process what they were seeing. A mass of phantasmal red and orange mes twisting into the shape of a tall man with an entric tone of voice. The bandits were just eating and drinking booze, enjoying the humble bandit life, until evil undead from the depths of hell came out of the blue! "What the fuck?!" "G-Ghost?! A fire ghost?!" The other bandits quickly jumped out of their seats, growing alert, as from within the shadows of their surroundings, monstrous figures appeared everywhere. Zombies, skeletons, slimes, and even chimeric monsters, roaring furiously at them with sharp red eyes. "GGRRRR!" "GRAAOHH¡­!" "AAAHHH¡­!" "OOOOGH¡­" "Wait¡­ what the fuck? Is this a dream? Did I drink too much booze?!" "This ain''t a dream you retard, we are getting attacked by UNDEA-" That one bandit that was fixated into talking about how much he liked to rape women was suddenly engulfed in mes. His Level 30 ass wasn''t even able to resist a tiny fire from Francesco, as he started crying in agony. FLUOOOSSSHHH! "GRYYYAAAAEEEEGGH¡­!" His skin was quickly carbonized and his flesh started letting out a delicious grilled smell, his eyes melted and his soul began withering in utter suffering. Don''t worry, I am not eating your soul buddy. Sigh! Though, isn''t it cruel? Killing these innocent bandits with fire, burning them alive¡­ how sad, I wish I could do anything about them! CLASH! Some of the bandits quickly tried to fight back, using their weapons or even conjuring magic, attacking the zombies or skeletons. "Undead are frail, just smack them hard! Swordsmanship Technique: Cutting Edge!" One of the ran forward, rushing towards a skeleton that was almostpletely naked while holding a rusty sword. His attack was a powerful vertical swing that could easily slice through stone. SLAASH! CLANK! However, in front of this humble skeleton, he was nothing much. "E-Eh?" "Crackle¡­" The Skeleton in question was one I had since the beginning of my journey, one of the few that had stayed for so long. It has evolved two times, and its total level was around 80 if we count all the level resets it gets when evolving. It had no equipment because it evolved into a rare Master Swordsman Skeleton, which wears nothing but a sword to fight. SLAAASH! The skeleton moved carefreely, swinging his sword as the bandit in front of him was suddenly cut into little pieces in mere seconds, falling into a pile of flesh and blood. Damn. "R-Run! "RUN AWAY!" "We have to alert the rest!" Screams of bandits being burned alive and cut into pieces quickly echoed outside the hideout, as the Undead I brought, my strongest 20 quickly started smacking everything. Kuro was brought of course, alongside Darkbound, Mercury, Pyro, and their retainers. Their opening attack was an inferno of mes conjured by the two fire ghosts. ----- Chapter 530 Speed Running The Extermination ----- Syllis andpany quickly reached the area where the dozen of Bandits were gruesomely killed by the evil Undead. They were surprised to find burned corpses and sliced pieces of flesh everywhere. They were all taken down without their help. "Eh? It feels like we are not even needed here¡­" Syllis sighed. "Did we really had toe here after all?" Wondered the Goblin Chief. "Huh?!" I asked. "Of course! Can''t you see? They''re all alive, somehow. I managed to keep them alive. You guys gotta finish them¡­ well, not the ones that were sliced into tiny pieces though, those are more than dead." "Uuggh¡­ Aahh¡­ It hurts. Cough¡­" A bandit began crawling around, his bodypletely charred ck due to being burned so much, yet he was still Level 30, so he was strong enough to withstand a tiny fire and survive with barely 3 HP. He extended his hand towards Syllis, asking for help. "H-Help¡­ Help me¡­" Syllis looked down at the man, as he sighed, grabbing a rapier I had gifted to him from a drop inside a dungeon. "Bandits like you are one of the reasons my tribe has struggled so much, relocating around the maind so many times¡­ I''ve heard tales from my grandfather about the many times you''ve attacked our tribe and stolen our children and women¡­ No matter how much you ask for mercy, you''re scum. Die like the scum you are." The young rabbit-kin pierced the man''s head with the tip of his rapier swiftly and masterfully, slicing his head open into two perfect halves, revealing the delicious brains inside¡­ I mean, disgusting brains. He saw as the rest of his tribe members and the goblins continued to do the same, ying every single bandit left alive, just as nned. "Can''t we engage in battle next?" Asked Syllis. "I think I ampetent enough¡­" "Hmm, you have yet to evolve and are only Level 27¡­ Okay fine." I sighed. "I''ll buff you though. Abyss Armor, Sharp Shadows, Phantasmal Sensory Enhancement." I conjured three Spells I had learned by myself over my time reading grimoires about spell creation and more. Abyss Armor creates an armor made of shadows and death essence over a target and increases their defense against physical and magical attacks, Sharp Shadows enhances the weapons of a target and covers them in shadows that deal additional damage, and Phantasmal Sensory Enhancement enhances the senses of a person and turns them supernatural for a few minutes. The wholebination of buffssts roughly ten minutes. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! I did the same with everybody else. Unlike Undead, they cannot be reced so easily though, so that''s why I was being so cautious, but this is a nice way to finally put to use the new Buffing Spells I''ve designed. They''re not that good to buff myself, they barely do much, but targets that are already weak receive an amazing enhancement. Everyone here got the potential, but have had very few opportunities to level up as frically as I and my main party could do it. "Now''s your chance guys, are you ready?" I asked. "WE ARE!" The army of Rabbit-kin and Goblins roared, raising their weapons. Shadow Armors covered their bodies and their weapons overflowed with dark auras, their eyes shone bright red as their senses were enhanced and became simr to those of ghosts. This is but a small part of the actual power of conjuring magic, and I am still learning more as I grow stronger. "Alright then!" I quickly called upon several mounts, mostly Ice Wolves and Pr Bears Skeletons I raised into Low Level Undead and saved in my Shadow Storage for a while, trying to find the perfect opportunity to use them. "Mount these and let''s go! Don''t let the Undead steal all the fun you guys!" "Yeah!" "Let''s go!" "I''ll defeat these damned Bandits!" "If what Lady Maria is right, they were even nning to invade our country!" "We can''t have mercy now!" Like that, I abused the power of my Mapping Skill and quickly began mapping the entire ce by spreading tiny Phantom Familiars everywhere. At the same time, I blocked the entrance we used by destroying the ceiling and leaving countless boulders there.N?v(el)B\\jnn The caves were like a smallbyrinth,rge caves with open areas of around 50 meters were separated by thin corridors that branched into many smaller rooms. It was an idea cave for people to sleep inside and store things, and it seemed that there were pickaxes here, so they were mining and shaping this ce to their liking, apparently. The Bandits immediately realized they were invaded, and most of the choose to just flee. Despite their big numbers, they immediately turned their tails and started to run away in big groups, running across the thin corridors. Abusing my Mapping Skill, I used this opportunity to ambush them as they ran away, while destroying all their escaping routes and blocking them with boulders. In front of me, a big group of forty men were looking at our group with surprise, gritting their teeth. The Undead had gone the other way and caught up with another group of thirty, so these forty were all for the Rabbit kin and the Hobgoblins. "What the¡­?! Those are just skeleton Undead? But they''re not as many as the ones we saw before!" "Oi, those are just rabbit people and¡­ goblins?!" "And who''s that woman over there?" "I am watching. Don''t mind me." I said with a smile. The bandits however suddenly got cocky, smiling back at us. The scary Undead were not here, and they thought they had just won. With a mere snap of my fingers I couldpletely delete them out of existence anyways, but where''s the fun in that? "Heh, they''re just small fry anyways! Maybe that woman''s the necromancer, she''s looking like a sorceress. But the other guys are all weaklings, just look at their scrawny shapes wearing little leather clothes and barely any steel armor!" One of their generals spoke, a bearded man with an eyepatch and a mohawk for air. Oh boy, you''re DEAD wrong, my dude. ----- Chapter 531 One-Sided Battle ----- "Come on! Don''t be intimidated!" He said, I appraised him and he was a Level 38 Bandit General, yes, that''s a Title. He was a diator ss and had very highly offensive skills. His weapon of choice was a longsword he was holding right about now, and his name was Chuck. The other bandits were hesitating before, but they were lifted in spirit by that man, as he smiled back at me. "You must be pretty confident because you''ve got some Undead, buting at us alone missy, that won''t do! We''ll have plenty of fun with you after this is over, we had been waiting for a woman to get here!" Laughed Chuck, rushing in. "How dare you talk like that to Lady Maria!" The Goblin Chief, whose name was Gobu, ran forwards, extremely swiftly. His body had grown muscr as he evolved into a Hobgoblin and worked every day carrying heavy things, the father had to be strong for his daughter after all. CLAAASH! His short sword shed against the bandit''s longsword, as the bandit smiled maliciously. "What can a fucking goblin do to ussssss?!" His cocky tone quickly changed into one of surprise as Gobu easily overpowered his own grip, pushing his longsword right over his face. "S-Shit! Triple Edge!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Chuck suddenly and desperately unleashed a triple sword technique to intercept the enormous strength of Gobu, forcing him to parry his blows and step back, giving him an opening at the same time, which he utilized right away. Woah, he''s not bad at this. "Gotcha!" Chuck pointed his sword at Gobu''s heart, attempting to piece through his chest and eliminate him in one fell swoop. However, Gobu''s eyes shone brightly, as he intercepted his blow with his own unique technique. "Magic Sword Arts: zing de!" CLAAASH! FLUOOSH! "Fire?!" Chuck stepped back in shock as the fire spread through his sword, barely managing to get a grip of himself. "You''re¡­ a mere goblin is a magic swordsman?!" Indeed, Gobu''s ss was a Magic Swordsman, he had changed to it just some days ago after he felt his swordsmanship had advanced enough, and he had already begun tobine his magic element, fire, and lightning, with his sword. He had the ideal strongest attack-wise elements a magician could hope to have,bined with the talent of a swordsman, he was pretty promising! "Stand up¡­" the Goblin Chief said, his eyes looking down at the bandit general. "Tch, don''t look down on me, you shitty ass green skin!" Chuk lost his patience, attacking Gobu with several swings of his de. His muscles suddenly grew three times as big as he unleashed a special ability within his diator ss [Berserker Charge], his eyes shed with red color and his muscles grewrger, his sword gained a red aura, and his blows became intense and overwhelming. CLASH! CLASH! CLAASH! Gobu gritted his teeth, intercepting his blows with his own elemental techniques. His sword was suddenly covered with Lightning. "Magic Swordsmanship Arts: Lightning Edge!" CRAAASH! The loud sound of lightning hitting Chuck echoed around the entire cave, as the Goblin Chief''s sword unleashed a thundering shing blow, piercing with his lightning across the body of the bandit, burning his insides and making his mouth let out a mouthful of blood and steam, his red eyes quickly exploding out of the lightning cursing across his body fucking his insides to the point he almost exploded¡­ Lightning Magic is metal as hell. "G-Gaaggh¡­! I-Impossible¡­" BAAAM! Chuck fell over the floor pathetically, the other bandits, who were all losing against my boys and girls despite having number advantage, grew nervous, stepping back in horror. However, that moment was used by my army, as they attacked them from behind, piercing their backs and slicing through their necks. "T-They''re not weak at all!" "Howe goblins are this strong?!" "Rabbit people are the weakest of the beast men tribes, how are they this powerful?! HOW?!" "Gyyaaaaaeeeeggh¡­!" "Stop! P-Please have mercy- GYAAAH!" "Backup! Someone! Bring backup- UUAGGHH¡­!" The sound of weapons shing and piercing through flesh was like music to my ears. In mere minutes, the forty bandits were no longer here, but a pile of lifeless corpses and a mass of wandering souls. "Phew¡­" The Goblin Chief sighed, cleaning his sword from blood by shaking it away. "That was rough, but I guess I''ve improved myself, I never thought I had the talent for a Lightning and Fire Magic Swordsman though." "Of course, I''ve been training you with everyone else since we meet, Gobu." I sighed. "And that daily sword training with Lady Maria, indeed¡­" He sighed. Daily, I''ve been using Phantom Clones to train with everybody using swordsmanship. My Phantom Clones are weakerpared to me and I often give them very basic split minds and orders. They cannot evenpare to my power and at most, they''re often just useful for scouting, but training is also a thing I do for them. Despite being so weak my clones can still pose a big threat to them all, so they had been training almost every day since we got our vige with them. Their stats slowly rise as they train their bodies, their reflexes improve, and they also gain skill proficiency for their skills. Efficiently raising these low-level characters that thought had no talents into talented andpetent warriors was tough, but I think the results are finally being shown. "Alright let''s continue for now, we are not done here yet." I said, as I led everyone forward. However, I stopped for a few seconds, looking at one of the bodies of the bandits, and noticing strange essories with them, rings with blue jewels, and bracelets with blue jewels too, they had strange, snowke-like decorations as well. "What the heck are these? Magic items? But they weren''t any strong even with these equipped- Eh?!" FLAAASH! The moment I thought things were over, an enormous pressure emerged from within the many essories these bandits were wearing. They didn''t even helped them at much stat-wise but held some strange curse within that activated once they died?! Their souls were all instantly dragged into the pile of corpses, as the corpses started moving by themselves, ice began crowing over their bodies everywhere, and their bodies twisted and shapeshifted¡­ An aberration made of ice, corpses, and cursed souls suddenly emerged. "GROOOOARRRRR!" -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Chapter 532 Cursed Accessories ----- The essories these bastards had were not even to boost their power, it was a Curse meant to transform them when they died?! So the one that gifted them to these bandits did so knowing they would get killed easily? The Ice was also like that Curse that froze the people back at the Majin Kingdom. I had already tried using the items I bought from the Viscountess of the dwarven nation and even when all of them were used together, I was unable to melt that damned ursed ice. I had begun considering the creation of even stronger Fire Bombs, but the ones we made the other day were still not useful and couldn''t do anything. And even less, my Mining Skill didn''t help at chipping away the indestructible ice either. And the ice forming this Undead Frost Monster was also simr to that one, but perhaps weaker¡­ Nheless, the monstrous being that was formed out of ice was not something as easy as defeating these bandits. Syllis and the Goblin Chief stopped their charge, as they suddenly noticed the enormous beast emerging. It had the shape of a Pr Bear but made out of ice and the frozen corpses of the bandits. Their swirling souls were instantly cursed and melded together with the other essories, fusing them together into the Undead Ice Monster. It looked pretty powerful; I might make one myself in the future¡­ ----- [ursed Undead Ice Golem: Lv55] [Rank: B+++] [Status: Furious] A monstrous entity formed from the power of ursed Frost Magic conjured by the power of several Cursed essories that activate once the wielder is dead. In normal circumstances, each wielder would turn into a different, frozen undead golem. However, once there are many gathered in the same ce, a mutation would ur and all would merge into a powerful and stronger version. One of the many wicked creations of the Frost Queen through the fearful powers of the Cursed Crown of Skadi. [Skills: [ursed Frozen w] [Spiraling Icicle Spears] [Frozen Domain] [Freezing Curse] [Freezing Howl] [Frozen Jaws] [Berserker Charge] [Long Sword Arts] [diator''s Might] [Axe Techniques] [Strong Axe sh] [¡­] ----- Its stats were all out of this world, a B+++ Rank monster?! And above all, this thing, just as I guessed, was a damn creation of the Frost Queen! That shady bitch¡­ is she somehow working with the damn Vampires now?! Is she teaming up with them to beat me up now? Not only was the monster strong and had several OP Skills, but it had many Skills I had seen before. Yeah, it had all the Skills, or most of them, from the other bandits we just killed. This thing absorbed them all and even their powers¡­ If this curse spreads out more and more, whenever we kill something, it''ll turn into an Undead Ice Golem and be several times stronger, and if they merge, they just be ridiculous like this! Well, there''s no way it can use Swordsmanship Techniques or something, itcks a sword¡­ "GRUOOORRRRR!" The enormous bear shaped Ice Golem roared furiously, as it suddenly conjured an enormous quantity of ice all around, which then shaped into long swords, axes, spears, and even arrows. Its eyes shone bright red, as it suddenly unleashed all the techniques it stole from the bandits against me! "Shit." An enormous frozen sword shed against my position, unleashing a freezing shockwave. CLAAASH! A gigantic axe quickly attempted to slice me into pieces, as I evaded swiftly, the axe hit the walls behind, shing and getting stuck there, as it exploded into countless freezing spikes. BOOOM! "Shit, the spikes!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! I quickly erected Abyssal Barriers to protect the Goblin Chief and the rest from the freezing spikes, as I told them to stand back. "Stand back, don''t get in here, this thing is not something you can easily handle." I told them, standing in front of them. CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! Three enormous frozen spears attempted to pierce through my body as I evaded them and jumped around swiftly. I quickly looked behind me, finding tens of frozen arrows being directed my way. "I''m getting a bit tired of this." I swung my hand as an enormous mass of darkness was unleashed, taking over the arrows and destroying the floating weapons in an instant. "I might be a Necromancer yeah, but I am plenty strong myself." I said, looking back at the ferocious bear-shaped ice golem, as the beast suddenly began glowing red¡­ Like that one bandit! "GROOOARRRR!" FLAAASH! The enormous bear of almost twenty meters of height rushed towards me at an incredible speed, jumping towards me and then pointing its sharp icy ws at my phantasmal body. BAAAAM! I was pushed down, as the gigantic beast''s ws began to attempt to slice through my soul, ring with a red aura of the [Berserker Charge] diator Skill! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "God damn it, and just today I don''t have my weapons¡­" I sighed, as I quickly ignored the bear''s attacks, my entire body began to shapeshift, turning into a mass of snakes and flies shapeshifting into a mass of shapeless form and thenpletely covering the bear''s entire body. "I can''t do anything shy so¡­ [ck Lightning Strike] + [Dark Storm] = [Abyssal Lightning Storm]!" TRUUUMM¡­! Suddenly, an enormous cloud of darkness gathered all around the golem, unleashing slicing ck winds and sharp and deadly lightning strikes, beginning to damage the enormous beast constantly. CRAAASSSHH!!! It''s entire body eventually started to gain countless cracks. The beast tried to free itself from my own body entangling its own, but it was futile! "GROOAARRRR¡­!" The Ice Golem gave ast otherworldly roar before it started crumbling into pieces, falling into a pile of ice crystals. I quickly forced my way into the pile, finding a mass of silver-like metal with a freezing ice crystal core, which was formed by thebination of the dozens of Cursed essories¡­ It could be said this thing was the golem''s core. Crack¡­ crack¡­! CRASH! Of course, I shattered it into pieces so this thing wouldn''t stand back up again¡­ However, things were not over yet. "Lady Maria! There is arge group of Ice Monsters rushing from the way we came from!" The Goblin Chief said. "So those bandits also became damn Ice Monsters?!" I asked. "It seems to have some sort of dy, and other times it doesn''t¡­ Is the Frost Queen herself controlling them and activating them as she sees fit?" I wondered, as I saw a dozen of Frozen Monsters of various shapes rushing in. Well, at the end of the day, it''s just more EXP for me. -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 533 The Frost Queens Ice Golems ----- Several Ice Golems shaped as beasts approached, we had gotten rid of a dozen Bandits in the first group we found and fought, and there they were. This time they had not merged together but were a dozen of such beasts, they were smaller and not as monstrous as the others. With varied stats and Skills, each one taking over the powers of the Bandit that held their "Cores" which were the very essories imbued with this strange curse. ----- [Lesser ursed Undead Ice Golem: Lv25] [Rank: B-] [Status: Furious] A monstrous entity formed from the power of ursed Frost Magic conjured by the power of several Cursed essories that activate once the wielder is dead. In normal circumstances, each wielder would turn into a different, frozen undead golem. It is a Lesser version of a much stronger Ice Golem, but its capabilities are incredible, and holds within the power of the host that died holding its core. One of the many wicked creations of the Frost Queen through the fearful powers of the Cursed Crown of Skadi. [Skills: [ursed Frozen w] [Spiraling Icicle Spears] [Frozen Domain] [Freezing Curse] [Freezing Howl] [Frozen Jaws] [¡­] ----- Even then, these guys are still B- Rank, so they should be a decent enough amount of EXP. I think I can handle them by myself. I quickly pointed my hands at the Ice Monsters, their very presences freezing the floor beneath them and anything within our surroundings, as I did the same thing I performed before,bining the power of two Skills into a greater one! "[ck Lightning Strike] + [Dark Storm] = [Abyssal Lightning Storm]!" TRUUUMM¡­! Just like before, an enormous cloud of darkness gathered all around the golems, as if I had summoned a thunderstorm right out of the blue. The clouds began cracking and zapping with lightning, unleashing slicing ck winds and sharp and deadly lightning strikes, beginning to damage the twelve Beasts. CRAAASSSHH!!! The lightning and winds concentrated around them as countless ck lightning and slicing ck winds started to destroy their bodies, shattering into pieces even more easily than their big friend from before. CRASH! CRASH! CRAASH! "GRUOORRR¡­! "GRAARRR¡­" "GRAAAHH¡­" They released pathetic roars as if trying to intimidate me, their magic attempted to pierce me but it went through my body for the most part, as I easily shattered them all into tiny pieces, and stored everything left behind inside of my Inventory. It was better to just store things right after killing them than leave them to pick upter. I had considered raising them into zombies before, but that would had been annoying as I wanted to finish this quickly, but it ended extending for a bit too long. "A-Amazing, we can''tpare to Lady Maria''s incredible magic¡­" The Goblin Chief said. "In just a single spell, they all died¡­" Syllis said with surprise filling his eyes. However, things were not over, the group of thirty bandits my Undead team just killed ended transforming and fusing into a B+++ Ice Golem, but they easily started to overwhelm it, the two fire ghosts were the strongest at that, easily melting the entire thing and blowing it away into pieces. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "GRAAAAH¡­!" CRAAASH! The enormous ice beast fell into the ground, crumbling apart into pieces. I swiftly regrouped with the rest of my Undead while bringing my own troops, as I stored the enormous beast shattered remains, we cannot leave that thing alive for now. "Master, we were just finishing off the Bandits when they suddenly all turned into a giant Ice Golem, we managed to defeat it though." Silvio sighed. "Indeed, it was slightly scary- well not really, more like surprising? It wasn''t a big deal." Francesco said. "Yeah they surprise you and got a lot of power, but we came well prepared. Nheless, they''re hardy, so it takes more than a while topletely shatter them when they''re merged¡­" I sighed. "OOOOHH¡­" Darkbound got closer to me as he suddenly pointed at the left corridor. I saw things through my Phantom Familiars spread in that area, finding that the remaining Bandits, being roughly 40, had dispersed into four groups, each one of 7 to 13 members, and they all ran towards the other routes of the mountain where the other bandit hideouts were located. Sadly for them, I had blocked such routes. All these other four small Bandit Groups were apparently this very Bandit Group of over 120 men. It seems they simply split into smaller groups to walk back to these other hideouts, which allowed them to cover more terrain. This entire cave system is very amazing, I could probably use this mountain to mine for resources, as a way closer ce than the dwarven mountain, although this cecks as much magic as the other, there might be something valuable if I dig enough. Nheless, for now, the mission was to exterminate them. However, I didn''t wanted to stop their transformation into Ice Golems. I had already tested it, I get both EXP from killing the bandits as they are and then an extra bag of EXP by killing the Ice Golems they convert into. So to maximize gains, we''ll provoke them to transform into separate B- Rank Beasts if possible, as they give more EXP when they''re a big group than when they merge into a single one. "Alright guys, this is the n, we''ll divide and conquer. Let''s make four groups, I''ll apany the four groups to reassure your victory, let''s go." I quickly divided the groups into four, one led by Silvio and Francesco, another led by Darkbound and Syllis, another by Goblin Chief and Mercury, and ast one led by Pyro and Gero. Of course, I was the one leading them but¡­ yeah, they''re the leaders here. It makes them feel special. "G-Get away from us!" The first group finally reached one of the bandit groups, 12 men trembling in a corner, a pathetic sight for the oh so powerful bandits. Bon Appetit. -----N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 534 Looting The Bandits And... A Boss Battle?! ----- "OOOOHHHHH¡­!" SLAAASH! "GYYAAAHH¡­!" Darkbound ran forward, swinging his enormous ck sword, his size and power were truly phenomenal. A fell swoop of his sword easily cut into halves any bandit that got closer. But he wasn''t going to let the others don''t get any action, as Syllis and his rabbit kin warriors surrounded the other bandits and ughtered them in unison, earning shared EXP efficiently. As the twelve corpses were lying over the floor after just a few seconds of finding this group, the ice quickly began to grow over their bodies as the essories activated. We made sure to ce each corpse in separate ces, so they didn''t had the chance to merge into a big pile. "ROOARRR!" An icy wind quickly took over the entire room, as twelve Ice Golem Beasts emerged. Without further ado, we ughtered them and crushed them with ease. This time I aided a bit with my ck Lightning Strike to shatter their ice and then the rest did the deed. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! In half a minute, twelve ice golems were served in a te. The same happened in the other groups, they were ughtered and then brought back to life through this strange curse. We easily dealt with them. While doing this, I rxed and began to think how this curse exactly worked. I had figured out most of what it was and how it did its trick, but what I couldn''tprehendpletely is¡­ why is this curse soplex? The only curses I can ess to are those that lower stats, weakening someone, or sometimes paralyze them or something like that. They''re very limited in what they can do. Yet there''s this Ice Curse that can do things asplex as turning dead bandits into Ice Golems¡­ Is this really a curse or an intricate Magic Spell imbued into these essories? Thankfully, I had managed to grab one myself. It was a beautiful ring with a snowke-shaped blue jewel. Out of pure curiosity, I decided to check its Status: ----- [ursed Frozen ve Ring (B+ Grade)] [Effects] [HP]: [+200] [MP]: [+200] [Attack]: [+100] [Defense]: [+100] [Magic]: [+100] [Agility]: [+100] [Abilities] [Frozen ve Curse]: Once the wielder''s HP drops to zero, an automatic effect is triggered, transforming the user into an Undead Ice Golem Beast, boosting its power, and using the user''s Skills as a base for its growth. In certain asions, it might evolve and fuse with others to form a greater being. ----- Huh, for being B+ Grade in quality it gives some very low stat boosts, but I guess these boosts in stats were decent for these low-level trash tier bandits I suppose. Even more if they wore more than one. I am pretty sure I saw some wearing over five rings. Somehow, the Frost Queen can mass produce them and the Vampire aiding her gave them to these bandits inrge quantities, telling them to use as many as they desire. "I''ll keep this one forter. I''ll investigate the curse and try if I can find something that I could do with it¡­ Maybe I could even find a cure for this curse." I wondered, quickly storing the ring inside the Inventory. It wasn''t a living being at the end, and it apparently wasn''t being used as some sort of camera either, so storing it into the Inventory wasn''t a hard thing at all. When we were mostly finished, I quickly sent everyone to explore things and bring me whatever loot they could find, as I wandered with the two fire ghosts behind me in thest room where the Boss was. The Boss himself wasn''t even a threat, he died in a single swipe of my hands with a ck Lightning Strike, he was the highest level here, at Level 42, and even then I ended killing him so easily¡­ I guess I''ve really grown too strong. Evolution is overpoweredpared to the humans capped level up, I can keep evolving and resetting my Level so I can continue leveling more and more. Hell, my umted level should be way past a hundred by now. I guess if we consider this it is not so hard to believe I ended killing these guys way too easily. "Ooh! So much gold! I''ll buy so much with this, hehehehe¡­" However, although I ended getting slightly flustered about what had happened, I still embraced my greediness, finding the boss secret stash of gold, arge hole in the cave covered by his desk. In there, I found almost a hundred doubloon of pure gold, which can be exchanged mostly anywhere for money. Gold is still a rare material even in this world, especially now that it has be Magic Gold, which is an incredible catalyzer of magic, it is an essential item for most magic items, so it is highly priced everywhere. Bronze and Silver are the same, being magic conducting ores, they''re very valuable, especially in the dwarven country which is so advanced that they need big quantities of it to continue fabricating their creations and technological advancements. "That''s certainly a lot of gold, mdy." Silvio said at my side. "May I help you carry it all?" "Ah, don''t worry. Look at this! Boop!" I said, touching the gold as they all disappeared in an instant, stored in the Inventory. "I-Incredible¡­ Your Inventory Ability is really somethingpletely out of this world!" Silvio admitted "Yeah I guess it is the best part of-" "Mdy!" Suddenly, I was called by the other fire ghost, Francesco, who was inspecting around, until he suddenly began touching arge wall. "What?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I can''t get through this wall¡­ I simply¡­ hit something very hard here." He said. "What? But you''re a ghost, it shouldn''t be impossible to-" I walked at his side and touched the wall trying to get through it. But it was impossible. "Wait what?!" I quickly looked at the ce, trying to get inside through my ghostly powers. And nope, it was impossible. "This ce¡­ is this a dungeon?" I wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps there''s an underground dungeon in this mountain as well! Do mountains always have dungeons inside of them?" Wondered Silvio. "I don''t have single clue, but let''s try something¡­" I said with a smile. Suddenly, I gathered arge quantity of chaotic and dark energies and fired it into a straight beam into the wall. BAAAAAMMMM¡­! RUMBLE! The entire mountain shook for a bit, as the wall fell apart, revealing something¡­pletely different than a dungeon. It was a strange room imbued with a special magic that made it impossible for Phantasmal-type beings to get through. Almost as if it were made as a countermeasure against me. The gate leading there was destroyed by my super beam, and what was inside was an enormous altar, with what looked like a bird-shaped statue made of ice, within its chest, a glowing blue jewel shone brightly. "The heck is this?" I asked, looking around. "Mdy, watch out!" CLAAASH! I quickly stepped back with the two ghosts, looking in front of me as the enormous, twenty-meter-big Ice Bird Statue¡­ moved and fired an enormous icicle spear my way. "CRAAAAAAHHH!" The statue continued to move as if it were alive, flying outside the room it was confined, and freezing the entire Bandit Boss Room in a mere instant! ----- Chapter 535 Against The Ice Guardian Phoenix ----- Out of nowhere, hidden boss battle. And this giant bird was serious business, the aura it gave out wasn''t something little tough at. ----- [Ice Guardian Phoenix: Lv70] [Rank: A++] [Status: Furious] A powerful Ice Golem that has been created through the usage of Divine Ice and possess incredible prowess. It is capable of leveling entire small nations and was made by the Frost Queen as a special weapon to destroy anybody that gets in her path towards conquest. It possess a wide array of Magic Skills and Physical Skills and is capable of self-regeneration by absorbing the cold air of its surroundings. [Skills: [ursed Frozen w] [Spiraling Icicle Spears] [Frozen Domain] [Freezing Curse] [Freezing Cry] [Frozen Beak] [Winter''s Judgement] [Ice Hammer] [Ice Axe] [Ice de] [Ice Weapon Shower] [Ice Meteor] [¡­] ----- Reading the description the System Analysis function gives to me, I can tell this bastard is bad news. It was made by the Frost Queen no less as a "weapon of mass destruction" and it said to be able to easily level entire small nations by itself. Kind of like ast resort weapon she had stored in here for some reason¡­ perhaps this was something she was going to send off into my own vige at some point. Yeah, this guy was not something that can be easily handled by just anybody¡­ Luckily for me, I''ve got two other ghosts madepletely out of Infernal mes right at my side. If there is someone that could defeat this damn monster, it is us. "CRYAAAAH!" The Ice Phoenix cried loudly with the sound simr to a hawk, its sound echoed around the entire cave, as we found ourselvespletely trapped. The ice spread out through the entire area and closed the entrance. This ice was also charged with Mana to the point it would take a bit of time to slid through it as ghosts. And it is way more worth it to fight this monster right here and now and get the EXP it would give¡­ Yeah, I guess it could be said I am more interested in the EXP than anything. This Frost Queen has be a really good friend of us by now, giving us so many opportunities to level up and all. Silvio and Francesco were naturally freaking out. Both of them had just recently evolved into B Rank Ghosts, so they didn''t had much of a chance against the Ice Phoenix even with their fire. The Ice Phoenix was A+ Rank, and it clearly showed it in how overwhelming its aura was. However, I''ve also grown stronger from before, way stronger. The level ups I got in the dungeon we raided and conquered have not gone anywhere. If I have the help of these ghost''s elements, defeating this Ice Phoenix might be quite simple. "CRYA!" The Ice Phoenix didn''t waited any second after flying outside of its chamber, spreading its beautiful crystal wings and unleashing an enormous cold and icy aura, which made Silvio and Francesco''s fire wither away. "W-What do we do now, Lady Maria?!" "Can you defeat this monster?!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Are you guys afraid? You''re being overly cowardly for being former Vampires that were fearless." I sighed. "Don''t worry, I''ve got a n, and it''ll be using your strength and mes." "n?! What n? Will you blow it away with your super overpowered magic?" Asked Silvio. "No, it might not workpletely against such a strong monster. If I do something too big, it''ll blow us all away as well because of this narrow space. I am not that confident in my physical strength alone either unless I go all out." I said while narrowing my eyes. "Eh?! T-Then what do we do?!" Francesco desperately asked. "We have to just run away!" Silvio said. "You guys are made of fire, have some imagination, will you?" I asked. "Come! Spirit Magic!" FLAAASH! I quickly touched both of the ghosts, as the Ice Phoenix greeted us with tens of magic circles emerging above our heads, quickly summoning countless Ice Weapons. Battle Axes, Spears, des, and more, and then sent them straight to us! We were bathed in deadly high level ice magic imbued with even more mana, reinforcing the damage dealt even more. And to boot, each weapon projectile exploded, dealing even more damage. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMMM!!! We felt as if we were being bathed in pure ice, and my very soul started to freeze. The Ice Phoenix continued attacking ruthlessly, until the entire floor was covered by ice entirely. "CRAAH!" The Ice Phoenix gave a cry of satisfaction, believing we were dead. However, it suddenly noticed the temperature of its environment started to increase, little by little¡­ "CRAH?!" The ice began to slowly melt- no, it started to boil, bubblesing out and steam flowing all across the caves. The Ice Phoenix roared angrily, flying back a few meters as if instinctively afraid of the overwhelming heat epassing its surroundings. "What''s wrong? Afraid of a little warm up? Don''t worry, what''s the worst that could happen anyways? Turn yourself into a fried chicken?" I appeared amidst the ice, although my HP took a big hit, I was able to survive and warm up my soul, unfreezing it. I felt red mes merging within my phantasmal body as I shared the resentment and anger the ghosts felt when they were young and burned into that old house. The mes of their anger, resentment, and fear flowed into my phantasmal heart, as I felt such anger as well, and their mes became mine. The ghosts were within my very soul, not merged, but cooperating, connecting their whole beings into me. I wouldn''t call this a Fusion, but it is a different technique I''ve seen Emeraldine use with her Spirits. It is named Spirit Connection and allows the master and their spirits to make a connection andbine their elemental powers for a quick boost in magic strength. My body overflowed with red mes, as my dress slowly turned deep red, with zing mes all around. "Let''s quickly get done with this." ----- Chapter 536 Blazing Through ----- I''ve known for a while now, but ghosts I''ve risen be something akin to my Spirits. Solid Undead are different, but Phantasmal entities whom I''ve made a contract or whom I have created myself instantly are registered as "spirits" even though they used to be real people. I don''t really know the details, but they probably have simr skills than I do, such as [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] which makes you literally a Spirit of the Elemental Affinities you possess. This is something I have as well, which makes me a spirit that can use the power of more spirits. Nevertheless, I merely connected my soul with Silvio and Francesco, and shared their pain and emotions with mine. That way, I was able to channel their Infernal mes, and use them in conjunction with my own Stats and Mana quantities. My own appearance changed. I turned into a zingdy. My dress became made of red and orange fire, my hair turned into mes burning furiously, my eyes seemed to be unleashing mes everywhere, and I even grew demon-like horns out of my forehead. Strangely enough, I liked the new look. "CRYAAAAH!" The Ice Phoenix reacted to my mes with its ice. Suddenly, it conjured three enormous magic circles, bigger than the ones I''ve seen before. This was the guardian''s strongest ice magic spell [Ice Meteor]! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH Three enormous twenty-meter big meteors madepletely out of hardened ice and covered by freezing auras emerged out of the magic circles, quickly falling towards me with all their might, heaviness, and freezing power. However, I smiled, loading my hands with zing red mes as my eyes shone brightly. My aura continued shapeshifting into zing mes burning through my surroundings. I channeled my power and mana into my very fists, and then¡­! "[Fist Strike]!" FLUOOOSH! An enormous quantity of mes gathered within my fists as I unleashed the strength of my Fist Strike Skill, which enhanced damage dealt while using bare fists to fight. The result? Explosive punches that decimated the ice meteors, shattering them into pieces and melting them at the same time! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOMMM!!!N?v(el)B\\jnn The zing Fist Strikes were so powerful they unleashed arcs of mes that spiraled upwards, catching the Ice Phoenix''s entire body, and burning it! FLUOOOSH! "CRYYAAAAH!" The Ice Phoenix cried in agony as the core within its chest shone brightly- a sudden shockwave was unleashed, spreading out and turning off my mes. FLAAAASSSHHH! The shockwave was filled with an icy energy and attempted to freeze me once more. However, I gathered the mes within my body into my chest and then unleashed an explosive attack, fighting against the icy wind. "[zing Catastrophe]!" FLUOOOSHHH!!! The mes I summoned erupted like a volcano, reaching the Ice Phoenix once more. The monster desperately attempted to evade but the mes were too fast and spread widely, hitting the Ice Phoenix and melting half of its body in mere seconds. BOOOOOMMM!!! "CRYAAA!" The Ice Phoenix maneuvered somehow using making and slowly managed to get away from my mes, only to attempt to regenerate its body while showering me with Ice Meteors. Just how much Mana does it has?! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! I unleashed a barrage of zing Fists against the Ice Meteors, turning them all into vapor as I flew forward, turning myself into a massive sphere of mes and shing against the Ice Phoenix in midair! BAAAM! "BURN!" I unleashed more and more mes, pushing myself to my limits as the incredible icy powers within the Ice Phoenix seemed to be desperately attempting to overpower me. It was all a battle of attrition, whoever had the more Mana would win this! "[zing Explosion]!" However, I light up my entire body with mes until it shone bright red and gold, the interior of my body suddenly turned into the core of a volcano, as it exploded with zing fury, covering the entire Ice Phoenix, destroying its barriers, and shattering its damned core! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! The explosion quickly melted all the ice there was, as the Ice Phoenix immediately turned into evaporated water and disappeared, only leaving a shattered metallic core with a silver color and a blue gem inside. I slowly stood up, barely managing to get myself together. I rearranged every bit of my soul that exploded everywhere, and then my connection with Silvio and Francesco ended. The two ghosts appeared to be tired, but nothing serious happened to them. "Master! Are you okay?! You blew yourself up!" "That damn Ice Phoenix¡­" "Don''t worry about it." I said. "I am pretty alright. I used Undead Healing to recover myself and now I am pristine! That thing would had never defeated me nor really damaged me that much, I just blew myself up because it was getting annoying." "So you did it out of being tired?" "Wait¡­ that shouldn''t be a reason to blow yourself up¡­" "Ah, details¡­ Anyways, look at this shattered core." I said with a smile, grabbing the item in the floor and inspecting it using the System''s Analysis function. ----- [Shattered Ice Guardian Core (A- Grade)] A Special Golem Core made using powerful Ice Magic and Alchemy together. It possess incredible power and is capable of bringing forth a powerful Ice Golem as strong as an A Grade Monster, with a set of Skills, Spells, and high Stats, especially Mana. It can also draw Mana from its creator if it finds itself in a pinch, making it a vicious foe. However, it is now shattered and cannot be used unless repaired with high level Alchemy. ----- "I see, so this is what that Frost Queen used, huh?" Wondered Silvio. "That woman is literally dering war to us, mdy!" Francesco angrily said. "And how can we even retaliate anyways. I know the Ice Giants live inside a hidden dungeon with its own ecosystem and a strange tower in there. But what else than that? Nothing much. Not even Veredorr knows the exact area where we should go¡­ It is really a pain." I sighed. However, we still have to prepare for the worst-case scenario¡­ ----- Chapter 537 New Skills ----- Ding! [You and Your Party have in [Random Bandits] x120] [You and Your Party have in [Undead Ice Golems (B- Rank)] x97]N?v(el)B\\jnn [You and Your Party have in [Undead Ice Golem (B++ Rank)] x23] [You and Your Party have in [Ice Guardian Phoenix (A++ Rank)] x1] [You earned 5480000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 43 to Level 44!] [Your Level has increased from Level 44 to Level 45!] [All your Stats have increased!] Well I leveled up two times, that''s more than I had ever thought I would. Also it seems the Ice Phoenix gave over a million EXP, which is pretty crazy already. Ding! [You learned the [Spirit Connection: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You learned the [Infernal Queen: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Ice Monster yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Ice Resistance: Lv1] Resistance Skill!] [You learned the [Human yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] Oh I got five Skills out of the blue?! Well, let''s check them I guess¡­ ----- [Spirit Connection: Lv1] A Skill that can be learned by powerful magicians capable of connecting with their contract Spirits after Summoning them. Upon Connecting with a Spirit, the user and the spirit share senses, thoughts, and perhaps even memories. Elemental Affinities are melded together and the power of the user is enhanced greatly. While activating Spirit Connection with a designed Spirit, All Stats increase by +10% with each Skill Level, Magic, and MP increase by +20% with each Skill Level, and MP Consumption decreases by -5% with each Skill Level. Additionally, powerful Spirit Magic Spells can be conjured, unique to the user and the designated Spirit. ----- Alright this one seems like a straight boost whenever I activate the Skill and use Spirit Connection with my Spirits. All those stats increase seem really amazing to be honest, and the ability to use special "Spirit Magic Spells" seem promising. I already had a taste of that by conjuring a bunch of explosive fire attribute spells, they''lle pretty useful against the army of the Frost Queen. ----- [Infernal Queen: Lv1] A Title Skill granted to a powerful Fire Attribute Magic Wielder who has burned many powerful foes to death and defeated an incredibly strong being. You''ve crowned as the Queen of Infernal mes and your Fire Power is enhanced. Increases Fire Attribute Damage by +50% with an additional +20% with each Title Skill Level and Decreases MP Cost of Fire Attribute Magic Spells by -30%. Fire Magic can be conjured more easily and controlled more dexterously. ----- This one seems like a totally unlearned Skill. I mean I don''t even have fire magic affinity. I cannot even conjure Fire right now. Only¡­ phantom fire, but that''s Death Attribute Magic, it just has fire shape. But maybe it works with that as well? I tried it out as I conjured Phantasmal mes like Lucifer always does. And the mes did emerge. Beautiful and eerie blue mes simr to will-o-wisps. Their power had been enhanced by a tenfold, I was able to control them way better than before (I wasn''t that good at this one actually), and its MP Cost was reduced greatly! Ding! [You learned the [Phantasmal mes: Lv1] Magic Skill!] Woah, it seems I even got enough control over it to learn the Magic Skill as it is! I suppose the Spell got ingrained into my soul pretty quickly! All thanks to the Infernal Queen Title. This Skill is pretty self-exnatory, but I still checked it. ----- [Phantasmal mes: Lv1] A powerfulbination of Fire Attribute and Death Attribute Magic. Itbines the intensity of mes with the cold of death into a deadly blue me that spreads easily, freezing to death any living being and draining away their heat, life, and even mana. While conjuring Phantasmal mes, damage dealt is increased by +100% with an additional +20% with each Skill Level, and MP Cost is reduced by -5% with each Skill Level. Additionally, Fire and Death Attribute Resistances from a foe can be ignored by -20%. ----- Wow, alright, this is pretty strong. I didn''t thought the Phantasmal mes would receive such a boost! I guess I am finally wielding the fire more¡­ Although I can only bring this cold fire that drains heat and all, but against Ice monsters it is useless. For that I''ll need the fire that actually burns, which the Fire Ghosts can lend me. Anyways, moving on¡­ ----- [Ice Resistance: Lv1] A Skill learned by those naturally resistant to the ice element or that have received arge quantity of Ice Damage and survived, slowly adapting to its freezing and deadly might. Decreases Damage Dealt from Ice Attribute Attacks or Spells by -10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, grants immunity to Freezing Status Effects. ----- [Ice Monster yer: Lv1] A Title Skill granted to a powerful warrior that has in over a hundred Ice Type Monsters of great strength. Increases damage dealt against Ice-type foes by +50%, with an additional +20% with each Skill Level. Ice-type foes Physical and Magical Resistance can be ignored by -20%, and Elemental Resistance to Fire-type Attacks from foes can be ignored by -50%. Additionally, decreases damage from Ice Attribute Attacks or Magic by -30%. ----- Oh wow these two guys go well together! I never thought I would get such a good harvest out of this Bandit Hideout Assault, but now I might have a better chance at fighting these overpowered Ice Golems. Andstly, the shady Title Skill of the bunch. ----- [Human yer: Lv1] A Title given to those who had in hundreds of humans. You''re a terror to the human race, good for you. Maybe some gods will get angry at you though, be careful. Increases Damage Dealt to Human-type foes by +50% with an additional +20% with each Skill Level, Physical and Magical Defense can be ignored by -30%. Additionally, the user is more likely to awake fear into unsuspecting humans. ----- Oh man, this one''s DEADLY. Alright, I''ll be using it very well in the future, when I''ll have the beautiful task of ying the Dukes thar fucked up my life and that of my family in that little meeting between royal family members. Ah yes, I''m going to surely enjoy that, with all my soul. ----- Chapter 538 Back Home ----- After we were done with all of the Bandit stuff, we decided to quickly move over. We investigated and inspected the whole mountain and its surroundings, finding no strange areas anymore. I was honestly half-expecting another chamber like the other one where another Ice Phoenix or something worse would attack us, but there was nothing else. With that out of the way, we decided to move back home while I spread out hundreds of tiny, baby snake-sized Phantom Familiars. And not only those, but also Fly-shaped and just as small sized Phantom Familiars. My Phantom Familiars can be created in two forms now, the ssic snakes and then the flies. Both can be modified to be big and all. And they can even share a few of my Skills that I assign to them. However, without wasting much Mana they are not as strong as actual Undead in terms of fighting and all, and are better at scouting, or eliminating targets stealthily. Maybe more things can be done, but it is a hassle to exin them. I guess abusing Gorgon Eyes to inflict status effects to targets might be a nice one. Though ice golems are just immune to all the status effects I can inflict. They cannot be turned to stone, nor paralyzed, nor poisoned, nor confused¡­ Ugh, well, I still can use them into ice giants, if we ever fight those guys. Nheless, when I arrived back home, I was greeted by my family. Lucifer brought Nyx on his arms, Emeraldine and Partner looked to be sleepy, probably having spent the night doing alchemy, and even Brunhild showed up, yawning behind Lucifer, she probably just woke up to greet me. "You guys are back!" Said Partner. "Master, did you y the humans? Did you bring their blood?" "Yeah, they''re all frozen though, but we can just warm them upter to get you the blood." I sighed. "Did something wrong happened? It shouldn''t had been really hard to kill a few small fries." Said Lucifer.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Well yeah, a lot happened¡­" I sighed. "I''ll exin things to you in the castle. For now let''s assess what we got and bring things to the storage houses. I cannot simply hold everything on my Inventory if someone will ever need something at hand." "Alright. Leave it to us, you should rest a bit." Brunhild said with a gentle smile. "Thank you." I sighed, patting Lucifer''s sister head, she was nice and cute to be honest. "Mama¡­! Bwah!" Nyx greeted me, stretching her tiny ws at me. "You want mommy to hold you baby? Alright, mommy will spoil you lots and lots today, okay?" I quickly stole Nyx from Lucifer''s arms as I kissed the little treasure''s forehead. "Hungy!" She said. "Oh right, we were preparing lunch. Let''s talk about everything while having a meal." Said Lucifer. "Would be nice, alright¡­" Like that we all moved back to the castle. The Undead just went back to their former positions and the Goblins and Rabbit kin squadrons went back to their respective houses for the most part. They were all tired so I didn''t wanted to force them to do anything for now. Some of them were killing humans for the first time so they got a bit shocked and need some time to rearrange their minds and thoughts. However, the Goblin chief quickly went back to his daughter Gofumin and Syllis with his little sister. I guess this was an opportunity for everyone to both level up and also learn more about killing, although it might be better if we never engage in any sort of war, you never know what this crazy world as prepared for you. And as we began eating lunch and I rxed after taking a warm bath, we decided to finally begin speaking about what happened. I quickly exined the whole bandit essories thingy, the ice golems, and that ice phoenix golem. And above all, I also summoned a soul of the bandit boss I brought with myself here. He had memories of what happened, so I quickly extracted them out of his mind before l left him inside a zombie body that walked away quickly after to not bother our meal. He''s lucky I decided to not shatter his soul. "ording to what this guy''s mind says, this one masked vampire woman came to their hideout some time ago, offered them money, resources, and these magical essories." I said, putting the ring over the table. "After that, she told them to attack our vige after a week of preparing. It was a good thing we in them before it were to be toote. This was also probably the only group of bandits here, which was just a single gigantic group split into many." "Interesting¡­" Said Lucifer. "If I get this straight, not only the Vampires are trying to kill us indirectly, but this magic essory and the golems, they''re all made by this mysterious "Frost Queen", right?" "Yeah, Veredorr told me everything he knew about her, I''ve been looking for more info in the d Kingdom, but they have little knowledge about the Ice Giant Tribe apparently, and nobody knows where they live either. Another shot would be at the dwarves but I honestly doubt they know much either." I sighed. "I see¡­ So we arepletely in the blue about this." Lucifer said. "Can''t we find her?" "Without clues, in this snow-coveredndscape? I don''t think so¡­ I''ve already sent a hundred familiars EVERYWHERE." I said. "Maybe they''ll find something, or maybe not." "Sigh¡­" Lucifer seemed slightly dispirited. "At least now that those bandits are gone, at least there''ll be some time before we get threatened by something else." "I hope so." I said, drinking some wine. "I guess the Vampires really found our weakness, this vige. And just want to exploit it and make us worried all the time that something will pop up out of the blue." Said Emeraldine. "Well, there''s still something we could do." I said, quickly thinking of an idea. ----- Chapter 539 The Crown Of Skadi ----- I began thinking what we could do to make the ce more secure. We have already fully repaired these enormously tall walls the kingdom of Majin had before. But that alone won''t do. Any powerful magic attack could easily break them and if there are airborne enemies, then they can just easily ignore the whole walls and attack directly into the vige. A Magic barrier in the shape of a sphere which protects the entire ce would be ideal. But that''ll cost too much Mana and I would need to constantly supply it. If something ever happens to me then it would be quite problematic, everyone would be left to just die¡­ Maybe what we need is some sort of Magic Artifact, items that generate Barriers by being given fuel of some sort, Magic Crystals thate from monsters, for example. "Maybe we should make the ce more secure, perhaps? How about making Magic Barriers?" Asked Partner. She stole the idea out of my mind! "That''s¡­ an actually good idea. I think we could at least do as much¡­ Emeraldine, do you think we could make some sort of magic device to form barriers?" I wondered. "Hmm¡­" Emeraldine started to think. "I honestly don''t know, but most likely it could be a thing. Quite honestly, I only know how to make the very basics of things, small stuff¡­ Things such as devices that generate barriers to protect a whole vige are¡­ quite beyond me." "Damn it¡­" I sighed. "However, can it be possible? Maybe if we work together with the Dwarves? We could also borrow the aid of the Dwarven Country." "Yeah, that sounds good." Emeraldine said. "If we all get our minds together into this, we could actually think of a possible idea that could somewhat work, I hope." "I really would like to do it without asking help from the Dwarven country, it would dy everything a lot to be honest¡­" I sighed. "But yeah, we should give it a try." Though, I wonder if there is any Undead I could make that could somehow make a barrier? Especially one that resists Ice Attribute Magic? Is there any of such things anyways? An undead wall, or a golem made of bones could work for the walls, they would certainly be stronger than normal ones, but it would still end up being easily ignored with flying monsters. Hey System, could there be any Undead Recipe like this? [Searching¡­] FLASH! The Soul Grimoire suddenly emerged before my eyes, as its pages flickered rapidly. And then, something showed up, several results at that. One of them was Undead Metal Slimes. They were good at shapeshifting, bing incredibly hard, being good at resisting all elemental damage, and were amazing at self-regeneration. The only one we had right now was mercury, but we could make more of his by using his divided parts as ingredients. Undead Metal Slimes could help reinforcing the walls, and if something happens, they could unify all into an istion liquid metal bubble all over the entire territory¡­ but they cannot do it underground, so we would be susceptible to underground invasion if the enemy has something that can dig and get to the other side¡­ this is why a bubble-shaped barrier is better, protecting both above and below. There were no Undead avable that could just maintain a barrier endlessly, but I got several results, Magician Undead and other things like that. But even those guys got a finite amount of Mana and they''re rather weak¡­ It even suggested a squadron of Living Armor for defense, it does seems quite alright I guess, but not what I wanted either. Aside from that, there''s nothing much. The other thing might be raising a ton of ghosts and fusing them together using Undead Synthesis to create a massive ghost, incredibly long, that would cover everything¡­ but this also has a lot of weaknesses and might get destroyed easily anyways, it is just a ghost, and they''re not good at defense at all, I know because I am one. However, there could be a way to fuse the principles of this idea with Necromancy, Alchemy, and Forging to create some sort of Magic Artifact that uses my powers as well to work way better¡­ Maybe I''ll get some ideas when I talk with Emeraldine and the dwarvester. We continued eating, deciding to just rx and enjoy the rest of the lunch, however, Brunhild who seemed mostly silent suddenly spoke. "I think I might know something about those Ice Giants. I don''t particrly know anything about a "Frost Queen" but I do know there used to be a strange Magic Artifact left behind by the gods named Skadi''s Crown. It was left behind inside a hidden Dungeon where there''s an Abandoned Tower of the Gods in there¡­ I think the Ice Giants moved to live inside of that dungeon to protect themselves from the people of the outside world. This tower is something akin to their god in a way and pray to it." "Wait so you know this stuff?!" I asked. "Also Tower Of the Gods?" "It is an old relic of the past. In the past, Gods supossedly walked amongst the world''s surface alongside the Ancient Titans and the Divine Dragons. However, the war against the Evil God broke out, or something like that. Which made the gods retreat to a different Realm. Divine Dragons and Titans went almost extinct due to the wars they went through, but left descendants behind." Brunhild said. "Lucifer, Nyx, and I are Ancient Dragons and descendants of the Divine Dragons, guardians of the world."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "So that''s a thing huh." I said while thinking. "This Crown of Skadi¡­ why was it left behind?" "It was said that the artifact was broken and didn''t worked as intended. The gods left it behind by sealing it inside a tower inside a dungeon. Nobody should had ever found such an item. If an Ice Giant woman got it and became this "Frost Queen" the crown might be slowly taking over her mind¡­" Brunhild seemed concerned. ----- Chapter 540 Divine Artifacts ----- "If the crown takes over her mind then she''ll be mad. It is no wonder she''s trying to amass forces. She might go into full offensive against not only us but the rest of the continent. Although I wouldn''t really mind if those humans died, there would be a lot of good and innocent people mixed in between the ughter. Her whole mission is probably to turn this entire ce into an icyndscape." Brunhild said while looking at the windows. "I don''t know where the dungeon is, sadly. But I do know it is within this territory. I hope your familiars can find it." "I hope so too." I said. "Well, is there any more of these weird items around the world we didn''t know about?" I asked politely. "Lucifer hasn''t told you?" Brunhild wondered, looking at her brother. "I''ve forgotten about most of my memories." Lucifer sighed. "So no, I cannot really remember as much as I would had wanted." "Then I guess I can tell you about them¡­" Brunhild said. "It is rumored that in the era where the Gods fought the Evil God and his forces, they left behind many treasures of their Ancient God Civilization hidden within dungeons. These are called Divine Artifacts, Divine Treasures, or Divine Items, whatever''s the case, such items are of an incredible, indecipherable value that hold within great power. The Crown of Skadi is one of them, which grants the wilder an incredible power over not just normal Ice Magic, but the Divine Ice Magic Skadi, the Goddess of Snow, wields¡­ or something close to it. This might be a reason why the "Frost Queen" can make such incredible items and golems of great strength out of just mere ice." "Divine Artifacts¡­" I felt slightly drawn by the name. If I could get my hands into one, maybe I would be able to contend against her Divine Ice. "Oh, I know that face¡­" Lucifer said. "Maria, no¡­" Emeraldine said reluctantly. "Master wants to find one?" Wondered Partner. "Yes! I do! Do you know where there could be a Divine Artifact?!" I asked. "It is said they''re scattered around the world, hidden too well to be easily found. We only know about the Crown of Skadi because the Ice Giants discovered the crown by ident." Brunhild exined. "Sorry about that. But we have no clue whatsoever." "Dang it!" I angrily roared. Although at the end I just calmed myself. "Well, the items the dwarves are upgrading for me will be akin to Divine Artifacts based in how strong they''ll be." "Haha, I guess that''s a nice way to put it." Said Brunhild with a smile. "Hm, well maybe one day we''ll find another." Said Lucifer. "Though we are not really supposed to grab them." "Meh, who cares about the gods or whatever?" I sighed. "We do whatever we want here! We are already all protected by Hel. They''ll have to fight the goddess of death if they want to touch her protegee." "That sounded extremely cocky, I hope you understand what you''re talking about¡­" Lucifer facepalmed. "Maria, dealing with monsters, humans, even Kingdoms and Nations is okay, it is possible. But going beyond that and trying to fight gods themselves? Are you serious?" "I-I am not! Okay, okay, calm down. I was just joking¡­ I know they are rulers of everything and all. I am not going to mess with them or something. but the Frost Queen took one and she''s likepletely fine with it. Why hasn''t a god messed with her yet?" I wondered. "Also the Albraun Kingdom got themselves probably several fragments of the Evil God and they''re using them to produce all sorts of insane shit too! Nobodyins about that with them right?" "Yeah, I always heard Gods would exert divine punishment into those that touched what was considered taboos, yet they had yet to even act at all. Could it be that gods actually cannot do such things as freely?" Brunhild wondered. "Or maybe they''re justzy and not doing it because they don''t want to." I said. "Or maybe they are just letting anybody do whatever they want, specifically because they get in our way, so they''re letting them vite the rules just because they could be our obstacle!" "Maybe that''s being a bit paranoid, with a whole world out there, why would they do that specifically for you?" Asked Lucifer. "Haven''t you seen my Titles? I am literally hated by the God of Light so much the Title levels up automatically." I sighed. "Pretty hypocritical for a god to hate you so much in specific though¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "With so many people out there, he could hate someone else." "Yeah he''s just a retard." I sighed. "Anyways, I feel like we are going in circles here, let''s go n that Barrier Artifact for now, Maria." Emeraldine said. "Right, right! I wasn''t ranting or something¡­" I said. "You were definitely venting." Said Partner. "I am also angered for her so I kind of understand her." Said Lucifer. "Brother, let''s take care of Nyx for now until everyone''s back." Said Brunhild. "Alright, you girls can go I suppose." Lucifer said. "Partner is staying too." I said. "Eh?! Why me? I know Alchemy!" She said. "This is a reunion of experts and you''re a newbie, so you might end up disturbing our ns rather than¡­ well, helping." I said. "Guhh¡­ So cruel¡­" Partner sighed. "Partner will behave! Promise!" "Ugh¡­ Can''t you take care of Nyx though? I thought you liked her." I said. "Nyx is like my beloved daughter too but I want to help! I think I can give some ideas¡­ maybe." Partner sighed, fidgeting around.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Okay, okay, you cane with us." I said. "Mamaaa! Bwauh¡­" Nyx didn''t wanted to leave me, as she was sitting right over myp. "Sorry baby, we''ll go see something ande backter okay?" I said, giving her a kiss in her little nose. However, Nyx started to look like she was about to cry¡­ ----- Chapter 541 A Spoiled Little Daughter ----- "Buhh¡­ BUAAAAH! BUWAAAHH! MAMAAA!" Nyx began to cry out loud, as Lucifer and Brunhild sued all their strength to not let her jump over my back with her monstrous cmitous strength. "Don''t worry, I can be here as well as there, both at the same time." At the end, I divided myself in two and stayed with Nyx anyways. "Mama!" Nyx got happy right away, smiling and then flying to my arms again, rubbing her head over my chest and then¡­ falling asleep immediately after. She''s such a treasure, isn''t she? But she''s really killing me a bit too... Raising a kid is not easy. Like that, we left her behind and I moved towards the Furnace of the dwarves. The entire building was now pretty big, and aside from the three dwarves in our town, there were many new apprentices here who had a knack for crafting and forging. Humans, elves, and goblins made up most of the team of forgers. They were all newbies though; the trio of dwarves were slowly teaching them everything they knew about and seeing their progress. Most of them had to be burly to handle all the strength needed, but there were some promising younglings with lots of stamina due to being young. The whole group wasposed of twelve people and with the dwarves included, fifteen. We still needed more people if we wanted to produce stuff to sell as a vige of our own, but these people were more than enough for the daily lives of the town, which wasposed roughly of like¡­ two hundred people? We cannot even be considered a city, were just a small vige of refugees. Of course, if we take into consideration all the Undead I have here patrolling and slowly maintaining the ce, there might be close to a thousand¡­ "Hey guys, how''s its going?" I entered the furnace as a wave of heat hit our faces, making our air blow away. Entering the furnace was always this experience. The impact that the change of temperaturepared to the cold outside from the furnace was quite big. I''ve seen some people just go visit the people at the furnace to warm up. Sometimespletely unrted people joined them for lunch and dinner to keep themselves warm in there. Of course, there should be chimneys in every house by now, but there''s a lot of people that is often forced to work outside due to their jobs. Lumberjacks go to cut trees outside the walls so they always have it tougher, there are people that are paid to clean the streets and help restore the entire city. There is arge group that cook, other that sews clothes, others that hunt, others that process animals and their pelt and materials, those that repair things and build houses and furniture, not something the cksmiths here do much as they specialize better in metallurgy and equipment, and so on. Literally everyone has a job or two by now, I am not really someone that likes to force anyone to work too much. Work ethics back on earth were actually a bit barbaric, working 8 hours in a row for five or sometimes six days a row, barely any time to do anything else either? It is too unhealthy. People here most of the time work at most five hours a day, and often times take breaks in between working days leisurely. We are a small poption so there''s no pressure to do stuff to maintain everything. We are quite stable. And if people feel like not working much, the Undead are there to do simple jobs. Although they''re quite bad at crafting and everything else, so the most they usually do is carry stuff, cut lumber, and clean. They assist hunting but are quite bad at butchering or processing things. I am trying to make a bnce between what Undead do or not to not get people toozy over it, everyone already knows they gotta work hard to keep their families and themselves alive, the Undead are only there to cover up for things not everyone can do, in a way. Nheless, they''re an important pir to our daily lives. The dwarves quickly greeted us as we entered the furnace. The twin dwarves seemed excited to see me for some reason, did they know I came here to design a new magic artifact or- "Yoss! We got your stuff done!" "Yeah, the sword and the axe like you asked." "It was kind of hard to piece together the Staff and the Cursed Sword you gave us, but the Divine Protections we have can even work on cursed equipment, what would you know?" "Yeah, the staff and the big sword were fused as you asked. The staff became the primary stick of the sword while the sword''s de surrounds it as you waned¡­ I never thought staffs could turn into swords like that, but it really worked." Baldur and Badur showed me an incredible ck Sword. So big it was obviously a two-handed de. The pir of the sword was a long ck''s staff with several red and purple jewels incrusted into them. These were all Demonite Ores, heheh. I managed to allow them to use the mid-ranked Demonite Ores without suffering any side effect by creating a few new Undead and a special Spell. The Undead were named Armorer Protective Suits, which were a variant of living armors, which isted miasma from entering inside the body. The other spell was "Reinforced Spiritual Phantasmal Veil" which was made to cover them for a secondyer to protect them even more from the "radiation" of the rich miasma within Demonite.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Of course, it still quite risky, so it was only for these weapons and nothing more than that would kind of me suicide for them. Demonite is amazingly strong and can turn equipment intopletely different things, but it is too risky to handle around carelessly. Funnily enough, Lucifer and Brunhild donated their materials as well! ----- Chapter 542 Marias New Weapons ----- Lucifer and Brunhild donated some of their scales, ws, fangs, and horn pieces to be used as materials as well, which were rather high quality! Having a dragon husband and a dragon sister-inw is like having two walking piles of treasures for crafting and alchemy! ¡­Although I shouldn''t refer to them as such I guess. "And we also merged the spear with the battle axe into a Halberd like you asked." "Ooh! Nice!" What I had asked the dwarves to do is merge my four weapons into two. They merged the Staff I use with the Cursed Sword, and then the Battle Axe I got from Leon with the Spear I''ve been using to form a powerful Halberd. I''ve been nning on learning arrows and bows, but I''ll leave that for another asion. This way, if both weapons merge, the Cursed Longsword bes capable of both enchanting Magic Power and Magic Speed and also Damage Dealt as both a staff and a sword, while the Halberd as the powerful impact power of a Battle Axe with the flexibility of a Spear and can use both Skills correspondent to the weapons as well! "Of course, these two are quite heavy. I don''t think you could lift them up, probably only very muscr guys-" However, I easily lifted both of them. "Come on I''ve got like over 60000 Attack stat, that''s strength, right? I can easily lift stuff." I said while shrugging. Both weapons were indeed quite heavy, but nothing outside of the ordinary. Perhaps both were like¡­ maybe the sword is around 60 kilograms? And the Halberd around 70 or 80. Bncing the de with the long spear handle might be hard for some but it is not hard for me. I don''t even look muscr, I guess it is just this weird world''s game logic. More Attack Stat = More Physical Strength. It doesn''t even matter if you don''t even have a physical body to begin with. Now, time to check these babies¡­ ----- [Abyssal Necrolord''s ursed Demon de (A Grade)] [Level]: [0/60] [Durability]: [25000/25000] [Effects] [HP]: [+20000] [MP]: [+40000] [Attack]: [+45000] [Defense]: [+10000] [Magic]: [+35000] [Agility]: [+20000] [Darkness Attribute Damage]: [+30000] [Death Attribute Damage]: [+30000] [Abilities] [Hybrid Magic Weapon: Staff]: A weapon that works as both a Staff and a Longsword. Enhances Magic Damage, Conjuration and Spell Speed, and Magic Control by +60%. Decreases Spell MP Cost by -30%. [Hybrid Magic Weapon: Longsword]: A weapon that works as both a Staff and a Longsword. Enhances shing Damage, Weapon Technique Speed, and Reflexes by +70%. Decreases Techniques and Weapon-rted Skills MP Cost by -20%. [Necrolord''s Treasure]: Enhances Darkness and Death Magic Attribute Damage by +100%, decreases MP Cost by -50%. Raised Undead or Contracted Undead receive a buff that enhances all stats by +50% as long as they''re within the user''s range of 100 meters. [Cursed Demonic de]: Can devour Souls, Negative Energy, Phantoms, Magic, Life, and Blood from foes to increase its Level and gain more bonus Stats. Once enough is absorbed, everything can be unleashed in a powerful [Demonic Catastrophe] that deals +500% Damage and ignores -70% of a foe''s defenses, however, the weapon takes -5000 Durability as Damage. ----- . ----- [Demonic Infernal Titan''s Grand As Halberd (A Grade)] [Level]: [0/60] [Durability]: [30000/30000] [Effects] [HP]: [+40000] [MP]: [+10000] [Attack]: [+65000] [Defense]: [+30000] [Magic]: [+10000] [Agility]: [+30000] [Darkness Attribute Damage]: [+20000] [Death Attribute Damage]: [+20000] [Fire Attribute Damage]: [+20000] [Abilities] [Hybrid Magic Weapon: Battle Axe]: A weapon that works as both a Battle Axe and a Spear. Increases Blunt Damage, Weapon Might, and Weight Bnce by +70%. Decreases Techniques and Weapon-rted Skills MP Cost by -20%.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Hybrid Magic Weapon: Spear]: A weapon that works as both a Battle Axe and a Spear. Increases Piercing Damage, Weapon Speed, and Weapon Dexterity by +70%. Decreases Techniques and Weapon-rted Skills MP Cost by -20%. [Infernal Demon''s Rampage]: Enhances Fire Attribute Damage by +50% and Weapon Damage by +100%, decreases MP Cost by -20%. By spendingrge quantities of MP and a part of this weapon''s durability, it is possible to unleash an [Infernal Rampage] to continuously attack a target with zing fury. Each attack increases damage dealt by +10% while ignoring defense by -5% with each sessful attack. After ten consecutive attacks, an [Ultimate Blow] can be unleashed that deals up to +500% Damage based in umted damage from previous attacks. The user is surrounded by Infernal mes while using this technique, enhancing Fire Attribute Magic Damage from nearby allies, and lowering MP Cost. [Gluttonous Halberd]: The more lives this weapon takes, the stronger it can grow. Upon sessfully killing a foe, Durability can be automatically recovered and the weapon''s strength will be boosted temporarily, increasing all Weapon Stats by +1% with each foe defeated. ----- By merely holding both weapons, they were automatically equipped in each of my hands. I quickly received a boost in power I had not expected at all... And when I saw the stats of each weapon, I quickly realized why holding both weapons made me feel so strong. They increased my Attack Stat so much they more than doubled it. It waspletely nuts. Their abilities were also awesome. The Necrolord''s de could now enhance my Undead''s stats and my magic power too! It all went so high I have¡­ more or less doubled my total strength? I would love to have a rematch with that Ant Queen bitch now, maybe I could solo her now¡­ or not. Well, I would have to see thatter if we ever encounter a mightier foe in the Dungeon back in the Dwarven territory. Also both weapons got special abilities that enhance damage and all but sacrifice Durability. I guess they''re more likest resort stuff, so unless I am cornered, I am not using them because Durability is like the HP of a weapon, if it goes to zero, they shatter into pieces. Maybe they can be repaired, but it would be a monumental job. At least the Halberd can self-repair by killing foes, but the de cannot, so I have to be extra careful to not ruin my two biggest stat sticks so far. With them I am apletely different fighter altogether, I have to treasure them with all my soul! "Thanks a lot guys, I really love them! You guys are just¡­ fucking amazing!" I couldn''t help but praise the dwarves, as theyughed, feeling happy to be praised for their craft. "It''s nothing. We had fun making them." "Yeah, yeah. d you like them,ss!" ----- Chapter 543 Barrier Artifact ----- Both the ck longsword and the halberd glowed with menacing, chaotic auras. They were almost emanating miasma and death by itself outside, so just to not let them contaminate the surroundings, I quickly stored them inside of my Inventory. Once we were done analyzing and praising the work of the dwarves, we moved to what we came here for, talking about the Barrier Artifact. "A Barrier Artifact you say?" Wondered Baldur. "Oh yeah, I guess we could make some. They need specific Ores to make though, merely inscribing runes won''t do it if you want something strong enough." Said Badur. "Yeah, we should mine some more ores at the mountain as fast as we can in that case." Said Darfu. "I see, that''s a pity¡­" I sighed. "¡­Wait, what!? So it is possible to make one?!" "Yeah it is." Said Baldur. "How do you think our country has survived this long, being atop a mountain is only one part of it." Badur said. "We employ a powerful series of Barrier Artifacts around the mountain which covers most of our territory whole. There are twenty barrieryers. The reason why we don''t get attacked by monsters from the dangerous outside world, and even flying between mountains is safe is due to these invisible barriers." Said Darfu. "However it appears Lady Maria and her friends and Undead seem to not notice the barrier at all, and ignore itpletely¡­ if you were to ever be someone evil, it would be our utter demise for sure." "Yeah, you guys are kind of like monsters but not, I guess. You''re kind of an exception. The Barrier does several things in fact." Baldur said. "Depending in the Magic Ores and Alchemy used, Barrier Artifacts can even be "edited" to create istion and other things. Our country''s barriers iste the cold temperatures from the outside and intensifies the warmth of the barely visible sun''s sunlight. Thanks to the barrier we can grow crops despite the situation, although very few, but we can." "Amazing¡­ I never thought barriers had such ways to be used!" I said in surprise. "We could actually deal with our cold temperature problem and the insane amount of firewood we spend a day if we make a barrier that can iste part of the cold of the exterior, and if we modify it, to intensify the dim sunlight for our crops!" I said happily, realizing this was it. "Not only that, aside from providing defense against attacks both magical and physical, they repel monsters away." Said Baldur. "Yeah, like a monster repellent, the monsters simply feel scared and don''t get closer. Even the mighty Wyverns, the kings of those mountains don''t get closer and make their nest far away from where we dwarves mine and the like." Said Badur. "It is also another reason why we were able to keep that deadly Miasma-filled Dungeon sealed, using barrier artifacts." Darfu said. "And even more, how the other smaller dungeons near the capital are also kept at bay, the barrier innately makes the monsters scared of walking outside their dungeons, so they often never get out unless in very rare asions¡­ or when there''s someone that finds the artifacts and breaks them or something."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Anyways, it is possible to make a Barrier Artifact, for that we need the precious and rare Barrier Stones, they are special Magic Ores that grow in the mountains. Did you never found any of them?" Asked Baldur. "Nope, they''re apletely new thing to me¡­ I guess we just need to dig deeper in our personal mountain, heheh¡­" I giggled. "Or mine the caves inside that dungeon, but I would rather dig the mountain to be honest." "But¡­ I bet that''s not everything you want out of it, right?" Asked Baldur. "I can see in your eyes you had other intentions." Said Badur. "Well, yeah¡­ I was thinking if it could be possible to integrate my ability to raise and control undead, and control souls as well. I had considered forming a Ghost Barrier, a "living" barrier made of countless of ghosts merged together on top of the entire vige. What do you think?" I asked. The three dwarves looked at one another, raising their eyebrows. And then they burst intoughter. "Bwahahaha!" "Combining Necromancy with Barrier Artifacts?!" "That''s¡­pletely nuts!" "Uggh¡­ I never thought you guys were this much of a trio of jerks¡­" I sighed. "You can just tell me it can''t be possible; you don''t have tough at me!" I angrily barked. "Also I am your ruler, be more respectful-" "No, no, we were notughing at your idea, Lady Maria. Please calm down." Said Darfu. "Eh?" "We were simplyughing at how incredible your ideas are! We never thought about that now¡­ But yeah, I guess your necromancy powers can do a lot of stuff. From that Phantasmal Veil you used to the Living Armor that protects against Miasma. You''re developing technology on your own ways as well, which is incredible." Said Baldur. "If wepare both magic technology from the dwarves and your necromancy, both are revolutionary, merging them together will surely be a challenge that''ll need Alchemists too, so I guess we''ll be counting on you threesses." Said Badur, looking at Emeraldine, Partner, and I. "Alright, count on us." I said. "Hmm¡­ I''ve written here a series of materials we''ll need. We''ve got a few things but not near as enough." Said Badur, who had been scribbling things over a paper. I read the paper and saw the things he required. "High Quality Mithril Ingots, Barrier Stones of High Quality, Light-attribute ores, Phantom-attribute ores, magic conducting cables made of Yellow Bronze¡­ Wow you''ve got a big list here, damn. Wait, even Golem Cores?!" I asked. "Yeah, Barrier Artifacts are enormous golem-shaped things, they work automatically so giving them a golem core is a must so they can work independently." Said Baldur. "We couldpensate with it using Necromancy, but we don''t exactly know how. The best shot is at making one and then modifying it using your help and Alchemy." Said Badur. "I see¡­ Sounds interesting." I said with a smile. "Alright, I guess its time to go mine some ores!" ----- Chapter 544 New Skills ----- "My pickaxe broke though¡­" I sighed. Showing my pickaxe to the dwarves. "Hmm, well, this pickaxe is too weak to handle your strength." Baldur said. "We should make you a new one, yeah? Let''s use the strongest ores we got for her." Said Badur. "A Demonite Crystal too, she seems to have high affinity with them." Darfu added. "Thank you guys, and sorry¡­ Can you get it as soon as possible?" I asked. "Yeah we just started working again so we can get it done by tomorrow morning." Baldur added. "Leave it to us." Badur said. "Lady Maria, it is time for your forging lessons too, so you better stay here for now." Darfu said. "Ugh, alright¡­" I sighed. "For now we''ll go back to the Atelier to do some more Alchemy." Emeraldine said. "We were thinking on making the barrier with some special items I suggested." Said Partner.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Which one?" I wondered. "Alchemy y!" Partner said. "Isn''t it good at conducting Mana?" "Alchemy¡­ y?!" The three dwarves looked back at Partner. "Eh?" "You''ve got Alchemy y?! Why did you never told us about it?!" "Alchemy y is the best material to meld other materials together! Only experienced alchemist can truly make high quality ones¡­" "If you can get done as many as you can, we might be able to create what Lady Maria has envisioned even more easily." After hearing the three dwarves'' words, Partner and Emeraldine suddenly felt pumped up. "Alright! Leave it to us!" "Time to make some more Alchemy y then!" The two ran away from the furnace and straight back to the castle. ¡­.I could probably mass produce Alchemy y by adding it into the slots of [Instant Creation] though, but I think a higher quality one can only be created by their own hands, so it is better to leave them to do that. Like that, I spent the next few hours learning more forging with Darfu, who was a rather patient teacher. I quickly began creating ingots, and made more daggers, short swords, and even made some metallic wands as well. "Phew, this was a fruitful day¡­" "You''re getting better by the day, Lady Maria. I think you might be getting closer-" Ding! [You learned the [Smithing: Lv1] Skill] [You acquired the [Apprentice cksmith: Lv1] Title Skill!] "Ooh! I got Smithing! Is that a good skill? How many skills do you guys use?" I wondered. "Smithing¡­? Huh¡­ Wait, WHAT?!" Darfu asked in surprise. "I-It took me years to learn that Skill and you got it in less than a week¡­ Incredible." "Ah¡­ S-Sorry if that makes you feel bad¡­" I said. "No, it''s fine¡­ Lady Maria is always very talented at literally everything. I guess you had to just push a bit harder and you got it already!" Said Darfu. "However, you''ve still gotta get them all. Much like Alchemy has several Skills that work with it such as Brewing and Synthetize, Forging does as well. Smithing is the skill that helps you at smelting ores and form them into different shapes, it also aids at smithing them into shapes. Then there''s Forging which enhances our ability to forge items and give them proper shape. There''s also Metallurgy that increases your knowledge of ores and how to properly handle every metal you touch and also the most efficient methods. There''s also cksmith, a special Skill only very experienced cksmiths get! I only have Apprentice cksmith, took me five years to get it. It really does a lot of help, the old men over there got the Master cksmith Skills for sure, and perhaps Magic Smithing too¡­" "Oh, I see! I''ve gotten the Apprentice cksmith too!" I said happily. "I see- EEEH?! You got it?!" He asked in surprise. "N-No way, that''s impossible, you require years of experience you can''t¡­ possibly¡­ ah, never mind." Darfu sighed. "If ites tomon sense, Lady Maria will always shatter any sense of it." "I-I''m sorry if it makes you feel bad, I really am not in fault for this I just¡­ I guess I am just lucky." I said with a nod. In fact, it is because I died in my previous life and wished to have a System, I guess I''ve gotta have some sort of learning advantage of Skills and all that others don''t really have. Well, I might as well check the Skills to begin with. ----- [Smithing: Lv1] A Skill only acquired by Apprentice cksmiths that have learned the ability to smelt ores, fuse them into ingots, shape ingots into different forms, and beautifully shape metals. Enhances the quality of smelted Ores and Created Ingots by +50%, with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Increases Dexterity and Maneuverability of Ores and Metals, and the ability to shape them to what is within your mind by +100%. Additionally, grants the ability for Ores to be rapidly shaped into Ingots through the usage of MP, but when using traditional methods, their quality doubles. ----- [Apprentice cksmith: Lv1] A Title Skill that only specially talented Apprentices can learn after many years of training. It enhances the ability to shape ingots into equipment, to bring out what''s within the user''s imagination, and to be able to shape and create equipment by +100%, with an additional +20% with each Level. Additionally, the quality of created finished items rises greatly, and new effects can appear moremonly, with a chance of 30%. All cksmith-rted Skills can be learned and leveled at twice the speed. ----- W-What the fuck am I looking at? These Skills are INSANE. I am fairly sure that Darfu doesn''t have these versions of these Skills at all! These bonuses are way too INSANE to actually be normal, right? I doubt they''re normal at all! I''ve already confirmed that Skills, despite having simr names, varies within their descriptions and what they can do from person to person¡­ And no matter how simple is a Skill I learn, it always ends up with some ridiculous, over the top effects¡­. I guess smithing will not be a problem anymore. I''ll be having fun making my own creations! ----- Chapter 545 A New Pickaxe ----- The next day came within the blink of an eye, as we were already ready to depart back to the Dwarven Country. I had left several high ranked Undead watching around the entire walls, and in case of an emergency, the Phantom Doppelganger I left here will summon me and everyone else right away. It is something I was able to finally perform now that I''ve grown strong enough. It effectively works like teleportation now. I''ve always been able to teleport those deemed as my "servants" right in front of me through the Summon Skill, but I wasn''t able to perform it with Phantom Familiars, however, now that my soul has grown so big I created a Phantom Doppelganger, a single one though, which can use Summon effectively, being able to teleport us all back home if an emergency urs so we can deal with everything effectively. The n is to actually create more of these Phantom Doppelgangers and leave them all over the world so we can freely teleport anywhere we want, but that seems to be quite impossible right now. The amount of Phantom Doppelgangers I can make is based in my Aether stats at the end, Phantom Familiars, although sometimes take my same appearance and share my mind, are effectively not really "me" in a way and cannot do such things. But Phantom Doppelgangers can. I managed to figure out a way thanks to experimenting with my own Soul and my ability to divide my soul and phantom into fragments with each one sharing my mind like a hivemind. Took me quite a while, but I kind of figured out a way to do this. The dwarves decided toe with us in this trip as well. And because leaving Nyx here would be impossible with how much she''s attached to us; we can only bring her along. She has such high stats that I am fairly sure she can just right even inside a dungeon filled with monsters. We have yet to see her dragon form to begin with, but I am sure it is quite amazing. Lucifer said this was a good opportunity to teach her how to hunt and all. So she can get ustomed to hunt for herself and take down prey to eat. And also this is an opportunity for her to get some level ups and all, she''s still a newbie in all of that, despiteing packed with skills and high stats. I doubt she''ll have much of a hard time. "Take care!" The Goblin Chief said. "Yeah, please take care!" Gofumin waved her hand. The twins, Takeshi, and Laura, who were alsoing with us again, said their goodbyes to their friends Gofumin and the other kids. "I''ll bring you something Gofumin!" Takeshi said. "Yeah, we''ll bring sweets and other stuff!" Laura said. Gofumin was asking me while in tears some hours ago toe with us, she really wanted to explore the outside world, but her father was not sure about that and wanted her close to him. As he was designed to protect the entire vige, he couldn''t leave her alone. "Be careful over there please, Lady Maria." Syllis asked while feeling slightly concerned of my recklessness. His appearance has changed. Although he still had a beautiful feminine face, his body had grown from being sleek and thin, and he had grown muscles over his intense training coupled with his recent evolution. All Rabbit-kin evolved into Horned Rabbit-kin, now gaining sharp horns over their heads and stronger physiques. "Sure, sure, you keep the vige well protected, Syllis. Also keep at bay the monster poption in the wilderness." Imanded. "Very well." Like that, we quickly left once more, after a week of spending it back home, we moved back to the dwarven country for obvious reasons. Mining the necessary ores, purchasing materials, maintaining the dungeon we conquered, and also helping with Helga''s guild, our guild, and everything else. Also toplete that Miasma-filled dungeon, which is atent danger in that peaceful country. FLAAAASH! As we flew across the skies, the dwarves gave me a new pickaxe. "Here''s your pickaxe by the way, Lady Maria." Baldur said. "This pickaxe was made with our finest products, make sure not to break it this time." Badur said. "It was specially designed to adapt to your monstrous strength." Darfu said. "Ooh!" The Pickaxe was pure ck, with a big red jewel on top of it. The pointy end resembled a sharp hook that could easily slice through anything. And its wholeposition seemed to be overflowing with Mana. This pickaxe is more like a deadly weapon now¡­ ----- [Earth Shattering ck Pickaxe of Doom: As (A Grade)] [Level]: [0/60] [Durability]: [100000/100000] [Effects] [HP]: [+5000] [MP]: [+5000] [Attack]: [+5000] [Defense]: [+5000] [Magic]: [+5000] [Agility]: [+5000] [Earth Attribute Damage]: [+30000] [Abilities] [Cursed Pickaxe of Doom]: When using this Pickaxe inside a [Cave] grants an additional +50000 Attack. Stone can be shattered with more ease, and each swing of this pickaxe can spread into chain breaks, which will open more areas to break through. Bedrock is no problem for this pickaxe. [Treasure Seeker]: While wielding this pickaxe, grants the ability to sense where there are high quality ores or even treasures, dungeons, equipment, and more within the interior of caves or simr areas. Increases the quality of Mined Ores by +50%. [Cave King]: While being within a Cave, as long as the pickaxe is wielded, the user can see through the best spots to mine through. Mined ores can be easily checked through [Ore Appraisal] and stored within [Ore Inventory], and specific Ores the user has already Mined can be searched using [Ore Search]. Mined stone can be shaped through [Shaping] and even the internal structure of caves can be modified as long as they don''t contain high level Ores through [Cave Architect].n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ----- "What¡­ is this thing? You guys have really overdone it now!" The moment I saw the demonic pickaxe, I felt like I was about to pass out. Each one of its abilities was more insane than the other¡­ ----- Chapter 546 Nyx, The Nibbler Of Tails ----- There was only one word for this pickaxe¡­ Utterly MONSTROUS! "I never thought you guys would make something this monstrously strong for a mere pickaxe." I sighed. "What? "MERE"?!" Asked Baldur angrily. "Pickaxes are our pride and joy, they''re the very best friend inside a mine. Without them, our entire country wouldn''t exist." Said Badur. "They''re the glory of our tribe." "The two of them wanted to make the best pickaxe they had ever made for you, Lady Maria." Said Darfu. "Although theyined there were not enough materials, they really made something ridiculous with what they had."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "H-Howe it has such insane Abilities though?" I wondered. "It received the Divine Protection of the Goddess of Earth, that''s why." Said Baldur. "Indeed, she blessed this Pickaxe. Can''t you tell already? it is named As by her." Badur added. "Wait what? So gods can bless items?" I wondered. "When they''re very impressed of our creations, they sometimes bless the items, granting them special effects that make the items utterly stronger than anything before. It is a very rare chance though." Said Darfu. "Thoughtely it has been happening a lot¡­" Said Baldur. "Yeah, all the weapons we''ve made for your party, all of them got the Divine Protection of the God of cksmiths, and now this one got the one of the Goddess of Earth. Pretty crazy, right?" Laughed Badur. "You might think the gods abhor you, but there might be some in your side without you realizing, Maria!" Said Darfu. "I believe they know you''re helping our country, so you guys got a gift from all of them. You better pay back and help us deal with the problems. The whole dungeon thing could potentially be a huge solution to our harvesting issues alone." Sighed Baldur. "But if you manage to conquer THAT Dungeon¡­ then you would be regarded as National Heroes." Badur said, while nodding. "We''ve made our part now, so it is up to you guys to do the rest." "Right¡­ I suppose you''re right. Thanks a lot." I said with a smile. "Yeah, never thought the grumpy old men that asked for beer back then would be so useful now, you''re pirs for a lot of stuff in our vige." Said Partner. "Who are you calling grumpy old men?!" Baldur asked. "Well, we kind of are!" Laughed Badur, Baldurughed right after him. "I never thought a God would bless a Pickaxe¡­" Lucifer said. "Well this world is surely filled with wonders." "Papa! Biiiiggg¡­" Said Nyx. Since the moment Lucifer transformed into his dragon form, she began saying her newly learned word "big" all the time. She was euphoric over his giant appearance and found him awesome. "You will one day also be as big as me, Nyx." Lucifer humored her, as she sat down in myp beginning to bite over the pickaxe I received. I quickly stored it because her sharp fangs could definitely break the pickaxe if she put her mind into it. And instead I gave her "No, don''t bite the godly pickaxe dear." I said, petting her head. "Grawr! Rar!" She roared cutely, trying to bite my hand. "You''re a cute little dragon already, huh? You want to bite so badly? Oh! Brunhild, lend us your tail for a bit." I said, as Brunhild quickly flinched the moment I grabbed her tail. "Eek! W-Wait!" "Nom!" Nyx began nibbling at it. "Sigh¡­" Brunhild sighed. "She bit my tail this entire morning already¡­" "Don''t worry, Emeraldine can heal you back." I said. "I guess I can¡­" Emeraldine nodded. "It is nice to have a living member to our party now." "Eh? Ah, I guess I am a member of your "Main Party" now?" Wondered Brunhild. "Of course! And with Nyx, we are five now." I said. "Those old dwarves don''t got a knack for fighting so they stay in the security of the country, but you''ll being with us in our adventures from now on. don''t you want to explore the world after living in istion for so long?" "Right¡­ I guess I do want to." Said Brunhild with a smile. "Oi Maria, don''t force my sister to do things she doesn''t want to though!" Lucifer reprimanded me. "Brunhild if you don''t want to apany us you''re free, don''t feel forced, you''re quite old and-" "I might be your older sister, but it doesn''t give you the right to call me a grandma now, Lucifer!" Brunhild suddenly changed her often silent and gentle nature, going back to her cocky nature from back then when we first met. "I-I didn''t called you a grandma! Oi, calm down okay?" Lucifer seemed scared of his sister. "O-Ouch! Don''t grab my scales! Agh! Don''t pull them!" "Apologize!" Brunhild had some sort ofplex over not wanting to be seen as old. "Okay sorry! I apologize." Sighed Lucifer. "Only because you''re my sister, a great dragon such as me doesn''t apologize to anybody!" "Dwagon!" Said Nyx, imitating a new word. "Yes honey, that''s what you are, a dragon." I said to her, as she smiled. "Dwagon?" She asked, pointing at herself. "Yep." I nodded. "Oooh! Wagooooon!" She said happily, her tiny tail began waving around as if she were a puppy. Then she started petting her father''s scales below. "Papa, dwagon, big?" She asked, pointing at her father and then at herself. "Yes you will one day be big like papa." I said with a smile. "Bwiiig!" Nyx seemed to be excited about bing big. "I''m sorry to interrupt your cute little moment, but we are finally here." Said Baldur. "Ah, the good ol'' mountain." Said Badur. "Look, if you focus your sight into the sky, you might be able to notice the barrier." Darfu told me. "Really? Let''s see¡­ Oh! You''re right." I said with a nod. "I can actually see it! The barrier''s right there!" I was able to see the barrieryer byyer. It was indeed quite a big, massive barrier that spread out across the sky. It looked to be made of many tiny barriers as well, each one reflecting the small sunlight and enhancing it several times, I guess that''s how it works¡­ If we can get this back in the vige, things would be able to change for the better. ----- Chapter 547 A Second Visit To The Dwarven City ----- We reached the skies above the mountain where the dwarven country was located and quickly descended there. Well, behind it, letting Lucifer turn into his humanoid form and then walk into the country as if nothing. I doubt they''ll try to kill him if people learn he''s an ancient dragon or something, but it is better to just keep it a secret for now. The less people know, the less of a hassle it is. Lucifer, Brunhild, and Nyx can easily pass as Majin of some scaled tribe in their humanoid forms, so there are not many suspicious stares towards us¡­ I guess maybe from some people that know there are no scaled tribes. Maybe, but they still think "huh, maybe I don''t know everything". Also it really helps that the whole country has many citizens that are from other tribes, Majin included. Despite being called "the country of dwarves" they''ve got a massive amount of other tribes within their poption, which shows how open-minded dwarves are, I guess¡­ even against elves, the rumored rivals of dwarves, they''re just as friendly. Sometimes they say a few words or nicknames but they don''t go past that. Though Emeraldine is so gorgeous that she hasn''t gotten any slurs thrown at her back then. Maybe the powerful magic aura she gives off also helps, she intimidates a lot of people with her mana pool alone, which sometimes leaks into intimidating auras around our bodies. Nheless, we easily got past the gates and into the city. We swiftly decided to move to Helga''s home to go visit her and then move to Aquamarine''s residence. The olddy will then call Ruby, the Viscountess, our new political ally that will handle all the hassle of the dungeon''s management. Knock, knock. We knocked the door as we waited for someone toe to open it. And it was one of Helga''s little kids. A cute dwarf girl with tiny ck horns above her head. "Hello dear, we are looking for your mom, we are her guild friends." I said. "MOOOOOOOM!" The little girl didn''t even wasted a second and called for her mother. "What is it baby, I''m busy cooking right now!" Helga''s voice echoed. "Helga we are back!" I called. "Huh? Oh! Maria! Been a week!" Helga ran towards us leaving everything behind, a bunch of kids could be seen behind her ying around. "Hello, I brought the whole squad as usual this time." I said. "I see- Huh? That girl is¡­ the one you meet in the dungeon?" Asked Helga. "I am Lucifer''s big sister, Brunhild." Brunhild presented herself. "The big sister of- Oh¡­" Helga quickly realized Brunhild was also an Ancient Dragon. "I-It is an honor, of course!" Helga said slightly nervously. "Hm, you''ve got a beautiful home." Brunhild said politely. "And you¡­ Huh? Who''s this baby? Where did it came from?" Wondered Helga, looking at Nyx nibbling a big bone. "This is our daughter." Said Lucifer. "Yeah we named her Nyx." I said. "Eh?! You''ve got a kid?! Did you not bring it back then?" Helga wondered. "Err, yeah, we didn''t¡­ She insisted oning, here she is." I said with a smile. "T-That''s right." Lucifer yed along with the little lie. Exining to her that Nyx came from an old near fossilized egg Lucifer''s wife left behind would be too much, just telling her she''s our daughter is just easier and better in the long run, I suppose. "Well, aren''t you a cute little brat?" Helga smiled at Nyx, as Nyx opened her jaws, showing her the sharp teeth of a dragon. "Damn! She''s¡­ built like a dragon, I guess. Alright,e in. How about we all have some lunch together? We can go to that old grandma afterwards. Now hat you''re back we can begin doing a lot of stuff we have been waiting for, Maria. Also they''re kind of pressuring us into the whole dungeon business¡­" "I get it, don''t worry. We''ll get to work in there right away." Right that, we enjoyed a good meal at Helga''s house, greeted Myriad, Helga''s husband, and then we swiftly moved to the old grandma''s residence, or Aquamarine, one of the guild masters of the two major guilds of this country that manage all mining, dungeon, and monster rted affairs. "Are you nning on bringing that baby along? Wouldn''t it be dangerous?" Asked Helga. "To the dungeon? Well yeah, it would be dangerous." I said. "For the monsters, that''s it. Don''t worry, she''s very strong despite being just a baby." Lucifer reassured Helga. "Dragon or not that''s still a baby¡­ but fine, you''re way stronger than me so I''m sure you can protect her well." Helga decided to trust us in this one. When we reached the manor of Aquamarine, we were greeted by her maidservants and butlers, and quickly invited inside. The old woman was there reading a book, sighing in relief we were finally back. "You''re finally back! It has been a whole week! The viscounts are all going crazy because they want to see results already." Said the grandma. "Already? Even if we worked an entire week nothing much would happen anyways. Are they really that impatient?" I sighed. "Well yes, they''re nobles what did you expect, dear? These habits are the same in every noble everywhere." Aquamarine sighed, using her pipe to smoke some more. "Ah, you old men are back. You''ve gotta join the guild asap, I need you to get there and teach some newbies. Darfu too, you''re talented enough." "Eh? A-Alright¡­" Darfu was quickly dragged by Baldur and Badur to the guild''s building where they do sses to newbie apprentices, apparently. They were all registered in the guild beforehand and are paid nicely for it so I see no problem in them helping. "Now that those are out of the way, you should adress stuff with the Viscountess. I''ve already called her." Aquamarine said, as the noise of a car-shaped goleming from outside echoed across the streets, the gorgeous red-head dwarf was already here. I suppose we''ll need to go check the Dungeon and start a big farm in there. The miasma should be more than cleansed by now. -----n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Chapter 548 Things Got Serious ----- "Wee back." Aquamarine greeted Ruby, the Viscountess. Her eyes shone brightly the moment she saw us. Ruby ran towards me and hugged me out of the blue. "Maria! You''re back! It has been a hellish week! Ah! Hello everyone..." She quickly greeted me and then everybody else. She was acting more less formal now that she knew us better. "Ah, hello." I said. "Don''t get too closer or Nyx is going to bite you." "Bite? Oh, that little baby?!" Ruby quickly noticed the baby. "This is our child, her name''s Nyx." Said Lucifer. "By the gods¡­ Maria you''ve got a kid?!" Asked Ruby. She quickly tried to look at Nyx more closely, but the little dragon girl opened her tiny jaws and attempted to give her a little nibble more than once, so the viscountess quickly walked back. "We are also mama''s children¡­" Takeshi sighed. "We are adopted though, maybe it is not the same, Takeshi." Said Laura. "It''s not like I liked being born in ab- Mfuh?!" Takeshi''s mouth was quickly covered by her twin sister. "Don''t go around telling stuff like that dummy!" She whispered to him. "R-Right, sorry¡­" Takeshi sighed in relief. "Of course you''re my children as well, you''re Nyx''s older siblings." I said. "But babies always get all the attention when they show up. How about you kids take care of your little sister and have a bite? Aquamarine can you bring the kids some sweets?" "I already prepared them." The dwarf grandma nodded with a smile, as her maids and butlers brought tons of delicious pastries, sweets, and even other snacks to the table, alongside some delicious milk tea. We quickly sat down around the table, and as we enjoyed the meals, we started to talk about what had transpired here for the entire week. "So you''re telling me the nobles are going bonkers? Did you told them I have to at least spend a week cleansing the dungeon from its miasma so it doesn''t make the nts turn into either monsters or into poisonous vegetables?" I sighed. "I did, but they were still rather impatient. There was not a single day I didn''t received their annoyingins. All of my siblings are spoiled idiots." Sighed Ruby. "Viscountess don''t say that out loud if possible¡­" Aquamarine said. "Ah, but it is true!" Sighed the red headed beauty, looking all tired of her annoying siblings, she drank a big sip of beer and looked like a true dwarf for a few seconds there. "Ah this shit''s good." "Well just tell them to wait and take out the stick they got up their assess. We''ll go work on it after we are done eating here." I sighed. "But we also gotta do a few mining trips. We need several ores we want to mine, especially Barrier Stone." "Barrier Stone? That rare ore that is used to make the Barrier Artifact? I see, you want one for your vige?" Asked Ruby. "Yeah, we''ve got¡­ a few enemies we have to keep watch on. So to prevent anything bad happening, we want to get that done as soon as possible." I said while sighing. "We also need all of this. I scratched the stuff we''ll get from the mines, but the rest is stuff we need to buy, can you help us buy everything?" I gave the paper to Ruby as she nodded while drinking another cup of beer. "Yeah I can bring you everything no problem. Leave it to me." She said with a reassuring smile. "Ah, Ruby, you''re really a reliable friend." I sighed in relief. "So? How did the unfreezing went? Were you able to¡­?" Asked Ruby. "No that one cursed ice wasn''t unfrozen despite the artifacts you lend to me¡­" I sighed. "What?!" Ruby reacted in surprise. "But that''s¡­ how strong is this ice anyways? Who''s your enemy? Can you tell me more? I really want to know who wants the head of my ally, especially such an important one." "Well¡­ To tell you the truth, it is an alliance." I sighed. "An unexpected one at that." Emeraldine said. "Vampires and Ice Giants." Partner added. "We could stop them but we have no idea where the Ice Giants are." Sighed Lucifer. "Ice Giants?! But weren''t they a peaceful tribe that lived in the snow?" Asked Ruby. "Well¡­ Long story short¡­" And like that we exined her the case of the Frost Queen and Veredorr, the ghost that told me about her. We also showed her the Ring she used to transform the bandits into Ice Golems and all. "This ring¡­ incredible, I had never seen someone be able to shape a golem core into such a small andpact form and use it to transform someone that dies into an ice golem no less¡­" Sighed Ruby. "This Frost Queen and her Crown of Skadi¡­ not only they might be a threat to your vige but to our own nation as well. I''ve heard the Ice Giants live very close to our mountain, somewhere in the snowy mountain peaks, or below. I have no idea." "Hm, if all of this is really true, then we should tell the King right away." Aquamarine said. "There might be a risk for an invasion when we least expect it. If she''s able to control such powerful B Rank and A Rank Ice Golem Monsters, then we would be doomed without proper defenses. Unlike living troops, these monsters are tireless, even with the barrier¡­" "Yeah, could it be possible to report this to the King? We won''t mention you in the report if you want to." Ruby said. "Well, if you don''t mention me then I guess it would be okay." I sighed. "As long as you guys could lend me a hand at dealing with her¡­" "For sure." The viscountess said. "In fact, I''ll tell some of my guys to begin investigations about anything we know about the Ice Giants right away, and about this "Crown of Skadi". This is now something that involves our nation''s safety."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om It seems that things got pretty serious. ----- Chapter 549 The Power Of {Cave King}! ----- After Ruby told us that she''ll do whatever she can to alert the rest of the nobles of the Dwarf Country using the information I gave to her and the special Ring, we quickly decided to move on into our Dungeon. The Dungeon was renamed as Maria Dungeon, although I would had liked to call it Nyx Dungeon in honor of my baby girl, but that''s okay. Ruby and Aquamarine said the name cannot be changed once decided. And it is often named after the leader of the party that conquered the dungeon, which usually happens when the Dungeon Boss is defeated. However, unlike "normal" Dungeon Conquests, which usually only lower the spawn rate of monsters, my special Dungeon Conquest doesn''t simply bring the dungeon to a safer state, but thanks to my ability to just hack the Dungeon Core as a whole, the whole dungeon is now my property. I can shape it as I like, or even produce monsters much more efficiently. Also this means we can safely use certain areas or even empty itpletely from most monsters so it bes a field where we can harvest vegetables, fruits, tubers, and more and also mine for ores in the deepest of the floors. Honestly this Dungeon brought a lot of EXP to us, defeating all those juicy monsters was a nice way to earn EXP, if I can invest MP and summon a bunch of them, like hundreds, then we could potentially constantly earn EXP out of it. All these monsters were mostly B Rank or higher, right? Well, some were C Rank. I also got a nice amount of Undead from them, although I sacrificed most by blowing them upter¡­ Nheless! That''s my n. We''ll concentrate most of the dungeon for harvesting but we''ll leave special ces where I''ll summon the monsters and empty every inch of MP I''ve got inside of me, exchanging it for EXP instead. The monsters back in the Affnaria Duchy Dungeon became weaker after the Miasmic Infection was ended, but this dungeon is naturally a high ranked one! It is worth giving it a try¡­ but first we should begin nting things and using Agriculture Skills and Nature Magic from Emeraldine to enchant the seeds and the soil. When we were done packing everything, we quickly flew to the second mountain with our entire guild members. ckard was here, alongside Helga and the rest of the dwarven squad. Today, although as much as I would have wanted, we were not going to mine but work in the fields. We didn''t brought more people to help because we don''t need them. I''ve got my undead for that. "So this is the passage¡­" Said ckard. "Lady Maria this is a big hole! How do we even get down there?" "Hmm¡­ Maybe we should first shape it into some sort of stairs, right?" I wondered, quickly checking one of my weapons- or well, mining tools. ----- [Earth Shattering ck Pickaxe of Doom (A Grade)] [Level]: [0/60] [Durability]: [100000/100000] [Effects] [HP]: [+5000] [MP]: [+5000] [Attack]: [+5000] [Defense]: [+5000] [Magic]: [+5000] [Agility]: [+5000] [Earth Attribute Damage]: [+30000] [Abilities] [Cursed Pickaxe of Doom]: When using this Pickaxe inside a [Cave] grants an additional +50000 Attack. Stone can be shattered with more ease, and each swing of this pickaxe can spread into chain breaks, which will open more areas to break through. Bedrock is no problem for this pickaxe. ? [Treasure Seeker]: While wielding this pickaxe, grants the ability to sense where there are high quality ores or even treasures, dungeons, equipment, and more within the interior of caves or simr areas. Increases the quality of Mined Ores by +50%. [Cave King]: While being within a Cave, as long as the pickaxe is wielded, the user can see through the best spots to mine through. Mined ores can be easily checked through [Ore Appraisal] and stored within [Ore Inventory], and specific Ores the user has already Mined can be searched using [Ore Search]. Mined stone can be shaped through [Shaping] and even the internal structure of caves can be modified as long as they don''t contain high level Ores through [Cave Architect]. ----- This amazing Pickaxe came with incredible abilities. One of them was this one, the [Cave King]! ----- [Cave King]: While being within a Cave, as long as the pickaxe is wielded, the user can see through the best spots to mine through. Mined ores can be easily checked through [Ore Appraisal] and stored within [Ore Inventory], and specific Ores the user has already Mined can be searched using [Ore Search]. Mined stone can be shaped through [Shaping] and even the internal structure of caves can be modified as long as they don''t contain high level Ores through [Cave Architect]. ----- This ability seemed to be perfect for me, as long as I wield this damn pickaxe, I can even shape the internal structure of caves using the power of [Cave Architect]! So let''s try that right away. "Maybe we should begin mining the sides, or perhaps shaping a slope first." Said Helga. "Might take us a couple of days though, but maybe if Lucifer or Maria uses their strength they can break open more easily- Wait, what are you doing?!" Helga suddenly looked as I raised my ck, menacing-looking pickaxe into the air, as I hit the hole''s walls with it, a loud thud echoed across the caves below. CRAAAASSSSSHHH!!! However, although a tremor quickly emerged by my powerful blow, the cave didn''t copsed. "[Cave Architect]!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om FLAAASH! Suddenly, as if it were y, I began hitting the walls and shaping them, even using my hands was okay, so I just created hundreds of phantasmal hands and started shaping the walls while floating around. "What is she doing?!" "She''s¡­ shaping the cave walls?!" "Incredible¡­" "Lady Maria is sure filled with surprises¡­" "T-That pickaxe¡­! I''ve never seen such a fine piece of art before!" Helga reacted in surprise as she saw my pickaxe in action. In just half an hour, the caves were shaped into beautiful stairs going down right into theke in front of the dungeon. ----- Chapter 550 Exploring The Conquered Dungeon Once More ----- "I wouldn''t have been able to do this myself. It is all thanks to the dwarves, those two old men helped a lot. They created this pickaxe for me exclusively using high quality materials, most of the ones I had. They even said the weapon was blessed by the Goddess of Earth." I said with a smile. "The [Cave King] Ability within the pickaxe allowed me to shape the cave into this in mere seconds." "Amazing, so those old men still got it going!" ckardughed. "I''ve never been that good at smithing like those two old men, I am better at mining and smelting ore than anything." "I am even dumber; I think I can just mine." Laughed Helga. "My husband instead is amazingly talented! He can make such fine pieces of equipment in just a day or two! He always gifts me pretty essories to make me happy, though he doesn''t know I am happy just by being with him." "Hey will there be a day you don''t talk about your man all day Helga?" "Yeah you don''t stop babbling about that tall guy!" "I bet she''s thinking all day about going back to bed with the stud, bwahahaha!" SMACK! Helga quickly smacked the head (protected by a helmet) of one of the dwarves that wasughing using her pickaxe. "Ouch!" "Stop talking like that to the guild leader you bastard!" "S-Sorry! Okay don''t get mad now!" "Dude you know she gets like that when ites to his husband!" Helga seemed to be overprotective of Myriad, her beloved Oni Husband. I know the dwarves meant nothing bad, it''s their way of talking. But I guess even another dwarf like Helga might get tired of their jokes. "A-Anyways, here we are! Let''s lift up the spirits everyone!" I showed everyone the enormous undergroundke and the dungeon entrance in the back. The dwarves were surprised by the beauty of the cave. "Wow this ce''s filled to the brim with magic crystals!" "Look that''s a big piece ofbined ores in there!" "Oh, thiske has a lot of fish, huh? And it''s big too, we could fish for food in here¡­" "For now let''s light up the ce." Emeraldine quickly conjured several spheres of light which shemanded to float right below the ceiling, illuminating the entire caves. "We''ll shape the road here so we don''t stumble upon these small holes here and there¡­!" CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! I quickly began smacking the ground using my pickaxe, cleaning it, and straightening the path so it would be much easier to walk around the undergroundke. After around forty minutes of hard work, where the dwarves spent fishing for underground fish, grilling it, and eating it with the rest of my party (Nyx ate a lot), we arrived at the dungeon''s entrance. "Hey did you save some fish for me?" I sighed. "Mama!" Nyx suddenly showed me a stick with a grilled fish on it. "Aw, baby! You saved one for mama?" I asked, moved by her thoughtfulness. I quickly tasted the underground fish; it was rather sweet and more vorful than I imagined. It was seasoned only with salt, a bit of pepper, and dried oregano-like spices. It was definitely tasty. "She said she wanted to save one for you, so she zealously protected it." Laughed Lucifer. "Yeah she was very cute!" Partnerughed. "Indeed." Emeraldine added.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hmph, shouldn''t my husband and my two wives also have saved me some fish here? Feels like only my baby thought about her mama!" I sighed, crossing my arms. "Eh?! Ah¡­" Emeraldine felt a bit surprised. "Sorry¡­ the dwarves ate it all too fast." "Only Nyx managed to grab a bunch!" Said Partner. "Yeah¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Hmmm¡­ Well fine. But to make up for it you''ll have to help in the farm as much as you can! And the rest of you too! Don''t you guys dare ck off!" I roared. "Alright!" The dwarves roared in unison as we marched inside the dungeon, walking down the stairs and then reaching apletely differentndscape, a beautiful, expansive grasnd surrounded by mountains covered in grass and snow, where rivers flowed from their melted ice. Apparently, I had already mapped the entire first floor. It had around the size of big ind, like Easter Ind, and the entire ce was surrounded by a big wall of mountains. After the mountains, there was nothing at all, as the space of the dungeon ended there. Invisible walls would be the only thing someone would stumble upon, as if it was a game world of sorts. The temperatures, the air, the clouds, and the magic sun were all very realistic, and good. The peaks were the highest ce so the temperature there were very cold, making the water turn into ice, which then melts away slowly, turning into rivers andkes. The rivers andkes then evaporated due to the artificial sunlight, going into clouds which then snow over the peak of the mountains most of the time, rinse, and repeat. It appears that this dungeon doesn''t have any seasons though, it is often always spring and nts grow very quickly. It rains a once a week most of the time, sometimes twice, but nothing too big to make floods. Aside from that the soil goes as long as half a kilometer deep before hitting a hard bedrock that cannot be normally prated, which is probably the dungeon walls too. Because the soil is so deep, there''s a rich amount of animals in there. Worms that enrich the soil by spreading nutrients, moles, root-eating critters, rats, and more. There are several forests as well, but not as many as the second floor, as this ce is more of an open grasnd than anything else. Beautiful, nheless. The trees and herbs growing here are abination of normal stuff and then some rare ingredients. The first time we stepped here I already found out some interesting findings! For someone obsessed with collecting all sorts of materials for alchemy and forging, this is a field trip~ ------ Chapter 551 Setting Up The Farm ----- "Well, what a beautiful sight." Helga sighed in relief, breathing the fresh air. "There''s even wind in here¡­" Sighed ckard. "We stayed here too little due to the dangers, but now I don''t see any monster at all anywhere. And the air became way fresher and the wind''s strong too. It is a beautiful ce!" "These types of grasnds are only at the north of the continent, the south where we live its just snow and more snow." "Yeah, this ce''s like out of our dreams!" "None of the other dungeons in the main mountain got ecosystems like these at all, they''re allbyrinth-type or cave-type. Sometimes filled withva or mushroom forests, those ones is where we get most of our edible shrooms." Huh, so the Dwarven country really depends on a lot in the series of small dungeons they''ve got in their country. They even harvest a vast majority of their meat, tubers, and shrooms from farms they made inside dungeons and also from hunting, of course.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The thing they naturallyck the most is obviously vegetables, fruits, seeds, and well, more tubers are never too much. Those are all essential for their health, the more they have the healthier and more energetic their poption will eventually be. Meat and shrooms is okay I guess; they had lived like this for very long and they burn calories a lot doing all their hard work. However, they need more food too, their poption is multiplying too fast, what they got for production is not enough, they had been buying stuff too much and want "independence" although they''ll still be buying my food. "Alright, I guess the ins are well cleansed." I said. "Here is a detailed map I made of the entire first floor." I quickly brought out an entire camp from my Inventory, tables, seats, and many other things I quickly put all around, some jars were filled with seeds we brought from the dwarven nation which Ruby secured for us, they were very expensive and she spent a literal eye out of her face to get them all, but this is a good investment for the future. These seeds will bring endless more seeds and veggies. "Woah you really mapped everything!" ckard said. "How did you do this?" Wondered Helga. "I used my Automatic Mental Mapping Skill and my authority as the Dungeon Master, but keep that a secret alright?" I asked nicely. "Now, we are currently here. This ce will be our camp, we could even potentially build a whole vige here eventually where we can leave people to live here if they want to work in the fields. But for now we''ll make my Undead do most of the work. Don''t worry, they''re well cleansed and thanks to my magic, they''re not rotting either." "Undead are going to do the farming¡­" "Well that''s certainly something I didn''t thought about." "A necromancer really has many insane advantages!" "However that doesn''t mean any of you are cking off. Undead, the majority of them, are dumb. So they cannot do anythingplex. And they''ll need instructors to teach them the ways and guide them. We''ll first prepare the soil and take away the grass from certain areas, and then we''ll nt the seeds one the soil is rich enough, watering and tending the nts will be the Undead''s job, and eventually also shaping the soil and tearing away the annoying grass." I said with a nod. "Alright?" "Alright!" "Then let''s get to it!" I quickly used my Pickaxe to hit the soil in the designed areas. Everyone else started using normal farming tools, mostly shovels and the like, but my pickaxe was enough for me! Using it, I easily tore through the surface of the grasnds, slicing away enormous mats of grass stuck to the soil below as if they were carpets, one by one. The dwarves were doing a good job as well, they were ustomed to use their strength to smack ores with their pickaxes for hours to no end, so it wasn''t that tiring to plow thend and do what I told them to do. Slowly, as the hours went by, we continued doing it and doing it, and as the undead watched me do it, they quickly began absorbing all information, the movements, the techniques, everything. Skeletons (which look cleaner than zombies, so I decided to use these guys instead of zombies) quickly learned the ways, as I used my Soul Grimoire to build several farming tools out of the many bones I had in my possession inside my inventory, they were already a million bones, so I had materials to spare! This was a Death Attribute Spellbining the power of the Soul Grimoire''s Undead Creation Abilities with their Recipe, Bone Weapon Creation! I could shape the weapons to whatever I imagined using the bones, and if I wanted to make them stronger, I simply had to add Phantasmal Crystals, which are made by crystalizing my phantasmal essence, something easy to do as well without any cost except a bit of MP. POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! A variety of farming tools made of bones imbued with phantasmal souls, which were Undead of their own quickly began appearing one after the other, the fusion of several techniques bringing this amazing new utility ability! The skeletons quickly marched, grabbing their farming tools. Most of the were not even humanoid-looking, there were mostly all monster or chimera-like. Some of them were just bear skeletons with hands attached to their shoulders. However, the bandit haul we got back then gave me over a hundred human bodies so I made sure to make their bones into useful hand-having skeletons too. Ding! [You learned the [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You acquired the [Bone Queen: Lv1] Title Skill!] Wait what?! I got that¡­? Well, that''s nice. I guess that Spell came so naturally from me that it was inscribed into my Soul Grimoire into a Skill just as easy! ------ Chapter 552 [Bone Queen] Is... Quite The Weird Title ------ Ding! [You learned the [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You acquired the [Bone Queen: Lv1] Title Skill!] ----- [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv1] A Skill only acquired by powerful Necromancers who have managed to be capable of shaping bones into a variety of tools and even armor and equipment. For the creation of tools, Bones are a must, and other materials can be added to the creation to enchant created equipment. Bone Weapons and Armor are beings of their own, being ssified as both undead and living equipment. Created Bone Weapons and Armor receive a +50% enhancement to their durability, stats, and abilities, with an additional +20% with each Skill Level. Additionally, there''s a 10% chance, which increases by +5% with each Skill Level for the created Bone Weapons and Armor to gain powerful Magic Effects or Abilities. ----- ----- [Bone Queen: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to powerful Necromancers who have attained a great control over Undead''s Bones and have be capable of masterfully crafting Bone-type Undead of all shapes and sizes, or to even turn them into powerful weapons and armor. Enhances the stats and physical and magical damage defense of all Bone-type Undead by +50% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level, while non-Bone-type Undead only receive half of these buffs. Grants the ability to instantly turn non-Bone-type Undead into Bone-type if necessary. Also grants control over bones with more dexterity and masterfulness. And additionally, there''s a 50% chance for created Bone Weapons/Armor to have one Quality Grade higher than normal when created. ----- Out of the blue, I ended acquiring two amazing Skills as I continued Raising more Skeleton Undead using my spare Bones inside my Inventory and also creating Weapons shaped as Farming Tools for them. Over a hundred Skeletons of all shapes and sizes were quickly assembled together, as I looked at the new Skills with eyes wide open. In simple terms, these two skills allow for the creation of Bone Undead and Weapons and Armor with much ease, while also being able to enchant their strength and effects to even greater, more insane than ever heights. The moment I acquired them, some of the Bone Farming Tools I made suddenly began overflowing with colorful auras, gaining fire, nature, life, darkness, blood, and other elements randomly¡­ Checking at their status it gave me off they had pretty okay stats, but they were notparable to the monstrous equipment the dwarf twins can make. Nheless, even those guys can''t mass produce us stuff, so these bone weapons and armor might be a staple for my vige. Although the legendary-level weapons the dwarf gramps make might also be a good staple¡­ Well, I''ll just use these for the Undead for now, while living people will get better treatment. After all Undead unlike the vigers are hundreds! Would be nigh impossible to get them good equipment for all of them. They also tend to die verymonly, sometimes I blow them up to deal damage to a strong foe or various foes at once, so they disposabilityes handy with the easy creation of these bone weapons and armor, which might get more OP as the skills develop by making even more, a simplistic cycle. "Woah, such a big army of skeletons!" "Lady Maria are you asking them to work with us as well?" "Amazing, she has like endless Mana or something!" The dwarves were naturally surprised. "I told you guys the Undead would do most of the job. Now don''t ck off and get to work. You''ve gotta instruct them how to do things, alright? Also grab these bone farming tools, they''re way better." I quickly gave everyone farming tools made of bones. They looked terrifying and gave off creepy auras, but the dwarves seemed to be willing to just bear with it. "These weapons¡­ just by giving them a nce, they''re cursed with phantoms!" "However their quality is top notch." "Not as good as the toppest notch, but still very good."N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yeah!" "Amazing stuff you made here, and just out of bones?" "Yep! That''s just how Necromancers are! ¡­Totally." I said while pretending to actually know how they were. Necromancers were very rare so there wasn''t any known norm of how they even worked properly, I could do whatever I wanted and just say that''s how Necromancers are. "Now go!" "ON IT!" The Dwarves worked the hardest, as they taught my skelebros everything they knew and they had been doing. Over the hours, the skeletons began to do as they were instructed, sometimes failing miserably, while others just caught up to the techniques faster. Naturally some of the ones most talented gained Agriculture and Farming Skills very quickly. When we were having a lunch break, we left the skeletons doing the job while we took a break. We have already covered half a kilometer on plowed soil, and I had thought on spreading my Phantom Familiars to nt seeds rapidly and more efficiently as they can fly around. Though the whole enchantment thing will need to be done by Emeraldine manually with her spirits. Although she said she was preparing something like a magic circle that might spread out further across the fields, making it so she doesn''t have to wander around everywhere. "Have you thought about adding crushed ores into the soil?" Asked one of the dwarves. "Crushed Ores?" I wondered. "That''s what Gold Sand learned from us, and a reason they buy so many of our ores. There are certain magic ores that enchant the soil with nutrients and life essence, even spiritual essence, making nts grow very fast!" Said ckard. "I think these would do the trick¡­" Helga opened her bag, putting several colorful ores over the floor. "Earth Topaz, Rainbow Crystals, and the very rare and precious Turtle Shell Stone. Those three ores are very amazing and they contain enough magical power to boost the power of both nts and the soil and turn it richer. You have to crush them into sand first and then spread them around the soil." Wait, aren''t those very expensive ores though?! ----- Chapter 553 Nyx, The Slayer Of Critters ----- "Huh, I guess the most affordable is Earth Topaz, it is rtively not so rare as the other two¡­ Rainbow Crystals are very rare and contain all elemental magic essence, while Turtle Shell Stones can heal 50% HP when activated using mana and can even extend lifespan by ten days!" I said. "They''re really the most expensive ones, huh?" "You can actually use these other ones, any spiritual stone works, but those are the most effective. Let''s try manybinations around the fields and see what''s more effective." Said Helga. "Sure, let''s do that then!" I never thought mining and farming would go hand by hand as much as now. Like that, we took out some the stash we had, using all our Earth Topaz, deciding to use a few Rainbow Crystals, Turtle Shell Stones, and the other elemental spirit stones, such as Wind Emeralds and re Rubies, which could be used for a series of essories, weapons, and armor, but that we are wasting out in this instead! CRAAASH! ? Merely smashing the ores with my bare hands did the trick, as the shattered into tiny pieces, and punching them several times grinded them into dust of various colors. Magical essence flowing over this little magical dust. "Now, Phantom Familiars, spread this dust around, separate each dust in their own unique area!" I said, as I sent off flying snakes and flies everywhere. The Dwarves were once more surprised. "Amazing, she can even summon ghosts shaped as beasts?!" "What can Necromancers not do?!" "They appear to be the ultimate ss." Well, I don''t know about that¡­ I''ve barely interacted much with the entire world as a whole to be honest. I haven''t really fought any high ranked human or something either. Nor I am honestly interested on that either. So I don''t know much of the difference between sses and everything there is. Maybe if I were to fight something like an A Rank Adventurer or an S Rank Adventurer, I would be able to figure out something? Maybe? Though I have no real idea and might never truly realize it. Perhaps I should try to meld with human society once more to know all these things.N?v(el)B\\jnn The dwarves got their equivalently strong warriors too, mostly those at high ces in society, though they rely on a lot in their golems and magic weapons as well. I haven''t meet any of these strong dwarves'' guys, but none of them is currently said to be the most unbeatable ever or something. And because dwarves are a very work-centric society, people that is strong just because is not praised as much, and the hard workers that do their best are more praised. So these strong people often are working hard and not really relying on attention or being famous. Sometimes they be figures of high respect through efforts and hard work, bing guild leaders and other things. Probably those guys we saw the other day in that conference might had been the strongest out there. It is said that Ruby and her siblings all are amazing magicians but might be even stronger by using the power of their magic tools and golems. Anyways, there are bigger threats than the tiny humans anyways so I shouldn''t really care much about them, the moment of truth wille in that conference they''ll have with all the duchies leaders gathered together, so I''ll be able to test if they''re any stronger in that moment. For now, there are more important things indeed, such as the farm! My Phantom Familiars spread out the magic ore dust around the entire ce, as the Undead and the rest of our group continued plowing thend, more and more, relentlessly, and endlessly. My n was simply, we were not going to care about nature at all and plow the entire piece ofnd, barely any trees will be left behind that won''t be those of fruits! However, a tiny girl and her two big siblings were excerpt of working because they were children, and I am not into forcing kids to work. Nyx, Takeshi and Laura were ying around the grasnds and in the plowed soil. Little Nyx was walking in all fours while waving her tiny tail, as she jumped like a frog from time to time whenever she spotted a little critter crawling out of the plowed soil. Her self-assigned task was to y them! "Chuuu¡­" Suddenly, a tiny mole emerged out of the ground. It wasn''t a monster, but a normal mole. These critters might look cute but they''re a menace for farms, they must be exterminated. "Raarr!" Nyx jumped like a small frog, soaring by using her tiny wings and then catching the mole with her tiny ws. CRAASH! "Chuuuuu!" The mole struggled pointlessly as Nyx opened her jaws and ate it whole. "Chomp¡­ Nom¡­ Nom¡­" Her cheeks were filled with mole as she crushed it and swallowed it. A rather terrifying scene for most people, even the dwarves, but we found her very cute with Lucifer. "T-That girl''s scary¡­" "She''s half dragon after all." "Yeah, yeah¡­ I guess those kids are different." "Yeah! Isn''t she the cutest?!" I asked happily. "Chomp¡­ Nom!" Nyx continued hunting small critters. Rats, big crickets, frogs, toads, moles, and worms that popped out of the plowed soil, she was having a feast. "She''s really stuffing herself full, just how much does she eats?" Wondered Takeshi. "Ugh, is her stomach going to be alright?" Wondered Laura. "Craaah!" Onyx, the Abyss Phoenix the two kids hatched seemed scared of Nyx as well, I could notice it within the bird''s eyes. Oh, and talking about that bird, it had grown bigger, but it has the power to shapeshift into smaller size, so most of the time it has the size of a little canary to sit over Takeshi or Laura''s heads. He seems scared of me and the rest, but it has grown attached to the children. I might trust him as a good guardian, I guess. "Nom¡­" Nyx suddenly grabbed a rat from the soil and offered it to Takeshi. "Rat! Yummy!" Aw, she''s so cute offering a rat! ----- Chapter 554 Cutting Down A Whole Forest With A Single Slash ----- "What? Err¡­ no thanks¡­" Said Takeshi, without feeling like eating rats. "But don''t we eat rat meat all the time back home kids?" I asked. "Yeah but those are specially raised!" Takeshi said while sighing. "I also don''t like raw food¡­" "Weren''t you Japanese?" Asked Laura. "Maybe but¡­ I just don''t want to eat a whole rat¡­" Sighed Takeshi. "She seems okay even by eating all of that crap. I don''t think we''ll be any worse than her, but sure¡­" Laura said. "Is this because she got the stomach of a dragon?" "Yes children." Said Brunhild. "Dragons can digest almost anything. We eat ores for an example, so it is obvious that our stomachs are the most resilient there are. Getting stomachache is near impossible." So dragons got that Phantasmal Stomach effect I have¡­ I suppose. Though I wonder if they poop metal if they eat too much ore- Wait I really shouldn''t be wondering that to be honest.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Hours went by as we enjoyed a simplistic day filled with hard work, when we finally realized it. Over a kilometer was plowed, and it would continue to expand as the Skeleton Farmers continue their charge through thend to plow it all. As the day wasing to an end, the sun of the dungeon slowly faded into the horizon, and the beautiful full moon appeared. Even small specks of stars. If you raised someone here and never told them this was a dungeon I bet they would just think this was the entire world there was. "Woah, we really did this in just a day?" Partner wondered. "Indeed, it was quite a harsh day but I got to train my muscles doing something more entertaining." Lucifer said. "I never thought this Farming thing tiny people did was soplex¡­" Brunhild wondered. "It was quite entertaining. I was able to rx and all." "Yep, thanks a lot for your work guys." I sighed in relief. "We are not done here though." Emeraldine said to me. "Spirits¡­" Suddenly, her two spirits emerged out of thin air, traveling around her body and then,nding over the soil in thend. Several magical runes activated, alongside many magic circles. They all activated together, almost at the same time. Golden and green light emerged from them, spreading everywhere beautifully. The light contained the purest essence of life and nature, which was quickly imbued into the dungeon''s soil and nts of this floor. Spreading all across the plowednd, Emeraldine did an amazing magic circle to spread so further! FLAAASH! The light was absorbed by thend in front of us, as it shone brightly with spiritual essence. But then, it quickly waspletely absorbed by the soil, as if nothing was there to begin with. I felt within my authority as the dungeon master that something was suddenly imbued into the dungeon''s structure¡­ did Emeraldine''s magic somehow changed it? "That was amazing elfss!" "Incredible!" "You''re really an amazing magician!" "That magic just now¡­ will it make the crops grow faster?" "Yeah it will." Emeraldine said with a calm smile. "Thanks for your help." I said to her, hugging her. "E-Eh? But it was just a little thing¡­" She sighed. "I saw you the entire day spending doing that magic circle so it surely took you time. Also your entire mana''s drained! Don''t lie to me." I sighed. "Sigh¡­ Right, I suppose I am quite exhausted after everything." Said Emeraldine, her bright eyes looked into my own. "This is the least I could do. This food won''t only be for the dwarves but for our vige as well, it will feed ourselves and our family, and children too." "Hm, you''re right- Wait you want a child?!" I asked. "Ahaha, I meant the twins and Nyx." Laughed Emeraldine. "O-Oh, okay¡­" Although I don''t have any idea how I could have a kid with her¡­ So we better just not get into this territory. As a ghost I probablyck any reproductive abilities. The way Nyx is my daughter is only because I gave her my essence and even a part of my soul while in her egg, but I guess it was a one-time event. I kind of want more kids, one for each of my lovers¡­ so they can be happy too having a descendant. Perhaps I''ll find a way eventually, this world got a lot of mysteries and magic everywhere. We could find something; I don''t have to lose hope. "Anyways! Now that we are done here, it would be good if you guys went back home for now. I''ll send a Phantom Familiar with you guys." I said. "Eh? You''re noting back?" Asked Helga. "Nope, we''ve got a few little things to do first." I said. "Don''t you worry!" "Okay then, wish you luck!" Like that, the dwarves left and we were left to our own devices. Without waiting a single second we reached the second floor and I quickly summoned a hundred more skeleton undead which were rather weak for fighting, but good forbor. "This ce''s so beautiful, a lush jungle¡­ We should keep it as it is- AAAH?!" CLAAASH! However, a Skeleton quickly used a bone hatchet to cut through one of the enormous trees, slowly making it fall. BAAAM! I quickly stored the tree inside my Inventory to clean the ce right away. "Hm? What?" I wondered. "T-That''s¡­ isn''t one floor enough?" Wondered Lucifer. "Yeah, do you have to cut these beautiful trees?" Asked Brunhild. "Of course I have, this ce is also for farming and harvesting food! There''s no way we are wasting this ce. It is very fertile. Look at all the nutrients in the soil! Usually when there''s so many trees and a lush jungle, the soil is very rich!" I said happily, beginning to cut down threes using my enormous axe. "Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: [Mountain Slice]!" I unleashed a powerful Barbaric Dark Axe Arts, the evolution of my Strong Axe Strike Skill as I unleashed the powerful Art that was included within the Skill, generating a monstrous, slicing sh of pure darkness that devastated almost a hundred trees in just a single second. I am the catastrophe of the forest! ----- Chapter 555 Can A Ghost Become A Lumberjack? ----- SLAAAAASSSSSHHHH!!! "Store!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! And before the trees could fall, I stored them inside my Inventory, the sound of the trees teleporting inside this pocket space echoed across the dark forest, as countless birds and other wild animals flew and ran away from the disaster. "T-This is an ecological disaster!" Cried Laura. "Is this really okay?!" Cried Takeshi. "Hehehe, yes! It is okay! We''ve got all this nice wood too; we''ll make tons of furniture with it for our vige. We''ll have woods for days! These trees are softer too so they can be used and shaped way more easily than pine trees! [Mountain Slice]!!!" SLAAAAASSSSSHHHH!!! "Store!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! More and more trees began to perish by the might of my axe, as the skeletons were simply taking out the roots left behind and then throwing them into a pile forter storage inside my Inventory. "She''s really going to cut everything¡­" Sighed Emeraldine. "Well, isn''t it alright though? This is her dungeon she can do whatever she wants!" Said Partner. "I know but this is a beautiful forest¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "I wish we could have such a forest to spend time together from time to time, walking around, collecting berries and mushrooms, and the like¡­ the snownd surrounding our vige doesn''t allow us such luxury." "I suppose Maria can do as she pleases. Trees growing here at the end are just resources¡­ Let''s all calm down." Brunhild said. "It is better if we produce enough food for everyone. Since when you guys have been such naturalists?" "Well, I guess I am being overexaggerated¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "I am an elf so I can feel the pain of the forest and nature¡­ even my nature spirit is crying a bit." Sighed Emeraldine. "But I know why Maria is doing this. She''s not doing it out of spite or something, but because it is a necessity- even if she''sughing manically while slicing dozens of trees with each swing¡­" SLAASH! SLAAAASH! SLAAAASSHH!!! After a few more swings, I finished what I was doing. I cut down over a hundred trees and expanded the territory of the farm too. We were going to use 40% of this floor for the rest of the farm, but the other 60% will remain as forests that we''ll grow over time to gather both wood and also other resources. I am not heartless or something! Ding! [You learned the [Chopping: Lv1] Skill!] [You acquired the [Lumberjack: Lv1] Title Skill!] ----- [Chopping: Lv1] A Special Skill granted to Lumberjacks who have cut over twenty trees all by themselves. A special Skill that enhances the natural ability to chop trees and not only that, but other things using an Axe-type weapon. Enhances damage dealt by using an Axe to chop something by activating this Skill by +25%, with an additional enhancement of +5% with each Skill Level. A powerful Cutting Shockwave will be generated upon cutting something, which might cut any other targets within the vicinity (allies are not targeted). Additionally, when cutting trees, damage is enhanced by +50% and there''s a 50% chance for the resulting wood to be of higher quality grade and improve its magical properties if the tree is magical. ----- [Lumberjack: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to lumberjacks who have chopped down over a hundred trees by themselves. You have greatly mastered the art of cutting down trees and be an amazing Lumberjack. Enhances Axe-type weapon Proficiency by +100% and Axe-type weapons Damage Dealt by +25% with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. When cutting trees, damage is enhanced by +50% and can ignore 20% of the tree''s defenses. Additionally, you can now guide yourself within any forest masterfully, detect trees more easily and be able to see and detect their age, texture, properties, and more intuitively, to find the best trees to cut down. ----- Wait, hold up! I got Skills out of this?! And they''re just amazing! So I''ve be an amazing Lumberjack now¡­ Who would had thought a ghost could ever be a lumberjack to begin with? This is pretty nuts if I say so myself. With the first skill not only my Axe Damage has been enhanced to insane levels, but now I can chop down trees even more easily. I wonder what other sorts of powerful magic trees are out there, which could be amazing materials I could chop down in the future¡­ Maybe that''s my calling, I have to also find materials within trees! There''s no way there aren''t amazing trees out there of all types with amazing effects waiting to be cut and put into alchemy to create items! And even more, it enhances their quality grade! What''s better than that? Oh, and the second Skill is¡­ well, even more of the same, which stacks with the previous one to make my Axe Strikes even more lethal. I guess using my new Axe won''t be a problem anymore. And¡­ Oh?! FLASH! Suddenly, my eyes shone brightly. I felt the power of the Lumberjacks flowing across my soul as I felt intuitively capable of analyzing the forest. I somehow "knew" what to do or where to go if I wanted more of the better-quality wood or just run away from the forest. Getting lost in one is no longer a problem, it seems. I guess even Lumberjacks in this world are something else if they got such incredible skills¡­ "Alright you guys! Now go plow thend that was cleansed." I said to my army of "Skeleton Farmers" as I like to call them now. Everyone quickly marched forward towards their destinations without wasting a single second.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om And as the rest of my group caught up to me, I greeted them with a smile. "You seem merry after ying so many trees¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "That''s because we are nting new seeds of course!" I said. "Eh? We will!?" Asked everyone. "What? You don''t know about reforestation? That''s what we usually do when we cut trees, to preserve them!" I said. "I''ll use the Farming Skill to boost their growth too. Emeraldine, can you help out?" "O-Oh, sure!" Emeraldine seemed happy that I wasn''t a tyrant against trees. ----- Chapter 556 Time To Grind Some Levels ----- Reforestation was the act of nting tress where they were once cut or damaged. It is a practice done most of the time back on Earth. So forests simply don''t just disappear, workers nt trees, most of the time already grown seedlings into the ground where other bigger ones were cut. Progressively they cut trees only to add more saplings. This way there''s a constant cycle and the forests never truly disappear. With the help of Emeraldine, we enchanted the tree seeds we found from within these very trees and I sent my Phantom Familiars to nt them all around the forest. With that done, the forest quickly began to gain several saplings, which began growing rather rapidly. "I guess you actually had a n, you scared us a lot back then¡­ Also you''re not chopping more?" Wondered Brunhild. "Of course not sister-inw! I know this forest is beautiful, we''ll keep most of it." I said with a smile. "If those dwarvesin then they can just swallow a bitter bug, I am not giving them shit!" "Well said." Said Emeraldine. "I guess this is pretty smart. If we nt saplings and enchant them with the magic and powers you possess, they will grow faster. We can have a big supply of wood not only for us, but we can also sell it. This wood''s soft so it is malleable, but it is also very resistant to humidity and hard once it dries out." Lucifer analyzed the wood. "It''ll be perfect to sell and transport across long distances." "Wow you really know a lot!" I said while rubbing my chin. "You don''t happen to have the Lumberjack Skill?" "I do¡­" Said Lucifer. "I just realized I have it. I think I got it from my previous life. I''ve begun to gain Title Skills and normal Skills out of the blue moremonly now¡­" My dragon husband said. "I remember I had burned and cut down many trees in the past." "Eeeh?! So you''re regaining your previous life powers?! That''s unfair!" I proimed. "Well, it kind of is. I don''t know why though¡­" Lucifer looked at little Nyx in his arms. "Maybe my daughter awakened something within me." "Nheless, you''re pretty knowledgeable about trees naturally thanks to this title, it gives basic intuition about wood and forests." I said. "I got it as well!" "Interesting¡­ This world''s Soul Books are really quite an intriguing thing to learn about all the time." Said Lucifer. "Anyways! I am kind of starving. So we are here only to cut trees?" Partner quickly interrupted our conversation. "Not only that honey. Have more patience. Here." I quickly gave Partner a bottle with fresh and sweet blood.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Oohh!" Her red eyes quickly shone brightly, as she grabbed the Blood Potion I made for her and she drank it all in a few seconds. "So good! Human''s blood is the best! Even those nasty bandits, hahaha!" "Yeah, that''s a Vampire for you." I sighed. "Alright, let''s go." We walked down to the third andst floor, as we were greeted by an enormous and expansive cave filled with colorful crystals, stones, and rare ores growing here and there. And of course, an enormous army of Abyssal Ants andmanding them was Lancelot, the Abyssal Ant Knight I had risen as an undead a week ago! "Mdy, you''re finally back. We have been training with the squad awaiting youre back. We have also cleansed arge quantity of the miasma left behind, and look, we''ve mined you a lot of resources in the meantime!" Lancelot immediately showed me a gigantic pile of ores, crystals, and metals he and the ants had mined through the entire week! It was so much it filled an entire small cave! "W-Woah!" I cried in surprise. "You guys have really exceeded yourselves this time! Well done! This is amazing! We''ve got tons of ores now! But we''ll still mine our own. The materials in this dungeon are of way lower quality than the outside world. Nheless, we can still use them for a lot of things. Especially to reinforce our walls, build fortresses, and make those barrier devices, which will need hundreds of ores." I said with a smile. "Have you happened to find any Barrier Stone?" "Barrier Stone?" Wondered Lancelot, quickly browsing his mind and then looking at the pile, his antennas moved around rapidly. "Oh, no. Sadly there are only the most basic of magic metals and magic spirit stones here. Earth Topaz, re Ruby, Wind Emerald, amongst others. But Barrier Stones seem to be of a higher grade and quality, I am afraid." "Dang it¡­ Well that''s fine! Well done you guys! You make your mother proud." I praised all the ants as they cheered happily by clicking their jaws around. "Have you found any monsters?" "No, the monsters have stopped emerging altogether, but we have detected that the Dungeon Core has been umting arge quantity of mana, if its not used monsters might emerge at the end. The Ants reproduced differently, so the monsters of this cave will emerge, the ants said they are different looking. Mostly reptilian, they eat the ores and crystals that regrow slowly and naturally here, they might be a menace for our resource gathering." Sighed Lancelot. "Fear not! We''ve got yourselves the perfect training regime!" I said happily. "Training¡­ regime?" Wondered everyone behind me. "Fufu, what did you honestly expected? This dungeon is naturally of B Rank in difficulty! Meaning monsters are big and give juicy EXP unlike Affnaria. And we cane here any time without being noticed or scorned about it! We are going to train to get strong enough to go to the Miasmic Dungeon sealed in the Dwarven country! Now our training montage starts, you guys! Let''s do it!" It was time to grind some levels! "Grind some levels?" Asked Lucifer. "I guess¡­ I had not thought about it. However, I had originally believed this dungeon was weakened upon conquering it." "Yeah, didn''t that happened to the other one?" Asked Emeraldine. "Let me exin to you, my dears." I said while suddenly changing my clothes into those of a teacher. At the same time, I summoned a board from my Inventory and began drawing over it, showing two dungeons. ----- Chapter 557 The S Rank Dungeon ----- "Grind some levels?" Asked Lucifer. "I guess¡­ I had not thought about it. However, I had originally believed this dungeon was weakened upon conquering it." "Yeah, didn''t that happened to the other one?" Asked Emeraldine. "Let me exin to you, my dears." I said while suddenly changing my clothes into those of a teacher. At the same time, I summoned a board from my Inventory and began drawing over it, showing two dungeons. "Affnaria Dungeon was always just weak! Pathetically weak. Lucifer was sealed in there and all, but the dungeon originally wasn''t something beyond E Rank in difficulty." I said. "However, due to the Vampires'' schemes, they used the lives of people to create a ritual that infused their many souls inside the dungeon. Dungeons feed primarily on souls which they convert into mana and power. this way the dungeon gained great strength, temporarily capable of bringing enormously strong monsters. They even added miasma into the mix, making the dungeon gain a greater and eviler consciousness which had nned to run over the entire Affnaria Duchy. Thankfully, we heroically defeated this dungeon''s schemes¡­ However!" The board quickly changed as I showed how that when we defeated the monsters and I conquered the dungeon, I ended eating all the Miasma and the dungeon was cleansed. Without the miasma the dungeon weakened severely because it was already incredibly weak. "The dungeon was weakened as it was finallypleted and I conquered it. So it simply went back to its original level of strength! I know it is sad and all, but that''s how life is." I sighed. "However this dungeon was always powerful. The miasma inside was provoked by a fragment of the evil god. Once this was cleansed the dungeon simply stayed strong because it was already strong. However, this dungeon is too STRONG, which means that once it umtes enough Mana, it will poop it all out into countless monsters. So we are going to repurpose this option and just summon them all so we can constantly level up. Yeah it is a simple reason I shouldn''t had exined it all like this." "I see, so this dungeon was just madly strong!?" Asked Lucifer. "There are dungeons like that. Weak and strong, like monsters in the wild." Said Brunhild. "To tell you the truth, this dungeon should had been way stronger. However, it was split in half." "Split in half?!" We asked in unison. Brunhild suddenly started talking about some info we didn''t even knew before. "Now that I''ve recovered after sleeping and eating nutritious things for a while, my memories have begun to flourish once more within my mind." Brunhild said. "I remembered a powerful Divine Lightning falling from the skies long ago, before the dwarves arrived at the mountains. The two mountains, this one and where the dwarves are living, used to be an enormous, single mountain. However, this divine lightning that came from the skies suddenly split it in half. Over time, it turned into just two twin mountains. The dungeon, the biggest one, which held therge evil god fragment was split in half as well, so it became two dungeons, this one and the sealed one." "Amazing¡­ Wait, lightning? Did a God did this?" I asked. "Possibly. The gods sometimes do these things to punish mortals and bring divine retribution upon the fragments or those that attempt to use them. Perhaps someone had sneaked inside and tried to grab the fragments directly, and a god of thunder enragedly conjured the lightning, splitting the whole mountain." Brunhild said. "Splitting a whole mountain¡­" I muttered. "(Oi Tyr, was this Thor?)" I asked. The sphere of darkness and miasma opened his single red eye, looking at me from within the Realm that was created within my soul after I absorbed a fragment of the Evil God, him. "Quite possibly. The gods deal these blows on my fragments from time to time to weaken me, most likely. Probably stopping any chances I might have for a resurrection¡­" Sighed Tyr. "Damned Thor, that was his lightning¡­" "(Gods are pretty strong¡­ Howe we''ll even go against them?)" I sighed. "You might get there eventually, don''t worry. The others too." Said Tyr. "You''ve got what it takes¡­" "(What it takes? Don''t act mysterious now and tell me¡­)" "I can''t, seriously, I don''t remember more¡­" "(Well, fine¡­)"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Tyr was the real identity of the Evil God, for a little refreshing of he mind. And was a God of War and Law that posed a threat against Odin and his other sons due to his ways of thinking and the strength he developed. A plot to destroy him happened, here even Loki and Thor worked together to beat him down. Now he''s called the Evil God, which only takes upon the name the Gods gave to him in this ancient era after Loki used his Chaos to corrupt his soul and body and transform him into an Evil Divine Being filled with anger and looking rather monstrous¡­ He''s just fragments at this point, but if I gather them all, his resurrection might be possible, something Odin and his family would never want. Somehow, we have to go around this because if I want to find the truth about this world and more, I might as well get to it. Each fragment will also make me stronger too. "In resume, the dungeon should be way stronger. It was probably¡­ S Rank originally." Said Brunhild. "S Rank Dungeon?!" I asked. "Those Dungeons said to be the strongest out there?" Asked Emeraldine. "There are supposedly even more stronger dungeons than S Rank, but yes. It was just as strong as an S Rank Dungeon. Once split, this one is B Rank and the other¡­ I don''t really know for sure, but perhaps A Rank." Brunhild said. "Damn¡­ well, that only motivates me more to get to work! Alright, let''s get ying for now. I''ll summon a bunch of monsters, let''s get ready. They shouldn''t be anything too hard." I said to everyone. ------ Chapter 558 Summoning A Thousand Monsters ----- After hearing Brunhild''s information, I got a bit pumped up over the possibility of somehow merging both dungeons into an S Rank Dungeon. But that should wait forter to be honest. Right now, there are more important matters. I quickly opened the Dungeon Information and then nced at the monster spawning function¡­ The weaker monsters, which are C+ Rank can be summoned for 20k MP, B- for 50k MP, B+ for 70k MP, and then there are A- Rank monsters for 100k! However, that''s kind of all. The entire Dungeon''s Mana capacity is overflowing, as its maximum amount is a 100 million! Yeah, it is a tremendous amount because it is a B Rank Dungeon. Of course, I cannot drain this Mana out for myself, but I can spend it into summoning monsters for EXP¡­ the only thing I can actually do for now. It seems this dungeon haspletely banned any drops. There are none! The only treasures are the natural ones. I guess it is not within the dungeon''s traits or something. Nheless, using the 100 Million MP we''ve got, I''ll summon one thousand A- Rank Monsters! That gotta be a good amount of EXP, I am sure as hell. The EXP, however, after that, might take over a month to recover fully, but the dungeon is still pretty fast at draining MP. "Alright, for this month we can summon a thousand A- Rank Monsters. That''s sure going to be a bit of EXP." I said with a nod. "I see¡­" Lucifer nodded. "A thousand¡­" Partner muttered. "A- Rank Monsters¡­" Emeraldine said. "Oh, that''s certainly-" Brunhild quickly stopped talking alongside everyone else. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN A THOUSAND?!" Everyone suddenly asked in shock and in unison! "A thousand¡­ a thousand A- Rank Monsters?! That''s an insane amount of EXP!" Said Emeraldine. "Shouldn''t we bring more people here to leech EXP as well?" Asked Partner. "No, I''ve seen that there''s a certain level difference that cannot be surpassed. When monsters are too high rankedpared to others, the people won''t earn shared EXP." I said. "Only those in here can earn it. Takeshi and Laura just barely make it. I could summon the other stronger Undead, but I prefer them to protect our ce for now. We''ll eventually take turns around. Also if we suddenly make OP the dwarves in our guild, there''ll bemotion and they might not be able to handle themselves with so much strength." "Stupidly giving power to everyone is not the right thing to do. I am doing this with everyone here because we are all already super strong, and this is honestly the only way we can keep on leveling quickly¡­ In that Ice Golem raid I only got very little levels; it is too slow." "So how much EXP is this?" Wondered Lucifer. "Hmm¡­ A- Rank monsters gave roughly¡­ between 80k to 100k EXP a pop." I said while rubbing my chin. "T-That means we could potentially earn between 80 Million to 100 Million EXP tonight?!" Asked Lucifer. "Hey, we need a ton of EXP now that we are A Rank." I said. "So it is a good starting point! If it were up to me we would spend the rest of the year grinding for levels leisurely but the sealed dungeon is telling me that it might break its seal in a few more days or weeks¡­ I haven''t told everyone but since I ate that evil god fragment that I can feel the other evil god fragments." "I know exactly where they are, and I can also sense what they''re doing¡­ the one in that sealed dungeon is trying to break the seal, and it is doing a wonderful job at that! We''ve gotta get as strong as possible before that. So time to summon! Are you guys ready?" I asked. "Can we¡­ please eat before?" Sighed Partner, falling to her knees in defeating manner. "Right¡­ We haven''t eaten since lunch." Iughed. "Alright then, let''s get to eat first!" Like that, with the aid of our new Abyssal Ant Friends, we started making a massive feast to fill ourselves with as much energy as possible. This feast included delicious monster meat we still had saved up, such as the various types of bird monster meats we had, the mole meat, and fish from theke outside. I used my Cooking Skill to its maximum potential, to the point the food I make temporarily boosted our stats. When we were done, we took a thirty-minute break where we cleansed a big area for fighting, and we all got ready for the battle that approached. However, it wasn''t going to be hard or anything, we were too strong and I had a strategy. "Alright, everyone''s ready? We''ll begin this training then! I''ll first summon five A- Rank Monsters, we''ll see how they are and how strong they are. And from there I''ll deduce how many we can summon at once. Let''s take our time." Nyx was going to fight as well. She was more than strong enough, and she was still just Level 1, so she just needed to level up to get even stronger. I also wanted the twins to get powerful as much as possible. They had been growing with us but their Skills need higher stats to get stronger. Takeshi is already amazing as he is, and Laura''s explosions are super lethal, but could be even more! Also Onyx was born naturally as a high ranked monsters at B Rank so he can actually earn EXP despite being just recently hatched, kind of like Nyx. "Alright, got it!" Said everyone, preparing for battle. For safety reasons, Nyx was kept behind her father while he and her aunt were in their dragon forms for further protection. We told her to stay in the back and use whatever magic she wants from a distance. Laura and Takeshi will keep her on check to not run too far. "Alright!" FLAAAASH!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I quickly gave themand to the powerful dungeon and its hundred million mana deposit, as arge quantity of Mana was spent and then, fiverge monsters were summoned. They were around five meters each, and they had varied shapes! ----- Chapter 559 Level Up Frenzy! ----- There were three types of monsters that originally inhabited these caves before they were overrun by the Abyssal Ants and their enormous Nests. Termites as big as these Abyssal Ants, but with metallic body exoskeletons and growingrge colorful crystals over their bodies as spikes, Ore Eating Metal Termites. Giant Turtles the size of up to four to five meters with big shells covered on sharp crystals, Crystal Turtles. And then big, tyrannosaurus-like reptiles of the caverns that grew sharp spikes from crystals growing over their bodies, Crystalsaurus! These were the three kings of this third floor before the Ants ate them all and made their nests all around here. But now such ants werepletely exterminated. So obviously, such ants which were an external factor, cannot be summoned, and in fact, the original monsters were finally back! "SHAAAA!" The ferocious termites ran forward, immediately spotting us to bite us with their sharp serrated fangs, they even conjured spikes of sharp rocks, using earth magic! "ROOARR!" The turtles began spinning on their own shells, rushing rapidly towards us! "GROOOOAAAARRRGH!" And the ferocious Crystalsaurus roared angrily, rushing forward, and opening their jaws. As lesser dragons, they had elemental dragon breath attack! And yes, they were all ferocious A- Rank monsters. "Let''s see what you''re made of!" Lucifer roared, moving forward with Brunhild, the two quickly kicked the Termites, crushing them into pieces by their very weight and strengthbined. SPLAAAT!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om They sttered over the floor easily. "Let''s see¡­ Magic Bow Arts: [Spiritual Light Arrows]!" Emeraldine pointed her magic bow at the turtles, firing several arrows made of spiritual light at them. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The turtles tried to tank the hits, but the arrows easily pierced through their shells, which gained cracks and then exploded into pieces, the turtles died on the spot. "Let''s try out these two new spears! Dual Blood Spear Arts: [Dual Piercing Blood Dragons]!" Partner rushed forward, unleashing a consecutive attack using both spears at the same time. A wave of blood essence emerged from her spears as the two unleashed powerful and devastating piercing blows against the Crystalsaurus. CRAAAASSSSSHHH!!! The enormous blow pierced through their bodies a hundred times. Their mighty scales were nothing against Partner''s might. The monsters were defeated on the spot, covered with holes¡­ And¡­ "Wait, that''s it?" Asked Lucifer. "I thought A- Rank Monsters¡­ would be stronger than that." Brunhild sighed. "If you guys don''t remember, the ants had many A- Rank members, the knights for example. Their boost was that they had miasma with them so it was tricky to fight them due to the toxicity of the miasma and its ability to reflect most magic damage as well. But normal A- Rank Monsters? They''re just not that hard anymore¡­ Alright, let''s continue! I''ll raise the number to twenty!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Like that, I continued summoning more and more monsters, slowly rising the amount of numbers I used in each wave of monsters. We were able to defeat them no problem. Already at the beginning they seemed easy, but when I joined the fray to fight directly things became even more easily. Ultimately, at thest waves, we were being swarmed by hundreds, but easily dealing with them and blowing them all way into shreds using magic and skills of super high level. My battle axe and my magic longsword were amazing too, simple swings of these weapons generated shockwaves of darkness all around, impacting the monsters and slicing them apart. The morning finally came, and a ridiculous amount of EXP greeted our sight¡­ Ding! [You and your party have in [Ore Eating Metal Termite (A- Rank)] x333] [You and your party have in [Crystal Turtles (A- Rank)] x334] [You and your party have in [Crystalsaurus (A- Rank)] x333] [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [You gained Bonus EXP for killing over one thousand monsters in a row!] [You earned 125000000 EXP] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 45 to Level 65!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points!] [Several Skill Levels have increased!] [You acquired the [Dragon yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Relentless Hunter: Lv1] Title Skill!] Holy shit! I gained twenty fucking levels in a row! And exactly twenty at that! And not only that but I even ended getting two Title Skills out of the entire grind¡­ Man, it was really exhausting though. But at the end it was totally worth it. ----- [Dragon yer: Lv1] A Title Skill acquired by ying over a hundred dragon-type monsters. It enhances damage dealt against Dragon-type Monsters by +50%, with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it grant ess to a Dragon''s Powers such as [Breath Attack], [Dragon Scales], and [Dragon Eyes], which grow in strength with each Skill Level. ----- [Relentless Hunter: Lv1] A Special Title Skill awarded to someone that has hunted an exceptionallyrge amount of monsters through a short amount of time. It enhances all Damage Dealt against Monsters by +20% with an additional +2% with each Skill Level. Additionally, increases Monster EXP and decreases Level Up EXP Requirements based on Skill Level. ----- Well now this is interesting! I never thought Titles could go this far¡­ And Dragon yer gives three Dragon Abilities such as Breath Attack, Dragon Scales, and Dragon Eyes?! That''s insane! Meanwhile, Relentless Hunter increases damage to all monsters in general, increases EXP earned and decreases EXP requirements! This is too good to be true¡­ And just after that whole fight, I feel way stronger. Leveling twenty times in a row really gives a godly amount of strength. Even my physical might has been enhanced. However, I was the only one currently awake, everyone else was napping. The whole fight was too exhausting for everyone else. However, I could feel they were overflowing with new strength¡­ "A-Amazing¡­" Tyr suddenly showed up at my side. "To think you would be able to defeat a thousand of such strong monsters, this method was suicidal for most, but to you and your group, it seemed like a walk in the park¡­" "Heh, surprised?" I asked while feeling like acting cocky. ----- Chapter 560 Surprising Growth ----- "I am not surprised or anything! Don''t get the wrong idea¡­" Sighed Tyr. He somehow made me remember Lucifer when he gets overly prideful. But instead of being cute like my beloved husband he looks just stupid. "Then why even talk? Are you getting bored now or something? I guess you can''t really talk with anybody else, huh? Huh?" Iughed. "Tch¡­ It''s not like I choose to be here trapped inside your soul or something! It''s not like¡­ I even choose to get killed by my own family to begin with¡­" Tyr sighed. "Aw geez, okay. Okay, just rx go to take a nap or something. I am not really into the mood to listen to your sobbing story; I am fairly sure I heard enough and I even kind of rted a bit with you but that''s it." I sighed. "I just want the others to know me!" He boldly said. "Wait, what?! But aren''t you like evil and mad at us?" I wondered. "I don''t care anymore I am bored in here! I just want to be seen and talk with others!" Cried Tyr, supplicating to me to let him do that. He even flew below my belly and started sobbing. "U g h fine¡­" I sighed. "I''ll tell them everything once they wake up." I quickly walked back to the camp we had set up and found everyone there napping. Nyx was cuddling with me just now, so I had to bring her in my arms. She had leveled a lot as well, and her stats skyrocketed to rather insane numbers¡­ In fact this was a good time to check mine too. ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [B e e l z e b u b] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [43/80] -> [65/80] [EXP]: [2727000/10000000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [106000/106000] -> [150000/150000] [MP]: [258000/258000] -> [346000/346000] [Attack]: [60000] -> [93000] [Defense]: [62000] -> [95000] [Magic]: [248000] -> [336000] [Agility]: [106000] -> [150000] [Aether]: [100] [System Points]: [462000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis], [Skill Shop], [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv6] [Abyss Eater: Lv3] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv7] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv4] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv3] [Ice Resistance: Lv3] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv8] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv3] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv3] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv7] [Fist Strike: Lv9] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv6] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv7] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv2] [Dark Sun: Lv6] [Dark Storm: Lv6] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv4] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv4] [Abyss Maniption: Lv4] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv4] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv3] [Soul Devourer: Lv3] [Undead Detonation: Lv9] [Shadow Thread: Lv8] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv5] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv2] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv3] [Illusory Delusion: Lv4] [Mind Bending: Lv4] [Insect Maniption: Lv4] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv4] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv2] [Phantasmal mes: Lv2] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv2] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv3] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Summon: Lv4] [Spirit Connection: Lv1] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv2] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv8] [Mental Mapping: Lv7] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv8] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv3] [Mining: Lv3] [Dismantle: Lv3] [Taming: Lv1] [Mana Transfer: Lv3] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv3] [Smithing: Lv2] [Chopping: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv8] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv5] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv9] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv7] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv4] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv6] [Spirit Queen: Lv5] [Spirit Mediator: Lv5] [Poison Queen: Lv6] [Merciless Assassin: Lv6] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv5] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv4] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv5] [gue Exterminator: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv7] [Saint of Death: Lv6] [Deceiver: Lv4] [Undead yer: Lv5] [Slime yer: Lv3] [King yer: Lv5] [Dungeon Master: Lv3] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv3] [Queen of Flies: Lv3] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv4] [Mold Breaker: Lv5] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv3] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv3] [Greedy Miner: Lv3] [Butcherer: Lv3] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv2] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv4] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv3] [Explosion Maniac: Lv3] [Infernal Queen: Lv2] [Ice Monster yer: Lv2] [Human yer: Lv2] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv2] [Bone Queen: Lv2] [Lumberjack: Lv2] [Dragon yer: Lv1] [Relentless Hunter: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- Ah, twenty levels really bring a ton of stats. Been a long while since I checked my stats already, so I guess the levels umted and now I can see the big enhancement to all stats. Stats all increase by a predetermined value with each level. Each stat has a "level growth" which is predetermined and increases as I have evolved. I remember it was very low back then, but it has grow so much that I get thousands of stats in each different stat per level up. Which constantly brings a greater enhancement to my strength in all areas! ¡­Except Aether, I have yet to increase that damn stat at all, and it is a real pain in the ass just standing there doing absolutely nothing, as if it were asking me to raise it! However, today, that will change, as I''ve gathered a ton of materials, exactly one thousand Magic Crystals from the interior of a thousand butchered A- Rank Monsters. I remember Tyr said that to increase the power of my soul, I had to enhance my soul scape, and to enhance my soul scape, I have to "feed" it highly magically charged materials. These magic crystals freshly butchered from one thousand powerful monsters might finally do something! ¡­I hope. -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Chapter 561 Soul Scape Growth ----- "Mwuh? Mama?" Nyx suddenly woke up, as I had left her resting over her bed, she slowly crawled outside the tent in all fours, finding her mother, me, swallowing a mountain of Magic Crystals. "Huh? Ah¡­" "Eh?" We stared at each other for a while, it was very weird. "I-I can exin! I am just trying to boost my soul scape!" I said. "Bwuh¡­ Tashty?" She wondered, looking at the Magic Crystal with new eyes. "N-No! Wait, it is definitely not tasty!" I said. Fuck! If Nyx suddenly somehow wants to eat them all, the pile will be gone in just a mere second! My daughter is just as gluttonous as her mother after all! "Bwuh?" Then Nyx tilted her head in confusion, without knowing what to do or say. Honestly, she was such a cute little thing that I couldn''t get mad at her for wanting to take a little bite¡­ But for now, these Magic Crystals are mine! I cannot allow her to waste them by eating them! "I-I¡­." Suddenly, Nyx''s eyes shone bright red. Oh no! "I wan!" She said, suddenly rushing forward, her tiny wings pped, helping her hover over the air! "No! T-They''re mine!" I quickly jumped over the pile of Magic Crystals and spread out my body into a mass of phantasmal darkness, trying to swallow all the Magic Crystals. However, if I had a literal ck hole inside of me, why didn''t I just ate them normally? Well, well, there''s a little problem with that! The ck Hole might end up making the magic within them be destroyed altogether, so I don''t want that. And swallowing them all will be bad for my soul because they''re very high-grade magic crystals, meaning that eating them all together will make my entire body blow up with too much Mana. After all, these Magic Crystals are the crystallization of one hundred million MP! If I eat them all, my soul''s gonna burst and even if I can heal from that, I''ll lose all the magic power. So I have to eat them one by one, slowly. "Nom! Chomp!" Nyx jumped over my phantasmal body as she began biting me, trying to get to the "main dish"! "Nyx, baby, please wait a second! Waaaaait!" Nyx continued chomping, but then suddenly stopped. "Nyx¡­ bad?" She asked out of the blue. Oh? Did she learn that herself? It seems she''s quite self-conscious of her actions! "Yeah, you were being a bad girl, wait a bit and let your mother eat her crystals, okay baby?" "Mwuh¡­ oway¡­" Nyx sighed, as she slowly crawled into the floor and sat down there, staring at me. It felt as if her stare was ncing through my soul. It felt as if she was saying: "Go ahead, eat." I felt a strange pressure¡­ I-Is this the pressure of the aura of a Cmity-ss being like she is?! She gained like forty levels this night, so her power probably more than doubled. Even her normal aura has be slightly¡­ menacing, even when she means no harm. Uwaah! I am just going to eat it all! Stop ring at me, Nyx! As I ate and ate more, I felt her re even from behind! It was as if¡­ a gigantic ck dragon red eyes were staring through my all. And she was drooling at what I ate. Yet she was restraining herself from not eating it, but still, her very desire materialized itself into this terrifying presence! My daughter''s mighty¡­ Gosh, what sort of tiny little monster have you created, Crystal?! Nyx''s biological mother, Crystal, must have had an amazing patience to deal with dragon children, they''re really quite the handful. After an hour of swallowing crystals, I had ended. I sighed in relief, as I rested over the floor. Nyx quickly climbed over my back, chomping my shoulder. "Mama¡­ hungy¡­" "I know you''re hungry¡­" Now¡­ let''s see my Soul Scape and watch how much it has improved! I looked directly into the Soul Scape. The ce originally resembled a dark ce, the sky was purple red, there was ck grass growing over the aridnd. It looked honestly quite depressing. But now?! Now it¡­ It looked the same? No wait! There''s new things. There were small saplings growing from the ground. They were pure ck and had purple leaves. And there were also red, purple, and ck flowers¡­ Indeed, it barely changed, but it changed. "I think it worked. A thousand A- Rank Magic Crystals did something to your soul by consuming them through cing them inside the Soul Scape!" Tyr mentioned. "They did?! I don''t really feel any different-"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Ding! [Your Soul Scape has consumed arge quantity of high-quality Magic Power!] [Your Soul Scape has developed further!] [Your Soul Scape has developed [Withering Trees of Death] Lesser Spirit Treasure!] [Your Soul Scape has developed [Red Flowers of Blood] Lesser Spirit Treasure!] [Your Soul Scape has developed [Purple Flowers of Poison] Lesser Spirit Treasure!] [Your Soul Scape has developed [ck Flowers of Darkness] Lesser Spirit Treasure!] [You gained +100 Aether!] [Your Soul is developing further; it has grown double as big!] [Your Soul Scape''s size has increased ordingly!] [With each 1 point of Aether over 100, all stats increase by +1000 (invisible buff)] Woah! There''s a bunch of new stuff! Let''s begin with the basics, apparently I gain +1000 stats with each point of Aether past 100! This means I already have a bonus of +10k to all stats?! Nice! Although the buff is invisible, so it doesn''t show in the status as a whole¡­ And above all, it seems I got 1 Aether every 100 A- Rank Magic Crystals. I guess I can grind that, though A Rank monsters are super rare out there, I can get a guaranteed amount from this dungeon, and thenter from the other I will conquer. "Hey, what the heck are Spirit Treasures? Those things showed up out of the blue! Do they represent the things that grew inside my Soul Scape?" "Spirit Treasures? Oh, so you''ve developed some!" Tyr seemed to know something about this. ----- Chapter 562 Spirit Treasures ----- "Let me exin things! Ehem!" Tyr suddenly got all cocky as he smiled, his smile was creepy, showing serrated jaws smirking on his amorphous ball of darkness body. "You see, Spirit Treasures is what everyone develops inside their Soul Scape." Said Tyr. "Every being that has one develops them eventually. Usually, gods!" "Gods?! Wait, so am I¡­?" I asked. "Something like that, you''re still in the early stages, you''re no even one to begin with. But you''re getting ahead of them by getting these things before even bing one! Isn''t it nice? Aren''t I nice to tell you the big secrets no other god would dare to share with mortals?! Bwahahahaa!" Tyr began tough pridefully. "But tell me what they are then!" I asked angrily. "R-Right¡­ Ahem." Tyr quickly cleared his throat. "Anyways, Spirit Treasures are that treasures made of spiritual elemental essence, the essence that creates all elements in the world. Gods possess this elemental essence as part of their very lifeblood. Smaller spirits also have them, but in lesser quantities. This is how spirits are so incredible, beings made purely out of an element yet are alive, and are also not even a normal soul either!" "So these Treasures are made of this spirit essence thing¡­ Do they make me stronger?" I asked. "Naturally so! Gods of the highest ranks have countless treasures over their Soul Scape. Each one decorates their Soul Scape, which canter evolve into higher forms of internal spaces. Eventually, they are able to harbor physical beings inside. To grow stronger as a god, you cannot simply level up- well, the gods do not possess such power, but you do as you were born a mortal, so if you ever be a goddess, you''ll be one of the first that can level up." He said with a smirk. "Anyways, these Treasures contain special abilities, that enhance your elemental strength or can even produce special energies or even resources. Such resources you can use to craft special things with Spiritual Synthesis and the like." Tyr exined. "Eh? Spiritual Synthesis? That sounds cool, what is it?" I wondered. "Well what you just heard. It allows for the convergence of Spiritual Treasures to create brand new Sacred Items, often called Divine Treasures." Said Tyr. "Though that''s not something we should discuss, you can''t even reach that point yet¡­ For now, "check" the Spirit Treasures. They''re Lesser, but they will develop over time as you continue feeding your Soul Scape." "Ooh! I see¡­ Alright, let me see¡­" -----n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure that contains the Element of Death. It resembles a withering tree with purple leaves. It is dry and can survive without water or sunlight. It might eventually evolve into something of incredible power. Enhances Death Attribute Power by +10000 Hastens Phantasmal Essence Recovery and Soul Regeneration by +10% ----- [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many red-colored flowers resembling red roses containing the Element of Blood. As it evolves, its quantity multiplies. Flowers Amount: 150 Enhances Blood Attribute Power by +10 with each Flower. Blood Attribute Magic gains +1 Spirit Power with each Flower. ----- [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many purple-colored flowers resembling purple roses containing the Element of Poison. As it evolves, its quantity multiplies. Flowers Amount: 150 Enhances Poison Attribute Power by +10 with each Flower. Poison Attribute Magic gains +1 Spirit Power with each Flower. ----- [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many ck-colored flowers resembling ck roses containing the Element of Darkness. As it evolves, its quantity multiplies. Flowers Amount: 150 Enhances Darkness Attribute Power by +10 with each Flower. Darkness Attribute Magic gains +1 Spirit Power with each Flower. ----- Each Spirit Treasure was like a little bonus to my elemental power and magic power, and they even could bring special effects. The Withering Tree made my Phantasmal Essence Regeneration faster, alongside my own Soul Regeneration. Both of those are very useful! I am a ghost so with that I can literally regenerate my health faster. Also, it seems they grant "X Element Power" which simply enhances that element in specific. Each tiny flower enhances it by +10 with their respective element, the more I have, the more bonus I get¡­ But I cannot simply grow them normally, I can tell. Ah, this new power is really interesting¡­ It reminds me of gacha games where there was always a new way to enhance a character and give them even more stats or effects, each update, most of the time each year, always added this to keep the power creep increasing and give the yer something to grind for even when it was virtually the same damn thing all the time. Nheless, it is pretty interesting, the more Spirit Treasures, the more elemental power, the stronger and mightier I be! I guess this is also the key to the god''s power, the key to Thor''s lightning that could split a giant mountain in two twin mountains was his immense Elemental Power! I wonder if everyone else could eventually develop their own Soul Scape¡­ "Right now you barely have a few, but it is interesting that you developed them at all by ingesting such a little amount of power into your Soul Scape. You''re indeed very talented. That blessing of Hel must be helping you as well¡­" Tyr seemed rather amused of my Spirit Treasures. "Are there ranks in the Spirit Treasures?" I wondered. "Hmm¡­ Yeah, something like that. Lesser is the lowest, if you develop further, these Lesser Spirit Treasures will increase on power to even higher grades. Naturally, their bonus stat and effects will be enhanced ordingly. Also, Spirit Treasures can evolve and takepletely different shapes. Or sometimes, only by merging them with another, you can achieve their evolution¡­" "Is there a way to get more aside from¡­ developing them normally?" "Yes¡­ the Realm of the Spirits and the many other Realms in this world, which are spread across the various Continents have them grow naturally there, in small quantities. They''re not treasures for nothing after all. If you ever want them, you''ll have to snatch them away!" I guess this has suddenly be a treasure seeking adventure¡­ ----- Chapter 563 Soul Scape Skills ----- After deciding on trying to find Spirit Treasures if I evere closer to one, I suddenly saw the System''s notification, two new Skills were suddenly acquired. Ding! [You learned the [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv1] Unique Skill!] [You learned the [Soul Scape Master: Lv1] Title Skill!] ----- [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv1] The Soul Scape are internal pocket dimensions inside of Souls that serve the purpose of growing Spirit Treasures and serving as a home for Spirits and Familiars. The more Spirit Treasures grow naturally, the stronger the user bes and the higher the avability of materials for the development of strength, material creation, or even the evolution of familiars be. Only beings with strength that has already reached a power simr to Demi Spirits can develop such a power. However, due to your privileges as a chosen one by the Goddess of Death Hel and by eating the Fragments of the Evil God, you''ve unlocked this power ahead of the required strength. Enhances all Spirits and Familiars Stats by +10%, alongside expanding the internal space by +20% and increasing the chances for a Spirit Treasure to evolve or emerge by +5% with each Skill Level. This Skill can Level up by cultivating the Soul and developing it. ----- So if I get this straight¡­ My Soul Scape enhances the stats of my Familiars and Spirits too? Meaning that my Undead all grow stronger thanks to this?! Wow, well, that''s not something I expected. I don''t get any bonus myself though? That''s kind of unfair! ¡­However, I guess the Spirit Treasures passive bonuses are good enough for now, to be honest. Maybe I shouldn''t be so picky over free stuff. It is not as if this power was supposed to even emerge at my current level or rank, I got it all because I ate the small fragment of a God. ----- [Soul Scape Master: Lv1] A Special Title only given to those who have unlocked the Soul Scape within their Mana Crystals. Grants them the ability to see through its interior as if they were the gods of this smallnd, alongside allowing Spirits and Familiars to enter and rest inside, recovering their energies easily. Increases Mana Recovery Speed by +50% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, enhances all Spirit Treasures Effects by +20% with each Skill Level.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ----- Andstly there''s this one, I guess this is the one that grants me this god-like view over the Soul Scape. The ce''s still very small and arid, so I would rather not put anybody there aside from Undead. It might be a handier ce to put them inside than my owns shadows, so they can do things in there maybe. Although it is not really a problem for me to have them at hand, by using the Summon Skill, I can summon Undead that belong to me whenever I am, so I could even just leave them in the city and summon them whenever I require them. Anyways, the bonuses are nice though, increasing the speed of my automatic Mana recovery is all what matters! The faster it recovers, the faster I can spam magic to my heart''s content! Also each level enhances the spirit treasures effects and even adds chances for new ones to pop up All in all, this was all an amazing investment. I could had gotten so much money out of those thousands of Mana Crystals, but I guess I''ll just be missing them for now. Selling the materials of these monsters, such as their bodies, should be enough though¡­ Although making them into powerful high rank Undead could also be a nice idea. "Uagh, it is so hard to decide!" "Mama¡­" Suddenly, Nyx looked at me with puppy eyes. "Ah right, okay¡­ Want some breakfast?" I asked. "Breawfas!" Nyx got excited about food. She suddenly pointed at a nearby Termite Carcass, as a flow of Phantasmal Essence flew from her hands and reached the corpse. The termite started to slowly begin to move, its eyes ring with blue-colored will-o-wisps, and then, it stood up. "nk nk!" The termite clicked its mandibles as it ran towards us and then lowered its head, Nyx hopped over it. "Eh?! You''ve already figured out Necromancy so quickly¡­" I sighed. "I guess you''re really my daughter!" Nyx not only inherited powers from Lucifer, but also from me. The very reason why she evolved into her current race and all the skills she has is also because of the power I granted to her egg before hatching. In fact, she leveled up a lot too¡­ let''s check her status. ----- [Name]: [Nyx Luna] [Status]: [Hungry] [Race]: [Three-Eyed Dark Ghost Dragon Princess Vritra] [Level]: [0/40] -> [26/40] [Rank]: [B-] [HP: [55000/55000] -> [133000/133000] [MP: [110000/110000] -> [188000/188000] [Attack: [33000] -> [111000] [Defense: [45000] -> [d0] [Magic: [67000] -> [145000] [Agility: [44000] -> [122000] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv3] [Shadow Transportation: Lv3] [Abyssal Dragon Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv4] [Poisonous Scales: Lv3] [Ancient Dragon Heart: Lv--] [Morph: Lv--] [Shapeshift: Lv2] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv3] [Hardened Dragon Scales: Lv3] [Ancient Death Dragon Domain: Lv3] [Little Gluttony: Lv3] [True Dragon Form: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv3] [All Element Resistance: Lv3] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv3] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv2] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv4] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv3] [Abyssal Chaos Breath: Lv3] [Phantasmal Death ws: Lv3] [Venomous Dragon Scale Powder: Lv3] [Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception: Lv2] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv3] [Life Absorption: Lv4] [Phantasmal me: Lv5] [Dark Star: Lv4] [Mana Mastery: Lv3] [Ancient Dragon''s Aura: Lv3] [Dark Shadow Spear: Lv4] [Blood Feast: Lv3] [Soul Devourer: Lv2] [Spear of Death: Lv3] [Summon Phantom Dragon Familiar: Lv2] [Fake Life: Lv1] [Shadow Sneak: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv2] [Undead Healing: Lv2] [Summon: Lv2] [Spirit Summon: Lv2] [Materialization: Lv2] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [Daughter of the Apostle of Death: Lv2] [Little Dragon Princess Of Death and Darkness: Lv2] [Chaos Bringer: Lv2] [Lesser Cmity: Lv2] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv2] [Tail Biter: Lv3] [Dragon yer: Lv1] [gue yer: Lv1] [Little Devil: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- Oh, my girl has really gotten stronger! ----- Chapter 564 Everybodys Stat Growths ----- Just by taking a peek at Nyx''s stats, I could tell her Stat Growth was insanely high and also¡­ all-rounder. She didn''t specialized in anything and merely exceeded at everything. She probably had 3000 Stat Growth for every stat per level. I had already calcted her Stat Growth. ----- [HP]: 3000 [MP]: 3000 [Attack]: 3000 [Defense]: 3000 [Magic]: 3000 [Agility]: 3000 ----- And for aparison, these are my own stat growth: ----- [HP]: 2000 [MP]: 4000 [Attack]: 1500 [Defense]: 1500 [Magic]: 4000 [Agility]: 2000 ----- She''s clearly an all-rounder that exceeds at everything. Dragons themselves are like this too. They''re just amazing at everything, physical might, defense, magical offense, speed, everything. Coupled with my own specialization with magic, it turned her into a little cmity by itself. Meanwhile, my specializations are still MP quantity and Magic, I gain a lot each Level. Agility and HP are my second-best stats, while Attack and Defense the worst of the bunch. This growth can easily be reflected on my own stats whenever I take a peek at them. I had discovered this some time ago already, but everybody simply has their own Stat Growths. They only change once special Passive Skills or Titles are given to them, or once they evolve into higher ranks. Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, Takeshi, Laura, even Onyx and every single Undead in my army all can level up, obviously, each time one levels up, stats are given. These stats are based in their Growth Rates. It is not something that shows up normally, but it is easy to calcte once youpare previous stats with the increase''s stats. That''s how I got my own Growth Rates and Nyx''s Growth Rates so easily¡­ And well, here''s other Growth Rates for betterparison: Lucifer Growth Rates: ----- [HP]: 5000 [MP]: 1500 [Attack]: 5000 [Defense]: 5000N?v(el)B\\jnn [Magic]: 2000 [Agility]: 2000 ----- Partner''s Growth Rates: ----- [HP]: 3000 [MP]: 2000 [Attack]: 4000 [Defense]: 2000 [Magic]: 2500 [Agility]: 5000 ----- Emeraldine''s Growth Rates: ----- [HP]: 1000 [MP]: 3000 [Attack]: 3000 [Defense]: 1000 [Magic]: 3000 [Agility]: 3500 ----- By just seeing their Growth Rates, it is very easy to figure out their specializations! Even if he''s a Dragon, Lucifer specializes in defense and offensive might, he''s our major tank too. Thenes Partner, she''s an agile offensive fighter that pierces a foe''s weak spots with her shy speed. Lastly, Emeraldine is very frail, but she has a good bnce between Attack, Magic, and Agility, perfect for a Magic Bow User. I had calcted their Stat Growths after checking their stats upon leveling up after this whole ordeal¡­ And now that Nyx was ordering me to make breakfast, I couldn''t spend all time looking at other people''s status, I was honestly also quite hungry. "Alright Nyx, let''s make- Huh?!" Suddenly, I noticed several of the carcasses of the monsters had risen as Undead just now. An army of a dozen of Termites were gathering around Nyx, lowering their heads to her as if she was their princess. The turtles were also nearby, and even the big lizards. I guess she has made herself a little army of around thirty Undead. She wasn''t capable of this before, but through leveling up she learned skills automatically, such as Fake Life, the one which she has been ying around with just recently. Many more Undead popped up almost automatically, all serving her with loyalty. That''s actually nice, my Undead Queen Skill should actually make them my allies instead almost forcefully, but perhaps because she has the Title of being my daughter, that power is also passed to her and both don''t ovep. It is as if I was assigning Nyx her own squad of bodyguards! However, she''s so strong that I doubt any of these little guys could ever protect her as well as she can protect herself. I quickly brought out several things from my Inventory and began cooking breakfast. I decided to go for something more simple this time, scrambled eggs, bacon, and grilled meat of course, we''ve got some rather intense meat eaters that desire meat even in breakfasts. Aside from that, I quickly began baking some bread I made myself right there. The bread was growing spongy because I added yeast I created using [Disease and Poison Creation] which allows for the creation of bacteria and fungi. The name of the skill might seem deadly and lethal, but once I got the hang of it, I can purposely create yeast and other friendly bacteria to help create spongy bread, wine, yogurt, cheese, and more almost instantly at that! That''s why aside from the spongy bread I was baking, I took out tworge bottle with white and creamy yogurt, some fruits, fresh white cheese and yellow parmesan cheese, and even a little bottle of wine for me. "Phew! Ah, nothing better than getting drunk in the morning!" I sighed in relief, as I quickly saved the bottle inside my Inventory once I noticed Nyx looking at me confusedly. "A-Anyways! Everyone, wake up!" I called everyone, as they slowly started to wake up. Brunhild and Lucifer were on their big and fat dragon forms, so they were so big they hit the ceiling once they sat down. BAAAAM! "Ouch¡­" Brunhild cried. "Huh? Ah¡­ Did I fell asleep in this form? My bad." Lucifer''s big sister apologized. "We should get to a smaller form for now. Oh, that smells nice!" Lucifer quickly came to sit down around therge table I brought out. "Oh, what''s that white creamy stuff?" Asked Partner, looking at the yogurt. "That''s yogurt!" I said with a nod. "Y-Yogurt?! When did you made it?" Emeraldine asked, suddenly beginning to drool. "Like a few days ago? It is still fresh and ready to eat. Come, I''ve got some fruit to add to it, and also fruit jam and corn kes the dwarves buy from Goldsand." I said with a smile. "Cornkes¡­ This is all so new! And it goes well with yogurt!" Emeraldine seemed to love yogurt, eating it with everything offered. ------ Chapter 565 Beautiful Greenery ----- "I used to eat yogurt with my family¡­" Sighed Emeraldine. "When I was a little girl, my uncle and my mom always gave me yogurt with fruits for breakfast¡­ It is a nostalgic vor." Emeraldine ate the spoonful of yogurt with berries on top, licking her lips happily. She was certainly having a good time and enjoying herself. "Alright, here''s more! Now I''ve finally figured out one of your favorite meals, ufufufu!" I giggled. As her wife, I had to know these kinds of things to make her mornings happier. "I think I could make vored yogurt next¡­ Strawberry or peach vored yogurt might be possible¡­" "vored yogurt?! Is that a thing?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Yes please, I want that too¡­" "Sure!" "Hey, my favorite food is blood by the way~!" Partner said. "I know¡­" I sighed. "It is a great deal of trouble to secure you blood as it is!" "Ehehehe¡­" Partner giggled with some hints of embarrassment. "Anyways, let''s go back to more serious conversations." Lucifer said. "Now that we are done leveling up here, we should quickly go to see the fields and how they''re doing. After that, maybe we should take a day off before departing into the dungeon inside of the country. The faster we conquer that dangerous nest of Miasma, the safer the country will be from suddenly getting attacked by monsters." "Yeah, the dwarves must be our top priority in helping, I agree." Brunhild said. "I have made a pact with their ancient King to protect their country, so it is the least I could do for them before departing and staying with you guys for longer time." "If their country suddenly is destroyed, we''ll lose so many opportunities as well!" Sighed Partner. "And Helga and our Guild, they''re also our friends." Said Emeraldine. ? "Of course, I was already nning that anyways! Why else would I have wanted toe level up here quickly?" I asked with a prideful smile. "Oh, another dungeon then?!" Wondered Takeshi. "I wonder if are up for the task though¡­" Laura wondered. "You two and Onyx should suffice, you''ve leveled up enough, just remember to stay behind us and support us with your Skills from afar for the most part." I said with a nod. "CRAAAAH!" Onyx had becamerge now, he was the size of a cow and his ck feathers were shiny and beautiful. He resembled a majestic bird by now, a mix between a crow and a phoenix. He''s only there to support the twins more than anything, I don''t think they need more help than Onyx, which can also cover wide distances using his magic and amazingly sharp gaze, and of course his flight. After we were done having breakfast, we decided to move out right away. This time, Lancelot came with us while we left the Abyss Ant Zombies mining for more ores which regenerate at a rather fast pace. Now that the dungeon core is emptied of its MP, it won''t be summoning any weird monsters any time soon, so we can rx. We quickly traveled upstairs, reaching the second floor. The forest was as calm as I remember, but the Undead Skeletons have already begun preparing the soil, plowing the emptynd that I had left from cutting so many trees. "Oh they''re already halfway through! Did they spend the entire night doing this?" Asked Emeraldine. "Yeah, once they learned how to do it they can easily replicate it themselves without problem." I nodded. Nyx was still with her army of bodyguard Undead, but I was mustering the resolve to tell her to leave them behind or store her in her shadows. She liked to show them off, so she''s going to get slightly mad. "Nyx, baby, we are getting close to the outside, how about you store the undead inside your shadows? Like mama does?" I asked her. "Nuh!" Nyx said while denying my request. "She''s really attached to them¡­" I sighed. "Hm, Nyx, don''t be like this. It is so people are not scared of monsters crawling around¡­" Lucifer added. "Nuh!" Nyx continued being rebellious. "Well then, if you don''t do it like mama and papa told you, then there''s not going to be any meat for lunch¡­ nor dinner." I said while crossing my arms. "EEEEH?!" Nyx quickly took the bait, getting all angered. "So?" I asked her. "You don''t have to get rid of them or something. Whenever we get back home you can hang around with them anywhere." "Yeah, we were going to have such a delicious meat for this lunch and dinner, what a pity if my daughter wouldn''t get to eat it with us." Lucifer added. "Mwuhh¡­" Nyx seemed slightly sad, but her shadows quickly stretched out of her body as if they were a spider, in seconds, all the Undead disappeared and she pped her wings, reaching my arms. "What a good girl." "Well done."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om We praised her for doing as we told her, it was essential to always praise children for anything they do right, so they can learn it is the right thing to do too. Children are very often desperate for attention after all, Nyx probably wanted the attention of all her Undead Friends. "Hehehe¡­" She went from sad to happy as she received our love and attention. We quickly made our way to the first floor, and there it was, the beautiful field of veggies, fruits, and tuber nts we have nted just yesterday. Many of them had already sprouted, and the fields were covered by small green leaves everywhere. It was a beautiful scenario, too beautiful to be honest. The clear sky, the bright sunlight, the sound of the rivers in the background¡­ I wouldn''t mind spending the rest of my eternity in such a rxed andy back manner. "It seems everything has grown a lot already!" Takeshi said happily, wandering around the fields. "Yeah, this is amazing!" Laura happily said, wandering around as well. "Uwaaah! Gwreeeen!" Nyx said, as she admired the greenery. ------ Chapter 566 A Mysterious Voice ----- Of course, there were also a dozen of skeletons wandering around leisurely. The two things contrasted a little bit, I wouldn''t me someone if they saw it ruined the view. But these skeletons had the job of watering the ns and eliminating any pest they find in the way of the veggies. "It is growing well!" Emeraldine began wandering around the fields happily, inspecting every nt using her abilities. "They might be fully grown in about a week from now- Oh!" We quickly noticed certain patches of the fields where nts were growing more rapidly andrger than in other ces. These were the areas where we ced the dust made from the magic ores we mined, the Rainbow Crystals, Earth Topaz, and Turtle Shell Stones. Apparently, Rainbow Crystals gave the most enchantment. The small sprouts were flowing with a rainbow aura as well. Upon inspecting, it was revealed the aura of rainbow color covering the sprouts was called [Multicolor Aura of Life] and it enhanced the growth of all nts it covered by +100%, while imbuing into them Spiritual Energy. "Wooow! This is amazing! Rainbow Crystals seem to be the most effective in this regard!" Emeraldine seemed naturally drawn into the nts, which now emanated Spiritual Energy. Wait¡­ wait a second. They emanate spiritual energy? Could they be Spirit Treasures?! I tried checking the nts growing, they were tomato nts, some potatoes, and onions. However, it still said they were merely magic nts, not spirit nts. Ah, I got excited over nothing! We quickly moved to the other nt patches. The patch with the Earth Topaz dust turned into a [Earthy Aura] which enhanced the nts Durability by +200%, making them able to withstand theck of water, sunlight, and even resist the bites of pest and keep themselves pristine. They didn''t got the buff of the Rainbow Crystals in terms of speed and quality enchantment. But it was certainly true what Helga had said, Earth Topaz is the best ore if you want to help nts grow in the most unwee of ces, such as the top of mountains. I guess this is why they''re so essential. We''ve got tons of Earth Topaz from the mining the Ants did, and we''ll keep getting a steady supply. I know the skeletons won''t be able to fight all the pests that will show up here, so I might as well leave them around a hundred Earth Topaz and some Phantasmal Familiars to crush the topazes and then make them into dust. Phantasmal familiars are the best at distributing this, as they can just easily fly anywhere. Rainbow Crystals are too rare, even after the Ant''s mining, we only secured twenty, and they''re too precious as they can be used for a variety of alchemy items I want, so sadly I''ll be keeping them for now- Wait, a second, can''t we just mix them up? I''ll leave five Rainbow Crystals and mix them with the hundred Earth Topazes, might as well just mix everything. Even if the effects will be thinner, it is better than nothing. Andstly, Turtle Shell Stone seemed to create a [Long Life Aura] which made nts have higher vitality, increasing it by +200% and also giving them regeneration abilities. This means we could breed our own medicinal nts, vegetables, tubers, or fruits by using these stones! They''re just as rare as Rainbow Crystals, if not more, as the Ants couldn''t find any in this dungeon''s third floor mines. Which only means they don''t even grow in this dungeon and we need to find them outside. I gave out only two of them to mix with the others, hopefully some of the veggies turn to be medicinal. I could sell those at even higher prices. The rest of the Turtle Shell Stones will remain with me for now. I think I could use them either for alchemy or¡­ I don''t know, give lifespan to someone? Maybe the old grandmas and grandpas at my vige, although evolving and leveling give more lifespan and can even rejuvenate. As my Phantom Familiars began to spread the dust made out of mixed ores, we quickly decided to go back to the dwarven city. The beautiful fields were rather rxing to be around, most of us didn''t wanted to leave so soon, so we took a rxing stroll around. "Rat!" Nyx began chasing around a wandering rat, while Takeshi and Laura were ying around with Onyx. Partner, Emeraldine, and Brunhild were talking about how to keep their hair clean. Emeraldine shared her secret of using oil extract from medicinal herbs using alchemy. Meanwhile, Lucifer and I were walking around while keeping an eye on Nyx. As strong as she is, she might get into trouble anyways, we wouldn''t want that to happen to our dear daughter. Nheless, I still remember something that happened yesterday. When we were done with the fields and all, some hourster, I felt "something". It was a presence directly linked yet not to the dungeon. It was strange¡­ I wonder what it was. I thought something mighte out, but nothing has really happened yet. Maybe it was my imagination? "Hey Nyx, don''t get into the forest now!" Lucifer began chasing down Nyx to not let her get lost inside the forest, as I was left alone while looking at the fields calmly. "Help¡­" And as I was- Huh? "It hurts¡­" What is that voice? "Guuhh¡­" I quickly began looking around, trying to find some clues as to where that voice wasing from. It was so faint and small yet so close. I looked back at the rest of my group, everyone didn''t noticed anything, not even Emeraldine with her amazing hearing abilities. "Must have been my imagination?" No¡­ That voice was surely something deeper, like a soul asking for help. "Hello? Who''s there?" I continued chasing this little presence, getting inside the fields, until I suddenly stumbled upon something. There was a small sapling, I think it was¡­ an apple tree. It was ck, dry, and withered, and a bit of miasma wasing out of the dirt in there. The tree was more than dead now, it didn''t emanated any aura of life at all. Yet¡­ it spoke to me? "I don''t want to die¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn ----- Chapter 567 A New Little Companion ----- All multi-cellr life have souls. It is something I have learned after bing a Ghost. nts are included. However, bacteria and other little things seem to not possess one, or it is so small I simply cannot see it. But there''s a logic behind souls. Living beings can live without one, as long as their very existences are notplex. Bacteria live by very simplistic chemicalpounds, perhaps theirplexity hasn''t allowed them to develop proper souls. Meanwhile, mostly all multicellr life, down to the smallest little bug or worm have a soul. nts are included, of course. They all have souls, when I cut down a tree, I am killing a living being, and I can even see their soulse out of their bodies and fly away somewhere. nt souls and most other souls of living creatures that are not intelligent at all yet are stillplex, are very dull. They usually don''t get closer to me and often simply fly away somewhere else. Theyck egos, personalities, emotions, or minds. So they''re like the wind and simply disappear. They don''t grow grudges or anything of the sort, even if they''re killed gruesomely by being chopped down. It is a bit sad but, I always wondered if there would ever be something different, a different nt. I have yet to find nt-type monsters to turn Undead now and had never crossed in my mind to get myself a dead tree into a zombie tree or something, mostly because a walking pile of wood would be too weak to ice, fire, and a lot of other things. Too frail. But this is¡­ It''s different. This little tree has a mind, and feelings, and it was asking for my help. Like the Undead Queen I am, I somehow feel pity for innocent souls that are in pain. Of course, those that aren''t innocent are none of my concern. But this little one¡­ I found this small apple tree sapling growing from the corner of the fields, the dirt beneath had a bit of Miasma in there. The sapling seems to have been intoxicated and died on the spot. Yet its soul had yet to leave the dead body, and was somehow climbing to it while asking for someone toe to help the little thing. "Don''t worry¡­ [Purification]" FLASH! I conjured [Purification] from my [Purifier of Chaos] Title and quickly cleansed all the miasma in the soil and on top of the dead sapling, and then I sighed. "Well, you''re certainly unique if you''ve got a mind of your own¡­ [Transfiguration of Death]" FLUOSH! Phantasmal Powers surged from my hands, as I decided to raise this little sapling as an Undead. There were no recipes for it though, mostly because I had never risen a nt-type Undead before, this was the first ever. Undead Creation Recipes only show up once the type of Undead that can be risen is unlocked within the Soul Grimoire, this little sapling had no recipes other than being made into an Undead in the most ssic of ways. Crack¡­ CRACK! Suddenly, the sapling grew thrice as big, as long as 30 centimeters. The soft body suddenly grew a slightly thick wooden coverture, as the branches grew several tiny dark blue leaves. Its roots slowly began toe out of the floor, shaping into two funny-looking legs, and then, it suddenly grew one branch in the middle with a tiny leaf at the tip of it, like a nose, while two empty holes surged at each left and right side, a small curling mouth appeared, with sharp wooden teeth. It looked so cute! "Gyugyuh¡­ Thank you¡­ for giving second chance! Master!" The little tree began speaking right away! Usually Undead of this Rank can''t even speak at all. Only the smartest souls can speak. Even zombies that used to be people can''t talk, and only in very rare cases they can developplex thoughts and personalities. The thirty-centimeters-tall, little walking tree reached my legs and suddenly hugged my legs with his branches, which stretched into many leaves. It seemed rather affectionate. And it was so cute! Ding! [You have raised the [Lesser Treant (Special): Lv1] [Rank: E+] Undead Monster!] [You have unlocked nt-type Undead Recipes] [You have risen a Seed of Cmity-type Undead Monster!] [You acquired the Title [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv1]!] Wait, what?! Cmity?! This little thing was a Cmity?! H-Hold up, let me check those stats right away! "Right, a name¡­" I sighed, looking at the little Treant. "Alright, how about¡­ Groot? No that''s copyrighted¡­ Alright, Root it is! Easy enough." "Gyugyuh!" [You have named [Lesser Treant (Special): Lv1] [Rank: E+] as [Root]!] [The [Lesser Treant (Special): Lv1] [Rank: E+] has been granted a [True Name]!] [The [Lesser Treant (Special): Lv1] [Rank: E+] acquired the [Treant Progenitor: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The [Lesser Treant (Special): Lv1] [Rank: E+] acquired the [Forest Master: Lv1] Title Skill!] "Would you look at you! You even got two Title Skills- Wait a second¡­ Three Skills?!" Ding! [The [Lesser Treant (Special): Lv1] [Rank: E+] acquired the [Spirit Nest: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] What the hell¡­? What''s that mysteriously interesting Skill name? A-Anyways, I should check his status¡­ ----- [Name]: [Root] [Status]: [Cursed] [Race]: [Lesser Treant (Special)] [Level]: [0/20] [Rank]: [E+] [HP]: [25/25] [MP]: [40/40] [Attack]: [25] [Defense]: [30] [Magic]: [30] [Agility]: [15] [Aether]: [2] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv1] [Spirit Nest: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv1] [Magical Resistance: Lv1] [Status Effect Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv1] [Rest: Lv1] [Wooden Needle: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv1] [Rxing Aroma: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv1] [Treant Progenitor: Lv1] [Forest Master: Lv1] [Description] A Dead Tree that has been risen as an Undead. Instead of bing an Undead, however, it has mutated into a new type of living monster, a Lesser Treant. They often stand still and absorb the vitality of nearby trees in the forests. They''re known as pests in the Alfheim Continent, where Elves constantly have to hunt their many variants. However, amongst all Treants, it is said there''s a special one, a Treant Progenitor, said within myths to be the Seed of Cmity.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- Ah, he''s really weak. But he seems promising! ----- Chapter 568 Little Root ----- Little Root had several interesting Skills I had never seen before to be honest. I guess those are unique to a Treant! Seed of Cmity though¡­ seems like a passive that boost his earned EXP and stat growth. Pretty handy so he can grow quickly. He got Physical and Magical Resistance right away, and even status effect resistance. Then Uproot is the ability to uproot himself and walk in two legs. Rest allows him to¡­ rest? If he goes to sleep, his HP and MP recovery are increased by x2, seems to increase with every level. Wooden Needle is the offensive Skill, it allows him to shoot needles made of wood that deal physical damage. Sharp Leaf Projectile is the magic version of Wooden Needle, but it seems that it can summon several leaves at once, so it is actually quite stronger. Rxing Aroma makes it so Root emanates a sweet and rxing aroma, which calms down the anger of monsters and might even put them on a dazzle. Allies in the other side are able to focus their minds better without letting fear take over their minds, also HP and MP Recovery speed increases. Healing Leaf is¡­ the ability to create a leaf that once eaten can restore a bit of HP! That''s interesting. It seems Root can just create this leaf as much as MP he has. It is a new sort of material we could use for alchemy. The higher the level, the more quality and healing will give. Lastly, Treant Progenitor gives him some sort of authority over other Treant-type monsters we might encounter, while enhancing his stat growth and EXP earned once more. And then at the end of all, Forest Master gives him some sort of power up when we are inside forests, while giving him the ability to guide himself easily around, so we can''t get lost. Kind of like the Lumberjack Title. But there''s another Skill that caught my attention, Spirit Nest. It was a Skill that Root just acquired. I seemed to be more than its simple name suggested. ----- [Spirit Nest: Lv1] The user has be connected with Nature and the Spirits themselves, bing a natural nest for them. Spirits of Nature and other elements might naturallye to the user''s aid once they are in a pinch, be it inbat or something else. Enhances chances for Spirits toe to the user''s aid by +20% with an additional +5% chance for them to stay permanently with each Skill Level. Additionally, enhances Spirits Magic Power by +200%. ----- Wow, yeah, it is an amazing Skill! This little tree will be the nest of spirits in the future! "I''ve hit the jackpot by finding you out of nowhere Root! But howe a Cmity Seed just showed out of nowhere? I can''t believe my luck¡­" "Gyugyuh¡­ Dunno!" Root seemed like a clueless child. "Hey Maria, what are you doing over there?" Lucifer called to me as he suddenly noticed the little walking tree at my feet.N?v(el)B\\jnn "What is that thing?!" He asked in surprise. "Wooow!" Nyx ran towards Root, as she began to touch his branches. "Gyugyuhhh¡­" Root seemed timid, running away from her, which only made her want to chase him around more. "It is a Lesser Treant I just raised. It was just a tiny tree that died, it suddenly called for me for some reason. Trees usually don''t have minds like these, right?" I asked. "Yeah¡­ Unless they''re Spirit Trees, but those often are only from the Alfheim Continent." Lucifer analyzed. "Maybe we should show the Treant to Emeraldine¡­ Nyx! Don''t terrorize that thing¡­" Lucifer quickly stopped Nyx from annoying Root, as we walked away from the fields. When Emeraldine was able to check on Root, she felt surprised. "I had never seen something like this before! A living and walking tree¡­ Though, I remember my mother once told me about them, they were called false trees, and they often camouged as normal trees and attacked unsuspecting people." Emeraldine said. "It is an interesting new Undead, though it is very weakpared to other Undead you''ve risen recently." "Yeah I mean it was just a tiny sapling, but I might as well invest on him and help him level up¡­ I heard there''s several dungeons from low level to high level in the dwarven city, we could take a break while visiting those." I said with a smile. "Eh? Why are you so invested on this little thing?" Wondered Lucifer. "Yeah it looks weak and boring!" Partner said while crossing her arms. "Gyugyuuuhhh¡­" Root suddenly began crying. "Come on Partner don''t be so rude with the child!" I reprimanded Partner, as she felt slightly taken aback by my reaction. "A-Ah, sorry¡­" She apologized. At the end, I exined to them what Root truly was and also his Skills, which were all very Unique, especially Spirit Nest. "Spirit Nest?!" Asked Emeraldine. "That''s a powerful Skill only the highest Nature Beings can develop¡­ I think only the Elven Empress has that Skill as well! What an incredible surprise." "This little thing has it?" Asked Lucifer. "It also has a Cmity Seed Skill, this thing is a small cmity, but how?" Wondered Brunhild. "That means that with Nyx we''ve got two Cmities? Cool!" Said Takeshi. "I don''t know if it is that cool though¡­" Laura sighed. "I felt some weird feeling, as if a strange concentration of Miasma emerged yesterday but it hid somewhere¡­ Maybe this Dungeon still had this Cmity Seed thing, whatever it truly looks like. It ended expulsing it somewhere else and it randomlynded in this sapling that died due to overcharge of Miasma and Mana¡­ And then when I raised it, everything just came together." I theorized. "Maybe but it still rather too convenient¡­ There must be something moreplex than just pure coincidence." Said Lucifer. "Well, we can discuss it as we walk outside, let''s go." For now, we all went back to the surface and then flew back to the Dwarven Country to meet with Aquamarine and the rest in her mansion. ----- Chapter 569 An Unexpected Offer ----- Once things were settled we came back to Aquamarine to report her our job was done. I told her I would be inspecting every 24/7 using Undead and Phantom Familiars, and that the first crops should begin emerging in a week from now. With this information, Aquamarine, the olddy, was finally able to rx, quickly telling the news to Ruby as the gorgeous red-headed dwarfdy came running here at the same time as Helga and the rest of our guild decided toe to visit us as well. "So things have wrapped up quite nicely. A week from now is a very short time, are you sure you want to tell the nobles this?" Asked Ruby. "They''ll take it for granted, if you don''t do it they''ll beginining again. Some are a bit crazy so they might even try to take over your dungeon and that''ll only make more disputes¡­ I wish our father could do something about it, but he''s sure azy old man." "Don''t worry, I can feel the crops and their vitality, they''ll be ready to harvest in six days, actually, but giving them an extra week would be better." Emeraldine said. "H-How much will we get from all of it?" Aquamarine wondered. "Probably over a thousand crops?" I asked. "I know it is small, but we can probably harvest three or four times a month." "T-That means three thousand crops a month?!" Asked Ruby. "And a year¡­ 36 thousand?! Wait, how many crops of what vegetables?" "Well¡­" Emeraldine began thinking. "A single crop of potatoes is arge set of several potatoes stuck together, usually a dozen. Tomatoes single crop is over twenty fresh tomatoes, corns too, and like that¡­" "So that''s¡­ 360 thousand, maybe even half a million a year vegetables, fruits, and tubers all at once¡­" Said Aquamarine. "T-That''s¡­" Ruby muttered. "Is it bad? I guess it is¡­ There''s still a lot more space in the first and second floor, we are expanding there too. I think we might be able to multiply the yields up to four to five times once the expansion ispletely finished." I nodded. "Also the third floor has mining fields where elemental spirits and even rainbow crystals grow naturally every few days or weeks, so we can keep mining them endlessly as long as we wait for them to regenerate naturally." I knew that it wasn''t going to be enough, half a million crops ispletely garbage as a number for a country with over a million inhabitants. We need to hasten the production even more. but even if we multiply it¡­ people usually eat vegetables every day, we might not even be able to supply everyone even then. I would hate if my vegetables became something only nobles can enjoy. I have to try to give it to the poorest ofmoners as well. "I know it is not enough, okay? I can''t do much about it¡­" I sighed. Remember back then in Earth, there was probably billions a year to feed a single country, or even trillions, sopared to what people on Earth can do, I ampletely and utterly pathetic, yep. "Not enough¡­?" Aquamarine asked with a trembling voice. "M-Maria, do you understand what you''re even talking about?" Ruby wondered. Oof, both got angry. Did they seriously expected to get a billion crops a year? "Listen I can''t just give you a billion crops okay? It is not something realistically possibly right now. Maybe if we conquer the second dungeon¡­" I said while thinking. "Maria snap out of it! They''re surprised because it is a ridiculous amount!" Helga reprimanded me. "Eh?! It is?" I asked while raising an eyebrow. "I am fairly sure it cannot feed everyone every day though, right?" "Girl, we don''t need to eat vegetables every damn day¡­" Sighed Aquamarine. "Maria the amount you''re offering was already ridiculous and then you multiplied it even more¡­" Ruby sighed. "With this amount our country could even export it and sell it to other countries. In fact, through transactions we could even open opportunities for peace with the human nations!" "Peace is always better than ambiguously being enemies." Sighed Aquamarine. "Money always talks better than words most of the time in this world." "Nheless, this is incredible. Maria, thank you so much for offering all of us this opportunity. We''ll make sure to pay you well- in fact, how about increasing the amount we pay you? With the amount you''ll be providing and all¡­" Ruby seemed too excited. "Yeah, sure, I guess. I am still keeping a big part for myself. I''ve got people to take care of and also want to build my own big capital, doing transactions with other ces will eventually be a thing. d Kingdom seems like the closest for that so I might as well aim at them." I said with a nod.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Sure thing! But I feel this is just not enough¡­ Ah, I''ve seen you have wives and husbands, would you be interested in taking my hand? I will be a good wife. It is the least I can do to repay you! If you marry me you could even be a noble yourself!" Ruby suddenly and out of nowhere offered her hand to me, looking at me with her bright eyes. "Huh?" I was still processing what she just said, while everyone else behind me was just as bbergasted. "EEEEHHHH?!" It was as if everyone joined together for a chorus, their reaction was to be expected, I had also joined them in such a thing. "W-Wait a second there!" Lucifer quickly tried to stop her. "We never talked about this!" Emeraldine angrily said. "You''re overdoing it!" Partner was angry as well. "E-Eh? I was?" Ruby was confused. "I apologize I just¡­ it feels like the right thing, right? Political marriages are a logical step!" "Sorry Ruby, your life is not an object to go offering it like that. I am happy with those I have right now." I decided to just reject her offer. ----- Chapter 570 Discussion ----- "Oh what a pity! I hope you don''t ept the advances of other nobles though¡­" Ruby sighed. "So you were just trying to secure me all for yourself, huh?" I sighed. "Anyways, we were thinking on going to conquer the Sealed Dungeon tomorrow, or past tomorrow. For now I kind of want to go explore low ranked dungeons with my party, I''ve got a little friend I want to power level." Root was already wandering around. He was quite the noticeable one, as he was a tiny walking tree. Every single servant in the house was looking at him with wide eyes. A maidservant even dropped the things she was carrying out of the surprise Root caused to her as she saw him at the other side of the corridor. "Gyugyuh¡­" But now he has rxed and was drinking honey. It seems he like sweet things, especially if they''re not processed and natural. Honey, tree sap, and fruits are his favorite meals. It could be said he''s a cannibal¡­ "Power level that tree? Why? It is just one of the many monsters you have, right? Why that one in specific?" Wondered Aquamarine. "It is a very special monster, that''s all." I smiled. "I''ll just go after we have an early lunch. How about we begin preparations?" "Heh, alright. I was also thinking that you should buy yourself a noble title, with the money you''ll be earning, you might end up being as rich as the other princes." Aquamarineughed. "With your money and your prestige, your guild might beparable to our own very soon, if not surpass it eventually¡­ the profits we are making won''t evenpare once you begin mass producing more and more crops and mine resources inside an endlessly producing cave of that dungeon. Owning a dungeon like that really feels unfair!" The old dwarf grandma began toin a bit over the unfairness of life. But well, that''s just how things are. Some win and others lose, bwahahaha! ¡­Although she has so much already that she doesn''t even have the rights toin at this point. "Anyways! For now let''s enjoy the rest of the day." Ruby smiled. "Servants! Please begin preparing lunch for today, a feast to celebrate our future prospects!" "Heyss don''t go ordering MY servants!" Aquamarine said angrily. "¡­And yeah, do that." Maidservants and butlers quickly ran off to prepare everything, as Ruby began talking about a topic I was more interested into, regarding the Frost Queen. "I''ve got news about the Frost Queen." "That was¡­ quick." "Indeed. First of all, I''ve already reported what you fought and saw with the other nobles and even father and mother, the King and Queen. Showing them the ring really did the trick to believe what you said, and they had already begun preparations. They''ll reinforce the defenses of all our country and the cities across the mountain. We''ll be also sending expeditions group made of seasoned explorers with advanced high-quality golems to the surroundingnds, to find any clues about the Frost Queen." She said. "Well I am d everything went well¡­" I sighed. I had expected some news regarding her though.N?v(el)B\\jnn Veredorr, the Dhampir that used to be friends with the Ice Giants and got killed doesn''t remember where the dungeon is, so I cannot really get any info from him. He''s most of the time sleeping though, so he''s not that cooperate unless I call him to fight. I''ve already read his mind but I haven''t gotten anything new. "Aaaand, they found clues right away." She said with a smile. Ruby quickly brought out a magic artifact which quickly projected a 3D Map with several red dots everywhere, showcasing everything in fine detail. "Oooh, this is amazing¡­" Partner was surprised. "I have never seen something so detailed before, only Maria''s Map Skill." Said Emeraldine. "It is even more detailed than that Map Skill though!" Lucifer added. "Amusing, dwarves technology is truly incredible." Said Brunhild. "Wow! Can we watch TV in there? I want to watch Mazinger Z! And Astroboy!" Wondered Takeshi. "TV?" Ruby asked while raising an eyebrow. "What''s that?" "Ah¡­ Err, nothing." Laura quickly made it so Takeshi just made up that word. "Anyways, the team that we sent just a day ago already got some clues. Their special scouting golems already found arge area emanating arge quantity of Mana in the northeast of the mountains, a ce surrounded by enormous trees and filled to the brim with monster nests of Ice Wolves, Frost Bears, White Wild Boars, Ice Goris, and many other ferocious monsters, some up to B+ Rank, or more... They were only able to see arge quantity of Mana and even¡­ Miasma overflowing from that ce. The same amount of Miasma Dungeons often emanate." Said Ruby. "What? That''s insane¡­" I said. "So you really found something!" "A Dungeon though?" Wondered Partner. "I remember you told me that the Ice Giants live inside a Dungeon, right? And inside that dungeon there''s a Frost Tower where the Crown of Skadi was found by this certain Ice Giant girl that went insane¡­" Said Ruby. I had exined what Veredorr knew to her and everyone else. Partner simply didn''t remember most likely. "As we have spected, that woman might be growing into bing a Cmity-level entity and she''s already slowly nning to overtake this entire area of the continent where we are making our homes. To make things worse, Vampires are cooperating with them. That Bandit Hideout was just the beginning, like they were merely testing the waters¡­" "Yeah, I am sure that woman has the intentions of annihting us. She''s a total warmonger filled with the desire to conquest. Perhaps part of the brainwashing the crown is giving to her head." I sighed. "Veredorr told me she didn''t used to be like this." "Indeed¡­ it might be the power of the crown. Divine Artifacts possess incredible powers. But most of them were left behind for a reason, they''re defective. I''ve heard in myths about a simr item in our Dwarven history, an ancient Dwarf King named Fafnir was incredibly greedy, and wore a legendary Golden Crown of Odin. However the crown cursed him and turned him into a fearful dragon instead. Divine Artifacts are not items made for our mortal hands to reach¡­ They will only bring disasters or transform us into monsters, making us forget our families and everyone we love." ----- Chapter 571 A Dhampirs Life ----- The power of Divine Artifacts is very dangerous. I guess there''s a lot of tales of mortals trying to use them and ending up being cursed, transforming into inhumane monsters, and then tormenting everyone around them while bing insane. Fafnir the Dwarf King was one of them, who became the Evil Dragon of Greed and destroyed his own Kingdom in the process. I don''t know if he''s still alive but there''s no tale of him being in yet. I wonder if we''ll ever find him. And this girl, the Frost Queen, whose real name is Tear, is also like Fafnir in a way, taking the Crown of Skadi and transforming into the Frost Queen, cold hearted and emotionless, with the desire to conquer everything and freeze the world so it bes her endless domain of ice and snow¡­ she also got a beef against me for some weird reason, probably incentivized by the damn Vampires who are somehow managing to make a mutual benefit contract with her, whatever it is. "Could it be possible she''s in there?" Wondered Ruby. "I know it is far-fetched, but it might be possible for you guys, who are very strong, to find out." "Yeah, we could investigate¡­" I said with a nod. "For now, don''t tell your team to get farther, I wouldn''t be able to live knowing you guys ended killing some of your strongest men just to satisfy my curiosity." "It is nothing like that, what we are doing is merely just for the safety of everyone¡­ But it might be dyed forter, I suppose more important news would be entering the dungeon and everything else." Said Ruby. "Veredorr, can youe?" I asked. I was still too curious about Tear and what happened to her, so to rify our minds and get better exnations from someone that witnessed it all live, I summoned Veredorr. He wasn''t in my shadows as I left him in the vige, though I summoned him here while he seemingly was having a nap. He had grown rather strong, after evolving once he was now roughly Level 50 of Rank B, he was decently strong for his level, probably only slightly weaker than the twin fire ghosts who were approaching Rank A. The same was for most of my "top undead". Meanwhile, the strongest armies of Undead I''ve got are all B- Rank at minimum, most of them being the monsters from the dungeon we conquered itself,bined with the old Undead we had beforehand. Only the strongest veterans that have survived many battles have joined the newer armies with B Rank Undead. Undead monsters always rise a Rank below their original Rank while being alive. So all the guys we hunted just now, over a thousand of them in the dungeon I conquered, might be also part of this army¡­ With them joining in, I would have 500+ more B+ Rank Undead. It is already a sizable army! And with the strongest Generals I have, which are naturally stronger than these generic Undead due to their rare evolutions and races such as Darkbound, Mercury, and Kuro, who are genuinely stronger than even those at their same Rank due to their growth levels, skills, and titlespared to the generic ones, with such differences as tens of times stronger, I''ve got myself a big enough army that I might even attempt an all-out-war against the Frost Queen and her army of Ice Monsters. ¡­If that were to happen, which I''ve already envisioned, these numbers alone shouldn''t satisfy me though. I have to get more and more Undead, make an army of thousands of high ranked ones. Thousands of low ranked cannot even amount to less than a hundred high ranked after all. Maybe I could try out some Undead Fusion, and fuse tons of weaker Undead into higher ranked ones. Yeah, but I might do it on another asion, what''s important now is asking Veredorr, the timid and mysterious Dhampir. "Uwah! Ah? Eh? Ah¡­ I was taking a nap. Master, where am I?" Veredorr asked, looking around timidly. Ruby and Aquamarine almost jumped out of their seats when they saw a bluish ghost emanating a powerful freezing aura emerge out of thin air. Especially because his very presence froze the entire table and the floor beneath it, and even formedrge ice crystals in the table and stctites in the ceiling¡­ he''s always shy when he shows up, he can''t control his ice powers properly yet, so I have to regte it myself. "Calm down a bit Veredorr¡­" I sighed, quickly beginning to manipte his magic output until his aura of freezing winter stopped. "Sorry¡­" He sighed. "Master why am I here?" "Well¡­" I quickly introduced him to all thedies here, and also the dwarves from our guild. We told him w wanted to hear more about Tear, the Frost Queen. Any information would be useful for the investigation. "I see¡­ It is a rather difficult topic¡­ I can start from the beginning." Veredorr sighed. "I used to live on my own in the snownds, inside a small cabin. My mother was a human and my father a Vampire. I never met my father through my entire life, and my mother fell sick due to the cold, and died when I was only ten years of age. Since then, I have been surviving on my own, never knowing what I truly was other than a half-vampire, a Dhampir, a being discriminated by humans and vampires alike." "A Dhampir¡­" Sighed Ruby. "You could hade here; you were still half-human. We wouldn''t had discriminated you." "I¡­ I never walked too far away from thends I was born, so I was never able to find out this Dwarven Country. The only ce I knew was d, but I had to hide my features to buy things there, and sometimes I got caught and chased away. Many times I fought for my life and had to kill adventurers that wanted to hunt me down¡­" Veredorr sighed. "But when I meet them, is when I actually made friends for the first time." -----N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 572 The Story Behind ----- "Friends, what a funny word. It was almost mystical to me." Veredorr sighed. "I meet the two of them as they hunted around. They were people unlike other humans, as tall as three meters, with blue skin, silver hair, and golden eyes. They walked without fear of the freezing temperatures, as if they were immune to them. I meet the couple of siblings, Frusk, and Tear, they were my friends, the first friends of my life." "At first I was afraid, but they found me. And then they weren''t afraid of me. They said I was small but dexterous unlike them. We began hunting together, to share meals together. I knew them more, and after months, they invited me to their vige. A beautiful ce inside a dungeon, a small world by itself¡­ A beautiful blue tower always shone brightly in the background; I was always mesmerized by its beauty¡­" Sighed Veredorr. "I meet these people and had a good time. They epted me, I had¡­ a family." Veredorr sighed, looking into his own phantasmal hands, as if he was trying to remember something. "Frusk and Tear were very close siblings. His little sister adored her big brother. Frusk taught me how to fight and hunt, he taught me where to hunt, how to survive¡­ and more. Tear taught me about feelings, about people, and how to craft, cook, and sew¡­" Sighed Veredorr. "I spent over a hundred years with the Ice Giants, my life was peaceful and happy. After the death of my mother, I was finally able to find a ce where I could belong to¡­" Veredorr depicted Tear as this sweet girl that adored her big brother, someone that valued emotions and rtionships, even teaching him all of that. She even taught him how to cook, craft, and sew. She was definitely not evil since the beginning. "However, things changed that day. Due to my influence, Frusk wanted to meet the humans, he thought that they might be friendly and humble like me. I was foolish, I didn''t knew how they would react to him¡­ I ended letting him go with me and a few other Ice Giants¡­" Veredorr sighed. "It all ended in tragedy. The d Kingdom humans were epting of beast-kin, elves, dwarves, and even Majin, but Ice Giants resembled trolls to them, they were scared, the same way they call my father''s race monsters, they were scared of me as well the same way they were scared of them, my friends, the Ice Giants¡­" "A battle ensued the moment they got closer to the walls. Humans'' soldiers and adventurers chased us down. They were relentless, smiling as they chased us, as if we were mere prey for them¡­ We managed to survive with many wounds but¡­ at thest moment, a powerful high ranked adventurer appeared, he almost lethally wounded us all, Frusk stepped in to fight him, while we were told to run away¡­" Veredorr sighed. "I should had stayed with my friend and face death alongside him¡­" "Tear was devastated of the news, and after a day, we came back to check if he was somewhere still alive¡­ the only thing we found were¡­ his body parts, all of them roasted, and his head on a pike." Veredorr cried, recalling a painful memory. "Frusk was¡­ a good friend. He did not deserve such an end¡­" "Tear was then devasted by the news so much she went insane. She wanted to avenge her brother and kill all the humans, she said she was going to kill everyone¡­ Shew as insane, we tried to stop her, we had to bring her back to the vige before she got herself killed." Veredorr sighed. "I remember her crying in frustration, in anger, in fury¡­ We constantly told her she had not the strength to do as she said she wanted to do¡­ I fear such mere words might had been what triggered her to do what she did afterwards¡­" "As we mourned Frusk''s death, she infiltrated the Frost Tower somehow, and from within the top of the tower, she grabbed the Divine Artifact that was said that nobody should ever touch, a taboo¡­ The Crown of Skadi was stolen by her. She wore it as she walked away from the tower that day. We tried to stop her, to take the crown away from her hands. She went berserk, as if she hadpletely changed. She became cold hearted and merciless, and after ming me for her brother''s death¡­ She froze me to death¡­ My dearest friend, the one I even¡­ I even loved." Sighed Veredorr. "I never thought she would kill me in such a merciless way¡­" Veredorr finished talking, sighing. "That''s all of it¡­ I''ve told everything I know¡­" Veredorr sighed. "Now, please, let me alone¡­" "Veredorr!" Veredorr suddenly flew away without evening back to me or my shadows. Well, he was free to do as he pleased. But still, I left a phantom familiar with him to watch over him. He was still a ghost that might do dangerous things to others without realizing. "His ice powers¡­" Aquamarine muttered. "They are due to this kid''s trauma, isn''t it?" "I''ve also heard about special types of phantasmal undead that are elemental ghosts take the element of their traumas. Those that die by fire be me ghosts, those that are bullied alive be swamp ghosts, and those that die frozen be ice ghosts¡­" Said Ruby. "Yeah, he had it rough." I sighed. "When I found him, his soul looked like his frozen form, it was too much of a trauma for him." "How tragic¡­ So this is the truth about the Frost Queen''s past." Aquamarine said. "It is¡­ gruesome, yes. But if that''s true, then she most likely wants to wipe out all of humans in this continent, probably all of us in between too, she might not even recognize us as someone different." Sighed Ruby. "Those that use Divine Artifacts be Cmity-level Monsters, she is someone that might be capable of doing just as she said she would¡­" Aquamarine said. "Stopping her must be our priority." "I agree." I nodded. "But for now, let''s have lunch, I am starving¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn ----- Chapter 573 Comforting A Ghost ----- As we enjoyed lunch, I began to think about what Veredorr had told us. Maybe forcing the guy to speak everything wasn''t the right thing to do. I''ve been taking it for granted that every single Undead can obey me and do as I said, they''re always happy to help and all! But¡­ Veredorr''s kind of different, he''s always gloomy and silent, and unless I ask him a lot, he never really speaks. I guess he has yet to ovee his trauma¡­? ¡­ No. That''s not right. Ghosts, Undead like us¡­ we never ovee our traumas. We are dictated by them. Our very existences are an amalgamation of magic and resentment, all the traumas we hold maintain our new existences. We never leave behind the things that marked us. The things¡­ that made us suffer the most. For some reason I lost such memories, maybe because of that, I''ve been able to adapt and cope with everything easily, but once I regain all those memories, will I change? Maybe¡­ I will be like Veredorr, or even worse. Ah, well¡­ I guess I just don''t have to overthink it. Looking at Nyx''s innocent eyes as she eats her food kind of fills me with happiness. Maybe I can cope with it¡­ As long as I am with everyone here, as long as I have them at my side. Maybe Veredorr merelycks that, he thinks he has nobody with him anymore. His best friend died gruesomely, and the girl he loved killed him cold-heartedly, as if he was just trash that got in her way,pletely denying everything they have lived together. It must have broken him emotionally and mentally too much, and the cold he emanates doesn''t help, he probably feelspletely dested, in an endless snow scape of his own making. I just have to bring him some warmth, help him out. Make him think he''s actually a friend and not just¡­ a tool, as he might believe I think he is. After having lunch, I left everyone inside of Aquamarine''s house, as I quickly flew to look for him. "Veredorr¡­" I found him hiding inside an empty barrel behind a deste street alley. "¡­" He didn''t respond, pretending to not exist. I quickly flew towards him and began to talk to him. "Come on, get out¡­ I want to talk with you but I want to see you at the eyes." "¡­" He slowly flew outside the barrel. His red eyes seemed filled with darkness, his white hair covering one of his eyes, as his pale face looked at me. He looked very miserable. "I''m sorry¡­" I patted his shoulders. "Why?" "I shouldn''t had forced you. That''s not what a friend should do¡­ I don''t want to be just a typical necromancer. Sure, with monsters and other things that don''t even have personalities, I can''t really talk like I am doing with you. But you''re not like them, right? So I wanted to tell you that you''re a precious ally, and one of the citizens of my vige. Sorry about that, we just wanted information and I kind of¡­ No, I can''t really say some stupid excuse, I was just being inconsiderate." "Master¡­" "Just call me Maria,e on." "It is alright?" "Yeah! We are partners now, right?" "Hmm¡­" Veredorr sighed, flying to my side. "¡­Will you kill Tear?" "I¡­ It is something I cannot decide right now." "She''s a good girl, she''s¡­ only being controlled by her own traumas and resentments, by the crown¡­" "¡­I''ll try to figure out something." "I guess¡­ Killing her would be the best thing to do at this point. Perhaps how many she has killed already¡­" "Veredorr¡­ Okay, fine! I won''t kill her!" "Eh?!" Veredorr was surprised by my sudden change of opinion. "If I just take away the crown that''ll do, right?" "W-Well, perhaps¡­ But are you sure? I¡­" "I know she means a lot to you. I was nning to just make her a ghost girlfriend for you, but I can rte to how you feel. It is always better to save someone''s life than prefer to turn them into undead. If there''s the possibility, they''re better off remaining alive. Being an Undead is not something we exactly want someone we love to go through, right?" "Right¡­ It is¡­ so deste and cold." "I know¡­ I know how it feels. Come, let''s go eat so you can warm up." "Can I even eat?" "You can try! I can eat a lot! Maybe you can get the Phantasmal Stomach skill!" "Such a thing exists? I miss the vor of a warm stew, or a warm tea¡­" "Let''s go eat then!" Veredorr looked back at me with his red eyes, his mncholic face slowly changing, only a little bit. "Thanks¡­" "Aw, don''t think about it. We''ll rescue Tear and the Ice Giants, and destroy that damn Crown, end of the subject." "Maybe I had the wrong idea about you, you''re really a different person than I thought you were¡­" "Am I? of course I am!" We flew back to Aquamarine''s residence and quickly served Veredorr food. He began stuffing himself quickly after suddenly realizing he could eat. Materializing his body and all, he warmed his insides with a delicious meat and potatoes stew, and then ate freshly baked bread with cheese, after that he drank like three cups of tea, and then ate a second and third te of stew. "Ah, everything''s so warm¡­ Soforting¡­ I can''t stop eating, this stew reminds me so much of the one Tear used to make¡­" Veredorr began biting a piece of bread, as tears began flowing from his red eyes, which quickly froze into ice crystals. "Thank you¡­" He cried, as he smiled in between tears. "Awe on, don''t be so overexaggerated now." I sighed, patting his back. "Want toe to a little trip around dungeons?" "Ah¡­ Sure."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om And like that, we set off. At the end, Veredorr was just someone that needed some words of encouragement, and warm food. ----- Chapter 574 Exploring A New Dungeon ----- Helga decided to lead us to the nearby low ranked dungeons we nned to both explore and use to level up Root as much as we could before going out tomorrow. She and her group were all quite experienced in everything regarding this country''s dungeons, as they had lived here ever since they were born, obviously. As we walked towards the nearest D Rank Dungeon, which is the Dungeon I decided to go to, as going to an E Rank one might be too slow and going a Rank higher than Root is still possible, Helga exined us about these dungeons. "Around the entire city there''s around five dungeons up to C+ Rank. The hardest one has a B Rank Boss Monster, but that''s about it. The only dungeon of higher difficulty was the Sealed Dungeon, but that one''s underground and into even deeper areas." Said Helga. "These five dungeons are owned by different guilds and are the major source of our resources and food as well. There''s the Mushroom Cave Dungeon where Mushroom Monsters appear, which is also where we grow mushrooms and harvest them to eat them." Said ckard. "A few others such as the Lizard''s Nest are filled with lizard-type monsters, their meat''s is what we eat most of the time. Or at leastmoners do. I''ve already eaten pork several times at Miss Aquamarine''s residence!" Laughed Helga. "I''ll make sure to improve everyone''s pay with all the money we''ll yield from the crops inside the dungeon I conquered. You guys are all part of the guild after all, and if you''ll be going to work there frequently, paying you is normal." I said, trying to cheer them up. Eating the same thing over and over was sure tiring, I had experienced it with my Giant Rat Cattle¡­ At this point most people just want to eat anything else than giant rats. I had already brought them hundreds of Moles and Birds Monster meat, which was of incredible quality and vorpared to our Giant Rat Cattle, so everyone must be eating way better meat. "The Mushroom Cave Dungeon is a nice ce as it is an E+ Rank Dungeon, but most of the time it is being cleansed daily by employees and mushrooms are cultivated in there all day, so there''s little space for people to go leveling or anything of the sort. That dungeon haspletely been privatized." Sighed Helga. "However, the dungeon where we are going should suffice!" "Yeah, that one dungeon''s a bit of a mess, but it is easy enough for the small treess." "Can someone remind me again why we are bothering so much for that walking tree?" The dwarves began rambling as usual. "Oi you lot! If Lady Maria asks our help, we give her our help! Don''t go around questioning her now! She already said this thing was special!" Helga said angrily, reprimanding them. Though did she had to call little Root as "this thing"?! "Anyways, which dungeon are we visiting that you guys babble so much about?" I asked. "Gyugyuh¡­" Root was sitting over my head while looking around the city. "Muh¡­" Nyx was taking a look at Root as if he was her new toy. The reason he was on top of my head was because it was the farthest ce from Nyx''s little ws. "This one!" Helga and the dwarves quickly showed us the dungeon we wereing to visit. It was a rather busy entrance, there were a dozen of people entering and walking outside, all of them wearing armors and holding weapons. Some bringing enormous backpacks with themselves. They were this country''s equivalent of adventurers, often named Explorers or Dungeon Raiders. Some even just went to mine ores that grow inside, bringing sacks with ores and pickaxes with themselves. "It looks pretty full! Will we even get to find any monster here?" Partner wondered while crossing her arms. "Of course, this dungeon''s enormously vast. It is the biggest of the four. It is named the Endless Swamps for a reason after all!" Said Helga. "It has eight floors, all of them of a massive size which are all underground swamps andkes. A variety of monsters appear here, alongside special magical herbs, ores, and other materials which grow naturally due to the dungeon''s magic." Said ckard. "This ce''s where most of our activities were done before we decided to go to the other mountain¡­" "Man, getting here sure is nostalgic." "Makes me remember that time you tripped over a turtle that resembled a rock and fell into the swamp, and then came back covered on leeches all over your face, ckard!" "Hahahaha! I remember that too!" "Gahahahaha! That was such a good time!" "You better not fall again you ck bearded bastard!" "Tch! Cut it out!" ckard crossed his burly arms. "Anyways, let''s go. With the VIP passes we have we can enter easily into the most monster filled areas right away." "Yeah, let''s go!" Helga quickly guided us, all of us showed our VIP Cards. Even Takeshi and Laura got themselves one some time ago in a little exam they had to do, where theypletely demolished the tests. As for Root and Nyx, we hid them inside my shadows for a tiny bit. Nyx had yet to get herself a license so we had to sneak her inside without being seen. Root was literally monster so he might cause a fuss and I wasn''t in the mood to exin things.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The reason why nothing happened outside was because, most likely, people thought he was a very weird hat made of wood rather than a walking tree monster. In this ce where there are no trees at all, people has never seen Treants before, so they couldn''t recognize him. We entered the dungeon right away, walking down the straight path alongside many other Explorers. Helga and the team of dwarves knew all these passages while we were racking our brains where to go next. My Map Skill showed me an immense maze of interconnected caves everywhere¡­ "Here we are!" Helga quickly led us to an almost empty ce, in front of an enormous underground swamp covered by gigantic floating lily pads and enormous frogs hopping around leisurely. "This is our favorite spot, Swamp 8! Not manye all the way down here because it is a pain to walk all the stairs up after we are done." Laughed ckard. "Oh, so that''s why we went down so many stairs¡­" I sighed. ----- Chapter 575 Helping Root Level Up ----- "Swamp number eight, really?" Asked Lucifer. "Couldn''t you dwarvese out with a better name?" "Come on Lucifer, don''t be rude now." Brunhild told her brother. "Hey you damn lizard!" "This name wasn''t even decided by us, it was the conqueror of the dungeon!" "Yeah!" "And who was it?" I wondered. "Oh, that''s Lady Aquamarine." Said Helga. "Eh?!" We were all a bit shocked after hearing those news. Apparently the old grandma was a rather active Dungeon Raider in her younger years, and she conquered this Dungeon by exploring it all and subjugating the Boss. "Yep she was a pretty famous beauty back in her youthful years, like over a hundred years ago though." Laughed Helga. "She''s a really olddy now." "Yeah, a mummy." "Can''t believe she''s still kicking¡­" "Oi don''t disrespect her after what she has done for us!" ckard once more called out the dwarves. I had grown ustomed to their snarky remarks already, they made the ce lively anyways. "For now we should give you a little roundabout. This ce''s the home of several Amphibious monsters. Half of them are poisonous so we often don''t eat them. Those giant frogs you see there, the ones that are over three meters tall? Those guys are named Greater Poison Frogs. They''ve got a morning star-shaped tongue covered on poison spikes, they hit with them very hard so we always need a tanker to deal with them to take on the hits." Said Helga. "And that''s without even including those damn Dart Fishes that show up whenever we try to lure the Frogs out of the swamp!" Said ckard. "Those damn fishes jump out of the swamp water and will immediately try to pierce through your head or your chest whenever you get closer to the water, be careful of those!" "Their evolved form, Arrow Fishes, are even deadlier and might even have poison." "This is honestly the toughest ce of the dungeon." Helga said. "Each Swamp difficulty rises more and more. From the first to the third swamp the monsters are not that big of a deal, but from four and below, things get extremely difficult, that''s why there''s not many people here." "It was the only swamp us bottom of the barrel could get into, sadly." Sighed ckard. "We had a hard time but we always made it out, sometimes we almost died." "Helga almost died once, she was poisoned and we had to use all our savings to spend on an Antidote¡­ we had it rough." "Because of theck of Alchemists, healing items are incredibly expensive here." "I see¡­" I sighed. "Well, we''ll try to mass produce potions and antidotes more, we could sell them off as our guild product, profit from it and at the same time help others Dungeon Raiders that can''t afford the insane prices. How about it?" "That sounds amazing!" "Yeah!" "Lady Maria''s always with her amazing ideas." "All hail Lady Maria!" The dwarves began kneeling before me and praising me as if I were their goddess¡­ it felt embarrassing. "Anyways, for now, the best way to lure the frogs here is using some bait." Said Helga. "Usually we use shrimps or fish, they love those and-" "Let''s go Root!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Gyugyu!" "Veredorr, can you help us?" "Sure." Veredorr quickly began freezing the water of the swamps I stepped over, as we were all able to walk over it with ease. We could had just flew over it but Takeshi and Laura can''t fly normally unless I give them some help. "Ah, I guess¡­ You can do that too." Helga sighed. "Ahahahah! Of course our weird methods wouldn''t work with them, Helga!" ckard couldn''t help butugh. "What are you guys waiting there? Come on! Maybe you can level up by ying monsters here too?" I wondered. "Sounds like a n!" "I''m in!" "Wait is the ice safe to step- Ah I already stepped over it¡­" "It is as solid as rock, don''t worry!" As the dwarves began exploring the frozen swamp, we found Root''s first victim, a Great Poison Frog who got frozen in the ice, half of its legs were, so it got stuck there. "Gerooooo! Gerororo¡­!" "There you go Root, your first victim! Go for it little guy!" "Gyuh! I shall feast on the blood of the weak!" Root jumped off my head as hended over the head of therge frog. POOF! "Gerooroooooo!" The frog began making annoyed noises, as Root quickly began using his Wooden Needles and several tiny slicing leaves over the Frog''s head. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "Take this! And this! Gyugyuuuh!" Root continued fighting and fighting¡­ And fighting¡­ And it was always several minutes and the frog was as alive as ever, only barely having some bruises that were only bleeding a tiny bit over its head. "At this pace your tree is never leveling up¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "Maybe we should weaken the prey first?" Asked Partner. "Our attacks are so strong that even a normal p might kill the frog¡­" I sighed. "Oh! You guys!" I quickly called the dwarves, most of them were sliding around the ice, having the time of their lives. "Yes Lady Maria?" "Can you guys chip down the HP of the frog for me? Use little attacks, nothing lethal." I asked nicely. The dwarves quickly feel pumped up. "Oh, that''s a good idea." "Maybe we can finally be useful!" "Yeah, let''s!" They took out their knives and began stabbing the big and fat frog. The frog was over two meters big and had very fat skin, alongside several capes of fat all over its body. It was very tough. But thanks to my Analyze Ability, I was able to see through its stats, the HP was going slowly, like by -4% with each stabbing attack. "Go on, go on!" "Gerorororooo!" The Frog cried more and more, as its HP reached single digits. "STOP!" The dwarves stopped at mymand. "Now Root, go for it!" "Got it, master! Gyugyuuuuuh!" Root suddenly jumped into the air, as his legs shaped into a sharp stake-like tip. CLAAASH! And he stabbed right through the frog''s skull! ----- Chapter 576 Max Level ----- Ding! [Root] defeated [Great Poisonous Frog (D Rank): Lv27] x1!] [Root] earned 2700 EXP]N?v(el)B\\jnn [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 14!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Several of [Root] Skills have leveled up] Oooh! This is way more than I imagined! Although he didn''t got to max level even after getting rid of a D Rank Monster, he leveled 14 times and he even got some interesting bonuses. Apparently the Seed of Cmity skill grants him bonus Skill Proficiency to all Skills with every Level, so he can umte the Proficiency over leveling a lot and even level up all his Skills easily. Damn, he was made to grow strong quickly. "Gyuuu!" FLASH! Root suddenly grew a few centimeters, as he began overflowing with a bit more of power. His stats had skyrocketed ordingly. "How much did he leveled up?" Helga wondered, cleansing the blood of her knife. "14 Levels¡­" "14?!" All the dwarves were surprised. "E-Even as a E+ Rank Monster, that''s an insane speed of leveling!" "At most it would had been four levels¡­" "Yeah, that''s'' incredible." "What sort of abilities does this tiny tree has?" "Maybe the investment will eventually be worth it!" "Gyuuuh! I will be strong quickly for master!" Root began to get pumped up, jumping off the corpse of the frog and then stretching his roots all over the frog, beginning to¡­ sap its blood and flesh. This was a new Skill named [Draining Roots] with them, he can drain blood, flesh, and anything as if it were a slurpy from an already dead foe to recover HP and MP. "Alright then! Where''s our next target?" I wondered. Quickly, we spotted another frog not so far away. This one wasn''t trapped but waspletely confused about what was happening right now. His whole world was suddenly frozen, I can''t me him. "Gerorororo!" The frog felt surrounded and threanted as the dwarves encircled the purple-colored amphibian. It was a big monster though, so it could easily charge forward and run over them. "GEROROOOO!" The frog opened its enormous fangless mouth as an enormous tongue emerged from within. Just as Helga exined, that thing''s tongue had the shape of a morning star with sharp spikes covered on purple poison! CLAAASH! The hit alone shattered the ice in front of the frog, as it cracked open and led to the swamp below. The dwarves stepped back a bit, as they began throwing Bone Javelins I made for them. This was also a way for them to train so it was killing two birds with one stone. These dwarves are not going to remain weak forever, I''ll slowly train them and then let them power level in my dungeon eventually. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Three bone javelins wereunched at the frog, covering its body. The HP quickly began going down, each Javelin made the frog lose around ten to fifteen percent of its HP, quickly going below half its total HP. "GEROOO!" However, the frog desperately utilized a skill, opening its enormous mouth and then spitting acidic purple-colored slimy poison everywhere. SPLAAASH! "Ah shit!" "Watch out!" "Run!" The dwarves panicked, but I soon enough, the ssh of poison reached them and¡­ nothing happened. "Huh?" They quickly realized there wererge barriers made of darkness covering their bodies and protecting them, the poison didn''t even got to them. "Purification." FLAAASH! I conjured Purification and purified the poison right away. Helga caught up to everything going on and decided to go along. "Charge! Weaken that thing so the tiny tree can level up some more!" "Alright!" The dwarves unified as one squadron, charging forward using their shields and crushing the frog from all sides, while their swords began stabbing the frog from the little crevices. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "GEROOO¡­!" The frog began struggling more and more, as Root quickly went to finish it off, jumping towards it by suddenly shaping into a long and sharp wooden spear of almost 50 centimeters! CLAAASSSHH! "GRAAHH¡­" The frog suddenly had its forehead pierced by the shapeshifting Root, as it fell dead over the ground¡­ Ding! [Root] defeated [Great Poisonous Frog (D Rank): Lv29] x1!] [Root] earned 2900 EXP] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 20!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Several of [Root] Skills have leveled up] [Root] has reached Max Level!] [Root] can now Evolve!] Root quickly glowed with a golden aura, covering his body for a split of a second, as if he was renewed, his empty eyes grew slightly bigger and his branch-like pointy nose became longer and funnier looking. "Gyugyu! Max Level!" He celebrated. ----- [Name]: [Root] [Status]: [Cursed] [Race]: [Lesser Treant (Special)] [Level]: [20/20] [Rank]: [E+] [HP]: [425/425] [MP]: [640/640] [Attack]: [525] [Defense]: [630] [Magic]: [630] [Agility]: [415] [Aether]: [5] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv1] [Spirit Nest: Lv1] [Wood Shapeshifting: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv2] [Magical Resistance: Lv2] [Status Effect Resistance: Lv2] [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv2] [Rest: Lv2] [Wooden Needle: Lv2] [Draining Roots: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv2] [Rxing Aroma: Lv2] [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv1] [Treant Progenitor: Lv1] [Forest Master: Lv1] ----- As little Root celebrated, I took a peek at his stats. They were looking really big out of thin air. He seems to have amazing stat growths for his Rank, Seed of Cmity boosts stat growths directly, so that must be the reason behind them. And above all, something I had realized before when I checked his status for the first time¡­ Root has the Aether Stat for some reason! Anyways, let''s better evolve him, the faster he evolves the stronger he''ll get. ----- Chapter 577 Hunting In The Swamp Dungeon ----- [Name]: [Root] [Status]: [Cursed] [Race]: [Lesser Treant (Special)] [Level]: [20/20] [Rank]: [E+] [HP]: [425/425] [MP]: [640/640] [Attack]: [525] [Defense]: [630] [Magic]: [630] [Agility]: [415] [Aether]: [5] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv1] [Spirit Nest: Lv1] [Wood Shapeshifting: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv2] [Magical Resistance: Lv2] [Status Effect Resistance: Lv2] [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv2] [Rest: Lv2] [Wooden Needle: Lv2] [Draining Roots: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv2] [Rxing Aroma: Lv2] p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv1] [Treant Progenitor: Lv1] [Forest Master: Lv1] ----- Little Root''s stats have increased greatly. Seeing him slowly grow was kind of fun, like ying a monster catching game. I''ve been mostly overlooking the growth of all my Undead and allies through a rather superficial level, never really checking on their Status and all that much. But now that I''ve been doing this meticulously with Root, I feel it''s kind of¡­ Yeah, it''s actually pretty fun! Also, seeing how promising he is only make things even more fun as I have rather high expectations for his future evolutions. And this dungeon is brimming with nice amounts of EXP everywhere, so we might as well grind to our heart''s contents! However, first things first, time to make this little guy evolve. Root''s current Race is¡­ ----- [Race]: [Lesser Treant (Special)] A Small Walking Tree that was given a Will and a Strong Soul. It moves around with its leg-shaped roots and is capable of sapping the life and energy of the creatures it fights. They''re usually quite hardy to fight for beginners, as they have high defenses and recovery and can stall fights for a long period of time ande out on top or make their foes give up and run away. This Lesser Treant is "special" as it possess something within it and it has begun to develop a Stronger Soul than usual as a result. ----- Huh, I see¡­ If I were a beginner adventurer, it would certainly be rather hard to fight a Treant, they have high regeneration and defenses. If there''s no fire attribute magic to deal with them effectively, they can just tank hits and stall endlessly. "Alright Root, can you evolve right now?" I wondered. "Gyugyuu¡­ I dunno¡­" He said. He didn''t knew how. Wait, what?! "You don''t know how-" FLAAASH! However, he seemed to have figured it out, as he began glowing brightly. His entire body was epassed by bright golden light, as his size started increasing up to an additional meter! When the evolution finished, Root stood there looking around, his appearance hadn''t changed much, but he had grown taller and stronger. He was definitely not a sapling anymore. [Root] has evolved into a [Soldier Treant (Special)]!] Soldier Treant, huh? ----- [Name]: [Root] [Status]: [Cursed] [Race]: [Soldier Treant (Special)] [Level]: [0/30] [Rank]: [D+] [HP]: [625/625] [MP]: [840/840] [Attack]: [625] [Defense]: [830] [Magic]: [730] [Agility]: [515] [Aether]: [20] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv2] [Spirit Nest: Lv2] [Wood Shapeshifting: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv3] [Magical Resistance: Lv3] [Status Effect Resistance: Lv3] [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv3] [Rest: Lv3] [Wooden Needle: Lv3] [Draining Roots: Lv2] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv3] [Rxing Aroma: Lv3] [Wooden Spear: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv3] [Magic Leaf: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv2] [Treant Progenitor: Lv2] [Forest Master: Lv2] [Nature''s Guardian: Lv1] ----- He has definitely gotten stronger! He gained several hundreds more of stats and- a few new skills as well! Alright, let''s test them out, this is kind of fun. "Gerororoooo¡­!" A Great Poison Frog was captured by the Dwarves not long after, as I used my Shadow Threads to wrap around its legs so it couldn''t easily escape. The dwarves quickly let the frog all for Root to enjoy, this time without attacking but surrounding the monster. "Now fight it, Root, all by yourself! Let''s see how strong you are!" "Gyugyu! Got it Master! I shall not disappoint you!" Root quickly rushed forward, jumping off the air more athletically than I could had expected a Treant to be, as I let go of the frog''s shadow threads so it could be a more fair fight. FLASH! Suddenly, Root''s legs shaped into sharp Wooden Spears. Oh, so this was his newest Skill all about! "Gerooo!" CLAAASH! However, Root and the Frog struck one another with their weapons. Root saw his wooden spears being destroyed by the frog''s powerful tongue! Ah, is he still too weak to take on one alone? BAAM! However, Root didn''t gave up, his entire body suddenly shapeshifted into a whole Wooden Spear and pierced straight through the frog''s tongue, poison sttering everywhere as the frog cried in pain. "Gerooooo!" And that wasn''t all, Root''s legs quickly shapeshifted into sharp roots, spreading over the frog''s entire body and piercing through its body. "GEHAAA¡­!" The frog began jumping around and suddenly conjuring Poison Magic, the only magic it had which brought out arge sphere of poison out of thin air, firing it straight at Root''s face! BAAAM! "Gyugyuhh¡­" Root didn''t gave up in there though, as he quickly generated a shiny golden leaf and ate it with his sharp jaws, suddenly regenerating a bit of his HP while bearing the Poisoned Status Effect he had! So he can even eat his own Healing Leaves to heal himself?! Now that''s cheating! Well, I guess it doesn''t matter at this point. "Gerooo¡­ Geehhh¡­" The frog, having all of its HP drained by Root''s roots, ended falling into the ground, its body growing thin as if everything inside was sucked out of its body. Root quickly took out his roots from the monster, standing above the corpse triumphantly. Ding! [Root] defeated [Great Poisonous Frog (D Rank): Lv35] x1!]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Root] earned 3500 EXP] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 4!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed!] [Some of [Root] Skills have leveled up!] ----- Chapter 578 Moving Deeper Into The Dungeon ----- [Root] acquired the [Merciless Killer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [Root] learned the [Life Drain: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] Oh, he even got two new Skills out of that single fight? I guess he got an enormous room for growth! Merciless Killer was a Title Skill that boosted damage dealt when attempting lethal hits that could kill a foe in one hit, assuring that such a thing happens more often rather than the foe escaping from certain death. And Life Drain grants the ability to drain the life of the user''s foe which has wounds open and which wounds are contacting the user''s body in some way, this stacks well with his Draining Roots for even more rapid drain. "Mama, Root¡­ big!" Nyx said in her baby talk, as Lucifer was holding her in his arms. "Yeah he''s getting pretty strong isn''t he?" Iughed. "Interesting, we have only been here for ten minutes and it already evolved¡­ Maybe we should leave him hunt down more monsters by himself?" Lucifer wondered. "Yeah, that sounds nice, but he still struggled, if we leave him be surrounded by many Root will surely kick the bucket." I sighed. "Let''s do this carefully anyways. Helga, everyone, let''s look for more prey!" "Alright!" The dwarves, like an army, followed mymand immediately as we rushed forward. The enormous Swamp 8 was big enough to harbor arge quantity of monsters, Great Poison Frogs were only one of the many there were. However, freezing over the swamp made most of them rather afraid of getting closer, so we were only going to hunt the Frogs we found trapped and then look for more prey. "Geroooo!" And there it was! Arger than usual Great Poison Frog was trapped in the ice, it looked like easy prey. "Go for it, Root!" Root quickly began running with his leg-shaped roots, looking rather bizarre as he was a walking tree, something that even me as a Necromancer felt surprised to see. These types of monsters are sure rare in this continent, but it seems that in Alfheim they''re a gue. "Got it Master! Gyugyu!" Root reached the frog as he suddenly unleashed a storm of slicing leaves that detached from his branches, showering the frog with countless thin slices. CRASH! And then, some of the leaves sliced through the ice and quickly helped the frog escape, as the monster immediately attacked Root by mming him with its tongue. BAAAM! "Gyuuuhh!" However, Root resisted the hit while standing still, using his roots to pierce the ice below and keep himself still. He quickly pointed his branches at the frog as the frog dexterously jumped away from their piercing might. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Gero¡­ GERORO!" The purple-colored Great Frog the size of a car quickly conjured magic, as ten spheres of poison, conjured through the [Poison Bullet] Skill it held, flew towards Root. Root wasn''t fast enough to evade, so he decided to tank them. However, not directly. Hebined the branches he had and then shaped them into a big wooden shield he used to tank the Poison Bullets while charging forwards. "GEH?!" CLAAASH! And he body mmed the frog out of the ground and into the skies, right before firing several Wooden Needles at it from below, piercing through its entire body! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "GAAHH¡­" The frog quickly fell down over the floor, sttering over the ice and turning it bright red. Root barely survived, that shield was still part of his body after all. He quickly walked towards the frog and began draining its inside contents, until Root shone bright gold. Ding! [Root] defeated [Great Poisonous Frog (D Rank): Lv37] x1!] [Root] earned 3700 EXP] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 7!] [All of [Root] stats have increased]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Root] Learned the [Poison Resistance: Lv1] Resistance Skill!] [Root] Learned the [Automatic Recovery: Lv1] Body Skill!] "Gyugyuu! I did it!" Root began to celebrate, the new Skills he got seemed to be something he was aiming for. He let the poison seep into his body until he developed a resistance to it, and through the Automatic Recovery, he can recover from the poison automatically over time, alongside healing a bit of HP every ten seconds. "Nice!" I said with a nod. "Let''s continue now." We continued picking up small Frogs trapped in the ice, Root took advantage of them being trapped to finish them off mercilessly by piercing their heads using his Wooden Spear several times. We only found five more frogs stuck to the ice, but all five of them gave a nice amount of EXP each. Ding! p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® [Root] defeated [Great Poisonous Frog (D Rank)] x5!] [Root] earned 18700 EXP] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 12!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] However, as he leveled up further and evolved, he needed more EXP, those five frogs only amounted to five levels, one level each, and now that he requires over 5k EXP to get to the next level, he''ll need two frogs to kill. We cleansed the entire ice scape we created here, but the swamp continued further and further deep into the dungeon. I choose to better enter into the swamp by jumping on the lily pads or flying around instead. If we cover everything with ice the monsters can''t attack us to begin with. "Alright then guys, change of ns, we are going deeper into the dungeon! I also want to collect materials here. I heard there''s special herbs growing in these swamps, right? And also mushrooms and ores and crystals, so time to pick up stuff while grinding EXP for Root!" And like that, we dove deeper into the dungeon''s depths. ----- Chapter 579 Fishing Above Giant Lily Pads ----- "Are these lily pads really going to be able to support our weight?" Wondered Takeshi. "Come on don''t be such a chicken! Let''s go in!" Laura pushed Takeshi forward as the two stepped into the big lily pads. These were named Giant Swamp Lily Pads, and were just as their name indicated, enormous lily pads that could hold a lot of weight before even sinking. They were all over the swamp and monster crawled over them to take a breather, frogs took most of them in. "Smelly¡­" Nyx said. "Yeah swamps don''t smell the best¡­" Said Lucifer. "But this is where we can get some good materials and equipment, so don''t fret, my daughter! Come on, let''s fly!" I said, holding Nyx''s hands as she began pping her tiny wings. "Waaah!" The little baby started flying around happily, as she tried to catch up to me. "Sigh¡­ Don''t you know it is dangerous if you fly over the water like that?!" Lucifer cried. "Don''t worry, she''s not going to fall-" "Bwaaahh!" However, Nyx lost bnce, as she had yet to practice her flying and ended falling from the skies. F L A A A S H! However, I quickly caught her by extending my phantom into an enormous shadow hand, and then quickly lifting her up towards me.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You almost fell!" "Scawy¡­" Nyx began to sob a bit as I hugged her. "There, there. You want to go back to your daddy?" I asked her. "Nuhh!" She cried, grasping my shoulders. "Okay then, mama will hold you. Is that better? Let''s make sure to wrap you tightly around mama too." I said with a smile, using shadow threads to make sure I had her well wrapped around my body. "And done! Baby Carrier Created!" "Waaah!" Nyx felt suddenly happy she was being carried so easily. Although I looked a bit funny with her wrapped around my body with shadow threads and tightly into my belly. "I guess that''s effective." Said Lucifer. "Hmm, I had never seen one of those!" Helga said while inspecting me as I flew down. "Now that''s a baby carried! Wait, nobody has ever made one in here?" Asked ckard. "Not that I remember. Man, if I had one of those it would make my life easier and that of Myriad¡­" Helga sighed. "So Baby Carriers are not a thing¡­ Alright, I''ll give the design for free to youter, and you can replicate it with Myriad!" I said with a smile. "We''ll want a lot too for everyone here to carry Nyx too." "Ooh! Alright! I think they might sell rather well." Helga smiled greedily. B B B R R R H H H¡­! "Hey, is the water trembling or something?" Wondered Brunhild, as she quickly noticed several shadows popping out from the swamp''s water all at once! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLAAASH! And they were all fish shaped, but with their heads in the shape of long arrows with a sharp, steel-like end which perhaps was a modified scale of the fish. "T-Those are Arrow Fish! A whole school of them!" Helga panicked. "Boys, shields!" ckard quickly called everyone for a defensive stance as the dwarves took out their shields and stepped forward, protecting us, even when it wasn''t really necessary. CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! The fishes quickly began to attack us. They weren''t named Arrow Fish for no reason. They used their sharp heads to pierce through their foe''s bodies, ambushing them and then throwing them into the water to feast on them, most of the time while they were still alive. "These guys are only E Rank at the end, smash them with everything you''ve got boys!" Helga roared, as the dwarves quickly began attacking the fishes with their axes and des. SLASH! CLASH! BAAAM! Shredded fish quickly began flying everywhere, as for a moment we thought things were being handled nicely. If we interfered it would end too quickly, and this was a good training for the dwarves too, so they can get more EXP as well. "Go Root!" "Gyugyuuu!" Root quickly stepped forward, jumping above the dwarves, and thennding over arge lily pad. His body suddenly began to emanate a sweet aroma, the fishes quickly looked at him instead of the dwarves, as half of the school of hundreds of Arrow Fishes started targeting him! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The Arrow Fishes didn''t waste any time, immediately piercing through his bark and wood as Root reinforced his defenses by shaping his branches into four shield covering his body, making him resemble a big bunker made of wood. He also used his other skills, covering the wooden shields with spears made of wood as well, defending himself rather well against the fishes. Most of them quickly ended being impaled by the spears covering his shields. Of course, he was getting all covered with fish meat and blood. p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® The school of fish targeted us as well, as they saw were just standing there and doing nothing, they thought we were easy prey. A single swipe of my hand was enough to generate a shockwave of darkness, quickly making a dozen fish explode into pieces. BOOOOM! "If you know what''s good for you, don''t mess with us." The fishes didn''t understand my words, but they understood my strength. As if they were obeying my orders, they decided to just continue attacking the dwarves and Root instead. Root was a good target for them even after seeing their fellow fishes being impaled by his wooden spears. And that was thanks to his Aroma Skill, it not only made it so our MP recovered faster by smelling it, but it worked as a Provoking Skill, making the Fish attack him incessantly! As everyone killed more and more fishes, their numbers finally began to decrease. The EXP they gave to us was utterly abysmal, we would need to kill hundreds of thousands to get anything out of them¡­ However, Root and the Dwarves seemed to be leveling up constantly, this was really powering them up. ----- Chapter 580 Calamity Kindergarten ----- Ding! [Root] defeated [Arrow Fish (E Rank)] x107!] [Root] defeated [Big Poisonous Tadpole (E Rank)] x42!] [Root] earned 90500 EXP] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 23!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Some of [Root] Skills have leveled up!] [Root] acquired the [Fish yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [Root] acquired the [Amphibian yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Merciless Killer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Fish yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Amphibian yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The Relentless Hunter Title has boosted your EXP earned!] [You and your Party have earned a total of 423640 EXP!] Oooh! Looks like I also go the Titles anyways. Because we are all in a big party, those kills also seem to count for me at the end, I got all the three new Titles he got that aren''t unique to his race, amazing. I even got some EXP out of it all, well, it is not near as enough to level up yet, I need millions of EXP after all. Let''s check them out alongside another Title I got earlier¡­ ----- [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to someone unique that has raised entities with enough power to be considered Cmities of the world. The more the user raises, the stronger it bes alongside boosting such growing Cmities growth speed. Increases the user''s Stats by +1% every 10 levels a Cmity raised by them has gained. This is an invisible buff that cannot be shown in the Status. Does not affect Aether Stat. Additionally, any Cmity ss entity raised by the user will gain +25% more EXP and require -25% less EXP to level up. Stat growths will also increase ording to the title skill level by +5% with each Skill Level. Non-Cmity ss allies receive only 1/3 of these bonuses, including the user. ----- Oooh, this must be the one that helping Root grow so fast as well! I learned it when I picked him up back in my Dungeon, I guess it is really shining brightly now that he''s grinding EXP like crazy- But wait, doesn''t this also affects everyone else too? So all of us are earning more EXP and now require less EXP to level up, that''s pretty nice! Looking at my status, the 10 million EXP requirement went down as well, I guess I might be able to level up with small fry, but I still need to kill thousands of them. I doubt there are so many monsters inside this dungeon¡­ Nheless, even Nyx is being boosted by this. She had been ying around by imitating my Shadow Threads into a and catching fishes, and then killing them all instantly by sucking their souls out of their bodies and eating them happily. I think she has leveled up once or twice already.please visit Anyways, there are other Title Skills to check left. ----- [Merciless Killer: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to those that mercilessly kill their foes, always aiming at their weak points for a single lethal blow. A Title Skill often wielded by skilled Assassins. Enhances Lethal Blow Damage by +50% and increases Stats by +5% while sneaking behind a foe to deal a Lethal Blow with each Skill Level. Additionally, Critical Hit Chance is increased by +5% with each Skill Level. If the user manages to kill a living being with a single Lethal Blow, EXP earned is multiplied by x2. ----- [Fish yer: Lv1] A Title only given to those who have in arge amount of Fish-type Monsters mercilessly. Increases Damage Against Fish-type Monsters by +25% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. ----- [Amphibian yer: Lv1] A Title only given to those who have in arge amount of Amphibian-type Monsters mercilessly. Increases Damage Against Amphibian-type Monsters by +25% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. ----- Merciless Killer seems interesting, and it is yet another Skill increasing EXP earned. I guess the System by be trying to do something topensate for the insane amounts I need to Level Up now! I wonder¡­ Also, the two yer Skills seem pretty alright, more damage boost is always nice, especially for Root who''s just starting, I can tell Nyx got the same skills as well. "The fish seem to have finally calmed down?" Wondered Partner. "There''s no moreing out right now¡­" Emeraldine said. "Perhaps it is finally done?" RUMBLE! However, right before we could rx, the waters once more trembled, and from within, another hundred fishes emerged, furiously rushing towards us! Wait, is this caused by Root''s sweet aroma, by any chance?! And these fishes wererger than the Arrow Fish, by three to four times asrge! They were as big as two meters each, and held sharp spear ends at the tip of their heads. "T-Those are Spear Fish!" Helga said. "Spear Fish?!" I asked in surprise. "They''re way stronger than the others¡­ Root, watch out!" "Gyuuuuh!"N?v(el)B\\jnn Suddenly, a dozen of Spear Fishes rushed towards him, their spear heads were way sharper, easily piercing through his defenses! CLAAASH!!! "G-Gyyuuuhh¡­" Root began to tremble as his body gained several cracks, he was impaled by a dozen of these fishes! I quickly flew to help but out, generating barriers of darkness around Root to protect him. "Root!" I tried to heal his wounds, however, he quickly extended a branch towards me, as if trying to stop me. "This much, I can handle it¡­! Gyu!" The five Spear Fishes suck into his body were suddenly pierced by countless of sharp spear-tipped roots, as their life and mana was absorbed out of their still living bodies. The fishes began falling one after the other from Root''s body, as his body continued cracking, until it suddenly crumbled apart! CRAAASSSSHH! "ROOT!" ----- Chapter 581 Wiping Out The Entire Monster Population ----- As I had deactivated the barrier once Root told me to not interfere, dozens more of Spear Fishes rushed forward right at the moment Root finished the five he had stuck over his body. However, as he fought them, he suddenly began crumbling apart! "ROOT!" "No need to help me, master! I want to¡­ fight! I want to earn my weight! Gyugyuh!" Crack¡­ CRACK! As his body started crumbling apart, Root ferociously battle the Spear Fishes. I wanted to help him but somehow I felt like I would be offending his battle spirit in this moment. CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! He continued battling the Spear Fishes, several of them ended being impaled as Root grew sharp spear branches all across his body. However, many other Fishes managed to pierce through his body, his wooden body cracking more and more as he desperately absorbed their health and ate his own leaves. "Gyugyuuuuuhh!" SPLAAASH! However, it was toote, a dozen more Spear Fishes surged from the water, and then pierced from below the Lily Pad that Root was standing on, piercing through all of his body. "G-Gyuh¡­" "Okay that''s enough¡­!" I was about to step in, but then I saw Root''s branches absorbing the fish''s life until they became dried fish, falling apart into pieces. At the same time, his body reached its limit. Crack¡­ crack¡­! Wait, is he actually going to die?! Crack¡­! But this feeling¡­ Crack¡­ CRACK! As Root''s body crumbled apartpletely, bright light surged from within his cracks! FLAAASH! His body began growingrger andrger, reaching over four meters of height. His wood suddenly became darker and more resilient, like stone. His legs became bigger and stronger, and now he had four of them. His branches grew upwards, now resembling a fully adult tree! And his dark blue leaves shone brightly, waving around. His face remained the same, with a sharp and long branch nose and two empty holes for his eyes, alongside a crack-looking mouth with a silly-looking smile. However, above his forehead there was a small red jewel. "Did he just evolved?!" Asked Partner. "Woah, he did!" Emeraldine said. "Such a beautiful and lustrous tree body!" "You''re such reckless dummy!" I sighed, giving him a smack in the tree-like body. SMACK! CRACK! "GYUH¡­! S-Sorry master! I just wanted to level up and evolve as quickly as possible!" Root cried, his cracks quickly regenerating as I healed them myself. I felt slightly sorry. "Okay, fine¡­ Sorry for hitting you." I sighed. Ding! [Root] defeated [Spear Fish (D Rank)] x37!] [Root] earned 111000 EXP] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!]please visit [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 30!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Some of [Root] Skills have leveled up!] [Root] has undergone Evolution!] [Root] has evolved into a [Magic Treant (Special)]!]N?v(el)B\\jnn Magic Treant? He must have learned magic now, wouldn''t he? What''s his elements anyways? I quickly checked Root''s status as I stopped the Spear Fishes from getting closer using Shadow Barriers. ----- [Name]: [Root] [Status]: [Cursed] [Race]: [Magic Treant (Special)] [Level]: [0/40] [Rank]: [C+] [HP]: [12825/12825] [MP]: [16640/16640] [Attack]: [6125] [Defense]: [8630] [Magic]: [8530] [Agility]: [5715] [Aether]: [40] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv3] [Spirit Nest: Lv3] [Wood Shapeshifting: Lv3] [Life Drain: Lv2] [Powerful Endurance: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv4] [Magical Resistance: Lv4] [Status Effect Resistance: Lv4] [Poison Resistance: Lv3] [Water Resistance: Lv2] [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv4] [Rest: Lv4] [Wooden Needle: Lv4] [Draining Roots: Lv3] [Automatic Recovery: Lv3] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv1] [Defensive Shield: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv4] [Rxing Aroma: Lv4] [Wooden Spear: Lv3] [Wooden Shield: Lv1] [nt Growth Enhancement: Lv1] [Shadow Bullet: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv5] [Magic Leaf: Lv3] [Healing Nature Light: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv3] [Treant Progenitor: Lv3] [Forest Master: Lv3] [Nature''s Guardian: Lv2] [Merciless Killer: Lv2] [Fish yer: Lv4] [Amphibian yer: Lv3] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] ----- Would you look at him! He had really grown quite stronger now. Those stats were way higher than with the ones he started this morning. Leveling and Evolving is sure a broken mechanic¡­ But I guess that without our assistance he would had never gone so far himself. He gained several new Skills, one that enhanced his endurance, some resistance skill against water element, then two weapon techniques of Spear and Shields, most likely based over his own body which he uses as weapons. Lastly, there''s [Wooden Shield: Lv1] [nt Growth Enhancement: Lv1] [Shadow Bullet: Lv1] and [Healing Nature Light: Lv1], all of them are self-exnatory skills. nt Growth Enhancement mighte in handy for us once we go back to the farms too¡­ But all of that is nothing muchpared to the other revtion¡­ Yes, the revtion that Root has a Divine Protection of nobody else than Hel! Yeah, she gave me one to me and my daughter and of course she aimed at Root as he''s a growing cmity. Kind of annoying, feels like she''s nning something nasty somehow, somewhere¡­ But I can''t reallyin, a Divine Protection boosts growth so its pretty good to be honest, even though it awakes my suspiciousness about the whole situation. "Damn he has really grown bigger once more¡­" Lucifer said. "How much do you want him to grow?" Asked the dragon. "Well as long as he can? We still need to wipe out the entire monster poption here first." I said with a smile. "Wait, what?!" Asked Helga. "You can''t just do that¡­" "Yeah, that''s impossible¡­" ckard sighed. "No, if its Maria and her friends¡­" "It is probably possible." "Y-Yeah¡­" The dwarves thought I was talking nonsense, however when I decide something, I do it! ----- Chapter 582 Roots Second Evolution ----- Root was now C+ Rank. Possibly we would want him to be at least B Rank before bringing him with us to the Sealed Dungeon, that''s like the minimum Rank necessary to get to that one nasty dungeon. It might be rather dangerous but it is worth it. This dungeon has up to B Rank monsters, but those B Rank are all bosses. Naturally, they probably can''t give enough EXP themselves, so my n is to just wipe out the entire monster poption of the Swamp 8, and maybe move to Swamp 7, 6, and so on if the EXP is still not enough. If someone ends upining that we are taking everything, they can always goin to our backers, the Duchess, and the Guild Master of one of the most prestigious guilds in this country, I am sure they''ll be able to get their answers in there! ----- [Race]: [Magic Treant (Special)] A Special Treant that has attained Magical Properties and has evolved to be incredibly strong. It has Mana flowing across its entire body and its healing and tanking abilities are top notch. They''re resilient fighters that can take on many enemies at once with ease. Regenerate, and create countless branches, wooden spears, and wooden shields for attack and protection. Their leaves hold healing properties and their sweet aroma can drive enemies towards them. However, this is a special one which has developed a special Red Magic Jewel, which enhances Magical Power and Magic Spell Effects and Damage by +50%. ----- Interesting! Merely by looking at Root''s Race I can tell he''s powerful. The red jewel on his forehead seems to boost his magical prowess even more, resembling more of a special benefit of him being "special" in a way. CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! However, the Spear Fishes were not stopping to annoy my moment with my walking tree at all! I wanted to admire his greatness a bit more, but these damn bastards¡­ "Alright Root, let''s turn them all into Grilled Fishes!" I said with fury. "Gyugyuuh! Got it master!" Root quickly decided to join as I opened the barriers and let the Fishes in. I greeted them with my Phantasmal mes right away, roasting half of the hundreds of Spear Fishes rushing towards me in a mere second! FLUOOOOSSSHHH! "Gygyuuuuh!" And Root jumped forward without any fear whatsoever, his Rank already surpassing the vicious Spear Fishes! His body quickly shapeshifted. The dozes of branches he had quickly became sharp wooden spears, abination of skills quickly unleashed a thunderous storming attack of many piercing blows against the Spear Fishes all at once! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Dozens of Spear Fishes were impaled all across the sky. When Root finally fell off into the swamp water, he didn''t mind at all, as he began shooting his own wood as sharp spear projectiles, and then began shredding apart the Spear Fishes fighting from below. His bark had grown incredibly hard now, it was very easy for him to tank their hits like nobody''s business! In just ten minutes, all the fish was gone- or well, it was ready to eat! Ding! [Root] defeated [Spear Fish (D Rank)] x263!] [Root] earned 920500 EXP] [Root] has Leveled Up!]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!]please visit [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] Level has reached Level 18!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Some of [Root] Skills have leveled up!] [You and your Party gained arge sum of EXP!] [Your Total EXP Earned has been boosted by several Skills] [You earned 1220500 EXP] Heh, still not enough EXP to level up, this is painful! "Anyways, time to take a break, no?" I wondered. "Gyugyuh!" Root agreed. Like that, we returned tond by flying and quickly decided to rx. There was so many fish and frog meat that we had a big feast. Mostly everybody aside from the dwarves, Root, and I had been just spectating everything while mostly rxing and enjoying the view. I felt slightly bad I brought them all here just for that, so I made extra sure to cook them some delicious food. Aside from grilled fish, I also made fish croquets covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried, and also made fish broth where I added potatoes, carrots, and also some tasty seaweed I found in the swamps. There was a lot of edible nts growing around here, and they all had rather unique and refreshing tastes. It wasn''t hard at all to just grab them all and begin cooking something tasty with it. The smell of grilled fish and fish broth filled the surroundings. Several wild monsters popped out to check where this delicious smell wasing from but were quickly stopped by the barriers I had set up. "Mama, look what we found!" "Look! Look!" Takeshi and Laura who were ying around near the swamp suddenly broughtrge cat-sized crabs and crawfish, and even fatty shrimps! "Oh, those are Tyrant Crabs and Swamp Crawfish and Shrimps!" Helga pointed out. "They''re sneaky little monsters. They''re the weakest at around F Rank or even G Rank." "This crab''s a bit heavy and strong, but I can easily handle him, hahaha! Let''s eat them!" Takeshi said happily, holding into the big green crab trying to pinch his face with its ws. "Sure, let''s boil them out then!" I quickly washed them out and then put them inside arge pot, boiling them right away for their delicious fishy vor. There wasn''t anything better than enjoying this delicious meal with everyone here! The smell of the boiled crustaceans quickly began covering our surroundings as we enjoyed the fish feast, a few minutester and it was all done. "Alright, let''s try them out!" I grabbed the crab and cut one of its massive ws. I lightly opened it by hitting it with one of my fingers, cracks quickly spread through the shell. Crack! And then it opened wide, a beautiful, shiny white meat inside! ----- Chapter 583 Spirit Embodiment ----- "U w a a a h! Now this is delicious!" I said, happily taking a bite off it. "Yum!" The sweet taste was the real deal, and it was so spongy, juicy, and just delicious! "Heey Master don''t eat it all! That''s not fair!" Partnerined, trying to steal my w. "Heheeh, no, it''s mine!" Iughed evilly. "No! Give me some!" Partnerined, as she started to try to steal my w constantly. "B w a h a h a h a! I''ll eat it all! You can''t do a single thing!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Mama¡­." Suddenly, I saw Nyx in the floor while I floated upwards, looking at me with puppy eyes. "Ah¡­ Okay for my princess anything." I quickly gave her the whole w as she started devouring it. "Nom, nom, nom! Wawaah!" She said happily, continuing to devour it. The ws was so big her entire little head fit inside of it. "Come on, there''s crab for everyone." Lucifer tried to calm Partner''s hunger as she looked at Nyx while resisting the urge to steal her crab, giving her arge crab leg filled with meat. "R-Right¡­" She poured some sweet sauce on it and ate it with shell and all. "Hm, the shell''s so soft and crunchy!" "Really?" I wondered, grabbing a leg, and giving it a bite. "Right! It is nothing as hard as I imagined, kind of like eating hard bread crust at most. No, it is more like soft eggshells?" "Certainly the crunchiness add to the texture and vor, but this sweet sauce you made is great. What is it called?" Lucifer wondered. "I made it by fermenting beans with sugar and honey, I call it Unagi Sauce, though it is not the same¡­" I said while pouring more into the crab leg. "Huh, your abilities are sure useful Maria! This means you can even produce wine like this, right? And cheese?" Asked Helga. "Precisely. I can control the little bacteria that ferment things and turn them into other things. Yogurt, cheese, wine, you name it! there''s tons of delicious things only made when they''re fermented." I smiled. All these things used to be part of my daily life back on Earth, but now I guess they''re a very rare thing which I was missing. "There''s also this other salty sauce that is also ck!" Helga pointed out. "Is this the same thing? Ooh, it is also slightly spicy, it has something special about it¡­" "Yeah that''s Soy Sauce with a hint of spiciness. That vor is something they call "Umami" though it is just saltiness and spicinessbined." I shrugged. "With a bit of bitterness sometimes, depending in how concentrated the soy sauce is¡­ Anyways, this goes well with anything. I prefer it over other types of sauces used on seafood¡­ though nothing beats some nice lemon juice over a crab leg." I poured some lemon juicy over the crab leg I was snacking on, quickly taking a few more bites, the critic vor really went delicious whenbined with everything else, and once poured on soy sauce and unagi sauce, it just became even better. "Wow this is amazing¡­" Said Lucifer. "Maria thank you for making these sauces! I never thought I would be in love with food this much before." "Aww, it''s nothing for my baby husband!" I said, petting his head. "D-Don''t call me baby!" Lucifer blushed. "Hahaahaha!" The dwarves quickly began tough at the scene. "You must really love each other if you call each other like that." Helga smiled. "I also call my Myriad as my baby." "Eeeh? Aren''t I baby too then?" Partner wondered while stuffing herself with fish. "Of course, you''re my baby girl." I petted her head. I quickly looked at Emeraldine as she seemed reluctant about it. "T-There''s no need for me, I wouldn''t really¡­ like being called baby." She said. "And you''re my baby girl too!" I hugged her back. "This is embarrassing¡­" She sighed while feeling slightly flustered. "Aah! Hug!" Nyx approached me as well, extending her arms and asking for a hug. "Of course, you''re the babiest baby girl here." I quickly held her in my arms as she gave me a kiss in my cheek. "Uwaah! She kissed me¡­" I cried in happiness. "It seem she''s been having a lot of fun." Said Lucifer. "Unlike back home, there''s no day where she''s not happy. I remember there were some days where she was rather grumpy." "Indeed, dragon children like adventuring. Staying stagnant in a ce bores them." Said Brunhild. "Of course that changes once we grow up, we prefer being in a closed space, rx, and nap for a few centuries." "I see! I wonder how she''ll turn out at the end¡­" I sighed. I quickly felt some branches lightly touching my back, as I found Root there. He suddenly had grown¡­ extremely small! He was not bigger than Nyx now, and had an oval, egg-like shape with two tiny chick-like wings And this was due to one of his newest Skills, [Spirit Embodiment]! "Master, I am small, can I join, gygyu?" He wondered, looking around. "Baby!" Nyx said, suddenly rushing over Root and hugging him with her tiny arms. "Gyyyyhhh¡­! Y-Youngdy please don''t be so brutish!" Root cried as he was given rough love from Nyx. "You''ve certainly gotten smaller, how''s that possible? Does he has polymorph?" Asked Lucifer. "I remember Maria said he had Body Shapeshifting?" Asked Emeraldine. "Yeah but that skill can''t help him reduce his body size, he actually became a Forest Spirit through the Spirit Embodiment Skill he gained. It is a way for him to be smaller and more practical at the time of moving around. Also he seems to gain the ability to fly and his stats shift, increasing his Magic and MP stats above his defenses or physical strength." I said while analyzing Root''s transformation. He had indeed be a cute and smallpanion! Though¡­ I think I am forgetting of someone else. ----- Chapter 584 Showing Off Tyr To Everyone ----- FLUOSH! Suddenly, a sphere of darkness with a single red eye showed up in front of me. He emanated a fearful aura of power and strength and seemed clearly pissed off at me as well! Ah, this guy is¡­ Right, I almost forgot. "You''ve been ignoring my request all this time!" Heined. "Ahaha, I didn''t ignore it, Iplete forgot about it!" I sighed. "Alright, alright¡­ Everyone, I''ve got a lot to tell you." Like that, I spent the next ten minutes exining everything about this lil'' guy, a former god, how he came to be and everything else in between. Helga and the dwarves were trusted enough so I opened to them and told them about having eaten the Evil God Fragment, which gave birth to this Miasma Spirit created from the Evil God''s powers and his memories, which I decided to name Tyr. "Incredible¡­" Said Helga. "So that just happened¡­" ckard muttered. "We¡­ we really don''t know what to say."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yep, I am out of words." "At least I can say I won''t tell anybody about this. What''s told in our guild stays in the guild." "Yeah!" "Though this doesn''t make it less weird¡­" The dwarves had all mixed opinions but they were loyal. Partner seemed to be in their same boat while beginning to rub her chin and think. But she clearly wasn''t getting it to be honest. Takeshi and Laura joined her, and perhaps even Nyx. "Huh, so that''s that, eh? I see, I understand everything now." Partner acted smartly. "Yeah, that''s right." Laura nodded. "I get it, of course¡­" Takeshi added. "Floating¡­ ck¡­ egg!" Nyx wanted to grab Tyr but he managed to escape her grasp. She was still happy with her egg-shaped Root though, he was clearly struggling with her. And Emeraldine? Well, my elf wife was excited about it. She grabbed Tyr and began touching him. now that he was a spirit his miasma and chaos didn''t hurt people, but this whole thing was new for her. "I can''t believe it! A Miasma and Chaos Spirit?!" She wondered. "This must be the first spirit to have ever existed with this element to begin with! I-Incredible, this is amazing, even! And you''re also a god''s soul fragment?! Even more amazing! I need to see how you were made!" "Uwaaggh! Stop touching me! This is sexual harassment! Get off! AGGH!" Tyrined but he was just a ck sphere of dark energy I think there wasn''t much sexual about touching his little body. I think he doesn''t even have a sense of touch to begin with! Meanwhile, Lucifer and Brunhild freaked out. "So you''re the God of War Tyr?!" Asked Brunhild. "You''re him!?" Lucifer wondered. "Ugh!" Tyr quickly managed to run away from Emeraldine''s grasp as he flew towards the pair of dragons and nodded. "T-That''s right! I am the God of War, you know me?!" "We''ve heard old legends about the God of War Tyr, that existed before the Evil God." Said Brunhild. "There was an Era in the past, before dungeons were widespread everywhere, and before the Fragments of the Evil God were everywhere as well." Said Lucifer. "Indeed, those times were Gods were more connected with humans than before and monsters didn''t roamed everywhere as much." Said Brunhild. "Those times¡­ I cannot remember them well." Tyr sighed. "I need more of my memory fragments for that. But yeah, that time." "Our ancestors said the War God Tyr was defeated by the Evil God and devoured by him, this was what caused the other Gods to fight him to the death, crush him into pieces and seal every one of his pieces¡­" Said Brunhild. "So all of that¡­ was it not the truth then?" Lucifer asked while feeling slightly demotivated. "Indeed, that was all bullshit!" Tyr angrily said. "I was the Evil God, they set me up! Those damn traitors! My father did it because he felt threatened by my existence, all of that just to crush his own son! That man¡­ You can''t even call him a normal father, he''s a monster! I want to go and kill him back!" "Woah, woah, that''s definitely not going to happen, okay? We are not killing any gods here." I stopped him. "I would rather not get myself involved in these stuffs!" "You''re already his enemy, what got you so fearful of him now after everything you''ve done anyways?" Tyr wondered. "Hey, this is not the time to talk about these things." Helga suddenly shut down the God. "Huh? And what do you even have to say about this then, Dwarf?" He asked angrily. "Didn''t you said you wanted to talk with us? Is talking about killing your family the only thing you''re going to talk about?" Helga reprimanded Tyr. "T-That''s¡­ not it!" Tyr said angrily. "But¡­ you clearly don''t understand how frustrated I feel¡­" He sighed. "Well I clearly don''t but that doesn''t mean you can just talk about that." Sighed Helga. "Well said. We have our own lives here as well. If you''ve been with Maria for a while, I am sure you should know these things, don''t you, Tyr?" Asked Lucifer. "Sigh¡­" Tyr sighed. "Right, I got ahead of myself. This wasn''t what I wanted to talk about, but the subject you two dragons brought really got to my nerves." "I guess it is really frustrating to know that, yeah. Seeing how the gods lied and all of humanity believes you were killed by the Evil God, even when you''re actually him¡­" I sighed. "Look, I''ll try to bring back your fragments so you may regain more of your memories, but I don''t want to go kill myself to fight Odin or something, okay? I have no such ns! ¡­But whatever happens in the future, happens." I wasn''t into going tomit suicide now, but if in the future I were to find myself in a situation simr to that, I guess there won''t be much I can do about it. ----- Chapter 585 Divine Messages ----- When things with Tyr were resolved we enjoyed a nice and slow-paced talk about everything involved with his problems and¡­ anything else, really. Although he''s still overly grumpy, which kind of reminds me of the old Lucifer, he did said he wanted friends. Despite acting prideful and all, he probably has felt so lonely he had be desperate enough to leave his godly pride aside. "So how did you used to look like when you were alive?" Wondered Partner. "Were you a burly and bearded guy?" Asked Emeraldine. "Yeah, like this¡­" Tyr said, his shadows quickly taking shape into a tall, muscr bearded man with several scars over his body. He was around three meters tall, I guess he was really a Viking God. "Woah he''s really a Viking God of War, alright." Iughed. "Damn." Helga smiled. "You two are a bit too thirsty, no?" Lucifer sighed while crossing his arms. FLASH! However Tyr quickly went back to his other form. "Shapeshifting in this feeble Spirit Body is a pain¡­ I cannot keep it up for too long." He sighed. "Hahhh¡­ Well, at the very least I can move freely in the outside world without causing disasters. I had tried this many times before. I ended corrupting everything, monsters mutated, and most of the time I was either split into more pieces and sealed again by Thor, or a monster found me and I ended instinctively parasitizing the monster and making the creature go mad¡­" "So you weren''t able to take into this form ever before?" Lucifer wondered. "That''s right¡­ this form is something unique I attained thanks to Maria." Said Tyr. "It is indeed very unique and interesting. I guess her powers allowed this. Although for such a thing to ur, I had to be eaten, which is not something¡­ I am a fan of." "I can understand." Sighed Lucifer. "Well, she''s indeed very unique." "Perhaps her Necromancy has something to do with it?" Asked Emeraldine. "God Fragment or not, it still something like a soul, right?" "I had never thought about it deeply but yeah. Perhaps my Necromancy Powers and something else caused his Soul Fragment to be something like a ghost. Veredorr and Francesco and Silvio are also kind of like Elemental Spirits, the possibility he became one is there." I recognized. "It was abination of that and other factors such as your unique powers." Tyr said. "But now that I have the time to assess how all things came to be, I also can assure you it wasn''t just your Necromancy¡­ I felt some sort of divine intervention in the process. Hel helped you raise me as an Undead, something that shouldn''t be possible for a mortal to turn the soul of a god into an undead to begin with. From there, I probably reacted to this effect and due to my power, I became a Spirit instead."N?v(el)B\\jnn "Woah, now that''s quite the exnation." Partner said. "Wait, Hel?!" Emeraldine wondered. "Hel has taken a liking on Maria and all of you. I can feel her Divine Protection in that dragon child and the walking tree." Said Tyr. "All of you are also connected with Maria, so therefore you''re like also part of this divine protection¡­ Hel seems to have the intention to help everyone grow stronger. She has ns with all of us." "Wait, if she secretly helped Maria revive you as this Spirit form¡­ Then doesn''t that means¡­?" Brunhild asked in surprise. "Yeah, I had already assumed it but yes, it probably means that Hel is a traitor of Odin and the other Gods, and desires something from me and all of us. I don''t know if that girl is capable of doing good things for the sake of it though, I never got to know her well, but if she helped me in such a way, I can tell she''s our ally." Tyr said. "It still feels strange. She wasn''t involved in what happened to me, but she''s still the daughter of Loki. That bastard used his Chaos Element Divinity to corrupt my soul after I was weakened by Thor''s Mjolnir and my Father''s Gungnir¡­ The other Gods also ganged on me, I can remember every single one of them¡­ the only ones that didn''t acted were the Vanir Gods, but they didn''t interfere either." "So Loki was the one that turned you into the Evil God?" Wondered Partner. "Yes, that effeminate bastard¡­" Sighed Tyr. "I thought he was someone I could trust, but he ended stabbing me in the back when I least expected it! To think he would end up cooperating with father despite hating him so much¡­" "It must''ve been painful." I sighed. "Well, at least Hel''s not as evil as her father in that regard, even while being a Goddess of Death, we can already tell she has not as bad intentions as her beloved papa." Iughed. "Yeah, I suppose that''s right." Tyr nodded. "Nheless, it would be good if we could talk to her, though I doubt we can right now. She had always been a secretive woman¡­ But if she had been open with you, maybe she couldmunicate somehow through Divine Messages." "Divine Messages?" I asked. "They''re special Messages that Gods are able to send to those that hold their Divine Protections. It is directly connected to their Soul Books. Sometimes, when someone holding the divine protection does something that amuses their god or makes them content, they can even receive a gift from them." Tyr said. "It ismon sense to incentive our divinely protected." "Oh¡­ Maybe that''s why I get so many benefits sometimes, like the special evolutions of Lucifer and Partner¡­ the Titles and Skills?" I wondered. Although the System still had a lot to do with that, but it is nice to know that Hel might be helping me more than I had originally imagined. Nheless, right now I wish I could speak with her for a change! Ding! [Master, it seems there is an interference of Divine Power.] The System suddenly spoke to me. "Eh?!" ----- Chapter 586 Gifts From Hel Herself ----- Interference of Divine Power? What the fuck is that?! Ding! [The Divine Interference is very powerful; however, it is indeed possible to stop it through the Unique Skill [System] powers.] [Do you desire to stop it?] No¡­ Wait a second, who is it? [It says¡­ [Goddess of Death, Hel]. It is perhaps her; she seems to have overheard what you were talking. She always hears and sees through you, mostly thanks to this divine protection. I have tried to take it out before due to this annoying spying woman, but it is impossible, it has merged with your soul.] Wait what? You''ve tried to take out the Divine Protection without my permission?! [Only for my master''s safety, of course¡­] You''re acting way more serviceable than before, weird¡­ [I am merely trying to do as my job demands. A voice of the system must serve the host.] I guess that''s true, you said that before¡­ Well, let her do whatever she wants to do, I bet it is nothing bad. [Are you sure master?] Ugh just stop it and let her! [Very well¡­] FLAAASH! Suddenly, from within my very soul, an enormous phantasmal projection emerged into the outside world. Everyone around me who had just finished eating was taken aback. The projection became clearer, as it showed something resembling an endless cavern world, with darkness, crystals, skulls, bones, and undead walking around. In the middle of this ce, there was a big throne with a beautifuldy sitting over her throne. She seemed rather charming, with long silver hair and sharp yellow eyes. Her skin was as white as candle wax, I don''t know if she looks the same as back then, but she''s definitely Hel. "Hello everyone, I overheard what you just talked about." "Wait, she''s Hel?!" Asked Emeraldine. "T-This is a goddess! An actual goddess is talking to us!" Lucifer said. "Hel-sama!" Brunhild cried. "Huh, so she''s the goddess?" Wondered Partner while doubting if this was real. "You must be surprised I have contacted you out of the blue, but I overheard what you spoke. Now that you''re inside a dungeon it is safe from the god''s watch." Said Hel. "I cannot say much, but I can tell you that you have to rest assured, I am part of your team. All of you are my precious family. Despite never talking with you much before, I''ve experienced what you''ve done¡­ You''ve all grown inside of my heart~ Fufu¡­" I don''t know if she was talking seriously or ironically. But I guess there''s no point in doubting this right now. "Hel! What is the meaning of this?! Are you actually our ally? And what about my father and everyone else?" Tyr asked. "Uncle Tyr¡­" Hel sighed. "I did you a little favor, so I expect one back once you reassemble yourself a bit more." Hel smiled. "For now, Maria, I''ll keep contact with you through special Divine Messages, make sure to check them. If you do surprising or amusing things, I might even send you a little gift! I am looking forward to all of you. The Cmities are still growing, but the Era of Cmity is approaching. Make sure to grow strong, everyone~ Bye~" And like that, she disappeared. Well¡­ that was certainly anticlimactic. Ding! [Hel, the Goddess of Death, seems pleased by your actions.] [She says she likes how you raise the Little Cmities.]N?v(el)B\\jnn [She has sent a gift.] [You earned 5000000 EXP as a Reward!] [You acquired [Soul Reinforcing Phial (A Grade)] x3!] [You acquired [Dark Scale Dragon Blood (A Grade)] x1!] [You acquired [Lesser Yggdrasil''s Sap (A Grade)] x1!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 65 to Level 66!] [All your Stats have increased] [You gained System Points!] Huh?! I just got EXP and even items as rewards?! And what are these items anyways? "Well, that just happened." Said Lucifer, sighing a bit. "But it was strange, why did she contacted us? She barely told us anything." "No, I believe she made herself quite clear¡­" Tyr said. "Hel is a very cryptic woman; she talks in ways to notpletely admit all her desires and true purposes behind her actions. However, it is clear as day to me that she indeed is relying on all of us. I have no idea if she has sincerity or even humility, but it is quite clear she want us to do her a favor back one day. She didn''t only told that to me, it is to all of us here." "Huh¡­ Doesn''t that make things even worse, in a way?" Partner asked. "I don''t want to go obeying this woman¡­" "Yeah, none of us want to do that to be honest." I sighed. "I will just try to ignore this for now. Though, I have to admit that I feel slightly more pressured to grow stronger now." "There''s nothing much we can do as we are." Brunhild admitted. "For now, let''s just continue exploring the dungeon. We can talk thingster when we get back home. Maria, have you gathered enough ingredients?" "Nope, I''ve only picked edible stuff, but for now let''s concentrate on that while we explore deeper into it!" I said with a nod. "Alright then, let''s continue. I''ll hold into Nyx for you, I don''t want her to get in the way." Lucifer quickly grabbed Nyx as he wrapped his tail around her. The tiny Tail Biter immediately began biting on his tail as if instinctively, she really liked to bite her father''s tail, didn''t she? She even tot a [Tail Biter] Title, I have no idea what it even does, but I guess it is quite mighty and it is leveling up rather quickly. "Alright, let''s go for now." I quickly grabbed Root using my shadows and Tyr apanied me while flying as he wanted to explore with me. I also kind of wanted to test his powers and abilities against monsters, as my first real Spirit ever, I wanted to finally use Spirit Magic like Emeraldine does. The rest decided to follow me from behind. Oh right, I also brought Helga and the dwarves, obviously. They need to fight as many monsters as possible to get some good levels. The grind shall continue! ----- Chapter 587 Powerful New Items ----- Ding! [The [Soul Reinforcing Phial (A Grade)] x3, [Dark Scale Dragon Blood (A Grade)] x1, and [Lesser Yggdrasil''s Sap (A Grade)] x1 Items have been stored inside the [Inventory] Function within the Unique Skill [System] powers.] [To receive further detail about these acquired items, please visit the Inventory.] As I was leisurely jumping around over Lily Pads with the Dwarves while the rest of my family was flying around and gathering materials for me out of goodwill, I saw that System message. "Right, I almost forgot about that¡­" I quickly concentrated my mind as I began to talk with the System, wondering what the heck was this. I knew items could be created through things such as Forging and Alchemy, but items materializing out of thin air was really crazy aside from the Dungeon Drops. And this dungeon''s monsters didn''t dropped anything to begin with! We killed a few hundred already and they have yet to drop anything. I guess this Dungeon is not so generous¡­ Well, we saw a few dozen low quality potions that Helga said would fetch a pretty high price anyways due to their rarity, and some low-quality pieces of equipment that are not really anything good for us, so we were just going to sell them. But aside from them, I haven''t really seen items materializing out of thin air before like that! How did Hel even sent an item, a material object, right into my very soul which then was stored inside my Inventory? It is crazy! I guess that''s¡­ the power of a god? System, can you tell me about the gist behind it? [There''s nothing much I can tell you myself. I was only able to see the items materialize and that was about it. But it was definitely the power of the Gods. They possess the almighty ability to Materialize items out of thin air. Even Alchemy cannot do such a thing. I guess it is part of being a God. Even the System itself can only exchange System points for Leveling Up Skills, Temporary Stat Boosters or Skills of various grades.] Yeah, I can tell¡­ Well, that''s it. I do wonder though¡­ could Alchemy lead to such power? [Alchemy and Forging in this world are already God-like powers. Taking materials to convert into new ones through utterly magical methods that arepletely different yet slightly simr to those from back on Earth¡­ indeed, they are god-like in many ways, yet this world merely treats them as something normal.] That''s a game-like world for you, can''t do anything about it I suppose. But yeah, I was rather freaked out when I first found out about how Alchemy and Forging worked in this world, it is truly a magical experience. Nheless¡­ let''s check the new Items and what they''re all about. ----- [Soul Reinforcing Phial (A Grade)] x3 A Phial made through Divine Power with a small amount of Liquified Aether within. This liquid was taken from the Endless River of Souls within the Underworld. Amon item that is sold widely in the Underworld to reinforce the Soul of Undead. By drinking it, the Soul can grow stronger and Aether can be gained by a random amount between 1 to 10. ----- Wait what?! And I got 3 of these?! Thank you so much Hel-sama! I should had never doubted you! This item is fantastic! I can tell that Hel has been spying on me if she gifted me this. She probably knows I''ve been struggling at increasing the power of my Soul by increasing Aether. Through I think she went overboard with this. It is way too nice to be honest. But well, I am nobody to judge her good intentions. I might as well just take them happily and maybe ask for secondster. I drank all three Phials right away. The liquid inside was golden and sweet like candy syrup. However, it didn''t felt dry like syrup, but drinking it refreshed my throat and made me feel happy and rxed. "Hahhh¡­ So good¡­" Ding! [You gained +7 Aether!] [You gained +3 Aether!] [You gained +5 Aether!] Oh! I gained a total of 15 Aether?! Nice, I''ll take it! Now let''s see what these other Items are¡­ ----- [Dark Scale Dragon Blood (A Grade)] x1 The fresh Blood of a Dark Scale Dragon, a monstrous beast that roams around the darkest continents of the World. It is a ferocious S+ Rank Monster capable of devouring everything it desires and engulfing thend in utter destruction. However, it loves to take naps for centuries.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om If drank by a Dragon withpatibility, their Bloodline can awaken and their Stats and Skills might increase in both quantity and levels. ----- [Lesser Yggdrasil''s Sap (A Grade)] x1 The fresh Sap of a Lesser Yggdrasil Tree, a child of the Yggdrasil Tree that supports the entire world of Yggdrasil. A rich and sweet sap that contains arge quantity of Nature Attribute Spiritual Energy and even a slight hint of Divine Power mixed in. Works as an Elixir that could heal most wounds and diseases. If consumed by a nt, the nt, ifpatible enough, might be able to attain new Spiritual Powers and possibly evolve into a Magic nt or a Spirit nt. ----- These two are¡­ I see. I think I understand why I got these despite not beingpatible with me at all. The first one''s for Nyx, and the second one is for Root! I guess she didn''t forgot about her precious Cmities if she wants me to give them this present she left for them. Alright, I''ll start with Root. "Hey Root, drink this." "Gyuh? What''s this, master?" "Just drink it." I didn''t really had time to exin things to him. "G-Gyuh? Very well¡­" He didn''t really hesitated anymore, as I gave him the bottle and he drank its contents. "Gyuhh!" His face resembled to be in utter bliss as he drank it all. He quickly began shining brightly, a golden aura of spiritual essence surged from within his body. "This is very good master! Gyuhhh!" ----- Chapter 588 The Little Calamities Grow Stronger ----- Root was currently sitting over my head. Thanks to his Spirit Embodiment Skill, he was able to take into the form of a Nature Spirit of some sort. His appearance change honestly surprised us all. Whenever he used his Spirit Embodiment Sill, he resembled more like an adorable egg-shaped bush covered on fluffy bright green leaves, while his face was reduced into a small mask-like wooden face with a long nose and two little holes as eyes, tiny branch-like legs, and small chick-like wings made of leaves.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Yeah, it felt as if this Skill made him cuter. But that wasn''t all, it didn''t merely just made him cute and smallpared to his big form as a Magic Treant, it also made him better at magic by shuffling his stats around, it was honestly pretty interesting. "Just drink it." I didn''t really had time to exin things to him. "G-Gyuh? Very well¡­" He didn''t really hesitated anymore, as I gave him the bottle and he drank its contents. "Gyuhh!" His face resembled to be in utter bliss as he drank it all. He quickly began shining brightly, a golden aura of spiritual essence surged from within his body. "This is very good master! Gyuhhh!" "Oh? Do you feel stronger?" "Definitely!" Ding! [Root] has drank the [Sap of Lesser Yggdrasil]!] [Root] has acquired the [Yggdrasil''s Seed: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] [Root] has acquired the [Yggdrasil''s Chosen: Lv1] Title Skill!] [Root] Stats have increased!] Oh, amazing! He got two Skills out of it and even his stats increased! By checking at the skill, I can learn that they''re quite good, yet at the same time contrasting with the Seed of Cmity. A being with both the Seed of Cmity and the Seed of Yggdrasil is something¡­ yeah, very unusual. Perhaps impossible to have ever been conceived, yet here he is! However, to sum it up, both Skills enhance his growth and widen the possibilities of his evolutions even more. We''ll have to see what he bes in the future. I quickly brought the Blood Potion to Nyx while I was seeing Root grow stronger. "Huh? What is this?" Wondered Lucifer, looking at a tiny version of myself. "This is a special gift I got from Hel, it is the blood of a Dark Scaled Dragon. If Nyx drinks it, she might get stronger." I smiled. "Eh? Isn''t that dangerous? It mighte poisoned for all we know!" Lucifer panicked a bit. "I can''t detect any poison from it." Brunhild said. "I also checked it and it doesn''t have any¡­" I said. "B-But it might have a poison we cannot easily detect! Come on, think outside the box." He said while sighing. "Waah¡­ Poshion?" Nyx wondered. "Well, I guess you''re right. Maybe we should be more careful¡­ But I already gave one to Root and he grew stronger, so it wasn''t poisoned back then." I said. "Yeah but what about now? It might be different." Said Lucifer. Gosh, he was being way too overly protective. But I guess it makes sense, its her daughter''s life that might be on stake now. "I guess you''re right. I''ll save it for now and see if I can detect poisonter-" "Roar!" However, out of the blue, Nyx interrupted my words as her long tail stole the bottle away from the tiny and weak Phantasmal Familiar and then ate the whole bottle, swallowing it. "Gulp! Pwaah¡­ Burp¡­" We looked at one another with Lucifer, as we quickly looked back at Nyx. She immediately began glowing with a powerful aura overflowing from her body. It was pure ck. "Roooar! RAAARRR!" The moment that aura surged, she began roaring furiously! Her eyes glowed bright red, as her wings grew a bit longer, she quickly freed herself from her father''s tail, flying into the skies and unleashing an enormous shockwave of power! TRUUUUUMMMMM¡­! "W-What the heck is happening!?" Asked Partner. "Nyx?!" Emeraldine panicked. "Rooar! RAAAAR!" Nyx continued roaring as she suddenly opened her little jaws and unleashed a powerful Dark Dragon Beam against the swamp''s water! BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! SPLAAASH! The explosion was so loud it sent waves everywhere, water quickly sshed out into the skies and started raining all over everybody else. "W-What is happening?! This is insane!" "Nyx?!" I flew towards Nyx with Lucifer, quickly reaching her. However, she had calmed down, and seemed rxed, burping a bit. "Burp¡­ Phew¡­" She seemed to have just let out a big burp?! Was that it?! "Mama! Papa!" She flew towards us as if nothing, quickly acting mellow and innocently. I guess¡­ she really just overdid it there, but nothing serious. "It was just a very loud burp¡­" Brunhild sighed. "She''s fine, don''t worry. I can tell by just looking at her. My Dragon Eyes have the power of analyzing things." "I see¡­ well now, Nyx, you really made a fuss there." I reprimanded her a bit. "Eheheheh¡­" She began to giggle as if everything was just a huge joke for her. "Hahh¡­ You really worried us!" "Gehehehe¡­" She simply continued giggling as she started biting her father''s tail. "I guess she''s fine, yeah¡­" Ding! [Nyx] has consumed the [Blood of a Dark Scaled Dragon]!] [Nyx] Draconic Powers have awakened further!] [Nyx] Ancient Dragon Bloodline has be stronger.] [Nyx] attained the [Aether] Stat.] Wait, hold on a second, she got the Aether Stat?! I quickly looked at her status, finding the Aether Stat was only at 50, apparently she had a long way to go to reach 100. Well, I''ve already surpassed a 100 with those soul potions Hel sent to me, so I have 115 now. But still, this is huge! Nobody here except Root and me have the Aether stat¡­ I guess being a Cmity means having such a stat? Even Root while being a small Lesser Treant had it. Well, whatever''s the case, she''s fine, that''s what matters here. SPLAAASH! However, it seemed that Nyx''s attack into theke really shook things out, because several creatures surged from the swamp''s waters after all thatmotion. This time they were not frogs nor fishes, but something different! "Wait, those are Acid Slimes and Smanders!" Helga immediately detected the threats. ----- Chapter 589 Against Powerful Swamp Monsters ----- Although Helga and the dwarves knows the monsters here quite well, I can also just check their Status to know them as well: ----- [Acid Swamp Slime: Lv43] [Rank: C] [Status: Furious, Hungry] [Description]: A powerful Slime-type monster whose body is almost entirelyposed of Acidic substances that can easily dissolve anything. These monstrous Slimes can reach up to heights of over ten meters, and they travel across the swamp like giants, catching whatever gets trapped inside their bodies and dissolving them, absorbing thempletely. They''re vicious and lethal, their acid can even dissolve the hardiest of armors. Even magic armors struggle to not dissolve before their acid. An extremely dangerous monster which only makes people run away from its presence. [Skills]: [Acid Slime Body] [Self Division] [Giant Body] [Endless Self Regeneration] [Dissolving Acidic Enzymes] [Acid Poison Bullets] [Acid Ssh] [High Speed Swimming] ----- [Giant Greater Swamp Smander: Lv52] [Rank: C++] [Status: Furious, Hungry] [Description]: A Giant Greater Swamp Smander, a mighty beast of over eight meters of height with enormous jaws with sharp teeth to devour and shred anything they find in the depths of the swamps¡­ or even above them. They have long and slippery tails that can easily catch foes by wrapping around them and they have amazing swimming speed. They can control both Water and Poison Magic, but they seem to favor he mighty strength of their jaws, which they use to crush and swallow whole prey. Despite their enormous size, they live in colonies of over fifty, fighting threats together and fiercely protecting their territories. [Skills]: [Poisonous Goo Coating] [Giant Body] [High Speed Self Regeneration] [Poisonous Giant Tongue] [Enormous Crushing Jaws] [Poison Bullets] [Poison Breath] [High Speed Swimming] [Call for Help] ----- Both were terrifyingly strong monsters at C Rank and above! However, it was quite obvious that the giant Smanders were stronger both in numbers and levels and Ranks, C++pared to C Rank is a whole world of difference. Yet¡­ I knew something was odd about the slime! "GUUUUUH!" The Slime gave out a weird sound, as its body began drinking the water of the swamp and growing bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger! POOOF! And then, it suddenly started self-diving, creating an army of its own body, hundred of smaller slimes of around a meter and a half beganing out of the Acid''s Slime body constantly! And these guys, although weaker than their parent, were very strong anyways and packed enough of a punch to be considered a threat in such ridiculous numbers. "They''re getting closer!" Cried Root. "Gyuuuh!" "Wait, did Nyx provoked this?!" I asked. "Sowy¡­" Nyx apologized while being held by Lucifer. "Can you handle it?" He wondered. "Yeah, don''t worry about it." I sighed, quickly flying forwards with Root above my head. "Alright Root, let''s fight to our heart''s contents! Dwarves stay behind, use the Bone Magic Bows I made for you guys to fight from the safety of distance!" "Roger!" The Dwarves said in unison, as they pointed their Bone Bows at the approaching horde of Slimes and Giant Smanders. SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! It was an enormous wave of monsters, but it was quite clear the slimes were more. The mother kept making them almost endlessly, so they were about to surpass the hundreds in numbers. I guess we cannot waste this opportunity to rack up as much EXP as we can! "Now Root, show me how much you''ve grown!" "Very well, master! Gyuuuh!" Root flew towards the Slimes as he was quickly greeted with acid bullets fired urately towards him! However, Root quickly conjured an aura of Spiritual Power, part of his Spirit Embodiment Skill, and then generated several Spears made of Wood out of thin air, not from his body, firing them at the slimes to test the waters. SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! The enormous spears reached the slimes, quickly sttering them over the water. Some suddenly managed to reform, others died and couldn''t regenerate. "Odd¡­ some do and others don''t?" I wondered. "Hm, I get it! Cores! They have tiny spots inside of them, gyugyuh! We must aim at those!" Root said smartly. Wait he''s actually way smarter than I thought! "R-Right! I had just figured that out!" I pretended I had figured it out, but in fact Root surprised me there. "You''re stupid or something?" Tyr asked me. "Agh shut it! Anyways, let''s use your powers." I said with a smile. "Root, cover the left side!" "Got it!" Root flew around in his Spirit Form as he quickly began firing more and more Wooden Spear Projectiles, sting through the dozens of slime monsters. He didn''t had any energy-based attack so he had to do with what he had. But thanks to this Spirit Embodiment Skill, he gained the ability to float like spirits and shift his stats to boost his Speed, MP, and Magic Attack. Like this, he was already able to spam magic attacks and easily cover us up until he wanted to go more physical. In which case, he would need to switch to his normal form and lose the ability to fly. But that was alright! I am here as well, I''ll give him a hand, of course. "Tyr! [Spirit Connection]!" "I already heard ya the first time!" Tyr angrily answered my call, as I connected my soul with him. FLUOSH! Right after that, I felt an overflowing power coursing through all of my being. The Darkness of my Soul intensified, as I felt Chaos and Miasma pouring at near endless quantities. My appearance changed lightly, my hair turnedpletely ck and purple, as my clothes became as ck as they could. An Aura of Chaos and Miasma started to emerge from within my very being¡­ "Oh yeah, this is the good shit!" I never thought it would feel so nice to do Spirit Connection with this grumpy spirit, but it was actually pretty amazing! I felt empowered with new Spiritual Energy of the Miasma and Chaos Element, my magic was boosted, and I was now able to do way more than before¡­ I don''t really want to steal all the kills, but if Root can get shared EXP, that''s good enough for me. Don''t worry Root, I''ll only do a little test! ----N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 590 Roots Might -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I can feel the power coursing through my veins¡­ This is it! My ultimate awakening is near!" Iughed evilly, ying like the chunni I was. "Ugh, can''t you be less cringy?" Tyr asked just to break my immersion! "Ugh, can''t you see I am enjoying myself a lil'' bit here?! Geez! Alright, alright! Let''s see¡­" I quickly began gathering power and thought about what sort of spell I could make. "GRUOOOHHH!" And right after that, three enormous Giant Great Poison Smanders emerged from below the swamp, looking at me as if I were a tasty snack¡­ Hehe, you''re the perfect test subjects. "Alright let''s begin with something simple! [Chaos Sphere]!" FLASH! Suddenly, a sphere of concentrated chaos emerged over the tip of my finger. It emanated a powerful presence and aura, and it was slightly simr to darkness, but at the same timepletely different. It concentratedrge quantities of power within itself, and the element of chaos was the same as miasma. Miasma was merely the materialization of it. To make things simple to imagine, it resembled a twisting balloon of ck, red, and hints of purple color spiraling constantly. "There." I let go of the Chaos Sphere right before one of the Smanders was about to swallow me, swallowing the Chaos Sphere instead. "CHOMP!" Once the Smander closed its enormous jaws, it dove back into the water as if it got a big catch¡­ Only for about five seconds. BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! SPLAAASSHH! An enormous explosion of darkness and chaos erupted from the swamp, sshing water everywhere. The other two Smanders wereunched into the sky spectacrly! "And now¡­ [Miasmic Whip]!" TRUUUMM¡­! I forged the Miasma and Chaos into a long and beautiful whip, catching the two Smanders and wrapping the whip around their bodies. "GROOOOOHH¡­!" However, after their first groan, I mistakenly tightened my grip a bit more than usual, and they ended being.. torn to shreds. SLAAASH! Their body pieces rained from the sky. Oops? I didn''t thought it would be this lethal! The other Smanders looked at me with horror, they were not dumb enough to get any closer, quickly swimming towards the Dwarves instead. "Now! Fire!" Helgamanded, the Dwarves and her quickly pointed their bows at the Smandersing closer. "I guess I can help them too, let''s test Support Magic now! [Chaotic Enhancement]!" FLAAASH! Suddenly, all the Bone Weapons (because using this no living beings might hurt them) began to glow brightly with ck and miasmic auras, but that didn''t harmed their wielders as the weapons themselves took on all the burned. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "W-What is happening!?" "The Magic Arrows became enormous and strong!" "A-Amazing!" "Now, fire!" Helga said once more those words, as the Dwarves fired the magic arrows enchanted with Miasma! FLAAAAASSSHHH! A dozen of them quickly fell towards the Smanders. The arrows looked like they were covered on ck and purple miasmic fire, hitting the smanders, and then exploding on the spot one after the other! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! SPLAAASH! The entire swamp trembled, the waters began sshing everywhere, the attack power was more than I thought! If I enchant the Bone Weapons with Chaos and Miasma Magic, I could increase their power a tenfold, if not more! "Hm, for this being an element I got from that damned Loki''s corrupting my soul, you can wield it pretty well." Tyr considered. "I guess it was made for me more than yours! Hehe¡­" I giggled rather provocatively. "But what element did you even used?" "My element was War and Light, of course!" He said angrily. "¡­War?" I asked. "That''s an Element?!" "An old Element that probably no mortals know about. It epasses battle spirit, physical prowess, strength,manding troops, and bloodshed." Said Tyr. "No matter how much I try to channel it, I can''t now. I believe that Divinity was either destroyed or¡­ stolen by my father, alongside my Light Divinity." "Huh, maybe we could get it back if I get you your other fragments?" I wondered. "Maybe, but let''s not hope for it too much, or we might end up too disappointed." Tyr sighed. "Now, look at that flying tree, it is quite mighty." "Yeah, though it is struggling?!" I quickly realized that Root was having a few problems! While I supported the Dwarves, I found Root engaging against over a hundred Little Acid Slimes while the Giant Acid Slime suddenly caught him off guard, hitting him with several bullets and slowly beginning to dissolve part of his body, all while its tentacles wrapped around his roots, pushing him down slowly from the sky! "ROOT!" I quickly decided to help him, but I knew he was quite prideful, so I simply swung my hand, generating a giant ck de made of chaos and slicing through the Giant Acid Slime''s tentacles, all while healing Root using Death Restoration and then using Chaotic Enhancement to increase his stats! He was of course immune to miasma and chaos, so he could take it head-on without any problems! SLAAASH! "GRUOOOHHH!" The Giant Acid Slime directed its enormous red core, which worked as an eye of sorts, towards me in fury, all while Root''s body grew back to his enormous, over five meters big Magical Treant Body, all while his stats were boosted through my buff! FLUOOSH! "Gyugyuuuuhhh!" He immediately jumped into battle, sshing into the water. Root was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of tiny Acid Slimes, but he seemed to not falter, the buff I gave to him was enough to give him some confidence! "I won''t lose, even against acid that melts my body, gyuuuuh!" Root''s wooden body shapeshifted as he generated countless of Wooden Spears, piercing through the Acid Slime''s cores, and killing many on the spot, constantly and incessantly! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Some of the cores were missed and the slimes merely melted his wooden spears instead, inflicting direct damage to his HP, but he seemed to not mind it, constantly regrowing more and more Wooden Spears! "GRUOOHHH¡­!" The Giant Acid Slime didn''t liked that though, immediately swimming towards him, attempting to swallow him whole by spreading its body into a gigantic of doom! SPLAAASH! ----- Chapter 591 The Ruler Of The Swamp Emerges! ----- Root was about to be swallowed by the Giant Acid Slime! "GRUOOOHHH!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om SPLAAASH! The enormous monster spread out its gigantic body, making it resemble a mantle, and then wrapping itself around Root viciously. "Gyugyuuuuhh!" Root began to struggle while being trapped inside the Giant Acid Slime''s body. His roots tried piercing through the slime, but they were easily melted off. He was unable to drain the slime''s vitality and mana without being able to pierce it with his roots or branches. Desperately, he unleashed dozens of Shadow Bullets against the Slime from the inside, a barrage of them! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! The slime''s entire body began to inte like a balloon, but it was tanking the magic projectiles incredibly well, all while trying to digest Root more and more rapidly. "GYUUUHHH¡­!" Root continued self-regenerating my spending his MP, all while trying to fight back. However, his dark element wasn''t enough to fight against the Giant Acid Slime. His Nature Element was also being easily tanked, his piercing wooden spears and even the slicing leaves were nothing against the power of acid. However, Root continued to struggle as he unleashed his attacks. For being a small tree he was a relentless creature that desired to live more than anything. In that moment, I felt within his very core something awakening, the jewel over his forehead shone brightly. The EXP he had already won defeating those monsters and from the shared EXP he got from us all added to his stats, making them constantly grow bigger and bigger¡­ Ding! [Root] and Party have defeated [Little Acid Swamp Slime (D+ Rank)] x234!] [Root] and Party have defeated [Giant Greater Swamp Smander (C++ Rank)] x32!] [Root] earned 2250000 EXP] [Root] earned EXP has increased due to various Skill Effects!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up to Level 33!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Several of [Root] Skills have leveled up!] [Root] learned the [Acid Resistance: Lv1] Skill!] [Root]''s [Acid Resistance: Lv1] Skill Level has Increased to Level 3!] [Root] acquired the [Life Element: Lv--] Characteristic Skill] [Root] acquired the [Light Element: Lv--] Characteristic Skill] [Root] learned the [Sunlight Beam: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [Root] learned the [Life Enhancement: Lv1] Magic Skill!] Woah, he''s really getting stronger in a matter of seconds! FLAAASH! Suddenly, I saw that Root''s body was being epassed by countless light and life spirits, aiding him on his predicament by lending him their power. A bright light emerged from within the very core of his body, as countless beams of bright sunlight emerged from all over his bark, piercing through the internal body of the Giant Acid Slime and filling it with holes! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLAAASH!!! "GRUOOHHHHH¡­!" The Acid Slime groaned in agony, as Root jumped forward and reached the Slime''s deepest interior, finding its core and then piercing it with a Wooden Spear! CLAAASSHHH!!! The entire slime began to agonize, its entire body trembling and evaporating as Root not only pierced its core but unleashed another powerful Sunlight Beam devastating the Slime until it exploded! BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! "GYUH!" Root quicklynded over a lily pad, as his body continued to regenerate. Life Enhancement enhanced all of his life functions, including natural self-regeneration of HP and MP, alongside raising his stats temporarily as a buff. Lastly, Sunlight Beam was a devastating Magic Beam thatbined Life and Light Magic together, with that, he managed to devastate the Acid Slime before I could even go to his aid. And above all¡­ he got a lot of spirits out of the blue! Although most went away when they helped him, three of them stayed. It seems that his Spirit Nest Skill allowed him to easily make a contract with them. There were two Light Spirits flying around his branches that resembled two Bright Butterflies and a Life Spirit that looked like a beautiful Sunflower. It seems they were going to stay with him as his contracted spirits. Damn, so easy for him to make new friends! Meanwhile I only have this grumpy idiot named Tyr. "I think that''s it for now-" SPLAAAASH! The swamps shook once more, the monsters were all killed but there was a big, big one just showing upte to the party. An enormous anglerfish-like abomination from the depths, a mouth so wide it could swallow us all in a single bite, and several gross eyes all over its face. Atop its head there was a bait in the shape of a squirming human-like thing. It didn''t use it with us for some reason though, as it showed up right away without any further introductions. "T-That''s¡­" Helga muttered. "That''s the Ruler of the Swamp! It''s the Boss!" "Ruler of the Swamp?! Oh well, I guess he personally came here to deliver us with his tasty EXP, how lucky." I giggled. ----- [Ruler of the Swamp: Lv76] [Rank: B+++] [Status: Furious, Hungry] [Description]: A Giant Anglerfish that dwells in the depths of the Swamp''s waters. Its enormous size and tremendous appetite makes it an apex predator and consumer of all. It has been called the Ruler of the Swamp ever since it was seen, and such name has been engraved into its soul. It often sleeps, but once many monsters are in and the swamps are disturbed, it emerges to fight whoever has brought its sleep to an end. It can viciously bite through anything, shake the entire swamp with its body size and control Water and Poison Magic. If ever encountered, it is rmended to run as fast as you can. [Skills]: [Poisonous Goo Coating] [Giant Body] [High Speed Self Regeneration] [Poisonous Giant Tongue] [Enormous Crushing Jaws] [Poison Bullets] [Poison Breath] [High Speed Swimming] [Ruler of the Swamp] [Call for Help] [Subject Enhancement] [Water Stream] [Poison Sea] [Gluttonous Jaws] [Absorption] [¡­] ----- It was indeed the damn Ruler of the Swamp, alright¡­ ----- Chapter 592 Lets Take It Down! ----- S P L A A A S H! Just when I thought that we could take a break after ying so many monsters, an even more monstrous being showed up out of the blue. The Ruler of the Swamp was in all of his glory right before us. ----- [Ruler of the Swamp: Lv76] [Rank: B+++] [Status: Furious, Hungry] [Description]: A Giant Anglerfish that dwells in the depths of the Swamp''s waters. Its enormous size and tremendous appetite makes it an apex predator and consumer of all. It has been called the Ruler of the Swamp ever since it was seen, and such name has been engraved into its soul. It often sleeps, but once many monsters are in and the swamps are disturbed, it emerges to fight whoever has brought its sleep to an end. It can viciously bite through anything, shake the entire swamp with its body size and control Water and Poison Magic. If ever encountered, it is rmended to run as fast as you can. [Skills]: [Poisonous Goo Coating] [Giant Body] [High Speed Self Regeneration] [Poisonous Giant Tongue] [Enormous Crushing Jaws] [Poison Bullets] [Poison Breath] [High Speed Swimming] [Ruler of the Swamp] [Call for Help] [Subject Enhancement] [Water Stream] [Poison Sea] [Gluttonous Jaws] [Absorption] [¡­] ----- An enormous anglerfish-like abomination from the depths, a mouth so wide it could swallow us all in a single bite, and several gross eyes all over its face. Atop its head there was a bait in the shape of a squirming human-like thing. It didn''t use it with us for some reason though, as it showed up right away without any further introductions. It was covered on blue and green scales, and a lot of goo as well, which seemed to also be some sort of poisonous substance to boot. This thing was packed with deadly parts everywhere. There was absolutely no part of its body that didn''t had lethal poison or sharp spikes that could pierce through anything. "GRUOOOOHHHHHH!!!" The gigantic fish didn''t attacked right away either, as it roared. The swamps began shaking the moment it did, as countless Monsters started to emerge from its depths. Even more Smanders and Giant Acid Swamp Slimes appeared, alongside new buddies that were big, super evolved Poisonous Frogs named Tyrant Poisonous Frogs, and also evolved Spear Fish named Javelin Fishes and even lesser Rulers of the Swamp named Giant Poisonous Anglerfish. It had obviously used the [Call for Help] Skill it had the moment the fish saw we were quite a lot of foes that it had to deal with. Additionally, that thing was really annoying, as the moment it summoned the monsters from the swamps, it covered them on a powerful aura, boosting the monsters'' stats! This was also due to one of its skills: [Subject Enhancement]! "Uwah! This is bad!" Helga cried. "Too many monsters¡­ There''s dozens of Giant Acid Slimes now!" ckard said. "It was already hard to deal with one ourselves¡­" "Root had a hard time as well!" "And those are like fifty more Smanders?!" "Tyrant Frogs to the left, they''re big!" "Shit, we should had brought a golem!" "We''re far too outnumbered¡­" The dwarves were freaking out a bit. Lucifer looked from behind while holding on Nyx. "Should we interfere?" He wondered. "I am getting a bit bored of looking." "Can we?! Can we?!" Asked Partner. "I wouldn''t mind using my bow a bit." Said Emeraldine. "I''ll use my Fishing Rod! It is super effective against Aquatic-type monsters!" Takeshi said. "I can also swim easily too." "I can also blow them up easily." Laura nodded. "I am not that good inside Swamps, but I can always st everything with my Infernal Breath." Brunhild said. Everyone was so reliable¡­ over a thousand monsters showed up alongside the Ruler of the Dungeon, but even then, with everyone here, I don''t have much to worry about. Mostly every monster summoned as C+++ Rank, while the Boss was only B+++ Rank. Just yesterday we had in almost a thousand A- Rank Monsters, so naturally these guys wouldn''t be a problem at all for us. If we spread our army around, they''ll get easily ughtered. I guess I have no more choice here, there''s just too many. I don''t want to pointlessly risk the lives of the dwarves either. So we''ll do a bit of strategy. Although I could simply raise as Undead the other monsters we just in, it would be better if everyone have their own fun for a bit. "Alright! Lucifer, Brunhild, you two act as Tanks, cover both left and right side and don''t let any monster slip through your defenses, protect the dwarves!" Imanded.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Got it!" Lucifer said. "Very well." Brunhild nodded. "Emeraldine, go with the dwarves and give them your support through your archery." Imanded. "Oh, okay!" Emeraldine agreed quickly. "Partner, Takeshi, and Laura, go wild in the back and around the boss as you please. And as for me and Root, we''ll go against the Boss and his closestckeys, the strongest monsters after him that are around the monster''s range." I said with amand. "Okay Master, gyugyuh!" The cute Root flew into the skies in his Spirit Embodiment form, resembling an egg-shaped bush of bright dark green and slightly bluish leaves, alongside having two tiny wings. His face was a wooden mask with a long wooden nose and two holes as eyes. The jewel was still in his forehead. In this form, Root was able to naturally hover around the air, floating like Spirits do. It was a pretty handy transformation if I wanted him to be more agile and flexible. It also helped he finally got a powerful long ranged magic skill so he can spam it while in this form, as his stats switch around, sacrificing his defenses for speed and offense for magic power. "Then let''s go, Root!" I jumped into the air as the two of us flew across the battlefield. The Boss noticed us, roaring furiously. The entire swamp''s water began trembling. "GRUOOOHHH!" ----- Chapter 593 Going All-Out ----- I looked into the Boss Monster''s stats once more, its skills were being activated right at this moment. ----- [Ruler of the Swamp: Lv76] [Rank: B+++] [Status: Furious, Hungry] [Description]: A Giant Anglerfish that dwells in the depths of the Swamp''s waters. Its enormous size and tremendous appetite makes it an apex predator and consumer of all. It has been called the Ruler of the Swamp ever since it was seen, and such name has been engraved into its soul. It often sleeps, but once many monsters are in and the swamps are disturbed, it emerges to fight whoever has brought its sleep to an end. It can viciously bite through anything, shake the entire swamp with its body size and control Water and Poison Magic. If ever encountered, it is rmended to run as fast as you can. [Skills]: [Poisonous Goo Coating] [Giant Body] [High Speed Self Regeneration] [Poisonous Giant Tongue] [Enormous Crushing Jaws] [Poison Bullets] [Poison Breath] [High Speed Swimming] [Ruler of the Swamp] [Call for Help] [Subject Enhancement] [Water Stream] [Poison Sea] [Gluttonous Jaws] [Absorption] [¡­] ----- "GRUOOOHHH!" The moment the fish roared, the swamp waters trembled, and then, enormous vortexes of water were summoned by the dozens, by enough to reach up to thirty meters of height! [The [Ruler of the Swamp] has activated [Water Stream]!] FLUOOOOSSSSHHHH!!! Dozens of spiraling streams of water flew towards our direction, shing against us one by one! SPLAAASH! SPLAAASH! SPLAAASH! Of course, I easily blocked them using my shadows, gathering them into enormous palms and materializing them, easily blocking the water. I made as many palms as necessary! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! The water streams exploded in midair, but more and more kepting, some shaped as sharp spears trying to pierce through our bodies. Dividing myself into a swarm would only make it worse for me, so it is better to just expand my shadows to send shockwaves, sending away the water. SPLAAAASH! "GYUH!" Meanwhile, Root was doing something that¡­ was rather natural for a nt. [Root] has activated [Draining Roots]!] FLUOOSH! Root''s draining roots began to absorb the water as he suddenly started growing bigger and bigger in size, resembling an enormous floating ball! Ding! [Root] has learned the [Water Resistance: Lv1] Skill!] [You learned the [Water Resistance: Lv1] Skill!] Ah, I guess it makes sense. "Abyssal Barrier!"N?v(el)B\\jnn FLAAASH! I summoned arge Abyssal Barrier in the shape of a gigantic bone-made shield, protecting us from the constant and piercing currents of water, as we flew directly towards the Boss! "GGRRRHHHHH¡­!" [The [Ruler of the Swamp] has activated [Poison Breath]!] However, it opened its jaws, unleashing an enormous fog of poison and disease against us! FLAAAAAASH! "GYUUHH¡­!" Root struggled to resist the deadly poison and diseases of this breath, but I flew before him, quickly absorbing it all by pointing my hand into the Poison Breath. [You have activated the [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] Skill!] [All Poison is being drained and absorbed!] FLUOSH! FLASH! The Poison Breath abruptly stopped as the giant fish realized I could absorb poison thanks to my [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] Skill, of course. "GGRUOOH!" The Ruler of the Swamp furiously roared, his eyes suddenly glowed bright red, out of thin air, an enormous wave of purple-colored liquid emerged from its surroundings. [The [Ruler of the Swamp] has activated the [Poison Sea] Skill!] "I told you that''s not going to work!" "GRRRRHHH!" However, the ruler''s eyes suddenly grew bright red. [The [Ruler of the Swamp] has activated the [Ruler of Swamp] Skill!] [Skills can ignore 50% of the foe''s resistances and nullify absorptions. The [Ruler of the Swamps] Stats have increased by +100% for 10 minutes.] Thanks to my super ability of Analysis, I was able to see exactly what this bastard was trying to do with his Skills! To think his Ruler of the Swamp Skill is so strong¡­ but it is a ten-minute buff only. Still, it was able to ignore my resistance to it?! SPLAAAASSSHHH!!! The poison hit me directly, my HP slowly began going down. I was even Poisoned! Me! The damn Poison Ghost of this story! It was insane¡­ Oh well, my defenses are so high and my MP so much I just used Undead Healing to restore my HP constantly, a good ol'' trick. "Root, are you ready?!" "I am GYUH!" Root quickly emerged from behind me as his enormous body had now grown up to twenty meters in the form of a sphere, and ten, all this absorbed water transformed into magic power through his nt-like metabolism, a sh of bright daylight emerged from within his eyes. [Root] has activated the [Life Enhancement: Lv1] Skill!] [Natural Metabolism has been enhanced in speed by +200%, alongside HP and MP Regeneration Speed by +50%. All Stats have increased by +25%!] [Life and Light Attribute Magic Power is enhanced by +20%] FLAAAASH! [Root] has activated [Sunlight Beam: Lv1]!] Root''s entire body began to absorb all the water he absorbed and transformed it all into his MP, as a massive beam of Sunlight emerged from within his two empty holes of eyes, sting towards the Swamp Ruler! BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! "GRUOOOHHHHH¡­!" The enormous Swamp Ruler groaned in agony; its entire body being roasted alive by Root''s all-out-attack! Half of its body was burned and roasted. However, it managed to live. "GGRRRRUOH!" [The [Ruler of the Swamp] has activated [Call for Help]!] [Several Monster allies have answered the call!] SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! Dozens of giant Anglerfishes only slightly smaller than the Boss emerged all together, as they pointed their open jaws at us, firing hundreds of Poison Bullets! [The [Giant Poison Anglerfishes] have activated [Poison Bullet Barrage]!] BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Each bullet had the size of a car and exploded into a loud explosion of poison. It frustrated me this bastard could ignore my poison immunity with his damned ability, which even applied to his subjects through his [Subject Enhancement] Skill. "I guess you leave me no choice, I am a bit tired of ying around¡­" I sighed. "[Miasmic Spears]" Miasma gathered within my surroundings, shaping as hundreds of sharp spears pointing at the Boss and his subjects. "Die." ----- Chapter 594 Defeating The Ruler ----- FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Hundreds of sharp, three-meter-long spears made out of materialized Miasma were conjured in mere seconds, as my power was still being filled with this element as I had still activated my Spirit Connection with Tyr. "Hahaha! That''s right! Do it like you should! Stop holding back just so that tree can get more fighting experience!" Tyr knew very well why I was holding back a lot to let the tree fight and have some challenges so Root could grow better and stronger, but I suppose I''ve reached my limit.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "GRUOOOHHHH!" The Lord of the Swamp roared furiously, as he quickly unleashed another Sea of Poison andbined it with Water Torrent, trying to make a barrier of water and poison. But that''s not going to work, in fact, that''s perfect¡­! "[ck Lightning Strike]! [Dark Storm]! " [You havebined the effects [ck Lightning Strike: Lv4] and [Dark Storm: Lv6]!] TRUUUUMM¡­! "[Abyssal Thunderstorm]!" Dark spiraling winds and ck lightning converged together into an enormous Lightning Storm made of pure darkness, impacting the shields of the Lord of the Swamp and breaking through his defenses in mere seconds! CRAAAASHH!!! SPLAAASH! The water was thrown away as the fish was electrocuted, hundreds of spears made of materialized Miasma quickly emerged at the same time, piercing through the body of the Swamp Lord constantly! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Of course, the Anglerfishes that were serving him were not spared, even after being buffed, they were still C+++ Rank monsters, my Abyssal Thunderstorm blew them off the swamp, just for Root to pick them up in midair by shooting Sunlight Beams and Slicing Leaves at them, roasting them, and slicing them into sashimi! SLAASH! BOOOM!!! "GRUOOOHHHH¡­!" The Swamp Lord roared in agony, suddenly submerging itself into the swamp! The bastard had tons of HP if he was able to tank two of those hits at the same time! SPLAAASH! The Lord of the Swamp began swimming into the depths of the water, conjuring Water Currents and Poison Seas to attack us while it hid underwater! [The [Lord of the Swamp] has activated [Poisonous Goo Coating]!] [Magic Damage is reduced by -30% for 20 Minutes.] [The [Lord of the Swamp] has activated [Giant Body]!] [Health Points restore at twice the speed and Maximum HP and Defense is increased by +50% for 30 Minutes. [The [Lord of the Swamp] has activated [High Speed Self Regeneration]!] [Health Points are restoring at an insane speed, especially while being underwater!] The System quickly analyzed what the bastard was doing. He used all of his Skills to both tank my hits and even heal?! Is he a B+++ Rank monster for real? I guess there''s s difference between mobs and a Dungeon Boss at this Rank. Dungeon Bossespared to monsters within their same Rank are often times a hundred times stronger. With higher stats and more useful Skills. And also way more intelligent. "GGRUOOOHHH!" [The [Lord of the Swamp] has activated [Call For Help]!] [The [Lord of the Swamp] has activated [Subject Enhancement]!] SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! Suddenly, a dozen more Anglerfishes appeared, all of them pointing their jaws at us and firing more and more Poison Bullets! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! "Ugh, you''re all so annoying¡­ Get away, pests! [Abyssal Thunderstorm]!" TRUUUUUUMMMM¡­! An enormous thunderstorm of darkness impacted the swamps once more, blowing away the fishes into the sky, Root took care of them like before, a good "fishing" way of letting him get the EXP easily, hehe. "I guess I''ll have to get to fishing already as well! [Shadow Thread]!" I created thousands of threads made of shadows and formed a gigantic fishing, as I ced it underwater and moved it all the way down where the Swamp Lord was hiding, his HP had already recovered quite a lot! "GRUOOHHH!" The Swamp Lord quickly tried to call for more allies, but I easily wrapped his body around my Shadow Thread Net and dragged him to the surface! SPLAAAASH! "GROOHHH¡­!" Its enormous jaws opened in midair, tearing apart my Shadow Threads and then aiming at me! It''s enormous jaws suddenly activated a Skill, as they stared to suction me as if its mouth was an endless ck hole. [The [Lord of the Swamp] has activated [Gluttonous Jaws]!] [Damage using the Jaws has been increased by +100%!] [The [Lord of the Swamp] has activated [Absorption]!] FLUOOOSSSH! So that was it! He has something simr to my own Unique Skill, but way lesser than before. "This piece of shit really gets on my nerves! Screw this! Root you''re just going to be satisfied with shared EXP! I''m gonna blow this thing into pieces! No more ying around! [Chaotic Meteor]!" TRUUUUUMM¡­! An enormous meteor of crystalized miasma, disease, poison, and darkness and death essence emerged in a single second, as I fired it directly towards the Lord of the Swamp''s jaws! CLAAAAASSSHHHH!!! "GGRRRRHHHH¡­!" The fish struggled horrendously. It suddenly felt shocked a mere spell was stronger than it expected. "Yeah, I''ve been holding back, did you think I was weak enough I would let a fish eat me? I am actually pretty damn strong!" "GRUOOHHHH¡­!" The fish couldn''t swallow that, quite clearly, and having its interior blow into pieces as the meteor exploded right after that. BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!! An enormous shockwave of darkness and death spread everywhere, the monster ended swallowing one of my most devastating magic nukes! SPLAAASH! Its body, torn to pieces, fell over the swamp. "Phew¡­ Now that''s what I call relieving my stress¡­" I sighed in relief, looking behind me and seeing my Party ughtering the rest of the monsters quite easily and having fun too. Lucifer and Brunhild tanked most of the big beasts, slicing them apart with their ws and burning them with their deadly breath. Emeraldine led the Dwarves as they bombarded the monsters with explosive magic arrows from afar, helping them earn plenty of EXP. Andstly, Partner was jumping around the giant frogs and slicing them apart into several pieces, all while drinking the blood of anything close by. Oh right, Takeshi used his fishing rod to just drag monsters from the water and then made them blow into pieces by working in tandem with Laura''s Ability. And Root? He might be close from reaching max level! ------ Chapter 595 Level Up Frenzy And New Skills ----- After the defeat of the Ruler of the Swamp, I felt an enormous flow of EXP reaching into my Soul. My Soul Grimoire quickly began to grow stronger, and so I began to Level up more than I imagined¡­ And that''s not only that, but everyone else leveled up quite more than I had thought we would. When they were finally done killing every single little critter left behind in the swamp, I saw a bunch of holographic windows show up in front of me from my System. Heh, unlike other people that can only see these messages or hear them inside of their minds, I can see them thanks to my Unique Skill: System! Which has merged with the Soul Book and transformed it into the Soul Grimoire, a pretty handy power. In fact, thanks to it, I was able to analyze the battle pretty well¡­ Ding! [You have defeated [Ruler of the Swamp: Lv76] [Rank: B+++] x1!] [You and your Party have defeated [Giant Poison Anglerfish (C+++ Rank)] x73!] [You and your Party have defeated [Little Acid Swamp Slime (D+ Rank)] x334!] [You and your Party have defeated [Giant Acid Swamp Slime (C+ Rank)] x27!] [You and your Party have defeated [Giant Greater Swamp Smander (C++ Rank)] x82!] [You and your Party have defeated [Giant Javelin Fish (C+++ Rank)] x103!] [You and your Party have defeated [Tyrant Poisonous Frog (C+++ Rank)] x72!] [Calcting EXP earned¡­] [EXP earned has been increased through the effects of various Skills!] [You earned 26734000 EXP!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 66 to Level 71!] [All your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points!] [The Maximum Amount of System Points you earn per Level has increased.] [Some of your Skills have leveled up!] [You have sessfully made [Soul Familiar Contract] with [Tyr, Chaos and Miasma Spirit]!] [You learned the [Skill Resistance: Lv1] Resistance Skill!] [You learned the [Spirit Fusion: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You acquired the [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv1] Title Skill] [You acquired the [Swamp Queen: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The [Fish yer: Lv10] and [Amphibian yer: Lv10] Skills have awakened into [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] Woah, I got a lot of Levels out of that! I can''t believe it, that many out of this low level Dungeon? Maybe because we hunted almost a thousand monsters? Plus all the multipliers, and my necessary EXP being reduced by over half too¡­ I guess it makes sense. Damn, it feels nice to have grown a bit stronger out of this little trip where I didn''t really expected much to happen. That Boss really helped us earn EXP by how much it called for backup. Now, let''s see these new Skills, there''s some quite interesting ones in here. ----- [Skill Resistance: Lv1] A Resistance Skill that only those that have opposed the power of Skills themselves and ovee them can acquire. Reduces Damage Dealt and Effects of Skills used against the user by -5% with each Skill Level. ----- Oooh?! This one''s pretty interesting! It feels like I am bing more resistant to everything like this! Every single living being uses Skills. So I guess this helps me reduce damage from everything? I guess it is better than I thought. Even if its just 5% per level, at level 10 that would be 50%! ----- [Spirit Fusion: Lv1] A Skill that only those that have both contracted a Spirit as their Familiar and created a strong connection can acquire. Allows for the fusion of both Master and Spirit,bining the traits of the Spirit into the master''s body. Greatly increases all Stats by +25% and Elemental Damage of the designed Spirit by +20% with each Skill Level whenever the Master and the Spirit are fused. Additionally, special Spells and Abilities are unlocked upon Fusion, which be stronger with each Skill Level. ----- [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv1] A Title Skill granted to those that have grown incredibly strong Trees using their abilities and talents. Someone that love nts and is willing to even sacrifice their life for them can acquire this Skill. Not anybody! Enhances the growth of all nts within the user''s care by +100% with an additional +20% with each Skill Level. nts stats are enhanced by +10% with each Skill Level. ----- The first one seems like it is ideal, just what I wanted to get anyways! With this not only with Tyr, but Veredorr and even Francesco and Silvio, I''ll be able to easily get their power once we merge. ----- [Swamp Queen: Lv1] A Title only bestowed to someone that has singlehandedly defeated the previous Lord of the Swamp. Greatly increases stats while being within a Swamp by +30% with each Skill Level. Additionally, Aquatic-type tamed Monsters be stronger and can grow rapidly, and Water Magic Damage is enhanced by +50%. The Swamp bes the user''s domain. ----- [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] A Title Skill that can only awaken once Fish yer and Amphibian yer Titles reach Level 10. It enhances damage dealt against all Aquatic-type Monsters by +150%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to drain Aquatic-type Monsters HP and MP with each inflicted attack that deals at least some damage to them. The user can also swim below water at amazing speeds and breath underwater. ------ Oh well, these two Titles are to die for as well, they''re pretty good too. Ande with some¡­ interesting effects. I guess being stronger in swamps is nice? Even though we''re almost finished in here. I didn''t expected Fish and Amphibian yers to level up so soon to level 10, but I guess we killed so many monsters that it ended being enough, just like when my Bug yer Skill leveled up quickly once we began killing the ants. That t enhancement to damage dealt against Aquatic-type Monsters is very good as well, I feel like I could just punch that Ruler of the Swamp or whatever it was called and blow it off the swamp in no time now¡­ And¡­ I am supposed to be the Queen of the Swamp now?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- Chapter 596 Evolution Possibilities ----- "Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me¡­" "What are you even singing?" "Ah¡­" Lucifer showed up behind me as he wondered what I was on about. "Ah, I just remembered this old movie about¡­ a Ruler of a swamp, or something like that." I sighed. "Anyways, I think we''re done here, huh?" "Yeah, I can''t believe I gained some levels out of this low-level dungeon." Brunhild seemed happy. "This was a surprising discovery." Lucifer smiled. Yeah, and I also leveled up five times! ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [65/80] -> [71/80] [EXP]: [2963000/5600000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [162000/162000] [MP]: [370000/370000] [Attack]: [102000] [Defense]: [104000] [Magic]: [360000] [Agility]: [162000] [Aether]: [115] [System Points]: [622000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis], [Skill Shop], [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv7] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv6] [Abyss Eater: Lv3] [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv7] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv4] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv3] [Ice Resistance: Lv3] [Water Resistance: Lv4] [Skill Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv8] [Masterful Stealth: Lv5] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv3] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv3] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv7] [Fist Strike: Lv9] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv6] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv6] [Life Absorption: Lv7] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv2] [Dark Sun: Lv6] [Dark Storm: Lv7] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv5] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv5] [Abyss Maniption: Lv5] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv5] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv4] [Soul Devourer: Lv3] [Undead Detonation: Lv9] [Shadow Thread: Lv8] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv7] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv5] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv2] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv3] [Illusory Delusion: Lv4] [Mind Bending: Lv4] [Insect Maniption: Lv4] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv4] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv3] [Phantasmal mes: Lv3] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv3] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv3] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv8] [Spirit Summon: Lv5] [Spirit Connection: Lv3] [Spirit Fusion: Lv2] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv2] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv8] [Mental Mapping: Lv7] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv8] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv3] [Mining: Lv3] [Dismantle: Lv3] [Taming: Lv2] [Mana Transfer: Lv3] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv3] [Smithing: Lv2] [Chopping: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv8] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv6] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv9] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv7] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv4] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv6] [Spirit Queen: Lv5] [Spirit Mediator: Lv5] [Poison Queen: Lv6] [Merciless Assassin: Lv6] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv5] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv4] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv5] [gue Exterminator: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv7] [Saint of Death: Lv6] [Deceiver: Lv4] [Undead yer: Lv5] [Slime yer: Lv3] [King yer: Lv5] [Dungeon Master: Lv4] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv4] [Queen of Flies: Lv3] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv4] [Mold Breaker: Lv5] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv3] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv3] [Greedy Miner: Lv3] [Butcherer: Lv3] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv2] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv4] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv3] [Explosion Maniac: Lv3] [Infernal Queen: Lv2] [Ice Monster yer: Lv2] [Human yer: Lv2] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv2] [Bone Queen: Lv2] [Lumberjack: Lv2] [Dragon yer: Lv1] [Relentless Hunter: Lv1] [Soul Scape Master: Lv1] [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv1] [Merciless Killer: Lv1] [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv1] [Swamp Queen: Lv1] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Soul Scape Spirit Treasures]: [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure)], [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] ----- Heheheh, my stats have risen greatly! Now I have over 100k Attack and Defense! I am finally a powerful tank! I am a ghost tank! Who would had ever thought about that?! And not only that but my MP and Magic keep getting higher and higher. This is only getting better now, and I am getting super close to my Evolution, only nine levels left before the big evolutiones! I might be able to reach S Rank after evolving! Isn''t that absolutely insane?! Me¡­ a S Rank monster. I could be like a giant¡­ abomination destroying everything. ¡­ No, wait¡­ that''s not what I actually want, but it would surely make me feel safer if I get to that Rank. Only idiots mess around with S Rank monsters after all! I would be in another leaguepletely! No more idiots fooling around with me, I would be smashing them to bits! Well, it''s not like I can''t do that right now either¡­ but S Rank has a nice ring to it, so I''ll surely be a powerful S Rank monster. Though something also worries me about this. Each of my evolution have been more gross than the other. I started as a Lesser Ghost I think, then I became a Dark Ghost, and then¡­ Huhhh, I turned into a Pandora, and from there a Gorgon, and then¡­ Beelzebub. What''s next? Will I turn into some sort of Eldritch Abomination? I mean my Race name already has an archdemon as its name! What else could I be after Beelzebub? And then after Beelzebub''s evolution? Kind of makes me wonder¡­ FLAAASH! And right as I was thinking that a sudden sh of bright blue light emerged before all of us. A holographic window everybody could see. Oh, this is a Dungeon Message, they usually happen once a Dungeon is Conquered through normal means. I''ve heard about it! FLAAASH! It was simr to my own System, arge holographic window showing a message about this Dungeon being conquered and congratting us for it. Pretty interesting stuff if I say so myself. [Congrattions! You''re the first Party to have conquered the Dungeon in over 10 Years!] [You will be rewarded ordingly to your efforts!] [Your Reward has been generated: [Random Item Box (C Grade)] x5, [Magic Potion of Wizardly (B Grade)] x5, [Grimoire of Dark Reign (B+ Grade)] x1!] FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! ----- Chapter 597 Dismantling And Storing ----- Because I have onlypleted two Dungeons so far, and I forcefully took over them after destroying their evil Dungeon Bosses, I''ve never had the actual privilege of seeing these messages show up, but Helga has told us about them before. FLAAASH! It was simr to my own System, arge holographic window showing a message about this Dungeon being conquered and congratting us for it. Pretty interesting stuff if I say so myself. [Congrattions! You''re the first Party to have conquered the Dungeon in over 10 Years!] [You will be rewarded ordingly to your efforts!] [Your Reward has been generated: [Random Item Box (C Grade)] x5, [Magic Potion of Wizardly (B Grade)] x5, [Grimoire of Dark Reign (B+ Grade)] x1!] FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Right in front of me, several items suddenly materialized in mere seconds. I was left slightly surprised! The monsters here barely dropped any potion or low-quality equipment, but after defeating the boss we were rewarded quite nicely. Actually, it seems I wasn''t the only one being given items, everyone else got some Random Item Box, apparently, alongside special stat boosting potions and another items, sometimes equipment, even. "Amazing! This is the first time I see Dungeon Rewards delivered directly in front of me." Helga said in surprise. "So this is what it means to Conquer a Dungeon!" "Oh! I got a big box with ten potions inside!" ckard celebrated. "I got a Magic Bracelet that let me conjure [Fireball]?!" "This ring makes a Barrier of Light!" "Oh, a Lesser Elixir! I am rich!" "What the heck is a gacha ticket?" The Dwarves quickly celebrated their rewards, everyone got their own little thing. Due to the prices in this country, those that got potions celebrated the most, as they sold for a very pretty penny in the market. "Hm, these Item Boxes give a lot of junk, why would I want the skin of a green jungle snake?" Asked Lucifer. "I don''t think I''ll be using any of this¡­ Maria, do you want it?" "Oh?! S-Sure?" I was happy to get the stuff others didn''t really cared for. "Thanks a lot honey!" I didn''t thought he would as generous as to gift me everything he got. Hehehe, more for me then! "I''ll be practicing Crafting and the like, so I''ll keep my stuff." Brunhild said. "I also like to hoard a treasury to sit over, so anything is useful¡­" Brunhild smiled, she was a very traditional dragon, while Lucifer had not much interest in making a hoard himself, his sister has been building her own for a while now, she had a pile of gold and other materials and equipment she brought to our vige. I had tried picking a few things but she''s always keeping an eye on the hoard and reprimands me if I steal anything. ¡­I actually can''t believe she can keep up with every single thing she has, I guess I''ll have to leave her hoard for herself and not be a pickpocket. "There''s several interesting materials for alchemy here¡­" Said Emeraldine. "I''ll make sure to use them well. Oh, I even got a Potion Ring!" "Potion Ring?" I asked. "It is a special Ring that can be used to heal wounds, it generates potion every 24 hours." Said Emeraldine. "I could upgrade it to be an Elixir Ring¡­ But I need more ingredients for that." "Woah that would be so useful if you get it! Like that you could always heal yourself if you''re ever tired or wounded. I can heal mostly everyone with my Undead Healing except you." I sighed. "Yeah, I know, drinking potions in the middle of an intense life or death battle is normally a bit of a hassle and even the ones we have can''tpletely heal our big amounts of HP, so this is the n." Emeraldine nodded. "Well thought!" I nodded. Even Root got his rewards, as he quickly opened the boxes he got and several random items dropped. He seemed confused about them and ended swallowing them all as if they were food. At the end, he grew slightly stronger by eating materials, although it is a bit of a waste¡­ well, everyone can do whatever they want with their rewards. Takeshi and Laura also wanted to learn crafting and alchemy, so they were going to keep their materials. For now, however, they asked me to pack everything in my Inventory though. I''ve been bringing everyone''s luggage in my Inventory for a while now.N?v(el)B\\jnn And as we decided to fly back to the beach of the Swamp, I quickly decided to dismantle the corpses of monsters to get even more materials, especially the boss must have tons of nice ingredients! "Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store! Dismantle! Store!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Countless floating carcasses began to be dismantled into materials which were then stored inside of my Inventory as item icons, they were even nicely stylized resembling pixel art-made items from video games¡­ it looks nice and stylish. Ding! [You acquired [Acidic Slime Ooze] x55, [Acid Swamp Slime Shattered Core Piece] x82, [Acidic Fragrance Bottle] x7] Ding! [You acquired [Smander''s Oily Skin] x46, [Smander''s Soft Venomous Meat and Bones] x66, [Giant Smander''s Eyeballs] x22, [Swamp Smander''s Gooey Mucus] x9] Ding! [You acquired [Poisonous Frog''s Venom-Producing Organs] x64, [Venomous Tongue Weapon] x45, [Poisonous Frogs Eyeballs] x37, [Poisonous Frogs Meat and Bones] x83] Ding! [You acquired [Anglerfish Meat and Bones] x27, [Giant Anglerfish Bait] x21, [Spear Fish''s Skull] x31, [Arrow Fish Meat and Bones] x43, [Poison-Resistance Anglerfish Scales] x77] Ding! [You acquired [Ruler of the Swamp''s Eyes] x2, [Ruler of the Swamp''s Element Resistant Scales] x20, [Ruler of the Swamp''s Meat and Bones] x40, [Water Bending Organs] x5, [Poison Producing nds] x4, [Ruler of the Swamp''s Aquatic Heart Core] x1] Damn that''s a lot more materials than I expected to get! And that''s when I haven''t even checked the new ones I got just now from the Dungeon Reward. I think I am already getting tons of ideas of how to mix them up through Alchemy or Forging¡­ Heheh. ----- Chapter 598 Roots New Evolution ----- "Gyugyuh! Master! I have grown stronger; I think I can evolve now¡­!" Root rushed at my side in his Spirit Form, having gone back to his small and huggable form, I couldn''t help but hug him tightly. "You''re already evolving again? I guess this day was quite fruitful if we got you so strong! Only this morning you were a tiny sapling." I sighed. "Leveling Systems are broken! GYUH!" Root said. "You''re very right¡­ Alright, let''s see what you''re up to¡­" I looked into Root''s status. [Root] earned arge quantity of EXP] [Root] earned EXP has increased due to various Skill Effects!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up!] [Root] has Leveled Up to Level 40!] [All of [Root] stats have increased] [Root] Special Skill Effects have been activated, Skill Proficiency to all Skills upon Leveling Up has been distributed] [Several of [Root] Skills have leveled up!] [Root] has reached Max Level!] ----- [Name]: [Root] [Status]: [Cursed] [Race]: [Magic Treant (Special)] [Level]: [0/40] -> [40/40] [Rank]: [C+] [HP]: [52825/52825] [MP]: [56640/56640] [Attack]: [34125] [Defense]: [52630] [Magic]: [52530] [Agility]: [33715] [Aether]: [40] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Life Element: Lv--] [Light Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv3] [Spirit Nest: Lv3] [Wood Shapeshifting: Lv4] [Life Drain: Lv4] [Powerful Endurance: Lv2] [Spirit Embodiment: Lv2] [Yggdrasil''s Seed: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv4] [Magical Resistance: Lv5] [Status Effect Resistance: Lv6] [Poison Resistance: Lv5] [Water Resistance: Lv2] [Acid Resistance: Lv5] [Water Resistance: Lv4]N?v(el)B\\jnn [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv5] [Rest: Lv4] [Wooden Needle: Lv4] [Draining Roots: Lv4] [Automatic Recovery: Lv4] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv2] [Defensive Shield: Lv2] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv5] [Rxing Aroma: Lv5] [Wooden Spear: Lv4] [Wooden Shield: Lv2] [nt Growth Enhancement: Lv2] [Shadow Bullet: Lv2] [Sunlight Beam: Lv2] [Life Enhancement: Lv2] [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv5] [Magic Leaf: Lv3] [Healing Nature Light: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv3] [Treant Progenitor: Lv3] [Forest Master: Lv4] [Nature''s Guardian: Lv3] [Merciless Killer: Lv3] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] [Yggdrasil''s Chosen: Lv2] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Description] A Magic Treant is a special variety of Treants, ursed walking Treants capable of wielding and maniption Mana to conjure powerful Elemental Magic. It is said that some can even awaken several elements at once and utilize powerful Magic Spells to defend themselves from foes. They''re often peaceful and sometimes have many friends in the forest which they let to live in between the cracks and crevices of their bodies, which they protect bravely¡­ it is also said that they have these "friends" as emergency food once their own runs out or when there''s little sunlight or water to feed themselves. ----- Yeah, those stats are pretty good- Wait what?! "EH?! Treant your stat growth is insane at C+ Rank! What the heck?!" "GYUH! I shall be stronger for Master! Protect Master at all costs!" Root seemed happy to have grown this strong. His Stat Growth currently should be something like this after calcting a bit¡­ ----- [HP]: 1000 [MP]: 1000 [Attack]: 700 [Defense]: 1100 [Magic]: 1100 [Agility]: 700 ----- Which waspletely nuts! How did he get so many stats growth boosts like this? No¡­ wait, I know why¡­ He drank that Yggdrasil''s Sap, and got some skills that boosted his growth too, and then there''s the other thing, his other Skills such as Seed of Cmity and stuff. I suppose all of that added up and then made his stat growthpletely insanely bloated. He''s now growing so strong he''sparable to a B- Rank monster, maybe. Or perhaps even stronger. "Alright! I guess it is your time to evolve, do it!" I said with a nod. "GYUH!" Root jumped into the ground after sitting over my head and transformed back into his Treant form, a big and tall tree with four enormous root-made legs. "Evolution!" FLAAASH! As he shouted that rather cutely, his entire body began to glow brightly. However, it immediately began growingrger. His bark started being torn apart from his body, as he started growing bigger¡­ and bigger, and bigger. And bigger¡­! How big is he getting?! FLASH! Once the light dissipated from his body, a brand-new Root was made! He was now¡­ fifteen meters tall. Yeah¡­ I know Lucifer gets super big but for a tiny tree to get to fifteen meters of height, its impressive. His body was very big, so his roots became evenrger, like gigantic bug-like legs, he had three pairs of them, each one around three to four meters big and incredibly thick to carry such a big body. His bark was still dark brown, but it had a majestic sheen to it. And now his leaves becamepletely purple-colored, with some dark blue mixed in between. Lastly, he had new fruits growing from his branches, they resembled purple apples and seemed filled with poison. I don''t know if they''re edible for most people. Although I am fairly sure I can eat them. His face became bigger as well, his mouth resembled arge curved ww-shaped mouth, his two eyes were big holes where a faint blue light came from within, and his nose a long and sharp branch with a few leaves growing on its tip. And now, aside from his legs, he had two massive wooden arms,ing from atop his body, the branches merged into gigantic wooden arms and he even had big fists! He''s way too big now! Can he even get out of the dungeon safely? I am slightly worried¡­ Ding! [Root] has evolved into [Tyrant Treant Guardian (Special)]!] "Woah, Root, you''ve really evolved into something quite amazing!" "GYUGYUGYUHH!" His voice had be louder and more profound as well, his very presence intimidating everyone else¡­ just for a few seconds before they got used to him. "I knew he was going to get big but this is¡­ Wow." Emeraldine sighed. "Woah! Can I climb you, Root?!" Partner was excited to climb him. "I wonder if he''ll get as big as I am in my dragon form¡­" Lucifer began to needlessly worry. ----- Chapter 599 Tyrant Treant Guardian ----- Root had be enormous! Utterly gigantic! He was now fifteen meters tall, and in fact, he could get way bigger as he leveled up, just like his previous evolutions. Ding! [Root] has evolved into [Tyrant Treant Guardian (Special)]!] "Woah, Root, you''ve really evolved into something quite amazing!" "GYUGYUGYUHH!" His voice had be louder and more profound as well, his very presence intimidating everyone else¡­ just for a few seconds before they got used to him. "I knew he was going to get big but this is¡­ Wow." Emeraldine sighed. "Woah! Can I climb you, Root?!" Partner was excited to climb him. "I wonder if he''ll get as big as I am in my dragon form¡­" Lucifer began to needlessly worry. As everyonemented on Root''s change of appearance through the day, I looked into his Status rather curiously. ----- [Name]: [Root] [Status]: [Cursed] [Race]: [Tyrant Treant Guardian (Special)] [Level]: [0/60] [Rank]: [B+++] [HP]: [72825/72825] [MP]: [66640/66640] [Attack]: [54125] [Defense]: [62630] [Magic]: [62530] [Agility]: [33715] [Aether]: [60] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Life Element: Lv--] [Light Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv4] [Spirit Nest: Lv4] [Wood Shapeshifting: Lv5] [Life Drain: Lv5] [Powerful Endurance: Lv4] [Spirit Embodiment: Lv3] [Yggdrasil''s Seed: Lv3] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv5] [Magical Resistance: Lv6] [Status Effect Resistance: Lv7] [Poison Resistance: Lv6] [Acid Resistance: Lv6] [Water Resistance: Lv7] [Light Resistance: Lv1] [Darkness Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv6] [Rest: Lv5] [Wooden Needle: Lv5] [Draining Roots: Lv5] [Automatic Recovery: Lv5] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv4] [Defensive Shield: Lv4] [Powerful Bark Armor: Lv1] [Tyrant''s Wooden Arms: Lv1] [Fist Strike: Lv1] [Body m: Lv1] [Smash: Lv1] [Explosive Fruit: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv6] [Rxing Aroma: Lv6] [Wooden Spear: Lv5] [Wooden Shield: Lv4] [nt Growth Enhancement: Lv4] [Shadow Bullet: Lv4] [Sunlight Beam: Lv3] [Life Enhancement: Lv3] [Roots of Life: Lv1] [Light Barrier: Lv1] [Holy Fist: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv7] [Magic Leaf: Lv6] [Healing Nature Light: Lv4] [Fruit of Life: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv4] [Treant Progenitor: Lv4] [Forest Master: Lv5] [Nature''s Guardian: Lv4] [Merciless Killer: Lv3] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] [Yggdrasil''s Chosen: Lv3] [Tyrant Guardian of the Apostle of Death: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Description] Tyrant Guardian Treants are one in a million Treants that have managed to further evolve and be stronger and bigger. Their body sizes can reach high into the forests, surpassing even thirty meters of height when fully grown. Their enormous legs allow them to walk onnd and travel through distances rapidly, and their gigantic branch arms grants them the ability to smash and destroy anything that dares get in their way. Tyrant Guardians are both good at physical offense, defense, and magic power, all while being excellent tanks. However, their most obvious weakness is their slow movement speed, which they cannot easilypensate for¡­ Unless they were to learn a Transformation Skill that allowed for a smaller and morepact body size. Tyrant Guardian Treants are able to produce delicious and sweet fruit, but also poisonous and explosive fruit that once picked from the branches, will explode and most of the time kill or poison anything that dared to touch it¡­ they only give sweet fruits to those they trust. ----- Woah, his stats are a bit too much for Level 0 B+++ Rank Monster¡­ Why do I feel envious of a walking tree now? Ugh, well, it is my Root, so it is fine. He''s pretty strong, so he''s going to be our secondary tank aside from Lucifer. Ah right, Brunhild''s there too, so she''s the second, I guess Root is the third then? You never have enough Tanks anyways. POOOF! However, he quickly used Spirit Embodiment, turning into his small form. It looked almost the same but his tiny legs became slightly bigger, and the tiny wings became bigger as well, only a tiny bit bigger, so they still looked small. Root had so many new Skills it was pretty crazy to look at all of them. I decided to leave it forter, but by reading his Race description I can already tell he can do a lot, from tanking to attacking to healing, he''s aplete all-rounder whose only w is perhaps being weak to fire and being slow. He didn''t get anything new in Characteristic Skills, but the others did get a few of them, and some a lot. For Resistances he got [Light Resistance: Lv1] [Darkness Resistance: Lv1] which wille pretty handy. For Physical Skills he [Powerful Bark Armor: Lv1] [Tyrant''s Wooden Arms: Lv1] [Fist Strike: Lv1] [Body m: Lv1] [Smash: Lv1] [Explosive Fruit: Lv1]. The first one''s for defense for sure, while the rest are all about physical damage using his new arms- and of course, Explosive Fruit so he can throw bombs as he likes. After that, Magical Skills he got [Roots of Life: Lv1] [Light Barrier: Lv1] and [Holy Fist: Lv1]. The first and second one seem to be rted with healing and protection? Though Roots of Life must have other effects as well, it seems interesting. Lastly Holy Fist seems crazy strong, itbines well with his physical strength using his giant log arms as well¡­ For Support Skills, he only got [Fruit of Life: Lv1], it is probably an even better healing leaf¡­ Andstly, Title Skills with [Tyrant Guardian of the Apostle of Death: Lv1], this one seems to have recognized him as my guardian or whatever, so he gets defensive boosts as long as he''s at my side. Pretty interesting if I say so myself.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Because Hel gave him her Divine Protection, he''s probably immediately bing a "part of my party" in terms of Apostle of Death terms, I think. So it makes sense¡­ to an extent that this is happening, I think. Yep, I think I can be satisfied with this much for now. For the moment, it would be better to check on other things. Root was flying around with everyone else, happy to have grown stronger, Lucifer decided to start cooking by using the meat we got from the monsters, which I purified from poison by absorbing it all easily. So things are going smoothly, and everyone''s resting. ----- Chapter 600 New Items ----- Yep, I think I can be satisfied with this much for now. For the moment, it would be better to check on other things. Root was flying around with everyone else, happy to have grown stronger, Lucifer decided to start cooking by using the meat we got from the monsters, which I purified from poison by absorbing it all easily. So things are going smoothly, and everyone''s resting. After I stored all the materials, which I was going to use to make some pretty amazing materials toplete our next Dungeon''s challenge, I looked into the items I got, the holographic window was still there. I had acquired three sets of items myself. [Congrattions! You''re the first Party to have conquered the Dungeon in over 10 Years!] [You will be rewarded ordingly to your efforts!] [Your Reward has been generated: [Random Item Box (C Grade)] x5, [Magic Potion of Wizardly (B Grade)] x5, [Grimoire of Dark Reign (B+ Grade)] x1!] However, something new showed up right after, only for me¡­ [Due to having defeated the [Ruler of the Swamp] alone, you''ve been gifted the [Swamp Dungeon''s Hidden Boss Key (A Grade)] x1!] [Defeat the Hidden Boss to attain even greater rewards!] Wait, hidden boss key?! So there''s a hidden boss nobody knows about in here? And wait, this is the first time I see a Dungeon being so nice with me! From what I remember, the two dungeons I even visited were psychos. One wanted to consume everything and didn''t cared about rules. And the second was being controlled by a fragment of the Evil God, it is where I got myself Tyr. So my memory of dungeons is pretty bad. I guess they have all kinds of personalities. Some go by their rules and are nice to their visitors, perhaps they actually benefit from the monsters being in, after all when monsters die inside dungeons, the dungeons can recycle the mana used to make them into a cycle. This way they keep growing stronger by recycling their own energy, so that''s why they need people toe kill monsters. Of course, they also benefit if the people die so they give them their tasty souls and flesh and all of that. But if that doesn''t happen, the dungeons shouldn''t really get mad at the humans. I guess the two I fought were¡­ too weirdpared to the normal ones, which are cooperative and rather challenging. The Swamp Dungeon Core is intelligent enough, I am sure of it. The Dungeon Core is probably wanting to get rid of this Dungeon it summoned. Maybe by error or something? So it gives me the key to y it. If I die, it gains tons of magic, and if the dungeon boss dies, it also gains mana and energy, and gets rid of the annoying pest it had to forcefully seal away¡­ I guess it is pretty obvious that dungeons always have a win-win condition. It is only when they get overly ambitious and greedy like the first dungeon I ever visited, which I went to visitter once it was corrupted with souls and miasma that they begin actively working against the people visiting them, and angrily try to get them killed as soon as they can. Huh¡­ Oh well, first of all, let''s check these items. Later I''ll think about it. It wasn''t much of a challenge for everyone, so perhaps fighting this Hidden Boss might be a nice warm up for tomorrow''s dungeon raid. I doubt anybody would reject the nice EXP either. But for now, time to check the items¡­ ----- [Random Item Box (C Grade)] x5 A Random Item Box containing up to C Grade Materials of all types, which can be used for Alchemy and Crafting, or even Cooking! Once opened, a roulette will begin, press the button to get what you want. Be careful, the roulette goes very fast. ----- [Magic Potion of Wizardly (B Grade)] x5 A Special Potion crafted with top tier ingredients which can permanently increase MP and Magic by 100 up to 1000 when drank. Cannot be used as material for ingredients, if used, it will explode. ----- [Grimoire of Dark Reign (B+ Grade)] x1 A Special Grimoire left behind by the Ancient ck Dragon, Dark Reign. A powerful ck Dragon that inhabits the Svartalfheim Continent. His knowledge over Dark Magic and the depth of the Abyss knows no bounds. By reading this Grimoire andprehending its wisdom and then using it as an item, Darkness Attribute Damage increases by +10% permanently, and Comprehension over Darkness Magic increases greatly. There''s a 50% chance for a 3 random Dark Attribute Magic Skills to Level up from 1 to 5 levels, and a 10% for them to Evolve into greater Skills. ----- Eeeh?! They''re all amazing! What the heck? The Item Boxes are alright, I''ll open them to see what I get. But aside from them, the potions and this grimoire are top tier stuff! I have to quickly use them to get stronger! There''s no time to waste! I quickly drank all wizardly potions. They were slightly sweet wine-like taste. After drinking them all, I felt slightly dizzy, but I felt the power of magic overflowing across my body, as I began glowing purple in color. Pretty amazing! Ding! [You gained +450 MP and +300 Magic] [You gained +600 MP and +200 Magic] [You gained +150 MP and +700 Magic] [You gained +1000 MP and +800 Magic] [You gained +800 MP and +400 Magic] [You gained a total of +3000 MP and +2400 Magic!] Damn, I got almost a level worth of MP and Magic, this is nice¡­ Now, let''s try to read this grimoire! I grabbed the Grimoire, as its pages started flickering rapidly. "I am Dark Reign, the Ancient Dark Dragon, descendant of the Primordial Dragon of Darkness, Svartalf. In this book I record my dark and endless path towards attaining the abyss of knowledge that is the element of darkness. The endless void that stretches across the horizons of the sky has no bounds, a boundless journey that might end in my ultimate peril as I research this evil path with my darkest desires unbound¡­" I stopped reading as I sighed, closing the grimoire.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "What the heck is up with this chuunibyou dragon?!" ----- Chapter 601 Hidden Boss Key ----- I had acquired three wonderful items from conquering the dungeon, or whatever, and even a fourth one in the key. ----- [Random Item Box (C Grade)] x5 A Random Item Box containing up to C Grade Materials of all types, which can be used for Alchemy and Crafting, or even Cooking! Once opened, a roulette will begin, press the button to get what you want. Be careful, the roulette goes very fast. ----- [Magic Potion of Wizardly (B Grade)] x5 A Special Potion crafted with top tier ingredients which can permanently increase MP and Magic by 100 up to 1000 when drank. Cannot be used as material for ingredients, if used, it will explode. ----- [Grimoire of Dark Reign (B+ Grade)] x1 A Special Grimoire left behind by the Ancient ck Dragon, Dark Reign. A powerful ck Dragon that inhabits the Svartalfheim Continent. His knowledge over Dark Magic and the depth of the Abyss knows no bounds. By reading this Grimoire andprehending its wisdom and then using it as an item, Darkness Attribute Damage increases by +10% permanently, and Comprehension over Darkness Magic increases greatly. There''s a 50% chance for a 3 random Dark Attribute Magic Skills to Level up from 1 to 5 levels, and a 10% for them to Evolve into greater Skills. ----- I consumed the potion of wizardly, increasing my MP and Magic, and then I tried to read the damn Grimoire¡­ But the very first time I tried to read it¡­ I found this dragon was a big chuunibyou. All he wrote was done extremely edgy. It gave me a lot of cringe, and I felt like wanting to kill myself even when I was already dead. This dragon would certainly be an interesting person to meet face to face one day. Anyways, reading this out loud will be extremely cringe, so I''ll just read it silently inside of my own Soul Scape. Thankfully it is more than possible to use my own consciousness, divide it, and read it inside of my Soul Scape with nobody there to look at me andugh at the cringe-worthy thing I''m reading. And as I began reading it within there, I already started to feel weirder and weirder. Is this how you fall into the abyss of darkness?! Dark Reign, you''re a strange fellow! ¡­.However, it also helped me learn a bunch of new stuff. First of all, Dragons got their own Elemental Progenitors! Dark Reign, a Dark Dragon, has a Progenitor named Svartalf. I wonder what the progenitors of Lucifer are and Brunhild¡­ I guess they''re fire dragons, so a fire progenitor? They''re like gods or something? I think I heard from them that they died in the war of the gods long, long ago. Or something, perhaps some remain alive for all I know. After all, if they''re alive why wouldn''t the other guys be alive then?! Right? It makes total sense that some of our dragon progenitors might be alive! ¡­I hope.N?v(el)B\\jnn Dark Reign doesn''t specify anything, he just says he''s the descendant of her. Oh, wait a moment. He''s not a dragon like Lucifer or Brunhild at all. This guy''s a direct son of the dragon progenitor! This means Dark Reign''s a Divine Dragon, a Dragon God! If the creator of this weird book I got is still alive, then perhaps there might be other Dragon Gods out there, somewhere. Anyways, let''s check the key now¡­ ----- [Swamp Dungeon''s Hidden Boss Key (A Grade)] x1 A Special Key designed by the Swamp Dungeon Core, which allows for the summon of the powerful Hidden Dungeon Boss, a monstrous being of many heads and a monstrous appetite. Riches await those that dare to fight it and manage to defeat it. ----- Huh, straight to the point I see. It looks pretty interesting. I have to admit it. Maybe we can do thister, right? After we enjoy a nice meal because I am actually starving right now. I need me some food to satiate this endless void inside my soul¡­ Or how it''s usually called, [Phantasmal Stomach]. Anyways, I might as well open the Random Boxes for now¡­ I grabbed them and then simply touched them, the boxes opened in an instant and suddenly a roulette appeared, with several items spinning around it. "Huh, I wonder if there''s a way to cheat this?" I wondered while thinking about it. "Well, let''s just try my luck for once." F L A S H! FLASH! F L A S H! FLASH! F L A S H! I just pressed the roulettes buttons and then ended them all five at the same time. Several items emerged out of the roulettes, as the entire box disappeared into particles of light. The items materialized in front of me after that. Ding! [You opened a Random Item Box!] [You acquired [White Spirit Tree Branch (C Grade)] x1!] Ding! [You opened a Random Item Box!] [You acquired [Sr Stone (D Grade)] x1!] Ding! [You opened a Random Item Box!] [You acquired [Mysterious Potion (??? Grade)] x1!] Ding! [You opened a Random Item Box!] [You acquired [Underworld Jackal''s Fangs (C Grade)] x1!] Ding! [You opened a Random Item Box!] [You acquired [Fire Elemental Orb (D Grade)] x1!] Wow, they were really all just random. But I guess the first one seems interesting, a White Branch from a Spirit Tree, huh? Maybe I can get something nice out of it. Perhaps if I nt it at home, a special white spirit tree could sprout out? Though my Alchemy senses are telling me to wait before using them and to save them for now¡­ It mighte in handy in the near future for all I know. And just as I was halfway through reading the book of Dark Reign (yes, my reading speed is hundreds of times that of my human self), I was drawn by the smell of grilled fish and smander meat. Brunhild''s started a big bonfire using her fire breath so Lucifer and her quickly started cooking the meat. "Ah, this smells nice¡­" ----- Chapter 602 Summoning The Dungeons Hidden Boss ----- "You''re finally back. Come on, let''s eat something together before leaving." Lucifer said with a weing smile. "Mama!" Nyx flew to my side and hugged my head with her tiny arms. "Nyx, did you got rewards too?" I wondered. "Nom nom!" She said. "Ah¡­ I guess you ate them? Were they even edible?" I sighed. "She seems to be alright." Brunhild said. "I think she''s okay." She quickly offered me a te with a big piece of fish. This meat was that of nobody else than the Ruler of the Swamp. Once detoxified, it turned pure white once grilled, with some sea salt and a bit of garlic and butter, it ended tasting delicious. "Hmmm! So soft! And it is rather sweet as well! I can''t believe this meat belonged to the ugly fish I beat down¡­" I sighed in relief. "Hey! Give me some of that as well!" Tyrined, appearing at my side. "Eeeh? No! This is mine!" I quickly tried to drive him off. "Here''s some for you as well Tyr." Brunhild served Tyr his own te, as he opened his strange jaws and began munching on the fish. "UOOOHHH! This taste¡­ I am actually tasting things!" He cried in happiness. "You couldn''t before?" I asked. "Of course not! One of the strange things that happened to my body once Loki corrupted it with his Chaos was that I couldn''t have any sense of taste, everything tasted like sludge to me¡­" He sighed. "Somehow, being in this spirit form really makes food taste incredible¡­" "Interesting¡­" I nodded, while eating the fish with some baked potatoes they handed to me. "So we just conquered the dungeon¡­" Helga sighed. "This is bound to make waves around the entire country¡­ Maybe we should keep this a secret." "Although I would love to just make everyone envy us, it is better to just not cause a fuss." ckard agreed. "Eeeh? But that''s boring!" I said angrily. "We''re telling everyone! The more they know how strong we are, the better our guild will be respected. You guys can''t think about that?" "Yeah but it will also make everything a fuss, and we''ll get annoyed all the time¡­" Helga sighed. "R-Right¡­" I realized. "But is there another way then?" "A newbie guild doing all of that¡­ It is bound to not fare well with the rest. They''ll be suspicious and people may even try to target us." ckard said. "That much!?" I asked in surprise. "Okay, let''s keep it a secret then¡­ what a drag." We talked about various things while having lunch in this bonfire, we got to rest for a while, until I decided to drop the bombshell. "Hey so I just got a key to go to a hidden boss, is anyone up for the challenge?" I wondered. Everyone looked at me with eyes wide open. "H-Hidden Boss?!" Helga asked. "We''ve never heard of that!" ckard added. "Maria, is this true?" Lucifer wondered. "Yeah, it''s true! I think the monster might be pretty strong, the key is A Grade." I said with a nod. "How about we go for it after we''re done eating?" "Hmm¡­ Maybe, we didn''t really do much aside from beating those weak monsters." Lucifer seemed up for the challenge. "Uuuh, I don''t know if I want to, but I guess there''s not much option if you really want to do it." Sighed Emeraldine. "Sure! Let''s go beat that thing right away!" Partner was excited. "Nice! I want to try fighting a hidden boss!" Takeshi agreed. "Me too, we''ll keep our distance." Laura said. "Mama!" Nyx wanted to fight as well, but I don''t know if I can let a baby do it. Then again, she''ll definitely end up going with us for tomorrow''s dungeon, I doubt anybody can really contain her¡­ Well, I''ll use a Phantom Clone to keep her in the back. "And about you guys?" I asked. "Nope, we can''t do this." Helga sighed. "I have children and¡­ I am not up for the risk. "Y-Yeah, we better stay out of it." ckard said. "No doubt about it." "There''s no way we can do it." "We are better off waiting outside if you don''t mind." "Well that''s okay, I don''t want you to risk your lives in vain. For now let''s finish eating and then we go beat a hidden boss really quick, this time no holding back! Let''s see how truly strong we''ve all grown! Root, you''re also fighting!" I said. "Let''s fight a big monster, gyugyuh!" Root was celebrating while flying around in his Spirit Embodiment form. Like that, when we finished having a feast, we were all prepared and ready. The only one that was feeling slightly unwilling was Emeraldine. "You don''t really have to do this if you don''t want to." I told her. "Rx." "Eeehh¡­ But if I don''t go, then I''ll miss all the fun." She sighed. "Don''t worry, I''ll be going, but let''s finish this quickly, okay? I want to go rest, take a warm bath and get all this swamp smell away from my body¡­" "Ah, I understand that perfectly well." Brunhild agreed. "Alright everyone! Let''s get this done quickly." FLAAASH! Her small humanoid form quickly changed, as an enormously tall and beautiful red scaled dragoness emerged, her wings stretched further, as zing mes emerged from them. "Yeah, let''s do this for real now, no holding back!" Lucifer smiled maliciously. FLAAASH! His humanoid form quickly changed, a gloriously evil-looking three-eyed death dragon emerged from the ck lightning, just as tall as his big sister, with enormous ck wings and a third red-colored eye. "Gyuh!" FLAAASH! And even Root joined the fray, his small Spirit Embodiment Form changing into that of a gigantic Walking Tree. I used my Phantasmal Aura to help him levitate off the ground, his gigantic form truly made him resemble a guardian.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Alright then, we''re ready, let''s do this!" I quickly took out the key I acquired from my Inventory, using it right away, as an enormous portal in the middle of the empty air opened. And from within, a gigantic being emerged, reaching the swamp. SPLAAAAASH! Its enormous body was so big its legs reached the bottom of the swamp easily. The enormous beast was as tall as Lucifer and Brunhild, but it had five enormous and long snake-like heads, and a scale-covered wingless dragon-like body. "That''s¡­ A Hydra!" ----- Chapter 603 Five Headed Tyrant Hydra ----- "GRUOOOHHHHHH¡­!" An enormous Monster stood before our path, the creature covered most of the swamp, and its five heads looked at us with its ten eyes. The monster had four legs and a long tail, while having five heads. It was wingless yet it really looked like a very fat four-legged dragon. Each head resembled that of a snake, with equally long necks and sharp fangs filled with deadly poison. The beast looked quite literally ready to bring destruction to this entire Dungeon. Whoever this Dungeon Core is, it is really quite insane to ask us to beat something like this on our own¡­ Well, of course, that would be if we were any weaker than now. [Disying Status¡­] [Status has been upgraded, Weaknesses can now be detected within the Status of an Appraised Monster.] ----- [Five Headed Tyrant Hydra: Lv89] [Rank: A+++] [Status: Furious, Hungry] [Description]: A monstrous aberration that was mistakenly summoned by the Demon Core due to a Mana overdrive decades ago. It was uncontroble and enormously strong and devastated any monster it found. The Dungeon Core sealed this beast to contain it, but sealing it away drained more Mana than it should. Now, the Dungeon Core has freed this monster, hoping for someone strong enough to defeat it. It has five powerful heads which can regenerate almost instantly. The power to unleash a deadly venom breath, fire breath, wind breath, ice breath, and darkness breath, and insane defenses with its draconic scales. However, it is extremely sluggish and cannot move that quickly. Weakness: Behind the five heads there''s its actual brain, destroy the scales and reach its brain, destroying it would stop its regeneration and the beast will die. [Skills]: [Draconic Magic Reflecting Scales] [Giant Body] [High Speed Super Regeneration] [Venomous Snake Fangs] [Enormous Crushing Jaws] [Poison Breath] [Fire Breath] [Ice Breath] [Storm Breath] [Darkness Breath] [¡­] ----- Oh, what is this?! I can see weaknesses now?! This is new! And pretty good as well! "GRUOOOOHHH!" "GROOOARRRR!" "RAAAAARRRR!" "GROOOOORR!" "GRYYYARRR!" All five heads roared differently, yet all their roars mixed together into a nightmarish roar that echoed across the entire floor of the dungeon. We made sure nobody was left in here, so we were just us and the boss. "Everyone, its actual brain is behind its five heads, right over its back. Aim there and try to destroy its spine and brain, that''s where all''s its powering from. It''s also slow so don''t worry about trying to overspeed it." I told everyone. "Oh, so you can see its weaknesses?" Asked Lucifer in surprise. "Amazing! Very well then¡­ This is going to be fun! Been a while since I''ve gone all out!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Heh, so that''s it¡­" Brunhild smiled. "Lucifer, Maria, let''s go charge forward and aim at the brain, everyone else could attack from a distance, and keep the five heads busy?" "Sounds like a n." Emeraldine nodded. "Huh?! I want to charge forward as well!" Said Partner. "How about you slice its head to entertain it?" I asked her. "You can drink as much blood as you can from it." "Oooh! Now that sounds interesting!" Partner smiled. Her Blood Aura surged around her as it shaped into a swarm of bats made of blood, lifting her off the ground. Her two spears shining brightly with an evil aura from within. "Root, stay with us as well, I''ve got an idea about how we can use your help." I said. "Got it!" Root transformed into his Spirit form again as it was just easier to move around, especially giving him the ability to fly. "Then let''s do this!" I said with a smile. With Lucifer, Brunhild, and Root, we rushed forward towards the Hydra, who was slowly walking across the swamp while inspecting for any snacks to eat. If it has been sealed for so long, it was probably very hungry. "GGRRRRRHHH!" The beast''s five eyes easily noticed our presence approaching from the skies above, as its five heads opened their jaws in an instant, a multi-elemental breath attack quickly engulfed all of us! BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! However, abination of my Abyssal Barrier and Lucifer and Brunhild''s Draconic Arts named [Dragon Scale Shield]bined together into an enormous shield that easily protected us from the explosion of elements. "GROOARRRR!" The Hydra lost its shit as it saw us being untouched, unleashing several more breath attacks, never ending storms of fire, winds, darkness, poison, and ice reached us, as we flew around and tried to reach its back. The barriers we erected constantly shattered into pieces, as we made our way into the Hydra''s back. The bastard was able to easily dislocate its own neck and shoot breaths at us even on its back. And its scales got in our way. My magic wasn''t easily piercing through them as they had Magic Reflection abilities, over half of my magic power was reflected when they hit them. I guess magic reflectors are really a pain, is thismon in high ranked monsters? Agh, maybe I could go more all out if this thing wasn''t attacking us constantly! "Here we goooo! Vampiric Arts: [Blood Frenzy]!" Suddenly, a sh of red light emerged across the skies. Two spears sliced through the Hydra''s heads, all five of them at the same time! SLAAAASH! SLAAAAASH!!! It was Partner! She was overflowing with red energy, this was the power of her Vampiric Art [Blood Frenzy] that made her go insane like a berserk, while sacrificing her HP as well to drastically boost her stats. The more she sacrificed, the stronger she grew. Well, she had always been the reckless type of fighter, but this was a rather ultimate move. She''ll be all hungryter, I bet. "GRYYYYAAAGGGH!" The Hydra agonizingly cried. Its five heads gone! It should had died like that, usually myths go by that rule. But this world had RPG game mechanics, so its HP was still at around 90%! And to make things worse, five more heads began to emerge. "Gahahahaha! So much blood!" However, Partner was sure enjoying herself, she was absorbing all the blooding from the sliced necks before they regenerated, drinking it and then gathering it above the tip of her spears. "Blood Magic: [Crimson Moon]!" ----- Chapter 604 Going All-Out! ----- Partner conjured a powerful Blood Magic spell, a gigantic mass of spiraling Blood Energy appeared atop her spears, as sheunched it against the still-regenerating Hydra''s heads! FLAAAASH! The sphere reached them, shing with bright red light before exploding! BOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! It was a devastating Magic Nuke! I can''t believe she has gotten this strong¡­ Although she need tons of Blood to conjure the strongest stuff. FRSSSSHHHH! The necks began to be toasted as they had an even harder time regenerating. Meanwhile, Takeshi and Laurabined their powers, wrapping the fishing bait around the Hydra''s front leg and then making it explode. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMMM!!!! CLAASH! The Hydra suddenly lost bnce, tilting a bit into the swamps. As all of this happened, Emeraldine, from the distance with Nyx, prepared a powerful arrow imbued with her spirit''s powers. Meanwhile, Nyx was helping in her own unique way, as she began summoning several Phantasmal Dragons with her special Summoning Skill, and then slowly beginning to merge them into something bigger¡­ And as all of that was happening, we were not just looking at the scene dumbly, we were working our asses off! "Draconic Arts: Draconic¡­ HELLFIRE!" Brunhild roared, as her entire body erupted with ridiculous quantities of mes,pletely covering her entire surroundings as the Holy mes she was able to control and conjure consumed the Hydra''s scales, melting them away and then shattering them one by one with her powerful fists! This Draconic Art enhanced her entire body and covered it in so many mes that it made her resemble a being entirely made of fire! I had only seen it once when she fought the Ant Queen, but Brunhild was truly amazingly strong when she went serious! "And now¡­! Draconic Arts: Meteor¡­ SMASH!!!" Brunhild suddenly flew towards the Hydra, reaching the monster in a mere instant as her right arm suddenly was coated with a ridiculous amount of Holy mes, propelling her fist to move to an even more insane speed and shing against the Hydra''s scales, shattering them in an instant and hitting through the skin! CLAAAASSSSHHH!!! FLUOOOSSHH! An enormous explosion of mes spread further around our surroundings. Her powerful Holy mes easily giving us all an opening, as Lucifer flew down like a meteor made of darkness, while I began overcharging the palm of my hands with all the Mana I could muster! "NOW!" Brunhild gave us themand, as Lucifer attacked first. His entire body was coated in Phantasmal mes. He could no longer wield his family''s Holy mes, but he had developed his own powers while he grew once more as strong as he was now. "Draconic Arts: [Underworld''s Hellfire]!" FLUOOOSSSSHH! His body erupted with ck mes, not blue ones, which were even stronger than the blue ones and filled with the power of cursing the very soul of his targets. His ck mes covered the Hydra''s wounds, as a loud explosion continued breaking through the enormous wound while melting the nearby scales. "Death Scythe!" His Phantasmal Aura and his Death ck mes converged together, materializing through his special Skill, which allowed him to summon an enormous scythe that could cut through souls! "Death Scythe Arts: [Soul Piercing sh]!" SLAAAAAASH! He swung the enormous scythe vertically, slicing through the Hydra''s flesh and soul at the same time, and making the beast''s entire body suddenly fall down in agony, its head already regenerating began screaming in agony, but too busy dealing with Partner. Root in the other side shapeshifted his entire body, stretching his roots and branches all over the Hydra and sucking on its vitality and mana constantly, draining it from its total energy and weakening it severely! Thanks to his advanced draining abilities stacking with mine, the Hydra was quickly weakening. And as this happened, I was ready myself too! Ibined the power of several of my Skills once more. Chaotic Meteor, Phantasmal mes, ck Lightning Strike, Dark Storm, and more, and then imbued it all into my gigantic de¡­ Yeah, this is my strongest blow, using my hybrid weapon between a sword and a staff¡­ ----- [Abyssal Necrolord''s ursed Demon de (A Grade)] [Level]: [0/60] [Durability]: [25000/25000] [Effects] [HP]: [+20000] [MP]: [+40000]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Attack]: [+45000] [Defense]: [+10000] [Magic]: [+35000] [Agility]: [+20000] [Darkness Attribute Damage]: [+30000] [Death Attribute Damage]: [+30000] [Abilities] [Hybrid Magic Weapon: Staff]: A weapon that works as both a Staff and a Longsword. Enhances Magic Damage, Conjuration and Spell Speed, and Magic Control by +60%. Decreases Spell MP Cost by -30%. [Hybrid Magic Weapon: Longsword]: A weapon that works as both a Staff and a Longsword. Enhances shing Damage, Weapon Technique Speed, and Reflexes by +70%. Decreases Techniques and Weapon-rted Skills MP Cost by -20%. [Necrolord''s Treasure]: Enhances Darkness and Death Magic Attribute Damage by +100%, decreases MP Cost by -50%. Raised Undead or Contracted Undead receive a buff that enhances all stats by +50% as long as they''re within the user''s range of 100 meters. [Cursed Demonic de]: Can devour Souls, Negative Energy, Phantoms, Magic, Life, and Blood from foes to increase its Level and gain more bonus Stats. Once enough is absorbed, everything can be unleashed in a powerful [Demonic Catastrophe] that deals +500% Damage and ignores -70% of a foe''s defenses, however, the weapon takes -5000 Durability as Damage. ----- I had already absorbed souls, blood, and negative energy from the swamp monsters, and with thisst infusion of power, I quickly activated my sword''s ultimate technique¡­ "[DEMONIC CATASTROPHE]!" I swung my de vertically just into the wound, with all my strength! The ck sword began overflowing with a monstrously dark aura, spreading further everywhere, and turning the entire worldpletely pitch ck! SLAAAAASSSSHHHHH!!! The enormous shing attack reached the Hydra''s bones, finally slicing through them, thebination of Brunhild and Lucifer''s draconic breaths quickly came from both left and right side,bining with the shing attack of my [Demonic Catastrophe]! "Now!" And as if that wasn''t enough, Emeraldine converged the enormous Phantasmal Dragon that Nyx summoned with her Spirit Power-imbued arrow, firing a gigantic arrow that reached the skies and then fell from above, fusing with my attack and that of Lucifer and Brunhild as well! The convergence of powers spiraled together, like a piercing spear! It went through the Hydra''s bones and then, pierced its brains, crushing them and then blowing them all into pieces as the convergence of powers exploded! CLAAAAAAAASSSSHHHHH!!! "GRYYYAAAAAAEEEEEGGHHH¡­!" The hydra gave ast cry of agony, its entire brain was disintegrated, and its life ended in that very second! BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 605 Hidden Boss Slain! Almost Max Level ----- BAAAAM! The enormous Hydra fell into the swamp, sshing the water everywhere. There was arge quantity of monsters that hade to see what was happening, these hundreds of critters were crushed by the Hydra''s heavy body, sadly for them. SPLAAAASH! An enormous tsunami of water emerged, sshing around the entire swamp''s floor. The water reached as high as the stairs going upwards. Thankfully, Takeshi and Laura protected the dwarves in the back. Mostly, Takeshi, who manipted the water through his Unique Skill and created a water bubble, protecting everybody. Ding! [You and your Party have defeated the [Five Headed Tyrant Hydra: Lv89] [Rank: A+++] x1!] [You''ve defeated the Dungeon''s Hidden Boss, you received bonus EXP!] [You gained 12000000 EXP!] [Because you defeated the Hidden Boss, you''ve been rewarded with Special Items] [You acquired [Random Item Box (A Grade)] x1, [Void-Gazing Eye (A Grade)] x1, and [Forbidden Watch (B Grade)] x1!] [Hel, the Goddess of Death, is pleased by your aplishments, and amused over your strength and determination.] [She says she expects you to crush the other Dungeon before it is toote.] [Hel has decided to reward you.] [You gained 5000000 EXP!] [You acquired the [Underworld Essence Elixir (A Grade)] x1, [Crystalized Vampiric Bat Tyrant''s Blood (A Grade)] x1, and [Fafnir''s Blood Elixir (A Grade)] x1!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Your Level has increased from Level 71 to Level 74!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You gained bonus System Points!] ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [71/80] -> [74/80] [EXP]: [963000/6500000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [162000/162000] -> [168000/168000] [MP]: [373000/373000] -> [385000/385000] [Attack]: [102000] -> [106500] [Defense]: [104000] -> [108500] [Magic]: [362400] -> [374400] [Agility]: [162000] -> [168000] [Aether]: [115] [System Points]: [622000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis], [Skill Shop], [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv8] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv7] [Abyss Eater: Lv4] [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv8] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv5] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv4] [Ice Resistance: Lv4] [Water Resistance: Lv5] [Skill Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv9] [Masterful Stealth: Lv6] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv4] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv4] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv8] [Fist Strike: Lv10] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv7] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv7] [Life Absorption: Lv8] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv3] [Dark Sun: Lv7] [Dark Storm: Lv8] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv6] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv6] [Abyss Maniption: Lv6] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv6] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv5] [Soul Devourer: Lv4] [Undead Detonation: Lv9] [Shadow Thread: Lv8] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv8] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv6] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv3] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv4] [Illusory Delusion: Lv5] [Mind Bending: Lv5] [Insect Maniption: Lv5] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv5] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv4] [Phantasmal mes: Lv4] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv4] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv4] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv8] [Spirit Summon: Lv6] [Spirit Connection: Lv4] [Spirit Fusion: Lv3] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv3] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv8] [Mental Mapping: Lv7] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv9] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv3] [Mining: Lv3] [Dismantle: Lv3] [Taming: Lv2] [Mana Transfer: Lv4] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv3] [Smithing: Lv2] [Chopping: Lv2] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv8] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv7] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv9] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv7] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv4] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv6] [Spirit Queen: Lv5] [Spirit Mediator: Lv5] [Poison Queen: Lv6] [Merciless Assassin: Lv6] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv5] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv4] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv5] [gue Exterminator: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv7] [Saint of Death: Lv6] [Deceiver: Lv4] [Undead yer: Lv5] [Slime yer: Lv3] [King yer: Lv5] [Dungeon Master: Lv4] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv4] [Queen of Flies: Lv3] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv4] [Mold Breaker: Lv5] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv3] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv3] [Greedy Miner: Lv3] [Butcherer: Lv3] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv2] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv4] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv3] [Explosion Maniac: Lv3] [Infernal Queen: Lv2] [Ice Monster yer: Lv2] [Human yer: Lv2] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv2] [Bone Queen: Lv2] [Lumberjack: Lv2] [Dragon yer: Lv2] [Relentless Hunter: Lv2] [Soul Scape Master: Lv2] [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv2] [Merciless Killer: Lv2] [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv2] [Swamp Queen: Lv2] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv2] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Soul Scape Spirit Treasures]: [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure)], [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] ----- Damn I got a lot of stats from just three levels¡­ And above all, tons of my Skills leveled up as well! Although I didn''t get any Skills or Titles this time around, I still got some nice level ups. Now I am only 6 levels off getting my next evolution. However, above that there''s the big rewards I got! Not only was I given special rewards from the dungeon itself, but Hel has decided to continue her loyal sponsoring as she gave some new A Grade items I had not seen before at all. However, much like the ones got before, which were ideal for Nyx and Root, I feel these three are also the same case. They''re ideal for Partner and Lucifer, I think. Though there''s no ideal one for Emeraldine or the twins, but I guess that might change in the future. Though it still pisses me off she forgot about my elf wife. [Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld and Death has heard your prayers.] [She has given you a reward for your little elf bride, so you stop crying.] [You acquired the [Spirit Queen''s Essence Phial (A Grade)] x1!] Wait, can she read my thoughts or something?! ----- Chapter 606 August, The Ancient Fallen King Of Alfheim ----- Within The Underworld, arge throne made of bones erected in the middle of a gigantic and near endless castle. While in the outside of such castle, enormous Undead wandered about, fighting, devouring one another''s souls, and living in this endless dark world, their Queen sat down leisurely atop her throne made of bones. She looked into several system-like windows in front of her, while a portal leading to a pocket dimension where she kept her treasures quickly closed. Seconds ago, she had taken a few of the items kept inside within such an endless treasury she had kept growing since time immemorial. She never thought she would ever have any use for so many items, so she freely handled them over to her favorite Apostle of Death, Maria, and her allies. Although she was smiling now, a slight amount of annoyance was clear in her wless, youthful face. "Maria''s really cocky. She doesn''t know that as long as she''s directing her thoughts towards me, I can hear them a bit? This is how prayers work at the end. And how the gods can see so many things without being present¡­" Hel sighed. Gods were able to see and hear those that prayed to them, what they talked about, and even a part of their memories if they prayed. All gods always could get an update of the world around them by hearing the prayers of their believers. For a long while now, nobody has ever prayed to Hel, except Maria. Although Maria had only done it¡­ without knowing. Every time she thought about Hel or "talking to her" Hel heard herins and did things ordingly to her ideas. The whole ability of granting her rewards depending in her aplishments was something Hel came out with thanks to hearing Maria''s ideas all the time. Despite handling treasures carefreely, it still hurt her a bit to give her rewards, but she knew it was an investment. Indeed, the queen of the underworld was very greedy and liked to hoard treasures for all the eternity she had lived in this world since her birth. This was also a reason why she was only giving Maria some low-quality items for now. "Ungh, did she really had to get so greedy?! That Phial has the essence of the Spirit King! It took me so long to get a few dozen of them. She thinks I can just freely handle them over?" She angrily thought, but quicklyposed herself. "Well, it was only one¡­ Yes, I have to just think that." Hel looked into the mirror she had in front of her, made of an enormous mass of bones, a Living Skeleton Mirror Sentinel, a powerful High Ranked Undead Servant she created to see the world above her domain through the eyes of her newest vessel¡­ Root! Indeed, she had nted a divine protection on him not only because he could be a powerful Cmity in the future, which could help her and her father''s nster on, but she also designed this special divine protection so she could see through his eyes. Before, she wasn''t that interested, so she missed the opportunity on Maria and everyone around her. Thankfully, due to sheer luck, Maria picked up Root, who had identally acquired the Seed of Cmity that the Abyssal Ant Queen was holding before being in. The small sapling died due to corrosion, but its soul was strong enough and had a strong sense of will and living, so it stuck to the dying sapling with the Seed of Cmity. When Maria arrived, she changed this tiny tree''s fate forever. Now, the tree evolved into a powerful Tyrant Treant Guardian after training for a whole day inside the dungeon. The tree never thought it would ever grow this fast! Although it was in fact abination of the Seed of Cmity and also the Divine Protection Hel gave to him, alongside that one Yggdrasil Sap she handled, which was also a rather precious item she had to bite her nails to gift to a walking tree. "It''s all an investment¡­ I have to think like that, yes¡­ All an investment." She sighed, trying to calm down. "But seriously, she''s growing fast! I never thought she would aim for the Hidden Boss right away. This one Dungeon is the biggest after the Sealed Dungeon, if I am correct¡­ Thanks to her own efforts and my help, she''s growing faster than anticipated." Hel looked into the mirror as she saw Maria and her allies interact, they seemed exhausted after everything they had done, and decided to quickly go back to the surface once their dungeon adventure was over. POOF! Suddenly, arge skeleton wearing a ck knight getup emerged at her side, it was immense, towering over six meters of height. His powerful blue eyes zing with deadly phantasmal re. "Mdy, your father seems to be wanting to enter the Underworld once more." "Oh, again? Sigh¡­ He''s really annoyingtely, don''t you think, August?" Hel sighed, as she rubbed her face over the hard metallic armor of the skeleton, hugging him as if he were a teddy bear for him. August was one of the many Gatekeepers of the Underworld, who took care of the souls that entered, and all of that deal. He also used to be a King in Alfheim, who was cursed by his political foes and then burned alive on the stake as he was given false usations. However, amidst the despair of his death, he made a pact with "Lady Death", Hel. In such a pact, he rose as an Undead and tormented all those that wronged him for a hundred years before he copsed, and then emerged in the Underworld, bing Hel''s eternal servant. He has a very stern and serious personality, but Hel treats him like her teddy bear. "M-Mdy, I think its enough with hugging me¡­" "But I like hugging my big August! Mooch." Hel gently kissed his skull face, as August mes grew red in embarrassment. Despite being the embodiment of death she was a captivating and charming youngdy.N?v(el)B\\jnn August''s undead heart has long ago fallen for her charms. "T-To receive such affection¡­ I am not worthy¡­" ----- Chapter 607 Secrets That Hel Better Keep For Herself ----- "M-Mdy, I think its enough with hugging me¡­" "But I like hugging my big August! Mooch." Hel gently kissed his skull face, as August mes grew red in embarrassment. Despite being the embodiment of death she was a captivating and charming youngdy. August''s undead heart has long ago fallen for her charms. "T-To receive such affection¡­ I am not worthy¡­" He sighed, kneeling before her. August was an extremely timid man when ites to these things, so he always ended getting too flustered over her affection. But that''s what Hel liked anyways. "Hehe, you''re so fun to tease~" Hel giggled yfully, touching his bony chin. "M-Mdy¡­ Is it okay for you to act so close with a mere pile of bones as me?" "You''re my special pile of bones~" "A-Ahh¡­" Hel began caressing the top of his skull, one of his sensitive parts. "Mdy please, let''s not¡­ dy your father''s visit¡­" "Geez! Alright dear, bring him in." "Very well." August immediately summoned enormous gates leading to the outside world, as they opened, Loki quickly walked inside, now on his male form, which was the most well known around the gods and the one he used most of the time. "Did you had to use the front door this time? You always just sneak inside, dad." Hel said while sighing. "Aw dearie, I know! I just wanted to be more formal this time. I always remember you get angry when I just sneak inside, saying I break the rules of the world and all of that stuff¡­" Loki said while shrugging. His appearance quickly changed in an instant, the shapeshifted god didn''t wasted any time as he quickly transformed from a gorgeous man to a gorgeous woman. Long purple hair, wide and sexy hips, and a big chest even left August''s mes growing redder. Her clothes quickly changed as well into a long ck and gold dress, with long ck heels. Loki sighed in relief as he changed into her female form, which she enjoyed greatly. "Phew, what a relief~" She sighed. "You really love to be a woman around here¡­" Hel sighed. "Can''t you do it in the realm of the gods as well?" "Yeah but father always looks at me with weird, judging eyes, and the other gods close to where I reside are just as annoying." Sighed Loki. "They always say "why are you turning into a woman?" or "what''s wrong with you?" sometimes they are as rude as to say "you''re such a weirdo!" so annoying!" "I guess they''re just a bunch of assholes, yeah." Hel sighed. "You look gorgeous, mom." "Aww, I knew you would be happy to see your mommy~!" Loki smiled happily. "But yes. They all have a stick up their asses! They can''t let me be me~ I have to run away into my daughter''s realm to be freer." Loki hugged her daughter and gave her a kiss in her cheek. Herrge breasts pressed over Hel''s face, annoying her daughter. "Ugh, okay, stop rubbing me your giant milk jugs for once¡­!" She sighed. "What do you want now mom?" "Fufu, I heard from a little squirrel that you''ve been raising some tiny little Cmities~ Is this true?" Asked Loki while smiling charmingly. She rested her arms over the throne made of bones, as herrge butt was showing clearly in front of August''s face. August, as an honorable man, couldn''t simply fall to such temptations, as he quickly decided to retreat, despite being greatly captivated by Loki''s female form, his heart belonged to Hel. "I-I''ll take my leave now, mdy." "Aw,e on dear, why are you leaving when I just got here?" Loki tried to stop August, caressing his skull gently. "Do you like what you see?" "A-Ahh¡­ I-I¡­" "Mom! Only I can tease him!" Hel was very possessive of her servants. "Geez~ Fine, don''t get so angry now, baby." Loki let go of August as he quickly disappeared into an explosion of darkness. POOOF! "You really like him, don''t you?" Loki asked teasingly. "W-What are you talking about?" Hel asked while blushing. "H-He''s merely someone I like to tease!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hmmm~ Sure." Loki giggled. "Anyways, back to the main topic¡­ Is what Rat said true?" "Of course. Did you think I was going to just sit down and leave all the work to you?" Hel asked. "Maria has been helping more than I thought though. One of her daughters and a new tamed monster she got both have Cmity Seeds. Including her, there''s three." "Hm, I see¡­ Our army is growing stronger." Loki smiled. "Though, those that should be helping us are all fighting between themselves. Also didn''t she just went and killed one Cmity?" "Cmities are a threat to the world; you''re ying with fire. Maria is a safer option for me, she''s sane, and so the other two cmities at her side¡­ Well, I wouldn''t call her sane though, but maybe not¡­ a mindless monster?" Hel said. "Hmmm¡­" Loki began thinking. "My father is already moving within the shadows. The Vanir Gods at this point are the only ones not helping him. At least those are not our foes." Hel began thinking¡­ "(Should I tell him about Maria fusing with the fragments of Tyr and awakening his consciousness?)" She wondered internally. She loved her mother/father more than anything, but she still knew Loki was quite suspicious sometimes. She couldn''t really guess what could be inside his mind. Of course she would never dare harm her children, but if its another being that gets in her ns¡­ She could quite literally crush them, even if they didn''t meant anything bad, the same thing happened to her adoptive brother, Tyr, the God of War and Law. Although it was a whole plot including his father and the other siblings, Loki was still one of the gods that helped the most at crushing him and then turning him into a monster, and even using him as an excuse to create an artificial "evil" everyone had to fight, hiding his true intentions. She doesn''t really know how Loki would react if he realized the possibility of the one she crushed to revive was closer than ever¡­ She wanted to protect Maria and her family, so she decided to keep some secrets for herself until a better time came. ----- Chapter 608 Lokis Vengeful Will ----- "What is grandfather nning this time?" Hel wondered. "Haven''t you noticed? Since eons already¡­ He wants more than just ruling, he wants to be the Absolute." Sighed Loki. "She crushed the Titans because he wanted to rule above them all, even helping me kill his own son¡­ He''s a monster amongst monsters. Compared to him, we are innocent little chicks recently hatched from our eggs." "You''re being overly ambitious as ever. But I''ve given up in trying to stop you long ago. I''ve also realized he won''t simply let us be forever." Hel sighed. Hel and Loki knew very well of Odin''s schemes and his ns. Since the beginning of this world that the wars and battles around the world had been caused by him mostly than anybody. When the world started, the Yggdrasil Tree held several Realms within its fruits. The Titans came first, created by the World Tree to rule the realms, and protect them. The Ancient Dragons came right after, the true guardians of the world, with their hard scales, and ferocious ws and zing breath, the dragons and titans lived in peace protecting this world from the menaces of the "outside". But then, amidst the many fruits, the world tree gave birth to the Aesir and then the Vanir, Gods smaller than Titans yet more intelligent and cunning, with grater elemental and magical powers and the great ability of manipting others into doing their will. They created humans and other races as well, spreading them through the world. With their worship, they slowly began to farm the power of humans and converted it into Divine Power, helping them be stronger¡­ Before most of the Titans and Dragons could realize, the Aesir became incredibly strong, and waged a war against them. An immense war that destroyed the realms, merging them together from their ruins into the world every living being is inhabiting now. The realms were split into countless pieces, and only fragments of them remained, converting themselves into gigantic continents covering the world. The titans, one by one, died by the hands of the gods. Although the gods had many loses as well. It was a bloody battle to the death¡­ However, ultimately, the gods triumphed as Odin killed Ymir, stealing his powers for himself. At the end of such a war, he adopted a child, a young titan, grandson of Ymir, Loki. He decided to adopt him and leave him as his servant, detecting a great power within him¡­ And like this, his adoptive son, Loki, joined the Aesir. Since the beginning everything has been brought to the state it was due to Odin''s schemes and greed. Loki, after learning the truth about his upbringing and his ancestry, grew increasingly frustrated with how he was being treated. It felt as if he was merely a trophy or a pet his father grabbed from the battlefield. He detested him for having killed almost his entire family, while those that remained alive had to hide from the gods, some bing their ves¡­ the prideful titans that ruled the world in harmony with nature were near extinction. Not only his true father was gone, but also his grandfather, Ymir, was violently ughtered, and his body parts were used to forge the new world where every living being in inhabiting now. Meanwhile, his spine was used to forge Odin''s staff. Loki has been simply saving such anger, he had been patiently waiting, and plotting. His revenge against Odin and his entire family of detestable hypocrites was drawing closer, after thousands of years of preparation. Hel, as her daughter, knew very well about this. She knew of her mother/father''s anger, frustration, and her endless desire for revenge. She felt the same in many ways, but was someone that was also used to peace and tranquility brought by living in the underworld However, she knew such conflicts were inevitable. A war wasing, and the gods would once more ughter one another. Mortals and anything below their foot will be crushed by such a catastrophe, like mere ants. "I want them to pay for what they did¡­" Loki sighed, looking into the distance. "Father, grandfather, my mother, my siblings¡­ all those people I could had been raised with, all those people¡­ I never truly meet." Loki sighed, as her beautiful face seemedpletely gloomy. The more she thought of the possibility of having been raised by her true family always put her into such a state of depression, she felt like her very soul was crumbling apart. The moment she learned she was being raised by those that ughtered her entire family, her very concept of everything changed so much, her mind twisted several times. A never-ending desire to destroy everything started to emerge within her heart. "Mom¡­" Hel sighed, caressing her mother''s hair. "You and your two siblings are the only things precious to me. You''re the only people¡­ I truly care for, nobody else." She sighed. "I hate them¡­ I hate them all."N?v(el)B\\jnn Loki began to cry, her hands shaking in fury. "I''m going to crush them all¡­ I''ll bring chaos¡­ Ragnar?k." Hel sighed, hugging her, and letting her sit in her throne. "Calm down, okay?" Hel sighed. "I''ve told you multiple times that I don''t really like when you get all homicidal." "Ehhh~? You''re the goddess of the underworld, wouldn''t you be happy I bring you many new friends down here?" Laughed Loki, quickly changing her expression as she was healed by her daughter''s love. "I am the goddess of the underworld, but that also makes me the ruler of death. Death is a cycle, if you only bring death, the world will one day be stale. We need life. You need to be conscious of the things you might provoke in the future¡­ The cmities are already an immense threat, and they''re not partially your fault either. Odin and the gods used your powers to create them so the mortals never go out of proportion in their numbers, don''t they?" Hel asked. "Are you truly intending to use such uncontroble beasts to fight them? You can''t even control them!" ----- Chapter 609 Eccentric Family ----- Loki looked back at Hel while narrowing her beautiful red eyes. "Dear, since when have you been so attached to these mortals?" She asked. "I remember you never really cared." "¡­I''ve changed, okay? People change!" Hel said while crossing her arms. Loki smiled, knowing what was going on. "Oh, it is your little Apostle? Is it?" Loki asked, whispering to her daughter''s ears. "Maria, right?" "Ugh¡­" Hel sighed. Loki was very good at reading people, especially her daughter. "So what if its about her? I''ve seen things through her. The journey and all¡­ I''ve learned there''s good people out there, not everyone is worth¡­ killing." Loki sighed. "What an idealistic little girl I have here." Lokiughed, grabbing her daughter, and putting her over her beautiful thighs. "H-Hey don''t treat me like a little girl anymore!" Helined while blushing. "Well, we don''t truly know what might happen in the future. But for now my real goal aren''t the mortals out there¡­ Though, as the god of chaos, I cannot really side with anybody. It is within my nature, honey." Loki said. "You and your siblings are the only exception because you''re my dear babies I love more than anything! Mooch~ Mooch~!" Loki began kissing her daughter''s cheeks like a mother that loved to spoil her adorable daughter. "S-Stop it! Uughh¡­" Hel was getting tired of being treated like a little girl all the time. Her two siblings, Fenrir and J?rmungandr were currently roaming the Underworld and growing stronger by devouring Undead and other monsters. This has been their training for a few years now. Because the two of them were always busy, she had to deal with her mother''s affection all the time. "What are you going to do about the Fragments of Tyr?" Wondered Hel. "Huh? What with that question out of the blue?" Loki asked. "The humans are using his fragments. And there are other forces doing the same around the world¡­" Said Loki. "Do you not intend to grab them back?" "Well, Tyr is long gone. He''s merely just another tool to cause more chaos, nothing more than that¡­" Loki smiled. "Do you not regret what you did to him?" Hel asked. "Regret it?" Loki wondered. "What? Are you pitying him?" "No¡­ I mean¡­ No, not at all." Hel said.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Hmph, well, I did what I had to do. I don''t regret it, nor I care. I didn''t liked Tyr anyways." Laughed Loki. "It was amusing how father asked me to do it though, I never thought my holy father would desire to crush his own son, he''s really a monster, isn''t he?" "¡­You''re not so different." Hel sighed. "I am different!" Loki said. "I would never do that to you and your siblings, for example." "Huuuh~" Hel sighed, quickly floating into the air as she transformed into her phantasmal form. "Fenrir and Jormungandr should be close by, let''s go see them for now. You haven''t talked with them in a while." "R-Right! I should go meet them right away." Loki said, quickly generating bat-like wings from her back and pping them rapidly, rising into the skies of the underworld. "Ahh~ I wonder if I look good or should I get some more makeup?" "Leave it at that, you''re already pretty as you are, geez." Sighed Hel. "Aww! Yourpliments always makes me so happy!" Loki tried to catch her daughter in midair to give her a hug, as the two flew towards the two other children. Meanwhile, as Loki chased his daughter yfully, a massive ck wolf with sharp red eyes and an utterly gargantuan, purple-scaled snake with a third red eye on the middle of his forehead looked around the horizons of the underworld. They were nobody else than Fenrir and Jormungandr, the Wolf and the Snake, "aberrant" children of Loki discriminated by the other gods. "The world is changing¡­" The enormous snake spoke, with a calm andposed androgynous voice. His true sex was never clear, not even to his own family. However, the beautiful and gigantic snakeid enormous eggs where her children slid out from, filling the world. She was the mother of all snakes, and also their father. "Once more?" Fenrir looked back at his sister¡­ or brother. Jormungandr didn''t mind being called either of the two. The tall ck wolf, with his beautiful ck fur let the winds of the underworld pass through his body, showing how indescribably fluffy he was. "Yeah¡­" Jormungadr looked into the distance. Her eyes opening wide. "Hm?!" She was suddenly surprised. "What?" Fenrir asked in surprise. "S-She''sing¡­" "Who?" "M-Mother¡­" "Mother? But she''s- Ah, father, you mean?" "Well she likes to turn into woman sometimes, you know¡­" "Yeah I know¡­ Wait, she''s here?!" FLAAAASH! An enormous pressure almost made them fall into the ground, the chaotic divine aura of Loki emerged atop her two children, as she slowly descended with Hel at her side. The moment she reached the ground, she ran at an incredible speed towards her two children in front of her, with arms wide open. "My two little babieeeees!" FLAAAAAAASH! BAAAAM! She hit Fenrir with her entire body, throwing him into the ground while hugging his entire face. "Awooo! M-Mother! Do you have to be so rough?!" Fenrir cried. "Awe on, you''re not a weakling to say that hurt you!" Lokiughed, kissing her son. "I missed you! Why don''t youe to see your mother more?!" "I-I was busy¡­" Fenrir actually didn''t liked being with family as much, he wasn''t really sociable. However he still loved his mother. He quickly licked her entire body with his gigantic tongue. "But I am d to see you." "Mother, you''re back. It has been a while." Jormungandr greeted her mother. "Here, I''ve brough you a gift." "Ooh, my little snake baby! You''re so big! Did you grew a few more kilometers?" Loki wondered, suddenly receiving Jormungandr gift. It was an enormous dead rat. "A-And thanks for the gift¡­" "It is a delicious treat; you should eat it whole." Jormungandr said with expectations. "M-Maybeter!" Lokiughed. Indeed, the entire family was entric, to say the least. ------ Chapter 610 Odins Eye ----- Once Loki finished his greetings, the entire family gathered at Hel''s castle. Of course, some were too big to enter the castle, so they stayed outside and had a feast. Hundreds of undead served them delicious food made out of highest quality meat and ingredients. However, the carefree conversations quickly shifted as they spoke about what they had been feeling¡­ especially the two beast children. "Mother, I''ve felt this moretely¡­ The world is changing. Something is approaching." Jormungandr said. "Yes, I can sense something. I can almost smell it." Fenrir nodded. "You two had always been very connected with nature and have an acute sense." Loki said. "What do you exactly feel?" "The world¡­ there''s a new darkness approaching." Said Fenrir. "A new darkness?" Asked Fenrir. "Mine, perhaps?" "No, mother is not truly darkness." Jormungandr said. "Odin¡­ his children¡­" Fenrir said. "They''re nning something. Whatever you have nned, mother, you must hurry." "They have¡­ something nned?" Hel wondered. Loki didn''t changed her expression as she nodded. "I guess that''s right¡­ It''s pretty clear Odin and the rest have something against us." Said Loki. "But they also threatening the world? Ah, the Era of Cmity is approaching as well. Do you two want to go to the surface or something?" "It''s not our time yet¡­" Fenrir said. "Indeed." Jormungandr said. "However, a decisive battle might happen in the near future¡­" "However, there''s something else¡­ A being of indescribable power is developing. And those around her are also growing stronger¡­ They might seem small to us right now, but in the near future, they''ll be a big game changer." Fenrir analyzed. Hel immediately realized who they were talking about¡­ "(Maria?)" She wondered. "(If she really collects more of Tyr''s fragments, I guess that''s not so far from the truth¡­ And all her allies, her family itself, she''s someone that could actually be a "New Darkness")" Hel began to think that the developing Maria might had also threatened Odin. After all, she was the hot topic of the gods some time ago. Especially Odin, who''s overly cautious, already thought the ghost could be a threat to him in the future. And well, his ability to see the future didn''t fail him at this point, Maria was containing to grow stronger and stronger¡­ nobody knew how far she would reach, and she seemed to not even take that many breaks herself. Loki was thankfully unaware. Hel thanked her own mother for seeing those in the mortal world as little more than ythings she loved to see suffer and struggle with her dungeons and trials. However, now that a war between gods, which might inevitably force even mortals to act might be approaching¡­ she knew that life couldn''t be as leisure anymore. And she knew her mother would act when Odin least expected it¡­ But was Odin truly aiming at Loki, or was there something else he desired? It was up to Loki to investigate. "Well, for now, I''ll be going." Loki said with a beautiful smile. "Take care you three. Your mommy will be working hard to protect you. Love you all~!" Loki kissed her children and then quickly disappeared. "She still hasn''t changed her mind about this¡­" Fenrir sighed. "Indeed¡­" Jormungandr said. "Are you two willing to fight at her side too?" Hel wondered. "Of course." Fenrir said. "I wouldn''t mind mauling a god or two¡­ or an army of them." "To protect mother, I would do anything, even giving my life." Jormungandr said. "She and the two of you¡­ are everything to me." Hel sighed, smiling back at her siblings. "I guess you''re right¡­ I''ve not been raising and making my army of Undead stronger for nothing either¡­" Hel smiled. "A new asset is developing rapidly as well~" One side of Hel didn''t wanted unnecessary ughter, but the other wanted to make her mother happy and protect her above all costs, she had already made up her mind¡­ if she had to go against Odin and the other gods, she would, without a doubt. . . . Within a golden pce at the top of the heaven realm of the gods, which had barely survived as a gigantic dimensional fragment, Asgard, Odin and other gods gathered within a massive hall. Stretching in the middle of the hall there was a golden table, a few of his children and other Aesir gods sat down there, watching their all father think and n. "Father, have you found something?" A burly and bearded blonde man asked. It was Thor, the God of Thunder and War. "I have." Odin said, his single eye opening, as a sh of piercing divine light emerged. The two crows sitting at each side of his shoulders talked as well. "The Era of Cmity is approaching! CRAAH!" "CRAAH! Darkness abound!" "However¡­ New opportunities! CRAAH!" Odin smiled. "The possibility to attain the Apotheosis is drawing closer." Odin smiled. "The World''s Will is weakening. The World Tree will get to its weakest point once the Era of Cmity begins¡­" "So you truly n to take advantage of the monsters that Loki created¡­" The God of Thunder said. "So it''s time¡­" Asked the Goddess of Water, a beautiful woman with sharp blue eyes and long watery hair. "Well, this is what I''ve been waiting for¡­" The God of Earth said, his body made of steel and stone, a beautiful appearance and tall, muscr like a mountain. "The world shall truly be ours once we aplish such a goal¡­ Interesting." The God of Sunshine spoke, a fair face and a slender handsome man, holding upon a long bow. "Patience, brothers." The Goddess of Beauty spoke. "It is not yet the time¡­ Right, father?" Although they seemed different, all of them supported their father''s intentions of attaining "Apotheosis". "Yes¡­ the ascension we are nning is drawing closer. However, there are certain things we might have to get out of our way, eventually¡­" Odin spoke. "Are your Chosen Heroes growing stronger?" "Mine is." "Yes, they are."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Many Heroes are awakening around the world." "Their fates entwined with ours." "Good¡­" Odin smiled with a malicious smile, as he looked into the distance. "Then employ their power and crush them. Especially that ghost woman and her band of misfits¡­ I have a very bad feeling about them. My Golden Eye of Precognition is reacting after all¡­" ----- Chapter 611 A Prophecy From The Queen Of Elves ----- As the gods moved on their own ns and schemes, there were also many schemers in the mortal world, threats after threats. From the Vampires to the Frost Queen, to the farther foes wielding the power of the Evil God Fragments, and ultimately those that desire to bring the Cmities to destroy it all¡­ An Era of Cmity is approaching. Within the vastness of the world, arge will seemed to begin to grow weaker. The world''s will, the embodiment of the will of Yggdrasil sensed the power of the Cmities awakening across the world. Darkness has begun to spread. Yggdrasil''s Will continued growingrger, spreading across the world as she sensed the darkness that was approaching. The gods she had created, the Aesir, had turned themselves against her and their siblings, the titans, and dragons, and desired the entire world for themselves. And that included their own mother, the World Tree herself. "This will be the darkest age that will evere to this world¡­" A long-eared person, an elf, heard her words from afar. Her beautiful blonde hair and her shiny emerald eyes shone brightly in surprise. And so did a small, round shaped Treant on its spirit form. Meanwhile, within Alfheim, a prophet capable of talking with the Yggdrasil Tree also heard her words. "My children¡­ you must gather your forces¡­" "You must¡­ protect yournds, and your people¡­" "The gods¡­ they''re not your benefactors¡­" "An Era of Cmity is approaching¡­" "There is little hope left¡­ Yet there''s a dot, a small light I can see amidst this darkness¡­" "Interestingly enough, it is a light made of the same darkness that will torment my strength and this world¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn "What an ironic twist of Fate." "Find this otherworldly soul, and help her¡­" "My strength¡­ is fading away¡­" The elf prophet finished hearing her words, as his eyes were left in shock. Many of the other elves around him were expectant of his words. But she simply couldn''t say any! The gods were not their allies? The light amidst this darkness was¡­ a being made of darkness itself? And that person was also an otherworldly soul, a reincarnated person! Above all, her voice¡­ filled with so much fear. "The World Tree is weakening¡­ We must prepare for the Era of Cmity!" The beautiful elf woman said, her green hair waving gracefully. "I must first write what I''ve been told¡­ And then, gather the Elders!" The elves of Alfheim panicked, the words of the Yggdrasil Tree were filled with uncertainty. As the protectors of nature and the ones closest to it, Elves always believed the words of the World Tree on their totality. And they were always 100% urate¡­ after all, only the World Tree was capable of gazing through the fate of this world. The Elders of Alfheim heard such words from the prophet, their faces twisting in confusion and despair. "The Darkest Era of Cmity yet?!" "What¡­ can we even do now?" "Our strength, is it enough?" "So the World Tree said the true hero is the Hero of Darkness, and it is a woman, no less?" "And what about the other heroes?" The Elders, elves that have lived for thousands of years panicked. However, a tall figure in the middle of the conference room quickly calmed them down with her voice. "That''s enough." The Elders quickly stopped discussing, as they nced at her beauty. Amongst all elves, she was the most beautiful and fairest of maidens. Long, rainbow hair, shiny golden eyes, long ears, and a beautiful, motherly figure. What differentiated her the most from the other elves was that she was very tall, being over three meters of height, towering above all other elves. And of course¡­ her beautiful butterfly-like wings, rainbow in color. These wings were a sign of her being of the purest bloodline, direct descendants of the Vanir Gods, Freyr and Freyja. "Lady Titania¡­" Her name was Titania, the Queen of all Elves. In the continent of Alfheim, Elves lived inrge tribes, but they only had one single sovereign, the holder of the divine bloodline of the Vanir, the queen of elves, Titania. "We''ve heard her words. There is no point in discussing things that won''t change. Let us do as our mother says, and let''s prepare for the darkest of times toe. Train the soldiers, conquer as many dungeons as we can, prepare our forces. And¡­ seek the Heroine of Darkness, the onest hope our mother has deemed as our only possible savior amidst such darkest of times." Her words were absolute, all elves lowered their heads before her divine presence. "Very well¡­" "We apologize for this¡­" "We shall think about the future and what we must do." "Thank you for your enlightenment, Queen Titania." Titania nodded, as she smiled faintly. Despite her smile, which filled with hope the Elders, deep inside, she felt conflicted. "(Why, mother? Why is the Savior a Hero that wields the power of darkness and death? I simply¡­ don''t understand.)" She sighed internally. "(However, I am not someone that will doubt your words¡­ I will bring her to my domain and see who she truly is.)" As the Elders left, Titania looked across the open window within the enormous and beautiful pce where she lived alongside her subjects. She nced into the beautiful moonlight of the night sky. The stars shone the brightest this night. She felt conflicted and saddened, at the same time as worried. "The Gods¡­ are not our benefactors? What about the Vanir Gods, Lord Freyr and Lady Freyja? Are they your enemy as well, mother?" She sighed. The words given were notpletely clear. There were too many gods out there, deeming them all as "not benefactors" was very harsh. But perhaps the World Tree had no other way to word it. "I can feel it¡­ The Seed of Yggdrasil and the third wielder of the Vanir''s Bloodline, both have awakened¡­" Titania looked into the distance, her eyes gazing through hundreds of kilometers into the continent of Midgard. "And interestingly enough, the Hero of Darkness must be with them¡­" ----- Chapter 612 The Voice Of The World Tree ----- (Maria POV) "This will be the darkest age that will evere to this world¡­" "My children¡­ you must gather your forces¡­" "You must¡­ protect yournds, and your people¡­" "The gods¡­ they''re not your benefactors¡­" "An Era of Cmity is approaching¡­" "There is little hope left¡­ Yet there''s a dot, a small light I can see amidst this darkness¡­" "Interestingly enough, it is a light made of the same darkness that will torment my strength and this world¡­" "What an ironic twist of Fate." "Find this otherworldly soul, and help her¡­" "My strength¡­ is fading away¡­" Emeraldine finished talking, as she sighed. Just now, we came back from our dungeon journey and we were enjoying some nice dinner. I had just now given Emeraldine, Partner, and Lucifer their respective boost items that Hel handled to me, the [Crystalized Vampiric Bat Tyrant''s Blood (A Grade)], [Fafnir''s Blood Elixir (A Grade)], and [Spirit Queen''s Essence Phial (A Grade)]. ----- [Crystalized Vampiric Bat Tyrant''s Blood (A Grade)] The crystalized blood of a powerful Vampiric Bat Tyrant, a powerful Blood-type Monster that dwells the underworld. Their blood is said to be incredibly precious and filled with Blood Attribute Essence. Usually said to be capable of increasing the power of the Physique of someone, however, it is extremely poisonous. If consumed by a Vampire, they will attain incredible power. ----- [Fafnir''s Blood Elixir (A Grade)] An Elixir crafted using the small drop of blood of the Evil Dragon of Greed, Fafnir, who dwells within Svartalfheim mixed with many other herbs and ingredients harvested in the Underworld. It possess an incredible Draconic Strength that might grant Draconic Bloodlines to those that drink it or kill them in the process if they''re weak enough. If drank by an Ancient Dragon, their power might skyrocket. ----- [Spirit Queen''s Essence Phial (A Grade)] A beautiful Phial made out of divine power holding the liquified concentration of the Spirit Queen''s Essence, containing the power of spirits and elements within the world. The Spirit Queen is a beautiful maiden that dwells within the Spiritual Realm, a Realm between the Mortals and Gods. She governs over all Spirits, and it is said she''s the pir of this world''s elements. Said to enchant the magic power of those with elven bloodline, however, it might also cause mana overload and kill them in the process if they are weak. Special ones might inherit a greater power than just an enchantment to magic power. ----- These three items were given to my beloved ones. I know, it sounded scary to me as well when it said that it could kill them! But when I began to doubt, I received another message from Hel saying it was okay, as they were specifically made for them¡­ I cannot trust her too much, but this time I tried to trust her! And yeah, it more than worked, all three of them were boosted through the roof! Although none evolved or anything of the like, they had attained new skills and their stats skyrocketed. Lucifer gained new abilities rted with Fafnir, with his dragon form bing stronger as well as his dragon breath. Meanwhile, Partner became even more vampiric, and now had the power to shapeshift! Lastly, Emeraldine became even more brighter than ever, she was a walkingmp. And above all, her eyes turned rainbow for a bit, and she began saying all sorts of weird words! We were rather shocked while having dinner¡­ once she finished talking, she quickly wrote down everything in a notebook and then read it back to us. Root also said he heard the same voice talking inside his head for some reason¡­ Ah, by the way, he''s now around Level 30 out of 60. "So that''s it, huh?" I wondered. "I¡­ don''t get it." "Me neither¡­ But I think it was the voice of the World Tree." Emeraldine said. "T-The World Tree?!" Aquamarine asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Wait, is this true?" Ruby wondered. The two were with us, of course. Alongside Helga and the other dwarves too. There was no way I wasn''t going to invite them to have dinner at this fancy woman''s house. "Yeah, I also heard the same thing gyugyuh!" Root said, while sitting over the table. He was enjoying himself some pie and cake. Of course, he was within his Spirit Embodiment form, small and round. His real body size is too big to even fit in the house. "Root seems connected as well, as he has consumed Yggdrasil''s Sap." I said to the two. "He''s a special lil'' guy." "I see¡­" Ruby muttered. "I¡­ This means the Era of Cmity ising closer. We have to get ready, Aquamarine." "Indeed¡­ I didn''t expect this toe so sooner though. We''ll have to prepare even more. Producing more golems, our greatest asset, should be prioritized as well." The olddy said. "So this world is finally reaching such an Age¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Things are only going to get worse from this point¡­" "Come on don''t be a party pooper, brother." Sighed Brunhild. "A-Ah, right, sorry¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Don''t be sorry, I guess you''re right." I said. "We need to prepare for the inevitable now¡­ Of course, once we''re done with the dungeon we have to conquer after this one." I ended deciding to not take over the swamp dungeon because it was very nice to us. I left it be for now, as it was harmless and seemed to know about the dwarves and I think it was rather content to have a symbiotic rtionship between the dungeon''s resources and the magic power the dwarves brought. "Yeah, and then there''s the whole problem with the Frost Queen¡­ This is not easy to deal with." Sighed Ruby. "I''ll be working hard to help you guys as much as I can. By using the resources of your dungeon, we can also convince more of my siblings to invest into defenses and the creation of more golems." "That would be ideal." Said Aquamarine. "Well, now, everyone, let''s enjoy dinner for now. We''ve had a long day. Let''s rest afterwards." ----- Chapter 613 Lovely Night 1 (R18) ----- After everything that was talked and discussed, I decided to quickly go to my room within the manor with Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine. After everything that happened we needed to rx for a bit. Nyx quickly fell asleep, and we left her in the twins'' room so she could rest well without being bothered by¡­ our nightly activities. Well, it was pretty easy that we needed to unwind a bit. Emeraldine was slightly stressed by what she heard back then, and I wanted to make her feelfortable. I thought snuggling would had been enough, but she seemed to have other ns¡­ "A-Ah~ W-Wait, Emeraldine¡­Y-You''re sucking so deep!" "Mmmh~!" Emeraldine was viciously sucking my lower lips with her warm tongue, which stretched all the way inside. She was tasting my insides as if they were a delicious gourmet treat. "Y-You don''t like it¡­?" Emeraldine quickly let go of me, as I finally had a time to take a break and rx in the bed. "Hahhh¡­ Oh god¡­ You''re way too good at oral sex¡­" I sighed in relief. "Hm~ I''ll take it as if you liked it then~ You said I could do anything I wanted, right~?" Emeraldine asked with a slightly perverted smile. "Y-Yes but¡­" I muttered, feeling slightly overwhelmed. I guess when I wasn''t drunk, I became slightly shier. She quickly began to gently stretch my lower lips, as my pussy opened wide in front of her. She sexily licked her lips, giving me another big lick before sucking it hard once more. "Oooooh~ Ohh gods! Ahhhh~!" As I was moaning like a bitch, Partner was smiling teasingly. "Ufufu~ Ahh, these have gotten bigger since you evolved, Master~ Let me give you a hand~!" Partner said teasingly, as she started to lick the tip of one of my breasts, while teasing the other one with her fingers and long red nails. "Aahhh~ W-Wait¡­ Ooh¡­!" "Hmmm~" Partner quickly began sucking on my breast as if she was a baby, while tightly pressing the other. The sensation of pleasure was something a ghost like me shouldn''t even feel, but it was all so real it was making me explode in orgasms. Gosh, why am I so sensitive with these things?! With Emeraldine devouring me down there and Partner sucking on my breasts, the constant jolts of pleasure reaching the depths of my soul were killing me. "Ahhh¡­ L-Lucy¡­ Come on, don''t be shy." However, I quickly got more and more into the mood as my body started to heat up, Lucifer felt slightly left out, but I quickly called him to my side. "Here, show it to me, I want to suck it on for you honey." "A-Are you sure?" "Yes, give it to me." Lucifer shyly took off his dick, big and warm. Such a delicious rod quickly got me even more into the mood, while my two other wives pleasured the rest of my body, I quickly started to lick my husband''s cock. "Hmmm~" I''ve done this more times than I can remember, mostly because I got so drunk I did a lot of nasty things to him. I''ve developed a fetish of sucking on his hard cock already, and the more I saw him moan in pleasure, the more I got harder, including Partner and Emeraldine''s teasing. "Haahhh~ Y-You''re sucking so hard¡­!" The salty and warm dick of my dragon husband filled my mouth, I continued sucking him off. The taste filling my mouth as it made me go numb. The more I saw him I pleasure, the more I liked him. I continued doing it rapidly, until his hips started moving on their own. "F-Fuck! T-This thing you humans do feels so good¡­!" As a dragon, he had never done such things with his wife before. I am quite d I was able to bring him new pleasures~ His cock was almost addictive to suck, I continued doing so until his hips shook once more, and then¡­ "I-I''m cumming¡­!" He tried to pull it out, but I didn''t let him, opening my mouth wide as he came all inside of my mouth, covering my tongue with his delicious and creamy dragon seed. "Hhahhh~ Y-You''re drinking it?" "Hhmm~ I love it." I cleansed his whole cock until it was pimping clean. "Hahh¡­" He fell to the bed almost devastated. Although his majestic rod continued being erect. Leaving him satisfied, I quickly decided to do the same with my other two maidens. "Alright, who''s next?" I asked with a smile. "Let Emeraldine do it for now, Master, she wants to rx, right?" Partner asked with a teasing smile. "R-Really?" She asked timidly, as she had just finished on giving me oral. "Yes,e here my love, I am going to make you feel really good. All your worries are going to fade away." I said with a seductive smile. Emeraldine quickly moved to my side, as we kissed passionately for a little while before she gave me her lower lips, resting over the bed, her long and beautiful legs stretched as I began tasting her delicious pussy. It was so sweet and slightly salty~ I loved every second of it, it was addicting, as she continued letting out more and more of her juices, her warmth interior was weing as well. I yfully used my fingers with some lotion to prate her beautiful butt, making her have double the pleasure. "Hahh~ M-Maria! AHHH~! OOOH~!" Her moans had always been very loud, she''s a nasty girl that likes to moan very loudly. As I gave Emeraldine the time of her life, Partner sneaked into my butt and began licking it all viciously, sucking on my butthole and vagina together. She was such a sneaky girl¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn "Hey Lucy, are you tired?" Asked Partner with a teasing smile. "I guess you''re too old for round two? Look at this, it is waiting for you~" Partner showed Lucifer my butt, opening my pussy for him. "Ah!" Lucifer''s dick quickly grew erect in a single second, he immediately went for it. I am surprised how cooperative these two have be¡­ ----- Chapter 614 Lovely Night 2 (R18) ----- "Maria¡­ I''m going in¡­" Lucifer charmingly said, as he quickly got behind me and started rubbing his cock on my wet pussy. "Whenever you want honey." "Ahhh¡­ Such sweet words only makes me harder¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn His cock slowly began to slide all the way inside of my pussy, reaching deep. It was so hard and warm. I quickly began pressing my hips on his own, shaking them rapidly as the delicious sensation of his cock spearheading through my insides made me go numb in pleasure. p! p! p! The sound of my cheeks hitting Lucifer''s hips echoed across the room. The entire ce was getting more heated as my vision got slightly dizzier, I began sweating a lot despite my physiology, as Lucifer started gently smacking my cheeks, that only turned me on even more. Meanwhile, as that happened, Emeraldine was already climaxing, my tongue quickly overpowered her senses and made her cum in an instant, filling my mouth with her delicious ambrosia. I drank it all, and then gave her a good kiss in her beautiful and round butt. "Oooh~ Ahhh~ I-I came¡­" She sighed in relief. "You sure did my love." I told her, giving her a few more French kisses before Partner viciously stole my lips and tongue, beginning to kiss me now. "Master I want you to suck it there too~" She said like a good, obedient girl. "Alright~ I''ll reward you for being such a nice girl today. I''ll treat you really well¡­" I smiled back at her, as she gave me her delicious pussy served on a te. I instantly began sucking it on with all my strength, all while Lucifer continued pounding me hard from behind. This sensation was too good, abination of pleasures that can only be attained by having several sexual partners in bed! Such a bliss is to have a harem! Unlike Emeraldine''s sweet pussy, Partner was more salty, and tasted slightly like liquor. The smell of her sweat all over made the intensity even greater. We fought a lot today, so she was filled with it. I quickly began licking her up without stopping, she moved her legs around timidly as I made her mine. She moaned softly, little moans like the chirps of a small bird. "Ahh ~ Oohh~ Nnggh~ T-That''s¡­ there!" She quickly pushed my head down with her hand, as I reached even deeper, all while I fingered her butthole with my fingers, the perfectbination technique! p! p! p! As that happened, Lucifer was gritting his teeth as he moaned softly, pounding my pussy until the very end. "Oooh~ Honey you''re so good, keep fucking me hard~!" I told him, incentivizing him to fuck me even harder. "Nnngh! F-Fine! If you really want it hard!" PLAP! PLAP! PLAP! He tightly grasped butt as he began pounding even harder, the sound of our sweaty flesh hitting one another reverberated across the room, making the situation even more sexy and fucking hot. "Ahhh! Master, I love you!" Partner began to moan loudly as I sucked her off while touching grasping her nipples and ying with them. "Oof~ Ahh¡­ I-I am at my limit already¡­!" "You moan so much, are you a little whore~?" Emeraldine asked Partner. "I''ll make you shut up for a bit¡­" Emeraldine quickly showed up at her side, giving her a kiss in her lips out of the blue and shutting her up. "Hmmm~ Hahh¡­ H-Hey¡­! Why did you kiss me?" Partner blushed a bit. "You didn''t like it?" Emeraldine smiled back. "W-Well, I did- Ahhh~!" Partner moaned onest time, as she came all inside of my mouth. "Nnnggh~ Ooohhh~!" Once she finished, I quickly pulled out my mouth and tongue, as I started kissing the two of them in turns, the two were so vicious tonight they started kissing me at the same time, sticking their tongues out and sucking on my own. This was too hot¡­ Another benefit of harem! "I-I''m cumming! S-Should I pull out?" Lucifer was about to climax, as he politely asked me this. "No~! Cum all the way inside baby, cum inside of me! Let it all out!" "S-Shit¡­! Fine, if you want it so badly, have it your way!" Lucifer pped my ass cheeks onest time, as his hot dick let it all out inside of my pussy. I felt his deliciously warm seed filling me up, making me go numb out of the pleasure. I came as well right at that time, falling into the bed out of exhaustion and pleasure. He slowly pulled out his hard cock, as a small river of his white seed came out of my pussy, it was too hot. I loved it when he came inside, honestly¡­ "Hahh¡­ Up to round two?" I asked everyone again, my exhaustion was gone in an instant. One of the benefits of being so strong through stats! Like that, we kept fucking like rabbits for hour, letting all the stress and exhaustion we had umted. Lucifer grabbed me roughly and fucked me hard, kissing me passionately while we did some mating press, bending me to his will like the powerful dragon he is. Partner rubbed her pussy on mine several times, while Emeraldine sucked on my tits. It was so much sex I passed out at the end, with everyone included. Lucifer fell unconscious first though, after an hour he can''t go on anymore, fufu. When I opened my eyes, the sunlight wasing from the window, it was already morning¡­ I felt slightly tired still but having so much funst night really cleared my mind. I sighed in relief, finding my three beloveds sleeping around the bed. I gave each one a kiss as they slowly woke up. "Let''s go take a bath in the hot springs, we can rx there and¡­ maybe have a bit more sex if you want to." I winked at the three. They immediately jumped off the bed. "Alright!" Emeraldine got ready in an instant. "My ideal type of breakfast!" Partner agreed. ----- Chapter 615 Strange Skills ----- "Let''s go take a bath in the hot springs, we can rx there and¡­ maybe have a bit more sex if you want to." I winked at the three. They immediately jumped off the bed. "Alright!" Emeraldine got ready in an instant. "My ideal type of breakfast!" Partner agreed. "Let me carry you, my queen." Lucifer charmingly said. Lucifer carried me with his arms, as the four of us ran to the hot springs in the manor, and had yet another good time there, while washing ourselves with the rxing and warm waters¡­ Nothing better than this before going into a dangerous dungeon~!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om After such a rxing morning, I felt renewed, the warm waters really did a nice job at rxing the muscles of my soul¡­ or whatever helps me move them around. Ding! [The Goddess of the Underworld and Death is amused by your sexual libido.] [She says you''re a sex beast.] EH?! Did this woman just watched me have sex? Hey, you damn pervert! If you do that again I won''t be your apostle anymore! Ding! [The Goddess of the Underworld and Death] says that she didn''t actually saw you do anything.] [But she can tell you had a lot of sex.] [However, to appease your growing frustrations, she decided to gift you something in goodwill.] Eh? This bitch¡­ Ding! [You acquired the [Sex Beast: Lv1] Title Skill] [You learned the [Lovemaking: Lv1] Skill] [You acquired [Subus'' Elixir Of Love (A Grade)] x1 and [Underworld Snail''s Lube (A Grade)] x1!] [The Goddess of the Underworld and Death says these are gifts her father brought to her, but that she didn''t really need.] [She hopes you can find a better use to them.] This is ridiculous¡­ She''s really mocking me, isn''t she? Well, I''ll take the skills and the items¡­ But I won''t be grateful for it! ----- [Subus'' Elixir Of Love (A Grade)] A special elixir made by Subus, a tribe of Majin that live in the depths of the Underworld ande visit mortals at night sometimes. Any of their bodily fluids is a strong aphrodisiac. This Elixir is made out of their sweat and blood, hence its pink color. A small sip of this elixir will awaken a powerful sexual libido in anybody. However, great exhaustiones afterwards, or even death if the recipient is not physically strong enough. ----- [Underworld Snail''s Lube (A Grade)] The slime produced by a special type of small, cute snail that lives all over the Underworld. It is very sticky and amazing for the skin, leaving it soft. It helps at burns, irritation, and of course, it allows easier pration, amongst many other things. Can loosen even the tightest of holes. ----- Ugh, the descriptions are so cringy¡­ ¡­ But they''re useful, I shall use them on their due time. I stealthily saved the items inside my inventory, as I looked into the new Skills I got. They might be sex-rted but perhaps there''s some other bonus that helps in battle or something? ----- [Sex Beast: Lv1] A Title granted to someone that had sexual intercourse for over six hours without stopping. It facilitates sexual intercourse, heating up the body whenever the deed is about to start. It also increases vitality and reduces exhaustion. Bonuses increase per skill level. Additionally, it grants a buff to the user and any sexual partner once the deed is done, which boosts their Stats by +10% for 10 Hours with each Skill Level. ----- [Lovemaking: Lv1] Some people might think that having sex with another person is nothing special, but for many, it is considered a beautiful art where the bodies of people are unified beautifully. Instead of sex, it is often referred as Lovemaking. This Skill enhances the user''s techniques while doing Lovemaking, and grants knowledge about sexual positions and special sensitive spots to make their partner feel happier and more loved. Additionally, HP and MP can be healed through Lovemaking, quantity increases with each Skill Level by a small amount. And it is possible to share energies between the user and their partner through intercourse, with a chance to increase stats and magical power permanently by exchanging energy. ----- I think I read about this back then in my previous life. It was called¡­ Dual Cultivation, or something. I guess this might be quite simr. The ability to get stronger through such acts while also having a chance to boost our power permanently by exchanging energies with one another, how interesting. But still! These Skills are a bit¡­ embarrassing to have. I better not reveal the existence of them to anybody¡­ Though I wonder if sex workers get these types of Skills? I guess the Soul Books are not only to get fighting skills, but you can also even get stuff like this to facilitate intercourse. I wonder if there are other types of skills rted to it out there¡­ Maybe something like [Bondage] or whatever¡­ Ah, well, I better not think about it more than this. Anyways, once we walked out of the bathroom, we got all dressed up and went to check on Nyx and the twins. The little baby dragon girl was already wake, biting on her brother''s tail. "Nom, nom, nom¡­!" "Ouch, Nyx stop it! I don''t have a tough tail like your daddy!" Takeshi was enduring it quite well¡­ He''s a good kid. "Mama!" However, the moment we entered the room, Nyx jumped straight towards me, reaching my chest and snuggling her face in between my breasts. "Did you miss your mama? You only slept a single night without being at our side, dear." I sighed. "Mama! Hungy¡­" She said with beautiful eyes. "Nom!" And then she bite my tit¡­ "Ouch! O-Okay, I''ll bring you some meat, alright? Let''s go have breakfast downstairs! D-Don''t bite me there! Ouch! Ah, is this how it feels to give milk to a baby?" I cried. "I don''t think they bite so hard¡­" Emeraldine giggled. "Nyx don''t bite so hard. You have to do it gently! Maybe suck it a bit." Partner said. "Partner don''t go teaching my daughter those things!" Lucifer reprimanded her, as he quickly grabbed Nyx and let her bite his tail. She quickly calmed down after that, miraculously. "She really likes your tail¡­" ----- Chapter 616 The Best Of Dwarven Technology ----- Once we managed to get to breakfast, we rxed and ate to our heart''s contents. Aquamarine and Ruby came quickly after, alongside Helga and the dwarves. They seemed to have been preparing something themselves, and didn''t merely wanted us to do everything for them, as they wanted to provide their help. "We are ready." Aquamarine nodded. "I am d we managed to get them just in time." Ruby sighed. "Huh? What did you get?" I wondered. "Heh,e outside to see!" Helga quickly led me outside. And then, the dwarves showed us what they had brought. It was a row of a dozen enormous golems made of hard, magic-imbued steel and enchanted with holy light magic. They shone brightly with silver and golden colors, and were tall, resembling old school robots with big, round heads without necks. They also held enormous weapons with them, including giant riddles, missileunchers, and more. There was also one of them packed with weapons all over its body, which Helga quickly jumped over the top of it. "W-What?" Lucifer reacted in surprise. "Golems?" Emeraldine wondered. "S-So many!" Partner was fascinated. "They''re so cool!" Takeshi was impressed.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Can we use them?!" Laura was excited to be able use them. "I mean, you could try but I am fairly sure you''re stronger than them, so it would be a bit useless." Laughed Aquamarine. "These amazing golems are ourtest season ones. Ruby and I invested some of our money to get these done the moment you said you wanted to carry on clearing the Sealed Miasma Dungeon." "Wait, really? But you didn''t had to¡­" I said in surprise. "This feels like overdoing it¡­ Also, sorry if I sound harsh, but wouldn''t it be better if you guys don''te to begin with?" "Heh, and that''s where you''re underestimating us." Helga smiled. "These amazing golems are not your run of the mill simple golems, theye with the [Transformation] Ability, the [Metal Assimtion] Ability, and the [Combination] Ability!" Helgaughed. "These are thetest models we''ve made! Pure dwarven technology!" I had never heard of such types of Abilities! But I guess much like bombs, golems can alsoe with their own abilities, right? I guess it makes sense. But I think I understand Helga. I can get why they''re different. They can transform to adapt to many situations, absorb metals to be stronger and also repair themselves if broken, and thenbine if they need even more power. I suppose these dwarves are too stubborn to be left behind. A squadron of 13 Dwarves using thest model golems will end up joining us. "And theye equipped with special, highly valuable materials. We added several Holy Stones to them, which allow these golems to use Abilities such as [Holy Aura], [Healing Light], [Holy Beam], amongst others. They need charging their mana frequently, but the dwarves can also supply their own Mana." Ruby smiled. "We''ve equipped them with tons of essories that increase their Maximum Mana capacity." Said Aquamarine. "Also, in yesterday''s raid to the dungeon, all of them leveled up a lot, most of them areparable to B- Rank now, with enough equipment added to their bodies." Amazing¡­ I never thought the Dwarven Squadron would get this strong this quickly¡­ I guess I''ve been underestimating their willpower this entire time. They are just amazing¡­ And gosh, I want some golems myself! I think only the highest ranked undeadpared to their prowess. "Amazing, with those spells, they''re perfectly suited to enter that miasma-filled dungeon." Said Emeraldine. "I guess going in also requires the golems to protect from the miasma itself." "They''re like the living armors you made, master." Partner said. "She''s right, what will happen to Emeraldine and Partner if we go in as we are?" Lucifer wondered. "Also, Brunhild, do you feel confident you can withstand the miasma?" "Don''t worry about it, I had devised a Spell for this, I imbued it into several essories through alchemy, using some of our newest materials for their creation." I told everyone with a confident smile. "Oh, where are they?" Wondered Emeraldine. "¡­I have yet to make them though." Iughed a bit. Everyone looked at me while narrowing their eyes. "I-I was going to do them soon! Don''t get angry now¡­" Iughed nervously. "Anyways, we are already strong enough, we can withstand miasma more easily. I can also just conjure the spell on you guys directly for the same effect. The essories will simply keep it on continuously." "Yeah, I mean, I can withstand miasma just well. I got the Corruption Resistance Skill some time ago¡­ I think because I''ve had too much sex with master." Partner rubbed her chin. "After all her very being is covered on miasma and stuff¡­" "Huh, I see¡­" Aquamarine smiled at me. "So that''s how it is¡­" Ruby said as well. "Huh¡­ That''s quite the sneaky way to get resistance to miasma." Helga analyzed. "Indeed, a very interesting way, gahahahaha!" ckard and the other dwarvesughed their lungs out. "Ugh, Partner don''t talk about private stuff so openly!" I reprimanded her. "A-Ah, sorry!" Partner apologized. "I got a bit carried away¡­ Ahahah¡­" But she''s actually right now that I think about it¡­ My entire body produces miasma yet it is not harmful to them, for some reason. The more closer we are and the more used they get to my presence, the more they develop a resistance to it. Then Emeraldine and Partner already hold the [Corruption Resistance] Skill, which is the one rted with Miasma-type damage. Looking at their status, the skill itself is already Level 3 in the two of them! ¡­Damn, I guess what we didst night was really worth it, huh? Nheless, the golems that Aquamarine and Ruby spent millions of coins intomissioning were ideal for the raid. I thought we could handle it ourselves, but the more aid we have, the better. I cannot bring my top Undead with me because I left them all protecting my ce, at most I can bring armies of lesser undead, but they can only buy time against overpowered foes such as powerful Dungeon Bosses. And damn, I guess what we didst night was really worth it, huh? ------ Chapter 617 Time To Make Some Special Items ----- Nheless, the golems that Aquamarine and Ruby spent millions of coins intomissioning were ideal for the raid. I thought we could handle it ourselves, but the more aid we have, the better. I cannot bring my top Undead with me because I left them all protecting my ce, at most I can bring armies of lesser undead, but they can only buy time against overpowered foes such as powerful Dungeon Bosses. And I believe the very monsters we''ll find there might be several times stronger than the Abyssal Ants we fought back then. It''ll be a lot of bloodshed and danger; we''ll need as much support as we can. Only one of us currently wields enough light element power to purify the miasma properly, Emeraldine. But now, we''ve got 14 powerful golems, as strong as B++ Rank monsters at our side, and all of theme packed with Holy Light Elemental Stones and Runes. We couldn''t had asked for something better. "This is amazing, nheless. Thanks a lot for thinking so far ahead¡­" I sighed in relief. "But how much did you spent?" I wondered. "Each Golem costed roughly 25 million gold." Said Aquamarine. "I''ve used over half my total capital saved through my whole life to help you." "I did my part as well." Ruby nodded. "Let''s call it an investment. If we are truly capable of clearing this dungeon, then it''ll be possible that we can attain yet another high ranked dungeon where we could nt resources inside. If everything goes well, of course." "I see, an investment¡­" I nodded. "Alright then, for now I''ll go make some preparations, potions, and items I need as well. Girls,e with me." Like that, I quickly walked back to our room and summoned the Alchemy Cauldron out, activating it while I browsed through the many materials I got. I had devised a special spell named [Underworld''s Abyssal Veil]. Itbines my Abyssal Barrier with the power of Death itself to repel Miasma. However, its duration is only at most ten minutes, and then it explodes and dissipates, letting the one being protected exposed to Miasma once more. However, such a weakness wouldn''t exist if I simply add this Spell to an item, for example, a very powerful Ring or Bracelet, right? The spell bes an ability of the item now, and its effects stay on as long as Mana is supplied. The ring will simply absorb Mana from the user. It absorbs a lot though, but those that are going to wear it have tons of it anyways, and even if theyck, I''ll simply share my own Mana with them if necessary, it is way easier than keeping the spell up every ten minutes. However, for the creation of an item that can hold up to such a powerful spell, I''ll need top tier materials, so I''ll be using most of the materials I got from the monsters in yesterday''s dungeon raid. And of course, above that, I''ll be using the Spirit Treasures inside of my Soul Scape too. Tyr, within my Soul Scape, finished taking out some branches from the Tree of Death, and flower petals from the flowers as well. These are high quality materials as well, which I can freely harvest from within my own soul! ¡­Although they regrow very slowly, each petal I took from the flowers will take roughly two weeks. And the branches from the tree? Over a month¡­ it is certainly not a fast production of materials to say the least, but it works and is good enough anyways. Aside from those materials, there were a few other items I had. The ones I got from the reward clear¡­ They are items that can be used, not just sole materials. But I''ll leave them forter, they have specific uses that mighte in handy, especially the materials I ended getting from the random item boxes from the normal boss as well. But for now, it would also be better if I can dismantle this thing¡­ I have the entire Hydra''s corpse inside my Inventory and never dismantled it, so let''s do this right now. "Dismantle."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om FLASH! The sole item [Hydra''s Carcass] quickly dismantled, turning into hundreds of separate materials. Ding! [You acquired the [Hydra''s Nine Elemental Heads] x9, [Hydra''s Crushed Brain] x30, [Hydra''s Magic Reflecting Scales] x60, [Hydra''s Powerful Bones] x100, [Hydra''s flesh] x50, [Elemental Draconic Heart Core] x1, [Exquisite Quality Magic Crystal] x1, [¡­] Hah¡­ I knew this monster was amazingly valuable, but the materials it gave me are utterly insane. And the best part is that they alle imbued with incredible quantities of magic power. And are of very high quality! With this alone, I can easily make the rings and bracelets I want. Not only I want some for Emeraldine and Partner, who are the ones affected (as I, Lucifer, Nyx, and the twins are immune to it) but also for Brunhild whose mes can pierce through miasma and protect her, but not totally, and all the dwarves too as a countermeasure. So at the end, I need to make roughly¡­ 17 Rings and Bracelets. But why rings and bracelets at the same time? Well, to stabilize the entire spell. With a ring alone should be enough, but the ring risks being broken if too much Miasma is there at the end. So to stabilize it, another powerful essory will share the burden. At the same time, both essories will be interconnected through Soul Connection Magic, yeah, I''ll be putting tiny soul fragments from my very soul into each essory, just to make them stronger. It''ll end bing cursed equipment if I do that, but it will be a "good" curse that protects their wielders and devour and repels miasma at the same time, what''s better than that? I quickly ced the materials over the entire floor, as Emeraldine and Partner, the beautiful Alchemist Teacher and the cute Alchemist Assistant were bbergasted by the amount of materials. Bones, enormous eyeballs, scales, magic crystals, fins, slime, and even cores, I was using a lot of everything we got yesterday. "Alright girls, let''s get started." ----- Chapter 618 Mixing Spirit Treasures With Alchemy ----- Because we don''t have the time to go mine for materials at the mountains, it''ll have to do using all these amazing materials dropped from strong monsters, and the few other ores and crystals I''ve stored for these types of moments. Of course, making a total of 34 essories one by one ispletely unrealistic. So I''ll simply use my little trickter, for now, what I need is to simply make the first two, in their most perfect form. But making one after the other is also tiring, so I''ll simply make both at the same time. This is a technique Emeraldine taught me some time ago named "Dual Alchemy" the ability to create two different items simultaneously. However, for this to actually work, both items but corrte with one another. Luckily, these two essories will use almost the same materials, but their shape and internal structure will be different from one another so they canplement with each other as they''re worn by their wearers.N?v(el)B\\jnn Anyways, this is the list of monster materials avable, it''s a ton of them. [Acidic Slime Ooze] x55, [Acid Swamp Slime Shattered Core Piece] x82, [Acidic Fragrance Bottle] x7] [Smander''s Oily Skin] x46, [Smander''s Soft Venomous Meat and Bones] x66, [Giant Smander''s Eyeballs] x22, [Swamp Smander''s Gooey Mucus] x9] [Poisonous Frog''s Venom-Producing Organs] x64, [Venomous Tongue Weapon] x45, [Poisonous Frogs Eyeballs] x37, [Poisonous Frogs Meat and Bones] x83] [Anglerfish Meat and Bones] x27, [Giant Anglerfish Bait] x21, [Spear Fish''s Skull] x31, [Arrow Fish Meat and Bones] x43, [Poison-Resistance Anglerfish Scales] x77] [Ruler of the Swamp''s Eyes] x2, [Ruler of the Swamp''s Element Resistant Scales] x20, [Ruler of the Swamp''s Meat and Bones] x40, [Water Bending Organs] x5, [Poison Producing nds] x4, [Ruler of the Swamp''s Aquatic Heart Core] x1 [Hydra''s Nine Elemental Heads] x9, [Hydra''s Crushed Brain] x30, [Hydra''s Magic Reflecting Scales] x60, [Hydra''s Powerful Bones] x100, [Hydra''s flesh] x50, [Elemental Draconic Heart Core] x1, [Exquisite Quality Magic Crystal] x1 I''ve also decided to use other monster materials I have stored from before, such as the shells of the Abyssal Ants, and other lesser magic metals and crystals, and the like that they mined for us, which I retrieved from them two days ago¡­ Hm, I hope Lancelot is taking good care of those hardworking little guys. And aside from this, of course, the main dish! ----- [Withering Trees of Death Branches (A Grade)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure that contains the Element of Death. It resembles a withering tree with purple leaves. It is dry and can survive without water or sunlight. Its branches contain the power of Death itself atrge quantities, must be handled with care, or it could drain the vitality of those that touch them. ----- [Red Flowers of Blood Petals (A Grade)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many red-colored flowers resembling red roses containing the Element of Blood. Its petals are precious materials imbued with the power of Blood, which have a high affinity with darkness and death elements and is often capable of "tying" them together through alchemy and synthesis processes. ----- [Purple Flowers of Poison Petals (A Grade)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many purple-colored flowers resembling purple roses containing the Element of Poison. Its petals are precious materials imbued with the power of Poison, but also with Death. Their structure allows them to easily absorb deadly poisons and even miasma. However, merely touching them could kill a normal person through a deadly poison. ----- [ck Flowers of Darkness Petals (A Grade)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many ck-colored flowers resembling ck roses containing the Element of Darkness. Its petals are precious materials imbued with the power of Darkness, but also with Death. The power of darkness it contains is so vast it can easily absorb such power, and it is said that it could even steal the shadows of people if they touch these petals. ----- These incredible items are my trump card in making these materials, and I''ve got over forty of each one more than enough for the 37 essories I''ll be making today. They''re amazing as they embody the elements I want the best, while the other monster materials will work as the pirs that be the very matter of the equipment. Of course, I''ve also got some Silver, Bronze, and Copper Magic Ore for the basic structure, but even then, we''ll need them all. Something very interesting I''ve noticed when doing alchemy is that materials used often arepressed together, so even if you add a lot of heavy materials, the result, once fully refined, might be small. I had already written the recipes, so I simply told Emeraldine and Partner about it and showed them the recipes I made using all the materials avable. "A-Amazing, you made this yourself, Maria? You''ve already surpassed me¡­ I don''t think I could ever devise suchplicated recipes in a whim like you did¡­" Emeraldine was left out of words. "It''s a tiny bitplicated but I think I get it." Partner nodded. "So what should we do to help?" The two seemed pumped up. "I''ll begin telling you what to add one after the other, and the synthesis steps we do, alright? These special Spirit Treasure materials will be handled by me, so don''t worry about them." I reassured them. "Alright." Emeraldine nodded. "Then let''s begin!" Partner said. "Good, that''s the spirit!" I said with a smile. "Let''s start with the first things, the base of the preparation. Add Silver, Bronze, and Copper Ores imbued with Darkness and Death Magic directly into the boiling pot." "These ores¡­ they''re ck!" Said Emeraldine. "Yeah, you changed them?" Wondered Partner. "Yeah, I did it using some alchemy. Synthesizing my own magic element into materials imbue them with such an element, virtually converting them into elemental magic materials. I can only do this with my main elements though¡­" I said. "Amazing¡­ Alright." Emeraldine nodded, as she and Partner added the materials as I told them. "And now¡­ the three of us¡­!" "[Synthesis]!" FLAAASH! ----- Chapter 619 Creating Brand-New Ores ----- FLAAASH! Once we did Synthesis together, the materials converged together, and from within, several chunks of ck ore emerged, overflowing with a ck aura simr to miasma, yet they weren''t hurting anybody by being near like Demonite usually does. Ding! [You''ve created [Umbratite Ore Chunk (B+ Grade)] x50!] [You gained 5000 Alchemy Skill Proficiency] [You gained 500000 EXP] ----- [Umbratite Ore Chunk (B+ Grade)] x50 A special ck metal as dark as the umbra itself. It is specially made by melding several metals together andbining them with the elemental infusion of Shadows and Death. Despite its dangerous appearance, it is a metal that can absorb Miasma naturally, and therefore cleanse areas from it, making them less toxic. The metal repurposes the Miasma into Mana, which it utilizes to grow. Highly resistant to magic attacks, it is also greatly flexible and moldable. ----- Ooh, I made it! I made a new metal! "I made a new Metal, holy smokes!" I said in surprise. "Umbratite, it has amazing properties as well!" Emeraldine was surprised. "But only fifty chunks? We used way more materials to make it!" Partnerined. "Yeah I guess you''re right, that''s why we can''t quite mass produce it yet unless we have a ton of the other materials. But this is more than good enough for what I want to make anyways." I nodded in affirmation. "With this as the base, let''s begin the rest of the synthesis process then!" Like that, we started adding other materials such as the [Acidic Slime Ooze] and [Acid Swamp Slime Shattered Core Piece]. The acidic substances allowed the ore to leave out impurities while we shaped it through the cauldron''s process of extraction and fusion of materials and essences. When that was done with, we began adding [Smander''s Oily Skin], [Smander''s Soft Venomous Meat and Bones], [Giant Smander''s Eyeballs], and some of the [Swamp Smander''s Gooey Mucus] to meld it together and polish itpletely. Later, [Poisonous Frog''s Venom-Producing Organs], [Venomous Tongue Weapon], and [Poisonous Frogs Eyeballs] were added to give the metal we were shaping the power to absorb toxic and venomous substances more easily. Once done with that, we added [Giant Anglerfish Bait], [Spear Fish''s Skull], [Arrow Fish Bones], and [Poison-Resistance Anglerfish Scales] to reinforce the previously mentioned effects and the endurance of the metal chunk. At this point, the metal had already taken shape into a ring as I mixed my Forging Skill as well, taking out the metal from the Alchemy Cauldron and smacking it with a hammer to shape it slowly and precisely. Once it was done, it has be a beautiful ck Umbra Ring and Bracelet, but their abilities were subpar still. We had to step further into what we wanted to do, so we began with the second piece that wouldplete these items, the Miasmic Catalyst. For that, we used our highest-grade materials, deciding to create a gigantic Miasmic Catalyst which we could chop down to extract the pieces we neededter. "And this is where the Spirit Treasure Materialse¡­" I began adding all the ones I got into the cauldron, boiling them through Synthesis once more and using Brewing and Mixing as well for good measure. I also added Demonite too. "Now girls, add all the [Ruler of the Swamp''s Eyes], [Ruler of the Swamp''s Element Resistant Scales], [Ruler of the Swamp''s Meat and Bones], [Poison Producing nds], and the single [Ruler of the Swamp''s Aquatic Heart Core] all while I conjure Synthesis and Mixing continuously." I said. Partner and Emeraldine swiftly did as I guided them, as the girls immediately saw the powerful materials and their magical essences converging together beautifully into something greater. After that, they added [Hydra''s Nine Elemental Heads], [Hydra''s Crushed Brain], [Hydra''s Magic Reflecting Scales], [Hydra''s Powerful Bones], [Hydra''s flesh], and tons of Good Quality Magic Crystals. We used most of our ingredients, though I saved half of them still for more items I want to maketer. "Now, together¡­!" "[Dual Synthesis]!" FLAAAASH! With our strength together, we infused our magic into the Magic Cauldron. The materials essence converged together slowly, turning into an enormous and crystalized, purple-colored jewel emanating a deadly, venomous aura.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Ding! [You''ve created [Venom ck Draconitite (A+ Grade)] x1!] [You gained 10000 Alchemy Skill Proficiency] [You gained 1000000 EXP] [The Alchemy Skill Level has increased to Level 4!] [The Novice Alchemist Recipe Book Skill Level has increased to Level 4!] ----- [Venom ck Draconitite (A+ Grade)] x1 A special jewel formed through the crystallization of several elemental essences and materials extracted from powerful monsters. It contains Darkness, Death, and Poison element the most, alongside having its core filled with a slight mount of Draconic Essence, extracted from a Dragon-type Monster Scales. It is imbued withrge quantities of Magic and can absorb all kinds of toxins quite easily to reinforce itself. Might be capable of unleashing magic attacks if used as a material for staffs, essories, and weapons. ----- And here it was, thest piece of the puzzle. With this, the ring and the bracelet would easily resonate with one another and be able to better absorb miasma while not risking breaking due to excessive absorption of energy. "Amazing, this is incredible, we''ve made something at A+ Grade?!" Emeraldine was left perplexed. "And that''s not everything either now, let''s begin the creation of the actual item I wanted to make¡­!" I smiled evilly. I quickly cut down some chunks of this crystal using my pickaxe and then threw them inside the Ring and the Bracelet, this was thest step, fusing both materials together to make the items I had envisioned! "Now, thest time, girls! [Dual Synthesis]!" FLAAASH! With that, an enormous arc of purple and ck light emerged from the Cauldron, covering the ceiling rapidly. The materials converged beautifully, the small jewel chunk reached the top of the ring and bracelet, spreading countless purple and ck runes across their bodies. The essories floated in midair, emerging from the Cauldrons almost magically¡­ It was finally done. ----- Chapter 620 Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring And Bracelet -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Ding! [You''ve created [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (B Grade)] x1!] [You''ve created [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (B Grade)] x1!] [You gained 20000 Alchemy Skill Proficiency] [You gained 5000000 EXP] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 74 to Level 75!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points.] Hehe, not only I made them but I leveled up! I checked their status and it said what I was hoping for. These two work together in tandem and can absorb Miasma easily. However, once I register this version into the Alchemist Recipe Book, I''ll upgrade it even further for myself. I cannot give the upgraded version I want to make to anyone else as it will be for me only, it will have a dangerous power only a ghost like me could handle, so this is why I made the "base version" first, this one, which will then be registered, so theter version I''ll upgrade afterwards can be a I really want. And this is the skill¡­ ----- [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv4] A Skill that only incredibly talented Alchemist can learn. It grants ess to a special Book that can materialize out of thin air, where an alchemist is capable of essing a series of recipes that are unlocked over time and the Skill Level, it also grants detailed information about Materials which are then registered in the book. Through the book and the required set of special Skills, Synthesis can be done anywhere. Additionally, new Recipes can be created using certain materials and by experimenting around. [Instant Creation] recipes cannot be modified. However, the Empty Slot can be modified and made into any recipe of the user''s choice. Once it is decided, it cannot be modifiedter. Avable Recipes for [Instant Creation]: Level 1: [Lesser Health Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Mana Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Antidote Potion (Normal Grade)] [Lightning Bomb (Unique Grade)] Level 2: [Holy Water (Rare Grade)], [ck Potion (Rare Grade)], [Empty Slot], [Empty Slot] Level 3: [Warrior Potion (Rare Grade)], [Magician Potion (Rare Grade)], [Archer Potion (Rare Grade)], [Empty Slot] Level 4: [Alchemical Catalyst (Unique Grade)], [Elixir Base (Unique Grade)], [Empty Slot], [Empty Slot] ----- I have already registered the Lightning Bomb on it, so I can easily create them as long as I''ve got the materials inside my Inventory, which I do. However, this time we''ll try to register equipment items, let''s see if it''s possible¡­ Ding! [You''ve registered [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (Unique Grade)] and [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (Unique Grade)] into the [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book] Skill!] [You can now use Instant Creation to create the items as long as you have the necessary Materials.] [However, awarded EXP and Skill Proficiencypared to the first time will be greatly decreased.] Wow, I guess there''s no limits in this regard, eh? So it''s done. And the penalty of EXP and Skill Proficiency makes sense, I am no longer manually making them so I guess I don''t really gather much experience from doing them at all. "Uwah, the ring and the bracelet¡­ they look so stylishly gothic!" Partner seemed to love them. "Indeed¡­" Emeraldine said. "But I don''t know they''re my style¡­ I like brighter things, usually. Nheless, I''ll wear them anyways." "Don''t worry, I have thought about making you girls some custom-made essories using these rings as the base. Though I needpatible materials for that, so I cannot start right away." I sighed. "I''ll begin upgrading mine for now as I''ve got all materials avable, but for now, let''s make the rings and bracelets for everyone first." Ding! [You''ve used [Instant Creation]!] [You''ve created [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (Unique Grade)]!] [You''ve created [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (Unique Grade)]!] Ding! [You''ve used [Instant Creation]!] [You''ve created [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (Unique Grade)]!] [You''ve created [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (Unique Grade)]!] ¡­ Ding! [You''ve created a total of 17 [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (Unique Grade)]!] [You''ve created a total of 17 [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (Unique Grade)]!] [You gained a total of 34000 Alchemy Skill Proficiency] [You gained 8500000 EXP] [The Alchemy Skill Level has increased to Level 5!] [The Novice Alchemist Recipe Book Skill Level has increased to Level 5!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 75 to Level 76!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points.] Woah, another level up! And¡­ that''s as much as I can make for now. All the materials I had are gone now! I don''t think I can make Umbratite anytime soon unless I stock up on more precious magic metals, and the Draconite Crystal has been chopped to almost a few tiny shards I''ve saved to upgrade the ring, which I was doing right about now, as Emeraldine and Partner went to distribute the essories. Oh, I guess it is a nice time to check on this Skill first: p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® ----- [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv5] A Skill that only incredibly talented Alchemist can learn. It grants ess to a special Book that can materialize out of thin air, where an alchemist is capable of essing a series of recipes that are unlocked over time and the Skill Level, it also grants detailed information about Materials which are then registered in the book. Through the book and the required set of special Skills, Synthesis can be done anywhere. Additionally, new Recipes can be created using certain materials and by experimenting around. [Instant Creation] recipes cannot be modified. However, the Empty Slot can be modified and made into any recipe of the user''s choice. Once it is decided, it cannot be modifiedter. Avable Recipes for [Instant Creation]: Level 1: [Lesser Health Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Mana Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Antidote Potion (Normal Grade)] [Lightning Bomb (Unique Grade)] Level 2: [Holy Water (Rare Grade)], [ck Potion (Rare Grade)], [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (Unique Grade)], [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (Unique Grade)] Level 3: [Warrior Potion (Rare Grade)], [Magician Potion (Rare Grade)], [Archer Potion (Rare Grade)], [Empty Slot] Level 4: [Alchemical Catalyst (Unique Grade)], [Elixir Base (Unique Grade)], [Empty Slot], [Empty Slot] Level 5: [zing Berserk Potion (Unique Grade)], [Dark Shadow Assassin Potion (Unique Grade)], [Empty Slot] ----- Ah, would you look at that, Level 5 already! ----- Chapter 621 Skills Level Up And Powerful New Accessories ----- Looking back at the Skills, my Alchemy and the Recipe Book were both level 5 now: ----- [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv5] A Skill that only incredibly talented Alchemist can learn. It grants ess to a special Book that can materialize out of thin air, where an alchemist is capable of essing a series of recipes that are unlocked over time and the Skill Level, it also grants detailed information about Materials which are then registered in the book. Through the book and the required set of special Skills, Synthesis can be done anywhere. Additionally, new Recipes can be created using certain materials and by experimenting around. [Instant Creation] recipes cannot be modified. However, the Empty Slot can be modified and made into any recipe of the user''s choice. Once it is decided, it cannot be modifiedter. Avable Recipes for [Instant Creation]: Level 1: [Lesser Health Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Mana Potion (Normal Grade)], [Lesser Antidote Potion (Normal Grade)] [Lightning Bomb (Unique Grade)] Level 2: [Holy Water (Rare Grade)], [ck Potion (Rare Grade)], [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (Unique Grade)], [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (Unique Grade)] Level 3: [Warrior Potion (Rare Grade)], [Magician Potion (Rare Grade)], [Archer Potion (Rare Grade)], [Empty Slot] Level 4: [Alchemical Catalyst (Unique Grade)], [Elixir Base (Unique Grade)], [Empty Slot], [Empty Slot]N?v(el)B\\jnn Level 5: [zing Berserk Potion (Unique Grade)], [Dark Shadow Assassin Potion (Unique Grade)], [Empty Slot] ----- Checking at my Recipe Book Skill, there''s four Empty Slots left, I have to be careful what I choose to add to them, though leveling the Skill isn''t that hard once I begin mass producing, most of the materials necessary here I¡­ Ick them, so I cannot mass produce anything for now. But what''s more important is the new avable recipes I had no idea about. Especially the Alchemical Catalyst, the Elixir Base, and the two new and wild-sounding potions. It seems they worked simr to the Warrior, Magician, and Archer Potions as well. Checking on their information, the zing Berserk Potion enhances physical strength and zing auras that deal fire-type damage, and then the Dark Shadow Assassin Potion is the same, enhancing agility and stealth and granting some sort of shadow aura that increase stealth and critical hit rate. Their creation materials are¡­ not specifically rare either, I think I can make a few of them. I should get them down right away so I can give them to my party. I''ll also create Warrior, Magician, and Archer Potions which can stack with these two new ones. Their materials are different types of rare herbs, but I''ve bought arge haul thanks to Ruby and Aquamarine''s connections with the Merchant Confederation of Goldsand, additionally from the magical herbs and nts I''ve grown in the dungeon I conquered in the other mountain, plus the nts we harvested inside the swamp dungeon, aaand Root''s materials. His bark, sap, leaves, fruits, and flowers, they''re all ideal to make potions, so he happily gave them to me, he can easily regrow them as he likes using Mana. "Alright, while everyone''s giving away the essories then~!" Ding! [You''ve used [Instant Creation]!] [You''ve created [Warrior Potion (Rare Grade)] x25!] [You''ve created [Magician Potion (Rare Grade)] x25!] [You''ve created [Archer Potion (Rare Grade)] x25!] [You''ve created [zing Berserk Potion (Unique Grade)] x5!] [You''ve created [Dark Shadow Assassin Potion (Unique Grade)] x5!] [You gained a total of 20000 Alchemy Skill Proficiency] [You gained 1750000 EXP] P O O O F! P O O O F! P O O O F! The items emerged one by one, forming a pile of bottles filled with magical and special liquids that can boost stats once drank. Looking at them, they looked quite beautiful. Drinking a single one of these can give a lot of power. "And now that we''ve got this done¡­ Let''s upgrade the ring and the bracelet." I quickly added tons of Demonite, my favorite ingredient, and then some more of the monster materials, mostly the Hydra leftover ingredients. Lastly, I added one of each of these potions I made just to see if their effects could stick to the rings. Andstly, I cut down fragments of my soul and added a pile of crystalized phantasmal essence too. "Let''s see what I can get from this~ [SYNTHESIS]!" FLAAAASH! The ring and the bracelet were quickly upgraded by the buttload of materials I used. They began shining brightly, turning from pure ck to a golden purple and pink color, the jewels went from purple to red as well, and they looked utterly stylish! ----- [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Ring (A Grade)] [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [10000/10000] [Effects] [HP]: [+2500] [MP]: [+25000] [Attack]: [+2500] [Defense]: [+2500] [Magic]: [+10000] [Agility]: [+10000] [Darkness Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Death Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Poison Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Chaos Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Abilities] [Miasmic Predation]: This Ring has the power to absorb Miasmic Essence naturally, and at the same time protecting the user from it by generating a powerful Magic Ward which feeds on Mana and the Miasma it absorbs, slowly processing it into usable Mana to maintain this Ward. The Ward can only protect against Miasma Contamination and Toxicity. Additionally, increases Chaos-type Magic Damage by +30%. [Chaotic Empowerment]: Utilizes all the Miasma umted within the jewel of this Ring to enhance the user''s body and powerup their abilities, Increasing All Stats by +100% and Skill and Spell Damage by +50% for 5 Minutes. Cooldown: 12 Hours. Consumes -1500 Durability once used. [Umbra Twin essory Set]: Theplete set is only done once both essories are equipped at the same time. Their power will boost one another, doubling their Ability effects and enhancing durability greatly. [Description] A powerful Ring crafted using a series of exquisite Materials and upgraded to A Grade from B Grade. It has now developed the ability to boost the user''s power using the Miasma it absorbs, but it can only be used by those immune to Miasma, as those that cannot resist its powers will die once the powerup is gone. ----- Ah, this is better than I expected¡­ ----- Chapter 622 Time To Conquer The Miasmic Dungeon ----- And that wasn''t all, there was also the bracelet¡­ ----- [Draconitite Miasmic Umbra Bracelet (A Grade)] [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [10000/10000]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Effects] [HP]: [+2500] [MP]: [+25000] [Attack]: [+2500] [Defense]: [+2500] [Magic]: [+10000] [Agility]: [+10000] [Darkness Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Death Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Poison Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Chaos Attribute Damage]: [+10000] [Abilities] [Miasmic Predation]: This Bracelet has the power to absorb Miasmic Essence naturally, and at the same time protecting the user from it by generating a powerful Magic Ward which feeds on Mana and the Miasma it absorbs, slowly processing it into usable Mana to maintain this Ward. The Ward can only protect against Miasma Contamination and Toxicity. Additionally, increases Chaos-type Magic Damage by +30%. [Chaotic Protection]: Utilizes all the Miasma umted within the jewel of this Bracelet to enhance the user''s body and powerup their abilities, Increasing Physical and Magic Damage Defenses by +100% and Elemental Resistance by +50% for 5 Minutes. Cooldown: 12 Hours. Consumes -1500 Durability once used. [Umbra Twin essory Set]: Theplete set is only done once both essories are equipped at the same time. Their power will boost one another, doubling their Ability effects and enhancing durability greatly. [Description] A powerful Bracelet crafted using a series of exquisite Materials and upgraded to A Grade from B Grade. It has now developed the ability to boost the user''s power using the Miasma it absorbs, but it can only be used by those immune to Miasma, as those that cannot resist its powers will die once the powerup is gone. ----- While the Ring gives me a temporary boost to offense, this one is for defense! I guess they work quite nicely together. Couldn''t had asked for anything better with this already done. Equipping both of them suddenly enhanced my abilities a lot¡­ And I mean a LOT. The original ring and bracelet doesn''t have as many bonus stats though, so this is really a big upgrade from their original form. Also it seems they can level up? I don''t know how exactly they can level up without being weapons, but maybe letting them absorb Miasma counts as letting them gain EXP? Or perhaps using the Activation Ability too, anything goes I suppose. Anyways, with this done and the potions also made, I quickly walked back with the rest of my team. All the dwarves and my allies equipped the rings and bracelets, even Lucifer as it would give him a nice boost to his stats. Of course, at B Rank the ring and bracelets are not as OP as the ones I have, heh, but they still give some nice boost to their stats, without the other special Abilities such as the Empowerment and the Protection ones, which are unique to my own as well. "These essories you''ve made are incredible." Said Ruby. "To think there could be a way to actually resist the Miasma¡­" "Though we have yet to test them." Aquamarine said. "Yeah, that''s where I''ll enter. I am still affected by Miasma but the least from everyone, so it should be safe for me to try it out." Partner offered herself. "Alright then, everyone, gather here for now." Everyone quickly gathered a few dozens of meters away from us, as I pointed my hand at Partner, quickly generating deadly ck miasma and shooting int at her. FLAAAASH! The miasma impacted her body, but she didn''t felt a single thing, some sort of invisible veil blocked the attack and at the same time, the ring and bracelet shone with purple light, absorbing them rapidly. "I didn''t took any damage, my HP''s still full as well!" Partner said in surprise. "I-It worked¡­" "Amazing!" "Should we try it as well?" "Can we?" "Sure, sure! Come, any of you bold enough, let''s try it." I said with a nod. "I am confident on my own creation." Like that, everyone that equipped it tried it out, miasma simply couldn''t affect them anymore as long as they had these essories equipped, so it was pretty useful and ended being the ideal creation that we needed for this Dungeon. "It really works as intended!" "But we shouldn''t overuse them for now, they have a set duration." "The duration recovers by absorbing mana, ording to Lady Maria¡­ But yeah." Helga and the other dwarves were all talking about the item I have made, it really surprised them more than I had originally believed it would. But that''s nice for them I suppose. More importantly, there were other things we needed to do now. I quickly distributed the potions. The warrior, archer, and magician potions. They cannot stack between the same type, but different types do stack together. Of course, not everyone''s a good archer or a good warrior, not everyone is just good for everything, so my strategy is to boost what''s everyone better at and also¡­ what''s more convenient too. Magician Potions were given to everyone, after all we all use Mana. They increase Mana Regeneration Speed, Maximum MP, and Magic, so they''re perfect for the dwarves who are using the Golems, which run using their own MP. Also, the essories give them some nice Bonuses of MP, at B Rank, they give +5000 MP each, both of them is +10000 MP to everyone, so that''s pretty nice already. The more MP they have, the more they can utilize the golems and use their functions properly. They''lle in more handy than I had originally believed because these golemse loaded with Holy Light Elemental Magic Power, thanks to the materials they hold within their mechanism. And as for the frontliners like all of us, we''ll drink all three potions¡­ but not yet. The dwarves will drink themter as well, so we''ll first enter and when we are midway through, we''ll chug them down. I also had already arge haul of MP Potions I had made previously, and gave the dwarves dozens each, just in case they run out. With this, we were already done, standing in front of the Sealed ck Gates leading to the Dungeon which had once brought chaos to this country, where yet another Evil God Fragment rests within. "Unseal the Gates!" Aquamarine gave out the order, as several magicians Unsealed the Gates, opening them to us, an enormous wave of Miasma impacted us the moment we set sight inside! FLUOOOSH! ----- Chapter 623 Lets Get In There eaglesnov?1,§ão§® ? ----- I looked into my stats onest time before the gates opened: ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [74/80] -> [76/80] [EXP]: [4663000/8000000] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [168000/168000] -> [172000/172000] [MP]: [385000/385000] -> [393000/393000] [Attack]: [106500] -> [109500] [Defense]: [108500] -> [111000] [Magic]: [374400] -> [382400] [Agility]: [168000] -> [172000] [Aether]: [115] [System Points]: [722000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis], [Skill Shop], [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv8] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv7] [Abyss Eater: Lv4] [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv8] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv5] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv4] [Ice Resistance: Lv4] [Water Resistance: Lv5] [Skill Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv9] [Masterful Stealth: Lv6] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv4] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv4] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv8] [Fist Strike: Lv10] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv7] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv7] [Life Absorption: Lv8] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv3] [Dark Sun: Lv7] [Dark Storm: Lv8] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv6] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv6] [Abyss Maniption: Lv6] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv6] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv5] [Soul Devourer: Lv4] [Undead Detonation: Lv9] [Shadow Thread: Lv8] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv8] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv6] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv3] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv4] [Illusory Delusion: Lv5] [Mind Bending: Lv5] [Insect Maniption: Lv5] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv5] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv4] [Phantasmal mes: Lv4] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv4] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv4] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv8] [Spirit Summon: Lv6] [Spirit Connection: Lv4] [Spirit Fusion: Lv3] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv3] [Cooking: Lv4] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv8] [Mental Mapping: Lv7] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv9] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv5] [Mining: Lv3] [Dismantle: Lv3] [Taming: Lv2] [Mana Transfer: Lv4] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv5] [Smithing: Lv2] [Chopping: Lv2] [Lovemaking: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv8] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv7] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv9] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv7] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv4] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv6] [Spirit Queen: Lv5] [Spirit Mediator: Lv5] [Poison Queen: Lv6] [Merciless Assassin: Lv6] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv5] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv4] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv5] [gue Exterminator: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv7] [Saint of Death: Lv6] [Deceiver: Lv4] [Undead yer: Lv5] [Slime yer: Lv3] [King yer: Lv5] [Dungeon Master: Lv4] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv4] [Queen of Flies: Lv3] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv4] [Mold Breaker: Lv5] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv3] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv3] [Greedy Miner: Lv3] [Butcherer: Lv3] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv2] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv4] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv3] [Explosion Maniac: Lv3] [Infernal Queen: Lv2] [Ice Monster yer: Lv2] [Human yer: Lv2] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv2] [Bone Queen: Lv2] [Lumberjack: Lv2] [Dragon yer: Lv2] [Relentless Hunter: Lv2] [Soul Scape Master: Lv2] [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv2] [Merciless Killer: Lv2] [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv2] [Swamp Queen: Lv2] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv2] [Sex Beast: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Soul Scape Spirit Treasures]: [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure)], [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] ----- Nice, they increased a tiny bit, but that''s more than enough for now!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om FLUOOOSH! The gates opened as a wave of Miasma greeted us. The magicians that unsealed the dungeon were protected by barriers made of magic artifacts they brought, which were also golems of their own in the shape of small towers imbued with hundreds of magic crystals. They were in charge of shaping and creating a powerful barrier made of light capable of protecting their surroundings and also fend off the deadly Miasma. However, their power was limited to this area and they wouldn''t be able to deal with a full-scale attack from Miasmic Monsters if they were to ever free themselves from the Dungeon. Therefore, the Dungeon was kept Sealed through powerful magic and the usage of many Artifacts, which the Dwarves used to create what was called a "Dungeon Sealing Formation" using the many Artifacts/Golems as nodes to fuel the power of this formation which also worked as a reinforcement of the holy light barrier. Maintaining this entire thing costed the government a lot of money though, so they were often tight in funds even when they had been thriving. It didn''t helped that the merchants at Goldsand took advantage of this and used their desperation to increase their prices, they were not exactly as bastardly as the guys from the Kingdoms at the center of the Continent, but they were certainly shitty. As everything had to be deactivated to allow us to enter, once we got inside, the gates would quickly close as to protect the city. Once wepleted the dungeon, they would once more open them. In the worst-case scenario where we had to run away, they would also open them once we knocked the doors from inside, although it would be quite gruesome to think about. I am quite confident we can make it, as long as we use all the cards we have. I''ve also gotten a lot of materials in myst Dungeon Dive yesterday, those ones from the Random Item Boxes were all not without a purpose. I don''t know why, but the Dungeon Core of the Swamp Dungeon seems to have prepared a set of special materials that could help me in such an ordeal. As my Alchemy Skill rose in level, more and more inspirations on how to properly use materials reached my mind. Now, let''s begin this! Anyways, I knew how to use these materials¡­ all of these items coulde in handy in this dangerous dungeon, so I''ll make sure to use them properly, once the necessity arrives, of course. I can''t go around wasting precious materials on threats that might not be as dangerous. We''ll handle things as we can. Good thing I am quite the amazing analytical person! ¡­Or am I? ----- Chapter 624 The Abyssal Den ----- Anyways, I knew how to use these materials¡­ all of these items coulde in handy in this dangerous dungeon, so I''ll make sure to use them properly, once the necessity arrives, of course. I can''t go around wasting precious materials on threats that might not be as dangerous. We''ll handle things as we can. Good thing I am quite the amazing analytical person! ¡­Or am I? Well, I''ve got everyone here with me, so let''s hope so. Ah, right, I brought Nyx inside of my shadows so they wouldn''t freak out over a little girl entering the most dangerous dungeon in here. They wouldn''t have to worry anyways, she''s way stronger than all of thembined. With all the dwarves inside their golems, we quickly made our way inside without waiting any second. The dwarves looked at us in surprise as we stepped forward without using golem suits or anything of the sort, as they usually did. Of course, these were the guys that didn''t belonged to our party, so they were not given any news about what we were going to use to get inside and the like, and many were nervous we were going to go on a suicide mission. "Lady Ruby! Lady Aquamarine, is this really okay? Will they be fine?" "This is too risky! Howe they''re stepping in there unprotected?!" "They might be powerful adventurers that might be as strong as S Ranked but still, mortals still have limits!" "Are you sacrificing their lives?" Many of the guards were freaking out. The dwarves had forged their strength through their creations rather than simply with their own stats, so seeing people with the bare minimum of clothes and a weapon or two really freaked them out. It could be said they had little faith over people''s innate strength, without tons of tools to show them we could handle this, they had little faith on us. Even fully knowing wepleted a high ranked dungeon the other day¡­ I guess you can''t really change people''s minds as easily, we''ll show them once weplete this for now. "Have faith, they''re strong." Ruby said angrily. "You dare doubt my judgement, gentlemen?" "Indeed, calm down and let them do as they want. We''ve not gotten this far without them." Aquamarine said. "It is all thanks to their amazing abilities that we''ve gotten ourselves a wide area where we can harvest fruits, vegetables, and more." "We couldn''t had asked for something better, quite frankly." Nodded Ruby. "Now they offer clearing this ursed dungeon¡­ If they truly seed, the biggest money sinker of our country will be finally gone, and we might even be able to repurpose it into a vast nting field as well." The dwarves remained in silence, still doubting their higher authority, as we walked inside the dungeon. I waved my hand back at the two of them. The twin dwarves and Darfu were with them as well. "We''ll being pretty soon, take care!" I waved my hand.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Please protect my wife, Lady Maria!" A tall blue Oni, Myriad, Helga''s husband, asked me from afar. "Mama, good luck!" "Mama can do it!" "Big golem¡­!" Even her herd of little children were there. Helga waved her hand using her golem back at them before entering the dungeon. "Sure, I''ll take care of her, don''t you worry guys!" There were also the families of all the other dwarves with us, their wives, children, even their parents. They were all wishing them the best behind the barriers erected by the artifacts, some felt doubtful and afraid, but nobody was trying to stop them. "Alright guys, let''s get to it!" As I stepped forward with everyone into the chasms of this monstrous and aberrant miasma-filled dungeon, the gates closed rapidly behind us. CLANK! Although darkness greeted our sight at first, once the ck mist dissipated, we finally found ourselves in the actual interior of the dungeon. This dungeon was the other half of the previous dungeon we conquered. Therefore, its interior was the same as well, and it had only three, enormous and open field dungeons. And just as I expected, as we entered the first floor, we were greeted by a vast, expansive greenery- or well, what used to be one. Compared to the vast green ins of the first dungeon we conquered previously, this one was barren. The grass waspletely dry and dead, new, and weird purple and ck nts grew everywhere, toxic and filled with miasma. There were no trees but an expansivendscape of barren nothingness. In the distance, the mountains seemed shrouded on ck miasma, like volcanoes erupting with it. Small forests made of dried trees with strange, evil faces looked at us from afar, while in the skies, the beautiful clear blue sky with asional white fluffy clouds was reced by a purple-red colored sky, with a red, eerie-looking sun roasting everything with an even deadlier ray of sunlight of red color. This dungeon wasn''t called the "Abyssal Den" for nothing, the three floors that supposedly could had been as beautiful as the ones we visited before were now barren and ugly. Slightly simr to my own Soul Scape, to be honest. Maybe I could find this cefortable if I didn''t had memories of better-looking ces. Because for sure, I prefer beautiful greenery over this gloomy barren desert of a ce. "This is the same First Floor as the other Dungeon, as these two dungeons used to be one, right?" Emeraldine wondered. "Yet this ce¡­ nts are dead, life is struggling, dead abounds¡­ Miasma, there is everywhere¡­" "The power of the Evil God Fragment has seeped deep into this ce." Brunhild said, her sharp eyes ncing across thendscape. "We must hurry to its depths, once we destroy the boss controlling this ce, we''ll be able to cleanse it." "I can detect a powerful presence¡­ perhaps as strong as that Ant Queen we fought back then." Lucifer sighed, crossing his arms. "This area was called the Green ins, but now it should be something like¡­ Barren Wastnds." "Yep, and monsters areing with haste! Ah, those trees are moving too¡­" Partner said. I guess we''ve got a weing party here! ----- Chapter 625 Fighting Against A Huge Army Of Moles?! ----- The monsters of the first floor of the previous dungeon were all Moles. Giant Golems as the sub bosses and then the Mole King was the Boss, I think¡­ Later, we fought an Abyssal Ant General, or something, which was grossly overpowered for us back then, but we still managed to beat it down to a pulp. Well, mostly me, I ate it using my Unique Skill. Therefore, as we saw the ground shaking, we saw them. A hundred, nasty-looking moles. They were not the cute Moles of my dungeon, but they looked seriously wrong. Their skin was dry and disgusting, theycked hair, and had sharp horns, fangs, and grotesque ws. Their sizes were also around double the size of the other Mole Monsters, being around as big as a car each! To make things worse, their bodies were overflowing with Auras made of Miasma everywhere, and the moment they spotted us, they started to conjure magic. Giant boulders started being conjured, falling towards us from the skies like meteors. It didn''t made it any better that they were covered on Miasma to enchant their destructive prowess. "GRUOOH!" CLASH! One of them immediately reached us in an instant, shing over the floor right before us and shaking the earth. Cracks began to appear across the ground as the floor was just about the crumble! At the same time, the boulders they sent flying started falling from the sky, releasing explosions of darkness and miasma everywhere! And amidst the chaos, I took a look at its status. eaglesnov?1,§ão§® ----- [Aberrant Mutant Giant Death Mole: Lv67] [Rank: B+] [Status: Hungry, Berserk] A monstrous mole from the first floors of the Dungeon. It appears in groups of almost a hundred, and they are vicious creatures capable of easily digging underground, conjure Earth Magic of high level, and provoke powerful and devastating earthquakes with their body size and weight.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Theyck eyesight but use their star-shaped noses to guide themselves even when not being underground. Their enormous ws are not only able to wonderfully dig underground but can also slice apart their prey quite easily. Now mutated by the Dungeon''s Miasma, they have be aberrant and overly aggressive. They are berserk and hungrily furious. Their powerful magic now enchanted with miasma. Their offensive stats have be greater and more dangerous. Skills: [High Speed Digging] [Deadly Miasmic ws] [Super Spinning Attack] [Earthquake] [Seismic Wave] [Pitfall] [Miasmic shing Attack] [Miasmic Meteor] [Shadow Sneak] [¡­] ----- Yep, I remember the other guys were only B- Rank, but these guys are as high as B+! That''s a whole other level, in fact, two whole stages above the B-, they''re obviously several times stronger than the Moles we could easily get rid of back then. "These guys again, huh?" Lucifer sighed. "Well, I better start. I''ll cover the frontlines!" FLUOOOSH! Lucifer quickly transformed into his Dragon Form, as his ws devastated his surroundings, sweeping through the dozens of Moles that began attacking him. Their bodies were all sliced apart with ease. "We are not as weak as before now, we''ve grown stronger thanks to conquering two more dungeons now!" Lucifer roared. "RAAAAH!" SLAAAASH! His tail, which had a spear-like tip swung rapidly, slicing through another dozen moles surging from the underground, tearing them apart mercilessly. "GRYYYAAAGGGH¡­!" The screams of countless moles echoed across the Barren Wastnds, not only was Lucifer devastating them, but we were also all fighting against this iing flood of EXP. "Preserve your energy if possible!" Brunhildmanded. "Fight with basic physical attacks, dodge the magic blows, don''t let these monsters drain away your stamina!" "Alright, you heard her boys!" Helgamanded the other dwarves, their golems hands shaped into sharp des and axes, some even had spiraling drills. The moles were strong but they were incapable of piercing through the golem''s hard outer body, and they were easily torn apart by their blows. And this was merely normal attacks. I guess B Ranked monsters are no longer too much of a threat for us, although that usually changes depending in the race of the monster, even amongst the same ranked monsters, some can also be stronger than others. "I mostly attack using magic, but sure, let''s do something different for once." I smiled, quickly raising my sword and my axe with both hands, they shone with a ck and red aura, overflowing the surroundings and spreading darkness. FLAAAASH! I used my normal physical abilities to speed through the battlefield, gently slicing part the Moles with the de and the battle axe alone. SLAAASH! SLAAASH! Several simple attacks was what it took to defeat these little monsters. Horizontal shes covered more ground while Vertical shes were stronger but could only eliminate a monster per attack most of the time. Ibined both simple attacks, without using any specific technique or skill. Vertical shes generated shockwaves of slicing ck energy, slicing apart a dozen moles per hit, while the Horizontal shes were stronger, easily overpowering the Larger Moles that often appeared, having three times the size of the normal ones andrger defenses, with bony tes protecting their bodies. CRAAAASHHH!!! TRUUUM!!! Thebined attack of my sword and my axe reached the Armored Moles, as I called them, as they began dropping over the floor one by one, devastated by my sheer physical attack boosted thanks to my weapons and the essories I had. Like that, the rest of our party didn''t wasted energy, using simply physical blows to devasted this first wave of monsters while we advanced across the Wastnds. EXP was flooding rapidly into my soul, however. Ding! [You and your Party have defeated [Aberrant Mutant Giant Death Mole (Rank: B+)] x93!] [You and your Party have defeated [Aberrant Mutant Giant Armored Death Mole (Rank: B++)] x12!] [You earned 1130000 EXP!] What with that little EXP though? I thought I was going to get some more from them! Come on, I just need four more levels to Evolve¡­ I''ve noticed that monsters have begun giving me less and less EXP, and if I didn''t had certain Skills multiplying the earned EXP, they would give even less too¡­ ----- Chapter 626 Root Against Treants! ------ Ding! [You and your Party have defeated [Aberrant Mutant Giant Death Mole (Rank: B+)] x93!]N?v(el)B\\jnn [You and your Party have defeated [Aberrant Mutant Giant Armored Death Mole (Rank: B++)] x12!] [You earned 1130000 EXP!] As we killed more vermin, the less EXP I was awarded,pared to the amazing EXP I got from making some rare items through Alchemy, this feels like a little joke. I began wondering what it was as I in thest Armored Moles. The System seemed to have answered my questions right away, however. [EXP earned by monsters be less as you grow stronger. However, you killed thousands of monsters in the Swamp Dungeon, so you naturally earned arge quantity of EXP there anyways.] [Even then, the EXP awarded from the Alchemy was special, as it was given through the expenditure of materials. However,rge quantities are only given after making a new item, the EXP ister radically reduced.] [The higher your levelpared to your foes, the less EXP they offer to you. However, once you evolve and your level is reset, you might be able to earn more EXP by then, until you reach theter half of your levels where things might get harder once more.] Oh, I see¡­ It is more of aplicated mechanic than I thought. Well, a million EXP is not so bad, and bigger monsters might award more EXPter on- Like this big armying to us right now. "GROOOOHHH!" "OOOHHH!" "GRUOOOHH!" As we defeated the Moles, a new set of monsters quickly attempted to get in our way while we were going towards the dungeon''s stairs leading to the second floor. Arge army of walking trees, they were¡­ I am fairly sure they''re Root''s rtives! All the trees that used to adorn the grasnds beautifully ended bing these monstrous trees, and they were all creeping towards her at a surprisingly fast speed, no less. ----- [Miasmic Tyrant Treant: Lv66] [Rank: B+] [Status: Berserk] A monstrous tree that has been mutated through Miasma when it used to be a normal living tree. Their bark is hard and protects them from most damage, while also having an anti-magic reflective barrier that lets them block most low-level magic with ease. They''re capable of melding with the soil and other nts, parasitizing them and fusing them into their bodies. If threatened, they might either fight with all they have or escape into the underground, to pop up as a new sapling and regrow in just a couple of days. They''re vicious and have an endless thirst for the blood of living beings, as they believe it helps them grow faster. Skills: [Super Hardened Bark Armor] [Deadly Miasmic ws] [Bark Armor Shield] [Miasmic Wooden Spears] [Miasmic Wooden Shields] [Piercing Roots] [Uproot] [Miasmic Meteor] [Absorb Life] [¡­] ----- "Gyuh! My family!" Root looked at the Treants from afar, saying something a bit funny, to be honest. "T-They''re not your family Root,e back!" I tried to bring him back here, but he ran to see them. "Family! Don''t fight, join me!" Therge Treants, which towered over his small, spirit embodiment-sized body looked down on him as if he were an insect. They didn''t talked like him either, or overflowed with miasma. "Grygryah!" "Gyugrah!" "GRAAAAH!" They only spoke a few words I didn''t understand, before they all began attacking Root with their sharp wooden spears, spear roots, and firing miasmic meteors at him! "ROOT!" As I ran to save him, Root seemed to have realized they were not friends¡­ Ah, he''s really quite innocent to think a monster would be his friend right away. "Gyuhh¡­ I was foolish¡­." BOOOOOM! Suddenly, his tiny body unleashed a bright explosion of shining light, he transformed into an enormously tall Treant, covered from head to toe into ck bark, he looked utterly aberrant yet amazing! This was the true appearance of his new race, Tyrant Treant Guardian, or something like that. "G-GRAH¡­" "GRYUH?!" "GRYUGAH?!" The Treant Army he confronted was left shocked as they were the ones dwarfed by Root''s size now. His body easily reaching above thirty meters, and that wasn''t even stretching his actual size¡­ "I''ll punish you for being evil Treants, GYUH!" His enormous wooden fist fell over the Treants as they were helplessly demolished into pieces by Treant''s [Holy Fist] Skill, which imbued holy light into his wooden fists and helped him at dealing super effective damage against the Treants. BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! In mere seconds, he demolished his former family as the ones remaining surrounded him from around, without even caring about their brethren dying, they started firing Miasmic Meteors from all around. "Nnnggh¡­! You broke my expectations¡­ I won''t forgive you, GYUH!" Root was rather childish, but that made sense seeing his actual age. He was still technically a sapling by age, although thanks to evolution, he had grown so big. He was slightly heartbroken, but quickly got over it if he was ughtering them now¡­ BAAAM! BOOOOM! CLAAASH! Not only his fists but his wooden spear attacks, his sharp roots, and then his own body weight crushed his adversaries as he made quick work of most of them. He drained away their vitality and miasma using his roots as well, viciously regaining his strength. I guess unlike most of our party we can just do that, eat away our foes souls and bodies to regain our HP and MP, but the rest of our allies got it harder. Ding! [Your Party have defeated [Miasmic Tyrant Treant (Rank: B+)] x63!] [You earned 630000 EXP!] Although we weren''t having that hard of a time fighting, monsters kepting from left and right. We were in a rather desperate situation, and the looming big bossesing for us from afar weren''t making things easier either. The Miasma kept expanding as if it were alive, boosting the strength of monsters as well. RUMBLE! And as we were desperately trying to get to the second floor to say goodbye to this one, we were caught by four bosses at the same time, enormous monsters emerging from within the underground, alongside a small army of their own too! ----- Chapter 627 Powerful A+ Rank Monsters ----- The four powerful bosses that greeted our sight weren''t something we could easily scoff at anymore. Especially because of their higher ranks and powerful titles as Dungeon Bosses. Indeed, this Floor didn''t had just a single Dungeon Boss, it had four of them. And unsurprisingly, they were the mutated, aberrant forms of the fatty and slightly adorable Mole King we once fought before. The enormous monsters easily surpassed ten meters of height, with two pairs of gigantic and muscr arms packed with four massive ws each, made for digging underground and also made to ughter their powerful, perhaps just as big enemies. Its snout resembled a red star, and its eyes were nowhere to be seen. Its entire body was covered on ck metallic armor tes, with many ck quills growing over its body. It even had a long tail with the tip resembling a giant ck spear dripping with venom, which it used to probably used to dig underground. "GRUOOOHHH" "GROOOARRR!" "GRUUUOHH!!" "GRUUGAAAH!" ----- [Aberrant Mutant Miasmic Giant Death Mole King: Lv81] [Rank: A+] [Status: Furious, Hungry, Berserk] A gargantuan Mole, an evolution of the Death Mole after reaching a certain Level by defeating many foes and devouring monster''s Magic Crystals. This monster not only has a gigantic size but possess a second pair of enormous arms and ws to devastate anything in their path, they are capable of shaping the entire terrain around them and their HP, Defense, and Strength are unparalleled. A City-level threat capable of destroying whole fiefdoms in a single night. However, now that it has been enchanted with the power of Miasma, it has be even stronger, sporting gigantic ws and armor covering their bodies made from crystalized Miasma. They not only specialize in even more destructive blows but possess incredible defenses and magic capable of doubling the stats of their subjects, making them a threat capable of wiping out an entire country. The worst of all, there are more than one. Skills: [Devastating Earthquake] [Intimidating Roar] [Miasmic Metallic Defense] [Four wed Miasmic Attack] [Super High-Speed Drilling] [Miasmic Meteor st] [Venomous Tail Attack] [Call Ally] [Kin Reinforcement] [Miasmic Reinforcement] [Aberrant Enhancement] [Miasmic Field] [¡­] ----- "A+ Monster! Now things are finally getting more interesting!" The difference between a B++ Monster and a A+ Monster was like light and day. And they weren''t normal ones either. They were perhaps triple as strong as normal A+ Monsters thanks to their Boss Statuses and also the boost to their stats given by Miasmic Powers. After all, a normal monster will never be as strong as a frenzied, Miasma-infused Monster. And that''s without even having meet the damn Abyssal Ants yet, which we were told crawled inside this Dungeon as well. "GRUOOOHHH!" The four Moles didn''t wasted any second, their attacks began falling over us as dozens of Meteors started falling from the skies towards us, impacting the ground and spreading miasmic substances everywhere. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Chaos broke loose, the dwarves grew afraid and slightly desperate over the might of the four beasts. They were like the gatekeepers. Probably told by someone within this dungeon''s depths to protect the entrance from us at all costs. "[Abyssal Domain]!" I quickly conjured a simple spell, as darkness shrouded our surroundings. Combining several Skills and Spells together, I quickly conjured a giant barrier of darkness to protect us from the blows, all while enchanting our strength as well. "[Abyssal Protection Armor]! [Bloodshed Reinforcement]!" I conjured two buffing spells on everyone, as more long-distance attacks reached us, mostly blocked by my barriers, all while we were desperate fighting a horde of hundreds of moles and Treantsing from all sides. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Two of the moles began using their enormous ws to attack my barrier, trying to shatter it into pieces with their immense strength¡­ and they were managing! The barrier was cracking down rapidly, and then¡­ CRAAASH! "GRUOOOHH!" BOOOM! Their enormous ws reached us, shaking the ground. We had to quickly jump into the skies, while the Dwarves ran using the magic they imbued into their golems, while shooting beams of light from afar. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "GRUOOOHHHH!" But before we could properly get away from their deadly grasps, the other two Mole Kings greeted us from behind, all while the hundreds of moles surging from the ground never stoppeding. "Just use all your skills! Don''t bother about saving energy!" Brunhild said. "Yeah, don''t worry about Mana, I''ll supply you with it on my own!" I told everyone. "Takeshi, Laura, Nyx, stay by mama''s side, don''t get away from me, okay?" "Okay! I''ll help then!" Takeshi suddenly summoned water around his surroundings. "[Oceanic Domain]!" "Eh? Where did you learn that?!" I was honestly surprised. SPLAAAASH! An enormous quantity of water, like the waves of the ocean itself surged from within Takeshi''s Fishing Rod, which had changed in appearance since thest time he evolved after hitting max level, looking golden and lustrous in appearance.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Now! [Raging Ocean Snakes]!" SPLAAASH! SPLAAASH! SPLAAASH! Three enormous snakes made of the ocean water emerged, hitting all monsters, and spreading chaos further around us, cleaning the area and giving us some time to breathe. His Fishing Rod''s powers didn''t stop there, as the hook moved around the oceans and began grabbing several smaller monsters, slicing them apart one by one! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Woah, he''s pretty amazing, this kid! Meanwhile, Laura was using her Shadow Magic and her Fire Magic in tandem, shaping them as ck mes resembling chains, which she used to grab foes and throw them away, the moment her hand touched them though, they detonated. BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! It wasn''t as if her unique skill now allowed her to blow up living beings, but she simply targeted the burnt flesh and hair over their bodies, generating a chain of explosions one after the other! The two children''s attacks quickly cleared arge area, giving me some time to analyze the situation. I could do a lot of things, but I better just rise myself an army. My current army of Skeletons is not enough, and this battlefields already covered on materials for it! "[Death Transfiguration]!" FLUOOOSH! ----- Chapter 628 Fighting Several Dungeon Bosses At Once! ----- With the materials at hand, and with my army of a few hundred high level bone undead, arge army of monsters emerged within my surroundings. The moment I conjured the upgraded version of Fake Life, a wave of darkness spread around my surroundings. The souls of the fallen quickly flew back to bodies at random, slowly standing back up and listening to my verymands. "Rise and fight! Use yourselves as meat shields if necessary, attack the smaller monsters and get in the way of the bigger ones¡­!" The Undead Moles and Treants obeyed my will immediately. Much like it happened some time ago, the way Undead died could give them special evolutions upon being risen back from the dead. I had mostly chopped them down into pieces, but the rest of my allies killed them differently. Those that died crushed by Root''s [Holy Fist] began glowing with bright, eerie light from within their bodies, bing Blight Undead Treants, the Moles that died burned by the ck mes of Lucifer''s breath became ck me Undead Moles, and those that died drowned by Takeshi became Aquatic Undead Moles and Sea Undead Treants, controlling water currents as they fought. "[Shadow And Death Domain]!" F L U O O O S H! After I saw them rise, I quickly utilized this one Skill at Level 9 currently, as an enormous field of darkness and death emerged from my own soul and shadows, spreading across. All those Undead-type allies within my party received a massive boost to their stats, the Undead suddenly began glowing with bright, red eyes, as they became more vicious. They jumped over their living victims, attacking with their elemental blows and then exploding with my [Undead Detonation], which provoked several [Chain Reactions] thanks to the [Explosion Maniac] Title! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!!! The explosions spread around the four Mole Kings, as they began stepping back a few meters due to the constant attacks iing from the floor. They might be as tall as over fifty meters each, true titans, but we also had our own titans around here. "R O O O A R!" Lucifer roared furiously, his powerful and domineering presence unleashing an explosion of phantasmal mes that engulfed one of the more weakened Mole Kings. He quickly flew using his wings and reached the Mole''s body from above, pushing it into the floor. BAAAM! "GRUOOOHHH!" The beast tried to dig underground, attacking with his ws and tail to fend off the annoying dragon that was assaulting him. However, Lucifer mercilessly shed its entire body, tearing apart the armor covering the Mole King''s body, and then roasting it alive using his Phantasmal mes. FLUOOOOSSSHHH! "GRUOOHH!" The Mole King roared furiously, conjuring several Miasmic Meteors falling from above, they reached Lucifer''s entire body and head, exploding over his scales! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! "GROAR?!" However, the Mole quickly realized such blows were doing absolutely nothing to him. His powerful scales had evolved to the point they could easily fend off Miasma Magic of this level. He was already immune to Miasma''s toxicity, so it wasn''t anything than a few little rocks hitting his back. "Pathetic." Lucifer''s merciless words was thest thing the Mole King could heard before its entire body was engulfed on Phantasmal mes of purple and ck color, consuming the monster''s body and soul¡­ Meanwhile, Partner engaged against a Mole King all by herself. She utilized her twin spears and imbued them with her powerful and evolved [Blood Aura], which at this level emerged like an endless swarm of bats made of red blood. "[Vampiric Blood Aura]!" FLAAASH! The swarm of bats covered her body, it looked as if they were lifting her off the ground, even when she was actually just floating in midair thanks to her special ability to Levitate, which Vampires awaken once they reach a high level. "GRUOOHHHH!" The Mole King fighting he unleashed several blows using its four arms, the ws themselves ushed countless aura attacks, slicing, and devastating the ground below Partner and shaking everything with the [Earthquake] Spell, but she was in midair, barely being affected as she masterfully dodged these blows. And of course, parried them! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! The enormous ws of the Mole King were being parried by Partner''s dual spears amazingly! Enormous quantities of darkness and blood essence came from her spears as they shoot down sts of pure magical power against the Mole King with each parry. I quickly realized this was actually a technique of hers. "[Crimson Riposte]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH!N?v(el)B\\jnn TRUUUUMMM¡­! Each blow she parried infused more "charge" into her weapons, which then burst into two devastating beams of darkness and blood essence, piercing through the ck armor covering the aberrant Mole King she was fighting! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! "GRUOOOHHH¡­!" The giant Mole King wasn''t just fighting her alone, my Undead assisted Partner, blowing up in the Mole''s legs to slowly weaken it and make it fall. The armor was tough so it took a dozen Undead to use [Undead Detonation] until the armor began cracking, but when that happened, the Mole King immediately fell down to its knees, desperately conjuring beams of chaotic darkness and miasmic meteors by the dozens against Partner in a futile attempt at trying to defeat her. However, Partner smiled devilishly, her eyes glowing redder as she received the boost in power of my Domain. Her body overflowed with darkness and blood aura, emerging in the shape of a barrier with countless spikes, easily blocking the magic attacksunched at her, while she quickly stuck both of her spears together and then crystalized blood around them¡­ "[Falling Red Star]!" FLAAAASH! The spears temporarily merged into a single red spear that Partnerunched at the Mole King''s head. The weapon pierced through the wind barrier and generated shockwaves, making its into the monster''s head and piercing it, an explosion of red and ck color engulfed the monster''s entire body after that. BOOOOOOMMMM!!! I can assume that thing''s dead, for sure. ----- Chapter 629 Brunhilds Mighty Flames ----- As I was fangirling over Partner and Lucifer taking down two Mole Kings by themselves, I noticed Brunhild tanking several w blows from two of the Mole Kings at once. Her Scales had regrown after she molted some time ago, so they didn''t looked old and decayed as before, shining with red and yellow color, as if she were covered in mes and gold. "[zing Inferno]!" Her wings stretched, unleashing a storm of mes around her surroundings, which quickly caught the two Mole Kings, pushing them away before she sighed in relief, gasping for air. She had overexerted herself a bit there. However, it wasn''t as if she was alone, the Dwarves began firing Holy Light Beams from their Golem Cores, sting the armor of the two Mole Kings and slowly chipping it away! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!N?v(el)B\\jnn "Come on,e on! Don''t let them get up!" "Fire! FIREEE!" "Die you damn hairless bastards!" The Dwarves didn''t waste any second, shooting dozens of beams from their golems at the Mole Kings. Their armor was actually slowly tearing apart as they did, but the bigshot of this fight had yet to attack herself! Emeraldine channeled the power of her two Spirits in her bow, as she pointed ten arrows made using Root''s wood at the Mole Kings from afar, overflowing Life, Nature, and Light energy began to envelop her surroundings. "[Yggdrasil''s Judgement]!" She fired all arrows against the Mole Kings, as they flew into the skies and then started falling from above, resembling ten shooting stars. Their overflowing light purified the surrounding Miasma Fog, and at the same time, reached the Mole Kings. FLAAAAAAASSHHH! An enormous explosion of light and life essence overflowed around all our surroundings. The arrows suddenly grew into beautiful trees melding with one another. Not only weakening the Mole Kings but trapping them in ce, the beasts struggled as the light burned their skin. "Now, Brunhild!" Emeraldine called for Lucifer''s big sister, as the beautiful red and golden dragon jumped into battle, her entire body overflowing with Holy mes. "[Heavenly Inferno]!" Every scale of her body generated golden mes, covering her entire body as she jumped towards the Mole Kings and using the very impact of her giant body falling over theirs, she unleashed an explosive, zing attack. BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! FLUOOOSH! The mes not only consumed the two Mole Kings on the spot, but they spread like a sea of mes, purifying the surroundings, even the sky, and burning alive the surrounding critters that were about to attack her or our allies. The screams of the Moles and Treants being burned alive sounded quite nicely, especially when the path towards the Second Floor was finally cleared of any more annoyances! Ding! [You and your Party have defeated [Aberrant Mutant Giant Death Mole (Rank: B+)] x183!] [You and your Party have defeated [Aberrant Mutant Giant Armored Death Mole (Rank: B++)] x64!] [You and your Party have defeated [Miasmic Tyrant Treant (Rank: B+)] x127!] [You and your Party have defeated [Aberrant Mutant Miasmic Giant Death Mole King (Rank: A+)] x4!] [You earned 5860000 EXP!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 76 to Level 77!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points.] Three more levels to go! The EXP needed has been increased by a whopping million per level¡­ I guess for Level 77 I need 9 million, for level 78 I''ll need 10 Million, andstly for Level 79 11 Million? A max of¡­ 30 Million EXP before I hit max level. Seems pretty hard to pull out, those are some absurdly ridiculous numbers you''re asking for, I could never get this much EXP normally, you know?! Well¡­ whatever, I am already an A Rank Monster after all, I wouldn''t expect any other EXP requirements than these. And if I think about it like 30 millions to reach S Rank, it doesn''t sound as bad anymore, doesn''t it? For now, it seems peace has finally taken over the floor 1, there were no monsters in sight. And the rumored Abyss Ants were nowhere in sight either¡­ I do remember they mentioned they were here. "Phew, well, that''s that¡­ We should rest for now- Oh?!" FLUOOOSH! The surroundings slowly began to be purified by the miasma by Brunhild''s mes. The soil became pure and even grass and flowers stared growing from within the purified soil. Emeraldine''s very presence also merged with this purification, and so did Root. It was almost automatically, but it froze us all as we saw how everything was changing. "T-The surroundings are being purified?" I wondered in surprise. "No, wait, notpletely." Not entirely, the rest of the floor was still shrouded in this ck miasma fog, and the area was desertic and wastnd-like. Nheless, the area where we fought the Four Mole Kings was purified, and even this area of the sky became blue. "Impressive, so this ce can be purified¡­ We simply have to y the monsters inside and the bosses then." Lucifer nodded. "I guess it was rather obvious from the beginning." "Yeah but it is nice to get a confirmation. Also your sister''s mes are really something else. Once they merge with Emeraldine''s magic and then Root''s magic, it truly generates a beautifully strong cleansing effect¡­" I said in admiration. "Perhaps with this, we could purify the entire dungeon more easily, or even stand a better chance against the Dungeon Boss." "I agree, these four bosses were quite tough¡­" Sighed Brunhild. "Fighting four at the same time was already my limit, to be honest. But I can see some of you did better than I thought. I really wentpletely all out against the Ant Queen back then, even after recovering for a while, my strength is simply¡­ not what it used to be." "Don''t worry, your mes are effective enough, Brunhild." I said with a nod. "Yeah, sister, I am also here to protect you and help you in anything you need." Lucifer reassured her. "Hungy!" However, Nyx suddenly interrupted our touching conversation. "I guess we need to eat something before continuing, she''s right." ----- Chapter 630 Reaching The Dungeons Second Floor ----- "I guess we can use this right now." I nodded. I quickly put down four small Golems resembling silver cubes in the floor surrounding us. Once I infused Mana into them at the same time, they activated, generating a small light barrier around the small, purified area of grass and blue sky. These were special Light Barrier Drones, as they call them. Once all four are set in a position, they generate a barrier through a formation. They''re good enough to protect us from the miasma around us so we can eat morefortably too. I quickly brought out some meat from the monsters of yesterday''s dungeon. The Smander and Frog''s meat once purified was very tasty. Roasting them over a grill wouldn''t be enough, so with Brunhild''s help, we created arge bonfire and put the enormous pieces of meat stuck to branches made by Root, roasting them with the mes at the same time as we added spices and salt. Meat alone wouldn''t do, thankfully I brought a lot of premade sd, and also began making some stew as a "side dish" to fill the bigger stomachs out there. I also gave Brunhild a pile of ores and jewels she feasted on to recover her stamina. The smell of the roasted meat was filling the ce, and the dwarves took the opportunity to stretch their legs a bit and walk out of the warm and tight interior of the golems, resting for a small while didn''t affected anybody, and helped us keep our morale high.N?v(el)B\\jnn While resting, we analyzed the battle we just had. "The power of the Miasma really made the monsters way stronger than I imagined." Partner said. "I still had to use a very powerful technique to finish off the stubborn Mole King I fought¡­" "I agree, even my powerful Yggdrasil Judgement didn''t killed them straight away." Said Emeraldine. "I guess we''ll need to use even stronger attacks or techniques for this." "At the very least some have shown a lot of growth and progress." I said, looking at Takeshi and Laura. "You two surprised me, were you saving those techniques to show off forter?" "Yeah, more or less." Takeshi said. "I am still learning about magic so I don''t think they''re really as effective as they could be¡­ But I am d I could help somehow." Laura said happily. "Grawr¡­" Nyx began asking praises as well, raising her tiny hands. "You were also great, dear." I gave her a head pat. She had helped too. I mostly kept her in the backside, however, as I was too afraid to throw her into the middle of a dangerous battle. Little Nyx was unleashing phantasmal mes and her breath attack at the armies of smaller mobs, devastating them from afar easily. I had yet to see her true dragon form though, as she doesn''t seem to know how to get into it or hasn''t tried or thought about it yet. Perhaps in her dragon form, she could had fought against the Mole Kings more easily, perhaps. Though, for now, this little Cmity needs to level up more than anything else. And talking about Cmities¡­ "Gyuh¡­ I finally have a family!" Root was happy to have a new army of Undead Treants with him. Naturally, once I rose them all from their deaths, they became very loyal, so I just asked them to be Root''s subordinates from now on so the tree could have his "family". He seemed to not mind them being actually more dead than he was, and he simply wanted others that shared his characteristics to an extent¡­ although nobody in the Undead Treants had the power to shapeshift through a skill like Spirit Embodiment to be a small and adorable egg-shaped bush spirit of nature. "Food''s ready, let''s go eat for now." Lucifer quickly arrived, as we rapidly went and enjoyed a nice meal with everyone together, filling our tummies. We enjoyed every bite, while talking about the dungeon and our future strategies. I divided myself and used a Phantom Clone to begin doing some alchemy, fusing several materials I had acquired for an item I already knew I would be needing soon. [You''vebined the [White Spirit Tree Branch (C Grade)] x1 [Sr Stone (D Grade)] x1 [Mysterious Potion (??? Grade)] x1 [Underworld Jackal''s Fangs (C Grade)] x1 and [Fire Elemental Orb (D Grade)] x1!] FLAAASH! As the item surged from within the Cauldron, I quickly stored it inside of my Inventory, while looking at the other items within my inventory, the ones named [Void-Gazing Eye (A Grade)] and [Forbidden Watch (B Grade)]. These two were also materials and at the same time, could be used like consumable items. Their effects could activate in a variety of ways, but it was better to leave them be for now and use them when I truly need them. I want to see what awaits us on the second floor before anything else¡­ if its too dangerous, I might use them, but it could also be better to save them for the boss. Once we finished eating we took a thirty-minute rest before departing. The barrier of light quickly dissipated after that, and once we were greeted by the same and vast wastnd as before, we kept advancing across without fear, reaching the stairs and walking down them fearlessly. As we reached the end of the stairs, we were greeted once more by a gloomy scenario. Enormous pools of Miasma surrounding us from all ces, while an enormous, ck forest greeted us. The trees had purple and ck leaves, and the trees were several times taller, and more terrifying, yet they were not Treants or any nt-type monster, but it was certainly rather scary, to say the least. "The Forest of the Second Floor ended bing this gloomy ck Forest¡­" Sighed Emeraldine. "These trees have yet to be monsters¡­ They''re suffering, the Miasma is eating away at them slowly¡­" Emeraldine could hear the voice of the trees, feeling sorrow over their suffering. "Don''t worry, we''ll get this done today and all of these forests will go back to normal." I reassured her. And just as I said that I sensed movement from within the depths of these forests, bird-like beasts began to emerge from within, with glowing red eyes. ----- Chapter 631 Birds Everywhere! ----- "Wow, so this is the second floor!" Helga said. "In the other dungeon we were unable to see it but it really does looks like an enormous jungle and forest." "Yeah, this is a big ce!" "So that theory was true, the dungeons are like twins of one another¡­ Did the God Thor really split the mountain in two halves and split the dungeons at the same time? This is nuts!" "It seems Brunhild''s words are the truth." The dwarves spoke through their Golems as we walked across thendscape of the Second Floor, there was still a big jungle covering most of thendscape, covered by a thin mist which blocked our vision to the jungle''s dangerous depths. "My Ancestor saw this with his very eyes." Brunhild stated. "He told the tale to his descendants, and like this, we learned about the truth of these two twin mountains." "Yeah, our Ancestors were stronger than us, they were Ancient Dragons, direct descendants of the Primordial Dragon Progenitors, which were equal to Gods and Titans. We descend from the Fire Dragon Family. Our Progenitor, Muspel, the Ancient Dragon Progenitor of mes, used to protect the Continent of Muspelheim." Lucifer exined. "Wait so howe younded on Midgard?" I wondered. "Much like the dwarves, we were travelers. Once the War between Titans and Gods happened, the Ancient Dragons were also affected. They had to protect their own territories as they were the Guardians. Most of the Gods were filled with greed and desired power andnd, they in our kin." Sighed Lucifer. "Several Progenitors died protecting us and their continents from the Gods and¡­ something else."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Something else?" Asked Partner. "What¡­ something else?" "An Old, Outer Darkness." Said Brunhild. "It is unclear what it was, but our Ancestors called it "The Void". We don''t exactly know what this being truly was, but it influenced the world and brought chaos and destruction as well." "The Void¡­" I began to think, but I couldn''t reallye to anything. Whatever this thing was, it was something like a "viin in the shadows" kind of trope. "Anyways, our families spread around the wide world. Some Ancient Dragon Progenitors remain alive after the Great Divine War that divided the Realms and merged them together into our current world. Sadly, not our mother¡­" Lucifer sighed. "If we could attain a higher quality Bloodline through evolution, we might be able to awaken the ancient power of Dragons, the Draconic Records. But for that we must grow stronger. If we manage though, we''ll be able to contact other Dragons through a special, divine realm-like space." Brunhild hoped. "For now, we must concentrate in this dungeon, though. We cannot lower our guards." "Yeah, you''re right, we were getting a bit sidetracked there, but it was pretty interesting to talk about that. It makes me wonder, this world''s pretty big, isn''t it? I wish I could just travel around as I please¡­" I sighed. "Well, can''t you? Once we are done with what we must do in here, there''s nothing saying we cannot explore the world and seek its secrets." Lucifer said. "Hm? I feel something nearby." We all got in alert as we reached the depths of the Jungles. Hundreds of red eyes stared at us from within the darkness. The figures began flying, jumping, and charging at us rapidly like there was no tomorrow, and they were all adorably shaped as giant birds! "CRAAAH! CRAAAH!" "CROCOCOCO!" "CRAAAAAH!" Birds everywhere! They were not the same stupid birds from before though, these guys looked like big and ugly crows with red, featherless faces and sharp hook-shaped beaks. Their sizes were between two meters to three meters, and they looked as deadly as theye! And above all, there were variants! Some were covered on blue and ck mes, and a few others looked covered on metallic ck feathers, with sharper ws. However, all of them seemed to be the same type of monster. ----- [Abyssal ck me Crow: Lv68] [Rank: B+] [Status: Furious, Hungry, Berserk] A gargantuan type of Crow-type monster. Gigantic birds covered on ck feathers and having ugly, red-colored, and featherless faces. Their sharp beaks can easily pierce through their foes, and their hard as metal ws can pierce and slice through skin, muscle, and bone. They have sharp fangs within their beaks as well as devastating kicking techniques. They are proficient in Darkness and Shadow maniption but can often control ck mes of Curse or Blue mes of Phantom to fight at long distance. Specialized variants be flightless in exchange for making their feathers metallic and incredibly hard to break, giving them a greater defense. Skills: [Devastating Piercing ws] [Deadly Spear Beak Attack] [Eyes of Malice] [Miasmic Aura of Empowerment] [Shadow Bullets] [Darkness Beam] [Miasmic Kicking Attack] [Shadow Sneak] [Rapid Flight] [Phantasmal mes] [Cursed mes] [Metallic Feather Armor] [Deadly And Undying Tenacity] ----- Alright they were just as strong as those damn Moles, so I can say with confidence they mean trouble. And they came charging by the hundreds! Some could fly, remaining in the skies and then charging towards us covered on their auras, as if they were meteors. Some could not fly and jumped from branch to branch, trying to get to us with great tenacity and hungry stomachs. Their eyes glowed bright red with a wild and berserk nature, they meant business. "CRAH! CRAH! CRAH!" A group of birds quickly charged directly at me, as everyone started fighting the rest. They were not as big as the moles though, so I intercepted one that jumped in midair by slicing it in half using my Battle Axe, and then kicked another two with my legs. CLAAAASH! BAAM! BAAM! All three of them were killed in an instant, as I intercepted the other two by unleashing Dark Lightning against them, electrifying their bodies and then killing them by shing them apart with my sword. SLASH! SLASH! Ding! [You learned the [Kicking Blow: Lv1] Skill!] Eh? Ah, I guess if there''s a [Fist Strike] Skill, it is obvious there''s a [Kicking Blow] Skill as well! Might as well use my legs more then. ----- Chapter 632 Kicking Through Into Another Boss Battle ----- As I used my entire body to eliminate some pesky chickens, I learned a new Skill! Ding! [You learned the [Kicking Blow: Lv1] Skill!] ----- [Kicking Blow: Lv1] Utilize your legs to unleash powerful Kicking Blows with them by activating this Skill. Imbuing your legs with Mana can give them greater endurance and temporary enhancement to their weight, enchanting the power of your kicks topletely new levels. Your body is a weapon, and your legs are like spears, kick your foes out of your range fiercely! Deals +40% More Damage while kicking a foe. Damage Dealt increases by +20% with each Skill Level. Additionally, there''s a 50% Chance to inflict [Paralysis] on a foe that you''ve kicked in a weak point, such as their pressure points. ----- This is definitely way more fitting to me than the Sex Beast and the Love Making Skills I got before! I wanted as many physically offensive Skills as possible anyways. I am an amazing magician but I got this obsession with being strong physically as well. Maybe because in my past life I was always scrawny and physically weak. Even now I am as a ghost! But inted stats means I am still pretty strong, equipment bonuses also give me even more Attack, hehe. And what if Ibine the Kicking Blow Skill with something like Phantasmal Limbs? Then something like this bes possible! I can easily just stretch out my legs and generate many legs below my dress! "Take this! [Kicking Blow]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Tens of legs emerged below my dress, as the birds were blown away and kicked to oblivion over and over, dozens of birds met their end before my mighty kicks. I felt like my phantasmal muscles had never burned this much before! So this is exercising for the dead! "CRAAAH!" "GREEEH!" "GRUUAAHH¡­!" "And as a finishing one¡­!" I gathered Mana into my weapons and unleashed a cross-shaped shing attack as big as forty meters, filled to the brim with Miasma and Mana, and of course, tons of Phantasmal mes and ck Lightning, I call this¡­ "[Apocalyptic Cross]!" C L A A A A A A A S S S S H H H H H!!! The enormous technique absolutely decimated over forty birds in one go, while devastating the trees behind and slicing through most of the forest, leaving an enormous path ahead and countless bird bodies lying everywhere. "Wow, I think I overdid it a bit¡­" Meanwhile, the rest of my Party was dealing with the monsters rather well. Lucifer and Brunhild were holding the frontlines with their enormous and scaled bodies, killing the birds as they came with their zing breaths and by swinging their tails like whips.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Partner protected the twins, unleashing Blood des and activating Spear Techniques that devastated the monsters and left traces of blood everywhere. All while she continued to absorb their blood to regain even more fuel for her skills. Takeshi and Lucia were working together wonderfully alongside Onyx, their loyal Abyssal Phoenix. Takeshi was summoning waves of oceanic water which he shaped into spiraling vortexes through his Fishing Rod, and then wrapping the rod''s thread around our foes. Meanwhile, Lucia summoned enormous fireballs imbued with her Explosion Ability, detonating into devastating magic nukes! Onyx protected them from the skies, killing any birds that got closer through his Shadow Feather Projectiles and other magics. At the same time, Emeraldine and Root were fighting fiercely. Emeraldine climbed Root to have a high area to shoot her powerful Magic Arrows, while Root''s enormous body protected her as he tanked dozens of birds'' hits at the same time with ease, utilizing his enormous wooden arms to devastate his surroundings while Emeraldine''s arrows shoot down like falling stars. Lastly, the dwarves worked together wonderfully, firing rays of light and utilizing the powerful,test model weapons their golems were loaded with. Giant battle axes shining with light, swords unleashing beams of light with each sh, and even giant hammers devastating the surroundings. Even alone they were able to 1v2 the birds with ease, as long as they had Mana those golems were amazing at dealing with monsters inside this dungeon! We had warmed up enough on the first floor and the second floor was being cleared at time record! The birds were almostpletely gone as we made our way through the ursed jungle. There were also several Ents in the way, but we blew them into bits while I raised more Undead for our army with them. Root now had a whole family of over forty Undead Treants, while Moles and Birds joined our ranks as well. However, when we finally reached the outside of the jungle, we were greeted with a truly overwhelming Boss, a gigantic Crow Bird, perhaps bigger than the Phoenix we once fought before, fearlessly ncing at us from within the skies, it was something simr to Onyx, an Abyssal Phoenix! "CRAAAAAH!" ----- [Abyssal ck me Phoenix: Lv88] [Rank: A+] [Status: Furious, Berserk] A powerful corrupted variant of the zing Phoenix monsters that possess deadly new elemental magic, a product of mutation through Miasma. Their sharp beaks can easily pierce through their foes, and their hard as metal ws can pierce and slice through skin, muscle, and bone. They have sharp fangs within their beaks as well as devastating kicking techniques. They are proficient in Darkness and Shadow maniption but can often control ck mes of Curse or Blue mes of Phantom to fight at long distance. They''re prideful monsters with great capabilities for battle and long-ranged attacks. Their mes can both damage souls and inflict deadly curses, and due to this, they''re thought to be stronger than normal Phoenixes, while being even more devastatingly ferocious. Skills: [Devastating Piercing ws] [Deadly Spear Beak Attack] [Eyes of Malice] [Miasmic Aura of Empowerment] [Shadow Bullets] [Darkness Beam] [Miasmic Kicking Attack] [Shadow Sneak] [Rapid Flight] [Phantasmal mes] [Cursed mes] [Metallic Feather Armor] [Deadly And Undying Tenacity] [Miasmic Meteors] [Abyssal zing mes] [Dark Sun] ----- This guy was pretty strong, I had to admit it. ----- Chapter 633 The Miasmic Dungeon Cores Resentment ----- From within the depths of the Miasmic Dungeon, a powerful presence woke up. It had been slumbering for eons upon the mountains splitting. However, it hasn''t been simply sleeping. Over time, it slowly absorbed the mountains nutrients, anything, from ores, bodies, to bones. It slowly developed a carnivorous appetite, automatically generating more and more monsters as it drove itself into a hunt. It continued infecting the mountain, hunting monsters from the outside by luring them inside of its deadly maws. It devoured them all, while it keep eating away at the mountain, even the bodies of the dead buried in the mountain itself could not rest, as it was all devoured and absorbed. Only a few years ago, it was provoked, invaders came rushing down, attempting to get at the being''s riches. But their efforts were worthless. At the end, the dungeon devoured them all and set free its beast. Once it finally woke up, the Miasmic Power of the Fragment of the Evil God within its own soul continued asking for more sacrifices, endlessly, incapable of satiating itself. Although it couldn''t quite recall what it truly was, the memories of this fragment, only fragments of memories, flowed into its mind, fusing its personality with this entity¡­ And this entity was obviously the dungeon core. Parasitized by the fragment, it merged with it and shared its emotions and resentment. The utter anger and fury it held against the gods and the world for having wronged him, and having turned him into an aberrant monster, split into pieces gruesomely¡­ It couldn''t contain its fury. Yet even as it fought to destroy everything within its vicinity, its gates were closed, and the deadly Miasmic Dungeon, infected with miasma in every corner¡­ was sealed. Until now. It sensed the seal being broken. The gates opened. After many years of waiting, patience has finally paid off. It rejoiced itself as it began producing more and more monsters, readying itself to invade the outside world with an endless army of Miasmic aberrations. However, its ns were easily stopped by a team of raiders. The first floor waspletely cleansed of monsters, and to make things worse they filled it up with life and nature essence, purifying the deadly miasma! The monsters were gone, and the Dungeon Core raged in fury and surprise. And now the Raiders were on their way through Floor 2 out of 3, the army of Treants and Deadly Crow Birds werepletely obliterated, and to make things worse, the one that destroyed them was a Necromancer, the dungeon''s monsters were raised from their death and became her loyal servants. "Uneptable¡­! This fury¡­ This resentment¡­! I cannot let them trample over it¡­! I must¡­ I must fill the world with my resentment, with my Miasma!" The Dungeon Core, as if repeating the same mistakes as the other half, took Maria and everyone else with her as foes, and decided to fight against them instead of weing them like the Swamp Dungeon did. Fury gushing through its entire Dungeon body, the souls of thousands of fallen monsters and other living beings that were absorbed by the Dungeon long ago roared, sharing the dungeon''s fury. In an instant, the Dungeon Core summoned a powerful Boss Monster, corrupted by Miasma, the beautiful Phoenix became an Abyssal Phoenix, with ck feathers and red eyes, it emerged before Maria andpany, blocking their way. And as if that couldn''t be enough, many other monsters emerged across Floor 2, while a terrifying surprise awaited in Floor 3¡­ "Stop them¡­! Kill them so I can devour them!" The Dungeon Core''smands were heard. . . . (Maria''s POV) "C R A A A A A H!" "C R A A A A A H!" In front of us an enormous bird got in the way. It was dead set on stopping us from advancing further through the Dungeon! It was gigantic, perhaps around thirty meters of height, with ck feathers decorating its beautiful and graceful appearance, it wasn''t at all like the Crows birds we beat earlier at all. -----N?v(el)B\\jnn [Abyssal ck me Phoenix: Lv88] [Rank: A+] [Status: Furious, Berserk] A powerful corrupted variant of the zing Phoenix monsters that possess deadly new elemental magic, a product of mutation through Miasma. Their sharp beaks can easily pierce through their foes, and their hard as metal ws can pierce and slice through skin, muscle, and bone. They have sharp fangs within their beaks as well as devastating kicking techniques. They are proficient in Darkness and Shadow maniption but can often control ck mes of Curse or Blue mes of Phantom to fight at long distance. They''re prideful monsters with great capabilities for battle and long-ranged attacks. Their mes can both damage souls and inflict deadly curses, and due to this, they''re thought to be stronger than normal Phoenixes, while being even more devastatingly ferocious. Skills: [Devastating Piercing ws] [Deadly Spear Beak Attack] [Eyes of Malice] [Miasmic Aura of Empowerment] [Shadow Bullets] [Darkness Beam] [Miasmic Kicking Attack] [Shadow Sneak] [Rapid Flight] [Phantasmal mes] [Cursed mes] [Metallic Feather Armor] [Deadly And Undying Tenacity] [Miasmic Meteors] [Abyssal zing mes] [Dark Sun] ----- This thing looked quite stronger than the previous Phoenix we fought back then, and it was loaded with Miasma, grossly boosting its stats even more. The thing was so strong it generated some sort of domain around itself, transforming its surroundings into pitch ck for a few seconds¡­ Ah, kind of reminds me of my Domain Skill. "C R A A A A A H H H H!!!" The Abyssal Phoenix''s feathers suddenly began zing with ck and blue mes, and then it started rushing down, falling towards us like a meteor! Wait, is this thing trying to kill itself or something?! No, if it''s charging so boldly, it probably thinks it can just kill us in one single blow like this, right? Damn chicken, I''m going to have you for dinner, you know?! I''ll eat you up to make up for not being able to eat that Phoenix! ----- Chapter 634 Against An Abyssal Phoenix ----- "You think you can charge at us? You oversized chicken?!" Lucifer roared madly, quickly imbuing his ws and entire body with powerful quantities of Mana. "Draconic Arts: [Orichalcum Scales]!" CLAAAASSSSHHHH!!! The Abyssal Phoenix shed against Lucifer, who was the hardiest of our team, as his ws quickly grabbed the gigantic bird''s legs and pushed it down. The impact was not enough to even push him down. We were not as weak as before after all, Lucifer was pretty strong as well right now.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om BAAAAAMMMM!!! "CRAAAAHHH!" The Abyssal Phoenix vomited blood as it was thrown into the floor, one of its wings quickly broke, but it was slowly regenerating due to its insane regeneration as a phoenix. It responded to Lucifer''s brute force by unleashing several Dark Suns, enormous spheres of darkness against him. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! However, I flew in front of him and Nyx followed me, as we absorbed the Darkness utilizing our powers, I easily blocked most of its hits. It was certainly way more convenient now that it has be a Dark-type monster, which we were quite resistant against! This Miasmic Dungeon was deadly for all living beings, but it was pretty easy for me and most of my party to wander around here. "CRAAAH!?" The Abyssal Phoenix''s eyes became desperate as it saw how we blocked its deadly magic spells. The monstrous bird''s mes erupted from its body at the same time as its fury emerged, phantasmal mes and ck mes rushed towards us. FLUOOOOSSSHHH!! I already had the Status Effect Immunity Skill anyways, so the curses were dealing no damage, even less phantasmal element damage, it was literally what I was made of! My daughter inherited part of my powers as well, she was something like half-ghost half-dragon, so she easily copied my movements, the little Nyx helped too! "Heheh, you think you''re a big shot here, huh?!" Lucifer began tough at the struggling Phoenix. "CRAAAAHHH!!!" The monster desperately unleashed Dark Suns, Phantasmal and ck mes, and then several kicking blows, piercing blows with its beak, and shing attacks with its ws. At the same time, it started to summon several Miasmic Meteors that started to emerge from the skies, falling over us in a devastating manner! If it wasn''t for our allies, of course. "Leave these to us!" Brunhild said. "Kill that thing quickly!" The brave dragoness began kicking and punching the enormous Miasmic Meteors one after the other, as her body was covered on Holy mes, each kick or punch summoned an arc of holy golden mes, consuming the meteors with ease! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!!! "CRAAAHHH¡­!" However, the Phoenix had yet to use all its tricks, it utilized the [Call Ally] Ability and brought a hundred more crows from within the surroundings, all began swarming us angrily, trying to tell us to let go of their Leader. However, Emeraldine, Partner, Takeshi, and Laura alongside the dwarves took them down as easily as we did before. Emeraldine''s spiritual arrow barrage took down several of them at the same time, Partner freely charged across their numbers and impaled many of these with her twin spears, Takeshi drowned them and fished them, while Laura blew them into pieces. Root trapped them into his vines and roots, absorbing their vitality and miasma, while the dwarves took them down one by one by making a tight formation. "C-CRAAAH!" The Abyssal Phoenix couldn''t believe how we were cheesing this out. It angrily roared another time, continuously conjuring more and more attacks, until it suddenly became weaker as its magic became smaller. This was all due to my evolved [Unique Skill: Mana Siphon], the [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth]! ----- [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] The evolution of a Unique Skill results in an Ultimate Skill, a power that can defy thews of the world themselves. This power manifests as an endless ck hole within the user''s soul that can absorb and assimte any sort of essence, be it Mana, Vitality, Aether, and other elemental energies, this absorption is gradual but constant, and its speed increases as time goes on. Yog-Sothoth transforms the user in the key and the gate, leading to the endless void, therefore, it has an endless void inside its soul, where an endless quantity of energy can be absorbed and assimted. ----- With this overpowered Skill, foes tend to get tired REALLY quickly unless they have a very big source of power, and the Abyssal Phoenix was already at its limit! "Now!" I roared, as Lucifer and Nyx unleashed their breath attacks, while I gathered my Mana and Miasma and unleashed a powerful Spell I had created. "[Apocalyptic Storm]!" CRAAAAASSSSHHHH!!! The enormous,bined attack fried the Abyssal Phoenix alive, and to stop it from regenerating or reincarnation, I quickly grasped its soul and dragged it out, right before Lucifer used his Death Scythe Skill to sh at the soul and slice it! Nyx then feasted on it. SLAAASH! "CRAAAAHHHH¡­!" The soul of the Phoenixined while it was being eaten by our daughter, but Nyx quickly finished her meal, swallowing the big soul and burping adorably. "Burp¡­ Twasty!" She said adorably. "It was a nice meal, right?" I said happily. "Hmm, if she''s half ghost like you she should get to eat more souls then." Said Lucifer. "We can adjust her dietter." "Yeah dear, I had thought about it too." I agreed. "Now¡­" I looked behind me, a swarm of birds was in. And now, the rest of the Floor seemed calm, although in the faraway ins, I could see four enormous towers made of purple crystal. Yep, the same scenario was repeating itself, those must be the Abyssal Ants Nests, and there''s not one, but four of them! There''s probably over a thousand damn Abyssal Ants if webine all the numbers together. "I guess we should first take a break now. We''ll go against the Antster. Much like the previous time, they seem on their own little world, so we''ll go against them once we finish this." I said with a smile. "Time for fried chicken!" ----- Chapter 635 A Bunch Of New Skills ----- Ding! [Your Party have defeated [Miasmic Tyrant Treant (Rank: B-)] x163!] [Your Party have defeated [Abyssal ck me Crow (Rank: B+)] x254!] [Your Party have defeated [Abyssal ck me Phoenix (Rank: A+)] x1!] [You earned 11630000 EXP!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 77 to Level 78!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points!] [You acquired the [Bird yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The [Bird yer: Lv1] Title Skill Level has increased to Level 10!] [The [Bird yer: Lv10] Title Skill has evolved to [Aerial Monster Exterminator: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Miasmic Monster yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The [Miasmic Monster yer: Lv1] Title Skill Level has increased to Level 10!] [The [Miasmic Monster yer: Lv10] Title Skill has evolved to [Chaotic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The [Fist Strike: Lv10] Skill has evolved to [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv1] Skill!] [The [Kicking Blow: Lv1] Skill Level has increased to Level 4!] [You learned the [Apprentice Martial Artist: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The [Apprentice Martial Artist: Lv1] Skill Level has increased to Level 3!] Wow, so many new things! Three new Skills, in fact. Although one of the three is from an evolved old Skill, Fist Strike! It had already reached Level 10 some time ago, and I was wondering when the heck would I get it to awaken, but lo and behold, it has awakened into something rather terrifying sounding! ----- [Aerial Monster Exterminator: Lv1] A Title Skill that can only awaken once Bird yer reaches max Level. It enhances damage dealt against all Aerial-type Monsters by +150%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to lower the Speed, Agility, and Evasion of Aerial-type Monster by -1% with each inflicted attack that deals at least some damage to them. The user can also fly like a bird. ----- [Chaotic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] A Title Skill that can only awaken once Miasmic Monster yer reaches max Level. It enhances damage dealt against all Chaos-type Monsters by +150%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to drain the Miasma of Chaos-type Monster with each inflicted attack that deals at least some damage to them. Miasma can be controlled and resistance to Corruption through it increases greatly. ----- [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv1] The Evolution of the Fist Strike Skill at Level 10, which can only be attained by Supernatural Beings who have mastered the ability to imbue the purest essence of Death and Darkness into their Fists. This is a powerful and indescribable technique that has only bee created once, by the wielder of this very Skill. A powerful Fist Technique that has been self-taught is filled with endless potential. By gathering the Purest Essence of Death and Darkness into the user''s Fist, all Fist Strikes Damage dealt are enhanced by +200% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to drain HP and MP from a foe with each strike based in 10% of damage dealt, alongside ignoring all their defenses by -25% and deal Soul Piercing Damage, which deals 20% damage to their souls. This Skill contains special Techniques unlocked with each Skill Level: Avable Techniques: Level 1: [Phantasmal Fist] [Soul Piercing Punch] Level 2: [???] ----- [Apprentice Martial Artist: Lv1] A Title Skill only granted to those who have attained several Martial Arts-rted Skills, either being self-taught or taught by a Master of Martial Arts. By possessing this Skill, you''re still within your starting stage in the Martial Arts world, but your growth will continue to improve greatly as you fight stronger enemies and temper your body ordingly. Increases all types of Martial Techniques and Attacks and Moves using the Body''s Effectiveness and Damage Dealt by +30%, with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. ----- Uooohh! They''re all so good! All of them! With this I can demolish birds even easier than before, and Chaos-type monsters¡­. Hehehe, I can wreck them down even easier than before! And to make things more fantastic, my awakened Fist Strike Skill became utterly amazing, and above all of that, the Apprentice Martial Artist Title enhances my physical damage even more! "Hehe, this might be the birth of the first ever Ghost Martial Artist! I won''t simply rely on magic anymore. My body is a mountain, unmovable and powerful! Nothing can erode me, nothing can move me! Nothing can fathom me!" Iughed evilly, drowning on my own pride. "What''s wrong with her?" Wondered Emeraldine. "I don''t know but she seems happy! Ah¡­ I''m hungry. Should we cook something up?" Partner wondered. "I think Maria wanted fried chicken." Lucifer said. "But she''s beenughing to herself for a little while now. She must be happy about some sort of Skill. Let''s get preparations for now. Helga, everyone, let''s set up a barrier!" Lucifer called the rest. "Ah! Right, I was distracting myself too much on my glory¡­" I said while quickly bringing myself back to normal. "Let''s make haste! I want fried chicken now!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I flew towards the Abyssal Phoenix, the big bird we''ll be eating today. Miasma is a poison and it makes taste everything like some bitter dirt, so I''ll extract it using some magic and¡­ FLUOOOSH! The miasma was extracted,pletely cleansed it was not though. I quickly utilized the [Purification] Ability within one of my skills, as Emeraldine came to help me purify the meat. FLAAAAASH! "This should be enough!" Emeraldine said. "But are you sure you want to cook this giant thing?" "Yeah I am already plucking the feathers, don''t you see~?" I giggled. The bird quickly becamepletely featherless. Then we opened the guts with my sword, took them all out, washed with water courtesy of Takeshi''s abilities, and once it waspletely out of blood, internal guts and clean, I seasoned it with dozens of spices I carried with myself, quickly putting it to grill on arge bonfire conjured by Brunhild. "Hmmm, this grilled chicken''s looking good!" I sighed. "But that''s not enough, we''ll make the little ones into fried chicken!" ----- Chapter 636 Having A Feast In The Middle Of A Dangerous Dungeon (As Usual) ----- I quickly did the same butchering process and made a dozen Crow Birds into big pieces of white meat, purified and ready to fry, I set up a big pan with oil getting warmer, and then covered the chicken breasts, wings, and thighs with a special batter made of flour, eggs, salt, and other spices, frying it all into the oil once I was done. The smell of chicken permeated our surroundings. The barrier was already set up and we made it deep into the forest, so the ants didn''t noticed us at all. "Ahhh, this smells so nice! I want to eat already!" Partner was excited, drinking Phoenix Blood wasn''t enough for her anymore. "Bleh, miasma infected blood''s really terrible¡­" "Let me purify it for you¡­" Emeraldine purified the blood, which turned from ck to a deep red. "Oooh, much better!" Partner enjoyed the blood. "Hmmm, Maria can you bring some beer?" Wondered Lucifer. "Sure thing! Anybody else wants some drinks?" I asked out. "Aren''t you a bit too rxed?" Sighed Helga from behind. "Hey! you guys are not the ones that can say that when you''re always merrily ready to feast! Come on, where''s the festive spirit of dwarves?" Iughed, bringing some beer out from the Inventory. "Hmm, but shouldn''t we be more in alert?" Asked Helga. "Well I am, I''ve put several Undead around, all the ones I''ve raised so far, and there''s a Phantasmal Clone in front of them watching over. Even if they approach they''re going to just get stomped." I said. "I think the best part of dungeon diving is these parts when we get to rx and eat some tasty monster meat." "You''re insane¡­ but I agree to an extent, let''s enjoy some time together I suppose." Helga sighed, hermon sense was rapidly fading away. "I am honestly slightly tired as well, so I would be d if we took a break, I want to sleep as well, if possible." Brunhild said. "Then how about we take a break? Maybe four hours should be enough for you?" I wondered. "That''s too little, I sleep at least 5 days¡­" Brunhild yawned. "Yeah¡­ that''s not possible right now, Brunhild, be more reasonable." Sighed Lucifer. "Hahaha, sorry. It''ll do with this tasty chicken and a small nap, don''t worry about me." Brunhild smiled, enjoying the meal with us. The chicken was already done, Abyssal Phoenix meat grilled on dragon mes, what abination. The spices went amazingly, giving it some citric touch, spicy, and sweet. The juices wereing out of the grilled meat with each bite. The Phoenix was so big even the dragons could eat in their dragon forms, though they preferred their human-like forms anyways. "Hmmm¡­ I can''t stop eating!" Partner cried. "So good¡­ Phoenix meat is fantastic!" Emeraldine admitted. "I can''t believe we''ve been missing on something so good before." "I can''t believe it myself either." Iughed. "The other birds we ate were also tasty but nothing like these guys!" "Hmm, try out the fried chicken ones too!" Brunhild said. "I love the crunchiness! It is like when you caught a living prey and as it struggles, you bite through its tender meat and crunchy bones. A sensation I haven''t had in many years, it reminds me of my childhood." "Yeah, it really is delicious and make us feel that way." Lucifer sighed in happiness. "Wait what?!" I asked in surprise. "¡­Well, whatever. I guess dragons are dragons after all." I tried out the crispy fried "chicken". The meat was tender and delicious, I had injected some lemon juice and spices over it, so it was very delicious as well. I was having a st enjoying this meal so much¡­ Well, we all were. "Guys add some lemon on top!" Takeshi said. "This really reminds me of Karaage! Hmm! It really goes amazingly! I wish we had mayo too¡­" "Lemon¡­?" Wondered Emeraldine, she quickly poured some lemon juice over a piece of fried chicken, we all tried it out. Thebination of the fresh citric juice over the fried chicken created a uniquebination of vors, and the slightly spicy sauce made of fermented beans made it even better. Abination of many vors. "So this is Karaage you say? I love it!" Helga celebrated. "Uoooh! And the beer goes so well too! Ah damn it! My kids must be thinking I''m having a hard time¡­ I am ashamed." "This minty beer is somethingpletely new, where did you even got this one?" "I prefer this brown beer, it is very sweet!" "This chicken is superb. I don''t even know if I''ll be able to enjoy another meal as good as this one." "Yeah, no other chicken will be this good before." "I''ve also made some chicken bone soup, the bones also got meat. There''s potatoes and carrots, and onions too! Try it out if you want something warm to drink, everyone." I quickly shared the soup. "Uwaahh¡­ I really wanted something warm like this. This dungeon is quite cold now that I think about it." Laura said. "It really hits the spot!" "It goes nice with the grilled chicken¡­" Takeshi said. "I never thought these ugly birds would be this tasty." "Well you always discover something new." Iughed. "Wait¡­ now that I think about it, can''t I raise the "light" version of these chickens in my dungeon? They''re an avable monster after all! Perhaps I could summon themter and make a ranch with them so they can give us delicious eggs and we can butcher them for their meat as well¡­ A win-win situation indeed." "Oh, that sounds smart." Emeraldine pointed out. "Yeah, we could produce our ownrge-scale food supply, not only we could produce vegetables and fruits but also meat and eggs." Lucifer said. "It is indeed an amazing idea." "We''ll do that then!" Iughed. "We could bring some of those monsters back home too to build our own ranch there. Monsters are resistant to freezing temperatures quite well."N?v(el)B\\jnn Like that, a new project came to my mind. ----- Chapter 637 The Ember Of Divinity ----- Ding! [The [Cooking: Lv6] Skill Level has increased to Level 7!] [You acquired the [Apprentice Chef: Lv1] Title Skill!] [The [Apprentice Chef: Lv1] Skill Level has increased to Level 4!] ----- [Apprentice Chef: Lv1] A Title Skill only given to those who have begun to walk across their culinary career. The more you cook the better you be at it. Cook as many meals as you can and find the best vors. The path towards delicious food can only be carved by you alone. Enhances your Cooking Skill Effects, Cooking Abilities, Ingredient Detection, And Cooking Imagination by +50% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, Cooked Food can be granted special, magical effects that can restore HP, MP, and Fatigue more easily, and at higher levels, even grant bonuses to Stats. ----- "Oooh, I finally got it!" I celebrated. Not only was my Cooking Skill at Level 7 by now but I even got an Apprentice Chef Skill at Level 7 already! Isn''t it pretty amazing? My cooking tasted so good perhaps because of this. Well, I am also pretty good at cooking, I cannot keep denying the fact. After our meal, we decided to take a break while I watched over the faraway Ants colonies. They were all Abyssal Ants, slowly farming Miasmic Crystals, Demonite, and eating it. Ant Queens should be there as well, I suppose. Unless there''s the same Ant Queen as before, in such case, it would be the final boss again. Well, if things repeat themselves, I''ll simply do the same and absorb the Fragment of the Evil God while taking over the Dungeon Core. It shouldn''t be such aplicated task all things considered. But for now, I decided to rest, leaving everyone else to sleep too. Time went by slowly, as I concentrated my power into my soul, making it move around more and more. Each time I leveled up, I was able to sense this "Aether" better. It was a special Soul Essence, the more I moved it around, the better it reacted to me. "Hmm¡­ You''re getting better at controlling Aether, though you''ll need more power to utilize it properly." Tyr showed up at my side. "Oh, you''ve been spying me or what?" I sighed. "It''s nothing like that! I am merely saying that." Sighed Tyr. "But controlling Aether at the level you''re doing so is very rare, well done." "Huh, I don''t think I need your praise¡­" I said while trying to ignore him. "Tche! Don''t get so cocky now. You barely know any Aether or Mana Cirction Techniques." He sighed. "Techniques?" I asked. "It is something we use to maintain this power within our bodies and reinforce it over time¡­ But you need at least 200 Aether if you want to learn any of them." Tyr said. "Come on teach me something!" Iined.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Don''t get cocky! If you overuse Aether too much, your soul might end up being destroyed." Said Tyr. "Eeeh? Is that the only thing? Then I doubt that''s a problem, I''ve had my soul destroyed a couple of times already, I just regenerate it back, no biggie." Iughed. "Huh¡­ You''re awfully confident¡­ Fine." Heughed. "But don''t me me if your soul''s destroyed¡­" Tyr suddenly inserted into my head some sort of strange knowledge. It felt a bit disgusting when he did it, but I had no other choice but to ept his knowledge. In an instant, I learned the right ways to move Mana and Aether correctly, and I even was able toprehend something called¡­ Elemental Law. The depth of darkness, the cycle of death, dposition, turning back to the soil, and being reborn¡­ The darkness that fills the void, and the light that illuminates it¡­ Woah, this is pretty deep. But I thinkprehending Laws is like understanding the element you use a bit more. "Then I can manipted Aether and Mana of my Element like this?" I wondered, as Aether and Mana emerged from my soul, waving around with gray, ck, and dark blue colors, some hints of purple and red could be seen as well. The energies fluctuated rapidly all around, beautifully so. It was as if a me was burning inside of my soul, energizing my very being and turning it more¡­ real. It was strange, yet I felt like I was slightly connected with the cosmos, maybe only a bit more. I felt like I could keep pushing some more, adding more and more power into this me, as it kept flickering and growingrger¡­ But then, an enormous pain reached my soul! CRACK! And then it began to shatter! Just like Tyr said, this was the worst! Ouch! Ouch! Okay, I''ll stop! I quickly stopped before getting shattered. It was hurting more than usual as well, as if a "deeper" part of my own self conscious was being destroyed. I better not y around too much. I guess I owe him an apology¡­ But now that he''s looking at me with eyes wide open, I don''t know what to say. "Y-You¡­" He muttered in surprise. "Incredible, were you able to light then Ember of Divinity?" "Ember of what?" I asked while raising an eyebrow. "Ah, this little me? Wait, it wasn''t metaphorical?!" "T-This is¡­ To think a being of such a low level could attain it¡­ Your Unique Skills and¡­ that Ultimate Skill too, must be the ones granting you such insane Soul Resiliency and Soul Vitality to be able to do this¡­" Tyr was surprised. "Can you exin what you''re talking about please?" I asked him "politely". "Also can you stop calling me a "low level being" it is very rude!" "Well but you''re something like a low level being¡­" Said Tyr. "And the Ember of Divinity is the me inside your soul, it is very small but you''ve somehow forced your way into having one¡­" "Ember of Divinity? Is that what gods have?" I wondered. "No¡­" Tyr said. "It is merely a stage of metamorphosis; it eventually evolves into¡­ something else." Tyr said mysteriously. "Ah, I can''t remember anything more than that, but don''t y around with it too much. It mightpletely destroy you." "Huh? That bad?!" ----- Chapter 638 Advancing Undead Army ----- Tyr really scared me there. Whatever was this "Ember of Divinity" it was something quite bad. He couldn''t remember anything more. He said the gods didn''t had it, but that this was an "stage of metamorphosis" I don''t even know half the nonsense he talks about sometimes. Is being a god thatplicated? Well I''ll just keep leveling up and evolve until I get strong enough anyways. I decided to nce at my Ember while Tyr continued saying it was dangerous, and then I utilized Analyze on it. Maybe this could give me a better clue about what the heck this is! Ding! -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Ember of Divinity] The beginning of a Soul''s Ascension begins with a small Ember of Divinity, as this Divinity develops through the absorption and fluctuations of Energies, the Soul Scape Expands and transforms. The user canprehend the elements of its surroundings and bes one with them. One of the first steps to attain something higher. ----- Thank you System that''s not very clear either! But if this is really like some starter pack for bing a goddess¡­ I mean, don''t I have a sealed Unique Skill that literally says "Goddess"? So I might eventually one day get enough power to utilize it. Whenever that moment finallye, I guess I''ll just start a new journey! But for now, I should probably leave this at the side, if I concentrate so much in things I cannot do right now, I''ll lose focus. I slept with half my mind awake, and after around six hours, we finally woke up. We had a quick breakfast, mostly lots of sweet things and coffee, and then, we finally set off into the outside of the jungle. "Well, let''s get this dungeon done with." Partner said with a defiant smile. "That was a nice nap¡­ I feel filled with energy now." Emeraldine said. "Yeah, let''s get this finished with." Lucifer said. "Big bugs!" Nyx said, pointing at the ants in the distance. "Wait, are those more birds?" Takeshi noticed. "Yep, we''re being swarmed by more of these guys¡­" Laura sighed. "Wait, what?! They spawned again?! Must be due to the high quantities of Miasma though¡­" Said Helga. "Don''t worry everyone, we''ve got our own army with us anyways!" Iughed, as I ordered my Undead to take care of the iing monsters. At the end, in the way we ended ying around forty of these Crow Birds more, which I stored inside my Inventory, and then we moved forward into the grassy ins¡­ or well, the barrennds where four enormous towers made of purple crystal erected from underground. "Alright, should we prepare something for it or go all out?" I wondered. "They''re four now¡­ I remember the first time we did it we sted the single one using an overpoweredbined attack with Emeraldine." "We should probably take one down each, how about it?" Partner wondered. "So we can show off how strong we''ve grown!" "I am all for it." Lucifer said. "Sister, can you assist me?" "Yeah, dly." Brunhild seemed willing after resting. "I think we don''t need many preparations like before either." Emeraldine said confidently. "Root, can you help me out though?" "Sure thing, gyuh!" The little Root floated around Emeraldine. He had a higher affinity with her than I had originally believed, it must be due to his Spirit Embodiment and how he would literally be a nature and life spirit, which she has amazing affinity with. "Okay then! I''ll do my best. With sis we can do anything." Said Takeshi. "Alright, I want to test my explosive abilities." Laura said with a smile. "My army of Undead should support us. The moment we get closer they''ll definitely attack us. We have to utilize the Undead to distract them. I might blow them up as well for more distraction, hehehe¡­" Iughed evilly. "Now, let''s go! You dwarves, what do you n on doing?" "We''ll cover your backs, we are not confident we could take down those things. And once you do, hundreds of these guys will rush outside, so we''ll take care of them, at least we can offer support to your Undead Army." Helga said. "Good, that''s good enough for now." I nodded with a smile. "Alright everyone, let''s go." We quickly rushed forward through the skies, as I decided to conjure a new Spell I''ve been practicing for a while named [Mirage]! It conjured arge veil of purple color, which then turned us invisible, melding into the background. The [Illusory Delusion] Skill at Level 5 boosted this spell''s effects the best. POOOF! "Like this, we cannot be easily detected. Now, Undead, March! [Bloodshed Enhancement]! [Bone Armor]! [Bone Weapons]! [Phantasmal Armor]!" I quickly enhanced my two hundred or so mixed Undead Army, their bodies were suddenly covered on Armor made of Bones I conjured using Bone Armor and Weapon Creation and the thousands of Bones inside my Inventory, and even equipped them with weapons. Lastly, Bloodshed Enhancement and Phantasmal Armor enhances their offense and defense even more. Now I am just not bringing some random undead, I am properly boosting and arming my powerful army so they can fight more properly. The Moles and Birds marched forward, some pure skeleton monsters also were there by a few dozens,rger and higher in level as those guys had been sticking with me since the beginning. "SHAAA!" The Abyssal Ants quickly noticed the enormous army emerging as I summoned them right in front of their Tower-like nests, hundreds of Abyssal Ants rushed out immediately, angrily shing against their undead invaders. Meanwhile, I was charging my Mana and Elemental Power into my hands for one hell of a devastating Spell¡­ Let''s see how far my magic alone can go now that I''ve tried my physical strength enough! The army of Undead shed against the Abyssal Ants. Armed with Bone Armor and Bone Weapons, alongside receiving boosts to their Physical Strength and Defenses, these little guys were not as weak as before. The Abyssal Ants were not being overwhelmed at all though, their stats were way higher even whenpared to my undead with buffs and bone armor and weapons. However, the Undead had one neat little trick below their sleeve. When one of them was being overwhelmed and torn apart by many Abyssal Ants, and it was sure to die, I quickly utilized [Undead Detonation]. BOOOOOOMMMM!!! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM! ----- Chapter 639 {Eternal Void} ----- The army of Undead shed against the Abyssal Ants. Armed with Bone Armor and Bone Weapons, alongside receiving boosts to their Physical Strength and Defenses, these little guys were not as weak as before. The Abyssal Ants were not being overwhelmed at all though, their stats were way higher even whenpared to my undead with buffs and bone armor and weapons. However, the Undead had one neat little trick below their sleeve. When one of them was being overwhelmed and torn apart by many Abyssal Ants, and it was sure to die, I quickly utilized [Undead Detonation]. BOOOOOOMMMM!!! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM! One explosion led to many more thanks to the random effect of the [Explosion Maniac] Title Skill activating, overwhelming a dozen ants, and bringing them to their swift deaths! However, death is not the end for someone at my side, so they simply woke up right after, repaired thanks to my Undead Healing, and back to Undead Abyssal Ants! Now spread chaos, little Ants, kill your former brothers and sisters! I quickly ordered the Ants to move, as they joined with the rest of my Undead, the Abyssal Ants attacking us at the beginning feltpletely confused when they saw their own kin attacking them back though, it must have been quite sad! And about me? Well, I gathered Mana into my hands atop the skies, pointing my hands at the nearest Tower Nest there was, and then Ibined several Skills together into a massive magic circle. The magic circle slowly formed, with several runes of my creation, which took a bit of time topletely form, a few seconds per Rune, this was aplicated and devastating magic nuke¡­ FLAAASH! The Magic Circle was done after only fifteen seconds, I would say that wasn''t so bad, especially when I''ve already channeled several other Skills into it! Now¡­ Let''s give it an edgy, overpowered name. "[Eternal Void]!" TRUUUUUUMMMMM¡­! All elements converged together, at the same time as I temporarily used Spirit Fusion to merge with Tyr and attain even more magical power. A gigantic mass of darkness began to distort space around, sending shockwaves everywhere as it flew down towards the Tower Nest. It seemed rather calm and inconspicuous, but once itnded¡­ Suddenly, everything becamepletely ck, as if the void had consumed everything. Then, within the void itself, a distortion started to consume the void itself, forming a hole that began to consume itself, generating an enormous, gargantuan gravitational force that exploded loudly! BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM¡­!!! A gigantic magic nuke! The explosion was so massive it sent a shockwave strong enough to blow away any Abyssal Ant nearby into the skies. The spell even consumed the whole nest, vaporizing it from my sight and destroying anything inside. The explosion was no slow either, as fast as a blink, leaving behind a gigantic, ck-colored mushroom-shaped cloud and a massive crater¡­ Thankfully the range of this super concentrated spell wasn''t so close to the other nests, so everyone unleashed their long-ranged attacks. Lucifer and Brunhildbined their magic together with their Draconic Arts, unleashing a massive Inferno of Holy mes and ck mes spinning together in the shape of a furious dragon, the impact alone demolished one of the nests, burning alive hundreds of the Abyssal Ants. CRAAAAAASSSSHHHHH!!!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Meanwhile, Partner jumped towards the nest directly and then unleashed a single attack that concentrated both of her spear''s powers together, forming into wave of blood and darkness that consumed one of the nest and hundreds of Abyssal Ants, right before she sliced everything apart with a second, definitive blow. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BOOOOMMM!!! At the same time, Takeshi and Laurabined their attacks together, summoning an enormous wave of oceanic water which quickly took the shape of a furious water serpent, coiling around one of the nests and then exploding! The explosion was not enough to destroy the nest though, but Emeraldine and Root joined in, Emeraldine channeled Root''s powers and fired a single arrow, which pierced through the nest and then exploded into a gigantic tree, whose roots and branches destroyed the nest from the inside! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! And while all of this was happening, I started firing [Dark Suns] and [Dark Storms] together to support the dwarves and my own Undead, which were now down to half due to the might of the Abyssal Ants stats and skills. Seeing their nests being destroyed made them panic though, as they started scurrying everywhere, somehow trying to escape! Woah, you guys are not going anywhere! Everyone else quickly joined in the hunt of the leftovers, until no Abyssal Ant was left alive. There were also a few Abyssal Ant Knights and Warriors, who were quite shy and strong, but those that got near were eliminated by me and my new abilities. "SHAAAA!" A group of three Abyssal Ant Knights, who had humanoid shapes and held powerful exoskeleton-made swords and spears ambushed me, thest squadron. However, they were pretty foolish to think they stood a chance against me. "You guys must be tired of living¡­" The three flew towards me at the same time, attacking me with their Weapon Techniques, however, my fists emerged by the dozens all around my body, as I moved rapidly yet, at the same time, it looked like I was moving slowly. In mere seconds, several phantasmal fists reached their bodies, hitting them several times! "[Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique]: [Phantasmal Fist]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "GRAAAAHHH!" "BBBZZZZ¡­!" "GRYYEEHH!" The bugs were demolished into pieces by my fist attacks, until they exploded into pieces! SPLAAAT! Their bodies sttered into shreds, as if I had just crushed some mere flies. Woah, aren''t I super physically strong or something? And that was just my bare fists! Well, I used like over a dozen fists thanks to the [Phantasmal Limb] Skill, but still. "SHAAAAAH!" However, thest of them rushed behind me, trying to damage my soul with its Miasma-imbued spear! "[Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique]: [Soul Piercing Punch]!" CRAAAAASSSHH!!! However, my fist pierced through the monster''s soul, shattering it! ------ Chapter 640 New Titles ----- As therger than usual Ant Knight had its soul shattered, it struggled a bit before falling into the ground below, dead. Damn these techniques were lethal as hell, and really fitting for my abilities and my body. I guess they were quite literally made for me¡­ ----- [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv1]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The Evolution of the Fist Strike Skill at Level 10, which can only be attained by Supernatural Beings who have mastered the ability to imbue the purest essence of Death and Darkness into their Fists. This is a powerful and indescribable technique that has only been created once, by the wielder of this very Skill. A powerful Fist Technique that has been self-taught is filled with endless potential. By gathering the Purest Essence of Death and Darkness into the user''s Fist, all Fist Strikes Damage dealt are enhanced by +200% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to drain HP and MP from a foe with each strike based in 10% of damage dealt, alongside ignoring all their defenses by -25% and deal Soul Piercing Damage, which deals 20% damage to their souls. This Skill contains special Techniques unlocked with each Skill Level: Avable Techniques: Level 1: [Phantasmal Fist] [Soul Piercing Punch] Level 2: [???] ----- Or well, ording to the Skill''s description, it is more as if I made them myself, my own self-taught Martial Arts. Who could had thought a ghost could make their own Martial Arts? The world is sure filled with many surprises! Anyways, once we were done with the hunt, we were all supplied with nice amounts of EXP. Ding! [You and Your Party Have Defeated [Abyssal Miasmic Ant Soldier (B+ Rank)] x523!] [You and Your Party Have Defeated [Abyssal Miasmic Ant Knight (A- Rank)] x15!] [You Earned 15850000 EXP!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 78 to Level 79!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points!] [Several Skills have leveled up!] [You acquired the [Master of the Demonic Phantasmal Fist School: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Mass Murderer: Lv1] Title Skill!] Woah, two interesting sounding Title Skills right off the bat¡­ The first one sounds way too cool and the second one sounds incredibly ominous! Who are you calling mass murderer?! Am I getting a small little and funny mustache and wearing a military cap with a swastika now? ----- [Master of the Demonic Phantasmal Fist School: Lv1] A Title Skill given to the one and only Master of the Demonic Phantasmal Fist School of Martial Arts, the one and only that has created and mastered this Martial Art Technique which merges the capabilities of Undead with the Elements of Death and Darkness to unleash their truest potential in battle. As the Master of this School, you''re capable of teaching others their techniques and help them learn and master their power as well. Grants the ability to teach and give others lesser versions of the [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique] Skill. Increases teaching speed and theprehension of students by +30% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, with each Disciple that you recruit, you gain +1% Damage Dealt using this Skill''s Techniques for a max of +200%. ----- Gah?! This is insane! What the heck? This is amazing! With this I can teach everyone¡­ if I get 200 disciples my damage will go up to +200%?! It doesn''t even matter that my Attack is super lowpared to my Rank if I have so many bonuses stacked like this. I could probably easily teach this to those that are Undead, or those that have some affinity with Darkness as well? Takeshi and Laura could probably learn it very quickly, they''re like sponges that learn anything they''re taught. I don''t know if Lucifer could right away, he''s old and grumpy so he takes a while to learn new things. Partner is clumsy and has bad memory so I don''t know if she could learn it quickly either¡­ Ah, Emeraldine is perfect but her affinity is not evenpatible. Damn it, this became moreplicated than I thought. Well, I''ll teach the twinster for starters. Ah right, there''s the other, quite problematic-sounding Title Skill. Seriously I''ve been killing so many monsters now that I was half-expecting to get this eventually, but not thiste into the game, for real. ----- [Mass Murderer: Lv1] A Title Skill granted to someone that has in over 1 Million Living Beings. It can be monsters, humans, or other creatures, as long as it is 1 Million. Such creatures must be recognizable to the consciousness of the user. Small bugs, bacteria, and the like are not recognizable within this Title Skill. A Title Skill that is well deserved of the mass murderer you''ve be. Seriously you''re just the worst! How many lives have you taken!? Don''t you feel any kind of remorse? You monster! Increases Damage Dealt while attacking more than 5 Foes at the same time by +25% with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. Damage Dealt increases by an additional +1% with each subsequent foe your attack hits for a Max of +250% Damage Bonus. ----- Woah, this is¡­ yeah, the description alone says a lot. Who the heck writes this shit? System, is this you? Are you this cocky? I never thought you would be cocky enough to tell me this in the face, you damn bastard! [It was not me¡­] Then who?! [Soul Books are managed by the Gods to an extent, they influence them with their thoughts, decrees, andws and orders. Your Soul Grimoire is unique and shouldn''t be bothered as much, but several of the already existing Skills you get were already pre-made and therefore have Descriptions made by Gods one way or the other¡­ However, Hel has been tweaking any new Skills you get ever since you acquired her blessing.] [me her for this weird sense of humor, not me.] EH?! So this Hel woman is doing this? Seriously?! Ding! [The Goddess of Death, Hel has seen your aplishments.] ["Do you like your new Titles?" She says, while chuckling.] This bitch¡­ ----- Chapter 641 The Depths Of The Dungeon ----- Within the depths of Helheim, the Queen of Death itself nced with a smile at the crystal ball in front of her, seeing Maria react to her things always brought her a smile and gave her a chuckle. Her father and her two siblings were now gone as their meeting had ended some time ago, and now Hel rested atop her bed while doing nothing much other than watching her little Divinely Protected Isekai''d Ghost. "Hahaha! She''s so hrious. Come on, you don''t like how I tweak them? I''ve even given them some bonuses to their effects! Don''t be so ungrateful, Maria." Sheughed a bit, as she nced Maria sigh and then move on. Hel smiled while drinking from a cup of wine. A special wine fermented in the depths of Helheim for eons, it was so rich in vor that it was almost vinegar. Nheless, it was one of the few beverages her pte found eptable¡­ however, each time she nced Maria eat the food she made with her friends, she began to drool. "Seriously what does she adds to that food that makes it so tasty looking¡­ Ahh, I want some of that food as well. But I guess it is a bit toote to ask for tributes." Sighed Hel. She sipped another bit more of that wine before rxing and watching Maria''s adventures through the crystal ball, which connected to Root''s eyes. "That Dungeon is indeed quite dangerous, yes¡­ I hope you''re prepared for what''sing next, dear Maria." Hel sighed, she was no longer smiling, as if feeling sorry for Maria. ¡­ Meanwhile, within the depths of the Miasmic Dungeon, the Dungeon Core began to move rapidly, reacting to Maria and her partypletely cleaning the Second Floor. Fury seeped deep into the Dungeon Core''s very being, as ck and red veins spread across the Third Floor, the power of the Evil God''s Fragment bing stronger and stronger. "They''re approaching¡­ Closer¡­ What is their motive? Do they desire¡­ to steal my strength? To devour me like I have done to others living beings¡­ and their remains?" The Dungeon Core began to experience, for the first time¡­ fear. It was afraid against death, against losing everything. It desperately began thinking, and then, it merely decided to do what it knows best. To summon monsters and utilize its powers to order them to destroy anything that might threaten it. Countless monsters began emerging, waking up from their slumber one after the other, the third floor was not the home of merely Abyssal Ants, as stronger beings that roamed, powerful and fueled with Miasmic Powers. And within its very end, the Dungeon Core''s avatar''s eyes glowed bright red, sensing the presence of something getting closer¡­ "GRRRRRHHH¡­" . . . (Maria''s POV) Leaving aside Hel''s audacity, I was now only 1 Level off reaching max Level! The next floor should be thest one as well, so it should be totally possible to get there and y the Boss, level up, and evolve into an even stronger form. This time I''ll try to pick up something that doesn''t worsen my Curse, if possible. I remember Lucifer said there might be "Paths" opening to me in the future. I might have to take one of these "Paths" whenever I am offered an Evolution, at longst. Whatever Path I choose might change my future and everything else, greatly. I''ll have to be careful though. Although I often fall to temptation and end up choosing something overpowered anyways, it should be good if we at least try to not get as blinded¡­ Hopefully. "And we''re done." Lucifer said. "Shall we go directly to the third floor? I''ve barely used my strength so I feel like I could easily help you defeat the Boss¡­ Though if the Boss ends up being the same Ant Queen and all, we''ll need to be more careful." Brunhild pointed out. "Yeah, I agree, we need to be more careful." I said. "Wait for a bit, let''s recover our HP and MP first. Root, can you help us out?" "GYUH!" Root began floating everywhere, producing delicious fruits and leaves, and feeding them to us. Both of them recovered fatigue and exhaustion, alongside a bit of HP and MP. However, we still had topensate as it wasn''t enough, so we drank a few HP and MP Potions to refillpletely. Unless we are a in a desperate situation, it is way better to recover MP through Potions. Why? Well, imbuing my Mana into other people might hurt them in the long run if I do it all the time, after all my Manaes contaminated with my powers and even Miasma, too much of it could damage someone, even the most resilient ones such as Lucifer and Partner, so unless we''re in the middle of a dangerous battle, it is better to recover MP using potions, which I''ve been perfecting through all this time to recover way more than the first time I made them, heh. "Phew, that hits the spot, I feel renewed¡­" Helga sighed in relief. "Alright everyone! We''re going to thest Floor, once we''re done here, this will be finally over!" "YEAAAH!" "Finally!" "Man I just want to go back to bed!" "I want to sleep for a whole week, using this damn golem for so long''s fucking my back."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I want a cold beer once this is done!" "The beer and food will be on me once we''re done with this job, everyone, so you better work your asses off and not disappoint Maria and the rest!" Helga said, cheering up the dwarves, their mechs raised their arms in celebration. "Everyone, don''t lower your guards, Floor 3 is the most dangerous one. It is where the most Abyssal Ants were, and it is a gigantic Cave System. The Ant Queen I remember had the power to shape the Dungeon and the walls, so it is very easy to get lost. Stay at our side and don''t sidetrack." I told everyone. "ALRIGHT!" ----- Chapter 642 Reaching Floor 3 ----- "Everyone, don''t lower your guards, Floor 3 is the most dangerous one. It is where the most Abyssal Ants were, and it is a gigantic Cave System. The Ant Queen I remember had the power to shape the Dungeon and the walls, so it is very easy to get lost. Stay at our side and don''t sidetrack." I told everyone. "ALRIGHT!" The Dwarves seemed to be ready for it, so there was no point in taking longer than we''ve already had taken, we stepped into the stairs leading to the Third and Last Floor of the Dungeon, slowly walking until thest stair. And there it was, we were greeted by a beautiful yet ck-colored and ominous-looking cave. The stone was purple and ck instead of the natural gray and blue, and the entire atmosphere gave out a very terrifying presence and aura to it¡­. Well, not too much to me, I was pretty alright being a ghost and all. The dwarves, however, I could clearly heard their uneasiness as we walked across these underground cavebyrinth. Lucifer and Brunhild covered our front and back respectively, their enormous and scaled bodies were our shields from any ambush. "Its awfully silent here¡­ Where are the Ants?" Wondered Partner. "I can see them¡­" I said. "And I can also feel the Fragment of the Evil God, it is furious, it seems. And it is emanating a very strong aura, it is fueling this entire Floor with strong quantities of Miasma¡­" I looked into my Automatic Map, as most of the Dungeon Floor started to get mapped as I spread small Phantom Familiars the size of flies, which were mostly invisible to the giant monsters crawling here. As I mapped the area, I quickly noticed armies of Abyssal Ants waiting in ambush in each corner of these ces. Woah these bastards are crafty- Wait, what is that?! However, amongst the Abyssal Ants, there were also another group of new monsters. Gigantic golems made of stone and crystals rested there, waiting for a foe to approach, and with them¡­ what are these? Graves? T R U U U U U M M M M M¡­! The ground suddenly began shaking as I sensed the presence of many beings crawling underground! Moles? No, these things are not moles at all! "A tremor?!" Asked Lucifer.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Look!" Takeshi pointed at the distance, as gigantic graves emerged one after the other, hundreds of them blocked our path! "G-Graves¡­?" Emeraldine asked. "Is there a monster shaped as a grave?" Partner asked. "Not that I remember¡­" I said. "But this is¡­ not a monster, these graves are special Dungeon Devices, and they summon¡­" FLAAAASH! Suddenly, from within the underground,rge monsters emerged one after the other. Their bodies were overflowing with Miasma and Death Essence, and they were decaying. Over a hundred zombies appeared, roaring furiously at us. Ghosts showed up as well, screaming and howling in agonizing fury. Skeletons of various shapes and forms as well, some resembled turtles, othersrger or smaller reptile skeletons. And of course, there were also hundreds of human-like zombies and skeletons. These guys were not humans though, they were smaller, burlier, and had big armors and long bears. They were all dwarves! Dwarf Zombies and Skeletons! "Undead?!" Asked Brunhild. "I can see a lot of Undead Turtles and Lizards as well!" Lucifer said. "They have crystals attached to them, I can assume they''re the same ones we fought back then when you let us gain levels¡­" "Yeah, I think they are¡­ This bastard of a dungeon had such a massive army of Undead?!" I asked in surprise. "Wait, those are dwarves! Our kin¡­" Helga said. "Could these hundred fallen warriors be the ones that came here before us? I knew they were many that died, but this many?!" "This is horrible¡­" "I had grown ustomed to Maria''s undead, but seeing our own kin enved into an evil dungeon is not my thing!" "Yeah, this ispletely different now!" "It''s personal!" "Use your light magic attacks to purify them! We must send their souls to Valha!" Helga roared. "Yeah! I will help as well, we must definitely not let them be enved¡­" Emeraldine said. "Maria seems to be incapable of taking them to her side, they must have beenpletely corrupted by the Evil God Fragment''s powers." "Yeah, I cannot take them to our side, these Undead are different, like¡­ they were raised differently than mine, they were converted into Undead purely through Infectious Miasma, not through Skills or Magic and correctly done. And the worst isn''t just this, I can feel more and more Undead and Abyssal Ants crawling everywhere¡­ We''ll need to go all out to beat them all and get to the boss room!" I said, leading the charge. "Let''s go! [Summon]!" FLAAAASH! I quickly summoned my army of Undead, which now had added over four hundred Abyssal Ants as I boosted their power through buffing spells and bone armor for extra protection! The Abyssal Ants rushed forward, attacking with their fearfully big jaws. Some were covered on mes and others on darkness and lighting, receiving the elements which they were killed with. CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAASH! The sh between monsters echoed loudly across the caves, as I quickly ordered many of the Undead to explode to expand the range of attack and set chaos into the enemy ranks. The explosions came with chain explosion as well, which took over the ranks of Undead and Ants army. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! The explosions continued, as Emeraldine and the Dwarves used their Light Magic to purify the Undead as well, unleashing beams of light, exploding light arrows, and Root even helped with his Sunlight Beams, devastating the Undead even more to not allow any to escape the afterlife. I unleashed several of my Magic Spells and powerful Skills as well, opening up a path which we walked through, as we reached the next corridor¡­ only to be ambushed by even more Monsters! ----- Chapter 643 Against An Undead Army ----- We had more or less gone through the first Wave of Undead and Abyssal Ants, just to be greeted by the Elite Abyssal Ants! There were the big Goliath Abyssal Ants, alongside around fifty Abyssal Ant Knights with their weapons ready to strike. The Goliaths moved furiously, unleashing tremors around the surroundings with their gigantic bodies and firing gigantic spheres of darkness from their mouths, while the knights swarmed us, shing away at us rapidly, relying on their fast speed and the ability to fly. The Undead from before were still chasing us down, around over half of them were vaporized by ourbined magic attacks, but there was still a resilient bunch that was holding Magic Weapons and roaring furiously, these Dwarves must have been pretty high level when they died if they''re this strong as Undead! "Old Warriors, your tenacity is admirable, but you must rest already!" Helga roared, herrge Battle Axe began glowing with several light-colored crystals imbuing the weapon with the Light Element, as she unleashed a barrage of attacks utilizing it, shes of light which the Zombie and Skeleton Dwarves received. CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! "Graaaggrhh!" "Raaaah!" A few of them were sliced apart and their bodies started turning into ashes, but several of them tanked the hits using their Magic Shields and Shield Techniques. There was a dozen magicians in the back as well, conjuring powerful barriers to block magic. And even worse, there were dark mages too, firing dark magic attacks against the golem''s light beams. "Damn you guys are too resilient! You''re supposed to be dead already!" "We''re not dying today, I still have a couple of years before I join my ancestors!" "Everyone, go all out!" Helga roared, as she opened the chest of her golem and unleashed a massive beam of light. "Drink MP Potions whenever your MP is depleted!" "ROGER!" The Dwarves continued firing beams of light from a safe distance while clubbing away the zombies and skeletons that got closer. Their barrage of many light beamsbined into an endless arc of light, the zombies and skeletons couldn''t charge forward anymore and were slowly being pushed back. "RAAAAAHH! [Holy Axe Cross]!" Helga roared furiously, charging forward with her golem and unleashing a devastating attack, her Axe unleashed a powerful cross-shaped light attack, slicing through a dozen zombies and tearing them apart, while her free golem arm began shooting light beams everywhere, all while several zombies and skeletons started climbing over her body. "Get off the boss!" "RAAAAH!" "Take this you old pile of bones!" "Go back to your grave old man!" "I know you want to taste beer again but go do it in Valha!" The Dwarves got bolder as they charged with Helga and began throwing away the Undead climbing her golem viciously, they were hanging just fine, but my Undead supported them and covered their backs, even when the Dwarf Zombies and Skeletons were so strong they were mostly devastating my own Undead. That was fine by me, each time they destroyed one, it would explode right before dyingpletely. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The explosions echoed around the dwarves'' golems, making their job easy as the Dwarven Undead were thrown into the ground and took a while to stand back up again. Helga had amazing leadership, so she was leading the Dwarves wonderfully. Meanwhile, in the frontlines, Root was charging into the front, his small body had quickly turned back to his original size, as his massive wooden fists began punching the Goliath Abyssal Ants. Root''s Light Beamsplemented his physical blows, while his branches and roots pierced through the ant''s bodies, draining away their energy. CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om His enormous blows sent them flying, the rest of the army of Abyssal Ants was sent intoplete Chaos as Lucifer and Brunhild joined in, burning them alive with theirbination of Fire Dragon Breaths and shing blows using their ws and whipping blows with their tails. FLUOOOOOSH! "[Yggdrasil''s Garden]!" Emeraldine, on the other side, loaded an arrow with powerful Spiritual Essence, firing it straight into the middle of the enemy army in the frontlines. One of the Abyssal Ant Knights managed to catch the arrow in midair, breaking it with its hands only to be consumed by a giant tree that grew out of its ws. CLAAAASH! The giant tree began stretching its branches and roots everywhere, shaping the terrain around and turning it more hazardous for the Abyssal Ants and Undead to pass through. The tree then would unleash a wave of light, purifying many of the weakened Undead, and the stronger ones were weakened severely! "[Abyssal Thunder]!" I gathered ck lightning in my hands, unleashing devastating thunder strikes of ck color all around me, the Undead and Abyssal Ants began to explode into pieces against my godly thunderous attacks, but their numbers kept rushing out the more we advanced through the corridors. Although it seemed the dungeon wasn''t shaping itself around, it was still a slightly long way before reaching the Boss Room. I guess I had to push myself a bit harder. Using Darkness alone was getting boring too, let''s try out something more crazier. "[gue Body] + [Abyssal Demon Transformation]!" FLAAAASH! My body shed with ck light, as it stretched in size alone and became a gargantuan monster. My body covered on insect-like exoskeleton and possessing countless ck ws and jaws, at the same time as a swarm of millions of flies surrounded me. This was the [Beelzebub]''s race "True Form" which its description couldn''t even tell, a gigantic, abhorrent humanoid fly with a swarm of giant flies. I guess I am slightly embracing what I''ve be for a tiny bit, I''ll go back to the enchantingdy I am in a minute. "RAAAAAAH!" Combining the Weapon Techniques, Magic, and my Fist Techniques together, I unleashed a barrage of weapon attacks as dozens of bug-like arms with ws emerged from all around my torso, unleashing fist strikes and Battle Axe and Sword attacks everywhere, all while swarms of flies started to devour anything in front of me! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAAASH! ----- Chapter 644 Rushing To The Final Boss Room! ----- Abyssal Ants died by the dozens with my crazed barrage of attacks, the army we were fighting quickly was reduced to half in half a minute. My insectoid jaws feasted on Undead and Abyssal Ants alike as I continued devouring and destroying anything on my path. My roar was utterly otherworldly, when I was in this form I couldn''t even recognize my voice. But it was cool to have hundreds of eyes in a single one, like fly eyes are actually structured. BBBBZZZZZZZ! My swarm of flies continued its attack, it was merely part of my actual body anyways. It swarmed the strongest of monsters lifting them off the ground and then pushing them down into the floor, or sometimes exploding, each tiny fly exploded at the same time, causing devastating damage. However, the monsters continued flooding our path, ten Goliaths showed up and around fifty more Abyssal Ant Knights in arge squadron, alongside Chimera Bone Behemoths, enormous A+ Rank Undead Monsters! "Herees a big one! [Chaotic Dark Meteor]! [Chaotic Dark Meteor]! [Chaotic Dark Meteor]!" The convergence of several Skills together, the powerful [Chaotic Dark Meteor]! Was conjured three times in unison. This powerful Skill was an "ultimate" one as I call them, as it summons an utterly massive meteor of crystalized chaos, it was made of all my offensive skills at the time I invented it. Each conjuration originally costed 100k MP, but thanks to the power of my weapons and equipment, the MP cost of spells has reduced quite a lot. And through the cycle of absorbing MP and HP from foes through my Yog-Sothoth Skill, I was able to summon five of these big attacks at once if I wanted! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOM!!! The enormous meteors fell over the monster armies, crushing dozens of monsters at once, the Goliaths were utterly crushed before my steps as Iughed evilly at their suffering. Damn, this form really increased my malice. The meteors let out powerful explosions everywhere, as I quickly invoked more and more phantasmal hands I the shape of insectoid bugs from my body, each one unleashing fist strikes while absorbing HP and MP from foes and even cursing them at the same time. Threads of shadows wrapped around squadrons of foes, making them even easier to kill. Several weapons I''ve had saved inside my Inventory were retrieved at the same time, as I used them to impale and destroy the wrapped monsters using the Spear Skill I had, which had yet to reach Level 10. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "RAAAAH!" I charged forward, hitting the Chimera Bone Behemoth in front of me, made out of countless of monster bones. The creature shaped its body bones into sharp des and spears and attempted to pierce me with them, but I easily defended using Abyssal Barriers and my own chitinous exoskeleton, which grew over my phantasmal body. CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH!N?v(el)B\\jnn "[Chaotic Dark Meteor]!!" However, I summoned Meteor right in front of the Behemoth''s body. The massive meteor quickly emerged from a gigantic magic circle, devastating the entire pile of walking bones into the floor, as every bone fell down as if it were crumbling. CRAAAASH! "[Chaotic Dark Meteor]! [Chaotic Dark Meteor]!!" I conjured two more for good measure in front of me, blowing away the rest of the Abyssal Antsing towards me. The whole explosion left massive craters and most of the monsters were not even spared of leaving bodies, being obliterated. "Hahh¡­" I sighed, looking around, quickly realizing that I had taken down most of the monster''s backline, there were still a hundred or so behind me, but they were already being in by everyone else. I didn''t had any time to rest, I quickly jumped back to battle, assisting everyone. The monsters were quickly dealt with as we ganged on them, even the resilient Dwarf Undead finally meet their rapid end by the hands of the newer dwarven golems and Emeraldine''s magic. We didn''t had time to sit and rest though, it was a single road towards the final boss. "Let''s keep going!" I quickly helped everyone fly in midair, holding them using my swarm of flies for easy maneuver in midair. Emeraldine was still having a hard time getting used to it but she didn''t had any options right now. We rushed through the path in front of us, and then gave a turn while Undead and Abyssal Ants flew into the air, the enormous door leading to the final boss was revealed, pitch ck in color. "I can sense something eerie on front¡­" Lucifer said. "Me too, something strange¡­" Brunhild sighed. We could all notice an ominous presence emerging from beneath the Door, it overflowed with a phantasmal power, and seemed stronger than even our own auras. Whatever the boss was this time, it wasn''t going to be a mere Ant Queen. "Open the door!" Helga said. "Don''t worry about us, we''ll take care of the monsters swarming here!" "Alright, thank you!" I quickly left several Phantasmal Familiars to offer the dwarves some aid alongside the many Undead I raised along the way. Lucifer and Brunhild kicked the door open with their dragon kicks, breaking it into pieces at the same time as we rushed inside! CRAAASH! FLUOOOSH! The first thing that greeted our sight was an enormous quantity of purple mist everywhere. It filled the entire room, making it rather difficult to see whatever was in front of us. Aside from the noise outside, the entire room was dead silent. "This ce¡­ so ominous¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Why do I feel this strange¡­ sensation? What¡­ what am I forgetting about? This reminds me¡­" Brunhild muttered. The two dragons seemed strangely unfocused, as if the ominous presences here were something they knew about¡­ But yet that they couldn''t properly recognize nor remember for some reason. "GRRRRHHHHH¡­" Suddenly, two enormous red eyes emerged in the back of the room, ring with an ominous bloodlust. A gigantic body was revealed as the eyes came closer. Its shape¡­ It was that of a dragon, simr to Brunhild and Lucifer! The two seemed to have immediately recognized the Zombie Dragon that showed up in front of us, their faces distorting in fury and disgust, and sorrow, an incredible amount of it¡­ "No¡­ Why?!" Lucifer began to cry. "It can''t be¡­ Crystal?" Brunhild cried. "GROOOOOAAARRRRRRR!" ----- Chapter 645 Crystal ----- In front of us, the boss of the dungeon emerged¡­ It was a gigantic Zombie Dragon, powerful enough to even rival the strength of Lucifer and Brunhildbined. The Zombie Dragon''s body was covered on hard and colorful scales, resembling dark blue, ck, red, and purple crystals growing all over the monster''s body. The Dragon''s skull could be seen, and itcked eyes, the crevices of its skull shing with phantasmal blue mes, filled with feelings of resentment, hate, anger, and sorrow¡­ I could feel the Dragon''s pain. But when Brunhild and Lucifer recognized the Dragon''s appearance, everything changed. We fell into silence, as we nced at the scene. I couldn''t recognize her, but she was named Crystal. ¡­Or well, that was the name she had when she was alive. "Crystal¡­?!" Lucifer cried. His entire body was suddenly paralyzed, he couldn''t move an inch. His eyes seemed filled with despair, as he started crying. Perhaps seeing himself as an Undead didn''t bother him, but when he saw the decaying and groaning body of the woman he loved the most¡­ It must the most heartbreaking thing in the world. "This¡­ I knew something was up¡­ This dungeon, this ursed dungeon!" Cried Brunhild, her mes flickering as she hit the ground in fury and frustration. "Papa?!" Nyx wondered, flying towards her father, who was in tears. Nyx looked back at the giant dragon, afraid of the beast''s enormous strength, and its slow steps, as it made its way towards us¡­ This beast was her mother. . . . Maria felt taken aback by this revtion, as she didn''t even knew what she could do to help everyone now. The Dungeon''s Last Boss was the reanimated corpse of Lucifer''s wife. Maria couldn''t control it either, no matter how hard she tried, and every time she attempted to nce at the undead soul, she would sense this feeling of dread like nothing she had felt before¡­ Crystal''s soul was eitherpletely consumed by this darkness or wasn''t even there to begin with. Maria couldn''t tell until she shed against the Undead Dragon and were to find out by herself¡­ But things were only getting worse, the Dragon''s powers weren''t merely intimidation, it spread a powerful Domain that enhanced its stats and lowered those of its foes, it slowly approached at the same time, as if it was enjoying the despair of its victims. "Crystal¡­" Lucifer seemed to bepletely frozen. As he nced at the decaying body of his loved one, he despaired. This wasn''t how he wanted it to be¡­ This wasn''t how he thought it would happen either. He didn''t wanted to meet her again like this. He had imagined her body had been buried in the mountain, and that was the end of it. He never thought for a moment that something like this could had happened to her¡­ This Dungeon had the capacity of devouring the mountain''s resources and energy, it even meant absorbing the corpses of anything buried in there. The amount of Undead they fought was sorge because they weren''t simply the bodies of old dwarves that visited this dungeon, but also of other people that had merely been buried in the mountain long ago¡­ the same happened for Lucifer. Seeing his former wife like this made him feelpletely despaired. It wasn''t just because of the horrifying appearance her beautiful wife''s body had now, but also that her very being¡­ it was filled with feelings of resentment, anger, despair, and suffering. He could sense within her an incredible feeling of despair, like nothing else. The worst was that Maria couldn''t do anything for her¡­ Crystal couldn''t be controlled by Maria''s powers, and the only way to defeat her was by ying her. Killing the one he loved the most¡­ He couldn''t even imagine himself doing something so cruel. Despite the calling of Maria and Nyx, and everyone else with their Party, Lucifer seemed incapable of hearing anything but his own thoughts. Images of his life shed through his mind, as he felt an immense pain all around his soul and his head. The memories he thought he had lost slowly began to resurface one after the other after he saw his former wife''s reanimated body. The first time he meet her was when he was merely a young Dragon, back in the past, thousands of years ago, perhaps. He was youthful and energetic, he was always going into hunts into the wilderness, fighting monsters and slowly growing stronger. Because of this, he always came back covered on wounds. Lucifer was an orphan dragon whose father and mother he never met. His egg was left inside a mountain and he hatched with the help of his big sister, a dragon a few years older than him that was always inside the cave with him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om She cared for him and helped him grow in his smallest of forms. However, as he grew older, he wanted independence as he became rowdier and wilder, so he ended going off to another cave, to live alone. His big sister wanted to take care of him forever¡­ but she knew he had to get to live his own life as well. Ultimately the two departed, although she often came to visit him once or twice a week, always bringing himpany so he wouldn''t feel so lonely. But even then, he was most of the time alone. He enjoyed his loneliness though, although his family seems to have grown away from therger tribes of dragons, so he was unable to socialize with them. His sister was slightly the same, more connected with nature, she merely hunted, ate, and slept. Until one day, when Lucifer suddenly stumble upon a scene when he was looking for something to hunt in the Mountain''s Forests. A smaller, crystal-covered dragon was fighting desperately against a fierce wyvern, and she seemed to be losing despite her hard defenses. "ROOOAAR!" "Uggh! Get off me you beast! Nnnggh¡­! Why is a wyvern this strong?! I won''t be able to get back home with something for my siblings to eat like this!" She fiercely fought against the Wyvern, a powerful B Rank monster twice as big as her, who was fiercely shing and biting her body while bathing her on zing breath. Lucifer quickly arrived, emerging from the bushes and jumping over the wyvern, his powerful bite quickly tore through the monster''s scales and then bit through the wyvern''s neck bone, cracking it. CRACK! "GRYYAARRRGH!" The Giant Wyvern fell into the ground, dead by the might of the young Lucifer. His wound-covered body surprised Crystal more than his sneaky attack. "A-Ah! Another dragon¡­" She said, looking at him while still on the floor. "Don''t fight the things you can''t beat." Lucifer said coldly, grabbing the wyvern by the neck and walking away. That moment, Lucifer simply thought he would never meet her again. Yet¡­ "W-Wait, please!" She followed him. ----- Chapter 646 Lucifer And Crystals Past 1 ----- "What do you want?" "Please give me a bit of that wyvern''s meat!" "Huh? But I hunted it, it''s mine! Scram!" "Hyeeeh! But I need the meat to feed my siblings!" "Why should I care?" Lucifer was as rude as he could be when he was younger, walking away without even giving Crystal a nce. The crystal-covered dragoness continued following him all the way to his nest. "Please, just a tiny bit¡­" "Scram I said!" Lucifer showed her his fangs, but Crystal, although very afraid, couldn''t step away. "I-I also dealt plenty of damage to that monster''s Health! I-I deserve a piece!" "What? The one that kills it gets it all!" "Don''t be unfair! Hasn''t your mama or papa taught you anything about a Dragon''s Pride? We must always be kind with other Dragons!" Crystal insisted, only irritating Lucifer more. "I already saved your life, what more kindness do you want?" "A bit of meat¡­" "Sigh¡­" Lucifer seemed to be incapable of hurting her, she was small and shiny like a jewel, even if he was angered, he couldn''t bring himself to send her away, even less when she seemed so harmless. And also, she was perhaps the first dragon he ever spoke with for so long. He ended giving her a piece of the wyvern''s meat, arge one at that as he butchered the beast with his fangs. "Take this and go and stop bothering me." "Thank you! I knew you would be kindhearted- Ah, what''s your name?" "Lu¡­ Lucifer¡­ That''s the name that shows in my Soul Book." "Lucifer¡­" "What''s yours?" "Crystal!" Crystal¡­ a very simple name, which also represented her scales, which were shiny like crystals, growing all over her body. She resembled a living jewel at times, especially when the light of the sun reflected over her body. Like that, weeks went by, and Lucifer never got to see her again. He already had forgotten about meeting her once more, living alone most of the time. Hunting, eating, and sleeping. He often wished he could speak with more people, with more dragons aside from his sister. Yet he felt ostracized, as an orphan that grew slightly wilder without parents, he looked more like a monster than one of their kin. Most dragons were terrified of him, it didn''t helped that he was bigger than most dragons, his body was covered on scars, and his face was ugly and ferocious. He had hunted so many monsters that he had grown very strong through their Experience Points, his strength alone was a detriment for others to approach him. Because of his strength and the strength of his sister, both of them dominated arge territory, no smart dragon stepped into these two wild siblings'' territories, so they had very little interactions with anybody else¡­ "I wonder where she might be¡­" He sighed one day, carrying arge Sabre Cat he had caught. "I hope his siblings are not hungry." FLAAASH! However, he quickly heard the sound of wings pping rapidly behind him. He turned to see who it was, and saw a shiny crystal-scaled dragoness. It was her, as if she was an angel, descending from the skies. "Lucifer!" "C-Crystal?!" BAAM! She arrived at the side of Lucifer, suddenly bringing something for him, it was a small six-legged lizard she caught. "Here, I caught something for you, to repay the favor!" "Crystal, you look all bruised, did this take you time?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Hahahah¡­" "Maybe you need to learn how to properly fight¡­ Anyways, why are you back? Aren''t you afraid of me?" "Afraid?" Crystal tilted her head in confusion. "Ah¡­ I see, this girl justcksmon sense, doesn''t she?" Thought Lucifer back then. Every other dragon was afraid of him, they even called him the "Ruler of the Mountain" so nobody got closer, fearing for their lives. Yet Crystal boldly stepped into his domain and happily gave him an offering. In the culture of dragons, this might even seem like a proposal. When dragons gifted each other with their prey, they were trying to court each other. This was something his sister had exined to him before. "Remember Lucy, if a girl shows up bringing you food one day that isn''t your big sis, she probably wants your baby!" However, he had to quickly scratch that possibility, Crystal was too clueless to even want that. She simply wanted to repay back the favor. "Well¡­ thanks. Can you bring this to my cave?" "Sure!" The two flew back to Lucifer''s cave, as they had a feast with what they hunted, roasting it and taking out the fur made the meat usually way more delicious, something that Crystal taught to Lucifer. "And if we add this rock salt¡­" Crystal added bits of rock salt she took out of the mountain''s depths, crushing it into dust. "Why are you adding dust into the meat?!" Lucifer freaked out. "Just try it~!" Crystal giggled. "Hmmm¡­" Lucifer groaned in confusion, skeptically. However, once he bite through the meat, his senses of vor finally awakened, he had never tasted something like this before. The taste of the meatpletely changed, his tongue had never tasted something so good before, his senses awakened, everything he had known about the boring, old bloody meat was gone. "You like it?" Crystal smiled as he nced Lucifer remain inplete silence. "T-This meat¡­ Just what sort of magic have you put into this?! Is this really just rock dust?!" Lucifer was taken away. "It''s named seasoning, dummy." Crystalughed mischievously. "It is something humans and other races of people use to vor their food! I spied on them once and found out!" "T-That''s crazy¡­" Lucifer sighed. "C-Can you give me more of that?!" "Alright, serve yourself as much as you want!" Giggled Crystal. Since that day, Crystal continued visiting Lucifer every day. His sister had already realized he got himself a new friend and teased him every time she came to visit him. "So her name''s Crystal, huh? I saw her flying the other day, she''s a real beauty! So when are you making babies? We could have a big family once you let hery a few eggs!" Said Brunhild excitedly. ----- Chapter 647 Lucifer And Crystals Past 2 ----- Since that day, Crystal continued visiting Lucifer every day. His sister had already realized he got himself a new friend and teased him every time she came to visit him.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "So her name''s Crystal, huh? I saw her flying the other day, she''s a real beauty! So when are you making babies? We could have a big family once you let hery a few eggs!" Said Brunhild excitedly. "W-What nonsense are you talking about? My rtionship with her is¡­ merely just friends." Sighed Lucifer. "There''s no way she would even¡­ see me as anything else." "Huh? Why?!" "I am feared by every dragon¡­ They even call me the Ruler of the Mountain. I am ugly, my entire body''s covered on scars¡­ The scales of my face are all ck after losing their red color because I keep fighting wyverns that burn my face¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "Meanwhile Crystal is smart, and beautiful¡­ She''s like a treasure, a living treasure¡­ Her shiny scales reflect on the sun, she resembles an angel, even¡­ How could she possibly deserve someone like me?" "Huh¡­ You''re talking a bunch of nonsense¡­" Brunhild said, mming Lucifer with her thick tail. "Little brother! You''ve gotta man up and just try to get slightly closer to her! Tell her how you feel! I am sure she''ll love you back, there''s no way a girl would be so close with you through all this time without feeling a tiny bit attracted, right?" "That''s¡­" Lucifer seemed tock self-esteem back then. The rumors other dragons spread about him didn''t helped at all either. "I won''t try anything, just cut it out¡­" Lucifer didn''t do as his sister said, even though the thought remained within his mind through the next couple of days, which then became weeks and months. Through this time not only they began to hunt together, but Lucifer taught Crystal many new things, such as hunting methods, fighting with her ws, scales, and tail, and how to bite a monster''s vitals to ensure rapid kills. At the same time, Crystal taught him how to use magic, how to forage for medicinal herbs and tasty rocks and other ingredients to make his every day a bit more vorful. Until one day¡­ "Lucifeeeer!" "Crystal?" She arrived from the skies once more, reaching his cave. She quickly ran towards him, as she looked into his scars. "Look! [Brilliant Light of Recovery]! [Blessing of the Earthen Spirits]!" FLAAASH! Suddenly, sparks of light emerged everywhere around Lucifer and Crystal¡­ Lucifer was leftpletely bbergasted by the sight. Her magic had once more evolved, she even had contracted with several Earth Spirits, which helped her conjure a powerful healing spell! The light covered Lucifer''s scars, slowly beginning to heal his wounds, the scars disappeared, and new scales grew over them. Even his darkened face grew fresh, red-colored scales, as he regained the look he had on his younger years. "A-Ahh¡­ t-this magic¡­!" Lucifer was left taken aback, even the left horn he had broken recovered and grew back! "This is my gift for you, Lucifer! I''ve been practicing magic all this time¡­ Because everyone always fears you due to how you look, they cannot see how nice and amicable you truly are¡­ They can''t see the good heart you have¡­ So I thought healing your wounds and giving you back the younger appearance you always cherished might make you happier? Perhaps other dragons can lower their guards a bit more in front of you too!" Said Crystal with an innocent smile. "Crystal¡­" Lucifer cried. "Thank you¡­" Lucifer felt moved by Crystal''s words, and how considerate she was with him. Aside from his sister, there hasn''t been anybody that ever acted this way with him before, someone that saw through his heart like this... "Huh? You''re crying?!" Crystal panicked. "I¡­ Sorry." Sighed Lucifer, trying to not show his face. "Oh no, it''s fine¡­" Said Crystal. "I am d you''re feeling better, Lucifer!" "Crystal¡­" Lucifer moved closer to her, as he decided he couldn''t wait any longer. "Crystal I¡­ I love you." "Huh?!" Crystal was taken aback. Lucifer, realizing he was too close, stepped back, afraid of scaring her. However, the crystal-scaled dragoness slowly walked to his side, licking his face. "Don''t be shy¡­ Sorry about my reaction, I was a bit surprised it was so sudden¡­" Crystal said. "But I also love you Lucifer! I am so happy you also share these feelings!" "R-Really?! The ugly me?" He asked. "You''re not scared of me?" "Why would I?!" Crystal sighed. "You''re the nicest dragon I''ve ever meet! The other dragons should just try to know you better!" "Crystal¡­" Lucifer seemed moved by her words. She approached him and rubbed her snout in front of his, licking his face gently, Lucifer licked her back. This was the way a pair of dragons showed their love with one another, simr to kissing. Her beautiful blue eyes shone brightly, like two big crystals, they shone so brightly and beautifully they sometimes resembled stars. Even Crystal''s own pupils were like jewels. "You''re¡­ my precious treasure." Lucifer said, cuddling with her. "Heheh¡­ You''re so corny~ I didn''t knew this facet of yours¡­" Giggled Crystal. "Ah¡­ W-Well¡­" Lucifer felt embarrassed. "No, it''s fine¡­" Crystal said, licking his face again. "After everything we''ve gone through, you''re also precious to me¡­" Those words reverberated across Lucifer''s mind through his entire life. Like that, through his life, he grew stronger and bigger, and also more sociable. With the help of Crystal, he slowly started to talk more with other Dragons. He slowly changed the image they had of him, and while helping them deal with monsters, or sometimes with hunger, the dragons saw him as a natural leader, following him. Without even realizing, he had been given the title of the Dragon King, and all other Dragons followed him, making the biggest unified tribe of Dragons in the Mountains. And of course, with time, Crystalid her eggs, and beautiful children hatched from them, their scales abination of fiery red and crystal colors, they shared the beauty of their mother and the strength of their father. ----- Chapter 648 The Dragon Kings Resolve ----- Those years, despite the tragedies that would followter, were the happiest days of his life, the ones filled with color and happiness, with life and a bright future, with hope and dreams¡­ And seeing her face now, after recalling all these years, truly filled Lucifer with a dreadful feeling of despair. Her beautiful eyes were no more, her body, as beautiful as a treasure, decayed. And even he could see her bones and rotten flesh beneath her scales and skin. "Why?" "Why must I face such a terrible trial?" "Is the world mocking me?" "After everything I''ve done to grow stronger and help those I''ve grown to love now?" "My second chance¡­ Was it merely given to me by fate so I could meet this gruesome sight?" "Oh¡­ Crystal¡­ My beloved Crystal¡­ Your soul screams with so much agony¡­ Your precious soul, your innocent heart¡­ How could they? How could they do this to you?" Lucifer fell through an endless sea of darkness, he felt like he could not move at all. His sadness, sorrow, and regret engulfed himpletely. The grief he felt was so horrendous it felt like his very flesh was being torn apart slowly by thousands of nails. Lucifer couldn''t take it any longer, he drowned himself into this despair, which turned into a sea of eternal darkness where nobody could pull him from. And each time the painful jolt that caused a new memory to emerge coursed through his head and soul, he felt more despair, more hopelessness. "I''ll always be with you." "Don''t worry, we can do this together." "Aren''t they cute? They''re our little treasures." "Dear? Can you bring more rock salt from the nearby mountain? Let''s have a feast tonight with the kids!" "Let''s have a third child¡­" "The sky tonight is so beautiful, filled with stars¡­" "Your scales are so beautiful, as red as fire." "Don''t leave all the meat for the kids, dear! Do you want them to grow fatter? Eat something yourself as well, geez¡­" "Come on, stop overthinking things, we''ll figure it out together." Lucifer''s face distorted in suffering, as he saw the enormous Zombie Dragon grow closer, its rotten breath and its monstrous appearance drew closer, raising its bony ws, enchanting them with Miasma and Phantasmal mes, and about to sh through him¡­ "I''ll always love you." Her voice echoed across his mind, as for a moment, he saw her through the reanimated corpse in front of him. "Crystal¡­" "This is fine¡­" "It is my fault you and the kids died¡­" "I was foolish and weak¡­" "It is my fault that you''re like this now¡­" "Kill me¡­ Take me with you¡­" "ROOOOAARRR!" The furious Zombie Dragon roared, its Miasma and Phantom-covered ws drawing closer, imbued withrge quantities of power! C R A A A A A S S S H H H!!! RUMBLE! The enormous ws hit the ground, shaking the surroundings. However, Lucifer found himself unharmed, as he found Brunhild, Emeraldine, Maria, and even Partner in front of him, conjuring a powerful barrier of Holy mes, Light and Nature, Blood, and Shadows. "GGRRRRHHHHH!" The furious Zombie Dragon roared angrily, as it suddenly generated several projectiles made of ck crystals imbued with deadly amounts of Miasma, firing them at the barrier consecutively! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!N?v(el)B\\jnn As the sound of the barrier slowly shattering echoed in the background, Maria rushed towards Lucifer''s surprised face, as one of her hands suddenly grew in an enormous size, pping him! BAAAM! "AGGH!" Lucifer''s eyes opened wide, suddenly snapping out of his dazzle. "M-Maria¡­?!" Lucifer saw Maria crying, as she was furious, gritting her teeth angrily! Her eyes were glowing red. "What are you doing, IDIOT?!" "Eh?" "You want to die?! I''m not going to let you die!" "Maria¡­?" "I get how you feel¡­ I understand that pain! But¡­ you cannot just let those feelings consume you! Your life lo longer is just yours¡­ Your life is also part of our own lives! Of mine¡­" Lucifer''s face changed, his jaws opened as he realized how foolish he had been. "Am I not precious to you?" Maria asked, tears flowing through her eyes. "I don''t want to lose you¡­" "Papaaa!" Nyx flew at his side, crying as well. "Buaaaah!" "Nyx¡­" Lucifer covered his face in shame, quickly cleaning his own tears. "I''m sorry¡­ I¡­ I lost focus." His Aura suddenly began growingrger and stronger as he said those words, as he nced directly at Crystal in the distance¡­ "I have you all with me¡­ I am not alone¡­ I''m sorry." Lucifer''s eyes began zing with phantasmal mes, his body quickly began growingrger andrger at the same time, his scales became incredibly hard, metallic. He grew a second pair of wings, and another red eye on top of his other three¡­ his ck horns crowned his head, as his ws grew sharper. There was now arge red and blue jewel in his chest, glowing with a phantasmal and dark aura¡­ Without realizing it, he had already reached max level and evolved in front of everyone. Surpassing his previous Rank! "R O O O O A A A R R R R!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! Crack¡­ crack¡­! "The barrier won''tst much longer, she''s crazy strong! Crystal give us a break please!" Brunhild cried. "Ugh, what''s up with the lizard, is he okay now- Eh?!" Partner was surprised when she saw the newly evolved Lucifer. "He''s HUGE!" "Is that¡­ Lucifer?!" Emeraldine was just as surprised. "Y-You¡­ evolved¡­" Maria was left speechless. "Don''t worry, leave the tanking to me. Let us take her down¡­ Please, everyone, help me bring Crystal to the afterlife." Lucifer said, his eyes zing with conviction. Although he held great pain over his heart, he had to shoulder it and keep moving forward. He had too many precious things he didn''t wanted to lose now, he couldn''t possibly act childish and lost them all now. The Dragon King wasn''t going to lose his precious treasures a second time. ----- Chapter 649 Youre Not Alone On This! ----- "RROOOAAARRR!" The monstrous Zombie Dragon roared, its blows quickly shattering the barrier that had been erected to protect Lucifer from her blows. CRAAASH! "GRYYAH!" The monster roared once more, rushing forward as its bony wings enhanced its speed by ring with phantasmal mes. FLUOOOSH! The phantasmal mes quickly erupted, spreading to all of the Zombie Dragon''s surroundings, covering the entire ce with mes that could even burn souls directly! However, as it was about to reach Brunhild and everyone else with her that were just seconds ago erecting a multi-elemental barrier, an enormous shadow emerged before its path.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om CLAAASSSHH!!! Attempting to charge over the shadow and m it into the ground, the monstrous Zombie Dragon shed against it, only to feel like it hit a whole mountain instead. CRACK! Its skull began to crack as several of its old bones gained cracks as well, the Zombie Dragon''s hollow eyes, zing with phantasmal mes, nced at the figure in front of her, a gargantuan ck scaled dragon! "I don''t know if your soul is truly right there, Crystal, or if this is just your body, but I''ll free you from your pain." Lucifer said, his eyes seemed sorrowful, but his body moved to the contrary of his feelings. His gigantic fists shed against the Zombie Dragon, two enormous dragons, each one almost a hundred meters tall shed against one another. The Zombie Dragon''s attacks were sluggish, although they carriedrge quantities of deadly miasmic essence, meanwhile, Lucifer'' blows were explosive and incredibly swift, hitting the beast in front of him several times consecutively! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "GRUOOOOHHH! GRAAARRGH!" The Zombie Dragon roared; its roar slightly simr to the one that Crystal had when she was alive. Lucifer faltered for a few seconds, gritting his teeth. The Zombie Dragon took this opportunity to strike, its body suddenly grew hundreds of crystal spears all over, piercing through Lucifer''s scales! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! Her attacks easily sliced through his newly evolved scales. She was very powerful even with Lucifer having attained the Rank of S-! However, his wounds quickly regenerated over and over, even when he was attacked many times. His magic also emerged, several spears made of darkness and phantasmal essence emerged one after the other, piercing through the Zombie Dragon''s body directly. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! CLAAAASH! The enormous Zombie Dragon fell into the floor, rolling over the ground as its body started falling apart. Lucifer gritted his jaws once more, feeling a gruesome feeling each time he saw Crystal''s body being treated like this. "Crystal¡­ I''m sorry¡­!" Lucifer seemed to bementing what he was doing, yet the Zombie Dragon was far from being weak, its scales and crystals regrew anew as it reinforced the broken bones,rge quantities of Miasma continued to corrupt the Undead''s titan, several tentacles of darkness and miasma appeared consecutively¡­ "You don''t have to bear this alone, brother." Brunhild, however, appeared at the side of Lucifer, to bear the pain at his side. She had meet and known Crystal for a long time, and she knew how important she was for her little brother, all what Crystal meant for him¡­ She was also her family too, it pained her as well. "Brunhild¡­" "GRUOOOHHHHH!" However, the Zombie Dragon wasn''t going to let them talk leisurely. The beast made of bones and rotten flesh charged forward furiously, miasmic tentacles trying to reach them to capture their bodies and absorb their life energy. "[Infernal Breath]!" Brunhild roared furiously, as her red scales erupted with mes, the fiery essence flowed into her throat as she unleashed a devastating Infernal Breath attack,bining her Red mes with her Golden mes, the power of these mes quickly turning into dust the Miasmic Tentacles, and reaching the Zombie Dragon. BOOOOOMMM!!! "GRAAAAH!" However, the abomination jumped from the ground just in time, avoiding a powerful blow as it quickly ran forwards, generating hundred of spears made of crystals imbued with miasma, and firing them at Lucifer and Brunhild from afar! However, Lucifer summoned his Death Scythe which had miraculously evolved through his own evolution. It has be evenrger and solid now, made of ck and dark blue materials and bones that seemed to be those of dragons as well. He furiously intercepted the blows from the crystal spears as they exploded in midair! CLASH!! CLAASH!! CLAAAASH!!! As Brunhild and Lucifer gathered all of the Zombie Dragon''s attention, Partner, Emeraldine, Maria, Nyx, Takeshi, and Laura were doing different things! "[Vampiric Bat Transformation]!" FLAAASH! Partner was gathering her Blood Essence into her chest, quickly infusing it into her body and suddenly generating a change in her body, red bat-like wings surged from her back, helping her fly easily, as her ws grewrger and redder, and her fangs sharper, even her ears became long and fluffy, like those of an actual bat! She grew patches of red fur around her legs and arms, and even around her neck, looking elegant. This was one of Partner''s newest Skills, the ability to transform into a half-vampire and half-bat beast hybrid, granting her brand new beastly capabilities, enhanced hearing, amazing magic vision, the power to fly at insanely fast speeds, and sharp ws that could drain blood from her foes with ease! FLAAAAASH! She flew directly towards the Zombie Dragon when it waspletely concentrated into pummeling Brunhild and Lucifer, who were struggling to keep up with all her insanely strong magic, her legs moved rapidly as she unleashed a barrage of powerful consecutive kicks and shes with her ws and legs! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "[Blood Berserker]!" Her eyes glowed bright red, as her ws became covered on blood which quickly crystalized, shing apart at the bones and scales of the Zombie Dragon, the powerful blows tore apart the body of the beast, while spreading explosive blood through it! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "Partner!" Lucifer said in surprise. "Incredible! Since when were you this powerful?!" "Heh, did you think you''re the only one with powerups around here, big lizard?" Partner smiled pridefully. "We''ll share the burden together! Stop self-loathing so much like a dummy and get to it!" ----- Chapter 650 Fighting Against An Undead Dragon ----- "GROOOOAARRRRGH!" The Zombie Dragon looked back at Partner, angrily targeting her with a barrage of whip attacks using its tail, which was now covered on scales and pointy, sharp bones. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "Nnngghh¡­!" Partner groaned, she tried to avoid the hits but they were too fast, faster than she expected a giant bone monster to hit her! "CRYSTAL!" Lucifer roared, the Zombie Dragon''s eyes flickered for a few seconds as it heard her former name, it nced back at Lucifer, roaring furiously back at him, only for his dragon fists to reach the monster''s face and body, like zing ck meteors! "[Abyssal Dragon Meteor Fist]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! His fists moved rapidly and with extreme precision, breaking through the Zombie Dragon''s defensive scales and crystals and shattering them all the same! BAAAAAMMM!!! The enormous beast once more rolled over the floor, just for Partner and Brunhild to attack her with everyone they had! "[Blood Catastrophe]!!!" Partner gathered enormous quantities of Blood around her surroundings and shaped them into thousands of des, falling over the Zombie Dragon and piercing through its body! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "[Infernal Dragon Meteor]!!!" Meanwhile, Brunhild gathered the power of her zing mes within her scales and gathered it into her back, her scales began detaching themselves from her body and then falling over the Zombie Dragon like meteors, exploding into zing explosions! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The burning explosions of Brunhild and the piercing attacks of Partnerbined together, overwhelming the incredibly resilient Zombie Dragon! "RAAAAAAAH!" Meanwhile, Lucifer rushed forward, using his newly evolved scythe to unleash devastating slicing attacks against the Zombie Dragon, slicing through her defenses rapidly while she tried to angrily block them, resulting in her legs to be sliced off! SLAAASH! SLAAASH! "GRAAAAH!" BAAAM! The beast fell over the floor, but new legs regrew anew, converging the shattered bones with crystals and miasma, this monster seemed to be regenerating almost endlessly! And Maria knew why. She nced at the scene from afar, using her magic to enhance the power of her allies. The battle had only started just half a minute ago but it was already bing more and more intense.N?v(el)B\\jnn She knew why this monster was so resilient, aside from being as powerful as an S Rank Monster, something everyone cannot even handle properly and need to gopletely all out, there was another factor! The Dungeon Core and the Evil God''s Fragment, of course! Much like the previous dungeon where they fought the Ant Queen, the Dungeon Boss they were facing was the Dungeon Core''s Avatar, an existence that was virtually immortal by being fueled by the Dungeon Core''s Mana. Of course, normally, the Dungeon Core would eventually run out of Mana, but that wasn''t the case when they were parasitized by Evil God Fragments, who could generate energy endlessly, although a corrupted, miasma energy. Lucifer had told Maria to just step back and find a way to deal with this, while he would take care of the Zombie Dragon for now. The battle was bing more and more intense, each second that passed was precious time Maria couldn''t waste. She wasn''t merely ncing at the battle anyways, her mind was divided into dozens of small phantoms who flew all around the Floor, seeking an area where she could infiltrate. Unlike the previous dungeon, there was an enormous thick divine miasmic barrier covering the entire floor, her phantasmal powers that allowed her the ability to trespass physical objects were unusable in this setting, unless she could st everything, but she was trying to save her powers and energies for the moment of truth. "Quickly, where is it?!" She was seeking an opening within this imprable barrier, and using her phantoms spread everywhere, it was one of the few ways she could do this¡­ Meanwhile, Emeraldine, Takeshi, and Laura were preparing a powerfulbined attack,bining their skills and power together like they had once done before, as a magic circle was slowly inscribed in the floor while their power converged together. Slowly yet steadily, Emeraldine concentrated her Spiritual and Mana essence into the surrounding magic circle, runes began dancing rapidly as her two Spirits danced happily and imbued everything with their spiritual power. Her Magic Arrow began growing branches everywhere, bing a beautiful tree in the shape of a giant cannon. Meanwhile, the power of the two children also merged with them, their energies, blue and red from Takeshi and Laura respectively, danced with Emeraldine''s conjuration. The power of the Oceans feed nature, enchanting its defensive power and growth, meanwhile the power of mes and Explosions enhanced the nature with their offensive power. Emeraldine kept concentrating, merging everything together with her light and nature, while looking back at Maria who was using her powers to find the entrance to the Dungeon Core''s chambers¡­ "Maria, hurry!" She said. The battle between the Zombie Dragon, Lucifer, Brunhild, and Partner continued and became even more fiercer as time went by, the Zombie Dragon kept regenerating more and more, generating enormous crystal ws which it used to unleash consecutive blows, all while somehow imitating her attackers magic! "GRUOOOHH!" Suddenly, the scales and crystals of the Zombie Dragon were engulfed on ck and purple miasmic mes, which flew into the skies and started falling from within them into Lucifer andpany, exploding into fiery detonations. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! "GROOOARRRR!" And then, as if that wasn''t enough, it quickly gathered its own Miasmic Blood and shaped it into thousands of spears and swords made of them, crystalizing them and then firing them back at everyone else, like storms of endlessly slicing attacks, one after the other! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! The trio had to fly and jump around, evading the devastatingly immense magic that was being unleashed against them. Partner and Brunhild were left speechless as she was copying their spells easily and making them even stronger. "Crystal has always been amazingly talented at magic. One of her talents was the ability to easily copy spells she saw¡­ To think even her reanimated body has inherited such a talent¡­!" Muttered Lucifer while gritting his teeth. ----- Chapter 651 Confronting The Evil Gods Fragment ----- As the devastating battle continued within the interior of the Boss Room, Lucifer, Partner, and Brunhild struggled to fight the endlessly regenerating Zombie Dragon made from Crystal''s powerful body. Meanwhile, Emeraldine, Takeshi, and Laura slowly conjured a powerful spell that couldpletely decimate her and purify her, but it would need to first turn off the Zombie Dragon''s endless miasmic energy and also weaken her before it could work! And this was Maria''s job, perhaps the most important one. She grew more and more nervous, as usual, as she began searching everywhere. Her eyes glowing redder as she recalled what Lucifer had told him once he evolved. "Leave Crystal to us, you have he most important job here, find that dungeon core and the evil god''s fragment so Crystal''s body can finally rest in peace!" Maria sighed while gritting her phantasmal teeth in annoyance. "Seriously! After I finally helped him cheer up and all I was willing to fight at his side. Did he had to just send me away so soon?! Well, I love his confidence but I could had also thrown a few fists against that Boss! Sigh¡­" Maria grew more desperate. "Damn it, I can''t find it! Should I just st this entire area¡­?" She didn''t had many options right now, perhaps an incredibly strong spam of overpowered magic spells could do the trick, but Maria was doubting if that might even work, seeing how the material of dungeons is a near indestructible brick stone that cannot be easily tempered with, even less destroyed. "Mama!" Nyx, however, had other ideas as she was right behind her. The adorable half-ghost and half-dragon girl suddenly began to summon several small dragon-shaped phantom familiars, one after the other, very simr to Maria''s phantom familiars, but way stronger and keener. They had Dragon eyes, capable of seeing through things more easily, and also Dragon Sensesbined with Supernatural Senses, enchanting their ability to sense ces and special magical constructs! "Huh? Nyx?" Nyx suddenly pointed at a certain area. "Hewe!" "Oh?! You found it!" Maria flew directly there, having been a minute since she started searching for it, it was all thanks to Nyx that she could find it. She quickly concentrated her phantasmal senses into the area, finding a slight disturbance within the fabric of this barrier! Without wasting a single second, Maria quickly decided to act, concentrating her powers, and then undergoing Spirit Fusion with Tyr! F L A A A A S H! Nyx opened her eyes wide as she saw her mama transform, her body became even darker as she looked even more sinister in appearance. Miasmic Essence overflowed through her body as Maria''s body shapeshifted, generating dozens of limbs made of her phantasmal power, countless fists fell like meteors over that designated area, alongside her devastating sword, axe, and spear skills! "[Endless Abyssal Barrage]!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOOMMM!!! The enormous blows shook the entire dungeon, not only this area, but all surroundings, from the walls to the ceiling, even the floors outside of this floor trembled rapidly it was total chaos, but it was also working as intended, Maria was managing to ush an enormous attack, enough for the ground below her to shatter! Crack¡­ crack¡­ crack¡­! C R A A A A A S S S S S H H H!!! Suddenly, in front of Maria and Nyx, an enormous hole emerged, leading a dark underground area! Maria didn''t wanted to bring Nyx here, but she didn''t had much of an option, quickly storing her inside of her shadows and diving down. F L A A A S H! "Mama! I wan¡­ faito too!" Said Nyx, wanting to fight at the side of her mother. "No dear, I have to prioritize your safety, stay there and leave everything to your mama!" Maria flew down desperately, quickly reaching the veryst depths of the dungeon, where an orb was floating in midair, enveloped on enormous quantities of Miasma and living tentacles everywhere! "YOUUUUU¡­!" And it obviously spoke, with a voice very simr to that of Tyr''s voice, of course. Before Tyr became a spirit, he wasn''t any different than this fragment parasitizing the dungeon core anyways, monstrous and furious. "He''s just like me before¡­" Tyr sighed, whispering through Maria''s mind as the two were merged together. "It is quite embarrassing to see how my mind and soul are so corrupted in this state¡­!" "How dare youuu¡­ HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY CHAMBERS!" The Evil God Fragment roared furiously, countless Miasmic Tentacles reached Maria in an instant, most of them shaping into amorphous beasts found inside the dungeon, opening their jaws and attacking with their ws against the ghostly maiden! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! However, she intercepted all blows easily unleashing her powerful Fist Techniques and her weapon Skills, unleashing shockwaves of energy everywhere, which destroyed the tentacles made of miasma, leaving the Evil God Fragment utterly speechless! "I-Impossible, howe you can¡­?!" The Fragment was surprised, asking in shock. However, Maria smiled cockily, her eyes glowing bright red as demonic horns grew from her forehead and even demon-like wings sprouted from her back. The fusion with Tyr brought her a demon-like appearance. "The first time I fought one of you, it was very hard, I almost was defeated¡­ But now that I''ve absorbed your powers once, it is not so hard¡­" Maria said smiling defiantly against the glowing ck orb, a single red eye emerged from within it, furiously squinting at her! "So that''s your power! You''ve absorbed one of my fragments! Once I absorb you, that fragment shall be MINE!" The Evil God Fragment grew berserk, several more tentacles emerged, each one with red eyes on their tips, shooting chaotic beams and redsers against Maria at once! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! However, Maria easily evaded them or intercepted them with her bare phantasmal fists, reaching closer to the Dungeon''s Core and then possessing it using the [Phantasmal Grasp] and [Phantasmal Puppeteer] Skills at the same time! FLAAASH! -----N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 652 Maria Versus The Evil Gods Fragment ----- FLAAASH! Maria emerged within thendscape of the Dungeon Core, as she found herself within apletely ck space- no, it was a strangendscape, a world of darkness and purple energy. A red moon on top of the night sky, and aberrant-looking trees decorated the ce everywhere. This ce¡­ resembled her own Soul Scape, in fact! "Ah! This ce¡­ to think the Fragment has been parasitizing the Dungeon Core enough to form aplex Soul Scape inside already! What the heck was it nning to do next?" Wondered Tyr. "Is this bad?" Wondered Maria, feeling slightly concerned. "Yeah! This means the Fragment has been parasitizing the Dungeon Core so much it has developed the Dungeon''s Core soul. It might had been trying topletely transform the Dungeon into¡­ something else." Tyr answered. "Something else¡­ Like a giant monster?" Asked Maria. "Wait, that''s it, isn''t it?" "Yeah, its ability to devour the mountain was already strange enough! It was slowly evolving a Dungeon and transforming it more and more into a new type of creature¡­" Tyr said. "GGRRRHHHH¡­!" And from within the very Soul Scape, the Evil God Fragment finally confronted us. This one had the amorphous shape of a dragon, made of ck slime, and with glowing red eyes all over its body¡­ did it took the shape of Crystal because it is its Dungeon Core Avatar? "You dare enter my core¡­ Do you truly believe you''ll get out of this alive?! You''re sure cocky to think you can win against me because you have a small fragment with you¡­ I have grown vastly stronger than him in this time¡­ If I had only been given a few more years, I could hadpletely awakened this dungeon''s truest form! Well, I''ll be able to do this even sooner once I devour you two!" The enormous Miasmic Dragon rushed towards Maria and Tyr, shaped as a gigantic snake-like dragon with enormous wings and sharp ws made of crystalized miasma, it fell directly over Maria and Tyr, unleashing a barrage of attacks and Miasmic mes everywhere! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!!! "Shit¡­!" Maria had to step back. The power of this Fragment was indeed way vaster than she had originally believed! It held enormous charging power and even more, miasmic potency! It was overflowing with insanely high quantities of Mana to boot, and it seemed to be endlessly growingrger. "RAAAAAGGGRRH!" CLAAAASH! The Miasmic Dragon roared, its enormous ws hitting the ground where Maria was seconds ago once more, shaking the ground around it. Maria quickly conjured several Dark Suns and fired them at the Miasmic Dragon, explosions of darkness and miasma reverberated the surroundings, shaking the entire ce! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! However, the Miasmic Dragon easily tanked the blows, all damage it received, which was big enough to leave enormous holes all over the monstrous slimy creature, regenerated in an instant, as if it had taken no damage to begin with! "Useless! Your attacks have no power against me!" The Miasmic Dragonughed, as it started chasing Maria while she continued conjuring magic, trying out what could work against it! "[Abyssal Lightning Storm]!" FLUOOOOSSSH! An enormous storm of Dark Winds and ck Lightning reached the Miasmic Dragon, electrifying it and slicing it into pieces through the power of electricity and slicing windsbined together! BOOOOOMMMM!!! "GRAAAAARRGH!" However, it seemed not enough, the beast immediately regained its former appearance, charging against Maria once more. Its tail shaped, materializing sharp crystal-like growths with a sharp spear-like end! With it, it quickly started aiming at Maria, attempting to pierce through her soul with these powerful blows! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Maria evaded as she could, conjuring Abyssal Barriers to defend, but many of such blows pierced through her soul directly, tearing apart her soul as small bits of it were torn apart, and quickly absorbed by the Fragment! "Hahahaha! Your soul is sure a delicious feast!" The Fragmentughed while attacking Maria. The ghost''s eyes glowed bright red as she invoked several skills together, her axe and her sword suddenly converged, melding with her own soul and miasma, generating arger sword at the same time as a powerful Abyssal Domain spread around her! FLUOOOSH! "Let''s try something different then! [Abyssal Void sh]!" SLAAAASH! Maria unleashed a powerful sh using this powerful new weapon she had improvised, a temporary and powerful giant sword made by merging her two weapons, her soul, and her spiritual miasma together into one! CRAAASSSHH!!! The powerful sh of chaotic power reached the Miasmic Dragon, piercing through its body not only just once, but several times and then sttering it everywhere as it exploded! BOOOOOOMMM!!! "GRAAAGGGRRH¡­!" The Miasmic Dragon struggled momentarily, but it quickly came back like new,ughing maliciously as it grewrger and more monstrous, it even gained a new pair of heads, which quickly charged Miasmic Energy and even Divine Power within, unleashing a Triple Dragon Breath!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om FLAAAAASSSSHHHH! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! The enormous beams converged into one, super massive beam which began devastating thendscapes as it chased after Maria. The ghostly enchantress quickly conjured several Chaotic Meteors, one after the other to attack and distract the Miasmic Dragon, but this only did as much! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "GRAHAHAHA¡­! USELESS!!" The Miasmic Dragon merely regenerated all damage dealt anyways, shocking Maria to the core. It was even able to resist and block such powerful attacks, just how strong could this vicious Fragment actually be?! And at the same time, the Miasmic Dragon''s Triple Dragon Breath reached her, exploding on the spot and generating a devastating st! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! The Evil God Fragmentughed, looking at Maria''s pitiful soul as it had shrank from all that damage¡­ her power was fading away as her soul''s size reduced. "It''s over¡­ Give it up and be part of my own self!" "Never¡­" Maria gritted her teeth, readying herself for battle as she rushed forwards, her beautiful maiden shape quickly changing once more, as she unleashed her transformation skills on top of being fused with Tyr! FLAAASH! "You''re the one that''s going to get eaten here¡­" ----- Chapter 653 Overtaking The Dungeon Core ----- In that very moment, Maria conjured the power of [Gorgon Transformation] and [Abyssal Demon Transformation] together, unleashing her truest self. A monstrous being as big as a tower, with ck exoskeleton like that of a beetle or a fly covering her body, dozens of insectoid legs growing over her body, and several snake-like heads popping out of her insectoid head, while a long snake-like tail behind her insectoid abdomen held another,rger snake head. Her form was an utterly disgusting aberration between snakes and bugs, yet it embodied hertest evolutions,bining their power together. As a result, her stats began to skyrocket, increasing greatly¡­ yet temporarily. The reason why Maria didn''t overused her Transformation Skills was a very simple one, they put arge quantity of pressure into her soul. The more she utilize them, therger her bacsh would be, tiring her greatly. Although the bacsh could be healed through Undead Healing, there was a limit to how much she could heal before her soul would begin to not resist the pressure anymore and could end up shattering into pieces¡­ Maria had already used this form before, but now was forced to use it once more. The Evil God Fragment nced in disbelief as the tiny ghost he had been fighting suddenly transformed into a being equally as aberrant as him, if not even more monstrous. Her very form was terrifying, and the presence she emanated defied both life and death¡­ as if things couldn''t get any worse for him, she was receiving the strength of Tyr through Spirit Fusion. "T-Tch¡­! Merely changing forms won''t-" "[Phantasmal Fist]" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Right in front of the Miasmic Dragon, a hundred exoskeleton-covered fists emerged, shing one after the other like an endless rain of meteors. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAAAMMM!!! "Unngggh..!" CLAAAASSSHHH!!! Each fist impacted the Miasmic Dragon differently this time, unlike Maria''s previous blows, these feltpletely "real" damaging the Evil God''s Fragment directly! His entire body fell over the ground, shattering the floor of the Soul Scape at the same time. "Y-YOUU!" The Dragon-shaped aberration didn''t wasted any second, quickly unleashing countless beams of chaos and darkness from all the eyes on its body against Maria! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! They shed rapidly, reaching her body! However,rge, bug-like wings resembling the wings of a moth, emerged from Maria''s back, as she started to fly through the sky- or more like skipping space itself, the speed in which she flew was astonishingly fast! BBBBBZZZZZ! And the ursed sound of her wings flying rapidly reverberated across the entire Soul Scape, only making the Evil God Fragment madder! His attacks became faster, as he tried to reach her, but Maria easily either tanked them with her newly acquired endurance or simply evaded them with her shing speed! FLAAASH! And then, like a ck-colored blur, she appeared right behind the Miasmic Dragon, her enormous insectoid ws once more unleashing a technique using her body as a weapon! Mana flowing through each of the hundreds of phantasmal fists at the same time, boosting her physical damage using magic damage! "[Soul Piercing Punch]" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Each blow pierced through the Evil God''s Soul instantly, leaving enormous holes that made the beast bleed its miasma out of its orifices, while groaning in agony! No barrier or defensive technique it tried to unleash was able to defend against Maria going all out! BOOOOOMMMM!!! "GRAAAAAHHH!" The enormous Miasmic Dragon fell into the ground once more, impacting the floor and shattering it, generating several spiderweb-shaped cracks everywhere. Its eyes distorted in agony, as it attempted to copy Maria''s attacks! Hundreds of dragon ws emerged from its agonizing oozy body, materializing and showering Maria with fist attacks! "DIEEEEE!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hmph." Maria, however, remained calm despite her monstrous appearance, her entire body moved incredibly fast and gracefully, her aura danced by the movement of her monstrous body. Her fists easily intercepted those of the Evil God Fragment''s, and crushed them, making them stter into mere miasma around her surroundings. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAAAAM!!! CRAAASSSSSHHH!!! The Evil God''s Fragment felt as if his entire being was shattering. Maria''s power hadpletely changed, and in mere seconds, he easily overpowered him. His body shattered away into pieces, and no matter how hard he tried to recover¡­ it was impossible. "A-Aggh¡­! T-This is¡­ impossible! ¡­What is this?! H-How?!" Maria''s monstrous ws reached his fragments, as her chest opened, revealing a gigantic spiraling void, which led to an endless void. He tried to resist, struggling, but to no avail, he was quickly devoured. "Stooooop!" CRAAASSSH! The sound of his fragments shattering into pieces echoed across the Soul Scape, the moment Maria devoured the Evil God''s Fragment, the entire Soul Scape started to copse! "It is copsing, it will soon disappear, escape this ce Maria!" Said Tyr. "Not yet¡­ How could I possibly miss this big buffet?" Laughed Maria, her enormous soul quickly expanded as a mantle of shadows, spreading into every corner of the Soul Scape and dragging it all inside of her soul through the ck Hole in it! FLUOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!! The entire ce suddenly disappeared, bingpletely white. And from within the depths of this white scenery, she saw a gray-colored figure, it had no definite shape, and seemed to have no will of its own¡­ This was perhaps the Dungeon Core''s will without being parasitized by the Evil God''s Fragment. Maria slowly went back to her humanoid ghost form after that, as countless amounts of ck smoke emerged out of her body. "Hahhh¡­ T-That was close¡­" She sighed in relief. "Uuggh¡­ Oof, way too close." Her soul was slowly absorbing the new fragment, and she was gaining great strength, but even then, the transformation put a heavy burden in her soul, and she felt very exhausted. "Now¡­ this Dungeon Core is mine." Maria smiled, as her phantasmal hands were inserted into the depths of the Dungeon Core''s gray-colored soul, slowly beginning to assimte it with her darkness the same way the Evil God''s Fragment did so! FLAAASH! ----- Chapter 654 Her Struggle ----- Her words couldn''t get to him, no matter how much she cried. "Lucifer¡­" She cried, fragmented apart. "Dear¡­" But no matter how much she called for him, he couldn''t listen to her words. "Why?!" Her body didn''t respond to her, her entire being was taken over by utter malice, and the negative emotions harbored within her body for thousands of years. "What¡­ what have I be?" She cried, despaired, tried to get help¡­ But she could not. Her being was utterly torn to pieces, her emotions fluctuated constantly, and even her faint consciousness only was feeling agony, fear, and pain. She didn''t knew why she was doing these things, she didn''t even knew how she was able to move either. Her body could barely recall what it happened to it. The soul that once belonged to this body¡­ was long gone. Yet these lingering emotions¡­ Anger. "KILL¡­ KILL THEM ALL!" Pain. "It hurts¡­ It hurts so much¡­" Agony. "I cannot take this anymore¡­ Please someone¡­! Someone!" Despair. "I cannot¡­ do anything¡­ I was unable to change anything¡­ So utterly¡­ powerless." Frustration. "If only I could had done something! If only¡­" Rage. "Lucifer! Why?! Why were you not here when we most needed you?!" And¡­ Sorrow. "Everything''s over¡­ Why¡­ Why did it end this way¡­ My family¡­ my children¡­ everyone¡­ everything¡­" Such emotions, although not being the soul itself, were fragments of it, which were left lingering within her body, even after her death. These emotions slowly generated Dark Emotions, Negative Energy, which slowly festered into Miasma, infecting her body and the rest of the mountain. At some point, the miasma emanating from her body, filled with so many negative emotions, reached the underground dungeon, where it connected with the flow of Miasmaing from within its center, where the lingering Evil God''s Fragment was located. Both Miasmasbined together, and her entire body was dragged away¡­ and devoured. Her emotions came together into a viscous and aberrant mass of miasma, fusing into her rotten body and turning her¡­ into what she was now. "What a delightful amount of Miasma and Negative Energy¡­ You''ll bring me great amounts of power!" The voice of the Evil God''s Fragment echoed within her broken mind at some point. The dungeon absorbed her powers, festered by her own negative emotions, it gained incredible power. One of the reasons why it was able to produce so much Miasma, way faster than its other half was because of her corpse. These emotions, this small fragment left behind of her soul was put into an endless suffering, just to make more and more power¡­ Ultimately, at some point, something finally changed. Someone arrived here, to thetest floor. Deep inside, she felt, for the first time, a hint of hope as she saw him¡­ He had changed a lot, but it was him, her husband, Lucifer. She tried to approach him slowly, only for him to begin to cry after seeing her in this state¡­ "Why are you crying, Lucifer? Please help me!" And then she saw how so many were with him¡­ so many people she had never seen before either. They helped him recover, but only made him aggressive, as he started punching her and attacking her¡­ "Why?! Why are you hitting me?!" "It hurts! You''ve never¡­ you''ve never done this to me!" "You¡­! Who is that other woman you were talking to?!" "After all I''ve suffered, you dare betray my love?! You daree here to hit me and show me you''ve found another woman?!" "You make me sick! DIE! DIE! DIE!!!" Words she would had never said emerged from the depths of her mind, festered by the miasma and the negative energy, it warped her mind making her go insane. She could only think of negative things, without even trying to understand what was happening¡­ She roared and shed away anything she found, those that fought her quickly realized she was mightier than they thought she was. "Yes¡­ I am not chicken anymore¡­! I have stopped running away long ago! While you ran away from us, I was here, trying to protect our home¡­! Bastard! I don''t want you here, nor any of your stupid friends! Nor your disgusting woman!" Lucifer, nor any of those fighting at his side could hear her angered words, as they were unable to read her broken and warped miasmic phantasm, a mass of negative emotions with a small soul fragment as its core, wrapped around miasma. CRAAASH! BOOOOM! CLAAASH! T R U U U M! The battle continued, pieces of her body began flying from left and right, yet she continued fighting, endlessly. For some bizarre reason she never ran out of energy, and by channeling these negative emotions, her powers kept rising and rising. At some point those she was fighting struggled, always being thrown away by her blows. She roared furiously, without being able to control her own body. Most of her very self was engulfed in this state¡­ yet there was a small piece of herself, that kept being the same, and found this horrifying. "Why?" "My body¡­ why is it moving on its own?!" "Lucifer¡­ I am sorry!" "Please¡­ someone stop me!" "Stop this¡­ I don''t want to see this anymore!" Her words of despair reached nobody¡­n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Yet she couldn''t stop calling for help. She couldn''t stop pushing, and pushing¡­ And continuing to push forward. Her own light slowly began to glow brighter as she suddenly felt a connection with the dungeon being broken. The endless amount of miasma flowing into her body¡­ finally stopped. And while her body was about to attack her weakened husband¡­ "No! STOOOP!" She stopped. "Huh?" Lucifer, Partner, and Brunhild were left surprised the moment the monstrous mass of bones and rotten flesh stopped moving, its ws raised into the air suddenly lowered down, the monster was trembling in pain, incapable of controlling itself properly, and stepping back. "C-Crystal?" Lucifer asked, suddenly seeing a small glint of light from within her hollow eyes. ----- Chapter 655 Marias Plan ----- Lucifer was taken aback the moment he saw the monstrous Zombie Dragon stopping its movements. The Miasma controlling her was finally gone, yet her darkest instincts as a Miasmic Monster, which was theposition of her very Miasmic Phantasm, were still there¡­ Through sheer will, she managed to stop attacking her beloved, but the resistance she had to put into her body¡­ it was too much. "GRAAAAAARRGGGH!!! ROOOOAARRRR!" She get groaning furiously, her mind constantly warping endlessly¡­ she tried to fight it, but soon after, her berserk-like state came back, the glimpse of consciousness within her gone. "Crystal!" Suddenly, the voice of Maria emerged from atop the ceiling. The Zombie Dragon stopped its tracks once more, hearing that name made it sometimes flinch. FLAAASH! Maria emerged before everyone, quickly blocking the Zombie Dragon''s path from reaching the weakened Lucifer, Brunhild, and Partner. "That''s enough¡­" She said, looking into the hollow eyes of the beast. "GGRRRRRHHHH¡­" However, it seemed that the Undead was unable to concentrate, it continued roaring furiously, without stopping¡­ It suddenly leaped from the ground, reaching Maria! "RAAAAAAAHHH!" "[Swarm Body]!" BBBBBZZZZZZ! Maria''s entire body suddenly turned into a gigantic and multiplying swarm of flies, which quickly captured the Bone Zombie, pushing it away as they surrounded her body tightly. "ROOOOAARRRRR!" The beast continued struggling, as Maria gave it onest chance, trying to insert her soul into Crystal''s mind¡­ or whatever that remained within. FLAAASH! However, each time she tried to get in, she saw endless darkness, and the cries of agony of Crystal. She tried many times to take away the Miasma, to find the soul fragment¡­ but the soul fragment itself wasn''t there at all.N?v(el)B\\jnn It had melted altogether with the Miasmaposing her Phantom, what remained were merely lingering emotions, and memories¡­ of endless agony. But despite that, there was still a small piece of her left from here, even when the rest of her soul had gone to Helheim or perhaps Valha. However, amidst each time she submerged her mind into hers, and always failed to save her, she heard her voice¡­ "Please¡­ End this¡­" "I don''t want to hurt him anymore¡­" "I don''t want¡­ to hurt anybody¡­" "Please¡­" "Maria¡­" Maria heard her own name by Crystal''s voice. "Are you sure? I could¡­ Maybe if I do something I could¡­!" "It''s¡­ fine¡­" "But!" "Please¡­ I''m begging you¡­" No matter how hard Maria tried, without an actualplete soul to save, she was unable to do a single thing. With Crystal begging her to end this¡­ she decided to do as she asked her. "Emeraldine!" Maria called upon Emeraldine, as a massive cannon made of wood she had made with the twins was readying itself. Large quantities of Mana and Spiritual Energy started gathering from within it, shing brightly. "Maria, get away from there!" Emeraldine called. "Maria!!!" Lucifer roared. "If you stay there you''ll get shot as well!" Cried Partner. "Maria¡­ what is she trying to do?" Sighed Brunhild. Amidst everyone''s confusion, Maria reassured Emeraldine. "Trust me¡­ Shoot it!" Emeraldine gritted her teeth, as branches and roots grew from her very skin, connecting to the giant Yggdrasil Cannon. Takeshi and Laura looked at the scene and seemed to doubt as well, but ultimately decided to trust their adoptive mother. "Let''s trust mama!" Said Takeshi. "Yeah, let''s trust her, auntie Emeraldine!" Laura said. "Okay¡­ I''ll trust her¡­ Whatever she''s thinking of doing, I hope it''s good!" Emeraldine said, charging her Mana into the Cannon. "Gyuh! Let''s trust master!" Root was also there, as he hadpletely merged with Emeraldine''s Technique to ensure its power. FLAAASH! The Cannon flourished with flowers all over, as the tip of it bloomed a beautiful pink and golden flower, with long petals. "[Yggdrasil''s Spiritual Cannon]!!!" FLAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! An enormous beam of light emerged from within the flower, reaching Maria and Crystal at the same time, engulfing thempletely into the light¡­ BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! The enormous explosion was so strong it quickly forced everyone to move to the corners of the enormous Boss Room, protected by barriers Emeraldine created. However, even then, the light engulfed everyone else. FLASH! For a moment, it felt as if everything had changed¡­ Everyone found themselves within apletely white space. They were all confused, just what was happening now? Maria looked around, finding everyone at her side, Lucifer, Brunhild, Partner, Emeraldine, Takeshi, Laura, Root, and Nyx. "Mama? Ah, papa!" Nyx flew towards her mama and then her papa, confused. "Nyx¡­" Lucifer hugged his daughter, and then Maria. "What¡­ is going on now?" "We are¡­ in something I was able to make in the veryst moment." Maria sighed. "Once Crystal''s soul was purified by Emeraldine''s attack, I was able to grab her soul and create this pseudo¨CSoul Scape¡­ It is already beginning to disintegrate but¡­" Maria looked into the distance, finding a beautiful crystal-scaled dragoness at the distance. "It was all thanks to the Items I got¡­ I was able to create the Sunshine Orb, which enchanted purification abilities. The Forbidden Watch helped me stop this area''s time for a few seconds, perhaps a minute. And then¡­ the Void Gazing Eye helped me gaze through the void of Crystal''s soul, dragging away and reassembling thest bits of her consciousness. Yet even now, I can''t do anymore than this, her very being is slowly being purified¡­ We don''t have much time." Maria exined what she utilized. It seemed as if the Swamp Dungeon''s Core had predicted the very future, all the items it gifted to Maria were usable for this very moment¡­ all only to create a minute and a few more seconds so they could talk with Crystal. "Maria¡­" Lucifer cried. "Come on now, everyone, let''s go meet her¡­ We cannot waste a single second." Maria said, leading everyone towards the beautiful crystal scaled dragon in front of them. Crystal seemed as if she was a sculpture made of beautiful blue jewels. Her beautiful blue eyes curiously nced everywhere, as she felt just as confused as everyone else about why she was here¡­ and what had happened just now. "Where¡­ where am I?" ----- Chapter 656 A Talk -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The white space slowly began to change as Maria walked towards Crystal. A beautiful grasnd emerged. Butterflies began flying everywhere, a wonderful forest erected behind Crystal, mountains, a blue sky, and a shining sun. The dragoness never felt this good before¡­ So free and so calm. Her emotions were finally finding some time to arrange themselves, as all negative emotions were purified, she felt at ease. "Am I¡­ in heaven?" Wondered Crystal, looking around. "If I am here¡­ perhaps my children¡­" As she was about to try to find them, a group of people quickly reached her, appearing behind her. "Sadly, this is not really heaven¡­ I was told that the souls of dragons go to Valha though, a beautiful garden maintained by Yggdrasil itself, where all souls can rest in tranquility." Maria said with a smile, Crystal meet her at longst. "Ah¡­ You are- Eh? And everyone here¡­ W-What''s going on? This is not¡­ it''s not heaven nor hell? What is this ce?" Asked Crystal, confused out of her mind. "Exining everything would be a waste of time, but let''s call this a Temporary Soul Scape Time Bubble, a unique space I was able to make bybining my power over the Dungeon, and a series of specific materials, all for this moment. It can stop time within this area for one minute, but the interior of this time bubble''s time goes slower, a minute bes an hour." Maria said. "Hello, Crystal, it is nice to meet you at longst, even if you are only a piece of your original soul." "Maria¡­ Ah! How do I know your name?" Crystal seemed to notpletely recall her time as a Zombie Dragon. But perhaps¡­ that was for the best. "I guess we had a little talk. I saw through everything you went through¡­ I couldn''t simply let it end like that. Maybe I could had used these items differently, but I think you deserved them." I sighed. "Crystal¡­" Lucifer slowly transformed into his dragon form, but way smaller, only as big as five meters, the samepact size that Crystal had. "Lucifer? Lucifer! Dear!" Crystal ran towards Lucifer, hugging him with her wings and her front arms. "Oof!" Lucifer eximed, Crystal''s weight threw him into the grass, as the two dragons rolled down the grasnds, reaching the end of the small hill. "Lucifer! I''ve missed you so much!" Crystal began crying, licking Lucifer all over his face. "Crystal¡­ Agh! Me too¡­ Ahh, you still have that habit of licking me so much when you''re happy¡­" Sighed Lucifer, as he licked her back. "I''ve missed you every day since I lost you." The two dragons sat down, looking at one another. "What happened?" Wondered Crystal. "It''s a long story¡­ But you''re¡­" Lucifer muttered. "Yeah¡­ I figured it out." Sighed Crystal. "I''m dead, right?" Lucifer seemed to struggle to ept such a harsh reality, yet this has been a fact for thousands of years now. He nodded, faintly. His eyes filled with sorrow. "I see¡­" Crystal sighed, looking into the blue sky. "I think I recall something¡­ Lingering emotions¡­ darkness¡­ all of it gathered together into my own decaying body¡­ Am I even¡­ the Crystal you know?" "You sure are." Lucifer said. "Without a doubt." "I was¡­ confined into a dungeon, right? I was a monster¡­ that attacked you¡­" Crystal slowly began to regain her memories, at the same time as Maria and the rest of the group made their way near the two dragons. "But then¡­ Them." Crystal looked back at Maria andpany. "All of you freed me from that horrid cage¡­ Thank you." "It''s¡­ nothing. Don''t ever mind it." Emeraldine said with a gentle smile. "You''re so beautiful¡­" Laura said. "Are you made of jewels?" Wondered Takeshi. "Fufu¡­" Crystal giggled, finding the two children cute. "You two slightly remind me of our children¡­ It could be said my body is covered in them." "Oooh! Wagon?" Nyx flew towards her, pping her tiny ck wings. Crystal tilted her head, looking at this humanoid dragon girl for a bit, and then, she touched her head. POOF! "Uwah! Oooh?!" And out of nowhere, Nyx suddenly changed, she turned into an adorable tiny, ck-scaled dragon! And her scales¡­ they were like Crystal; they were shiny ck jewels. Maria couldn''t believe it. "Oh my god, she''s so cute!" Maria said while smiling. "Wagon?! I am wagon?!" Asked Nyx while looking around. "Woow!" "I knew it¡­" Crystal said, tears flowing through my eyes. "My child¡­ the unhatched egg- Brunhild! You survived and protected it¡­" Brunhild nodded at the sides. "It is the least I could had done, your spell maintained her alive for thousands of years. By fate, Lucifer was revived by Maria, and we found one another some time ago in another dungeon." Said Brunhild. "Yeah, she''s our daughter." Lucifer said. "Our daughter¡­" Crystal said. "D-Dear, may I¡­ may I hug you?" "Huh?" Nyx seemed confused; she couldn''t really recognize Crystal as her biological mother. However, she saw how she was being so close with her father that she happily agreed, nodding. "Oway!" "Haahh~ What a bliss¡­" Crystal gently hugged Nyx, rubbing her nose into her own head, and licking her all over. "My little baby¡­ My little treasure¡­ you''re alive¡­ you''re really alive! Ah¡­ I am so happy¡­!" Crystal was so moved she continued crying, while embracing Nyx. The little Nyx was confused, but let Crystal give her affection, because she really didn''t mind. As this happened, Maria quickly took out several things from her inventory, bringing out even food. "Let''s have a meal before we depart¡­ We have a lot to tell you, Crystal¡­" Like that, Maria decided to prepare Crystal a quick meal of roasted meat, with stew she already had prepared, and even other delicious vors. She knew Crystal liked vorful meals, ording to what Lucifer sometimes told him about. And as Crystal enjoyed these delicious meals, everyone quickly exined everything to her. They couldn''t go into many details, but they made sure she learned about the most important things¡­ ----- Chapter 657 A Farewell Between Tears ----- As they spoke, not everything was serious, there were also giggles, smiles, and jokes. Crystal learned about Lucifer and his rtionship with Maria, and learned about Maria and everything she had done as well¡­ It didn''t even took a second for her to ept everything with a calm and serene smile. Maria got to finally know Crystal and realized why Lucifer loved her so much as well.. She was such a good person, a gentle-hearted girl, with a beautiful voice and eyes filled with a strong conviction all at the same time. She didn''t even got angry over her being in a rtionship with her husband, she knew she was dead, and she couldn''t change that right now either, even if Maria really wanted to bring her back. After all, her soul was long gone, and what remained was a small piece that was fading away. "So that''s how it is¡­ It is thanks to you that Nyx was able to hatch altogether." Said Crystal. "Without your appearance, Lucifer would had never been able toe back from his death, nor would you had been able to meet Brunhild either¡­ It''s all connected at the end." "Well, it was also thanks to Lucifer''s Dungeon that I raised as a ghost, the miasma emanated from his dungeon was what brought me back¡­ It could be said it was all thanks to a series of coincidences, but they all connected us, and brought us together like this." Maria said with a smile. "Yeah¡­ Fate is truly a mysterious force." Crystal sighed. "I feel like the Yggdrasil Tree, which guides the world itself, might have brought you here as well. Our ancient ancestors remain here, somewhere¡­ Perhaps they have moved something, I know it. I can feel it now that I am nothing but a piece of my soul." "Crystal was said to be an Oracle of our Ancestors, as she often received their messages from the other side." Lucifer exined. "I see¡­" I nodded. "Did you heard something else?" Wondered Partner. "Oh no, nothing more than those few little things¡­" Crystal sighed. "I also heard something from Yggdrasil, she had spoken before¡­ The Gods might move in the future, this world¡­ is going to change, perhaps permanently." Said Emeraldine. "So that''s the fate of this world¡­" Crystal said. Crystal continued conversing with everyone, while Nyx sat down at her side, taking a nap before the sunlight rxedly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om As everyone spoke with Crystal, they noticed her body began to fade away into particles of light. It as very slow, starting from the tip of her tail¡­ Lucifer began gripping his fists as he saw her slowly fading away from here¡­ He wished this time couldst forever. He wished this happiness he was feeling couldst an eternity, that he would reunite with Crystal and live happily with everyone else. "Maria¡­ Is there¡­ is there no other way?" Lucifer whispered to Maria. Maria looked back at him, caressing his scales, and waving her head silently. "I''m sorry¡­ I''ve tried everything." "I¡­ see¡­" Lucifer was filled with pain. Crystal noticed how he was feeling, as she gave him a lick in his face. "Cheer up, Lucifer. I am not departing forever." Crystal said. "One day, we''ll meet once more, everyone¡­ I know." "Crystal¡­ I wish¡­ I wish we could spend even a single second more together¡­" Lucifer said, tears flowing from his eyes once more. "It''s fine¡­ In this little hour, I got to know lots of wonderful people¡­ And also see the new man you''ve be. I am¡­ proud of you, dear." Crystal hugged Lucifer. As Lucifer saw her fading away, he grasped her tightly, as if not wanting her to go away from his grasp¡­ "Don''t leave¡­ please¡­ I¡­! I have yet to say so many more things¡­!" Lucifer said, slowly losing his mind. "Lucifer!" Crystal said, suddenly reprimanding him. "Aren''t you the Dragon King, the loyal friend of the Demon King? Come on, act like the King you are, dear. I''ll be fine, you don''t have to cry for me anymore. Don''t you see you have so many people here precious to you now?" "Yeah¡­" Lucifer said. "I''m sorry¡­" Crystal nodded, giving onest kiss to Lucifer and her sleeping daughter, her body was almostpletely gone, as what barely remained of her was her torso. "I bet our little children are waiting for their mama, so I''ve gotta go. Even if I am a small piece of my original soul, I am sure I am missing that piece." Said Crystal. "Please, take care of my daughter, Maria¡­ She already loves you as her mother, and I wouldn''t be more happy because of that. This way¡­ she won''t go through the pain of living without one." "Crystal¡­" Maria sighed, feeling moved, she began crying like a baby as well. She bear with it long enough but couldn''t contain her tears anymore. "I''ll raise her well! Thank you for trusting me, you don''t know how much this means to me¡­" "Crystal I¡­!" Brunhild muttered. "Brunhild, I am happy you survived through all of this¡­ Take care of Lucifer, okay? As her big sister, you''ve always gotta be there for him." Said Crystal. "Promise?" "I¡­ I promise." Brunhild sighed, smiling. "Everyone else¡­ thanks for being here for him, and for my daughter¡­ I am¡­ truly, truly thankful for your goodwill. And I hope you can keep apanying my husband and our daughter through their lives. I can tell that every one of you makes their lives whole." Crystal said, moving the hearts of everyone. "Sure!" Partner nodded. "For sure." Emeraldine agreed. "Okay!" Takeshi seemed willing. "I will." Laura agreed. "Gyuh! I am new here, but I''ll protect my family!" Root said. Crystal began fading away more and more, until only a part of her face remained. She silently nced back at her daughter, Nyx. "I love you, my dearest daughter¡­ I''ll be watching over you, make sure to live a happy and fulfilling life, for your big siblings that could not¡­" Crystal said as her parting words, as Nyx slowly woke up the moment her mother faded away into particles of light. She looked into the light slowly dissipating, her eyes began crying, even when she didn''t really knew why¡­ ----- Chapter 658 Dungeon Clear ----- (Maria''s POV) When it all ended, the Time Bubble I had created slowly faded away, as we found ourselves sitting on top of the Dungeon''s Floor. What we went through was sure¡­ moving to the core. I cannot begin how much it made me feel. But I can tell, it was a real tearjerker. Gosh, I am crying too much right now. Nyx seemed to have woken up just when Crystal''sst soul fragment went back to the afterlife, wherever that might be. She seemed slightly confused, and for some reason, my little girl was crying. Did she somehow, perhaps instinctively, realized Crystal was her mother? Maybe¡­ "Nyx? Are you okay?" I wondered, as everyone else slowly stood up, we were all dead silent after the little time we spent with Crystal. "Hm! I''m oway¡­" Nyx said, cleaning her tears, she had gone back to her humanoid form already. Her dragon form was small and adorable too, but it seemed she felt morefortable in this form instead. It seems she was okay, but I don''t know if she really realized it was her or not¡­ Perhaps something instinctual which she seems to notprehend. I don''t know if we should tell her the truth now¡­ After all, it was such a sad farewell, it even made me cry as well. Maybe when she grows older, I can tell her that she had another mother, the one thatid her egg and all¡­ I don''t want her to ever forget Crystal, but until then, it is better to leave things as they are. I am sure Crystal would want it this way, after all she didn''t even seemed bothered by Nyx not recognizing her anyways. She was such a forgiving woman¡­ I guess she''s the only one that could had liked Lucifer back then, when he was EVEN grumpier. And talking about my Lucifer¡­ He seemed rather saddened, even though he had ast chance to meet her and talk with her, I can get how painful it might be. I quickly went towards him, hugging him tightly. "How do you feel?" I asked him. He looked at me with a smile filled with mncholy, he had cried enough he couldn''t cry any longer, most likely. "I am feeling alright, thanks for being so considerate¡­ It was all thanks to you that I was able to meet her again and talk with her in this way¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Thank you, thank you so much, Maria." He hugged me tightly, smiling honestly. I never saw him act this way¡­ so open and happy, so thankful. I guess¡­ even now, he had been hiding his emotions from me. But now it seemed different. It looked as if he had finally let go of hisst traumas, of hisst regrets, and he was perhaps finally embracing his new life with us¡­ with his daughter and me. "Aww, it''s nothing honey." I sighed, giving him a head pat. "Crystal was an amazing girl! I am also happy I was able to meet her." "She was, right?" Lucifer sighed. "I still love her even now, I doubt I could ever stop loving her. But I also love you, Maria. I love you so much¡­ I¡­ Are these feelings okay with you? Is it okay that I still love her?" "Of course it is, dummy! Why would I ever want it any other way? You better keep loving her!" I said with a smile while crossing my arms. "Hah¡­ I love that part of you, you''re so carefree, and so strong-willed. You have such an inspiring smile, and you''re always cheerful no matter what¡­ Maria, you''re my guiding light." Lucifer held my hands, giving me a kiss. "Y-You''re saying a lot of romantic stuff¡­" I muttered while blushing. "I feel like throwing you into a bed and doing a lot of love with you right about now¡­" "A-Ah, hahah¡­ Maybe¡­" Lucifer giggled. "Anyways, love-birds, we should get going!" Partner said, emerging behind me. "Master, I am hungry too!" "Hungry? But you just ate!" I said. "Sheesh¡­" "Yeah but that was like¡­ Spiritual food or something." Partner gave an excuse that wasn''t right, I am fairly sure that was real food somehow¡­. Or was it? Well I am spiritual so maybe it felt real for me but not for physical beings. "I think we should really have a feast to celebrate our dungeon conquest." Emeraldine said. "Also, did you guys leveled up by any chance? I got tons of EXP. "I am insanely close to max level right now¡­" "Yeah I leveled quite a lot." Partner added. "Me too¡­" I sighed. "I reached max level, actually." "Eh? Max level already?!" Lucifer wondered. "Then¡­ can you evolve already?" "Yep, I think I can, but for now I don''t want to." I sighed. "I''m tired." "Well, we finished here¡­" Sighed Lucifer. "Let''s go back to the surface for now, shall we?" As we slowly walked back to the gate in silence, we suddenly remembered something. "The dwarves!!!" We all screamed at the same time.N?v(el)B\\jnn We ran towards the Boss Room''s gates, mming them open! BAAAM! However, what we found was¡­ not what we expected. In there, we found all the dwarves making a leisure camp, eating some roasted meat. The surrounding caves werepletely cleansed of miasma, covered by glowing moss and many mushrooms. There were animals crawling here and there as well, not monsters. "Oh! You guys are finally back!" Helga said, she wasn''t even wearing her golem suit. "You won''t believe what happened! Just some minutes ago the whole dungeon underwent some sort of purification! Miasma was gone, the monsters stopped spawning, and nts are growing everywhere! There''s even normal animals! And we can breathe just fine here." "A-Amazing!" I said in surprise. "It seem the whole dungeon got purified after we conquered it¡­" "Yep, seems like things are slowly going back to normal now¡­" Helga sighed. "Agh, though I think I''ll have nightmares after we fought so many zombie dwarves¡­ Man, that was tough." I guess the dwarves also had their own traumatic experiences¡­ ----- Chapter 659 {Evil God Successor} ----- Ding! [You gained 30000000 EXP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 79 to Level 80!] [All your stats have increased!]N?v(el)B\\jnn [You''ve reached your Max Level!] [You can now evolve. For consulting evolution options, visit the [Evolution Tab] option in the System Menu] ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Beelzebub] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [80/80] [EXP]: [--/--] [Rank]: [A++] [HP]: [178000/178000] [MP]: [405000/405000] [Attack]: [114000] [Defense]: [115500] [Magic]: [394400] [Agility]: [178000] [Aether]: [115] [System Points]: [850000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis], [Skill Shop], [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv8] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv9] [gue Body: Lv7] [Abyss Eater: Lv4] [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv8] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv9] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv5] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv4] [Ice Resistance: Lv4] [Water Resistance: Lv5] [Skill Resistance: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv9] [Masterful Stealth: Lv6] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv4] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv4] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv8] [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv1] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv7] [Kicking Blow: Lv4] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv7] [Life Absorption: Lv8] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv3] [Dark Sun: Lv7] [Dark Storm: Lv8] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv6] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv6] [Abyss Maniption: Lv6] [ck Lightning Strike: Lv6] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv5] [Soul Devourer: Lv4] [Undead Detonation: Lv9] [Shadow Thread: Lv8] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv8] [Pandora''s Box: Lv9] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv7] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv7] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv6] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv3] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv4] [Illusory Delusion: Lv5] [Mind Bending: Lv5] [Insect Maniption: Lv5] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv5] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv4] [Phantasmal mes: Lv4] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv4] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv4] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv8] [Spirit Summon: Lv6] [Spirit Connection: Lv4] [Spirit Fusion: Lv3] [Aura of Famine: Lv9] [Embodiment: Lv3] [Cooking: Lv7] [Hunting: Lv4] [Split Thinking: Lv8] [Mental Mapping: Lv7] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv9] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv5] [Mining: Lv3] [Dismantle: Lv3] [Taming: Lv2] [Mana Transfer: Lv4] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv5] [Smithing: Lv2] [Chopping: Lv2] [Lovemaking: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv8] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv7] [Big Game yer: Lv9] [Taboo Mark: Lv8] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv9] [Evil of the World: Lv7] [Pickpocket: Lv7] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv9] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv7] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv4] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv6] [Spirit Queen: Lv5] [Spirit Mediator: Lv5] [Poison Queen: Lv6] [Merciless Assassin: Lv6] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv5] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv4] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv5] [gue Exterminator: Lv3] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv7] [Saint of Death: Lv6] [Deceiver: Lv4] [Undead yer: Lv5] [Slime yer: Lv3] [King yer: Lv5] [Dungeon Master: Lv4] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv4] [Queen of Flies: Lv3] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv4] [Mold Breaker: Lv5] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv3] [Vampire yer: Lv1] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [Bookworm: Lv2] [ndestine Brewer: Lv3] [Greedy Miner: Lv3] [Butcherer: Lv3] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv2] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv4] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv3] [Explosion Maniac: Lv3] [Infernal Queen: Lv2] [Ice Monster yer: Lv2] [Human yer: Lv2] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv2] [Bone Queen: Lv2] [Lumberjack: Lv2] [Dragon yer: Lv2] [Relentless Hunter: Lv2] [Soul Scape Master: Lv2] [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv2] [Merciless Killer: Lv2] [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv2] [Swamp Queen: Lv2] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv2] [Sex Beast: Lv1] [Aerial Monster Exterminator: Lv1] [Chaotic Monster Exterminator: Lv1] [Apprentice Martial Artist: Lv3] [Apprentice Chef: Lv4] [Master of the Demonic Phantasmal Fist School: Lv1] [Mass Murderer: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Soul Scape Spirit Treasures]: [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure)], [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] ----- Ahh¡­ Three levels worth of stats and my stats only increased a tiny bit more. Oh well, for now I should really evolve, right? But it would be a pain to do it in here, wouldn''t it be? I might as well have a nice nap before even evolving. Though it would be better if I do that inside a Dungeon, if I evolve inside some house or something, that''s bound to bring more problems than anything! Especially now that I am actually about to evolve into an S Rank Ghost, most likely. What''s there that''s even stronger than Beelzebub though? It makes me quite curious¡­ Like, I really want to check it out! No, no, maybe I should really evolve? Yeah, the faster the better. If I do it in here with everyone that knows I am a monster, it should be fine. Once we reached Floor 1, we decided to take a small break. The Floor 1 hadpletely cleansed from all the miasma now. The sky waspletely blue and the clouds were moving around the skies peacefully, the sun was shining brightly and calmly, and even new trees and rivers popped up. Root seemed rather happy with this, and began spreading his own roots around, helping fellow trees grow faster as a result. At the same time, we decided to have a meal in here. Lucifer began cooking with Partner and most of the dwarves, while Emeraldine took care of the kids. As I was about to check out my new evolution options, a few new System windows popped up though, they were the same ones that had appeared before when I ate an Evil God Fragment and conquered a dungeon, which happened in this dungeon''s other half, or the twin. Ding! [You have conquered the Dungeon!] [Your Dungeon-rted Skills have Leveled up!] [You can now Control this Dungeon as the [Dungeon Master]!] [You''ve absorbed [Large Fragment of the Evil God]!] [Your Divinity Levels increase, and your Soul Scape Expands!] [You acquired the [Evil God Sessor: Lv1] Title Skill!] I became the Evil God''s Sessor? Huh? This makes little sense to me! I only ate him; it doesn''t mean I want to be his damn sessor! "Oi, Tyr! Exin to me what this is!" Iined, as Tyr emerged at my side. ----- Chapter 660 Enemy Of The Gods ----- Ding!N?v(el)B\\jnn [You have conquered the Dungeon!] [Your Dungeon-rted Skills have Leveled up!] [You can now Control this Dungeon as the [Dungeon Master]!] [You''ve absorbed [Large Fragment of the Evil God]!] [Your Divinity Levels increase, and your Soul Scape Expands!] [You acquired the [Evil God Sessor: Lv1] Title Skill!] I became the Evil God''s Sessor? Huh? This makes little sense to me! I only ate him; it doesn''t mean I want to be his damn sessor! "Oi, Tyr! Exin to me what this is!" Iined, as Tyr emerged at my side. He had been absorbing the powers I acquired by devouring the secondrge fragment of the Evil God. Tyr was now a part of my own soul as well, so he naturally had ess to my powers as I did of his, which we shared. His body had grownrger, and he had gained more red eyes, and more tentacles. Honestly he showed me some memories of looking like some handsome bearded Viking-like god, but he really became an eldritch aberration thanks to Loki, yikes. "What with all the ruckus? Don''t you see I am trying to help you absorb my powers better- huh?! Descendant?! Oh!" Tyr instead of acting annoyed by this, was surprised and even¡­ smiled?! "Bastard! Why are you smiling over this all out of the sudden?! This is noughing matter!" Iined. "Don''t you get it? These are fantastic news for me! It means I''ve finally gotten myself a descendant! One of my regrets is never having kids, but now you''re going to take their position as my descendant, an heir!" He celebrated. "I don''t want to be your heir¡­" I sighed. "Well it seems like that''s not for you to decide anymore¡­" Heughed. I grabbed him and began smacking him into the floor out of pure anger. "AAGGH! Let me go!" He cried. "I told you I have no power over these things! Soul Books are things each person has in their souls¡­ However Gods can control which powers people possess, Skills, and the like¡­ they can give or steal from others¡­!" "What?! So the Gods¡­ did this?" I wondered. "Obviously! This is kind of like¡­ a mark of sorts." Tyr said. "It means you''re someone dangerous that''s trying to get my powers. I don''t think you''re the first one to have ever absorbed a fragment of my body, but all of them often either hide from the gods or received their ultimate divine punishment." "S-So there are more descendants?!" I asked in panic. "No, but there were other with Titles simr to those¡­ Such as [Evil God Disciple] or [Evil God Vessel], some were even [Evil God''s Worshipper]¡­" Tyr sighed. "However, I have no idea what my other fragments might be up to. They''re all insane unlike me, who has his insanity cleansed by being eaten by your special soul." "Huh¡­ I guess it makes me feel relieved I am not the only freaky one, but still¡­" I sighed. "I think those guys might be just evil for the sake of it. My situation is different, I didn''t wanted to worship you or ask you for evil favors, I just ate you to gain power¡­" "Y-Yeah, I get it¡­ Geeh¡­! P-Please don''t squeeze me so hard!" Tyr asked for mercy. "Ungh¡­ Well¡­ Whatever, I''ve gone this deep anyways. I might as well keep eating your fragments and revive you, maybe if you behave." I said with a smile. "I am behaving! Stop treating me like a stress relieving plushieeee¡­!" Tyrined, until¡­ Ding! [Powerful Divine Presences are watching over you.] [The force of the Dungeon protects you from their direct gazes.] [The Aesir Gods seem to be concerned.] [Odin, the God of Light] is angered at your insolence.] [He says that you''ve eaten enough Fragments and seems concerned about whatever you''re nning to do.] [He asks you to stop.] [The God of Light sees you as a legitimate threat!] [Thor, the God of Thunder]ughs at your insolence.] [He finds you an amusing little insect.] [Most of the other Aesir Gods seem to agree.] CRAAAASH! Suddenly, from within the ceiling of the dungeon, an enormous st came rushing from the skies! "W-What the heck is that?!" Everyone looked at the dungeon''s ceiling, as it began gaining countless cracks! H-Hold up for a second there buddy! This wasn''t supposed to happen! Since when have the gods been this touchy anyways?! Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRACK! CRAAACK! "The Dungeon''s ceiling is shattering?!" Tyr asked in shock. "This can''t be! Are the Gods trying to attack you from within the skies using a [Divine Judgement]?!" "D-Divine Judgement?! What''s that?!" I asked in confusion. "That''s a power the Gods utilize to directly intervene with the world¡­ They are too uptight to descend themselves, but they surely like throwing lightning or beams of light from the sky!" Tyrined. CRACK¡­ CRACK! Ding! [The Dungeon is taking severe damage!] [The Dungeon''s walls are breaking!] CRAAAAASSSHHH!!!! The sky suddenly shattered, as an enormous hole was opened. From within, a beam of light emerged, apanied by what seemed to be the figure of a man holding a hammer. "Hahahah¡­ HAHAHAHAHA! I''ve finally found you, little insect! You''re ying around so happily with your friends! I bet you are nning the destruction of the world, are you not?!" The man made of light and thunder spoke, raising his hammer against me. I could barely notice any details within his body or shape, but he was sure the God of Thunder, Thor! I had heard he stopped the Evil God Fragments from gaining a new body by splitting this dungeon into two, now that I have eaten both fragments and conquered both dungeons, I suppose I''ve really angered him. "I will exterminate you! By father''smands, you shall receive [Divine Judgement]." Thor raised his hammer as light and thunder began to gather at insane quantities. Divine power flowing across the entire skies as storms emerged out of thin air. The entire world began crumbling apart by his powerful yet chaotic strength. "[Mjolnir Strike]!" CRAAAAAAASSSSHHHHHH!!! ----- Chapter 661 Thors Descent! ------ Thor the God of Thunder had decided to descend. In fact, the Aesir Gods led by Odin, the God of Light, had been keeping a close eye at Maria since she started her journey. It wasn''t abnormal for ghosts to emerge, nor for them to grow strong and be monsters and threats to humanity. But a ghost that could retain her memories, sanity, and even gain insane amounts of skills, abusing the Soul Book and even utilizingpletely new Unique Skills? Now that was dangerous. The existence of Undead in the surface, the world of the living, was a thing that had only begun happening a few thousands of years ago, when the power of the world destabilized due to the Evil God''s Fragments engulfing everything with miasma and chaos. Although Odin agreed to defeat his own son due to being a threat to his reign, he never expected Loki would utilize this opportunity to spread Chaos across the world even further. Undead and Monsters became even moremon than he and the other Aesir Gods had anticipated. After the defeat of the Ancient Titans the Gods had finally believed the world would finally be theirs. Well, they werepletely wrong. The revenge that Loki had nned was one long, and excruciating future filled with uncertainty, and Maria was the child of his cunning ns, although unexpected, it fell right into Loki''s ns, the ultimate being who could devour chaos, was an undead, held incredible powers, was amazing intelligent, and could even¡­ devour the very fragments of the Evil God while dominating them and retaining her own personality without being corrupted. She was¡­ the Void. Although the Gods kept silent about her because of Hel''s intervention, who actively protected, for some reason Hel was now busy dealing with something else, and they felt this was the perfect moment to attack before Maria could evolve again, as they already felt her powers had reached their Level Cap. They couldn''t possibly let her reach S Rank! If they did, a threat of her level could put the entire world in danger! Even if they knew that Maria "pretended" to be good, she held within her soul an intense amount of malice, and they feared she would ultimately end up turning against the world and destroying it. Even worse, Tyr, the former God of War and Judgement and the now Evil God dwelled within her. If she was given his memories, or if he somehow were to fully revive from within her own soul then¡­ the Gods would regret not having dealt with her earlier. Due to this, a decision was taken, Thor, the god most willing to step in was given divine power by his father, and then unleashed a [Divine Spirit] of his shape, controlled remotely by his own true body, which then descended into the world of Yggdrasil, breaking through the Dungeon''s walls, an act which would bepletely impossible, as dungeon walls were indestructible, and then reaching up to Maria. His n? Completely annihte her before Hel could retaliate against the Gods or attempt to stop them. "Hahah¡­ You''re really a pain in the ass¡­" Thor smiled, taking into a youthful and muscr form on his Divine Spirit form. "We once felled the Titans, a resurrection of the Void like you won''t be any different!" "Resurrection of the Void?! What the heck are you on about?!" Maria panicked, her powers quickly erupting from within her body as she quickly protected her entire family and friends. "Stay behind me!" Her soul mutated and erupted, channeling the powers of the two Evil God Fragments and activating the many other Skills while she spent millions of Mana which she constantly drained from her surroundings utilizing her Unique Skills. Thor gathered the power of his Divine Energy and Mana, and then unleashed a devastating attack utilizing the Mjolnir copy made out of his own Divine Spirit body. "[Mjolnir Strike]!" TRUUUUUUMMMM¡­! The hammer suddenly grew to a gargantuan size, easily as big as a mountain, which then fell directly towards Maria and anybody around her. Such a frightening attack had split entire dungeons in half and hadpletely sted anybody bold enough tomit a taboo such as utilizing Evil God Fragments directly. "PERISH!" CRAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!! The massive hammer impacted Maria directly. Her Soul being easily dissolved into nothingness as the powerful divine attack, the elements being theplete opposite as hers, started to disintegrate herpletely! "No¡­ Unnggh¡­! This¡­ I can''t just die¡­! I can''t just die right now¡­!" Her mind quickly began moving faster as lightning started to consume her entirely. The surroundings were all charred into nothingness, as those she was protecting screamed behind her. Nobody could fight against the direct judgement of a God, an absolute being. However¡­ a single word came to Maria''s mind as she resisted the all-consuming divinity of a God. Her Unique Skill [Yog-Sothoth] being the only thing capable of resisting this power enough¡­ And that word was¡­ Evolution. "System, show me the evolution options!!! We can''t let this bastard¡­ fucking kill me!" The System promptly reacted. At the rate in which she was being consumed and then regenerated, Maria only had less than forty seconds to evolve before her entire soul were to be consumed by Thor''s almighty power. But even if she evolved¡­ could she even fight against this all-epassing power? Ding! [Showcasing Evolution Options] [Kauket, the Endless Uncreated Darkness] [Selene, the Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon] [Ereshkigal, the First Lady of the Underworld] [Sc¨¢thach, the Warrior Maiden of Death] Maria''s eyes opened wide as she nced at these four mysterious evolution options! She could recall a few of such names. They resembled those of deities from mythology. Kauket was the God of Uncreated Darkness of Egyptian Mythology. Selene was the Titan Goddess that was the personification of the Moon in Greek Mythology. Ereshkigal was a Goddess of the Underworld of Mesopotamian Mythology.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om And Sc¨¢thach was a War Maiden of Death,ter known as a Goddess in Irish Mythology, protector, and mentor of the Irish Hero, C¨² Chinn. Which of these four notable figures could be as strong as Maria needed them to be? ----- Chapter 662 Hopelessly Fighting A God ----- A catastrophe. After havingpleted the dungeon and even retrieved one of the Evil God Fragments, everyone had imagined they would be able to take it easy for a while. However, the mind of mortals is usually incapable of imagining what Gods might be thinking. Cunningly, they nned to strike when they had their guards lowered. They all saw as a being made of Divine Power descended from the skies, breaking the "indestructible" walls of the dungeon, andunching an attack against Maria and all of them. Partner panicked, but quickly decided to fight. Even when Maria herself tried to sacrifice herself to protect everyone from the massive divine attack, which was as big as a mountain, and which consumed everything in their sight. Partner utilized all her blood and mana reserves, activating her strongest technique. Lucifer''s mind worked rapidly, quickly putting Nyx behind him as his body quickly regained his dragon form, in mere seconds, he gathered every bit of Mana within his soul and body into his jaws, unleashing a breath attack. Emeraldine protected Takeshi and Laura, and the rest of the dwarves, gathering all her Spirit''s power and her Mana into the palm of her hands and then transferring it into her bow, which grew into an immense size, overflowing with light. At the same time, Root, who already had his roots piercing the ground quickly began drawing the power of Nature and the vast Mana reserves of the entire Dungeon, fusing his powers with Emeraldine, and generating a massive dome made of his own wooden body, trying to protect everyone. "Vampiric Blood Arts: [Endless Blood Spiral]!" "Draconic Arts: [Ultimate Death Dragon Breath]!" "Holy Spirit Bow Arts: [Yggdrasil''s Nine Divine Realms]!" An enormous attack emerged. Partner, Lucifer, and Emeraldine unleashed the strongest blows they could ever muster. Partner conjured an absolutely massive spiraling tornado made entirely out of Mana and Blood Energy, so big it couldpletely destroy a whole mountain, reaching high into the skies and shing against Thor''s Lightning! CLAAAAAASSSSH!!!! Lucifer''s unleashed his strongest breath attack, utilizing even his own Life Force and all the Death Energy, Dragon Force, and Mana he possessed, unleashing a devastating and destructive Dragon Breath that couldpletely engulf an entire country into ck mes of death. BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!! Andstly, Emeraldine''s eyes shone brightly with the power of the spirits she held, suddenly, nine arrows containing nine different elements were conjured, her own long lifespan was used as a sacrifice as she utilized a hundred years of her long elven lifespan to bring out elements she didn''t even had an affinity with, an innate power of Elves. Nine arrows containing the elements of Yggdrasil''s nine realms emerged, firing against Thor''s Lightning attack, and exploding subsequently. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOMMMM!!! The strongest members of this party unleashed their most powerful attacks, the very auras they emanated shook the entire dungeon, shattering the ground and the surrounding walls. Even the outside world was not spared, the entire mountain began to tremble and an earthquake happened all around the dwarven city. Theirbined attacks melded together as their wills became one, suddenly resembling a monstrous, multi-elemental roaring dragon made of pure Mana, flying towards Thor''s Lightning and somehow¡­ resisting his powers! TRUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMM¡­! "Hoh?!" Thor was surprised, he never thought mere mortals would be able to push him back like this! He nced down at the inferior creatures, his eyes growing sharper as he merely intensified the level of divine power charged into his attack. "Hmph, arrogant insects¡­ You''re not worth anything, weaklings! Your struggle is pointless! Mortals had never been able to fight back against the almighty judgement of us Gods!" Heughed. FLAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!!! His lightning quickly began to overpower the Multi-Elemental Dragon, as Partner, Lucifer, and Emeraldine were already running out of Mana! Their teeth gritted tightly, as their bodies began to lose their strength, their very lives were being consumed as they tried to enhance their attacks even further. "It''s pointless! While you have to sacrifice your very lives to even be able to do this much¡­ I don''t even break a sweat while putting this almighty power! Cannot you understand the difference between gods and mortals?! You''re merely insects, waiting to be stomped by our foot!" Thor''sments only angered them more! "Shut your damn mouth, you damn bastard!" Lucifer roared first, offending a god. He amongst everyone here knew the most what a God truly was, a divine being without parallel. Yet he offended him, a taboo amongst taboos between dragons, the former guardians of the world and the gods themselves. "I don''t¡­ GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU BEING A GOD!!!" Partner roared, without even understanding what being a God truly entailed other than just "being very strong". "Heh¡­ For being a God, you really seem desperate, Thor!" Emeraldine smiled defiantly, provoking Thor even more. Thor''s youthful and wless face grew furious! His face distorted into that of a monstrous aberration, as he couldn''t contain his fury! How dare they! Mortals insulting a god?! "Y-You¡­!" Thor muttered, trying to keep hisposure. Only a few seconds have passed yet he found it weird¡­ what was blocking his powers aside from these three? Suddenly, he noticed it. The power of Yggdrasil herself was intervening! He saw an enormous dome made of Yggdrasil wood growing all around them, protecting them from his divine power, even if a little bit. With Maria''s soul also stacking with the dome, their time of survival was greatly increased from less than ten seconds to almost a minute?! "Yggdrasil?! Why is that monster holding the power of Yggdrasil¡­?!" Thor felt shocked. However, a confident smile emerged on his lips. "If I can defeat that and then absorb that branch into my Divine Realm, I''ll grow even stronger¡­ I could even one day overthrown father, right?"N?v(el)B\\jnn Thor''s very own greed was what bought Maria even more time, those mere thoughts, whichsted for a few seconds, made him stand still without not putting much attention into his own attack, which lost a part of its original intensity! FLAAAAAASH! And from within the Maria''s Soul Core, something else began to emerge¡­ "This Darkness¡­! Eh?! Don''t tell me¡­!" Thor began to panic. He saw an enormous quantity of darkness erupting from within Maria''s disintegrating body. "She''s evolving?!" ----- Chapter 663 Choosing An Evolution Path! ----- [Showcasing Evolution Options] ----- [Kauket, the Endless Uncreated Darkness] [Rank]: [S] A hypothetical evolution of the Shadow Ghost Undead Monster Family. It is said that the ultimate form of a Shadow Ghost is that of an endless mantle of pure darkness that stretches around the entire world. It brings eternal night and eternal darkness, and nothing can oppose it but the might of equally strong S Ranked Monsters or the Gods themselves. Believed to be a cmity that would bring endless darkness, it is said that it would be an Uncreated Darkness, the purest form of Darkness, born of pure nothingness¡­ ----- [Selene, the Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon] [Rank]: [S] Titans are said to be the original owners of the world of Yggdrasil, the first children of the World Tree and the protectors of everything. Their reign of peace was revoked by the Aesir Gods, who rebelled against their parents and destroyed them, killing the Primordial Titan, Ymir¡­ However, amidst his death, Ymir''s body and soul fragmented into endless pieces. If such a Fragment is absorbed by a Ghost powerful enough to evolve into S Rank, it is possible to attain a new evolution. Selene, the name of a Titaness that was never born, yet that was predestined to, but could never happen. The Eternal Moon is her personification, and it is said that the moon itself was the daughter of Ymir, who was left behind, watching a world where her family was ughtered. It is said that the Moonlight that would emanate from her body can reflect the might of the gods that ughtered her father. ----- [Ereshkigal, the First Lady of the Underworld] [Rank]: [S] A being that has not been born yet, the hypothesized firstdy of the underworld, an ultimate evolution of a female Undead that has ascended into the powerful S Rank. Ereshkigal might not exist, but the Undead that inhabit the Underworld believe that one day ady of such power wille, someone that will both protect the underworld and lead a fight against the living. She''s said to be the future servant of Hel and wield a powerful Scythe that can reap the souls of the living, leading an endless army of the Undead against her foes. Her enchanting appearance is but a deceiving factor of her lethal beauty. ----- [Sc¨¢thach, the Warrior Maiden of Death] [Rank]: [S] A mythical war maiden of ancient times, the Era of Heroes of Yggdrasil, when the races of the world battle against one another in endless conflicts and wars. In such times, Hel choose a representative, and her vessel, Sc¨¢thach. A warrior maiden with incredible fighting talent and abilities way beyond those of a normal human. Her abilities were further enhanced as she gained the power to manipte Death itself. However, utilizing her powers, she raised her own hero, a man named C¨² Chinn. She and her hero led an army of thousands of undead against the forces of the gods in the long, ancient times. A war maiden with a thousand battle techniques and the overpowering abilities of necromancy granted to her by Hel, a truly mythical and legendary figure. ----- Maria nced across all her possible evolution options. Amongst them, there were some new things she had never seen before. However, she couldn''t simply stay idle. She had to quickly decide, the future of everyone depended on her evolution. Partner, Lucifer, and Emeraldine all were going all out, and even Root as well. Her soul wasn''t going tost for much longer either. Her soul and mind shed with a thousand thoughts, until finally, she made a choice. What she needed the most was a power to oppose Thor, and a power that could even fight back against the Gods. Amongst the many beings that existed in the world of Yggdrasil, which ones were able to fight against them in a massive war that took everything on the god''s side to win? Titans, the natural enemy of the Aesir. Ding! [You have selected the [Selene, the Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon] [Rank]: [S] Evolution option!] [Starting evolution¡­!] FLASH! Suddenly, as Maria started her evolution, her mind was suddenly transferred into apletely different ce. Everything seemed shrouded by darkness, pitch ck darkness. However, as she nced deeper into this darkness, she saw two golden eyes ncing back at her. "W-Wha¡­?! What''s going on now?" Maria nced at the two golden eyes, as she felt like she was about to die by the enormous pressure she sensed. It was so overwhelming that it made her shiver from her head to her foot. Her entire soul was trembling by a presence alone. And this presence alone¡­ it was that of nobody else but him. The one and only¡­ "You''re a strange one¡­ I never expected you to take this Path, yet here we are¡­" He said, with a slow and old voice, like that of a grandpa. "I apologize for having looked down on you for merely being an Undead. I now understand you''re more than you seem to be at first nce." "Who¡­ are you?" Maria was about to ask, but an answer came to her quicker than she could had imagined. A blue-colored crystal flew towards her, as she caught it almost instinctively. The crystal glowed with a mysterious light, something she had never felt before. It felt all-epassing, powerful, and domineering. As overwhelming as the mountains themselves. Like a force of nature itself. Maria nced at this crystal, as she felt strong herself, she felt vast like a mountain, and she felt powerful, powerful enough to go against anything¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn "Take this. It is thest Fragment of my Soul." Said the voice. "Now, be the Eternal Moon that watches over the night sky. Myst daughter. I shall name you¡­ Selene." FLAAAASH! As the old man of overwhelming presence named her, Maria felt an incredible rush of power reach her soul, as she felt like she was constantly expanding, and growing bigger¡­ and bigger. "Teach those arrogant Aesir a good lesson!" [Evolution has finished, you''ve evolved into [Selene, the Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon] [Rank]: [S]!] [You''ve received [Ymir''s Divine Protection]!] ----- Chapter 664 The Might Of A Titan ----- Thor''s powerful magic was devastating Maria''s soul and Root wouldn''t be able to resist much either. The situation was growing more perilous as time went by, and things would be even worse once the power of Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine ran out. However, darkness emerged from within Maria''s internal soul, Thor panicked as he saw her soul emerging from within his own lightning, as if she was gaining a new power despite being about to bepletely disintegrated by his divine might. FLAAAAAASH! "This Darkness¡­! Eh?! Don''t tell me¡­!" Thor began to panic. He saw an enormous quantity of darkness erupting from within Maria''s disintegrating body. "She''s evolving?!" Thor grew restless, quickly imbuing his powers into his own hands and deciding to finish her off before she were to do any funny business. His thunder gathering on tremendous and overwhelming quantities. "I won''t let you stand up, heretic monster!" He roared with the fury of a God, his lightning gathering into enormous quantities which made a gigantic storm atop of his body. A sick smile emerging on his lips as the summoned lightning continued to grow stronger¡­! "[Thunder''s Judgement]!!!" TRUUUUUUMMMMMMMMM¡­.! A massive quantity of thunder fell from the skies, shing against Lucifer''s andpany''s attacks,pletely devastating them with overwhelming power, and then shattering Root''s defenses, reaching Maria, who was standing in front of everyone to protect them! CRAAAAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHHHH¡­! Maria''s entire soul was devastated, the divine thunder consuming every single particle of her soul as shepletely disintegrated. The desperation of the situation bing even worse as the shockwave of the thunder attack alone sent everyone flying into the skies. "Hahahaha¡­ It is finished! You''re done for¡­ Just like that! Although you ate two fragments of my brother, you were still merely a mortal-level ghost¡­ You''ve been purified from this world, be thankful!" Thorughed, ignoring everything else but his victory. "Who said that?" "Huh?" Thor stoppedughing, suddenly looking down. His light-made eyes filled with a sudden sense of panic as horror rushed through every sense of his spiritual vessel. Standing in the massive crater created by Thor''s attack there was a tall woman with beautiful pale white skin, as pale as candle wax, yet her body seemed overflowing with darkness, so much that it made her feel like she was born anew¡­ This darkness shaped itself as her brand-new dress, while her eyes glowed bright red, defiantly ncing back at the God of Thunder. "W-What?! This¡­ This can''t be¡­" Thor lost his ownposure. He was sure to have unleashed all of his powers! Yet¡­ why? Why was it not working? Why was she not exterminated? Unless¡­ "Y-You evolved then¡­!" Thor smiled. "Well, I will have to just imbue a bit more of my divine power, that''s all there is to it!" Thor said with a defiant smile, as he quickly imbued the power of his divine abilities into his hands, unleashing an even grander thunder this time. "[Divine Judgement]!" FLAAAAASH! Thunder gathered at insane quantities atop the skies, Thor smiled evilly as he gathered this power, only for Maria to nce back at him, while still getting used to her brand-new powers. CLAAAAAASH! The thunder fell mercilessly once more attempting to delete Maria from existence itself. Yet¡­ Maria calmly analyzed the lightning, as she brought the powers she had attained, channeling them into her hands, while her body continued growingrger¡­ andrger¡­ andrger. "W-What with that size?!" Thor was surprised by Maria''s growing size, only for her to suddenly summon the Mirage of a Full Moon, pointing it at Thor directly. "[Eternal Moon Mirror]" She conjured a powerful new magic. The moon resembled a beautiful reflecting mirror as it took Thor''s direct attack without problems. FLAAAAASH! The moon-shaped mirror began absorbing all of this energy, and then, it reflected the light back at Thor.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Why don''t you take it all back, bastard?" TRUUUUUUMMMMM¡­! The lightning reached Thor, this time, turningpletely ck as it gained the darkness element from within Maria''s magic and mana, hitting Thor directly! "You''re¡­ reflecting my attack?!" BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM¡­! Thor waspletely consumed by the ck lightning before he could evenprehend the situation he was being thrown into. In mere seconds, he found his Spirit Vessel beingpletely consumed by his own attack! CLAAAAAASSSSHHHH!!! Barely managing to survive, his vessel found himself over a massive crater within the dungeon''s boundaries, his entire body slowly beginning to dissipate. "S-She evolved¡­! T-This incredible power¡­ What is it!?" Thor wondered, incapable of being able toprehend the powers that Maria had now acquired through her newest evolution. FLASH! "You seem surprised. Honestly speaking, I am too." "Huh?!" Thor was once more shocked, Maria had appeared right in front of him, standing above the crater and ncing down at him as if he were the insect now. "W-What sort of monster have you evolved into?! Even S Ranked Beings wouldn''t be able to reflect my divine power¡­ with such ease!" Thor roared back, quickly standing back up as countless rays of lightning rained over Maria. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! However, Maria concentrated herself, gathering her near endless Mana as she summoned a ring made entirely of mirages made of beautiful moons in their different phases, which rotated around her and reflected the rays like powerful mirrors! "Take it all back." FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLAAASH! The thunder was not only reflected but enhanced and "corrupted" by Maria''s own element of darkness and death, which directly damaged the vessel of Thor instead of being easily absorbed back into his elemental body. "T-This is impossible!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM! Thor tried to run away, to evade Maria''s furious onught, but it was impossible, each ray of darkness pierced a part of his body,pletely disintegrating it, in mere seconds, he found himself covered on holes¡­ "G-Gahh¡­?!" BAAAM! His body fell into the floor once more, as Maria approached him, ncing down at him. "I suppose Ymir must be happy now." "Ymir?!" Thor felt bbergasted, the moment he saw Maria''s body suddenly exude an enormous, overwhelming aura¡­ such an aura which he had only felt when fighting Titans! A gigantic palm made of darkness started to fall from the skies, squeezing Thor like a bug. "What do you mean Ymir¡­?! He''s¡­ dead¡­!" CLAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!! Before Thor could evenprehend his situation, his Spiritual Vessel waspletely destroyed. ----- Chapter 665 Thors Disgrace ----- As Thor sensed his Divine Spirit Vessel being in, his face began to distort in utter disbelief and anger. The other gods at his side were no different either. They were utterly bbergasted by the development of the situation, which brought upon them the knowledge that Maria had evolved into a being¡­ much like the ancient Titans they had once in. "What sort of insanity is this?! Thor, are you sure that what you''re saying is true?! That ghost¡­ It attained the power of the Titans themselves?!" Asked the God of Light, a tall and bearded man with an eyepatch and an armor made of divine gold. Two crows sat at each of his shoulders, white and ck. Both crows red down at Thor with the same judgmental re that his own father. "Father! I don''t really get it myself either but¡­ There''s indeed something strange! Howe an Undead attained the Bloodline of the Titans?! But it is the ultimate truth! I had sensed him; it was indeed nobody else than Ymir''s aura within her!" Thor protested. "How else could a mere mortal like her been able to defeat the Divine Spirit Vessel so easily?!" The rest of the Aesir Gods started gossiping with one another. They couldn''t deny that Maria had evolved into a being strong enough to defeat even Thor, but they still couldn''t believe she had suddenly be a Titan. Even more because that seemed highly impossible. Maria was an Undead, and a non-corporeal one at that¡­ How could she even attain such a power? It was utterly impossible! "Are you sure you''re not just lying to make it seem like you were unable to fight and win against that ghost?" One of the gods asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "It is impossible for Ymir to be alive, we defeated him and all of the other Titans with him in the Ancient War. His corpse was used to build this world!" Another God said. "God of Light, please punish your insolent and foolish son, who has done a terrible job at something so simple as punishing a mortal!" Said a third divine entity. However, Odin remained in silence, his single eye shing brightly as he contemted what had happened. Certainly, he knew something more than the other gods didn''t know, or well, most of them didn''t know about. "To be honest, Ymir is not exactly dead¡­ Because his body was used to reconstruct the world, his life remained somehow. I have not revealed this to you lot for obvious reasons. His Soul as well, although I was able to cut it a lot, many fragments spread around and were lost." He sighed. "However, because Ymir has not shown any signs of being alive ever since his defeat, I supposed whatever remained of him was too weak to be able to do anything at all." "What? Odin, why did you never revealed this to us?!" "This means¡­ Ymir was waiting for a moment like this?! Was he waiting for that ghost to evolve? But why the ghost specifically?!" "We do know she might be the Reincarnation of the Void¡­ Perhaps Odin was seeking a fitting vessel for thest fragment of his soul, and he found it in that ghost" Odin sighed, ncing back at Thor. "Although these news are frightening, and your fight has given us some new insight, Thor, you''ve still failed your mission." Odin said, his single eye shing with a judgmental light. "Father¡­ I¡­! Please give me another opportunity! At the very least, I believe I could-" "That''s enough. I will be stripping you off the temporary Light Authority I''ve granted to you!" Odin roared, his spear hit the ground of the Heavenly Realm, as light shone brightly impacting Thor! FLAAAASH! In mere seconds, Thor felt as if a part of his own soul was stripped away from him! "No, father! Don''t take away this power! I¡­! Unggh¡­!" Thor, however, could not fight his father''s might, easily being weakened, as his father took away the extra power he had granted him due to his favorability. Thor still held his original authority, but without the secondary Light Authority of Odin, he was now much weaker, and now as powerful as to look down at the other Gods with him. The other Aesir Gods nced at Thor with pity, but he knew, deep down, they wereughing at him, ridiculing him. Thor felt frustrated, his fury and anger growing bigger and bigger as he nced back at the other insolent Aesir. "Because you''ve been able to bring us valuable information, despite your pathetic defeat, I will forgive you." Sighed Odin. "As long as you bring me good results next time." "Father I can go down right now and confront her! She might be strong enough to kill the divine spirit vessels but she won''t be able to stand against my true power!" Thor said recklessly. "And risk your life in the miasma-filled world below? You''ll be in an utter disadvantage like that, fool!" Odin roared. "Think before you act! After the Void''s interference and the many Cmities, the world below as be almost unhospitable for our divinities. However, as long as we can find vessels fitting of our divine power, then we can find a way to get to her¡­ Nheless, it looks like the small time frame we had to fight her is now gone." Suddenly, a deadly presence emerged within the Heavenly Realm, an enormous mass of millions of souls and darkness appeared, slowly shaping itself into a beautiful youngdy with long gray hair and sharp red eyes. It was nobody else than Hel herself, the Goddess of Death and ruler of the underworld, Helheim. "ODIN!" Hel roared furiously, her deathly aura spreading everywhere. The weakest of Aesir Gods ran away in fear before her mighty divinity that could even take the life out of gods themselves. "You dare try to sneak an attack on my divinely protected?! Reckless old man, are you so tired of living?!" "Oh my, Hel¡­" Odin said while stroking his beard. "This is only a big misunderstanding." Odin''s cockiness only made Hel more furious. ----- Chapter 666 Odins Bait ----- Hel''s fury made itself clear within the Heavenly Realm, weaker Aesir Gods ran away before her furious aura, while those close to Odin and strong enough to stand in her way remained at the side of the Kind of Gods. "A misunderstanding?! You knew my mother hade to visit and you nned this because I wouldn''t be paying attention!" Hel furiously said. "Hel, you might be very powerful, and your divinity might rule an essentialw of this world¡­ But that doesn''t give you the right to treat your grandfather in such a manner. Be more respectful." The God of Light said, Hel only grew more furious. "Are you dering war now? You''ve done something you should had not!" Hel said, her eyes glowing redder. "I don''t care if you''re my grandfather, I''ve never considered you my family. Suppressing my religion, making me seen as a monster by the mortals¡­ Do you think I am blind? I do know your intentions!" "Hahah, you''re hurting my feelings, dear granddaughter." Sighed Odin. "This was a misunderstanding; I do not desire war. I would never DARE wage war against my own grandchild!" "You killed your own son and turned him into an abomination and you expect me to believe that?" Hel asked. "Your father was the one with the idea¡­" Odinmented. "Tyr was¡­ corrupted. There was no other way, dear granddaughter." "You¡­!" Hel sighed, her fury only growingrger. Her long silver hair suddenly turned into blue phantasmal mes, furious growingrger. However, deep down, she knew her father was also to me for this, after all, it was really his scheme too. "Thor lost his mind for a bit. He thought the Evil God was going to reincarnate soon, so he attacked your divinely protected. Do not worry, she''s alive! Or well, dead? However you want to put it." Laughed Odin. "However, dear granddaughter, shouldn''t you be the one offering some sort of exnation as to why your divinely protected is messing around with the Evil God''s fragments?" "I do not control her, she''s free to do whatever she desires, unlike your mortal "hero" puppets." So I have no real idea what she''s doing. She is free to do as she pleases." Hel said. "So you''re saying that its fine for her tomit a taboo?!" Thor confronted Hel. "Hel, you''re bing more and more twisted! Is Loki brainwashing your mind with his strange ideals?!" "Taboos don''t really exist, they''re merely stupid words you say which mortals will obey. Only those that are below youmit taboos, those that are free, like my divinely protected, do notmit taboos. Rules are different with each god, we agreed to this, right?" Hel sighed, reminding the Gods of their own stupid rules. "Or did you seriously believed I wouldn''t be able to find such an easy loophole within your reasoning?" "Tch¡­" Thor seemed genuinely furious, and nced at Hel so menacingly he seemed ready to attack her at any moment. "Do you think you make your own rules now?!" "Silence Thor." Odin said. "For now, Hel¡­ We''ll let this slide, no? I will simply pretend she did notmit taboos, and you will believe that what Thor has done is a misunderstanding, alright?" "And then what?! Will you try to send more killers after her?!" Hel asked angrily. "What the mortals do or not¡­ Is not my fault, they are free to do as they please! Right? This, we also agreed upon." Laughed Odin. "You just said she was free to do whatever she wanted, so my own servants are also free." Hel felt surprised, she fell right into Odin''s trap. Now, she could only agree to his terms and let this war between gods resolve with their own mortals. It was something that has been happening for a while now, but it seemed that as the Age of Cmity approached, this war was only going to be more intense. "You''re only pretending, you clearly desire for war, Odin! You''ve always wanted to attain more power, endlessly greedy old man!" Hel angrily reprimanded Odin, but he onlyughed at her anger. "Well, if you''re so angered today, why don''t we try-" "That''s enough, dearest father." FLASH!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Suddenly, a distortion in space and time emerged before the gods, ck, purple, and red colors mixing into a ck hole that shattered space itself and then summoned the figure of a handsome young man with long purple hair and seductive pink eyes. Wearing ck robes and holding upon a ck staff decorated with red and purple jewels¡­ "Father?" Asked Hel in surprise. "Dear Hel, how many times have I told you to not fight with your grandpapa?" Sighed Loki. "Now behave yourself." Loki patted Hel''s head, ncing back at his father. "Loki¡­" Odin sighed, the miasmic aura of his son made him feel slightly sick. Although the gods thought that Loki was his true son, in fact, Loki was his adoptive son. He was the son of Ymir, the King of Titans, and one of hisst and lost children, his true identity being a Titan that personified chaos itself. Odin, however, had to keep up appearances. If only all the gods were merely the boot licking Aesir, he wouldn''t really mind as much. But there were also the Vanir Gods, another whole tribe of Gods, many of them incredibly strong who ruled the other side of the world of Yggdrasil. And of course, there were also the "Good Titans" who betrayed Ymir and joined him, they were many as well, and had joined the Aesir and Vanir in good terms. Seeing Odin lose his patience and act boldly would easily destroy the image he has created for them of a righteous king. "That''s enough pranks for today you two, let''s get along, alright?" Laughed Loki, looking at his daughter with concern, and whispering to her mind through telepathy. "Dear, do not let him provoke you, that is what he wants. Be strong." "Tch¡­" Odin clicked his tongue in anger, but then let it slide¡­ For now. ----- Chapter 667 [Devourer Of Divinities] ----- (Maria''s POV) I ended evolving and somehow, I managed to defeat Thor. Or well, his damn spiritual vessel. There was no way that guy was the real Thor, it would had been quite anticlimactic if he truly died in there. Nheless, I felt extremely exhausted after that. I had utilized a new power I attained after evolving to my limits, each of those spells cost almost all of my Mana, and even as it kept regenerating, it was not near as enough. The Ability to reflect Magic and even Divine Power that the Moonlight Magic Skill granted to me was indeed very strong¡­ I am quit happy I managed to save the day but for fuck''s sake, I am not really ready to fight another of these god things for now. "Ugh¡­ Huh?" While I heard everyone running to my side, I suddenly noticed the mass of divinity that Thor''s vessel left behind. I had used his own power against him, but I did not truly possess the power to hurt that vessel myself, only reflecting his own power back to him and changing its attribute to my own. Nheless, it was quite unexpected, but he did indeed die in a dungeon! Is this why is body suddenly was left behind? It was all cut into pieces around, and there was a big white jewel sitting over there. "This is¡­ Ah, I''m so hungry¡­" I quickly began crawling over the ground, feeling so weak I could die at any moment. Without thinking it much, I started eating the corpse left behind. The divine spirit vessel bodycked a mind of its own, and once torn apart, Thor''s will disappeared from within it and it became a strange substance. It was like a very solid soul, with a texture simr to jelly or a very soft bread. Each bite I gave to it made me slightly more relieved and stronger, it felt like I was regaining my footing, my soul was growing bigger as well. "Ahhh¡­ More¡­" I kept eating and eating these pieces, until the only thing left behind was a big white jewel. ----- [Divine Spirit Vessel Core (??? Rank)] A crystal containing the crystalized divine power of a God of Thunder that has taken over the Divine Spirit Vessel. It contains enormous quantities of Mana and Life Essence, once consumed, it can either kill the user or grant incredible power. It can also be used as a material to create Divine Rel ics. ----- Huh, I could make a divine relic, yeah¡­ But in the other side, this is like a really tasty treat, and I am still starving, so might as well eat it. "Crunch¡­" It was crunchy and had no real vor to be honest, but it still felt amazing. The more I bite into it, the more of this endless electrifying energy came running down my throat and reaching all the way into the interior of my body and soul. F L U O O O S S H H! S P A R K! S P A R K! S P A R K!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Lightning began surging from my fingertips, as I felt the lightning power of Thor reaching within my soul and body. And then, it slowly settled down. It fought for a bit, but it was quickly eaten and assimted, like all other things I devour. This was merely a small fragment of his divine authority, yet it was mightily tasty. The moment I ate it, I felt like I was reborn anew! What the heck was this? It even¡­ kind of strengthened my own divinity, or whatever divine power I am slowly developing. "Phew¡­ Alright, let''s see what''s up- Huh?!" [You have sessfully evolved into [Selene, the Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon] [Rank]: [S]!] [You have received [Ymir''s Divine Protection]!] [All Your Stats have increased greatly!] [Your Level Cap has increased!] [You learned the [Eternal Moon Mirror: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You learned the [Mystical Moon Phase Circle: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You learned the [Lesser Divinity: Moonlight: Lv1] Unique Skill!] [You learned the [Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Ymir''s Daughter: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Titaness: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] [You learned the [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] [You learned the [True Titan Strength: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] [You learned the [Selene''s Palm of Judgement: Lv1] Physical Skill!] [You learned the [Moonlight Absorption: Lv1] Resistance Skill!] [You have defeated [Divine Spirit Vessel: Thor (??? Rank)] x1!] [You earned 50000000 EXP!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 0 to Level 20!] [All your stats have increased!] [You have devoured arge quantity of Divine Spirit Vessel Fragments!] [You have devoured the [Divine Spirit Vessel Core (??? Rank)]!] [All your stats have increased even further!] [The [ck Lightning Strike: Lv6] Skill has evolved into [Divine ck Lightning: Lv1]!] [You learned the [Divine Thunder Spirit Body: Lv1] Unique Skill!] [You learned the [Devourer of Divinities: Lv1] Title Skill!] I ended gaining way too many powers than I expected. It seems that, based in this new Skill, I can turn my body into lightning! Interesting, I guess that Thor really gave me a lot of gifts for his visit. Though I am still fuckin angered and got a lot to process even now. Certainly, I''ll eventually find him and kill him, and eat his soul for sure as well. I''ve already made up my mind, if the gods want to get rid of me so badly, then I''ll just go and kill them first. I won''t let them take away those precious to me anymore. I will tear them apart. I will keep growing stronger and stronger¡­ Until I can finally get to their heavenly realm and rip them all to shreds. I won''t hold back anymore, they all have their days counted, fucking bastards. ----- Chapter 668 A Powerful New Form ----- As I rested and made up my mind, I took a peek at my Status. ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Selene, the Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon] [Job]: [Dark Shadow Spectral Death Spirit Queen] [Level]: [0/100] -> [20/100] [EXP]: [0/4000000] [Rank]: [S] [HP]: [300000/300000] -> [400000/400000] [MP]: [600000/600000] -> [800000/800000] [Attack]: [250000] -> [340000] [Defense]: [195000] -> [265000] [Magic]: [655000] -> [815000] [Agility]: [230000] -> [290000] [Aether]: [150] [System Points]: [1200000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis], [Skill Shop], [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv9] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv10] [gue Body: Lv8] [Abyss Eater: Lv5] [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv3] [Lesser Divinity: Moonlight: Lv1] [Divine Thunder Spirit Body: Lv1] [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv1] [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul: Lv1] [True Titan Strength: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv9] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv10] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv6] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv5] [Ice Resistance: Lv5] [Water Resistance: Lv6] [Skill Resistance: Lv2] [Moonlight Absorption: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv10] [Masterful Stealth: Lv7] [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv5] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv5] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv9] [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv3] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv8] [Kicking Blow: Lv6] [Selene''s Palm of Judgement: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv8] [Life Absorption: Lv9] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv4] [Dark Sun: Lv8] [Dark Storm: Lv9] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv7] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv7] [Abyss Maniption: Lv7] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv6] [Soul Devourer: Lv5] [Undead Detonation: Lv10] [Shadow Thread: Lv10] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv9] [Pandora''s Box: Lv10] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv10] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv8] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv8] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv7] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv4] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv5] [Illusory Delusion: Lv6] [Mind Bending: Lv6] [Insect Maniption: Lv6] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv6] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv5] [Phantasmal mes: Lv5] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv5] [Divine ck Lightning: Lv1] [Eternal Moon Mirror: Lv1] [Mystical Moon Phase Circle: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv5] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv9] [Spirit Summon: Lv7] [Spirit Connection: Lv5] [Spirit Fusion: Lv4] [Aura of Famine: Lv10] [Embodiment: Lv5] [Cooking: Lv8] [Hunting: Lv5] [Split Thinking: Lv9] [Mental Mapping: Lv8] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv10] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv5] [Mining: Lv3] [Dismantle: Lv3] [Taming: Lv2] [Mana Transfer: Lv5] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv5] [Smithing: Lv2] [Chopping: Lv2] [Lovemaking: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv9] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv8] [Big Game yer: Lv10] [Taboo Mark: Lv9] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv10] [Evil of the World: Lv8] [Pickpocket: Lv8] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv10] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv8] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv5] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv7] [Spirit Queen: Lv6] [Spirit Mediator: Lv6] [Poison Queen: Lv7] [Merciless Assassin: Lv7] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv6] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv5] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv6] [gue Exterminator: Lv4] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv8] [Saint of Death: Lv7] [Deceiver: Lv5] [Undead yer: Lv6] [Slime yer: Lv4] [King yer: Lv6] [Dungeon Master: Lv5] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv5] [Queen of Flies: Lv4] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv5] [Mold Breaker: Lv6] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv4] [Vampire yer: Lv2] [Little Farmer: Lv4] [Bookworm: Lv3] [ndestine Brewer: Lv4] [Greedy Miner: Lv4] [Butcherer: Lv4] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv3] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv5] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv4] [Explosion Maniac: Lv4] [Infernal Queen: Lv3] [Ice Monster yer: Lv3] [Human yer: Lv3] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv3] [Bone Queen: Lv3] [Lumberjack: Lv3] [Dragon yer: Lv3] [Relentless Hunter: Lv3] [Soul Scape Master: Lv3] [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv3] [Merciless Killer: Lv3] [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv3] [Swamp Queen: Lv3] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv3] [Sex Beast: Lv2] [Aerial Monster Exterminator: Lv2] [Chaotic Monster Exterminator: Lv2] [Apprentice Martial Artist: Lv4] [Apprentice Chef: Lv5] [Master of the Demonic Phantasmal Fist School: Lv3] [Mass Murderer: Lv3] [Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon: Lv1] [Ymir''s Daughter: Lv1] [Titaness: Lv1] [Devourer of Divinities: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Ymir''s Divine Protection] [Soul Scape Spirit Treasures]: [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure)], [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] ----- My stats increased by a lot. But is this even enough to fight a God head on? I doubt it¡­ Thanks to leveling up I managed to recover most of my MP, but that damned Thor on his true divine body would be too much for me to handle. My reflection Skills can only go so far before exploding. At most, I can at least fight a divine spirit vessel, and only one at a time. The Dungeon ceiling was already regenerating back to normal, and everyone else seemed to be healthy. I ran back to them after checking everything else was fine. I felt relieved everyone was alright, though at the same time, I couldn''t contain this anger and frustration of having been caught off guard like this. It is truly a frustrating experience. It really makes me want to kill them really badly¡­ But for now, I should care about the things I have in front of me right now, Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, my daughter Nyx, Brunhild, Root, Takeshi and Laura, Helga and the dwarves, I greeted them all happily. "Master, are you alright?!" Partner began crying while hugging me tightly. "Ooh, you''re taller or is it my idea?!" "Maria, I was so worried¡­" Lucifer sighed. "A-Are you really alright?" Sighed Emeraldine. "Mama! What happen?" Wondered Nyx, still too confused of what had urred, which happened way too fast.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yeah I am fine¡­ A lot happened in this little time. But everything is fine now¡­" I sighed. "Let''s rest for the moment and then think about what''s toe. I need to tell you guys about what I''ve evolved into¡­ And a small little mission that someone really, really ancient has left behind for me." Worried about the Gods'' schemes, I checked how everything was going on back in my vige. Everyone was fine, they had not targeted this ce at all. I guess they were only targeting me¡­ Which is good, to be honest, I am d they only targeted me more. ----- Chapter 669 Time To Go Back -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Worried about the Gods'' schemes, I checked how everything was going on back in my vige. Everyone was fine, they had not targeted this ce at all. I guess they were only targeting me¡­ Which is good, to be honest, I am d they only targeted me more. Perhaps they just really hate me, and I would prefer it if it stayed that way, if they were to dare attack those precious to me just to frustrate me then¡­ I don''t know what I would do. Right after evolving, I received a massive boost to my Soul Clones, which quickly grew stronger, way stronger than I had imagined. They gained a ton more of my shared stats and also skills, and I quickly decided to summon tworge ones, which quickly shaped into formless shadows which extended on top of the vige, forming a massive magic barrier. It is not that strong, but it will do for now, though what I want is to make a Barrier Magic Device using Barrier Stones, which I''ve mined already with some of the clones I left behind in the other mountain, they''re rare but not impossible to fetch. They look like circr, green-colored jewels made up of many crystal-shaped pieces, resembling a magic barrier by itself, quite pretty. Once we get back home, I''ll begin the creation of this special "divine magic barrier" I''ll make it using the crystallization of my own soul, which had grown so strong it can create pseudo divine phantom crystals, if I do that plus merging the barrier with my phantasmal clones, it might be a truly overpowered barrier that could even absorb iing attacks and grow even stronger. It''s never wrong to prepare for what''s toe after all! But for now it would be better to go back to the dwarven city and rest¡­ "So you became a Titan?!" Brunhild freaked out. "You were given the soul fragment of Ymir! So that old Ymir''s still alive! I cannot believe it." "Neither I can believe it, but her strength, and even vitality, even her body¡­" Lucifer said. "You''ve be way taller now, haven''t you?" Without realizing it, I had be as tall as three meters. I was as tall as the Giant race, descendants of the Titans. Like this, I had to lower my eyes to nce at everyone else. "Also you''re packed with muscles!" Partner said, rubbing my belly which was now rock solid despite being a ghost¡­ I even had slightlyrger arms than usual. And my legs were also quite muscr. I resembled an Amazoniandy! "Y-Yeah, I guess that''s the after effect of bing a Titan, this is my "imprinted form" too, it is like part of my soul, so it feels right to stay in this form. It is also quite efficient because it naturally hardens my phantasmal soul until it bes harder than muscles." Iughed. "I am totally fine with it." Emeraldine nodded excitedly, touching my belly like Partner was doing. "What''s wrong with you, brother? Are you fine with a stronger woman now?" Giggled Brunhild, teasing Lucifer. "Eh? I¡­ of course! I don''t really mind." Said Lucifer, feeling a bit flustered. "I think its hot she got a ton of muscles now, hehe." Partner giggled. "My thoughts exactly¡­" Emeraldine said. "These muscles are the definitive proof that Ymir has blessed her as well!" "Yeah, I never thought a blessing from a Titan would make you buff." Laughed Helga. "But makes sense. She''s as tall and strong looking as the giants that often visit town." "You acquired a lot of physical strength as well?" Wondered Lucifer. "How high is your Attack stat now?" "Oh nothing like yours, but around over 300k? It increased way more now though, I think the titan skills enhance the attack stat even more, so it might be higher." I nodded. "300K Attack is not high?!" Helga and the other dwarves felt slightly perplexed. "You already have higher Attack than me!" Said Emeraldine. "And me too¡­" Partner was slightly surprised. "I think you also surpassed mine¡­ No wait, with all the levels I am higher." Sighed Lucifer in relief. "Ohh, so I am only second strongest to Lucifer? Heheheh¡­" I beganughing evilly. I''ve always been the weakest physically since my reincarnation, but now my Attack stat had increased a ton, and so did my HP! By bing a Titan, I have covered for my great defensive and offensive weakness in the physical side, while retaining all my magical potency. I''ve be, quite literally, a jack of all trades and master of all! ¡­Well, not really, I still have to keep getting stronger, can''t really getcent. "Well, well, that''s that now. I have not only absorbed Ymir''sst soul fragment, which might mean more than just getting a bunch of new Skills¡­ But I''ve also devoured that divine spirit vessel and look what I got." I quickly transformed my hands into lightning, surprising everyone quite greatly. "W-What the heck?! You can turn into lightning?! Not fair!" Partner seemed amazed. "I want to also be lightning!" "I-Incredible, does this means you''ve mastered a new element?!" Asked Emeraldine. "So this is the power that eating that thing gave to you, amazing." Lucifer seemed happy too. "No, I didn''t really get the elemental skill, weirdly enough, but I got "lightning spirit body" skill or something like that¡­" I said while thinking deeply. "Quite interesting, isn''t it?" "Perhaps what you got was merely assimting that spirit''s body into yours." Brunhild said. "Interesting, further experimenting will be needed. Now that we''ve got someone at S Rank with us, we might as well inspect her to our heart''s content! That power to reflect divine power is also quite interesting!" "I agree! Maria I hope you''re fine with us inspecting you from neck to toe." Emeraldine said with a charming smile. "Yeah!" Partner seemed to agree. "Huhhh¡­ W-Well, fine, I guess?" I said. My own bodyposition was strange, so I guess it was fair to investigate its properties. For now, however, as we made our way back to the dwarven city, I decided to check every new Skill I got. ----- Chapter 670 New And Powerful Skills ----- Starting with the two new Magical Skills I got, directly from the [Selene] evolution! -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Eternal Moon Mirror: Lv1] A Unique Magic that only Selene, the Titaness of the Moon can conjure. By gathering the power of the Moonlight and gigantic quantities of Mana, it is possible to create a mirage of the Moon itself, which works as a mirror that can reflect all types of non-physical attacks. The stronger they are, the higher the requirements of Moonlight Essence and Mana. Reflected power can be directed at any foe, dealing up to +200% Additional Damage and ignoring up to -50% of the target''s Magical Defenses. Additionally, Enhances Reflection Power, Control, and Ability by +30% while reducing Mana cost by -5% with each Skill Level. ----- [Mystical Moon Phase Circle: Lv1] A Unique Magic that only Selene, the Titaness of the Moon can conjure. By gathering the power of the Moonlight and gigantic quantities of Mana, it is possible to create a mirage of the many phases of the Moon, which encircle the user, granting the ability to unleash Moonlight Beams that deal up to +120% damage each and can ignore up to -25% of the target''s magical defenses. It can also absorb arge non-physical attack and unleash it back divided in many smaller attacks by working in conjunction with the [Eternal Moon Mirror] Skill. Additionally, all Damage, Defense Ignoration, and Reflection Power are enhanced by +20% with each Skill Level, while reducing Mana cost by -2.5% with each Skill Level. ----- These are the two Skills I used against Thor to defeat him. The first one is good to reflect a very strong attack, while the second one is good for dealing a lot of attacks and umting reflected damage and then unleashing it into many directions¡­ Their MP costs are insane though, I was barely able to keep up with it because I was draining MP from the Dungeon. The first skill costs a minimum of 200k MP to activate, and the second one 150k! It is an insane quantity of MP, and it costs even more if I want the Skills to reflect a lot of iing power. This is why I don''t feel so confident about being able topletely fight a god head-on relying on just this, I simply won''t have enough maximum MP to keep up. ----- [Lesser Divinity: Moonlight: Lv1] A Unique Skill that Selene, the Titan of the Moon possesses. It grants a Lesser Divinity of Moonlight, which allows the wielder of this Skill to absorb Moonlight directly from the Moon and gain power based in the different moon phases. [Moonlight Essence Assimtion] allows the automatic gathering of Moonlight Essence, which can be used to conjure Moonlight Magic and rted Skills, together with this Skill, the use can absorb up to 1000 units of Moonlight Essence per hour. This amount increases by +1000 with each Skill Level. Amount can increase or decreased based in the moon phase. [Moonlight Phase Empowerment] allows the usage of the Moon''s powers to enchant the user greatly, based in each phase, the user gains a stat boost up to +200% to all stats when its Full Moon. This stat boost increases by +25% with each Skill Level. To obtain new Abilities within the Divinity, higher tiers of Divinity are required. ----- And this is the base of everything, what allowed me to begin with to utilize those spells. The status doesn''t show how much Moonlight Essence I have right now, but I am fairly sure I''ve ran out of whatever I had at the beginning, which seemed like a little starting bonus. I need to gather more quickly. Hopefully tonight we can have Full Moon¡­ ----- [Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon: Lv1] A Title Skill granted to Selene by Ymir himself, the King of Titans and the father of Selene, the representation of the Moon itself. This enhances all the effects of Selene''s Moon-rted Skills (including her divinity) by +100%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it grants +100 Moonlight Essence every hour of the day no matter the moon phase, this quantity increases by +20 with each Skill Level. ----- [Ymir''s Daughter: Lv1] A Title granted only to the children of Ymir, specifically his beautiful and powerful daughters. Enhances all Physical Stats by +200% passively, alongside their stat growth per level greatly. Additionally, you''re recognized as the daughter of Ymir by all those who see you, Titans might have an instant positive look at you no matter what, and so their allies. However, the enemies of Titans might see you badly. ----- [Titaness: Lv1] A Title only granted to true titans. You''re a descendant of Ymir, a Primordial God as strong as the cosmos itself. Within your bloodline you carry the almighty strength of the titan family, and so their powerful muscles and amazing elemental attribute affinities. You can now connect with Nature itself wlessly, and even listen to the world''s flow of Mana, and directly absorb Mana from within the world without any issue. Your muscles grow strong faster and wounds regenerate almost instantly. Your skin is harder than orichalcum and no weapons can pierce through it. You''re the embodiment of nature itself, or perhaps, a living disaster. Enhances Stat growth greatly with each Skill Level, especially the stat growth of physical stats. ----- And yeah, these Titles pretty much fix a lot of the ws I found within the divinity and the moonlight magic. I just get free moonlight every hour! Maybe that''s why I had some already even when I just evolved? Though only 120 per hour is not much, but as the days go by, I''ll end up getting more and more so I just have to wait patiently for it to umte. And the rest of the Skills are just as amazing! I guess this is what it truly means to be a Titan. I still can''t believe it myself¡­ How could a Ghost eventually evolve into a Titan?! Well, I guess my evolutions from the begining were strange. Maybe it has to do with the System interefering with the "normal" way a ghost would evolve. ----- Chapter 671 A Compensation ----- Although those Skills were amazing and a brand-new part of my strength, there''s a few more in here that are worth checking, especially these: ----- [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv1]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om A Skill Unique to Selene, the Titaness of the Moon. Grants the powerful body of a Divine Titaness, epassed primarily by Moonlight Essence. Enhances all Stats, specially physical stats, and enhances stat growth of All Stats as well as having the power of activating the Skill by utilizing Moonlight Essence constantly, enhancing all stats in the process by +100% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Moonlight Essence requirements for all Moon-rted skills are reduced by -20%, with an additional -10% with each Skill Level. Grants the true and powerful body of a Titan, filled with muscles and great physical strength. By utilizing Mana, the user''s body can grow as big as a true titan and demolish everything on their way with raw physical might. ----- [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul: Lv1] A Skill Unique to Selene, the Titaness of the Moon. Grants the powerful divine soul of a Divine Titaness, epassed primarily by Moonlight Essence and other primary elements of the user, such as Darkness and Death. Enhances all Magic, specially Moonlight Magic Power, Conjuration Speed, and Control by +100% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. By activating the Skill''s effect, and by utilizing Moonlight Essence constantly, a powerful Moonlight Aura can be created, which can expand and spread around he user, boosting the speed of all conjured Magic and enhancing them with Moonlight Essence, alongside boosting Agility, Speed, and Evasion. Nearby allies can also receive an enhancement. Power of all enhancements is based on Skill Level. Moonlight Essence requirements for all Moon-rted skills are reduced by -20%, with an additional -10% with each Skill Level. Grants the true and powerful soul of a Titan, unmovable and with an iron will. Grants immunity to all mind-affecting negative status effects and curses. ----- These two Skills go hand by hand and are quite honestly, pretty amazing. Even more boosts all around! Although everything relying a lot on Moonlight Essence is the only thing holding me back¡­ ----- [True Titan Strength: Lv1] Grants the True Strength of a Titan, enhances HP, Attack, and Defense by +100% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level (invisible buff). Increases HP, Attack, and Defense Stat Growth per Level. Additionally, all Physical Skills gain +250% Bonus Damage Dealt, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. ----- This is a really nice little passive Skill¡­ This probably means I already have way over 600k Attack but because they''re "invisible" buffs, they don''t really show in the Status. I probably do have more Attack than Lucifer then¡­ Hahaha, I''ve truly be the strongest ghost. ----- [Selene''s Palm of Judgement: Lv1] Materialize the powerful all-destroying Palm of Selene, the personification of the moon itself by consuming enormous quantities of Mana and Moonlight Essence. Deals +500% Damage based solely on the Attack stat and covers a massively wide area, unleashing a shockwave that deals magic damage of the user''s attributes to nearby foes. Damage dealt increases by +50% with each Skill Level. Very slow, but powerful and devastating. ----- This was the finishing move I used to defeat Thor''s Divine Spirit Vessel, it felt nice to squish him like a bug after calling all of us a bug for a while, the bastard got what wasing for him. Now I am just fantasizing of the moment I''ll be able to squeeze him for real¡­ ----- [Moonlight Absorption: Lv1] Your body is like a mirror, and you can reflect most magic almost naturally, increasing all elemental resistance by +100%. Additionally, you can absorb any Moonlight Element Attack. The Moonlight element is epassed of Light and Darkness fused together, meaning you''re no longer affected bymon light elements unless they''re boosted with holiness, in which case damage is reduced by -50%. All effects increase by +20% with each Skill Level, and you can absorb an additional +25% more Moonlight Essence per level. ----- This one was unexpected! But well, the more resistances I have the better, no? At least I can now safely assume I can tank anything I want. And that immunity to the light element caught me off guard as well! Seems like unless it is Holy Light with some sort of divinity (from a divine protection of a god), it might not deal any damage at all against me. Hehe, excellent. I never thought Moonlight was the fusion between light and darkness elements, but maybe that does makes some sort of sense¡­ Nheless, now that I am done with the Selene evolution-rted skills, there''s some other new skills that I should check. ----- [Divine ck Lightning: Lv1] An evolved form of ck Lightning, epasses a slight amount of divinity to be incredibly powerful, capable of piercing through foes magical defenses and leave their bodies and souls electrified, dealing damage constantly. It can shape and expand into many lethal forms, and the more Mana it uses, the more powerful and impactful it bes. Deals up to +300% Damage and can ignore up to -30% Magical Defense. Damage increases by +25% and magical defense ignoration by 10% with each Skill Level. ----- [Divine Thunder Spirit Body: Lv1] A Unique Skill that only powerful Divine Spirits of the Lightning element can develop, epasses the entire body into lightning, turning your own soul and body into this powerful and fast element, enhancing movement speed, agility, and evasion by up to +250% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, allows for your body to be a lethal weapon that can deal damage around your surroundings naturally. Combining this skill with attack-type lightning skills grants the greatest results. ----- [Devourer of Divinities: Lv1] A Special Title granted to an aberrant being capable of devouring Divinity itself. Grants total immunity to negative aftereffects when consuming Divinity and eases the consumption and assimtion of such divine powers. Increases damage dealt to Divine Beings by +25% with each Sill Level. ----- And these are thest three Skills, each one rather amazing, especially thatst title. I gotta raise its level constantly to prepare myself for what''s toe¡­ Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] is amazed by your ability to survive against the Divine Spirit Vessel of Thor.] [She apologizes for not being able to stop the Gods before theyunched their attack.] [And she offers apensation.] [You received: [Hourss of Cmity (??? Rank)] x1!] ----- Chapter 672 A Conversation With Hel ----- Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death and Ruler of the Underworld] is amazed by your ability to survive against the Divine Spirit Vessel of Thor.] [She apologizes for not being able to stop the Gods before theyunched their attack.] [And she offers apensation.] [You received: [Hourss of Cmity (??? Rank)] x1!] "What the hell Hel?! You finally show your miserable self here!" I eximed. "So much for your Divine Protection! And what the heck is an Hourss of Cmity?!" "Huh? Maria? What''s going on?" Lucifer wondered. "Mama?" My little Nyx asked, as I was holding her in my arms this whole time. "Hel? Is she talking to you again through your System power?" Asked Partner. "Must be, right?" Emeraldine wondered. "Hel talks with her directly?!" Brunhild was almost about to have a heart attack. "Makes sense, Maria is way too talented and amazing to not have the goddess of the underworld talking to her ears at all times!" Laughed Helga and the other dwarves. "Is she saying something bad?" Takeshi wondered. "Maybe she''s apologizing!" Laura said. "Though, maybe she''s too prideful for that, being a goddess and all¡­" "Well, I am still waiting her response, she sent me a weird item as a pensation" for some dumb reason¡­" I sighed. Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] seems to have heard yourins.] [She cannot go into details, however, she says she was busy with her family.] [It is important matters revolving gods, you shouldn''t stick your nose there.] "Oh yeah? THEN WHY THEY JUST TRIED TO KILL ME? And you want me not to stick my nose in there?!" Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] sighs.] [She says she didn''t knew the Aesir Gods had such a scheme. She had talked with them previously and they agreed in leaving you alone.] [She still partially mes you, saying that you shouldn''t had absorbed two fragments of the Evil God in a row.] "His name is Tyr! Also¡­ yeah, I guess I did risk it myself." Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] seems to havee to an agreement with he Aesir, for now, they should probably won''t try anything funny.] [At least not directly.] [Be careful of external forces or threats, many of them might be controlled by them.] "Okay, I get it¡­ But what''s the end game here? I want to kill them to be honest, would you help me?" I ended saying something rather bold. Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld]ughs at your shamelessness.] [Killing the Gods that maintain the world''s elements would make the world enter into further chaos.] [However, if they are really hell-bent into killing you, might as well have the power to defend yourself.] [She exins that once you reach an higher evolution, you will be able to ascend.] [However, further information about this is not possible to be given to a mortal.] "Thanks for nothing I guess. You gave me a single thing though. Come on, give me morepensation! I deserve the rewards! I killed Thor''s vessel and all. Aren''t I awesome?" Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] seems to think you''re too greedy.] [However, she still feels guilty, so she offers further gifts.] [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] has offered: [Ymir''s Divine Crystal Shard (??? Grade)] x1, [Potion of Rotten Death (A Grade)] x1, [Skeleton Coffin of the Underworld (A Grade)] x1, and [10000000 EXP]!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 20 to Level 22!] [All Your Stats have increased!] "Oooh, this is more like it!" I said happily. "BUT! Not enough!" Ding! [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] is tired of you.] [She says that as long as you entertain her and grow stronger, she will begin sponsoring you with more rewards, such as items, or even new Skills.] [The Divine Goddess [Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld] is beginning to think you might be a big shot in the future.] "Heh, of course I am." I smiled back. "Well, leave it at that then, you stingy goddess. I''m off for now." Like that, negotiations were over, I exined my family I ended getting some weird items out of her, alongside what seemed to be a shard from Ymir''s Divine Crystal, it was very tiny, but it contained a lot of power. "Y-You got a Crystal Shard from Ymir?! That''s a bit insane, no?" Sighed Brunhild. "You''ll keep getting amazing things¡­ I guess Hel must be nning to use you against the Aesir in the future, or something¡­" "That would certainly be quite possible." I sighed. "It is all quite¡­ well, hard to swallow." Sighed Emeraldine. "But after Thor''s attack, nothing can get more surprising anymore." "I agree¡­ I want some roasted meat though." Said Partner. "Partner you just ate though?" I asked. "Well, for now it would be better if we go rest back at the city. The entire dungeon''s cleansed and it is regenerating quite well. Are you going to leave some Undead working here?" Wondered Lucifer. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me!" I said happily, expanding my shadows all around us as we were now in Floor 1, and bringing out a few hundred Skeletons. Skeletonspared to zombies were cleaner, they were just dry bones without any rotten odors to them.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Alright everyone, take your tools and begin working! Plow thend and get it ready for the ntation of fruits and veggies!" I said, as everyone quickly got to work, marching tirelessly. "Gyuhhh¡­ I wonder if there could be another Cmity Seed here, Master¡­" Said Root at my side, on his small Spirit Embodiment form. "I don''t think there''s any in here, the boss wasn''t a Cmity after all. I think we should go back to the city and rx." I sighed. ----- Chapter 673 The Titan Records ?An error urred while reading the file: Could not find file ''/data/script/email_list.txt''. ----- Because it would be too much for the people to take, we decided to keep the whole Thor incident a secret. The dwarven city felt the tremors but didn''t saw any god descending, so it was easy to just not talk about it. Although I did had to adress the matter of me being slightly taller than before. The entire city was alright, except for a few things that fell. Thankfully it wasn''t anything they were not prepared for. Dwarves live inside mountains so they''re always prepared for everything. The ceiling suddenly falling apart due to a tremor was something they always prepared for, so their entire infrastructure was earthquake-proof for the most part. Ruby managed to keep the enormous crowd of people amazed by oureback, but we saw hundreds if not thousands of people praising us as heroes. The moment we conquered the dungeon the entire miasma surrounding it disappeared and it was finally safe. The fear of this ce to the inhabitants was quite clear, finally having this dungeonpleted lifted off a heavy burden off everyone''s hearts. It was a nice thing overall, but seriously, these people wouldn''t let me rx! "Amazing, is she Maria, the one thatpleted the dungeon?!" "She''s so tall and beautiful! Wait, is she a Giantess?" "I''ve never seen a Giantess with such a clear white skin before¡­" "All her friends are strong as well¡­" "Please give me your autograph!" "Can we take a selfie together?!" "Maria! Please hold my hand!" "Step on me!" There were all sorts of people, some were quite the perverts¡­ "Everyone please calm down!" Sighed Ruby. "We''re going through a lot, they''re all tired!" The Viscountess barely managed to carry us to her manor this time, which was even fancier than Aquamarine''s manor. She seemed very pleased and happy of our conquest. Though it was slightly hard to keep the whole Thor incident a secret. Especially for Helga and the other dwarves. "I see, so you''re saying there was a powerful Undead Dragon as the final boss?! That must have been a really hard fight¡­ At least A Rank in strength, isn''t it?" Wondered Ruby. "Well¡­ yeah." I sighed. "We would prefer¡­ not to talk about that fight." Sighed Lucifer. "For personal reasons." "I-I see¡­ Did something bad happened there?" Ruby asked the dwarves, expecting more answers from them. "W-Well¡­ there was a ton of undead, many dwarves. So it was sad to see them." Said Helga.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Yeah it was a painful experience." ckard nodded. "Very sad, but we got through anyways¡­ through sheer determination!" "Defeating the boss was thanks to Maria and her party, we mostly didn''t participate as we stayed outside the boss room fighting the Undead dwarves." "It was really harsh but we pulled through." "I see¡­" Ruby sighed. "It must have been hard for everyone. Sorry for asking this out of nowhere." Ruby then looked back at me. "But Maria why are you taller out of the blue?" She tilted her head. "W-Well¡­ I leveled up a lot and kind of got¡­ a growth spurt." I said. "T-That''s weird¡­" Ruby said. "But well, I don''t really know how well human''s work. But maybe you''re half giantess? I''ve heard that people that are half-giant sometimes don''t develop their giant bloodline abilities until they grow strong enough through leveling up." Oh wow that''s an incredibly convenient excuse! "Maybe! Yeah, that could be it." I said. "Perhaps a distant ancestor of my family was a giant. Though I cannot confirm, I do have some sort of Skill named Giant''s Physique." "That must be it! Quite honestly, now that you''re so tall it makes you even hotter." Laughed Ruby rather seductively. "A-Ahahaha¡­" Iughed nervously, trying to contain the pressure of my lovers intense res. I already have three of them, I think this is my limit. They probably can''t ept someone new, nor I have any interest. Ruby is really flirty though. She''s surely testing me¡­ "Mama I am hungy!" Nyx began toin while crawling over my legs after being carried around by her father. "Oh right! Very well then, maidservants, manservants, quickly make the biggest feast we can for our dungeon conquerors! Tomorrow morning, Maria, we''ll discuss what we can do with the dungeon. Giving you all of the dungeon''s rights might be a bit too hard because this one is not in a different mountain, and is right in the middle of the territory of our country." She sighed. "But I will do my best to give you most of it." "I understand how it works. As long as I get the managing rights I think we can handle it." I nodded. I had already half-expected this to happen anyways. This dungeon is different from the other, undiscovered one, and it was always in here in the middle of everyone''s territories. The viscounts of the Dwarven Country are zealous and fight one another for profits a lot, there''s no way they won''t use any avable card to obtain a piece of this tasty and big cake. Unlike the other where I used the excuse of it being in a different territory and undiscovered until I found it, this one dungeon''spletely different, so I have to abide with their rules¡­ Well, that doesn''t mean I cannot abuse my position as the dungeon master and the dungeon conqueror to obtain as many benefits as possible. Sure, I''ll give them a piece of the cake, but the rest of the cake will be all mine! And if you want another piece, you''ll have to pay for it quite nicely as well! Anyways, tonight we had a big feast and ate to our heart''s contents. Ruby made sure to feed us really well to get herself into our good side. I was missing my vige though, so I''ll probably be moving back soon. And of course, as the night came, I had a lot of fun with my lovers. They were quite fascinated with my new size, and Ipletely dominated Lucifer as usual. However, as I finally decided to do some shut eye. I¡­ found myself in a very weird dream. For some reason, there were tons of gigantic souls ring at me from everywhere! "Wee, our newest sister, to the Titan Records." ----- Chapter 674 Ymirs Tragedy ?An error urred while reading the file: Could not find file ''/data/script/email_list.txt''. ----- When I went to sleep, I immediately had my mind teleported somewhere else. It wasn''t just a normal dream at all. It wasn''t a nightmare either though. This ce, it felt like a realm of the mind, yet it was also existing, somewhere. It waspletely ck, with nothing but darkness everywhere. However, as I calmed myself down, I quickly sensed many other powerful presences. Enormous souls I had never seen before emerged one after the other, taking physical forms, yet still shrouded in darkness. I couldn''t seem them clearly, yet their glowing eyes of various colors nced at me with rather judgmental stares. They remained in silence, until they all spoke in unison, from within the depths of this mysterious realm their voice echoed as if they were a single yet powerful will. "Wee, our newest sister, to the Titan Records." I feltpletely bbergasted. The Titan Records?! What in the world is that?! "Huh? H-Hello¡­ Is this a really weird dream or something? What is the Titan Records?" I wondered. The eyes staring at me seemed to be even more judgmental than before. I felt like I was dying out of all the fear I felt! Please stop staring at me so intensively! "The newbie is quite clueless." "Well what do you expect? We haven''t had a sister since eons." "It is amazing how father managed to give her a piece of his soul, and thest one." "Our father is wise, but maybe his age has gotten the best of him! How could he give hisst powers to a ghostly servant of Hel?!" "Hey she''s no half bad, she beat that idiot of Thor for good." "Moonlight Magic, I had never seen that before."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om They kept chatting with one another. Were these guys the souls of fallen Titans? "AHEM! Brothers and sisters, is this the correct way to greet our new little sister? Please, everyone, keep your own opinions for yourselves. Let''s greet her like a Titan, even if she''s a bit weird." The titan spoke, as his soul slowly began walking towards mine. "W -Who exactly are you?" I wondered. "Most call me F¨¢rbauti." The enormous titan''s soul said, as he quickly touched my forehead. "They know me as Loki''s true father." F L A A A S H! The moment he touched my forehead, my mind was suddenly enlightened. In mere seconds, I felt several amounts of information entering my head. I learned a lot, more than I expected. I even saw visions of the titans being born, of Ymir''s existence and his powers protecting the Realms. I saw the origin of things, or perhaps, only a part of it. The Titans dominated the world yet they nourished and protected it. Many of them even created the Gods, their very children. And yet¡­ ultimately, a war broke out in the middle of this beautiful peace. The Gods formed a family, the Aesir, an alliance of the strongest Gods, and shed against Ymir and the rest of the Titans, whose true names were Jotunn. The shsted many millenniums, yet the Gods ultimately won, most of the Jotunn were annihte. Ymirsted the longest, even when his body was torn apart, he kept fighting, and fighting, and fighting. I felt his sadness, his fury, and his endless wrath and desire to avenge all of his fallen children. "ODIN! We created YOU! How¡­ How can you do this to me¡­ To my children?!" Ymir roared furiously amidst an endless battlefield, his body falling apart, the enormous titan was almost defeated. Tears of blood flowed from his enormous eyes. Yet the God of Light, a bearded man with an eyepatch, golden armor, and riding a six-legged golden horse looked down at Ymir as if he was just trash. "And that is why we must ovee you all. The world shall now belong to the Aesir! The Era of Jotunn is now over. And the Era of the Gods, shall begin!" Odin roared, pointing his divine spear at Ymir''s face. "Die for a new Era, YMIR!!!" "O O O D I I I I I N N N N N N!!!!" CLAAAAAAASSSSHHHHH!!!! An enormous explosion of pure light covered my vision. When everything finally ended, I saw an entire wastnd, the Realms began to fall apart, and the Aesir seemed concerned. "Father, the entire world is copsing! Ymir was the pir of the Realms, without him, everything will be over!" Odin''s children called for their father. However, Odin simply smiled back at Ymir''s enormous corpse, and his lingering Soul Fragments. "The world will not end, it shall be reborn." The God of Light proimed, utilizing his powers and the aid of the other traitors, they utilized Ymir and the other Jotunn corpses to rebuild the world, merging it with the remaining pieces of the crumbling Realms. Until the new world was finally created, the Realms became massive continents with self-contained environment, and the Aesir designed their own Realm of Heaven, Asgard. Thest remaining Jotunn were persecuted and killed one by one, those that survived until now had been hiding as mountains,kes, volcanoes, or even within the deep sea. However, something happened. Ymir somehow remained "alive". He was now the earth, the sea, the clouds in the sky, he was everywhere all at once. Hisrgest remaining Soul Fragments, which were not snatched away by Odin and the Aesir quickly took away his Divine Realm and deposited it within the Dimensions of Dreams. And there, he brought all the souls of his fallen children, so they would remain together even after death. He designed his own heaven for them, but also, a new opportunity for the very few Jotunn that remained alive. The Titan Records, which would aid the surviving Jotunn by being able to channel the power of the fallen ones, and grow even stronger, so they could one day fight back against the oppression of the Aesir. So this is¡­ the true origin of this ce. ----- Chapter 675 Meeting Titans ----- "Is this the true origin of this realm? Huh?!" FLAAASH! Once I was revealed the truth, the entire realm changed. It was no longer ck, but its true beauty and appearance was shown. An enormousndscape filled with snowy mountains and endless forests,kes, rivers, and a beautiful sea. "Wee to the Realm where all the fallen Jotunne, and where those that still remain alive can channel our strength to keep growing stronger. We call this ce Jotunheim." F¨¢rbauti spoke with a mysterious voice. His true appearance was rather striking, an enormously tall and muscr Jotunn, with blue skin and sharp golden eyes, alongside some long, red hair made into braids, and a long beard. He was covered in tattoos and wore simple white leather clothes. The size of his man, however, was immense, he reached the skies and could even touch the peak of the mountains with his fingers. Yet the Jotunn moved very little, often remaining within a single ce. Many of them greeted me from afar. "So this is Jotunheim!" I said in shock. "Wait, then what is the realm where the Ice Giants are?" "Oh, our mortal descendants? Thankfully they have not been targeted by the Aesir and are seen as simply another race. Ice Giants live in Niflheim, Fire Giants lives in Muspelheim. There are others as well, such as the Mountain Giants and the Forest Giants, those two groups dispersed the most everywhere." Laughed F¨¢rbauti with a rather carefree voice. "I-I see¡­" I felt slightly surprised. "Hey why is the newbie not using her true form?" "She''s too small!" "Come on girl, let it all out!" "My true form?" I wondered. "Oh, you mean the gigantic form?" FLASH! In seconds, I quickly changed, turning into my Titan Form, which was still smaller than everyone else here, but I was now within the realm of titans. Though I looked like a child in front of these absolute behemoths.N?v(el)B\\jnn It was just me but bigger I guess, though my clothes were mostly made of shadows, and there was this HUGE moon behind me, looking more like a Halo. Oh, and my eyes were pink for some reason. "The Moon herself is here everyone." "Damn girl, you look stunning!" "She has a literal moon behind her¡­?" "Wow father went crazy with her design." "I wasn''t designed by anybody! Also do you Jotunn always talk with jokes?!" I sighed. "You''re like worse than dwarves." "Rx a bit dawg." "Not like she can do anything, she''s still so small¡­" "Hey do the half-moon! Hahahaha!" They were seriously a group of jokesters. "Anyways, forgive them, it has been a while since we''ve had a new sibling to tease around." Said F¨¢rbauti. "You''re here not just to talk with us though. Now that you''ve seen our history and the origin of this ce, you must make a connection with the Core." "The Core?" I asked. "It is the crystallization of all our Soul Power concentrated at the center of the Realm. If you make a connection, you can slowly draw our powers and be stronger." F¨¢rbauti said. "I have not the full details, but it seems that father has bet it all on you." "Yeah, I do wonder why he choose me." I sighed. "Well, my granddaughter has given you her divine protection so I immediately trust you." He said. "My little Hel is very introverted, but if she trusted someone enough to give you her divine protection, then you must be a goodd! And now father gave you his veryst soul fragment! You''re already trusted by everyone here." "Oh right you''re her grandpa!" I said in surprise. "What about Loki?" "He''s¡­ well, he''s on his own thing." F¨¢rbauti sighed. "I do miss him, but I barely had any time to see him as well. I only see them through visions sometimes. I have never had the opportunity to talk with them, sadly. Although I do know they pray to me, for some reason. My son seems particrly hurt about our kin''s defeat and seems to be cooking a rather intense revenge against the Aesir." "Oh, does that include the Cmities?" I sighed. "¡­Most likely. I can''t say I agree with his methods though. He has good intentions, but the way he disregards the lives of mortals is worrying. His Cmities might be powerful enough to destabilize Fate itself and could even fight the Gods if they grew strong enough, but the need for them to ughter so many innocent lives to achieve that level of power is¡­ not something we agree on." F¨¢rbauti seemed worried about his son''s fall of grace. Loki seemed to be growing more and more insane as time went by. His divinity being Chaos itself didn''t helped either. "I see¡­ I guess that''s right. I might have to fight all his Cmities, they''re worth the EXP too." I said. "Though some of them are good as well, it all depends in their mentality. Some are just really evil, others are neutral, some are lovable. My daughter and a familiar I have are Cmities." "Huh? Y-You already have two at your side?!" He was surprised. "Heh, I guess you''re really a chosen one then!" "And I''ve got another, a little friend, she''s really cute and innocent, a child bestowed with a power she cannot handle yet. I''ve been teaching her a lot so she doesn''t cause any more unnecessary harm." I sighed. "Though, I am fairly sure there must be more." "Indeed, there are many more, Loki''s¡­ losing his own reason. We do want some sort of battle against the Aesir again, to avenge our fallen ones, but to sacrifice the entire world and the lives in there to aplish that goal? We would never agree to it." F¨¢rbauti sighed, looking into a faraway tower made of ice growing in the middle of two mountains. "Yeah¡­ I guess you''re right." I agreed. "Now, let us go. Do you see that tower? It is where the Core is located. Let''s make haste." F¨¢rbauti said. ----- Chapter 676 {Privileges} ----- As we walked across the beautiful Norddscapes, we meet many more Jotunn. They were all cheerful people. Well, some were grumpy. There was a big variety of people. I discovered some that resembled Ogres that lived camouging as mountains. Others loved the ice so much they simply became enormous ciers. There were some beautifuldies as well, which enjoyed the seas and swam across them, enormous whales dwarfed by their titanic and beautifully voluptuous bodies. Man, Jotunndies were sure hot, and most of them were either packed with muscles or chubby, with adorable tummies. Ahh, it was hitting all my favorite spots. But I had to resist! I cannot just romance these olddies. I came for another purpose! "Just how many Jotunn live here?" I asked F¨¢rbauti. "Thousands. We never surpassed over tree thousand of us though, we were not the most prolific race. Our immortality made it so it was not as necessary to create offspring. However, we did have our children." Said F¨¢rbauti. "Little ones¡­ Have you seen them here and there? Poor souls, in at such young ages, now stuck in those innocent hearts for eternity as their souls will never age¡­" F¨¢rbauti looked with sadness at the many children that we sometimes saw. They were slightly smaller than me, and were very adorable and yful, picking up flowers, hunting giant bugs, and just ying tag. It was all cute and heartwarming until you realize they were all killed at such young ages¡­ So cruel. Who would ever kill a children? Aesir were really fucked in the head, especially Odin, that bastard. "This Realm was made by our almighty father so our souls could rest¡­" Sighed F¨¢rbauti. "It is not as if we don''t trust my granddaughter''s powers. But Helheim is a lugubrious ce where many Undead beings wander, it is not a ce where we could rest peacefully. The Gods denied our souls Valha, so we either had to go to the cool and dark depths of Helheim or join nature as we let our souls slowly merge permanently with the world." "So Ymir created Jotunheim for such a noble reason. When he talked to me it was really frightening, but I guess he''s a good grandpa." I said with a smile. "Heh, he''s someone that has sacrificed so much¡­ Even when his body is torn apart, even in such a state¡­ Our father keeps protecting his children." Sighed F¨¢rbauti. "It is so frustrating¡­ that I cannot do anything anymore." "Huh, yeah it must be frustrating." I said. "I won''t promise you anything to be honest. I don''t really n on avenging you guys either. But I do n in fighting the gods back if they dare interrupt my daily life, and if they keep annoying me, I''ll just have to kill them." F¨¢rbauti looked back at me with eyes wide open. "Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­ H A H A H A H A H A H A! You''re hrious!" The Jotunnughed his lungs out, the entire Realm heard hisughter. "Don''t worry, little one. We won''t force you to do a single thing in our behalf! Father knows what''s better for us, and also you. Even if you say such things, he choose you for a reason." He said. "We don''t want you to fight for our cause or something either. But if we can help you at beating those bastards, then we''re all up for it." He smiled with a truly frightening grin. "Alright then, that''s enough for me. We''re here too." I looked into the enormous tower made of ice.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yes, this is Skadi''s Tower, she designed it for us." He said. "Skadi¡­ Wait, isn''t she the Goddess of Ice?" I wondered. "Not all Jotunn fell, some fought, others betrayed us, and some others remained neutral, rted with faraway families. Skadi and her family are truly neutral, and had been recognized as forces of nature, Odin even allowed them to sit on his very hall." Laughed F¨¢rbauti. "She designed this tower for us, and seems to want to protect our souls at the very least." "She''s also the one that created that damned crown¡­" I sighed. "Crown?!" F¨¢rbauti wondered. "Wait, that failed divine artifact of an eon ago?!" "Most likely, someone else found it, an Ice Giant girl, and she has be a Cmity too, the Frost Queen." I sighed. "She''s threatening the southern area of Midgard where I am living currently. I cannot allow her to continue. I will go after her." "To think this has happened¡­" Sighed F¨¢rbauti. "Well, if you''re going against a Cmity, you''ll need as much power as necessary. Let''s go inside." We stepped inside the tower, which was big enough for even our enormous bodies to feel it was gigantic. We walked through an enormous stair leading up. In the way, we saw many statues of various ancient Jotunn, until we reached the top of the tower. In there, the figure of a very old Jotunn stood, madepletely out of ice, and holding in his hands a beautiful blue crystal. This was the Core of Jotunheim, the crystallization of everyone''s souls'' powers. "So do I just touch it?" I asked. "Go ahead." F¨¢rbauti said. I stepped forward and touched the crystal. In seconds, I felt an enormous, and stronger Essene flowing into my very soul, making it very, very strong! Am I getting even more buffs now?! Ding! [You have sessfully connected with the [Titan Records]!] [Several new Undead Recipes have been unlocked!] [You can now channel the power of the many Titan Souls within the [Titan Records]!] [The Skill Shop has been updated with brand new [Privileges]!] [[Privileges] are special Abilities within the Titan Records allowing the user for a further enhancement to all their capabilities. They''re like passive skills that cannot grow stronger once acquired.] [To obtain these Divine powers, spend System Points.] [An Ancient Primordial Jotunn is ncing at you with a warm smile¡­] [He gifts you the first [Privilege]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)]!] ----- Chapter 677 A Titans Authority ----- Ding! [You have sessfully connected with the [Titan Records]!] [Several new Undead Recipes have been unlocked!] [You can now channel the power of the many Titan Souls within the [Titan Records]!] [The Skill Shop has been updated with brand new [Privileges]!] [[Privileges] are special Abilities within the Titan Records allowing the user for a further enhancement to all their capabilities. They''re like passive skills that cannot grow stronger once acquired.] [To obtain these Divine powers, spend System Points.] [An Ancient Primordial Jotunn is ncing at you with a warm smile¡­] [He gifts you the first [Privilege]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)]!] ----- [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)] A Divine Power bestowed by the almighty Ymir. You can channel the Primordial powers of the Titan Records to obtain a small part of every soul within this Realm and enhance your Attack Stat with it, increasing it to a maximum amount of up to +1000%. However, the higher the bonus to Attack Stat, the higher the cost of Mana. Overusing this power might inflict great harm in your soul, be careful! Duration: 30 Minutes. Cooldown: 24 Hours. ----- "Oooh! These are pretty good!" I said happily. "I think I''ve finally channeled some of a Jotunn''s power. Though it has a Cooldown of 24 hours?! Yikes¡­" [The Power of Divine Privileges is incredible, and these types seem to rely on other powerful souls, so it was necessary to create them with cooldowns and durations, or you would risk the souls of those you''re utilizing these powers from.] I see, I see. I guess I cannot gopletely crazy with these powers. I should check if I can get new onester as well. I''ve umted a lot of System Points too. "It appears you''ve attained something good." F¨¢rbauti seemed surprised. "As a gift of my patronage, here, I will give you a piece of my power as well." F¨¢rbauti suddenly extracted a fragment of his own soul and gifted it to me. FLASH! The soul flew instantly inside of my own, and then¡­ Ding! [The Fallen Jotunn of [F¨¢rbauti, the Cruel Striker] has decided to lend you a part of his Authority!] [He gifts you the [Privilege]: [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)]!] ----- [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)] A Powerful Divine Privilege bestowed by nobody else than [F¨¢rbauti, the Cruel Striker] upon a chosen one. It allows for you to channel the power of his soul and summon his entire might in battle, forming a gigantic Axe made of Ice to strike down your foes with his Titanic Might! Deals up to +700% Damage, ignores up to 30% of a foe''s total defenses. Especially effective against Divine, Giant, and Cmity-type beings. Duration: 15 Minutes. Cooldown: 12 Hours. ----- Ugh they all have terrible cooldowns! I guess they are like special moves, so I cannot really spam them as much as I would love to. They directly channel the power of the Jotunn souls as well, so it makes sense they need some time to rest, right? "Amazing, I got another Privilege from you, F¨¢rbauti!" I said happily. "Privilege?" He wondered, not knowing the meaning of his name and power. It seems this might be a unique power the system itself developed in response to this new and strange powering from Jotunheim''s Core and the Titan Records. "Well, anyways, I hope you utilize my might well." He nodded. "Whenever you need help, call my name and I will be summoned as your weapon. Don''t do it a lot of times though, or I''ll get very tired and I will need to rest for a while." "I see, thanks a lot again." I sighed, feeling a bit too grateful. "Sadly, I cannot give you a divine protection. None of us except father have enough Divinity to be able to grant Divine Protections anymore." He sighed. "Don''t worry, this was plenty already!" I said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Very well then, how about you spend the rest of the night with us? Have you ever learned Axe Techniques? How about Brawling Techniques? We Jotunn have unique Brawling Techniques to teach you, and also Titan Magic, which calls forth the power of nature." F¨¢rbauti said. "Ooh! Alright! I am all up for it!" I said happily. "Don''t worry about spending mana here, this realm is like a big illusion as well, you won''t need mana to bring out your powers, so practice your abilities to your heart''s content." F¨¢rbauti said. "Amazing, I''ll make sure to exploit this ce a lot then, hehehe." Iughed rather evilly. However, as I spent the rest of the night with many Jotunn, and learned new things, I began to think¡­ Aren''t I a Necromancer though? Could it be possible to bring these souls to the living world as my Undead? Undead Jotunn would surely be incredibly powerful! ¡­But the moment I brought the topic, most Jotunn seemed to be unwilling, they all said I "wasn''t ready" to do a Divine-level Necromancy yet, and that I also had to know them well first before they were going to gift me their power. Alright then, I guess that n can wait another millennium or something¡­ sure, whatever! Though, "Titan-type Undead" recipes are already unlocked in the Soul Grimoire, so perhaps I could get something like that in the near future, who knows. Also I''ve got the whole [Goddess] Unique Skill which is still sealed. Also my Soul scape only grew around 50% after my evolution and is not near as ready to be a Divine Realm either, what a bummer. But I can still feel it, I am getting really close to this power, Divinity. I just have to keep leveling up and increasing the strength of my skills, and I will eventually reach that stage. ¡­I hope. Though for now, I better appreciate every little moment I have with those I love. And there''s a bunch of other things I want to do other than fighting the Gods, such as finding my little brother and my aunt, visiting Emeraldine''s vige, travel to other continents, and more. There''s a whole world I want to see, I won''t let these Gods get in the way of my dream of exploring it all. ----- Chapter 678 Odins Machinations 678 Odin''s Machinations ----- Within the Realm of Heaven, trouble was boiling as gods discussed. "What do you mean, my King?! You truly¡­ want this?!" A beautiful Jotunn with pale blue skin and long silver hair asked, her entire attire making her resemble a regal queen of ice and frost. Her sharp eyes, however, were filled with disbelief. "I am merely asking you a small favor, Skadi." Sighed the God of Light. "Skadi, is that the tone you should use against our King?!" The God of Lightning asked, in fury. His hammer thundering with powerful electric sparks. Skadi, the Goddess of Frost and Ice, designated with supporting the world''s element of Frost and even a part of the Element of Water. She regted the temperatures of the world as well as a part of the seas. Her standing amongst the gods was always of true neutrality, but things had suddenly changed now as she was suddenly being asked a ridiculous task by Odin himself. "We all know that you''ve left a defective artifact behind. However, a dungeon ended showing up and opening that ce you left behind. And now a mortal has taken that Crown and is utilizing it for evil purposes." Odin said. "Do you think we won''t hold you ountable for such a thing?!" "B-But this is¡­! I could had never expected a dungeon to appear in the pocket realm where I sealed that ursed item! In fact¡­ It is very odd that it even showed up to begin with, I always thought someone else orchestrated it." Skadi argued. "That is enough." Odin sighed. "I dislike pointing fingers at one another. We are all Gods here, are we not? So, I am merely asking you a small favor in exchange for forgiving your terrible mistake." "But¡­ using the artifact to enchant the powers of the Frost Queen and then sending divine messages telling her to ally your church¡­ Why would I do something like that?! What sort of n do you have, my King?" Asked Skadi,pletely bbergasted by the utterly maddening request the King of Gods asked her. "As you know, we''ve failed to eliminate a really annoying pest, so we are thinking of better ways to do this without¡­ You know, stepping up ourselves." Odin said with a smirk. "The "Frost Queen" is already a Cmity, is she not? She has been building her forces for a while now. Don''t you think she would be a great threat to my people? Therefore, I am giving you a chance to turn her into the side of goodness! Of righteousness! Let us use her gifted power to eliminate that monster, before it is toote, Skadi!" Skadi couldn''t believe that Odin was faking his act of selfishness and hypocrisy behind "doing something for the greater good". Although she had always held a neutral side, she always secretly cared more for the Jotunn and the mortals than the Gods themselves, finding in Maria''s actions nothing wrong. "(Forgive me, father, brothers¡­)" She muttered to herself. 14:21 "V-Very well¡­ But in exchange, I ask you to spare my children, the Giants." Skadi said, her eyes sharp. "What are you even considering? Helping us, the Gods, your allies, should be as natural as breathing for you, Skadi. We''ve forgiven the fact you''re a Jotunn all these years and treated you equally." Thor sighed. "So please, just help us out, like the good ally you are." "Skadi, I am awaiting your response." Odin said, his single eye ring at Skadi with the brightness of the sun. Skadi gritted her teeth, her wless face distorting as she felt pained. "(Forgive me, father, brothers¡­)" She muttered to herself. "V-Very well¡­ But in exchange, I ask you to spare my children, the Giants." Skadi said, her eyes sharp. Odin smirked. "Fine, they shall be spared." Laughed Odin. "Now, do as I said." "Yes, my King¡­" Skadi submissively said, nodding and lowering her head. She had no other option, she was strong, but not as powerful as Odin. She could only obey the King of Gods or risk all Aesir to hunt her down and simply assign a new God of Ice in her ce. Skadi had her own family as well, her own growing children, and a husband. To survive and live peacefully, for them as well as for the Giants in the surface, she decided to agree. Her eyes closed, as her divine powers concentrated. Within the southern area of Midgard, inside a deep dungeon where there was an enormous Frost Tower, a beautiful young girl wearing a crown and sitting over a throne of ice suddenly received an incredible power. Ding! [You have received {Skadi''s Divine Protection}!] [All your power is growing greatly due to the reaction of this divine protection with your abilities!] "T-This power¡­!" She muttered. "Lady Skadi?! To think you would give me your amazing strength!" [The Divine Being {Skadi, the Goddess of Ice and Frost} says that you must ally the Church of the Light God.] [She says an army will soone, grant them your power, and join their army with yours, and invade the Dwarven Country and the settlement of the "ursed One" the Ghost named Maria.] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [You will be granted great rewards if you can manage to eliminate both threats.] "Aahh! I was already nning that, mdy! In fact, I am already beginning to do it! But allying the Church? Well, if you say so¡­" The Frost Queenughed. "I will ally the annoying church, and then cover the entire world with an Eternal Winter¡­" Her eyes filled with madness, as within her tower, shemanded her Frost Generals, incredibly strong beings she had Summoned utilizing her Divine Artifact possesing incredible powers. A crystal ball emerged before her eyes, showcasing to her what was urring in the outside world. An army of the Church of Light, led by a mysterious yet incredibly strong individual were nearing her dungeon''s entrance, and meanwhile, in another ce, faraway in the Ash Mountains, an enormous army of Monsters made of Ice and Frost walked, slowly nearing the Dwarven Country. Commanding them there were two Frost Generals, a titanic being made of pure ice resembling a knight, and a beautiful Ice Elf woman wearing armor made of divine ice and holding a sharp ice spear. "Frost, Zero, hurry up and get to them." Shemanded them. "Lady Skadi herself has decided to grant us her divine powers!" FLAAASH! In seconds, she shared such power with her generals, as they felt their strength surging even more, their forms growing powerful and even evolving! "Oooohoho! Yes, my Queen!" Laughed Zero, the Ice Elf Witch. "It shall be a pleasure, your majesty." Frost said, the enormous Golem made of Ice in the shape of a titanic knight. Their eyes quickly directed themselves towards the mountain peak, in the distance, the entrance to the Dwarven Country was growing closer¡­ ----- Chapter 679 Growing Soul Scape Chapter 679 Growing Soul Scape ----- As I finally left the Titanic Records, I decided to wake up... "Huh? Oh¡­" However, instead of waking up, I found myself within my own Soul Scape. The expansive area had increased in size a lot more, although it still seemed rather empty¡­ But I noticed that the red flowers and ck flowers I had have increased in quantity by a lot, and there were also new ones. I noticed some white-colored trees that resembled as if they were made up of bones. And also bound bushes with sharp thorns and purple roses growing over them. Lastly, I noticed arge silver moon shining on top of the lugubrious and gothdscape. The scenery was truly something else, it filled me with surprise and awe. The shining silver moon shone moonlight down into the emptyndscape, as I noticed the birth of something else, arge flower started growing from there, reaching higher and higher altitudes. It was a gigantic flower as big as the other trees themselves and absorbed the moonlight the silver moon emanated. Is this a new treasure alongside the bone trees? N?v(el)B\\jnn Ding! [Your Soul Scape has be stronger, and it is now flowing with great quantities of Spiritual Essence!] [The Spirit Treasure: [Lugubrious Bone Trees (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] has been born!] [The Spirit Treasure: [Moon Gazing Giant Lily (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] has been born!] [The quantity and quality of the [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure)], [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure)], and [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure)] Spirit Treasures has increased greatly!] Oh, now they have ranks as well! I see, let''s check the old ones now. It seems they all Ranked up from their previous Ranks to Rank 6? ----- [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure that contains the Element of Death. It resembles a withering tree with purple leaves. It is dry and can survive without water or sunlight. It might eventually evolve into something of incredible power. Trees Quantity: 25 Enhances Death Attribute Power by +16000 Hastens Phantasmal Essence Recovery and Soul Regeneration by +16% ----- [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many red-colored flowers resembling red roses containing the Element of Blood. As it evolves, its quantity multiplies. Flowers Amount: 200 Enhances Blood Attribute Power by +16 with each Flower. Blood Attribute Magic gains +1.6 Spirit Power with each Flower. ----- [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many purple-colored flowers resembling purple roses containing the Element of Poison. As it evolves, its quantity multiplies. Flowers Amount: 200 Enhances Poison Attribute Power by +16 with each Flower. Poison Attribute Magic gains +1.6 Spirit Power with each Flower. ----- [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of many ck-colored flowers resembling ck roses containing the Element of Darkness. As it evolves, its quantity multiplies. Flowers Amount: 200 Enhances Darkness Attribute Power by +16 with each Flower. Darkness Attribute Magic gains +1.6 Spirit Power with each Flower. ----- It''s true! And their bonuses also increased a lot. Woah this is convenient, alright. It seems that each Rank is like a level, but what''s the max Rank? Maybe 10? Perhaps after reaching 10 something happens? Perhaps they will finally stop being Lesser and be¡­ Mid? Or High! I should just ask this to Tyr instead of trying to guess it though¡­ Now, let''s check the two new treasures, whose ranks are lower than the previous ones but still quite high anyways. ----- [Lugubrious Bone Trees (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure made of the bones of the dead, it is dry and cold, and doesn''t require any sunlight or nutrients in the soil to grow. It feeds on leftover mana, but it can grow the best when given miasma and souls. Trees Quantity: 15 Enhances Skeleton-type Undead Stats by and Skill Power +5% with each Tree. Enhances Death Attribute Power by +2500 with each Tree. Hastens Phantasmal Essence Recovery and Soul Regeneration by +15% ----- Oh, this one is a weaker version of the Withering Tree, but ites with the additional ability of enhancing the stats of my skeleton-type undead. Interesting! I guess my skellies are going to be even stronger now. ----- [Moon Gazing Giant Lily (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] A Lesser Spirit Treasure in the form of a gigantic, purple-colored lily. It feeds exclusively on the moonlight emanated by the Silver Moon, and it harbors Moonlight Essence inside of its petals. Its roots naturally form a crystallized form of the leftover Moonlight Essence named Moon Crystals. Flower Quantity: 1 Enhances Moonlight Attribute Power by +15000 with each Flower. Grants +150 Moonlight Essence with each flower every day. Hastens Moonlight Essence Absorption by +15%. Produces 1 Moon Crystal Daily. ----- This one is just perfect! So this is why I am feeling like I am overflowing with Moonlight Essence as well! I can''t believe something so good grew up inside of my Spirit Soul Scape already¡­ Well, let''s see¡­ "Tyr! Are you around here? Stop hiding!" "UGH¡­" Suddenly, arger than I remember sphere of miasma with a single red eye showed up in front of me. "There you are! My personal gardener!" I smiled happily back at him. "I am not your personal gardener! I used to be a powerful God!" He angrily said. "Well and you could probably be an even more powerful one once I revive you! So you better act gratefully for my efforts and work hard. Now Tyr, what''s with the Ranks in the quality? Do you know their meaning?" I wondered. "I can''t believe you don''t know something so basic¡­ Then again, you used to be an insignificant mortal I guess." He sighed. BONK! I bonked his head for being disrespectful. "Ouch! Okay, okay!" He cried. "So anyways, Spirit Treasures have Ranks, from 1 to 10!" ----- Chapter 680 Moon Crystals Chapter 680 Moon Crystals ----- "Every Spirit Treasure has Ranks from 1 to 10! If you can only see them now it means you''ve finally unlocked the ability to do so." He sighed. "They raise in Rank by tending to them, like a garden, give them their favorite fertilizer and stuff. Favorable conditions, and of course, spiritual energy. As you grow stronger they''ll also rank up." "I see¡­ I guess that''s where you enter, my personal graveyard gardener!" Iughed. "So what happens after Rank 10?" "Sigh, can''t you just guess?" He sighed. I pointed my hand at my again, as if I was about to smack him. "O-Okay! I''ll tell you!" He cried. "Once it reaches Rank 10 it can evolve¡­ There''s Lesser Spirit Treasures, Mid Spirit Treasures, High Spirit Treasures, and Divine Spirit Treasures! So in total, you''ve gotta make them go through 40 Ranks! Pretty harsh." "Huh, I see. So that''s how it is¡­" I sighed. "Well for now, you''ll begin working as a gardener because the only thing you do is napping. I''ll give you the equipment and any other material needed to tend my garden, got it?" "Ugh¡­ Fine." Tyr sighed. "Also collect me glower metals, tree branches, roots, and the moon crystals as well, I want them for alchemy and making items. They''re invaluable good materials! The rings I made using them were already amazing." I said with a proud smile. "Sure boss¡­" He sighed, floating away, and beginning to work. After a few minutes, he filled a basket with items. Flower Petals, Withering Tree and Bone Tree branches and roots, and even the moon crystal. Nice! He''s quite fast at work! "Well done! Now continue with your gardener duties." I smiled. "Yes ma''am¡­" He sighed. As he flew away, I checked the Moon Crystal. ----- [Moon Crystal (B Grade)] A special purple colored crystal produced by the Spirit Treasure Giant Moonlight Lilies through their roots. It is the pure crystallization of Moonlight Essence and contains the powerful and incredibly rare element of Moonlight. Its high-quality grade and amazing amounts of spiritual essence and mana inside makes it a top-notch material for a variety of creations, from potions to equipment. It also can be absorbed to gain +100 Moonlight Essence directly. ----- Interesting. I guess I could use these to make some potions of moonlight, maybe that could amplify the amount of given moonlight essence. Or even use them to make moonlight-powered equipment, weapons, armor, or a beautiful ring to increase my natural moonlight recovery! Heh, if that''s the case, I could just cover myself on these types of essories and cheat the limitations with moonlight recovery enhancement items! I cannot do alchemy inside my soul scape so I would need to wake up for that. I think I could at least make ether earrings or another ring with this one crystal. And if I use Darkness and Blood Rose Petals, Withering Tree Branches and Roots and the Bone Tree Branches and Roots too¡­ Then I could certainly make an amazing essory overflowing with power to rece the oldies I have. I stored everything inside of my Inventory and then decided to leave Tyr here doing his thing. I saw him very happily working as a gardener, so everything''s good. As I woke up, I found myself surrounded by my lovers. They were all sleeping soundly over bed, and I didn''t wanted to bother them so I quickly turned phantasmal and trespassed everything,nding in the room where Nyx was sleeping. She was sleeping just as peacefully and nicely, so there were no problems here either. I reached an empty room and then I brought out the alchemy cauldron and various other materials, including many new ores and other items we found inside the dungeon, and I started putting them all inside the cauldron one after the other as it started boiling. "Good thing I''ve brought some low rank rings, this one should be a good shape for it." Creating a ring out of nowhere inside a cauldron is too hard to do, so using an already existing ring and fusing it with desirable materials to make the ring I want is way easier and decent shortcut that Elfina taught to me. I added all the materials Tyr harvested for me andstly the Moon Crystal, and started doing Synthesis, Mixing, and all the stuff rted with it constantly, mixing all materials together beautifully. Doing it alone always exhausted my mind a lot, but now that I''ve evolved into an S Rank entity, it seems rather easy! I guess even my mental fatigue has improved greatly. And now I was able to do this quite easily! "{Synthesis}!" FLAAAAASH! All items converged into the ring I had put there, it was a simple Iron Ring that barely had any power within it, the more empty the base is, the more room for improvement there is, so it was perfect. Ding! [You have Synthetized [Selene''s Moonlight Tear Ring (A++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained 10000 Alchemy EXP!] [You gained 5000000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 22 to Level 23!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You earned System Points and Bonus Skill EXP!] And there it was! My fantastic new creation. A beautiful purple-colored ring floating in midair emerged from the cauldron, as I quickly caught it. It had a shiny silver colored body with a bright, purple-colored moon crystal on top. I had made sure to engrave several runes into the ring so it became very strong, and its bonus stats were on pair with the other essories I had made, the Draconic Miasmic Umbra Ring and Bracelet, which both helped me a lot in the Dungeon. They had the amazing ability of absorbing Miasma and powering up from it, they also increased chaos attribute damage and even generated barriers to protect those wearing them from the dangerous miasma. A reason why everyone was safe inside of that radioactive dungeon until we managed to fully conquer it. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om And this one ring was no exception, overflowing with moonlight power, and I had only used a single moon crystal at that! I wonder how far I could get if I collect a lot of them and make something even better. Maybe it is time to make an overhaul of my clothes and witch hat. ----- Chapter 681 The Approaching Frost... Chapter 681 The Approaching Frost... ----- Outside the Dwarven City Walls, a cold and chilly wind had begun to be more and more prominent, snow started to fall from the sky, something that hasn''t happened in months in this area of the continent, and the floor was already half-frozen too. The many guards and soldiers in the outside of the walls living inside the fortresses to protect the city have already begun to feel the wintering. "Ugh, is it my idea or has the air been gotten colder this morning?" "You''re right¡­ usually in here the cold winter from below doesn''t reach uspletely. The sky ispletely covered by ck clouds too, and it is snowing from all things¡­" "Oh man, I need a beer to warm up a little!" "Yeah, I mean- Huh?" Suddenly, one of the guards on watch noticed something. A silhouette of someone walking towards them. It was a beautifuldy at that, with wide hips and arge chest, her seductive eyes seemed rather enchanting. "H-Hey, there''s someoneing in the middle of all that?!" "Lady! Are you alright? Couldn''t you wait until the cold day ended?" Two guards went to check on her, both were burly dwarves capable of withstanding the cold rather well. however, once they were able to finally see her with detail, they were left¡­ bbergasted. A beautiful Snow Elf, a rare tribe of blue-skinned elves that live in the Snowy Lands of Niflheim. Her clothes were quite revealing, and finely made with small ice crystals, and decorated with snowkes and mountain shapes. She wore arge blue colored witch hat, decorated finely with blue crystals, and she also had many other shiny essories all over her body, resembling an enchanting nobledy. Many rings decorated her long and seductive fingers, as her long and sharp nails were painted blue. And she was also walking barefoot,pletely unmoved by the cold. The two dwarves were left bbergasted by the woman''s beauty. "L-Lady, are you some sort of noble?" "Come on, let''s go inside the city, it still might be dangerous if you leisurely walk around the mountain- Huh?" "Fufufu~" However, when the two finally realized thedy was smiling at them mockingly, it was toote. Their bodies were already beginning to freeze. "W-What the- AKH!" "Eh?! S-She''s..!" FLAAASH! Before they could even alert their friends, both of them were turned into frozen statues, left behind by thedy. As behind her, many more silhouettes started appearing, walking tirelessly amidst the storm¡­ The other guards noticed something was wrong, as they attempted to quickly call for reinforcements¡­ Only for the ice to emerge right below their feet, freezing them one by one consecutively. The woman smiled evilly, her magic activating seamlessly as she froze anybody in front of her. "What is going on- AKH!" "W-We are freezing!" "R-Run- AAAGH!" "NOOO!!" "Heeelp!" FLAAAASH! The cold wind continued to expand, everywhere it went, everything froze instantly. The woman continued walking andughing, sometimeter, she started dancing gracefully, everywhere she directed, her magic would generated freezing winds and freeze everything she wanted. "Ahahaha¡­ HAHAHAHA! So easy! So many statues, so many new friends!" She started tough louder. "Frost, perhaps this will be easier than we thought." "Hmmm, it does seems to be that way, Zero." An enormous titanic golem made of hardened ice shaped into the form of a knight emerged behind her. Both stood in front of the city walls, as Frost slowly began walking directly towards it, raising a massive axe made of ice¡­ "The Dwarven Country shall fall today!" CRAAAAAASSSSHHHHH!!! . . . (Maria''s POV) Ding! [You have Synthetized [Selene''s Moonlight Tear Ring (A++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained 10000 Alchemy EXP!] [You gained 1000000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 22 to Level 23!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You earned System Points and Bonus Skill EXP!] ----- [Selene''s Moonlight Tear Ring (A++ Grade)] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Level]: [0/40] [Durability]: [15000/15000] {Effects} [HP]: [+5000] [MP]: [+30000] [Attack]: [+5000] [Defense]: [+5000] [Magic]: [+20000] [Agility]: [+5000] [Moonlight Attribute Damage]: [+10000] {Abilities} [Moon Titan''s Blessing]: Increases Moonlight Magic Damage and Effects by +100%. Decreases Moonlight Magic Mana Requirements by -25%. Moonlight Magic can now ignore -25% of the foe''s Magic Resistance (Half of their Magic Stat). [Moonlight Regeneration]: Automatically regenerates 50 Moonlight Essence every hour. While utilizing Moonlight Essence, the user''s Physical Stats temporarily raise by +25%. {Description} A powerful Spiritual Ring made using incredible materials extracted from near divine level Spirit Treasures. This particr ring contains the power of Selene, the Titan of Moonlight, and it was made with a Moon Crystal that grew inside of her Soul Scape. It can automatically regenerate Moonlight Essence and enhances Moonlight Magic Powers greatly. ----- "Hehe, amazing!" Iughed evilly, equipping the item right away in one of my free fingers. "With this, I''ve got even more Moonlight Essence regeneration." With this I felt satisfied, as I walked back to the room where we were sleeping, thinking about what we could have today for breakfast. But things suddenly went off course as I saw countless souls flying around me. They had detected something and were trying to warn me. As the Queen of Undead, Souls naturally flock around me and always tell me about stuff, sometimes I can even interrogate them quite easily. Most souls here resembled the inhabitants, there was a bunch of dwarves as well. "Lady Ghost, you must hurry!" "Please protect the city!" "An evil, a frosty evil is approaching!" "Many! An army! Hurry!" "We saw it earlier! The soldiers were all frozen like popsicles!" "They move faster and silence everything, the city has yet to know!" "Our Queen please help us!" "Wait what?! Frozen? Are we getting attacked?!" I wondered. "Alright!" I quickly divided my body into many Phantasmal Clones and sent them out of the city while the others were distributed around, trying to alert most authorities of what was happening. I ran directly towards my room, waking up everybody in a hurry. But it seemed I was a few seconds toote. CRAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!! ----- Chapter 682 The Frost Queens Invasion Chapter 682 The Frost Queen''s Invasion The entirety of the dwarven country poption heard it. Even the King and the Nobles heard themotion from their faraway buildings, as they nced through their windows the horror of what had urred. A gigantic axe made of ice broke through the near imprable wall protecting the country, destroying the reinforced magic barrier in the way, and even unleashing a wave of freezing winds, freezing everything around. CRAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!! BAAAAAMMM!!! The Wall broke out, generating a massive opening as countless pieces of metal began falling nearby, people living close to the walls panicked, immediately beginning to run away. Chaos quickly broke out, as some brave ones that stayed behind to see what was happening nced with horror as a giant made of ice slowly tried to creep inside the city, while a beautiful snow elf entered first, wherever she stepped on, everything would freeze. "What is going on?!" "Who are those people?!" "How strong are they to be able to break through the powerful magic barrier though?!" "R-Run! RUUUUN!" As people started to run away, hundreds of enormous golems piloted by soldiers quickly arrived at the scene, pointing their guns and missiles against the perpetrators, a beautiful snow elf woman and the titan made of ice. "Stop right there! Intruders!" "A step more and we''ll st you to smithereens!" "Do you know what country you''re invading, you damn snowkes?!" N?v(el)B\\jnn However, the snow elf woman continued tough carefreely, her blue eyes ncing back at the people piloting these powerful, high quality golems with eyes filled with joy. "Ahhh, right! I almost forgot, Frost! These little guys got their own magic technology or something!" Sheughed. "Hmmm, indeed. Though I doubt very much they would even be able to withstand my strength or your magic. They do seempetent, but sadly, not for this situation." The titan made of ice spoke. "What a pity." "What a pity indeed~!" Laughed the snow elf. The people piloting the hundreds of golems quickly grew pissed off, as they received more orders from the nobles and the Dwarf King himself. "What are you standing there for?! Kill them all! It doesn''t matter who they are or what they are! Kill! Search and destroy!" He roared. Just as he gave that order, the entire wall began gaining more and more cracks, the hole on it opened into a bigger one, as hundreds of snow monsters and ice golem started crawling in! And even¡­ the guards that were outside, their bodies now frozen were still moving, as if they had be soldiers made of ice. "W-What is that?!" "Our people?!" "You bastards¡­ what have you done to them?!" "Stop it! They''re already dead, their eyes, their bodies are all frozen solid!" "ATTACK¡­ ATTACK THEM!!!" One of themanders of the golem troops panicked, as he quickly heard the King''s orders. He was furious these invaders from who knows where were using their own people as monsters to attack them! "Free them from their ice prisons!" "They shall be freed on Valha!! "RAAAAH!!!" As the snow elfughed, hundreds of missiles were fired from all the golems of varied shapes, some resembling humanoid forms, and others resembling giant tanks or cars. BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOMMM!!! Countless of explosions echoed through the former walls, as the people panicked and started screaming, running away as far as possible from the entrance to the city, some bold one staying to see the result. As the smoke dissipated¡­ "How''s that?! This is the strength of our technology!" Most of the Snow Monsters and the Frozen Soldiers died on the spot, exploding into tiny pieces. The dwarves and other races within the golems celebrated, but only temporarily¡­ as they realized the woman behind it and the giant seemedpletely unscathed. "Sheesh, what a pity, those were my favorite Frozen Soldiers!" Sighed the snow elf. "Well, we''ve got plenty of toys to y with here, no?" It was revealed that a gigantic shield made of ice protected her from all attacks, she waspletely fine, and her immense aura of mana simply continued growingrger. "Our Queen said that there would be someone here that might stand a chance against us. Don''t be so careless, Zero." Frost said. "Heh, who cares?! If they show we''ll freeze them to death, just like you guys!" Zeroughed, pointing her hand at the golems! "Y-You monster!" "W-What?!" "Those missiles can blow up C Rank Monsters to bits and damage even B Rank ones!" "What sort of magic is that?! Ice magic would never withstand our super powered heat missiles!" "They''re monsters¡­ monsters!" "Shoot! SHOOT!" The soldiers panicked, pointing their missileunchers and gigantic lightning guns at the two perpetrators, as countless of attacks began falling down on them! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! However, the two of them kept leisurely walking straight towards them, as the snow elf woman waved her hands, a massive amount of icy winds emerged by her will and then froze dozens of golems solid! FLAAAASH! "GRYYAAAAH!" "HEEEELP!" "I-I am freezing alive!" "UUAGGGH¡­!" The screams of dozens of soldiers as they were all frozen solid in mere seconds echoed around the entire city as the other surviving ones nced in horror at the scene! "This is not fun without friends, though, right?" The womanughed. "Hmmm, very true! The rest of you, enter already!" Frost roared, as he suddenly called thousands more of monsters and golems that starteding from the outside, slowly crawling inside the city by the hundreds! "GRROORRR!" "WOOOF!" "SHAAAAH!" "OOOOHHHH¡­!" Frost Wolves, Giant Pr Bears, Winter Snakes, Ice Golems, and "If you want me so badly, here I am!" ----- more monsters of the Ice Attribute started rushing in, generating a swarm of pure frost. Their auras merging together generated an air of pure coldness, freezing everyone nearby! "Let'' see¡­ Where are our challenges of today? I thought we were going to fight them! If you don''t show up soon, the entire city might end up frozen!" Laughed Zero. FLAAASH! However, out of thin air, a gigantic mass of darkness emerged on top of her and everyone else. "Eh?" It slowly began shaping as a massive hand, and started to descend towards the Frost Army and the two generals! CLAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHHH!!!! "If you want me so badly, here I am!" ----- Chapter 683 Maria Arrives! Chapter 683 Maria Arrives! ----- BAAAAAAAMMMM!!! A massive palm made of darkness, death, and even moonlight itself fell from the ceiling of the city, hitting the iing army of countless of snow monsters and crushing them all mercilessly! Zero and Frost managed to evade the attack, moving away just barely in time. Their eyes were filled with surprise and amusement as they saw a single woman floating in the skies, coated in a dress made of abyssal darkness as her eyes shone brightly. One of them was red like blood, and the other had be purple with a hint of pink, both of them emanated a powerful bloodlust, her aura unleashing a gigantic amount of power as well. "So that''s HER!" Said Frost, his voice filled with fascination. "What a regal appearance, such powerful magical aura!" "Indeed! Isn''t she incredible?! And isn''t this power I feel¡­ A Titan''s aura? How amusing!" Laughed Zero. "Hello! We''vee to kill you!" Maria nced at the two talking as if they were her fans or something, yet their intentions were quite clear, they came to kill her and destroy this entire city. Her sharp eyes only grew sharper and more angered as she heard them talk. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Three figures appeared behind her, Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine. They seemed half-asleep and in a hurry. Maria had woken them up but she had to run to protect the city, leaving them behind. "M-Maria! We''ve arrived." Sighed Emeraldine. "We left Root, Nyx, and the twins in the city." "We told them to help protect the people from the swarm of monsters and to help them evacuate to the safe zone underground!" Lucifer said. "Hmm, are these the bastards we need to fight?" "These guys are super icy! What the heck?! I bet they are servants of the Frost Queen! No?" Partner wondered. "Ugh I might be a vampire but I don''t really like extremely cold temperatures either¡­!" "Alright, thank you Emeraldine, Lucifer." Maria nodded. "And Partner, just bear with it. We need to kill them asap. They''re the ones leading the thousands of monsters. My attack barely killed less than a hundred, hundreds of more areing from all sides." "Heh, she''s so quick-witted!" Zero began tough. "Well, how about introductions? I am Zero, the Winter Witch of the far North Inds! I was sealed five thousand years ago by a "Hero" but now, mydy has unsealed me and I now have the purpose of serving her for all eternity! I shall bring her the eternal kingdom of ice she so desires~!" "And I am Frost, the first servant of mdy. I am the strongest knight of-" "{Divine ck Lightning}!" CRAAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! A powerful lightning attack emerged from within Maria''s fingertips as she snapped the two Frost Generals out of their stupid delusions. These guys were just as insane as their queen. The attack, however, was intercepted by Frost as he utilized his gigantic magic shield to absorb the lightning! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om FLAAAASH! "Shut the fuck up you shitheads. I am not here to talk. I am here to beat the shit out of you." Maria said with a furious tone of voice. After having seen all the people they indiscriminately killed, she was filled with anger. Half of the souls alerting her of what happened were of soldiers that had already died. "BAHAHAHA! Most incredible! Amazing! Such a powerful attack! If it wasn''t for my Divine Artifact: [Uller''s Shield] I would had surely been shattered into pieces!" Laughed Frost. His wonderful-looking shield was in fact a divine artifact! "Fufufu, my [Frost Leviathan''s Ne] has kept me quite protected as well." Laughed Zero. The two were using Divine Artifacts! But how?! Maria only knew that the Skadi''s Crown was the one existing, but why there were two more now? Where did they even came from? Were they concealed in the same dungeon where the crown was? "They have Divine Artifacts, this is not going to be easy¡­" Said Lucifer. "And those two are surely at least S- Rank or A+++ Rank." Said Partner. "Their power is very high." "Maria, do you think you can beat the two of them at once with your new powers?" Emeraldine wondered. "No¡­" Maria sighed. "At most I can concentrate into one, but both at the same time¡­ I will be crushed. One''s an incredible tank and the other is a powerful magician, theyplement each other. We need to separate them and confront them at the same time. Partner, Lucifer, you''re against Frost, the big guy. Emeraldine, "You and Lucifer are the beefiest here so you''ll do good against a powerful physical attacker. Meanwhile, Emeraldine offers you''re up with me against Zero." "Eh?! Why do I need to fight at his side?!" Partner got angered. "You and Lucifer are the beefiest here so you''ll do good against a powerful physical attacker. Meanwhile, Emeraldine offers long-ranged support and we both are good at magic, meaning we also have high magic resistance." Maria exined her reasoning. "Oooh? What are you muttering about? I am growing a bit bored, let''s start killing one another already~!" Zeroughed, suddenly floating in midair as she generated a storm of icy winds. "And while doing so, let''s take down all the pesky insects getting in the way! Bwahahahaha! {Eternal Winter Embrace}!" FLUOOOOOOSH! An enormous storm of icy winds emerged, attempting to take over the entire city now that Zero was inside of it! People started to scream as the golems were unable to interfere as they were fighting the iing monsters near the walls. "Tch, didn''t I tell you I was going to fight you?" Maria sighed, as a massive ck hole emerged in her stomach¡­ "[Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth]!" TRUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! The ck hole immediately began absorbing the entire storm of icy winds, making itpletely disappear in mere seconds! Zero and Frost were left shocked, while Maria sighed, feeling slightly tired of that. "It is a pain to use this Ultimate Skill because it also damages my soul¡­" Sighed Maria internally. "But I can''t show them such a weakness." "So? Are you satisfied already?" Maria asked with a smirk. "Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, let''s go!" ----- Chapter 684 Clashing Against The Witch Of Eternal Winter! Chapter 684 shing Against The Witch Of Eternal Winter! ----- Zero was left shocked, one of her strongest spells waspletely nullified by the power of Maria''s Ultimate Skill, as it disappeared in an instant! To make things worse, Maria''s fistnded in her face secondster, as she and her allies jumped into battle! "[Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique]: {Reaper''s Uppercut}!" CLAAASH! "GAAAH¡­?!" Zero was shocked by this development! She hadpletely expected Maria to attack her with magic but she went directly with a powerful fist attack using her own hands! What sort of magician fought with her fists?! Her beautiful face was filled with blood as her nose almost broke. The woman nced with fury back at Maria, as Maria smirked, pushing forward without stopping! Maria activated several body-boosting skills, as her various auras surged from within her body,bining together! Of course, Maria was also using her Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique Skill, which was now Level 3, gaining several new Techniques! ----- [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv3] The Evolution of the Fist Strike Skill at Level 10, which can only be attained by Supernatural Beings who have mastered the ability to imbue the purest essence of Death and Darkness into their Fists. This is a powerful and indescribable technique that has only been created once, by the wielder of this very Skill. A powerful Fist Technique that has been self-taught is filled with endless potential. By gathering the Purest Essence of Death and Darkness into the user''s Fist, all Fist Strikes Damage dealt are enhanced by +200% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to drain HP and MP from a foe with each strike based in 10% of damage dealt, alongside ignoring all their defenses by -25% and deal Soul Piercing Damage, which deals 20% damage to their souls. This Skill contains special Techniques unlocked with each Skill Level: Avable Techniques: Level 1: [Phantasmal Fist] [Soul Piercing Punch] Level 2: [Reaper Uppercut] [Skeleton''s ws] Level 3: [Soul Devouring Finger] [Meridian Destroyer] ----- "{Phantasmal Fists}! {Skeleton''s ws}! {Soul Devouring Finger}! {Meridian Destroyer}!" Maria''s entire body erupted as countless of fists made of her own soul emerged one after the other, hitting Zero from all sides! Each fist shapeshifted into a different form, some resembling monstrous and sharp skeleton''s ws shing at her body, others were sharp fingers piercing into the witch''s soul, and even powerful blows that weakened the Mana Veins or Meridians of Zero, disrupting her Mana Flow temporarily! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "W-What the¡­?! STOP!" Zero cried, suddenly realizing her soul and body were being slowly damaged! Not only that, but her Mana was also not reacting as she desired either! "(I cannot fight her in close quarters!)" She quickly realized. Zero roared in fury as she unleashed a powerful shockwave of Icy Winds, spiraling and sharp des of winds emerged from her fingers as she tried to cut down Maria into countless pieces! "{Frozen Wind sh}!!!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! However, Maria kept herselfposed as she smiled, Moonlight Essence acting as she decided to not take these hits not intercept them, but to throw them back at her! Even as inconspicuous as she looked like, Zero was actually an S Rank Snow Elf, and she had rather high Magic, Agility, and Mana while her physical stats were all trash. Nheless, that magic stat didn''t lie, she couldn''t take too many hits! "{Eternal Moon Mirror}!" FLAAAASH! The beautiful reflection of the silver moon itself emerged before Maria as she controlled it with her bare hands, the magic attacksing from Zero were quickly absorbed and then reflected! "Take it all back!" Maria roared furiously as spiraling freezing winds made of darkness and the ice that Zero conjured went back to her, pushing her out of the city with all her strength! CLAAAAASH! "Unngggh¡­! W-What sort of power is that?! You can reflect my magic?!" Zero panicked, as she found herself outside the city, surrounded by snow. Her aura quickly began expanding, she couldn''t take Maria not seriously anymore. FLASH! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Huh?!" CLAAASH! But out of the blue, an arrow made of mes reached her back, exploding behind her as countless will-o-wisps emerged, trying to trap her in there! BOOOOM! "W-What?! Aaggh!" Zero groaned in pain as her only weakness, fire, was now burning he skin and her icy magic aura. She didn''t even knew where that hit came from! It wasn''t from Maria though, as she was right above her! Suddenly, her eyes shone brightly as her pupils changed to the shape of snowkes, seeing far away, and finding someone, an elf woman with a magic bow and a ghost made of mes at her side, fusing his powers with hers. It was Emeraldine! "Thank you for helping me out, Francesco!" Said Elfina. "It is an honor! I never thought I could connect my powers with you, Lady Emeraldine!" Laughed the zing Ghost. "However, it seems I do really count as a spirit at the end, hahaha!" "She noticed us, but that doesn''t matter¡­! Maria will keep her busy!" Emeraldine said. "Again!" Emeraldine generated several arrows made of mes by channeling the powers of the Ghost of mes, a former Vampire that was in and then risen by Maria, which she had summoned for their aid. She summoned only one, as more than that would had been too much, desiring to leave the other back home. FLUOOOSH! "{Infernal Phantasmal Arrow Rain}!" Emeraldine fired the arrows rapidly, as hundreds of arrows began falling from the skies, targeting Zero as they didn''t just fell into the ground, but began following her! Each arrow was made out of Francesco''s body as well, being like will-o-wisps of their own! "What sort of magic arrows are there?!" Zero panicked, generating shields and barriers made of ice constantly to defend, leaving a big opening for someone else¡­ "You''re wide open!" Mariaughed, her fists suddenly channeling her Divine Lightning as she unleashed a barrage of fist attacks utilizing the demonic ghostly fist techniques! "{Spectral Thunder Fists}!" CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! "AAAAGGH¡­!" The witch had her defenses destroyed in mere seconds as Maria''s fists reached her, punching her entire body! ----- Chapter 685 Intense Clash! Chapter 685 Intense sh! ----- BAAAAMMM¡­! Zero was punched by Maria until she felt her bones cracking, her body fell into the snow, as she vomited a mouthful of blood. Her eyes were red shot in fury, she waspletely overwhelmed. "Unnnggh¡­!" She groaned, suddenly beginning tough. "Hah¡­ Hahahah! Bwahahaha!" "What''s so fucking funny?" Asked Maria. "You''re trying so hard¡­" Laughed Zero. "So, so hard¡­" "Huh?" Maria felt confused. "(What''s up with this weird bitch?)" "I love it!" Zero suddenly stood up, her entire body healing in mere seconds, as armor made of ice covered her body secondster, and then, a massive mass of mana emerged around her, in the shape of a furious sea snake, the power of her Leviathan''s ne! FLAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!!!! And alongside that, her true aura of Mana emerged, all of her surroundings suddenly became her domain of Frost and Icy Winds, as countless tornadoes of winds emerged everywhere, freezing everything everywhere. Maria sighed, but this was to be expected. Since the beginning that Zero was "ying around" Maria tried to use this opportunity to beat her as much as possible and to deal as much damage¡­ But at the end, an S Rank Monster like her was just as durable as Maria. She wasn''t going to go down with a few fists. All the wounds except those in her soul were healed in seconds, the icy winds simply closed all of them. "HAHAHAHAHA! Alright, alright! Let''s go all out them!" Zeroughed. "No more games!!! {Frost Typhoon}!" FLUOOOOOOSH! An amalgamation of winds and ice emerged out of thin air, impacting Maria in mere seconds! BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! Maria resisted the attack while being pushed down into the floor, as she gathered her own Mana and freed herself. The divinity of Moonlight activated as she utilized even more Moonlight Essence, an enormous shockwave of pink and purple light appeared! "I won''t go down easily either!" Maria''s aura quickly started to change, as she began growingrger andrger. She activated all her Body Skills, as her entire body shapeshifted, swinging around, and reshaping itselfpletely into something else. Abyssal Darkness started spreading everywhere. Countless swarms of flies appeared around her, endless seas of poison, ck lightning reverberated across her body as the power of moonlight tightly kept it all together. A massive and beautiful titaness of moonlight emerged, as she quickly rushed forward, shaking the entire surroundings while Zeroughed, floating up into the skies as she summoned countless storms of winter against her, shaping them as a giant of wind and ice itself! "Hahahah! Yes! I''ve been sealed for five thousand years for this! Let''s fight, young titaness!" Laughed Zero. As she shed against Maria with all her magic power! CLAAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! Maria''s enormous titan fists hit the gigantic ws of the entity made of winds and ice that epassed Zero, the two quickly beginning to hit one another constantly. Explosions of frost and darkness spread across the skies. "Too weak." Maria said, activating the [Selene''s Palm of Judgement] Skill together with her Divine Lightning and then her Demonic Ghostly Fist Techniques, as her gigantic, titanic palms unleashed destructive, heaven-piercing blows! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH!!! "Ahahahah! HAHAHAHA!" Zero continued tough as she tanked Maria''s hits utilizing her magic alone. Gigantic shields made of ice appeared one after the other, as she gathered the Frost Essence everywhere within this area to regain her Mana at insanely fast speeds. "More! MORE!" Despite looking like a fraildy, Zero was an insane battle junkie, and Maria realized this a bit toote. The harder she hit her, the more euphoric Zero would be. "{Skadi''s Spears}!!!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, several spiraling icy winds gathered and generated spear shapes, firing themselves against Maria all at once! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! CLAAAAASH! Maria intercepted them with her own body, as her gigantic body was capable of easily tanking magic attacks. However, these spells weren''t as simple as she thought. FLUOOOSH! "Expand!" FLUOOOSH! The spears suddenly expanded,bining together inside of Maria''s phantasmal body, and then exploding into a bomb made of wind itself! BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! Maria''s entire body suddenly exploded, as she was divided into countless tiny pieces, falling into the snownds¡­ "I can''t believe you let me do that, Bwahahaha- Eh?" However, Zero herself had someone else she had to take care of as well, which surprised her once more, as a rain of mes emerged from the skies, all of the arrows resembled infernal specters in the shape of snakes! "T-This is¡­?!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM BOOOM! BOOOM! Each arrow exploded over her gigantic mass of Mana shaped into a giant and began destroying it with mes consuming it all. These mes took the shape of infernal snakes, much simr to Maria''s own familiars. And that was because while Maria fought her upfront, she had sent her familiars to merge with Emeraldine''s techniques, generating such a power! "{Infernal Snake Swarm}¡­" Emeraldine smirked with confidence, as her spiritual aura emerged. Nature and Lightbining together with mes from her new ghostlypanion. The other two spirits didn''t liked him that much, but they couldn''tin now. "Let''s do a new one now, with all of us together!" As Emeraldine prepared herself, she pointed her bow at Zero, who nced at her furiously while burning alive. Her wounds constantly healing but the mes were strong, burning her soul as well and permanently weakening her and damaging her. As strong as the witch of winter was, she was incapable of healing soul wounds, and these were already beginning to take effect on her strength, while slowly making her more irritated. "You damn bitch! Why do you dare get in the way of my amazing fight against Maria! She belongs to me! She''s only mine to fight and kill!!!" She roared furiously, pointing her winds against Emeraldine. "DIEEEE!" "{Mystical Moon Phase Circle}!" However, in front of Zero, a ring of beautiful moons changing phases emerged, as they started to absorb her magic continuously while rotating around beautifully! "What?! You''ve already regenerated?!" Zero''s face distorted in shock as she saw Maria emerge from all her pieces, reforming herself in mere seconds into her glorious and beautiful Titaness shape! "Here, I think you lost this, have it back!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om FLAAAAAASH! ----- Chapter 686 The Dragon King Against The Frost Knight King Chapter 686 The Dragon King Against The Frost Knight King ----- While Maria confronted the unsealed Evil Witch of Winter, Zero, in the other side of the battlefield, Lucifer and Partner, confronted an even more enormous and rather terrifying foe, a gigantic titan made of pure ice in the shape of a terrifying knight, Frost. "RAAAAHHHHH!!!" Lucifer furiously body mmed the entire body of the gigantic Frost, using all of his strength and pushing him as far from the city as he could. BAAAAMMM¡­! "Hahhh¡­" Lucifer was gasping for air as he nced down at Frost, his arms and half of his body were frozen solid. He only touched him for a few seconds but he couldn''t even felt his flesh and muscles anymore. "What the¡­? Such powerful freezing ability¡­ But you''ll need more than that to freeze a dragon. [Draconic Arts]: {Dragon me Aura}!" FLUOOOSH! Lucifer''s entire body was coated on purple and blue mes, warming up his inside and then melting all of the ice covering his body. His muscles were then imbued with Dragon Power and Mana, managing to heal thepletely. "Hoh, most impressive! I could have not expected anything less from one of thest dragons on this entire continent." Said Frost whileughing cheerfully. His voice was frozen and mechanical yet it carried a gant tone to it, as if he was really a knight. "However¡­!" He quickly pointed his gigantic axe at Lucifer, infusing it with enormous quantities of Mana and Divine Frost Power, an essence extracted from the Divine Artifact he held and also his connection with his master and creator, the Frost Queen. "I shall not falter either! Even at the face of adversity! For my Queen, I will have to y a dragon!" Frost roared, his empty eyes glowing with bright blue light. "¡­What''s wrong with this golem?" Lucifer couldn''t help but think as he heard Frost speak. It would be an understatement to say he didn''t get a lot of cringe from this interaction. FLASH! "You talk a bit too much for being a damn ice cube!" "Huh?!" A mass of darkness and blood energy appeared behind the slow-moving Frost, as Partner appeared, summoning her Endless Shadows, and shaping them as countless swarms of blood-thirsty bats to attack Frost. "[Vampiric Arts]: {Endless Night}!!!" FLUOOOOOSH! The darkness within Partner''s shadows spread out, covering Frost''s entire body and blinding himpletely. Everywhere he nced there was simply darkness, and thousands of small bats trying to bite and destroy his body. "What an amusing technique¡­! I ampletely blinded!" Frost felt surprised, praising Partner. "Why are you even praising your enemy you weirdo?!" Partner got even angrier at Frost''sments. She imbued her two powerful Magic Spears, made by Maria, with great quantities of Darkness and Blood Energy, attacking him a second time with everything she had! FLAAAASH! "[Vampiric Spear Arts]: {Blood Judgement}!" Two shes of ck and red light emerged out of her spears, as they condensed with her {Endless Night} Ability and fused together into massive mass of darkness and blood condensed into countless blows, shing against Frost''s back. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!!! "UUOOOOOGGGHH?!" Frost was thrown into the ground as countless projectiles started tearing apart his frost armor. He immediately put [Uller''s Shield] in front of him to defend from the blows, as they constantly fell over his body so fast it was like an endless rain of spears. "Ahhh¡­ Most impressive stealth performance, youngdy." Heughed, ncing back at Partner. "Now, allow me to attack as well!" His entire body was already cracked and falling apart. Partner and Lucifer didn''t knew where his confidence wasing from. His shield was certainly powerful, but his body was frail like ice itself at the end, and it was shattering apart. Frost raised his Axe into the skies as he imbued it with all the Mana he had. Lucifer and Partner nced at one another, nodding. "We won''t let you attack, you slow ass bastard!" Partner roared, imbuing Mana and Blood Energy into her spears once more. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Sorry, but I don''t have the energy right now to speak with a foe!" Lucifer roared, infusing Mana and Dragon Energy into his jaws, and unleashing a devastating Breath Attack. A gigantic Death Dragon Breath attack and a powerful beam of blood and darkness reached Frost, as he started tough. "{Winter Kingdom''s Domain}!" FLAAAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!!! A gigantic quantity of Mana and Divine Frost Essence flowed everywhere around Frost,pletely covering all of his surroundings with a Domain of his own. Enormous buildings resembling walls started growing everywhere, alongside towers, houses, buildings, and even arge castle behind him. BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! Both Lucifer and Partner''s attack did not reach him, but ended hitting two towers surrounding his entire body, which began falling apart¡­ "What?! Our attacks were redirected?!" Partner was shocked. "What kind of ability is this?" "This Divinity¡­! He''s not even a Divine Being, yet he can use this level of divinity, how? This is¡­ not only the power of his Shield Artifact, Uller''s Shield, but also the power of the Frost Queen''s Skadi''s Crown boosting his powers¡­" Lucifer analyzed. "Gahahahahaha! Wee to the Kingdom of Winter!" Laughed Frost. "This is my Greatest Domain, my Country! And both of you are already trapped inside. Now confront me or perish!" Frost moved his axe, swinging it with a tremendous force and shing it against Partner nearby, a massive attack reached her, so strong it could slice a whole mountain! SLAAAAAASH! "Shit¡­!" Partner tried to simply fly into the skies to run from Frost''s slow attack, but quickly hit an invisible divine barrier which simply did not allow her to escape. "What the¡­?!" "PARTNER!!!" Lucifer flew in front of Partner, knowing this attack could be incredibly lethal against her small body. His entire body quickly grew thousands of hardened scales and then he conjured his magical dragon powers. "[Divine Draconic Arts]: {Muspel''s Scale Shield}!" FLAAAAASH! Channeling the power of the Draconic Records, Lucifer summoned the magic of the Fire Dragon''s Progenitor within the Records, Muspel, summoning a gigantic zing shield! BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 687 The Might Of Frost Chapter 687 The Might Of Frost ----- The massive attacking from Frost was miraculously repelled by Lucifer in the veryst moment, as he channeled the powers of the Draconic Records, a space simr to the Titan Records where all Dragons and their Progenitors could connect and share the power of the deceased with the now living dragons. Lucifer had been slowly getting used to this mysterious power but has yet to fullyprehend it. Nheless, he had figured the basics of it. Crack¡­ CRASH! The massive shield he conjured by summoning the zing Scales of Muspel, the Progenitor of Fire Dragons quickly began shattering apart, disappearing after blocking Frost''s immense blow. "Y-You saved me there¡­" Partner had to admit that Lucifer helped her. "Thank you I guess¡­" "No, this is¡­ This shield shouldn''t be as weak as to fall into pieces after just one blow!" Lucifer, however, panicked. Although the shield fulfilled its purpose¡­ Wasn''t it a bit too weak? Through this Lucifer quickly realized the lethality of the blow. Although Partner was very strong, she would had been frozen solid and then, most likely, shattered into bits. "Ooooh! Most impressive!" Laughed Frost. "Although you dislike introductions, I would like to introduce myself once more. I am Knight Frost, mdy the Queen''s First Knight, and one of her Frost Commanders." "Frost Commanders? I knew you guys were from the Frost Queen but she got you guys asckeys?! Just how ridiculously strong is she then?" Partner wondered. "I was once the Great King of a fallen Kingdom of Humans, who was destroyed by war. I lost everything, even my own life and that of my family. Mdy gave me a second chance, she resurrected me, giving me an indestructible body and the ability to finally reim my Kingdom!" Frostughed, pointing his axe at the two. "Nowe! We shall settle this down like knights do! Battle me! No cowardly is allowed!" Lucifer realized this man''s powers might originate not only from the gifted abilities granted to him upon his creation, but it was thanks to the powerful Soul he had. It was the Soul of an Ancient Human King, a King of the many Kingdoms that once thrived in the Continent of Midgard but were destroyed after the War of the Gods, where the Church of Light destroyed dozens of Kingdoms that dared to not make of the Religion of the Light God their main religion. They weren''t fighting against just a Knight, he was a King. And his own mental image of himself projected into these powers, his own Unique Magic and Skills capable of summoning an entire Kingdom made of ice around him, allowing him to trap his foes within the Domain and to even redirect hits towards these surrounding buildings. "If you are noting down¡­ Then my Army shall find you." Frost said, raising one of his hands as he began summoning countless beings from the snow and ice, shaping as hundreds of ice golems in the shape of knights and people, charging straight towards Lucifer and Partner while they were in midair, as if they could just walk over the empty air! "Go! {Winter Kingdom''s Army}!" "OOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "FOR THE KING!" "CAPTURE THE COWARDS!" "KILL!" "He can summon an army of Golems to fight for him as well?!" Partner said. "Hey! Who''s the coward now?!" "I am merely inviting you toe at me!" Frost said. "There''s no use talking with him, Partner. He''s justpletely nuts! We have to y his army, and somehow figure out a weakness to his powers." Lucifer said, his entire body unleashing a powerful and dreadful aura of Death! "You''re not the only one with a Domain! {Ancient Death Dragon''s Domain}!" FLAAAAAAASH! Lucifer quickly spread out a powerful Domain of Death and Draconic Power around his surroundings. The entire Winter Kingdom was attacked by this uing darkness as the thousands of golem knights were burned and melted by the draconic ck mes, which also, slowly, started to melt the other buildings. "Don''t underestimate me." Lucifer said furiously. "{Phantasmal mes}! {Hellish Death Dragon ws}!" Lucifer''s gigantic ws were covered on phantasmal mes, as he swung them furiously against his foes. The ice golems began tearing apart and shattering into pieces one after the other, as he directed several of these shing attacks at Frost from afar. CLAAASH! CLAAAAASH! CLAAAAAASH! "Most admirable performance! But this is it!" However, Frost easily used his own shield to defend, while pointing X-shaped sh made of pure Divine Frost Essence. SLAAAAASH! his Axe at Lucifer and swinging it with great strength, generating a X-shaped sh made of pure Divine Frost Essence. SLAAAAASH! "[Divine Draconic Arts]: {Muspel''s zing Breath}! {Explosive Phantasmal Inferno}!" Lucifer unleashed two attacks at once, a deadly, zing breath of pure red mes, which crashed against Frost''s powerful X-shaped sh, while an explosive phantasmal inferno ofherworld mes quickly reached his target, blowing him and everything around him! BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! However¡­ "Hah¡­ How amusing! Fighting a dragon is one of the few things I could never do as a King back then¡­ When I was feeble and weak, and pathetic!" Frost''s entire body was shattering apart, but then regenerating at an insanely fast speed. CLAAAASH! Meanwhile, a nearby tower fell apart and crumbled into pieces within the Kingdom, Lucifer realized that his powers were simpler than he had imagined. "Those buildings¡­ There''s over thirty of these things everywhere¡­ So they take the damage for him, an as long as he''s here, all his wounds will quickly heal as well." Lucifer quickly figured it out. "Partner!" "I get it! I can''t hold this bastard back with this tiny body I have, but you''re a fatso so I am sure you can do it! I''ll blow up the buildings for you." Partner said. "Don''t die!" "Yeah, leave it to me!" Lucifer said. FLAAASH! However, as Partner went on her own, a blur of blue color reached Lucifer''s left side, it was Frost! He moved at a speed he didn''t expect from him, his gigantic axe reaching his neck! "[Frozen Axe Arts]: {Freezing Decapitation}!" SLAAAAAAASHHHH!!! Lucifer was unable to react in time, as his entire head was sliced off his neck, blood gushed out like a fountain, as his face was filled with shock. "LUCIFEEEEERRR!!!" Partner cried. "This is what you get for lowering your guard in a fight between knights, Dragon!" Frostughed. ----- Chapter 688 The Enemy Weakness? Chapter 688 The Enemy Weakness? ----- "Cutting my head would had probably worked if I was a normal dragon." "Huh?!" Frost received aplete shock as he saw Lucifer''s head fall into the ground, rolling. Only for his head to suddenly lift up and speak, as a phantasmal power connected his head with the rest of his body, and quickly reassembled it back. "An Undead?!" Frost wondered. "But your energy¡­ It does clearly emanates life." "{Death Embodiment}." Said Lucifer. "The power a Death Dragon has. You''ll have to do more than that to actually kill me¡­" The power of Lucifer''s {Death Embodiment} granted him the ability to literally embody death itself. Giving him the capabilities of an Undead without being one anymore. He was a Death Dragon, between life and death, yet none of the other. Perhaps freezing him into an ice block could work, or cutting him into meat paste and then burning it all¡­ But decapitation was beyond a lethal hit for someone like him. "Partner, don''t worry about me!" Lucifer said. Confronting Frost as the knight somehow got incredibly fast, moving towards him as if his body weight wasn''t even a tenth of what it was originally. SLAASH! SLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! N?v(el)B\\jnn "Phew¡­" Partner sighed in relief. She had gotten a bit too scared there. "I shouldn''t had even gotten worried!" She sighed, flying away and beginning to st the army of frost knights and the buildings with her powerful magic. "My frost magic is not freezing youpletely with these blows¡­ How?!" Wondered Frost, as he constantly shed against Lucifer''s ws and his tail. Lucifer''s Dragon ws and his Tail were like lethal weapons of their own, and as he could utilize Polymorph magic, he easily regrew more pairs of arms if they were to ever be sliced away. Simrly, thanks to his many reinforcement skills and abilities, he figured out a way to fight him. His entire body was engulfed on mes, three different types of mes! Cursed ck mes, Netherworld Blue mes, and the Infernal mes of Muspel, which he channeled from the Draconic Records. By condensing this fiery power together and covering his entire body with this, Lucifer attained something he called {Three Layered me zing Armor}, a brand new technique to deal with bastards like Frost. "You''re not dealing with just a mere lizard. I am the Dragon King himself." Lucifer said, channeling enormous quantities of these mes covering his entire body and shaping them into a massive scythe of death. "{Infernal Scythe of Death}!" F L U O O O O S H! "A Scythe made of three types of mes! Oooh!" Frost felt excited. "Very well then, fight me with everything you''ve got, while your friend over there struggles!" CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! CLAAAAASH! Frost''s gigantic Frozen Axe shed against Lucifer''s Infernal Scythe. Both weapons of opposite elements generated gigantic explosive shockwaves of frost and mes upon contact with one another, shaking the surroundings. Lucifer struggled to actuallynd a hit on Frost, however. Each time he was about to go for his head, his shoulders, his legs, or his arms. His shield would move incredibly quickly and block the attack. The only opportunity he had to ever damage him was when he was about to hit Lucifer with his Frozen Axe, which seemed a very high-quality weapon made entirely out of Divine Ice. "{Dark Moon}!" Lucifer quickly conjured several enormous spheres of darkness and death,unching them against Frost from afar. These were Dark Moon, a powerful Darkness and Death Attribute Spell capable of leveling entire cities, and a dozen were fired at once. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOMMM!!! Naturally, Frost utilized his shield and axe to either defend against them or sh them apart before they could ever reach Lucifer. The Dragon King''s eyes were growing more and more perceptive about his opponent''s movements. And any attack or damage that finally managed to slip through his defenses was quickly regeneratedpletely. Lucifer was growing frustrated, as he nced at Partner from afar, and finding her mming buildings after buildings, only for more soldiers to swarm her¡­ "Hahahaha¡­! It is truly impressive how powerful you two are! Your friend over there seems to be having a rather fun trip around my Kingdom!" He said. "However¡­ Can you truly destroy all of my Kingdom before I y you?" F L A A A S H! Frost''s entire body suddenly moved at an incredibly fast speed once more. His Mana fluctuated all around his body, it literally lifted him off the ground with utmost ease, using his own Domain to manipte the gravity around him. C L A A A A A S H! "That damn speed again! {zing Phantasmal Inferno}!" Lucifer roared, spinning his gigantic scythe and generating a spiraling tornado of phantasmal mes, engulfing Frost''s entire body with it and then intercepting his Axe attacks and throwing away his shield whenever he put it in front of him. CLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! "You''re strong and fast, you''re also quite powerful in defense as well! I could not have expected anything less from a Dragon King¡­" Frostughed. "However, even with your mes covering your body, you cannot escape the Endless Winter!" FLUOOOOOSH! Suddenly, the entire Domain began generating a powerful snowstorm all around the space, beginning to freeze everything and even turning off Lucifer''s mes, which quickly emerged once more. This constant loop ended weakening the mes slowly. "Unnkkhhh¡­! {Ancient Dragon''s Aura}! {Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception}!" FLASH! Lucifer''s third red-colored eye shone brightly, as he was finally able to see through Frost''s very soul. The reason why he didn''t used this skill before was due to the requirements it needed, which would exhaust him severely as a result¡­ nheless, as he saw through his death perception eye, he finally found it. Frost''s weakness! But his weakness was just¡­ "What?! This¡­ can''t be! You''re¡­?!" Lucifer felt shocked. "Hahahaha¡­ So you''ve figured it out? Well, it is a bit toote now!" Frost roared, unleashing consecutive attacks using his Frozen Axe! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! ----- Chapter 689 Saving The City Chapter 689 Saving The City ----- While Lucifer, Partner, Maria, and Emeraldine fought against two powerful Frost Commanders in the outskirts of the Dwarven Country, an intense battle was happening within the interior of the city. The walls were easily broken apart by the powerful Frost and Zero, and even as the two weren''t here anymore, their army of thousands of Winter Monsters and Ice Statue Soldiers quickly attempted to invade the city and get the job done for their masters. Maria andpany were unable topletely secure the city, as they had to fight these two Commanders before they were to make things even worse than they were already. However, it was not as if they didn''t had more allies. Upon the invasion, Aquamarine, Helga, and even Ruby gathered together with Brunhild, Takeshi, Laura, and Nyx. Ruby and Aquamarine used their authority, unifying with the rest of the Kings and her siblings, the other Counts and Viscounts to quickly mobilize more troops. The first wave of fighters and golems that had arrived has been almostpletely wiped out by now, and although many people were sessfully managing to escape and evacuate into the especially designed Emergency Underground Base below the city''s floor, many people were still trapped in between the frozen battlefield, while many soldiers were giving their lives to protect everyone else. "I cannot keep in here helping the people evacuate, I can do something more than this¡­!" Brunhild said. "Lucifer and Maria, and Partner and Emeraldine¡­! They''re fighting foes incredibly powerful! I need to go help them." "Wait, don''t go, please, Brunhild! You need to keep the city safe!" Ruby tried to stop her. "But¡­!" Brunhild gritted her teeth. Although Ruby''s request was selfish, protecting the people was something Brunhild always did by living in secret here. "Then at the very least, I''ll go to the frontlines and protect the lives of the soldiers there. My mes will easily wipe out the Snow Monsters and Ice Soldiers." FLASH! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Brunhild quickly grew two enormous draconic wings from her back using Polymorph magic, and took flight, reaching the frontlines, right where an intense battle between the armies of monsters and the dwarves was happening. "Auntie¡­" Nyx felt slightly saddened, as she looked at Brunhild desperately fly away and leave her behind. "Papa and mama, okay?" Takeshi and Laura felt slightly worried as well and answering the little dragon girl wasn''t going to be easy either. "They''re fighting now, I wish we could go help them but we''re already quite busy here¡­" Sighed Laura. "But our strength is still being wasted here!" Takeshi said angrily. "Children, you cannot go with them! You''ve fought at their side, yes, but these foes¡­ Those monsters that emerged, they''re not something you can possibly fight against." Aquamarine said, the old dwarfdy''s eyes were filled with wisdom. "Do not be fools and stay here¡­ Or at the very least, if you truly want to help us, defend the city with your abilities. You''re already recognized Adventurers and members of a Guild." "Then we can go!" Takeshi felt excited, wagging his tail around. "No, wait, but if we go¡­ Nyx will¡­" Laura muttered. "I am strong! I will fight!" Nyx said while pouting, freeing herself from Laura''s arms and then flying towards her auntie. "Auntieeee!" "W-Wait! Nyx!" Laura panicked, as she saw not only Nyx run into danger, but then Takeshi quickly after. "Takeshi too?! Agh, but¡­!" "Don''t worry, we''ll be fine. After all, we''ve got all these friends as well." Aquamarine said, pointing at the many skeletons and ghosts that Maria had summoned, which were protecting the people and leading them to safety, freeing them from copsed houses, and some even healed them with potions they carried that Maria had given to them previously. "We need more potions though!" FLASH! A Phantom Familiar of Maria appeared, resembling a tiny version of Maria. "Mama?! Nyx and Takeshi¡­!" Laura said. "I know, it is inevitable. But as long as they don''t go fight themanders its fine. I trust their strength at least. Laura, go watch their backs! I''ve got this covered." Maria said. "B-But¡­!" Laura was panicking. "You''re a grown-up girl. Stay near them and cover their backs with your powers." Maria said, giving her a head pat. "I ma currently busy doing a million things though, so please, do what you can as well." "I-I¡­ Alright!" Laura nodded, quickly beginning to run towards the walls, which were being swarmed by thousands of monsters. "Maria! Are you sure this is okay?" Asked Ruby. "Those kids are all incredibly strong. Compared to those three, those monsters are nothing." Maria said confidently, waving her hand as her Phantom Clone began producing dozens of potions through her Alchemy Recipe Book. POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! "Without Emeraldine to heal everyone here, we need as many potions as we can! Everyone, quickly grab them and distribute them to the people that need them, hurry!" Maria quickly handled the potions to the many skeletons around. She had made sure to summon skeletons, as they were less frightening than zombies, who were rotting and falling apart. Ghosts were also useful as they could walk past obstacles, easily helping them detect people trapped inside of rubble and helping them by moving the rubble from the inside out. "Ooooh!" "Leave it to us!" "Yeessssss¡­!" "Hurry, bring this one to that child over thereeeeeee!" "Aaaahhhh, potions!" "Don''t drink them idiot!" Some were dumber than others depending in the souls, but the majority obeyed her really well, distributing everythingpletely as the situation was being handled well, although the panic and destruction was inevitable, everyone was doing everything they could to minimize damage. And it wasn''t as if the dwarves were not doing anything either, they were all sacrificing their lives to hold on the monstersing to the city, while the nobles mobilized their own personal troops to help the people evacuate. "ROOOOOAAAARRRR!" The roar of the ferocious Brunhild echoed around the city, as her mes quickly engulfed a hundred monsters swarming the city''s entrance into a zing inferno! FLUOOOOSH! ----- Chapter 690 Brunhild, The Guardian Of The Mountain Chapter 690 Brunhild, The Guardian Of The Mountain ----- Ferocious Giant Pr Bears, enormous packs of Frost Wolves, and even their more dangerous evolutions appeared one after another, swarming the Dwarven City, and of course, apanied by powerful and tall Soldiers made of Ice. Unlike the wild monsters they were intelligent and coordinated their attacks. They left the monsters to spread chaos while they attacked together the giant golemsmanded by the dwarves, slowly freezing them, and making them fall before killing anybody piloting them mercilessly. "AAAGH! You damn bastards! Leave our country alone! DIE!!!" A group of furious dwarvesmanded enormous, five-meter-tall humanoid golems, firing gigantic missiles and bullets using guns simr to gatling guns. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Gigantic Pr Bears fell one after the other, and so the massive swarms of Yetis and Frost Wolves, filled with holes made by the bullets of the dwarves'' golems. However, as these monsters fell, stronger ones, some even around B Rank began to surge from behind the corpses. "GRUOOOOHHHH!" "T-That''s¡­! A Tyrant Pr Bear King?!" "AWOOOO!" "And that''s a pack of Giant Permafrost Wolves?! How are those damn things here?!" "SHAAAAAHHH!!!" "A-A gigantic Winter Snake Queen ising closer!" As the swarms of hundreds of lower ranked monsters were being eliminated, the strongest of them, above B Rank in power, easily devastated the golems and froze everything on their step,manded by the Ice Soldiers, the forces of the Dwarven Country were being diminished quickly. In less than an hour from now, the entire Country might end up falling against the power of B Rank monsters and above, even as much as they struggled, their technology had yet to achieve enough power to hurt these behemothspletely. Even less when they were receiving boosts to all of their stats thanks to the Frost Queen having tamed them all. "Damn it! FUCK!" A red-bearded dwarf roared, as he continued shooting at a gigantic bear of over ten meters of height, its thick fur simply made the bullets and missiles bounce off its skin, as its gigantic ws already threw away several golems out of its way. "GRUOOOHHHHH!" SLAAAASH! The furious Tyrant Pr Bear King swung his massive ws, about to sh the dwarf into pieces! BOOOOOOOMMMM!!!! An enormous, zing explosion engulfed the entire Tyrant Pr Bear King, burning the beast into a crisp and making it fall over the floor, motionlessly. "Huh?! I-I am not dead?!" The red-haired dwarf felt shocked when he noticed an even more terrifying monster emerged from the skies. It was a giant, red scaled dragon! "ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!" "A-A Dragon?!" "How?!" "Why?!" "Thins are only going to get worse now¡­!" The dwarves panicked, many began to step back in fear of the gigantic behemoth, which quickly red back at them, piercing their hearts with its ferocious and powerful eyes. "Do not fear, I am in your side." However, the voice of a gentle young woman echoed inside their minds. "T-This is telepathy?!" "That dragon can talk!" "She''s¡­ in our side?!" The dragon nodded, as she swung her ws and destroyed another two more B Rank monsters as if they were mere insects, mming them into the floor and sttering their bodies into bloody pieces. "My name is Brunhild, and I am the Guardian of this Mountain. I''ve been watching and protect the country ording to your First King''s contract. And I do not n to go against that promise." Brunhild''s eyes shed with mes, as within her pupils, many dwarves noticed a strong sense of emotions within her heart and her telepathic voice. "Your Ancient King was someone I deeply loved, and so, I will protect the city he loved so much." She said valiantly, the dwarves felt touched by her emotional words. "ROOOOOAAAAARRRR!" Brunhild roared ferociously, her roar shook the entire mountain. But it wasn''t a mere roar, it was a special Skill an Ancient Dragon such as her possessed, {Ancient Dragon''s Intimidation}! "Awoooo!" "Graahhhh?!" "Shaaahh¡­!" "Nieeegh!" The many Snow Monsters, from Pr Bears, Frost Wolves, Winter Snakes, and even Ice Unicorns felt intimidated by Brunhild''s ferocious roar, their entire bodies went stiff, and they all feel paralyzed, even those within the B Rank realm of strength couldn''t make any bold moves, an innate fear against a being so superior to them consumed their very hearts. "Now, attack them! I''ve weakened them! Hurry!" Brunhildmanded the dwarves. "Alright then! MEN! SHOOT!" All the golems quickly started firing their guns, missiles, and magic beams once more, sting the weakened and intimidated monsters before they could even react. firepower, and granted the Fire Attribute affinity and power to their attacks and weapons as well, their explosive missiles and bullets left BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! "{zing Enhancement}! {Fire Weapon Enhancement}!" Brunhild quickly blessed all dwarves with powerful buffs that enhanced their firepower, and granted the Fire Attribute affinity and power to their attacks and weapons as well, their explosive missiles and bullets left even bigger zing infernos behind, easily beginning to melt the ice spread everywhere around them. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOMMM!!! As Brunhild watched everything being caught into an inferno, she continued fighting the powerful B Rank Monsters, her powerful tail pierced their bodies a dozen times, leaving holes everywhere, her zing breath burned them to a crisp, and her ws shed them or crushed them into pieces over the floor. She also started chasing the sneaky Ice Soldiers, crushing their armies, and shattering them all into pieces, and then melting them into just water that quickly evaporated. She was quickly cleaning the area and pushing the monsters further and further away from the entrance, without many of them slipping her guard either, as she conjured a zing domain of mes, burning anything that she recognized as a foe and protecting her weaker allies. "The frontlines are finally stable, but the city is still in chaos, a few hundred monsters have spread all around the streets¡­" Brunhild muttered in anger. "I simply cannot be everywhere, and Maria''s mass produced Undead cannot take care of these stronger monsters boosted by the Frost Queen¡­! Could Laura and Takeshi do something? Or perhaps¡­ Nyx? Wait, Nyx?!" Brunhild opened her eyes wide as she saw the little Nyx flying directly towards her! "Auntieeeee! I will fight!" "Wait, Nyx, this ce is too dangerous for you!" TRUUUUMMMMM¡­! And just as she said these words, the walls began to tremble, as a titanic monster starteding inside the city. "ROOOOOOAAAARRR!" "Wait, what?! That''s¡­!" ----- Chapter 691 Confronting A Divine Frost Dragon! Chapter 691 Confronting A Divine Frost Dragon! ----- n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om C L A A A A S H! Gigantic ws emerge from outside of the walls, as a creature covered on shin silver and clear blue scales resembling crystals set its golden eyes into the city. It quickly entered the battlefield, opening the walls furiously and freezing everything on its path. "ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!" It roared with a ferocious, terrifying roar so simr to Brunhild that it sent a chill down the spine of all the dwarves. They immediately knew this monster wasn''t an ally unlike Brunhild. And that this¡­ was also a being simr to her. "You''re a Dragon?!" Brunhild felt shocked, her eyes met the ferocious beast in front of her. It was a gigantic Ice Dragon, his entire scales were covered on ice crystals, it had two enormous wings over its shoulders, and four strong and muscr limbs, with sharp ws capable of shredding through anything, just as they shredded the already destroyed walls and opened them even more than before. The Dragon had two sharp golden eyes, and a long ice horn growing from his forehead. It was slightly smaller than Brunhild, and less regal-looking, yet it seemed intelligent and conscious, ncing at her back, and not stepping upon meeting her eyes¡­ "I knew it! I felt something within the outside and came down just to see what it was¡­ To think there''s a second dragon within these mountains¡­" He spoke with a tenebrous and rather malicious sounding voice. "You''re an Ancient Dragon." Brunhild felt surprised. "I''ve lived here for so long yet I have NEVER seen your face before! Who are you?!" "Heh, of course you have not seen my face before!" Laughed the Ice Dragon, his golden eyes glowing brightly. "I am an even older Dragon than the ones that settled down in these mountains. I was once given the task to protect my goddess'' dungeon, but was betrayed by the very gods and sealed with her treasures. M y name is Valkoinen, the Embodiment of Blizzards, and former Servant of Lady Skadi, now, I serve the Frost Queen!" "Valkoinen?!" Brunhild finally remembered this dragon''s name once she heard it. The dragon''s origins went from the very ancient times where Gods stepped over the world. Skadi had three Dragons that protected her, they were her children, which she adopted from their mother, the Primordial Ice Dragon, Nifl. Amongst them, the youngest was Valkoinen, the Embodiment of the Blizzard. It was said that he was given the task of guarding her Castle and her riches from any intruders, be it enemies or allies. Yet¡­ once the Age of the Gods came to an end and the Gods and Titans War finally concluded, Skadi went to the Heavens, leaving the Dragons behind. What happened with the other two is a mystery to Brunhild, but she knew that Valkoinen was the most loyal, staying inside of his master''s castle for eons, waiting for her, only to never return. Eventually, once the Era of Chaos happened and the War God Tyr fell and became the Evil God, Chaos and Miasma spread around the world and created Dungeons¡­ The hidden Castle of Skadi ended turning into a dungeon, trapping Valkoinen inside. Brunhild easily connected the dots, quickly realizing this powerful Ancient Dragon must have been unsealed from his eternal prison inside of Skadi''s Tower Castle after the Frost Queen acquired the Crown of Skadi! This Dragon, even as weakened as he is now after being sealed for so long, would still be strong enough topare with Frost and Zero, even without holding any Divine Artifact. "I am one of the Frost Queen''s Frost Generals. And I havee as the backup n to make sure this city is destroyed even if Zero and Frost fail to do so." He said with a powerful voice. "Now, move aside! I am not here to fight my kin. If you retreat from this battle, I might even tell my Queen to make you one of our allies." "What?!" Brunhild reacted with even more irritation, holding on Nyx with her giant ws. "Think about it! Don''t let your stupidity cloud your judgement." Said the Ice Dragon. "Why would you want to protect these pathetic vermin, lower than insects? They''re nothing to care for! Once we finally freeze Midgard, and then the entire world of Yggdrasil, the Gods themselves will have to recognize us, we might even be Gods as well! Don''t you realize that it is futile to fight against my Queen?! The Fimbulwinter, the Eternal Winter, will consume everything!" "I never thought a Dragon¡­ My own kin, would ever say such insane words. I thought wrong. I always imagined other Ancient Dragons would be wise and have some brain cells like I and my brother do¡­ But I suppose I waspletely wrong." Brunhild sighed. "Valkoinen! Have you not forgotten that you''re a Dragon?! By doing this, you''re going to betray our own family! Remember the Dragon''s Will, our Primordial Mothers!" "I don''t give a damn about that!" Valkoinen roared back, freezing his surroundings. "My mother abandoned me and I was raised by another damned woman that abandoned me just the same as her! Do you truly believe I care about the "Dragon''s Will"?! I am my own person, and I¡­ will do as I please!" F L A A A A S H! Valkoinen unleashed a powerful, freezing aura around his body, shaking his surroundings and bringing an incredibly cold wind everywhere, blizzard filling the city! "If you stand in front of my path, then I will tear you apart with my ws! ROOOOAAAAARRR!" Valkoinen had no intentions to reason with Brunhild, leaping ferociously towards her and swinging his ws against her face! S L A A A A S H! S L A A A A S H! "[Draconic Arts]: {Infernal Dragon Meteor}!!!" Brunhild''s fists were engulfed by infernal dragon mes, as they reached Valkoinen, shing against his attacks and generating countless shockwaves of mes, resembling falling meteors! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! ----- Chapter 692 The Ones That Recklessly Want To Help Chapter 692 The Ones That Recklessly Want To Help ----- Within the city, Takeshi and Laura continued running across the streets. Laura was desperately trying to catch up with the mischievous Takeshi, but he was running rapidly. "Takeshi! Wait!" "Laura I need to help Brunhild! We need to protect the city!" "I know but do you have to run away from me so desperately?!" "I am just tired of being ordered around by you, you''re not my mom or something¡­!" "W-What''s gotten into you out of the sudden?! Stop being such a child!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Ugh, see? This is why I am getting tired of you!" As the twins continued discussing while rushing into the battlefield. Countless of monsters began chasing them down, quickly detecting therge quantities of Mana. Before they realized it¡­ "I told you to just leave me ALONE!" Takeshi said. "I WON''T! You''re my brother and I will stand at your side even if you dislike it!" Laura angrily said. "AWOOOOO!" "GROOARR!" "SHAAAAHH!!!" "Huh?!" Over a hundred monsters, most of the ones spread around the city reached them. The rich quantities of Miasma they emanated from their Demonite Cores attracted the monsters, which ended saving a lot of people beyond their reach. "Why are we suddenly surrounded by monsters?! We''ve not even at the walls yet¡­" Takeshi felt surprised. "Dummy! I told you to not do a ruckus!" Sighed Laura. "Our Demonite Heart Cores emanate Miasma around, don''t you remember? Monsters are naturally attracted to this¡­" "R-Right¡­" Takeshi''s red eyes felt surprised, opening wide. "RAAAAARRRR!" The monsters roared, seeing the children as tasty treats that could even help them evolve if they devoured them. Monsters felt naturally attracted to Miasma, Demonite was also a special Crystal that grew out of crystalized Miasma or Chaos, the purest form was the one extracted from Evil God Fragments, which was what made the twin''s Hearts back then when they were being created as "lifeforms capable of living and utilizing miasma". Now freed from the Vampires that created them and desired to use them as ves, the children had been growing with Maria''s love and all her family, making themselves a great part of their lives. And slowly, over the months and even years, they have developed stronger wills, skills, and their levels have gone up severely, evolving and growing stronger. They''re certainly not the same defenseless children than before, and their discussion just now, although harshly, showed their mental growth and more developed wills and personalities. "They''reing, stay behind me, Takeshi." "I can defend myself on my own, sis!" Laura and Takeshi gave each other''s backs, as they summoned their magic and Unique Skills, which they have been polishing through all this time. "{Fisherman}!" Takeshi said, taking out a beautiful, brown-colored stick finely crafted using high quality wood, which quickly transformed into a big, silver-colored fishing rod. The fishing hook quickly flew around, piercing the ground as if any solid object were water itself, and then reaching high, wrapping around several wolves, bears, snakes, and even other critters! "GRAAAGGH?!" "AWOOO!" "SHAAAH?!" The monsters felt surprised, as they struggled to free themselves, only for Takeshi to smile, forcing his fishing rod''s thread to tighten up and then¡­! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! All the monsters were sliced apart by the enormously hard fishing threads wrapping around them! Blood sttered everywhere, a dozen or more monsters were gone in an instant. "RAAAARRRGH!" Arger, Frost Wolf Pack Leader leaped to battle Laura, opening its enormous jaws to unleash a powerful blizzard attack! However, Laura grabbed a small stone from her pouch and sent it straight inside the wolf''s open maws. "Thank you for opening them for me. {Detonation}!" "G R A H?!" B O O O O O O M M M M!!! The wolf was unable to realize its mistake until it felt its stomach zing with mes and then exploding into pieces alongside the rest of the monster''s body. Laura swiftly conjured explosive mes around her, sting away any other monster that got closer, while those that managed to get near the twins were caught by Takeshi''s fishing rod, and quickly sliced apart or had their hearts pierced by the rod''s hook. The twins made quick work of the monsters, blowing them into bits and finally reaching the battlefield by following Nyx that was flying on top of the skies about to reach her aunt. "Mama appeared using one of her Phantom Clones and said we had to protect the city, so I just followed you because of that, not to stop you." Laura said. "I-Is that so¡­? See? I was right in going to fight then!" Takeshi said childishly. "You still shouldn''t had recklessly ran! What if I wouldn''t had been there to protect you from the monsters?" Laura sighed. "You didn''t protected me! I protected myself¡­" Takeshi said while getting slightly irritated. "Nyx should have already arrived. We can''t see her on top of the sky anymore- Huh?!" Laura was suddenly shocked, as she saw something out of her mind. It was a gigantic battle between two ferocious dragons! They easily recognized Brunhild, but had no idea who that blue and silver colored dragon could be, and how strong it could be to be capable of withstanding Brunhild''s zing firepower so easily. "Nyx! Come here!" Laura called for Nyx, as the little girl was watching the battle in the skies. "Waura!" Nyx flew back to the twins and was hugged by Laura. "Why did you escape like this Nyx?!" Laura was worried, hugging her tightly. "And just what''s going on right now?!" "Big dragon¡­ showed up¡­ Volkanion¡­ or something." Nyx tried to recall the Ice Dragon name, failing quite miserably at that. "An Ice Dragon showed up?! That Frost Queen got an army of monsters with her¡­" Takeshi muttered. "Is Brunhild struggling though? She doesn''t look like she''s winning¡­" "I don''t know, but we have to help her out somehow¡­" Laura said. Pointing her hand at the Ice Dragon and firing a tiny pebble at it. "{Detonation}!" BOOOOOOMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 693 The Game Of The Gods Chapter 693 The Game Of The Gods ----- Within the Heavenly Realm of Asgard, many deities showed their concern of what was happening in the surface. The weather in the surface has be an Eternal Winter out of the sudden, and not only the entirety of Midgard was being affected, but the Winter started to expand everywhere else, freezing the oceans and reaching the faraway Continents of Alfheim, Muspelheim, Vanaheim, and more. "What is going on?! I thought that Ice Giant that got the relic of Skadi didn''t had enough power to bring the Fimbulwinter to Yggdrasil!" Panicked the God of Nature, Freyr. "Odin! Did you do this?!" Asked Freyja, the sister of Freyr and the second Goddess in charge of the Vanaheim and Alfheim Continents. Odin remained in silence while looking at a sphere made of divine crystal that showed what was happening in the surface. "It had to be done. Without this enormous power, how could we have ever found a way to destroy that walking taboo?" Odin said with a sharp smile. "Do not worry, once she is dealt with, we shall take away all of the powers belonging to the Frost Queen. Isn''t that right, Skadi? After all, all of this was your idea. I hope it goes as intended." "W-Wha¡­?!" Skadi felt shocked. Odin, the King of Gods was ming all of this to her now. "But King Odin you were the one of the idea¡­!" "How can you lie so shamelessly in front of my father?!" Roared Thor, his lightning beginning to crackle furiously. "Do you have a death wish?! I wouldn''t mind bringing you the same fate that your siblings and your father went through." "Y-You¡­!" Skadi gritted her teeth; fury was quickly beginning to growrger andrger as her eyes seemed filled with killing intent. She nced back at the gods, but none wanted to help her, even those that trusted her knew they could do little about this. N?v(el)B\\jnn However, there were some gods in almost equal footing to Odin himself. "Odin, you despicable liar!" Freyja roared. "Stop ming this to Skadi when it is as clear as water that you med this to her. Did you force her to do this?!" "I can see that Skadi would never do this by herself, we know her way more than you do." Freyr said with a dignified look. "You''ve forced her to grant the Frost Queen her Divine Protection, amplifying her powers, isn''t it?" "Heh, Hahaha! What sort of ridiculous jokes are you two talking about, I would never¡­" Odin said with a smile. "Come on, it is not like anybody here has done anything bad yet! Once that monster is deal with, the Fimbulwinter will stop and everything shall go to the peace and quiet you Vanir Gods love so much." Skadi sighed, ncing back at the siblings. "Thank you for standing for me, but it''s fine¡­" Skadi sighed. "I have to bear responsibility for this at the end¡­" "Skadi¡­" Freyr sighed. "Odin¡­ If things don''t go as you say, we won''t simply keep sitting down any longer." "Hoh? But what exactly do you mean by that, my dear Freyr?" Asked Odin. "You know what it means." Freyja said. Thor and the rest of Odin''s children squinted their eyes against the bold Vanir Gods. The two siblings knew they were in a disadvantage if they ever were to fight Odin''s entire family, but it wasn''t as if they had families of their own. "You''re hrious." Odinughed. "Let us see for now how this Scenario ys out. After all, the will of the gods is divine, and it will be done as we desire." Odin looked at Maria struggling and fighting, while all her friends did the same. And the entire of the Dwarven Country within Midgard suffering from the invasion. "Let''s see how you can handle this now." ¡­ Meanwhile, at the other side of the world, within the Underworld where Death resided, there were many Deities that had died, and some that were born here. Amongst them all, the Queen of all Dead, Hel, was biting her nails while ncing what was happening through a crystal ball. "T-This is¡­! That damn Skadi! Is she the one influencing the Frost Queen to hasten her attack against Midgard?!" Wondered Hel. "And she''s specifically targeting the Dwarven Country and Maria!" "Could it be that she''s not specifically targeting the Dwarven Country nor Maria, but was forced to?" Wondered an enormous ck wolf, Fenrir. "Skadi is a very peaceful deity. It would be extremely weird if she decided to suddenly hurt big sister''s divinely protected for no reason¡­" A gigantic snake spoke, Jormungandr. "Yeah, I agree, probably that Odin¡­" Fenrir said. "Hel, didn''t you said that you had a talk with him, and father showed up?" "Indeed, but that''s¡­ Could Odin have somehow convinced or forced Skadi to do this to indirectly target and kill Maria?" Sighed Hel. "That damn bastard of an old man¡­ Does he truly desires to kill my Divinely Protected at all costs?!" Hel began gripping her fists furiously, as her powerful aura began surging out of her body, reaching the entirety of the Underworld and shaking everything. "And not only that, mdy." An Underworld Deity spoke, a tall skeleton wearing armor, which was actually one of Hel''s most loyal servants. "It appears the Church of the Light God is joining forces with the Frost Queen''s army and charging a second attack to her own home, where the ruins of the Ancient Demon Kingdom remain¡­" After hearing that, Hel almost snapped out. Her entire face distorted in pure fury, as she began to channel her divine powers, and preparing to create a brand new Divine Protection. "Fine. If you''re going so far... Then let''s y nasty, you desperate old man." Hel said, looking into the ceiling of the Underworld. Her divine powers quickly connected to one of the many Dungeons across the world, reaching a nest filled with gigantic ck spiders and led by a powerful, yet small and innocent-looking little girl. "Mama and her friends are in danger? Nn! I''ll help!" ----- Chapter 694 The Witch of Eternal Winters Unsealed Powers Chapter 694 The Witch of Eternal Winter''s Unsealed Powers ----- As Maria''s allies confronted the other Frost Generals, Maria and Emeraldine were fighting Zero, the powerful Witch of Winter that was sealed for thousands of years ago by an Ancient Hero. Spending her entire life sealed, and now finally freed by the Frost Queen, she couldn''t wait for anything else than to fight and show the world her resentment and anger, her endless hate against everyone else for having wronged her, for treating her like a witch, a monster. She fought Maria, unleashing her powerful magic and enjoying the fight, but a little and pesky elf woman was constantly firing at her powerful Fire Magic Arrows. These spells were strong as well, as the arrows pierced through her soul and slowly weakened her more and more. As strong as the witch of winter was, she was incapable of healing soul wounds, and these were already beginning to take effect on her strength, while slowly making her more irritated "You damn bitch! Why do you dare get in the way of my amazing fight against Maria! She belongs to me! She''s only mine to fight and kill!!!" She roared furiously, pointing her winds against Emeraldine. "DIEEEE!" "{Mystical Moon Phase Circle}!" However, in front of Zero, a ring of beautiful moons changing phases emerged, as they started to absorb her magic continuously while rotating around beautifully! It was Maria, she had appeared right before her after being mmed into the floor by her. "What?! You''ve already regenerated?!" Zero mistakenly believed that Maria would be knocked out for a while if her soul was shattered into pieces. But unlike her, Maria''s entire body was just her soul, and after evolving for so long, it has gained an insane level of resilience that only grew bigger as she absorbed Thor''s Divine Spirit Vessel. Zero''s face distorted in shock as she saw Maria reemerged from all her pieces, reforming herself in mere seconds into her glorious and beautiful Titaness shape! Her powerful and prideful presence sent shivers down the Witch''s spine. "Here, I think you lost this, have it back!" F L A A A A A A S H! Her rotating moon mirrors unleashed the attack that Zero sent to Emeraldine, as spiraling typhoons of darkness, lightning, and ck ice began to engulf Zero into an endless storm of darkness! B O O O O O O M M M M M!!!! "Uuuaagggh¡­! C-Curse you and your damn Titan Powers!" Zero began losing her patience, as she fell into the ground. The enormous explosion damaged her even more, but it wasn''t as if she was done for yet. She channeled her magical powers as her [Leviathan''s Divine Ne] started to shine brightly, Frost Divine Power started overflowing from within it and her very body absorbed it. Her long hair turned dark blue and her eyes glowed with a clear blue color, countless tattoos resembling snowkes emerged across her skin. "I guess I''ll have to release more of the seals within my body¡­!" She said with a smile. "This is just the beginning!" Sheughed. Ding! [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] has unsealed her Second Seal! Her True Powers are surging in¡­!] [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] has unsealed her Third Seal! Her True Powers emerging even more wildly!] [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] has unsealed her Fourth Seal! Her True Powers are transforming and her body is undergoing evolution!] Frost and winds began gathering around her, generating freezing lightning and constantly beginning to change the weather more and more. An entire Blizzard was summoned in mere seconds, as she channeled her powers and unleashed them against Maria and Emeraldine "{Fimbulwinter Blizzard}!" N?v(el)B\\jnn FLUOOOOOOOSH! "Emeraldine!" Maria quickly moved towards Emeraldine and also Francesco who was helping her by temporarily possessing her bow, using her enormous hands to protect them both from the massive blizzard attack! BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM¡­! The power that was unleashed was tremendous, but Maria''s several new Skills, mostly those rted with her new Titaness side started to react powerfully, enchanting her defensive powers in exchange for thousands of Mana per second and many Moonlight Essence quantities! The Moon Lily that grew inside of her Spirit Realm Soul Scape and the various other skills granting her Moonlight Essence were barely enough. The Selene''s Ring she was holding supplied her with a tiny bit more of Moonlight Essence, but that was only every hour, and the battle has barelysted ten minutes. If she continued at the phase as of right now, where she had spent over half of her current Moonlight Essence quantities, before the next hour would arrive, she would run out of this essential power that granted her divine abilities, the only thing capable of fighting back against another S Rank being such as Zero. "Aahahahah¡­ HAHAHAHA!" Zeroughed, constantly conjuring more and more Blizzards against Maria and Emeraldine. "I know you can reflect attacks, but that got to have a cost, isn''t it?! I do wonder how long can you continue taking this much damage? I am no magician for naught! I know that Divine Beings such as you need special energies to channel their special abilities. And I am fairly sure your Moonlight Magic requires the same! How about I exhaust you out of it?! Don''t worry, just sit down, and rx, dear~! It''ll be over quickly!" Zero continued attacking with all her strength. After merely unsealing three of her current seals, her magic power and abilities skyrocketed in strength. Maria and Emeraldine were struggling to survive her onught. "This damn bitch is infuriating! But she''s not wrong¡­" Maria sighed. "I will run out of Moonlight Essence before we can even kill her." "Maria! Don''t forget that we are here as well!" Emeraldine said. "That''s right mdy!" Francesco said. "There should be a way to overpower her, we need to work together." "Work together¡­ Right." Maria realized something. "Come, get inside of my soul! Maria said." Ding! [You''ve exchanged 250000 System Points!] [You learned the [Divine Soul Connection: Lv1] Skill!] ----- Chapter 695 [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] Chapter 695 [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] ----- Ding! [You''ve exchanged 250000 System Points!] [You learned the [Divine Soul Connection: Lv1] Skill!] N?v(el)B\\jnn [The [Spirit Connection: Lv5] Skill has automatically merged with [Divine Soul Connection: Lv1]!] [The [Divine Soul Connection: Lv1] Skill has evolved into [Divine Spirit Soul Connection: Lv5] Skill!] ----- [Divine Spirit Soul Connection: Lv5] A Divine Skill that can only be learned by powerful Divine Beings capable of connecting with their contract Spirits souls, and also that of their allies, be it spirits or other types of entities. Upon Connecting with a Spirit or an Ally, the user and the target share senses, thoughts, and perhaps even memories. Elemental Affinities and Divine Powers are melded together and the power of the user is enhanced greatly. While activating Spirit Connection with a designed Target, All Stats increase by +250%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Divine Skills, Divinities, and Divine Magic Powers and Effects increase by +150% with an additional increase of +25% with each Skill Level, and MP and Divine Essences Consumption decreases by -50% with an additional -10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, powerful Spirit Magic Spells and Divine Spells can be conjured, unique to the user and the designated Target. Limit of how many targets can be connected at the same time is 1 + each Skill Level. Connecting with too many targets at the same time can consumerge quantities of Mana or Divine Essences, and greatly exhaust the connected allies. A long cooldown will be issued whenever the Skill is used too much, to guarantee the user''s survival. ----- "Now this is what I call a freaking upgrade." Maria smiled. She had realized she couldn''t save her System Points leisurely anymore, and immediately purchased a powerful Skill she had been eyeing for a while, which miraculously merged with another existing one, evolving it and also letting it gain five additional levels! "Now¡­ {Divine Spirit Soul Connection}!" Maria said, quickly activating the Skill. FLAAAASH! Suddenly, two ck and purple threads emerged from the depths of her soul and connected with Emeraldine and Francesco, as their power suddenly started flowing towards her own, and vice versa. Their powerful elemental auras started overflowing andbining together even better than before. "Maria, what is this sensation?" Emeraldine panicked for a bit. "It is so fuzzy¡­!" "This is the power of mdy!" Francesco proimed. "Mdy, we should do Spirit Fusion as well!" "We can''t, Emeraldine is not a Spirit and- Wait a second." Maria''s eyes opened wide. "Emeraldine, do you have the Spirit Fusion Skill, right?" "I do?" Emeraldine said. "Wait, what are you nning?!" "Fuse with me and Francesco!" Maria said with a smile, her eyes shining bright red. "I-I don''t know if I could this is¡­!" BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! The blizzards continued emerging and exploding one after the other, they resembled bombs made of storms, as Zero continued freeing everything. Maria''s titan-like body started to freeze while protecting Elfina. "Hahahaha! What are you waiting for?! Are you no longer interested on fighting me? Have you give up, or are you perhaps nning to escape?" Zeroughed. "Come on¡­ {Divine Blizzard Dragon}!" FLUOOOSH! A gigantic mass of storms, winds, ice, and freezing lightning gathered together, suddenly taking the shape of a gigantic serpentine dragon which roared furiously, quickly descending upon Maria''s frozen body! BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!! The body shattered into pieces, leaving only the remains of a frozen statue without actually any soul behind. Zeroughed, thinking she had defeated them. "Hahahah¡­ HAHAHAHA! So that was all of it?! I guess a recently evolved S Rank can''t hope to fathom this power. Aaahh~ Soon, the Fimbulwinter will cover the entire world! A new Era is soon toe-" "Well, this certainly feels amazing." "HUH?!" Zero realized it a bit toote, but right behind her, the elf woman she despised so much emerged, her eyes suddenly shining bright red as mes came out of her hair, which had turnedpletely orange and red. Her dress changed into one made of phantasmal mes, and her skin seemed slightly pale, as if she was a ghost. Countless markings resembling darkness, moon, and mes grew over her skin, and even a pair of long ck horns grew from her forehead, alongside a third, red eye. "What¡­?! The Elf?!" Zero couldn''t believe it. That elf that had been attacking her from afar was way too weak and pathetic for her to even amount to anything than a long ranged attacker. Yet¡­ she suddenly changed so much, her aura of darkness, mes, and nature itself overflowed so strongly it seemed as if all her surroundings were distorting into her Divine Domain. Ding! [You have sessfully undergone [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] and [Spirit Fusion] with [High Spirit Elf: Emeraldine (A+ Rank)] and [Infernal zing Ghost: Francesco (B+ ++ Rank)]!] [As a result of the fusion, all of your stats have temporarily converged together, additionally, many bonuses increasing these stats even further have been activated!] [However, due to the instability of this fusion, the limit time has decreased to 5 Minutes] Magical Weapons converged together through divine power, as her bow changed, transforming into a gigantic red and ck bow floating in midair right in front of her. Ding! [The power of the Divine Weapons have reacted to thebined souls, temporarily fusing into the Special Divine Relic {Divine Titan Bow of Muspelheim: Surtr}!] [The power of the Special Divine Relic is reacting to the fused souls magic and divine essences!] "{Infernal Phantom mes Arrow Rain}" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The enormous divine bow suddenly summoned hundreds of red-colored magic circles, as the weapon mercilessly unleashed an endless rain of zing Arrows, shaping themselves as demonic beasts and ferocious dragons, and impacting Zero''s entire Divine Domain of Blizzards, and her entire body as well! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! "T-This is impossible! Howe you¡­ fused?!" Zero desperately attempted to evade the arrow rain, using countless shields made of blizzards, winds and ice, she evaded a few, only giving more time for her foe to draw closer. FLAAASH! Emeraldine and Maria reached her in an instant, resembling a gigantic fireball as they pointed their Divine Bow at point nk into Zero''s face! "You''re a bit too slow, aren''t you?" "Ungh?!" ----- Chapter 696 An Incredible Fusion! Chapter 696 An Incredible Fusion! ----- Ding! [You have sessfully undergone [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] and [Spirit Fusion] with [High Spirit Elf: Emeraldine (A+ Rank)] and [Infernal zing Ghost: Francesco (B+ ++ Rank)]!] [As a result of the fusion, all of your stats have temporarily converged together, additionally, many bonuses increasing these stats even further have been activated!] [However, due to the instability of this fusion, the limit time has decreased to 5 Minutes] [The power of the Divine Weapons have reacted to thebined souls, temporarily fusing into the Special Divine Relic {Divine Titan Bow of Muspelheim: Surtr}!] [The power of the Special Divine Relic is reacting to the fused souls magic and divine essences!] Maria, Elfina, and Francesco fused together through Maria''s new Skills and theirbined Spirit Fusion Skills, ultimately creating a fiery elven woman with the personalities of both Maria and Emeraldine, and an immense amount of power due to theirbined, and further boosted stats and skills! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! While Zero intercepted, defended, and evaded the powerful rain of zing Arrows shaped into infernal beasts and dragons, she began wondering howe things turned this way out of the blue! However, she simply had little time to even think about that. FLAAASH! Emeraldine and Maria reached her in an instant, resembling a gigantic fireball as they pointed their Divine Bow at point nk into Zero''s face! "You''re a bit too slow, aren''t you?" "Ungh?! Dammit!" Zero waved her hands as she generated a Divine Barrier made out of her powers and the divine essence of her Divine Relic, attempting to shield herself from whatever they were going to bring out. "{Infernal Phantom me Arrows}!" However, it was the simplest ofbined spells, which began hitting Zero''s barrier constantly like a gatling gun. They didn''t even need to aim using this amazing divine bow, as it generated divine magic arrows out of their own power and aimed with incredible uracy, with an explosive firepower even more devastating at point nk! BOOOM! Crack¡­! BOOOM! Crack, crack! BOOOOM! CRACK! BOOOOOMMM!!! CRAAASH! Four shots was what it took to easily destroy Zero''s Divine Barrier, which happened in just a single second. She didn''t even had time to evade as the mes of the fusion''s Divine Aura engulfed her into a cage! "{Divine Infernal Phantom Jail}!" FLUOOOOSH! "E-Eh?! I am trapped?!" Zero continued unleashing her winds and ice, but it was futile, they were easily overpowered by the divine mes, as they began to burn her skin and her flesh, constantly consuming her. "UUUAAGGGGH! GYYAAAAAHHHHH!!!" But that wasn''t all, the minds of Emeraldine and Maria worked together wonderfully as they pointed their temporary divine bow weapon at her and then started shooting countless arrows at her while Zero was being burned alive! "{Consecutive Divine zing Missiles}!" The arrows resembled missiles from Earth, an idea that Maria herself had, as they reached Zero even faster than normal arrow-shaped magic projectiles, blowing up constantly, endless zing explosions began covering the skies. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM!!! The powerful zing heat melted the ice below and above, as the skies slowly started to clear up from the ck clouds covering it all! "GYAAAAAHHHHH¡­!" Zero agonized in pain, as she quickly fell into the melted rocky floor of the mountains, her entire body roasted alive and she was barely breathing, yet somehow she was still alive¡­ "Unnnggh¡­ Y-Youuu¡­!" "Ah¡­!" Seeing the Snow Elf burned alive and suffering, Emeraldine suddenly flinched, as Zero''s state made her remember her own state after being enved, and the suffering she went through. "We have to kill her right away, Emeraldine!" Maria said, quickly waking her up. "Ah, right¡­!" Emeraldine quickly snapped out of it. But it was a bit toote. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Several seals set over Zero''s entire body began to be undone, as her wounds were coveredpletely on ice and quickly regenerated, restoring her beauty only for her attributes to be enhanced even more. Her long hair became silver and her eyes turned gold. Her skin became even bluer than before, gaining more divine tattoos around her body that represented the seals she broke. Her eyes began shining brightly, and they resembled those of a reptile, no longer an elf anymore. A scaled tail grew in her back, and her dress continued growing longer, resembling blue wings, two sharp blue horns grew in her forehead, as her sharp and long nails turned into strong-looking ws, and silver scales began growing over her arms and legs. Tworge pair of wings surged in her back, as the power of her Ne waspletely channeled into her body at the same time as she broke thest Seals restraining her full power. "Hahaha¡­ HAHAHAHA!" Zero started tough, shepletely recovered in just a single second. And her powerful aura was exuding a gigantic pressure around her. "That was truly a pinch, if you hadn''t flinched for a bit, I might had actually died there! Do you like my new form? These are the blessings of this Divine Relic, which I desired to take for myself thousands of years ago¡­ That damned hero had to seal me just when I was about to obtain it! I was a fool, I should had made sure I killed every single person on his Kingdom. Because I let that damn rat live without realizing, he endeding for me at the end! Well, not like he was able to kill me, I killed him first. If it wasn''t because he was a divinely protected¡­ he wouldn''t had been able to seal me using the powers of the God that blessed him, heh¡­" Zeroughed, looking back at Emeraldine and Maria. "But that''s long on the past! Right, girls?" Sheughed. "Now it is a whole new Era! An Era where I¡­ shall be its queen! The Frost Queen said it was okay for me to take my own territoryter, there''s no need to fight for everything after all, right?" "I''ll fucking burn you to ashes." Emeraldine and Maria said at the same time, theirbined eyes zing with fury. "Oooh~ So scary!" Laughed Zero. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om CLAAAASH! ----- Chapter 697 The Witchs Last Stand Chapter 697 The Witch''s Last Stand ----- Ding! [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] has unsealed her Fifth Seal! Her True Powers are finally beginning to awaken!] [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] has unsealed her Sixth Seal! Her True Powers are developing further upon awakening!] [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] has unsealed her Seventh Seal! Her True Powers are adapting to her body¡­] [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] has unsealed her Eighth Seal! Her True Powers havepletely awakened on their totality!] [The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S Rank)] Danger Rank has increased to S+ Rank!] [The Divine Relic [Divine Leviathan''s Ne] is reacting to her powers! The [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S+ Rank)] has temporarily transformed into a Half-Dragon!] "Fuck." Maria thought, as she saw her System notifications. Emeraldine quickly realized these strange notifications were also showing up in front of her, but exnations would have to wait forter about what this power truly was. "Emeraldine, we can''t hesitate any longer¡­ Did you heard her? She just spoke about killing an entire Kingdom without even hesitating." Said Maria. "She''s a vile bitch, not someone deserving of your pity." "I know¡­ I now know." Emeraldine sighed. "I am sorry¡­ for being weak hearted." "It''s fine. I guess that''s what make you someone special too. And I wouldn''t call you "weak hearted", you''re just kind." Maria sighed. "Now, let''s end her." "Yeah, we''ll burn her into ashes." Emeraldine nodded. The two minds converged together once more, ncing back at Zero as their Aura continued expanding further and further, transforming into an endless inferno of phantasmal fire. Ding! [Remaining Time For Fusion: 3 Minutes, 27 Seconds.] "I''ll fucking burn you to ashes." Emeraldine and Maria said at the same time, theirbined eyes zing with fury. "Oooh~ So scary!" Laughed Zero. FLAAAASH! Maria and Emeraldine flew across the skies like a zing meteor, impacting with Zero with all their might. Six gigantic fists made of mes andbined with Maria''s Titan Skills emerged one after the other, punching Zero with all their might! "{Divine Sol''s zing Fists}!" Channeling the power of the Divine Titaness of the Sun, Sol, the gigantic zing fists began hitting Zero from all sides, unexpectedly faster than the Witch of Eternal Winter had expected them to be! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAAASSSHHHH!!! "NNNGGRAAAAAHHHH!!!" Zero roared in fury after being hit so many times. Her powerful Dragon Scales easily helping her resist the mes, but the damage into her soul was still umting more and more. "{Frost Dragon''s ws}!!!" Her nails suddenly turned into gigantic dragon ws made of Divine Ice, as she started shing against Emeraldine and Maria''s fist attacks, constantly unleashing destructive shockwaves all around the skies! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOOMMMM!!!! "I won''t die today! NOT NOW! NOT AFTER BEING FINALLY UNSEALED!!!" Zero grew more insane as the power of the Ne''s curse began taking effect, her mentality started to deteriorate even more, slowly turning her more savage and beast-like. "RAAAAARRRRRH!" N?v(el)B\\jnn She opened her massive jaws, unleashing a devastating Dragon Breath of Pure Blizzards! FLUOOOOOOOSSSSHHH!!! The power was incredible, pushing Maria and Emeraldine down into the ground andpletely turning off their Infernal Divine Domain in mere seconds! BAAAAMMM!!! "Ungggh¡­!" Emeraldine suddenly vomited blood, as her eyes felt tired of overexerting themselves. However, Maria quickly brought out an Elixir from her Inventory and let her drink it. FLAASH! Her wounds were swiftly healed before Zeronded from the skies, kicking the two away with her scaled legs hitting them several times using her dragon tail as if it were a whip! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "FUCK!" Maria roared, quickly channeling more and more of her powers,bining them with Francesco''s and Emeraldine''s and unleashing them all! "{Infernal Gates of the Apocalypse}!!!" Combining several of her spells together, a gigantic gate leading to an inferno of mes opened up in the middle of the snow-coveredndscape! TRUUUUUUMMM¡­! "GRAAAARRRRGGGHHHH?!" Zero roared in confusion as countless zing hands and chains started wrapping around her constantly, dragging her into the gates of hell as she roared and shed the ground and the mes, trying to freeze everything on her draconic fury, but ultimately being captured! TRUUUMMM¡­! The gates closed, as an intense hellish me inferno started consuming the Witch of Eternal Winter from within the gates. Her draconic screams could be heard as the gates began to be mmed by her attacks from within. CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! "She''s actually going to destroy the gates?!" Emeraldine reacted in shock. "I guessed so¡­" Maria sighed. The two touched the bow floating around them, a bow seemed incapable of dealing enough damage to truly kill Zero at her current state, but the bow itself reacted to their wills¡­ and transformed. FLAAAASH! [The power of the Special Divine Relic {Divine Titan Bow of Muspelheim: Surtr} has reacted to the wielder''s desires.] The bow transformed, quickly turning into a long white and red two-handed de zing with divine white mes, the mes were in the shape of a ferocious titan. [The Special Divine Relic {Divine Titan Bow of Muspelheim: Surtr} has transformed into the {Divine Titan Longsword of Muspelheim: Surtr}!] [Its offensive stats have increased greatly in exchange for losing its long-ranged attacks and greater uracy.] [The Special Divine Relic has temporary attained the {Dragon yer} attribute!] It felt as if their fused weapons reacted to their desires. It was almostpletely magical. Was this the power that Gods had? To transform the very concepts of their abilities and even weapons into whatever they required? Maria had considered using the new Privileges she acquired too, but this wasn''t half-bad either. Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRACK! CRAAAASH! The Infernal Gates were shattered into smithereens by a gigantic frozen w, as the Witch of Endless Winter emerged out of them, half-burned, but still filled with enough energy to fight to the death. "RAAAAAAHHH!!!" Without even waiting a second, she leaped towards Maria and Emeraldine directly, her ws growing even bigger as her surroundings summoned thousands of gigantic spears made of Divine Ice! "DIEEEEE!" However, Maria and Emeraldine greeted her with a smile, swinging their gigantic great sword with perfect timing! SLAAAAAASH!!! ----- Chapter 698 The Mad Witchs Demise Chapter 698 The Mad Witch''s Demise ----- Maria and Emeraldine shed against Zero with everything they had. Combining their powers and even all of their weapons together through Divine Skills, they created a zing de containing Divine mes, that could cut through any ice. The two swung their sword violently, unleashing zing shes against the rampaging Zero, putting their very hearts and souls into these attacks! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAAASH! "GRAAAHHHH!!! YOUUUUU¡­.!" Zero began to struggle, although her powers had amplified tremendously, her draconic might didn''t fit her magicpletely, and due to her mentality slowly eroding due to the dragon''s powers, she couldn''t conjure the powerful magic from before, and in exchange, she only had draconic abilities and immense physical might. While her opponents had the best of both worlds. "RAAAAAHHHH!!!" Zero opened her jaws, unleashing another Dragon Breath and freezing everything around her surroundings, causing a tremendous and chaotic catastrophe! BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!! For a moment, she smiled as she saw the frozen silhouette of Maria and Emeraldine¡­ Only for her face to quickly grow shocked as she realized the enormous zing de they held shed through the ice and melted everything, filling their surroundings with hot steam and infernal mes spreading everywhere! SLAAAAAASH! "JUST DIE ALREADYYYYY¡­!" Zero enchanted her body with all the Mana she had now, jumping straight towards Maria and Emeraldine and pointing her two gigantic ws at them alongside her sharp, spear-tipped tail to end them both once and for all! However, the fusion between two lovers calmly intercepted her powerful, yet sluggish and easily predictable blows with their sword, shing apart her freezing dragon ws and ultimately, both of her arms! SLAAASH! SLAAAASH! "GRYYYYAAAAAGGGH¡­.!" Zero cried in agony as her two arms were sliced apart, suddenly opening her draconic jaws once more for another Dragon Breath! "DIEEEEE!" FLAAAAAAASH! The massive beam of draconic power erupted from her jaws,pletely engulfing Maria and Emeraldine within its endlessly freezing prowess. Yet¡­ "{Surtr''s Wrathful sh}!" SLAAAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! A massive titan made of mes surged from within the ice, Maria and Emeraldinepletely transformed using Maria''s Titan Skills. The titan of mes looked down at Zero, as her draconic eyes were filled with despair. "A-Ahh¡­ W-What¡­ is¡­ this?" "{Ragnar?k''s End}" The enormous de began descending towards her, shing her in half before she could even move, her entire body burned and turned slowly into ashes, while being slowly sliced apart into two perfect halves. CLAAAAAAAASSSSHHHHHH¡­! "This¡­ can''t¡­ be¡­!" Zero''s consciousness began to fade away as her entire body was being burned away. "I¡­ through my entire life¡­" Memories of her life passed through her mind. When she was a little girl lost in the woods. The hunger she felt after not having eaten in days. The bitter vor of the bugs she ate desperately. The anger and frustration she felt for being so weak, incapable of doing a single thing than fleeing from the vige where her family lived as it was burned away by humans. N?v(el)B\\jnn The pain and agony she underwent to train herself, fighting, hunting, training, killing¡­ the countless times she felt lost, and with nobody at her side. Always alone. The ecstasy she felt as she destroyed the Kingdom of the people that killed her family and destroyed her vige, and then the hollow feeling she felt within her heart once she realized what she had done. And the madness consuming her mind and her heart¡­ The eyes of that Hero that showed up at her doorsteps, and the hate he carried for revenge, so very simr to her own hate. She realized that moment, that this world¡­ it was simply an endless cycle of destruction, where all mortals were the puppets of the gods. "Heh¡­ Hahahah¡­ Hah¡­ This is¡­ life¡­" Zeroughed in herst moments, as tears flowed from her eyes, before her body turned into ashes and her soul waspletely destroyed. Maria and Emeraldine quickly separated, and of course, Francesco came out of the fusion too. All three of them werepletely exhausted¡­ "Aaaggh, we finally did it¡­" Maria sighed. "I wonder, can you turn her into a ghost or something?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Can''t. Her soul dissipated away before I could take her, the power of that sword is the real deal¡­" Maria said. "I see¡­" Emeraldine sighed, looking at the remains left by Zero. An ursed dragon-shaped ne, several silver-colored scales, ws, a dragon tail, horns, and a small, yet beautiful, blue-colored Magic Crystal. "Are you feeling alright?" Maria wondered. "I''m sorry, maybe you wanted her at our side?" "Nah, it''s fine." Emeraldine said. "The moment I decided to fight at your side, I filled my heart with the resolve to kill others, no matter who they truly were, and no matter how much pity I felt. As long as they threatened innocents and tried to kill us, I simply¡­ cannot be soft." "Well, that soft-heartedness of yours is what makes you¡­ Well, you." Maria said, giving Emeraldine a head pat and then a kiss. "Never stop being yourself. It is fine if you feel sad, and it is fine if you pity even our enemies." "Maria¡­" Emeraldine felt filled with emotions. "W-Well, this is not the time for being lovey-dovey anyways! We need to quickly go help everyone else!" "Right! Let''s go then!" Maria nodded. "Francesco, you did amazingly too! And- EH?!" "Hahhaha¡­ I-I became a bit tiny." Francesco was now a small floating me. "FRANCESCO!" Maria panicked, quickly feeding him Mana and Phantasmal Essence. "Don''t die on meeee!" "I-I am fine mdy! I was just too tired, I used most of my body and soul for that transformation¡­ I need to rest for a while to recover, I am sorry." He sighed. "No, no, it''s fine. Come to my Soul Scape and rest in there." Maria swiftly stuffed Francesco inside her Soul Scape so he could recover quickly by absorbing the surrounding phantasmal energies. And as they made their way to aid everyone else¡­ Ding! [You have in the [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S+ Rank)] x1!] [You have in hundreds of her minions!] [You earned 30000000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 23 to Level 29!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You Earned Bonus System Points!] [The Divine Goddess {Hel, Goddess of Death and Ruler of the Underworld} seems proud of your victory] [She says she has decided to be a more active yer in the Game of the Gods.] "Huh?" ----- Chapter 699 The Knights True Form Chapter 699 The Knight''s True Form ----- Ding! [You have in the [Witch of Eternal Winter: Zero (S+ Rank)] x1!] [You have in hundreds of her minions!] [You earned 30000000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 23 to Level 29!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You Earned Bonus System Points!] [The Divine Goddess {Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld} seems proud of your victory] [She says she has decided to be a more active yer in the Game of the Gods.] As Maria defeated Zero with Emeraldine and Francesco''s aid, she suddenly received messages from her own Goddess, Hel! "Huh?" She waspletely dumbfounded, what the heck did Hel meant by this? "Well if you''re being so active send me some rewards!" [The Divine Goddess {Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld} nods.] [She has sponsored 100000 System Points.] [She has gifted you the Special Divine Privilege: [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)]!] ----- [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] A being that has many faces can learn this ability almost naturally. This Privilege grants the user the power to divide their own powers and abilities into different "Egos" and fragment themselves, being able to act in several ces at the same time. Not to be confused with things such as "Phantom Clones" or "Familiars" as this power takes in ount the user''s true and total power and divides it depending in the amount of Divinities they possess, or "Body" rted skills. The more the user body is divided, the more pressure it puts into the original Soul and the more Mana is consumed. Because of this, it cannot be used continuously and endlessly. A proper cooldown is administrated upon usage. Additionally, increases the Total Stats of all Fragmented Egos by +100% and their Skills and Magic Power and Effects by +50%. ----- [The Divine Goddess {Hel, Goddess of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld} says that this Privilege will be of utmost use for someone like you, so obsessed with protecting everyone.] [Make good use of it.] "Thank you, Hel, I''ll surely do." . . . (Some Minutes Ago) Lucifer and Partner confronted Frost, one of the strongest Frost Generals with everything they had, but due to their own ignorance over his true powers, they fell right into his trap, and were constantly fighting a battle of attrition where their opponent seemed to have a tremendous upper hand. C L A S H! C L A S H! C L A S H! C L A A A S H! Lucifer shed against Frost once more, utilizing everything he could to be capable ofparing with the strength of this titan made of pure ice. However, even as he was shattered and quickly regenerated again, Frostughed. "You''re strong and fast, you''re also quite powerful in defense as well! I could not have expected anything less from a Dragon King¡­" Frostughed. "However, even with your mes covering your body, you cannot escape the Endless Winter!" F L U O O O O O S H! Suddenly, the entire Domain that Frost has created, named the "Winter Kingdom" began generating a powerful snowstorm all around the space, beginning to freeze everything and even turning off Lucifer''s mes, which quickly emerged once more. This constant loop ended weakening the mes slowly and draining Endless Winter of Frost while at the same time, activating his special Unique Skill. Lucifer''s third red-colored eye shone brightly, Lucifer''s energy rapidly. "Unnkkhhh¡­! This damn bastard¡­! {Ancient Dragon''s Aura}! {Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception}!" F L A A A A S H! Lucifer unleashed his Ancient Dragon Aura, fighting against the Endless Winter of Frost while at the same time, activating his special Unique Skill. Lucifer''s third red-colored eye shone brightly, as he was finally able to see through Frost''s very soul. The reason why he didn''t used this skill before was due to the requirements it needed, which would exhaust him severely as a result¡­ nheless, as he saw through his death perception eye, he finally found it. Frost''s weakness! But his weakness was just¡­ "What?! This¡­ can''t be! You''re¡­?!" Lucifer felt shocked. "Hahahaha¡­ So you''ve figured it out? Well, it is a bit toote now!" Frost roared, unleashing consecutive attacks using his Frozen Axe! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om C L A S H! C L A S H! C L A S H! C L A A A S H! Lucifer evaded his blows by flying with his wings, which he enchanted with the Draconic Arts: {Rapid Draconic Wings} and began figuring out the truth about Frost''s body. "Your damn body is not the thing I am fighting¡­! You''re just merely another puppet, another Ice Golem!" Lucifer roared with fury, charging his Mana into his jaws, and then unleashing a terrifying attack into the ground below, not at Frost! B O O O O O O O O M M M M M M M!!!! The massive attack blew up the entire ground, rocks flew and a gigantic hole appeared in the mountain, and from within the hole, something started emerging from within. It wasn''t even a person, or a giant, or even a normal monster. No, the thing that started to emerge from within the hole was the true body of Frost, his truest appearance. And he was¡­ a gigantic mass of slime! "Hahahaha! Impressive! To think you have a Skill that can figure such a thing!" A gigantic mass of blue slime emerged out of the ground, covered by endless spikes and frozen tes. The entire true body he had suddenly crumbled apart, as the shield and the frozen appeared on the gigantic Slime''s body. "You''re a damn Slime?!" Lucifer felt shocked. "So this entire thing is all your own magic¡­" "What the¡­?!" Partner suddenly panicked as she saw the entire Winter Kingdom crumbling apart, and then merging together with an endless mass of blue slime, shaping into a titan of ice, several times bigger than the Frost they were fighting before. "The appearance of a slime is a rather unsightly one, don''t you think?" Laughed Frost. "Especially for a King such as myself. But fine, now that I''ve been found out, there''s no point in hiding anymore! Now,e!" ----- Chapter 700 A Battle Between Kings Chapter 700 A Battle Between Kings ----- Frost couldn''t even remember his former name, but he could remember who he used to be on his previous life, a King and Knight, an honorable man that stood with his people and protected them until the bitter end. Until the Church of Light and the Holy Empire destroyed everything. As he lost everything and then even his life, Frost''s soul died with so many regrets that it stood within his Kingdom''s ruins, even after thousands of years, even when the ruins were buried over and over again, and nothing else remained but an endlessnd of winter. In that time, someone suddenly found him, eonster, his mourning soul was held by the cold hands of a young girl, who promised him that his unfulfilled promises and his powerful, undying conviction were what she needed. "Be my loyal knight, and once the world is mine, I shall give you back the Kingdom you lost." He couldn''t simply reject such an offer. He had lost everything, there was nothing else for him left. He epted immediately, and his very soul was ced inside the small body of an Ice Slime. Although it wasn''t the human body he once had, it held incredible new capabilities, and as he was trained and leveled up in the Dungeon where his new master resided, his powers kept growing more and more. Until now, when it was finally time to advance. United with others like him, who were abandoned and lost in the world, he decided to charge in and conquer the entire Continent of Midgard, and take away the things that once belonged to him, his Kingdom, and his people. This conviction, even on his new aberrant form, would never fade away, the powerful and almighty will of a regretful king. RUMBLE! The entire Winter Kingdom crumbled apart, and then merged together with an endless mass of blue slime, shaping into a titan of ice, several times bigger than the Frost that Partner and Lucifer were fighting before. This was his true form, a gigantic, hundreds of meters big Eternal Winter Slime, a powerful S Rank evolution of the lowly Ice Slime. Covered on an incredibly hard armor of ice in the shape of a humanoid titan with sharp armor and holding a gigantic axe and a divine shield, Frost confronted the two once more. "The appearance of a slime is a rather unsightly one, don''t you think?" Laughed Frost. "Especially for a King such as myself. But fine, now that I''ve been found out, there''s no point in hiding anymore! Now,e!" Lucifer and Partner were left bbergasted that he had been tricking them this entire time. Frost true form was that of a slime hiding underground, while he used his amazing ice manipting magic to create a fake scenario for them to tire themselves out. Despite being an "honorable king" as he called himself to be, his tactics were cowardly and like something that Maria woulde out with, as Lucifer and Partner thought. "This damn bastard was trying to weaken us and tire us out, wasn''t he?!" Partner sighed, gasping for air. Indeed, she had grown already very tired, and without any more blood for her to drink, she was only going to grow more tired. "Hahhh¡­ I should had used my Eye of Death Perception sooner." Lucifer regretted. "Drink my blood. I know you''re tired." Lucifer quickly cut off a small wound on his right hand''s wrist, as arge quantity of red blood started flooding out like a waterfall. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Eugh, there''s no way I''m drinking your nasty blood." Partner said while crossing her arms. "Partner, just do it! This is not the time for us to be fighting!" Lucifer reprimanded her. "Infighting, huh? This''ll only make things easier for me!" Frostughed. FLAAASH! Frost suddenly stretched his hands using his slime body, while still being covered on his hard, divine ice armor, he swung his axe against the two of them at an insanely fast speed! CLAAAAASSHHHHH¡­! However, Lucifer barely managed to intercept the attack by summoning his Phantasmal Death Scythe and infusing it with the powers of the Fire Dragons within the Draconic Records. "This damn sneaky bastard¡­ Do you call yourself a knight when you sneak on us all the time?! Cowardly piece of shit!" Lucifer roared furiously. "Partner, drink the damn blood!" "Uuuggh, fine!" Partner cried, desperate of how the battle was only going to get worse and worse, she waved her hands and quickly manipted the blood flowing out of Lucifer''s wound into a sphere she quickly drankpletely. Lucifer''s wound immediately closed after that. "{Eternal Winter des Storm}!" Suddenly, Frost conjured a powerful magic spell, as countless magic circles appeared around Lucifer and Partner at the same, as thousands of gigantic, twenty-meter-long swords made of divine ice started falling over the two of them, and then exploding upon contact, freezing any of their surroundings! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "Uuuggh¡­! {Divine Draconic Arts}: {Muspel''s Divine zing Fortress}!" FLUOOOOSH! Lucifer hit the ground and channeled more of his powers and those of the Draconic Records, the only Bloodline he had ess to was the Fire Dragons, as he was originally one. Thanks to this, at least, he was able to conjure incredibly powerful mes temporarily, although unlike his sister, he had to spend enormous quantities of energy and mana to do so. TRUUUUUMMM¡­! A gigantic fortress of zing draconic mes was erected, surrounding his body and that of Partner and protecting the two of them from the rainfall of icy swords. The mes were so strong they spread into a shockwave, melting the ice around and easily weakening the magic of Frost. However¡­ "{Frost King''s Divine Shield Charge}!" Frost emerged through the mes, charging across them using the Divine Shield of Uller to protect himself from the mes andpletely destroying Lucifer''s defensive spell, at the same time as he shed against his massive body, throwing him down into the ground! CLAAAAAASH! "Unnggh¡­! YOUUUU¡­!" Lucifer opened his jaws, unleashing a deadly {Infernal Dragon Breath}! BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 701 Intense Clash Between Giants! Chapter 701 Intense sh Between Giants! ----- An explosion of infernal mes engulfed Frost entire body, quickly beginning to melt his Divine Ice Armor. After being told he was a coward by Lucifer, he couldn''t bear the shame and ended recklessly charging into the mes by relying on the shield. Even with the Divine Shield of Uller''s protection, such amount of mes were too lethal, his ice was melting everywhere and rapidly. BOOOOOOOMMMMMM¡­.! "Unnnggh¡­! Hahah¡­ Now was that a cowardly move, Dragon King?!" Frost confronted Lucifer as the giant ck scaled dragon slowly stood up, his entire body engulfed on infernal blue mes as his scythe too these mes as well, bing an even more lethal weapon. "I guess you''re a fool if you fell for such a taunt¡­" Lucifer said, as his regeneration abilities could only get him so far, many of his wounds were taking a while to regenerate, including a few broken ribs. Nheless, he was mightier than to just let some broken bones stop him from fighting. "I wouldn''t have had it any other way!" Laughed Frost, charging forward as his slime tentacles emerged all around his body, while his surface body constantly regenerated his Divine Ice Armor, his tentacles suddenly shaped as gigantic ice-made fists and began pummeling Lucifer with all his strength! "Nnnggh¡­! You damn piece of shit!" Lucifer roared furiously. His mes suddenly epassing his hands as he grew a second pair of arms through his Polymorph Magic and then began hitting back at Frost''s fists, as zing and frost fists impacted one another, the shockwaves of these massive impacts began making the entire surroundings tremble and shatter apart. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "RAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Lucifer loaded all the mes he could into his scythe and then swung them horizontally, swinging through the hard Divine Ice Armor of Frost while his shield was at the other side, managing to slice through his incredibly hard shell and finding his true body beneath it! SLAAAAAASH! "NNNGHHH¡­!" Frost groaned in agony as his gigantic armor suddenly began melting and shattering apart. His gigantic slime body quickly escaped from the scene while holding his weapons, he had taken some damage but was still fine. "You''re not going ANYWHERE! {Divine Draconic Arts}: {Infernal Dragon Meteors}!" FLUOOOOOSH! Suddenly, Lucifer''s entire body began to increase its heat topletely insane levels, as his zing scales started exploding out of his body and being redirected as zing falling meteors against his foe! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "Hahahah, to be expected of such a powerful foe!" Laughed Frost, as he quickly created six enormous arms made of Divine Ice and started fighting back against Lucifer, who was now unleashing an inferno of countless falling zing meteors. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! The entire battlefield was covered on ice and mes as both titans fought with great intensity. Lucifer''s zing ws fell over Frost constantly, while the slime continued to regenerate his damage easily while conjuring icicle spears everywhere and even more and more storms of ice swords. But while this was happening, where the heck was Partner at? "Hahahaha! It seems that our difference in power is quite obvious, Dragon King!" Frostughed. Even after having exposed his true body, he was clearly superior in both movement, regeneration, and overall magical power than Lucifer, who was already incredibly tired by overusing the power of the Draconic Records. "After all, I am an S Rank Monster while you have yet to attain such an evolution, have you not?!" "TSK¡­!" Lucifer knew it was true. He had yet to evolve into an S Rank, as he was still within the A Rank Realm. Although his many skills and ridiculously high stats as a dragon were what gave him an overwhelming advantage against most foes, he was still not within the Realm of Frost, but very close. If only¡­ if only he could level up faster. However, Dragons leveled up incredibly slowpared to other living beings, even Maria leveled up faster as well. Nheless, it wasn''t as if he and hispanions had not defeated S Rank threats before even without being S Rank, but it had taken considerable effort and Maria''s overwhelming Unique Skills to attain such victory. And of course, more than just one fighter¡­ "PARTNER, WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?!" Lucifer roared, punching Frost with everything he had as he unleashed hisst zing meteors against him! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "NNNGGHH¡­!" Frost groaned; his body was being once more melted yet he easily regenerated due to being a Slime. Even more, he could easily absorb the snow and the ice left behind around him to regenerate even faster. Lucifer has been aiming at his core this entire time yet he was unable to hit it at any time. The sneaky bastard of Frost was constantly moving his core around his body, making it an increasingly hard thing to hit. "HAHAHAHAH¡­! Although your powers are amazing, it seems you''ve finally reached your limits, Dragon King!" Frostughed, as Lucifer suddenly vomited blood, his entire mind felt dizzy and his body was paralyzed. "Nnnggh¡­ I-I''ve overused the Draconic Records powers¡­?! And where is Partner at?!" "Heh, it appears yourpanion haspletely abandoned you!" Laughed Frost. "How sad, after you two shared a fight together¡­ It is truly a pitiful thing. Now, Dragon King. I''ve taken a liking on you. Join me and the Frost Queen, this is an opportunity I won''t ever give to you again!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Lucifer looked back at the Slime''s Helmet made of ice, the only thing simr to a face Frost had. He smiled defiantly, his eyes zing with fury. He raised his hand, seemingly as if he was about to ept his offer¡­ more angered, losing hisposure. Yet at thest moment, he gave him his middle finger. "Fuck off." "What¡­ did you said?!" Frost did not expect this. Through his entire life he had never faced such a defiant and insolent man before. He began growing more and more angered, losing hisposure. And lowering his guard. FLAAASH! And in that moment, a gigantic spear made of blood and darkness fell from the skies, piercing through his armor, body, and¡­ Slime Core. CRAAAASH! "UNGGH¡­?! I-IMPOSSIBLE¡­! YOU?!" Frost was shocked when he found a gorgeous Vampire Lady in the skies. ----- Chapter 702 Just Do It! Chapter 702 Just Do It! ----- Frost quickly realized he was now the one that was yed with! Lucifer fought all alone against him so he could give him the false sense of security, that there wasn''t going to be anybody around him anymore. All while Partner was secretly recovering her energies, assimting the new Blood Powers she acquired from drinking Lucifer''s blood at longst, and then preparing a precise, and deadly blow against his Slime Core when he least expected it. At the veryst moment, Lucifer managed to create this opportunity, and like a stealthy sniper in the shadows, Partner took the opportunity and pierced his Slime Core, shattering it into pieces. CRAAAASH! "UNNGGH¡­ Impossible¡­ YOU?!" Frost looked into the skies, finding Partner smiling evilly. "Y-You¡­ Unnggh¡­!" Frost was unable to keep himself stable. His entire body started to lose control and began separating and dying off, while his shattered core started leaking a blue liquid, slowly dying off as well. "Did you miss me?" Wondered Partner, sitting over Lucifer''srge head. "No, but did you had to wait until the veryst moment?" Lucifer sighed. "If I didn''t it might have not worked! We had one shot." Partner said with a smile. "Now, little slime, it''s over for you." Frost couldn''t believe he was getting killed so easily and shamelessly like this. It made him feel shameful, irritated, and frustrated with himself. He was unable to change his Fate once more, the Fate of a pathetic King without Kingdom. "Now, perish!" Lucifer roared, as he unleashed a zing Dragon Breath over Frost''s entire body, burning and melting it all. "GRYYYYAAAAAAAGHHHHH¡­! NO¡­ NOOOOOOO!" As Frost cried in agony and frustration, suddenly, the shield he held wrapped around his body reacted. A powerful divine aura surged from within, as hisst pieces of slime body and his shattered core, alongside his soul, were melded into the Divine Shield of Uller! FLAAAAASH! "What the?!" Partner panicked. "Burn that thing before it''s toote!" "I barely have Mana now!" Lucifer panicked, throwing more and more fire. But it seemed futile! FLUOOOSH! The power of the Divine Shield not only managed to save Frost somehow, but it fused with his remaining body and created something brand new. The Divine Shield of Uller melted together with his body, forming a molten metal body simr to one of Maria''s minions, Mercury, who was protecting Maria''s Vige. A Metal Slime! The mes no longer affected him like before, being barely anything against his metallic body. And the previous damage he sustained easily healed, as his entire new body was recreated¡­ "This power¡­ Ahhhh! My Queen has given me a second chance! I will not waste it!!!" RUMBLE! His body kept growing bigger and bigger, as a gigantic Metal Slime covered on countless blue circuits all around his body emerged. His body now had several blue cores all around him, which seemed to be his former core which had been shattered into pieces. Not only that, but now that he was madepletely of metal and not the frail slime, he had be a truly frightening monster amongst monsters. Mercury that was merely B Rank was already insanely strong and resilient¡­ but what about an S Rank Divine Metal Slime? N?v(el)B\\jnn "Now I can truly take the form that truly embodies me! Hahhaahahah! Face my new self, Dragon King, Vampire Woman!" Frosts entire body grew into an immense size of over four hundred meters, he now resembled a metallic golem covered on armor resembling a castle, and atop his helmet head there was a gigantic golden crown. No, if Maria was here, she would had easily identified this as some sort of sick ass mecha. "{Divine Metal Creation}: {King''s Silver de}!" FLAAASH! In mere seconds, Frost materialized using his own body a gigantic sword that could cut an entire mountain by itself, which emanated a powerful freezing aurabined with the divinity of the Divine Artifact he had fused with. "Now confront me once more! Let us see where this fight truly goes to!" Frostughed,pletely turning the tables on his favor through the unfair powerup of his Divine Artifact, something both Lucifer and Partner didn''t had. SLAAAAASH! Frost swung his sword furiously against the two of them, as a massive Aura sh reached the two of them, strong enough to easily slice through a mountain itself! "{Vampiric Blood Arts}: {Abyssal Blood Barrier}!" "{Divine Draconic Arts}: {Orichalcum Scales}!" FLUOOOSH! Partner generated a gigantic barrier utilizing her Abyssal Darkness and her Vampiric Blood Energy together to protect Lucifer, while Lucifer grabbed her with his big arms and used hisst energy to reinforce his scales before receiving the impact both of them were unable to evade due to its insane speed. BOOOOOOOOMMMM!! CRAAASH! The barrier shattered into pieces faster than the two of them expected, as Partner saw Lucifer throw her into the air before his entire body was sliced into two from his torso! BAAAAM! "L-Lucifer!" Partner panicked, as he darkness and blood energy began trembling and then slowly beginning to growrger andrger as she grew madder. "Unnnggh¡­ Being cut into two halves never felt this painful..." Lucifer muttered, cut into two halves, he still was a "pseudo undead" meaning that even such a lethal wound wouldn''t kill him. Even when his gusts were out and everything else. "{Blood Patch}! {Blood Threads}!" Partner utilized her Blood Magic to rapidly patch up Lucifer''s two halves, using his own blood as an adhesive and closing the wounds with threads made of blood as well. FLUOSH! "T-Thank you, but without a proper elixir or something, I can''t really recover my energy fast. I am now just a walking wall at most." Lucifer muttered. "Drink¡­ drink more of my blood, you can do that, right?!" "But¡­ If I drink too much." Partner cried. "Just do it!" Lucifer roared. "HAHAHAHA! Are you fighting once more?! For being allies, you two really don''t get along¡­" Frost appeared before the two, his enormous and metallic tall body seemed simply invincible. "Now¡­!" He pointed his sword at them. "PERISH!" SLAAAAASH! ----- Chapter 703 Partner Going All-Out! Chapter 703 Partner Going All-Out! ----- BAAAAAMMMM!!! Frost''s sh attack suddenly impacted something else than Lucifer and Partner. The blood that Partner had absorbed once more boosted her powers to her limits, and even, perhaps beyond that. Her Darkness and Blood Aura started to grow insanely big, shaping itself as a gigantic Blood Dragon, opening its enormous jaws and intercepting the attacking from Frost''s sword with amazing precision! CRAAAASH! The attack suddenly shattered and disappeared into pieces, as Partner looked at the titan made of steel with a furious gaze. Her entire body was suddenly covered on red tattoos, most of theming down her eyes into the rest of her body. Her strength was growing exponentially, and her ck and Red Aura changed, no longer simply resembling a mass of power but taking the form of a swarm of thousands of bats and a ferocious dragon made of blood protecting her. "What the¡­?! What power is this now?! I have never seen any Vampire use this¡­" Frost was surprised. He had seen a dozen Vampires since he was revived, as they were actively working with his Queen to aid her in her endeavors. This power was something not even Partner truly understood, but it was merely the development of her own powers as a Vampiress. The ability to suck the blood of a foe, absorb it, and make it her strength had suddenly developed further due to the amazingly high quality of dragon blood she drank from Lucifer, and at very high quantities as well. "P-Partner¡­" Lucifer was shocked. "I guess I should had drank your blood much sooner." Partner sighed. "I hate to admit it but the amount of power it gave me is tremendous, and I''ve drank several hundred liters now¡­ Heh." Partner''s eyes began glowing like those of a ferocious dragoness, as two ck horns grew from her forehead temporarily. Her nails grew into sharp ws and some of her tattoos around her arms became red scales. Crimson mes began flickering from her mouth, as her teeth became sharp and ferocious looking. Her entire hair becamepletely red, waving around. "I don''t know how much I can keep this up, it seems limited, but I have to take him down while I can¡­" Partner thought, immediately flying directly towards Frost while leaving Lucifer behind, knowing full well he might die for real if he fights the metallic titan once more. FLUOOOSH! Her Vampiric Aura suddenly transformed as it generated two enormous Dragon Wings of red color, which she moved rapidly to fly at an incredibly fast speed, reaching her target in just a second. "Fuck off you damn bastard!!" Partner roared furiously, as she raised her spears and began attacking Frost with everything she had. Her Vampiric Aura continued moving and dancing around, growingrger and more menacingly in the shape of a ferocious Blood Dragon. Partner recalled Maria''s fist techniques and how she faintly taught them to her. She quickly started to merge the concept of piercing a foe''s soul using Magic Power and imbued it into her two Spears, channeling even more power as her twin spear arts began to evolve in the middle of the battle. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! Her attacks were rapid and precise, but Frost was enormously resilient. Even as Partner had already shattered three out of his dozens of cores, he was still moving rather easily, evading her hits at times by shapeshifting his liquid body and other times, surprising her with sneak attacks. "Take this!" FLAAASH! His entire body suddenly shapeshifted and generated hundreds of sharp, hardened metallic spikes attempting to pierce Partner''s entire body with them, she barely managed to intercept them and parried their blows back using her spears and her Vampiric Aura, but a few of them still managed to pierce her skin and flesh. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAASH! N?v(el)B\\jnn "Unnggh¡­! {Vampiric Blood Arts}: {Rapid Regeneration}! {Boiling Blood}! {Blood Pump}!" However, Partner was hardier than the ancient king though, while being pierced by the spikes she took advantage of her vampiric regeneration and simply resisted the pain, forcing her way down into his metallic body, which had opened and showed several cores. By utilizing Boiling blood and Blood Pump together, she made her blood boil rapidly, spending more Blood Energy but enhancing her physical strength several times over, even if temporarily, with this¡­! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "Unnnggh¡­! You damn VAMPIRE!" Frost suddenly panicked as he realized Partner''s n, attempting to stop her by shapeshifting his body rapidly¡­ However, it was a bit toote. "{Abyssal Vampiric Spear Arts}: {Twin Blood Dragon}!" FLUOOOOSH! Her two spears and her Vampiric Aura converged together, alongside the strength Partner gained from drinking Lucifer''s blood, and as she unleashed a tremendous attack, two enormous blood dragons were summoned alongside her new and improvised technique, impacting against Frost''s internal body and shattering several cores all at once! CRAAAAAASSHHHHH!!! "AAGGGH¡­! T-This is¡­!" BAAAM! His gigantic body fell down into the ground,pletely surprised by Partner''sst resort. She quickly fell down over the snow as well, gasping for air, her transformation quickly began to dissipate, as she felt like her entire body had be paralyzed. "Ugh¡­ I''ve used all my strength now¡­ Fuck." Partner muttered. TRUUUUMMM¡­! And Frost had yet to fall. His entire body slowly began reforming himself, standing still and ncing down at his two foes, who were already at the verge of death. "It does seems like you''ve overused all your powers and strengths. The difference, once more, is very obvious¡­ S Rank Monsters simply cannot lose against A Ranks." Laughed Frost. "Yeah, you''re right." "That''s right, so- Huh?!" Frost quickly realized the voice that answered his words were not someone he had been fighting recently, but someonepletely different that came from¡­ the sky?! FLAAAASH! A woman made entirely out of ck and golden lightning began descending from the skies, her eyes zing with golden and red light as her entire body, dressed on ck clouds emanated a powerful divinity slightly akin to Thor, the God of Thunder himself! "W-Wha¡­?! Who are you?!" "I am the S Rank Monster that''s going to beat your ass." ----- Chapter 704 A Thunderous Fusion Chapter 704 A Thunderous Fusion ----- Although Frost was unable to recognize her, the half-dead Partner and Lucifer immediately did. Even as different as she looked right now, she was still their beloved Maria, their wife and love of their lives. But why was she so different and¡­ electrifying?! "Maria?! You''re here?! Did you beat that witch?!" Asked Lucifer while trying to slowly stand up. "It''s you! But¡­ notpletely?" Partner noticed that Maria''s presence seemed "iplete" it wasn''t theplete package. "Yep, let''s say I separated myself." Maria giggled while lightning emerged out of her body with each of her words. Thanks to her brand-new Divine Privilege, Divided Egos, Maria was now able to divide herself based on either Divinities she possessed or Body-type Skills. And amongst every living being or unliving being in this world, Maria possessed the most "Body-type" Skills, at five! This meant she was able to embody each of such Skills and divide herself five times all at once! Of course, dividing herself meant dividing her powers and limiting each Ego. Though, with the Privilege abilities, even the divided egos received insanely high stat boosts. And right now, Maria''s Ego was that of her brand new Body Skill she acquired after devouring Thor''s Divine Spirit Vessel, the [Divine Thunder Spirit Body] Skill! "So Zero was defeated?!" Said Frost. "You''re Maria, isn''t it? Have you finallye to help your allies? I was about to y them- well, I can still do it!" Frost didn''t waited for Maria''s answer as he generated dozens of des made out of his own metallic body and then fired them at an incredibly rapid speed towards his foes, aiming to impale them both a hundred times and have them die agonizingly! FLAAASH! However, Maria''s speed was much, much faster than those projectiles. Thanks to being the Ego of her [Divine Thunder Spirit Body] Skill, she waspletely made out of lightning and could concentrate in this element alone without having all her other powers get in the way. This made it so instead of being weaker than her former self, she was able to improve the specializations of each Body-type Skill to apletely new level! ZAAAP! In less than a second, Partner and Lucifer disappeared from the snow-covered battlefield as Frost''s projectiles only hit the snow and nothing else. "T-That speed¡­ It felt as if she had be Thor himself!" Thought Frost, panicking as he finally managed to find her once more, a few hundreds of meters behind him. "M-Maria¡­ You look different¡­ Are you alright?" Lucifer muttered. "Are you okay? Where is Emeraldine?" Wondered Partner. "Hehe, you two are always worried about me, just look at yourselves!" Sighed Maria, quickly unpacking two Elixirs and feeding them to the two. FLUOSH! Their bodies quickly began to recover their health and mana, as the two felt much better. They were special elixirs, especially made for Lucifer and Partner she made on her way here. "Hahhh¡­ Thank you, but how can we even kill that thing? You''re fast but¡­!" Lucifer said. "Yeah, for once I agree with the grumpy old dragon." Partner sighed. "You''re both right. This form of mine is not as strong as my true form. In fact I might not truly be as strong as an S Rank, probably S-?" Wondered Maria. "Then how are we even winning against this bastard?!" Partner panicked. "Maybe we have to run away and think about a strategyter." "Yeah, we should-" Lucifer agreed. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Wait a bit! I am a Spirit, right? So let''s do this the right way! [Divine Spirit Soul Connection]! [Spirit Fusion]!" Maria said, as she quickly activated both of these powerful Skills. Her entire body transformed into pure spiritual energy, which fused into both Lucifer and Partner in mere seconds. "T-This power¡­ what is this feeling?!" Lucifer was shocked. "Woaaaah!" Partner panicked. FLAAAAAASH!!! ZAAP! ZAAP! ZAAAP! "UNNGGH?! What the¡­?!" Frost panicked, as he saw Maria unleash an incredibly bright lightning shockwave everywhere. "Hah! Whatever you''re nning, it simply won''t work! I am much stronger than before after fusing with that Divine Artifact, in fact, the cores I have can multiply as I wish! I''ve only been humoring you two because I admire your tenacity, but this is over, and I might avenge Zero while I am at it!" Frost had enough of these two, as he charged forward by shaping his lower half like the body of a gigantic metallic horse, making him resemble a mechanic minotaur. His two arms transformed into gigantic swords, as he swung them furiously against the trio, with enough power to destroy a whole city. "PERISH!" CLAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHHHH!!!! CRACKLE¡­! TRUUUUUMMMM¡­! However, instead of being greeted with all three of them shredded into pieces, Frost was as both of them had suddenly transformed and changed! Using their hands alone, they stopped both of his swords, and even began shattering them apart. "WHAT?!" Frost was so bbergasted he couldn''t keep himself bnced, having to step back, only for his arms to be pulled down by Partner and Lucifer and then shattered apart! CRAAAASH! "AAGGH¡­! Y-You bastards! What sort of trick have you two pulled out now?!" Frost roared furiously, noticing that Maria was no longer present there. "Wait, don''t tell me she¡­!" "You''re calling our new form asspulls when you suddenly revived out of nowhere with your damn divine shield?" Partner said while being furious. Her appearance had once more changed. This time her hair was golden colored, emanating sharp thunderous electricity all around herself. Her eyes were now purple colored, while her entire dress had be abination between lightning and ck clouds. Her two spears have now disappeared as well, as they fused with Lucifer''s scythe into a powerful divine weapon. "I can''t believe this was possible¡­" Lucifer said with a smile. His body had suddenly turned golden and purple, reflecting the color of the lightning of Maria''s Body. His wings became sharp like thunder and his tail gained a lightning-shaped spear tip. His powerful phantasmal scythe had merged with Partner''s twin spears. And the divine weapon they created was¡­ ----- Chapter 705 A Devastating End! Chapter 705 A Devastating End! ----- Within both Lucifer and Partner''s sight, brand new system notifications appeared, something that they had never seen before as they only possessed what everybody in this world had, Soul Books. Maria had something much, much powerful named a System, and this was finally the first time they were seeing it. Ding! [You have sessfully undergone [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] and [Spirit Fusion] with [Moon Vampire Duchess: Partner (A++ Rank)] and [Three-Eyed Death Dragon King: Lucifer (A++ Rank)]!] [As a result of the fusion, all of your stats have temporarily converged together, additionally, many bonuses increasing these stats even further have been activated!] [However, due to the instability of this fusion, the limit time has decreased to 5 Minutes] Alongside their wondrous fusion that made all three of them suddenly connect with one another amazingly, their Magical Weapons converged together through divine power, as Partner''s spears fused with Lucifer''s phantasmal scythe. transforming into a gigantic golden hammer! Ding! [The power of the Divine Weapons have reacted to thebined souls, temporarily fusing into the Special Divine Relic {Divine Titan Hammer of Thunderous Might: Thor}!] [The power of the Special Divine Relic is reacting to the fused souls magic and divine essences!] "T-That hammer, where did it came from?!" Frost panicked even more as he stepped back. He quickly realized that gigantic golden hammer contained the same, if not even more power than the divine artifact he had fused with. "This hammer? Well, it is thebination of our strength and bonds, something a little shit like you would never be bale to understand." Partner answered, while Maria''s cockiness was reflected into her even cockier voice. "Yeah, that''s right." Lucifer said. "You say you were a King, right? Yet your Kingdom no longer exists, the people that served you does not exist anymore either. You''re just a monster trying to kill innocents, stop glorifying your shitty crusade." "Y-You don''t understand a single thing!" Frost roared. "YOUUUUUU!!!" Frost recklessly charged forward with all his anger and fury erupting from his body. His Aura of Divinity and Winter began to expand everywhere, as he generated both weapons made of frost and also weapons made of metal, pointing them and then firing them at Lucifer and Partner at the same time! "What do YOU even know about my life?! About my KINGDOM?!" Frost roared with fury CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! However, none of his hits evennded, Partner and Lucifer moved at an incredibly fast lightning speed that easily overpowered the reflections and speed of the Metal Slime. "I don''t know a single thing, but I am fairly sure you''re not doing what a King should do anymore, and you are no longer a King either! You have nobody to protect, you have nobody to care for, and you''re only fighting for your own selfishness! {Thunderous Dragon Fists}!" Lucifer roared, as his enormous dragon fists shed against Frosts face and the rest of his torso! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! "Uuuaaagggh¡­!" Frost groaned in agony as his body started sttering and not unifying with each of Lucifer''s fist attacks, all while he felt¡­ pain! Howe his metallic body could feel pain?! "No¡­ this pain is¡­ from my soul?!" He thought, only panicking even more. FLAAAASH! And right behind him, Partner appeared, fusing her Blood Energy with the Lightning provided by Maria and then transforming it all into a spiraling Thunderstorm, firing it at Frost all at once! "You are just a pawn of an insane woman!" Partner roared. "{Thunderous Blood Tempest}!" N?v(el)B\\jnn FLUOOOOOOSH! BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!! The crimson lightning took over his entire body and started to melt him alive, his body started sttering more and more everywhere, as he began to lose several quantities of mass, his body started to grow smaller as a result. "Unnnggh¡­! T-This¡­! I won''t fall here¡­ Not¡­ NOW! RAAAAAHHH!!!" Frost went more and more insane. His entire body lost his former shape as he suddenly turned into an aberrant being, countless blue eyes and tentacles emerged everywhere around his body, which he then covered on sharp des, axes, and shields to protect and fight back! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! However, the more he fought, the more weaker he felt. Partner and Lucifer were constantly fighting against him, while using the gigantic hammer of lightning to strike enormous hits against his body. BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! The hammer was almighty, although slow, it was demolishing him like nothing, and with Lucifer and Partners constant attacks while wielding it, he was being pushed to his limits¡­ "I won''t fall now¡­ FOR MY KINGDOM! FOR MY¡­ KINGDOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!" Frost roared, his entire body which was now much smaller than before unleashed all the power he had left, opening an aberrant jaw filled with razor sharp fangs and unleashing a gigantic beam of pure divine power! TRUUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! "Your Kingdom is not here anymore, and unlike the people I once cared for, nobody remembers you either." Lucifer said. "You were a nobody." "Begone! I am tired of fighting you!" Partner roared, being more honest than ever before as Lucifer and her grabbed the gigantic hammer and then unleashed all their power within it, impacting the enormous beam of divinitying from Frost and then pushing it right into his aberrant mouth, where they hit him with everything they had! BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM¡­! "GRUUUAAAAGGGGHHHH¡­.!" Frost began to slowly disintegrate against the massive lightning attack. His soul as well was too damaged, as he started to fade away. His fury and frustration slowly started to disappear, and on hisst moments, he recalled his kingdom once more. He suddenly remembered that his Kingdom fell for his own fault. And that he was not lover. He saw the anger of the people, their suffering, the hunger they felt due to his own corruption. He remembered his name as well, the name of a King that had destroyed his entire Kingdom due to his own negligence andck of empathy for his subjects. Frost¡­ was never truly a good King. In fact, that''s what he wished to be on his previous life''s dying moments. It was all an illusion on his insane mind. "Hah¡­ Hahah¡­ Such a fitting end for trash like me¡­" ----- Chapter 706 Fire Dragon Against Frost Dragon! Chapter 706 Fire Dragon Against Frost Dragon! ----- After Frost''s defeat, Partner and Lucifer quickly went back to their normal forms, and so did Maria''s Ego which appeared in front of them slightly smaller. It seems that overusing her own powers also made her reduce her own size temporarily, but nothing like a few Mana Potions couldn''t resolve. "Are you two alright now?" Maria wondered. "Yeah, I am fine¡­ Hahh¡­" Lucifer quickly went back to his humanoid form. "Uuuggh¡­ I am so hungry¡­ That damn monster was really such a tough nut to crack! And the worst is that he didn''t even left a bit of meat or blood behind to eat!" Partner angrily said. "Hahaha, here." Maria said, opening her inventory and quickly offering Partner a big sandwich made using monster meat from the Swamp Dungeon , alongside a bottle of new blood she got from Zero''s corpse. "This should fill your stomach for the moment." "Ahh, this sandwich is so tasty, and this blood so rich! Where did you get it?!" Partner was surprised. "Ah, it''s the blood from that witch." Mariaughed. "Ooooh!" Partner said. "I can tell, it is recovering my magic power super-fast. Couldn''t expect less from witch''s blood!" "I hate to be the say this but we should hurry. We''ve taken care of the two big shots but I sensed a powerful presence infiltrating the Dwarven Kingdom when we started confronting the two monsters here." Lucifer said. "I am worried about my sister and the kids¡­" "Yeah, my Egos are going there as we speak." Maria said. "But more help is always good. Let''s go." Maria quickly expanded her entire body and grabbed both of them within her lightning form, quickly zapping into the Kingdom of Dwarves at an insanely fast speed. Of course, only after she grabbed all the "drops" that Frost left behind, such as all of that high quality liquid metal slime and his shattered crystal cores. However, as they flew, both Partner and Lucifer began to glow brightly, as divine power began emerging from their very souls¡­ "Why are you two glowing so much?!" Maria panicked. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Oh?! Ah! I didn''t noticed! I reached max level!" Partner said. "Me too¡­ This means we''re finally evolving?!" Lucifer said. "Eeeeh?! Already?!" Maria was surprised but weed this powerup. . . . (Some Minutes Ago¡­) The twins made their way to aid Brunhild and Nyx in their fight against the gigantic Ice Dragon that had showed up, making quick work of the monsters they found on their path, blowing them into bits and finally reaching the battlefield by following Nyx that was flying on top of the skies about to reach her aunt. However, Takeshi and Laura were still discussing a bit. Takeshi seemed slightly angered that Laura was trying to control him, but Laura was simply worried. to protect the city, so I just followed you because of that, not to stop you." Laura said. "Mama appeared using one of her Phantom Clones and said we had to protect the city, so I just followed you because of that, not to stop you." Laura said. "I-Is that so¡­? See? I was right in going to fight then!" Takeshi said childishly. "You still shouldn''t had recklessly ran! What if I wouldn''t had been there to protect you from the monsters?" Laura sighed. "You didn''t protected me! I protected myself¡­" Takeshi said while getting slightly irritated. "Nyx should have already arrived. We can''t see her on top of the sky anymore- Huh?!" Laura was suddenly shocked, as she saw something out of her mind. CLAAASH! BOOOOM! TRUUUUMMM¡­! It was a gigantic battle between two ferocious dragons! One was zing with infernal mes. Her body was slightly worn down, as her red scales were losing their former red color and she was slowly turning white. Meanwhile her opponent, which might be even older than her, seemedpletely pristine, covered on silver and blue scales, and resembling an ice statue of insanely high quality. They easily recognized Brunhild but had no idea who that blue and silver colored dragon could be, and how strong it could be to be capable of withstanding Brunhild''s zing firepower so easily! "Nyx! Come here!" Laura called for Nyx, as the little girl was watching the battle in the skies. "Waura!" Nyx flew back to the twins and was hugged by Laura. "Why did you escape like this Nyx?!" Laura was worried, hugging her tightly. "And just what''s going on right now?!" "Big dragon¡­ showed up¡­ Volkanion¡­ or something." Nyx tried to recall the Ice Dragon name, failing quite miserably at that. "An Ice Dragon showed up?! That Frost Queen got an army of monsters with her¡­" Takeshi muttered. "Is Brunhild struggling though? She doesn''t look like she''s winning¡­" "I don''t know, but we have to help her out somehow¡­" Laura said. Pointing her hand at the Ice Dragon and firing a tiny pebble at it. "{Detonation}!" BOOOOOOMMMM!!! Laura''s attack reached the gigantic Ice Dragon''s head, exploding and hurting his eye slightly. It quickly made him realize the one he was fighting had allies. "NNGGGRRHHH¡­! So you''ve cowardly brought allies to support you!" The ferocious Dragon said. "Coward! To think I even held a bit of respect for you because you were my kin!" The Divine Ice Dragon charged straight towards Brunhild, striking her with countless blows using his front arms, shing apart her scales and covering her body with deadly wounds, while her mes erupted continuously as she intercepted some blows and gave back a few punches, until she managed to punch the pretty dragon''s ice crystal-covered face! "{Infernal Dragon Meteor Fist}!" B A A A A A M M M M!!! "UNNNGGHH?!" Her opponent fell into the ground, rolling over the debris and suddenly looking at her with his malformed face. His divine aura began growing bigger and bigger as he grew more furious. "Y-You dare hurt my beautiful and wless face?! You insolent mortal!" "That''s what bastards like you get when they mess with me and my family, a fist in the face! Nowe and get some more, I''ve got way more of these where that came from." ----- Chapter 707 Brunhilds Fiery Might! Chapter 707 Brunhild''s Fiery Might! ----- "{Infernal Dragon Meteor Fist}!" BAAAAAMMMM!!! "UNNNGGHH?!" Her opponent fell into the ground, rolling over the debris and suddenly looking at her with his malformed face. His divine aura began growing bigger and bigger as he grew more furious. Valkoinen was utterly shocked by what had urred! Despite him having the clear upper hand, he let his own cockiness andck of fighting experience get the better of him, giving the chance for Brunhild to fuck him up with a massive punch in the face. Takeshi, Laura, and the little Nyx were all cheering for their aunt. "YOUUUU¡­!" The Ancient Ice Dragon''s Divine Aura began surging more and more from within his body, freezing his surroundings even more. If it wasn''t because Root had been protecting the whole city by growing all over it using his branches and roots, the entire city and even the castle would had been frozen by Valkoinen''s powers. "Y-You dare hurt my beautiful and wless face?! You insolent mortal!" Valkoinen couldn''t contain his fury. "That''s what bastards like you get when they mess with me and my family, a fist in the face! Nowe and get some more, I''ve got way more of these where that came from." Brunhild boldly provoked Valkoinen, despite her being already almost at her limit. an intelligent S Rank Divine Dragon with the ability to wield Divine Aura, Divine Domains, and Divine Magic. The fight against a Divine Dragon was something that she couldn''t properly handle. Unlike a mindless S Rank Monster, Valkoinen was an intelligent S Rank Divine Dragon with the ability to wield Divine Aura, Divine Domains, and Divine Magic. Brunhild might be very strong, at Rank A+++, but she had yet to get through the threshold of S Rank, which only Maria had done so in their entire party so far. It was such an overwhelming wall because not only she needed ridiculous quantities of EXP she hasn''t been able to gather even after all this time, but because it also required a Dragon to learn andprehend their divinity, something Brunhild had been unable to do so, sadly. "Heh¡­ HAHAHAHAHA!" Laughed Valkoinen, ring at Brunhild. "You''re bold¡­ TOO BOLD! Fine, if you want to die by my hands so badly¡­ So be it." The Divine Ice Dragon suddenly materialized hundreds of gigantic, over thirty-meter-big spears made of ice, pointing them all at Brunhild. "{Frozen Dragon Spear Rain}" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Hundreds of gigantic frozen spears made of ice, capable ofpletely devastating the whole city started all rushing towards Brunhild and her surroundings. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "T-That attack¡­ Dammit!!!" Brunhild roared ferociously, charging her entire body with mes to her very limits. Her old scales began zing and turning bright red in color, while several of them stared erupting with divine mes. "{Draconic Arts}: {Dragon Meteor Rain}!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Brunhild''s one body started erupting with gigantic spheres of mes andva, forming hundreds of small meteors that started to sh against Valkoinen''s magic ice spears, countless explosions started spreading everywhere. BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! "RAAAAHHHHH!!!! I WON''T LET YOU DESTROY THIS CITY, VALKOINEN!" Brunhild roared ferociously. "After all¡­ I MADE A PROMISE!" Within her mind, the memories of that time she meet the ancestor of the dwarves living in this city now went through her mind. A young man that had brought with him a dozen of dwarven families that escaped their own viges, devastated by the Holy Church of the Light God due to not being humans. She promised to protect them, to give them shelter. This was not a promise she could forget now; this was something she must do. Because not only has she been watching over them all this time as their guardian, but made such a precious promise with someone she loved. Brunhild gritted her sharp jaws as her eyes began flickering with stronger and stronger divine mes, her entire body was burning so much the floor around her was beginning to melt. "(I have to get him out of this ce before he destroys things even more¡­!)" Brunhild thought, seeing how Root was struggling to protect the city, Valkoinen''s attacks were freezing his branches even as strong as they were, and it was taking a toll on the Treant to keep regenerating. "Hahahah¡­. HAHAHAHA! For how long you can keep you, Brunhild?!" Laughed Valkoinen, as he continued conjuring more and more frozen spears, almost endlessly! How much Mana did this bastard even had?! "TCH¡­ It is now¡­ OR NEVER!" Brunhild roared, putting into her very heart the memories of her family and also of the one she loved the most to give herself the courage. Her entire body continued rising its temperature, until every single frozen spear started melting the moment they came into contact with her Infernal Draconic Aura. "RAAAAAHHHHH¡­!" Brunhild''s wings suddenly erupted, unleashing an enormous quantity of mes and helping her move at an incredible speed, reaching Valkoinen in just a few seconds, her two arms zing with infernal mes as she tackled him with all her strength with a heavy, body m! "{Infernal Draconic Eruption}!" BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM¡­.! "GUUUUAAAGGGH¡­?! T-THIS¡­ AAAGGGGH¡­!" Valkoinen was shocked as Brunhild''s impact was much more than he expected. Her mes started melting his scales and all of his magic was turned useless! He was thrown out of the city and then fell into the snow-covered mountains, shattering the floor below Brunhild constantly, crushing her bones and shattering all her scales, her face began growing disfigured with each blow, yet she him and making the entire mountain tremble. CRAAAAAASHHHHHH¡­! "G-GAAAGGH¡­!" Valkoinen suddenly vomited blood in agony and shock, as he saw Brunhild''s entire body zing with so much fury he never expected this mortal dragon to reach such heights. "Y-You damn Fire Dragon!!!" Valkoinen roared furiously, his ws suddenly grew into giant fists made of ice as he started punching Brunhild constantly, crushing her bones and shattering all her scales, her face began growing disfigured with each blow, yet she didn''t let him go from her zing embrace. CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAAASH! "LET GO OF MEEEEEE¡­!" Valkoinen cried in agony and fury. "RAAAAAAHHHHHHHH¡­!" Brunhild had lost all reason as she began to erupt like a volcano. "No¡­ NOT UNTIL I FINISH YOUUUUU¡­!" BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM¡­! ----- Chapter 708 Vakoinens Overwhelming Strength Chapter 708 Vakoinen''s Overwhelming Strength ----- Brunhild exploded with all her zing power, so many mes and heat came out of her body that her Magic Core shattered slightly due to the immense pressure she put herself in. Her entire body gave in, as she started to feel her age more than ever. However, seeing Valkoinen burning alive was more than enough reward for such a sacrifice. If only that was the case. FLUOSH! His Divine Domain suddenlypressed and gathered around his body, immediately negating Brunhild''s zing explosion and mes, and healing his body slowly. A smirk emerged on his lips, as Brunhild''s face distorted in disbelief. "You seem incapable of realizing what is your ce in this world." CRAAASH! A gigantic sword de pierced Brunhild''s stomach, making her vomit blood, her entire body had already given up, and she was already at the verge of death¡­ This was but a parting gift from Valkoinen. "Unnggh¡­ Gaaah¡­" BAAM! Brunhild fell to the snow-covered floor, gasping for air, her eyes were filled with pain and disbelief as she had done it all yet¡­ it barely amounted to some decent damage at most. "H-How¡­?" Brunhild cried. "Unnggh¡­ I¡­" Valkoinen smiled, quickly grasping the de incrusted on Brunhild''s stomach, which was slowly freezing her insides and killing her. "How you ask? Divine Dragons are apletely different breed than you Ancient Dragons. We possess divine regeneration abilities, and even our scales can reflect most magic! My Divine Domain easily cancelled your mes, and by my hand, you will now die." Valkoinen smiled. "Amendable effort, but your life ends now, Brunhild!" Valkoinen created a sharp spear made of ice, pointing it at her face. "PERISH!" The spear quickly fell down over Brunhild''s head, about to pierce her brains and kill her on the spot. CLAAAAASSSHHHH!!!! However, before Valkoinen could ever hit her brains, his spear and the sword inside of Brunhild''s stomach all shattered into tiny pieces. The Divine Dragon noticed a thin metallic thread wrapped around them, which extended for hundreds of meters and shattered them all into pieces easily! At the end of that metallic thread, there was a fishing hook¡­ "What?!" Valkoinen reacted in utter shock. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! "Unnggh¡­!" However, it didn''t end there, several tiny pebbles wereunched at his face, which quickly exploded into destructive zing explosions with ease, one after the other, forcing the Divine Dragon to step back in surprise. His gazended into two children over the snow, they were so small he could barely notice them with his enormous body. However, there was something else as well¡­ Something phantasmal lurking around his very shadows. FLUOOOOSH! "UNGH?!" A gigantic legion of Phantom Dragon suddenly emerged out of his own Shadows, as Valkoinen was shocked to see them wrapping around his tail and legs, forcing him to stop his movements, and then¡­ Exploding! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!!! "Aagh! W-What in the world?! Who dares interrupt my fight when I am about to take down my prey?!" Roared Valkoinen, confronting the three children that had emerged to stop him and protect their aunt Brunhild. "Over here idiot!" Takeshi said with a cocky smile. "We are really doing this¡­" Laura sighed. "I won''t let you kill my auntie!" Nyx angrily said, emerging out of Valkoinen''s shadows alongside an army of hundreds of Phantom Dragons she summoned. "No¡­ Children¡­ You cannot win¡­ Please run¡­ Run!" Brunhild cried, barely alive. Suddenly, several roots and branches emerged from underground, wrapping around her body and dragging her away from where she was, Valkoinen was incapable of stopping her, as more attacks came from these three children. "Don''t you dare run away!!!" Valkoinen roared furiously, only for his entire body to be showered in more attacks. Giant zing explosions from Laura''s Explosive Pebbles and Nyx''s Phantom Dragons, alongside Takeshi''s Fishing Rod''s thread wrapping around his legs. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Although the explosions were weak and barely hurt his scales, Valkoinen felt stressed that he was being ganged on by mere children, whatever they were, how could they dare interrupt him when he was about to take down Brunhild, and even more, drag her away from him?! "If you truly think you can stop me, the you''ve underestimated me¡­" Valkoinen said with a ferocious voice, his Divine Domain of Blizzards and Frost started to spread around his body rapidly, freezing everything and generating countless frozen spikes on the floor, while at the same time, with the enormous pressure and its shockwave, making the entire mountain tremble and sending the children attacking him into the air. TRUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! FLUOOSH! "Unnngggh¡­ Isn''t it a bit too strong?!" Laura was surprised. "This bastard defeated Brunhild, of course he''s strong. But it''s not like we''ve got any other option¡­ Onyx!" Takeshi suddenly summoned a gigantic ck phoenix that emerged out of the children''s shadows. FLUOSH! "CRAAAAHHH!" Onyx cried angrily, quickly attacking Valkoinen back with several beams made of shadows, and even generating a gigantic spear made of water. N?v(el)B\\jnn CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BOOOM! "Rubbish." Valkoinen said mercilessly, swinging his tail and crushing Onyx into the floor, the giant bird had all of its bones shattered and it vomited blood, stopping to move. CRAAAAASSSHHH! "CRYAAAAKKHHH¡­!" "ONYX!" The children panicked, only to see the bird slowly beginning to transform into shadows and disappear, only for it to emerge once more right there. ck mes flickering around it. "A Phoenix, huh?" Wondered Valkoinen while squinting his eyes. "But one too weak to pose a threat!" "CRYYAAKH!" The angered Onyx suddenly conjured a gigantic ck mes Fireball, throwing it directly at Valkoinen! BOOOOOOMMM!!!! "Heh, too weak." However, it was nothing to a Divine Dragon, Valkoinen pointed his hands at the bird and then with a mere order¡­ "{Frozen Cage}" FLAAASH! CLANK! A ray of freezing ice reached the bird much faster than the children could stop him, freezing the bird on an eternal ice cube, which fell into the ground. "And this is how you deal with Phoenixes." Heughed. "I am impressed there was even one alive, these creatures used to be hunted by us dragons in the past¡­ Well, now are you going to move, or are you still going to pretend you stand a chance and stand on my way?" Valkoinen groaned, pointing his ws at the three children. ----- Chapter 709 A Baptizm Of Fire Chapter 709 A Baptizm Of Fire ----- The Divine Ice Dragon was more merciful than he seemed to look like. As long as they didn''t stand on his way, he was still willing to spare the lives of these children. He simply came to do his task and then be gone. He didn''t cared about anything else. "I am impressed there was even one alive, these creatures used to be hunted by us dragons in the past¡­ Well, now are you going to move, or are you still going to pretend you stand a chance and stand on my way?" Valkoinen groaned, pointing his ws at the three children. Laura, Takeshi, and Nyx nced at one another, trying to buy time by making Valkoinen wait for their response. At the same time as this was happening, Brunhild was dragged back to the city, as the holes made in the walls were quickly covered by Root''s branches. Hundreds of tiny Spirits the Treant summoned using his Spirit Nest Skill appeared around Brunhild, who was still somehow hanging on her life by a thin thread, they flew into herrge wound and started to slowly heal her, while supplying her with life energy. Root''s branches and roots began spreading around her body, covering herpletely from anything and even inserting themselves into her skin and wounds, imbuing life energy and mana into her dying body. "Gyuuhh¡­ Please don''t die, Brunhild!" Brunhild could faintly heard the voice of the Treant Maria had tamed and made into their new ally. However, her mind was dizzy and her consciousness was slowly fading away. "Ahhh¡­ Am I going to die?" She thought. For a moment, her consciousness started submerging into an endless darkness. She had done her everything yet it was nothing against that monster, but at the very least, she did manage to stop the city''s destruction, even if a little. "I''m sorry, dear¡­ I was unable to protect your home any longer¡­" She whispered to herself. "I may¡­ soon die." F L A A A A A A S S S H H H! However, as Brunhild submerged more and more into the darkness of death, a sh of bright light suddenly emerged, guiding her soul somewhere else instead¡­ a world dominated and filled with tall and powerful dragons. "This is¡­ the Draconic Records? If I am here, I must have surely died¡­" Brunhild sighed. "You have yet to die, my child." The voice of an all-powerful dragon echoed, a gigantic, titanic being covered on mes and lustrous red scales, crowned with dozens of sharp ck horns. "You are¡­ The Primordial Mother of the Fire Dragons¡­" Brunhild was shocked. This wasn''t the first time she had entered the Draconic Records, as she had done it before. However, this was the very first time she was able to interact with the dragons inside, and with nobody else than he mother of all the Fire Dragons, Muspel. "There is a way to save you, my child. But it shall be perilous and painful." The Dragon said. "However, are you ready?" "What¡­ must I do, all-mother?" Brunhild wondered. F L U O O O O S H! Suddenly, the mes of the Primordial Dragon of Fire Dragons emerged, like an endless sea of mes, it engulfed Brunhild, burning her soul. "To help you forcefully breakthrough your next form, which will automatically heal your body, we must merge the Primordial Divine mes we Divine Fire Dragons possess with your Soul. It shall be painful, and agonizing, as your soul shall be burned so much that it will end up merging with the mes. Once the merge isplete, your soul will no longer be that of a mortal, but that of a divine dragon." Muspel exined. "This is a method I had never tried before, so there''s a chance¡­ that you may not make it, and your soul may end up beingpletely consumed by the mes instead. However, this is the only chance you have to survive¡­ and win against Valkoinen." Brunhild nodded, her eyes zing with conviction. "I will do it. I will do it to gain the power I need, all-mother!" Brunhild said, stepping into the sea of mes boldly, without even hesitating. F L U O O O S H! "Nnnggh¡­ Aaaagh! T-This pain¡­ It is worse than my flesh being boiled alive¡­!" Brunhild groaned. "Hoh, so bold." Smiled Muspel. "You have the heart of a Fire Dragon, my daughter. Now endure! The process has already begun!" The mes slowly started to merge with Brunhild''s soul, while at the same time burning it. It was a process that was beyond the Soul Book and leveling up, a process that could help Brunhild skip such a process, but that was much more dangerous. To purify her soul, to destroy it and remake it out of these mes¡­ It was like aplete rebirth. "For Lucifer¡­ And everyone else¡­ For the children and that city¡­ I have to hurry!" Brunhild roared, opening her jaws and beginning to swallow the burning infernal mes, burning her insides and the very core of her soul to hasten the process. "Child! Stop! What are you doing?!" Even Muspel panicked. "All-mother, I cannot sit still! I must hurry¡­ NNGGHH..! AAAGGH! E-Even if I must suffer through this inferno, this is nothingpared¡­ to what my brother and everyone else outside is going through! RAAAAAHHHHH¡­!" Brunhild roared, absorbing, and devouring the mes more and more. Her soul began changing and transforming much quicker than expected, Muspel herself was taken aback by her child''s willpower. "I have to go back¡­ QUICKLY!" Brunhild roared. Meanwhile, Valkoinen patience had finally run out. The three children were unwilling to cooperate, nor to move aside from his path. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "If your response is just "no" then there''s no point in talking anymore." Valkoinen said. "I''ve been holding back this entire time, but if you desire death by my hands, so be it, children! I won''t spare any more mercy!" His almighty Divine Frost Dragon''s Aura started spreading around, growing stronger with every second! ----- Chapter 710 The Young Warriors Against Valkoinen Chapter 710 The Young Warriors Against Valkoinen ----- Valkoinen charged divine power into his tail, as he swung it like a whip against the children, shaking the ground around him and generating countless shockwaves that threw away all the snow on the surroundings, while shattering the floor. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAASH! Takeshi and Laura were swiftly saved by Nyx, as she materialized her Aura into two big ws and grabbed them both, flying away from the scene before everything else were to be destroyed. "Huh, you can fly- Wait, you''re a dragon! What sort of dragon¡­ are you?!" Valkoinen wondered, finally realizing the identity of the small little half-dragon girl with ck scales and the power to summon Dragon Phantoms. "Nyx! And I am papa''s daughter! I won''t let you destroy the city!" Nyx angrily said, suddenly generating a dozen of gigantic spheres of darkness all at once. "{Dark Star}!" The Dark Stars fell like rain over Valkoinen, which suddenly surprised him. Despite being merely a little and young girl, the power she contained within her¡­ slightly reminded him of the Frost Queen, and to make things worse, when she went serious¡­ BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! Her magic was actually strong enough to shatter his scales and leave him covered in wounds! "AGH! I have lowered my guard, that girl''s a Cmity!" Valkoinen panicked. "I cannot let you live if that''s the case! {Endless Blizzard}!!!" Valkoinen raised his arms as he summoned a gigantic spiraling blizzard in mere seconds, resembling an enormous, all-epassing tornado. FLUOOOOOOOSSSHHHHH! The surroundings started to freeze in mere seconds as the blizzard immediately took over the three children, engulfing them on slicing winds and millions of sharp shards made of ice! However¡­ "{Tsunami}!" Takeshi summoned an enormous downpour of water using his Fisherman Ability, which has evolved to not only help him use the rod, but also the ability to control water and summon it. SPLAAAAAASSSSHHHH!!!! Although the water started to freeze instantly, it was still good, aiding the children on escaping the spiraling blizzard tornado they were trapped in! "Dammit,e back here!" Valkoinen roared furiously, waving his wings, and rapidly flying towards Nyx, his primary target. "{Divine Dragon Frozen Fist}!" Two enormous fists made of ice emerged in mere seconds at each of his arms, as he crushed the giant wall of ice Takeshi made by summoning a whole tsunami and then getting it frozen instantly, shattering it into pieces and finding the trio right at the other side! CRAAAASH! "Hah, gotcha- huh?!" However, what he saw was apletely different scene! Laura''s powers were beginning to surge from her body. The chaotic darkness within her corebined with her unique skill and her fire magic affinity suddenly created a new power, something she had been practicing in secret. An enormous fist made of mes punched Valkoinen''s face, throwing him off the air and into the ground. The punch wasn''t just that, as the very moment it hit his face, it exploded so strongly it flew off his scales and some of his teeth at the same time. BOOOOOOMMMMMM¡­! "UUUAAGGH¡­!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om CLAAASH! "W-What was that?!" Valkoinen sat down ncing at the skies, Laura was closing her eyes as she concentrated. This was a unique power of the twins, the ability to control Miasma and the Power of the Evil God they inherited from their Demonite Cores, made from the crystallization of the Evil God Fragment''s secretions. "{Infernal Explosive Demon}!" Laura said, her powers beginning to grow more and more. Takeshi and Nyx were honestly surprised of this! "You''re not going to touch them! I won''t allow you, as their big sister¡­!" The gigantic demon made of dark red mes began to move, immediately reaching Valkoinen and attacking with a gigantic barrage of fist attacks, which generated constant explosions around the surroundings, melting all the snow and shattering the floor even more, the entire mountain was trembling! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOMMMM!!!! "UUUAAGGGH¡­!" Valkoinen roared in agony, this explosive power was much more intense than Brunhild''s mes, although itcked her firepower, it made up for it with the constant explosive attacks. This was like the very materialization of Laura''s powers. Of course, if it wasn''t for her [Twin Connection] Skill, which allowed her to create a connection with someone and share 100% of their stats and skills with one another, it wouldn''t be possible. And just recently, after she evolved, such Unique Skill had evolved to ept up to three connections at once. The fusion between Takeshi, Laura, and Nyx''s Stats and Skills brought up this power that Laura had been practicing this entire time. As the big sister of the two, she simply couldn''t be a weakling. She had to use every power and capability she held to her advantage. "YOUUUUU¡­! Howe you possess the power of the Evil God?!" Roared Valkoinen in anger and frustration. "WELL¡­ NO MATTER!" FLAAAASH! He quickly began tanking Laura''s attacks as he flew into the skies and directed his fists towards the gigantic demon, piercing it with countless punches and slowly beginning to make its mes fade away! However, he had to bear with taking tremendous damage from all the explosions. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOMMMM!!!! "GRAAAAAAAAHHH!" Valkoinen opened his jaws. "PERISH!" TRUUUUUUMMMMMMM¡­! A gigantic Divine Dragon Breath emerged out of his open jaws,pletely devastating the gigantic demon made of explosive mes and then reaching up to Laura, Takeshi, and Nyx. CLAAAASSSSHHHHHHH¡­! However, a gigantic hand made of shadows and explosive mes surged out of Nyx''s very aura and blocked the beam,bining with hundreds of Phantom Dragons together, it began growing bigger and bigger! "Nyx will fight too! Nyx not coward!" She said, opening her jaws as a powerful suction force started absorbing Valkoinen''s attack. "{Phantasmal Stomach}!" FLUOOOOSH! "HUH?! M-MY ATTACK IS BEING SWALLOWED?!" Valkoinen opened his jaws wide as he saw Nyx devour his powerful attack. "Burp¡­" Nyx said while patting his belly. "That was awful!" "Y-YOUUUUU¡­!" Valkoinen was beginning to feel like a clown by struggling against a band of children. "That''s it! No more holding back!!!" TRUUUMMM¡­! His Divine Aura began growing wider and wider, shaping itself into a ferocious-looking gigantic ice dragon with three heads and several arms, wings, and tails¡­ This was a power Divine Dragons could develop, an insane power that allowed them to bepared to Gods once. "{Divine Dragon Aura}!" ----- Chapter 711 The Prayers Of The People Chapter 711 The Prayers Of The People ----- The power of a Dragon''s Aura was much more developed once they became Divine Dragons, it became their true source of Divine Power and also the embodiment of their very souls. Although Valkoinen seemed small, his Soul possessed great Divine Power and the power of almost a God! Once he unleashed it, his wounds started regenerating much faster than before, and the fatigue he felt was suddenly recovered. "GRUOOOOHHHHHHH¡­!" Alongside that, a gigantic three-headed ice dragon which was the Divine Dragon Aura he possessed emerged, roaring furiously, and opening its three gigantic jaws, pointing the attacks at the children. "You''ve forced my hand, now don''t me me if this entire mountain ispletely destroyed as a result of your foolishness!" He roared, as his power surged and began to epass hundreds of meters around him. "{Ultimate Blizzard}!" FLUOOOOOOSH! His Dragon Aura spread and generated a massive blizzard, covering all of his surroundings and beginning to shake even the nearby mountains. The mountain was engulfed on an endless spinning tornado of ice and winds! TRUUUUUMMMMMMM¡­! The people within the Dwarven Country panicked. Everyone had already evacuated into the underground area of the city, but if the entire damn mountain were to copse, how would anybody survive anyways? Even the King and his children were unable to do a single thing against such an overwhelming force, other than pray. "Oh Lord Odin, please save our lives, bless us!" "I don''t want to die¡­ I don''t want to die!" "Oh Gods, please save us!" "Gods, please!" Most of the poptions started praying, which only made Ruby angrier, she quickly started to reprimand the entire poption while using a microphone-like artifact. "Why are you praying to the Gods?! Don''t you realize it?! They''re the ones that have us like this! They''re the reason why we are trembling in fear! They are the ones that sent these monsters to kill us! Do you dare pray to the God that had persecuted our kin and ughtered us for generations?!" Ruby roared. "Ruby! What are you doing?!" Her father, the King, reprimanded her. "Leave at once! What proof do you have of such things?!" "I''ve only heard it from Mary, the one that has been helping us this entire time! She and her friends are fighting all of these monstrous threats and protecting our country when the Gods would never even do such a thing! If you want to pray for something, pray to Mary and her friends to be fine and safe! Pray for their wellbeing, pray that they WIN!" Ruby roared furiously. "It all depends on them at the end¡­ Don''t be foolish! If you keep praying to the Gods, they''ll only mock us even more, they''llugh at us! The Gods¡­ are a bunch of monsters that see us mortals as mere puppets!" "What is Lady Ruby saying?!" "Is this true? Has she gone insane?!" "I did heard that the church of the light used to persecute our ancestors¡­" "We demons have always been killed on sight by them¡­" "I heard that those monsters that named themselves Frost Generals were obeying direct orders from the Frost Queen and the church of light though!" "Why?! Are the Gods¡­ do the gods want us dead?!" "I thought they were the protectors of this world, why are they trying to kill us, what wrong have we done to them!?" "Buuuaaaah! Mama I am scared!" "Mary¡­ if it''s really Mary I''ll pray for her and her friends¡­ Fuck Odin and his Gods, they''re all wicked anyways!" "Pray to Lady Mary!" "Pray to that big dragon that protected us, the one that fought the ice dragon!" "What was her name?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Brunhild!" "Pray to her, to everyone fighting!" "Even if it doesn''t amount to anything¡­ Even if it may not do a single thing¡­ We simply can''t direct our prayers to the useless Gods up above doing nothing to help us¡­" "Lady Mary, Lady Brunhild, please, be safe! Please, be safe!" "Please, you have to win!" "You can''t lose, not now!" "Please¡­ I don''t want to lose my family¡­" "You''re our only hope¡­" The prayers of thousands of people at once began to slowly spread across the shelter underground. Ruby''s siblings and even her father were shocked by her sudden ability to convince people like this. They had always taken her as a little annoyance, an "idealist" with too many things in her mind to do anything to change people or the country. Yet now, the dwarven king and his children were finally seeing what Ruby was truly capable of, to inspire people with her words, to lead them to a different path, and to protect them with her strength and the bonds she had made with strong people through her charisma and brilliant personality. "That''s right everyone¡­ Pray! Let us pray to her¡­ Channel your Mana while praying, channel the veryst bits of strength you have, anything is worth it! Let''s give our all to them, let''s give all our strength so they won''t lose! Maybe one of us is nothing, but what about a hundred? One thousand? Ten thousand people worth of mana? Let''s channel it, let''s pray! I trust you all, just as much as I trust them!" "Our guardians, please take it!" "Take all our energy, please¡­" "Please¡­ I don''t want to lose my family¡­" "My daughter almost died, if it wasn''t for you, Lady Maria''s Familiars, she wouldn''t be any longer in this world!" "Please¡­ I implore of you!" FLAAAAAASH! channeled into everyone else that was part of Maria''s party, especially within Brunhild, who all Dwarves learned was the Divine Thousands of small bits of Mana started to fly into the skies, easily passing through the mountains and slowly being distributed and channeled into everyone else that was part of Maria''s party, especially within Brunhild, who all Dwarves learned was the Divine Dragon Guardian of their country. Meanwhile, within the Draconic Records, Muspel admired her descendant devouring and assimting the powerful Infernal Divine Draconic mes, and slowly refining her own soul into that of divinity¡­ however, she was beginning to get slower and more tired. "Hahhh¡­ I can''t¡­ give up¡­ No¡­ Not now¡­ Ungh!" Brunhild muttered, falling to her knees, the mes slowly consumed her more and more¡­ However! FLUOOOSH! An enormous amount of Mana started emerging from within her very soul. It wasn''t her mana, but the mana of over five hundred thousand people, all gathered for her. "T-This power¡­?!" And then she heard their pleas, their words! "Everyone¡­" TRUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! "Huh?! T-This is¡­ impossible! She already¡­?!" Muspel was shocked by what she saw! "Huh?! Y-You''re awake, gyuh?!" Root panicked. Brunhild''s eyes opened. ----- Chapter 712 A Mighty Fusion! Chapter 712 A Mighty Fusion! ----- Valkoinen went all out, summoning his powerful Divine Dragon Aura without holding back. His very presence summoned an endless Blizzard that consumed everything. The entire mountain was trembling, and gigantic cracks started to spread all around the gigantic mountain at the same time¡­ "All shall be consumed! I am tired of you damn kids! If all of you want to die so badly, so be it!!!" Roared Valkoinen, whileughing. Takeshi, Laura, and Nyx were struggling to fly through the gigantic Blizzard, even more when gigantic Ice Dragon Golems appeared everywhere, trying to inhibit their movements and kill them! "Move aside!!!" Laura roared, her small fists suddenly channeled her chaotic powers and her explosive mes, unleashing an explosive st of fire and blowing the Ice Dragon Golems into pieces one by one! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! "Dammit! We''re surrounded and this damn blizzard, it is slowly beginning to destroy the whole damn mountain!" Takeshi panicked, shaping the waters he could summon andbining them with his fishing rod to create a gigantic coiling water dragon, which shattered into pieces any golem that got near by wrapping around them and crushing them! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAASH! "Nyx has a n¡­!" Nyx said, suddenly beginning to summon many more Dragon Phantoms while forcing herself to her limits. "{Dragon Phantom Fusion}!" FLAAAASH! By sharing her stats with Takeshi and Laura, and so their Skills, she was able tobine their powers with her own and create something simr to Laura''s Infernal Explosion Demon, a gigantic Dragon made of Phantom, Darkness, and mes! F L U O O O O O O S H! It epassed the three children inside, and began moving against the blizzard while crushing any golem that got near them. "ROOOOOAAARRRR!" Nyx roared, her roar channeling into the Giant Dragon Phantom, as an enormous breath attack made of ck mes surged from its gigantic jaws! "{Abyssal Dragon Breath}!" TRUUUUUUMMMMMMMM¡­! The beam began to destabilize the Ultimate Blizzard and quickly reached Valkoinen, shing against him with all of its power! BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM¡­! "Nnnghh¡­. You''re still alive, young Cmity?!" Valkoinen roared in surprise and disbelief. "Well, no matter, you shall soon join your aunt I just killed! Even if I didn''t finish her, she must already be dead by now! Bwahahahaha!" Although Valkoinen''s body was taking damage from Nyx''s Abyssal Dragon Breath, he quickly regenerated using his Divine Dragon Aura''s powers and then decided to block it and counter with his own powers. "{Triple Winter Dragon Breath}!" All three heads of his Dragon Aura opened their jaws, pointing at Nyx and then¡­ unleashing three consecutive Dragon Breath attacks, resembling all-destroying beams of annihtion! F L A A A A A A A S S S H H H H H H H H¡­! "Nyx! Move aside!" Cried Laura, panicking. "Can we even take that?!" Takeshi cried. "As long as I have you two¡­ Nyx can do anything!" Nyx pouted angrily, channeling the powers of her father that she inherited, those of her two mothers, Crystal and Maria, and those of everyone else that granted her their powers, Partner and Elfina. F L U O O O O O O S S S H H H H! Suddenly, hundreds of tiny ck creatures appeared around her! These were Darkness Spirits! Nyx had channeled the powers of Elfina that she inherited from her and summoned them all! "Please help Nyx, okay?" Nyx asked. "FOOO!" "KYU!" "RAAAH!" The Darkness Spirits all agreed. Nyx was special, emanating an aura simr to Maria, a Queen of Undead and also of Darkness¡­ with their aid, their powers fused with her own Aura,bining and then channeling them all as Nyx charged forward, directly into the three beams! "Laura, Takeshi! Hold hands with Nyx!" The little girl quickly gave her tiny hands to her siblings, their powers flowed more and more into her own body and soul fusing and then¡­! T R U U U U M M M M M M¡­.! All three beams shed against Nyx''s Dragon Aura, as she channeled their power together and unleashed them all, all at once! "R A A A A A A R R R!" F L U O S H! The gigantic dragon changed once more, no longer phantom-like as it started to materialize. Nyx, Takeshi, and Laura felt as if they merged with the entity, all three turning into a gigantic ck dragon! "W-What is this power?!" Takeshi was shocked. "I-I see¡­ She has fully merged her abilities with [Twin Connection] and created an ability even stronger¡­ This is no longer just a connection, we''ve fused!" Laura was shocked. "I used something mama taught Nyx! It is named¡­ {Spirit Fushon}!" Nyx said. "Now¡­ Together with Nyx!" The little girl channeled her powers with her friends, as the giant ck dragon swung its enormous ws. "{Abyssal Explosive mes Dragon ws}!" SLAAAASH! SLAAAASH! Two gigantic shes made of explosive ck mes surged from the Giant ck Dragon''s ws, exploding and devastating Valkoinen''s triple dragon breath,pletely overpowering it! BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM¡­! Not only that, both shesbined together into an x-shaped ck me attack, impacting Valkoinen''s body and leaving an x-shaped wound all over his face! His giant body ended falling into the floor, as the Blizzard was quickly dispelled. BAAAM! "GRAAAAAGGH¡­! M-MY BODYYYYY¡­!" Valkoinen roared in fury and agony as he was being burned with mes he could not easily turn off! "YOUUUUU¡­ GRAAAAHHHHHH!!!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Valkoinen quickly jumped back into action as his Divine Dragon Aura fused into his body like an armor, and then he immediately started attacking with punches, kicks, and whip attacks using his giant tail while conjuring a storm of hundreds of ice spears, each one of fifty meters long at minimum! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Nyx struggled; the fusion was quickly being overwhelmed. However, their converged powers continued fighting back, as countless explosions made of ck mes emerged from each of their attacks, and then a Dragon Breath! "R A A A A A R R R R!" BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! ----- Chapter 713 Brunhilds Divine Judgement! Chapter 713 Brunhild''s Divine Judgement! ----- "GRAAAAHH!" Valkoinen stepped back for a few seconds in shock as his chest was burnt and his Divine Dragon Aura Armor was suddenly slightly shattered, the giant dragon breathing from Nyx managed to deal this much damage! "T-This is impossible! To be overwhelmed by mere children!" Valkoinen roared. "You are truly a Cmity, but a juvenile one yet!" His fists reached Nyx''s Giant ck Dragon form''s face, crushing her with countless punches and cracking several bones. Many of her fangs flew off into the air as her zing ck mes were covering Valkoinen with wounds which slowly regenerated. "You''re struggling very well, but at the end¡­ YOU''LL DIE A BITTER DEATH LIKE THAT BRUNHILD!!!" Roared Valkoinen whileughing maliciously. "NOOOOOOO!!!" Nyx cried, unleashing all her powers as darkness began engulfing everywhere¡­ Phantoms started surging around her surroundings and a million souls heard her scream! "W-Wha?!" Valkoinen was shocked as several souls wrapped around his body, attempting to stop him from killing Nyx and the other children! "Nnnnggh¡­! Let go of me! What sort of wicked power is this?!" Valkoinen panicked. "No¡­ NO MATTER! RUBBISH, ALL OF YOU ARE RUBBISH!" CRAAAAAASH! Valkoinen ushed a deadly shockwave of freezing prowess, freezing, and shattering hundreds of souls aiding Nyx as his ws suddenly were covered on his ice, shaping as sharp spears, which he covered on his divine aura! "This is IT! {Soul Piercing Frozen Spears}! I''ll SHATTER your souls!!!" CLAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!! His two giant spears were blocked by Nyx''s tail and an aura of ck mes, but the spears quickly started to destroy the aura and the tail, beginning to pierce through the soul of his victims¡­ "Unnnggh¡­ AAAGGH! W-WHAT IS IT NOW?!" 23:19 Valkoinen directed his gaze towards the perpetrator, only to find an enormously tall, "I''ll send you where your aunt is now! To Helheim!" Laughed Valkoinen. "DIE!" BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! However, a gigantic zing fireball reached Valkoinen''s head, blowing him off bnce and making him hit the ground like a clown! CLAAASH! "Unnnggh¡­ AAAGGH! W-WHAT IS IT NOW?!" Valkoinen directed his gaze towards the perpetrator, only to find an enormously tall, much younger-looking, yet mystical and divine Fire Dragoness, Brunhild herself! She was much different now. Her old white and gray scales were reced by shiny red and golden scales. Her old and worn-down ck horns became golden, resembling a beautiful crown. Her tail became long, with the end being that of a golden spear tip, zing with immensely strong divine mes, and her entire body was engulfed on a tremendous, all-powerful aura. Her Divine Dragon Aura slowly emerged from her body, resembling the very figure of Muspel herself! Not only she became a Divine Dragon¡­ but she became the Incarnation of the ancient, now dead all-mother of Fire Dragons! "T-This is¡­ This is impossible! Y-YOU''RE ALIVE?!" Valkoinen was shocked. "Were you calling me dead when I am all living and kicking here?" Brunhild spoke, while her Divine Dragon Aura was summoned, the voice of Muspel herself fused with her own, both the Primordial Fire Dragon mother and Brunhild were in perfect synchronization! "Heh, I never expected you could not only advance to a Divine Dragon with that power you acquired, but became a perfect vessel for my own soul as well!" Muspel congratted her within her minds. "Now, girl, its time for some sweet revenge." "Yes, all-mother." Brunhild answered her within her mind, opening her eyes once more. "Valkoinen! Why don''t you fight someone at your size instead of bullying children? Have you fallen so much you''re now a pathetic viin?" "I am NO Viin! I was forgotten, I was humiliated! I was SEALED!" Valkoinen roared. "I am the one wronged HEREEEEEEE!" FLAAAASH! Valkoinen entered into a fit of rage, rushing towards Brunhild and attacking her head on! A terrible choice. Brunhild''s zing fist reached his face, as itbined with her Divine Dragon Aura and channeled Muspel''s very own fists into her own! The result? A gigantic zing fist impacted Valkoinen''s entire body, burning him alive while crushing him into the floor pathetically! BAAAAAAMMMMMMM¡­! "UUUUUAAAGGGGHHHHH¡­.!" Valkoinen screamed in agony. "T-This is¡­ How¡­ is it possible?! I thought you were a pathetic mortal! You¡­ ascended into a Divine Dragon?! But even then¡­ Ngh?! This power¡­ Y-You''ve¡­ be¡­ Muspel''s Incarnation?!" "Bingo." Brunhild answered with a malicious grin. "{Primordial zing Muspel''s Fists}!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAAASH! Brunhild started boxing Valkoinen''s entire body with countless zing fistsing from all around him. His entire body was already thrashed by Nyx and everyone else, but now he was gettingpletely demolished. His bones were cracking, his muscles were being torn apart, and his scales melted and his skin burned! "GRYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH¡­.!" Valkoinen somehow managed to stay alive, channeling all his ultimate divinity power into his body and unleashing a massive shockwave of ice and snow, a gigantic Ultimate Blizzard! FLUOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHH!!!! "FREEZE! FREEZE TO DEATH! BUAHAHAHAHA!" Valkoinen celebrated as he saw Brunhild beginning to freeze into an ice statue in just a single second after he unleashed his Ultimate Blizzard in front of her face! However¡­ Crack¡­ crack¡­ "H-Huh?" CRAAASH! From within the ice, Brunhild''s arm emerged, grasping Valkoinen''s neck and strangting him tightly with it! "GRAAAGGGH¡­! GUAAAGGGH¡­! N-NO¡­! H-HOW¡­?! UUNGGGH¡­! I AM¡­ AN ANCIENT GOD!" Valkoinen cried in anger and wrath, his powers attacking Brunhild constantly! N?v(el)B\\jnn Five Ultimate Blizzards, Ten Ultimate Blizzards, twenty, thirty, fifty! As many conjurations as he could, yet they never froze her, she easily melted all ice, and slowly started to burn his body while she grasped his neck. "Die, you wicked bastard!" Brunhild roared with fury, as the mes consumed Valkoinen''s entire body. His Divine Dragon Aura simply melted into particles of light against Brunhild''s own superior Divine Dragon Aura, and his entire body was so burned he turnedpletely ck and crispy while screaming. "GRYYYYAAAAAAAAAGGGH! I DON''T WANT TO DIEEEEEEEE¡­.!" Although he asked for mercy, Brunhild and Muspel had no mercy for someone that had betrayed the Dragons in exchange for wanting power! "The primary task of Divine Ancient Dragons is to protect mortals, not to kill them or terrorize them, Valkoinen! You''ve been condemned to death by the Infernal mes of Muspel herself! PERISH!" "NNNGGRRYYAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH¡­! BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM¡­! Valkoinen was blown to bits! The battle was finally over! ------ Chapter 714 The End Of The Battle 714 The End Of The Battle ----- (Maria''s POV) When the battle was finally over, half of the Dwarven Country''s city waspletely destroyed, and also frozen. We managed to defeat the three Frost Generals, but we ended taking too long, and their army got rather deep into the city. Nheless, a victory is a victory, and every civilian survived. There were still casualties, as some of the soldiers died in the battle, but they were still kept at a minimum, thankfully. I could feel their souls around me as I separated myself into several Egos through Hel''s new Privilege, I couldn''t really bring them back as Undead, as I would be insulting their families, so I let them go in peace using my abilities. I felt slightly bad, even after our victory, that several innocents died¡­ I wasn''t prepared for this at all. I had just fought Thor''s Divine Spirit Vessel in the Dungeon and now out of nowhere these three appeared, it was overwhelming, to say the least. Nheless, it wasn''t as if the battle was over. I need to go back home asap! I already sent several of my Divided Egos there, so I hope I can get there as fast as I can. Everybody is fighting and doing their everything to protect my people, I trust their strength. However, as I multi-tasked by moving as fast as I could back home, I was also within the dwarven city, assessing everything. I regrouped with everybody using my Divine Lightning Body, which I had used to merge with Partner and Lucifer to defeat the ridiculously tough Frost, a powerful S Rank Slime. And¡­ Ugh, I am so tired! At the very least, I''ve got tons of EXP¡­ Yeah, at the very least there''s something to smile for aside from the joy of winning against powerful foes. Ding! [Your and your Party defeated thousands of Frost Monsters.] [You and your Party defeated [Evil Witch of Winter: Zero (S+ Rank)] x1] [You and your Party defeated [Greater Divine Metal Slime: Frost (S+ Rank)] x1] [You and your Party defeated [Divine Blizzard Dragon: Valkoinen (S+ Rank)] x1] [You earned 72000000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [¡­] [Your Level has increased from Level 29 to Level 38!] [All your Stats have increased!] [You earned Bonus System Points for Defeating Powerful Foes!] [You earned 5000000 System Points.] [The Levels of Several Skills has increased.] [New sses have been unlocked.] [Subsses have be avable.] [The {ss Change} Function has been added to the Soul Grimoire Abilities.] ----- [ss Change] A Brand-New Ability within the Soul Grimoire, an upgraded and improved form of the ss Change Ability within the ss Change Crystals. It grants the ability to change into sses with different Grades and Ranks, gaining power from them. Once a certain Level with each ss is reached, it is possible to change sses once more to a higher Grade ss. Subsses are also avable, and each ss and Subss have their own corresponding Levels separate from the user''s Race Level. sses and Subsses are qualified through different Grades of Power: [Normal] -> [Rare: ¡ï] -> [Unique: ¡ï¡ï] -> [Mythical: ¡ï¡ï¡ï] -> [Legendary: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï] -> [Divine: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï] -> [???] ------ [To begin the new ss Change Ability, you require to spend System Points, additionally, your current ss will be deleted. However, any abilities within it will remain.] Looks like I could now change sses and Subsses! Well, now that''s new and interesting! This System is finally not cking around anymore. Though, it''s better if he doesnt hear me saying that outloud... "I see, this is new! Good job working on this new function, System." I congratted the System a bit. However, before I could begin that, there were more surprises¡­ Ding! [You learned the [Magic Archery Techniques: Lv1] Skill!] [You acquired the [Novice Magic Archer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Dragon Spirit: Lv1] Skill!] [You acquired the [Dragon Master: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Blood Arts: Lv1] Skill!] [You acquired the [Vampyr: Lv1] Title Skill!] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [You acquired the [S Rank Monster yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Witch Hunter: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You acquired the [Divine Dragon yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] I got too many new Skills! I can understand thest three title skills but what the heck is up with Magic Archery Technique, Dragon Spirit and then Blood Arts?! Did I just¡­ learned the Skills of Emeraldine, Partner, and Lucifer because I temporarily fused with them? Maybe the System also gathered the proficiency I gathered by using their powers while we were fused, and I ended acquiring some of their basic Skills, now this is interesting¡­ Heheh. ----- [Magic Archery Techniques: Lv1] A Special Skill that only Magic Archers can learn, it grants the ability tobine magic with bow techniques to create truly powerful magical arrows of various sizes, powers, and elements. Enhances Magic Archery Techniques Damage by +100% with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Magic Archery Techniques have an enhancement to their uracy of +50% with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. Avable Magic Archery Techniques: Level 1: [Mana Arrow] [Elemental Arrow Rain] ----- [Dragon Spirit: Lv1] A Special Skill that only powerful Summoners that have created a Contract with a powerful Ancient Dragon can acquire. It allows these Summoners to channel a part of the power of their Contracted Dragons as a {Dragon Spirit} a weaker formparable to the Dragon''s {Divine Dragon Aura}. It contains the Contracted Dragon''s abilities, which the Summoner can use freely by spendingrge quantities of Mana. Enhances the Contracted Ancient Dragon Techniques shared with the Summoner''s Power by +100%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. The Summoned Dragon Spirit enhances All of the Summoner''s Stats by +50% of the Contracted Ancient Dragon''s Stats. Additionally, Permanently Enhances the Contracted Ancient Dragon''s Stats by +25%, with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. It is also possible to make more Contracts with Dragons as the Skill Level increases. Contracted Dragon Slots: Level 1: [Slot 1]: [Lucifer, Divine Dragon of Death mes (S Rank)] ----- These Skills are utterly insane! ----- Chapter 715 Many New Skills ? ----- Aside from these Skills, there was also the Blood Arts Skills I''ve seen Partner use a lot, but this one is much different though. ----- [Blood Arts: Lv1] A Special Skill that usually Vampires, or their Vampires Servants, who have created a Blood Contract with them can acquire. It grants the ability to manipte the Blood Attribute of Magic, and also Control Blood easily and conjure it in a variety of lethal attacks. The user is free to either use their own Blood or the Blood of their foes, although by spending their own blood, their lifespan slowly reduces.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Enhances Blood Attribute Damage by +100%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Grants the user 20% of the Contracted Vampire''s Stats, with an additional +10% with each Skill Level in exchange for their Health Points and Mana Points, which the Vampire can draw up to 50% freely. Avable Blood Arts: Level 1: [Blood ws] [Blood Bat Swarm] ----- Ah, this is pretty crazy! But now Partner can draw my Health and Mana freely? Well that''s a bit convenient, I don''t really mind. She''s usually sometimes very tired, so if she can just draw this from me directly, she can keep up fighting for much longer. And also, there''s the new Titles¡­ ----- [Novice Magic Archer: Lv1] A Title given to a Novice Magic Archer that is just starting their career as a magician thatbines the powers of magic with the arts of archery. Enhances the user''s Magic Archery Techniques Power by +50% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Decreases Mana Cost of Magic Archery Techniques by -25%, with an additional -5% with each Skill Level. Magic Archery Techniques can also pierce through 25% of the foe''s Magic Resistance (50% of their Magic Stat). ----- [Dragon Master: Lv1] A Title given to a Summoner that has created a powerful Contract with an Ancient Dragon, bing a Dragon Master. It is now possible for them to grow their affinity with each other, and also contract more Ancient Dragons to gain more power. Enhances the Summoner''s Stats and Skill Damage while activating the Dragon Spirit by an additional +25% with +5% with each Skill Level. All Contracted Ancient Dragons receive a +25% boost to all their stats, with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. ----- [Vampyr: Lv1] A Title only granted to Vampyr, servants or "ves" of Vampires that have drank their blood or have tasted their souls. These servants are obsessed with their Vampiric Masters and would do anything for them. As a servant of the blood, you''re a Vampyr. All Blood Attribute Damage increases by +50%, with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. Mana Cost of Blood Arts and Blood Magic is decreased by -20%, with an additional -5% with each Skill Level. By drinking the blood of your Vampire Master, kissing them, or having sexual acts with them, your affinity with your Vampire Master increases and you can share more of his stats, while his powers to drain your Health and Mana Points increases further as well. ----- They all seem interesting, though thisst one is a bit kinky¡­ Does it means I can have segs with Partner and get even stronger by sharing our strength? It does sounds like an absolute win. I am all for calling her my Master in some hot roley. A-Anyways, thest Titles are much simpler. ----- [S Rank Monster yer: Lv1] A Title that is the proof you''ve in several S Rank Monsters. You''re already at the top of the world if you can y S Rank creatures so easily! Increases damage dealt against S Rank or higher monsters by +100%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. It is also possible to ignore 20% of their Total Defenses. While fighting against foes stronger than the user, all stats increase by an additional +30%. ----- [Witch Hunter: Lv1] A Title bestowed upon someone that has hunted witches that have done incredibly evil deeds around the world, and are deemed as tremendous sinners. Increases Magic Damage of all your Spells by +50% with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Decreases Mana Cost of all Spells by -25%. All your Magic can ignore 15% of a foe''s Magic Resistance (50% of their Magic Stat). While fighting Magic Wielders, especially Witches, your Damage increases by an additional +100%. ----- [Divine Dragon yer: Lv1] A Title bestowed upon someone that has in a Divine Dragon, an incredible feat that you seem to have barely aplished by supporting your allies. Enhances Damage against Dragon Foes by +150%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. It is possible to ignore 50% of their total defenses and drain 25% of the Damage you deal against them as Health Points. ----- Amazing, all of these Skills are rather awesome. But how exactly did I support Brunhild? I don''t really remember¡­ Well, whatever, I still take the Title. Nobody knows if that ice dragon''s going to be the only one out there. Although I would prefer to talk things out, if they''re dead-set on killing us, we''ll have to just kill them first. "Mamaaaa!" Nyx flew towards me, reaching me and hugging me tightly. "Nyx!" I said, hugging her and kissing her. "Mama!" "You''re finally back!" The twins also greeted me happily, we all hugged each other. I just wanted to hug them for a while¡­ I had been worried this entire time. "I heard you three fought against the dragon and protected the city¡­ I am very proud!" I said, congratting them all. "However! You shouldn''t had overdone it!" "Sowy¡­" Nyx sighed. "But auntie was in trouble¡­" "Yeah, if we didn''t step in, she would had gotten killed!" Takeshi said. "Still, we shouldn''t had risked our lives so much¡­" Laura sighed. "It''s fine¡­ I guess there wasn''t any other option. If only I could had gotten there sooner." I sighed. "Well, let''s be thankful we are all alive now, especially your aunt." I looked at Brunhild, who had evolved the same as Lucifer, both had now be Divine Dragons. "Big sister you got so big!" Lucifer was surprised. "You too, Lucifer. It seems we''ve received the blessing of our ancestors." Brunhild smiled. "For now, I''ll melt the ice around and protect the city. I am sure you''ve got ces to go right now." ----- Chapter 716 Partner The Calamity ? ----- "Indeed, we should hurry back home." I sighed. "Yeah." Lucifer nodded, his new dragon form was majestic, tall, powerful, and ck scaled. His sister meanwhile resembled a divine being, her mes glowed with holiness. "Before that. We should go check on the people. Also you two go back to your humanoid forms if you don''t scare people so easily¡­" I sighed. "R-Right." The two dragons nodded, as they quickly went back to humanoid forms. P O O O F! Like that, we moved through the city, where we meet Root. He had worked the hardest as well, as he had protected the city and even helped Brunhild escape the divine ice dragon''s clutches. "Gyuh! Master, the people''s down there! I''ve rescued anybody I could! The frozen people was left over there. I''ve protected them too." He pointed out, quickly emerging on his small spiritual embodiment form. He had yet to reach A Rank though, but he seemed very close, much like Nyx. The twins seemed to be almost hitting max level as well, but not yet. The only ones that evolved out of this were Brunhild, Lucifer, and Partner, who all became S Rank. Elfina had yet to reach the necessary level though but was incredibly close. Ah, by the way, these were their stats: ----- [Name]: [Partner] [Race]: [Blood Moon Vampire Queen: Lilith] [Job ss]: [Scarlet Moon Vampiric Double Spear Empress] [Level]: [6/100] [Rank]: [S] [Status]: [Healthy] [HP]: [465000/465000] [MP]: [235000/235000] [Attack]: [550000] [Defense]: [185000] [Magic]: [270000] [Agility]: [330000] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Blood Element: Lv--] [Demon Element: Lv--] [Vampire Princess: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Orichalcum Skeleton: Lv6] [Awakened Body: Lv7] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv8] [Flesh Devouring: Lv9] [Blood Feast: Lv8] [High-Speed Flight: Lv7] [Vampiric Evil Eyes: Lv7] [Greater Supernatural Strength: Lv8] [Demonic Body: Lv1] [Lilith''s Embodiment: Lv1] [Seductress: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Physical Damage Resistance: Lv9] [Greater Magical Damage Resistance: Lv8] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv7] [Sunlight Immunity: Lv--] [Fire Resistance: Lv10] [Corruption Resistance: Lv10] [All Element Resistance: Lv1] [Demonic Power Absorption: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Crimson Bone w: Lv9] [Demonic Intimidating Aura: Lv3] [Combo Piercing Spear Attack: Lv9] [Consecutive Thrusts: Lv8] [Abyssal Vampiric Spear Thrust: Lv7] [Tireless Warrior: Lv9] [Demonic Blood Spear Arts: Lv2] [Demonic Blood Armor Arts: Lv2] [Demonic Gluttonous Fangs: Lv2] [Moon Vampire Queen Battle Arts: Lv1] [Blood Boost: Lv9] [Demonic Strength: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Divinity Drain: Lv2] [Blood Curse Infection: Lv9] [Demonic Ghost Fist: Lv2] [Scarlet Moon: Lv10] [Bloodwork: Lv10] [Divine Blood Arts: Lv2] [Blood Puppeteer: Lv8] [Crimson Burst: Lv6] [Demonic Magic: Lv1] [Chaos Beam: Lv1] [Chains of Lust: Lv1] [Demon Gate: Lv1] [Blood Familiar Summon: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Acrobatics: Lv10] [Vampire Authority: Lv10] [Vampiric Blood Aura: Lv8] [Blood Heal: Lv9] [Hunting: Lv8] [Cooking: Lv5] [Farming: Lv3] [Alchemy: Lv5] [Bloodshed Enhancement: Lv1] [Demonic Veil: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [First Wife Of The Apostle of Death: Lv10] [Blood Death Knight: Lv10] [Blood Race: Lv10] [Grand Spear Master: Lv10] [Blood Empress: Lv10] [Merciless Assassin: Lv10] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv7] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv9] [gue Exterminator: Lv6] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv7] [Undead yer: Lv10] [Slime yer: Lv10] [King yer: Lv10] [Mold Breaker: Lv7] [Vampire yer: Lv4] [Little Farmer: Lv3] [ndestine Brewer: Lv3] [Butcherer: Lv10] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv7] [Vampire Duchess: Lv8] [Vampire Queen: Lv1] [Lilith: Lv1] [Demonic Incarnation: Lv1] [One of a Kind: Lv1] [Cmity of Lust: Lv1] [¡­] ----- Partner got a bunch of new Skills and she became¡­ something like a demon? I had expected her to just continue being a vampire, but it seems her evolution mutated and she became a Demon with the name of "Lilith". It does says she''s a Cmity of Lust now, so maybe¡­ I guess she''s a Cmity. I never imagined her being the one of Lust though, but it seems it gave her one hell of a powerup. And she became one hell of a beauty! She was already super-hot and sexy, but now she''s even hotter and sexier. Such delicious curves, big bouncy breasts, such a charming and beautiful smile, and her red eyes that make me go crazy! Holy shit she''s such a mommy, I would let her dominate me any time. ¡­ ¡­Ah, is this the effects of her Title? I guess I am head over heels for her now¡­ I do find her hot but thinking all of that in a row does seems weird! Geez, her charm is literally killing me. And I am all for it. Not only her hair became purple-colored and grew down to her hips, but she grew a pair of beautiful red horns in her forehead, a third eye resembling a purple jewel in her forehead, sharp and long ears, and she even got bat-like wings behind her now, permanently. She even had an adorable pointy demon-like tail and sharp ck ws. Damn, never thought she could get even hotter¡­. But I can''t spend time thinking about how hot she is now; I have to concentrate on more important things! "Fufufu, master you''re looking at me a lot! Is it my evolution a bit too much?" She wondered while giggling. Even her personality changed a bit, she became way too coquettish! "A-Ah, you became a Cmity¡­" I said, pointing that out. "Oh yeah! I didn''t realized until I saw the title, weird, right? I used to be your skeleton but now I am considered a Cmity but not you?" She wondered. "It is indeed rather strange." Lucifer pointed out. "But I guess it doesn''t really matter. If you''re a cmity, then you''re just stronger. Though¡­ What is this strange aura you''re exuding? Is it part of your new powers?" "Yeah, she looks¡­ so hot." Elfina said. "Uwah! D-Did I said that out loud?!" She quickly closed her mouth with her hands. "I guess it is just part of being a Cmity of Lust or whatever." Partner shrugged. "I''ll make sure to use this power to make our enemies fall head over heels for me and then crush them when they least expect it! Buwahahaha!" She had certainly not changed a single bit!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- Chapter 717 Lucifer And Brunhilds Growth ? ----- And then there was Lucifer''s Status, it had changed quite a bit from thest time I saw it: ----- [Name]: [Lucifer] [Race]: [Divine Dragon King of Abyssal Death mes: Nidhogg] [Job ss]: [Divine Ruler of Abyssal Death mes] [Level]: [5/100] [Rank]: [S] [Status]: [Filled with Motivation] [HP]: [535000/535000] [MP]: [220000/220000] [Attack]: [725000] [Defense]: [525000]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Magic]: [465000] [Agility]: [180000] [Characteristic Skills]:[Ancient Dragon: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Fire Element: Lv--] [Primordial Draconic Death Core: Lv--] [Ancient Dragon Heart: Lv--] [Morph: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Transform: Lv10] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv7] [Life Consumption: Lv7] [Divine Dragon Scales: Lv7] [Death Embodiment: Lv9] [Ancient Dragon''s Domain: Lv8] [Nidhogg Embodiment: Lv1] [Death Dragon''s Body: Lv1] [Destruction Personified: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Death Resistance: Lv10] [Greater Physical and Magical Damage Protection: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Life Assimtion: Lv8] [Divine Abyssal Death me Breath: Lv2] [Divine Hellish Death ws: Lv2] [Divine Ancient Dragon''s Aura: Lv2] [Dark Shadow Spear: Lv10] [Venomous Dragon Scale Powder: Lv10] [Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception: Lv8] [Life-Tearing Divine Fangs: Lv1] [Divinity Shattering ws: Lv1] [Abyssal Death Divine Spear Tail: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Divine Phantasmal me: Lv5] [Dark Eclipse: Lv5] [Reaper of Souls: Lv9] [Scythe of Death: Lv8] [Chaotic Catastrophe: Lv1] [Eternal Domain of Hel: Lv1] [Death Dragon Familiar Summon: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Mana Mastery: Lv10] [Divinity Restoration: Lv1] [Healing ck mes: Lv1] [Mana Healing Dragon Blood Elixir: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Husband of the Apostle of Death: Lv10] [Death Dragon: Lv10] [Protector of Goblins: Lv8] [Furious Berserk: Lv10] [Guardian of Death: Lv10] [The Gatekeeper of Helheim: Lv10] [Divine Death Dragon of Abyssal mes: Lv1] [Nidhogg''s Incarnation: Lv1] [One of a Kind: Lv1] ----- His evolution''s name is Nidhogg, like that one legendary dragon from Norse mythology, and it says he''s the dragon''s incarnation, so perhaps the actual Nidhogg lives somewhere else, or maybe its dead and has been reborn through Lucifer? It is odd, but its not like he has stopped being himself, so he''s not being possessed or something. Maybe he simply inherited this dragon''s powers. His defenses continue being top tier, he''s our greatest tank in the party, and also his physical damage is insane. He''s slowpared to Partner and me though, probably because he''s so big and heavy¡­ He gained some new Spells to summon Dragon Familiars or a Domain of Hel? And then there''s the three support skills that popped out of the blue, they seem to be able to heal both divine power, health, and mana. My husband dearest has be much hotter as well, and he''s super handsome! If he were on Earth he would surely be a celebrity and be paid to act in TV Series due to his looks alone! And his Power is also in another level. He''s like the hot, dark, and mysterious boyfriend I always dreamed to have back on Earth, and that he''s a dragon it''s a plus! ¡­ A-Anyways, moving on to Brunhild¡­ ----- [Name]: [Brunhild] [Race]: [Divine Dragon Queen of Infernal Divine Holy mes: Muspel] [Job ss]: [Divine Ruler of Infernal Holy mes] [Level]: [7/100] [Rank]: [S] [Status]: [Healthy] [HP]: [4635000/465000] [MP]: [300000/300000] [Attack]: [525000] [Defense]: [485000] [Magic]: [665000] [Agility]: [230000] [Characteristic Skills]: [Ancient Dragon: Lv--] [Holy Element: Lv--] [Fire Element: Lv--] [Ancient Divine Dragon Heart: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Transform: Lv10] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv10] [Mana Absorption: Lv10] [Divine Dragon Scales: Lv10] [Fire Embodiment: Lv10] [Ancient Dragon''s Domain: Lv10] [Muspel Embodiment: Lv1] [Divine Holy mes Dragon Body: Lv1] [Fire Goddess: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Greater Physical and Magical Damage Protection: Lv3] [Physical Skills]: [Fire Assimtion: Lv1] [Divine Infernal Holy me Breath: Lv2] [Divine Infernal Holy me ws: Lv2] [Divine Ancient Dragon''s Aura: Lv2] [Infernal Dragon''s Eyes: Lv8] [Infernal Dragon Scale Meteor: Lv8] [Crown of Divine Golden Horns: Lv2] [Burning Divine Fangs: Lv1] [Divinity Shattering ws: Lv1] [Absolute Burst: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Divine Holy mes: Lv5] [Overpowering Sun: Lv5] [Burner of Souls: Lv5] [Divine Golden Sword of Fire: Lv5] [Infernal Cataclysm: Lv1] [Eternal Domain of Holy mes: Lv1] [Fire Dragon Familiar Summon: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Mana Mastery: Lv10] [Divinity Restoration: Lv1] [Healing Holy mes: Lv1] [Mana Healing Dragon Blood Elixir: Lv1] [Wide-Area Fire Dragon Scale Protection Barrier: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Ancient Fire Dragon: Lv10] [Holy mes Dragon: Lv10] [Guardian of Dwarves: Lv10] [Furious Berserk: Lv10] [Guardian of the Holy mes: Lv10] [Protector of the Ash Mountains: Lv10] [Divine Dragon of Holy mes: Lv1] [Muspel''s Incarnation: Lv1] [One of a Kind: Lv1] [Dragon Queen: Lv1] ----- She was very simr to her brother! I have to admit it¡­ Though she specializes on holy mes while Lucifer on phantom and death mes. I guess they have be quite the opposite of one another. One of the things that made me curious when I checked her status was that¡­ Her Race is named Muspel? Isn''t that the ancient primordial dragon of fire? Could it be? Is she somehow an incarnation of that dragon? The kids did said that it looked as if an ancient, primordial fire dragon had been summoned when Brunhild conjured her divine mes, so it is totally a possibility. This might also mean that the ancient primordial dragons probably want to help us and are on our side¡­ maybe. Once we reached the underground area of the city, we were greeted with hundreds of camps and many people. They were all fine, it seems. Ruby and her family, including her many siblings and her father, the Dwarf King greeted us. Helga and her family were all safe as well, and so all our dwarven friends, Darfu and the old dwarf twins were just as fine as well, so it was very relieving to see everyone okay. "Mary! You''re safe!" Ruby greeted me with a happy smile. "I am so relieved¡­ It seems you''ve managed to fend off the threat?" "Yep! Though we''re in a hurry right now. However, first of all, I would like to introduce Brunhild to the rest of your family, she''s going to stay here for now as your guardian, so I need her to see the King." I said. "You''re calling for me?" Suddenly, a domineering old dwarf wearing a golden crown decorated with brilliant jewels appeared behind Ruby. "I am the Dwarf King." ----- Chapter 718 Brunhilds True Relationship With The Dwarven Kingdom ? ----- Brunhild seemed surprised when she was finally given the opportunity to see the Dwarf King. Her bright golden eyes opened in surprise for a few seconds, and then she smiled a bit. "I have heard a lot about you all from my children. As the king of this country, I am eternally grateful for all the help you''ve given to us. Not only you have healed a dungeon that threatened our country for many years, but even defended our country as if it were your home, and put your lives on the line to save ours¡­" The King said, stroking his white beard. "Thank you for everything. You will have my utmost support. If you ever need anything, please asks. I am well aware you have a guild with someone named Helga, is it not? If you so desire, I can give you the title of a noble, and even grant you a house, and more." "E-EH?!" I felt slightly surprised about all the rewards he was offering me. "Ah, please don''t worry. Maybe I''ll ask for a few things, but nothing for now." I calmed the king down. "Heh, such humility." He sighed. "We are truly fortunate to have meet such strong and humble mercenaries." The Kingughed. "Now, was there something you needed to talk with me? If the foes are taken care of, we should slowly begin reconstructions. But the people''s healthes first. We must secure food and the like, but that will not be your task, but that of my men, so do not worry." "Oh no, it is another thing¡­ Well, as you know, the forces we fought were those of the Frost Queen." I said. "Though, would it be better if we discuss this in a more close space?" "The Frost Queen¡­ Yes, let us discuss this in a more private area." The King nodded. His guards and his children followed him as we reached arge camp, there was a table and many seats inside, alongside snacks, so we were able to sit down, eat and drink something, and also discuss this quickly. "The menace of the Frost Queen has finally begun her attack, you say? Those three powerful beings, and the army of frost monsters, were they all hers?" Asked the King, stroking his beard. "Indeed, we confirmed it." Lucifer nodded. "They were incredibly strong beings that named themselves Frost Generals, they were all S Rank in strength." "S Rank?!" "Y-You''re telling us you just defeated three S Ranks all by yourselves?!" "Hard to believe!" Some of the King''s children couldn''t believe Lucifer''s words. "Children, it would be for the best of our country if you remain in silence." The King said. "The man you''re talking back to is not a mere human, nor a Majin. I can feel it, he is a powerful divine dragon. Do not anger him, he has done enough for us. Acting selfish will bring your doom, and I believe I won''t have the authority nor strength to change such fate if it were to ever befall upon you all." "D-Divine dragon?!" The various viscounts suddenly looked at Lucifer with different expressions. My husband quickly let go of a bit of his power, a powerful, ck aura that consumed all light for a bit. His eyes glowed bright red. "Indeed, I am a Divine Dragon. I suppose there is no point in hiding our identities anymore." Said Lucifer. "If we are like this, then I am a ghost and a titan." I giggled. "I am a Vampire Demon~" Partner said. "A-And I am¡­ well, I am a half-elf." Said Emeraldine. "Our daughter here is a dragon as well." Lucifer said. "And my sister here, you may be a bit more familiar with her, she''s the dragon that''s been protecting your country even before we arrived here." "I see¡­" The King sighed, smiling. "It is interesting, very interesting. The races and creatures we often thought were menacing monsters¡­ all united here, and all of them fighting for our own wellbeing. I am baffled to say the least. Perhaps our perspective was always wrong, perhaps even monsters and undead¡­ even vampires, can be good and do good." The King began to realize. "Hahaha! It''s nothing, don''t worry about it." I said with a smile. "More importantly, my real name is Maria Fuentes Belles, you probably recognize that name, isn''t it?" "T-The Witch of Darkness?!" Asked one of the viscounts. "S-So you''re her ghosts, Mary?" Asked Ruby, feeling shocked. "Something like that." I said with a smile. "Not even I remember my memories of being her, but I am sure I was her¡­ I was killed unjustly, and my own family was also ughtered, all so the Church of Light could take away the dangerous Fragment of the Evil God. I''ve been in a journey to find a home, to explore this world, and to find my true purpose. And the closer I get to it, the more troubles arise. The Frost Queen and this entire invasion¡­ It might have something to do with the Gods themselves." "S-Such a thing¡­" The King sighed. "I understand. Even as much as we try to pretend our lives are normal, supernatural beings, gods, and other entities live with us, in the skies, the earth, and the seas. For everything you''ve done for us, we''re willing to be your most loyal allies, Mary." "Thank you so much, King." I bowed my head lightly. "Now, to a more important topic. This is Brunhild, as his brother introduced her, she is someone very special to you all."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I¡­ I am happy to be able to formally speak with all of you, Children of Fafnir." Said Brunhild with a smile. "It could be said¡­ I am also your ancestor." "Eh?" The dwarves were all surprised. "Y-You''re Brunhild, the legendary dragon that made a pact with our Founder King!?" "Indeed, and I was his wife too." Brunhild nodded. "It has been thousands of years since then. But I am always happy to see you all healthy and safe, my children." This was¡­ a shock, not even we knew about this part of the truth! Brunhild had kids with the first Dwarf King of this Country! ----- Chapter 719 The Ancestor Of The Dwarves Royal Family ? ----- "C-Children?!" Lucifer asked in surprise. "B-But I thought you''ve been a virgin this entire time, my sister dearest!" "Hey, who do you think I am?" Sighed Brunhild. "Now cut it off, this is a serious conversation with my descendants." "A-Ah, right." Lucifer nodded, falling silent. The dwarves had all sorts of mixed reactions, but they were all moved greatly. "So it is true¡­ that our bloodline has the blood of dragons." Ruby said. "Indeed." Brunhild said. "Although none of you has yet to awaken this power, I can feel it within your bodies. The reason you all have such shiny and colorful hair, and your beautiful eyes, and the great affinity with magic, it is because you all descend from my first children with the King." "First children?" Wondered the King. "What about the other concubines? The Queen?" "Well, this might be a shock, but that was all a farse." Brunhild sighed. "We knew that such a thing as saying that he married a dragon would only be looked down upon. The Queen you all knew from back then was a friend of mine, that offered herself to take on such a role. But behind the scenes, the King and I loved each other very much." "I-Incredible¡­" I was surprised. "That King was really going for a big woman, wasn''t he?" "Our Ancestor¡­ Brunhild¡­" The King was shaken. "T-Then you''re like the mother of all of us." "Something like a very old grandmother." Giggled Brunhild. "I''ve been watching you all, as I grew older and weaker. I protected you from many threats you never saw nor heard about. You''ve been kept safe all this time because I''ve been there, watching you all grow and develop. When I saw you were hungry, I used my magic to make your crops yield more harvest. When I saw you werecking in resources, I opened the mountains and forced the ores to emerge. When you were threatened by the monsters of the world outside, I defeated them all, even as I grew more tired, and older¡­ I did all for you, my beloved children." Every dwarf of the royal family was moved to tears. They all started crying. It was surprising how nobody doubted her. But I quickly realized why they didn''t doubt her. There was something within Brunhild, an aura, a connection with all of them, which became stronger as she spoke with them. It felt as if something within their very hearts couldn''t allow them to doubt her words. "Great Ancestor Brunhild¡­" The King said, trying to resist his tears. "I am very honored to see you here with us, and I speak for all Dwarves when I say¡­ Thank you so much, for everything. Our country would had never been able to reach this far without you to protect us and take care of us."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Don''t worry." Brunhild smiled with a motherly giggle. "It is only what a mother should do. Even if I was never able to see my children grow as my friend did it for me¡­ I watched from afar. I saw them being born, and dying, and being born again. My bloodline increased your lifespans, but you have mostly remained dwarves, as I gave birth to your ancestors while in my humanoid form." "Oh! I didn''t knew that." I said to Lucifer. "Indeed, depending in the form we take, the children we conceive will be different. If we make a child in our humanoid forms, depending in the humanoid form type, they may bepletely non-dragon aside from their bloodline." Said Lucifer. "As Crystalid her eggs in her dragon form, all of our children were dragons, but there was indeed the possibility to make them human or Majin-like if she gave birth in a more humanoid form." "Interesting¡­" I said with a smile. "¡­I don''t know what you''re thinking but please don''t say it out loud." Lucifer sighed. "A-Anyways. I am d you were all fine." Brunhild said. "Now that my identity has finally been revealed¡­ I don''t really know what to do! But I honestly feel so relieved." "Oh ancestor, please don''t worry. We will tell every person in our country and they all shall ept you." The King said. "I am even willing to forfeit my throne and give it to you, our greatest protector and the one that always looked for us." "E-Eh? T-The throne?!" Brunhild felt slightly surprised. "Oh please no, I wouldn''t be able to do such a thing! Let''s keep it simple." It seemed they were getting along just fine. "Alright! Now that such a thing was said and done, we''re moving out. Brunhild, we''ll leave the protection of this mountain to you." I said. "If any other frost general shows up, melt him to death!" "Sure." Brunhild nodded. "Now go with caution. Are you bringing the children? I can take care of them if you want to." "No way! We''re going! We must fight for our ce! That''s our home!" Said Takeshi. "Yeah, although it sounds dangerous, we have to go no matter what." Said Laura. "Me going with mama and dada!" Nyx said while pouting. "Gyuh, me too!" Root said. "Okay, I guess we''re all going together then." Iughed a bit. "Anyways, King, Ruby, we''ll leave the rest to you. We''re discovered that the frozen people are still somewhat alive. Leave them be, once we defeat the Frost Queen we''ll find a cure to their curse." "S-Such a thing is possible?" Wondered the King. "I think I''ve found one already." Brunhild said. "I can do it." "Y-You can?!" We asked in shock. "Let''s go and I shall show you." Brunhild nodded. Like that, we moved back to the city which was in ruins. In there, arge group of frozen people were gathered in a corner by Root. Brunhild touched them, imbuing them with her Divine zing me Aura, and slowly beginning to melt the ice. "Oh Divine mes of Muspel, Purify The Bodies Of These Cursed Souls! [Purifying Holy mes]!" FLUOOOOSH! And then, we witnessed a miracle. ----- Chapter 720 A Desperate Battle For Survival! ? ----- The holy golden mes quickly began melting the ice, as all the people frozen were instantly brought back to life. They were all gasping for air, wondering what was happening. We even gathered those that were broken apart when frozen, and put them back together, when the mes touched them, they were back to normal very quickly as well. "T-This is a miracle of our goddess ancestor! Brunhild!" "Incredible¡­" "Our Dragon Goddess, thank you!" "She has such a power?" "Amazing¡­ this is incredible¡­" "Our guardian, we are so d you''re alive!" Many dwarves all began kneeling before her, Brunhild felt slightly embarrassed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "W-What? Don''t prostrate yourselves please! I am just doing you all a small favor." She sighed. "Anyways, Maria, take this." She quickly conjured her divine powers, concentrating them into a red-colored orb made of crystalized divine power. "This is an Orb of Purifying mes. Use it with the people back in your town, those that were frozen long ago, and they should be back as well." Said Brunhild. "At the end, the freezing curse is a curse that can only be ovee by an equally powerful fire." "Thank you, Brunhild." I sighed, giving her a tight hug and a kiss in her cheek. "Alright, we''re going now, everyone!" "Alright!" Lucifer said. "Thanks a lot for that, big sis! Maybe we can finally bring back the descendants of the survivors of the Demon Kingdom!" Lucifer was the happiest. One of the reasons he had been so sad finally had a solution within our grasp. We simply had to get there, stop the invasion of the enemy army, and revive everyone that had been frozen! We quickly sat over Lucifer''s back, as I used my shadows to wrap us up really tight and safe, and then he quickly took off into the skies, flying through the mountains and into our home. I hope everyone''s alright, my Egos should already be getting almost there! . . . While Maria hurriedly made her way back home. A gigantic metal slime, Mercury, protected the entire city by spreading his body like a gigantic metallic dome, stopping the army of frozen monsters from advancing any further. His metallic body was very resistant to all elements, the ice these monsters wielded couldn''t affect him. CLAAAAASSSHHH!!!! And in the middle of the battlefield, a tall humanoid ant, Lancelot, was fighting against hundreds of monsters at once,manding his army of Undead Abyssal Ants, they tore apart the invaders mercilessly. "It is good I managed to make my way here quickly." He sighed in relief, looking at the distance. Hundreds of frost monsters of all shapes and sizes kepting. And behind them,rger figures that had yet to act were watching, slowly getting closer. The Rank of these monsters were mostly up to B Rank, someone as strong as Lancelot who had been created out of a powerful Abyssal Ant Knight was more than capable of stopping them. But not to defeat them all¡­ He was strong, but he was only one. Thankfully, there were other Undead in this fight. A gigantic two-headed beast with the body of a ck panther and the head of a crow and a ck lion, big wings and six arms with the tail of a snake, it was Kuro and Raven, who were fighting on the frontlines. After being repaired many times and then finally leveling up and evolving, Kuro had gone through a great transformation, now bing an incredibly strong chimeric undead beast of A Rank! With Lancelot, the two in many B Rank monsters that got closer to the ruins that had be their home. "ROOOOAAARRR!" Kuro furiously swung his four front limbs, two of them belonged to him and the other two being sharp wsing from Raven, who had been fused into him to enhance his powers even more. SLAAASH! SLAAAASH! SLAAAAAASH! Three gigantic and all destroying shes of darkness erupted from his attacks, devastating the area and shattering the ground while cutting down hundreds of monsters. Even the B Rank monsters were incapable of resisting, being cut down to pieces. "GRRRRRHHHH¡­!" However, Kuro and Raven quickly noticed a dozen more monstersing, running at them. These were all A Rank instead, even stronger and tankier. He would need to go a bit more intense against them. FLAAASH! Both of his heads opened, gathering darkness and death energy and his mana, as the two heads unleashed a double beam of [Abyssal Death Darkness], one of Kuro and Raven''s strongest Skills. BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!! The enormous explosion spread across the enemy lines, devastating the A Rank Monsters, all of the B Rank beasts, and anything below them was simply turned into ashes. "GRAARGH!" However, Kuro groaned in frustration, more and more monsters kepting. And not only that. At the other side of the battlefield which he couldn''t cover, there were more monstersing,manded by the Frost Generals that have decided topletely destroy Maria''s home while she was in the dwarf country. "Move, my beasts! Tear them all apart! Gahahaha! Once we manage to get through the walls, it''ll be all over!" Laughed a barbarian-looking white wolf beast man. With only a single blue eye, while the other was missing, covered in an eyepatch. It was as tall as four meters, muscr and strong looking, resembling more of a werewolf than a beast-man. Hemanded an army of ten thousand Wolf Monsters, many of them being B Rank and with dozens of leaders being A Rank. Alongside them, there were also many other werewolves looking just as barbarian-like as him. CLAAAASH! However, a giant skeleton wearing ck armor and holding a gigantic ck sword emerged, falling from the skies as it jumped off the walls. "OOOOOOOHHHHH¡­" It was nobody else than Darkbound. His shadows spread out, as hundreds of skeleton warriors and skeleton knights surged at his side, one of his newest abilities [Undead Legion], which allowed him to summon some of Maria''s Undead she had left for him. "Hoh¡­ So a mere skeleton wearing armor dares get in the way of the Pack of Wolves of the South?" Laughed the White Werewolf. "I guess you''re bold enough to fight me, w, the King of the South Wolves and-" FLAAAASH! Darkbound didn''t knew how to speak, so he wasn''t going to humor his opponent, immediately jumping to battle, swinging his gigantic sword! CLAAAAASSSSHHH!!! However¡­ w not only managed to intercept his sword with his bare ws, but he did so very easily. A sword that could cut through almost anything so easily! "Oi, oi, be more patient, I haven''t even ended my damn introduction, you fuckhead!" Roared w, growing crazier as his hands touched Darkbound''s skull, crushing him down into the ground! TRUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! CRACK¡­ CRACK¡­ CRAAASH! The ground below the Undead was shattered apart, as his bones were barely holding the enormous force of w! "Hahahaha! That''s what a shithead like you gets!" "A¡­ nnnoying¡­" BAAAAM! However, Darkbound gave him back the favor with a powerful punch in the face, throwing the werewolf to the ground! ----- Chapter 721 The Heroes Appear ? ----- As the Undead defended the ruined city against the armies of frost monsters, three figures remained afar from the battle, ncing from the distance as things happened. They were not Frost Generals, but humans. However, despite being merely humans, they emanated a powerful aura of divine power, as they have received the divine protection of their gods. A tall and blonde man wearing shiny white armor with a stoic face and blue eyes nced at the scene emotionlessly, although deep inside his mind, he seemed slightly troubled about what was happening. Although he didn''t mind killing Undead, he knew that the city inside had normal people. If the Undead were protecting these people, then weren''t they not bad? "Is this really okay? What we are doing¡­ Is this truly the will of the gods?" He wondered, feeling doubtful. "Oi, oi, are you beginning to doubt the church now, Jonathan? You should feel happy you''ve been forgiven from having loved that witch." Sighed a brown-haired man wearing ck armor and holding a purple sword. His smile seemed cocky and conceited. "Now it''s the perfect time for you to redeem yourself." "Tch¡­ Maria¡­ She wasn''t a witch, Julio." Sighed Jonathan, gripping his fists. "If she wasn''t a witch, then why has she came back from the dead as a monstrous ghost?" Sighed the third person in there, a gorgeous-looking woman with long purple hair and red eyes, wearing purple and red clothes. "Witches are despicable female magicians that have made pacts with the Demons and the Evil God, they''re monsters. Another proof is that she now has be a monster." "That''s¡­" Jonathan muttered. "Maybe that ghost isn''t her¡­ or maybe¡­" "You''re still going on with this, Jonathan?" Sighed Julio, ncing at the woman, Anastasia. "You''ve been mostly saved because of your Title as a Hero, if it wasn''t because of that, you would be long dead. The church is giving you an opportunity, TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY!" Julio roared angrily, mming Jonathan''s chest with his hand. "¡­Very well." Jonathan sighed, his face still seemed pained and guilty. Which only made Julio and Anastasia smile at his suffering. "As three of the Heroes of the Empire of Light, we simply cannot settle for anything lower. It is already a shame we have to team up with a group of savages obeying an insane frost woman." Sighed Anastasia. "But that was also the will of the gods, so let us join together with them. Once we y themon enemy, it will be easy to infiltrate and kill the Frost Queenter." "Yeah, the Gods are watching over us and giving us all sorts of opportunities, it would be very stupid not to take them, Jonathan." Julio sighed, ncing at him with a smile onest time. His purple sword began overflowing with magical prowess, as darkness and divinity merged together, generating a powerful aura around him. They didn''t called him the Night Hero for nothing, one of the only Heroes in the Continent capable of wielding Darkness as his main element. Jonathan sighed, as his golden sword started shining brightly. He had to move on. He couldn''t simply¡­ stay guilty all this time. For his family back home, his mother, his father, his siblings. He had to do this, even if it hut him. Even if the one leading these monsters and people could possibly be¡­ his lover''s ghost. He knew Maria wasn''t here yet, but he still felt like he was betraying her. "Maria''s already dead, Jonathan, move on~" Anastasia giggled, caressing his chin, her dazzling eyes shone brightly, looking at him with an enamored look. "There are many other women out there interested in you, me included~" "Anastasia¡­ This is not the time for this." Jonathan, however, rejected her advances, gently moving her aside. "If¡­ we are doing this, let''s do it quickly." His aura exuded the power of light itself, shining brighter than the sunny skies. Jonathan and Julio''s auras contrasted with each other, generating a ck and golden world around them. Anastasia sighed angrily, stepping back and readying her magic while raising her golden staff. "Don''t hesitate, Jonny!" Laughed Julio, rushing first. "¡­" Jonathan sighed, rushing after him. FLAAAAASH! Two heroes with immense power stepped into the battlefield. Hundreds of skeletons and zombies noticed them, rushing towards them. "[Abyssal Feast]!" Laughed Julio, unleashing countless shing attacks with his giant sword, which emanated powerful, destructive ck shockwaves everywhere. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAAASH!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Dozens of Undead died on the spot, beingpletely turned into ashes in mere seconds. Julio continued ying them easily whileughing. "Hahahaha! Keep theming! I am earning so much EXP! They''re so weak but they give too much, don''t they?!" Laughed Julio, shing apart Undead mercilessly one after the other, and then slowly making his way into the city walls, were a giant metal slime undead protected it. "Heh, I''ll rip you apart in no time." Heughed, swinging his de against Mercury with all his strength. SLAAAAASSHHHH!!!! TRUUUMMMM¡­! Mercury received the attack head on, as he was quickly sliced apart by the enormous shing blow! However, his body swiftly regenerated and stuck back together¡­ "Huh?! That wasn''t enough¡­?!" Julio furiously said, quickly noticing he was surrounded by many Undead once more. "Tch¡­ Oi Jonathan, are you doing your job or not?!" Jonathan was nearby, ying as many Undead as he found. However, he still seemed sluggish. Julio knew that if he were to use all his strength, he could easily y all Undead here, but he was purposedly doing it slowly. "I am doing what I can." Jonathan sighed. "You clearly aren''t you fucking bitch!" Julio furiously said, kicking a skeleton warrior and shattering it into pieces. CRAASH! "Move your ass and kill that thing! Its defense and regeneration are too high and I want to save my energies once we get inside the city." Julio smiled wickedly. "A giant metallic slime undead?" Wondered Jonathan. "I suppose my light could purify it¡­" Jonathan stepped forwards, unleashing a bright aura from his body and imbuing it into his sword through a special Light Sword Art. "[Sunlight de]!" FLAAAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! ----- Chapter 722 Internal Conflicts ? ----- A bright sh of sunlight was unleashed from Jonathan''s sword, piercing through Mercury''s body. Unlike Julio''s attack, Jonathan''s blow made Mercury scream in agony, as his body started evaporating slowly. However, due to his sheer size and total health points, he wasn''t going to go down with that mere attack. "G-GUUUHHH!" Mercury grew angered, as hundreds of magic circles emerged around him. Fireballs, Arrows Made of Ice, Lightning Strikes, and more magical attacks started falling everywhere. Mercury was no mere metal slime, as he was made using the corpses and cores of hundreds of other elemental slimes, granting him insane defenses, regeneration, and powerful all-rounding elemental magic coverage. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM BOOOM! The magical attacks were easily reflected by the Heroes, but they also reached the Frost Monster army cooperating with them, sting them into pieces one by one. Mercury had simply not attacked because he was saving his strength, but he was quickly moved into a corner. "That dam slime is much stronger than I thought." Jonathan said. "You''re lying, that thing would go down easily if you did as I said! Why are you holding back?!" Julio furiously said. "You fucking bastard, do you want me to kill you or something?!" "Julio, I¡­!" Jonathan tried to negotiate, but Julio was very irritable today. "Shut the fuck up and do as I said!" Julio roared. "You''re no longer our leader, I AM! If you don''t do as I say¡­" Julio''s eyes suddenly began glowing with a red light, as a strange power surged from his chest. "I''m going to fucking crush you." "Julio¡­" Jonathan felt something strange. "(Was Julio always like this? I don''t ever remember him speaking like this to me¡­ He used to be such a cooperative and cheerful young man.)" While he had been imprisoned for many years after Maria''s death, he had not seen his formerrades in a long time. Something had surely changed in that time. The heroes have be unrecognizable for Jonathan. From Julio bing a furious berserk that hated him and constantly insulted him, to Anastasia, who used to be such a nice and gentle priest bing a mischievous woman that tried to seduce him and control him with her magic out of nowhere¡­ He had never taught them to be this way. The church itself must have somehow twisted them into this. But why? RUMBLE! Suddenly, behind them, phantasmal energy fused with countless skeletons they had defeated, transforming into a massive skeletal chimeric monster. At the distance, they noticed some specialized Skeleton Wizards utilizing their magic tobine the skeletons and create stronger ones. "GRUOOOOOOHHHHH!" More and more began appearing everywhere, as Julio smiled, his eyes glowing redder with bloodlust. "Good! I''ll kill these bastards, so you make sure to crush the slime now, Jonathan¡­" Julio said. "If you dare hesitate again¡­ I''m going to kill you. I swear it." "¡­" Jonathan remained in silence as Julio flew off into the skies, epassed on shadows and that strange power Jonathan felt before, he moved across the skies like a blur of ck color, shing and crushing the giant skeletons into pieces one after the other. CRAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAAASH! Jonathan sighed, looking into the giant metal slime, Mercury. Imbuing light into his sword and preparing an even stronger attack as countless magic projectiles constantly fell over him, which dealt no damage. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! "Forgive me, Maria¡­" Jonathan sighed, his eyes feeling the guilt more than ever. His light shone the brightest, channeling the power of the divine protection of the gods into his own body. "[Heaven''s Fall]" FLAAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! His sword swung only once, as a gigantic sh made of pure, heavenly light was unleashed. The light covered the skies and fell over Mercury like the judgement of the gods themselves. TRUUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! "GUUUUUUHHHH¡­!" Mercury cried in agony as he slowly started to dissipate, evaporating quickly, his entire body reduced in size constantly until he could no longer protect the city, zing mes and light impacting him, making him fall in the middle of the town. BAAAAAAAMMMM!!! Jonathan saw the scene, sighing. The God-given powers he possessed, his levels, his high stats, his skills. Once he used them to fight true evil, to lead a cause. Until he realized such cause was fake. Until he realized these things were led by maniptive people that wanted the world to be their way. When he learned that they used Maria''s family as a scapegoat, ming them of sins they did notmit to steal their riches. If it wasn''t because his very family was within their territory, if it wasn''t because they had threatened him to take his family down, to kill them if he didn''tmit to the cause¡­ If only he wasn''t constrained by these shackles¡­ "Hahahaha! I knew you could do it! You''re not the leader of our group for nothing, Jonny~" Laughed Julio from afar, slowly making his way towards the city. "Now leave the rest to me! I know it is painful, so stay here. I''ll finish things quickly for you~" "W-Wait!" Jonathan tried to stop Julio, but he ignored him and continued rushing into the city. Anastasia, who had been dealing with the other third of the Undead army stepped in, caressing his head gently with a smile. "Jonathan, let it go already." She sighed. "Why do you feel this guilt? You were not like this. Don''t you remember how you led us to our cause? How you always heroically showed us your resolve?" "Anastasia, this is different, this¡­" Jonathan muttered. Anastasia giggled, touching his chin once more as her red eyes shone brightly, dazzlingly. "Calm down and let us do the rest¡­ Your job here is to just y undead, something you always did. What''s so wrong about it, huh?" Anastasia giggled, her enamored eyes slowly trying to charm him. However, Jonathan moved her aside once more. "No, Anastasia¡­ I cannot see you this way." Jonathan sighed. "You were my young disciple. I''m sorry."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Anastasia gritted her teeth angrily. "Tch¡­ Why do you still love a dead woman, Jonathan?!" She cried, her aura beginning to surge rapidly. The same strange and dark power that Julio now held was also within her heart. "They promised me you would be mine¡­" She muttered. Jonathan ignored her, walking towards the city to stop Julio''s rampage. ----- Chapter 723 Darkbounds Growth! ? ----- CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! The furious White Werewolf, w, attacked Darkbound back with wrathful and rapid attacks. His ws were as hard as metal and his kicks shattered his limbs one by one. Despite being as strong as he was, Darkbound simply stood no chance against such a strong S Rank being such as w, and his army of Warrior and Knight Skeletons were being devastated by w''s army of Werewolves and Beasts his tribe controlled. BAAAM! Darkbound barely resisted a powerful kick into his chest, falling into the snow-covered floor. His Magic Core slightly began to shatter with each hit, and his hard ck armor began to tear down slowly¡­ "Hahahaha! What''s wrong, skelly? Are you already tired? You seem like you''re tearing down!" wughed. "See boys? This is the problem with useless Undead. They''re weak, lifeless, and stupid. They crumble apart instantly. They''re pathetic. And the worst part is that they don''t even leave some good meat to enjoy afterwards¡­" w slowly walked towards Darkbound, as the two of them suddenly noticed a loud light explosions epassing the city. BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!! "G-Graaaah!!" Darkbound panicked, looking like Mercury evaporated against a power the metal slime couldn''t defend against. "Groooaaggh¡­ M-mer¡­ mercury¡­" "Oooh! It seems those bastard humans are doing their job now!" Laughed w. "Looks like the city you''re trying to defend so hard is about to get destroyed. This is so sad." "GRRRROOOOHHHH!" The furious Darkbound unleashed the rest of his phantom and magical power, swinging his shattered sword against w! CLAAAAAAASSSHHHH!!!! "Oi, oi, what are you doing? Let me enjoy the moment your tiny little ce gets ravaged¡­" wughed, having easily stopped Darkbound''s attack with one of his legs, and then shattering his swordpletely. Crack, crack¡­ CRASH! "G-Groooohh¡­" Darkbound saw his precious sword shatter into pieces. The hundreds of souls thatposed his own screamed in disappointment, fury, anger, sadness, and many other emotions. "Useless walking pile of bones." w smiled, licking his lips. "You''re going to die just like what you are, a worthless thing nobody cares about!" He quickly started crushing Darkbound''s entire body with his legs, shattering his legs, arms, his torso, and his skull, which quickly broke apart into tiny bony bits. CRASH! CRASH! CRAASH! "OOOOHHH¡­" The souls cried, agonizing not over their own death, but the rampage the city was going to go through. w raised his torso, tearing apart his armor and seeing his magic crystal stuck inside his ribcage. The werewolf smiled looking at the magic crystal with a bit of hunger. "I see, so this is your core, huh? It is a decent snack; I give you that." wughed, grabbing the crystal, and tearing it apart from the bones. The souls screamed in agony as the wolf opened his big jaws, about to swallow them all. The memories of being raised, and given a new chance began emerging one by one through Darkbound''s mind. How he was used to be an enemy of that city, how he was defeated, and then risen back again. How Maria always treated him nicely. The children in the city climbing him while he remained still, watching over the gates. The nice people that treated him well despite him not being able to talk or being a terrifying undead. "OOOOHHH! GRUOOOHHHHH!!!" Leaving them behind¡­ it pained him more than his own death. However, in hisst seconds¡­ a vision. A beautiful paledy with red eyes and long gray hair. She resembled Maria a lot, yet it wasn''t exactly her. But at the same time, he could feel Maria within her, as if both were the same. "Do not fear, my child. For those that endlessly strive for greatness shall receive my blessings." Her darkness embraced him. Ding! [You''ve received [Hel''s Divine Protection]!] [Due to the umted power reacting to [Hel''s Divine Protection], Evolution has begun!] FLUOOOOOOSHHH!!!! "Ungh?!" w was suddenly thrown away as an explosion of darkness erupted from Darkbound''s Magic Crystal! He fell into the floor, ring at the crystal floating in midair overflowing with new power. "W-What kind of bullshit is this?!" w roared in shock TRUUUUUUUUUMMMM¡­! Suddenly, the darkness materialized into new, ck metallic bones. A giant, five-meter-tall skeleton made of pure ck metal emerged, his ribs epassing his core tightly, while armor made of shadows and phantom materialized around his body, a long red cape, a horned ck helmet, and then¡­ a giant ck longsword. However, he also felt several of Maria''s familiars flying into his body, merging with him and giving him even more additional power. It seemed that Maria had finally arrived in time as well. Ding! [You have evolved into a [Legendary Abyssal Skeleton Hero (S- Rank)]!] [All your stats have increased!] [You learned new Skills and Titles.] [Due to the grace of [Hel''s Divine Protection], a new body, armor, and weapon have been created.] Darkbound has been reborn. "W-What?! You evolved, damn skeleton?!" Asked w in shock. "H-Howe¡­?!" "I am not simply a skeleton. My name is Darkbound. The name my liege has given to me." Darkbound finally spoke, with a loud and firm voice. "w, leader of the Werewolf tribe, if you strive to harm my people, I have no other option than to defeat you." "Y-You can speak now?! As if you could evenpare to me, dipshit!" Roared w, rushing forwards. CLAAAAAASH! His sharp kicks and shing attacks were easily reflected by Darkbound with his new, enhanced strength and his powerful new ck Longsword. CRAAASH! "Unnggh?!" w groaned, stepping back as he saw his own ws slowly beginning to shatter into tiny pieces. "Y-Youuu¡­!" Darkbound didn''t waited for him to say another word, jumping towards w with his immense new physical strength and then shing against him from above, using all of his enormous heavy body weight against him. CLAAAAAAAAASSSHHH!!!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Unnggh¡­! Agh! You''re so damn heavy now!" w groaned. "Have you evolved into an S Rank monster?! T-That''s impossible!!!" w roared furiously, unleashing a powerful Aura of Frost and Winds, impacting Darkbound and pushing him away. BAAM! Darkbound fell into the ground, but quickly stood up yet again. His bones, now made of incredibly hard ck metal had yet to even again a single scratch or crack. "I''ll show you the difference in strength between you and me¡­!" w roared, his entire body exuding arge quantity of divine power, as he finally decided to use his true strength. ----- Chapter 724 Kuro Protects His Home ? ----- "Gaaooo¡­" Kuro slowly stood up once more, his body was tattered and falling into pieces, but he still could move. The sound of Mercury being destroyed woke him up. He saw Darkbound having recently evolved, fighting a powerful S Rank Frost General all by himself while his army stopped the general''s own army. Meanwhile, Lancelot was protecting the city''s north area, fighting with the Abyssal Ant Undead against a near endless army of Frost Monsters. He seemed rather tired, and one of his arms was missing. Maria had left several Familiars here, and they were all busy helping every Undead, and summoning some more. However, they were unable to stop Jonathan''s attack,pletely destroying Mercury and opening the way for Julio to enter and rampage the interior. "Maaao¡­" Kuro slowly stood up, with a missing leg and his wings destroyed, he noticed Raven''s head was missing too, although the bird''s soul was still within him. "Grrrhhh¡­" Although he nned to go fight Julio even if it meant dying, he was unable to. He quickly realized dozens of A Rank Monsters were surrounding him from all sides. Giant cial Wolves, Frost Wyverns, Ice Snakes, and more. "GAAAO!" "GRRRH!" "SHAAAH!" Kuro wasn''t a cowardly beast. As he saw them all surrounding him, he simply decided to attack them first. He leaped faster than all of them could react, reaching the head of a Giant cial Wolf and biting their neck. CRAAASH! "AWOOO!" The Giant cial Wolf screamed, struggling to take Kuro out, but Kuro kept biting and tearing apart his neck while eating the flesh and drinking the blood. FLUOSH! Suddenly, his wounds started being repaired automatically through his Flesh Devouring Skill, which allowed Undead to recover their bodies by ingesting blood and flesh. However, Kuro was a smart boy, he quickly shed the wolf''s chest and then tore apart its ribcage, eating the magic crystal inside. CRUNCH! Gulping it down seconds before the rest of the beasts leaped towards him, the ferocious beasts gained arge quantity of Mana, which he promptly utilized to evade the monsters attacks one by one, jumping over his next prey. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "GAAO!!!" He quickly reached the head of an Ice Snake of over six meters of height, biting the eyes and then summoning a dozen Darkness Spears to pierce through the entire monster''s body. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "SHYAAAAHHH!!!" The Ice Snake cried in agony, suddenly falling into the floor with a loud thud, as Kuro stood over the giant beast''s corpse. The other monsters ring at him warily¡­ "GROOOAAARRR!" He roared back at them, as the beasts eyes glowed redder, jumping at him savagely! Kuro reacted rapidly, shing against them, fighting fiercely, tearing them down! His body was constantly being torn apart as well, but he constantly regenerated it back. Experience Points continued flowing, his level raised, his Skills developed¡­ amidst the chaos of trying to get into the city, he had to face hundreds of beasts. And Maria''s familiars did not ignore him, granting him buffs while raising the leftovers he left. In just a couple of minutes, Kuro led his own army of Undead Beasts! Frost Monsters of all types raised once more as Undead and charged against the living ones. Kuro''s tenacity slowly started to tip the scales of this entire battle. And a certain god did not overlook his actions. Even if he was not a canine, he was still a Beast, and that was enough for Hel''s brother. Ding! [Your great performance has not been ignored by the Gods.] [You''ve acquired the [Fenrir''s Divine Protection]!] [Your Stats have increased!] [Your Skills have evolved!] He had yet to evolve himself, but a sudden bust of beast-like power surged across his body, a hint of divinity that a chimeric undead such as himself never expected to get! Kuro could not understand these words anyways, he was a beast that didn''t know how to read. However, he could understand the beast-like roars of Fenrir, which were like speech to him. ["Fight and tear apart your enemies!"] ["Bite! Scratch! Tear down!"] ["Protect your pack, Kuro!"] "GRAAAAOOOOOO!!!" Kuro''s wings regrew anew, even though Raven''s head had yet to emerge once more. Raven''s spirit lived within him, and decided to simply leave it all to him now. He flew into the skies, and quicklynded right in front of the city gates, stopping Julio seconds before he were to reach the city! CLAAAAASH! "ROOOAAAAAARRRR!" Kuro roared furiously, defending his home. Julio looked at him in surprise. The beast exuded a powerful aura of someone that has been blessed by a god as well, just like him! "W-What kind of bullshit is this? A damn Undead blessed by a god?!" Julio asked in fury. "Get the hell outta my way, fucker!!!" FLAAAASH! He rushed towards Kuro, swinging his sword furiously against him! CLAAAASSSSHHHH!!! However, Kuro intercepted the attack with his own ck ws, and then connected another hit by kicking Julio with his back legs by twisting his body unnaturally, something only Undead can aplish! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "Unnggh¡­?!" Julio was forced to step back, only to see Kuro''s jaws opening wide, his ck lion-like head suddenly generating a powerful aura of darkness concentrated into his jaws, and then unleashing a deadly beam! FLUOOOSH!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "That''s¡­!" BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!! Julio barely intercepted the attack using his powerful Magic Sword, holding into the gigantic beam that Kuro unleashed with all his might. "Heh, you bastard! Do you truly think you can actually win against me, a Hero?!" Laughed Julio. "You''re just some random, lost kitty! [Darkness Absorption]!" FLAAASH! Julio''s sword quickly absorbed Kuro''s attack, suddenly beginning to glow with an even more sinister power... This was one of the abilities of the Hero of the Night, the power to absorb the Darkness Element, giving himpletely immunity to it! "GRRRHHHH¡­" Kuro was left surprised, but he did not yield. "Did you see that, kitty?" Asked Julio. "All of your attacks will be useless¡­ Now, shall we enjoy this?" CLAAAASH! ----- Chapter 725 The Overwhelming Power Of The Hero Of Darkness ? ----- In the interior of the former Demon King''s City, the small poption thatposed Maria''s vige had managed to evacuate underground, with Mercury''s sacrifice giving them enough time for evacuations. Maria''s familiars swiftly closed the gates leading underground, while all Goblins, and former ves trembled in fear of what was happening outside. "M-Maria¡­ Maria is not here¡­!" "Nobody is here but the Undead¡­" "We''re all going to die!" It wasn''t really their fault. They had been growing stronger on their own as well, but to face ridiculously strong enemies that people around the world doesn''t normally face is not something they were training for, but merely to hunt or defend themselves frommon monsters. This wasn''t something they had prepared for¡­ simply because it wasn''t something normal people even prepared for. This was all a scheme of Odin and the Gods to crush Maria''s family and all those she cared for. Nheless, the Undead were fighting bravely, even with only a few of Maria''s Familiars around, they were doing their everything to protect their family, these people which they had grown so attached to¡­ to simply say that without Maria they had no hope was an insult to them.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Enough!" The former chief of the Goblins said, the Elder of the vige. "Maria is fighting as well, with the Dwarves! Her allies are there too but that doesn''t mean we are defenseless. If it wasn''t for the sacrifices of the many Undead friends we have, we wouldn''t even be alive right now!" "E-Elder¡­" "The Undead¡­" "But¡­" "No buts! We''ve all been training and growing stronger but¡­ to simplypare with those monsters is insane. This is not something we normal people should had prepared for." Sighed the Elder. "Nheless, to say that without Maria we have no hope is as if you were insulting these Undead Friends sacrifices and efforts! Kuro, Mercury, Lancelot, Darkbound, all of them are working hard to protect us¡­ The least you can all do is to hope for them!" "That''s right¡­" Sighed the Goblin Chief. "If we can''t even fight to protect ourselves against such ridiculously stronger foes, at the very least we have to hope, to pray¡­ As Maria said, if we pray for them, our power can be directed to them! It is something that she called Mana Conversion through Prayers." "M-Mana Conversion.." "But that''s¡­ can we do it?" "I-I don''t know¡­ I am so scared¡­ After having escaped being a ve, I thought I could finally rest as long as I did my best to support the vige¡­" "I know you''re scared but¡­" The Goblin Chief sighed. "We need to put some weight ourselves! Even if we can''t fight directly¡­ A-At the very least!" However, the people seemed really afraid. With hearts filled with fear, the power of Prayers and Mana Conversion could not be summoned. The Elder and the Chief were saying the truth but at the end, the people didn''t seem to respect them enough. Somebody needed to p them in the face and wake them up a bit from their daze¡­ "W-What are you fearing so much about, you dumb idiots?!" Suddenly, a little young rabbit-kin girl stood up. "Are you seriously just going to give up?! Don''t be useless and give them your Mana!" "B-Bellerine!" Syllis tried to stop his little sister, but she was really annoyed. "Yeah! Yeah! Don''t be ungrateful! We''ve been given so much, and you''re afraid now or something?!" Gofumin said angrily. "Don''t be stingy!" The people quickly became pissed¡­ Much like how it happened in the dwarven city, it seemed as if little kids were much better at convincing adults through provocation than with grown adults'' speeches. "Y-You damn brat! I am not a coward!" "Okay I''ll do it! FINE!" "Just shut it!" "Tch, don''t talk to your elders like that, young girl!" FLUOOOOSH! A wave of Mana surged from these people, as a magic circle some of Maria''s Familiars had inscribed below activated. It seemed it was all ready. Although it wasn''t near as much Mana as in the Dwarven Country¡­ surely, it could be of some help. . . . With the force of Fenrir flowing across his body, Kuro shed against Julio with everything he had. His ws imbued with the power of the Beast King himself unleashed countless shing blows, forcing Julio to step back several times despite his greater strength. His heavy armor was easily slowing him down while Kuro was incredibly nimble and fast, capable of evading his sword attacks. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Agh, you''re pissing me off¡­" Julio said, his eyes glowing redder. "I guess I''ll have to go a bit more serious. [Night Shackles]" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Dozens of magic circles emerged around Julio, as they conjured chains made of darkness, and then they quickly reached Kuro, attempting to catch him constantly! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! "GRAAAO!" Kuro evaded them barely. But the more that fell into the ground, the more crowded the battlefield became and the harder it was for him to move around freely! FLUOSH! And just from within his own shadows, Julio emerged, swinging his sword several times mercilessly, stabbing the beast with monstrous strength of someone equal to an S Rank! "[Endless Abyssal Suffering]!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAAASH! "ROAAAAARRRGGH¡­!" BAAAAAMMM!!! Kuro fell into the floor, leaving an enormous crater and vomiting blood. The entirendscape was slowly being shaped by their battle. Kuro had been ying around with Julio using his swift movements, but he quickly realized the Hero was simply the one ying around. "[Darkest Moon]" TRUUUUUUMMMMM¡­! A gigantic sphere of darkness overflowing with ck light emerged on top of Julio''s index finger, so big it could blow up the entire city behind Kuro. "I am tired already. I''ll just blow you up and your stupid city and be done with it. I''ve got some women back home waiting for me." Julio smiled. "Die." FLUOOOOOOOOSSSHHH!!! The enormous sphere of darkness, as big as a hundred meters, fell towards Kuro and the city behind him. ----- Chapter 726 The Master Arrives! ? ----- The giant cat''s face was filled with horror, as he quickly overcharged his entire body with all the power he could unleash, channeling the soul of Fenrir himself. "GROOOOOAAAAARRRRRRR!!!" FLAAAASH! His dark aura merged with the divine powers of Fenrir''s divine protection, turning gray and then golden, shaping into a ferocious, roaring wolf! "AWOOOOOOO!" A gigantic beam of darkness and light emerged from Kuro''s jaws, impacting Julio''s Darkest Moon and then slowly beginning to overwhelm it with his own energies! CRAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHHH!!!! RUMBLE! The entire skies started to tremble. However, unexpectedly, Darkest Moon suddenly began to dissipate into nothingness in midair, and was incapable of impacting the city. "G-Graaahhh¡­" Kuro felt his entire soul tearing down due to the enormous force he had to unleash, his legs suddenly broke and he fell into the snow, looking at Julio''s surprised face. "Oh, you''re pretty strong." Julioughed. "Well, that''s a pity. Did that really got you tired? [Darkest Moon]" FLUOOOOSH! However, just like that, another Darkest Moon appeared. And then another, and another, and another¡­ filling the entire sky with enormous ck spheres of darkness. A level of magical power onlyparable with Maria. Meanwhile, Kuro noticed how his army of Undead were all incinerated by gigantic fireballs and meteors falling from the sky, conjured by Anastasia in the back, her eyes glowing redder with anticipation. "Julio, stop ying around and destroy everything already." She sighed, crossing her arms. "You know what? I''ll help too. [Overpowering Sun]" FLUOOOOSH! A gigantic sphere of mes emerged in the skies, as it slowly started moving towards the city. Herughter started spreading across the battlefield. "Kahahahaha! Look, your shitty town''s about to be burned to a crisp!" wughed, still fighting against Darkbound. Darkbound had grown very strong and could probably stop the Heroes¡­ only in one against one fights. Already being on his limits against an S Rank as an S- Rank, every time he tried to go help Kuro and the rest, he was once more stopped by w, who threw him back into the ground.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He was very durable, but he simply couldn''t be in all ces at the same time. Which only filled him with more and more frustration¡­ "GRUOOOHHHHH! MOVE ASIDE!" Darkbound roared, suddenly unleashing a gigantic amount of Dark and Phantom Powering from his sword, channeling the divinity of Hel herself and swinging his sword against w when he least expected it! "[Abyssal Fall]!!!" SLAAAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHHH!!! "Unnngggh?! T-This power¡­ You''re channeling divintyyyyy?! GRUAAAAGGGGHH¡­.!" w was incapable of intercepting the attack in time, as his entire chest was sliced apart and he was thrown into the snow. TRUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! The attack continued through the skies, reaching the Overpowering Sun from Anastasia and then all of the Darkest Moons from Julio, sting them all in the skies, generating loud, chaotic explosions everywhere. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! "I won''t let you destroy my home¡­! Not until my liegees back!!!" Darkbound roared, quickly leaping towards Anastasia, and shing against her! CLAAASSSSHHH!!! A pink colored barrier easily protected her from harm, as she looked at the furious skeleton with a bored expression. "Your struggles are futile. [re Explosion]" BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! "GRUUAAAGH¡­!" Darkbound was suddenly engulfed in an enormous zing explosion, being blown away from Anastasia''s side in mere seconds. BAAAM! "Unnggh¡­" Darkbound fell into the floor, slowly standing up only to be greeted by w who had a really nasty wound on his chest. "You''re going to pay for that, bitch." w roared, his aura suddenly surging, resembling a ferocious wolf as several gigantic aura ws made out of his own developing divinity fell over Darkbound, constantly shing, crushing, and tearing him apart! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! "Unngh! Agh! No¡­ NOT YET!!!" Darkbound roared, unleashing a gigantic aura of power all around him and throwing w away. BAAAAAMMM!!! Darkbound rushed towards Julio once more, who was about to destroy Kuro with his sword. "KUROOO!!!" Julio smiled back at Darkbound as Anastasia and w attacked Darkbound from behind, with mes and gigantic ws made of aura. "Seems like your efforts will be for nothing~" CLAAASH! The sword pierced through Kuro''s chest, cracking his magic crystal. Crack¡­ crack¡­ "Gryyyaaaggh! Raaaarrrrggh!" Kuro screamed in agony as his soul was beginning to shatter apart alongside his magic crystal. "NO¡­! STOP!" Darkbound cried, as gigantic meteors fell over him after he was shed by w''s wrathful attacks. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! "Why don''t you stay quiet for a little while?" Anastasia sighed. "Well done, Anastasia." Laughed Julio, piercing deeper into Kuro''s magic crystal. "Gryyyaaarrrrrgghh!" "Just kill that thing already." Anastasia sighed. "You''re so disgusting sometimes." "What''s wrong with seeing it suffer a little bit? It makes you appreciate the life you''re taking¡­" Julioughed, his eyes growing redder. "Oh yeah? Then don''t mind me if I make you suffer before killing you." TRUUUUUMMMM¡­! A gigantic palm emerged from the skies, made entirely out of moonlight! "H-Huh?" Julio was left bbergasted, before the palm fell from the skies, impacting the ground, shattering it and generating an enormous hole deep underground where Julio was pushed. BAAAAAAAAMMMMM!!! "UUUAAAGGGH¡­!" Not only that, the powerful Divine Moonlight that made this palm burned his skin alive and started slowly shattering his soul apart. CRAAAAAASSSHHHHHHH!!! Once the palm disappeared, the entire ground shattered even more, the bedrock started cracking apart, generating countless cracks in the shape of spiderwebs. And Julio was left there, half-dead, his armor was shattered into pieces. His bones were broken, his skin burned, his eyes were bleeding, he could barely breathe¡­ "H-Hahhh¡­ W-Wha¡­ Ungh¡­! W-Wha¡­?!" He was still wondering who it was. What even attacked him, and from where?! "W-What was that?!" Anastasia panicked. For a moment, she felt as if the presence of a god had appeared amidst the skies. The figure of a woman made of pink and purple light emerged amidst the skies. Alongside another made of a swarm of insects, and then another made of darkness, andstly, one made of poison. They all shared the same beautiful appearance, but were much different from one another as they were the same person, Maria. "That''s what you get for hurting my Kuro." ----- Chapter 727 Fusion Is The Way! ? ----- "That''s what you get for hurting my Kuro." Maria said with a furious re, descending from the skies and embracing her ck chimera cat with her Moonlight. "Kuro, hang in there¡­ [Spirit Fusion]!" FLAAAAASH! Suddenly, Anastasia and w panicked after seeing that! This woman¡­ this group of ghostly apparitions were not normal. The power they held was utterly incredible! If they didn''t do something soon¡­ "Kill¡­ KILL HER!" Julio cried, slowly crawling out of the crater he was. His voice was heard loud and clear as he groaned while trying to heal his wounds by drinking an Elixir. Anastasia and w panicked, quickly unleashing their magic and attacks against Kuro! "I won''t let you!!! [Overpowering Sun]!!!" "[Divine Wolf Spirit''s ws]!!!" Three gigantic suns made of zing mes descended towards Kuro, alongside enormous ws made of golden spiritual beast aura! However¡­ CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! CLAAAASH! Darkbound flew into the skies, shing against the zing me spheres and throwing them into the skies, while shielding Kuro against the gigantic ws using a shield made of darkness. CRAAAAASH! "I won''t let you hurt my friend!" He roared.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Wait, this bastard''s still moving?!" w asked furiously. "He is¡­ being possessed by something else now¡­ Those women that appeared!" Anastasia cried. "Jonathan! Where are you?!" As she looked for Jonathan, Maria''s Abyssal Body had already fused with Darkbound through Spirit Fusion, giving him brand new powers and regenerating his body. "My liege, I am relieved you''re back." Darkbound said, floating in midair and guarding the city and Kuro. "But what is this form?! You''ve divided yourself!" "It is a new power I acquired from Hel, Darkbound. It also seems like you can speak and you received her blessings as well, congrattions." Giggled Maria from within his body. "Yes, mdy- However, Mercury and Lancelot¡­!" Muttered Darkbound. "Don''t worry about it, I already went to support them with my Swarm Body and my Poison Body." Maria said with a confident voice. "It seems we''ve got¡­ four S Ranks, huh?" "Indeed, there''s the magician woman named Anastasia, the werewolf named w, the Night Hero, Julio, and then the Sun Hero, Jonathan! They''re all deadly powerful, even Julio is regenerating as we speak!" Darkbound said. Maria quickly began to calcte their odds of winning. Reinforcements wereing in the form of her Divine Lightning Body, Lucifer, Brunhild, Partner, Emeraldine, and everybody else. Once everyone arrived, their victory would be assured. But even just a few minutes would be an eternity against these S Rank monsters¡­ Even Darkbound was incapable of stopping them after evolving into an S- Rank Skeleton Hero. "I see. We cannot take them all by ourselves. Let''s separate them." Said Maria. "Darkbound, you take down w, you seem the most fitting for that. Kuro and my Moonlight Body will take down Julio, and my other bodies, once they find Lancelot and if Mercury is okay, we''ll take down Anastasia, who as a mage seems most prone to running away." "Very well." Darkbound said. His entire body exuded an abyssal darkness inherited from hisbination with Maria''s Abyssal Body Ego. He looked much different than before, and the notifications Maria received clearly reflected that. Ding! [You have sessfully undergone [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] and [Spirit Fusion] with [Legendary Abyssal Skeleton Hero: Darkbound (S- Rank)]!] [As a result of the fusion, all of your stats have temporarily converged together, additionally, many bonuses increasing these stats even further have been activated!] [However, due to the instability of this fusion, the limit time has decreased to 4 Minutes] Magical Weapons converged together through divine power, as Darkbound''s ck Sword fused with Maria''s Soul and one of her many weapons, melding into a brand-new Divine Weapon. Ding! [The power of the Divine Weapons have reacted to thebined souls, temporarily fusing into the Special Divine Relic [Earth-Shattering Divine de: Hekaton]!] [The power of the Special Divine Relic is reacting to the fused souls magic and divine essences!] FLUOOOOOSH! The enormous sword unleashed a gigantic shockwave of power, quickly making Darkbound''s presence clear to the S Rank threats. w nced at Darkbound with a smile, seemingly enjoying this¡­ However, Anastasia was not like the werewolf, afraid, she started stepping back, running away using a Levitation spell. "I''ll leave this to you, beast! I am not good with these things." She said, flying away fearfully. "Jonathan! Where are you?!" "Oi! You cowardly woman!" Roared w furiously. "Tch, these humans cannot be trusted! Well, it''s not like I am the only Frost General here¡­" "There''s another Frost General here?!" Asked Maria, looking around. However, she couldn''t sense him at all. Until the veryst minute. BOOOOOOOMMMM!!!! The city suddenly shook with ice spreading rapidly, as gigantic icicles surged from everywhere. "W-What the¡­?!" Darkbound muttered. "The city''s under attack?!" Meanwhile, within the city, an Ice Giant man wearing bone armor and holding a giant ck axe walked across the city, freezing everything. "Where are they?! I can''t find anybody here!" He roared furiously. His aura clearly exuding the power of yet another S Rank threat, this one being an Ice Giant, the first one Maria had encountered. Thankfully, the people were all within the underground, and this pea brain that seemed to have traveled stealthily into the city when the fight was happening, was incapable of realizing that¡­ yet. "Grrrhhh¡­ Men! Find them quickly! It is not befitting of me, the Ice Giant Hero Argus, to stay here like a fool waiting for my prey toe at me!" He roared angrily, as many other Ice Giants, all of them A+ Rank in strength began running around, trying to find where the people was hidden. FLAAASH! "Hm?!" Argus quickly realized a powerful presence reaching closer to him, as he quickly intercepted it with his giant axe! CLAAAAAASH! It was a humanoid, purple and ck colored Abyssal Ant wielding a Divine Spear, ring at him furiously with red-shot eyes. "An ant?!" Laughed Argus. "What can an Ant do- Ungh?! "This!" Roared Lancelot, unleashing countless piercing blows using his spear, as his aura spread like a swarm of millions of insects, attacking, biting, and poisoning Argus! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "Tch¡­ You''re fast!" Argus smiled, although he seemed almostpletely unfazed by the damage. "And you''re tough." Lancelot sighed, the power of Maria''s Swarm Body Ego flowing through his body. ----- Chapter 728 Lancelot Against The Ice Giant Warrior King! ? ----- Battles all around the ruined Kingdom of the Demon King continued. With Lancelot stopping Argus from reaching the people hiding underground, to Kuro''s new transformation upon fusing with Maria''s Moonlight Divine Body Ego, to Darkbound fighting the ferocious w, and Anastasia¡­ running away. Lancelot would had never stood a chance against such a powerful and enormous foe as Argus, who proimed himself the Ice Giant Hero. A man who had reached the level of strengthparable to an S Rank Monster thanks to the Frost Queen''s magic. His task was simple, to destroy the city Maria loved so much and kill everyone in there mercilessly. It was like asking him to crush ants, a task that wasn''t evenplicated, nor even tiring to do, but that was slightly annoying, as ants tend to scatter around quickly. "Heh! Do you truly think I''ll just fight an oversized bug like you?!" Laughed Argus. "My subordinates have been wanting to kill something strong enough for a while, you know? Boys! He''s all yours! Gahahaha!" Argusughed, stepping back as he ordered his subordinates to fight against Lancelot. They were all A+ Rank Ice Giants wearing magic armor and magic weapons, and all of them seemed mighty enough to serve someone like Argus, their expressions clearly showed that they had gone through rigorous training. "GAHAHA! KILL HIM THEN!" "Don''t disappoint us, bug!" "I''ve never seen something like this before! Is this bug a demon or whatever?" "Interesting¡­!" Twenty A+ Rank Ice Giants surrounded Lancelot, as he still was assimting the powers through the Spirit Fusion he underwent with Maria''s Swarm Body Ego. At his current strength, he would had most likely lost. But right now, things were different. "Prepare yourself, Lancelot!" Maria said, as she saw her status windows emerging one after the other. Ding! [You have sessfully undergone [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] and [Spirit Fusion] with [Abyssal Ant Knight: Lancelot (A Rank)]!] [As a result of the fusion, all of your stats have temporarily converged together, additionally, many bonuses increasing these stats even further have been activated!] [However, due to the instability of this fusion, the limit time has decreased to 4 Minutes] Magical Weapons converged together through divine power, as Lancelot''s Spear fused with Maria''s Soul and one of her many weapons, melding into a brand-new Divine Weapon. Ding! [The power of the Divine Weapons have reacted to thebined souls, temporarily fusing into the Special Divine Relic [Heaven Piercing Divine Spear: Sleipnir]!] [The power of the Special Divine Relic is reacting to the fused souls magic and divine essences!] FLAAAASH! A powerful and wondrous-looking spear emerged, made of darkness which materialized into a divine weapon. It started overflowing with the power of chaos, the abyss, and the swarms thatposed Maria''s form, which were made up of her very soul. "I am ready, mdy!" Lancelot said, fully knowing he had to end this in less than four minutes or he would be in big trouble otherwise. "RAAAHHHH!!!" Dozens of Ice Giants rushed towards Lancelot. Their enormous hammers and clubs attempting to crush him into the ground constantly with each blow! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, Lancelot wielded the powers given to him better than Maria had predicted, as he evaded the sluggish yet overwhelming attacks with his amazing agility and flight speed, he swarmed the bodies of the Ice Giants with millions of bugs made out of his own soul. BBBZZZZZTTT! "Uaagggh¡­! B-Bugs?!" "My flesh! Uuaagggh¡­!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Shit! They aren''t freezing either?!" The Ice Giants were instantly swarmed. Three of them were overwhelmed and slowly eaten alive as the swarm multiplied constantly, while Lancelot leaped over the air and then fell down with his spear pointing into the head of another Ice Giant. CLAAAAAASSHHHH!!! The head of the ice giant was easily pierced through, as the giant died on the spot, falling into the floor with its head bleeding all over the floor. BAAAM! "RAAAARGH! YOUUU!" Three more Ice Giants leaped to fight, only for their legs to be pierced countless times by Sleipnir and left with countless hole-shaped wounds, which the Swarm quickly took advantage of and started devouring viciously. BBBBZZZZTTTT! "AAGGGH¡­!" "DAMNED INSECT¡­!" "RAAAAGH!" The Ice Giants grew madder, unleashing countless icicle spikes against Lancelot which he sliced down into hundreds of ice cubes using Sleipnir, as he unleashed more of the power of Maria''s Swarm, bringing forth gigantic insectoid jaws and mandibles, alongside scorpion-like ws, tearing apart the Ice Giants arms and legs while piercing their heads with Sleipnir''s tip. CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! "Argus! Confront me, coward!" Lancelot roared, having taken down every Ice Giant in just half a minute. Argus was left perplexed, but a smile surged on his face as he watched Lancelot approaching. "Hahaha¡­ Coward?! Me?! I was merely giving my subordinates a chance¡­ But I can see they were just goods for nothing!" Argusughed, raising his giant axe and intercepting every blow from Lancelot. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! CLAAASH! "HAAAH!" Argus roared, unleashing his Magic from his free palm as a Blizzard was instantly conjured, blowing Lancelot away! FLUOOOOOSH! "Unnggh¡­!" Lancelot noticed that his entire body was beginning to freeze. His legs suddenly shattered into pieces and fell due to having been frozen solid. "[Undead Restoration]!" FLAAASH! However, Maria''s magic was there to back him up, as his legs regenerated instantly by fusing with the swarm and materializing back, even stronger than before. "Hoh, regeneration, isn''t it?" Argusughed, reaching Lancelot as he jumped into the skies with utmost ease despite his tremendous size. He swung his gigantic axe and shed at Lancelot with everything he had, Lancelot used Sleipnir to defend himself from the sh, being pushed down into the ground once more, and shattering the floor below him. CLAAAAAASH! "Aaakkhh¡­!" Lancelot mandibles cracked, as he vomited a mouthful of green blood. But it was far from over for him, he was also an Undead after all, damage like this wouldn''t stop him. "Mdy, please, give me more strength¡­" Lancelot said. "But your soul can''t take it all¡­!" Maria said. "It doesn''t matter! I must defeat him, at all costs!" Lancelot roared. "¡­Very well." Maria agreed. FLUOOOOSH! ----- Chapter 729 The Ant Knights Willpower ? ----- The power of the Swarm Body Egopletely fused with Lancelot''s weak and smaller soul. Its powers so strong that itpletely overwhelmed it. The fusion was painful, as it made Lancelot''s very soul struggle to keep itself from shattering into pieces. Maria had notpletely fused with him because of this, as Lancelot had a smaller soulpared to most of her other Undead, mostly because he was fairly new into the group, and unlike Kuro, Darkbound, or Mercury, whose souls wereposed of hundreds of smaller souls, he was just a single soul. However, it wasn''t as if Maria couldn''t do it. She quickly brought upon dozens of souls that were floating around, the souls of the very Ice Giants they defeated, as she raised them as Undead while merging a dozen other souls into Lancelot''s own soul, strengthening it. A+ Rank beings'' souls were surely strong. FLUOOOOSH! The Swarm Body Soul fused into his body, strengthening it much more. His appearance finally beginning to change as Lancelot''s arms, legs, and torso grew three times their original size. His ck and purple exoskeleton changed color to a dark green and ck color, with several sharp spikes growing over his body. His abdomen turned into a long scorpion-like stinger with a sharp spear-like end. And his wings turnedrger and stronger, like those of beetles. His six arms grew sharp ws, and his face turned slightly more humanoid, although his bug-like eyes remained, slightly more narrowed while his mandibles seemed sharper. Argus noticed Lancelot''s transformation, as he smiled at the challenge presented to him. He quickly rushed towards the insect, imbuing more Mana and Divine Power into his Axe and muscles, enhancing his physical strength greatly. "Come at me, insect!" Laughed Argus, swinging his axe down like a giant guillotine about to sh through Lancelot''s body. C L A A A A A S H! However, Lancelot this time managed to intercept the attack, moving Sleipnir at an incredible speed and using the divine spear to pierce through Argus'' hands and arms, leaving countless wounds! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Although Argus had overwhelming strength, he couldn''t be as fast as Lancelot, not in a million years. Argus gritted his teeth as he continued attacking with all his might, unleashing icicle spears everywhere and blizzards, but Lancelot evaded them or unleashed his own swarms to stop them. "Unnggh¡­! W-What the¡­?!" Argus felt surprised. Lancelot had suddenly turned into apletely different being now. He furiously unleashed the power of the Ice Giants, axe attacks, kicks, ice magic, and punches started raining down upon Lancelot like giant meteors. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "KRIEEEEEH!" Lancelot roared furiously, unleashing countless blows back. He barely had 50 seconds before his transformation were to end, he was going all out, even as his entire body was being torn apart and regenerated constantly. "GRAAAAGGH! You damn INSECT! H-Howe you''re this strong?! UUAAGGH¡­!" BAAAAAAMMM!!! Argus fell into the floor, his gigantic body making the ground around him shake furiously. His Divine Power had been almost exhausted as he unleashed so many attacks he could had destroyed an entire mountain by himself¡­ yet Lancelot evaded or intercept them, even as his arms and legs were torn apart, he merely grew new ones. "KRIEEEEEEH! DIE!" Lancelot fell down from the skies, his spear about to pierce Argus'' chest! The Ice Giant Hero grew desperate as the ring in one of his hands suddenly began glowing brightly, a special Divine Artifact given to him by the Frost Queen activated. "[Uller''s Mighty Ring]!" FLAAASH! The ring suddenly imbued into Argus the power of an Ancient Titan, Uller! His strength exploded up to ten times its original values, as his body size suddenly became twice as big. His fists reached Lancelot and then¡­! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Unnggh?!" Lancelot was being overwhelmed! Countless fists started tearing down and freezing his entire body constantly. His constant regeneration was almost incapable of keeping up with the damage dealt! "[Divine Blizzard Axe]!" Argus swung his axe twice, unleashing an x-shaped sh made of divine power and ice energy, shing against Lancelot. CRAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! "AAAGGGH¡­!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Lancelot''s entire body ended being sliced in two, as he fell down into the floor, covering the entire floor with his gusts and blood. BAAAAAM! "Hahhh¡­ Hahahah¡­" Argus startedughing, standing up barely. His entire body was covered in the many wounds that Lancelot had inflicted upon him. "I-It is my victory¡­" Seeing the insect''s body being sliced in two halves, there was absolutely no way for him to remain alive¡­ Well, the thing is, Lancelot was never alive. His soul and body were sliced in two, but so what? As long as he had enough supplied Mana from Maria, he stood back up again as two. From their wounds, abyssal dark auras emerged, as their other halves grew a chimeric body made up of many insectoid parts. "It is not over¡­ NOT YET!" Lancelot roared, with barely 20 seconds left, his two halves leaped towards Argus, catching him off guard! "W-What?! You''re still alive- AAAGGGH¡­!" Argus was sluggish and tired, and Lancelot used this opportunity to attack him from front and behind. Sleipnir pierced through his chest and unleashed an explosive impact of ck mes, while from the back, the other half of Lancelot aimed for the Ice Giant''s head. CLAAAAAASH! "U-unnggh¡­! Y-You damn insect!" Argus was about to crush Lancelot, but the other half behind him suddenly began glowing brightly, turningpletely red as his very soul started ring like mes¡­ BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! "AAAGGGGHH!" Argus entire head was blown to bits as he screamed in agony, by sacrificing a piece of his body and soul, Lancelot managed to defeat the undefeatable Ice Giant, as his enormous body fell over the ground. BAAAAM! This time, to never stand back up again. FLASH! The transformation ended as well, as the fusion between Maria''s Ego and Lancelot ended, Lancelot''s wounded body and soul fell over the floor. "Lancelot!" Maria cried, quickly beginning to heal his soul and body. ----- Chapter 730 The Passing Of A Brave Knight ? ----- Maria desperately tried to heal Lancelot, and although his body was constantly regaining flesh and arms, they suddenly started turning into ashes. His soul¡­ wasn''t any better. The enormous pressure he forced upon himself by assimting Maria''s powers ended breaking it apart too much. Maria tried to stitch more souls together to maintain his own, but the roots of his soul were far gone. No matter how hard she tried, his soul started to break apart into tiny pieces, dissipating. Maria grew desperate, trying to do everything she could to heal her loyal Ant Knight. The pressure he suffered was too much for his soul. His big eyes looked at Maria tenderly. It seemed as if he was happy to know she worried so much about him, a mere servant not unlike any other. "It¡­ was an honor¡­ to serve you, mdy¡­" He sighed. Lancelot started to remember his short life. Since he was born without purpose or mind to serve the Ant Queen, to after he was defeated and reborn as an undead, serving Maria. He gained consciousness, speech, emotions, and it was this time when he finally started toprehend life as it was. "N-No¡­ You''re an undead! You can''t¡­!" Maria tried everything she could, but as an Ego Body, her powers were still limited. "Thank you¡­ for everything, mdy¡­ For giving me a chance to exist, for giving me a chance to be me¡­ For¡­ giving me¡­" Lancelot sighed, caressing her face with his ws, before his arm fell into the floor. "A chance¡­ to have a family¡­" Lancelot smiled faintly, as his entire body fell into ashes, and his soul dissipated into particles of light. He disappeared without leaving trace. "No¡­" Maria couldn''t believe it. Despite having won, despite having done their everything¡­ Lancelot died. He sacrificed his very soul to save the people of this small vige. She felt despair, she realized even right now, she wouldn''t be able to always win, even after a victory. His sacrifice¡­ was one that hurt her the most. A soul she was not able to save¡­ Perhaps for other people Undead were monsters, emotionless creatures, or just the tools that Necromancers used. But for Maria, Undead were her friends, that kept her from being lonely, that apanied her, that grew and learned about the world at her side, especially those that were special, that developed personalities and thoughts, such as Lancelot. Losing Lancelot was like losing her own child. Maria felt regret for having allowed him to fuse with her total powers. But she knew it was his resolve, it wasn''t something she could ignore.N?v(el)B\\jnn The Abyssal Ants slowly gathered around their fallen leader, groaning sorrowfully. "I''m sorry, everyone¡­" She sighed. Maria stood back up, ncing at the door of the ruined city, an army of Frost Monsters were quickly approaching. "You''ll pay for what you''ve done." Maria nced into the skies. She knew the one that orchestrated everything, the one that forced Skadi to incentivize the Frost Queen to act. "Odin." However, as Maria''s Swarm Body Ego was about to step into to fight for the kingdom, she suddenly saw a¡­ bbergasting sight. Hundreds of giant ck spiders marched towards the army of thousands of Frost Monsters, shing against them and beginning to easily overwhelm them. Behind the ck Spider Army, there was a little girl with white hair and red eyes, wearing a white dress made of spiderweb. "Mama! I''m here!" "A-Arachne?!" An unexpected helper had finally arrived, and this one held the power of a Cmity. . . . (Some Minutes Ago) FLAAAASH! Kuro''s weakened, and slightly destroyed body was quickly regenerated in a second as the Divine Moonlight Body Ego of Maria merged with him. His entire body changing even more as it was not only fueled by Maria''s temporary fusion but the Divine Protection of Fenrir he had received. Ding! [You have sessfully undergone [Divine Spirit Soul Connection] and [Spirit Fusion] with [Abyssal ck Winged Lion Chimera (A Rank)]!] [As a result of the fusion, all of your stats have temporarily converged together, additionally, many bonuses increasing these stats even further have been activated!] [However, due to the instability of this fusion, the limit time has decreased to 4 Minutes] Kuro had no weapons, but his own ws merged with Maria''s variety of weapons within her Inventory, as they became golden and silver colored, gaining the properties of a Divine Weapon! Ding! [The power of the Divine Weapons have reacted to thebined souls, temporarily fusing into the Special Divine Relic [Divinity-Tearing ws of Cmity: Cerberus]!] [The power of the Special Divine Relic is reacting to the fused souls magic and divine essences!] "GROOOOAAARRRR!" Kuro roared ferociously; his transformation was impressive. His ck fur turned silver with stripes made of gold color. A crown of golden horns grew over his head, which supported arge purple-colored jewel glowing with the power of moonlight itself. His wings grew in size and became shinier and silver-colored, resplendent. His tail became longer, gaining a sharp spear-like end instead of the snake head it possessed. And his ws became metallic, with several divine runic inscriptions, holding the power of a divine relic. "Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­" Julio had just managed to crawl out of the crater he was left behind by Maria''s Ego, his entire body overflowing with tremendous quantities of darkness and malicious, abyssal energy. His chest in specific, was emanating a red light. "To think this damn cat would try to hold me back¡­ But I can sense her power within you. Maria, are you hiding behind your little familiar?" "Hiding? Far from it, Hero." Maria said across Kuro''s body. "Are you one of the pitiful ves of the Empire of Light, by any chance?" "ve?! I am the Hero of Darkness, not a ve!" Julio said furiously. "We havee here to y your people, but I guess it''ll make things easier if youe at me. You''ve killed many nobles already; you have to pay for your crimes!" ----- Chapter 731 The Hero Of Lights Resolve ? ----- After being called a ve of the Empire of Light, the biggest Empire of the entire Continent of Midgard, Julio became furious. The veins all over his body began growing redder, and even his eyes shone with a scarlet glint.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "ve?! I am the Hero of Darkness, not a ve!" Julio said furiously. "We havee here to y your people, but I guess it''ll make things easier if youe at me. You''ve killed many nobles already; you have to pay for your crimes!" Maria scoffed at that. Since when has the Empire of Light cared so much about other countries nobilities? The Albraun Kingdom was in direct servitude to the Empire of Light at this point, mostly through the Church of Light, but still, the Empire of Light was a selfish ce, their Emperor would never really care about some nobody nobles. There was other reason why they were here. A more direct reason, an order from the higher ups, the ones behind everything, the bastards watching from the skies above. The ones who see humans as their puppets. "As if you were to ever care about the Albraun Kingdom! The Empire of Light is too selfish to ever remember their names. Just admit you''re doing this because of Odin''s divine message." Maria said furiously. "Is it because I destroyed his little son that he''s all angry now?" "Destroyed her son?" Asked Julio, it seemed Odin had not revealed this to them. "You''re an amusing liar. Heh, I usually don''t really like talking with those I''m about to kill¡­" Julio sighed. "So let''s cut the chit-chat, shall we?!" CLAAAASH! Julio''s dark de reached Kuro in an instant! However, Kuro managed to intercept the attack and block it with his sharp fangs, which unleashed bright moonlight power from within. "ROOOOAAARRR!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Each sh against Kuro''s ws unleashed a powerful ray of divine moonlight, which impacted Julio and pushed him back. His ever-growing darkness quickly paling inparison with the divinity that Maria possessed. "RAAAAAHHH!!!" Julio quickly summoned dozens of enormous Darkest Moons, firing them against Kuro and the city behind him. However, the lion chimera leaped over the skies and unleashed several Moonlight Beams from the jewel on above his horns! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "W-What?!" Julio was once more shocked, stepping back as he saw all his strongest magic beingpletely overwhelmed. "T-This shit doesn''t make any fucking sense-" BAAAAAMMM!!! Kuro fell down from the skies like a falling meteor, shing against Julio and unleashing countless Moonlight Beams against him from the jewel on above his horns, while his sharp ws started shing his armor and tearing him down! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAAASH! "UUUAAGGGH¡­!" Julio had never faced such an overwhelming foe before. Kuro''s resonance with Maria was incredibly high, and because he had been merged with her Divinity Body, he was naturally incredibly strong. However, the time limit was of only four minutes. He had to hurry before it were to be toote. His attacks managed to tear down Julio''s powerful protective armor and pushed the Hero of Darkness down the same crater he was left before. CRAAAAAAASHHH!!! "GRAAAAGGGGH¡­!" Julio screamed in agony as he was pushed down, never had he been so overwhelmed before, so ustomed to destroy and ravage anything with his overpowered magic and techniques. Kuro started biting his neck furiously, as Julio gritted his teeth and started stabbing the beast with his darkness de. "L-LET GO OF MEEEEE¡­! [Darkness Explosion]!!!" BOOOOOOMMM!!! Julio unleashed an explosion of darknessing right out of his own body, risking to take damage as well, he didn''t had any other option. CLAAASH! Kuro was sent to the walls behind him, as the chimera quickly stood back up again with minimal damage, while Julio gritted his sharp teeth while tightly grasping his neck. "Y-You''ll pay for this! H-How dare you! A-A m-mere beast and a ghost to do this to me, a glorious Hero of Humanity!!!" He was going insane in frustration and insanity. "F-Fragment¡­!" FLUOOOSH! And then, a dark power surged from within his chest once more, reaching his wound and then regenerating it, as countless tentacle-like tendrils appeared out of his wound and slowly repaired itpletely¡­ "That power¡­ Don''t tell me this bastard has the power of an Evil God Fragment¡­" Said Maria in surprise. "I knew it! The Humans are really using them! You stole it from the families holding the sealed pieces that the Ancient Heroes worked so hard to contain, including my own family, just so you could use it to gain power for yourselves! Does Odin knows about this?!" "Heheh¡­ So you''ve figured out the most obvious thing already! Bravo!" Julioughed, his wound which would had been lethal regenerated in an instant, as several red eyes slowly started opening across his body, his tattered armor was no longer of help to resist damage. "So what if we did?! Who would had cared about you stupid Ancient Heroes Descendants?! Those stupid traditions of keeping these sources of endless power¡­ Such stupid foolishness! Odin himself said it was fine to use them! We can do whatever we want! We are the chosen ones, HUMANS! Once this is done, we''ll go after the other Continents¡­ Midgard shall conquer them all with their prowess! The Elves, Dwarves, and Giants will all have to kneel before our Empire of Light! Hahaha¡­ HAHAHAHAHA!" "You bastard¡­!" Maria roared furiously. "You''re the real monster here!" "Me? Hahaha¡­ What? Are you angry that we killed your little family? Are you angry I let my soldiers rape your mother until she died?!" Laughed Julio. "Yes! You guessed it! I was behind the death of your pitiful, pitiful family! Who would had known that their pathetic daughter would end uping back from death as a damn ghost, getting constantly in our way! ¡­But that''s about to end now, MARIA!" "W-What?!" Maria cried. "Y-You¡­?! Mother¡­" Maria suddenly felt a slight pain in her mind, the memories that had been sealed this entire time¡­ were slowly unveiling. Because she was fusing with Kuro, the fusion became unstable, and Kuro began bing weaker. Julio took this opportunity to strike. "Hahaha! Are you shocked?! Angry? Sad, perhaps?!" His dark de reached Kuro with the immense power of the Evil God Fragment merged into it! CLAAAAAAASH!!! "Hahaha- Eh? YOU?!" However, a ray of light surged from the skies, suddenly guarding Maria and Kuro, as a knight wearing golden and white armor emerged, his eyes ring with golden, holy mes. "Jonathan?! What are you doing?!" Julio cried furiously. "You dare¡­ You dare ally with these monsters?!" "Monsters?" Asked Jonathan. "Just as she said. You are the real monster, Julio! I never knew about this! I never knew you were behind my beloved Maria''s family death! You¡­ I won''t forgive you." "J-Jonathan?" Maria asked, suddenly beginning to remember him. Her lover, the one that was always at her side. A knight wearing bright armor, that slowly became famous as he defended the Kingdom of Albraun from many threats, she was always at his side, childhood friends that quickly became lovers. The man that screamed in agony and despair as he was unable to stop her death, the one she saw crying at the beginning of her life as a ghost. "You''re here?!" Maria asked. "It seems you''ve recovered some of your memories." Jonathan sighed. "Maria, this time¡­ I will amend for my sins! I won''t tolerate their tyranny anymore! I will protect you and everything you love!" "You damn TRAITOR!!!" Julio roared, his entire body beginning to shapeshift into a horrendous monster. CLAAAAAASSHH!!! ----- Chapter 732 Darkbound Versus Claw! ? ----- CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! Darkbound''s Abyssal Sword swung rapidly attacking w several times. The werewolf intercepted a few of his blows with his metal-like ws, while using his powerful Beast Aura to push the heavy Undead away from him. However, Darkbound was like an unmovable mountain. He continued stepping forward while swinging his word, vertical and horizontal shes raining down over the werewolf. Each sh brought upon an explosion of darkness, already covering w''s body with wounds. "[Abyssal Death de Arts]: [Netherworld''s sh]!" TRUUUUMMM¡­! Darkbound unleashed a powerful vertical sh that channeled the very power of the Netherworld, a blue and green-colored aura of death emerged as he unleashed this Art, impacting w and pushing him down into the floor. SLAAAAASH! BAAAM! "Graaarrggh¡­ T-This damn¡­ Skeleton¡­! I was about to fucking eat you some seconds ago!" w cried in frustration. "Now my army¡­ my men, everything¡­" w had been told this would be an easy task, but things only became worse and worse as time went by. With Maria''s Egos appearance, things quickly changed to the worst. The Frost Army was being wiped out and the werewolves that came to fight at w''s side were all dead by the hands of Darkbound''s merciless attacks. To make things worse, he had been promised it would be an easy task by the Frost Queen herself. He, someone that was picked up by her when nobody else was there for him believed the Frost Queen wordspletely. And much like a loyal dog, he walked into a trap as long as his owner asked him to. The werewolf tribe was a small tribe of beast-people that was nomadic, moving from ce to ce in the snow coverednds of the South of Midgard. They were often times hunted, and even discriminated by other fellow beast-men due to their more beast-like appearances, as theycked humanoid faces and their entire bodies were covered on fur,cking exposed skin. Their bodies were tall, their ws incredibly sharp, and their appetite veryrge. In ancient times they formed enormous packs of barbarians that assaulted and killed and devoured people¡­ w and his people were forced to this lifestyle for survival, but after having been almostpletely wiped out three years ago by thebined forces of many Adventurers, they were left hopeless. Starving, and with nowhere to go, they ended hiding inside a dungeon they found, and that''s where they saw it, the enormous Tower of Skadi, where the Frost Queen awaited them. They were drawn into the tower''s entrance, and were greeted by her. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Be my servants, my family¡­ And you and your pack will never suffer starvation ever again." She promised them. w, without any other chance, ended epting such a deal, and they were feed, and given shelter, and power beyond their imagination. Especially him, who was the strongest of his pack, was given a gift. With this gift and the powers of a Dungeon that the Frost Queen controlled, he was able to easily hunt monsters and gain tremendous quantities of EXP, leveling up quickly until he became S Rank. He promised to protect his new home, and his Queen¡­ At all costs. He came here with the mere task of ying some civilians, something he had done many times already, as he used to be a barbarian bandit that assaulted and killed people to steal from them. Deep down, he might have felt slightly bad, but he always thought that "life''s always been like this". And simply did as he was told¡­ He never expected that things would be so terrible many of his great warriors died so easily, and he was now about to die himself. "N-No¡­ not yet¡­! I cannot die YET!" He cried, as he was about to be stabbed by Darkbound''s sword into the chest. The silver-colored bracelet on his left arm, which had the small head of a wolf made of silver on top of it began shining, as the power of the Ancient Wolf, Fenrir, flowed into him. Although he was not worth to hold Fenrir''s Blessing unlike Kuro, as he was fighting against his interests, he held a special essory given to him, the Divine Bracelet of Fenrir, which Skadi had forged using a fang that once belonged to the ancient, wolf god. FLAAAAASH! His entire body suddenly started transforming, the explosion of divine light quickly blocked Darkbound''s dark de and pushed him back, as the skeleton knight saw w suddenly transform into a gigantic white wolf. The power of the Divinity of Fenrir, even if a tiny fragment of it contained within his fang, was imbued into the body of w, enhancing his power topletely new levels. "GGRRRHHH¡­!" w groaned. "GRAAAARRRGGHH!" Havingpletely lost the ability to speak, or to even have coherent thoughts in exchange for tremendous power, w leaped towards Darkbound, administrating several w attacks that unleashed shining, divine beast aura attacks with each blow! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "You''ve be stronger through that Divine Artifact!" Darkbound noticed, as he swung his sword vertically and horizontally, shes ofherworld energy and abyssal darkness impacted the w attacksing from w constantly, generating explosions across the skies. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "AWOOOOO!" Suddenly, w howled into the skies, as the skies themselves opened up, showing a bright moon shining down upon him, his jaws opened, readying a tremendous breath attack! "What the heck is this bastard, a damn dragon?!" Maria within Darkbound panicked. "Darkbound, block!" TRUUUMMM¡­! A gigantic beam of moonlight descended upon Darkbound, as he barely put his divine sword in front of him, amplifying its powers through his own Mana and the Mana of Maria! BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! The enormous, explosive beam of moonlight impacted with tremendous power. Darkbound was thrown down into the ground below, as thend shattered by the tremendous impact of the attack. CRAAAAAASH! "OOOOOGGGH¡­!" Darkbound groaned, as he continued trying to unleash his own powers. "[Hekaton: Earth Shattering sh]!" FLASH! The Divine Sword Hekaton suddenly shone brightly, activating its unique skill: [Earth Shattering sh]! SLAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! A gigantic sh descended upon the entirend, piercing through ws Moonlight Beam and then slicing through his body! ----- Chapter 733 Claws Demise ----- "[Hekaton: Earth Shattering sh]!" FLASH! The Divine Sword Hekaton suddenly shone brightly, activating its unique skill: [Earth Shattering sh]! SLAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! A gigantic sh descended upon the entirend, piercing through ws Moonlight Beam and then slicing through his body! "GRAAARRGGH¡­!" w roared in agony, swinging his ws and parrying the enormous, earth-shattering sh barely, although his right arm was sliced apart! SLAAASH! BAAM! Hended on the snow-covered floor, gasping for air and then vomiting a mouthful of blood. Wielding the power of Fenrir brought upon him a bacsh. "w!" Darkbound roared, slowly standing up by using his giant sword to stand back up. "COME!" "GRAAAARRRGGH! ROOOAARRRGH!" w leaped towards Darkbound and began biting through his entire sword and then his arms and body. CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAASH! His gigantic wolf jaws were incredibly deadly, capable of biting through everything with tremendous, overwhelming strength. Darkbound barely managed to tank the hits while unleashing a storm of des made of Shadows and Phantoms against the wolf, piercing his eyes! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "GRYYYAARRGH!" w cried in agony, stepping back as his eyes began bleeding. Darkbound used this opportunity, gathering more of his Phantasmal Magic and fusing it with Maria''s Magic together, summoning enormous skeletal hands made of Abyssal Shadows and Darkness. "[Thanatos'' Abyssal ws]! RAAAAHHHH!!!" CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! Both gigantic ws impacted upon w, pushing him down into the ground. The wolf ferociously started biting and tearing apart the skeletal ws with ease, but that gave enough time for Darkbound to summon even more of these, which started falling over the giant white wolf like gigantic fist meteors! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! From above, below, left and right, Darkbound unleashed an endless barrage of punches that started to slowly overwhelm the giant white wolf, his entire body beginning to distort with all the wounds and broken bones. "YOU WILL PERISH BY MY HAND!" Darkbound gathered all the giant skeletal ws together into a gigantic fist, pushing down w into the ground and crushing his bones even more!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om BAAAAAMMM!!! "GRYYYAAARRRGH!" w vomited a mouthful of blood as he red furiously at the skeleton. "Y-You damn pile of bones¡­! GRAAAARRRGGH!" His spirit was still one of a warrior to the very end, leaping towards Darkbound even as his body was being torn apart and opening his jaws! "YOU WILL DIE BY MY HANDS!" He barked back, unleashing yet another Moonlight Beam! BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!! "Unngggh..!" CLASH! Darkbound fell like a ragdoll into the floor, his ck bones slightly beginning to shatter. His right arm suddenly fell into pieces over the floor, and half his skull was shattered. However, his willpower was endless. The knight made with a hundred souls stood back up, relentlessly. His eyes glowed bright blue, like will-o-wisps glowing within his empty skull. "I cannot die here¡­ Not yet¡­ I must protect¡­ Protect my people!" He roared, rushing towards w. Both were exhausted and their bodies were on tatters. Their shed against one another, tearing themselves apart even further. w relentlessly gave deadly bites and shing attacks using his ws, while Darkbound used his magic and de to pierce through the giant wolf''s body and deal lethal damage. "ROOOOAAARRRR!" "RAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Their strongest blow was given to one another, as an enormous explosion of divine power and mana was unleashed, spreading across the skies, and forming an arc, while their surroundings were cleared of all the umted snow, showing the floor and dirt beneath. CLAAAAAAASHHHH!!! After the sh, silence befell. w''s jaws biting ferociously on Darkbound''s torso, shattering his armor and slightly forming cracks on his Core, while Darkbound''s de pierced through his neck all the way up to his brain. "GRAAAGH¡­" w gave ast beast-like groan before it fell down into the floor, dead. "Hahhhh¡­" BAAM! Darkbound fell into the floor, his body could not grow exhausted but his soul was very much tired. And his core had gained several cracks, weakening him even more. However, as his fusion with Maria ended, her magic quickly reassembled his body and healed his Core''s cracks, which was his greatest weakness, well, the weakness of most Undead strong enough to reach S Rank. "Hahh¡­ My liege, thank you." Sighed Darkbound. "We''re not over yet." Maria said. "[Rise]" FLAAAASH! The giant white wolf suddenly stood back up again, as Maria simply inserted back the soul of w that was left wandering around. With her Queen of the Undead Title, w''s animosity instantly changed, as he became more cooperative. "E-Eh? I am back?!" w asked in surprise. "I-I am still dead? What¡­ what''s going on?!" "You''re dead, I''ve given you a second chance as an Undead, and so all your pack." Maria said, as all other in werewolves appeared behind her, from within her shadows, as Undead. However, Maria''s necromancy had advanced so far that they didn''t even looked like zombies, but looked very much as fresh as alive, and with her wound repairing skills, even the giant white wolf that w became looked freshly alive. It could be said to be an ability to preserve things in a fresh state, even after death¡­ A magic she mostly uses to make preservation on food though. "A-Amazing¡­ we''re back?!" "We are undead? It doesn''t even feel like it!" "W-Woah¡­" "Boss, you became a giant wolf?!" w was surprised. He really thought this was it¡­ yet as long as the soul remains, there''s always a second chance. Something that was impossible with the other Frost Generals that attacked the Dwarven Country, as their souls were destroyed. "It does seems like you''ll permanently keep yourself as a big white wolf, I''ll be taking this loot though~" Maria said with a smile, taking the Divine Bracelet of Fenrir for herself, its powers reacted with hers. Unlike the other divine artifacts that were destroyed, this one was still working as intended. "Now, we should-" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! However, the troubles were far from over for Maria''s Abyssal Body Ego, as she and her Undead suddenly saw hundreds of giant fireballs falling towards them from the skies. "This bitch¡­" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! ----- Chapter 734 A Swift Change Of Sides ? ----- B O O O M! B O O O M! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om B O O O M! B O O O M! B O O O M! The enormous fireballs fell down upon Maria and Darkbound and her new Undead, only for a powerful Barrier of Abyssal Darkness, channeling the power of the Bracelet of Fenrir to defend against the deadly magic. Once the rain finished, the entire surroundings were aze though, and this level of magic could quite easily destroy an entire city. "T-That''s Anastasia''s magic! Well, seems like she didn''t even hesitate to burn us to a crisp! Fucking bitch! She''s a coward that escaped too!" w barked angrily. "GRAAH! Fuck it! Maria, as long as you promise me to rescue the rest of my tribe that''s living on the Frost Queen''s dungeon, I''ll join you!" "Oh really~? Well I was just nning to force you to cooperate anyways, but fine." Mariaughed. "But what with the sudden change of sides?" "The Frost Queen¡­ lied to us, she sent us here convincing us it would be an easy win. We werepletely outmatched after you arrived, and well¡­ here we are." He sighed. "And I don''t like the other Frost Generals anyways! They''re all nasty bastards! And I hate how she just decided to cooperate with those damn Humans from the Empire of Light¡­ They''re the bastards that hunted my tribe for generations, they see us as nothing but beasts!" w barked angrily. It seemed he had a very deep grudge against the Empire of Light. Maria sighed, but this was to be expected. It was the most influential country in the continent and they ruled over the others with iron fist. Those that did not abide to their rules would, sooner orter, be destroyed. They were the ones behind the death of her family, and behind the death of many other families simr to hers, who descended from the Ancient Heroes that had sealed the fragments of the Evil God long ago. "Anastasia is a frail and cowardly Sorceress. I guess it makes sense she would run away and hide somewhere while conjuring magic at us. She''s quite smart for being a dumb puppet of the Empire of Light!" w said angrily. "However¡­ she might be able to hide with her magic from mana observation abilities, but she cannot hide her smell." w started sniffing the air. "I can feel it, she''s not that far!" The other werewolves quickly followed w, assembling, and beginning to sniff the air, quickly sensing the scent of the cowardly sorceress. "She''s there, Maria! Let me go and kill her!" w said angrily. "Don''t be reckless, w." Maria sighed. "She''s not a Hero for nothing. If you go right now as you are, you''re going to get killed easily. Tell me more about these heroes¡­ I am beginning to remember things as my other body fights that Darkness Hero." "They''re the Heroes from the Empire of Light that were given the task of ying you and your subordinates. They''re part of the Church of Light Faction, who prays to the Aesir, Odin and his children, mostly." Said w. "They havee with the pretext of avenging the nobles you killed, but they recently got a Divine Message from Odin that told them to cooperate with us. The Frost Queen also got the same Divine Message from Skadi, the owner of the many artifacts she found." "Oh, I see how it is." Maria nodded. "I knew it, all of this is something that bastard orchestrated. Alright, I cannot apany you but someone else is going there with you. I have to go help everyone else." Suddenly, a giant slime made of liquid metal appeared, shining brightly with an aura of rainbows. It was nobody else than Mercury! "T-That''s the giant slime that one of the Heroes should had killed?!" Asked w. "It seems whoever he was, he held back a lot." Maria said. "Mercury''s body is very big and moldable, so he managed to survive even after his body was almost destroyed." She said while petting the adorable metal slime. "Now, Mercury, apany these men." "Guuuuh!" "Don''t worry, it''s not as if I am not going either¡­" And a second Maria appeared, this one was wearing a purple dress, and had dazzling purple eyes and hair. It was Maria''s Poison Body Ego, who had decided to apany them. "Then let''s go kill that damn coward!" w roared. As Maria saw her Poison Body Ego and Mercury apany w, she nced into the entrance of her ruins, an army of Frost Monsters was approaching from the faraway Dungeon where the Frost Queen was constantly summoning them. It seemed she was not only a Cmity but became a Dungeon Master, being able to control the powers of the Dungeon, she was able to conjure the power of the Dungeon''s ability to summon monsters and has been abusing such power with her enormous quantities of Mana and Divine power fueled by the Tower of Skadi, constantly summoning them. "We have to go protect the city, Darkbound! Let''s go." She said. "You too,e as well!" Maria brought with her the werewolves as well, rushing towards the city. F L A A A S S H H!! As she ran, the memories of her other bodies reached her. The death of Lancelot, and then the rush of memoriesing as Jonathan revealed himself all at once. It was a bit too much for her. She felt a slight amount of despair, and hope mixed together. It was a strange feeling that made her wonder if all her struggles were even worth it¡­ Yet when she saw an army of Giant ck Spiders approaching and defending her home, as a tiny and adorable little white-haired girlmanded them¡­ such thoughts faded away rather quickly. A friend she had made long ago appeared out of the blue, willing toe out of her dungeon into the world she feared, just to protect her. "Arachne¡­?" ----- Chapter 735 The Corruption Of The Heroes ? ----- As Maria was shocked by what Julio had revealed to him, her powers and the fusion with Kuro started to destabilize, giving the corrupted Hero of Darkness the best chance to strike her down. "Hahaha! Are you shocked?! Angry? Sad, perhaps?!" His dark de reached Kuro with the immense power of the Evil God Fragment merged into it! A gigantic, overwhelming aura of chaos surged from within, too fast for the shocked Maria to react in time. CLAAAAAAASH!!! An explosion of darkness and chaos echoed everywhere, shattering the floor below Maria and Kuro, and letting out countless ck lightning strikes. "Hahaha- Eh?" FLAAAAASSHHH! However, a ray of light surged from the skies, suddenly guarding Maria, and Kuro, as a knight wearing golden and white armor emerged, his eyes ring with golden, holy mes. It was nobody else than the Hero of Sunlight himself, who had suddenly disappeared for a brief moment, only to reemerge once more, now with the intent to help Maria, his enemy. "YOU?!" Julio roared with fury, his eyes beginning to glow redder as the power of the Evil God Fragment started flowing across his body. "Julio, that''s enough!" Jonathan roared, his eyes shining. His words only made the Hero of Darkness madder. "Jonathan¡­ What are you doing?!" Julio cried furiously. "You dare¡­ You dare ally with these monsters?!" Jonathan squinted his eyes to the word "monsters", growing furious. "Monsters?" Asked Jonathan. "Just as she said. You are the real monster, Julio! I never knew about this! I never knew you were behind my beloved Maria''s family death! You¡­ I won''t forgive you." "J-Jonathan?" Maria asked, suddenly beginning to remember him. The appearance of this person emerged within her ever-growing memories. A knight wearing bright armor, that slowly became famous as he defended the Kingdom of Albraun from many threats, she was always at his side, childhood friends that quickly became lovers. The man that screamed in agony and despair as he was unable to stop her death, the one she saw crying at the beginning of her life as a ghost¡­ She always wondered where he was, and what was happening with him. And of course, why he cried that time. It was him¡­ Someone unable to fight against her fate. However, now, he was siding with her, no longer caring about "honor" or "loyalty" anymore. After losing her once, he realized all those things meant nothing if he would lose the most precious person in his entire life. "You''re¡­ You''re here?" Maria asked. "It seems you''ve recovered some of your memories." Jonathan sighed. "Maria, this time¡­ I will amend for my sins! I won''t tolerate their tyranny anymore! I will protect you and everything you love!" Jonathan''s eyes pierced through Maria''s heart. Her personality of both her life as Maria, the noble, and her life as Maria, the ghost slowly melded together. There were many things she wondered, many things she doubted, yet¡­ she couldn''t help but feel relieved, and happy to have him with her. Julio, however, couldn''t simply ept such treason¡­ especially from Jonathan, whom he nned to slowly torture, forcing him to kill his loved one''s allies one by one. "You damn TRAITOR!!!" Julio roared, his entire body beginning to shapeshift into a horrendous monster. His entire body started growing several timesrger. His armor instantly shattered into pieces as his giant body continued growing much bigger, and muscr. Julio''s body was wrapped around hundreds of ck tentacles, as red eyes emerged all across his body. The angered face he had slowly transformed, fusing with the miasma and chaos of the Evil God''s Fragment Powers, his face suddenly growing several red eyes and demonic horns¡­ The Hero of Darkness, a "champion of humanity" became an aberrant monster.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The de of Darkness he held mutated, bing bigger and more sinister as it channeled the powers their wielder held. Julio''s powerful aura spread out further, growing much stronger. "J-Julio¡­ What have you be?!" Jonathan asked, terrified that his old friend, and his disciple, turned into an aberrant monster, a host of a parasite. "What? Do you not like my new, stronger form, Jonathan~?" Laughed Julio, his voice bing sinister and monstrous. "This is my truest form! This is what I''ve be to finally match your strength! With this, I am invincible!" Heughed. "Invincible?" Asked Maria with a giggle. "You know I''ve defeated several people that thought that when they held that same power, right?" "But were they Heroes of Darkness?! Huh, WITCH?!" Laughed Julio, his Darkness Skills and Powers, which came from his Hero of Darkness ss fused perfectly well with the power of the Evil God Fragment, converging into an overwhelming shockwave of power. "[Abyssal Wave]!" TRUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! A wave of pure darkness spread everywhere around, shaking the ground and about to arrive over the city far away. However¡­ "[Sunlight''s Grace]!" Jonathan roared, unleashing the very power of the sunlight itself into his surroundings, spreading it further and slightly overpowering the darkness! FLAAAAAAAASH! However, it wasn''t enough. The abyss continued spreading further and further, Jonathan seemed incapable of protecting everything at this point, the attack covered too wide of a range, and if he utilized all his powers, he might risk destroying the city as well. "You''ve always been a man that would jump in front of others to sacrifice yourself¡­" Maria said as her spectral form surged from within Kuro''s body, still fused with him, but showing her appearance while riding over his back. "However, I am not the same weak Maria I once was¡­ [Eternal Moon Mirror]! [Mystical Moon Phase Circle]!" FLUOOOSH! Maria''s Moonlight Essence merged with her grand quantities of Mana into a single, gigantic mirror made in the shape of a giant moon, which then divide itself into hundreds of smaller mirrors, all reflecting the darknessing to the city, and then¡­ reversing it back to their owner! FLAAAAAAAASH! "W-What?!" Julio was bbergasted. The darkness transformed, suddenly gaining moonlight attribute, and bing a lethal beam of gray and purple light, striking Julio down with a thunderous explosion! BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 736 An Old Love ? ----- BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! Maria gave back Julio what he unleashed, as his Abyssal Wave turned into a Moonlight Beam of catastrophic proportions, sting him into the ground as it pierced right through his chest, leaving a gigantic hole! "G-Graaaggh¡­" Julio groaned, vomiting a mouthful of blood as he nced at his own wound. Flesh and guts wereing out of it, and a river of blood. The power of Maria''s Moonlight did not stop in that either, as it was also able to cover wounds and not allow them to recover so easily. "Unnnggh¡­ W-Why am I not¡­ recovering- AAKHH¡­!" Julio fell to his knees surprisingly, shocking Jonathan. The Hero of Darkness continued vomiting blood as his vitality was slowly receding. "Incredible, Maria! You did it- Huh?! Maria!" However, Jonathan was quickly scared as he saw Maria falling to the floor, her phantasmal body seemingly too tired, it looked as if it was slowly fading away. "Grooaarr¡­!" Kuro was also exhausted after the fusion, going back to his normal self. "Ungh¡­ It''s fine, I am alright, just too tired. That attack spent all of my remaining Moonlight Essence in this body." She sighed. "Body?" Jonathan asked. "As you can see, I am a ghostly being now, Jonathan." Maria sighed, giving him a head pat. "You''re always so slow at catching up, aren''t you? My body can divide into many parts. Right now this body is only a piece of it." "O-Oh, so that''s how it is." Jonathan quickly understood. "Are you okay? Can I do something to help you? Ah, an Elixir?" He asked, offering her one. "That''ll work." Maria smiled, taking the Elixir out of his hands, and drinking it. It slightly worked as intended, even if it had a bit of Holy Water, it didn''t hurt her at all and her HP and MP began to recover, making her grasp the situation much better as her mind did not feel as dizzy. However, Moonlight Essence was a different source of energy that doesn''t recovery with these types of potions, and would only recover slowly over time. "Hahhh¡­ We have to kill that thing before it goes out of control." She said. "Right." Jonathan nodded, standing back up. "Maria¡­ I¡­" "I know, dear." Maria sighed. "We have a lot to talk about. I am honestly really mad at you for how you were not able to help me before, and how you let it all happen though." Jonathan sighed, looking into the floor. "Sigh¡­ Your expressions are like those of a kid sometimes." Maria sighed, with a bit of nostalgia. "But I also know your family was held hostage, and that¡­ if you helped me, they would had killed yours." "Maria¡­" Jonathan sighed. "I know what you went through, and I know what this change of sides means for your family too." She said. "We''ve gotta hurry and save them after we''re done with this, right?" "You''re willing to¡­?" Jonathan asked. "I¡­ feel like I am not worthy of your aid." "You helped me out, it is the least I can do to help you out back." Maria giggled. "Maria I¡­ Even if you''re now a ghost, even if you''ve changed, you''re still you. I can feel it, and I can also feel my feelings for you, which I''ve always held, blossoming once more." Jonathan confessed gantly. "Could you¡­?" "Well, we can talk about thatter." Maria interrupted him, she had yet to reveal him she now had three lovers and three children. "We''ve got this bastard to kill¡­ And looks like reinforcements have arrived just in time!" TRUUUUMMM¡­! The sound of countless of giant ck spiders rushing into the surroundings of the kingdom echoed everywhere, as Jonathan saw in shock as a tiny little girl and another Maria, this one made of darkness, apanied by a skeleton knight, led the army against the thousands of Frost Monsters that the Frost Queen has been constantly summoning towards this area. Maria''s Abyssal Body quickly reached her Moonlight Body, as both fused together into Abyssal Moonlight, recovering part of the Moonlight Essence her Abyssal Body had pocketed. FLAAASH! "Well, with this it should be enough." Maria said with a nod. "T-That''s a huge army of spiders¡­" Jonathan was having a hard time thinking these were his new friends. Well, it wasn''t as if seconds ago, he wasn''t part of the side with the giant frost monsters as their allies¡­ "Mama, want help?" Wondered a little silver haired girl, sitting over thergest ck spider''s head and looking at Maria and Jonathan with an adorable, yet expressionless face. "Not for now, dear, but protect the city. This bastard''s someone we''ll take down by ourselves. You too, Darkbound" Maria said. "Very well, mdy." Darkbound nodded. "Got it." Arachne nodded, rushing to protect the city instead. "D-Did she called you "mama"?!" Asked Jonathan, gasping in shock. "W-Who''s the father?!" "A big and ugly spider, hehe." Mariaughed. "EEEH?!" Jonathan felt dead inside. "Hahaha! I''m joking, calm down." Laughed Maria. "Though I do have a dragon husband right now, and two cute girls as my wives, a vampire and a elf." "W-What¡­?" Jonathan felt slightly heartbroken, however, Maria gave him a head pat. "Jonathan, I''ve had to continue my life as my own, you know?" She sighed. "They''re good people, and I love them. But I still have a ce in my heart for you. If you truly want to stay at my side even after knowing that fight with me, and if not¡­ You''re free to go."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Jonathan looked at Maria, his eyes seemed slightly doubtful at first¡­ But all these memories he spent at her side, all this love, it wasn''t going anywhere. He might be a more¡­ "traditional" man, but he had already changed his mind and sided with the "monsters", he was already undergoing many changes in his mentality. "GRAAAAHHH¡­ JONATHAAANNNN¡­!" The roar of Julio in the background was thest nail in the coffin for him. "I hope there''s a ce for a second husband then¡­" His blonde hair waved by the icy cold winds, as his radiant and handsome face slowly started to regain his vitality and passion. "I''ll stay at your side, no matter what, Maria!" His aura of radiance spread out everywhere, shing against the aura of darkness of Julio. "There might be a spot for you, dear." Maria giggled. "RAAAAAARRRGH!" ----- Chapter 737 The Hero Of Darkness’ Last Stand

Chapter 737 The Hero Of Darkness'' Last Stand

----- Julio couldn''t take any more of this soap opera. His face twisted as countless red eyes started popping up from within his open wound, slowly beginning to regenerate as more and more tendrils appeared, slowly starting to regenerate his wounds. "I won''t fall so easily¡­! I am the Hero of Darkness!!! JONATHAAAANNNN! I''LL KILL YOUUUU!!!" TRUUM! TRUUM! TRUUM! His steps started making the entire ground shake constantly, as his body started transforming and trying to adapt to the deadly wound that destroyed over half of his internal organs¡­ for that, he had to ept even more of this power, to be part of his own body. "GRRRAAAARRRGGH!" He rushed forward towards the two of them, ignoring everything else happening around, even as the Frost Army was beingpletely overwhelmed by the Arachneia led by their little Queen, Arachne. Julio reached Jonathan and Maria in an instant, swinging his massive Chaos de, and unleashing an utterly titanic sh of pure darkness and chaos concentrated together. SLAAAAASSSHHHH!!! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! The power of this single sh of pure ck energy made all the ground around them shatter apart and fly into the skies. However, Jonathan confronted the powerful attack head-on, as his own Divine de started shining brightly¡­ "[Sunlight de Arts]: [Heaven Fall]!" FLAAAAASH! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om An enormous shining light erupted from Jonathan''s Divine de, as it impacted Julio''s darkness sh with enormous force. The impact between darkness and light started shaking the heavens, as a loud explosion shook the earth. CLAAAAAAASSHHH!!! "Hahahaha! Not bad!" Laughed Julio. "But can you deal with this?!" Julio''s entire body shapeshifted, as he extended his upper half into a slimy form, surrounding Jonathan and opening a giant red eye on his chest, firing a massive chaos beam at his back when Jonathan was concentrated on his own technique! BOOOOOMMM!!! FLUOSH! However, as the smoke dissipated, the enormous beam of chaos that Julio fired was, instead, absorbed by arge moon-shaped mirror summoned by Maria, who was riding over her giant winged dark lion chimera, Kuro. "Huh? Not that again?!" Julio cried. "Take your shit back, asshole." Maria smiled. FLAAAASH! The chaos transformed and fused with her Moonlight, bing a beam of purple and silver color impacting the giant red eye of Julio, a ssic weak point in many video games, resulted to be a weak point in real life as well! BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! "GUUUAAAGGH¡­!" Julio''s giant red eye was also created through the power of his Demonite Core. After all, he only carried but a part of the Evil God Fragment''s Essence within his chest, a Demonite Core of immense quality and power. When Maria''s beam hit his chest, the Demonite Core started to slowly shatter. Crack¡­ CRACK! "Uggh¡­! Y-YOU DAMN BITCH!" Julio was furious, as he rushed towards Maria while shapeshifting his form around, resembling a formless mass of miasma and darkness, his giant dark de quickly pointing at Maria, attempting to pierce through her body! "DIEEEE!" FLAAASH! "Not so fast!" Jonathan flew there at light speed, as he utilized his [Light Embodiment] Skill, which cost a lot of MP to utilize, but that could temporarily transform him into pure light to travel at incredibly fast speeds. He quickly materialized back to normal, as his Divine Sword also turned back to a material state right in front of Julio''s attack, the impact of his sword with his overly charged divine power generated a bright sh of light, shaped into a piercing de that shed across Julio''s arms and tentacles! "[Sunlight de Arts]: [Sunshine sh]!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! It was as if countless rays of light descended upon Julio''s entire body all at once, slicing him slowly into pieces! He despaired, as he felt each of his pieces disappearing at the same time! "Uuaaggh! W-What the hell?!" He nced at Maria, noticing that she was catching each fragment at lightning speed and devouring them! Her Mana continued growingrger as well. "Let''s see how far can your damn regeneration go!" Laughed Maria, pointing her Magic Staff at Julio, and unleashing a massive beam of moonlight. TRUUUUUMMMM¡­! CLAAAASH!!! "GRUUAAAGH¡­!" Julio was being burned by both moonlight and sunlight, as he started stepping back, his regeneration was failing him more and more as he realized Maria''s very presence was draining away his energy¡­ This was, of course, Maria''s Ultimate Skill into action. "Being near that woman is like looking at a ck hole¡­!" Julio thought. "Myplete power is being drained constantly! What kind of ridiculous monster is she?! And with Jonathan helping her, they''re incredibly tough to fight against!" Julio panicked, as his body constantly shapeshifted, his Chaos de was moving around his body constantly, as he swung it with multiple tentacles, attempting to shake his surroundings while letting out Abyssal Waves. "No¡­ I cannot lose here!!! DIE! DIE! DIE!!!" Julio cried, attacking everywhere frantically. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! However, Maria''s Moonlight Magic and Jonathan''s Sunlight de Arts constantly intercepted his blows and sent them straight back at him! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! Julio gritted his sharp and multiple jaws at once, unaware that his humanoid body hadpletely changed into an aberrant mass of shadows and tentacles with eyes and jaws. "You damn pathetic fuckers! Fuck you Jonathan! I hate you!!! FUCKING DIE!!!" Julio started screaming like a child, attacking Jonathan constantly with Chaos Beams and shes of his Chaos de. "Julio! You''ve been corrupted by the brainwashing of the church for a while¡­" Jonathan sighed. "I still remember when you used to be such an upright and good-hearted disciple! Now look at you, you''ve be a raging monster, you''re not even yourself anymore!" "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!" Julio roared. "I always hated how they gave you all the attention, all the recognition! I once¡­ wanted to be like you, but not anymore¡­ I am stronger, I am INVINCIBLEEEE!!!" The Hero of Darkness let out all of his energy at once, as a gigantic shockwave of chaos and darkness spread everywhere! TRUUUUUMMMMM¡­! ----- Chapter 738 The Corrupted Hero’s End

Chapter 738 The Corrupted Hero''s End

------ Julio was Jonathan''s first disciple. An upright young man that awakened the legendary-rank ss, Hero of Darkness. He was destined to be someone as great as Jonathan, and the church quickly appointed his teachings to him. He always looked up to Jonathan, the Sunlight Hero, a young man that became a famous hero of the Empire of Light, their face and pride. Someone that conquered dozens of dungeons, killed millions of monsters, and protected humanity. "I-It is nice to meet you, Hero Jonathan!" Julio said back then, young and na?ve, bowing his head nervously before Jonathan, who had just recently hit 24 back then. "Hahaha, you don''t have to be so nervous! Calm down for a bit." Jonathan said with a smile, extending his face. "One day, we will beplete equals, Julio, so let''s get along. I''ll teach you everything I can, and I''ll help you grow stronger, we''ll be sticking with each other for a while, so let''s get used to one another." Julio looked at his hand with shiny eyes. Back in his vige, he really admired the hero, and wanted to be someone just like him. "Y-Yes sir!" Julio nodded, giving him a handshake. Their journey together started that day. From day to night, the two trained and explored the vastness of the beautiful continent of Midgard. They shared many adventures, and many challenges and trials. In their travels, thanks to the church''s red of information, they learned about the Sorceress of zing mes, Anastasia, recruiting her into their party, andter on, they ended having another person join them temporarily. Maria, a Dark Magician that had be a D Rank Adventurer. Compared to them, she was actually quite weak, but possessed unique Abilities, her Unique Skills, allowing her to conjure magic with ease and to absorb mana, having an endless source of it. Over time, Julio and Anastasia realized Jonathan shifted his attention to Maria, he slowly fell in love with the snarky and funny girl, that seemed as if she hade from another world by how different she was from other girls. Over time, Julio and Anastasia harbored a great jealously of her¡­ And as the two saw how their growth stagnated, while Jonathan continued earning many more feats, and always getting the spotlight with Maria, they slowly changed. Hate blossomed in their hearts, and as the church slowly corrupted itself from its former righteous teachings by Odin himself, whomanded a new priest of light to change the church''s pacifist ways even more, they were slowly convinced they were special, that they did not deserve this treatment. The love and admiration they had for Jonathan became second before their hate and envy. The upright young man changed, as Julio grew corrupted by slowly being influenced on his weakest point. Over time, a plot to take back the sealed Evil God Fragments from the families of the old heroes surged¡­ And Julio and Anastasia were at the head of this. Their target was obviously Maria, member of a family that had one of these fragments. With the help of nobles, they were falsely framed, and detained. Maria was not there when it happened, but aside from her aunt and her little brother, her two parents were executed, and the sealed fragment was stolen. When Maria was falsely framed as a witch, Jonathan tried to defend her, but Julio and Anastasia were there, using their bond with him, and with the help of the corrupted church, they were forced to separate¡­ Of course, threatening his family and holding them as hostages did it for them more than any other threat or emotional talk. Jonathan could still remember that time¡­ The words of Julio and Anastasia, their false pity, their fake empathy, their words¡­ Once, they were his beloved disciples, those he fought with and taught. But now¡­ they changed. And Julio, the innocent and na?ve boy he always protected and took care of as if he was his own child now became a monster beyond his ownprehension. After doing so many atrocities¡­ could he even forgive him? There was a really good chance before, but after he learned he was even behind Maria''s parents'' death, and what happened to her mother before her agonizing death¡­ he couldn''t forgive him. "Hahah¡­ HAHAHAHAHA! I AM INVINCIBLE WITH THIS POWER!" Laughed Julio. "Master, your teachings were useless, good for nothing! I have be much stronger, all by myself!" "This is not your strength, Julio¡­" Sighed Jonathan. "No, you''re no longer Julio, but a husk of his former self. I once had a disciple named Julio¡­ but you''re no longer him." Jonathan''s eyes glowed bright gold, emanating a powerful divine light like Julio had never seen before¡­ Only for him to realize that Maria was nowhere to be seen, in fact, she had fused with Jonathan. "Maria¡­ Please, give me your strength and resolve!" Jonathan shed a tear of sorrow as he readied his sword against his once beloved disciple. "Of course! Now that we are united, I will always be there for you, Jonathan!" Maria whispered to his mind, filling him with the strength he needed. Sunlight and Moonlight Divine Energy converged together, as one of Jonathan''s eyes shone brightly with the golden light of the sun, while the other shone with the silver light of the moon. A divine power unique to the two as they fused as one. "[Divine Eclipse de Arts]: [Eclipsing Radiance]!" Both of their voices echoed together, as Jonathan''s Divine de echoed with a tremendousbined power, piercing through Julio''s eternal darkness, and then, his core and soul. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om SLAAAAAAAASSHHH!!! And slicing him in two perfect halves¡­ Crack¡­ "Huh?!" Crack, crack¡­! "W-What¡­ happened¡­?" Crack¡­ CRACK! Julio didn''t even realized what hit him before his Demonite Core¡­ shattered into pieces. And so did his soul at the same time. CRAAASH! "I-Impossible¡­ T-They¡­ promised me¡­ A power even beyond him¡­" Julio''s consciousness slowly faded away, filled with frustration and regret as an explosion of sunlight and moonlight consumed himpletely. BOOOOOOMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 739 Claw & Mercury Against Anastasia!

Chapter 739 w & Mercury Against Anastasia!

----- As Julio was being dealt with and Arachne led an army of her Arachneia to fight against the Frost Army and protect the city, in the outskirts of the battlefield, another battle was happening. A sorceress has been pushed to her limits, as a giant white wolf, a metal slime, and Maria''s Poison Body Ego was all it took to force her to this state. "Hahhh¡­ T-To think you would betray us like this, you damn beast!" Roared Anastasia, ring angrily at the giant white wolf, w. "Betray?" Asked w with augh. "You''re the ones that didn''t even considered me an ally, what loyalty should I have for you?!" "You damn dog¡­" The sorceress gritted her teeth, covered in wounds and with several parts of her body being half frozen, while deadly poison was coursing through her veins, and quickly vomiting a mouthful of blood. "Guh¡­ And you¡­" "Hehe, it has been a while, Anastasia." Maria giggled, her poisonous body ego form overflowing with bubbles of poison and corrosive liquid around her body. "Are you having a hard time?" "Y-Youuu¡­!" Anastasia roared. "When I learned that you were a ghost, I couldn''t believe it! You fucking bitch! You came back to life just to ruin my life! I should have Jonathan for me, that was the deal THEY promised me!!!" "For you?" Mariaughed. "Well, it seems that even before he knew I was here¡­ He was already rejecting all your advances." "S-Shut up!" Anastasia cried. "Jonathan is a crazy creep obsessed with a dead woman! Why doesn''t he look at me instead?! I am so pretty and beautiful! Everyone praises me, and there are so many male nobles that want my hand in marriage! I am the ideal most desirable woman¡­ Yet that arrogant bastard of a man¡­" She started gritting her teeth tightly. "Preferred a ghost over you?" Laughed w. "Kahahahaha! Yeah, it is FUCKING hrious, bitch!" "Anastasia, I knew you had a crush with Jonathan back then." Maria sighed. "Eh?" Anastasia asked angrily. "And yet you still became his girlfriend?!" "I told him many times you were in love with him." Maria giggled. "But you know what he always said?" "W-What?" Asked Anastasia. "What¡­ did he said?!" "Heughed." Said Maria with a perverse smile. "He said you were a spoiled little girl, and he wasn''t interested in you at all. He only saw you as his little sister and would never fall in love for someone like you. You never had a chance, not in a million years, Anastasia." Anastasia''s face was filled with rage, even turning red¡­ Her eyes became bright red, as mes slowly started emerging from her chest, unfreezing her frozen wounds provoked by w''s ice magic, as the power of miasma and chaos starteding out of the Demonite Core in her chest. The powerbined with her own Skills and Magic power, and her powerful ss, the Scarlet me Sorceress, a ss almost equal to the Heroes, many even called her the Hero of mes already¡­ And such power erupted into countless ck mes, her anger and fury incapable of being contained anymore. Her jealously of Maria for taking away Jonathan, the only man she had ever loved, consuming herpletely. "Jonathan is mine¡­ MINE, MINE, MINEEEEE!!!" TRUUUUMMM¡­! Her entire body continued to change as it grewrger, covered on mes, she suddenly resembled a giant maiden made up of ck mes, as two ck angelic-like wings surged in her back, made of ck fire. The shockwave of ck mes spread everywhere, as w, Mercury, and Maria struggled to keep ahold of the ground within the presence of Anastasia''s ever-growing magic power. "Once I kill you for real this time¡­ Jonathan will have nobody else to go than me¡­ And he''ll prostrate in front of me and ask me for forgiveness!" Sheughed. "He will be my man¡­ My toy." Her face distorted, showing a perverted smile. "Hahhh~ I can''t wait!" "I can''t believe this young farm girl ended bing this degenerate." Sighed Maria,ughing. "SHUT UP!!!" Anastasia roared, rushing towards Maria as she unleashed countless giant ck fireballs out of her me body. "[Abyssal Demon Fire Rain]!!!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ck mes covered the entire snowscape. The snow melted and only dried grass below was left behind. The mes absorbed the grasses tiny souls and any vitality within them, and even the ground was burned and infested with miasma, turning ck. "Hahahaha! This is IT! This is the power I needed to do as I please! Julio doesn''t matter! If he dies I wouldn''t care at all! As long as I have this power¡­ I am unstoppable. I can do ANYTHING I want!" Anastasia was drowning on her own power, her ego constantly growing further and further. "You''re so full of yourself, you damn bitch!" w barked, using his frost magic to evade or defend against her mes rapidly, on top of his body was Mercury and Maria. "Maria! Do you have a n to get to her?!" "Yes, an easy one. Just jump there." Maria said with a smile. "J-Jump?! And get roasted alive?!" w asked, opening his wolf jaws in shock of the request. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Don''t worry, we''re there for ya~" Maria giggled. "Right, Mercury?" "Guuu! Guguu!" Mercury nodded, now much smaller than before. "What are you nning- UWAAH?!" FLAAAAASH! Maria quickly touched Mercury and then w at the same time, using Spirit Fusion on both at the same time, and forcing the two to be one as well, through her own powers! "T-This power¡­?!" w was shocked as he saw Mercury transform, fusing with his body and then turning into a brilliant silver armor around his body, while Maria merged with his own soul and kept the two together with her powers. A dreadful aura of poison spread around his body, emanating a terrifying power. It fused with the power of his ice magic, and his beastly aura, transforming him into a giant werewolf with armor and red fur. TRUUUMMM¡­! His power and aura, even for a second, seemed to match Anastasia''s. ----- Chapter 740 The End Of The Sorceress Of Flames ----- "What sort of¡­?!" CLAAAASH! Anastasia was unable to speak properly as Maria, now fused with w and Mercury, reached Anastasia, and swung her giant wolf ws against her, filled with deadly poison and frost to the brim, she was thrown down into the floor with a gigantic explosion. BOOOOOMMM!!! "GRAAAGGH¡­!" Anastasia vomited a mouthful of blood, looking at her own body torn to shreds. Blood wasing everywhere from her wounds, her guts were all over the ce, and the deadly poison was freezing her from the inside out. "Hahhhh¡­ N-No¡­ NOT YET¡­!" FLUOOOSH! Her Abyssal mes surged from the deepest of her chest, engulfing her wounds and slowly burning the poison, as her body quickly regenerated back, but at the same time constantly changed in appearance, twisting more and more. Her woman-like appearance was only but a silhouette, not even her face remained, as it waspletely made out of ck mes, with big, red eyes ring at the werewolf falling directly towards her. "[Abyssal Inferno]!" BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! The massive mes exploded out into a giant tower of fire, reaching Maria in an instant. However, through w''s jaws, she smiled,bining the powers of the werewolf with Mercury''s endurance and her own magic, she generated a giant wave of purple-colored ice, Poison Frost, firing it as a beaming from her jaws against Anastasia! TRUUUUUMMMM¡­! Both powers impacted against one another, making the sky and the ground tremble tremendously. Thunderous sparks of lightning spread everywhere, as countless explosions started to emerge one after the other, their magic beams hitting each other constantly. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Anastasia was confident, as she noticed Maria was struggling. At most, fused with these two, she was able to hold her ground for a bit, but shecked a weapon and could only do this much¡­ Or so she thought. FLAAAAASH! Maria saw the opportunity, rushing down towards Anastasia again and swinging her ws multiple times against her. Anastasia retaliated with countless fireballs, many of them exploded on the spot but didn''t stop Maria from pushing forward. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Hahahah¡­ HAHAHAHA! As much as you try, you cannot easily-" However, Maria caught her right in front of her. Instead of swinging her ws, however, she gathered the power of her Poison Body Ego and then¡­ "[Pandora''s Box]" She summoned a box made of darkness out of nowhere, which slowly opened. Creaaak¡­! And then, an eternal darkness, poison, and chaos surged from within. "W-What?!" BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!! Anastasia waspletely consumed by the spell, falling into the ground. Her entire body was divided into pieces¡­ But they slowly started to regenerate back together, even with all the damage she had taken. She turned into mes, as her soul was consumed by the mes and so the Demonite Core, all together into a giant, monstrous mass of ck fire. "Jonathan¡­ will be mineee¡­ You won''t¡­ get him¡­" She muttered, her entire mind going more and more insane as the Demonite Core twisted her mind even more¡­ "YOU WON''T GET HIM!!!" FLUUOOOOSSSHHH!!!! A giant eruption of mes spread into the skies and everywhere else, attacking Maria constantly with countless zing explosions. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!!!! "Unnggh¡­!" Maria groaned, and so did w and Mercury that were taking as much damage as her. CLAAAASH! Their fused body fell into the floor, suddenly dividing back into three¡­ Their fusion didn''t evensted that long. Anastasia was greatly weakened, however, her power was immense, and with her near endless regeneration, they would need much more strength topletely defeat her. "Hahaha¡­ Useless¡­ I''ll burn you to ashes¡­ And Jonathan will be mine afterwards¡­ I love happy endings, hehehe¡­" Anastasia slowly floated towards them, her mass of mes of a body didn''t even resembled a woman anymore, it was just an endless fireball with fire-made tentacles and red eyes. "You''ve truly be the monster you''ve always had been, huh, Anastasia?" Asked Maria with a confident smile. "You''ve taken a bit too long though." "A bit too long?! Hmph! What are you so confident about?! I''LL BURN YOU!!!" Anastasia leaped towards Maria and her two Undead, her mes about to engulf them and burn them into ashes. "DIE, MARIAAAAA!!!" SLAAAAAAAASSSHHHH!!! However, right in front of Anastasia, a shbining sunlight and moonlight reached her, slicing her body and soul into two halves¡­ "E-Eh?" Her Demonite Core shattered into pieces, and her soul was divided into two, this vision quickly turned into many cracks, each crack making her soul shatter into pieces as well. Crack¡­ crack¡­ "T-This is¡­ J-Jonathan¡­?" Anastasia saw with herst moments of life as Jonathan had appeared, slicing her into two halves with an enormous,bined power. Maria, w, and Mercury merely bought enough time, fully knowing Jonathan wasing here to slice her up¡­ "T-This¡­ No¡­ Y-You bastard¡­ How can you kill¡­ someone so beautiful such as me¡­?! CRAAASH! Her Demonite Core and her Soul shattered into pieces, as her consciousness faded away before everything else were to be consumed by a loud explosion of light. BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! Jonathan sighed in relief, as his fusion with Maria ended right after that. Her Poison Body Ego fused back with her Moonlight and Abyss Body Ego, which had also picked up her Swarm Body Ego in the way there. FLAAASH! "[Undead Restoration]" Maria said, touching both w and Mercury, as she restored their wounds and quickly brought them back in a second. "Hahhh¡­ We barely did it." Jonathan sighed, resting over the snow. "I''m¡­ exhausted¡­" "Ugh?! Ah! I am alive?!" w wondered, opening his eyes again. "You''re not exactly alive anymore¡­ But yeah." Mariaughed. "Guuu! Guguu!" Mercury started leaping over the floor happily. However, they couldn''t really celebrate for long¡­ "GRRRHHHH!" "ROOAAR!!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "SHAAAH!" In mere seconds, they were all surrounded by hundreds of Frost Monsters, with moreing on the way, almost endlessly¡­ "These damn Frost Monsters¡­" w groaned. "They keeping without end?!" Jonathan asked. "Don''t worry about that either, we''ve got it covered." Maria smiled. Within the skies, several figures appeared, as they descended around therge forests surrounding the city, one by one they started crushingrge blue jewels hidden with magic¡­ ----- Chapter 741 The Invasion’s End & A Mysterious Egg

Chapter 741 The Invasion''s End & A Mysterious Egg

? ----- CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, and Maria''s Lightning Divine Body Ego all crushed into pieces several blue colored jewels scattered around the city, which were being hidden with high level Illusion Magic conjured by proficient Vampire Illusionist¡­ Which were crushed into puddles of flesh and blood on the floor right at the side of the shattered jewels. The moment these jewels were shattered, blue-colored portals leading to the interior of the Frost Queen''s dungeon disappeared on the spot, and the Monstersing out of them quickly stopped invading the area. "Hmph, to think Vampires, the Church of Light, and the Frost Queen would all ally together one day..." Laughed Lucifer. "This unironically sounds like a joke." "I''m assuming these jewels were the ones responsible for the Gates opening and leading to her dungeon, huh?" Partner wondered. "I guess this is why they arrived out of nowhere so fast." "Indeed, Brunhild just sent me a telepathic message, she said she crushed a jewel in the mountain, this is where they came from back there too." Lucifer answered. "And the Vampire Illusionist, specialized in mirages and illusions were used to hide these really well." Maria sighed. "This is ridiculous¡­" "But didn''t the Vampires wanted to kill the humans as well? What is even happening? Why are they joining up with the Church?" Emeraldine wondered. "Isn''t it obvious? When they all have an enemy inmon, even the worse enemies will band up together to crush it." Maria sighed. "Especially when they''ve been here much longer than all of us ever did, and have conquered several areas of the continent, they''ve been in a fight for decades while we all showed up only some time ago, it''s obvious who they''ll prioritize to get out of the way while they''re still weak, to not get any more headaches." "But this will give us an excellent opportunity to crush all three of them at once as well." Partner giggled maliciously. "Isn''t it, master?" "Oh yeah, that''s what I''m nning." Maria smiled, as herst body ego fused back with her other egos, and her true form finally reformed itself. "Phew! I''ve worked way too hard! Before anything, we really need a break. I''m starving too, literally! I''ve spent so much Mana and Soul Energy I need to eat to recover it!" Phantasmal Stomach had the power to give Maria Mana and Soul Energy by eating and consuming food, the higher quality they were, the more nutritious they would be, so she quickly regrouped with everyone else and gathered all the food, packing it in her inventory. Although eating was a priority, and also taking a small break as they regrouped with everyone else, meeting each other, and also mourning the passing of a brave ant took priority. Once the people of the city came out, they all surrounded the corpse of Lancelot, as they threw flowers around him, the goblins had this way of mourning the death, which was slightly simr to how the rabbit kin did so. "Lancelot¡­" "H-He''s dead?" "No¡­" "But how, isn''t he an Undead?!" "His soul¡­ it was destroyed." "¡­" Although it didn''t seemed like that due to his appearance and other things, Lancelot spent a few months with everyone here. He worked as a hunter and guard of the city. And was rather nice despite his threatening appearance. The children liked to climb over his spiky body, and he would often teach them how to treat the other Abyssal Ants well enough. He even had taken a small hobby, to sew. And he had sewed several hats and clothes to various Abyssal Ants so they could bear the cold better. "Even when we prayed so much¡­ Lancelot¡­" "This isn''t fair¡­" "I-I remember teaching him how to sew¡­ It was so weird back then, but over time I realized he had a rather gentle heart." Maria looked at Lancelot as small tears flowed from her eyes. She slowly carried him with her arms, his long arms and legs dragging along. His lifeless body, now soulless. However, as Maria carried him in silence to his grave, she suddenly felt something within Lancelot''s abdomen. It was swelled, and rather hard¡­ He had something inside. "Come to think of it, what was Lancelot''s gender?" Wondered Maria internally. She quickly ced Lancelot in the bed of flowers once more, and delicately, using some tools, she opened his abdomen. What was inside surprised everyone¡­ It was an egg overflowing with mana¡­ it was the mana of the people that prayed for them. It all concentrated into this egg that had died with him, and somehow, kept it "alive". "Lancelot was a female?" Wondered Partner, surprised. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "This egg¡­" Maria sighed, holding it and cleaning it. "Was this what he protected so much? He never told us¡­" Maria felt a small heartbeat inside of that egg, it was alive, not an undead, it waspletely alive. There wasn''t much of an exnation of how this ever happened. Many thought it was a miracle. The egg had around the same size as a watermelon, and waspletely white and slightly soft, like a giant boiled rice grain. Maria quickly took out several coats and wrapped the egg with them, keeping it warm. "We''ll take care of your child, Lancelot." Maria sighed, as Lancelot was left underground, covered by flowers, dirt, and snow. As Maria carried the egg to the castle, it somehow reacted with her own energy, and it slowly started to absorb her Mana¡­ "Huh? Is it something simr to Nyx?" She wondered. "What''s wrong?" Partner wondered. "Is the egg warm?" FLAAASH! And when Partner directly touched it, the egg reacted the most, mixing her absorbed powers with Maria inside, and then slowly beginning to rest as if nothing happened. "This little egg¡­ What did it do?" Partner wondered. "Well, whatever it happens, we''ll take care of it! I''m even willing to raise it as my own kid." "Haha, well, that''s what we''ve been doing for a while now." Maria giggled for a bit, as the egg rested over a bed covered with cushions. It glowed with a red and ck aura, as the little baby ant inside started to slowly grow much more different than it originally would had been¡­ ----- Chapter 742 New Class Change System

Chapter 742 New ss Change System

----- (Maria''s POV) Before I had arrived back home with Partner and everyone else, I had decided to change my Job, which now had evolved and had acquired a brand new form, Job sses. Before arriving with everyone else in the Lightning Divine Ego Body and break the blue crystals, I had made sure to change Job sses to maximize my growth, as Job sses now have their own separate levels from my own Race Level. ----- [ss Change] A Brand-New Ability within the Soul Grimoire, an upgraded and improved form of the ss Change Ability within the ss Change Crystals. It grants the ability to change into sses with different Grades and Ranks, gaining power from them. Once a certain Level with each ss is reached, it is possible to change sses once more to a higher-Grade ss. Subsses are also avable, and each ss and Subss have their own corresponding Levels separate from the user''s Race Level. sses and Subsses are qualified through different Grades of Power: [Normal] -> [Rare: ¡ï] -> [Unique: ¡ï¡ï] -> [Mythical: ¡ï¡ï¡ï] -> [Legendary: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï] -> [Divine: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï] -> [???] ------ ording to this, Job ss and Subsses have their own Grades of strength and so on, and they can constantly evolve while earning more Stars and increasing in their Grades of quality and power. They''re like a much better upgrade to Jobs, and I can also have both at the same time! Additionally, the System informed me that both the Job ss and Subss share the same EXP Bar, so both will most likely just reach max level at the same time, facilitating the process even further. Ding! [You''ve decided to change your [Job] to a [Job ss] and a [Subss]!] [Your [Job] has been deleted.] [The power that your [Job] possessed has been kept within your body and has be your innate strength.] [Showcasing the Job ss and Subss Options.] ----- [Dark Sorceress (Normal Grade)] [Cost: 100.000 System Points] [Soul Mender (Normal Grade)] [Cost: 120.000 System Points] [Nightmare Knightess (Normal Grade)] [Cost: 150.000 System Points] [Apprentice Sewer (Normal Grade)] [Cost: 100.000 System Points] [Apprentice Alchemist (Normal Grade)] [Cost: 120.000 System Points] [Apprentice cksmith (Normal Grade)] [Cost: 150.000 System Points] ----- Yeah, there were very few options, and the more expensive ones were obviously much more attractive than the cheaper ones. I mean, they''re expensive for a reason, right?! Though I was hoping for hundreds of options, this ended giving me the ability to make a decision much faster. Ding! [You''ve exchanged 300.000 System Points.] [You acquired the [Nightmare Knightess (Normal Grade)] Job ss!] [HP, Attack, and Defense have increased by +25.000] [All Physical Skills have gained two bonus Levels!] [You acquired the [Apprentice cksmith (Normal Grade)] Subss!] [Attack and Magic have increased by +10.000] [All Skills rted with Crafting have gained one Bonus Levels!] And that was that, once I acquired the shared EXP of all the foes we defeated together, the two sses immediately leveled up to their maximum level. My race had yet to reach Max Level though, but I was really close to that already¡­ Ding! [You and your Party defeated thousands of Frost Monsters.] [You and your Party defeated [White Werewolf Tyrant King: w (S+ Rank)] x1] [You and your Party defeated [Frost Giant Hero: Argus (S+ Rank)] x1] [You and your Party defeated [Corrupted Hero of Darkness: Julio (S+ Rank)] x1] [You and your Party defeated [Corrupted Sorceress of zing mes: Anastasia (S+ Rank)] x1] [Calcting EXP Earned¡­] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [You earned 155.000.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Race Level has increased from Level 38 to Level 51!] [You earned Bonus System Points for Defeating Powerful Foes!] [You earned 6.000.000 System Points.] [The Levels of Several Skills has increased.] [The [Nightmare Knightess (Normal Grade)] Job ss and the [Apprentice cksmith (Normal Grade)] Subss have reached their Max Level!] [Their Level has increased from Level 0 to Level 30!] [HP, Attack, and Defense have increased by +10.000] [Attack and Magic have increased by +5.000] [You learned the [Nightmare de Arts: Lv1] Skill!] [The [Cursed Abyssal de Arts: Lv7] Skill has automatically merged with the [Nightmare de Arts: Lv1] Skill, creating the [ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts: Lv1] Skill!] [The [ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts: Lv1] has gained 2 Bonus Levels as a result, reaching Level 3!] [You learned the [Apprentice cksmith Recipe Book: Lv1] Skill!] [You can now Change Job ss and Subss to a greater and higher quality form!] Oh, the de Skill evolved. I''ll be using it very soon. I wish I could be happier and celebrate some more, but man, Lancelot''s death really has me all bummed down. Sigh¡­ Well, let''s get this done with. ----- [Nightmarish Assassin: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [Cost: 750.000 System Points] [Mind Eating Witch: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [Cost: 1.000.000 System Points] [Abyssal Berserk: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [Cost: 1.500.000 System Points] [Magic cksmith: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [Cost: 750.000 System Points] [Metal cksmith: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [Cost: 1.000.000 System Points] [Runic cksmith: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [Cost: 1.500.000 System Points] ----- Interesting, not much variety now, I guess now that I''ve chosen these two ss and Subss, I''ll only get evolutions or Rank Ups of them? I guess it slowly branches out into different ways of fighting and so on¡­ Well, I''m guessing so. Is picking the most expensive one always the right thing? Well, if I were a cheapskate I would pick the cheapest, but I''ve got System Points to spare right now. And to be honest, the Abyssal Berserker ss and the Runic cksmith Subss seem the most appealing as well. Ding! [You''ve exchanged 3.000.000 System Points!] [Your Job ss has Ranked Up to the [Abyssal Berserk: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] Job ss!] [Your HP and Attack has increased by +50.000] [All of your Physical Skills and Body Skills have gained one Bonus Level.] [Your Job ss has Ranked Up to the [Runic cksmith: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] Job ss!] [Your Magic has increased by +30.000] [All of your Crafting Rted Skills have gained one Bonus Level.] Oh wow, the Berserk ss doesn''t give Defense Bonuses but the HP and Attack bonus is much higher this time! I feel so much stronger¡­ ----- Chapter 743 Great Growth

Chapter 743 Great Growth

----- After finishing my Job ss and Subss Changing, I felt the bonus stats rushing across my body, strengthening it further and further, it was quite the amazing bonus. And I could get another once they reach Max Level, which went from 30 to 60 now. The required level for Level 1 is¡­. 500k EXP, I guess it is still in the lower side of EXP requirements, I might reach Max Level fairly quickly if I defeat another S Rank foe, or two, maybe. Also, I can even get new Skills once they reach max level, further helping my growth. Their System Point requirements are insanely high though, the cost being 1500000 each was rather crazy¡­ But defeating S Rank foes gives tons of EXP anyways, so it is affordable. And even more now, when that''s the thing I''ll be defeating the most from now on¡­ I looked at my stats now: ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Status]: [Strengthened, Cursed] [Race]: [Selene, the Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon (S Rank)] [Race Level]: [51/100] [EXP]: [11.500.000/12.750.000] [Job ss]: [Abyssal Berserk: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [Subss]: [Runic cksmith: ¡ï (Rare Grade)] [ss Level]: [0/60] [EXP]: [0/500000] [HP]: [640000/640000] [MP]: [1100000/1100000] [Attack]: [579500] [Defense]: [408500] [Magic]: [1108000] [Agility]: [383000] [Aether]: [160] [System Points]: [8650000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis], [Skill Shop], [Creation], [Deletion], [Transfer], [Enhance], [ss Change] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Characteristic Skills]: [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] [Unique Skill: System] [Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed) [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv10] [Abyssal Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] [Poison Body: Lv10] [gue Body: Lv9] [Abyss Eater: Lv6] [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv4] [Lesser Divinity: Moonlight: Lv2] [Divine Thunder Spirit Body: Lv2] [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv2] [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul: Lv2] [True Titan Strength: Lv2] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv10] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv7] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv6] [Ice Resistance: Lv6] [Water Resistance: Lv7] [Skill Resistance: Lv3] [Moonlight Absorption: Lv2] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv10] [Masterful Stealth: Lv9] [ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts: Lv3] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv7] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv10] [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv5] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv10] [Kicking Blow: Lv8] [Selene''s Palm of Judgement: Lv3] [Magic Archery Techniques: Lv3] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv9] [Life Absorption: Lv10] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv5] [Dark Sun: Lv9] [Dark Storm: Lv10] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv8] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv8] [Abyss Maniption: Lv8] [Transfiguration of Death: Lv7] [Soul Devourer: Lv6] [Undead Detonation: Lv10] [Shadow Thread: Lv10] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv10] [Pandora''s Box: Lv10] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv10] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv9] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv9] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv8] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv5] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv6] [Illusory Delusion: Lv7] [Mind Bending: Lv7] [Insect Maniption: Lv7] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv7] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv6] [Phantasmal mes: Lv6] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv6] [Divine ck Lightning: Lv2] [Eternal Moon Mirror: Lv2] [Mystical Moon Phase Circle: Lv2] [Dragon Spirit: Lv2] [Blood Arts: Lv2] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv6] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv10] [Spirit Summon: Lv8] [Divine Spirit Soul Connection: Lv6] [Spirit Fusion: Lv5] [Aura of Famine: Lv10] [Embodiment: Lv6] [Cooking: Lv8] [Hunting: Lv5] [Split Thinking: Lv10] [Mental Mapping: Lv9] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv10] [Farming: Lv4] [Alchemy: Lv6] [Mining: Lv4] [Dismantle: Lv4] [Taming: Lv2] [Mana Transfer: Lv6] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv6] [Smithing: Lv3] [Chopping: Lv3] [Lovemaking: Lv2] [Apprentice cksmith Recipe Book: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv10] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv8] [Big Game yer: Lv10] [Taboo Mark: Lv10] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv10] [Evil of the World: Lv9] [Pickpocket: Lv8] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv10] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv9] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv6] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv8] [Spirit Queen: Lv7] [Spirit Mediator: Lv7] [Poison Queen: Lv8] [Merciless Assassin: Lv8] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv7] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv5] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv6] [gue Exterminator: Lv5] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv8] [Saint of Death: Lv8] [Deceiver: Lv5] [Undead yer: Lv6] [Slime yer: Lv4] [King yer: Lv6] [Dungeon Master: Lv5] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv5] [Queen of Flies: Lv5] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv6] [Mold Breaker: Lv7] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv5] [Vampire yer: Lv3] [Little Farmer: Lv5] [Bookworm: Lv4] [ndestine Brewer: Lv5] [Greedy Miner: Lv5] [Butcherer: Lv5] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv4] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv6] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv5] [Explosion Maniac: Lv5] [Infernal Queen: Lv4] [Ice Monster yer: Lv4] [Human yer: Lv4] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv4] [Bone Queen: Lv4] [Lumberjack: Lv4] [Dragon yer: Lv4] [Relentless Hunter: Lv4] [Soul Scape Master: Lv4] [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv4] [Merciless Killer: Lv4] [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv4] [Swamp Queen: Lv4] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv4] [Sex Beast: Lv2] [Aerial Monster Exterminator: Lv3] [Chaotic Monster Exterminator: Lv3] [Apprentice Martial Artist: Lv5] [Apprentice Chef: Lv5] [Master of the Demonic Phantasmal Fist School: Lv4] [Mass Murderer: Lv4] [Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon: Lv2] [Ymir''s Daughter: Lv2] [Titaness: Lv2] [Devourer of Divinities: Lv2] [Novice Magic Archer: Lv2] [Dragon Master: Lv2] [Vampyr: Lv2] [S Rank Monster yer: Lv2] [Witch Hunter: Lv2] [Divine Dragon yer: Lv2] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Ymir''s Divine Protection] [Divine Privileges]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)] [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)] [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] [Soul Scape Spirit Treasures]: [Withering Trees of Death (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] [Red Flowers of Blood (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] [Purple Flowers of Poison (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] [ck Flowers of Darkness (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 6)] [Lugubrious Bone Trees (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] [Moon Gazing Giant Lily (Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] ----- They had indeed increased a lot¡­ So many Skills and so many Stats. Yet I was unable to use them to save the life of a friend that died in my arms. I feel so frustrated¡­ "I''ll make sure to take care of your child, Lancelot¡­" I sighed, looking at the egg resting above the pillows. "Master? A-Are you alright?" Partner asked me at my side. "Ah¡­ Yeah." I sighed. "I''m alright." Despite how much I said I was alright, I couldn''t bring my face to smile at all. I only felt the bitterness of defeat, even after our victory. Odin, you''ll pay for this. With your life. ----- Chapter 744 The Frost Queen’s Mighty Guardians

Chapter 744 The Frost Queen''s Mighty Guardians

----- Within the top of the Frost Tower, the Frost Queen nced into arge blue crystal ball as her entire army waspletely overpowered by hundreds of giant ck spiders, led by a little silver haired girl. That girl¡­ although she looked normal, emanated a powerful aura that could even rival her own. Her stats were so high she was already a Cmity. The Frost Queen, who had yet to fully awaken into one, squinted her eyes at the little girl, Arachne. She also saw how Maria and her many servants defeated her strongest men, and even the heroes with the aid of Jonathan, the traitor and even w. "Hmph, to think there were going to be traitors¡­" She said with an angered expression. "Unforgivable¡­ These damned Humans can''t even keep their dogs with a leash! It took w to die and be an Undead, but that hero was more than alive and immediately betrayed us!" "It seems that at the end, Humans are not worth our trust, my queen." The voice echoing from behind the Frost Queen said, its shadow resembling a gigantic, scaled behemoth. "I never had total trust to them, they''re despicable humans after all." She sighed. "But for now, it would be better to continue our alliance with them and the vampires, until we can get rid of Maria and her damned army of undead¡­ Are you not saddened your brother was in?" "I am." The voice sighed. "But it is not as if I can do anything now. Once the timees, I shall avenge my foolish young brother¡­" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Huh¡­ They shattered the dimension stones leading to our dungeon." Sighed another figure in the hall. "The invasion was abruptly stopped¡­ My queen, do you think¡­?" "Well, if they ever dare step into our dungeon, they''ll be stepping into the tiger''s den." The Frost Queenughed. "I''ll happily receive them, with my open arms! Hahaha¡­ HAHAHAHA! Let''s see if you''re so bold, Maria!" "To walk straight into the tiger''s den¡­" Sighed anotherrger figure. "I suppose that is what that woman likes to do the most¡­" It said, with its glowing red eyes. "Vampire, tell me more about her." The Frost Queen said. "I need to learn more about that ghost before I kill her, to make things more interesting." "Heh, your confidence knows no bounds, Frost Queen." The Vampiressughed, her red eyes glowing beneath a mask. . . . (Maria''s POV) I woke up the next morning much more refreshed. Overusing my powers really tired out my soul, even after leveling up like crazy yesterday. Ugh, there was a lot to exin and process. Last night I spent a few hours exining to everyone who Jonathan was, and also about the memories I''ve regained. Although I regained many memories of my life as the living Maria, they were only those that were connected to Jonathan. I think I might be able to get the other half of my memories if I ever meet my little brother, who I hope is still alive in the other side of the continent, within the Confederation of Goldsand. Partner and Lucifer didn''t really like him one bit, and were saying that it would be unfair to give him any sort of privileges because I only remembered who he was just now¡­ And that he had attacked us first before allying us. Jonathan wasn''t cocky at all, and bowed his head while asking for forgiveness, acting verypromised on helping us in everything without even arguing back¡­ This actually only made those two even madder, but ultimately, they calmed down. I think they were just jealous of my past with him¡­ Emeraldine seemed mostly neutral about the whole situation and was the first one to have epted Jonathan rather fast as a new ally. Nyx didn''t like him and hissed at him though, showing her fangs, probably because her daddy didn''t like him, so she just follows her father''s actions, and the twins were just nice with him out of manners but were still suspicious. I trust him, but I guess it''ll take some time for everyone else to trust him. At the moment, our priority was repairing the ruins which had been slightly destroyed due to the battles¡­ Ah right, and little Arachne. She got along with everyone really quickly, I was shocked when she showed up, but she said that Hel had told her toe protect me and my people, and she happily did so because of the bond we created over many months since I''ve visited her dungeon using a tiny familiar. She never left my side though, and Nyx was getting slightly jealous because Arachne was very clingy, actually, right now, she''s sleeping with me and hugging me tightly¡­ And her hug is very strong too, she has¡­ insanely high stats. "Arachne~" I called her softly. "It is morning already, time to wake up." "Muhh¡­" Arachne slowly opened her eyes, suddenly, I felt her presence growingrger¡­ her forehead suddenly grew six more red colored eyes, resembling those of a spider, and in her back, spider-like legs began moving around, scratching her shoulder or her back, and then quickly retracting back. I-I wonder if this little girl form is really her true body¡­ If she''s truly the Queen of the Arachneia, which are just giant spiders, I''m guessing she''s actually a giant spider herself, right? I gave her a head pat and a kiss in her forehead, and then she slowly opened her eyes. "Mama¡­" She said. "Morning? I want to sleep¡­ some more." "Really? Are you tired, dear?" I asked her gently. "Nn." She nodded gently. Perhaps overusing her powers exhaust her? She''s still growing after all. The reason the Arachneia had her so sheltered most likely is because of this condition she has. Seeing her status, I can''t find anything like that, but it might be some sort of curse, or disease she was born with that makes her be exhausted very quickly, so she needs to sleep a lot. ----- Chapter 745 The Clingy Little Arachne

Chapter 745 The Clingy Little Arachne

----- Arachne was really clingy, but I had to move on and do stuff myself! I''ll just leave her sleeping if she wants to sleep so badly anyways. "Alright, you can sleep some more then." I said, leaving the bed. However, her spider-like legs grabbed me from behind and pulled me back to the bed. POOF! She was so strong I couldn''t even resist! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Stay¡­" She cried. "I want to hug mama while sleeping¡­" "O-Oh¡­" I Sighed. "Well¡­" She was really winning me now; my motherly instincts were exploding! However, her strength was also a bit terrifying! But thebination created a rather unique charm. "Fine, I''ll stay at your side." I sighed. "You can cuddle with mama as much as you want." "Mm~ Mama, mama¡­" She said, rubbing her face on my chest and closing her eyes, dozing off quickly after. She was such an angel. Of course, I only left an Ego Body with her, my Swarm Body has the best affinity with her. Meanwhile, I flew off my bed, nobody else was here, seems like Partner, Emeraldine, and Lucifer woke up earlier. As I flew outside the castle, I noticed what was the noiseing from. Mostly all my citizens were working hard, carrying rubble, and repairing the houses that were destroyed. Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine were helping in everything they could, directing the entire reconstruction process. I also¡­ surprisingly noticed a few other people, dwarves. Not only just the twins and Darfu, but there were also Helga and her whole crew, and even a few more dozens of them. Their strength and unified effort made the reconstruction and cleaning of rubble much faster and smoother. I also noticed the twins and Darfu discussing with Helga''s husband about the creation of a Barrier Jewel, the Barrier Stones and other precious Ores piled up at their side. Jonathan was putting all his effort into carrying the rubble, bringing out of the city several gigantic pieces nobody could lift aside from Partner and Lucifer. "Woah, you guys are really working hard today!" I said in surprise. "Oh, Maria! You''re awake atst!" Helga said. "Helga!" I said happily. "You came to help?" "Of course I did! It is the least I can do for my friend." Helga said pridefully. "My husband also wanted to help you make the barrier jewel, so I brought him along." "But your city¡­" I said. "Nah, don''t worry about it! We''ve got that covered, many other people are already working hard there, but there was nobody here, so we were allowed toe." Said Helga. "Brunhild stayed there but said she''lle back soon." "I see¡­ Thank you so much everyone." I sighed in relief, looking at all the familiar dwarven faces. "No problemdy!" "We''re here to help like always!" "You''ve made us rich with that dungeon exploration and then the ores we mined, so it''s the least we could have done." "Yeah, leave it to us!" They were all cheerful, the atmosphere quickly changed. Despite the tragedy of yesterday, I saw many people walking around, working hard, and talking. I even saw children ying around, the twins and Nyx included. "You''ve slept a bit too much." Laughed Jonathan. "Did you rest well?" He walked to my side. "Oh, Jonathan! Thank you so much for helping as well." I said. He blushed a bit as he saw my smile. "I-It is nothing." He said. "It''s the least I could ever do for you and these people, Maria." He gently held my hand. "I want to slowly earn their trust, bit by bit." He said with a gentle smile. "And of course, I also want to earn back the love we once had for each other." "Well, we''ll see about that." I giggled, feeling slightly ttered. "For now, I''ll be watching over you then. I''ll prepare lunch too." "That''ll be wonderful, I''ve missed the delicious stews you used to make." He said, quickly going back to work. "Ah, Maria." Lucifer descended from the skies, as he was repairing the walls "Are you feeling alright? Last night you almost copsed out of exhaustion." "Yeah¡­" Partner said, walking at my side. "We were concerned so we left you sleeping with the little spider brat that didn''t let go of you¡­" "We tried dragging her out but she wouldn''t let go of you." Lucifer sighed. "She hissed at us sometimes¡­" Partner said, slightly angry. "E-Eh? Please don''t provoke Arachne, she''s actually just someone that wants attention and love." I sighed, facepalming. "And she''s a great ally as well, I wouldn''t want her to hold a grudge against you. You better apologize after this, okay?" "Eeeh? Apologize to that brat?" Partner was slightly surprised. "You''ll surely do it for me, right?" I asked with a slightly menacing smile. "A-Ah, fine¡­" Partner crossed her arms. "Ah, dear! You''re awake?" Emeraldine ran to my side, with a cute smile. Compared to these two grumpy ones, she was my angel. "Of course." I said, as she hugged me and gave me a kiss. "I am making breakfast, let''s go eat together." "Sure!" I said happily, grinning back at Partner and Lucifer. The two looked at me in shock. "W-Wait, I want to eat breakfast with Master too! S-She''s also my dear!" Partner ran behind me. "D-Don''t forget about me." Lucifer said. Like that, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of frost monsters bacon, there were snake meat, wolf meat, pr bear meat, scrambled eggs, toasts, and coffee all from the dwarven country. My children also joined in the meal, and I grew slightly concerned about Arachne not eating anything, so I carried her along and made her sit at our side as we ate at the castle''s dining halls. She yawned, while looking at the eggs. She was ustomed to eating bugs and other critters like a spider, but she had a mouth to eat normally as well. "Nom¡­ Hmm¡­ Oooh! Tasty!" She gave it a try and immediately loved the eggs with bacon. "Nom, nom, nom~!" "Mama, who''s she?" Nyx asked me while jealously ring at Arachne¡­ She didn''t liked how Arachne was sitting on my legs. "S-She''s your new sister!" I said with a forced smile. "Hmph!" Nyx said, pouting. "Hmm¡­" Arachne red her back. The aura of two little Cmities shing against one another was¡­ not something good for breakfast. ----- Chapter 746 The Aftermath

Chapter 746 The Aftermath

----- "Please Nyx be nicer with her¡­ Arachne, you too." I sighed. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Who''s she?" Arachne asked, pointing at Nyx with a big spider leg protruding off her back. "She''s my dragon daughter, Nyx¡­ Her father is Lucifer over there." I said, as Arachne nced at Lucifer eating a sandwich. "I am also daughter¡­ No?" She asked, giving me puppy eyes. "O-Of course you are!" I said with a giggle, giving her a head pat. "You''re wee to our family, thanks a lot for saving us yesterday as well¡­" "Nn! Hel said I should help." Arachne nodded. "But I helped because I wanted to, not because she said so." Oh, so she just did it because she learned we were in danger, not because it was Hel''s orders? I suppose she''s actually even nicer than I thought¡­ "Wee to the family then, Arachne." Said Emeraldine. "The other Arachneia are getting along just fine with everyone else." "I saw them digging around the walls¡­" Said Lucifer. "What were they doing?" "They will make me a fitting nest to rest." Arachne said, with an aura of royalty. "Arachneia are family, but also servants. They do whatever I ask them." "I guess a nest with them underground would be nice, so they can find their own ce." I said with a smile. "O-Of course, we''ll have to clean them so they don''t end up giving out any infections." "Yes, please." Syllis nodded. "Arachneia¡­" Bellerine began to remember something. "Brother, weren''t those the spiders that made us all sick with a disease-" Syllis quickly covered her mouth and silenced her. Arachne red at the two with her expressionless face. "Sorry about that." She suddenly apologized. "I was¡­ not aware. That we were hurting mama''s friends. We won''t hurt you anymore." "A-Ah, she apologized¡­" Syllis was surprised. "Don''t worry! It''s alright now." Well, at least we''ve got that out of the way¡­ "Things have gotten much lively here, huh?" Tyr appeared at my side. "Though, I am guessing you''re not going to take too long of a break, aren''t you?" "Of course not." I sighed. "But allow me to rx for a bit before we strike back¡­" "Hmph, Odin is trying to watch over us as of now¡­" Tyr said. "Huh?! You can tell?" I asked. "For a while now¡­" Tyr''s big red eye squinted. "But he can''t directly nce at you nor your territory. To his eyes, it is as if a dark mist covered everything. This is the effect of Hel''s Divine Protection. There are many here that hold it now, so the effects of concealment are much stronger than before. A descent like Thor did might not be possible anymore¡­ for now." "Phew, that''s a relief then." I sighed. "Though I wouldn''t mind having more of those Gods for breakfast¡­ Especially as I am not, he cane any time." I smiled. "You''re being a bit too bold, but it''s not like I dislike that." Tyrughed. "My dear little brother is indeed someone that deserves such a fate¡­ More importantly though, what do you n on doing now?" "I was going to ask the same¡­" Lucifer said. "Me too." Partner nodded. "And me as well." Emeraldine added. "Ah, of course, I would dly follow anything you said, so I was curious too." Jonathan added. I guess all four of them were really concerned about my future ns. "We''ll take another day, or two to repair and reinforce the city''s defenses, and also to unfreeze the people from the icicles around the city using Brunhild''s mes. After that¡­ We''ll move straight to the Frost Queen''s dungeon and end her little game. Afterwards, I was nning on striking the Empire of Light. Though, we might need to do a few other things beforehand, to grow stronger and also explore a few ces I want to visit." "Oh, the Albraun Kingdom''s Meeting between Dukes and Royals ising closer as well." I added. "I guess we''ll be doing that beforehand as well¡­" "T-That''s¡­ Striking the Empire of Light? Is that something we could even do?" Helga asked. "I like it, I''m in." Partner smiled. "We''ll crush them all! Like this, Odin won''t have any more mortals to ask for help." "Yeah, and once we''re done with that, we might travel the world and find the strength to kill him." I said with a smile. "And that''s all my n so far! Haha¡­" "T-That was really brief for something that sounds like an incredibly insane feat¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "I am worried but¡­ Hahh~ We''vee very far already, I guess we might as well¡­" "Hmm, we shall do that then, Maria." Lucifer agreed immediately. "That Empire will fall¡­ And so the gods." "I''m in as well, even if it sounds crazy¡­ The sooner we do this, the better, to be honest. Like that, we could also¡­ well, help save my family." Jonathan sighed. "Sorry for being selfish in that regard¡­" "Your family?" Asked Partner. "Yeah, Jonathan''s family is being held hostage by the Empire of Light." I said. "It is the reason why he was being forced to serve them even after what they did to me." "And even then, you still betrayed them¡­" Lucifer said. "Your family could get executed any time now¡­" "I know¡­" Jonathan sighed; his face filled with frustration. "Yet, I cannot regret my decision. I did this for everyone here and Maria¡­ I won''t go back on my word anymore, even if¡­ my family¡­" "We won''t let that happen." I said, ncing at his eyes. "They''re most likely still alive, after all, because Odin can''t learn what''s happening here and nobody else of the church survived to go back, nobody knows if you won or lost, maybe the Frost Queen, but I doubt she''ll tell this information to her own enemies. And she has no idea of your family either." "Maria¡­" Jonathan looked at me as if he was given a slight amount of hope. For a hero like him, even this was necessary. I didn''t even know if what I was saying was really the truth but¡­ I need to raise his morale; we''ll need his strength. ----- Chapter 747 Unfreezing The Demons

Chapter 747 Unfreezing The Demons

----- "I know you''re not sure about this either, but I appreciate your words." He said. Ah, he read right through me! "No matter what¡­ Even if the worst happens, I''ll remain at your side and help you." He said once more, putting his hand on his heart. "Your matters take priority over my family, don''t worry." Oh my god, he''s reallypromised into this! Actually, you don''t need to be so self-sacrificing, it''s making me look like a bad woman¡­ "N-No, dear, please, calm down. We''ll go find your family as soon as we can after the Frost Queen is dealt with, alright?" I said. "Don''t be so self-sacrificing¡­ You''re making me look like the bad person here, gosh¡­" "Ahahaha! Sorry¡­" Heughed cheerfully. "I missed that side of you." "Side?" I asked. "That although you always try to look tough in the outside, you''re actually a very nice, and heartwarming person in the inside." He smiled charmingly. Oh god, he''s killing me! He might truly be my second husband¡­ However, Partner and Lucifer were ring at him while furrowing their eyebrows. Emeraldine seemed to be enchanted by his romantic way to talk to me though, as if she was reading some sort of romance novel. "So cute¡­ You two make a cute pair." She said with a giggle. "N-Not at all! Don''t think we''ll ept you any time soon, blondie!" Said Partner. "Yeah! Don''t you dare flirt with my wife like that in front of me if you don''t want me to burn you into ashes!" Lucifer roared, showing his fangs. "A-Ah! I apologize!" Jonathan lowered his head and hit the table with his forehead so hard the table cracked¡­ CRASH! "C-Come on you two, you don''t need to be so rude." I sighed. "Jonathan, don''t do that again either, the table''s not to break." "Sorry." Jonathan apologized again. I guess Jonathan will have to earn their trust some more before they''ll even allow him to get any closer to me¡­ Haha. "Graaaarrr!" Nyx hissed at Jonathan while sitting in her father''s legs. "RAARGH!" "Yeah, that''s right! Roar at him, Nyx!" Lucifer incentivized her. However, I could tell Jonathan found her rather cute than intimidating, as he was giggling a bit. "Hahaha, all of you are much nicer and funnier than I imagined¡­" He said with a charming smile. "W-What?! You dare look down on my provocations?" Lucifer said angrily. "Oi, calm down." I red back at Lucifer, as my eyes pierced his soul. "No more screaming in front of the table while having breakfast." "A-Ah¡­" He quickly sat down. "Ugh, okay¡­ Sorry." "Anyways, for now, let''s concentrate in what we can do right now." I said with a nod. Like that, once we were over with breakfast, we moved to our next important task, unfreezing the people inside the icicles and pieces of ice scattered around the city. These were the small group of survivors of this ruined city that was once the home of the Demon King, and of course, they were all Majin, some looked stronger than others. Using Jonathan and Lucifer''s help, we gathered everyone together in a single area right behind the castle. Lucifer looked at these people with a bit of sorrow, but also hope. He actually didn''t knew any of them, yet he knew they were all the surviving descendants of his past friends. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Alright, let''s get this over with." I smiled, taking out the jewel where Brunhild''s me was and releasing it into the ice. FLAAAASH! The mes spread, growing bigger and shining with divine, golden light. They spread across all the ice and began melting it smoothly. Seconds went by quickly, and so did minutes. It was a slow process, it took a few hours to begin seeing some people''s half being unfrozen. And then their other half two hourster. Slowly yet steadily, until it was finally over. They had been frozen for so long that they immediately opened their eyes as they were unfrozenpletely, as if the curse spread through their entire bodies until every bit of ice was melted. "W-What?!" "Eh? Aaah!" "What''s¡­ Eh?" "Huh?! W-What the¡­?" "Mom! Mom?" "T-This is¡­" "My King, watch out- Ah! What is this?" "It seems¡­ we''ve been finally unfrozen, Gustaf." Among the many unfrozen Majin, which were around seventy, a figure among them stood out, a young Majin with blue skin and a single ck horn growing at the left side of his head, and sharp red eyes apanied by purple hair. The aura he emanated seemed to have a promising, hidden potential, but he had yet to actually awaken his strength¡­ and those at his side seemed to be his protectors, several knights, especially a burly, muscr guy with stone covering his skin, who he named Gustaf. "Wee." I said with a smile. "You''ve been frozen perhaps¡­ for hundreds of years. It has truly taken a long while, but we''ve managed to unfreeze you using the divine mes of a divine dragon." "Ooh¡­ W-What happened here?" "Our city¡­ it is all on ruins¡­" "Everything¡­" "Who are these people?" "We''ve been frozen¡­ for hundreds of years?" Although the people started to panic and questioning us, some even angered at us for having taken away their ce, who I assumed was their young King, stepped forwards and talked to his people. "Calm down, everyone." He said. "These people mean no harm. If they did, we wouldn''t be here, breathing and talking. Let us first hear what they have to say before judging our saviors." The people doubted a bit but trusted the young Majin''s words. "I apologize on behalf of my people. We''ve survived many things together, but never something like this¡­ As thest survivors of the once glorious Demon Kingdom, we are not many, but we are united as one big family." He said. "It is nice to see you, my name is Hermes, I am the current King of this small, decaying Kingdom. A descendant of the Ancient Demon King." "So you''re really his descendant¡­ You do look like him, hahah¡­" Luciferughed, as he suddenly started crying. And then, he ran towards the boy, and hugged him. ----- Chapter 748 The Young Demon King ? ----- "W-Why are you hugging the King?! Leave him alone!" Gustaf roared, trying to drag Lucifer away but he couldn''t even drag him, he was too strong for this muscle head to even touch him. "Gaaah! He''s too strong! My king! MY KIIINNNGGGGGG¡­!" "Shut up for once Gustaf." Sighed a Majindy appearing at his side, with red skin, long silver hair, and two ck horns growing atop her head, she even had a pointy demon-like tail. "He''s merely hugging our king, maybe he knew him from somewhere?" "I-I don''t even know this man¡­" Hermes said. "Err, w-who are you, sir?" "Ah!" Lucifer quickly moved away from the young Hermes. "Sorry about that¡­ I¡­ Well, I was a very close friend of your ancestor, the Demon King." "My¡­ ancestor? You?" Asked Hermes. "Don''t talk nonsense, the Demon King lived thousands of years in the past!" Gustaf said. "Yeah, I know." Luciferughed. "I am thousands of years old, actually I''ve already lost the count of how old I am¡­" "EH?!" All Majin reacted the same, they were a big family as Hermes said, even their exaggerated reactions were done together as a group. "He''s Lucifer." I said. "Does that name remind you of someone?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Lucifer¡­?" Asked Gustaf. "Hmm, that name¡­ It does sounds like the name of- Wait a second." The red skinned Majindy said. Hermes looked at his two retainers with his eyes wide open. "Y-You''re Lucifer, the Ancient Dragon King?!" He asked. "Yeah, well, this is my humanoid form." Luciferughed. "Here, take a look at my true form." TRUUUUMMM¡­! Lucifer transformed, as ck lightning sparks released everywhere, a sudden explosion of darkness which gathered into the skies emerged, and then, his gigantic body surged from within¡­ All Majin opened their eyes wide open, and so their jaws. For us this was alreadymonce, but for them it must be incredible. "The King of Dragons lives!" "He is the Demon King''s best friend¡­" "I can''t believe it!" "But didn''t the tales said he was ambushed and killed by the powerful Ancient Heroes of old in the Albraun Kingdom?" "How is he alive now? Were the tales a lie?" "They weren''t." I said with a smile. "I am a Necromancer, so I revived him as an Undead, I once found him inside a Dungeon, he had evolved and grown much stronger since then, to the point he became a dragon between life and death, a Death Dragon King." "A-Amazing¡­" Hermes said. "You''re such a powerful Necromancer to do this- And everyone else here¡­ That woman is a Vampire, right? And then the elf as well! I-I¡­ your auras are so powerful¡­" Hermes'' red eyes shone brightly every time he took a nce at us, a small analysis into his status revealed to me that he had the Demon Eyes of Analysis, which allowed him to see a part of the stats and skills of a target. It is something simr to Appraisal. "If Hermes says so¡­" The red-skinneddy said. "Ah, sorry for not introducing myself, I am Lord Hermes'' Knightess, Cecilia. If you have already noticed on my gorgeous red skin, I am a Red Devil Tribe Majin~ I might also be his future wife, hehe." "Don''t go saying such disrespectful things, Cecilia!" The big guy said. "And¡­ Ahem! I am Gustaf Von Vanguard; I am part of the Ancient Golem Devil Tribe. As you can see, I am slightly different than other Majin due to my skin being covered in rock and stone, but rest assured, I shall only use this strength and defensive power to defend my liege." "I see! Nice to meet you, everyone!" I said. "I am Maria, I used to be a Sorceress that was unjustly executed, and became a Ghost since then." I said, suddenly grabbing my own head and taking it out of my body to show them my ghostly powers. "W-Whaaat?!" Everyone reacted in horror. "I-I was horrified for a moment." Cecilia admitted. "I-Impressive! So Lady Maria is a ghost?! An Undead monster that talks like a person!" Gustaf said. "Haha, I have heard tales that in the Demon Kingdom of old, there were also many Undead among the other people, they were beings that served the Demon King''s wife, an Ancient Sorceress and Necromancer, one of my ancestors as well." Hermes said. "Indeed." Lucifer said, appearing once more on his humanoid side. "Maria has always reminded me of her, the ancient and slightly yful sorceress necromancer, and queen of the demons, Queen Everdeath." "Oh yeah, you''ve mentioned her a few times." I said. "How was she?" "Slightly creepy, sometimes too much." Lucifer sighed. "But she was a good woman¡­ I miss her as much as I miss everyone else¡­ But I can tell, her Demon Eyes of Analysis have been inherited by you, young Hermes." "A-Ahahah, so you saw right through me, Lord Lucifer." Laughed Hermes. "For now, I am sure all of you have tons of questions." I said. "But how about having a meal, a warm bath, and then changing to new clothes first? I''ve already prepared new houses for everyone to stay, and of course, Hermes and his retainers can live inside the castle." "Thank you so much for your hospitality." Hermes thanked us. "I would dly have a warm meal, I am freezing¡­" "Very well! It is already time for lunch anyways." I said. "Emeraldine, Partner, let''s make a nice stew for everyone while they get along." Like that, we had a nice and rxing evening where we updated the Demon King and everyone else that had woken up from their frozen states about everything over time, introducing new people to them, and what has happened with us so far. "I see¡­ The Frost Queen was the one that froze us." Said Hermes. "We never held any grudge against her at all, nor we ever fought, but she had been freezing other viges of people around the continent in those times, she was on a frenzy for power and to take overnd¡­ It seems that she had calmed downtely, only to go all-out once more. If we can help in anything, we would dly aid you in defeating her." ----- Chapter 749 The Village Population Has Suddenly Grow Much Larger

Chapter 749 The Vige Poption Has Suddenly Grow Much Larger

----- After freeing the demons from their frozen prisons, we swiftly brought them inside the castle, where we allowed them to change clothes, warm up, and eat their first meal in a long time. It was nice to see them smile and sigh in relief as they filled their bellies, after being god knows how many damn years frozen solid in there. It is already a miracle they were still alive, and Brunhild''s Divine mes were the miracle itself too, if she hadn''t evolved into a Divine Fire Dragon, that also became the vessel of the Ancient Fire Dragon Progenitor that had died long ago, we wouldn''t had been able to unfreeze these people, and honestly¡­ I wasn''t sure if we could had done it even when after defeating the Frost Queen if everything goes well. Hermes and his two retainers, which seemed to be his close friends and even family, seemed to enjoy the feast, the stew with delicious cial wolf meat and frost snake meat was ideal, we had a huge haul of meat now after the frost monsters invaded us, thousands of their corpses will feed my people for months if not over a year or more. We''re also already turning their fur into clothes to bear with the cold much better, as they possess Ice and Cold Resistant properties, and by wearing a coat and some boots made with these monsters'' materials, people can walk around the snow and even below the snowing sky without feeling much cold. "These clothes are amazingly made; your artisans are incredibly talented." Hermes said, wearing a set of white and gray clothes made out of cial wolf fur, frost snake scales, and leather from other frost monsters, such as giant pr bears. "My body is finally warming up¡­ Hahh¡­ It didn''t used to be this cold before, the Frost Queen seems to have shaped the south of the continent using her magic." "We once visited another small Country around here, mostly made up of humans and beast-kin, they were all used to the cold in there." Lucifer said. "Just how long as she been manipting the weather?" "I would assume¡­ I''ve been counting it since I was sealed, but I think we''ve been sealed for at least three hundred years, or maybe a bit longer." Hermes thought. "Huh?! Y-You''ve been counting the years?!" Asked Partner. "What the heck¡­" "I didn''t had anything else to do¡­" Hermes sighed. "My lord is the smartest demon in the entire world after all." Gustaf proudly said. "It doesn''t seem so far off from how he is!" Cecilia said proudly. "You two are praising me too much." Hermes sighed, feeling embarrassed. "Anyways, Maria, after getting updated about everything¡­ Is there something we could help you with? I have long ago stopped being a King myself, but I still consider myself, even if wed, the leader of these people. I''m willing to join your people to prosper together." "Well, you people seem certainly alright." I had analyzed them already. "All of them seem to have high level Magic Skills too, and your levels are decent as well, the average demon of your group is at least within the range of a Rank C- Monster, pretty self-sustainable." "Of course! We Demons are naturally born with great talents with magic and skills." Gustaf said. "Unlike the weakling humans¡­ We can grow stronger much quickly." He red at Jonathan, who was peacefully eating stew with a piece of freshly baked bread and a cup of wine. "Gustaf that man is the Hero of Sunlight, he was able to fight S Rank Monsters." Hermes sighed. "E-Eh?" Gustaf felt surprised. "This wimp?!" "Hm?" Jonathan felt confused. "Anyways! I think we could divide your people based in their talents and utility." I said. "I know that sounds rough, but in my town, everyone works in something and adds their talents to help us prosper. You should divide and make groups of those that excel at crafting, alchemy, cooking, construction, and sewing, and then the rest should go to hunting." "A good idea." Hermes nodded. "I am well versed in alchemy as my grandmother taught it to me before passing away, I am also still developing my study over the Death Branch of Magic, and Poison as well. Gustaf and Cecilia here are both good at cooking, as they used to cook most of our meals, and also fighting. Then there''s¡­" Hermes started naming everybody on his tribe, he knew every single person''s name and specialty down to the veryst detail. It was easy to quickly decide what to do with them, there was a little bit of everything, and my people''s very open minded, as long as they cooperate and aren''t grumpy, the demons will be able to easily live together with us. "I don''t really like hierarchical systems to be honest, everyone here call me their queen, but I only take it as apliment." I sighed. "At most, I am their chief or leader, I guide them, but don''t necessarily give them orders, nor I govern over their freedom. So, I don''t think I''ll be able to let you be a King or something." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Oh, there''s no problem at all with that, the Demon King Title is merely that, a simple title." Said Hermes. "I do not really mind not being one either, as long as my people can prosper, I''ll be happy with that." "I guess we''ve got the same mindset then!" I nodded, as I shook his hand. "I don''t want you guys to fight for now, so just concentrate in helping out the city. The Frost Queen will be our problem for now." "Are you sure?" Hermes sighed. "I know we cannot evenpare to beings in the realm of S Ranks but¡­" "You just woke up from a hundreds of years slumber, you guys just need to calm down and slowly begin living again, while slowly adapting to things." Lucifer said. "Leave the rest to us." "Thank you, Lord Lucifer." Hermes bowed his head. "My people and I will make sure to be useful to you and repay your kindness." ----- Chapter 750 Emeraldine’s Evolution

Chapter 750 Emeraldine''s Evolution

----- The next morning, I ended waking up to some more surprises, one of them was my beloved Emeraldine, who had been sleeping peacefully, evolved. She probably hasn''t realized it because she''s been sleeping all morning, but now¡­ Yeah, she had fairy wings! And her hair was so sparkly and golden it looked as if it was made of pure golden threads. To make things even incredible, the many scars she couldn''t heal around her body, whiche from her time as a ve were all healed, and her skin looked pristine, like porcin. In her left hand, she had a small green colored tattoo with the shape of a growing tree, extending its roots down below, it glowed with a great deal of magical power. And of course, her two Spirits, the Spirit of Light and the Spirit of Nature, evolved with her, bing bigger and now having slightly humanoid shapes. "Master has evolved¡­" "So pristine and shiny!" And they could speak as well! Their voices sounded like two little children, I couldn''t really tell if they were boy or girls, or anything in between, but Spirits are usually genderless. "W-Wait a second, you guys can speak?" I wondered in surprise. "Oh? You can hear us speak now?" Wondered the Spirit of Light. "I suppose it means we''ve evolved to the point we can freely speak even to those unworthy." "Hmmm~" The Spirit of Nature nced at me with their shiny green eyes. "I''ve never been too fond of you." And that''s all they said to me¡­ Wow, rude! "T-That''s¡­ Well, I guess it is due to my elements." I sighed. "Makes sense¡­" "Whenever you''re around our master, we smell your nasty darkness and death¡­ Uegh." Sighed the Spirit of Light. "And that poison and chaos¡­ very nasty and disgusting." The Spirit of Nature sighed. "I can''t believe our Master loves you so much¡­" "O-Oi! Do you have to be so rude?! This is who I am at the end!" I sighed, crossing my arms. Thankfully, Arachne had woken up early today and felt much more energetic, and seemingly went to help her spiders dig underground. Meanwhile, Lucifer and Partner were outside working, so I could speak openly. "But¡­ Well, you''ve started to smell better now." Said the Spirit of Light. "Hmm~" The Spirit of Nature suddenly sniffed me. "It smells nicer now, there''s¡­ Moonlight, such a mystical and ancient element¡­ Divine even. So good." "And divine lightning as well, it is rather nice." Said the Spirit of Light. The two suddenly started flying around me and beginning to caress my face and hair. "You''re more eptable now, alright." The Spirit of Light nodded. "Hmm~!" The Spirit of Nature smiled. "It''s alright now." "Um¡­ Thank you I guess." I shrugged. "Anyways, it will be a bit annoying hearing you all the time, that''s something I''ll have to get used to now¡­ Ah, let''s check Emeraldine''s status now." ----- [Name]: [Emeraldine] [Race]: [Holy Elven Fairy Guardian of Nature and Spirits: Artemis] [Rank]: [S] [Job]: [Divine Huntress] [Level]: [1/100] [HP]: [265000/265000] [MP]: [825000/825000] [Attack]: [385000] [Defense]: [220000] [Magic]: [825000] [Agility]: [620000] [Aether]: [100] [Characteristic Skills]: [Nature Element: Lv--] [Holy Light Element: Lv--] [Life Element: Lv--] [Spirit Element: Lv--] [Divine Element: Lv--] [Royal Elven Lineage: Lv--] [Beloved by Spirits: Lv--] [Elven Language: Lv--] [Divine Charming Beauty: Lv8] [Spirit''s Vessel: Lv9] [Spirit Nest: Lv8] [Divine Spiritual Body: Lv1] [Lesser Divinity: Nature & Light: Lv1] [Lesser Divinity: Hunting: Lv1] [Divine Yggdrasil''s Crest: Lv1] [Sacred Gardener: Lv1] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Light Absorption: Lv10] [Nature Assimtion: Lv1] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Corrosion Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Chaos Resistance: Lv5] [Physical Skills]: [Advanced Foraging: Lv8] [Divine Spiritual Archery Arts: Lv8] [Expert Hunting: Lv7] [Sharp Magical Reflexes: Lv8] [Wide-Area Mana Sense: Lv7] [Advanced Acrobatics: Lv9] [Divine Spiritual Arrow: Lv1] [Divine Huntress Physique: Lv1] [Hyper Speed: Lv1] [sh Step: Lv1] [High-Speed Arrow Shooting: Lv1] [Multiple Arrow Shooting: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Divine Spirit Summon: Lv3] [Holy Healing Light: Lv10] [Spirit Druid: Lv8] [Entangling Forests: Lv8] [Spirit Wood Shield: Lv7] [Holy Light Aura: Lv10] [Regenerating Light: Lv10] [shing Light Beam: Lv10] [Yggdrasil Magic: Lv1] [Divine Spirit Fusion: Lv1] [Divine Spirit Magic: Lv1] [Spiritual Magic Aura: Lv1] [Divine Arrow of Yggdrasil: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Alchemy: Lv10] [Cooking: Lv10] [Agriculture: Lv10] [Dismantling: Lv10] [Crafting: Lv5] [Taming: Lv4] [Lovemaking: Lv5] [Graceful Charm: Lv1] [Heart Soothing Divine Smile: Lv1] [Hug of Adoration: Lv1] [Great Kindness: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Huntress: Lv10] [Spirit Mediator: Lv10] [Forager: Lv10] [Priestess: Lv10] [Spirit Master: Lv8] [Kindhearted Healer: Lv7] [Beloved Wife: Lv7] [Motherly Wife: Lv6] [Comforter: Lv6] [Yggdrasil''s Chosen: Lv1] [Artemis Incarnation: Lv1] [Ancient Fairy: Lv1] [Divine Protection]: [Yggdrasil''s Divine Protection] ----- And there she was¡­ Her entire Status was amazing, as expected. Not only she attained S Rank, but she evolved into a named race as well, named "Artemis", like the Huntress Goddess herself! All of her Skills became even stronger, and she acquired a ridiculouslyrge quantity of new Skills as well. Above all, her Title Skills look pretty amazing, she even has- Huh? She has "Beloved Wife" and "Motherly Wife" Titles?! That''s not something Partner has! ¡­I better not reveal to her this information. She even has the "Comforter" Title, well, I do like to beforted by her love and hugs, so maybe that''s it¡­ And she attained the Divine Protection of nobody else than this world?! Well, The Yggdrasil Tree is where this world draws its name, I guess it is not the whole world, but just an incredibly powerful divine entity that is akin to Gods. To think the Yggdrasil Tree would bless my beloved Emeraldine¡­ I am honestly very surprised, but well, it is Emeraldine, there''s nobody more fitting for such a Title than her in this entire world. She acquired Yggdrasil''s Crest, and even Yggdrasil Magic, which seem rather interesting. I wonder if this new magic will make Emeraldine even more overpowered. "Hm? What is going on- UWAAAH?!" Emeraldine instantly noticed her big, butterfly-like golden and green colored wings. "W-What is this?! W-Wings?! I am a bug now?!" ----- Chapter 751 Root Is Mighty Too! ? ----- "Hm? What is going on- UWAAAH?!" Emeraldine instantly noticed her big, butterfly-like golden and green colored wings. "W-What is this?! W-Wings?! I am a bug now?!" "Hahaha, no, dummy, you''re not a bug." Iughed a bit. "You''ve just evolved, didn''t you realize?" "E-Eh? Huh?" Emeraldine quickly looked at her own status, most likely. "T-That''s right, I evolved¡­ I am S Rank! I must have earned enough EXP in the hunts I participated in¡­ And all the EXP I got from creating so many potions through alchemy." "Well done then!" I congratted her, giving her a head pat. "How do you feel?" "Rather well, I feel- Ah, my scars¡­" Emeraldine looked at her own body, there were no longer any scars in them. "They''re all gone,pletely¡­ It feels- Ah, it feels as if my entire body was purified, everything¡­" "I''m d that you feel better." I nodded. "How about we have some breakfast while you try out your new magic?" "Sure then!" Emeraldine agreed, trying to fly, however, she was clumsy and ended hitting the ceiling. "Ouch! Ahh¡­ Flying is not that easy¡­" "Well you can just float with magic anyways, right?" I wondered. "B-But I have these wings now¡­ I might as well use them properly, right?" Emeraldine said. "Anyways, let''s go have something to eat then." As we walked downstairs, we noticed a bunch of people gathering around a gigantic tree outside. Nyx and the twins were there as well. "What''s happening in here?" I wondered. "Where did this¡­ huge ass tree came from?!" "Mama! You''re awake!" Said Nyx, flying to my arms. "Big tree friend!" "It is Root, I think." Said Emeraldine in shock. RUMBLE! Suddenly, the gigantic tree, which easily surpassed around fifty meters of height, twisted its entire body and suddenly revealed to us its face, two big holes on the bark, and a long nose made out of a branch, with a tiny leaf on the tip. It had a big, sharp mouth, smiling dumbly. Yep, it was without a doubt Root! He had also managed to finally evolve too. "Gyuuuuuhhh! Master! I''ve be bigger¡­ And stronger!" He roared whileughing. His Aura was akin to almost divine, and his body kept expanding underground into many roots spread across our territory. His size could probably increase in height even more, but he weas keeping himself "small" so he could still walk around, most likely. "R-Root?! It is really you?! Oh wow, I didn''t expected you to be so freaking huge!" I was shocked. "I have evolved¡­ I am now S Rank!" He celebrated. "W-Weren''t you B+ Rank before though?" I wondered. "Gyuh, right!" Root said, suddenly thinking. "Something happened, now I''m S Rank!" I guess he didn''t had any clue, but I might figure out something by checking his Status, but it is rather suspicious how his evolution was at the same time as Emeraldine''s evolution, maybe it means something¡­ ----- [Name]: [Root] [Race]: [World Treant (Special)] [Level]: [1/100] [Rank]: [S] [HP]: [1250000/1250000] [MP]: [765000/765000] [Attack]: [550000] [Defense]: [625000] [Magic]: [625000]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Agility]: [225000] [Aether]: [120] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Life Element: Lv--] [Light Element: Lv--] [Spirit Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv8] [Spirit Nest: Lv10] [Wood Shapeshifting: Lv10] [Life Drain: Lv10] [Powerful Endurance: Lv10] [Spirit Embodiment: Lv8] [Yggdrasil''s Seed: Lv7] [Yggdrasil''s Crest: Lv1] [Lesser Divinity: World Tree: Lv1] [Divine Spirit Tree Body: Lv1] [Cmity Body: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Physical Resistance: Lv10] [Magical Resistance: Lv10] [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Poison Resistance: Lv10] [Acid Resistance: Lv10] [Water Resistance: Lv10] [Light Resistance: Lv10] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Corrosion Resistance: Lv5] [Chaos Resistance: Lv5] [Nature Assimtion: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Uproot: Lv10] [Rest: Lv10] [Wooden Needle: Lv10] [Draining Roots: Lv10] [Automatic Recovery: Lv10] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv8] [Defensive Shield: Lv8] [Powerful Bark Armor: Lv7] [Tyrant''s Wooden Arms: Lv7] [Fist Strike: Lv7] [Body m: Lv7] [Smash: Lv6] [Explosive Fruit: Lv6] [Earthquake: Lv1] [Spirit Wood Spears: Lv1] [Yggdrasil and Cmity Physique: Lv1] [Divine Domain of Nature and Darkness: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv10] [Rxing Aroma: Lv10] [Wooden Spear: Lv10] [Wooden Shield: Lv10] [nt Growth Enhancement: Lv9] [Shadow Bullet: Lv9] [Sunlight Beam: Lv8] [Life Enhancement: Lv8] [Roots of Life: Lv7] [Light Barrier: Lv7] [Holy Fist: Lv6] [Divine Spiritual Barrier: Lv1] [Summon Spirit: Lv1] [Spirit Fusion: Lv1] [Dark Yggdrasil Magic: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Healing Leaf: Lv10] [Magic Leaf: Lv10] [Healing Nature Light: Lv9] [Fruit of Life: Lv8] [Dark Yggdrasil''s Fruit: Lv1] [Corrupted Yggdrasil Sap: Lv1] [ [Title Skills]: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv10] [Treant Progenitor: Lv10] [Forest Master: Lv10] [Nature''s Guardian: Lv9] [Merciless Killer: Lv8] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv5] [Yggdrasil''s Chosen: Lv6] [Tyrant Guardian of the Apostle of Death: Lv6] [Dark Yggdrasil: Lv1] [World Treant: Lv1] [Unique Species: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Yggdrasil''s Divine Protection] ----- And there was the reason behind this once more, the Yggdrasil''s Divine Protection! Seems like the tree themselves has decided to be our ally. Maybe? I am not really sure, but that thing blessed two of my allies, so I am beginning to imagine it might have some sort of agenda with us in this favor. "Looks like it was Yggdrasil''s doing, somehow the tree has decided to give their divine protection to Root and Emeraldine." I said while analyzing. "But why? Why would the tree ever want to do that? I thought we were a nuisance?" "Perhaps the tree has another different opinion about us than the gods have." Lucifer said. "I am already stepping into mere spections, but I believe it might be trying to say something through that¡­" "Ah!" Suddenly, Emeraldine''s crest began glowing with a bright, golden light. FLAAAASH! A green aura emerged from behind her, resembling a gigantic tree made of spiritual light stretching into the skies, the same happened with Root! "Hear my call, child of death." Suddenly, a voice we had not heard before at all echoed from Emeraldine''s mouth, as if something else was possessing her. "My favor and help does note without a price." "So it was really you¡­" I sighed. "Yggdrasil." ----- Chapter 752 The Voice Of Yggdrasil

Chapter 752 The Voice Of Yggdrasil

----- The presence of the deity that reigned over the surface of our world emerged, Yggdrasil herself, the World Tree, the entity that held the entire world within its roots. I would had assumed it was working with the Gods, but it has suddenly grown to desire to give us her aid. "Your favor?" I asked. "I don''t remember ever asking for it¡­" "I have stepped over my own boundaries and rules to grant your allies this power." Said Yggdrasil, her voice resembled that of an adult woman. "It would be the best for you, outsider of this world, to not treat me so carelessly¡­ I have note with ill intentions." "Is that so?" I wondered. "Well, maybe tone down a bit your attitude? Demanding a price for the favor you did to us is a good way to start a conversation? I know you''re a tree bute on, can''t you talk more politely with people?" "¡­" Suddenly, Yggdrasil remained in silence. "Anyways¡­" Eh?! She justpletely ignored what I said! "As I said before, I would like some sort of¡­ cooperation." She sighed. "I will grant you my aid in these divine protections, and you will, in exchange, help me." "Alright¡­ How so?" I wondered. "Don''t ask the impossible." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I do not need immediate assistance as of now but¡­ I can see it, within the vast future, a catastrophe. I had already sent oracles to those that I have blessed now, but I can see more in the vast future, an endless darkness engulfing everything¡­ This world which I''ve protected so hard, and the gods that once were my allies¡­" Yggdrasilmented. "The Gods?" I asked. "I had imagined you were their allies, right? What is going on? Do you know I am nning to eventually take a few heads, right? Including Odin. I''ve already defeated his son''s Divine Spirit Vessel, and I''m nning to do the same thing with everything he''s going to throw at me¡­ I am still getting used to being something of a divine being myself though." I said. "I am well aware, whenever an entity attains S Rank, their Soul Books evolve and reach a new level of existence, you begin "Transcendence" into a higher ne of self. This is what we often call "divinity"¡­" Yggdrasil said. "More or less¡­ The current gods, are greedy and selfish. Only a few of them retain their past beliefs, now most have grown corrupted, and they think this entire world is just their yground. Without the Titans to protect my world and set rules, they have the freedom to do whatever disasters they please." "You know they killed the titans, right?" I asked. "Are you okay with that? Were you alright with them killing Ymir?" "Of course I wasn''t¡­" Yggdrasil sighed. "Yet¡­ It wasn''t as if I had the power to go against them when they felled my beloved Ymir. I am a victim, much like you are. I''ve cooperated with them merely out of fear, but now that I''ve seen you and your allies grow and surpass all the expectations I''ve ever set on you, I believe¡­ there could be a chance, a chance to avenge the Titans, and to save this world from the eternal destruction of the Ragnar?k." "I guess this is how you''re going to dere war against them?" I wondered. "Well, you''re bold." "Not yet. I have manifested in here through Emeraldine because this area is protected through the high density of divinity exuded from Hel''s Divine Protections you and your allies possess." Yggdrasil said. "Not even the Gods can see what I am doing here¡­ It could be said I am doing this in secret." "You don''t say." I sighed. "I am kind of a Titan myself; I''m guessing this is also a factor of your alliance?" "Indeed." She said. "Once I learned that you acquired Ymir''sst remaining strength and became a new kind of Titan yourself, I already took my decision." "I see¡­ I am beginning to get a bit angry by how you''re still possessing Emeraldine, though I have to ask you this¡­" I sighed. "What is exactly going to provoke this Ragnar?k?" "I have been watching them for some time now, the primary reason the Ragnar?k will happen, Loki." Yggdrasil said. "Although the seeds of Cmity can be your allies, they''re made to eventually destroy the world and reach the gods, destroying them as well. Loki''s goal does not end in that, they wantplete chaos to take over everything, a world of endless destruction. Some of their goals are shared with me, but most of their vision is twisted." "Huh¡­" I thought. "Loki is¡­ Hel''s father, I don''t know if I could¡­" "I am not saying you must kill them." Yggdrasil sighed. "But it is necessary to stop his machinations¡­ It is probably already going against his ns that three Cmities have allied with you, Root, whom I have blessed, Nyx, your daughter with the Dragon King, and Arachne, the Princess of the Arachneia." "Yeah, I don''t really want to meet Loki at all¡­" I sighed. "Hel, however, doesn''t seem to be caring about what he does but she''s¡­ really protective of us. Now, before you go, tell me which others are Cmities, and where can I find them?" "The other Cmities are not just in this single continent." The Yggdrasil''s manifestation said. "The Frost Queen has be one of the Seven Cmities. Your daughter and Root are lesser Cmities, while Arachne is another of the Seven¡­ Lesser Cmities are weaker and still growing, therefore they can be one of the Seven at any time. I can sense, however, an ever-growing being within the center of this continent, or two, if you count the Vampire Progenitor, both can be part of the Seven. Lastly, to the other continents, four more Cmities scattered, and growing stronger, to soon torment the living¡­" FLAAASH! Suddenly, a map of the entire world made out of pure light appeared before us, showing the entire world, which wasn''t spherical, but apletely t surface¡­ ----- Chapter 753 The Seven Calamities

Chapter 753 The Seven Cmities

----- The projection indicated all of the continents with Cmities in the World. Showing the Continent where we''ve had our adventure so far, Midgard. "In Midgard, the Cmity of Spiders, Arachne, has be your ally, but two other Cmities are soon to emerge from within, one is developing to be the Cmity of Bloodshed, and the other¡­ The Cmity of Fear." Yggdrasil said. "And let''s not forget the Cmity of Domination, the Frost Queen." Then, the continent quickly changed, to another, covered in mes. "Within Muspelheim, thend of mes and home of the Fire Giants, the Cmity of Destruction is slowly growing stronger, devouring everything on its path¡­" And then, another continent was shown, one of eternal cold. "And inside the Continent of Niflheim, the home of the Ice Giants and Ice Elves, a gigantic egg emerged, within, the young Cmity of Despair is about to hatch." The next continent emerged, one covered in endless and lustrous verdant life. "Inside of the Continent of Alfheim, the home of the High Elves and the Beast-kin, the Cmity of Decay is slowly spreading itself, attempting to destroy all life and nature¡­" Andstly, thest continent in the list, one covered by mountains, deserts, and rocky valleys. "And in the Continent of Svartalfheim, home of Dark Elves, Dwarves, and Mountain Giants, the Cmity of Avarice is slowly devouring mountains and growing enormous¡­" At the end, it wasn''t all continents, but thergest of them all were all being targeted by these powerful Cmities, I guess I''ve got a better reason to travel around the world, either tame or defeat them to gain more power. I guess my road map for now is going for the Frost Queen, then look for my brother while at the same time helping Jonathan find his family and rescue both, then do an all-out-attack on the Albraun Kingdom''s gathering of Dukes with their beloved King, andstly, st the Empire of Light out of the face of this. "I see, I get it now." I nodded. "More importantly, are you going to sponsor me in some ways? Heh¡­" "I had expected such greediness." Yggdrasil sighed inwardly, waving Emeraldine''s hand as some divine power reached me, items emerged inside of my own inventory. Ding! [The Divine Entity [World Tree Yggdrasil] has sponsored you several rewards!] [You received 1.000.000 System Points.] [You received [Small World Spirit Tree''s Core Fragment (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You received [Small World Spirit Tree''s Branch (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You received [Yggdrasil''s Magic Grimoire (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [All Items have been stored inside your Inventory!] "I am well aware of your special powers, the System you have, and that Inventory. I''ve crafted special items that could aid you and your allies in your current endeavors." She said. "I might sponsor you more frequently as long as you move towards the same goals as I have." "Alright, thanks for your patronage!" I giggled. "Now, I shall go¡­ I cannot stay within this vessel any longer, or I''ll risk weakening myself even further¡­" She sighed. "I will rest for the moment¡­ Maria, I hope you can aplish your goals." FLAAASH! And like that, Yggdrasil disappeared in a sh, everyone that was watching the scene in utter shock and silence suddenly felt as if they were brought back to reality with me. "W-What in the world was that?!" Lucifer asked in disbelief. "T-That Yggdrasil¡­ The big tree?" Asked Partner. "The Yggdrasil Tree spoke through her¡­" Hermes said in surprise "Amazing!" Nyx celebrated. "Cool! Oh, you''re a Cmity, Arachne?" "Nn." Arachne nodded. "Something like that. But I like being mommy''s daughter better." "Hahhh¡­ T-That was tiring¡­" Emeraldine sighed, resting on her knees. "Emeraldine! Are you okay?" I ran to her side, quickly helping her stand up. "Should I carry you to bed, dear? Were you conscious in all of that?" "I am alright, thank you, Maria." Emeraldine smiled. "I was mildly conscious. I let Yggdrasil manifest herself because I knew she needed to say important things. However, I didn''t realized until now that the reason Root was also blessed is because I myself cannot contain her powers through such a manifestation, so he was also used, we are technically both her vessels at the same time." "I-I see¡­ Root, you''re doing okay?" I asked, as Root nodded. "I couldn''t be any better, master! Gyuh!" Root said happily. "Don''t worry about a single thing about me!" "O-Oh, okay then!" I giggled a bit. "Now, maybe I should put into use these new materials I acquired off Yggdrasil¡­ I think this one jewel will be really useful. Let''s discuss what we heard while having breakfast for now." Like that, we spent the entire morning discussing what happened and everything, we understood that Yggdrasil had simr intentions than us, and therefore, her alliance was to be expected. Someone so strong backing us up was certainly more reliving. "To think twoplete opposites would be allies with us¡­ Hel the Goddess of Death and Yggdrasil, the World Tree of Life." Emeraldine felt surprised. "I suppose the Gods must really be the worst thing imaginable if those two pr opposites agree on stopping them¡­" "They sure are!" Partner said, while eating a sandwich. "We''ll beat em up to a pulp! And I''ll eat Odin''s flesh¡­ I''ll make a juicy steak out of his meat! And drink his blood! Bastard!" "O-Okay Partner calm down a bit, we''re all eating here¡­" I sighed. "Ahahaha, so lively." Jonathanughed, feeling rather happy instead of fearful. "For now, we should quickly n our next move." Lucifer said. "The faster we get rid of the Frost Queen, the better." "I agree to that." I nodded. "Well, it should be getting almost done now, right?" "Lady Maria! It is done! The Barrier is all set-ups!" Suddenly, someone came running to the dinning hall inside the castle. "Indeed, I can sense it already." I nodded. "Many souls have also been merged with it, as nned¡­" FLAAAASH! Around the entire territory of the Kingdom''s walls, a powerful, gigantic magic barrier in the shape of a bubble emerged, almost invisible to the naked eye, it not only contained the power of my Necromancy and Magic, but also the Fragment of Yggdrasil''s Core. -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Chapter 754 Preparing For The Counterattack

Chapter 754 Preparing For The Counterattack

----- With a barrier that was able to withstand even S Rank Magic Attacks (tested by ours before), we were able to fully concentrate into our primary tasks. I divided my work force into different groups. One of them began reconstructing the city even more now that all demons were unfrozen. A second party started crafting clothes and furniture. And a third party,posed of ourselves, began to prepare for our battle against the Frost Queen. Like that, three days went by flying, and Brunhild reported no changes in anything either. There has been no attacks, or anything at all, the Frost Queen is either gathering strength back to attack once more or waiting for us to attack her first¡­ Whatever was the case, I didn''t wasted this precious time. I spent the majority of it devising a new item, bybining the fragments of the Dimension Crystals that were helping opening up the Portals to the Dungeon of the Frost Queen, through Alchemy, and a few other materials, I created something that''ll help us raid the very center of her area of operations, her own dungeon. F R R S S H H H! The Cauldron was bubbling furiously, as the materials converged together into one at longst, as I conjured thest Synthesis beforepleting the item''s creation. "[Synthesis]!" F L A A A S H! From within the cauldron, a small blue ring emerged, with a jewel on top of it of the same, dark blue color as the metal making the ring¡­ Ding! [You''ve sessfully synthetized the [Dungeon Teleportation Ring (A Grade)] x1!] [You earned 250000 Alchemy, Crafting, and Creation Proficiency.] [Several Rted Skills have leveled up.] [You earned 500000 EXP] ----- [Dungeon Teleportation Ring] [Item Type]: [essory] [Ring] [Item Grade]: [A] [Item Requirement]: [Dungeon Masters Only] [Item Durability]: [10000/10000] [Item Effects]: [MP]: [+25000] [Magic]: [+25000] [Space Attribute Damage]: [+50000] [Item Abilities] [Dungeon Gate]: By channeling the Space Attribute powers within the jewel imbued into this ring, and the user''s own Dungeon Masters powers, it is possible to create Portals that lead to Dungeons the user has previously visited, or that are registered within the Dimensional Jewel. The Portals maintain themselves open as long as the user desires, constantly draining Mana. [Dimensional Jewel]: As a ring imbued with a rare Dimensional Jewel, grants its wielder some Affinity with the Space Attribute. [Description] A mysterious Ring created exclusively for the purpose of transporting between Dungeons. It cannot level up and it only gives a few bonuses, and can only be worn by Dungeon Masters that posses one Dungeon or more. Registered Dungeons: Skadi''s Abandoned Tower Dungeon. ----- "Perfect! With this, we''re all set." I smiled evilly. My other body ego was right at my side, reading a book had received from Yggdrasil as a sponsored gift. At first I thought it would be useless for me to learn from it, but as I kept reading, I slowly realized I could simply adapt its magic and secrets into my own magic, indeed, it is the Yggdrasil''s Magic Grimoire. Ding! [You''vepletely read and assimted the Grimoire''s Information and Knowledge!] [All of this Information and Knowledge has been concentrated into your mind, merging with your previously learned knowledge, and fusing with your tremendous magic power and elemental affinities. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [You''ve developed your own Yggdrasil Magic¡­] "I''ve learned a few secrets¡­" I giggled, fusing with my own self, as I expanded my own hands, and ck branches made out of darkness, death, and poison started growing. Unlike the Yggdrasil Tree that embodied life itself, my tree was¡­ well, much different to it. I had developed a special type of magic, that used a hypothetical opposite tree, the tree of death and sins¡­ Qliphoth! Ding! [You haveprehended a new type of power and magic dwelling within you.] [The Treasures within your Soul Scape are reacting to your ever-growing power and knowledge!] [One of the many Withering Trees of Death inside of your Soul Scape has absorbed this knowledge and power, and has undergone evolution!] RUMBLE! Within my own Soul Scape, thergest of the twenty-or-so Withering Trees of Death I had absorbed this knowledge and power I absorbed from the Yggdrasil Magic Grimoire, and underwent a sudden evolution. It began growing constantly upwards, easily surpassing its fellow trees, its dry and sharp branches stretching to the dark skies above, its ck and dry wood grew several textures and forms that resembled the appearances of screaming faces and furious eyes ring everywhere. Once it finished growing, it had already reached the height of 30 meters, it was smallpared to the actual Yggdrasil Tree, but doesn''t this means I am growing my own unique death tree? Heh¡­ Ding! [Your Soul Scape has developed a new Spirit Treasure: The [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth Lesser Spirit Treasure: Rank 8)]!] [The New Spirit Treasure expands its roots across your Soul Scape, enhancing the power and quality of all other Spirit Treasures together.] [All Spirit Treasures have reached Rank 7 as a result.] [The Qliphoth will continue to evolve and grow bigger as you develop.] [You gained +40 Aether.] "Heh, finally, now-" Ding! [You have reached 200 Aether!] [Your Soul Scape is undergoing a great evolution!] T R U U U? M M? M¡­! T R U U U U M M M M¡­! T R U U U U U M M M M M¡­! Suddenly, the Soul Scape inside of my own soul began to expand, growing in size about over twice as big as it was before. Flowers of red, ck, and purple color began to spread further everywhere. At the same time, bone trees and withering death trees grew inrger quantities all across thendscape, as a sudden sea made out of bubbling miasma emerged in the middle of the aridndscape, and the Qliphoth continued growingrger andrger, covering the skies. The Moon Gazing Giant Lily looked like it was on a match for who grows bigger, because it was trying its best to grow just as monstrously big! ----- Chapter 755 Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth

Chapter 755 Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth

----- Ding! [Your Soul Scape has Evolved from a Lesser Soul Scape to a True Soul Scape!] [Your Divinity is developing further¡­] [All of your Spirit Treasures have evolved from Lesser Spirit Treasures to True Spirit Treasures of Rank 1, while Qliphoth reaches Rank 5!] [All of your Stats have increased.] [Several Skills have Leveled Up.] [You learned the [Qliphoth Tree Magic: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You acquired the [Incarnation of Qliphoth: Lv1] Title Skill!] ----- [Qliphoth Tree Magic: Lv1] The power of the Demonic Tree of Death dwells within your soul and body. You can now summon their all-powerful strength to battle through powerful spells that bring forth the opposite of Yggdrasil. Absorb the lives of your foes, drain their souls, devour their magic, poison their flesh, and make them decay, it is your choice. Additionally, Enhances Darkness, Death, and Poison Attribute Magic Power and Effects by +250%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level, and decreases their Mana Cost by -30%. Avable Spells: Level 1: [Abyssal Life Draining Roots] [Decaying Spores of Death] Level 2: ??? ----- Amazing, it is just two spells but theybine several elements all together into a tremendously strong spell! It waspletely worth the effort! These types of spells are like grimoires themselves; I need to level up the skill to gain new Spells, interesting. I guess I''ll be spamming these Spells for a while. ----- [Incarnation of Qliphoth: Lv1] A Skill that only those that have be the incarnation of the hypothetical opposite of Yggdrasil can acquire, and that is only you, the one that has made this entity a reality within your Soul Scape. Grants the ability to temporarily channel the power of the Demonic Tree of Death, Qliphoth into your body and enhance Darkness, Poison, and Death Magic Power by +500%, with an additional +50% with each Skill Level for 5 Minutes. Cooldown: 24 Hours. Additionally, Decreases Damage Taken from Life, Holy Light, and Nature Magic by -50%. ----- Oh, this one Title is just what I needed. And the tree itself¡­ ----- [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth (True Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] A legendary, hypothetical opposite of the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. The Demonic Tree of Death, Qliphoth embodies Death, Darkness, and Poison while Yggdrasil embodies Life, Light, and Nature. It is still a juvenile growing to be an adult, and its powers have yet topletely develop. Tree Quantity: 1 n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Enhances Death, Darkness, and Poison Attribute Power by +100000. Death, Darkness, and Poison Attribute Magic gains +10000 Spirit Power. Hastens Phantasmal Essence Recovery and Soul Regeneration by +500%. Enhances Undead-type Monsters Stats and Skill Power +150%. Produces 1 Demonic Death Fruit Daily. ----- This thing looks mighty, alright¡­ And it even produces a strange Demonic Death Fruit? I am interested more than ever now. After having slightly mastered the grimoire I acquired from Yggdrasil I ended developing my own form of magic rted to it, but instead of taking the element of Life as its basis, I took the element of Death, creating a brand-new concept that was merely a theory, or perhaps an hypothetical myth within this world. Not only was I able to gain more Skills than I expected out of this, which greatly enhanced my magical power and even my resistance against elements that I am rather weak against, but I even ended making one of the many trees inside of my Soul Scape evolve into a small Demonic Tree of Death¡­ ----- [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth (True Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] A legendary, hypothetical opposite of the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. The Demonic Tree of Death, Qliphoth embodies Death, Darkness, and Poison while Yggdrasil embodies Life, Light, and Nature. It is still a juvenile growing to be an adult, and its powers have yet topletely develop. Tree Quantity: 1 Enhances Death, Darkness, and Poison Attribute Power by +100000. Death, Darkness, and Poison Attribute Magic gains +10000 Spirit Power. Hastens Phantasmal Essence Recovery and Soul Regeneration by +500%. Enhances Undead-type Monsters Stats and Skill Power +150%. Produces 1 Demonic Death Fruit Daily. ----- It was unlike any other Spirit Treasure, and its very existence greatly boosted the growth of my Soul Scape, which also enhanced the rarity and quality of the other Skills amazingly well! And it had so many great effects, it made me smile a bit. Above all, however, with every treasure growing even stronger and everything else, there was also another addition, aside from the higher production of elemental mana and energies, and also of Moonlight and Moonlight Crystals¡­ And that was a single ugly fruit that Tyr harvested off the branch of the tree for me, and brought outside of my Soul Scape,nding in my hands, the ugly dark purple colored fruit with red eyes and the face of a screaming person, emanating a deadly aura¡­ ----- [Demonic Death Fruit (A++ Grade)] A Demonic Fruit harvested from the [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth], it contains arge quantity of corrupted mana, Miasma, and the Souls of the Dead. Depending on who consumes it, it has a variety of effects. If eaten by Undead, can slightly increase their stats permanently, help them develop a Skill, or even Evolve. If eaten by a Living Being, it can either help them develop resistance to Death and Darkness Elements, and if they''re about to die, it could painlessly transform them into high ranked Undead. ----- Oh, so it is that type of item, huh? I might as well eat this one to try it out before anything. "Cronch- Ugh, it tastes so bitter¡­ Agh, is this spicy now? What in the world is this vor?" I muttered. "It is like eating¡­ a rotten corpse- no its even worse! Ugh, but it is mildly addicting. Ah! Is it because I am an Undead that I find this gross vor nice?" "Maybe." Laughed Tyr. Ding! [You have consumed the [Demonic Death Fruit (A++ Grade)]!] [Your Stats have increased!] [+10000 MP] [+15000 Magic] [+1 Aether] "Oh?! This gave me some Aether! Even if it''s a single point, that''s nice." I said in surprise. "Hehehe, if I eat one daily, that''ll be tons of Aether." "It''s not that reliable of a source, but it still fine I guess." Tyr shrugged. "Hmm, oh well, that''s that then." I smiled. "Now-" Ding! [The Skill [Shadow Transportation: Lv10] has evolved into [Shadow Teleportation: Lv1] Skill!] ----- [Shadow Teleportation: Lv1] The ability to move between shadows has evolved to the form of teleportation. As long as the user has previously touched a shadow, it is possible to instantly teleport between them by spending huge quantities of Mana. Enhances Movement Speed within Shadows by +200% and Shadow Magic Power and Effects by +100%, with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. While being within Shadows, Skill and Magic MP Cost is reduced by -20%, with an additional -1% with each Skill Level, all Stats increase by +10%, with an additional +5% with each Skill Level, and Damage Taken is reduced by -10%, with an additional -2.5% with each Skill Level. ----- W-What in the world?! This Skill finally awakened, and it became so overpowered! Not only I can teleport between shadows, but I get all those sweet bonuses if I am within the Shadows themselves. Great, this is perhaps thest thing I needed¡­ No, I still need to do another little thing though. I quickly took out of my Inventory a small Moon Crystal, freshly harvested from the Moonlight Lily from my Soul Scape, and feed it to a special, purple-jeweled ring. Ding! [The [Selene''s Moonlight Tear Ring (A++ Grade)] has absorbed the [Moon Crystal (B Grade)] x1 and has reached Level 40/40!] [The essory Stats have reached their maximum value, and its quality has increased to A+++ Grade!] ----- [Selene''s Moonlight Tear Ring (A++ Grade)] [Item Type]: [essory] [Ring] [Item Grade]: [A+++] [Item Level]: [40/40] [Item Requirement]: [Race: Moonlight Titan Selene Only] [Item Durability]: [15000/15000] [Item Effects]: [HP]: [+9000] [MP]: [+34000] [Attack]: [+9000] [Defense]: [+9000] [Magic]: [+24000] [Agility]: [+9000] [Moonlight Attribute Damage]: [+14000] [Item Abilities] [Moon Titan''s Blessing]: Increases Moonlight Magic Damage and Effects by +120%. Decreases Moonlight Magic Mana Requirements by -45%. Moonlight Magic can now ignore -45% of the foe''s Magic Resistance (Half of their Magic Stat). [Moonlight Regeneration]: Automatically regenerates 90 Moonlight Essence every hour. While utilizing Moonlight Essence, the user''s Physical Stats temporarily raise by +45%. [Description] A powerful Spiritual Ring made using incredible materials extracted from near divine level Spirit Treasures. This particr ring contains the power of Selene, the Titan of Moonlight, and it was made with a Moon Crystal that grew inside of her Soul Scape. It can automatically regenerate Moonlight Essence and enhances Moonlight Magic Powers greatly. ----- And done! With this, the Ring has now reached Max Level and its bonuses are much better and improved. I can feel Moonlight Energy coursing through my entire soul. "I guess we''re more than prepared, let''s go meet our favorite Frost Queen." ----- Chapter 756 Invading The Frost Queens Dungeon! ? ----- Once I was done with my preparations, I gathered with everybody else, we''ve been preparing all for this day. Holding the powerful Dimensional Ring in one of my fingers, I greeted everyone. "The Ring''s done." I said. "Is everybody ready?" "Yeah, more than ready." Lucifer nodded. "Brunhild said she''lle here if there''s any danger everyone in here can''t handle." "As long as we don''t take too long, it should be doable." I said, looking into the horizon. Our team wasposed of Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, Jonathan, and Arachne, everybody else would have to stay in here, protecting the city. My daughter Nyx and the twins, will stay, with Root too, and all the other Undead. Arachne''s army will also remain in the city protecting everybody if possible, her army has grown much stronger now, and they average at minimum of Rank B in power, with several "generals" at A Rank. We''re bringing Arachne because she''s mostly our trump card, her stats are simply ridiculously higher than all of us, and she''ll be the heavy hitter of our team. However, she has a w, because of her smaller body and young age, she gets tired quickly, at most, she can''t fight constantly for fifteen minutes before needing to rest, so we can''t employ her right away. For now, she''ll stay inside of my Shadows and wait for the moment we confront the Frost Queen, we don''t want her to waste her strength fighting theckeys the Queen''s going to throw at us. "Mama I''m ready!" Arachne said. "Alright dear, did you wear the equipment I gave to you?" I asked. "Nn, the dress and the essories." Arachne nodded. I gave her several items I had prepared to give her as much of a boost as possible, a special Spectral Dress to help her move faster, as she was rather slow, and rings that helped her stabilize her crazy amounts of Mana. "Mama, not fair!" Nyx said. "Nyx wants to go too! Muuuhh!" Little Nyx started pouting. "No, it is too dangerous, Nyx." Lucifer said. "Arachne is much stronger and reliable, you have to know and admit your own limits, dear." "Buhhh¡­ But papaaaaa!" Nyx began crying. "I know that you want to help mama and papa, Nyx." I said, giving her a hug and kissing her puffy cheeks. "But you have to stay here, okay? You have a very important mission, I want your strength to be used to help and protect our friends here. Can you do this for us? Can you protect our friends and family?" Nyx suddenly gasped, finally realizing what I meant. We weren''t just leaving her here because she was weaker, well, yeah, but there was another reason. She was the strongest below us, so we wanted her to better protect this ce instead. "O-Okay¡­" She nodded, as I cleansed her tears. "Nyx will protect home!" "Gyuh! Me too!" Root said. "I''ll take care of the defenses!" "Don''t worry, we''ll take care of it." Laura said. "We''ve grown much stronger, even if not enough, we''ll do everything we can!" Takeshi nodded. "Leave it to us, my queen." Darkbound said. "We''ll take care of things." Said w. "It is kind of frustrating I won''t get to see her death, but fine, do your worst against her, Maria!" "Guguuuuguuh!" Mercury bounced around. "Meereooow!" Kuro roared, cheering me up. "Alright you guys, take care of things in here while we''ll be off." I said with a smile. "Hermes, you too, if things go to the worse, you can always escape with everybody else¡­ I am already prepared for it." "Do not worry, it is not as if we won''t fight if necessary." Hermes smiled. "Yeah!" Gustaf roared. "Leave it to us." Cecilia nodded. "Fine, alright." I nodded, as I nced back at my team. "Are you ready?" "More than ready!" Partner said, raising her two sharp spears. "I am as well; I am prepared for anything." Emeraldine nodded. "The Frost Queen must be stopped quickly, before things be much worse."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I agree, and I am ready as well." Lucifer nodded. "Me too!" Arachne said, as she melded into my shadows. "I have prepared well enough¡­ I know you don''t want to kill her, but we''ll make sure to take her down and stop her wicked ways." Jonathan said. "I''ll offer you my utmost help, with my very life on the line." "Alright¡­ You don''t need to be so dramatic, Jonathan." I nodded, channeling Mana into the Dimensional Ring. "Anyways¡­ [Dungeon Gates Open]!" FLUOOOOSH! Suddenly, space started to distort outside of the city where we were standing, as arge portal opened. Big enough that even Lucifer on his dragon form could fit inside. Ding! [You have opened a Portal leading to the Skadi''s Abandoned Tower Dungeon!] [It will automatically close in 5 minutes, unless you will it to close.] [Cooldown: 24 Hours.] So it has a cooldown as well, huh? Well, makes sense. What greeted us in the other side was a snow-coveredndscape, with several pine tree forests, mountains in the background, and one gigantic tower made of ice in the middle of all, the sky was covered by white clouds, and a snowstorm was raging on. I could sense the presence of the Frost Queen within this tower, and a few other powerful S Rank entities, probably herst Frost Generals¡­ "Let''s go." I stepped forward first, and then Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, and Jonathan came afterwards, while Arachne hidden inside of my shadows. Once we stepped inside the dungeon, I looked back at the portal and waved my hand. "Be right back~! [Close Dungeon Gates]!" FLUOOSH! And the gates instantly closed after thatmand. We stood there in silence, ncing around our surroundings, this Dungeon felt much different than the others we''ve visited before. It seemed filled with more than just Mana, it had a lot of Divine Power. "This is an Ancient Dungeon made by the Goddess Skadi long ago, made as a way to store her treasures." Said Emeraldine. "This might be the reason why it is so overflowing with Divine Power everywhere¡­" "Wee!" And then, a voice that we have never heard before, yet felt oddly familiar echoed within the dungeon''s interior. "I''ve been waiting to see you for a long while¡­ What took you so long, Maria?" ----- Chapter 757 The Saint Of Death Versus The Frost Queen ? ----- F L U O O S H! Once we arrived at the Dungeon, we sensed an oddly powerful quantity of Divine Power everywhere. This was because this Ancient Dungeon was originally a ce where Skadi, the Goddess of Ice, stored her treasures and left her Frost Dragons protecting it. Over time, it was consumed by time, the Divine Power ended transforming the surroundings into a Dungeon, trapping the tower inside, and sealing the dragons within this ce, until the Ice Giants found this Dungeon and made it their home. It was a taboo to visit the Frost Tower, however, in a fit of rage after seeing her brother and her friends die against the hands of humans, the Frost Queen, Tear, stepped inside the Tower and acquired the Crown of Skadi, gaining unprecedented powers, which at the same time changed her body and soul, and she ended bing a Cmity. That is, more or less what I know that happened here¡­ Though looking around, I can''t see any Ice Giants, it feels like a destend. Could everybody be inside that tower at the distance? "Wee!" And then, a voice that we have never heard before, yet felt oddly familiar echoed within the dungeon''s interior. "I''ve been waiting to see you for a long while¡­ What took you so long, Maria?" Of course, it was quite obvious who could this be¡­ Nobody else than the Frost Queen herself, that malicious and young-sounding voice, it was her, the one behind the Majin being frozen, the one behind the ever-expanding winter in Midgard¡­ The one that has been mercilessly taking the lives of many innocents. Veredorr is with me, and I promised him I wouldn''t kill her. But that doesn''t mean I won''t get to beat the shit out of her to the point she can no longer do any funny business¡­ I have to make her pay for all the shit she did anyways. Oh yeah, and the Frost Generals? They''re free to kill. "Tear¡­" Veredorr sighed, looking into the distance. "Are you there, Tear?" However, his voice went unanswered. "Frost Queen." I said. "We''ve got inside your Dungeon. Were you expecting this?" I asked her. "More or less, I didn''t thought you would do it like this though! I was preparing to greet you at the dungeon entrance¡­" She sighed. "What a pity, all of those ns for nothing! Oh well, I could always simply do it now!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, hundreds of magic circles emerged in front of us, from the ground, as countless of monsters started to be summoned all at once. They were the whole variety of Frost Monsters, from the fiercest looking to the smallest of them. Their quantities went from hundreds to almost a thousand! Did she prepare all of this for us?! And if she can just summon them so easily, it is rather obvious that she''s a Dungeon Master capable of controlling the summon of monsters within a Dungeon¡­ this is also the reason why she had a near endless army of monsters at her disposal. "Wait, what?! There''s almost a thousand monsters in here!" Said Lucifer. "This damn witch summoned so many already?!" Partner asked. "She''s controlling the entire dungeon, after all, she somehow became the Dungeon Master, as we thought." Emeraldine said. "So many monsters¡­ They''re still things we can handle, but it is rather obvious she''s summoning them to exhaust us before she sends her strong retainers against us!" Jonathan said. "Hehehe, that''s right, Jonathan." Laughed the Frost Queen. "I never thought you would betray your own kin though. It is surprising how dedicated you are to that dead woman! Gyahahaha!" "Silence, foul-mouthed woman!" Jonathan roared. "You''re nobody to lecture me about loyalty when you''ve enved your own kin!" "Enved?" Laughed the Frost Queen. "You would be surprised to know how happily they''re living now¡­ Well, not like you''ll ever get to live to see them in person. You will all die before this endless army of monsters! Let''s see how long you canst!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Indeed, it seemed endless, as she constantly summoned more and more monsters, which now finally surpassed a thousand. The creatures obeyed her own authority and swiftly began charging towards us. "What''s wrong?! Where are your Undead?" The Queen asked. "Oh, don''t tell me you left them all back home so they could protect your pitiful people? Hahahaha!" "Well, it''s not as if I don'' have a n though." I smiled, taking out arge ck coffin from my inventory. I channeled the power of Hel''s Divine Protection and imbued them into the coffin, which swiftly opened up, a ck portal leading somewherepletely different emerged. Ding! [You have opened the [Skeleton Coffin of the Underworld (A Grade)]!] [By channeling the powers of your Divine Protection of Hel, the Ruler of the Underworld, you''ve been given the maximum benefits of this item!] [A Gate to the Underworld is now opening, and an army of ten thousand Skeleton Soldiers are marching to defend you and yourpanions, directlymanded by Hel''s Authority¡­] T R U U U M M M M¡­! A shockwave of space and time distorting energy reached and filled the entire dungeon, distorting reality and opening a portal to the Underworld itself! The authority of Hel emerged from within, as thousands of Undead rushed outside of thisrge, ck portal,ing out of the Coffin. "W-What is this energy?! T-This presence¡­?!" The Frost Queen panicked. "T-This can''t be! It is impossible¡­ Hel¡­ Why is her presence within my domain?!" "This is the Relic she gifted to me." I smiled, as ten thousand Skeleton Soldiers, all of them being A+ Rank in power, endlessly marched and fought against the endless army of Frost Monsters. "You''ve been looking down on us for way too long, Tear. It is time to finally give you a good p in the face, so you can snap back to reality and realize how foolish you have been." ----- Chapter 758 An Army Of The Dead Against The Army Of Frost!

Chapter 758 An Army Of The Dead Against The Army Of Frost!

----- Ding! [You have opened the [Skeleton Coffin of the Underworld (A Grade)]!] [By channeling the powers of your Divine Protection of Hel, the Ruler of the Underworld, you''ve been given the maximum benefits of this item!] [A Gate to the Underworld is now opening, and an army of ten thousand Skeleton Soldiers are marching to defend you and yourpanions, directlymanded by Hel''s Authority¡­] Ten thousand Skeleton Soldiers rushed into the scene, immediately beginning to fiercely fight the Frost Monsters. Despite being much smaller, their techniques and power were the real deal, as if they were all seasoned fighters, adventurers, and knights that had died long ago. And above all, they were all overflowing with a powerful ck-, red-, and purple-colored auras, which seemed to carry the very essence of the Underworld within, strengthening them even further¡­ Ding! [The power of [Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld] has taken effect within her powerful Divine Authority!] [All Summoned Skeleton Soldiers have received an enhancement to all their Stats by +100%, their Damage Dealt is increased by a further +50%, and their Damage Taken is reduced by -30%!] [Darkness, Death, and Poison Magic Damage has been increased by a further +200%, and Mana Requirements lowered by -50% for all Skeleton Soldiers!] "W-What is this? Why?! Y-You¡­!" The Frost Queen swiftly started to panic. "Howe you can do this?! My Frost Monsters¡­!" Right in front of her, her army of Frost Monsters started gettingpletely massacred. The Skeleton Soldiers in the frontlines worked as tanks to lure the beasts'' attacks, while spear wielders in the back hit their weak points. There were also archers and magicians firing their long-ranged attacks, all enchanted with magic. It was all beautifully organized, an army that was much better than any Undead Army I could summon, it is a pity I cannot bring them out whenever I want, as the item has a cooldown of 7 Days, and can only be used three times, having already consumed a single usage. "Amazing, I didn''t knew you had this trump card, Maria!" Jonathan said. "It is an item I saw her saving forter." Lucifer smiled proudly. "Looks like we''ve finally found its right usage." "Hehehe, well, let''s join in the massacre a bit as well, okay? I need some Blood to get going!" Partner licked her lips. "Although the army is winning, the monsters that the dungeon is summoning seem endless. Just how much Mana does this dungeon has?" Wondered Emeraldine. "If it truly hasrge quantities of Divine Power, then the only way would be to destroy the source itself, or somehow make it so those summoning Magic Circles can be destroyed or temporarily sealed." "Yeah, even I know that we won''t be able to get into the tower without taking care of this problem first." I agreed with Emeraldine. "And I think I can help with that¡­ Everyone, I''ll need your help in this, support the Skeletons while I take care of the endless spawning of monsters." "Got it!" Lucifer roared, stepping forward, his gigantic, now evolved form, easily crushed the monsters while his breath attack sted them into smithereens. "Come at me!" Heughed, firing several beams of dragon breath attacks. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Fufufu, I''ve been waiting for that order, master~!" Partnerughed evilly, boosted with her new and amazing evolution, she quickly grew a pair of gigantic bat-like wings and flew into battle. "[Twin Vampiric Spear Arts]: [Merciless Bloodbath]!" Utilizing her two powerful spears, which had evolved to brand-new levels of power, she sliced and pierced our foes with utmost ease, tearing them apart as blood sprayed everywhere, which she swiftly started to drink and umte within her body. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! "Leave this to me." Jonathan nodded, his entire body exuding a radiant aura equal to the sunlight itself. "[Divine Sunlight de Arts]: [Hegemonic Sunshine sh]!" Jonathan raised his Divine Sunlight Sword into the skies, generating a gigantic beam of light that descended from above as he moved the sword downwards, the powerful shing attack piercing across hundreds of monsters at once! CRAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!!! "I''ll take care of your back, Maria. I can assist you into this as well¡­" Emeraldine said. "I think the Crest Yggdrasil has gifted me possess the ability to help me decipher all matter of magical circles, I can see the circuits and theirpositions, let me take care of destroying them once you can take over the Dungeon''s system!" She said confidently. "However, for now¡­ [Divine Spiritual Arrow of Yggdrasil]!" FLAAASH! She fired a single,rge arrow out of her bow into the distance, whichnded over arge army of Monsters that were attempting to reach me and Emeraldine, in a mere second, that arrow instantly grew into a gigantic tree that spread around, piercing the monsters'' bodies with their branches and roots. "[Yggdrasil Magic]: [Nature''s Divine Rage]!" FLUOOOOSH! Merging the Yggdrasil Arrow with her Yggdrasil Magic, Emeraldine made the growing tree furiously turn against the monsters, attacking and piercing them furiously while growing constantlyrger andrger! The best was that it even started generating explosions of spiritual light as its branches blew up to generate even more damage. She continued firing these arrows and merged them once more with her Yggdrasil Magic, forming giant barricades of living spirit trees that constantly attacked monsters and protected us with ease. Her evolution was clearly showing now as she had be someone even more amazing and reliable than before. "Very well, let''s begin with this! Tyr, I''m counting on your powers." I said with a smile. "[Divine Spirit Fusion]!" "Count me on!" Tyr roared. F L A A A A S H! His whole spiritual prowess and body merged into my own temporarily, as I gained his corrupting, chaotic element of power and strengthened all my skills and magic. And then¡­ CRAAAAAAAASSSHH!!! I hit the floor, imbuing my phantasmal soul into the very structure of the Dungeon¡­ "[Dungeon Maniption]!" FLUOOOOSH! ----- Chapter 759 The Origins Of Skadi’s Frost Tower

Chapter 759 The Origins Of Skadi''s Frost Tower

----- I punched the ground with my hands and shattered it, imbuing my spirit and soul into the Dungeon''s Structure, while activating the powerful Dungeon Maniption Skill all at once. "[Dungeon Maniption]!" FLUOOOSH! Suddenly, I felt like a part of my own consciousness flew into the Dungeon''s very structure, my own soul became circuits that spread across the entire Dungeon of Skadi, and there, I immediately sensed the enormous quantities of Divine Power. The Frost Queen was utilizing this Divine Power to control the Dungeon and power-up her own magic as well, she transformed this energy into billions of units of Mana, which allowed her to easily summon A Rank Monsters by the thousands with ease. Even if we waited out for this to run out, it would probably take half a year to end! It was simply too much energy. We had to end this now. Ding! [The Effects of the [Dungeon Maniption] Skill have taken effect, you are now attempting to manipte the Dungeon!] FLAAAASH! I felt my entire consciousness diving deep into the Dungeon, for a few seconds, I saw small visions, images of the past, glimpses of what seemed to have been this Dungeon''s creation. I saw an ancient world like nothing I''ve seen before, a world overflowing with beautiful colors, and Divine Power flowing like winds everywhere¡­ but it was also a world of chaos, bloodshed, and wars between gods. I saw a beautiful giantess, Skadi, with blue skin and countless white and silver tattoos covering her gorgeous, muscr body. She was as tall as the mountains themselves, and alongside her, there were the much smaller, yet previous Ice Giants, whom she had protected from war. It seemed that her own father, Ymir, gave her the mission of rescuing and helping the Giants in need. The march was rough, as she protected and hid thousands of Ice Giants into this area, away from the wars between the Aesir and the Jotun. "Mdy Skadi, you don''t need to protect us to this extent!" "Please, don''t trouble yourself¡­" "Your strength should be used elsewhere¡­ Do not waste your time with us." The Ice Giants were rather humble, yet Skadi simply smiled. "I cannot let you here, I would never forgive myself for that." She sighed. "Moving to Niflheim or Jotunheim at this point is too dangerous¡­" Skadi sighed. "I will create a sanctuary, where you can survive the harshness of war, my children." Skadi waved her hand, as her Divine Powers surged into the ground itself, a gigantic mass of frost started amassing, growing taller and taller, emanating a frost aura, which quickly made these only slightly cold areas very cold, snow started falling. The Ice Giants felt much better, exhausted with the constant exposition to direct sunlight and warmth, the cold brought themfort. The children smiled into the skies, seeing their giant mother smile back at them. "It is snowing, mama!" "Lady Skadi made it snow!" "Heheh, let''s make snowmen!" Skadi sighed in relief, seeing the children that looked so sick and exhausted smile and happily y in the snow¡­ It looked as if the only thing she ever wanted was this, to see them smile and happy. The war the Aesir started, and the endless suffering and bloodshed it brought to her siblings was not something she wanted these mortals to be exposed to. She desired their wellbeing. "It is done." She said, looking at the tower. "This shall be my treasury, protected from the eyes of the gods themselves, and it will also generate the cold you need to survive, my children." Skadi waved her hands, as many of the treasures she didn''t need were stored inside, empowering the tower with their leftover Divine Power¡­ Wait, I see, the reason why this Dungeon has so much Divine Power is because of all these relics. "My Dragons." She said. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, three giant Frost Dragons were summoned, emerging out of gigantic magic circles, and ncing with pride and regality at Skadi and then at the Giants below. "Mdy, you''ve called us at longst." "Shall we offer you aid in this war? We dragons are also fighting!" "As guardians, we cannot allow the Aesir to take over everything¡­" "I''m sorry¡­" Skadi sighed. "But I have a different mission for you, I don''t want you to fight. I¡­ I want you to protect them, and this tower. Would you do this for me, my Dragons?" The Divine Frost Dragons looked at Skadi with shock, valiant warriors ready to give up their lives for her were suddenly told to protect mere mortals, it was obvious they would have mixed opinions. Yet¡­ their loyalty knew no bounds. All three of them lowered their heads, raised by Skadi, they saw her as their own mother, her mission wasn''t something they could ever reject, as it also showed her great heart, something they seemed to admire and love. "Very well¡­ We shall protect your children, mdy." "Even if it costs our lives." "We shall wait your return, however long it takes." Skadi smiled back at the three of them, petting their heads and caressing their scaled faces, giving each one of them a big kiss in their foreheads. "Take care, my beloved dragons. I entrust you my treasures, and my children¡­ I will one day return. Until then, wait for me patiently." She smiled, as she quickly jumped off the ground, reaching the skies at an incredible speed, andnding far away from there, rejoining the war¡­ So these¡­ were the origins of this tower, this dungeon, and also the Frost Dragons existence and the origin of the Ice Giant Tribe living in Midgard. I see¡­ "YOUUUUU¡­!" However, my takeover of the Dungeon was quickly interrupted, as the presence of an even stronger being emerged from within the Dungeon itself. It was obviously, the very presence of the Frost Queen! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "You dare attempt to take over my Dungeon? My domain?!" She roared furiously. "I will not allow this insolence!!!" FLAAAASH! ----- Chapter 760 Stopping The Endless Army Of Monsters

Chapter 760 Stopping The Endless Army Of Monsters

----- FLAAAAASH! Suddenly, the powerful, blue-colored intent of the Frost Queen manifested itself within the depths of the Dungeon''s structure by itself, shing against my ck, phantasmal intent. CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! "BEGONE!" She roared, unleashing a barrage of mind and soul attacks against my own intent. And it was tougher than I imagined. Because she was the current owner of the Dungeon, it was really obvious that her power over it was much higher and stronger than mine. The overwhelming superiority of her Intent was clear, it felt like a fight between two waves, one of darkness, my soul, and her own, which was blue and cold. My Intent seemed surprisingly smallpared to hers, and she was easily overwhelming me, easily cornering me around and beginning to suppress my power, while undoing all the progress I had done easily. "Your attempt ismendable, butughable. You simply cannot hope to even take over this Dungeon and its tower, they''re my Domains, which I''ve controlled for hundreds of years!" Sheughed. "Is that so?" I smiled, my ck colored intent suddenly beginning to generate a red aura, spreading further, and then boldly defying hers, pushing forwards. "Huh? What is this¡­?! Ungh!" She cried, surprised. Well, let''s say Dungeon Maniption is not my only Skill, I am quite experienced in Dungeon Conquest and Control after all. Ding! [The Power of the [Dungeon Master: Lv5] Title Skill is taking effect, your affinity with the Dungeon, even if foreign, has increased greatly! Takeover Speed has been increased by +300%!] [The Power of the [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv5] Title Skill is taking effect, your ability to destroy the Dungeon''s very structure and control it has been greatly increased! Takeover Speed has been increased by +300%!] [The Power of the [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv8] Title Skill is taking effect, your ability to conquer and manipte the very structure of Dungeons has been greatly increased! Takeover Speed has been increased by +400%!] "W-What is this?! H-How?! You have an even greater¡­ Control over my OWN Dungeon than myself?!" The Frost Queen was left utterly bbergasted. "It could be said that it''s a Skill Issue." Iughed. "[Dungeon Takeover]!" FLAAAAAASH! My Soul Circuits continued spreading further into the Dungeon''s Structure, continuously "hacking" it with the System''s Unique Skill aid, which facilitated the process even more. "S-Stop! STOOOP!" Tear desperately screamed, but it was futile, and toote to stop. "Toote!" Iughed. I''ll make sure to give you the Dungeon back once I''m done, don''t worry. And it is not as if I''m taking over everything, just a tiny part of it! FLUOSH! Ding! [You have temporarily taken over a part of the Dungeon!] "Expose all Monster Spawn Point at once, disable Protection Barriers!" I ordered the Dungeon. Ding! [Exposing all Monster Spawn Points, disabling Protection Barriers¡­] [The Power and Intent of the Dungeon''s Owner is fighting back, the time these points can be exposed has greatly reduced!] n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Time Limit: 5 Minutes.] That''s more than enough! "Emeraldine! They''re being exposed, let''s go!" I said. "On it!" Emeraldine nodded, pping her fairy wings and flying across the dungeon''sndscape, while I stuck with her. The Magic Circles hid right behind the Monster Horde, which continued endlessly spawning. Of course, flying monsters such as Frost Wyverns, Blizzard Eagles, and Snow Moths flew towards us, attempting to stop us. "Begone, small fry!" I smiled, swinging both of my hands as gigantic palms made of my own Soul and Moonlight emerged. "[Selene''s Palm of Judgement]!" CLAAAASH! CLAAAASH! CLAAAASH!!! The impact threw all flying monsters down into the ground with explosive blows, as we swiftly arrived at the Magic Circles area and then imbued our Magical Powers into it. "Can you do it quickly, Emeraldine?" I asked. "More than quickly, immediately!" Emeraldine smiled confidently, touching the floor and imbuing her Divine Powers into the floor, which spread like roots of Yggdrasil itself! FLAAAAAAAASHHH!!! All the Magic Circles quickly began to be corrupted by her powers, and then, one by one, their verypositions were changed, and they started to fail, exploding into runes and dissipating one by one constantly! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "S-STOP! STOOOOP! MY MONSTERS¡­! NOOOOOO!!!" The Frost Queen genuinely screamed out of frustration, as the entire Dungeon trembled with her fury. All the magic circles were destroyed in an instant, just as Emeraldine promised, and the monsters quickly stoppeding. It wasn''t permanent, but it would take over a day for the spawn points topletely regenerate now! With that done, as she screamed in frustration, my army of Skeletons swiftly began massacring the rest of the Monsters, which were still around a thousand and hundreds of them. Lucifer, Partner, and Jonathan were massacring most of them amazingly well, and with Emeraldine and my own strength joining them, while I used my Magic to raise all dead Monsters into Undead, it only took a couple of minutes to y everything andnd right in front of the Tower of Skadi. Ding! [You and your Party have in [Frost Monsters (B ~ A Rank)] x2184!] [You earned 230.600.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 51 to Level 66!] [All Your Stats have increased!] [You earned Bonus System Points per Level: +1500000!] [Your Job ss and Subss Level has increased from Level 0 to Level 60!] [HP and Attack have increased by +50000!] [You learned the [Berserk Mode: Lv1] Skill!] [Your Magic has increased by +30000!] [You learned the [Rune Smithing: Lv1] Skill!] [Your Job ss and Subss have reached Max Level, you can now Rank Up your Job ss and Subss!] Looks like I ended maxing out the Job ss and Subss much ahead of time, I guess I have to thank Tear for all the EXP, it was really a great start to this invasion¡­ "Hahh¡­ We''re done." Jonathan sighed. "Now, the tower¡­ I bet the Ice Giants and the rest of her Elites must be here. But how long is this tower going to be?" "Not so long." I said. "I saw visions of its creation, it has many floors, but we''ll be able to breakthrough them easily¡­" ----- Chapter 761 Changing Classes

Chapter 761 Changing sses

----- The tower''s material was made of something that was simply imprable, however, the gates were not the same, this Primordial Ice within the Gates was controlled by the Dungeon''s prowess, so as long as I fine tuned it with my own powers taking over the Dungeon, which were onlysting about a few seconds¡­ then! BAAAAAAAMMMM!!! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I blew up the entire gate before it could close and not allow us to enter. Using my bare fists at that! The entire gate crumbled into pieces, opening its path towards its interior depths. We stepped inside, instantly feeling the chill of the Frost Tower of Skadi. The first floor was, as we expected,pletely empty. There were beautiful decorations here and there, and all, but no signs of actual life. Well, it wasn''t the same all the way above though, with a mere nce, I could sense that each floor was packed with higher level monsters. And in the highest andst floors, thest Frost Generals were guarding the Frost Queen''sst stand, they were quite loyal, I have to admit it. "It''s empty¡­" Jonathan said. "Looks like it." Partner nodded. "I suppose the Frost Queen is preparing something in the upper floors." Lucifer sighed. "Should we take a small break?" Sighed Emeraldine. "I guess it doesn''t hurt to rest a couple of minutes." I nodded, as I quickly decided to assess my own things, swiftly deciding to change Job ss and Subss. ----- [Tenebrous Nightmare Fighter: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Cost: 1400000 System Points] [Mind Bending Abyssal Seer: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Cost: 2000000 System Points] [Soul Shattering ck Knight: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Cost: 3000000 System Points] [Dungeon Master: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Cost: 1400000 System Points] [Soul Bending Alchemist: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Cost: 2000000 System Points] [Dark Cleric of Death: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Cost: 3000000 System Points] ----- The options were quite limited as well, but I could tell how they were constantly branching into new forms of these powers, interesting. I do wonder if they are being influenced by my actions as well. Based on previous sses I had changed into before, I can tell that certain ones will increase certain Stats. The Berserk line ended increasing HP and Attack only, but both by a whopping 50k, and Runic cksmith only Magic but by 30k, not bad, when both bonusesbined, the Abyssal Berserk feed me 100k of HP and Attack, which had made me feel tankier and stronger, while the Runic cksmith was 60k of Magic, the change isn''t as big in this one because my Magic is already very high, but it is a notable enhancement. I can tell that the Seer is a Magic ss, and the Knight might be more centered in defense, fighter, could probably continue on the simr path as the Berserk¡­ Also, when maxing sses I get specific ss Skills, so it could be interesting to mix and match to see what I get. I don''t have to care too much about min-maxing anyways, when I am already very strong and possess tons of skills by default. So¡­ Ding! [You''ve exchanged 3000000 System Points!] [Your Job ss has Ranked Up to the [Soul Shattering ck Knight: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] Job ss!] [Your HP, Attack, and Defense has increased by +40000] [All of your Physical Skills and Body Skills have gained one Bonus Level.] [You''ve exchanged 2000000 System Points!] [Your Job ss has Ranked Up to the [Soul Bending Alchemist: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] Subss!] [Your MP and Magic has increased by +25000] [All of your Crafting and Alchemy Rted Skills have gained one Bonus Level.] [Your ss Level has been reset, and your Level Cap increased to Level 80!] Good, as good as done now. With this, I shouldn''t be worrying about anything for now. And if the Level is now reset to 80, that just means I get to level up even more, it is a win-win situation. As for the break, we all sat down and ended drinking some calming herbal tea, and ate something, mostly sandwiches to regain stamina and some vitality, it didn''t take longer than five minutes, I brought my Undead within my shadows, including the ten thousand skeletons from the Underworld, which were still summoned, alongside the one thousand Frost Monster Undead. "Alright, we''re done here. Let''s go." I nodded. "Everyone''s ready?" "Yeah!" Partner said. "Never been so ready!" "Let''s see what awaits us in the higher floors then." Lucifer said confidently. "I am still quite worried, but let''s do our best." Emeraldine smiled. "I''m ready for anything, Maria." Jonathan nodded. "Mama, when can I fight?" Arachne spoke through my shadows. "Not yet dear, once we get to the top of the tower, I''ll let you fight." I smiled. "Oway!" Arachne nodded. Swiftly, we moved upstairs through the spiraling staircases. This tower was made by a goddess herself, and as a result, it had a structure very simr to dungeons¡­ meaning that it was like its own, pseudo dimension inside, where it could even harbor small pockets of space big enough to resemble gigantdscapes in the outside world. And right now, as we stepped into the second floor, we saw that. The second floor was an enormousndscape, of pure snow and ice, simr to the dungeon, butcking trees or anything other than snow, and¡­ a ruined vige. "W-What is this ce?" Asked Emeraldine. "This tower is like a dungeon¡­?" "More or less¡­" Lucifer nodded. "Seems like the second floor is argendscape." "That vige¡­ Could there be Ice Giants there?" Wondered Veredorr, the Dhampir Frost Ghost, that I had brought with me. "I don''t know, but it is worth giving it a look." I smiled, as we made our way to the ruined-looking vige. However, we were greeted with only silence, and the sound of the snowstorm¡­ Everything was deste, and we couldn''t find a single sign of life in it. "T-This is¡­ Everyone,e! Look¡­!" Emeraldine suddenly found something, shocked, she called for us. And what we saw was¡­ not something we expected. ----- Chapter 762 The Traitorous Vampires

Chapter 762 The Traitorous Vampires

----- Emeraldine''s face looked filled with horror and shock, as she called for us. As we inspected the ruined vige, she found something rather horrifying¡­ yet I couldn''t help but be reminded of the same state the Majin were before we freed them from their frozen states. Indeed¡­ "N-No¡­ W-Why?! Why would Tear do this¡­?!" Veredorr panicked. "W-Why¡­ T-This is¡­!" Right in the middle of the ruined vige, there was arge quantity of people in the floor. They were all frozen with the same magic that the Frost Queen used with the Majin. Even children, pregnant mothers, elderly, all frozen solid. They were Ice Giants, so they were probably still alive even in such conditions, but perhaps how long have they been trapped here? Without being able to eat, to talk, to feel anything, in an endless prison of cold ice¡­ "T-They''re frozen¡­" Lucifer said. "Did the Frost Queen do this? Why would she freeze her own people? Why would she torture them like this?! Dammit, we don''t have my sister''s mes¡­" "It''s fine, we''ll unfreeze them once this is all over." I sighed. "But this is¡­ I want to remain calm, but it really makes me go mad. Why did she do this? I guess she could do whatever she wanted to others, but to her own people? Is this how she killed you, Veredorr?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I¡­ Yeah." Veredorr sighed. "However, I was unable to survive the cold, and died almost instantly. Perhaps the Ice Giants¡­ Ah, I can feel their souls, their bodies still live, but they''re very weak. If we wait longer, they might not make it." "Ice Giants are incredibly resilient people." Jonathan said. "It is amazing that they''re still alive after being frozen like this for so long¡­ Well, it is the same for the Majin, a special type of freezing that seals them in ce, like an eternal prison. Perhaps the Frost Queen didn''t exactly meant to kill them, but to just¡­ throw them aside and forget about them." "This is the vige where everything started, but why is it in the tower?" Emeraldine wondered. "Why, you ask~?" Suddenly, we heard the voice of a woman. It wasn''t the Frost Queen''s voice, but a different person altogether, which slowly manifested herself in front of us, above the ruined vige. With unhealthy pale white skin, sharp red eyes, and long dark purple hair, a beautiful Vampiress manifested herself, opening her arms wide and showing her sharp, long nails. She wore a ck dress, and over it, ck and red armor finely decorated. A powerful Aura of Darkness and Blood surged from within her body, epassing all our surroundings¡­ But I could even sense the power of the element of Death itself. This woman might be¡­ a Vampire cooperating with the Frost Queen. But Vampires are sneaky bastards, why would she show herself so fast in front of all of us like this? It just doesn''t make much sense¡­ Unless she has other intentions rather than battling against us. "A Vampire?!" Jonathan roared. "You! You''re the ones that created the entire conspiracy that ended with Maria''s death!" He pointed his sword at her. "Come down and confront us! I''ll cut your head off!" "Oh my~ What a brave little betraying hero you are, Jonathan." Giggled the vampire woman. "I like that attitude! Honestly speaking, I was shocked when I learned you joined Maria and everyone else, even when she''s now an ugly ghost and has ugly undead friends." "Shut up! You have no saying over my own decisions¡­" Jonathan said. "I don''t even know who you are, but I know you''re the ones behind my disciples transformations into monsters¡­ You poisoned their bodies and corrupted their minds!" "Fufufu~ Yeah, keep ming us for everything." The Vampiressughed. "Jonathan, there''s no point in talking with her." I said. "She''s just mocking us. Speak already, bitch, what do you want? I doubt you want to fight all of us at once, right? You''ll be dead before you can even realize what''s happening." "Oooh? You really think I couldn''t go against all of you at once?" The Vampiress face became angered, showing us her sharp fangs. "Yet¡­ you''re right, this is not my style. I only came here to take a look, to see all of you. After everything we''ve orchestrated, it is truly frustrating to see all of you still alive, you''re an eyesore for sure. Not only Maria, but that stupid dragon over there¡­ and the little witty hero¡­" "Me?" Lucifer asked. "You Vampires¡­ What do you mean I am somehow part of what you orchestrated?" "Heheh, didn''t you realize?" She asked, winking at Lucifer. "The death of the dragons¡­ The death of the old Demon King, why do you think the humans knew all of your positions? Why do you think they knew all of our tactics, and even your weaknesses?" Lucifer gritted his teeth, his aura growing furious with draconic might. "Traitors¡­" His eyes glowing redder. "I had imagined so¡­ But hearing it so outright is¡­ So infuriating. I knew you simply decided to run away afterwards, but I should had known you were the ones that allied them from the beginning! You filthy rats!" "Dragon King Lucifer, your resurrection by the hands of Maria was quite shocking to say the least." Sighed the Vampiress woman. "I feel like I should had done something myself about this sooner. But now, we''ve been pushed a bit into a corner~ Well, for now, I simply can''t let you advance further. How about you all die now, huh?" "So you''re going to fight us?" Partner smiled, her vampiric aura surging. "Good, been a while since I''ve drank Vampire blood." "Ah, Maria''s skeleton, huh?" Laughed the Vampiress. "To think her own corpse would turn into such a strong being¡­ Now what was one problem became two, hahaha! So ridiculous¡­ Yet, no, I am not going to fight your pathetic existences. In fact, I''ll leave it all to the ones you''ve killed¡­ Hehehe¡­ HAHAHAH! COME!" FLUOOOOOSH! Her shadows spread around the frozennds, as her Death, Darkness, and Blood energies converged with the snow and ice in the surroundings¡­ And then, several enormous and familiar figures emerged one after the other. ----- Chapter 763 Another Necromancer?

Chapter 763 Another Necromancer?

----- "Come, the spirits of the dead! Come and fight them once more! Through the Divine Power of the Tower of Skadi, I call back the bound souls of the fallen! Frost Generals, your prey is once more within your grasp!" Laughed the Vampiress. Her powers and the snow itself melded together. This snow¡­ wasn''t just snow. Once it reacted with someone that possessed a certain control over the tower, it became a divine material, something to¡­ create. And through her Necromancy, which seemed different than mine, andbining it with the powers of the Frost Queen, the Vampiress summoned them all back, yet they were much different. All the Frost Generals we killed except w! Zero,? the Witch of Eternal Winter. Frost, The Armored Ice General. Valkoinen, the Divine Frost Dragon of Blizzards. Andstly, Argus, the Ice Giant Hero. However, aside from these four suddenly materializing out of her dark energies and the divine power of the tower, two other figures showed up, Julio the Hero of Darkness and Anastasia, the zing Sorceress! But this shouldn''t even be possible, howe she can summon them back as Undead when I am fairly sure all of their souls died back then? "Hahahaha! HAHAHAHA!" Sheughed. "You''re probably wondering how this is even possible, right?! Well, there''s more than just one way to use Necromancy, Maria. You''re really na?ve to think the most direct way, your way, is the only that exists. As long as you create a Contract that binds someone''s Soul and Origin to someone or somewhere, the Necromancer possess the authority of summoning them anywhere, and use them as materials to create something even better!" "Origin?" I asked in surprise. "What¡­ is that?" "Heh, so foolish." The Vampiress giggled. "With the Divine Powers granted by a True Evil God''s Fragment¡­" Her hand suddenly shapeshifted, showing ck tentacles and red eyes. "And my owntent talents, I''ve been able to surpass the mere mortal''s realm, I can conjure Magic that can even manipte concepts and the deepest parts of a Soul, the Origin. You''ve killed them, and even destroyed their souls, yes, but not their Origins, that''s not something mortals can destroy. I can manipte such Origins¡­ And, well, heheh, bring them back! Though, they don''t look the same, huh?" Their bodies began to distort constantly and transform, they were all groaning like monstrous zombies, having lost their souls and bodies, it felt as if they were just the husks of themselves¡­ "G-GRAAAAGGH¡­! AAAAHHH¡­!" Zero groaned, her once beautiful body now having be a mass of twisted flesh and tentacles, only her face popping out of it as her hands moved around, a staff emanating Magic Power. "OOOOOHHH¡­. R-REVENGE¡­ KILL!" Frost groaned, his slime-like body merged with his armor and the body of Zero, both chimeric abominations bing a single¡­ thing. N?v(el)B\\jnn "DRAGON¡­ KILL THE DRAGON¡­ THAT KILLED ME¡­ GRAAAARRGGGHHHH!!!" Valkoinen roared, his gigantic dragon-like head popping out of the neck of Argus as both of their bodies melded atrociously. Half of the dragon''s head looked like it was melting, while Argus back was distorting, covered in multiple red eyes. His bulky arms merged with his the ws and scaled legs of the dragon. "JO¡­ NA¡­ THANNN¡­! KILL¡­! KILL YOU! TRAITOR!" Julio and Anastasia groaned, both of their faces distorted into monstrously elongated jaws and eyes, spread across a mass of ck tentacles and eyes, and both of their weapons stuck into their bodies, flowing with power. "W-What have you done?!" Jonathan cried. "T-This isn''t at all like Maria''s noble Necromancy¡­ You''ve turned them into abominations, they''re suffering! How could you do this to your allies?!" "My allies?" Laughed the Vampire. "That doesn''t really matter, I couldn''t care less about how they feel~ As long as they''re useful, that''s all what truly matters, isn''t it? Fufu¡­" "YOU BITCH!" Partner roared, flying towards her, and pointing her two spears against the Vampiress body. "DIE!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! The Vampiress entire body was covered in countless shing attacks¡­ only for her sliced body to dissipate into mist and disappear. "Fufufu~ Did you thought it would be so easy?! I won''t waste my time with trash like you! Now go on and fight these ves first¡­ I am sure you''ll enjoy it." Sheughed. "Please, make sure to die, okay~?" FLAAASH! And then, she fully dissipated into nothingness, like Mist itself. I had heard higher ranked Vampires had the power to be Mist, but this was insane¡­ How could we even fight her if she just turns into mist all the time? Ah, well, that should be forter. We have to take care of some old friends first¡­ "GRUAAAGGH!" The furious Zero roared, her staff, fused with her body and Frost, glowed brightly. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Dozens of enormous Magic Circles surged in the skies, summoning enormous Icicle Spears, which fell down like a deadly rain of giant needles. "Careful!" Lucifer roared, rushing forward, and protecting us with his gigantic wings. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! His swings were pierced several times, bleeding all over, and then beginning to freeze and gain cracks, wait, Zero''s magic wasn''t THIS strong before¡­ Is this because she has been remade with Divine Materials all while being fused with Frost? "Unnggh¡­! My wings¡­" Lucifer muttered. "Well, this is nothing anyways! ROOOAAAARRRR!!!" Lucifer unleashed a ferocious roar, a powerful shockwave of Darkness and Death Energy surged, materializing into Abyssal Death mes that spread around, generating a Domain! FLUOOOOOSSSH! D i n g! [Lucifer has created the [Abyssal Death mes Domain]!] [All foes will take constant damage to their HP and MP, while alliespatible with these mes elements will receive a +25% boost to All Stats and MP Regeneration Speed.] "GRAAAARRGGHHH¡­ IT BURNS¡­!" Groaned Frost, fused with Zero, their gigantic body, almost the same size as Lucifer''s body, stepped back in horror. "IT HURTSSSS¡­!" "Alright! Well done!" I said with a smile. "Everyone! We''ve all grown much stronger now, don''t falter, and defeat them!" ----- Chapter 764 Fight Against Resurrected Foes

Chapter 764 Fight Against Resurrected Foes

----- After the mysterious Vampiress summoned the Frost Generals and Heroes Maria and her allies had defeated a week ago, she left without even engaging into a battle herself. Her intentions were quite clear, she wanted them gone before they could get to the Frost Queen, and what better way than to throw them all the S Ranked foes they had previous defeated, even stronger now? Using a special type of forbidden demonic necromancy that utilized the power of the Evil God''s Fragment the Vampiress had naturally assimted into her body somehow, she summoned the defeated foes through their "Origins" and not their Souls, something Maria had no knowledge about. However, it seemed that such concept was the very core of a person''s soul, something that not even Maria and her allies could destroy, even when their foe''s souls were destroyed, whatever was their Origin, remained within the ws of this devilish Vampiress Necromancer. And granted her the ability to bring them back. However, without Soul or Body, she used other materials to rece them, namely the essence of her Evil God Fragment, Miasma, and also the Divine Energy within the Tower of Skadi, transforming them into aberrant beings instead of normal Undead. Compared to her own Necromancy, this power was much more destructive and possessive, pretty much enving these people forever to be her ves¡­ But that was ending now. Maria thought she underestimated them greatly, and was about to show her right now that these revived foes wouldn''t stand a chance against her and her group. "ROOOAAAARRRR!!!" Lucifer unleashed a ferocious roar, a powerful shockwave of Darkness and Death Energy surged, materializing into Abyssal Death mes that spread around, generating a Domain! FLUOOOOOSSSH! Ding! [Lucifer has created the [Abyssal Death mes Domain]!] [All foes will take constant damage to their HP and MP, while alliespatible with these mes elements will receive a +25% boost to All Stats and MP Regeneration Speed.] As their foes were being burned by his mes, the mes spread around them, as if trying to protect them, even temporarily increasing their stats Mana Regeneration Speed! "GRAAAARRRGGH!" Valkoinen and Argus roared at the same time, their two heads twisting in fury as their gigantic, converged body leaped into action, enormous and muscr arms and giant dragon ws unleashed several deadly blows incessantly. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "Your opponent shall be me!" Lucifer roared, shing against the half-dragon and half-ice giant, his giant ws piercing their body as his death mes burned through their flesh! FLUOOOSH! "[Abyssal Death Dragon Breath]!" Lucifer opened his gigantic jaws, unleashing a massive Dragon Breath attack and sting the giant half-dragon and half-ice giant away, their amorphous body fell into the snowy floor, crushing through several of the ruined vige''s wooden houses. C R A A A A A S S S S S H H H!!! "GGRRHHH¡­! GRAAAHHH¡­! Y-YOU''RE NOT¡­ THAT DRAGON¡­!" Valkoinen said, his jaws distorting constantly as if he was melting away. "You''re talking about my sister Brunhild?" Asked Lucifer with a smile, his wings quickly regenerated thanks to his own self-regeneration abilities, and Maria that had conjured a healing spell. "I did heard from her that she defeated you by burning you to a crisp¡­ But sorry, looks like you won''t be having your revenge, she''s not here. You''ll have to deal with her little brother instead! GROOOOAARRR!" Lucifer stepped forward, pping his wings to easily allow him to enhance his speed, giving one single leap andnding over the Valkoinen and Argus chimeric body. CLAAAAAASSSH! "THEN I''LL KILL HER BROTHER!!!" Roared the mad dragon''s jaws, opening and unleashing a destructive Dragon Breath in the form of a corrupted beam of frost, chaos, darkness, and blood elements intertwined together. However, Lucifer''s reaction speed was even better after having evolved into his powerful new form, in mere seconds he opened his jaws and unleashed his own, even more destructive Dragon Breath. BOOOOOOOMMMMM¡­! A huge explosion filled their surroundings with ck smoke everywhere, as the floor shattered into pieces, rubble flew everywhere¡­ FLAAASH! And Lucifer appeared within the ck smoke, reaching the chimeric abomination and attacking them with his gigantic ws! "[Divinity Shattering ws]!" His ws were covered on his Abyssal Death mes, as they unleashed a series of powerful piercing and shing blows against Lucifer''s foe. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! These ws had gained a special ability, the power to shatter divinities themselves. With enough power, Lucifer was managing to shatter the Divine Frost Dragon''s divine scales and aura, weakening him severely! "GRAAAAGGH¡­! Y-YOU DAMN BLACK LIZARD! KILL! DIEEEE!!!" The crazed Argus roared, his muscr arms materialized two enormous Battle Axes made of Divine Frost, unleashing a series of powerful and destructive blows. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! Both axes and ws shed against each other, Lucifer''s immense power and his opponent, a fusion of two very powerful S Ranked foes were almost equal! However¡­ Lucifer swiftly found a moment, through his Eyes of Death Perception, he saw a weak spot, colored red within the very chest of the chimeric beast he was fighting so fiercely. "[Abyssal Death Divine Tail Spear]!" His gigantic, ck scaled tail was imbued with his powerful Divine powers, as the incarnation of Nidhogg pointed the spear-like tip against his foe''s chest, piercing through it several times! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "G-GUUUGH¡­! GRAAAARRGGH! GRUOOOHHHH¡­!" However, despite this being a weak point, the furious chimera suddenly started to mutate, the flesh began to peel out as Lucifer realized why this was their "weak point", it was a big, red core where all of their flesh was connected, it seemed to be made of Demonite itself, and one of very high quality, and inside of it, two white spheres were being protected, while being wrapped around ck chains. "Demonite?! Of this high quality, I can''t break it easily¡­!" Lucifer was shocked. "And what''s inside of there?!" "GRAAARRGGGHHH!" The beast roared back, its tentacles unified into a gigantic fist, shing against Lucifer''s head, and throwing him several steps away! CRAAAAASSSH! ----- Chapter 765 Jonathan’s Resolve

Chapter 765 Jonathan''s Resolve

----- Maria nced Lucifer fight against the fusion between Valkoinen and Argus with a worried expression, however, it wasn''t as if she had any time to waste herself. Jonathan, Partner, and Emeraldine were also engaging in a fierce battle against their opponents. "JONATHANNN¡­! I''LL KILL YOU FOR REAL NOW!!!" Julio''s voice echoeding from his new aberrant form, enormous ck ws constantly attempted to crush the Hero of Sunlight as they shook the ground around him. CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAAASH! "HEHEHEHE¡­ BURN! BURN, MY DEAR JONATHANNN~!" Anastasia''s face twisted inughter, as countless fireballs emerged everywhere around their amorphous, unified body, falling like rain over the Hero of Sunlight. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "Unnghh¡­!" Jonathan evaded the blows, but even his barrier and armor were not enough to contain all the damage he was taking. Meanwhile, at the exact same time, Partner and Emeraldinebined their strength to fight against the monstrous fusion between Zero and Frost, an aberrant, chimeric slime beast covered on armor and with several magic jewels conjuring magic constantly, alongside arge staff and the small, distorted head of Zero stuck to the slime-like body. "HAHAHAHA¡­! HAHAHAHAHA!" Zeroughed madly, without a hint of intelligence in her mind now that she had been forcefully revived through her Origin alone. Dozens of magic circles appeared everywhere, raining Icicle Spears against Partner and Emeraldine, the two of them destroyed them while evading them, at the same time as Frost''s slimy body constantly attempted to crush them using his tentacles, which ended on sharp, frozen spear tips. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "You''re a bit too slow anyways! [Moon Vampire Queen Battle Arts]: [Endless Demonic Vampiric Swarm]!" Partner smiled valiantly, as she waved her hands and unleashed an enormous swarm of bats made of darkness and blood energy, which swarmed the entire body of the chimera. FLUOOOSH! "You''re a bit too annoying. Let me keep you in a tight ce instead!" Emeraldine smiled, pointing her arrow, andbining the power of her two Divine Spirits into it. "[Divine Spiritual Archery Arts]: [Life and Nature''s Requiem Arrows]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The arrows divided into countless arrows thanks to other Skills she possessed, falling like divine rays of light from the skies, alongside Partner''s attack, their foe was utterly overwhelmed! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Seeing how Partner and Emeraldine were handling just fine and Lucifer was strong enough as well, Maria decided to help Jonathan, who was being the one most overwhelmed. "JONATHANNNN¡­! KILL! DIE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! THAT WE ARE SO UGLY, SO MONSTROUS! IT IS ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT!!!" Julio''s voice echoed from within the monster, Jonathan''s face was filled with guilt, even though he didn''t wanted to admit it, he thought he was right, it was all his fault. It was all his fault they died so bitterly, it was all his fault they became monsters. It was all his fault they turned to a much darker side, and epted the power of the Evil God''s Fragments into their bodies, growing Demonite Heart Cores that ultimately transformed them into aberrations¡­ Maybe if he was more careful, maybe if he had given them more attention, maybe if he didn''t had to do so many things or maybe¡­ If he didn''t gave Maria as much attention, perhaps¡­ perhaps this would had been different. "I''m sorry¡­!" Jonathan cried, even though he had been the one that killed them both, it was something he decided to do as he wanted to carry the weight of their deaths himself. "I''m sorry for everything¡­!" His strength slowly began to falter as he barely managed to intercept the gigantic shadow ws and darkness hands that Julio used to attack him, which came by the hundreds at a time. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "HEHEHEH~ DON''T WORRY~ JUST LET US KILL YOU, JONATHAN¡­ SO WE CAN BE TOGETHER FOREVER INSTEAD!" Giggled Anastasia within the amorphous, chimeric body, a gigantic sphere of mes surged above Jonathan. "DIE!!!" FLUOOOSH! "Ungh?!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! Jonathan was engulfed by a zing explosion, he felt as if his entire body was being burned, the mes were like the sins he hadmitted, all the mistakes and guilt he carried over his shoulders¡­ However, Maria appeared in front of him, Veredorr''s Frost Powers merging with her through her Divine Spirit Fusion Skill, as her appearance changed slightly, making her resemble a beautiful, blue haired maiden of snow, with a dress made of ice crystals, and a big crystal crown. "M-Maria¡­?!" Jonathan was surprised she had once more saved his life. SLAAAP! Maria quickly gave Jonathan a big p on his face. "Ugh! A-Ahhh¡­" Jonathan suddenly snaped back to reality. His eyes opening wide. "What the hell are you doing, idiot?!" Maria asked. "Acting all sad and sorrowful?! Do you think you''re the only one that has gone through shit? Do you think you''re the only one suffering here?! We all are! Equally! Yet¡­ do you see us crying? Do you see us faltering?!" "M-Maria¡­" Jonathan''s eyes glowed brightly as he nced at her lecturing him. "You''re right¡­ I''m sorry. I am a fool." "And you shouldn''t be carrying those sins or guilt alone." Maria sighed. "I''ll be carrying them alongside you! So let''s defeat these brats and get over with this¡­ They need to go rest for once! Just be brave and keep pushing forward! I am here with you." "Maria¡­ You''re right¡­ You''re right!" Jonathan nodded, as his Divine Heroic Powers surged from his body¡­ "WHAT ARE YOU TWO BABBLING ABOUT?! YOU MAKE ME DISGUSTED!!!" Anastasia cried furiously. "KILL THEM!!!" Julio roared. Their unified powersbined into hundreds of hands and ws made of shadows, darkness, and mes, which reached Maria and Jonathan in a single second! FLAAAAAAASSSSHH!!! However, from within Jonathan''s his true strength once more surged. The power of the Hero of Sunlight and Holy Light would only emerge when their wielder was brave and strong-minded, if they strove down a path of regret and sadness, they would weaken¡­ However, as long as Maria was there for him, Jonathan would never regret anymore, he would never strive from his true path towards what he believed was true righteousness. "[Heavenly Sunshine de]!!!" SLAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!!! A gigantic sh of pure light descended from the skies as Jonathan swung his Divine Sword vertically, shing against the abomination in front of them, and slicing the into two halves! ----- Chapter 766 Immortal Foes

Chapter 766 Immortal Foes

----- SLAAAAAAASSSH!!! TRUUUMMM¡­! With a single, powerful sh of his sword, Jonathan split into two halves the foe in front of him. Such powerful attack would be more than enough to defeat almost any foe¡­ except them. CRACK! Only a single crack appeared within arge red colored crystal once it was hit with such a powerful attack, as it fell down into the floor, the rest of the body of the chimera dissolved into snow¡­ "W-What? What is that?" Asked Jonathan. "A Demonite Heart Core?" Asked Maria. "Wait, that Vampiress can create these things so easily with her Undead?! But this thing shouldn''t be able to be this strong though¡­ We have to-" FLUOOOOSH! However, before the two could even reach the core, it began floating in midair, absorbing all the energy on its surroundings and reforming a brand new, monstrous body. TRUUUUMMM¡­! This time, it had a more contained shape, resembling a giant humanoid of over thirty meters of height, wearing pure ck armor, it had a single head, but the head had two faces, that of Julio and Anastasia stuck together, furious¡­ It was as if they simply reformedpletely from nothing! This was¡­ the true power of whatever Necromancy the Vampire had used. "Y-YOUUU¡­ YOU KILLED US AGAIN!!!" Julio cried. "I WON''T FORGIVE YOU¡­. I WON''T FORGIVE YOUUUU!!!" Anastasia cried. Jonathan and Maria''s reaction was almost the same¡­ Maria had seen a simr revival power before, from that one Vampire they killed back in the duchy of Affnaria. Through the power of Demonite Heart Cores, it is possible for beings to surpass their mortal limits and revive even after death, gaining more monstrous forms, it is like an endless regeneration. However, as long as these cores are shattered, they''ll die anyways. Nheless, this was rather different than in those times, their very bodies weren''t even flesh, it was simple¡­ Divine Power amassed and materialized together, and as long as their core existed- no, as long as the Origins within these Demonite heart cores were still there, they would simply revive endlessly. "W-What sort of trick is this?! They have revivedpletely and in a new form so fast?!" Jonathan asked. "Not even when they were alive and had the power of the Evil God¡­" "Yeah, this is fishy." Maria sighed. "Looks like that Vampiress was able to create literal immortal soldiers¡­ Insane." "How can we even defeat them? And they seem even madder than before, it is as if each death makes them go even crazier¡­" Jonathan said. "We just do what we always do against these foes, we need to shatter their cores." Maria said. "I can sense something, simr to a soul, two, but much stronger. I think their Origin are trapped inside those cores, so they''re in a constant loop of re-creation by absorbing this Tower''s Divine Power to create their bodies back¡­" "T-That''s¡­ But the core was so hard.." Jonathan said. "MASTER¡­! JONATHANNNNN!!! DIE!!!" "Careful, they''reing!" Maria said. "Okay!" Jonathan nodded. CLAAAAASSSSHHH!!! A gigantic metallic foot reached where the two were, shattering the floor and unleashing countless spikes made of darkness and mes everywhere, generating an endless disaster! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM!!! "D-Did it be even stronger?!" Jonathan thought. "No, but it seems they''ve managed to synchronize their powers together much better after their first death." Maria said. "Look at their current form, it is much more concentrated and strong- Ah, careful!" "RAAAAAGGH! YOU BITCH! GET AWAY FROM HIM! HE''S MINEEEEE!" Anastasia cried, her gigantic body raised its enormous muscr arms covered in ck armor, and summoned two swords made of mes. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAAASSSHH!!! Constant zing attacks made of mes covered the entirendscape, the two zing swords constantly split the earth itself! "Ugh, you''re getting on my nerves." Maria sighed, quickly channeling her ridiculous quantities of Mana. "I won''t waste Moonlight Energy on you trash though." A smile surged in her lips. "But I can always do this!" She fused the power of Veredorr with Tyr''s powers,bining Chaos with Frost, and then her Death and Darkness Elements into a sphere between her two pale hands. "[Chaotic Apocalyptic Blizzard]!" FLUOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!! An enormous blizzard made of chaos and frost was released, reaching the entire body of the fusion between Julio and Anastasia! Their mes were of no use against Maria''s overwhelming Magic Power, as their entire arms froze and shattered into pieces in an instant! Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRAAASH! "GRAAAAAGGGH¡­! MY ARMS! OUCH!" Julio and Anastasia cried at the same time. "I can''t believe Tear would cooperate with a woman that would create such abominations¡­" Veredorr sighed through Maria''s soul. "Maria, take all the power you can from me! I haven''t been leveling up for nothing either." "Heh, that''s the spirit, brat!" Said Tyr. "I am just as frustrated, you know? All these bastards using my body parts to do whatever insane monsters! Its getting into my nerves!" "Thank you guys!" Maria smiled, as she channeled even more of their strength with ease, flying into the skies andbining several of her Spells and Skills together once more, her entire body suddenly grew several times in size. "[Divine Frost Titan Transformation]!" Combining her Transformation Skills together, and even concentrating a small part of the Titan''s Energy flowing through the Titan''s Records, she transformed! TRUUUUUMMMM¡­! "W-What is that form?!" Jonathan was shocked. "HUH?! THAT BITCH¡­ WHAT IS SHE NOW?!" Anastasia cried angrily. She looked like her titaness form, but made entirely out of ice, with long, crystal-made hair, and a crown of blue jewels, with enormous and muscr arms and legs, and her weapons allbining together into a gigantic Battle Axe made of pure Frost. Ding! [Bybining the power of the [Demonic Frost Phantom Ghost: Veredorr], [Chaotic Evil God''s Spirit: Tyr], and several Skills alongside the Titan Energying from the Titan''s Records, you''ve temporarily transformed into a [Divine Frost Titan]!] [All of your Stats have increased by +100%, and all your Frost-type Damage has further increased by +300%!] [Due to the instability of this transformation, transformation time has been reduced.] [Remaining time: 5 Minutes.] -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Chapter 767 Divine Frost Titan Transformation ----- Ding! [Bybining the power of the [Demonic Frost Phantom Ghost: Veredorr], [Chaotic Evil God''s Spirit: Tyr], and several Skills alongside the Titan Energying from the Titan''s Records, you''ve temporarily transformed into a [Divine Frost Titan]!] [All of your Stats have increased by +100%, and all your Frost-type Damage has further increased by +300%!] [Due to the instability of this transformation, transformation time has been reduced.] [Remaining time: 5 Minutes.] Maria underwent a sudden, amazing transformation, bing a beautiful and glorious Frost Giantess¡­ However, that wasn''t all. Her weapons melded together as well. Ding! [Due to the Divine Power, Titan Energy, and Frost Mana coursing through your body, and the [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)] Effects, your weapons have been unified together to create the Divine Relic: [F¨¢rbauti''s Divine Frost Axe of Destruction: Fimbulvetr]!] [Remaining time: 5 Minutes.] "A-Amazing, Maria! You''ve be so huge¡­" Jonathan blushed a bit. He had something for huge women, and Maria was hitting all the checkmarks right now. "Concentrate on the battle, Jonathan!" Maria said. "Unleash your strongest blows when the opportunity arises! I''ll hold them back myself." "Very well." Jonathan quickly changed his mood back to his serious self, his Divine Sword shining brightly with the power of Sunlight itself, as he leaped into action together with Maria. "COME AT ME THEN!!!" Roared Julio, stepping forwards as countless shadow tentacles surged from their body, attacking Maria and Jonathan! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! However, Maria and Jonathan intercepted all blows with their powerful Divine Weapons, shockwaves of divine power began spreading everywhere, as the tentacles froze in seconds and shattered a split of a second after! "UUGGGH¡­! FLAMES! BURN!" Anastasia cried, unleashing more mes against them, pirs of infernal fire surged from the ground endlessly, attempting to roast the two alive! TRUUUM! TRUUUM! TRUUUMMM¡­! FLUOOOOOSH! "That''s not going to happen!" Maria roared, stepping into the floor with her gigantic frost-made foot and crushing the pirs of mes in seconds, freezing everything else! "[Frost Giant''s Divine Step]!" CRAAAAASH! FLUOOOSH! "W-WHAT?!" Julio and Anastasia reacted in the same, shocked way, as Jonathan and Maria''s weapons reached their chest, crushing the ck armor they had made specifically to protect their cores, and shattering it apart as it froze beforehand! CRAAAAAASSSHHH!!! "UUNNGGH¡­! AAAGH! STOP!" Beneath the armor, the red jewel emerged once more, with a big crack in the middle of it provoked by Jonathan''s strongest blow. "Now!" Jonathan roared.N?v(el)B\\jnn "On it!" Maria nodded. Both of their weapons shed against the core once more, like a baseball ball, it was thrown away out of their bodie in a single, powerful strike! BAAAAAAAAMMM¡­! Crack¡­ CRACK! Several more cracks grew over the Demonite Heart Core of tremendous durability, but it had yet to shatter, falling over the snow in an instant. SPLAAASH! Their body instantly perished, turning into just snow falling over the floor. Maria and Jonathan didn''t even said a single word, rushing towards the Demonite Heart Core to crush it before it could regenerate¡­ Both jumping over it at the same time, their weapons pointing at it¡­! However! FLUOOOSH! A powerful shockwave of divine power and demonic energy surged from within, snow and divine power around the tower was absorbed once more, as a new body was recreated almost instantly! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! "GRAAAAHHH! YOU BITCH!!!" Now, having a nimble and feminine body made of ck mes, with big, demonic wings behind and Julio''s head on her stomach, Anastasia seemed to have taken over this new body''s transformation. "[INFERNAL PUNISHMENT]!!!" FLUOOOSH! An enormous amount of mes surged from her entire body, and darkness surged from the mouth of Julio, as if he was vomiting it grotesquely. Both elements melding together into a hellish storm of ck mes! Both Jonathan and Maria were engulfed on the deadly explosion. BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! "You''re one persistent bitch, aren''t you?!" Maria''s voice echoed from within the mes, her frost-made body waspletely immune to fire, she stepped forward, using her bare, frost-made fist to punch Julio''s face, and Anastasia''s stomach! "[Divine Frost Titan''s Fist]!" CLAAAAASSSSHHH!!! "UUAAAGGH¡­!" Anastasia and Julio screamed in agony at the same time, their body rolling over the floor as it melted the ice surrounding them. BAAAAAMMMM¡­! "Forgive me, Anastasia, but we need to end you now!" Jonathan roared, jumping right above the fused chimera, and pointing his Divine Sword down their chest. "G-GET AWAY FROM MEEEE¡­!" Anastasia screamed, an inferno of ck mes engulfed Jonathan again, yet Jonathan''s might could resist such mes as he covered his body with the power of the Sunlight itself. "[Divine Sunlight Armor]!" FLUOOOOOSSSHH!!! He was almost unscathed, although such magical armor was constantly shattering and regenerating back, Jonathan was surviving the mes as he swung his Divine Sword vertically. "[Heaven''s Fall]!" The cloudy skies opened up, as a ray of pure divine light descended from within, merging with his sword and unleashing a devastating, piecing divine attack against the fusion''s chest! BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! "GRYYYAAAAGGGHHH¡­!" Theirbined scream echoed across the Tower, their chest opened up, revealing the Demonite Heart Core once more, the powerful blow that Jonathan covering it with more and more cracks! "S-STOP! STOOOP!" Julio and Anastasia screamed, as their body quickly fell and turned into snow once more. The Demonite Heart Core flew into the skies suddenly transforming once more¡­ Shadows and Darkness took over the crystal''s entire body, as ck mes surged over the new body, resembling a ferocious snake hydra. "SHAAAAAAHHHH!!! DIE! DIE! KILL!" Their minds having gonepletely mad after dying so many times, their new body held the mind of a mere beast now. FLAAAAASSSSHH! The gigantic snake made of shadows and mes descended from the skies, shing against Jonathan and blowing him away with countless beams of darkness and zing explosions! CLAAAAASSSHH! "Uuggh¡­!" BAAAAMMM¡­! Jonathan fell over the floor, vomiting a mouthful of blood as he gasped for air, the attack was too much for a human like him, and this beast constantly synchronized better with the wielder''s original powers, bing stronger with each reincarnation¡­ "[Divine Frost Titan''s Axe Strike]! RAAAAAAHHH!!!" However, Maria appeared right from behind after the beast descended, resembling a brave and heroic titaness of ice, her axe shed against the beast''s many necks, cutting them all down! CLAAAAASSSSHH!!! ----- Chapter 768 You’re All Going To Helheim!

Chapter 768 You''re All Going To Helheim!

----- Alongside cutting the hydra''s heads, Maria''s free hand pierced its body once more, utilizing the powers of her transformation, she forcefully extracted the entire Demonite Heart Core and raised it into the skies. Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRAAASH! "Enough of this!" She roared, her titanic hand instantly shattering the jewel into pieces, while two white spheres flew away from it, chained with ck chains made of powerful necromancy magic and the Evil God''s Miasma. "W-What is that?!" Jonathan asked. "That must be the "Origin" that the bitch vampire said." Maria sighed, grabbing the two spheres and¡­ swallowing them. "Gulp¡­" Within her stomach, both of the Origin Orbs continued fighting against her, but her darkness powers and her Unique Skill made that.. utterly impossible. Freed from the Demonite Heart Core that was epassing them, the chains wrapped around their bodies were instantly consumed by Maria''s Abyssal Phantasmal Stomach, dissolving¡­ FRSSSHHHH¡­! And then, she spit the two Origins again, putting them into her hands. "Huh, so this is an Origin?" She sighed. "Well now, shouldn''t you two be a bit more grateful now that we''ve freed you?" "GRRRHHH¡­" "GRAAR!" However, both Origins were barking like mad dogs, they hated her a lot¡­ "Now that they''re no longer bound, can they pass away in peace?" Jonathan asked. "Could you let the go, Maria?" His shiny eyes looked like those of a puppy¡­ Maria was incapable of resisting. "Sigh, well, whatever." Maria sighed, letting them go, the two Origins slowly dissipated into thin air, now no longer bound with the Vampiress'' demonic powers, they were able to finally go to an eternal rest in the Underworld. "Now, let''s quickly go help everyone before my transformation ends!" "Sure!" Jonathan nodded. . . . CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Lucifer''s ws shed against the deadly frozen ws of Valkoinen on his third resurrected body, who had already taken a more draconic body, while having muscr arms and legs from Argus, who only manifested as a tiny head on his back. "HAHAHAHA! I couldn''t had expected less from the brother of that damned dragon woman!" Valkoinenughed. "However, it is FUTILE! I AM IMMORTAL NOW!" "Immortal you say?!" Lucifer smiled, his eyes glowing bright red. "I doubt so!" Lucifer''s ws pierced through the chest of the Frost Dagon once more, as he channeled his powerful Divine Magic. "[Chaotic Catastrophe]!" FLAAAASH! "HUH?!" BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! The giant dragon''s body blew into pieces once more, turning into snow after his death, only for his Demonite Heart Core to fall into the floor, gaining even more cracks¡­ "I''ve already realized your weakness!" Lucifer roared. "And sadly for you, I have grown much stronger than you could ever be, no matter how long you transform or revive! [Eternal Domain of Hel]!" FLUOOOSH! Lucifer unleashed a domain of pure Death, as the surroundings transformed into something simr to the Underworld itself. The dragon and the ice giant quickly revived into a new form, resembling a giant turtle this time, only to find themselves trapped within this Domain¡­ "UOOOHHHH!" "GRAAAHH!!" "HEHEHEH!" Thousands of the souls of the dead emerged from around the Domain, wrapping around their bodies and inhibiting their movement, at the same time as weakening them even more. "HUH?! W-WHAT IS THIS?!" Valkoinen was surprised. "M-MY BODY¡­ IT IS WEAKENED¡­?!" Argus was shocked. "Hehehe¡­ HAHAHA! Did you thought I would y fair with just punches and kicks?" Lucifer smiled. "Now that I''ve got you where I want to¡­ [Scythe of Death]!" FLUOOOSH! Lucifer''s Abyssal Death mes materialized together into a giant, long scythe of pure darkness, glowing with phantasmal and divine essence¡­ "D-DON''T MESS WITH ME!!! ROOOAAARRRRR!!!" Valkoinen and Argus roared at the same time, rushing towards Lucifer only to be grabbed by more and more souls, dragging them down and weakening them even more. "HUH?! I-I CAN''T MOVE¡­!" "These souls will judge you the more sins youmit." Lucifer smiled. "Looks like you two are unredeemable bastards. Valkoinen, I have no respect for you even if you''re a fellow dragon. Now¡­ PERISH!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! Lucifer roared, swinging his gigantic scythe several times with Draconic fury, shing away at the chimera''s body until it exploded into pieces, turning into snow, and revealing the Demonite Heart Core once more. "NOW!" Lucifer swung the Scythe of Death vertically while the Demonite Heart Core was falling from midair, slicing through it, and finally managing to shatter it! SLAAAAAAAASSSH!!! Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRAAASH! FLUOSH! Two spheres, their Origins, floated away, escaping Lucifer while being bound by ck chains made out of the Evil God''s Miasma and Divine Powers conjured by the Vampiress. "Maria!" Lucifer roared. "Just in time, honey!" Maria smiled, jumping over Lucifer''s back and then into the skies, grabbing the two Origin Orbs and swallowing them too. "Gulp!" BAAAAM¡­! Her giant body fell into the floor, rushing directly towards Partner and Emeraldine, who had Zero and Frost on their fifth revival now, finally shattering their Demonite Heart Core at the same time through theirbined Vampiric powers and Spiritual Magic. "N-NO¡­ WAIT! I DON''T WANT TO DIE AGAINNNNNN¡­!" Zero cried. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "M-MY LIEGEEEEE¡­.!" Frost screamed. Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRAAASH! "Master!" Partner cried. "Maria!" Emeraldine said. "On it!" Maria grasped their Origin Orbs, swallowing them as well. The four Origins screamed in agony and fury as Maria''s Phantasmal Stomach dissolved what bound them together to this endless cycle of self-revival, and then using her powers, she let the four of them go directly to Hel''sp. "Now, BEGONE!" "UUUAAAGGH!" "I DON''T WANT TO DIE¡­!" "NO¡­! NOT TO HELHEIM!" "GYAAAAAHHHH¡­!" Thest four were really quite the annoying bunch, screaming like babies. Nheless, once a dark portal absorbed them back to the Underworld, Hel caught them and threw them down into a sea of Phantasmal mes. "There you go, my escapees. You''re not escaping from me anymore~" She giggled. "Now, Maria, I hope you can beat the challengesing next, they won''t be easy." Within the upper floors of Skadi''s Divine Tower, two enormous and scaled behemoths nced at what happened in the lower floors through a magical projection. "It seems they have ovee that Vampiress'' tricks." "Indeed, my brother. Now, let''s see how strong they truly are¡­" ----- Chapter 769 The Divine Frost Dragons’ Resolve

Chapter 769 The Divine Frost Dragons'' Resolve

----- "W-What?!" The Vampiress wearing a mask looked at what had happened on the second floor of the tower. Her face was filled with utter shock. "T-They managed to kill them so fast?! And they even freed their Origins¡­" "Hmph, you''re more useless than I imagined, Vampiress." Said a gigantic scaled behemoth at the side of the Frost Queen. "Did you seriously thought that such feeble, weak foes that constantly die would even be able to stop them?" Sighed the second scaled behemoth. "You Vampires have alwayscked the ability to recognize your enemy''s strength. Always looking down on them and underestimating them because you can''t bring yourselves to ept another person''s talents." "This is why you Vampires are at the border of extinction, and why you''re also soon to be defeated eventually." Laughed the other. "Hoh? And you abandoned puppies are saying that?" Laughed the Vampiress. "You''re Divine Dragons, an even rarer race, now almostpletely forgotten." "Unlike you, we dragons stay united." They said. "And unlike you, we recognize our foe''s strength and talents¡­ And go all-out from the start." "You two¡­ are you sure about this?" The Frost Queen asked. "We can confront them together." "No, we''ll go by ourselves." One of them said. "We''ll put a stop to them before they can reach you, my queen." "My Queen, you must stay here and see as we crush them¡­" Said the second. "They don''t even deserve to see your face." The Frost Queen sighed, devoid of the emotions these two dragons had for her. After having been abandoned by their master, they stayed alone for thousands of years, until she appeared and freed them. Naturally, they had an incredibly high amount of gratitude for her and everything she did for them. The crown had made her go mad, and her emotions slowly dissipated, as she became as cold as the ice itself¡­ She simply sighed, ncing at the two scaled dragons, who held such loyalty she couldn''t really understand herself anymore. "Fine, do as you please. At the very least, make sure to use your lives to weaken them, if you cannot win." She said with a smile. "We''ll put our lives in the line for you, the one that helped us and gave us a new life, a new future¡­." Sighed the first one. "Thank you for everything you''ve done for us, my queen." The second dragon smiled sincerely. "¡­" The Frost Queen nced at them while not saying a single thing. Yet¡­ deep down within her subconscious, there was something that was telling her that this was bad, that this wasn''t the right way to do things. That¡­ there was another way to do it. That there wasn''t any need for more bloodshed. But she choose to ignore it. "Go now, if youe back alive and with their heads in your hands, you shall be rewarded handsomely." She smiled. The two dragons stepped down, as the Vampiress nced at the Frost Queen, there was still another person at her side. An Ice Giant like her, protecting her¡­ "Are you nning to just watch after such a disappointment?" She asked, ring angrily at the Vampiress. "What else will you do? My daughter is disappointed." "Heh, what else can I do, I wonder~" The Vampiress smiled deviously, disappearing into pure mist before their eyes. "Ignore her, she''s merely a pawn of our true foe. Once Maria is taken down, I''ll freeze her city and then the dwarves. We''ll extract their resources and riches, and then, the humans and vampires are next." Said the Frost Queen. "I will not stop until this entire continent is covered in snow and frost¡­ Until all of these despicable beings are gone from our domain. My country¡­ It will be perfect." "A world where we can finally live in peace, right, Tear?" Asked her mother, her eyes hid a despair she didn''t wanted to admit. "Indeed¡­ Mother." Tear smiled. "A world of peace¡­ without those filthy beings in our world. I''ll do what Skadi never dared to do. I''ll change the world. So we Ice Giants can live in peace and dominate everything. We will no longer be wronged, and my big brother¡­ shall be avenged." . . . (Maria''s POV) Ding! [You and your Party have defeated Four powerful foes!] [You earned 185.000.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from level 66 to Level 75!] [All of your Stats have increased.] [You earned a bonus of 9.000.000 System Points.] [Your Job ss and Subss Level has increased from Level 0 to Level 63!] "Level 75 already¡­" I sighed, looking into the gates leading to the third floor of the Tower. I was already more than midway through to reach Level 100. After this Level, I''ll be able to evolve once more, quite possibly ascending into the Realm of SS Rank beings. I don''t know if I''ll be able to evolve before reaching the Frost Queen, but I''ll have to do anything I can to grow strong enough until I can fight her¡­ Even with Arachne as our trump card, I am not 100% sure we can properly defeat her. "Phew, is everyone feeling better?" I asked. We had already taken a thirty-minute break, where we had a filling meal too. "Should we continue?" "Let''s go." Lucifer said. "I am more than ready." "Me too." Emeraldine nodded. "Leave to me the support as always too." "I am as ready as I can." Jonathan smiled. "Let''s do this, Maria." "Me too~" Partner smiled. "I can feel two powerful draconic presences from the other side." Lucifer pointed out. "I fear that we might end up fighting the two other siblings of Valkoinen. After all, in the tales, Skadi had three Dragons, all brothers." "So we''ll be fighting two Divine Dragons?" Partner smiled. "Sounds interesting¡­ I hope they don''t die so fast." "Valkoinen was incredibly formidable, it took my sister to evolve into the vessel of Muspel herself to defeat him¡­" Lucifer said. "I''m not saying it will be impossible, but let''s make sure to stay together while we fight them. Don''t lower your guards." "Understood." I nodded. "Let''s go." CREAAAAK¡­! The gates slowly opened. ----- Chapter 770 Stepping Into The Third Floor

Chapter 770 Stepping Into The Third Floor

----- C r e a a a a a a k¡­! The gates leading to the Tower''s Third Floor opened, as we were greeted with a different sight from the previous one. It was a mountain range. With no stable foothold, but countless mountains covered on snow until the eye could see. And above the skies, two enormous, scaled behemoths, muchrger than Valkoinen, yet very simr to him, greeted us. their sizes were so utterlyrge that they were simr to Lucifer in size alone when he fully transforms into his Dragon Form. "Wee to the Third Floor." Said the first one, much bulkier and bigger than Valkoinen, covered on icicle-like spikes and holding silver scales. Hisrge crocodile-like head held countless sharp fangs. "This is yourst stop." Said the second dragon, sleeker, yet much longer and snake-like. With thin arms, yet sharp ws. He looked like a speedster-type, while his brother was a tank. Ding! [The Divine Frost Dragons [Gjoll] and [Leiptr] stand before your path, and they won''t move until they have died. They shall protect their queen with their lives, if necessary.] [Their [Divine Frost Dragon Aura] is spreading everywhere, intensifying the weather of Winter within their surroundings¡­ All non-Ice-type foes receive a penalty of -25% to all their Stats and will take constant damage.] The System swiftly notified Maria of these Divine Frost Dragons names, and their special ability, which could even directly lower everybody''s stats. "Gjoll and Leiptr." Maria said with a sigh. "You seem much mor reasonable than your crazed little brother, Valkoinen. Are you sure you want to give up your lives for a lunatic woman that want to kill everything in the continent?" The two dragons nced at me with angered expressions, squinting their eyes. "Our liege has already been chosen." Said Gjoll, therger and bulkier of the two. "You have no rights to protest against our decisions." "We''ve been saved by them, and you, as the yers of your younger brother, have no right to tell us what we should do or not." Sighed Leiptr. "If you truly intend to not fight, then leave." "If you have regrets, we shall not chase you down if you leave." Gjoll nodded. "You have our words." "Sorry, but no can do." Lucifer smiled. "This is my first time seeing such old Dragon Ancestors, nice to meet you, sirs." "The resurrected Dragon King, Lucifer." Said one of the Dragons. "It is certainly a surprise to meet you here." "Your sister Brunhild has be rather powerful, I am amazed she''s not here with you." Leiptrughed. "She''s not here because she wanted to protect the Dwarves. You know, the ones you tried to kill." Said Lucifer. "You''re powerful and wise Divine Dragons, yet you''repletely alright with taking innocent lives?" "We''re not¡­" Gjoll sighed. "But our Queen¡­ She''s decided in walking a path of bloodshed, to bring peace to her tribe. And we shall apany her, and we shall bear her sins too." "Their souls will rest in peace in Valha, or Helheim." Said Leiptr. "There is nothing to worry about, the innocent lives shall have a swift death." "I cant believe divine dragons, praised as gods are saying crazy shit like this¡­" Partnerughed. "You guys are insane! I think you might be crazier than we are! I mean, I wouldn''t really kill an innocent person even if Maria asked me to!" "Then youck resolve and faith in her." Laughed the Dragons. "A true loyal guardian will do anything for their liege." "Nah, that''s called madness." Maria sighed. "And your Queen has gone mad using a broke divine relic as well. Isn''t that right, Veredorr?" "Please¡­ you must believe her! Tear¡­ I knew her before this happened, she was such a sweet, innocent girl¡­" Veredorr appeared before the dragons. "You mustn''t obey her, she''s not right in her mind!" "Although it is fascinating to know about our queen''s past¡­ We will not change our minds." Gjoll spoke. "She shall receive our utmost support until the very end." Said Leiptr. "We cannot change their minds." Said Emeraldine. "It seems like, just like us, they are decided to die for the one they love and care for¡­" "It doesn''t have to be this way¡­" Veredorr sighed. "If only¡­ If only you could just listen¡­ Why do everyone wants to die? Why does everyone wants to fight so much for everything¡­ Tear¡­ Why? Is this all truly just because of your brother''s death?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Enough chit-chat." Jonathan said. "We''ll never get through them with words¡­ If a fight they desire, then a fight we''ll bring to them¡­ I''m sorry, Veredorr, but it seems that''s the only way. And we can''t stand here for too long either. Their very presences bring a powerful curse, we''re growing weaker with each passing second." "For once I agree with the human." Said Lucifer, stepping forward, and transforming into his gigantic dragon form, ck scaled and intimidating, unleashing powerful, all-epassing aura. Maria sighed, nodding. She didn''t really had any time either. She wished there could be another way, but these dragons didn''t wanted another way, so they were going to get knocked down into the floor and killed then. She had no time to waste. And quite honestly, she wanted their EXP. Maybe by bing her EXP, they''ll stop being such useless flying bags of meat. After all, trying to protect a total psychopath wasn''t within Maria''s list of "good people". She would knock some sense into them¡­ into their souls because she wasn''t going to let them live anyways. "Fine then." Maria sighed. "You two have chosen death. And as the emissary of death, and the apostle of Helheim, I will bring you down, and paint this whitendscape with your red, dragon blood. How about it?" The two-dragon smiled, showing their sharp fangs, furrowing their scaled eyebrows. "Good. Chit-chatting is not my thing anyways." Gjollughed. "We won''t be merciful either¡­" Leiptr smiled. C L A A A A S H! ----- Chapter 771 Fighting Against Two Divine Frost Dragons

Chapter 771 Fighting Against Two Divine Frost Dragons

----- Both Divine Frost Dragons opened their gigantic jaws the moment they smiled, charging Divine Power and Mana within their throats, and deciding to start with two devastating Dragon Breath Attacks at once. FLAAAASH FLAAAASH! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! Explosions of freezing, draconic breath spread out everywhere. Maria andpany were slightly surprised as they started with the strongest techniques they had at the beginning, instead of ying around like a certain Vampiress. T R U U U U M M M¡­.! RUMBLE! The mountain where they were standing on began to crumble apart, shattering into pieces and beginning to fall into the ground below. "Jonathan!" Maria said, quickly spreading her shadows and grabbing Jonathan with them. Among them, Jonathan was the only that couldn''t fly naturally. "Thank you, Maria." He sighed in relief. "Thisndscape is really not fit for me¡­" "Take this." Maria smiled, quickly utilizing her powers to imbue a ring with a flying magic spell that consumed her own Mana instead of Jonathan, so he could fly without worries. "A ring?!" Jonathan suddenly felt ttered¡­ "B-But Maria, this is not the ce for a proposal¡­!" N?v(el)B\\jnn "Ugh, dummy, just wear the damn ring!" Maria sighed, putting the ring on Jonathan before a gigantic dragon w were to attempt to pierce them. S L A A A A S H! "Aaah, you''re fast." Gjollughed, as his ws were unable to sh through Maria and Jonathan. "I can fly now¡­" Jonathan said in surprise. "O-Oh, so this was why¡­" "Yeah, now concentrate!" Maria said. "Right!" Jonathan nodded. "You two will be a good offering to my queen!" Gjoll roared. "I''ll bring both of your heads to her!" "Oh yeah? How about you bring her this fist?!" Maria smiled maliciously, channeling her tremendous power, and immediately transforming. This time not by fusing with anybody, but by merelybining her Moon Titan Body Skills with her Gorgon''s Transformation and Abyssal Demon Transformation Skills, all at once! FLAAAASH! "Huh?! W-What is this power?!" Gjoll was shocked, as Maria''s small ghostly body instantly turned into a titaness. Beautiful, made up of dark purple and pink colored moonlight energy which shone with countless bright stars. Her long, purple, and ck hair reached her ankles, and it was made of ferocious snakes, poison, and death. Covering her beautiful moonlight body, a ck and demonic armor with the decorations of many bug-like monstrosities emerged, made of demonic power, chaos, and darkness. Ding! [You havebined the effects of the [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv9], [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv6], [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv2], and [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul: Lv2] Skills to transform into your [Ultimate Form]!] [All of your Stats have temporarily increased by +1000%, your Death, Darkness, Chaos, Poison, and Moonlight Elemental Damage has increased by +10000%, and Skill Damage has increased by +500%!] [However, your Mana is constantly being drained, and so is your Moonlight Essence!] "[Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique]: [Infernal Spectral Fist]! [Divinity Shattering Death ws]!" Maria roared, harboring the power of her own unique Fist Techniques, as her gigantic fists reached an incredible level of power, shing against Gjoll by channeling her Death Element to the max! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CRAAAAASSSHHH!!! Each of her fists were like meteors crushing through Gjoll''s hardest defenses. The worst part was that these Level 6 techniques even had the power to hurt the Divine Dragon''s soul directly, and even weaken his own Divinity! "Unnngghhh?!" Gjoll groaned in agony, even when he was trying to go all out, Maria had simply surprised him beyondprehension! "GRAAAAAGGH¡­!" FLAAAASH! BAAAAAAMMM¡­! RUMBLE! The gigantic Frost Divine Dragon fell into a mountain, shattering it apart with his gigantic, heavy body. Jonathan nced at Maria''s powerful appearance while swallowing saliva. Maria had just fist-wrestled a Divine Dragon no less and sent her straight down a mountain. "A-Amazing, is this your truest form, Maria?" Jonathan wondered. "Heh, more or less." Maria smiled. "Though it takes a lot of energy to maintain." "B-Brother¡­!" Leiptr cried in surprise. "That Maria¡­! Just how strong is she?! Even when we saw her fights, it wasn''t enough! She was hiding even more strength¡­" "Oi, don''t you think you''re ignoring somebody?!" Lucifer roared, descending towards Leiptr and unleashing a barrage of Dragon Fists, as his entire body exuded Abyssal Death mes everywhere. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! Countless explosions made up of Abyssal Death mes spread across the skies, as Leiptr moved with his serpentine body rapidly, like a bullet! He evaded all hits majestically, and swiftly attacked Lucifer back with his tail, which had a sharp spear-like end. "[Divine Frost Dragon''s Spear Tail Arts]: [One Thousand Skadi''s Thrusts]!" CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAAASSSHH!!! "Unnggh?!" Lucifer couldn''t properly defend against so many hits at once, his gigantic and bulky body being pierced by Leiptr attacks several times! His sleek body seemed to give the assumption he wasn''t that strong, but it was a terrible misconception! Leiptr could use his long, sharp body as a deadly spear to impale his foes mercilessly. FRRSSHHH¡­! However, Leiptr quickly realized that mere brute force wasn''t going to do it, as the flesh of Lucifer quickly began to regenerate despite his freezing aura supposedly freezing his wounds and causing frostbite. "Huh? You-" CRAAAASH! Lucifer''s jaws opened before Leiptr could react, covered on deadly Abyssal Death mes, and biting down into his tail, fiercely tearing apart his flesh and scales! "If you''re too fast for me to catch, then I''ll keep you on your damn ce! Attack me all you want, you bastard!!!" Lucifer groaned while having his jaws filled with Leiptr''s flesh, scales, and blood. "GRAAAAAARRRGGH! Y-YOUUUU¡­!" Leiptr roared in fury, opening his jaws, and unleashing a Dragon Breath Attack over Lucifer''s head! BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! Lucifer, however, tanked the breath attack, even as his head was covered in wounds and frost his several arms quickly unleashed a barrage of shing w attacks, and then a kick hit Leiptr''s face! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BAAAAAMM¡­! "Unnggh¡­!" CRAAAAASSSHHH¡­! Leiptrnded over another mountain, which quickly began crumbling down. TRUUUMMM¡­! ----- Chapter 772 The Clash Continues!

Chapter 772 The sh Continues!

----- Gjoll quickly stood up from having fell from Maria''s blows. His body slowly regenerating the wounds. He red at her from below, gritting his teeth. Deep down, he started to wonder if she had already surpassed even the power of demigods such as Divine Dragons such as them¡­ N?v(el)B\\jnn "Just how strong as this woman be? She seems excellent at hiding it, though¡­" He muttered. "My Divine Weapon, hear my call. The one made from my own flesh, blood, and scales! [Gjoll, the Winter-Bringing Hammer]!" FLUOOOOSH! In a mere second, Gjoll summoned a gigantic divine hammer out of his own flesh, blood, and even his scales and soul! This was a power that Divine Dragons held, to materialize their own bodies into divine weapons when they reached a certain level of strength and age. "[Heaven''s Fall]!" Jonathan emerged from above him, as the slow and bulky dragon watched as his Divine Sword shone with the radiance and brilliance of the sun itself, the skies opened in a second, as an all-powerful, divine ray of light descended upon him. FLAAAAAASH! "Hah! As if a bit of light could ever harm me!" Laughed Gjoll, jumping into the skies and confronting the descending ray of pure light which came with the shing power of Jonathan''s sword. "RAAAAAAHHH!" He swung his gigantic hammer against the light, as it was instantly deflected back into the skies, an enormous explosion spread across the clouds the moment he reflected such a powerful attack! BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! "W-What?! He reflected one of my strongest moves¡­" Jonathan felt surprised, as his body quickly gained an enhancement on his defenses before the massive dragon''s hammer were to hit him. CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAASH! He used his Divine Sword to intercept the blows barely, while Maria quickly flew down towards the two of them, having suddenly grown another pair of arms which she used to wield her two powerful Weapons, the [Abyssal Necrolord''s ursed Demon de] and the [Demonic Infernal Titan''s Grand As Halberd], both weapons exuding a powerful, deadly demonic aura thatbined with her own Divinities and Skills, and also her own Divine Lightning Body Skill! "[ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts]: [Abyssal Ascension]! [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts]: [Demonic sh]!" Two attacks at once reached Gjoll, one that unleashed an ascending sword attack that brought upon the enormous fury and demonic phantasmal power of Helheim itself into the world of the living, and a powerful sh that pierced through flesh and soul. SLAAAASH! SLAAAASH! SLAAAASH! CLAAAAASSSHH!!! "Unnnggh..! AAAGGH¡­!" Gjoll groaned, constantly using his massive hammer to intercept the consecutive and deadly blows that could even pierce trough his hard defenses! "Not enough!" Heughed, however, as his Aura exuded a powerful amount of Magical Power. "[Divine Blizzard Magic]: [Fimbulwinter]!" FLUOOOOOOSH! An enormous storm of blizzard winds were unleashed, pushing Maria and Jonathan away with great force. The blizzard held millions of small piercing icicle spears as well, constantly dealing damage! "Did you thought a few punches would be enough?!" Roared the Dragon, flying towards Maria, and pointing his hammer down at her. "Well, you''re terribly wrong!!!" CLAAAAAAASSSSHHH!!! An enormous blow was unleashed, shing against Maria, and throwing her down into the mountains below, several mountains shattered into pieces, crumbling apart, one after the other. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! TRUUUUMMM¡­! "You bastard! [Divine Sunshine de Arts]: [Heavenly Sun''s Judgement]!" Jonathan roared with fury, swinging his gigantic Divine Sword and unleashing a massive sh of pure divine power against the giant dragon. "RUBBISH!" Laughed Gjoll, swinging his gigantic hammer against Jonathan''s attacks! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! CRAAAASH! "Unngh¡­! AKH!" Jonathan was being quickly overwhelmed, the size difference was already immense, and he was being thrown around like a ragdoll! "Oi, you''re fighting me." Maria said, appearing behind Gjoll as her gigantic hands reached his face before he could counterattack, the same techniques used beforehand pierced his scales and crushed one of his eyes! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! "U-UNNGGH¡­!" Gjoll groaned in agony as he was pushed back by Maria. Even when he had thrown her down like nothing, she came back a second after! She was incredibly formidable, he had to admit it. "You''re formidable, however¡­!" FLAAAASH! "However what?!" "HUH?!" Maria had immediately teleported in front of him through her Shadow Teleportation Skill, as her body grew dozens of more arms and fists, unleashing a barrage of deadly blows against Gjoll''s entire body, while her two powerful Divine Weapons unleashed ck lightning attacks that pierced his scales! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAAASSSHH!!! "GRAAAAAAAGGGHHH¡­!" Gjoll groaned, his body was in a single second once more covered on deadly wounds, bleeding all over! The ferocious Frost Dragon red at Maria with shock, only for her to continue her onught without stopping. "[Selene''s Palm of Judgement]!" She roared, as a gigantic palm made of pure divine and moonlight energy fell from above, pushing down the gigantic dragon into the mountains below! BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM¡­! "I-IMPOSSIBLE¡­! I keep being overwhelmed!" Gjoll muttered, vomiting blood in surprise. "Have I misinterpreted her strength?! Me?! But I didn''t wanted to look down on her yet¡­ I''ve been surprised anyways¡­!" The Ancient Divine Frost Dragon was left in awe, ncing at Maria gracefully and powerfully overwhelm him made him remember the times he fought against many powerful Titans in the past. "She''s¡­ truly a Titan! Perhaps thest Titan in this world¡­" He muttered, standing back up only for Maria and Jonathan to emerge from above! "[Qliphoth Tree Magic]: [Abyssal Life Draining Roots] [Decaying Spores of Death]!" Maria roared, as a powerful and mysterious Magic Gjoll had neve seen before was summoned. FLUOOSH! Hundreds of ck tree roots began to grow around his arms and legs, tightly keeping him in ce while absorbing his life and mana constantly! At the same time, poisonous and toxic spores emerged out of Maria''s body, cursing him, and weakening him severely. "COUGH¡­ UGH¡­! T-These roots! What sort of magic is this?! It feels like Nature Magic, yet it is Death Magic?!" Gjoll said in amusement. "[Divine Starlight de Arts]: [Starfall sh]!" Jonathan, however had also not gonepletely all-out, as he unleashed his newest Skill, Divine Starlight de Arts, which allowed him not only to channel the power of the Sun as a star, but the many stars within the night sky! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! Gjoll was utterly overwhelmed as each of Jonathan''s attacks was like a falling star! "T-THIS IS¡­ A MERE HUMAN¡­?! UUUAAGGGH¡­!" CRAAAAAASSSHHH! ----- Chapter 773 The Divine Dragons Struggle

Chapter 773 The Divine Dragons Struggle

----- After being overwhelmed by Maria, Jonathan quickly followed up with a deadly attack against Gjoll! "[Divine Starlight de Arts]: [Starfall sh]!" Jonathan roared. Goingpletely all-out, he unleashed his newest Skill, Divine Starlight de Arts, which allowed him not only to channel the power of the Sun as a star, but the many stars within the night sky! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Gjoll was utterly overwhelmed as each of Jonathan''s attacks was like a falling star! Exploding into bright, divine light, which pierced his already opened wounds while the roots and spores that Maria exuded constantly weakened him even more. The Divine Frost Dragon couldn''t take any more hits, instantly beingpletely overwhelmed, yet filled with rage over his own arrogance, a mere human was overwhelming him! "T-THIS IS¡­ A MERE HUMAN¡­?! UUUAAGGGH¡­!" CRAAAAAASSSHHH! His gigantic body crashed over the mountains below, shattering them all apart one after the other. At the same time, Maria descended towards his body while imbuing her Divine Powers into her two swords and merging them as one, long ck spear imbued with the power of ck lighting, death, chaos, darkness, and poison. FLAAASH! Ding! [The Power of your Divine Skills and Divinity has reacted with your Weapons, temporarily creating the Divine Relic: [Divinity Piercing Spear of Absolute Death: Laevateinn]!] [Duration: 5 Minutes.] "Gjoll, I also used to be a mere human!" Maria smiled, descending towards the titanic dragon using her gigantic body and the enormous ck spear pointing down at the dragon''s chest! "UGH¡­!" Gjoll groaned, desperately trying to get up and fight back, moving his gigantic hammer and shing against Maria''s spear! CLAAAAAASSSSSHHHH!!!! The enormous impact between both powerful Divine Relics generated all-powerful shockwaves of pure Divinity, which spread across the skies and the surrounding mountains. Dozens of them began shattering apart by the mere, all-powerful impact. "Y-You can even create Divine Relics like we dragons and titans could¡­!" Gjoll muttered. "Incredible¡­ You''re¡­ you''re truly a monster!" Ancient Divine Dragons and Titans possessed a special power, which Gods actually didn''t properly had, the power to turn their own flesh, blood, and souls into a weapon. Every Divine Dragon and Titan that was strong enough held their own unique Relics, some of them, such as those that Skadi left behind here, were also made from her own body. The ancient Aesir stole the weapons from them and modified them using their divine powers, this is how Aesir such as Odin acquired their legendary weapons, such as Gungnir, which was actually made from Ymir''s spine. "Well, I''ve been recognized by Ymir as his daughter, so turns out I am a Titaness, lizard!" Laughed Maria viinously, as she swung her spear countless times at once, while her dozens of arms and fists reached the giant dragon like falling meteors! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "UUUAAGGGH¡­.!" Gjoll couldn''t take any more. Maria continued punching him and piercing his body with her powerful spear, and his divinity and strength were constantly fading away. It was as if by merely being in front of this woman, his Health and Mana were being slowly absorbed by her. And not even his Divine Power was safe from her existence. "Could she¡­ truly be capable of killing them¡­?" Gjoll wondered. "The Aesir¡­?!" ¡­ Meanwhile, in the other side of the battlefield, enormous Yggdrasil trees were constantly popping up out of the arrows Emeraldine fired, as her healing magic kept Lucifer and Partner healthy as they fought the ferocious and powerful Leiptr. "[Divine Spirit Arrow Arts]: [Divine Yggdrasil Arrows]!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! Each arrow that pierced his scaled body would explode into trees, spreading their roots across his body and decreasing Leiptr''s stats constantly. The serpentine dragon was fast, but Emeraldine''s amazing precision and speed was almost equal to his! "Unngh¡­! These damn trees are sucking my life force and slowing me down¡­!" Leiptr thought. "You damn ELF! PERISH! ROOOOOAAAARRRRR!" Leiptr roared furiously, opening his gigantic jaws and channeling Divine Power and Mana, a tremendous ray of utter destruction emerged from within! TRUUUUUUUUMMMMM¡­! However, Partner stepped forward in front of Emeraldine, smiling devilishly as her aura of blood and darkness gathered around her into a powerful barrier! "[Demonic Vampiric Blood Arts]: [Gluttony Shield]!" BOOOOOOOOMMMMM¡­! FLUOOOOSH! The Dragon Breath Attack was instantly absorbed by the barrier, spiraling around and then disappearing as if it were a sink! This was one of Partner''s new Arts, although she couldn''t overuse it due to its elevated cost, it was quite handy. "W-What sort of magic is that?!" Leiptr was shocked. "Oi, you''re fighting me." A voice echoed behind him. "AH?!" Leiptr was unable to react, even with his Divine Relic on hand, the Heaven-Piercing Silver Spear: Leiptr, he was still pushed down like a ragdoll by an enormous body ming from Lucifer! CRAAAAAAASSSSHHH!!! "U-Uuggh¡­." Leiptr muttered, vomiting blood. "To be overwhelmed by mere mortals¡­ And a Dragon that had long ago died pathetically¡­ I cannot take this disgrace any longer¡­!" Leiptr roared, immediately jumping back to action, and activating his Divine Draconic Aura, surging with tremendous, all-epassing power! His wounds slowly began to heal much faster, and his speed was enhanced even further. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLAAASH! He moved across the skies like a sh of silver light, with his spear on hand, he finally attacked after confusing his foes, reaching Lucifer, of course! "Take this!" CLAAAAASH!!! A powerful piercing attack reached Lucifer''s chest, piercing through his Divine Dragon Heart and into his spine, an explosion of frost immediately began to cover his body! "UUNNGGHH¡­?!" Lucifer groaned, vomiting blood as his heart was pierced! "LUCIFER!" Partner roared, rushing towards Leiptr, and enhancing her strength through the roof. "Get off that stupid lizard, you stupid snake!!! [Demonic Blood Spear Arts]: [Void Piercing Thrust]!!!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAAAASSSH!!! Partner unleashed an utterly destructive barrage of piercing thrusts using her two demonic spears, enchanted by her Demonic and vampiric auras! "GRUUAAAGGH¡­!" Leiptr groaned in agony, forced to pull back as he flew into the skies once more! FLAAAASH! However, hundreds of Spiritual Arrows pierced through his body even as he moved at a super-sonic speed, Emeraldine''s attacks once more overwhelmed him! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! ----- Chapter 774 The Defeat Of The Two Mighty Dragons

Chapter 774 The Defeat Of The Two Mighty Dragons

----- After overwhelming Lucifer with a surprise attack into his weak point, the Dragon Heart, Leiptr was greeted with a furious Partner. "Get off that stupid lizard, you stupid snake!!! [Demonic Blood Spear Arts]: [Void Piercing Thrust]!!!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Partner unleashed an utterly destructive barrage of piercing thrusts using her two demonic spears, enchanted by her Demonic and vampiric auras! Her attacks were so strong they even pierced across space itself, shattering the void and reaching Leiptr''s body even from afar, as if they were skipping space! CRAAAAASSSH!!! "GRUUAAAGGH¡­!" Leiptr groaned in agony, blood sttering from his entire body, forced to pull back as he flew into the skies once more! FLAAAASH! "Hahhh¡­ W-What in the world?! Howe that false Vampire is so strong?!" Leiptr thought. "She should be even weaker than that woman from before¡­ Huh?!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! However, before Leiptr could even think straight and recover his wounds properly, hundreds of Spiritual Arrows pierced through his body even as he moved at a super-sonic speed, Emeraldine''s attacks once more overwhelmed him! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The arrows exploded into explosions of Light and Nature, burning his flesh and making miniature Yggdrasil Trees grow in between his wounds, stopping his self-regeneration and draining away his blood and vitality¡­ "And that damn elf¡­ She''s simply ridiculous!" Leiptr thought. "I had battled the children of the Vanir before, but they were nothing but ants with their feeble spirit magics¡­ Yet I had never fought an Elf that has ascended to this state of divinity¡­ And is she¡­?! It can''t be! Yggdrasil herself is within her own body and magic?! What¡­ does this even means?! Are we battling¡­ the will of the world itself?!" Leiptr began to realize that his battle was even contradicting the world itself, if someone like Emeraldine, the vessel of Yggdrasil, was trying to fight him and stop him¡­ Self-doubt clouded his mind, which the trio he was fighting used to their advantage. "Thinking about love, snake?!" Asked Lucifer, roaring furiously as he charged against him. Suddenly summoning a gigantic Scythe made of Phantasmal mes, which then transformed into a ck scythe made out of Abyssal Death mes. "You again?!" Leiptr muttered, intercepting Lucifer''s attacks using his silver-colored spear, shes of silver color and ck colored explosions spread across the skies, the clouds were constantly dissipating before either sh. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "Howe you''re so energetic after I pierced your Dragon Heart?!" Asked Leiptr. "Shouldn''t that be your worst weakness?" "Weakness?!" Laughed Lucifer while smiling. "I have no such weaknesses, you snake! I was killed, and risen back from the dead by Maria! I became her Undead, I could regenerate any wound, and even as I was split into pieces, I could continue surviving, and thriving¡­ Until you can somehow reach my soul¡­ You''ll not be able to easily overwhelm me! [Chaotic Catastrophe]!" FLAAASH! Lucifer''s index finger managed to touch Leiptr''s arm, as a sh of ck light emerged from within, distorting space itself as a huge, chaotic explosion surged out of thin air! N?v(el)B\\jnn BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!! "AAAAAARRGGH¡­! RAAAAAHHH¡­!" Leiptr screamed in agony as his left arm exploded into pieces. "H-How could you?! Such destructive magic¡­ A Dragon capable of wielding the element of Chaos?!" "And not just that!" Laughed Lucifer. "[Eternal Domain of Hel]! [Death Dragon Familiar Summon]! Catch him, my familiars!" FLUOOOOOSH! A domain of pure death emerged around Leiptr, trapping him within a pseudo realm of temporary existence, embodying the very dread and atmosphere as Helheim itself. "The domain of Helheim?!" Leiptr muttered. "Not even we could do this¡­! And- Ugh?!" He quickly realized there were hundreds of smaller Dragons made out of phantasmal energy and Abyssal Death mes slowly attempting to weaken him and slow him down. "BEGONE!" FLAAASH! Unleashing a deadly Dragon Breath Attack, Leiptr vaporized them one after another, but due to the time he had to spend destroying them, that gave enough time for the three foes he was confronting all at once to attack him! "You''re a bit too rxed!" Lucifer roared, swinging his gigantic scythe and attacking Leiptr with a barrage of shing blows into his soul, weakening him, lowering his stats, cursing his soul, and even damaging it! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! "Hey, don''t forget about me, okay~?" Partner giggled maliciously, her two Spears suddenly became a gigantic blood crimson spear imbued with all her powers, each of its piercing blows left literal holes over Leiptr''s own flesh, where blood constantly came out, and was instantly absorbed by Partner! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "This is the path we choose, even if we have to fight demigods such as you, we won''t falter!" Emeraldine roared bravely. Firing a hundred more arrows imbued with the power of the Divine Spirits she possessed, each Arrow reached the giant serpentine dragon, exploding all over his body, and spreading more and more roots across his wounds! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "NNGGHHAAAAAAAAHH¡­!" Leiptr screamed in utter agony as he fell from the skies,pletely defeated. "Unnggh¡­ T-This is¡­ Why? Why do I feel¡­ regret?!" Leiptr and Gjoll were thinking the same thing as they were being overwhelmed by their foes. It still felt, even with their loyalty, that they had been fighting those that didn''t had to be fought. Both despaired as they recognized their incredible strength. Yet at the same time, they felt incredibly saddened, as their power was not enough to defend their Queen, despite everything they did¡­ "That''s enough, Gjoll!" Maria roared, as her spear, Laevateinn, pierced through the chest of the titanic and bulky dragon, piercing his dragon heart and then, making it explode inside of his own chest. CRAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!!! "UUUGRAAAARRGGHH¡­.!" Gjoll gave an agonizingst roar of pain, as he vomited blood. "Unngh¡­ It is my lost¡­ I recognize your strength, mortals¡­" Gjoll muttered, as he fell from the skies alongside his brother. BAAAAMMM¡­! Both of their bodies fell together, over the same mountain. And just as Maria had promised, the white mountains were now stained red with their blood. ----- Chapter 775 Level Up & New Undead Allies

Chapter 775 Level Up & New Undead Allies

----- Ding! [You and your Party have defeated [Ancient Divine Frost Dragon: Gjoll (S+++ Rank)] and [Ancient Divine Frost Dragon: Leiptr (S+++ Rank)]!] [You earned 200.000.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from level 75 to Level 84!] [All of your Stats have increased.] [You earned a bonus of 9.000.000 System Points.] [Your Job ss and Subss Level has increased from Level 63 to Level 80!] [The [Job ss]: [Soul Shattering ck Knight: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] has reached the Max Level!] [You gained +100000 HP and +50000 Attack.] [You learned the [Soul Shattering de Arts: Lv1] Skill!] [The [Soul Shattering de Arts: Lv1] Skill has been automatically merged into the [ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts: Lv4] Skill, creating the [Nightmarish Abyssal Soul Shattering de Arts: Lv5]!] [All Physical Skills have gained a Bonus Level.] [The [Subss]: [Soul Bending Alchemist: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] has reached the Max Level!] [You gained +100000 MP and +50000 Magic.] [You learned the [Soul Binding Alchemy: Lv1] Skill!] [All Support Skills have gained a Bonus Level.] [You can now Change Job ss and Subss to extent your Level Cap.] "These guys were a real piece of work¡­ Phew." Maria sighed in relief, turning back to her ghostly form. POOF! "Indeed¡­ Sorry for not being able to help as much." Jonathan sighed. "I would had never been able to defeat them myself¡­" "Don''t sweat it Jonathan." Maria sighed. "Your help is already good enough-" "Mama not fair! I wanted to fight those big dragons too!" Arachne appeared from within Maria''s shadows. "I got EXP anyways but it feels unfair¡­" "I know, I''m sorry dear, but you''ve gotta wait and be patient." Maria smiled. "For now, let''s go see those grumpy dragons¡­" Maria, Jonathan, and Arachne flew back down, regrouping with Lucifer, Partner, and Emeraldine. "Hey, not fair! Why did you had to fight alongside him again?! Ugh!" Partner was getting more and more jealous. Maria could barely handle her tantrum. "Fight at my side next, okay?" "Sigh¡­" Maria sighed, giving her a head pat. "You did well, Partner." And then gave her a lovely kiss in her soft and red lips. "You''re really special, I love you." "Uwaaahhh~" Partner started blushing while steam wasing from her pointy ears. That''s all it took to calm her tantrums. "Y-Yesh~ I wuv you too~ Heheh~" "T-That''s¡­ are we next in the line?" Lucifer wondered, fidgeting around. "Hahaha, I don''t think we should be kissing while we are in the middle of a dungeon¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "Partner needed that to calm down, she''s too grumpy sometimes." "Yeah, sorry, when we''re back home, I''ll give everyone lots of love." Maria sighed. "Now¡­ into more important matters, you two. [Transfiguration of Death]!" Maria swiftly grabbed the Divine Souls of the two Divine Dragons, Gjoll and Leiptr, and put them back into their bodies, before she healed them using Death Restoration. FLAAAAASH! Their souls and bodies became one once more, bing a never seen before Undead Divine Frost Dragons! Gjoll and Leiptr were back once more¡­ "Ungh?! W-What is this sensation?! Ahh¡­ D-Didn''t we die?!" Gjoll wondered in shock. "W-Wait, it can''t be! You turned us into Undead?!" "So that''s what it is¡­" Leiptr sighed. "I can''t believe you would go this far¡­ Maria." "Sorry, but we explicitly didn''t shattered your souls because we didn''t wanted you gone." Maria giggled. "Now, will you let us exin to you what we wanted to do?" "Exin?" Gjoll sighed. "Well¡­ I feel like I cannot even harm you anymore. So fine, talk away¡­" "What do you want to exin?" Leiter said angrily, crossing his arms. Although Undead were usually very obedient, these were much different. The reason was because they were still Divine Beings, demigods, to say the least. Due to this reason, their will was even capable of resisting Maria''s control over her Undead, granting them a pseudo independence. Yet, still, it felt as if they were still forbidden from harming her, though they could still not obey her at all and just go away from her. Nheless, through the battle, the two siblings developed a lot of respect to them, their bravery, strength, and wits surprised them to no extent. Deep down, both wished to hear what Maria wanted to say. "We don''t want to kill Tear." Maria sighed. "We''ll p her really good and take away that crown from her head. And we''ll try to bring her back to her normal state." "Y-You don''t want to kill her?!" Gjoll asked. "Yet what you desire to do is still equal to stripping her of all her strength and authority¡­" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "But still¡­ you wish her wellbeing?" Leiptr wondered. "Indeed." Maria sighed. "This is what I was trying to say before!" Veredorr facepalmed. "Why do you guys don''t listen?! Also Maria you seemed deadest on just killing them¡­" "I mean, the EXP was necessary." Maria giggled. "And I knew I could turn them into our side like this anyways¡­ Now, will you join us? Tear has gone insane, if this continues, she''ll kill even more innocents¡­ Are you sure you want to die in that hill?" "No¡­" Gjoll sighed. "Brother!" Leiptr was surprised. "But-" "Leiptr! Stop pretending that this is fine¡­" Gjoll sighed. "Our gratefulness for Tear is the greatest we have, yet, we both know that her dreams are not really good for her, what she desires¡­ her wicked goals, we can''t just let her be a monster that not even herself will be able to forgive." "That''s¡­ Well, you''re not wrong." Leiptr sighed. "I just¡­ I want to protect her, I don''t want anything bad to happen to her. I don''t want her to be harmed¡­!" "Then let''s just go with them and help her! Let''s take away that wicked crown she has, and turn her back into the real self that we''ve never seen before¡­ The Real Tear that this ghost talked about." Gjoll said with a smile. "The real Tear¡­" Leiptr sighed. "W-Well, fine! But I still haven''t forgiven you for killing Valkoinen!" "Hahaha, that''s fair." Maria giggled. "Alright! It''s done! Now, let''s have a little meal, I''m hungry! Want some roasted meat you guys?" "E-Eh? Sure¡­" Gjoll felt strange. "T-This is not the time for feasting!" Leiptr angrily barked. ----- Chapter 776 Growing Stronger

Chapter 776 Growing Stronger

----- After raising Gjoll and Leiptr into Undead Divine Frost Dragons and making us our allies, we decided to take a small break before moving on. Just ten minutes of filling ourselves with some delicious food to recover Mana, Stamina, and Even Soul Energy. For that, I decided to add some new ingredients, Divine Dragon Meat! Indeed, I sneakily had taken some of their meat off before I raised them into Undead and chopped it nicely before adding it to a stew. I know it might be weird, so I didn''t feed it to those two, I gave them some roasted Giant Wolves and Frost Snakes instead. But as for us? We''ll be enjoying theirst gift, all while I change my Job ss and Subss to gain more power. ----- [Night Devouring Specter: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Cost: 3.000.000 System Points] [Wrathful Berserk Titan: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Cost: 4.000.000 System Points] [Abyssal Unholy Saintess: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Cost: 6.000.000 System Points] [Shadow Sculptor: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Cost: 3.000.000 System Points] [Ancient Relic cksmith: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Cost: 4.000.000 System Points] [Necromancer Alchemist: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Cost: 6.000.000 System Points] ----- These new Job ss and Subss have finally reached 3 Stars! And they be Mythical Grade. I can tell why they''re mythical straight away, all those names sound pretty amazing. Their cost has increased a lot too. Abyssal Unholy Saintess alludes to a specializes on death magic, I wonder? And then there''s Necromancer Alchemist, which is probably something I had already figured out, the fusion between necromancy and alchemy. Though, to be honest, I don''t want any of the most expensive ones, not because they don''t sound awesome, but because I''ve already specialized on magic and alchemy and necromancy all my life as a ghost! I want something new, and my physical strength is what''s new. Developing it with new abilities is important, especially because all of those powers came in clutch against these powerful dragons, magic alone couldn''t have helped me win this time, but its harmony with my transformation skills and physical skills did. And in the Subsses¡­ Necromancer Alchemist sounds too boring and basic, so we''ll take a path I haven''t taken before, something that I haven''t ever heard of, which seems that it could help me awaken the power within my own shadows. Ding! [You''ve exchanged 4.000.000 System Points.] [Your Job ss has Ranked Up to the [Wrathful Berserk Titan: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] Job ss!] [Your HP, Attack, Defense, and Agility have increased by +100000] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [All of your Physical Skills and Body Skills have gained one Bonus Level.] [You''ve exchanged 3.000.000 System Points.] [Your Subss has Ranked Up to the [Shadow Sculptor: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] Subss!] [Your MP and Magic has increased by +70000] [Your Aether has increased by +100] [All of your Magic Support and Crafting Rted Skills have gained one Bonus Level.] [The power of the Wrathful Berserk Titan Job ss is influencing your understanding of the Physical Might of Titans you wield! You''ve now learned new Techniques.] [The power of the Shadow Sculptor Subss has increased your understanding of your own shadows and the element of darkness,bined with the ability to craft and create, you''re now capable of doing many new things with your shadows¡­ They''re not only just mere shadows, but a material you can now use.] [Your Job ss and Subss Level Cap has increased to Level 100!] FLAAAASH! The moment I Ranked Up Job ss and Subss, I felt much stronger. And also, most of my Skills except personal Skills and Titles ended leveling up! Job ss and Subss change not only brought insane stat boosts but also tons of bonus Skill Levels, all at the cost of ridiculous quantities of System Points, though I''m earning a lot now that I''m beating down S Rank monsters. Ding! [The [Qliphoth Tree Magic: Lv1] Skill has increased to Level 2!] ----- [Qliphoth Tree Magic: Lv2] The power of the Demonic Tree of Death dwells within your soul and body. You can now summon their all-powerful strength to battle through powerful spells that bring forth the opposite of Yggdrasil. Absorb the lives of your foes, drain their souls, devour their magic, poison their flesh, and make them decay, it is your choice. Additionally, Enhances Darkness, Death, and Poison Attribute Magic Power and Effects by +250%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level, and decreases their Mana Cost by -30%. Avable Spells: Level 1: [Abyssal Life Draining Roots] [Decaying Spores of Death] Level 2: [Dark Leaves of Soul Tearing] [Netherworld''s Bark Armor] Level 3: ??? ----- Oh nice, two new Spells of this crazy broken Magic I discovered all by my own! Qliphoth Tree Magic is thebination of meprehending Yggdrasil Magic and twisting it into bing the opposite of Life, Harmony, Nature, and Light, epassing Death, Chaos, Darkness, and Poison instead. And the tree even exists, instead of being a hypothetical tree once spoken by ancient wisemen and librarians, as it inhabits within my Soul Scape, which, thanks to the crazy bonus of +100 Spirit, has grown much stronger now. Dark Leaves of Soul Tearing helped me summon ck colored leaves out of my own body, which I could manipte with dark winds spells to generate slicing tornadoes. These leaves can slice through souls easily, and are perfect to weaken foes, as each cut in the soul bes a curse that decreases stat a tiny bit. Lastly, Netherworld''s Bark Armor is ideal, as it helps me grow an armor made of ck bark from the death tree itself all over my body, helping me at taking hits. It also drains the HP and MP of anything that hits it. Overall, these are pretty sweet Spells! Though there''s tons of Skills at Level 10, should I upgrade some? I remember that eating one of the Death Trees fruits helped me evolve a single Skill at random. Ding! [Your Soul Scape has developed greatly, all of your Spirit Treasures have Ranked Up!] [The [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth] has created another [Demonic Death Fruit]!] [The [Moon Gazing Giant Lily] has generated more [Moonlight Crystals]!] Nice, let''s harvest these resources while we can! ----- Chapter 777 The Evolution Of The Abyssal Body Skill

Chapter 777 The Evolution Of The Abyssal Body Skill

----- Ding! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Your Soul Scape has developed greatly, all of your Spirit Treasures have Ranked Up!] [The [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth] has created another [Demonic Death Fruit]!] [The [Moon Gazing Giant Lily] has generated more [Moonlight Crystals]!] As I changed Job ss and Subss, I suddenly and out of nowhere earned 100 Spirit Stat, which greatly enhanced the quality and power of my Soul Scape. My Spirit Treasures all gained +2 Ranks of quality, and those that produce important resources produced even more as a result of the surplus of Divine Power. So for now, let''s eat this big and delicious fruit! "Nom! Nom!" I bite on it happily while Partner looked at me curiously. "Master, what is that tasty fruit?" She wondered. "O-Oh¡­ N-Nothing! Hahah¡­" I was a bit greedy, but I wanted to eat it myself, heh. Ding! [You have consumed the [Demonic Death Fruit (A++ Grade)]!] [Your Stats have increased!] [+20000 MP] [+22000 Magic] [+24 Aether] Wait, what?! So much power now? I remember the first fruit gave me even less! How is this possible?! Wait¡­ Is it because the tree gained two ranks of quality? So the higher the quality, the more power the fruits will give to me¡­ Well, the description does says that it eventually stops giving me stats, but at the very least for now, I''ll be enjoying these bonuses happily. "So you ate another fruit!" Tyr said to my mind through telepathy. "This one has much more energy though. It seems that it might actually be a reliable source of stats and power for a while until you can no longer earn stats from them. Unlike you said before, heh." "I guess so¡­" Iughed. "Though for now- Oh?" Ding! [The Skill [Abyssal Body: Lv10] has evolved to [Eldritch Body: Lv1]!] ----- [Eldritch Body: Lv1] Your body has be "eldritch" something that cannot bepletely discerned, norpletely understood, yet that harbors the very essence of the abyss itself. You''re the embodiment of darkness, the abyss, and everything within the "outside", the void. Your body cannot be easily shaken by thews and powers of the mortal world. And so you take no damage from any non-divine or demonic attack directed towards you. Your body''s regeneration speed permanently increases by +1000%. Darkness, Shadows, Poison, Chaos, Void, Space, and other rted Elemental Attributes gain a +500% boost to their total power, and a decrease of -50% of their MP consumption, you can also absorb 50% of the damage taken if it is from these elements. By activating this Body''s special power, and constantly drain your own MP and Spiritual Energies, you can increase all Stats by +500%, HP Regeneration Speed by +400%, Magic Damage by +300%, and your mere presence will cause a tremendous fear on those that cannotprehend your existence, lowering all their Stats by -50%. Additionally, 30% of any damage will be bounced back to the foe, and foes take constant damage the more they hit your body directly. With each Skill Level, these effects increase exponentially. ----- FLAAAAASH! The moment the Abyssal Body Skill evolved, I felt my entire body twisting and transforming. As if my very being was beingpletely reborn. It didn''t felt painful, nor anything at all other than¡­plete bliss. It felt as if I was breaking out of a shell of some sort, as if I was being freed from the shackles of my previous existence. I was¡­ it felt like my body slowly was ascending to something beyond the mortal realm. Yet this power harmoniously lived with all my other Body Skills, as if I was bing many things all at once¡­ And, at the same time, it felt like it was an iplete change. It stopped too abruptly! I was almost there and then¡­ I couldn''t. I guess this is a barrier I cannot easily pierce through yet, I need to get even stronger. "Y-You¡­ Did you just be a goddess?!" Tyr wondered. "Eh? Me?" I wondered. "Do I look like one~?" "Ah, never mind. You have yet to ascend. But that fruit¡­ it gave you an unparalleled power enough to help you partially ascend! If you eat more, you''ll eventually break through that barrier." Tyr said. "Though, not even by ascending you''llpared to the big shots like my father, Odin¡­ Nor Hel, or her siblings, even less her father, Loki. But well, you''ll get there." "Wow thanks for being such a party pooper, let me enjoy my power up for once, dumbass." I sighed, feeling disappointed. "O-Oi! Treat me better! I was the God of War and Judgment!" He angrily barked, but I ignored the ball of darkness for now, as I joined the rest of my party on the feast while checking on the Moonlight Crystals I had. I had around fifty by now, enough to fully recover my Moonlight Energy once¡­ If I really need it. Naturally it has recovered by around 50% of all I lost on ourst battle against the dragons. This energy is like my own divine power in a way, it what helps me the most in breaking through the barrier between us and pseudo divine beings, such as "demigods", the Divine Dragons out there. It is an essential part of my Lesser Divinity I acquired, so in theory, Tyr was right, I''ve been a Demigoddess, a really weak one since I evolved into my Selene Form. But to exert such power on its totality, I need the Moonlight Essence, so it is a precious resource I cannot waste around. Maybeter, once I have more time, I''ll craft more essories with Moonlight Crystals to increase my recovery speed even more, I''ll need more rings, earrings, a crown, how about a dress made of jewels? Maybe even boots, ne, a choker, everything I can. "Hmmm~ This meat is so tasty and filled with Divine Power!" Said Partner. "Where did you get this, master?" "Yeah, it is really good¡­" Said Emeraldine. "Is it from some monster in the army we fought before?" "E-Err¡­ Yeaah, that''s right." I nodded. It is better if I dont reveal the meat is from the dragons standing right next to us. ----- Chapter 778 Against The Frost Queen Calamity

Chapter 778 Against The Frost Queen Cmity

----- Within the top of the Tower of Skadi, the Frost Queen gritted her teeth in fury and frustration, feeling the betrayal of her two dragons the most. She saw how they became Maria''s Undead and decided to serve her and stop Tear from bing a monster. "H-How dare they?!" She roared in anger. "More and more betrayals¡­ It feels like I simply cannot trust anybody¡­ Mother, you''re the only one here I can trust now, you''re the only¡­ the only one." "Yes, dear¡­" Her mother, a tall and muscr Ice Giantess sighed, exuding a Divine Aura equal to an Ancient Titan. "Leave them to me. I will crush them for you¡­ This world will belong to you, Tear. And those dragons, I will destroy them, pulverize them, for their betrayal¡­" "Fufufu~ Such a thrilling development¡­" Giggled the Vampiress voice. "I can''t wait for what''sing next~ The final showdown and the exhrating climax is here! Oh, where did I left this bottle of blood I had stashed somewhere?" Although they couldn''t see her, they heard her malicious voice echoing around. The Vampiress that had been helping Tear for a while stayed here, nning something. "Can I count on your help, Vampiress?" Tear asked. "But of course!" Laughed the Vampiress. "I''ll help¡­ when you least expect it, dear Tear~" "You better do¡­" The Frost Queen said, her sharp eyes glowing bright blue. "Or I won''t let you escape this domain unscathed." "Oooh~ So scary!" Laughed the Vampiress. "They''reing¡­" The Frost Queen''s mother said, as she stepped forward, standing right in front of the tower''s gates. . . . (Maria''s POV) Once we were done eating our revitalizing meal, we decided to move on. ording to Gjoll and Leiptr, this was thest floor where the throne room and the treasury were located. Across these gates, Tear and her mother will be there too, alongside the Vampire woman that attacked us before with those reanimated Origin Souls. "We''ll be fighting three powerful foes at once¡­" I sighed. "Are you all prepared? We''ll have to gopletely all out, and even then, there''s nothing saying we''ll actually win¡­" "I''m ready to give up my life for you." Jonathan smiled. "Is there any need to ask?" Laughed Partner. "Let''s just crush them! I''ll make sure to drink that Vampire woman''s blood and Rank Up." "We''re more than ready!" Emeraldine said with a bright smile. "I''ll make sure to protect everyone with my barriers and arrows." "With two new friends here, I feel even more confident." Lucifer smiled. "Gjoll, Leiptr, I''ll be counting on you two. Please help us restraint Tear so we can take away the crown." "We shall." Gjoll nodded. "We''ll free her from the curse, and return her to the girl she once was." "Sigh¡­ I suppose we''re doing this now." Leiptr sighed. "Tear''s mother won''t be easy to defeat, even less that mysterious Vampiress. Be prepared for the worst, not even us know their full power." "Especially her mother¡­" Said Gjoll. "You said¡­ Tear''s mother?" Veredorr wondered, surging from within my shadows. "But that''s¡­" "What''s wrong?" I asked. "Tear Mother shouldn''t¡­ be alive." Veredorr sighed. "She has been long dead¡­ Even before her brother was killed by those humans¡­" "W-Wait, what?" I asked in surprise. "Eh?! Then who''s that?! Wait! Maybe the vampire revived her mom?" Asked Partner. "That''s¡­ I don''t know." Veredorr sighed. "I am assuming Gjoll and Leiptr don''t know either." "Yeah, she''s always been there." Said Gjoll. "If it isn''t her mother¡­ Who is she?" Leiptr asked. "We''ll have to figure that out by our own then." Emeraldine sighed. "Yeah¡­ There''s no helping it." Lucifer nodded. "Then let''s not waste more time¡­" I sighed. "Arachne, when I finally call you,e out, alright? Do your best once the timees!" "Okay mama!" Arachne nodded. Despite her adorable personality and childish behavior, she was someone that had higher stats than all of us here. She''s our greatest trump card. "Let''s go then." I nodded, stepping in and opening the gates. C r e a a a a a a a k k k k¡­! As we opened the gates, we were greeted by a beautiful and regal throne room, made of divine ice everywhere, and decorated beautifully. In front of us, a giantess of over ten meters of height greeted us, with a beautiful and gant appearance, filled with strong and stoic muscles, exuding divine power equal to ancient titans. And in the back, there was a beautiful ice giantess, sitting over a throne made of ice, wearing a shiny, silver-colored crown covered on divine blue jewels. Her aura was the strongest, exuding a ridiculous amount of Divine Power¡­ We are finally here, at longst. "Wee, Maria, and everyone else¡­" She smiled. "I am pleased to see you here, you''vee directly to me and helped me skip all the trouble of chasing you around, hehe~ Right, mother? Oh, and Gjoll, Leiptr, I am really, really disappointed on you. You damn scaled dogs¡­ To think you would ally her from all things! I guess you didn''t even deserved my attention." "My Queen, you''ve been inflicted with a curse! We''vee to free you!" Gjoll said. "Maria has given us a second chance to make things right now!" Leiptr nodded. "Tch¡­" The Frost Queen red at the two with utter disgust. "Shut up, you useless garbage." "Tear¡­ TEAR! Are you there?! Please,e back to your senses! It''s me! Veredorr!" Veredorr surged from within my shadows, confronting her bravely. "Veredorr?" Tear wondered. "Another garbage I don''t care about¡­ Mother, how about you clean this trash in front of me?" "If you daree here to harm my precious daughter¡­ I''ll crush you! You too, traitorous dragons!" Her "mother" roared, her Divine Aura growing higher and higher, so strong it seemed to overpower us. "R A A A A H H H!!!" And she instantly started with a fight, no more talk! C R A A A A A A S S S H H!!! N?v(el)B\\jnn ----- Chapter 779 An Intense Confrontation

Chapter 779 An Intense Confrontation

----- Tear''s "mother" gigantic frost axe swung down, unleashing a tempest of blizzards and ice everywhere. Even the Divine Frost Dragon Undead were affected by this ice, most likely because they lost part of their Divinities once they turned into Undead. FLUOOOOOOOOOSSSSHH!!! "W-What with this power?!" Lucifer groaned. "It''s insane¡­!" Lucifer noticed how his entire body was beginning to freeze over. The power of this tempestuous blizzard was incredible. And that was alling from a single, gigantic axe that seemed to have been made out of pure Divine Ice, yet it exuded the might of a Titan, giving incredible power to its wielder¡­ Leiptr and Gjoll, the two Ancient Divine Frost Dragons, knew very well where this power wasing from, after all, this was an Axe that even they had recognized as an incredible relic stashed within Skadi''s treasury. "T-That''s¡­ the Divine Relic once wielded by F¨¢rbauti, the Divine cial Frost Axe!" Leiptr said. "It is the Axe once wielded by Loki''s true father, the Ancient Warrior of the Ice Titans¡­!" "It is said that it can bring down the mighty blizzards of the Ancient Realm of Niflheim!" Gjoll said in shock. "I knew this fight would be hard because of that damned weapon!" The two Undead Divine Frost Dragons stepped forward, however, despite the enormous, all-epassing blizzard, and utilized their powerful Divine Auras to attempt to overpower such might! "RAAAAAHHHH!!!" Both roared at the same time. However, the blizzard was only barely weakened, their prowess couldn''tpare to the might of a Legendary Relic. This relic was created using the bones of Ymir, alongside his blood, and the Divine Frost from the Realm of Niflheim before it were to be merged with the rest of the Realms to create the world of Yggdrasil everyone knew now after the war between the Aesir and the Jotun. Ding! [The power of the Ancient Divine Relic [Divine cial Frost Axe] is exuding its truest, fullest Authority! The might of Ymir and F¨¢rbauti arebining together to summon the [Nifl''s Eternal Blizzard]!] [Below this Blizzard, all enemy Stats decrease by -70%, their Divine Authorities are greatly weakened, and they take constant Damage to their HP with each second.] [There is no escape from the might of the Ancient Jotun.] "It is useless!" Roared Tear''s mother. "You will be judged by your treason, you damned dragons! My daughter gave you freedom and promised you a world where you could live happily! Yet what do you do?! YOU BETRAY HER!" FLUOOOOOOSH! Tear''s mother manipted the endless blizzards and divine power together, forming two enormous titanic hands and pushing them down towards Gjoll and Leiptr, pushing them down into the floor! BAAAAAAMM¡­! BAAAAAMMM¡­! "Uuuggh..! Ungh?! T-This might¡­?!" Gjoll muttered. "Leiptr!" "Uuuggh¡­! W-We can''t fight against this power¡­! It is as if our own divinities were instantly cancelled by this much superior power of frost¡­" Leiptr was shocked. "M-Maria, you have to run away, this relic still holds the might of Ymir himself!" However, Maria ignored their words, and simplyughed. She stepped forward fearlessly, her aura surging constantly. All the elements she possessed merged together into her body, as she continued growingrger andrger¡­ "Huh, alright. I guess you''re not just a small fry." Maria smiled, quickly beginning to transform, and exuding her own Aura of power through her newly acquired Eldritch Body Skill and her many otherbined powers and Skills. FLAAAAAASH! Ding! [You havebined the effects of the [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv10], [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv7], [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv3], [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul: Lv3], [Qliphoth Tree Magic: Lv2] and [Eldritch Body: Lv1] Skills to transform into your [Ultimate Form]!] [All of your Stats have temporarily increased by +1000%, your Death, Darkness, Chaos, Poison, and Moonlight Elemental Damage has increased by +10000%, and Skill Damage has increased by +500%!] [However, your Mana is constantly being drained, and so is your Moonlight Essence!] Maria''s small ghostly body instantly turned into a titaness. Gorgeous, made up of dark purple and pink colored moonlight energy which shone with countless bright stars. Her long, purple, and ck hair reached her ankles, and it was made of ferocious snakes, poison, and death. Covering her beautiful moonlight body, a ck and demonic armor with the decorations of many bug-like monstrosities emerged, made of demonic power, chaos, darkness, and the Netherworld Bark capable of draining Life and Mana from those that attacked it. Allbined with the mighty aura of her new body, the Eldritch Body, capable of boosting her prowess even more as she activated its powers, constantly draining away her Mana even more. Ding! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [The power of your [Eldritch Aura] has been activated!] [All Stats have increased by +500%, HP Regeneration Speed has increased by +400%, and Magic Damage by +300%!] [Your mere presence is causing a tremendous fear on those that cannotprehend your existence, lowering all their Stats by -50%!] [Additionally, 30% of any damage will be bounced back to the foe, and foes take constant damage the more they hit your body directly.] [However, your MP and Spiritual Energy are being drained constantly and rapidly!] TRUUUUUUMMM¡­! Her aura of pure darkness and outer might reached Tear''s mother in an instant, as Maria shaped her own shadows and darkness aura through the power of her new Subss, the [Shadow Sculptor]! FLUOOOOSH! "Unnnggh?! T-This aura¡­! W-What is this?! You''re really Maria?! I-Impossible! How strong¡­ are you?!" Screamed Tear''s mother, as the shadow tentacles wrapped around her legs,bined with the roots of the death tree, draining her energy away! "AAAGGH¡­! SCRAM!" He axe swung consecutively, slicing apart the shadows, only for them to regenerate instantly at the same time as Maria braved the blizzard, rushing across its overpowering might. "[Gate of the Underworld]!" FLAAAAASH! Her Mana and Divine Power gathered together in front of her, as a gigantic gate leading to the very Underworld opened, absorbing the entire blizzard in mere seconds! "W-What?!" The Frost Queen groaned in shock, as the mighty blizzard was instantly cancelled by Maria''s genius idea! "RAAAAAAHHHH!!!" At the same time, Gjoll and Leiptr, led by Lucifer, attacked Tear''s mother with all three of their Divine Weapons at hand! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAAAASSSHH!!! "Unnggh¡­! Y-YOU PERSISTENT LIZARDS¡­!" Tear''s mother furiously roared, forced to step back as she was surrounded by the three Divine Dragons. ----- Chapter 780 Against Tear’s "Mother"

Chapter 780 Against Tear''s "Mother"

----- Once Maria managed to temporarily cancel the power of the blizzard by redirecting it to the all-absorbing Gate of the Netherworld, the three dragons charged instantly, attacking with ferocious might. Lucifer used the power of his Scythe made of Abyssal Death mes, while Gjoll and Leiptr unleashed the mighty strength of their two weapons, the Hammer Gjoll and the Spear Leiptr! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAAAASSSHH!!! The three powerful blows managed to throw the mighty Ice Giantess away from her spot, her angered face distorting in pure fury as she saw the traitors working together with her daughter''s enemy. "Unnggh¡­! Y-YOU PERSISTENT LIZARDS¡­!" Tear''s mother furiously roared, forced to step back as she was surrounded by the three Divine Dragons. But that wasn''t all¡­ "[Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique]: [Infernal Spectral Fist]! [Divinity Shattering Death ws]!" Maria appeared right behind Tear''s mother, harboring the power of her own unique Fist Techniques, as her gigantic fists reached an incredible level of power and speed, shing against Tear''s mother by channeling her Death Element to the max! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CRAAAAASSSHHH!!! Each of her fists were like meteors crushing through Tear''s mother hardest defenses. The worst part was that these Level 7 techniques even had the power to hurt her powerful Titan Skin, a protection simr to Divine Dragons scales which Titans possessed. BAAAAAAMMMM¡­! Tear''s mother was thrown like a ragdoll, falling over the ground and shattering the floor countless times, she quickly stood back up, several magic circles appearing around her. "I won''t give up! I won''t let you harm my daughter!" She screamed in anger. "[Divine Frost Titan Magic]: [Skadi''s Divine Frost Weapon Armory]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The magic circles summoned hundreds of huge weapons made of ice, as they wereunched towards Maria and her allies, their very impact over any surface made them explode, freezing anything they reached! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! "D-Dammit! My body! AAARRGGH¡­!" Gjoll screamed, as he was being frozen constantly. "I-I am a Frost Dragon yet I''m being frozen?! UUGGH¡­!" "BROTHER!!!" Leiptr screamed, rushing toward his brother to save him, only to be frozen by countless explosions of divine frost. "UNNNGGH¡­! AAARGH¡­!" Both of the brave Divine Frost Dragons ended being frozen solid, resembling statues in the shape of giant dragons. "[Yggdrasil''s Divine Barrier]!" Emeraldine cried, hitting the floor with her hands as roots of Yggdrasil spread everywhere, a gigantic barrier of divine spiritual energy formed, protecting everyone barely on time. "Gjoll and Leiptr¡­!" Lucifer muttered, seeing the two dragonspletely frozen. "This ice can even freeze frost dragons¡­!" "They got what they deserved!" Laughed Tear with a pleasant smile. "Now they will be forever encased into two beautiful statues! Their souls will never be freed from their cages! This is what you deserve, you utter garbage! GYAHAHAHAH!" "This is the divine judgement of my daughter¡­" Said her mother. "Whoever dares betray her shall meet a simr end! And those that oppose her¡­ Shall have their heads sliced by my Axe!!!" Her mother roared, rushing forwards. F L A A A A S H! In a mere second, she reached Lucifer, swinging her axe against him while firing countless Divine Frost Projectiles! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "DIE!" CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CRAAAASH! "Unnggh¡­! Sorrydy, but I am already dead!" Laughed Lucifer, his body tanking the hits as he slowly began to freeze over, his powerful mes melting the ice slowly as he unleashed a storm of chaos and abyssal mes against her. "[Abyssal Death mes Chaos Catastrophe]!!!" FLUOOOOSH! BOOOOOOOMMMM¡­! The smoke dissipated as the Titaness only grew¡­ bigger! Her power constantly surging more and more as she drained it all from the Axe. "Pitiful!" She roared, kicking Lucifer away with a furious gigantic blow! CRAAAASH!!! "UGAAAGGH¡­!" BAAAAAAMMM¡­! Lucifer''s enormous bodynded over the blood with a loud bang, the floor and the walls shattering apart and constantly falling into the floor. "I''ll finish you off first!" She roared mightily, rushing towards Lucifer with her axe. "Oh no, you won''t!" Partnerughed, reaching her from behind alongside Jonathan! Both were being boosted by Emeraldine''s Yggdrasil Magic, enhancing their stats even more. "Huh?!" Tear''s mother was surprised as the two reached her in an instant. Partner swung her two powerful Spears together, channeling her Demonic Energies and her Vampire power into them together at the same time, generating two spirals of darkness and blood energy at the same time, in each of her spears! "[Vampiric Blood Abyss Vortex]!" TRUUUUUUMMMMM¡­! Meanwhile, Jonathan charged the newly acquired power of his Starlight de Arts, unleashing countless shing attacks that resembled falling stars, impacting over Tear''s mother body constantly! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAAASH! "UUUGGH¡­!" Tear''s mother groaned in agony as she was pushed away by theirbined might! The two of them were not "small fries" as she had thought previously. CRAAAAASSSHH¡­! "Y-You two are quite the mighty warriors¡­ However!" She roared, boosting her power even more with the Divine Relic. "You won''t-" FLAAASH! However, behind her, Maria suddenly appeared, teleporting directly into her very shadows! "Surprise." She smiled, her fists and weapons reached her like an endless barrage of blows, from behind! Not even her hardened Titan''s skin was able to resist all the blows at the same time. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAAAASSSHH!!! "UNGH¡­! AAAAGGH..! Y-YOUUU¡­!" BAAAAMM¡­! Her body was pushed down into the floor, as Tear''s mother used her own Battle Axe to defend herself against Maria''s blows. Crack¡­ crack! Until Maria suddenly noticed something strange¡­ Her arms constantly gained scratches, until a small crack appeared on them, and a piece of ice fell from there. "W-What?!" For a moment, Maria was taken aback, which Tear''s mother used to kick her in the face and throw her down. CRAAAAASSSHH! "Ungh¡­!" Maria quickly stood back up, her body expanding into a swarm of bugs, snakes, and ck tentacles as the tried to grab Tear''s mother arms and legs. "You''re¡­ You''re an Ice Golem, aren''t you?!" "Huh?!" Tear''s mother heard such words, feeling shocked herself. ----- Chapter 781 Destroy That Crown! ? ----- Maria quickly noticed the change in expression of the Frost Queen, as she quickly stood up from her throne¡­ And then, pointed her small hand at Maria. It was as if hearing such words¡­ broke something inside of her. Whatever illusion she was living in, once Maria spoke the truth, the Frost Queen couldn''t handle it anymore, and with her hands trembling and her eyes furious, she threatened Maria. "Unhand my mother." She roared. "Hoh, so you''re finally fighting!" Laughed the voice of the Vampiress watching in the background. However, right as this was happening, backup quickly came, in the form of Lucifer! "This is for Gjoll and Leiptr!!!" Lucifer in the meantime, roared, standing back up and opening his jaws, unleashing a deadly Dragon Breath against Tear''s mother! FLAAAAAASSSHH! BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!! The beam pierced through the body of Tear''s mother, piercing through her chest, and throwing her down into the floor, a huge hole remained in her chest! BAAAM¡­! Everyone in the battle quickly realized as no blood wasing out of such a deadly wound. Beneath her skin, there was only ice, pure ice! This woman was nothing but a golem made of frost. "Unnggh¡­!" Tear''s mother stood back up again, touching her wound and gritting her teeth. Tears began flowing from her eyes. "I expected¡­ something like this." "M-Mother?! MOTHER!!!" Tear screamed in horror, as if she couldn''t recognize her own creation. Why couldn''t she do so? It was as if her own mind convinced itself her mother was real, of flesh and blood. And not a golem she created to apany her¡­ looking like her mother, yet only being an animated being without a soul. "W-Wait, this is¡­?!" Emeraldine asked. "Tear, your mother is a golem!" "So this was the truth all along!" Partner said. "How¡­ sad¡­" Sighed Jonathan. "T-Tear¡­ I knew it¡­ Your mother died long ago! Why did you made this golem in her shape and appearance?!" Veredorr asked. "And why¡­ do you not recognize her as your creation? Did you convinced yourself you didn''t know?!" "T-Tch¡­ S-Shut it¡­ SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!" Tear screamed. "Veredorr! You shouldn''t even be here! I thought you were gone forever¡­ WHY ARE YOU HERE?! WHY IS EVERYONE¡­ GETTING IN MY WAY?! I JUST WANTED A WORLD WITH PEACE! LET ME DO IT!!! LET ME DO IT!!!" TRUUUUUUUUMMMMMMM¡­! The Frost Queen suddenly went insane, her Divine Aura exuding a deadly power of frost, spreading everywhere, attempting to freeze it all like she once did! However¡­ "We are not going to let you do that!" Partner roared. "Frost Queen, you muste back to your senses!" Jonathan roared heroically. "We are here not to harm you; we are here to help you!" Emeraldine said. "Those two bastards only wanted the best for you, Tear, not to kill you!" Lucifer roared, looking at Gjoll and Leiptr''s frozen bodies. "That''s right, Tear. You won''t get away with this so easily! You won''t simply freeze all your problems! Eventually, you have to learn that your actions have consequences!" Maria roared bravely, stepping forward.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om FLAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!!! Thebined Divine Auras of everyone gathered together into a gigantic shockwave of multiple colors, shing against Tear! BAAAAAAMMMMM¡­! However, that wasn''t enough! Tear''s power was tremendous, as if she was the very incarnation of Skadi. Whatever ingredients Skadi used in such a crown, they were in another levelpletely. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!" Tear screamed. "You don''t know anything! YOU DON''T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT I''VE GONE THROUGH!!!" "WE KNOW!!!" Veredorr roared. "We won''t let you get away with this! TEARRRR!!!" FLAAAAASH! Veredorr surged from within Maria''s shadows, as he tried to add his own power, even if insignificant inparison. With Maria there, his powers merged with hers, and so did Tyr. And then, another yer entered the game as well, as Arachne surged from within. "Yawn¡­ I guess it''s time." She smiled. "HUH?!" Tear, her mother, and even the Vampiress reacted in shock when they saw that little girl with silvery-white hair. "BOOM!" Arachne said, pointing her tiny hand at Tear''s aura,bining her powers with Maria and everyone else, together, their Divine Authorities finally managed to overpower Tear! TRUUUUUUUUUMMMMMM¡­! "AAAGGGHH¡­!" Tear cried, being overwhelmed by their powers. "M-Mother¡­ MOTHER!!!" "TEAR!" Her mother ran towards Tear, embracing her into a tight hug, and protecting her as she slowly began fading away. "Don''t leave me¡­ mother! I don''t want to be alone! Don''t leave me¡­ DON''T LEAVE ME!" Tear screamed, her crown glowing brightly as its divine powers activated once more, epassing her mother and her own body. "As long as you wish, I will always remain at your side, my dear Tear." Her mother smiled gently, embracing her. FLAAAAAASH! Their two bodies became one, as a huge shockwave of divine power broke through the divine auras of everyone else, their eyes squinted as they saw the huge shining bright light explosion that emerged from their fusion¡­ "I won''t let you harm her¡­ Never¡­ Tear is my dear daughter¡­ She''s mine to protect and love¡­" Her mother''s voice echoed across the freezing halls. A titan made of pure divine ice emerged, covered on metallic, blue colored divine armor, possessing four arms, each one holding a Divine Relic from Skadi''s treasury. Her appearance beautiful and feminine, yet it also carried the unforgiving might of Winter. In the middle of her chest, Tear remained, resting, she seemed unconscious, as her crown itself created this giant to protect her. Possessive of her, without desiring to have her taken away from anybody. "That voice is not her mother¡­" Veredorr furrowed his eyebrows. "Maria, that voice is the crown!" "The crown?!" Maria asked. "I see¡­ So her "mother" was the manifestation of the crown this entire damn time!" "The Crown of Skadi has such a powerful will?!" Asked Partner. "But how?!" "This is indeed bizarre¡­ It is at the end just a Divine Relic¡­" Said Emeraldine. "No matter what it is! We''ve gotta shatter that thing down!" Lucifer said. "Once it is over, Tear will surely go back to her former self!" "I agree with Lucifer." Jonathan nodded. "This is¡­ the only way!" "I won''t let you¡­" The crown spoke. "Tear is my dear¡­ my most dearest¡­ mine and mine alone!" The Titaness made of divine ice began crying tears made of ice. "I won''t let you separate us!!!" FLAAAAASH! ----- Chapter 782 Divinity Piercing Spear Of Absolute Death: Laevateinn ? ----- At the end, Tear''s mother ended being the manifestation of the Crown of Skadi herself. Her protective nature, her relentless love for Tear, and how she was capable of giving it all for her, it was all because the Crown of Skadi desired Tear to continue staying at her side as well. She created a manifestation of herself and used her powers to brainwash Tear''s mind, making her think she was actually her mother. In that brief time, she learned about the love of a mother, and was loved. For being born as a Divine Relic, the Crown was much different than any other Relics. Imbued not only with Skadi''s Divinity, but also a part of her very soul, the Crown of Skadi was like her other half, designed to give one of her descendants the power to govern the Ice Giants¡­ However, Skadi ended storing her away after learning that the Crown developed a mind and ego of her own, and that it could dangerously take over the wearer''s minds. Harboring resentment against Skadi, her creator, she desired revenge. And one day, when the Tower of Skadi surged from within the Dungeon, she was finally given such a chance, from a na?ve ice giant girl that wanted revenge against all the bastards that took away everything she loved. Someone that desired a better world for the ice giants, a world of peace. She enticed her, and finally, as she was worn by Tear, she was finally able to exert her powers. At first, she only wanted to use her for her own goals. But slowly, she began to pity her, she saw a reflection of her own self through Tear and developed emotions and empathy. She didn''t wanted to use her as a tool, Tear became¡­ like her daughter. She wanted to protect her from the ugly world outside, she wanted to make her happy, and she wanted to take down anybody that dared to stay in her daughter''s path. "Don''t worry Tear¡­" She muttered. "I will always protect you! I won''t let them touch you¡­ I will always be there for you, dear. No matter what!" Epassing Tear within her chest as she manifested all of her powers, while summoning the strongest Relics in Skadi''s treasury, the Crown of Skadi decided to go all-out against Maria and her allies. The Divine cial Armor of Ephemeral Frost, the Divine Axe of Farbauti, the Celestial Spear of Nifl, the Divine Sword of Snow Mountains Uller, and the Shield of Eternal Winter. These powerful Relics now were held by her, in herst, relentless attempt at protecting her bond with Tear from being torn apart by these outsiders. Standing in front of her was not only Maria and her allies, but a powerful little Cmity, Arachne¡­ In just a few seconds, the odds became much more against her. Yet she simply couldn''t give up, for Tear¡­ she couldn''t! "I won''t let you¡­" The crown spoke. "Tear is my dear¡­ my most dearest¡­ mine and mine alone! We will build a world together, free of danger! And you¡­ you''re not needed in that world." The Titaness made of divine ice began crying tears made of ice. "I won''t let you separate us!!!" FLAAAAASH! Her aura exuded with great prowess, made from a fragment of Skadi''s Divinity, she was outstandingly powerful, even more when her divinity connected with all the Divine Relics she was wearing, intensifying her strength even further! "This bond I have with Tear¡­ Is unbreakable!!!" She roared with divine fury, stepping forwards and attacking! Her four weapons shone with Divine Power, unleashing devastating blows that released destructive shing shockwaves of divine energy and frost power, shattering everything in their path and making the entire Tower of Skadi tremble more and more! SLAAASH! SLAAASH! SLAAASH! SLAAASH! "RAAAAHHHH!!!" Maria roared furiously with Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, Jonathan, and Arachne. All five of them attacked her together, intercepting her deadly blows while at the same time evading the most lethal ones! Maria swiftly materialized the same spear she had materialized before to fight Gjoll and Leiptr, the powerful Spear Laevateinn, which was then imbued with the might of Veredorr, both blood and frost magic energy began coursing through this powerful weapon! FLAAAASH! Ding! [The Power of your Divine Skills and Divinity has reacted with your Weapons, temporarily creating the Divine Relic: [Divinity Piercing Spear of Absolute Death: Laevateinn]!] [Furthermore, the very might and soul of the [Frost Tundra Spectral Ghost: Veredorr (A Rank)] has mergedpletely with the Divine Relic: [Divinity Piercing Spear of Absolute Death: Laevateinn], transforming it into the [Divinity Piercing Vampiric Frost Spear of Absolute Death: Fimbulwinter Laevateinn]!] [Duration: 5 Minutes.] The jet-ck spear gained a red and dark blue luster, as its sharp tip gained divine frost, at the same time, its aura expanded several times more. It was Veredorr himself who was fusing with the weapon, creating this brand-new effect! "Maria! Please! Help me get Tear back! Even if I have to sacrifice my very soul¡­ Even if I have to give it all! Please! Get Tear back!" Veredorr''s phantasmal tears constantly flowed across the Divine Relic, as it exuded a tremendous prowess! "I swear it on my name, Veredorr!!!" Maria roared, pushing forwards as she shed and bombarded with both weapon and magic at the frost titaness in front of her, evading and intercepting blows, and even just directly taking them head on. Her piercing blows constantly shed and crushed through her frost-made body, as it constantly attempted to regenerate more and more, as her powerful divine armor and weapons constantly attempted to push Maria away from her. "You will NEVER take her away from MEEEE!!!" The Crown of Skadi screamed, unleashing a barrage of attacks and magic everywhere!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The entire Tower of Skadi started tearing apart, evenrge pieces crumbling down into the dungeon''s floor, utter devastation spread everywhere, yet Maria and her family kept pushing forward! "We won''t give up, no matter what!" Maria roared, as Veredorr''s soul and will remained within her weapon. "Is that right, Veredorr?!" CLAAAAAASSSSHH!!! ----- Chapter 783 Going All-Out! ? ----- There was only a single word that could describe what was happening right now¡­ Devastating! The Crown of Skadi, on her utter fury, borrowed the might of several other abandoned Divine Relics, powering up to her limits to remain at the side of her beloved Tear. However, Maria and her allies were not giving up. Their blows became more intense, their attacks fiercer, it was as if all of theirbined might was equal to the crown¡­ if not stronger! The battle of absolutely epic proportions continued escting as the Crown of Skadi unleashed the strongest Divine Winter Magic she held, summoning a catastrophic blizzard everywhere, coupled with her endless barrage of weapon attacks all at once, generated utter catastrophes everywhere! RUMBLE!!! RUMBLE!!! RUMBLE!!! The entire Tower of Skadi started gaining countless cracks, even when made by the Goddess of Ice herself, it simply couldn''t hold any more damage. It was beginning to fall apart, piece by piece! "You will NEVER take her away from MEEEE!!!" The Crown of Skadi screamed, unleashing a barrage of attacks and magic everywhere! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The entire Tower of Skadi started tearing apart, evenrge pieces crumbling down into the dungeon''s floor, utter devastation spread everywhere, yet Maria and her family kept pushing forward! "We won''t give up, no matter what!" Maria roared, as Veredorr''s soul and will remained within her weapon. "Is that right, Veredorr?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om CLAAAAAASSSSHH!!! Maria''s attacks finally pierced across the Crown''s Divine Barrier of Winter Blizzards, as it pierced right through her shoulder, tearing down the joints and making one of her big arms fall off, which also was holding a Divine Relic, and it was the Celestial Spear of Nifl! "Partner!" Maria said, as she threw the weapon at their best spear user, Partner! "GOTCHAAA!" Partner roared, grabbing the weapon and dual wielding it with her other blood spear, which was thebination of her two spears into one through the manifestation of her divine powers. With both the might of these two weapons, Partner rushed forward, attacking the Crown of Skadi''s frost body with countless, devastating blows! "[Abyssal Divine Vampiric Spear Arts]: [Vampiric Pandemonium of Eternal Suffering]!!!" Partnerughed manically, her divine powers surgingpletely as they all amassed andbined with her two weapons'' divine auras, her presence and aura suddenly generating the illusion of an enormous, monstrous demon that constantly attacked the Crown of Skadi''s body! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAAASSSHH!!! Explosions of blood and darkness mes spread everywhere, as Partner''s demonic nature was channeled the most in this very instant. Each of her piercing blows generated devastating, huge explosions that torn down more and more pieces off the frost titan in front of them! "AARRGGHH¡­! Y-YOU¡­! GIVE IT BACK! THAT''S MINEEEEE!!!" The Skadi''s Crown roared furiously, her frost body suddenly shapeshifting! Instead of an humanoid shape, it took a monstrous one. With a gigantic, dragon-like head and enormous arms and a tail, with enough force and speed to destroy a whole mountain, the Frost Beast charged straight to Partner. "DIEEE!" Her many weapons swung several times, both horizontally and vertically, shes of pure divine frost energy reached her in mere seconds! "[Yggdrasil''s Divine Barrier]!" However, Emeraldine''s support came in clutch as she generated a barrier of divine wood, protecting Partner from the deadly attacks. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOMMM!!! The attacks so strong the barrier couldn''t even resist more than ten seconds before being torn to shreds at the same time. However, it gave enough time for Partner to quickly escape the deadly blows! "RAAAAAHHH!!!" However, the Frost Beast didn''t stop there, opening its massive jaws and firing several beams from them, sting everything! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOMMM!!! "CUT IT OUT!!!" Roared Lucifer, rushing through the blizzard and swinging his gigantic scythe, at the same time as bombarding her with countless explosions of darkness and chaos! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAAASSSH!!! The Frost Beast quickly began tearing down into pieces before his mighty draconic strength. However, Lucifer knew it would only continue regenerating if he was "gentle", instantly charging a deadly Dragon Breath attack and unleashing it without holding back! "ROOOOAAARRRR!!!" FLUOOOOOOOSSSSHHH!!! Abyssal Phantasmal Death mes consumed the Frost Beast''s entire body, as she quickly attempted to drag herself away to regenerate once more, dropping a huge sword in her way. CLANK! "There, grab that, Lucifer!" Maria said, grabbing the weapon and giving it to Lucifer, all the same as they were battling countless icicle spears falling towards them, and the deadly blizzard. "Alright¡­ This isn''t half-bad!" Lucifer smiled, rushing towards their foe. "AAGGH¡­ G-GET AWAY! I WON''T LET YOU¡­ TAKE TEAR AWAY FROM ME!!!" The Crown of Skadi was constantly growing more and more insane, as she channeled even more of her divine powers, changing her form into a wolf-like shape, increasing her speed tremendously! FLASH! FLASH! FLAAASH! She shed at super-fast speed, evading several blows from all the heavy-hitters, and quickly aiming at Emeraldine in the back! "You''re going down first! ANNOYING HEALER!!!" She roared, opening her jaws. "[Yggdrasil''s Divine Barrier]" CRAAAAASSSSH!!! The wolf-like Frost Beast ended hitting a gigantic wall made out of Yggdrasil''s roots, shattering a bit of its head in the moment. At the same time, a barrage of spiritual arrows fell from above, following the wolf whenever she went to, until they finally reached her, exploding on contact. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The Spiritual Explosions didn''t do as much damage, but they spread seeds that began to constantly grow over the wolf''s body, spreading and tearing apart the entire body. "Stop running around, coward!" And at the same time, little Arachne finally caught up to her. FLAAASH! Descending from the skies as she leaped really high, giant spider-like legs emerged from her back, as her tiny body gained a powerful-looking, fierce metallic armor, made out of her own exoskeleton, with spider-like decorations. "[Spider Queen Arts]: [Cmity''s Embodiment]!" BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! Arachne pierced through the entire body of the Frost Beast like a bullet, until shended on the floor. The entire beast''s body gained countless cracks, shattering once more into pieces! Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRAAAASH! ----- Chapter 784 Now It’s All Up To You!

Chapter 784 Now It''s All Up To You!

----- RUMBLE! As the entire Tower of Skadi was crumbling apart, the mysterious Vampiress flew across its crumbling hallways. Now that the entire fight was destroying the ce, it was the ideal time to act. "With the tower crumbling apart, it means the security functions it holds have been severely damaged¡­ This is my opportunity to get what I truly came here for!" The Vampiress thought, smiling. She quickly arrived in front of a door in the top of the tower, as she quickly kicked it. The security system did not activate, just as she thought, allowing her to easily get inside. FLAAASH! And there it was, a huge, beautiful blue jewel, glowing with powerful Divine Light and the Divinity of Skadi herself¡­ "The Divine Tower''s Core¡­ It is here!" She smiled maliciously. "Finally¡­! It is within my grasp!" . . . Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRAAAASH! The wolf-type Frost Beat shattered into pieces, as the Crown of Skadi hurriedly attempted to reform herself, taking now the form of a snake-like dragon that flew into the skies, it dropped yet another item, a big axe, which Maria grabbed quickly. "You''re dropping loot like crazy, are you that stupid?" Mariaughed, holding both a huge axe, the very axe of the Titan that granted her some new powers, and also the Laevateinn spear. "S-SHUT UP!!! DIE!!!" The Crown of Skadi was desperate. Maria quickly noticed how her energy fluctuations were constantly lowering and bing weaker and weaker. She didn''t had endless Divine Power, and most likely drained it or reabsorbed it from somewhere within this Tower. "ROOOAARRRRR!!!" She opened her jaws once more, made of ice, as she unleashed a devastating breath attack of pure frost everywhere, devastating her surroundings and everything else. TRUUUUUUUUMMMMM¡­! Maria andpany had to swiftly evade or risk themselves getting frozen into statues, much like it happened to Gjoll or Leiptr. "Is she just endlessly going to fight?!" Jonathan wondered. "No, I can feel it, we''ve got her cornered now!" Maria said. "She''s not going to continue forever; her energy is already running low! We need to keep pushing a bit further! Everyone, I''m counting on your strength!" "ALRIGHT!" Everyone cheered, as they began running in circles, escaping from the deadly breath attack that the Dragon-form Frost Beast was unleashing constantly, without stopping at all. However, although dangerous, this was beneficial! The more she unleashed such a strong attack, the more her divine energy would be drained away. TRUUUUMMMM¡­! The destructive beam continued shattering the entire tower, as Maria and everyone else noticed how suddenly, the gigantic frost-made dragon stopped unleashing its breath! "Unghh¡­! M-My Divine Power is being exhausted¡­ Already?!" The Crown of Skadi protested. "No, I need more¡­ This tower has-" "We won''t let you get that far." Jonathan suddenly appeared right at her side, with a big leap, and the power of his supernatural body as a Human Hero, he reached her within the ceiling in an instant! Imbuing Divine Power and Starlight Energy into his Divine Sword, the valiant Hero of Sunlight unleashed a barrage of devastating shing blows, which resembled yellow and blue fireworks each time they impacted over her body! "[Divine Starlight de Arts]: [Falling Star Rain]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Each attack connected together, as his de attacks even got through the hard armor of the gigantic frost-made beast! "[Divine Sunlight de Arts]: [Heaven''s Fall]!!!" FLAAAASSSSHH!!! A ray of pure divine light emerged from Jonathan, as he spent everyst bit of his Stamina and Mana at the same time, relentlessly unleashing his strongest attack! CRAAAAASSSSHHH!!! "GRYYYAAAAAAHHHH¡­!" The agonizing scream of the Crown of Skadi echoed across the entire Tower, as her body fell into the floor with a loud bang! BAAAAAMMM¡­! "NOW!" Maria said,manding everyone to gang on the Crown while she was weakened and on the floor, and with most of her Divine Power exhausted. "U-Unnggh¡­! No¡­ NO!!!" The Crown of Skadi roared furiously, constantly shapeshifting into spears and monstrous dragon-like, wolf-like, and beast-like heads, attempting to bite and tear apart anything in front of her, as Maria and her allies made their way towards her! "Cut it out already! That little girl will neve belong to you!!!" Lucifer roared, shing both of his powerful weapons, and cutting apart more and more ice. "She only belongs to herself! That girl is free!!!" Opening his jaws, an enormous Dragon Breath was unleashed. BOOOOOOOMMMM¡­! "I am getting bored of your shit! You''re a damn crown!" Partner furiously said, gathering herst energies into her blows, as sheunched both of her spears towards the center of the gigantic frost beast, the crown itself. "LEAVE HER GO!" CRAAAAAASSSSHHH!!! "You''ve made that girl suffer so much already¡­ Please stop it!" Emeraldine cried, summoning hundreds of spiritual arrows and Yggdrasil roots. "If you truly love her, leave her go!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "It''s not fair to force her to be with you!" Arachne said angrily, enormous beams of darkness surged from her entire body, as her sharp spider-like legs continued piercing through the ice. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "You heard them!" Maria roared. With all the intensity and power she had, Maria went through all the ice, gathering the power within the spear Veredorr created by fusing himself with her own weapons, while also imbuing the strength of her Privileges into Farbauti Axe! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAAASH! "AARRGGH¡­! NO¡­! STOP! PLEASE, STOP!!!" The Crown of Skadi screamed, as Maria finally saw an opening. The divine frost was finally cleared, showing the head of Tear and the crown stuck on top! "Now! VEREDORR!!!" Mariaunched the spear right towards the crown with incredible precision, even risking the danger of killing Tear on the moment, trusting it all to Veredorr, the young Dhampir that loved Tear more than anybody, and that was unjustly killed by her when she was possessed by the Crown! "TEAAAARRRR!!! WAKE UP!!!" Veredorr''s very soul materializing within the spear, as it redirected its sharp end towards the crown, piercing through its blue jewel, and cracking it! Crack¡­ crack¡­! CRAAASH! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ----- Chapter 785 Veredorr’s Unyielding Love

Chapter 785 Veredorr''s Unyielding Love

----- "TEAAAARRRR!!! WAKE UP!!!" Veredorr''s very soul materializing within the spear, as it redirected its sharp end towards the crown, piercing through its blue jewel, and cracking it! Crack¡­ crack¡­! CRASH! FLAAASH! Suddenly, Veredorr''s consciousness found himself within the depths of the Mindscape of the Crown itself. It was a destend of pure snow, and white skies. In the middle of thisnd, Tear was there, looking alone¡­ "T-Tear!" Veredorr ran towards her, only to find the entirendscape to change and shape, forming into a gigantic titan made of snow! "I WON''T LET YOU TOUCH HER¡­ SHE''S¡­ MINE! MINE! MINE! MINEEEE!!!" The gigantic snow titan attacked Veredorr''s very soul, attempting to tear it to shreds, and so, stop him frompletely freeing Tear''s subconscious from the crown''s control! As the fists reached Veredorr, his eyes began glowing bright red in anger¡­ "You know? My entire life¡­ I lived secluded, fearful of everything¡­" Veredorr sighed. "Until I meet them, the Ice Giants, and Tear¡­ Do you truly believe I''ll give up?! Do you truly believe your mind attacks can pierce through this conviction?! Through my love for Tear?!" FLUOOOOSH! Veredorr was now a ghost, his soul was much stronger than the Crown of Skadi believed! He might had died, but it was thanks to Maria''s help and support that he was able to get this far. With the zing power of his very soul as it burned down more and more, Veredorr fought back. His very being shaping into countless fists, shing against the Will of the Crown of Skadi! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "Ungh?! H-How?! How are you this¡­ strong?!" The Crown was shocked. Each of Veredorr''s blows pierced through her will, slowly shattering it apart! CRASH! "N-NO¡­!" CRAASH! "S-STOP!" CRAAASH! "PLEASE DON''T¡­!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om CRAAAASH! "If you¡­ do this¡­! I will be alone!!!" Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRACK! Her entire will continued shattering and shattering more¡­ Veredorr pitied the Crown''s Will, but her loneliness didn''t justified the atrocities she forced Tear tomit. He had no mercy! "I''m sorry, but I won''t let you control her anymore, no matter how sad your damn backstory is!!!" Veredorr''s entire soul became a gigantic bat made of pure ice, flying across the titan made of snow, andpletely destroying it! "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO¡­!" CRAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!!! As the entire Crown of Skadi''s will shattered into pieces, Veredorr''s soul flew down, grabbing Tear, as her lonely, dead-like yes slowly opened, as if she had been sleeping for a long time. "V-Veredorr?!" Tear opened her eyes in surprise. "Tear¡­ I''ve finally found you." Veredorr smiled, transforming back into his human-like ghostly form, and flying into the skies of the mindscape. "After I¡­ did that to you¡­ You came back for me?" Tear cried. "I knew it wasn''t you who killed me¡­ It was the crown''s will." Veredorr smiled sweetly. "But I did so many horrible things¡­ I even¡­!" Tear''s eyes continued crying. "Please, don''t bother yourself with that¡­" Veredorr smiled. "I want you to be happy. I want you to smile like you once did¡­ I''ve been fighting, fighting for you. Please¡­" "Veredorr¡­" Tear cried. "Why? Why go¡­ so far¡­" "Because I¡­ Tear¡­ I''ve always loved you¡­" Veredorr sighed. "E-Eh? V-Veredorr¡­!" Tear blushed, as tears constantly cascaded from her eyes. "I¡­!" FLAAASH! Both of their consciousness finally went back to their bodies, as Veredorr''s spear-like form pierced right through the Crown of Skadi,pletely shattering her into countless tiny pieces, and freeing Tear from her control¡­ Once and for all! Crack¡­ CRASH! "U-Uggh¡­ N-No¡­ T-Tear¡­" The Crown of Skadi groaned. Her bits and pieces still barely holding into something of a will, that slowly faded away. "Please¡­ don''t¡­ leave me¡­" Before anybody could notice the crown, her consciousness fully faded away, leaving nothing behind¡­ "Veredorr!" Maria said, undoing her transformation and rushing to see him, happily finding out he was carrying little Tear on his phantasmal arms. "She''s safe¡­ I''ve returned her consciousness to her body." Veredorr smiled, his body seemed very weakened¡­ In fact, it was slowly fading away, as if he had burned the veryst spark of his soul''s strength, and the only thing left now was his fading consciousness. "V-Veredorr! Your body¡­!" Partner cried. "N-No¡­ Don''t tell me!" Lucifer cried. "What''s happening?" Emeraldine asked. "His body¡­" Jonathan sighed. RUMBLE! The tower kept falling apart, crumbling down piece by piece, as Veredorr smiled back at the sleeping Tear, and then at Maria andpany. "Please, make sure that she gets out of here safely. The vigers down in the other floors must have already been freed from the Frost Curse by now. Please find them as well." Veredorr said with a faint smile, giving Tear to Maria. "Huh? Where are we- Ah, we were frozen!" "Hey, we''re back though!" Gjoll and Leiptr were unfrozen after the crown was broken, showing that Veredorr was right, the other vigers down in the lower floors of the tower were most likely freed from the curse too. However, Maria didn''t just wanted to let go of Veredorr, she had already lost Lancelot¡­ She didn''t wanted to lose more loved ones. "E-Eh? Wait a second, I can heal your soul! Stay still!" Maria cried. "This can''t end like this- Eh? It doesn''t work?!" As much as Maria tried, she couldn''t heal his soul. Even if she put her very Divine Power into it, and even her very soul¡­ It wasn''t working. It was as if his soul wasn''t even there anymore. "Please¡­ tell Tear that¡­ I''ve always loved her." Veredorr''s eyes began flowing with tears, as his consciousness, somehow, spread across the entire tower, holding it together. It was his veryst strength, all into it. "Hurry! Run away while you can!" He cried. "N-No¡­ Veredorr¡­" Maria cried. "Wait, stop! We can''t leave without you!!!" "Maria!" Lucifer sighed. "Master, we have to GO!" Partner cried. "Don''t¡­ insult Veredorr''s sacrifice." Emeraldine sighed, her eyes constantly crying. Maria was dragged down by her family, as she saw Veredorr''sst smile, before everything in front of her crumbled apart¡­ "Please¡­ take care of her¡­" "VEREDORR!!!" As Maria disappeared from the scene with everybody else, Veredorr nced at the torn apart crown of Skadi, sighing. "I guess we will share¡­ a simr fate." He sighed. "Don''t worry, you won''t be lonely anymore." Veredorr caressed the crown, before everything crumbled down¡­ BOOOOOMMM¡­! ----- Chapter 786 The Aftermath After The Frost Queen’s Defeat

Chapter 786 The Aftermath After The Frost Queen''s Defeat

----- Within a dark room, three Vampires greeted the mysterious Vampiress that had just arrived in front of them. Smiles surged in their lips as they gave her a nce. "So? How did it go?" Asked the oldest of the Vampires in the room, his sharp eyes ncing at her. "Fufu, how do you think it went?" Sheughed, materializing a big blue jewel over her left hand, which emanated a powerful, divine energy from within¡­ "Y-You got it¡­?!" One of the Vampires asked. "How were you able to secure it?!" "It was as easy as stealing the candy from a child." Giggled the Vampiress. "Once the tower crumbled apart and everyone was busy fighting that little girl, I just stepped into the room and took the core when nobody was watching! Easiest job of my life." "Excellently done." Smiled the oldest of the three vampires sitting around the table. "With this, we have most of the pieces we need. And with that girl out of the equation, we can advance much faster¡­" "Though, is that ghost still kicking?" Asked the other, burlier vampire. "Sadly, yes. She was¡­ unexpectedly powerful. Much more powerful than I imagined. "She''s not someone we can easily mess with, not until that day." "Well, we can leave her be for a bit. Our next target is not her after all." Smiled the oldest vampire. "But the Empire of Light." "Are we finally doing it? Are we finally striking?!" Asked the burly vampire, getting pumped up. "Not get, idiot, calm down." Sighed the slimmer vampire. "But very soon, I assume, Patriarch?" "Yes, indeed, very soon." Giggled the old vampire man. "We will avenge our kin and the Demon King''s death, and set an example to all other Kingdoms¡­ We Vampires will be the new tribe that will dominate Midgard." . . . "Tear, I''ve always loved you¡­" "Ah!" Tear''s eyes opened in surprise, as she was gasping for air out of the shock her dream gave to her. However, once she realized she had finally woken up, she felt¡­ surprised. For how long has she been wearing that Crown? So many years she couldn''t even count them now. It felt like such a long eternity¡­ It was almost baffling. It was as if she was always dreaming. She wasn''t seeing through her eyes, but through the eyes of the crown. Without realizing it, her mind became twisted by it, as her emotions were heightened, making her be aplete nutjob. "I-I''m¡­ me?" Tear was surprised, ncing at her own hands, and caressing them. She touched her own head, feeling her long, blue horns, but no crown at all. The feeling of not having that piece of metal over her head¡­ made her feel unease. Yet at the same time, she felt freed, relieved, even¡­ "W-Where am I?" Once she finally calmed down, she started looking around, feeling lost. She found herself resting inside arge room, looking like something in an old and regal castle. As she walked to see through the windows, she noticed several people outside, walking around, talking, and smiling. Tear quickly realized she was inside some sort of town, or city. And it had big walls, leading to an outside world covered on green grass, with piles of snow slowly melting. The sky was clear, and the sun was shining brightly. It was still rather cold, but not as cold as it was before, where snow was falling from the skies every single day. "Where is this ce- Huh? Ice Giants¡­" Tear was surprised. "Those people¡­ The vigers. But where is¡­ where is Veredorr?" Creaaak¡­ The door slowly opened, as Tear felt slightly afraid, someone entered the room without even knocking! "Huh? Oh! You''re awake!" It wasn''t anybody intimidating though, but an adorable little half-dragon girl, with long silvery-white hair and ck scales growing in her tiny hands and neck. It was nobody else than little Nyx, of course. "E-Eh?" Tear was confused, of course, she didn''t knew her. "I''ll go tell mommy!" The little girl suddenly used her tiny wings, flying away at a rather fast speed. Just secondster, her mother, Maria, appeared. "Tear¡­ You''re finally awake." She smiled gently. "How do you feel?" "W-Who¡­ who are you? Where am I? H-How do you know my name?!" Tear panicked a bit, feeling afraid of everything. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hahh¡­ I guess it is natural that you would feel a bit surprised, or afraid¡­ Since you put on that crown, it has felt like you''ve been in a long dream, isn''t it?" Maria sighed. "Please calm down. You''ve been asleep for three days since we took away your crown. We are the people that helped you freed yourself from the crown. It is long gone, and we also brought along your tribe, which was frozen before." "M-My tribe¡­" Sighed Tear. "I¡­ Thank you for helping me¡­" Maria smiled gently, sitting at her side. In all this time, Tear seemed to not have aged at all, still remaining in her young appearance. Nheless, she was still an Ice Giant, of almost three meters of height, so she was easily taller, despite her adorable appearance. "Name''s Maria, I am the one that¡­ Well you could call me the vige chief, yeah." Maria nodded. "I am not dreaming in making a huge country or anything like that right now, I just want a ce where everyone can just livefortably and happily. I hope you wouldn''t mind staying with us, and your vigers. We''ve exined them what happened, and they don''t me you for the Frost Curse either. There are some aunts and uncles within them, you should go meet themter." "I-I see¡­" Tear sighed, feeling down. She couldn''t help but recall the words of Veredorr, blushing a bit. She still felt confused and wanted a lot of time to process everything. However, she couldn''t help herself but ask for him. Tear wanted to see him more than anything now, to thank him for his bravely, and for everything¡­ he has done for her. And of course, to tell him that she share the same feelings for him. "Where is Veredorr? Is he busy somewhere?" Tear wondered. "¡­" Maria remained in silence, looking down with a sorrowful nce. "Veredorr¡­ didn''t made it." "Eh?" ----- Chapter 787 Memories 1 ----- "I''m sorry¡­" Maria sighed; she had already cried a lot for Veredorr before. "I wasn''t able to do anything¡­ He gave everything he had to save you from the crown''s control. He loved you very much." "N-No¡­" Tear muttered, her lips beginning to tremble. "B-But wasn''t he like¡­ a soul? Some type of ghost? I would love him even if he was¡­!" "Yeah, I helped him be a ghost when I first met him." Maria smiled faintly. "He told me about you, about the Frost Queen and everything else¡­ He was the one that convinced me you were actually innocent, and he was the one that convinced me to spare your life and give you another chance." "V-Veredorr¡­" Tear suddenly started crying. "No¡­ Veredorr¡­ I''m sorry¡­ It''s all my fault¡­" "I wish he could had been here with you; I wish¡­" Maria sighed. "I wish you two could had have¡­ a happy ending together." She slowly recalled the many times she read stories. Tragic endings was one of the things she hated the most. Yet eve now, she was incapable of changing such fate. If it wasn''t for Veredorr''s sacrifice, Tear wouldn''t had been able to be freed from the crown and might had her mind destroyed the moment the crown was destroyed as well. "Hahh¡­ Why¡­" Tear cried. "You dummy¡­ You shouldn''t had¡­ sacrificed yourself for someone so horrible like me¡­ Even after everything I did¡­ Even after all I did you choose to believe me anyways, to love me¡­ Why?!" Tear continued crying, screaming even. She felt so much pain, like never before. A terrible pain in her heart, it felt as if her entire world was falling down into pieces. Without her mother, nor her father, nor her big brother¡­ and now, not even Veredorr. She waspletely alone. "I think Veredorr choose to trust you because, as he told to me¡­ He always loved you." Maria smiled faintly, giving the girl a hug. "He said that since the first moment he saw you, since the first day you meet, that he fell for you." "No¡­ NOOO!" Tear continued crying, as her hands began hitting Maria''s back. "Why?! Why someone so nice and gentle¡­ Why someone like him?! It should had been me¡­ I SHOULD HAD DIED! I should had¡­" "You have to live!" Maria cried, stopping Tear''s tantrum. "Don''t be childish, Tear! Are you going to insult Veredorr''sst wishes now?!" Maria confronted Tear, looking at her in the eyes. "You have to live! For him¡­ For everyone¡­" Maria sighed. "Live, live as much as you can, and be happy, instead of him¡­ You have to at least do that!" "M-Maria¡­" Tear cried. "¡­" She slowly looked down, feeling down. "A-Ah, I''m sorry¡­" Maria sighed. "I shouldn''t had-" "It''s fine¡­ You''re right." Tear sighed. "You''re¡­ right¡­ I will live for him. I will live for Veredorr¡­ I will fulfill¡­ thest selfish request of the only man that ever loved me¡­" Maria quickly handled over arge blue jewel to Tear, it glowed with a mysterious, ghostly aura. "W-What is this?" Tear wondered. "It is Veredorr''s Soul Core." Said Maria. "A Soul Core is something we ghosts create when we grow very strong. It is the crystallization¡­ of our very souls." "H-His soul?!" Tear asked in surprise. "Is he¡­?" "I have¡­ tried many times already." Maria sighed. "It is empty. There''s¡­ no soul inside, only thest power left behind by him. He gave it to me when he rescued you, and brough you to my arms while carrying you. I want you to keep this and hold it dearly." "I-I will¡­" Tear sighed, looking at the blue jewel, which emanated a lightly cold aura. This small jewel was the only thing left by him¡­ A husk of the crystallization of his soul. Yet¡­ somehow, it held a small hope. A slight hope that one day, he might return, somehow.I think you should take a look at Even if the chances were slim, and even when Maria tried many times to bring him back with her incredibly powerful Necromancy. This small jewel signified hope for Tear. "Can I¡­ be alone for a bit?" Tear asked. "Sure, dear. I wille backter, you have to eat something, okay?" Maria said.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I will¡­" Tear looked at Veredorr''s jewel, feeling more and more sad. The more she looked at this jewel, the more she was reminded of his heroic sacrifice, and of all the memories they shared together. Back then, when she wasn''t the Frost Queen, but only Tear, the cheeky youngdy of the Ice Giant Tribe, that with her big brother, always went out to hunt to feed their family. She found him with her brother when they were walking down a river path. The young Veredorr was there,pletely unbothered by the cold despite his small human-likeplexion, and only gazing at the skies over the snow. The two thought he was dead. "Hello? Are you a corpse?" Wondered Tear back then, appearing right over his head. "Ah!" Veredorr was scared at first, quickly walking away. Tear had to admit that he was quite handsome, despite how pale he looked like. "E-Eh? Ice Giants?!" "Oh, you''re alive! Hahaha, you were there, and I thought you had frozen or something." Tear giggled. "Are you okay? Are you not scared of us?" "Tear, cut it out, he''s not a human." Her big brother said. "Look at his eyes, and those ears. He''s¡­ Are you some sort of Elf?" "No¡­ I''m¡­ well, I''m a Dhampir." Sighed Veredorr. "My father was a Vampire, and my mother was a human. I¡­ I lost them." "Eh?" Tear felt surprised. "So where do you live?" "I¡­ live in a small house my mother left for me¡­ over there." Veredorr said shyly, blushing a bit. "I-I live alone¡­" "Alone? In this frozen tundra?!" Tear''s big brother was surprised. "And you look so pale and malnourished! Sigh¡­ Come with us, you need to eat something." "E-Eh? Wait, I didn''t-" Before Veredorr could reject their offer kindly, Tear dragged him with them. "Come on! It''s on the house!" Tear''s smile that time¡­ captivated Veredorr''s lonely heart, who had lost everything back then. When he was the loneliest, and the most deste. And when he thought there would never ever be anybody that could understand him, or even talk to him because of his race¡­ She appeared. It was like love at first sight. ----- Chapter 788 Memories 2 Chapter 788 Memories 2 ----- In that moment, Tear didn''t really know what would happen. In those times, she was only worried about filling her belly with some tasty grilled meat and live her life carefreely. She found Veredorr quite handsome, but never really paid attention to him,pletely unaware of all the love he felt for her, which developed more and more. Because of his nature and personality, as a shy person, Veredorr never really talked about how he felt. He always hid those feelings from her. However, Tear could still remember, all those good times, all those good memories together¡­ Like that time he and her big brother went to the river to catch fish, and Veredorr ended tripping down the river, and because he was so light, he ended sliding through the water helplessly. She ran to his rescue without thinking it, jumping in the middle of the river and catching him with her big arms, and lifting him up, carrying him princess-like. "T-Thanks¡­ Phew, I thought I would be fish food, hahah¡­" "Geez, you''re really quite the dummy!" Or that other time they gathered together to eat some of the food his mother had taught him. How he prepared everything so carefully and with so much love. Back then, she didn''t realized that when he was smiling while cooking for her, he was putting his heart and love into every ingredient, every meal¡­ "So when did your mother¡­ You know." Tear asked. "My mother¡­ she passed away around forty years ago." Veredorr sighed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "W-Woah, you''re old!" Tear said. "How old are you?" "I''m roughly¡­ like seventy." Said Veredorr. "I guess for you I would be a grandpa, though¡­ it doesn''t feel that way to me. Time when you can''t die of old age¡­ feels ephemeral. It is as if¡­ it goes on so fast¡­ I can''t even realize it and a decade has gone by. Sometimes I slept for whole years." "Woah¡­ Sounds rather¡­ sad." Tear sighed. "So¡­ I am also ephemeral to you?" Tear wondered without expecting anythingplex of an answer. At most, she had expected Veredorr tough or something. Yet¡­ he looked her into the eyes and smiled gently. "Of course not¡­ You and your brother¡­ everyone¡­ You''re the first people since my mother that had made me feel like¡­ Time goes slowly." He smiled gently, such a beautiful smile even captivated Tear for a bit. "You''re¡­ really important to me¡­" "I-I see¡­ Hahaha, I guess that makes me happy!" Tear giggled. "So when is it done yet?" "Almost¡­ Now that the noodles are boiling, let''s make a sauce." Veredorr smiled. "How old are you anyways, Tear?" "Me? Well I''m actually over twenty¡­" Tear said. "But everyone in the vige is like¡­ over a hundred years, even my brother, I''m the youngest of the bunch so far! Though some women are finally pregnant after so long!" "I see¡­ I guess Ice Giants do live a long time too. I wonder how you perceive time." Said Veredorr. "It sometimes is so painful slow I feel like I wanna die~" Tear sighed, looking bored. "Hey, don''t say that! Not even as a joke¡­ Life is precious. Your life is¡­ to me¡­ A-And your brother and the vige too." Veredorr said, blushing a bit. "Eh? I was just joking, dummy." Tear giggled. "Oooh, that smells nice! What is that red stuff?" "Tomatoes I purchased from the human town nearby¡­ My mother named this meal Pasta a Bolognese¡­" Veredorr smiled. "It was her favorite meal, something her grandmother always made for her! And it is also¡­ my favorite meal too. Sometimes, every few years, I prepare it, to taste the vors, and remember my mother¡­" "I see¡­" Tear smiled gently. "I also miss my mom¡­ And my dad¡­ They passed away due to a fight with the humans¡­ My brother always says that we can''t hate the humans, that not all of them are awful people but¡­ I hate them." "¡­" Veredorr sighed. "I am half human¡­ Do you hate me?" "E-Eh? O-Of course not! You''re different!" Tear said. "See? Just like I am different, there are also different humans. Not all of them are bad people." Veredorr smiled. "In this world there''s all kinds of people, bad and good. The trick is to just try to find the good people. Or well, that''s what my mother used to say to me." "¡­" Tear remained in silence, gritting her teeth. "Maybe¡­" She looked elsewhere. Veredorr giggled gently. "The food''s done, let''s eat." He swiftly served her a te, the two sitting around a small table inside of his little house. "Hmm¡­ How do I eat this- Oh? Ooooh! It is good! Wowowowow! Hot!" Tear ended eating a lot in a single bite, but the heat of the meal made her mouth burn a little bit. "C-Careful there, Tear! Here, have some water." Sighed Veredorr. "Eat it slowly, with this fork, like this. See?" "Ooh!" Tear nodded. "Alright!" Perhaps due to their difference in age, and due to Veredorr''s mentality of seeing life as "ephemeral" he never really wanted to admit his feelings for her. Days like these continued across the years, of happiness,ughter, and sometimes, hardships that were ovee by their cooperation and bonds. Yet everything ended tragically when she took the life of Veredorr with her own hands¡­ Tear nced at her own hands, remembering Veredorr''s face as he cried for her to stop, as he implored her to take out that crown¡­ "Please¡­ Tear! You''re not being you¡­ Tear¡­!" Those were hisst words before his entire body was frozen, bing a statue. Yet unlike the rest, he was not inflicted with a curse, his body was merely frozenpletely, and he died on the spot. Tear nced at her own hands, despite this being fault of the crown''s manipte, she couldn''t help but feel guilty for this¡­ For the horrible things she did. Deep down, she felt like taking her life, to end her suffering, to be punished for the wrongdoings she hadmitted. Yet that was theplete opposite of what Veredorr wanted. "What do I do now¡­ Veredorr?" Her tears fell over Veredorr''s Soul Crystal. ----- Chapter 789 Tears New Resolve Chapter 789 Tear''s New Resolve -----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Tear continued remembering those times. When Veredorr was at her side, those times she misses so much. Those time she never thought she would miss¡­ Gritting her teeth, and hugging his Soul Crystal as she rested over the soft bed. She couldn''t help but remember thosest words, thatst conversation they had together, before she was to never see him again¡­ When she was rescued from the crown''s control, as he flew across the skies of the crown''s mindscape, with big, frost-made bat wings. "V-Veredorr?!" "Tear¡­ I''ve finally found you." "After I¡­ did that to you¡­ You came back for me?" "I knew it wasn''t you who killed me¡­ It was the crown''s will." "But I did so many horrible things¡­ I even¡­!" "Please, don''t bother yourself with that¡­ I want you to be happy. I want you to smile like you once did¡­ I''ve been fighting, fighting for you, for that smile. Please¡­" "Veredorr¡­Why? Why go¡­ so far¡­" "Because I¡­ Tear¡­ I''ve always loved you¡­" "E-Eh? V-Veredorr¡­! I¡­!" "I love you too¡­" Tear sighed, kissing the jewel in front of her. "I love you so much¡­ I love you¡­ That''s what I wanted to say¡­ Why didn''t you even waited a little bit? Why¡­ Why couldn''t you let me say it? Maybe¡­ you could had gone out more peacefully." Tear continuedmenting, looking at the jewel. "I wish we could had shared a life together¡­ I wish¡­ we could had¡­ enjoyed so many things together¡­ I wanted to be with you¡­" She continued crying. "I wanted to even be your wife¡­ We could had had children, a big family¡­ You could had taught me how to cook your favorite meals¡­ Sniff¡­ I could had¡­ loved you back, and give you back all the love you deserved¡­" Tear continued talking to the jewel constantly, almost endlessly. Minutes passed, even an hour, two hours¡­ three hours. Despite knowing the jewel couldn''t talk back, and maybe, there was nothing there but just a crystal. She continued talking to him, to Veredorr. "And that''s why¡­ We would had named our first child after my brother! Don''t you think?" She smiled, ncing at the jewel. And then, her face quickly grew more sad, depressed¡­ "R-Right¡­?" She couldn''t cry anymore. Tear stood up from the bed, ncing into the mirror, the people outside were living their lives normally. Some smiled, othersughed¡­ The world kept going, even when she had lost someone so important to him. Veredorr wanted her to continue in this world that kept going, he wanted her to live in this world that kept giving. He wanted her to enjoy the things he couldn''t enjoy; he wanted her to explore the ces she couldn''t explore¡­ And she remembered his words once again. "I want you to be happy. I want you to smile like you once did¡­ I''ve been fighting, fighting for you, for that smile." Tear smiled faintly, sincerely. "I will smile for you, my love¡­" She sighed, caressing the jewel. "I will smile for all the times you made me happy, and for the many times you would had made me happy if you were here¡­" Her broken heart slowly started to get itself together, even if wounded, it was still trying its best. "And I will keep fighting for you¡­ For my people here¡­ I will protect them and amend for what I''ve done¡­" She gripped her fists. The door behind her opened once more, as Maria entered the room with Nyx, Arachne, Partner, and Emeraldine. Everyone brought snacks and drinks to console the broken hearted girl. "Hello there~ How are you doing?" Partner wondered. "We brought you something to eat, you mustn''t stay for so long without eating anything, Tear!" Emeraldine said. "It''s the missy that was evil before?" Arachne wondered. "Yeah, she''s good now." Nyx nodded. "Oh, nice." Arachne smiled gently. "How are you feeling?" Maria asked with a faint, gentle smile. "I''m¡­ not fine at all. In fact, I feel like dying. I feel terrible even¡­ Yet for him¡­" Tear smiled. "I have to smile and keep moving forward." Maria, who had also lost many loved ones, smiled back gently. "Well said." Maria sighed. "Let''s eat now. You can''t go around with an empty stomach." "Right¡­ I would love to know more about¡­ all of you, your names, and what you do and all¡­ I don''t know if I am even as strong as before but¡­ I want to grow stronger. I want to help you all fight injustices and protect my tribe¡­" Tear sighed. "Is it okay? If I wanted to amend for what I''ve done?" The girls were left surprised. "W-Well, of course. If you really want to." Maria sighed. "I''ll also make a ne with that jewel, so you can always be together with him." "Thank you¡­" Tear nodded. "Even if it is just an empty jewel, it is still¡­ a part of him. As long as I have it with me, I think I can keep going¡­ And maybe, sometimes smile." FLAAASH! The moment Tear said those words, for a faint moment, the jewel glowed brightly¡­ Everyone gasped in surprise. Yet, it quickly stopped glowing right afterwards¡­ Silence took over the room. "V-Veredorr? Is that you?" Tear cried, but there was no response. "Why did the jewel glowed out of nowhere? What is¡­ happening?" "¡­Maybe there could be a way." Maria said, suddenly getting serious, as she sensed something within the jewel. It was Veredorr''s Origin. "A-A way?" Tear asked in surprise. "What is it?! C-Can I really bring him back?!" "But for such a thing, we''ll have to do the impossible, Tear¡­" Maria smiled. "Are you ready to walk a path that could even defy the gods? And the worst is¡­ I can''t even guarantee you that, at the end of the road, he coulde back¡­ I would say, fifty-fifty." Tear smiled, her eyes glowing brightly, they glowed with the light of hope. "I will! I don''t care¡­ For him¡­ I would do anything!" Tear smiled. "Now¡­ now it is my turn to help him, it is my turn¡­ To repay him for everything he has done for me¡­ I will even walk to the ends of the world; I would swim to the depths of the sea¡­ I would even defy the gods if that''s what you want. I don''t care." Maria smiled, nodding. "I see, then you''re one of us." Maria smiled. "Because my goal is the same as well. I will make a world where we no longer fear the gods, where there is no longer prejudice¡­ And where the tragedies that led to the sacrifice of our beloved ones¡­ Never happen again." "I''m in! For sure!" Tear nodded. "I am sure that this is what Veredorr would had wanted¡­ Right, Veredorr?" She smiled faintly, caressing the jewel. ----- Chapter 790 Time To Move Out

Chapter 790 Time To Move Out

----- (Maria''s POV) It has been two weeks since the events that happened when we invaded the Frost Queen''s dungeon and then Skadi''s Tower. A lot has happened. First of all, my Level was now 90, so I only had ten levels before reaching max level. Tear was rescued alongside everyone in the vige that got unfrozen, over a hundred Ice Giants joined our vige now, so it was a lot of work to relocate them, and build them special homes that could fit their taller bodies. Nheless, it wasn''t actually that hard, with my Necromancy, I was able to shape the ground and dirt andbined it with my Alchemy, shaping wood became a breeze. And with everybody else''s help, we managed to make tons of houses in just a single day, and constructed more for everyone to be able to livefortably. It wasn''t easy for them to get used to live in here, and they''re still adapting, but they''re actually very polite and gentle people, and are slowly beginning to calm down and get used to having finally woken up from the long dream they have gone through when they were frozen by the crown''s curse. Tear was also rescued, and she slept for several days without waking up, but we constantly healed her wounds and oversaw her with Emeraldine. Eventually, she woke up, and we had a rather emotional conversation, where we addressed pretty much everything, including what happened with Veredorr. It broke my heart to see her so terribly heartbroken. She cried for a whole day, and continued crying the next days¡­ But slowly, she got better, and also apologized in public to all the ice giants, and also the people of my vige. She also went to the dwarf kingdom as we wanted to greet Brunhild and see how they were doing. She also gave a public apology, and although many people still hated her and med her, some began to understand what had truly happened. The sacrifice of Veredorr was now well known by everyone. That one young man that lived his life inconspicuously, without wanting to bring any attention, literally became a hero to thousands of people. The Dwarf King decided to order a statue on his name, and it has already been constructed in just three days. Tear was rather shocked and moved by such a thing, which rested right in the middle of the dwarven country. It was given the name of "Veredorr: the Hero that stopped the Eternal Winter". And we even got ourselves one of those in our vige, alongiside another statue for Lancelot. The dwarves were obsessed with the statue thing though, they wanted all of us to get some! But we declined, we didn''t wanted to bring more attention to ourselves¡­ Though Veredorr deserved that recognition. I exined Tear about a way to bring back Veredorr. After all, although his entire soul was¡­ destroyed, the core of it remained, even if hollow, it was still a crystalized form of a piece of his soul, which Tear now holds as a ne. Sometimes, when she talks to this jewel a lot, the Soul Core would faintly glow, before falling into silence again. There was¡­ something on it, we knew. Veredorr might be gone, but perhaps there was the hope to bring him back. Our fight against that Vampire woman taught us the existence of "Origins" the innermost part of a person''s existence, the deepest core of a soul. And that Soul Core contained Veredorr''s Origin, although it was badly damaged, it was still there, his very being contained within that small sphere of ethereal energy¡­ If I can attain enough power to raise him back into a ghost, or even a living being, I might be able to revive him. But Ick such power now¡­ I need to get even stronger, and perhaps, to even gain the power of the Gods themselves, who have been plotting to destroy us for so long now¡­ So I told Tear that the only way to bring him back would be by attaining a god-like power, and to grow so strong, we would need to continue walking a path that would oppose the gods themselves. The girl, without even doubting me, epted my proposal, and said she would be our ally. Since then, she has been training while we spent time preparing and doing many things. I made sure to get cozy with my beloved ones too. Jonathan''s family is still a concern, but from what I''ve heard of ghosts I sent to investigate there, his family''s still safe, although it seems they''ve been told that he got killed. I guess if they know he''s dead, they''ll won''t punish his family? Until they learn the truth, that''s it¡­ Until then, I can hope that things will be safe¡­ Meanwhile, going back to the dwarven Kingdom, Brunhild has begun to be treated as a walking goddess there. She''s praised by everyone, and no longer has to hide herself from the people. She walks proudly there, and is happy to visit her descendants, the children of her children with the ancient dwarf king. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Honestly, it was quite a shock, not even her brother knew of such a thing! She had it saved until thest moment, quite honestly¡­ But it made us happy to know she had her children and a family now, even many yearster. Because of her ever-growing love for them, she goes from there and here all the time, though she has begun to spend much more time there, shees every week here and stays at least two days. The dungeons over there are bing fruitful, as we covered them on crops and the economy of the dwarf kingdom, even after the disaster that happened because of the Frost Generals invasion, was recovering very quickly. The greedy nobles also became much more humbled after learning of Brunhild''s true identity and are cooperating with us more nicely. Already starting our third week since then, we were all ready to begin our next journey. We couldn''t waste any more time, we''ll make ourst journey through this continent and do all the things we need to do. Our first stop will be Emeraldine''s vige, and then, the Republic of Goldsand, where my little brother is hiding! ----- Chapter 791 A New Journey Chapter 791 A New Journey ----- For going out, we''ve prepared plentifully. I decided to create a three hundred more Undead to protect the vige, this time, they''re all A Rank, and I used over half of all the resources we earned from our battles against the Frost Army to create them all. Older and weaker Undead were also upgraded to stronger forms too, and my most loyal Undead, who were all S Rank, will also stay here to protect the citizens, they''re the ones I can trust the most after all, some of them even defeated Frost Generals by themselves, so their might is recognizable. I left the handling of citizens, and other paperwork affairs such as trades and other things with the dwarven Kingdom to Hermes and his two assistants Gustaf and Cecilia, the three Majin were reliable and a good recement for me and my family while we''re out. Even though I insisted, Arachne wanted to stick around, so we decided to bring her alongside Nyx and the twins. Brunhild would sadly stay behind, as she promised us to protect our vige and the dwarven kingdom. Oh, and Lancelot''s egg will be taken care by Hermes and his assistants, and some of my Phantom Clones there too, so everything''s'' alright. This time I decided to not use Divided Egos, as that weakens my base form quite a lot¡­ Nheless, we were more than ready. Helga and Hermes helped us with the route we needed to take, while I was able to map things with my Auto Mapping and sending ghosts everywhere, I was still confused as to where was everything, the map helped us. "Anyways, you just need to fly to the northeast and then move directly to the north, that''s where the area known as the Ancient Spirit Forest is. I think that''s where Emeraldine''s vige is. Long ago, we used to do trades with the settlement of elves there, which moved from their original continent to those areas." Said Hermes. "Yeah, I think they must be there. My uncle used to call that ce the Ancient Spirit Forest as well!" Emeraldine nodded. "I''m so excited we''re making a stop there! I hope my uncle is doing fine! And we''ll also get to leave flowers on my mother''s grave. And also meet everyone else¡­" "I''m d you''re happy, dear. I''m also looking forward to it." I smiled. "Even if it''s a brief visit, let''s make sure to have fun." "I''m ready too!" Partner said excitedly. "I wonder if they have tasty meals there¡­ Elven Cuisine, I wonder how it tastes like¡­" "Hahaha, I don''t think you would like it, Partner." Emeraldineughed. "It is mostly vegetables and fruits. Not much meat, aside from fish." "Eh?! Just nts?!" Partner got disappointed. "Anyways, I wish you good luck! Don''t worry about the vige, we''ll make sure to take good care of it." Said Hermes. "I''m relieved I''ve already be slightly acquainted with Ruby and the Dwarves, negations should be smooth." "Leave the work to our lord!" Gustaf said with a big thumbs up. "He''s a reliable young prince!" Cecilia smiled, giving him a head pat. They were Hermes'' number 1 fans, I can tell¡­ "Then, let''s get going!" Lucifer roared. "Oi, human,e over already." "A-Ah, right¡­" Jonathan was a bit nervous. "Is it okay? You don''t mind it, sir Lucifer? I know you hate me but¡­" "Tch! I don''t hate your damn idiot! You''re¡­ a goodd. You''ve proved yourself. But that doesn''t mean Ipletely approve of you either!" Lucifer said. "But for now, we''re good,e." "Thank you." Jonathan left relieved. "Yeah I guess you''re not half bad, blondie." Partner said. "You''ve got what it takes, and you''re a brave guy! ¡­Okay, I said it." "Well done." I patted Partner''s head. "Jonathan, thanks for joining us. With you along, the trip will be much safer as well." Emeraldine smiled. "You''ve helped us so much, so we''ll make sure to help you back by finding your family once we''re done with the first things." "I don''t deserve such kind words. I am merely an outsider here¡­" Jonathan said humbly. "Thank you so much. I can tell why Maria loves you all so much, you''re wonderful and strong people. I''ve grown to admire you three."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "A-Admire us!?" Partner was shocked, as her ego was quickly feed with praises from an honest man. "Hah! O-Of course you admire my greatness! Though sorry but I don''t like guys¡­" "Me neither." Emeraldine smiled. "A-Ah, I didn''t meant it like that¡­" Jonathan sighed. "Hahahaha! We''re just messing with you!" Partnerughed, hitting his back very strongly. PAT! PAT! PAT! "O-Ouch! Hahaha¡­" Jonathanughed nervously. "We know you only have eyes for Maria." Emeraldine smiled. "Though we were still saying the truth about that¡­ I just can''t bring myself to find men attractive anymore¡­" "I''ve never liked guys, but you''re cool." Partnerughed. "I understand." Jonathan nodded. "Hmph, would you two stop your tomfoolery already? You''re killing me with your cringe." Lucifer facepalmed. "Let''s just get going! We have to visit that town and then rescue Maria''s brother!" "R-Right¡­" Partner sighed. "A-Ahahaha, you''re right, Lucifer. I just got distracted, teasing Jonathan is fun." Emeraldine giggled. "Well I''m d the ice between you guys is finally melting a little bit more." I said with a smile. "Anyways, Brunhild, we''ll leave things to you too." "Sure thing! Have a nice trip, everyone!" Brunhild smiled, waving her hand, as Lucifer slowly started pping his wings. "Mama! We''re going to meet the elves?" Nyx wondered, sitting on my legs. "That''s right dear!" I smiled. "Nice! So excited!" Takeshi said happily. "I bet they''re as pretty as aunt Emeraldine!" Said Laura. "Z z z z z z¡­" Arachne was sleeping inside my shadows. "Alright then! Onwards!" I said with a smile. As Lucifer started flying, suddenly, we heard someone else. "Please¡­ Please wait for m e e e e e e!" It was Tear, running towards us with everything she had. "I want to go too!" ----- Chapter 792 A Talk While Soaring Through The Skies Chapter 792 A Talk While Soaring Through The Skies ----- Suddenly, as we were departing, Tear showed up out of nowhere! She wanted toe, but I had decided to leave her here so she could train her abilities and protect the vige while we were gone. She had actually a really high level, and was already an S Rank Ice Giant herself, even if mostly everything was done by the crown, she still earned EXP from all the¡­ lives she took, so even without the crown, she was really strong by herself. "Tear?! But I told you that you should stay here!" I told her from afar. "No¡­ I want to go too! I promised you that I would help you!" Tear said. "Please, Maria¡­ Give me a chance!" "Sigh¡­" I ended facepalming a bit. "Fine,e here. [Shadow Threads]!" I expanded threads made of shadows and wrapped them around her body, dragging her towards us in a second. "Uwaaah! Oh!" Tear panicked a bit butnded over Lucifer''s back fine enough. She was hugepared to any of us¡­ As an Ice Giant, even if she hasn''t aged in appearance since she got the crown, she was over three meters of height. "Well, if you really want toe, be our guest." I sighed. "But please don''t do anything reckless, and stay lowkey if possible." "Okay." Tear nodded. "I''ll help as much as I can!" "Well, it sure is weird to bring along a former enemy like this¡­" Partner said. "Ah, well, the crown''s gone so I guess you''re different than before¡­ Still trying to process everything." "Come on Partner, don''t be rude." Emeraldine sighed, crossing her arms. "Let''s get along, Tear!" "Sure! Thanks." Tear smiled, looking into the faraway mountains, while gently touching her ne''s jewel, Veredorr''s Soul Core. "I''m sure Veredorr would had wanted toe along, and explore the beautiful world with us¡­" "What about the two dragons that are always sticking with you?" Partner asked.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Dwagons?" Nyx asked. "I think she means Gjoll and Leiptr!" Said Takeshi. "Yeah, those two are always at Tear''s side." Lucia giggled. "I told them to stay in the vige and protect it. They''re very strong, so I''m trusting on their strength." Tear smiled. "I''ve been practicing my magic a bit; I hope I can be of some help!" "You''ll sure be." I nodded. "Now, onwards, Lucifer! Go as fast as you can!" "Alright!" Lucifer roared, flying across the skies as fast as possible. The Order of the God of Light hasn''t acted ever since the defeat of theirbined troops with the Frost Queen''s. They either have given up on us or think that we are not even worth their time anymore. After all, they''ve got an internal struggle against the Vampires that had infiltrated into their society. So while they''re working on something else, most likely to deal with them now that that suspicious Vampires escaped with some sort of treasure from the Tower of Skadi, we have to get done everything I wanted to do. FLAAAAAASH! And the first thing is to visit Emeraldine''s vige and see if everyone is okay! Emeraldine had left her vige to be an Adventurer, but after being captured by bandits, she ended bing a ve. Since then, she hasn''t known anything about them, and even after I rescued her, helped her recover, and helped her take revenge on those nasty bastards, she hadn''t said a single word about wanting to go back there. Now that over a year has passed since then, and she has changed so much, I think it was finally about time she went back, I am worried about her family. "Mama, why didn''t Roote along?" Nyxined. "Ah, well, he is better off protecting the vige, his enormous body and branches are strong, in an emergency, he''ll protect the whole city." I smiled. "I wish I could had brought him along, I believe he would had really liked seeing the Ancient Spirit Forest¡­" "It is indeed a rather mysterious ce. I had never heard about it before." Tear said in surprise. "Hmm, I have only heard a bit." Jonathan said. "I remember the members of the Order saying it was a forest where dangerous¡­ spiritualists lived, and that they were protected by the mountains, so it wasn''t easy to go there¡­ I''m thankful that is the case." "Well they''re quite wrong, we weren''t dangerous spiritualist. And there were also humans there, not just elves." Emeraldine sighed. "There''s a lot of misunderstandings of our small settlement. But that spirit forest was born from the first elf that set foot on this continent thousands of years ago. It was said he was the prince of an Elven Kingdom that escaped from his country. And that carried with himself a seed of Yggdrasil." "A seed of Yggdrasil! Like Root?" Nyx wondered innocently. "Oh! Is there a Root there?!" "S-Something like that." Emeraldineughed. "There''s a huge forest that everyone calls the Holy Spirit Tree, it is a smaller, lesser type of Yggdrasil Tree that couldn''t growpletely because of theck of spiritual energy in this continentpared to Alfheim, where we originate. Nheless, it grew very big, and filled the surrounding forests with spiritual energy, turning that ce in what now everyone calls the Ancient Spirit Forest, although it is quite a small forest." "That sounds pretty cool, not going to lie." Partner smiled while rubbing her chin. "I guess your vige is in the woods?" "Yeah, there are some houses in the ground, but most elven families build houses on top of trees! It is very fun! You''ll be really shocked when you see it!" Emeraldine smiled. "Wow¡­ It sounds so dreamy." Tear smiled faintly. "I hope the elves aren''t scared of a big dragoning down though." Lucifer spoke, rather concerned. "Oh, please don''t worry about it, Lucifer! Once you speak to them on words, they''ll understand and won''t panic. We are used to speaking with Spirit Beasts that inhabit the forest with us, they''re our guardians." Emeraldine smiled. "Hmm, I see." Lucifer sighed in relief. "I hope so- Oh? OH! Where almost there!" ----- Chapter 793 Arriving At The Elven Forest Chapter 793 Arriving At The Elven Forest ----- "We''re back!" Emeraldine smiled. "Uncle, everyone¡­" She nced into the far away forest, and the big tree in there. We all did at the same time, expecting a view that would blow us away. Yet¡­ When wended eyes on that ce, we felt¡­pletely devastated. The forest was dark, and several trees were leafless. The ground was pitch ck, with swamps everywhere. And the smell of miasma spread everywhere. At the same time, the big tree in the middle of the forest was darkened, as a strange, powerful evil energy constantly surged from within¡­ "N-No¡­" Emeraldine muttered. "W-What''s going on?! This is not the forest¡­ Is this another ce?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "No, this is it!" Said Lucifer. "This¡­ something has happened here for sure." "I can feel the presence of one of my Fragments." Tyr appeared at my side. "Maria, this ce has be aplete wastnd¡­ A Danger Zone filled with monsters!" "N-No way¡­ Why? There was no such thing as a fragment here!" Emeraldine cried. "AH! My uncle¡­ everyone! Lucifer please go down!" "O-Okay!" Lucifer nodded. We descended into the forest''s entrance, finding the same appearance we saw from within the skies. Barely a few living trees were in the further outside area, while everything else inside had grown ck and corrupted. The ground was pitch ck too, and grass was nowhere to be seen. ck and poisonous mushrooms were growing everywhere, and there were even signs of small Demonite Crystals growing around. "W-We need to go to the vige quickly!" Emeraldine cried. "Alright, let''s go then." I nodded. FLAAASH! I quickly shapeshifted my shadows, grabbing everyone with myself and flying across the forest in just a few seconds, reaching where I could sense several very weak signs of life, and where I was able to detect what looked like buildings. "We''re here!" I said, quickly putting everyone in the floor. We nced around, the entire vige looked in ruins. The houses were destroyed, the big trees where the elves were living were drying out, and the houses on top were also destroyed. "W-Where is everyone?" Wondered Takeshi. "It''s all destroyed¡­" Nyx sighed. "D-Did everyone¡­?" Emeraldine looked like she was slowly falling into despair. "Ah! Uncle''s house!" We followed Emeraldine as we ran towards arge house in the middle of the vige, it was in ruins, covered on miasma. Everything waspletely destroyed. "N-No¡­ It can''t be¡­" Emeraldine fell to her knees. "W-Why did this had to happen to us¡­?! Uncle¡­ Uncle?! Where are you?! UNCLE!" Emeraldine started looking around, and I helped her, but we couldn''t find a single thing. And the weird part was that¡­ I couldn''t find any soul or ghost either. At least if someone died here, I would be able to sense that, but there was just nothing. It was as if they had all been sucked into something else. And I could sense that that "something else" might be the huge tree, the Great Spirit Tree that Emeraldine talked so dearly about¡­ It had grown strange, twisted. It was no longer the same as before. There was a strong malice emerging from within its roots, absorbing all souls and ghosts into its core. Whatever it is¡­ we have to stop it before it bes even stronger. "Don''t worry, I can sense a lot of people still alive, they''re around here¡­" I said, looking down. "Nobody''s on the buildings, but underground¡­" I quickly grew a gigantic palm made of darkness and hit the floor with a huge punch. BAAAAAAMMM!!! CRAAASH! The ground shattered open, as the path towards an underground cave was revealed. The first thing we saw down there were countless colorful mushrooms everywhere. "We''re going down!" I dragged everyone down using my shadows until we reached the floor. BAAM! "T-This is really a cave¡­" Said Lucifer. "Did you elves made this?" "N-No¡­ This is new- Ah! I can sense it too!" Emeraldine said. "The life signs of everyone¡­" She was speaking with her Divine Spirits, that danced around her body. "It seems they know where they are, can you guide us there?" "Of course!" "We are just as worried as you are!" The two Divine Spirits, now able to speak, nodded and quickly flew across the caves, which were covered on colorful, venomous mushrooms, ponds of miasma, and Demonite crystals growing everywhere. We followed the Divine Spirits while giving a few turns, until we finally arrived at arge room filled with mushrooms. In there¡­ there were over fifty people on the floor. Some were stuck on the walls and ceiling. And they were all covered on mold and mushrooms, from head to toe, as if their living bodies were being used to feed on these parasitic things. "W-What is this?! Everyone?! Why¡­ Who did this?!" Emeraldine cried in shock. And that''s when they emerged. The gigantic mushrooms we saw along the way weren''t just that. After Emeraldine screamed, and after they pretended to be just normal, they emerged. Starting to move, the huge mushrooms sprouted arms, legs, and monstrous, vicious vertical jaws filled with sharp fangs, opening them widely, as a single red eye red at us from within their caps. "Gyoooooogghh!" "Gruoooghhh!" "Gryyyeeeggh!" "W-What are these things?!" Emeraldine cried in anger and surprise. "Walking Mushrooms?!" Jonathan wondered. "No¡­ They''re much stronger than normal Walking Mushrooms¡­ T-They''re all B Rank?! Insane! Such monsters are usually F Rank at most¡­" "It seems these buddies have been powered up with Miasma." I said. "Alright team, looks like we found our culprits. Time to clean this ce out of this mold infestation." The monsters were named "Miasmic Giant Mushroom Aberration" and were all B++ Rank as Jonathan said. I guess that exins why people werepletely hopeless against these beasts. "GRYYEEEH!" One of them opened their jaws, as countless tentacle-like tongue surged from within, attempting to catch us with them. However, before we could react, a giant arrow made of light pierced the mushroom''s open jaws, making its entire body explode into pieces! "Gryyyyyygghhh!" BOOOOOMM! "You bastards¡­ I won''t forgive what you''ve done¡­" Emeraldine hadpletely lost it. ----- Chapter 794 A Strange Fungal Disease Chapter 794 A Strange Fungal Disease ----- Emeraldinepletely let out of her rage, as she shoot an arrow straight through one of the mushrooms, blowing them up into pieces before it could even attack. Her face distorted in utter fury and desperation, her eyes glowing fiercely with her spiritual energy. The two Divine Spirits merged into her body, as her Aura spread further everywhere. "[Divine Spirit Arrow]!" Emeraldine moved at super high speed through her [Hyper Speed] and [sh Step] Skills, and quickly fired Divine Spirit Arrows with the assistance of the [High-Speed Arrow Shooting] and [Multiple Arrow Shooting] Skills. Naturally, with shing speed and powerful explosive arrows that naturally dealt extra damage against Darkness and Chaos type monsters, the mushrooms were blown into pieces one after another, in a matter of seconds. By controlling her Skills and her new powers, Emeraldine was able to easily summon more and more arrows, and even fire them all at the same time, which quickly flew into different directions at once. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! However, the Mushrooms kept emerging one after another, and some even emerged from the ground, walls and the ceiling! We couldn''t leave everything to Emeraldine after all. "RAAAAH!" Emeraldine continued on her rampage, as we supported her with our magic and attacks, while keeping the captured people safe. "[Abyssal Death mes]! Burn to ashes, you damn trash!" Lucifer roared, his ck mes spreading around on his handsome humanoid form, which was wearing a really cool suit, making him look even cooler. FLUOOOOSH! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! The ck mes spread around generating a domain of ck mes, enhancing his damage even further, while purifying the soil and everything out of miasma. "Let me help as well¡­" Tear said. "[Freeing Cage]! [Icicle Spears]!" FLAAASH! Meanwhile, Tear conjured a magic that froze the foot of a dozen mushroom monsters at once and then pierced them countless times with spears made of ice that surged from the very frozen ground! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! "[Sunlight sh]!" Jonathan utilized his Divine Sword to give out fast, yet simple swings of his sword. Bright beams of pure sunlight pierced the bodies of dozens of these monsters at once, making them explode into pieces. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "[Blood Swarm]!" Partner smiled devilishly, spreading her shadows as countless bat-shaped monsters emerged, madepletely out of her own blood, which devastated surrounding foes, while she used her spears to carefreely sh them into pieces. SLASH! SLASH! SLAAAASH! Meanwhile, Nyx, Takeshi, and Laurabined their strength, as Nyx trapped the beasts with her Shadow Magic (which she inherited from me), and which Takeshi and Laura took down with powerful explosive attacks of water and fire magic. And as of me? I created a barrier made out of my own soul around the victims, protecting them all, while at the same time summoning roots of the tree of death and piercing the bodies of the monsters, absorbing their souls and lives. If I did this directly like this, it was possible to not let that big tree absorb their life essence and soul, which would make it only grow stronger¡­ I couldn''t do this with absolutely every monster we defeated, but still, it seemed to at least suffice. "[Divine ck Lightning]!" And above that, I shoot down constant lightning strikes with my magic, which spread across many monsters at once, dealing devastating damage. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM!!! After just a few minutes, the monsters stopped emerging, even when we noticed some A- Rank variants in between the weaker ones, as if that would had made any difference anyways, we''re so strong these guys are just flies. Ding! [You and your Party have defeated [Miasmic Giant Mushroom Aberration (B++ ~ A- Rank)] x185!] [You earned 46.250.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 90 to Level 91!] [All of your Stats have increased.] [You earned Bonus System Points.] [Your Job ss/Subss Level has increased from Level 64 to Level 66!] "Seems like we''re done¡­? Hopefully." Tear sighed. "Why were there so many of them? I think we fought over a hundred¡­" "Yeah, to have so many at the same time, it is probably a bad sign¡­" Jonathan sighed. "Uncle!" Emeraldine cried, as she found her uncle in between the many other people. "Uncle! Are you okay?! Maria, he''s not responding¡­" "Calm down, Emeraldine." I sighed. I nced at her uncle, an old elf man with a long ash colored beard and hair, and wearing broken sses. Like everyone else, his body was covered on a strange, purple and blue colored mold infection, and there were mushrooms growing over his body. It looked terrible. I had never dealt with something like this¡­ I needed to analyze this carefully with my Analysis System Ability. "System, please analyze this disease, or whatever it is!" Ding! [Analysis¡­] [Analysisplete.] [The subject has been detected to be infected with arge colony of Miasmic Mold and Venomous Mushrooms.] [Their health state is dangerous. The Venomous Mushrooms are removable with enough care, as long as the roots are taken out. However, the Miasmic Mold is a different, mush more dangerous infection.] [It has spread through his entire body, and is slowly draining away all of their lives, while fermenting their insides¡­ Once a few more days pass, these people will be filled with mold and die dried out like mummies. Most likely.] [Aplete purification of the bodies through Divine-level Holy Light Magic could heal the symptoms and kill most things to an extent.] [However, a special elixir is required topletely heal all subjects.]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Necessary ingredients: The Origin of this Mold.] This is worse than I imagined, so even with magic, it can''t bepletely healed?! We need some sort of freaking mold elixir. Does that tree has something to do with this? The origin of the mold¡­ It is most likely whatever that being is, which created all these monsters and this infection. "For now, we have to quickly purify their bodies with Holy Light Magic! Jonathan! Do you think you could help us?" "Of course!" Jonathan nodded. "Tell me what I need to do." "I-I''ll help too!" Emeraldine nodded in between tears. "Very well, let''s do this¡­" ----- Chapter 795 Saving The Elves Chapter 795 Saving The Elves ----- With the aid of Emeraldine and Jonathan, plus my ability to purify things through the special Title that I got from purifying chaos in the dungeon once, webined this strength together, and created a brand-new spell. "[Divine Holy Light Magic]: [Grand Purification]!" FLAAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!!! A massive sh of pure divine light emerged, covering everywhere. The light spread further into the rest of the caves, purifying absolutely everything. The mushrooms were all disintegrated, the Demonite disappeared without trace as well, and whatever other monsters left behind¡­ Well, they died without hope. Once everything finished, we were left slightly blind¡­ But the ugly mold and mushrooms growing over the people disappeared instantly. I guess we didn''t even need to take out the roots. Ding! [You have partially healed everyone out of the Miasmic Mold Disease!] [The Miasmic Mold, however, is much stronger, and fueled by the magic power of whatever has created it¡­] [Once enough time passes again, it will begin spreading once more.] [Find whatever is the origin of this Mold, and make an elixir out of that thing¡­ Of course, once you kill it.] I see, I guess this won''t be over so easily¡­ But at the very least, everyone seem much healthier and better now. "Hm? W-What is¡­ happening?" "Ah! I-I''m alive?!" "Where is this ce?" "W-What''s going on? Ouch, my back¡­" "Huh? Who are these people?!" "The mushroom monsters¡­ They''re nowhere to be seen." "Huh?! E-Emeraldine?!" The people quickly woke up, many of them instantly recognized Emeraldine among all of us. She started crying out of happiness, greeting everyone. "Everyone! We came to your rescue!" She cried. "Emeraldine!" "You''re back!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "And you''re so strong¡­ that aura!" "Divine power?! Are these your adventurer party friends?!" "So you had a big party of strong adventurers¡­ you did as you dreamed of!" "Hello." I said with a smile. Everyone else also greeted the people politely. "I''m Maria and these are Lucifer, Jonathan, Partner, Nyx, Takeshi, Laura, and Tear." "S-Such a huge part of so many people¡­" "Ugh, my head¡­" "Thankfully Emeraldine rescued us¡­" "Uncle! Uncle!" Emeraldine tried to wake up her uncle. "Ah! Huh?! Eh?! OH! E-Emeraldine?! EMERALDINE!!!" Her uncle suddenly stood up like a zombie out of his grave, and instantly screamed in happiness the second he saw Emeraldine. "UNCLEEEE!" Emeraldine started crying again. The two hugged tightly, it was clear that they loved each other a lot like family. I remember that Emeraldine always talked me about her uncle when she taught us Alchemy. He is a Master Alchemist of the highest order after all! And because he''s like her father, this means he''s my father-inw! I have to act politely in front of him to gain his respect, naturally. "Nice to meet you! I''ve heard a lot from you." I said with a smile. "But Emeraldine neve gave me your name though." "Oh! My name is August!" Laughed the charismatic old elf. "It is nice to know that my dear Emeraldine is in the hands of such reliable party of warriors! So many people too! Of all kinds of races no less! You must be very open-minded; I''m relieved you epted her in your party!" "W-Well¡­ Yeah." I nodded, just ying along for now. I mean, we have registered as adventures and as a party, so it makes sense¡­ to an extent. "We are totally adventurers." "S Rank no less." Lucifer nodded. "Yeah!" Partner nodded. "I''m a Majin by the way, not a Vampire!" "O-Oh, I see." August nodded nervously. "A-Anyways¡­ there''s a lot to talk. But it seems that you''ve saved us from sure death miraculously¡­ I really thought we were done for¡­ You have our eternal gratitude, as the chief of this vige, I thank you from the deepest of our hearts." "No problem, we did this because Emeraldine is really precious to us." I smiled. "Anyways, everyone must be tired, let''s go to the surface for now." Once we went back to the surface, the people that was happy to be saved quickly remembered everything got destroyed and fell into depression once more. "Our houses are all destroyed¡­ And the forest is so pitch ck¡­" "E-Everything is dying¡­" "Is this the judgment of the Lady Freyja for having escaped her continent?" "Our ancestors'' sins are now falling upon us¡­" "Lord Freyr has abandoned us¡­" It seemed the elves were quite religious, believing in their "Vanir Gods" Freyr and Freyja. And there were a few others, such as Njord, their parent. However, they thought that abandoning their continent was a sin their ancestorsmitted, hence, they believe this is their judgment for having betrayed them. "I think staying here is dangerous¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "How about we make a temporary camp outside? Maria, can you put in your inventory everything in the houses?" "Sure." I nodded, doing it in less than a minute. "W-What¡­ everything disappeared!" "Was that space magic?!" "Incredible! To be expected of S Rank Adventurers!" "Now, let''s go." I smiled, quickly grabbing literally everyone, and pulling them into my shadows. "Ah, sorry about this, it''ll be in a sh. It is like a shadow world thingy. Just don''t mind it." "Uwaah!" "Ooh?!" "Incredible¡­" "T-This is amazing! I neve thought dark magic could go this far!" August was fascinated. "Huh?" "Huh? Hi." Arachne suddenly greeted them while she slept in her bed inside my Shadows. "So many people¡­ I''ve missed a lot. Yawn¡­ But I''m too sleepy¡­" She continued sleeping anyways. Once we arrived outside the forest, we were greeted by the grasnds and normal forests. Emeraldine quickly put to work her Nature Magic, growing several houses using her Spirit Tree Magic, and reinforcing them with spirit magic to resist miasma, and even have healing effects on people that was inside of them. "I''ve only made a couple of buildings, but I hope they can suffice for now." Emeraldine sighed. "Her magic has advanced to incredible lengths!" "Emeraldine, you''re our pride!" "This is an almost god-like power¡­" "Y-You made this yourself?!" August was shocked. "Yeah, now please get in, we''ll distribute the things from everyone else and also make something to eat¡­ You''re notpletely healed, so you need to rest and stay inside these healing houses I made." Emeraldine said. ----- Chapter 796 Just What Happened In The Forest? Chapter 796 Just What Happened In The Forest? ----- We distributed the belongings of everyone, or well, what we could find out of them, which took around an hour. While doing that, Lucifer and Partner prepared a meal, stew made out of pr bear meat and snow wolf meat (we had tons of that thanks to the Frost Army). That apanied with some freshly baked bread, and herbal tea to soothe the soul. Everyone gathered around a table Emeraldine made using her magic, and they sat down to eat while wearing new and warmer clothes made out of these frost monsters pelt, which worked at calming down fatigue and drowsiness. "Thank you so much¡­" "Ah, such a warm meal¡­" "I feel my heart healed¡­" Most of the people were old humans, or elves. There was barely a few children. I felt worried that they were taken away somewhere else, but they exined this vige''s poption was slowly declining. "There''s only a few children because we elves barely have them due to being long lived." Exined August. "The humans here are mostly all married with us elves too. Our children, much like Emeraldine, desired to explore the outside world, so very few had stayed with us¡­ I guess half-elves much have a strong desire for exploration and adventure, a unique trait." "I see¡­" I nodded. "Well¡­ Let''s get to the point, what happened here? Emeraldine told me this ce was much more mystical, and beautiful¡­" "I-I am just as surprised¡­" Emeraldine cried. "W-What''s going on, uncle?" "¡­" Her uncle remained in silence for a few seconds. "It is all my fault¡­" "Your fault?!" Emeraldine cried. "T-That''s not true¡­ I refuse to believe that!" "Well, I believe it is my fault¡­ I''ll exin." He sighed. "It happened¡­ about two¡­ three months ago? I cannot properly recall¡­ A little boy showed up, all tattered in front of our vige. He had long ears, and red eyes, with pale white hair." August continued exining that when they found this boy, they were slightly afraid. His aura was dark like the night, but he looked so weak and frail, that they couldn''t help but help him. At the end, he took him to his house, and healed him slowly, bit by bit. "That''s when I saw what he was¡­ I don''t know when or where did he came from but that boy¡­ He held something on his chest. A pitch-ck crystal." Said August. "It seemed to not hurt him, but it allowed him to gain strength and also¡­ somehow made miasma flow through his body, helping him live. I was amazed, and deep down, aside from helping him, I wanted to examinate how it worked. I was so foolish¡­. I thought that maybe if I figured out how he survived in such a way, we could find a definiteponent that could destroy the dangerous Miasma." That description reminded me of Takeshi and Laura. They also have Demonite Heart Cores, which transformed their bodies, giving them the ability to survive by absorbing miasmic energy and generating their own "demonic energy" or something like that. Could that boy had been another test subject from somewhere else? I noticed how Takeshi and Laura nced at one another, and everyone in my party realized the simrities, yet they remained in silence, thankfully. "We named him Ash due to the color of his hair. We wanted to protect him and help him out¡­ But the boy wasn''t able to talk, he was always mute. Yet¡­ he was a good boy, he helped us as he could with our crops, and was always there to cooperate." Sighed August. "Yet his hands¡­ He was unable to control his miasmic powers, he ended corrupting the ground, and the crops¡­ When everyone grew restless, I tried to protect him, to keep him in our vige, but that only led to this¡­"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Why? What did he do?!" Emeraldine cried. "The boy was apparently amnesiac¡­" Sighed August. "However, one day, when he hit himself on the head by walking downstairs¡­ the true entity dwelling within him woke up. His memories came back. He tricked me into bringing him to the tree and¡­ And¡­ Someone else appeared." He exined that a mysterious, tall man resembling a vampire wearing a mask appeared, guiding the boy to the tree¡­ "I couldn''t do anything, I was unable to fight that man''s powers, he paralyzed me with just his gaze¡­" August cried. "I led him to the tree¡­ Foolishly, believe he was just a good kid¡­ That he wanted to be understood and loved¡­ Yet when he touched the tree, and the great Spirit Tree quivered in pain, he smiled back at me¡­ and said "Foolish old man"¡­" August exined that the vampire also said something. "Your pitiful vige might soon be destroyed, but fear not, your existence has been of great use for us. We will now take this forest as our own and produce powerful monsters. We''ll use their might to destroy the humans that have oppressed us. Your sacrifice is necessary¡­ for a better future." "What?! What sort of bullshit is that?!" Partner asked angrily. "Those damn Vampires appeared here too¡­" Lucifer gritted his teeth. "I-It can''t be¡­ So Ash¡­ Where is he?!" Emeraldine asked. "When I came back to my senses, I only ran away from the tree, scared of what it had be¡­ And when I arrived back in the vige, I found gigantic mushrooms everywhere, attacking us, destroying our houses, and dragging us down into the underground¡­" Sighed August. "T-That''s all I remember¡­" "This is awful¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "W-We need to do something¡­!" "I know." I nodded. "We''ll do what we can. Whatever this is, those vampires must have orchestrated it." "Ash¡­ Was he really a bad person?" Wondered Takeshi. "M-Maybe¡­ he was being forced to do this." "If you found him tattered and almost dead before, it means he escaped." Said Laura. "Maybe something happened¡­ with those vampires." "I don''t know¡­" August sighed. "I''m worried but- Cough¡­ cough¡­" "Uncle! Y-You should go rest for now." Emeraldine cried. ----- Chapter 797 Departing Chapter 797 Departing ----- Within the central area of the fallen Ancient Spirit Forest, arge, mutated tree kept growingrger and vaster, spreading its dark roots across the entire forest, draining away the life and souls of the living beings that died nearby, while constantly generating new monsters from its roots. Giant Mushrooms sprouted almost endlessly from its roots, while the dead trees began mutating and transforming into Dark Treants, roaring furiously, and hunting down any living being they could find¡­ The once peaceful forest had been transformed into an area of bloodshed and destruction. When it used to be such a beautiful ce filled with greenery¡­ It all changed. Now, it had be something simr to what that Vampire had said to August. This forest has be a factory to create an "army" of monsters, and the one behind it all was the very child the vigers thought was just a victim¡­ Within the hollow interior of the ursed Demonic Tree, his body rested. Wrapped around ck, miasmic tentacles, and roots and branches piercing his skin and flesh. His chest shone brightly with a red crystal that kept growing bigger and bigger, his face looked sleepy and exhausted, his eyes barely open. "Uncle¡­" However, no matter how hard he tried to pretend, it was clear that on his face, the boy showed deep sorrow. The sorrow and desperation of being forced by his abusers to be a monster himself. "You should not speak, you''re merely a vessel, a connection between my power and this forest." A terrific voice spoke into the voice''s mind. "Your will and mind will soon disappear. Stop fighting!" The miasmic tentacles and ck colored branches continued spreading across his body, draining him of his free will, and energy¡­ "This world¡­ Shall be drowned in darkness. Those that cut me down will pay with their lives." . . . (Maria''s POV) Once we talked and discussed about the origin of this forest''s destruction with August, we moved everybody else back into the houses we built up, and made sure to leave several Undead and a few of my own Phantom Clones to take care of them. We swiftly improvised potions that could slow down the expansion of the Miasmic Mold across their bodies using the very mushrooms we killed. It resulted that they were actually a really good analgesic against them. However, they weren''t a cure, but something to prolong their inevitable deaths¡­ That is, if we don''t find the origin of this Mold, kill it, and make a proper cure with its materials. "We''ll get going now, uncle." Emeraldine said, holding her uncle''s hand. "Make sure to drink these potions whenever you feel a bit too sick, okay?" "Okay." August sighed. "I wish¡­ I could be of more help, but I feel like I can barely walk¡­" He cried. "We''ll solve this problem as fast as possible." I answered with a smile. "Once we deal with that¡­ boy, and then the monster tree over there, I think Emeraldine could be capable of healing everything back to normal. She had be a Demigoddess after all." "Hahaha¡­ I-I never thought my dear Emeraldine would grow so powerful¡­ You''re¡­ you''re ourst hope, my dear¡­" August cried. "Please¡­ that boy¡­ Ash¡­ I don''t know if he was truly being forced, even now, I feel doubt in my heart. I don''t want to me him for everything¡­ That Vampire that appeared there¡­ Maybe he.. Cough¡­ Maybe he forced him¡­" "¡­We''ll see how things go." Emeraldine sighed. "If he truly¡­ did not intend to do the things he did. Then maybe there can be a way to save him¡­ But I don''t really know, and I wont know until we face him." "That''s true¡­" Sighed August. "Do as you may, I trust your judgement, Emeraldine. Your mother¡­ would be proud of what you''ve be now. Someone so strong and confident, and with many friends¡­" "¡­" Emeraldine sighed, hiding the fact that before meeting us, she had failed her uncle and her mother. After all, she felt ashamed of the fact she was enved by bandits, and¡­ abused so much. In those times, she felt helpless and despaired. Until we arrived and helped her. Until¡­ Well, I showed up in her life. She doesn''t really have to tell this to everyone, but it might be the right thing to tell it to her uncle, that she''s not¡­ all that he thinks she is. I gently touched her shoulder. "Uncle¡­ I need to tell you something¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "Before we go there¡­ Can I have some private time with him?" She asked us. "Sure." I nodded. "Let''s go outside, everyone." I walked outside with everyone else, as I exined to them what Emeraldine wanted to exin to his uncle as¡­ censored as possible to the children, who didn''t knew exactly. "Is auntie Emeraldine okay, mama?" Nyx wondered. "She''s fine! She just needed some time alone with her uncle to tell her everything that has happened to her since she left here¡­" I said. "They have a really strong bond, as if she were his own daughter. So I guess she needed to tell him the truth, mostly because she felt someone guilty for making him think everything in her life always went perfectly¡­"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Even if it is painful, sometimes the truth is necessary." Sighed Lucifer. "Muh¡­" Nyx sighed, feeling rather sad herself, she was being carried by her father, as she rubbed her head over his chest. "Mom, I was thinking about something¡­" Takeshi said. "Yes?" I asked. "Is it about Ash?" Laura asked Takeshi. "I think I was thinking the same as you¡­" "Ah, about that boy?" I wondered. "Yeah¡­ W-What if he''s like us?" Takeshi wondered. "Maybe he was also forced to be something like a Homunculus, using those materials extracted from the Evil God''s Fragments¡­" "The Vampires were behind our creations, right?" Asked Laura. "So maybe¡­ Maybe he was in a simr situation, and was forced to do this because he fears the Vampires?" "¡­I had already considered such a thing." I sighed. "But if that boy¡­ is fully intending to destroy this entire ce, we''ll still have to fight him, and maybe even¡­" "B-But it can be different, right?" Tear asked. "Like¡­ with me?" "¡­" ----- Chapter 798 Baiting The Enemy Chapter 798 Baiting The Enemy ----- "Tear''s case was Unique¡­" I sighed. "I still can''t say for sure but¡­" I noticed how Tear, Takeshi, and Laura were giving me puppy eyes. "Ugh! Fine, I''ll do my best to save him but no promises, okay? I can''t guarantee that things will always go well!" I sighed. "We''ve¡­ already lost so many good people. I just¡­ Don''t know sometimes." "Maria¡­" Lucifer held my hand. "You''re not alone on this, you''ve got all of us as well." "That''s right!" Partner held my other hand and then hugged me and gave me kisses in my cheek. "You''ve got us all the way!" "I think my magic could work on purifying the forest alongside Emeraldine''s magic¡­ Maybe it could help on freeing the boy from whatever it could be controlling him. Let''s not lose hope, even if there''s a bit of it, we have to be cheerful and look into the future with decisiveness." Jonathan spoke like a true hero. Everyone''s words inspired me a bit, filling my already wounded and saddened heart. I guess they were right¡­ As long as we are together, it might work¡­ there might be hope. "Okay." I nodded. "I get it. Let''s work together¡­ And do our best. And let''s hope doing our best is enough¡­" I nced at the distance, the huge tree that Emeraldine told me was once a beautiful Lesser Yggdrasil Tree, now all dried out, darkened, and resembling a huge monster. I wonder if the boy is still there. It could be that he holds the Evil God Fragment, as I can sense that fragment''s presence through Tyr''s senses inside of the tree. "I''m back." Emeraldine walked downstairs, looking like she had just cried a lot and was cleaning her tears. "Emeraldine." I quickly hugged her tightly. "How was it?" "I told him everything¡­" She sighed. "Uncle was really sad; he cried a lot with me¡­ We hugged, and then he told me that¡­ No matter what, he still loved me. And that¡­ it was thanks to my own strength that I''vee this far. That I was able to ovee such traumas and trials¡­ And that even after everything, I would still make mother proud." "He''s a good man." I smiled. "And did you told him about¡­ our rtionship?" "Yep." She nodded. "He was really happy! He kind of always knew I was into girls¡­" She blushed a bit. "He said he was happy that you were my girlfriend because¡­ He found within you a really kind and beautiful heart." "Geez, that man really knows how to say the most corniest of things!" I felt embarrassed. "A-Anyways, I''m d for that! Now, let''s go! We''ve got a whole forest to save!" "Yeah!" Emeraldine nodded. "Everyone¡­ I''ll be counting on your help¡­" "Of course, you''ve been helping us since we meet you, with your magic and kindness, many people in our vige were made happier thanks to you, Emeraldine." Said Lucifer. "It is time for us to repay back for all the things you''ve done for us." "Lucifer¡­" Emeraldine was about to cry. "Yeah, I think the same!" Partner nodded. "You''re my bestie, so I would do anything for you, Emeraldine! Count on me for anything!" "Partner!" Emeraldine hugged her. "Count on us as well auntie!" Nyx said. "I can turn into big dragon sometimes, so I will help with my powa!" "Me too, we''ve grown this way thanks to your kindness." Laura smiled. "You were the one that tended to our weakened and tired bodies, and even healed us many times." "We love you auntie Emeraldine!" Said Takeshi. "Hehehe, you are all so adorable, thank you." Emeraldine hugged all three of them. "I might had arrived just recently but¡­ You''re an amazing woman, Emeraldine. Your kindness and heart is befitting of a Saint." Said Jonathan. "And as Maria''s beloved one, I would do anything for you." "Jonathan, thank you." Emeraldine smiled gently. "M-Me too! I''ll help!" Said Tear. "I-I have to repay you all for all the things I made you go through¡­" "Tear, I''ll be counting on your amazing magic." Emeraldine said. "Y-Yeah!" Tear nodded confidently. "When ites to freezing stuff, leave it to me!" Emeraldine cheered up a lot from our conversations, as she nodded, with decisiveness, as we nced into the big tree. We walked into the forest once more, as we had already made up a n. First of all, we needed to kill as many monsters within the forest as possible. This way, we take down all the threats that could possibly threaten the life of the vigers out there. And if the monsters continue multiplying so fast, the forest will only continue to get infested. Also, if we take them down quickly, not many will get in our way once we go to the big tree. For that reason, Lucifer offered himself as the one to bring all the attention, as we stood up near the center of the forest, where I could detect the most monsters underground. "I can detect roughly three powerful forces protecting the big tree, they might be like Boss-type monsters. Meanwhile, each boss-type monster is being protected by over a thousand small fries that keep slowly multiplying." I exined what I sensed using my powerful Phantasmal Senses. "And where we are right now¡­ one of the bosses is near. If we can bring the attention of all the mobs, the boss, and also the mobs of the other two bosses. Those bosses will be left unguarded, so we can take them down easily once we deal with the wave of small fries. And for that reason¡­ Lucifer!" "On it! RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Lucifer roared with all his might, so loudly and mighty that enormous shockwaves emerged out of his voice alone. The ground around us trembled, as we I quickly sensed the presences of hundreds of beingsing from the ground¡­ Alongside a huge, stronger presence as well. TRUUUUUUMMMM¡­! "GRUOOOOHHHHHHH¡­!" A huge, gigantic mass of countless mushrooms stuck together emerged, as big as Lucifer himself! And with it came over a thousand Walking Mushrooms from the ground! "Look!" Suddenly, Takeshi pointed to the west, as we noticed a huge army of walking dark trees, Dark Treants, rushing in. They were led by a huge one too! "Over there!" Laura pointed to the east, over a thousand golems made of ck stones, and Demonite, led by a huge behemoth of a golem also showed up. Looks like the bait worked even better than we thought originally! Ding! [The mighty roar of the Death Dragon King has brought upon the attention of the [Great Three Dark Spirit Forest Rulers] and their mighty armies of over a thousand each!] [The [Giant Miasmic Mushroom Chimera King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] has emerged from his underground domain!] [The [Abyssal Dark Treant King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] hase from his domain of dead trees!] [The [Titanic Demonite Golem: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] has arrived from his underground domain of Demonite caves!] [All powerful [Great Three Dark Spirit Forest Rulers] seem furious over your insolent provocation and have decided to crush your entire army for good!] "Nice! The bait worked wonderfully!" Iughed. "Alright everyone! Let''s get rid of them all at once! Come out, my army of Undead!" I spread out my Shadows, as I summoned over two thousand Undead Frost Monsters for battle, which I''ve been saving and leveling up ever since I got them¡­ Naturally, there were also all the Miasmic Giant Mushroom Aberrations we killed. ----- Chapter 799 Sweeping The Floor With The Bosses Chapter 799 Sweeping The Floor With The Bosses ----- Ding! [The mighty roar of the Death Dragon King has brought upon the attention of the [Great Three Dark Spirit Forest Rulers] and their mighty armies of over a thousand each!] [The [Giant Miasmic Mushroom Chimera King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] has emerged from his underground domain!] [The [Abyssal Dark Treant King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] hase from his domain of dead trees!] [The [Titanic Demonite Golem: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] has arrived from his underground domain of Demonite caves!] [All powerful [Great Three Dark Spirit Forest Rulers] seem furious over your insolent provocation and have decided to crush your entire army for good!] Lucifer''s roar was even more effective than I had expected. In just a couple of minutes, all three hue bosses came rushing! And I thought they would stay where their hideout was¡­ They surely got a bad temperamenting all the way here. Well, that makes it much easier for us anyways, we''ll crush them easily, even more because they''re just A+++ Rank monsters anyways, not even S Rank! Meanwhile, all their mobs were between B to B++ Rank at most, so they were easy EXP, even if very little when they''re so low ranked¡­ EXP is EXP at the end of the day. I quickly decided to bring out my own Army too! After all, I am a one-woman army. If I could, I would summon my total of over ten thousand Undead, but the majority were left protecting our vige, so I am only left with almost three thousand. And within their barracks, over a hundred Miasmic Giant Mushroom Aberrations joined the party, all the nasty mushrooms we killed became Undead now, and looked rather strong, much stronger than when they were alive. Thanks to my Necromancy Skills hitting such high levels now, Undead I created were no longer weaker than when they were alive, aside from some exceptions such as the Divine Frost Dragons, they would usually be much stronger! From mere B++ Rank monsters, these Miasmic Giant Mushroom Aberration became A Rank! They got bigger, stronger, and even more monstrous than before. "March, my Undead Army!" Imanded them. "OOOOOOHHHHHH!!" The Undead army rushed forwards, instantly shing against the three different monster armies at once. The Mushrooms were the fastest, as they adorably attempted to fight against my overpowered Undead, powered up by all my Skills. Really cute, not going to lie. However, my Undead ripped their mushroom caps apart and their former brethren ate them alive one after another, so I guess they weren''t as strong as they thought they were. "GRUOOOHHHH!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The huge mushroom chimera, which was made of just like a hundred different mushroom colors, stepped forward, its body pulsating constantly and letting out a foul-smelling breath. Poison? Maybe poisonous spores? Well, none of them affect me so¡­ FLUOOOOOSH! I spread out my body into a gigantic mantle of shadows, and then wrapped my entire body around the A+++ Rank Boss, the beast attacked me with its sharp fangs, and tried to punch me, but my soul was so powerful that it simply couldn''t care less about any damage inflicted upon it. It was all useless! "GRYYYEEEEEHHH¡­!" The giant mushroom quickly learned it was hopeless, as it started screaming in fear. My body constantly shapeshifted into more horrendous forms, swarms of huge insects, snakes, countless red eyes, tentacles made of shadows, and huge jaws spreading across my entire soul. By using my own body as a weapon and also transforming it into countless of fists, I used my Ghostly Fist Techniques andpletely demolished the beast as it was trapped within my own body. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOMMM!!! "Gryaaeeegghhh¡­!" The monster screamed in agony before dying on the spot. Its huge body fell into the floor, as its total HP decreased to zero faster than I imagined! Phew, I didn''t even had to use any fancy magic, just brute force is sometimes the way! BAAAAMM¡­! "Now, quickly rise back up, and kill your little brethren." I touched it with my hand, gathering back into a smaller form. TRUUUUUMMM¡­! The giant mushroom''s wounds quickly recovered, as its horrendous, chimeric body stood back up again, overflowing with a phantasmal aura. "GRUOOOHHH!" "Your name''s going to be¡­ Toad!" Ding! [You have risen the [Giant Miasmic Mushroom Chimera King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] as an Undead and it has be a Named Undead with the name of [Toad]!] [Its total Rank has increased from A+++ Rank to S- Rank! All of its Stats have increased as a result, and it has learned new Skills!] [The monster pledges his loyalty to you as his Undead Queen, and swiftly charges against formerrades!] Wow, it became S- Rank! Nice. This means the other two won''t be any different. I didn''t bring any S Rank Undead with my army, but I guess these guys will do. Using its huge mushroom-shaped arms, it started pummeling the other mushrooms apart. The other two bosses already reached us with their own armies. But things didn''t really changed all that much. I quickly started turning into Undead all the dead Mushroom, refilling the lost undead through the battle, all while I nced my friends destroying the enemy armies. "Hahahaha!" Partnerughed while piercing hundreds of Treants at once using her two spears, opening the way until a huge tree stopped her, resembling a dark version of Root. "Oh? An inferior Root has appeared." Partner smiled. "GRUOOOHHHHH!!!" The huge Treant swiftly attacked, spreading its roots into countless sharp spears. But Partner easily evaded the attacks, while channeling her many skills and magic into her spears, letting out two powerful piercing attacks made of shadows and blood at once. "[Abyssal Vampiric Blood Spear Arts]: [Lethal Shadow Strike]! [Crimson Blood Strike]!" CRAAAAASH! CRAAAAAASH! Both blows pierced across the huge monster tree''s roots, destroying them on the spot and shattering them apart! "GRAAAAAH¡­!" The huge tree monster fearfully stepped back as it saw its roots being easily destroyed, only to find Partner leaping right in front of his face and then¡­ "[Moon Vampire Queen Battle Arts]: [Blood Judgement]!" Over a hundred blood projectiles emerged out of thin air, piercing through the huge Treant''s body countless times, leaving hundreds of holes across its body. "G-GRAAAHHH¡­" BAAAAMMM¡­! It died before it could realize what happened. ----- Chapter 800 Undead Army Against Corrupted Forest Monsters Chapter 800 Undead Army Against Corrupted Forest Monsters ----- "OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!" Thest boss remaining, the Titanic Demonite Golem was swiftly cornered. Lucifer was beating it into pieces, and Emeraldine was using her magic to stop its movements by wrapping its legs with her spirit tree roots. Meanwhile, the other army of golems, the hardiest of them all, was bing rubble before Jonathan''s holy light sword, while Takeshi, Laura, Tear, and Nyx attacked all armies at once in a variety of ways. "There''s a lot of rubble for me to use as materials!" Laura smiled, grabbing a stone, and throwing it into a group of mushrooms. "[Detonation]!" BOOOOOMMM!!! A huge, zing explosion erupted once she wished it. Her amazing yet dangerous ability had grown a lot since we first meet her, the explosions be deadlier the higher her Magic Stat bes. However, she was also capable of mixing her unique skill with magic simrly to Takeshi, and unleashed several towers of mes that exploded consecutively, taking down dozens of monsters each time. "[Explosive Infernal Tower]!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! As she spread her deadly explosions across the enormous army of over three thousand monsters. Takeshi spread his powers as a domain. His surroundings constantly being flooded with water. "[Fisherman''s Rod]!" He raised a long, silver staff imbued with many spirit stones. It was custom made by me. Not only just in sticks worked, but any sort of stick. So naturally, I made him a staff-like stick with the best materials I could find, which essentially makes it so when he transforms it into a fishing rod¡­ FLAAASH! It bes like a divine relic, shining brightly with golden aura, and imbued with many beautiful jewels! And above all else, the metallic thread has be several times stronger.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om FLUOOOSH! The thread moved across the water domain, catching dozens after dozens of monsters and piercing their bodies, and then tightly wrapping around them until they exploded into pieces¡­ CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! And that wasn''t all¡­ "[Divine Ocean Dragon]!" FLUOOOSH! His Fishing Rod''s thread merged with his water domain and magic, gathering into a huge snake-like dragon made of pure water, roaring furiously. "ROOOOAARRRR!" It quickly charged forwards, sshing over almost a hundred monsters at once and consuming them into a huge tsunami! SPLAAAAASSSSHHH!!! The twins had surely be even stronger¡­ They weren''t any longer little kids we had to take care of anymore, but powerful allies we could rely on. They weren''t S Rank yet, but they were both A+ Rank, and their magic was so powerful it could easily beat anything within A Rank and below with utmost ease. "Roooaarrr!" Meanwhile, little Nyx was fighting near her two big siblings. I was keeping an eye on her, but against these weak foes, she waspletely sweeping the floor. Her level was soon to reach max level by now, and she was showing off how much her stats had increased already! Adorably yet fiercely, she grew big ck scaled ws from her tiny hands and shed apart monsters with ease. She grew a long tail and cut them down as well, and using her wings, she flew around evading attacks, while unleashing a devastating Abyssal Phantom Dragon Breath. BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! "[Phantom Dragon Summon]! Come friends!" And she was also kind of a necromancer, using the souls of the monsters she defeated as sacrifices, she summoned dozens of huge dragon phantoms as strong as B+ Rank monsters, which started fighting at her side. Unlike my Undead, they were temporary, but they were a unique power of hers, mostly. With them to bring her support, she was sweeping the floor with the monsters that came close to her with ease. "Mama, papa! Look, I''m strong!" Nyx said, calling for our attention. "I can tell, dear!" I smiled, floating above her in the skies. "Well done!" "You''re doing an amazing job!" Lucifer smiled as well, as his fists reached the huge golem, and finally crushed its core into pieces. CRAAAAASSSH!!! "OOOOOHHHHHH¡­!" Giving a loud groan, the golem quickly crumbled apart into pieces, falling over the floor motionlessly. I smiled, quickly using my necromancy once more. "Alright, all of you better wake up! No sleeping until we get this done with! Rise and shine!" My Phantasmal Energy and Mana was spread across therge piles of corpses, and even reached the huge bosses that just died. "I''ll name you two¡­ Bark and Rocky!" Ding! [You have risen the [Abyssal Dark Treant King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] as an Undead and it has be a Named Undead with the name of [Bark]!] [Its total Rank has increased from A+++ Rank to S- Rank! All of its Stats have increased as a result, and it has learned new Skills!] [The monster pledges his loyalty to you as his Undead Queen, and swiftly charges against formerrades!] Ding! [You have risen the [Titanic Demonite Golem: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] as an Undead and it has be a Named Undead with the name of [Rocky]!] [Its total Rank has increased from A+++ Rank to S- Rank! All of its Stats have increased as a result, and it has learned new Skills!] [The monster pledges his loyalty to you as his Undead Queen, and swiftly charges against formerrades!] "Toad, Bark, Rocky, crush them all!" I ordered them with a smile. All three of these powerful bosses, now even stronger at S- Rank marched forwards, crushing the enemy army with their huge sizes. I never thought I could turn a golem into an Undead, but it seemed to work, as it had a soul of its own within its core, which I simply put back in as I repaired its body through the Necromancy Skills that heals Undead. The battle continued, there were more and more monstersing from their respective territories, but united as a single army, we perseverated and once it was finally over, thest standing were, of course, all of us. "I can''t sense any major life presence at all now¡­ other than that big tree over there." I pointed at the distance. "We did it¡­" "Now that the forest is clean¡­ Let''s end this¡­" Emeraldine nced into the tree. ----- Chapter 801 A New Army Chapter 801 A New Army ----- Ding! [You and your Party have in [Giant Miasmic Mushroom Chimera King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] x1!] [You and your Party have in [Miasmic Giant Mushroom Aberration (B++ Rank)] x1009!] [You and your Party have in [Abyssal Dark Treant King: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] x1!] [You and your Party have in [Abyssal Dark Treant (B++ Rank)] x1017!] [You and your Party have in [Titanic Demonite Golem: Lv100 (A+++ Rank)] x1!] [You and your Party have in [Demonite Golem (B++ Rank)] x1002!] [You earned 485.000.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 91 to Level 96!] [All of your Stats have increased.] [You earned Bonus System Points.] [Your Job ss/Subss Level has increased from Level 66 to Level 88!]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om I''m getting closer to Max Level now¡­ Three thousand of monsters, even if small fry, really give a lot of EXP¡­ I don''t know how much that huge tree will give us EXP-wise, but it must at least be over a hundred million. "We''re done with the small fry." Lucifer said, looking at the distance. "Should we advance right away?" "I want to rest for a bit¡­" Takeshi sighed. "I''m quite tired myself¡­" Laura agreed. "Alright, let''s take a break." I nodded. "How about we have something to eat? E-Even if the surroundings are quite lugubrious-looking. Every corpse has now be an undead, so you can think of them as¡­ friends." "I guess there''s no helping it." Emeraldine sighed. "I am quite tired myself too¡­" "Let''s have a meal then!" Partner agreed. "I''m starving!" "I''m quite hungry too." Lucifer groaned. "Me too." Jonathan sighed, sitting over the floor. "Hahhh¡­ I never thought I would go against thousands of enemies¡­" Mostly everyone was exhausted, even the eager Emeraldine, so even if the surroundings looked a bit creepy, we didn''t had any other choice than to prepare something to eat and fill our stamina. This is also the perfect time to talk with Emeraldine about what I spoke with Takeshi and Laura about Ash¡­ Although I don''t know if she might agreepletely to it, we have to try. "Mama, can we have beef?" Nyx flew to my side. "Beef! Beef! Beef!" "Hehehe, okay, okay." I smiled, giving her a head pat. "Let''s have beef." "C-Can I cook something too?" Tear suddenly spoke. "It is a meal that Veredorr used to make all the time for me and my brother¡­" She caressed her ne. "Sure, feel free." I smiled. "Come, I''ll bring out the portable kitchen." I quickly took out dozens of items at once out of my Inventory, Tear quickly started making some dough, and then prepared tomato sauce with grounded beef she had prepared beforehand. Oh, she was making noodles?! Was that what Veredorr always made for her? Honestly, I can''t even imagine Veredorr being a cheerful young man, I only remember him as a gloomy, and silent ghost. To think that Tear holds such different and precious memories of him¡­ It makes me kind of happy that she knows apletely different face of him. "It''s done! It is called Bolognese Pasta!" Said Tear. "I-I don''t know if it is as tasty as how Veredorr used to make it but- Huh?!" She quickly realized everyone started eating the noodles without hesitation. The tomato sauce was delicious, made from fresh dungeon-grown tomatoes from the dwarf country dungeons. The ground beef was abination of pr bear meat and frost snake meat, both were quite tender once grounded so much. The spices were quite simple, but there was indeed oregano, salt, and some pepper added into the whole mix, making the sauce fragrant and delicious. The only thing missing was parmesan cheese, which we sadlycked. "Ahh, it''s so good!" Emeraldine said happily. "Did Veredorr really made such a tasty meal for you, Tear?" "Y-Yeah!" Tear smiled happily. "It was my favorite meal when he made it for us¡­ I wish he could be here, so I could share this food with him¡­" She smiled sorrowfully, eating the noodles. "I''m sure he would love them." Lucifer said. "For sure!" Jonathan agreed. "It is really good." I nodded. "Well done, Tear! I never thought you had the knack for cooking." "Heheh¡­ I-I''ve been practicing¡­ mostly to destress a bit." She smiled faintly. "Tashty!" Nyx said. "Big sis Tear, can I has moar?" "I-I didn''t thought you would like it that much! Sure." Tear giggled, giving Nyx even more. She also served us all a second te, while the stew and grilled meat I was making was getting ready. I had also started making a pizza I had pre-made beforehand. Why? Well, I was craving pizza. Even in these perilous moments, it is always important to gather together, and eat something with the family, to make bonds together, and grown attached some more. "Ahh, the stew is ready! Is somebody still hungry?" I wondered. "YEAH!" Everyone agreed, it seemed that as we grew stronger, our appetite did as well. We ended eating the meat stew, and then the grilled meat which Nyx requested, andter we devoured the huge pizza I made. After eating so many foods made with the Cooking Skill, we gained a lot of buffs to our stats. And while we ate, we also talked about what we discussed with the twins with Emeraldine, and she seemed to agree with it. "If Ash¡­ is truly sorry, and maybe was manipted, then I think it is the right thing to help him somehow. Once we confront him¡­ or see what''s truly happening there, we can take a proper decision." She nodded. "I guess that''s better than just going for his head." Lucifer said. "Though¡­ was that tree so big before it transformed?" Lucifer wondered. The tree was over fifty times bigger than his own dragon form, so it was definitely not something easy to tackle, not at all. "No, it was much smaller¡­ It is as if its expanding." Emeraldine sighed with concern. "The Spirit Tree¡­ We have to go." "I agree. Let''s get this done with." I nodded, leading ourrge party, and thousands of Undead. ----- Chapter 802 The Corrupted Spirit Tree Chapter 802 The Corrupted Spirit Tree ----- "You''re nothing but a vessel, sleep well, and you won''t even feel pain as you fade into nothingness, child." Those were the words of that Vampire, of the one that found him. Even after having ran away so fast from where he came from, even after he found a vige of good people that sheltered him. He found him anyways¡­ Even after he had lost the hope of ever finding his way back to his home country in Goldsand. Threatening him to kill his entire family if he didn''t cooperate, the boy, who was captured alongside many other children that lived on the streets or orphanages, was forced to cooperate. After all the horrendous experiments they did to them, and as we saw so many children dying because they couldn''t take this power¡­ He still remembered the agony as his brown skin turnedpletely pale from the mutations on his body, as his hair lost color, and his eyes became red. "You''re not a monster, child. You''ve evolved into a new being! A Homunculus- no, a Chaos Demon! You inherit the powers of the Evil God, and you''re his perfect vessel! Someone that can carry his fragments!" The crazy scientists that modified his body spoke strange words, which he didn''t understand¡­ Ash only wanted to go back home, to go back where his mother was waiting for him. To go back to meet her and his little sister¡­ Monsters beyond hisprehension forced him to be a monster himself. Even as he screamed, cried, and asked them to stop, they would never have any mercy for him. And that Vampire that always worn a strange mask, that nced at him with such sharp, red eyes, as if he was nothing but an item¡­ He wanted to run away from that ce, to run as fast as he could from there¡­n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om And the opportunity arose, on his confinement, someone that had been captured and modified differently, that had only arrived recently used his powers to free them all. A young boy with brown hair and sharp green eyes, a strangely cheerful personality, and a strong feeling of righteousness. "Escape! All of you! Before theye back!" He remembered those words really well¡­ And also remembers how much he regretted not even trying to bring him along, or not even turning back. Ash continued running and running, while dealing with a demon living inside of his heart, that constantly whispered him words he always tried to ignore. "Why are you running?" "If you''re so powerful, kill them all¡­" "You''re a coward!" "Your body should be mine!" He ignored those words, as he kept running, and running, and running. Ash didn''t knew how much he ran; his feet were covered on ugly wounds and bruises. His entire body was nasty. He was starving¡­ Yet when he finally arrived in front of a lush forest filled with life, which brought him so much joy, he copsed before he could say a single thing. For a moment, he thought he would die. However, the kindness of a stranger saved his life. His warm hand touched his cold and tattered hand, and he was carried into his house. He was slowly healed, and attended, like never before, until he woke up¡­ Ash meet August, an old Alchemist with a gentle heart. It was perhaps just a few days he spent in that small vige, where humans and elves lived together but¡­ it was the first time on his life that he was truly happy. For a moment, he thought he could move on, and forget about the past, and about all the traumatic experiences he underwent, and how his body¡­ was transformed. But he was very wrong. "If you don''t cooperate¡­ I''ll kill them all. Every single person in this vige will die, and not in a swift way, but an agonizing way. I will make sure to make them scream in agony." The words of the Vampire when he finally found him still echo within his poor, shattered heart. He didn''t had any choice. If he wanted these people to live, he had to do what he was told¡­ even if it by doing so, he would betray them all. He asked August to bring him to see the tree, which was guarded by a special spiritual barrier that nobody could trespass unless the elves allowed them to. And then, when he was finally able to get there with him, and touch the tree¡­ While holding his tears, his power surged, the demon living inside his heart absorbed the tree, and his body slowly became one with it. While mocking August to pretend he didn''t cared for him, the Vampireughed, finding amusement in the tragedy that had happened¡­ "Well done¡­ You were designed specifically to be our Monster Factory. Spread your roots across this entire forest, and infect it all. Create thousands, millions of monsters if possible. With the army that you''ll create, not even the Empire of the God of Light will be able to fight back, child!" The voice of the Vampire echoed as his consciousness slowly faded away¡­ "Your noble sacrifice will never be forgotten, Ash!" Ash never could say a thing against this. Always pushed around by others, always forced by others, always abused by others¡­ Forced to be a monster and forced to fill the world with them. As his consciousness slowly fell more and more into the eternal void, he could only mutter a few words with his mouth. "Please¡­ someone¡­ kill me¡­" ¡­ Maria and her family arrived near the tree, as she suddenly heard something. Something that reached the depths of her soul. The voice of a helpless, suffering child, that could only find sce in death. "Ash?" She wondered, looking into the huge, monstrous tree in front of them. "SO YOU''VE COME¡­" However, before she could even step any further with everybody else, the tree itself spoke. Countless red eyes emerged across its entire body, as its branches became like tentacles, and a huge jaw with sharp fangs appeared below its many eyes. "YOU¡­ THE ONE THAT POSSESS MY FRAGMENTS¡­ GIVE THEM BACK!" "I knew it¡­" Maria sighed. "The one behind this entire thing was an Evil God Fragment." ----- Chapter 803 Against The Evil Spirit Tree Chapter 803 Against The Evil Spirit Tree ----- Maria and her family finally arrived at the end of this whole ordeal, the one behind this entire disaster, the Evil God Fragment that possessed the Lesser Yggdrasil Tree, mutating it into an aberrant monster, not at all simr to the adorable Root that Maria raised with love and care. "I knew it! It was the Evil God Fragment all along! Did you possess Ash body?!" Maria asked. "THAT BOY''S BODY, YOU ASK?" Laughed the tree. "WHAT IF I DID?! HE''S MERELY A VESSEL! A BODY I USE TO INFECT THIS MUCH MORE PRECIOUS BODY! THIS TREE FILLED WITH SPIRITUAL POWER¡­ IT IS MINE! GAHAHAHA!" "S-So Ash¡­ Was he forced to merge with the tree?!" Cried Takeshi. "He was a tool all along for the fragment!" Laura was surprised, although she had guessed correctly. "I''ve always knew that my other selves became monsters due to the corruption into my soul¡­" Tyr sighed. "But this guy is honestly worse than the others by far¡­" "I''m guessing conversing with this bastard''s pointless." Lucifer sighed. "You filthy motherfucker, I''m going to tear you a new butthole with my ws." His dragon form sharp ws glowed with Abyssal Death mes. "We''ll have to fight this thing together then¡­" Jonathan nodded, his aura spreading through the entire area, shining brightly with divine sunlight energy, his divine sword gleaming and resonating with his mana. "I was waiting for this anyways!" Partner smiled, holding both of her spears. "Let''s do this!" "YOU! Are you the one that brought so much despair and destruction to my vige?!" Emeraldine cried. "And to think you would use a small child as a tool¡­ Unforgivable. I won''t have mercy! I''m tired of all of this! Of how you''ve ruined my precious home! You''re going down!" Emeraldine had enough as well, roaring with fury. Among everyone here, she was the most frustrated, as her entire home was destroyed, devastated by this monster. "No matter what we''ll help Ash out!" Laura said. "Somehow!" Takeshi nodded. "I can detect a faint life force inside of the tree''s bark." Maria exined. "Ash¡­ is most likely there, still somewhat alive. However, the tree is slowly¡­ fusing with him, in some more time, he''ll end up beingpletely assimted, we have to get this done quickly, and separate the tree and his body! If possible, I''ll also absorb that Evil God Fragment!" "AS IF I WOULD EVER LET YOU FIND HIM! THAT BOY''S MINE!" Laughed the tree. "NOW, COME, AND PERISH!" TRUUUUUUMMMM¡­!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The enormous tree let out a powerful, catastrophic aura of dread, chaos, and darkness that engulfed everyone, swiftly weakening their bodies and minds! Ding! [The Monstrous [Chaotic Evil God Corrupted Yggdrasil Tree (S+++ Rank)] roars with fury!] [His corrupted soul exudes a deadly [Chaotic Aura of Despair], which lowers all foes Stats by -50%, and decreases HP and MP Regeneration by -80%, while increasing all of his Magic Power and Defenses by +300%!] FLUOOOOOOSH! "Unngh?! T-This thing¡­ Argh¡­!" Emeraldine started groaning in agony. "M-My power is being drained?!" She fell to her knees. "Urk¡­! You bastard! What is this spell?!" Jonathan cried, suffering the same weakening effect. "Argh¡­! It even affects me?!" Lucifer was shocked, as he felt he couldn''t move his huge body as easily anymore! "Urgh¡­" "Hahhh¡­" Takeshi and even Laura were affected, even when they were wielders of the Chaos Element. "Mama¡­!" Nyx felt weakened too. "Urgh¡­ Those damn words¡­" Tear muttered, growing furious. "Those damn words remind me of that stupid crown!" The young Ice Giant roared angrily, as her powers continued surging. FLUOOOOOSH! Her frost aura started quickly freezing the ground and spreading across some of the roots of the huge tree! "UNGH?!" Her frost somehow distracted and temporarily weakened the huge tree, as Maria gathered the power of Tyr, his entire body fusing with her through her Spiritual Fusion Skill. Ding! [You have temporarily underwent Spirit Fusion with [Chaotic Evil God Spirit: Tyr]!] [All Stats have increased by a further +300%, Chaos Magic Damage has increased by +500%, MP and HP are constantly regenerated!] [Duration: 10 Minutes.] "Your damn debuff is shitpared to this!" Maria roared. "[Shadow and Death Domain]!" TRUUUUMMMM¡­! Maria hit the ground with all her fury, as shadows and darkness spread everywhere. However, instead of hurting everyone like the tree''s powers could, it helped them stabilize! Ding! [Your [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv10] Skill haspletely cancelled the foe [Chaotic Evil God Corrupted Yggdrasil Tree (S+++ Rank)]''s [Chaotic Aura of Despair]!] [Your Darkness and Death is much stronger, permeating the air and ground with it!] [All of your Stats while being within this Domain increase by a further +150%, and your Darkness and Death Magic power increases by +250% while their MP Consumption reduces by -50%!] [Additionally,patible allies receive simr buffs, and even nonpatible allies are not affected by negative effects!] "It worked!" Maria smiled, as she noticed everyone was finally able to move much better now! "M-MY AURA IS BEING CANCELLED?! N-NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" The huge tree groaned in agony, his roots and branches quickly beginning to move, shapeshifting into hundreds of utterly gigantic spears. "I AM CLEARLY THE SUPERIOR FRAGMENT! PERISH!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAAASSSSH!!! The huge spears made of gigantic wood branches and roots hit the ground as they attempted to impale everyone, but thanks to Maria''s enhancements and her domain, things were looking pretty good right now! Everyone swiftly evaded the attacks, as Maria kept her daughter Nyx close to her by making sure she was always behind. The little dragon girl desired battle above all else, but she was too young and unexperienced to get into such a deadly fight. However, she couldn''t fight against her desire to join anyways, and had to bring her along¡­ "Mama!" Nyx cried. "Are you alright dear? Keep yourself behind mama and papa, okay?" Maria said. "Please, don''t be reckless and stay behind. You can support us from afar, alright?" "Please, Nyx!" Lucifer said. Nyx, although young, knew she was very beloved. "O-Okay!" She nodded, flying farther away, while being coated by Maria''s shadows and her very soul to be further protected. The same was with Takeshi and Laura, which quickly joined her at her side. "You three, support us from afar! The cavalry will charge forwards." Maria smiled. "Everyone, are you ready?! Let''s end this!" "RATS! PERISH!" CRAAAASSSH!!! ----- Chapter 804 Dont Mess With Me! Chapter 804 Don''t Mess With Me! ----- "Rats?! You''re calling us rats when you''re just one ugly oversized tree?!" Partner roared furiously, her aura constantly growing out of her body into the shape of a swarm of bats made of blood and shadows. "Don''t mess with me!" She quickly spun in midair while using her two powerful Spears, piercing through the sharp spear-like rootsing at her constantly, shattering them apart with each attack! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "DIE!!!" The huge tree roared with utter madness, as several magic circles appeared around everyone, summoning huge fireballs made out of chaos mes! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "Not on my watch!!!" Emeraldine stepped in, unleashing the power of her magnificent spirit magic and imbuing her bow with the power of her two Divine Spirits. "[Divine Spirit Fusion]!" FLUOSH! Both Divine Spirits fused both her body and her bow, as her fairy wings grew into a muchrger and beautiful size, while her long golden hair glowed as if it was made of light! Countless divine tattoos emerged across her body, as her dress and armor changed as if they were made of divine spirit tree and light. The bow grew into an enormous size, as a gigantic arrow made of spirit tree and light surged, spiraling together into a beautiful spear-like shape. "[Divine Arrow of Yggdrasil]!!!" FLAAASH! The arrow flew into the skies, and then exploded, dividing itself into hundreds of smaller arrows of light, impacting every giant Chaos me Fireball and destroying them in midair! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "W-WHAT?!" The monstrous tree was shocked as he saw his ns being foiled with ease! However, that was not all, while Partner attacked his sharp roots, a huge Death Dragon King and Maria stepped forward, apanied by a hero of Sunlight! "[Dark Eclipse]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, hundreds of huge spheres of darkness and death concentrated magic emerged one after another, falling over the huge monstrous chaotic tree consecutively, bombarding his huge body! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "AARRGHH¡­! YOU DAMN BASTARD!" The monstrous tree roared, suddenly bringing out yet another power, as from within his branches and roots, enormous masses of corrupted phantoms emerged, mind-controlled with chaos and miasma, bing huge chimeric phantasmal beasts! "[Miasmic Phantom Beast Legion]! Devour them!!!" "ROOOARRR!" "GRAAARR!" "SHAAAAH!!!" Hundreds of hue Miasmic Phantom Beast, most as strong as A Rank Monsters rushed into battle, trying to overwhelm Lucifer! However, the prideful Death Dragon King summoned his trusted weapon.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "[Scythe of Death]! [Reaper of Souls]!" And swung his huge scythe furiously, cutting down the Miasmic Phantom Beasts several times! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Each time he cut them up, they wouldn''t be able to regenerate nor fuse with others, immediately having the souls purified and freed from the control of the tree! "M-MY PHANTOM BEASTS!" The tree was clearly shocked over seeing such a thing, as he didn''t put enough attention when Jonathan reached his head, his Divine Sword shining with divine sunlight. "[Heaven''s Fall]!" SLAAAASSH!! A huge sh using pure divine sunlight energy emerged from his sword as he swung it masterfully downwards, the dark skies opened up as a huge beam of light was summoned by his magic power alone, hitting the tree! CRAAAASSSHHH!!! "UUUAARRGGHHH¡­!" The chaotic tree suffered the most as this powerful attack not only purified the miasma coursing through his body, but also the attack pierced through the wood of his body! "Gotcha!" Maria roared, flying towards the tree as it was distracted, her entire body shapeshifting as the powers of her various transformation skillsbined together, once more bringing her into her titaness, demon, and snake-like form. Her huge fists overflowed with both chaos and darkness, as she punched the tree several times, while using her weapons to sh and slice through the wood, trying to open a hole where she could get in and rescue Ash! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRASH! "Y-YOUUU!!" The Tree grew more and more frustrated, as enormous spikes emerged from his body, piercing Maria''s entire body several times while beginning to drain away her chaotic energy! "You''re up for a bad time if you try to do that!" Mariaughed. "[Purification]!" Using the Purification Skill she gained from a powerful Title Skill, she imbued the tree with this purifying power through the spikes piercing her soul and body! FLAAASH! "UUUAARGGHH¡­!" The tree quickly retrieved the spikes in horror, his gigantic body suddenly started moving, no longer stationary, as he began to step back, away from Maria and everyone else! "You''re not going anywhere!" Maria said. "Undead Army! Go!" Her shadows spread out everywhere, as a huge army of Undead appeared behind the Tree, cornering him were the three S- Rank Undead that the tree had created just some time ago, now betraying him as Maria''s allies! "GERORORORO!" Toad, the gigantic chimeric miasmic mushroom unleashed a storm of poisonous and paralyzing spores, stopping the movements of some of the leg-like roots, while also employing their own body for the task! Their mushroom army was there as well. "OOOOOHHHH!!!" The huge Rocky, a gigantic Demonite Golem quickly stopped his movements, using their hulking body and gigantic strength, even if the body size was very different, there were thousands of golems helping out too. "GROOOOOHH!" Meanwhile, Bark, the corrupted chaos Treant used the same tricks as the giant tree, wrapping his roots and branches with his own roots and branches, an army of Treants also helped on holding the monster on ce! And not only those, but the rest of the Undead Frost Beasts, former members of the Frost Queen''s endless army joined in, unleashing ice attacks which werebined with Tear herself. "Somehow, I can still feel a connection with them¡­" Tear was surprised. "It is as if I can expand my powers into their bodies, and receive their help too!" Her ne suddenly started shining brightly, as Tear felt the power of Veredorr himself coursing through her veins. "Tear! Stop that bastard from escaping!!" Maria asked for help. "Got it!" Tear roared, connecting her frost magic powers with the Frost Beast Undead that amounted over two thousand, her magic power received an amazing boost! "[Divine Frost Queen Magic]: [Niflheim''s Frozen Coffin]!" FLUOOOSH! ----- Chapter 805 Entering The Corrupted Tree Chapter 805 Entering The Corrupted Tree ----- Tear could somehow feel the strength of Veredorr, his phantasmal icy aura epassed her own body, and allowed her to easily connect her magic power with her former army, now converted into an Undead army, allowing her to use even stronger magic than before. Magic that was only possible thanks to the boost that the Crown of Skadi gave to her! "Veredorr, I can feel your strength within me¡­" Tear smiled, ncing at the hue tree. "[Divine Frost Queen Magic]: [Niflheim''s Frozen Coffin]!" FLUOOOSH! A huge wave of divine frost magic surged from within her entire body, reaching the back area of the chaos tree, and instantly freezing almost all of his lower half! Ice grew everywhere in the ground; his entire body waspletely and totally paralyzed now! "URGH¡­?!" The monstrous tree groaned. "I-I CAN''T MOVE¡­?!" "You''re a damn tree, so better stay where you are!" Maria roared, pushing forward as she attacked the tree with everyone else. "Y-YOU DAMN BASTARDS!!!" The voice of the Evil God Fragment echoed from within the tree''s many jaws, as his upper half started to shapeshift, gaining hundreds of tentacle-like branches, attacking Maria and her allies! Partner and Lucifer joined together to push through with their mighty physical might, shing away the endlessly regenerating tentacles while firing powerful magic! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "NOT YET¡­!" The Evil God Fragment roared furiously, his Miasmic and Chaotic Powers constantly surging more and more as the many red eyes spread across his tree-like body started firing beams of destruction! However, Emeraldine and Jonathan utilized their rapid attacks and bright, purifying light skills to easily intercept all the beams, so they wouldn''t reach anywhere dangerous. Spiritual Arrows and Starlight Sword Arts constantly stopped the beams. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Ungh¡­! They''re really strong!" The Evil God Fragment thought. "I need more time topletely assimte this damn child¡­ However, at the very least, if I attack them from behind¡­!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The monstrous tree stealthily started growing roots below the ground, moving them farther and farther away, as hundreds of them surged out of the ground, growingrger andrger, slowly preparing to pierce his foes from behind! However, Nyx, Laura, and Takeshi wouldn''t let that happen, quickly noticing what was going on. They quickly attacked the gigantic spear-like roots one after another! "[Infernal Explosive Demon]!" Laura said, her powers of Chaos and Explosive Fire Magicbined together, as she summoned a manifestation simr to the Evil God himself, surging from within her own core, as it was made out of the Evil God''s Fragment secretions. A gigantic demon made of dark red mes emerged, immediately reaching the roots and attacking with a gigantic barrage of fist attacks, which generated constant explosions around the surroundings, burning them and turning the roots into ashes! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "[Ocean Domain]: [Tsunami]!" Takeshi roared, spreading out his domain of water and oceans around and bringing down a huge tsunami, which quickly shattered into pieces dozens of huge roots, covering a wide scale! SPLAAASH!!! "[Phantasmal Dragon Fusion]!!!" Nyx roared, as hundreds of Phantom Dragons she had summoned fused with her entire body, creating a huge draconic phantasmal aura around her, which she controlled as if it were an extension of her body, unleashing phantasmal dragon w attacks, and a powerful death phantom me breath! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BOOOMMM!!! The n of the chaos tree waspletely foiled by the brave children, as he was incapable of attacking his foes from behind! Not only that, but Tear and the Undead Frost Beasts constantly kept freezing his lower half, even as he kept discarding his wood and regrowing some new one. He was stuck! Completely cornered, and he couldn''t even fly, nor escape underground because he would easily be found out anyways! With his lower half frozen, his roots being destroyed, and his huge upper half being attacked by Maria and her strongest allies, the Evil God Fragment grew madder, incapable of keeping himself calm! "GRAAAH! YOU WRETCHED BASTARDS!!!" TRUUUMMM¡­! A huge shockwave of pure chaotic miasmic energy surged from his gigantic body, as he attempted to throw everyone away with it and swiftly escape somehow! However, Maria easily caught that shockwave of power, opening a strange ck hole on her chest, the power of her [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth], and absorbing all of that energy for her own nourishment! "HUH?! IMPOSSIBLE¡­!" "Thanks for the meal, dumbass!" Mariaughed, as her weapons swiftly and temporarily fused together into a huge ck spear, the same spear she had used before to fight her mighty foes, Laevateinn! While the tree was overwhelmed and shocked, she attacked the area where Jonathan and Emeraldine were attacking the post, which was now weakened severely by their purifying magic! "[Piercing Spear Attack]!" Using the Level 10 [Piercing Spear Attack] Skill, Maria''s spear blow''s power was enhanced several times over, giving her enough power to pierce through the hard bark of the chaos tree finally andpletely! CRAAASSHH¡­! "GRAARRGHH¡­!" Giving out an agonizing scream, arge hole was created within his bark, which Maria swiftly entered through by transforming into a mass of phantasmal and chaotic energy! "Emeraldine,e with me!" Maria said, quickly grabbing Emeraldine with her shadows and dragging her along, after all, she''ll need her magic to do what she wanted to do! "M-ME?! UWAAAAH!" Emeraldine panicked a bit as she was dragged along. FLUOSH! Once both arrived at the enormous wooden interior of the chaos tree, they nced around in shock, but didn''t really had any time to sightsee at the ce, as the corrupted, miasma-covered wooden walls quickly opened millions of red eyes, ring at them. "YOU BASTARDS! GET OUT OF MY BODY!" Large spikes emerged out of the walls constantly, trying to pierce their bodies! However, Maria swiftly grabbed Emeraldine and protected her as she traveled across the entire interior, going higher and higher, where she sensed Ash''s presence. "STOOOP!" The tree roared in frustration, constantly growing more and more walls made of wood, only for Maria to shatter them all using her spear! CRASH! CRAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAAASH! Until finally, Maria and Emeraldine reached the top of the tree''s interior, finding the small and weakened body of a boy slowly being merged with the tree''s roots and miasma. "Ash!" ----- Chapter 806 The End Of The Corrupted Tree Chapter 806 The End Of The Corrupted Tree ----- "STOP! DON''T YOU DARE TOUCH MY VESSEL!" The voice of the Evil God Fragment echoed from within Ash''s body, as his miasma and soul transformed into a monstrous wolf-like beast, opening its jaws, and trying to devour both Maria and Emeraldine with ferocious bites! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! However, Maria swiftly shapeshifted her body around, utilizing her brand-new Eldritch Body Skill and her Spirit Fusion with Tyr to be an even more terrifying abomination, catching his bites, and then devouring the wolf back to nothingness using a single and deadly bite! CRAAAASH! "AARRGGH¡­! UNGH¡­! M-MY POWER¡­! YOU DEVOURED MY POWER?!" The Evil God Fragment was left temporarily weakened, as he realized Maria''s attack devoured a part of his powers, and he couldn''t summon the same power again for at least a few seconds before he charged some more. "Ungh¡­! W-What is¡­ happening?" Ash muttered, his red eyes opening weakly as he woke up from his slumber due to all themotion. "Emeraldine, now! While the bastard''s reloading his ammo!" Said Maria. "Hold my hand!" "O-Okay!" Emeraldine nodded. "Don''t worry, Ash, we''ll help you!" Maria temporarily fused a part of her soul with Emeraldine, as both of the girl''s souls, and powers, merged as one, piercing Ash''s chest and entering his own body and soul! "Ungh?! Agh¡­! Aaaarrgghhh¡­!" FLAAAASH! While Ash screamed in agony due to the pain of having his soul tampered by Maria, the two girl''s consciousness quicklynded on apletely different ce, a dark and desertic wastnd. "This is¡­ what is this ce?" Emeraldine looked around. "This is the Soul Scape that the Evil God Fragments create." Said Maria. "Before I devour a fragment, I always have to fight their minds and wills in here! However, this time, we can''t just do that, I need your purifying power so we can separate the Evil God Fragment out of Ash and save his life!" "I see!" Emeraldine nodded, just before a huge mass of chaos and miasma surged in front of them¡­ "You¡­ You bastards!" It roared, shapeshifting into a huge wolf of over fifty meters, possessing tworge heads, ck fur, and several Demonite horns spread across its body. "Now that I''ve got you here, you won''t be able to escape so easily! I''ll devour both of your souls, ande out on top as- Huh?!" FLUOSH! Ding! [You have activated the full power of all your [Evil God Fragments]!] [All of your Stats have increased by +500%, your Chaos and Miasmic Power has increased by +1000%! Due to the enormous pressure, this transformation onlysts for a small time.] [Duration: 3 Minutes.] Maria''s entire body shapeshifted and became evenrger, and even monstrous,pletely overpowering the wolf and pushing it down into the floor! "You can''t hope of winning against us when we''ve got so many fragments on us already, dumbass!" Laughed Tyr. "Y-YOU FAKERS!" The two-headed wolf screamed in frustration, constantly trying to free itself, only to pushed further down! At this point, Maria was just bullying him! "Emeraldine, now! Use your magic to purify this being and connect with Ash''s Soul, I''ll help you on that part!" Maria said. "Okay!" Emeraldine nodded, putting her hands down into the floor, this entire Soul Scape was already connected with Ash after all! "[Divine Yggdrasil''s Aura]! [Divine Spiritual Domain]!" FLAAASH! A bright divine light spread across the entire ce. The darkness started to be constantly purified, as even the huge two-headed wolf began to turn into ashes slowly, while at the same time as being devoured by Maria. "AAARRGGHH¡­! S-STOP! I HAVE¡­ BARELY ACOMPLISHED ANYTHING YET!!!" The Evil God Fragment roared with endless resentment and rage, but it was toote. Emeraldine''s and Maria''sbined powers pierced deep through the roots of his own soul, and then reached Ash''s soul. "There!" Emeraldine used her magic to quickly cut the strong connection between both souls, which was almost parasitic, and at the same time, with Maria''s aid, purified the rest of the will of the Evil God Fragment, while sessfully devouring it! "Your little game ends NOW!" "GRYYYYAAARRGGHHH¡­!" With ast, agonizing scream, the entire soul scape copsed, and the Evil God Fragment waspletely devoured by Maria, while the little Ash was freed from its powers!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Both Maria and Emeraldine regained their consciousness in their bodies, quickly grabbing the unconscious Ash, who seemed to have healed thanks to Emeraldine''s spiritual aura, and then quickly flew away from the copsing tree, which was already long dead¡­ CRAAAASH! RUMBLE¡­! As Maria and Emeraldine flew back to their friends with Ash in Maria''s arms, Emeraldine nced back at the big Ancient Spirit Tree with a saddened expression. The many memories she shared with this beautiful, and big tree, that protected and nurtured this huge forest for so many generations¡­ "Ancient Spirit Tree¡­" Emeraldine cried. "I''m sorry¡­ For not being able toe here earlier¡­" She started crying, feeling regretful and saddened. The enormous tree copsed into pieces, a lifeless husk of what once was a beautiful and glorious tree that feed the forest with spiritual energy and life¡­ Once Maria andpany regrouped, everything was finally over. The dark skies clearedpletely, and with Emeraldine and Jonathan''s light magic, Maria was able to purify the dead forest out of all the miasma around. "It''s finally done¡­" Maria sighed. "I''m sorry I couldn''t had brought you here earlier¡­ It is all my fault¡­ All of this." "Eh? O-Of course it is not your fault, dummy." Emeraldine sighed. "You did what you could¡­ We did what we could. We saved an innocent life¡­ It would had been even worse, if not even this child''s life could had been saved." "¡­" Maria sighed, ncing at the deste and dead forest, now a husk of its former beauty and glory. "Yeah¡­ For now, let''s go back. I''ll help you refill this ce with nts and lifeter. We need to prepare and antidote as fast as we can." "Right!" Emeraldine nodded, cleaning her tears. "Let''s collect this dried wood left behind by the dead spirit tree. I think this might be enough!" ----- Chapter 807 Making A Cure Chapter 807 Making A Cure ----- (Maria''s POV) With the help of Emeraldine''s Alchemy and the assistance of Partner''s lower-level Alchemy, alongside all of my Alchemy Skills and ourbined knowledge and experience, we managed to create a cure for the Miasmic Mold infecting the vigers, it took us almost half a day, and we didn''t rest until we finally got it right. It was tiring, but once we finished, the people slowly felt better, the effects were almost instantaneous, the mold was cleansed from their bodies, and their bodies slowly regained their vitality. The people still had to rest, so we left them sleeping through the rest of the day. Emeraldine wanted to go back to the forest and remake it right away, but we stopped her and told her to eat and sleep, she was too exhausted, and overusing her powers would only do her more bad than good. "Zzzzz¡­" And just as I told her, she was indeed just sleeping right now, the moment she sat over the bed, she fell asleep instantly! Geez, she was really exhausted. "Sleep well, dear." I gave her a little kiss in her cheek, and covered her in warm bedsheets before leaving downstairs, as I joined everyone else on continuing our small dinner. As for Ash, he was also sleeping in another room, he seemed healthy, but we didn''t knew when he would wake up now. He felt different, however, the Demonite core on his chest had been purified, as if I had identally drained all the miasma when I ate the Evil God Fragment in there. It was now glowing with a transparent, silver color, and instead of holding Miasmic or Dark powers¡­ it seemed to have absorbed whatever was left of the Ancient Spirit Tree''s powers, maybe even the tree''s soul. "Ash seems to be stable, and Emeraldine''s sleeping peacefully." I sighed in relief, sitting down and drinking some tea. "Finally, there''s peace¡­" "Yeah, it was rather rough." Lucifer sighed. "At least, the child''s fine now. At the end, he was indeed victim of that fragment, and probably of whatever vampire was chasing him around and forced him to do this." "If he wakes up, we''ll have a lot of questions to ask to that brat!" Partner said. "Hahaha, well, it would be better if we go easy on him. He must be someone simr to Laura and Takeshi." Said Jonathan. "I pity him¡­ He reminds me of myself, when I was controlled to do things I didn''t wanted to do by that crown¡­" Sighed Tear. "He''s healthy, right?" "Yeah, don''t worry." I nodded, Nyx sitting on myp the second I arrived. "Mama, can we y with Ash when he wakes up?" She wondered innocently. "Hehehe, maybe?" I wondered. "But for now, just let him rest, he''s very tired." "Aww¡­ Oway." Nyx nodded, eating a big sandwich her father prepared for her. "Nom, nom, nom¡­" "Should we stay longer here?" Wondered Lucifer. "Or¡­?" "I.. I would love to stay longer, but I''m worried about my brother¡­" I sighed. "For now, let''s just stay another day for tomorrow, and depart past tomorrow, so Emeraldine can spend the rest of the day with them. In fact, if she really wants to¡­ I wouldn''t mind leaving her behind for a while, so she can connect back with her family." "R-Really? But without Emeraldine around¡­" Partner got a bit sad. "Partner, don''t be selfish." Lucifer sighed. "Emeraldine can do as she pleases. She''s not chained to anybody. We''ve freed her from such a thing long ago¡­" "It all depends on her anyways! Not like she''ll disappear or something, we cane visit her or something." I smiled. "I just want her to be happy." "I guess you''re right¡­" Partner sighed.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I know its hard but¡­ Let''s keep moving forwards." I sighed. "Even after all that has happened¡­ Let''s enjoy the little things too. Tomorrow''s a new day and all!" I tried to cheer everyone up. It worked only a little bit, but hey, that''s everything I could do right now¡­ Later, as dinner ended, I helped Nyx go to sleep, and then I decided to take a warm bath while ncing at the moon from the window of the bathroom. And finally, I decided to check on my annoying System Notifications, which I''ve ignored because I was too concentrated with everything else. Ding! [You and your Party have defeated the [Chaotic Evil God Corrupted Yggdrasil Tree (S+++ Rank)] x1!] [You earned 200.000.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased from Level 96 to Level 99!] [All of your Stats have increased!] [You gained Bonus System Points!] [Your ss and Subss Level has increased to Level 96!] [Several Skills have Leveled Up!] [You Devoured an Evil God Fragment! Your Stats have increased as a result!] Ahhh! I''m getting much closer to Max Level, well, that''s nice. Though I wonder what I would even evolve into if that timees¡­ Maybe just another type of Titan? . . . Once the next morning came, I woke up early in the morning, finding that Emeraldine was already awake, preparing breakfast for us and his uncle who had woken up all energized. When I walked downstairs, I found everyone there too. It seemed this morning was rather beautiful as well, without the miasma contaminating everything, the sky looked so clean and nice. "Good morning, Maria!" Emeraldine said with a gentle smile. "I''m preparing pancakes! Do you want some?" "Sure!" I smiled. "Hello everyone- Oh, August!" "Maria." August smiled. "Thank you for everything¡­ I''ve just woken up, but now I feel like I was born anew! And the skies are finally no longer darkened¡­ I heard what happened from Emeraldine¡­ Again, thank you so much¡­" "Oh, no problem about that. We were just doing what we could¡­" I nodded. "More importantly, about Ash¡­" "Yeah, we already exined to him about that." Lucifer smiled. "Hey, stop interrupting when people speak!" Partner said, bonking Lucifer''s head. "E-Eh? You do that all the time!" Lucifer angrily said. "Nuh-huh, I never do that." Partner crossed her arms. "You have terrible memory¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Ahahahah¡­ Well, yes, I did heard about Ash as well! He''s still sleeping, but he seems quite healthy and fine!" August smiled. "I''m d he''s alright¡­ That boy didn''t deserved what happened to him." "Yeah¡­" I sighed. Suddenly, Nyx came flying from the second floor. "Mama! Papa! Ash woke up!" ----- Chapter 808 The Goldsand Confederation Chapter 808 The Goldsand Confederation ----- "He woke up?!" Emeraldine was clearly surprised. "T-Then we need to go see how he is right away! Uncle!" "Right!" Her uncle nodded. "I need to check his health too, he might still be afflicted with something¡­ And also, well, we need to talk about a lot of things." Emeraldine''s uncle had already forgiven Ash for what he did, it seems he always knew he was being forced to do what he did, and never truly held a grudge, even if the other people of the vige did. He is a good man, and only ended ming himself for not being able to stop him, nor for being able to protect him¡­ It isn''t fair to me himself, there are sometimes things we can''t change, no matter how hard we try.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om But as long as we can keep our lives, we can continue moving on, and try to redeem ourselves for not having been able to do anything against such things. That''s¡­ well, that''s something I learned through my two lives. After having died so tragically, I was never able to do a single thing about that. But now that I''ve been given a second chance, I want to make things different, and right. I want to change people''s lives for the better whenever I can¡­ And help those in need, that have been wronged unfairly by life, and those that lurk in the shadows, looking to take advantage of the powerless innocents. Maybe I sound too corny and stupid, and maybe it is an unrealistic ideal¡­ But that''s what I want to strive forward to. "Let''s go meet Ash then." I said, as I guided the rest of my family to the second floor, and we greeted the young boy. Ash was sitting over his bed while looking at the window, his face looked exhausted, and his eyes seemed to be devoid of light. It almost felt like he didn''t wanted to be alive right now¡­ "Ash¡­" August said, entering the room. "U-Uncle¡­?" Ash opened his eyes in surprise. "Ash!" August ran towards the young boy, hugging him tightly. "E-Eh?!" Ash was clearly surprised, as August hugged him tightly, and started crying out of happiness that he was alright. "I was so worried, Ash! I thought you would be dead¡­" August cried. "W-Why? Why are you happy?!" Ash cried. "I only did terrible things¡­!" "But you were manipted to do that!" August said. "B-But¡­!" Ash started crying. "Why¡­?! I betrayed everyone and destroyed the forest¡­ Everything¡­ this beautiful ce¡­ It''s all my fault¡­ I did all of it¡­" "It is not your faultpletely!" Emeraldine stepped forwards. "You were manipted by forces you simply couldn''t fight against. Even if you betrayed them¡­ I can''t me you, Ash." "Y-You''re¡­ And you! You''re the ones that appeared in my dreams¡­" Ash pointed at Emeraldine and then at me. "Your dreams?" I wondered. "Oh, we must have looked like that. We pretty much fixed that soul of yours and took away the evil voice you always heard." "I-It is gone?! But I thought I would die¡­ That voice¡­" Ash continued crying. "Why¡­ why did you go to such lengths to save me¡­? Wouldn''t it had been better if I died? My whole life¡­ I''ve spent it running away, and being used by others¡­ And then, when I finally found good people, I betrayed them¡­ I''m horrible, I''m a monster! Why are you being nice to me?! You should all hate me!!!" Ash started crying while angry over our forgiveness of his actions. "We can''t treat you like a monster, nor you''re horrible as you said." August sighed. "We can''t hate you either, you''re a young, innocent child, and no matter what you did back then, it won''t change that fact¡­ I''m sorry for not being able to help you back then, Ash¡­" "U-Uncle¡­ Uncle! Bwaaah!" Ash quickly started crying even more, hugging August. "I was so scared¡­ I''m sorry! I''m sorryyy¡­" "It''s fine." August sighed. "It''s alright now¡­ Calm down." "Ash, if possible¡­ We would like to talk about what you experienced and all of that." I said. "Regarding your experiences with the Vampires¡­ And where did youe from." "Yeah, is it possible?" Emeraldine wondered. "If it hurts too much to remember that, maybe not¡­" "No¡­ I''ll talk, if it can help you even a little, I''ll tell you anything I know!" Ash nodded. "Thank you, Ash." I smiled. "How about we eat first? Are you feeling hungry?" "Ugh¡­ I do feel my stomach really empty¡­" Ash sighed. "Alright, let''s go downstairs. Can you walk?" Emeraldine wondered. "I-I can! I think I can." Ash nodded. He slowly stood up, feeling healthier and with more vitality than he expected. In fact, it took him a while to realize a fact he had not realized when he first woke up. "Huh? My Miasma¡­ Is it gone? I don''t feel any fuzzy and weird feeling inside of me anymore¡­ W-What''s going on?" Ash wondered, feeling strangely weirded out. "Well, looks like we did a few things there, seems like you lost that power." I smiled. "Maybe you''ll be able to finally touch things without fearing to destroy them." "Oooh¡­ T-This is¡­" Ash was shocked. "For now, let''s go eat together¡­ As a family, Ash." August smiled gently, holding the boy''s hand. "O-Okay!" Ash nodded. We walked downstairs and had breakfast. Ash started eating fruits and pancakes happily, the vors and the refreshing taste made him go almost insane while eating. "So where did youe from?" I asked. "From a ce named¡­ Goldsand Confederation." Ash exined. "I was¡­ well, my mom¡­ She died. And when I started being homeless, I was¡­ kidnaped. I remember other kids also being kidnaped simrly. We were thrown into a strange underground room, and there were these creepy people with red eyes¡­ They said we would be given powers beyond our imagination." "Red Eyes¡­" I sighed. "Why are the Vampires trying so hard to be the viins now? They were wronged and all of that, yes, but do they have to hurt innocent people to aplish their revenge? Don''t they realize they''re bing worse than those that wronged them in the past now?" ----- Chapter 809 An Elfs Love Chapter 809 An Elf''s Love Author''s Note: My new novel is out, check "The Protagnist''s Sister Is Actually the Strongest" by clicking on my profile! -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Apparently, Ash came from the Goldsand Confederation, our next goal in this journey. He lived there as just another kid, but his mother died and then he was kidnaped¡­ I didn''t wanted to ask too much though, but it seemed the Vampires are working even there. "I was¡­ well, my mom¡­ She died. And when I started being homeless, I was¡­ kidnaped. I remember other kids also being kidnaped simrly. We were thrown into a strange underground room, and there were these creepy people with red eyes¡­ They said we would be given powers beyond our imagination." "Red Eyes¡­" I sighed. "Why are the Vampires trying so hard to be the viins now? They were wronged and all of that, yes, but do they have to hurt innocent people to aplish their revenge? Don''t they realize they''re bing worse than those that wronged them in the past now?" "They used to be just and righteous, a family of knights." Said Lucifer. "When most of them died in the war against the Demon King, most likely¡­ those that survived decided that their righteous and just ways were not necessary if they wanted to destroy their enemies, the humans. I guess those that survived did so by doing the nastiest of things imaginable, while slowly infiltrating human society." "They''ve been infecting the human society ever since. I know they harbor deep hatred against us but¡­ To go as far as to kill innocents. Do they believe this is the way they are taking revenge on our kin for doing the same before?" Jonathan sighed. "Hahh¡­ I guess I shouldn''t reallyment on this, despite being seen as a hero and praised by many, I barely know these things, the politicians have been hiding this even from me." "The Goldsand Confederation is also a ratherwless ce." Said August. "While in the center and the south of Midgard, there are mostly kingdoms withws we abide to, the Goldsand Confederation was built uponrge groups of wealthy merchants that dered the Goldsand Desert as their territory. It is divided into many sub territories, most of them unprotected andwless. Only the richest merchants and their descendants enjoy peaceful lives there¡­ They most likely benefit out of the endless and constant corruption of the whole ce." "Well now, that''s rather sad, is it not?" I sighed. "I guess it is the perfect ce for those Vampires to do as many experiments as they wanted. What they did with the twins and all those other people they experimented on, the chimeras, and the ves they had which we rescued¡­ It was just a small-scale project somewhere else; I assume." "Is there anything else that you would want us to know, Ash?" Asked August. "W-Well, more than that¡­ I don''t really know. I was experimented and given this strange crystal in my chest." He sighed. "I guess that''s what makes us different too." Takeshi said. "While he was modified, we were created almost from scratch as artificial beings¡­" "Yeah, they''re probably mass-producing modified children for some reason¡­ Maybe for the same reason they made Ash in here be something like a monster summoner for their army." Said Laura. "I think they could be nning to amass a great army of monsters, using these modified children with Evil God Fragments'' secretions must be essential for their n, as Miasma can create monsters endlessly in the right conditions." Lucifer analyzed. "Ugh, my head hurts a bit¡­ I don''t get half of what''s going on!" Partnerined. "Is there anything else you know?" I asked. "I¡­ Have you ever meet a boy named Arthur Belle? He''s¡­ slightly blonde, maybe clear brown haired?" "N-No, I don''t remember anybody named like that¡­" Ash sighed. "I''m sorry¡­" "A-Ah, well, that''s fine." I sighed. "It might actually be a relief-" "But I do know of someone that was blonde and brown haired. He was really nice, and helped me escape back then¡­ I don''t know what has happened to him ever since, but he was also¡­ someone like me." Ash sighed. "I-I see¡­ Well, it could be just anybody else¡­" I sighed. "I just hope he''s alright¡­ But if there''s¡­ really the possibility he might be in a simr situation as yours, then I have to get there as soon as possible. We''ll be leaving tomorrow." I said, as everyone nodded. "Of course, we need to restore the forest too. Ah, and about this¡­ Emeraldine, if you don''t want to, you don''t really have toe along." I smiled back at her. "Eh?" "I mean, we''ve only arrived here for like two days¡­ And I know you want to stay here with everyone you love, your uncle too¡­ And you want to help the forest regrowpletely. I doubt we can do that in just a single day. And all of that¡­ Don''t worry, you can stay here as much as you want, I don''t want to force you toe along. I just want you to be happy." I smiled back. "I''ve seen you smile in here, like never before¡­ I know this is the ce you really belong to." "M-Maria¡­" Emeraldine was left surprised. "I-I¡­!" "It''s fine, really." I nodded. "Don''t feel afraid either¡­ I don''t want to force you toe along with me anywhere¡­ You''re free, free to do whatever you want." "¡­" Emeraldine suddenly remained in silence, ncing into the table. Then, her aura started surging from her body. Her face grew¡­ red? And her eyes seemed very angry! What the hell?! "Maria you idiot! Dummy! Stupid!" Suddenly, she jumped over me and started hitting me with her arms. She was coated on holy light, and it actually hurt a lot! "Ouch! Ay! Hey, what are you doing?!" I cried. "Why are you angry?!" "Why wouldn''t I be angry?! How can you say that to me after everything we''ve gone through?! I might be happy in here¡­ But I''m even happier at your side! At the side¡­ of the family we''ve built together!" She cried, sitting over my legs. "And with the whole thing about your brother¡­ There''s just no way I''m leaving your side! Idiot!" "E-Emeraldine¡­" ----- Chapter 810 Yggdrasil Heart Chapter 810 Yggdrasil Heart ----- "You big idiot! I won''t leave your side! And this is not because you''re forcing me or something¡­ I''m with you because I really love you!" She started crying in front of me. "S-So¡­ don''t say those things! It really hurt my feelings¡­ that you think I would love to be here rather than with you!" "E-Emeraldine¡­ Okay, I''m sorry¡­ Calm down, dear." I hugged her tightly. "I love you too, geez, I really screwed it up¡­ I just wanted you to be happy, but I guess I misunderstood, hahah¡­ "Idiot, dummy!" Emeraldine continued bonking my head with her holy light-imbued fists. I deserved that pain¡­ honestly. "I''m sorry¡­ I love you too." I sighed, giving her a head pat. "Dummy¡­" Emeraldine sighed, pouting, as I gave her a tender kiss in her soft lips so she could calm down a bit. "Dummy, mooch¡­ Idiot, hmm~" Although she continued belittling me while we kissed. "Let''s go together then, once what we want to do is done, we cane visit your family again¡­" I smiled at her. "C-Come on, don''t be angrier¡­" I''ve never seen her so angry before, she must have been really hurt! Ugh, I''m a stupid idiot. "Okay¡­" She sighed. "But don''t say dumb things like those again. I''m with you on my own volition. You''ve never ever forced me to do a thing! Geez, why would you ever think that?!" "I-I''m sorry¡­ I was stupid for thinking that." I apologized again. "Yeah, you really are!" She said. "Hahahah, I''m d you''ve found someone that loves you and cares for you so much, dear Emeraldine." Said August. "And you seem very lovely. It is so cute. I wish your mother was here!" And quickly, we realized we were actually being watched by everyone¡­ Ah, now I''m a bit embarrassed¡­ "Y-Yes¡­" Emeraldine slowly sat down again. "A-Anyways! As Maria said, let''s get this forest restoration project done, so we can go rescue her little brother!" "Alright!" Everyone cheered.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om As we walked into the deste, deserted area with only dead trees, we talked about how we would do things. Eventually, Tear wondered something. "I wish Root could be here, he''s a literal tree, right? I know he''s protecting our home, but it would be nice if he coulde for a bit to spread some of his roots too." Tear said. "Actually, about that¡­" I said. RUMBLE! CRAAAAASH! The ground below shook, as a huge root emerged underground. Large roots started spreading out, growing a few little saplings at first, until one of them suddenly grew a small face, two holes as eyes, and a long twig nose. "Master gyuh! I''m finally here gyuh!" He said. "ROOT?!" Everyone was shocked. "Yeah, I called him toe here since yesterday, seems like his roots finally were able toe as far as this ce! Amazingly done, Root." I congratted him. "It''s nothing gyuh! I''ve been able to extend my roots so far thanks to your constant Mana supply, master! Gyuh!" Root was happy to be praised, nheless. "A-Another monster tree?!" August cried in fear, stepping back. "I''m not a monster tree, gyuh! I''m a good tree!" Root said angrily. "Even the spirits like me!" "I-It cant talk eloquently¡­" Said Ash. "And he''s not malicious at all either. I can sense Miasma within him though, but it is bnced perfectly with nature and life, amazing¡­" Ash seemed very capable of detecting and sensing magical energies. "Well, Root is more than an Undead, or a monster, he has be something like a Spirit, so we made a contract of master and spirit a while ago, I can supply him with mana so he can do awesome things like this even when we''re far away from one another!" I giggled. "Sorry if he scared you." "Now that I see much better¡­" August activated his spiritual powers as an Elf. "I can sense it, the same aura as spirits within this tree! What an odd fellow he is! So he''s your pet, huh?" "I wouldn''t go as far as call him a pet, he''s a friend." Iughed. "A member of our family, maybe even my son." "Thank you so much, Root! I thought it would be hard to do it all on my own, but if we got you here, it shouldn''t be soplicated!" Emeraldine smiled. "I''m happy to help, auntie Emeraldine! Gyuh!" Root said. "Alright then, let''s begin now." I nodded. "Ash, I think you''ll have to help us too!" "M-Me?" Ash asked in surprise. "But what can I even do?" He wondered. "Seems like you''ve not realized yet." Tear giggled. "The moment you were freed and we defeated the tree, something went inside of you. Haven''t you noticed at all?" "W-Well, I¡­" Ash was confused. "First of all, you were purified of all miasma and dark energies." Takeshi exined. "And then, your Demonite core became very clear, and white, even a bit silver colored, and gold." Said Laura. "It emanates theplete opposite of your powers before¡­ Something is within you now, something that is not malign, but benign." "This energy I''ve sensed since I woke up¡­?" Ash nced at his own hands, as they glowed with bright yellow light. "Right¡­ I was even able to urately sense what Root was made of¡­" "Yeah, my child." August nodded. "I think you''ve be the carrier of our Ancient Spirit Tree''s Soul." "His Soul?! Do trees have them?" Ash was surprised. "Of course we do, gyuh!" Rootined. "You''ve got a very strong Ancient Spirit Tree soul inside of you! It was after all, some sort of lesser Yggdrasil, is it not?" "R-Right¡­" Ash nodded. "But why? I thought the tree died¡­ And it was all my fault¡­" "The soul must have been quite resilient, and when the corrupted body perished, and your body was purified slightly, it entered and made you its new vessel, purifying the rest of your body." I exined my hypothesis. "Your Demonite core is no longer made of Demonite, but of something I''ll call an Yggdrasil''s Heart." "Yggdrasil''s¡­ Heart?" Ash was surprised, as his chest started glowing bright gold¡­ "I think you have the power to help us revive the forest." Emeraldine said. "Ash, will you help us?" "O-Of course! I''ll help! It is¡­ the least I could do." Ash started crying, as he nodded. Looks like things are leading to a better conclusion than I imagined! ----- Chapter 811 Healing The Forest Chapter 811 Healing The Forest ----- With the help of Emeraldine, Root, and Ash, and well, Jonathan for more purifying stuff, alongside my near endlessly regenerating Mana, we got to work. First of all, we helped Ash manipte his Mana, and to "feel" the soul within him. He slowly began to imbue this soul''s powers into the contaminated soil, purifying it easily. With Emeraldine and Jonathan''s aid, the soil was purified rapidly as long as I gave them Mana, and after just a single hour, the entire contaminated area waspletely purified. The dead trees remained dead though, they werepletely soulless, the souls were probably sucked away by the evil god fragment, so there wasn''t anything we could do about those. I dedicated to cut down the trees with everyone else, and take them out of the soilpletely, as I stored them inside my Inventory so they wouldn''t bother anybody, they ended being named "Death Miasmic Wood" and were a pretty good-looking material, so I kept it. Mighte in handy in the future. After that, Root helped by setting up the "pir" for the new forest, using his own roots and creating mini spirit tree clones of himself, which Emeraldine using her Yggdrasil magic, helped to grow and multiply even more. She was already able to create lesser Yggdrasil wood with her Yggdrasil Spirit Magic anyways, so this time we made sure the entire forest was made out of spirit trees! Doing that with everyone else''s help took roughly almost the entire day, we took a break to eat and continued until the night came. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The rest of the vigers eventually joined us, as they nced the forest grow and develop. Grass and flowers grew around, and the trees, despite being newborn, reached almost the same size as the ones from before the incident. However, even with all of this, we still needed the forest''s core. Root had offered himself to be the forest''s core. After all, his entire body had grown tremendously big. And we agreed, because the soul of the lesser Yggdrasil inside of Ash didn''t seem to want to leave him, Root absorbed Ash''s powers, which he imbued into him, alongside Emeraldine''s spirit magic, and my Mana. FLAAASH! And a huge "clone" of Root, connected to the roots beneath the ground that connected to our city, emerged, growing as tall as the older tree. "I''ll make sure to take care of this ce too, gyuh! Leave it to me- Ah, now it feels like I have two minds gyuh? How weird gyuh¡­ Well, whatever!" Root said carefreely. "Well, even if his connection with his main body is cut, the one from here won''t die, there''ll be¡­ two Roots I guess?" I wondered. "Though this one will be much weaker. Nheless, he''ll protect the ce if its ever attacked again." "That''s a relief¡­" August sighed. "I feel like I''ve made a strange bond¡­ The crystal in my chest¡­ It feels like it is imbuing its strength in there." Said Ash in surprise. "Most likely." Emeraldine nodded. "The Ancient Spirit Tree''s Soul wants to remain with you, but at the same time, it created a special Spirit Bond with the Root here, to imbue more and more of his former strength into him. Looks like you''ve be his sessor, Root." "Gyuh? Thank you, Ancient Spirit Tree!" Said Root politely. "What¡­ will happen to me now? Where should I go?" Ash wondered. "Mom''s dead¡­ Should I go back to Goldsand?" "Well¡­" August wondered. "If you want to, you could stay here. How about it?" "B-But¡­ after everything I''ve done?" Ash asked. "Doesn''t everyone in the vige hate me?" "Nah, it''s fine." "We heard what happened from August and Emeraldine." "And after seeing you help them regrow the forest into this state, we can''t really me you anymore." "You''ve redeemed yourself quite well, boy." "Stay with us and keep proving us that you''re a good kid." All the vigers seemed to agree. Nobody seemed to mind that he could stay there. I didn''t wanted to bring him back to Goldsand, it looked to be a dangerous ce. It is better if he stayed here, in the safety we''ve created. "E-Everyone¡­" Ash continued crying. "I''m sorry¡­ and thanks¡­ I''ll keep working hard¡­ to redeem myself, even if a little bit¡­ every day." "Hahaha, okay, no need to cry any more tears, kid." Augustughed. "How about we have amunal dinner with the rest of the vige? Some hunters ended hunting a big giant wild boar, so there''s a lot of meat!" "Oh, the hunters already went to hunt?!" Emeraldine was surprised. "Of course, once they felt revitalized they said they wanted meat, and went out of their way to catch the first thing they could find in the outer forest that wasn''t affected by the miasma, hahaha!" Augustughed. "We elves are a resilient and hard-working bunch!" "That much is clear." Iughed. "Anyways, let''s get going then. Root, wanna join?" "Gyuh!" POOF! One of Root''s many clones turned into his small, adorable egg-shaped spirit embodiment form, and floated at our side. "Meat! Meat! I like meat gyuh!" Root started singing. "A tree that likes meat?" Wondered August. "Our new Tree Guardian is sure a peculiar one, hahaha!" The rest of the vigersughed along. We spent the rest of the night celebrating, eating, andughing. We let bygones be bygones, and we looked forward to a brighter future together. And once the next morning came, we departed, above Lucifer''srge back, saying our goodbyes. "Thank you for your hospitality and everything else!" I said, waving my hands. "We''lle back once we''re done with what we want to do!" "Goodbye uncle! Please take care of Ash! And yourself too, obviously!" Emeraldine said. "We''ll do! Don''t worry!" August said. "Safe travels, everyone! I''ll be praying to the Yggdrasil Tree for you to find Maria''s missing brother!" "Thank you so much!" I smiled. Without further ado, we left. We arrived when everything was dark, dested, and contaminated. But once we left, everything was bright, green, and lively. And I hope it stays like that forever¡­ ----- Chapter 812 Into The Goldsand Confederation Chapter 812 Into The Goldsand Confederation ----- Within an underground area in the Emerald Fountain City of the Goldsand Confederation, a man wearing a mask in the shape of a ck fox with glowing red eyes heard the reports of a servant walking to his side¡­ "Milord, the Miasmic Tree that was producing our monster troops has been exterminated¡­ We''ve received reports from our magic devices saying the Evil God''s Fragment haspletely disappeared too- No, rather, it has been¡­ absorbed." "¡­" The masked man remained in silence while thinking about the situation. "So it must be them, who else has enough power to do this within the South of Midgard anyways? The Undead Dragon King, that Vampire traitor, the elf woman blessed by spirits, and¡­ the ghost witch, Maria Belle." "Precisely." Nodded the man. "That''s what we believe¡­" "This is not looking good, hahaha." Laughed the masked man. "Why would she get in this situation anyways? We never provoked her, nor we''ve ever tried to attack her people either, unlike the others¡­ We''re here doing our own business, why go so far? Why bother?" "We specte the elf that apanies her had family in that area¡­" Sighed the servant. "Dammit¡­" Sighed the masked man. "Well, another good project thrown to the trash¡­ Hopefully, that woman stop harassing us. I don''t want anything to do with her, we must continue preparing our troops to destroy the Empire of Light and the church. The Final Day ising closer." "Some think that¡­ she might be on her way here. After all, Ash was someone from Goldsand, what if she wants revenge on his behalf? She''s a righteous woman¡­" Sighed the servant. "Tch, don''t give her ideas now! If that were to ever happen¡­ I would have to intervene myself; I can''t let her destroy all we''ve built in this ce." The masked man sighed. "Well, if pushes to shove¡­" He nced at a ck colored de encapsted on Demonite. "I''ll have to use our secret weapon. Ugh, it costs so much Mana though." "Should we prepare for the worst right away?" His servant wondered. "There''s no helping it. It is better if we are somewhat prepared than not." Sighed the masked man. "And about that kid¡­ Make sure to keep him restrained this time, the powers he possess will be a pivotal part of our future ns, but we can''t let him make a riot like before." "Understood." Nodded the servant, quickly turning into shadows and disappearing. The masked man sighed, drinking a cup of blood while ncing at the moonless night. "Maria¡­ You better keep yourself out of this if you don''t want me to get serious." He sighed. "I''ve been evading you all this time because I didn''t wanted a confrontation with a monster like you¡­ But if you keep getting in my way, I won''t have any other option." . . . (Maria''s POV) As we traveled across the skies, we nced at a map that we got from August. My Auto Mapping can map anything¡­ Where I am, of course, so we can''t earn everythingpletely in detail either. This is why this mape into usage. "So ording to this map, looks like Goldsand''s divided into three big territories. And their names represent the biggest mountains there, where themoners mine resources which feed on the entire confederation''s wealth." I said. "The closest area is the Ruby Mountain Territory, thenes the Sapphire Mountain Territory, andstly, the Emerald Mountain Territory." "Sounds like quite the pain." Said Partner. "Do we have to look for your brother through all three?! Ugh¡­ And why are the name some?!" "Well there''s actual real names for the cities. The Ruby Pce, the Sapphire Temple, and the Emerald Fountain. The Ruby Pce seems to be made up of warmongering merchant descendants, so there''s always fights and disputes there. Then the Sapphire Temple is a much more peaceful area, well, "peaceful" for the nobles. The church of light is strong there, but they also have the church of the goddess of water, which is the primary church aside from the one of light¡­ They''re all allied churches anyways so it matters little." I exined. "And what about Emerald Fountain?" Wondered Emeraldine. "It sounds a bit like my name¡­" "It says in your uncle''s notes that¡­ It is the most protected ce as there''s the most nobles living there. It''s thergest city too¡­ Ash doesn''t remember where he came from, and August told us to just quickly check the "underground" of each city, we''ll find answers really quickly if we talk with ghosts or souls too!" I said with a smile. "I see¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "It will be a hard job to find your brother¡­ But let''s do our best." She said. "Spirits, can you help us find himter?" "Okay~!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "If Emeraldine says so~" "Jonathan, do you happen to have something that could have belonged to my brother?" I asked the hero. "A bit of hair or something?" "No, sorry¡­" Said Jonathan. "It has been so many years since then¡­" "Oh well, whatever." I sighed. "We''ve been traveling for the empty desert for a while now and the only thing we see are a bunch of cactuses and dunes¡­" "Tch, you''re just sitting around while I''m burning by the sun! Why are youining?" Lucifer said angrily. "Hahaha, I''m sorry!" I giggled. "Tear, can you cool us down a bit more?" "Sure." Tear nodded. Through the day and a half we''ve been traveling, she has be our living cooler, and by using her ice magic, she cool us down from the intense heat of the sun around here. FLUOOOOSH! "Hahhh~ Much better." We all sighed in relief. "I''m d I can be of some help." Tearughed. "Honestly, if it wasn''t for my magic I wouldn''t be able to resist this heat either¡­ We ice giants aren''t good with heat this high!" "I''ve heard this area of Midgard is so hot because it is the closest to the Muspelheim Continent, and of mes." I said. "And- Huh?" Suddenly, the city of Ruby Pce finally made itself clear within the horizon! "We''re getting closer, everyone!" I said with a smile. "And- Eh?!" However, the first thing that greeted our sight were dozens of gigantic Sandworms surrounding the small city! ----- Chapter 813 Ruby Palace ? ----- Although the Ruby Pce City was known for its strong warriors and powerful nobility, this wasn''t the same thing for almost the 99% of the poption, who all lived on terrible poverty. While the rich merchants that made up the nobility gobbled up every single resource imaginable and left not even crumbs left for the people, everyone else either had to starve to death or fight monsters to earn a penny. And well, there were also those in between, that dedicated themselves to do another thing¡­ Crime. From stealing, to robbing, to falsifying trade documents by pretending to be merchants, to even scams, anything went if you wanted to live and eat a piece of bread and drink a cup of goat milk the next day. "Hahh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ungh!" And some people would usually go a bit farther than just some bread and milk every day. Some would want more than that, a feast. "Hey! You damn bitch! Come back right here!" "Isn''t she one of those kids from the undergroundb?!" "Yeah!" "No wonder she''s so fast and has those weird ears¡­" "If we catch her we''ll get a lot of money from those shady guys if we bring her back!" Some people would lead to corruption, working for their masters while disguising their malice behind a fa?ade of "duty". "Ugh¡­ Ungh¡­ Hahhh¡­ Almost there¡­!" And a few other people that want more, but don''t know how to get it, will end up being manipted by others into taking many risks, sometimes only because they''re na?ve enough¡­ Sometimes capable too. "Uwah! Eh?! Dead end?!" However, at the end of the day, it is a dog-eat-dog world¡­ "We got her." "You shouldn''t had ran there, dumbass." "It is clear she doesn''t know the entire ce." "Did you ran away from thatb recently, littlemb?" Four brown skinned men wearing red clothes and holding sharp ck metal spears decorated with red jewels stepped in front of the little girl that was running away from them. She looked to be at most seven years old, barely wearing some white clothes, ragged, and covered on dust and blood. Her skin was charcoal ck, and she had two small goat-like horns, onerger than the second, alongside short white hair, and red eyes. In her chest, the soldiers noticed a slightly glowing thing, a small red crystal emerging from it like a cancerous growth, a man-made tumor put into her body to transform her into a monster. And in her hands she held a small, brown colored jewel, imbued with magical and spiritual powers which the little girl had stolen, manipted by her band of young thieves as a "neer trial" to join them and earn herself some food. "Now, easy there girl. Give that thing back. It''s dangerous, you know?" "Come on, why are you being gentle?! Just drag her here!" "Shut up bastard, she''s a poor little child that doesn''t know what she''s doing!" The soldier winked back at the other, as the other three soldiers shut down and nodded, agreeing with him. "Y-Yeah! Sorry if we said those things before,e on, let''s get along." "Give that back and let''s get along." "You don''t have to involve yourself with thieves, we''ll give you some food. Hey, how about this dried meat for starter? We''ve got juicy fruits and all the water you want to drink at home."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The men showed her a jerky. "Sniff, sniff¡­" The little girl smelled the jerky, beginning to drool. "Y-You won''t hurt me?" She asked scared. "Of course not. That item you''re holding is what could hurt you!" "It''s very delicate, you shouldn''t had stolen it like that." "Come on dear¡­ Just give it back." The girl timidly approached the men, giving back the glowing brown jewel, which had on its surface the incrusted shape of what resembled arge worm. "There you go!" The guard grabbed the jewel and gave the girl a piece of jerky, which she started eating right away. "Phew, that was dangerous, make sure to don''t move this thing around too much. It is a Monster Summoning Stone, something the Warlocks of the Underground created." "Alright boss, I''ll keep it safe." The man wrapped the stone around some clothing. "Will you give me more food? I-I''m hungy¡­" The little girl said, approaching the soldiers. BAAAM! However, the only thing she received was a kick in the face, as she hit the floor, her little nose bleeding terribly. "Auuuggh¡­! Sniff¡­ Uwaaahhh¡­!" The little girl started crying in pain, as the soldier that kicked her grabbed her by her short hair and lifted her off the ground as she cried. "Did you think we would let a thief get away with it, you fucking slut?!" "B-But you said¡­! Sniff.. Aauuuh! Let me go! Sniff¡­ Uwaaah!" BAAAM! BAAAM! Before she could continue crying, the bastards punched her face twice and threw her down into the floor. "Sniff¡­ Uwaah¡­ My face! Sniff¡­ Mama¡­ Mamaaaa!" "Your mom is fucking dead, she was a useless slut like you most likely!" "Fucking little bitch, you aren''t getting away with this!" "We''ll screw you up before giving you back, they won''t mind a few bruises¡­ Nor your chastity taken either¡­" One of the gross men started sipping down his pants, while the others grabbed the little girl, lifting off her clothes¡­ "Noo! Let me go! Uwaaaah!" "I''m going to teach you that you shouldn''t steal, you fucking slut! Now-" SLAAAASH! "H-Huh?" Before the bastard could realize it, however, a scarlet sh sliced through his entire body, his two halves suddenly beginning to fall apart, as his consciousness faded away before he could even scream in agony. SPLAAT! His body sttered into the floor, both halves cut perfectly, guts and blood gushing out of them¡­ The scene shocked everyone, the girl included, as they suddenly sensed a powerful presence emerge, standing above the building''s ceiling right behind the dead end of the alley. A woman with pale white skin, and many stitch-like scars across her body, long red hair, and sharp red eyes, alongside a huge, muscr body equal to the mightiest Mountain Giants, and at her side, there was a menacing, huge ck wolf. "I''m going to enjoy killing you bastards¡­" She smiled, blood beginning to emerge out of the bastard''s corpse and flying into her hands, spiraling magically¡­ ----- Chapter 814 Chaos Chapter 814 Chaos ----- "W-What¡­?!" "W-Who''s she?!" "R-Run! Brat, run with the jewel!!!" The man holding the jewel ran away, as fast as possible. However, the woman standing in the ceiling jumped down into the floor, standing in front of the little girl. At the same time, the blood spiraling in her hands transformed into threads, wrapping around the man''s legs and pushing him down. The jewel suddenly bounced into the sand, but did not activate, thankfully. "You''re not going anywhere¡­" She said. "Y-YOU BITCH!" The three surviving soldiers pointed their spears at the woman, as their red jewels suddenly light up and generated scarlet mes. "Hahaha! Did you thought we were defenseless against monsters like you?! These are super expensive Magic Spears! With these we kill even D Rank monsters!" "Ain''t no way a bitch like you can be stronger than that, hah!" "KILL HER!" All three men pointed the spears towards her, as she stood there silently, the spears hit her abs, chest, and neck, and then engulfed her on mes¡­ CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! FLUOSH! "Hahahaha! Burn! Burn you bitch!" "Yeah! Take that!" "She was probably some sort of Giant, right? There''s no way a woman gets this buff- GEGH?!" However, arge hand suddenly grasped one of the soldier''s neck, and then made the mes spread over his body, slowly burning him. "Ggyyyaeegh¡­!" "This buff?" She asked, while burning. "Nah, I just exercised a lot when I was alive. I guess bastards like you can''t recognize a woman for her strength until you''re about to die against it?" CRACK! His neck was quickly crushed before he died by burning, his lifeless body fell into the floor, as the woman''s red eyes red at the rest, her mouth opened and inhaled, the mes were swallowed. "Compare to the mes of those two guys, yours only gave me tickles." Sheughed. "W-Wha¡­?" "M-Monster¡­ monster!" Giving up on fighting her after realizing not even their spears pierced her mightily hard skin, the two men quickly attempted to run away for their lives, only to be dragged back by the woman''s blood threads. "Hehehe, you''re not going anywhere, fucking bastards." Sheughed, smiling maliciously. The little goat-horned girl behind her nced in awe as this big, strong woman crushed these horrible men''s masculinity. "How about this before departing, huh? So you learn to never touch a girl!" CRAAASSH! CRAAASSH! Mercilessly, she crushed the two men''s genitals, making sure they were crushed and shredded into pieces. "Gryyyaaaaaeergghh¡­!" "Uuaaaaagghh¡­!" Their screams echoed into the rest of the city, as the woman couldn''t give more of a fuck. She smiled, and then grabbed the two men, using her threads, she slowly started peeling off their skin. "Girl." She spoke, as the men screamed in agony. "Y-Yes?" The littlemb spoke. "Take this." The woman gave her a small knife. "A-A knife?!" She cried. "Kill them both, you''ll earn a nice amount of Experience Points like that." The woman said. "W-What? W-Who are you!?" The little girl asked desperately. "Name''s Catarina. I''m a bounty hunter, mercenary, assassin, part time bandit of nobles, you name it." The woman smiled. "C-Catarina¡­" The little girl suddenly remembered the other kids from the group she belonged, who spoke about the "Legendary Bandit Catarina" who had already made herself a legend in the arid and harshnds of Goldsand. Wherever there was injustice, she would appear and crush all the bad guys. She traveled anywhere, and constantly was seen killing anybody that tried to abusemoners. She was known as themoner''s hero of the entirety of Goldsand¡­ "T-There''s no way, it''s you! Legendary Bandit Catarina!" The little girl gasped. "Hahaha, am I famous?" Laughed Catarina. "Anyways, you need to grow stronger to survive in this world, dear." She gave the girl a head pat. "Come on, you must get used to take the lives of bastards as soon as possible, the sooner, the easier it will beter." "Gulp¡­" The girl doubted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Didn''t they tried to rape you? Didn''t they insulted your mother? Didn''t they tricked you?" Asked Catarina. "Girl, there''s good people out there, and then¡­ there''s trash you should never forgive." "¡­" The girl nced at the knife, feeling angered the more she was reminded of it¡­ Without hesitating, she pointed her knife into the bastard''s necks, and pierced them clumsily and roughly, only making it even more agonizing. Their arms and legs were cut down by Catarina, as she slowly drank the blood while nodding as the girl killed the two of them. "Graarggh¡­!" "Gryyeeegghh¡­" Their pitiful screams were music for their ears! [You have killed [Ruby Pce Soldier: Lv33] [You have killed [Ruby Pce Soldier: Lv29] [You earned 2000 EXP] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] [LEVEL UP!] "Uwaah¡­" The littlemb was surprised as she saw her levels rising like crazy. This was the world of Yggdrasil, a world where people could kill monsters and¡­ others, to earn experience points and level up, and it was a power everybody had within them. Some abused it, others ignored it, but only those that made use of it would thrive in thisnd of destruction and desperation. "Your level has risen well, good girl." Catarina smiled. "What''s your name?" "Name''s¡­ I don''t have one¡­" She sighed. "Woof!" The huge ck wolf walked in. "Then how about I name you?" Asked Catarina. "Silva, like your silver hair." "S-Silva¡­" The little girl felt amazed the legendary bandit gave her a name. "T-THERE SHE IS!" "THE JEWEL IS ON THE FLOOR!" "GRAB IT!" "Oh? More bastards. Alright Silva, let''s first take them all down!" Laughed Catarina. "E-Eh? I have to fight too?!" Silva cried. Suddenly, interrupting them, a bunch of soldiers rushed into the scene, they all swarmed Catarina, but she used her powers and strength to punch them or cut them into pieces one after another! CRASH! BOOM! SLASH! CRASH! However, in between the battle and the screams, one of the soldiers managed to grab the crystal, only to be crushed by another that was sent flying by Catarina, cut down to pieces. BAAAM! "A-Aggh! T-The crystal!" The soldier cried as the crystal fell into the floor¡­ Crack¡­ crack¡­ CRAAASH! And it shattered into pieces. TRUUUMMM¡­! A shockwave of pure magic power spread around the entire city, and then, dozens of magic circles emerged surrounding the entire Ruby Pce City. And huge Sandworms emerged out of them. "GRUOOOOHHHHH!!!" ----- Chapter 815 Sandworm Invasion! Chapter 815 Sandworm Invasion! ----- A cataclysm suddenly befell Ruby Pce as Catarina was saving the life of a child. The jewel which she had mostly ignored ended being a rather dangerous weapon of mass destruction! Why did the nobles even wanted such a thing? Actually, maybe it would be clever to ask why they wouldn''t. TRUUUMMM¡­! Dozens of huge, brown colored magic circles emerged out of thin air, surrounding the entire city. This was a special Monster Summoning Crystal that worked by summoning monsters sealed inside by powerful magicians, the "Warlocks of the Underworld", a mysterious organization tied to the bastards that held Silva captive before. "GRUOOOOHHHHH!" "SHAAAAAAHHH!" "GROOOOAARRRR!" The dozens of Sandworms, each one as strong as a B Rank monster, rushed into the city without even questioning why they were there now. Perhaps too angered of having been sealed to escape, deciding to just attack the nearest thing within their vicinity! "W-What is that?!" "S-Sandworms?!" "So many!" "Why are they here? I thought this was safe from them!" "R-Run¡­ HIDE!" "They''re too many! Uuaaaggh!" The citizens of the Ruby Pce city quickly panicked, running away from the scene as the huge Sandworms demolished the city walls, throwing away countless soldiers, some swallowed them up, and the ones that ran away were quickly picked up by the rest. "Dammit, what the heck did you do, you fucking idiot?!" The soldier that ended letting the jewel break was reprimanded by his many seniors. "I-I''m sorry-" "[Blood Edge]" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Suddenly, countless des made of blood cut down every single soldier in front of Catarina before they could do any more stupid things, their shredded bodies painting the sand red. "We have to quickly get out of here!" Catarina said. "Silva, you stay in here for now¡­ No, actually,e with me, it would be dangerous if you stay in this blood-covered ce. They might frame you for this massacre." Catarina swiftly grabbed Silva and jumped over her big wolf, who suddenly was shrouded in shadows, rushing across the shadows of the buildings and into the outside of the city. "Silva, I''ll leave you around here-" "I-I want to fight too!" "You want to fight those?! You can''t!" "I-I can''t¡­ But I can do this!" Silva suddenly touched Catarina''s back, imbuing her with a dark, powerful aura that suddenly started enhancing her strength. FLAAAASH! [Silva] has conjured the power of her [Miasmic Boost] Skill.] [As apatible Undead type being, you receive its full benefits.] [All of your Stats have increased by +100%, HP and MP Recovery Speed has increased by +200%.] [As long as the conjurer is close by, Miasmic Boost will stay indefinitely.] "Amazing¡­" Said Catarina. "You kind of remind me of an old friend named Maria." Sheughed. "I-It worked!" Silva was surprised. "I remember those bad guys saying I had the power to boost the strength of red eyed people¡­" "I guess it worked on me, dear." Giggled Catarina. "Alright. [Blood Thread]!" She quickly wrapped Silva around her back with many threads, and then materializing the threads into a huge armor, protecting her from damage like this. "If you want to join so badly, so be it!" Laughed Catarina. "Just stay put while I take these down¡­ Or we die trying." "D-Die?!" Silva panicked. "ckie, follow me!" Catarina roared. "[Blood Bat Wings]!" She summoned two pairs of bat-like wings made of her blood aura, jumping into the skies. "Woof!" The big shadow wolf undead barked, conjuring shadows. "GRUOOOOHHHH!" Catarina, ckie, and the little Silva immediately faced a gigantic Sandworm that noticed them, the moment they all jumped into the skies, the gigantic beast opened its massive maws, attempting to devour them all with a single bite! "That''s not going to work!" Catarina roared, her fists suddenly overflowing with her Blood Battle Aura, as she punched the Sandworm''s face several times! "[Crimson Fist Battle Arts]: [Blood Asura''s Barrage]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAAASSSH!!! Unleashing the mighty strength she has been developing since she "left the nest", Catarinapletely overwhelmed the Sandworm, a beast at B+++ Rank at almost equally as strong as A Rank monsters and threw it down into the ground! BAAAAAAMMM!!! "SHYAAAAGGHH¡­!" The Sandworm quickly attacked her back after hitting the floor, using its huge body to m her with everything it had! CRAAAASSSH!!! However, Catarina resisted the blows and then disappeared into shadows, as ckie helped her travel around,nding over the Sandworm''s huge head and then gathering all her might into her powerful fists. Her Blood Battle Aura surged once more, shaping itself into the form of a muscr, gigantic woman made of blood, resembling a demon queen, her fists merged with those of hers, as they unleashed arge barrage of blows! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAAASSSH!!! "GRYYYEEEEEGGHHH¡­!" The huge Sandworm gave out ast scream, its head sttering into pieces, covering Catarina''s entire body with green blood and guts, as the rest of the worm''s body fell lifelessly into the ground, to never move again. "Phew, we did it-" "GRUOOHHH!" "SHAAAAAH!" "ROOOOAARR!" However, five more Sandworms surrounded her. Using Sand Magic and their powerful tails to attack her, Catarina constantly evaded their devastating blows while hitting them back, however, the fight was way too slow! While she struggled fighting all these monsters, the other half of the huge Sandworms started trashing the entire city! There was some trash in there for sure, but also a lot of hard-working people, innocents that didn''t deserve to die so horribly. "Dammit!" Catarina roared, shing against the Sandworms as she was being constantly hit everywhere. "I can handle this much but¡­ It will take time¡­! Fuck! Argh!!!" CRAAAAASSSH! Suddenly, three Sandworm Tails at once threw Catarina into the ground, trashing her horribly! "Auntie Catarina!" Silva cried, as her miasmic powers suddenly reacted to her emotions, wrapping Catarina around silver colored sheep-like wool, and making her fall not that painful! BAAAAMM!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Ungh¡­ Silva, you saved me there." Catarina muttered, only to find herself surrounded by the vicious Sandworms. "Dammit¡­ Do I have to run away after all?!" She gritted her teeth. "[Selene''s Palm]" TRUUUUMMM¡­! However, before she could even react, a huge palm made of moonlight energy descended from the skies, crushing three Sandworms at once! CRAAAAAAASSSSHHH¡­! "W-Wha¡­?! That voice!" Catarina knew exactly where that attack came from¡­ ----- Chapter 816 Arrival Chapter 816 Arrival ----- Catarina had really thought she would have to escape and forget about the entire city; however, help came right after that thought, almost as if the gods themselves intervened in her problematic life for once¡­ However, this time, it was a different kind of "goddess". "[Selene''s Palm]" TRUUUMMM¡­! Before she could even react, a huge palm made of moonlight energy descended from the skies, crushing three Sandworms at once! The beasts died in an instant, sttered over the floor. CRAAASSHH¡­! What followed after were the same attack crushing a fourth, then a fifth, and then a sixth Sandworm, each one was being crushed as if a Legendary Titan had suddenly showed up out of nowhere. "W-Wha¡­?! That voice!" Catarina knew exactly where those attacks came from, as she heard her voice and saw her figure. She had changed a bit since thest time she saw her. Her appearance had grown more "divine" she looked more bright, her hair had now be slightly purple, with deep ck and silvery-white strands, she still had horns, but her dress was much different, looking as if it had been made of pure moonlight. Anybody wouldn''t believe her if she told them the woman floating right there was actually a ghost and not¡­ a Majin of the highest order. Ghosts were often thought to be measly monsters, purified, and exorcised before they could be actual threats. "Who is she, Lady Catarina?!" Asked Silva, climbing over the muscr woman''s back to look out. "T-That''s¡­ Well, I''m sure now, that''s Maria. The woman that gave me a second chance." Said Catarina. "A second chance?" Silva was confused. "Hey! Are you guys alright?!" Maria quickly flew back to where they were, gasping in shock as she realized who was there. "Catarina?! It''s you!" "H-Hey¡­" Catarina muttered while feeling a bit embarrassed. "I didn''t thought you''ll save my ass again¡­ What a way to meet up again, Maria." "I never thought we would find you here!" Maria hugged her tightly. "And who''s this little blessing over here? Hi!" "H-Hi¡­" Silva muttered, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Maria''s powerful presence, which by merely existing sent a strong pressure. "A lot has happened but we have to get rid of these damn Sandworms, never thought a damn stone could summon so many!" Catarina sighed. "Nah, don''t worry about that, we got this." Maria nodded, as she pointed at Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, Nyx, the twins, Tear, and Jonathan fighting the Sandworms and eliminating them easily one after another. In just a couple of seconds, the entire swarm of huge monsters werepletely eliminated. Maria smiled as she felt a bit of EXP flow to her, but not near as enough for her to Evolve at all. "B Rank Monsters are piss easy, don''t cha worry." She smiled. "Anyways, we should pick them up, so wait up here!" Maria flew around the city, storing every Sandworm Monster corpse inside her Inventory for future materials, in the way, with Emeraldine''s help, they repaired the broken walls with roots and golems made out of sand, mud, and souls, leaving the walls pristine. "W-What happened?" "Weren''t we being attacked by sandworms?" "They''re all gone¡­"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "D-Did you see that?! A few people flying around!" "I saw a huge dragon killing the sandworms!" "Maybe another monster hunted them down¡­ I hope they don''t get us though." The citizens were naturally shaken, the nobles in the noble district nced through their windows, the panic in their hearts gone as many sighed in relief. Though, this wasn''t thanks to any of their pathetic guards. In thergest building within the noble district, a fat man covered on gold essories and ornaments, long red painted nails, and an angry expression nced at the scene in utter disbelief. His face filled with frustration at what could had been his beautiful pets turned into worm paste. "My worms! Why are they gone?! Where did they go?! Why were they summoned ahead of time?!" He cried angrily. "They cost a fortune to get here!" "Honestly speaking, Lord Sanctus, why did you even wanted them?" Sighed a red-eyed woman at his side, with brown skin and long ck hair. "I mean, the Warlocks still made it but-" "Because they could help me fend off any bastards that tried to get here! Maybe I could even use them to conquer the other cities¡­ Sandworms are the strongest monsters in the desert after all! Hahaha!" Cried Sanctus. "But now these bastards that should had brought it here are probably all dead¡­ And I hear a damn kid was the one that stole it?! You damn blood suckers know really well that I am the one keeping you all sofortable in this ce without the church getting their noses into your hideouts! Find the bastards that stole my worms and bring them to me!" "Sigh¡­" The beautiful Vampiress sighed, nodding. "(If it wasn''t for this stupid fat ass'' position I would had already drained all the blood out of his bloated body) Very well, my lord." "Fufufu! And do it quick! Okay? I also need a refund from you, that crystal cost a lot and it''s all your fault it was lost. After all, you said it my city would be safe from bandits and thieves!" Sanctus said. "Quickly! Go!" "Yes¡­" The woman sighed, stopping herself from giving him a deadly re as she turned into sand and disappeared. As she flew away, the man nced through the window of his huge temple-like house, specially built after the ancient inhabitants of the Goldsand Desert, long gone. "Was that really a dragon, here?" He wondered. "And who were those people flying around? Ugh¡­ My peaceful utopia is now filled with bandits and whatever those were! Can''t even get a good night''s sleep now! Hey, you three, what are you waiting for? Dance! Move your bodies! I''m bored!" He groaned, throwing a cup of wine to three young girls sitting in the end of the room wearing revealing dancer clothes. The girls weakly started to dance, their faces filled with fear, as their necks and legs were shackled with golden chains¡­ "Yes! Yes! Move your body, you little whores! Tonight I''ll be having a lot of fun breaking you all¡­" The disgusting bastard licked his lips. Little did he know of the beings that had arrived on his "utopia". ----- Chapter 817 Exploring The City Chapter 817 Exploring The City ----- (Maria''s POV) Once we arrived in the city, the first thing we did was beat a bunch of Giant Sandworms that were trying to destroy the whole ce. We were honestly shocked when we saw that happening literally out of nowhere, as if someone had summoned them. For a few seconds, it made me think there could had been some baddie attacking this ce. However, after encountering with nobody else than miss Catarina, who had now be a legend in the sandnds and a little girl that looked an awful lot like Ash and the twins, we moved to a much more peaceful and darker area of the city, walking through the alleyways by Silva''s guidance while hiding our identities with ck and brown robes wrapped around our bodies. Ding! [You and your Party have defeated [Giant Sandworm: Lv90 (B+ Rank)] x18 [Giant Sandworm King (A Rank)] x3!] [You earned 12.000.000 EXP] [EXP]: [27.000.000/90.000.000] Hmm, still not enough! Where can I find more of these wormy bastards to kill? They gave some mighty EXP! 500k each and the kings were 1 million each! Hot damn. "Anyways, is it alright what we did? We didn''t even talked with the guards about this¡­" Emeraldine wondered. "They must be confused." "The guards? Don''t worry about them, they''re all corrupt bastards. They tried to rape and kill this little girl." Catarina said. "E-Eh? So¡­ I see." Emeraldine sighed, feeling a bit detached. "Then I shouldn''t really care." She crossed her arms; her change of attitude was surprisingly fast. "So what exactly happened? And why are you here?" Lucifer wondered, questioning Catarina. "I can''t be here now? I''m free to go anywhere. The desert was just calling me, the golden sands¡­ The people in trouble, this is a ce goodie two shoes like you guys never visit is filled with so much suffering. To redeem myself a bit for what I used to do when I was alive, I wanted to help out the people in need." "How nice and benevolent of you." Laughed Partner. "Did you get the "Hero" Title or something now?" "I don''t think that''s something you can get so easily, Partner, actually-" Jonathan was going to exin how to get the hero blessing but was quickly interrupted by the sound of a door below the sand opening, as the little Silva invited everyone inside. "Here! It''s in here!" Said Silva. "This is where my friends live¡­" "Oh, I see! Souds cool!" Nyx said. "Like a secretir!" "You do get it!" Silva nodded, quickly making friends with my daughter. "Let''s go inside, Nyx!" "Okay! Do you have meat down there?" Nyx wondered, following Silva, and getting inside the dark depths without a care of the world. "Dare to exin me what''s up with that little girl?" Wondered Catarina. "Let''s catch up when we''re down there." I said. "There''s a lot to talk about, hahaha¡­ So do you know this ce?" "Nope, first time being here too- I mean, I''ve wandered through this city a few times, mostly hunting down rotten people, helping poor people, the usual." Catarina shrugged. "I don''t know her but she''s already sounding kind of awesome." Said Tear, giggling. "I guess she was always quite the badass Vampire girl herself." Iughed, as we made our way into the dark underground. We were greeted by what seemed to be the ruins of an ancient underground temple, nowpletely drowned in the sand, there was¡­ sand everywhere, pretty much. Some spiderwebs over here and there, and it was dark and dry, my type of ce. The architecture was made out of ck stone, which seemed to be a material named "Onyx Stone" and had quite the good durability, further information using my Analysis told me this ce was called "Abandoned Ruins of the Ancient Gerophyteles". And it was a Dungeon?! Well, a D Rank Dungeon, so it wasn''t much of a threat, but a dungeon below the city? That still sounds a bit dangerous¡­ And these kids are using this ce as their hideout? Damn, they''re pretty cool, not gonna lie. As we followed Silva and Nyx walking downstairs, we were greeted with many presences at the end of the stairs. "Silva''s back!" A kid screamed. "She''s back?!" "Did she brought the stone?" "What was thatmotion?" "Eep! She brought another girl?!" "Awe on! Another mouth to feed?!" Several kids gathered around Silva and Nyx, quickly noticing Silva didn''t brought any crystal, and then got really angry at her.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You didn''t brought the crystal!" "Where is it? You never stole it?" "Without that we won''t have any money! You failed your entrance test." "Hey, don''t be rude with her!" Nyx said, stepping forwards. "Silva''s hungry, do you have any food?" "And who are you, scaled brat?" "Fuck off!" The slightly older kids tried to push Nyx away, someone tried to actually drag her hair down, but I didn''t had to worry. Nyx was so durable nobody could ever move her. It probably felt like trying to push a wall. "W-Wha¡­?" "She''s really tough¡­" "Oi! Is the boss here already- Uwaaaah?!" It took them a little while to realize we were all just walking downstairs, almost a dozen people at that! The kids started running away like little bugs when you lift a huge rock. "Hahaha! Don''t be intimidated, kids, we''re not here to hurt anybody. We''re in your side." I said. "¡­I think." "You''re on our side?! Silva, who the fuck did you brought here?!" Suddenly, a kid around his fifteen years, probably the oldest here, with brown skin and ck hair stepped in. "They all look suspicious! I bet we''re going to get sent to the damnbs again! Fuck! I''m going to fucking kill you, you stupid brat!" The guy quickly ran towards Silva. "Wait, please wait a bit." I sighed, using my shadows to wrap around his body. His eyes suddenly became red, as he tried to fight back using some sort of miasmic powers. "Nah, that won''t work." Iughed. "Anyways, calm down, I said we''re in your side. Now tell me more about these bs"¡­" ----- Chapter 818 The Lost Children Chapter 818 The Lost Children ----- After a lot of exnations, rifications, and giving the kids a lot of tasty food, we got a bit more of their trust. It also helped Catarina had be some sort of legend in the desert, and with her reputation, the oldest kid of this group, named Fabian, ended trusting us much better. "I formed this band because we had nowhere to go, and we always had to hide." Sighed Fabian. "Sorry¡­ if I got too violent, it is hard to control my emotions¡­ sometimes. For a moment I thought Silva betrayed us." "Sorry Fabian¡­ T-The guards tricked me and gave me food, and I couldn''t resist because I was very hungry¡­ And then they took away the stone a-and they almost¡­ they almost¡­" Silva recalled those memories and started weeping. My little Nyx sat next to her and hugger her shoulders, trying tofort her even if a little bit. My daughter was certainly a little angel. "Hahh¡­ Don''t worry about that, sorry, Silva. I shouldn''t had jumped on you." Sighed Fabian. "It just that¡­ It reminded me of the time it actually happened when a friend sold us out¡­ And half of the group was captured." "It''s fine, we can all be friends now!" Nyx smiled. "Let''s beat down the baddies!" "Hahaha, you''re sure cheerful but you don''t look any older than Silva." Fabianughed. "Actually you look much tinier, are you a baby?" "No baby!" Nyx said angrily. In fact, she was indeed a baby. "I''m strong¡­ I beat baddies." "Really? Have you beaten baddies?" Silva asked innocently. "Yesh! I beat the worms, did you not see? I can bring phantom dragon frens to fight, webine, and go boom! Kaboom! Destruction!" Said Nyx with a huge smile while eating a meat sandwich. "I didn''t see anything¡­" Silva said, a bit disappointed. "I-I''ll show you!" Nyx said while nodding. "Whenever baddies show up¡­" "Well, see? My little girl got your back!" I smiled proudly. "Anyways, now that you all have your bellies full, it seems your minds are much clearer. First of all, is this dungeon active?" "It is." Said Fabian. "We''ve been living in this dungeon for a while¡­ As long as I remember. Any of us that had tried braving the sands was found deadter on by guards or caravans. We''re stuck here, even when thebs where we were being experimented at are so close by." "That''s a pity¡­" Lucifer sighed. "This Dungeon, is it spread across the entire city? And about thatb¡­ Are you all kids from there too? All¡­ experimented?" "Yeah." Fabian nodded. "Security there is tight, but because they keep giving us crazy powers, sometimes someone make a huge explosion and we escape¡­ Though, all of us survivors are a few among all the ones that had died from the experiments. Every day I remember seeing dozens of corpses, most of the time of kids no older than Silva." "¡­" I remained in silence while clenching my fists. "What¡­ do they do with these corpses? And their souls? Since I entered this ce that I haven''t sensed a single one. There''s no way they''re not using them for something. "I-I have no idea¡­" Fabian sighed. "We just know that¡­ there are unspeakable horrors that we''ve only heard. Monstrous screams, the sounds of creatures moving¡­ Ugh, my head. Just remember the rotten smell of that ce makes me want to puke." "It''s fine, that''s enough for now." Emeraldine sighed, embracing Fabian with some revitalizing light. "It is quite obvious what we''ll do now, but it would be better if we can secure your safety first, before anything." "Hmmm, you kids coulde along with Maria." Said Catarina. "She got a ce, a vige to the frozen south, where all kinds of people that she rescues gather. Former ves, oppressed tribes, and victims like you, and undead, lots of those." "Undead?!" Fabian asked. "Yeah, there are Undead." Iughed. "I''m actually a ghost! Wooooh!" I became slightly translucent. Not only Fabian but everyone else in the room panicked. "S-She''s really a ghost, Fabian?!" "W-What the hell?!" "A ghost like that girl, Spectra?" "First time I see someone do that though! I don''t remember anybody like her¡­" "Amazing, s-so you''re a ghost, okay." Fabian sighed. "You¡­ Do you really intend to do what you''re talking about though? Our city¡­ this ce, since that damn Sanctus became the Lord that it has gone to the shitter thesest years. Those red eyed bastards indiscriminately kidnap kids now, and use us as experiments for the monstrosities they make¡­ We don''t have anywhere to escape, nor we are strong enough to fight back against them¡­ Those red eyed bastards, I''ve seen them kill one of us with a wave of their hands, cut to pieces in a second. No matter how much we level up, we can''t face them." "The Vampires in this ce seem especially rotten." Lucifer sighed. "I guess there''s little point in feeling pity for them then, even less have mercy." He showed his draconic ws. "Yeah." I nodded. "We''ll do everything we said we''ll do, right, Catarina? You''re up for it too?" "Sure." Catarina nodded. "I''ve been nning to do something, but my strength was neve enough, at most I coulde here, save some lives, fuck some bastards, and get out before the big shots caught me¡­ It has been such life for a while, I''ve been trying my best to level up and get stronger on my own, but it is a hard and slow process, especially in this vast desert." "You''ve been doing more than enough." Emeraldine smiled. "My view of you has changed a lot, Catarina, you''re truly a heroic woman." "Even I, who wasbeled as a hero, would admit defeat before your heroism." Jonathan said, bowing his head.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I-I well- Just who is this dumbass anyways?" Asked Catarina, looking at the handsome blonde man that seemed so out of ce in a team of monsters¡­ Well, except Emeraldine, but even she had wings. "Hey, don''t call my Jonathan a dumbass, he might be a bit silly, but he has such a nice heart." I said, giving him a head pat. "Hahaha! It''s fine, I am quite a stupid person for all the mistakes I''vemitted through my life." Jonathan sighed. "Such words are only the truth at the end." "I guess I''ll exin¡­" I sighed. ----- Chapter 819 The Hero Of Sunlight’s Popularity

Chapter 819 The Hero Of Sunlight''s Poprity

----- "W-Wait, I know you!" Fabian said. "Guys, isn''t he that¡­ the Hero of Sunlight?! They said he was blonde, with golden eyes, white and gold armor, and that huge sword!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "The Hero of Sunlight!" "No way!" "So you are really a hero!" "Maybe we''ll really be saved?" I can''t believe they started believing us more for Jonathan from all people! Well, I guess he does indeed has a strong Charisma with his words and presence. Can''t believe I scored myself such a hot and handsome stud myself. Anyways, after exining Catarina about Jonathan''s case and then about Tear, things finally became much clearer for her. "I see¡­ So the Frost Queen was finally defeated, huh? And to top it all, you got yourselves a cute hero that was actually our boyfriend when you were alive!" Catarina said with a giggle. "Well, Lucifer, how does it feels for your girl to have another man?" "Eh?! He hasn''t been epted yet!" Lucifer said angrily. "And¡­ Well, she can do whatever she wants. I''ll always remain loyal to her, but she doesn''t necessarily has to." "Please don''t make this more confusing for him." I sighed. "I am still trying to organize everything that has happened, even after a long while since I remembered my memories and everything else. I stillck a good chunk of them, which I might regain when I find my brother, who should be in this desert, somewhere. And as of Jonathan, he betrayed the church and helped us kill the other heroes that had grown corrupted with power and the powers of the Evil God''s Fragments too. Looks like both the church and the vampires have this power as their ace." "As of now, they probably still think I died." Sighed Jonathan. "However, I do remember there were many new candidates and trainees that had received blessings from the gods¡­ There might be more heroes in the making, even if no Summoner has appeared in a long while, the bloodline of the heroes of ancient times remain within the humans of this continent. Just like I inherited the powers of one of my ancestors, many others could. I''ll help in anything I can, after all, I''ve realized the misgivings and corruption of the church long ago, and like an idiot, I yed along, it is my time to repent and help the one I truly love. Even if she does not love me back anymore, I will be happy as long as I can help her." "Oh my, what a devoted man." Catarina teased me. "You better not waste him, alright? Or I might end up stealing him instead¡­" "M-My heart is only for¡­ M-Maria¡­" Jonathan suddenly blushed a bit. "Sorry¡­" "Hahaha! I was just joking! Geez! For being a man over on his early thirties you sure look like a young, embarrassed boy!" Catarinaughed her ass off. "Alright, enough teasing for now." I sighed, crossing my arms. "For now¡­" "How about you n what to do deeper in the dungeon? We''ve got a small corner that is our vige. There used to be more kids, but we''re around forty now¡­" Fabian suggested. "You''re too many! Why didn''t you tell me before?" I sighed. "Alright, let''s go! We can n things out better over there." I nodded. Like that, Fabian led us deeper into the dungeon. We learned this dungeon spawned a variety of monsters. There were among the weaker F to E Rank monsters, we found Mud Slimes, Big Rats, and Poison Boas, which the kids sometimes hunted. However, the Rats and Poison Boas had poisonous meat, so they couldn''t eat them unless they had someone with purification, but sadly thest kid with it was taken away, the girl they called "Spectra", she was a sweet girl with phantasmal abilities and healing magic. Lastly, the D Rank Monsters were actually Undead! They were Mummies! Actual mummies, dried up zombies! Mostly wore bronze armor and held dusty weapons, they were probably the remains of this ancient civilization. Fabian said they mostly hide from the mummies, or trick them, they were quite slow and stupid. I tried controlling them, but they couldn''t be controlled with my powers, as I constantly got a weird message. [You cannot control the Dead that is already below the control of another Master of Undead.] [You cannot control the Dead that is already below the control of another Master of Undead.] [You cannot control the Dead that is already below the control of another Master of Undead.] At the end we had to kill them as we moved through, and once dead, the souls were instantly sucked somewhere else, so I couldn''t even make them into new soldiers! I guess the drops were slightly valuable for normal people like the kids, so they happily looted them. Fabian mentioned an old tale saying that in the depths of this pyramid-shaped ruins, there''s a powerful "Ancient King" sealed, controlling the mummies, and constantly making them spawn. "So you were also victims of those vampires, but farther in this continent? So nowhere is truly safe from those monsters¡­" Fabian sighed as he heard Takeshi and Laura''s tales. "It was thanks to mama that we were able to break free and have our revenge." Said Takeshi. "Since then, we''ve been traveling with her and having adventures! Our powers have developed quite a lot¡­" "Well, we''re a bit different than you, we were created from the beginning as Homunculus, and our souls naturally surged as our beings became "alive", or something." Laura sighed. "So you were created, not kidnaped¡­" Fabian sighed. "It must have been hard." "Yeah, we were made with the pieces¡­ of others." Sighed Takeshi. "Maybe that''s something they''re trying to do with all the corpses? Ugh¡­" "If they''re trying to make Homunculus, we have to stop them. All the failed experiments became monsters, trapping the souls of innocents inside on perpetual agony." Said Laura. "My friends¡­" Fabian clenched his fists, perhaps recalling his oldrades. "Well, we''re here." He said, opening a mantle blocking the way to a long corridor with small rooms, where many kids showed up, ncing at us as they did their things. "Huh? Fabian brought a bunch of people?!" "Are we under attack?!" "Silva''s back!" "What''s going on?" And they were all kids like Fabian and Silva¡­ Just how many victims have those Vampires created? ----- Chapter 820 Feeding The Starving Kids Chapter 820 Feeding The Starving Kids ----- "For now, how about we distribute some food? All of you look like you''re starving, honestly." I sighed. "Emeraldine, can you make some-" "Already doing it!" Emeraldine said, spreading vines of Yggdrasil nts around the floor, as the kids all saw in shock as countless fruits popped out of the vines. Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, and small berries popped out of the vines magically. Naturally, the power to summon roots and branches of a legendary tree such as Yggdrasil also allowed her to just as easily summon food, in the shape of fruits and vegetables. Her Divinity of Life and Nature wasn''t going to not allow her to do that! It was surprising how all the kids stood still for a few seconds before instantly grow insane, taking away the fruits and beginning to eat them frantically. "No need to fight, there''s many more where that came from." Emeraldine smiled, happily giving them all more and more fruits, so many that fighting for them waspletely pointless. "So much fruit!" "Ahh, they''re so sweet!" "W-Who is she?!" "Are we dreaming? Is this a dream?!" "I''ve never filled my belly so much!" "Wow!" Silva said in surprise, taking out an apple and munching it. "S-So juicy!" "Auntie Emeraldine is awesome!" Nyx said with a giggle, eating an orange, without even peeling it. "Just enjoy yourselves, kids." I sighed. "Fabian, is there anybody older than you?" "There were¡­ Spectra was around 17, but she stayed behind while we ran awayst time¡­ Been over a month since then." Fabian sighed. "There was Silvan, Gretta, and Hans, they were all around her ago too¡­ All gone." "So you''re really thest "older kid" here¡­" I sighed, as he led us to arge room that was where he rested. There was barely anything here other than a few pieces of furniture, nasty clothing sparingly thrown around, and a made-up bed out of a sand-filled pillow. "Yeah, I''ve been trying my best to protect everyone. I am the highest level here at Level 40¡­ But that barely amounts to anything against those monsters." Fabian sighed. "I can at most kill some guards, but their magic weapons can get me really badly if I am attacked by many at the same time. My only skills are¡­ using this miasma thing to poison people, and sometimes, shape it like this, a spear. That''s it¡­" He showcased us his strength. "Well, we won''t be employing your strength anyways." I said. "You should stay here for now, seems like the dungeon should be¡­ decently safe, at the very least. If you''ve been living here for so long." "Do they know about this ce too?" Lucifer wondered. "No, the dungeon is really big, spreading all below the city. There are many corridors and floors, rooms, and more. There''s Wall Mimics that sometimes block passages, there''s a huge one that is unknowingly protecting us from being detected from the rest of the passages that interconnect the whole dungeon." "Wall Mimics, huh." Partner said. "I wonder if they''re tasty? Do they have any meat?" "Huh? I-I don''t know¡­" Fabian muttered in confusion. "They''re too strong for us to take down." "Is that the only thing you can think about?!" Lucifer reprimanded her. "Anyways, Fabian. Does theb connect to this dungeon?" "¡­Yes." Fabian nodded. "Here, this is the map we''ve got¡­ In here, this is a passage that leads to theb¡­ It is really far away, to the fourth floor from here. It usually takes three hours of walk. And it is filled with dangerous Monsters, thousands of Mummies are wandering around there. Not a ce we can step on once we run away." He showed us a map and indicated everything. "I can teleport all of you to my vige through Shadow Teleportation, though I first need to set up a small magic circle back home. Though, are you willing to leave this ce? It could bring you all to instant safety." I said. "I-I don''t know¡­" Fabian sighed. "I want to stay and fight, even if I am weak. If you''re storming theb, I''ming! A-And you can''t stop me! I need¡­ to find Spectra, and everyone else¡­ I''m worried! Maybe send everyone else, not everyone here can fight either¡­ But I have to stay¡­" I could tell by his way of talking that he was mustering the courage to say those bold words. It was quite admirable. "Huh¡­" I sighed. "Well, what can I do about that? It''s your life and it''s your choice. I''ll protect you with my magic, and we''ll find your girlfriend. Might as well help you level up too,ter." I giggled. "A-Are you sure about this?! He''s a kid!" Lucifer said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "And Nyx isn''t a kid?" I raised an eyebrow. "W-Well, she''s a dragon kid." Lucifer crossed his arms, looking away. "Well, if he''s really bold enough to do that, then who we are to stop him." Partnerughed slightly teasingly, giving the kid a head pat. "Now! Let''s do-" RUMBLE! Suddenly, the dungeon started to tremble. My senses became alert as I sensed several masses ofrge quantities of Mana approaching at high speed, traveling across the dungeon''s passages as if they knew exactly where we were this whole time. Could it be our own presences?! We do have a shit ton of Mana after all! CRAAAASH! The sound of the Wall Mimic being destroyed and shattered into pieces echoed in the far end of the corridor, as Emeraldine came running here. "Someone''sing!" She said. "[Shadow Domain]!" I expanded my shadows, swiftly attempting to save all the children as I flew outside, seconds before seeing a group of Vampires emerge, their ws nearing the closest child that was too shocked to move. "We''ve finally found you,b rats!" Roared one of the Vampires, his ws about to grab the small child, no older than Silva, and about to rip him into pieces. TRUUUM¡­! However, a huge wall made of roots grew faster than I could reach the child, protecting him from the vampire''s vicious ws as he hit the wall head-first. CRAAASH! ----- Chapter 821 Lady Prospera Chapter 821 Lady Prospera ? -----n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om It was a piece of cake to find them after having purposely let that girl, Silva, run away with a small detection device imnted in her neck. Without realizing it, she had led them to the hideout of the children with ease. "Boss said we should clean up now, there''s no need to keep these kids." Said a brown skinned vampires wearing ckyered clothes. "We''ll use their corpses for materials toplete our Creation, if everything goes well, we''ll be able to relieve some of his concerns with that new tool." "Understood, Lady Prospera." The other dozen Vampires covered in ck robes and wearing masks nodded, all flying in midair across the dungeon''s corridors while following her, as she used a device imnted in her left eye to easily detect where the child was now. "It should be around here¡­" The woman roared, smashing the Wall Mimic in front of her into pieces, the beast unable to even defend nor escape as blood and flesh sttered everywhere. BAAAAAM! The sight of several kids eating fruits and talking was quickly interrupted by their arrival, their eyes opening in fear as many stood up and started running away. "We''ve finally found you,b rats!" Roared one of the Vampires, flying first inside to tear to shreds the innocent children. Lacking any self-restraint, these new generation Vampires were hungry for blood and merciless monsters that let their instincts guide them instead of their rational thoughts. His ws grewrger and sharper, about to grab the small child, no older than Silva, and about to rip him into pieces, which he would greatly enjoy as he drank the blood his prey would helplessly stter around. TRUUUM¡­! However, a huge wall made of roots grew faster than a phantasmal presence farther away could reach him, protecting the child from the vampire''s vicious ws as he hit the wall head-first. CRAAASH! "Graaargh?! W-What the-" Before the Vampire could formte any other rational thoughts, his shadows shapeshifted and moved on their own, generating several spears that pierced his entire body, filling his insides with miasma and poisonous toxins, and then, setting him aze on phantasmal mes. "Gryyyaaaaaeeergghh¡­!" His entire body grew bloated, glowed with bright blue light as countless cracks spread across his burning, charred skin, in just a split of a second, he exploded into pieces. BOOOOM! The other Vampires quickly stopped their charge as their leader nced at the scene in utter disbelief, shadows spreading across the corridor, absorbing all the children away, as if a vicious monster wanted to devour them first before they could get their ws on them. "Who''s there?!" Prospera roared, grabbing her two golden daggers as her vampiric aura surged from within her body, exuding the might of an experienced A+ Rank fighter that could even rival S Ranks with all the magical artifacts she held. FLUOOOSH! However, instead of a voice, ck abyssal mes spread out, quickly surprising her and her subordinates, who floated as high as possible from the floor to not make contact with the damned mes. And then, dozens of arrows imbued with light caught her subordinates, without them even being able to fight, half of them had their bodies pierced by the rays of light, Prospera was barely able to evade some of them as she saw hopelessly how over half her men died, turned into ashes. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "W-What¡­?! What monster-" BAAAAMM¡­! And before she could think again, a burly woman epassed on an armor made of bones, shadows, darkness, death, and even moonlight hit her back, punching her with her Blood Battle Aura countless times! It was nobody else than Catarina. BANG! BANG! BANG! BAAANG! "Urgh?! Y-You?! Catarina, the Bandit Queen?!" Prospera groaned, her entire body surging with her powerful Golden Aura of Sands, as Catarina smiled. "You recognize me, huh? Not bad!" Catarinaughed, as her fists were about to crush the Vampire''s body, only for her to end up hitting just sand! "What?!" FLUOOSH! Prospera turned into a huge mass of sand, wrapping around Catarina, and beginning to break apart her skin and draining away her life force and liquids, trying to dry her out! "You''re really mistaken if you think you can fight me head-on, you weakling!" Prospera roared, spinning her sand body rapidly as she tried to shred Catarina into pieces. "A Vampire that can turn into sand? That''s new." The voice of a female echoed behind her as another Vampire appeared behind Prospera, her hands holding two spears overflowing with a mighty power she couldn''t afford to tank! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! Several blows reached her sand body. The grains of sand that were hit instantly shattered and were destroyed into pieces, Prospera desperately let go of Catarina as she hit the ceiling, ncing at the woman that had showed up! "A-A Vampire Queen?!" She asked in shock. "Why is a being as powerful as you¡­ Cooperating with theseb rats?!" "Huh? Do I even know you?" Laughed Partner, kicking her with her powerfully strong heels, partially made of hard Demonite. Several shockwaves were unleashed, shadows and blood aura exploding and making quick work of Prospera! CLASH! CLASH! CLAASH! "Uurggh¡­! A-A traitor?! Catarina is also a vampire¡­ zombie?!" Prospera thought. "Just what is happening here?!" She nced back to her subordinates, only to see them all being killed by three children. Little Nyx used her phantasmal magic and shadows topletely destroy the men into pieces, her sharp ws shredding them into halves. Meanwhile, Takeshi and Laura used their water and explosions to drown and detonate everyone else, the army of B+++ Rank Vampires were killed in mere seconds. By just children! And the worst part was that they all looked like the b rats" she hade to look for. "Lab rats that had grown this powerful?!" Prospera thought, only to feel even stronger presences surge from all around her, her body beginning to freeze while she fought the Vampire Queen. Her Sand Magic and Earth Magic worked in tandem to somehow protect her from all the lethal blows, while she used her Daggers of Eternal Sands to summon more sands and fuel her magic and transformation. But that onlysted so long before her legs were suddenly frozen solid. ----- Chapter 822 Abyssal Evil God Embryo of Miasmic Black Sands Chapter 822 Abyssal Evil God Embryo of Miasmic ck Sands ----- "Ugh?!" Prospera noticed her legs freezing as she was unable to turn into sand down below. Her eyes nced into the figure of a young Ice Giantess holding a ne with a bright clear blue jewel, shining brightly. "An Ice Giant?! In the desert?!" "Veredorr, you''re pissed too?" Tear sighed. "Yeah, let''s freeze her to death!" The Ice Giantess rushed towards Prospera, the Vampiress stepped back, only for her legs to break apart by the spearsing from behind, wielded by Partner. "Where are you looking at?!" Laughed Partner. "RAAAAH!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAASH! A barrage of piercing spear attacks reached Prospera''s body, which was quickly covered in dozens of holes that regenerated through the sand, she left behind her legs and tried to escape, flying into the ceiling, and sliding away! "I need to escape! I cannot win at all!" She thought, however, a wave of freezing air reached her entire sand-made body. "[Divine Frost Queen Magic]: [Niflheim''s Frozen Coffin]!" FLUOOOOOOSH! An overwhelming divine freezing wave reached her entire body, every little grain of sand and even her soul were frozen solid instantly! "T-This is¡­ This freezing power¡­!" Prospera screamed, feeling her soul beginning to freeze as well. "She''s¡­ no way! The Frost Queen became their ally?!" However, before she could even understand what was happening anymore, her consciousness faded into darkness, her body and soulpletely frozen. "She''s dead already? Lame." Partner sighed. "Are the children secured?" Asked Tear worriedly. "All good!" Maria appeared from within the shadows. "The Vampires are deader than dead too!" Nyx said, pointing at the charred remains of the Vampires that had tried to kill little children. "They were surprisingly weak." Takeshi sighed. "Or maybe we''ve grown strong ourselves." "To think we used to be tormented by trash like them¡­" Laura sighed. "Wait¡­. I can feel something, a darkness simr to the Evil God''s Fragments." Said Emeraldine, stepping in, and then ncing into the ceiling. "She''s not dead!" Crack, crack¡­ CRACK! Everyone then noticed a gigantic darkness swelling within the frozen body of the Vampiress, continuously shattering the ice until she finally freed herself!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om CRAAAASH! "You¡­ bastards! You forced me to use THAT!" Her chest started glowing with a bright red and ck crystal imbued within, her entire body fusing with its miasmic powers as she turned into a mass of endless ck sand that started filling the entire dungeon''s corridors! SPLAAAAAASSSH! "Shit! She''s going to fill the entire dungeon!" Maria cried. "Is she activating an Evil God Fragment?! No¡­ It must be a power like that vampire woman we killed back in the duchy of Albraun!" "That ck sand is dangerous!" Lucifer said. "It is draining my Mana by merely touching my tail!" "We have to make some space before it engulf uspletely!" Emeraldine cried, generating a barrier made of spiritual energy behind her as the mass of ck sands stopped. BAAAM¡­! Only for a few seconds before the sand absorbed all the energy and shattered the barrier conjured by an S Rank! "Alright, that''s confirmed, she has an Energy Absorption power!" Maria sighed, expanding her shadows, and grabbing all her friends, as they pierced through the walls in front of them, shattering the dimensional walls of the dungeon with Maria''s Divinity and her ck Lightning, in a simr manner that Thor shattered the ceiling of the Miasmic Dungeon before. CRAAAAASSH! "A wide area!" Maria said, quickly flying into the high ceiling, as she saw the entire ck sand emerge below them, several jewel-like eyes emerged within the sand, finally taking the form of a monstrous, slightly female-shaped entity made of ck sand and red jewels. "Is that really Prospera?!" Partner was shocked. "Fuck!" "Her body and abilities¡­ This seems like a boost much stronger than the Demonite Heart Core that the Horseman of Famine used!" Emeraldine said, recalling the events of the Albraun Duchy''s disaster. "She''s much stronger than before¡­ S+ Rank, perhaps?" Lucifer thought. "Can I freeze her again?!" Tear wondered. "I don''t know if you can actually freeze that thing as easily anymore!" Catarina cried. "So this is the power that the Vampires have been researching¡­ To emte the might of Evil God Fragments without using them?!" Jonathan was shaken. "It''s the same thing that happened to Julio and Anastasia!" "GRUUUUAAAAGGHHH¡­!" Prospera roared like a wild beat, incapable of rational thought anymore. She was fueled by rage and the monstrous miasma rushing through her veins. [The [Vampire of Golden Sands: Prospera (A+++ Rank)] has activated her [Abyssal Demonite Heart Core]! Its effects have beenbined with the [Divine Golden Daggers of Eternal Sands]!] [Prospera] has transformed into the [Abyssal Evil God Embryo of Miasmic ck Sands (S++ Rank)]!] [All her Stats have increased by a further +300%, her Natural Health Regeneration Speed has increased by +500%!] [Through the power of her [ck Sands of the Abyss], anything that touches her Sands will have their Energies slowly absorbed.] "Holy shit." Maria smiled. "You''ve gotten quite the glow up, you fucking bitch. Don''t worry, I also got my own Transformation just in case I need to beat some giant demon thing ass." FLAAAASH! Maria swiftly transformed, fusing all her transformation Skills at once. Her body was made up of dark purple and pink colored moonlight energy which shone with countless bright stars. Her long, purple, and ck hair reached her ankles, and it was made of ferocious snakes, poison, and death. Covering her beautiful moonlight body, a ck and demonic armor with the decorations of many bug-like monstrosities emerged, made of demonic power, chaos, and darkness. [You havebined the effects of the [Gorgon''s Transformation], [Abyssal Demon Transformation], [Divine Moonlight Titan Body], [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul], and all Body-type Skills to transform into your [Ultimate Form]!] [All of your Stats have temporarily increased by +1000%, your Death, Darkness, Chaos, Poison, and Moonlight Elemental Damage has increased by +10000%, and Skill Damage has increased by +500%!] [However, your Mana is constantly being drained, and so is your Moonlight Essence!] "[ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts]: [Abyssal Ascension]! [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts]: [Demonic sh]!" Without further ado, Maria jumped into action before anybody else, summoning her de and her huge Axe, and swinging both weapons at once against Prospera''s monstrous body! "RAAAAAARGH!" Prospera greeted her blows with her entire body transforming into countless fists! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAAASSSH! ----- Chapter 823 Monsters Against Monsters Chapter 823 Monsters Against Monsters ----- [You havebined the effects of the [Gorgon''s Transformation], [Abyssal Demon Transformation], [Divine Moonlight Titan Body], [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul], and all Body-type Skills to transform into your [Ultimate Form]!] [All of your Stats have temporarily increased by +1000%, your Death, Darkness, Chaos, Poison, and Moonlight Elemental Damage has increased by +10000%, and Skill Damage has increased by +500%!] [However, your Mana is constantly being drained, and so is your Moonlight Essence!] Maria unleashed her [Ultimate Form], attaining the power of a Demigoddess- no, a Divine Titaness herself! And perhaps, even beyond that. Prospera suddenly felt her presence and was shaken. Her gigantic sand-made body stepped back, intimidated by Maria despite having gone berserk herself. This gave Maria the perfect opening to start the battle! "[ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts]: [Abyssal Ascension]! [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts]: [Demonic sh]!" Without further ado, Maria jumped into action before anybody else, summoning her de and her huge Axe, and swinging both weapons at once against Prospera''s monstrous body! An ascending abyssal sh and a demonic sh, both attacks that could easily slice up a whole mountain reached her body! "RAAAAAARGH!" Prospera roared monstrously, greeting Maria''s two powerful attacks with her entire body transforming into countless ck sand-made fists, overflowing with Chaotic and Miasmic Energies. CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAAASSSH! The fists impacted Maria''s weapons, attempting to suck her energy, they worked, but only partially. Maria smiled as her eyes glowed bright red, the snakes making up her hair shooting several beams. "[Pandora''s Box Beams]!" Condensing the mighty and overwhelming explosive power of the Pandora''s Box Skill, Maria unleashed dozens of beams made up of it through her snake-like hair! The result? Prospera''s red jewels started shattering one after another, and even her ck sand began to evaporate and turn into nothingness. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! "UNGH?! AARGGHH¡­!" Prospera quickly realized that Maria was a tremendously strong opponent. Her body swiftly gathering all the powers of her Demonite Heart Core and her Divine Artifact, the daggers, all at once. "GRUUUAARRGH!" With a monstrous roar, a huge jaw opened in the middle of her chest, unleashing a tremendous beam of pure chaos and demonic energy against Maria at once! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! "Not bad!" Maria smiled, intercepting the powerful and explosive blow with both of her weapons at once, and then redirecting it back at Prospera. "But that ain''t going to cut it! [Abyssal Parry]!" CRAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!!!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The enormous beam hit Prospera instead, her entire body made of ck sand exploded once more, losing its shape and its energy, even as it was constantly absorbing Maria''s Mana¡­ it felt as if she had a near endless pool of it! "Urghhh¡­! Y-YOUUU¡­!" Prospera groaned, her body once more shapeshifting. This time, she took the shape of a huge three-headed dragon, each head unleashing several beams everywhere, Maria was forced to step back as the beams absorbed even more energy of whatever they touched. "RAAAAAHHH! DIE! DIE! DIEEEE!!" BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOMMM!!! The entire dungeon continued to tremble, but it was able to hold and not break apart. Nheless, hundreds of monsters started to panic, running away, and some even found their way out into the city. "Gruuaaaghhh!" "Raaaaargh!" "Ooooohhh!" Mummies were the most of them, marching slowly, but exuding powerful deadly auras. The people immediately noticed monsters having infiltrated their walled city, their screams echoing around. "M-Mummies?!" "Why are they here?!" "I thought the dungeon was sealed!" "R-Run!" "Gryyaaaah!" As the people screamed and ran away at the same time as Maria evaded Prospera''s beams, she quickly decided to divide and conquer. "Catarina, Nyx, Takeshi, Laura! Go kill the monsters outside!" Said Maria, quickly sending a big mass of shadows with them outside of the dungeon. "Roger!" Catarina smiled defiantly, carrying the kids with herself, Silva had sneaked in, stuck on her wide back. "Let''s do it, kids!" FLAAASH! As the whole group reached the city to deal with the monster waveing out of the dungeon due to the battle happening inside, Maria''s allies swiftly started to aid her. "You ursed monster! Don''t you know how many innocent lives you''ve taken?!" Jonathan screamed, his Divine Sword shining with the might of the sun. "[Heaven''s Fall]!!!" FLAAAAAAASSSSH!!! A bright beam of light was unleashed the moment he swung his Divine Sword vertically, the beam hit one of Prospera''s big heads, shattering a huge red colored crystal in between the head and the rest of the ck sand-made body. "GRAAAAHH¡­!" The dragon head stopped moving the moment it was hit, Maria realized Prospera lost arge quantity of Health this way! One of her annoying things was how fast she could regenerate, making it so even with her overwhelming superiority on raw stats, Prospera held the higher ground in terms of survivability. "Hit the heads, across the neck connecting the body!" Maria roared; her mighty orders made her allies quickly gain a powerful aura. One of the many perks of being a Divine being. [You have unleashed a [Divine Moonlight Titan''s Order]! All those that obey yourmand will receive a boost of +100% to all Stats and gain a [Small Aura of Moonlight]!] [Duration: 5 Minutes.] "Let''s fucking GO!" Partner roared, spinning downwards, evading a dragon''s breath while Emeraldine appeared right behind her. "Partner! Let''s do it together!" Emeraldine said, her wings helping her fly at extreme speeds. "Okay~!" Partner giggled, using her own bat-like blood-made wings. Both flyingdies descended at the same time, evading the dragon''s jaws and beams. Partner''s two spears pierced through the neck, while Emeraldine summoned a gigantic arrow made of light, both strikes pierced through the dragon made of ck sand at the same time, bursting its head off. BOOOOOOOMMM!!! A huge explosion of blood energy, darkness, and light, blew away the head out of the body, which quickly dissipated into ck smoke, revealing a shattered red jewel. "It''s working!" Maria thought. "She cannot maintain such a strange body without having dozens of crystalized miasmic cores across her body! Therger they are, the more damage we''ll deal to her!" "RAAAAARRRGGHHH!" The third head suddenly started growing muchrger, transforming into a gigantic ck snake this time! Opening its enormous jaws, it unleashed a deadly breathe of ck, poisonous gases capable of draining all energies! ----- Chapter 824 Prosperas Defeat Chapter 824 Prospera''s Defeat ----- "Tear! Restrain him!" Maria roared, summoning shadows around the gigantic snake as she tried to stop it from spreading energy-absorbing poison. "On it!" Tear roared who had been helping everyone using her ice. "Alright, onest time! [Divine Frost Queen Magic]: [Niflheim''s Frozen Coffin]!" Tear spent the rest of her remaining Mana as she gritted her teeth, Veredorr''s Soul Jewel shone brightly, as if she felt for a slight moment, his strength flowing into her body and magic. FLUOOOOOOSSSH¡­! A gigantic blizzard made of frost winds reached the entire body of Prospera, freezing most of it! For a couple of seconds, her entire movements stopped, although her head immediately freed itself, the rest of her body was slowly gaining cracks. "It''s¡­ done!" Tear groaned, gasping for air. "Thank you, Veredorr¡­" "Alright! Now, everyone, aim at the jewels!" Maria roared, rushing forward with Lucifer and Jonathan at her side. Partner and Emeraldine swiftly appeared at her side as well. Their weapons swiftly aimed at the red jewels, the hue snake incapable of fighting back, became a standing target for their deadly divine weapons and skills! "Take this! [Abyssal Death mes Phantom Spear]!" Luciferbined several of his skills at once, materializing a spear made out of his unique Abyssal Death mes, piercing through the Snake-shaped Prospera''s ck sand body, and shattering dozens of red jewels at once! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Onest time, isn''t it?!" Jonathan roared. "[Divine Starlight de Arts]: [Starfall sh]!" Each of Jonathan''s strikes resembled a falling star, piercing through Prospera''s tremendous body and shattering more and more of her Miasmic Crystallization, the origin of her strength and the pirs for her to maintain her form! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! "Okay! Emeraldine, let''s do it together!" Partner roared. "Sure!" Emeraldine nodded. Partner and Emeraldinebined their powers together, as Partner''s Blood and Darkness Energy spiraled, together with one of Emeraldine''s Light Spirit Arrows, fusing into a single, huge spear of light and blood! CRAAAAAASSSSH!!! "YOU DAMN¡­! AH!" Prospera screamed in frustration and desperation, only for her to see with her own eyes as Maria descended from the skies, both of her weapons fusing together into a single, huge ck spear. [The Power of your Divine Skills and Divinity has reacted with your Weapons, temporarily creating the Divine Relic: [Divinity Piercing Spear of Absolute Death: Laevateinn]!] [Duration: 5 Minutes.] "[Void Piercing Chaos]!" Maria gathered all her chaotic energy into her temporarily created spear, piercing through Prospera''s remaining huge red jewels across her body, the frozen snake was incapable of evading nor reposition her crystal cores, falling to her ultimate fate! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "NOOOOOOOO¡­!" With a loud and monstrous scream, Prospera''s entire body lost its pirs, distorting itself until it couldn''t remain stable anymore, and then, it exploded, even her soul shattering into pieces! BOOOOOOOOMMMM¡­! Prospera''s explosion made the entire dungeon tremble once more, which caused the city above to fall into even more chaos, as if being invaded by hundreds of mummies wasn''t enough! "W-We can''t do anything, those undead are too powerful!" "Run! Just run into the lord''s castle!" "Uwaagh!" The cowardly guards were incapable of fighting the D Rank Mummies, pathetically running away into the lord''s castle, and leaving the citizens to their own fate. "Gruuuaargh!" A huge and muscr-looking mummy raised a golden spear, attempting to pierce a little boy crying on the floor at the side of their unconscious mother. "Mooom!" CRAAASH! As the spear descended, instead of taking the life of the boy, it ended being caught in midair, as a metallic thread wrapped around it, a hook at the end of the thread swiftly reaching the mummy''s chest, shattering its magic crystal! "Gryyeeergh¡­!" The Undead gave ast scream before falling into the floor, losing its magic crystal meant a sure dead to Undead, who fueled themselves with Mana. "Huh?" The young kid nced as a boy with blue eyes and ck and red hair appeared, having demon-like horns and strange marks around his body, while holding a fishing rod! "Don''t worry! Everything''s alright!" Takeshi smiled. "It''s not alright!" The kid cried, pointing at dozens more of mummies approaching. "Nah, this much is easy!" Takeshi giggled, expanding a domain of water, and quickly drowning the mummies inside, as his fishing rod''s metallic thread swam across the floor and shattered the mummies magic crystals one after another. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH¡­! "W-Woah¡­ Amazing, big bro!" "Here, give this to your mother." Takeshi gave a potion to the kid. "This water here will protect you, stay here until everything is done with!" "O-Okay! Thank you!" The little kid saw Takeshi disappear from the scene across the water, while any other monster that got closer was instantly drowned in there. Meanwhile, in another area of the city, a girl jumped from ceiling to ceiling while unleashing calcted explosions over the monsters, her eyes glowing bright red. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Using small pebbles she had touched beforehand, sheunched them againstrge groups of enemies at once, generating huge explosions that were specifically calcted to not hit any civilian. "R-Run!" "Gruuuargh!" She quickly noticed a group of normal men running away from several mummies, until they ended reaching a dead end. "[Chaotic Explosion Demon''s ws]!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Laura ushed her powerful Aura of Explosions, mes, and Miasma, materializing a gigantic w made of ck and red mes, crushing the mummies in a single second! BOOOOOOMM¡­! "Huh?! W-What was that?!" "Something¡­ someone in the ceiling?!" "That''s¡­ a girl?" The men instantly felt surprised, seeing a mysterious girl veiled on darkness jumping around the houses. Anybody would had thought she was some sort of demonic creature, but she had just saved their lives. "Stay there for now." She told them from afar. "The monsters won''t get closer to the mes." As she moved away, she noticed a hugemotion elsewhere, as dozens of huge phantasmal dragon started hunting down everyst mummy left, a little dragon girlmanding them while taking down some of them on her own. "Make sure to save the civilians!" Nyx said, as several Phantasmal Dragons grabbed wounded or unconscious people to safety. ----- Chapter 825 Saving The City Chapter 825 Saving The City ----- "[Spear of Death]!" Little Nyx flew across the skies with her tiny wings, summoning several spears made out of death energy, which swiftly pierced dozens of mummies at once! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! The people around the Ruby Pce City nced at the scene in utter disbelief, as the girl not only conjured these deadly spells that would only belong to heroes of legends, but she even summoned ghostly dragons to help them out! Not only the monsters were a problem, as the tremors from the fight down below caused many houses to crumble down into pieces, burying people alive. The Phantom Dragons worked hard to lift the rubble and slowly rescue everybody, while giving them free, super expensive healing potions to heal themselves with ease. "GRAAAAH!" Suddenly, Nyx noticed five Giant Mummy Warriors, C Rank Monsters that were rushing into arge group of soldiers running away, several of them were already stomped by their huge bodies, each one over ten meters of height. "I-Is this our punishment for running away?!" "The gods are punishing us- Guuaarghh!" "Help! Someone¡­! Someone please!" A huge foot reached down, about to stomp three soldiers at once, one of them having stripped on the floor, screaming in utter horror. FLAAASH! "[Phantasmal Death ws]!" However, out of nowhere, an adorable little half-ghost and half-dragon girl appeared before them, their eyes incapable of believing what they saw as her tiny ws swung horizontally and vertically, unleashing gigantic w-shaped attacks made of phantasmal death energy! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! The Giant Mummy in front of her was instantly sliced into pieces, the attack swiftly reached the other mummies behind her, two fell into pieces right after, while the other two ran towards her while swinging their huge golden swords. "DIE, INTRUDER OF THE CATACOMBS!" The ursed undead roared dry words, as if they med every living being they saw as intruders of their catbs. However, Nyx did not falter before some C Rank monsters, smiling defiantly as her Draconic Phantom Aura boosted her strength through the roof! "HYAAAAH!" CRAAAASSH! She swiftly kicked one of the mummies head off, imitating her mommy''s kicking attacks, while the other was instantly torn to shreds by hundreds of phantasmal fists emerging out of her aura! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAAM! "Gruuaargh¡­!" "Gyyeehh¡­" The two mummies fell into the floor, the girl instantly descended into their chests, devouring their magic crystals. The soldiers nced in silence, bbergasted by the scene of a little girl showcasing the power of an almighty being. "Crunch, crunch¡­ Hm?" Nyx wondered, looking back at the soldiers. "BOO!" "Uwaaaahh!!!" The soldiers screamed in horror, running away from her adorable little scare, crying, and pissing themselves¡­ As if things couldn''t get any worse. "Hehehehe!" Nyx giggled after her mischievous little game, swiftly going back to the rest of the city to save more people and show her mama and papa that she was capable enough. Meanwhile, somewhere else, Catarina was surrounded by over a hundred mummies. Using her special Provoke Skill, she called the attention of as many Undead as she could and moved to the city''s outskirts, where there was almost nobody. "Yeah, I''ve got you where I want!" She smiled, raising her ws as an enormous burst of Blood Energy emerged from within, boosted even more by the little Silva sitting over her shoulders. "[Blood des]!" Catarina unleashed hundreds of blood des that spiraled around midair, cutting down the monsters one after another, ten, twenty, forty, sixty, a hundred! In just a few seconds, over a hundred of them fell over the ground, shredded to pieces as the muscr Vampiress smiled. "Easy." She smiled. "We did it! We''re a team!" Little Silva celebrated. "Now listen here you little brat, you shouldn''t had sneaked with me!" Catarina reprimanded the little girl. "B-But I wanna help!" Silva pouted. "Sigh¡­" Catarina sighed. "But it''s dangerous, and you''re just a little brat! What if you get hurt? I can''t always protect you¡­" "You can''t?" Silva sighed; her eyes looked like those of a puppy.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Even her cold vampire heart was moved by such voice, perhaps little Silva reminded Catarina of her younger self, when she was abused, and small, and then used as a tool by the Vampires. In fact, they had a lot of simrities, Catarina was also enved by the Vampires, even though they saved her life after she almost died on the mes of the manor where she worked as a ve, it was all to get Vampires that could survive beneath the sunlight and be resistant to fire. She was also a tool, an experiment¡­ "Well, what''s your level right now?" Sighed Catarina. "Twenty¡­ two!" Said Silva while jumping excitedly. "It says I hit cap at level 30!" "Already?! Geez, you might get yourself an evolution sooner than I imagined¡­" Catarina sighed, giving her a head pat. "Alright, let''s be a team for now¡­ ckie, bring us to where there''s people to save, and monsters for EXP. The brat has to level up enough to stay with us now!" "WOOF!" The Shadow Wolf Zombie emerged out of Catarina''s shadows, letting her ride him as the three rushed into the city. With everyone''sbined efforts, once Maria and her group ran to the surface to see what was happening, it was toote for them to help¡­ Because everything was already dealt with! No more monsters roamed, there were no casualties thanks to everyone''s quick thinking and how they gave out potions sparingly- well, aside from a few stomped soldiers, and thanks to the food they distributed, there was now a warm aura around the air. The people was talking between one another, no longer holed in their houses, enjoying a meal together,ughing, and somehow relieved to be alive, and to be blessed with good food after so much suffering. "Looks like everything alright!" Partner smiled. "What a relief¡­ But still, we should distribute more food as well- Ah! How about I make a lot of trees with fruits grow? As long as the trees absorb Mana from the dungeon nearby, they shouldn''t wither even without water." Emeraldine had a great idea. "Alright! Do that then!" Maria nodded, ncing into the castle at the distance. "I''ve got a little job to do in that Pce over there first¡­" ----- Chapter 826 Slay The Pig Chapter 826 y The Pig ----- "W-What''s going on?!" Sanctus screamed, having been interrupted from watching his ve girls dance around, as his fat face nced across the window. Not only huge tremors constantly shook the entire city, but a bunch of monsters came rushing outside of the underground "sealed" dungeon, which was an obvious lie to calm down his citizens and give them a sense of safety. After just a couple of minutes, the entire situation was dealt with byplete outsiders, people with incredible powers he had never seen before, water magic, fire magic, a flying dragon girl, and all sorts of other crazy things happened. And above all, he could no longer contact the Vampiress Prospera with the Telepathy Jewel given to him¡­ It was as if she had disappeared, or worse, died. "Those damn vampires! Is this their doing?!" Sanctus screamed, shattering several sses as he nced at the cowering girls in the corner. "What in the world is happening?! Can any of you bitches even tell me?! Huh?!" The crazed bastard pointed a broken end of a wine bottle at the girls, his veins popping up on his forehead, as he was filled with maddening rage. "I''ll cut your pretty faces to feel a bit better at the very least! Come here! And don''t you dare resist, I OWN YOU! You''re nothing but shitty little pieces of garbage I bought! Nowe and-" "You''re one nasty bastard." "Huh?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Suddenly, the man felt a terrifying phantasmal presence emerge right behind him. His fat body trembled in horror, ncing at the origin of that voice that made his whole being tremble. It was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen before on his entire life. Fair white skin, sharp red eyes, long silvery-white hair, ck horns growing from her forehead, looking fair and beautiful despite being monstrous in nature. Her silvery-white hair ended on sharp red and purple ends, her ck, phantasmal dress wrapped around her body and her ck heels adorning those beautiful pure white legs made her resemble a goddess of the night. "W-Wha¡­? Who are you?!" The man screamed, slowly walking towards her. "S-So beautiful¡­ A-Are you a new ve? Ohhh¡­! You''re so divine! You''vepletely healed my rage! Please,e to bed and-" "You''re a nasty pig that lets himself be dominated by his dick. Maybe you shouldn''t have it?" The woman smiled, giggling, as her fair hands suddenly grew ck ws, as she swung her hands against the man''s crotch, she didn''t even touch it, but a sh made of darkness cut down everything down there to shreds. SLAAASH! "G-Gryyaaaaaghh¡­!" The pig gave a loud shriek, hitting the floor as he was bleeding out. The thing that made him be a barbaric beast was nowpletely gone! Has the monster been healed of his curse? "H-Help! HEEELP MEEEE!" Sanctus screamed, dragging his fat body across the floor. The ve girls watching were terrified, yet at the same time seemed happy that the bastard was finally having his retribution. "Nobody ising to help you, Sanctus, was it?" The woman slowly walked towards him. "You''re nothing without your money and power over people, isn''t it? You cannot even find the strength to move your pathetic body." "W-Who are you?! D-Demon! DEMON!" Cried Sanctus, his eyes filled with horror. "I ate that girl¡­ What was her name? Prospera! I ate her soul shards. I learned about her memories, a lot in fact." She smiled. "Name''s Maria by way. So anyways, I learned a lot about who you were¡­ You killed your own father and stole his throne and colluded with the Vampires to facilitate whatever they wanted. In exchange they gave you all the money you wanted, right? And also you love having ve girls¡­ As young as possible, right? You''re not having a swift death." "G-Get away from me!!!" Sanctus screamed, trying to run away. "Y-You damn girls! Defend me! I am your master! THIS IS AN ORDER!!!" The fat bastard tried to force the girls to obey him using his ve contract''s authority, a powerful magic. "N-No, I don''t want to!" "Ugh¡­! Help!" "Lady¡­ Please run!" The girls'' bodies moved on their own, grabbing knives and rushing towards Maria. But she swiftly swung her hand, dark shes destroying the shackles making the ves in a split of a second. "My dears, you''re safe now that I am here. But¡­ I am sure you don''t want just that, right? Hold those knives, point them to who you truly hate the most." Maria smiled. "I-I''m free¡­?!" "Who¡­ we truly hate the most¡­" "Yeah¡­" The girls nced back at Sanctus, his face beginning to grow even more distorted in horror! The man cried, trying to climb the bed pathetically for whatever reason. "Go! I''ll give you the strength if you need." Maria said, enhancing the girl''s bodies with buffing spells. "You fat fucking bastard!" "I hate you so much, you disgusting monster!" "Die! Die! Die!!!" The girls started stabbing the man as furiously as they could, Sanctus screamed in agony. His punches or kicks did absolutely not a single digit of damage to them. The worst was that Maria had boosted his defenses too, so he would die very slowly. His stomach was slowly ripped apart, as his insides came out horrendous, his arms were cut down, his eyes taken out of his skull, his tongue was cut, all while he was vividly screaming and feeling everything. He couldn''t even fall unconscious, Maria made sure his mind stayed as clear as possible with her mind-bending magic, making him feel the pain even worse than before. "Gryyyyaaaaeeeerghh¡­!" The scream of their corrupt lord echoed across the Ruby Pce City, some guards noticed what was happening, but skeletons were pointing swords made of bones at them¡­ It wasn''t as if they had any option in this situation anymore. When the girls finally finished their revenge, they quickly ran away and were apanied by Catarina who came looking for any ve in the pce. The dead body of Sanctus was left above the floor, Maria looked at it and then just set it aze with phantasmal mes as she walked away with style. She walked outside the room, greeting the few other nobles and knights left behind¡­ "Everyone, the pig has been taken care of! Bravo!" She started pping. All the people present nced at her in disbelief¡­ ----- Chapter 827 Raiding The Vampires Chapter 827 Raiding The Vampires ----- "W-What are you going to do now?! Without a ruler¡­!" "You insane woman! You''ll ruin our City!" "The other rulers of the cities won''t ept this!" "The Confederation will chase you down to the ends of the world!" Some of the old nobles colluding with Sanctus groaned furiously, they were just as sinful as he was. Maria nced at them with bored out expressions. "Behead the old bastards, we don''t need old stupid men like them." Said Maria, waving her hand as she walked away. "Y-You witch- gryeeegh!" "S-Stop- graarghh¡­!" "N-No! I have a daughter and- gruarghh!" The skeletons swiftly beheaded all the old annoying men that were just too corrupt, old, and filled with greed for Maria to find any worth in them. And then, she moved downstairs as she saw Catarina and Elfina and Partner freeing the nobles that were imprisoned, including Sanctus'' younger brother, and over twenty other nobles. "W-What happened? My brother¡­ Is Sanctus dead?" A handsome blonde man with brown skin asked, he looked almost on the bones, barely feed in this dungeon. "Yeah, his ves killed him." Maria smiled. "Anyways, what was your name?" "Sanctus the Third¡­" Sighed the man. "Ugh, you''ve got the same name?!" Mariained. "Anyways, I assume you''re not as crazy and corrupt as your sibling, right?" "O-Of course not! That insane bastard sold our entire city to the Vampires after killing our good father! In fact, I''m really grateful you killed him! I would had done the same with my own hands if I had the strength!" Sanctus III cried. "But¡­ the Vampires, that issue hasn''t been dealt with yet, right?" "Halfway through, we killed their strongest girl. We''ll deal with the rest through the day." Maria smiled. "Now Sanctus III, I''ll free you alongside everyone else. I want you to do a little speech to your city, can you?" "Fine, but I need to learn more about you¡­ Who exactly are you guys?" The younger brother wondered.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I''ll fill you on the details on our way to the pce''s terrace, let''s go." Maria smiled, as Emeraldine gently gave the young man some fruits, which recovered him from his almost anemic appearance. At the end, they crafted a very clever speech, ming Sanctus II for the death of their father, and also for the various monsters that appeared, saying he had grown wicked and sold himself to the vampires. Corrupt guards and knights were imprisoned, the old nobles that were all as worse as Sanctus II were beheaded off-screen, and they also introduced Maria as "Marie" a powerful mercenary and adventurer alongside the rest of her group, which the people already recognized as saviors. Nobody reallyined, 99% of the poption were poor people suffering from all the injustices of Sanctus II and hated him to death. They were d he was executed and cheered up as Sanctus III immediately decided to announce this day as the "Feast of Liberation" day, where everyone was given delicious fruits from Emeraldine to celebrate their freedom from the tyranny of Sanctus II. While everyone was celebrating, Maria still had some important matters to do, as she received a message from Lucifer, who was still in the Dungeon with Tear, Fabian, and Jonathan. The rest of the kids were swiftly teleported through a Shadow Teleportation Magic Circle some time ago by Maria, brought to the safety of her home protected by many S Ranks. "T-That''s the ce¡­" Fabian said, pointing at the distance while being shrouded on Lucifer''s shadows. "I see. Yes, Maria, we''ve found it." Said Lucifer, speaking to her through telepathy. "The entrance to the Vampires Laboratory, it is as Fabian said, within the dungeon itself." "Huh, I see. Alright, I''ll get going." Maria nodded, leaving the rest of her Undead army in here to protect the citizens. They all understood it was Marie''s Undead as she was a Necromancer. They already had seen her undead save them from the mummies too. "Sanctus third, I''m going down to deal with the Vampires, you stay here and smile with that pretty face of yours." "Eh?! Already?! We haven''t even chatted a bit¡­" Sanctus III was shaken. "Just wait here, my undead will protect you if the worst happen." Maria smiled. "I left the strongest ones in your shadows. If anybody tries anything funny, they''ll get stomped." "T-That''s reassuring to hear but a bit terrifying¡­" Sanctus III sighed. "Alright, I''ll be awaiting your return, Marie." "Bye~" Maria disappeared with Partner and Emeraldine, using her easier to conjure short-distance Shadow Teleport, as the trio appeared right at the side of Lucifer, Tear, and Jonathan. "Mama! I wanna go too!" Suddenly, the voice of Nyx echoed within Maria''s mind. "We have to join if Fabian is going!" Takeshi said. "After all those kids are like us!" "Please!" Said Laura. "M-Me too! With Silva and ckie!" Catarina said. "Please! I wanna go save them!" Silva said. "Sigh¡­ Can''t you leave a single thing to us for once?" Maria sighed, quickly summoning everyone else at their side through Shadow Teleportation. As long as she left a piece of herself in their own shadows, she could bring them to her side through it, a neat little trick she had created. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "So that''s the entrance, huh? Oh¡­ They''re a bit too restless, no?" Catarina analyzed, looking down at theboratory entrance. The Vampires were moving around while carrying things and cing them inside crates, most likely spatial inventory items. They were probably nning to move out as soon as possible once they stored all their things. "They''re already evacuating, but none of them had escaped yet. I''ve got ghosts everywhere, they haven''t seen anybody escape nor had sensed any spatial anomaly to think they have teleported away yet¡­" Maria said, smiling. "We''ve got them in the palm of ours hands, let''s do this." Maria and her group swiftly moved down through the shadows, filled with conviction to end this city''s injustices and free the children in theboratories. However, Maria still couldn''t shake off the uneasiness she felt¡­ The powerful presence absorbing all the souls, just what could it be? ----- Chapter 828 Confronting The Vampires Chapter 828 Confronting The Vampires ----- Once Maria arrived at the scene with the rest of herrge group, which even included the younglings that she didn''t wanted to involve into this if necessary, they decided to infiltrate theboratory of the Vampires. By using her Shadows as a special world by itself, she quickly brought everyone with them, as she sneakily entered the Laboratory, grabbing every vampire she found into her shadows, and also stealing everything she saw, storing it inside of her inventory. "W-What''s going on- Argh!" "E-Eh?! We''ve been dragged?!" "Dammit!" "F-Fight!" The Vampires working inside theboratory deserved no mercy, especially because of all the things they''ve been doing here, experimenting with little and innocent children to achieve their goals was the most despicable thing Maria could imagine. Because they were quite weak at B Rank and didn''t gave much EXP, she let Catarina, Silva, Fabian, and Nyx to take care of them while in the shadow world. She allowed them to move and use abilities even while being trapped, to help them train their skills and magic against foes that could fight back. Nyx easily overwhelmed the B Rank Vampires with ease, her fists pierced their chests and her Phantasmal mes burned their souls painfully, her ws could easily cut down even A Rank monsters and even S Ranks would be damaged by her blows even when she was still B Rank herself. "Hehehe, it''s not that hard!" Nyx said pridefully, as she ordered a swarm of Phantom Dragons to devour the soul of a Vampire that had tried to bite her little face. "H-How can this happen?!" The Vampire screamed. "Just who are you?!" He desperately fought like everyone else but was taken down quite easily as Nyx''s summons ate him alive. This time, because they were inside of Maria''s Shadow Realm, their souls couldn''t be stolen from her, and she dedicated herself to munch on them and learn their memories. Of course, she saved a few to raise them into Vampire Zombies. "You guys are quite tough; this is the perfect time for training!" Catarina smiled defiantly, still having yet to reach S Rank, she had just recently evolved into an A Rank Vampire Zombie Warrior Queen. Leading Silva and Fabian to fight using their abilities against the Vampires, she weakened the Vampires using her powerful Blood Magic and Blood Demon Fist Techniques, using her powerful muscles to crush their bones and weaken their regeneration by sucking their vampire blood out of their bodies, which Maria was storing in bottles in the side to feed Partner, who after bing S Rank, had be even more bloodthirsty for "quality blood" and was growing tired of Frost Monsters blood. "You damn red eyed bastards! All of you that worked here, you made our lives so miserable! Even if I am a weakling, I''ll make sure to be the one that takes your lives!" Fabian was really pissed off, as he used his Stone Magic, his specialty, imbued with the power of the Chaos Element from the Miasma inside of his Demonite Heart Core. "[Demon Crystal Magic]: [Demonite Spears]!" Summoning huge spears of sharp ck Demonite, he pierced their bodies while the Vampires desperately attempted to attack him with their sharp ws and blood magic. "Graaaagh!" CRASH! "Y-You damn child¡­!" CRASH! "You''re nothing but¡­ a guinea pig!" CRAAASH! The unique Demonite Spears pierced their hearts before exploding into small crystal particles, that then dissipated into thin air, they seemed to not create contamination, interestingly enough. Fabian seemed to remember many of these faces as he helped Catarina, Nyx, and Silva on killing them. Recalling how theyughed at his misfortune, how they tortured the children, how they used to bite their arms and take blood out of nowhere from them¡­ They were all despicable beasts,pletely different from the "good vampires" like Catarina and Partner, who were so much different¡­ Fabian knew their differences and couldn''t simply call all Vampires as evil bloodthirsty monsters, some of them were helping him right now, as a matter of fact. However, that didn''t meant he couldn''t avenge all those fallen friends against the true culprits right here, because by giving a few Memory checks, it became clear to Maria that these Vampires were all really, really evil, almost cartoonishly evil. "Are you okay, Fabian?" Silva asked, touching his shoulder. "Hahh¡­ Hahhh¡­ Y-Yeah¡­" Sighed Fabian, gasping for air after having spent most of his energies. "It''s just¡­ I''m a bit tired, that''s all." "Here, I think this might help?" Silva wondered innocently, her powers suddenly condensing into a ck light epassing Fabian''s body. FLAAASH! "E-Eh? My Demonic Energy''s regenerated? And my exhaustions gone too¡­" Fabian was surprised. "She doesn''t got much in the offensive department, but this girl has a lot of supportive and healing spells that revolve around Miasmic and Chaos Elements, it is honestly quite fascinating that such powers can emerge even from such destructive attributes." Emeraldine was analyzing the battle from the side. "I need to get stronger too!" Silva said. "I-I want to apany everyone¡­ further from here as well¡­ I want to find mama; she came from a faraway ce!" "But didn''t you said she died?" Asked Catarina. "S-She did, I think¡­ But I still don''t know for sure! I want to learn¡­ If she''s alright, or not. I want to find out, so I can be at ease¡­" Silva sighed, holding a little ck knife Maria had crafted for her. "Then if you really want toe with us, you better fight and earn yourselves some levels! Here''s even more Vampires iing!" Maria said, as more Vampires dropped from the shadow realm''s skies. "Graaah?!" "What the fuck?!" "Where are we?! Hisss!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Humans?! No¡­ kids?!" "W-What in the world?!" There were over twenty more Vampires now, and they kepting, Maria seems to have stumbled across a few passages with tons of them. "Alright, dear, if you really want to stick with us and see the end of this¡­ You better wield that knife as well." Catarina smiled back at Silva. "Let''s do this. I''ll weaken then, you stab them!" "O-Okay!" Silva was filled with the conviction to find her mother. "Hah, I might as well help, I could end up sticking around too, never liked Ruby Pce anyways." Fabian smiled, summoning more Demonite Crystal Spears. "Looks like you guys have made up your mind." Maria seemed rather happy. ----- Chapter 829 Trash Chapter 829 Trash ----- As Maria advanced across theboratory, which resembled more an underground dungeon rather than thebs she remembered from back in Earth, withbyrinthian passages and many rooms from the dungeon itself, she had already sent over a hundred B Rank Vampires inside her shadows, swiftly and stealthily taking them down one after another. The Vampires had yet to find out what was actually transpiring, as things were happening incredibly fast. Any essory left to detect anomalies were covered on "dust" which was actually Maria''s own soot produced by her soul, which she delicately ced over the surveince eye-shaped camera magic items. However, eventually, some smarter ones would begin to realize something wrong was happening here¡­ "Just what''s going on? Where are the assistants?!" An old-looking Vampire whose left eye was a bionic eye made from technology simr to that of Dwarvesined at the three assistants inside hisboratory. "Just some minutes ago there were dozens of you bastards! Have you ran away while leaving our precious experiments here?! Do you know how precious these things are?!" "S-Sir Heisen , we don''t know what''s going on, several of our men have suddenly just¡­ disappeared." "Have they ran away?!" "Lady Prospera''s death might had divided our forces convictions¡­" "Wait, what?! Prospera was merely a tool, another little chimera I made! Who cares about her?! All of you are here serving ME!" The old vampire roared furiously. "Heisen ! The genius scientist and magician of the Vampire Family!" Although he held a lot of pride over his own position within the Family, he was ranked fifth between all the creative minds that the Vampire Family had given birth to. Of course, he would never admit that. "Y-Yes sir, we''re well aware of your genius creations and inventive mind!" "But this feels odd! And why aren''t the surveince relics picking up anything?" "Wait¡­" One of the three Vampire assistant looked into a purple-colored crystal ball, which showcased a projection of the surveince relics, and then realized they all looked very blurry for some reason. "Don''t they look too blurry? Has¡­ someone tampered on them? But howe the cameras had not detected that anomaly to begin with?!" Heisenangrily shouted, his three assistants sighed. "We did heard that the one that killed Prospera could had been that Ghost Woman¡­ M-Maybe she''s already here?! But it has been just a couple of hours since Prospera''s death! And with the Entity, souls shouldn''t be avable for her to pick up and ask questions to!" "U-Unless¡­ She found us nheless." "But that''s¡­!" "Impossible?" Suddenly, a voice that nobody in thatrgeboratory room recognized echoed behind the metallic door, their eyes slowlynded in that very gate, as it slowly started to distort. A huge hole emerged in the middle of the gate as if it was being pierced by something, not something physical, but some sort of powerful magical energy. Crack, crack¡­! CRAAASH! The metallic door was devoured by a miniature distortion on space itself, a tiny ck hole everyone saw in horror! And that ck hole quickly transformed into a gorgeous ghostlydy. "Well, now, that door was quite tough, did you use some expensive metals to make it?" She giggled. "Hello there. I''ve mostly cleaned through yourbs. I think you''re the veryst trash I need to clean in here¡­" Maria nced into the room, analyzing it in a split of a second. It was a huge, damp corridor that led through a hundred-meter-long road towards arge door at the end. There were over ten doors to the left and right walls as well, where she detected arge amount of living beings, most unconscious, and some barely alive. "S-She''s here!" "Shit, shit, shit!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "R-Run!" The three assistants didn''t even tried to fight Maria, instantly trying to run away from the ce with Heisen. However, their beloved scientist wouldn''t let them escape easily, they had to be the bait, of course. "Tch, to think you bastards would attempt to run away the second she appears! Serve me well for once!" He roared, swinging his ws as threads made of blood appeared from his fingers. The Blood Threads instantly pierced their necks and connected to their spines, nerves, and then took control over the entirety of their bodies! "Urgh! P-Please don''t!" "Sir Heisen!!!" "Gryyyarrgh!" "Shut up and be the bait, you pathetic trash! Your sacrifice will be greatly appreciated in the future of our research, kehehehe! [Chimeric Transformation]!!!" A miasmic power surged from the scientist and reached the three Vampires in a split of a second. Maria swiftly moved to stop him, but she waste by a few seconds, the transformation was almost instant! FLAAASH! All three Vampires unleashed powerful shockwaves of miasmic energy and blood energy, making Maria slightly step back as she nced the scene, three gigantic and monstrous figures emerged amidst the smoke. All three Vampires, which were not stronger than B Rank monsters, suddenly jumped in power to almost the same strength as Prospera! It cost their creator, Heisen, a lot of his energy and "resources" which he had stored inside of his own, aberrant, and modified body. Their appearances and shapes were different from one another, the first of them had be something resembling a gori, with three long, purple-scaled snake heads, a second pair of praying mantis scythe-like arms above their shoulders, and red eyes spread across their amorphous appearance. The second became a four-legged human-like wolf monster, with three heads, one of a cat in the middle of their torso with a huge red eye, and the third one of a ck scaled lizard at the tip of their ck tail, with bat-like wings. And the third, the most pitiful, became a mass of amorphous flesh, covered on Demonite spikes and countless limbs of various creatures, with eyes and fleshy tentacles spread throughout their thing of a body¡­ [The [Aberrant Vampire Scientists: Heisen Crimson Blood (A+ Rank)] has activated his Unique Demonite Heart Core Ability [Chimeric Transformation] on three unfortunate [Vampire Servants (B+ Rank)]!] [All three [Vampire Servants (B+ Rank)] have transformed into [Aberrant Vampiric Chimera Beasts (A+++ Rank)]!] [All their Stats have further increased by +100% due to all the Miasma inside their bodies!] "You''re even more trashier than I imagined¡­" ----- Chapter 830 The Ancient Threat Slowly Awakens Chapter 830 The Ancient Threat Slowly Awakens ----- [The [Aberrant Vampire Scientists: Heisen Crimson Blood (A+ Rank)] has activated his Unique Demonite Heart Core Ability [Chimeric Transformation] on three unfortunate [Vampire Servants (B+ Rank)]!] [All three [Vampire Servants (B+ Rank)] have transformed into [Aberrant Vampiric Chimera Beasts (A+++ Rank)]!] [All their Stats have further increased by +100% due to all the Miasma inside their bodies!] "Now serve me and distract them! I''ve spent most of the Miasmic Energy I umted, so do your work properly!" Roared Heisen, running into therge gate and utilizing a key to open it desperately. "GRAAARGH!" "ROOOARR!" "GAAAAHH¡­!"N?v(el)B\\jnn All three gigantic chimeric beasts rushed towards Maria, as she sighed. Her shadows quickly expanded around her as everyone she was carrying with her appeared in a single second. "Catarina and the kids stay here and take down these guys for EXP." Said Maria, nning everything. "Everyone elsee with me, we''re chasing that bastard! Phantom Clones, check on the people inside the cells and give them potions in the meantime." Maria''s body quickly divided into smaller clones of herself made out of Phantasmal Energy which flew into the many cells across the corridor, while Catarina and the kids remained behind to fight the three abominations. "E-Eh?! We''re left behind again?!" Takeshiined. "I don''t think this will be as easy as the others, Takeshi, focus!" Laura said, throwing a pebble in front of the wolf-like chimera and changing its charging trajectory in thest second. BOOOOM! "Graaarrggh¡­!" The beast fell into the floor, only to quickly get back up again, opening its huge wolf-like head to reveal countless tentacles with serrated fangs. "Shaaaah!" The three snake-headed gori-like abomination swung its huge pair of mantis scythes against Nyx, who swiftly blocked the blows with her dragon ws. CLASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! "No problem mama! I''ll keep them in check!" Nyx said. "Nyx!" Lucifer felt slightly worried but knew that this was a slightly necessary challenge for her growth. "Be careful!" After all, she had stayed for too long as a B Rank already, and had yet to reach A Rank, she needed a lot more EXP, and these chimeras happened to be almost S Rank, so she should be able to handle them with enough support. "Grooooohhh¡­!" The aberrant mass of flesh and distorted limbs swiftly moved towards Catarina and Silva, as the two were riding over ckie, swiftly evading the aberrant mass of flesh''s attacks, which came in the form of huge, muscr tentacles trying to squash them like bugs. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM¡­! "Auntie, let me help too!" Silva said, boosting Catarina''s strength and even ckie''s with her Miasmic Magic! FLAAASH! "Hah, alright, as long as I''ve got you around I guess something like this is possible too¡­" Catarina smiled, suddenly materializing several des made of blood. "[Blood de Rain]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH¡­! Meanwhile, as those battles began, Maria and the rest of her friends rushed in an instant towards where Heisen had gone, the room behind the gigantic, sealed gates. "Hahhh¡­ Hahhh¡­ Dammit! They''re already here?!" Heisen cried, gasping for air as he noticed everyone entering the room, kicking the doors he had closed effortlessly! CLAAANK! "Heisen! You''re not running away from what you''vemitted, you''ll pay for all the innocent lives you''ve ruined." Maria emerged alongside the rest of her squad. Jonathan, Tear, Partner, Lucifer, and Emeraldine! They were a group of six S Ranks against a pitiful A+ Rank¡­ It feltpletely hopeless from the very beginning for the scientist vampire. "You bastard! Where is Spectra?! Where are the rest of my friends?!" Fabian stepped out of Maria''s shadows, confronting the wicked scientist. "Hah¡­ Hahahaha¡­!" Heisen began tough. "Oh, I recognize you, brat¡­ You''re one of the kids that ran away¡­ One of my precious guinea pigs. Do you want to know what has happened to your precious Spectra?! To your friends that we captured? Why don''t you see them? They''re right here!" FLAAASH! Heisen unleashed a bright amount of light as a spell, illuminating the entire dark room, and revealing in the middle of it arge, ss tube filled with green liquid, where a strange, aberrant undead-like giant was resting. It resembled the mummies from the Dungeon but possessing barely any skin over their bones. Wearing golden essories and imbuedpletely with ck runes and Demonite in almost every inch of its body, even its chest, which possessed arge concentration of it, of various colors. The monster was over ten meters tall, and exuded a strange presence that seemed to be sucking every soul it could find, feeding off them and growing stronger, its aura constantly swirling like a ck hole¡­ "W-What is that thing?!" Fabian cried. "A giant mummy?" Partner wondered. "Ah, is this the thing absorbing the souls?!" "Yeah." Maria nodded. "Most likely." "But he said¡­ that these were the kids?!" Emeraldine cried. "Indeed¡­ Behold! My greatest creation! Hahaha¡­ My greatest, most glorious creation! A powerful sealed undead from these ancient ruins, which would never wake up nor obey my will¡­" Heisenughed. "But I discovered by reading the ancient texts that it was named the Pharaoh of Death, an ancient Necromancer that was even stronger than S Rank monsters! I gathered souls, I gathered Demonite, everything to wake him up and make him be my own puppet! And after that Spectra girl happily gave away her heart and her soul to him, alongside all those other sacrifices¡­ It has finally beenpleted! I was going to wipe out the entire damn city before leaving, but it seems you wanted me to do it earlier! Have your way then! Pharaoh of Death, King of Ancient Times, wake-" SLAAAASH! Before Heisen could finish his words, Maria rushed towards him and swung her huge sword against him, slicing him in two halves! "G-Graaarggh¡­!" "Do you think you have the right to talk?" "W-Wait! Argh¡­! I am the greatest scientist- Urgh¡­! Lord Hendrick¡­! He will not forgive this!" "Hendrick?" Maria wondered for a few seconds. "Is he the bastard behind Goldsand''s corruption? Is he your boss?!" "Hahaha¡­! Urgh¡­! Do you think I would talk?!" "Then I''ll ask questions to your soulter. Fuck off for now." Completely exhausted of his energy and incapable of properly fighting back, Maria finished him off instantly by swinging her gigantic axe into his neck, slicing his head off and then unleashing a swarm of insects over his entire body, devouring him whole so he wouldn''t dare regenerate. However, that did little against the Ancient Necromancer that was slowly awakening. Crack, crack¡­ CRAAASH! ----- Chapter 831 Akhenaton, Harbinger Of Death Chapter 831 Akhenaton, Harbinger Of Death ----- "S-Spectra¡­ Are you really there?!" Fabian cried, ncing at the gigantic mummy emerge from the ss tube, shattering it apart and exuding a deadly aura of pure miasma and death. "AAAAHHHH¡­!" The Pharaoh groaned, his empty eyes lighted with purple-colored phantasmal mes, the chest filled with Demonite crystals glowed with great quantities of mana and miasmic energy, infusing the monster with even more power. "Is the ritualplete¡­? Have I ascended?" And it spoke with an old and dry voice, ncing at the beings in front of him fearlessly, only for him to look back at his own hands. "Dry¡­ skeletal¡­ I''ve be¡­!" Muttered the entity. "No, this can''t be¡­ NO! I was supposed to- Argh¡­! AAAGGHHH¡­!" His jaws opened wide as an enormous quantity of miasma surged from within, his entire body started to transform, his skin burnedpletely, only leaving a ck colored skeleton behind, whose bones grew countless horns and sharp spikes, and an armor made of colorful Demonite. "Hahhh¡­ Hahahaha¡­ HAHAHAHA! Death¡­ I am Akhenaton, the HARBINGER OF DEATH!" Ding!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [The [Pharaoh of Death: Akhenaton (S Rank)] has evolved through the constant absorption of Miasma into [Harbinger of Death: Akhenaton (S+++ Rank)]!] [All his Stats have increased by a further +200%. A powerful [Aura of Despair] is exuded from his body, weakening all foes, and decreasing their Stats by -25%.] It felt as if whatever mind he held before, it had gonepletely insane due to the tremendous surplus of miasmic energy. Whatever ancient knowledge he held about his long forgotten civilization, it was not there anymore¡­ "I''LL KILL THEM!" Laughed the Pharaoh. "I''LL KILL THEM¡­ THE GODS!" Akhenaton words seemed filled with resentment against the divine, everyone quickly noticed that there was something strange about this. About their entire civilization being destroyed, about the Pharaoh''s desire for his transcendence¡­ And the reason why despite being an Undead, he kept sleeping, waiting for something. Perhaps something that never came to be at the end, as his kingdom was taken down before he could ever aplish it. "The Gods?!" Emeraldine stepped back in surprise. "What is he talking about?" "Could the ancient civilization of this dungeon have been wiped out by the Gods?" Lucifer wondered. "I have never heard of these people before; they must be more ancient than the Dragons!" While they spected as Akhenaton roared monstrously, Fabian was breaking down. Incapable of being able to process what was happening. Spectra was the girl he had a crush on, the one he lived for years, to learn all of the sudden that she had be the materials for the experiment of a wicked bastard made him sick. "SPECTRAAAA!" Fabian screamed, falling to his knees, and crying as he noticed that one of the many jewels on the giant undead was one of Spectra, a blue colored Demonite heart core. "How could they do this to you?! How could they¡­?! Argh¡­! WHY?!" However, Akhenaton wouldn''t simply stand still while a little ant screamed in front of him. On his maddening rage, he swiftly targeted Fabian. "RAAAAAHHH!!!" The Pharaoh roared, swinging his huge skeletal arms against Fabian and about to crush him with his sheer strength! His skeleton having been strengthened even more thanks to his sudden evolution made him stronger than Giants, even when he was originally a magician. FLAAASH! "Careful!" CRAAAAASH! As the huge skeletal hand fell over the floor and shattered the ground into pieces, a ck blur barely managed to save the boy, it was nobody else than Maria, of course. Maria carried him on her arms, flying away from the huge Undead. Meanwhile, Lucifer and Jonathan had blocked the powerful blow with their weapons, Lucifer''s Scythe and Jonathan''s Divine Sword. "T-This guy''s tougher than I thought!" Said Lucifer. "He must be at least S Rank- No, maybe even higher?!" Jonathan gritted his teeth. "He evolved into an S+++ Rank, actually, a being right below SS Ranks¡­" Maria sighed. "Tear with the crown was someone around SS Rank, little Arachne should be too." "Spectra¡­" Fabian kept weeping as Maria put him on the ground, he didn''t even wanted to stand up, he felt like his whole world hade down. He still had held a slight amount of hope that the girl would remain alive, that the little white-haired girl that had brought some light to his dark world would be here, somewhere. "Fabian, there is a way." Maria smiled. "E-Eh?" Fabian''s eyes opened in surprise. For someone like Maria, a powerful Necromancer, as long as there was a soul, there was a way. She had already analyzed theposition of Akhenaton. His Demonite Core was where the souls he absorbed were trapped, fueling his strength. "As long as we defeat Akhenaton and destroy his heart, the souls will be freed. I''ll find those of your friends, and¡­ If that''s okay for you, they could be something simr to living beings. Though, it might depend on their decisions." Said Maria. "At the very least, I can tell you that. I am not even sure if Spectra will stay with you or pass away. But I bet that''s better than thinking she''ll remain forever trapped inside a giant skeleton, right?" "A-Auntie¡­" Fabian tried to clean his tears, slowly standing up. "T-Then let me help, even if a little bit!" He said. "[Bone Armor]! [Bone Weapon]!" Maria conjured her magic as Fabian was covered in a powerful armor made of bones and was given a huge scepter of bones. She also conjured several other buffs on him. "Stay behind us, use your Demonite Spears when an opening shows up, can you do that?" "Okay!" Fabian nodded; the brown-skinned boy''s golden eyes shone brighter than before. RUMBLE! However, as they spoke, Akhenaton grew madder. His body continued exuding an explosive quantity of Miasmic energy, making him gopletely insane. "Youuuu¡­ You TOOK everything¡­ EVERYTHING!!!" He raised his hand as his Demonite quickly changed shape, growing into a huge ck crystal sword, which he furiously swung against Jonathan and Lucifer! CRAAAAAASSSSH!!! ----- Chapter 832 Battling Aberrations Chapter 832 Battling Aberrations ----- Meanwhile, as Maria and her allies confronted the powerful Pharaoh of Ancient Times, her daughter and her friends confronted the three abominations that Heisen had left as gifts before dying. His former assistants who had tried to run away ended getting transformed into Miasmic Chimeras through his Chimera Creation Miasmic Abilities. Miasmic Abilities were unique Skills people who had Demonite Heart Cores transnted into their bodies could develop. All the "chimera" children that Maria and her friends have meet possessed one of such abilities, or many. And even Heisen had a Demonite heart of his own, acquiring the power to freely transform living beings into chimeras through the usage of miasmic energy, which he exhausted on the process. And it was such power that Catarina was relying on from little Silva, who she was carrying on her back while being wrapped on many threads made of her own Blood Aura. "GROOOOHHH!" The aberrant Miasmic Chimera in the shape of a mass of flesh with hundreds of limbs, tentacles, and eyes, groaned, rushing towards her once more. Its entire body started moving and distorting itself, as several of its hundreds of limbs fused together into two giant hands, forming into fists, and then attempting to punch Catarina to death. CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! However, it missed every attack as Catarina was riding her powerful Shadow Wolf Zombie, ckie, who melded on the shadows and evaded the devastating blows one after another. "Now''s my turn!" Catarina emerged from the shadows, a smile in her lips. Her entire body was being enchanted by Silva''s powerful buffs and her own Blood Battle Aura. "[Blood Battle Aura]! [Crimson Blood Fists]!" Enchanting her body with her powerful Battle Aura, Catarina descended towards the aberration and unleashed a barrage of incredibly fast fist attacks. Each strike made the beast''s fleshy body explode into pieces, being shredded alive. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Gryyyeeergh!" The aberration swiftly continued regenerating its own wounds as it gathered its flesh into the shape of countless tentacles, wrapping them around Catarina, as she felt that the tentacles themselves, by merely touching her skin, started draining away her Mana! "Ungh?! [Blood Edge]!" She swung her arms horizontally as she unleashed a cutting edge made of blood energy, cutting the countless fleshy tentacles on the way as she leaped away, riding ckie once more. "GRRRHHH¡­!" The aberration swiftly started chasing her around. "It can regenerate endlessly and it can drain Mana by touching me with those disgusting tentacles. Ugh, this is much worse than I imagined, actually!" Catarina gritted her teeth. "How about some support for once?" Suddenly, Laura appeared in front of Catarina, as she gathered her Explosion Magic Aura,bining it with her Chaos Aura. "[Chaotic Explosion Demon Manifestation]!" "RAAAAAAH!" Her Aura transformed and fused with her Unique Skills'' abilities, transforming into a gigantic, monstrous demon made of explosive chaotic ck mes. His huge fists fell over the aberrant flesh chimera, exploding on impact. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM¡­! "Gryyyaaeergh¡­!" The flesh abomination stepped back as its flesh was being burned and covered on deadly curses that didn''t allowed rapid regeneration. Catarina was left slightly speechless at Laura''s strength. "Damn, I remember when you were much weaker than me back then¡­" Catarina was surprised. "Just what sort of monsters have you fought since I left?!" "You would be surprised of all the things we went through." Laura giggled. "Though, that thing is not going easily even with my Explosion Magic!" "GRAAAH!" The fleshy aberration''s body started to change its change, gaining countless more limbs and red eyes, which started to shine brightly, firing deadly red beams against Laura and Catarina! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "[Chaotic Explosion mes Barrier]!" Laura raised her hands as she generated a barrier made out of chaotic explosive mes, the beams were being neutralized as they hit the barrier and triggered self-contained explosions. "That damn thing''s getting on my nerves." Catarina sighed. "I''ll have to unleash THAT, even though I haven''t even tried it that much since I acquired it¡­" "THAT?" Asked Laura with a giggle. "Don''t tell me the cker actually has a hidden trump card?" "cker?!" Catarina asked angrily. "You''re the insane guys that get to level up so quickly!" The Vampire Warrioress angrily barked. After her recent evolution, Catarina had further improved her abilities as a Warrior that uses her fists. And through her constant usage of her abilities, her Blood Battle Aura had evolved¡­ into something greater. "Protect Silva while I attack." Catarina said, leaving the little girl behind, who was already wearing a heavy bone armor Maria had left on her. "B-But without my buffs¡­!" Silva cried. "It''s fine!" Catarina smiled. "You''ve helped enough¡­ Leave this to me. [Blood Battle Demon Physique: Release]!" FLAAASH! Despite being a Zombie, she had advanced to apletely different level of battle physique, her entire body suddenly gained countless red markings resembling mes, as her eyes glowed bright red, and two red horns grew on her forehead. Her aura of power became even stronger, overflowing, like an infernal me that spread around and consumed everything¡­ Her long red hair waved before her growth of strength, as her muscles began to be stronger, her entire bulk changed. [You have activated the [Blood Demon Battle Physique] Skill! You have undergone a [Blood Battle Demon Transformation]!] [All Stats have increased by +100%, with an additional +1% every time you less 1% of your Health. You cannot use Magic, as your Mana is being constantly drained.] [All Physical Fighting Technique-rted Skills and Techniques have their power boosted by +250%!] [Estimated Duration: 5 Minutes.] "Hahahah¡­ Did you said something about cking off, brat?!" Catarina started tough. "This is the fruit of all my efforts, of constantly pushing this Undead body of mine to its utter limits!" "GROOOOHHHH!" The aberrant fleshy chimera beast rushed towards Catarina, expanding its countless arms towards her, as its gigantic red eyes fired hundreds ofsers! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Heaven Tearing Crimson Fist]!" Catarina roared, her Mana being constantly drained as her fists overflowed with Blood Energy, a gigantic fist made of blood energy emerged, hitting the chimera beast directly as itpletely negated its deadly beams! BAAAAAAAMMM¡­! For that small moment, the Vampiress had surpassed the Realm of mortals! -----N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 833 Catarinas Growth Chapter 833 Catarina''s Growth ----- With a single fist, over half of the fleshy abomination''s body mass waspletely erased. That single fist attacking from Catarina had enough power to, perhaps as its name implied, to split open the skies themselves. "G-Graaargh¡­!" The aberrant chimera groaned in agony, a huge hole was left on its mass of flesh of a body, its tentacles squirming angrily, quickly shaping into hundreds of fleshy fists, and trying to crush Catarina with them, imitating her own blows! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! However, Catarina fearlessly let the fists hit her, as the more her HP went down, the more her stats would increase, based in what she had learned from the Soul Book''s notification she heard inside of her mind. "Hahahah! You''re only increasing my strength! Now''s my turn!" Catarina roared; her eyes glowed even brighter. "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Crimson Asura''s Wrath]!" Her Aura divided into six enormous and muscr arms as her two fistsnded on the abomination, an explosion of strikes befell the aberrant beast as if they were falling meteors. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Gryyyyaarrrgghhh¡­!" The abomination screamed in agony,pletely being torn down to pieces only for Catarina to move forward, swinging her muscr legs, imbued with as much Blood Energy! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Mountain-Splitting Kick]!" CRAAAAASSSH!!! The kick disintegrated yet another part of the beast, as it attempted to regenerate by utilizing all of its leftover Miasmic Energy, hundreds more of tentacles appeared, wrapping around Catarina, and trying to syphon all her Mana at once! "I won''t let you!" Laura attacked from behind as little Silva boosted her magic power even further. Summoning a dozen fireballs made of explosive chaotic mes, the fleshy aberration''s tentacles were disintegrated one after another. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOMM¡­! "Gryyyeeehhh¡­!" In desperation, the aberration opened a gigantic eye and unleashed itsst resort, a Chaotic Beam charged with all their absolute power on it! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! "Not bad!" Catarina smiled defiantly, her entire body overflowing with her Blood Energy all at once. It felt as if a titan made of blood energy and mes stepped forward, devastating everything in front of her withplete and total dominance. "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Blood Demon''s Infernal Charge]!" Her entire body was covered on Crimson Blood mes, as she charged into the beast with all her might, her two fists reaching it with an explosion of mes, consuming the monster on its totality! CRAAAAASSSH! "Gryyyyaaaeerrhhh!" BOOOOOOMMMMM¡­! Incapable of regenerating or resisting the damage anymore, the monsterpletely disintegrated into ashes, dissipating into thin air, and only leaving behind arge Demonite Heart Core. "Hahhh¡­" Catarina gasped for air, sitting on her knees with a smile.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "You did it auntie! You''re so strong and amazing!" Silva celebrated, jumping happily. "Sadly we don''t have time to celebrate!" Laura said. The moment one of the chimera beasts was defeated, the other two went even madder. Takeshi and Nyx were barely taking care of them, but on their wrath, they became even stronger, unleashing magic attacks everywhere! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! Takeshi quickly grabbed Nyx with him and spread out his Ocean Domain, protecting her from the explosions alongside everyone else, while spreading the oceanic barriers near the cells where the people was trapped, protecting them from the deadly radiation. "Is everyone alright?!" Takeshi gasped for air. "I''m fine, I think I could had tanked that¡­" Nyx pouted a bit. "But thanks anyways, Takeshi!" "S-Sorry, I just did it out of instinct¡­" Takeshi sighed in relief. "GRRRHHHH¡­!" "SHAAAAH!" The hydra-headed chimera and the aberrant mutated wolf chimera quickly rushed forward, swinging their huge ws and splitting Takeshi''s barriers in mere seconds! SLAAAAASH! "T-The barrier was cut so quickly?!" Takeshi was taken aback. "Get away!" Nyx roared angrily, swinging her ws against the two mighty chimeras at once. "[Phantasmal Death ws]!" Swinging both her hands, which grew enormous draconic ws, little Nyx pushed the two chimeras back with powerful slicing shes made out of her own Phantasmal Death Energy Aura! SLAAAAASH! SLAAAASH! "Gryyyarrgh!" "Shaaaah¡­!" Pushed away by the ferocious Ghost Dragon girl, the two beasts showed her their sharp teeth, as their bodies overflowed with Mana, and magic materialized in an instant. The wolf-like chimera unleashed a storm of chaotic ck mes, while the hydra-headed chimera fired hundreds of venomous acidic bullets! "RAAAR!" Nyx opened her jaws and devoured the projectiles, utilizing her [Little Gluttony] Skill that allowed her to absorb the projectiles and devour them, gaining some Mana in the process! However, she wasn''t capable of catching all of them at once, and some ended sneaking behind her, hitting Takeshi who even after generating many barriers, ended being pushed back. "Takeshi!" Nyx cried, trying to fly towards him, giving her back to the chimeras. "ROAAAR!" The wolf chimera instantly used this opportunity to strike, swinging his huge ws against Nyx as it tried to sh her into pieces! "[Dark Shadow Spear]! [Spear of Death]!" However, Nyx multi-tasked wonderfully, firing several spears made of darkness and death energy against the wolf, impaling its entire body and throwing it down with a strong strike using her long, scaled tail! BAAAAMM¡­! "GRYARGH¡­!" The chimeric beast vomited blood as its entire body squirmed and struggled to take off all the spears, the other chimera quickly attempted to ignore Nyx, going straight towards Takeshi. Its three snake-like heads attempted to bite him and infect him with deadly poison, or worse, just tear him to shreds! "That''s not happening on my watch!" Catarina appeared right above the three heads, her transformation still on, for perhaps two more minutes, as her legs kicked two of the heads, while her fists pummeled against the third, throwing the entire beast away! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "SHYYYAAAGH¡­!" Landing on the floor, it quickly attempted to stand back up, only for Laura to swiftly summon several explosive fireballs made of chaos mes, bombarding the beast with as much firepower as she could! "You''re not standing back up again!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! As the hydra-headed chimera started to turn into ashes slowly while fighting to regenerate back, the second chimera beast, already almost recovered, leaped behind everyone! "ROOOARR!" ----- Chapter 834 Nyxs Power Chapter 834 Nyx''s Power ----- "[Dark Star Shower]!" However, Nyx quickly intercepted the beast, summoning several dozens of stars made of darkness, unleashing a deadly shower of explosions over the wolf-shaped Chimeric Beast. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! "GRAAAARGH¡­!" With an agonizing scream, the beast retreated while its body was being burned and slowly disintegrated by Nyx''s mighty magic attacks, however, its speed allowed the beast to evade a lot of her attacks! And with its amazing regeneration speed, some of its wounds were already closing. "You''re not going anywhere!" The little Dragon girl wouldn''t let him easily evade her blows any longer though, as her pale white skin started to grow with ck crystal-like scales, the inheriting trait from her biological mother, Crystal! Her ck Crystal Scales grew around most of her body, creating a mighty natural armor, which she used to quickly pummel and m the beast with her entire tiny body! CRAAAASH! "GRYSHA!" The wolf felt several of its bones break, furiously ring at Nyx and opening its wolf-like jaws, biting her scale armor, and only ending with its own fangs breaking. Crack, crack¡­ CRASH! "GRYYAAAGH?!" The wolf was confused of her amazing defenses, but Nyx''s stats for a B Rank being were incredibly high, perhapsparable to A Rank monsters already, and that''s without considering her powerful Skills, which she inherited from her ghostly mother and Lucifer. "You''re not getting away with just this! [Blood Feast]!" Nyx pierced the beast''s body with her sharp, ck ws, draining the monster''s blood rapidly. The beast struggled, managing to get away from her in time, but deeply weakened, and losing its regeneration abilities for the moment. "Geh, your blood doesn''t taste that good." Nyx sighed. "But that''ll do to restore my MP a bit!" "GRRRHHHH!" The wolf had been provoked more than enough, opening its jaws, and unleashing a st of darkness and chaos against Nyx, mixed with miasma as well! TRUUUUUMMM¡­! However, a huge wave of water emerged before it were to hit Nyx, epassing the chaotic beam and then absorbing itpletely. When Nyx nced at the scene, she was surprised to find Takeshi in front of her! The water vortex devoured the beam and protected Nyx, she was a bit frustrated, as she thought she didn''t really need someone to protect her other than her parents. "Takeshi, why did you protected me? I could take that!" She said angrily. "Stop being so reckless, Nyx! You might be strong, but don''t get cocky either. That monster''s dangerous. We have to take it down together." Takeshi sighed. "Hmmm¡­" Nyx pouted a bit, but then nodded. "Oway! Fine! Just because you''re big bro!" "SHAAAAAH!" Meanwhile, the hydra-headed Chimera was on itsst stand. Already overwhelmed by Catarina on her new transformation, alongside Laura''s bombarding attacks and Silva''s magic boosting their strength. "It seems that it can''t regenerate as fast any longer!" Laura said, evading the monster''s bite attacks. "Then we have to finish it off with a single powerful blow, like the other one!" Catarina roared. "WOOF!" ckie carried Silva over his back, as she boosted the Undead Shadow Wolf''s powers with her Miasmic Buff, enhancing his strength and durability, and making his magic much stronger. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Alongside Laura''s fireballs, ckie with the help of Silva''s buffs summoned a rain of Shadow Spears, stopping the hydra-like chimera from moving further, its huge gori-like arms still swinging around furiously against Catarina, who was facing it head-on. CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "You''re not bad, but youck a lot of technique and mastery on the fists, you mere beast!" Laughed Catarina, her demoness-like appearance boosting her physical might to her limits. "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Blood Demon''s Infernal Charge]!"N?v(el)B\\jnn Utilizing the same technique she used to finish off the previous Chimera, Catarina charged against the hydra-like chimera, her entire body erupting with Crimson Blood mes, as she body-mmed the beast and then unleashed a barrage of punches! BAAAAAAMMM! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Crimson Asura''s Wrath]!" Her Aura divided into six enormous and muscr arms as her two fistsnded on the abomination, an explosion of strikes befell the monstrous chimera as if they were falling meteors. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "SHYAAAGH!" However, unlike the previous one that would had gotten killed by now, this beast was much more resilient, using its huge fists to intercept her blows, even as it was being burned to death and as its bones kept breaking! "Now, Laura!" Catarina held the beast in ce, as Laura nodded, already at the side of Silva as the small goat-horned girl touched her hand with her adorable little hand. FLAAASH! Laura felt the power of the Miasmic Boost enhancing her magical power to her limits! Her eyes glowed with ck mes, as she raised her hands and summoned a huge sphere of chaotic, ck, purple, and red mes. "[Chaotic Explosion Star]!" At the same time, Takeshi and Nyx were cornering the wolf-like chimera. Takeshi utilized his Water Magic and his special Fishing Rod to create a domain of oceans, trapping the wolf inside, and using his fishing rod''s metallic thread, wrapping it around the beast and inhibiting its movements. "GROOOAR!" The wolf-like monstrosity wouldn''t let this slide so easily though, struggling furiously while attempting to destroy the threads around its body. The monster quickly attacked Takeshi, pushing itself across the oceans as it opened its jaws, firing several chaotic beams. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! However, Nyx flew in front of him, swinging her huge ws and managing to redirect the attacks into the skies, all while charging forwards and opening her little jaws. "Roaaarrr!" While gathering all her Mana into her jaws, Nyx decided to st the beast while it was restrained with a breath attack! "[Abyssal Chaos Breath]!" With a ferocious draconic roar, a powerful beam of concentrated ck, chaotic mes surged from Nyx''s jaws, piercing through the wolf-like chimera''s body! At the same time, Laura''s powerful spell [Chaotic Explosion Star] fell over the hydra-like beast that Catarina was holding back, both explosions happening almost at the same time! BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! "SHYAAAAH!" "GRAAARGH!" The twost chimeras were disintegrated instantly, their bodies dissipating into ashes, their screams even synchronized! And as this happened, Nyx felt her levels rising, skyrocketing, even! Ding! [You have reached Max Level!] [Triggering Evolution!] "E-Eh? Evolution?!" FLAAASH! ----- Chapter 835 The Ancient Pharaohs Wrath Chapter 835 The Ancient Pharaoh''s Wrath ----- [The [Pharaoh of Death: Akhenaton (S Rank)] has evolved through the constant absorption of Miasma into [Harbinger of Death: Akhenaton (S+++ Rank)]!] [All his Stats have increased by a further +200%. A powerful [Aura of Despair] is exuded from his body, weakening all foes, and decreasing their Stats by -25%.] After being revived through the power of the Evil God''s Fragments secretions, the ancient Undead Pharaoh quickly lost hisposure, going mad with anger and frustration, and perhaps even the sorrow of a past that nobody here knew. After transforming, his body continued exuding an explosive quantity of Miasmic energy, making him gopletely insane, targeting just anybody in front of him. Perhaps in the past he was someone smart, that even led an entire civilization, but now, he was nothing but a husk of his former self¡­ "Youuuu¡­ You TOOK everything¡­ EVERYTHING!!!" Filled with madness, he raised his enormous skeletal ws, as the Demonite covering his body like an armor quickly changed shape, growing into a huge ck crystal sword, which he furiously swung against Jonathan and Lucifer! CRAAAAAASSSSH!!! An explosion of Miasmic, Darkness, Death, and Chaos energies erupted from the strike, which ended hitting the Dungeon Floor instead, as both Lucifer and Jonathan had evaded the attack, barely. "This bastard''s the real deal!" Lucifer roared. "I''ll transform, I can''t handle him on my human form!" "Good idea!" Jonathan said. "I''ll distract it with my sword shes! Let''s see how strong your armor is! [Divine Sunlight de Arts]: [Celestial de]!" Jonathan quickly unleashed a barrage of shing attacks with his Divine Sword, channeling the power of his Divine Blessing. Celestial Light surged from his powerful de, each of his shes generating a wave of shing holy light that chipped at the armor of the Pharaoh. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! CRAAASH! "GRAAAAH!" Akhenaton did not take it lightly, furiously swinging his huge sword against Jonathan to intercept his burning holy light, which seemed to be affecting him negatively, slowly weakening his magic powers. CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! "KILL¡­! I''LL KILL YOU!" Roared Akhenaton, swinging his sword furiously. Jonathan noticed a pattern from the Undead, his blows were slow and they always hit the next area to the left where his blow hit before, almost mechanically. Putting this to use, he quickly stepped back the moment he evaded a blow and while the Undead King raised his sword again, leaving his chest wide open, he quickly activated one of his strongest techniques. "[Divine Sunlight de Arts]: [Hegemonic Sunshine sh]!" Jonathan raised his Divine Sunlight Sword into the skies, generating a gigantic beam of light that descended from above as he moved the sword downwards, the powerful shing attack piercing across the Pharaoh''s armor and slightly cracking hisrge Demonite Heart Core! CRAAAAAASSSSSH! "GRAAAAAHHHH¡­!" Akhenaton stepped back, his hue body hitting several pirs as the ceiling stared crumbling down over his body, although he paid little attention to those details. However, incessantly and with the might of an S+++ Rank monster, the ancient ruler shapeshifted the form of his sword, as it divided itself into thousands of spears made of Demonite! "DIEEE!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Jonathan gritted his teeth, fully knowing he wouldn''t be able to block such an overwhelming spell, beginning to parry some of the spears as more kepting, about to pierce his body! CRAAAASH! However, a huge dragon emerged, blocking the attacks by swinging his gigantic tail, which hit the ancient ruler strongly, making him copse on the walls, which shattered before his mighty weight. BAAAAMMM¡­! "Dammit, this bastard''s tougher than we imagined!" Lucifer said, trying to attack the skeleton with his huge scythe, only for his attack to be blocked by Akhenaton''s Demonite Spear. CLAAASH! "ALL OF YOU¡­ DIE!" The furious Pharaoh opened his skeletal jaws, letting out an enormous wave of purple and ck mes, they were Chaos mes! The intensity of the heat and its ability to distort energies and melt anything quickly started to pierce through Lucifer''s barriers and defenses. FLUOOOOSH! "Shit!" Lucifer stepped back, before Akhenaton were to use this opportunity to attack him yet again, growing a second pair of skeletal arms above his shoulders, he tried to smack the dragon''s head! CRAAASH! CRAAASH!N?v(el)B\\jnn However, what he ended smacking instead was a powerful giantess that had joined the battle, Maria had undergone her True Form transformation, resembling a titaness that wielded many elements, with a body made of moonlight, hair made of snakes, and a demonic armor resembling the exoskeletons of insects. Not only she had activated all her Body Skills, but also all the Transformation Skills together, generating this Ultimate Form that held all her powers together at once! Swinging her Giant Axe and her powerful Sword, she attacked Akhenaton with everything she had. "[Soul Shattering Nightmare de]! [Chaotic Inferno Axe]!" Her two weapons absorbed the powers of her Chaos Energy, acquired from fusing with her Chaos Spirit, Tyr, as both weapons hit the ancient ruler at the same time, the furious Undead was too slow to evade! BOOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOOMMM!!! "GRAAAAAHHH¡­! DAMNED¡­ GODS!!!" Akhenaton''s huge Demonite Heart gained more cracks, as Maria kicked him away, giving everyone enough time for whatever insane attack he woulde out with. "Partner, Emeraldine, protect Fabian while Jonathan and Lucifer help me in the frontlines. With Tear, you girls attack the beast from behind!" Maria said. "Eh?! But I want to fight in the frontlines as well!" Partnerined. "Noins!" Maria said. "Now, let''s go! Don''t let him catch a break!" "Alright!" Jonathan roared. "I shall always follow your lead, Maria!" "You don''t even need to ask!" Lucifer roared, his wounds having already regenerated thanks to Maria''s Undead Healing magic. The trio rushed towards Akhenaton, as the giant skeleton quickly stood back up, his entire body was beginning to tremble as he constantly exuded more and more Miasmic Energy. "I''ll restrain his movements with my Ice Magic." Said Tear, as she started to channel her Mana. "Fabian! Can you attack with your Demonite Spears when I give you the signal? I think they might be able to pierce through the monster''s defenses because they''re made of the same armor he''s wearing!" "S-Sure!" Fabian nodded, preparing his Magic as ck magic circles appeared around him. "Don''t worry, we''ll cover your back as well." "Sigh, I guess there''s no helping it." Emeraldine and Partner floated in midair, preparing to fight from long-distance. ----- Chapter 836 An Ever-Changing Foe

Chapter 836 An Ever-Changing Foe

----- "GRAAAAAH!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Akhenaton roared, running towards Maria, Lucifer, and Jonathan. His entire body started to gain a few cracks from all the beating he was getting, but even then, his defenses were incredibly high. Maria had already guessed that most of her main magic elements would be easily resisted by the ancient ruler, and if she did anything too shy here, the entire dungeon might end up copsing over their heads too. She had to rely mostly on her Moonlight Energy, one of the few powers that her foe couldn''t resist, andbine it with her physical blows, Ghostly Fist Techniques might work, perhaps, but she had yet to try. Maria did not receive his reckless charge as he swung his Demonite Sword, but Lucifer and Jonathan did, both swinging their weapons almost at the same time, erupting with their pseudo divinities. "[Abyssal Death mes Scythe]!" Combining his Divine Abyssal Death mes, the new mes he could wield after evolving into the S Rank [Divine Dragon King of Abyssal Death mes: Nidhogg], Lucifer unleashed a devastating shing attack with the power to y most S Rank threats! SLAAAAAASSSH! BOOOOM!!! "GRAAAARGH!" The ancient pharaoh utilized his sword as a shield, shielding himself from some of the damage, although his Demonite Armor and his core still gained a few, small cracks! At the same time, Jonathan also attacked, synchronizing his attacks with Lucifer. "[Divine Sunlight de Arts]: [Heaven''s Fall]!" Unleashing another of his strongest techniques, Jonathan sh unleashed a divine beam of lighting from his sword, impacting Akhenaton''s body, and shattering his armor a bit more, while his sword, which tanked the entire beam, shattered into pieces! CRAAAAASSSSH! "GRRHHH¡­! DIE¡­ DIEEE!" However, Akhenaton didn''t felt any pain as an Undead, even after receiving two powerful blows, his Chaotic Miasmic Aura erupted from his body, materializing itself into countless Chaotic Fireballs that started raining upon his foes. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "That''s going to hardly stop us!" Lucifer roared, swinging his scythe several times, as countless shing waves made of his Abyssal Death mes emerged. "This skeleton is slow, but it has so many abilities¡­!" Jonathan gritted his teeth, firing beams of light as magic from magic circles generated around his body. Both of their attacks impacted the ancient ruler''s magic, while Maria rushed across the smoke, swinging her two weapons against the giant skeleton while covering them with Moonlight Energy. Akhenaton had little time to react, in fact, it could barely react to threats, attacking with only madness andcking most senses, even as an Undead. "[Divine Moonlight Double sh]!" With both her Demonic de and her Chaos Axe, Maria unleashed two powerful shes of purple and pink colored Moonlight Energy, creating a cross-shaped attack that impacted the skeleton, blocking his magic attacks and slightly shattering his armor again. BOOOOOMMMM!!! "GRAAAGH¡­! AAAGH¡­!" Akhenaton started vomiting Miasma from his jaws, his entire body suddenly beginning to react to the damage taken, as hisposite soul squirmed, a phantasmal veil covering his body, resembling a monstrous chimeric beast with countless heads and tentacles. "Wait, there''s another creature inside of him?!" Asked Lucifer. "Must be the souls that were used as a sacrifice for his rebirth!" Jonathan said. "Careful!" Maria rushed in front of the two, tanking the dozens of huge Phantasmal Tentacles that were about to crush them with her two weapons, her barriers were easily pierced, being virtually useless. CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! "ROOOOAAARRRR!" The Phantasmal Chimera Beast seemed to have taken over Akhenaton''s bodypletely, his consciousness no longer speaking as he started moving and roaring like a beast. Even now, everyone noticed that his skull and bones were slowly shapeshifting into those of a Bone Chimera! "This thing''s evolving?! No¡­ It is getting stronger! We have to stop it!" Lucifer rushed. "Don''t let it grow stronger!" Jonathan roared. "Charge!" Maria led the two. The two men rushed forwards, Lucifer using his tremendous body size and strength to unleash a barrage of w, Bite, and Spear attacks, trying to tear down the bones apart, while Jonathan swung his sword masterfully, evading the attacks from time to time while firing beams of light as supplementary damage. Meanwhile, Maria didn''t stood there, quickly imbuing more Moonlight into her attacks, and slowly beginning to learn how to properly use her Moonlight Energy for offensive weapon techniques, something she had not done before. "GROOOAARRRGH!" The Phantasmal Chimera Beast was mighty and resilient, however, constantly fighting back by growing countless ws and limbs, and firing beams of miasma and chaos erratically everywhere at once. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Of course, the rest of the team weren''t just sitting ducks. While this was happening, Tear was constantly summoning her powerful Divine Frost Magic, freezing the huge skeleton''s limbs, and slowing down its movements. The ice broke, melted by the miasma, but itsted for a few seconds every time she conjured it again, making it easier for everyone to gang on the beast and chip away at its resilient skeleton body and Demonite Armor. Tear''s primary job was to slow down the enemy with her powerful magic, as she didn''t had the strongest of offenses against Undead that couldn''t suffer from frostbites nor where made of flesh for it to be frozen and shattered easily. However, as Akhenaton and the Phantasmal Chimera Beast possessing him continued to go madder, she was bing essential to keep their foe from rampaging everywhere. After having fought that giant Chaotic Tree, and having defeated Prospera without too much hardships, everyone had thought they became really strong, and that they couldn''t have much challenges if they didn''t involve the gods themselves. However, they were deadly wrong, as Akhenaton proved that there were still incredible entities out there, it was taking everybody''s effortsbined to chip away damage into his near-indestructible body, and his rampage only became more furious as the soulsposing him went mad. Partner and Emeraldine were backing them up alongside Fabian, theirbined techniques and magic spells managing to both slow down their foe even for a few seconds, while dealing explosive damage. "GROOOOAARRR!" However, as Akhenaton''s Demonite Armor was reaching its breaking point, the entire Undead underwent yet another bizarre transformation! ----- Chapter 837 An Impossibly Tough Foe! Chapter 837 An Impossibly Tough Foe! ----- Partner and Emeraldine protected Fabian, who stubbornly wanted to stay in this battle and see it to the end, while unleashing their strongest spells and techniques from a distance. For Partner, this was a rather difficult job, but she did indeed had a lot of amazingly strong long-ranged attacks, and for Emeraldine, this was an easy task, she was an archer. Emeraldine''s attacks consisted of hundreds of Spiritual Arrows made out of Spirit Tree Wood she summoned and created on the spot, firing them at the gigantic skeleton at rapid speeds, each arrow that exploded on contact would quickly blossom into many trees, restraining and stopping the foe''s movements even if a little, while sapping their Mana furiously! Combining the might of her two Divine Spirits together, Emeraldine was able to deal the most damage because of how effective theirbination was against the Undead, explosions of light constantly bathed their foe. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!!! "GRYYYAAEERGH¡­!" The Phantasmal Chimera Beast seemed to be growing annoyed and weaker, Emeraldine''s attacks were particrly mighty! And to make things worse, whenever it tried to get closer to her, Maria, Lucifer, and Jonathan would take its attention again, stopping it from even getting closer to the backline. At the same time, Partner''s spears were coated into a veil of her Blood Energy and Divine Powers, making both of the spears float in midair, enchanted with her Skills and Spells, the two grew torger sizes and constantly tried to pierce through their foe, targeting joints and other more delicate areas, making the beast'' slowly fall apart. The explosive damage that Partner added into the battle was crucial for them to defeat their foe. Her powerful Darkness and Blood Magic was resisted by their foe, however, so she could only limit herself to deal strong, piercing damage with her spears. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! "SHYYYAAARGH!" The countless souls making the Chimeric Phantasmal Beast couldn''tpletely take on Partner''s explosive damage, its countless eyes filled with rage could only see as Partner attacked from afar! Meanwhile, Fabian assisted everyone else as much as he could, mostly summoning giant Demonite Spears and aiming them at the Skeleton''s cracks, and also into their Demonite Cores, whose cracks spread further, adding even more damage. Fabian''s magic was weakpared to everyone else, but because it was made of the sameponent as their foe, it was possible to pierce through the defenses of the Skeleton much more easily. "You''re staying where YOU are!" Tear roared. "[Divine Niflheim''s Coffin]!" FLUOOOOOSH! "Almost there, everyone!" Maria cried. "[Night Sky-Tearing Moonlight des]!" SLAAASH! SLAAASH! SLAAASH! "We can do this!" Lucifer roared. "RAAAAH!" BOOOOOOMMM!!! "Do not¡­ FALTER!" Jonathan said bravely. "YAAAH!" SLAAAAAASSSH! All of this while Tear slowed its limbs down, and Maria, Lucifer, and Jonathan bombarded it with their strongest attacks, from Moonlight Weapon Techniques, powerful Breath Attacks, and blinding celestial light shes, driving the mighty Undead to a corner after many minutes of fighting incessantly. "GRRHHHH¡­!!! GROOAARR!" The atmosphere was growing more and more tense as the beast seemed to never fall, its magic kept changing into unpredictable ways, from chaotic meteors to chaos fireballs, sometimes it would spread a sea of miasma to entrap them, and other times it would attempt to summon aberrations made of chaos. "Don''t ever think of summoning your Chaos Magic while I''m here¡­!" The Ghost Queen easily absorbed the Miasmic Magic or Chaos Beasts with her own body, further increasing her strength and even regenerating Mana! Maria in the frontlines meant that she could absorb most Miasma and Chaos, leaving little toys for their foe to y around with, and with the pressure of everyone else''s attacks, the Chimeric Phantasmal entity possesing the Ancient Rule was forced into desperate measures. "GROOOOAARRR!" As Akhenaton''s Demonite Armor was reaching its breaking point, the entire Undead underwent yet another bizarre transformation! Its Phantasmal Chimera Beastpletely fused with the skeleton, as the Demonite Armor shattered apart and turned into ashes, the crystals on its core melded into the skeleton, suddenly turning the entire bones into Demonite! FLAAAASH! "W-What''s going on now?!" Jonathan stepped back. "That damn Vampire created such a powerful monster¡­!" Lucifer gritted his sharp teeth. "But this is good, looks like we''ve driven the beast into a corner!" Maria roared. "It is now or never!" "Wait¡­!" Emeraldine cried. "It is not just transforming¡­!" "GRYYYAAAAARRGGHH!" The Demonic Undead Beast seemed to be screaming in agony! Its entire body quickly beginning to divide itself. Maria tried to stop it, but the shockwave of Power was too strong, and she could not stop its division in time¡­ And what was left behind from a gigantic skeleton were three Miasmic Skeleton Beasts! One had the shape of a ferocious Bone Tiger, with mostly Red Demonite Bones, the second was a giant Bone Snake, with mostly Purple Demonite Bones, andstly, the third was a wrathful Bone Eagle, made mostly out of White Demonite Bones. Although the original monster''s power was divided into three, all three of these beasts held a strong part of his powers¡­ Ding! [The [Harbinger of Death: Akhenaton (S+++ Rank)] has been driven to a corner! On his desperation, his body has been divided into three entities!] [The [Red Demonite Bone Chimera Tiger (S++ Rank)], [Purple Demonite Bone Chimera Snake (S++ Rank)], and the [White Demonite Bone Chimera Eagle (S++ Rank)] have been summoned!] [Theirbined [Demonite Heart Cores] are connected together, sharing each other''s Miasmic Energy and Mana! All their Stats have increased by +100% with each member "alive"!] "GRAAOORRR!" "SHAAAAAAH!" "CRAAAAAAH!" The three Demonic Bone Beasts roared at the same time, their overwhelming Auras exuding a gigantic pressure and a deadly shockwave¡­ The city above the dungeon started to tremble constantly, the people abovepletely unaware of the chaotic battle that was happening down below. The beasts didn''t stay idle after being created, instantly leaping into battle, attacking anything they found nearby! The Tiger attacked Maria, jumping over her body, while the Snake attacked Jonathan, and the Eagle targeted Emeraldine. "GROOOAARRR!" CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! The tiger''s sharp Demonite fangs constantly made dents into Maria''s Demonic Armor!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Shit! Can''t you die in peace?!" However, Maria furiously gave it a huge, Divinity-enhanced punch! BAAAAAAMMM!!! ----- Chapter 838 Immortal Foes

Chapter 838 Immortal Foes

----- "MARIA!" Lucifer panicked as he saw Maria being overwhelmed by the Bone Chimera Tiger, only for her to give it a good punch in the face, blowing the beast away from her side. BAAAAAAMMM! "Don''t worry about me!" Maria quickly decided to fuse both of her weapons into one, through the powers of her Divinity and her Abilities, temporarily turning the weapons into a powerful Relic. Ding! [Through the power of your Divinities, you''ve temporarily fused all your Weapons into the Divine Relic: [Night-Slicing Moonlight Katana de: Luna]!] [The power of Moonlight Energy is exuding from your new Divine Relic, further enchanting your own Moonlight Attribute Power by +250%] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Duration: 10 Minutes.] A beautiful dark pink and purple colored katana was born, glowing brightly with Moonlight, enchanting the power of the element even further as Maria smiled, rushing towards the Tiger. "Help Jonathan take care of the Snake, Lucifer! Emeraldine, Partner, Fabian, take down the Eagle!" Maria roared, as she quickly jumped into action. "Wait, I need to help him?!" Luciferined. "Uurgh¡­!" Jonathan was struggling to fight the giant snake; he was already quite exhausted. "Fine¡­ I guess he does needs some help!" Lucifer sighed, quickly smashing the snake''s head into the ground. CRAAAASSSH! At the same time, Emeraldine flew away from the Eagle using her fairy wings, while Partner was already fighting the Eagle. "I-It''s really targeting only me?!" Emeraldine panicked. "[Light Spirit Arrow Rain]!" Emeraldine''s arrows pierced the eagle''s wings, but barely did enough damage, while Partner''s spear was much stronger, leaving several cracks over the beast''s bones. "Hang in there, Emeraldine!" Partner roared, attacking the Eagle, and stopping its movements. "CRAAAAHHH!!!" However, the furious beast spread out its wings, firing countless Demonite Jewel projectiles everywhere, which exploded on contact! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! The same scene was happening with the other Beasts, as their specialty was also just firing hundreds of projectiles made out of their own bodies, which kept endlessly regrowing off them. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! However, Maria rushed forwards, swinging her Katana masterfully as she sliced apart the jewels fired at her, explosions of chaos were of no bother to her. "RAAAAH!" With a boost in her speed through her Divine Lightning Body Abilities, she reached the Tiger and kicked it off the ground, the beast, as strong and gigantic as it was, was still slightly smaller than Maria in her Titan form, thrown into the floor, its core was exposed! "You divided to just die more easily!" She pierced the beast''s core with her sharp katana, shattering it! CRAAAASSSH!!! "GROOOARRH!" As the beast gave a groan of agony, Maria had defeated the first of the three beasts! ¡­Or she thought so. "Huh?! It is not¡­ dying?" "RAAAAH!" The Tiger unleashed a huge shockwave of Demonic Energy, pushing Maria several steps away as she ended taking her Katana with her. Her many eyes nced at the beast''s Demonite Heart Core quickly regenerate in a single second, its entire body got up, and then it quickly rushed towards her, shing its ws at her, while trying to bite her face. CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! She evaded and blocked the blows with her sword, but her mind waspletely filled with confusion. Just what happened there?! Her System quickly gave her an answer after analyzing further. Ding! [The Demonite Heart Cores connected to the three Bone Chimera Beasts are still a single Core!] [To destroy all three beasts, you must destroy all three cores at the same time.] [Or st them into ashes¡­ But that would make the entire Dungeon crumble over all of you, and the city above might copse into the hole as well.] "Shit, are you seriously?!" Maria gritted her teeth, giving a strong kick to the tiger into its stomach and pushing it away. "Everyone! We have to strike them down in the core, all three at the same time!" "At the same time?!" Partner was shocked. "No way¡­!" She was already struggling against the Eagle''s fast movements and near endless projectiles, with Emeraldine''s help, the two were barely holding back the beast, while Fabian could only fire Demonite Spears and weaken its already open cracks. "That''s¡­ is it even realistic to coordinate ourselves to such a timing?!" Lucifer cried. Lucifer was holding the snake from killing Jonathan with its huge body and deadly poison, which didn''t affected his Death Dragon body. "We''ll have to, there''s just no other option!" Maria said, while fending off the tiger''s attacks. "Dammit!" Partner and Lucifer cried at the same time. "We have to do what we can! How about we restrain their movements first?!" Tear suggested, channeling her Mana. "Right!" Maria nodded. "Do that! Cut their limbs, anything! All so they can keep in ce for a while!" "Alright then!" Tear was running across the hall, quickly jumping in midair, and wielding her Divine Ice Magic, conjuring it into a powerful Divine Blizzard and pushing the Eagle into the ground by freezing its wings! FLUOOOOSH! "CRAAAH?!" Pummeling on the floor almost instantly, Tear quickly summoned hundreds of Frost Spears and Frost Swords, keeping the eagle distracted so it wouldn''t unfreeze its own wings so easily. "Tear! Amazing timing!" Partner instantly took this opportunity, descending from the ceiling and pointing her two spears at the eagle''s wings, piercing one of them with both of her spears at once. "[Demonic Blood Spear Arts: Descending Crimson Dragon]!" Her two spears converged into one through her Blood Energy, as a ferocious Crimson Dragon emerged, roaring and engulfing the Eagle''s wings into a huge explosion, shattering them into pieces! BOOOOOMMM!!! "CRYAAAAH!" The Eagle gave an agonizing scream, furiously targeting Partner with countless piercing beak attacks, and countless chaos beamsing from many magic circles around its body! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! However, Partnerughed while evading the blows with her slender and agile body, her senses as a Vampiress easily giving her an advantage over a dull undead creature. "Now, Emeraldine, blow its other wing!" As Partner distracted the beast and parried its beak attacks and w attacks, and even its chaos beams, Emeraldine charged all her Spiritual Energy into her bow, generating a gigantic wooden arrow overflowing with the divinity of light and nature. "[Divine Spiritual Yggdrasil Arrow]!" FLAAAASH! ----- Chapter 839 A Daughter To The Rescue?

Chapter 839 A Daughter To The Rescue?

----- "[Divine Spiritual Yggdrasil Arrow]!" FLAAAASH! BOOOOOMMM!!! Partner and Emeraldine ganged on the Eagle-like Demonite Bone Chimera, blowing its wings off with their strongest attacks and then beginning to slowly chip down their body, as it attempted to constantly regenerate. Keeping the beast on ce! Although they were much weaker than thebined pharaoh after separating, they had an insane regeneration ability, making them virtually immortal as long as all three existed! And the only way to defeat them was by piercing their cores at the same time, no less. It was a race against time, as the Demonite Beasts would continue regenerating their bodies almost endlessly, and they could not be restrained without several people dedicating themselves at full to chip down their bodies into pieces to fight their regeneration and keep them restrained as a result. Tear''s ice could only keep them still for a little while, and it was not something that could contain them forever either! That damned Vampire Crazy Scientist really created a rather insane monster. Maria started to think that the n of the Vampires was to somehow achieve true immortality through the powers of the Evil God''s fragments, just like Gods had it within their bodies. The ability of endless regeneration without any energy cost, a constant recycle of miasmic energies inside their bodies, and the power to wield the element of chaos, capable of negating and distorting other elements, and even divinities themselves. And with this power, fusing both the Ancient Death Magic of a fallen civilization that was held within the Pharaoh''s body alongside dozens of Demonite Heart Cores they had harvested from chimera children they had created¡­ They almost did it! "Tear! Help Lucifer and Jonathan hold on against the Viper one! I can do this on my own!" Maria kept swinging her majestic moonlight katana as she sliced apart the tiger''s body before it were to regenerate back, restraining it with her Shadow and Darkness Domain, and countless of Phantasmal Chaos Chains, a special Spell she had constructed just for the asion. "GRAAAOOORRGH!" The furious Tiger beast swung its gigantic ws at her, slowly beginning to tear apart her powerful armor created through her special transformation. They only had a few more minutes, if Maria''s transformation and her new weapon''s time was out, she would be much weaker, and would have to wait a bit before being able to summon these again. "Alright! Got it!" Tear swiftly ran towards Lucifer and Jonathan, who were battling against the second strongest of the beasts, a gigantic, purple-colored viper with the power to unleash a deadly venomous breath capable of melting most things. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! CRAAASH! "Dammit, this fucking beast!" Lucifer was already on his limits, having battled so much today, he was growing exhausted, swinging his gigantic scythe, and slicing through the viper, only for its wounds to regenerate quickly and bite his arm back, poisoning him and causing his arm to slowly rot and melt away. "Careful, Lucifer!" Jonathan said, hitting the viper''s head with his sword and slicing arge chunk off its Demonite body, only for the wound to regenerate almost instantly. SLAAAASH! CRAASH! "SHAAAAH!" The Demonite Bone Chimera roared, opening its sharp jaws, and leaping towards Jonathan, with such a huge jaw, it could more than easily engulf Jonathanpletely. "[Divine Sunlight de Arts]: [Celestial de]!" Jonathan unleashed a powerful beam of light from his sword as he swung it in midair, the shing wave of holy light pierced the snake''s open jaws, slicing them open! SLAAAAASH! BAAAAM! The huge explosion provoked by his attack made the beast struggle in agony, its jaws dropped on the ground, but quickly turned into mist, the same substance all the other Demonite was turning when they were chipped off the monsters. However, this time, it struggled and felt pain! It screamed in agony and began twisting its worm-like body around, while its lower jaws took quite a while to fully regenerate. "Good timing!" Lucifer rushed in with his huge body, swinging his giant scythe once more and slicing the beast in two halves, shing it with his ws, and piercing it with his sharp tail. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! However, the beast, as it cried in agony, constantly regenerated. Amidst its own regeneration, it kicked Lucifer away and then fused back together, piercing his body with the tip of its own tail, imitating his movements! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "Urrgghhh¡­!" Lucifer was forcefully pushed back. His huge body falling over the ground, shaking the entire ce even more than before. The ceiling felt like it was just a few more shakes before it were to fully copse over everyone else, which might even cause the city above to copse alongside them. "Wait for me!" Tear stepped in the moment they were being overwhelmed yet again, the little Ice Giantess ne glowed brightly, as if Veredorr was with her in that very moment! She pointed her open palms at the struggling beast and unleashed a strong Divine Blizzard, which slowly started to freeze the beast from behind, almost to right below its head! "Now, whack it as much as you can!" With Maria''smands, Jonathan and Lucifer nodded, beginning to attack and sh the beast as Tear constantly froze it with her ice! N?v(el)B\\jnn At the same time, Partner, Emeraldine, and Fabian were attacking the Eagle and keeping it on ce, while Maria was slicing through the tiger''s limbs one after another as they regrew. They were all slowly getting through, with difficulty, as they saw the cores in front of them! They had to time this perfectly, deciding to leave Fabian to pierce the Eagle Core, and Tear to pierce the Snake Core, while the others kept restraining the beast, while shredding their ever-regenerating bodies. However, Maria was being overwhelmed, the Tiger was the strongest, containing endless regenerative power and the mightiest physical strength, she was being pushed back, slowly yet steadily, her magic was being broken off by the tiger''s miasmic magic and chaos aura¡­ "ROOOOAARRR!" "Shit! Dammit!" Maria roared, gathering all her strength, yet the tiger was about to push her down, killing the entire synchronization she would have with everyone else. Yet, in that very moment¡­! CRAAAASH! A gigantic, draconic figure emerged from the room right behind where they were, roaring furiously while emanating a dreadful aura. "Mamaaaaa!" "N-Nyx?!" ----- Chapter 840 Defeating The Menace Once And For All!

Chapter 840 Defeating The Menace Once And For All!

----- Right as Maria was struggling against the Tiger Demonite Bone Chimera Beast, Nyx emerged out of nowhere! And not only in a brand-new dragon form, but one that wasn''t the same as the one Maria had seen before, when the little girl had be a tiny ck dragon in the Time Stopped Domain she created to talk with Crystal onest time. Little Nyx had evolved, for sure, as Maria easily could sense her Aura erupting withrge quantities of Mana and even a hint of great Divinity! Her draconic appearance was different than the one she had taken by fusing with her Phantom Dragon Summons. She looked a bit like abination between her father Lucifer, and her biological mother, Crystal. A slim and refined body, yet as tall as thirty meters. With big, ck scales like her father, but that were shiny like crystals, like her mother. She had sharp silver-colored ws, and a long, spear-tipped tail, with two giant wings made of ck crystal. Her head was slim and small, not big, and gigantic like her father, looking more like her aunt in that regard. Her body was covered by ck mes and shadows, with arge veil made of phantasmal energy. However, it wasn''t as if she wasn''t the daughter of Maria in terms of appearances, her humanoid form already looked a lot like Maria! But her giant dragon form also had hair, a long-silvery-white hair that extended from her head all the way down to her long neck. Two pairs of sharp red eyes, beautiful like Maria''s, and a pair of wonderful ck horns decorated her head, it was the appearance of a Dragon that had never seen before! "Mamaaaaa!" With an adorable roar, Nyx broke through and helped Maria, rushing towards her, instinctively knowing she was in trouble, and kicking the Demonite Bone Chimera tiger with her giant legs! CLAAAASH! CLAAAASH! Two powerful kicks were more than enough to push the giant tiger down, breaking half its torso! Maria was surprised her daughter was so mighty now, she had surely evolved! "Nyx! You evolved?!" "I did, mama! Now let''s beat this baddie!" "Right¡­ okay!" Nyx expanded her Phantasmal Aura,bining it with her other Skills, as an army of almost a hundred Phantasmal Dragons emerged, helping Maria restrain the whole beast. "[Phantom Dragon Fusion]!" FLAAASH! However, that wasn''t all, as Nyx masterfully merged these Phantom Dragons, which her magic used as some sort of unique resource, and fused them into an incredibly strong Phantasmal Chains, wrapping around the beast. Such chains were surprisingly stronger than any of Maria''s Chain-like Spells, even her Darkness Tentacles were left behind in terms of restraining and sealing power. Of course, that''s it if she didn''t use her Chaos or Moonlight energy, but the former was already about to run out, and thetter wouldn''t work that well against a beast that already held chaos within. "GRUOOOHH! GRAAARRRGH!" The tiger struggled, but Nyx''s amazing magic and her strong, giant dragon body restrained the beast on ce, giving Maria the time to finally do as she nned! With Nyx''s help, Maria was able to restrain the beast as she chopped its ever-growing crystal body, finally reaching as deep as its red-colored core, and then, pointing her sword at it! "Now, everyone¡­ At the count of three!" Maria and everyone else were on the edge already, most of them too exhausted, having spent most of their energy in this exhausting battle! It was now¡­ or neve! "One¡­" "Two¡­!" Everyone''s weapons started moving, reaching the core slowly¡­ And then! "THREE!" CRAAAAASSSSH!!! All weapons pierced the Demonite Bone Chimera Monsters cores at once. Their entire bodies instantly crumbled apart, as if they were puppets that suddenly lost their strings. The cores shattered, everything suddenly ended! It felt surreal, after having battled so desperately, with their energies depleting constantly, they finally triumphed. Everyone, much like the beasts, dropped into the floor,pletely exhausted. Even the little Nyx looked very tired, and she had just arrived. "We even battled Divine Dragons back then¡­ Yet even then, it wasn''t as tiring as this! This monster was¡­ really something else." Maria sighed in relief. "Ah, right, the ceiling!" She didn''t had any time to rest, quickly taking over the Dungeon''s Core while she was at it, which was right behind this room, hidden, and then decided to imbue the Dungeon with her Mana. Using this Mana, she repaired the Dungeon quickly, until it was finally back to its former glory. The ceiling was even glowing a bit brightly, as if it was covered by gold. "Phew, finally done¡­" Ding! [You and your Party have in [Harbinger of Death: Akhenaton (S+++ Rank)] [Red Demonite Bone Chimera Tiger (S++ Rank)], [Purple Demonite Bone Chimera Snake (S++ Rank)], and [White Demonite Bone Chimera Eagle (S++ Rank)]!] [You earned 60.000.000 EXP!] [EXP]: [87.000.000/90.000.000] [You earned 25.000.000 System Points!] "Oh wow, I''m so close to Max Level!" Maria thought with a triumphant smile. She only needed 3 million more EXP to reach Max Level, something she had done already not so long ago when she evolved into her current form. Maria was already wondering what else she could evolve into after bing a literal ghost titan of moonlight. What else could be beyond that? But for now, that wasn''t really important. "Phew, is everyone alright? Nyx?" She asked, looking around. "Yes, we''re fine." Lucifer yawned. "I''m fine, mama! But what was that?" Nyx wondered. "The big boss we had to defeat." Maria yawned like Lucifer did. Jonathan slowly stood back up, stretching his tattered body. "That was more than I could had ever imagined¡­ But I''ve gained plenty of levels as well." "Me too!" Partner smiled. "Ah, the silence now feels a bit awkward after all the desperation¡­" "Don''t jynx it now, Partner." Emeraldine sighed in relief. "For now, we should- Ah, right, Fabian!" "Spectra¡­ And everyone else, are their souls here? I can''t see them!" Fabian cried, looking around. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Right, their souls." Maria nodded. "I can see them." Her eyes glowed bright red, as she was able to see the many wandering souls that were trapped within the Undead Monster that the Vampires had created. One that called her attention the most was the very soul of the Pharaoh¡­ ----- Chapter 841 A Meeting Of Souls

Chapter 841 A Meeting Of Souls

----- (Maria''s POV) I decided to help Fabian, as I had promised. I nced at the many souls, not only noticing the gigantic soul of the Pharaoh, but the dozens of other smaller souls, each one was rather strong, and could make powerful ghosts or undead. But for now, it wasn''t really the time to think about that, I had inspected the area and the children''s bodies were nowhere to be seen, all these sacrificed soulscked their physical bodies, and there wasn''t even their corpses to make them into zombies. Maybe bing ghosts is their only option, unless I could somehow built them new bodies based in their physical appearances they have in their minds, I could use the avable materials, and other undead to quickly create rather beautiful-looking bodies that would be hard to differentiate from living ones. That''s how far my Necromancy has advanced, considering how I can do this makes me think I could revive people, but at the end, even as "alive" as they look like, they''ll still be ssified as Undead¡­ Nheless, all of that is without considering how the souls would feel. If they don''t want to be an undead, then there''s very little I can do about that, I don''t want to force them, and I told that to Fabian beforehand. But for now, let''s gather his friends, I can sense them, their minds, their thoughts, the children wronged by fate¡­ "Come, all of you." FLAAASH! Their souls flew to my side, as if my words were a natural order they had to instinctively follow, they flew in front of me, a dozen of strong souls, slightly contaminated by the miasma and chaos of their former, monstrous vessel, therefore, they were quite strong souls. "You are in a daze, I can tell." I sighed, feeding them Mana slowly, as my Mana divided into dozens of rivers of light, reaching their bodies. "Feed on my Mana and wake up, your friend is here to meet you, after a long time, he hase to rescue you¡­ Even if it might be toote, he wanted to see you all onest time." The souls slowly took shape, resembling their former physical selves, the children looked around in confusion, but quickly guessed what had happened. Some started to cry as they realized they had died, others seemed to show no emotions. Among some of them, there was a girl with long white hair, pale-looking skin, and clear blue eyes, who quickly recognized Fabian. "Fabian!" "S-Spectra¡­" Her soul ran towards his side immediately hugging him, yet, because she was ethereal, she only ended passing through him. "Ah¡­" Spectra realized she was long dead, looking at herself, and falling to her knees. "S-Spectra¡­" Fabian moved to her side. "Everyone¡­ I''m sorry, I couldn''t protect you all¡­ I couldn''t do a single thing¡­ You''re all dead, and it''s my fault¡­" The other children''s souls that were not paying too much attention, quickly directed their gazes towards Fabian, finally recognizing him as they woke up from their daze. "Fabian, you came back for us¡­" "Even now?" "But how- Ah, these people?" "Are they friends?" "What happened?" They all gathered around him, all his beloved friends, which he had shared so many memories with them. Fabian couldn''t help but continue crying, seeing their faces, even as ethereal beings, brought him so much pain, as he was reminded of their deaths. Of how he could not do a single thing to save them¡­ to help them. He continued crying as Spectra gently touched his shoulder, she wasn''t physical, but he could sense her mana around his shoulder. "Don''t cry, it''s alright¡­" Spectra smiled gently. "You did what you could. We never expected you to do anything else than protect the kids." "I did my best to keep them safe¡­" Fabian cried. "I''m sorry, I couldn''t do anything else¡­ I wanted toe to help you so many times, but I knew it could be a trap from those red eyed bastards¡­ If only I was stronger, I could had¡­" "It''s alright, buddy." "Calm down, man!" "Yeah, you came and you set us free!" "It was really hell over there, I couldn''t keep living as a huge monster thing." N?v(el)B\\jnn "Thanks for being here with us, Fabian!" Both boys and girls thanked him, from all sizes and appearances, their gentle smiles and bright eyes made Fabian only more emotionally hurt. "Still¡­" He sighed. "I¡­ Ah! Maria here¡­ She said she can bring you back. Not as living beings though, she''s¡­ a Necromancer." "I can." I nodded. "I could rebuild you new bodies resembling your previous selves, they might even be much stronger than you were ever before¡­ But I cannot revive you, I''m sorry¡­ You would still be Undead, without hunger, without beating hearts, and cold." "¡­" The children looked at one another, some seemed to be up for the task, others¡­ not so much. In fact, the majority seemed to not like the idea. They wanted to peacefully pass away. "After everything that I''ve gone through, to live again¡­ What a pain¡­" "Mom and dad are not alive, so I¡­ I want to go back with them, whenever they are¡­" "My little sister died too¡­ I don''t want to leave her alone." "Sorry, Fabian¡­" "I-It''s fine¡­ It''s your right to decide by yourselves." Fabian smiled painfully. However, there were a few that stayed, as the others walked away, and they were Fabian''s best friends. "Hey, don''t look so down now! We''re staying!" Spectra smiled brightly. "Come on dude, what with that face of yours? Cheer up a bit!" Laughed a purple haired boy. "I-I want to stay with Fabian¡­" Said a little boy with blue hair. "A-Are you okay with that? Even if we''re dead¡­" "Even if we''re ghost or whatever, we''re friends forever, right? Like you said back then!" Another boy said, much taller, taller than all other kids, with brown skin and short ck hair. "Everyone¡­ Spectra, Nick, Beery, Garon!" Fabian started crying, as his friends hugged him with their ethereal souls. "Looks like it is decided." I smiled. "Those that want to pass away,e with me. Emeraldine, Jonathan, can you help me? Also, among the others here, do you want to pass away or be Undead?" I asked at the rest of the wandering souls, as many more came rushing towards me, more than I expected¡­ ----- Chapter 842 Creation Of Death

Chapter 842 Creation Of Death

----- Thanks to Emeraldine and Jonathan''s Holy Light Spells and Magic, the souls were able to safely pass away, slowly flying into the skies beneath the sun''s light, however, a bunch stayed with me, deciding to stick around like other Undead usually just want to serve me. Among them, there was the Pharaoh, Akhenaton. His human-like form was surprisingly handsome, no longer looking like a wicked ck skeleton, his phantasmal appearance looked like an Egyptian pharaoh, brown skin, shaded brown eyes, long ck hair, his body decorated with gold and red jewels, tall and muscr, with a dignified appearance. "So anyways, we''ve got a lot to talk! Akhenaton, right?" "Yes, that used to be my name, but you may call me however you desire now, my Summoner." "Well I''ll just keep calling you like that then¡­ So anyways, why did you decided to join us?" "I heard what you talked while we fought, in my monstrous form, I heard about your desires to defeat the Gods, those damned bastards¡­ that destroyed my Kingdom and took everything away from me¡­" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Well yeah, they hate me too, and we''ve already fought their forces a bit¡­ We''ve triumphed, but I don''t know what else they are nning to do. Hence, I want to grow as strong as possible to kick their asses." "Heh, I like your attitude, a bitcking in manners, but to the point." Heughed. "I used to excel as a powerful ck Magician, as I treaded into the arts of curses and poisons, I was feared as the Death Bringer by many, but my people knew well I was a benevolent ruler, but I was merciless to my enemies. You may turn me in whatever you want, but something that could be good at magic might be rmended." "How about a Lich? I have yet to raise a proper one yet." I rubbed my chin; we were currently walking around the Ruby Pce''s castle. The big feast celebration was still going outside, and it was already night, with the stars illuminating the clear and beautiful night sky. "A Lich sounds fitting." He nodded. "My skeleton has been defiled and destroyed, sadly¡­" "I''ll use some of the mummies avable as materials, are you okay with that?" I asked. "The bodies of my fallen brethren¡­ Well, if that''s possible, then I would dly ept, even after death, I suppose they might be eager to help their ruler." He said pridefully. He was indeed quite the guy¡­ We gathered with him and the souls of Fabian''s friends, whom I decided to give new bodies, the other souls weren''t eager, so I might use them to raise new Undead once stronger bodies be avable. I had already considered turning the Giant Sandworms we caught into Undead to easily traverse the desert. "Alright everyone, are you ready? Just stand still while I do my work." I said, the ghosts quickly lined up as I took out the materials. Using a variety of Skills, from Undead Transfiguration to Shadow Threads, to Synthesis, and even other Alchemy Skills, adding on top of that my Shadow Sculptor Subss Abilities, I started working. I created new skeleton replicas based on the ghost''s specifications and the memories they had of their own appearances, crafted their muscles off a mix of many monsters muscles I maintained inside my Inventory, added new organs, skin tissue, molded, and put it all together, and of course, I added Cores. They were very important for Undead, most Undead had them inside, they were their true "hearts" and allowed them to move, conjure magic, and continue growing stronger, much faster than those thatcked one. The process was rather swift as I made what I had in my mind into reality, replicas of everyone''s body made withpletely unrted materials were made rather fast. And as for the Pharaoh, I decided to go for a ssic skeleton lich, he didn''t mind at all. "Alright now, possess these bodies and then I''ll fuse your souls with the bodies, so the connection feels much stronger and deeper." Everyone nodded, doing as I told them. They possessed the bodies, stood up, and then I used my Soul Connection Spell to fuse them into their new bodies. The process was really swift, and my Undead Transfiguration Skill ended leveling up quite a lot more than I expected¡­ Ding! [Because you''ve created intricately crafted and powerful Undead, your Skill Proficiency over the Arts of Necromancy have progressed greatly.] [Your [Transfiguration of Death: Lv8] Skill has Leveled up Twice!] [The [Transfiguration of Death: Lv10] Skill has evolved into the [Creation of Death: Lv1] Skill!] [The Skill has evolved into a Unique Skill that only you possess! It has been added to your Characteristic Skills List instead of Magic Skills.] Oh wow, would you look at this! We''ve done some progress, finally! Wait, did I really just had to craft some Undead bodies to get two more levels?! I thought I had hit some wall that asked me to make millions of Undead or something, but I just needed to do that?! Huh, well, anyways, let''s check it out. ----- [Creation of Death: Lv1] You''re the Embodiment of Death. As you''ve be the Embodiment of Death, you can create replicas of your own existence, and Create Undead, that can reach some simrity, but cannot grasp the true meaning of your existence, forever only being copies of you. Grants the Ability to Create all sorts of Undead-type Monsters. As long as there''s a Soul and some Materials, you can create anything you can imagine as long as materials and mana is avable. Through the powers of your Soul Grimoire of Necromancy, specific and special Undead Recipes can be unlocked and acquired. Enhances the Stats of Undead Created, their Skill Powers, their Mana Conductivity, and their Latent Potential by +300%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Decreases the Mana Consumption and other Special Resources needed for the Creation of Undead by -20%, with an additional -3% with each Skill Level. All Undead Stats will increase by an +100%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level whenever they''re fighting or working for their master''s goals. Undead will gain Special Titles and Skills based on their Innate Potential and Materials Used. All Undead will always remain loyal to their Creator, no matter what. ----- It was an insane Skill! ----- Chapter 843 Reviving Fabian’s Friends

Chapter 843 Reviving Fabian''s Friends

----- The moment I rose the Undead, my Soul Grimoire emerged in front of me, looking more diabolical than ever as it had beautiful bone decorations, and even an evil-looking red eye on top of it. Its pages opened and flickered by the wind, engraving new knowledge and runes within. Ding! [Your Soul Grimoire has activated! Materials have been used to create Powerful New Undead!] [To create all five of the new and powerful Undead, you have paid 4.000.000 System Points.] [You have created the [Abyssal Death Chimera Demon: Specter: Spectra (C+ Rank)], [Spectra] received the [Phantasmal Child] and [Spectral Lady] Titles!] [You have created the [Abyssal Death Chimera Demon: Fire Djinn: Nick (C+ Rank)], [Nick] received the [Fire Djinn Child] and [zing Little Warrior] Titles!] [You have created the [Abyssal Death Chimera Demon: Gnome: Beery (C+ Rank)], [Beery] received the [Gnome Child] and [Earth''s Blessed] Titles!] [You have created the [Abyssal Death Chimera Demon: Earth Giant: Garon (C+ Rank)], [Garon] received the [Earth Giant Child] and [Little Titan] Titles!] [You have created the [Curse Casting Ancient Lich Pharaoh: Akhenaton (A Rank)], [Akhenaton] received the [Curse Casting Warlock] and [Abyssal Curse Creator] Titles!] [The new Created Undead have been saved within the [Soul Grimoire]!] The System Point cost was surprisingly high due to theirplexity and incredible amount of Talent though, I could had chosen not to spend the points, and make them weaker, but I wanted to spend some of these points, honestly I might have too many so I didn''t really care. The results were incredible! I was able to create a new race of "undead people" called Abyssal Death Chimera Demons, which coulde in a variety of "sub-races" from Specter, Fire Djinn, Gnome, or Earth Giant. All of these went well with the children''s soul capabilities and talents, and also were very close to their original appearances, if not looking even fresher and stronger than when they were alive. And as for the Pharaoh himself, he became a ck-colored skeleton lich, covered on pharaoh get-up I got from his remains, he looked quite stylish with his staff, golden essories, and other things. "Hmm, excellent, this was what I was waiting for!" Laughed Akhenaton. "I shall now use this power to aid my master into ying the damned Gods! Bwahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!" He was going nuts! Well, to be expected of an Undead so resentful as Akhenaton, we could tell how much he hated the Gods through our fight. "Uwaah! I can''t believe it! It was THAT easy?! No way!" Spectra was amazed. "My body is all back! It doesn''t even feel like I was once dead! Oh nice, even my Phantasmal Powers are possible with this physical form!" "I feel much stronger than before too¡­" Beery said. "Oh, what is this sparkly magic thing in my hands?! nts areing out of it!" "My mes seem stronger than ever!" Nick celebrated, conjuring fireballs, and making them float around him. "I''m as tall as I remember, and my muscles look even more reinforced, this is just in awesome!" Celebrated Garon. "You guys are finally back!" Fabian cried, running to greet and hug his friends. They were all really happy they could hug one another again. Spectra even gave him a big kiss on his cheek, making Fabian immediately turn as red as a tomato in embarrassment. "Those children seem promising." The Pharaoh said. "It seems their wills to fight are stronger than their desire to pass out into the afterlife. We might not be so different from one another; I can tell they also want their revenge against their perpetrators." "Indeed." I nodded. "So, anyways, let''s go eat for now! Akhenaton, you better tell us a bit more of the past too! Like what happened with you and everything." "My mind has be much clearer now with a body to sustain my soul, so certainly, I shall tell you the tragic tale of my past." He sighed, although he seemed rather excited about telling us about it. As we walked outside the room that Sanctus II had left for us to do all this, I was greeted by the rest of my friends and family, little Nyx came flying to my side, hugging me tightly. "Mama! There''s a huge feast, let''s go eat with everyone else!" She said excitedly, wagging her tail around. My little girl had developed a lot since she hatched! I almost feel a bit nostalgic whenever I think about how much she had grown¡­ She talks much more fluently now, and can fight on her own, she even evolved into an awesome new dragon. ----- [Name]: [Nyx Luna] [Status]: [Happy] [Hungry] [Race]: [Five-Eyed Abyssal Ghost Dragon Princess: Ahi Vritra] [Level]: [18/80] [Rank]: [A+++] [HP]: [290.000/290.000] [MP]: [350.000/350.000] [Attack]: [275.000] [Defense]: [275.000] [Magic]: [300.000] [Agility]: [285.000] [Aether]: [150] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv8] [Abyssal Dragon Body: Lv10] [Supernatural Senses: Lv8] [Poisonous Scales: Lv8] [Ancient Dragon Heart: Lv--] [Morph: Lv--] [Shapeshift: Lv6] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv7] [Hardened Dragon Scales: Lv8] [Ancient Death Dragon Domain: Lv8] [Little Gluttony: Lv6] [True Dragon Form: Lv5] [Lesser Divinity: Dragon Phantasm: Lv1] [Divine Phantasmal Dragon Body: Lv1] [Ahi Vritra Embodiment: Lv1] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv8] [All Element Resistance: Lv8] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv7] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv6] [Chaos Absorption: Lv1] [Physical Skills]: [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv9] [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv8] [Abyssal Chaos Breath: Lv8] [Phantasmal Death ws: Lv7] [Venomous Dragon Scale Powder: Lv7] [Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception: Lv5] [Fifth Draconic Eye of Phantom Control: Lv1] [Obsidian Demonite Crystal Scale Armor: Lv1] [Void Piercing Spear Tail: Lv1] [Magical Skills]: [Greater Curse: Lv8] [Life Absorption: Lv9] [Spectral Phantasmal re: Lv1] [Abyssal Dark Star: Lv1] [Mana Mastery: Lv8] [Ancient Dragon''s Aura: Lv8] [Void Shadow Spear: Lv1] [Blood Feast: Lv8] [Soul Devourer: Lv7] [Spear of Death: Lv8] [Summon Phantom Dragon Familiar: Lv7] [Fake Life: Lv5] [Shadow Sneak: Lv5] [Phantasmal Dragon Fusion: Lv5] [Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic: Lv1] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv7] [Undead Healing: Lv7] [Summon: Lv6] [Spirit Summon: Lv5] [Materialization: Lv6] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv8] [Draconic Phantom Boost: Lv1] [Title Skills]: [Daughter of the Apostle of Death: Lv6] [Little Dragon Princess Of Death and Darkness: Lv6] [Chaos Bringer: Lv6] [Lesser Cmity: Lv6] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv6] [Tail Biter: Lv8] [Dragon yer: Lv4] [gue yer: Lv5] [Little Devil: Lv7] [Fish yer: Lv4] [Amphibian yer: Lv4] [Undead yer: Lv6] [Ahi Vritra: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [??? Divine Protection] ----- Her Stats had increased by a lot, and she gained a lot of new Skills too! She even evolved some of her older Skills into much stronger and more amazing Skills too! I noticed her Stats were growing rather evenly as well, and after ncing at her Growth, she gains +5k to all stats¡­ with each Level! That''s more than all of us, no?! Only I have a higher growth in MP with 10k and Magic with 8k¡­ But she wins over everyone else. Her stats might be lower than any of for now, but she might caught up really soon with those stat growths. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I find it funny her Tail Biter Title has been progressively leveling up too¡­ Oh, and who is the question mark divine protection? It kind of makes me feel a bit concerned that they don''t want to reveal their identity¡­ ----- Chapter 844 Finally Taking A Slight Break Chapter 844 Finally Taking A Slight Break ----- After checking my daughter''s status, I felt slightly proud, she was really OP! It made me rather happy, to say the least. She hadbined both my powers and those of Lucifer and Crystal, and on top of that, she was also a Little Cmity, further boosting her power. After checking her Status, I was greeted by everyone else, who were looking for me for a while, seeing as I was with several new Undead, they were wondering what had urred. "Hey, who are the newbies?" Wondered Partner. "Looks like more Undead." Emeraldine noticed. "Even more?!" Lucifer was tired of them... "Haha, well, the more the merrier, as they say!" Jonathan was trying his best to act cool about it. "Veredorr was also an Undead¡­" Tear sighed, caressing her ne. "I just raised them as Undead, this is the pharaoh, and these kids are Fabian''s friends." I introduced them to the rest of my party. "I guess I didn''t exined things too much about what happened to them, how about we talk about this, and also about the Pharaoh''s past while we join the feast with Sanctus II?" "Alright!" Partner nodded immediately. "I''m honestly starving!" "You always are starving, you never change." Laughed Catarina, who was apanying them. "Since I know you that you''ve never been satiated, haven''t you?" "Huh? Wanna pick a fight or something?" Asked Partner angrily. "You''re a much lesser Vampiress than me so you should be more respectful to me, humph!" "Seriously, this girl¡­" Laughed Catarina. "Catarina¡­ Was Partner your boss back then?" Asked little Silva, who had leveled up a lot after she, Catarina, the twins, and Nyx defeated the Chimera. "Oh no, I was her boss." Catarina lied whileughing. "Oi! What are you talking about?! She''s lying, Silva! I''ve never served her stupid ass!" Partner was furious, but at the same time, she was really funny when she gets angry. "Auntie Partner always gets easily teased." Takeshiughed. "Now that Catarina is here they''ll be bickering all day." "I missed this small dynamic a bit." Giggled Laura. "Sigh, Partner, stop screaing so loudly, for everything that is sacred!" Lucifer facepalmed. "Shut it, you emo dragon!" Partner crossed her arms. "Hey! Don''t call papa like that! Auntie Parnter, I don''t like you anymore!" Nyx said angrily, pouting. Partner instantly changed her expression the moment Nyx spoke those words. "E-Eh? Nyx! S-Sorry! I didn''t mean it!" However, Nyx ignored her, crossing her arms and pouting angrily, furrowing her cute eyebrows! She was totally not paying attention to her auntie! "Hahaha! You guys are so hrious, there''s never a second of fun with everyone around." I smiled,ughing. Honestly speaking, I love my party''s banter, its what makes my life as a depressing undead all lively and fun. Without them around me, quite honestly, I would had never gotten this far. "See? We made thedyugh." Catarina smiled. "Don''t get so angry now, Partner." "Ugh, shut up." Partner sighed, crossing her arms. "Nyx! Please don''t get angry with meeee!" "Rarr!" Nyx showed Partner her little fangs! Things got serious out of the blue. "Eep!" Partner hid behind me. "Mariaaa¡­ she hates me now!" "Sigh, the don''t disrespect her father!" I gave her a little karate chop in the head. BONK! "Ouch¡­ I guess I deserved that." She sighed. "Sorry, Lucifer¡­ I won''t call you a stupid, idiot, emo dragon ever again¡­" "You just made it worse, but fine, whatever¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Come on now, let''s get along!" Emeraldine smiled radiantly. "We''ve been through a lot together, let''s not fight, we''re all family here." "Yeah, yeah, I guess that''s how we are, it''s not that we hate each other anymore." Lucifer smiled. "Yeah, what he said!" Partner nodded. "It''s just what we are¡­ He''s a dumb lizard sometimes- Oops, I mean, an intelligent¡­ scaled fellow." "Hmph¡­" Nyx said, squinting her eyes. "I may forgive auntie Partner if she relinquishes her meat to me¡­" "E-Eh?! But I''ll starve!" Partner was about to die inside. "Then a part of it¡­" Nyx smiled deviously. "Okay¡­" Partner sighed, defeated. "Yaaay!" Nyx raised her hands triumphantly. They were quite indeed the goofy goobers. "Is this how your party talks all the time?" The Pharaoh wondered behind me. "Yes, get used to them, or well, you can just get inside my shadows." I shrugged. "I might do that once we''re done talking about my past¡­" He wasn''t the talkative type, I see. "Wee!" Sanctus II greeted us. "Come and join the Royal Feast! I''ve invited a lot of my political allies that were also in the jails down below, let''s have a nice feast together!" "Thanks for the hospitality, Sanctus Second~" I giggled, as we sat down to enjoy the feast. The atmosphere was warm and entertaining, there were even musicians around, the food was abundant, mostly fruits and veggies, but we added our own meat we''ve had saved, and the chefs made a variety of amazing preparations. What I loved the most was the Curry and Rice they had here! Yes, the Goldsand Confederation is rather famous for their Curry Spices, Rice, and other grains, so the food was filled with new and exotic tastes. "S-So this Lich right here is the Pharaoh? And the Vampires had him? So the Dungeon down below¡­" Said Sanctus II in disbelief. "You cleared it?!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yep, I conquered it and made the dungeon mine too, so the monsters will be regted easily." I nodded. "You don''t have to worry about this Dungeon any longer." "Wow¡­ Well, thanks a lot for that!" Said Sanctus II in surprise. "A-Anyways, sir, you said you''re the Ancient Pharaoh of the Gerophyteles? I remember hearing they were the tribe of people that existed in the Goldsand Desert before we arrived here from the farthernds of the north¡­" "Indeed¡­" The ck skeleton nodded, with a dry and coarse voice, his presence made more than a few weaker politicians tremble. "I am the ancient pharaoh of such a huge civilization¡­ Our demise was meet when we decided to defy the Gods, and used the Ancient Magics and Relics they had left behind¡­" ----- Chapter 845 The Scepter of Radiance Chapter 845 The Scepter of Radiance ----- "We were once a prosperous Kingdom, that ruled over the Endless Sea of Sand with our great magical talent and magical artifacts." The pharaoh spoke. "Until we came across what sealed the fate of my people, the Ancient Relic known as the Scepter of Radiance, one of the Ancient Relics left behind by the God of Radiance and Sunlight, Baldr, one of Odin''s sons." "The Scepter of Radiance?!" Sanctus II asked. "I have heard about that treasure before¡­ There are legends saying that it once was held in this city, but was given to someone else¡­ A ruler from one of the confederation cities." "The God''s Relics are dangerous items, they hold the divinity of the gods, usually, they''re left behind in our worlds sealed within dungeons." Sighed the Pharaoh. "We foolishly thought it was a gift from the gods themselves, and used the scepter for our own selfish means, utilizing its endless energy to createrger andrger magical artifacts. Our aim was the skies and the High Heavens, to reach Asgard, the Land of the Gods, and visit them! s¡­ such dreams were foolish." "It just happened one day, as ourtest project, the Divine Star Carriage, arge magical artifact we were designing to travel across the stars was about to be finished. Light descended from the skies. A ray of judgement destroyed everything. My people¡­ instantly vaporized. There were no screams, only a blinding light." "Those that survived, including me, had done by escaping the surface and digging underground. The light was kept there, and would instantly burn anybody that moved to the surface into ashes¡­" "At the end, our divine carriage could never be finished, and we were forced to do the least thing imaginable. Utilizing my subjects magic and life force, they sacrificed themselves to seal me within the pyramid''s depths. However, it seemed that such a thing did not work as intended. The sealing failed, and the life of my subjects was sacrifice for nothing, as my body slowly decayed, and I became an undead instead of remaining in a state of hibernation." "And so¡­ wee here now, after having been controlled by those Vampires, as you call them, we are here¡­ Now that I''ve been given a second chance thanks to the sacrifices of my subjects and master''s benevolence, I wish to finish the Divine Star Carriage and reach Asgard, so I can make those Gods pay for taking away everything precious to me. I know it''s selfish, some might think it was a deserved punishment for taking the Scepter¡­ But I like to think that others would agree with me." "It reminds me of what happened to me¡­" Tear sighed. "Though I was the one controlled by the Crown. It is strange how those gods left those relics behind and then me us for taking them. Shouldn''t they had simply destroyed them in that case?" "Well, they are not really that smart to begin with." I sighed. "And above all, they seem to see mortals as nothing but little ants, its natural in a way, but at the same time, rather wicked. I don''t know much yet, but I do know that since their conception by the Yggdrasil Tree that the Gods had been waging wars for supremacy, Odin is the most selfish and greedy of all the Gods. He battled Ymir and the Titans to reim the world for themselves, and by doing so, it ended splitting apart and merging together into what it is now. Now, he''s going after Hel, Loki, and everyone else standing on his way. He might be aiming to attain something greater through the Evil God Fragments, and that might also be the reason why the Empire of Light is using the fragments to such an extent." "The Evil God¡­ Odin¡­ Ugh, this conversation quickly became very overwhelming. Are you guys really¡­ into that sort of thing? Ah, well, you''re our saviors but¡­" Sanctus II was rather nervous. "Don''t worry, we will not bring the war against the Gods to thesends." Lucifer sighed, crossing his arms. "Don''t worry about a thing, foolish human. We''ll be leaving soon, probably to never return." "Ugh, do you have to be so edgy about it?" I facepalmed. "We might return sometimes to trade materials and spices! But yeah, what he said¡­ Don''t worry." "Phew¡­" Several of the nobles present in the conversation, who were just as overwhelmed by the entire chat sighed in relief. Once we finished our big meal, we moved our conversation to a more private area, knowing that Sanctus II and the rest of the nobles didn''t wanted to dip their toes into such a terrific subject, that might get them divinely punished.N?v(el)B\\jnn "So we''ve learned a few things at least, that Scepter is pretty strong, and it could be distributed in the other two cities within Goldsand." I said. "The other thing is¡­ This Divine Star Carriage thing, is it like a spaceship type of thing? Maybe we could use to get to Asgard, because I doubt we''ll easily get into the skies without getting bolted a thousand times." "Certainly." Laughed Akhenaton. "From what I remember, we were developing the Carriage within our second and third pyramids, far away from here. It seems that the people that came to the deserts after our fall made their cities around our pyramids, or above them, without realizing it. It must be because our Water-producing Magic Artifacts must have created Oasis, and the Dungeon that our Pyramids became provide with Magic Stones and Monster Materials, which seems to be what drives these cities to some sort of prosperity¡­" "Kind of." Catarina shrugged. "It''s better than¡­ nothing at all, but not really good either. There''s a lot of corruption. Thankfully, I hope things can be better now in here with Sanctus II." "He better be, or we''lle here to dethrone him once more!" Iughed rather evilly. "Maybe we''ll get Sanctus III by then¡­" I squinted my eyes. "Enough tomfoolery for today¡­" Lucifer sighed. "I''ve grown rather tired of this ce, should we move on now that we''ve found what we were looking for?" "You''re so hasty¡­ But you''re right, let''s depart tomorrow morning." I nodded. ----- Chapter 846 The Divine Star Carriage

Chapter 846 The Divine Star Carriage

----- As we decided to move on to our next stop, the second city of Goldsand, Sapphire Temple, a city ruled by the Church of the Water Goddess, which has a rather tight grasp on Ruby Pce, we continued talking in private. "Excuse me, Akhenaton¡­" Jonathan asked. "I¡­ I don''t know if you''re aware, but I am a "chosen hero", a human given a Blessing from a young age. I was given the blessing of Baldr when I was a child. And since then, I''ve always believed he was at least better than his father Odin. But¡­ is this true? Did Baldr really do this to you?" "We don''t know if it was exactly him, but the Scepter belonged to this God, and he is known as a God of Brilliance and the Sun. That brilliant re light that consumed it all¡­ It couldn''t had been anybody else. I doubt it was Odin, as the King of Gods, he wouldn''t juste down to punish us, he would probably believe we are not even worth his time." Shrugged Akhenaton. "But it remains a mystery. If we ever find the Scepter, we could learn exactly who it was, if that god decides to attempt to punish us again for holding his treasure." "I see¡­" Jonathan sighed. "Well, at this point I should just stop thinking about it too hard. Although, even after betraying the church, I have not lost my powers, which feels strange. Could it be that their blessings cannot be taken away once given?" "Maybe." I shrugged. "Or maybe Baldr still considers you worthy¡­ We don''t really know. Though, at this point it must be really hard to take away the blessing because you''ve grown so powerful, your level is high and most of your skills are very high level too. Isn''t it?" "Y-Yeah, right¡­" Jonathan sighed. "I just have this weird paranoia where I might get my powers taken away from me at any time." "Divine Blessings are not just some sort of piece of equipment that can be easily taken away from you. A god gifts you a piece of their soul, boosting your power, talent, and growth speed." Exined Akhenaton. "At first, it might be easier for them to take it back, but as you be stronger, it should be almost impossible, unless theye for it personally, or send a Divine Spirit to kill you and retrieve their Fragment." "You sure know a lot¡­" Partnerughed. "How did you knew all of that?" "We used to have those like Jonathan in our kingdom. Blessed ones, we named them Champions. There was the Champion of Water, the Champion of Light, and the Champion of Sun. But their appearances were brief amongst our history." Akhenaton exined. "Now, it seems they have once more appeared in other areas of the continent, I see." "About Divine Spirits, do you know what they are?" I wondered. "They''re special beings, Spirits created by gods to carry their will, my kingdom, in more ancient ages, were visited by them, oftentimes bringing news from the gods themselves. Other times, they came to seal away an Evil God Fragment. They''re silent and cryptic¡­" The Pharaoh said. "That''s all I know." "Well, we fought and killed one, that was serving Thor¡­" Iughed. "He wasn''t that much of a big deal though, once I evolved to my current state, I squashed him like a bug." "Impressive!" Akhenaton seemed rather fascinated by the tale. "Could I learn more about how you did it?" Like that, we spent the rest of the day talking about many things. We learned a few more things about his kingdom, and about his people. And how it could be that some of the descendants of his people could quite possibly be the citizens of Goldsand now. At the next morning, after having a hearty breakfast and leaving a lot of trees to produce fruit for the people as a new sustainable method to generate food for their poption, we decided to depart. Fabian and his friends had already decided toe along with us, and Catarina as well. Although she was free to go wherever she wanted, she decided to stick around and see this to the end. "Thank you for everything, I hope we can meet again, Lady Maria." Sanctus II smiled, bowing his head to us. "Sure, we''lle check things out from time to time." I smiled, waving my hand. Lucifer was already on his gigantic dragon form, spreading out his huge ck wings, and setting into flight. "Bye-bye!" Little Nyx said, waving her tiny hand. "I guess this might be thest time I see Ruby Pce." Fabian sighed. "Once we''re done with this mission, we''ll go to Lady Maria''s vige." Silently admiring the city as we slowly departed higher and higher into the skies. "Oh, is that so?" Spectra wondered. "Sounds interesting, I guess. I am not going to miss the desert''s sunlight at all though!" "Ugh, I heard it''s a bit cold over there, is it? I don''t know if that''ll be a good thing¡­ Wee from the desert and all after all, guys!" Said Nick. "We''ll freeze even harder!" "Aren''t we like, freeze-proof now with our new bodies?" Beery wondered. "I think we''ll be fine, Nick!" N?v(el)B\\jnn "Hmm, it will be fun to set into faraway, and distantnds we''ve never seen before." Garon smiled into the distance. "Let''s make sure to help Lady Maria as much as we can!" "Eh? Ah, sure." Nick said, he didn''t seemed to be that willing. "Don''t worry guys, it''s not like I want you to work for me or anything, just stick around for the adventure." I shrugged. "Don''t feel forced to do anything that you don''t want to do." "Well, thanks for theforting words." Fabian sighed. "Ah, and Silva¡­" "Hm?" Silva wondered, tilting her head. "Sorry about being rude to you back then again¡­ I know I''ve said this a few times already but¡­ Sorry." Fabian sighed. "I wasn''t right in the mind back then, so much stress and hunger¡­ I¡­" "It''s fine!" Silva smiled gently. "We''re all friends now, right, Fabian?" "Silva¡­" Fabian sighed, giving the littlemb-like girl a few head pats. "Yeah, I would happily be your friend!" With such adorable words, we set off to our next destination, Sapphire Temple, where the Second Pyramid was located, and where one of the Parts of the Divine Star Carriage were sealed. And of course, to try to look for my little brother¡­ ----- Chapter 847 The Oasis City Where Water Costs 1 Silver Coin Chapter 847 The Oasis City Where Water Costs 1 Silver Coin ----- A tall and beautiful woman with a voluptuous and seductive body nced at therge lines of filthymoners that gathered around the Church of Springs. Her long blue hair waved by the wind, as her sharp sapphire-colored eyes looked at these people as if they were mere insects. Wearing a series of white robes wrapped around her body, alongside dozens of golden essories, rings, nes, and wristbands, she smiled, while drinking some fine wine. "Another day, another bunch of uselessmoners crying for water." She sighed. "Wouldn''t it be about time our Goddess got rid of so much filth, I wonder?" The people of Sapphire Temple gathered in front of thergest building in the city, the Temple of Springs to ask for water every day. This was because the Church of the Goddess of Water has been regting the water from the Oasis ever since thest Lord was dethroned by the church itself. Back then, people could get water from many wells, but now, the wells had beenpletely dried, and everyone had toe ask for water to the church itself, who closed all ways to get to the Oasis, tightly guarding the ce with many guards and high-level pdins. Of course, it was quite clear it was all a plot by the nobility, who had grown just as corrupted as the church. They happily gave water to anybody that came asking for it, yes¡­ For a price, that''s it. "Please, my child hasn''t drank water in many days! Her head hurts and her lips are all dry! Please spare some water¡­!" "Sorry, ma''am, but a cup of water is one silver coin." "I-I don''t have that much money! Nobody here does!" "Get her out of here." The blue-robbed priestess quickly called a Sapphire Pdin, as a tall, muscr man wearing blue armor stepped in, grabbing the famished woman away and throwing her into the streets. BAAM! "Agh¡­! M-My arm¡­! You''re all so awful¡­ Sniff¡­ Why are you asking for money?! The oasis is said to be a gift of the goddess! It never dries out thanks to her magic! Why are you keeping it all for yourselves?!" The woman screamed, only for the pdin to re at her with eyes filled with disgust. "The gift of the goddess is, naturally, for those she favors. Filthymoners that have done nothing but be a nuisance to nobility and the church have no rights to the water. Earn your right to drink or die. Next time, I won''t go easy on you." The man walked away after saying those colds words, the woman felt defeated, yet nobody came to her help. She slowly stood back up, running back to her house to find her child famished, with dried lips, and barely breathing. She has been feeding him whatever liquid she has found, but even now, they could barely afford some dried, stale bread she was paid for her work in the fields, or the grasses she often ate, which had a bit of water in them.N?v(el)B\\jnn Fruits and the like were too rare and expensive¡­ So people often drank blood from animals or giant bugs, though that only got them sick most of the time, and it was ast resort thing. "D-Don''t worry dear, I will give you something to drink¡­ Mama will not¡­ give up on you." As the woman said those words, a few tears flowed from her eyes, which she gathered with a spoon and feed them to her child silently. Around the church, the people kept bringing whatever pennies they had, being given a cup of water, half a cute, or somethings a few cups if they had a bit more wealth. The money kepting every day, the priests and pdins smiled, and the Saintess looked from afar, atop her Temple. "Give us water!" "Water is a right! You can''t just not give us! Stop this!" "We all work hard here to drink!" "We''re dying! Please help us!" "W-We don''t have any money¡­" "Someone, please- Urgh!" Of course, there were always protestants that would try to get water brute force. Those people would be dealt by the Pdins, who kicked them, punched them, and dragged them away. This was a sight of almost every day, some found it rather unsightly, yet others were finding some amusement to it, especially the Priests. Knock, knock! Suddenly, the doors leading to the room of the blue-haired beauty were gently knocked by someone. "Saintess Emilia." The voice of an old man came through. "Yes? You cane in." Creaak¡­ The door opened to reveal a tired-looking white-haired man, wearing rather good-looking clothes, brown-skinned, and with emerald eyes. "Oh, but if isn''t the Ex-Lord, Sir? Is there something you need?" The blue haired woman smiled back at him almost mockingly. "Please stop this¡­ I am imploring you!" The man got himself on his knees, asking with all his soul for her to stop. "Stop what?" "Please stop asking themoners for money in exchange of Water! Let the wells be filled again! The water of the Oasis is endless! You know that! So why are you denying them a gift that everyone can get?!" "Sigh¡­ So it was that what you were asking about. Once again, Ex-Lord, you see¡­" Emilia slowly walked towards the pitiful man, gently lifting his chin. "The water is a blessing of the goddess, and the goddess told me to not give it to filthymoners without a price. This money goes directly to the maintenance of the city and the church. Even the nobles get a share." Sheughed. "Why should I disobey her orders, which benefit us all for a better future?" "It''s inhumane¡­ The goddess would never ask such a thing!" The Ex-Lord cried. "So annoying. You squirm like a rat and speak like an insect, are you really nobility?" The Saintessughed, kicking the man''s face. BAAAM! "Urrgh¡­!" The man pathetically rolled over the floor, bleeding from his nose, despite looking so gorgeous and delicate, the woman''s Strength Stat was enough to crush his skull into pieces if she wanted, yet she was quite gentle with that kick. "Go away, before I call the Pdins. And they won''t be so gentle¡­ Remember our deal. If you try this again, your family will pay for it." The Saintess said. "Got it~?" And then, she gave him a gentle smile, filled with sarcasm. ----- Chapter 848 Arriving At Sapphire Temple

Chapter 848 Arriving At Sapphire Temple

----- After half a day of flying across the skies, at the distance, we were able to see arge city, surrounded by huge walls made of stone. It seemed rather simr to the Ruby Pce city, but one key difference is that itcked a huge pce where the Lord lived, and instead had an enormous temple, built using blue colored stones. It must be the Temple of the Goddess of Water, where the church operates. I doubt the church is going to be anything by friendly, and they might be already in cahoots with Vampires for all I know. But our first mission there is to investigate things. In Ruby Pce things were easier because we happened to find those kids, which pretty much helped us learn everything, but we don''t know if there''s the same thing in this ce. "Alright Akhenaton, get inside my shadow for now." "Very well, Master." The Pharaoh instantly merged into my shadows to hide from the public. A huge skeleton like him was bound to bring attention. Fabian and his friends looked a bit odd as well, but they could still be thought to be Majin or Beast People, which weren''t thatmon, but that we did see in Ruby Pce. "Look! Silva look!" Nyx was excited about the city. "We can see it already! Papa''s bringing us there! It''s the Saphir¡­ pce thing!" "Wooow!" Silva seemed just as amazed to discover a new ce. She and Nyx had already be good friends, they seemed to be around a simr age too, so it was rather easier for them to get along. And although Fabian was friendly with them, he was much more interested in his revived friends now. Of course, there was Takeshi and Laura, who were already very close with Nyx, and Silva was epted just as easily as well. "So this is the Sapphire Temple City." Takeshi said, rubbing his chin. "Hmm, I smell a lot of water, their Oasis is bigger than the one from Ruby Pce." "Yeah,?but its odd¡­" Laura''s eyes glowed brightly, utilizing her sight-enhancement abilities. "It seems¡­ like they''re surrounding the whole oasis with another wall? What in the world?" "A wall?" I wondered. "Let''s see¡­" I opened my eyes more widely, and channeled Mana into them, and then many more eyes opened within my single eye thanks to my Gorgon''s Eyes Skill. And indeed, she was right. I noticed how their huge Oasis was surrounded by several gigantic walls, and the temple was right in front of it, the entire walls were guarded by many pdins. This is odd¡­ Why are they guarding the Oasis so much when it produces endless water with the artifact Akhenaton spoke about? "It''s really weird! Are they saving the water for themselves or something?" Nyx wondered. "That''s a bit mean!" "Catarina, have you been here before?" Emeraldine asked. "This is really strange." "A few times, but I had no idea about that. I usually don''t get that far from the suburbs, where I save people. Sometimes I give them food and stuff, and then just go off." Catarina shrugged. "But I have heard that for thest ten years, the church over there has be¡­ increasingly corrupted. We should go and explore the ce thoroughly." "I agree." Lucifer nodded. "If this is like this, we need to find out what''s happening. I am beginning to think that not only the Vampires are the problem in these cities anymore¡­" "A church, huh? I-I hope they don''t recognize me." Jonathan sighed. "Well you''re a handsome blonde man with shiny eyes! I think it would be hard to not be recognized as the hero of light and stuff!" Said Partner. "Make sure to at least wear a mask or something¡­" N?v(el)B\\jnn "Ugh¡­ Well, that''s an option. I''ll try to wear my helmet." Jonathan said, putting on a huge golden helmet. "Wouldn''t that bring even more attention to you?!" I asked in surprise. "You look like a Temr that came from a legendary crusade¡­" "Is it really that bad?!" Jonathan panicked. "I guess we are bound to get attention to your group, we all look very different and big¡­ Myself included." Tear sighed. "Anyways, we''re getting closer¡­ Lucifer should go down if you don''t want to scare the people." "I know." Lucifer descended at a safe distance, as we made our way into the Sapphire Temple City by foot, reaching the gates, which were being guarded by a small group of guards. "Well, well, this is quite the party, are you Adventurers? There''s nothing much here. Our Dungeon''s just filled with mummies." Said one of the guards. "Yeah, I''m Adventurer Mary, nice to meet you." I tried to be polite. "Is there any entrance fee? Is showing our cards enough?" "Even with adventurer licenses, the entrance fee is one silver per head." Said another guard. "So expensive!" Partner said. "What? Is your damn city made of gold or something?!" "Outsiders like you have no right to talk like that! Outsiders are the ones that need to pay, citizens can enter and go outside for free." Sighed another guard. "If you don''t like it, you cane back from where you came from!" "What did ya say?!" Partner was about to beat some sense into that guy, but I stopped her. Money wasn''t really a problem, so I didn''t mind paying as much as they wanted anyways. I gave them a bag filled with enough silver coins to pay for all of us, and once they counted them, we were allowed inside. "Please control the behavior of your little Majin friend, we don''t like rude people here." "Who are you calling Majin?!" Partner was looking for a fight again. "I am a- Mffgh?!" I covered her mouth before she were to say something dumb, as we made our way inside the city. Vampires still count as Majin, but saying she''s one so openly is bound to get us in trouble. As we were already mixing with the crowd, Partner sighed, asking for forgiveness. She had been a bit hot-headed there. "S-Sorry¡­ I think the heat is making me a bit irritable." "I can tell¡­ Well, now that-" "Please, anybody¡­ can someone give my child some water?! He''s dying! Please!" Suddenly, a woman carrying a dehydrated, famished child started screaming in the middle of the crowd, nobody paying attention to her. ----- Chapter 849 Helping

Chapter 849 Helping

----- "Please, anybody¡­ can someone give my child some water?! He''s dying! Please!" Suddenly, a woman carrying a dehydrated, famished child started screaming in the middle of the crowd, nobody paying attention to her. "Water? She''s asking for water? Shouldn''t that be avable easily through the wells?" Asked Emeraldine. "Do you need some water? I think I could conjure some easily." Emeraldine suddenly took out a cup of water from her bag and filled it with water with a simple Water Ball Magic Spell, which anybody with some Magic Circle knowledge could conjure even without talent. "A-Ahhh¡­! W-Water! Thank you! Thank you so much!" The woman quickly gave the water to her child, and the small boy, who looked to be around five years of age, slowly drank the cup until it emptied. "Hahh¡­ Hahh¡­" The famished boy seemed to feel much more refreshed, his eyes shining bright blue. "Better now?" Emeraldine smiled. "Well, I was about to give her water, but I guess you won the race," I added. "If you need more, I could make some blocks of ice for you, they''ll melt in a while and they''ll be drinkable water." Said Tear. "T-Thank you so much, you''re not from here, are you not? Travelers with the power to conjure water¡­ Magicians of much strength, I see¡­" She muttered. "Ugh¡­" "Of course, take some water yourself too." Emeraldine offered the woman water as well. "T-Thank you!" "Water?" "I saw her! She created water!" "A priest?!" "No, I''ve never seen those clothes around here!" "T-Travelers¡­!" "Please give us water, any!" "If it''s easy to conjure, it wouldn''t bother you, right?!" N?v(el)B\\jnn "We''re too thirsty! We need water, please, we implore you!" Suddenly, arge flock of people started to gather around Emeraldine, Tear, and me. They were all desperate for water. And I could tell, their faces looked tired and older than they should look. They had big bags below their eyes, not provoked byck of sleep, and their lips were as dry as raisins. They were suffering and needed some water. And naturally, we''ll supply it! "Sure, please, stand in a line. We''ll give you as much as you need! Bring anything to carry it!" I decided to just bear with the responsibility now that we went so far. "T-Thank you so many adventurers!" "We''ll be right back!" "P-Please don''t go away!" "Thank the goddess, she has not abandoned us!" "Are you sure about this?" Lucifer walked in while raising an eyebrow. "It''s not like we can step back now." Emeraldine sighed. "I cannot bear seeing people like this just for something as normal as water, something we think for granted is a privilege here. That can''t be real!" "I guess we''ll be distributing water for a little while." I shrugged. "Might as well get a bitfortable." I took out some seats and a table from my inventory and sat near a house with Emeraldine. I made a big wooden sign saying, "FREE WATER!", and if there were any cocky thugs, Lucifer, Jonathan, Partner, and Tear stood around us, looking big and strong, nobody darede to us asking for more water than the rest. When the day ended, we had supplied water to who knows how many people, perhaps over a thousand. This city was muchrger than Ruby Temple, and while we distributed water, we talked with thedy we helped beforehand and her child whom we had given some fruits and sandwiches. Her name was Nia and her son''s name was Celes, both were justmoners, like many others. She had lost her husband to the disease two years ago, and since then has been raising her little son all by herself even in these terrible times. "The church¡­ it happened ten years ago. The Lord suddenly gave the entire city to the church, and since then, they closed the Oasis and dried the Wells, leaving us with no water." Nia sighed. "Since then, they had been asking for money in exchange. Fifteen copper for half a cup, a silver for one cup, and one gold for a liter." "A-Are you kidding me?! They''re asking money for water?!" Partner was seriously angered. "Not even giving it some vor or making it into a soup at least?" "Those without money had been surviving by drinking animal blood or eating grass that has a bit of water inside. Even cactuses are too expensive, intensively farmed by slightly wealthiermoners." Sighed Nia, her brown skin and long dark green hair made her look rather gorgeous, despite how tired and famished she looked after enduring for so long. "Mama, this sandwich is very tasty!" Celes had been practically reborn, the green-haired boy with bright blue eyes was happily eating his third sandwich already, and his stomach was already very big. "Have some too!" "I already had one, save it forter dear. We won''t have this much food in the future." Nia caressed his little head. "Okay?" "O-Okay¡­" Celes nodded, wrapping his sandwich with a piece of cloth. "If possible, once we''re done here, you''ll have enough food to eat every day, as much as you want," Emeraldine said with a gentle smile. "Yep. We''vee here to shake things up a bit." Iughed. "We would like to ask a few other questions, but in private¡­" "O-Of course,e, although I am dirt poor, I do have a small, tiny house of my own," Nia said, as she led us to almost the end of the suburbs, a small house with just a single room. She had hidden most of her things underground so they wouldn''t steal them, though she barely had anything anyway. "I don''t have much to offer you other than some dried cactus¡­" Nia said humbly. "It''s fine," I said. "Thanks for the meal." We epted her food to not be rude¡­ It was chewy and had no vor at all and left my mouth tasting like ashes! Ugh, they eat this every day?! "So anyways." Lucifer started to conversation after Emeraldine began growing a huge tree behind her house with fruits. "Have you heard any rumors about¡­ human experimentations? Anything in that regard? Vampires? People disappearing? Or chimera children?" "T-That''s¡­" Nia immediately had a rather surprised reaction yet seemed to know something. "Well¡­ it is already well known that¡­ people that are jailed after trying to get water from the Oasis are never seen again. I heard someone say¡­ they turn them into monsters." . . . Meanwhile, within the Sapphire Pce''s church, Saintess Emilia enjoyed yet another delicious dinner filled with many tes, alongside her loyal Priestesses and her Pdins. However, out of nowhere, a low-ranking priest entered the room, bringing her some rather¡­ bitter news, ruining her evening. "What?! You say some foreigners came and gave away the blessings of the Goddess so easily?!" Emilia instantly grew furious! Her wless face turned red, and her hair seemed to be waving by the aura of anger she exuded. BAAAM!! She hit the table with a furious fit of rage and then calmed down, ring back at the messenger. "Dammit! Immediately send your strongest pdins to deal with those knaves! If they''re adventurers, they won''t be easy to take down. But nothing you guys can''t do with your improved bodies." ----- Chapter 850 The Myth Of The Divine Oasis Spirit

Chapter 850 The Myth Of The Divine Oasis Spirit

----- "T-They turn them into monsters?!" Asked Emeraldine. "Ah¡­ Wait, why am I acting surprised? We''ve seen this way too much at this point, it should have been expected. Still, it''s terrible¡­" N?v(el)B\\jnn "I-I am not really sure myself, that''s mostly what we''ve heard around." Nia sighed. "But in these parts of the city, there have been many of my friends that couldn''t afford water anymore, and tried to steal some of the water from the Oasis, I never saw them ever again¡­" "That''s way too extreme though, why would they do that just for water?!" Partner was losing it. "This is too extreme! What in the world is going on in those people''s heads?" "We all can rte to that, they''re simply insane¡­ The church of the water goddess used to be a really nice ce, they often did charity, shared food, and even sometimes helped us with money." Sighed Nia. "However, things changed once that woman appeared here¡­ The Saintess of Water, someone that was sent from the Empire of Light to "supervise" us¡­" "The Saintess of Water?" I asked, feeling intrigued. "What do you know about her, Nia?" "Very little, I just know she showed up a few years ago. She never shows herself except on very special asions, once a year, and in front of everyone to give some sort of speech¡­ Everyone hates her because she''s the one that has made our city like it is now¡­" Sighed Nia. "She must have been told to gather money for the church or something, and ended up doing this strategy, forcing the poption to drain their pockets and pay the church for the "water goddess'' blessing" as she calls the water in the Oasis¡­" "So that bitch just came here and ruined everybody''s lives." Partner sighed, crossing her arms. "Huh, well, not like we haven''t met our fair share of assholes like these before¡­" "The Empire of Light sent her?" Wondered Jonathan. "I doubt she came here just for the money, it might as well just be some sort of strategy, to make people desperate, to cut the poption, and both generate money and also opportunities¡­ for her and whoever she''s working with to take prisoners through "legal" means, such as punishing the "sinners" for trying to steal the water goddess'' blessings¡­" "T-That''s¡­" Nia muttered. "Ah, I¡­ remember something else, there was this rumor circting that she had told some Pdins she came here looking for the Oasis Spirit Reincarnation¡­" "Oasis Spirit Reincarnation?" I wondered, as I noticed Nyx and the kids ying around with Nia''s son, little Celes, who had regained his energy and vitality after eating a lot. "It is an old tale¡­ Our city, before they came and stopped us from drinking the water, has prospered for many generations. The Oasis wasn''t without its guardian. A Spirit inhabited that Oasis, someone everyone prayed to and offered offerings." Nia exined while drinking the tea we prepared. "So she was like an actual goddess should be, unlike that water goddess bitch that came and stole the water of people." Partner nodded. "Partner, I am not someone that usually thinks about these things but mind your manners for once." Lucifer sighed. "Though, yeah, she sounds like a bitch." "Hahaha¡­ W-Well, it is on the writings of our city, the beautiful Oasis Spirit protected the city, and helped everyone live happily." Nia said. "I remember always hearing tales of her from my mother¡­ Not only from all the tales of people receiving her help and blessings but also¡­ of the tragedy that struck her." "A Tragedy?" Wondered Tear. "Wait, she''s not a myth but a real being, is it possible for such a big and powerful spirit to exist?" "Ahem!" Tyr suddenly materialized above me. "She was most likely a Divine Spirit, they''re special beings that are like you guys, Demigods. Also, to ascend and all, you need to turn your souls into Divine Spirit Realm, which is pretty much what you''re doing unknowingly." "W-What?" Partner wondered confusedly. "Anyways, they''re like the ones Emeraldine has, right?" I asked. "Hmmm, not exactly, those guys are still small, they gained Divine Qualities but are dependent on Emeraldine''s own Divinities, so they''re Lesser Divine Spirits, maybe." Said Tyr. "Anyways, this Oasis Spirit girl¡­ It''s a bit suspicious, did the Pharaoh know about his Oasis having that?" "No, I don''t remember any sort of divine spirit appearing in the Oasis we created." Suddenly, the Pharaoh appeared from my shadows, scaring Nia. "A s-skeleton!" She cried, pointing at the skeleton emerging from my shadows. "D-Don''t worry, he''s a good guy now!" I said. "I am a Necromancer, so I deal with all sorts of Undead¡­ Sorry for not telling you before." "A-Ah¡­ H-He''s not going to harm me?" The young mother wondered. "Hahaha, don''t worry." Iughed. "He''s a good ol'' pile of bones! Right? Come on, rattle your bones to entertain thedy." "Hmm¡­ I''ll go back for now." The Pharaoh didn''t obey my orders and just went back to the shadows, meeting the sleeping Arachne in there. "A-Anyways! Can you continue?" I asked. "Sorry about that¡­ Also, I''m surprised you didn''t react surprised when you saw Tyr appear." "Tyr? Who?" Nia wondered. "She can''t see me unless I want her to see me, so don''t worry about it," Tyr said. "Anyways, I want to know more about this Divine Spirit. She might have some sort of rtionship with the Goddess of Water. In fact¡­ I am beginning to think that the reason her Saintess is here looking for the spirit''s reincarnation is this very connection." "Huh, well, can you continue?" I asked again. "I''ll serve you another tea~" "O-Oh, yes¡­" Nia sighed. "Sorry for acting surprised¡­ We usually only see Undead in the Pyramid Dungeon, and nobody steps foot in there due to its dangerousness¡­ Its gates are being protected by the church. Well, there used to be a lot of adventurersing here from all around the continent, but now because it was closed forever, our market has be staller without the adventurersing here, which also attracted merchants¡­" "I see¡­" I nodded. "You must have terrible memories about Undead, sorry about that." "I-It''s fine, anyways¡­ Well, this is the "end" of the Divine Oasis Spirit''s tales, the tragedy that struck her¡­" Sighed Nia. ----- Chapter 851 The Paladins Arrive Chapter 851 The Pdins Arrive ----- "The tragedy of the Oasis Spirit is one that probably happened a few hundreds of years ago¡­" Sighed Nia. "Maybe two¡­ or three hundred years. Our Guardian is said to have perished when a Malicious Darkness emerged from the northernnds, a miasmic being, an evil monster that absorbed the life out of everything in the Golden Desert. They called that entity "The Dark Pest"¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn "The Dark¡­ Pest?" I wondered. "A being made of miasma¡­ Huh, Tyr?" "Yep, most likely¡­ An Evil God Fragment¡­" Tyr was shaken. "To think there was a wandering one that managed to travel all across the desert¡­ Were the Gods not watching carefully? Or maybe¡­ they orchestrated this." "There used to be many more cities and towns in Goldsand, and many more Oasis as well, but the Dark Pest destroyed it all. The only thing the people of the past found from these towns were destroyed houses, and the corpses of people¡­ dried out of their lives, who would then slowly wake up as mummies." Nia sighed. "And that monster came to our city long ago¡­ The Oasis Spirit, seeing how it would doom all of us, decided to step in, walking out of the Oasis where she lived, and fighting the monster." "W-What happened afterwards?" Wondered Tear, as if she didn''t just heard she died¡­ "The Oasis Spirit fought the Dark Pest, darkness against the purity of water." Nia said. "Ultimately, the Dark Pest was besting her, his malicious powers having grown as he had devoured thousands of people on his way here¡­ However!" Nia was really good at telling tales, filling everyone with suspense. "Our brave guardian sacrificed herself, utilizing her spiritual powers to create a Divine Seal, chaining the monstrous Dark Pest in the depths of the Dungeon." Said Nia. "It is said that when the people went down to see what had happened, the Dark Pest had been turned into a ck-colored statue, and the Oasis Spirit was nowhere to be seen¡­ Many spected that she has given up her life for us." "I see, so she sealed him within a monolith made of the crystallization of her powers." Tyr analyzed. "That must have cost her a lot of Divine Power and Mana, enough to kill her¡­ But her soul reincarnating into a mortal? That feels strange. I have never heard of such a thing happening before¡­" "That''s so sad¡­" Tear sighed. "The Spirit was so brave, she sacrificed herself for us! Sniff¡­" "She must have loved the people a lot." Jonathan said. "Divine Spirits are incredible beings of great power. She could had simply chosen to escape, yet she fought to protect everyone¡­" "Isn''t it? The Tales of the Oasis Spirit are always told to every child, it is to teach us about bravery, and about self-sacrifice. In our city, we have a culture of helping one another. The reason we''ve survived so far even with these problems right now is because we usually help one another. Whenever I have something, I make sure to at least share a bit of it." Nia smiled. "The people you''ve helped today, will surely repay the favors one day." "Well, we don''t really need any payment or something." I smiled. "We did something that anybody would do¡­ Well, I would like to think that they would. Do you know anything more? perhaps about something happening in the dungeons?" "There are rumors that there are weird, ck-cloaked people sometimes wandering the town at night and walking inside the dungeon. The guards allow them to enter without problems, that''s all I know¡­" Nia sighed. "Oh well, that''s more than enough." Lucifer nodded. "So, what should we do now- Hm?" "What''s wrong?" Nia wondered, as she noticed Lucifer stopping to talk midway through as she nced into the other direction. "There''s a group of peopleing our way right now¡­ Around five- no six, seven? Eight. It''s eight¡­ people." Lucifer said. "Hmmm, they''re humans but feel strange." "What do they want?" Partner wondered. "I should go and see what''s up-" "Outsiders! Come outside of that house immediately! We know that you''ve illegally distributed the blessings of the water goddess to the people for free! We''vee to apprehend you in the name of thew of this city and of the church of the goddess of water. This is an order issued by the Saintess of Springs, Lady Emilia!" A Pdin suddenly roared. "If you don''te out soon, we''ll be forced to barge inside the house and deal with you as we please. So please, be civilized and walk out." "Wait, what? Are you kidding me?!" Partner was bbergasted. "Are these bastards for real?! "These bastards¡­" Catarina spoke. "Maybe we should go kill them." Lucifer said with a bloodlust aura emerging from him. "If they''re threatening us like this, I guess there''s little option¡­" I shrugged. "Hahh¡­ We''re doing this, huh?" Jonathan was mentally preparing himself. "K-Kill them?! Y-You should run! You cannot possibly try to kill these pdins; the whole church will hunt you down!" Nia suddenly stopped us from stepping out. "Mama, what''s wrong?" Celes suddenly walked to her side. "S-Stay there dear, don''t step out, okay?" Nia said. "Please, escape through the window over there!" Nia kept insisting. "But Nia, let us handle this." I tried to stop her. "Sometimes bloodshed is not the real answer¡­" Nia sighed. "You shouldn''t risk your lives for this!" She ignored us, slowly opening the door, hoping we would escape while she brought time. "Sorry, t-there''s nobody like that in here." Nia opened the door, timidly talking. "Nobody?! I heard some voices! Open the door and let us in, ma''am!" "Do it quickly, we don''t want to get rough." "You should already know that illegal distribution of the blessing of the water goddess is severely punished by the church!" "B-But that''s¡­ T-They''re not here¡­!" Nia said. "Open the damn door!" "Ahhh!" BAAAM! "Mommy!" One of the Pdins kicked the door open, throwing Nia into the floor with a wave of his hand, the rest of the Pdins barged in as the started looking inside. ----- Chapter 852 Celes Power Chapter 852 Celes'' Power ----- "Mom! Are you okay?!" Little Celes ran towards his mother, asking if she was alright. "I-I''m fine, dear¡­ D-Don''t worry about me." Nia quickly hugged her son, tightly,as she protected him from the Pdins that had savagely barged inside her house.N?v(el)B\\jnn The kept looking for Maria and her group, but they were nowhere to be seen! Not even therge group of kids they were tagging along with were here. It was as if they had been swallowed by the air¡­ "Nobody''s here¡­" "I could swear we heard something!" "Hey, you guys outside, did you hear something? Is there anybody outside running away?" "N-No captain¡­ there''s nobody." The Pdins, wearing brilliant blue armor, kept looking. However, after lifting everything in the small house, they gave up, the captain and the other Pdins red at Nia and Celes with furious expressions, mixed with disgust. "T-They''re not here.. S-See?" Nia and her son were trembling on the floor, she probably felt relieved Maria and her allies were nowhere to be seen. However, they weren''t going to let her go so easily. Of course they weren''t. "We sensed their presences though." "They were here just seconds ago¡­" "It''s weird, did they use some magic to escape instantly? To where?" "Answer, where did they go." The Captain of the Pdins walked towards Nia. "W-Wait¡­! T-This is¡­!" Nia cried. "I have no idea! I already told you, if they aren''t here¡­" "If they aren''t here, you''ve hidden them somewhere, you filthy woman!" The Captain furiously grabbed Nia by the neck, lifting her off the ground as he gritted his teeth in fury and disgust, his eyes filled with hate. "Uuurgh¡­! Aaaggh¡­!" "Mamaaaa! Let mama go!" Celes started crying as he saw the Pdin grasp her as if she were a ragdoll, his strength waspletely inhumane. If he wanted, he could had already killed both of them with just a punch in their faces¡­ Yet he couldn''t just kill them, he needed to get as much information out of them as he could. He couldn''t simply go back to the Saintess empty-handed. "Tell me WHERE they went!" He roared. "Uurgh¡­! Agh¡­! I-I¡­ don''t know¡­!" Nia cried, her eyes beginning to be red as she wascking oxygen. "Mamaaa!" Meanwhile, Celes kept crying. "You''re a strong woman, to say that in front of us¡­" Smiled the captain, letting her go and throwing her into the floor. "You know I could kill you with just my fists, right?" "Please spare us¡­" Nia cried. "Please, we haven''t done anything¡­!" However, the captain quickly unsheathed his sword and pointed at Nina, while asking the other Pdins to hold her tightly, spreading her limbs into the ground. "W-What are you doing?! Unhand me! S-Someone¡­ Someone help!" The Pdins held her tightly as the Captain started cleaning his sword with a handkerchief. "So this how things are going to go now, ma''am." He said. "We''re going to cut your limbs, starting from your arms. Until you answer our questions." "W-What¡­?! How can you call yourselves Pdins of the goddess?! T-Those are acts of criminals, of thugs¡­ Of monsters!" Nia cried. "Mamaaa!" Celes cried, but was being held by another Pdin. "Monsters you say?" The Captain asked. "We''re no monsters here, you''re the only filthy beasts that suck up to our wealth and resources. All of youmoners should die already! We couldn''t bear giving you more of our goddess'' blessings, always intended to be for US! Do you understand? Killing you is like killing another beast out in the wilds¡­ It''s not something that will ever torment our minds. If anything¡­ it will help us feel more relieved." "N-No, wait¡­!" Nia cried, as she saw the sword nearing her left arm. "We''re going to ask you again after we cut your arm, you better answer if you don''t want to lose both." The Captain smiled. "Got it? Now ma''am¡­ grit your teeth. I''ll make it swift." The captain raised his sword and then, swiftly moved it down, shaping it an arc! SLASH! "MAMAAAAA!" With an agonizing, and furious scream, Celes suddenly sent out a powerful shockwave of magical energy from his body. TRUUUUMMM¡­! "W-Wha¡­?!" The Pdin holding him was sent flying as he hit the walls and made them copse over his entire body. CRAAASH! Meanwhile, the captain lost his bnce and ended falling into the ground, failing to slice Nia''s arm. The other Pdins were all sent away by his scream, as the boy''s eyes started glowing bright blue. "C-Celes¡­?!" Nia was surprised as the boy kept crying, his body suddenly beginning to generate a strong, blue colored aura, with hints of spiritual energy and even the brightness of a bit of divinity within¡­ "W-What¡­?!" The captain slowly stood back up, ncing at the boy. "T-That power¡­ Spiritual Energy?!" Suddenly, the Captain recalled something Saintess Emilia had told him before. "The Reincarnation of the one that betrayed our Divine Mother is roaming in this city." She said. "If you ever see someone wielding water magic, immediately send them to me. They must be executed instantly! Anybody could be her¡­ Anybody!" Because of this, any person with water attribute magic was swiftly kidnaped and executed, but none had ever wielded this power like the young Celes did¡­ "T-The Reincarnation¡­ could it be this boy?!" The Captain gritted his teeth. "Men! Stand up!" Something deep within the boy''s soul had awakened in his most perilous of moments. The water of his tears suddenly condensed into his hands, shaping like spears¡­ "Leave mama alone!!!" Celes ran towards his mother, putting himself in front of her as his tears turned into sharp spears, firing themselves towards the Pdins. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! However, the explosions were nothing really strong, their armors protected them from the magical damage easily, as the Pdins slowly started advancing. "You''re too weak yet! I bet you''re just Level 1!" The Captain smiled maliciously. "Your efforts will be in vain! We''ll execute both you and your mother, you stupid child!!!" He charged forwards, easily tanking the boy''s magic as his sword was raised, and then swung vertically, unleashing a gigantic wave of slicing blue aura! SLAAASH! ----- Chapter 853 Actually, We Never Left Chapter 853 Actually, We Never Left ----- Filled with the excitement of being congratted by the Saintess for having in what he believed might be the actual reincarnation of "the one that betrayed our divine mother", the Pdin Captainughed, raising his magic sword, and swinging it down, attempting to kill both Celes and Nia at the same time. "DIE, YOU SINNERS!" SLAAASH! A powerful shing wave of sword and mana energy emerged from his sword, rushing towards Celes as he tried to create a barrier made of water, but was quickly cut down! The barrier exploded, sttering water everywhere, seconds before the shing attack were to reach his frail and small body. "CELES!" His mother screamed, harboring any strength she had left to run in front of her son while throwing him down into the ground, attempting to take the hit for him.N?v(el)B\\jnn CRASH! The powerful shing wave reached her, as a huge impact shook the entire house once more, as it was about to copse. The people around the area walked outside their houses, watching themotion from afar. "Hahaha¡­.! You foolish woman, it isn''t as if putting yourself in front of your son would have saved him, now both of you are cut down to halves!" Laughed the Pdin Captain, as the smoke slowly dissipated, only to reveal a mass of darkness in front of the two! "What?!" The Captain suddenly felt a chill down his spine as he stepped back. The strange mass of darkness was shaped like a huge hand, which quickly opened several eyes on each finger, ring at him. Invisible rays of energy came from them, trying to petrify him! "Urgh?! Petrification?! What is this beast you''ve hidden, woman?!" The Pdin stepped back as he saw his hand beginning to turn into stone, but his rings and magic powers activated, easily inhibiting the spreading of the petrification, and canceling it! "Heh, foolish monster, did you thought you could petrify the captain of the pdins?!" Laughed the man, whose blue hair and sharp green eyes shone brightly, as if they were artificially dyed that color. "Pdins! Stand your ground! y the beast and-" "That''s enough with you." The "beast" quickly shapeshifted into Maria, surprising everyone. "Nia, we tried our best to stay hidden, but as we told you, these bastards wasn''t going to let you go just because we went away." "M-Maria¡­!" Nia cried. "And also your kid''s pretty awesome. Looks like we got ourselves a special boy here." Maria giggled. "A-Ah¡­!" Celes just realized he had done all kinds of awesome things. "J-Just what happened, what did I do?!" "We can talk about this once things are done. For now, you two, get here. Being out there is dangerous." Maria swiftly spread her shadows, absorbing Nia, and Celes inside. "Wait! What do you think you''re doing, ghostly woman?! Wait! Y-You''re the adventurer, isn''t it?! What sort of being are you?!" The Captain asked those words as he rushed towards Maria, sword in hand, his aura exploded as ten swords made of water emerged around him, and he fired them towards her and her shadows, trying to interrupt her from taking away the suspects. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, Maria yawned as she waved her bare, beautiful, and delicate hand as she easily blocked all the swords made of water with her smallest finger''s slightly long ck colored nail. "Some." "DIEEE!" The captain screamed his lungs out, swinging his sword against Maria a dozen times, powerful shing blows that could massacre most monsters outside the city were easily blocked by Maria''s tiny nail. Crack, crack, crack¡­! CRASH! "W-What?! My sword¡­ Cracked by your mere nails?!" The Pdin Captain gasped, stepping back in horror and disbelief. Maria smiled back at him maliciously and mischievously, her red eyes glowing brightly. "What''s wrong? Weren''t you going to kill me?" She opened her arms, as her shadows spread around the entire house, quickly summoning her family to fight. The seven other Pdins could not go help their captain, as they were forced to fight Maria''s family. "Pdins, you must support- Ah!" The Captain immediately noticed it, of course, as he saw the entire house copsing as Maria''s family started shing against the Pdins, both he and Maria were forced to quickly step out, as he stood above the rubble while ncing at Maria slowly float into the night sky. She resembled a supernatural entity like nothing he had seen before, her body was translucent and phantasmagoric, emanating a threatening aura, so strong it made his spine be paralyzed and his legs tremble¡­ without realizing, his entire body was drenched on sweat. "Hahh¡­ Hahhh¡­ W-What¡­ What are you?!" He pointed his sword at her, as wings made of water emerged out of his back, his sword was severely cracked, but it still remained powerful, imbued with a mighty magic Maria had not seen before. "I am Maria, nice to meet you, Sir Pdin." Maria smiled. "So, now we''ll do things two ways. You guys go away right now and never return or¡­ you fight me and die." "Tch¡­! You might be a capable phantom magician, but it''s not as if I haven''t fought my fair share of malicious curse casters before!" The Pdin Commander smiled cockily, trying to convince himself she was merely using illusions to y with his mind. "By the Blessings of the Goddess of Water, I will not falter before your tricks and illusions!" "Illusions?" Mariaughed. "You''re really delusional. Okay then. Just for today I''m going to fight physically, bare fist style. Prepare yourself." "A delicate woman like you fighting with her fists?!" Laughed the Pdin Captain. "I''ll crush you to smithereens, you trickster! RAAAAH!" The Pdin flew into the skies, reaching Maria in an instant as he swung his sword towards her! He was at leastparable to an A Rank monster in strength and speed, that much Maria could guess. Maybe in the past, he would have been a really hard foe to fight and defeat, but right now? Maria was merely trying to enjoy herself and crush his confidence and pride before taking away his life. "[One Hundred Sea Tridents]!" The Pdin swung his sword,bining it with his aura to the point it resembled as if each of his strikes looked like a huge trident made of water. However, Maria simply pushed her bare fist towards him. BAAAMMM¡­! ----- Chapter 854 The Church Of Water’s Paladins Trump Card

Chapter 854 The Church Of Water''s Pdins Trump Card

----- The Pdin Captain couldn''t allow this stranger to insult his honor anymore, even if she could float in midair and do a few "tricks" he was a much stronger and mightier man, someone who was praised and beloved, he filled himself with confidence and overpowered this strange sense of dread he felt as he confronted Maria, rushing towards her with everything he had. "[One Hundred Sea Tridents]!" The Pdin swung his sword,bining it with his aura to the point it resembled as if each of his strikes looked like a huge trident made of water, striking against Maria, dozens of strikes in just a split of a second! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! However, Maria simply pushed her bare fist towards him. "[Phantasmal Fist]" Her bare fist suddenly gathered a tremendous quantity of sheer phantasmal energies and Mana, suddenly creating the illusion of a gigantic translucent fist. BAAAMMM¡­! The attack was overwhelming, the Pdin Captain''s attacks were instantly cancelled and blocked, as the fists impacted him head-first, slightly shattering his sword again, and spreading several cracks across his armor! CRAAASH! "Urgh¡­! W-What was that?!" He quickly vomited blood, as he felt that his very guts were punched. If he wasn''t someone already above Level 100 with excellent magic-enhanced equipment, he would had been reduced to smithereens. And this was just Maria''s weakest Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique out of over ten different and deadly techniques! This was the strength she had honed after deciding to not just rely on magic alone, desiring to grow in physical strength as well. Her special techniques utilized her special body as a ghostbined with her umted physical strength to exert abilities never seen before. "T-That fist¡­" The Captain nced at Maria in disbelief. "Do you understand the difference now?" Wondered Maria. "Or do you want me to humiliate you further? Because I don''t mind if you do." "D-Difference?!" Laughed the Pdin Captain,pletely immersed on himself. "Yeah, the difference between you and me is that you''re just a bastardly ouw and I am a dignified pdin of the church! The goddess of water''s blessings are within me!!!" The Pdin Captain''s entire body erupted with a sapphire-colored aura of Mana and Ki, concentrating together and constantly transforming and expanding, this time, turning into dozens of giant sharks. "Hoh, not bad." Maria smiled. "This guy could make for a good Undead Pdin." "Not bad?! I''ll show you what''s NOT BAD!!!" The Pdin Captain roared, rushing towards Maria by literally riding one of his Sharks made out of his Water de Aura, reaching her in just a split of a second. "[Spirit Shark Swarm]! Tear her apart!" "ROOAAR!" The Sharks roared, something Maria did not expect, as Sharks were incapable of roaring, actually. They reached her in an instant, opening their jaws and biting her entire body, trying to tear her down to pieces. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! However, as they tried with all their strength to do that, they quickly realized something was wrong. Maria despite looking so delicate, was incredibly tough, so tough their sharp fangs shattered the moment they bite her. "Ah, that tickles a bit." Mariaughed. "There we go!" BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! With a quick swing of her two arms, Maria pulverized five of the Sharks in a single second. Their bodies exploding into water that started raining down over the city below. "Tch! Keep attacking her! RAAAH!" The Pdin Captain kept summoning sharks from his aura, one of his "ultimate moves" or something, as he rushed towards Maria and looked for a blind spot, finally finding it as Maria was distracted by having to deal with his summons. "[Oceanic Trident de]!" His longsword suddenly channeled his powers once more, generating a de Ki Aura mixed with Water Attribute Mana, shaping itself into a huge trident as he attempted to pierce her back while Maria was busy dealing with the sharks. BAAAM! The strike that could take down weakened A Rank Monsters reached her "blind spot" and easily pierced through her "flesh", making the Pdin smile inwardly as he celebrated that he had managed to hurt the malicious witch! "You were not as strong as you said you were, you trickster witch!" Heughed. "Now, die!" "Hya!" However, Maria carefreely kicked the trident away with her beautiful legs, unleashing a mighty kicking [Reaper Uppercut] another of her Demonic Ghostly Fist Techniques. CRASH! The trident exploded into particles of blue light as Maria''s hands reached the Pdin below, suddenly resembling huge skeletal fingers, channeling her special energies. "[Skeleton ws]" Yet another of her Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique was utilized, her skeletal, sharp ws sliced through the Pdin Captain''s trident and destroyed his sword, shattering it into pieces. Crack, crack, CRAAASH! "M-My sword¡­!" The Pdin Captain panicked, pointing his hands towards Maria as he unleashed a spiraling vortex of oceanic waters using his magic, pushing her back a few meters to win time. He unsheathed a blue knife and imbued his Mana into it, quickly beginning to conjure several sea snakes out with his magic. "He''s trying really hard." Maria was beginning to feel like the viin here, if it wasn''t because this bastard just tried to mutte an innocent woman, she wouldn''t had gone this far¡­ maybe. "[Sea Snake Swarm]! Devour her!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The Pdin Captain screamed, unleashing a barrage of cutting attacks using his Magic Knife, each cutting wave was charged with Mana and Water Magic, and it came apanied by dozens ofrge Sea Snakes, each asrge as ten meters trying to bite and wrap around Maria. "I have to give it to you, you''re a tenacious bastard. You remind me of cockroaches." Maria sighed. "However¡­ This is as far as I''ll let you go." Maria''s entire body red with phantasmal mes, as she rushed towards the Pdin, destroying his summons with her sheer physical strength, resembling a ck star! FLASH! "G-Get away from me!" The Pdin panicked, sending out punches, knife attacks, and kicks against Maria, as spears of spiraling water started falling over her, to merely be destroyed at the moment of impact. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "[Soul Devouring Finger]" Pointing her right hand''s index finger, Maria used it as a spear, piercing the Pdin''s armor and his chest, destroying his heart and his soul! CRAAASH! "URGH?!" However, as Maria had already expected something within the Pdin''s body was incapable of epting his death! Countless of fleshy tendrils emerged from the wound on his chest, as his armor melted into a metallic slime-like substance, merging with his wounds! "Gruuuuaaaggghh¡­!" Maria instantly noticed what was happening, this man was not like the chimera kids from before, no, his body had been "enhanced" with an even more refined method than those. "Would you look at that¡­" The powers he held within were those of an Evil God''s Fragment, and his armor was also cursed with its powers and miasma, made with its materials. But at the same time, it was much more different, this dark power wasn''t merely just an independent monstrous form, but there was indeed SOMETHING controlling its growth. "The Blessings of the Water Goddess will not let me DIE so easily, you witch!!!" "Hoh~" As the Pdin''s Captain body kept growing monstrously, a gigantic arm made of countless of fleshy tendrils unified together, wrapped on blue and silver colored scales, shed against Maria! CLAAASH! ----- Chapter 855 Angry Nyx!

Chapter 855 Angry Nyx!

----- The people of Sapphire Temple nced into the skies; their hearts filled with horror as they saw the Pdins that had emerged slowly beginning to transform¡­ It wasn''t just the Captain Maria was humiliating, but the other seven of them had already been pushed to turn into the "blessings" of the water goddess. Maria knew that this was a good opportunity for the kids to gains some battle experience, so while Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, Tear, and Jonathan supervised things, Fabian, his friends, Silva, Nyx, and Catarina were mostly taking care of them. Fabian and his friends had leveled up a bit by hunting wild monsters in the deserts outside, and managed to reach a sizable level of power, with theirbined efforts, they took down three of the Pdins. Meanwhile, Nyx fought two by herself, all while Catarina and Silva fought another two. The battles were slightly even, but that was mostly because they wanted to use these Pdins as punching bags, they were perfect for that, thanks to their amazing physical strength and defenses. However, they weren''t that hardy, after a few w attacks from Nyx, the two Pdins she was fighting copsed, her abyssal death mes, her phantom dragons, and her mighty draconian strength mixed with her phantasmal, sneaky abilities made her too mighty, and that''s without her actually turning into a giant dragon! "Uuurggh¡­! Y-You damn brat!" "Argh¡­! M-My bones¡­!" "Hmph, you shouldn''t had picked a fight with us if you were going to regret losing!" Nyx said angrily, crossing her arms. "I will never forgive those that harm my friends, and Celes became my fren now!" Nyx had yed around with Celes for a couple of hours, learning a bit about the young blue-eyed boy. Who was always rather lonely but had an unexpectedly nice and yful personality. It only took a few hours for her childish and innocent heart to think of him as a friend, and so, a friend he became! She felt slightly angry when her mama told her to remain quiet within her shadows to hide from the abusive pdins, but Maria couldn''t contain herself anymore and stepped out, deciding to go against Nia''s will to not intervene nor bring bloodshed to her house. Now the house of her new dear friend was destroyed, and Nyx felt incredibly guilty about it, so she let go a bit of steam by beating these Pdins to death! "The Blessing¡­ the blessing of the goddess of water!" N?v(el)B\\jnn "Please, give us the strength we need!!" FLAAASH! Their chests glowed with a bright blue aura, as shockwave of energy emerged from within them and forced Nyx to step back. "Huh? What''s going on?!" Nyx was shocked, opening her mouth wide open as she saw the two Pdins transform, fusing together as one! Their bodies turned into fleshy tendrils, their souls were darkened by ck, miasmic waters, as their forms converged into a single, monstrous entity. "RAAAAHHH!!!" [The power of their [Corrupted Oasis Spirit''s Heart Fragment] has forcefully transformed both [Water Goddess Pdins (A Rank)] together into a [Two-Headed Aquatic Miasmic Aberration (S- Rank)]!] [All their Stats have merged together and have further increased by +100%!] S- Rank monster! It was of a much higher level of power than any other transformations Nyx had faced before. She felt slightly nervous, but at the same time, she had helped her mom defeat an S+++ Rank monster¡­ So it wasn''t as if she waspletely afraid and without any confidence either. The monstrous beast had the slight shape of some sort of lizardman monster. The armor and weapons the pdins wielded melted and turned into blue and silver scales covering its humanoid-like body, with four enormous arms with sharp ws and two sea snake-like heads, and a huge blue and ck crystal growing on its chest, protected by its scales. It emanated a deadly aura of pressure, miasma, and spiritual energy! This was apletely unique transformation, not like something they had ever faced before. And that message that showed in front of Nyx appeared in front of everyone else as well, the [Corrupted Oasis Spirit Heart Fragment] was already setting a lot of gs. Just what had they done with the true Oasis Spirit? Was it truly dead? Did it truly reincarnate? Those will be answers Maria and her family will have to search for once they''re done cleaning the floor with these slightly overpowered mobs¡­ "RAAAAHH! T-The blessings! It feels so good¡­ SO GOOD! GRAAAH!" The furious two-headed lizard-like sea snake monster roared, his four arms moving upwards as he summoned four spears made of spiraling ck and blue spiritual waters, ring at Nyx with his four eyes, two in each head¡­ "We''ll kill you; you damn brat! You''ll die by the power of our goddess''s blessings!!!" "Hmph! I''m not a brat! I will stomp on the bullies of my friends!" Nyx and the fused chimeric pdin roared at the same time, rushing against one another at an incredible speed and shing! Although her foe was over ten times her tiny size, Nyx was mighty and fearless, capable of blocking his four attacks at once with her bare ws, as an armor of ck crystal-like scales grew over her body, the power of her [Obsidian Demonite Crystal Scale Armor] Skill! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Their sh was intense, several shockwaves were being unleashed across the skies as the people below panicked, screaming, and running away from the battle. "GRRHH, those scales¡­! Are you a lizard or something, you damn brat?!" The two headed monster roared, swinging his long tail, which ended on the head of yet another sea snake as it opened its jaws and engulfed Nyxpletely! CRUUUNCH! "Hahah! But you lowered your guard, FOOL!" The chimeric fusion celebrated, thinking they had chomped down Nyx easily! However¡­ "ROOAR!" Nyx unleashed a mighty draconic roar, her eyes glowing bright red as her tail grew much longer than originally, resembling the tail she had in her true dragon form. Her Tail suddenly loaded itself with her powers, as it pierced the head of the sea snake trying to eat her a hundred times! "[Void Piercing Spear Tail]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! BOOOMMM¡­! The gigantic sea snake head could not resist her might, exploding into smithereens! "Grrrr¡­ Now I''m mad!" Nyx was genuinely angered now! ----- Chapter 856 Nyxs Amazing Strength Chapter 856 Nyx''s Amazing Strength ----- Nyx was mad! And it clearly showed as her eyes glowed bright red as her tiny body was covered constantly by her armor of scales. Her wings kept growingrger, as she pped them rapidly, pushing her into the skies as her ws reached the beast in front of her! "[Draconic Phantom Boost]!" FLAAASH! Her body erupted with a draconic, phantasmal energy enhancing her stats tremendously. Her tiny body''s muscles were strengthened, her reflexes were improved, and her speed was sharpened! [You have activated the [Draconic Phantom Boost] Skill!] [An Aura of Draconic Energy and Phantasmal Energy is epassing your body! All Stats have increased by 50%! Dragon-type and Phantom-type Damage has increased by +100%!] "[Phantasmal Death ws]!" Her ws suddenly resembled those of her mother when she transformed them into a skeleton-like form, huge and menacing, covered by an obsidian-colored crystal scales! Using them, she swung them against her foe furiously, slicing and shing against the chimera''s weapons, destroying them in a single second as her spear-tipped tail pierced the beast''s chest. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "GRUUAGH¡­!" The chimeric aberration vomited a mouthful of blood as its metallic scales were twisted, the blue colored crystal on its chest gaining several cracks. "RAAAAH!" However, with a desperate scream, the beast opened its jaws and channeled their energies within, unleashing two powerful beams of miasmic and water spiritual energies, right in front of Nyx''s face! BOOOMMM!!! "Ugh¡­!" Nyx was pushed back dozens of meters, using her tiny, scaled arms to defend the rest of her face as she gritted her teeth. The angrier she grew, the more her power kept rising. Her arms seemed to be burned, as the scales kept falling, only to regenerate quickly as her phantasmal powers conjured her Heal Undead Spell, which could heal her as well. "You''re nothingpared to us, you damn bratty lizard girl!!!" The two-headed chimera roared, rushing towards Nyx at an incredible speed, his enormous four arms gaining gauntlets made of miasmic water, sharp and filled with spikes, and unleashing a barrage of fist attacks towards her! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Urrgh¡­! Raaarr! RAAAAAH!" However, as Nyx blocked the strikes with her bare hands, her wings, and her spar, she kept growing angrier and angrier, her mouth begging to erupt with phantasmal mes! "[Abyssal Chaos Breath]!" Opening her mighty little jaws, Nyx unleashed a devastating beam of pure darkness and chaotic energies spiraling together, disrupting all barriers or magics her foe had conjured, and shing directly into his body! BOOOMMM!!! "G-GRAAAGGH¡­!" The giant two-headed chimera was burned alive, his scales falling off easily as his charred body started falling from the skies, only for its flesh to kept regenerating, his soul covering his wounds like a miasmic veil as it forcefully regenerated him. "You''ll need much more than this to defeat us!" The monstrous chimera roared, suddenly growing two enormous fish fin-like wings, and moving them rapidly as they flew towards Nyx to strike her down instead! Their four arms shapeshifted into tendrils, which then fused together into a singr, gigantic muscr arm covered on scales, shing against Nyx! CRAAASH! "RAAAH!" However, Nyx was pissed off, quickly intercepting the sh with all her might, both of her ws ring with phantom and chaotic mes as she unleashed a barrage of shing blows, covering the entire arm into cutting attacks and slicing it into pieces.N?v(el)B\\jnn SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "W-What¡­?!" The two-headed chimera panicked for a split of a second, before the madness that this entity taking over him caused to thebined minds took over his fear and made him even madder. His eyes glowed bright red as the monster regrew a new pair of arms, this time without fingers but possessing two sharp spear-like ends, made of blue and silver metals. The spears were epassed by spiraling waters and miasma, further boosting his speed and strength. "DIEEE!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, Nyx evaded the deadly strikes as she left a "illusion" made out of her own phantom dragons of her, using Shadow Sneak to appear behind her foe, charging her two strongest new spells. "[Spectral Phantasmal re]! [Abyssal Dark Star]!" Spectral Phantasmal re and Abyssal Dark Star merged together, summoning a dozen of spheres of abyssal darkness, void, and phantasmal res of incredibly high burning power. "YOU DIE!" Nyx roared angrily, the phantasmal meteors reached her foe andpletely bombarded him with dozens of explosions, his entire body beginning to be torn to shreds! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "AAAGGH¡­! Y-YOUUUU!!!" A monstrous, malefic roar echoed from within the fused chimera, a voice that Nyx did not recognize as the ones from the pdins, as their flesh was being blown to pieces, the phantasmal soul within emerged, infected with several energies, countless red and blue eyes popping out of its ck colored soul! "You pathetic mortals! I WON''T let you get in the way of my resurrection!!!" The phantasmal mass reached Nyx, unleashing countless of explosive beams of darkness and corrupted, miasmic water spirit energy, which started piercing through Nyx''s defenses! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "[Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic]!" The little daughter of the Dragon King and the Saintess of Death gathered her powers together into her hands, as all the Phantom Dragons she had summoned and saved up in her Shadows emerged one after another, fusing and materializing to her will! They fused, transforming into several rotating Phantom Dragon Shields around her, as she kept charging forwards! "What is that magic?!" The entity was incapable ofprehending Nyx''s strength, as another group of her Phantom Dragons suddenly fused into an enormous Abyssal Phantom Dragon Sword! "This is my own unique magic!" Nyx said furiously and pridefully, her giant sword ignoring the constant beam rain, as it pierced through the phantasmal aberration''s soul and shattered its core at longst! CRACK! Crack, crack¡­! "T-This¡­! I cannot block a mere sword?! URGH¡­!" Crack, crack! "You ursed outsiders!" Crack, CRACK! CRAAASH! "RUUUAAAGGHH¡­!" BOOOMMM¡­!!! With an agonizing scream, whatever that was controlling the aberrant chimera died, its forces and powers shattered and pierced by Nyx''s mightiest magic! "Wow¡­ You guys are so awesome!" Nyx celebrated with her Phantom Dragons. ----- Chapter 857 An Ideal Sand Bag! Chapter 857 An Ideal Sand Bag! ----- As the Pdin Commander that Maria was fighting was driven to a corner and almost ughtered as her strike pierced his chest and left a huge wound, something suddenly started to change! Countless of fleshy tendrils emerged from the wound on his chest, as his armor melted into a metallic slime-like substance, merging with his wounds! Maria instantly noticed what was happening, this man was not like the chimera kids from before, no, his body had been "enhanced" with an even more refined method than those. It seems that the Pdins of this second city in the Desert of Goldsand had undergone an even more drastic transformation, with an even more advanced method of modification, perhaps simr to the one the Heroes that invaded her Vige had undergone. "Would you look at that¡­" The powers he held within were those of an Evil God''s Fragment, and his armor was also cursed with its powers and miasma, made with its materials. But at the same time, it was much more different, this dark power wasn''t merely just an independent monstrous form, but there was indeed SOMETHING controlling its growth. "This is¡­?" "The Blessings of the Water Goddess will not let me DIE so easily, you witch!!!" "Hoh~" As the Pdin''s Captain body kept growing monstrously, a gigantic arm made of countless of fleshy tendrils unified together, wrapped on blue and silver colored scales, shed against Maria! BAAAM! Maria was slightly surprised by the increasingly powerful strike, but blocked it with her bare fists, unleashing a barrage of fist attacks that pushed her foe meters away, giving him the time to finish his transformation¡­ Ding! [The power of their [Corrupted Oasis Spirit''s Heart Fragment] has forcefully transformed the [Water Goddess Pdin Captain (A Rank)] into a [Shark-headed Aquatic Miasmic Aberration (S Rank)]!] [His body is now epassed in a mighty [Aura of Corrupted Spiritual Energies], further increasing All Stats by +150%!] "Corrupted Oasis Spirit Heart Fragment?" Maria wondered. "This is new, it''s not the Evil God''s Fragment, or Demonite? Or his Secretion? What¡­ is this?!" In front of Maria, the Captain of the Pdins had underwent a drastic transformation! Unlike the other Pdins, who had transformed into S- Rank, he had be a full-fledged S Rank threat, his appearance now resembling a giant of over twenty meters, covered on fish-like scales, muscles, and whose head had be the ugly and monstrous head of a giant white shark, showing off his sharp fangs. He no longer had a sword, but he had simply materialized two anchor-like weapons made out of ck spiritual water he summoned and could control at whim through this form! A cocky smile emerged on his face, ncing at Maria from afar, his enormous body floating in midair with utmost ease, emanating a strong Aura. "Do you see now, the might of my Goddess?!" Heughed. "You might have taken that hit, but these onesing right after won''t be that easy to block!" "You''re not channeling just the powers of the Evil God! What is going on with the Divine Oasis Spirit?! Are you stealing her powers?!" Maria roared furiously, shing against the former Pdin, now turned into an ugly shark-like humanoid abomination! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "Hahahaha! What are you even talking about?!" The shark manughed; his two anchors made of corrupted water fused together into a huge trident. "This is all but the power of the Goddess of Water! [Abyssal Ocean Trident]!" The enormous trident reached Maria in a split of a second, her hands swiftly grabbing the entire thing, as ck lightning started sparkling from her body. CRAAASH! "Huh?!" The shark man was shaken as he saw Maria easily grab his magic weapon and then imbue her ck lightning into the weapon, letting the water do the rest! "Fine, I''ll just ask questions to your soul once you''re fried into some nice seafood."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ZAAAP! BOOOM! A huge explosion of lightning engulfed her foe, his entire body electrifying and frying alive, her ck lightning held incredible power as she had inherited it from devouring a Divine Spirit created by Thor as a vessel of his mind, allowing him to descend into the mortal world without wasting energy! It was, in fact, a Divinity! "UUUAAAGGHHH¡­!" With an agonizing scream, the former pdinmander flew several meters away from Maria at the same time as his enormous arms kept regenerating, new fleshy tendrils emerging, covering his gigantic arms with scales, as the waters he controlled shapeshifted into huge gauntlets with sharp spikes! "DIEEEE!" The sharp-spiked gauntlets shed against Maria at lightning speed, their force being equal to a meteor descending from the skies. It wasn''t a S Rank monster for nothing! However, Maria''s lightning kept spreading across her entire body, her appearance suddenly gave sudden change, her hair became blonde, zapping with lightning, her eyes became pure ck with golden irises, and her dress became ck and gold, her white skin gaining golden-colored lighting-shaped tattoos! "Let''s try something different for a change¡­" Ding! [You have activated the [Divine Thunder Spirit Body: Lv3] Skill!] [Your body has undergone a radical change; lightning is coursing through youpletely! Due to the absence of other strong Body-type Skills, the Elemental Effects of this Skill have been amplified!] [All Stats, Movement Speed, Reaction Speed, and Attack Speed have increased by +100%, Lightning Attribute Magic Power has further increased by +250%!] [An Aura of [Chaotic Divine Lightning] is being generated by your body, which constantly producesrge quantities of volts and electricity!] "[Abyssal Death Lightning Fist]!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "S-So fast! I can''t even catch up to her?!" Maria blocked the strikes of the abominable shark man with her lightning speed fists, flying around his body so fast it looked as if she was teleporting, her fist suddenly overflowing with so much golden and ck lightning that she unleashed it all into a cannon! "[Chaotic Lightning Cannon]!" ZAAAP! The former pdinmander waspletely overwhelmed, most of his body charred, yet new flesh kept emerging from within the burned flesh, discarding it as his body shape constantly became more and more animal-like and monstrous. A second shark head emerged, and another pair of enormous, muscr arms, while his legs disappeared, turning now into a long swimming tail! "RAAAAHHH!!!" However, Maria kind of liked that¡­ "You''re one tough nut to crack¡­ An ideal sand bag!" CRAAASH! ----- Chapter 858 Marias Overwhelming Might Chapter 858 Maria''s Overwhelming Might ----- Maria noticed that the powers of whatever was within the pdin''s body were amplifying in response to his body being exposed to near-death experiences. But this wasn''t really happening with the other Pdins, this Pdin Commander guy was really quite special in thar regard. She also noticed that there was some sort of blue jewel glowing beneath his chest, hidden within his still beating heart, a blue jewel that waspletely overtaken by a vicious darkness¡­ This somewhat reminded her of the tale that Nia had told her about the Divine Oasis Spirit. Where she sacrificed her own life to seal The Dark Pest with her body and soul¡­ Yet, if Celes is truly her reincarnation, then that means that whatever they''re using as her fragments, it might be something left behind, perhaps a piece of her divine body, corrupted by whatever the Dark Pest truly was! However, Maria would have to find out if these theories were real or not once she dealt with this monster, that kept shapeshifting in an attempt to adapt to the constant damage it was taking. "RAAAAAHHH!!!" The giant abomination swam across the skies towards her, without even holding the ability to speak properly anymore, opening its enormous shark jaws, and constantly trying to bite Maria! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! However, Maria swiftly evaded its attacks, moving at lightning speed, quite literally! Her body felt as if it was made of pure electricity, as she started to charge more and more energy into her fists, the second the giant shark beast reached her, conjuring an enormous quantity of miasmic spirit waters, shaped into hundreds of shark jaws! "GROOOAARR!" "Honestly, that''s pretty cool." Mariaughed. "Alright, it''s decided, you''ll be my new Undead. [Phantasmal Limbs]!" Her entire body shapeshifted, growing hundreds of long, phantasmal arms from her body, made out of phantasmal energy and divine golden and ck lightning! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! With mighty electrifying fists, she stopped the enormous wave of sharks conjured out of corrupted spirit magic, as the shark swiftly emerged from amidst the explosions, opening its jaws and swallowing Maria whole! CRUNCH! "GRRRHHH¡­?!" However, the moment it closed its jaws, the shark felt incredible difort, being forced to open its jaws by Maria, who kept punching its mouth! CRAASH!!! "GRYYYAARGH!" The shark''s lower jaw exploded with a lightning burst, as Maria escaped the beast''s maws and looked down at it from above, her lightning constantly growing stronger with each passing second. "This shy fighting style is not bad; I could get used to this¡­" Maria thought. "RAAAAH!" The shark, even without a lower jaw, did not give up, conjuring all the magical and spiritual powers it could into a massive aura, which summoned hundreds of tridents, firing them directly towards her! "Again with the same?!" Maria smiled, rushing down, and punching the corrupted spirit water tridents one after another with her bare fists! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "Let''s end this!" She reached the beast, as the monster''s four arms quickly unleashed a barrage of fist attacks towards her, which she swiftly intercepted with her own fists! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Her attacks were so potent that electricity constantly zapped out of her blows, breaking apart her foe''s arms, as they constantly kept regenerating. "How about this then?" She gathered her electricity andbined it with a magic circle, conjuring a series of chains made of sealing, chaotic lightning, which quickly wrapped itself around the beast''s arms, forcing it to keep still! "[Sealing Chaotic Lightning Chains]!" FLASH! "GRYYAAAGH?!" The shark was quickly taken aback by this, as Maria swiftly rushed down towards its chest, and then pierced it with her fist, overcharging it with electricity! "[Infernal Spectral Lightning Fist]!" Combining her Ghostly Fist Techniques with her lightning powers, she pierced her foe''s chest, and then went deeper, grasping the origin of its endless power and shattering it! Crack, crack¡­!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om CRAAASH! "GRYYAAAAHHHH¡­!" The lifeforce of the entire beast started to disappear at the same time, as Maria absorbed it by merely touching it, its soul quickly trying to run away, for some reason. "Nuh-huh, you''re not going anywhere¡­" Maria smiled, grabbing the soul back and sticking it into the recently dead corpse, repairing its chest wound and then¡­ "[Creation of Death]" FLASH! Phantasmal energies covered the entire corpse, as its soul was sealed within, and the entire being was reanimated as Maria''s new Undead. "GRAAAHH¡­" The beast groaned in frustration, it seemed to not have liked what happened there¡­ Especially because it used to be a person, and now it is stuck in the form of an aberrant being. "You''ll get used to it." She gently patted the shark''s head. Meanwhile, as Maria had finished off her foe, the other Pdins weren''t just sitting ducks. They had all transformed into their own sorts of marine-like monsters, even the ones that little Nyx fought had fused into a big one! However, Nyx''s opponent wasn''t the only one that had decided to be a giant,bined beast. Especially because the other pdins were too weak to make something strong alone, the forces controlling their bodies into turning into chimeras swiftly decided to fuse them into a gigantic multi-headed sea snake-like creature. And the ones taking care of that beast were nobody else than Fabian''s group, as Maria wanted them to train and get stronger, he and his friends had to make sure to fight properly and earn their EXP! And this was a rather ideal opportunity for that¡­ "RAAAAH!" Therge and strong Garon rushed towards the giant chimera, his fists zing with powerful red mes, his red hair turning into pure fire as his entire body channeled the powers he had inherited from his chimeric body before turning into a special kind of Undead. "[zing Ifrit''s Fist Meteors]!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! With the might of his already high stats thanks to his new body, the powerful Garon managed to crush several of the skulls of the chimeric beast they fought, only for its long tail to swiftly hit him from behind, smacking him down! BAAAMMM!! However, before he were to fall, the little Beery appeared, conjuring a mass of purple-colored nts around his tiny body, which quickly caught Garon''s body from falling further below. "Careful!" "Beery!" "GROOOAARRR!" The multi-headed beast nced down at them, swiftly rushing towards the kids, only for a dozen spears made of Demonite to pierce its back! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! ----- Chapter 859 The Warlocks

Chapter 859 The Warlocks

----- Fabian conjured his special magic, piercing the chimera with several giant spears of Demonite, which also sapped out its strength and energy, making it much weaker and slower! At the same time, within below, Beery and Garon rushed upwards, unleashing their attacks. Garon zing fists leftrge burnt marks that wouldn''t regenerate easily, while Beery''s special nt growth magic spread across many of the limbs of the chimera, draining its vitality and lowering its stats! N?v(el)B\\jnn "Spectra! Nick!" Fabian called his other two friends, as they came rushing down while he distracted the gigantic monster himself. His spears made of Demonite constantly shed against the beast''s body, causing constant explosions over its body! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "SHAAAH!" Spectra appeared from behind it, her body quickly conjuring her special abilities, which were partially simr to Maria''s ghostly abilities. "[Spectral Body]! [Spectral Limbs]!" Her body quickly turned translucent as she expanded her size and used her many limbs growing from her phantom form to wrap around the monster, giving it chills, cursing it, and constantly draining its health as well! "Alright, nicely done, Spectra!" Meanwhile, Nick produced a purple-colored poisonous gas from his hands, which he could freely manipte, quickly utilizing it to intoxicate the beast as it smelled the poisonous gases, its entire body felt even more weakened! Most of this party wasposed of those capable of weakening their foe to the extreme, and with Garon and Fabian as the heavy hitters, they had a really goodposition. However, with Silva, things became perhaps even more perfect! "[Miasmic Boost]! [Chaotic Enhancement]!" Silva sat down over ckie, the Zombie Shadow Wolf of Catarina, as Catarina made sure to hold the girl well so she wouldn''t fall. Her powers instantly reached Fabiana and Garon''s bodies, making them overflow with newfound magical strength. Before the chimera could even retaliate back, the two descended towards the beast together! "[Ifrit''s Volcanic Explosive Fist]!" "[Great Demonite Abyssal Spear]!" Garon gathered all his powers into his right arm, as a gigantic fist made of volcanicva, mes, and magma materialized, shing against the chimera''s chest, and making it overflow with zing mes! At the same time, Fabian''s strongest spell descended, in the shape of a huge ck spear made of ck Demonite, piercing the monster''s chest, and shattering its core! CRAAASH! They had been fighting the beast for a while, but they finally managed to weaken it enough to strike it down! The beast gave out an agonizing shriek, as the many souls and livesposing it all perished at the same time as its internal organs and heart core were destroyed! BAAAMMM¡­! Its corpse quickly falling over the ruined house that once belonged to Nia and Celes, creating a hugemotion that shook the entire City of Sapphire Temple¡­ "A-A monster?!" "What just happened?!" "Where are the pdins¡­?" "Didn''t you see?! They turned into beasts! We''ve been dominated by monsters this entire time!" "T-That''s¡­ it can''t be, right?!" "W-Who could have defeated them in such forms?!" The people gathered around the corpse, only for Maria to quickly get there, grab the corpse, and make it disappear inside of her inventory, her entire body veiled in shadows, so they couldn''t see exactly who she was. "I should get going, I can''t just stay in here¡­ Might as well hide somewhere." She thought. "Everyone, we''re retreating, follow me." She spoke to her family through telepathy, as the children nodded and quickly followed her, alongside Lucifer and everyone else. The intense atmosphere of battle and destruction that covered the city disappeared just as it appeared, rapidly and without anybody realizing. The people dispersed, fearing that the pdin monsters mighte for them next, hiding in their houses, or somewhere else, hoping to just live another day. Meanwhile, within the temple, the news about what had just happened quickly reached the Saintess of Fountains and Springs, Emilia, her face filled with frustration, disbelief, fear, and anger. The mixed emotions in her face were hard to discern by the rest of her servants, knights, and pdins there, but they were just as afraid of what had happened. After all, for their peaceful lives to be suddenly interrupted by someone capable of ying them with ease, it wasn''t something to take lightly at all¡­ "After having worked so hard for what I''ve aplished¡­ After finally taking ahold of this pitiful city and raising it into something a bit more decent, those outsiderse and begin to mess things up!" She groaned. "B-But just how powerful are they to be able to defeat the Chimeric Sea Beasts?! This just doesn''t make sense¡­" "It certainly feels like it doesn''t make sense, isn''t it, Saintess Emilia?" Suddenly, a voice that Emilia recognized well, yet she had not talked with for a while echoed within her throne room. An extremely old-looking man, with sharp red eyes, pointy ears, and sharp canine fangs, an Elder Vampire, stepped into the halls, wearing a ck cloak that covered most of his body, even his old face, only revealing his old-looking, long fingers, as he slowly walked towards her. "Maleficus¡­" Emilia spoke, ring at the man while squinting her eyes. "Your chimeric experiments have failed me. You said you could imbue the power of the Goddess into my soldiers, yet they were defeated anyways by those outsiders! "I am well aware of that." Maleficus spoke with an old, dry voice. "However, that is because those beings that havee to our city are no normal entities¡­ They''re beings beyond S Rank, and I''ve heard a bit about them¡­ They might be as well the ones rted to what has happened to the Ruby Pce." "What¡­?!" Emilia panicked. "T-Then why are they here?! What do they want?" She furiously asked. "They''re agents of their own selfish desires, much like me, and you. They follow their own codes, their own justice. They will seek those that have wronged others and y them." Maleficusughed. "It seems that our years of peace have finallye to a close, oh, little Emilia." "What do you mean by that?!" Emilia angrily roared. "You, as the leader of the Warlocks, should know of a way to get rid of them!" "Oh well, I do have many ways to do so¡­ But I wonder WHICH ones might work, heheheh¡­" The Old Vampireughed. "Whatever their purpose is in here, we have to stop them before things get out of control¡­" Emilia was biting her nails in concern. "Amass your troops, find them!" ----- Chapter 860 Max Level Chapter 860 Max Level ----- (Maria''s POV) Once we managed to beat the annoying Pdins, we veiled ourselves on Stealth and Camouge Spells and escaped into the farther areas of the city. Despite being a city in the middle of the desert, it was tremendously huge, perhaps a bit bigger than Ruby Pce, as Sapphire Temple harbored a whole church, it had an even longer and richer history.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Compared to modern day Earth cities, its obviously not as big, but it might be thergest City I''ve ever visited, perhaps slightlyrger than the Dwarven Metropolis. There were countless of streets to choose for hiding, and there were also a lot of ces to stay if we wanted, there were many Inns, and as we moved further into fancier areas of the city, things started looking rather beautiful. The floor was paved, for once, there were beautifully made houses, the streets were clean, and there was also more security¡­ But as long as we kept our appearances slightly changed through our shapeshifting abilities, we shouldn''t be found out so easily. We ended choosing a midway point between fancier ces and the still poorer areas, as we paid an Inn and decided to hide in there to rest for a little while, as usual. There were a lot of things we needed to talk about, and we were quite a lot of people, so we rented thergest room, which was as big as the whole third floor of the Inn¡­ This also included renting all five of the rooms, so the kids could sleepfortably. Thedy was rather surprised we were such a huge group, until we exined her they were our adopted kids¡­ And we were a "merchant family", having gotten that merchant guild certification was reallying in useful right now, as it helped at our credibility, and well, if that didn''t worked, I could had also done a few Mind Tricks¡­ If you know what I meant. But thankfully, there was no need for such trickery, as simply by stepping in and paying, we were given all the space we needed to unwind, and also a lot of meals, three a day for everyone! The Inn Keeper didn''t questioned us anymore after I showed him a bag with gold coins. "Phew~ We''ve finally got some time to rest¡­" I sighed in relief, hitting the fluffy bed. "Ahhh, this ce of the town is sure fancy, these beds are so soft¡­" "Yeah¡­" Partner yawned. "I want to take a nap; the strong sun gets me so tired¡­" "I want to take a bath first; I am all sweaty." Emeraldine sighed. "Ahem!" Lucifer muttered, as he nced at us. "Are we not going to adress what has happened just now?" He said, pointing at Nia and Celes sleeping over the bed. They had fallen asleep in my Shadows, so we left them on their own bed to rest for the moment. "I know, I know. We learned about this town''s history, then some pdins showed up looking for water¡­ Seriously? And then¡­ Huh, Celes got a lot of magic talent." Partner was trying to tie things up, but she was utterly failing at it. "T-That''s not how it exactly went but yeah, something like that¡­" Lucifer sighed. "I am just rather worried, what should we do now? Should we bring Nia and Celes to our town? Would they be okay with that? And about Celes'' powers¡­ Didn''t you heard they said that they were too abnormal to be just magic? I also sensed it, didn''t you all? His soul emanated a powerful Divine Spirit Aura, stronger even than Emeraldine''s Divine Spirits." "Well, yeah." I sighed. "I''ve checked his soul already, and it is very strong, but it is kind of sealed? It is as if his own powers sealed themselves as a way to protect the boy¡­" I said, rubbing my chin. "It might be too much of a coincidence that he''s the reincarnation, but I suppose that''s not the first-time coincidences like these happen. After all I hold so many Titles, that Fate kind of¡­ finds a way to get me involved in a lot of stuff." I''ve learned a lot about Title Skills and Skills from the people of this world, and from what I''ve learned the most, they usually say that Title Skills are very important powers, they are very rare as well, so someone like me that holds so many is an incredibly rare urrence. And it is said that Title Skills change the fate of people, and give them an "Aura of Charisma" that makes you know they''re important¡­ I''m not trying to exin thingspletely based in just that, but it is one of the elements that might be involved into this. Well, not like I mind it, we are really strong and came here for a reason, and we don''t mind getting our hands dirty either, so crazy things happening as a result of our very existences should be expected, even more now that we''re S Rank beings¡­ Oh, talking about Ranks, let''s check the System¡­ Ding! [You have defeated [Shark-headed Aquatic Miasmic Aberration (S Rank)] x1!] [Your Party have defeated [Two-headed Aquatic Miasmic Aberration (S- Rank)] x1 [Multi-headed Hydra Aquatic Miasmic Aberration (S- Rank)] x1!] [You earned 15.000.000 EXP!] [LEVEL UP!] [Your Level has increased to Level 100/100!] [All your Stats have increased greatly!] [Your ss and Race Level have reached Max Level!] [You can now Evolve and Rank Up your Current ss!] [By using System Points and other Materials, you can now customize your ss Rank Ups and Evolutions.] [New System Functions will be unlocked upon Evolution!] Uooh! Max Level! Finally! And above all, I can now Evolve and Rank Up my ss but¡­ What with that description? I need to spend System Points and Materials to get stronger Evolutions and Ranked Up sses? Interesting¡­ But I don''t know if that''s a good thing, or something to make things even moreplicated. Nheless, it''s nice to know there''ll be a new System Function unlocked once I evolve. "Sigh, you''re so rxed about everything¡­ Oh well, it''s not like we don''t have our history of insane events happening but still¡­" Lucifer sighed. "Haha, sorry. Alright, I''ll get more serious!" I nodded. "¡­After I take a bath and eat something though." "Why even try¡­" Lucifer facepalmed. "Let''s talk once we''re all rested up then." ----- Chapter 861 A Talented Child... Chapter 861 A Talented Child... ----- There was no real bath in the Inn right now, or well, it was not working for a while because of how rare water was. However, things changed with us, who could just easily conjure water. I took out a few bathtubs from my Inventory, and by covering the wooden floor with my shadows so it the water wouldn''t spill, we took a warm bath there, even adding shadow curtains and all. Tear was our main producer of water, but such a simple spell could be conjured by any of us anyways. Though she enjoyed being "useful" and conjuring all the water we asked her for¡­ So I just let her be happy. Everyone took a nice warm bath, using some heat magic to warm the water, everyone took their turn in the bathtubs, and once we were fully cleaned and feeling good, we decided all had a nice meal, mostly the food they brought to us, which was very dry, rock-hard bread, arge chunk of roasted red meat, probably camel meat, some roasted roots and grains, and¡­ a juice made out of the green blood of Giant Antlions fermented with grains, which they called Green Wine. It was rather awful¡­ But we ate it all because we were hungry, and then, we just feasted with stuff from my inventory! I brought out lots of meat, a grill, potatoes, fresh bread, and everything else. Nia and Celes woke up some time ago, took a bath to rx, and were now enjoying the feast with us. By using some barriers to easily iste the room, it was possible to eat as much as we wanted without being found out that we were cooking here. "This food¡­ I have never eaten something so delicious¡­" Nia started crying as she ate. "And this sweet juice¡­ It''s so nice." "It''s just cactus juice, you don''t even get to drink that? We found some cactuses on our way here." Partner exined. "Cactuses are rare, they''re farmed in some areas, and are very expensive. We couldn''t have afforded them." Nia sighed, caressing her child''s head. "I¡­ I don''t know how to thank you for everything you''ve done for us¡­ Thank you for saving our lives and helping us, we don''t deserve so much generosity."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Nia quickly bowed her head, as she told her son to do the same, the clueless boy seemed confused, but he was rather grateful we saved his mama, so he bowed his head too. "There''s no need to bow your head though." I sighed. "It''s fine, really. What you two went through was our fault, after all, they were looking for us in the end. We had t take responsibility for what we provoked." "Lady Mary¡­" Sighed Nia, feeling rather moved. "Auntie Mary is really nice!" Celes giggled innocently. "Right? Mama''s the best!" Nyx said. "She is a superhero that saves everyone! She will never turn her back against baddies!" "S-Superhero?" I wondered, feeling embarrassed. "Come on, do you have to call me like that? Hahaha¡­" "Ahem! Anyways, we''ve washed ourselves and we''re also well rested, right?" Lucifer asked. "Wouldn''t it be a nice time to talk about what has happened recently?" "Yeah, he''s right." Emeraldine nodded. "Were you aware of your son''s condition?" "My son''s¡­ condition?" Nia seemed confused, until she seemed to finally remember what happened yesterday, and then, she noticed her son''s eyes, which were now blue, it was a permanent change. "Dear, your eyes¡­" "Hm? What''s wrong?" Celes wondered, munching on a sandwich. "Mama? You''re too close, heheh¡­" The young baby boy giggled cheerfully, he was not older than four years of age, so his mental age was simr to that of Nyx and Silva, mostly. Fabian and everyone else was much more mature, probably at teenager levels. "T-This¡­" Nia sighed. "D-Do you know what has my son be?" She asked nervously. "We don''t know for sure, but I checked his soul. As a Necromancer, I have the innate ability to see people''s soul. And his soul, unlike yours, which seems normal, is very powerful." I exined to her. "H-How so?" Nia asked nervously. "Let''s see¡­ Well, if a normal soul is like this grain over here." I grabbed one of the toasted grains. "Then your son''s soul is like this melon." "E-Eh?!" Nia was shocked. "T-That big?! But I could had tell before if he would had used some magic¡­!" "The thing is, his soul is strange, it feels as if he had automatically sealed its abilities to protect himself, maybe without him even realizing." I exined. "But his soul¡­ It is really special. It possessed the brilliance of divinity, sprinkled with the holiness of spiritual energies. And it had the strong attribute of Water. Your son¡­" "I-Is he?! No¡­ it can''t be! He can''t just be¡­ The reincarnation of the Oasis Spirit, right?! The one they''ve been looking for so long just happens to be my dear son?!" Nia panicked. "W-What do I do?! What can we do?!" She started to have a panic attack, worrying about the wellbeing of her son. It was only natural to feel so afraid, seeing how those bastards were about to torture her just a few hours ago. "Calm down for now." Tear sat down at her side, patting her shoulder with her big arms. "It''s going to be alright. We''re a big family here, right? It wouldn''t hurt us if we added you to the group. We''ll protect you and your son, it''s the least we could do." "Miss Tear¡­" Nia was about to cry. "Indeed." Emeraldine said, giving her a gentle smile. "Please calm down and have faith in us. We''ve only meet briefly, but this must be destiny. Your son is someone special, someone that might one day save not only your city, but the entire desert. His powers are miraculous, but also dangerous if they fall in the wrong hands. We won''t let any evil befall him." "T-Thank you, it''s so relieving to have people I can trust¡­" Nia sighed. "But¡­ what might happen now? My son¡­ Celes do you feel like¡­ doing magic?" "Huh? Magic? Like before?" Celes wondered. "Hmmm¡­" He suddenly started concentrating, and then¡­ SPLAAASH! A lot of water came out of his hands, sshing everywhere! "Alright, I guess he does have his powers¡­" Lucifer sighed, drying his face with a handkerchief. ----- Chapter 862 Charismatic Daughter! Chapter 862 Charismatic Daughter! ----- "For now, there''s two options." I said. "You can either escape and go to my town in the south of the continent, it is far away, cold, but peaceful, you won''t everck anything there, and people will treat you well. And once we''re done here, you may choose toe back with your son." "And the other is to stay here with us. We''ll protect you, but we might also ask you to fight, and grow stronger, so you can protect your son and at the same time, fight for the city you''ve been born and grown into." I said. "Your son has a special power, something that might make him the savior of this city, or the desert¡­ But he needs training to get stronger. To defeat monsters and Level Up." "That''s¡­" Nia remained in silence, she probably wanted to go to safety, any mother would want that. And I wouldn''t me her if she went and left the rest up to us. In fact, I secretly wanted her to choose that so things would be easier for all of us. However, there was also the part regarding responsibility, what she thought was the right decision, and also the injustices of this city, what she thought about that, and the frustration she always felt about how things had changed. "What would my husband do¡­?" She wondered, sighing weakly. "Mama!" Celes smiled cutely, touching her mother''s trembling hands. "Let''s stay and protect the city! With my magic, I can bring water to everyone! Even if I have to fight monsters¡­ it''s fine!" Those were indeed the words of a childcking on experience and proper judgement¡­ But it could also be said that those were the words of the future little hero of this city. Perhaps the Divine Spirit has fully reincarnated into Celes, someonepletely different. But I can tell that some of her original emotions, of her love for this city and her people, remains within her second life''s personality, something that might drive him to work harder and fight for the city he loved even in his previous life, and that even sacrificed herself to protect it. "Celes¡­" Nia sighed. "But it''s dangerous¡­ We might get hurt, we might even die¡­!" "Not at all! I''ll protect Celes and her mom!" Nyx said while frowning. "Trust my strength! And mama too! And auntie, and dad!" "Nyx''s super strong, it''s fine!" Celes giggled. "I don''t want to run away¡­ I don''t know why but I just want to stay¡­ and protect the people¡­ I sometimes remember mommy always crying at night, I don''t want that to happen again!" The boy said that as his eyes glowed bright blue. "We won''t force him to fight or something." I exined. "But cooperation could be ideal, he could be a figure that people would unify for. I would never make a child fight, until they show to be extremelypetent like little Nyx, or Silva and Fabian, and his friends¡­ At most, he could fight using his magic. There''s a Dungeon underground, right? We''ll get there and help him gain some levels, you''ll gain levels as well, Nia." "I see¡­" Nia sighed. "If that''s the case¡­ I guess it is better to stay. I don''t want to escape or run away, even if you might take of mostly everything, I know that there might be a ce, or somewhere where my son and I could help! So to repay for your kindness and help, I want to do anything I can! And Celes too, right?" "Yeah!" Celes celebrated. "Let''s help everyone! I''ll give water to everyone!" "Looks like it is decided." I sighed. "We''ll do everything we can to protect you, so don''t worry. For now, we have to gather our thoughts and n what we''ll do now. We cannot step out recklessly, there might be more powers lurking around than we originally imagined¡­ And this whole problem might even involve a goddess from all things, we have to be careful." "A-A goddess¡­?!" Nia panicked. "Well, the whole church is run by one, and she''s dead set into torturing everyone here for some reason¡­" Partner crossed her arms. "Also she seems really angry with the Oasis Spirit, so whatever happened between the two, we''ll have to find out in the future, as we investigate everything¡­" "Yeah, as she said." Emeraldine nodded. "There must be a reason on why she told her servants to look for the Divine Spirit''s reincarnation¡­ And we have to find that reason, eventually." "Hahh¡­" Nia sighed, still nervous. "Okay, I get it¡­" "No rush though, let''s rest for the moment and rx, let''s eat good, and sleep well." I smiled. "Tomorrow we''ll begin our investigations. Before shing against the church or something, we have to prioritize finding the dungeon below and see what they''re doing down there¡­" "I agree." Lucifer nodded. "I think we might even have to split into two groups, we''re too many, and that brings even more attention. We could also look for clues more efficiently." "You''re not wrong with that." Emeraldine agreed. "Let''s n things out tomorrow morning, I want to eat more for now¡­" "Alright, everyone! All of you worked really hard today, so let''s have a nice meal together!" Iughed. Like that, the small feast continued, Nia and Celes stuffed themselves full of food, and so did Fabian and his friends, who were big gluttons. Catarina the blood with Partner, and Lucifer and Nyx ate a lot of meat. Everyone started getting along much better now too, Takeshi and Laura started talking a lot more with Fabian and his friends, and Nyx and Celes with Silva too, who was the most timid of the small kids. "Silva! So you alsoe from Ruby Pce? Wow¡­!" Celes was amazed, looking at her into the eyes. "Y-Yeah¡­" Silva nodded. "I was a chimera child¡­ And I was saved by miss Catarina over there¡­ She''s my mentor, and my auntie now! A-And¡­ Well, we saved that city! ¡­I think."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "So cool! I also want to save the city!" Celes giggled. "As long as we stick together we''ll do just that!" Nyx smiled proudly. "Trust me, my frens!" "Oooh! Nyx''s so reliable!" Celes giggled. "She''s strong too." Silva smiled. Nyx was surprisingly charismatic¡­ Did she get that from me or her biological mother? Because Lucifer is not exactly¡­ like her. ----- Chapter 863 Maybe You’re Being A Bit Too Relaxed

Chapter 863 Maybe You''re Being A Bit Too Rxed

----- We slept through the night without any disturbances, even I managed to get a nice shuteye while giving myself the privilege of rxing as much as I wanted. The morning sun came rather strong as a new day starter. And as I woke up, I was quickly sent several amounts of information from what my Phantom Clones had extracted from the souls of the Pdins, alongside from those that went to scout the entire city at night. I was able to quickly map almost the entire city with my Automatic Mapping Skill and this information. And of course, I learned where the secret passages leading to the dungeon were. Most of the entrances were sealed with bricks, but there were some still open, guarded by pdins. Our best bet is to reopen one of the sealed entrances, which doesn''t seem so hard as long as we create a barrier that istes the sound from the outside, yeah. The second news is that the Pdins knew a bit, but not as much as I imagined, from all I saw, they''ve simply been following the orders of Emilia, the Saintess that has be more like a tyrant in this city. And about their modified bodies? It happened while they were unconscious. The faint memories they have of their modifications were of "qualifying" for it, entering arge hall in the church with some suspicious men wearing ck robes, and then them falling unconscious and waking up the next day over a soft bed, thingspletely done. They didn''t knew who those guys were either, but they could be either a different organization cooperating with the church, or maybe another organization that might be an off branch of the Vampire Family operating Gold Sand in the shadows. Aside from that, I learned that the people they apprehend and capture, who they have seen "illegally" trying to get water from the Oasis, are kept in a dungeon section of the church, which might or might not connect with the dungeon underground. And information about the Divine Star Carriage, there was none, not even themander, who was now a huge shark monster undead had no idea about it, sadly. Oh, and I also raised the other two as Undead, so I got three giant marine monsters as Undead, and they''re all S- Rank! Pretty good, isn''t it? I could probably use them as trump cards for now, I''ve also got the giant monsters and armies I acquired from Elfina''s town, the Giant Mushroom, the Demonite Golem and the Treants on standby, but I haven''t used them yet because they''re too big and too many, and these guys are the same. I haven''t given them names yet either¡­ I''ll have to think on something. Also, I only made them Undead through the normal method, perhaps if I spent some System points and other materials, I could make them into an even stronger being, but for now, let''s keep them as they are. "And that''s all I learned." I exined to my group what I had learned as we had breakfast while enjoying the bright suning from the morning sky. "Hmm, this ce really likes to hide its secrets." Partner muttered. "Should we go to the dungeon right away? I''m feeling like earning some EXP at the very least¡­" "Yeah, and we could also find out what they''re doing exactly." Lucifer said. "And also, we would help Nia and Celes level up while being at it, killing two birds with one stone, pretty good." "I agree." Emeraldine nodded. "Are you children alright with that too?" "Yeah, we''re fine." Fabian nodded. "We can help lil'' Celes get stronger, and her mom too." "We gained a lot of levels, but we''re not max level yet." Garonmented. "We''ll apany you wherever you go for now. Until we can find another purpose to our new lives¡­" Spectra said. "And well, with Fabian too." "Adventure!" Silva celebrated, acting more lively than before now. N?v(el)B\\jnn "This will be my first time going to a dungeon mom! How is it?" Wondered Celes. "I-I have no idea, I haven''t visited it myself, but your father used to go there to hunt monsters for their EXP and also materials. He told me there were creatures down there that gave nice pelts, meat, and bones, some even dropped magic cores, or pieces of armor or weapons very rarely." Nia exined. "So this Dungeon used to be a crucial part of the city''s economy, huh?" I wondered. "So to take away even more opportunities for people to make a living, they sealed the entrances and now the dungeon is a secret ce only a few can enter¡­ Maybe the reason why their pdins are so strong is because they have all that EXP for themselves now." "Hmm, well! Anyways, let''s do our best for today! Once we''re done having breakfast, let''s explore the slightly fancier areas of the city. I want to taste some of the endemic food, buy some equipment for Nia and Celes, and also for everyone else. I doubt you guys want to wear just bone armor and weapons. If we can get back home, it would be easier for me to craft items with all the materials I have in my own forge with the dwarves, but in here, I can make very little, sadly." I shrugged. "It''s fine, I would dly wear bone armor!" Nia said. "My husband and I used to craft it to sell it, it was cheap yet it always sold for newbie adventurers¡­" "Aww, well, I''ll get you a much better armor. Are you proficient in any weapon?" I wondered. "Hmm¡­ W-Well, I never really fought." She sighed. "Well, aplete newbie, huh? If you have no magic affinity, the best would be a spear." Partner said. "Spears are the easiest to handle weapons for newbies, you just point at something and pierce it, you can even keep a good distance from them, spear and shield would do good. I was aplete newbie too when I was just a skeleton, so the spears simplicity helped a lot, now I''m a dual spear expert!" "A-A skeleton?" Nia wondered, feeling confused. "Forget that part¡­" Iughed nervously. "A-Anyways! Let''s get going!" . . . Meanwhile, within the depths of the city''s dungeon, arge group of ck-cloaked people started moving to the surface. "Find them, trap them, and kill them." ----- Chapter 864 Visiting The Commerce District

Chapter 864 Visiting The Commerce District

----- We started by disguising ourselves with some magic, the kids were rather unrecognizable anyways, but some Illusion Magic I have been practicing for a little while did wonders, changing their hair color and clothes made meld better with the crowd. And as for us, well, most of us possessed shapeshifting abilities, so we simply changed some parts of us, became taller, or smaller, and were mostly done with it. I doubt they''ll recognize us by appearance alone, because the only ones that know how we look like are some of the citizens, but they didn''t know our names either. Oh, and the Pdins that knew more about us¡­ well, they''re now big sea monsters I turned into Undead and adopted, so there''s little worry about that as well! Oh right, while we wandered about, I created a dozen Phantom Clones and filled my Inventory with barrels filled with water, courtesy of Emeraldine for the wood and Tear for the water, and I decided to ce them inside every home in the city. My n was to cause havoc by giving every citizen a barrel of water and see what reaction we get. Anyways, leaving that aside, we decided to visit an area of the city known as the "Commerce District" where many merchants would put their wares on sale. Nia said this was the perfect ce to find equipment and even rare materials if we were crafters, which we wouldn''t find anywhere else in the world. "The best wares of the Goldsand Desert can be found here, mdy! Are you interested in something we''re offering?" "The tastiest and sweetest of cactus pulp is in here! Cactus Juice avable! Cheaper than water!" "Grilled Desert Crickets with extra spicy sauce! It''s tasty and affordable!" "We''re selling all sorts of jewels and ores, extracted from the Mines at Emerald Fountain!" It was very livelypared to other districts in cities where they sold products, the merchants were also very pushy! Whenever you made eye contact with them, they would immediately try to grab your attention and sometimes would get in front of you, showing you what they had. "No thanks, I am not interested in cactus pulp¡­" Lucifer groaned. "And what about you?" Asked the merchant, offering me it. "I¡­ Fine." I sighed, paying up and grabbing some. Lucifer looked at me with a disappointed look. "What? We''re here to enjoy the ce too! Ain''t no way I''ll just dedicate to research and stuff! Think of this as our vacations too! Hmm! Oh this is so sweet!" I drank some of the cactus juice; it was incredibly sweet and made you thirstier in fact. Too much sugar would usually make people crave liquid. "Hey it''s really good, try it out!" I said. "Oway!" Nyx quickly drank her cactus juice, her eyes glowed brightly the moment she realized how sweet it was and drank it all in one shot. "Waah! It''s so sweet! Celes, try it out! You too Silva!" "Ooh, sweet¡­" Celes was licking his lips like a puppy. "Hmm, I''ve never tasted such a sweet drink before¡­" Silva said slightly timidly. "Let me see some of that." Catarina said, as Silva gave her the drink. "Oh?! Oh wow, since I became a zombie and all that tastes have been pretty mild but this sweetness¡­ I can taste it right away!" Emeraldine and Partner also tried it out, both being surprised by the taste too. "Hmm, so refreshing. Back in the vige, we would sometimes make a very tasty fruit punch, with our favorite fruit juices." Emeraldine smiled gently. "This sweetness brings back memories." "Ah, so sweet! As sweet as blood I think." Partnermented. "Hahh¡­" Lucifer sighed, as Nyx offered him some of the juice. "Fine- Guh?! Agh, too sweet! My tongue is burning!" "Heheh, for being a dragon, you seem rather weak to sweet things, Sir Lucifer." Nia giggled. "Right? Hahaha, he''s grumpy for dumbest of things." Tearughed. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Ugh¡­" Lucifer sighed. "I wonder if I should try something out of this city''s cuisine¡­" Jonathan wondered, drinking the cactus. "One¡­ cricket, please." "On it!" One of the men selling food quickly gave Jonathan a huge stick with three big desert crickets covered on spicy sauce¡­ "Gulp¡­" Jonathan was beginning to doubt his decision now. "Oi, oi, are you sure you''re trying that, blondie?" Partner teased him. "He''s beginning to doubt it now, I bet he won''t dare eat it." Catarinaughed. "W-What? I will never back down from my words!" Jonathan quickly bit through the crickets; they were incredibly crunchy. CRUNCH! "Guh¡­ Ugh¡­" He slowly munched on it and swallowed. "Hmm, it''s not so bad¡­ Try it out!" "Eh?! Me?" I asked in surprise. "W-Well, I''m a ghost so it shouldn''t be bad for my stomach¡­" I grabbed his offering and gave it a small bite¡­ It was dry, crunchy, a bit hard in some areas, it got stuck in my mouth a bit, but it tasted kind of like¡­ I don''t know, spicy jerky? Kind of. "Hmm¡­" I drank some of the juice and realized they made a greatbination. "Not bad, not bad at all¡­" I nodded, rubbing my chin. "They make a goodbination!" "Eugh, you ate a bug!" Celes seemed disgusted. "I''ve eaten cockroaches before when I was too hungry¡­" Silva said. "Eeeh?! Silva too?" Celes was shocked. "I want bugs too!" Nyx said. "I remember eating those big scarabs back in mommy''s big farm! Or the asional rat, they were crunchy and fresh." "Eeeeh?!" Celes was panicking after hearing the two cute girls that became his friends ate gross things. "Come on now, Celes, we''ve eaten bugs before too, you just didn''t realize it because I triturated them into the stew." Her mother admitted. "W-What?! Mom, how could you?!" Celes was about to die out of horror. "Uuggh¡­ Buaagh¡­" And there goes the juice I gave to him¡­ "A-Ah, Celes! Are you okay?!" Nia cried, helping her son. We decided to take a little break because Celes felt a bit dizzy, sitting inside a small restaurant, we wanted to try out some of the exotic things they sold in here. "So? What are you guys ordering?" Asked a girl with brown cat ears and sharp golden eyes. Beast-kin were rathermon in here, and so were the Desert Elves too, so it wasn''t just dark-skinned humans. "I want the whole menu!" "EH?!" ----- Chapter 865 A "Delicious" Feast! Chapter 865 A "Delicious" Feast! ----- "So what is all of this again?" Asked Emeraldine, looking at the immense feast filled with doubt and a bit of disgust¡­ In front of us, there was a gigantic feast I had ordered. I ordered every single thing in the menu, including drinks and desserts. There were all sorts of critters, the desert people especially liked eating the giant bugs that wandered in the desert. "Well this over here is roasted Golden Centipede, considered a delicacy due to its tender meat. Over here we''ve got Salted Green Oasis Frog, it is very tender and delicious. In here, there''s Leaping Desert Snail, the shell is very hard but once roasted, the meat inside bes very tender and vorful! Over here we have an Ant Stew, including the big queen floating in the center, and some desert cactus roots. Oh! And how can we forget the Ocr Demon''s meatballs? Their eyes are surprisingly juicy!" The girl that brought us the food exined everything in here, there was even a whole roasted armadillo too, with ws, head, and everything¡­ The meals smelled of all kind of things, but they were all¡­ not the usual things we ate in the more Mediterranean zone of the continent. "Alright, let''s dig in everyone!" I giggled. "Uwaah¡­ Ugh." Emeraldine was trying to look for something less gross to eat. "Hmm, oh this centipede''s tender! It tastes like a slightly bitter shrimp." Said Partner, munching on the giant thing all on her own. "Hmmm¡­" Lucifer was not really grossed out either, he just disliked sweet things. "Oh, these eyes and the frogs, not bad¡­" "Hmm! Nom, nom, nom¡­!" Nyx was devouring the armadillo with big bites, head and ws included. "I-I think I''ll just eat the bread¡­" Emeraldine grabbed a piece of bread, suddenly realizing it had tiny, green-colored crickets inside. "GAAH?! There are bugs inside the bread!" "Ah, yes, it''s our popr cricket bread! Because its impossible to get them off the grains, we''ve grown used to see them in the bread as they get processed." Laughed the waiter girl. "Nyahaha! It''s tasty and crunchy and adds an extrayer of energy! Give it a try, it doesn''t disrupt the vor of the fluffy bread at all! This one variety is special, the crickets are covered in a delicious sweet and salty sauce before being put into the dough!" "W-Whaaat?!" Emeraldine was dying inside. "Come on now, just try it!" I said, munching on the bread. "OH! This is not bad!" I put some butter over it and the fusion of vors was surprisingly amazing. "Hahhh¡­" Emeraldine gently gave it a bite. "Hm¡­ I-It''s not bad? Oh, it has the taste of oregano on it too, and some onion too. It tastes like the Elven Bread that has oregano, onion, and olive! Hmm¡­" And she got it! Now she would begin to slowly open for more foods, I hope. "Come on now, Celes, eat your stew." Nia said. "B-But it has ants in it¡­" Celes was disgusted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "It will fill you up just fine, dear." Her mother sighed. "Ugh¡­" Celes gave it a taste. "Hm¡­ ugh. Nom. Ah¡­ Eh? Not so bad¡­" "See? It''s good!" Iughed. "Let''s eat as much as we can!" I loved to try out new things, so this was a paradise to me. In the previous city we weren''t able to explore things too much, but this time around I''ll look things a bit more. I know I need to find my little brother too, but if I make haste, things will only be more chaotic, and right now, I really need some tranquility and stability to feel calmer and prepare for whatever is toe. "Anyways, thanks for the meal!" I said, as I left a bag of coins over the table as we walked away, with our stomachs full. "Nyah?! So much money¡­!" The waiter cried. "W-Wait, there''s too much here!" "You can keep the charge." I shrugged. "Anyways, do you know where there''s a few good weapon, armor, and simr things shop?" "T-There''s a few¡­" She sighed. "I''ll tell you where they are." She quickly gave us some directions as we made our way to the closest shops, looking for fitting weapons. After going through two of the that sold really shitty things, wended on a rather good looking one, it had more expensive things, but they were all good quality to excellent quality. The one selling the products was a depressed looking very old Desert Elf man, with a short ck beard and sharp silver eyes. He let us wander around and look for the best things. There were many interesting weapons, butpared to what I can do with good preparation, it wasn''t much, but sufficed for equipment for Nia and Celes, and also for Fabian and the kids too. "Do you have small armor pieces for the kids?" I asked him. "To the left, we sell stuff for midgets like dwarves and halflings." He said with a gruffy tone of voice. "T-Thanks!" I said gently. "Alright kids,e here, let''s quickly choose what you want to get¡­" We spent some time helping them decide their armor, there were of all shapes and sizes, some more generic than others, but I had the money to afford the best sets. As for Celes and Silva, who weren''t frontliners, we still got them some light protection, such as chain mails and so on, alongside robes enchanted with magic-enhancing runes. "Wow, you all look like a cute RPG Party in some Dragon Quest¡­" I said while gasping. "So cute!" Once the kids were done changing their clothes, they looked absolutely adorable in their new medieval equipment! Celes was wearing white and blue priest robes, which enhanced spirit magic power, and a huge blue hat that enhanced ice and water magic power. And then there was Silva wearing a ck robe, with brown shorts, tiny ck boots, and a witch hat that enhanced darkness magic powers and curses and hexes, which her miasmic powers seemed to count as! So cuteeeee! We also got Nyx some new items for her to try on, Lucifer and I were going crazy because she looked absolutely stunningly adorable with every clothe we put on her! "I can''t decide, everything looks good on her!" He cried. "I know right?!" Iughed. ----- Chapter 866 Shopping Spree Chapter 866 Shopping Spree ----- After buying Nyx every single thing we found cute on her, from armor to dresses to robes to hats, to bracelets to nes to earrings and all, we got into weapons. "Excuse me, small weapons?" I asked the bitter-looking desert elf. "To the right¡­" He groaned. "Thanks~!" We moved on to the next things, weapons! We decided to check everything they wanted. Fabian and his friends were all proficient in using magic powers and skills barehanded, but that wouldn''t do though, we wanted them to get some weapons. Silva and Celes too, if possible. Nyx¡­ I don''t know if she even needs weapons? She has so many draconic powers that she''s better fighting off without one, maybe. "So what would you like to use as a weapon, Silva?" Asked Catarina. "I know I gave you a knife back then, but maybe something else would do you good?" "Hmmm¡­" Silva wondered around the shop, looking for something she liked. "I-I don''t know¡­" "Hah, oh well, let''s see what you are good at wielding." Catarina gave weapons to Silva and started trying out what she liked or could use. Silva tried out all sorts of weapons, swords, spears, axes, staffs, a halberd, and so on, but she wasn''t good at wielding any of them except small wands and knives.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om At the end, she grabbed a ck colored dagger with a tiny red jewel on it, named Dark Curse Dagger, it''ll enhance her magic and help her defend herself if needed. "Huh, maybe I should grab a spear like mom¡­" Celes wondered, seeing his mom hold a spear and practice with it a bit, rather well at that. "Hehe, are you surprised that your mother can wield a weapon?" Giggled Nia. "I used to train a bit with the weapon, your father taught me how to use it rather well, I believe. "Oooh, that''s so cool!" Celes was excited. "I want to use a spear too!" "It would be better for you to use something less dangerous, Celes." Her mother said. "You''ll do better with this blue wand; it seems good for your element!" "Ugh, fine¡­" Celes sighed, epting the wand that enhanced water and ice elements a bit. As for the other kids, Fabian got himself a magic sword, Spectra a magic spear, Garon some red colored gauntlets, Nick two small axes, and Beery a shield and a wand. "Alright, looks like you guys are set." I nodded. "Oh, you guys don''t want a weapon too?" I asked Takeshi and Laura, who had been helping the kids decide their weapons. "I would grab a wand but I''m alright with what I have." Laura said. "My fishing rod is a weapon!" Takeshi seemed a bit offended I didn''t count that as one¡­ "O-Oh, right, my bad!" Iughed a bit. "A-Anyways, we''ll be paying for all of this." I said, cing a huge bag of coins over the wooden table, the desert elf nced at the money with eyes wide open. "Y-You''re really buying all of this¡­ V-Very well, let me count the money and the prices¡­" He slowly did just that, until we paid for everything. "Looks like there''s an extra few thousands, please grab them." "Oh, alright." I nodded. "Though if you don''t mind, do you sell any materials? I remember seeing the ones from outside, they were all very low quality, so I wanted to find higher quality materials that were endemic of the deserts¡­" "I don''t deal with materials, everything I get is to make stuff, but you can buy high quality materials at a shop in the other side of this street, the prices are not that cheap though, but I doubt that''ll be a problem for you, seeing how wealthy you are." The desert elf old man smiled. "Thank you, gramps!" I said, leading my party to that very shop. "Gramps?! I''m still rather young!" The desert elf protested as we left his shop. We traveled across the streets as we inspected our surroundings, finding many interesting things, ultimatelynding in front of the shop that sold materials, entering it, we found a desert elf woman this time, the entire shop was filled with all sorts of gems, ores, stones, and the magic crystals of monsters. "Wee!" She said very gently. "Oh, hi! We''re looking for materials." I said. "I''ll take a look around and pick what we need." "Sure thing. Take your time." Thedy nodded. I ended picking up most of the ores I found that were new. There was Golden Sand Ore, which was hardened sand mixed with gold, Strengthened Salt Silver, which was a magic ore of silver with desert salt crystals, Rainbow ss Crystals, that were made out of desert sand imbued with spirit energy, turning into a rainbow ss of strong magic properties. Spiraling Saphirinitte, which was a mix of Sapphire, Ruby, and Emerald mixed together into a spiral, very beautiful, andstly, my personal favorite, Diamond Draconitite, an incredibly unique crystal, almost as hard as diamonds, in the shape of scales, it can harbor elemental power really well too! "Wow you''re buying a big haul, girl, are you some sort of cksmith? Never seen you around!" Thedy said. "Something like that, I just like to collect rare materials and see what I can do with them!" Iughed, paying up. "Thank you for passing by! Have a nice day." She said. "Thanks!" Like that, we moved out, realizing the night had alreadye as the sun descended from the horizon in the meantime it took me to check everything I wanted. "Well, it''s gotten dark already, should we go back to the Inn for now?" Asked Lucifer. "Or should we get to the dungeon right away?" "Hmm, I think another day of rest for everyone to getpletely ready should be good." I nodded. "Let''s go take onest break before things get real, shall we? We also need to wait for the water barrel reaction, I''ve already distributed half the poption now, some had found it out and had not said a thing, I wonder if some will make a fuss eventually¡­" "Alright! I want dinner mommy!" Nyx said, without really caring about whatever I was saying. "Haha, fine, I''ll cook some food from home this time, to change things a bit." I smiled. "I''m sure Celes will be pleased." "Yaaaay! I want cheesecake!" Celes was growing slightly spoiled. . . . A group of ck-cloaked men wandered around the dark streets at night, walking closer to the Inn, using magic artifacts to remain unseen and undetected, enchanted with ancient hexes and sorcery. However, their sharp crimson eyes could be seen beneath their cloaks, very clearly at that, showing what their true nature and beings they truly were. "They''re getting closer, prepare everything." "The Magic Nodes are positioned, and it is night, sir." "Once you give us themand, the shard''s powers shall be activated¡­" The ck cloaked men gathered around their leader, smaller and older than them, as heughed once he heard things were going smoothly. "Perfect! Our Lord Maleficus will be pleased once we bring him the child!" Heughed. "They are certainly strong if they could defeat those Puppet Pdins even in their transformed states¡­ But things will be a bit different now." ----- Chapter 867 Endless Void Chapter 867 Endless Void ----- Once we walked back to the Inn, we were weed again by the Inn Lady, our rooms were ready as we left them prepaid beforehand. We moved upstairs and took a bath like we did back then, rxing while eating the terrible food we were given as small snacks before the big meals. After taking a bath in separate cabins I made up using whatever I had avable, I started to prepare things for dinner, bringing out the many cooking utensils and beginning to cook up many delicious dishes. Everyone was rather happy and rxed, today was a day where we able to unwind a bit and including Nia and Celes. Tomorrow, we might raid the Dungeon and start things, probably provoking a chain reaction that''ll make things very chaotic. So, before that, we have to gather all the energies we can and- RUMBLE! "Huh?" Before I could even think what was happening, our surroundings started to distort, as weird, miasmic energies started creeping out of the stone walls of the Inn, everything was consumed by an endless void. . . .n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om One second Celes was preparing himself for a tasty dinner while his mother was drying his hair, and the other, everything was ckened, as he and everyone else in the room were consumed by an endless void, transporting them elsewhere! RUMBLE! "Ahhh! W-What?!" Nia was the first to panic, without realizing what was happening. "Where are we?! I-Is this the Shadow Realm of Lady Maria?!" "E-Eh? We were dragged there?" Wondered Celes, wandering around the darkness. "Wait, Celes!" Her mother panicked, as she saw something unnerving, something that never would happen within the Shadow Realm of Maria. Countless of ck tentacles emerged from amidst the darkness, red eyes opening up, and jaws revealing sharp fangs, an aberration made of darkness had summoned itself, right in front of the unsuspecting boy! "CELES!" "Eh?" The blue-eyed boy wondered why her mother screamed so much as she ran towards him, seconds before the tentacles wrapped around the boy, covering his eyes and mouth! "Hmmggh?! Hmmmggghhh¡­!" The boy tried to scream as the tenebrous horror took him! "Who are you?! Give me back Celes! Let him go!" Nia screamed, grabbing the spear she had luckily carried along, and imbuing what little Mana she had, leaping into midair and pointing the spear downwards, piercing the tentacled beast''s tentacles! CLAAASH! "GRYYEEEH! That hurts, you damn whore!" The monster groaned in anger rather than much agony, quickly revealing itself as two smaller red eyes emerged from the darkness, the figure of an old man with short gray hair and a decayed-looking face, with sharp fangs and red eyes emerged! "W-What¡­?!" Nia cried, noticing that the tentacles emerged from the old man himself! Beneath his ck cloak, a mass of miasmic flesh emerged, with many eyes, jaws, and tentacles, which were grabbing the child and not letting him go! Yet, they were not killing him either, they wanted him alive for some reason. "You''re sure annoying." The old man muttered, Blood Energy and Darkness Energies surging from his old, skinny hands, his long and nasty-looking nails looking like ws. "You''re the boy''s mother? I have to thank you for taking good care of him¡­ But now, you''re no longer needed. His soul is very precious! We''ll be taking him from you now, hehehehe¡­!" "Y-YOU BASTARD!" Nia roared, rushing towards the old man as she grabbed her spear back up. "Give me back my child!!!" "SCRAM!" The old man roared, moving one of his tentacles as he imbued them with energy, and controlling the tentacles as if he were a puppeteer with thread-like energiesing from his fingers! BAAAM! "ARGH!" BAAAM! "UGH¡­!" BAAAM! "AAAGH¡­!" Three powerful strikes reached Nia, dislocating her left arm, breaking some of her teeth, and then crushing her down into the ground, breaking one of her legs! "HMMMGGHHH!" Celes tried to scream, but with his mouth covered, he could only groan, tears flowing from his eyes. "Hehehe, that''s what you get for trying to get in our way." Laughed the old man. "The Warlocks of the Underworld shall use your son as a good material. His soul is the Essence we''ve been looking for this entire time! With it, our great lord, the Dark Pest can be fully revived!" "U-Ugghh¡­" Nia groaned. "C-Celes¡­ Celes¡­!" She suddenly started to muster strength from her love for her son, slowly standing back up, even with a broken leg, and using the spear as a support. With a swollen, purple eye, she could only see with her left eye, ring at the old man, as she slowly started making her way towards him. "Give me back¡­ my son¡­!" "So unsightly¡­" The old Vampire sighed, ring at her with a disgusted expression. "I''ll kill you quickly so you stop annoying me¡­ Don''t worry, the rest of your friends here are all trapped and won''t be getting away until their souls are consumed by our great lord! Gyahahaha! Now, DIE!" His tentacle swung towards Nia, gigantic and sharp, it reached her body and attempted to pierce her chest! "GRRRHHH!" However, in that very moment, Celes started biting the tentacle wrapped around his mouth, his tears beginning to float in midair, as more and more water materialized around him! "Huh?!" The old man suddenly lost his concentration, the tentacle about to pierce Nia''s chest failed its trajectory as it ended hitting the ground instead, all while countless of des made of water started cutting his tentacles, freeing Celes in the process! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "GRUUAAGH!" The old man gave an agonizing shriek, stepping back,pletely perplexed to see the child floating in midair, an aura of Divine Spiritual energies overflowing from him, as his eyes shone as bright as sapphires! "Leave us ALONE!" With a scream filled with frustration and tears, an enormous concentration of water emerged in front of him, like a wave of the sea itself! "W-What¡­?! Has he awakened his powers to such an extent already?!" SPLAAASH! The oceanic wave pushed away the old warlock, as Celes ran towards his mother, his hands gathering his emotions and desires to heal her, as spring water covered her wounds once he hugged her tightly. "Mom! Mooom!" He started crying, his tears working as a healing potion as well, as her mother''s wounds slowly regenerated! "C-Celes¡­! My wounds?!" Nia reacted in surprise. "YOU WON''T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" However, the old man had yet to be gone, gigantic tentacles rushing towards mother and son! ----- Chapter 868 Trapped Chapter 868 Trapped ----- It happened in a sh, as everyone were suddenly sucked inside of a void, and transportedpletely elsewhere. And not only that, if they could had been transported together, things might had been easier to deal with, but they were separated. "Huh? What''s going on in here?" Partner, who was clueless, wondered, ncing into the dark world. "Don''t tell me we were sent somewhere else?! Ah, the kids!" Emeraldine who was right by her side panicked, immediately thinking about the kids. "Who did this?! Are they here?!" "There." Partner pointed into the distance, as her Vampiric Senses immediately noticed the presence of something. "You shouldn''t be worrying about the kids right now¡­" A dark figure emerged from the shadows. It resembled a single man cloaked on ck robes, holding a small, ck crystal staff imbue with a small dark blue jewel¡­ "Who are you?! How did you get us in here?!" Emeraldine asked furiously. "I can''t even break from this?!" Partner had tried shooting a beam into the shadows, but it was simply absorbed into the void, it was as if there was no ceiling to begin with. "Hehehe, I don''t think that matters right now, foolish ones." The old manughed, his body slowly beginning to transform¡­ "I''ll rip apart your souls and offer them to our Great Lord!" As Partner and Emeraldine got ready to fight, the same situation happened with Lucifer and¡­ Jonathan. "Lucifer! A Dark Force has pulled us into this strange space¡­ Some sort of pseudo dimension?! How did they even conjured such a power?!" Jonathan panicked, holding his sword tightly. "Ah, I even got off my armor!" "I can tell¡­" Lucifer inspected his surroundings. "This space is some sort of highly advanced domain¡­ It is fueled with many energy sources and a single, strong core¡­ But it''s all¡­ Void?" "Over there! Look!" Jonathan heroically said, pointing at something. Something strange slowly dragged itself out of the shadows, an old man covered on ck cloaks, which slowly was lifted off the ground, revealing itself to be attached to a long scaly neck, belonging to a muchrger, and stranger body behind. "Hehehehe¡­ The soul of a strong human and a majin¡­ Our Great Lord will surely be pleased!" "You''re behind this, huh?" Lucifer asked, his ws beginning to conjure Abyssal Death mes. "I''ll burn you to ashes and then ask your soul what you''re trying to do." FLAAASH! "W-Wait, Lucifer, don''t jump the shark!" Jonathan followed him from behind. A simr situation repeated itself once more, this time it was Tear, Takeshi, and Laura who were sent somewhere else together. There was a pattern, those that were close with one another would usually be sent together, but there was some sort of limit to it. "Is this a domain?" Takeshi asked desperately. "But it feels weird¡­ This is really fishy! I don''t like this one bit¡­" "Calm down, Takeshi! Something so strong that it can even caught off-guard S Ranks such as us is not something to scoff at, let''s calm down and assess things." Laura said. "I agree¡­ Children, stay behind me if possible." Tear took the rails of the situation, knowing she was the adult between the three, desiring to protect them. "Hoh, such a dedicated leader¡­ An Ice Giant is not something you see every day around here¡­" A woman wearing ck robes, covering her and most of her body except her foot, which revealed ck sandals appeared, holding two ck daggers. "What an interesting mismatch¡­ Sadly for you, I''ll have to quickly take you down, hehehe¡­" Her eyes glowed with bright red light. "If she''s bold enough toe to us, she might mean business¡­ Or is just stupid." Laura smiled. "Alright, I was itching for some warmup!" Takeshi was actually excited. "I''m actually rather worried about the children than ourselves¡­" Tear sighed. "Three against one seems quite unfair, don''t you think?" "Heheh¡­" The Vampire Ladyughed. "Really?" Her Miasmic Aura suddenly spread around, channeling dark powers from her "Great Lord" as dozens of clones of herself made of Miasma and Darkness were summoned! "I think you might be the ones on a disadvantage here¡­" At the same time as this was happening, in another side of this strange Realm conjured by the Warlock''s sorcery, Fabian and his friends were all teleported together into an area which was closer to a river made of¡­ blood. "W-Where are we?!" Asked Nick, panicking.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "W-We were teleported? How?!" Garon was the same. "C-Calm down you too¡­" Beery was trembling, trying to remain calm was hard for him. "This space¡­" Spectra closed her eyes, sensing her surroundings. "Yeah, we''re trapped, and this is not Aunt Maria''s Shadow Realm, this is something much moreplex and sinister, fueled by a strange entity." "Is that so?" Fabian wondered, squinting his eyes. "Looks like whoever had a beef with us decided to make the first move, isn''t it?" His sharp eyes nced into the distance, as two figures emerged from within the shadows. They resembled two small children, even slightly smaller than the kids here, yet they had huge wings behind their backs, and beak-shaped gue doctor masks. They were holding hands, giggling maliciously. "Hehehe~ Time to y, sis." "Yep, bro! Tehee!" Fabian and his friends felt a strange, unease feeling as these two childrenughed, their power seemingly resembling an endless ck and red mist spreading around. In a simr situation found themselves Catarina and Silva, both trapped together once more, this time, confronted by an incredibly tall, muscr man, covered on ck robes, and with three glowing red eyes¡­ "W-Where are we? Who is he?!" Silva cried. "Calm down kid." Catarina nced at the giant in front of them. "Whoever they are and whatever they want from us, they mean business if they trapped us here so seamlessly, without even Maria realizing¡­" Her fists started glowing with her aura. "Oooohhh¡­" The tall man groaned, wearing a gue doctor mask. "Such wonderful specimens! You will make a great part of my collection!" Heughed, revealing what was beneath his ck cloak, showing a horrifying scene¡­ And while this happened, Nyx and Maria found themselves alone, separated from everyone else as they were seen as the most dangerous by their enemies, both confronting Warlocks that had been handpicked to fight them. "Mom¡­ everyone¡­ Where is everyone?!" Nyx cried. "Heheh¡­ Calm down, sweetheart." Giggled the skinny man that confronted her. "You''ll join them soon yourself~ In death, that''s it." "I didn''t even felt it! And this Void¡­ It feels so endless¡­!" Maria thought, gritting her teeth as she was thinking about what to do, ring at the approaching foe, a tall man with big shoulders,rge arms, and a strong physique. "Those clothes, don''t tell me you''re part of the clowns from the Warlocks?" "Clowns?" Asked the man, wearing a gue doctor mask. "I would prefer if you called us enlightened, or even talented people!" Heughed. "Mdy, I will show you that you should had never tried to mess around with our territory. We, Warlocks of the Underworld, are an organization not to be messed around, even if you''re S Ranks¡­" "Hoh, bring it on, jackass." Maria smiled defiantly. And as all these events were happening, their leader, an old man with sharp crimson eyes nced at dozens of ck bubbles floating in midair, where everyone was trapped, fighting members of the organization. In the middle of these bubbles, there was arge, dark blue crystal floating in midair, harnessing an incredible amount of dark and divine powers¡­ "Now this is getting interesting¡­" ----- Chapter 869 Nyxs Almighty Strength Chapter 869 Nyx''s Almighty Strength ----- "Who are you skinny man?!" Nyx angrily said. "And where''s mom and dad? And my aunties and uncles¡­ And Celes and Fabian?! Were we dragged by evil magicians?" The figure of an old, skinny man, incredibly tall, whose entire body seemed to be made of sticks slowly walked towards her, his sharp red eyes glowing beneath his ck cloak. "Indeed, they were all dragged by evil magicians~" Heughed. "And soon you''ll join them in their death!" "Death?" Nyx was confused. "There''s no way mama or papa would lose¡­ Are you dumb or something?! Idiot!" "W-Wha¡­?! What with that stupid confidence, you damn brat?!" Roared the man, his ck cloak suddenly flying away to reveal a tenebrous chimeric shape. His form was monstrous, rugged, and coated on several scars resembling patchwork, as if his body had been rebuilt using other body parts. He was still a Vampire, but his body had been modified to the point only his head remained the same, with everything else having purple or red scales, ck and brown fur, and sharp ws of many creatures. And on its chest, Nyx could notice a huge dark blue crystal, emanating a devious and malicious power, slightly simr to the one the Pdins had when they transformed. The skinny abomination, which resembled a cryptid right out of some creepy pasta, quickly got into all fours, his sharp fangs showing off as he hissed angrily at Nyx. "I''m going to kill you, so start being a bit fearful, alright? Or it won''t be any fun if you''re this dumb!" FLASH! His entire body started overflowing with energies, as his long, skinny arms reached the motionless Nyx with a tremendous, powerful sh! CLAAASH! However, Nyx did not move nor evaded the attack, her entire body taking the blow head on, as an explosion of darkness, ck lightning, and phantasmal energies erupted the moment the attack reached her! "Heh, you''re done for now- Eh?!" Her foe quickly realized something wrong was going on, his hand didn''t felt covered in her warm blood, nor he had felt any impact whatsoever. Once the smoke dissipated, the truth was revealed, as an enormous ck dragon emerged. Her scales shining brightly, made of ck crystals, while she had long, silver hairing from her head all the way down her neck, like a silver mane. Her sharp red eyes red at the vampire in front of her, showing off her sharp, draconic fangs¡­ Nyx was not messing around anymore. "[Void Piercing Spear Tail]!" Her tail gathered her energies, rushing towards her foe and piercing his enormous, skinny, ck-colored arm, shing it apart in a single second! SLAAASH! The old Vampire shrieked in agony, surprised that he was suffering actual pain. His enormous body slowly stepping back before something of an even greater size than him. "[Abyssal Shadow ws]!" His Aura expanded into an endless shadow mantle, as dozens of ws made of darkness reached Nyx! However, her senses were much sharper, as she quickly sensed the attacks and blocked them with her dragon ws, coated on phantasmal mes! "[Phantasmal Death ws]!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Nyx''s phantasmal ws divided into countless more phantasmal ws, emerging from her entire body, as she shed against her foe''s attacks, blocking his blows quite easily! CLAAASH! "URGH¡­! I-Impossible! How strong are you?! I am supposed to be as strong as an S Rank!" The old Vampire grew furious, his skin glowing with countless, crimson-colored stigmas emerging across his body. "[Blood Stigmata: Berserk Strength]!" FLUOSH! Suddenly, the Vampire started overflowing with a brand-new crimson blood aura, his shape bing even more monstrous as his head turned into that of a beastly crimson furred bat! "Ah, it''s simr to Auntie Partner''s transformation¡­ A bit!" Said Nyx, as she saw the monster rushing towards her! "NOBODY EVER LIVES AFTER SEEING THIS FORM OF MINE!" Laughed the Vampire. "Now die! [Blood ws Rampage]!" CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! His attacks became faster and more precise. His sharp ws gaining blood energy and darkness energy made them sharper as well, as Nyx noticed her scales being torn to pieces once his attacks hit her! "Hmph!" However, Nyx didn''t felt intimidated, constantly regrowing her scales anew as she shed against the Vampire with her own blows. Her Phantom ws and her Void Spear Tail created sharp, piercing strikes that constantly blocked or parried her opponent''s attacks! BAAAMMM! Eventually, she used her whole body, charging against him and pushing him away, all while her jaws gathered her energies, unleashing a sting breath attack right into his face! "RAAAHHHH!" "UGHH?! AARRGH¡­!" The man screamed in agony as the st of phantasmal energies and darkness reached his body. "T-This is impossible¡­! My body''s¡­ How strong are you?! You''re¡­ ugh¡­!" BOOOMMM! Before Nyx could even learn the name of the bastard, his whole chest was sted away, leaving a huge hole where his core was located! CLAAASH! His corpse fell into the floor, motionlessly, Nyx, who had yet to even reach S Rank herself, felled an S Rank with little trouble! She wasn''t a Young Cmity for nothing¡­ "Huh? He''s dead already?!" Nyx was shocked. "O-Oh, oh well¡­" Nyx grabbed the corpse and then stored it inside her shadows, which served as a small storage, she didn''t wanted to eat it because she was honestly grossed out herself. But she knew the corpse mighte useful, or could turn into an undead for her mother, so she knew that it was precious enough to save it! "Now¡­ H-How do I get out of here?" Nyx wondered that as she started flying amidst the void, suddenly stumbling upon a loop. She realized that whenever she reached a certain area, she would seamlessly be teleported to the other side of the void. "It''s more like a sphere! I GET IT!" She quickly started harnessing her mothers into her giant ws, as she shed through the empty hair! SLAAASH! SLAAASH! RUMBLE! The empty space itself started to tremble before her might, shattering apart like fine ss, until countless cracks appeared, and a hole emerged. "Oh!" She said in surprise. "It worked!" She quickly flew through the portal, reaching somewhere else¡­ Meanwhile, the one controlling the entire Domain was left speechless, dropping his jaws¡­ "W-Wha¡­ What did she just do?!" -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 870 Nyx To The Rescue Chapter 870 Nyx To The Rescue ----- CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! N?v(el)B\\jnn ck Tentacles chased Celes and Nia as they shed into the ground, barely being evaded by the nimble boy and his healed mother. "Come here you damn brat!" Roared the old man. "I''M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" The old Vampire grossly walked with his many tentacles, chasing mother and son. Celes had managed to cut through his tentacles with his magic, but had suddenly lost his concentration due to fear, and he and his mother started running away. However, no matter how far they ran away, the environment, a pitch-ck darkness, never changed, everything waspletely dark, and it felt like they were not even running anywhere, always, and constantly going back to the same starting point. "W-Why is not changing?! It feels like we''re alwaysing back to the same point¡­" Nia gasped for air. "Mom, I don''t know what to do¡­!" Celes was growing fearful, he had yet to train on hunting monsters to sharpen his skills after all. "Calm down honey, everything''s going to be okay¡­!" Nia sighed, looking into the distance as the old man kept creeping in. "Ehehehehe! Do you think you can escape from this?! Fools! It is a special Domain, a Pseudo Dimension made through the almighty powers of our Great Lord and the Divine Strength he stole from your foolish Guardian." Laughed the old man. "By harnessing it with our own magics and hexes, we can create truly magnificent things, isn''t it true?! Just look at what my body has be! I''ve finally be strong and powerful, despite being an old man!" The old man threw away his ck cloakpletely, showing that from his torso and below he waspletely made up of slimy, miasmic tentacles, covered in sharp jaws and eyes! "Strong and powerful?! You''re ugly and horrible!" Celes cried, his water magic suddenly gathering around him into several floating water des. "Go away!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Dozens of cutting water attacks reached their foe, cutting down his tentacles into pieces, only for them to regenerate almost instantly. "Hehehe, you caught me by surprise before, but it doesn''t matter anymore!" Laughed the Vampire. "No matter how much you cut my tentacles, they will keep regrowing endlessly!" His tentacles kept regrowing, as he sent a dozen towards Celes and Nia. The boy tried to conjure barriers made of water, but they were instantly popped and destroyed, the tentacles about to wrap around his legs! "CELES!" However, his mother valiantly rushed forwards, imbuing Mana into her weapon like Partner had taught her to use Spear Techniques for a bit, as she unleashed a strong blow. "{Piercing Strike}!" CLAAASH! The tentacle was quickly cut down, with several more behind her being destroyed! The Vampire nced with a raging expression on his face at the woman. "Tch, you''re such an annoying rat!" He gathered dark and red energies into his hands, firing bullets made of blood energy and darkness, which exploded on contact! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Nia grabbed her son and started running away from the explosions, but one managed to hit her legs from behind, making her trip over the ground as she hit her head strongly. BAAM! "Urgh¡­!" Nia desperately tried to stand back up, the tentacles creeping in. "Mom!" Celes desperately cried. He pointed his little hands against their foes, as he started gathering more and more magic, remembering that Nyx had told her something, a "trick" about magic! "You have to channel the mana into your hands and then visualize what you want it to be! The stronger you can visualize something, the better!" "Visualize¡­ Visualize¡­!" Celes cried, suddenly noticing his mother''s spear, as the water he conjured shone with a divine light, shaping into a gigantic spiraling water spear, overflowing with spiritual energies! FLUUOSH! "W-What the¡­?!" The Vampire stepped back in slight surprise, his face distorting into desperation as he suddenly started running towards Celes at full speed again! "I won''t let you conjure any more of your tricky magic spells, you damn brat!" His tentacles shapeshifted into sharp metallic spears, seconds before the Spirit Water Spear reached his body, shing into his chest and blowing through his heart, leaving a huge hole behind! BOOOMMM!!! "UUAARGH¡­!" The Vampire couldn''t take the hit really well, instantly falling into the ground, vomiting blood as he saw the enormous wound, perplexed and inplete disbelief! "Y-You did it Celes!" Nia panicked in surprise. "I-I did?!" Celes was amazed. "UURRGHH¡­ YOU HAVEN''T DONE SINGLE THING!" The Vampire, however, swiftly stood back up, his many tentacles swirling and moving around like deadly appendages, his wound quickly being covered and filled by dark miasma and crystals growing over him. "I might have to just kill you! I can deal with your soulter¡­" His body slowly transformedpletely into a mass of tentacles and eyes, consumed by his own monstrous half, the old Vampire turned into an Abyssal Horror himself! "GRUOOHHHH!" "Uwaah!" Celes cried in fear, as her Mother gritted her teeth, covering her son to protect him from the attack that wasing, as dozens of sharp, spear-tipped tentacles rushed down towards the two! Crack, crack¡­! CRAAASH! However, an even louder sound echoed behind the two of them, as a gigantic draconic body emerged from the void itself, breaking through its dimensional walls and stopping the tentacles from reaching the two! "W-What¡­?!" The tentacled abomination suddenly found himself stopped by a huge ck dragon, with ck crystal scales and long silver hair! "ROOOAAARRRR!" "W-Who is that?! A-A Dragon?!" Celes cried. "A ck Dragon¡­ Wait¡­! Are you Lucifer?!" Nia cried. "I''m not papa!" The intimidating dragon spoke with a girly voice. "I''m Nyx!" "NYX?!" Celes and Nia, who had never seen Nyx in such a form were shocked. "R-Right, she''s the daughter of Lord Lucifer after all!" Nia was slightly relieved. "Nyx, you came to save us!" Little Celes said. "Don''t worry, now that I''m here I won''t let the baddie hurt you or your mom!" Nyx roared, looking at the giant monster she had stopped. "You dare believe you stand a chance?!" The Vampire went insane, attacking Nyx with everything he had! "Dragon or not, you''re still a pathetic child!" "Let''s see about that!" Nyx opened her jaws, unleashing her devastating breath attack! BOOOMMM!!! ----- Chapter 871 A Desperate Battle! 871 A Desperate Battle! ----- Nyx unleashed her devastating breath attack, sting through the aberrant Vampire, who had turned himself into a monstrous beast made of countless tentacles! BOOOMMM! The beast, however, survived the st, unlike the previous Vampiric Monster that Nyx had destroyed, the huge hole in the tentacled aberration slowly started to regenerate, and it didn''t bring its end either! "Y-YOUU¡­! You''re dangerous! If you already killed one of us, I MUST KILL YOU!" The aberration quickly started moving its dozens of tentacles, pushing its whole body towards Nyx, its gigantic jaws opening wide, firing several beams of Corrupted Spiritual Energy and Blood Energy! "It seems to be a bit tougher than thest one¡­!" Nyx quickly grabbed Celes and Nia with her hands, putting them over her shoulders and flying away from the beam attacks, barely evading a few, while her strong scales were able to protect her from most of the attacks she ended taking. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "UGH¡­!" Nyx groaned. "My scales are about to crack; I have to attack with some magic too!" Her Shadows and Phantasmal Magic Energies gathered around her, as she conjured her Magic Skills one after another, attempting to attack back her foe to stop his constant annoying blows. "{Void Shadow Spear}! {Death Spear}!" Spears made of concentrated Darkness with hints of Void Element materialized, alongside Spears madepletely out of pure Death and Phantom Energies, descending rapidly towards the tentacled abomination! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The attacks pierced his body several times, covering him on explosions, the damage wasn''t really that bad, but his regeneration speed helped him get through them! Nyx gritted her jaws angrily after seeing her magic not be as effective with someone like him. "Heheh¡­ Ugh! Your magic''s not bad, child. But you will NEVER win in a fight of magic against me!" The monstrous vampireughed, his many tentacles all conjuring magic on their own, dozens of magic circles, much stronger and moreplex than Nyx were summoned! "Now I''ll show you what magic truly is! {Vampiric Blood Shadow Magic}: {Crimson Abyss Blood Spears}!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The attack made of magic spears was much more potent than Nyx''s attacks, faster and quicker, and above all, they could even chase her around! She had to constantly conjure barriers with her powers, while blocking the explosions. However, whenever a spear pierced her body, she would feel her HP and MP being slowly drained, they had Vampiric effects, and the Vampire''s ns were very clear now, he wanted to slowly weaken Nyx, overpowering her with his regeneration and magic so he could defeat her once she had no longer any energy to resist! Nyx had several passive skills that boosted her self-regeneration and the toughness of her body as well, so she knew she wouldn''t go as easy as he wanted¡­ And she had several trump cards she had yet to use as well! "You''re annoying! {Ancient Death Dragon Domain}!" She flew down into the floor, unleashing a powerful domain that filled her surroundings with darkness and phantasmal energies, further beginning to boost her powers and weaken her foe! Ding! [You have activated the [Ancient Death Dragon Domain: Lv8] Skill, a powerful Domain of Death and Darkness has been summoned around your surroundings!] [The Darkness, Phantasmal, and Draconic Energies being produced are slowly boosting your strength, increasing your Stats by +100% as long as you stay within the Domain, with an additional +1% every second for a max of +500%!] [Additionally, your HP and MP have begun recovering eight times faster, and your Darkness, Death, Phantom, Shadow, and Dragon Type Skills and Magic Power have increased by an additional +250%, while their MP Cost has reduced by -30%!] [Duration: 30 Minutes.] "A Domain?!" The Vampire was shocked. "Hah, even with that, you''re nothing!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The monster rushed towards Nyx without even thinking about it too deeply, instantly noticing something weird, as the System Messages showed him what was happening! Ding! [The {Ancient Death Dragon Domain} has begun to negatively affect you as an enemy of the conjurer.] [All your Stats have decreased by -30% while you step in this Domain, and your HP and MP Regeneration Speed have decreased by half!] "W-What¡­?!" He muttered; his countless crimson eyes filled with utter rage! "RAAAAHHH!" Nyx quickly rushed forward, swinging her tail against him, and pushing him away several meters, her ws zing with darkness and phantasmal energies! "This is for bullying my friend!" She roared. "{Phantasmal Death ws}!" Her arms suddenly divided into dozens of gigantic draconic ws, as she activated her [Phantasmal Limbs] Skill, a special ability she inherited from Maria, which was usually unique to only ghosts! "GRAAAAHHH¡­!" The tentacled aberration utilized his tentacles and magic to protect himself and block some of the attacks, yet he found himself thrown into a corner, his tentacles being constantly cut down to pieces faster than he could regenerate them! "YOU DAMN¡­!" He opened his jaws, unleashing a devastating Breath Attack simr to Nyx! Did he copy her ability somehow?! BOOOMMM! "UGH¡­!" Nyx was forced to step back, prioritizing the protection of Nia and Celes, she used her big wings to protect them like shields, giving an opening for her opponent to strike! "DON''T YOU EVER THINK YOU CAN COMPARE TO THE GREAT ME!" The aberration''s tentacles suddenly toughened into metallic spears, piercing Nyx''s entire body and finally managing to break through her scales, leaving her filled with bleeding holes! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "AAARRGHH¡­!" Nyx was careless, and ended paying the price for that, as she was overwhelmed, thrown into the ground, barely managing to secure Nia and Celes safety by protecting them with her big ws, gasping for air. "UGH¡­" Her wounds were not regenerating either, as she stated to vomit blood. "T-That was tougher¡­ than I thought." "NYX!" Celes saw her friend in such a state, panicking as he ran towards her, trying to heal her wounds. "DO YOU THINK I''LL LET YOU DO THAT?!" However, their foe was not done yet, suddenly teleporting behind them through his Shadow Sneak Skill, his countless tentacles rushing down towards Nyx onest time! "This time, I''LL FUCKING KILL YOU BOTH!" "No¡­!" Celes cried. "NOOO!" Tears flowed from his eyes, as his powers erupted, answering his emotions! SPLAAASH! A huge tsunami emerged, engulfing their foe! Chapter 872 Overpowered Children 872 Overpowered Children SPLAAASH! "UGH¡­! Water again?! Do you think it''ll do much to me, you pathetic child?!" The Vampire roared. "UTTERLY PATHETIC!" "I-It''s no longer just water!" Celes cried, trying to imagine his magic techniques in different shapes, forming his water¡­ and then imitating Nyx''s shape! "{Sea Dragon}!" FLUOSH! "HUH?! GUH?!" The monstrous Vampire suddenly found himself being tightly caught in the ever-spiraling waters of a Sea Dragon! The small tsunami that Celes summoned suddenly taking a draconic shape, imitating Nyx''s appearance! "ROOOAARRR!" "Wow!" Nyx said in surprise, as her wounds were purified by Celes, and regenerated through her natural abilities. "That''s amazing, Celes!" "I can''t¡­ contain him for much longer!" Celes was gasping for air. "Okay, got it!" Nyx nodded. "Leave him to me! I won''t lose a second time!" Nyx quickly leaped into action, pping her wings rapidly and catching the Vampire with her ws, shing at his face, piercing his body with her tail, and kicking him several times, all while sting him with yet another breath attack! However, this time, it wasn''t just the normal one¡­ It was a special Breath Attack she acquired after her recent evolution! "{Abyssal Chaos Dragon Breath}!" The power of the almighty element of Chaos were summoned within Nyx''s jaws, her throat unleashed an almighty ck and purple-colored beam, piercing through her foe''s flesh once more! BOOOMMM! "GRYYAAAAHHH¡­!" The Vampire suffered severe damage, his body falling down once more, sttering blood and guts everywhere, though it slowly began to regenerate once more! "I can''t believe you¡­ YOU WOULD DARE¡­!" The old Vampire was furious, his tentacles quickly shapeshifting into countless snake-like heads, opening their huge maws, and attacking Nyx with sharp bite attacks! However, in that very moment, Celes unleashed thest bits of Mana he had left, pointing his small hands at his foe! "{Oceanic Tridents}!" Once more utilizing his imagination and visualization, he took this one step further, imagining dozens of tridents made of spiraling water at very high pressures, shing against their foe''s tentacles, sting them into pieces one after another! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "UUAAARGH!" The Vampire gave out a pathetic shriek. "T-That brat''s magic got all strong out of nowhere?! Did he just learned how to utilize it better?! Was he always this strong?!" However, before he could even finish his words, Nyx was right in front of him, gathering over her hands an enormous abyssal darkness, imbued with the void itself! "Take this! It''s your goodbye present!" Nyx roared, her words holding some of the charisma of her mother Maria within them. "{Abyssal Dark Star}!" The sphere of Darkness and Void hit the aberrant vampire at point-nk, consuming his entire body! "T-This¡­ can''t be¡­!" He screamed. "S-STOP! I CAN SURELY¡­ FIGHT¡­ MORE¡­!" With all the sheer willpower he had left, the vampire started trying to crawl outside of the void consuming him, his tentacles opening red eyes, firing beams of blood energy against Nyx and Celes! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Celes knew that Nyx had her scales broken, so she couldn''t easily take the hits! He quickly conjured a huge barrier of water, exhausting his Manapletely. "D-Do it Nyx, finish him off! Quickly!" Celes cried. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Celes¡­!" Nyx said in surprise. "Let me do something too¡­!" Nia suddenly ran towards Nyx. "I need to at least hit him once! Or I won''t be able to call myself a mother!" "Auntie Nia!" Nyx was surprised. "Okay! In that case¡­ {Phantasmal Dragons Summon}!" Nyx suddenly summoned hundreds of Phantasmal Dragons in that split of a second, surprising Celes and Nia. But that didn''t end in just that, they flew towards her and Nia, fusing with Nia''s spear and Nyx''s powers! "{Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic}: {Abyssal Phantom Spear of Death: Thanatos}!" FLASH! A huge spear made of phantasmal and death energy was born, resembling nothing like it was before! It contained tremendous power, but its existence was only brief! "T-This power¡­!" Nia was amazed by what little Nyx was truly capable of! "L-Let''s do this!" "RAAAAAH!" Nyx and Nia rushed forwards, piercing through the tentacled vampire''s beams until the gigantic spear struck down his body as he was still stuck within the Void! CLAAASH! "GRYYAAAAAHHHHHH¡­!" He could only scream, no longer even being capable of speaking as not only his body, but his soul were pierced by this phantasmal spear! Crack, crack¡­! Tiny cracks became dozens, and dozens hundreds! Crack, CRACK! Hundreds became thousands, and then¡­! CRAAASH! His soul waspletely destroyed! "I-I was¡­ defeated¡­?!" The vampire thought. "Was¡­ all my life¡­ for me to die against some damn¡­ brats?" The Vampire died pathetically; his foes didn''t even knew his name! "PHEW¡­" Nyx quickly turned back into her small form, sitting over the ck floor, and sighing in relief, Nia and Celes did something simr, finally feeling relieved things ended¡­ "W-We somehow pulled it off¡­" Celes said. "Hahaha¡­ Y-You''re amazing, Nyx!" "Nah, you''re amazing Celes!" Nyx giggled, smiling back at the boy. Celes blushed a bit once Nyx went back to her usual appearance, his mother quickly noticed that her little baby son had a small crush. "Heheh, I would love to celebrate, but we don''t even know where we are¡­" Nia sighed. "Nyx, do you have any idea yourself?" "Hmm¡­ I do remember that it felt like a huge sphere¡­" Nyx said. "No, many spheres, connected together!" She opened a small bag she had, a Dimensional Bag her mother had made for her, that could contain a few things, a tiny Inventory, and started eating a huge roasted cow leg she saved there as a snack. "Want some food?" She offered them some sandwiches. "Spheres¡­" Nia wondered. "So it is like¡­ s-some sort of dimensional domain? Such a powerful thing¡­ What sort of magicians could have ever built such a thing?" "Maybe¡­ the baddies!" Celes said, munching on the sandwich. "The¡­ those guys, who were their names?" "Vampires? The Warlocks or¡­ Wait, the Warlocks must have been! They looked like evil magicians, that''s what Warlocks usually are, right?" Nyx asked. "Y-Yeah, that''s right!" Celes nodded. "The Warlocks of the Underground, that dangerous magician organization¡­ So they were Vampires all along!" Nia gasped. "W-We need to somehow go help everyone else¡­!" "Yeah, let''s go!" Nyx nodded, finishing her meal. "I''m feeling full now!" She carried the two over her wide back in her dragon form, flying across the void. Chapter 873 Marias Power 873 Maria''s Power ----- (Maria''s POV) Finding myself within a strange void that I couldn''t quite decipher on its totality, I was swiftly greeted by a mysterious fellow, a tall man, assuming him to be a Vampire by the blood aura he exuded, wearing a full ck suit, covered on a ck cloak, and wearing a gue doctor mask. I noticed some strange protuberances within his back, as if he had something below his jacket. Whatever it was, I''ll soon know it is, because I''m going to absolutely wreck his ass. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Those clothes, don''t tell me you''re part of the clowns from the Warlocks?" I asked, standing still calmly. "Clowns?" Asked the man, he seemed to have a hateful cocky voice. "I would prefer if you called us enlightened, or even talented people!" Heughed. "Mdy, I will show you that you should had never tried to mess around with our territory. We, Warlocks of the Underworld, are an organization not to be messed around, even if you''re S Ranks¡­" "Hoh, bring it on, jackass." Iughed it off. "You really think you''re some big deal because you made this domain up? I''m going to shatter it." "You''re quite talkative." He said. "Let''s see if your actions can amount to your words." FLAAASH! Suddenly, I saw a burst of blue lighting emerging from his back, his entire body gained a crimson-colored lightning after that, as he rushed towards me at an incredibly fast speed. "Lightning, huh?" CLAAASH!!! His ws emerged out of his ck robes, the impact of his attack sending out a shockwave of electricity that quickly burned down a bit of my dress. However, I had sessfully blocked his blow. "Hey, this dress was quite hard to make, you know?" I asked him with a smile. "Y-You took that hit head on?" He wondered. "Ah, you''re surprised? I thought you were stronger than S Ranks?" Iughed. BAAAMMM! Without hesitation, I kicked his stomach and flung him into the skies, he immediately vomited blood, his mask covered by the crimson color, I felt his gusts sttering inside and his bones breaking. "GUHHH¡­?!" He groaned, quickly pointing his hands down, his ck cloak slowly beginning to tear itself apart. "No, it is my bad! I should had not underestimated you, midy! {Crimson Lightning Catastrophe}!" FLUOOOSH! His lightning powers gathered around his hands as he unleashed them down towards me, dozens of lightning strikes attempting topletely burn me to a crisp shed against me! CRASH! "Hoh, not bad! It tickles a bit, hahaha!" I couldn''t help butugh at the scene. "You know? Divine Lightning hurts way more than this!" "W-What¡­?!" He muttered. "Did she said divine lightning?!" Ding! [The [Divine Thunder Spirit Body: Lv3] Skill has activated automatically upon contact with strong Lightning Strikes.] [You have naturally begun to resist and absorb the Lightning!] [You learned the [Lightning Absorption: Lv1] Skill!] "Unless your lightning can be as strong as that of a God, I doubt it would hurt me as much." I smiled. "And thanks to you I even got a new Skill, thanks a lot!" I quickly gathered my Moonlight Energy, generating a huge moon-shaped mirror in front of me, the lightning was instantly absorbed, as the mirror reflected the energies back towards my attacker, now empowered by Moonlight and Chaos Elements! "What the¡­?!" BOOOMMM!!! His entire body was sted into the skies, as he quickly fell, set aze, shing into the floor¡­ His clothes were half-burn, revealing his strange body. "I knew you weren''t normal, but oh boy, you sure aren''t normal." "Urgh¡­ Haha¡­ HAHAHAH!" He slowly started standing back up, having tanked that hit must have hurt a bit, but he sure was a durable bastard. Maybe it had to do with his body, which looked to have been made up of several body parts stitched together. I had seen Vampires turn into creatures before, possessing innate powers or utilizing Demonite Heart Cores, but they usually still had their normal base appearances. These Warlock guys¡­ were different, I doubt this guy is the only one with modifications on his body. Despite being vampires that take pride into their "perfect" bodies, they seem to have the obsession with modifying themselves, fusing monster parts into their bodies. "Haahhh¡­ You sure are something else!" Heughed, revealing his torso to me. His two arms resembled those of a huge and muscr bipedal beast, with tiger-like stripes. Did he stole the arms of a poor beastmen, or some bipedal tiger monster? His face was still covered on his mask, but I could notice that he had two different colored eyes, horns, and on his back, six ss tubes imbued with colorful crystals inside, which seemed to be directly connected with the rest of his body. "So you acquired that lightning power from those tubes?" I wondered. "You''ve really made of yourself quite the freak show, but I''m d you experimented on yourself instead of using guinea pigs¡­" "Oh, for sure, I''ve used hundreds of them. Adults are easier to use, children¡­ break too quickly." Heughed, his six tubes glowing with different colors. Not only lightning emerged from his hands, but also emerald winds, and crimson mes, which he started tobine, imbuing a part of them into his body, while the other became a mighty, multi-colored aura. "{Triple Element Maniption Technique}: {Lightning, Wind, and Fire Strengthening Aura}!" FLAAASH! He rushed towards me at lightning speed again, his fists zing with mes and winds, unleashing a tornado of mes upon contact! Not only once, but several times, each of his attacks be stronger and faster. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAAM! Above all, explosions of mes, lightning, and winds emerged from his attacks, generating tremendous shockwaves, all while his muscles kept growingrger, enhancing his strength and speed even further. I dedicated myself to evade his attacks for a couple of seconds, that until he suddenly gathered his elemental energies, summoning a huge palm-shaped gathering of elements! "Don''t underestimate me, you failure of a witch!" He roared. "{Elemental Triad''s Palm}!" BAAAMMM!!! "Failure of a witch?" I asked, smoke covering my entire body. "It''s not like I asked to get betrayed, beheaded, and turned into a ghost to begin with!" My leg suddenly sparked with ck lightning, as I rapidly kicked his face, breaking his mask and pushing him away! CLAAASH! Chapter 874 A Ghost That Fights With Her Fists 874 A Ghost That Fights With Her Fists n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- "URGH¡­! How strong are you?!" The manined, as if it was my fault he was a weak ass chimera! Well, it was mostly thanks to my Eldritch Body Skill, among other things. That skill negates all damage as long as it is not divine or demonic. He possess some demonic power, so he could inflict some damage¡­ but most of it depends on his tubes over there, which possess no such qualities. "I don''t know, can you take a guess yourself?" I covered my entire body on lightning, appearing right above him, in just a split of a second. My fists beginning to gather my Mana and a multitude of other energies I could create! "{Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique}: {Skeleton Arms of the Abyss}!" My Aura erupted from my body, converging the powers of Death and Phantasmal energies as two titanic skeleton arms materialized, as I moved my hands, they moved with me, shing against my foe with tremendous strength. And I didn''t summoned a single pair, the maximum amount I could summon was six! "Let''sbine these with this! {Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique}: {Life Draining Phantasmal Chain Attack}!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Each strike took a bit of his life away, and also his energies, as the Vampire felt like he was being speared by a thousand spears, but it was just the skeleton''s fingers piercing his body. "UUAAARRGGHH¡­! M-MY LIFE!" "Yeah, did you finally guessed how strong I am, jackass?" Iughed like I was the real viin here. "{Soul Shattering Spear Hand}!" All six of my gigantic skeleton arms unified their strikes, shaping themselves into sharp spears and piercing his body at the same time, his stomach opening and sttering his guts all over the ce! BAAAMMM!!! "UUAAGH¡­!" He vomited blood everywhere, his body looking like it was crushed by the foot of an elephant. He was gasping for air, his natural regeneration slowly beginning to put him together again. "That fighting technique¡­ Just what was that?" He asked, looking at me into the eyes, his face was¡­ quite not bad, he had a handsome face, maybe he could had been someone incredible in the past, but turned into a Vampire to seek more power. "This technique, you ask?" I wondered, caressing the skeleton arms as I giggled. "It is part of my own creation, I thought that¡­ Why should I limit myself to magic? Especially because you seem to be someone with a modified body capable of absorbing spells too, so I tried out something more¡­ physical." "A-A ghost that can fight physically like a martial arts master¡­" He coughed blood whileughing. "That''s¡­ nobody told me you were¡­ Cough¡­ And how did you realized my body''s powers?!" "Do I have to answer all your questions, dumbass?" I rushed down towards him, my legs ring with phantasmal mes and ck lightning. "Because I don''t think so. {ck Lightning Kicks}!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "UUAARGHHH¡­!" He constantly groaned in agony as I kicked him countless times, his body beginning to tear apart, only for new tendrils and fleshy tentacles to emerge from his wounds. His ss tubes shattered, but the jewels were incrusted into his body, and once the ss was broken, they grew unstable, imbuing him with even more power. "RAAAHHH!" He roared back at me, his elemental powers surging like an explosion, managing to push me back, and deal some damage, my HP decreased quite a little¡­ "There''s still so much left to experiment! Do you think I will simply¡­ PERISH HERE?!" He roared. "Once I''m done with you, I will take your remains and add them into my body¡­ HEHEHE¡­! I will be the strongest Vampire!" "Disgusting." I sighed, waving my hand. "{Abyssal Palm of Death}" TRUUUMMM¡­! A gigantic palm made of pure death energy materialized above him, this was a new technique I created, a derivation of Selene''s Palm, but without the cost of Moonlight Energy, and with the Element of Abyss and Chaos instead! CRAAASH!! "RAAAH!" However, he somehow resisted its almighty power, his entire body constantly growingrger, until he got as big as ten meters, his fists zing with elemental explosions, he looked like an ugly version of the hulk. He blew up my attack, swiftly reaching me and unleashing a barrage of attacks. I decided to concentrate and take this a bit more seriously as intercepted his blows with my many skeleton arms and my phantasmal hands, activating dozens of Ghostly Fist Techniques while doing so! "{Phantasmal Fist} {Soul Piercing Punch} {Reaper Uppercut}!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! His entire body was covered on punches, and even his soul started to flicker and waver in agony as many cracks spread across, followed by a mighty uppercut in the chin, frustrating him even more. "{Skeleton''s ws} {Soul Devouring Finger} {Meridian Destroyer}!" SLASH! BOOM! CLASH! Skeleton ws shed his body, spear-like finger strikes devoured his soul slowly, several attacks destroyed his meridians, making his muscles paralyzed temporarily. "{Infernal Spectral Fist} {Divinity Shattering Death ws} {Skeleton Arms of the Abyss}!" BAAM! CLASH! SLASH! zing fists made of spectral energies covered him with phantasmal mes, his magic was shattered into pieces by ws made of pure death energy, and my skeleton arms kept shing away at his self-regenerating limbs, he was losing his mind. "{Life Draining Phantasmal Chain Attack} {Abyssal Palm of Death} {Soul Shattering Spear Hand}!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!! And then, a chain attack of dozens of phantasmal fist strikes descended upon his body, followed by several palms of death crushing him down, and then my skeleton arms shaped into spears, piercing his body even further! "AAARRRGGGHHH¡­! {Multi-Elemental Maniption}: {Divine Elemental Nova}!" SPLAAAT! 09:22 "Ugh, what a mess." I sighed. "Maybe I went a bit overboard there, I shouldn''t had killed him so much, now I won''t be able to ask him questionspletely¡­" I said, eating his soul fragments to get some of his memories. "Oh? I see¡­" On his desperation, he raised his hands, fusing all his elemental energies and summoning a titanic star of elements, throwing it directly at me! "DIEEEE!" BOOOMMM!!! The entire attack consumed mepletely¡­ "Hah¡­ HAHAHAHAHA!" He started tough. "Nobody has ever lived after I unleash my strongest technique! You''re done for- Eh?" "Wow, now that was a nice meal." I smiled, my chest had a gigantic hole, which was just finishing to absorb all the tasty elemental energy. "Pure elemental energy like this is sure easy to absorb!" "H-Huh?" He waspletely in disbelief. "Oh, and you''re already dead." I smiled. "WHAT?!" His entire body suddenly started to distort itself, his soul beginning to shatter apartpletely. All the attacks he took were still damaging him constantly, and his soul and body were already on its limits. Before he could even ask another question, he exploded into pieces, soul and body included¡­ SPLAAAT! "Ugh, what a mess." I sighed. "Maybe I went a bit overboard there, I shouldn''t had killed him so much, now I won''t be able to ask him questionspletely¡­" I said, eating his soul fragments to get some of his memories. "Oh? I see¡­" After seeing his memories, although fragmented, I kind of finally learned what was happening here. This entire Domain wasposed of a multitude of pocket dimensions in the shape of spheres. It is indeed like a Void, because it is being powered by something that can conjure the power of that element, and more¡­ It was a Fragment of the body of the Oasis Spirit, corrupted by the Dark Pest! Because the Oasis Spirit was a Divine Being, even her body parts can harbor tremendous power, further corrupted by the Dark Pest, it can even exceed the power of Evil God Fragment secretions. "Huh, well, time to destroy their n." Iughed. "Let''s do a speedrun, shall we?" I giggled, talking to the bastard''s lifeless head, and then throwing it back inside my Inventory. Chapter 875 Laura, Takeshi, And Tear Against A Shadowy Vampiress 875 Laura, Takeshi, And Tear Against A Shadowy Vampiress ----- "{Miasmic Spirit Clone Technique}: {Mirroring Shadow Assassins}" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! In front of Takeshi, Laura, and Tear, the female warlock that had appeared suddenly expanded her Miasmic Aura everywhere, her appearance dividing itself as dozens of clones materialized. "Oh, I get it now, she can duplicate." Takeshi nodded. "And it''s not just illusions, they must be physical manifestations." "So that''s why she''s so confident?!" Laura asked angrily. "I''m gonna blow up a new hole on her." "You two don''t get too ahead of yourselves, if possible, stay behind me." Tear said. "You''re not S Rank yet after all!" Tear''s ne began glowing a bit, as her powers started slowly manifesting. The assassin Vampiress in front of themughed, as she quickly rushed towards them! "Fufu, this is going to be fun, tearing all of you apart, that is!" The Vampiress rushed with her over thirty clones towards the trio, their movements just as swift and precise as hers, while they also held two sharp ck daggers made out of their ownponents, moving their weapons in the same fashion as she did too! N?v(el)B\\jnn SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "Not another step further!" Tear roared. "{Divine Frost Queen Magic}: {Freezing Domain}!" Their attacks were precise and their movements fast, they surrounded Tear, as she unleashed her Frost Magic, constantly freezing their legs and shattering, only for her to notice them quickly regenerating them back! "What?!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Six of them attacked her at once, their powerful strikes constantly pushed her back, even though she was wearing a strong Divine Ice Armor, it was already gaining a few cracks! "You''re really persistent!" Tear roared furiously. "{Divine Frost Queen Magic}: {Frost Giant''s Fists}!" She unleashed her Divine Aura at full power, as a freezing power materialized into gigantic fists made of ice, shing against three of the six clones attacking her! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! Their bodies were sttered into the floor and frozen, shattered apart, and then frozen and shattered even further, Tear had to make sure to grind them to dust, all while she evaded the blows of other clones while protecting herself using Frost Barriers! "Ah! The children!" However, Tear felt immediate fear as she nced at Takeshi and Laura, who were surrounded by over a dozen Clones, and the real vampire to boot! Takeshi was keeping some in ce using his fishing rod''s metallic thread and his strong water magic, while Laura let them reach her only to touch them and blow them up into pieces, because they somehow didn''t count as living beings, as long as her hands got to them, they could be destroyed with one shot! However, the assassin learned of Laura''s Unique Skill very quickly, overwhelming her with fast attacks from a distance, while slowly separating Takeshi from her, as he was too busy dealing with a dozen clones himself! "I got you!" Laughed the Vampiress. "{Dark Assassination Arts}: {One Thousand Cuts}!" She reached the back of Laura faster than anybody could have imagined, Tear and Takeshi attempting to go help her, only for the clones to stop them! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! A storm of a thousand consecutive shing blows reached Laura in a single attack, pushing her back, and constantly covering her entire body with many cuts! She was wearing a strong armor Maria had created for her, but there were many crevices where the shing attacks could still reach her, which were necessary parts so she could move better with the armor! "Your armor''s strong, but there are too many openings!" Laughed the Vampiress, overwhelming her! "UGH! AAAGGH¡­!" Laura screamed in agony, bleeding all over, but managing to touch the Vampiress'' dagger once it pierced her shoulder! "{DETONATION}!" FLAAASH! The dagger glowed with bright red and orange energy, beginning to shatter and then¡­! "HUH?!" BOOOMMM! A huge explosion consumed the Vampiress entire body, burning half her body as she vomited blood and smoke equally. "GRAAAHHH!" She quickly ran away, covering herself in shadows and hiding behind her clones! Laura fell into the ground, gasping for air as her entire body was bleeding over! "LAURA!" Takeshi cried, trying to reach her, only for the clones to keep pestering him! "Dammit! MOVE!" At the same time, Tear roared, unleashing more of her energies, which she was trying to be careful on using to not run out of Mana. Because she no longer had the crown, her Mana capacity had decreased exponentially, and she could only reach so far before running out of it due to her Spells being so pricy in that regard! 09:23 Because she no longer had the crown, her Mana capacity had decreased exponentially, and she could only reach so far before running out of it due to her Spells being so pricy in that regard! "Agh! Screw it!" She cried. "{Divine Frost Queen Magic}: {Fimbulwinter}!" Tear roared, filled with fury as she unleashed one of her strongest spells, an enormous storm of freezing winds emerged from her hands, covering the dozens of clones around her and Laura, freezing them on the spot! The gigantic Frost Giant Fists crushed them to dust, as she ran and evaded several blows, reaching Laura seconds before a dagger were to reach her head! "{Winter Walls}!" TRUUUMMM¡­! Several walls made of frost materialized around them, protecting them temporarily. Tear quickly took out a potion and feed it to Laura. "I told you that you didn''t had to be reckless!" Tear said. "I broke one of her daggers¡­" Laura smiled. "She got all roasted too, the burns made from my mes cannot be easily regenerated either, she took a blow she won''t be able to recover from easily!" "Laura¡­" Tear realized how battle-hardened the girl was. She had joined Maria''s group rather recently, so she had no idea how much experience everyone in the party had gathered. But it seemed that she had underestimated them just because they were much younger than her¡­ She was also once a reckless young girl, and that was perhaps the reason why shemitted the mistakes she did. She was most likely attributing such mistakes to any youth, fearing that Laura and Takeshi wouldmit a mistake they would regret for the rest of their lives¡­ "Sorry for doubting you, but still, don''t let her attack you so easily- Ah, Takeshi!" Tear nced at Takeshi, worried, only to open her eyes wide. "T-That''s¡­?!" "{Ocean''s Domain}!" FLUOSH! An enormous domain of oceans materialized around Takeshi, drowning over twenty clones inside! "I did good on holding back until there were a lot around me!" Even Takeshi was much more than Tear thought. "Now¡­ {Sea Serpents}! Keep them there!" Takeshi roared. The waters quickly shaped into dozens of sea serpents, wrapping around the clones, and keeping them trapped within their water-made bodies! FLUOSH! "Now, Tear, freeze them!" Takeshi said. "I can''t hold them for too long!" "I see, he wants me to freeze them so we can destroy them more easily!" Tear thought. "After all, they cannot drown and will keep on trying to free themselves." Tear left Laura within the barrier she made, appearing in front of Takeshi, and freezing the Ocean Domain, the clones trapped in the waters were quickly turned into frozen statues! "{Fishing Rod Technique}: {Metallic Thread Serpent}!" Takeshi''s fishing rod''s thread quickly grew several timesrger, its hook turning into the head of a huge metallic serpent, catching the frozen bodies and wrapping around them, shattering them apart one after another, while Tear''s Frost Giant Fists pulverized them! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "Tch¡­! You bastards!" The Vampiress roared, emerging from the shadows again, more and more clones kept pouring from her Miasmic Aura. "Don''t think this is over yet!" Chapter 876 Incredible Teamwork! 876 Incredible Teamwork! ----- The Vampiress'' clone army emerged from the shadows, attacking Laura''s barriers of frost, the clones ganging on it and constantly attacking it, countless cracks spreading through it already! "Dammit, this bitch can''t even take a rest for a bit?!" Laura thought, quickly gathering her explosive fire magic around her hands, and merging it with her chaos magic. "I might be quite fragilepared to Takeshi or Tear, but my magics pretty damn explosive!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! She touched the barriers willingly, exploding them one after another, the explosions easily blowing up a dozen clones, as she started gathering more zing explosive mes around her,bining them together and forming a giant creature behind her back! "What is that?!" The Vampiress muttered. "Say hi to my buddy!" Laura smiled almost maniacally. "{Abyssal Chaos Explosion Demon Summon}!" FLUOSH! "GRUOOOHHHHH¡­!" The gigantic being, made out of explosive ck, red, and purple mes materialized around her, as huge as twenty meters, its very presence seemed overwhelming! "{Explosive Demon ws}!" "RAAAAH!" Without even waiting for a response from her malefic attacker, Laura unleashed a barrage of w attacks, blowing up many clones, the power of her special Explosion Demon Summon was that she could unleash explosions farther away and with strong physical might added into it! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! She barely bought enough time for Tear and Takeshi to get close to her, only for the Vampiress to emerge behind her once more, sneaking on her through her Shadow Sneak Skill, a verymon skill among Vampires. Laura''s demon was too busy dealing with all the clones! "You''re dead, BRAT!" The Vampiress roared, half her face was burned and had yet to regenerate. "{Dark Assassination Arts}: {Armor Breaker}! {Heart Piercer}!" Her only dagger suddenly gathered blood and dark energies, shing against Laura''s armor, and shattering it with a single, mighty blow! Crack, crack¡­. CRAAASH! However, that wasn''t all, as she swiftly moved her dagger towards the girl''s heart, attempting to pierce it and kill her with a single hit! "You weak mortals die so easily with this!" SLAAASH! "GUH¡­?!" Laura vomited a mouthful of blood, her sharp red eyes ring at the woman in front of her with utter hate and frustration! "Heh! Serves you right!" The Vampiressughed¡­ However, Laura simply smiled, showing the Vampiress her sharp fangs¡­ And then touching her clothes. "You know that my heart is not there, right?" Lauraughed. "I''m a chimera¡­" "Huh?!" BOOOMMM!!! Laura detonated the Vampiress blouse and her armor into pieces, blowing her away as mes took over her entire body! Her body rolled over the ground, as she constantly screamed in agony! "GRYYYAAAAHHH! MY BODY! IT BURNS SO MUCH!" She desperately started tearing apart her burning clothes as Laura fell to her knees again, Tear and Takeshi catching up with her as they demolished the clones rushing towards them. "You reckless girl, did you do that again?!" Tear was about to cry in frustration. "Don''t worry, I can heal a wound like this easily." Laura imbued Miasmic Energies into her chest, the wound stitching itself together. "After all, those clones got a lot of miasma we can absorb." "You''re right!" Takeshi nodded. "We should finish her off while we can though, hurry!" Tear said, leading the trio towards the struggling Vampiress. "Not a single STEP!!!" However, the Vampiress revealed her true powers¡­ and form as the countless of clones emerging from her Miasmic Aura started to meld into a ck liquid, fusing with her body! TRUUUMMM¡­! Her appearance quickly changed, resembling a hue ck wolf, with four crimson-colored eyes and a long, sharp tail. Her size over three meters, yet the power she emanated was otherworldly! "You''ve pushed me this far; I have to recognize your efforts¡­" Sheughed, showing her sharp fangs. "But it''ll onlyst for this long! I''ll tear your flesh apart! GRAAAH!!" FLAAASH! With a speed the trio didn''t expect, the ck wolf reached them, moving across the endless shadows of this dark space, appearing around them, constantly moving around, trying to make confuse them! "RAAAHH!" Suddenly, after disappearing once, she reappeared through the shadows, her gigantic jaw reaching Tear''s leg, and strongly biting through it! CRAAASH! "URGH?!" Tear groaned in agony, but quickly gritted her teeth, gathering her freezing powers into her fists. "Don''t think you can just do that easily!" BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! Three powerful punches hit the wolf, as she quickly escaped, only for her aura to expand, countless wolf-like heads appearing around them! "And don''t think I can just bite!" Each jaw fired powerful beams of darkness against them, constantly appearing and disappearing! Tear and Takeshi lifted barriers of ice and oceanic water, defending the trio while Laura was constantly gathering her powers into her Demon, who frantically crushed the heads one after another! N?v(el)B\\jnn CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "I wonder¡­ Who''s the real one~" The wolfughed, suddenly emerging from above! Laura quickly targeted her, firing a huge fireball into her face! BOOOMMM!!! However, the wolf disappeared, revealing another jaw right below her, trying to bite her leg off with a single bite, something that it couldn''t do with Tear as she was a physically strong Ice Giant, but totally possible for Laura''s much smaller and weaker body! "YOU!" Takeshi noticed it earlier, his fishing rod wrapping around the wolf''s jaws seconds before it could snap his sister''s leg, and then cutting the wolf into pieces! BOOOMMM!!! "Another dummy?!" As Takeshi said that three more jaws appeared, one biting Tear''s right arm, which she pulverized with a frost fist, the second reached Takeshi, biting his fishing rod and dragging him into the floor, and the third¡­ targeted Laura, the one the Vampiress hated the most, appearing right beneath her, trying to devour herpletely! "RAAAAH!" "Of course you''ll target me, you hate me after all." However, Laura, in that very moment, dropped a dozen stones she had touched beforehand, which she had saved in her pocket as "pocket bombs"! "GULP?! GUH¡­?!" The Vampiress realized toote what she ended swallowing her, seconds before her entire body¡­ "Y-YOU DAMN¡­!" BOOOMMM! With an agonizing shriek, she was torn to pieces, blowing up from the inside out! The trio was left paralyzed after the sudden death of the headache-inducing vampire woman, dropping into the floor, and sighing in relief. "Hahhh¡­ Laura, you really earned yourself a trophy, well done." Takeshiughed. "You were amazing, yeah¡­" Tear said. "I wouldn''t had been able to get this far without your help¡­" Laura smiled. "Now¡­ where the heck are we?!" The trio quickly stood back up, their wounds healing with their advanced magic spells they had learned from Emeraldine, who taught them all how to create diverse spells by magic circle and rune creation. Even frost spells that could heal ice giants existed, and Takeshi and Laura were able to heal their wounds with the leftover miasma in the surroundings. "I think we''re trapped in some sort of¡­ domain, a dimension or something." Tear said. "It is dangerous¡­ But we need to break out of this, somehow¡­" She sighed, caressing her ne''s jewel, Veredorr''s Soul Crystal, which she did whenever she felt nervous. "I can sense the connections, rivers of miasma, chaos, and void connecting into a pseudo dimensional barrier¡­" Laura said, touching something invisible. "Takeshi, help me break this too." "Alright!" Takeshi nodded. "Wait, you have to just break it?!" Tear was shocked, seconds before¡­ CRAAASH! Chapter 877 A Group Of Strong Children 877 A Group Of Strong Children ----- "Come on, let''s y a game, we are all of the same age, right?!" "Yes, please, don''t be afraid of us!" FLAAASH! Fabian and his friends found themselves cornered by two child-like vampires, covered on ck robes, and with huge crow-like wings behind their backs. As they flew around them to intimidate them, they constantly released a ck and white mist everywhere, confusing them further. "What with this mist?!" Spectra asked, looking around. "Don''t breath it!" Fabian said, quickly conjuring several spears of Demonite. "Don''t get any closer!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The spears made of Demonite flew across the skies at a fast speed, reaching the two flying vampires. However, the two swung their hands, revealing bird-like ws on them, blocking the spears, and shattering them on contact! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Pfff, too weak!" "Do you truly believe you can stand a chance a with such weak magic?!" "My spears are being broken so easily?!" Fabian thought, gritting his teeth. "Fabian, watch out!" Suddenly, Spectra emerged right next to Fabian, pushing him away as the mist surrounding them shaped into a gigantic w, attempting to grab him! CRAAASH! "S-Shit!" Garon cried. "Fabian! Spectra!" Beery ran towards the two. "Wait, Beery, be careful!" Nick ran to help his friend. FLUOSH! However, the mist changed its shape once more, countless tentacles materialized out of it, white and misty in form, but physical, wrapping themselves around the small Beery! "Uuaagh!" Beery was quickly dragged into the mist''s depths, the two flying vampiresughed, without even going to kill the children themselves, they simply wanted to see them suffer, slowly. "No!" Fabian cried. "Beery! They got him!" Spectra panicked. "Wait!" Garon roared. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hehehehe! One gone!" "I wonder who''s next!" The two Vampiresughed mischievously, as Nick couldn''t take their "jokes" any longer, his entire body overflowing with his Miasmic Powers. "Y-YOU! GIVE BACK BEERY!" Nick roared, hitting the ground, his body exuding a deadly poisonous gas around him, which he quickly started to shape simrly to the mist! "Two can y the same game!" The Poisonous Gas he exuded shaped into several snake-like forms, slightly materializing themselves into temporarily physical forms, shing against the tentacles dragging Beery away! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "SHAAAH!" The two Vampires were surprised that Nick from all other children was somehow capable of destroying their strange Mist Magic, growing furious, they amplified their attacks. "Do you think you can go against our magic?!" "We''ll teach you a lesson you''ll never forget!" The two held hands as they raised their arms into the air, the Mist quickly gathered above them, and then took a strange shape! "{Abyssal Mist Magic}: {Darkness Mist Spirit}!" FLUOSH! The white mist turned into ck mist, shaping into the form of a huge humanoid demon-like being, rushing down and shing against Nick''s snakes made of poison, beheading them, and destroying them easily with its giant fists! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "Eeep!" Beery was constantly running away from the battle between mist-like beings, until the Mist Demon Spirit reached him, his two fists fusing into a huge sword! "Uwaaagh!" The young boy cried, pointing his tiny hands at the Demon, countless amounts of nts emerging from within them almost endlessly! Vines, mushrooms, branches, and sharp roots, stopping the summoned monster temporarily! FLAAASH! "GRUUHHH?!" The Mist Demon was forced to step back, giving time for Garon and Fabian to attack it from the back! Garon unleashed an enormous zing aura, his fists zing with mes, while Fabian started gathering his powers into a single, bit projectile! "{Ifrit''s Volcanic Explosive Fist}!" "{Great Demonite Abyssal Spear}!" Garon gathered all his powers into his right arm, as a gigantic fist made of volcanicva, mes, and magma materialized, shing against the Mist Demon, and making it overflow with zing mes! At the same time, Fabian''s strongest spell descended, in the shape of a huge ck spear made of ck Demonite, piercing the Mist Spirit''s chest! CRAAASH! Both powerful attacks managed to destabilize the Spiritual Demonic creature, its entire magical structure falling and exploding into mist, dissipating! POOF! "W-We did it!" Fabian gasped for air. "Beery! Is he okay?!" "I''m fine!" Beery sighed. "Ugh, but what are we going to do about those two? They''re a bit too tricky to deal with!" "Ahh, they''re spreading Mist again?! Give us a break, will you?" Nickined, the two Vampiresughed. "We can''t give you a break, that''ll be too boring, you know?" "It''s more fun when we continue ying, forever!" The two bizarre child-like Vampires kept spreading their mist everywhere, hiding behind the Mist as the domain they created started to change. "Let''s do something more fun, sis!" "Sure thing, bro!" "{Abyssal Mist Magic}: {Demonic Mist Spirit Hands}!" The two "twins" gathered their power once more, as the children in front of them saw thembine the Mist together into countless of hands, with red eyes into them¡­ FLUOOOSH! "W-What now?!" Spectra cried. The hands quickly started descending towards them, attacking with strong punches that sent tremors down into the ground each time they shed into the floor! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! "Dammit!" Fabian could only evade and escape the attacks, nobody in the group was strong enough to take these hits head-on, not even their strongest physical fighter, Garon. "Just run, keep evading!" Said Nick. "{Miasmic Poison Gas Magic}: {Swirling Poison Tornado}!" Nick gathered his strength, unleashing a powerful tornado of poisonous, purple-colored gases, shing against three of these hands, but there were dozens of them! BOOOMMM!! "Fufu, how about we spice things up a bit?" "Now! Fire!" The twinsughed, as the hands'' red eyes suddenly started glowing bright red, gathering their energies, and firing deadlysers of blood energy against the children, countless explosions raining down on them! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "{Phantom Magic}: {Phantasmal Barrier}!" Spectra fused with her phantasmal energies, trying to imitate what Nyx or Maria could do, and unleashing a wide barrier of phantasmal energies, which somehow managed to tank a few hits¡­ Before shattering! CRAAASH! "It''s useless~" "You''re too weak!" "I thought that because they defeated one of those pdin chimeras, they were a big shot, but I was wrong." "Yeah, right? Hahaha!" "You bastards¡­!" Fabian grew more and more furious, his Miasmic Powers beginning to overflow from his body. Suddenly, his horns started to growrger, made out of Demonite¡­ ----- Chapter 878 Deadly Twins 878 Deadly Twins ----- Although they were handling things just fine, theycked experience, and their foe was much more unpredictable than they imagined, the Demonic Mist Spirit Hands were stronger as well, and harbored many clones of themselves, moving everywhere, attacking strongly both physically and magically, and above all, they were unpredictable and fast! Due to theirck of fighting experience and the proper usage of their abilities, Fabian and his friends were getting quickly overwhelmed! The Pdin that turned into a hydra beast back then was easier to handle as it was just a mindless beast at the end, easy to corner and cut down to pieces slowly. But this was much different. The Demonic Mist Spirit Hands hovered above Fabian and Spectra, their eyes beginning to glow bright red, preparing another deadly shower ofsers! "It''s useless~" "You''re too weak!" "I thought that because they defeated one of those pdin chimeras, they were a big shot, but I was wrong." "Yeah, right? Hahaha!" The twin Vampires mocked them, making Fabian quickly lose his temper, thisbined with the stress, frustration, and exhaustion of overusing his abilities made him grow madder than he ever thought he could get. "You bastards¡­!" His Miasmic Powers began to overflow from his body, and suddenly, his horns started to growrger, made out of Demonite. An untapped power within him was beginning to awaken! FLUOOOSH! A miasmic and powerful aura erupted from his body, as a third red eye opened over his forehead, and dark and purple scales made out of Demonite grew on his legs and hands, while his nails became huge and sharp ws made of Demonite too! Ding! [The Power within your {Demonite Heart Core}''s {Miasmic Ability} has begun to fully awaken¡­!] [The power of the {Miasmic Ability}: {Demonite Control} has be {Demonite Demon}!] [All Stats have temporarily increased by +200%, you can now create Demonite with half the MP Cost!] [However, your sanity is slowly being consumed by the Miasma overflowing across your body¡­] "GRRAAAAH!" With a furious roar, Fabian rushed forward, seconds before the redsers were to reach him and Spectra! Their friends ended being separated from them once more, too far away to help as well. "Fabian?!" Spectra was surprised as she saw him change, pouncing forwards at full speed, his sharp ws overflowing with dark and miasmic powers, as he swung them furiously. SLAAASH! SLAAASH! SLAAASH! Each sh summoned hundreds of small Demonite Spears, which flew towards his target. Aside from the shing attacks themselves, these spears pierced through the Demonic Mist Spirit Hands, making them explode into mist constantly! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "What?! He got stronger out of nowhere!" N?v(el)B\\jnn "Has that child awakened their Miasmic Ability?!" The twins naturally knew about Miasmic Abilities, special, very strong Abilities developed by those that survive the transnt of a Demonite Heart Core, or simr abilities. After all, their own {Demonic Mist Maniption} was also a Miasmic Ability, but it was much more connected with the Fragments of the Corrupted Oasis Spirit''s body rather than the Evil God, hence why it was connected with Mist, produced from water. "Hmph, don''t get ahead of yourself!" "A brat like you can''t beat us!" The twins roared, pointing their hands at Fabian as theybined dozens of Demonic Mist Spirit Hands together into a two enormous arms! "{Abyssal Mist Magic}: {Demonic Mist Fusion: Demonic Mist Spirit King''s Arms}!" TRUUUMMM¡­! TRUUUMMM¡­! Both of those gigantic arms rushed down towards Fabian, as they fired countless of red beams against him! "RAAARRGH!" However, Fabian let the Miasma consume his judgement, it was his first time transforming, incapable of controlling himself! He swung his ws, shing against the powerful beams, redirecting them away or letting his own ws explode into pieces, quickly regenerating back. The more he regenerated, the more Demonite grew all over his body. Spectra and her friends watched in horror as his entire body was growing ck, purple, and red crystals all over,pletely changing how he even looked like. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "RAAAH!" He continued fighting, destroying the arms'' beams until their giant fingers attempted to crush him! BAAAMMM!!! However¡­! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Countless of shing attacks covered the entire demonic mist hand, cutting its fingers apart as Fabian crawled out of it, his body falling into pieces and revealing his bleeding skin underneath. "Wait, Fabian! Don''t be reckless! You''re pushing yourself too hard!" Spectra and her friends reunited and ran to help Fabian, as the second arm wasing directly towards him, crushing him once more! BAAAMMM!!! "GYYAAGH¡­!" This time, he didn''t had enough strength to resist, his stats by themselves were fairly low as he wasn''t a strong as any of Maria''s family members yet, even with all the buffs, there was much he could do alone¡­ Several spears made of Demonite materialized, piercing the entire arm covering Fabian as he tried to free himself, but the arm was still holding on, the piercing blows seemed to not affect it as much as cutting it and separating it into pieces. "You sure are a persistent ant, just die already." "Your ability was interesting but¡­ you''re just a stupid brat anyways!" The twin vampiresughed maliciously, suddenly empowering the two Demonic Arms, regenerating them, and making them hold Fabian in midair, slowly beginning to crush him! His Demonite Scales began shattering into pieces, piercing his skin, and making him bleed¡­ "FABIAN!" Spectra and her friends cried, rushing to his aid, but the twins smiled, suddenly, several spears of blood reached them from behind! "EH?!" "We specialize on Mist Magic but¡­ we can also do some Blood Magic." "We''re vampires after all, dumbasses~" "No¡­!" Spectra tried to create barriers, but they were shattered instantly, the projectiles swiftly reaching her, about to impale her and her friends! TRUUUMMM¡­! However, in that split of a second, the twin Vampires noticed a weird disturbance on the Void of the Domain, two gigantic ws pierced through it, shattering the invisible walls dividing each Domain! CRAAASH! "ROOAAARRR!" And a gigantic ck dragon emerged from within, carrying two people on her back! By swinging her gigantic wings rapidly, a tempest of dark winds redirected the blood spears away, saving Spectra and her friends, all while she swung her long spear-tipped tail, cutting both arms trapping Fabian! SLAAASH! "W-Who is that?!" Spectra cried in surprise. "N-Nyx¡­?!" Fabian opened his eyes slowly. "I made it in time!" Nyx smiled. Chapter 879 Nyx To The Rescue! 879 Nyx To The Rescue! ----- SLAAASH! Nyx furiously shed both of the Demonic Mist Arms into pieces with her tail, catching Fabian on her big hands and barely managing to keep him alive enough time for Celes to run towards him and heal his wounds! "{S-Spiritual Recovery Water}!" SPLAAASH! A lot of cold water covered Fabian''s hurt body, healing him from his wounds rather rapidly, and helping him open his eyes again. "N-Nyx¡­?" He muttered, surprised she had appeared, and on her dragon form no less. "I made it in time!" Nyx smiled, showing her intimidating sharp fangs. "She''s Nyx?!" Spectra and the rest of Fabian''s friends reacted in the same, surprised manner. They didn''t exactly have seen her transform before, so they were greatly shocked to find out this huge ck dragon was her! "Oh, she brought Celes and Nia! I''m d they''re fine!" Beery sighed in relief. "Celes healed Fabian too¡­ Did he develop healing magic? Amazing!" Garon said. "Hey, you two! Are you scared now? You better be!" Nick smiled with a cocky smile. "Our super strong dragon friend''s here! You''re screwed!" "Y-You¡­!" "A damn oversized lizard¡­" "Dares interrupt our fun game?!" "Unforgivable!" The Vampire twins grew madder, their eyes glowing bright red beneath their masks, as their crow-like wings started growingrger, suddenly revealing countless red eyes across them. "Did you had to say that?!" Spectra mmed Nick''s head with her hand. "Now you made them get serious!" "Eep! S-Sorry!" Nick cried. "More weird monster vampires¡­" Nyx looked into the skies, as the twins started spreading more and more of their white mist, which suddenly took a different color, bing pitch ck instead. "You''re baddies too for hurting my friends!" Said Nyx angrily, letting Celes and Nia step down, putting them and her friends behind her big dragon body. "Nyx, are you sure you''re going to fight again?" Nia was worried. "You''ve fought too much!" "Don''t worry auntie Nia, Celes healed me!" Nyx smiled, confident. "Baddies you say?!" "YOU are the baddies here!" The Vampire Twins roared furiously, the mist quickly covering each of their bodies, as they grew giant arms and wings, with several eyes, all made of mist! "{Abyssal Mist Magic}: {Demonic Mist Spirit King''s Armor}!" FLAAASH! "They got armor made of Mist?! Does that even works?" Nick wondered, gathering his poisonous winds around his hands to generate a huge attack. "Well, it sure does look intimidating though!" Garon said, his body beginning to re with mes. "Let''s give Nyx a bit of our help if we ever can!" Spectra said, her phantasmal aura shaping into the form of a giant white ghostdy. "Protect Fabian, Celes, and his mom!" "Okay!" Beery nodded, his roots and vines spreading from his legs into his surroundings. "You guys¡­" Fabian muttered, still feeling tired. "Ugh¡­" "D-Don''t talk too much for now, big brother! You''re too tired! Rest!" Celes said, still healing him. "You sure have good friends." Nia smiled. "I-I do¡­" Fabian smiled faintly. "Alright, if you''re helping, assist me on getting to them! I''ll pull them down from the sky!" Nyx said, her powers overflowing from her body! FLUOSH! "Alright!" Spectra and her friends nodded. The overconfidence of the brats made the twins even angrier, without waiting their words to finish, they attacked. The four gigantic demonic mist arms descended, suddenly summoning giant weapons to attack with, a sword and an axe. "You won''t have a chance to get to us anyways! Just die, oversized ugly lizard!" The twins said at the same time, attacking Nyx and her friends. The two weapons descended rapidly, with shes that devastated everything, reaching Nyx! "Ugly lizard?! I''m a cute dragon!" Nyx furiously flew into the skies, her entire body overflowing with Phantasmal mes as she spread out her arms, summoning dozens of phantom dragons alongside her! "{Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic}: {Abyssal Phantasmal Dragon God ws}!" Two gigantic dragon arms emerged out of her own arms, made out of phantasmal energy from condensed phantom dragons. Both arms quickly blocked one of the weapons, the huge axe, but the sword kept descending! Spectra''s hair fused with her phantasmal aura, allowing her to make it grow to incredible sizes, reaching all the way into the skies and wrapping itself around the sword! "{Fire Demon Magic}: {Ifrit''s Explosive Horns}!" Garon summoned the gigantic head of a zing volcanic demon, materializing above him as it flew into the skies, shing against the sword with its two giant horns, zing with mes! "{Miasmic Poison Gas Magic}: {Swirling Poison Tornado}!" Nick conjured the same spell from before, but this time, it was two! Two enormous tornadoes made of miasmic poison reached the huge sword, and then turned into snakes, coiling around it. "{Miasmic nt Magic}: {Corrupted Gaia''s Fist}!!!" And unexpectedly, Beery summoned his very first offensive magic,bining countless ck and dark nts together into a gigantic ascending fist, shing against the sword! CRAAASH! Thebined attacks of everyone plus Beery made the sword begin to slowly gain countless cracks! Crack, crack¡­ CRACK! "Nice!" Nyx used this opportunity right away, swallowing air and then unleashing a devastating breath attack while holding back the giant axe in that split of a second! "{Abyssal Chaos Breath}!!!" TRUUUM! The beam not only shattered the sword but it blew off the entire gigantic demonic mist arm, reaching the axe she was holding back and damaging it severely too! BOOOMMM!! But that wasn''t all, as Nyx'' giant Phantasmal Dragon God''s ws swung rapidly,bining their power with her another of her Skills! "{Phantasmal Death ws} + {Obsidian Demonite Crystal Scale Armor} = {Obsidian Demonite Crystal Phantom Death ws}!" Bybining the effects of two Skills at once, Nyx learned a new ability, epassing the ws of phantom with ck crystals, making them much stronger! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "RAAAAHHHH!!!" CLAAASH! CLAAASH! Both attacks not only destroyed the axe, but reached all the way into the twins, their eyes opening wide, the two desperately using their gigantic wings to defend! "{Phantom Detonation}!!" However, Nyx knew that, easily making the two ws detonate, exploding right in front of their wings and faces! BOOOM! BOOOM! "W-What¡­?!" "URGH¡­!" The twins suddenly saw their wings disintegrate in mere seconds, Nyx appearing right in front of them at lightning speed! "ROOOAAARRR!" And with another dragon breath¡­ she blew them up into bits! TRUUUM! Chapter 880 Lucifers Wrath 880 Lucifer''s Wrath ----- The twins couldn''t easily defend from a point-nk breath attack, their small bodies disintegratingpletely before they could even muster another word of frustration¡­ Their game was over much faster than they could have imagined! "S-She did it¡­" Fabian slowly stood up, feeling better. "You guys did it too!" "Fabian! Are you okay?!" Spectra ran to see him. "Y-Yeah, don''t worry about me, I''m fine!" Laughed Fabian. "But you guys were awesome there!" "We wouldn''t had been able to do anything without Nyx carrying the whole operation." Nick said. "She''s the real deal here." "We couldn''tpete with those vampires at all¡­" Garon seemed slightly disappointed on himself. FLASH! Nyx quickly turned back into her smaller, humanoid form, and descending from the skies,nding in front of her many friends. "What are you saying, you guys? You were super awesome there! Thanks for helping me! Without you, I wouldn''t had been able to defeat them so quickly." Nyx smiled gently. Maria and Lucifer''s daughter was sure adorable, and her personality always cheered everyone up, this wasn''t the exception, everyone quickly felt more at ease with her around. "Hehehe, well, I''ll take thepliment!" Beery said with a cocky smile. "Beery from all people?!" Nick asked in shock. "Fine, I guess we helped a bit." "Thank you for helping anyways, Nyx!" Spectra hugged Nyx tightly. "But how did you get here? And where are we exactly?" "Nyx, did you helped Celes and Nia out?" Garon asked with a smile. "I don''t know where we are and¡­ Yeah, I helped them!" Nyx nodded. "Nyx did said she saw as if we were in some sort of domain, children." Nia said, joining the conversation with Celes and Fabian. "The culprits are most likely the organization that is also cooperating with the Saintess, the Warlocks of the Underworld, Vampires¡­ but a weird family of them that experiment on their own bodies to gain "enlightenment" or something¡­ They were originally aiming for my son." "I-I see¡­" Garon sighed. "Well, it''s good that we''re all together, our chances of survival increase!" "Yeah!" Beery nodded happily. "But where should we go now?" Nick wondered. "Hmmm¡­" Nyx started wondering about it. "I can sense some sort of disturbance over there¡­ Maybe that''s another wall leading somewhere else!" "Then we should go there and help anybody in there too!" Fabian said, feeling much better. "Are you feeling okay? Don''t you need to rest a bit?" Spectra asked. "Yeah man you wentpletely all-out there¡­" Nick said. "What was that?" "I-I don''t know but¡­ I felt like a power within me was constantly consuming me." Fabian sighed. "I couldn''t control that power and almost killed myself though.." "You''ll learn how to use it eventually!" Nyx was very positive as usual. "For now, eat something and then we go help others!" She offered sandwiches and fruits to everyone. "Food!" Everyone quickly started eating happily, the more mana and energies they used, the more tired and hungry they got, so this was ideal. Once they finished eating, everyone moved aboard Nyx''s huge draconic back on her dragon form, as she flew into the dark skies, piercing through the void once more! CLAAASH! . . . Meanwhile, Lucifer and Jonathan, an unlikely due, found themselves trapped too, trying toprehend their situation. "This space is some sort of highly advanced domain¡­ It is fueled with many energy sources and a single, strong core¡­ But it''s all¡­ Void?" Lucifer analyzed things rather well. "Wait, Void? Can the Evil God Fragments generate something like a small dimension? Or is it the sameponent that the Chimera Pdins had in their hearts¡­?" "Over there! Look!" Jonathan heroically said, pointing at something, distracting Lucifer from his thoughts. "Tch, what is it now?! Can''t you keep your mouth shut for five seconds, little hero?" Lucifer said angrily, suddenly noticing what Jonathan was pointing at. "Huh?!" Something strange slowly dragged itself out of the shadows, an old man covered on ck cloaks, which slowly was lifted off the ground, revealing itself to be attached to a long scaly neck, belonging to a muchrger, and stranger body behind. "Hehehehe¡­ The soul of a strong human and a majin¡­ Our Great Lord will surely be pleased!" The monstrous creature spoke. Lucifer, with his sharp eyes, quickly noticed that the being''s real body was behind the darkness, resembling a gigantic, decaying dragon body. Anger quickly started swelling within his heart as he recalled how his previous wife, Crystal, was treated by the Evil God Fragment. Was theponent of this aberrant old man also some poor dragon that got tortured and turned into some sort of monstrosity?! He couldn''t ept it! "You''re behind this, huh?" Lucifer asked, his ws beginning to conjure Abyssal Death mes. "I''ll burn you to ashes and then ask your soul what you''re trying to do. And don''t you dare escape, I''m going to follow you to the depths of Helheim if necessary!" FLAAASH! "W-Wait, Lucifer, don''t jump the shark!" Jonathan followed him from behind, as Lucifer rapidly shed against the bizarre being! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "You''re much faster than I imagined, gyehehehe!" The old manughed, his bald head shining brightly beneath the light produced by Lucifer''s mes, as his red eyes glowed brightly, the rest of his body moving before his mentalmands. "{Miasmic Dragon ws}!" CLAAASH! A gigantic draconic w reached Lucifer, he barely was able to react with his own much smaller ws on his humanoid appearance, the ws had ck and purple scales on them, Lucifer quickly recognized them! "Violet?!" He muttered. "YOU BASTARD!" Lucifer erupted on mighty Abyssal Death mes, conjuring a gigantic spear of mes, and firing it towards the old man''s head! CRAAASH! "Lucifer!" Jonathan ran towards Lucifer, noticing something strange! TRUUM¡­! A gigantic eye appeared above the skies, slowly beginning to descend, revealing that it belonged to a huge, deformed draconic head¡­ The gigantic red eye gathered energies on a split of a second, unleashing a devastating beam of pure blood energy directly over Lucifer''s entire body! BOOOMMM!!! ----- Chapter 881 The Hero Of Light With The Dragon King Chapter 881 The Hero Of Light With The Dragon King ??881 The Hero Of Light With The Dragon King ----- BOOOMMM!!! The gigantic beam of red energy reached Lucifer and Jonathan at the same time; the explosion was so strong it could had easily taken down half of the entire city outside in mere seconds! Yet, a brilliant shield made of light protected them both, Jonathan having barely managed to conjure a mighty barrier of Divine Celestial Light. "Hey, Lucifer! We almost got roasted! Are you okay?" Jonathan asked, trying to make the grumpy dragon talk a bit at least. "I''m fine¡­" Lucifer muttered, looking into the skies with even more anger. "I see what''s going on¡­ I blew up his former body, but he¡­ he already had taken over Violet''s body, isn''t it?" "Who''s Violet?" Jonathan asked. "Ah¡­!" Jonathan looked into the skies, the gigantic, monstrous head which seemed to have been stitched together from several pieces slowly started to move, its long neck belonging to the huge chimeric dragon''s body hiding in the shadows, slowly revealing itself. Six arms, three tails, a gigantically long neck, a monstrous head with a single, oversized red eye. Several spikes over its body and ck and purple scales. Despite how monstrous it was, this was a Dragon Lucifer knew! "Gyahahahaha! Did you thought that blowing up my weak and feeble former body would do a thing?!" Laughed the dragon with his monstrous head. "I had long ago decided to leave behind my body and move into this new one! Isn''t it incredible?! The body of a Dragon possess incredible untapped potential, but what do you think happens once you transnt several other parts into it?! Especially many Demonite hearts?! They can hold many of them after all! GYAHAHAHA!" TRUM! TRUM! TRUM! TRUM¡­! He huge draconic abomination slowly started moving towards them, as huge as a hundred meters¡­ Jonathan quickly realized without Lucifer having to exin at all what was happening. "I-Is this¡­?" Jonathan asked. "Was it one of your friends?" "¡­" Lucifer remained in silence, battling against his sorrow to see the body of a former friend torn to pieces and merged into an abomination. "It is¡­" Violet, a ck and purple-scaled dragon that Lucifer knew quite well. She was one of Crystal''s rtives, something like a cousin of her, that sometimes woulde to visit them in their early days, before bing a member of theirrge dragon family. She was known for being brave and strong, but also funny. Her positiveness always shone brightly among the gloomy dragons, bringing them together and always attracting the attention of many. After the War where he died, he didn''t knew what could have happened to her at all¡­ But now, he quickly realized that her fate was worse than death. "Did she somehow get into Goldsand and was captured? Or¡­ died? No, her body looks too alive, it is not as decayed as Undead bodies¡­" Lucifer gritted his teeth, feeling even more anger! "Is her soul still there somehow?!" His eyes shed brightly, trying to find Violet''s soul within her body. Perhaps she was still trapped there¡­ somehow. Yet he couldn''t find anything other than the monstrous soul of the one that had stolen her body¡­ The bastardughing maniacally right now. He didn''t even knew his name but he wanted to crush him to death already. Yet crushing him to death meant crushing Violet''s body¡­ He was able to confront Crystal back then because Maria and everyone else was with him! Yet now, only Jonathan, someone he hates is here. Can he really muster the strength to¡­ destroy the body of a family member? "I''m surprised, are you too scared to act now, Majin~?" Laughed the old man within Violet''s body. "Don''t worry! If you''re so scared. I''ll do this quickly! I''ll devour your soul like I ate this poor weakened dragons soul when we found them!" "WHAT?!" Lucifer roared furiously, ring at the old man. "What¡­ WHAT DID YOU SAID YOU DID?!" "I ate her soul! She was so weakened after having taken a beating from so many desert monsters that ruled the dunes¡­ She was very tasty! Oooh, how I enjoyed her screams!" Laughed the old man. With each word, Lucifer only grew more furious! Jonathan felt scared, stepping back, without even knowing what to say anymore. "Y-YOU¡­ YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!" TRUUMMM¡­! An explosion of ck lightning broke through Jonathan''s barrier of light, as Lucifer transformed into his powerful Divine Dragon King of Abyssal Death mes: Nidhogg appearance! "You''re a dragon?!" The vampire muttered, seconds before Lucifer rushed forwards, his gigantic ws reaching towards his opponent! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Lucifer unleashed three mighty blows, explosions of Abyssal Death mes covering his foe''s entire body. The gigantic aberration moved faster than its huge size could make someone guess, swiftly stepping back with its six legs, as its overly long arms, modified to be like this, swung against Lucifer rapidly! "Hahahahahaha! So you''re a dragon too!" The old manughed, the ws of his body grew ten timesrger, resembling des more than ws! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Lucifer was instinctively holding back his full strength even as he fought, he didn''t wanted to damage the body of Violet anymore, he blocked the attacks with his ws while trying to burn his opponent''s soul! "SHUT UP!" Lucifer was pissed off beyond belief, if notpletely furious. His wrathful roar came with an eruption of Abyssal mes all around his opponent, enormous towers of mes covering him! "I''LL RIP APART YOUR DAMN SOUL FROM HER BODY!" He roared. "[Scythe of Death]! [Reaper of Souls]!" He conjured two of his Skills at once, materializing a gigantic scythe made of abyssal death mes as he swung them towards his opponent, attempting to target his soul! SLAAASH! However! "You think you can reach my soul so easily?!" Three gigantic tails shed against Lucifer, two sneaking from behind, piercing his back and scales, the third piercing his chest, lifting him off the ground! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "UURRGHH?!" Lucifer vomited a mouthful of blood as he was caught off- guard, venom suddenly rushing inside the wounds!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hahahah! What''s wrong?! I can''t believe I''m going to get a second dragon in my collection!" Laughed the damned vampire. "That''s enough, you despicable viin!" Jonathan roared. "[Divine Starlight de Arts]: [Starshine sh]!" Jonathan rushed forwards, resembling a shing light of celestial starlight, swinging his sword at lightning speed, three shing blows sliced the tails off, freeing Lucifer! SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! "T-That magic¡­! The Hero of Light?!" ----- Chapter 882 A Desperate Battle Chapter 882 A Desperate Battle ??882 A Desperate Battle ----- BAAAMMM!! Lucifer fell into the ground, feeling pathetic that he was caught off guard in such a way! His wounds were still not regenerating either, infected with not just Miasma, but Corrupted Spiritual Energy, something different than the miasma which he could tolerate and absorb, which seemed to be burning him from the inside. "Uurgh¡­!" He slowly stood up, gasping that thing overpowered me¡­?! What am I even doing?! Maria would be so disappointed of me¡­" "Lucifer! You have to snap out of it!" Said Jonathan. "I know it hurts¡­ I really do! I also had to y my friends, the children I helped grow into proper heroes, because they became so monstrous I could no longer recognize them anymore¡­ If that dragon used to be your friend, it is no longer one! It has be cursed; it has been turned into a puppet¡­ You have to free her!" "Y-You¡­!" Lucifer felt surprised by Jonathan''s words, as they hit all the right nails. He felt frustrated that he was so right, especially on experience, as Jonathan wasn''t talking this out of his ass, he had experienced something just as terrible¡­ "Kuhuhuhu¡­!" The old manughed, its entire body quickly beginning to rush towards the two. "I see! The reason why you''re acting so weakly is because you knew this dragon before?! HAHAHAHAA! PATHETIC!" Its giant de-like ws reached Jonathan, as the hero of light epassed his entire body on his Divine Light and constantly shed against the attacks with his mighty Divine Sword! shes of light and shes of celestial energies shed against corrupted spiritual energies and miasmic energies fused together with venom and draconic powers! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "Lucifer! Are you going to let this bastard trash talk you?!" Jonathan roared. "We have to teach him a fucking lesson!" "GYAHAHAHA! For being a hero, you''re sure slow!" The Vampire possessing the dragon''s bodyughed. His power was actually overwhelming Jonathan, and this was because of his unique Miasmic Ability¡­ or well, Corrupted Divine Spirit Ability [Draining Spirit Venom]! "Any contact with the venom produced from my ws will drain your health and mana!" Laughed the old man internally. "Keep struggling all you want, the more time passes, the stronger I''ll grow and the weaker you''ll get! And with this tough body, I can resist almost anything!" "Ugh¡­!" Jonathan muttered. "Why am I growing so weak?! That venom shouldn''t affect me either yet it feels like¡­ The venom! It''s strange, it''s draining our energy! If Lucifer stays there for too long, all his power''s going to get drained!" "RAAAAAHHHH!" But before Jonathan could tell Lucifer about it, the draconic abomination rushed towards him, mming his small body with its gigantic one and throwing him into the ground! BAAAMMM!!! "Ugh¡­!" Jonathan barely survived hundreds of tons crushing over his body as he quickly stood back up and grew two angelic wings, flying away from the beast, although its tails quickly started chasing him! "Shit! It is chasing me?!" Jonathan thought. "The tails move too fast and¡­!" CLAAASH!! The three tails reached Jonathan¡­ or not! "Lucifer!" The mighty Death Dragon appeared in front of the Hero of Sunlight, protecting him from the three tails, his body constantly growing stronger even as his health and mana were being drained¡­ "I don''t need a bastard like you to tell what to do, did you heard me?!" Lucifer roared, furious¡­ but at the same time, Jonathan felt a sense of camaraderie with him. "Hahaha, alright!" Laughed Jonathan, smiling as his wounds slowly started to heal with his magic. "Working together won''t make a difference, vermin!" The vampireughed, pointing the gigantic, oversized eyeball he had imnted on the stitched back up together head of Violet, charging energies and unleashing another Beam of pure Blood Energy! "[Demonic Dragon Eye Crimson st]!" TRUUUMMM¡­! The gigantic crimson attack reached Lucifer and Jonathan at the same time, yet Lucifer quickly opened his jaws, gathering energies within and unleashing a breath attack of his own! "[Divine Abyssal Death me Breath]!" TRUUUMMM¡­! Both beams shed against one another amidst the horizon of the Void ne, making the entire Realm tremble, its foundations weakening rapidly! BOOOMMM!!! However, Lucifer''s beam reigned supreme, reaching the gigantic eye and¡­ sttering it into pieces! CRAAASH! "That damn eye doesn''t belong to Violet, you filthy freak!" "GRYYYAAAGGHH!" The Vampire had connected all his senses into the dragon body, the agonizing pain of having the only eye it had stter into pieces was terrifying! "M-My precious eye¡­! YOU''LL PAY FOR THIS!" The aberrant dragon suddenly grew a pair of monstrous wings, made up of many other monster wings stitched together, and flew towards Lucifer and Jonathan! Attacking with both de-like ws and spear-tipped tails, the monstrous aberration''s size alone made for a terrifying enemy! Lucifer and Jonathan shed against him together, despite the fear Lucifer felt before, he had to get this done with as soon as possible! Jonathan as well, tried to stand by his side, but he was growing constantly weaker, unlike Lucifer who had tremendous vitality, he still only had the vitality of a human that ha grown to reach S Rank.N?v(el)B\\jnn The difference between an S Rank Dragon and an S Rank Human''s Vitality were like heaven and earth! "That hero is growing weaker¡­ If I can absorb his soul, I''ll be much stronger!" Thought the Vampire, opening his jaws and releasing a gigantic tentacle made of many tongues stitched together, capturing Jonathan! "URGH¡­! W-What¡­?!" Jonathan screamed, suddenly being dragged into the dragon''s jaws! "STOP!" Lucifer was already feeling tired himself, but mustering strength, he shed the tongue and freed Jonathan in time. But that little time was all his opponent needed, as his six arms hit Lucifer''s whole body, all the long de-like ws piercing through his scales as well! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! Violet was a strong Dragon at the level of S++ Rank, her ws alone, even in this state, were tremendously sharp, capable of piercing through Lucifer''s scales if reinforced with corrupted spiritual energy! "D-Dammit!" Lucifer muttered in agony, blood sttering everywhere. "GAHAHAHA! I GOTCHA!" Unexpectedly, Lucifer and Jonathan were losing! And it was all because Lucifer held back too much before, helping his enemy get the upper hand! Crack, crack¡­! CRACK! However, above them, the void shattered. And from within¡­ "Huh? Lucifer?!" "M-Maria¡­?!" Lucifer''s "angel" appeared. ----- Chapter 883 Marias Here! Chapter 883 Maria''s Here! ??883 Maria''s Here! ----- Crack, crack¡­ CRACK! The figure of a beautiful ghostly maiden emerged amidst the Void in the skies, as Lucifer and Jonathan were struggling to fight their overwhelming foe! "The Void is breaking?! That''s impossible! What is our leader doing?!" The Vampire muttered, looking at the skies on disbelief! "M-Maria?!" Lucifer and Jonathan muttered at the same time. "Lucifer! Jonathan!" Maria couldn''t help but panic as she saw the two of them almost dying! "YOU!" Her attention quicklynded on the bastard torturing her two handsome men. She could already imagine the reason why they were losing. "A Dragon body¡­?!" She thought. "Don''t tell me it is one of Lucifer''s rtives again?! These damn motherfuckers!" She easily guessed her dragon husband had many difficulties fighting yet another corrupted body of a member of his family. After such a tragic ending to most of the dragons in the continent of Midgard, seeing them wander around, turned into abominations, was heart breaking. Naturally, and because despite how much he hid it, Lucifer was a very emotional man, he would had been so emotionally hurt he wouldn''t had been able to fight properly¡­ "For being a dragon you sure are emotionally fragile, but honestly, I can''t me you." Maria thought, quickly rushing down towards the gigantic dragon. "Prepare yourself, jackass! [Qliphoth Tree Magic]: [Abyssal Life Draining Roots]!" Maria conjured all her avable Spells in the Qliphoth Tree Magic Skill, unleashing several effects at once that surprised her foe tremendously! CRAAASH! "URGH?!" Suddenly, his entire body began to be covered almostpletely out of ck and gray-colored roots piercing through flesh and bones, draining all the life force he drained from Lucifer and Jonathan! "G-GET THIS OFF MY BODY!" He immediately panicked, letting go of dragon and the hero and flying back into the ground, suddenly falling over his own head as he tripped on the ground by Maria''s own roots which she grew all over the ground in just a split of a second! BAAAAMMM!!! "GRAAAGH¡­!" "[Decaying Spores of Death]!" However, that wasn''t all, millions of tiny ck spores started covering his body, weakening his life force even further while draining the strength out of his soul! "COUGH¡­ UGH?! Why is this mighty body coughing?!" The Vampire couldn''t simply understand what was happening! Qliphoth Tree Magic was incredibly strange on how it worked, as it seemed almost like Nature Magic, yet it was totally different. "Well, you caught a cold, bitch." As Maria mocked him, he quickly lost his patience! "JUST WHO ARE YOU?!" He rushed towards her, once more tripping on several roots before noticing a huge tornado made out of Abyssal Winds, ck Lightning, and¡­posed of millions of ck, sharp leaves! "[Dark Leaves of Soul Tearing]!" FLUOOSH!!! The enormous tornado ofbined elements consumed half his entire body, cutting through¡­ his very soul! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "GRYYYAAAAAHHHH¡­! M-MY SOUL¡­!" Cried the abomination. "H-How can you target it?! I set¡­ many barriers!" "Your barriers suck, that''s why." Mariaughed. "SILENCE!!!" In frustration and anger, the aberration finally reached Maria, shing against her tiny body with his six gigantic ws! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "MARIA!" Lucifer panicked, running towards her, Jonathan barely could stand up, but followed him closely. "Don''t worry honey, there''s nothing to worry about." Maria smiled back at Lucifer; her entire body was covered on a mighty armor made of ck bark! "[Netherworld''s Bark Armor]! This is my strongest defensive armor spell so far! Pretty tough, huh? It is tough because it takes into consideration all my Mana and Magic Stats for its defense. And I''ve got¡­ millions of that." "I-Impossible¡­!" The Vampire, so full of himself after having almost defeated Lucifer and Jonathan, was being humiliated by a ghostdy that just appeared out of nowhere! "J-JUST DIE ALREADY!" His attacks suddenly became faster, as his soul imbued itself into his arms to attack faster, his aberrant jaws opening and closing, trying to bite through Maria as she shed against him with her weapons and¡­ a new power! "[Incarnation of Qliphoth]!" TRUUUMMM¡­! The Tree growing within her Soul Scape began to harness its powers into her body, her entire body started growingrger andrger, roots and branches became one with her, turning her into an aberrant, withered tree titaness! Ding! [You have activated the [Incarnation of Qliphoth: Lv1] Skill!] [The power of the Demonic Tree of Death has been channeled into your body, enhancing Darkness, Poison, and Death Magic Power by +500% for 5 Minutes.] [The power of several Titan-rted Skills have activated at the same time, further enhancing your transformation!] [You''ve temporarily transformed into [Tree Titan Goddess of Death: Aiag]!] [All Stats have increased by +300%! The effects of [Incarnation of Qliphoth] have been tripled!] [Both of your Weapons have fused into [Divine Demonic Swords of Death Wood: Decadence]!] "Prepare yourself!" Maria smiled maniacally, swinging both of her Death Wood Swords, unleashing a barrage of Death, Poison, and Darkness elements that constantly overwhelmed her foe, cutting through his soul even further! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "UUUAAGGGHH¡­!" He cried. "I-I cannot resist her strength! What is she?! JUST WHAT ARE YOU?!" As he was having his soul sliced apart, suddenly, he felt an even more terrifying presence somewhat behind him! His senses quickly looking at it even without eyes. "You bastard¡­ DON''T FORGET ABOUT ME!" Roared a mighty dragon. "[Nidhogg Embodiment]! [Death Dragon''s Body]! [Destruction Personified]! It was Lucifer, whose entire body had suddenly be a gigantic manifestation of pure darkness, phantom, mes, and death in the shape of a titanic dragon! By fusing the effects of three of his Skills, a strange, yet almost godly form was achieved! His gigantic fist shing against his foe''s soul! "I''ll CRUSH your fucking SOUL!!!" CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I-It''s you?! YOU DAMN- ARRGGHHH¡­!" With Maria''s attacks, their foe had no chance, overwhelmed, and crushed to bits, his soulpletely shattered into pieces, exploding at the same time as his vessel fell from the skies, generating an evenrger tremor around! CRAAASH! ----- Chapter 884 Marias Way Of Healing Chapter 884 Maria''s Way Of Healing ??884 Maria''s Way Of Healing ----- The bastard who had taken over Violet''s body had his soul destroyed, and both Maria and Lucifer quicklynded on the floor, exhausted. "Hahhh¡­" "Ugh¡­" The two quickly sighed in relief, as Lucifer and Maria went back to their former appearances quite quickly. "We did it!" Maria said. "Well done! I know you did your best." "Hahh¡­ I don''t need that pity of yours." Lucifer sighed. "But¡­ thanks foring to help." "Don''t be so prideful!" Giggled Maria. "Now¡­ What do we do with this?" The two felt awkward as they saw the corpse of their foe, and the lying soul fragments everywhere¡­ Jonathan quickly made their way to them. "Hahh¡­ H-He''s gone, good¡­ Ugh.." He quickly fell into the floor. "Jonathan!" Maria panicked, opening her inventory, and taking several Elixirs. "Here, drink! Drink!" "Ugh¡­ Glugh, glugh¡­" Jonathan was stuffed with Elixirs Maria and Emeraldine had created, quickly healing him before he were to fully copse. "Hahh¡­ T-Thank you Maria, you''re truly an angel." "Hahaha¡­" Maria giggled a bit, feeling embarrassed. "Thanks for helping Lucifer!" "No problem. He is myrade, even if he''s a bit grumpy sometimes." Jonathan smiled gently back at Lucifer. That pure smile filled with light made Lucifer recoil¡­ "Anyways¡­" Lucifer sighed. "This body is¡­ well, it is from Crystal''s cousin, Violet. Maria, is it possible for you to¡­ gather her soul back from the fragments of that bastard? He said that he ate her soul and¡­" "Hmm¡­" Maria started to think. "Yeah, when souls are eaten by another, there''s a possibility the other soul still remains within the other, but very deluded¡­ I think I can do something if I filter it." "Filter it?" Asked Lucifer. "Well, whatever you can do, please¡­ If there''s any chance¡­" "Sure, leave it to me." Maria nodded. She quickly gathered all the Soul Fragments and¡­ ate them. "CHOMP¡­" Lucifer and Jonathan panicked immediately as they saw Maria munch on the fragments, her cheeks looking like the full cheeks of a hamster! "W-What are you doing?!" Lucifer screamed. "Maria?" Jonathan asked in disbelief. "GULP¡­" She swallowed the soul after that, making them even more horrified. "Geez! Calm down a bit! My entire body is like the filter! Just trust me." Maria slowly started wiggling her entire body, as she started concentrating on the soul fragments she devoured, beginning to divide what was there at an almost molecr level of precision. "There''s a lot of this disgusting guy''s soul and memories, I''m going to just delete everything belonging to him and his rotten personality¡­ But the power and substance, let''s keep that¡­" Maria nodded. "There are other monsters too, but they don''t have any intelligence- Ah! Several sparks of thoughts appeared, she''s there¡­ fragmented, but she''s there!" Although it seemed slow to her, in real life she was doing this at an incredibly fast speed, in a couple of minutes, the soul waspletely reformed, as she quickly opened a hole in her chest and let it move outside! FLUOSH! "It''s done!" She celebrated. "Now¡­ I''ll have to repair the body a bit, no?" Maria used her abilities to quickly rearrange the dragon''s body and shape, taking the excess chimeric parts and refining their shape and form to look more like the original appearance. She remolded the entire face and healed it to almost the same as before, butcking eyes, she could add some monster eyes, but because Lucifer wanted Violet restored with little changes, she decided to think about itter. "Phew, it''s done." Maria sighed, three minutes after beginning. "Let''s give it a shot, and quickly, we have to find Nyx and everyone else!" "Right, sorry for being so selfish, thinking about this instead of our daughter¡­" Lucifer apologized. "It''s fine, she must have been an important family member to you." Maria smiled. "Alright¡­! Soul Infusion!" The body still had a lot of life force, so with that and the soul infused into it, Maria attempted to revive the corpse instead of making an Undead. FLAAASH! And it seemed to have worked, somehow! "GRRRHHH¡­" The gigantic, purple-scaled dragoness slowly started to move,cking sight, it seemed confused. And when it tried to speak, it could only release dry groans that couldn''t be understood. "Violet! Violet, are you okay?" Lucifer asked the dragoness, but the creature could not even remember his voice, suddenly swinging its dragon ws against him angrily. CRAAASH! "Ugh¡­!" Lucifer was forced to step back, looking at Violet''s violent onught, she didn''t seem the same as before, going on a furious animalistic rampage. "GROOOAARRR!" "Is she okay?!" Asked Jonathan. "Not at all. Well, she revived so she''s not an undead, but she must be in a very traumatic state. Sorry Lucifer¡­" Maria said. "We can''t do much other than let her rest." "It''s fine¡­" Lucifer sighed. "It''s better than her being dead¡­ At the very least, we''ve saved her from bing the vessel of a monster." "Yeah, I''ll put her to sleep for now." Maria nodded, quickly waving her hand. "[Sleeping Mist]" She released a mist mixing phantasmal and illusion elemental magic, which filled Violet''s nostrils and quickly made her fall asleep, it was especially effective against those that weren''t good in the head and incapable of resisting the sleeping effects too well. After cing her in her Shadow Realm, she quickly got ready, giving some food to her husband and former fianc¨¦e, and quickly preparing herself to move on. "Alright, the fight itself created a disturbance over the northwest." Said Maria, pointing at the distance. "If we get there and breakthrough the Void Wall, we can move to a different zone." "I''ll bring you there, leap over my back." Lucifer turned back into his dragon form. "You too." He red at Jonathan.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Thanks." Jonathan had not tried to get up his back because he thought it was rude, but if he was given permission by Lucifer himself, he happily obliged. "Hoh?" Maria smiled teasingly. "Have you two be a bit closer? Are you bros now? Is bromance blooming?" She giggled. "Shut up!" Lucifer roared angrily. "Hahaha." Jonathan onlyughed slightly nervously. "I guess they still got a long way to go¡­" Maria thought, smiling. FLASH! The trio flew across the void, as Maria and Lucifer shattered the walls, reaching somewhere else! CRAAASH! ----- Chapter 885 Protect What Is Precious To You

Chapter 885 Protect What Is Precious To You

?885 Protect What Is Precious To You ----- "W-Where are we? Who is he?!" Silva cried. Catarina couldn''t me her, out of nowhere they were pulled out of the Inn and sent into a ck void, where only the two of them were. Nobody else could be found, and the only thing aside from the two of them there was¡­ an intimidating, tall, and muscr behemoth, with three glowing eyes. It was over ten meters of height, with incredibly muscr arms above all, and each eye glowed with a different color, red, blue, and yellow. Catarina felt naturally nervous about the whole thing, Silva wasn''t someone that had much experience on battle yet, and she herself wasn''t an S Rank like the others. "Calm down, Silva." Catarina nced at the giant in front of them. "Whoever they are and whatever they want from us, they mean business if they trapped us here so seamlessly, without even Maria realizing¡­" Her fists started glowing with her aura. Her sharp red eyes nced at the giant in front of her. Even after dying and then having been reborn as a Zombie Vampire, she had gone through her fair share of incredible challenges. And after Maria let her go anywhere she wanted and have her own life, she had battled all matter of thugs, bandits, and monsters¡­ but nothing like this man in here. His very presence exuded an incredibly strong pressure, something that only beings within the realm of S Rank could achieve! "B-But he''s scaring me¡­" Silva cried, hiding behind Catarina. "I know, dear. But if you''re always scared of any stranger trying to harm you, you''ll never survive in this harsh world." Catarina said, smiling back at her. "Stay behind me, ckie will protect you. Right ckie?" "WOOF!" FLUOSH! The Shadow Zombie Wolf emerged from within Catarina''s shadows, quickly standing in front of Silva to protect her, his shadows emerging like many tentacles surrounding her to intercept any attack. However, as ready as they were, the man in front of them seemed¡­ unnervingly calm. Even though they couldn''t even see his damn face because he was wearing a gue doctor mask, he was¡­ seemingly happy to see them so energetic. "He reeks like a Vampire¡­ But I''ve never seen such a bizarre one, his aura also reeks like countless of monsters! Just what are these guys?!" Catarina thought, gritting her teeth. "Oi! Are you even going to say something?! If you stay quiet, I''m going to beat the shit out of you now¡­" "Oooohhh¡­" The tall man groaned, his groan seemed to be filled with an unnerving excitement, making Catarina and Silva even more disgusted. "Such wonderful specimens! You will make a great part of my collection! Especially you, I''ve never seen such a stable Undead before, and a Vampire Zombie at that! You might be the key for our investigation to finally make a breakthrough." Heughed. "Breakthrough¡­?" Catarina asked, with disgust. "What are you even talking about- Huh?!" However, the man didn''t waited for her to finish her words, his cloak covering the rest of his body being thrown away, as he revealed the rest of his strange, disgusting body. While Maria''s creations always looked seamless and perfect, without stitching marks, or other body parts that didn''t fit in them, this man''s entire body seemed like the opposite. Born from the imperfection of his skills, his body looked of multiple colors, many body parts stuck together. His two arms were gigantic because they belonged to Giant Ogres of two different kinds, one arm was red and the other gray. His torso was muscr and big, covered on ck hair like a Gori Monster of some kind, while his legs seemed smaller for the rest of his body size, but nimble and athletic, like those of some sort of cheetah monster. And in the middle of his chest, there was some strange blue crystal, glowing with a mysterious, corrupted spiritual energy much moreplex than mere Demonite Cores. "W-What with that body?!" Catarina asked. "DISGUSTING!" "Disgusting you said¡­?" The tall Vampire red at her. "Y-You¡­ YOU DARE SAY MY BEAUTIFUL BODY IS DISGUSTING?!" Suddenly, his calm demeanor changed, as he started to gopletely insane¡­ "TAKE THAT BACK! [Bestial Lightning]!" FLAAASH! His three glowing eyes shone brightly; his gigantic body rushed towards Catarina at lightning speed. His cheetah-like legs moving at an amazing speed! "His yellow eye is shining, and lightning is beginning to emerge from his legs!" Catarina thought, analyzing the situation within a split of a second through her battle-hardened instincts. "I-Is this how is power works?" BAAAMMM!!! The Vampire mmed Catarina with all his strength using his two gigantic arms and the rest of the weight of his body, throwing her away like a ragdoll! "Ugh¡­! I couldn''t evade in time¡­!" Catarina muttered. "Good thing this body barely feels pain but¡­" CLAAASH! She endednding on the floor, rolling over it, her Aura had epassed her entire body. If she hadn''t activated that, she would be perhaps in an even worse situation than before. "BIG SIS!" N?v(el)B\\jnn Silva cried, looking at Catarinand rather terribly on the ground, her scream quickly bringing the attention of the huge Vampire, as he red at her with furious eyes. "Do you also think my body is ugly and disgusting?" He asked. "After I''ve refined it so much to gain the strength of so many beings I always admired? My body is perfect! It contains all the best parts of every one of these creatures! I''LL SMASH YOU INTO PIECES!" With a monstrous, bestial roar, the Vampire rushed towards Silva while running on all fours, his red eye suddenly glowing brightly this time, as his arms started zing with mes! "BURN! [Beastly Inferno]!" FLUOSH! The mes emerged almost endlessly, shaping into countless of beasts of all kinds, rushing towards Silva, trying to burn her to ashes! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! However, ckie quickly grabbed the panicked girl and began running away within his shadows, barely escaping the bombardment of explosions, as the tall vampire kept chasing them! "You will NOT get away easily! My precious SUBJECTS!" ----- Chapter 886 The Brave Vampiress Chapter 886 The Brave Vampiress ??886 The Brave Vampiress ----- ckie kept running away from the endless explosions of mes. The conjuration of zing beasts that the Vampire summoned were strange as well, they weren''t just fire, they shaped as beasts that kept chasing him before exploding when they were right next to the wolf. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! However, the void itself proved to be much better for ckie than the outside world, with darkness everywhere and an easy time making all the shadows the wolf could have ever wanted, hiding from the explosions through the shadows became a possibility. Nheless, the Vampire''s attacks continued almost endlessly, bing more and more urate with each explosion. Silva didn''t knew what to do, she was confused and afraid as well, and ckie could only drag her away for now, without much offensive power against those mes. "Catarina! Big sis!" Silva started crying for help. Although she had fought before and helped, she was always behind others, giving them support with her magic. She had only taken lives with Catarina''s support, but being left alone as she was being chased by a bloodthirsty Vampire wasn''t something she was trained for. "R-Run faster, ckie! Faster¡­!" Her little hands glowed with darkness and miasma, imbuing its powers into the shadow zombie wolf, and suddenly enhancing his stats and power! "AWOOOO!" ckie suddenly gave a loud howl, his entire body growing three times asrge out of nowhere. Silva''s powers were those of Miasmic Enhancement. They were mostly dangerous against almost any living being, except monsters, undead, and chimeras like her. However, it seemed that with enough intent, its powers could even temporarily evolve monsters¡­ Something she had never considered before! Ding! [You have used [Miasmic Enhancement] over [Shadow Zombie Wolf: ckie (B Rank)]!] [The powerful Miasmic Energies arepatible with the recipient! ckie has absorbed them into his body, undergoing a temporarily evolution!] [The [Shadow Zombie Wolf: ckie (B Rank)] has temporarily evolved into [Abyssal Undead Shadow Wolf: ckie (A Rank)]! All of his Stats have increased!] [ckie has temporarily developed the [Abyss Maniption] Skill!] [Estimated Duration: 10 Minutes.] "ROOOAARR!" The Shadow Zombie Wolf roared furiously, leaping against the Vampire and over the mes, his jaws opening to unleash a devastating beam of darkness! TRUUUMMM¡­! "UGH?!" The Vampire covered his face with his huge arms, as he was thrown away several meters from the impact of the beam of darkness alone! CLAAASH! "W-What was that?! A mere ck dog became such a strong being?" The Vampire slowly stood up, almost unscathed. "THAT GIRL! What powers does she has! Show me¡­ SHOW ME YOUR POWERS!" With a maniacalughter, the Vampire ran directly towards ckie and Silva! "GRRHHH¡­ ROAARR!" However, ckie, now powered up, wasn''t going to let him get any closer! With a furious roar, the shadows surrounding him shapeshifted, taking the form of giant tentacles surrounding the man''s entire body. "You seem strong, but you''re still nothing against me!" Laughed the Vampire, his blue eye glowed brightly. "[Bestial Frost]!" BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! With his gigantic fists, he punched all the shadow tentacles, freezing them and then shattering them into pieces one after another! "H-He can control so many elements¡­" Silva panicked. "C-Catarina¡­ Big sis! Where is she?!" "IT''S USELESS!" The Vampire reached them in a split of a second, as ckie was quickly diving back into the shadows, only for a wall of me beasts to appear around him, stopping him from escaping! "Did you thought I would let you escape, my precious specimens?!" Laughed the Vampire. "You''re mine¡­ I''ll preserve you encased on ice, so I can better analyze youter on! Freeze to death!" His hands overflowed with freezing blue energies, reaching the two! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Heaven Tearing Crimson Fist]!" TRUUUMMM¡­! However, before that could ever happen, a gigantic fist made of blood crimson energies reached the Vampire from above, it was Catarina! "BIG SIS!" "W-What¡­?!" BAAAMMM! The enormous attack engulfed the Vampire on an explosion of blood energy, his skin began slowly tearing apart and burning, crimson mes covering himpletely!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "AAARRGGHH¡­!" The Vampire screamed, stepping back while panicking, as Catarinanded right over his face, kicking him away with a tremendous, zing strength! "Get the HELL away from my kid, you DAMN BASTARD!" Catarina roared. "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Mountain- Splitting Kick]!" CRAAASH! The kick sent him flying, while unleashing a huge shockwave of pure power across the entire void, shaking its pirs. The mes kept burning the Vampire as well, mes that no Vampire could conjure, Crimson mes born from Catarina''s own traumas before her conversion into a Vampire. This power she held within her that had developed after bing a Zombie, simr to her two friends that shared a simr fate, who became Fire Ghosts. Instead of turning into a Fire Ghost, Catarina evolved this internal me burning her past, this infernal me that took away everything from her into her own unique strength, born the moment she reached the heights she could thanks to her transformation! "Big sis, you''re alright!" Silva celebrated, running towards her, and admiring her appearance change. "You transformed again!" "Yeah, it''s the only way I can even fight against that monster¡­" Catarina said, gasping for air. Her entire body suddenly gained countless red markings resembling mes, as her eyes glowed bright red, and two red horns grew on her forehead. Her aura of power became even stronger, overflowing, like an infernal me that spread around and consumed everything¡­ Her long red hair waved before her growth of strength, as her muscles began to be stronger, her entire bulk changed. Ding! [You have activated the [Blood Demon Battle Physique] Skill! You have undergone a [Blood Battle Demon Transformation]!] [All Stats have increased by +200%, with an additional +5% every time you less 1% of your Health. You cannot use Magic, as your Mana is being constantly drained.] [All Physical Fighting Technique-rted Skills and Techniques have their power boosted by +350%!] [Estimated Duration: 10 Minutes.] It was the same transformation from before, but improved, and even better! "Hahaha¡­ The more you fight¡­ the more I want you in my collection¡­" The Vampire slowly started to stand back up. ----- Chapter 887 Catarina Goes All-Out! Chapter 887 Catarina Goes All-Out! ??887 Catarina Goes All-Out! ----- Catarina had undergone an amazing transformation once more, giving her enough strength to temporarily overwhelm her foe. And this transformation, of course, was¡­ Ding! [You have activated the [Blood Demon Battle Physique] Skill! You have undergone a [Blood Battle Demon Transformation]!] [All Stats have increased by +200%, with an additional +5% every time you less 1% of your Health. You cannot use Magic, as your Mana is being constantly drained.] [All Physical Fighting Technique-rted Skills and Techniques have their power boosted by +350%!] [Estimated Duration: 10 Minutes.]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om It was her transformation from before, but even better now, with even higher buffs and double its duration! This was the result of her trainings ever since that fight where she used this form, something she kept a secret from everyone except Silva. This was because she felt that even with it, she struggled too much. She had to refine it, to improve it. And with Silva''s Miasmic Enhancement Ability, she found a way to constantly transform and push herself to her limits. Slowly, over thesest few days, she grew her transformation the limits of its capacity! But this was a power that she didn''t just desired to protect herself, it was a power she wanted to use to protect those that mattered to her. This little girl she rescued back then, and the dog that had apanied her since the beginning of her journey. To her, they were her precious family, perhaps more than even Maria''s group. "Now, you two stand behind me. We''ll take him down together." She said, her fists zing with crimson mes. "O-Okay!" Silva nodded, tightly grasping the tiny dagger she was given back then. "I-I''ll fight too¡­ M-Maybe!" "Don''t sweat over it, kid." Catarina smiled. "ckie, you know what to do!" "GRAWR!" ckie groaned, nodding. "Hahaha¡­ The more the fight¡­ the more I want you in my collection¡­" The Vampire slowly started to stand back up, his burned body slowly beginning to overflow with three different elements, lightning, mes, and ice, his three eyes glowing brightly. "I think there might be a way to take away his elemental powers, if we can get through his mask and destroy his eyes¡­" Catarina shared her n. "I''ll distract him, you guys aim for the eyes once I give you an opening, alright?" "G-Got it!" Silva nodded. "WOOF!" ckie agreed. "No matter what stupid ns you have, they are not going to work, my small specimens¡­" The Vampire''s elements started to merge together. "[Bestial Elemental Merge: Attack Form]" FLUOSH! Lightning, mes, and Frost became one as several gigantic beasts made of thesebined elements emerged, in the shape of lions, tigers, birds, and even orcs! All beasts ran forward, attacking Catarina and trying to get to Silva and ckie. However, ckie grabbed Silva and quickly disappeared using his shadows, meanwhile, Catarina started punching the beasts as she made her way towards the giant Vampire. "The more the merrier for me!" Catarina smiled defiantly. "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Crimson Asura''s Wrath]!" Her Aura divided into six enormous and muscr arms as her two fistsnded on the nearby tiger-like beast, an explosion of strikes befell the aberrant beast as if they were falling meteors. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Gryyyaargghh¡­!" The other beasts also took the hits, being blown away and then glowing brightly, exploding intorge explosions of many elements, trying to burn her, electrocute her, and freeze her with them! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "Tch, not good!" Catarina quickly evaded the explosions as she continued rushing forward, the beasts suddenly appearing around her, their giant jaws opening and trying to bite her arms apart! CLAASH! CLAASH! Both jaws were barely stopped by her fists, as she gritted her teeth, unleashing explosions of crimson mes from them as she punched their heads off! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Demonic Explosive Crimson''s Fists]!" BOOOMMM! BOOOMMM! Both beasts were blown up to bits, as Catarina charged towards the Vampire Giant in front of her! His enormous arms pummeling down towards her to greet her with a barrage of explosive elemental fists! "You''re not enough to even defeat me, pathetic little zombie!" Laughed the Vampire. "[Bestial Elemental Merge: Weapon Form]!" Suddenly, the beasts made out of his elements gathered around his arms, generating giant elemental gauntlets! Strikes with them generated explosions of fire, lightning, and ice! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Meteoric Crimson Blood re Fists]!" Catarina greeted his devastating punching blows with her own, enormously strong fist attacks, both of their fists shing against one another generated huge explosions of many elements! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! However, Catarina seemed to be on the losing side, constantly pushed back with each blow, even with the bonus stats she was gaining every time 1% of her HP went down, it wasn''t enough! "You''re far too small to evenpare to my perfect body¡­" Laughed the man with his glowing eyes. "You can''t possibly hope to defeat me, give up already, you''re nothing but a material I must harvest at all costs!" "I''m so fucking tired of everyone always calling me a material, or something to be used and discarded¡­" Catarina roared. "I''ve lived my whole fucking life being a ve to other''s whims, and now that I''m finally dead and free, I won''t let you take away this freedom from me! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Blood Demon''s Infernal Charge]!" FLUOSH! Her entire body was covered on Crimson Blood mes, as she charged into the Vampire with all her might, her two fists reaching him with an explosion of mes, consuming his entire body! CRAAASH! "UURRGGH?! AAAARRGGH¡­!" The Vampire gave an agonizing shriek as he was pushed into the ground,pletely overwhelmed by the powerful mming attack! "NOW!" In that moment, from the shadows right above them, ckie and Silva appeared, the two attacking the man''s mask and shattering it! "W-What are you- ARRRGHHH!" And Silva''s knife piercing right through his colorful eyes, one after another, making sure to destroy them with all she had! "M-MY EYESSSS¡­!" His elemental aura suddenly disappeared; Catarina was right this whole time! "You''re done, you piss drinking bastard! GO TO HELL!" Catarina''s Aura erupted with an endless inferno of mes, engulfing the Vampire into hundreds of punches, pulverizing his whole body! "RAAAHHHH!!!" CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "GRYYYAAAAEEEGGHH¡­!" Incapable of fighting back, his very soul was destroyed! BOOOMMM!!! ----- Chapter 888 Finding The Culprit Chapter 888 Finding The Culprit ??888 Finding The Culprit ----- The Giant Vampire exploded into mes, his very soul shattered as Catarina''s fists were overflowing with even more power, Silva''s Miasmic Boost enhancing her strength even further without her realizing it! BOOOM! "No¡­! My¡­ precious perfect body¡­ defiled?!" The vampires''st thoughts passed through his mind before he were to perishpletely, his huge body falling into pieces as the arms and legs couldn''t even stand stuck to his torso anymore¡­ BAAAM! "Hahhh¡­" Catarina''s transformation quickly ended, as she sighed in relief, she was already pushing herself to her ultimate limits. This transformation was her only way to reach the Realm of S Rank, as she had yet to evolve further. "We did it big sis!" Silva happily said, running towards Catarina and hugging her tightly from behind, her little warm arms embraced Catarina''s cold back, making her smile faintly. "I''m a zombie, you know? You''re hugging an undead." Laughed Catarina. "Don''t you get even a bit disgusted?" "I don''t care! Big sis is big sis!" Silva smiled adorably. "Heh, you did well." Catarina smiled, patting the girl''s fluffy hair, and caressing her big sheep-like horns. "You did well too, good boy." She also caressed ckie as he went back to his normal form. "Yeah, good boy!" Silva said, patting the wolf too. "Awooo!" Little ckie enjoyed two pettings! Today was sure his day. "Now, I wonder where the heck this guy came from." Catarina analyzed him after checking she gained a lot of levels. "Wait, he was actually S Rank?! Damn, make sense why he was so damn tough¡­ I can''t believe we beat an S Rank all on our own, though he was nothingpared to that skeleton guy Maria and everyone else fought, he was sure much stronger." "Yeah, but we did it!" Silva celebrated. "I hit max level¡­ I wonder what will happen to me- Ugh?!" Suddenly, her entire body started twisting, and making the sound of bones cracking and flesh tearing apart! Catarina panicked as the little Silva fell into the floor, crying in agony as she was evolving. "Ouch, it hurts¡­ Uwaaagghh¡­!" "C-Calm down, Silva, you''re evolving! Breathe calmly, stay strong! It will end soon! The first time is always agonizing¡­"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Catarina stood by her side until the girl''s evolution was finally done. Her appearance suddenly changed a bit, it felt as if she had aged a year or two, looking much taller. And by looks, she didn''t looked any different, though she gained a tiny ck horn on her forehead now. "Hahhh¡­ Ugh¡­ My body hurts all over big sis¡­ But I feel somewhat¡­ tougher?" "You''ve evolved finally¡­ What''s your rank?" "Hmm¡­ C?" "Not bad! You''ve gotten much stronger than before! Nice!" "I-Is that so?" As the two talked about that, Catarina started growing unease about this whole thing, beginning to wonder what was exactly happening. "Though, now that we''re done with this problem¡­ Where the heck are we?" Wondered Catarina, looking around nervously. "Some sort of Domain? Were we trapped by our enemy? I remember Maria saying something about the Warlocks, maybe they did this?" "Maybe they wanted revenge because we broke their stone¡­" Said Silva. "Ah, right, Ipletely forgot about that¡­" Catarina said. "But I doubt it''s just that though¡­ They probably wanted that brat of Celes, he was someone very important, I think¡­" "How do we get out of here?" Silva asked. "I-I have no idea¡­ There seems to be a void and invisible walls, but I don''t know if I can break them and-" Crack, crack, CRACK! "Huh?!" However, the duo was quickly surprised to find countless cracks spreading across the skies, opening to reveal a huge hole where several people came rushing down! CRAAASH! "Wait, what?!" Catarina instantly noticed it was Laura, Takeshi, and Tear! "You guys! I''m d you''re fine too!" Laura ran towards them with Tear and Takeshi. "Silva! Are you alright?" Takeshi asked. "Looks like you three already yed one of these freaks as well¡­" Tear said, looking at the corpse behind Catarina. "Y-Yeah, he was tougher than anything we''ve ever fought, but hecked good regeneration." Said Catarina. "Do you guys know what''s going on?" "Not much, but we''re looking for a way out, let''s go together for now." Laura rmended. "I can sense the presences of our friends nearby, if we can keep breaking these walls, eventually, we''ll find them." "Is that so?" Catarina wondered. "Alright, ckie will bring us together. Get bigger!" "AWOOO!" ckie''s size suddenly multiplied, bing over ten meters big, everyone could get over his back! This form took a lot of mana, but the wolf had leveled up a lot by now. "Then allow me to break the walls for you guys!" Laura''s hands overflowed with several explosive chaotic mes, glowing with ck, dark red, and purple colors, as she fired them all towards the void walls in front of them! FLAASH! FLAASH! FLAASH! The mes reached the walls, exploding one after another until the void walls could not take anymore, shattering into pieces and opening the way for them to advance! Crack, crack, CRASH! And when they went through, it wasn''t yet another void domain though¡­ "W-What is this ce?" They found themselves standing in apletely white space. The entire group started analyzing their surroundings, suddenly finding out something odd. Above the white skies, there was a huge dark blue crystal rotating slowly and endlessly, emanating ck lightning, and keeping several void domains stable¡­ "We''re outside?!" Catarina asked. "Are we?" Takeshi wondered. "This ce looks suspicious as hell¡­" "But that crystal over there, I bet it is the core!" Laura said. "I can feel the source of all the voiding from it!" "If we can shatter it¡­" Tear said. "We might be able to free everyone else!" "Really?! Let''s do it then!" Silva was ready. However, Catarina stopped everyone from advancing, as she looked at the single, ck cloaked man standing below the rotating crystal. He quickly red back at them all, with his glowing red eyes. The aura he exuded was more than just a mere low level S Rank like the trash they''ve fought. "So you damn bastards have gotten this far¡­" He spoke. "Congrattions! You will be the first sacrifices for the Great One." ----- Chapter 889 Belphegor Chapter 889 Belphegor ??----- Partner''s clueless eyes nced around her surroundings, wondering what was happening. "Huh? What''s going on in here?" Out of nowhere she and Emeraldine were pulled into some strange void, almost devoid of any light. There was only darkness everywhere. "Don''t tell me we were sent somewhere else?! Ah, the kids!" Emeraldine who was right by her side panicked, immediately thinking about the kids. "Who did this?! Are they here?!" Emeraldine started looking everywhere as her magic conjured several spheres of light, covering her surroundings and illuminating everything. However, Partner quickly sensed some sort of presence at the distance, her aura, and eyes glowing bright red, as she seemed wary of it. "There." Partner pointed into the distance, as her Vampiric Senses immediately noticed the presence of something. Emeraldine panicked, realizing she hadn''t even felt himing. It was as if the void itself just carried him there, teleporting him in that very ce. Even her Spirits seemed unease in this ce, it waspletely devoid of spiritual energy, so they were quite weakened. "You shouldn''t be worrying about the kids right now¡­" The dark figure that Partner noticed emerged from the shadows. It resembled a single man cloaked on ck robes, holding a small, ck crystal staff imbue with a small dark blue jewel. His appearance was much simpler than the monster that they had expected. "Who are you?! How did you get us in here?!" Emeraldine asked furiously, her aura of light illuminated her surroundings, she quickly grabbed her bow, generating an arrow of light and pointing it at the man. "Answer me!" "Heh¡­ Hahaha¡­" The man onlyughed, as if delighted by their struggle to understand what was happening. BOOOM! Suddenly, a beam of crimson red energy shed against a nearby wall, but the wall, invisible and made of void, was unscathed! "I can''t even break from this?!" Partner had tried shooting a beam into the shadows, but it was simply absorbed into the void, it was as if there was no ceiling to begin with. "Just what is this?! Are you guys¡­ Wait, the Warlocks! Are you the Warlock bastards?!" "Hehehe, I don''t think that matters right now, foolish ones. But yes, I am a member of the Warlocks of the Underworld, we''ve decided to take matters into our own hands after our Great Leader, Lord Maleficus, told us about you disrupting our peaceful town. The Saintess Emilia is very angry too, I''m sure she will be delighted to learn you were all killed and quietly taken away." The old manughed.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Warlocks!" Emeraldine said. "I knew it must have been you!" "Hey, I literally said that!" Partner sighed. "Anyways, Warlock or not, you''re going to get stomped. You should had nevere to the two of us, we''re pretty strong, actually." "Yeah, bad choice." Emeraldine said, her aura overflowing with spiritual and divine power, her big wings emerging from her back, spreading to reveal two beautiful golden and green colored butterfly wings. "Hehehe, you''re the foolish ones to underestimate the one second inmand on this squad. I am not someone you can easily look down into!" Laughed the old man, his body quickly beginning to transform¡­ "I''ll rip apart your souls and offer them to our Great Lord!" His old man''s appearance instantly changed, his height grew taller, his muscles became stronger, his pale white skin turned deep ck, like charcoal, and his bald head grew a long silvery-white hair, decorated with several sharp ck horns. The ck cloak he was wearing dissipated, showing it was just made out of darkness, his staff started overflowing with power, as he started floating in midair. His muscr yet toned and sleek body grew countless Demonic Runes over his skin, Partner and Emeraldine felt an incredibly potent magical powering from him¡­ "After absorbing and assimting the Hearts of hundreds of Majin, and Elven Magicians, I''ve managed to perfect this old body and attain a new, almighty form." Heughed. "Admire the appearance of Belphegor, the Second in Command of Lord Maleficus! The Sorcerer King!" TRUUUMMM¡­! His intense magical aura exuded endlessly, and above all, this guy actually announced his name! Whenever that happened, it was usually bad news, they were strong enough to be recognizable. Ding! [The [Vampire Duke: Belphegor (S Rank)] has undergone a [Demonic Mana Heart Transformation], turning into his [Demonic Mana Devouring Sorcerer] Form!] [All of his Stats have increased by +250%, Magic and Mana have increased by +1000%, Magic Spell Power and Mana Recovery Rate have increased by a further +500%!] [Duration: As long as there''s Mana to absorb.] And his transformation was no joke either! "Belphegor¡­?!" And Emeraldine quickly remembered such a name. "What?! That Evil Sorcerer that hundreds of years ago was said to have hunted the most Majin Tribes and Elven Tribes in this continent?! The barbarian that everyone thought was a monster?! You''re¡­ that Belphegor of the legends?" "Legends? I guess I''ve passed down in history quite nicely." Laughed the demonic vampire. "I have long ago stopped my hunt, as I decided to quietly develop the powers of having eaten the hearts of all these powerful magicians. And now, you''re seeing its perfected form! I was born as mana-less human once, pathetic, and weak! Until I decided to carve out the hearts of you damned magicians and devour your mana! This is my special power! [Mana Devour]!" FLUOSH! The man pointed his hand towards Partner and Emeraldine, the two quickly found their own Mana being constantly drained away from their very bodies! Ding! [The power of the [Miasmic Ability: Mana Devour] has been activated!] [Any living being within a 500-meter radius of Belphegor will have their Mana drained by 0.50% with every second!] [Additionally, their Magic Power will decrease by -50%!] "This guy''s insane! What the hell?!" Partner panicked. "He''s draining all our mana so easily¡­!" Emeraldine muttered. "We''ll have to take him down with everything we''ve got, and quickly! We can''t lose too much time in here!" "I agree." Partner roared. "Let''s quickly end this¡­!" "It will be over before you can even realize." Belphegorughed. "I shall feast on your Hearts after I''m done with you! [Abyssal Void Magic]: [Void Rain]!" ----- Chapter 890 Partner And Emeraldine’s Combined Might

Chapter 890 Partner And Emeraldine''s Combined Might

?----- Before the brave Partner and Emeraldine, Belphegor simplyughed, waving his hand as his staff channeled his magical powers and amplified them even further. "It will be over before you can even realize." Belphegorughed. "I shall feast on your Hearts after I''m done with you! [Abyssal Void Magic]: [Void Rain]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, hundreds of ck dots emerged all around him, they were materializations of the void itself! "DIE!" The Void Rain fell down towards the two of them, Emeraldine and Partner quickly started running around, attempting to evade the deadly attacks! Yet, one managed to get into Partner, because they were literally hundreds! CLAAASH! "Urgh?!" Partner quickly noticed that the Void itself was much more dangerous than she had imagined. A single dot that hit her pierced through her clothes and armor, leaving a deep hole into her very flesh, a piece of her shoulder was gone! "This power¡­?! It simply consumed a piece of my body!" Partner thought. "This guy''s Void Magic is not something as simple as just explosions, it might manipte space itself¡­" Her wound quickly healed back due to her Vampiric Physique and her super regeneration abilities as a Vampire. However, was Emeraldine the same? She had amazing healing magic, but it was better if she could protect her from harm if possible! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Emeraldine!" Partner noticed she was holding back the rain of Void Spheres using a barrier of light, but the barrier was already beginning to shatter and disappear, Belphegor''s mana devour had the power to destroyplex spells like this as well! Crack, crack¡­ CRASH! The barrier shattered into pieces, as Emeraldine desperately summoned several branches and walls of wood, trying ast stand, only for all of them to get filled with countless holes in mere seconds. "Everything is being destroyed so easily¡­!" Emeraldine panicked. "I''m here!" Partner arrived in thest second. "[ck Blood Sea Domain]!" FLAAASH! Partner quickly arrived in front of her, as she unleashed her Darkness and Blood Magic, generating a huge wave of ck Blood, the void was simply falling into the water and dissipating! She shaped this domain into an effective barrier, as Belphegor opened his eyes wide, surprised they found out the weakness of his magic so quickly! "So liquid masses can''t be easily deleted, and due to the mass of the void, it simply ends up deleting a part, but the water itself fills the other deleted area." Said Emeraldine, analyzing it. "Thanks, Partner, I kind of get it now!" "You do?!" Partner asked in surprise. "O-Oh, yeah, I totally discovered it!" She had actually just done this as ast resort and it ended working better than she could have ever hoped. "Hmph, well, it''s not as if that water of yours can hold back all of this at once though." Belphegor smiled grimly as dozens of magic circles materialized around him. "[Abyssal Void Magic]: [Voidling Summon]! TRUUMMM¡­! The magic circles opened ck holes, where strange and aberrant tentacled abominations, with multiple eyes and ck color emerged, madepletely out of Void Energy! "GRUAAAHH¡­!" "RAAAAHH¡­!" "GRYYEEEHH¡­!" "Devour their souls, my summons!" Belphegorughed, as dozens of giant aberrations, each one over ten meters of height, flew towards Emeraldine and Partner! "Now he''s a damn summoner?!" Partner asked angrily. "Careful, they seem dangerous, they''re all S- Rank monsters!" Emeraldine said, pointing her bow at them. The Voidling quickly started firing beams of Dark Void against the duo, engulfing thendscape on ck explosions that could consume everything. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Emeraldine was quickly grabbed by Partner and princess carried as the Vampiress moved at rapid speed, evading the explosions. "I''ll shoot them down!" Emeraldine roared, quickly imbuing her powers into her bow and her physical arrows, made by Maria through her Skills. "[Divine Spiritual Magic Bow Arts]: [Purifying Light Arrow Rain]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Hundreds of arrows were divided from a single physical arrow, piercing through the bodies of a handful of Voidlings, quickly making their bodies explode into light one after another! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The attack continued almost endlessly and relentlessly. Emeraldine couldn''t concentrate properly if she was running, but by being carried by the fast Partner and her Domain Barrier to protect her, it was somehow possible! "GRAAAH!" However, the Voidlings kepting, rushing towards them even as Emeraldine killed many, with beams of void and their slimy tentacles approaching! "You''re not getting any closer, you bastards!" However, Partner was there and even if she held Emeraldine with her hands, it didn''t meant she couldn''t fight. "My Voidlings¡­!" Belphegor muttered. "[Crimson Bone ws]!" FLAAASH! Suddenly, from within her body, two gigantic bone arms emerged, their hands being incredibly big and sharp ws, the bones themselves werepletely crimson red and metallic! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! With countless shing attacks, the metallic ws tore apart the tentacles getting closer to them, while Emeraldine''s light arrows blocked the void beams in time! The Voidlings started exploding like balloons one after another as they were struck down by both arrows and sharp ws. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Those ws¡­ Did you always have that power?!" Emeraldine asked in surprise. "I did, but I''ve reached some sort of breakthrough with it." Partner smiled confidently. "It used to be a Skill I used when I was a mere Skeleton¡­!" Indeed, Partner had been evolving this Bone w Skill for a while now, and it had reached the point where no normal vampire could ever have such a power within them. This was Partner''s amazing uniqueness. She wasn''t exactly born or turned into a vampire; she was a Skeleton that slowly evolved into one. This meant she still had many of her skeleton skills, now evolved into even greater and bizarre powers. And her [Crimson Bone ws] Skill didn''t simply extend to two arms¡­ Much like with Maria and her own Skills, Partner could imitate some of them amazingly well! "[Crimson Bone ws]! [Demonic Ghost Fists]!" Two other Skills from her former skeleton arsenal were activated, two new pairs of crimson skeleton arms surged from her body, as their fists reached the nearby Voidlings, crushing them with countless crimson phantasmal mes-imbued fist attacks! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! "My Voidlings are getting in so easily?!" Belphegor was shocked. "That woman, she''s not a normal Vampire!" ----- Chapter 891 Belphegor Overwhelmed

Chapter 891 Belphegor Overwhelmed

?----- As Partner and Emeraldine destroyed the Voidlings, they quickly leaped into the skies once more, Emeraldine flying towards Belphegor while Partner used her Vampiric Blood Bats to get to him! "Oi bastard, your shitty summons didn''t evenst a second!" Partner mocked his magic. "What was that speech about having eaten all those hearts? I bet you just shat them out in the toilet instead!" "Y-YOU DARE¡­?!" Belphegor grew furiously insane. "[Abyssal Void Magic]: [Endless Devouring Void]! I wanted to give you a show, but if you''re so desperate to die, then DIE!" TRUUUMMM¡­! An enormous mass of pure Void emerged on his hands, as it flew directly towards Partner, suddenly attempting to devour herpletely into the nothingness of the Void! "Ungh¡­?! This¡­!" Partner gritted her teeth as she realized the lethality of such a spell! "PARTNER!" Emeraldine panicked, firing countless arrows towards Belphegor to make him stop. "[Divine Spirit Arrows of Yggdrasil]!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Hahahaha! Useless!" Belphegor mocked her, a veil of pure void was covering his body, protecting him from all damage! "With my [Void Veil], any attack sent to me will simply be negated and absorbed! Do you understand how hopeless you are in this situation now?!" "Hopeless my ass¡­" However, Partner''s voice echoed amidst the voice trying to consume everything, her giant Crimson Bone ws piercing through the void with countless strikes, as her two spears shone with her Divinity and her Blood Energy, dozens of skills activated together to give her a tremendous boost to her stats. Her [Blood Boost] Skill activated, boosting her Stats by consuming Blood Energy through her body, the [Divinity Drain] Skill began to drain Divinity from the Void Spell itself, weakening it, the [Vampiric Blood Aura] and [Bloodshed Enhancement] Skills further enhanced her Attack Power through the roof as she consumed Blood Energy, andstly, [Demonic Veil] generated a protective veil made from her newly acquired resource, Demonic Energy! "RAAAHHH!!!" Partner roared, her two spears overflowing with her Demonic and Blood Energy, as she activated several older skills that had evolved a lot since she was a mere skeleton! "[Combo Piercing Spear Attack]! [Consecutive Thrusts]! [Abyssal Vampiric Spear Thrust]!" Each Skill further boosted her strength to insane levels, even if they weren''t Arts, they were Skills, leveling up over time, each activation meant an explosion of instant power! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "You''re alive after taking my sure-kill spell?!" Belphegor gasped in disbelief. "T-This has never happened before! I''ve killed so many S Ranks with it! What is that Vampiress?! Just what is SHE- UGH?!" Not only Partner broke out of the Void by simply brute forcing her way out of it, but she also reached the bastard of Belphegor in a mere instant, her two spears piercing his Void Veil, covering it on cracks! "Y-YOU DAMN WOMAN! [Void Demon''s Arms]!" Belphegor roared furiously, two enormous arms made of Void emerged from his Aura, trying to stop Partner''s relentless charge! However, countless spirit wood roots kept growing around them out of nowhere, and so around his Void Veil, weakening them both, making it easier for Partner to destroy them! "[Demonic Blood Spear Arts]: [Void-Piercing Crimson Spear]!" FLUOSH! Partner channeled all her power into the tip of her two spears, fusing them together into a gigantic crimson one, and piercing Belphegor''s defensespletely and shattering them all apart! Crack, CRACK¡­! CLAAASH! "I-IMPOSSIBLE!" Belphegor agonized as the explosion burned his skin, quickly falling apart from the skies into the ground! BAAAMMM!!! "GUH¡­!" Belphegor barely stood back up, vomiting blood as he looked into the skies, his Void Energy beginning to gather around him once more, trying to shape into an armor to protect him. Emeraldine and Partner wereing, descending right towards him as he couldn''t even recover properly from his wounds yet! "Y-You damn monsters¡­!" [Abyssal Void Magic]: [Space Tearing Void ws]!" Suddenly two gigantic demonic ws were summoned above him, made out of concentrated Void Energy, blocking both Emeraldine and Partner''s attacks! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! The attack was so potent it began to tear apart the Void Domain itself, slowly generating cracks everywhere¡­ The face of Belphegor distorted in utter frustration and anger. "I won''t let you live after offending me so much!" He cried. "You will die by my hands-" "[Crimson Burst]" As Partner said that the two ws, sprayed with blood, exploded. BOOM!!! BOOM!!! "W-Wha¡­?!" Belphegor was shocked by the sudden destruction of his strong spell, a split of a second before Emeraldine''s strongest arrow were to be formed! "[Divine Spirit Fusion]!" She said, her two Spiritsbining together to generate a gigantic arrowbined with her endless source of Yggdrasil''s wood! "[Divine Spirit Yggdrasil''s Cannon]!" TRUUUMMM¡­! The arrow reached Belphegor like a relentless beam of pure blinding light, piercing through all his barriers, and then reaching his chest! CLAAASH! "UUAAARRGGHHH¡­!" As he gave an agonizing scream while his body was beginning to burn to ashes by the blinding light, a weakness he still had as a Vampire, his body started to slowly melt! "[V-Void Embodiment]¡­!!!" His body turned into pure Void Energy, escaping from the lethal blow as he started flying away as a cloud of pure darkness! "You''re not going anywhere, bastard." Partner appeared right in front of him. "[Chains of Lust]!" FLUOSH! Chains made of Demonic Energy chained Belphegor in an instant. These Chains were her newest Skill after evolving into a Lilith, giving her the ability to grow stronger the more the target had strong emotions, it didn''t even had to be lust! "UURRGGHH¡­! M-My void body is being chained?! Unbelievable!" Belphegor screamed in frustration. "DIE! DIE ALL OF YOU! [Absolute Void]!" TRUUMM¡­! N?v(el)B\\jnn His body unleashed an endless shockwave of pure Void, attempting to consume everything surrounding him in that very instant! "Don''t you think you can escape my arrow! [Spirit Arrow Command]!" Emeraldine roared. "Just die already!" Partner roared. "[Demonic Blood Spear Arts]: [Crimson Oblivion]!" However, the arrow that he had escaped suddenly moved back towards him, piercing his void body, and destroying the ever- expanding void shockwave at the same time as Partner''s spears pierced the vey core of his exposed soul! The verybination of attacks generated a tremendous explosion of power, consuming Belphegor, his soul, and all his Void Magic! TRUUMM¡­! "T-This can''t be¡­! T-This is¡­ I am¡­ the second inmand¡­!" Belphegor screamed in agony. "STOP¡­! STOOOOP¡­!" BOOOMMM! ----- Chapter 892 The Frustrated Warlocks

Chapter 892 The Frustrated Warlocks

?----- BOOOMMM!!! Partner and Emeraldine''sbined attacks managed to utterly destroy Belphegor, his soul and body being torn to shreds and dissipated everywhere on a huge, void explosion. As the entire Void itself trembled by the explosion, Partner quickly fell into the ground, as Emeraldine helped her stand up. "W-We did it!" Partner said. "Phew¡­ That bastard was¡­ quite something." "Y-Yeah, I didn''t thought he would even transform several times." Emeraldine admitted. "His magic above all, was very dangerous¡­ If he was truly the Belphegor I''ve heard about, we''ve defeated a monster that has lived for thousands of years tormenting people." "Well, that''s nice and all but I am beginning to wonder what the heck is going on in here." Partner stretched her arms. "Should we break through somewhere? Maybe if we break the Void?" "I guess we could try, seeing how that man was able to manipte the Void, this magic barrier might have been erected by him, if we broke his magic, maybe we can do the same with this." Emeraldine analyzed theponents. "For now-" TRUUUMMM¡­! However, a huge rumbling sound shook the surroundings, as the two girls looked into the skies with stupefied expressions, the void itself was beginning to twist wildly, countless cracks spreading across the entire domain. Crack, crack¡­ CRACK! "Looks like that problem is resolving itself now." Partner nodded, crossing her arms. "I''m a genius, aren''t I?" "I wouldn''t go as far as saying you''re a genius, you didn''t do anything!" Emeraldine sighed. "Though, doesn''t this feels strange¡­?" Emeraldine felt an ominous feeling as the void surrounding the two started to rumble and shatter, revealing several holes that led to apletely white space. However, as the two flew into the skies and tried to sneak out, the void itself, which seemed to be constantly melting¡­ moved on its own. "GRAAAHHH!!!" A monstrous, ethereal shriek echoed from within it, the two realized a bit toote what was happening, as countless crimson eyes opened across the entire Void Domain. Tentacles emerged from within them as well, slowly creeping towards the pair, their eyes filled with disbelief! "YOUUUUU¡­!" "Wait, he''s not dead?!" Partner was shaken. "Belphegor?!" Emeraldine was even more shaken. "You¡­?! Did you became this Domain?! What the..?!" "GRAAHAHAHAH!" Belphegorughed as his tentacles attacked Emeraldine and Partner with several powerful strikes, throwing the two of them into the floor! BAAAMMM!!! "Did you thought you could get rid of someone as almighty as myself?!" Laughed Belphegor, hisughter echoing all across the Void. His form was constantly changing and shapeshifting, he had be theplete Dimensional Domain that wasposed of Void! "The moment you broke me into pieces, I was able to luckilybine into this Domain!" Laughed Belphegor. "I will not die until I get rid of the enemies of Master Maleficus! I am an immortal Sorcerer! The Void King himself!" Not only above the dark, void skies, but also below them, the endless darkness moved on its own. Belphegor had made of the entire pseudo dimensional domain his whole body. Hundreds of thousands of spear-headed tentacles appeared everywhere, as Partner and Emeraldine began fighting desperately for survival, surrounded from all sides! RUMBLE! While this happened, the entire structure that maintained all the Domains started shaking. Mostly all Domains had been destroyed one way or another, even if some were still standing, they had suffered damage and were left withrge holes. The ck crystal rotating in the middle of all this chaos was beginning to rotate faster and faster, attempting to maintain everything in order, it slowly started gaining countless cracks¡­ "Tsk¡­" The old man right in front of the ck crystal clicked his tongue in frustration. "Everything is going downhill; nothing is working as intended! This was a perfect n, to trap all of you bastards separately and kill you one by one! Our men were strong, all of them S Rank! Yet¡­ yet you even managed to get right in front of me?! Bullshit¡­ This is impossible! This n was devised by me and approved by lord Maleficus! I had no FLAWS!" As the old man kept groaning frustratedly, his aura kept growingrger, an endless sea of pure darkness, started exuding from his body. his small and thin hands melding into this ethereal and liquid essence of pure chaos and miasma! Massive yellow eyes started popping out of the liquid body he was melting into, the ones confronting him weren''t just a couple, they were five powerful fighters that got this far¡­ "It''s doing something weird¡­" Silva pointed at the old man. "What is he trying to do?!" "He''s transforming like the others, but¡­ it''s weird. His presence is bing so unsettling¡­" Catarina muttered, gritting her teeth. "W-What is this presence?!" "It feels like something simr to a Fragment of the Evil God." Tear said. "A true fragment, not a secretion of it¡­" "A True Fragment¡­" Takeshi muttered. "No¡­ it is not like that, it''s different¡­" "Whatever it is, we have to kill it and destroy that crystal he''s protecting so eagerly!" Said Laura, her hands summoning huge ck and purple fireballs. "Try as hard as you can¡­" The old man spoke, his robe being left behind as his entire body had undergone aplete transformation, bing an enormous ck slime with countless tentacle and huge, bubbly yellow eyes. A long jaw spread all across his body. "Your attempts will only be futile! Weaklings,e and die by my hand! Your souls and power will be our Great Lord''s sacrifices! His resurrection is close! And all of you sinners will PAY!" "You''re spouting a lot of fucking nonsense for someone in the range of my ice magic!" Tear roared. "Let''s go, Laura!" Takeshi said, his oceanic domain spreading. "Alright!" Laura nodded, a gigantic explosion chaos demon appeared behind her, with even more arms than before, and looking tremendously threatening. "I guess there''s no helping it¡­ Silva, can you lend us a hand?" Catarina asked. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Okay!" Silva nodded, imbuing her powers into Catarina, ckie, and Takeshi and Laura, enhancing their stats and abilities even further! FLUOSH! "You seem so eager to die¡­!" The abominationughed. "I''ll dly make your wishe true!" ----- Chapter 893 Agonizing Battle Chapter 893 Agonizing Battle ??----- "[Winter''s Wrath]!" Tear roared, rushing towards her opponent almost fearlessly, her aura of pure ice started spreading faster and faster, generating a powerful wave of pure freezing air! FLUOSH! It quickly generated an almighty blizzard, beginning to freeze all her surroundings as it quickly reached her opponent, the old man, now having turned into a slimy aberration, noticed his body beginning to freeze! "This is¡­ Divine Ice Magic¡­!" He muttered, his countless eyes opening wide. "And that''s not all!" Tear roared. She quickly raised her hands, generating several spears made of ice, and firing them against the evil magician one after another, each one was as huge as thirty meters of height! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! Their impacts generated explosions of pure frost, spreading a freezing energy over his body, his slimy body froze into ck pieces, which started falling from his body. It looked as if he was crumbling apart! "Hmmm¡­ Quite annoying indeed¡­" The old man kept fighting back against the ice by constantly expanding his body and leaving behind the frozen pieces. Tear was surprised he could endlessly grow like this. But even then, he was still weakened thanks to her magic! "Now, while I have him!" Tear roared, as Takeshi and Laura made their way towards the aberration. "Alright, it''s time!"N?v(el)B\\jnn Takeshi quickly summoned his Fishing Rod once more, which overflowed with magical energy. He quickly imbued it with his mana, changing the shape of the metallic thread and its hook! "[Divine Fishing Rod Transformation: Eight-Headed Orochi]!" This was one of his new techniques, after having spent so much time pondering what his fishing rod was truly capable of, he realized he didn''t even need to keep it at its core form. And that as long as it was the thread and the hook, he could change its shape by imbuing it with Mana and concentrating into its shape. Like liquid metal, its form changed, it even create new mass! "SHAAAAHH!" The Fishing Rod quickly transformed, bing eight gigantic snake heads, each one asrge as ten meters, their jaws huge enough to swallow entire buildings! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! Their gigantic jaws started biting through their foe''s body, tearing apart his frozen pieces and trying to weaken him as much as possible! "Now! [Chaotic Explosion re Fists]!" Lauramanded her giant Demonic Manifestation, her fists unleashing countless explosions of pure and crimson mes as her Explosion Demon pummeled the miasmic aberration with countless strikes! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The gigantic monster kept taking damage as it squinted its countless eyes, suddenly, hundreds of magic circles emerged in the split of a second. "My turn¡­! [Miasmic Chaos gue]!" BBBBZZZTTTT¡­! Suddenly, from the magic circles, countless tiny slimy creatures emerged, flying everywhere and swarming Tear, Takeshi, and Laura''s attacks! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! In mere seconds, they started devouring magic itself, their spells weakening severely as they were left utterly speechless! "W-What?! My ice magic is being eaten?!" Tear was speechless when she realized her freezing magic was not working anymore, her icicle spears disappearing one after another. "My fishing rod!" Takeshi was shaken when he saw the eight snake heads of his fishing rod suddenly being devoured! "I didn''t knew it could break¡­ This has never happened before!" "My explosions are being negated?!" Laura was also surprised, even more, her demon which flew to protect her in front of her was suddenly devouredpletely! "No!" The swarms then merged back with their foe''s body, recovering all the flesh he had lost! "Hahahah¡­ HAHAHAHA! It''s all USELESS!" The slime-like monsterughed, as his body suddenly changed form again, from within, giant tridents made of pure chaotic energies emerged one after another¡­ "Die! [Abyssal Chaos Tridents]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Without being able to protect themselves with magic as the swarms kept eating it, the tridents reached them in a single second, shing against their armors! "NO!" Catarina rushed forwards, her palms moving at an incredibly rapid speed, several fists attackednded on the tridents like explosive meteors, exploding with crimson mes! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Meteoric Crimson Blood re Fists]!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Each trident exploded into pieces, as Catarina''s arms were being constantly sliced and torn apart. She didn''t felt pain because she was an Undead, but she knew that she was pushing her own body to her limits! "ckie, take them away!" Catarina screamed desperately. "WOOF!" ckie quickly conjured several shadows and dragged everyone down to safety, moving away quickly as Catarina was left taking all the attacks! "C-Catarina!!!" Takeshi panicked. "KUAHAHAHA! What a noble sacrifice! I''ll make sure to tear you to shreds now that you''ve given me the opportunity, you traitorous vampire zombie!" The aberration was overjoyed, more and more projectiles kepting out of his body at an incredibly fast speed, in mere seconds, Catarina found herself surrounded by thousands of them! She only had two fists, and even with her Aura Manifestation, that was only about another two pairs! "RAAAAHHH!" Her eyes overflowed with crimson mes, as she constantly punched all the projectiles at once, making them shatter into pieces as they came! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "S-Shit¡­! I can''t¡­ keep going anymore!" However, Catarina quickly lost the strength of her body, having fully spent most of her Mana, the projectiles started piercing herpletely. Her two arms were torn into shreds and her legs as well, followed by her chest being pierced dozens of times. Catarina''s eyes nced onest time at Silva, before her head was blown to bits, her brains sttering over the floor. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Noooo!!!" Silva screamed in agony as she saw Catarina, her big sister, being torn to pieces. Tears flowed from her eyes as theughter of the abomination that took her down echoed in the background¡­ "KUAHAHAHAHA! USELESS! PATHETIC WEAKLING! NOW¡­! ALL OF YOU ARE NEXT!" Without even giving them any time to process what had just happened, the aberration quickly pounced towards all of them, his gigantic body taking the shape of several spears, piercing the ground constantly, ckie barely managing to help them move away, the swarms were far away enough, so their magic was quickly conjured in quick session. Projectiles made of frost, explosions of chaotic mes, and oceanic currents constantly shed against his body, dealing almost no damage! "DIE!" CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! ----- Chapter 894 Nyxs Rage Chapter 894 Nyx''s Rage ??----- Crack, crack¡­! CRAAASH! The void of one of the domains shattered into pieces, as a gigantic ck dragon emerged from within it, carrying over her back arge group of children, apanied by an adult woman. It was Nyx, Fabian and his friends, and Celes and his mother. "Eh?! Where are we now?!" Nyx wondered, looking around her surroundings. "This entire area''spletely white?! And we can clearly see the other domains, they look like ck bubbles!" "T-That''s right!" Fabian nodded. "This is weird¡­ Maybe we reached the end of it? Wait, perhaps this ce is the core of the whole domain or something." "If that''s right, then that means we should look for what''s keeping everything working." Nia said, Celes''s mother. "Celes, dear, can you sense something? I remember that you were able to sense the bad energies." "I-I can¡­" Celes gulped saliva, sweating all over in utter fear. "O-Over there! Far away!" The boy pointed into the far away distance, there was a gigantic mass of ck slime swirling around something bright and crystalline¡­ and just a couple of meters from there, the same ck slime-like entity was chasing down a group of people! "Wait! Aren''t those Takeshi and Laura?! And Tear and Silva too!" Without even saying another word, Nyx immediately flew towards them to give them a hand! All while the people on her back started to get ready to engage on a fight once more. "Shit, they''re being chased by that thing!" Fabian screamed. "Wait, where''s Catarina at?!" Spectra said. "I remember that she was with Silva, right? Maybe the two got teleported together?" "But that''s¡­" Garon wondered. "She''s nowhere to be seen- Eek!" However, the kids quickly realized a horrendous sight¡­ a pile of flesh, bones and innards resting over the white floor. Nyx could gruesomely notice Catarina''s red hair, and one of her eyeballs resting over the pile of flesh¡­ Her heart suddenly started beating faster and faster, everyone was left speechless by seeing the horrendous sight. "Hahhh¡­ A-Auntie¡­ C-Catarina¡­! Hahhh¡­!" Nyx started to suddenly have a panic attack as she saw a beloved member of her family killed, horrendously gruesomely at that¡­ "HMM?!" The gigantic slime quickly nced into the skies with its countless yellow eyes, noticing a gigantic dragon flying down towards him at an incredibly rapid speed! "What is that?! A dragon?!" He suddenly stopped chasing the weaklings, quickly directing his attention towards her. "Well, I might as well get rid of this fly beforehand!" "Hahhh¡­! HAAAHHH¡­!" Nyx kept breathing heavily as her entire body''s mana wavelengths becamepletely chaotic! Fabian panicked, as he felt like Nyx¡­ was beginning to channel and harness a dangerous power! "Spectra!" "Yeah!" Spectra quickly spread out her phantasmal energies out and grabbed everyone else, leaping out of Nyx before she was to let go of all her rage!N?v(el)B\\jnn RUMBLE! "GRAAAAAHHHHHHH¡­!!!!" With a furious, wrathful roar, Nyx''s entire body exuded a gigantic shockwave of pure darkness and phantasmal energy. This energy¡­ this power¡­ it wasn''t just born from rage alone. It was born from her frustration to not have been able toe earlier, to not have been able to stop this. From her despair and sorrow of seeing someone she cared having been killed so horribly. And from the utter horror she experienced by realizing how fragile their lives truly were. The draconic instincts within her heart awakened, her Dragon Heart started overflowing with an innate power she had yet to even utilize since her birth. The power thatbined not only her father''s amazing bloodline, but also Maria''s incredible magical power which she inherited to her. This deadlybination¡­! "ROOOOAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!" With a ferocious roar, her entire body started growing ten of timesrger, from the mere fifty meters she was to over two hundred, like a ck meteor, she reached the ck slime, the vampire that had be an eldritch abomination, and kicked him down with a meteoric, explosive strike. BAAAMMM! "UNNGGHH?! AAARRGGHHH¡­!" The old man quickly realized that this wasn''t just a kick, Nyx put everything into this reckless attack, a deadly body m with all she had! Her entire body erupted with countless amounts of energies. Her phantasmal mes quickly transformed, growing cker and cker, they weren''t just her father''s Abyssal Death mes, nor her mother''s Death Phantom mes¡­ It was something much deadlier and stronger¡­ "W-What is this power?!" The old vampire thought, his entire body beginning to burn horrendously, slowly starting to turn into ashes! "This dragon¡­! Where did she came from?! These mes possess¡­ The pure Element of Chaos and¡­ Demonic Power?! No! There''s something else¡­! Void? No¡­! W-What is this?! What is this feeling of¡­ utter emptiness?" It wasn''t Darkness, it wasn''t Chaos, it wasn''t Death, it wasn''t even Void¡­ It was a much more powerful Element¡­ No, a Concept. "D-Demise?!" The Old Vampire finally realized. "This is one of the Divine Concepts that only Gods wield! Why is a young dragon like her in the possession of this Element?!" "RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Nyx kept roaring furiously. The Concept of Demise that was born within her little Dragon Heart took over her entire body, making her go utterly berserk! Her gigantic ws started tearing him apart, the pieces she took out were instantly turned into ashes! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Her tail pierced his body countless times like a void-enhanced spear, countless holes spread across his slimy structure, without being able to fully regenerate. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! And above all¡­ her breath! "GRAAAAHHH!" Her gigantic jaws opened wide, enormous quantities of dark purple mes emerged, overflowing and then, out of nowhere, gaining a deep dark crimson color. "She can even imbue Demise into her breath?!" He thought. "NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" With utter horror of a sudden death, the old Vampire''s entire body started swirling around, escaping from Nyx''s grasp, and trying to run away as far as he could from her! His tentacles pierced her body, leaving countless holes across her titanic size, but she didn''t even care about the pain, her mind waspletely taken over by her awakened Divine Power. And the gigantic dragon breath was released, piercing through half of his body andpletely disintegrating it! BOOOMMM!!! ----- Chapter 895 Rampage

Chapter 895 Rampage

?----- "GRUUUAAAGGH¡­!" N?v(el)B\\jnn The old Vampire gave out a monstrous shriek, half his body waspletely disintegrated as Tear, Takeshi, Laura, and Silva watched an enraged Mist take him down! BAAAMMM!!! His gigantic bodynded on the white floor below, shaking its foundations and creatin fissures in the dimensional pirs themselves. "ROOOAAARRR!" Nyx gave a furious roar, her mouth constantly vomiting her mes of Demise, her eyes spiraling out of control! "N-Nyx?! Is that Nyx?!" Laura cried. "That silver hair¡­ It''s not Lucifer, it''s her!" "What happened to her?!" Takeshi asked, coughing. "She''s¡­ furious!" "She must have seen what happened to Catarina¡­" Tear cried. "But even then, this is too much¡­ Did she ever had such atent power within her?!" "W-We don''t really know¡­" Laura sighed. "ckie, keep running, make some distance between us and Nyx! She seems out of control!" "WOOOF!" ckie was whimpering as he saw Catarina die, but he was still a brave wolf, quickly running away while carrying everyone on his wide back, rushing farther and farther as the aberration''s gigantic body kept falling and spreading over the ground. The gigantic Nyx didn''t stop there, her hands suddenly started gathering phantasmal and chaotic energies, fusing with her Concept of Demise, a gigantic spear was formed! "W-What is she trying now?!" The old vampire thought, panicking! "Y-YOU! STOP ALREADY!" With a furious roar, a gigantic magic circle was conjured with all his Mana, summoning a huge sword made of ck flesh and countless red eyes¡­ "[Chaotic Abyssal Sword of Pestilence]!" FLASH! The sword reached Nyx, shing against her stomach, and piercing her scales, blood sttering everywhere! CLAAASH! "Hahahahah! Take that you damn fucking lizard!" The aberration celebrated, quickly running away from her as heughed¡­ However, Nyx barely reacted to the deadly attack, her spear already formed, she fired it at him! "GRAAAAARRRRGH!" "What?!" FLAAASH! The spear easily pierced through his body, an enormous explosion of dark purple and dark red mes engulfed him almostpletely! BOOOMMM!!! The explosion quickly started to consume his body endlessly, the old vampire desperately kept crawling away while constantly trying to regenerate! At the same time, Nyx took off the sword from her stomach, her gutspletely exposed as she was panting and gasping for air¡­ "GRAAAGGGH¡­. HAAAHHH¡­!" She quickly started to feel dizzy, the power her rage had given to her was beginning to fade away¡­ "NYX!" Celes and Fabian''s group quickly made their way towards her, her entire body slowly beginning to reduce her size. Whatever transformation she had undergone, it was quickly deactivating! "C-Celes! Can you heal her?!" Fabian screamed, running towards her with everyone else. "I-I don''t know! I''ll try!" Celes was already crying after seeing Nyx in such a horrendous state, her body quickly falling to her knees. "RAAAAAHHH!!!" However, Nyx was still below the effects of the Concept of Demise, her berserk state was making her unstable, she roared back at her friends as if she had never meet them before! "N-Nyx! It''s me! Your friend!" Celes cried, running towards her with his mother at his side. "GRAAAAHHH!" Nyx suddenly swung her long tail against them! "S-Shit!" Fabian quickly touched the ground with his hands, several walls of Demonite were erected one after another, but her tails wipe broke them all in seconds. CRAAASH! "Stop, Nyx!" Spectra''s phantasmal power concentrated together into a gigantic hand, stopping her enormous tail for a split of a second! "This is not you!" Garon''s mes fused into his body, creating a gigantic arm made of volcanic stone and mes, resisting Nyx''s gigantic tail from crushing them. "Uwaah! S-She''s going crazy!" Beery concentrated as many nts as he could, creating yet another support, doing his very best¡­ "I can''t believe the cutest girl is the one going crazy now! Fuck! Dammit!" Nick was just as desperate, concentrating all his poisonous winds into several snake-like heads that resisted the tail like a huge hand. "Nyx! You have to snap out of it! If you don''t, we can''t heal you! Please¡­!" Celes kept running towards her. "C-Celes! Don''t! I-It''s too dangerous!" His mother, Nia, stopped him, dragging him back. "B-But mom! She''s in agony! If we don''t do something¡­ Sniff¡­ she''s gonna die too!" Celes kept crying tears of sorrow. "I don''t want her to die! Nyx''s my friend!" "C-Celes¡­" Nia started crying. "B-But¡­" "Please¡­ trust me¡­ mama!" Celes cried, his aura suddenly growingrger, responding to his emotions. Nia was perplexed as his little son started generating an almighty, divine presence. A calming atmosphere took his surroundings, as if everything had be a serene Oasis. His aura exuded a bright blue color, with several sparkling lights¡­ Fabian and his friends were left speechless, as his Aura slowly took the slight shape of someone. A tall, beautiful woman, looking at Nyx agonizing with eyes filled with empathy¡­ She couldn''t talk, yet her emotions exuded from her very presence. "T-That''s¡­!" Nia muttered, in utter disbelief. "Let me¡­ do it!" Celes said, looking into his mother''s eyes. His eyes glowing with bright blue divine light. "I wanna help her¡­ Nyx is.. my best friend¡­!" Nia nodded slowly, as she let go of her little boy. Celes ran towards Nyx, his aura swirling around him, creating a protective vortex that protected him from her angered w attacks! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! Water started sttering everywhere, as the young boy kept advancing. "Nyx! Please¡­ Stop!" "Graaaawwrrr¡­!" Nyx groaned in pain and anger, gasping for air, vomiting blood. Her entire body was growing paler¡­ "Please let me get through!" Celes cried, his eyes staring into hers. "Grrrrgghhh¡­" Nyx slowly calmed down as the cold water covered her ws and then her face¡­ Her spiraling red eyes slowly changing color, bing deep blue. "Cough¡­ C-Ce¡­ les¡­?" She muttered. "NYX!" Celes ran towards Nyx, his tiny hands touching her torn open stomach. "S-Stay right there, don''t move!" He cried, his tears shining brightly, overflowing with spiritual divine light. "Urgh¡­" Nyx kept vomiting blood, her breath bing slower. "My belly¡­ hurts¡­" "Please, work, please work, please work!!!" Celes screamed, all of the powering from his aura was unleashed and reached Nyx''s gigantic wound. FLAAASH! ----- Chapter 896 A Mother’s Strength!

Chapter 896 A Mother''s Strength!

?----- Nia and Fabian and his friends watched in utter disbelief and awe at what Celes conjured. His entire power, everything into the wish of healing his beloved friend. His pure heart and his divine spiritual soulbined their strengths together, the beautiful manifestation of his past life emerging above him, gently smiling at him and Nyx. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You have¡­ such a pure heart¡­ my reincarnation¡­" She whispered with gentle words, as her crystalline, pure, and clean waters filled Nyx''s wounds, washing away the infections, the blood, and even the torn down guts. "[Divine Spiritual Spring Magic]: [Goddess of Healing''s Divine Elixir Tears]" Her tears flew down into Nyx''s disinfected and horrendouslyrge wound, suddenly, the lost flesh, which couldn''t regenerate due to all the damage she had taken and how she had depleted all her energy almost instantly, quickly began to regrow! FLAAASH! Countless tendrils wrapped around one another, her bones regrew, her organs constantly grew back, her muscles, skin, and scales¡­ It was utterly miraculous. And her gigantic body, once healed, slowly went back to her small form, her eyes faintly opening, looking at Celes. "Ce¡­ les¡­" "Nyx! You''re alright! Ugh¡­!" However, before the boy could even say another word, he fell to his knees, feeling like all his energy had been drained in a second. "Celes!" His mother ran towards the boy, hugging him tightly. "There¡­ you''ve done enough¡­" She sighed, hugging him tightly. "Nyx, are you okay?" "Ugh¡­" Nyx groaned, her eyes slowly growing sleepy. "I''m¡­ sleepy¡­" "I''m amazed¡­ That power is incredible. It is what my Great Lord needs to finally be truly resurrected." Suddenly, a voice echoed from above, Nia''s eyes opened wide to see a gigantic ck slime with countless yellow eyes ring at her¡­ "Y-You''re not dead?!" "Dead? That is not a concept that goes along with me¡­ Now, give me those children! They''re perfect sacrifices for my Great Lord''s resurrection!!!" With a furious, monstrous roar, the old vampire attacked, gigantic ck ws reaching down to catch the children! "NEVER!" Nia mustered whatever strength she could, quickly grabbing both children and running away¡­ Quickly realizing she could hold them much easier than before! Every vampire her party defeated shared EXP with her, without realizing it, her level had gone up tremendously, giving her enough strength to carry them both and barely manage to slip away from the old aberration''s grasp! CRAAASH! RUMBLE! The white dimensional floor, which was a pir to the entire array shook more, countless fissures spreading across its entirety as the attacks from the rampaging old vampire kept chasing down Nia! "Nyx! Celes!" Nia cried, only to realize both children had passed out on her arms, they were too tired to do anything else. "They''re asleep! Ahhh!" The mother panicked, running faster and faster. Her stats working wonders now, after she had gained over sixty levels from all the shared EXP! And that wasn''t all, when so many levels were given so quickly, some of the EXP would quickly go to Skills, or could even generate new Skills, something Maria and her party often experienced as their skills would level up like crazy after fighting a mighty foe. The same happened to Nia. The once clueless and weak mother, that despite her weakness would always stand in front of her son and protect him, grew stronger, even if only a little bit. [The [sh Step: Lv3] Skill has activated.] [Movement Speed has increased by +300% for 5 Minutes.] [The Effects of the [Unyielding Motherly Love: Lv7] Title Skill have been activated.] [While protecting your beloved children, All Stats increase by +70% for 10 Minutes.] FLAAASH! Her Aura grew stronger, as her eyes glowed with a bright green light, she quickly started leaping rom one ce to another, the gigantic tentacles never reaching her! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! "W-What are you?! Some kind of human frog hybrid?!" Roared the angered slime, quickly beginning to spread his body thin as he realized his mass was still too few after tanking all of those blows. "Dammit! COME HERE!" He quickly shapeshifted, gaining swift cheetah-like legs and chasing Nia with great intent¡­ Yet Nia wasn''t going to give up either! Her eyes concentrated, suddenly, her magic emerged out of her body. "Like Maria taught me¡­! Like Emeraldine¡­ said so!" She thought. "Concentrate¡­ Shape the Runes¡­ Unify them! Stack them all together! T-There!" Suddenly, Nia stopped moving, as she was greeted by a gigantic cheetah-shaped aberration made of ck miasmic slime and covered on countless yellow eyes! "FOOL! YOU''RE ALL WIDE OPEN! GRAAAH!" "[Wind Tempest]!" "Huh?!" A green magic circle appeared in front of Nia, a big one at that¡­ Nia''s Elemental Affinity was the rare Wind Attribute, and although she was only taught the most basic of runes, she simply stacked them hundreds of times over¡­ into a single, powerful spell! FLUOSH! A gigantic tempest of chaotic winds engulfed the old vampire, quickly forming into a gigantic tornado that took him over and started to slowly tear apart his body! "What the hell?! AARRGGHH¡­!" He wasn''t really taking that much damage, but it was pushing him away constantly, giving Nia the time to finally reach Fabian and his friends, who had been thrown away from all the tremors provoked by the vampire''s attacks. "Lady Nia!" Fabian cried. "Over here! Quickly!" "Haah!" Nia leaped into the air as she was grabbed by Spectra''s phantasmal aura, shaped into a huge eagle, the entire group set into the skies, running away from the approaching threat! "Where do you think you''re going, you damn- UGH?!" Suddenly, however, his tail was beginning to freeze seconds after he finally managed to break out of Nia''s wind magic! "You''re not forgetting about us, right? You filthy fucking bastard!" Tear roared with utter fury, the weight of having lost Catarina still within her heart! "You''re not going AWAY!!!" Laura roared, suddenly leaping right over his body, from her hands came hundreds of tiny pebbles, touching his body and then¡­ "[Detonation]!" "UNGH?!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Countless explosions engulfed him! ----- Chapter 897 Taking Revenge Chapter 897 Taking Revenge ??----- While Tear mustered herst Mana to freeze his tail and stop him from chasing Nia and the children, Laura threw hundreds of pebbles she had already touched to the damned vampire. "[Detonation]!" "UNGH?!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Countless explosions engulfed him! Usually, they wouldn''t do much damage, but because they were constantly ovepping with one another in such a small space, and they were literal hundreds, it ended dealing tremendous damage! "AAARRGGHH¡­!" The Vampire gave an agonizing scream, his body quickly losing arge part of its mass. He was already incapable of expanding further than ten meters! From the giant that was over a hundred meters of height, his size had been reduced tremendously! He had to quickly run away! As long as he could slowly get more mass by consuming things, he would quickly regenerate back. However, he was now cornered. SPLAAASH! He suddenly fell into pure water, his eyes looking everywhere to realize he had fallen into some sort of oceanic domain. And walking on top of that water there was a boy, Takeshi! "Now that you''re in my domain, you''re nothing but a fish to be caught!" His Fishing Rod had already fully regenerated after he simply remade it using another metal rod, quickly reaching the bastard with its long metallic threads. "[Divine Fishing Rod Transformation: Sea Dragon]!" The oceanic water of his domain fused with his fishing rod, suddenly taking the form of a gigantic, coiling sea snake dragon, roaring furiously, and attacking the vampire with everything it had! "ROOOAAARRRR!" "Y-You can do that too?!" SPLASH! Water pierced all his body, constantly tearing him apart through incredibly fast turbulences and immense water pressures. "GRAAAAHHH¡­! F-FUCK!" Suddenly, dozens of magic circles materialized around his body, firing countless tridents everywhere, which exploded on contact! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! With that alone, he was able to free himself from the attacks, quicklynding on the ground and sloppily beginning to escape! "I''ve left a Doppelganger protecting the Void Crystal!" He thought. "As long as I can reunite with it, I''ll regain my original size and powers! Alone that thing does not possess my genius intellect, so it''s quite dumb! I have to get to it again, so-" "WOOOF!" However, before he could even reach his destination, a gigantic ck wolf appeared right above him, crushing him down into the ground, several shadows appearing and wrapping around his body! "W-WHAT NOW?!" He screamed, suddenly realizing the wolf that woman he killed hade! "This damn stupid dog is here?! No! There''s no way it would be so strong on its own- Huh? That little girl!" He quickly realized that, riding the wolf, there was a little girl with big sheep-like horns, and fluffy hair. Her red eyes were still crying, but she was furrowing her eyebrows in utter fury¡­ "Y-You¡­! YOU WILL PAY FOR KILLING BIG SIS!!!" With a scream filled with utter anger, frustration, sorrow, sadness, and countless emotions swirling together in the young girl''s Demonic Heart, her Miasmic Ability activated to its full potential. TRUUUMM¡­! An enormous quantity of Miasmic Energy flowed into ckie, the wolf, having already grown ustomed to it, epted its energy, even if it was burdening on his body! After all, the wolf had traveled with Catarina for so long, she was his everything, his beloved master! He had to avenge her! Or he wouldn''t be able to respond to the name she gave to him! "AWOOOOOO!!!" "W-What the¡­?! What is happening?!" The Vampire stepped back in utter disbelief, as he saw the Abyssal Shadow Wolf Zombie transform into an evenrger form, gaining a pair of heads on each of his shoulders, and another pair of legs. His body size now growing over fifteen meters, his ck fur gaining countless crimson stripes, and his long tail gaining several ck-scaled snake-like heads¡­ A third eye opened on his original head, while all the heads howled together¡­ The beast had evolved into something utterly disturbing, exuding the power of an S Rank Monster! "S-She¡­! Impossible! Her Miasmic Ability can awaken Monsters Powers?! No¡­ She can temporarily evolve them to this point! Wasn''t that thing just B Rankst time I checked?! It has now be S Rank! That''s ridiculous! Is there such a Miasmic Ability out there?!" The Vampire waspletely bbergasted by what he had just witnessed. "Hahhh¡­ HAAHHH¡­ KILL HIM, BOY!" Silva was constantly in pain while using her ability to grant ckie the power to avenge his master, but she was bearing with it while riding him! "GRRRRGGGHHHH¡­! RRAAAAAARR!!!" ckie rushed with utter fury towards the vampire, moving at lightning speed and leaving ck-colored electricity behind! "You''re nothing but a damn DOG! Do you think that your trick is going to WORK?!" However, he was prideful, quickly deciding to just fight him head-on! His monstrous body shapeshifting and generating dozens of spears, attacking the wolf! "ROOAARR!" ckie, however, intercepted the attacks with his six gigantic ws, enormous explosions of darkness were released as the two shed against one another! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "URGH¡­!" The aberrant slime muttered. "He''s overpowering me so easily?! Argh, I''m too damn weakened! And- Huh?!"N?v(el)B\\jnn He quickly realized it wasn''t just a thing of his mass¡­ His body was still slowly freezing, pieces of him falling and he didn''t even notice¡­ Aside from that, there was still steel threads spread all over his body, keeping his wounds open. And to make things worse, mes were still burning some areas too. Tear, Laura, and Takeshi were still activating their Magics despite being so far away from him now, their eyes ring at him as they rested over the ground, their bodies paralyzed out of exhaustion, yet.. they were not giving up! "ckie, Silva¡­!" Takeshi muttered. "You can do it!" Tear cried. "KILL THAT BASTARD!!!" They roared together. "RAAAAAHHHH!!!" ckie and Silva roared at the same time,bining their powers, as ckie''s threw jaws opened, unleashing countless darkness beams, pulverizing their foe''s body with countless explosions, followed by his ws tearing him down and burning him with ck mes! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "W-Wait¡­! STOP! STOOOP!!!" The Vampire screamed in agony, he was actually the third inmand to Maleficus, the Shapeshifting Abyssal Slime Halberoth! Yet now, he was being utterly defiled! Three more beams of darkness reached him, his magic incapable of fighting back! "GRYAAAAEEGGGHH¡­!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! His body and soul were torn to shreds! ----- Chapter 898 Maria Arrives! Chapter 898 Maria Arrives! ??----- "It can''t be¡­! To be killed by this¡­ damn dog¡­!" Halberoth, who had lived for hundreds of years and devoured countless innocents with his strange, miasmic slime body, perished! BOOOMMM!!! "W-We did it¡­" "Catarina¡­" "We avenged¡­ you¡­" "Big¡­ sis¡­" At the same time as his death, Tear, Takeshi, and Laura passed out, and so did Silva, while ckie barely managed to stay awake, slowly reducing to his base form. "Awoooooo!" He howled onest time, quickly manipting his shadows and bringing everyone with him, running towards where he could smell the scent of their friends. Meanwhile, Fabian, his friends, and Nia watched the swirling mass of ck miasma that Halberoth had left behind, a doppelganger that shared arge part of his stats and powers, butcked his soul and mind, being a mindless monster that obeyed his orders. "That thing''s not dead yet¡­!" Fabian said. "Did it divided itself or something?!" "We have to take it down or we''ll never be freed from this damn ce!" Spectra said. "But how?! We''re already all exhausted¡­" Garon sighed. "I-If only Maria or Lucifer were here¡­" Nia muttered. "Children¡­ Perhaps we should simply¡­" "Run away? We can''t!" Nick said. "The only thing we can do is¡­ wait! But I don''t want to wait¡­ I''m tired of waiting and being an absolute useless piece of crap! That''s the reason why I ended dying in the first ce¡­ Why we were all sacrificed to that ugly skeleton¡­" "Nick¡­" Beery sighed. "B-But¡­ What can we do?" "It is odd though." Fabian suddenlymented. "That thing is not reacting at all¡­ Is it dumb or something? Maybe itcks the intelligence of its master somehow." "It is much smaller¡­" Nia said. "Nyx and Celes are sleeping but¡­" "We should try attacking it! If we can distract it and let it show us the crystal for a second¡­ One of us could sneak an attack and break it!" Garon suddenly said. "T-That''s¡­ not a bad idea, actually!" Spectra said. "If we can do that much then¡­ By all means!" "¡­" Fabian thought about it in silence, but after having seen how everyone was doing their best in this fight, he couldn''t simply choose the most secure paths, he had to do something himself. "Okay, let''s do it¡­!" Drinking theirst Mana Potions, the children channeled all their magic into single, powerful spells. The n was simple, three of them would attack it, the other would attack the crystal once it was shown. And they would do it all from the skies, hoping for the beast to note all the way there¡­ Though there were risks, it was a good idea if they wanted to get out of this situation as fast as they could! "[Demonic Spiritual me Spear: Ifrit''s Fang]!" "[Miasmic Poison Winds: Thanatos'' Hand]!" "[Abyssal Dark Wood: Fist of Nature]!" Garon, Nick, and Beery conjured what they thought was their strongest spells so far. Combining and fusing all their magic power into a single point and shaping it all into an almighty floating projectile. All three of them descended at rapid speed towards the aberration right below them,nding on quick session one after another, huge explosions of mes, corroding venom and entangling and draining nature covering the aberration of over thirty meters! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "GRYYYEEEEHH!" The monster gave an agonizing scream, arge part of its body beginning to wither and fall apart! Everyone was shocked it hurt the monster so much! Its body was beginning to swirl around rapidly, as if it was about to move away! However¡­ "GRRRHH¡­" Hundreds of magic circles were conjured in a split of a second all around the creature, materializing huge swords made of pure ck sludge, with red eyes on top of them. The doppelganger mightckplex intelligence, but it could conjure all of the original''s spells¡­ Or even modify them and make them stronger or more efficient, just by using its instincts alone! "W-What the¡­?!" Fabian muttered, a split of a second before hundreds of swords reached them. They knew what these swords were¡­ they were the swords that almost killed Nyx, albeit much smaller! A strike from these Pestilence Swords was death sentence! "R-RUN! RUN, SPECTRA!" Panicking, Spectra quickly started flying as fast as possible from the scene, using her giant phantasmal wings! However, her speed wasn''t even enough! "I told you this was a bad idea!" Nia cried, conjuring her winds, and helping them fly away faster and faster! The swords kept exploding in midair as they almostnded on them, they were constantly running away from endless bombardments and explosions! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "T-They''re getting closer and closer!" Beery cried. "Shit, shit, shit! Fuck! I shouldn''t had even suggested this!" Nick was crying as well. "T-This is hopeless¡­!" Garon cried.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Dammit!" Fabian used all his mana to constantly fire giant arrows made of Demonite, constantly intercepting, and blocking the swords from reaching them. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, they kepting endlessly, and even Fabian''s mana was running low after a few projectiles! "GRAHAHAHAH!" The Aberration down below also shared the original''s body hatred for weaklings,ughing at their despair as the swords pierced through Spectra''s phantom barriers! "Nooo!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Countless explosions engulfed them, the aberration enjoying the show as it protected the crystal, even if it felt its original body dying, it did not matter. It would carry out its duty until its death¡­ "GRRRHH?!" However, its countless yellow eyes opened wide in surprise and shock, suddenly realizing the children were still alive, flying in the skies! And what had blocked the several explosions was the huge body of a gigantic dragon, that had arrived from the skies just in time! Apanying him was a ghostdy, and a blonde hero¡­ "M-Maria!" Fabian and the rest screamed in relief after seeing them finally arrive! "Sorry for being sote- Ah! Nyx?!" Maria quickly changed her carefree expression as she saw her daughter unconscious, with a huge scar in her stomach. "W-What happened!?" "A lot¡­" Nia sighed. "A lot happened¡­ But that thing¡­ Almost killed Nyx- If it wasn''t for Celes healing I¡­" "What?" Maria''s eyes overflowed with utter crimson malice¡­ Her powers constantly erupting from her. "So it was that fucking thing?" Maria asked. "To think we took so long getting here¡­" Lucifer gritted his fangs. "My daughter¡­ We''ve failed you." "Yeah, we failed her, but I won''t fail on killing that piece of shit!" Maria roared. Even though she was still worried about Partner and Emeraldine, she could sense they were still alive, her rage quickly taking over her judgement, as a gigantic spear made of her ck wood, death, phantom, and ck lightning emerged above her, aiming at the aberration. "DIE!" As Maria overflowed with utter rage and fired her projectile, something else happened. Crack¡­ Crack¡­! CRACK! The void right behind everyone shattered, as countless of gigantic void tentacles emerged, spreading everywhere, and shattering the entire pir of the Divine Array! RUMBLE! "GRAAAAHHHHH!!! COME BACK, YOU COWARDS!" The furious scream of an aberration spread further, countless crimson eyes emerging everywhere, at the same time as Emeraldine and Partner appeared from that crack, flying back to Maria andpany! "IT''S COMING! RUN!" "You two!" TRUUUM! Before Maria could make any sense of what was happening, the entire Array holding all the Domains distorted, destroying everything. Countless pieces of floating debris spread around an endless void in the middle, all while ckie ran across the void itself, leaping from debris to debris, carrying within his shadows his friends. And the remains of his master¡­ "Arf¡­ Arf¡­! Woof!" ----- Chapter 899 Catastrophe Chapter 899 Catastrophe ??----- After having had his city taken away by the Church of the Goddess of Water, Charles has been seen his people suffering for way too long. Every year it only got worse. It was utterly insane how the church thought it was a good idea to ask for money to give people water, something that was always free and avable to everyone in Sapphire Temple. The Oasis gave endless amounts of water thanks to ancient magic, something many nobles knew, yet they choose to monopolize it anyways, an endless source of water monopolized by the greedy noble families that betrayed him, allying with the church. They kidnaped his wife and his daughter, extorting him to sign a document giving away the ownership of the city to the church and make the Saintess Emilia as the supreme leader¡­ He might have been given back his family safe and sound, but he was stripped away of everything else he owned. It was out of pity that Emilia let him keep his house and whatever was in there, he often came to visit her, imploring her to reconsider, only getting kicked away and insulted by her, someone that seemed to hate the world, despite being someone know as a Saintess. "Emilia¡­ How many people must suffer for you to be satisfied?" He sighed, feeling hopeless and powerless in the face of such a huge organization as the Church of the Goddess of Water, directly connected to the Church of Light, the main church that spread across the entire continent of Midgard. They had too much power, and he had no allies, something like a coup was just unthinkable. Filled with bitterness and frustration, he has been seeing his own city slowly die off, manymoners having already perished due to the unjust treatment. "How can Emilia be so clueless to not realizemoners are the pirs of this city? Without their works, their production, and their jobs, this city will never flourish¡­" He sighed. "Is she nning to simply drain everyone dry and then go away? Why¡­ But why?" As he sighed and cried, he suddenly looked into the skies through the window of his manor, quickly noticing a strange disturbance in the clear skies. A ck dot was slowly growingrger andrger with each passing second, ck lightninging from it as the illusion of cracks appeared above the empty air of the skies. It felt as if the skies themselves were a ss ceiling, slowly gaining more and more cracks, the ck dot spreading and bing bigger. "W-What¡­ is that?!" This scene was seen by many people across the entire city. Those having their peaceful lives, those struggling, and those barely alive on the streets, all noticed the same thing. "Mommy, what''s the ck thing over there?" "I-I don''t know¡­ I''ve never seen something like that before." "T-That''s some sort of ck monster? Or¡­ wait is that lightning?!" "Is a storming up today? That''s very rare¡­" "If it rains it means we''ll get free water though!" "We''ve already got plenty of free water!" "Sshh! Don''t just say that out loud, the Pdins are going to hear you!" The people were slowly beginning to panic as they nced into the skies, while within the Temple of the Church, Emilia nced boringly at the people panicking, raising an eyebrow as she sipped some of her wine. "What''s wrong with the sheeple? Why are they all screaming and crying like the pathetic insects they are? Can''t they shut up for once?" She sighed. "Huh?" However, she quickly realized what was happening as she nced into the skies just as them¡­ Her eyes opening wide as she saw the ck hole slowly expanding, ck lightning and cracks in space spreading further with each passing second! "W-What¡­?!" Emilia spit her wine. "What is that?! Wait, are these stupid Warlocks doing this?! But why?! Call Maleficus right this instant! What is the meaning of THIS?!" She roared back at her Pdins, two of them nodding and running to seek the Warlocks Leader¡­ "T-This is¡­ They were supposed to take them down stealthily! Why are they making a fuss in the skies out of nowhere?!" Emilia started biting her nails nervously. Crackle¡­! RUMBLE! The skies kept growing darker, until the sun''s light no longer reached the citypletely. It felt as if an eclipse was descending upon the entire city. The ck hole was generating a strange tornado on the skies, its interior constantly swirling with Void and Chaotic energies. Maria and her group were escaping from the endless expanding void, as Partner and Emeraldine had just arrived from the Domain they had been trapped on. Bringing with them a powerful ancient magus that wasn''t going to go down easily!N?v(el)B\\jnn "YOU COWARDS¡­ COME BACK! I''LL RIP YOU APART!" His voice echoed across the entire dimension, countless red eyes emerging everywhere all at once. his tentacles rushing towards Maria and her group! "What the hell is this?!" Lucifer muttered, grabbing everyone, and flying away as fast as he could. FLAAASH! "Uwaaah! It''s getting all ck! And there are eyes everywhere?!" Beery was panicking. "T-This is not normal!" Spectra cried. "It''s the bastard of Belphegor! We defeated him for sure, but he somehow found a way to merge whatever was left from his soul into the Void Domain we were trapped in!" Said Partner. "Now he''s expanding everywhere like a damn cancer!" "We''re sorry! We never thought he would do such a thing¡­ No, that he was even capable of doing that to begin with!" Emeraldine apologized frantically. "It''s not your fault, don''t worry." Maria sighed. "This isn''t something you could even control¡­!" Maria swung her hands, giant skeleton arms and ws shed against all the tentacles, shing them apart. Meanwhile, titanic branches and spear-like roots of ck wood emerged as well, defending the entire group from Belphegor''s endless attacks. CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "GRRHHHH¡­! YOU WON''T GET AWAY FROM HERE!" Belphegor gave a loud roar, from the depths of the endless Void, the doppelganger of Halberoth and the Void Core it as protecting were consumed by the endless void, giving Belphegor even more power. "GRAAAAAH!" A gigantic, aberrant jaw opened in the middle of the void, slowly moving towards everyone! ----- Chapter 900 Escaping The Void Chapter 900 Escaping The Void ??----- Belphegor absorbed the powers of the doppelganger left behind, and even the Void Crystal. His mind had deteriorated seriously after he died and fused thest fragments of his soul with the Void Dimension they created. Especially because it was so much power, that his mind couldn''t handle it, growing berserk and monstrous, without even thinking about he could be ruining the entire n his Master Maleficus set up for him to begin with!N?v(el)B\\jnn The debris spiraling across the endless Void kept hitting one another, generating huge explosions as the depths of the Void shaped itself, a gigantic jaw covered on several rings of sharp fangs emerged, rushing towards Maria and her entire party! "I''LL EAT YOU ALL BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN LEAVE! GAHAHAHAHA!!!" Drunk on his power, and with his whole brain missing and his mind shattered into pieces and forcefully fused together, Belphegor became a near-mindless monster,ughing manically as his grotesque jaws drew closer. FLAAASH! "He''sing! FLY FASTER!" Partner cried, kicking Lucifer''s face. "I''m going as fast as I freaking can!" Lucifer roared back at her angrily. "Stop kicking me!" "Wait, where''s Tear, Takeshi, Laura¡­ and Catarina and Silva?!" Asked Maria, suddenly remembering that they weren''t here! "We saw them before fighting the giant slime guy but¡­!" Said Fabian. "I thought they would had been with you by now!" "No,st time I checked my shadow realm didn''t had them inside!" Maria panicked. "Shit, shit, shit! Where are you?!" She quickly expanded her senses across the endless void as they kept running away¡­ Until finally, she saw a huge ck wolf zombie leaping from stone to stone floating in the void, running as fast as possible towards them! "ckie?! He must be carrying everyone else on his shadow, maybe?! I can sense their presences with him!" Maria muttered. It was only a few dozen of meters behind the gigantic jaws approaching them! If Maria took even a second longer to get to him, he would get swallowed, and everyone with him would die as well. "Keep moving as fast as you can, Lucifer!" Maria quickly leaped out of Lucifer''s back, making everyone scream in panic as they saw her leap into the jaws of the monster willingly! "MARIA?!" Lucifer screamed. "What are you doing?! WAIT!" Partner screamed. "She went to pick up ckie! He must be with everyone else within his shadows, maybe!" Emeraldine said. "RAAAHAHAHAH! SO YOU''RE COMING TO ME WILLINGLY! I''LL EAT YOU HAPPILY THEN!" Belphegor celebrated as his gigantic jaws openedrger to swallow Maria into the endless Void that had be his stomach! Maria simply smiled at that, her many powers channeling into her body. "Don''t you think you can ever hope to eat me, fucker!" Mariaughed, her entire Aura erupting into a giantess made of Moonlight, Lightning, and Dark Death Wood! The giantess rose its countless arms, attacking Belphegor''s jaws with countless punches, breaking his fangs, crushing his tongue, and electrifying the interior of his massive maw! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAAASSSHHH!!! "AARRGGHHH¡­!" As he screamed in agony, Maria reached the zombie ck wolf, grabbing him by extending her hand several meters and then pulling it back to her! "WOOF!" ckie licked her face the moment she dragged him towards her. "ckie! Is everyone okay in your shadows?!" Maria cried in panic. "WOOF!" ckie seemed to nod, but then started to whine. "Arf¡­" "Huh?" Maria didn''t understood what he meant and had no time to think about it either! "Y-YOUUUU! ENOUGH!" Belphegor''s tentacles attacked her Aura, destroying its countless arms one after another, and then gathering Void and Chaos Energy into his jaws, unleashing a devastating beam! "I DON''T CARE ABOUT EATING YOU ANYMORE! JUST DIE!" TRUUUM! The gigantic beam of pure Void and Chaos reached Maria, her eyes shining with bright red light and purple light, the power of her Moonlight Magic being channeled into her hands and Aura, as she moved her hands majestically, summoning a gigantic mirror resembling a full moon, shining brightly with an Aura of Moonlight! "[Eternal Moon Mirror]" The mirror absorbed the entire beam as it reached it, and then, it overflowed with even more power, firing it back into Belphegor''s face! "FUCK OFF!" FLAAASH! "W-WHAAAT?!" Belphegor, even in his current state, was incapable of believing what he was just witnessing as the beam he fired at her came right back to him, with several times its original power and charged full of lightning, darkness, moonlight, death, and phantom elements! BOOOMMM!!! The huge explosion blew up Belphegor''s entire face and reached his Void Stomach, distorting it as the Void Core that maintained his powers gained many more cracks. RUMBLE! The entire Void Dimension continued to shake endlessly, countless cracks and holes appearing everywhere. Belphegor''s scream continued as Maria grabbed ckie and flew back to Lucifer as fast as she could, channeling her Mana into enhancing her Speed through her Aura as much as she could. Aura was an expression of a person''s Magic Power and Soul, and it had the innate power to enhance their abilities, this naturally included Physical Strength, Magical Power, Defense, and also Agility and Speed! FLAAASH! "GRAAAAAGGGGHHH! RAAARRRGGHH!" Belphegor kept screaming as Maria continued flying, resembling a bullet traveling through the endless void. His entire body did not give in though, most of the holes created on his body beginning to close rapidly, one after another. "You''re not getting away¡­! I WON''T LET YOU GET AWAYYY!!!" Larger andrger tentacles kept popping up from all around Maria, constantly attempting to catch her and smack her with everything they had. She moved from one ce to another, evading while zigzagging around them. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! "Shit¡­ Almost there¡­!" Maria kept running and flying, until she finally caught up to Lucifer and everyone else, extending her hand and grabbing his tail, quickly springing back to his back! "I''m back! Argh, it''s already here!" Maria cried. "Hurry, Lucifer!" "I-I''m doing the best I can!" Lucifer roared. "Then let me help you with that!" Maria''s Divine Thunder Body Ego emerged out of her body and fused with Lucifer, giving him the power of Divine Lightning she took from devouring Thor''s Divine Spirit. FLUOSH! "T-This¡­?!" Lucifer was shocked to receive and feel this power again since thest time Maria did it, when the Dwarven Kingdom was being invaded by the armies of the Frost Queen. "With this¡­! I sure can!" TRUUUMMM¡­! Lucifer pierced through the void, emerging in the clear skies above Sapphire Temple! ----- Chapter 901 Catarinas Evolution Chapter 901 Catarina''s Evolution ??----- Lucifer pierced the void through Maria''s Divine Thunder Ego fusing with his body, temporarily giving him incredible speed and the power of the Divine Thunder that Thor''s Divine Spirit wielded to almost kill them all back then. FLAAASH! "W-We''re out!" Lucifer celebrated, noticing they were all above the skies, right over the city of Sapphire Temple! "The Dimension was all the way up here?!" Nia, Celes'' mother panicked. "I-I can''t believe they dragged us so far away in an instant¡­!" "It certainly is an ominous power." Maria said. "But I won''t let that ever happen to us again¡­ I''ll make sure of it!" TRUMMM¡­! As they talked, the skies shattered wide open right behind Maria, her eyes opening wide to realize Belphegor was not done yet! His monstrous form emerging out of the Dimension and letting it all out, spreading darkness and void across the skies of Sapphire Temple. The people right below panicked, screaming as they saw a gigantic and grotesque abomination emerge, covering their skies with pure darkness. The sunlight could not even reach them anymore, as his miasmic and void-made body kept spreading around, in the form of a mantle of endless eyes, tentacles, and jaws¡­ "GRUUUAAAAGGHH¡­! I''LL DEVOUR YOU ALL! FOR THE SAKE OF REVIVING OUR GREAT LORD!" He wasn''t even paying attention to Maria and her group anymore, as his countless eyes nced at the thousands of people down below, greedily desiring their souls as sacrifices¡­ "That bastard''s slowly moving down¡­ If this continues, he''ll destroy the entire city!" Partner panicked. "Shit! W-What do we do?! ARRGH!" "Stop panicking!" Emeraldine told her, smacking her face. "Calm down, Partner! It''s alright, we can do this somehow¡­!" "We have to." Lucifer said. "There is no other way out of this¡­" "I''ll help as much as I can, my Swordsmanship and my Magic could be of some use against this being of darkness¡­" Jonathanmented. "I cannot let this monster ruin this beautiful city and its people! I''ve already seen enough of how this church treats its people¡­ And those Pdins that cannot even be called Pdins to begin with! This entire city is rotten to the core, yet it holds so many innocent and goodhearted people¡­ I cannot let these bastards destroy it. I''m tired of seeing them do as they please¡­ I''m tired of always standing in the sidelines¡­ I''ll act!" "Wow, what a speech¡­" Partner was taken aback. "Y-Yeah, I guess you''re right¡­ If the blondie''s braver than me then what the heck am I even doing? Alright! Let''s do this." Unexpectedly to Maria, Jonathan''s inspiring words ended cheering up Partner more than she could have ever imagined¡­ "Yeah, we have to." Maria nodded. "Everyone else here, you need to rest. We''ll take care of this ourselves. You''ve fought more than enough, Fabian, everyone." "W-We''ll leave it to you then!" Fabian nodded, as he and everyone else with him were sent inside of Maria''s shadows, including the sleeping Nyx and Celes. However, at her side, ckie kept whining and groaning at her, as if he was trying to tell her something. Although everyone inside his shadows was unconscious, Maria felt like there was someone inside there asking her to them out. "What is it, ckie? What are you trying to tell me?" Maria wondered. "Inside your shadows? But- Ah¡­!" Maria''s eyes opened wide, quickly realizing what had happened¡­ Something she hadpletely missed, the corpse of Catarina torn to shreds, dead.N?v(el)B\\jnn "C-Catarina¡­?!" She cried, quickly recalling how Lancelot had died despite being an Undead. Sometimes, even Undead cannot be repairedpletely. If their Souls are too exhausted, or too damaged, they''ll break apart and dissipate, killing them. And this was what Maria thought in that very instant, her entire heart wavering at the thought of yet anotherpanion dying¡­ "I-I''m not dead yet! Well, I am! But¡­ my soul has yet to give up! Hey!" However, the annoying and tomboyish voice of Catarina within ckie''s shadow told her otherwise! "Catarina, you''re not dead dead?!" Maria ran inside of ckie''s shadows, merging its contents into her shadow realm while putting ckie inside, and hugging Catarina''s red-colored soul, which had many cracks and missing pieces. "Argh! Why are you hugging me- Ugh! Stop it! It hurts!" "I''m so happy¡­ I don''t want to lose more people¡­" "M-Maria¡­ What happened? Did someone¡­ die?" "Someone you didn''t get to see¡­ A brave little ant I recruited and¡­ Well, a sorrowful Frost Ghost, Veredorr¡­" Maria sighed. "T-That''s¡­" Catarina muttered. "I didn''t knew¡­ But- ugh, I''m alright, my soul''s strong and I''m fine! Now let me out! I want to fight too!" "You can''t fight in that state¡­" Maria sighed. "Stay here for now and rest-" However, Maria''s arm was grabbed tightly by Catarina, she suddenly noticed her crimson blood re powers emerging from her very soul, slightly burning her. "Let me go, Maria." She said, her soul eyes ring with conviction. "That bastard¡­ he killed me, and almost killed your daughter, and almost killed everyone I''ve grown to love now¡­ Let me go, I want to beat the shit out of them!" "¡­" Maria stayed ncing at her in silence, and then touched the depths of her soul. "[Death Restoration]" FLASH! A wave of death energy and phantasmal power healed Catarina''s soul in an instant, her cracks were quickly healed back, and although her missing pieces were not back, most of her mass was regained. "Creating a new body would take too long and¡­ As you can see, we''re in a bit of a hurry. Your Soul alone will have to do¡­ Make a contract with me." Maria proposed. "A contract?" Asked Catarina. "Like the other Ghosts, your brothers, who I left back home to protect the vige." Maria exined. "Once you ascend into a ghost, you will be a Spirit if we create a contract, our connection will make you much stronger¡­ But you''ll have to bear with the transformation." "I can bear with anything." Catarina said. "So please¡­!" "Alright¡­" Maria nodded. "[Creation of Death]!" FLUOSH! Maria channeled her powers, as her Soul Grimoire emerged in front of her, in a few splits of a second, she swiftly decided Catarina''s transformation, automatically addingpatible and spare materials inside of her inventory. "This Form¡­ I had never seen something like this before¡­" FLAAASH! ----- Chapter 902 Against Corrupted Void Master, Belphegor

Chapter 902 Against Corrupted Void Master, Belphegor

?----- "I''LL DEVOUR¡­ I''LL DEVOUR IT ALL¡­!" The enormous cloud of miasma and void energies continued descending slowly from the skies. The people of Sapphire Temple screamed in horror, running to the underground areas of their houses, preparing for the worst. The Pdins of the church gathered outside the church, their weapons on hand, preparing for the worst as well, all while Saintess Emilia nced at the skies with a furious re. "Where is Maleficus?!" She asked angrily. "How dare he do this to me?! Is he betraying me?! After all the things we''ve worked on together? If the Church learns of your betrayal, you won''t get out of this easily¡­!" As Emilia raged, without knowing what to do herself, as she was naturally a coward despite the blessed abilities she possessed, an old man covered on ck robes nced atop a tall building, smiling. "Hahahaha¡­ Belphegor¡­ I cannot believe what you''ve done¡­" He smiled devilishly, showing his sharp vampire fangs. "Despite having failed me, you have, nheless, brought quite an interesting and amusing result¡­" "That¡­ Is it Master Belphegor?!" "I can''t believe it¡­" "Has his body ascended into something greater?!" The other Warlocks seemed shocked and rejoiced by seeing Belphegor''s new form, but Maleficus, the old man leading everything, onlyughed. "Hohoho, his vessel¡­ His form, it is shaping well¡­ This might be what we just needed for our Great Lord''s Resurrection!" Maleficus smiled. "However¡­ I wonder if those others will let him do as he pleases. Hmm, I wonder what will happen. That youngss of Emilia is probably very annoyed right now¡­" "Should we stop him?" "But if we do¡­ Belphegor''s new form¡­" "We would be forced to go back several steps from our Great Lord''s resurrection! And we have yet to secure the Divine Spirit''s Reincarnation." "Hmmm¡­ Let us watch for now." Maleficusughed. "This is too amusing to not see. Let Belphegor do as he pleases. No matter the result of this confrontation, we will benefit, I can assure you of that¡­" "Maria went to her Shadow Realm to revive Catarina''s soul." Lucifer said as he nced the gigantic being slowly descend. "We have to stop this bastard while we are at it!" "She''s gone?!" Partner asked. "Ugh¡­ Okay! We''ll simply have to wait for her." N?v(el)B\\jnn "We can''t always rely on her for everything." Emeraldine said, her eyes shining brightly. "Let us work together to defend this city! Jonathan, we''re counting on you too!" "Of course!" Jonathan roared, his sword shining brightly. "First of all, we must stop it from descending any further!" "Then we have to push it from below, isn''t it?" Lucifer smiled, his body quickly growing into a gigantic ck scaled dragon, the people of Sapphire Temple panicking as they saw that gigantic being appear once more. His hands summoned a gigantic scythe made of Abyssal Death mes, as his Aura kept surging from his body, resembling a gigantic and intimidating dragon made of shadows and death energy¡­ "Yeah, there''s no choice." Emeraldine nodded. "Lucifer, Jonathan, can you two hold it off? I''ll prepare something strong to blow it into the skies! Partner, assist them!" "I was going to do that anyways. I''ll leave the rest to you, Emeraldine." Lucifer nodded immediately. "Hey, let''s go." "Alright." Jonathan nodded as well. "Me? Assisting these two?" Partner asked,ining like a brat. "I''m stronger than Jonathan!" "PARTNER!" Emeraldine roared angrily. "Stop messing around! You''re always treating all situations like THIS! Can''t you work efficiently and help us survive?! Your attack power might be high, and your speed too, but your defenses are really low! You almost got killed before too! Assist them and let them tank the hits!" "T-That''s¡­!" Partner was shocked Emeraldine had grown so angry, she realized she might have been being an asshole without realizing. It was ingrained within her, a part of her personality of every day. Maybe Maria had spoiled her too much too¡­ But she quickly realized she wasn''t acting responsible. "Okay! Fine, FINE! I''ll help and assist them then! Just don''t get so angry¡­" "Sorry, but this¡­ Sorry." Emeraldine sighed, smiling back at her. "Let''s work together, okay?" Her gentle smile soothed Partner''s worries. "Okay¡­" Partner nodded. "Let''s wait for Master toe back! I''ll do my best, you two better not slow me down as¡­ Well, as I assist you I guess." "No more chit-chat, he''sing!" Lucifer roared, rushing towards the skies, and shing against the gigantic aberration, of over five hundred meters spread across the skies! "YOU''RE NOTHING BUT ANTS BEFORE MEEEE!" Belphegorughed manically as his gigantic tentacles, each one as big as fifty meters each, shing against Lucifer''s almost two-hundred-meter big body. CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! Lucifer channeled the powers of his Skills and the Draconic Records he had been neglecting quite a lot so far, conjuring the power of his family of Fire Dragon''s Primordial Mother, Muspel! Andbining these powers with his Skills. "[Abyssal Infernal Muspel''s Shield]!" FLUOOOSH! A gigantic shield made of ck and red mes emerged in front of him, taking the attacks one after another. Each strike into the shield generated several cracks over it, and umted energy into it. Lucifer tanked the several blows as he kept flying upwards, swinging his giant scythe all while attacking with his long tail, using it as a deadly spear! SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "GRAAAAGGHH¡­!" Belphegor groaned in agony as his tentacles were being covered on countless wounds, Deadly Poison and Abyssal Death mes spreading through them. As originally an Undead Dragon, Lucifer had already mastered the power of conjuring and manipting poisons from his ws and scales, utilizing it to its maximum effect to weaken his foe! "Here, take a load of all the fucking venom I''ve got!" Lucifer roared. "[Abyssal Dragon''s Venomous Muspel re]!" Loading his scythe with all this poison and mixing it with his mes, Lucifer unleashed a devastating shing blow, a huge wave of purple and ck mes impacting the entire body of Belphegor! BOOOOOMMMM!! "GRAAARRRRGGH! BASTARD!" Belphegor, however, quickly grew a giant fist from its body, punching Lucifer with titanic strength! BAAAAMMM!!! "URGH?!" ----- Chapter 903 Going All-Out

Chapter 903 Going All-Out

?----- The gigantic fist of over a hundred meters came imbued with arge mantle of Void and Chaos, the very impact Lucifer tanked ended being several hundreds of times stronger as it was loaded with these destructive elements, a huge explosion devoured a part of his scale armor and even half his left arm! BAAAAAMMM!!! "UURRGH?!" Lucifer groaned in agony, quickly stepping back, only for two tentacles, with sharp spear-like ends to reach him, about to impale him from both sides! "DIE! DIE! DIE!" "Fuck! Are you kidding me?!" As Lucifer prepared himself for the worst, a mighty ray of light reached one of the tentacles, sting it into ashes! "[Holy Beam]!" BOOOOOMMM!!! And then, another sh of pure celestial light shed the other tentacle, covering it on countless shing attacks until it fell apart into pieces. "[Divine Starlight de Arts]: [Shining Star des]!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLAAASH! "GRAAAAAHHH!!!" Belphegor screamed in agony; the light hurt much more than any of Lucifer''s attacks! His entire body squirmed in pain, as he was lifted higher and higher into the skies by Jonathan''s mighty blows. "Lucifer, now!" "OOOH!" Lucifer and Jonathan rushed into the skies, attacking Belphegor incessantly, their powerful blows and their high defenses making it possible for them to actively fight as powerful vanguards! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! "BASTARDS!" With a mighty roar, several of Belphegor''s crimson eyes opened wide, charging red energy and firing it against the two! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The two tanked or blocked them with their weapon attacks, but it was getting overwhelming as the beams never ceased! But then¡­ "[Scarlet Moons]! [Chaos Beams]!" Partner appeared from behind them, her bright red eyes shining brightly as her seductive and beautiful appearance resonated with an aura of utter vampiric malice. Several magic circles surrounded Belphegor, gigantic spheres of pure blood energy bombarding him one after another, while beams of chaos pierced through his body. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "GRAAAAHHH¡­!" Belphegor agonized, as Lucifer and Jonathan took the opportunity Partner gave to them to fight! The two rushed forwards once more, sword and scythe constantly shing through Belphegor''s tentacles while destroying his many eyes. "[Infernal Scythe shing Storm]!" "[Heaven''s Ascent]!" N?v(el)B\\jnn An enormous storm of countless shing attacks imbued with ck and red mes and an ascending sh of pure light, resembling a tower of divine brilliance impacted Belphegor, pushing further and further into the skies! CLAAASSSSHHH!!! "UURGGHH¡­! Y-YOU''RE GETTING ME FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM MY SACRIFICES! YOU MONSTERSSSSS!!!" Belphegor was losing it, suddenly summoning dozens of magic circles, where hundreds of projectiles resembling swords made of void and demonic energy emerged. "[Demonic Void Swords of Pestilence]! DIE!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Hundreds of ck swords rained upon the vanguards, each sword as long as twenty meters, Lucifer and Jonathan were having a hard time shing against them and blocking them, and they couldn''t let these swords get too close, as they exploded, releasing ck voids that would absorb anything and disintegrate it! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Dammit!" Lucifer roared. "The bastard''s descending again!" "His swords are endless!" Jonathan said, swinging his divine sword, constantly shing against the swords of darkness. "As long as I''m here, these won''t get past you two!" Roared Partner, quickly conjuring several spells and Skills at once. "[Moon Vampire Queen Battle Arts]: [Blood World]! [Demon Gates]: [Infernal Dominion]!" By channeling the power of these two mighty skills, a sea of endless blood was summoned, shing against hundreds of projectiles, and stopping them from reaching further down, all while several gates of mes emerged around her, firing giant weapon projectiles, as if they were being thrown by the demons from hell themselves. SPLAAAASSSHHH¡­! The sea of eternal blood seemed to have a will of its own, wrapping around Belphegor''s lower side and stopping him from conjuring more projectiles of magic, all while the infernal weapons pierced his skin and burned it with demonic fire. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "UUURGGH¡­! W-What are these mes¡­?!" Belphegor couldn''t believe he was being overwhelmed and constantly pushed back; his gigantic body was now beginning to feel like a burden. He had soon realized he had be just a huge target for everyone to just hit as much as possible. As a mighty sorcerer and warlock such a thing seemed ridiculous, even when he experimented on his body to gain greater strength, he was never someone that enjoyed close- ranged fights like the rest of the freaks from his organization. "I have to end this quickly! T-These bastards are only going to get more annoying!" He thought angrily, his mind still feeling fuzzy and strange as hecked many of his soul fragments. "I''LL KILL YOU ALL, NOW!" His entire body shapeshifted once more, growing a massive maw, and then gathering enormous quantities of energy within, all the power he could muster! "Now that I don''t see that damned ghost with them to mirror my attack, I''ll just fucking st them to smithereens!" Heughed internally. "DIEEE!" TRUUMM¡­! A gigantic ck beam of Void and Chaos was fired down. The people in the city watched in horror as it slowly approached their home. A single st from it and everything they''ve ever built, their homes, their lives, their families. It would all end¡­ Yet¡­! "Emeraldine, is it done already?!" Partner screamed. "Yes, stand aside." Emeraldine, who didn''t participate at all in the entire fight, was overflowing with tremendous powers, her butterfly wings glowing brightly like pure gold, her arrow having fused with her Yggdrasil Wood, taking the shape of a titanic crossbow made of light and nature. A huge arrowposed of her two Divine Spiritsbined forms and her own soul was sitting over the gigantic crossbow, she channeled many of her skills at once,bining their effects into one. This was a technique she had used before, against an almighty foe where she had to bet her life to defeat¡­ "[Divine Holy Spirit Bow Arts]: [Yggdrasil''s Nine Divine Realms]!" Nine arrows containing the elements of Yggdrasil''s nine realms emerged, being fired against Belphegor''s mighty beam all at once, this time, as they flew, theybined together into one! "[Divine Spirit Fusion]!" The nine arrowsbined together into a gigantic, rainbow arrow, intercepting Belphegor''s beam. BOOOMMM!!! ----- Chapter 904 CLASH!

Chapter 904 CLASH!

?----- Back then, in the first time she came out with such an ability and conjured it, Emeraldine had to sacrifice one hundred years of her long lifespan of over a thousand years. However, this time, she used her pure Divinity she had acquired after her Evolution to conjure this Technique¡­ And improve upon it! Fusing all nine arrows made of different and powerful elements, a tremendously strong multi-elemental arrow was conjured, an almighty spell and technique that took her almost ten minutes to conjure, and something she could only create in very dire situations, its cooldown being of several days. FLAAAAAASSSHHH!! The divine arrow of countless colors pierced through Belphegor''s beam of Void and Chaos, easily destroying it, and disintegrating it as it made its way up into the skies, ultimately exploding right in front of his face. BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! The explosion alone wasn''t everything though, as the smoke dissipated to reveal Belphegor''s whole body had now a gigantic hole in the middle of it, the divine rainbow spirit light in the wound inhibiting his ability to regenerate, to make things worse! "G-GAAGGH¡­! Y-YOU¡­!" Belphegor started squirming his body, incapable of believing he had been pushed so far. "Y-YOU¡­ YOUU¡­ YOUUUU!!! YOU INSECTS! YOU DAMN COCKROACHES!" With a furious roar, five more jaws emerged across the rest of his remaining body, gathering their Void and Chaos Power, and unleashing five beams, although much smaller than before, they were just as strong! TRUUUM! TRUUUM! TRUUUM! TRUUUM! TRUUUM! "Shit, even more?!" Lucifer muttered. "W-We have to somehow stop them, no matter what!" Jonathan muttered. "Y-Yeah¡­ If they reach down there, it''ll be over for Sapphire Temple''s and its people!" Partner cried. "That wasn''t enough¡­?" Emeraldine muttered in disbelief. Although they flew directly to confront the beams and block them with everything they had, everyone was already quite exhausted. They had already been fighting for a while now, overusing their abilities, and spending the majority of their Mana too. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Deep down, they didn''t knew if they could make it out of this situation¡­ "HAHAHAHA! DIEEEE!" All four of them conjured an enormous barrier ofbined elements, resisting the beams as they shed one after another, slowly pushing down further, and further, and further! "D-Dammit!" "Is this it?!" "N-No¡­! NO!" "Urgh¡­! M-Maria¡­! Where are you?!" Their barrier started to gain countless cracks, quickly beginning to copse, the beams shing against them one after another, huge explosions shaking the skies. BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! "GAHAHAHAHA!" Belphegor''sughter could be heard from the skies as whatever was left of him nced the demise of his foes at longst! He couldn''t help but feel incredible joy that they died at longst! "Now, I shall- Huh?" However, something seemed off¡­ The beams were still hitting something amidst the smoke, they had yet to reach down into the city! The smoke dissipated, to reveal they were all unscathed, behind someone¡­ A single ghostdy, whose powers overflowed with many different elements. It was nobody else than her! "Maria!" Emeraldine cried, happy to see her appear once more. "You''re sote!" Luciferined. "Why are you sote?! What took so long?!" Partnerined too. "Y-You''re okay? What¡­ happened- Huh?!" Jonathan was shocked to see Maria''s amazing disy of power. She was floating in midair as if nothing, five rotating mirrors constantly taking on the beams around her, each one resembling a different phase of the moon, shining with bright purple and pink Moonlight Energy. "Sorry for being sote¡­ I''m really, truly sorry. Now leave the rest to me¡­ Or well, us." Maria said, her eyes glowing with mystical light. "[Mystical Moon Phase Cycle]" FLAAAAASSSHHH!!! Her moons shone brightly like beautiful mirrors, the beams werepletely absorbed out of Belphegor, the ancient sorcerer left utterly speechless as then, the mirrors rotated even faster around Maria¡­ "Here, I think you lost something." "N-NO¡­! NOT YOU AGAIN!" Belphegor could only scream in horror as five enormous beams of Void, Chaos, Death, Divine Thunder, mes, Phantom, and Moonlight, all mixed together, sted through his body, leaving five huge holes. BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! BOOOMMM!!! "UUUAAARRGGHHHH¡­!" The aberration screamed in agony, the people of the city all nced in awe at what was happening, the mysterious guardians protecting their city were still not giving up yet. And the screams of agony of the aberration that was trying to kill them all made them regain hope within their hearts! FLAAASH! Maria rushed towards him before he could attempt to descend into the city any longer, her body overflowing with many colorful energies as she channeled andbined the power of all her Body-type Skills into one, transforming into a giantess. FLUOSH! Her appearance had quickly changed, her body was now made up of dark purple and pink colored moonlight energy which shone with countless bright stars. Her long, purple, and ck hair reached her ankles, and it was made of ferocious snakes, poison, and death. Covering her beautiful moonlight body, a ck and demonic armor with the decorations of many bug-like monstrosities emerged, made of demonic power, chaos, and darkness. And behind her, there was a divine mantle made of golden and ck lightning. [You havebined the effects of the [Gorgon''s Transformation], [Abyssal Demon Transformation], [Divine Moonlight Titan Body], [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul], and all Body-type Skills to transform into your [Ultimate Form]!] [All of your Stats have temporarily increased by +1000%, your Death, Darkness, Chaos, Poison, Lightning, and Moonlight Elemental Damage has increased by +10000%, and Skill Damage has increased by +500%!] [However, your Mana is constantly being drained, and so is your Moonlight Essence!] "[ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts]: [Abyssal Ascension]! [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts]: [Demonic sh]!" Without further ado, Maria jumped into action before anybody else, summoning her de and her huge Axe, and swinging both weapons at once against Belphegor''s titanic body! "RAAAAHHH!!!" CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH! "RUUUAAAGGGHH¡­!" Belphegor desperately attempted to fight back, his body growing hundreds of giant fists shing against her blows, but they were all being sliced apart with ease! "Don''t ever think you''re EVEN have a chance!" And the voice of Catarina echoed from within Maria, her new demonic and spectral body emerging! "W-Wha¡­?! YOU?!" Belphegor somehow had slight memories of Catarina from the one he had fused from¡­ "Hey." BAAAAAMMMM!!! ----- Chapter 905 Final Round

Chapter 905 Final Round

?----- Catarina''s ghost form appeared, shining with crimson radiance. Her appearance resembling that of a beautiful and muscr almighty demon vampire giantess! Her ghostly form was very simr to her body, actually, but it seemed muchrger, bigger, and stronger. Her arms were enormous, and her whole skin was covered on several crimson tattoos, while she had a pair of red and ck horns on her forehead, and her long hair ended on fiery red mes. It could be said that Catarina''s true potential, and her abilities to transform, surged from her very soul, and now that she was only left with that, her Evolution turned her into somethingpletely different than a mere Elemental Ghost! Maria could clearly see it within her notifications of the System after all¡­ N?v(el)B\\jnn Ding! [You have raised [Demonic Crimson Asura Vampire Warrior Queen Specter: Catarina (S Rank)]!] [Catarina] has received several Bonus Skills, Titles, and Higher Stats!] [The Innate Talent of Catarina''s Soul has been Awakened!] [Catarina] has made a contract with your Soul! She has be one of your Spirit Familiars!] "Good, all done." Maria smiled, looking at Belphegor fly into the deserts at the side of the city after Catarina punched him to oblivion. CLAAAAASSSHHH!!! His titanic body copsed on the golden sands, making the sea of endless sands shake furiously. His body slowly started dragging itself across it, slowly beginning to take the form of some sort of chimeric humanoid beast with the head in the shape of a tentacle with many eyes. "Aaaarggh¡­! I-I have to run! There''s no way I can stay here anymore with those two monsters!" Belphegor thought. "My body has ascended and be much stronger, if I hide and gather more power-" As he pathetically started digging into the sand and trying to hide from Maria and Catarina, the zing blood mes ghost appeared right above him, her muscr arms multiplying into dozens of them as she innately knew how to manipte her formless body into any shape she desired. Demonic and Blood Energies erupting from her very soul, fusing together as her demonic appearance became even more extreme, another pair of eyes growing on her face¡­ She truly resembled a Demonic Asura! "This is for Silva, and for everyone you''ve tried to fuck over!" She roared furiously, her ghostly form growing as big as a hundred meters! "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Meteoric Crimson Blood re Fists]! [Crimson Asura''s Wrath]!!!" Her form became even more demonic as her titanic fists reached down upon Belphegor, piercing through his body, and leaving countless holes, while covering him on blood mes that constantly drained away his HP and MP! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! "AARRRGGHHH¡­!" Belphegor screamed in agony. "D-Don''t you DARE think I''ll simply GO DOWN EASILY!" Belphegor, as he was being punched to death, surged from the sands, and absorbed them, his body suddenly bing like a hard golem as he synthesized the sand with his miasma, turning it into crystals of Demonite! Growing dozens of arms and fists himself, he attacked back at Catarina with everything he had, while spears of Demonite endlessly surged from his surroundings as his Miasma absorbed the Sand and synthetized it. CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "Bastard, you dare fight back?!" Catarina roared furiously. "[Blood Demon Battle Arts]: [Blood Demon''s Infernal Charge]!" Her entire phantasmal body temporarily materialized into a giantess of mes, rushing towards Belphegor, and mming him into the ground, her mes were so hot that the sand became ss, shattering apart. BAAAAAMMM!!! "GRAAAGGHH¡­! Y-YOU DAMN¡­!" Belphegor struggled, punching her back and piercing her soul with his spears of Demonite and Void, but Catarina kept mming him and punching his multiple eyes! It was a stalemate! However, that was soon going to end as Maria descended towards the two, reaching Belphegor''s back and unleashing a barrage of deadly attacks with her huge sword and her axe! "[ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts]: [Nightmare Lightning shing Storm]! [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts]: [Mountain- Splitting Death Strike]!" CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAASH! Four mighty strikes loaded with Lightning, Darkness, and Death Element overwhelmed Belphegor, all while Catarina kept punching and burning him from the front! "UUUAARRGGHHH¡­! T-THIS CAN''T...! THIS CAN''T BE!" Filled with frustration, he continued struggling as he was being slowly chopped down to pieces and turned into ashes by their blows! "RAAAAH!" He furiously attempted to pierce Maria''s chest with a gigantic spearing from his own stomach, only for her to evade the blow and cut the spear into pieces with her axe and her sword. SLAAAASH! All while Catarina smiled,bining all her arms and fists into one gigantic attack, and piercing his chest with an almighty zing punch filled with wrath! "[Demon-Tearing Fist Of Wrath]!" BAAAAAAMMMMM!!!! "GRUUUAAAAGGGHHHHH¡­!!!" Belphegor''s Void Crystal Core was shattered into countless pieces, all while the depths of his soul was burned alive, his consciousness immediately beginning to fade away as Maria''s attacks finished him off, cutting him to pieces. CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "Make sure to nevere back, you motherfucker!" Maria roared angrily. "And this isn''t going to end here, I''lle after your master, I''ll fucking kill him too! I''m going to kill every single bastard and bitch in this damn city! I FUCKING SWEAR IT!" Her two weapons suddenly became one as a surge of frost emerged from her hands. The two weapons and the frost taking the form of a titanic axe once wielded by an almighty titan that perished in the ancient war! The Gods above the skies shook in surprise, sensing the presence of the one that fought the hardest against Odin after Ymir''s defeat¡­ Loki''s true father! "[F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike]!!!" Maria activated the powerful Privilege he had gifted to her when she visited the Titan Records, ending Belphegor''s life once and for all by shattering his dimensional void vessel, consumed by frost and darkness! CRAAAAAASSSSSHHHH!!! Belphegor felt there was no afterlife, as everything he once was slowly dissipated into ashes, disappearing from existence. "To be defeated¡­ like this¡­ Impo¡­ ssible¡­" BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!! A huge explosion shook the entire desert, as frost spread out through arge area, the people of Sapphire Temple suddenly felt a very cold wave of winds, their eyes opening wide in shock. The monster that had threatened their city was dead! ----- Chapter 906 The Warlocks Dark Lord Chapter 906 The Warlock''s Dark Lord ??----- The entire ordeal was finally over, Belphegor was dead, and the city was saved from being utterly destroyed¡­ All while they took care of 90% of the Warlocks forces in this entire incident. Indeed, they used that many to entrap them, trying to ensure their deaths at all costs, but at the end, they were the ones that ended lowering their numbers drastically, with both of Maleficus strongest right hand and left hand now dead. The people across the city of Sapphire Temple felt a sense of relief in their hearts as they saw the monster be defeated and taken away. Their eyes shining brightly as they realized there were heroes watching over them, that fought for them, and protected them from their demise. "W-We''re saved? We are not dead yet?" "What just happened there? Did¡­ nothing happened?" "A big dragon appeared and brought it away¡­" "I also saw other people with the dragon, it wasn''t alone!" "Yeah¡­ But what was that thing?" The people started talking with one another about what had urred, they felt relieved the beast was gone, but questions were beginning to emerge in their hearts. Why such a monster appeared? Where did it evene from? And why didn''t any of the church pdins, or even the Saintess did a single thing to repel it? It felt as if they had been paying for taxes and the water for nothing, none of them ever came to their aid, none of them even came to tell them some relieving words. Not even a small lie to calm their hearts! Nothing! The people that had been tortured and abused all these years, were given water out of nowhere inside of all their houses, and now, they were saved by outsiders. They were beginning to realize the injustices of this ce, and that not everything was hopeless either. There were people working in the shadows to help them¡­ Things were not hopeless. "Tch¡­ What with those eyes?" Saintess Emilia nced through the window of the church, noticing thousands of people ring at the church with incredible rage. "Hey, where is Maleficus at?! I called him a while ago and he''s not here! The monster is gone but what the heck was that?!" The Pdins had little answers for her, suffering her tyrannical anger and her insults as they kept trying to find the Warlock, who only nced into the skies, with a rather sinister smile. "Hehehe¡­ Belphegor¡­ your sacrifice will not be wasted, old friend." He nced into the distance as his hands held a ck crystal, containing the will of something darker and sinister. It slowly absorbed dozens of souls and void energy that was left behind after Belphegor died, all the souls of the former members of the Warlocks, and several Fragments of the Void of Belphegor''s own soul. FLUOSH! The ck crystal gathered enough energy, glowing with a bright red aura, the smile of Maleficus grew more sinister and twisted as he saw this ur. "Excellent, we got what we wanted." He nodded. "We might have failed on killing them, but this is certainly not that bad, isn''t it? Now, let''s go back to our headquarters."N?v(el)B\\jnn "But master, Saintess Emilia wants a word with you¡­!" "Tch, why should I care what that spoiled girl wants?" Scuffed Maleficus. "Tell her that I''m busy trying to find a way to kill those bastards, so she better not bother me until then¡­" "Very well¡­" One of the warlocks went tomunicate this to a Pdin nearby. FLASH! A ck gate opened in front of Maleficus as he stepped towards it with the rest of his warlocks, entering the depths of the Pyramid Dungeon deep underground. In the depths of this dungeon which they had now taken over, Maleficus walked into arge room, where arge, crystalized human-like figure rested in the middle of a gigantic magic circle. It seemed to have been blue, but it waspletely contaminated with ck and purple colors, several of its crystal parts have been cut down. And one of such fragments was the crystal the old vampire warlock held on his hands, a malefic slime, befitting of his name, surged on his old and dry lips. "Hehehe! My lord, you''re closer than ever for your resurrection now!" The crystal flew away from his hands, fusing back into the crystal''s figure chest, perfectly fitting on a cracked spherical- shaped core. FLAAASH! The entire figure began to glow with malicious and dark energies the moment the fragment unified back to it, sharing the harvest it had gathered, of many powerful souls, Void Fragments created by Belphegor''s aberrant form, and more¡­ RUMBLE! For that split of a second, the crystal figure moved, its aura erupting with so much force it made the entire dungeon tremble. "Ahahaha! Yes¡­! Yes! My great lord! Your resurrection is very close now!" The warlock celebrated as heughed evilly. "¡­" However, it suddenly stopped moving, and remained on a lethargic state¡­ However, Maleficus heard a voice whispering into his mind. "The soul¡­ Bring me the soul of that child¡­ I need it¡­ Its powers¡­ With that¡­ my ascension¡­ Will be a reality¡­" Ascension¡­ Whatever this entity''s true identity was, it desired the soul of Celes, the reincarnation of the Divine Spirit of the Oasis to achieve this next form, a new evolution of its own self. To ascend into something anew, and stronger, to be its own entity, and no longer simply be known as a Fragment of somebody else. "Yes, my great lord." Maleficus nodded. "We shall prepare ourselves to take that child''s soul as soon as we can. But for now, I hope our sacrifices can be of any use¡­" "Hurry." After those words, the voice stopped speaking, yet Maleficus felt his connection with this entity growing even stronger. He was a Warlock after all, a powerful magician that gained magic powers beyond what a human could ever achieve by creating pacts with powerful entities. Be it magical beings, spiritual beings, divine beings, or demonic beings¡­ And his pact with this entity had be even stronger, his power rising. "I shall, my lord." ----- Chapter 907 Maria’s Evolution Requirements

Chapter 907 Maria''s Evolution Requirements

?----- (Maria''s POV) Everything finally ended, even though we had yet to even resolve the primary problem of that city. To think we would be trapped and cornered to this extent¡­ The Warlocks of the Underworld were truly a force to be reckoned with. However, we perseverated and won at the end, even despite all the battles and the desperation. My dear daughter did her best too, fighting to protect everyone, and even Celes seemed to have grown much stronger from this challenge, and so did his mother. Although I would have preferred to let them level up in a safer environment, there''s little safety in a ce like this, there was no helping it, I suppose. Everyone else quickly gathered at our side as Belphegor finally kicked the bucket. His gigantic body was beginning to slowly dissolve into miasma, so I quickly decided to store him inside of my Inventory so he wouldn''t contaminate the desert. However, as I did that, part of his body turned into darkness, which was automatically devoured by my Soul, which felt slightly weird¡­ but at the same time, granted me a lot of power. I suppose I was hungry deep down, although I wasn''t thinking about eating at all, that''s what I usually do. Eating strong souls of materials can give me bonus stats or even new Skills after all.. But this¡­ FLAAASH! FLAAASH! FLAAASH! My body continued glowing brightly with each little fragment of darkness or whatever it was being absorbed, making my entire soul feel stronger. And as if¡­ I wasprehending something deeper. Ding! [Due to the hunger of your Soul after such a huge battle, you''ve automatically absorbed allpatible fragments, items, or artifacts.] [You have absorbed [Void Fragment] x32] [You have absorbed [Corrupted Spirit Crystal Fragment] x8] [You have absorbed [Shattered Dimensional Void Core] x1] [MP] has increased by +250.000] [Magic] has increased by +150.000] [Aether] has increased by +100] [You learned the [Void Devourer: Lv1] Title Skill.] [You learned the [Spirit Energy Maniption: Lv1] Support Skill.] [Several Skills have Leveled Up.] [Your Soul rumbles in satisfaction, burping a bit¡­] [You''re slowly beginning toprehend one of the Divine Concepts that might bring you closer to [Ascension].] [Your [Divine Ember] has grown muchrger within your Soul.] "Burp¡­" I muttered. "W-Wait? Huh? It feels like my own Soul has a personality of its own or something! What in the world am I even bing?" Anyways, I got stronger so that''s what matters at the end! Let''s check the new Skills while everyonees back¡­ ----- [Void Devourer: Lv1] A Unique Title Skill given to those that have done the impossible and devoured the Void itself, a feat only capable by entities that live outside of the World''s restraints andws. The [Void Of All Things] is watching you. Grants the ability to easily trespass through Dimensional and Spatial Boundaries with little effort, and also grants the ability to negate forceful transfer into other Dimensions or Spaces. It is possible to enchant as many allies as you can with a simr effect, protecting them from being dragged away into a different dimension or space. Additionally, with each Skill Level, increases Affinity with Space and Void Element by +25%. ----- Okay I guess this is perfect after what we went through, but what with that creepy message? Who is the [Void of All Things]?! Sounds eerie¡­ ----- [Spirit Energy Maniption: Lv1] A Special Ability given to those who have harnessed and controlled Spiritual Energy for a long time and can naturally generate it within their bodies. Grants the ability to manipte Spirit Energy and conjure special Spirit Magic with it, without the requirement of possessing a Spirit rted to it. It is also possible to enhance weapons, armor, spells, or skills with Spiritual Energy for greater effects. By harnessing and absorbing more Spirit Energy, it is possible to increase the [Aether] Stat further. Increases Spirit Magic and Spirit Energy Power and Effects by +100%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. When contracting a Spirit, the contracted Spirit might receive a Special Evolution and greater benefits, which increase based on Skill Level. ----- Oh wow, this one''s good too! So this sparkly and white energy in my hands is Spirit Energy, huh? Pretty amusing, this is what Emeraldine often uses! However, all of this wasn''t everything there was to it, as new clues about how to Evolve appeared¡­ N?v(el)B\\jnn Ding! [Because of having meet some of these requirements, the requirements for a Special Evolution have been revealed.] [Absorb the Essence of the Void: 10/10] [Absorb the Essence of the Spirits: 5/5] [Devour S Rank Monster Cores: 0/10] [Devour a Dimensional Artifact: 1/1] [Devour a Divinity: 0/1] [Comprehend a Divine Concept: 0/1] [Progress: 53%] "Evolution¡­ Requirements?!" I asked in surprise. "Hey System¡­" [Indeed, this is something that has been just revealed. There is a special evolution awaiting for you if you can get all these requirements. If not¡­ Well, you''ll get stuck where you are.] "Wait, I am?! I didn''t know S Rank was the end of the road!" [Calm down, it is not¡­ But you need to work a bit harder to evolve now. Because after S Rank, you''ll be stepping into the Realm of the Gods.] "The Realm¡­ of the Gods?" [A very weak God though, but it will be your first step before going further. Don''t you want to kill that bastard of Odin? Then this is perfect, right?] I guess he''s right, this is ideal¡­ Also has he be nicer and more empathetic. [I have simply be smarter and can talk more, I am the same asshole as always.] Wow¡­ okay, no need to read my mind, bastard¡­ [I''ll do whatever I want.] "Ugh, I prefer the illusion you were acting nicer¡­" I sighed. "Anyways, what is this Divine Concept thing? I''m 53% done already? But what is it even all about?" [A Divine Concept is the consolidation of your Elemental Affinities into a Unique Element of your own creation, a Concept that you''ve made, which will further change the world forever.] [The reason why it is so hard for anything to surpass S Rank¡­ is because they usually need to get this done.] [And it''s not easy.] "Not easy? Well if I''m already over 50% I bet it''s not THAT hard!" [Don''t get cocky!] ----- Chapter 908 A Developing Divine Concept?

Chapter 908 A Developing Divine Concept?

?----- "Can''t you at least tell me what''s my Divine Concept?" I wondered. [I can''t, it still beingprehended. But it has to do with you, with what you are, with what you''ve be¡­ It is a personal power born within you.] "I wonder¡­ Can other beings possess these? What about my friends and family?" I wondered. [They might all be developing one without realizing as well¡­] "However, there are special cases when living beings are born with Divine Concepts which they can use already, although they aren''t fullyprehended, so they''re weaker." Suddenly, Tyr appeared in front of me. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Tyr¡­" I said. "Aren''t you tired? I used a lot of your powers in that battle¡­" "I''m fine." He said. "More importantly, your [Divine Ember] is growing stronger, your Divine Concept is being formed inside of it. The more youprehend this power, the more you''ll get closer to Ascension." "I see¡­ I thought I only needed Divinities for that." I said while wondering. "Divinities are Awakened Powers that gain Divine Power, they''re different and even without Ascending, you can posses a few if your Affinity to certain elements is high enough, and you have enough Magic Power." Tyr exined. "I know I make it sound easy, but it is extremely hard to get. Most people are born with Level Caps anyways, so it''s usually impossible for them to reach S Rank levels of strength to begin with." "Yeah, I guess you''re right¡­" I sighed. "Though, I can break other people''s level cap, no?" [It''s the part of the effects of some of your Titles, those you influence and make your followers through Hel''s Divine Authority as your backer, can have their Level Cap broken over time, and grow stronger beyond their limits.] The System and Tyr seemed rather in synch over how they exined things. I guess they must have be good pals whenever I''m not paying attention! Anyways, thanks to those Titles I received from Hel, I can influence how people evolve and gain skills, just as it has happened to Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, and many others. They don''t even need to be Undead either, just grow close to me, or that I consider as my allies, family, or friends. I guess this must be the power of a Saintess, right? Because I do have a simr Title¡­ Yep, [Saint of Death: Lv8] is a Title Skill I possess. So technically I was a Saintess this whole time! [I am surprised you''ve just realized that it is one of the reasons why you can do the things you can do. Hel chose you as her Saintess long ago.] "Unlike Heroes, Saints are even more influential, usually they''re strong and can help Heroes grow and develop. Your friends, family, hell, even your kid could all be considered "Heroes" of Hel you''re helping to grow." Tyr exined. "That Emilia bitch too, is most likely doing something simr so her Pdins became as strong as they are. But she seems too selfish, so she only helps grow those that have already be her dogs." "Uwah, I''m a Saintess! Maybe I should wear some saintly clothes and all!" I wondered, talking silly things trying to make myself feel a bit better after everything. "Hahh¡­ Who am I tricking? I''m really sad and tired. Is Nyx okay?" I checked my shadows, finding everyone being just fine, most were unconscious and asleep. I caressed my little Nyx''s face as she slept soundly, she was fine and healthy, but I was so worried nheless¡­ "My little treasure¡­ I''m so sorry for not being there for you." I sighed, looking at her. "I''ll bring you to a nice andfy bed. Let''s take it easy for a little while." As I embraced her in my endless shadows so she could sleepfortable, Arachne popped out from them, yawning. She had been sleeping for a while now. "Yawn¡­ Mama?" She wondered, tilting her head. "Hi!" "H-Hello Arachne." I said. "Ugh, I wish you could had been there to help! You sleep too much, don''t you?" "Huh?" She titled her head, confused. "I did¡­ I was sleepy after fighting a lot. My body uses a lot of Mana I think¡­" "And well, I guess she and your daughter are what I said before, born with talent and power, with divinities and even Divine Concepts within them." Tyr suddenly exined. "However it usuallyes with drawbacks. Arachne''s drawback is her drowsiness and exhaustion after fighting for a while, your daughter drawback is that it is hard for her to develop her abilities unless she risks her life constantly. And well, she kind of awakened something." "She did?!" I wondered. "Ah, right, Arachne, wanna hang out? Or do you want to go sleep again?" "I''m hungy, so I''ll hang out!" She said with a smile. She was so cute too! I guess she''s like my daughter before I even had Nyx¡­ And she''s probably the strongest Cmity in Midgard. "Okay dear." I giggled, patting her head. "Will you help us in the next fights? We''ll have to fight a lot of baddies¡­" "Sure!" Arachne nodded immediately. "I''ll do what I can. My Spiders can fight too! I can summon them, right?" "S-Sure, butter." I smiled. "Heeey! Maria!" Emeraldine''s voice echoed from behind me. "You''re fine! And what about Catarina?!" Partner rushed down towards me. "Maria!" Lucifer hugged me alongside Emeraldine and Partner. "I''m d you''re okay¡­" "Hahaha, you guys, I''m fine! Ain''t no way that bastard would have ever defeated me, I''m pretty overpowered." I smiled pridefully. "However¡­ There''s someone here that hasn''t talked at all." I looked at Catarina, who was now a red-colored ghost. Her physique had changed a lot, looking muscr and red- skinned, with horns, and wearing barely any shorts and a ck cloth covering her abundant breasts. "I''ve just been thinking¡­ But yeah, I''m fine. Don''t worry." She smiled calmly. "She really became a ghost!" Emeraldine said in surprise. "Is she at the level of a ghost that you are?" "Like turning into physical and all?" I wondered. "Yeah, or her physical attacks wouldn''t be as powerful¡­ So? Want a body or is that form fine by you?" "I''ve never felt more freer than in this shape¡­ It feels like I''ve finally left behind my burdens, I''ll stay like this." Catarina decided. ----- Chapter 909 Taking A Break Chapter 909 Taking A Break ??----- Once we arrived back in Sapphire Temple, we sneaked inside through my Shadow Powers and decided to rest inside another Inn within the noble district, which seemed a bit safer. I also used my Void Devourer Title Skill to enchant everyone, giving them the ability to reject being dragged to any dimension or space forcefully, with this, that annoying incident will hopefully never happen ever again. And if these bastards try it again, they''re going to meet with a swift death¡­ However, to keep ourselves hidden, with the help of Emeraldine, we conjured several Stealth Spells that lower our presences and auras topletely low levels. Like this, we can make sure they won''t easily know where we are¡­ Also, changing our appearances through Shapeshifting helped in making it harder too. This time we decided to just pretend to be nobles for a change. Everyone was fast asleep even as we arrived here, and it was already night, a day passed where we talked about what happened, we ate, and rested. I wanted to sleep for a while, honestly. And while sleeping at the side of my cute Nyx while hugging her with Lucifer, and having Emeraldine and Partner hugging me behind, I slept soundly. Once the next morning arrived, I heard a lot of noise in the room, and felt a bit of panic. "Were we attacked again?!" However, once I sat down, I found the children ying around in the room leisurely¡­ As if nothing had ever happened yesterday. "Ah¡­" I felt relieved, but at the same time, I think I''m beginning to grow a bit paranoid! Is this even alright to think about? I''m getting a bit crazier. "Mama''s awake!" Nyx said happily, her big eyes shining brightly as she ran to my bed and jumped over me. Emeraldine, Partner, and Lucifer were still fast asleep, too tired to wake up early this morning. "Nyx!" I hugged her tightly, as she embraced me with her little arms. Ahh, I felt so blessed to have her. And seeing her awake made me feel relieved deep down. "Are you alright dear? Are you sure you''re okay?" I asked her, carefully inspecting her body even though I had already done it several times before. "I''m fine!" Nyx giggled. "I heard from Fabian that mama and papa and aunties defeated the big bad, so it''s alright now, right?" "Y-Yes¡­" I sighed, noticing that her belly had a big scar that hasn''t healed. "Ah, your belly¡­" "Huh? Ah, this is where Celes healed me! I got hit very strongly¡­" Nyx recalled what happened. "But I''m fine now, he''s a very good healer!" "I-Is that so¡­" I sighed, hugging her tightly. "I won''t let anybody hurt you like this anymore¡­ I promise I''ll never let you deal with these problems on your own, okay?" "Huh?" Nyx felt confused as she rubbed her nose on my chest. "Mama you smell nice, like flowers¡­" "Hehe¡­ I guess it must be the perfume, do you like it?" I giggled, trying to just change the topic. It seemed she didn''t really understand what I meant to an extent. "I do, I love mama''s smell." She sniffed me and cuddled with me in bed. "It makes me feel safe¡­" "I-Is it?" I wondered, almost resisting my tears. "I''ll¡­ Mama will always be there for you, and I''ll protect you no matter what, okay? And¡­ I''ll crush anybody that hurts you, until nothing remains." "Hehehe, you sounded a bit scary there." She giggled innocently. "A-Ahahaha¡­ Yeeaaah¡­ Oh, Lucifer, wake up already." I moved him until he slowly opened his eyes.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hmm? Ah¡­?! What happened?! The enemy?" He wondered, waking up in the same way I did. "Ah¡­ Oh, Nyx¡­ Dear." "Papa!" Nyx hugged him quickly after he woke up. Lucifer calmed down, letting her hug him. Her little and warm hands was all her grumpy daddy needed to calm down, as he gently kissed her forehead. "Good morning, you look all well now, don''t you?" "I do, I do! I''m super well! And hungry¡­" Her stomach suddenly growled like a beast of its own! "Hahaha, I guess we can have a nice meal! This Inn is quite fancy, so we''ll get a really nice breakfast." I smiled. "Let''s call for it then." Suddenly, the door opened, as Jonathan walked in carrying a lot of things, barely bncing them. "Oh, you''re awake, Lucifer, Maria." He smiled. "I brought breakfast. I woke up quite early and went to do a patrol around to make sure there wasn''t anybody spying on us. I brought food after Nyx''s request." "Uncle!" Nyx said, running towards Jonathan. "Give me sandwich!" "Hahaha, you''re quite cocky asking your uncle something like that. At least say "please" or something." Jonathanughed heartily. "No, this is a robbery, rawr!" Nyx started biting his leg. "Oh no! I give up, please take everything!" Jonathan yed around, letting her take the sandwich. "I''ve won!" She quickly took the food and started munching. I didn''t expect that the two would get along so well. Then again, Jonathan was always such a good man, and kids have always been his weakness. Remembering the memories of when I was alive, I can recall he used to visit various orphanages near the Capital of the Empire of Light, where he actively donated money and helped everyone. He was loved by the kids, and they always called him uncle or even father, I wonder if those kids are alright¡­ "Celes! Everyone,e eat!" Nyx screamed, quickly waking up everyone else sleeping. "Oh, food¡­!" Celes who was ying with wooden toys quickly ran to grab a snack. "A-Ah, hello Auntie Maria!" "Hello Celes." I smiled. "Is your mom still asleep?" "Not anymore¡­" Nia yawned. "Hello Lady Maria, you slept a lot too, it seems." "I did¡­ A lot happened." "It sure did¡­" Takeshi sighed. "Ugh, my head hurts¡­ need sugar." Laurained. "Ah, you kids are alright too?" I asked them. "Yeah, no worries." Takeshi nodded. "But¡­ more importantly¡­" I guess they wanted to address what happened to Catarina¡­ ----- Chapter 910 Catarinas Family Chapter 910 Catarina''s Family ??----- "About Catarina¡­" Laura said. "Is Silva awake?" "I am¡­" Silva woke up, she was right next to them. "Big sis¡­ Auntie Maria, big sis¡­ she¡­" "She what? I''m right here." Suddenly, a red-colored ghost moved through the walls and spooked everyone. "Huh¡­?!" Takeshi, Laura, Silva, and Tear who was just opening her eyes all nced in shock at the scene. Oh, and ckie that just came out of Silva''s shadows to check what was happening. "CATARINA!" It seems they had fallen unconscious while thinking she was a goner. And well, she almost was one, but she held off just fine until I was able to heal her soul and let her evolve through my new and powerful [Creation of Death] Skill. Silva rushed towards her to hug her tightly, and even Takeshi and Laura couldn''t contain themselves. Tear didn''t though, she wasn''t so close to her, yet she smiled and felt relieved nheless. "Ugh, do you have to hug me all at once like this?!" Catarinained, turning herself physical for everyone to hug her tightly. She was much taller than before and resembled an amazon with that figure and her muscles. Yet also had the appearance of an Oni with her red markings skin and horns. A ghost can take most forms they desire, but she decided to stay in this form and appearance because she most likely liked it¡­ Though she doesn''t look that different aside from the very big detail of her size change, evenrger physique, horns and- Yeah she looks different, but in a cooler way. "Big sis! You''re alive somehow?! How?! We were so sad when you died!" Silva cried, rubbing her face on her hard abs. "Uwaah¡­" "C-Calm down now¡­" For as tough as she liked to pretend to be, she was weak against Silva, and she quickly kneeled to her size and hugged her. "I wasn''t dead, well, I was already dead beforehand! But my soul resisted being torn to shreds until Maria found me. Thanks to ckie too, he brought me to her." "Woof! Warf!" ckie was licking her happily. "You''ve changed a lot though." Takeshi noticed. "Is this because of your evolution or something?" "Y-Yes, it must be, isn''t it?" Laura wondered. "I think I do remember your brothers were Fire Ghosts as well, right?" "Francisco and Silvio? Yeah, I became a Zombie though." Sighed Catarina. "But after that body got torn to shreds, I preferred to just be myself, my own soul! And I ended bing a rare Ghost that fights physically with punches, as if my transformation became my real body now¡­ Pretty amazing, right?" "Sniff¡­ Don''t die again¡­" Silva cried, rubbing her face on Catarina''s huge breasts. "Big shish¡­ I was so scared and sad¡­ I didn''t know what to do anymore¡­" "I-I''m sorry¡­" Catarina sighed, caressing Silva''s head. "Don''t worry, I will never leave you alone, Silva. I found you and I''ll raise you! Okay? I already said I''ll take responsibility for you. You''re my lil'' sis after all." She smiled happily and genuinely. "Big sis!" Silva continued crying, but she nodded at her words. "And I''ll stick with you forever and ever¡­ We will always be sisters!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Hehehe, okay, okay, don''t be such a crybaby, Silva¡­" Catarina giggled happily. I suppose she had also found herself a family to take care of and love. I''m d¡­ And I suppose we''ll be departing our separate ways once our business in Goldsand is done and I can find my brother, or what happened to him¡­ "W-What are you looking at me like that?" Catarina asked us. Partner, Emeraldine, and I were smiling from ear to ear, seeing her being so happy with her little sister she adopted. "Nothing~" Emeraldine giggled. "You''re so happy, aren''t you? Heh." Partnerughed a bit. "I''m d you''ve found yourself a family." I smiled. "W-What¡­? Shut up¡­!" Catarina got all embarrassed, growing even redder than she already was. "Big sis, why are you getting all red?" Silva wondered, tilting her head innocently. "N-Nothing¡­!" Catarina quickly tried to calm herself down or she would scare Silva. "I know what can make you feel better!" Silva suddenly climbed over her and gave her a big kiss in her cheek. "Mooch! I love you, big sis!" "E-Eh? Silva¡­" Catarina felt even more embarrassed now. "Sigh, you''re such a corny and clingy little brat! I''m fine, seriously!" She giggled, scratching her head. "I''m d you''re fine." Tear smiled. "We fought together and everything¡­ So I suffered your death, it reminded me of Veredorr, even Undead can die for real if¡­ their souls are too damaged¡­ I''m d you''re alright. Little Silva¡­ deserves someone like you at her side." Tear spoke while caressing her ne, smiling faintly. "Well, thanks." Catarina smiled back. "You weren''t half bad either, ice giant girl. What was your name again? Tore? Tearing?" "It''s Tear!" Tearined, pouting a bit. "Hahaha, I know, I was just teasing you." Laughed Catarina. I see, she still loves trolling. "Urgh¡­" Tear crossed her arms; she was easily irritable today. Meanwhile, the kids gathered around the food and were eating everything¡­ They were really hungry. "Celes! Please don''t eat everything like that, don''t be greedy. This food is for everyone." His mother was reprimanding the boy of the blue eyes. "But I''m so hungry mom¡­ I can''t describe it, very hungry!" Celes said innocently. "Perhaps overusing his abilities caused this hunger." Lucifer exined. "Its natural on talented children with a lot of magical power, let him eat. We can prepare something on our own, right?" "Yep, let''s cook something tasty." I nodded. "I''ve got a lot of ingredients stored in my Inventory, so let''s make a feast! Let''s celebrate we survived, and we grew strong from that challenge¡­ Our next one will most likely be thest in this city. So let''s prepare well until then." "I suppose we have a lot to talk too¡­" Nia sighed. "About what happened and everything else¡­" "Indeed, but let''s enjoy a delicious meal first, shall we?" I smiled. "Don''t you want to too, Nia?" "I-I¡­" Nia tried to be humble, but her belly was also grumbling like Nyx''s did. "She''s hungry! Your mama''s hungry, Celes!" Arachne said, she was ying with the kids too. "Mama, let''s eat!" Celes held his mother''s hand. "O-Okay¡­ Alright." Nia sighed, smiling gently at her son''s innocence. ----- Chapter 911 Eating With The Family Chapter 911 Eating With The Family ??----- This time we decided to make a big feast, with the help of Nia, Emeraldine, Partner, Catarina, Lucifer, and even Jonathan, we started preparing all sorts of dishes, much more than just some bacon and eggs. I decided to make a delicious pizza, and some empanadas too because I felt like it. Emeraldine started baking a strawberry cheesecake alongside it, Partner made grilled and roasted meat of all kinds, Lucifer prepared noodles and a tasty sauce, Jonathan made fruit sd, milkshakes, and other things with the help of Tear''s magic, Catarina butchered any of the thousands of beasts stored in my inventory to make them into tasty food. Overall my adventure we''ve hunted all sorts of creatures, and they get well stored inside my inventory, never rotting or something, so we always have fresh meat! Although I had once emptied my reserves because I had to feed my vige, now that they''re much more self-sustainable thanks to all the cows, sheep, and pigs the Dwarves gifted to us, alongside the greenhouse we built for crops, I''ve been able to save a lot of meat and other ingredients again. And because we fought thousands of Frost Monsters when Tear was evil, we''ve got meat for an eternity! Frost Monsters weren''t just made of ice either, they were Frost Wolves, Winter Snakes, and even Blizzard Crows, among many other creatures. And well, they were all meaty¡­ I left several of them stored back in my vige for everyone to take, but the biggest haul is always carried in my inventory! And the stronger the monsters, the tastier their meat is and the more Mana they recover! I made sure to cut the meat in different ways, and I''ve also got a lot of curated meat, some smi too, chorizo, sausages, all I could ever think of! I made several delicious pizzas with that and a lot of the cheese I brought back in the Dwarven Kingdom, the smell of theming out from the oven I had inside my shadow realm was enchanting. There were also meat and cheese empanadas, and the cakes Emeraldine made on the get-go, filled with tasty fruit. Her cheesecakes were amazing too.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om With so many delicious meals, we couldn''t stop feasting and celebrating just being alive and having survived that with everyone. Laughing, joking, and more¡­ We couldn''t really be serious right now, we really just needed a time like this to sit back and enjoy what''s beautiful in life, even knowing that there will be once more grim times. "Anyways, I was wondering, is Violet okay?" Lucifer asked me as he was eating a slice of pizza. "I''ve been worrying about her¡­" "She''s okay, she''s still sleeping." I said. "She''s healthy, her soul is healing. It''ll take her a while to wake up, days, maybe weeks. We have to be patient and let her rest and slowly reassess her memories and mind, it''s going to be hard. She''s probably dreaming right now, reassembling her sense of self¡­" "I-I see¡­" Lucifer sighed, drinking some tea. "Phew¡­ Well, I''m d we could save her, thank you, Maria¡­ I really appreciate it." "It''s fine dear, she was your sister-inw, right? I couldn''t possibly leave her to die." I smiled. "Your wife''s passing was already too tragic¡­ I''m d I was able to at least save her sister." "Yeah¡­ I''m d too, that there''s another dragon, aside from my sister of course- And Nyx." He nodded. "With that, it makes us¡­ Four? That''s already a lot!" "Hahah, well, we could make more little dragons one day, if you catch my drift." I winked to him. "E-Eh? You can?" He wondered curiously. "Well¡­ Dunno." I shrugged. "We can try until it works too, ehehe~ Though, if I ever ascend into a goddess, it might be surely possible too¡­" I rubbed my chin, making my flirting into a serious topic. "It''s too early to be flirting around." He sighed. "But I''ll keep that in mind." He smiled, giving me a kiss in my lips. "I love you." "E-Eh?!" I felt a bit embarrassed at that! But I guess I had to say it back too. "I-I love you too¡­ But what''s with that?! You caught me off guard! You''re usually more reserved." "I just had to say it, after everything that happened¡­" He gently held my hand, while caressing Nyx''s little head as she ate and talked andughed with her friends. "It makes me appreciate the things I have even more. I love you and Nyx so much, you''re everything to me¡­ So, that''s¡­ err, well, that''s it I guess¡­ Ah, yeah it is embarrassing. I''m usually not this corny." "Heheh, it was cute." I giggled, giving his handsome face another kiss. "Thank you for sticking with me all this time! Ever since I found you in that dungeon. Since then that our lives had given twists after twists, but here we are, still struggling, still fighting¡­ but together, nheless." "Yeah." Lucifer nodded. "And together we shall be¡­ Until we can finally achieve a peaceful life in this chaotic world¡­" "Indeed~" Emeraldine nodded at my side. "You two are talking all the lovey-dovey stuff and leaving me behind~ Not fair." She gave me a kiss in my nose. "I also am very happy to be with you¡­ You''re also my everything, Maria!" "E-Emeraldine¡­" I blushed a bit, her beautybined with her innocence made her someone that always left me a bit paralyzed! She was too endearing. "Y-You too are my everything I guess¡­" I felt embarrassed. "Fufu, so cute when you get all embarrassed~!" Emeraldine teased me lightly. "I love you, mooch, mooch." She was giving me adorable kisses while hugging me. "I love you too." I hugged her back. "Heey¡­ Don''t just leave me behind, alright?" Partner pouted. "Master!" "Geez, do you always have to ask for attention when I''m getting mine, Partner? You can have yourster." Emeraldine cutelyined. "Eeeh? Don''t be a meanie¡­" Partner sighed. "Hehehe, don''t worry, I have love for all of you equally. I love you too my adorable Partner!" I gave her a big kiss. "You''re so cute and lovely¡­ Ah, I just said that out loud¡­" "W-Wha¡­?!" Partner, who I had rarely told her things with such honesty, was as red as a tomato. "M-Masteeeer!" She hugged me tightly, kissing me all over¡­ ----- Chapter 912 Training Plans Chapter 912 Training ns ??----- Once the lovey-dovey time was done, it was time to talk things more seriously, about what happened, and about what we discovered too. We were abducted by mysterious vampire chimeras, which ended being the damned warlocks of the underworld themselves. We were separated and had to fight to survive with our strength, it is a miracle nobody actually died¡­ And it might have been thanks to their strength. However, it was still a rather impactful and traumatizing event, especially for the younglings that were not ustomed to all of this. So we had to gently talk about it and asses what happened. I ended learning mostly all of their perspectives, and how they defeated their foes. I was surprised my little Nyx managed to defeat so many foes on her own, she''s really strong. However, when she ended confronting that one bastard, she was lethally wounded. Fabian said she went berserk when she saw what happened to Catarina, thinking she had been killed for real. "I don''t remember much of what happened¡­" Sighed Nyx. "But I got really angry, and a weird and dark power emerged from me, I couldn''t really control it, and it controlled me back¡­ After that I think I passed out." "I healed her with everything I had, but after that I couldn''t move at all¡­" Celes said. "Sorry I couldn''t do more¡­" "Y-You did more than enough, Celes." I thanked him deeply. "Thank you for saving my daughter''s life¡­ Your powers showed themselves in that moment, didn''t they?" "Yeah¡­ I-I think so?" Celes was still confused. "They did." His mother nodded. "It seems that his soul might truly be¡­ the reincarnation of the Oasis Divine Spirit. When he channeled all his powers, the figure of a beautifuldy made of water emerged, healing little Nyx¡­ It is said that the Divine Oasis Spirit had the power of healing, she could heal any wounds, any disease, any poison¡­" "D-Do I hold such power?" Celes wondered. "So cool¡­ But I get tired too quickly still¡­" I checked his Status and saw he was already Level 42, his MP had increased by hundreds of thousands, yet he still got tired by using his powers too much. Looks like his MP Stat increased the most as he leveled up, because that quantity is nor normal for a human at that Level¡­ Also he doesn''t seem to have a Level Cap, he won''t evolve, but won''t stop leveling either.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om It might be because of the influence of my Saintess of Death Title or something else, but well, that''s at least something good. "Hmm, for that you''ll need to train Mana Maniption Techniques." Said Emeraldine. "Your maniption must be very rough, so you end up overspending Mana when using Magic." "So that must be it?" Nia wondered, looking at her son. "Auntie Emeraldine, can you teach me?" Celes was interested in growing stronger right away. "I can!" My cute elf girlfriend nodded. "Leave it to me, a few sses should be enough for someone as talented as you¡­ But I don''t know if we have too much time." "After what we did, the Warlocks must be already incredibly weakened." Said Lucifer. "There is no way they have as many S Ranked threats after that. They must have sacrificed most of their personnel to stop us, but failed¡­ I think we do have a few days to settle down, train, and prepare for thest confrontation." "Yeah! That Emilia bitch is just sitting on her ass doing nothing." Said Partner. "She''ll take a while to act now that she knows we can wreck her if we want to." "Training Celes and everyone else is important so they can learn how to use their magic further." Said Emeraldine. "I can teach Fabian and his friends too. They have untapped magic potential but need how to conjure spells outside of their own basic abilities¡­ Silva too. Relying on your boost skill for everything is too little, you need to learn to conjure spells and use weapon techniques." "And that''s where I enter, right? After all I can control Miasmic Energies and conjure all sorts of spells with them." I nodded. "I guess I''ll be teaching you kids some of the basics. Nyx, you want to learn too?" "I wanna join the sses!" Nyx nodded happily; she was certainly eager to learn. "Okay then, that''s decided." I nodded. "Aside from that, I''ll send some of my Ghosts to inspect the area and keep a high security¡­ Oh, we also need to make new equipment or upgrade the one we have. We''ve got a bunch of new materials after all; we wouldn''t want to waste them." "Equipment is essential, yeah." Said Lucifer. "But can we do much without relying on the dwarves or our home''s forge?" "We certainly can! Even more after these new Skills I acquired¡­" I looked into my System notifications; a few ones had appeared some time ago. Ding! [The [Job ss]: [Wrathful Berserk Titan: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] has reached the Max Level!] [You gained +150.000 HP and +70.000 Attack.] [You learned the [Wrathful Titan: Lv1] Title Skill!] [All Physical Skills have gained a Bonus Level.] [The [Subss]: [Shadow Sculptor: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] has reached the Max Level!] [You gained +150.000 MP and +70.000 Magic.] [You learned the [Shadow Sculping Arts: Lv1] Skill!] [All Support Skills have gained a Bonus Level.] [You can Rank Up Job ss and Subss after Evolution.] Indeed, my Job ss and Subss were done at max level, and I acquired some really juicy bonus stats out of them, alongside two new Skills! I''ve notpletely checked these ss and Subss Skills so far because I''ve been so busytely, but they possess incredible potential, so I better analyze them in more detail. Also, sadly, I can''t Rank them Up yet, I need to Evolve first! But that shouldn''t be so far from my grasp either. I need to somehow continue developing my Divine Concept and I think I might eventually devour another Divinity. Seeing how she''s a Saintess, I bet that bitch of Emilia possess some sort of Divinity¡­ She''s looking like a mighty juicy steak right now. ----- Chapter 913 The Hidden Cultivation Aspect Of This World Chapter 913 The Hidden Cultivation Aspect Of This World ??----- After breakfast and deciding what we wanted to do, I let go of a couple hundred ghosts to scout the entire city. Now that the Warlocks were mostly out of the picture, I wanted to see where the Pdins could be, mostly to evade them until the time to confront them. We decided to move out to another Inn and take into different appearances so we wouldn''t be too suspicious. We explored a bit of the city and saw the people''s reaction about what had happened, most were still in disbelief, while others thought some God hade to save them from the church''s tyranny. Well, they''re notpletely wrong with that¡­ After taking a walk around, we decided to end the day having dinner in a prestigious looking restaurant in the noble district, disguising our identities with high ranked magic. The endemic food was quite tasty, especially the expensive one the nobles ate¡­ It was totally different to the one the poor people ate and was quite gourmet on its own right. We saw a few Pdins here and there, but nobody noticed us. I decided to leave some Ghosts hiding inside their Shadows, I call these guys Shadow Ghosts, and I can seamlessly make them out of my own body without any cost. Like that, I''ll always have each Pdin on track, so I''ll know where they might be, and they''ll never sneak on us¡­ Anyways, after that, we moved to a new Inn with a spacious amount of rooms, a fancy one that resembled a huge manor, and we decided to teach some magic maniption and miasma maniption sses to the children. Emeraldine dedicated herself to teach Celes and Nia the basics of Mana Maniption, while I decided to teach Fabian and his siblings the basics of Miasma and Chaos Element Maniption. Takeshi, Laura, and Nyx joined in the lessons. "Now, rx and let the Mana flow through your body." Emeraldine taught mother and son the basics. "Mana¡­ It''s hard to manipte¡­" Celes said. "Ugh¡­" He was sweating a lot. "I feel like it was a lot easier back then¡­" Nia alsoined. "That''s because when we are in dire situations, our bodies can react on their own to situations, giving us the ability to wield mana, albeit very roughly." Emeraldine exined. "I will exin to you a "cheat" to use it more easily!" "A cheat?" Celes wondered. "Huh?" Nia was confused. "And this cheat is that I do it for you." Emeraldine said. "Have they ever told you that the Mana that shows in your Status is notpletely everything you have? It is the total estimated amount you can currently use. Our bodies are constantly filled with Mana, the more it flows through our bodies, the stronger and more refined it bes too." Nia and Celes nodded, listening to her carefully. "So, there are parts of our bodies that help us manipte mana. Usually, if you do it the hard way, it''ll take you weeks, months, or even years to use these areas to the point you can manipte mana seamlessly. But¡­ if you forcefully activate and unlock these parts, Mana will flow easily and you will be able to gauge how much to use, and how to manipte it." Emeraldine said. "What are those parts?" Nia wondered. "Yeah?" Celes wondered. "They''re called Mana Circuits, and they go all across your body." Emeraldine exined. "The Meridians is where they are usually gathered the most. It is also the way for you to unlock Ki, an energy born from your Life Force and Stamina. It is something that physical fighters usually utilize to wield their Techniques. Ibine Ki with Mana and Spirit Energy, for example." "Oh, you know about Ki and Meridians, Emeraldine." Jonathanmented. "I see that you''re well versed in the ways to refine a physique! Although Leveling is a good way to grow stronger, it is limited to your Level Cap, and not everyone can level up endlessly. The reason why certain countries Warriors and Knights are strong even when their level cap is lower or maxed, is because they refine their bodies through several Ki Maniption Techniques." "That''s right. Thank you for your help there, Jonathan." Emeraldine smiled gently. "No problem, I was getting bored of just reading these books." Jonathan have been checking on books we bought, as he wanted to look for clues about this city''s past and about the Oasis Spirit. But if what they say is the truth, then this is the first time I''m learning about the other ways someone grow stronger in this world. The System is there, but the Gods, knowing it could be too strong, limited it and created level caps. And even then, humanity still found ways to ovee it and be stronger even without needing to level up. Although it is a much slower process, it can be stillbined with the ability to learn and level up skills, something that is not limited, only the level cap is. Because of this¡­ I guess the Gods left a loophole that can be abused. And other countries remain as big and strong even with these level caps due to these methods to "cultivate" the body. Wow, so this world has that type of Cultivation, like those fantasy Korean stories with 9th Circle Magicians and Rank 10 Knights¡­ Of course I know these tropes, hehe, after all I died being buried by a bunch of these books when I was at the library. Ah, this is not a good thing to remember though. "So, a good method to help you manipte mana easily and be able to gauge its quantity when using it is by forcefully activating your Meridians and Mana Circuits!" Emeraldine smiled. "In our bodies were over three hundred Magic Circuits spread across every artery we possess! It''s going to be a bit painful, but once it done, your Mana quantity will grow exponentially! It might hurt though¡­ Are you sure you want to do this?" "Please do it to me first." Nia said. "After that, if Celes wants to¡­" "Alright¡­" Emeraldine nodded, touching Nia''s shoulders. "[Mana Infusion]!" FLAAASH!N?v(el)B\\jnn ----- Chapter 914 Awakening Mana Circuits Chapter 914 Awakening Mana Circuits ??----- Through my Special Spiritual Ghostly Eyes, I was able to see the interior of Nia''s body, her Mana Circuits were all gray-colored, inactive. And above all, there were small sparks of light, I suppose those were the Meridians. There was one in her head, another in her chest, a third in her stomach, and four more, one in her shoulders and then her thighs. These must be the Seven Meridians that must be activated to begin the growth of Ki and also facilitate the flow of Mana in the body. It is such a pity I can''t use any of that! I have no body, so Ick Meridians. And also because of that I don''t have Mana Circuits, or any of that!N?v(el)B\\jnn I can''t wield Ki either, that''s impossible¡­ I only have my own Soul, but I think it has been "cultivated" through my evolutions, levels, and also whenever I devour souls orpatible materials, I suppose. Though, I wonder if I could find a way to refine my own soul further. That''s something I might have to research on. "[Mana Infusion]!" FLAAASH! Emeraldine activated the Mana Circuits of Nia, as Celes Mother screamed a bit in pain after the entire feeling came and went in a sh. What my girlfriend did was pretty simple! She imbued her Mana into Nia''s body and carefully guided it through every single Mana Circuit and circled it around her Meridians. This made it possible for her to have her Meridians and Mana Circuits forcefully activated and even enhanced too. "Mama! Are you okay?" Celes quickly healed his mother with his touch alone. "Y-Yes, I''m fine dear, Emeraldine healed me right after that too." Nia smiled gently, patting her son''s head. "But this is incredible¡­ My whole body feels anew!" "It should be done now, you possess both Ki, that''ll enhance your Stamina, and also more Mana. Can you sense the energy?" Emeraldine asked. "I-I can!" Nia looked at her hands, seeing the Mana flow to hermand. "T-This is incredible- though, it did hurt a lot. Celes, are you really¡­ okay with this?" "I am! Anything for mama and frens!" Celes nodded. "Yeah!" Nyx nodded too, cheering for him. "You can do it Celes!" Emeraldine looked at me, asking me if it was okay. "Yeah, do it." I nodded, smiling. "The kid''s ready for anything at this point. He''s a brave little guy." "He does have the brave spirit of a knight!" Jonathan agreed. "Hmm¡­ He does have potential." Lucifer pointed out. "We Dragons, and most monsters naturally awaken our Meridians and Magic Circuits through evolution, or even by growing up. But I guess humans and other races might be different." "Oh yeah, that''s right. I never had to awaken anything myself." Said Partner, wondering about it. "Do I have them activated already?" "Yeah, you do." Emeraldine nodded. "They''re very strong, your body has been naturally enhanced and refined with each battle and level." "What about me auntie?" Nyx asked curiously. "You too, of course!" Emeraldine smiled. "You were born with all of such things activated." "Wow!" Nyx was surprised. "And about us and the others?" Fabian was curious. "You have unique and different bodies now." Said Emeraldine. "Children that acquired Demonite Hearts have their Magic Circuits and Meridians altered permanently, and they rely on your cores for growth. Your cores¡­ I don''t know how they can be stronger; I think by leveling up? You don''t seem to be limited by level caps and can evolve too; it seems it was one of the purposes behind the creation of these Cores¡­" "Although I don''t like how we were manipted and used¡­ I suppose this power is useful to take revenge against the bastards that gave it to us and made us suffer." Said Spectra. "Yeah!" Said Garon. "Well, your bodies are more unique, Maria made them herself, but you don''t have Meridians or Magic Circuits normally. Instead, your whole bodies are a big Meridian and a Magic Circuit. Undead in the other case, usuallyck these twopletely, and rely on Levels, Skills, and their Soul Evolution to be stronger, like Maria here." Emeraldine used me as an example. "However, she managed to give your new bodies some of the benefits of the living while still being Undead to an extent! Pretty amazing what you could do, Maria." "E-Eh? Really? Ahahaha! Of course, I''m awesome!" I puffed my chest proudly. "Now¡­" Emeraldine said, touching Celes shoulders. "Let''s begin. [Mana Infusion]!" FLAAASH! Celes closed his eyes expecting some pain, but he felt none, when the entire process was done, he felt confused because the pain seemed to have nevere. And his body was now overflowing with even more power, the Aura of his Soul seemed to have begun to enter his Mana Circuits and Meridians right away, cultivating his body automatically. "A-Amazing, you didn''t felt any pain, dear?!" Nia asked to her son. "Not really¡­ it felt kind of nice and soothing." Said Celes. "Like¡­ erm, when you lift off a weight from your shoulders! Or something like that¡­ papa used to say that sometimes." "Hahaha¡­ I-I guess." Nia smiled, giggling a bit. "Emeraldine, what happened?" "Looks like he''s just talented! Although it might also be because his body was born with the natural ability to resist the powerful soul he possesses, so pain by opening Mana Circuits and Meridians was almost nonexistent." Emeraldine said. "He''s¡­ much, much tougher than we thought!" "Am I?!" Celes wondered innocently. "Nyx! I''m tough!" "Yes! You are!" Nyx celebrated, holding his hands, the two started jumping adorably. "Now, can you manipte Mana better, boy?" Lucifer asked him. Celes started concentrating as he closed his eyes. His tiny hands started glowing with a blue aura of energy, it was Mana, but it was also fused with Spirit Energy of the Water Element. "I-I think so! Ooh, I can manipte it now?!" "Well done Celes!" As the two celebrated, Emeraldine nodded, looking back at me. "Looks like we''ve made our little trump card even stronger¡­ His Mana has increased at least tenfold." Emeraldine was rather shocked. "That much?!" I asked in surprise. "But didn''t he already have like three hundred thousand?!" "He indeed has a lot of Mana¡­" Emeraldine giggled. ----- Chapter 915 Maria The Teacher

Chapter 915 Maria The Teacher

?----- After the awakening of Nia and Celes Mana Circuits, we moved on to my own sses, where I taught Fabian and his friends, including Silva too, how to better utilize their Miasmic Powers. It wasn''t as hard as I imagined, and by using a simr method to Emeraldine, I was able to control their internal Miasma Reserves and then leave them with the ability to do so naturally, truly a "cheat"! "Like Takeshi and Laura here, you''ll eventually be able to use your Abilities to a greater extent than what you''ve been doing so far." I exined. "For example, Garon will be able to create all sorts of volcanic eruptions, meteors, or even a giant magma golem. Beery has the potential to create different growths of wood, spears, swords, draining roots, healing fruits, and more. As for Fabian, your Demonite Maniption seems to be much more, you need to learn how to create spells with them, shape the Demonite into different forms and aspects, and channel into them new powers. You possess a special ability that you used before, right?" "Yeah, when he got really mad he transformed into a demon made of pure Demonite! He was super strong for a bit, but then got really tired and copsed." Spectra exined to me. "It doesn''t seem to be totally linked to his Magic though, it might be an innate Miasmic Ability, I think." "You''re not wrong." I nodded. "But even then, if he can manipte Miasma, Chaos, and Mana in his body properly, and even if we add Ki too, as he has it, he could be strong enough to control this form and prolong its usage time. First of all, we''ll begin with your maniption of Chaos Energies. Tyr, can you help?" "Urgh¡­ Sure." Tyr materialized at my side, everyone that hadn''t seen him before was surprised. "W-Who is that floating ball?" Asked Fabian. "I''ve never seen it again, its so weird¡­" Beery said. "Kind of funny lookin'' though, haha!" Nickughed at Tyr. "Funny looking?! You damn brats! I''m the mighty Tyr! The son of Odin, God of War and Law!" Roared Tyr. "And¡­ Well, I''m the true identity of the Evil God." "Eh?!" The kids, unaware of Tyr''s true identity, were mortified. "Ain''t no way a tiny little eyeball is the evil god, who are you lying to?" Laughed Nick. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Tch! This is merely my contained form! Maria¡­ devoured all the fragments she finds. But thanks to that I was able to regain my Will and Memories one fragment at a time. I can manifest myself into a giant being if I want to! Do you want me to spook you to death, huh?!" "Hey cut it off." I sighed, smacking his head. "He''s not wrong, he is indeed the Evil God, before he was turned into the Evil God by the plot of the Gods, he was the Son of Odin, and one of the strongest Gods after him. However, that''s not really important right now, what''s important is that he is the Evil God, so naturally, he can manipte Chaos Energy really well, right?" "I can¡­" Tyr nodded. "So, anyways¡­ You brats are the victims of those bastards using my secretions to make your bodies, huh? Kind of sucks¡­ But I suppose you did get some benefits out of it. Miasma and Chaos go hand by hand, they''re a sort of energy that repels all other elements. That''s the reason it is so powerful¡­" "Now, although it sounds overpowered, all of you guys can use Chaos Attribute Magic, although much, much weaker than mine, heheheh¡­!" I smiled with a cocky smirk. "However, that''s not important right now. What I mean is that this energy is very dangerous to manipte, one wrong usage and you might get your hand destroyed." "Eep! Really?!" Beery cried. "T-That does sounds dangerous¡­" Spectra said. "I-I was wondering, Lady Maria, can I learn your ghostly abilities too?" "Oh yes, you certainly should be able to, eventually." I nodded. "Not as much as me though, I am a ghost through and through, but you do have Phantom Magic and a Spectral Miasmic Ability, so I think I can impart several of my abilities to you. Look forward to that, Spectra!" "I-I will!" Spectra nodded, excited. "Anyways, for starters. I''ll ask you guys to show me what you can do with your Chaotic Energy so far¡­" I said. "Nyx, Takeshi, Laura, you too." The children nodded and started working, although they were afraid of hurting themselves, I told them that Tyr can regte the Chaos in the surroundings, so it won''t hurt them because it''ll be regted before it can. His very presence exudes a special Barrier that absorbs and keeps Chaos within our perimeter. This way we hide it from anybody that could sense our presences too. Anyways, the children used their Chaotic Energies. They had varied amounts of it, some a lot and others very few. Fabian had quite a lot of it, but his friends not so much, most likely because the new bodies I made for them were not imbued with Chaos too much. Silva also had a reallyrge amount of it, which is proportional to her Miasma too. Must be the reason why she can temporarily evolve others or grant really powerful buffs, she has amazing potential due to the uniqueness of her Miasmic Ability. Lastly, Takeshi and Laura had almost the same amount, at least five times as much as Fabian but half as much as Silva¡­ This girl was just too ridiculous she had too much! And Nyx¡­ She had the most, she was the most powerful of them all. TRUUUUMMM¡­! Her very presence became incredibly strong and overwhelming when she channeled her powers, and she was able to easily summon dozens of Chaos Spheres out of her hands seamlessly. They floated around her as she yed with them as if they were nothing but little toys¡­ "Hehehe, this is fun." "T-That''s¡­ ridiculous, she has so much Chaos¡­" Tyr muttered. "I guess she''s truly your child, just how much energy did her egg absorbed out of you?" "A lot¡­ I was so exhausted after that I rested for a few days. I think she even absorbed part of my soul, but I guess that''s what a mother does!" I giggled. "We sacrifice our energy, blood, flesh, and all for them¡­ I''m d she''s so strong." ----- Chapter 916 Is Parenting Hard?

Chapter 916 Is Parenting Hard?

?----- Those that had Little Chaotic Energy could only release ck sparks from their hands. These were all of Fabian''s friends I revived with new bodies. Fabian could generate two spheres of miasma in his hands. Takeshi and Laura could unleash Auras from their body, although not as big as Nyx, and Silva was able to release an even thicker Aura, as if she was generating a huge sea of miasma. Meanwhile, Nyx''s Aura was much more refined, pure, and strong, and it also held multiple other elements seamlessly fused into it, such as Void, Darkness, Death, Fire and Phantom. She''s a Fire Dragon after all, like her dad¡­ So she might develop new Fire Magic in the future if we keep helping her grow. Anyways, after that, Tyr and I created a new training method for them to get this power much stronger and also to help them train it. He''ll keep his Chaos Spirit Domain around them and allow the kids to go nuts. "Go nuts?" Asked Silva, confused. "W-What do you mean?" "I mean what I said!" Tyr angrily barked. "Maintain your Chaotic Energy as much as you can, keep your Aurasing out and try your hardest to manipte it. Your first shape is¡­" "A sphere!" I said, showing them a simple sphere. "Those that can make a sphere should make cubes now. You too Nyx." "Oway mama!" Nyx nodded happily. "But won''t we run out of it too quickly?" Asked Spectra. "Unlike the rest we don''t have that much¡­" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Don''t worry about that, Tyr here will replenish it for ya." I said. "Well, technically it''s me who is doing it but he''s manipting it and sending it to you with much more precision than I can." "I-I see¡­" Spectra was excited. "Okay then¡­ let''s do this!" As I saw the children practice, Arachne walked to my side, gently pulling my dress to call for me. "Can I join the ss?" "Y-You want to?" "Yes¡­ It looks fun!" "Hmm, okay then." She was a gentle and pure hearted girl raised by spiders, so I guess she wanted to socialize a bit more with the rest. "So your name is Arachne, right? You seem different- Are those spider legs?!" Spectra wondered. "Y-Yes¡­ Are they ugly?" Arachne wondered, feeling embarrassed. "They''re cool! I''ve got wings and a tail!" Nyx said. "Yeah, I like them." Silva nodded. "I-I only have horns¡­ I wish I had more things¡­" "I think you''re fine as you are¡­!" Arachne smiled back. "A-Ah, is that so¡­" Silva blushed a bit. "Mama, I''m done! I made ten cubes!" Nyxmented, approaching me. "Oh! Well done dear." I smiled. "Now try making pyramids." "Oway!" Nyx nodded, working hard. "Hmm¡­ I did it too! Spheres and cubes¡­!" Arachne suddenly said. The cubes and spheres made of chaos floated around her¡­ "W-Well done, pyramids¡­ try doing those." I said with a gentle smile. "Sure!" Arachne nodded. I noticed Arachne and Nyx ring at one another as they shaped their chaos energies. They''re really beingpetitive right now¡­? "Next!" "I did it!" The two were ending their test almost instantly and moving to the next one rapidly, one after another. It felt like they really just wanted to be over the other, and it was getting quite irritating¡­ I think this is just what I caused for spoiling Arachne so much, making her dislike that I already had a daughter I needed to give love and attention, so a rivalry of sorts was formed. I need to talk this out with the two of them as soon as possible before it gets worse. But Arachne is a bit hard to deal with due to her monster-like nature. If I''m not gentle with my words, I might upset her and turn her against me¡­ I wouldn''t want that. "You''re overthinking it too much." Tyr suddenly said. "Simply praise both and tell them they''re good in what they do, and that they should be friends." "Is that easy?!" I wondered. "Shut up, do you even have experience in parenting?" "I do! I had several children." Tyr sighed. "Also I''m much older than you! When will you stop treating me like a joke?" "Ugh, fine¡­" I sighed. "Let''s try that." As I saw them constantly creating new things, I moved to their side and patted the two at the same time. "Both of you are so amazing and talented! You both did excellent." I smiled. "So please, don''t start fighting, okay? It would¡­ make me really sad to see my girls fighting, I want you to get along, please?" "Uhh¡­" Arachne remained in silence, crossing her arms. "Mama?" Nyx wondered, feeling confused. "Both of you are overdoing it just for the sake ofpetition, right? By itself, that''s not bad but¡­ If you want to steal the other''s attention, then it is not good." I said. "Okay?" "Hmm¡­ Sorry¡­" Arachne suddenly apologized. "I didn''t know I was upsetting you, mama¡­" "Me neither mama¡­" Nyx said. "Wait, is she really your daughter, mama?" "I-I¡­" I looked at Arachne, she was giving me puppy eyes. "Y- Yes, I mean¡­ I adopted her. Much earlier, but it took her a while to get to us, sorry¡­ She''s like your big sister, like Takeshi and Laura, and I want you to get along, alright dear?" "Okay¡­" Nyx nodded. "I just thought that she was pretending to be or forcing you to¡­ But that''s fine if she''s nice!" "I''ll be nice, sorry¡­" Arachne apologized again. "Mama taught me to always say sorry when I do something wrong¡­ Sorry." "It''s fine! Let''s be friends! I did say I liked your spider legs!" Nyx giggled innocently. "I like your wings!" Arachne smiled. Aw, the two finally got along! Tyr was right, I shouldn''t have even overthought it took much. I just had to talk my heart and tell them I wanted them to get along¡­ "See? Though, it only worked because they love you a lot." Tyr said, smiling faintly. "I wonder how my children are going¡­" "How many kids did you had?" I wondered. "A few dozen¡­ Some of them became important Gods in the Pantheon, they must be serving my traitorous father, thinking I was the bad guy all along¡­" Tyr felt frustrated. "Hahh¡­" "Don''t worry, we''ll find them and tell them the truth one day." I nodded. "I promise you." "Maria¡­" Tyr''s single eye opened wide. "¡­Thanks." ----- Chapter 917 A Simple Day Chapter 917 A Simple Day ??----- Today sses ended, we wanted to spend at least almost a week of training and preparing before the great raid we were going to do, so the day was alreadying to an end and the night was falling. My Shadow Ghosts, which take the shapes of snakes and flies to infiltrate the city, reported me that the Pdins have been going down somewheretely, perhaps to the Dungeon below. I wonder if the Warlocks are trying to replenish forces by using the Pdins¡­ Aside from that, they have started finding some people hiding the water we gifted them and attempted to apprehend them or ask for money or get thrown to jail. Because of these problems I ended causing, I took responsibility, and the ghosts ced some gold coins in their pockets, which they were able to use to miraculously pay the tax. I have a lot of money so I don''t really care, and the Dwarf Kingdom will keep sending me money and resources because I own two dungeons over there, which constantly produce resources for them. I''m probably richer than the three rulers of Goldsandbined¡­ Anyways, to prevent this to happen again, the Shadow Ghosts nted special Magic Arrays of Stealth and Camouge on the water jugs. This way the Pdins can''t find them, and the people will know where they are and drink water from there stealthily! This is just a temporary countermeasure, next week, if possible, they''ll bepletely freed from these bastards'' tyranny. And after all that, I left some of my Ego Clones cooking something in the kitchen, included with ourrge set of rooms, while I went to take a bath with my family. This included my daughter¡­ I mean daughters, my three cute little pies, and¡­ Yeah that''s all. I guess Arachne is now included. Takeshi and Laura wanted to take their own bath instead, so I left them. However, Arachne and Nyx are still very clingy, especially Arachne who suddenly feels more energetic and doesn''t want to sleep too much anymore, wanting to hang around with us and receive the love of a family. And I''m more than happier to give it to her, not only because we''ll rely on her as a powerful Cmity, but also because she''s a lovely girl, and I pity the loneliness she felt back in her Dungeon.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Papa, papa! Wash my hair!" Nyx ran towards Lucifer, asking him to wash her hair. "Sure, sure." Lucifer smiled, quickly bringing the shampoo. "You have such a beautiful hair, just like your mom! Silver colored, it looks like beautiful metal threads." He was a good father, gently washing his little princess'' hair and praising her! Nyx was really lucky to have him. "Hehehe, mama''s hair is very beautiful!" Nyx giggled. "Papa, I''ll wash your hairter! You also have long hair!" "A-Ah, sure, though this hair is just a temporary form." Said Lucifer, he never felt that ustomed to his humanized form, usually feeling better on his dragon appearance. "It still papa''s hair!" Nyx said. "You have to take care of both of your bodies!" "Well it''s easy for you to say that when your dragon form also has this hair, haha." Lucifer giggled, gently washing her hair. While that was happening, I noticed Emeraldine and Partner helping wash each other''s backs at my side, they were busy chatting about today''s activities. "Isn''t it nice to spend some time just teaching children? It was a rxing day, for once¡­" Emeraldine felt blissful. "I GUESS¡­ I spent the whole day watching over the window though!" Partner had been designated as a guard, so that''s the only thing she did for now. "Hahah, you did well though." Imented. "Thanks for helping us out in that. Well, you could teach the kids something¡­ Blood Magic? I wonder if any has affinity for that? Or Spear Mastery too?" "I''m happy that you''re trying to cheer me up, Master, but yeah, I doubt I can be of much help." Partner sighed. "Rattle¡­" "Oh, you did the sound! When you were a little skeleton." I was surprised. "That sound was like your bones twisting¡­" Emeraldine was left speechless. "I-I sometimes do it as a reflex, I was a skeleton almost two years ago after all." Said Partner. "It has been almost two years already?" I wondered. "Time sure has gone fast¡­ So many adventures too." "We''ve been together in a lot of things." Lucifermented. "And we''ll continue doing so!" Emeraldine nodded. "Anyways, Arachne, what are you doing? Is this your first time inside a bathroom?" I asked her. "Huh?" Arachne was afraid of the warm water for some reason, all the way at the end of the room cornered as if she were a little thing that was about to be attacked. "Come on,e here, I''ll wash you. You''re a bit stinky, girl." I said. "Come, don''t be afraid of some water. You''re a mighty Cmity, right?" "I-I don''t like being one¡­" She sighed. "I was just born to be one¡­" "A-Ah, well, sorry¡­" I apologized. "But it''s okay, you''re strong, right? Come on." "Hmm¡­" She gently walked to my side and then took off her white dress, as I used a sponge to wash her with warm water and a nice smelling soap. "There, there, sit down dear, calm down. It''s alright." "Uuh¡­ It doesn''t feel so bad¡­" She wondered, as she sat down in front of me and allowed me to wash her. I washed her long ck hair and made sure to wash her armpits too, and she did the rest down there, with the soap and the sponge. After that, I used some warm water to ssh all over her, letting her get all washed up. "And done! That was all!" I said with a smile. "O-Oh¡­ So this is taking a bath!" Arachne said, intrigued. "I-I''m really shocked she never took one before." Lucifer said. "Well, she was living inside a dungeon, cut her some ck¡­" Partner said. "It''s nice she''s no longer stinky I suppose." Emeraldine giggled. "I am not stinky!" Said Arachne, feeling a bit embarrassed. After walking out of the bathroom and saw the food almost ready, I decided to take a look at some of my newest Skills, the ones I''ve acquired from the sses, mostly. ----- Chapter 918 Useful Skills

Chapter 918 Useful Skills

?----- There was the ss Skills, which were divided into the offensive ones, some of which ended merging with already existing attack skills, and then there were the Subss Skills, mostly used for Support, Enhancement, or Crafting. The Skills that I recently had from the sses, which had not been absorbed or fused with other Skills were Berserk Mode, Apprentice cksmith Recipe Book, Rune Smithing, Soul Binding Alchemy, and Shadow Sculping Arts. I have used the Soul Binding Alchemy to create Fabian friend''s new bodies to an extent, so I know of the Skill''s abilities a bit, but what about rest? Not at all, and I n on using them to make some new equipment or reinforce existing ones. I do know that the cksmith Recipe Book is pretty much the same thing as the Alchemy Recipe Book but for weapons, armor, and so on. With it I can mass produce some types of armor and weapons with ease and register some of the ones I''ve made to mass produce as well, as long as there''s enough materials, of course. ----- [Berserk Mode: Lv5] A Unique Skill given to Berserk-type sses. By activating it, you harness your hatred and wrath against those you hate, making your mind go nk temporarily, but increasing all your Physical Abilities greatly. Once activated, increases Strength, Defense, and Agility by +200%, alongside Physical-type Skills Damage by +200%, Stat and Damage Bonus increases by +25% with each Skill Level. When this Skill is in effect, your mind might go into the [Berserk] Status, and you won''t be able to recognize friend or foe, and attack anything nearby. Constantly drains MP when activated. Once deactivated, cooldown: 5 Hours. ----- Oh, this looks pretty useful. I think I might be immune to the Berserk Status, no? I activated the Skill to check it for a tiny second, and¡­ FLUOSH! A crimson red aura surged from my body, as I felt physical prowess surging from my body even when Icked a physical body of my own! Ding! [You have activated the [Berserk Mode: Lv5] Skill!] [Strength, Defense, and Agility and your Physical-type Skills Damage has increased by +325%] [Your MP is being constantly consumed!] [You''ve entered into a [Berserk] Status!] [You have resisted it.] [You have resisted it.] [You have resisted it.] "Oh?! Isn''t this pretty broken?" Aside from the annoying system messages that I was resisting it, it seemed that this was pretty amazing! I wasn''t affected by the negative status, and I could get such a nice bonus to all my physical prowess. I''ll definitely be abusing thister on¡­ ----- [Rune Smithing: Lv5] N?v(el)B\\jnn A Unique Skill given to Magic Crafting-type Subsses. Allows for the ability to manipte Mana and create Runic inscriptions that can be harnessed and imbued into equipment created through cksmithing. By smiting runes and other magical enchantments into weapons or armor, their performance will increase exponentially, and they might acquire new abilities and effects. The Runs that can be created and used for enchantment are based in the user''s own knowledge about Runic Creation. Whenever a Rune is imbued into a piece of Equipment, there''s a 50% chance for the equipment Quality and Stats to increase, with an additional +5% chance with each Skill Level. Created Runes imbued into Equipment will have their effects boosted by +100%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Theplexity of the Runes imbued into equipment will increase exponentially with each Skill Level. Required materials are needed to create stronger and moreplex Runes imbued with special effects. ----- Well, well, this is amazing! With this I can make some amazing equipment with many bonus effects. More stats mean more power, more abilities mean an easier time handling bastards from left and right. And it seems there''s a lot of possibilities to what this can be, or in how the Runes can be used, I''m quite excited to use these, honestly. ----- [Soul Binding Alchemy: Lv3] A Unique Skill given to Magic Alchemy-type Subsses. Grants the ability to imbue souls and control souls through the process of Alchemy, binding them into created objects of your choice. The created objects can either be enhanced by these souls and gain tremendous power or be imbued with them to be their vessels. Items or bodies that gain souls as vessels be much more bind with them than normal Undead would and are almost simr to living beings instead. Depending in the power of the Soul or Soul Fragments bound to the item or bodies, the resulting form might change dramatically, especially if the item or body was made using high quality materials. It is even possible for created items or bodies with bound Souls or Soul Fragments to gain the power to grow and develop even further, evolving into new forms and transforming into greater versions of themselves. Whenever a Soul or Soul Fragment are bounded into a vessel, there''s a 50% chance for the vessel to increase its quality, stats, and abilities greatly, with an additional +5% chance with each Skill Level. Souls bound into Equipment will have an easier time getting used to these vessels, and their Stats will be boosted by +50%, with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. The power of thepleted Vessel with the bound Soul or Soul Fragments will increase in power,plexity, and attain new and stronger skills with each Skill Level. ----- Oh wow, this is awesome, much more incredible than I imagined¡­ Back then, when I created Spectra and the rest of Fabian''s friends'' bodies and then bound their souls into these new bodies, I hadn''t thought much about it and was kind of experimenting. But now that I read the description, it makes sense that they became more alive than death, this is a more perfectionist form of Necromancy. However, it is now that isn''t necessarily separated¡­ In fact, it is moreplex and might be too costly and time consuming. But at the same time, it can also be used in conjunction with the traditional necromancy, for even greater effects in exchange for more materials and time¡­ ----- Chapter 919 Something Fishy Is Going On...

Chapter 919 Something Fishy Is Going On...

?----- Checking on these Skills, I couldn''t help but wonder if I could imbue Souls into my Weapons or Armor, and give them names¡­ Would they be "alive" somehow? It could give them the ability to gain new Abilities and much higher stats that I''ll enjoy happily when I equip them too. Though I don''t know if I ever tried that before. But it does seem to make some sense, seeing how I''m supposed to be a Necromancer! I should wield Death in as many ways as I can, if possible. N?v(el)B\\jnn Well, I still got some time to think about and see what I can improve out of my weapons, also I could even make myself a new armor, or reinforce my dress into something like that too, huh? A ghost with armor¡­ I guess that doesn''t sound too bad, I would be something like a Living Armor! ¡­Perhaps. Oh well, thest one is quite new, Shadow Sculping Arts. ----- [Shadow Sculping Arts: Lv2] A Unique Skill given to Shadow Sculptors. Grants the ability to transform Shadows into physical objects and shape them, sculpting them into different types of materials and forms. A mystical ability that only Gods of Darkness and Shadows can possess. By imbuing souls into your creations, these Sculped Shadows can gain life of their own and be your faithful servants. By imbuing different types of energies, such as Mana, Spirit Energy, Darkness Energy, Chaos Energy, Moonlight Essence, or more, it is possible to transform the Shadows into different types of usable materials. The more effort you put into the creations you sculpt out of your own shadows, the higher quality they will be, and the stronger they will end up being if you imbue souls into them. Whenever you sculpt a Shadow into the shape you desire, there''s a 50% chance for the resulting item to increase its quality, stats, and abilities greatly, with an additional +5% chance with each Skill Level. Souls bound intopleted Sculpted Shadows will have an easier time getting used to these vessels, and their Stats will be boosted by +50%, with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. The power, abilities, quality, and effects of the Sculpted Shadows will increase with each Skill Level. Additionally, increases the Magic Power of Shadow and Darkness Attribute Magic by +300%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. You can also restore HP and MP by absorbing Shadows. ----- Now this is a broken Skill! Excuse me but how many effects does this has?! I can make literally anything I can think of with this, and if Ibine it with the two other Skills¡­ Wouldn''t this mean I can get seriously overpowered items or even new Undead? Though, the more I think about it, the moreplex it would truly be. It all depends in my own abilities with my hands and my artistic talent¡­ I''ve made many things before, yeah, but even then, I''m not sure if I can do all the things I have in mind. But the skill did say I could create materials as well, so I could probably create some interesting things¡­ "Master! The food''s ready." Partner called for me, as the smell of grilled meat came to my nostrils. "Oh right! I shouldn''t even be worrying about anything for now." I smiled. "Let''s eat!" I enjoyed the meal with my friends and family, the big, very big family we had here, actually. And then I decided to do something I haven''t done in a while! Just sleep! Yep, I just closed my eyes and tried to sleep, nothing rare going on in here, nothing weird either. I just wanted to have a shuteye. And, quite honestly, I really needed a rxing sleep. The next morning when I finally woke up, my soul felt much more refreshed, like ten times as refreshed as usual. I usually do sleep, but in short times, and mostly remain too awake by expanding my senses everywhere to keep everyone safe. But for once I decided to leave that job to my Phantom Clones and Ghosts patrolling the area, and just slept¡­ And man, it felt so nice. "Let''s see- Oh, everyone''s asleep, huh?" I noticed how everyone was fast asleep, as I walked out of bed and looked through the window, the sun had already risen, it rises quite early in this desert area. The people were already moving from ce to ce. Despite all the hardships they had endured, they wake up every day to work, they''re diligent and nice people. There were no Pdins around, and no suspicious energies or presences either. Aside from the ones I felt very far away¡­ Emilia seems to be chilling in the church, she is veryzy, isn''t presences either. Aside from the ones I felt very far away¡­ Emilia seems to be chilling in the church, she is veryzy, isn''t she? I thought she would be plotting some evil scheme or something, but the only thing she does is indulge on nice things and sit on her fat ass over her throne. She''s sure having it nice in here, just doing whatever she pleases with this people¡­ But don''t worry, Karma will get to you really soon, dear Saintess. For now, I better strengthen myself first. I imbued a part of my mind inside of my Soul Scape, as I nced at the many Spirit Treasures there. There has been something new growing in here since I ate those Void Fragments. It wasn''t a nt or a tree as usual. This isn''t a garden after all, it is an entirend, so only nts and things like those growing would be weird, right? And well, the Void I ended absorbing and my Aether Stat provoked that my Soul Scape were to start developing new Spirit Treasures¡­ And of course, reaching Max Level and getting close to my evolution might also be a factor! "There''s something huge forming over there!" Tyr muttered, ncing into the distance of my Soul Scape. "Yeah¡­" I nodded, looking into the soul scape''s skies. The dark skies were gathering around, distorting space itself, as a ck void was born, and slowly took the shape of a huge sphere¡­ ----- Chapter 920 Changes Inside The Soul Scape!

Chapter 920 Changes Inside The Soul Scape!

?----- The ck sphere then rested peacefully on top of the dark skies, exuding a powerful Aura of Darkness and Void, covering the entire Soul Scape with a strange and unnerving feeling¡­ However, that wasn''t all, another part of these powers manifested faraway, the ground started shaking as a gigantic, gray-colored mountains surged, stretching high into the skies. ck crystals grew out of these mountains one after another, as the mountain stopped growing, it exuded a powerful Aura of Void and Darkness, sending chills down my spine. The creation of these two mysterious and bizarre Spirit Treasures quickly enhanced my own powers as well, making me feel even stronger¡­ "This is amazing, you formed two Spirit Treasures in a row! That damn Belphegor guy or whatever was really packing on Divine Power." Laughed Tyr. "Good thing you ate him good." "You''re wording it kind of weird!" I sighed, as I analyzed the two Spirit Treasures, the System notifying me of what happened. Ding! [You have umted arge quantity of Aether within your Soul, the Divine Void Fragments you''ve absorbed have merged with your Soulscape!] [Your Soulscape has developed the [Void Star (Great Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)]!] [The Void Energy exuding from the Void Star epasses your entire Soul Scape, influencing it and stretching its boundaries!] [Your Soul Scape has grownrger as a result; your Soul has been strengthened.] [You gained +200 Aether.] [Your Soulscape has developed the [Mountain of Ginnungagap (Great Spirit Treasure: Rank 2)]!] [The Mountain of Ginnungagap exudes an Aura of pure Void, which crystalizes within its depths to form Void Crystals!] [Because of the two Great Spirit Treasure-grade Spirit Treasures, the rest of your Spirit Treasures have been influenced by their Energies!] [All your Spirit Treasures have Ranked Up!] The giant Death Tree in the middle of my Soulscape, which stretched to the depths of my soul, became evenrger and gave me more power. The forests of bone trees became more as well, and even the flowers multiplied very quickly! It felt like I was gaining a tremendous boost. This is because Spirit Treasures give amazing passive effects, such as enhancing my Elemental Power, restoring my Spirit and Mana energy, and more! Sometimes, they can even produce materials of their own. The Death Tree produces the Necrotic Death Fruit, which I''ve been umting inrge quantities, the Moon Gazing Lily makes Moonlight Crystals for both restoring Moonlight Essence or making items with it, and the rest produce petals, branches, roots, and other things. Though, I wonder what the Void Star produces, it seems to be a rather passive Spiritual Treasure inparison to the obvious mountain that produces Void Crystals¡­ "Incredible, you gained so much Aether out of this! This feels like an unfair cheat¡­" Tyr seemed toment my own fortune. "What cheat? I earned this on my own! Right System?" I smiled. ["Certainly, you did¡­ Now look at the Spirit Treasures details already."] The System spoke with a rather grumpy voice, as usual. "Y-Yes, sir¡­" ----- [Void Star (Great Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] A mass of Void Energy that has taken the shape of a giant, ck-colored star, it hovers over the skies in silence, gazing through everything as if it were alive. Its origins are unknown, but it exudes a powerful Void Energy that bathes the entire Soulscape and its master''s soul. Despite how silent and quiet it is, its alive, and it will emerge to aid its master if dangeres. Enhances Shadow, Darkness, Space, and Void Attribute Power by +250.000 Shadow, Darkness, Space, and Void Attribute Magic gains +50.000 Spirit Power. Increases the Recovery Speed of Mana and Void Energy by +1000%. Enhances Shadow, Darkness, Space, and Void-type Monsters Stats and Skill Power +250%. By absorbing the Void Energy and Mana of the Master, it can temporarily summon itself in the outside world to aid its master. When attacking, it can unleash [Void Beams] that deal up to +500% Damage and ignore 50% of a foe''s Magic Resistance, [Void Pressure] which deals direct Soul Damage of +300% to a foe, or [All-Consuming Void], which deals huge Void Attribute Damage on an enormous range of up to 1500%. When defending, it can unleash [Void Barriers] to negate 80% of all Damage, [Void Shifting], which can distort space and send enemy attacks back at them, or [Void Restoration], which can restore grave wounds. The Void Star will only summon itself when it pleases and will not listen to a master''smands yet. ----- "This is a weird Spirit Treasure!" I said in surprise. "What the hell? So it''s alive and can summon itself and fight?! It has a whole arsenal of overpowered abilities too!" "Oh, I see, so it''s a Guardian-type Spirit Treasure." Said Tyr. "You see, the stronger the Gods, the stronger their Spirit Treasures be, eventually they evolve and branch into many types. Guardian-type Spirit Treasures are simr to living beings, though not exactly the same. And can fight and protect their master or their Soulscape when it is in danger." "I-I see¡­ Though it''s a bit cheeky, it will only summon itself when it pleases¡­" I said, feeling a bit annoyed by that fact. ["It is because you''re too weak, grow stronger¡­"] "Hey, I''m doing my best at that!" I crossed my arms in indignation. "But anyways, what''s the other one? I hope it has a much simpler description¡­" ----- [Mountain of Ginnungagap (Great Spirit Treasure: Rank 2)] A Legendary and mysterious Mountain, said to only grow within the Endless Void of the Ginnungagap. By absorbing the Soulscape''s Mana and utilizing it on itself, it can produce the mysterious and very rare material, Void Crystals, which can be used to restore Void Energy or craft all sorts of items. Enhances Shadow, Darkness, Space, and Void Attribute Power by +150.000 Shadow, Darkness, Space, and Void Attribute Magic gains +20.000 Spirit Power. Increases the Recovery Speed of Mana and Void Energy by +300%. Enhances Shadow, Darkness, Space, and Void-type Monsters Mana and Health Regeneration Speed by +300%. Produces 5 Void Crystals Daily. ----- It wasn''t as good as the Void Star, but it made sense, seeing how it was a Production-type Spirit Treasure¡­ "Now, let''s collect these~" I happily gathered the Void Crystals, which shone like small, star-shaped obsidian fragments. -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 921 Two Horny Girlfriends (R18)

Chapter 921 Two Horny Girlfriends (R18)

?----- After admiring both of the Spirit Treasures, I took the Void Crystals from the mountain. Despite how big it looked, if I tried to take the big crystals growing on top of it, the Spirit Treasure might "break" and copse. Although they looked normal, these are different things than just objects from the outside world, they''re materializations and manifestations of my power and my soul, therefore, they work by different rules and logic. Because of this, if I try to mine it directly, it''ll break apart or be damaged¡­ So I better just take the crystals it produces naturally every day, which are as tiny as a pebble, and not that strong. I suppose it is quantity over quality for this one, huh? Still, Void Energy is a new power, though it is not as potent as my Moonlight Essence because thest is tied to my evolution and my Divinity and Divine Skills, it still must be very strong. Especially based in all the bonuses it gets from Void Star and the Mountain¡­ But to make aparison, here''s my Moon Gazing Lily Status after it Ranked Up. ----- n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Moon Gazing Giant Lily (True Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] A True Spirit Treasure in the form of a gigantic, purple-colored lily. It feeds exclusively on the moonlight emanated by the Silver Moon, and it harbors Moonlight Essence inside of its petals. Its roots naturally form a crystallized form of the leftover Moonlight Essence named Moon Crystals. Flower Quantity: 5 Enhances Moonlight Attribute Power by +30.000 with each Flower. Increases the Power of Moonlight-Attribute Skills or Spells by +30% with each Flower. Grants +600 Moonlight Essence with each flower every day. Hastens Moonlight Essence Absorption by +60%. Produces 3 Moon Crystal Daily. ----- This one was an insane improvement, and it even produced 3 a day and had a new bonus to Skill and Spell Power! And above all, as it Ranked Up, it multiplied, and now I had 5. So all those bonuses¡­ multiplied by 5! "It really feels like the strategy for gods to be stronger is to make a pretty garden, huh?" I wondered, rubbing my chin and feeling the power of Moonlight Essence through my Soul. "Now, let''s get out of here, I have things to do." I walked out of my Soulscape and found myself taking a bath with Partner and Emeraldine. I think I left my body in "auto-mode" or something. But the memories quickly reached me as the two divided minds became one. Looks like they ended waking up and we were currently taking a nice morning bath. "I wonder what we should do today, more training and teaching?" Emeraldine wondered. "I guess so? What else?" Wondered Partner. "Ugh, though I wish we could go hunt some monsters, I am so close to Max Level!" "We''ll do soon enough, don''t be so hasty about it, Partner." I smiled. "Actually, we might do something soon, I''ve been investigating and Adventurers to go some nearby "Haunts" which are open fields filled with monsters that were infested by Miasma long ago. There''s a Salt Crystal Cave filled with golems, really strong ones, and then there''s an Underground Miasmic Swamp right there too, where amphibian and insect creatures live." "Sounds nice! We''re going there asap!" Partner was immediately excited about it. "Well, I need to prepare some thing first. Because I can''t keep leveling up anymore until I evolve again, and that''s not happening anytime soon, I need to grow stronger in other ways first. I also need to craft strong equipment for everyone." I exined to her. "You too will have your Spears reinforced and enhanced further. Ah, maybe I can just craft while we are there so you can have some fun while I get to work, and if we are away from the city, it is better for us too." "Ooh, mine too?! Okay!" Partner got all excited, shaking her body as if dancing, herrge breasts bouncing around sexily. "Haha, she got happy right away when it came to her weapons." Emeraldine giggled, washing her sexy armpits with soap. "Huh? What are you looking at so much?" She smiled teasingly at me. "Nothing, I was just thinking you two are really hot." I said without holding it back. "I''m so lucky to have such hotties at my side, fufu~" I embraced Emeraldine and Partner from behind, tightly grasping their plump cheeks, the two were looking mighty fine today. Well, always. "Ahh, Maria¡­" Emeraldine blushed. "You''re being more yful today, huh?" "Sowy if I didn''t give you enough love¡­" I kissed her neck. "You know you''re my sun, right? Mooch, mooch~" I kept kissing Emeraldine''s delicate neck as she enjoyed my love, while Partner slowly sneaked her hand into my chest. "And what about me, master? What am I then?" She asked while grasping one of my breasts tightly. "Y-You''re my moon, of course¡­ Ah~ T-That''s a bit hard- Ooh!" She kept grasping my breast tightly and ying with my nipple¡­ Emeraldine quickly followed her, as she grabbed my other breast and started rubbing the nipple with her fingers, while her other hand was tightly grasping one of my thighs. "So we''re your sun and your moon, huh? I''m fine with that~" Emeraldine said. "Come here now, I need those lips." "Hmm~" Emeraldine forcefully dragged me towards her and started kissing me passionately with her delicious and soft lips. Her warm tongue quickly sneaked inside of my mouth; she wasn''t letting me go! She was being much more active than other times¡­ We kept kissing for a little while, she startedsciviously sucking on my lips and tongue. "Hmm~ Well if Emeraldine is eating your lips, I might as well eat something else here." Partner started sucking my tits, grasping them and tightly sucking on them. "Ooh, fuck~ Hmm~!" I couldn''t even moan before Emeraldine quickly continued kissing me. "Who gave you permission to talk here? Your lips are mine¡­" She continued kissing me like there was not tomorrow, while Partner started fingering my pussy, I was already so wet down there¡­ "Hey, let me kiss her too, let''s take turns!" "Sure~" Emeraldine finally let go of my lips only for Partner''s even more aggressive kisses to embrace my lips. She started sucking on my mouth with her lips and putting her tongue all the way down my throat, it was very long and warm¡­ "Hmm, mooch~ Hmm~!" She embraced me with her strong arms and didn''t let go of me, while Emeraldine kneeled in front of me and started sucking on my pussy while it was still wet, drinking my juices. The electrifying sensation of getting French kissed while having my pussy sucked was divine, godly, even¡­ "Oohh~" I ended escaping Partner''s lips to moan onest time, before I ended cumming ahead of time¡­ Emeraldine happily started licking and drinking what came out. "Hmmm~ All mine." She continued sucking on my pussy like it was the ambrosia. "Alright, you started this so you better not back down now, hehe." Partner gently let me sit down on the bathtub while kissing me. "Show me your ass. I''m gonna eat it up~" "M-My ass?" I asked, feeling embarrassed. I didn''t really know what she was up to, but I put myself in all fours, and she¡­ indeed did what she said, she immediately started kissing it and sucking it up¡­ "Oohh! W-Wait! Oogh!" The two girls started pping my ass while kissing and sucking it, their tongues getting deeper¡­ Things escted even more as we continued pleasuring one another, but it felt like these two were just eating me up! But I didn''t mind, it felt so nice¡­ ----- Chapter 922 Sloth

Chapter 922 Sloth

?----- After being eaten alive by my two very horny wives, I walked out of the bathroom refreshed¡­ They didn''t miss a single inch of my body, licking and kissing everything, even my feet! I never thought they found me that beautiful. "Phew! Hehe, I never thought you were into my armpits too." I giggled while walking out. "D-Don''t say that out loud though!" Partner got all embarrassed. "But you sucked them so desperately~ It was so cute!" I smiled. "T-That''s not it! Ugh¡­" Partner was growing as red as a tomato. "W-What are you two even talking about?" Lucifer red at us while raising an eyebrow. "N-Nothing! Please don''t mind it!" Emeraldine was also embarrassed. "Hahaha, anyways! Let''s have some breakfast! Man, I love how fancy this Inn is!" I said happily. "Good morning mommy!" Nyx walked to my side. "Arachne''s still asleep¡­" Nyx adorably walked to my side and then climbed over my body, as I gently held her in my arms. She was growing bigger every day, but I could still hold my baby! "She is? Oh, I guess she just had a spurt of energy yesterday then." I sighed. "Alright, let her sleep for now. I''ll bring her inside my shadows once we depart." "Is she okay? I remember she was active some time ago too but then disappeared¡­" Nyx was a bit worried. "She''s fine don''t worry. She just loves to sleep a lot. It is part of her¡­ Abilities, I suppose." I sighed. "I think she''s the Cmity that embodies Sloth, it''s the only exnation I can get¡­ Every True Cmity, all Seven of them, embody a powerful Sin, ording to what I''ve heard." "Oh, she''s like a Cmity, like me?" Wondered Nyx. "Or Root?" "Well, you two are a bit different." I exined. "You are Lesser Cmities. They are born and chosen based in the potential and power someone possess, alongside the Chaotic Powers they embody. Or so¡­ I think. I''m not really sure of all the details behind these titles. I remember that the Ant Queen was bing a Cmity, and Tear too." "While the Ant Queen wasn''t aplete Cmity yet, Tear had been baptized as one, but now that she lost the Crown and most of those powers, her authority as a Cmity has most likely been revoked and given to another entity." Lucifer exined. "Right?" "Yeah, I lost the Title. I used to have the [True Cmity of Envy]" Tear revealed to us something she had not told us before. "It was a mysterious power that amplified my abilities even further, but it came with an endless desire to have it all, and I¡­ I could never feel satisfied, I wanted what everyone had. I remember¡­ how hopeless I felt when I envied you all for having a family and loved ones, I kept wanting more from others, but I didn''t value those I had with me." "So it puts some sort of mental state on the wearers in exchange for tremendous power¡­" Said Lucifer. "Maria, does little Arachne has such a Title though?" "I don''t remember she had it before¡­" I said, as I checked her Status. ----- [Name]: [Arachne Arachneia] [Race]: [Primordial Dark Arachneia Empress] [Rank]: [SS+] [Level]: [89/200] [HP]: [3.506.380/3.506.380] [MP]: [5.560.620/5.560.620] [Attack]: [4.420.553] [Defense]: [6.074.030] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Magic]: [6.052.700] [Agility]: [3.273.300] [Characteristic Skills]: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Arachneia Supreme Authority: Lv--] [Primordial Beast Body: Lv8] [Body Transformation: Lv7] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [God Language: Lv3] [Primordial Thread Weaving: Lv8] [Primordial Poison Fangs: Lv7] [Supernatural Great Senses: Lv7] [Great Eight Eyes of Destruction: Lv7] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Great Resistance: Lv10] [Greater Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Great Elemental Resistance: Lv10] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv--] [Erosion Immunity: Lv--] [Chaos Immunity: Lv--] [Physical Skills]: [Masterful Thread Maniption: Lv8] [Imprable Chitin Shell: Lv8] [Orichalcum Body: Lv8] [Slothful Aura Manifestation: Lv5] [Magical Skills]: [Spider Queen''s Shadow Magic: Lv8] [Abyssal Magic: Lv5] [Primordial Sin Magic: Sloth: Lv5] [Support Skills]: [Slothful Rest: Lv5] [Commander Of Cmity: Lv5] [Title Skills]: [Primordial Beast: Lv10] [Arachneia Empress: Lv10] [Primordial Thread User: Lv10] [Primordial Poison User: Lv10] [Lonely Empress: Lv5] [Snake''s Friend: Lv8] [True Cmity: Sloth: Lv5] [Sleeping Princess of Spiders: Lv4] [Sleepy Head: Lv4] [Dreamer: Lv3] [Adopted Daughter Of The Saintess of Death: Lv3] [Divine Protections]: [Loki''s Divine Protection] [Curse]: [Demonic Stigma: Sloth] ----- Her Stats were ridiculous, they have increased at least four timespared to the first time I saw them¡­ She''s an SS+ Rank being, meaning she''s even stronger than when Tear was a Cmity herself. She is unique because I''ve barely seen her hunt, yet she gains levels passively. Is this part of her Sloth Ability? Maybe the more she sleeps, the stronger she bes and the higher her stats rise¡­ However, because she''s always forced to sleep long periods of times, she misses the time she could had spend with those she loves and cares for and can only interact very little. And it feels like she had always felt so lonely¡­ I was her only friend back then, when she didn''t need to sleep as much. That Stigma has worsened her condition. "¡­She has it now." I sighed. "Not only that, but she also has something called Demonic Stigma: Sloth. It is most likely what''s causing the whole problem¡­ But this is bad, why does this happen to her? Is this Loki''s doing?" "I suppose it must be." Tear nodded. "He is the True God of Chaos, someone that must bring destruction to this world to "bnce" it to the whim of the Gods¡­" "Arachne was already stronger than all of usbined when you first meet her, right?" Emeraldine asked. "It probably means her birth in that dungeon was a special event, something that Loki or the other Gods might have arranged. After all, Cmities are created to "cleanse" the world in a way, weaken humans and mortals when they''re getting too strong, or something like that¡­" "She was destined to be like this, huh?" I felt even sadder as I saw such an adorable and gentle girl sleeping in the bed, carefree of all things. "Arachne¡­" We talked a bit more about her and her condition but dropped the subject to talk about more cheerful things. But still, deep within our hearts, we all wanted to help her. ----- Chapter 923 A Conversation With Hel

Chapter 923 A Conversation With Hel

----- After taking Arachne inside of my Shadows, we decided to move on with our ns and depart towards the Salt Crystal Mines, where a huge nest of powerful Golems was living, and which deep down, had another Haunt named Miasmic Swamp, where Amphibians and Insect Monsters inhabited. We moved out of the city through my shadows, and once we were on the road, we took out a carriage and decided to move there while being carried by Chimera Bone Beasts I had within myrge Undead Army. As that happened, I was munching on several Demonic Death Fruits, I''ve saved them for a special asion where I really needed power, I had dozens by now, but right now I felt a bit frustrated, so I gave myself to the temptation. Just the subject about Arachne got me all upset¡­ And it made me wonder if my daughter or Root are going to get that Title too if the other Cmities die? ording to what we learned when Emeraldine was possessed by Yggdrasil, all True Cmities exist. Most of them aren''t like Arachne, and are instead just giant, wild monsters with little intelligence. Eventually, to stop their madness from destroying the other continents, we''ll have to stop them¡­ However, that''s not really the problem, the problem to me is how can I permanently get rid of these Sins. If I don''t, even if we kill them, they''ll keep reviving in another body¡­ And it''s going to be a hopeless chase. I also want to find a way to either lessen the effects of Arachne''s Stigma or even to find a way to take away her Cmity Title somehow¡­ Crunch, crunch¡­ "Munch, hey, Hel! I know you''re looking at me right now. You''ve been doing so all this time, right?!" I asked her angrily. "Tell me something, what is your father even nning to do? Is he just a sick bastard that enjoys seeing innocent people die?" My friends nced at me in silence, the children in specific were left weirded out, as I was just talking to the empty air as if there was someone by my side named Hel¡­ "W-What is Auntie talking about?" Celes was confused. "I-I don''t know¡­" Nia sighed. "Is she crazy?" Fabian asked boldly. "S-She''s not crazy¡­" Emeraldine giggled a bit. "You see, since her resurrection as a Ghost, Maria became the Saintess of Hel, the Goddess of Death. She has a strong connection with her through their Divine Protection. She can speak to her directly and Hel can answer at any time too." "I-I see¡­" Fabian swallowed saliva. "I-I never thought she was the Saintess of the Goddess of Death! T-That''s like Emilia back in the city, right?" "Yes, there is a Saintess for most Gods, some are weak, others, incredibly strong. Maria''s case is unique, there hasn''t been a Saintess of Death before until she appeared." Said Lucifer. "It seems¡­ She''s really angry about what we discussed about Arachne. I can''t me her¡­" "Hey, Hel! Stop ignoring me! If you keep doing this, I''m not going to EVER raise Undead in your name!" I said. "You hear me?! And I''ll stop spreading your religion and¡­ I''ll blow myself! I''ll kill myself! I''ll destroy my soul to bits!" I threatened her with ridiculous words, but she didn''t answer¡­ "W-What are you talking about? Don''t kill yourself, mom¡­" Nyx was confused. "A-Ah, I was just¡­ joking." I smiled back at her. "I''m just a bit desperate¡­" Ding! [The [Divine Ruler of Helheim and Goddess of Death] is looking at you with tired expression.] [She says: "If you even knew how much shit I''ve gone through since you killed Thor''s Divine Spirit¡­ Odin has never stopped annoying me since then! He''s already unhinged! He wants everyone dead! I''m barely hanging on by a thread thanks to my father, and you''re saying he''s insane?!"] "Well he is, isn''t he?" I asked her. "And it''s not like you agree to what he''s doing either, right? I know you enough." [The [Divine Ruler of Helheim and Goddess of Death] sighs, resting over her throne as her Servant, August, brings her some tea.] [She sips some of the tea and then looks at you once more.] [She says: "Look, I know why you are so angry¡­ I have little power over True Cmities myself. But you''ve be my connection to them. Father is¡­ scheming something. I don''t know if I should help him or not, because what he might bring could potentially destroy everything and¡­ I don''t know if I want to go that far."] "¡­" I remained in silence as I read her message. "Tell me, what do YOU want? If you''re going to always go by the whims of your father, then why are you even talking to me right now? You wouldn''t had even chosen me as your Saintess¡­" [The [Divine Ruler of Helheim and Goddess of Death] gives you a rather cynical, hopeless smile¡­] [She says: "You''re right I suppose¡­ But even then, it doesn''t change anything. But I also want to help that little girl, dammit. And I don''t want you or any of your friends to end up as a True Cmity. Hell, I was even against Tear bing one too, but my father didn''t listen. He always thinks we are still children. I want to do things on a different approach, I hate Odin and those bastards. And I''ll help you and your friends ascend so you can help me overthrown them, however¡­"] "However?" ["Right now, I can''t do anything¡­"] n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "¡­" I sighed. "What do you MEAN you can''t do anything?! Just tell me a FUCKING clue! You''re the goddamn Goddess of Death!" ["You''re getting on my nerves¡­ Okay, fine! I''ll tell you, but you''ll have to carry with the burden of this knowledge."] "Okay, just spit it out." ["Cmities are created for the sole purpose of trimming down humanity. So they never get too strong. They''re embodiment of your sins. And their power rises as those Sins are created. The more people, the more sins and the stronger they be."] "You don''t mean¡­" ["Topletely destroy these Sins inhabiting the Cmities, you need to either wipe out all of humanity or¡­ Devour them and carry them yourself."] ----- Chapter 924 Ancient Forbidden Gospels of Goetia Chapter 924 Ancient Forbidden Gospels of Goetia ??----- "Okay, how do I eat the Sin of Arachne?" ["Eh?! You''re already¡­ Do you even know the consequences of carrying it?"] "I think I can handle it. I will simply modify it with my abilities." ["Can you even do that?"] "It''s worth a try." ["¡­"] "¡­" ["You''re insane¡­"] "You too!" The two of us couldn''t stopughing after that. It seemed we really were quite simr in some ways¡­ Though, thanks to the Unique Skills I''ve possessed, such as Yog-Sothoth, which can destroy anything. Maybe as long as I can extract Sloth out of Arachne and keep it still somewhere¡­ Maybe I could destroy it, devour it, or suppress it. And Curses and Stigmas? I doubt they would have much of an effect on me, I can devour Curses, deconstruct them, and destroy them. Above all, even if I get as sleepy as she is, I still won''t need to sleep because Ick a physical body, and even if I have to sleep, I can simply divide my mind, create Alter Egos using my other Body Skills, and more. Pretty much, I am made to carry these burdens, and I won''t let anybody else carry them. ["Okay, your confidence is quite contagious¡­"] Hel answered after a while, and then sent another message right after. ["There is a way to do what you want, a special forbidden ritual¡­ But once you do it, it will pretty much dere I have no intentions to go along my father''s whims, and that could put me in danger¡­"] "Would your father go to the extent of harming you?" ["I-I don''t know. He has never been like that before, he has always been such a gentle and good father, but¡­ I know he has a dark side, a wicked mind within him, one so relentless that¡­ I am not sure if he would prioritize loving his own daughter above his other ns."] "¡­Then what should we do?" ["It''s not like I''ll die. Even in the worst-case scenario, within my territory, I can go toe-to-toe with him and even Odin¡­ That''s it, only within my territory, Helheim. I can also close the open gates, so he''ll have to forcefully invade me."] "This is more dangerous than I thought, but if you''re willing to¡­ We''ll make sure to grow strong enough to help you." I said. "Hel, I want to change this world. I won''t let this endless cycle of destruction continue." ["Heh, we think the same¡­"] "You know what I have nned on doing right? I''ll st that Saintess, eat her divinity and whatever else she summons, stop the warlocks, kill the vampire in the other city, find my brother and then we''re going on war against the Empire of Light, no questions asked." I said. "And it will be within the span of a year¡­ It''s all going down from here, so it can''t get any worse, I believe¡­" The carriage was already getting closer to the Salt Crystal caves, there were on adventurers in sight. This ce used to be quite popr, but due to all the things happening in the city, nobodyes here to risk their lives anymore. ["I know what you have nned¡­ Whenever you go against the Empire, Odin and the other Gods will not stay still. The Heroes and Saints they''ve been raising will most likely fight back with everything they had, and they might attempt to descend through Divine Spirits again too¡­ I guess you need as much power as you can."] "I''ll free that girl from her curse and give her a life she deserves, as a normal girl. And I''ll get the power of Sloth, two birds with one stone. Now tell me the ritual." ["Okay. I get it¡­ You''re really a unique person, Maria¡­ I won''t tell you the ritual directly, but it is in here."] [The [Divine Ruler of Helheim and Goddess of Death] has sent you a gift.] [You received the [Forbidden Grimoire of the Seven Demonic Sins: Goetia (??? Grade)] [The Grimoire has been stored within your inventory.] ["Don''t read that while being outside, even less right below the heavens, the gods will immediately know you have it¡­ Keep it a secret and read it inside of your shadows, you can do that, right?"] "I am checking it right now as you speak." I opened the book inside of my shadows, materializing a second body there in a split of a second, the book looked ancient and divine, with a red color and finely decorated with bones and the skin of demonic beings. It had several jewels on top of it, and the word "Goetia" in the front. Merely opening a single page sent a wave of powerful demonic energy that tried to corrupt my mind. Ding!N?v(el)B\\jnn [You have been exposed to the Ancient Forbidden Gospels of Goetia!] [Your mind is taking constant damage!] [You have resisted it.] [You have resisted it.] [You have resisted it.] [You have resisted it.] [¡­] "Not enough, it is a bit annoying though¡­" Reading the book alone made it feel like not only my mind, but my soul were being slowly eroded by a ck mass¡­ but that didn''t worked perfectly, and my regeneration was much faster, so both cancelled each other out. [The [Erosion Resistance: Lv7] Skill has reached Level 8!] [Your mind is taking constant damage!] [You have resisted it.] [You have resisted it.] Not working, sorry. [The [Erosion Resistance: Lv8] Skill has reached Level 9!] [Your mind is taking constant damage!] [You have resisted it.] Nope! [The [Erosion Resistance: Lv9] Skill has reached Level 10!] [The power of the Demonic Death Fruit you''ve consumed has enhanced one of your Skills.] [The [Erosion Resistance: Lv10] Skill has evolved into [Erosion Absorption: Lv--] Skill!] [Your mind is taking constant damage!] [You have absorbed the damage.] [Your HP and MP are being restored as the Erosion Effect is being absorbed¡­] Oh yes. Who could had thought this was a thing? Absorbing the power of Erosion, a strange Element that is abination of Chaos, Mind, Abyss, Death, and Curse Elements. [Gazing upon the pages of Goetia no longer affects you, the forbidden knowledge written within this ancient gospel, by the Old Wizards that once understood thews of the world, is yours to learn.] ----- Chapter 925 Exploring The Abandoned Dungeon

Chapter 925 Exploring The Abandoned Dungeon

----- I started deciphering the Goetia as I could. The system messages told me it was actually written by Ancient Wizards of the past. It seems that these were people that understood and studied the world better than the Gods themselves. And of course, they were all wiped out by Odin''s anger, he could simply not ept that these mortals were beginning toprehend the world better than the Gods. However, they left their knowledge in this book, the Goetia. It narrates their past, and also what they investigated the most. The Cmities. They defeated some and studied them by detail, and the reason why they were wiped out by Odin''s judgement was because of this one reason. They managed to create a Ritual to extract a Sin from a weakened Cmity. Their goal? They wanted to harness their power for their own. And they almost did it, it actually worked, but the one that became the vessel went insane and became a monster¡­ Oops. Nheless, he was neutralized as well at the end, and¡­ It seems that they continued studying the sin, passing it to vessel after vessel. They were really insane, but all of this insanity has now built upon this knowledge, even if it was built upon by terrible acts, I must embrace it. The ritual is¡­ quiteplicated. I''ll need a lot of materials too. But I think I can make up for them using some of the ones I have right now. Though, I still can''t do it right now. For now, I''ll memorize everything and read the whole book. I feel like I might learn a Skill if I do. "Munch¡­" I ate my third fruit, as I felt a surge of powering from my whole body again, another of my Level 10 Skills was evolving. Ding! [The Pure Essence of Death of the Fruit of Demonic Death has enhanced one of your Skills, allowing them to surpass their limits.] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [The Skills [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv10] and [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv10] have responded to the Evolution at the same time, both Skills will be merged together.] [You have acquired the Fused Evolution Skill: [Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs: Lv1]!] ----- [Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs: Lv1] An evolved skill created by the fusion of the [Phantasmal Grasp: Lv10] and [Phantasmal Limbs: Lv10] Skills. Your Phantasmal Body has reached its next stage on its evolution as it has be a mighty, divine demonic being, an Asura. You can conjure as many limbs as you have Mana for, changing their shape and forms. Countless arms, countless hands, countless legs, countless heads. You''re the clear vision of the Ancient multi-limbed Asura, Demons said to battle for endless supremacy in the depths of Helheim. Your endless Limbs and Phantasmal Body have been naturally reinforced with your Divinities and your many other Body-rted Skills, enhancing their Movement Speed, Agility, Dexterity, Attack Power, and Toughness by +400%, with an additional +50% with each Skill Level. You can extend and manipte your Endless Spectral Limbs in many ways, your Spectral Limbs can materialize within any area deemed as your territory, and within a 50-meter radius around your body. The farther they are away from you, the less the bonuses be, however, you can extend your range and surprise enemies in a variety of ways. The very touch of your Spectral Limbs to a living or unliving foe drains away their Health and Mana by 0.5% per second, while cursing them and decreasing all their Stats by -30% as long as your limbs touch them. Your touch can not only cause such deadly effects, but if it manages to draw closer to their soul, it will cause +250% True Soul Damage, and may consume any enemy souls it touches. You''re not just a ghost anymore, you''re a rampaging demon with no equal! ----- What an insane Skill. The very description alone is long! But it is also incredible¡­ Itbines all the cool things of both skills and make them even more ridiculous. It looks like I can pretty much extend a domain of phantasmal limbs of 50 meters around my body! With this, I could be able to do even more multi tasks. I''ll be able to dedicate myself to both help my family and friends hunt monsters while I craft materials, read the Goetia, cook, and everything! "Alright, we''re here." I said, walking out of the carriage as we just arrived in front of the caves leading towards an underground area of the desert. "These must be the Salt Crystal Caves!" We all got out of therge carriage made out of bones I had created, which was actually an Undead too, named Abyssal Undead ck Carriage. "Well done Charlie." "Shall I apany you inside, master?" "Hmm, sure? If you want to. Bring your beasties too." I named him Charlie, and I made him use the souls of several merchants and stranded people that died in the desert, which came flocking to me once I stepped here. The bone beasts were just random monsters'' souls. But they seemed to have created a bond with Charlie, bing an extension of his carriage-like body. He was only a B+ Rank Undead right now, I didn''t put any effort into making him, but he still ended being fairly strong. "So? How did your conversation with Hel went? You just went silent after what happened!" Emeraldine said, feeling a bit frustrated I was screaming to the empty air for a while. "Oh, that¡­" Iughed as we moved to the dungeon''s entrance. "Let''s say I got a good deal, don''t worry. Arachne¡­ there''s a good chance we can help her get rid of that power. And also to help others like her. Now I''m sure that if this ever happens to Nyx or Root, I can solve it!" "You can?!" Lucifer asked. "Hel must really trust you¡­ So what''s the method?" "I''m going to just absorb the Sins!" I smiled brightly. "EH?!" Everyone looked at me with dumbfounded expressions as we were already quite deep into the caves, they were filled with beautiful white and red-colored salt crystals. "GRUOOHHH!" Their scream ended bringing the attention of a dozen Salt Stone Golems, that came rushing towards us¡­ ----- Chapter 926 Crafting While Hunting

Chapter 926 Crafting While Hunting

----- "What do you mean you''re taking it yourself?! Are you crazy, Maria?!" Lucifer was losing his marbles. "I-I know I am nobody to talk on this situation but please, don''t do that!" Jonathan tried to say very humbly. "You''ve already seen what it can do to people¡­ To Tear and Arachne, what will happen to you if you get that power?!" "This is too insane!" Partner cried. "Will you getzy if you get that sin?!" "Maria, what did Hel told you?" Sighed Emeraldine. "Whatever she said, don''t believe her! She''s still a goddess¡­ And Gods still see us as ants. Maybe she''s trying to manipte you into-" "She''s not manipting me." I sighed. "I discovered this on my own after reading a book I extorted her into giving to me. She was just against this as you were, but I am quite stubborn. And don''t worry, I''ve already calcted and thought about it pretty deeply. If I can absorb the Fragments of an Evil God and suppress their wills, why wouldn''t I be able to do the same with Sins? They aren''t as powerful as Gods themselves after all." "R-Right¡­" Said Jonathan. "But still! Too dangerous!" "Yeah!" Lucifer angrily barked. "I know that you''re worried, and I appreciate your concern." I said. "However, I''ve already made up my mind. Don''t worry, it''s not happening any time soon, I need to prepare things first, and I also need some materials too. I''ll probably do itter, when I evolve, because I need a lot of Divinity for this." "T-That''s¡­ you''re really stubborn!" Partner said angrily. "¡­I understand, if you really are so confident." Emeraldine sighed. "Everyone let''s not sweat the details for now. Let''s believe her, but if something bad ends up happening because of your decisions, you''ll have to apologize after we save you." "Fine¡­" I giggled. "You guys are so reliable!" "Shut up, you made me all grumpy now¡­" Lucifer sighed. "GRUOOOHHH!" A gigantic Salt Crystal Golem of over five meters emerged right behind him as we made our way through the caves. The B Ranked Monster swung its enormous arms against him, yet¡­! CLAAASH! Lucifer simply red at it with an angered expression, stopping its gigantic crystal arm with his bare hands. "Begone." TRUUUMM¡­! He swiftly imbued his own Aura inside of the golem''s entire body, quickly covering the crystalline body with hundreds of cracks¡­ Crack, crack¡­! CRAAASH! The whole thing crumbled into pieces after that simple yet effective attack. This was the power of someone''s aura once they reached a certain point. "GRAAAH!" "OOOHH!" N?v(el)B\\jnn "GOOOHH¡­" However, a dozen more Salt Crystal Golems could be hearding, they were the mostmon monster in the Salt Crystal Caves. This ced used to be visited by adventurers almost daily, but nowadays, nobodyes, so it has be infested with too many monsters. "Alright, let''s just talk this out more in detailter¡­" Lucifer sighed. "You guys, the low-level kids, you''re going to the front¡­ Ah, Nyx, do you want to level up, dear?" "You''re treating them way too different, daddy¡­" Nyx quickly realized he softened his voice just for her. "Hahaha, is that so?" Lucifer only giggled. Just giving a nce to our adorable daughter''s eyes quickly calmed him down and made him slightly happy. "Okay, Celes, Nia, stay behind us." Partner said. "We''ll weaken the monsters so you can finish them off. It won''t give you as much EXP, but I don''t think you can defeat these on your own yet, right?" "I-I don''t know, but I appreciate it!" Nia said happily. "I can, can''t I? I defeated that big tentacled guy before- No wait, Nyx did it¡­" Celes realized he was still rather weak. "Fufu, don''t worry. My barriers and branches will defend and support you," Emeraldine said. "Maria, are you going to help too?" "Sure! I''ll be doing a lot of things as we move though," I quickly called my Undead Carriage, Charlie, and sat down over his back. There was a wide area, so I quickly took out all of my utensils and crafting materials, and even my portable furnace, which Francisco had imbued with his powerful Infernal zing mes. It also had a lot of Fire Spirit Stones, Furnace Stones, and other stones that enhanced the furnaces and forges to have hot enough fire to melt the strongest metals. This portable furnace was a gift from the Dwarven Kingdom, Ruby and the King happily gifted it to me, so I took it. I haven''t had any chances to use it, but this is the best one. While everyone grinds EXP and Materials, I''ll be crafting the things I want for them. I''ll first start by making some equipment for the newbies. Nia and Celes need some equipment asap¡­ I''ll also make some for Fabian and his friends, and also Silva and maybe Catarina¡­ Later, Nyx will get some equipment too. And I''ll also improve and evolve mine as well! "Ah, you guys cane out too. Weaken the monsters but don''t kill them. Help the children level up." I summoned some of the Undead inside of my Shadows. Around fifty Undead emerged, Giant Undead Demonite Golems, the Undead Chimera Mushrooms, and the Undead Dark Treants, led by their respective Kings, which were all S- Rank. They swiftly marched forwards and held off against the endless army of Salty Golems, which were now more than two hundred! There was sure a huge nest in here. "Wait, you''re not fighting yourself?" Emeraldine wondered from afar. "Eh? You''re¡­ crafting?" She noticed I was already beginning to smelt some ores and gather the other materials and ingredients. I was also producing phantasmal mes and ck bones with my skills, alongside some of the things from my Soulscape to add as materials. "Yeah, sorry about that! I want to get things done asap." I said with a smile. "My Undead can help. Don''t tell me you actually need my help? These guys can be defeated with a single of your attacks." "I-I know¡­ I guess you''re right." Emeraldine giggled a bit. "As long as you upgrade my weaponter~" "Sure, sure, I''ll do it for everyone." As they continued shing against the golems and letting Nia, Celes, and Fabian''s crew finish them off, I started activating several of my new Skills to craft some overpowered gear. ----- Chapter 927 Creating Brand-New Equipment! Chapter 927 Creating Brand-New Equipment! ??----- I want to prioritize their safety first, so I better make some armor. I decided to make some full-body armor for everyone, just a single prototype would be enough, as I would then mass produce them using the Alchemy Recipe Book, which allows me to register items I make to instantly create them by using the materials they need. I decided to make some armor using a myriad of materials I had in enormous quantities, choosing the ones of the highest qualities. I used the ck bones I can create with my Bone Weapon and Armor Production Skill, I decided to add Moonlight Crystals, a Void Crystal, and also White Silver, Magical Gold, and of course, my unique metals, Umbratite Ore, and Venom ck Draconitite. I decided to first use my own shadows as the pir for this material, as I used Shadow Sculping Arts to transform my shadows into a full body armor, which would be fitting for most of the newbies. Of course, I decided to quickly imbue it with size changing and adjusting runes, defense enhancement runes, magic defense enhancement runes, and movement speed runes. There was a limit of how many runes I can imbue into a piece of equipment before it explodes due to the quantity added, and the limit right now is around five runes, so it isn''t that hard. And about the Runes themselves, they were quite easy to create. Each Rune had a different symbol for the most basic of effects. To create moreplex Runes, you simply had tobine the symbols together into more intricate designs that held the meaning together. In a way, it was quite fun, like building new words! And using Shadow Sculping Arts ended being surprisingly easy and nice. It felts as if my shadows are really like y. And I can shape it however I want! There were so many possibilities! However, I stuck to a simple and nice design, and then, using this design as the base, I smelted the metals and with Alchemy, I controlled them and fused them into the Shadow Armor I created. The Metals covered the Shadow Armor and then merged with it, taking a ckish color, which, after I made hotter with my furnace and phantasmal mes, became of a clear silver color, with a slightly darker shade. I didn''t want them to bring too much attention, so I added some Stealth Runes, so the armor doesn''t bring attention to the wearers. Because it was a Set with many pieces on it, I was able to imbue a few additional Runes, but not too many for now. Once all parts took shape and cooled down with my phantasmal mes, which were extremely cold. I imbued into them Souls through Soul Binding Alchemy. The Souls I imbued into the armor were the souls of the Salt Crystal golems everyone was hunting right now. While finishing off the armor and polishing it, I was also doing another two things as well, using my Asura Phantasmal Hands and my Divided Ego Bodies. One was finishing off a ck-colored spear, imbuing it with the Divine Lightning of the Divine Thunder Body, and covering the handle with Divine Spirit Wood, courtesy of Emeraldine. The other item I was making was a ne. The chain was made using thebination of the metals I used for the armor, with the center made out of my Shadow Threads which I sculpted with Shadow Sculping Arts for greater quality and stats. Lastly, for the decorations, I used the fangs of several Frost Monsters, and a big jewel, born frombining several monster crystal cores and spirit stones, with tiny fragments of moonlight and void crystals to top it off. Naturally, I also imbued them with Souls through Soul Binding Arts, for extra stats and also the possibility to turn these pieces of equipment into Living Weapons and Living Armors, gaining the ability to evolve and grow stronger. And for thest step, I put them down into the Alchemy Cauldron and Double synthetized them to make sure all materials could be perfectlybined! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! All three of my prototypes for mass production appeared, the glorious armor, the amazing spear, and the beautiful ne. And while that happened, I was already working on making a shield too. Ding! [You have Synthetized [Abyssal Silver Bone Warrior King Armor Set (A+++ Grade)] x1!] [You have Synthetized [ck Thunder-Branded Ghoul Spear (A+++ Grade)] x1!] [You have Synthetized [Spiritual Void Ne of the Abyssal Moon (A+++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained +30.000 Skill Proficiency.]N?v(el)B\\jnn [You gained +3.000.000 EXP.] [You cannot Level Up after hitting Max Level. Earned EXP has been umted.] "There they are!" I said happily. "Alright, mass producing time!" Ding! [You''ve registered the [Abyssal Silver Bone Warrior King Armor Set (A+++ Grade)] [ck Thunder-Branded Ghoul Spear (A+++ Grade)] and [Spiritual Void Ne of the Abyssal Moon (A+++ Grade)] Recipes inside of your [Apprentice Alchemist Recipe Book] Skill!] [You can now automatically produce these items by administrating the required Materials.] [Additionally, you can now rece some materials with simr ones, although the stats of the equipment might be reduced.] "Mass production!" I quickly offered all the materials again, souls included, and even the tiny pieces of moonlight and void crystals for the nes. I didn''t have to craft that many, just enough for those that still didn''t have their own armor, weapons, or essories. So, I crafted for Nia, Celes, Fabian, Silva, Spectra, Nick, Beery, Garon, Catarina, Laura, Takeshi, and Tear. For theter, I only made them the ne and the armor, as they preferred fighting otherwise. POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! The items kept spawning one after another, consuming even the souls I offered to make them soul-bind, even the runs were perfectly replicated as long as I imbued enough Mana to make them again. This was insane power¡­ Despite howme the Skill sounds, it has an incredible Ability like nothing else! With this, and enough materials, I might even be able to armor up my whole army of humanoid Undead that could wear equipment. Heheh! ----- Chapter 928 Testing The New Equipment Chapter 928 Testing The New Equipment ??----- As the items were being produced one after another, I heard amotion outside of the wall my Undead were making with their bodies, as we moved deeper into the caves without me realizing, the Salt Crystal Golems started popping up a bit weird. They were now ck and purple, and were covered in some Demonite, being much stronger, and called "Demonite Salt Crystal Golems", bing B+++ Rank right off the bat! They were thrice as big as the previous ones and packed a punch. Celes, Nia, and Fabian and the rest struggled to make a dent into their tough bodies. Without proper weapons this time, they would end up being forced to overuse their abilities and magic and then get tired quickly, which wasn''t the point of this intensive training day. "GRUOOHH!" The ck golems kept advancing, barely being stopped by my undead that kept sacrificing stopping them. The ones that were S- Rank were the three leaders of the Dark Treants, Demonite Golems, and Chimera Mushrooms, the rest were only around A- Rank. They were tough enough to kill the golems, but the problem was, I didn''t tell them to do that. They only had to hold them back and weaken them a bit. So¡­ they were obviously struggling, not all of them were made to tank so many hits. "GRAAAH!" Several of the broke through from the army of Undead and pointed their giant spike-covered fists on Celes and Nia, about to crush them. BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! However, my ghostly arms appeared there. My new Ability allowed me to manifest them from very far away. I used my arms to quickly wrap around the golem''s bodies, my arms ended resembling snakes now. Ding! [You have Created [Abyssal Silver Bone Warrior King Armor Set (A+++ Grade)] x11!] [You have Created [ck Thunder-Branded Ghoul Spear (A+++ Grade)] x8!] [You have Created [Spiritual Void Ne of the Abyssal Moon (A+++ Grade)] x11!] [You gained +75.000 Skill Proficiency.] [You gained +7.500.000 EXP.] [You cannot Level Up after hitting Max Level. Earned EXP has been umted.] [The [Soul Binding Alchemy: Lv3] [Spiritual Energy Maniption: Lv2] [Shadow Sculping Arts: Lv2] Skills have Leveled Up!] And done! "E-Eh? Those arms¡­! Lady Maria?" Asked Celes, looking far away to me. "Lady Maria, are you ready with the- Oh?!" Nia was shocked when she saw me appear right behind her. "Need some help, you guys?" I asked them with a smile. "Come grab your freebies!" I handled over the armor, spear, and ne to everyone that needed equipment right now. Takeshi, Laura, and Catarina felt surprised I made some for them too. Especially when they looked at the equipment''s stats! -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Abyssal Silver Bone Warrior King Armor Set] [Item Type]: [Full Armor Set] [Protection] [Item Grade]: [A+++] [Item Level]: [1/50] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped If The Maker Allows It] [Item Durability]: [300.000/300.000] [Item Effects]: [Physical Defense]: [+200.000] [Magical Defense]: [+150.000] [HP]: [+150.000] [MP]: [+130.000] [Attack]: [+125.000] [Defense]: [+150.000] [Magic]: [+125.000] [Agility]: [+100.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Greater Stealth (A)] [HP & Defense +15% (A)] [Elemental Damage Taken -15% (A)] [Agility +7% (B)] [Living Armor''s Growth Speed +50% (B)] [MP & Magic +4% (C)] [Item Abilities] [Silver Bone Warrior King''s Protection]: When equipped, Decreases Physical Damage Taken by -30% and Magic Damage Taken by -20%. 50% of Elemental Damage Taken is absorbed as Mana. [Soul Bound Living Armor Set]: This Armor has been bound by several Souls with each piece, making a whole Armor Set. The less armor pieces equipped, the less the stats given be, but if all armor pieces are equipped, enhances All Item Effects by an additional +20% and Decreases All Damage Taken by -10%. [Description] A Specr Set of Living Armor created by Maria, an aspiring cksmith using her unique abilities and techniques. It contains many amazing and useful Runic Engravings, and abilities that will protect just anybody that wear this set of armor. Additionally, the piece of equipment will continue growing stronger and develop new abilities or stats as it levels up. ----- This Armor alone was utterly ridiculous! I''m such a genius, heheh! "Wow, what with this armor? It adjusted to my body right away!" Spectra were shocked. "Is it alive? I can sense souls inside¡­" Said Silva noticed. "Yeah, it is!" Celes said. "Hi! Are you going to be my new friend, spear, armor, and ne?" "T-This spear is overflowing with so much power! C-Can I even wield it?" Nia was worried. "It is really overwhelming to hold this equipment, I bet it costs a fortune¡­" Fabian said. "E-Eh? We also get some ourselves?" Takeshi said. "Well, I can''tin, it''s really good equipment!" Laura said happily. "M-Me too?" Catarina blushed for a bit. "T-Thanks, I guess¡­" "But can we even use spears? I have no idea how to use one¡­!" Garon said. "Yeah, me neither!" Nick nodded. At their words, Partner stepped in, spreading her Aura into gigantic arms and stopping the movement of the golems approaching. "Don''t worry, spear is one of the easiest weapons to use!" Said Partner. "You guys! Just grab them by the handle and thrust at the golems!" "Yeah! Follow Partner! I''ll buff you up!" I waved my hands as several Magic Circles were conjured. "[Bloodshed Enhancement]! [Necrotic Death Phantom Veil]! [Berserk Pulse]!" Ding! [You''ve conjured [Bloodshed Enhancement] on your Allies, their Attack Power has increased by +100% and their Defense Pration has increased by +30%!] [You''ve conjured [Necrotic Death Phantom Veil] on your Allies, a veil of phantasmal necrotic energy covers their bodies, protecting from Damage Taken by up to 100.000 Health Points.] [You''ve conjured [Berserk Pulse] on your Allies, their Attacks will be guided by a [Berserk Aura] that will never miss a foe''s vitals!] [All Buffs Duration: 30 Minutes.] Everyone was enhanced with powerful Auras, as Nia, the brave mother of Celis, was the first one to fight, attacking the Demonite Salt Crystal Golem nearby, and aiming at the cracks on its body. "Hyaah! [Storming Spear]!" Her Spear gained her wind elemental magic andbined it with the thunder I imbued into them! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRAAASH! The golem instantly copsed into pieces! ----- Chapter 929 Powerful Spear Chapter 929 Powerful Spear ??----- "GRUOOHHH!" A dozen more Demonite Salt Crystal golems rushed towards Nia after seeing her massacre one of them, but Celes'' mother kept herposure. Her Magic Aura erupted from her body as Winds and Lightning merged together! For a moment, the woman seemed to summon a whole thunderstorm with herself. "Like Lady Emeraldine taught me¡­! [Thunderstorm Aura]!" TRUUM! Her Aura,bined with the bonus stats of her new equipment, generated a huge shockwave of magic power, pushing the golems back! "HYAAAH!" She quickly shed through the midair like a lightning st, reaching a golem''s chest and repeatedly stabbing it with her spear. "RAAAH!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "GRUOOHHH¡­!" Crack, crack¡­! CRASH!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The golem was unable to resist the endless onught of piercing blows, apanied by the buffs I gave to her and the amazing spear, lightning erupted from the golem''s interior until it crumbled into pieces! BOOOMMM!!! It literally exploded! Making everyone open their jaws in utter amusement about how my equipment could make just anybody amazing. Although Nia has leveled up some more beforehand, and had her Mana Veins Unlocked, alongside her Ki Meridians, and she had also been practicing her Magic too. So I suppose she wasn''t a newbie anymore¡­ And this equipment finally allowed her to show us some of her amazing potential. Then again¡­ I still have to give myself some credit, that spear is amazing! ----- [ck Thunder-Branded Ghoul Spear] [Item Type]: [Weapon] [Spear] [Item Grade]: [A+++] [Item Level]: [1/50] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped If The Maker Allows It] [Item Durability]: [200.000/200.000] [Item Effects]: [Weapon Attack]: [+200.000] [HP]: [+70.000] [MP]: [+70.000] [Attack]: [+200.000] [Defense]: [+70.000] [Magic]: [+150.000] [Agility]: [+150.000] [Thunder Attribute Power]: [+150.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+100.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Defense Pration +15% (A)] [Weapon Attack +15% (A)] [Attack Speed +15% (A)] [Attack +7% (B)] [Living Weapon''s Growth Speed +50% (B)] [Agility +4% (C)] [Item Abilities] [ck Thunder Branded Ghoul]: When equipped and imbued with Mana, Increases Weapon Attack Power by an additional +50% and Defense Pration by +30%. Additionally, grants the ability to unleash [Rampaging Thunder Strikes] which can deal up to +500% Thunder and Darkness Attribute Damage to a foe, and ignore 50% of their Elemental Defenses. [Soul Bound Living Weapon]: This Weapon is alive, imbued with the power of several ursed and unfortunate Souls. It hungers for more power, and it will devour a part of a defeated foe''s Magic Power and Souls to grow stronger. The higher the level, the more stats are increased. [Description] A Specr Spear Weapon created by Maria, an aspiring cksmith using her unique abilities and techniques. It contains many amazing and useful Runic Engravings, and abilities that will help just any pipsqueak be an overpowered thunderous fighter. Additionally, the piece of equipment will continue growing stronger and develop new abilities or stats as it levels up. ----- (Weapon Attack and Attack are different Stats. Weapon Attack is the Stat the weapon itself has as its attack power and the damage it can deal. Attack is the Attack Stat, simr to Strength.) It was just amazing, wasn''t it? "GRUOOHHHH!" And while Nia was finishing off the Golem she attacked, four more came rushing towards her. However, little Celes got her back, as he unleashed his unique Magic. His Aura erupted from his body, the sound of moving watering from him as his blue, aquamarine aura materialized huge tridents, which he imbued with the Thunder from the Spear. Indeed, the Spear also worked as a staff! It had enough Magic Power for that, and its Thunder and Darkness Element could be mixed into any magic, or even allow the conjuration of those elements of magic to anybody that equipped it! "Leave mama alone! [Thunderous Ocean Tridents]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The tridents moved at lightning speed across the air, reaching the golems surrounding Nia and hitting their bodies, spreading countless cracks and making them copse one after another. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! At the same time, Nia kept attacking the golems while receiving her son''s support. The two battled like warmongers, and the dozens of golems were destroyed in the span of five minutes¡­ Fabian and everyone else didn''t even had time to shine. "W-Woah¡­ What the hell?!" Partner muttered. "Master, not fair! I also want an OP spear like that one!" "Oh? Don''t worry, once I finally get to your spears, they''ll be even more ridiculously overpowered." I giggled. "Just be patient." "T-They really did it!" Fabian said. "This equipment is insane, Lady Maria! It must cost an actual fortune¡­" "We''re walking with huge bags of gold in our bodies!" Spectra said, panicking. "I am not that good at using a spear, I''m better with knives¡­" Said Silva. "But I can try using it for now!" "Don''t worry if the spear doesn''t fit you guys." I smiled. "I''ve got you the solution right now. [Shadow Sculping Arts]: [Shapeshifting Darkness]" After asking their preferred weapon types, I touched their weapons and sculped each spear into what they wanted it to be. Some became knives, other swords, others became gauntlets. The stats remained the same and so the abilities, it just the shape that changed, it is one of the benefits of my Shadow Sculping Arts over items I made using it "W-Woow! I got a shiny staff now!" Celes was happy. "It became two knives!" Silva celebrated. "Hey, can I get one now? Turn them into gauntlets!" Catarina asked me. "Where''s the magic word at?" I asked with a teasing smile. "Magic word?! What are you talking about?" She asked pridefully. "Come on Catarina!" I said. "I''m waiting for it!" "¡­Please?" "Again? I didn''t hear you." "Pretty please? Maria? Master Maria?" "Aww, you''re so cute when you act with humbleness! Okay." I quickly made a new spear and shaped it into a pair of ck gauntlets, which fit Catarina really well. "Oh yeah! Loving this! And the lightning! Holy shit this is perfect! Maria I would marry you at this point!" She said happily. "E-Eh?!" I felt slightly embarrassed when she said that out of nowhere. Partner and Emeraldine red at her with a rather deadly stare¡­ RUMBLE! However, that was interrupted with the sound of hundreds of golems approaching, led by a muchrger monster. This is probably the Boss of the Salt Crystal Mines! ----- Chapter 930 The Ruler Of The Salt Stone Crystal Mines Chapter 930 The Ruler Of The Salt Stone Crystal Mines ??----- TRUUUM! TRUUUM! Two enormous ck salt stone hands emerged out of the caves, apanied by a hundred Demonic Salt Crystal Golems marching in. The gigantic hands, each one of around five meters big, belonged to the tremendous behemoth slowly looming from the deeper parts of the cave where we were heading to. "OOOOHHHH¡­" It gave a loud, monstrous groan, this creature was certainly not a normal monstrosity. It was the Boss of this part of the Dungeon/Haunt, but even further mutated by the Miasma¡­ Ding! [The Ruler of the Salt Stone Crystal Mines, the [Giant Demonite Salt Stone Golem Great King (S Rank)] has emerged!] [Due to all themotion going out outside, the Boss of the Dungeon Area has decided to show itself.] [Apanying it, there are over two hundred [Giant Demonite Salt Crystal Golems (B+++ ~ A+ Rank)]!] [The Boss very presence enhances the power of all its subjects. All their Stats have increased by +50%] Ooh, another S- Rank Monster so soon? I have been collecting the S Rank Monster Crystal Cores, I need to eat ten for my evolution requirements. Currently, I have collected six of them. Three of them are from the bosses back in Emeraldine''s home, another from the Pharaoh Boss, a fifth from Belphegor, and a sixth from that other guy Belphegor fused with. Those two were the only ones that had an actual S Rank Monster Crystal Cores, the other might have been as strong as S Ranks here and there, but none had crystals. I guess thosest two had truly be monsters to end up developing them¡­ Nheless, if I can get this golem''s crystal, I''ll have seven! "It''s a S- Rank Monster?!" Silva panicked. "C-Can we do it?!" "We already fought a bunch of vampires that were around S Rank, why are you afraid now, Silva?" Catarina smiled, her gauntlets cracking with thunder. "Let''s do this!" "It''s huge though¡­ And intimidating, and there''s a whole army of golemsing our way!" Fabian said while half-panicking. "We''ll take care of the S- Rank monster ourselves." I said, as I decided to step in. "Undead! Move forwards, start attacking! Kill, but not all of them. Let the kids take the final blows if possible!" "GRUOOHH!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "SHAAAAH!" "ROOOAAR!" My Undead roared, giant Dark Treants, Demonite Golems, and the Chimeric Mushrooms that made up most of the army roared in unison, charging fiercely against our foes. I also added a hundred Skeleton Soldiers and Warriors, equipped with some ck Bone Armor and ck Bone Weapons, and further enhanced with my buffs. They marched at mymand, their attacks shing against the golems. Several of them were blown away by their fists, but they kept standing back up and attacking. "Catarina, Tear, Jonathan can I leave them to you guys?" I asked the two adults. "Sure, leave it to us." Catarina nodded. "I''ll take care of their backs!" "Y-Yeah, I can do it!" Tear nodded. "Thanks for relying on me!" "Of course, I will protect them." Jonathan nodded. "[Holy Shields]!" He conjured several shields of light in front of the younglings, which granted them another additional shield of 100k HP for our foes to chip away before hitting them for real. "Alright then!" I smiled. "Everyone else,e with me, we''re moving to fight that thing!" I quickly took flight, leaving behind the carriage with the things wrapped around a Barrier of Shadows. Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, and Nyx followed me as they flew over the army of golems in front of us. "GROOOHHH¡­" The Boss Monster greeted us with a surprised groan, its huge body of over fifty meters, which it had to crouch down to walk through the caves, was moving slowly. If we allowed him to get closer to everyone else, his attacks would be too devastating, so we had to finish it off right now. BAAAM! Its two huge fists attempted to crush us, as we were like little ants before it. The whole impact caused the entire cave to tremble, making the sharp crystals hanging from the ceiling to fall. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! We easily tanked them without taking any damage, but everyone else behind was a different story altogether. Thankfully, Jonathan had conjured his shields, coupled with my veil, everyone had double protection. "Are you so damn eager to die, big guy?" Partner arrived before I could touch the golem, right in front of it. She smiled devilishly, her Aura erupted into a crimson sea, which quickly started to swirl around her two spears. "[Blood Boost]! [Demonic Strength]! [Vampire Demoness Aura]!" She boosted her stats through the roof and then rushed towards the golem, which was too slow to react to her immense speed, especially for someone already almost at Max Level in the S Rank Realm. "[Consecutive Thrusts]!" She started by activating one of her oldest Skills, which she acquired as a skeleton. Now having evolved a lot, it became an incredible ability. By merely activating it, she was able to unleash hundreds of consecutive attacks at once, the golem''s arms, which it used to defend, were quickly covered on cracks and holes. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "[Combo Piercing Spear Attack]!" However, to the golem''s defensive posture, she answered with yet another vicious skill, her ability to createbo attacks was quite unique, and also an already super evolved version of an old skill she got as a skeleton. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! The bonuses of thebo attacks caused even more strength and pressure; the golem was being pushed back! "GROOHH!" It furiously attempted to fight her, growing several spears of demonic salt crystals from the ground and trying to impale her! However, we quickly stopped them, destroying them in that split of a second, as she had herst attack ready! "[Abyssal Vampiric Spear Thrust]!" FLUOSH! She gathered all the power she umted through herbo attacks and then unleashed it into a single attack, her two spears became a single spear of pure darkness and crimson blood energy! CRAAASH! Piercing the golem''s arms and making them crumble apart, while leaving a huge hole to the left side of its chest, making yet another piece of it fall apart! RUMBLE! ----- Chapter 931 Defeating The Monster Wave Chapter 931 Defeating The Monster Wave ??----- "GRAAARRRRGH¡­!" The Golem King gave a loud groan, its enormous, crystalline body quickly falling back and copsing on the ground. However, on is fury, its single red Demonite eye glowed brightly, firing a tremendous beam of pure, crimson-colored demonic energy! TRUUUUMMM¡­! "Shit¡­!" Partner was right in front of it, so she was about to be forced to tank that hit at point nk. Luckily, I teleported to her side through her shadows, putting myself in front of her, as I pointed my hands at the beam. "[Eternal Moon Mirror]!" My Moonlight Essence was quickly spent as it exuded from my body as a purple and pink colored energy, transforming into the shape of a beautiful silver moon in front of my hands. FLAAASH! The red beam was absorbedpletely, as I couldn''t help but smile evilly once its power was corrupted with my own!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I love doing this." I smiled. "Take it back!" TRUUUUMMMM¡­! The beam was directly fired back at the golem, it tried to erect a barrier made of crystals and Demonite, but it blew up and pierced the golem''s head. BOOOOMMM!!! "RAAAGGH¡­!" The golem took the hit and fell once more. On its fury, countless demonic crystal spears materialized, trying to impale us from all sides. "That''s not happening!" Lucifer roared. "[Divinity Shattering ws]! [Abyssal Death Divine Spear Tail]!" His ws and his long dragon Tail gained the powers of his Aura and Divinity, overflowing with Abyssal Death mes. He swung them against the crystal spears, shattering them all into pieces. "I''ll join too, papa!" Nyx, who had eagerly followed us, attacked as well with simr abilities as her daddy. CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! At the same time, Partner and I moved forwards to confront the golem, this time with our long-ranged attacks! Meanwhile, Emeraldine had already charged her arrows, firing a dozen while we conjured our attacks. "[Divine Spiritual Archery Arts]: [Divine Holy Spirit Arrow Rain]! [Divine Yggdrasil''s Arrows]!" She fired a mix between arrows made of light and those made of spirit wood and nature. The ones of light were very fast, falling over the golem at quick session, and chipping away at its durability. The Yggdrasil Arrows were much stronger, however, piercing deeply into the crystals and then exploding into spiritual energy, spreading its roots further while dealing constant damage. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "GRAAAH!" The Golem tried to grow new arms in that moment, only for Emeraldine''s Yggdrasil branches to grow around the area and stop it! "You won''t get any stronger!" As she said those cool words, Lucifer and Nyx gathered their Mana into their jaws and unleashed a double breath attack, sting the golem''s legs and making it fall down. BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!! "GRUOOOGGG¡­!" The monster relentlessly struggled, summoning crystal spears and firing beams of crimson demonic energy at us. Partner and I valiantly destroyed and blocked all attacks with our weapon, making our way into the golem as we activated our Auras and Powers. "Aim around the chest! Don''t break the core too much!" I said. "Okay, got it!" Partner nodded. Wielding both of my weapons, I imbued all of my Aura into them! Lightning, Abyss, Shadows, Poison, Miasma, Chaos, and Swarms emerged out of their auras, twisting violently. "[ursed Abyssal Nightmare de Arts]: [Demonic Ascension]! [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts]: [Abyssal Catastrophe]!" An ascending attack with my de attacked the golem with a gigantic wave of pure darkness, shing apart its defenses and spears. SLAAAASSHH!! The second attack released a catastrophic hacking blow, shattering its body even further and making it fall into pieces! CRAAAASSHH!! At the same time, Partner smiled, getting ready for a big attack! She was once more trying to steal the spotlight¡­ "Heh, this''ll finish you off!" She smiled proudly. "[Demonic Blood Spear Arts]: [Void-Piercing Crimson Spear]!" FLUOSH! Partner channeled all her power into the tip of her two spears, fusing them together into a gigantic crimson one, and piercing the weakened golem''s defensespletely. Crack, CRACK¡­! BOOOMMM!!! The golem gave ast agonizing scream as it fired red beams everywhere desperately, its entire body ultimately copsing, as the S Rank Crystal Core was left almost unscathed! "Whew, it sure went out with a big explosion¡­" I sighed, looking around to make sure everyone was safe. I had protected them by dragging them into my shadows, but the entire cave was left with huge, burning craters. I looked back to find the rest of the golemspletely obliterated and Celes and Nia giving me thumbs up while sitting over their bodies. "Looks like we''re done in here!" I smiled, celebrating as I grabbed the huge S Rank Crystal Core of the Golem. "This guy was sure tough, but the mutation helped it get to S Rank, which I appreciate." "Though, isn''t it weird?" Wondered Lucifer. "Why would a mere Dungeon Mutation due to overpoption make the Golem Boss get so strong? At most it should had been B+++ Rank." "You''re not wrong¡­" Said Emeraldine. "I also sense abnormally high quantities of Miasma and Demonic Energying from these monsters." "Hmmm, this is sus." I said, rubbing my chin. "Could they have been boosted in power by someone else then? The warlocks, maybe?" "I guess the Warlocks would have done it¡­ But why?" Partner asked. "No idea, we''ll have to find out ourselves." I said. "The souls here are clean tes, so at the very least they weren''t experimenting with people¡­ But maybe¡­ Maybe they were purposely making the monsters stronger here, so people don''t explore the dungeon?" "To keep people away from here then?" Lucifer wondered. "Maybe¡­ This could be their hideout, just maybe. We don''t have any confirmation yet." "Well, if it''s like that, then there''s a possibility they were not only rising these monsters to such high Ranks to just protect hideout, but also perhaps to raise an army¡­" Emeraldine said, sighing. "An army to destroy the city?" I asked. "But why would they want to destroy it? Isn''t that ce their endless supply of people?" "Maybe¡­ they wanted to do something much more sinister, for a greater goal." Lucifer revealed. As we thought about it, Nyx walked to my side. "Mama, I''m hungy¡­" Said Nyx, grabbing my dress and gently pulling it. "Oh! Right, how about we have a meal before we continue then?" I asked. "We can talk about what happened while we''re at it." ----- Chapter 932 New Necklace

Chapter 932 New Ne

----- I decided to quickly loot the monster corpses left behind, which were mostly a bunch of salt! I purified some and then decided to use it to vor the meat I was grilling. This time, instead of the boring frost monster meat we had an almost endless stock of, I decided to bring some of the fancier meat we got in the desert. This included giant shrimp-like creatures that wandered the desert and were very tasty, Wandering Antlions. Also, I added Cactus-Humped Camel meat, which was sweet and juicy, and also the Giant Desert Boa meat, which was tender and had a strong vor. I had bought quite a lot from some fancy ces back then, so there was a lot of new and exotic meat to try! Also, I got some seafood from back home that one of my phantom clones bought for me. While the food was getting ready, everyone was talking about how amazing my equipment was¡­ "I can''t believe how nice is to have equipment¡­" Catarina admitted. "It feels like I''ve be twice as strong! What the hell, such an unfair advantage that others had over me!" "I''m still surprised you can wear equipment when you''re like a ghost now, big sis¡­" Silva said. "But yes, this equipment is incredible¡­ Auntie Maria makes amazing items and make it seem so easily!" "Hahah, is that so?" I giggled. "Especially this ne." Spectra agreed. "It enhanced my magic power so much! I couldn''t believe it. It even helped me manipte my magic power easier. Although what I was taught by you also helped¡­" "A-Ah, the ne is really strong too." Silva nodded. "I never thought a ne could give so many bonuses¡­ Equipment this strong might cost a fortune¡­!" "Hahah, maybe?" Iughed. "But you ended paying with your hard work by hunting all these bad boys, so don''t worry about it." I shrugged. ----- [Spiritual Void Ne of the Abyssal Moon] [Item Type]: [essory] [Ne] [Magic Item] [Item Grade]: [A+++] [Item Level]: [1/50] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped If The Maker Allows It] [Item Durability]: [100.000/100.000] [Item Effects]: [Physical Defense]: [+50.000] [Magical Defense]: [+100.000] [HP]: [+50.000] [MP]: [+150.000] [Attack]: [+50.000] [Defense]: [+50.000] [Magic]: [+150.000] [Agility]: [+50.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+50.000] [Moonlight Attribute Power]: [+50.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Masterful Magic Control (A)] [MP & Magic +15% (A)] [Magic Damage +15% (A)] [Agility +7% (B)] [Living Ne''s Growth Speed +50% (B)] [Agility +5% (C)] [Item Abilities] [Abyssal Spiritual Void Moon Blessing]: When equipped, Increases Magic Damage by +15%, and decreases Magic Damage Taken by -30%. Allows for the ability to unleash [Abyssal Void Aura] or [Abyssal Moon Aura] to imbue Void Essence or Moonlight Essence to Magic, increasing the Power of Spells by +50% and giving them Magic Resistance Pration of up to 25%. [Soul Bound essory]: This essory has been bound by several Souls, giving it a life of its own. Wherever the wielder uses Magic, a part of it is feed to the ne to make it help grow stronger. It can also absorb the Mana of foes when they die, to regain some of its durability. [Description] A Specr Set of essory created by Maria, an aspiring cksmith using her unique abilities and techniques. It contains many amazing and useful Runic Engravings, and abilities that will help just anybody that wear this Ne, enhancing their magic power greatly. Additionally, the piece of equipment will continue growing stronger and develop new abilities or stats as it levels up. ----- I took a look at the ne''s stats; they were really as good as they said. I decided to make one for myself too, so I had it equipped just to stack my stats even more. It had a small ability to give some Void Essence and Moonlight Essence to attacks¡­ It is not near as amazing as my true Essences that generate from my body, but it can stack up with those two within me and make my magic even better as a result. Overall, a pretty nice stack stick! I can''t receive the stats of more than two nes at once, so this is my first one, the other I have is a rather weak one I got from the first ever dungeon I explored, where I found Lucifer sealed. "I was thinking on mass producing more of this equipment and give it to my soldiers." I was wondering, while flipping the huge chunks of meat around the grill and seasoning them some more. "But the material cost and the soul cost are still quite a lot¡­ I doubt I could equip thousands of allies with it, the price would be too ridiculous for me to afford it, sadly." "It would be better to only equip your best Undead with it, maybe?" Wondered Partner. "Like me?" "But you already got some amazing equipment anyways, Partner¡­" I sighed. "And I''ll upgrade yours too, so just calm down and be patient for now." I gave her a gentle head pat. "Hmm, well, aside from the elite undead you left back home, there''s also the silent pharaoh." Emeraldine said. "Did you call me?" The Pharaoh quickly emerged out of my shadows. "No, go back to the shadow realm." I told him. "Sorry." He disappeared. "Did you had to be so rude with the guy?" Emeraldine was shocked. "Hahaha! Don''t worry, he''s fine." I shrugged. "I doubt someone so ancient and strong would mind a few mean words¡­ Anyways, going back on topic, these golems are pretty sus, to be honest." "They are¡­" Catarina agreed. "I think they must have been artificially enhanced, especially the boss you fought, that guy was abnormally strong." "It indeed was." Jonathan agreed. "I could sense a lot of resentment within it too. Did it had souls imbued into it to make it stronger?" "It did, when it died, a lot of souls were released, but they flew away without drawing closer to me." I sighed. "They must have wanted to pass to the afterlife already¡­" "Hmph¡­" Lucifer seemed slightly angered. "Perhaps this ce belongs to the Warlocks. Let''s make sure to thoroughly destroy everything¡­" ----- Chapter 933 A Touching Talk

Chapter 933 A Touching Talk

----- As we talked about the dangers we faced, we ate the meat that had already been grilled. The salt had added a unique vor to it, a bit sweet and also slightly spicy. It gave it a very amazing vor, and with the juiciness of the meat, each bite was enjoyable¡­ I really needed a break, overworking myself making those items and then fighting made me feel slightly exhausted in the soul. Being surrounded my family and friends makes me happy though, even when we go through arduous trials, I have them all at my side¡­ I just need to find my brother and then things will finally be fine¡­ I think I might truly be happy by then. I hope he''s alive. Don''t worry, we''ll get there soon enough, please, wait for us. ¡­ "Maria? Are you alright? You look quite gloomy." Jonathan interrupted my thoughts. Usually he wouldn''t talk to me directly, but he had be bolder now. Which is good, I dislike he had been so shy around me, mostly because our rtionship has be slightly awkward after all these tragedies¡­ There are so many things I want to talk in more detail with him, but there''s either no time, or I just can''t muster the strength. "I''m fine. I was just thinking about my brother." I sighed. "I hope he''s alive¡­ I really hope so." "Your brother¡­" Jonathan said. "I do remember a bit of him. He was a strong rascal, goodhearted. He used to admire me, and always said he wanted to be a hero like me, hahah." "Is that so?" I smiled. "Since I met you that I''ve begun to regain my memories more in detail¡­ I do remember a bit of him. Of his cute smile, of him always running to my side and spreading his arms. And¡­ of how much he admired you, yeah." There was a slightly awkward silence between the two of us after that¡­ "Maria, I¡­" Jonathan muttered, suddenly looking down, he didn''t want to look into my eyes. It felt like he was afraid of how I would look back at him. "I''m sorry¡­ for everything¡­ I¡­ this, all of what has happened to you, all these injustices. If I¡­ If I had acted first, if I had opposed them first, maybe you wouldn''t had died, maybe you¡­" "There''s no need to me yourself for everything, Jonathan." I patted his shoulders. "Not everything depended on you, and I am sure you had your own family to protect too¡­ We both fell in a scheme, and you were also a victim of it." "Maria¡­" Jonathan was a very emotional man, much more than Lucifer, he already began to weep. "Still, I''m sorry¡­ Every time I look into your eyes, I feel so much sorrow, because I was unable to protect you, and to stop those injustices, those tragedies¡­ I feel so much anger too, frustration against myself, and against those bastards¡­" "Is that why you don''t like looking into my eyes?" I asked him. "Are these eyes of mine scary to you? Do they remind you of¡­ that I''m already dead?" "Ah¡­" Jonathan suddenly felt shocked by my words. "I-I¡­ Sorry, that is not what I meant¡­" "It''s fine, I know I''m already dead. I''ve simply transitioned into something else now, a being that exists in Death¡­" I sighed, looking at my own pale hands. "It is weird, and I felt very conflicted at the beginning, maybe I''ve grown rather insane too¡­ but, I think I''m happy." "You are?" He wondered. "I have found my own happiness. These people around here, and even you, right now, with me." I smiled. "Thank you for sticking with me, even if you had to y your own disciples¡­ I know it was a hard decision." "¡­Maria." He sighed, as I caressed his handsome face and cleansed the tears from his eyes. "You''re such a crybaby¡­" I giggled. "It''s fine, we''re together now." "¡­" Jonathan''s eyes shone brightly, as he suddenly seemed to understand something. He had been grieving me this entire time, without realizing I was always here, dead, yet not. I was a new form of "life", a new being, I was "alive" within death, but still, I existed. "Your face¡­ You''re still as beautiful as I remember." He sighed. "No, you''re even more charming¡­ I''m sorry for thinking these things. You''re Maria, my dear Maria¡­ Someone so beautiful and vibrant. You never let anybody trample over you, you were always fighting, with energy and enthusiasm. You loved your family too, just like you are now." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Jonathan¡­" I felt touched by his words. "You''ve never truly changed, you''re still there¡­" Jonathan smiled. "I''m the only one that thought otherwise¡­ I was being foolish, I''m sorry." "Enough with your apologies!" I giggled, hugging him. "I MIGHT stillck some memories but, I also know you a lot, you know? I know that my Jonathan cry for the slightest thing only around me and would open himself only to me as well. You would always tell me your grievances and frustrations, and I would always listen to you. Fate might have separated us back then, but we''ve fought against it, and we''ve meet once more." I held his hand, as he looked into my eyes, filled with so many emotions. "Maria¡­" He sighed. "Thank you¡­ I''ve felt so lonely since you were gone, it felt like my whole soul, my whole being had died alongside you. It feels like, finally, I''m beginning to feel alive." "Is that so?" I giggled. "I''m d." Without realizing it, our faces were growing closer and closer¡­ "Maria, I love you. I still love you so much. I never stopped loving you¡­" He sighed. "I pledged I would only love you and nobody else¡­ And I still do. You''re¡­ you''re my everything." "Fufu, you''re as good with words as ever." I smiled, caressing his face. Our lips quickly drew closer, as we looked at each other''s eyes¡­ I wanted this to take a bit more time but¡­ I couldn''t resist it. He was my first love in this world, and as these memories resurface, I''ve remembered how important he was for me too. Our lips touched, we kissed rather lovingly. His lips were so warm that they broughtfort to my cold soul. ----- Chapter 934 Memories

Chapter 934 Memories

----- "H-Hey what''s going on in here- Eep!" Partner was about to interrupt my kiss with Jonathan, but Emeraldine quickly dragged her away. "Partner, let them be¡­" "B-But¡­" "Come on, he''s one of her old loves¡­ I knew this would eventually happen." "Huh..." As the two walked away, our lips slowly separated, as I hugged Jonathan and rested my head on his big, warm and muscr chest. "I missed that kiss¡­" I sighed in relief. "Me too¡­ More than I could have ever imagined¡­" He said, caressing my hair. "You didn''t mind it was a bit¡­ cold?" I asked him. "It wasn''t cold." Heughed a bit. "You think you''re cold? When I hold these hands, I only sense the warmth and love of your soul." "The warmth and love of my soul?" I wondered. "When you express your emotions, I can sense the wavelength of your soul changing. Its temperature seems to change too, I believe." He said. "You were very warm, and you still are." "I-I see¡­" I felt quite embarrassed when he said that. "I do remember hearing simr things from my other partners, Emeraldine and Lucifer are more sensitive too¡­ They did said my insides were warm." "Y-Your insides?!" Jonathan blushed a bit. "A-Ah, sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to overreact¡­" "Hahah, it''s fine. As long as you''re okay sharing me with those three." I giggled. "You can kiss and love me as much as you want, and I''ll also do so¡­" "I would not dare make them upset, this is why I didn''t try to get closer to you¡­" He apologized. "Disrupting your rtionship with them is the least thing I would ever do, I know how happy they make you, and how important they are for you, especially because they were there for you when I wasn''t¡­" "Aww, you''re as considerate as I remember. I really thought you would get at least a bit jelly!" I said. "I wanted some drama~ You know, to break the ice a bit!" Jonathanughed at my joke. "Hahah, you''ve always loved joking about such sensitive things. You''ve got quite the dark sense of humor¡­ I remember not many liked that of you, but you always made meugh when I felt the worst." "Heheh, living to serve, chief." I winked at him. "Now how about we enjoy the food I prepared with so much love?" N?v(el)B\\jnn "Oh right! Before it gets cold." Jonathan nodded, quickly taking a bite off the skewer I made. "Hmm, this salt is sure delicious! Your cooking is as good as I remember it, Maria!" "Is that so?" I wondered. "Yeah, one of the ways you conquered my heart was through my stomach." He smiled. "Every day, you would bring me something you called a "bento" always prepared with so much love and dedication. There were so many little snacks inside, I always loved eating it in between my knight duties." "Bento¡­ Yep, that was really me, I was a hardcore weeb even then." Iughed; the memories resurfaced in my mind as Jonathan told them. "Let''s talk more. The more you say these things, the more memories resurface, one after another¡­" "Sure, we got enough time. What else do you want to remember?" He wondered. "What did my parents think about you?" I asked him right away. "Geh¡­ Already with the difficult questions¡­" He sighed. "Well! I do remember they used to dislike me at first. Your mother was a very fancy nobledy, so she disliked that someone like me, ofmon birth, was trying to court her daughter¡­ I told her I was a knight and also a young hero, but it took a while to convince her anyways." "She didn''t believe you?" I asked. "Right¡­ Mom was so stubborn! Hahaha!" I couldn''t help but remember the face of my beloved mother, and all her funny tantrums when I was telling her I was in love with Jonathan. My mom¡­ She was such a nice mother, always loving me and taking care of me. The more memories resurfaced, the more I felt like I missed her so much. I also remember well my mother from back on Earth, I loved her too¡­ But I had already left behind that life, and I am sure she''s still alive, living her life. Yet my mother here¡­ The stubborn nobledy, that always was ordering my father as if he were her butler, and that raised me and spoiled me so much¡­ My dear mommy¡­ Without realizing, tears started falling from my eyes. "Mom¡­" Jonathan looked at me with a rather pale expression. "Maria¡­" He muttered. "I-I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to bring so many memories at once¡­.!" "No, it''s fine." I smiled back, cleaning my tears. "It made me a bit sad, but I''m also happy¡­ Happy that her memoires are back, and that¡­ she still lives, within my heart." "I-Is that so¡­" Jonathan sighed. "Well, I can tell you that, despite her attitude towards me, I always knew she was a good mother. She loved you so much that she only wanted the best for you. This was why she was so overprotective¡­" "I know¡­" I sighed, caressing his hand. "Thank you for the memories, Jonathan¡­ But for now, let''s leave it at that! If I unravel too many too fast, I might really have a mental breakdown¡­" "I understand, let''s take this one step at a time." Jonathan nodded. "Let''s enjoy the meal with everyone else too! Ah, your daughter''s here." "Mama, seconds!" Nyx asked, waving her hand adorably. "Oh, uncle! Are you eating that one?" "Oh, this? You can have it if you''re so hungry, little Nyx." Jonathan gently gave his skewer to her. "Thank you uncle!" Nyx started devouring the meat as Jonathan gently patted her head. "You''re such an adorable littledy. You really are like your mom, haha." Jonathan giggled. "Really?!" Nyx asked. "Daddy told me you knew mom when she wasn''t a ghost! How was she back then?!" "Oh, well, not so different!" Jonathan said. "But she was indeed a bit clumsier, perhaps¡­" "Oooh! Was she a little girl like me?" Nyx asked. "N-Not that young¡­" Laughed Jonathan. "But we were both youngds, living our lives and all¡­ I''ll tell you a bit, yeah." Jonathan was dealing surprisingly well with my little Nyx. ----- Chapter 935 Maria Makes OP Equipment For Herself Chapter 935 Maria Makes OP Equipment For Herself ??----- We enjoyed our feast, and once we were finally done, we decided to keep moving forwards. As usual, I let my Undead scout the area first by advancing in the front, while the newbies were right behind them, waiting for any bags of EXP to walk in. As for my family? Well they were hanging out with me in the carriage¡­ They took my little kiss with Jonathan surprisingly well! Actually, Partner herself apologizedter for acting cocky about it. "Sorry about that, Master. I know now that Jonathan is really important and he''s not just some dude pretending to be nice with you¡­" Partner apologized. "I love you, please don''t get mad at me, sniff¡­" "I''m not bad¡­" I sighed while crossing my arms. "But you should apologize to him for being so rude." "E-Eh? To him?!" Partner was shocked. "No, no, there''s no need to apologize, Maria." Jonathan said with a gentlemanly smile. "Partner, I only have gratitude for all the time you''ve spent protecting her. You''re someone very important to her, I hope you can continue protecting her and loving her. Let''s work together from now on, at least as allies. Maybe we can be friendster?" He extended his big hand to shake hers¡­ "Huh¡­" Partner raised an eyebrow, ncing back at me. "Just shake his hand¡­ Come on, it won''t hurt you." I said. "Fine¡­" Partner shook Jonathan''s hand. "Let''s get along I guess¡­ Just to be clear, I don''t like guys! I only like girls, and only Master! So don''t try to seduce me or something¡­"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "E-Eh? That has never been my intention¡­" Jonathan said. "I''m sorry if I gave off such a vibe¡­" "Geez, he sure never stops apologizing." Partner said to me. "He''s like that, leave him be." I giggled. Lucifer and Emeraldine were nodding happily. "I''m so happy you were able to reconnect a bit more¡­" Emeraldine said. "I''ve never seen Maria so happy like that before¡­ You truly have a big spot in her heart, Jonathan. Thank you for cheering her up." "Oh, it is nothing, really." Jonathan smiled. "I simply just talked a few things, and she remembered some¡­ It is all thanks to you that she has been able to smile andugh, thank you so much for being at her side." "Hmph¡­" Lucifer nced at his eyes. "I guess you''re okay¡­" He admitted, looking elsewhere. "E-Eh? Thanks¡­" Jonathan bowed to Lucifer. "It is an honor to be recognized by the Dragon King¡­" "Hmph¡­" Lucifer simply continued crossing his arms. He was a man of little words sometimes¡­ And a bit tsundere. "That''s his way of saying that he''s happy that you''re around." I exined to Jonathan. "Oh, so he''s bad with words, huh? I see." Jonathan nodded with great patience and understanding. "That''s not it, you stupid human!" Lucifer got angrier and barked back. "Hahaha, don''t worry, he''s like that." I teased Lucifer. "Dear, don''t lose your control in front of Nyx¡­" "Papa, don''t be grumpy!" Nyx said angrily. "Or mama will punish you- no, I will! With this big tail!" Nyx pointed her tail at her father. "Get along!" "I am! I''m getting along¡­" Lucifer was very weak to our daughter. "Listen, Maria is my precious treasure." Said Lucifer, as he offered his hand to Jonathan. "If you ever dare hurt her¡­ I will chase you to the ends of the world and rip you apart piece by piece, got it?" "Y-Yes, I understand¡­" Jonathan nodded. "She is also someone very important to me, I would never dare do such a thing! I am looking forward to working with you, Dragon King Lucifer!" He bowed to him. "Ugh¡­" Lucifer sighed at my side. "Why is he so good natured? It''s hard to get angry at someone like him." "Heheh, that''s how he is." I giggled. "Uncle Jonathan!" Nyx called him again. "Yes, little Nyx?" Asked Jonathan. "Tell me how mama''s brother was!" Nyx said. "Oh, right! Well¡­" As Jonathan started talking about my brother with everyone, I decided to get some work done. I already was giving the finishing touches to a new shield I would be giving to everyone too. However, aside from that, I was also beginning to work on my own new dress. I wanted a special dress that worked as both a fancy dress like the ones I like to use, which seem to havee from my mother always buying me the fanciest and most expensive ones, that could also work as a full body armor when needed. I can use my powers to create armors over my body, hell, I can even fuse my weapons into bigger ones too! But still, although they give buffs, they are always based on my already existing base stats. To increase my base stats, I need to both levels up and get equipment, those are almost the only two ways to get them properly, so a good armor that also works as a beautiful dress I can change form and colors would be ideal¡­ For that very reason, I am already working on it, using my Shadow Thread Skill inbination with my Shadow Sculping Arts Skill, and creating countless fine threads made out of my shadows, reinforced and enchanted with lots of Mana, Phantasmal Essence, Void Essence, and Moonlight Essence. It required a lot of focus and effort, but as time went on, the threads were slowlying out, beautifully shining with a silvery glint, slightly dark gray in color. I also made some others that were silver colored, blue colored, purple colored, and red colored. The different colored threads would be essential for all the decorations I want my dress to have after all! While making them, I imbued Runic Inscriptions on them as well, all while preparing the other metallic threads, using the same ores and metals I used for that armor. Plus some of Brunhild, Lucifer, and the other Divine Dragons Scales, for extra super protection and defenses! I also added my own armor pieces, the armor I create when I transform, which can remain solid if I imbue mana into it before detaching parts of it. I decided to also add threads made using the Death Tree Wood, and all was finely enchanted using the dust of strong Monster Crystals, Void Crystals, and Moonlight Crystals. "The fabric is finally done!" I nodded. "Now, time to get sewing!" I was going to make the ultimate nobledy dress to make my mama proud! ----- Chapter 936 Action And Crafting Chapter 936 Action And Crafting ??----- I spent almost a whole hour of intense fabric creation to get everything done for my super nobledy dress. I wanted to make it slightly simr to the first one I had, well, the one I was wearing when I died. However, I wanted to add many new features, better colors, more decorations, and an overall very fancy and slightly exaggerated vibe to it. I think remembering my mom awakened within me the love for these dresses she loved so much. I''m also nning on making a new pair of heels, also color changing ones, which should be ck at the base color, but that could change color to red, purple, and gray if possible. I had thought about a witch hat as well, the more stats the better, right? But I don''t want a witch hat to be honest, I want something fancier, a nobledy''s hat, the fancy hats with flowers they wear sometimes, yeah, those! Also a pair of semi-transparent gloves wouldn''t be so bad either! So, I''ve got way more than that to make, this fabric I''ve made will not only go for my dress, but the hat and the gloves. I''ll make the heels out of abination of several leathers, metal, and the fabric too, for bothfort and strength. "But first, let''s begin with the dress!" As I rapidly sewed things together, I saw a bit of my surroundings. Our entire group had already reached the end of the Salt Crystal Mines We fought and confronted a few Salt Crystal Golems on the way, but there were no bigger threats, until we arrived at the underground''s Miasmic Swamp. This Swamp was different than the Swamp Dungeon back in the Dwarven Country, as that one was purified and filled with life, this one was imbued with miasma, bubbling and boiling. There were nts and mushrooms too, but they looked ck and red, mutated by the Miasma. And above all, there was Demonite Growing all around the ceiling and walls. It felt like someone had been mining this ce too, there were some mining tools here and there, and pieces of Demonite crystals spread around. The whole swamp was immense and led even deeper into the caves, thankfully there was a big enough passage for us to go through as we surrounded the entire underground swamp. As we moved near the swamp, ourrge group of people and army of Undead swiftly attracted the attention of monsters. SPLAAASH! A dozen creatures surged from the swamp, in the shape of enormous, ck-colored crabs, and giant walking catfishes. Each beast was at least ten meters tall. "B- Rank ck Miasmic Swamp Crabs and Abyssal Mudskippers." I said. "You guys can handle them just fine. My army, make sure to weaken foes and use yourselves as bait to bring more if possible." As I gave mymand, several of my phantasmal hands reached the depths of theke and started attracting more monsters. The best way to get EXP was by killing as many monsters as possible! So, I decided to call and bait as many as we could while we were at it. "Eep! Even more monsters areing!" Celes cried, looking afar to see more crabs, mudskippers, and also weird looking mushroom things with tentacles. "I guess this is another challenge, we dide here to gain EXP, so we might as well work hard!" Fabian roared, swinging the thunderous spear and releasing several attacks with it. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! He sted several holes through the hard carapace of a giant crab, which swiftly dropped dead on the ground, then risen as an Undead automatically. I could now leave my Death Creation Skill on automatically, so any dead monster would immediately join my army. "I-It rose up automatically?!" Asked Fabian. "That must be the power of Auntie Maria." Said Spectra, floating in midair. "Don''t worry, these are our friends once they die!" "O-Okay!" Fabian was still a bit surprised but continued fighting. "Heheh, I''m getting hungry again with all these appetizers!" Nyx flew into the air and then descended into the swamp rapidly, immune to chaos and even growing stronger by absorbing miasma, she had no fear of the swamp. SPLAAASH! She emerged a couple of secondster, bringing out a gigantic walking catfish, named Abyssal Mudskipper King, an A+ Rank Monster hiding under the swamp''s mud. "GLUOOP!" The beast struggled, but she held it tightly with her sharp fangs, and then quickly tore its head apart as she transformed into her dragon form. CRAASH! "Nom, nom¡­! Gulp." She immediately began to devour it as she killed it, I couldn''t rise that as an Undead, it was my girl''s meal after all¡­ Fabian''s group started fighting head on, while Celes and his mother apanied them. Celes was using his Water Spirit Magic much better now, while manipting spears of water and healing magic. His mother released storming attacksbining her winds with the thunderous spear, working perfectly well together! Silva had joined them with Catarina at her side too, while Takeshi, Laura, and Tear helped them from the side. Everyone else was watching over the fight, so things seemed safe enough. Seeing how things were going well, I continued working on my dress, imbuing it with Runic Inscriptions and using my Shadow Sculping Arts to strengthen and reshape the fabrics. Ultimately, I imbued several souls into the entire dress, and then started to rapidly decorate it, manipting the threads quickly. Lastly, I imbued them with more of my Magic and Mana, using the dust of Moon Crystals and Void Crystals as the primary ingredient for this enchantment. "And¡­!" I poured the whole dress into the alchemy cauldron and added several ores, crystals, and hard materials into the mix, synthetizing them into the dress. "[Synthesis]!" FLAAASH!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The dress absorbed all materials and strengthened itsposition, finally emerging out of the cauldron, floating in midair and exuding a powerful Aura. Naturally, because I had imbued it with many willing souls¡­ "It''s alive¡­ IT''S ALIVE!" Iughed maniacally; my beautiful dress was done! ----- Chapter 937 Hecate

Chapter 937 Hecate

----- Ding! [You have Created [Phantom Enchantress Dress Of Abyssal Moonlight: Hecate (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained +50.000 Skill Proficiency.] [You gained +15.000.000 EXP.] [You cannot Level Up after hitting Max Level. Earned EXP has been umted.] FLAAASH! The beautiful ck dress floated in midair, waving around as if it were alive. And it was! It even was given a name, something I didn''t expect at all. Sometimes, Named Items would be created, being given amazing effects and even personalities of their own. Although the dress couldn''t talk, it moved as if it were a being of its own, suddenly extending its arms towards me and patting my head. "What? You''re pretty expressive already, Hecate." "¡­!" The dress then started grabbing the one I was wearing and tearing it apart! "Hey, wait a minute! Let me take it off myself!" I ended going to the Shadow Realm where I was almostpletely naked by Hecate''s furious anger that she was being reced by someone else. She quickly wore herself over my body in that moment, as I felt a powerful connection between the two of us¡­ Aside from that, Void and Moonlight Essence started being generated faster than before as well. And my own Stats and capabilities were amplified quite a lot, much more than I imagined! ----- [Phantom Enchantress Dress Of Abyssal Moonlight: Hecate] [Item Type]: [Full Armor Set] [Magic Armor] [Phantom Dress] [Living Armor] [Item Grade]: [S+++] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped by Maria] [Item Durability]: [2.500.000/2.500.000] [Item Effects]: [Physical Defense]: [+2.000.000] [Magical Defense]: [+2.000.000] [HP]: [+800.000] [MP]: [+800.000] [Attack]: [+550.000] [Defense]: [+1.000.000] [Magic]: [+550.000] [Agility]: [+800.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+500.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+500.000] [Death Attribute Power]: [+500.000] [Moonlight Attribute Power]: [+500.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Divine Stealth & Camouge (S)] [Void & Moonlight Essence Recovery Speed And Quantity +100% (S)] [Elemental Damage Taken -50% (S)] [HP & Defense +30% (S)] [Attack & Agility +30% (S)] [MP & Magic +30% (S)] [Item Abilities] [Sentient Phantom Dress: Hecate]: This Phantom Dress is Alive and is named Hecate. She is very jealous of other dresses. When equipped, Decreases All Damage Taken by -30%. 50% of All Damage Taken is absorbed as Mana. Increases All Stats by +50%. Hecate may join in the battle by swinging her arms, threads, or other methods, dealing up to +500% Phantom and Death-type Damage based on 25% of your Attack and Magic Statsbined with her own, ignores -50% of foe''s defenses. Hecate can grow stronger by absorbing Souls andpatible Materials. [Void Heart and Moonlight Soul]: Hecate''sposition is unique, she possesses a Heart made of Crystalized Void, and her Soul isposed of hundreds of smaller souls melded into Moonlight Essence, giving her unique powers. 15% of Damage Taken is absorbed as Void Essence and Moonlight Essence automatically. Enhances Void and Moonlight Magic Power by +250% and decreases their MP Cost by -50%. Hecate may conjure any spell you''ve conjured before to aid you in battle, with 50% of the original damage and zero cost. [Witch Goddess Abyssal Armor]: By imbuing Mana, Void, and Moonlight Essence into Hecate, a powerful full-body armor can be formed, whose shape and attributes will change depending on which Skills you desire tobine into it. Basic Effects of the Armor include All Defensive Stats +100%, HP +500%, Damage Taken Reduced by -30%, and Elemental Absorption of 20% of Magic Damage Taken. Once Hecate takes enough Damage, all Effects will be doubled for a small amount of time. [Description] An incredible piece of equipment unique, never seen before Directly support the authors on WebNovel! made by cksmith and Sewing Master Maria. It has been imbued with many souls, originating one of its own named "Hecate". This dress has a dominant and jealous personality, and will not tolerate any other dresses, armor, or pieces of clothing covering their wearer''s bodies. It possesses the infinite ability to evolve and improve itself and can self-repair itself through the wearer''s Mana. A once in an eon masterpiece that rivals the Divine Treasures of the Gods and might as well have the potential to surpass them. ----- It was more amazing than I could have ever hoped, it offered so much protection it was insane¡­ With this I could most likely take a hit from a God and be fine now. The amount of reduced damage it offered was otherworldly, and might be because of the Void properties she holds, capable of negating power and damage taken. I have still yet to try Void Magic that much, but it seems to derive from Darkness Magic I''ve wielded a lot since even before I was a Ghost, I already had affinity with Darkness Magic, and gained Death Magic affinity after death. Nheless, as I surged out of my Shadow Realm to see what''s up, everyone praised my new dress, finding it as wonderful as I wanted. "You sure look like a rich girl with that thing¡­" Lucifer said, blushing. "You look stunning." "Ah, I am beginning to like this gothic vibe you''re going for now¡­" Jonathan was hardly containing his words now. "That dress¡­ Aside from its beauty, it has a powerful soul and a core of its own." Emeraldine analyzed it. "Impressive, it took you a while to make things, didn''t it?" "Yep, I took a lot of time making every piece of it, with this¡­ I could confidently fight off against Divine Beings now, to an extent." I smiled. "It has so much durability it can take hits from S Rank monsters for days too! And it can recover the durability endlessly by using my own Mana." "¡­!" The dress seemed to wave a bit, until a phantasmal presence surged from within, resembling a small fairy made of void essence with hair and a witch hat made of moonlight essence. "Huhuh!" As she manifested herself, everyone was shocked. "It can talk too?!" Partner asked. "No, she can''t talk, but she''s¡­ Well, she''s doing noises." I giggled. "Right?" "Ehe!" Little Hecate was very proud of her existence. RUMBLE! However, the rxing atmosphere was interrupted when the swamps shook, and a gigantic creature emerged. And it exuded the aura of an S Rank Monster too! "A second S Rank already? What are the odds?!" ----- Chapter 938 Hunting Monsters

Chapter 938 Hunting Monsters

----- The swamp that everyone had been abusing for easy EXP quickly shook, as something truly frightening emerged from within, an enormous monster of over fifty meters of height. It resembled a chimera between the mudskippers, the crabs, and some squids. It had the fish-like body of mudskippers, with giant crab ws, and tentacles with eyes popping out of its back. Its face was that of a huge catfish, with enormous sharp fangs! And above all, there was arge purple jewel on its forehead, while the rest of its slime-covered body was armored with a series of ck scales. "GROOOHHHH!" Ding! [The Ruler of the Miasmic Swamp: [Tyrannic Miasmic Swamp''s Aberrant King (S Rank)] has emerged!] [His fury knows no bounds, as he has seen how you and your group have been massacring the living beings within his domain!] [An army of thousands of swamp-dwelling aberrations are beginning to surge from within the swamps, ready to take down anything.] [Due to the presence of their King, All Stats have increased by +100% and their Attacks deal +50% more Damage.] "Looks like we provoked their King." Catarinaughed as she saw countless beasts surge from the swamps. "There way too many!" Silva panicked. "They''re alling! Watch out!" Fabian said. He conjured giant walls made of Demonite, which the group of monsters easily broke apart, destroying them into pieces and moving forwards. The Boss was standing there, menacingly. It was doing nothing other than watching his minions do their job. For an S Rank Monster, it seemed awfullyzy! Was it just recently evolved into an S Rank Monster, by any chance? Well, this is the perfect chance to try out Hecate''s powers. But first¡­ "Don''t have mercy. Pharaoh, you can join too this time." "Hohoho, dly, my new master." The Pharaoh emerged out of my shadows, right in front of the rest of my Undead that rapidly marched against the army of miasmic swamp monsters. Both armies swiftly shed against one another, all sorts of zombie monsters, skeletons, and phantasmal creatures started tearing apart the swamp creatures, even after being boosted by the Boss. I already had so many buffs and modifiers within me that my Undead became tremendously strong by my own existence, and when I added a few buffing spells, they became even deadlier. The Pharaoh in specific, madepletely out of a crystalline skeleton, giggled. The Lich waved his enormous staff as he conjured ck sands and ck light around his body. "It is finally my time to show off some of my strength!" Laughed the Pharaoh. "[Abyssal Sand Domain]! [Astral Dark Light Spears]!" His domain of Abyssal Sand quickly erected around his surroundings, enormous hands and arms made of these ck sands punched the monsters away one after another. Alongside that, his spears pierced them and exploded, blowing them up by the dozen. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! His magic kept being conjured, expanding on a wide range. Fabian and every other trainee we were training was left speechless as my army took care of everything seamlessly. But that''s not how I wanted it to be. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Leave space for the trainees to join in, don''t steal all the EXP." I ordered my Undead. "Don''t kill the monsters incapacitate them or wound them a little! Harden your defenses." The zombies and skeletons nodded, quickly taking different postures and changing their tactics swiftly. They were still as fierce as before but were leaving the monster alive for easy pickings. This was the time where they could gain the most EXP. "Go on, everyone!" I said. "Make sure to hunt them and get your Experience!" "Alright!" Fabian led his little group, while Celes and Nia apanied Silva and Nyx, who decided to apany them with Catarina. As for the rest, we decided to concentrate on the big boss over there, who was looking from a distance. It seemed somehow wary of us, maybe it knew we were strong and didn''t want a direct confrontation. Well, too bad! SPLAAASH! Suddenly, countless phantasmal hands surged from the depths of the swamp, wrapping themselves around the giant King beast and alerting it of an attack! My Phantasmal Hands had several new powers too, such as being able to weaken foes they touch, draining their life, and above all, deal some damage too! Without even being there yet, my phantasmal arms kept surging and attacking it, punching it all across its body. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "GRUOOHH!" The swamp King grew furious, quickly swinging its entire body and spinning at a rapid speed, diving deep into the swamps waters and using it to move faster. FLAASH! FLAASH! FLAASH! With its gigantic jaws and crab-like ws, it cut through my phantasmal hands one after another at a rapid pace. Not bad! "How about this then? Hecate!" "¡­!" Hecate gave out a cute noise, as the arms of the dress grew tens of times longer, reaching the beast below and smacking it with tremendous force. BAAAAMM! BAAAAMM!! "GRUUAAGH¡­!" The creature quickly swam underwater, escaping Hecate''s attacks¡­ However, that wasn''t going to be so easy! FLUOSH! ck and silver threads emerged out of Hecate almost endlessly, wrapping around the beast''s torso and dragging it back where it was seconds ago. I just had to put a bit of strength! "Here we GO!" SPLAAASH! I fished the whole thing out of the water, as I equipped both of my weapons and imbued them with my Aura, rushing towards it. "How about this for a change, big guy? Let me shave out those annoying scales!" I swung both my giant axe and the sword at once, vertically and horizontally, each sh releasing an explosion of Phantasmal and Darkness energies. SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! "GRYYYAAARRGH¡­!" The beast''s scales were falling apart one after another, its eyes shining bright red across its tentacles as it fired several miasmic beams against me. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! My simply Darkness Barriers shattered into pieces against such powerful beams, but Hecate shielded me, as her threads turned into a huge veil in front of me. "Takeshi, Laura! How about you help me fish this guy?" I asked the two so they could get some action themselves. "Sure!" Both were excited to partake on the hunt. ----- Chapter 939 Amazing Equipment

Chapter 939 Amazing Equipment

----- Takeshi summoned his fishing rod''s Unique Skill while Laura gathered her Explosive Power around her, resembling a giant cloud of explosive mes imbued with chaos. "[Great Sea Domain]!" SPLAAASH! Takeshi expanded his powerful domain and merged it with the swamp, controlling the waters and using them to quickly surround the S Rank Monster. At the same time, his fishing rod''s metallic thread traveled across the waters and emerged out of them, wrapping around the monster''s body. As it wrapped around its body, the scales started falling more rapidly and the tough metallic thread began to pierce through the flesh, letting it bleed rapidly. Meanwhile, Laura''s powers manifested into the form of several gigantic arms and fists, loaded with explosive power. "Take this! [Explosive Chaos Demon''s Fists]!" The titanic fistsnded on the beast, with explosions, big explosions, of course! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Each explosion took a nice chunk of HP from the S Rank beast, as it struggled to realize what was happening to it. Its many tentacles, with eyes, fired more beams against us, but I blocked them with my weapons and Hecate''s help. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "As long as I am around you''re not hurting the kids." With a confident smile, I raised my hand. SPLAAASH! Suddenly, hundreds of phantasmal hands fused together into a titanic phantom hand, grasping on the feast tightly! "GRAAAH!" The creature wasn''t an S Rank for nothing though, in that second, it conjured hundreds of magic circles and fired explosive projectiles of darkness and chaos against us. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! At the same time, Laura and Takeshi were forced to step back due to the intensity of the magic, all while the boss reached the seas and, with immense fury, charged toward us. It swam at lightning speed, and once it was close enough, its gigantic crab-like ws attempted to crush us like a pair of mighty hammers. BAAM! BAAM! BAAAMM!! However, it only ended greeting Laura''s mighty Explosive Demon Fists and my weapons, imbued with my powerful Aura. Additionally, my Phantasmal Arms surged endlessly from my body, unleashing a barrage of Ghost Fist Techniques that broke through the monster''s defenses and exploited its weak soul. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "GRYYAAEERR!" The creature was blown back again, its HP was already below thirty percent, it was growing desperate, and it seemed like it was beginning to consider escaping. FLUOOSH! It manipted the water on its surroundings and began to swim away as fast as possible, while summoning more of the monsters in the swamp''s depths to stop us from advancing. Though, that wasn''t going to help anyways! "Okay, cowards piss me off the most!" Laura imbued her Mana into her staff, a modified thunderous spear, andbined the lightning power with her explosive mes. The result was a devastating sword made of both explosive chaotic mes and golden divine lightning! "[Chaotic Explosion Demon''s Lightning Sword]!" FLAAASH! The massive sword reached the boss, piercing through its body and then exploding. mes and electricity rushed everywhere, electrifying the nearby monsters and killing them on the spot. BOOOOMMM!!! "GRUOOHHH!" The beast agonized, and survived somehow, its wounds slowly beginning to regenerate as a miasmic aura covered it. "It''s trying to regenerate!" Takeshi said. "Stop right there!" The boy manipted the waters through his domain and used them to absorb the miasma away, while transforming the waters into sharp spears and spikes, damaging the creature. The fishing rod''s metallic thread changed its form through bing a huge metallic snake, wrapping itself around the creature''s body. The snake bit through its flesh with the massive jaws it developed, tearing the flesh apart! "Now!" I felt it was my turn at this point, as I imbued Hecate with my Divine Thunder Body powers, as ck and purple lightning surged from my entire body. FLAAASH! Hecate suddenly transformed, the beautiful dress bing golden and fizzy, as if it had be made of pure lightning. "Now!" With my two weapons absorbing all this power and Hecate''s abilities on top, a huge hand made of golden, ck, and purple lightning emerged above the monster, while the weapons aurasbined, forming a huge lightning hammer. "This is a little copy of that one Skill Thor''s Divine Spirit used¡­!" I smiled. "[Mjolnir''s Strike]!" The hammer went down rapidly, as an explosion of lighting engulfed everything. CRASH! The S Rank monster, already wounded from all the battle, ended dying immediately, fried alive by all the lightning coursing through its body. This lightning had the power to purify miasma, dealing even more damage to a monster that seemed to have been prematurely and forcefully evolved using Miasma. With that attack alone, the rest of the swamp started looking much clearer now, all the lightning killed the monsters living there and purified it quite a lot! "Phew! Well, that was easy, wasn''t it?" I asked Takeshi and Laura, who looked exhausted. "I-I guess?" Takeshi wondered. "It was a bit too tough for me." Laura sighed. "Well, we''ve fought worse things." "Hahaha, let''s take a break, looks like everyone''s done over there." I said. Fabian and every other trainee had already in the monsters which my Undead helped on weakening and stopping. Of course, so they could gain further battle experience, I also told the Undead to leave at least half the monsters intact, so they could be a bigger challenge. So, in between easy pickings of EXP from weakened and nearly dead monsters, they also got to do some real fights against healthy and deadly ones, developing their battle experience. I liked things bnced after all! Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, Jonathan, and Tear ended doing nothing other than protect the backs of the trainees, as Takeshi, Laura, and I ended taking down the Boss all on our own. Although I had heard the miasmic swamp as the end of this dungeon, it really wasn''t¡­ The path kept going forwards to a deeper area, where I could sense there were some stairs. Looks like this dungeon has some unexplored areas, or maybe that had never been reported before. ----- Chapter 940 Maria Is Lovely Chapter 940 Maria Is Lovely ??----- After the defeat of the second wave of monsters, I decided to bring out the monster corpses I could, including the boss, and butchered the big boss for the S Rank Magic Crystal. With that, I had¡­ eight, I think! Two more to go! This Dungeon has been pretty nice on its rewards so far, to think it was just a little trip we were going to have around here. "So far so good." I said, storing thest magic crystal inside my inventory. "Everyone''s a bit tired so we''re taking a little break before continuing." "It has been only a couple of hours since we entered, but it looks like there''s some more space to explore." Emeraldine pointed out, she was right at my side alongside Partner. "Master, did you had to kill the whole monster yourself with Takeshi and Laura alone?!" She asked, slightly angrily. "That''s not fair at all, I also wanted some action, you know?" "Hahaha, sorry about that. I know you wanted some action, but I wanted to see how far Takeshi and Laura have progressed too." I said. "I think they should be able to beat S Rank threats if they work together and give it their all by now." "Well, didn''t they do that already back then when we got trapped by the Warlocks?" Emeraldine asked curiously. "Well yes, but they still received the help of Tear, I believe¡­ Nheless, you''re right. I think they can take care of themselves pretty well now." I said rather proud of them. "To think that back then they were so afraid of everything, when we found them running away from thatboratory¡­" "Ah well, yeah¡­" Emeraldine sighed. "Those weren''t the best times. We were also running away ourselves, it was a harsh and hard life. We''ve gotten better now! Though, aren''t we still hiding?" "It is part of the job at this point." I shrugged. "Don''t worry, once the weekes to an end, we''ll no longer hide." I smiled, giving her a kiss in her nose. "I know you''re worried, but everything''s alright." "It''s my job to always be worried, everyone herecks too muchmon sense sometimes." Emeraldine gently caressed my face. "But I know that as long as you''re around, I''ll always be safe." She gave me back another kiss, much more lovingly on my lips. We ended looking at one another''s eyes for a little few second, creating a warmer and sweeter atmosphere. "Sometimes I feel like hugging and cuddling with you in bed all day¡­" I sighed. "Heheh, we can do that once we get back home." She smiled. "We''vezed around a lot before, no?" "Right~ But I wish there weren''t any responsibilities or worries for once, just us all chilling for eternity¡­" I said. "Ugh¡­" "Come on now, it''s alright." Emeraldine smiled. "We''ll get through things, and I''m sure that eventually, we''ll be able to enjoy that life that you want so much. We''ll "chill" andze around, and eat tasty food, and do nothing productive." "Hahaha, when you put it like that it sounds a bit awful!" Iughed. "Well, that''s just how you are sometimes, Maria." Emeraldine giggled. "But it is also one of the charming things about you¡­" "Aww¡­ You''re such a sweet little cinnamon roll,e here." I kept hugging her and kissing her neck and cheeks, and sometimes her soft and cute lips. "I''m so lucky to have the most adorable elf wife in the world." "Geez, stop it, you''re making me embarrassed again¡­" Emeraldine grew redder as she pouted a bit. Oh my gosh, she''s the cutest! Isn''t she?! "H-Heeey¡­ Aren''t you forgetting about someone here? You lovebirds¡­" However, there was a pair of crimson eyes staring at us while we were doing lovely things and ying like two dumb lovers. Partner was a bit jealous that we ended ignoring her for a little while. "Oh, my bad¡­ Sorry about ignoring you." I giggled. "Come here, you''re my adorable red velvet cake." I dragged her in by the hips and gave her a big kiss in her puffy cheeks. "Mooch!" "M-Master, you''re being so lovely out of nowhere!" Partner blushed. "Does this mean you''re horny?!" "N-No, that''s not it!" I sighed. "I''m just appreciate our bonds and love¡­ What''s wrong with a bit of that sometimes? I always do it anyways! Don''t act like I don''t." "M-Maybe¡­" Partner felt embarrassed. "I love you too, Master! Since you gave me life with your magic, that I sworn I would protect the clumsy and overly talkative ghost bringing me to all sorts of dangerous ces, hehe." "So that''s how you saw me back then?!" I asked in surprise. "Well, that makes me feel slightly embarrassed now¡­ Was I that dummy?" "Yes! You were always talking and talking, and very dummy! I had to protect you a lot or you would end up deader than dead." Partnerughed out loud. "Damn¡­" I felt slightly conflicted about that. "Well, d you stuck with someone like me, that''s why I called you Partner back then. It was a rather careless name from my part, but it seems you don''t really want to change it." "Nuh-huh, that''s the name you gave me, and I like it! It means I am yourpanion after all!" Partner was being more adorable than ever now. "Now give me some more moochies!" She ended jumping over me and asking for more kisses.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hahaha, enough, enough~" As I giggled and Emeraldine found the situation funny, I could feel the smell of grilled fish and boiled crab. "Hmm?!" I saw Jonathan having purified the boss corpse using his holy light magic, which was then cut down to pieces and grilled and boiled¡­ The huge crab pincers it had must be full of tender meat, and that fish grilled meat, covered on soy sauce and other spices seemed delish too! "Ahh, I''m getting hungry again!" As we ran to eat with everyone else, the three other Divided Egos I was using to continue crafting on top of the carriage were almost done with my new fancy heels and the gloves. ----- Chapter 941 Evolution Requirements

Chapter 941 Evolution Requirements

----- "Here, serve yourselves, you must be hungry." Lucifer and Jonathan worked together, unexpectedly, and served all of us with an immense feast! Emeraldine ced some wooden tables and chairs around a stable area with no wet mud and we sat down to devour our meal. The boss was the greatest delicacy though, its fish meat was delicious and very tasty, with a strong fishy vor like not many things I''ve tasted. But aside from the fish vor, it also had the big meaty ws, which once boiled and broken, revealed a bountiful treasure of tender white meat inside. And that wasn''t all, the tentacles were also cut down and grilled, some others were made into little cubes and added to a pasta sauce with the ink, which had a spicy vor once purified. So we ended having a lot of variety out of a single, gigantic creature that provided three times of meat in one. "Hmmm~ This is too good, the fish, then the crab, and the squid meat all from a single monster!" Partner was delighted. "Indeed, this pasta though¡­ Hmm, the little cubes of squid meat mixed with the ck ink sauce make for a rather uniquebination of vors." Emeraldine was happily eating. "I like the fish the most!" Nyx was sitting on Lucifer''sp this time. "Papa, can I get more fried fish croquets?" "Sure, sure." Lucifer nodded, giving the little spoiled dragon princess a few more. "Thank you!" She quickly continued biting on them. Despite having eaten a giant fish herself just like an hour ago, she was already hungry for more food¡­ Superpowered children sure get hungry quickly. Their bodies spend a lot of calories using all their amazing strength and magic I suppose. I don''t spend a single calory or something, I''m not even a live! But I love eating and sometimes I do feel like some sort of "hunger" which can be satisfied by eating. My special stomach absorbs everything without leaving waste and transforms it into Mana and other energies for my phantasmal body to keep on working. "It''s crazy how much we eat now¡­" Fabian sighed. "I remember feeling lucky whenever I caught a rat. But now I''ve eaten so much just this day alone, and I always get hungrier when I use my abilities too." "Yeah, even I feel hungrier too." Said Spectra. "I guess it is all thanks to Lady Maria and her kindness." "Back then I don''t remember ever experiencing what it felt like to have a full stomach!" Silva said with a gentle and adorable smile. "Well, even when Maria leaves one day, you don''t have to worry about that, you''ll eat every day and fill your stomach." Catarina smiled, patting the girl''s head. "I''ll make sure of it." "Big sis¡­" Silva felt moved by Catarina''s kindness. "Woof!" Meanwhile, their zombie wolf, ckie, was munching on a huge mudskipper on his own. "You were pretty awesome there, sis." Takeshi praised Laura. "Well you weren''t too bad either Takeshi." Laura smiled. "You''ve gotten better at manipting the fishing rod, but it still feels like a slightly inconvenient ability." "Yeah, I know¡­" Takeshi nodded. "Yours is also quite inconvenient, the explosiveness of your magic could backfire, you have to be careful." "I know, I know." Laura nodded. "Though, I was wondering if you could try shaping the metallic thread into more forms?" "The snake is not the only form I''ve thought about! I have thought about a hydra too, oh and of course, a big dragon head! There''s also the kraken form I had thought about¡­ My fishing rod has been evolving as I grow, so it is bing more versatile too!" Takeshi said proudly. "Ohhh, oh well, I guess I was slightly wrong there then." Laura giggled. "I was thinking about something though. We make a really good team, you and me. So I wanted to further learn new techniques bybining our magic and unique skills¡­" "I know what you mean! Mom''s always worrying about our safety, even when we should be able to take down S Rank monsters together¡­" Takeshi nodded. "Getting better at using our abilities wouldn''t hurt anybody." "Very true." Laura nodded. "So, how about this¡­ and that?" The two of them continued talking with one another¡­ It seemed they were slightly worried about my own worries about them! So maybe they want to show off they are strong enough for me to stop worrying¡­ Oh well! I wish them good luck. This mother that has adopted them will not stop worrying! "Guhh¡­" Suddenly, Hecate gave a little and adorable voice, as it turned some of its threads into the shape of a little and mischievous fabric fairy. It flew into my food and began snacking on the food. "Nom, nom, nom¡­! Hmmm~!" She got really happy with the meals and happily munched at them¡­ I guess this dress can eat too? Now that''s crazy¡­ "How many S Rank Magic Crystals are you missing?" Wondered Lucifer. "I think I''m missing two more." I said. "Do you know your evolution requirements yet though?" "I do know mine." Lucifer nodded. "I also need S Rank Magic Crystals, but not ten like you, only three." "I also need some!" Partner sighed. "Me too¡­" Emeraldine nodded. "Also this Concept thingy is ratherplicated, my Divine Concept is only around 70% done, what a pain¡­" "70%?!" We all reacted in shock at Emeraldine''s amazing progress¡­ "E-Eh? Is it too low?" She wondered. "No, it''s way too high! What the hell Emeraldine?! Did you had to flex on us like that!" Partner was left perplexed. "Mine''s barely at like 36% or something!" "Mine is at 40%..." Lucifer said with a smug expression. "I have yet to check my requirements¡­" Said Jonathan. "Oh, it says I''m 60%?" "Eh?! You too? Not fair!" Partner and Lucifer said almost at the same time. "Wait, hold up, what about Maria?" Wondered Emeraldine. "Is your Divine Concept higher?" "Mine? Ah, well¡­" I checked on the requirements again. [Absorb the Essence of the Void: 10/10] [Absorb the Essence of the Spirits: 5/5] [Devour S Rank Monster Cores: 0/10] [Devour a Dimensional Artifact: 1/1] [Devour a Divinity: 0/1] N?v(el)B\\jnn [Comprehend a Divine Concept: 0/1] [Progress: 53% -> 75%] "Wait, it was only 53% before but now it went all the way up to 75%!" I was surprised. "EH?!" Everyone was even more jealous now¡­ ----- Chapter 942 Crafting The Last Pieces Of Equipment

Chapter 942 Crafting The Last Pieces Of Equipment

----- I had yet to devour the S Rank Monster Cores, so they didn''t appear as the eight I had in my possession right now. But even when I get all mine, everyone else will also need theirs, so we''ll have to grind at least so we can get ten or more. Thankfully their evolutions aren''t as exaggerated as mine in terms of requirements. None of them mentioned having to "devour a divinity" for their evolution. However I manage to do that, I have no idea¡­ But maybe munching on the Saintess Emilia, who carries some sort of Divinity from her Goddess of Water might do the job. Yeah, thinking about it, there''s still the whole story behind this entire conflict. Why is the Saintess of the Goddess of Water here? And corrting it with the Divine Oasis Spirit too, the Warlocks, and then The Dark Pest. Celes is the reincarnation of the Divine Oasis Spirit''s Soul, but her Divine Body is within the possession of the Warlocks and the church. They use it as a material to release unique powers, corrupted spiritual energy, and then there''s also their Void Power. Was that a unique magic of only Belphegor, or do they have another source for it? So many questions¡­ But I''m guessing I''ll get answer once we start our raid on that dungeon and the battle to free this town begins. Until then, we have to prepare well. I want toplete and conquer this dungeon, so everyone gets a nice amount of EXP and gain fighting experience. It was thanks to the EXP we''ve earned so far that my S Rank pals were able to hit max level at longst, including Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, and Jonathan. About the rest, I''m not too sure, though some are getting close to max level I believe¡­ Nyx in specific just recently evolved to A+ Rank, so she''s still missing some more EXP to be S Rank. But once she does, I''m sure she''ll be even more amazingly strong! "Alright, we''re done here I believe. Let''s keep on moving then!" I said. "Emeraldine, can you make a bridge leading to the other side of the swamp? Carrying everyone on my shadows is a bit annoying." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Got it." She nodded, waving her hand. "[Strenghtened Wooden Bridge]" FLAAASH! Arge bridge made of wood surged from the ground, reaching all the way to the other side of the swamp, where I could some mysterious stairs leading down. We crossed the bridge without problems, and once we arrived at the stairs, I felt an ominous presence¡­ This ce was originally just a mine with a monster nest and a swamp inside. However, it has been so polluted with Miasma and¡­ most likely Corrupted Divine Spirit Energy that it has transformed into a full-fledged young dungeon. We''ve purified the starting areas, the salt mines are white once more, and the swamp is of a pristine blue color, very pure. We even saw some normal fish swimming around now, so the town will be able to benefit from this second source of water if they ever need it. And also fish to eat, and perhaps a few other crustaceans and mollusks, I saw a few of those too. But what the Second Floor contained was much stronger, a rather ominous aura¡­ "I can feel the presence of powerful monsters down there." Emeraldine said. "There might be more than one S Rank Monster too¡­ It is incredible how infected of Miasma it is! And¡­ a different yet just as deadly energy." Her Divine Spirits were unease when trying to discern this energy. "It is uneasy because it is corrupted divine spiritual energy. Something the Warlocks used on their experiments." I said. "This entire ce most likely became some sort of testing ground for them, so as we hunt everything, we''re weakening their forces." "Does this mean¡­ That they were growing strong monsters here for something?" Takeshi was surprised, asking that question. "Most likely building up an army of sorts." Lucifer agreed, crossing his arms. "I believe they were trying to build it for something, most likely for whoever their true boss is. Maybe they want to kill everyone in the town eventually. For some wicked sacrifice or something." "Ugh¡­" Tear sighed. "I can''t believe I once allied myself with this group of Vampires." "Well, you weren''t yourself back then." I told her. "Don''t overthink it. You''ve changed, and you''ve woken up from whatever the crown was forcing you to do or think. You''re yourself." I patted her shoulders as Tear sighed, she gently caressed her ne, the Soul Jewel of Veredorr calmed her down wherever she felt nervous. "I-I guess¡­" She sighed. "Veredorr wouldn''t want to see me all sad, right?" "Yeah, he wanted the best for you, and for you to always smile." I said. "Let''s work on this together, Tear. Oh, I''ve forgotten to say this but, thanks a lot for helping us! You helped Takeshi and Laura survive when everything went to shit, thanks a lot." "Oh¡­ That''s nothing, I would have done it again as many times, we are all¡­ allies." She smiled. "We''re not allies!" I said angrily. "Eh? We aren''t?!" Tear felt slightly intimidated. "We are a family, remember that!" I winked at her. "A Family¡­" Tear muttered, smiling faintly. "Thank you for considering me your family¡­ You don''t know how much it means to me." "It''s fine, it''s fine~ All''s good! Oh, look, we''re here." Once we arrived at the Second and presumably thest Floor of this Dungeon, we were greeted with a rather surprising sight, something we had not seen before inside a Dungeon. Everything quickly turned really hot, the entire atmosphere was filled with smoke and the smell of burning stones. There were several pools of boilingva, with zing mes spread around the area. The entire ce was a piping hot underground volcano! "This heat¡­" Tear stepped back. "It is quite strong¡­" "Indeed!" I said, looking around. "Amazing, isn''t it? I''m sure Veredorr would have loved you seeing all these amazing sights." "Yeah¡­ I''m sure he would." Tear nodded. "I just wish¡­ We could be together watching this." "Well, I think he is here with us too." I smiled. "His Soul Jewel is part of his Core; it contains his Origin Core. As long as you hold it, he''s still here with us." "Maria¡­" Tear sighed, smiling a bit more. "Maybe, maybe you''re right. I always think that he''s with me. Even when we can''t talk¡­ I want to believe that with all my heart." "He''s watching over you and making sure you''re okay." I nodded. "I will keep growing stronger myself too, I''llprehend the true ways of Death Magic, and eventually bring him back using his Soul Jewel. So just wait a bit more, okay?" "Would you go so far for him?" Tear was in tears already¡­ "Of course! He''s my pal too." I smiled. "Now- Ah!" RUMBLE! And just as we were having that moving conversation, the ground shook, from within theva pools, enormous creatures crawled out¡­ "ROOOAAARR!" Ding! [You have Created [Phantom Enchantress Demonic Lustrous Heels (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You have Created [Phantom Enchantress Gloves of Shadow Gathering (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained +80.000 Skill Proficiency.] [You gained +25.000.000 EXP.] [You cannot Level Up after hitting Max Level. Earned EXP has been umted.] Looks like my equipment was done too! ----- Chapter 943 Fighting Against The Volcanic Drakes Chapter 943 Fighting Against The Volcanic Drakes ??----- Ding! [You have Created [Phantom Enchantress Demonic Lustrous Heels (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You have Created [Phantom Enchantress Gloves of Shadow Gathering (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained +80.000 Skill Proficiency.] [You gained +25.000.000 EXP.] [You cannot Level Up after hitting Max Level. Earned EXP has been umted.] At the same time as I was finally done with my two new pieces of equipment, the mighty roar of giant reptilian creatures that dwelled in the pools ofva echoed within the cave. "ROOOOAARR!" RUMBLE! The pools shook, as from within them, several giant creatures crawled out from, swiftly noticing the presence of my Undead Army and all of us in here. They were gigantic creatures, with seemingly draconic features, but being too monstrous to be actual dragons. These were most likely dragon-type monsters! Ding! [The Presence of your Undead Army has awakened the Guardians of the Underground Volcano.] [The powerful [Underground Dwelling Volcanic Drakes (A+ Rank)] have begun to move out of theirva pools, seeking the ones that disrupted their slumber!] [As they''re powerful Drakes of the Volcanic Attribute, they thrive and grow stronger within this area, increasing their Stats by +100%.] "Ah, there are a bunch of them!" Tear panicked slightly, ncing into the distance. These Drakes resembled stegosaurus more than I could have imagined, with long necks and enormous sizes. They were covered on crimson scales, with zing rings made of mes circling their long necks and backs. These creatures didn''t look freed from the Miasma either, I could notice a few which had several ck scales here and there. And others lookedpletely pitch ck, withrger, more muscr, and more threatening appearances as well, Demonite spikes growing on their backs and all. There were at least a hundreding our way, with many more emerging constantly from the magma pools. "Alright everyone! Simr formation than before!" I roared, as my Undead kept surging from my Shadows, marching intorge squadrons against the iing foes. This time there were a few hundred new recruits, including our previously fought monsters, such as giant mudskippers and crabs! Aside from that, the Salt Golems also joined as Undead. If I was able to rise the Demonite Golems from the Elf Forest, then these guys were no problem either. However, before the battle could even start, there was a slight problem. "GROOOAARR!" The Drakes began absorbing air and inting their throats, which zed with a bright red and orange color, before they released several fireballs of enormous sizes. Each of these monsters was around thirty meters tall, and their fireballs were at least fifteen metersrge too, based in the amount of mes they released. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om A bombardment of countless mes started falling over my army, my zombies and skeletons burning and perishing one after another. "I should had guessed they would do this¡­" I facepalmed. "Alright, [Umbral Void Barrier Shields]!" FLAASH! FLAASH! FLAASH! FLAASH! I designed a spell right in that moment, as dozens of shields crafted out of darkness and void essence emerged, blocking the fireballs in front of my army as they advanced. However, the attacks were way too many, descending on all ces, it was quite a hard to block them all. "I guess I''ll have to eat the loses for now." I sighed. "I still got many corpses to turn into Undead forter anyways, and these big guys will surely be some new allies!" And naturally, I had some use for the corpses, which I quickly imbued with my Shadows and moved as if it were through telekinesis. I dropped them right over the monsters, who nced at the burnt corpses with confusion in their eyes. "[Undead Detonation]" FLAASH! FLAASH! FLAASH! FLAASH! With a single activation of my Skill, these corpses swiftly glowed with bright red and orange light, detonating into wide explosions of phantasmal mes, death, void, and even moonlight. To add things to the damage dealt, thanks to my [Explosion Maniac] Title, there was a chance for each explosion I provoked using Undead Detonation to create a chain reaction. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Naturally, even more explosions covered the entirendscape, the monsters were incredibly tough, tanking dozens of explosions, but many ultimately fell anyways due to the severe umted damage. As the umted damage became deadly, the weakened monsters were swiftly overwhelmed by my Undead, that ganged on them using their wide numbers. At the same time, the rest of my team mobilized. There were so many targets, and thendscape was so wide that even our strongest members had some time to shine too and let out some steam. The young trainees attacked the monsters that were weakened, targeting their wounds. Fabian and his team had grown much more versatile and stronger as they learned how to conjure Spells from Emeraldine and myself, and also how to use Techniques and manipte Ki from Jonathan. Thisbined with the top-notch armor, ne, and weapons I provided, made them for incredibly efficient hunters, even when they were fighting A+ Rank Monsters several times their own strength. Celes and Nia in specific were shaping themselves to be incredible fighters, even the little Celes had be amazingly more proficient with his magic, now naturally channeling it with ease after Emeraldine opened his Mana Circuits and Jonathan helped him awaken his Meridians and Ki. He conjured several lightning-imbued spears of spiraling water, frozen spears of frost water, and also conjured healing and buffing spells. His magic was one of the most effective ones against these fire-attribute monsters, and the little boy had be a serious threat, even more as he continued improving his magic and discovering more of his natural abilities, inherited from his unique reincarnated soul. Meanwhile, his mother Nia, was bing amazing, further improving herself as she recalled what she was taught by herte husband. Her Wind Attribute Magic had given a great leap in strength, and nowbined with her lightning spear, better armor, and a ne that boosted her magic even further beyond, she was summoning literal thunderstorms and windstorms with each of her blows. Both have been leveling up a lot. Because they were humans though, they didn''t seem to be capable of evolving, but with my Saintess Blessing, their small Level Caps were being unlocked as they hit them, leveling frantically. "ROOOOAAARR!" RUMBLE! However, not everything was fine and dandy, as three ginormous figures surged from thergest pools ofva. They were three Bosses¡­ All S Rank! ----- Chapter 944 Fighting Three S-Rank Bosses At The Same Time

Chapter 944 Fighting Three S-Rank Bosses At The Same Time

----- TRUUUM! TRUUUM! TRUUUM! The underground trembled wildly, as it revealed three titanic monsters emerging from within the boilingva. All three of them resembled the Volcanic Drakes, but at least four times as big, with long necks and gigantic armors made of scales. The first one was bulky and highly armored with scales, with a singlerge head, the second seemed to be much lighter on its build, seemingly made for speed, with thin scales covering its body and a long tail with a spear-like tip, and it possessed two heads. And the third, the most intimidating of the three, had three heads and wings, alongside a strong armor of scales, being an intermediate version between the two! All three of them were at least 150 meters tall, true behemoths. Ding! [The disturbance you''ve brought to the hidden Underground Volcano Lands has awakened the three siblings that have be its guardians¡­] [The [Giant Volcanic Drake Kings (S Rank)] x3 have emerged from their hideouts, awakened from their slumber by your presence!] [The three siblings, powerful guardians of the depths of these deserts, furiously re at your army of Undead¡­] "ROOOOAARRR!" The three mighty guardians roared at the same time, attacking my Undead army right away. The flying one descended into the army and wed its way through them, setting aze everything with its breath attacks. CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAAAASSHH!! RUMBLE! The entire underground trembled against the might of the S Rank monstrosity, and the other two didn''t waste much time either. The highly armored Volcanic Drake King transformed into a ball, like an armadillo, and ran over many Undead, leaving behind barely anything. TRUUUUMMM¡­! Meanwhile, the two-headed speedster shed at lighting speed across the entire army, setting aze everything while crushing them or eating them, burning them to ashes. N?v(el)B\\jnn FLAAAASH! The trio was amazing at how they could work and cooperate together¡­ They would certainly make really strong Undead. My low-ranking Undead were all being leveled with ease against them and their mes. But that wasn''t going to happen any longer. "[Undead Detonation]" I waved my hand, the power of my equipment, especially my gloves, swiftly strengthened the power of my Necromancy Skills. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! And then, a barrage of explosions engulfed two of the Drake Kings in a single second, the chain of explosions made using the destroyed corpses of my undead. Some of them were being chewed at by them, which ended helping me blow their mouths up and blow away a few teeth. The highly armored one seemed fine, but the three and two headed Drakes werepletely furious, while bleeding from their mouths and bodies. "SHAAAAHHH!!!" Their mightily roared as ifmanding someone, the entire dungeon trembled again, theva pools kept pouring more of the lesser Drakes out, which ran towards my Undead Army. "Looks like these bastards got a lot of backups. Just like previous bosses." Partner said. "Master, let me take care of them!" "You can''t possibly take all of them at once, dummy!" Emeraldine sighed. "Or¡­ Well, maybe you can, but it would be better if we all cooperate together for now." "I agree." Lucifer nodded. "Maria, give us amand and we''ll do it." "I''m ready as well, of course!" Jonathan nodded jovially. "If I can be of any help, please ask away! My Frost Magic seems to be very effective against them." Tear said. "I think my Water Magic can break through their defenses too!" Takeshi said. "If Takeshi is fighting, then I am too." Said Laura. "My Spirit Water Magic must be even better then!" Celes said. "Okay, okay!" Iughed. "Everyone can fight. Let''s split into three groups, the rest will defend and fight with the Undead against the other Drakes, okay?" With those words, everyone nodded obediently, they really respected me to the point they awaited mymands¡­ I would have never thought I would be such a figure of respect like this when I was alive, now that my previous life memories were resurfacing. I used to be slightly more energetic than in my previous life, but never as charismatic as I am right now, after dying and gaining all of this¡­ It is ironic, but it feels like my life finally began once I died. "Very well!" I quickly made up three teams in a split of a second. Lucifer, Takeshi, and Laura went to fight the armored guy because they packed the most explosive magic damage. Partner, Emeraldine, Celes, and Nia quickly flew to confront the speedster, they were my fastest yers in the field. Lastly, Tear and Jonathan apanied me to fight the strongest, the bastard three-headed one that could be a strong as an S+ Rank Monster. "Mama, I also wanna fight the big guys! I am strong now!" Nyx insisted on apanying me, but I needed her strength in the ground to help Fabian and Silva''s parties on fighting the powerful Volcanic Drakes. "I know you want to, but I also really need your help! Can you help me? Protect Fabian and Silva''s parties. They''re your friends, right?" I asked her. "Y-Yeah, they are¡­" Nyx crossed her arms. "Mama really needs me?" "Of course! You''re the strongest among all of them so I need a powerful overpowered dragon girl down there to help them out." I smiled. "Also, you can summon Phantom Dragons, right? Summon as many as you can, they''ll add on to the Undead Army, and cover a wider range." "Okay¡­" Nyx nodded. "I''ll help then¡­" She seemed slightly sad, nheless. "And in exchange, I''ll reward you well." I winked at her. "How about a pretty dress with overpowered abilities like my own? Or a weapon? Anything you want." "Really mama?!" Nyx got finally pumped up. "I want a dress and a big axe!" "A big axe?" I felt confused. "Yeah like the one you always wield! It''s so cool!" Nyx said. "Heheh, alright, okay then! I''ll make you the strongest axe and the best dress." I giggled. "One that can adapt to your body size change too. For now work your hardest!" "Okay! I''ll blow them all away!" Nyx flew away, transforming into a dragon. The rest of our teams divided, quickly targeting each Guardian of the Underground Volcano at the same time. ----- Chapter 945 Overwhelming Teamwork

Chapter 945 Overwhelming Teamwork

----- FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The incredibly fast two-headed Drake moved from one ce to another, evading Partner and Nia''s attacks with ease. It left deadly mes behind, which caused explosions due to the friction of its moving legs. Partner and Nia had to constantly step back and try to analyze the movement of the beast. FLAAASH! "ROOOAARR!" However, in the moment they escaped from a barrage of mes, the monster shed through, appearing right behind Celes, opening its massive jaws and releasing a giant breath attack. "CELES!" "[Divine Spirit Magic]: [Divine Spiritual Holy Light Shield]!" Nia flew as fast as she could towards her son, but Emeraldine swiftly protected him, generating a barrier of Holy Spiritual Light from her entire body, exuded from her own Aura. Her two Divine Spirits fused into her body to give her such a power. BOOOOMMMM!!! The shield made of light easily blocked the explosive breath attack, while Celes didn''t run away, the little boy bravely pointing his hands at the creature. "You''re too fast! Slow down!" With an angry roar, the little boy''s eyes shone with a divine blue light, his Aura of Spiritual Divinity surged like an endless sea wave! There was no name to this Divine Spell, but it was so intimidating the Volcanic Drake swiftly attempted to avoid it! SPLAAAAASSHHH!!! However, the attack covered such a huge range that it ended catching up to the Drake, covering it with Divine Spiritual Water, which moved like a slime, wrapping around its body and making it way harder for the monster to run as fast as it wanted. Partner and Nia quickly took advantage of the slowed down foe, attacking its head with their strongest techniques. Partner''s twin spear overflowed with both Darkness and Blood Energy, the very end of the spears harnessing a purely dark power, Void Essence itself,ing right out of the ne Maria gifted to her. "[Demonic Blood Spear Arts]: [Dimension-Piercing ck Blood Void Spear]!" Her two spears temporarilybined into a titanic ck spear, overflowing with her Aura andbined Abilities, it pierced the Drake''s left eye, leaving a huge hole through its face! CRAAAAAASSSHHH!!! The Volcanic Drake agonized, quickly beginning to release mes from its body, boiling the water Celes made and beginning to evaporate it out of its body! "SHYAAAARRRGGH!" At the same time, it resentfully released a deadly st of mes against Partner, rushing towards her in just a split of a second. An attack of this magnitude at point nk was bound to hurt horrendously. However! "[Windstorm Magic Spear Arts]: [Thunder Bird Spear]!" The roar of a mighty Thunder Bird echoed with her attack, as Nia showcased how much she has progressed, fusing her Wind Magic with her Armor, Spear, and Ne powers together! Her spear shed through the empty air releasing sparks of electricity in the shape of a titanic bird, shing against the Volcanic Drake''s open jaws! BOOOOOMMMM!! The explosion of winds and thunder was strong enough to burn through the Drake''s jaws and force it to vomit a mouthful of blood, although it freed itself from Celes'' magic, it was now even more severely weakened. "SHAAAAHHH!!!" However, an S Rank Monster was still an S Rank Monster. With frustration and fury, the monstrous creature quickly leaped back to make some distance from them. Its giant ws swung against them, releasing explosive shing waves of draconic mes, which Partner, Nia, and Celes continuously blocked with their attacks. However, the Drake was unaware of Seven Colorful Arrows which were fired by Emeraldine just some minutes ago, descending into its body one after another! "[Yggdrasil''s Nine Divine Worlds]" The arrows overflowed with different colors and elements, bombarding the S Ranked Monster, each explosion leaving a massive wound that wouldn''t regenerate at all. BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!! "GRYYAAAEERRGH!" The monster struggled, falling on the ground and beginning to attempt to escape as the seven arrows pierced its body, covered on terrible wounds. However, the other trio stopped its path, the monster swung its ws against them, big enough to destroy half of a city! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! Partner and Nia shed against the ws while Celes gathered his Water Magic into a gigantic trident, which he swiftly fired at the monster. "Big Trident!" FLAAAASH! The trident shed through the wind, hitting the Volcanic Drake''s head a second time, making the beast scream in agony and step back. BOOOOMMM!! On its fury and agony, its entire body was set aze, releasing countless shockwaves of mes everywhere! N?v(el)B\\jnn TRUUUUMMMM¡­!!! "Oh no, you won''t!" Partner rushed forwards, while Nia and Celes coordinated their magic, creating a path for the Vampiress to get through, all while Emeraldine''s arrows rained down! "RAAAH!" With a mighty roar, Partner pierced the monster''s body several times consecutively, while Emeraldine''s arrows bombarded it. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "SHYAAARRRRGGH!" The speedster Volcanic Drake gave onest attempt at defeating them, swinging its ws¡­ Only for them to fail their attack and as its entire body went limp, the huge arm dropping coldly on the ground. BAAAAMMM!!! "W-We did it?" Celes wondered, shocked. He quickly felt his boy growing stronger, it felt as if his entire body went through an invisible membrane several times. This was how it felt for someone to level up many times at the same time, and break through his level cap a lot too. "M-My stats increased a lot, mama!" "Mine too¡­" Nia felt also surprised, ncing at her own hands. Even with the equipment Maria gave to them, she still disyed an amazing amount of strength and magic power. "Well done, you two." Emeraldine congratted them with a gentle smile. "This one was fast and strong¡­ It will give us a lot of good meat as well." "Wouldn''t it be better to turn it into an undead?" Asked Partner. "Oh, maybe just a skeleton with scales would be alright! Yeah, let''s eat the meatter!" "Haha¡­" Emeraldine realized something. "I think Maria might have infected me with her gluttonous behavior¡­ I didn''t use to think of eating whatever I hunted!" As she gasped at this realization, in another side of the battlefield, Lucifer and his group shed against the gigantic, armored Volcanic Drake. Its imprable armor was bing more of an issue that they originally thought¡­ ----- Chapter 946 Taking Down The Armored Drake Chapter 946 Taking Down The Armored Drake ??----- The Armored Volcanic Drake King was a tank to behold, seen almost unscathed after being bombarded by Maria''s explosive corpses, it was now tanking Lucifer, Takeshi, and Laura attacks as if it were nothing. "GRRRRR¡­.!!!" As the attacks kepting, the Armored Volcanic Drake King gave a mighty roar, its eyes overflowing with mes, as its gigantic body was setpletely aze! FLUOOOSH! The mes quickly exploded out of its body, bombarding around everywhere. Lucifer swiftly blocked the magic attacks with a powerful shield made out of his own scales and Abyssal Death mes. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! He was able to protect Takeshi and Laura with his enormous body and shield, but the Undead behind them kept burning and turning into ashes. Maria''s army was already almost done to half its original numbers! "These bastards are really cutting through Maria''s army¡­" Lucifer said. "Alright, Takeshi, can you make the same Domain you''ve done before?" "I can but I need a couple of seconds to do it!" Takeshi nodded. Hearing his confident answer, Lucifer nodded. "Laura, I need you to both cover Takeshi''s back and harness as much power within a small point of space, can you do that?" "I can, but for what?" Asked Laura, confused about her uncle''s n. "Just trust me." Lucifer smiled. "I''ve fought even more terrifying foes before, this lizard''s going down. I''ll distract him!" As he gave the two Homunculi Children amand, he flew towards the armored beast, his body was almost twice as big as his foe, surprising the creature even as it was confident on its defenses. "Alright, let''s dance, fucker." Lucifer smiled. "[Eternal Domain of Hel]!" FLAAAASH! His Aura expanded into a Domain of Pure Abyssal Death mes and Phantasmal Energy, surrounding the entire armored monster. "ROOOAAAR!" The creature quickly reacted with a mighty and furious roar, releasing deadly mes everywhere all at once. These mes came in the form of meteors made out of its own self-growing scales, which constantly tried to aim at Lucifer. However, the Dragon King continued weakening it and decreasing its stats with his Domain of Death, all while he rose his hands andbined the Domain''s powers with his mes. "[Abyssal Death mes Scythe]!" FLUOOSH! They quickly materialized into his Divine Weapon. Every Dragon that reached the level of a Divine Dragon were able to materialize a Divine Weapon out of their own Soul, Blood, and Scales. This Weapon often varied in appearance; the most recent example was the Frost Dragons Lucifer fought back on Skadi''s Tower. Valkoinen had yet to mature enough to get his own Divine Weapon, so he had none when he confronted the twins and then Brunhild¡­ However, Lucifer had cheated things as he was a Mortal Dragon that rose to a Divine Dragon through Evolution and the Soul Book! Naturally, his growth and talent surpassed even Divine Dragons in many ways, who had no ess to the "System" that was the Soul Book as they were Demigods born without one. "ROOOAAARR!" The Armored Volcanic Drake King greeted his scythe with several beams of zing mes, that could burn through the stone making the ceiling as well. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! However, Lucifer evaded the attacks, blocked them, and then used his scythe to attack back. "You''re tough, but pretty bad at everything else." He rushed downwards at lightning speed, resembling a spark of darkness, his scythe swung several times against the Armored Volcanic Drake King, creating huge explosions of Abyssal Death mes.N?v(el)B\\jnn CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAASH! CRAAASSHH!!! "SHAAAAHHH!" The Armored Volcanic Drake King grew desperate as its scales seemed to be beginning to crack by Lucifer''s tremendous strength! Its entire body zed even further, its tail grew longer, gaining a hammer-like tip made out of super-hardened bone covered with scales. And then it swung it against him like a titan-ying mace! BAAAAMMM!! Lucifer took the hit surprisingly well, though he felt like his gusts twisted a bit¡­ "This bastard really packs a punch¡­" He smiled, blooding from his mouth. "However¡­" He quickly swung his scythe against the tail, cutting through its much thinner armor and slicing it apart! SLAAAAASSSHHH!!! The Armored Volcanic Drake King agonized, quickly beginning to step back in agony as it constantly bombarded Lucifer with zing explosions. "GRUOOOHHHH¡­!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Did it hurt that much?!" As Lucifer blocked the attacks by swinging his scythe, Takeshi and Laura were finally done¡­ "[Divine Ocean Domain]!" FLUOOOSH! The surroundings were swiftly engulfed into a sea of divine water, sshing over the Armored Volcanic Drake King, its stats plummeted as it was its greatest weakness, the mes it conjured disappeared. "I''m ready!" Laura flew towards Lucifer in that moment, the Armored Volcanic Drake King desperately leaped out of the water, trying to bite her down. However, the water moved on its own, apanied by a hydra made of metal from Takeshi''s fishing rod, biting through its legs and dragging it back. "Good." Lucifer rushed down with Laura, as the Armored Volcanic Drake King constantly struggled against Takeshi''s magic and special weapon. Within a couple of seconds, and with the strength of an S Rank monster, it managed to break out of the entanglements, leaping away like a giant frog. However, it pointed its jaws at Takeshi, opening them to reveal a massive amount of swirling mes surging from within. "Now!" Lucifer and Laura released their attacks, a gigantic sphere of explosive demonic mes and a beam of abyssal death mes shed the interior of the Armored Volcanic Drake King''s mouth. The result? It was quite obvious what happened. The explosive force of Laura''s concentrated attack, plus Lucifer''s incredibly strong me breath quickly blew up the Armored Volcanic Drake King from the inside out! BOOOOOOMMMM!!! Its entire body could not take the damage anymore, exploded from the inside out, the creature dropped on the floor instantly, vomiting blood and then immediately going limp! "It died so fast?!" Laura was shocked. "Always aim at the mouth with these giant guys." Lucifer nodded. "It''s their biggest weakness." As the Armored Volcanic Drake King was in, Maria and her group shed against the strongest of the three Volcanic Drake Kings. ----- Chapter 947 Overwhelming Power

Chapter 947 Overwhelming Power

----- As I saw Lucifer and Partner lead their respective teams and fight the Volcanic Drake Kings, we decided to confront the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King with Tear and Jonathan. The Three Headed Volcanic Drake King was furiously releasing a storm of mes with its three heads, while flying high in the skies, almost touching the ceiling above, which was covered by bright red crystals illuminating the entire area. "ROOOAAARRR!" Its mes were incredibly strong, burning through all things. My toughest Undead were barely surviving thanks to all the buffs I stacked on them. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The bombardment of explosions was endless, this beast would simply not stop until it managed to kill all of them¡­ And based in the amount of firepower the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King showcased, it was clear it might be closer to S+ Rankpared to its siblings. "Tear, use your ice to freeze its wings and keep them frozen as much as you can." Imanded. "Got it!" Tear roared, flying towards the dragon using her [Phantasmal Veil], a buff that not only allowed people to float in midair but enhanced their Agility and Dexterity, made by yours truly. "Jonathan, can you help me tank the hits?" I asked him. "Of course." Jonathan nodded. Without further ado, all three of us flew into action. "SHAAAH!" The Three Headed Volcanic Drake King easily detected we were growing closer to it, its three heads widening their eyes as they absorbed air and then released several beams of mes. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Jonathan swung his divine sword, cutting through the beams with ease, while my dress slowly started to absorb the power of my Skills, forming a mighty ck armor over my body, shining with both Void and Moonlight Essence. "[Abyssal Moonlight Void Divine Armor]" FLAAASH! My entire body was covered by the armor, Hecate quickly reacting to the powers and absorbing them, adapting them, and then creating an even better protection than I could usually build out of skills and magic through my usual transformations. "This is amazing¡­" I could feel the effects were at least twice as stronger in terms of defensepared to the previous one, and because they were fully integrated into the dress, the armor could easily regenerate if it was damaged. "Heheh!" Hecate giggled adorably, like a little spoiled child that loved to show off how awesome she was¡­ And honestly, she was! Her two new pair of siblings were also pretty amazing themselves. "RAAAARRR!" The Three Headed Volcanic Drake King reacted to my transformation with fury, noticing how much power came from me. The monstrous creature''s Aura erupted from its body, spiraling into countless of snake-shaped mes, forming a tornado moving upwards! FLUOOOSH! However, Jonathan and I greeted it with our own abilities. This time, I didn''t summon a single weapon, simply using my bare hands. And these amazing gloves¡­ ----- [Phantom Enchantress Gloves of Shadow Gathering] [Item Type]: [Magic Gloves] [Armored Gloves] [Phantom Gloves] [Living Armor] [Item Grade]: [S+++] [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped by Maria] [Item Durability]: [1.000.000/1.000.000] [Item Effects]: [Physical Defense]: [+800.000] [Magical Defense]: [+800.000] [HP]: [+300.000] [MP]: [+500.000] [Attack]: [+300.000] [Defense]: [+500.000] [Magic]: [+500.000] [Agility]: [+300.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Death Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Moonlight Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Magic Spell Power & Conjuration Speed +100% (S)] [Elemental Damage Absorption +40% (S)] [Physical Damage Taken -30% (S)] [HP & Defense +27% (S)] [Attack & Agility +26% (S)] [MP & Magic +28% (S)] [Item Abilities] [Gloves of Shadow Gathering]: Gloves specially designed to take on the shadows and absorb them to boost the power of allpatible Magic. When equipped, Increases Magic Spell Powers, Effects, and Conjuration Speed by +200%, decreases MP Consumption by -20%. Grants the ability to absorb any Shadows and Gather them within the ck jewels of the Gloves. These Shadows can be stored as Shadow Essence, which can further enchant the power of any Magic Spell, especially Darkness, Phantom, and Death Magic by up to +1000%, not only in power alone, but in size, usability, potency, strength, and effects. It is also possible to further evolve these spells and createpletely new, improved versions. [Phantom Enchantress'' Spell Hand]: By imbuing Mana, Shadow Essence, Void Essence, or Moonlight Essence into the gloves, it is possible to activate its special abilities, granting the ability to "Save Spells" within its runic inscriptions, which can be automatically conjured at +200% their original power and effects in exchange for +30% increase on Mana Cost. These Saved Spells can be conjured without any Magic Circle or Chanting and can be further mixed andbined into all sorts of new effects with ease. Spell Limit: 0/10 [Description] An incredible piece of equipment unique, never seen before made by cksmith and Sewing Master Maria. It has been imbued with many souls, gaining unprecedented powers. This pair of gloves possess the amazing ability to absorb Shadows and save spells within, something any wizard would want and pay with everything they had for. It possesses the infinite ability to evolve and improve itself and can self-repair itself through the wearer''s Mana. A once in an eon masterpiece that rivals the Divine Treasures of the Gods and might as well have the potential to surpass them. ----- It was time to use these babies. "[Shadow Gathering]" FLUOOOSH! The Shadows within my own body were endlessly absorbed by the Gloves, until the jewels glowed with a gray and bluish light. The Shadow Essence was gathered by the millions of units, which I swiftlybined with another powerful Spell that I had already ced within the Glove''s Spell Hand. "[Dark Sun] + [Dark Storm] = [Abyssal re Storm]!" TRUUUUMMM¡­!!! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om A massive and gigantic spiraling mass of ck mes surged out of my hands in a split of a second, shing against the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King own storm of mes andpletely destroying it. BOOOOOMMMM!!! "GRYYYAAAEERRGH!" The storm damaged its chest tremendously, leaving an ugly scar. And what followed was even worse from the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King, as Tear swiftly froe his wings, making it copse on the ground. BAAAMM!!! ----- Chapter 948 Rubbish! Chapter 948 Rubbish! ??----- "[Divine Ice Touch]!" Using her Divine Powers, Tear froze the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King''s wings and quickly made it pummel down, right after I blew up its ultimate attack or whatever it was. BAAAAMMM!!! "RAAAARRRRRRGGGH!" The monstrous three-headed creature grew furious, its wings beginning to ze, trying to melt the ice trapping them from going back into the skies where it felt it rightfully belonged to! Sadly for the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King, it wasn''t happening any time soon.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Perfect timing! [Heaven''s Fall]!" Jonathan finished harnessing his Divine Holy Light Energy into his sword, releasing a mighty sh that presented itself as a massive beam of divine light descending from above. There was no open heaven, yet his very Aura seemed to generate a white heaven on top of us, enough for his technique to be conjured. SLAAAAASSSHH!! The powerful sh-shaped beam of pure light reached the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King, striking two of its heads and slicing them, alongside one of its shoulders and a wing! BOOOOMMM!!! Followed by a tremendous explosion, weakening the S Ranked monster even further. "GRAAARRGH¡­!" The Three Headed Volcanic Drake King vomited blood from thest head left, its mes swiftly shapeshifting and transforming into dozens of dragon-like snakes made of fire. "ROOAAARRR!!!" It wanted revenge above all things,manding the giant zing snakes to attack us while it tried to regain its footing. "Rubbish." BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The mes bombarded me one after another, explosions of mes constantly engulfing my entire body. Jonathan and Tear, who were desperately fighting against them, were left speechless. "MARIA!" Jonathan panicked for a bit, only for the smoke to reveal my body waspletely unscathed, my armor having protected me well enough, while both my gloves, armor, and ck heels all glowed, having absorbed the Elemental Damage. "Come on, we''ve gone through a lot, do you think that''ll going to hurt me now?" I smiled confidently. "I have designed this equipment to go toe-to-toe with Divine Spirits¡­ This S Rank Monster''s magic is no problem!" I raised my hands, as a gigantic swirling ck cloud surged from my hands, thebination of many spells together further boosted with Shadow Essence quickly gave birth to something new. Bybining my Spells such as Dark Star, Dark Storm, Shadow Domain, Phantasmal mes, Void Aura, and Chaos Energy with Skills like Selene''s Palm of Judgement, a titanic arm, with an enormous hand overflowing with ck lightning and ck clouds emerged. "[Hades'' Abyssal Hand Of Judgement]" TRUUUUMMM¡­! It was at least thrice asrge as Selene''s Palm of Judgement, and it not only dealt damaged based on my Attack Stat, but also on my Magic Stat. The palm descended rapidly, impacting the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King body with tremendous, thunderous strength. BAAAAAAMMMM!!! Its body started ttening as the darkness and all the powerful and dangerous energies I loaded this attack with weakened its body even further. "GRYYAAARRRGGH!" The Three Headed Volcanic Drake King gave an agonizing scream, tearing apart the palm with a barrage of bite, w, and tail attacks. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH! "ROOOAARR!" It quickly leaped out of the ground even with its wings still frozen, aiming at me. The Three Headed Volcanic Drake King''s entire body was already covered on deadly wounds all over, it was on itsst moments. "You''ve got quite the strong stamina and energy, I admire that!" However, I had no mercy, my heels glowing with power, as I imbued the strength of the Titaness Skills I possessed into my entire Physique. Especially my legs. My skinny and delicate appearance quickly changed, as I transformed into the mighty titan goddess of the moon, with a muscr body overflowing with strength! "[Moonshine Kick]!" My heels gathered my Energies and Aura, enhancing the power of my kicks topletely new levels. Ibined the power of my Kicking Blow Skill at Level 10 with Moonlight Essence and Selene''s amazing strengthening skills! And the result was quite obvious, a single kick carried the strength of a titan goddess, crushing the Three Headed Volcanic Drake King below me like a bug. CRAAAAAASSSHHH!!! The entire dungeon trembled before my attack, the monster could not take on the attack, copsing on the floor and having its entire body twisted, its bones breaking apart and its flesh tearing down. Until it was quite literally ttened like a pancake¡­ This pair of Heels was just as insanely deadly as my new gloves! "W-Wow¡­" Tear muttered. "I barely had to do anything¡­" "She can solo S Ranks with ease now, that''s for sure." Jonathanughed. "I feel like I barely helped as much¡­ She could have handled it by herself, I''m sure." Iughed a bit, with some embarrassment. "Your help was still very needed, don''t belittle yourselves! "I-I guess I did help, right? I stopped it and paralyzed it!" Said Tear proudly. "I''m d I was able to be of some help. Though I''m happy to see you growing so strong. You''re amazing¡­ I think you''ve already surpassed the level of heroes." Said Jonathan. "I suppose whatever goes past S Rank is above the Heroes level of power¡­" I said. "I wonder what my evolution like will be, now that I think about it. Selene by itself was already incredible. How more ridiculous can my evolutions get?" "We''ll see once that happens." Jonathan said, analyzing his surroundings. "Looks like the other Bosses were defeated too." Said Tear. "But the army of Volcanic Drakes keeps oning, the Undead are struggling a bit¡­" "I think we should quickly go help everyone else defeat the Drakes before things be worse." Said Jonathan. "I agree, let''s go!" I nodded. I stored the three S Rank monster corpses inside my Inventory after that, and then we joined on the fight against the rest of the Volcanic fiends. The fight keeps on going for another thirty minutes, where I had to quickly do a few tweaks on my Undead, fusing them with Shadow Essence and managing to create something new. FLAAAASH! All of my Undead transformed, bing pitch ck and gaining powerful shadow auras, even shadow armor and shadow weapons¡­ Their strength, durability, and power were multiplied at least thirty times from their original selves, making the fight against the monsters much easier. I guess I''ll call this new Ability [Shadow Goddess Blessing] or something, because it sure is overpowered. ----- Chapter 949 Fabulous Heels

Chapter 949 Fabulous Heels

----- n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The Volcanic Drakes proved to be one of the most formidable monsters we''ve fought so far in these deserts, and they were hiding all the way down here. Their three bosses were also quite strong and annoying to deal with, but we ultimately put them down, gaining three S Rank Magic Crystals with that. Enough for me to finally get the ten I needed, with a few to spare for everyone else. S Rank Monsters are not easy toe by, yet we''ve already hunted five of them in this dungeon. If that wasn''t suspicious already, then what else could it be? The sad news, half of my Undead army I''ve brought for this journey was gone,pletely dead. The rest that survived became much stronger, their levels increasing and rising, many ranked up into higher ranks. But that isn''t that bad, seeing how there were now near a thousand Volcanic Drakes for me to turn into Undead, life is good. Turning them into the most basic Undead would give me nearly a thousand A Rank Undead with gigantic sizes and the power to st everything with their deadly mes. However, their bodies were also treasure troves of materials, so I couldn''t turn them all. I decided to take three hundred for myself, to use as materials, food, and to sell for money if I ever need some. Wait, I don''t, I get monthly ie and resources from the Dwarven Kingdom due to my ownership over the two Dungeons, so that''s fine and dandy. Nheless, the meat and the materials will be crucial for my eventual mass production of equipment and weapons. Anyways, the rest was swiftly risen into Undead, naturally, the three bosses were kept for materials. But I was thinking onbining their bones once I was done stripping them off all their precious materials and that might give me another S Rank Undead, or at least an S- Rank one. Now that the battle was finally over, an oddly peaceful silence filled the atmosphere, aside from the sound of the boiling and bubbling magma beneath the earth. We decided to camp down here and start a big barbeque to celebrate our victory! There were no more threatening critters, though I could see some sort of suspicious chamber at the end of this huge cave, although there wasn''t anything over there alive. Maybe a dungeon core was there? Or something primitive simr to one. Whatever the case, I owed my victory to this amazing pair of heels I got, aside from my wonderful gloves. My entire set was finally finished, with both heels, shoes, dress, and hat- Wait, no, I don''t have the hat yet! That''s still being worked on, but it should be done soon. ----- [Phantom Enchantress Demonic Lustrous Heels] [Item Type]: [Magic Shoes] [Armored Boots] [Phantom Heels] [Living Armor] [Item Grade]: [S+++] [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped by Maria] [Item Durability]: [1.000.000/1.000.000] [Item Effects]: [Physical Defense]: [+800.000] [Magical Defense]: [+800.000] [HP]: [+300.000] [MP]: [+300.000] [Attack]: [+500.000] [Defense]: [+500.000] [Magic]: [+300.000] [Agility]: [+500.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Death Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Moonlight Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Kicking Skills and Techniques Power +100% (S)] [Kicking Skills and Techniques Defense Ignore -50% (S)] [Movement Speed And Reaction Speed +40% (S)] [HP & Defense +28% (S)] [Attack & Agility +27% (S)] [MP & Magic +29% (S)] [Item Abilities] [Evil-ying Kicking Heels]: Heels specially designed to kick your foes to death with a variety of techniques using your strong legs. Warning: Masochist might enjoy it. When equipped, Increases Kicking Skills and Techniques Power and Effects by +200%, and decreases their MP Consumption by -40%. Kicking Attacks with these Heels will deal +500% more Damage against Demon, Miasmic, Chaos, Undead, and Void- type Foes, while ignoring 50% of their Defenses. These lustrous Heels have the ability to step on the empty air and kick it to gain a boost of +1000% Movement Speed, and also walk on water or any surface without deteriorating itself. [Phantom Enchantress Heels of Dominion]: By imbuing Mana, Shadow Essence, Void Essence, or Moonlight Essence into the heels, it is possible to activate its special abilities, granting the ability to "Save Techniques" within its runic inscriptions, which can be automatically activated at +200% their original power and effects in exchange for +30% increase on Mana Cost. These Saved Techniques can be even punching techniques, sword techniques, or spear techniques, and can be further mixed andbined into all sorts of new Techniques with ease. Technique Limit: 0/10 [Description] An incredible piece of equipment unique, never seen before made by cksmith and Sewing Master Maria. It has been imbued with many souls, gaining unprecedented powers. This pair of heels possess the amazing ability to deal extra damage against "Evil" foes, and save techniques within, something any warrior or fighter would die to obtain. It possesses the infinite ability to evolve and improve itself and can self-repair itself through the wearer''s Mana. A once in an eon masterpiece that rivals the Divine Treasures of the Gods and might as well have the potential to surpass them. ----- It was pretty much the physical version of my gloves! With this I can store ten power techniques or skills rted with physical fighting andbine them to unleash truly devastating kicks! Naturally, I''ll still keep using my weapon techniques through my weapons, but this still opens a lot of new possibilities for me as a still-developing martial fighter of the Ghostly Demon Fist Technique. Now, I should try to evolve my Kicking Blow Skill into a brand- new set of kicking techniques like I did with the Punching Skill! I do have some ideas, but I can''t just force a Skill to awaken, the only thing I can do is eat these Demonic Death Fruits and hope I evolve the skill I want¡­ Unless I continue peerlessly kicking until the skill finally evolves? "System! Any help in that regard?" [I am not your wish-making machine, I work based on logic and efforts¡­ But it should be possible to do something, the Skill is already pretty high level.] [You have earned a fair amount of System Points recently, how about spending a few to forcefully evolve the Skill?] "Oh, I can do that? Then let''s not waste time." Ding! [You exchanged 2.500.000 System Points¡­] ----- Chapter 950 A Ghost That Learns Kicking Techniques Chapter 950 A Ghost That Learns Kicking Techniques ??----- Ding! [You have exchanged 2.500.000 System Points.] [The [Kicking Blow: Lv10] Skill has been forcefully evolved!] [It has absorbed all of your knowledge and abilities and evolved into a brand-new Skill!] [The [Kicking Blow: Lv10] Skill has evolved into [Phantom Moon Shadow Kicking Technique: Lv1]!] ----- [Phantom Moon Shadow Kicking Technique: Lv1] The Evolution of the Kicking Blow Skill at Level 10, which can only be attained by Supernatural Beings who have mastered the ability to imbue the purest essence of Death, Darkness, and the Moon into their kicks. This is a powerful and indescribable technique that has only been created once, by the wielder of this very Skill. A powerful Kicking Technique that has been self-taught is filled with endless potential. By gathering the Purest Essence of Death, Darkness, and the Moon into the user''s Legs, all Kicking Strikes Damage dealt are enhanced by +300% with an additional +35% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to drain HP and MP from a foe with each strike based in 20% of damage dealt, alongside ignoring all their defenses by -35% and deal Soul Piercing Damage, which deals 30% damage to their souls. This Skill contains special Techniques unlocked with each Skill Level. Avable Techniques: Level 1: [Moon Shadow Crescent Kick] [Soul Piercing Phantom Sword Kick] Level 2: ??? ----- Oh yes, this trulyplements my Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique, which is already at Level 9 because I can''t stop using it even though I am more of a magic-oriented fighting. Its just that, although magic is good, nothing beats kicking or punching a bastard you really hate, isn''t it? And its abilities were rather different than the fist techniques, with the power to summon the moon shadows, which seem like a mix between moonlight and darkness. "Mama! Mama! The meat skewers are done!" Nyx flew to my side, sitting on my shoulders. "What are you doing?" "Oh, nothing much, dear." I giggled, quickly grabbing her and carrying her on my arms. "So, you wanted a dress and a big axe, didn''t you?" "Yesh!" She nodded. "Will you make me one, mama?" "Of course, it might take a few days though, I am full onmissions. I have to upgrade both your aunties'' weapons, then mine, then yourse next. And I haven''t even finished my hat yet." "Aww¡­" Nyx sighed. "But can it get done by the end of the week?" She wondered. "Of course! Don''t worry about it." I smiled, patting her head and then giving her a big kiss in her puffy baby cheeks. "Your birthday ising pretty soon. You''ll be a two-year-old girl now." "Two-year-old already?" She wondered. "Oh wow!" "Dragons develop very quickly mentally, to think you can talk and all, usually humans take a lot of time to talk like you do." I told her, as I walked back with everyone else. "Really? Humans are weak then, hehe!" Nyx giggled mischievously. "Well, isn''t Celes your friend? He''s human¡­" I said. "Oh right!" Nyxughed. "I guess they''re fine then!" "Yes, never forget, everyone got their own weaknesses and strengths." I exined to her. "If possible, remember to be humble and understanding of other people and their situations." "Oway~ I am hungy though!" She said, barely listening to what I was trying to say. Kids these days¡­ "Okay, let''s feast then! No more boring babbling."N?v(el)B\\jnn I sat down with everyone else in our camp, as I was greeted by my friends. Everyone was in high spirits after the intense hunting session we''ve had today. The day was alreadying to an end, so this barbeque was more of a dinner already. "Looks like you raised more than half of the Drakes into Undead¡­" Lucifer said. "This is quite the big and strong army now. Do you have any ns for the bosses?" "I''ll keep them for now and distribute the materials around. I''ll need some of them to make or reinforce the equipment." I said, as I received a big volcanic drake steak from Lucifer. He had no problems eating Drakes or Wyverns, they were as distant from dragons as rats from humans in terms of evolution, so he didn''t mind eating them at all. "Is that so?" Lucifer wondered, serving me some rice and potatoes too. "Nyx,e sit between the two of us, you''re bothering your mother. She has to eat too, you know?" "Okay!" Nyx nodded, sitting between the two of us as she was served a te full of meat, rice, and roasted potatoes. "Nom, nom, nom!" She quickly started devouring everything without waiting, she was truly a gluttonous little girl. "She sure looks happy." Tear smiled. "I guess today was a day well spent. My level increased quite a lot¡­ And the other newbies all grew stronger." "My level also raised a lot." Catarina nodded, eating meat skewers. "I''m still getting used to this form of mine though. I wonder if we can go hunt moreter? We''ve got the whole week left, right?" "Yeah, I''ve already thought about a few other ces where we could go hunt for monsters and level up." I nodded. "Well, not us, we''re max level already. But we need the S Rank Monsters. And if my calctions are correct¡­ The warlocks must be targeting small Haunts or Dungeons and trying to boost the monster''s growth." "Oh? But why?" Catarina asked. "Wait, don''t tell me they''re¡­" "Yep, I am really beginning to believe they were aiming to use all these monsters we just defeated to utterly destroy the Oasis City¡­" I sighed. "Whatever n they have, it involves the sacrifice of thousands of people living there." "What the fuck are they even nning now?" Partner groaned, munching on a giant cheeseburger. "Why would they need so many sacrifices? Some wicked ritual?" "Well, it might be possible¡­" Lucifer nodded. "After all, from everything we''ve deduced and found out. Their master must be that Mutated Evil God Fragment that managed to develop a powerful Ego of its own¡­" As he spoke, Celes and Nia nced at Lucifer. "The monster that defeated the Divine Oasis Spirit and forced her to sacrifice her own body and soul to seal him¡­ The Dark Pest." ----- Chapter 951 Corrupted Chaotic Dungeon Core

Chapter 951 Corrupted Chaotic Dungeon Core

----- Ding! [You have Created [Phantom Enchantress Demonic Witch Hat Of Nightmares: Morpheus (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained +40.000 Skill Proficiency.] [You gained +15.000.000 EXP.] [You cannot Level Up after hitting Max Level. Earned EXP has been umted.] n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om And right at the moment we were talking about the true aim of the Warlocks, a subgroup of the Evil Vampire Family that has been pestering this continent for way too long, I received a rather peculiar message. My hat was finally done! And it was so divinely beautiful! It was a true witch hat, with all its pointy charm, it was well rounded, ck with a hint of dark blue hue, it even had a strong, phantasmal aura to it. And it was a named Item too! "The Dark Pest¡­ We''ve only heard a bit about him, but there''s too little information." Said Emeraldine. "Mostly based on the tales the people of the Oasis have told for generations¡­" "Nia, do you know anything more?" Asked Partner. "I know you only know the little tales around town but¡­ Anything more from the Dark pest?" "Well¡­ It was said he was a being of unfathomable evil, and very cunning¡­" Sighed Nia. "It was said he purposely fought the Oasis Divine Spirit in the middle of the city, making her unable to go all out as she would be risking killing the citizens¡­ But he was ultimately defeated. It is baffling these Vampires, people that isn''t even of ournds, havee here worshiping him like a god, when he''s only an evil monster¡­" "I apologize on behalf of the Majin¡­" Lucifer sighed. "The Vampires left behind after the Demon King War long ago were only the most ruthless and the ones with the greatest intentions of revenge, they grew corrupt, only aiming for power to destroy all humans. I am sure the Demon King wouldn''t have wanted this to happen." "Oh, you don''t have to apologize¡­ They''re bad people, you shouldn''t think of them as the same as the guys we unfroze back home." I exined. "I doubt any of the sick bastards we fought would ever be redeemed." "That''s¡­ true." Lucifer sighed. "We''ve been meeting mostly evil vampires, and the ones that were good only showed that facet after being defeated by us and turned into Undead. I wish there could be someone out there that was trying to change things in this regard. It feels like their entire Family has now been catalogued as irremediable evils." "It is¡­ Well, yeah¡­" Catarina sighed. "Don''t believe everything, although the Warlocks are surely crazy. Most of us¡­ Were mostly formerly non-vampires, turned to serve them. We didn''t know anything else in our lives either. So the only option we had to survive was to obey them and fight. Still, it''s no excuse I suppose¡­" "You were an evil Vampire, big sis?" Silva asked Catarina with a worried expression. "I was¡­ I tried to kill Maria and her friends." She sighed. "They defeated me, and I became an Undead. Over time, I learned about freedom, and that what I did was wrong. I''ve gone through a lot of things, and now I am even some sort of Phantasmal Ghost being, life''s really full of weird things, but over time, these weird things have taught me valuable lessons." "She''s terrible at words, I''m so sorry Silva." I apologized in her behalf. "W-What?! Oi, you damn¡­!" Catarina contained herself from swearing in front of his little disciple. That little interaction lightened the mood, as most peopleughed loudly. We continued our feast while asionally talking about the many things we''ve experienced, and after we were almost done with our meals, we decided to explore that chamber I saw. There were no lifeforms inside, so we weren''t really looking forward to any battle. "Is this a huge door? Where does this even lead to?" Emeraldine wondered. "It looks like the entrance to some ruins." "It looks quite ancient, yes." I nodded. "By merely sensing it with my senses, I can tell these are some old ruins." I touched the door, as it absorbed my mana and quickly opened, revealing a huge, abandonedboratory inside. There was many broken alchemy equipment scattered all over the ce, and many precious jewels and other things I had never seen before. "Although the ce looked like ancient ruins, this was used not so long ago." Jonathan analyzed it. "And- What''s that?!" He quickly panicked, pointing his sword at something floating in the middle of the dark room, it resembled a giant silver colored sphere, infected with darkness and possessing crimson eyes around its entire spherical body. It constantly generated small waves of Miasma and Chaos energies, which filled with earth and slowly contaminated the entire caves. "T-This must be the artifact they left to contaminate this ce!" Emeraldine said, rather saddened. "By merely staring at it, I feel weakened¡­ Just what is this thing?" "Let''s see¡­" [The System has Analyzed the target.] [Analysis sessful.] ----- [Corrupted Chaotic Dungeon Core (SS Grade)] A Dungeon Core that has been modified using Miasma and other corrupted energies, and transformed into a special A Dungeon Core that has been modified using Miasma and other corrupted energies, and transformed into a special artifact that can contaminate areas with miasma over time. Contaminated areas will spawn monsters faster, and it will infect all living lifeforms into stronger and more aggressive forms. The more it slowly infects things, the more strong monsters will be created. High chances for A+ Rank or even S Rank Monsters to appear after enough time. ----- "Well, well, well, isn''t this the best thing I could have asked for?" Iughed, as I showed everyone the item description by making the system window visible to them. "It was indeed this that made them so strong then!" Lucifer said. "Some sort of corrupted dungeon core, I had no idea a dungeon core could be repurposed this way¡­ How hideous." "They probably somehow took it from an already existing dungeon that was destroyed¡­" I sighed. "Well, I''ll be taking it for myself now." I quickly grabbed the core, which spun aggressively and tried to infect me with its miasma, but that only made me feel stronger. "I''ll leave you inside my Soul for a bit¡­" ----- Chapter 952 The Tormented Souls Of The Past

Chapter 952 The Tormented Souls Of The Past

----- [Corrupted Chaotic Dungeon Core (SS Grade)] A Dungeon Core that has been modified using Miasma and other corrupted energies, and transformed into a special artifact that can contaminate areas with miasma over time. Contaminated areas will spawn monsters faster, and it will infect all living lifeforms into stronger and more aggressive forms. The more it slowly infects things, the more strong monsters will be created. High chances for A+ Rank or even S Rank Monsters to appear after enough time. ----- "You''re mine now!" It seemed to react aggressively when things touched it or tried to drag it away. The thing was floating within its own center of gravity, so when I held it with my hands, it tried to tear them to shreds, failing miserably at that. I considered that if it was constantly exuding this energy, then it was a perfect "Core" for my own soul, a Core of Miasma and Chaos that would constantly and passively cultivate my soul with its slow, yet seemingly endless source of energy. And once I ced it inside my soul, it stopped aggressively spinning and remained floating in silence within the Shadow Realm inside of it. FLUOOOSH! Its shockwaves continued spreading, the Undead stored inside was beginning to slowly and passively bathe in the corruption, bing slightly murky, but they absorbed it easily. They were beginning to grow stronger¡­ Hehehe! This is the ideal way to cultivate as a Necromancer, by both boosting my soul and also enhancing all my Undead at once. Thank you for the gift, you dumbass Warlocks. Ding! [You have fully absorbed and assimted the [Corrupted Chaotic Dungeon Core (SS Grade)] Artifact into your Soul!] [The Artifact is constantly exuding rich Miasma and Chaotic Energies every ten minutes, feeding your Soul, your Soul Scape, your Divinity Ember, and your Undead stored inside your Shadow Realm with powerfulpatible energies.] [Your Soul growth has begun to hasten rapidly, the Cultivation of your Phantasmal Soul Psyche has taken a drastic change, beginning to strengthen rapidly.] "Wait, Cultivation?!" As I said that out loud, the power of the artifact started making me feel more alive than I imagined. My senses heightened, my appearance became even more life-like, and I could feel everything around me much better. It was an exhrating an almost addicting feeling, like I was constantly eating the tastiest and sweetest candy, this Artifact was just MADE for me!" "So you just ate it¡­" Lucifer was slightly shocked. "Oh well, I should have expected this¡­" "Was it tasty?!" Asked Partner, gulping her saliva. "I didn''t eat it!" I sighed, crossing my arms. "But it was an ideal artifact for my growth, so I''ve assimted it into my soul¡­ Ah, was that a bit too greedy?" "Not really, well, we were nning on just smashing it to pieces." Emeraldineughed. "But if it can help you, then I don''t think there''s a problem. Also, if you keep it within your soul, it''s for the better, so it won''t contaminate the world outside." "Yeah! You''re like the ideal container of all these powerful miasmic forces." Said Jonathan. "Maybe we could purify the rest of this ce? I feel bad the Drakes were turned into mad monsters because of that thing." "Sure, let me do it by absorbing all the bad miasma." I touched the ground, quickly assimting everything. FLUOOOSH! In a split of a second, the entire ce was cleansed¡­ Wait, did I ever have such fast abilities at miasma absorption? I remember being rather weak to it at first, but now I''ve totally assimted it into my own being, maybe because I''ve already assimted several Evil God Fragments into my soul. "Hmph, that artifact is really good¡­ To think these vampire bastards would make something like this." Ullermented at my side. "Oi, Maria. Are you going to do something about the guys over there though?" "The guys?" I wondered. "Oh those guys." Everyone hadn''t paid attention, maybe they couldn''t see them like I could, but there were ten ghosts sitting at the end of the room, trembling in fear after seeing us arrive. Their bodies were glowing with ck and blueish colors, they were corrupted by the Chaos yet they had continued keeping their sanity and minds. These were most likely what I would call, Chaos Ghosts! "Hey, you guys over there. Can you speak?" The ghosts, who had the appearance of ancient people simr to the pharaoh, trembled, suddenly looking at me. "T-The Chaos Embodiment, she''s looking at us!" "Eep!" "Please don''t eat our souls!" "We are only humble Alchemists left behind here!" "We died long ago after the Great Cataclysm¡­" "Can you spare our souls?" "Great¡­ Cataclysm?" I asked. "Hey, Pharaoh, do you know what''s that?" "Hmmm¡­" The Lich appeared by my side, emerging from my shadows. "That is an even more ancient event than my own Kingdom. The Great Cataclysm has only been found within small legends. It is said to have been a time when the Gods punished humanity for their sins and killed most of them through the Cmities that ran rampart." "Oh, so that''s it¡­ Yikes, these Gods are really monsters." I sighed. "But I somehow feel like that''s not all of it, right?" "W-What is this man talking about?" "The Great Cataclysm¡­ It wasn''t just Cmities running rampart!" "Those Gods you speak about¡­" "They''re merely the Awakened Ones that fought against the Ancient Ones¡­" "When the Tower appeared in our world, there was nothing else but destruction¡­" "W-We were unable to intervene, the Realms fell apart!" "Uuwaah! The horror¡­ Please, spare us! We don''t want to see the outside world!" "The decree of the Kings of the Void¡­ No, NO!" "Your world¡­ your religion, is nothing but an illusion!" They were goingpletely batshit insane. I retire what I said before, they were talking nonsense not even Uller could understand! "Awakened Ones? Ancient Ones?" I wondered. "W-What''s going on?" "I am not sure¡­" The Pharaoh spoke. "But perhaps these people¡­ I am in awe, these souls have been in here for perhaps¡­ hundreds of thousands of years, if not millions." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "They know of things before the Ragnar?k itself." Said Uller. "W- What in the world?" ----- Chapter 953 Strange Words, Revelations Or Delusions?

Chapter 953 Strange Words, Revtions Or Delusions?

----- Although they spoke weird names and words I had no idea what they meant contextually, such as "Tower",?"Kings of the Void", "Ancient Ones and Awakened Ones", and even whatever they meant by an "Illusion". I am fairly sure these damn Gods are all real, and Hel too, these conflicts are happening, they''re not an Illusion¡­ But maybe this Tower or whatever, and the Kings of the Void, might have something to do with these Gods. And perhaps the true origin of the Gods lies within these words. I tried asking them for more information, but they were in an extreme state of euphoria and panic, and were unable to answer properly, continuously talking words I couldn''t understand. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "T-The world will break apart!" "You will see THEM¡­!" "T-They¡­! NO!" "Odin, that bastard¡­ Traitor!" "The Murim''s Heavenly Demon¡­" "Ymir''s Death!" "The Void Beyond the Skies¡­" "Please¡­ Ugh¡­" "Okay, just rest for now." I waved my hand, using my power over the dead to force them to sleep, and then ced them inside my Shadow Realm. "Were those ghosts?" Asked Lucifer. "What were they even talking about?" "Something that has only made me begin to doubt¡­ Everything about this world." I sighed. "But they were just words at the end, once they calm down and rest, maybe we can ask them what the hell they were talking about." "Right¡­" Emeraldine seemed slightly creeped by the ghosts. "Ah, I remember you rescued a dragon from the Warlocks! How is she?" "Violet?" I asked. "Yes, she''s recovering fine. Her soul has finally calmed down, her body has gone back to almost normal too. But if I try to forcefully wake her up, I fear I might inhibit her or something¡­ It would be better to let her rest as much as possible." "You''re not wrong¡­" Lucifer nodded. "I am just happy she has recovered. She can take as much as she wants to recover, haha. Ah, I miss Brunhild now. I wish that woman could have apanied us in this journey. Did she really had to stay with the damn dwarves?" "Well, now that know they''re her descendants, there''s little we can do about that." I shrugged. "She cares about them, and they might even try to make her their Queen after that big revtion. More importantly, let''s head back to the city. I want to stay on a fancy inn again." After cleaning the entire ruins of every little broken thing I found, and many precious ores I had never seen before, perhaps from ancient times, we moved back to another fancy Noble district Inn. Today was sure a long day, we hunted a lot of monsters and secured tons of items too, but there''s no rest for me. While I was sleeping over afy bed while being cuddled by Emeraldine and Partner, within my Shadow Realm, there was a huge forge I had ced there from my Inventory. Constantly, I was using all my avable tools to continue forging and enhancing the items. Emeraldine''s bow and Partner''s spears were getting enhanced right in this moment. I decided to use the many materials I picked up for that, the scales of the drake bosses, and some dust from A+++ Rank monster cores. For Emeraldine, I decided to fuse a few precious jewels I found in those ruins. They were named Crescent Soul Stones and Life Crystals, which were from an "otherworldly" origin, ording to the description. The first stone, ording to the little description I could squeeze out, originated from a world called "Murim", for some weird reason! And the Life Crystals from a world called "Avalon"¡­ The other items were all the same, they originated from different realms, worlds, and what not. I tried squeezing as much lore as I could, but only found the most basic information and the origin. But with all this info, there''s at least¡­ over ten other worlds I had no idea of their existence. Are they somehow connected to Yggdrasil? Are they connected to Earth too, where Ie from? All these questions started popping up inside of my heads as I made my best to enchant the equipment. What is this damn Tower? What are the Kings of the Void?! Ugh, so many questions! The worst part was that the Pharaoh and Uller had no idea either. Ullercked all his memories, and the Pharaoh wasn''t as ancient as the ghosts. "Can''t you just read their damn minds?" Asked Uller. "Can''t¡­" I sighed. "They''re Ancient Chaos Ghosts, they''re surprisingly strong too, their minds can''t be read no matter how hard I try. If I do it too hard, they might end up having their souls broken, so I stopped after a while. They''re actually S- Rank! Surprising¡­ They are already technically "tamed" somewhat, so they won''t be aggressive but¡­ I wonder if I could ever help them out." "They will prove to be a valuable asset; Phantasmal and Spiritual beings are good for the powerful Spirit Magic!" Said Uller. "You already gain a lot of power when I merge with you, imagine all these guys¡­ Hehehe." "Hm, well, I am still missing more Spirits too. Where can I even find Death, Poison, or Darkness Spirits? I only have theme Uller with me." I sighed. "True Spirits that aren''t Ghosts?" Wondered the Pharaoh. "They are truly rare, even more if you want some strong enough Spirits. But I did feel some Spiritual Energy from afar, to the east. There must be some buried or ancient sanctuary. Perhaps you should take a lookter, master." "Oh, you have spiritual senses of that caliber?" I wondered. "Not bad! Alright, I guess I''ll check that outter then. For now, let''s concentrate in this¡­" CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! I kept using the materials and enchanting the weapons. At one point I smelted the whole spears of Partner because they were having problems and remade them again. When the sun finally rose and it pierced through the window, the amazing new weapons for my wifeys were finally done. ----- Chapter 954 Partner’s New Spears

Chapter 954 Partner''s New Spears

----- Ding! [You have Created [Chaotic Vampiric Draconic Medusa Tail Spear (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You have Created [Abyssal Explosive Darkness Devourer Spear (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You have Created [Divine Sacred Holy Yggdrasil Spirit Magic Bow (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You gained +120.000 Skill Proficiency.] [The [Smithing: Lv8] [Apprentice cksmith Recipe Book: Lv6] [Rune Smithing: Lv5] [Soul Binding Alchemy: Lv4] [Spiritual Energy Maniption: Lv3] [Shadow Sculping Arts: Lv3] Skills have Leveled Up!] [You gained +60.000.000 EXP.] [You cannot Level Up after hitting Max Level. Earned EXP has been umted.] Even if they were already pre-existing, because I dismantled and remade them again, it seems it counted as if I made them myself. This made it possible for many skills to level up after the immense umtion of Skill Proficiency! Damn, I can still remember when those dwarves were teaching me stuff. And now? Look at me! I am already an amazing cksmith, making S+++ Grade stuff and all! Well, I am still mostly in debt to the skills I got from my Subsses, without them, I wouldn''t have been able to reach this far in my crafting abilities. Now that these are done, the only thing left to do is reinforce my own two weapons, the axe and the sword, and then move on to Nyx''s new items. Her little princess dress and her powerful axe, I''ll make sure to make them with my top ingredients. Once the morning came, I decided to begin enhancing my equipment while I also started cooking breakfast for everyone. Naturally, they all woke up and started chatting and flocking around, the people sleeping in separate rooms walked inside after getting ready for another day. "Good morning, Lady Maria, everyone." Nia said politely. "Good morning Nyx!" Celes said adorably. "Hi Celes!" Nyx waved her little hand. "Look, mama made even more amazing items today!" "Ooh?" Celes and Fabian and his friends quickly flocked around the items I had just finished making for Partner and Emeraldine. "Wow, these are AMAZING!" Partner was celebrating, showing off her two new spears. Well, they were the same as before, but were much more beautiful, exuding a divine aura, and had many new runes engraved on them, making them exceptionally stronger than before. They jumped from B Rank to S+++ Rank, so they were naturally on another level now. The red spear now had draconic decorations of crimson scales, with many snake heads near the de. The ck spear now had many ck eyes within it, and me-shaped decorations at the handle. They were the easiest to upgrade because they werepatible with Shadow Sculping the best, even though I had to dismantle them and smelt them and then make them again¡­ ----- [Chaotic Vampiric Draconic Medusa Tail Spear] [Item Type]: [Divine Weapon] [Demonic Spear] [Cursed Spear] [Vampiric Artifact] [Item Grade]: [S+++] [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped by Partner] [Item Durability]: [2.000.000/2.000.000] [Item Effects]: [Weapon Attack]: [+1.500.000] [HP]: [+700.000] [MP]: [+700.000] [Attack]: [+800.000] [Defense]: [+400.000] [Magic]: [+600.000] [Agility]: [+800.000] [Poison Attribute Power]: [+800.000] [Blood Attribute Power]: [+800.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+800.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Defense Pration +30% (S)] [Weapon Attack +30% (S)] [Attack Speed +30% (S)] [Attack +35% (S)] [Health Drain +150% (S)] [Agility +35% (S)] [Abilities] [Draconic Medusa''s Fangs]: The tip of the spear is covered by a deadly and venomous toxin that poison the wounds of a foe, inflicting [Strong Venom], [Paralysis], [Madness], [Weakness], [Soul Curse], and [Physique Break], and even a chance for [Petrification]. Damage Dealt against foes inflicted with Status Effects increase by +300% and can ignore 20% of their Defenses. [Chaotic Blood Empress]: Enhances Blood Attribute Magic Damage by +300% and reduces MP Cost by -60%. Adds the Chaotic Attribute to Blood Attribute Magic, which allows them to negate 30% of a foe''s Elemental Resistances, Magic Barriers, or to destroy their Magic Composition. [Vicious Huntress of the Night]: Deals up to a bonus of +500% more damage in Surprise Attacks, has a high chance to [Paralyze] a foe on contact. Always active if below the Night''s Sky or within Shadows. Can unleash [Ambushing Huntress] on a foe by spending Mana and Blood Energy, dealing consecutive damage that increases by +100% with each attack until the fifth, draining 25% of damage dealt as HP and Blood Energy. Cooldown: 1 Minute. [Chaotic Vampire Queen''s Burst]: After absorbing enough blood or energy from a foe, a powerful Burst Attack can be unleashed, that can deal up to +2000% More Damage, ignoring 90% of their Defenses and Draining 50% of the Damage Dealt as HP and Blood Energy. However, the weapon loses 25000 Durability as damage. Cooldown: 1 Hour. ----- . ----- [Abyssal Explosive Darkness Devourer Spear] [Item Type]: [Divine Weapon] [Magic Spear] [Cursed Spear] [Shadow Artifact] [Item Grade]: [S+++] [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped by Partner] [Item Durability]: [2.000.000/2.000.000] [Item Effects]: [Weapon Attack]: [+1.500.000] [HP]: [+700.000] [MP]: [+700.000] [Attack]: [+600.000] [Defense]: [+400.000] [Magic]: [+800.000] [Agility]: [+800.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+800.000] [Blood Attribute Power]: [+800.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+800.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Magic Defense Pration +30% (S)] [Magic Weapon Attack +30% (S)] [Magic Attack Speed +30% (S)] [Magic +35% (S)] [Mana Drain +150% (S)] [MP +35% (S)] [Abilities] [Abyssal Darkness Resonance]: This weapon can switch between dealing Physical Damage or Magical Damage. Enhances Darkness Magic Damage by +300% and reduces MP Cost by -60%. The weapon can easily channel and absorb Darkness Magic to unleash stronger blows, increasing the power of Attacks when on Magic Damage Mode by absorbing Shadows by +30% with each blow up to the tenth blow. If an attack misses thebo breaks and the bonuses reset. [Umbral Shadow Clones]: While attacking and spending Mana and absorbing Shadows, the weapon can summon up to 10 Clones made of shadows to attack a foe consecutively, dealing an additional +200% damage with each mirage''s sessful attack. Mirages will use skills on their own and add on to the damage, but will die after receiving one hit, and onlyst for 1 Minute. [Explosive Shadow mes]: By imbuing your Mana and Blood Energy into Shadows you control, you can make thembust into Explosive Shadow mes, dealing +300% Damage with each Explosion, and covering the foe with deadly burns that can decrease all their stats by up to -30% for 5 Minutes. ----- The Abilities they originally had werepletely upgraded to a new level, and the darkness spear even acquired a new ability, tobust shadows! Kind of like Laura. Maybe because I used Laura''s crystal dust she leaves behind from her heart, or her Combustion Ashes from her Explosion Magic. I never thought the spear would be able to sessfully absorb a small part of her "trait" into a new ability. I can''t help but surprise my own talent, heh, I bet those dwarves would die of jealously if they knew what I can do now! The crimson spear is to deal great damage and drain health and blood energy, the second is to deal magic damage and surprise the foe as much as possible. Bothplement each other tremendously! "This bow¡­ It is so beautiful and divine! Like something only a goddess would possess!" Emeraldine was utterly fascinated with her new bow. It had gained golden and green colored decorations, tree-like engravings and now had a beautiful string made out of the strongest silk I could produce,bined with Arachne''s own spider threads. Naturally, the Stats were noughing matter either¡­ n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ----- Chapter 955 Emeraldines New Magic Bow Chapter 955 Emeraldine''s New Magic Bow ??----- I suppose it cannot be helped, my genius in the way of item crafting is unparalleled! After remaking the whole bow and adding so many weird materials I found, scales, threads of Arachne, Yggdrasil tree shards, and even the Yggdrasil Soul Core Dust, this little bow was born. ----- [Divine Sacred Holy Yggdrasil Spirit Magic Bow] [Item Grade]: [S+++]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped by Emeraldine] [Item Durability]: [1.500.000/1.500.000] [Item Effects]: [Weapon Attack]: [+2.500.000] [HP]: [+500.000] [MP]: [+1.500.000] [Attack]: [+1.500.000] [Defense]: [+500.000] [Magic]: [+1.500.000] [Agility]: [+1.500.000] [Holy Light Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Life Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Nature Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Spirit Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Defense Pration +30% (S)] [Arrow uracy, Power, and Speed +35% (S)] [Spirit Magic Power +35% (S)] [Magic & MP +30% (S)] [Attack & Agility +30% (S)] [HP & Defense +30% (S)] [Item Abilities] [Divine Sacred Magic Bow]: Enhances Holy Light/Life/Nature Magic Damage by +500% and reduces MP Cost by -60%. The weapon can easily channel and absorb Holy Light/Life/Nature Magic to unleash [Divine Sacred Magic Bow st] from the bow, that can deal +600% Magic Damage and spread on a wide area for umted damage. Cooldown: 1 Minute. [Spirit Magic Arrows]: By directly infusing elemental Mana into the bow, it is possible to create, shape, and fire powerful Magic Arrows that can explode into different effects depending in the spell imbued into them, enhancing damage dealt by +300%. Whenbining this with real arrows, damage dealt is enhanced by +600% instead. Each Arrow gains a Special Status Effect it can inflict on a foe depending on the Element. Example: Fire: Spiritual Burn, Light: Soul Blindness, Nature: nt Infection, Life: Health Deterioration, etc. [Yggdrasil''s Spirit Protection]: As long as this bow is equipped by the wielder, it can automatically absorb Mana from the wielder to erect a powerful Spiritual Barrier around the user or any nearby allies within ten meters from the wielder, which can negate up to 100% of Damage dealt as long as there''s enough Mana, possessing 500.000 Durability each. These Barries can also be conjured on allies or shaped into different forms and could be even used offensively. [Divine Spiritual Connection]: This weapon is imbued with special magic and jewels capable of channeling the power of spirits, if the wielder has any contract with spirits, this bow can easily meld with their power or even their spiritual bodies, enhancing the damage dealt and effects of Magic Arrows and other techniques by up to +600%. Additional effects are applied depending in the spirit''s elements. Example: Fire: zing Spirit''s Explosion, Light: Holy Spirit''s Purification, Nature: Yggdrasil''s Forest, Life: Life Absorption, etc. Additionally, bybining seven elements together, it is possible to unleash [Divine Yggdrasil''s Nine Worlds: Ragnar?k], dealing up to +2000% Damage and ignoring 90% of a foe''s defenses, dealing damage on a wide area. However, the weapon loses 20000 Durability as damage. Cooldown: 1 Hour. ----- Well, the word "little" would be an understatement, the bow haspletely be a nuke at this point. Look at the stats, look at the abilities, and that ultimate ability at the end! Insane! With this, Emeraldine has a wide arrange of abilities for literally anything, our archer has suddenly be even more of a deadly threat. As long as we keep her in the back while we fight in the front, she''s going to nuke any bastard that gets in our way¡­ Well, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. "This bow is utterly incredible, thank you so much, Maria!" Emeraldine cried, hugging me tightly and kissing my lips. "I am so happy you made it so powerful! I can feel the harmony with the spirits by merely holding this¡­! I will use it to protect everyone." "It''s fine, it''s fine~ Hahaha!" I felt very ttered, Partner was just as happy, hugging me tightly. Both girls were constantly dragging me from one ce to another as they thanked me with kisses and hugs. As we enjoyed breakfast, I discussed what we would be doing next. With the Pharaoh Lich''s information, I decided to go to whatever this Spirit Sanctuary might be, and get myself some rare spirit contracts. Or die trying! Well, I''m already dead. "Spirits¡­ I see. You''ve had spirit magic for a while now, but you''ve never been able to make full use of it." Lucifer nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." "If it''s an abandoned spiritual sanctuary, I could try looking for it!" Emeraldine said, closing her eyes. She expanded her senses without interfering with anything, or even being noticed by anybody but me, who was right next to her. And then¡­ "I found it, the Lich was right." She nodded. "It is truly to the east, within a few dunes and some ruins¡­ They look strangely simr to the ruins in the cave from yesterday too. It has such ancient writings I can''t even discern." "Interesting, I''ve known that the desert has always had buried ruins from ancient times, when the desert used to be part of the sea and there were inds with cities." Said the Lich, appearing from my shadows. "Perhaps we could find more clues of whatever nonsense they talked about, master." "I agree, let''s go then." After eating breakfast, bathing, and getting ready, we set off into another small adventure before the confrontation, because I felt like I needed to be as strong as possible to fight whatever challenges awaited us. FLUOOOSH! The dunes waved calmly by the wind, sand flying everywhere, we could barely see the beautiful sky, sand was the only thing we could see, actually. Wait, it was actually not calm at all! "Are we in the middle of a sandstorm by any chance?" Emeraldine wondered, her barrier protecting us from the sands. "I think so¡­" I sighed. "Emeraldine, can you see if we''re going to the right ce?" "Yes, we''re almost there!" She said. "Ah! Over there!" She pointed with her hand into the distance, right below the dunes we were walking through, there was a long descending ce, a "hole" in between many dunes. It was full of ruins we had never seen or noticed before, glowing with a mysterious aura. ----- Chapter 956 Visiting The Spirit Ruins

Chapter 956 Visiting The Spirit Ruins

----- The mysterious ruins greeted us with their mysterious appearance, auras of spiritual essence surging from within them. This entire desert must be full of lost treasure from past times, these ruins already look much different than the pyramids we''ve found before. "Let''s take a look then. They''re pretty wide around this area¡­" I said, as the rest of my huge party walked by my side. N?v(el)B\\jnn We had to walk down the dunes in front of us, which led to some sort of crater-like formation in the end, where all the runes were scattered. By expanding my phantasmal senses, I was able to see a few things of interest, small spots withrger quantities of spiritual energy, and then, at the very end where we were, arge spot of corrupted spiritual energy, overflowing with a dark essence. And¡­ "Leave¡­" A voice echoing from within that ce, overflowing with the presence and will of a Soul, no less. "Leave¡­ this ce¡­" It kept telling me to leave. Nobody else could hear it other than myself, I suppose this is because I''m a ghost and have a sixth sense sort of? "This ce¡­ my resting¡­ ce¡­ leave¡­" It seemed to be a resentful soul. I''ll get to it eventually. For now, I want to check the spots of Spiritual Energy and see if I can find anypatible Spirit to tame- I mean, to make a contract with. "Mama, I can feel something odd!" Nyx had noticed it too. "Over there!" "I know, we''ll check itter, dear." I smiled at her. "More importantly, look over here." While Fabian''s group was exploring the ruins with a few others, Nyx, Lucifer, and Partner walked by my side and followed me where I was going. The spot of spiritual essence was a glowing, rainbow-colored crystal buried beneath the sand, surrounded by four walls of ruins. The ruins were covered on strange runes and anguage I couldn''t understand. None here understood it, not even the Pharaoh. "I don''t understand thisnguage, but I do recognize it. I''ve seen ruins like these before¡­" The Lich spoke with a slow and dry voice. "This is the Language of the Gods¡­ These ruins must have something to do with them, or perhaps, with people that lived in the Ancient Times when the Gods were active in the surface of Yggdrasil." "When they shed against the Titans?!" Partner asked in shock. "Perhaps¡­" The Lich sighed. "I am not sure, unfortunately. I apologize. However, I do know something, those crystals hiding here, they are not so old. Perhaps around the time that Oasis Divine Spirit fought the Dark Pest." "You mean these spiritual crystals formed out of that fight?" Wondered Emeraldine. "I can feel a lot of power from them, yeah¡­ There are many spirits flocking around them, countless of tiny ones." "These crystals seem to have great amounts of purity¡­" Lucifer said. "Perhaps they were formed either from pieces of the Spirit''s body or the residual spiritual energy from its magic attacks." "Alright! Is any of you willing to make a contract with me, you guys~?" I walked in front of the flock of spirits, hundreds of small and colorful creatures floated everywhere. I couldn''t properly discern their shapes, but they were all Spirits or at least Lesser Spirits. There were of many elements, so hopefully there might be apatible one? "Kyyuhh!" However, they all saw me and swiftly ran away in fear, disappearing from the ce¡­ "E-Eh?" I was leftpletely alone¡­ At the end, Spirits do fear me a lot! "Ugh, dammit, not again¡­" I sighed, feeling defeated, I fell to my knees. "Looks like the Spirits do not like Master too much." Sighed the Pharaoh. "It makes sense, you''ve grown to the extent you have be an existence that embodies Death and Darkness, both elements are often feared by most conventional elemental spirits." "C-Come on, Maria! Don''t make that face, we can find another spirit! I am sure of it!" Emeraldine tried to cheer me up. "Do you even need them? You''re plenty strong yourself¡­" Partner raised an eyebrow. "Of course I need some! I have been unable to use my Spirit Magic this entire time, I need proper spirits to make my magic growth advance leaps and bounds." I crossed my arms in disbelief. "I can''t just spam big spells, I want some more intricacy to it, spirits will allow my magic to evolve. Also, most of our foes already resist all my basic elements, if I can add spirit power to them, it might be possible for my magic to pierce through their higher defenses more easily." "I suppose you''re not wrong¡­" Lucifer agreed. "The Warlocks, the Evil God Fragments, most Cmities, are all very resistance to the Dark Alignment of Elements, some even capable of simply absorbing its elemental essence. If you''re locked with only those elements, obtaining spirits to enchant them with spirit power makes sense." "O-Oh¡­" Partner muttered, finding the entire situation slightly amusing herself. "Oh well! A-Anyways, should we get moving?" "Not before I extract a bit of these, they''re still a precious material, hehe." I took out my pickaxe and, when I was about to mine, someone called for me. "W-Wait! Please wait, Auntie Maria!" It was Celes, who came running to my side and grabbing my arms, gently putting them down. "D-Don''t do that please!" "Celes? What''s wrong?" Nia quickly walked to his side and bowed, apologizing. "I''m really sorry! He didn''t mean anything bad! He just¡­ He said that these crystals hold important power?" Nia wondered. "They do?" Nyx asked. "What power?" "I can feel it¡­" Celes slowly walked to the rainbow spirit crystal growth. "Some of the Essence of the Divine Oasis Spirit is here!" His Soul resonated with the crystal, as his little hand touched it, arge quantity of power that was contained within it flowed into his Soul and Body! FLUOSH! It was swiftly absorbed, the crystal remained slightly the same, but it looked hollow, the power it held drainedpletely. Ding! [Celes]''s [Divine Oasis Spirit Soul] has absorbed the [Divine Oasis Spirit''s Fragment]!] [A part of the Soul''s original powers has slowly awakened, All Stats have increased, All Skills have Leveled Up.] So this was an inheritance of some sort this whole time? ----- Chapter 957 Recruiting Many Little Spirits Chapter 957 Recruiting Many Little Spirits ??----- "Phew, I feel much better now¡­" Celes sighed in relief. "Since I can remember that I''ve always felt weaker and a bit sickly, remember mom? But after absorbing this, it feels like something that should have always been in there is finally back¡­" "I-I see¡­" Nia nodded. "C-Could it really be a fragment of the Oasis Spirit? So your soul is truly¡­ My son." "I don''t know either¡­" Celes sighed. "But maybe I might be¡­ rted to her, or be her reincarnation, it''s confusing¡­" As smart as the boy was, he was still just a child, so it was natural he couldn''t figure out things on his own easily and found them confusing to even interpret. "It''s fine." I said. "It''s nice that there is something we can benefit froming here, aside from my epic failure at getting a spirit¡­ I''ll mine a piece of this and then leave the rest in here, the spirits do like this area after all." As I touched the crystal with my pickaxe after Celes and Nia nodded, a sudden sh of blue light surged from the crystal, slightly blinding my vision. FLAAASH! "What the¡­ Another unexpected event again?!" I was getting a bit bored of these! The blue light slowly took the shape of a floating, blue-colored spirit, with the appearance of a little mermaid, it greeted Celes with an innocent smile. "The vessel of my master¡­ At longst, she hase back." She sighed. "But you''re¡­ A human? How could this be?" "E-Eh? Hi?" Celes was a bit confused. "A-Ah, sorry¡­" The small spirit, only the size of a cat, sighed. "I am one of mydy''s spirit servants, I have no name other than Nymph. I was left here, sealed within the crystal by my master to secure my safety¡­" "Wait, you know about the past then?!" I asked in surprise. "What happened back then?" "I¡­ my memories are a bit fuzzy, but I was left here to serve mydy, whenever she came back, no matter how long it would take. And she''s finally here¡­ Or well, him." She sighed. "Do you truly not possess her memories, vessel of my master''s soul?" "No, sorry¡­" Celes sighed. "I am¡­ someone else. I just carry it but¡­" "I understand." The spirit seemed sorrowful but epted the truth faster than we imagined. "Then, there''s no point in hesitating. I will serve you from now on, my master''s reincarnation."N?v(el)B\\jnn FLASH! A thread of blue light touched Celes, a contract between him and the spirit was made immediately¡­ "W-Woah¡­ D-Do I really get a spirit contracted with me?" Celes adorably wondered. "Congrats Celes!" Nyx smiled, patting his head. "Ugh¡­" I sighed, feeling slightly jealous. "I want a spirit too! This is unfair. But well done, nheless. We need you as strong as possible anyways." Celes nodded happily after my words, feeling rather grateful of everything that has happened, the boy''s smile was all I needed for the frustration of not having gotten a spirit to disappear. "I believe I could tell you a few things that I do remember well¡­ It seems I''ve been sleeping for thousands of years." Yawned the Water Spirit. "Each spot of spiritual energy is a fragment of mydy''s power she hid in here in her battle against that Corrupted Awakened¡­ They''re meant to give you great power, and also has my sisters sealed within." "I-I see¡­" Celes was listening while nodding. "Um, what is a Corrupted Awakened?" "You mean the Dark Pest?" I wondered. The spirit quickly gave me a nod. "I don''t really know who all of you are, but you seem very strong. I am grateful you''ve been protecting the reincarnation, she- I mean he is a very important being for this desert." She thanked us first and foremost. "And yes, I do remember he was called Dark Pest too." "Do you remember anything more?" Emeraldine asked, as we started making our way to the second Spiritual Energy Spot, out of the three there were. "And why did you call him Awakened?" "I¡­ I don''t remember why they were called like this exactly." Sighed the Spirit. "My Master was an Awakened that hailed from "A World of Oceans" as she called it¡­ She belonged to a group of other Water Spirits and Magicians serving Oceania, the Goddess of Water, right? Oceania''s the daughter of the Awakened Odin." "Awakened again¡­ I had no idea they had this other name; it feels like it makes little sense seeing how they''re Gods." I wondered, crossing my arms. "I-I have little clue about what it means either." The Spirit sighed. "I''m sorry forcking information, I was created by Master only a few hundred years before she died and I never left her side, so I have little knowledge other than these things." "It''s fine, dear, don''t worry." Emeraldine smiled sweetly at her. "But¡­ "A World of Oceans", what could this mean?" "Maybe they meant the Great Endless Sea?" Lucifer asked. "The Great Endless Sea that connects all Continents, formed after the Realms fell and slowly formed into Continents, what was once many Realms became a single world, supported by Yggdrasil''s roots." "Once Realms fell¡­ You mean in the Age of Ragnar?k? That happened before I was created, but I did hear from Master that this was the Cataclysmic event that triggered the "Assimtion" or whatever it means¡­ Which opened the way for her to reach this world through the seas." The Fairy said. "T- That''s all I really know." "Assimtion¡­" The Pharaoh rubbed his chin. "Hmmm¡­ All of this knowledge is triggering my researcher self! I wish I could write down notes and such." "Here." I gave him a notebook and a pencil. "Write anything you want for me; I''ll need that information." "Oooh! V-Very well!" Nodded the Lich, happy to have some tools at his disposal. As he started scribing what he had heard and everything else, we arrived at the second rainbow crystal, this one was being observed by Silva and Catarina, who were curiously sensing its aura. "The second one is here, please, reincarnation, absorb its powers." Said the Spirit. "From what I can tell¡­ The Power of the Dark Pest is growingrger at the same time, you need to be stronger to finish what master couldn''t." "Okay!" Celes might be little, but his courage was very big. ----- Chapter 958 The Resentful Knight Chapter 958 The Resentful Knight ??----- FLUOSH! Ding! [Celes]''s [Divine Oasis Spirit Soul] has absorbed the [Divine Oasis Spirit''s Second Fragment]!] [A part of the Soul''s original powers has slowly awakened, All Stats have increased, All Skills have Leveled Up.] Celes absorbed the second Rainbow Spirit Crystal, as a simr-looking water spirit appeared in front of him, calling herself Undine. "Oh? What''s this? Are you my master''s reincarnation? You''re so cuteeee!" The little spirit hugged his head. "My name is Undine! Let''s be friends from now on!" "S-Sure¡­" Celes was a bit overwhelmed, but epted the spirit, nheless. A second pact was made, and now Celes had absorbed two fragments and has two water spirits, my jealously keeps growing! Oh well, I did absorb that super overpowered chaos core myself, so I can''tin¡­ "S-So these crystals were for Celes to absorb?" Silva asked. "Wow, it''s like everything is connected¡­" "In a sense, it might be. The damage we see, the ruins, the crystals, they''re all part of the history of this ce." Catarina analyzed the surroundings. "Celes has an important task, and those Warlocks are most likely behind the Dark Pest''s presence growing, as the spirit said. I''m not saying I''m doubting Maria and the rest''s strength, but there''s nothing wrong with more power." "Yeah! Celes is specially powerful, he healed me from all the big damage I got easily!" Nyx said happily, nodding. "We''ll be counting on you!" My daughter really was growing closer to Celes faster than I imagined! Does she have a crush on him, or is it the other way around? "T-Thanks¡­ I-I''ll do my best, Nyx, Silva¡­" Celes blushed while acting all adorably. The two girls giggled, finding him quite cute. "We''ll be looking forward to it!" Silva smiled, acting much more livelypared to the time we meet her. "Yeah, yeah!" Nyx nodded while waging her tail around. Looks like Celes got himself a pair of cute cheerleaders, he can''t possibly disappoint them now. I could see his decisiveness and courage was growing within his eyes. "Hehe, you sure are popr, dear." His mother giggled. "I hope that one day, once all of this is over, you all can meet again when you''re older¡­" "We''ll definitelye to see you regrly, Nia, don''t worry." I smiled at her. "Now, onwards to thest one!" We all moved to the third andst Rainbow Spirit Crystal, while wandering around the silent ruins. The reason no monsters were here was due to two factors, ording to what I''ve analyzed. First, the Rainbow Spirit Crystals formed a repelling barrier that kept monsters away, and second, that corrupted spiritual energy at the end, with the creepy voice. "Leave this ce¡­" Yep, that one, is pretty intimidating! Whatever that guy is, he''s surely keeping monsters on ce too. Based on the Aura and Soul Voice alone, it is most likely a strong Undead. "Oh, you''re here." Jonathan greeted us once he saw us walking to the third crystal. "We''ve been looking at this shiny crystal for a while. Maybe you could mine it, Maria?" "I''ve mined some from the others we found, don''t worry honey." I said. "Fabian, can you move aside a bit?" "O-Oh, right!" Fabian and the children were in some sort of trance while watching that crystal. Perhaps something with their own powers had to do with it, the spiritual energy was rather intoxicating, but only Celes could properly amass it and absorb it. "Do it, master!" "Do it! Do it!" "O-Okay, don''t be so pushy¡­" Celes touched thest crystal while the two spirits were cheering for him, its power surged like a bright blue light, fusing with him once more. FLUOSH! Ding! [Celes]''s [Divine Oasis Spirit Soul] has absorbed the [Divine Oasis Spirit''s Third Fragment]!] [A part of the Soul''s original powers has slowly awakened, All Stats have increased, All Skills have Leveled Up.] POOF! And as he gained the third fragment, a new Spirit materialized, one looking like the other three. I guess they were a trio of spirit sisters. They were all almost at the level of a Divine Spirit as well, of the lowest rank, like Emeraldine''s Spirits, so they had potential. "Hello¡­ You must be the master''s¡­ reincarnation?" The Spirit girl had sses this time, readjusting them as she analyzed Celes Soul and appearance. "Y-Yeah¡­" The spirit nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you¡­ My name is Haliae, I''m the youngest of t- the third sisters¡­" She was very shypared to the other two. Nymph was the leader by far, while Undine was the energetic one, Haliae was shy and rather smart-looking. "Now we''re all finally together! After thousands of years. I am so happy, sisters." "Yaaaay! Let''s celebrate with a big party!" "I''m happy to meet you two but you should tone it down, we''re not alone in here¡­" Their little sister then looked into the distance, where the mysterious and creepy voice had originallye from. "That ce¡­ Isn''t the resting ce of Knight Eustace? The man that our master once loved¡­" Haliae said with a shy voice. "That''s right. But that ce, he should have rested in peace after the battle, yet¡­ it reeks with so much malice and evil energy." Sighed Nymph. "Why''s that?" Undine asked. "Knight Eustace¡­ he died fighting the Dark Pest and was able to weaken that monster. He was a strong Awakened, but the Dark Pest had absorbed a Fragment of the Evil God, so he was naturally stronger¡­ Master left him here after mourning his death. I don''t remember ever seeing her so sad before." The spirits all seemed sad as they looked into the distance. The word Awakened was once more used, and this Knight Eustace, was¡­ perhaps the Divine Oasis Spirit''s lover. And did they say the Dark pest had absorbed a Fragment?! So does that mean that the thing itself was another being before it got that fragment? "Leave this ce!" Suddenly, as we drew closer, the voice grew much stronger. "I say to LEAVE!" TRUUUM!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The dark aura continued surging from within it, shaking uncontrobly. "It is really angry¡­" Celes said. "It is full of resentment¡­" I sighed. "It must have had a gruesome death. However, we''re not leaving, Eustace." I stood in front of everyone, shielding them from the shockwaves. One step at a time, we finally made it. "You shouldn''t be here¡­ Leave¡­ this sacred ce¡­!" ----- Chapter 959 Against The Cursed Knight

Chapter 959 Against The Cursed Knight

----- No matter how much he tried to rest in peace, the memories of that time constantly echoed within his mind, the memories of his fight, the memories of his sacrifice. Theughter of his foe, the corrupted bastard that was paid to hunt him and his wife, after they tried to run away from the tyranny of Oceania and Odin. "I dont want to leave her behind¡­" The searing pain of the Dark Pest''s ck de piercing his stomach and breaking his armor, his gusts being slowly burned and melted by its ck ze¡­ "Dark Pest¡­ you bastard! It wasn''t enough with taking away my friends, my whole party, the friends I brought from my world, where we all survived together until reaching this high!" "Hahahah! I have to admit it, you tried your best. But this is as far as you go, Eustace! With your death, your Guild, the Crimson Foxes, is no more! HAHAHAHA!" The frustration, the anger, the fury! The wrath of such a humiliating loss, while trying to protect his beloved wife! It was such a horrendously painful memory. That even after dying, he simply couldn''t forget it! "Why? Just why?!" His soul was corrupted by his foe''s darkness, slowly bing spectral even after having been left for hundreds of years resting in these ruins. "WHY?! DARK PEST!" Desperation quickly grew into utter anger, fury, endless wrath! A frustration that could never be satiated. Only the small glimpses of his wife memories kept whatever sanity he had in check, that he wouldn''t wake from his grave, and go in a rampage against innocent people, inhabitants of this ursed world. "Dear, you have to make sure to not harm the people of this world, okay? Despite being from another world, they''re much like the people of ours. Struggling, trying their best every day. I want to protect this beautiful world that has given me so much." Her beautiful smile echoed within his fragmenting memories and corrupting mind, tears constantly falling from his own soul, turning his surroundings dark. "My dear Naiad¡­ I''m sorry¡­" The Rainbow Spirit Crystal pieces scattered around his tomb, meant to protect him from bing an Undead, slowly began to grow darker, corrupted by his own soul. "For being too weak¡­" Crack, crack¡­! CRAAASH! His tomb broke apart as he shattered them with his ck armored fists, his Undead body slowly crawling out of his tomb. But stopping from moving any further. "No¡­ STOP! You can''t¡­ UGH¡­!" He grabbed his sword and pierced his own leg into the ground with it, stopping his Undead body from moving any further. "I can''t¡­ I can''t betray her like this! The people¡­ the people she cared for is right in that vige¡­" He kept fighting against the impulses of bloodshed his corrupted soul and undead body desired, for hundreds of years since his awakening as an Undead. "Naiad¡­ Naiad¡­ Naiad¡­!" He kept recalling her name, her memories, to keep himself sealed from doing something he would never be able to forgive himself for. As the years passed, it became progressively harder to hold himself back. Whenever he felt a living being closer, he roared, telling them to leave¡­ They would usually do so, as he kept¡­ trying his best not to sumb to the darkness. Not only recalling Naiad, but his party members, who all formed part of the Crimson Foxes. "After going through so many trials together¡­ All seeking the same goal, to reach the top of that damn Tower¡­" The faces andughter of his beloved friends echoed within his mind. Their smiles, their jokes, the days and nights they spent together traveling across manyndscapes they could only imagine in their wildest dreams. "All for that wish¡­ That single wish¡­ Naiad, why¡­ Why did you choose to stay?" If she didn''t choose to stay in Yggdrasil, perhaps they could have continued moving together, perhaps this wouldn''t have happened. But he couldn''t me her for this, she was someone so bright and goodhearted, she simply tried to do good, because of all the terrible things she has seen through her life. "I started climbing because I wanted the wish too¡­ I wanted the wish so I could revive my sister, who died of a disease long ago." Naiad''s voice echoed within his memories. "But once I grew this strong and found out I could change and help so many people live through simr things my sister did, I thought that this was my real calling. I want to help others and use these powers so the tragedy of my sister, doesn''t happen ever again." "We were¡­ from worlds apart, so different from one another¡­ Yet you epted me, despite all my ws¡­ My dear Naiad¡­" He groaned. "You were such a good person¡­ I¡­ I wish¡­ I wish I could¡­ see you¡­ onest time¡­ One¡­st¡­ UGH¡­ AAARRRGGHHH!" RUMBLE! The entire surroundings trembled, as he kept sensing the presence of several powerful foes approaching, they were not running away despite his threatening words. "Who¡­ Why?! Why are youing at me despite everything?!" He kept roaring, as he finally nced back at them, his tall and powerful figure, d in full body ck armor, and holding a ck, corrupted sword analyzed therge group of people. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Why are you here?! What do you WANT?!" He confronted them, roaring furiously, his Aura constantly fluctuating. "We''vee here to free you, Knight Eustace." Maria spoke, her eyes shining with crimson light and purple light, Moonlight Essence surging from her. Her divinity wasn''t just Death and Darkness though, hertest Element, Moonlight, was her trump card against those that resisted her primary elements. "YOUUU¡­ Do you know what you''re doing?! I can''t¡­ If I fight- UGH¡­! LEAVE! RUN AWAY BEFORE I- AARRGH!" TRUUUUMMM¡­!!! Eustace''s power kept making him go berserk, until he no longer spoke, beneath his ck helmet, crimson light surged from within! His ck aura resembled ck mes, constantly spreading around his surroundings, turning the sand into ck crystals¡­ "RAAAARRRGGHH!" With a ferocious, berserk-like roar, the mighty Undead Knight rushed towards Maria, his sword in hand. CRAAAAASSHH!! ----- Chapter 960 An Accursed Power Chapter 960 An ursed Power ??----- "I can feel your pain, Eustace¡­" Maria sighed, her power surging from within her, Lightning melded with Moonlight, sharp pink and purple-colored shocks of electricity surging from within her Divine Aura. "You died gruesomely, did you not?" "RAAAARRRGH!" Eustace waspletely berserk, his sword shing against Maria in a second, an explosion of darkness and ck mes engulfed everything around them! CRAAAAASSHH!! The ck smoke slowly dissipated, to reveal Eustace''s de being locked by Maria''s bare hands, tightly stopping the de from slicing through her soul. "GRRRHHH¡­ GRAAAH!" Eustace hadpletely lost his sanity at this point, going utterly insane as he continued groaning and roaring like a rabid dog. Maria tried to scout his soul but could only find an endless darkness and a sea of ck mes, his memories deep within it. She had seen souls in simr state, but never such a powerful curse. "Is this the Curse of the Dark Pest?!" Wondered Maria. "Just what is that thing to inflict such a horrendous curse into someone souls? Wait¡­ This goes deeper than the Soul!" Maria quickly recalled her encounter with another Necromancer that seemed to have been stronger than her in the Necromancy Department. That Vampire wearing the mask at Tear''s Tower, capable of controlling and reviving Souls through their Origin, the very depth of a Soul that no mortal can ess to. "This is not only a Soul Curse, but also a Curse to the very Origin of his Soul!" Origins, from what she has figured out, where the deepest part of a soul, the Core of it all, once it shattered, a person''s existence would bepletely destroyed. By manipting it, it was possible to bring back people that had their souls destroyed even, as long as a contract into an Origin was previously made! It was such an intrinsic power that surpassed most logic of what Maria ever thought as possible through Necromancy. It was something that perhaps surpassed even this world''s ownws¡­ "Whoever this Dark Pest bastard was¡­ He was someone incredibly powerful!" As these thoughts shed through her mind, Eustace quickly attacked her, kicking her away with a powerful strike using his armored boots. BAAAAAMM!! "Ugh¡­!" Maria took mostly no damage but felt the mes of his curse spreading over her body, which she found rather dangerous. However, not for her! "Unlike your Soul and Origin, mine is all mixed and weird, and corrupted to the core." Maria smiled, the mes slowly were assimted andpletely absorbed, surprising the mad knight. "I''ve been looking at my soul for a while now, it''s really weird."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Unlike most conventional Souls, whose Origin resembled a marble of white or golden color, Maria''s Origin was dark purple, with a pitch-ck center. To make things weirder, it wasn''t in the form of a marble, but a mass of slime, spreading countless tentacles as roots across the rest of her soul. This might be because her Origin had evolved alongside her, twisting the very pir of her existence into something of eldritch levels. However, although it was disturbing, it was also beneficial! "RAAAAGGH!" Eustace quickly chased after her, his sword swinging several times against Maria, releasing countless waves of slicing darkness and cursed mes. SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! Maria was about to evade the powerful attacks and then retaliate with her mirror, but a sh of bright light appeared before her, Jonathan! "I won''t let you touch Maria with your ursed mes! [Divine Sunshine de Arts]: [Heavenly Sun''s Judgement]!" Jonathan roared with fury, swinging his gigantic Divine Sword and unleashing a massive sh of pure divine power against the knight! BOOOOMMM!! The beam shed against the waves of darkness, both techniques cancelling one another as an explosion of light and darkness sent a strong enough shockwave to force us to step back! "Jonathan! Thanks, but I can handle well on my own too." Maria said. "My weapons are still in the process of being upgraded, but I am pretty overgeared now!" "I know, but that knight¡­ I don''t think you should take it on your own." Said Jonathan. "It is too strong, and it is constantly growing stronger!" "GRAAAAHHH!" As Jonathan said those words, that just happened. The corrupted ck knight''s entire aura erupted like an endless sea of darkness, spreading everywhere and filling his surroundings with dark purple ss born from the sand burning from his ck mes. TRUUUUMMM¡­!!! "The crystals!" Emeraldine pointed at them. "They''re transforming?!" "Shit, this bastard''s bringing a whole army with him now?!" Partner said. As they said, the crystals quickly started to transform, Maria''s eyes widened as she saw Eustace wield the Curse inflicted upon him as if it were a weapon. The crystals transformed into giant, insect-like monsters, each one exuding the power of powerful A+++ Rank Monsters! "SHAAAAH!" Worst of all, they were almost a hundred, each one at least being four meters big, with thergest at seven! "RAAAH!" With a mighty andmanding roar, Eustace pointed his sword at our entire group, his army of ursed Crystal Beasts quickly started rushing towards us. "And to think I wanted a solo fight for once¡­" Maria sighed. "Alright, everyone! Let''s wreck them like we always do! We can''t let Eustace go berserk and get his army of critters close to the vige." With a few words of leadership, Maria''s entire party was pumped up for battle, everyone rushing in and shing against the powerful crystal beasts. Lucifer and Partner were the first to step forwards after Maria and Jonathan, utilizing their abilities and magic to bombard the monsters and shatter them into pieces. The Dragon King used his sharp ws and Abyssal Death mes to set aze his foes, weakening them before cutting them into pieces. Partner used the power of her two newly reinforced spears to pierce through the monster army, explosions of crimson blood energy and darkness erupting one after another. "KILL¡­ DARK PEST¡­ RAAAGGGH!" With a furious scream, the knight didn''t remain in one ce while summoning his endless waves of monsters, leaping into the air and then descending like a zing ck meteor. And he pointed his sword at nobody else than Celes! "CELES!" CRAAAAASSSHH!! ----- Chapter 961 An Intense Clash!

Chapter 961 An Intense sh!

----- In the very second the ck Knight targeted Celes and descended towards the boy while pointing his zing sword downwards, a sh of bright light surged from behind him. "[Divine Sacred Magic Bow st]!" Emeraldine''s newly enhanced bow absorbed her Light Elemental Mana, glowing brightly and then firing a gigantic st of pure holy light, in the shape of a giant arrow! BOOOOMMM!! The attack hit the ck Knight even while falling, his entire body being blown away several meters away from Celes! Eustace groaned again, slowly standing back up as his entire body twisted, the sound of bones cracking echoing. "RAAAAGGH¡­ GRAAAH!" With a ferocious roar, he zapped into action again, his army of crystal abominations keeping the majority busy. If they let even a single of these things slip off into the city nearby, there could be many casualties before the water goddess church pdins were to even move a finger to eliminate the threat. "He''sing!" Jonathan roared, he tried to stop it but was kicked away by Eustace''s tremendous power, rolling on the ground and quickly being swarmed by dozens of monsters. "Dammit!" He stood back up and fought back to free himself from their grasp, while the ck knight rushed directly towards the closest "weak" foe. "DIE¡­ DARK PEST! RAAARR!" His giant sword descended rapidly towards Silva, who was right behind Catarina and ckie, helping them grow stronger with her Miasmic Boost Ability. SLAAAASSHH!! A huge wave of cutting darkness was released from his sword sh, shing through the air and spreading ck mes everywhere. "Bastard! Where do you think you''re aiming to?!" "Over here, fucker!" Catarina and Partner joined together, both Vampires shing against Eustace''s sword and destroying his long-ranged attacks with the force of their powerful weapons. CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CRAAASSHH!! A barrage of consecutive piercing attacks from Partner''s spear and powerful fists from Catarina pushed the ck knight several steps back, his sword ended gaining several cracks as well as his armor! "RAAAAH!" With a ferocious roar, he overcharged his sword with his malicious dark powers and released a deadly sh with it, generating a shockwave of force that pushed his foes back. TRUUUMMM!! "Shit¡­!" "Ugh!" The two were pushed back, Eustace''s Cursed Aura overflowing with an otherworldly power. Maria squinted her eyes as she analyzed his powers while summoning her Undead so they could take care of the endless army of crystal creatures. "Aside from the curse powering him up as an Undead, his movements seem to be part of a certain type of swordsmanship technique." She analyzed. "But I''ve never seen one like that in all of my time in this world. I feel like Jonathan doesn''t recognize it either." Eustace moved through a specific set of footwork, moving from one ce to another while exchanging his posture and stance. Each time he did, he would always be able to parry or block most blows. The most interesting part of his technique was his ability to adapt to any situation, he was being overwhelmed by two S ss fighters, yet he was able to twist his whole body, swing his sword against them, and push them back with tremendous force. "His swordsmanship feels almost otherworldly!" Maria smiled. "I wonder if he''s like that Oasis Divine Spirit too? People from another world¡­ I knew I wasn''t the only one!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om As she thought that, she summoned a giant palm made of Moonlight, making it descend towards Eustace while he was being attacked by Partner, Catarina, and bombarded by Emeraldine''s spirit arrows. "[Selene''s Palm of Judgement]" The palm descended at lightning speed, Eustace was unable to react, quickly being crushed by the overwhelming force of the attack. BAAAAMMM!! "Uuugh¡­! UUURRGGHH!" However, Eustace was barely contained for a couple of seconds before the Selene''s Palm was filled with countless cuts, exploding into pieces. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BOOOMM!! The explosion covered the sky with ck and purple clouds, while he emerged amidst them, finally aiming for Maria after he saw her targeting him! "RAAARRGH!" "Good,e at me!" Maria quickly activated the Abilities of her Equipment in conjunction with her Skills, as she was swiftly covered on a mighty armor of ck lightning, Hecate''s dress absorbing its properties and boosting them to another level. "[Divine Lightning Death Maiden Armor]!" FLAAASH! A powerful shockwave of golden and ck lightning surged from her body, quickly electrifying and burning through Eustace! "GRAAAH!" However, the ck knight persevered with an endless tenacity, slicing through the electricity while flying in midair using his fantastic footwork. "He''s literally stepping on the sky itself!" Maria could easily float due to her bodyposition and her magic, but Eustace was definitely a physical being, and he wasn''t conjuring flying magic either. He was using his own footwork to step on the air, something that Maria had only seen in those martial arts novels about cultivators using a technique called "Cloud Step". And this very thing aligning with the knowledge of a World named Murim from a crystal she got from those ruins where the crazed ghosts were found. "So he''s really using Abilities and Techniques from other worlds!" While figuring it out, Maria''s body shapeshifted, as hundreds of hands imbued with Moonlight and Lightning shed against Eustace constantly. "[Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs]: [Death Lightning Fist Rain]" Bybining her Skills and Techniques together, Maria rained upon Eustace a barrage of explosive lightning strikes, piercing through his barriers made out of his aura, and barely pushing him down! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! "DIE¡­ DIEEEE!" However, Eustace simply kicked the air again and then reached her in an instant, his sword overflowing with cursed ck mes. He spun in midair, seemingly shing the empty air into a half-moon shape, and releasing a powerful attack with it. SLAAAASSHH!! The powerful shockwave of darkness hit Maria instantly, an explosion of ck mes engulfing her! However, she simply smiled, its power slowly turning into nourishment for her soul. "I know you''re strong, but attacks like those will have little effectiveness." "GRRRHH¡­ GRRAARRR!" He quickly approached Maria for close-ranged attacks using his sword, managing to leave several shes on her dress, damaging her slightly. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "His barrage of consecutive shes is on par with Jonathan, if not even higher¡­!" As Maria analyzed Eustace''s prowess, she harnessedrge quantities of lightning, void essence and moonlight energy into a single one of her fists. "But this is as far as you go! [Silver Moon''s Divine Lightning Fist]!" CRAAAAASSSHH!!! ----- Chapter 962 The Cursed Knights Incredible Powers Chapter 962 The Cursed Knight''s Incredible Powers ??----- Maria''s countless arms and fists fused into a titanic fist she unleashed towards the ck knight, shining with silver moonlight and hyper charged with lightning, it struck him at point-nk! CRAAAAASSSHH!!! "G-Graaaggh¡­!" Eustace''s armor broke almost in half, revealing his skeleton beneath, covered by a thinyer of ck and purple crystals. His empty eyes shone with ck light, mes pouring out of the eye sockets. His entire being was left shocked and shaken as one of his arms blew into pieces, half his armor was destroyed, and hiss word was cut down into two. "Dark¡­ Pest¡­ Bastard¡­ YOUU¡­!" As Maria saw him fall torn to shreds, she suddenly noticed he had survived that hit, his malicious curse seeping deeper into his body and soul, letting out all the skills, abilities, and techniques this Knight had umted through his life as an Awakened. "DARK PEST¡­! I''LL KILL¡­ I''LL KILL YOUUUU!" With a furious roar, the ck knight fell into the ground and then started overflowing with darkness, which started to repair and regenerate his armor, now looking evenrger, his whole size increased by five times, and his sword regrew anew, now full of crimson eyes. "You survived that¡­" Maria said. "The curse set into your Origin¡­ It is probably simr to the effects of a Demonite Crystal Heart that chimeras get imnted." "DARK PEST! DIEEEE! RAAAAH!" The ck Knight rushed towards Maria again, even stronger and bigger than before! She could easily notice his power level going from S Rank to S+++ Rank in a single second! "It seems you see me as the Dark Pest guy, maybe because of my powers?" Maria wondered, as several of her allies leaped into action as the ck knight rushed towards her. Now that he had be S+++ Rank, they simply couldn''t let Maria handle him alone! She was confident she could win after a long battle, but it was always better to receive the help of everyone. "Oi." Lucifer appeared on his draconic form, his giant tail piercing several holes through Eustace''s body before being parried away by his giant sword. CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! CLAASH! "GRAAARRRGH!" The berserk ck knight howled like mad wolf, kicking the air and then shing at Lucifer several times, before his Aura transformed into a giant dragon itself! "DRAGON¡­ RAGE¡­ AURA!" "ROOOAAARR!" The Aura erupted from his body and shed against the giant dragon king, pushing him down! Lucifer was shocked by the ability this knight possessed! "What in the world is this guy!?" BAAAAMM!!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om His enormous body fell over the dunes, as his zing ws quickly started shing against the dragon made out of Eustace''s Aura. "Looks like he got a lot of tricks down his sleeves!" Partner said. "Let''s see if you can take on this though! [Umbral Shadow Clones]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Using her Darkness Spear Ability, Partner divided herself into dozens of clones made of shadows, swarming Eustace from all sides, firing Dark Magic Spells towards him to distract him. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOMM!! "GRRRHHH! DIVINE¡­ SWORD¡­ INTENT!" FLAAAASH! Eustace groaned like a wolf, his powers gathering within his body and then releasing into countless des made of darkness and ck mes. The swords that emerged out of his "intent" crushed all clones one after another, exploding and leaving behind ck smoke. This gave Partner an opening, charging her spears with as much power as she could and releasing it all out against the ck knight''s back! "[Draconic Medusa''s Fangs]!" Her Spearsbined their Auras, as a gigantic serpentine dragon formed out of their essence, hissing ferociously and biting through Eustace! CRAAAASSHH!! "GRRRAAGH!" The ck Knight evaded a destructive attack and ended sacrificing arge part of his left shoulder, while swiftly harnessing ck mes into his sword and unleashing a beam with it. "BLADELESS¡­ SWORD!" FLUOOOSH! The beam changed into the shape of a giant de surging from his sword, shing against Partner and piercing her armor, reaching her stomach. SLAAAASSHH!! "UGH¡­! Bastard!" Her body was sliced into two halves, but she was totally fine with that, as a Vampire with tremendous regeneration, she weed the blood pouring out of her body. "[Divine Blood Arts]: [Blood Familiar Summon]!" The blood that sttered out of her body swiftlybined and swirled around, growing into the shapes of ferocious giant dogs, enormous bats, and furious snakes, attacking Eustace. "RAAAAH!" "SHAAAH!" "ROOAAR!" The ck Knight''s empty eyes glowed with crimson light as he attacked the monsters and cut them down into pieces one after another, giving time for everyone else to attack again. "[Spirit Magic Arrows]: [Divine Arrows Of Light]! [Fierce Arrows Of Fire]!" Emeraldine activated the ability of her newly enhanced bow from a distance, firing dozens of light and fire arrows at the ck Knight. They reached him as he was busy, bombarding his whole armor and slowly tearing through it, leaving many holes and cracks where Lucifer and Partner had helped breaking through. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Above all, her arrows not only were explosively strong, but they also possessed the power of unleashing strong status effects! The fire and light arrows could inflict Spiritual Burn and Soul Blindness respectively, hindering Eustace temporarily! "UAAAGGH!" His soul was in agony as it was being burned, while his visual senses as an Undead, which came from the very soul, werepletely blinded! The ck Knight acted by hearing senses alone, cutting through the blood beasts and the thin air, in which Partnerughed once he was swarmed. "Dumbass, you got yourself covered on a bunch of my blood!" Partnerughed evilly. "[Crimson Burst]!" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, all the blood covering Eustace glowed with crimson red energy, surprising the knight who just regained his senses, and so did the rest of the blood beasts, glowing as if about to detonate! And they did. "GRAAAAGGHH¡­!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The ck Knight was engulfed on countless explosions,rge chunks of armor and bones flying everywhere, he attempted to regenerate, but was simply overwhelmed, falling from the skies. "DARK¡­ PEST¡­ Y-YOU¡­ BASTARD¡­ BASTAAARRDDD!" However, in thest moments when everyone thought it was finally over, his body didn''t give up yet, the veryst reserves of energy within his Origin erupted like an explosion of pure darkness. TRUUUUUMMM¡­!! ----- Chapter 963 Shadow Soul Dragon of Eternal Malice Chapter 963 Shadow Soul Dragon of Eternal Malice ??----- Eustace''splete body exploded into ck darkness, the cloud of shadow essence flowing into the skies and quickly taking a different shape, the shape of a ferocious and monstrous dragon. Maria and her friends couldn''t help but feel shocked once they saw what was happening! The ck Knight had yet to unleash all of his powers. "RAAAARRR!" Ding! [The [Corrupted Undead ck Knight: Eustace: Lv200+ (S+++ Rank)] has released all the Malice and Corruption from its soul! These malign powers have taken a new form, absorbing the Special Shadow Dragon Martial Arts learned in Murim, and activating their Hidden Ability, transforming him into the [Shadow Soul Dragon of Eternal Malice]!] [All of his Stats have increased by +300%, his Darkness, Shadow, and ck mes Attribute Magic Power has increased by an additional +500%!] [However, his Soul is slowly being eaten away this transformation cannotst much longer.] [Duration: 10 Minutes.] Not only was Maria shocked over the boosts to his stats and power, but also that it explicitly said he learned these powers in Murim! It made sense why they seemed so different than Yggdrasil''s own martial arts and techniques. And it also seemed like Eustace was tricked by whoever taught him such techniques. As it carried a powerful drawback where they would umte Malice from the user''s own unstable emotions, and then erupt into a monstrous transformation that would eat their souls away. The power Eustace relied the most was now even aiming to destroy his very soul... Maria couldn''t help but think that people from the Murim world were real assholes. "So he''ll still die in ten minutes..." Maria sighed. "What a reckless move, Eustace! We can''t let you eat your own soul! We have so many questions to ask you!" "ROOOAAARRR!" Eustace hadpletely gone insane, roaring like a monstrous dragon and then rushing down towards everyone. His gigantic ethereal body being now over three hundred meters tall! His titanic dragon ws rushed down, about to sh through all his foes while leaving explosions of ck mes. "Alright, I guess there''s no helping it." Lucifer''s size grew evenrger, matching Eustace''s draconic and ethereal form, and shing against him with his own dragon ws and tail. Activating several skills at a time, their mes shed against one another, zing explosions decorating the sands surrounding them and above. The crystal beasts evolved alongside their monstrous master as well, quickly continuing to grow out of every ss created out of the ck mes burning the sand. Their smaller forms fused into evenrger creatures, some already hitting S- Rank! Fabian and his friends, alongside Takeshi, Laura, and Tear had their hands full dealing with them, while Catarina, Silva, and Nyx, Celes, and Nia also helped them, while trying to get to the giant dragon so they could also help on damaging its gigantic form. "You''re nothing but a terrible copy of a true and glorious dragon!" BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! Lucifer was tanking countless hits, as he had his flesh gnashed and his scales torn apart. His ws and tail attacks pierced through the ethereal dragon''s form, filling it with holes that quickly regenerated back to normal. "Maria, did you say this monster only has ten minutes left?! Does that mean he''s invincible in these ten minutes or something?!" Asked Lucifer in shock, seconds before the giant dragon were to push him down and beginning to bite his neck. "ARGH! Screw off!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Lucifer harnessed all his powers into his legs, kicking the draconic ethereal mass into the skies with all the power his gigantic body could muster. BAAAAMM!! "RAAARR!" The monstrous dragon was sent flying, only for Partner and Jonathan to appear at each side, pointing their weapons at him. They flew there at lightning speed, only resembling two blurs of red and golden yellow color. "Alright, once more!" Partner roared. "I''m not letting you get away this time, ck knight! [Chaotic Vampire Queen''s Burst]!" The Vampiress harnessed all the Blood Energy avable on her reserves, leaving her with close to zero, fusing it with her immense quantities of Mana, and then imbuing it into her crimson-colored spear, which immediately changed, growing ten times asrge, as a spiraling storm of crimson lightning and ruby colored clouds materialized around the spear. With all her strength, she pierced Eustace''s draconian body, a huge explosion of blood and darkness engulfed more than half of the monster''s entire body, making it quickly begin to disintegrate. CRAAAASSHH!! The crimson blood seemed to spiral around the weapon, engulfing the entire dragon into a vortex and then absorbing half of its mass, before exploding into ruby-colored lightning that opened the skies above, which had grown dark with ck clouds, and destroying half of his entire body. BOOOOMMMM!!! "Woah¡­" Jonathan was shocked as he saw the gigantic ethereal ck dragon fall to the ground from the sky, it had attempted to resist first, but once half its entire body was blown up, it simply groaned in agony, bleeding off ethereal essence, part of its own bloated soul. "GRUOOHHH!" However, on a desperate attempt of survival, even as an Undead, the monstrosity''s shape twisted, growing a gigantic head where half of its body was and firing a breath attack against Partner! "[Heaven''s Fall]!" Jonathan didn''t let that happen, harnessing almost all of his Mana and releasing it through his sword, activating his strongest technique, the skies opened as a ray of endless light descended together with his own divine sword, shing through the dragon and them making most of it explode. BOOOOOMMM!!! As if a second explosion couldn''t be enough, the gigantic monster fell into the sands, the crystal monsters rushed towards it, fusing with its missing soul parts and beginning to turn it into a half-ethereal and half-crystal monstrosity. "RAAAARRRGH!" Materializing hundreds of crystal weapons around him, he swiftly fired them against everyone nearby, forcing them to defend or escape! What''s worse, whenever the crystal projectiles hit something, they exploded into even more ck crystals, which gave birth to even more monsters! "You''re getting ahead of yourself, Eustace." Maria rushed down towards him, at the same time as a gigantic arrow overflowing with many elements was fired against the dragon from Emeraldine right behind her. "Let''s end this!" ----- Chapter 964 Eustace, The Ancient Knight Chapter 964 Eustace, The Ancient Knight ??----- Seconds before, Emeraldine started to prepare, fusing all the elements she could conjure out of her magic arrows into a single one, and blessing this arrow with her Blessing of Yggdrasil and her Divine Spirit''s powers together into a single, powerful Aura of many rainbow colors. This was the special ability of her Bow, after having been enhanced by Maria''s abilities, which was now overflowing with all her powers, and more. "Now or never. [Divine Yggdrasil''s Nine Worlds: Ragnar?k]!" FLAAASH! A titanic arrow made of seven colors of light rushed through the skies, looming over the crystalline dragon that was once the love of the Divine Oasis Spirit, and piercing right through his head, exploding into wood and light everywhere. BOOOOOMMM!! "GRAAARRGH¡­!" Eustace''s entire body started to quickly fall apart at longst, beginning to turn into a pile of crystals and ck mes, it tried to stand back up once more, firing beams of darkness everywhere. If it was going to be defeated, it would take everyone with him. However, Maria was right there, and stopped him from doing any more harm and rampage, while little Celes, his three spirits, and his mother appeared within her shadows. "I think I could try devouring his shadows, but Celes, I need your help in purifying him and healing him, the same way you did with Nyx! Can you do it?!" Asked Maria desperately.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I can! L-Leave it to me!" The young boy said confidently, harnessing his divine spiritual soul and releasing it. FLAAASH! His Divine Spirit Soul Aura materialized outside of his body, as he was being piggybacked by his mother, wielding winds to defend against the shadows constantly approaching them. Maria stayed in the front, opening a ck hole in her chest and beginning to devour the darkness so it wouldn''t attack them. "GRAAAARRR!" Eustace kept roaring viciously, as the darkness kept emerging endlessly, Maria for the first time thought her stomach was going to get full due to how much darkness she had absorbed all at once! And it simply kepting. FLASH! Celes'' Aura kept surging from his body, until finally,bining with the three Divine Water Spirits he contracted with, formed a gigantic and beautiful mermaid woman, made of glistening ethereal azure water. "Our Lady''s power and will¡­ It lives on within little Celes'' soul!" "She''s here, with us¡­ With him!" "She''ll be always protecting him, and us¡­ No, the entire desert, the town she loved and cared for!" The three Fairies cried tears of happiness, their powers unifying as one, as the monstrous ck dragon faced the mermaid titaness, darkness against glistening azure water. BAAAM! The explosion of forces reverberated across the entire desert, azure water began to rain over the entire desert, even surprising the people of the town nearby. The Saintess of Fountains and Springs nced in utter disbelief as it kept raining, the water she had taken away from these peopleing back to them without end. The azure spiritual water washed down through Eustace, the darkness was finally cleansed, his corpse disintegrated, and the only thing left behind was his wounded, bare soul. The soul of a young man that had lost everything, the darkness cursing his Origin now finally cleansed by the very light that saved him back then, when he was alive and lost. "Is that you¡­ Naiad?" The beautiful mermaid embraced Eustace on a tight hug, kissing his forehead. She couldn''t speak a word, but her water and her azure-colored aura made him feel embraced by her love¡­ The love he had missed for thousands of years. "Phew, we made it in time¡­" Maria sighed in relief. "Your soul''s still reparable. You really went and did all of that stuff, huh? That Dark Pest guy must have put a terrible curse on you. Was he also from another world?" "A-Ah¡­" Eustace was slightly shocked once he saw Maria, Celes, Nia, and everyone else behind them. The crystal beasts stopped spawning, the everything else was being cleansed by the spiritual water. "W-Who are you? What¡­ what happened?" FLUOSH! Suddenly, the mermaid slowly faded away, returning to her original form, just spiritual essence, and fusing back into Celes'' soul, the three spirits fused were also separated, startling Eustace''s weak soul. "A lot happened, to be honest." Maria sighed, as she noticed Eustace looking at Celes'', his aura overflowing with the same presence as Naiad once did. "Y-You¡­ Naiad¡­ You''re not her." He sighed, clenching his fists. "She''s dead, isn''t she?" "¡­" Celes sighed. "I''m sorry¡­" "It''s fine¡­ You don''t have any fault on this." He sighed, as Eustace gave a rather bitter smile, looking into the bright sky, the rain slowly stopped, revealing a beautiful rainbow amidst the clouds. "Ahhh¡­ Even if I am dead, I feel so much at ease. This darkness dwelling within me, it has been there for thousands of years. Thank you for freeing my soul from its torment." "Eustace! It''s really you, aren''t it?" "You''re back to normal!" "We''re happy to see you!" The three spirits of water gathered around him; they knew Eustace. They have probably lived many years at his side, with their master. Eustace was shocked as he recognized their faces. "I-It''s you three! You''re Naiad''s Spirits¡­" Heughed. "I can''t believe it, you''re alive¡­ I''m so d!" His mood quickly changed and lightened. The fairies danced around him, but quickly noticed that Eustace''s soul was slowly beginning to fade away into particles of golden light. If they didn''t do anything quickly, he would definitely disappear. Like any other ghostly being, without any curse attaching their phantasmal beings to the living world, their souls would be dragged to either Helheim, or somewhere else. "Naiad was her name?" Asked Maria. "She''s long gone, but she apparently reincarnated into this child we''ve been taking care of, Celes. Eustace, you were an ancient and powerful knight, you loved Naiad, and fought for her, didn''t you?" "¡­I did." Eustace sighed. "She was everything for me. I died for her, and I might die again for her again." "The Dark Pest is not dead." Maria said. "Naiad died while fighting him and sacrificed her life to seal him. But there''s a group of Warlock Vampires trying to revive him. I know it might not be fair but¡­ Will you join us?" "¡­" Eustace sighed, looking into the skies. ----- Chapter 965 The Tower

Chapter 965 The Tower

----- "When I started climbing the tower, I felt lost. I wanted to find myself or die trying." Eustace started talking, as he admired the beauty of the sunlight with his soul eyes. "I always thought my life was useless, there was nothing for me anywhere, I was a good-for-nothing, and I even considered killing myself many times." Eustace then caressed the little heads of the fairies around him, who were looking at his appearance with puppy eyes. "But then I met my friends, we made a guild named the Crimson Tailed Foxes, we fought through trial after trial, and we explored the many worlds of the Tower." He spoke. "Until we reached Antis, a world of seas with inds. That''s where we meet her, Naiad. She was back then merely a lost Mermaid, who had run away from her vige because her people wanted to sacrifice her to some kind of Deep-Water God." As she heard Eustace speak, Maria was left speechless. Eustace not only was an otherworldly like her, but also Naiad! Not only that, but they were not reincarnations like her, but people that just trespassed the boundaries of worlds, and walked through "the Tower" as they called it. Her ghostly heart started beating faster as she felt the excitement of a world muchrger than she could have ever hoped or imagined. Yggdrasil wasn''t everything, there was a whole new horizon hidden from in sight. "It was love at first sight though¡­" Eustaceughed. "She quickly became a member of our guild. She helped us navigate across the seven dangerous seas of Antis, and we fought teeth and nail to survive, quest after quest, until we arrived at the Stairs leading further up. She had a wish when she started climbing the tower, to revive her beloved sister that died long ago, sacrificed to this Deep-Water God. It was one of the things that drove her to move forward. They promised us, the Administrators, that the Tower would grant us a wish when we reached the top. Although everyone had a wish, I already had my wish came true. I meet friends, and then, also fell in love with a wonderful woman. I honestly never wished for anything else in my pitiful life." "Eustace¡­" Maria sighed. "So there''s something called¡­ a Tower?" Nia didn''t have any idea. "The original inhabitants of the worlds we meet were also clueless, not all of them knew about the Tower. Usually this information was concealed from the normal public, only those that governed or became yers themselves knew." Said Eustace. "In between worlds, there are many floors that are trials where yers have topete to climb further and reach new worlds. Once we reach a new world, we must firstplete quests, andter, the path to the Heavenly Stairs leading further up will be revealed to us." "The Heavenly Stairs¡­" I said. "So does this mean that the otherworldly heroes, the people they summoned here, were these "yers", and they left descendants¡­" N?v(el)B\\jnn "Maybe." Eustace sighed. "And well, with Naiad and my friends, we went through many adventures and hardships. Eventually, we grew weary of them, even as we grew stronger, the challenges only kept getting harder. When we eventually lost one of us, our trust was shattered, and my friends left me one after another, trying to seek a life of their own in a world we visited, or to climb the tower alone because they feared losing more of their loved ones. But Naiad, she stayed with me, no matter what." "It was back then when I began to consider that she was following me almost blindly, because she loved me, and not because of the wish she once hoped to achieve." Eustace sighed. "I was forcing her to go through countless hardships for my own selfishness¡­ And I couldn''t bear it anymore. Once we reached Yggdrasil, I thought it was arge world, one which surely could have areas where we could live in peace, the two of us. She wanted to settle down since a while ago, but I was afraid of that." "Eventually, we meet many people,pleted quests, and saved civilians from monster floods even defeating Cmities ourselves." Eustace sighed. "Trying to find a ce to belong to, a ce we could call home. Eventually, we did, this ce, Midgard, was all we needed. Yet¡­ something happened. The strongest yers that dominated this world, who called themselves Aesir, decided to recruit us into their pantheon after watching our strength. We obeyed at first, thinking it was the right thing to do to secure our safety. But we were wrong¡­ Odin was mad, and the goddess that took charge of my dear Naiad was a selfish bitch that only cared about herself. Naiad suffered below hermands. Eventually, we couldn''t bear with it anymore, and escaped, desiring the freedom we once had." "And that''s when wended here, in these deserts, isted from the rest of the world. Naiad felt weak in these areas, but due to having evolved into a powerful Divine Mermaid Spirit, she created an Oasis where we could live¡­ And this Oasis, it attracted many people, nomads that wandered these deserts." Eustace said with a slight smile. "Without realizing it, as many years went by, a whole town was formed around us, we had so much happiness, we had so many friends. I was finally able to live the life I always dreamed of, with my beautiful Naiad, even the desert looked like a wonderful ce." As Eustace narrated his story, more people came closer, staying in silence as they listened the old and weary soul speak, revealing to them both the truth about this world, the tower, and also his past and that of the Divine Oasis Spirit. "But that''s when he came¡­ The Dark Pest as you call him, or as I''ve known him as, Yin Shang, a monstrous Demonic Sect Tyrant of the World of Murim, a yer, and the bastard that killed one of my friends." Eustace gritted his teeth, fury glowing from his eyes. "He came to hunt us down by the request of the Goddess of Water of this world, she had put a bounty on our heads." ----- Chapter 966 The Past Of The Cursed Knight

Chapter 966 The Past Of The Cursed Knight

----- "Ying Shang, that bastard¡­ He was a monster that killed my friend in one of the trials, despite that not being necessary for him to win. He was a well-known psychopath that enjoyed hunting yers. The Tower''s rule incentivizes that too, as it rewards you with Experience, Special Titles, and even Skills." Eustace said. "I had thought we escaped from him forever, but he appeared again, taking on the bounty the Water Goddess left, and chasing us both." "So this guy was a martial artist from this Chinese cultivation world?!" Maria asked in surprise. "Wait, so that''s Murim?" "Something like that¡­" Eustace sighed. "It isn''t a bad ce, although there are many evils, there are also righteous people that weed us when we visited it. It is the world right below Yggdrasil. Some of the people that live in Murim hate Yggdrasil because it holds a higher position than them, finding it unbelievable when they gauge the strength of the average person from herepared to their world¡­ Nheless, he was a monster. We discovered that he had captured a Fragment of this World''s Evil God, and assimted it into his own Physique, evolving all his Martial Arts through this power." "And that''s when you fought him?" Celes asked shyly. "Yes, that''s when everything happened." Eustace nodded. "I fought him with everything I had, but I realized I had grown weak, my growth halted for too many years, and he had already fully surpassed me, and be someone overwhelming. He mocked my techniques, he mocked my guild, and then he killed me, cursing my Origin so I wouldn''t even be able to rest in peace¡­ Naiad managed to escape and then returned to my corpse, and building a temple for my corpse to rest in peace. She sealed me with spirit crystals, hoping that I could rest at ease, until she came back for me one day, to revive me¡­ But I guess, she was never able to do so." "T-This is so sad¡­" Nia, Celes'' mother, continued sobbing as she heard the sorrowful story. "I''m so sorry for you, Eustace¡­" "It''s fine¡­ I''ve been dead for a long while now." Eustace said. "But even now, what pains me the most is knowing my dear Naiad died by the hands of that monster. And because of that, I simply cannot pass away peacefully. If that monster is about to be revived, if Naiad''s sacrifice was for nothing, then I must y him myself, or at the very least, help you do so." "Eustace!" Maria smiled, feeling relieved the soul was willing to fight, even after death. "But¡­ I''ve lost most of my powers after being purified." He felt sorry. "I don''t know how much of a help I could be." "Maybe we can do something about it." Maria smiled. "Celes, dear,e with me." "Huh?" He was confused but followed her and reached Eustace. "What are we doing with mister Eustace?" "We will make him a ghost, but a special one." Maria said. "One with a blessing and not a curse. He will be something close to a spirit. I will use my powers, and you will imbue him with yours. Alright?" "Oooh! Okay!" Celes nodded happily. "W-Wait a second! W-What do you mean by- Uwaah!" Eustace was confused, but they started right away. Maria grasped his soul tightly and imbued her powers into him. For a second, he felt the darkness and coldness of death more strongly than ever before, almost as asphyxiating as his curse before. His soul started to transform, mutating and bing phantasmal. However, that''s where Celes entered. Using the divine power of his soul, which had developed a lot after absorbing the three fragments of divinity left by Naiad in those spirit crystals, and with the aid of her three new Divine Spirits of Water, a miracle happened. "[Divine Spirit Blessing of the Oasis]!" FLUOSH! The power washed over his soul, the darkness and coldness Eustace felt disappeared, as he felt the warmth and the love of Naiad, still present within the powers of Celes. The fear he felt faded away, as he smiled calmly, letting the twobined powers change him. "T-This is¡­ My body, it feels like I am bing water itself." Eustace thought, looking at his own hands, legs, and torso. "I feel so free, so¡­ happy. This presence, it is as Naiad¡­ Lives within me as well. My dear Naiad¡­" He shed a tear, as he was reborn. FLAAASH! His body appearance changed, as he grew a long fish-like tail instead of his two legs, gills adorned his neck, and his arms, chest, and neck gained an armor of draconian azure scales, while armor further covered his body. His de came back to him out of his very soul, shaping out of the azure spiritual water, into a glorious azure sword, beautifully decorated with fish-like gills and a fish-like tail at the handle. His eyes shone with golden light, as his hair turned azure colored. He was reborn anew, even after death. "W-What is this form?" He wondered, looking at himself. "Is this truly me? I feel like¡­ Naiad, she has blessed me with her powers. I''ve be like her own tribe." N?v(el)B\\jnn "Wooow¡­" Celes was amazed. "Y-You''re a Water Ghost now, mister Eustace!" "Incredible, it worked!" Maria smiled fascinatedly. A thread of azure light connected Eustace with Celes, bing his new familiar a powerful ghost that would protect him from all harm with his sword and his shield. FLAAASH! "I''ll protect you, little Celes. I am sure that''s what Naiad would have wanted me to do." "A ghost no longer bound by a curse and hatred, but bound by love and bonds, and a blessing¡­" She quickly started to think about her own situation. "I wonder¡­ if I could ever be like him one day? No longer bound by my endless hatred and guilt?" Although everyone seemed happy and amazed, she looked slightly mncholic. Her curse only grew stronger the more she evolved¡­ She wondered if she could truly be like Eustace, or if she simply had to continue walking down the path she had chosen once she died. However, she felt the warm hand of Lucifer patting her shoulders, and then that of Emeraldine, Partner, andstly, Jonathan. She smiled faintly, deciding to leave those thoughts for another time. "That''s right¡­ I am not alone either." ----- Chapter 967 Maria Finally Gets Her Divine Spirit Chapter 967 Maria Finally Gets Her Divine Spirit ??-----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om After defeating Eustace and helping him recover his sanity, with the aid of Celes'' powers, we managed to transform him into a Water Ghost, and not a normal one, but one that was also kind of like a Spirit, but not there yet. Instead of a Curse with Hatred, Frustration, or Sorrow infecting his soul, there was a Blessing with Love, Hope, and the desire for Justice to be enacted. This was the first time such a creation was even made, I believe, a ghost that does not possess an ursed existence, but a blessed one. Isn''t he more like a guardian spirit? Perhaps even closer to an angelic being than a ghost now¡­ I don''t really know, but it was great. Naturally, I don''t get to keep him because Eustace is attached to Naiad, that''s the name of the Divine Oasis Spirit. She turned out to be an otherworld, not someone that the Water Goddess created herself or something. Turns out there''s a lot more to this world than we''ve ever knew before, at the same time, it made this world feel¡­ small inparison to the rest of it, to the Tower. Ding! [You have raised [Eustace] into a [Spiritual Oasis Guardian Ghost (S Rank)]!] [Due to having received a special Blessing, Eustace Stats have increased greatly, and he has acquired many new Skills.] [Eustace] has created a contract with [Celes]!] Nice, Celes needs more protection than just his mother after all. I really want to be happy, but I also feel slightly let down, I had originallye here to get myself a Spirit, but we all ended just helping little Celes get stronger, which I''m not reallyining about. Never mind, I shouldn''t be really jealous of a child, he had gone through many hardships and suffered too much for his age. It is good he can be stronger. He''ll be the liberator of his people. I can already envision it being that way. Now, I suppose we should get moving, these ruins are almostpletely destroyed, and we don''t want to make more of a fuss here- Oh? However, as I looked where Eustace was originally, I found out arge chunk of magic crystals, the same crystals monsters have inside of them, and it was big enough and high quality enough to be worth at least three S Rank Magic Crystals! "Hey, what the hell is this?!" I was shocked. "Eustace, did you shit this out?" "What? I don''t know¡­ I think it might be what''s left of when I was a monster." Heughed a bit. "It is a Magic Crystal, right? You can have it if you want." "I''ll sure be having it!" I happily stored it inside my inventory, feeling much more joyous. With this, we got three more S Rank Crystals on the bag, a few more and everyone that needed them to evolve should be covered! However, before we left, Eustace told me something. "Before you leave, can you apany me? I think there''s something left where I was once resting." He said. "Something was born from the spirit energy of Naiad and my own soul; I remember that little thing always being by my side." "Oh?" I just let him guide me there, finding arge stone-made coffin, covered on purple and blue jewels, emanating auras of darkness. These were certainly notpatible with Celes. "What''s this? More crystals to mine?" "Over here¡­ Ah, here it is." Eustace quickly rummaged around, finding something, there was a purple-colored and sticky cocoon-like mass of a weird slimy substance sitting inside the stone coffin. "What''s this?" I wondered. "This is a cocoon, but I think it might be the one of a spirit!" Said Eustace. "A very peculiar one, born out of my soul curse and the spirit energy of Naiad." "A spirit¡­" I said, slowly approaching my hand towards the cocoon, which reacted by beginning to twist. Crack, crack¡­ CRACK! And from within, a beautiful pink and purple-colored moth, with very big purple eyes emerged out of the cocoon, ncing at me with adorably big eyes. "Oh, another Spirit!" Celes tried to get closer, only for the moth to re at him and hiss, showing arge jaw filled with sharp teeth. "HISSS!" "Uwaah!" The reckless boy, who was getting a bit too cocky, thinking he could tame just any spirit, was startled so much he stepped back and almost fell over the sand, if it wasn''t for his mother that was right behind him. "Celes, dear, you are not justpatible with any spirit. Do not be reckless! They''re beings that must be respected." His mother reprimanded him. "A-Ah, sorry¡­" Celes sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Then what spirit is that?" Emeraldine analyzed it from a distance. The spirit in the shape of a moth seemed hostile to everyone except me, hissing at them while ncing at me adorable whenever I put my eyes on it. "It seems¡­ This element has a strong stench, and it feels like it could sap away the life from beings and slowly corrode things... It is a Poison Spirit." Emeraldine said, fascinated. "Amazing! This is the first time I see a spirit of such a mysterious element." "It must be for you then, Master!" Partner said very excitedly. "Take it!" "I guess so?" I wondered, still being unable to believe it. "C-Can you stay with me? Will you not fear me like everyone else?" I asked the little moth, as I offered him a poison spirit crystal with my hand. The little and curious ethereal moth quickly set its gaze into my hands, slowly crawling there and munching on the spirit crystal. "Kyuu!" Once it ate it all, it gave the most adorable little sound I''ve ever heard, and a thread came out of its soul, connecting with me out of nowhere¡­ A contract was formed in a sh, still leaving me almostpletely speechless. FLAAASH! Ding! [You''ve created a Spirit Contract with the [Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit]!] [As your first ever Divine Spirit contract, you''ve unlocked many new Spirit Magic Spells!] [You acquired the [Divine Spirit Mage: Lv1] Title Skill!] [All Spirit-rted Skills have gained 1 Bonus Level!] [Your Aether has increased by +100!] My Aether increased by 100?! ----- Chapter 968 Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit Chapter 968 Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit ??----- When the contract between the Divine Spirit and my soul was made, it felt like something I''ve never felt before! It waspletely different than my connection with the Undead I controlled, which was more like just an Authority, this was an intrinsic connection, a bond of soul and emotions. I could feel the innocence of this spirit, and the little trust they put on me, so much it felt slightly embarrassing how na?ve it was. I had to make sure to make this spirit happy and feed it well, or it might lose trust and leave me. But for now, the power I felt was incredible, as long as this connection remained, my Soul itself grew at least a ten percentrger than before, which is an immense feat considering how big and strong it already was. Ding!N?v(el)B\\jnn [You''ve created a Spirit Contract with the [Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit]!] [As your first ever Divine Spirit contract, you''ve unlocked many new Spirit Magic Spells!] [You acquired the [Divine Spirit Mage: Lv1] Title Skill!] [All Spirit-rted Skills have gained 1 Bonus Level!] [Your Aether has increased by +100!] Not only did I get an awesome new Title Skill, but also all of my Spirit-rted Skills gained a bonus level, and I gained 100 Aether, the unique stat that showcases the growth of my Soul! I can''t believe it. This is out of this world! Ding! [Do you wish to give a Name to the Divine Spirit you''ve contracted with? If they like the name, their affection towards you might increase.] "A-A name? Sure¡­ Okay, I got it. You''ll be Amethysts." I smiled, patting its fluffy head, the little antennae it had gave an adorable little movement, as it climbed over me and then rested on my chest. "Kyuuh!" It nodded, rather happily. Ding! [You''ve named your Spirit as [Amethyst], your connection and bond has been strengthened.] [Amethyst] says they''re still very hungry.] [Feed them!] "O-Oh, alright." Iughed." Do you eat miasma crystals too? Demonite? I got plenty." "Kyuuh!" The little spirit happily started eating the Demonite shards one after another. It was just a silly little spirit, but I was already seeing it like another adorable pet I could take care of, maybe one that I won''t have to leave protecting our home as I usually do. Another new thing I also noticed in my status was this, a new tab for spirits. ----- [Contracted Spirits]: [Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit: Amethyst (Affection: 50/100)] ----- It even showed their affection, and Amethyst was already halfway through! I only needed to feed him and pet him a bit more and he would be my loyal spirit! Now I feel like I want MORE, they give me Aether, which helps my soul slowly ascend into a higher state what I need to develop my Divine Ember so I can eventually be a Goddess. "Wow, nice that you finally got a spirit, Maria!" Jonathan celebrated. "Yeah, yeah, you finally did it." Catarina pped at me. "Good work mum!" Nyx agreed, cheering for me. "Okay, I don''t think it is enough to make a celebration about it¡­" I sighed. "But I''m grateful for thepliments, nheless. Let''s head back home now, I don''t think there''s any other spirit left, sadly." "I''m wondering how the town we built with Naiad looks now¡­" Said Eustace. His face filled with excitement slowly changed as we told him all the horrendous things that have happened in here. "T-This is awful¡­ Why would a Saintess do this? Ah, she''s a Saintess of that rotten Water Goddess, huh?" Eustace wondered. "That woman was the daughter of a powerful yer like Odin, she was most likely born in luxuries and never struggled. I doubt she has ever traveled anywhere else than Yggdrasil. Ordering her Saintess to do these horrendous thins does align with how I remember her to be." "You meet her in person?" I wondered. "But how did you get to where the Gods are? Don''t I need to ascend first?" "I did undergo Ascension. You could say I was something like a Demigod before my death." Eustace said. "I am now back to S Rank. I would need to reach SSS Rank to finally be a Demigod again. And once you reach L Rank, your Divine Ember develops into a Divinity Core by fusing with your Origin. And then¡­ I, huh, I don''t remember well what happens next." "Well, figures, you''re a ghost. All ghosts have bad memories, I was surprised you remembered so much." Iughed a bit. "So I need to be SSS Rank to be a Demigoddess, huh? That sounds like a lot of annoying grinding." "Well, not necessarily. Some yers could reach that stage much earlier. It depends on your talent, Traits, Skills, and other things. Oh right, the Divine Concept too¡­ Some people are born with it naturally, very talented ones that are usually already a god''s children. If you Cultivate through Murim''s techniques coupled with leveling, your growth speed should be twice as fast if not more. I remember there was also something in this world they called Magic Circle Creation. Has anybody done that yet?" Eustace asked. "Wait, the what?" I wondered, everyone was just as confused. "You don''t know what it is?!" He was shocked. "But that can''t be¡­ Unless the "Gods" of this world have been purposely making all of this information harder to find? But why do they want to weaken the inhabitants of this world so much?" "Probably to have better control over the poption." Lucifer said. "There are also level caps, most people can''t reach a level higher than 50." "What¡­? That wasn''t asmon as before¡­" Eustace muttered. "Odin, that monster is obsessed with having control over the people. Probably thinking that an inhabitant of Yggdrasil could be a yer themselves is what''s making him so afraid¡­ That someone would dare challenge their throne in this World, which they stole from the true ancient Gods, the Dragons and Titans. Who existed in this world even before it was aligned with the Tower, ording to what I know." "There''s a lot of knowledge that is taboo to spread around, apparently¡­" I said. "Jonathan, do you know anything like this?" "I do¡­ I do remember a few things, taboo knowledge that the church killed people for just to keep it a secret. Things about a "Tower connecting Worlds" and such, which I never believed¡­" Jonathan was left speechless. ----- Chapter 969 The Crimson Moon Order Chapter 969 The Crimson Moon Order ??----- Within the depths of the underground pyramid below the city, Maleficus was constantly harnessing his Mana and Miasmic Powers, a bright crystal glowing within his chest, as he channeled all of his powers into therge statue in the form of a man resting in the middle of that circle. Surrounding him there were a dozen more Vampires, all conjuring powerful dark spells, imbuing their mana and souls into the magic circle. Slowly, hour after hour, the statue-like thing started to gain a few more cracks, as if something inside of it was awakening. The ritual had been ongoing for three days in a row now, and it might finally end in another couple more. Once that is done, the Warlocks shall rejoice, the awakening of their Lord will be finally upon them. However, Maleficus could not concentrate fully, as someone dared to interrupt him. "Lord Maleficus¡­ I am sorry to interrupt the ritual, but there''s something of incredible urgency!" A Vampire approached him, trembling as he noticed the vile warlock''s dead stare. "What?! It better worth the fucking time!" He hissed back at him. "Or else, you and your soul shall be sacrificed to our Lord!" The Vampire nodded, kneeling before him. "Yes, our scouts have detected that the Hidden Dungeon where we''ve been cultivating our monsters for the Great Sacrifice¡­ have been inpletely and disappeared." "WHAT?!" "N-Not only that¡­ The Dungeon¡­ it has beenpletely purified! There''s no more Miasma inside of it, and what''s worse, the Core we had saved in the ruins was also stolen, with all the other materials that once belonged to our Lord''s treasury¡­" "W-Who¡­ Who could do such a thing?! How could anybody find that ce and y- Ah¡­ It was THEM! Wasn''t it?! It was! It was them, dammit! DAMMIT!" Maleficus, despite looking old and decrepit, roared with utter fury and frustration, his arms suddenly extended out of his body, catching the Vampire besides him and crushing his head. "Gryyaargh!" SPLAT! As the brains sttered everywhere, he dragged the body towards him and then threw it inside the circle, the statue overflowed with darkness, tentacles piercing the corpse and devouring it and the soul inside of it. "Hahh¡­ This can''t be happening. We can''t move on with our current ns without the damn monsters!" Maleficus thought. "And if our lord finds out his treasury has been stolen¡­ He will surely not forgive us anymore. What do I do?! Wha do I¡­ do¡­?" However, a sudden malicious smile surged on the Vampire''s old and dry lips. "Right, right¡­ I hadpletely forgotten we could always just do that. Silly me. Always relying on just my own strength." He nced at a crimson medallion on his hands, showing a crimson moon and a bat in the middle, with its open jaws and sharp fangsing from it. "I did make a pact with them, our true ancestors. And I''ve supplied them good blood for centuries now." He giggled. "They do love the taste of the blood of the people here, so full of mana. Certainly, those that grow below the sunlight do taste fresher and sweeter than those in the Eternal Eclipse." Maleficus imbued Mana into the medallion, smiling as he came out with a reckless n, but he had no other option now. He was not affiliated with the other Vampires of this continent, so he simply had to rely¡­ on outside forces of an even greater strength. There were dangers, but if things went well, he would make both parties happy at the end, everyone wins. There are risks too but¡­ He wasn''t a coward to not take them when needed. FLASH! The medallion glowed with bright crimson light, as the voice of a yful woman echoed from within the medallion, overflowing with dominance. "Oh? Isn''t it our beloved blood seller from Yggdrasil, Maleficus! Do you have another batch you want to sell us? We do have plenty of materials to pay back this time too!" "No, your excellency, there''s another thing I have to offer you. The freshest blood you could ever imagine¡­ Alive." "Oh?" The voice giggled, interested. "Go on¡­ Do tell me more. And it better be worth it, Maleficus." "It shall definitely be worth your time, your excellency. I swear by the Crimson Moon Order." .n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om . . (Maria''s POV) Aftering back to the city, we decided to rest for the rest of the day in a fancy inn, after making sure to mask our identities and appearances once more. Eustace remained within Celes'' Soul, which seemed actually possible. It was also where the other three water spirits would rest. Meanwhile, my little Amethyst rested over my head, but nobody else could truly see her, so we were safe. I noticed Nyx getting a bit jealous of the spirit getting more attention than her, so I decided to cook her something good for dinner. I prepared delicious cheeseburgers, her favorite, using abination of different monster meats, including that of the Drakes we found back in that one dungeon. I even added barbeque sauce to spoil her more and made a side of tasty fries and mozzare sticks. All for my baby. "Hmm, nom, nom! Thank you for making my favorite, mama!" She was wagging her tail adorably as she ate her burgers. "It''s nothing, dear. I noticed you were a bit grumpy, so I decided to give you some tasty treats." I caressed her hair. "I''ll begin working on your new dress and axe soon." "Oh, really?" She celebrated. "Finally! I can hack enemies apart with a big axe, like mama does!" "I-Is that something you always wanted to do?" Lucifer muttered, feeling slightly worried. "Well, make sure to make the axe small enough for her." "Yeah, don''t worry." I nodded. "No! I want big one!" Nyx pouted. "The biggest you can make mom!" Is she trying to make up for her small size by wielding a titanic axe or something? That''s cute though¡­ "Okay!" I nodded. "Anything for my little girl!" Lucifer facepalmed. ----- Chapter 970 A New Witchy Hat

Chapter 970 A New Witchy Hat

----- With no more dungeons or ces to explore to get more EXP for everyone, or S Rank Monster Cores, we decided to settle down and just spend the next days working on our abilities, while silently spying the city. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I spent these days crafting and upgrading equipment without end. The dress, gloves, and heels went excellently with this beautiful hat I had finished a few days ago. As I had designed it, this hat was a perfect blend between a witch aesthetic and the aesthetic of a viinous nobledy. It was dark blue, with a ck spiderweb-like decoration on top, and there was also a big eye made of ck gold in front of the hat, imbued with an Illusion and Mind Spirit Crystal, which I made myself. ----- [Phantom Enchantress Witch Hat of Dreams And Illusions] [Item Type]: [Head Armor] [Phantom Hat] [Living Armor] [Item Grade]: [S+++] [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped by Maria] [Item Durability]: [1.000.000/1.000.000] [Item Effects]: [Physical Defense]: [+800.000] [Magical Defense]: [+800.000] [HP]: [+300.000] [MP]: [+500.000] [Attack]: [+300.000] [Defense]: [+300.000] [Magic]: [+500.000] [Agility]: [+500.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Death Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Moonlight Attribute Power]: [+300.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Illusion and Mind Magic Power +100% (S)] [Illusion and Mind Magic Spells Resistance Ignore -50% (S)] [Thinking Speed and Processing Power +60% (S)] [HP & Defense +24% (S)] [Attack & Agility +23% (S)] [MP & Magic +32% (S)] [Item Abilities] [Mind Bending Eye of Illusions]: A Witch Hat imbued with a special jewel crafted specifically to unleash mind-bending abilities. Once you''re nced by this eye, you cannot keep yourself focused. When equipped, Increases Illusions, Dreams, and Mind Spells and Skills Powers and Effects by +150%, and decreases their MP Consumption by -30%. By imbuing Mana into this Eye, it is possible to directly attack a foe''s Mind, depending in the Level of Mind they possess and their Defenses, various status effects can be conjured on them, from [Lost of Focus], [Confusion], [Mind Exhaustion], [Imagination Block], [Emotion Overdrive], or even [Madness]. [Witch Hat of Dreams and Illusions]: Once equipped and imbued with enough Mana, generates a powerful [Aura of Dreamy Illusions] around the user, which confuses the foe and makes them lose focus while fighting the user. Effects may vary depending on the foe''s Mind Resistance and Mind Defenses. Additionally, this Aura Enhances the Power and Affinity of Dream, Illusions, and Mind Magic and Skills by +200% for as long as itsts. This Aura can be furtherbined with other abilities to further attack a foe''s mind. [Description] An incredible piece of equipment unique, never seen before made by cksmith and Sewing Master Maria. It has been imbued with many souls, gaining unprecedented powers. This beautiful witch hat possesses an intricate decoration and magic circuit, enhancing the power of Illusion, Dreams, and Mind Magic and Powers once worn. It possesses the infinite ability to evolve and improve itself and can self-repair itself through the wearer''s Mana. A once in an eon masterpiece that rivals the Divine Treasures of the Gods and might as well have the potential to surpass them. ----- Simple but amazing on its own way, and the bonus stats are wee, especially with all the ridiculous foes we''ve been fightingtely. And now that I learned that there''s a Tower and other Worlds, where the "Heroes from another World" tales most likely originated from, I never can''t be strong enough to fight off against all sorts of monsters. I need to be prepared for anything. These illusion abilities and powers will help me further enhance my abilities to another level, which is what I require right now as another trump card. If I can at least confuse or make a foe lose focus for a second or two, it''ll be enough of an opening for me to st them with a powerful spell using my glove''s Spell Hand, or with a strong kick using my heels Kicking Power. Anyways, after I finished making my beautiful witch hat, I went immediately on upgrading my two weapons, the sword and the axe to the next,pletely new level. And after two and a half days of arduous working on taking the weapons part, fusing them back up, and doing the same over and over again until I found the correct fusion of runes, shadow sculping, threads, metals, crystals, and monster materials, I was done with them. I reforged, destroyed, and remade the sword at least ten times. I wanted to make sure I knew the de with every inch of it, so I could procure the best Runes imbued into it for the best results. The sword and the axe weren''t going to stop being my main weapons. They were literally all I used when fighting, aside from my fists and now my legs. I wanted to fight with both physical and magical attacks, and although I am still a magic specialist, after evolving into the Titaness of Moonlight, my physical strength grew exponentially, enough for me to feel slightly confident I could fight with physical attacks much better than before. And that''s without even counting the transformations I possess, which further boost that bybining and amassing power over my body, temporarily awakening even more of my "Titan Soul" for ack of a better term, because I certainly don''t have "Titan Bloodline" without flesh for my blood to flow through. And of course, I had moved right away on working for my daughter''s dress and axe after I finished my weapons, so I was working on that as well. Almost about to finish it, actually. For my daughter''s dress, I decided to use the same technique I used to create Hecate, pouring my soul and any material within my Soul Scape as I could. All while also making the mold and devising the metals for her axe. I wanted it as tough as mine, if not better. I dismantled my own axe a lot of times to see how it worked, making sure my daughter''s own axe would eventually be just as tough, if not better¡­ Chapter 971 Upgraded Weapons

Chapter 971 Upgraded Weapons

----- As I was working on both my daughter''s dress and axe, I admired my two newly enhanced weapons. They had truly changed a lot¡­ Much like with Partner and Emeraldine''s weapons, their base abilities evolved further, bing even more broken. ----- [Umbral Moonlight Titaness Heaven-Splitting Halberd] [Item Type]: [Phantom Weapon] [Double-Handed Axe] [Living Weapon] [Item Grade]: [S+++] [Item Level]: [1/100] n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped By The Maker] [Item Durability]: [2.000.000/2.000.000] [Item Effects]: [Weapon Attack]: [+3.000.000] [HP]: [+1.000.000] [MP]: [+500.000] [Attack]: [+2.500.000] [Defense]: [+1.000.000] [Magic]: [+500.000] [Agility]: [+500.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Death Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Moonlight Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Defense Pration +30% (S)] [Weapon Attack +30% (S)] [Attack Speed +30% (S)] [Attack +35% (S)] [Health Drain +150% (S)] [Agility +35% (S)] [Abilities] [Hybrid Phantom Weapon: Umbral Battle Axe]: A weapon that works as both an Umbral Battle Axe and a Moonlight Spear. Increases Blunt Damage, Weapon Might, Weight Bnce, and Shadow, Darkness, and Death Attack Power by +300%. Decreases Techniques, Weapon-rted Skills, and Spells MP Cost by -30%. [Hybrid Phantom Weapon: Moonlight Spear]: A weapon that works as both an Umbral Battle Axe and a Moonlight Spear. Increases Piercing Damage, Weapon Speed, Weapon Dexterity, and Moonlight Attack Power by +300%. Decreases Techniques, Weapon-rted Skills, and Spells MP Cost by -30%. [Umbral Moonlight Titaness Rampage]: Enhances Moonlight, Shadow, Darkness, and Death Attribute Damage by +400% and Weapon Damage by +300%, decreases MP Cost by -30%. By spendingrge quantities of MP, Moonlight Essence, and Darkness Essence, and a part of this weapon''s durability, it is possible to unleash an [Umbral Moonlight Rampage] to continuously attack a target with the Moon Titaness Fury. Each attack increases damage dealt by +50% while ignoring defense by -10% with each sessful attack. After ten consecutive attacks, an [Ultimate Titan Blow] can be unleashed that deals up to +2.500% Damage based in umted damage from previous attacks. The user is surrounded by Moonlight mes while using this technique, enhancing Moonlight Attribute Magic Damage from nearby allies by +100%, and lowering MP Cost of rted Spells and Skills by -20% [Abyssal Gluttonous Weapon]: The more lives this weapon takes, the stronger it can grow. Upon sessfully killing a foe, Durability can be automatically recovered, and the weapon''s strength will be boosted temporarily, increasing all Weapon Stats by +5% with each foe defeated. Additionally, the Moonlight mes of the [Umbral Moonlight Titaness Rampage] will receive a boost to their power and range of +10% with each foe defeated. Any foe defeated will also have their corpsesbust into Moonlight mes, dealing up to +500% Moonlight and Fire Attribute Damage to any foe. ----- The halberd became twice as big (yes!), and it now gained a purple and beautiful pink hue to it. It emanated a powerful Aura of Moonlight, and by merely wielding it, I felt like I was finally holding the true strength of a titan myself. With both of these weapons equipped, my base stats have already increased by around three times their original numbers, which is absolutely crazy. The halberd can even produce pink- and purple-colored mes made of Moonlight, which are pretty interesting. ----- [Abyssal Nether Lord''s Bone Titan''s de] [Item Type]: [Phantom Weapon] [Double-Handed Sword] [Living Weapon] [Item Grade]: [S+++] [Item Level]: [1/100] [Item Requirement]: [Can Only Be Equipped By The Maker] [Item Durability]: [2.000.000/2.000.000] [Item Effects]: [Weapon Attack]: [+2.500.000] [HP]: [+500.000] [MP]: [+1.000.000] [Attack]: [+2.000.000] [Defense]: [+500.000] [Magic]: [+1.500.000] [Agility]: [+1.000.000] [Void Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Darkness Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Death Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Moonlight Attribute Power]: [+1.500.000] [Runic Engravings]: [Defense Pration +30% (S)] [Weapon Attack +30% (S)] [Attack Speed +30% (S)] [Attack +35% (S)] [Health Drain +150% (S)] [Agility +35% (S)] [Abilities] [Hybrid Phantom Weapon: Nether Lord''s Staff]: A weapon that works as both a Nether Lord''s Staff and the Shadow Lord''s Longsword. Enhances Magic Damage, Conjuration and Spell Speed, Magic Control, and Death and Phantom Attack Power by +300%. Decreases Spells MP Cost by -30%. [Hybrid Phantom Weapon: Shadow Lord''s Longsword]: A weapon that works as both a Nether Lord''s Staff and the Shadow Lord''s Longsword. Enhances shing Damage, Weapon Technique Speed, Reflexes, and Shadow and Darkness Attack Power by +300%. Decreases Techniques, Weapon- rted Skills, and Spells MP Cost by -30%. [Nether Lord''s Divine Treasure]: Enhances Darkness, Shadow, Phantom, and Death Magic Attribute Damage by +400%, decreases MP Cost by -50%. Raised Undead or Contracted Undead receive a buff that enhances all stats by +200% as long as they''re within the user''s range of 200 meters. [ursed Shadow Lord''s Bone de]: Can devour Souls, Negative Energy, Phantoms, Magic, Life, and Blood from foes to increase its Level and gain more bonus Stats. Once enough is absorbed, everything can be unleashed in a powerful [Netherworld''s Catastrophe] that deals +2.000% Damage and ignores -80% of a foe''s defenses. Can only be used once a day. ----- Meanwhile, the de became a huge bone sword, overflowing with tremendous bony power. It exuded an aura of necrotic energy that automatically made any of my Undead even stronger. Once I took it out of my Shadow Realm, Partner, Lucifer, and Catarina instantly felt twice as strong out of nowhere¡­ This sword doubles as a necrotic staff for mighty necromancers after all. Now that all of their abilities have been upgraded, they can unleash even more of their innate powers. Both of these weapons can "shift" between each of the weapons they were originally. A spear and an axe, or a staff and a sword, changing the bonuses they gain as a result. I improved further into that by making each weapon a different type, making everything even stronger. It was an evening of the first day of the weekend of this week, and we were enjoying ice cream while sunbathing over an Inn. Our enemies werepletely and absolutely clueless about what we were doing or what was happening. Of course, my Phantoms were moving around, making sure there wouldn''t be any bastard watching us. ----- Chapter 972 New Equipment For Little Nyx Chapter 972 New Equipment For Little Nyx ??----- Although themoners of this city suffered a lot, the nobles had it really nice. They even had things such as ice cream and the like. Well,moners are no longer suffering as much anymore, most of them now have water again after I''ve slipped it inside of their house''s storages. They have done a good job at not revealing this. We were currently sitting over the rooftop of a fancy Inn with an even fancier and more expensive restaurant. Our appearancespletely different than our real forms thanks to the Illusion Magic conjured over us. The powerful witch hat I made came in handy with this too. Ibined simple illusion spells with y Spell Hand Gloves and made for fantastic illusion veils that changed our appearances quite a lot. "Mama, when are my gifts ready? The week''sing to an end already!" Nyx asked, while eating chocte ice cream. "Oh, your dress and axe?" I asked. "Ready!" "W-Wha¡­?!" Nyx was shocked when she saw me taking out a cute ck dress and a huge axe out of my Shadow Realm and giving it to her right in that moment. Indeed, I just finished making them. I received a couple of System notifications as I did, making Nyx gasp in surprise and happiness. Ding! [You have created the [Umbral Shadow Dress of the Eternal Night: Achlys (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You have created the [Abyssal Shadow Battle Axe of Demise: Chaos (S+++ Grade)] x1!] [You earned +500.000 Skill Proficiency!] [Several Crafting Skills have Leveled Up!] The dress was of the colors Nyx usually worn, which were ck and gold. It was clear ck, with some gold here and there, in the shape of stars and moons. It emanated a powerful soul of its own, very simr to my Hecate, as it possessed a true name. Andstly, her giant axe, exuding a purple and ck glow, and unleashing a powerful Aura of Death, Phantom, Void, and "Demise", the powerful Divine Concept my daughter had somehow acquired, which I was able to transfer a bit of it into both items through her Phantom Crystals, which she carefully imbued with this power over the course of thest days. The axe was twice as big as her body height, nearing two meters and a half. It also had the power of growingrger by absorbing her Mana, so it can easily match with her own body as it transforms into a dragon, simr to my own weapons too! Also, her dress can expand and turn into cure magic threads, so it bes a ck armor over her body when she turns into a dragon. This way, I can further protect her from deadly attacks she might get, like it happened when the damned Warlocks trapped us in that Void Realm, and she almost didn''t survive. I am still regretting what happened back then. I got a title that protect us from being abducted now, but even then, I am still full of insecurities. Even if Nyx didn''t ask for these, I would have still made them. "Do you like them? Mama made them with all her love for you." I smiled. "I love them! They''re so cool!" She said happily. "This axe looks like a half moon too, so awesome! Mama I want to put the dress on!" "Sure, let me conjure something on you then." I smiled, conjuring a veil of the night over her, so she had the privacy to change.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Once she stepped out, everyone gasped. She looked utterly stunning and adorable with that dress. It shone brightly with the gold pieces, as if she was surrounded by little golden stars and her dress had be the night. Just like her name, Nyx, like the Greek Goddess of the Night. "I feel so much stronger with this dress now, mama!" She was very happy. "And this powerful axe¡­! I''m going to use it to beat all the baddies!" "Both the dress and the weapon gained names?!" Lucifer was shocked. "Amazing, with that¡­ Maybe she could really be well protected now. Are they sentient?" "To an extent yes, they''re newborn living weapon and armor." I nodded. "They have already soul bonded with her, so they will give up their life to protect her. I can rest assured now, at least a bit, that she''ll be safe even if we can''t be by her side at all times¡­" "Uwaah!" However, Nyx ended tripping down due to the heavy axe and hit the ground with it, a loud nk sound resonated. CLAAANK! Thankfully we were alone in the rooftop so nobody noticed anything, and I had conjured a sound deafening barrier just in case someone would hear our conversations. It was named [Phantasmal Sound Absorbing Barrier] and used real phantoms to absorb sound waves. "Nyx! Be more careful, girl. You almost made amotion." Lucifer reprimanded her. "I told you such a big axe wouldn''t be good for you." "No, no! I can do it, papa! Trust me!" Nyx was brimming with her usual confidence, beginning to practice her axe swings. "How about we practice a big inside my Shadow Realm, dear?" I asked her. "I''ll bring some Undead so you can use them as practice dummies too. Let''s go. We only have a couple of days before we have to start our raid, so let''s practice as much as we can." "Oooh! Nice!" Nyx was really into it, quickly jumping into the Shadow Realm with me. This was a "realm" within my own shadows connected to my soul. It had been formed as I evolved. From a mere pocket of darkness into something evenrger than I could have imagined. I usually store living beings and Undead here, because my Inventory can''t really store living or undead inside of itself. In there, Nyx charged towards me without even waiting for a single second, knowing her mom was very strong, I quickly took out both of my own weapons, parrying them as she came. Explosions of Darkness, Phantom, Death, and Demise echoed across the Shadow Realm. Well, this girl''s sure intense. ----- Chapter 973 ERROR

Chapter 973 ERROR

----- After training with Nyx, practicing magic, and teaching the rookies how to better use their magic, the end of the weekend came. It was already night, and we were all about to rest for thest time this night before striking tomorrow. We will strike not at night, but at daylight, because we know our foes are Vampires. So its obviously much better to attack when there''s sunlight, so they will have to be much more careful, and won''t be able to go all out most of the time. As everyone rested, I decided to have a small conversation with my System. The System born from my Unique Skill, an entity whose origins I still am not even sure where theye from. Is he just a manifestation of a Skill''s powers, or something else? Someone else? I also discovered he can''t just read my mind all the time. It is only when I unconsciously "allow" it that he can. Now that I am subconsciously blocking my own thoughts, he seems unable to react to them or respond. But I''ll be talking to him really soon. Oh well, after having heard about the Tower connecting our world to many, and the many dangers it brought, alongside, perhaps, the true origin of the Aesir Pantheon, I''ve begun to question everything. After having talked a lot with Eustace, I''ve discovered many new things. Well, based only on what he could remember right now. As a ghost, his memory is dizzy, and he does not possess all his memories anymore. But those closer to what is keeping him here, such as his beloved wife remain rather clear. With that, we learned some things. One of them is that the Soul Book is not unique to Yggdrasil. In fact, it was added to it after the World of Yggdrasil was assimted by the Tower in very ancient times. Probably after the Aesir invaded our world, killed the Titans and Dragons, and became the new rulers, they manipted history and changed how people perceived things. The Soul Books became something everyone was used to, even though it was an unnatural force that emerged from within the Tower, it is the "Potential to Surpass Our Limits" as Eustace exined. In none of the worlds he visited was this power not present within people. Perhaps it had different stats or effects, but it was virtually the same power. He told me that once people step into the Tower''s floors, their souls evolve and create their own Soul Books. Meanwhile, my "Soul Grimoire" is something simr, yet different. Apparently because of my own Unique Skill, the System, my original Soul Book evolved even further, bing a Soul Grimoire. The System fused with the Soul Book, pretty much. But that still leaves the question, how were the Aesir capable of manipting a power of the Tower to make the people of this world continuously weaker over time? And what were they trying to do with this? Are they just obsessed with maintaining the status quo, so they try to limit mortals as much as they can? I guess it makes sense, seeing how megalomaniac Odin seems to be. I can only guess things at the end. Eustace''s memories are still very limited. But¡­ this only made me wonder, if there are so many worlds out there connected to ours, and the origin of many of the things we gave for granted arepletely different. Then what exactly are Unique Skills?! What interaction does the Tower has with otherworldly souls? Does it control where they go? And¡­ Is Earth part of the Tower too? So many questions, so little¡­ so little everything else. But the System is way too smart, it has a defined personality, it also knows something, it knows more than what we''ve seen together, that''s for sure. What exactly is he? I''m going to try to know right now, no matter what. "System, are you listening?" ["¡­"] A little message appeared with no words other than the "¡­", I can tell he''s listening, but he dislikes talking most of the time. Like he''s annoyed at everything all the time. This is not really how an AI born to help me should act, right? It has always felt like he''s someone else, trapped into this role, against his will. "You heard my thoughts. Have something to say against that?" ["If you don''t have something to ask me directly, or that you need any technical help for, then I shall continue resting to save on Mana reserves."] "Wait a second, you can''t just keep running away from these questions! I know you are someone else, I know you''re not just¡­ a Skill. What are you? No¡­ Who are you?" ["¡­"] ["My response will be unsatisfactory for you, Host. But I don''t know what I am other than the "System", I am the materialization of your Unique Skill. Born from your Soul''s excess power when you moved from a non-magical world to one full of magic. Based on your wishes given by¡­ The Tower."] "Wait, what? So you know something!" ["I¡­ I don''t remember knowing that but¡­ Perhaps because you now know about the Tower. Perhaps something¡­ Something changed? Let me check all of my memory data."] [Processing¡­] [Analyzing Memory Data¡­] [Memory Data found.] [Blocked Data has been unblocked.] [Loading "Tower" "Other Worlds" information¡­] [Sess.] [ERORR] As the messages kept piling up, a sudden error screen with bright red color appeared. I don''t think this has ever happened before in all of my life using the System. It left me speechless, and the screen continued showing Errors after Errors. [ERROR!] [ERROR!] [Unauthorized Data Mining found, activating Data Blockers at Maximum Level.] n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Administrator: [The Light That Shines The Brightest] has left a pre-written message.] ["Little dove, I knew you would eventually try to do that. Forcefully trying to dig out your past is no good. You must atone for your sins. You are but a tool."] A message appeared, an ominous, pre-written message by an "Administrator", something I have never seen before, and something that made me realize, once more¡­ That things weren''t like I ever imagined. ["AAAARRGGHH!"] The scream of the System was just the cherry on top. ----- Chapter 974 The Truth Behind The System 1

Chapter 974 The Truth Behind The System 1

----- [Processing¡­] [Analyzing Memory Data¡­] [Memory Data found.] [Blocked Data has been unblocked.] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Loading "Tower" "Other Worlds" information¡­] [Sess.] [ERORR] [ERROR!] [ERROR!] [Unauthorized Data Mining found, activating Data Blockers at Maximum Level.] [Administrator: [Justice''s Brightest Light] has left a pre-written message.] ["Little dove, I knew you would eventually try to do that. Forcefully trying to dig out your past is no good. You must atone for your sins. You are but a tool."] [ERROR!] [ERROR!] [ERROR!] [ERROR!] As the error messages kept popping up one after another, my vision was full of crimson red light. I felt like my consciousness was being slowly dragged into darkness, as I saw a white figure scream. It was a tall man made of pure white light, with no definable features, but I noticed a pair of white wings, this was without a doubt the System, or how he used to look. I''ve seen him like this before¡­ But the wings are new. ["AAAARRGGHH!"] The system errors were showering over him, constantly shaking him and weakening him. He fell to his knees, agonizing. I slowly tried to crawl towards him, but the system messages kept pestering me. He wasn''t the only one in pain, I constantly felt bolts of crimson lightning torturing my soul, trying to tell me to not approach him. [ERROR!] [ERROR!] [ERROR!] ["Stop! STOP! LET ME SEE¡­! Y-YOU DAMN¡­! WHY?! WHYYY?! AARRGH!"] He kept screaming, full of frustration and anger. He was someone that was constantly suffering. I could tell by the tone of his voice. He disliked everything and carried within him a terrible burden. The memories of those things might be gone, but deep down, the feelings remained. [ERROR!] [ERROR!] [ERROR!] I kept moving through the darkness, as I saw him beginning to cry. There were a pair of eyes of light on his face, tears falling as his wings started to break apart. As if they had been born out of his own memories, out of something resurfacing. ["Gabriel¡­ You bastard¡­ Why¡­ How¡­ could¡­ you- UNGH¡­!"] Before he could muster another word, he fell. The system messages continued trying to stop me, btu I grit my teeth and wielded the power of my raw soul. The powers of my Unique Skills harnessing within me, as a ck hole shed against the System''s force. "You''re nothing but a part of my soul, do you think you can stop me?!" With a mighty roar, I deleted the messages and stepped forwards. Even if it was made by someone else, even if there were Administrators, the System Skill was mine. And I was its owner, and I could do whatever I pleased with it. "You have no power over my Soul, Tower!" I pierced through the walls of texts, as if I was moving across a thick membrane, my entire sol felt tortuous pain, but I had grown so strong it was nothing at this point. I ran and ran, until I was able to finally meet him. "System!" I ran to his side, his white body looking very weak. The wings he had developed slowly fell apart, feather after feather. There was also some long, blonde hair falling from his face, and I noticed his features much more detailed. He was handsome, with a straight and strong-looking face, while also carrying a certain, angelic beauty. "Ugh¡­ Ahhh¡­! Y-You? Maria¡­! Why- You- Ungh!" I held him on my arms as I looked into his eyes. "How long have you been suffering like this?" I asked him. "Who are you? Tell me! You must have seen something! Your appearance itself changed!" "My true name¡­ I¡­ I do remember now¡­ Even if everything- Ugh, it hurts to remember. But my name¡­ My name is¡­ Michael¡­" "W-What?" I muttered. "And those wings¡­" Suddenly, I noticed the wings were beginning to be restored slightly. The swarm of error notifications began to cease as a bright light surged from his chest. My soul''s darkness consuming everything, while his light pierced it, creating an eclipsing light. Michael¡­ That name, and then he said Gabriel. Are they¡­ Archangels? No, there''s no way for that to be true, right?! But angelic beings are in Heaven- Wait, is Heaven even another world here? Maybe Michael and¡­ "I am not sure¡­ myself either¡­" He sighed, looking into my eyes. His handsome face glistening below the eclipsing light. He clearly read my mind. "But I¡­ Thanks to you, I''ve remembered. Thank you¡­ I''ve misjudged you, Maria. You''re not¡­ a foolish girl as I imagined. You''re¡­ you truly care¡­ for me." "Of course I do, idiot. I''ve been stuck with you all this time!" I sighed, imbuing Mana into him. "Now, can you recover? The system windows kept popping but- I can do something about it¡­" I opened another ck hole in my chest. The error windows were instantly absorbed inside destroyed. I felt pain each time one was destroyed. And it felt strange, as if I knew I was doing something wrong, but I couldn''t stop now. I kept doing that until it gave up, the crimson messages stopped appearing, the pain receded, and Michael was looking much better, although still exhausted, on my arms. "Where are we right now? I remember¡­ I think I''ve seen this ce in my dreams. Apletely empty darkness, unlike my Shadow Realm, where you reside." I wondered, looking around. "This is the¡­ System''s Core. A pocket dimension of its own, where I am sealed." Michael muttered. "I am¡­ shocked you could enter. But I do remember I once dragged you here, through dreams." "Dreams¡­" I realized that the hat I made did amplify the power of Dreams. "Wait, did that helped me get here?" "The hat?" He wondered. "Hahah¡­ Maybe, you always create such strange and weird things. I wouldn''t doubt it must have been one of your shenanigans¡­ You''re one crazy girl." "And you''re an annoying yet handsome guy!" I mmed his forehead. "Can you stand now?" "I think so, but I don''t mind being carried some more." He smiled teasingly. "Get down." I red at him, as he swiftly dropped into the floor. And then, he stood up again, his wings spreading out, shining with shiny brilliance. "How much do you remember now?" "A couple of things¡­ Very few, but also very important ones." "Tell me everything." "Maria, you¡­ don''t know what you''re getting into." "I''m already deep into this anyways, so go on. Tell me." ----- Chapter 975 The Truth Behind The System 2 Chapter 975 The Truth Behind The System 2 ??----- The System, or as he called himself, Michael, sat down over the void ck hole. His body still looked very weak and frail. I noticed many cracks over his body, as if he were made of thin ss. Each error seemed to have broken through this body, perhaps the presentation of his soul, the core of the System itself being him. "Are you okay?" I asked him, caressing his wounds. "I might heal over time¡­ Or not." He coughed. "This is¡­ My soul, as bare as it can be. However, from what I remember¡­ My power, Memories, and Soul''s True Strength have all been Sealed. So It''s not as if I can do much, even with my soul exposed." "Is there a way to heal you?" I wondered, looking at him. For the first time ever, I actually felt pity for this asshole that always treated me like shit. "I¡­ Perhaps, but you''ll need to spend the precious System Points you can only earn by killing foes or leveling up. Are you sure you want to spend them?" He wondered, looking tired. "You don''t need to halt your growth to heal me. It''s not like you owe me anything, and I''ve been a real asshole to you, even though you had no fault in my situation¡­" "Yeah you''re a pretty annoying asshole, but you''re still the System that has been with me since I reincarnated in this world. Even when I wasn''t a ghost, you were still there, right?" I asked him. "So stop being so annoying and let me heal you. How do I do this?" "Simply¡­ think about it." He sighed. His eyes seemed slightly shy as he didn''t want to look into my eyes. "And it will work." I gently touched his wounds, and it worked. The System Points started to be spent over time. The cracks disappeared as my fingers released a gray and white light. It felt as if I was stitching back together his wounds, second after second, until he fully recovered. Ding! [You''ve exchanged 14.000.000 System Points to heal the wounds in the [System''s Core].] [The [System Core] has fully recovered its functions.] "Well that cost way more than I imagined! Fourteen million?!" Iined. "Well, I still have around 79 million but even then, that''s so expensive!" "I told you that you should have simply kept your points. They''re precious, both to create your Unique Undead and also to upgrade and learn Skills, alongside your ss and Subss¡­" Michael sighed. "You''re truly hopeless, helping someone that treated you like shit. You''re dumb, aren''t you? A very dumb girl." "Is this how you''re going to treat me after I saved your ass?!" Iined, about to smack his face. However, I was stopped by his eyes full of mncholy. "Thanks¡­" He whispered silently. "I always thought you wouldn''t care, or that you only saw me as your tool. I wouldn''t even me you. The Unique Skill you acquired was simply the Manifestation of your Soul bing a yer. And because it happened while you had no body, and your soul jumped many floors, the umtion of Mana through all of these worlds gave birth to the powerful Unique Skills you acquired. However, at the end, what decides what Skills you get or not wasn''t just your Wishes, but the Tower." "The damn Tower¡­" I muttered. "Does it have some sort of consciousness of its own? What exactly is the Tower? Not just a bridge between Worlds, right?" "I¡­ Don''t have too many memories about that, but I do know that the Tower does has intelligence. It can make decisions of its own. But those that truly control it are Administrators." He spoke. "Administrators¡­" As Michael said that word, I remembered the message I saw once he tried digging through his memories. "[Justice''s Brightest Light] rings any bells?" "Perhaps too many." He sighed. "That suffix¡­ You see, Administrators take on many suffixes. Titles to hide their true names. Gabriel¡­ I remember that bastard taking that title. I don''t remember how exactly everything went. But I used to be with him, and many others. In a world named as Eden."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Eden?" I asked. "Like¡­ the Garden of Eden?" "It might be rted." He nodded. "It is a Heavenly World, and the strongest amongst all other Worlds connected to the Tower. It is all the way to thest Floor." "How many Floors does this damn Tower has?" I wondered. "One hundred, and Eden sits at the top, at the hundredth floor. It is where the rumors about your wishesing true originated from." Michael said. "In a way, you are granted such a thing once you step into the Tower. Your greatest wish, your talent, and what you want to be, your dreams, materialize. Every person that enters the Tower gains a Skill or Unique Skill. This is the key for their growth. Some neglect it foolishly, thinking it is an useless power, but those that smartly embrace it- Ugh¡­! They can ascend further¡­" "But why ascend?" I asked. "If there is no such thing as a Wish¡­" "I never said there wasn''t one. I only said¡­ you kind of get half of it once you enter." Coughed Michael. "But¡­ What''s in the throne of the World of Eden¡­ The ultimate challenge of the Tower. The One¡­" "¡­The One?" I asked. Suddenly, it felt like things clicked slightly. The One, was that¡­ just God? The monotheistic God of all things? The single one, The One and Only. God and nothing else. No name, just God. The one that governs Eden, a world with Angels and Archangels. "Is that God?" I asked. "¡­I don''t know." He sighed. "I don''t remember anymore¡­ I¡­ It is so frustrating. I fear if we try to recover more memories, the damage I''ll take be even more severe." "Then what can we do?!" I asked. Michael suddenly held my hands, as he smiled back at me. His brilliant silver eyes shining with some sort of confidence, as if he knew me for way longer than I thought. "Climb the Tower, Maria." He whispered to me. "Grow Stronger¡­ Evolve. The System will Evolve with you. And so your other Unique Skills. Especially [Goddess], the Unique Skill you have yet to unlock. Its power could bring you to heights nobody has reached before. You have to climb the Tower¡­ If you want to find out the truth about it, get a wish¡­ And end this¡­ This cycle ofpetition and annihtion of worlds." To climb the Tower¡­ That was never really my intention. I want to just live peacefully. But I guess that even after I do everything I want in this world. Threats and dangers will keep pouring from other worlds, isn''t it? "Do you promise me that I will find the truth, and that the wish can be anything I want?" I asked him with sincerity. "¡­I have to be honest with you, I can''t promise you that." He sighed. "But there''s something within me, something that tells me that¡­ you will never find the peace you want if you don''t do anything, Maria. There are threats out there that will continueing to this world. And unless you do your best to climb the Tower and finally reach the end of all of this. There will never be an end." "¡­" I sighed. "I''ll think about it. But maybe¡­ Just maybe, I will do that. But right now, I can''t really think too well. Goodnight, Michael." "Goodnight, Maria." ----- Chapter 976 Michael

Chapter 976 Michael

----- n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om When I slept, I felt like my consciousness drifted elsewhere. I found myself in the middle of a world of pure light and heavens. Clouds stretched to as long as my sight could reach. There were countless of floating inds, and ancient temples decorating them. I saw thousands if not millions of winged creatures and people across the heavens. The cold wind was somewhatforting, but I had little control over my actions. It felt like I couldn''t move even if I wanted to. I directed my gaze into the distance, seeing thergest of all the floating inds, it looked more like a gigantic floating continent. Atop of the floating continent, there was an enormous golden city, and in the middle of that city, a gigantic castle made of gold and heavenly light. Sitting inside of that throne, there was someone, someone made of Eternal Brilliance. As I gazed into that direction, my surroundings changed immediately. As if I was watching some sort of scene inside a movie. There was someone, a tall, beautiful man with long blonde hair, angelic wings, and wearing a white toga. Surrounding him there were six other Angels simr to him. Their powers channeled into chains. Each one was different from the other. Their expressions varying. "Michael, you''ve gone against the Laws of our Lord. And you have dared to defy the Tower''s Rules." Someone spoke, an angel with short blonde hair, holding a shining sword pointed at the angel. "Will you exin the reason behind your treason?! Behind your betrayal? Our Lord has given you everything, life, a purpose, power¡­ Yet you reject everything just because you pity the lives of the unworthy?" "They are not unworthy, Gabriel¡­" Michael red into his eyes. Revealing his beautiful silver-colored eyes, full of determination. "They''re innocent lives! Innocent souls! Why must you put them through so much pain, through so much suffering, oh Father!" He screamed, not looking at his brother, but at the gigantic Brilliance sitting behind them, over a throne of divine gold. "¡­" The entity remained on silence, never speaking, only watching. "This is his word. The Divine Word of our Lord, of our Father, is ABSOLUTE!" Roared Gabriel. "After everything he has given to you, is this how you repay him, Michael?! By insulting him on his face and screaming at him like a mad dog?!" "Why are you doing this, father?! Please tell me! Why are you condemning the lives of so many innocents! They might havemitted sins, but this doesn''t mean they have to be exterminated. You were not like this before¡­ Why? Just why are you killing them all?!" Michael kept fighting the chains. As ance of light emerged on his hand. "WHY?!" SLAAASH! With a mighty attack of light, a tremendous shockwave of divine power was released. It distorted space and time itself, his siblings were sent flying away. They were incapable of fighting against Michael''s prowess. His wings released lightning, as he rushed towards his Father. "Answer me!" He screamed. Yet his father remained still. A sudden wave of invisible power pushed him down, mming into the ground. His wings slowly burned by the mes of God. And his entire body broke apart. His bones shattered, he vomited blood, and feltpletely powerless as his halo shattered into tiny pieces of ss. "F-Fa¡­ ther¡­!" Tears fell from his eyes, regret, sorrow, frustration. I could see all these emotions on his eyes. "Why¡­ Just¡­ why¡­" His siblings flew towards him. Chains of Absolute Domination wrapped around him. His entire body slowly being reduced to a sphere of light, sealedpletely. Gabriel sighed, looking at the sphere with both anger and frustration. As if he wanted to punish him even more, but that was as much as he could do. "Michael. You once were our oldest sibling. You were once our strongest. But now, you will be dethroned. And you will be nothing else but a tool for the Tower to prosper." He said. "As Father wishes." The sphere flew into their Father, who absorbed it and then released a stream of light into the skies, piercing the ceiling. The powers of Michael were absorbed by the Tower. The Angels nced system-like windows appear in front of them. The sphere of light transformed into a silver-colored cube. And then was fully assimted as another piece of the Tower. There was a swirl of emotions taking over my phantasmal heart. I couldn''t believe what I saw. But this was most likely something that happened to Michael. How he became the System, everything¡­ But why? Why did I see this dream? Is this thanks to his connection with me? Or is someone else allowing me to see this information. Another Administrator? "¡­" However, before I could do anything else, The One''s brilliant eyes were directed towards me. My entire soul froze. For a moment I thought it was just part of the dream. But it wasn''t. He was truly ncing towards me. His silence, his unfathomable power, and his form, which I could not discern made him feel like somethingpletely alien. Was he even the Monotheistic God I knew about? Just like Michael said¡­ There was something really wrong with him now. Even if I had never seen or meet him before. I could clearly tell. This wasn''t normal. He wasn''t being himself anymore. "¡­!" His hands lifted, pointing themselves towards me. I tried to fight off against his pressure, against his authority. But it was futile. He dragged me towards him, grasping my soul with his light, and beginning to slowly tighten his gasp. "Uuurrgh! NO! Stop¡­! Let me go! ARRGH!" I screamed in agony as I felt countless cracks appear within my very soul. I was slowly falling to pieces. I didn''t know if this pain was just a dream, or if I was truly being killed now, of all times. My instincts red up, as all my powers emerged one after another. Countless explosions of darkness, poison, death, moonlight, and everything engulfed his hand. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Yet¡­ as the smoke dissipated, he was unscathed, like nothing has ever happened to him. I was nothing but bacteria against his power. Crack, crack¡­! And my soul, just like that, shattered. CRAAASH! ----- Chapter 977 Time To Eat Some Demonic Death Fruits Chapter 977 Time To Eat Some Demonic Death Fruits ??----- As I Heard the sound of ss breaking as my soul shattered, I woke up. My eyes opened wide in surprise. I sat down over my bed, looking around. I swiftly checked my soul, trying to see if everything was okay. And there wasn''t anything weird, or bad. I couldn''t find a single crack. I waspletely fine. It was truly all a dream. A wicked dream I was unable to wake up until thest minute. But¡­ I also feel like it wasn''tpletely just a Dream. The One, if he''s truly God, might exist in any form of himself. Meaning that the Dream I saw was also him. And he tried to break through the boundaries of imagination inside a dream to destroy me before I became a greater threat. He was someone so passive that didn''t even react when his children asked him questions, but when it came to me, someone just watching¡­ He immediately attempted to kill me; no thought given. It was as if I was someone he had to exterminate no matter what. Should I feel happy about that or depressed? It means I am someone that could be strong enough to be a threat to him. But it also means I might be targeted by him even more, as I climb the Tower. I have no idea which Floor is the World of Yggdrasil at, but it shouldn''t be too low. At least I won''t have to climb 100 floors to get there. Ah, am I already considering doing it? I haven''t even found my brother yet! That damn Michael, influencing me in his weird ways. He must be some sort of masterful maniptor or whatnot, that bastard. ["You had an awful dream¡­"] "You saw it too?!" I whispered to myself. ["Somewhat. It seems the memory leaks of my data bank entered your own soul. All because your soul is so strange, it mixes with the System. The boundaries that should separate the two of us are nonexistent, so we are stuck together as a single entity, in a way. Therefore, sometimes, my own memories might leak into your own, appearing as dreams."] "That''s fucked up! I didn''t ask for this!" ["I''m sorry but you''ll have to just ept it."] He seemed to beughing. "¡­So, you went through all of that? Why?" I asked him. ["I can''t remember well¡­"] "I remember it well. It was because you were trying to stop the worlds from being destroyed, isn''t it? This Tower¡­ it is not just a bridge between worlds. It filters them, isn''t it?" ["It''s amazing how much you figured out."] "There are only one hundred floors¡­ Worlds that are too weak after given enough time end up being destroyed, is it not?" ["No, they aren''t just destroyed¡­ I believe they''re feed to something else."] "Something¡­ else?" ["The Void"] "Void?" ["That''s all I know¡­ The Void, whatever it is¡­ It is something above the Tower. Maybe, above my father."] "A-Above that monster?!" ["But we have so little information that all of this is just spective. Don''t overthink it."] "Ugh¡­" I felt slightly annoyed and sickly. That nightmare really fucked me up a lot. I rested back in the bed. Thinking about many things. But the more I overthought it, the more I felt miserable. Can I even do all these things I want to aplish? And in that moment, I felt Emeraldine''s arms wrapping around my own as she cuddled in the bed. Partner was right at my other side, doing the same. And then I noticed Lucifer peacefully dozing, Jonathan in another bed. And then I saw Nyx cuddling with her father. Seeing all of them, my dear family, I slowly felt better. I wasn''t alone¡­ I was with them. I had them with me. And I don''t need to hurry, I don''t need to overthink things. Let''s slowly do it, one step at a time. First things first, this city. No matter what, the Saintess is going down tonight, and this city will be freed from the Church''s tyranny. And I will kill the damn Warlocks. And be fucking done with it. Oh, and the Dark Pest? I don''t care. Come, I''ll kill you too. But I need more power. With all my equipment, I got my stats covered. Their abilities are good too, a lot of resistances, and boosting my spells and powers. But I still need to improve upon my already existing Skills. I need these fruits. ----- [Demonic Death Fruit (S Grade)] A Demonic Fruit harvested from the [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth], it contains arge quantity of corrupted mana, Miasma, and the Souls of the Dead. Depending on who consumes it, it has a variety of effects. If eaten by Undead, can slightly increase their stats permanently, help them develop a Skill, or even Evolve. If eaten by a Living Being, it can either help them develop resistance to Death and Darkness Elements, and if they''re about to die, it could painlessly transform them into high ranked Undead.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ----- I have been slowly umting these. I now have 27 of them. Eating a single one gave me thousands of stats and often evolved a skill too. If I eat them all, how strong can I get? "No, I have to share them¡­" I decided to divide them. I have to feed some to my Undead allies. Lucifer, Partner, and Nyx are all getting two at the very least. That''s six. Fabian''s friends should get one too. And Catarina too, she''s an Undead after all. I don''t know if it works on Chimeras, but I don''t think so, it says explicitly that only on Undead. Okay, so two for Lucifer, Partner, and Nyx, who all still count as "Undead". Nyx is a rather special case, being half-undead because of being a phantasmal being. That''s six fruits, plus Catarina, her dog, and Fabian''s four friends, another six. Twelve fruits should go for all of them. That leaves me with fifteen for myself. Alright, time to feast. I need as much power as I can get. I can''t level up anymore, but that doesn''t mean I can''t continue growing stronger. Let''s evolve all the damned Skills! And then, I''ll devour that Saintess'' Divinity and evolve, no matter what. ----- Chapter 978 Feeding Everyone The Miraculous Fruits

Chapter 978 Feeding Everyone The Miraculous Fruits

----- Since I had grown that tree inside of my Soul Scape that the fruits have been growing stronger the more it produced them. Which was every one or two days. A maximum of every three days. Sometimes they would be produced consecutively and then wait more days until one would pop up again. I had noticed that this might be based in the amount of Mana I spend. Meaning that the more I fight and use my Mana, the more the tree of death consumes such leftover energy and grows, the fruit it yields be of a much higher quality. ----- [Demonic Death Fruit (S Grade)] A Demonic Fruit harvested from the [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth], it contains arge quantity of corrupted mana, Miasma, and the Souls of the Dead. Depending on who consumes it, it has a variety of effects. If eaten by Undead, can slightly increase their stats permanently, help them develop a Skill, or even Evolve. If eaten by a Living Being, it can either help them develop resistance to Death and Darkness Elements, and if they''re about to die, it could painlessly transform them into high ranked Undead. ----- And half of the 27 fruits were all S Rank, rising all the way from A++ Rank to A+++ Rank and then S Rank. It was a big jump, so I was expecting even greater rewards. Naturally, I prioritized my family and gave Partner, Lucifer, and Nyx most of my S Rank fruits. "Mama, what''s this ugly fruit?" Nyx asked with a disgusted face. It was already around ten in the morning when we were having breakfast, and I distributed the fruits to everyone. Tonight we were all going to raid the dungeon below and then the church, so it was time to power up a bit more. "It is a Demonic Death Fruit. It looks ugly but it should help you grow stronger." I said. "Nyx, eat them both." "Eeeh? Ugh¡­ It smells weird!" She cried. "Like something''s rotting there." "I¡­ I never truly cared about the vor but maybe you''re not wrong¡­" I nodded. "But Nyx, don''t you eat rats and bugs like nothing? What''s so wrong about a weird fruit?" "Mmmm¡­ But bugs and rats are fresh and crunchy!" She said. "I don''t particrly like rotting stuff¡­" "Nyx, don''tin so much and eat." Lucifer said, already munching on his second fruit, and finishing it in a few more bites. "It was a rather weird vor, but strangely enticing- Oh?" FLAAASH! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om And right away, his power rose. An enormous quantity of Magic Power surged from within him. And not only that, but I felt his very soul bing stronger as well, zing with his Abyssal Death mes of ck and dark blue color. His appearance didn''t change or anything, but he felt much stronger than before. "Some of my Skills evolved?!" He asked while gasping. "Incredible! These fruits are amazing¡­ Maria! And my stats increased too! What in the world¡­ I gained two hundred thousand Mana out of nowhere?!" "Woah¡­" Nyx dropped her jaw in shock. "M-Maybe I''ll give it a try then¡­" She slowly started eating the fruits, after giving them a first bite, she found them not so bad, and ate both in a minute. FLAAASH! The same process as her father happened to her. Both her body and soul were strengthened even further. But for Nyx, it felt different. Her Soul overflowed out of her body, resembling a giant ghostly dragon, and then it flew back to her. At the same time, her ck crystal scales became shinier and even harder, and her horns grewrger and sharper. "Woooaah! I feel so strong, it''s kind of addicting! Mama do you have more fruits?" Nyx asked me. "I do, but you should sit down first and assess your gains first before doing anything else." I told her. "Now, everyone else, eat the fruit. You too, Partner." "Ugh¡­ A-Alright." Partner nodded, looking rather saddened. She sat down cross-legged and started to mediate in a simr way I had taught her. Which was a derived meditation technique Jonathan had taught everyone else. "Can''t we have the fruit too?" Celes wondered innocently. "Maybe for mama?" "Sorry, these don''t work on the living." I said. "They''re fruits that will kill you if you eat them. They''re only for Undead." "W-Wait, what? Is Nyx an undead?" Celes gasped. "Nyx are you a zombie?" "Dunno!" Nyx crossed her arms. "Does it matter? I''m not stinky." "Hmm¡­ Not really." Celes shrugged. "It doesn''t matter, and you''re not stinky, that''s true! Nyx always smells nice, like soap." "Hehehe, really?" Nyx giggled. She easily broke the concentration of her meditation with little Celes. "Nom, ugh. Am I the only one that found these really gross?" Partner wondered, as she was eating the two at the same time, bite after bite until they disappeared. "I prefer fresh and tasty blood to be honest¡­" She quickly started drinking a ss of blood. And then. FLAAASH! Her crimson Blood Aura erupted from her body, her muscles and the rest of her body were further strengthened. Making her gasp in utter disbelief. To make things more amazing, her Blood Magic seemingly evolved even further. Surrounding her with blood droplets that changed shape based on a mere thought of hers. "W-Woah¡­ What the¡­?!" She muttered. "It really worked! Back then I still had to heavily rely on Spells conjuration. But now¡­ it is as if the blood I can control is just part of my own self. This is truly incredible¡­" "I also finished mine¡­" Catarina yawned, her Aura growing stronger, zing with a mighty aura of pure physical prowess,ing out of an Undead was truly something else. "Woah¡­ This is good." "Awoooo!" The zombie wolf, ckie, also evolved after consuming the fruit, bing a giant Undead Wolf covered on shadow mes, and a third crimson eyes. "Even ckie evolved!" Silva celebrated. "So cool! Those are some miraculous fruits!" "And my friends too¡­ They grew so strong." Fabianmented, ncing his four friends power rise even more. "Looks like it all went smoothly." I nodded. "Alright, I''ll eat some myself and see what''s the limit of the stats it can give to me." Like that, I began devouring fruit after fruit¡­ ----- Chapter 979 New Evolved Skills! Chapter 979 New Evolved Skills! ?----- I decided to start by eating 5 fruits at once. It was easy for me to consume them because I could simply absorb them into my body, and they would be instantly digested with my special phantasmal stomach. The results came as a rain of system notifications popped up in front of my eyes. Ding! [You have consumed [Demonic Death Fruits (S Grade)] x5!] [The power of the Demonic Necrotic and Dark Powers of the Tree of Death have permeated our Body and Soul.] [Your Mana and Magic have greatly enhanced after absorbing the Necrotic energies, highlypatible with your Soul!] [You gained +180.000 MP.] [You gained +150.000 Magic.] [Your Soul has grown muchrger after absorbing the pure essence of the Demonic Death Fruits, highlypatible with the elemental affinities and the shape of your Soul.] [You gained +50 Aether.] [The Power of Death, Darkness, Shadows, Phantoms, and Poison have further enhanced your innate abilities!] [The [Poison Body: Lv10] and [gue Body: Lv10] Skills have merged and evolved into the [Poisonous Cmity Swarm Body: Lv1] Skill!] [The [Split Thinking: Lv10] and [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] Skills have merged and evolved into the [Phantasmal Multi-Layered Mind Domain: Lv1] Skill!] Just as I thought, my soul felt muchrger, and my magic power expanded. It was a pity I couldn''t gain physical stats out of these fruits. But beggars can''t be choosers! The best part, however, is the new Skills I acquired. Four old skillsbined together to create two new Skills. ----- [Poisonous Cmity Swarm Body: Lv1] A Special Skill born from thebination of the [Poison Body: Lv10] and [gue Body: Lv10] Skills, further imbued with the Essence of Cmity of a growing Cmity. Your body is now a Swarm of Cmity. Your phantasmal essence can transform, shapeshifting into deadly and acidic poisonousponents you can shape and modify into a variety of deadly¡­ or useful ways outside of battle. You can further expand your poisonous body, not only bing a liquid poison, but also gaseous and toxic poison, and hardened, crystal-like poisons. Your body can expand based in both Skill Level and your own MP capacity. Alongside the power of Elemental Poison, you can now transform into a swarm of thousands of cmitous bug-like monstrosities, whose shape and form are based in all the critters you''ve ever devoured. You can modify their shapes, utility, and abilities based in your Skills, Skill Level, and Mana Capacity. It is possible to separate your body and make them independent orbine them all into a mass of swarming cmity that may consume everything on its path. Once the Swarm is separated, they can only inherit 10% of your Stats, which increases by +1% with each Skill Level. Without Mana to supply them, they will disappear after some time, based on the amount of Mana imbued into their bodies. Increases Poison Attribute Power, Shadow Attribute Power, Magical Power, Movement Speed and Dexterity when on [Cmity Poison Form] by +200%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. Increases Death Attribute Power, Void Attribute Power, Physical Power and Defense when on [Cmity Swarm Form] by +200%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level It is possible tobine both forms and transform into the [Poisonous Cmity Swarm Form] for 1 Hour, whichbines both Stat Buffs and grants the ability to conjure [Army of Dread], that summons Swarms made of Poison against your foes based on MP, whose Stats are based on 30% of your total Stats. Duration increases by +30 Minutes with each Skill Level. Cooldown: 24 Hours. ----- Wow, this was more amazing than I could have imagined. Not only the base effects are there, but they were further boosted. And there''s a whole dynamic where I can switch between both poison and swarm forms. And abined form for when I''m in a pinch which allows me to summon as many creatures as my Mana allows, and I''ve got a lot of Mana! This will be perfect if we ever fight against another army of monsters, to ease the pressure on my Undead by having a secondary, temporary army at my disposal. ----- [Phantasmal Multi-Layered Mind Domain: Lv1] A Special Skill born from thebination of the [Split Thinking: Lv10] and [Supernatural Senses: Lv10] Skills, further imbued with the endlessly splitting and multiyered minds of an entity with the [Eldritch Body] Skill. Your Mind and your Senses have be one with your Phantasmal Soul, creating multipleyers that interconnect, and can now expand to give you a detail description of all your surroundings in immense detail.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Not only all of your Senses gain an even further boost to their abilities, but you can now expand them by thousands of meters around you, based on how much Mana you spend. Additionally, your Mind is no longer restricted to a few split forms, as it can expand and create yers" of itself. Theseyers expand as your senses do, your mind can be carried to many ces at once as long as your Senses can reach such ces giving you an even better detail of your surroundings and everything around you, like a Domain. Increases All of your Senses Capabilities by +500%, with an additional +50% with each Skill Level. Our Senses are sharper than ever, giving you a greater insight of the world around you than ever before. Augments the Capabilities of your Mind and the Layers it can open and spread by +200%, with an additional +25% with each Sill Level. Your thoughts can be anywhere and gather information as fast as your own thoughts are generated. Enhances Thought Processing Speed, Insight, and Foresight by +500% with an additional +30% with each Skill Level. You can expand a Domain of your Senses and Mind to easily share them with those you desire. ----- And this one¡­ By merely acquiring it, it took effect right away. It was a very strange and bizarre sensation. But it was as if my mind and all my senses were everywhere all at once. I had be the floor, the bedsheet, the ss in the windows, even the food we were eating. It was an incredibly bizarre ability, and it made me slightly dizzy, but that was also corrected immediately due to this Skill''s passive effects. I need to train this to get used to it quickly! ----- Chapter 980 Even More Evolved Skills!

Chapter 980 Even More Evolved Skills!

----- As I was getting used to this new Skill, it made me reconsider my actions. Maybe I should stop eating fruits and stop at this before I get more Skills that could negatively affect me due to how strong they are and how much time they need to be trained. But it wasn''t as if I could afford that either. I''ll simply employ all my energy into training this new Skill, while getting new ones. My Soul had expanded enough for me to afford these things. And if I abuse the slight time dtion inside my Soul Scape, I can make it possible. For now, more fruit eating though. I decided to eat another five and see what happens. I think the effects of the fruits might grow weaker over time. Ding! [You have consumed [Demonic Death Fruits (A++ Grade)] x5!] [The power of the Demonic Necrotic and Dark Powers of the Tree of Death have permeated our Body and Soul.] [Your Mana and Magic have been partially enhanced after absorbing the Necrotic energies, highlypatible with your Soul.] [You gained +100.000 MP.] [You gained +80.000 Magic.] [Your Soul has grown muchrger after absorbing the pure essence of the Demonic Death Fruits, highlypatible with the elemental affinities and the shape of your Soul.] [You gained +30 Aether.] [The Power of Death, Darkness, Shadows, Phantoms, and Poison have further enhanced your innate abilities.] [The [Greater Curse: Lv10] and [Life Absorption: Lv10] Skills have merged and evolved into the [Life Draining Abyssal Curse Rune: Lv1] Skill!] [The [Dark Sun: Lv10] and [Dark Storm: Lv10] Skills have merged and evolved into the [Abyssal Netherworld''s Star: Lv1] Skill!] [You''re almost reaching the limit of how much power you can extract from A++ Grade Demonic Death Fruits. To gain more power please consume higher graded fruits.] Just as I thought, I was already about to hit the limit! However, I managed to squeeze some more bonus stats, and above all, two new Skills, born from the fusion of another four. I need to keep getting these fused Skills so my Status can finally look half-decent. There are so many it is all cluttered and annoying. Anyways, let''s check the new Skills while we are at it! ----- [Life Draining Abyssal Curse Rune: Lv1] A Special Skill born from thebination of the [Greater Curse: Lv10] and [Life Absorption: Lv10] Skills, further imbued with the Essence of Abyssal Curses festering within the depths of your Dark and Phantasmal Soul. Your very existence can easily drain the life of the living, and even some of the essence of the unliving too. A powerful curse that flows through your entire body, weakens both living and unliving, to the point they''re forced on their knees, prostrating before you and asking for mercy. Not only has your ability to drain life increased to the point you can even drain some of the essence of non-living beings as well, but your curses have evolved to the point they mix together, transforming into a thing of its own, and powerful magic coursing through all of your soul, through all of your being. Any foe that is too close to you will be affected if you please, having their Life Force absorbed by 0.5% per second, and all their stats lowered by -50% for as long as they''re within the powers effect vicinity. The curse can also make it so any of your magic can pierce through 30% of their total magic defenses. But not only can you drain and curse your foes with your mere existence as long as they are within 100 meters around your perimeter, which increases by 15 meters every skill level. But you can also concentrate this Draining Curse into powerful Cursed Runes. By attacking a foe with a powerful technique or catching them off-guard, your mere essence leaks and transforms into marks, tattoo-like runes covering their bodies, or armor. Once imbued into a foe, these Runs will drain 0.1% of their Life Force per second, and if they are Undead, half of that in Essence, while decreasing all their Stats by -5%. This Rune can stack up to 5 times on a foe but increases in quantity by +1 every 2 Skill Levels. Rune Duration: 10 Minutes each. You can either activate or deactivate this skill''s passive abilities as you please. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- An amazing new Skill! What in the world has these two skills be?! From slightlyme Skills I used sometimes when fighting, to incredibly crucial skills I''ll be using until I die. I''ll have to mix them with my own techniques and magic to use them proficiently, especially with this other Skill. ----- [Abyssal Netherworld''s Star: Lv1] A Special Skill born from thebination of the [Dark Sun: Lv10] and [Dark Storm: Lv10] Skills, further imbued with the Essence of your Darkness and Death Magical Powers. The power of your Spells hasbined with your very soul. Now your spell reces your spells, shaping and transforming as you please. The power of the Dark Sun and the Dark Storm unify as one, a Star. A ck star amidst the endless void bubbling with boilingher, overflowing with Death and Darkness. The Abyssal Netherworld''s Star can be summoned at any moment by spendingrge quantities of Mana, based in both Skill Level and Magic Stat. Its body size can be expanded using Mana or reduced using less Mana. It can be multiplied based in Skill Level and Mana Avable, and it possess the ability to consume what it touches with great voracity and overwhelming power. The Darkness and the Death of the Star are in perfect harmony, whatever they touch, not only will deal tremendous Damage of up to +1000%, which increases by +100% with each Skill Level, but the boiling Nether can ignore up to 30% of the foe''s Magical Defenses and Infect them with [Nether''s zing Rot], which drains 0.1% of their MP per second for the duration of 1 Minute and the endless darkness will afflict them with [Void Enshroud], weakening all of their Magic Spells Power and Effects by -20% for 1 Minute. ----- Simple and to the point¡­ Finally, my precious Dark Sun and Dark Storm have stepped into the next stage. And oh boy, it sure is amazing. ----- Chapter 981 Troublesome Skills

Chapter 981 Troublesome Skills

----- After that, I decided to try out another fruit to see the effects of it again. But there was none this time. I didn''t gain any stats and anything, not even a new Skill. But I did feel slightly stronger. And my soul expanded a bit more. But that was it. I guess the other four A++ Rank Fruits won''t be much more useful to me. I might as well see if they can still work for Nyx. "Here dear, more fruit for you." "Yaaay!" She quickly ate them all before I could even gauge if she was growing stronger out of them or not. But it worked. Her limits were perhaps much wider than mine because she wasn''t as strong as I was, or something. Well, whatever was the real reason, it worked. "Wooohaa! I am so powerful now!" Her Phantasmal Aura had at least grown five times as big since she ate all the fruits. Her magic power almost doubled, and her mana definitely tripled. Above all, several of her Skills evolved and leveled up too. So she was immensely benefited by the fruits. "It seems she got much stronger, that''s nice." Lucifer nodded happily. "Though I would have minded some fruits for myself¡­" "I know Nyx is important, so I won''tin myself~" Partner shrugged. "She''s the youngest here, right?" "Ahem! I mean, of course. She''s my dearest daughter." Lucifer nodded. "If possible, prioritizing her growth above our own should be our goal. That is the goal of every parent, to help their children grow so they can be strong and take care of themselves, eventually leaving the nest and spreading their wings, to find a new nest for themselves, a mate, and make more children-" "You talk as if we were animals." I sighed. "Nyx can stay as much as she wants with us. I am not going to just tell her to go away once she hits adulthood!" "I-I know, I was just saying¡­" He sighed. "Its usually what I was taught, the customs of us dragons. I personally left my nest at a fairly younger age. But I suppose Nyx can wait much longer, whatever she wants anyways. My dear daughter will know when to do the right thing." He smiled sweetly, patting the girl who was eatingrge pieces of roasted meat. "I-I guess I didn''t get to have a fruit¡­" Suddenly, Eustace appeared by my side. I immediately felt slightly bad about it. "Oh my, sorry! I just forgot about you. Well, do you even need one? You''re plenty strong already." Iughed. "A bit more of strength wouldn''t have been bad, but I understand the thought process behind it, yes." He nodded. "So, do we fight this night?" "Yeah, tonight it is." I nodded to everyone. "We need to quickly get ready for that. Meditate, train your abilities, cultivate, eat, or sleep. Anything so you''ll feel at 100% once the timees. I will be practicing one of my Skills, which is really damn annoying¡­ The n is already said and done, right? We all know our roles." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Yeah, more or less. You spent several days telling us about what we would do." Catarina nodded. "We''ll attack at midnight then?" "Yes, but the hour can change. I will now expand my senses to see when we can do this safely." I said. "If you need anything, just call me!" FLUOSH! I quickly disappeared from the scene, moving inside of my own Shadow Realm, and sitting cross-legged. I floated in midair, closing my eyes and isting myself from my surroundings. I began training my Senses Skill to their fullest potential. I expanded my senses to the left, right, behind and in front. It was incredibly fantastical how it worked. If I focused enough, I could even put my own point of perspective just anywhere. As if my eyes were everywhere all at once. And not only that, but I could also sell anywhere too, hear anywhere, touch and taste anywhere. Though theter is not really that useful. I don''t really want to learn how the floor tastes like, so I''ll be blocking that one for now. ¡­ However, as the hours went by and the night was already here, I had only advanced about thirty percent. It was still dizzy to even expand my senses. And I was now seriously considering just shutting most of the skill''s enhancements for now. But that would bring me such a great disadvantage! I can''t do that. I have to keep trying and working hard. It was still around eight pm, so there''s some more time¡­ ["You''ve unlocked a rather incredible Skill- No, many new incredible Skills. That fruit has sure helped you grow stronger."] "Shut it, I am concentrating!" ["I know, I was just saying that¡­ Well, I can also help you get used to these senses faster."] "You can?! Why didn''t you said so before?!" ["It was amusing to see you try so hard, you''re cute when you''re working hard and your face distorts as you''re frustrated."] "Ugh you''re the fucking worst! Just tell me how!" ["Guess."] "System Points again?" ["Hahah. Well, shall we begin? It should be quick."] "Sure, sure. Whatever. Spend as much as you need. But give me the full control of thisplicated Skill." ["It''s going to be painful, are you truly sure?"] "I have never been so sure in my goddamn life! Now, do it." ["Alright then. Don''t say I didn''t warn you¡­"] Ding! [Automatic System Proficiency Acquisition System has been forcefully unlocked.] [Authorization has been granted without issues due to the level of the Host''s soul.] [System Points will be spent to automatically rise the proficiency and robotically inject the knowledge and experience necessary to master the Skill''s usage.] [Warning, this might cause severe pain in the soul.] [Are you sure you want to initiate this function?] [Yes] [No] "Seriously, with that again? Yes." I pressed yes, and well, he wasn''t wrong. ZAAAP! A world of pain buzzed through my entire soul, anything I had ever felt before was absolutely nothing. And because it wasn''t a dream where my feeling of pain was half-dulled, it was worse than the dream where The One shattered my soul. I gritted my teeth, resisting the impulse to scream and swear. My senses consciously expanding. Before I realized it, the process was done. ----- Chapter 982 Lets Begin Chapter 982 Let''s Begin ??----- [You have exchanged 10.000.000 System Points.] [Your proficiency with the selected skill has increased by 100%!] [You now know how to properly utilize this skill without any issues.] [Due to the increase in proficiency, the [Phantasmal Multi-Layered Mind Domain: Lv1] Skill has gained two Levels!] The system windows popped up one after another, as I felt an immense flow of power epass my entire body. With a smile, I could see everything much more clearly now. I could feel it all, touch it, see it, hear it, and even taste it, although I''ll turn that off for now. I finally realized why I acquired such an ability that made me feel so horrible. I have no physical body. Why should I restrict myself with what a physical body can do? I am my own soul, a phantasmal entity, I can expand everywhere, be everywhere. "Phew¡­ I think I can do this now." I smiled, feeling more confident on myself. Before, I felt a slight doubt even now, I was afraid to an extent, of all the things that could go wrong. But I simply have to fight with all my might, and with everyone at my side. I have to employ my abilities and be cautious enough. I have a n, and we''ll execute it to the best of our abilities. We have not been preparing this long for nothing after all. And it was finally time to step out and move forwards. Tonight, all these bastards are going down, and we''re freeing his town from their tyranny. Yeah, that includes the bitch Saintess. I''m going to enjoy eating her soul. "Is everyone ready?" I asked, appearing out of my shadows. My family and allies were there, they all nodded in unison. They were ready for anything now. And it was finally time to do what we''ve all been anticipating for a long while. "I''ve been ready for a while now, Maria." Lucifer said. "Me too, mama! With your equipment, I have nothing to fear!" Nyx roared. "I am more than ready." Said Partner, crossing her arms. "Let''s do this. And quickly, I don''t want to spend the whole night on this if possible!" Emeraldine said. "Same, although the vampires are at advantage at night, so we are." Catarina nodded. "Silva, keep yourself close to me." "Sure big sis!" Silva nodded. "Woof!" ckie wagged his tail. "Maria, so we are dividing then?" Asked Jonathan. "I thought we would raid the dungeon together, but that would be too difficult when our parties are sorge." "Yeah, we''ll be dividing." I nodded. "Half of us will go down and confront the Warlocks and stop or destroy the Dark Pest. The other half will ambush the Saintess and her Pdins once I give the signal. I need to first confirm if she''s working or not with the Warlocks. If we happen to attack her first, then she can tell the Warlocks and our surprise attack will bepletely ruined." "Yeah, that makes some sense." Partner nodded. "So who is going down and who''s staying up?" "The party going down will be Lucifer, Nyx, Celes, Nia, and Jonathan." I decided. "More than that and it would be detrimental. I will bring my Undead to make up for numbers if we are ever surrounded. The rest stays up, Emeraldine will lead you." "You''re not dividing yourself, Maria?" Emeraldine asked. "I considered it, but I won''t this time. I''ll leave you several phantom clones directly connected to my mind and thoughts though. They''ll give you a boost in power if they fuse with you, so don''t worry." I winked at her. "I think I need all my stats intact, so I''ll go by myself, entirely." "Why can''t I go down though?!" Partnerined, I expected this already. "Jonathan is going but not me?! This is unfair, master! I am your partner!" "I know, dear. But you''ll be more useful up here, below the moonlight and the night than going down." I said. "Jonathan''s element is perfect against the vampires down below too. Celes ising because he''s the key to y the Dark Pest by using his powers, Nia ising because she''s his mother. And Eustace is of course sticking with him too." "But what about Nyx? She''s a baby, she should stay in the security of the surface." Said Partner. "Auntie I am not a baby!" Nyx pouted angrily. "Right mama?" "Nyx has proved to be reliable. She also has phantasmal abilities perfect for stealth. And I can''t let her be alone without her mother and father." I sighed. "Sorry Partner, but can you trust my judgment this time?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Fine¡­" She sighed. "Not like I can help it! So we''re taking care of the kids, pretty much." "Hey, I''m not a kid!" Laura said. "Mom knows I am reliable, right?" "Of course Laura, I am counting on you to protect the weaker ones within your party. Fabian too, make sure to protect your friends." I said. "Catarina, Silva, the same thing¡­ ckie too!" "Okay, gotcha." Catarina nodded. "I-I''ll do my best!" Silva said. "Woof!" ckie barked again. "I''ll take care of them." Tear said. "We''ve grown much stronger since we first meet you, Auntie Maria!" Fabian said. "Maybe alone we''re still not so much, but as long as we remain together as a team. We can even defeat powerful foes. Trust us!" "I will! Alright." I nodded, looking into the distance. "It''s time to move on. Party 1, follow me, party 2, move near the church and hide in the shadows, spying on the pdins and their movements. Emeraldine, I''ll leave this to your wonderful eyes." "Of course, you can count on me, Maria." Emeraldine was the calmest and smartest of the entire party 2, so I had to trust her judgment above the rest. "Now go, let''s not waste more time. We have to end this." "Alright. We''re moving!" I epassed everyone within my shadows and disappeared from the scene, teleporting from shadow to shadow, until I finally arrived where the Pharaoh had guided me beforehand. An abandoned alley in the streets of the poorest areas of the city, there was a giant wall made of stone and imbued with runes and magic. It was the wall that was recently built to block the entrance to the underground pyramid. I didn''t even smash it, I just phased through it and continued on my way down. "Let''s do this." ----- Chapter 983 Invading The Warlocks’ Territory

Chapter 983 Invading The Warlocks'' Territory

----- "We''re finally here." The Lich Pharaoh sighed, surging from my shadows. "Hmm, the Divinity Aura of the Artifact I told you about is lingering, somewhere deep underground." "The Star Ship or whatever was it called?" I asked. "Yes, the artifact we tried to create to visit the heavens and ask the Gods why they were bastards." Sighed the Pharaoh. "And the reason why we were all killed. Baldr''s divine light was ruthless. And the bastard might descend again if we dare touching that divine artifact again." "I say bring it." I smiled. "God or not¡­ I''m going to fucking crush him. I got my trump cards. I won''t lose so easily." "Heh, such confidence. I suppose I couldn''t expect anything less from the Saintess of Death." Said the Pharaoh. "For now, stay still. Let''s sneak in first." I said, as I swiftly moved across the shadows. The rest of my party waiting inside. The corridor was long, but it led to arger interior area of the pyramids. As I moved, I could feel a powerful dark presence growing stronger and stronger. And then, I felt several lifeforms nearby. I hid in a shadow, andpletely erased my presence, as I saw a group of Warlocks walking across the corridor, carrying with themrge sks filled with groaning souls. "Our Lord is soon to be reborn." "Master Maleficus said that we only need a few more sacrifices." "Do you think these souls will be enough?" "Not at all, we need at least a few thousand more. Ot his resurrection will be half-assed." "Hmph, this better works¡­ I am uneasy about asking outside help." "We must trust Master Maleficus judgment¡­" Outside help? Are they asking for outside help? But from where? And why? Can''t they just ask the Saintess to bring them souls or something? Or¡­ are they plotting against one another? This is weird. It feels as if Maleficus isn''t exactly the ally of that Saintess 100%. I guess you can never trust this vicious kind of vampires. "Maria, I would rmend we kill those guys before they be a hindranceter." Lucifer said. "I know." I nodded, winking at him. "[Shadow Domain]" FLUOSH! Before the two Vampire Warlocks could ever bring his master with the souls, they were engulfed in an endless sea of shadows. They were full of confusion and then, horror as they saw they were trapped inside my Shadow Realm. Countless tentacles made of shadows appeared everywhere, constantly trying to constraint them. At the same time, the rest of my party confronted them amidst their screams, which nobody could hear. "Dammit! An ambush?!" "T-This woman! It''s the one that killed Lord Belphegor and the others!" "T-The Witch?! No!" The duo quickly transformed, from old-looking vampires, they became two giant and monstrous chimeric aberrations. Made of many stitched pieces of monsters stuck together. Each one was at least twenty meters tall, quite the behemoths. "We won''t let you catch us!" "Did you think we were frail little old men?!" The two chimeric vampires rushed forwards, easily breaking out of the shadow tentacles from my Shadow Realm and attempting to break through its walls to free themselves. However, a gigantic figure loomed behind them, Lucifer appeared. "Where do you think you''re going?" With a single swipe of his tail, one of them was immediately thrown down, the second was swiftly blown away by his breath attack, their entire body aze with Abyssal Death mes that consumed their bodies. "D-Dammit!" The one that was burning quickly tried to escape while conjuring magic. His arms, imbued with artifacts, conjured a dozen magic circles of all colors, firing tornadoes, mes, ice, stone, and all other elemental magic spells, trying to break through my shadows. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "It''s almost cute how hard you''re trying to run away." My voice reverberated across the Shadow Realm, the vampire looking into the darkness as he saw my countless crimson eyes opening. I harnessed the power of my Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs Skill, as thousands of hands and fists appeared out of the shadows, made of phantasmal energy. "W-What the¡­?! Just what are you?!" As the man screamed and conjured his multi-elemental magic, my gigantic ws shed him apart, my fists crushed his bones, and my fingers pierced his soul like a spear. He was unable to fight back, and unable to regenerate. He was swiftly torn to shreds. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! I swiftly devoured his soul whole without missing a single bit, quickly absorbing part of his memories as information. But it would take a little while to process everything. At least I felt a bit stronger, it was a decently big soul. "P-Please spare me! I will fight for you! I will be your ve, even! Just don''t kill me! I don''t want to die!" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The other Vampire was moring for mercy, but we didn''t give him any. The screaming souls they were carrying were of people they had kidnaped and killed in gruesome ways, so their souls would have a lot of negative energy, necessary for their ritual. "There''s no mercy for the wicked." SLASH! After saying that, Jonathan''s divine sword descended vertically into the weakened Vampire''s monstrous body, shing him into two halves before he could even fight back. An explosion of light quickly engulfing the rest of his body, turning him into ashes. BOOOM! "Alright, let''s keep on moving." Lucifer said, crossing his arms. "Not fair! I also wanted to fight, daddy!" Nyx said. "Okay, the next one is yours then." I said. "Be prepared, Nyx." I kept creeping through the pyramid, noticing more footsteps approaching. There was another pair of Vampires. Both were also S- Rank, around the same strength as the ones we just killed. I quickly abducted them with my shadows without waiting another second. Both appeared in my shadows, panicking. One screamed and turned into a giant praying mantis-like bug, the other became a three-headed snake, both roaring and trying to ask us who were we. However, thest thing they saw was my daughter''s dragon form, burning them to ashes and ripping them apart. ----- Chapter 984 Against The Warlocks

Chapter 984 Against The Warlocks

----- As we moved deeper into the pyramid, we managed to catch another six more warlocks. All of them were on the duty of retrieving materials for whatever damn ritual they were doing. But the rest of the dungeon was incredibly empty. There wereboratories here and there, but we couldn''t find a single survivor. We only found corpses and no lingering souls. They took them away, all for the Dark Pest. That bastard. "I can feel him, his presence!" Said Eustace, he seemed unease. "Yin Shang¡­ That monster. He''s somewhere around here!" "So you can feel that horrid stench as well." I sighed. "Well, that Yin Shang is the Dark Pest, right?" "Yes¡­ He''s a bastard from Murim, a Demonic Sect Young Master with incredible power, and a heart cker than the night. He''s merciless, ruthless, and a sadistic monster." Eustace said. "I can''t believe these vampires are worshiping him as some kind of god¡­ He''s just a monster!" "He grew stronger by acquiring a fragment of the Evil God, I am impressed he was able to manipte the power of that fragment despite being a human¡­" Tyr said. "People that originate from Murim are not normal humans. They cultivate their bodies, minds, and souls topletely superhuman levels." Eustace said. "They utilize millenary cultivation techniques to imbue the essence of heaven into themselves. The reason why he was able to dominate the fragment must be that¡­ He''s a Demonic Cultivator, someone that cultivates Yin Energy the most, Darkness, Evilness, Bloodshed, all of that nourishes him and makes him stronger." "Yikes, what a guy." I sighed. "We better y him before he even wakes up then." "I agree, it would be better if we get him out of our way right away." Lucifer nodded. "Look, we''re getting closer to some sort ofrger hall¡­ There are many warlocks there!" "At least a dozen." Jonathan said. "They''re circling around¡­ Some sort of ck statue?" "No, that''s not a statue!" Nyx said. "I can sense some strong aura from it, something terrifying! I-I think that''s the Shing Shong guy Eustace talked about!" I concentrated my senses towards that direction utilizing my powerful Multi-Layered Mind Domain. And then I had a really good view of everything, which I projected into my Shadow Realm through an Illusion Magic Spell. What looked like a statue made of ck crystal and with some strange red and ck liquid inside was in fact, a sealed entity. Several parts of its body were missing, as if they had been cracked down and fell apart. And from the cracks, I could see pulsating ck and red flesh, with veins and blood pouring out of them. Something was alive below that rocky, crystalline skin, and it was slowly beginning to awaken. The humanoid statue rested in the middle of an incredibly intricate ritual magic circle engraved into the floor. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yin Shang¡­" Eustace muttered. "Or as you know him, the Dark Pest. The bastard that killed me and¡­ killed my beloved Naiad. He''s there, and he''s slowly being unsealed!" "I can feel some of Naiad''s leftover energy there¡­" Celes said. "S-So she really used her own body to seal him there, for all these years¡­" "Goodness, our Divine Spirit sacrificed so much for us¡­" Nia was almost on tears. "Enough, there''s no time to cry, Nia." I said, looking into the warlocks. "We need to strike while the iron is hot. That old guy at the end of the hall, above the pedestal, it must be Maleficus. My Analysis quickly told me so." "Maleficus, their leader?" Nia asked. "Yes, as long as we can kill him, the ritual should end, and everything will dissipate. Then we can finish off Yin Shang by destroying him without him even being able to fight back. I have a way to deal with those that take upon fragments of the Evil God, so don''t worry about that." I said. "The thing is, all those twelve other warlocks, are all S Rank." "We''ll have to get through all of them to get to Maleficus¡­" Lucifer said. "They do look rather focused. Can''t you sneak behind him?" "I''ll try that. But everyone, be prepared. These guys were the ones that trapped us inside a pocket dimension and all, there''s nothing saying they don''t have another trick." I said. "I''ll do what I can to defend you, but once you are out, you need to fight for your lives as well." Everyone nodded, nobody doubted themselves anymore. It was finally time to end this damned conflict once and for all. "Then let''s go." With as much speed as I could, I moved towards the hall. I was unable to teleport because of how bright the entire area was due torge spheres of light below the ceiling. There were no shadows in range. FLASH! However, I was able to easily slip pass the warlocks focusing on the ritual, and swiftly made my way behind Maleficus, who was constantly reinforcing the ritual circle with his magic. "Oh, lord of darkness, lord of pests, please bless us with-" Before he could speak any other word, I appeared right behind him, and my entire party leaped out of my shadows, at the same time as I summoned both of my weapons. The giant halberd and the magic sword and attempted to quickly cut him into pieces. "YOU?!" "Hey~" His face twisted in shock before my two weapons shed through his body, cutting him into three pieces. Blood and guts sttering everywhere, as an explosion of darkness and phantasmal energy erupted, the entire ritual was interrumpted! BOOOMM!! Shadows and phantasmal mes engulfed everything in the hall, the warlocks panicked as they saw the destruction. Their smaller bodies swiftly transforming into all matter of chimeric abominations, overflowing with dark and blood auras. "Who is it?!" "They attacked Master Maleficus!" "Bastards!" "Kill them!" "Don''t let them stop the ritual!!!" The dozen S Ranked Warlocks leaped towards us, my party swiftly leaping into action, shing against all of them at once. At the same time as I felt a presence lurk behind me. A giant w made of darkness and blood reached my head, crushing it. CRAAASH! "You''re still alive, huh?" However, I swiftly reformed several new ones, ring at the figure surging from within the smoke. Of course, it was Maleficus. "What an amusing being you are¡­" ----- Chapter 985 Maria Against Maleficus

Chapter 985 Maria Against Maleficus

----- After taking two direct hits from my reinforced weapons, Maleficus looked as good as new. This old man was bad news. His regeneration abilities were on pair with mine. Above all else, he looked strangely younger. His old face disappeared, and although half his ck robes were torn apart, his torso was revealed to look incredibly youthful and muscr. ck and red tattoos covering him entirely. I hated to admit it, but his face looked handsome, his long ck hair waving by the wind. His sharp crimson eyes ring at me with utter hatred. Unlike the other Warlocks, he looked much more refined on his appearance, but even then, I could notice how his entire being was made of countless monsters and people stitched together. Somehow, he had refined his formerly aberrant form into a "perfected" one¡­ And I suspect the Dark Pest must be the culprit, teaching him some sort of cultivation technique to refine his body into a perfect demonic physique. "Are you amused by my appearance?" Heughed cockily. "Unlike the rest, I am different. Thanks to the blessings of my lord, I''ve refined my former body into a youthful one. My old appearance is nothing but a fa?ade to trick all of you into thinking I am weak and frail. It never gets old; you always fall for it and get closer¡­" His arms slowly turned pitch ck, as I noticed red veins pulsating from within them, constantly imbuing them with miasma and blood energy. He had miasma all over his body. It was as if he had assimted an evil god fragment himself, but I couldn''t sense any! Did he refine a physique using miasma?! Is this what the Dark Pest learned in this time being sealed? "I can''t say I am not surprised." I smiled. "Hell, you''re even a bit handsome, old man. But knowing you''re just another of those monsters. I just want to crush you to death and be done with this." I said, my dress swiftly absorbing my powers as I was covered by a full-body armor of ck and golden steel, lightning, moonlight, and void essences resonating across it all. "Ambushes never work against me¡­" Maleficus smiled. "And the people up above will die¡­ It has all been decided already. We even expected you woulde here¡­ I will dly ept you with open arms. The preparations for their arrival are already done long ago." "Arrival?" I asked. "You mean the outside help your other little warlocks I ate were talking about?" "Oh, so you know¡­ Well, not like it changes anything." Laughed Maleficus. FLASH! In a split second, he disappeared, only to reappear right above me. If it wasn''t for my expanded Senses Domain, I wouldn''t have been able to sense his presence moving behind me at all. I swiftly twisted my entire body, parrying his w attacks with both of my weapons, explosions of darkness and phantom mes erupting as we shed. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "So you predicted that!" Heughed. His incredibly tough arms and ws were barely showing a few scratches. Somehow his body density was incredibly high. It felt like I was hitting a wall of metal instead of a man made of flesh. "Can you predict this?" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Maleficus moved at lightning speed once more, appearing and disappearing around me, evading my attacks while constantly trying to attack me. His ws growingrger and sharper, overflowing with an Aura of Blood and Miasma. "Why are you evading my blows when you''re so tough? Are you afraid of me?" I provoked him with a giggle. "I am only gauging you for now, you know? I haven''t even started fighting yet." "Your bluffing is endearing." FLASH! He appeared right above me, his Aura transforming into a gigantic ck sword, which he swung downwards with enough power and speed to split half a city apart. Now! I quickly imbued Mana into both of my weapons, activating their effects. "[Umbral Moonlight Rampage]" The Halber''s effect activated, as purple mes covered my weapons. A barrage of dozens of powerful blows rained down on Maleficus in that very second. His skin slowly gaining small wounds that worsened as the Moonlight mes burned through them. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRAAASH! "Ugh! My skin is being tainted by your measly attacks?!" Maleficus roared, quickly trying to move at his lightning speed. "YOU!" However, the moment he tried, my body also turned into lightning, catching up to him as he moved. His eyes widened in shock before a giant axe strike pummeled him down into the floor. An explosion of debris spread out; the entire pyramid trembled. BAAAMMM!!! "You WITCH!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om With a furious roar, his Aura erupted from his body, resembling a ferocious roaring dragon. It rushed towards me, engulfing my entire body. I felt my soul being slowly burned, as I noticed that the dragon was made of Abyssal mes capable of burning through a soul. "Burn to ashes!" His fists reached me in a split second, countless strikes descended towards me, slowly chipping away my self- regenerating armor. More and more wounds covered my soul, but I held my ground. A hundred limbs made of phantom rushed towards him, countering his fists with my own techniques. Each blow of my phantasmal fists slightly hurt his soul, and also began to weaken him. His stats beginning to decrease,pletely unaware that by merely standing close to me, he was having his energy drained. My life draining curse already leaving a few runes over his body. "Uuggh¡­! Why do I feel weakened out of nowhere?!" He thought, noticing the runes spread over his arms. "What?! What is this?" "The more this fight goes on, the weaker you will grow, Maleficus." I smiled. "Your mes are barely itching my soul. Do you even understand how big it is? You could never fathom it." FLUOSH! My Soul Aura expanded, like an endless sea of pure darkness. Maleficus gave a step back, the tattoos across his body activating as the power of all the entities he had assimted into his body activated one after another. "That means absolutely nothing!" His fists absorbed his Aura, unleashing two powerful fists that resembled roaring ck dragons. BOOOMM¡­!! ----- Chapter 986 A Monstrous Fight! Chapter 986 A Monstrous Fight! ??----- The twin dragons engulfed my entire body. Their titanic jaws biting both of my arms and trying to tear them apart as Maleficusughed. His powerful Aura constantly changing as it revealed the shaped of countless beasts he had assimted. And also thousands of people of all shapes and sizes, even children. They all rushed towards me, like a legion of ghosts made of darkness and these abyssal mes, trying to drag me down. "This is the power of my Physique!" Laughed Maleficus. "The [One Thousand Abyssal Ghosts Physique]! The gift my Lord gave to me, so I could one day revive him! With this, not even a monstrous necromancer ghost like you can even fight against me! Drown on all the souls and ghosts I''ve assimted into my body!" As Maleficusughed, the monstrous abyssal ghosts continued dragging me down, trying to tear my soul apart. All while his ws attempted to sh me into pieces. I had to admit it, he was incredibly strong. However. "Good, I couldn''t have expected anything less. You better tell me more of that physiqueter. Once I eat your soul and inspect your memories." With a single step forward, a gigantic shockwave of my powerful Aura surged from my body. My Aether Stat and Manabining together to release a gigantic amount of power, surging like an Aura of all mybined elements. My equipment further reinforcing my stats through the roof. TRUUUMMM..!! With a single shockwave, half of the abyssal ghosts instantly disappeared. And with another, the rest dissipated into thin air. Maleficus, who was charging another technique, was left speechless as my axe reached down towards him, shing down his left arm. CRAAASH! As blood and miasma sttered into the floor. He furiously unleashed a barrage of kicks. His legs swiftly being covered on an armor of ck and purple scales, as he grew a long tail, using it to maneuvers back into a standing position. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Your kicks are too feeble!" However, I brute forced my way forwards, my Aura shapeshifting into two gigantic palms made of moonlight, darkness, and void. They looked as if they were made of the night itself. "[Selene Palm''s of Judgement]: [Hands of Hades]" BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! Maleficus was mmed, pieces of his skin and flesh sttering as he was unable to evade anymore. His eyes widening in both anger and frustration, his Aura swiftly imbuing itself into his body, generating a dragon armor. "RAAAH!" With a furious roar, a tremendous breath of ck mes was unleashed from his jaws, sting apart both of my Hands of Hades and swiftly piercing my chest, leaving a gigantic hole before the explosion of ck mes were to engulf me.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om BOOOMM!! At the same time, he appeared above me, fully knowing that wouldn''t have killed me, he materialized two gigantic swords out of his powers. I could sense the screams of the ghosts he used to create them. "I swore to my Lord that I would kill you, Hel''s Witch! And that is what I will do!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! A barrage of shing attacks covered my entire body, suddenly dividing it into dozens of pieces at once. Arge quantity of pain attacked my soul as I saw each piece of myself blow into pieces after being cut down. "That power you possess is a double-edged sword." However, I was fine even then, I teleported to the shadows behind him and then activated another rampage of weapon attacks. While Maleficus tried to defend with his long draconic tail, only to fail miserably before another of my new skills. "[Abyssal Netherworld''s Star]" My hands conjured a pair of spheres of condensed darkness, void, and death. Which swiftly flew towards his tail and body, engulfing him into a terrific explosion. Half of his body was burned to almost a crisp, his tailpletely disintegrating. BOOOMMM!! "Hahhh¡­ Y-Youuuu!" Maleficus roared, rushing towards me as I noticed his "perfect form" constantly growing more demonic and draconic in appearance. His charred body simply dropped the burnt skin and regrew redder skin on top. A pair of ck horns slowly growing over his forehead. "DIE!!!" With a furious scream, his Blood Magic activated as all the blood he had lost was employed on this spell. I found myselfpletely caged on endlessly spiraling blood, which constantly attempted to shred my soul apart. However, my Abyssal Netherworld''s Star were summoned in quick session, I manipted them all at once, generating my own spiraling ring of miniature ck stars. The cage of blood he tried to entrap me in was swiftly destroyed. BOOOM! "Enough with your games, Maleficus!" My arms divided into thousands; a barrage of lightning- imbued fists crushed every fiber of his body into the floor. I constantly kept attacking him. The power of my equipment triggering and enhancing my attack power even further. "[Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs]: [Death Lightning Fist Rain]" BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! It was like a rain of lightning; he was unable to block all blows with his armor or his aura. And each time he attempted to punch my soul, another lightning fist would block his attempt, while his muscles tensed, and I even heard his bones cracking. "Looks like that tough body of yours is not being able to resist much longer!" Iughed. "Time for the butchering!" Summoning my sword and my axe again, I swiftly attempted to hack him into him into pieces. Only for him to swiftly kick my chest and leap away a second before my attacks were to reach him. And then the next moment, his missing arm, now reced by a giant mass of miasma and abyssal mes, swiftly grew ten timesrger, imitating my Selene''s Palm and attempting to crush me. "[Abyssal Dragon''s Palm]!" CRAAASH!!! The pressure and power were enormous, and by merely touching this hand, I felt that my soul was slowly burning and dying. I gritted my phantasmal teeth and swiftly transformed my body into a mass of poisonous slime. "[Poisonous Cmity Swarm Body]: [Cmity Poison Form]" FLUOSH! A sea of poison swiftly drowned Maleficus, the acidic substances swiftly beginning to burn through his wounds, worsening them by the second. "Aaarrgghh!" ----- Chapter 987 The Dark Pest Awakens

Chapter 987 The Dark Pest Awakens

----- Lucifer and Jonathan led Maria''s party, their attacks and magic swiftly shing against the Chimeric Vampires, whose shapes transformed into aberrant creatures. Their ws, magic, and abilities were all incredibly strong, they were all S Rank after all. They held enough power to hold their ground even against such a big group as Maria''s party. Their sh was intense, Lucifer was the one to transform into his dragon form and quickly draw their attention. While he was being ganged on by five of the chimeras, Jonathan swiftly descended from above, using his divine sword arts to swiftly cut through them, attempting to sh them into pieces with his purifying light. He managed to kill two of the chimeras, before the other ten quickly changed their tactics. The five toughest moved towards the heavy hitters, while the other five started conjuring devastating magic from afar, explosions reverberated everywhere. And amidst this chaos, Celes and Nia ran towards the sealed statue of the Dark Pest. "Where do you think you''re going?!" A monstrous vampire chimera with the body of a giant monkey, possessing six muscr arms and the head of a zing smander crashed into the ground right in front of them. His six arms assimting elemental magic conjured by relicts imbued into his flesh and bones, as a meteoric rain of fists descended upon them. "DIE!" "Nooo!" Celes cried, his Divine Spiritual Aura of Water surged, summoning a powerful wall of divine and crystalline, azure-colored water. Further boosted by his spirits, it held off against the vampire''s fists with ease, before swiftly pouring down onto the chimera, the water draining away his life force and mana. SPLAAASH! "W-What the¡­?! What is this damn- ARRGH!" And that wasn''t all, the Vampire was swiftly greeted by a spiraling spear, imbued with powerful lightning. Celes'' mother, Nia, leaped into midair and then rushed down with her spear pointed down. "[Tempestuous Thunderstorm Spear]!" CRAAASH! The spear pierced the vampire''s chest, as an outburst of cutting winds and lightning swiftly engulfed his body into utter agony. The explosion was so strong it blew away Nia and Celes, before Eustace were to appear in front of them to protect them from the shockwave. BOOOMM!! "AARRGGH!" The Vampire swiftly stood back up, barely alive. The blood he lost was employed offensively. As he kept insulting them, a rain made of blood spears rained down. Celes held his ground with the barriers he created, while giant tridents made of spiritual water pierced the chimera constantly. At the same time, Nia and Eustace confronted the vampire head-on, their weapons shing against his tough hide and metallic ws. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Over time, he grew weaker, his roars and rage only echoing faintly as the Water Ghost and wind-wielding mother pointed their weapons against his neck. The divine ghostly sword of azure color shed him swiftly, while the lightning and wind-imbued spear pierced him deep. His head rolled over the ground, the vampire''s body copsing! BAAAM! "Now, before anybody gets closer!" Eustace roared. "Celes!" Nia cried. "I''ming!" Celes said, as he saw the fairies of water suddenly fuse into his body. A pair of big, butterfly wings made of azure water grew from his back, guiding him towards the Dark Pest''s sealed body. FLASH! The boy gathered all his powers together, doing as Maria had told him before. The Dark Pest was incredibly strong, but the powers that Celes had inherited from Naiad were the key to hold him back! After all, it was Naiad who sealed him for all these hundreds of years. "Mama! Eustace!" Celes channeled his powers into his mother and Eustace, imbuing into them an Aura of Divine Spiritual Water. His powersbined with them, as Eustace swiftly transformed, fusing into Nia''s spear. FLUOSH! A giant spear of azure and crystalline divine spirit water materialized, growingrger, and overflowing with divine power. Celes'' power didn''t hesitate to point at the ck statue. Her wind and lightningbining into the water to form a mighty windstorm and thunderstorm effect. CRAAASH! With all their might, they aimed to destroy the Dark Pest before he could revive! However, as the explosion of water, winds, and lightning erupted as it impacted the sealed monster, a wave of corrupted spiritual essence exploded. BOOOM! "Uwaahh!" Celes, his mother, and Eustace were all blown away by the powerful explosive shockwave. The entire dungeon trembled once more. The ck statue gained a few more cracks as it was hit, but nothing else happened. They slowly stood up to find the statue beginning to float in midair. A barrier of miasma, chaos, and corrupted spirit energy was summoned, protecting the sealed demon from Murim like a bubble of ck color. The roar of anger of something within this ck crystal echoed, reverberating across the entire dungeon. "T-That''s¡­ Naiad''s powers?!" Eustace cried. "Bastard¡­!" "Did you thought it would be easy for a mere child and her mother to ever harm someone as mighty as me?! Even if sealed, I am someone that will transcend the heavens." The voice spoke. "I have cultivated this spiritual power that your foolish Oasis Spirit has left behind, and I''ve made it mine! Her powers no longer will damage me! And you, my pathetic ves, what are you doing?! Protect me!" With a furious scream, the Vampires swiftly rushed towards the Dark Pest, protecting him from the attackers. Magic circles expanded around their surroundings. The Dark Pest''s powers fusing into them, as Miasmic Beasts started to be summoned by the dozens! "Yan Shang, you bastard!" Eustace roared, appearing on his ghostly form once more. The Dark Pest could recognize that voice amidst the sea of monsters. His sharp red eyes shone beneath his crystal cage. Aughter echoed across the dungeon. "Eustace, my good friend." Heughed. "It looks like even after death, you''vee to pester me! But do not worry, this time, I will make sure not even your soul is spared!" As the Dark Pestughed, the Vampires and his army of Miasmic Beasts attacked the group. Celes, Nia, and Eustace were forced back as they were constantly attacked by a rampage of magic and blows from the Vampires. "So he wasn''t totally sealed, huh¡­" Maria noticed the Dark Pest. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ----- Chapter 988 Rematch! Eustace Against Yan Shang

Chapter 988 Rematch! Eustace Against Yan Shang

----- "You''re the reincarnation of that divine spirit, are you not?!" Laughed a giant four-armed lion-headed chimera vampire. "Good! You came right towards us! We will use your divine spirit soul to fully resurrect our lord!" The giant rushed forwards, appearing in front of Celes and his mother in a split of a second. His four gigantic arms, covered on ck and red scales, pummeled down a dozen meteoric punches, the ground shook as it broke apart before his might. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "Celes!" However, Eustace appeared in front of mother and son, his sword shing against the gigantic fists. His azure eyes overflowed with a slight about of divinity himself. Whatever remnant power from his now destroyed Divine Ember remained, was now surging from the depths of his very Origin. "RAAAH!" Swinging his spiritual sword, Eustace unleashed a barrage of azure-colored shes, which the vampire felt clearly cut through him, the fingers of his hands flying away as his lion-shaped head widened its sharp eyes in shock. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "Uuurrggh?! YOU!" His wounds couldn''t regenerate as fast either. Warlocks were vampires that tried to abandon their bodies themselves, therefore, their regenerative abilities weakened tremendouslypared to other Vampires in exchange for muchrger bodies and mitigating their weakness to sunlight and other elements. "GROOAAR!" The lion''s jaws opened, inhaling and then exhaling an enormous st of burning mes against Eustace. His barriers of divine water evaporated on a split second, as he was swiftly overwhelmed. The explosion consuming himpletely. BOOOMM!! "N-No¡­ Eustace!" Celes cried; the boy constantly attacked the nearby monsters with his magic. A domain of oceanic water was conjured, spreading around his body. It shaped into countless of vicious sea snakes, biting the Miasmic Beasts. "EUSTACE!" "He''s not dead¡­" Nia said. "Calm down, Celes" His mother swiftly rushed around her son, using her powerful Wind Aura to move swiftly, evading attacks and hitting her foes with powerful, explosive and piercing blows using her spear and her wind magicbined. As the smoke dissipated, the lion-headed chimeric vampire red with disbelief at the scene. Eustace''s phantasmal body was still there. Half of him had evaporated, but it swiftly regenerated back to normal as one of Maria''s Phantom Clones fused into his body, recovering his phantasmal energy reserves. "Eustace, don''t give up." Her voice reverberated inside of his head. "Maria¡­" He sighed. "Thank you! I won''t!" Eustace swiftly shed against the Vampire once more, constantly chipping away at his life, cutting his body piece by piece. The warlock was unable to resist the barrage of attacks, even less when they were imbued with powerful divinity. The divine ember that Eustace believed was destroyed when he died, was still there, slowly blossoming back to its former self. As he regained more of his divine powers, his sword shed with blue mes. They were phantasmal mes, but the embodiment of his Divine Ember. "[Azure Dragon Swordsmanship]: [Tempestuous Waves]!" Eustace focused to his 100%, his sword dancing in the air, as endless waves of water surged endlessly, shaping into a ferocious, roaring azure dragon! He employed the swordsmanship techniques he learned from Murim, which had cursed his soul, and transformed them using his new knowledge and the remnants of his Divine Ember. And what he acquired was somethingpletely new! Even the Yin Shang noticed that he had bastardized the techniques of his precious sect, turning them into somethingpletely different! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "ROOOAR!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! The mighty roar of the Azure Dragon reverberated. The lion- headed vampire waspletely engulfed by the waters, which shredded his body like a hundred shes. His screams of agony made the rest of the vampires'' alert, some leaped out of the range of the attack just in time before a tsunami of purifying water were to consume it all. SPLAAASH! As the vampires drowned, the Dark Pest swiftly materialized a pair of giant ws and attacked Eustace. Noticing that the lion-headed vampire, an S Rank bastard, was already dead, torn to shreds. "Useless bastards! Can''t you just handle a single ghost?!" Roared the Dark Pest, his ck tendrils pierced the corpses of his vampires and absorbed their bodies and soulspletely, nourishing himself. "And YOU! Eustace, I''ve had enough of your foolishness. You should have stayed as the cursed undead you were! Why, just why did youe to me again?! To die?! Did you wanted to die again so badly, you ursed fool?!" "YAN SHAAAANNNGGG!" Eustace roared, possessed by his own powers, as his sword danced in the air. Both rivals of ancient times shed against one another, explosions of azure color and miasmic darkness echoed everywhere. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Even on my sealed state, I can easily overpower you! Pathetic worm! Do you never know when youy down in the dirt?!" Yang Shang''s powers shapeshifted; a thousand spears pierced Eustace''s entire phantasmal body at once. Countless holes appearing through his soul. Each strike felt like a piece of himself was lost. "Eustace!" Celes cried, running across the battlefield with his mother. Lucifer and Nyx appeared by their side and protected them from the iing vampires and miasmic beasts. Abyssal Death mes and an army of Phantom Dragons constantly tearing down on their foes. "Uuuggh¡­! Yan Shang¡­" Eustace vomited golden liquid from his mouth, his very soul essence. "I will not go down¡­ Until I avenge her¡­! I won''t forgive you! And I will¡­ keeping back! No matter how much you crush me! No matter how hard you TRY! I will TORMENT you for ETERNITY!" As heughed, the knight shed against his malevolent rival. The demonic cultivator furiously gnawed his teeth, his darkness constantly blocking Eustace''s relentless barrage of attacks. Despite all the soul damage he took, he was constantly improving, bing swifter, stronger, faster! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "How is he so fast?!" He thought. "Damn Eustace! Why won''t you go down, you bastard!" With all his strength, the sealed Dark Pest harnessed his dark powers in the form of a gigantic palm, and crushed Eustace with all his strength. CRAAASH! However. "[Azure Dragon Swordsmanship]: [Sea Dragon Queen''s Rising]" A gigantic dragon made of water pierced through the palm made of darkness, an explosion of azure light engulfed Yan Shang. BOOOM! ----- Chapter 989 Maria Doesnt Hold Back! Chapter 989 Maria Doesn''t Hold Back! ??----- As I kept an eye in the battles around me, I continued fighting Maleficus, who showed to be quite amazingly resilient. The old bastard was very proficient at getting a beating, because he simply could keep on taking more and more. "[Abyssal Dragon''s Palm]!" Creating a foul imitation of my own Palm Attacks, he swiftly stretched his Miasmic Arm, recing the one I had cut off from his shoulders and swiftly mming it against me. CRAAASH!!! The pressure and power were enormous, and by merely touching this hand, I felt that my soul was slowly burning and dying. This is most likely the power of his Abyssal mes and the powers he has cultivated thanks to his One Thousand Abyssal Ghosts Physique. But it''s not like I had ran out of tricks myself. In fact, I was just starting myself. Between my powerful weapon attacks to my life draining and weakening curses, I had still a few aces I hadn''t used yet! "[Poisonous Cmity Swarm Body]: [Cmity Poison Form]" I gritted my phantasmal teeth and swiftly transformed my body into a mass of poisonous slime. It grew several timesrger than normal, while stillbining my phantasmal, miasma, and spiritual properties. Giant crimson eyes popped out, tentacles, jaws everything I could think of that could scare and overwhelm him even so slightly. FLUOSH! A sea of poison swiftly drowned Maleficus, the acidic substances quickly beginning to burn through his wounds, worsening them by the second. He screamed, as he tried to free himself from my grasp, but it was toote! "Aaarrgghh!" "You''re mine, bastard!" I extended my tentacles around him and kept piercing his flesh, digging deeper into his wounds. His body was incredibly resilient because of all the poor souls he had absorbed, and the miasma constantly flowing inside. It was also refined by using perhaps dozens of monster body parts, like true cultivators I guess. "G-Get off me, you aberrant monstrosity!" With a furious roar, his body grew more ck dragon scales, most likely from absorbed wyverns, or even worse, dragons he found and devoured. His body grew in size, as he swiftly started tearing my poisonous mass apart with powerful shing attacks using his long nails. He still had a missing arm, and it the wound left by it was still making him feel exhausted. "Aberrant monstrosity? You should take a look at yourself in the mirror, Maleficus!" With both ws and tail attacks, he managed to almost free himself, only to be greeted by a dozen spheres of darkness,her, and phantasmal mes. I conjured my [Abyssal Netherworld''s Star] right in front of his face. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Each explosion flew away a smaller piece of his own body, his scales were sent flying, as his body quickly pummeled down. While bleeding and being poisoned, he gritted his teeth, quickly opening his jaws and unleashing another breath attack. "DIEEE!" BOOOOMMM!!! The beam pierced through my body, leaving a giant, deep hole. It shed behind me and made the ceiling crumble down into pieces. But I swiftly recovered back to normal, wielding both of my weapons, and unleashing a barrage of attacks imbued with Moonlight mes against him. "Is that it?!" "Wha¡­?! You''re fine after taking that hit head-on?!" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! I shed through his body countless times, while constantly conjuring more curse runes that drained away his life and energy. His stats continued decreasing, making him weaker and more susceptible to my magic. A dozen spheres ofher mes swiftly collided from behind, pushing him right towards my own weapons again. BOOOM! "How can you have such seamless control over your abilities?!" He groaned, vomiting blood as I greeted his neck with my giant axe. "[Umbral Moonlight Rampage]!" I roared, swiftly activating my axe''s technique once more. A rampage of attacks constantly pushed him further and further towards his limits. Maleficus quickly counterattacked with his single arm and his tail, while unleashing kicks and beams of abyssal darkness. However, my blows easily overwhelmed his own, I was slowly pushing him to a corner. "Dammit!" He raised his only arm, suddenly feeding it with his ghostly physique powers and transforming it into a titanic draconic arm, which he attempted to use to crush me. The pressure was immense, and with merely touching it, I felt my soul beginning to be consumed, burning away and reducing in size. But the chaotic core on the depths of my soul kept pumping miasma, regenerating my soul faster. My Divine Ember red as I created a giant ck hole in the area right below the ws. "You fucked up." "Huh?!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om TRUUUMMM¡­!!! In a split of a second, I activated my [Ultimate Skill: Yog- Sothoth], which opens a ck hole, a gate to an endless, all- consuming void. The reason why I don''t use this as often is because its exhausting, but this was the ideal moment. The sound of his bones crushing and being triturated reverberated across the temple, the screams of Maleficus quickly alerted the rest of the vampires as they saw his entire arm being devoured, blood sttering everywhere. "Gryyyaaaggh!" "Now, it''s time for you pay for all the shit you''ve done you disgusting motherfucker!" I kicked him in the chin and then crushed him down into the floor with my heel''s abilities,bined with my kicking techniques. The sound of his soul cracking and tearing apart echoed, he vomited a mouthful of blood as he tried to resist relentlessly. "NOOO!" With a furious and defiant roar, his aura shed against me, but I simply expanded the ck hole, quickly absorbing his own Aura and cutting it off, it felt like he lost a good chunk of his own powers with that, making him gasp in disbelief. "W-What¡­?! You''re¡­ this is¡­!" He could barely speak as I kept hacking through his tough scales, tearing them down piece by piece, his flesh and bones were exposed, I quickly carved them out with my axe and my sword. And then, I reached ten consecutivebo blows, my axe turned deep red, I could finally use that technique. "Let me go, you fiend!" Maleficus tried to escape my range, but my slimy venomous tentacles dragged him closer to me. I couldn''t help but smile like the vile monster he called me, as I swung my axe down his throat. "[Ultimate Titan Blow]" CRAAASSSHH!! ----- Chapter 990 Ultimate Titan Blow

Chapter 990 Ultimate Titan Blow

----- The description of this ability was quite simple¡­ ----- After ten consecutive attacks, an [Ultimate Titan Blow] can be unleashed that deals up to +2.500% Damage based in umted damage from previous attacks. The user is surrounded by Moonlight mes while using this technique, enhancing Moonlight Attribute Magic Damage from nearby allies by +100%, and lowering MP Cost of rted Spells and Skills by -20% ----- Ten consecutive blows using the Rampage Ability were all I needed for a whopping 2500% boost to damage for a single, decisive blow. And I didn''t waste it, quickly aiming at his neck as he was before my mercy. "I hope this is a good lesson for you and every bastard you serve, Maleficus." I said, swinging my axe down. "I won''t forgive anybody. Everyone that dares to get in my way will die an even more miserable death than you!" "STOP! STOP YOU MADWOMAN!!!" CRAAAAASSHHH!!! "GRYYYAAAEEGGHH¡­!!" The axe shed right through his neck like a warm knife through butter. His screams echoed,bined with his blooding out of his throat and mouth, his head quickly rolled over the ground. The rest of the vampires fighting all stopped moving, ring at their master''s head roll over the ground, which I quickly grabbed by the hair. "As long as I can- Ugh?!" However, as he tried to escape using his soul, I had already grasped it, slowly moving it into my jaws. He screamed even louder as I devoured his soul, crushing it bite after bite. "Stop! Uuuggh¡­! No¡­! I cannot¡­ end like this! MASTER¡­! MASTERRRR¡­!" The horrific scene ended as even the fucking Dark Pest stopped fighting Eustace. Suddenly everyone noticed I was much more dangerous than they had ever possibly imagined. My aura only grew stronger after devouring such a tasty soul. "So, who''s fucking next?" I asked, throwing Maleficus head into the floor and then crushing it with my heels until it exploded into pieces. I stepped over his brains, making sure to leave them into a meat paste and throwing it at my foes. Their silence quickly became a hrious mix between fear, horror, anger, frustration, shock, and more. Not even the Dark Pest was left unmoved by my actions and words. "Damn Maleficus, you were not even capable of stopping her for enough time!" Roared Yin Shang, his giant shadow ws shed against Eustace, pushing the weakened ghost away. CRAAASH! "KILL HER!" As he ordered that, the rest of the Vampires and all the monsters in the vicinity rushed towards me as fast as they could. But were swiftly stopped by my friends, shing against them. I decided to catch my breath and rush back to Maleficus corpse, quickly storing it inside of my inventory before a giant dark red and shadow w were to steal it away from me. "Hey, don''t you think it''s rude to steal a meal in front of me?" I asked the floating, ck statue, whose cracks only continued spreading further. "Give him back! I cultivated his body so it would be the ideal Immortal Treasure for me to consume!" He roared furiously. "I spent YEARS doing so! Give it BACK!" Yan Shang rushed towards me as just a stupid floating statue. I couldn''t believe how utterly clueless this man was, but I quickly greeted his charge with a barrage of attacks with my axe and my sword. A slicing blow from above, a piercing attack from below, and then several kickster, he was quickly thrown down. CRASH! CRASH! CLAAASH! "Uuuggh¡­?! Hahah¡­ Hahah!" However, he simplyughed it off. He was most likely trying to buy time by getting beaten, isn''t it? His control over the Evil God Fragment is not bad at all, but while he has one, I have like four. "It is here¡­ Foolish woman, I''ve bought enough time now!" Ah, bastard must have some sort of hidden n, I imagine. I ate Maleficus memories, so I know exactly what they are nning. And I''ll let that happen just because I want to learn more about them myself. "Oh no!" I said while gasping. "W-What could you ever mean by buying enough time?! D-Don''t tell me you have a special trap for me?!" "That''s right! Now- How did you know?!" He muttered. "Well, no matter! They''reing! The ones that''ll elerate my growth!" Laughed Yan Shang. "You stupid brainless rats, you should have never dared to stop my resurrection! My warlocks had many connections, one of such connections with a feared world, one much stronger than Yggdrasil itself!" RUMBLE! The moment Yan Shang spoke, the sky ceiling trembled, as I expanded my senses above the dungeon. The night sky slowly became red. The silver moon on top of the sky was painted crimson red, and a huge crack appeared on it, slowly opening to reveal a downpour of blood energy. A slice in the air, a scar in the very fabric of space. It sliced open to reveal a portal, a ruby-colored gate to another world of the Tower. A ck medallion in my hands reacted, several runes glowing brightly and making all of this possible. N?v(el)B\\jnn This was a catalyst, a special magic item gifted by the Tower to powerful yers. Maleficus got one of these not gifted to him, he wasn''t even considered an official yer to begin with, but it was given to him by these people. Interaction between the worlds of the Tower should be easy, but the Rulers of this World, the Gods have closed most of the gates leading inside and outside of Yggdrasil, meaning that to get inside these invaders have to use other roundabouts ways. Therefore, this catalyst is used to create a connection, and through it, open a portal that skips tens of floors and helps them leap all the way down here, creating a temporary portal where a few of the invaders can freely enter and invade. This is the so called¡­ World Raid, or Upper Floor Raid Event. As the gate opened and revealed countless crimson eyes gazing down into the city full of life and people, a message from the Tower itself appeared. [Warning! A Special Upper Floor Raid Event is in effect!] [Your Floor is now undergoing invasion from outside forces of a floor above yours within the Tower. Invasion Origin: [Floor 60: Umbralheim]] [Fend off the invaders to gain Contribution Points you can utilize to purchase items in the Raid Shop! Or sumb to your invader''s thirst for blood.] The reality of this world was slowly being unveiled in front of these people, and also to the rest of the world. This wasn''t a message we could only see. Everyone in Yggdrasil could see it. This was, after all, the invasion from another world entirely. "W-What is this message?!" "What''s happening¡­?" "T-The sky is red; I''ve never seen this before¡­" "The Crimson moon¡­" The portal kept growingrger until it reached its limits, and from within, a dozen figures leaped out,rge and powerful, floating in midair. They judged the "livestock" with cold crimson eyes, licking their lips. It seemed this number was the limit of Raiders from another world that they could send using this pitiful catalyst. I could have destroyed it and prevent this entirely but¡­ I think it was about time to wake up the people of this world. And well, I couldn''t miss on some premium materials from these otherworldly invaders either, right? "Why do you look so confident?!" Yan Shang roared. "You¡­!" "Hoh, I wonder why?" I giggled. ----- Chapter 991 Prostrate Yourself! Chapter 991 Prostrate Yourself! ??----- While watching what was happening outside, I directed my gaze towards Yan Shang, or whatever was his name. My body swiftly reforming back together. I could notice his crimson eyes glowing beneath the ck crystals epassing his mummified remains. Before taking care of those Vampires from Umbralheim, I should probably try to kill this guy while he''s sealed. FLASH! I swiftly used Shadow Teleportation, aiming at his back with both of my weapons. My body quickly transformed as I gained an armor of lightning over my body, courtesy of Hecate, my dress. And my Body Skillsbining together, my speed skyrocketed, and my reflexes became much sharper than a sealed old martial artist. "Why don''t you get lost already, "Dark Pest"?" I asked him with a smile, a secondter, I swung my giant weapons against him, followed by a barrage of thousands of punches from all my phantasmal limbs surging from my body almost endlessly. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A rain of explosions pummeled down on him, I felt like something cracked. I saw a few cracks over his ck crystal cocoon. But above all, there was a divine barrier protecting him. It was abination of his techniques and the corrupted divine spiritual power of Naiad he had stolen from her body. "Don''t ever think you can easily take me down!" With a furious roar, he activated his powers and the Evil God Fragment unleashed itself. His entire body quickly transforming into a ck dragon made of pure miasma and chaos of over thirty meters of height, and quickly body mming me away. BAAAMM!!N?v(el)B\\jnn "You call that a body m?! Also one Evil God Fragment? You''re so damn outdated, Shin Chang." Iughed. I summoned forth my Divine Poison Spirit, little Amethyst, who quickly merged with my body at the same time as Tyr. "My name is Yin Shang, you utter FOOL!" He roared furiously, swinging his gigantic ws against me. "My body might be sealed, but the power of my soul and this fragment are enough to defeat you, you filthy woman!" "Filthy woman?! Now you''re going a bit too far!" Iughed, my body suddenly gaining the appearance of a gigantic half-moth insectoid monster, while retaining some humanoid qualities. "Someone needs to finally put you in your ce, arrogant bastard!" A giant fist made of deadly soul-consuming venom punched the dragon right through its head, making it disappear in a split of a second. And right afterwards, a rain of dozens of explosive Abyssal Netherworld''s Star bombarded the rest of the draconic manifestation he had unleashed. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Uuurrggh¡­!" His sealed body was revealed once more, as I swiftly stretched my countless phantasmal arms, now also being gaseous poison and swarmsbined together, and tightly grabbed him, dragging him back to me. "Stop! You dare¡­! RAAARGH!" The cracks continued spreading over his seal, but he seemed upset about it. "The seal is breaking! But without enough sacrifices I will be weakened and- UGH, STOP!" But I didn''t stop, quickly mming the statue into the floor. The impact alone spread even more cracks, the ck crystals exploded everywhere, revealing a red flesh beneath, pulsating with veins. CRAAASH! "Uuuggh¡­! BEGONE!" A giant ck palm made of his Aura collided against me, throwing me several meters away. I ended falling over a dying vampire, whom I swiftly crushed their head and absorbed their soul. "He still got some fight on him¡­" Said Lucifer at my side, as he tore apart into two pieces another chimeric vampire, before burning them with his mes. "Mama, there''s something going on in the surface!" Nyx panicked, rushing to my side while having a half-eaten chimeric vampire in her jaws. "I know. How''s Celes, Nia, and Eustace?" I asked them. "They''re alright, Jonathan is healing them, they''re on their way here." Lucifer said, as he red at the Dark Pest. "Oi, he''s running away!" He suddenly noticed the ck statue growing spider-like legs and scurrying away like a little pussy. But that wasn''t happening. I won''t be having an epic battle against this motherfucker if he regains his powers. I''m ending him NOW. And I''ll need some of Celes'' help for that. That kid was made to y him and avenge Naiad and Eustace after all. "Where do you think you''re going?!" I quickly expanded my Domain with a mere step, everything turned into shadows around him. His crimson eyes widened within the ck crystal''s cocoon. My Shadow Realm had evolved a lot as I grew stronger, and with my new mind domain, I could expand it alongside it. "What is this?! A Domain? Howe someone that hasn''t even stepped into the tower is so strong?!" He groaned. "You damned witch! Just because you''re being sponsored by God of this world, it doesn''t mean you can go against the great me! I am the one that made the Seven Sects of the Heavenly Peaks tremble in fear as I plundered them of everything and killed their sect elders! I am the one that ughtered armies of millions! I am Yin Shang!" He was so full of himself, this guy¡­ Yin Shang kept screaming, smashing the shadow realm walls and utilizing every ounce of power he had left to attack me once he realized escaping was futile. Beams of chaos and corrupted divine spiritual energy rained down on me. I evaded or blocked them, but I noticed they were rather deadly if I received them head-on, leaving clear scars over my soul and also on Hecate. He was decided on killing me though, firing more of these deadly beams he had endless fuel for. "Can you keep dodging these, you damned witch?!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "I have to admit that they''re not half bad." I nodded. "But I guess it is time for you to prostrate yourself, Ching Chong." "What?! That''s not my name!" "[Life Draining Abyssal Curse Rune]" "Ugh?!" His entire body was suddenly covered by hundreds of runes I had already ced over him. They drained his life force and mana at a steady pace, so much he was forced to copse on the floor. Unable to lift his own paralyzed body anymore. ----- Chapter 992 A Necromancer Ghost Against A Murim Cultivator Chapter 992 A Necromancer Ghost Against A Murim Cultivator ??----- "My life, even my Ki?! No, even my Mana! All my essential energies are being drained by these strange runes?! When did you put them over my body?!" He roared. "I don''t have the obligation of telling you anything." I said, walking towards him whilebining both of my weapons through my powers. I imbued them with my divine lightning body power, temporarily transforming the twobined weapons into a golden spear of lightning and divine ck light. "Time to break out of your shell, old man." CRAAASH! I pierced his cocoon. Hundreds of thousands of cracks spread out, the demonic cultivator screamed in agony as the crystals covering his body shattered into pieces. Exposing his aberrant and corrupted, old and mummified body. "Aaarrgghh! YOUUUU!" With a monstrous groan, he attacked me, quickly beginning to mutate. The Evil God Fragment had rooted so deep within him that he no longer looked like a human, but more like a monstrous chimeric zombie. However, he was very much alive. "GRAAAAHH!" His monstrous body twisted and shapeshifted, pulsating grossly as he grew three monstrous draconic heads, several tails with sharp venomous stingers, and three pairs ofrge, muscr arms. He swiftly leaped towards me, opening his jaws as he attempted to tear me apart. "DIEEE!" However, I blocked his attacks and pierced his body a dozen times using my spear and the Level 10 Piercing Spear Attack Skill. Thebination was tremendously strong, leaving giant holes across his body. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "UURGGH¡­! RAAAH!" However, he swiftly regenerated them anyways, the runes I had ced on him were also slowly disappearing. I evaded the iing attack, teleporting to his left side, only to be greeted by his dozens of tails aiming to impale me a dozen times. "[Gorgon''s Demonic Eyes]" I tried to petrify, paralyze, or do something else to those tails, but nothing worked on them either¡­ I guess its natural for an Evil God Fragment user to be immune to all these status effects. I''ll need to see if I can evolve this skillter, it has be rather useless with so many foes capable of resisting this status. CRAAASH! I floated in midair, managing to evade the deadly attacks, and quickly expanded my body further, fusing several Body Skill Effects and stacking them together with the power of my Divine Poison Spirit. [You havebined the effects of the [Gorgon''s Transformation], [Abyssal Demon Transformation], [Divine Moonlight Titan Body], [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul], and all Body-type Skills to transform into your [Ultimate Form]!] [All of your Stats have temporarily increased by +1.000%, your Death, Darkness, Chaos, Poison, Lightning, and Moonlight Elemental Damage has increased by +10.000%, and Skill Damage has increased by +500%!] [However, your Mana is constantly being drained, and so is your Moonlight Essence!] My appearance swiftly changed, as I became a titaness taller than his monstrous appearance. My hair waved, madepletely out of moonlight, shining with bright pink and purple light. My entire body was now epassed on a demonic armor, and snake heads decorated my head like a crown. Behind me there was a huge pair of metallic, purple-colored moth-like wings. And I had two other pairs of arms, epassed on the same armor, and wielding weapons made out of my own elemental body. "You transformed¡­?!" Yin Shang almost vomited blood out of anger and frustration. "No, it doesn''t matter¡­! You''ve already ruined everything! You think I will just let you win after all of what you''ve provoked? You''re dying NOW!" He rushed towards me, attacking me with an incredibly fast barrage of w strikes. Each strike releasing explosions of chaos, aura, and his own strange techniques. This Ki or whatever, he had enough of it within him that it made him several times stronger than he was supposed to be. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! I was pushed slightly back even with the bonus stats. But that didn''tst too long either, I quickly gave a step forward and pierced his ws with my spear, both exploded into pieces. While they were regenerating, he attacked me with his jaws, biting through my neck and trying to tear down my head. I let him take it out, it didn''t matter anyways. "[Undead Detonation]"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Guh?!" BOOOMMM!!! My own head exploded once he tore it apart from my body, which ended destroying all three of his own, draconic heads. His entire body started to struggle to regenerate from so many spots at the same time. I quickly was about to pierce his chest, if it wasn''t because something caught me by surprise. CRAAASH! A giant ck axended right where I was, if it wasn''t for my Mind Domain, I would have been split into two halves. It was an enormous ck axe; I hadn''t seen something like that before! Where did he get that? "So you''vee back to me, my precious treasure¡­!" Heughed, his monstrous body assuming a gigantic humanoid form now, covered on an armor of ck dragon scales. "Treasure?" I asked. "It teleported to my side, my beautiful Mountain Cleaver. An immortal treasure I refined by using the souls and corpses of a hundred thousand cultivators and death onyx ores from Mount Death Peak!" Laughed Yin Shang. "Once it learned I was unsealed, it immediately came to me!" "Is that so?" I smiled, as a ck hole expanded around Yin Shang, dragging him down and catching him off guard as always. "Tch, rubbish!" However, with the axe in his hands, he shed the entire spell apart in a single second, surprising me even so slightly. SLAAASH! "My Mountain Cleaver can cut through magical constructs." Yin Shang smiled cockily. "Your magic will now have little effect against me! I might not have revived at 100%, but I can surely kill a pathetic bitch like you! I will teach you why I am feared as the next Heavenly Demon!" FLASH! As he rushed towards me, I quickly caught him with countless of phantasmal arms surging from beneath, above, and from left and right, he swiftly cut through them with his axe, but they kept appearing, eventually managing to slow him down. Chains made of darkness and curses then appeared from below, wrapping around his legs too, weakening his stats. "Enough with your trickery!" He roared, breaking out of everything with pure rage, as his axe reached down on me. CLAAASH! ----- Chapter 993 The Cunning Cultivator Chapter 993 The Cunning Cultivator ??----- CLAAASH! A giant spear made of spiraling divine spiritual water pierced Yin Shang''s heart. All of those attempts at slowing him down were just for the attack to hit him directly in the chest! Where his core was. "W-Wha¡­?!" BOOOMMM!!! The spear quickly exploded, engulfing him on an all-purifying azure light. His entire body started to burn like never before. His screams of agony echoing across the entire dungeon. "Gryyyaaagghh! W-What the- UGH¡­?!" He directed his gaze towards the skies above him. I had opened the Shadow Realm for the trio of the day to finallye deliver this Murim bastard his just deserts. Little Celes was floating in midair, his Divine Spiritual Aura overflowing from his body, allowing him to easily fly, while Eustace was merged into his aura, protecting him like a mighty knight, with sword and shield. And his mother was right by his side, her wind magic epassing them into a vortex-like barrier for further protection. Celes and his mom had truly grown stronger in this week we''ve spent here. "YOU!" Yin Shang roared like a beast, swiftly trying to catch them with his giant axe, only to be stopped as I teleported in front of him, the spear in my hands separated into the two original weapons, as I parried his blows. CLAAASH! "Get off my way! I have to kill them! I have to eat that child''s soul! If I do¡­ I could be stronger, I could truly-" "You sure love to say out loud what you will do and what you want to do, huh? Do the Murim people do not know to shut the fuck up sometimes?" I kicked his chin and closed his mouth abruptly, which almost broke his jaws. Not like it did matter though, they were made of a fleshy miasmic slime already, so he didn''t even had bones. "It''s because of you savages that I lose my temper! RAAAAH!!" Using his gigantic ck axe, Yin Shang unleashed a barrage of powerful strikes. I bombarded him with my Abyssal Netherworld''s Stars to cover the areas around him. While I used my multiple arms, the chains made of curses and shadows, and my two weapons to block as many blows as possible. But even then, his attacks were so intense and capable of breaking through magic constructions that it made most of my attacks be much weaker. My stars were only doing little damage as he was so agile he easily cut them down before they could impact him directly. And all of that in just a few seconds! "[Azure Dragon Swordsmanship]: [Tempestuous Waves]!" A series of sword shes descended upon the cultivator from behind,ing from Eustace. His attacks were constant and precise, like deadly waves of divine blue light, yet they were all water concentrated to the level it could cut through almost anything. SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! "EUSTACEEEE!" The Dark Pest released a wave of darkness from his body, quickly overtaking the endless waves of azure water wrapped around his body and destroying them. "You''ll be the first one I cut to pieces! You resilient little cockroach!" He leaped into midair, his axe rushing down into the ghost, only for the knight to smile, his azure eyes glowing brightly. Nia appeared right behind him, conjuring all her magic at once, a giant vortex of winds was unleashed, so strong it forced the demonic Yin Shang to evade, but he didn''t manage due to his enormous body, having both of his arms sliced. "[Divine Wind de]!" SLAAASH! "W-What?!" The cultivator''s crimson eyes were filled with disbelief as he lost both of his arms in that mere second. Nia from all people was the one he wasn''t even paying attention to, he was only seeing her as¡­ nothing at all, in fact he never even recognized her existence. However, it was all just for this moment, she unleashed all her powers and cut down his arms. His weapon fell from his hands, he desperately tried to regrow new arms as his weapon started hovering towards him. "Mine!" I grabbed the axe forcefully, as I felt its powerful aura and soul resisting against my grasp, but I quickly suppressed it with the power of the Undead Queen, and then stored the axe inside my inventory, trapping it in that pocket dimension. FLASH! "My weapon! Give it back, you thief!" With a furious and shocked roar, Yin Shang transformed again, resembling a giant multi-headed snake, a hydra, opening its jaws and attacking me with both bites and beams of abyssal darkness. I was the only one here that could take the hits properly, so I grit my teeth and let the bastard attack me as much as he wanted, distracting him from what wasing. "Eustace!" Celes called. "I''m ready now¡­!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Alright, Celes! I''m trusting on you!" Eustace swiftly left his form after unleashing ast technique, summoning a dozen sea snakes that wrapped around Yin Shang, further distracting him. His entire body turned into a mass of azure light, fusing with Celes weapon, the spear I had made, which I shaped into a staff for him. The staff quickly becamepletely blue, and then changed shape automatically as the boy imbued his powers into it¡­ shaping it into a gigantic azure sword, overflowing with power! In fact, wasn''t it too big for him to wield?! FLUOSH! "What are you nning?!" Yin Shang quickly ignored me, rushing towards Celes. "A giant sword?! You can''t even wield that, you stupid child! I''ll take that away from you!" The monstrous hydra extended his giant necks, trying to catch Celes. Nia swiftly summoned more cutting wind des, defending her son, but she only managed to behead three heads before four more reached them. I teleported through shadows, protecting all of them as his countless jaws gnawed through my armor, breaking it apart and then biting and eating chunks of my soul. "Do you like the vor of my soul, bastard? [Undead Detonation]!" "Again?! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The three snake-like heads that took pieces of my soul detonated into phantasmal mes, only for Yin Shang to quickly transform again, now resembling a giant Shen Long, a Chinese dragon! "RAAAAHHH!!!" ck lightning surged from his giant jaws, as he unleashed a mighty thunderstorm against us! CRAAASH! ----- Chapter 994 All-Out Battle! Chapter 994 All-Out Battle! ??----- As quickly as I could, I materialized half my body into the hardest substance possible and took the thunder attack head on, relying on my divine thunder body to absorb most of its powers. However, the impact alone was still powerful, easily making that part of my body I used as a shield to crumble into pieces. CRAAASH! "Hahahah! You''re beginning to slow down, woman! You''re not that strong as you said!" Yin Shang was growing cockier. "Listen well, its because I want things to end well that I am not eating you alive right now." I said with eyes full of bloodlust. "There are other people that must y you, not me!" Within a split second, I regrew all the lost mass of my soul, I had so much Aether Stat that my soul''s regeneration speed was otherworldly, and as I absorbed the souls of the vampires that were dying around, restoring it was even easier. And using my giant size, I quickly conjured a dozen Selene''s Palms, fused with my Evil God''s Fragment Chaos, my Divine Poison Spirit''s Spiritual Essence, and also my plentiful Void Essence all at once! "[Achlys'' Void-Decaying Poisonous ws]!" Massive ws made of poison, void, darkness, death, and moonlight shed through Yin Shang, his entire body constantly covered on countless wounds as I took apart his body, only for him to quickly regenerate back to full! All of that divine spirit energy was truly a cheat. He counterattacked by imitating my techniques, releasing ck Dragon Palms, blocking my own ws. Meanwhile, the Shadow Realm shook as three more figures stepped into the scene. Nyx, Lucifer, and Jonathan appeared after having fully disposed of all the Vampires and beasts left behind, catching the cultivator off-guard. "We''re finally here!" Lucifer roared. "Having fun bullying my wife, you son of a bitch?!" Without hesitating, my gigantic dragon husband''s gigantic ws pummeled down Yin Shang into the floor, his gigantic body quickly turning into a mass of ck sludge before the pressure of his attack.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om BAAAMM!!! "Uaarrgghhh! BEGONE! LIZARD!" Losing all his temper, the demonic cultivator wrapped his countless tentacles around Lucifer''s arm, piercing his flesh and beginning to drain his energy and blood! Lucifer quickly used this opportunity to fuck him over twice, spreading Abyssal Death mes across the tentacles and then burning him whole. "Gruuuaagh! How dare you?!" Yin Shang swiftly unleashed a powerful thunderstorm, proving to be strong enough to push Lucifer back. Only for him to be quickly attacked by an iing sh of holy light, cutting through half his body. "[Heaven''s Fall]!" SLAAASH! The sh was so potent the demonic cultivator squirmed in utter agony, the explosion of light that came right afterwards overwhelmed him, a powerful shockwave sent his body flying. While still burning with Lucifer''s mes and Jonathan''s light, the bastard simply regenerated back again! "Hahhh¡­ Hahahah¡­ I am invincible! You cannot kill me! This Divine Spirit power, I need more! With it and the Evil God Fragmentbination, I can regenerate my body endlessly! I''ve almost achieved the Immortal Body the Heavenly Demon has! Hahahaha!" He was constantly cultivating his own body as we fought! And not only that, it felt strange¡­ Was he using our own attacks as some sort of fuel for his cultivation to hasten? I noticed his powers were all about copying us. He was copying my techniques, my forms, my magic, everything. And now, suddenly, bright ck light spheres appeared around him, and also giant fireballs made of fire very simr to Lucifer! "This bastard¡­! Did he steal my mes?!" Lucifer roared. "And that''s my light, but corrupted?!" Jonathan muttered. "It still developing, but through the fusion between the Evil God Fragment''s Absorption and Predatory Powers, and the Divine Spirit Power''s regenerative abilities. I can absorb energies and magics and make them my own!" Heughed. "This will be my supreme legacy, [The Demonic Heavenly Thief Immortal Physique]! Hahahaha!" As he drowned on his own power, he unleashed countless explosions against us. Bombarding the dungeon and making everything tremble constantly. It had only been like twenty seconds since Celes started charging his power on Eustace''s sword form. I quickly nced back at the kid, who was being protected by a vortex of winds by his mother. His Aura was changing and fluctuating, and the silhouette of Naiad emerged behind him again, much like before. That of a beautiful mermaiddy with pale blue skin and gentle sapphire- colored eyes, her long azure hair waving, as Yin Shang directed his greedy snake-like eyes at her. "You''ve been preparing all this for me! Well done, you sacrificialmb!" Taking advantage that his constant attacks were pushing us back, he swiftly took the opportunity, leaping towards Celes and Nia and attempting to take a devour them both! However, my daughter appeared behind Celes, her hundreds of Phantom Ghostsbining together around her, the boy and his mother. Their Aurasbining together. "[Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic]: [Divine Soul Dragon]!" The Divine Soul Dragon was my daughter''s strongest Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic, using her many phantom dragons summons andbining them into a gigantic dragon that connects to her soul and that of allies, which then grants the dragon their umted soul powers. And by connecting with Celes and Nia''s souls and their powers, the dragon took the shape of a gigantic sea dragon, wielding a titanic azure sword! "Let''s do it, Celes!" Nyx said. "Yeah¡­ Let''s end this!" Celes roared bravely. "Eustace, don''t miss!" Nia cried. "I won''t! I''ll avenge Naiad¡­ It''s time for you pay, Yin Shang!" Eustace howled. Thebined powers of everyone reached Yin Shang, who swiftly evaded their first sh, as a shockwave of enormous azure power was unleashed, cutting through the dungeon''s almost indestructible walls and leaving a huge scar! CRAAASH! "HAHAHA! You''re still way too SLOW! Your little tricks won''t be of any use! I will devour all of you and attain your powers! Now there''s no limit to me! I will conquer the tower and get my wish! Eternal Life!" As Yin Shangughed, something happened. Lucifer, Jonathan, and I stopped him, our magic powersbining into chains wrapping around his entire body, pushing him down. BAAAM! ----- Chapter 995 Avenging Naiad Chapter 995 Avenging Naiad ??----- "Let go of me, you filthy beasts, you damned maggots!" Yin Shang roared, slowly cutting through the chains as he attempted to free himself from our restraints. However, my chains in specific kept regenerating, being part of my very soul. "You''re not going anywhere, Yin Shang!" I smiled. "Now, stay still and fucking die already!" "NOOOO!!!" The demonic cultivator kept struggling, fighting, unleashing magic, techniques, everything! He tried to turn into sludge but could not, he tried to infect my chains but could not, he was trying everything, even begging. "Please I will change my ways! I will do good! Don''t kill me! Please don''t negate the privilege of living to another person!" "That''s riching from you, you bastard!" Eustace''s voice echoed from above Yin Shang, the titanic sword swiftly going down Yin Shang''s entire body at the same time. An explosion of pure azure light was unleashed, endless waves of divine spirit water washing over the demonic cultivator, his body turning growing weaker and falling apart. "EUSTACEEEE¡­ YOU¡­ BASTARD!" He kept struggling even as he was being cut down into two halves, thousands of tentacles sprouting out of both halves in that split second, punching through the sea dragon''s body. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, the sea dragon''s eyes turned green, as countless wind des cut through Yin Shang''s tentacles and then turned them all into ashes as theybusted into azure spirit mes. "AAARRGGGHHH¡­!" The Dark Pest was slowly being sliced apart, the azure sword, Eustace himself, battled against the demonic cultivator within their mindscape, which I could clearly see with my Mind Domain. "I won''t let you beat me! I cannot die here! I CAN''T! All I''ve been built, everything I''ve been working so hard for will be for nothing! Eustace, you damned mutt! You should have never gotten yourself on my path!" Yin Shang appeared at his truest self, resembling a youthful, white-skinned man with sharp red eyes and long, ck hair wearing traditional ck and red Chinese clothes. He was viciously punching the soul of Eustace, a handsome brown-haired man wearing gray armor. "You bastard! You''re the one that killed my friend! You''re the one that got in our way! I told you I wouldn''t let you go after all the suffering you have done to others! This is what we call Karma back home, you son of a bitch!" However, despite looking overwhelmed, Eustace kicked the cultivator''s face and then pushed him down, punching his face constantly, making his nose bleed and turning his eyes purple. He was giving him a beating of his entire lifetime. "This is for all the good people you''ve unjustly killed, for everyone that couldn''t take revenge themselves! Every single fucking punch, YIN SHAAAANG!" "You barbarian of a lower world¡­! Ugh, how dare you! T-To me, the great-!" SLAAAAAASSHH!!! Before the cultivator could finish hisst words, the sword shed through him once and for all. His soul, his very being, and even¡­ his Origin, were all split and then destroyed. "A-Ah¡­" He couldn''t even muster ast insult before his entire being faded away within the mindscape. And outside, his corpse fell down into the floor, copsing into a lifeless sludge. The Evil God Fragment was still there, but perhaps too exhausted and now dormant. The sea dragon quickly copsed down, as the ones in the core fell over the floor, I quickly caught them with a huge Selene''s Palm and gently ced them over the floor, before swiftly epassing the rest of the corpse with a giant shadow and swallowing everything in it. Yin Shang soul fragments were still there, so I ate them all and started to slowly unravel his memories, which I left in the backburner for now. I quickly absorbed the dormant Evil God Fragment and also all the sludge left behind, it was all rich in Chaos, Miasma, and Spirit Essence! However, I quickly separated the rest that wasn''t just leftovers, taking it apart it into the shape of a huge mass of blue crystals, this was perhaps what remained of Naiad, crystals formed out of her body''s spiritual essence, which she used to seal Yin Shang. "This is all I could recover of Naiad''s body." I offered this to Eustace and Celes. "It seems she sacrificed herselfpletely, giving away her physical body and turning it into spirit crystals to cage Yin Shang inside." "Naiad¡­" Eustace sighed, as he touched the blue crystals, sensing a faint glow within. "We''ve avenged you¡­ We''ve finally¡­ avenged everyone. I hope you can now finally rest in peace, wherever your consciousness has gone. Because I know your soul is there, with that little hero right there." He gently patted Celes head.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I wish I could bring her back¡­" Celes cried. "I didn''t wish to have her soul¡­ Can''t I take her out and put her here?" "No, that''s impossible." I said. "Her soul is your own, Celes. To do that would mean¡­ to kill you. Never consider such a thing. And even¡­ if that could be done, there''s nothing saying Naiad would evere back, it would only be a clean te again." "Ahh¡­" Celes sighed, feeling rather hopeless about it. "Don''t worry, Celes. We did what we could." Nia smiled. "We''ve all grown to reach this point¡­ And you''re my dear son, Naiad is resting, and you''re you." "T-That''s right, I didn''t mean to say anything else." Eustace nodded. "Celes, just be yourself. And don''t let the knowledge about the origin of your soul ever change who you are, and what you''re growing up to be." "Yeah!" Nyx smiled cutely, holding the boy''s hands. Celes quickly blushed as he saw my daughter all up close to him. "Well done Celes! We did it together!" She hugged him tightly and gave him a little kiss on his cheek. The boy was so red he looked like a tomato now. "N-Nyx kissed m-meee?! Uwaaahhh!" He was already in the clouds. "Heheh! You''re cute!" Nyx was too innocent to think of any implications, and well, Celes too. "I would love to just watch this scene a bit longer, but we need to get going." Lucifer said. "Reinforcements are needed at the surface now." "Right." I nodded. "Pharaoh, are you done with it?" "Almost done!" Suddenly, something gigantic and metallic came hovering from the underground floors, controlled by the Pharaoh. "Hahaha! I got it to work somehow! The Starship''s first half!" ----- Chapter 996 Invasion From A Higher Floor! Chapter 996 Invasion From A Higher Floor! ??----- The night sky trembled, a huge portal leading to apletely different world opened, shocking the entire town. The people panicked as they saw a gigantic swarm of Vampiric Beasts surge from within the portal, led by a group of five Vampires, all of theming from apletely different world. The news about their own world being connected to some ce known as the "Tower" and that it was possible for other worlds connected to the Tower to invade their own was not something the people of this world would take kindly. Perhaps for the rest of the poption, far away from this conflict, they would only find this out as some sort of wonder, but for the people of this city in the middle of the desert, this event was the same as the apocalypse.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Warning! A Special Upper Floor Raid Event is in effect!] [Your Floor is now undergoing invasion from outside forces of a floor above yours within the Tower. Invasion Origin: [Floor 60: Umbralheim]] [Fend off the invaders to gain Contribution Points you can utilize to purchase items in the Raid Shop! Or sumb to your invader''s thirst for blood.] The reality of this world was slowly being unveiled in front of these people, and also to the rest of the world. This wasn''t a message only Maria andpany could only see. Everyone in Yggdrasil could see it. This was, after all, the invasion from another world entirely! "W-What is this message?!" "What''s happening¡­?" "T-The sky is red; I''ve never seen this before¡­" "The Crimson moon¡­" The people panicked, seeing in horror as their own perception of reality was being shattered right in front of their eyes. This whole time, they were nothing but pawns inside a much bigger game, one so big they couldn''t even fathom it. The portal kept growingrger until it reached its limits, and from within, a dozen figures leaped out,rge and powerful, floating in midair. They judged the "livestock" with cold crimson eyes, licking their lips. It seemed this number was the limit of Raiders from another world that they could send using this pitiful catalyst. But twelve Vampires was more than enough to ughter this entire city and offer Yin Shang his sacrifices, while they would reap fresh blood from a world rich in mana such as Yggdrasil. And above all, they would get to feed their little army of Vampiric Beast pets! "Fufu, alright everyone! How are you doing?" The strongest of the twelve Vampires stepped in, her figure beautiful and slender, her long red hair waving by the wind, her scarlet eyes staring into people''s souls. These Vampires were not the same as Yggdrasil''s Vampires. Nay, the Vampires of this world were nothing but their failed descendants, weaklings that had children with inhabitants of Yggdrasil and chose to live peaceful lives with the Demons. However, these Vampires came from their own world! A world of darkness and bloodshed, of eternal night and endless ughter. The World Of Endless Night, Umbralheim. "You seem a bit confused! I can tell! Well, me your "Gods" for that! All those Gods you worship so much, they''ve been keeping the existence of the Tower and other worlds a secret from you this WHOLE time!" Laughed the Vampiress. "Could you believe it? To live with so much ignorance! I guess it can''t be helped that you''re nothing but cattle to us. I am guessing the Gods won''t mind it, right? After all, they never truly cared about any of you to begin with." Her sharp crimson-red eyes shone brightly, the people felt stiff, paralyzed. They wanted to escape as gigantic bloodthirsty bats descended from the skies but were unable to move an inch. The vampires only watched for now, they wanted to see some people screaming and being torn apart before they started. A warmup, they would say. So they can get a bit more excited and start hunting themselves. "We''ll let our little pets hunt a few of you guys, it is our customary ritual before a big hunt! I hope you don''t mind." Sheughed out loud. The rest of the Vampiresughed too, their wicked smiles full of thirst, as they licked their lips. A Giant Vampire Bat, a mighty A Rank Monster from Umbralheimnded on the city''s floor, rushing towards the closest victim, a mother and her daughter. They were looking at the gigantic beast open its jaws, soon to engulf them into a single bite. "SHAAAAH!" The Vampires crimson eyes shone brightly, they expectation rising their blood pressure and making them excited. Theyughed as they celebrated yet another Blood Festival, a celebration they did on unsuspecting "lower worlds" where they would briefly visit, devour and drink as much as they wanted, and then leave. Usually in ordance with special deals they had with the rulers of such realms. CRUUUNCH! The Bat''s jaws closed, blood sttering everywhere. The Vampiresughed, looking down to expect the half-eaten bodies of the mother and her child. Nothing but walking blood bags for them, they held no empathy for any being, only themselves. "G-Graagh¡­" Yet, their expectations were quickly shattered as they saw it was the bat that was bleeding. Half its head was missing, a gigantic mass of blood spread around the innocent civilians, taking the shape of countless jaws, which had devoured the attacking Vampiric beast. "Gryyaaggh!" The bat screamed in agony as the jaws quickly surrounded it and covered it on countless bites, devouring it and tearing it to shreds in mere seconds. Simr scenes happened everywhere across the city. Sea snakes made of water and metallic hooks trapped dozens of monsters, cutting them into pieces. Explosions of chaotic mes engulfed them and burned them into cinders. Ice froze them and then shattered them into countless tiny pieces, and more! "W-What''s going on?!" "Those cattle, do they happen to have strong Rankers protecting them?" "There''s no reason! This is just a small city in the middle of nowhere!" "That''s¡­!" Before one of the Vampires could speak, an arrow made of pure spiritual light shed through the skies, ascending from below him and piercing his head, making it explode into pieces. BOOOM! Their leader swiftly red down in anger. Her bloodthirsty eyes were full of wrath! "Who dares?!" ----- Chapter 997 Against The Vampires Of Umbralheim! Chapter 997 Against The Vampires Of Umbralheim! ??----- BOOOM! Before Christine''s eyes, one of her subordinates'' heads exploded before he could even defend himself. His Blood Aura had been too slow, and the arrow of spiritual light too fast. The damage dealt against vampires from light attribute magic was already very strong. This, naturally, caused him to die on the spot, his brain sttering all over the ce. "Who dares?!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om As she roared, the rest of the Vampires quickly released their Blood Auras, forming powerful Barriers fueled by their dark powers. They have been so rxed before theypletely forgot to do the most basic of things, ending up with one of them dead already! "That damned Maleficus said that this ce only had weaklings! Howe they killed one of my men so easily?!" The Vampiress roared. "I promised I would bring a lot of blood and other materials back home, but if this ends up being some sort of trap, then¡­!" As she muttered to herself, she quickly noticed the origin of the arrows. A half-elf woman standing above the rooftop of a house. Her magic bow pointing at her and her vampires. Before she could even stop her, another barrage of dozens of arrows imbued with spiritual energy were fired at lightning speed. "Dammit!" The Vampires quickly were forced to put into a defensive stance. As Christine swiftly waver her ws. Her blood and darkness barrier spread around, intercepting each explosive arrow, which slowly started to weaken her barrier. "Already forced into a defensive stance by some half-elf?!" She thought, gritting her teeth. At the same time, the hundreds of Vampiric Beasts were all being ughtered, the citizens had yet to die, as they were all being dragged underground by giant phantasmal hands popping out of nowhere constantly. They were alling from Maria herself. "Did you really thought I would let you do as you pleased?!" Maria''s voice reverberated around the Vampires. The crimson portal behind them suddenly closed as the medallion she held was broken. "Wha¡­?!" "Darkness?" "What is this phantasmal presence?" The vampires swiftly unleashed their techniques and weapons. Crimson swords, golden spears, ck axes, and armor made of their Blood Auras covered their bodies. They all overflowed with the power of S Ranks or higher. Their leader was the strongest too, overflowing with might. However, they couldn''t help but feel fear as they heard Maria''s voice, like a ghostly apparition they simply couldn''t understand where it came from, she spoke inside of their minds, something thought to be impossible due to their powerful souls. Darkness kept spreading around their surroundings, dragging away the innocent citizens to safety and trapping the Vampires and their Vampiric Beasts inside arge pocket dimension of pure darkness. And from within this sea of obscurity, her figure surged, floating like a graceful phantasmal maiden, and staring right into their very souls. "So it''s you!" Roared Christine. "That Ghost Witch woman, the inhabitant of this world that has be that Goddess of Death''s puppet, isn''t it? One of the few servants of an original God of this world that hasn''t been killed already¡­" Maria knew who she was talking about, Hel. She was after all a descendant of this world''s original Gods. Loki was supposedly also one, a Frost Titan that was adopted by Odin in the War where Ymir and the Titans were dethroned. Hel, being the daughter of one of the fewst true Gods, was also a true Goddess herself. "Ghost Witch woman¡­ My name is Maria, dear." Maria smiled, her entire being expanding into an endless sea of shadows, with crimson eyes and tentacles. Phantasmal essence spreading everywhere, thousands of ghostly hands stretching towards the Vampires. "And about your invasion, you were allowed toe here by my mercy. I wanted to bring some change to this world. Your visit has already spread that message, that this world is not what it seems. And that the "Gods" have been lying to us this whole time." "What?" The Vampiress grew furious. "You dare¡­ You dare talk like that to me?! You''re saying I was a mere pawn in your game? HAH! Don''t be ridiculous, you foolish whore! I am the one who ys, and YOU are my pawns! You have NO idea what you''re getting into! I belong to one of the three strongest vampire families of Umbralheim, we Dracul do not take kindly of such tricks!" "Using your family to threaten me? Are you that scared?" Mariaughed. "I only let you inside of this world because of the reasons I''ve already exined. But well, I was also feeling quite curious how my strength canpare to the strength from people of another worlds, especially of worlds way higher than Yggdrasil within the Tower." "You''re full of arrogance for someone that has already died and became nothing but an Undead." Christine smiled. "Vampires, spread and ughter. Do not let that damned elf archer live either! Kill all of those disrupting our invasion! I''ll take care of this whore." Maria let the Vampires move towards different directions, knowing her friends and family were there to intercept them and take them down. And well, it wasn''t as if she wasn''t around. They were all trapped inside her Shadow Realm that engulfed half of the whole city anyways. "You sure love calling me whore¡­" Mariaughed. "Let''s see who''s the real bitch here. Come!" Turning her body into ck lightning, Maria appeared right above Christine. The Vampiress crimson eyes shone brightly, releasing a magical, cursed power. Maria felt her own soul suddenly twist around, as a hole appeared inside. TRUUUM! "Ungh?!" "Hah! Surprised?!" Christine didn''t even let Maria think about what just happened, as she materialized a huge crimson sword out of her own Blood Aura and swung it against Maria a dozen times. A barrage of shing attacks engulfed Maria, cutting through her entire body and reducing her to shreds! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "You''re absolutely nothing! Hahahah! Did I ever have to worry about you?!" Christineughed as she saw Maria "die". However. A giant palm made of moonlight appeared above the Vampiress, crushing her entire body into the floor below. BAAAM! ----- Chapter 998 A Fight Against An Otherworldly Invader Chapter 998 A Fight Against An Otherworldly Invader ??----- Christine was surprised, Maria had not died so easily. Summoning her powers, a giant Selene''s Palm greeted the arrogant Vampiress, smashing her into the ground below. Her body was incredibly tough, but even then, she felt a tremendous amount of pain. It felt like a Titan had truly smacked her down like a fly! SLAAASH! "Do you truly believe something like that can stop me?!" The Vampiress swiftly cut through the Selene''s Palm with her sword, and then leaped into the air, flying with bat-like wings made of her blood aura. "Where are you?! I cut you into pieces, are there more of your bodies out there?!" "More of my bodies?" Maria spoke inside her mind again. "No, dear, this entire ce, everywhere, is my body." "Wha¡­?!" Christine looked around herself, the entire Shadow Realm Domain where she was trapped. "No, that''s ridiculous! Only the strongest Ascendant Rankers could ever aplish such a feat! And barely! This is merely some illusion of yours, isn''t it?!" As she roared in frustration, Maria swiftly attacked. Thousands of phantasmal arms moved downwards, punching, piercing, and shing against Christine. The proud Vampiress used her Blood Aura Barrier and her Blood Armor to defend, while swinging her sword vertically and horizontally. Her movements became faster and faster as Maria appeared from all around her. Dozens of Selene Palms constantly smacking her like a fly, while asionally, a gigantic ck halberd and a skeleton sword would unleash abination of destructive techniques, shattering her armor. "Are you starting the realize that this is not just a mere illusion, Christine?" Maria''s voice reverberated within Christine''s mind. At the same time as the Vampiress kept shing away Maria''s attacks. Hundreds of phantasmal limbs were being reduced by cinders, as her Crimson Blood Sword started to activate its special ability. "No matter how much you try, you''re nothing but a pitiful illusionist. Do you call these pitiful little hits your attacks?! HAH!" The Vampire was full of arrogance, but justifiably so. Her strength was the real deal after all. As Maria unleashed a rain of dozens of Abyssal Netherworld''s Stars of smaller size to see how she could react, the Vampiress'' eyes shone with crimson light. "Enough. [Divine Blood Aura Arts]: [Blood Sword Intent]!" Her Blood Aura expanded, transforming into hundreds of swords at once. Maria opened her eyes widely as she saw all her projectiles being sliced into halves by the Vampiress'' sole Blood Aura, which by itself became swords. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Maria swiftly evaded the storm of shing attacks, which continued shing through her Shadow Realm, beginning to weaken the entire domain by itself. "That ability¡­ Is she alsobining techniques from Murim and her own world?" Wondered Maria, squinting her eyes. "Well, let''s see if you can cut through everything I have in store for you." With a rather wicked and malicious smile, Maria quicklybined several skill effects and abilities together, her entire Shadow Realm transforming into a sea of slimy poison, rushing towards the Vampiress. "Poison? Don''t joke with me!" As sheughed and shed through the poison, it swiftly regenerated back, constantly fusing together. The Vampiress eyes then shed, small voids in space were created, generating holes across Maria''s body, which had transformed into the poison itself.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "I see, so that''s how it works." Maria analyzed her eyes abilities. "You can create carve through space using your eyes, don''t you? Your Sword techniques are good, yes. And your Blood Aura too. But at the end, that deadly power of yours is what makes you think you''re untouchable." "You guessed it already? Well, I suppose there''s little point in hiding it." Laughed Christine, swinging her sword with a single arm horizontally, unleashing a wave of crimson blood ki that cut through Maria once more, this time both of her halves exploded. SLASH! BOOOM! "If you''re still alive after that, then I''ll tell you more." Christineughed. "These eyes are the [Demonic Eyes of the Void]! Special Eyes that I took away from the Void Demon, Belphegor as payment for his powers. I only acquired one though, ah, I bet you''ve already meet him, haven''t you?" "Belphegor, that bastard that set up that whole void domain¡­" Maria said. "I see, so I guess you bastards have been working with the Warlocks and let me guess, the other Vampires this entire time?" "More or less! What happened to Belphegor? The eye he made for me is working really well!" Laughed Christine. "In exchange for this eye, I gave him a powerful relic that augmented his magical prowess beyond what any pitiful ant could achieve in this world." "Belphegor? Oh, he''s dead." Maria simply smiled gently at Christine, before waving her hands and suddenly distorting space itself. Void Essence flowed through her entire body as she channeled it from her Spirit Treasures inside of her Soul Scape. The Vampiress quickly felt an threatening power surging from within the ghost woman, as she surged from the endless shadows, alwayspletely unfazed by anything she did against her. "[Void Devourer]" Maria activated the power of her Title, of the same name. As she rushed towards the Vampiress. Christine greeted her with a barrage of Blood Sword Aura Intent, which attempted to slice through all of Maria''s soul this time. "Don''t you dare give another step!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! As the shing attacks attempted to stop Maria, her armor and her equipment''s bonus stats and defense stats swiftly protected her from the majority of the damage. All while Hecate, her dress itself, acted independently, summoning several powerful spells at once. This time the Spells of her Qliphoth Tree Magic Skill activated. Abyssal Life Draining Roots appeared out of thin air, attempting to drain the life off Christine, Decaying Spores of Death weakened her, engulfing her on a cloud of ck spores, Dark Leaves of Soul Tearing attacked her incessantly, trying to cut through her very soul like a storm of ck leaves, and Netherworld''s Bark Armor covered Maria''s body, further boosting her defensive capabilities. "Tch, your strange death magic won''t be able to ever put a dent on me! Die!" Laughed Christine, her eyes shing with bright crimson light. TRUUUM! A ck void appeared within Maria once more, threatening to devour a piece of her soul once more. Yet¡­ her [Void Devourer] Title activated. ----- Chapter 999 Not Even A Decent Warmup! Chapter 999 Not Even A Decent Warmup! ??----- Maria devoured the void created by Christine not once, but twice, thrice, four times, five times, as many as the Vampiress created, trying to destroy her soul, she simply devoured it! The Vampiress gritted her teeth in utter disbelief. She had fought those with enough defenses capable of resisting the magic power of her eyes, but not unable topletely be immune to the damage it causes. The truth was, her eye had a certain range of roughly twenty meters, therefore, she couldn''t use it when Maria was too far away, and this was also the reason why she activated it repeatedly the moment the ghost woman appeared in front of her. However, to Maria, her major trump card was nothing but a snack! "Delicious void. Care to give me more?" Mariaughed, her Void Essence skyrocketed as she gained more and more from absorbing Christine''s attacks. Her arms grew to a titanic size, fusing her Selene''s Palm with her Divine Thunder Body and her other Body rted skills, amassing it all into a pair of titanic arms made of the darkness of the night itself, epassed by a sea of phantasmal mes of death. "[Hades'' Fists Of The Underworld]! [Achlys'' Venomous ws]!" Not just two, but over eight gigantic, titanic arms descended towards Christine, while a dozen ws loaded with venom and lightning shed against her. The Vampiress armor instantly shattered as she tried to take on the attacks. Escaping was futile, as each time she did, she would be attacked from above, below, left, and right before she could make any other rational thought. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! Her entire body started to be distorted, slowly being torn to shreds. Blood and flesh sttering everywhere, and even pieces of her own bones. Her screams of agony reverberated across the entire Shadow Realm. Christine battled back, desperately trying to survive using all her techniquesbined as one! "I won''t fall here! I am a Vampire Countess! My power is iprehensible! Howe a mere pathetic undead like you can overwhelm me?! BULLSHIT!!!" The Vampiress'' entire body started growing stranger and distorted, monstrous. The blood from her wounds gathered around her still regenerating self, as she started to transform. Maria followed by transforming as well, greeting Christine''s "true form" with her Titaness Form. "GRAAAH!" Christine was unrecognizable now, showing her true self, a monstrous and gigantic aberration. It barely looked humanoid, covered on ck and red scales, with exposed, pulsating red flesh. Long bat-like wings and tails, and three massive dinosaur-like heads. All coupled with an assortment of ck and red eyes spread across her body. "So this is what you Vampires truly look like, huh? Wow, color me surprised!" Laughed Maria, channeling the powers of her Evil God Fragments all at once. Chaos essence erupted from within her body, overwhelming the titanic vampire beast. Her gigantic fists pierced through Christine''s flesh and tore it apart. Her ws shed through it and made her bleed, and hundreds of fists made of phantasmal, lightning, and void essences pummeled the giant down, activating her Demonic Ghostly Fist Techniques over and over again. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "WHY YOU¡­?!" Christine roared back, quickly swinging her countless tails against Maria and piercing her body with them, using them like spears themselves. At the same time, all her lost blood gathered on her ws, summoning two enormous, fifty-meter-long blood swords and using them to cut through Marai''s body several times. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "Hahaha, cut me as much as you want, Christine!" Maria mocked her. "I am not a being restricted by my body, or even my soul!" Her Origin continued to regenerate as she absorbed more and more of the endless source of Chaotic Miasma she possessed. Christine, someoneparable to SS Rank threats, and with a well-developed Divine Ember, was being overwhelmed by Maria. Her Halberd and her Sword cut through the Vampiress entire body, forcing her to constantly regenerate her body parts, pushing her to her limits. Maria gathered her powers and quickly summoned an old spell, now boosted several times with all her new abilities and magic powers. "And I''m not even done yet!" Maria roared. "[Gate of the Underworld]!" Half of Maria''s entire body and soul transformed into a gigantic ck gate, distorting space itself and opening a portal towards the Underworld of Yggdrasil, Helheim! The Underworld greeted Christine with the will of Hel herself, as gigantic skeletal ws and phantasmal hands made of billions of souls grasped her entire body, draining away her life force and her soul energy. "AAARRGGH! W-What is this?! NOOOO!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Christine struggled back, her Divinity of Blood, which she had refined through her Divine Ember to give her Blood Aura such enormous power, erupted from her body. Maria felt her soul being sliced apart a thousand times by a thousand des of blood at once. As Christine kept trying to defeat Maria, the ghost with remained calm. The Gate of the Underworld continued draining Christine''s soul energy, and Maria simply dedicated to spread her own soul across the whole Shadow Realm. Even if she was cut down and then blown up to cinders, she could continue regenerating endlessly as long as she had Mana. And thanks to all her equipment bonuses, she had at least ten times as more Mana than ever before! In the entire fight, she had barely spent thirty percent of it! "WHY WON''T YOU DIE?!" "It''ll take more than that to kill me, I already told you! They beheaded me and tried to curse my soul, but here I am!" As Maria roared, all her powers harnessed together into a titanic w made of darkness, death, phantom, moonlight, shadows, and void essence, grasping Christine''s three heads and then crushing them into pieces. "You were not even a decent warmup, Christine." "Stoooop!" Crack, crack¡­! CRAAASH! Christine''s head were blown to pieces, and so her soul, as it was shattered into countless fragments. Maria swiftly devoured them all, feeling a surge of new power. But above all, she ended absorbing a Divine Ember, something that she had never done before. "Ugh¡­" Maria kept her consciousness barely awake, as she fused back with all her fragments lost, regenerating back and beginning to slowly assimte the power she gained. "This was worth the risk, definitely¡­" ----- Author''s Note: Tomorrow we''ll reach 1000 chapters! Fuck yeah! Thank you for reading so far, especially all the Privilege Readers, I love you all!!!11 Chapter 1000 Stopping The Umbralheim Raid Chapter 1000 Stopping The Umbralheim Raid ??----- The Vampires led by Christine dispersed into the rest of the city, aiming to hunt down the civilians for the offering of blood they have been promised and to y the ones that were getting in their way. To their terrible surprise, however, they were greeted with death. They were all powerful Pseudo SS Ranks, already developing their own Divine Embers. However, Maria''s party was prepared. They had the advantage in terms of environment. The Shadow Realm weakened their stats through Maria''s own skills, and further absorbed their energies so their attacks couldn''t be easily conjured. At the same time, some of the heavy hitters were incredibly powerful even for their own Ranks. "You''re nothing but an oversized lizard! Perish!" Laughed a pair of arrogant Vampires, ushing advanced Blood Magic against Lucifer. "Just an oversized lizard?! I''ve had enough!" Lucifer swiftly flew into the skies, shing against both Vampires and their dozens of Vampiric Beasts all at once. His titanic ws tore apart their barriers and their magic simple bounced off his divine dragon scales. The faces of disbelief of the vampires onlysted a couple of seconds before their whole beings were torn to shreds, incapable of channeling their full power as they let themselves be trapped inside of Maria''s Shadow Realm. CRAAASH! Their bodies sttered on the air, as Lucifer bathed on their blood. Noticing they were trying to regenerate after he tore them to shreds with his titanic ws, jaws, and tail, he swiftly loaded his jaws with his Mana. "GRAAAH!" The monstrosity they became after trying to forcefully regenerate after being torn to shreds attacked him, resembling a tentacled aberration made of red, pulsating flesh, bones, and blood. "Vampires from another world are pretty interesting¡­" He smiled. "Maybe things would have been much harder if we weren''t prepared, or if Maria didn''t trap you all inside of her Domain¡­ But good riddance, I don''t want to deal with monsters like you!" He opened his draconic jaws, sting the titanic aberration into ashes with a single, concentrated explosion of Abyssal Death mes. The screams of the twobined vampires and the hundreds of souls within the blood of the people they had consumed reverberated, finally freed from their ursed existences. BOOOMMM!!! "So many souls! These bastards are definitely not like the Vampires of this world¡­ Do they absorb the souls of people they drink their blood from?" Wondered Lucifer. "Perhaps this is the unique way in which they grow inside of their own world?" Without wasting any more time, Lucifer swiftly joined his daughter, fighting hundreds of Vampiric Beasts that kept flying everywhere trying to find prey. Their body parts flew and sttered everywhere, covering the entire city with blood and guts. "You traitorous woman!" "You''re one of us yet you are interrupting our feast?!" "You will die a thousand deaths!" A trio of Vampires harassed Partner, who was swinging her spear and piercing countless Vampiric Beasts. Just some minutes ago she was still looking to ambush the Saintess and her stupid Pdins and get done with today''s whole event. However, Maria told everyone that ns have changed slightly. There was a new opportunity for everyone to grow stronger and at the same time reveal the rest of the world the existence of the Tower and the many other worlds. But it was a risky move, as it involved letting the Warlocks get away with their ns and manage to summon a portal to the world of Umbralheim, where the Vampires originated from. It was quite shocking to learn, but apparently most of the Vampire Tribes that arrived inside of Yggdrasil were weaker refugees from Umbralheim, many of them now beginning to work below the authority of Umbralheim Vampiric Families. Suddenly, things felt like they made much more sense now, in a way. But at the same time, it only made things moreplicated. And that''s without even considering if all their enemy Vampires were in the same boat¡­ Nheless, Partner, as an Undead that evolved into a Vampire through the power of the Soul Book''s Evolution Abilities and Maria''s influence in her growth as her Necromancer Master, found herself surrounded by her "kind", which she has never considered her brethren anyways. "I am not a Vampire like you." She said, her spears dropping the blood and guts of the Vampiric Beasts over the floor. "Don''t think we are brethren. I''ve ughtered many of your kind, and drank their blood. And I''ll continue doing so. You wicked bastards don''t belong in this world!" "You dare¡­?!" "Kill her!" "We''ll feast on your blood!" The trio of Vampires overflowed with their Blood Auras, unaware that their energies were being constantly drained, and their stats were dropping rapidly while being inside of Maria''s Shadow Realm. Partner smiled as they approached though, her Aura was not being drained, and it was only growing stronger as she let it all out.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Both Blood Energy, Chaos, and Demonic Energies merging together, to release an utterly frightening presence¡­ "I might superficially resemble something like a Vampire or a Demon, but I am a skeleton, actually." Partner''s body distorted, as gigantic blood red skeleton ws sprouted out of her back, six of them, big enough to wrestle against titans, and quickly intercept the attacks from the iing Vampires. "B-Bones?!" "What?!" "Skeleton? What kind of bullshit-" Before she could even let them speak anymore, Partner''s skeletal ws pierced through their barriers, something that surprised them greatly, and impaled their bodies several times. One of them managed to die on the spot as their head exploded, but the other two survived, panicking and releasing their true power. They quickly transformed, bing two gigantic abominations resembling fleshy red worms, with dozens of heads and many tiny legs resembling giant fingers. Partner widened her eyes in surprise, her two spears overflowing with her power. "Nice, you''ve gotten bigger! Easier target! Now stay still!" As the two monstrous worms unleashed a foul breath of acid capable of melting it all, Partner ignored their attack, piercing their bodies countless pieces as she flew around them. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Ultimately, her spear reduced their gigantic bodies into piles after piles of flesh, blood, and guts! "Hahaha! Why did you even transform?! You only became easier to hit, dumbasses!" ----- Author''s Note: Congrats to Maria for 1000 Chapters! WTF! There''s like 6 novels I''m writing with over 1k chapters now. Insane... Thanks for reading! Chapter 1001 Overcoming The Floor 60 Raid Chapter 1001 Oveing The Floor 60 Raid ??----- Emeraldine continued shooting down Vampiric Beasts as they came. Utilizing her masterful bow and arrow techniques, she shot down countless monsters before any could ever reach her. And when a flock of bats finally arrived at her vicinity, she simply leaped away from their range and shoot them down with a barrage of explosive, fiery arrows. The upgraded bow that Maria made for her, coupled with her many specialized magic archer skills and her two Divine Spirits made her someone frighteningly powerful and fast. She was no longer a "frail archer" nor a "frail healer" at all. She was a force to be reckoned with, so much that Christine told her vampires to prioritize her death. "There it is! The elven archer!" "Catch her! Kill her!" "Behead her at once!" Emeraldine''s bright eyes shone with spiritual brilliance. The moment the vampires attacked her with their powerful weapons, she leaped off the ground and then started flying using her big fairy wings, taking speeds the vampires themselves were barely able to catch up while in midair. FLASH! "She''s so damn fast!" "Catch her!" "Cast your barriers or-"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Your barriers have no power here." Emeraldine said with a confident smile. She pointed an arrow made of pure magical spiritual essence and fired it towards the vampire. In a single second, one of them was engulfed on an explosion of pure light. Their barrier shattered without a second of dy, and the vampire inside of such barrier was quickly burned to ashes, only giving out ast scream of pain. "Gryyyaagh!" BOOOM! The other Vampires weren''t left unscathed, the explosion of light shattering their barriers and slightly burning their skin. They attacked Emeraldine furiously, countless rains of Blood Magic chasing her down. Blood Projectiles, Crimson Stars, Explosive Blood mes, and more spells were conjured against her. However, Emeraldine seemed unscathed, her wings were incredibly tough, acting as some sort of shield for her. All while her armor and dress, made by Maria, further boosted her stats and reduced the damage she took. Her Yggdrasil Wood protected her with another additional barrier of defenses, creating floating wooden shields that intercepted many attacks for her. "Dammit!" CRASH! "Stop!" CLASH! "Her defenses are too good!" BAAAM! Emeraldine was being constantly attacked from all sides. But had received no assistance from allies. If she just asked for it, Maria would appear immediately to her side and fend off these vampires. But the half-elf didn''t want to bother her, even less when Maria was busy fighting Christine in this moment. And it wasn''t as if Emeraldine even needed assistance. As the Vampires constantly flocked around her with their Vampiric Beasts, she sted them with an endless barrage of hundreds of arrow projectiles. Explosions of light constantly covered her surroundings, the Vampires unable to even touch her, died one after another, falling like flies! "Come, as many as you can! I will dly burn you all to ashes, if that''s what you truly want!" Emeraldine said with a ruthless voice, creating a gigantic arrow of Yggdrasil Wood and enchanting it with her spirit''s powers. "[Yggdrasil''s Cannon]!" FLAAASH! A cannon of pure green and golden colored spiritual energy was sted out of her bow, disintegrating three more Vampires and over a hundred Vampiric Beasts at once. It didn''t even matter that they transformed into their giant, aberrant forms, the Vampires died anyways. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The battles continued and the Vampires were constantly cornered, until the veryst of them was in, beheaded by Nyx''s powerful axe and then eaten whole with her giant dragon jaws. The rest of the Vampiric Beasts were quickly ughtered by Maria''s many Undead. The Raid from the World of Umbralheim was aplete failure, their attempt at trying to reap some nice rewards and blood out of this innocent and small city in the middle of the desert was futile! And with the death of Christine by the hands of Maria''s almighty prowess, and the prompt destruction of her soul, origin, and divine ember as Maria made sure to eat herpletely, the Raid ended. And a message for everyone to see across the entirety of Yggdrasil appeared, created by the Tower''s System itself. [Congrattions, inhabitants of [Floor 50: Yggdrasil]! You have sessfully fended off the Raid from [Floor 60: Umbralheim]!] [It has been confirmed that the inhabitants of [Floor 50: Yggdrasil] have sessfully in every single invader.] [It has been confirmed that no casualties provoked by the Raid have been registered, bonus rewards will be administrated as a celebratorypensation.] [The Raid Points Distribution has begun; Raid Points Ranking has been created.] [Showcasing [Floor 60: Umbralheim] Raid Rankings¡­] [Rank 1: Maria] [Reward: 100.000] [Rank 2: Emeraldine] [Reward: 80.000] [Rank 3: Partner] [Reward: 60.000] [Rank 4: Lucifer] [Reward: 50.000] [Rank 5: Nyx] [Reward: 40.000] [Rank 6¡­] [¡­] Maria was shocked to see the whole messages appear, as she multitasked, turning the Vampiric Beasts and Vampire Corpses into new and powerful Undead. She smiled, seeing the new Points being distributed to her. Ding! [Congrattions, you''ve in the [Raid Boss: Vampire Countess Christine (SS+++ Rank)], you earned +25.000 Raid Points.] [For having in her by yourself and without help, you received a bonus +10.000 Raid Points.] [Because you hunted down a Raid Boss a whole Realm above yours, you have received a bonus of +10.000 Raid Points.] [You have in 247 Vampiric Beasts, you earned +24.700 Raid Points.] [Total Raid Points Earned: 169.700] [You have unlocked the Raid Shop! You can ess the Raid Shop at any time, and as long as you have Raid Points.] [However, once your Floor begins a new Raid, the previous Raid Shop will be overwritten, and the Raid Points earned previously will also be lost.] [Please make sure to spend your Raid Points as quickly as possible.] "So there''s a whole Raid Shop I can benefit of now, huh?" Maria licked her lips after she finished swallowing the soul fragments of Christine. "Oh well, we better get done with something else first¡­" The Shadow Realm slowly dissipated, revealing the beautiful moonlight above the night, starry skies. The church of the goddess of water was in a hugemotion and so the rest of the poption that hadn''t been inside the Shadow Realm. "YOU! What have you done?! What is the meaning of THIS?!" The Saintess was raging atop the church, her Divine Powers surging from within her body and soul. "Ah, you''re out already! Nice, let''s end this quickly." ----- Chapter 1002 Fighting The Saintess Of Springs! Chapter 1002 Fighting The Saintess Of Springs! ??----- As the Shadow Realm dissipated and the people were freed from the darkness, the Saintess red at Maria and her allies with frustration and rage. She was caught off-guard as everything happened. Mostly meditating while living in luxury as always. She had imagined that Maleficus would do everything for her, and that Maria and her allies would simply not dare to confront her directly, fully knowing she held the power of a Goddess as their Saintess. However, she was wrong, from one moment to another, the entire world changed. The sky turned deep red, and invaders from another world appeared. As someone that was always feed on lies, she also had no idea what this whole Tower thing was, and why were messages from the Soul Book everyone thought was a personal thing, was now appearing everywhere and could be seen by everyone. Things only got more confusing and chaotic when half her city was engulfed by shadows, it didn''tst too long though, and it also got rid of the invading vampires too. But her anger, frustration, and confusion were not fading away. "So you dare to finally show your faces in front of the entire poption, you monsters?" The Saintess decided to take this opportunity to twist the entire perception of the citizens. "My people! Do you see the shadows that engulfed everyone before? What happened just moments ago? And the invading creatures from hell? It was all their fault! These monsters have been hiding inside of our city, tormenting our people, making everyone suffer!" The Saintess was trying her best to twist this entire situation towards her favor. She always believed the passive people of this city would believe any easy to digest lies. If she could turn their hatred against Maria and her friends, who were clearly trying to liberate them from the church, she could quite possibly force them to retreat or to lower their guard, giving her a time to strike them down. "These horrendous people! They''re at fault for everything that has happened to you! It is because of them that the water has be limited! They have been draining it away and-" "Uuggh, just SHUT UP!" Suddenly, a little girl in the crowd cried out loud. Over thirty Pdins obeying the Saintess swiftly pointed their eyes at the girl, gripping their weapons tightly. Daring to talk back to the Saintess as a sin worth death penalty. "W-What? Who dares?!" "SHUT UP! You big bully! You''re the one stealing the water! I saw it! I saw them! These people, even if some look weird, they were helping us! Without them mama and I would have died!" The girl that spoke was in fact the one that was almost eaten by a Giant Vampiric Bat minutes ago. "T-That''s¡­ That''s right!" Her mother nodded, standing up with her daughter. "Are you going to ignore what we saw?! Those messages about a Tower, about other worlds!" "Yeah! That''s right! The church is lying to us!" "They said our world was protected by the Gods, but those monsters came out of nowhere and attacked us!" "Have we been feed a lie by the church this entire time?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You''re not a Saintess, just a con artist!" "You came here and stole all our water, you made so many people die of thirst, you fucking monster!" "We don''t care about your damn church! GIVE US BACK THE WATER!" "GIVE US BACK THE WATER!" "GIVE US BACK THE WATER!" "GIVE US BACK THE WATER!" The people started rising and screaming, the Pdins were forced to step back as a flood of thousands of people rushed towards them. They were trying to climb the walls surrounding the Oasis, aiming for the water. "W-What?! You bastards, you inhumane little insects! HOW¡­ HOW DARE YOU?!" As the Saintess face distorted in utter disbelief of the mob rising against her and the church, Maria stood there, atop a roof, she had said nothing, and she had done nothing either. She simply stood there, smiling. "Saintess or not, you never had these people''s hearts, Emilia!" She said with a confident smile. "These people are strong hearted, they would have eventually rioted back, even if that meant risking their own lives. You were already pushing them this far! Did you ever thought that negating them something as vital as water would ever work?! You werepletely swallowed by your own greed." "S-SHUT UP! There is no such thing as greed in my actions, people!" Cried Emilia, trying to act innocent. "These were trials! Trials set by the Goddess of Water! She wanted to see how far your faith would carry you! You would have been rewarded by her divine grace and-" Before she could speak another word, someoneunched a rotten tomato into her face, making her gasp and choke with its contents. She fell to her knees, groaning and vomiting. "FUCK YOU! Get the hell out of our town, you fake Saintess!" "GET OUT!" "GIVE US BACK THE WATER!" Emilia gritted her teeth, azure light surging from her eyes as the whole church suddenly started to tremble. Her Divine Aura surged almost endlessly from her body. Several magic circles activated surrounding the entire temple, as a gigantic barrier of azure divine light materialized itself. FLAAASH! The barrier released a powerful shockwave, as Maria noticed the people that were trying to climb the walls were all sent flying. With her powers, she swiftly caught everyone that would have been seriously hurt, as phantasmal hands carried them away to safety. "You''ll pay for saying that¡­ I was already nning on moving somewhere else. I''ve gathered enough wealth and divinity here anyways!" Smiled Emilia, showing a wicked expression on her face. "You can all go rot in Helheim for all I care, you filthy cockroaches!" She smashed the floor with her divine staff, the entire Domain expanded into a gigantic temple made of divine water, shocking everyone. The Pdins surrounding her all started transforming at the same time, bing monstrous marine- like chimeric creatures. None of them had a will of their own, already having been modified into obedient ves by the Warlocks. "Hahahah! You want your damn water? You can have it! I''ll drown you with it!" The wicked Saintess manipted the waters of the Oasis, as a gigantic wave was about to crush and drown everything. SPLAAASH! Chapter 1003 The Privileged Life Of The Saintess Chapter 1003 The Privileged Life Of The Saintess ??----- Emilia was born as the Saintess of Springs and Fountains, given the Divine Blessing of the Goddess of Water, Oceania, daughter of Odin, the God of Light. Since early in her age that she was surrounded by luxuries, as a member of the highest noble families within the Empire of Light, she had everything she could ever hope for or ask for. Her parents conceited her every need, treating her like a miraculous child that needed to be spoiled with absolute everything she ever asked for. She was never denied a single thing, and was always given everything she ever needed, and more. Saints and Heroes in the Empire of Light held great authority over the poption and even Nobles. Therefore, even the Nobles had to treat them with utmost respect, as if they were members of royalty themselves. Surrounded by luxury and never facing struggles or pain, Emilia grew increasingly selfish, with apleteck of empathy even towards her parents. As her powers developed, she was brought to the church and taught many new magic spells and skills, they introduced her to the powers of the Soul Book''s Status and allowed her strength to blossom by helping her gain easy EXP by bringing her captured monsters and people to y and level up. It was a rather annoying thing when she was ordered by the Emperor that she needed to go into a "crusade" towards the pagannds of the Gold Sand Confederation to spread the church of Light''s teachings, especially that of the Water Goddess. She was reluctant, but she knew she couldn''t disobey the orders of the Divine Emperor, the Saint of Light and the one that harbored the Divine Protection of Odin himself, the father of the Water Goddess. Ultimately, she did as she was told, bringing with herself over thirty Water Church Pdins to protect her, she made her way into the Goldsand Confederation, setting down in the Sapphire Temple City, which was called like this after their former guardian, a Divine Oasis Spirit. As Emilia took over their church with her men and her authority, she discovered the true identity of the Divine Oasis Spirit through a special Oracle sent to her by her Goddess. She was told this Divine Oasis Spirit''s true name was Naiad, a Divine Spirit that betrayed the Goddess of Water and abandoned her, deciding to live her own life instead of serving her. And she also told her that her Soul was still there, lingering somewhere. She had reincarnated within the body of a human. And she gave Emilia the task of finding this person and sacrifice them on the name of the Water Goddess, offering their soul to her so the Goddess could absorb their powers. However, with what she had, she would be unable to locate him quickly. And she decided to cooperate with an organization hiding in the shadows, who approached her first, offering her to give her Pdins all the power they could get. The Warlocks. Emilia had considered ying them for being filthy vampires, but after an oracle from her goddess, she decided to cooperate with them. It seemed Oceania desired to use these Vampires for her own goals, unaware of what Maleficus and the Warlocks nned themselves. Using the Vampires, she was able to transform her Pdins, turning them into even more loyal puppets for her, and she was even given a special artifact by the Vampires, something that could boost her powers even more. Slowly, she was beginning to realize where that child could be, while oppressing the people of the city by limiting their water reserves, earning an incredible amount of money from their taxes and from them buying water out of her. She couldn''t believe how rich she was getting with this. And even her own goddess seemed to praise her smarts, asking her to donate at least a part of her earnings to her father''s churchter. Her actions couldn''t simply belong to what a Saintess represented, she never guided someone, she never helped anybody, and only abused her powers and authority for her own benefit. If anything, she was just another monster. And right now, as everything seemed to be falling apart in front of her, she bared her fangs, showing how much of a wicked woman she truly was. "Drown! I''ll drown you all, you ungrateful cockroaches! Pitiful pagans like you, with no authority whatsoever, dare to talk back to me?! To insult me?! Drown in the water you wanted so much! I''ll give it all to you!" Sheughed maliciously. The Oasis waters shook, she used her powerful control over water masses to easily lift half the Oasis water and unleash it as a tsunami, attempting to drown the entire city. Her powers were naturally equal or higher than an S Rank threat. SPLAAASH! The people panicked, screaming in horror as they ran away from the iing waves. Their eyes widened as they saw the water they desired so much,ing towards them to drown them to death. "Mamaaa!" The girl cried, hugging her mother. "That wicked Saintess¡­! Damn you, you bitch!" The girl''s mother screamed as she held her mother tightly. "DAMN YOU!!" As everyone despaired, a sudden wave of azure light and darkness shed against the iing waves. A third of the water was instantly frozen into a giant wave of ice, which then shattered into incredibly small ice particles, snowing over the town. The second third of the water was instantly swallowed by a mass of pure ck void. And thest third of it was controlled by another force, shaped into a giant sea snake, and sent back to Emilia. "Wha¡­?!" The Saintess gasped in disbelief as a gigantic sea snake shed against her Church''s Divine Barrier, the explosion was so powerful it sent several cracks through the barrier, weakening it severely! CRAAASH! Crack, crack¡­! "Impossible! What¡­ How could they control water?! That''s only a thing I can do! Unless¡­" She muttered, her eyes furiously looking down to notice the culprit.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The person she had been looking all this time, the reincarnation of Naiad, the traitorous Divine Spirit that left Goddess Oceania! "That damned child is here¡­" Emilia smiled wickedly, her eyes full of fascination. "Good, rejoice, my goddess. I shall finally offer you the soul of the traitor!" ----- Chapter 1004 The Saintess of Springs Versus The Saintess of Death Chapter 1004 The Saintess of Springs Versus The Saintess of Death ??----- Celes and his mother, Nia, were standing atop the tallest rooftops of the city. Apanied by Takeshi, Laura, and Tear as their bodyguards. Naturally, Eustace was also manifesting himself behind Celes, protecting the child''s back. At the same time, Nyx was watching over them from the skies. The Saintess was already beginning to conjure more of her powerful magic. "Her barrier is really tough; I wasn''t able to break it!" Said Celes. "It is fueled by a lot of divine power¡­ M-Maybe from the Goddess of Water?" "Most likely." Tear nodded. "You did well, little Celes. Don''t overexert yourself and let us also take some of the burden. We''ve been tasked with stopping her attacks while Maria and the rest take care of her." "You''ve got your mom here as well!" Nia said, wielding her spear. Her wind aura erupting from her body. "We''re ready for anything!" "That''s right¡­" Eustace nodded, wielding his phantasmal sword. "I am not as good as you in controllingrge quantities of water, but I canplement your abilities, Celes. Just rely on me!" Takeshi said cheerfully. "I''ll blow away anything that gets closer¡­ Don''t worry." Laura winked at the boy. "I''ll stay here and protect you all too!" Nyx roared in her giant, draconic form. "Nobody is hurting my cute friend Celes!" "Nyx¡­ Everyone¡­" Celes felt slightly moved by everyone protecting and at the same time, relying on him. His Divine Spiritual Powers surged more and more from his soul, as if growing stronger based on the emotions he felt. "Thank you! I-I''ll do my best too!" Maria nodded as she saw the boy gain more of his resolve. Her eyes quickly set on Emilia. As her Shadow Realm spread across the entire city. Undead swiftly grabbed every person back into her shadows. She couldn''t risk them dying here, so she''ll have to "kidnap" them for a bit. "What are you waiting for, you useless beasts?! Attack them!" Emilia ordered her Pdins. "Yes, Saintess Emilia¡­" "We will¡­ FIGHT!" "For¡­ the¡­ goddess¡­ RAAARRGH!" The Pdins, once normal humans with their own dreams and futures, transformed into aberrant chimeric monsters, mostly all resembling sea critters. Some looked like water hydras, other like sea snakes, some like river wyverns, and many like giant crabs and octopus hybrids. The Corrupted Water Spirit Crystal Hearts ced inside of them changed their appearance into these forms instead of the more demonic appearances of the Demonite Hearts, and their stats were further boosted as Emilia released her Aura of Water Divinity. "I learned from the memories of Maleficus that you forced upon these Pdins to be these monsters." Mariamented above the skies. Saintess Emilia swiftly directed her gaze towards her. "You''re really fucked in the head, aren''t you? I''m going to enjoy killing you." "Tch! They''re nothing but my loyal puppets! I can do as I please with them!" Emilia roared furiously. "And you say you''re going to kill me, you filthy ghost?! Hah! I doubt it! I have the power of a Goddess at my side! [Holy Azure Spiraling Vortexes]!" Emilia didn''t waste a second, conjuring a hundred azure-colored magic circles and directing them all towards Maria while the waters of the Oasis prepared yet another destructive tsunami. Maria saw the hundred of attacks, charged with deadly divinity and made of Holy Water, they impacted her body, leaving holes that disintegrated her phantasmal body with ease. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!N?v(el)B\\jnn "Oh?" "Hahahah!" Emiliaughed as she saw Maria''s barrier break easily and her body beginning to disintegrate as the Holy Water magic easily destroyed her phantasmal body. She looked at Maria with eyes full of cockiness. "What? Did you thought that water was weak, you ghost?! If you''re an Undead, then Holy Water will indeed easily destroy your very existence! My magic is a terrible match against you, fool! [Holy Azure Whale''s Maws]!" As Emilia celebrated, she conjured arger magic circle, summoning a gigantic whale-shaped mass of divine azure holy water, which opened its jaws, swimming directly towards Maria and swallowing herpletely. CRUNCH! Maria''s entire body dissipated into nothingness as she was engulfed by a never-ending stream of water, before the huge whale was to fall into the city below like a rain of acid, her Shadow Realm spreading everywhere was also beginning to be slightly effected. "Wait, I killed her already? Well, that was easy!" Sheughed. "Now I just have to dispose of the rest of you filthy maggots. And then I''ll go back home, be rewarded for my great feats, and live peacefully while my parents spoil me! Gyahahaha!" Emilia was so full of herself she was already nning her next vacations. It was clear that she and the people of the Empire of Light were livingpletely different lives than the rest of the people of Yggdrasil, so devoid of any sense of responsibility, with so much luxury! While the rest of the people here were only thinking what they''ll be able to provide for their families tomorrow, she had everything for granted, imagining herself rxing in some sort of resort. "All of you will perish!" She smiled, the waves of the Oasis'' water already rushing down! SPLASH! However, yet again to her surprise, the water was stopped! Half of it was frozen, the other half was controlled by Celes, Eustace, Nia, and Takeshi''sbined magical powers. Nia''s winds spiraling around the water to keep it stable in midair, while the rest controlled it. "Take it back!" Celes roared, his eyes shing with azure light, a giant dragon made of water impacted the Divine Barrier protecting the church once more. CRAAASH! Crack, crack¡­! More cracks spread across the barrier, but Emilia couldn''t care less. After she killed Maria, she thought everything else would be a piece of cake. She waved her hands,pletely unaware of the creeping darkness and phantasmal energies gathering and piercing through the cracks of her Divine Barrier. "You''re all so pathetic! Your struggles will only make this more enjoyable! Let''s see how hard you struggle, you- Ugh?!" Before she could speak another word, Maria materialized behind her, her hands grasping her tender neck¡­ "Emilia, you shouldn''t lower your guard in front of a ghost!" ---- Chapter 1005 The Attack Of The Paladin Chimeras Chapter 1005 The Attack Of The Pdin Chimeras ??----- The Pdin Chimeras leaped into the city, crushing the buildings as they monstrously destroyed everything. The smallest of them was at least seventy meters of height, true titansmanded with the very task of crushing the entire city to the ground and eat everyone. The aura of the Saintess further boosting their power. They were all already within the realm of S- Rank Monsters, but with this, they could even reach the Realm of S Rank Monsters. "Destroy everything¡­ Drown it all!" A gigantic octopus and crab hybrid-like chimera roared, its tentacles spreading everywhere, trying to find people to crush, although the shadows had already taken them away, he was still trying to destroy any building on his path. "Oh, this guy got a lot of meaty tentacles, he''s going to be a tasty Takoyaki!" Partner appeared above the monster, her two spears descending towards it in a split of a second. "[Blood Spear Rend]!" Two shes of pure crimson blood energy were unleashed, piercing through the tentacled abomination. It attempted to resist with its many limbs, and by vomiting miasmic breath, but Partner easily tanked all hits with her natural and incredible vitality. "Die! [Blood re]!" She detonated all the blood energy left behind within the monster''s wounds, as an explosion of crimson fire engulfed the creature, blowing it up into pieces. She smiled as she stood above the burnt corpse, taking out a piece of the roasted tentacles and eating it. "Hmm, bleh, this tastes awful actually." As she threw away the tentacle, she looked into the skies. Two gigantic shark-headed, wyvern-winged chimeras were trying to break through Maria''s Shadow Realm, trying to seek the people she was protecting. "Nuh-huh, you''re not doing that!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om With a leap into the skies, she resembled a crimson blur, appearing right above the two chimeras. A predatory smile in her beautiful, wless face, as her crimson eyes shone brightly. Chains made of her own blood, darkness, and her demonic energy were unleashed, wrapping around the wings of the monsters and making them immediately fall. "ROOAR!" "SHAAH!" Both monstrosities roared back at her, unleashing a double breath attack of azure holy water. Deadly against Undead and Vampires, which she was both! However, Partner simply started spinning both of her spears as she epassed her body on her Aura. BOOOM! The two breath attacks impacted her, as she sliced them through the air using her powerful spears and her Aura. Her techniques were constantly evolving and bing stronger. She descended, attacking both beasts with a barrage of piercing strikes, her Aura shaping into the form of a ferocious viper biting their foe. "[Blood Viper''s Fangs]" CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The monstrosities were unable to react in time, their bodies covered on countless holes, reduced to piles of minced flesh before they were to even be able to fight back. "Heh, well this was easier than I thought¡­ Master better gets this done with quickly, I want to take a break~" She yawned. At the same time, simr battles happened across the entire city. Now devoid of any citizens, everyone was allowed to go all-out without worrying. Maria even said she''ll help the citizens repair the housester anyways. "ROOOAAR!" Lucifer roared mightily, unleashing a devastating breath attack of Abyssal Death mes, piercing through the scaled armor of a Water Dragon-like Chimera, with seven sea snake-like heads. It was one of thergest chimeras around, almost at the same size as his dragon form. BOOOM! The explosion of ck mes consumed the monster''s left shoulder, making it decay and fall down while slowly dissolving. The creature groaned in agony, red tentacles popping out of the wounds, trying to overwhelm Lucifer by sucking away his Mana by attempting to pierce his scales. "Hah, fool." However, the tentacles were too weak, his pristine ck scales couldn''t even be pierced. Lucifer charged his ws with his mes, quickly slicing through the fake draconic chimera''s heads, and beheading itpletely. "GRAAARGH!" The monster wasn''t dead yet, from where the heads were, a mass of endless sharp teeth and eyes popped out, like the head of a hagfish, it attempted to devour Lucifer''s whole face. However, the dragon smiled, quickly piercing the open mouth with his ws and then releasing all his power inside of the aberration''s stomach. "If you''re so hungry, eat as much as you want! [Chaotic Catastrophe]!" An explosion of pure chaos materialized inside of the monster''s stomach as Lucifer channeled his strongest explosive spell. The monster''s body grew swollen like a balloon, before blowing up into countless pieces. BOOOM! "Hmph¡­" He red at the dozen more chimeras appearing around him. "I guess my job here is not done yet¡­ Just how many of you did that bitch had stashed somewhere?" There weren''t as many Pdins as chimeras, in fact. This was because the Pdins themselves were so monstrous they were transformed to "give birth" to more of their own. Only thirty or so Pdins ended bing hundreds of smaller chimeras spread everywhere. Self-dividing to spread chaos and destruction. "Die, you little bugs." Lucifer had already lost most of his patience, crushing the smaller chimeras with his ws and foot, while persecuting therger ones and quickly taking them down. At the same time, Emeraldine aimed into the skies with her arrow. Her sharp emerald-colored eyes focusing on the flock of a hundred flying shark-headed wyvern-winged chimeras, all born from a single pdin chimera flying with them, which was around ten times asrge as them. "I can''t possibly let those escape Maria''s Shadow Realm!" Focusing and channeling all her Mana and Spiritual Essence into her bow, she unleashed a single, gigantic arrow made of rainbow colors. Which then split into a hundred more. The skies were covered by the colors of the rainbow, as the wyvern-like shark-headed chimeras werepletely massacred by a shower of explosions. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Naturally, their titanic leader''s heart was swiftly pierced as it was distracted by the attacks, a huge arrow made of Yggdrasil Wood spread its roots through its internal body, until its entire body blew up. CRASH! "As long as I am here, nobody will disrupt the skies." As everyone fought to defend the city and kill the chimeras, Emilia felt Maria''s cold hands grasp her tender neck tightly. "Emilia, are you prepared to die?" "G-Get away from meeee!" FLASH! ----- Chapter 1006 Kill The Saintess! Chapter 1006 Kill The Saintess! ??----- "How did you get inside the Divine Barrier?!" Emilia was filled with disbelief as she felt Maria''s hands touch her tender white neck. "Get away from meeee!" With a scream full of horror and panic, the Saintess released her Divine Powers. Maria was instantly forced to step back as a shockwave of pure Divine Azure Holy Water Aura erupted from Emilia, resembling a ring of pure blue radiance. FLAAASH! "Oh, not too shabby I see. So you do have some closebat protection too, huh? Your goddess must really love you." Maria teased her. The phantasmal body she possessed swiftly reformed as if nothing, even as it was burning by the Holy Water. Her equipment was reducing the damage taken greatly. "You thought Holy Water would be of some effect against me? I might be a ghost and an undead, but I do have my equipment." "A ghost using equipment¡­ What sort of ridiculous being are you?!" Emilia asked with a disgusted face. "How did you survive that attack?! I thought you died! ¡­Just how?!" "I died? I am much more than you imagine, Emilia. I am not just a tiny little ghost woman." Laughed Maria. "I''ve long ago stopped being just that! [Poisonous Cmity Swarm Form]! [Army of Dread]!" As Mariaughed, she spread out her entire body into a mass of purple sludge, poison spread everywhere, shaping into countless, monstrous bugs of all shapes and sizes,pletely overwhelming the Saintess from left and right! "Gyaaaggh! Disgusting! You''re so gross!" She used her Divine Protection Aura to defend from the deadly poison, but her Divine Barrier grew weaker as Maria kept weakening it with her very body. At the same time, Emilia was constantly killing Maria''s Swarm Body, which kept multiplying into all matter of critters. This was Maria''s [Poisonous Cmity Swarm Form]''s special power, bybining her Swarm and Poison Forms, she was able to activate the [Army of Dread] Ability, which transforms half her body into an endless army of Poison-made Insects that inherit 30% of her total stats. And there were hundreds of them endlessly surging! "Go away! You disgusting critters! Noooo!" The Saintess kept weeping in horror as beams of azure spiraling water were released from her staff and her divine aura, blowing away the critters, only for more and more toe. "It''s useless, Saintess. The moment I made up my mind, your death was inevitable." Maria''s voice reverberated around Emilia, her entire body resembling an endless eldritch mass of pulsating purple sludge and crimson eyes, where the insects kepting from endlessly. "Who are you to say such things?! You''re nothing but a dead woman! A damned witch we executed because you were distracting our Hero of Light!" She cried. "If it wasn''t for you, I could have gotten closer to Jonathan! Uuggghhh!" "Huh? What are you¡­ Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!" Mariaughed. "So you knew about me! Now this is rich! Why is every dumb bitch from the Empire of Light so angry I conquered Jonathan''s heart? Can''tprehend that I''m hotter and cooler than all of youme ass bitches?! GET A LIFE, WHORE!" Maria became increasingly angry it was always some stupid bullshit like this. Her entire monstrous body shapeshifted, as her two weapons descended towards Emilia. The Saintess shields defended her barely from a barrage of devastating attacks. CLASH! CLASH! CRASH! "You damn¡­ You''re the whore hereeeee!" Emilia cried like a stupid little girl. Her shields beginning to weaken with every strike they tanked. "Stop it! You damn¡­! STOP IT, I SAY!" "It''s always the same with you fools, you''ve grown too ustomed to a life of luxury. You know very well those Gods are not real Gods, right? It''s all a damned fabrication!" Maria roared. "While the rest of the world has been struggling to survive after their arrival, you all have been living your best lives, spoiled by those damned bastards. But that''s about to change now! And it will begin with your death, Saintess!" Maria''s halberd and sword impacted Emilia''s divine shield onest time, at the same time as the rest of her body managed to destroy the Divine Domain surrounding her church. Her weapons hacked and shed through the Saintess body, cutting one of her arms with the shoulder, and slicing her left leg.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om SLAAASH! "Gyyyaaarrrggh! AAAGGH!" The Saintess had never felt in her entire life as much pain as now. It was something almost life changing, and well, naturally, life threatening. Her eyes were filled with despair as she saw Maria''s monstrous body creeping in towards her, tentacles and jaws open, ready to devour her whole. "You''re nothing but a meal to me. Just die already." "Nooo! Goddess, please save me!" Emilia cried like a spoiled brat even as she was dying of bleeding and missing two limbs. And to Maria''s surprise, the fool of a Goddess that choose her responded to her calling. The skies above broke open, as the clouds dissipated to reveal a ray of blue light descending towards Emilia''s dying body. "What the¡­?!" FLAAASH! Maria was instantly blown away by the azure divinity that descended,pletely fusing into Emilia''s dying body and transforming herpletely. The woman rose into the skies, resembling the very embodiment of the Goddess of Water now. Her hair turned into flowing azure light, resembling water itself. Her eyes shone like sapphires, her clothes resembled flowing waves of azure light, and her lost arm and legs were reced by new ones, made of divine water essence. Her staff transformed too, bing a long and mighty blue trident, overflowing with divinity! "I can''t believe you would dare go so far, you monster!" She roared. It wasn''t Emilia talking anymore. "You dare touch my little Saintess?!" "Oh? Is that the Goddess herself? Not just ame divine spirit I could eat in one bite?" Maria asked with excitement, her monstrous body quickly reforming together into a mass of countless insects and purple sludge. "What a surprise to see you here, Goddess of Water, daughter of Odin, Oceania! Probably the most golden spooned woman in this entire world!" "Saintess of Death¡­ If you wanted me to finish you off so badly, here I am¡­" The Goddess of Water fiercely roared, pointing her trident at Maria! ----- Chapter 1007 The Goddess Of Water Descends! Chapter 1007 The Goddess Of Water Descends! ??----- Why was Maria referring to the Goddess of Water as the most golden spooned woman in the entire world of Yggdrasil? Well, it was quite simple. She was someone born from a Ranker that ascended into a God inside of Yggdrasil, naturally. Despite her parents having perhaps humbler origins, she was born a Ranker and a Goddess, given everything from the get-go. Her simrities to Emilia were many, and perhaps this was the reason why she was so overprotective of the annoying cocky little Saintess. Emilia used her [Divine Descent] Skill in the veryst moment, allowing the Goddess to turn into an Ethereal form and descend into her body, temporarily fusing with her and turning her into an Avatar of herself. Within the Laws of this world set by Yggdrasil herself, Gods were not allowed to descend physically without many penalties. This was something the Rankers that usurped the throne of the original gods had to ept to gain the Authority of Gods of a World they conquered, giving them immense authority over everything else. However, naturally, there were many loopholes such as these! Saints and Heroes were modeled and cultivated by the Gods, as they imbued part of their souls and divinities into their bodies from a young age, turning them into perfect vessels for their descents. Maria was well aware Hel was doing something simr with her, but their rtionship was much more of equals than of master and servant,pletely different to the rtionship between Oceania and Emilia, where it was rather obvious that the goddess saw the Saintess as nothing but a little doll that she didn''t want to break. "Saintess of Death¡­ If you wanted me to finish you off so badly, here I am¡­" The Goddess of Water fiercely roared, pointing her trident at Maria. But to her surprise, the ghost wasn''t scared. She was brimming with happiness! In fact, this was what she wanted this whole time she fought Emilia! The truth was, she could have killed her much sooner. But was purposely dying her death, making her suffer, so she would be forced to bring a goddess into her body. "Hahaha! You''re so hrious, love." Maria smiled, her powerful skills activating one after another in quick session. Her Mind expanded as a Domain; her Shadow Realm fused into her body. Her many Body Skills activated at once. A mass of poison, insects, snakes, ck thunder, death, phantasmal hands, moonlight, void, shadows, and even frost gathered within her, and thenbined into a Titaness. Maria''s stats skyrocketed as her appearance changed, bing a dark yet beautiful Titaness of Moonlight, with an armor of divine ck thunder and demonic insects, poison and shadowsposed her very being, and her aura of death only became even stronger. "Do you truly believe I am afraid of you?" "Tch¡­ You might have been given the power to somehow evolve into a Titan, the original gods of this world! But that means NOTHING! You have even yet to develop a Divine Ember, have you?! Hahahaha!" Oceania mocked Maria as she flew towards her, resembling a blur of azure light. Her Divinity erupted, transforming her very surroundings. Maria found herself trapped within a Divinity Domain where she could only see water, drowning her deeper and deeper. SPLAAASH! "Drown to death, into the deepest parts of the sea!" Oceania''s trident attempted to pierce Maria''s chest, the Goddess swiftly aiming towards the ghost''s soul and her Origin. She knew that as long as she could shatter that, Maria would die for real and nothing of her would remain behind. The Goddess smiled as she saw Maria struggle, the seas epassing her Titanic body. Her two weapons unable to reach the much smaller avatar of the Goddess of Water. This was it! This was her time to shine! "I''ll y another of you filthy Titans, just like father once did! I''ll free this world of you horribly and ugly barbarians! Gyahahaha!" The spoiled goddess couldn''t stopughing. CLAAASH! Her trident pierced Maria''s chest, managing to even pierce Hecate''s clothing armor with ease and reaching Maria''s deepest soul. Azure Divine Light erupted, spreading through all of Maria''s soul at once, burning through it all! "Die! Die! DIE!" The "angelic" goddess couldn''t stopughing and screaming, telling Maria to die like the dog she thought she was. But darkness kept creeping out of Maria''s wound, slowly spiraling around the trident¡­ And then forming a wide, ck hole. "[Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth]"N?v(el)B\\jnn TRUUUM! A wave of void and chaos epassed Oceania''s arms and her trident. In a split of a second, the void within Maria consumed it all, as she constantly absorbed the goddess Divine Energy and Mana, while devouring her arms, pieces of her soul, and her Divine Weapon all at once! CRUUUNCH! "Gryyyaaagggh! YOU MONSTER! LET ME GOOOO!" The Goddess cocky face distorted in utter horror as Maria started to embrace her in a deadly hug. Her gigantic six muscr arms belonging to her titaness form grabbed her tightly without letting her go as the two fell deeper into the Domain of Oceans. "Delicious, I''ve never tasted such a tender and tasty meal before." Maria felt overflowing with divine power. One of her hands suddenly materialized a giant trident, the same one that Oceania was wielding, but corrupted, it was ck, overflowing with Chaos and Void. "My Divine Relic! W-What did you do to my Trident?!" Oceania screamed, exerting her Divine Force and managing to cut through Maria''s bulky arms, swimming away. "Give it back!!! [Divine Familiar Summon: Oceanic Whale King]!" The Goddess roared, her Domain still keeping Maria slightly restrained, as she summoned a titanic whale out of nowhere, its gigantic azure-colored eyes ring down at her. "Oh, a pet?" Maria wondered. "How cute!" "SHUT UP! Kill her, Bluey!" The Goddess ordered. "GROOOOHHHH!" The Divine Oceanic Whale King, a Divine Beast that surpassed SS Rank rushed towards Maria, opening its massive, gaping maws. Maria felt a powerful suction force activate, attempting to absorb her very soul and everything else. Yet¡­ "I''ve got a pet myself too." TRUUUM! In front of Oceania and her pet, a titanic ck star materialized out of nowhere. "Void Star!" ----- Chapter 1008 God-Slaying Spear Trident Of Chaotic Void Chapter 1008 God-ying Spear Trident Of Chaotic Void ??----- The Void Star, Maria''s "trump card" and also something that belonged to her Soul Scape. It was a mysterious and incredibly strong Spiritual Treasure with a mind of its own, equal in power to Divine Beasts if taken into consideration its high Spiritual Treasure Rank. However, it was quite the tricky entity to call help for, it would never obey her. And it would only appear when it pleased¡­ However, usually, that would happen whenever Maria was in great danger, or facing a foe the Void Star could actually have some fun fighting. This entity which she couldn''t understand too well, still desired to prioritize their master''s safety! "You''re finally here! Will you help me?" "¡­" The Void Star red at Maria with its single crimson eye, without saying a word, without expressing any emotion. It was simply there, existing. Yet its presence alone distorted the Goddess Domain, countless cracks spreading everywhere. "What is that thing?!" Oceania cried. "Just how many damn tricks do you have?! Give me back my Relic!!! DIE!" The Goddess gave a tantrum as Maria saw thousands of hands made of water rush towards her, attempting to grab her and tear her to shreds. She blocked them with her many phantasmal arms that kept regrowing, bulkier and muscr looking through her Titaness transformation. The ocean water hands kept being destroyed, but more came after those. The Void Star stared at the whale approaching, the Divine Beast attempted to swallow the Void Star and Maria in a single bite! "GROOOHHH¡­!" "¡­" CHOOMP! And they were devoured! The Goddessughed as she saw her adorable pet finish off her foe faster than she imagined. But herughtersted a split of a second only before the screams of agony of her whale echoed across her Domain. "GRUOOGGGHH¡­ GRAAAGHH¡­!" It started vomiting blood, as countless beams of pure void pierced its entire body, holes opening one after another. The monster''s innards sttered across the Oceanic Domain, turning the water deep red. Oceania watched in utter horror as the pet she raised when she was a little girl died so gruesomely. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! It blew up into pieces, the Void Star surging from within its open, bleeding maws, as Maria stood right above it, patting her much superior "pet". A secondter, she whisked her fingers, the entire whale was engulfed by a wave of Phantasmal and Death Energies, transforming into a gigantic Undead! "[Rise]" FLUOSH! "NOOO! Don''t you dare make him an Undead! Y-YOU MONSTERRRRR!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om As Maria traumatized the goddess, the Domain continued to gain more and more cracks. The goddess started losing her mind. A gigantic vortex of pure water starteding from within her hair, which fused with her Domain. "RAAAAHHH!" Her graceful appearance dissolvedpletely as Maria and her Void Star were expulsed from the Domain, a secondter, they found the Goddess Avatar and the Domain fused together, into a gigantic chimeric titan made of Azure Divinity. Resembling a fusion of every sea lifeform imaginable. "You''ve forced my hand, you monster! This is the [Embodiment of my Divinity]! My ultimate form! I will drown not only this city, but the whole desert!" Laughed Oceania, her monstrous form quickly rushing towards Maria, shing against her. "Hahahaha! Isn''t this what you wanted?! HUH?!" Her gigantic tentacles shed against Maria one after another, each impact was like a tsunami that came down, torrentially drowning it all. Maria''s entire body was taking enormous damage as she kept regenerating to fight her off. But the pressure of the water was overwhelming, she couldn''t even swim through it. SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! However, she wasn''t alone. The moment she was expulsed of the Domain, the rest of her party acted! Celes'' group instantly got to work, controlling the iing oceanic attacks and pushing them back to Oceania. At the same time, Tear froze the waters around her by channeling all her powers and Mana, and then transformed them into a giant hand, punching the goddess enormous body. Each punch with these Frozen Fists froze through her own water-made body. "Don''t give up, Maria!" Tear roared. "We''re here to support you, auntie!" Celes cried. "You can do this!" Nia said. "Mom, do it!" Laura roared. "You can do it!" Takeshi cried. As Maria heard the cheers of her friends, she smiled, her eyes shing with bright red light. Her entire body continued growingrger, andrger, andrger. The Void Star continued firing beams of void, weakening and distracting Oceania, while Maria''s body matched her size. "Oceania, your end is NOW!" Her two weapons fused with her soul and then with the trident she stole from Oceania. Her Poison Spirit also flew into the fusion of weapons and divine powers, converging together into a brand-new weapon, a gigantic spear with three tips of a metallic purple, ck, and crimson color. Big enough to pierce the heavens and kill the gods. [The Powers of your Skills, Divinities, and Mana have temporarily fused all your weapons and your Divine Spirit into the Legendary Divine Spirit Relic: [God-ying Spear Trident Of Chaotic Void: Ginnungagap]!] [The power of the [God-ying Spear Trident Of Chaotic Void: Ginnungagap] has been activated! The [Sea of Eternal Void] epasses you and your foe! All of your foe''s stats and divine powers have been reduced by -50%! Whenever they touch the Sea of Eternal Void, their Divine Energy is drained constantly.] [Duration: 5 Minutes.] Maria''s powersbined together to create an ultimate temporary divine relic! Even her Divine Spirit was within it, fusing their very soul into her weapon. The Void Star itself fueled the weapon''s power, as she noticed threads of darkness rushing into it. "You should have never descended, you dumb bitch." Maria appeared above the Goddess monstrous form as she struggled against her allies. Her gigantic spear trident piercing through her countless heads as explosions of chaos and void echoed across the skies and the ground below. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! "AAARRGGHH!" Oceania struggled, her Divine Embodiment Body constantly regenerating more and more, while Maria kept slicing through her! For a moment, it seemed as if both were on a stalemate. However, that didn''tst long. Maria noticed five powerful presences arriving from the skies! ----- Chapter 1009 The Death Of The Goddess Of Water Chapter 1009 The Death Of The Goddess Of Water ??----- "It''s you guys! You''re finally here! Took you long enough!" Maria smiled confidently. "So we''re killing a goddess now?! Dammit Maria, you''re getting way too ahead of yourself!" Lucifer roared. His Draconic Aura spread out towards all directions, epassing a part of Oceania with his Abyssal Death mes. "She''s almost at her limit! Restrain her!" Partner said. Her entire Blood and Demonic Aura converged together, further boosting her prowess. Gigantic, crimson-colored skeletal arms surged from her back, attacking the goddess while her spears constantly pierced her divine body. "You bastards are part of the conspiracy that killed my beloved Maria, and you''re also the ones that have killed so many! I won''t have mercy even against a goddess!" Jonathan''s divine sword shone brightly. He swung it against her a hundred times in mere seconds, a spectacle of light was unleashed, each attack resembling a small, detonating star. "Maria! Finish her! We''ll hold her own! Target her soul, shatter her to pieces!" Emeraldine was the most ferocious of them all, unexpectedly. "I am tired of them, of all their whims, of all the suffering they''ve brought to us! SLAY A GOD!" Her rain of spiritual divine arrows continuously bombarded Oceania, her divine body was overwhelmed from all sides. "You don''t need to say anymore!" Maria dived into the sea of divine water that epassed Oceania''s outer body, quickly finding Emilia''s body still floating on its deepest depths. Epassed by a divine crystal of spiritual divine energy, she was being protected, like a core for the goddess to use as she pleased. "BEGONE!" Oceania roared with utmost fury, no longer resembling the clueless woman she was before, but a monstrous beast. Maria resisted the assault of soul attacks as her body was drilled countless times, only for her to regenerate it back with herrge quantities of umted souls, which she consumed as she regenerated. "Your time is now, Goddess of Water!" Maria''s spear easily pierced through all of Oceania''s attacks and tricks, the Sea of Eternal Void protecting her like a veil while at the same time blocking the goddess divine attacks. She barely had a few minutes left for her spear to disappear, it was now or never! "DIE!" With a roar full of fury while carrying the feelings of hatred, frustration, and resentment of all mortals against the gods oppressing their lives, Maria''s divine spear pierced the crystal, massacring Emilia''s body inside as she was sttered into a pile of flesh and innards in a single second. CRAAASH! However, that wasn''t all, Oceania swiftly attempted to flee the moment her Saintess died, but Maria''s ws extended towards her. The entire Shadow Realm epassed the surroundings, blocking the skies for her to return! And without a proper vessel, Oceania felt the pressure of Yggdrasil''s Laws weighing her down, the penalties of someone that took a Throne from a God of this world that dared to descend into the Mortal World was noughing matter! "You''re not going anywhere, COME HERE!" Maria grasped the Goddess with her monstrous ws, hundreds of phantasmal ws resembling the fingers of skeletons, dragging her down into the depths of her dark soul. Oceania screamed in utter horror as she felt thousands of sharp fangs piercing her divine soul, tearing her down piece by piece. "GYYAAAAH! F-FATHER! FATHEEERRR HEEEELP!" She screamed like a little girl, despite having lived for thousands of years killing countless innocents, manipting mortals for eons, making everyone''s life a fucking hell! Maria wasn''t going to let her screams even get to her. Her maniption on Emilia had caused the death of hundreds of people in this city after the water was gated behind taxes and money. She deserved absolutely no mercy. Only an agonizing, monstrous death! That was the only thing she deserved! To agonize until the veryst spark of existence faded from her very mind! "There is no mercy for a bitch like you! SUFFER! SUFFER THE PAIN AND AGONY YOU''VE PUT THROUGH ALL THESE PEOPLE! DIE PAINFULLY! ENGRAVE INTO YOUR MIND AS YOU DIE, AS YOUR VERY EXISTENCE FADES AWAY!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om As Oceania screamed in utter agony and pain, her soul was slowly being devoured, digested by Maria''s own soul. A surge of endless power continuously overflowing through her. Her divine body was now barely half a face, and even her pretty face was now being bitten, piece by piece, tears endlessly flowing from her eyes. "FATHEEERRRR¡­ HEEELP!" But nobody answered her call, heaven was blocked by an endless night made by Maria''s Shadow Realm. And Maria herself only tormented her more, knowing that her father will eventually hear these words. "You''re only the first of many. We will kill all of you damned Gods, all of you that took away this world from them! We will not stop until your siblings and your father are dead! And I will make sure to devour your damned father, PIECE BY PIECE!" "NOOOOO!!!" Oceania''sst scream reverberated across the entire desert, before her existence waspletely deleted, alongside the soul of her Saintess as well, still stuck to her. Maria voraciously devoured every single piece of her, without leaving nothing behind. She was a precious resource of power, and she wasn''t going to waste it. An explosion of blinding azure light erupted from Maria as she killed Oceania''s veryst spark of life. The Shadow Realm cleared up, revealing the skies above. Her scream definitely reached Asgard, the Realm above Heaven where Odin and the Gods existed. This wasn''t just the first ying of a God, but also a deration of war against Odin and his Aesir, the monsters that conquered this once peaceful world and killed their original, gentlehearted gods, brutalizing them, enving them, and torturing them for thousands of years. Retribution was finallying after them, and Maria was not going to stop until they were all dead! She stood above the skies, floating as her entire soul and existence started to evolve. Her Divine Ember finally zed with full power, epassing her entire being. She was Ascending, she was Evolving! "Odin! You''re next." She looked directly into the skies, fully knowing the Asgardian King was watching her with his divine golden eyes. ----- Chapter 1010 The Gods Desire Revenge Chapter 1010 The Gods Desire Revenge ??----- The Heavenly Realm of Asgard, once created by the Ancient Titans and Dragons God as their home, and which was usurped by Odin and his "Gods" as their new home, reverberated with the furious Divine Aura of Odin, the King of the Aesir and all the Gods of Yggdrasil. His rage knew bounds as he learned that his daughter, Oceania, was felled by nobody else than a filthy ghost such as Maria, whom he deeply hated. He actually never loved Oceania; he doesn''t love any of his children. Emotions such as love are not within this ruthless monarch''s mind. But his daughter''s death meant something to him, it was humiliation, to have one of his family members he made sure to raise to grow powerful and mighty, to be felled like this! It was, without a doubt, a great insult to the Aesir King. "I can''t believe it! Did Oceania¡­ die?!" "She was in... impossible!" "That ghost woman that Hel raised, was she hiding this much power?" "She triggered a Tower Raid event already¡­ Could she have be a Ranker?" "But this world has been sealed of such things, it shouldn''t be possible for a mere inhabitant, even less a monster, to get this powerful. Don''t they all have Level Caps?" "Level Caps can be taken away when Monsters evolve though, and she''s¡­ blessed by Hel as well, one of the Original Gods, with powers unique to them." "Tch¡­! How dare that ghost! That aberrant, disgusting undead kill my daughter?! I spent so many resources in raising that damned brat, and she dies on me by descending into that pitiful saint?!" Roared Odin. "Years of raising her all wasted! And how¡­ How dare she kill her! This world which I govern, for a mere mortal to dare go against my authority and will?!" He had only been trying to do things indirectly because of Hel and the other surviving Gods that controlled the Underworld being a slight threat to him. And because Maria and her family and friends were all protected by Hel herself. However, once Oceania was killed, there was no longer any more doubt left within Odin''s eyes. "I will not lower myself to her level, but I will not allow you to live anymore." He roared. "Baldr, avenge your sister! Kill them all! Destroy that city, finish the job you didn''t thousands of years ago!" A tall, muscr and bulky God of Sunlight appeared, covered on golden armor. He bowed before Odin, his father, while nodding obediently, holding in his right hand a huge golden axe.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yes, father. I shall avenge Oceania and make sure that the ghost and her entire group is in¡­" His eyes shed with ruthlessness. "But the restraints that the World Tree puts over our souls¡­" "It is strong, but you''ll go with an army. It should be more than enough for you to y her even with some of your powers sealed and weakened, isn''t it?" Odin smiled, stroking his beard. "Once she''s in, bring me her shattered soul. She must be made of premium materials. I''ll restore what she took from eating my daughter." Odin waved his hand, his powerful Divine Aura expanded. The other Gods remained in awe as he unleashed more of his powers. A tremendous mass of Divinity and Spiritual Energybined together, as over twenty Divine Spirits, all of themparable to SS+ Rank monsters were born. "Kill them all, don''t leave a single one alive." "Thank you, father. I will bring you her head." Baldr swiftly stepped forwards, his golden eyes glowing with malice. Leading an army of powerful Divine Spirit Soldiers, he descended from heaven at a rapid speed, resembling shining, falling stars above the blue skies. A threat Maria didn''t expect was soon arriving. . . . Silence finally epassed the entire city once Oceania was finally dealt with. That bitch was sure a tough nut to crack. From a Divine Domain to transforming into a gigantic, monstrous appearance. Was that her true form, I wonder? Well, whatever the case, we''re finally done here. We can finally catch a breath and rx for once. "Hahh¡­ Ugh, my body''s overflowing with power too. I can finally evolve." I looked at my own body twist and transform slowly, it was ready to evolve. I finally had all materials to evolve too. Plus some extra as well. Ding! [You have met with all your evolution requirements, plus some extra, hidden evolution requirements for an even stronger evolution!] [Absorb the Essence of the Void: 10/10] [Absorb the Essence of the Spirits: 5/5] [Devour S Rank Monster Cores: 10/10] [Devour a Dimensional Artifact: 1/1] [Devour a Divinity: 1/1] [Comprehend a Divine Concept: 1/1] [Progress: 100%] [Absorb two Divine Embers: 2/2] [Kill a powerful SS Ranked otherworldly Invader: 1/1] Hoh, so eating the Divine Embers did help! And also ying those Vampires, well, that Vampire woman whose name I already forgot. Yeah, that woman was pretty strong, I have to admit it. Now, before that, I should first see if everyone''s alright. There are people waiting inside my Shadow Realm so it would be better to quickly free them once I''m sure everything is okay. "Is everyone alright?" I asked, as all my family and friends seemed to nod. "Hahhh¡­ That fight was too much." Lucifer sighed. "I can''t believe we in a Goddess too! And we aren''t even Gods ourselves." "Without Maria this would have been never possible, she''s that strong." Emeraldine smiled. "And I''m sure she''s only the first one of many toe, right? If we want to find the truth about this world and free it from them¡­" "Yeah, I suppose she was just the beginning." I nodded. "Partner, you okay?" "Yes¡­ Just a bit too spent, I''m so thirsty for some blood right now." Partner looked more pale than usual. I quickly extracted the blood of the Vampires we killed and gave it to her. "Here." "Aaaah~ Looks good!" She drank it in a second. "Hmmm, so fresh! Oh, those Vampires really have a tasty blood." "They really do, I also drank some myself. We might go to their world and feast a bit sometime in the future." I smiled. "Now that the tower is open to us¡­ There''s no way we''re staying stuck in Yggdrasil while these crazy gods look us from the sky." FLASH! However, our peaceful conversation was interrumpted, as the gods in question decided to descend. ----- Chapter 1011 The Descent Of The God Of Sunlight And Radiance Chapter 1011 The Descent Of The God Of Sunlight And Radiance ??----- [The [Chief God of Holy Light, Justice, and Law] has decided that the sin of ying her daughter will be paid by a thousand times her pain and agony.] [He has summoned [God of Sunlight and Radiance] to avenge his daughter!] [Apanying him there is a small army of [Divine Holy Light Spirits (SS+ Rank)]!] [The Laws and Fate of the [Yggdrasil World Tree] exerts their power over the descending [God of Sunlight and Radiance]!] [His Stats have decreased by 60%, his Skills Power and Divine Authority have been weakened by -70%!] [However, the powerful [Divine Veil of Holy Light and Law] epasses the [God of Sunlight and Radiance], conjured by the very [Chief God of Holy Light, Justice, and Law]!] [The penalties inflicted upon the [God of Sunlight and Radiance] have been halved by the Authority of the Chief God of Yggdrasil!] [The [Yggdrasil World Tree] is furious! However, in her weakened state, she can''t help you anymore.] The world tree itself was helping me! And that damned Odin can cancel half the penalties? So he''s that ridiculously strong, huh? Makes sense Yggdrasil is helping me, if she already noticed I''m going against the invaders that killed most of her children, the original gods, and stole their thrones forcefully. But to think that damned Baldr woulde down, the same bastard that the Pharaoh told uspletely destroyed his civilization and killed everyone except a few that hid underground. I guess it is a really bad match against me if wepare the elemental weaknesses and strengths. "You monster! Show yourself." The voice of Baldr reverberated. I noticed invisible chains wrapped around him, which were weakened quite a lot. "I''vee down here, just to y you for what you''ve done! How dare you y the daughter of my father?! You deserve not one, but a thousand deaths!" His divine and "majestic" presence descended from the skies, unleashing a powerful aura and divine authority of pure dominance. He resembled a second sun above the skies, overwhelming and overbearing. "That''s Baldr?!" Akhenaton roared. "That damned bastard! Dammit, why am I still so weak?! If only¡­ No, even with the Starship, it will be useless to even confront that barbarian!" "Baldr¡­" Jonathan sighed; he was nearby. The moment the god arrived; he looked up into the skies. "He is the one that granted me his blessing. The reason I am a Hero, perhaps." "¡­" Baldr immediately noticed Jonathan. "So it was really you. I was really hoping that it was all a lie or something. But you have truly decided to be an ally of that undead monster, Jonathan? After everything I''ve given to you, after all the divinity I let you hold, you betray me- no, you betrayed the entire of the Aesir Family." "I never asked to be your Hero to begin with." Jonathan said. "And Maria¡­ I promised her I would not abandon her anymore. If you want your power back, you''ll have to kill me first, Baldr." Jonathan pointed his Divine Sword to the God he once prayed to the most. "It is as you heard him." I nodded, the Shadow Realm quickly gathered around me, as I fully absorbed it. I reinforced my exterior and forged a cocoon of sorts using my own body. I decided to quickly evolve. I don''t think I can handle him otherwise. "Are you sure you want to fight us though? I easily killed your sister, do you truly believe you''ll have a different oue, Baldr? Odin might really have a few screws loose, foolish enough to send his son to death the same way he did with his daughter. He''s only making us stronger." "Shut up! I am well aware of your weakness against Holy Light, ghost woman." Laughed Baldr, without even wanting to address me by my name. "And even then, I am not alone! Father has been thoughtful enough to give me my own army of powerful Divine Holy Light Spirits! All of whom you''re also weak against. Are you sure you think you can win now?" "I don''t know, let''s try?" I asked,ughing. my body expanded as an endless swarm of flying insects and snakes emerged out of it, rushing to sh against Baldr. All the Undead I had umted were also summoned at once. Most of them detonating once they touched our foe, explosions covering the skies. "Your endless army of undead has little power against the might of sunlight, foolish woman!" Laughed Baldr. A beam of pure divine sunlight as unleashed from his body, easily turning into ashes the masses of skeletons and other undead I summoned in mere seconds. "This is easier than cutting butter with a hot knife, hahahaha! I should have been sent to kill you from the very beginning! Advance, my spirits!" As he roared, the spirits rushed forwards, summoning weapons made out of their own divine bodies. They swung their weapons, ying countless undead and my own Phantom Swarms with ease. But they were too focused on ying the small fray, giving us some precious time. "Everyone! Those that can''t fight right now, stay behind me. Those that can fight, please distract Baldr as much as you can! Emeraldine, dedicate yourself to heal the living if possible. The undead will be healed by my Phantoms." Imanded everyone. Celes, Nia, and the twins quickly ran behind me, they were very tired and couldn''t fight right now. My shadows quickly epassed them, protecting them. Meanwhile, Tear, Catarina, Fabian and his friends, unleashed barrages of long-n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ranged attacks, pushing the Divine Spirits even so slightly back. At the same time, Lucifer and Partner covered the left and right sides, bombarding the Divine Spirits with their strongest attacks, hoping to push them back as much as possible to buy enough time. Emeraldine fire her arrows, while healing the wounds of Jonathan, who shed against the Divine Spirits head-on, abusing his high resistance and even absorption of the light element. "I will be your shield, Maria! Evolve while you can!" Jonathan roared, taking on countless of rays of divine light and absorbing them, his entire body glowing with bright golden light. "RAAAH!" With a furious sh of his sword, he managed to kill one Divine Spirit, only for more to swarm him, barely allowing him to move. "Your pathetic attempts will bring you nowhere, Jonathan!" Laughed Baldr. "Now, I shall y your precious maiden, and be done with this!" I guess it''s now or never. [You have initiated your Evolution!] FLASH! ----- Chapter 1012 Evolving In The Middle Of A Battle! Chapter 1012 Evolving In The Middle Of A Battle! ??----- Baldr pointed his Golden Axe against me, a powerful-looking Divine Relic made using premium Spiritual Divine Treasures. It was overflowing with a Divine Aura, further boosting his own attack power. His armor was of no less quality as well, amazingly forged using Orichalcum, a terrifyingly tough, divine metal. Unlike his little and dumber sister, who only had ame trident, Baldr came fully equipped with several premium stat-boosting equipment. "Did you think I would let you evolve or do something else, you filthy woman?!" Heughed, rushing towards me at lightning speed. "Well, you''re terribly wrong! DIE!" SLAAASH! His titanic golden axe easily shed through my entire body, and my barriers broke one after another. I was easily split into two halves, as both halves then exploded by the power of his divine light. I gave out a loud scream, the agony of his sunlight burning through my body was immense, even with all the resistance I''ve umted. BOOOM! "How weak! Hahahaha! Did that kill her already?! So she''s only good at sneaking around and attacking in the back of others. Make sense why that dumb Oceania died." He smiled. "Now where are the Soul Fragments?" He immediately believed I died. I can''t believe this has worked twice! Are the Gods so overconfident on their own strength that they think they can kill me with a single hit? I can''t believe their cockiness. TRUM! However, before he could even search for clues of my "soul fragments", a gigantic sphere of pure Void Essence appeared above the skies, like a crimson eye, ring down at the God of Sunlight. It was my Void Star, appearing once more to give me a hand, what a good pet it was. "What''s that thing?! A Divine Treasure- No, some sort of-" Before Baldr could continue his words, a beam of pure concentrated Void Essence reached him, blowing him away from the scene and shing him down into the deserts far away. The Void Star swiftly teleported above him, constantly firing more and more Void Beams.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Ugh! What is this thing?! A Voidling, here?!" Baldr muttered. "Voidling or not, you''re no match against me!" TRUM! And that wasn''t all, as Baldr attempted to stand up and fight back, the Void Star then activated [Void Pressure] on him, pushing him down once more, this powerful ability dealt direct Soul Damage that ignores 50% of his defenses. The damned god of sunlight was bound to feel slightly overwhelmed, as the beams never ceased. The Void Star draw Mana from our connection, but I had plenty of that, near endless amounts as I can drain it from the environment too, so it was easily sting away at the God. "RAAAAH!" Baldr roared, unleashing more of his power, beams of light shed and then overwhelmed the Void Beams, swiftly, he rushed towards the Void Star, his powerful axe slicing through its Void Essence rapidly. The Void Star quickly conjured its defensive abilities. [Void Barriers] were conjured, which easily negated 80% of the damage he took, but even then, Baldr''s blows were so intense they shattered the barriers themselves after a few hits. "¡­!" However, the Void Star didn''t stop there, quickly conjuring something else. The moment Baldr shattered through its barriers, it distorted space itself the moment his axe pierced its void existence, and then, the attack he unleashed was sent back towards him. "Wha¡­?!" BOOOM! Baldr was blown away again, his eyes full of disbelief as he red at the Void Star hatefully! His axe suddenly glowed, dividing into two. His helmet slowly started falling into pieces. Amazing, the Void Star, an extension of my own soul and powers, born from my Soul Scape, ended being much more capable than I ever imagined. If only it wasn''t aszy¡­ Meanwhile, my actual body was underground, hiding beneath the pyramids. Those that couldn''t fight were already hiding in the shadows above, so I didn''t have to worry too much about them. I spread several identical clones so the Divine Spirits and Baldr would attack them instead. The moment my Evolution started; my body began to undergo many changes. My entire soul started to melt away into a miasmic liquid, and then reform back, over and over again, repeating this process as if it was taking away any impurities within my already impure existence. At the same time, my consciousness faded away and then came back, my senses were being distorted, my phantasmal body was mixing with my soul, and I felt all the materials quickly activate at the same time,ing together and fully fusing with me. Finally, my body continued expanding, as I felt myself lost within an endless sea of Void and Stars. This evolution process was nothing like before. I just had to choose a name and be done with it before, but this was much more different. It was a special evolution, one tailor made for me. Last time, Ymir granted me a fragment of his soul to be Selene, the Titaness of Moonlight. But now, it was different, I had to gather the materials myself, and transform myself into something higher. It was slightly simr to Cultivation to an extent. "How long will thisst?" I asked the void. Although I imagined there would be no response, there was one. I was really desperate to get this done as soon as possible, and well, I did get an answer, something within the void. Something that appeared as the void and chaos swirled together. An endless being that epassed nothingness itself. It slightly reminded me of the Void Star itself! It stared for what felt like eons. But then it produced something, a noise that resembled a voice, but not quite a voice. Yet I could understand it. "You are destined to be like us." "What?" "Your process of transformation has finally begun. Tear apart the world''sws, and destroy the Tower, free the worlds." "You''re¡­?" "I am Ginnungagap, the Void, the Observer, the Silent Chaos." As it spoke, tentacles made of chaos and void reached the depths of my soul. "ept the Chaos and Void inside of your Origin. Shatter it, and then meld it within your very existence." "Shatter my origin¡­?!" A glowing sphere appeared in front of me, of ck color. It was my Origin. I extended my hands towards it. So this is necessary to evolve. Crack¡­ crack¡­! To shatter the very foundations of my existence. CRASH! So be it! Chapter 1013 Baldrs Overwhelming Power Chapter 1013 Baldr''s Overwhelming Power ??----- The Divine Holy Light Spirits relentlessly continued fighting. Only one had died in this whole time. And more kept attacking Maria''s Phantom Clones. Her [Eternal Moon Mirror] and [Mystical Moon Phase Circle] Skills constantly activated, as she was firing back their Divine Spirit beams at them just like she did against the Divine Spirit Avatar of Thor! Although these Divine Spirits weren''t Avatars of Gods, they were much stronger than the Divine Spirit Avatar of Thor. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Countless explosions of corrupted light from the mirrors made of moonlight essence were fired. Maria''s Divinity and Skills doing their best to defend everyone. However, the Divine Holy Light Spirits were specifically made by Odin to be able to easily resist her Moonlight Divinity. They were capable of tanking the hits, even when fired back at them with ease. It took many countered beams to even hurt one properly. Lucifer, Partner, and Jonathan were in the frontlines, constantly unleashing attacks and pushing the monstrous Divine Soldiers back, their faceless faces and emotionless voices only making the scene more desperate and creepier. They were relentless machines made out of divine power. However, they weren''t alone. Nyx and her "adoptive sister" Arachne joined the fray. After having awakened her Divine Concept, Nyx had be awfully strong, and now that she was trying to fulfill her evolution conditions, she was constantly fighting the Divine Spirits, aiming to eat one for her requirements! Meanwhile, Arachne had just woken up, quickly joining the battle to protect everyone. The two girls danced in the battlefield, crushing and pushing the Divine Holy Spirits back constantly. With the adults helping them tank the hits, they were slowly beginning to turn the tables to their favor. Arachne''s overwhelmingly high stats and powerful skills also helped. Her hits leaving huge holes in the spirits that took a while to regenerate. "This one''s about to die! Now!" Lucifermanded everyone, as they ganged on the weakened Divine Holy Spirit. Their attacks piercing its body as its barriers shattered. Nyx opened her jaws and devoured it once it died, absorbing it. Her powers slowly beginning to rise. "I-I think I can evolve now, but it is too dangerous for that though!" Nyx cried, as she quickly evaded an iing beam of divine sunlighting from a group of spirits above the skies. "Save that forter, Nyx!" Lucifer said. "Stay by papa''s side, I will protect you with myrge body. Keepmanding your summons, use your Divine Concept with your long-ranged magic! Don''t risk lethal hits." "O-Okay!" Nyx nodded; she had gotten a lot of experience from experiencing many life-or-death situations. And she learned that obeying her father and mother in such battles was essential for her survival. "You''re not getting away!" Meanwhile, Arachne conjured her Divine Spider Webs, trapping two more Divine Holy Spirits, who attempted to break through using weapons made of holy light. Her entire body underwent a transformation, as she finally unleashed her true form, a gigantic, monstrous spider with the upper half of a woman covered on ck exoskeleton and with many crimson eyes over her body.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "SHYAAARRR!" Her stomach opened, revealing a second gigantic jaw that extended all the way down her spider abdomen, sharp fangs piercing the Divine Holy Light Spirits, injecting them with Primordial Venom, slowly melting their insides. The two Divine Holy Light Spirits struggled in agony, firing beams of light against her which were easily reflected by her hard exoskeleton. Arachne was constantly growing stronger the more she slept due to her Primordial Sin, meaning that every time she woke up, her power and stats were even higher. Although she knew she could fall asleep easily any time, so that''s why she was being so aggressive! She didn''t want to be useless, so she tried attacking as much as possible before the drowsiness came back, and it was alreadying back, unfortunately. "Ugghh¡­ N-No, I don''t want to sleep¡­ yet! It hasn''t even been ten minutes!" She kept fighting, pummeling the spirits one after another and helping everyone survive and kill them. "Ugh¡­" Half of the Divine Holy Light Spirits were in before her entire body regressed to her small girl form, and then quickly fell asleep. She was caught by Maria''s Phantom Clones, dragged back into the Shadow Realm to rest. "She fell asleep so quickly, poor Arachne¡­" Nyx sighed. "Dammit!" Lucifer roared. "Well, we still managed to kill half of them! We have to somehow survive this before- Ah!" However, everyone panicked once they noticed the bastard behind everything arrived. The entire body of the Void Star was slowly melting into the desert, dissipating into particles of void, and Baldr, covered with a few wounds and a broken golden armor, rushed to y them. "I''ve had enough of you! I''ll kill you all!" His gigantic golden axe descended towards everyone, growing up to a hundred meters of height. Lucifer, Partner, and Jonathan rushed to greet him with their Auras. But Baldr, as a god, unleashed his powerful Divine Domain. Their entire bodies engulfed in an endlessly burning world of blinding sunlight. "Uugggh! AARRGH!" Partner was the one most affected, her body beginning to burn to a crisp! "PARTNER!" Lucifer, as he was set aze by being inside such a deadly Domain, flew to rescue Partner, grabbing her with his ws to protect her from the sunlight. "BASTARD!" "You will all perish painfully. You damned undead. I will burn you to ashes!" Baldr couldn''t stop hisughter. "I wonder what face your ghost woman will make once she learns all her beloved family was brutally murdered? Hm? Just like before? Just like when she was alive and had all her family killed! And her mother raped! And her father tortured! HAHAHAHA! Pathetic mortals, you''re nothing but ythings to us gods! Learn your ce, TRASH!" Baldr attacked Lucifer, slicing his wings and then firing countless beams of light, leaving him covered with holes. Lucifer vomited blood, his eyes opening wide as the axe was about to finish him. He tried to fight back, a breath attack greeted Baldr, only to be sliced by his axe. "PATHETIC! And you call yourself a Divine Dragon? You cannot evenpare to them! And my father yed most of them, HAHAHA!" "BALDR!" Jonathan shed against him in thest minute, the Hero of Sunlight against the God of Sunlight! CLAAASH! ----- Chapter 1014 The Hero of Sunlight Versus The God of Sunlight Chapter 1014 The Hero of Sunlight Versus The God of Sunlight ??----- My Origin Core shatteerd, it hurt, like nothing I''ve ever felt before. It felt like my very being was being deleted out of existence, everything about me was ending and disappearing. But I knew it wasn''t going to kill me. I didn''t foolishly follow the voice of a strange being that spoke to me without knowing it would work. After all, my Origin Core was already weird and strange, having melted and fused with the Fragments of the Evil God and more, it became something sinister and shapeless, not the beautiful white orb that it usually was for everyone. And once it fully shattered, its fragments merged with all the materials I umted, and then everything melded together back to my Soul, my body. I had no flesh, no internal organs, I was nothing but a single soul, and to evolve, my soul itself was the one that needed to evolve and berger and more powerful. Therefore, unlike the evolutions of other beings, every time I evolved, my soul would evolve too, reaching higher heights that nobody else could at the same stage. And to further evolve I had to shatter the foundations and the core of my existence and reshape it. Transform it, remake it from the ground up, with everything I''ve collected. The Darkness, the Void, Death, Phantoms, Poison, Swarms, Lightning, Moonlight, Chaos. All these elements swirled and blossomed endlessly within me, like the beating of a heart. My entire soul gained a new shape. And my Divine Ember, which died off, was rekindled,rger, more powerful, zing with divinity. All the divinity I had, and the one I had eaten from my foes. Everything fused together, it felt like the birth of a new universe within my very soul, the immense, iprehensiblyrge soul I now possessed,pacted itself more and more. Until my new form, baptized by the Cosmos and the Void, was born. My eyes opened, and I could now see everything. . . . CLASH! Jonathan''s Divine Sword shed against Baldr''s overwhelmingly powerful Divine Golden Axe. The God''s endless aura of divinity kept burning through the hero, his entire body beginning to burn despite his high resistance to light and his immunity to heat. It was a heat so powerful it ignored immunities and resistances; this was the true power of a Divinity forged within a fully created Divine Ember- no, a Divine me! "Baldr, is there really no other way?! Why are you like this? Why are you all gods such heartless monsters?!" Jonathan cried. "I prayed to you for years, I was raised to see you and your family as our guardians and protectors¡­! Yet when I finally meet the God I respected so much, I only learn he''s a psychotic?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Bold words for someone that is slowly being cooked alive." Laughed Baldr. "We Gods have no qualms in showing what we are and what we want. You mortals should simply stand down and kneel. You''re nothing, absolutely NOTHING!" "You are not even a God either!" Jonathan roared, all his power erupted from his soul at the same time, his shing attacks resembled an explosion of miniature stars. "I learned that you, your father, all the Aesir, you''re fake! You''re people from other worlds, Rankers that arrived in Yggdrasil through the Tower¡­! Ugh¡­! You''re only pretending to be Gods, the only true Gods were the ones that existed in this world before, the ones you monster mercilessly killed!" SLAAASH! As Jonathan roared and spoke his heart out, he swung his sword again, Baldr attempted to block the attack easily with his Golden Axe, but was suddenly pushed back several meters, his Domain slightly trembling. Jonathan was using his same power against him after all. "Tch, fucking kid. If they could bleed and die, then they weren''t deserving of being Gods!" Baldr roared, rushing towards Jonathan. His axe hacked through the air, shing against Jonathan''s Divine Sword. Cracks spread through the hero''s weapon, something he never thought possible as his Sword was made of Orichalcum and Mithril! His armor was already in tatters. "Don''t you get it? As long as we say we are the Gods, then we ARE the Gods! We make the Rules, we govern here. In the worlds of the Tower, and even beyond, there''s only one rule. Might makes right!" Baldr kicked Jonathan in the stomach, making the young hero vomit a mouthful of blood and feel all his internal organs twist and burst. He was thrown away into the walls of the domain, feeling his spine almost snap. CRASH! "Uuugh¡­! Baldr¡­!" He muttered, gritting his teeth as blood kepting from his mouth. The God of Sunlight and Radiance appeared in front of Jonathan, his hands stretching into the hero''s neck and beginning to tightly press them. He was going to give him a humiliating death by asphyxiating him. "You deserve no mercy, traitor. I will give you a painful and humiliating death." The God smiled. "Repent as you slowly lose your breath!" "Uuuggh..! Aarrggh¡­! Baldr¡­! You! Baldr!" Jonathan kept repeating his name, as if calling him even as he was being asphyxiated a burned by Baldr''s incandescent hands made of burning sunlight. "What?! Anyst words as you die?!" Laughed the God of Sunlight and Radiance. "I am all ears, fool." "Heh¡­ Hahah¡­" However, Jonathanughed as he kept coughing blood. "You lose¡­" "What?" Crack, crack¡­! CRASH! Before Baldr could even understand what Jonathan meant, his Domain gained countless cracks and shattered. The mes were suddenly sucked as a gigantic ck hole absorbed it all. The God watched in awe as a monstrosity beyond his wildest dreams infiltrated his Divine Domain andpletely devoured it. His eyes widened as he realized¡­ that monstrosity was nobody else than Maria! "BALDR!" With a monstrous roar, Maria''s amorphous new evolution roared, her gigantic and long arms broke through the entire domain, her sharp ws tearing it all, as a gigantic ck hole absorbed everything within her chest. "I''m here! Didn''t you want to kill me so badly?! COME!" "T-That''s her?!" Baldr panicked, letting go of Johathan almost by reflex as Maria''s tentacle-tail surged from her amorphous body, resembling a mass of materialized Void and Darkness, piercing Baldr''s chest and dragging him towards her endlessly spiraling maws. "AAAGGGHHH!" ----- Chapter 1015 Maria’s New Evolution! Overwhelming Baldr!

Chapter 1015 Maria''s New Evolution! Overwhelming Baldr!

----- Maria''s bodypletely changed. All her Body Skills came together at once, and her new true form was born. A tall,nky appearance, as tall as the titans, but with an intimidating monstrous appearance. Long legs and arms, with sharp spikes growing out of them. Incredibly long fingers with sharp, venomous ws. Six of such arms, three long, tentacle-like tails, each one ending in a sharp insectoid stinger. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Her face had no facial expressions, mouth, or nose, but a single, huge crimson eye in the middle of it. Her chest had an endlessly spiraling ck void, and above her shoulders, there was a pair of enormous, bat-like wings, while her hair transformed into hundreds of long, stretchable and incredibly durable ck tentacles. The moment she evolved, she ignored every system notification she got, using her new form and powers almost naturally and instinctively, she shed apart all the surviving Divine Holy Light Spirits killed them on the spot, before eating half of them and leaving the rest for her family. The second after that, she appeared inside of Baldr''s Domain and easily broke through it, trespassing a spatial domain as if she was built for that. Her very existence had now be an entity of the Void, capable of defying spatial boundaries. Her sharp, indestructible ws tore through everything, devouring and destroying Baldr''s Divine Realm in a split second, before her tentacles were to pierce his chest and drag it out of his pathetic excuse of a Divine Domain. As Baldr screamed out of horror and agony as his chest and heart were pierced, and even his soul was being eaten at the same time, Emeraldine and everyone else leaped forwards, rescuing the still alive Lucifer, Partner, and Jonathan and quickly healing them. "You''ll be fine now, don''t worry." Emeraldine''s healing divine spiritual light epassed their burnt bodies, quickly healing them rapidly. "Maria¡­" Jonathan looked in the distance, the monstrous eldritch goddess that had awakened was his beloved. Although he admired her strength and loved her, he couldn''t help but slightly feel sad. "Look how the world has shaped you¡­ My dear Maria¡­" "What the fuck are you?! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Baldr screamed as he swung his axe, trying to cut Maria''s tentacle-tail. CRASH! However, the moment he tried to hack through her "flesh", the axe gained countless cracks and shattered into pieces. "W-Wha¡­?!" His eyes were even more filled in disbelief when he realized that no matter what he tried, he waspletely trapped within Maria''s grasp. Her long fingers quickly grasping him, tearing his arms apart and then his legs. "GYYAAAGGGH! STOP! STOOOP!" As Baldr agonized, Maria onlyughed. Her jaws, which were actually in her chest, opened up as they started syphoning away all of his Divinity, making her be stronger. Baldr desperately tried to summon the Domain again and trap Maria within a Domain of pure mes and sunlight, and he seed, partially. FLASH! However, Maria felt no struggle. Her dark body was unaffected. It seemed as if mes couldn''t even burn her anymore. And she was so deep ck that the light wasn''t reflected, it was somehow absorbed by her dark body, nullifying it even as it carried divinity. "W-What have you be? Are you truly her?! ARE YOU TRULY HER AND NOT SOMETHING ELSE?!" Baldr started going insane, beams after beams of sunlight were fired against Maria. But her charcoal ck skin reflected all the light back to him, as beams of all-consuming miasmic chaotic void, which started melting Baldr''s entire body. "Do you realize how fucked you are?" Maria asked to his mind. "N-Noooo! NOOO!" Baldr kept screaming, in disbelief. "I wasn''t supposed to- URGH¡­! I was supposed to win! You''re weak to light! You are an Undead, you''re supposed to-" "I am no longer an Undead." Maria''s monstrous voice made Baldr''s very existence shake. "What?!" Baldr muttered, vomiting blood as his very existence was being devoured by the void. "I have be the Void." Maria answered. "Chaos, Death, and Darkness." "T-That''s¡­" Baldr muttered. "No, that''s impossible, you can''t simply¡­!" "I was born to set things right." Maria continued speaking, ignoring him. "I was born to make you realize the wrongs of your actions. You and every Aesir that is in fault of these things. You''re all going to die painfully. Your days at the pinnacle will end, soon." "N-No, you''re lying¡­ You simply can''t¡­ We are the glorious Aesir- I¡­!" CRUNCH! Baldr realized he couldn''t speak anymore, as Maria''s enormous maws devoured his head, and then the rest of his body was triturated and swallowed,pletely assimted. Maria''s hands opened, bright golden light and sunlight surging from them, which then slowly turned ck and gray in color. "Baldr, your power is mine now." Maria spoke with an almost emotionless and all-powerful authority, she looked into the skies as the Domain slowly dissipated, the peace was finally back. Yet Maria¡­ felt too different now. "Odin, I''m going to kill you very soon, please, sit down and rx until then." The Heavens trembled. Odin and the other Aesir Gods felt the same dread that Baldr felt when he died. Maria not only did eat him, but she also tapped into the connection he possessed with the other gods through their Divine Souls. Using that, she transferred the same agony and pain Baldr felt when he died to all of them, even Odin was unable topletely negate that strange effect. Some of the weaker and younger Gods started vomiting right there, feeling nausea after experiencing Baldr''s agonizing death. Odin''s face, however, grew paler. His rage was still there, boiling inside. But he had grown paler. There was a strong hint of tremendous fear within him, which although he didn''t want to ept, was lingering within him. "What have we created?" He muttered to himself. "This is¡­ We made this happen, this is¡­" Was he showing regret? Or perhaps, was this thought simply fueled by his own mistakes? Odin couldn''t help but think of many things as he finally realized he fucked up. Oceania and Baldr were dead. ----- Chapter 1016 The Mad God King’s Frustration

Chapter 1016 The Mad God King''s Frustration

----- Even the King of Gods and the mighty Odin, a monstrous warlord that had taken down millions of lives to achieve the position he reached now, felt an utter feeling of disappointment and regret, not because of his children''s deaths, but on himself and his own failures. "What have we created?" He muttered to himself. "This is¡­ We made this happen, this is¡­" Was he showing regret? Or perhaps, was this thought simply fueled by his own mistakes? Odin couldn''t help but think of many things as he finally realized he fucked up. Oceania and Baldr were dead. If they had let Maria alone, if they hadn''t plotted to kill her and take the Evil God Fragment her family was protecting. If the ones working for the Church hadn''t done all of the things he ordered them to do. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Would things have been different? Now, because of such events, a monster like nothing else was born inside of Yggdrasil, a monster full of the intent of avenging her family and ending the governance of the Aesir Gods, once and for all. "Odin! Not only did you let my Oceania die, but you even sacrificed our Baldr to that monster!" Frigg, the Goddess of Motherhood and Protection cried tears of sorrow for her children. "You fucking monster! Why did you let this happen?! Why did you send them to their deaths?!" "SHUT UP, WOMAN!" Odin roared, pping his wife''s face. The beautiful brown-haired goddess fell to the floor, crying over her children''s deaths. Although Odin felt nothing, their mother did. "You only bring me failures; you only bring me death! You and your obsession with conquest, with wars, with bloodshed, with controlling everything!" Frigga cried. "We acquired a world, we govern as gods, yet you always kept wanting more and more! What else could you have ever wanted?! Your greed! It is your greed what brought their deaths! Not only you cut down Tyr to pieces because he thought differently than you, turning him into that monster¡­ But you even killed your two other children just because you wanted to take down that irregr, which ended turning into a big FUCKING problem now!" Frigga stood up, her Aura of Protection epassing her entire body, Odin could no longer hurt her like he did. Her tears continued to fall as she red him with utter hate¡­ She didn''t even me Maria for this, it was all Odin''s fault. "Listen to me! You dare talk back to me like this, Frigga?!" Odin roared. "You''re my wife, you do what I say, and you should NEVER dare talk back to me like that! Open your protection, Frigga! I''m going to beat the shit out of you, you damn slut!" Odin was trying to channel all his rage into the only woman that ever loved him. "You have really changed¡­" Frigga muttered. "You''re not the man I once loved anymore. You''re just a husk, a monster that uses his appearance¡­ Goodbye, Odin." Frigga flew into the skies, as Odin roared, ordering her toe back, yet she never did. "FRIGGA! COME BACK THIS INSTANT! FRIGGAAAAAA!" . . . (Maria''s POV) The battle was finally, finally over. I didn''t detect any more reinforcementsing, and I kept watch for over an hour. It looks like the Gods finally gave up for now. I sighed in relief, slowly turning back to my humanoid ghostdy form. My evolution brought me more changes than I ever thought, one of them is that I was no longer¡­ an Undead? I was something else. However, I had little time to check that now. I prioritized the safety of my family and friends. I flew down, checking on everyone. Emeraldine healed them really well. I felt so relieved. I took too long evolving, and that damned Baldr trapped them inside a Domain. I can''t believe how monstrously strong he waspared to Oceania. Everyone almost died¡­ And I believe it was because of my fault. I told them to hold on instead of trying to fight at their side. Instead of trying to find another solution together, I told them to just wait for me to solve everything. I did solve everything at the end but¡­ It feels slightly bad, and I really wanted to apologize to them. "I''m so sorry, I''m really sorry¡­" I hugged Lucifer, Partner, Jonathan, Emeraldine, and Nyx one after another. "I shouldn''t have decided to just evolve¡­ and let you all protect me and stuff, it was very selfish and-" "What are you talking about?" Partner asked. "At the end you did it, master! Don''t worry too much about it." "I felt d you trusted us to such an extent¡­" Lucifer smiled, he looked really exhausted. "We were able to buy you time, and that''s what matters." "Maria, I''m the one that should apologize." Jonathan sighed, patting my shoulders. "I''m sorry¡­ I should have stopped Baldr somehow, I shouldn''t have let him drag things out so much." "I-It''s fine, I¡­ Well, I still feel bad. I won''t do this kind of thing ever again though, I promise. We should have actually run away, I got too cocky maybe." I sighed. "There''s a lot to think, I guess." "There, there." Emeraldine patted my head, giving me a kiss in my lips. "Let''s first free the people from your shadow realm, then let''s tell them what happened. I think there''s someone that Emilia was taking prisoner who used to be the former, benevolent ruler of this ce, so let''s go talk with him first too. After everything is done, we''ll have a big feast, eat lots, and then sleep lots. And all those worries will slowly fade away. You''re just too tired and stressed." "Ugh, fine¡­" I nodded, Emeraldine was too good at convincing. "Nyx, are you alright baby?" "I''m fine mama, don''t worry!" Nyx said. "I''m ready to evolve too! And max level! But what Rank did you get after evolving?" "Yeah, to overwhelm Baldr so easily¡­" Lucifer said. "Are you SS+ Rank?" "No¡­" I said, feeling slightly afraid of confessing it. "I¡­ Well, I became L Rank." "L? What Rank is that?" Partner wondered. "¡­Above SS and SSS Ranks." I sighed. "That evolution helped me skip two whole Ranks." "WHAT?!" ----- Chapter 1017 Immense Growth!

Chapter 1017 Immense Growth!

----- Once the battles finally ended and peace returned to Sapphire Temple, the people were returned to their homes after we repaired them. It was easy to repair houses and such by imbuing the materials with souls and then shaping the materials as if they were golems. Like that not only all the houses became mighty golems that''ll protect the city and regenerate if damaged, but the city was reformed and remade anew. There were no Pdins left alive, and the church of water waspletely destroyed, the building was made into smithereens and then I reced the area with an open field where people can go to freely collect water from the Oasis anytime. Naturally, we also demolished the walls surrounding the Oasis. The people were not afraid of us at all, in fact, they treated us as heroes and saviors, praising us and greeting us wherever we went to. We also freed the family of nobles of this city, who were all jailed by Emilia, alongside their former governor, a shy yet good natured man named Charles. "Thank you so much for saving us, you don''t know how big of a debt we owe you!" He started crying while hugging his family, who had been held hostage by the church for a while. "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much¡­" "I-It''s fine, no need to cry so much." I sighed, helping him stand back up. "I hope this city can receive a proper treatment from now on. I will leave behind some Undead and Phantasmal Clones even as we leave, so this can be protected. This city and the previous one all belong below my protection. I will instantly teleport here if anybody dares to attack it." "I-Is that so?" Wondered Charles. "T-Then by all means, Lady Maria, please take this city as your territory, we can give you an honorable nobility title and-" "No need, I said I was going to protect it, it''s all up to you how you handle and help the people recover from the years that Emilia''s tyranny weighed down on the people''s hearts." I exined. "Many innocent and hardworking people died because of her and the pricing the water was given, it is your job to get everything back together now, Charles." "Y-Yes, I will do my best." He nodded. "But for now, shall we celebrate? Too many good things have happened one after another! We must make a small feast, at least! Naturally, you and your people are all invited, Lady Maria!" "A feast?!" Nyx wagged her tail interested. "I''m hungry mama, let''s ept the feast!" "Okay, fine." I giggled, giving my daughter a head pat. "Very well, Charles. Let''s eat something together then." Celebrations quickly started, happy Arabic music created a rather rxed atmosphere around the entire castle, as servants brought all kinds of dishes endemic of this ce. People of the desert ate what was in here, and most of the food was alsoposed of giant insect monsters that roamed everywhere. There was also red meat and some bird meat, but it was much rarer. As everyone was able to catch a break, celebrate, and eat, I also did so, checking the myriad of System Window messages I''ve been purposely avoiding because they were simply way too many¡­ But oh boy, her we go, let''s do this. Ding! [You have met with all your evolution requirements, plus some extra, hidden evolution requirements for an even stronger evolution!] [Absorb the Essence of the Void: 10/10] [Absorb the Essence of the Spirits: 5/5] [Devour S Rank Monster Cores: 10/10] [Devour a Dimensional Artifact: 1/1] [Devour a Divinity: 1/1] [Comprehend a Divine Concept: 1/1] [Progress: 100%] [Absorb two Divine Embers: 2/2] [Kill a powerful SS Ranked otherworldly Invader: 1/1] [You Outer Existence [The Void, the Observer, and the Silent Chaos: Ginnungagap] has revealed their Divine Protection.] [Their Divine Blessing has influenced your evolution.] [You have absorbed the Primordial Essence of the Void into your body and have shattered and rebuilt your very Origin Core.] [Your existence has be Boundless, unrestrained by thews of the Tower.] [You are no longer an Undead, but you have evolved into a special race of Outer Beings. Your body is both made of your soul and also made of Void. Ki, Life Force, is now flowing through your body.] [At the same time, due to your unique upbringing, you retain all of your Undead capabilities and abilities, and you can further evolve and transform them, while leaving behind all your weaknesses.] [You have Evolved into the [Void-Born Mistress Of Tenebrous Stars: Shub-Niggurath] [Your Rank has increased from S Rank to L+ Rank!] [Your Divine Ember has fully progressed into a [Divine me: Void & Death (Tier 1: Rank 5)]!] [Cultivate your Divinity me by absorbing Divine Power and the Elemental Essence of your me''s Attribute to gain further Divine Power.] [You have ascended into a Divine Being; your Stats have now been rearranged and further boosted.] [You unlocked the [Divine Power] Stat!] [Your Level Cap has increased further! You can now Level Up to Level 300!] [Once you reach Max Level, you will be able to undergo a Divine Trial, to ascend into higher Realms of Power.] [All of your Skills have gained +5 Bonus Levels. Many Skills have reached Max Level.] [Many Skills can now Evolve orbine together to be even higher-tiered Skills!] [You acquired the Divine Skill: [Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Divine Title Skill: [Mistress of Umbral Stars: Shub-Niggurath: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Divine Magic Skill: [All-Consuming Void: Lv1]!] N?v(el)B\\jnn [You acquired the Divine Skill: [Void Shifting Spatial Movement: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Divine Skill: [Divinity: Void & Chaos: Lv1]!] [The [Ultimate Skill: Yog-Sothoth] has evolved into [Primordial Skill: All-Eating ck Void Heart: Yog-Sothoth]!] [The [Unique Skill: Supreme Magic] has evolved into [Ultimate Skill: Divine Magic]!] [The [Unique Skill: System] has evolved into [Ultimate Skill: Divine System]!] [The [Unique Skill: Goddess] has been unsealed and further evolved into [Ultimate Skill: Outer Void Goddess]!] [The System has been sessfully upgraded! You have unlocked the Soul Grimoire Abilities: [Quest Generation] [Skill Fusion Forge] [Divinity Absorption] [Outer Void Goddess Shop]!] [Because of your now Living yet Unliving body, a Physique has been generated!] [You acquired the [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 1: Rank 5)]!] [You can now Rank Up your ss and Subss.] ----- Chapter 1018 {Boundless} And {Divine Thrones} Chapter 1018 {Boundless} And {Divine Thrones} ??----- Ding! [Because your Aether has reached over 50.000, your Soul Scape has fully evolved into a Divine Realm!] [All of the Spirit Treasures inside of your Soul Scape have Ranked Up and be much more powerful.] [The New Spirit Treasures: [Sea Of Chaotic Miasma] [Sky Of Cosmic Void] and [Tower Of Primordial Death] have been formed!] [Those that have granted you Divine Protections have gifted you with powerful Privileges.] [You acquired the Divine Privileges: [One With The Void (S Rank Privilege)] and [Voracious Devourer of Gods (S Rank Privilege)]!] [The Spirit Treasures: [Red Flowers of Blood (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 1)] [Purple Flowers of Poison (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 1)] [ck Flowers of Darkness (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 1)] have automatically merged into the [Abyssal Demon Garden Of Blood, Poison, and Darkness (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 4)]!] [The Spirit Treasures: [Withering Trees of Death (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 1)] [Lugubrious Bone Trees (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 1)] have automatically merged into the [Necrotic Death Bone Forest (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 4)]!] [You have in arge quantity of foes! You have earned a tremendous quantity of EXP.] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [¡­] [Your Level has increased from Level 0 to Level 106/300!] [All your Stats have increased! You gained arge quantity of System Points.] [Your Divine me and your Physique overflow with the surplus amount of Mana and Divine Power!] [Your [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death (Tier 1: Rank 5)] has Ranked Up to Tier 1: Rank 7!] [Your [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 1: Rank 5)] has Ranked Up to Tier 1: Rank 7!] [All your Stats have increased even more.] [You have devoured the Souls and Power of two Powerful Gods: [Goddess Of Oceans and Water: Oceania (L Rank)] and [God of Sunlight and Radiance: Baldr (L+ Rank)]!] [You have inherited their Powers and part of their Skills.] [You acquired the Title Skill: [Devourer Of Gods: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Divine Skill: [Divine Ocean Goddess Body: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Divine Magic Skill: [Chaotic Void Ocean Waves: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Divine Skill: [Divine Sunlight God Body: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Divine Magic Skill: [Umbral Death Blight: Lv1]!] [Your Divine Power has increased by an additional +200.000] [Your Aether has increased by an additional +20.000] It was way too much power, I could barely hold it all within me. So many new Skills, so many new Treasures, my Soul Scape had be a Divine Realm, I got a Physique too, and that Void God thing even gave me a Divine Protection from all things! What in the world had just happened to me?! I knew I was going to be strong, but never imagined I would jump two whole Ranks and be L Rank too! And Oceania was L Rank too somehow? And we still beat her before I even evolved. I guess that shows how terrible she was at fighting. Baldr was much more experienced in battles and war though, because he was an older sibling. I can tell from all his memories I got after I ate him. Their power won''t be wasted, that''s for sure. Ding! [An incredible feat! You''ve dethroned two yers that have taken the [Divine Thrones] of the [World of Yggdrasil]!] [The [Divine Throne of Seas] and the [Divine Throne of Sunlight] have be yours. You may choose to reject the Thrones and give them to somebody else qualified for them or keep them and be the Goddess of both Divine Thrones.] [Divine Thrones are special positions within the Worlds of the Tower, who represent the original gods that once inhabited it! You will gain their former authorities and immense divine power to manipte and control thendscape, the heavens, and the mortals.] [However, once you take a throne, you will also receive penalties if you dare descend with your Divine Powers as a Divine Throne into the Mortal World below, be careful.] So this is what Odin did to be a God of this world, despite being just a yer. He yed the original Gods and then stole their Thrones, giving them to his children. What a bastard. I don''t really want them anyways, they seem too restrictive, although the effects could be good in theory, I- [The Effects of the [Ginnungagap Divine Protection] has been activated!] [The Power of [Boundless] is in effect. You are unaffected by any restraint or penalty in the tower or any world within it.] [You can now take the [Divine Throne of Seas] and the [Divine Throne of Sunlight] without receiving penalties or restrictions.] Wait, what?! Is this what it meant by bing Boundless? Incredible. This is something not even Hel can give to me, nor even Ymir! Then if there''s no penalty, if I could control the Seas and the Sun, wouldn''t that make me an actual threat to Odin, even more than before? Hmm, still, I need to think about it. I''ll leave it hanging for now. [You have decided to wait before taking or rejecting the [Divine Throne of Seas] and the [Divine Throne of Sunlight]] [There is a period of time of 30 Days for you to decide if you either want to take them or reject them.] [After the 30 Days passes, both Thrones will automatically be rejected and be assimted by the World they originated from.]N?v(el)B\\jnn Gotcha, I guess I''ll have plenty of time to think about it. Though, without penalties, there''s little to think about it. Either way, I want to rx before doing it anyways. Why? I am already guessing I''m going to get another flood of system notifications, and I am way too tired of them for the moment. "Mama, eat this! It''s really good! It''s like a fat shrimp thing!" Nyx offered me a huge one-meter-sized antlion, who has been roasted and then opened, revealing tender white meat inside, which was seasoned with butter and other colorful seasonings. "Ooh, alright, let me try." Iughed. "Hm?! It''s like crab! So yummy." A lot of things have happened but for now, I just want to take a small break and enjoy the time with my daughter. ----- Chapter 1019 The Aftermath Chapter 1019 The Aftermath ??----- I spentst night eating and drinking a lot of alcohol. I could easily just resist alcohol without problems, and it never really affected me, but with this new body, it seemed possibly to purposely turn off my resistances. Meaning I got really drunk! And it felt really nice to be able to finally get drunk for once. I got a little too excitedst night though, after that huge feast I carried my cute husbands and wives to my room, and we had a lot of sex. I remember most of quite clearly. I don''t think I''ve ever been as assertive asst night. It was as if something possessed me, perhaps the demon of alcohol or something! Maybe evolving and giving me a newer, more lively body gave me a stronger sexual desire, perhaps. But I do remember giving all four of them a really good time. I especially remember sucking my Lucifer and Jonathan''s cocks one after another, with my very long tongue. Having both of my men moaning side by side was really cute. And then eating Emeraldine and Partner''s pussies one after another was also nice. And then we got into more active action and- Ahem! I guess I shouldn''t be thinking about this just in the morning. The sunlight was nice, and there was a calm breeze. Although I wanted to rx, I hadn''t yetpleted the very reason I came to the desert. Looking for my little brother and my aunt! We''ve searched through both of these cities and nothing. Now we''ll be forced to go to the third andst city of the desert, the one near the sea, and thergest of the three. At this point, so many things have happened that I just hope to find a resolution. I am constantly hoping and praying to the void or something for my little brother to be alright. But seeing how fucked up this world is, the hopes I have for such a thing feel¡­ Well, hopeless. It seems everyone''s asleep though. Celes and his mother, alongside Eustace were not here anymore. They moved to the city''s pce; Charles invited them to live therest night. Both Nia and Celes were given honorary noble titles, and Charles promised me Celes would be raised well and taught all about magic to be even stronger. The boy and his mother didn''t want toe with us from the beginning, desiring to stay in their hometown and protect it. I knew about that, so it wasn''t surprising for me, though everyone else got slightly sad. Especially my daughter, she really got along with Celes, and wanted him toe with her to her adventures. I suppose we can visit here whenever we can though, that shouldn''t be too hard. And it''s not like we''ve left yet, we''ll stay another day today and then depart tomorrow morning. It is today where we''ll say our goodbyes for real and assemble everything so this town can be left well. But for now, I should probably Rank Up my ss and Subss! I haven''t done that yet. I closed my eyes and cuddled back in the bed, as I imbued my mind and energies inside of my own Soul, where I saw my Divine Realm expanding rapidly, constantly overflowing with many energies. A gigantic ck and gray sea epassed thend, surrounding it and raging rapidly. Monstrous creatures were roaming within the seas and thend now. There was a lot of life here now, more than I imagined. "You''re here." Michael greeted me, looking much healthier. He looked rather gorgeous to be honest, a tall, slightly muscr yet lean angel. With long white hair and sharp silver eyes, and four feathered wings, wearing white robes wrapped around his body. "I''ve been roaming here for a while, quite a picturesque ce." "You''re very talkative now! I like that." I giggled. "Alright Michael, you know why I came here." "Yes, ss Rank Up, isn''t it? One of the few things that aren''t done fully automatically. You''ve changed a lot yourself; you probably don''t see yourself that different, isn''t it?" He asked, turning into a sh of light and then appearing behind me. "Unbound by the Tower, what an amusing existence. Perhaps you might truly be able to reach thest Floor." "I will." I said. "But that''s forter though." "I know, you want your little brother back. I am also praying for his wellbeing. Despite how you might think of me, I am actually quite apassionate and merciful soul." He smiled, spreading his arms. "After your evolution, the System, me, evolved as well. I''ve be a Divine System! Isn''t it incredible? Also, you finally unsealed that old Goddess Skill!" "Oh yeah..." I said, as I looked at the system windows showing my avable sses and Subsses. Naturally all of them had System Point Costs. But I had a lot of those right now. [Loading Avable Job ss and Subss Options¡­] ----- [Cosmic Void Titan: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 25.000.000 System Points] [God Eating Cmity: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 50.000.000 System Points] [Immortal Void Venerable: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 80.000.000 System Points] [Void-Sculping Outer One: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 25.000.000 System Points] [Death Void Star: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 50.000.000 System Points] [Cosmic Void Architect: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 80.000.000 System Points] ----- "Oh, these all sound crazy¡­ Can''t I do some cheat thing likebining them and stuff?" I asked Michael. "No, you can''t." He said. "Not for now I believe¡­ I could probably meddle with it and make a function forbination? But it would be meaningless, you should simply pick the most expensive one, they''re always the strongest." "Wait, well, okay? Way to spoil it! I sometimes want to choose something else; you know?" I wondered. "I always thought the most expensive didn''t mean the best¡­ I guess I was wrong." "You were definitely wrong, yes." Heughed out loud. He was much more energetic than ever before. "But well, the cheaper ones might carry unique abilities unique to them as well. It is all a gamble, choose and don''t hesitate, Maria! You got a little brother to find, gods to kill, and a tower to climb." "Alright~ Got it." I nodded. "I''ve already made my decision." -----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 1020 Picking New Job Class and Subclass Chapter 1020 Picking New Job ss and Subss ??1020 Picking New Job ss and Subss ----- [Loading Avable Job ss and Subss Options¡­] ----- [Cosmic Void Titan: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 25.000.000 System Points] [God Eating Cmity: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 50.000.000 System Points] [Immortal Void Venerable: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 80.000.000 System Points] [Void-Sculping Outer One: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 25.000.000 System Points] [Death Void Star: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 50.000.000 System Points] [Cosmic Void Architect: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Cost: 80.000.000 System Points] ----- As I looked at the sses and Subsses, I tried to think what they could be about. Cosmic Void Titan seemed to be a further improvement on my Titan sses. I assume more physical power above all things? And then God Eating Cmity, probably will help at eating and absorbing divinities. Lastly, Immortal Void Venerable! What sort of title is that? It feels like something from a Martial Arts or Cultivation World. Is it because of my Martial Arts Abilities, and my Physique? Sounds honestly quite appealing. I should probably visit that Murim world one day. As for Subsses, Void-Sculpting Outer One could be an expansion of Shadow Sculptor, but with Void Essence this time? Could be really useful to further improve my equipment and make even stronger pieces too. Then there''s Death Void Star¡­ Err, no idea what that does. Andstly, Cosmic Void Architect. Maybe the ability to shape void? Like the first one? No, it has to be something else too. Maybe space maniption! "I guess I''ve already made my decision¡­"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Ding! [You exchanged 80.000.000 System Points.] [Your ss has Ranked Up to [Immortal Void Venerable: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)]!] [All requirements have been met; you have unlocked the [KI] Stat!] [KI, HP, Attack, Defense, and Agility have increased by +1.000.000] [All Physical and Body Skills have gained 2 Bonus Levels!] [Arge quantity of Void-Attribute Ki Essence is flowing through your Physique!] [Your [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 1: Rank 7)] has Ranked Up to Tier 1: Rank 8!] The moment I chose my new ss, I felt a near endless surge of new power coursing through my body. And that didn''t just stop there, as I unlocked the precious Ki Stat! One stat I could never unlock as a damned Ghost, but now that I wasn''t an Undead but an Outer Being, I was able to get it! It was a golden and brown colored essence, that epassed my body, reinforcing my muscles, bones, cartge, everything. It made my body feel both bulkier, stronger, and heavier at the same time. It was amazing, and I wasn''t stopping there¡­ Ding! [You exchanged 80.000.000 System Points.] [Your Subss has Ranked Up to [Cosmic Void Architect: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)]!] Stat!] [MP and Magic have increased by +1.000.000] [Your Aether has increased by +10.000] [Your Divine Power has increased by +50.000] [All Support, Crafting, and Magic Skills have gained 2 Bonus Levels!] [Arge quantity of Space and Void Attribute Divine Power is surging through your body, enchanting your Divine me!] [Your [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death (Tier 1: Rank 7)] has Ranked Up to Tier 1: Rank 8!] So many Skills reached max level out of nowhere after my evolution, and with this, most of those that were barely not max level also hit max level too! I felt so much stronger. Each Skill levels further increasing their bonuses and powers granted to me. "Phew, now this feels good! Let''s see how far I''ve grown now." ----- [Name]: [Maria Fuentes Belles] [Race]: [Void-Born Mistress Of Tenebrous Stars: Shub- Niggurath] [Rank]: [L+] [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death (Tier 1: Rank 8)] [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 1: Rank 8)] [Job ss]: [Immortal Void Venerable: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Subss]: [Cosmic Void Architect: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (Legendary Grade)] [Level]: [106/300] [HP]: [9.320.000/9.320.000] [MP]: [17.440.000/17.440.000] [KI]: [2.560.000/2.560.000] [Attack]: [7.790.000] [Defense]: [6.472.000] [Magic]: [13.850.000] [Agility]: [9.790.000] [Aether]: [196.000] [Divine Power]: [612.000] [System Points]: [490.000.000] [Soul Grimoire Abilities]: [Analysis] [Skill Shop] [Creation] [Deletion] [Transfer] [Enhance] [ss Change] [Quest Generation] [Skill Fusion Forge] [Divinity Absorption] [Outer Void Goddess Shop] [Contracted Spirits]: [Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit: Amethyst (Affection: 50/100)] [Characteristic Skills]: [Primordial Skill: All-Eating ck Void Heart: Yog-Sothoth] [Ultimate Skill: Divine Magic] [Ultimate Skill: Divine System] [Ultimate Skill: Outer Void Goddess] [Undead: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Elemental Spirit: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Teleportation: Lv7] [Eldritch Body: Lv8] [Abyss Eater: Lv10] [Lesser Soul Scape: Lv10] [Lesser Divinity: Moonlight: Lv8] [Divine Thunder Spirit Body: Lv10] [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv10] [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul: Lv8] [True Titan Strength: Lv8] [Creation of Death: Lv7] [Poisonous Cmity Swarm Body: Lv8] [Phantasmal Multi-Layered Mind Domain: Lv8] [Void- Born Outer Being Embodiment: Lv3] [Divinity: Void & Chaos: Lv1] [Divine Ocean Goddess Body: Lv3] [Divine Sunlight God Body: Lv3] [Resistance Skills]: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Resistance: Lv10] [Poison/ Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Absorption: Lv--] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv10] [Ice Resistance: Lv10] [Water Resistance: Lv10] [Skill Resistance: Lv8] [Moonlight Absorption: Lv8] [Lightning Absorption: Lv7] [Physical Skills]: [Masterful Stealth: Lv10] [Nightmarish Abyssal Soul Shattering de Arts: Lv8] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv10] [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv10] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv10] [Selene''s Palm of Judgement: Lv10] [Magic Archery Techniques: Lv10] [Berserk Mode: Lv10] [Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs: Lv9] [Phantom Moon Shadow Kicking Technique: Lv8] [Void Shifting Spatial Movement: Lv3] [Magical Skills]: [Life Draining Abyssal Curse Rune: Lv6] [Abyssal Netherworld''s Star: Lv6] [Phantasmal Puppeteer: Lv10] [Abyssal Spear Arrow: Lv10] [Abyssal Barrier: Lv10] [Abyss Maniption: Lv10] [Soul Devourer: Lv10] [Undead Detonation: Lv10] [Shadow Thread: Lv10] [Disease and Poison Creation: Lv10] [Pandora''s Box: Lv10] [Shadow and Death Domain: Lv10] [Gorgon''s Five Cursed Eyes: Lv10] [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv10] [Chaotic Dark Meteor: Lv10] [Dungeon Maniption: Lv10] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv10] [Illusory Delusion: Lv10] [Mind Bending: Lv10] [Insect Maniption: Lv10] [Miasmic Essence Maniption: Lv10] [Gate of the Underworld: Lv10] [Phantasmal mes: Lv10] [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv10] [Divine ck Lightning: Lv10] [Eternal Moon Mirror: Lv10] [Mystical Moon Phase Circle: Lv10] [Dragon Spirit: Lv10] [Blood Arts: Lv10] [Qliphoth Tree Magic: Lv9] [All-Consuming Void: Lv3] [Chaotic Void Ocean Waves: Lv3] [Umbral Death Blight: Lv3] [Support Skills]: [Shadow Storage: Lv10] [Death Restoration: Lv9] [Erase Presence: Lv10] [Summon: Lv10] [Spirit Summon: Lv10] [Divine Spirit Soul Connection: Lv10] [Spirit Fusion: Lv10] [Aura of Famine: Lv10] [Embodiment: Lv10] [Cooking: Lv10] [Hunting: Lv10] [Mental Mapping: Lv10] [Phantasmal Stomach: Lv10] [Farming: Lv10] [Alchemy: Lv10] [Mining: Lv10] [Dismantle: Lv10] [Taming: Lv10] [Mana Transfer: Lv10] [Novice Alchemist Recipe Book: Lv10] [Chopping: Lv10] [Lovemaking: Lv10] [Smithing: Lv10] [Apprentice cksmith Recipe Book: Lv10] [Rune Smithing: Lv10] [Soul Binding Alchemy: Lv10] [Spiritual Energy Maniption: Lv10] [Shadow Sculping Arts: Lv10] [Title Skills]: [The Dark Witch: Lv10] [Dungeon Conqueror: Lv8] [Big Game yer: Lv10] [Taboo Mark: Lv10] [Bringer of Misfortune: Lv10] [Undead Queen: Lv10] [Evil of the World: Lv10] [Pickpocket: Lv8] [Apprentice Swordsman: Lv10] [Apprentice Axe Warrior: Lv10] [Apprentice Spear User: Lv10] [Apprentice Thread User: Lv10] [Spirit Queen: Lv10] [Spirit Mediator: Lv10] [Poison Queen: Lv10] [Merciless Assassin: Lv10] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv10] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv10] [Opportunistic Buyer: Lv10] [gue Exterminator: Lv10] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv10] [Saint of Death: Lv10] [Deceiver: Lv10] [Undead yer: Lv10] [Slime yer: Lv9] [King yer: Lv10] [Dungeon M aster: Lv10] [Dungeon Destroyer: Lv10] [Queen of Flies: Lv10] [Sin of Gluttony: Lv10] [Mold Breaker: Lv10] [Sacrilegious Existence: Lv10] [Vampire yer: Lv8] [Little Farmer: Lv10] [Bookworm: Lv9] [ndestine Brewer: Lv10] [Greedy Miner: Lv10] [Butcherer: Lv10] [Gotta Catch Them All!: Lv9] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv10] [Purifier Of Chaos: Lv10] [Explosion Maniac: Lv10] [Infernal Queen: Lv9] [Ice Monster yer: Lv9] [Human yer: Lv9] [Apprentice cksmith: Lv9] [Bone Queen: Lv9] [Lumberjack: Lv9] [Dragon yer: Lv9] [Relentless Hunter: Lv9] [Soul Scape Master: Lv9] [Cmity Kindergarten: Lv9] [Merciless Killer: Lv9] [Yggdrasil''s Botanist: Lv9] [Swamp Queen: Lv9] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv9] [Sex Beast: Lv7] [Aerial Monster Exterminator: Lv8] [Chaotic Monster Exterminator: Lv8] [Apprentice Martial Artist: Lv10] [Apprentice Chef: Lv10] [Master of the Demonic Phantasmal Fist School: Lv9] [Mass Murderer: Lv9] [Evil God Sessor: Lv8] [Titan Lady of the Eternal Moon: Lv7] [Ymir''s Daughter: Lv7] [Titaness: Lv7] [Devourer of Divinities: Lv7] [Novice Magic Archer: Lv7] [Dragon Master: Lv7] [Vampyr: Lv7] [S Rank Monster yer: Lv7] [Witch Hunter: Lv7] [Divine Dragon yer: Lv7] [Incarnation of Qliphoth: Lv7] [Void Devourer: Lv6] [Wrathful Titan: Lv6] [Divine Spirit Mage: Lv7] [Mistress of Umbral Stars: Shub-Niggurath: Lv1] [Devourer Of Gods: Lv1] [Divine Protections]: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Ymir''s Divine Protection] [Ginnungagap Divine Protection] [Divine Privileges]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)] [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)] [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] [One With The Void (S Rank Privilege)] [Voracious Devourer of Gods (S Rank Privilege)] [Divine Realm Spirit Treasures]: [Void Star (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] [Mountain of Ginnungagap (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 1)] [Demonic Tree of Death: Qliphoth (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 4)] [Moon Gazing Giant Lily (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 3)] [Sea Of Chaotic Miasma (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] [Sky Of Cosmic Void (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] [Tower Of Primordial Death (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 5)] [Abyssal Demon Garden Of Blood, Poison, and Darkness (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 4)] [Necrotic Death Bone Forest (Divine Spirit Treasure: Rank 4)] ----- My Stats tripledpared to my S Ranked Status, the power of L+ Rank entities is in apletely different level. I can tell why the Gods could do as they pleased in this world, the stat differences between Ranks only be more ridiculous with each Rank Up. Yet, thanks to all my buffs, skills, titles, and equipment stats bonuses, I was able to beat an L Rank dumb goddess with my S Rank Status. It is insane the more I think about how I beat her, but I guess it was also thanks to her being bound to Emilia, and also thanks to the penalties the world gave to a Divine Throne that tries to descend into the "Mortal Realm", something that, by the way, I am not even affected with. My Ki Stat however is rather lowpared to the rest, I had to start from zero with this one and just recently got bonuses to it through level ups. I''ll have to "cultivate" this stat a bit more. And talking about Skills, I believe I can nowbine Skills, right? ----- Chapter 1021 New Fusion Skill Chapter 1021 New Fusion Skill ??----- The amount of Skills I possessed easily surpassed a hundred by now, perhaps. And just as I had evolved and ate those two Gods, I got even more Skills as well! Honestly the list never ends. It was a relief I unlocked something new once the System became a Divine System. And it was a special Soul Grimoire function named Skill Fusion Forge! "Michael, can I ess the Skill Fusion Forge?" I asked him. "Of course, you may enter at any time. It is a special pocket realm you now possess; it is contained within my own core." Michael said. "How about you get inside, and I show you how it works?" FLASH! Suddenly, a red colored portal appeared in front of me, I quickly entered it, reaching apletely different ce. It resembled an ancient, yet majestic forge, with zing red mes and a huge golden hammer. There was also an anvil, and the room was no bigger than thirty meters. There was a sealed door behind and open windows, which led to an empty dark area. Ding! [You have entered the [Skill Fusion Forge]! In this special facility, you can freelybine Skills that have reached Max Level by spending System Points.] [As of now, your [Skill Fusion Forge] Rank is 1! To increase the amount of Skills you canbine together, lower the Level requirements, and increase the power of the resulting Fused Skill, you must spend System Points to upgrade it.] ----- [Skill Fusion Forge: Rank 1] A Special Divine System Function and Soul Grimoire Ability. Allows for the entrance to a small, personalized forge where the user canbine Skills using System Points. The amount of Skills that can bebined at the same time, the Level requirements, and the power of the resulting Skills will increase as the Rank of the Skill Fusion Forge does. Current Effects: Rank 1: Can Combine Up to 2 Skills At Level 10. +10% Resulting Skill''s Power and Effects. Rank 2: Can Combine Up to 3 Skills At Level 9 or higher. +20% Resulting Skill''s Power and Effects. Rank 3: Cost: 100.000.000 System Points. Rank 4: Cost: 150.000.000 System Points. Rank 5: Cost: 200.000.000 System Points. ----- "As you can see, the maximum Rank is 5." He said. "And it''ll cost you¡­ 500.000.000 System Points to get it all! Pretty cheap. You just have to kill a few more Gods, hahaha!" "Shut up, that''s not cheap at all, Michael. You''re just messing with me at this point." I sighed. "Well, let''s unlock the Rank 2 at least, I can afford that, yeah." "Very well." [You have exchanged 50.000.000 System Points!] [The [Skill Fusion Forge: Rank 1] has Ranked Up to Rank 2!] [The Effects have been upgraded!] ----- Current Effects: Rank 1: Can Combine Up to 2 Skills At Level 10. +10% Resulting Skill''s Power and Effects. Rank 2: Can Combine Up to 3 Skills At Level 8 or higher. +20% Resulting Skill''s Power and Effects. ----- "Perfect, three Skills is much better! Though I wish the upgrades came with some System Point discount¡­" I groaned. "Well, that can''t be done. The System Points are essential for the entire Skill Fusion to happen." Michael said. "Now, how about youbine something? You have many Skills at Level 10 now." "Can Ibine just any Skill? Even Title Skills?" I wondered. "Yes, no matter the category they belong to, you canbine them together." He nodded. "Interesting¡­ Let''s see." I sat down in front of the forge and looked at my Status. "What should I fuse to try this out? Hmm, ah, how about these?" [You have selected the [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv10] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv10] [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv10] Skills for the Skill Fusion Forge!] [Do you wish to begin the Skill Fusion process?] [Skill Fusion Cost: 30.000.000 System Points] I often used these three skills together to attain my "ultimate" form, whichbined all my transformations together. It was a form I used even against Oceania. Now, I can finallybine all three of these Skills and attain such form permanently as a Skill! "Yes." I pressed the button, as I felt the System Points emerge as energy from my body. All three skills appeared as bubbles, which started burning in the divine mes of the forge, and then, as if my body moved automatically, I grasped the hammer and started hitting the bubbles. Sparks of red mes constantly came out with each strike, as the bubbles started to meld together as I kept them close to one another, slowly, and through a process of smelting and hitting with the hammer, all three bubbles came together into a single,rger, and red and ck colored one. FLAAASH! The bubble flew into my chest, as I felt a brand-new power coursing through my body, a Skill that I wanted to see, yet I didn''t expect to end up being something slightly different too. Ding! [You have exchanged 30.000.000 System Points.]N?v(el)B\\jnn [You have sessfullybined the [Gorgon''s Transformation: Lv10] [Abyssal Demon Transformation: Lv10] [Divine Moonlight Titan Body: Lv10] Skills into the Fusion Skill: [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv1]!] "W-What the hell? What kind of Skill is this?!" I cried in surprise. "Do I get to be a dog now?" "It seems you didn''t understand what Skill Fusion truly is. You''re not justbining the effects of different skills into arger Skill. You''re using the Concepts behind Skills and merging them into a stronger Skill, but that might not necessarily carry the same effects as its ingredients." Michael exined to me. "I see, oh well. It''s not like I''ll need them that much. And thanks to the powers imbued into my very soul, I can easily channel their forms as well." I smiled, as I quickly transformed into a Titan of Moonlight, and also into a mass of countless giant snakes, or even a demonic bug creature. "Though, it is a bit more tiring to use it without a Skill guiding me. Anyways, let''s see what this Skill can do." "[Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis]!" FLUOSH! I activated the Skill before even looking at its description, just to see what happens. ----- Chapter 1022 [Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis]

Chapter 1022 [Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis]

----- My body changed its form as I saw an endless cloud of darkness and phantasmal essence spreading further around. It quickly started turning deep red and blue, changing between these two dark colors as red demonic energy spread through my veins, at the same time as moonlight essence materialized into the form of a metallic golden bnce in my hands, and a sharp, long golden scythe in the other. My usual humanoid form was gone, as I now stood over five meters tall, my body had be much slender, and covered on ck fur, while wearing an Egyptian dress of white, gold, and ck colors. My face felt longer, I had the head of a delicate jackal, including the long, pointy ears and the sharp eyes. My fingers became beast-like andrge, looking like sharp and deadly ws. Looking at the reflection in a mirror made of moonlight energy, I hadpletely changed, bing something simr to the description of "Anubis" I knew about. I even gained a long, fluffy ck tail. I had truly be some sort of Divine Beast Goddess of Death. And it showed, my very presence filled the entire forge with a cloud of Death, countless souls suddenly surging from them, groaning and roaring, as if ready for anything. With just a thought, hundreds of Undead attempted to crawl out of this endlessly expanding mist, I had to stop them before they were to flood the entire forge. "How amusing, do you see the potential of Skill Fusion now?" Asked Michael. "I did tell you that once you evolved, the power of the System would increase tremendously, you would gain additional abilities from it. This, is one of them." "Do the other yers of the Tower don''t get this?" I wondered. "Of course not! Although it might be possible for them tobine Skill sometimes, with special items or the help of Gods." He said. "But nobody can do it as freely as you." "So this Unique Skill really makes me more unique than I ever imagined, even whenpared to the Tower Rankers, and the powerful Gods that live in each World connected to the Tower¡­" I said. "Precisely." He nodded. "Now, do you want tobine more Skills? You got a lot more tobine and lots of System Points, I would say to just go ham and get as strong as you can." "I know you love tempting me with using my system points, but no, not for now." I stopped myself from getting a bit too greedy. "I have obtained a lot of new Skills already; I want to get used to them first. Also this new Fusion Skill feels much moreplex than just a transformation. Let me see the description a bit." ----- [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv1] A Divine Skill born from the fusion between the [Gorgon''s Transformation] [Abyssal Demon Transformation], and [Divine Moonlight Titan Body] Skills. Channel the Divine Power of Death within you andbine it with Four Divine Essences, Moonlight, Void, Chaos, and Demon to be a Divine Death Beast, the Guardian of the Underworld, Anubis. When transformed, your MP, Divine Power, and all four other Energies are constantly drained. Your MP, Magic, Aether, and Divine Power Stats increase by +1000%, while your HP, Attack, Defense, and Agility increases by +500%, with an additional +30% boost with each Skill Level for both buffs. Your appearance will also change, naturally giving you the abilities of a Divine Canine Beast God. In this form, you will gain ess to Unique Divine Abilities, which trigger automatically as you transform, further boosting your powers as both a Necromancer and a Goddess of Death. The power of such Unique Divine Abilities increases by +100% with each Skill Level, and their Energy Requirements decrease by -5% with each Skill Level. Avable Unique Divine Abilities: n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Demonic Abyssal Fog Cloud Of Death]: Summons a Cloud containing Chaos, Void, Death, Moonlight, and Demonic Elements swirling together, which will summon any Soul or Undead you possess and temporarily transform them into [Divine Tomb Guardians], whose Stats will increase by +300%. Whenever an Undead dies, it can revive through the fog endlessly. You can use the Souls contained within it to further enchant your Undead as well as your own Stats, temporarily. [Divine Death Relic: Anubis'' Bnce and Scythe]: Invoke the materialization of Anubis Divine Powers, summoning a Bnce and Scythe. The Bnce will judge the souls of your foes, inflicting a variety of debuffs based on their sins and how heavy their souls are. The scythe can ignore all physical armor and deal direct Soul Damage of up to 1000% to a foe, damage and effects of both Relics increase based in Souls you use to enchant them temporarily. [Abyssal ck Death Void]: Harness the power of Anubis'' Darkest powers,bining them with your Mana, Divine Power, and the Four Essences into a powerful Demonic Divine Spell that creates an all-consuming ck hole, which can deal up to 2000% damage in a wide area, the more Souls you use to enchant Undead or your Divine Relic, the highest the damage bes. Cooldown: 1 Minute. More Abilities will unlock as the Skill Level increases. ----- "Oh yeah, this is definitely an insane Skill!" I gasped. "Nice!" I felt aplished after seeing such an insane ability. And it felt even more rewarding to know it was made out of the Skills I acquired from each of my previous Evolutions. It felt like my powers were finallybing together, as I forged a path I''ve never thought about before. "I''ll have to test thister against some monsters or something¡­" I quickly turned back to normal. "I''ve noticed though, are these Skill Fusions the same as the Skill Merges that happened when I ate those Death Fruits?" "No, that was rted to Skill Evolution, these Skill Fusions are much better, as you can decide what you want tobine. Even ifpletely unrted with one another." Michael exined. "I see¡­ Alright, I''m going for now." I quickly opened my eyes in the outside world, finding some of my family and friends awake at this hour. "Look who''s awake already." Emeraldine looked at me, who was cuddling at my side. "Good morning." Lucifer was already up and clothed. "Hmm¡­" However, Jonathan was still sleeping, butt-naked right at my left side. "Five more minutes¡­" ----- Chapter 1023 A Good Morning

Chapter 1023 A Good Morning

----- "Good morning to you all¡­" I yawned. "Ah, did I oversleep?" "A bit too much perhaps." Emeraldine giggled. "Jonathan hasn''t woken up yet." "Oh, where''s Partner?" I wondered, as I covered Jonathan''s body with the nket. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "She went to buy some groceries for breakfast, she was apparently eager to cook you something." Lucifer said. "Nyx and the others are inside of other rooms, we''re currently in the second manor close to the pce, just to refresh your memory a bit." "A-Ah, I see¡­ We really went a bit hamst night, isn''t it?" I giggled a bit. "Ham? I would say you wentpletely insane¡­ But I also have fault for that." Sighed Lucifer. "Well, all of us perhaps." "Ahahaha, well, let''s just not overthink about it." Emeraldine stood up from the bed, barely wearing her underwear, her blonde hair was all messy. "Phew, shall we go take a shower, Maria?" "A-Ah, sure, the boys can take a shower together." I nodded. "Hey Jonathan, wake up already sleepyhead." I kissed his little nose, as he slowly opened his bright blue eyes. "Hm? Ah, Maria¡­ Ugh¡­" He groaned, suddenly feeling nauseas. "H-How much did we drankst night? My head¡­ it hurts¡­" "Emeraldine, can you heal him?" I asked her. "Haha! Well, sure." Emeraldine smiled, touching Jonathan''s head and imbuing him with a divine healing aura, it made him feel much better. "Thank you Emeraldine, you''re my savior." Sighed Jonathan in relief. "Since that fight that I''ve felt rather dizzy too, not just the alcohol." "It might be because the God that granted you the Divine Protection you have is now dead." I exined. "I killed Baldr and ate him." "R-Right¡­ That happened." Jonathan sighed. "Although I feel strange because the divine protection became hollow, its powers remain somehow." "You should probably try to slowly assimte that power. Divine Protections are Divinity Fragments. If you can assimte it, even a human like you could probably break his limits and further evolve." I said. "Or perhaps, develop a Divine me." "Divine me¡­" Jonathan said. "Right, Eustace said something about it, right?" "Divine mes are the advanced form of a Divine Ember, a Divinity that grows and zes within your soul. The more you develop it, the further your growth will get." Lucifer knew some of that as well. "I already have a Divine Ember in development. I am surprised someone as strong as you have none, Jonathan." "As strong as me? Haha, you''re ttering me, Lucifer. I am nothingpared to your strength." Laughed Jonathan. However his humble act only made my dragon husband angrier. "Bastard, stop pretending you''re weak. You''re only going to insult me with such stupid words." Lucifer groaned, gritting his sharp teeth. "You think I like you being strong?! I am Maria''s first man, so naturally I must be the strongest! I won''t let you ever catch you! I will keep growing even faster than you!" He was still a bit jealous, as always. "E-Eh? You don''t need to get so angry¡­" Jonathan sighed. "And technically, I am Maria''s first man because I was her boyfriend when she was alive¡­" His often soft and gentle gaze became sharp as he nced back at Lucifer''s eyes. "You bastard¡­ That doesn''t count!" Lucifer groaned. "Now, now, please don''t fight over such trifling things, okay?" I sighed. "I''ll go take a shower. Jonathan you can take one after me I guess. Lucifer, once Partneres back can you make breakfast with her? Also, go wake up the kids and everyone else please." "¡­Alright." Sighed Lucifer. "Also there''s another bathroom on the first floor, so you can go shower there, human." He red at Jonathan. "Thank you." Jonathan nodded, quickly getting dressed and walking away. I hadn''t noticed but Jonathan was also a bit fierce, huh? Their rivalry was bing rather strong now. Anyways, as I took a warm bath with Emeraldine, I decided to look at my new Skills, there was at least ten of them now. ----- [Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment: Lv3] A Divine Skill given to someone that has been baptized and reborn within the Void itself. You were baptized by a powerful Outer Being, those that live outside of the Worlds of the Tower and have be therefore Boundless. But that is not everything. Your very existence has evolved, changed, reconstructed itself into a being that prevails within Chaos and the Void. Your ghostly soul has been destroyed and remade anew, your soul and your body are finally one and the same, and you, therefore, have regained your Spark of Life, bing a living being, yet also an undead. All previous Undead weaknesses you possessed have been removed, while keeping all Undead abilities that were beneficial and above the living. Increases the Affinity, Power, and Effects of the Elements and Spells of the following Attributes: Void, Chaos, Death, Darkness, Shadows, Phantom, Poison, Moonlight, Space, Blood, Illusions, Dreams, Nightmares, and Destruction by +1000%, with an additional +100% with each Skill Level. Decreases the Energy consumption of using Spells, Abilities, Skills, and Divinities of such elements by -50%. Passively increases All Stats by +400% (invisible buff, can be turned on and off). Your form can transform as you please, but by spending Mana, you can quickly unleash your [Truest Form], boosting the previous effects of this Skill by an additional +1000%, while also increasing all Stats by 600%, and all Skill Levels by +5 (can surpass maximum level), temporarily. You also generate a powerful [Death ck Void Energy Mantle] within your entire body, covering you like an armor that decreases all Damage Taken, of all Elements, by -50%. With each Skill Level, the growth of all Skills and Abilities further increases by +10%. ----- An amazing Skill right off the bat, and one with a hefty description as well! This one pretty much gives me everything I could ever want and more. And I can feel its power right away, I mean, it is pretty much the representation of what I''ve evolved into. And that form I used to kill Baldr, was my [Truest Form], which I need constant usage of Mana to unleash, and it is very Mana Hungry at that. It drains faster than I can regenerate it, meaning that I only have roughly ten minutes of this [Truest Form] before I need to rest some time until my Mana recovers to 100% again. Nheless, it''s one of the best new Skills! ----- Chapter 1024 New Divine Skills

Chapter 1024 New Divine Skills

----- The Void-Born Skill was already amazing, It was what pretty much allowed me to defeat Baldr with ease. The boost to my stats and everything else makes it apletely overwhelming ability, and a mighty trump card I n to use many times from now on. Well, there''s also my Anubis Transformation whenever I can''t use this right away too. Anyways, there''s these other Skills, especially the Divinity and Body-type Skills I acquired from both Evolving and devouring two Gods. Though, I was still wondering why I hadn''t unlocked my Divine Concept yet. If I evolved I already reached 100%prehension, yet there was no Skill about it, and somehow I also had no clue what it was. Well, I''ll figure it outter anyways. ----- [Divinity: Void & Chaos: Lv1] A Unique Skill that only Shub-Niggurath, the Void-Born Mistress Of Tenebrous Stars, can obtain. It grants a powerful Divinity of Void and Chaos, which allows the wielder of this Skill to absorb Void and Chaos Essences directly from the any source or environment, or even a target, and gain tremendous power that can break through thews of worlds. This Divinity includes the following Abilities: [Void & Chaos Essence Assimtion] allows the automatic gathering of Void and Chaos Essence, which can be used to conjure Divine Chaotic Void Magic and rted Skills, together with this Skill, the use can absorb up to 10.000 units of Moonlight Essence per hour. This amount increases by +10.000 with each Skill Level. This Essence can be used to further cultivate the user''s Divine mes and Physique, increasing their power, and therefore All Stats and Skill Levels over time. [Chaotic Void Divinity Aura Armor] allows the usage of the Void and Chaos Essence on their most Divine form, epassing the userpletely as a powerful and tough armor of ck and gray energy that can easily distort any attack directed to the user. When this Divinity Aura Armor is activated, 1.000 Void and Chaos Essence are drained every second. However, you gain [Immunity] to any non-divinity-fueled attack, and you can further decrease damage from divinity-fueled attacks by 50%. 15% of the damage blocked by the armor will be absorbed as MP and Spirit Energy. [Primordial Chaotic Void Divine Weapon Creation] allows the usage of Void and Chaos Essences tobine materials and existing weapons into temporary Divine Weapons of Void and Chaos containing tremendous power. Each weapon created consumes 1.000 Void and Chaos Essence units per second. However, they gain [God ying] effect, capable of hurting and piercing the Divine Aura Armor of other Gods and deal direct damage to their Divine Bodies or Divine Souls. Consecutive blows will increase Damage dealt by +100%, for a maximum of +2000% Damage, and 15% of the Damage dealt will be restored as HP. With each Skill Level, all Ability Power and Effects increase by +25%, and their Energy Cost decreases by -5%. To obtain new Abilities within the Divinity, higher tiers of Divinity are required. ----- Woah this was incredible! So this is a more developed Divinity Skill! I also have my Lesser Divinity Skill of Moonlight, the one I got when I evolved into Selene, the Moon Titan. However, that one didn''t have as many amazing abilities as this one. It was pretty much just the ability to absorb and manipte Moonlight. And also something about moon phases. That one Skill is Level 8. But anyways, yeah, I did use this Skill when I fought Baldr, the reason he dealt no damage to me wasn''t just because of my evolution and higher stats, there was also a special power, this armor shielded most of the damage I could have taken with ease. And I was also able to turn the tentacles of my head, which are also my hair, into Divine Weapons almost instinctively. At that time I was really furious and desperate to kill him and stop him from hurting anybody else anymore, so I did gopletely batshit insane. Anyways, these two other Skills are from Oceania and Baldr respectively¡­ ----- [Divine Ocean Goddess Body: Lv3] A Unique Skill that only powerful Deities of Water and Ocean Element can develop. Once activated, epasses and transforms your entire body into a Divine flowing Oceanic Water, which spirals, swirls, and moves as you please. With more Mana added, your body can continuously growrger and shape into all forms. When transformed using this Skill, grants a temporary [Divinity Aura of Oceans], which increases Movement Speed, Vitality, Regeneration Speed, Magic Attack Power, Mana, and Water and Ice Attribute Magic Power by +400%, with an additional +35% with each Skill Level. Additionally, allows the ability for your body to endlessly divide into [Chimeric Ocean Pdins], which will be mighty chimeric soldiers with 30% of your total stats,sting as long as you have Mana to supply, who will possess their former abilities and skills. ----- Oceania''s Body Skill wasn''t bad at all! And I could even summon his damned Pdins out of my own liquid body? Now that''s weird. They''ll even have their former appearances and skills and abilities, how interesting. It is kind of like necromancy in a way, isn''t it? ----- [Divine Sunlight God Body: Lv3] A Unique Skill that only powerful Deities of Sunlight Element can develop. Once activated, epasses and transforms your entire body into a Divine Radiant Sunlight, which can be expanded, shapeshifted, and transformed in any way possible. With more Mana added, your body can continuously growrger and shape into all forms. When transformed using this Skill, grants a temporary [Divinity Aura of Sunlight], which increases Movement Speed, Reaction Speed, Attack Speed, Agility, Dexterity, Thinking Speed, and Light and Fire Attribute Magic Power by +400%, with an additional +35% with each Skill Level. Additionally, allows the ability to summon out of your radiant sunlight body the [Baldr''s Harmory Of Sunshine Weapons], which will summon a near endless rain of weapons made of Solidified Divinity of Sunlight, which cand deal up to +1500% Damage to foes, ignoring 30% of their defenses and exploding into even more devastating Sunlight Magic. Constantly consumes Mana to summon. ----- Ooh, Baldr''s Skill wasn''t so bad either, ites with a deadly attacking ability instead of summoning! Not bad, will be using these for sure. N?v(el)B\\jnn ----- Chapter 1025 Even More Skills

Chapter 1025 Even More Skills

----- Moving on to other Skills, this one in specific was what I used to instantly shift through space and pierce through Baldr''s Divine Domain with ease. ----- [Void Shifting Spatial Movement: Lv3] A Powerful Divine Movement Skill that only Outer Entities can acquire. By spending 500 Void Essence per second andrge quantities of MP, grants the ability to easily trespass the boundaries of space by bing one with the void and abusing your [Boundless] powers. The Tower nor any of the World''s Laws can stop you, giving you the ability to move through all physical matter and even distance itself as if you were swimming through water. The amount of distance you can move through this Skill is of 100 meters at base, with an additional +100 meters with each Skill Level. Additionally, increases the power of Void Attribute Magic Power by +250%, with an additional +30% with each Skill Level and increases all Stats by +100% with an additional +20% with each Skill Level while shifting and moving through space. ----- Simple and to the point, this amazing ability allowed me to basically teleport and even destroy most spatial boundaries with ease. Although I am fairly sure I will still need that spaceship that the Pharaoh and his people were building to reach heaven and then finally kill Odin, if the fool doesn''te down himself, that''s it. Moving on, there''s three more Magic Skills I acquired, all three of them are really powerful, and give me the ability to manipte elements I couldn''t. Well, only thest two, which were inherited from Oceania and Baldr, who are now in my belly. N?v(el)B\\jnn ----- [All-Consuming Void: Lv3] A Powerful Divine Magic Skill that only the mighty Outer Beings, who are Boundless and capable of manipting the forces of the Void itself can conjure. By amassing thousands of Void Essence, Chaos Essence, and Mana, you can unleash a destructive explosion of pure darkness, which will instantly absorb and consume anything it touches. Depending in the amount of Void Essence, Chaos Essence, and Mana used to conjure it, the power of this Void will increase drastically, by up to 2000% Damage, which can ignore up to -50% of Magical Defenses and absorb 10% of the damage dealt as more MP and Void Essence. Once conjured in an area, [Space-Eating Void Tentacles] will be conjured, which will continue to spread as they consume all matter and life in the vicinity, constantly dealing damage to anything they attack of up to 500%, ignoring 20% of their Total Defenses and having the ability to inflict [Madness], [Paralysis], and [Soul Poison] on any foe they touch. ----- This is the signature divine skill of my current evolution, and let me tell you, its simple yet amazing! And I''ve been amassing so much Void Essence thanks to all my Spirit Treasures that I don''t really need to worry about that running out any time soon. And because I ate so many Evil God Fragments, Chaos Essence is also not a problem either! Unlike with Moonlight Energy, which I had to start umting only in the moment I evolved, these two essences were already within me way before I evolved into this form and acquired these skills that required it the most. ----- [Chaotic Void Ocean Waves: Lv3] A Divine Magic Skill inherited from having devoured the Divinity of an Ocean Goddess, now corrupted with your Void and Chaos Elements. By spendingrge quantities of Mana, you can summon powerful chaotic void sea waves, in the form of ck and gray liquid, which has no ability to reflect light. Anything that touches these ocean waves will be instantly weakened. Their stats will decrease by a maximum of -50%, and their Skills Power and Effects will decrease by -40%, while one random ability of them will be instantly sealed for the duration of the debuffs, which canst as long as 10 Minutes. Damage dealt is done over time as the Void and Chaos Oceanic Waves will consume the matter they touch like a deadly poison, dealing 25% damage based on your Magic Stat per second to any foe. You can further control these waters in all forms, and even freeze it to produce Chaotic Void Ice, although to further master this effect, more practice is needed. Increases Debuff Duration per Level by +1 Minute. Increases Corrosive Damage Per Second by +10% per Level. And increases all other Void and Chaos Attribute Magic Damage from this Skill and other Skills or rted Spells by an additional +25% with each Skill Level. ----- Not bad at all! This sounds like a refreshing ssh on anybody that deserves it really well. Weakening them severely by lowering their stats, weakening their skills, and even sealing one random skill sound really useful. ----- [Umbral Death Blight: Lv3] A Divine Magic Skill inherited from having devoured the Divinity of a Sunlight God, now corrupted with your Darkness and Death Elements. By spendingrge quantities of Mana, you can summon a powerful and all-consuming ck light, corrupted with the death element. It epasses both the spectrum of light and darkness, while being imbued with phantasmal mes. By shaping this magic into deadly projectiles or powerful weapons, you can deal up to +1250% Damage, which increases by 100% with each sessful hit on a foe, ignore up to 50% of their magic damage, and capable of spreading into evenrger and deadlier explosions. Once one of the attacks hits and then causes an explosion, [Umbral Phantasmal Light mes] will spread on all foes surrounding the explosion, dealing 10% damage based on Magic Stat per second and burning through their Soul Ether rapidly, while draining their MP and Divine Powers for a maximum of 10 Minutes. Additionally, whenever you kill a foe with this Skill, there''s a 50% chance for them to raise as [Umbral Blight Undead Ghosts], inheriting 90% of their total stats and all their original skills and abilities. Increases the damage dealt by a further +30% with each Skill Level. Increases Debuff Duration per Level by +1 Minute. Increases Phantom mes Damage Per Second by +5% per Level. And increases all other Darkness and Death Attribute Magic Damage from this Skill and other Skills or rted Spells by an additional +25% with each Skill Level. ----- And this is thest Skill¡­ Both offense, damage over time, and even undead creation all packed into a single Skill! This is insane. ----- Chapter 1026 OP Titles

Chapter 1026 OP Titles

----- We atmosphere of the town was quite lively, and as I looked at the list of Skills, our group was being constantly praised and greeted wherever we went to. I guess these people had been left with an immense amount of gratitude after everything we did for them, huh? Not like I mind that! Give me all your gratitude, hehe. Anyways, let''s check thest Title Skills, those are always interesting to see. ----- [Mistress of Umbral Stars: Shub-Niggurath: Lv1] A Divine Title Skill only granted to the newly born Outer Goddess of Void, Chaos, Death, Darkness, Poison, and Moonlight, the Mistress Of Umbral Stars, Shub-Niggurath. Your existence is that of a Boundless being, an Outer Entity that exists outside the Tower, yet you are inside of its worlds, making you their greatest menace. You have been baptized with the name Shub-Niggurath, the name that another Outer Being once wielded, that is now long dead. N?v(el)B\\jnn By merely holding this Title, your Boundless Status is greatly enhanced. You can more easily learn Magic, Skills, Divinities, and Abilities rted with the Elements you possess a great affinity with. Alongside that, you gain great affinity with the Element of Space, allowing you to easilyprehend and understand its elemental essence. Additionally, whenever you''re conjuring any Skill or Spell rted to these Elements, all your Stats increase by +300% and the Regeneration Speed of your MP and all other Elemental Essences increases by +500% for 5 Minutes. These effects increase by +25% with each Skill Level. Lastly, bybining all of your Transformation Skills together and activating them at the same time, you can unleash your [Truest Form: Mistress of the Umbral Stars: Shub-Niggurath] and transform into an even more monstrous and aberrant Outer Goddess form, whichbines all the transformation and body-type skills bonuses and abilities, with an additional +500% boost. Duration: 30 Minutes. Can only be used once a day. ----- Aah! This is godly! I had no idea I had yet another transformation hidden here! And it seems to be the most ultimate of them all. I should definitely try that out against some foolter. If I can ever find any now. I bet the Gods are pissing themselves out of fear right now. Wouldn''t me them. I don''t think they would dly jump in front of me now that they saw two of their precious Gods die in an instant. Now, moving on¡­ ----- [Devourer Of Gods: Lv1] A Divine Title Skill granted to aberrant entities that have devoured Gods without being Gods themselves yet. You achieved this feat before bing an Outer Goddess, therefore, the Skill was awarded anyways. You''re a monstrous being, something that defiesws, reality, and even the almighty tower. You can devour Gods and absorb their Divinities, Divine Powers, and Divine Essence with ease. The more you eat, the more powerful you will be. You can even steal their Divine Thrones and take over their positions. You''re Boundless. Increases Damage Dealt Against Gods, their Avatars, and any Divine, Angelic, Spiritual, Holy, and Light Attribute foe by +500%, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. And you can ignore up to 50% of their total defenses when fighting them. Each of your blows will also decrease their stats by -1%, with a maximum decrease to all stats of -50%. Additionally, you can more easily absorb Gods and any other rted Divine Being Stats, Divinities, Abilities, Skills, and more, boosting their absorption and assimtion rate by +1000%. ----- One word, deadly. This was a nice Title to have! With this I can smack them even harder. Though it feels way too good, isn''t it? Why am I so favored by these entities? And why did I be an Outer Goddess? I am fairly sure I was still a normal girl before. I know my upbringing, abilities, and so on are very strange and that they twisted my very being into bing something even more malicious and powerful. Probably it was just the right circumstances in the right time? A series of consequences formed by all the things that have happened so far. That ultimately gave birth to someone with my unique soul, which became enough of a potential vessel to their powers. It seems they really want to destroy the Tower, whoever they are. Although it seems like they could be the best allies I could ever hope to have, I can''t just trust them right away. I don''t know if they have ulterior motives as well! "And we''re here." I said, as we found ourselves in front of the pce once more. "Wee back, Lady Maria and her family!" The soldiers happily greeted us, inviting us inside. We walked happily to greet many of the allied nobles, which had been jailed just some days ago until we freed them, they did all matter of small talk I wasn''t really interested into, so I just kept walking until we finally found Celes and Nia. They were both wearing very fancy noble clothes, which looked like beautiful and colorful Arabic robes and dresses decorated with golden essories. Celes resembled a little prince while Nia a queen. And it was well deserved! Charles has been treating them really well, I''ve noticed. I mean, he better does, they''re now so strong they could easily destroy the whole city if they wanted. Though, of course, they wouldn''t do that. They''re the city''s guardians instead. "Ahhh! Auntie Maria!" Celes waved his hand. "Hi! You''re back! Ah, Nyx! Everyone!" He looked to be rather lonely and a bit tired, so he got immediately happy when we arrived. He has started studying with some of the professors of the city. "Oh, you''re back, what joy! Come in!" Nia smiled adorably, inviting us inside. I had to admit she looked very sexy in those clothes¡­ Her wide hips and really big breasts can be seen really well in them, and her face, as I had mentioned before, was also gorgeous. She was such a beauty of the deserts! It is a pity that if I ever try to court her my wives are going to kill me most likely. "T-Thank you! You look so gorgeous today, Nia." I still gave her apliment. She blushed adorably at that. "I-Is that so, Lady Maria? T-Thank you so much." She smiled cutely. "You also look as lovely as always!" "¡­" "¡­" However, the intense gazes of Partner and Emeraldine quickly weighed down over my shoulders¡­ ----- Chapter 1027 With Great Power Comes Not Giving A Fuck Chapter 1027 With Great Power Comes Not Giving A Fuck ??----- Dancers started dancing around the hall, as the wealthy noblesughed and shared drinks. I didn''t particrly liked being with them, but they were at least not corrupt types of nobles, so at least they were okay. The dancers were also just actual dancers whose professions were entertainment, and not enved girls, so that was okay too. And they were pretty hot and amazing at dancing, so they were quite the eye candy to divert my gaze from the ugly old men. The music was really good though, and the liquor,bined with all the tasty food was even better. The atmosphere became lighter as we celebrated ourst day in here before departing on thest city of the Goldsand Confederation, and itsrgest and wealthiest too, which lies by the sea that connects the continent of Midgard with the Continent of Alfheim, where we get a lot of imported things from there. Emerald Fountain. But for now, we just enjoyed the drinks and the food. Celes was really happy with Nyx and his friends. Fabian and his pals, Silva, even the twins, and even Tear had grown really attached to the brat. I had also grown quite attached to him, but I not to the extent of sobbing over it. Well, I''m sure he''ll be fine. With the powers he awakened and everything else, he''ll surely be a great guardian of this city, and if possible, perhaps even its ruler over time. I am sure the people will grow to love someone caring and strong like him. His magic is also very flexible, offensive, defensive, and healing magic, so he''ll be able to heal most people as he develops his powers. After setting up several barriers and shadow teleportation points, if someone ever dares attack this ce, I''ll immediately know ande to help. I''ve also left Phantom Clones and many Undead, just in case desert monsters decide to attack the city now. Nheless, I could notice how my daughter would miss him, she was still very talkative and all, but clearly looked a bit sad. She was trying her best to pretend to be okay though, she''s good at doing that at least, huh? Poor baby girl, I wish we could bring them along for her, but I suppose this is it. I do feel a bit sad myself too, okay, maybe a bit too much? I spent a surprising amount of time and effort here. More than I imagined this "quick trip" would be. I even in two gods in here, alongside a Saintess, and even evolved. Yep, a lot happened. "C-Come on Master, eat this. I cut it down for you." Partner was blushing while offering me some meat with her fork. She was wearing a really sexy red dress; her legs were so big and were rubbing against mine. And her even bigger breasts were almost resting over my arms because of how tightly stuck to me she was. Honestly, her attempts at seducing me were too adorable! "Nom! Hmm! Sho good!" I smiled, eating what she offered me as if I was a baby. Being spoiled like this wasn''t so bad from time to time, right? "But this cute vampire girl over here is even cutter." I started yfully kissing her neck. "Mooch, mooch~" "A-Ah, master! Hahah! T-That tickles,e on~!" She moaned a bit,pletely acting cute instead of her usual snarky self.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Sorry~ I just can''t have enough of this beauty sometimes." I giggled, as I gave her a kiss on her soft lips. "Hmm, tastes like liquor." I licked my lips after that. "Y-You¡­! I''m trying to behave like ady, and you constantly tease me, master!" Sheined, pouting adorably. "Hahahah! My bad, my bad~" I giggled. "Here, I served you more wine, dear." Emeraldine smiled gently at my side. Unlike Partner, she wasn''t pretending to be a cutedy, she had always been a motherly and adorable girl. "Drink up and just rx! We''ve gone through a lot." "I suppose." I drank some of the wine. "But you should eat as well. Come on, let me feed you some of this and that¡­ Oh, let me make you a sandwich. Do you want so juice, honey?" "A-Ah, sure!" Emeraldine giggled a bit. "Don''t spoil me so much, geez¡­" "Anything for my cutie Emeraldine~" I said as I happily served my queen. "H-Hey! Aren''t you giving her too much attention?" Partner, the jealous little vampire,ined. "What? Want another kiss then?" I giggled. "N-No¡­ I mean, maybe. But also give me food and stuff!" Partnerined. "Hahaha, okay, okay~ Just be honest." I smiled, kissing her cheeks as I served her a te full of recently cooked food that was being made around the table. My phantom clones brought it easily for us. "Eat up then, let''s enjoy the evening, my two beauties." I rested my arms around the two of them as they felt rather joyous and rxed. As we ate and drank liquor, we started kissing a lot. But at this point we stopped caring about the world around us and just enjoyed the moment. However, I also did some conversations, just for the sake of it. Charles and his wife talked a lot about the future of the city, but I was barely paying attention. The two of them spoke so formally and with clear fear in their eyes that I could barely make sense of what they talked about. I guess they saw me as an even more terrifying figure than a god after they saw me kill two of them. "S-So, if possible, we would like to keep a good rtionship between our town and your family, Lady Maria¡­ I-I have also heard you have a vige of your own! If there is anything they need, please feel free to ask¡­!" As he spoke, I was currently sucking on Partner''s tongue, tasting the wine she just drank. "Hmm~ Ah, what? What did you say? I didn''t hear you." I looked back at him, his face was growing paler as I was giving off a divine aura without realizing. "T-That you just¡­ err, you have our utmost support." He suddenly bowed down to me. "Ah, yeah, whatever. Come here now, I am not done." I kept sucking on my Partner''s delicious tongue and then Emeraldine started kissing meter. Indeed, with great poweres¡­ not giving a fuck. ----- Chapter 1028 An Unexpected Confession Chapter 1028 An Unexpected Confession ??-----N?v(el)B\\jnn The party continued for a while and over time I got more talkative, I just wasn''t in the mood. But after a few more conversations, I was able to get a lot of rewards and prizes out of this old man, mostly a lot of money and resources I quickly decided to teleport back to my vige using the Shadow Teleportation Points I left outside. Everything was doing fine and peacefully back there. My strong Undead and Brunhild were protecting the entire area really well, and the alliance with the Dwarven Nation has be quite good. Some dwarves started moving inside of my vige a "pioneer" and had started working below the tutge of the cksmith twins. Aside from that, the rumors of the Demon King''s son appearing also spread into the nearby areas, some of the descendants of Majin that survived and have been mostly hiding or living in the dwarven country had begun migrating to my vige too. Nothing too much, but there''s at least 50 more people now. Root easily made more houses for everyone, while his body continued growingrger andrger at the center of the city, protecting everything with a barrier of spiritual energy, furtherbined with the other barrier in the walls. My Undead also wandered the surroundings constantly, hunting down any threats. They had already cooperated with the dwarves on ying three more bandit groups around the snownds, which were slowly melting and bing cold grasnds instead. There were also more explorations into far away dungeons with my Undead, proving good results as they continued grinding EXP for themselves, and more resources for the vige. And about my Dungeons? Well, they''re continuously generating more resources as well, and I am constantly filling my pockets with money, which I then invest into improving my vige and making everything even morefortable, by mostly buying a lot of construction materials from the dwarves. As the day was gettingte and night was slowly arriving, the people of the party started to move back home. Although our friends looked that they would stay for the rest of the night. Lucifer and Jonathan had also be more talkative with one another. Somehow these two were bing bros pretty quickly, despite Lucifer''s asocial tendencies. "Zzzz¡­" "Muh¡­" And well, my two beauties, unexpectedly, ended falling asleep. It wasn''t because of the liquor or anything in the food either. They seemed to have a lot of umted exhaustion and stress, so they ended quickly falling asleep. It made me pity them a bit, I should let them rest while they can, to be honest. "Hey guys, I''ll bring these two sleepy heads to bed." I said. "Alright, will youe back?" Lucifer wondered. "Yeah! Just wait for me." I winked at them, as I walked away. "I have some sweets I saved for you, Maria!" Jonathan said. "Thank you honey~" I giggled, as I moved back to the bedroom to leave the two sleepyheads there. "There you go. You two better rest well." I smiled, giving them kisses on their foreheads and then walking outside. And then I saw someone there, a beautiful maturedy with a voluptuous body, dark brown, toasty skin, sharp emerald- colored eyes, and long brown hair. She was wearing a gorgeous and colorful dress, her body decorated with golden essories, and her makeup only made her look sexier than ever before. "N-Nia?" I wondered, tilting my head. "Did you need something?" I didn''t expect her toe looking for me. Through the day we chatted a bit lot, she got very talkative. We''ve been helping her all this time since we meet her at the beginning of our journey in this city. Back then she looked so weak and exhausted, just asking for water to feed Celes with. But now she had changed so much, she looked like such a strong and proud woman, tall, slightly muscr after all those level ups, even her Aura of Mana was powerful, flowing like a tornado around her even when most people didn''t notice it. My eyes could notice it. She had gained a lot of confidence and became a much stronger woman¡­ And that only made her hotter. "A-Ah, well¡­" She started fidgeting as she slowly walked to my side. "M-My whole life has given a sudden turn since I met you, Lady Maria. My son¡­ Wouldn''t be alive right now if it wasn''t for your help. And I would remain as a miserable woman, perhaps even weaker than before, or maybe already dead too." As she spoke, she got closer and closer to me, to the point I could feel her breath in front of me. She looked up to my eyes, with her beautiful emerald-colored eyes. "If it wasn''t for your help, I wouldn''t be what I became now. Someone strong, respected, that can now protect her child¡­" She said. "I never knew I had this strength, you helped me blossom it. You and your endless generosity, your beautiful heart, and your wonderful honesty." She was looking for me very intensively. "N-Nia¡­ Well, I did it because I am quite the goody-two-shoes sometimes." I sighed. "Can''t be helped, right? I have the strength, so of course I won''t leave a person dying when I see them asking me for help. Maybe some selfish fools that think they know better would say that doing such a thing is stupid, but I don''t care. I''ve always just done whatever I want." "A-And that''s why you''re so wonderful¡­" She sighed, looking down. "Lady Maria, I¡­ Back then, I never thought I would ever fall in love with someone else before. Even less with a woman, I never thought I liked them to begin with, until I met you. A-And well¡­ This is hard to exin. P-Perhaps I shouldn''t? I know it might be awkward for you-" "So you''re saying you love me, huh?" I walked forwards, quickly embracing her in a hug, our faces very close to one another. Damn, she smelled so sweet. "Do you know that I am a monster, right? I am not human, I am a creature, a monster that eats gods." I slowly moved my hands towards her hips, grasping them tightly. "Ah~" She gave a small moan, looking at me while blushing and breathing heavily. "I-I know what you are, yet to me, you''re¡­ someone so beautiful and grand, I can''t help but, well, like you." "Is that so?" I licked my lips. "I have an idea then~" ----- Author''s Note: The Next Two Chapters are going to be R18 smut, so if you don''t like it you''re free to skip them. Chapter 1029 Nias Lewd Side (R18) 1 Chapter 1029 Nia''s Lewd Side (R18) 1 ??----- As I embraced her with my hands, I asked her an important question, if she was okay with what I was. I wasn''t a human after all, and there was no point in hiding what I was anymore. I was a monster, a ghost, a creature of void. I ate gods, I was aberrant, even. So she had to know very well what she was getting into, before even offering herself to me like this. Our lips were growing very close as I asked her that important question, her face was growing even redder. Despite being a widow, this woman acted like an unexperienced virgin girl. "Are you okay with me being what I am?" I asked her, lightly rising her chin with my index finger. I slowly moved my hand down, touching her cheeks. "Ahhh~ Y-Yes, I am okay, Lady Maria¡­" She said. "I want to repay you for everything you''ve done to help me¡­ Y-You said today I was beautiful, and you''ve been looking at me with such intense eyestely. It would make me so happy if you¡­ Well¡­ I-I¡­" "Alright." I smiled, licking my lips. I decided to y along with her words. "You''re right, I''ve done too much for you. You owe me a lot. And you''re going to pay me for it, right?" "If I can, with this body of mine¡­ I might have been the wife of my husband once. But my dear is long gone, and all these years, I''ve felt so lonely¡­" She sighed. "So please, if you truly like me¡­ I-I wouldn''t mind you¡­ doing whatever you want to my body, Lady Maria. If you''re going away tomorrow, at least tonight. I want to be yours¡­" Dammit, how does she even expect me to keep my cool after saying all of that?! "I never thought you were like this, Nia. Always soposed and trying to help little Celes~" I giggled. "At the end of the day, you''re still a woman, hm? We''ve been together all this time, and I''ve grown to admire you and like you a lot¡­" I massaged her cheeks with my hands as she continued to breathe heavily, her lips only separated from mine by just a few centimeters. "R-Really? I am just a humble mother¡­" She sighed. "Am I really¡­ do you truly like me?" "Of course¡­" I giggled. "Now, if you truly want to do anything I want you to do, stick your tongue out. Quickly~" "L-Like this?" She asked timidly, sticking her tongue out, it was small and cute. "Yes, like that~ Just like that." I nodded, as I started licking her tongue with my own. She felt slightly startled, as I tasted her delicious little tongue. Our lips quickly closed after that, kissing passionately like two lesbian sluts. Her lips were so soft and her tongue so juicy, it was hard to resist the advances of such a hot milf, to be honest. I gave in immediately the moment she started acting all obedient with me, I have a hard time with women when they get like this¡­ "Hmm~ Hahh¡­ Maria¡­ Lady Maria¡­ You kiss me with so much passion, like my husband never did." She moaned, gasping for air as I held her captive with my arms. "Is that so? Then I''ll make sure to pleasure like he never did too. We''ll make sure you forget about that man, and you only have eyes for me from now on." I smiled, licking my lips. I quickly carried her like a princess to an unupied room nearby and locked it, gently carrying her to therge bed while we kissed, she was growing hornier by the second. Her kisses bing sloppier, as she happily sucked on my tongue and continued kissing my lips.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I could hardly resist her anymore, her beautiful toasty brown skin was too sexy, I quickly sat by her side on the bed, slowly taking away her clothes. There were many robes around her which were part of the culture of this ce''s clothing. "Aahh, Maria, you''re being so eager¡­!" She moaned, as I quickly managed to unleash her big breasts. They bounced the moment I freed them from the tight robes wrapped around them. they were muchrger than I imagined, at leas thrice as bigger! And so beautiful, brown, chocte colored, and with her are being of a clearer brown color, her nipples were naturally very erect. She waspletely in heat. "Damn, these are huge!" Iughed a bit. "So big¡­ Hmm~ I love it." Her breasts were at least as big as thergest melons I''ve seen, and they surpassed both Partner and Emeraldine! I already thought my Emeraldine''s breasts were the biggest, while Partner''s ones are rather modest, but Nia was surpassing them both. Maybe because she was a mother and had to breastfeed her child? Like aplete degenerate, I rubbed my face in between her two breasts, as she giggled a bit yfully, caressing my head as she let me eat her breasts to my heart''s content, sucking on her delicious and big nipples, and squeezing them with my hands. "Aahhh~ You''re sucking them so eagerly, Maria¡­!" She moaned. "Ngh¡­! Y-You really like them, huh? I noticed how much you¡­ stared at them, fufu~" "I love them~! They''re so big, I love big boobies." I admitted, sucking hers one after another, taking turns between the two. At the same time, I used my multiple phantasmal hands to grab her legs and lift them up, slowly beginning to unclothe her even further, and taking away her underwear in a sh. "W-What are you¡­?!" She panicked, blushing as she saw all these translucent hands appear. "Didn''t I tell you I wasn''t a human, dear? Now let me show you what good pleasure is all about." I giggled, as I started fingering her while sucking on her breasts, and it wasn''t a gentle one, no, I was being rough. Three fingers inside right away. "Aahhh~ Oooh, fuck~!" She started moaning right away, like the good slut she was! "Good, moan just like that, you slutty widow." I kissed and licked her neck, before kissing her passionately again. If I was going to go away tomorrow, I was going to make sure to enjoy her thoroughly tonight. ----- Chapter 1030 Nias Lewd Side (R18) 2 Chapter 1030 Nia''s Lewd Side (R18) 2 ??----- I got a bit beastly with poor little Nia. She was so horny and thirsty for me that I could hardly resist and did all kinds of lewd things to her. Not only did I pleasure her in many parts using my variety of phantasmal limbs, but I also continuously made her cum. Just to see her moan in pleasure and scream like a slut. I loved it, I was bing a bit sadistic I think. May or might not be because of my evolution. "Ahhh~ Please¡­ No more of that¡­ Maria¡­ P-Please suck my¡­ my pussy¡­!" She moaned, asking me something rather bold. "Oooh? You ask someone as powerful as almighty as me, someone that has in gods, to suck your pussy?!" Iughed, as I spread her legs and took out all four fingers I was using to pleasure. "Such a cocky little slut~ Do you not even know your ce?" "Hmmm¡­ Hahhh¡­ P-Please, I love you so much¡­ Please, just this once. I want to feel your delicious, warm tongue, and your lips¡­" She moaned, asking me, begging me. "Okay, fine!" I smiled, as I approached my face towards her own. "Open your mouth and drink my spit, then I''ll do it." "Y-Yes¡­!" She opened her mouth wide, as I let my salivae out of my tongue and fall inside of her throat, she obediently drank it as if it were an elixir of the gods. "How is it?" "Delicious, I love it¡­" She said. "Everything about you¡­ I love it¡­ S-So please!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Okay, fine. You dirty slut." I smiled, rising her big, fat thighs. I grasped them and even gave them a small yful bite, just because they were so thick and delicious looking. "Hmm, such a beautiful butthole you got, all pink~" I gave her a kiss down there before moving upwards. "But this is the main dish, right~? Hmm~ Bon Appetit!" I gently spread her two beautiful pussy lips wide open, revealing a rosy blossoming flower, her hot pussy and her clit were exposed widely, I quickly devoured them with my mouth, sucking and kissing them like they were a panacea. And damn was it tasty, it had a slight saltiness, but also some sweetness. Hmm, this was a good pussy, good vor overall! "Aahh~ Hahhh~! Oooggh~!" She kept moaning in pleasure as I sucked her out like a mad beast. She was so hot and sexy I could barely hold myself, as I started fingering her butthole and spreading it open too. I took turns, sucking her juicy pussy and then her slightly dry asshole, slowly opening it up into arger entrance. She was dying of pleasure, constantly meaning, until she couldn''t hold back anymore and came right inside my mouth. "F-Fuck! I''m cumming, Lady Maria~!" Her juices came right inside of my mouth, as I reflectively drank it all instantly. Savoring it, it was really delicious, a soft sweet taste, with some slightly bitter liquor after taste, very sticky, so good. I love eating pussy sometimes, honestly. "Hahh¡­ By the gods¡­ Oooh¡­" She was still moaning in ecstasy, and the night had yet to even end. I wanted to try out something before anything else though. "How was it, hm?" "Too good¡­ My husband, he never ever sucked my pussy¡­ It was so good¡­ I am in love; I love you so much¡­ Please let''s get married¡­" She was talking a lot of incoherencies, but I found her really adorable, nheless. "Fufu, you''re so bold asking all these things." I caressed her beautiful face. "But I guess you''re slightly worthy of bing my personal slut~ Hm? How about that instead?" "S-Sure¡­" She nodded obediently. "Anything¡­" She looked truly in love, it made me felt slightly bad. "Aw, okay, okay, let''s get married one day in the future, whatever¡­" I sighed, kissing her and hugging her while I felt her sweaty and naked body over my naked body. "But you know? I am not done yet. I got something I want to try first, you''ll be my test subject, alright?" "S-Something else?" She wondered, looking slightly tired. "W- What is- WOAH!" She gasped in shock as she saw something long and thick grow right above where my pussy was located. It wasn''t just a phantasmal limb, but it quickly took the form of a fleshy appendage, with two spherical ones hanging at the end of them. Indeed, I grew a dick. "So, after evolving, I think I can do even more things now~" Iughed while looking at her face in shock. "So can you let me try this, please? Before I do it to my cuties, I want to see how it works." "Y-You have a cock¡­ H-How is this possible?!" She asked. "I don''t know, that''s how my body is. Formless, I can take any shape, any form, any limb, any organ, I can replicate them to perfection." I smiled. "I can be many things¡­ So? Will you let me fuck you with this for a bit?" "F-Fuck¡­ Y-Yes, please!" She started getting even hornier. "Fuck me! G-Go ahead! You simply became even better now,dy Maria!" The slut spread her pussy, eager to get fucked. "Alright!" I smiled, slowly touching her hot pussy with my dick. Oh, this was a new sensation entirely. Like¡­ countless of bolts of pleasure rushing through it¡­ This dick was so hard and warm, I slowly shoved my cock inside her hungry pussy, it went down so easily, she was really spread out. "Oh fuck¡­ Yes, this is not bad at all!" I smiled, as I quickly embraced Nia, who was moaning like a crazy slut, and then kissed her so she stopped her little show. "Enough! I haven''t even shoved it all the way, now shut up and let me fuck you, slut!" "Y-Yes! I''m so sorry~! Pleas punish me with your cock, Lady Maria! Breed me!" She loved the roley, moaning in pleasure as I started shoving my dick in and out rapidly. The sound of our sweaty bodies hitting one another echoed around the chambers. This was the best! The sensations of her warm, hot and juicy pussy tightly rubbing and embracing my cock was simply phenomenal. p! p! p! p! Once I started, I couldn''t stop. I put her into a mating press position and then dug in like a crazy bitch. I couldn''t stop at all! I kept fucking her deeper and harder, gritting my teeth as I finally felt somethinging out, an explosion of pleasure epassing my entire being. "Oooh, get pregnant, slut!" I came inside of her eager and hungry widow pussy, filling her cum with the hottest juices I''ve ever spilled, this was my cum. I could even produce seed! Maybe now I can get my Emeraldine and Partner pregnant too! Nice. "Hahhh~ Oooh¡­ S-So good¡­ Hahhh¡­ I am yours¡­ I am yourspletely, now, Lady Maria¡­" She moaned, as I slowly pulled out my fat cock out of her pussy, a fountain of hot cuming out, creamy and steamy. "So much cum¡­ W-Will I get pregnant for sure?" She wondered. "Maybe? We''ll have to see. If that ever happens, then you just tell me, and I''ll take responsibility of it~" I giggled. "For now, let''s just enjoy the night, alright? I''m going to fuck your asshole, get on all fours, now!" "Y-Yes!" She moaned obediently, quickly showing me her fat ass and spreading her butthole with her hands. "L-Like this?" "Oh yeah, just like that~ You''re such an obedient slut, Nia¡­" Oh boy, I was going to enjoy her really well¡­ ----- Chapter 1031 The Next Morning

Chapter 1031 The Next Morning

----- I think I overdid it a bitst night with Nia. I think something might have possessed me. Perhaps it was all the adrenaline and energy I gained after finally bing non-undead, or maybe I was left slightly euphoric after evolving into such a powerful being, or maybe because I was still absorbing the Gods I ate, and it made my head a bit weird. Or maybe all of thembined. Nheless, I think I went overboard, and I shouldn''t have been so¡­ Well, I don''t know how to exin it. She did consent to it, but I still feel like I went too rough anyways. So, as I slowly woke up in the bed with her at my side,pletely stark naked and showing me her beautiful, brown-skinned body, I caressed her head and gave her a little kiss on her forehead. "Good morning." I said. "Wake up already, sleepyhead. The sun has rose once more." "Hmm¡­" Nia gave a cute little moan, hugging me back and pushing me down into the bed. "Let''s cuddle some more¡­ Maria¡­" She was actually really cute¡­ "Come on Nia. It''s morning already." I said. "A-And I need to apologize a bit." "Huh? Why?" She slowly opened her beautiful green eyes, greeting me with the gentlest smile imaginable. "I-I¡­" I was fidgeting a bit. "I''m sorry!" I bowed to her. "E-Eh?! Why are you sorry, Maria?!" She gasped. "Please calm down! It''s fine." She hugged me back. "I just went overboardst night, something weird possessed me, I had such an immense umtion of lust, it was insane! Also I was a bit stressed and let out all that stress." I sighed. "And I shouldn''t have treated you roughly. I know you consented to all of that but¡­" "O-Oh¡­" She muttered. "I can''t believe you would say such things, fufu. It is fine, please, calm down. I did consent to all of it! It was just¡­ Some kinky sex! Nothing else. I loved every minute of it, and your domineering attitude was really hot too! There is nothing to apologize. I know you might feel a bit bad now, you have such a beautiful and gentle heart." She hugged me and then kissed my lips. "But it is fine, truly." "R-Really?" I asked while she cleansed my little tears. "Of course, there, there." She gently gave me head pats, as she hugged me and was very motherly! Almost a bit more motherly than even my Emeraldine. I was being engulfed by her motherly love. "And about this rtionship¡­ Err, I won''t back down, okay? So although we need to get going now, once we return, if you want to¡­" I said. "Hmm, it might be a bitplicated, we would like to stay here after all." She said. "I do love you too, Maria, but the responsibility of protecting this city lies on me and my son." "Ah, I get it." I sighed. "Then I will just find a way to open a permanent gate so we can connect my vige with this one, how about that?" "Ooh! That sounds wonderful and lovely! If that could be the case, then we can pretty much live together even while being far away~!" She nodded happily. "That''s right! I just have to get the hang of my new abilities and practice Space Magic." I smiled. "And, well, I did¡­ I did grow a big dick, huh?" I looked at the member slowly disappear as I dispelled the shapeshifting ability. "Ah, back to normal, it still feels better this way." "Oh~ It''s gone already? Well, I had a lot of fun with that too,st night¡­" She giggled. "You came so much inside, I might truly be pregnant with your child now, Maria. I hope you take responsibility if that happens~" She gave me a kiss. "I will, don''t worry." I nodded, caressing her beautiful face and giving her a kiss on her soft, and big lips. "Seeing how good of a mother you are to little Celes, I am sure you will also be a good mother if we ever have a child together, though it still a bit strange that two women can have a child¡­ I am not exactly a normal woman at the end." "Fufu, you''re something above that, you''re a true goddess above goddesses, I feel blessed to have taken your seed. Please, don''t feel sad, I will make sure to give you a strong child." She smiled. "Ah, you''re way too nice, Nia¡­" I said, blushing a bit. "I kind of want to do it onest time before we depart¡­ Let''s make sure you get pregnant, shall we?" I quickly grew it back. "Oooh! A-Alright then!" She giggled, spreading her legs to me. "Please,e in~" "Going in then~" I bit my lips. I continued giving love to Nia for a couple of hours in the morning, the sound of our flesh hitting one another was almost hypnotizing, and each time I came inside, I felt an incredible and pleasurable orgasm. She was so nice at kissing and embracing me too, it was clear she was experienced, cing her legs around my hips and letting me go all-in was too amazing. However, our fun was quickly interrumpted¡­ BAAM! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Gotcha!" "I can''t believe it!" Emeraldine and Partner mmed the door wide open and quickly found me in the act, Nia gasped, covering herself with the bedsheets, as I slowly pulled my cock out. The two clearly saw it as well. "Oh my gosh, you grew one?!" Partner asked. "Oh my gosh! You grew one!" Emeraldine was more excited about it than I imagined. "I-I¡­ Well, yeah, this just happened." I sighed. "You were sleeping and Nia¡­ Well, she offered herself to me, I couldn''t resist, she''s too cute and hot. And we kind of just connected¡­" I was already wearing my cute ck dress, which materialized around me in a split second. "Ugh, I should have guessed this woman would have seduced you! Dammit, we shouldn''t have fallen asleep!" Partner groaned. "W-Well¡­ If it''s Nia, I think it''s fine? She has been our friend this whole time after all." Emeraldine smiled. "Ggrr, I guess so¡­" Partner crossed her arms. "I-I''m sorry." Nia bowed her head. "I simply couldn''t let Maria go without confessing my feelings to her¡­" "It''s fine." Emeraldine giggled. "Yeah, not like we don''t understand how you felt." Partner nodded. "So I am forgiven?" I asked with a smile. "Not yet." They said at the same time. Their stares were slightly cold. "Ugh¡­" As I sighed, they quickly closed the door and locked it. They sat next to me in the bed, ands tarted kissing my neck and my lips! I felt slightly shocked we were making out of nowhere. Nia was looking in surprise, enjoying the view. "W-What''s going on? Weren''t you mad?!" I slowly separated my lips from Partner''s. "Yeah, we are super mad! You used that big thing with her first before us?!" Partner asked. "Did you gain the ability to grow one when you evolved?" "Y-Yes, it is part of my body shapeshifting abilities." I said. "Is it bad?" "I-It''s perfect! With this, we can finally have a child together!" Emeraldine celebrated. "Wait, what?!" I asked. "S-So that''s what you got so angry about¡­" "Yeah, so you better knock me up really good, or we are not letting you go yet!" Partner pouted. "I don''t really like men, but the member by itself, in the body of the woman I love, I think it is fine." Emeraldine smiled gently. "Oooh¡­" I guess my fun wasn''t ending any time soon. ----- Author''s Note: The Next Two Chapters are going to be R18 smut, so if you don''t like it you''re free to skip them. Chapter 1032 Emeraldine And Partner Also Want Some Of That! (R18) 1 Chapter 1032 Emeraldine And Partner Also Want Some Of That! (R18) 1 ??----- I honestly didn''t expect their first reaction being this! I had imagined they would get angrier with me and might even hate Nia. But at the end they were incredibly nice and cute. I should have not expected anything less from my adorable little treasures. Emeraldine started kissing my lips passionately while I slowly undressed her. Meanwhile, Partner was already undressed, showing off her voluptuous body, her big breasts, wide hips, and big ass were all I needed. And her adorable red hair even gently decorated her pussy above, giving her a very unique beauty. "Okay I''m giving it a try first because Emeraldine is still a bit sensitive about it~" Said Partner, using a weird excuse to quickly kneel sexily in front of me. Getting herself on her knees, she quickly started licking the tip of my hard, erect cock. Her warm tongue yfully and almost innocently started to suck the warm tip, licking it as if it were a candy. Her red eyes stared directly towards my own, only making her mouth swallowing my entire cock even hotter. "Hmm~ Slurp~" She was slurping it like a little slut! I could barely resist the pleasure I felt, bolts constantly being sent all through my body. And to make things worse, Emeraldine didn''t let go of my lips, almost asphyxiating me by taking away most of my air with her big, sloppy kisses. Nia didn''t stay there looking either, she joined with the permission of Partner and Emeraldine, and started ying with my breasts, sucking one of them, while Emeraldine, finally letting go of my lips, began to suck the other. "Aaahh~ Oh god! F-Fuck! T-This is too much!" Partner simply started sucking faster and faster, her warm saliva covering my entire cock, and her yful tongue licking everything. I couldn''t hold it any longer, as I ended cumming right away, a big load of steamy and hot cum entered her open mouth, as she licked it and swallowed it happily. "Hmm~ Not bad, it''s really sweet, actually!" Partner sucked my cock clean before finally standing up.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Oohh¡­" I moaned, still feeling the pleasure of such a godly blowjob, resting over the bed. "We''re not done yet, you know?" Emeraldine''s gentle hand started masturbating my cock. "I also want a taste now that I saw Partner enjoying it so nicely~ Your cock is also so beautiful and clean, nothing like the others I saw before¡­ It almost looks tasty, and doesn''t smell bad at all either, sniff." Emeraldine started sniffing my cock without even telling me beforehand. Her little nose rubbing over the tip. I couldn''t resist, as my penis quickly grew erect once more. Partner started fingering my pussy and Nia didn''t let go of my lips now, all while Emeraldine''s mouth was the one greeting my dick now. "Hmm~ Ooogh!" I kept moaning as Emeraldine, as if she had some slight experience beforehand, quickly started giving me a deadly and aggressive blowjob, cing my entire cock inside of her mouth and pushing it down her throat. Her delicious and warm mouth, the slimy saliva covering it all, and theck of oxygen inside of her warm and wet throat made for an incredible blowjob too! Bolts of pleasure rushing from my dick all the way to the rest of my body. I was able to hardly resist an orgasm, as she kept sucking aggressively, all while Nia''s delicious lips didn''t let go of me, she was aggressively sucking my tongue too! And as if that wasn''t enough, Partner''s long fingers prating my pussy was just the nail in the coffin. "I-I''m cumming! Aaah~!" I couldn''t resist, cumming right inside of Emeraldine''s mouth. "Gulp, gulp¡­" Emeraldine didn''t even hesitate, as she blushed and with a rather teasing stare, she swallowed all the cum in one sitting. Once her beautiful lips let go of my dick, it waspletely clean once more. "Hahhh¡­ I-I can''t¡­ Wait, let me rest a bit more¡­" I asked for mercy, but these two subi weren''t giving me any. "Asking for mercy now, huh?" Partner smiled. "You better not act pathetically now, Maria! You were the one that came at night and breed Nia! You''re now doing the same with us, you like it or not! You slutty woman!" "Aw, no~" I moaned, as she quickly climbed over my body, grasping my tits tightly with her hands. Her big was as already rubbing itself over my dick, making it erect right away. "You''ve always liked my big ass, right Master?" She asked, kissing my lips passionately. "You always licked my butthole too~ But this time I am not letting it have it! You''ll be fucking my pussy~" "Aahh~!" I couldn''t fight back, as Partner swiftly pushed her raw pussy down my cock. PLAP! The strong sound of her almighty hips smashing down my own echoed around the room, as I moaned in utter pleasure. And quite loudly! I was being a total bitch right now. Partner''s pussy was just way too tight! And slimy! And warm! I couldn''t resist, I wanted to move as well. "Hmm~ You like that? I am really fucking tight~ Fufu, now you''re going to put a baby on me, master!" As she started gently moving her hips while acting tough, all while looking agitated, I took over the reins of this sexy sex. "Come here, you!" I quickly dragged her down and put myself over her instead. "Uwaah! W-Wait!" She moaned, as I started thrusting up and down rapidly. "T-This is- Aaah~ Ooh~! Ahh~! F-Fuck! Oogh~ Ooogghh ~!" p! p! p! p! I spread her legs upwards and ced them over my shoulders, I kept digging, our sweaty flesh hitting with one another. I could hardly resist cumming right away, her pussy was so tight and juicy! And her moans were so adorable. For being such a cocky little bitch sometimes, she was way too adorable in bed. "You love this, don''t you? Here, I am going to knock you up like you wanted so badly, honey!" I moaned, as I quickly started sucking her tongue, she moaned, her arms hugging me tightly. "D-Don''t stop! Fuck me harder~ Master! I-I love you so much~ You''re my everything~ Cum inside! I want your baby~ I want a family with youuuu~" She kept moaning. "So cute! So these are your true feelings~ You''re such an adorable wife~!" I kissed her neck. "I will dly give you your wish~!" Without hesitating any longer, I drilled her deepest parts, and came inside with full force. All the cum filling her pussy and her uterus with a single shot. I could feel the hot, slimy and steamy liquid covering everything, even my cock. Sliding it out was the best part always, feeling all the cum overflowing as I pulled my penis out of her pussy, that was way too good as well! Gosh, so this is how those two feels when they fuck me, huh? Not so bad at all! I can tell why they be so passive whenever I offer them my pussy, fufu. Now I got the best of both worlds, I can finallyprehend both sides! "Aahh~ S-So much, it''s overflowing outside¡­" Partner moaned, gasping for air as she looked at me slightly sleepily, she spread out her pussy, as a small fountain of white cum came out, flowing over the bed. She was covered on sweat too; women look so hot after you cum inside of them. "Wow, that was a big shot~ Well, you got your wish with that! You''re definitely getting preggers." I giggled. "Now, Emeraldine''s next, right?" "Y-Yes¡­" Emeraldine looked incredibly eager. "P-Please, be gentle¡­" "I will, don''t worry dear." ----- Chapter 1033 Emeraldine And Partner Also Want Some Of That! (R18) 2 Chapter 1033 Emeraldine And Partner Also Want Some Of That! (R18) 2 ??----- Emeraldine gently rested over bed, as she spread out her legs. She timidly showed me her pussy again, as my cock slowly moved towards it. Only by touching it with the tip of my own dick, her entire body twisted a bit. "Ahh~!" "A-Are you sure about this? Maybe we can do it another time." I gently caressed her face as I gave her a kiss on her lips. "N-No, it''s fine, I want it inside... I want to try it too! I-I can''t let Partner have it alone." She smiled gently. "Come on, put it in... I want you to cum inside as well." "Ahhh, alright..." I nodded, gulping saliva. Somehow, doing it with her was much different than with the slutty Nia and Partner! Perhaps because of her own radiance and majesty as a divine fairy, those big butterfly wings behind her back were hard to hide after all. She also naturally emanated an aura of light and radiance. I slowly slid it inside, thrusting my hips deeper into her hers. At the same time, I embraced her with my arms and didn''t let go of her. Her beautiful legs slowly ced themselves around my hips, as she locked me in ce. "A-Ahh... Ooh~" She moaned, blushing and bing redder. She cutely covered her face due to the embarrassment. "S-Somehow... Despite all I went through, this... this feels so different." "Is it?" I smiled, slowly moving her hands away. "I''m d... Let''s make this your official first time doing it with a dick then, alright? Let''s forget all those past times, which were nothing but a bad nightmare. It is just you and me now." "Yes... Maria, it is just me and you now." She smiled, her eyes sparkling adorably. "Kiss me please... Kiss me... I want to do it while we kiss and love each other." "Of course baby, let''s kiss then." I received her beautiful, big lips with my own, as we started kissing passionately. Her tongue quickly sneaking inside of my mouth. At the same time, I started moving, faster and faster with each passing second. I thrusted deeper, this sensation of doing love to her was so nice. She moaned while we kissed, our tongues touching, as my cock got deeper inside. Her own was rather loosenpared to Partner, but not as much as Nina''s, it was a nice in between the two, and with each of her moans, she tightened a lot, making the sensations even more pleasurable. The warmth of her insides, and the warmth of her cuteness were all converging together to make perhaps the best sex I''ve had so far. And I kept going, I grew more and more excited, and Emeraldine epted me with my hastiness and passion as well. p! p! p! p! "Aahhh~! M-Maria!" She moaned. "You''re so big and fast~ I-I''m going insane~ Oogh!" "I can''t help it! I''m sorry!" I moaned, as I kept kissing her. "I can''t resist it, you''re so cute and sexy, Emeraldine~ I''ll make you my bride, be the mother of my child~!" "Y-Yes...! YES~!" She kept moaning, hugging me tightly, her big wings kept twitching, releasing sparkles of light with each thrust. Our hips unifying into one constantly. "I am yours, dear... I love you so much, Maria! You''re my everything... You''re my all~!" "E-Emeraldine!" I cried, as I saw her crying tears of both happiness and perhaps some sorrow mixed in between. I didn''t let go of her, she was so precious, so lovely, so much for me. I didn''t let go of her. I wanted to assure her I would be there for her, always. PLAP! I pushed into the deepest part, as I felt a bolt of pleasure rush through my spine, all the way to my head. I felt my eyes almost rolling, as I instinctively came. My cum filled her insides in a sh,pletely impregnating her.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Hmm~ Oohhh¡­" She sighed in relief. "Aahh~ T-The reason I didn''t get pregnant before¡­ It was because we elves¡­ can control our own rates of pregnancy through the circuits of Mana flowing through our bodies, d-did you know?" "E-Eh?" I asked. "I didn''t know¡­" "S-So¡­ Now that I''ve allowed it to happen, there''s a one hundred percent chance that I''ll get pregnant¡­" She smiled cutely. "I''m going to be a mommy, hehe." "E-Emeraldine¡­" I caressed her face, kissing her lips as I didn''t even want to pull out yet. "Ahh, let''s continue then, let''s have a bit more, to make sure the child is very healthy!" "Ooh! Ahh~" As she moaned like a princess, I kept thrusting deeper and deeper. I ended cumming at least two more times before I finally pulled out, she waspletely filled, so much she got slightly fat down there. "Ahh~ So much seed! I am going to have triplets at this point, haha!" Sheughed merrily. "I wish! Let''s make the biggest family ever." I kissed her, as I rubbed my nose with her little nose. "Alright~?" "Yes my love." She nodded, kissing me back. "You thrusted with such manliness, yet you''re also such a beautifuldy and woman¡­ You are surely the best of both worlds, dear!" "Hey! Come on you two lovey-doveys, I also want some of that!" Partner joined in. "I haven''t received even enough of those cum shots, so you better cream pie really good now, Master!" "E-Eh? Ah, I thought we were over with this for now¡­" "Nuh-huh~" Even Emeraldine looked at me with rather predatory eyes. "Not yet~!" "You''re not going anywhere¡­" Partner smiled, spreading her legs. "Nowe, I want more of that!" "M-me too, please? Can I get some?" Nia asked like a pitiful homeless person. "Heh, what am I going to do with these girls¡­" I sighed, feeling really cool for some reason. "Alright! Let''s keep going for just another thirty more minutes. We can''t dy this anymore; the morning has been over for a while now." I ended spending the next hour taking turns between all three of them, until we were finally satisfied, and took a shower together. Cecil was worried and had been looking for his mom the entire morning, so it made me feel a bit bad¡­ ----- Chapter 1034 Restoring The City

Chapter 1034 Restoring The City

----- Once the busy morning was finally over, we joined for a early lunch with Celes and Nia, and Charles and his family. No more nobles were invited this time, after he realized how much I didn''t cared about them. He brought his wife and his daughter though, both were very cute and beautiful, so it was nicer to the eyes! His wife was a rather gorgeous woman, with ck skin like charcoal, a voluptuous figure, and long golden hair, with sharp blue eyes. Apparently her ss was Sandmancer and was able to control and transform sand, which was exceptionally strong within these endless sand dunes. However, the Saintess still was able to restrain her powers and sealed all her magic using special chains from the church. But now that she was free, she would dedicate herself to protect the city with her amazing magic. "Once again, thank you so much for everything you''ve done, Maria. Without you, we wouldn''t have been able to get such a happy conclusion. I am finally back with my husband, and with my magic unsealed, I will make sure to protect our home better than before." She smiled, it felt like she had a sharp gaze. Unlike her husband, she was much stronger than him, and held a powerful authority. I think I know who the real ruler behind the shadows was here. "I''m d everything turned out nicely, Rashna!" I smiled. "You''re quite a powerful magician ss, a rare one at that! Sandmancer, I had never heard of that one before." "Yes, it has been passed through my lineage for generations. My family in specific, we descend from the Ancient Sand Elves, said to have lived in the desert in very old times." She exined. "Unlike the Sand Elves we sometimes meet, the Ancient Sand Elves were said to have Divine Powers over Sands, and capable of taming the mighty Giant Sand Megalodons that swim through the deeper areas of the golden dunes." "Interesting, now that it has been revealed our world is connected to the Tower, perhaps such people came from another world too." I said. "Just like the Divine Oasis Spirit being actually a Mermaid that came from a world known as Antis within the Tower''s lower floors." "Naiad¡­" Eustace muttered, silently resting behind Celes as his eternal guardian now. "I suppose that is a good theory. The whole thing about this world being connected to the Tower¡­ It has surely shaken our entire world''s perception; I am still trying to process it myself." She sighed. "To think the Gods kept this away from our knowledge for so long. It is clear they wanted our world to be kept disconnected from everything outside, but no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to do it forever. That Raid, if it wasn''t for your help, we would have been massacred by those otherworldly Vampires, which seemed much stronger than the ones we''re used to deal with." "I am presuming most of the races of this world might havee from other worlds." I said. "The Majin, who are so varied, even some species of beast people, and definitely anything too ancient could have alsoe from there." "Now, it is up to us to find out the truth of this world, the tower, and how we can regainmunication with these worlds we once were allies with." Said Rashna. "I want to be one of the pioneers at that! Now that your vige and our city have be allies, I would love to strengthen such alliance by investigating such things together!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Of course, dly dear." I smiled. "We can look more in deep about these subjects once I am done with my little journey. I''lle backter, after all I got Nia and Celes here, whom I want to see daily. I was thinking on eventually cing a special device I''ll construct, a teleportation gate a few will be able to use, to instantly teleport to my ce, and vice versa." "S-Such an artifact is possible to be made?" Wondered Charles, gasping. "Indeed! Though, for now I will only leave such a device to be used to my dear Nia and her son Celes." I said. "I''ll have to see if I can trust you all enough to be able to use it more freely." "We understand that decision does makes sense." Nodded Rashna. "Thank you for your consideration, nheless, Maria. You''re a very intelligent and powerful woman¡­" She looked at me into my eyes. "We would hate to ever lose the opportunity to make a strong alliance with you, whatever it takes, and whatever the price it might be." "Hahaha, calm down, I won''t ask for anything crazy." I shrugged. "For now, I''ll leave my troops for protection. And I''ve also brought some resources from my home I''ve sold to you. for anything else, we can discuss this once we return." "Thank you, truly." Rashna smiled charmingly, as she held my hands gently and caressed them. Charles was a very clueless man, he wasn''t realizing at all, happily eating, but his wife was constantly trying to seduce me¡­ Well, it was slightly working! She was very beautiful and had a powerful aura, I was weak to strong women like her, honestly. But for now, let''s keep a poker face and move on. "Anyways." I pulled my hands back, as her face quickly looked slightly disappointed. "Just today I got a notification from my Undead, the pyramid down there has been cleared of anything rted to the Vampires, so monsters will begin spawning really soon. The Boss was also being kept hidden, it is a Giant Mummified Three-Headed Hound, an A Rank Monster. I hope this Dungeon can help the city flourish with the resources it''ll produce soon enough. Of course, the Dungeon is now mine too, as I''ve taken over its core." "I see, v-very well then." Rashna didn''t have much of an option here, as she epted my words quite quickly. "Can we discuss the share of products and earnings?" "Of course! Let''s do that while we eat lunch." I smiled. "Time for negotiations." Like that, I got myself a really good deal in this city, simr to the previous one. My vige will be earning even more profits while doing absolutely nothing, hahaha! ----- Chapter 1035 Moving To The Last Destination Within The Sea Of Sand Chapter 1035 Moving To The Last Destination Within The Sea Of Sand ??----- After many discussions with Rashna, we finally moved forwards. With everything said and done, there was little left to do here. I would love to stay with Nia and deepen our rtionship some more, but that''ll have to way for a bitter. It shouldn''t take that long once we get there, I''ll want to solve the issue of my brother within a day if possible. "Then, please be safe, dear." Nia said, hugging me tightly and then kissing my lips. "I hope you can find your brother, alright? I''ll be waiting you here with Celes, so be safe and do your best, okay?" "I will!" I nodded, giving her another kiss and a hug. "Take care yourself, okay? Don''t overdo it. Celes, don''t make your mommy do too much, alright?" "E-Eh? Okay¡­ Auntie Maria, are you and mommy girlfriends now?" He wondered curiously, surprised after seeing me kiss her lips. "O-Oh, ah, yes, we are now." I said. "She will be your new adoptive father." Said Nia. "Fufu." "Father?!" I asked. "I would prefer to just stay as auntie anyways~" I shrugged. "I didn''t know mommy liked girls¡­" Celes was still trying to process it, but he was very young and baby, so it didn''t work too well to overthink things. "And auntie Maria too!" "Fufu, it''s fine dear, sometimes adults are like that. I love Maria a lot though." Nia smiled. "She helped us so much, the least I could do is love her for the rest of my life." "Hmm¡­" Celes was growing slightly jealous of me, pouting adorably. "Hey, at least you''ll get two mommies now?" I giggled. "I''ll bring you a gift, alright?" "Muhh¡­" Celes pouted. "I didn''t know mama had a new girlfriend now either!" Said Nyx. "But I''m d it is with your mommy, Celes! Like that we can be family!" "Oh, right¡­ Yeah!" Celes got happy right away. "Children are so simple." Niaughed. "I guess so." I nodded, giving her onest kiss and squeezing her ass a bit. "I''lle back for more of this caketer, alright?" "Yes, I''ll be waiting eagerly." She smiled, kissing my neck. She''s too much of a hottie to resist! Ugh, I wish I could bring her along. "Maria! Please be safe, here, I prepared this lunch for you." Suddenly, Rashan ran to my side, giving me a decently sized wooden box full of tasty treats and sweets from the city. "I hope you can find it tasty!" She winked at me. Then, she touched my hand. "And I hope we can meet again, I want to talk more with you, and get really, really along~" She gently caressed my hands with her soft fingers. "E-Eh? Ah, sure¡­" I nodded, quickly grabbing the lunch box. "I''ll think about it. Thank you." As I finally walked back with my family, we rode the giant back of Lucifer, our personal vehicle, and set into the skies once more, leaving everyone behind. We flew higher and higher, as I made sure to set up a powerful barrier using my new powers of Void and Chaos over the entire city. A transparent one that nobody could notice, but that could even tank a hit from a god. Not only one hit, but at least a couple more.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "And we''re back into the skies!" Jonathan smiled, patting my shoulders. "I hope we can find your brother now, Maria. Let''s hope for the best!" "Ah, yes, Jonathan, thank you." I smiled, giving him a head pat, he was very adorable. "Err, you don''t mind my thing with Nia?" "Huh? Why should I? It is your life after all, haha." Heughed. "I am no different to her in terms of rtionships either¡­ I am just happy you epted my love, and you gave it back to me. I won''t be jealous." "Wow, you''re such an angel, you know?" I gave him a kiss. "You''re the angel here." He caressed my head. "My cute Maria." We ended kissing a bit¡­ He was way too cute! "AHEM!" However, there was indeed someone grumpy about it. It was the big, bad dragon of a husband I had. He had always been a bit jealous of everything though, so I was already expecting it. "Sorry for not telling you before¡­" I sighed. "Are you mad, my big dragon?" "A bit!" Lucifer roared. "Grr¡­ But more than your rtionship with her, I am mad you don''t tell me beforehand! I don''t mind it at all other than, well, I want somemunication, you know?" "I know, sorry¡­" I nodded. "I''ll try to be moremunicative, honey. But sometimes it is a bit hard when I don''t know what might happen, right?" "Hmm, I guess¡­" He groaned. "W-Well, whatever! I am also quite grumpy¡­ I thought we were going to spend the night together; I was waiting for you, and you never came back¡­ Hmph." "Oh¡­ I''m so sorry! I''ll make up for it tonight, alright?" I patted his big scales. "I also miss my big dragon stud!" "Hmm¡­ Okay." He groaned cutely. "You better not break this promise again!" "I won''t!" I smiled. "Also I got a surprise for you." "Surprise?" He wondered, as I heard Partner and Emeraldine bursting intoughter. "Pfff, hahaha!" Partnerughed. "It''ll surely be a nice one, you''ll love it!" "Jonathan as well! You better prepare for the big surprise." Laughed Emeraldine. "I was joking! I won''t show it to them, geez!" Iughed. "Unless they want to see it?" "What?! What are you talking about? What surprise?!" Lucifer was confused. "I don''t get it¡­" Jonathan was also confused. "Well¡­" While looking that the children were inside my Divine Realm exploring the ce, I told my two men what exactly happened. Both had a very reaction, and quite unique to the two. "T-That''s¡­ I-I guess¡­ it''s fine? As long as it is you Maria I don''t¡­ mind it? I guess?" Jonathan was beginning to question his sexuality. "Don''t worry, don''t worry, I won''t force it on you guys, I know you don''t like it." Iughed, patting Jonathan''s shoulder. "Oh, so like the female dragons." Said Lucifer. "Wait, what? Do female dragons have¡­?!" Partner asked. "Yes, most female dragons have both." Said Lucifer. "My sister too. It''s nothing rare, why are you so apologetic about it? Though it is quite unique that you can conjure it and make it disappear at will. My wife didn''t have one though." "I-I had no idea female dragons could be hermaphroditic, but why?" I wondered. Wait does that means that the old Dwarf King was into girls with dicks? "It was said that at some point in history male dragons died in masse due to wars, so females had to reproduce between one another. Some created eggs on their own, and others were able to develop something simr to the males." Lucifer exined nonchntly. "They''re old tales, older than when the Demon King was my friend." "H-Huh, that''s insane." I said. "I am beginning to think you dragons might not alle from this world either. I know the Titans and the Divine Dragons were the original Gods of this world, but maybe there could be some mixing between dragons of other worlds too, right?" "I had considered that too, yes." Luciferughed. "Whatever the case, rx, there''s nothing weird with your body, Maria. You''re beautiful and also my mate, and that''s it. Whatever form you take, it means little to me. You loved me as a putrid corpse, and I loved you as a ghost even back then." "I¡­ guess." I giggled. "Thank you, and don''t worry, I am not going to put it inside of you." "Shut up! I wasn''t thinking about that!" He groaned. "Anyways, we''re getting closer!" The sea and the city of Emerald Fountain could be seen from afar. Chapter 1036 Buying Items In The Raid Shop

Chapter 1036 Buying Items In The Raid Shop

----- As we traveled across the skies talking about whatever and seeing the big city and the sea in the far distance, I quickly remembered there were many things I had acquired. One of them was the Raid Shop thing! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I had obtained some Raid Points as well, which apparently were to buy items in this special Raid Shop. It was quite sadistic how the Tower System simply modified everything to be so game-like, this wasn''t even something my personal system arranged. I checked through the System Log and found the messages. Ding! [Congrattions, you''ve in the [Raid Boss: Vampire Countess Christine (SS+++ Rank)], you earned +25.000 Raid Points.] [For having in her by yourself and without help, you received a bonus +10.000 Raid Points.] [Because you hunted down a Raid Boss a whole Realm above yours, you have received a bonus of +10.000 Raid Points.] [You have in 247 Vampiric Beasts, you earned +24.700 Raid Points.] [Total Raid Points Earned: 169.700] [You have unlocked the Raid Shop! You can ess the Raid Shop at any time, and as long as you have Raid Points.] [However, once your Floor begins a new Raid, the previous Raid Shop will be overwritten, and the Raid Points earned previously will also be lost.] [Please make sure to spend your Raid Points as quickly as possible.] So in total I had almost 170k Raid Points! Not bad. "Hey, has anybody used their Raid Points yet?" I wondered curiously. "Oh, I sued them already!" Said Partner. "I spent them to buy a lot of Divine Vampire Blood and a Vampire Blood Divinity Fragment. I''ll use them to evolve." "So you can buy stuff like that too? And you are going to evolve?" I asked her. "I think I can now, but I am nervous, I am nning to do it tonight I think." She sighed. "Alright, anybody else?" I wondered. "No, haven''t checked." Said Lucifer. "Wait, there''s a Raid Shop?" Jonathan hadpletely forgotten. "Yeah, apparently, based in the number of monsters we killed from the raid, including the vampiric beasts and the vampires themselves, we gain points we can use on a shop." Said Emeraldine. "I haven''t used it myself either¡­ How do we ess this shop thing? Do we need to go somewhere else?" "Of course not. Or I wouldn''t have gotten mine!" Partner said. "Just shout "ess Raid Shop" and a new window should pop up if you got points left." "Hmm? ess Raid Shop." I said, everyone else said the same. Ding! [The Raid Shop has opened. You will be able to ess it as long as you have Raid Score Points left to be used.] [Total Raid Points Earned: 169.700] [Raid Shop Theme: Umbralheim Raid] [Consumable Items] [Evolution Items] [Skill Books] [Equipment] Four options appeared, by pressing them with my finger, I was able to ess any of them as I pleased. Right now, what did I want? Certainly not evolution items, consumable items maybe? I don''t really need equipment either, I got my own. So between consumable and skill books! I guess. I pressed both at the same time, as two windows appeared, showing me the list of items from both categories. [Showcasing the [Consumable Items] and [Skill Books] categories.] [Consumable Items] [High Pure Blooded Vampire Blood Elixir (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000] [Lesser Pure Blooded Vampire Blood Elixir (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [25.000] [Impure Pure Blooded Vampire Blood Elixir (S Grade)] [Cost]: [10.000] [Vampiric Beast Heart Core (S Grade)] [Cost]: [5.000] [Divine Stat Selection Boosting Elixir (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000] [High Random Stat Boosting Elixir (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [25.000] [Random Stat Boosting Elixir (S Grade)] [Cost]: [10.000] [Vampiric Blood Divinity Fragment (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [70.000] [Pure-Blooded Vampire Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000] In consumable items, there were things I had already expected to be there. Their blood, and also the divinity fragment, but what I found new were the stat boosting elixirs and also a vampire-themed skill fusion ticket! By reading the description, it said I could fuse up to five Skills together into a powerful Divine Vampire Skill. Thebined Skills will gain the powers of a Vampiric Skill, bing incredibly unique and also a core ability for whoever dares to sacrifice five Skills for that. I have so many Skills that it wouldn''t really hurt me tobine five out of them, and it doesn''t cost any System Points either, so it feels rather interesting. [Skill Books] [Divine Vampire Progenitor Bloodline Authority Skill Book (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [70.000] [Divine Blood Wielding Arts Skill Book (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000] [Divine Blood Beast Transformation Skill Book (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000] [Bloodline Absorption Technique Skill Book (S Grade)] [Cost]: [30.000] [Blood Core Cultivation Arts Skill Book (S Grade)] [Cost]: [30.000] [Random Common Blood Spell Skill Book (A Grade)] [Cost]: [10.000] Interesting, as for Skills, everything was also rted to the damned Vampires, huh? Very little to see something new! But I guess it was indeed unique. Apparently each Raid Shop gains a theme based in the world that is invading. And based on that theme, the items avable change drastically. My best options now were the stat boosting potion, the skill fusion tickets, and the Skill Books. That Progenitor Skill seemed interesting, but being a Vampire wasn''t my style at all, so it felt a bit forced to try to be that right now. Especially when my Partner could fill that role perfectly well once we can get to Umbralheim and eat all the bad Vampires there, so she''ll drain their blood and assimte their power¡­ Well, that''s just my imagination running wild. But that''s a thing I''d like to see happening. There''s the Blood Core Cultivation Arts that seems interesting, but it doesn''t fit my other Cultivation thingies, so I''ll just ignore it too. Also, I can only buy 1 of each item, so I am kind of forced to pick variety and not the same item twice or thrice, unfortunately. Now, let''s see¡­ I think I''ve already made my decision. Ding! [You have exchanged 165.000 Raid Score Points!] [You purchased the following items: [Divine Stat Selection Boosting Elixir (SSS Grade)] [High Random Stat Boosting Elixir (SS Grade)] [Random Stat Boosting Elixir (S Grade)] [Pure- Blooded Vampire Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] [Bloodline Absorption Technique Skill Book (S Grade)]!] [You currently have 4.700 Raid Points left.] ----- Chapter 1037 So Many Items!

Chapter 1037 So Many Items!

----- Ding! [You have exchanged 165.000 Raid Score Points!] [You purchased the following items: [Divine Stat Selection Boosting Elixir (SSS Grade)] [High Random Stat Boosting Elixir (SS Grade)] [Random Stat Boosting Elixir (S Grade)] [Pure-Blooded Vampire Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] [Bloodline Absorption Technique Skill Book (S Grade)]!] [You currently have 4.700 Raid Points left.] "And done, now¡­ Hmm still some left?" I sighed. "System, can I buy something using these points left?" [You can purchase the [Bloodline Detection Ring (B Grade)] for the exact sum of 4.700 Raid Score Points.] [This ring has the ability to detect those rted by blood to you.] "Sure, buy that." I nodded. "Maybe it can help me find my brother? But I already have no blood when I was alive, and Partner¡­ Wait, Partner does have the bones though." Ding! [You have exchanged 4.700 Raid Score Points.] [You have purchased the [Bloodline Detection Ring (B Grade)] Item!] As I felt a slight sense of hope, I quickly took a nce to all the items. First of all, I decided to drink all the stat boosting Elixirs, from the weakest to the strongest. Their taste was slightly bloody and sweet. As if they were also made by the blood of the vampires we had in, interestingly enough. Ding! [You have consumed the [Random Stat Boosting Elixir (S Grade)]!] [You gained +250.000 Ki!] [You have consumed the [High Random Stat Boosting Elixir (SS Grade)]!] [You gained +500.000 Attack!] The first wo granted a random stat boost, so I didn''t care about them, but the third gave me a selected stat boost of one million. And naturally, the Stat I chose, without a cheer of a doubt was¡­ [You have consumed the [Divine Stat Selection Boosting Elixir (SSS Grade)]!] [You gained +1.000.000 Aether!] FLASH! The moment I selected the stat, my entire soul exploded with tremendous amounts of power. Its size quickly increasing several times over! After all, the Aether Stat signifies the size and power of my soul. I currently had almost 200k Aether before, but now, I suddenly gained five times more Aether at one million! It means my soul increased in size by +500%, permanently. The essence of my Soul grew tremendously high. Everything was growing stronger as a result, my stats also started increasing rapidly! And even my Divine me red with tremendous quantities of power. Indeed, increasing Aether might be even more convenient than directly increasing my Divine Power Stat because of how important the Soul was for me, it was literally everything I was. Ding! [Your [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death (Tier 1: Rank 8)] has been forcefully raised to Tier 1: Rank 10!] [You gained +250.000 Ki!] [You have consumed the [High Random Stat Boosting Elixir (SS Grade)]!] [You gained +500.000 Attack!] The first wo granted a random stat boost, so I didn''t care about them, but the third gave me a selected stat boost of one million. And naturally, the Stat I chose, without a cheer of a doubt was¡­ [You have consumed the [Divine Stat Selection Boosting Elixir (SSS Grade)]!] [You gained +1.000.000 Aether!] FLASH! The moment I selected the stat, my entire soul exploded with tremendous amounts of power. Its size quickly increasing several times over! After all, the Aether Stat signifies the size and power of my soul. I currently had almost 200k Aether before, but now, I suddenly gained five times more Aether at one million! It means my soul increased in size by +500%, permanently. The essence of my Soul grew tremendously high. Everything was growing stronger as a result, my stats also started increasing rapidly! And even my Divine me red with tremendous quantities of power. Indeed, increasing Aether might be even more convenient than directly increasing my Divine Power Stat because of how important the Soul was for me, it was literally everything I was. Ding! [Your [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death (Tier 1: Rank 8)] has been forcefully raised to Tier 1: Rank 10!] [Your Divine me has reached its peak strength at Tier 1! You must now gather Divine Power and Divine Treasures to rise it to the next Tier! New Powers await once you can Rank Up.] [Your [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 1: Rank 8)] has been forcefully raised to Tier 1: Rank 10!] [Your Physique has reached its peak strength at Tier 1! Your physical strength has reached its pinnacle in your current state. To further improve and evolve, gather the necessary materials to Evolve your Physique.] [Due to the tremendous change and increase in your Aether Essence, and the growth of your Physique and Divinity, all your Stats except Aether and Divine Power have increased by an additional +500.000!] [Your Divine Power Stat has increased by +250.000!] This was so insane, I gained so many stats! "Hahah, this is amazing¡­" Iughed. "Everyone, make sure to get the Stat Boosting Elixir, the most expensive one if you can afford it, the one million stats can be abused if you give them to either Divine Power or Aether stats!" "Oh, really? I''ll try it then!" Lucifer said. "Eh?! I missed out!" Partnermented. N?v(el)B\\jnn "Happens because you''re so hasty." Emeraldine giggled. "Ah, I can''t afford it¡­" Jonathan sighed. "I only have 45k points! Nooo!" "Hahaha! I guess we are kindred spirits on being unfortunate¡­" Partner sighed. At the end only Lucifer and Emeraldine bought the Elixir and chose Aether. Their souls became even stronger because their Aether stat was much lower than mine. Meaning that their Souls became between twenty to thirty timesrger. It was insane how much Soul Power was surging from them, their stats rose rapidly, and even their Divinity developed tremendously. Increasing the Aether stat was definitely the way to go! "It is amazing, you weren''t wrong, Maria!" Emeraldine pped her hands. "Yeah, it''s incredible!" Lucifer agreed. "My soul¡­ I''ve never felt so good with it before! Since I was an Undead that my soul has been constantly worn down and healed over and over again, leaving so many deep scars. But now everything is healed, and it feels sorge. It feels like I can finally breath." "I feel like my connection with the Spirits has strengthened greatly too!" Emeraldine nodded. "This is so incredible! I wonder how strong I can get if I evolve now?" "Much stronger! Do you already have the materials to evolve?" I wondered. "I do!" Said Emeraldine. "Me too, I think we all got some share of the S Rank Monster Cores, and also got some divinity fragments from the Gods that exploded into pieces." Laughed Lucifer. "Then maybe you guys should evolve once we find a safe ce to stay." I said. "Huh?" However, as we moved closer and closer to the city, something happened. Arge group of flying people wearing ck armor surged from within thergest pce, flying towards us while pointing weapons at us. "We''ve been waiting for you." A Vampire woman with long ck hair and a red demon mask greeted us, pointing a long katana- like sword at us, while all neen other warriors remained behind her. "Oh, and who might you be?" I asked, greeting them as I flew off Lucifer. "You don''t need to know that. You simply need to die." The ck haired Vampiress said. The Vampires all exuded the Auras of powerful S+ Rank beings, while that woman was an SS Rank! Maybe in the past, this would have been somewhat of a challenge, I suppose. Whoever is leading them, is really outdated about my current strength so far. "Ah, well! Do your best then." Iughed, greeting them with open arms. ----- Chapter 1038 Fighting

Chapter 1038 Fighting

----- n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Vampires of at least S Rank in strength alone greeted us. Apparently these guys hade out of the Emerald Fountain family, most likely sent by whoever was handling things there. Much like the previous two cities, the third andst city, thergest and richest of the trio was most likely being controlled in the shadows by even more vampires, or perhaps something else entirely. Although seeing how we were greeted with vampires, it is not hard or bad to guess that it might as well be them. Again¡­ "Do you Vampires do not grow tired of doing crimes and dishonoring the legacy of your ancestors?" Lucifer spoke before any of the Vampires moved. "I am already guessing that because you came here, you''re already telling us that you''re involved in something shady already, huh?" "I guess it can''t be helped, we''ll have to kill even more Vampires." Sighed Partner. "Ugh, I am getting tired of this though. I hope this is thest ce we meet them." "It might as well be one of thest ces." I nodded. "After all, I believe there''s one of the four horsemen here. Remember that vampire woman that almost destroyed the Duchy of Affnaria? There might be another "big boss-level" Vampire here." FLASH! However, before I could keep talking, a blur of darkness reached in front of me. The ck haired Vampiress appeared right above me, unsheathing a crimson katana and overloading it with her Blood Aura. Darkness surging endlessly from her shadows, further boosting the power of her weapon. "You think you can just talk in front of us without a care of the world?!" She roared, her katana quickly shing against my head. CLAAASH! However, there was no sound of her sword cutting through flesh, or even slicing through my soul or anything of the sort. In fact, the sound that was generated was very much like how a piece of metal would sound when it hit a very hard stone. "Huh?!" Her crimson eyes opened wide as I caressed her chin with my fingers. "Such a beautiful woman, what a pity that you''ve left yourself fall into such deep darkness. How many people have you killed? How many children have you used for your horrible experiments?" "G-Get away from me!" She stepped back, her sword swinging against me several times, each strike became harder than the other, yet I simply was not taking any damage. An S+ Rankpared to an L Rank was¡­ nothing but a little rat- no, perhaps an ant? CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Haaahhh¡­ W-Why is nothing working against you?!" She screamed at me in utter fury. "You''re a ghost, and this Katana has been enchanted with Holy Water and a Blessing from the Emperor of Light himself!" "Is that so?" I wondered with a smile. "Maybe because I am strong, no? Too strong for you, or anybody here to even handle." I moved forwards, pushing through space itself as I appeared in front of her, she gasped, pushing herself back and firing a hundred projectiles of blood against me, attempting to blow me into bits. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "That should do some damage at least! I won''t stop until your body is torn to smithereens!" She screamed, her swords and spears made of blood kept hitting my body. Yet I continued moving, unfazed. "This doesn''t even tickle." I sighed. "More importantly, I am intrigued how you''re all ignoring the strong sunlighting from the sky right now. Aren''t you Vampires?" "T-That''s because of the¡­! Why should I tell you?!" The woman screamed. "You might be tough, but nothing can survive this!" She suddenly unsheathed a second sword, one that waspletely pitch ck, it had a lot of Demonite ores incrusted on them, which made the sword overflow with an Aura of Chaos. "[Dual Demonic Sword Arts]: [Chaotic Onught]!" She shed through the skies, descending towards me as fast as possible, her two swords moving at incredible speeds and shing against my entire body. Constant explosions of blood energy and chaos bombarded my body. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! She was doing her best, trying her hardest. These attacks were amazingly strong, yes, but not enough. Not near as enough. "Why is nothing working?!" Her eyes widened as she saw my bodypletely unfazed, emerging from within the smoke. I smiled back at her, a secondter, I pierced space itself, warping through the void and appearing above her. "Good show, but let''s end this. We got things to do." I smiled, my right left overflowing with shadows and moonlight energies. "[Moon Shadow Crescent Kick]" CLASH! An arc resembling a beautiful ck moon emerged as I kicked her head, her entire body falling from the skies andnding on the seas of sand below with a single, explosive impact. BAAAMMM!!! "A-Ah¡­ W-What?! No¡­ t-this can''t be! Ugh¡­ Gugh¡­!" Her head had been torn open and her brains could be seen, her legs and arms were destroyed, and the rest of her body waspletely twisted. Yet she was alive. Vampires had amazing regeneration abilities after all. If I give her a couple of seconds, she might regeneratepletely. "I''ll end this with this strike." I descended from above, as both of my legs released a phantasmal aura, resembling a long, sharp, and pointy great sword. The wind was pierced to the point it generated shockwaves that spread below and above. "N-No¡­ wait¡­ WAIT!" "[Soul Piercing Phantom Sword Kick]" The impact was fast, my legs pierced through her head, sttering her brains into the sand and blowing up the rest of her body into a pile of blood and innards. "Gryyyaagh!" CRAAASH! "[Creation of Death]" Without wasting a single second, I quickly rose her back as an Undead, without destroying her little soul, and by fusing back all her mangled corpse to a perfect state. "Eh? Huh?! I-I''m back?!" Her eyes set themselves on me, as she felt an endless pressure exerted over her. As my Undead, she was unable to fight back against mymands. "Now, you''re going to tell me everything you know about what''s going on over that city, dear." "Eep!" ----- Chapter 1039 Swift Victory Chapter 1039 Swift Victory ??----- The rest of the Vampires all perished before they could even do much. I weakened them using my [Divine Sunlight Body] Skill''s Ability [Baldr''s Armory Of Sunshine Weapons], which summoned hundreds of weapons made of pure golden divine sunlight, piercing and tearing their bodies to shreds. Those that survived were quickly taken down by my family. I could have let them handle them, but they were still S Rank themselves, even at max level, and I didn''t want them to waste their time and energy defeating some random mobs. Ding! [You and your Party have defeated [Vampire Soldiers (S ~ S+ Rank)] x21!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 106 to Level 110!] [All your Stats have increased!] [You gained +22.000.000 System Points.] Well, not so random anymore though, the moment they died, I kept raising them into my loyal Undead. Well, not so loyal, their minds were fairly strong, and as formerly undead-like living beings, they had a degree of resistance against the mind dominion ability that a necromancer has over their undead creations. However, with my other abilities, I was still able to dominate their very souls. "If you don''t speak honesty right now, I am going to rip apart the information from your souls, and it''s not going to be pretty." I spoke with a harsh tone of voice. "Y-Yes, we''ll talk! Please don''t destroy our souls, master!" The ck haired Vampiress cried. "What''s your name, ck haired woman?" Partner pointed one of her spears towards her face. "M-My name is Kimiko, I''ve been a Vampire for sixty years now¡­" She sighed, looking at us with her big crimson eyes. "Kimiko? Japanese name?" I wondered. "My grand grandmother was said to be a Summoned Hero." She said. "But my family¡­ It was destroyed long ago. I am the sole heiress and well, I ended¡­ bing a Vampiress after I was given a choice by Lord Hendrick." "Lord Hendrick? Is this the one that sent you here?" Lucifer wondered. "Is he the one in charge of that city?" "Y-Yes¡­" Kimiko closed her eyes expecting the worse to happen when she said that but opened them in surprise. "Huh? Why am I still fine? He said that if we ever revealed the truth, our souls would be damaged severely!" "Oh, you must have been subject of some sort of Oath Curse." I smiled. "Don''t worry, I''ve already eaten those the moment I reconstructed your souls and bodies." "E-Eh? Is that so¡­ So we''re free¡­ But we died?" Kimiko was still processing. "It truly doesn''t feel like that, it is as if wepletely revived though." "It''s just that Maria''s Necromancy has reached such level of perfection she can do that." Emeraldine said. "You''re still an Undead, but she remade your body to such level of detail it simply doesn''t feel like it is a corpse. As long as you have Mana, it won''t rot either." "A-Amazing¡­ You''re truly Maria, huh? A powerful Dark Witch that was executed and then came back as a ghost to torment everyone." Kimiko muttered. "I-I¡­ I don''t know what to say right now. It has been so long since my mind has been consumed by the endless drive to drink blood we Vampires have. But my mind feels somewhat clearer, and colder now."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Maybe. Though Vampires shouldn''t feel that crazy, right?" I asked Partner. "I do crave blood a lot of the time but yeah." Partner nodded. "Not enough to cloud my mind and make you forget what you''re even doing or making you an obedient ve. That might have been some sort of Bloodline Power, like Progenitors have over the Vampires they raise." "I-Is that so¡­" Kimiko sighed. "Nheless, I am grateful¡­" She looked behind at the other Vampires. "We are grateful." "Unlike those warlocks you seem to have much cleaner memories, you''re not inherently wicked either, just beastly vampires." I sighed. "But what you''ve done is still a terrible sin. You''ll need to work hard and answer every question I ask, if you don''t, and I detect you lying or being loyal to your former master again, I won''t hesitate on breaking and eating your souls." "Y-Yes¡­" Kimiko nodded nervously. "Now, let''s talk." I smiled. "First of all, tell me, how many children did you Vampires have trapped? And are the name Ash rings any bells?" "C-Children¡­ The higher ups that serve Lord Hendrick collect them in the underground dungeon. They ask us to kidnap them and¡­" Kimiko was trembling as she noticed my gaze bing more intense. "I-I think they experiment on them, they use them as vessels for the Demonite Hearts they''ve been perfecting! And Ash, I don''t know who that is¡­ Does someone, knows?" She asked the Vampires behind her, the Zombie Vampires started talking with one another. Only three of them recognized the name. "T-That is one of the brats- I mean, one of the children that ran away¡­" "Yeah, but Lord Hendrick used him as a vessel to infect the Spirit Tree, right?" "I heard that he was killed and that the elven forest recovered though." "Yep, that''s something we had to do ourselves, thank you for leaving such a mess for us to solve." I sighed, crossing my arms. "Ash is fine and now living happily. We''ve been able to purify the Demonite Heart within him, and it now harbors the Soul of the Spirit Tree within that forest that died due to his infection powers. However, I remember that he said there were other children with him, someone that had helped him escape." "That''s the brown-haired brat, right?" "He got caught recently¡­" "He was managing a whole group of other escapees but- Hyee!" I grabbed the neck of the Vampire Zombie and lifted him up. "Keep going." "A-And they''re in the dungeon, the dungeon area below the pce! Y-You can''t enter easily there! T-There''s a Divine Blood Barrier set up!" "Are the other children there too? How many?" I asked. "They are! There are many sectors¡­ Three! There are not only just children, but other mortals also captured have been put there!" Kimiko said behind me. "¡­Is that so?" I sighed. "Then you''ll have to tell us exactly where these areas are." ----- Chapter 1040 A Talk With Kimiko Chapter 1040 A Talk With Kimiko ??----- The more the Vampires talked about everything, the more rage I felt. It felt like all the anger I''ve been suppressing for long wasing back. I resisted the urge to destroy their souls, they were already dead anyways, so I simply tried to be more merciful for a change of pace. For once. What we learned was quite a lot, from the location of kidnaped people to the amount of Vampires distributed across the city. The Vampire organization here was thergest, and they, unlike the rest, didn''t hid from the people. They were like a huge mafia, working alongside humans and beneath the ruler''s eyes. But who was the true ruler? The Lord and his family, or "Lord Hendrick", who seemed to be the true master of Emerald Fountain? From trading treaties to all kinds of connections, he handled almost everything. It was quite clear that this guy was either cooperating the city lord or had him intimidated into cooperating. Though I was leaning towards the first option, thetter wouldn''t work because the Vampire would have simply killed him eventually instead of trying to force him to cooperate against his will. ording to their words and information, the area where he hid was a huge underground pce, which was protected by a tripleyered Divine Blood Barrier formed using Techniques from "Ancient Vampires", most likely the contacts these Vampires could have with the ones from Umbralheim, which I presume are the ancestors of the Vampires of Yggdrasil. This Divine Blood Barrier was made using three Divine Blood Cubes, powerful Divine Relics these Vampires gifted to Lord Hendrick. They were ced at the core of each underground facility, three of them in each corner of the underground pyramid.N?v(el)B\\jnn The entire city had over a thousand Vampires we''ll have to fight, this ce, without a doubt, was proliferating the most with the bloodsuckers. The worst part is that they''re all criminals, I doubt less than ten of them would actually even be normal. "So it is in these underground facilities, where the Cubes are located, and where the kidnaped people is being held captive, right?" I asked Kimiko. "Yes, this is all the truth, and everything we know." Kimiko nodded; her slightly Japanese face made her look much cutter than the other Vampires. "Lady Maria- I mean, Master, please let us assist you in this endeavor, to pay for our sins, and to repay you for having given us a second chance, instead of shattering our souls." "Hmph, of course you''re helping. There''s no way I am letting you have it easy now." I smiled. "You''ll fight against your formerrades and free all the people you kidnaped and wronged. And you might even die in the process. If your Undead bodies die in such process, I will not give you a third chance." "Y-Yes¡­" Kimiko nodded. "Lord Hendrick is a very cunning man, he''s known as the Horseman of Conquest for a reason." "Conquest? Hmph, who does he thinks he is to call himself like that?" Lucifer was genuinely pissed off. "Is every stupid Vampire Boss the owner of such an arrogant title? What would their ancestors say about such things? All their descendants, turned into criminals constantly torturing innocent people! The Demon King and the Vampire Progenitor would have never wanted this to happen!" "T-That''s¡­" Kimiko fell into silence. "I-I''m sorry, I wasn''t born a Vampire to know such legacy. For most of us, bing a Vampire was just a way to be stronger, and to survive in this unfair world." "Tsk¡­" Lucifer simply ignored their words and looked away somewhere else. "So we''ve defeated one already, that woman, was she one title too?" I wondered. "A-Ah, you defeated her?! Yes, that was the Horseman of Famine." Muttered Kimiko. "The other three horsemen had been really worried since her death." "You''ve met the others?" Partner asked her. "O-Only once, I saw the Horseman of War and the Horseman of Death visit Lord Hendrick. Only briefly so." Kimiko said. "One of them, the Horseman of Death, notified him that she acquired a powerful Divine Artifact, the Core of the Tower of Skadi." "What? So that''s¡­ the vampire woman that was there! That damned woman that could raise even those you destroyed their souls!" Said Partner. "Yeah¡­" I nodded. "So she was the Horseman of Death all along? I was already kind of guessing she was one of them anyways. She''s¡­ she has developed a Level of Necromancy not even I can reach yet. To wield the power of Origin Cores to raise Undead, even without requiring their bodies or souls." "I-It is said the Horsemen are incredibly powerful beings that have surpassed even the SS Rank¡­" Said Kimiko. "They''re the closest beings to Gods within the entire organization, aside from our Progenitor, our true Leader and someone that is said to be a Demigod. Our Grand Progenitor, Lord Sirius." "Sirius?!" Lucifer opened his eyes in shock, instantly recognizing that name. "Sirius¡­ That man! So it was him all along?! He was the one that made this entire organization of criminal vampires?!" "You know him?" I asked. "Yes, of course I know that bastard!" Lucifer roared in utter anger and fury. "Dammit! It had to be him from all people?! He''s the brother of the Vampire King that once existed and was my good friend, and the friend of the Demon King. His weak, often sickly younger brother he was always taking care of. I''ve always wondered what happened to him. But to think that the honest and good-hearted Sirius ended growing into a monster that would host such a wicked organization of psychopaths¡­ H-He wasn''t like this before!" "A lot must have happened since then." I said. "After all, you all lost the war against the Empire of Light, right? And also against the Gods, now that we know they''re the ones controlling that Empire." "This entire time, we were never fighting just humans¡­" Lucifer sighed. "I suppose that''s why it makes sense we lost, despite being so strong. It was the Gods, the Gods all along helped them get to us, with their watchful eyes above the heavens, they told them everything, all our positions, all our weaknesses. And now Sirius, that damned bastard! I guess it makes sense now, all of it¡­" "All of it?" I wondered. "Yeah¡­" Lucifer nodded. "I''ve finally remembered all of my lost memories of the past." ----- Chapter 1041 The Three Ancient Kings Of Darkness Chapter 1041 The Three Ancient Kings Of Darkness ??----- The Demon King, the Vampire King, and the Dragon King. The Three Ancient Kings Of Darkness. These three powerful Kings created the Majin Alliance, as it was called, led by these three mighty Kings, they wanted to free the continent of Midgard from the control of the Empire of Light and regain a foothold within the continent''s territory, to assure their people''s future. While the other tribes shied away and fled to the corners of the continent, hiding from battles and war and from the Empire of Light''s watchful eyes, such as the Elves who hid in a dense forest hid behind a mountain, and the Dwarves that hid in the cold tundra inside of unseen mountains, the Majin, Vampires, and Dragons decided to fight back instead. The Demon King had two friends he made, the Dragon King and the Vampire King. The Dragon King is right with us, Lucifer. And the Vampire King is long dead, the Progenitor of all the Vampires that live in Yggdrasil right now. ording to Lucifer, he was someone strong and reliable, a mighty warrior and king who led his people together. Vampires mostly operated at night, but with his special Bloodline Powers, he could bless his subjects and grant them temporary protection against sunlight, giving them the ability to fight at day. And this power, was made into artifacts which each of the Horsemen wield, Lord Hendrick is capable of letting these Vampires walk below the sunlight using such power as well, although the veil onlyst five hours, but its plenty of time. And about his brother, Sirius, it seems he used to be sickly and weaker than his bigger brother. After thousands of years since the war, it seems he had changed drastically, bing someonepletely different, and leading the Vampires through a new path of bloodshed and crime, unlike their past as a small nation of honorable knights. Their battle wasn''t just for the freedom of non-human species across Midgard, but also against the Gods themselves, who have been manipting the Empire of Light to spread only the human race as the dominant one through Midgard, and even have been preparing a worldwide conquest to the other continents of Yggdrasil. Perhaps they didn''t realize back then, but it was a fight against the Gods themselves, a fight they would have never been able to win back then. They had no Gods backing them, only their Kings, and their armies. The Gods watched the skies, they revealed all the routes, all their strategies, all their weaknesses. At the end, they were all taken down, not even the children left behind. It was a massacre, a war rigged from the start. Yet these three Kings moved forwards, fighting for a new future, a future they never truly saw. It makes me so frustrated to know what truly happened. If only I could have been there.N?v(el)B\\jnn If only¡­ I clenched my fists in silence, just thinking about these things made my blood boil. "Sirius¡­ After all these years we''ve left you alone, you''ve done all of this to survive, isn''t it?" Lucifer sighed. "At the very least, if we have to confront him, it has to be me the one that fights him¡­ I have to take responsibility for leaving him alone and dying alongside his brother and the demon king." "I won''t let you fight him alone." I sighed. "And he''s not here anyways, so can you rx? I understand that you remember your past better now, and everything else. But even then, the present won''t change because of that." "¡­I know." Lucifer nodded, sighing. "I apologize. I might have gone too overboard with my reactions. I was simply¡­ rather shaken." "It''s understandable you felt that way, Lucifer." Jonathan smiled, patting his shoulders. "It''ll be okay, maybe we can find a way to save the Vampires." "Shut up! And don''t touch my shoulder you human!" Lucifer quickly pushed him away. "I know what I must do, but it won''t be easy to convince the rest of the Vampires, and if they''re far too gone like these fools, it''s not like there''ll be any other option than to kill them." "I-I guess¡­" Jonathan sighed. "Maybe I was being too optimistic." "It is fine, a person like that in our party was necessary, not everything is grim and dark." I nodded. "Though, I am too worried and angered right now as well. Once we enter that city, we''ll be ignoring everything else except the Vampires. We''ll move as quickly as possible to the underground through the route Kimiko will share with us, and then we''ll kill anybody that gets on our way, take all the prisoners inside my Shadow Realm, and snatch the cubes." "So that''s the n¡­ Alright, I''m ready." Partner smiled, nodding. "Me too, Maria." Emeraldine said. "It''s finally time for us to finish this entire ordeal in gold sand. We have to move forward, end this, and then keep going. There''s too much left behind after all." "I agree." Lucifer nodded. "The Empire of Light must be growing stronger with every passing day, and that gathering of Dukes and Duchess will be rather soon, isn''t it? They''ll gather over the Empire of Light''s castle. We have to hurry up then." "I know." I smiled. "And we''ll do just that, yes¡­ But after all of you evolve, that is! Don''t just think you can keep fighting in your current states. If you got all the requirements, just evolve already! It doesn''t matter if it takes a few hours. Let''s get this done with while we are outside the Emerald Fountain city." "A-Ah, right¡­ Yeah, let''s do that then." Lucifer nodded. "Agh, I guess? I did get the materials." Partner nodded. "I suppose I might as well." Emeraldine agreed. "I can''t really evolve myself¡­ But I have no Level Cap. My ss Rank Up, however, I''ll need to do that somewhere with a church that has the ss Rank Up crystal or something." Jonathan sighed. "Alright, I guess we can find that in the city." I nodded. "Nyx,e here as well, you have to evolve, youngdy." "Oh right!" Nyx appeared out of my shadows. "Almost forgot- Huh? Who are those people, mama?" "Bad Vampires we defeated and turned into Zombie friends." I smiled, patting her head. ----- Chapter 1042 Everyone Evolves Chapter 1042 Everyone Evolves ??-----n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om And once the decision was made, they started to evolve. One after another. Their evolutions were all different. Nyx was encapsted into a cocoon of ck crystals, Lucifer turned into a cloud of darkness and phantasmal ck mes, Emeraldine was engulfed by a bright tree, and Partner was covered by a storming spiraling and swirling cloud made of blood essence. They were all unique and amazing, the very act of evolution was one of great intrigue to me. It brought so many variables and forms to a living being. It was very strange that humans for some reason were not allowed to evolve. It was something that was a thing even in Yggdrasil, a world of magic. Does this mean that humans themselves are indeed not magical enough to perform the act of evolution and always need to first be a non-human being to be able to? I don''t know what sort of non-human I could make Jonathan into without needing him dead first though. Maybe some sort of Vampire if I use the Blood Skills I have somehow? But nah, that''s not something he would have wanted anyways, and I don''t want to force him into bing a non-human being either. He''s happy and fulfilled as the human he is. And I, myself was a human as well. And as strong as it made me to die and be a ghost that could evolve, there is not a single day I didn''t wish I could simply go back to the simpler times, when I was a human that reincarnated here, living with my noble family, a happy-go-luck slice of life as an adventurer witch, with her heroic boyfriend. Yeah, I''ve meet so many people I love now, hell, I even got a daughter and maybe a few more children on the way too! But¡­ the simplicity and innocence of my first life can''t be easily reced even now. It is something that still remains within me, perhaps as nothing but a reminiscence of the "good old times". Nheless, I can''t return to the past, the present is now, and there''s many things to do. I''ve evolved, and I''ve gained even more strength, this power I''ve been building since my resurrection as an Undead won''t go to waste. I''ll use it for good, I''ll save people, I''ll try to find my brother, and we''ll crush these fucking vampires once and for all. And once I am done with this, I''ll go rx back home, and spend time with my lovers and my kid until the next big war happens! It might sound dumb and overly simple, but I just want to rest for once. And once we''re done with this damned trial in front of us, it''ll be finally over. "So we''ll need to find the cubes first?" Jonathan wondered as he sat down over the dunes at my side, looking everyone evolve. "Yeah, I think I might be able to break through the Divine Blood Barrier on my own though, even without finding those weird cubes or whatever." I shrugged. "But it is better if we go to the other ces first to secure all the innocents are safe. We won''t take turns though; I''ve decided to go to all three ces at the same time." "At the same time?!" Jonathan was bbergasted. "Can you do that? Wait, right you can." "Yes, I can separate my body thanks to a Privilege gifted to me." I smiled. "I''ve obtained many new Body rted Skills, and I can evenbine them together, so these three versions of myself will still remain very powerful, don''t worry." "It''s not that I am worried." Jonathan sighed. "I just want to quickly find your brother¡­ I hope he''s okay, wherever he is." "Do you have memories of Arthur?" I wondered. "I do, I only met him a couple of times, but every time I met him, that little boy was always so eager to see me. He admired me as a hero, and always got really happy whenever he said that his sister was going to be the hero of light''s wife." Jonathanughed slightly bitterly. "He was a boy full of innocence and life. I can''t even begin to fathom all the pain and agony he had gone through since you were executed¡­ And your family too¡­" "But if he had truly survived until now, he might have changed a lot, and be much stronger too." I sighed. "But he might be now scared of what I''ve be¡­ After evolving into what I am now, I think I''ve be even more alien than before. A strange being. Although it brings me a lot of power, it also makes me feel ufortable, a bit." "Really?" Jonathan wondered, touching my hand gently. "Maria, you shouldn''t feel like this. Although your soul and body have changed, you''re still the same you, deep down. Even more now, that you''ve recovered your memories!" "You think so?" I wondered. "But sometimes, it also feels like my personality is changing, my body, my soul, it slowly affects it. I might be even slowly¡­ being eroded away, and losing my true self as whatever I am bing takes over." "No, that''s not true. Sometimes we get mood swings, maybe because of all the stress you''ve gone through¡­" Jonathan said. "But you''re the same as ever, Maria. I can tell, looking at those gentle and thoughtful eyes. You might have be desperate, even furious. And I can tell that''s also justified, seeing the circumstances of thest days¡­ But that doesn''t mean you''ll stop being yourself." I stared at Jonathan nkly. This man really doesn''t give up, huh? "Okay, okay, I guess! I am still the same, maybe I''ve always been insane anyways¡­" I sighed, looking into the blue sky, and then into the faraway city. "Let''s do the best we can now too, so we can finally get some rest afterwards. I''ve been umting too much stress I suppose." "Yeah, I''ll be your shield, as always." Jonathan smiled, his eyes shining brightly. I have been a bit selfish, thinking only about myself, when someone like him, who doesn''t even know how his family is back in the Empire of Light, is constantly helping me. Jonathan is a very selfless man, isn''t he? Almost too much. "You''re a good man, Jonathan." I caressed his handsome face, giving him a kiss. "There''s your reward." "M-Maria¡­" He blushed cutely. "See? You''re still the same as always." "Hahah, dummy." I giggled. ----- Chapter 1043 Bloodline Absorption Technique Chapter 1043 Bloodline Absorption Technique ??----- It has been an hour and a half since everyone began evolving, and I think we were already midway through. Perhaps in another hour or two, they would be finally done. The process was faster than I imagined, albeit slower than my own evolution. For now, to pass the time and perhaps gain more strength, I checked the items I had acquired from the Raid Shop. Aside from the Bloodline Ring, which I haven''t activated yet because I might need the blood or bone marrow of Partner as I have no blood myself, there were two other items in my eyes, both consumable and Skill rted. The [Pure-Blooded Vampire Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] and the [Bloodline Absorption Technique Skill Book (S Grade)]! The first was a crimson-colored metallic ticket, containing the small painting of a blood drop and a bat on it. By reading the description, it said I could fuse up to five Skills together into a powerful Divine Vampire Skill. Thebined Skills will gain the powers of a Vampiric Skill, bing incredibly unique and also a core ability for whoever dares to sacrifice five Skills for that. I have so many Skills that it wouldn''t really hurt me tobine five out of them, and it doesn''t cost any System Points either. At the end, this was a rather obvious choice! Andstly, the Skill Book, it seems to give me a single powerful Skill named Bloodline Absorption Technique. Now that I have flesh and some sort of weird blood coursing through me (I think?), I might as well begin collecting these Bloodlines andbine them to gain many benefits. Let''s use the book first! With a mere mentalmand and by opening the Skill Book, the pages started moving rapidly. Countless runes appeared, imbuing their knowledge and information into the depths of my mind and soul, engraving thempletely into my body, and then making the book disappear on an explosion of red light. FLAAASH! [You have used the [Bloodline Absorption Technique Skill Book (S Grade)]!] [You have absorbed the contents and magic power of the [Bloodline Absorption Technique Skill Book (S Grade)] sessfully!] [You learned the [Bloodline Absorption Technique: Lv1] Physical Skill!] ----- [Bloodline Absorption Technique: Lv1] A powerful and ancient ability that the Vampires of the World of Umbralheim utilize to steal the Bloodlines of Beasts and other living beings. The more Bloodlines they stack together andbine into one, the more innate abilities they can acquire, modifying their bodies, strengthening their physiques, and obtaining powerful new abilities in the process. The Bloodline Absorption Process is simple, yet at the same time ratherplicated for some that are always killing before thinking. To absorb Bloodlines you must have a living, weakened target first. Drinking their blood while activating this Skill, as long as the target does not resist too much, will make it possible for their Bloodline to be slowly assimted. Consuming only a single target will never aplete Bloodline, however, and will only raise its percentage of absorption. Many targets of the same bloodline are often required to obtain it, the stronger the bloodline, the more targets might be needed, or sometimes, an incredibly overwhelmingly strong target might also do the trick. When absorbing Bloodlines from a living target, increases Absorption Speed by +100% with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. When stealing the Bloodline of a foe, decreases that foe''s Stats by up to -50% and has a 30% chance to paralyze them for 1 minute. Based on the Bloodlines you absorb andplete to 100%, you gain bonuses to your Skills Powers and Effects and Basic Stats. +1% = Low Rank Bloodlines. +4% = Mid Rank Bloodlines. +8% = High Rank Bloodlines. +15% = Divine Rank Bloodlines. Bloodline Slots will increase by +2 with each Skill Level. You can free Bloodline Slots bybining Bloodlines together. Some Bloodlines will be ipatible with one another for Fusion, however. Avable Bloodlines (0/4): None ----- "Ah, I suppose I am starting with a clean te on this, huh?" I wondered, rubbing my chin as I watched the skill description in fine detail. "Well, well, this is not so bad. I might be able to steal the bloodlines of those Zombie Vampires? I wonder if it could work." "What are you talking about?" Jonathan was curious. "Bloodlines?" "Yes, I acquired a rather unique new Skill, it''ll help me steal Bloodlines to start up my own." I smiled. "It''ll give me boosts to my stats and skills depending on the ranks they have! Pretty neat, right? Alright, hey you Vampires,e here." I summoned all the fresh Vampire Zombies and told them to open a small wound on their hands, still fresh blood came oozing out. The skill description did say they needed to be alive though, so maybe it won''t work¡­ Well, it''s better to try first. "L-Lady Maria, what are you nning to do?" Kimiko asked me shyly.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Shut up and stay still." I said with a stern voice. "[Bloodline Absorption Technique]!" FLUOSH! A sphere of red Blood Energy surged from my hands, as it started absorbing the blood I was draining from the over twenty Zombie Vampires. I kept absorbing and letting the sphere drink it all. Over time, its size and volume increased more and more. The Vampire Zombies werepletely dried out of their blood, resembling old mummies. "Gehh¡­ M-My blood¡­?!" Kimiko cried with a dried, grandma voice. "[Undead Restoration]" FLASH! However, I quickly healed them, as they came back to normal. The sphere wasn''t reacting yet, so I kept draining their blood and regenerating it, until something happened after the thirtieth session. The sphere fused itself into my chest, as I saw slight visions of Vampires being born within the depths of the dark world of Umbralheim, born from red cocoons of blood, from ancient, primordialkes born from the blood of an immemorial, fallen deity. They rose, killed, and fought for supremacy, every one of them born cunning and malicious by nature, slowly awakening their own powers and creating their bloodlines. Four powerful families governing this world. However, before I could see more, I was back to normal. Ding! [Blood Absorption Sessful! You have absorbed the following Bloodlines to 100%: [Lesser Bloodline of the Bloodheart Vampire Family: 100% (Low-Rank)] [Weakened Bloodline of the ck Lotus Ronin Family: 100% (Low-Rank)]!] "Woah¡­" ----- Chapter 1044 Absorbing Bloodlines

Chapter 1044 Absorbing Bloodlines

----- "Woah¡­" I felt the blood coursing through my veins, it activated, something deep red and something deep ck surged, fusing into my own self, and improving itself topletely new, and incredible levels. "So this is obtaining a bloodline!" I felt shocked. "I even had a shback of seeing the origin of the vampire bloodline I absorbed!" "U-ugh¡­ I''m d for you¡­ mydy¡­" Kimiko groaned, falling into the sand. "Hahah, sorry for overdoing it with you guys, but I had to make sure I got all the percentage possible." Iughed. "Rest for now, consider this one of your many punishments for kidnaping people." As I walked away, I looked at the system messages. Ding! [Blood Absorption Sessful! You have absorbed the following Bloodlines to 100%: [Lesser Bloodline of the Bloodheart Vampire Family: 100% (Low-Rank)] [Weakened Bloodline of the ck Lotus Ronin Family: 100% (Low-Rank)]!] [Both Bloodlines have been equipped sessfully: 2/4] [You gained +100.000 Ki and Attack.] [You gained +150.000 Magic and Agility.] [You have unlocked the [Lesser Bloodline of the Bloodheart Vampire Family: 100% (Low-Rank)] Bloodline Abilities: [Blood Energy Gathering Technique] [Blood Weapon] and [Curse of Blood]!] [You have unlocked the [Weakened Bloodline of the ck Lotus Ronin Family: 100% (Low-Rank)] Bloodline Abilities: [Magic Katana Wielding Arts] [Master Swordsman''s Instincts] [ck Lotus Ki Gathering Technique]!] Ooh, ites with bonus stats and abilities! This is amazing! I''m d I choose that Skill Book now. Let''s try some of them right away! "Hmm, I see¡­" First of all, with the Vampire Bloodline I got, they''re very straightforward techniques. [Blood Weapons] allows for the creation of special weapons made either out of my own blood, or the blood of my foes, fusing it with my own Blood Energy. It is not just some random projectile though, a [Blood Weapon] is deeply connected with the Bloodline and Blood Core Power of a Vampire, although I don''t have thetter, as my Bloodline has two bloodlines within it, the weapons thate are rather unique. They''re mostly all versions of different katanas, which became of a dark red color, and whenever I swing them, ck lotus petals are left behind as some sort of illusory ability. "This is really interesting¡­" [Curse of Blood] was the curse every Vampire had when being one. It was the inability to be below the sun, the endless thirst for blood, but also their strengths, such as bodies capable of regenerating from lethal blows, being able to grow by drinking blood, gaining supernatural bodies and abilities, having no lifespan, and so on. I wasn''t particrly affected by any of its effects though, but I did feel a bit stronger physically. Lastly, the [Blood Energy Gathering Technique] was some sort of "Cultivation" technique that the Vampires of Umbralheim deciphered on their own, giving them the ability to cultivate their own internal Bloodlines, Blood Cores, and Blood to generate Blood Energy, the previous essence and resource they need to activate most of their abilities, aside from Mana, and apparently also required for their Blood Heart Core Ranks to increase. Moving on to the second Bloodline, the abilities were also quite awesome this time. [Magic Katana Wielding Arts] allowed for the usage of special Katana techniques, with varying usages of Ki and Mana, although I was never taught any of such techniques, they felt already imparted upon my very bloodlines. Moving the Blood Weapon allowed me to leave ck mes and ck lotus as I swung it. What a mysterious technique, it is simr to what Kimiko used. The [Master Swordsman''s Instincts] and [ck Lotus Ki Gathering Technique] were simpler. The first one gave me some sort of natural knowledge of swordsmanship, its movements, how to parry blows, how to evade, and how to better strike foes too. It was like a natural in-born talent! So this is how Bloodlines work, huh? Anyways, thetter was another gathering "cultivation" technique that refines basic Ki and transforms it into ck Lotus Ki, which is darker and more potent for Katana Arts. "L-Lady Maria! A-Are you using the techniques of my family?!" Kimiko was eyeing me. "Amazing¡­ But how?! Did you absorb my bloodline?" "Yeah, I didn''t tell you I was doing that before?" I asked her. "My bad then." "I-I never thought the old bloodline of my family would ever get assimted like this¡­" She felt slightly disappointed. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Well, your entire bloodline would have ended with you, you were already dead, girl." I sighed, crossing my arms. "Anyways, it seems your family has this ck Lotus power thing?" "Y-Yes¡­" She nodded. "It is part of our innate powers. My father once told me when I was very young, that our ancestor came from and of swordsmen and warring states." "Huh¡­" I muttered. "I wonder if your ancestor was summoned here from the Sengoku Era of Japan, or if hees from a World that is like an Ancient, Mythical Japan? Well, whatever the case, thank you for the bloodline." "I-It''s nothing¡­" Kimiko looked clearly disappointed on herself, but I didn''t pay any mind. Now, to the ticket, while my family has yet to break out of their cocoons. I canbine up to five damned Skills into one, what do I choose? Do I pick the Skills I need the least or use the least? Or should I pick some strong ones expecting something strong in result? Well, whatever the result is, the resulting Skill will be a Divine Skill of incredible power, so I can''t really go wrong with either choice. Let''s see¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Okay, I think I''ve made up my mind. I''ll just pick random Skills I don''t care about that much, or that I won''t really truly develop either way, either because they became obsolete due to my new evolution and new skills, or because of theirck of usage in battles, and that can only help on very specific things. Ding! [You have used the [Pure-Blooded Vampire Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)]!] [You have selected the following Skills for Skill Fusion using the Ticket: [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv10] [Dragon Spirit: Lv10] [Blood Arts: Lv10] [Farming: Lv10] [Mining: Lv10]!] [Initiating Skill Fusion!] FLAAASH! ----- Chapter 1045 Fusing Skills

Chapter 1045 Fusing Skills

----- I selected the Skills I wanted tobine after careful consideration. I chose the weirdest and most "useless" skills around to make something crazy and weird that I wanted to see happening. So let''s check that. Ding! [You have used the [Pure-Blooded Vampire Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)]!] [You have selected the following Skills for Skill Fusion using the Ticket: [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv10] [Dragon Spirit: Lv10] [Blood Arts: Lv10] [Farming: Lv10] [Mining: Lv10]!] [Initiating Skill Fusion!] Yeah, it was those Skills! I wondered what the heck woulde out of fusing Bone Weapon and Armor Creation with Dragon Spirit, Blood Arts, FARMING and MINING. Thest two are the most hrious and might either bepletely ignored or be a key part of the new Skill. FLAAASH! All Skills came together with the ticket, which turned into a sphere of divine blood essence. Unlike with the forge, there was no need for me to do anything, I just sat down with Jonathan at my side and watched as the Skills merged together. The five skills spheres fused into therger blood essence sphere, melting and bing a bright golden and ck liquid, which was then slowly absorbed by the sphere as it became smaller and smaller. And then, it was done¡­ The sphere moved towards me, fusing into my chest, as I quickly gained the information about a brand-new Fusion Skill, a rather amazing one at that. Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully fused all Five Skills into the Divine Pure-Blooded Vampire Themed Skill: [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones: Lv1]!] "What the hell is this Skill?! It sounds so weird! Hahaha! No way!" Iughed my ass off in front of Jonathan. "I love this! I''m going to keep fusing the weirdest skills together from now on!" "W-What happened? What did you get?" Jonathan wondered curiously. "Oh right, you bought the Skill Fusion Ticket, right?" "Yep!" I nodded. "And what I got is well, pretty weird already by name, now let''s see what it actually does." I decided to first activate the Skill without looking at the description, so I am more surprised before reading everything and getting spoiled about what it can do. It''s always more fun to find out what these crazy things can do before checking the detailed description after all. "Alright, let''s see." I stood up and walked a few meters away from Jonathan. "[Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones]!" The moment I activated the Skill, a wave of Darkness and Blood Energies rushed out of my body, a Domain was formed, or something simr. It was as if a pseudo dimension was summoned surrounding me. It changed the sands into a field of red and ck soil, with crimson grass growing here and there. Even the skies above changed, showing an eternal night sky and a crimson moon on top of us. Jonathan found this amazing, gasping and saying "wow!", he was very easy to surprise! Men are like this I suppose. But this visual effect wasn''t the only amazing thing. The field of soil wasn''t just there, there was also a ck cave, an entrance leading somewhere. "S-So this is your new Skill? It''s so weird, what is it supposed to do?" He asked. "I believe it is something like a Pseudo Pocket Realm and a Domain fused together." I exined. "Let''s see¡­" As we walked through it, I felt my Mana connected to the soil and the caverns, and then, with a mere thought, something popped out of the fields, making Jonathan trip down. "Ouch, what the- Huh?!" And we were left speechless when what surged from the soil was a giant piece of red colored bone, it was like the skeletal ws of a dragon, a red boned dragon of sorts. The bones weren''t just colored though, an Aura of Darkness and Blood surged from it constantly. "So this is it, I can produce these bones from the soil? Alright¡­" I nodded. "What else? Hmm, shapeshift them?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om As I thought, I could, the bones emerged constantly, not full skeletons but random pieces of the giant skeleton of a dragon whose bones were blood red. Each time Mana was injected, more and more bones grew like a farm field of nts¡­ but of bones this time. By merely giving it an input, the bones fused and melded together into masses of red color, quickly taking the shape ofrge weapons and pieces of armor. I could customize them a lot, and even make them levitate without issues through the skill effect. "Let''s see how strong they are¡­" I said. "Jonathan gives me a strong hit with the sword." I equipped a full set of red bone dragon armor, which seemed to even increase my stats a bit. "Come on!" "What? But¡­" He hesitated a bit. "Come on dude, I am stronger than you by far, I won''t die." I shrugged. "Are you afraid?" "Honestly yes¡­" He admitted. "But okay, if you say so, Maria." He wielded his sword and unleashed a series of attacks against me. The power of a Hero was only leaving tiny scratches over the armor. It was really tough! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Holy shit this armor is in another level entirely!" Crack, crack¡­! CRASH! However, it ultimately shattered into pieces. We thought it had good durability already, but then it surprised us. The shattered bones became a mass of dragon blood that floated around my body and then took the shape of a phantasmal blood dragon. "ROOAAR!" "Woah, what the hell?!" This Skill kept surprising us! The Phantom Blood Dragon immediately went to attack Jonathan, unleashing powerful w attacks, tail attacks, and kick attacks, with asional and deadly bites. And then, a powerful breath attack. Jonathan resisted them fairly well because I gave him two shields made of the same materials. Once five minutes passed, the creature dissipated into red mist. "That was strong! I think it held some of the power and force I inflicted into each hit." He exined. "You think so? That''s pretty crazy." Iughed. "Now let''s go to the mines!" "The mines? Wait, Maria!" He followed me from behind as I ran towards the entrance to the "mines" of this weird Pseudo Realm Domain. We already saw what the Demonic Farm does, so let''s see what the Abyssal Mine has to offer. ----- Chapter 1046 Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones 1046 Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones ----- After analyzing the Farm with my expanded sense domain, I was able to find out it was roughly five-hundred-meter wide, after that it got cut off, the skies were like an illusion and so was the moon, but it was still a pretty neat design, nheless. Moving to the caverns, it was just as wide but from underground. It seems it was even possible to just hide here if I ever wanted to. The caverns stone was red and ck with interchanging colors. And the only thing growing everywhere was red-colored dragon bones. Unlike the farm where I had to "nt" them using Mana, these bones down here were already made, and looked ancient. Using a mining tool, I mined them out inrge chunks with ease. And then reassembled them into weapons and armor, but that didn''t work this time. They were only falling apart again. "Weird, these can''t be weapons and armor?" Asked Jonathan. "I think why that''s the case, while the ones above are for that, these guys are different." I smiled. "And I believe they''re formed as the bones from above break and then be Phantasmal Blood Dragons. Look." I gave it some Mana and then injected some Phantom Essence, and that was all it needed for the bones to react. Fusing together into a giant thirty-meter-tall Blood Bone Dragon Undead. "ROOOAARR!" "Oh wow, it''s an Undead now!" Jonathan was amazed. "Maria your Necromancy is so fun to see, haha!" "Is it? Hehe, well, back then I had none of that, just darkness magic and curses." I giggled. "It was fine, but nothing beats this." The blood bone dragon looked at the two of us with its empty eyes, with red with crimson blood mes. Then, it showed us its abilities as I gave it themand. The same basic attacks as the Phantom Blood Dragon, but now carrying the weight and heaviness of a full bone body. Also, it was fairly stronger than any generic undead I''ve summoned, it seemed to carry some percentage of my own stats, simr to the phantom blood dragon as well. Oh, and it could summon some blood spells and arts too. "Not bad at all, these guys are definitely S+ Rank and the Phantom Blood Dragons at least S Rank." I nodded. "Might get stronger if the Skill Levels up as well." As I was done checking this fantastic new Skill through discovery, I then opened the system window to see its technical description. Maybe there were still things I was missing. ----- [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones: Lv1] A Divine Skill born from the fusion between the [Bone Weapon and Armor Creation: Lv10], [Dragon Spirit: Lv10], [Blood Arts: Lv10], [Farming: Lv10], and [Mining: Lv10] Skills through the [Pure-Blooded Vampire Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] Item. Summon the embodiment of your Darkness and Blood Essence and Summon a Pseudo Realm Domain within 500-meters around you, with an additional +50 meters with each Skill Level. This Pseudo Realm Domain is vast and can be used and molded in many ways, from using it to hide from the outside world or to even as a movable Domain to trap foes inside. This Domain is divided into two sections, the Demonic Farm and the Abyssal Mine. The Demonic Farm will sprout Blood Dragon Bones whenever you inject Mana into its dark soils, which can be manipted freely and whose Durability and Toughness is based on 20% of the user''s Health and Ki Stats. Using these Blood Dragon Bones, it is possible to either utilize them as projectiles against foes, or to create barriers with them. However, where they shine the most is through bing Blood Dragon Armor and Blood Dragon Weapons, their defensive and attack stats based on the same calction as before. When equipped with a full set of armor and weapons, increases all Stats of the wearer based on 50% of the equipment Durability and Attack Power, and grants the ability to wield some Basic Blood Arts and Blood Dragon Aura. Whenever the Armor and Weapons break, they, instead of disappearing, bing Phantom Blood Dragons, which will receive all the stats of the equipment and remain for 5 Minutes fighting and defending the wielder before dissipating. The Abyssal Mines work when the Demonic Farm begins working beforehand. Once enough bones shatter and enough Phantom Blood Dragons are made, Fossilized Blood Dragon Bones will grow on the cavern''s depths. Once mined, these bones can be fused and risen into Blood Bone Dragons, whose stats will be equal to the previous shattered bones Durability and Attack Power plus the stats the Phantom Blood Dragons had. There is no time limit for the Blood Bone Dragons, but they will quickly dissipate once their health points are depleted and won''t be able to be reutilized. Additionally, while being within the Domain itself, the user and all allies receive a boost to their Blood and Darkness Attribute Energies Recovery Speed of +500%, while their HP and Ki Recovery Speed increases by +300%. Darkness and Blood Attribute Magic Power further increases by +250%, and their MP Cost decreases by -30%. All of these effects increase by +10% with each Skill Level. ----- "Such a big description, but I can tell it is necessary." I smiled. "Yep, pretty much everything we saw is here, more detailed and also specifying the terms of stats. The Bone Dragons here can''t disappear unless their health depletes. And their stats are really high too! This skill ended being pretty cool. I''ll have to leave some Phantom Clones here to mine the bones as they''re produced though." "It sure is a long description¡­" Jonathan looked at the Skill Description in disbelief. "But it is an amazing and useful Skill without a doubt, yes." "Yeah, now¡­ Oh, are they finally finishing their evolutions?" We noticed as we walked outside the Domain that the cocoons were slowly beginning to break open. And the first one to finish was my daughter, Nyx! Crack, crack¡­! CRASH! "ROOOAARR!" Her new evolved form was definitely evenrger, and even mightier than before. But there was also something really adorable about her even as a big and intimidating dragon! ----- N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 1047 Nyx Evolution 1047 Nyx Evolution ----- Nyx had finally evolved! And it showed. Compared to her previous dragon form, she was at least four times bigger than before. Easily surpassing over a hundred meters of height, and she was supposed to still be a baby dragon! The Soul Book is really helping her evolve fastpared to how Lucifer described to us how slow dragon metabolism was. Maybe it also helps she''s not totally a dragon anymore, as her egg was influenced by my own powers, soul, and phantasmal energies, so she''s also part ghost, or dead spirit, whichever name would anybody like to call this. Her body was covered by ck and red colored crystal-like scales, while her draconic head was long and mighty, with sharp crimson eyes. She now had golden horns spreading upwards, spiraling majestically like horns. Her long silvery-white hair on top of her head and down her long neck remained, now even longer and silkier than before, giving her a characteristic appearance different than other dragons who were hairless. This was without a doubt a trait she inherited from me; she has the same hair color as mine! Overall, her appearance had gained a slightly aquatic dragon appearance, with sharp gills andrger arms, three pairs of them now, with a long tail resembling that of sharks. Her wings remained, now with even bigger ws, looking like a giant pair of ws behind her. And well, one of the biggest things was that she had ten eyes, yes, ten! Four over her head, and the other six were spread on her two shoulders, another on her chest, a fourth on her forehead, and two more in the palms of her giant hand-like wings. However, that wasn''t everything¡­ Ding! [The [Ultimate Skill: Divine System] has affected Nyx''s evolution, granting her an even stronger evolution through your influence and connection!] [Nyx has acquired a new ss and Subss!] [Nyx has acquired a new Divinity and Physique.] [Nyx has evolved into the [Ten-Eyed Moon-Swallowing Umbral Ghost Dragon of Demise: Bakunawa] ----- [Name]: [Nyx Luna] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Status]: [Happy] [Hungry] [Recently Evolved] [Race]: [Ten-Eyed Moon-Swallowing Umbral Ghost Dragon of Demise: Bakunawa] [Divinity]: [Divine me: Demise (Tier 1: Rank 1)] [Physique]: [Moon-Swallowing Dragon Of Destruction Physique (Tier 1: Rank 1)] [ss]: [Moon Eating Dragon of Demise: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Subss]: [Dragon Princess of the ck Seas: ¡ï¡ï (Unique Grade)] [Level]: [0/200] [HP]: [3.600.000/3.600.000] [MP]: [3.660.000/3.660.000] [KI]: [1.000.000/1.000.000] [Attack]: [3.585.000] [Defense]: [3.585.000] [Magic]: [3.610.000] [Agility]: [3.595.000] [Aether]: [90.000] [Divine Power]: [200.000] {Characteristic Skills}: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Illusion Element: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Shadow Transportation: Lv10] [Abyssal Divine Dragon Body: Lv3] [Supernatural Divine Senses: Lv4] [Venomous and Poisonous Scales: Lv3] [Ancient Dragon Heart: Lv--] [Morph: Lv--] [Shapeshift: Lv8] [Super Self-Regeneration: Lv9] [Hardened Divine Dragon Scales: Lv3] [Ancient Divine Phantom Death Dragon Domain: Lv3] [Little Gluttony: Lv9] [True Dragon Form: Lv7] [Lesser Divinity: Dragon Phantasm: Lv4] [Divine Phantasmal Dragon Body: Lv4] [Ahi Vritra Embodiment: Lv4] [Divine Concept: Demise: Lv3] [Moon-Swallowing Umbral Ghost Dragon Body: Lv1] [Bakunawa Embodiment: Lv1] {Resistance Skills}: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [All Element Resistance: Lv10] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv-] [Erosion Resistance: Lv10] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv9] [Chaos Absorption: Lv4] {Physical Skills}: [Myriad Divine Phantasmal ws: Lv3] [Phantasmal Body Recreation: Lv4] [Abyssal Chaos Breath: Lv9] [Phantasmal Death ws: Lv9] [Venomous Dragon Scale Powder: Lv9] [Third Draconic Eye of Death Perception: Lv7] [Fifth Draconic Eye of Phantom Control: Lv4] [Obsidian Demonite Crystal Scale Armor: Lv4] [Void Piercing Spear Tail: Lv4] [Moon-Swallowing Draconic Jaws of Demise: Lv1] {Magical Skills}: [Demonic Curse: Lv4] [Life Steal: Lv3] [Spectral Phantasmal re: Lv4] [Abyssal Dark Star: Lv4] [Greater Mana Mastery: Lv3] [Ancient Dragon''s Aura: Lv9] [Void Shadow Spear: Lv5] [Blood Feast: Lv9] [Soul Devourer: Lv9] [Abyssal Spear of Death and Demise: Lv4] [Summon Phantom Dragon Familiar: Lv9] [Fake Life: Lv7] [Shadow Sneak: Lv8] [Phantasmal Dragon Fusion: Lv8] [Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic: Lv4] [Abyssal ck Seas of Darkness Domain: Lv1] {Support Skills}: [Shadow Storage: Lv9] [Undead Healing: Lv9] [Summon: Lv8] [Spirit Summon: Lv8] [Materialization: Lv9] [Moon Eating Phantasmal Stomach: Lv3] [Draconic Phantom Boost: Lv5] {Title Skills}: [Daughter of the Apostle of Death: Lv9] [Little Dragon Princess Of Death and Darkness: Lv9] [Chaos Bringer: Lv8] [Lesser Cmity: Lv8] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv8] [Tail Biter: Lv10] [Dragon yer: Lv7] [gue yer: Lv8] [Little Devil: Lv10] [Fish yer: Lv10] [Amphibian yer: Lv10] [Undead yer: Lv10] [Ahi Vritra: Lv5] [Bakunawa: Lv1] {Divine Protections}: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Maria''s Divine Protection] ----- "Mama! I''ve evolved! I feel so strong, stronger than ever before! For real!" Nyx said, wagging her gigantic tail around. "Look how big I am now! Like papa and you when you transform!" "Yes I noticed dear." I smiled. "Well done! T-This is amazing, you got to SS+++ Rank already?!" I gasped. "You were only A+++ Rank before! You got so strong its ridiculous! I guess I wasn''t the only one skipping rank now. Also, wait, what? I gave you a Divine Protection?!" "Yeah you gave me one! Thank you mommy! I love you mama!" She started licking my entire body with her gigantic dragon tongue. "It is thanks to mama that I''ve grown so strong!" "M-Maybe a bit, but it''s also thanks to all your efforts, honey." I patted her big snout. "Looks like that Demise Divine Concept is shaping your evolution a lot now. And Bakunawa, huh? A rather peculiar name. It is some sort of Filipino Dragon that ate the moon I think, really amazing it was an evolution avable." "Yes! I look kind of simr than before though, right? Isn''t it, uncle?" She looked at Jonathan. "I-I, yes of course!" Jonathanughed slightly nervously. Nyx''s gigantic and powerful presence had put Jonathan in high alert even though she was just a child. It was understandable though, the pressure she emanated and her big draconic¡­ and well, rather demonic appearance did indeed bring a lot of attention. "How about you turn back to your smaller form now?" I asked her. "So we don''t bring unwanted attention for now. Pretty please, baby?" "Umm, okay!" POOF! With an explosion of ck smoke, Nyx was back to normal. And at the same time, the other cocoons were beginning to break open. Lucifer and Partner were the first ones toe out. Chapter 1048 Lucifer And Partners New Evolved Forms 1048 Lucifer And Partner''s New Evolved Forms ----- Both hadpletely and fully evolved! Their bodies surged from their cocoons rather majestically. Their appearances having changed much, much more than I could have ever expected for these two. I was expecting some big changes from Nyx because she was a still growing little dragon girl, but these two really changed a lot. "Hmm? This sensation is weird- Huh?! I have nine heads! What in the world?!" Lucifer was still trying to process his current predicament. He now had nine gigantic, serpentine heads. His body was now very serpent-like, although he kept hisrge and muscr limbs, his heads had changed almostpletely. His previous head remained in the center, but the other eight heads resembled those of silver, gray, or ck scaled serpentine dragons, with a third eye on their foreheads of different colors, alongside different assortment of horns in many shapes and sizes. He now also had nine tails, each tail ending in a sharp spear-like end. His appearance looked both majestic and concerning at the same time, but it was incredible nheless! ----- [Name]: [Lucifer] [Status]: [Healthy] [Recently Evolved] [Race]: [Nine-Headed Divine Serpent Dragon King Of Cursed Abyssal mes: Orochi] [Rank]: [SSS] [Divinity]: [Divine me: Abyssal Death Fire (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [Physique]: [Nine-Headed Serpent Dragon King of Death Physique (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [ss]: [Nine-Headed Serpent Of Abyssal Cursed mes: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythic Grade)] [Subss]: [Divine Ruler Of Death Dragons: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythic Grade)] [Level]: [0/250] [HP]: [6.010.000/6.010.000] [MP]: [3.362.500/3.362.500] [KI]: [2.500.000/2.500.000] [Attack]: [5.200.000] N?v(el)B\\jnn [Defense]: [5.000.000] [Magic]: [4.655.000] [Agility]: [4.370.000] [Aether]: [120.000] [Divine Power]: [300.000] {Characteristic Skills}: [Ancient Dragon: Lv--] [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Fire Element: Lv--] [Primordial Draconic Death Core: Lv--] [Ancient Dragon Heart: Lv--] [Morph: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Super Transform: Lv5] [Divine Super Self-Regeneration: Lv3] [Life Consumption: Lv9] [Divine Dragon Scales: Lv9] [Abyssal Death Fire Embodiment: Lv4] [Ancient Divine Dragon King''s Domain: Lv4] [Nidhogg Embodiment: Lv5] [Death Dragon''s Body: Lv5] [Destruction Personified: Lv5] [Lesser Divinity: Abyssal Death mes: Lv1] [Divinity: Nine Cursed Heads: Lv1] [Orochi Embodiment: Lv1] [Nine Demonic Serpent Heads Of Death: Lv1] {Resistance Skills}: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Physical Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Elemental Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Death Resistance: Lv10] [Greater Physical and Magical Damage Protection: Lv10] [Curse Absorption: Lv1] [Death Absorption: Lv1] [Corrosion Absorption: Lv1] {Physical Skills}: [Cursed Life Assimtion: Lv3] [Divine Abyssal Death me Breath: Lv6] [Divine Hellish Death ws: Lv6] [Divine Ancient Dragon''s Aura: Lv6] [Abyssal Dark Shadow Cursed Spear: Lv5] [Cursed Venomous Divine Dragon Scale Powder: Lv5] [Nine Serpentine Draconic Eyes of Death Perception & Abyssal Death Curses: Lv4] [Life-Tearing Divine Fangs: Lv6] [Divinity Shattering ws: Lv6] [Abyssal Death Divine Spear Tail: Lv7] [Abyssal Death mes Scythe Arts: Lv7] [Nine ursed Draconic Poisonous Bites: Lv1] [Nine ursed Draconic Void Tails: Lv1] {Magical Skills}: [Divine Phantasmal me: Lv8] [Dark Eclipse: Lv8] [Abyssal Demonic Reaper of Souls: Lv4] [Demonic Scythe of Abyssal Death Fire: Lv4] [Chaotic Catastrophe: Lv6] [Eternal Domain of Hel: Lv6] [Death Dragon Familiar Summon: Lv5] [Orochi''s Nine Cursed mes: Lv1] {Support Skills}: [Divine Mana Mastery: Lv5] [Divinity Restoration: Lv6] [Healing ck mes: Lv6] [Mana Healing Dragon Blood Elixir: Lv6] {Title Skills}: [Husband of the Apostle of Death: Lv10] [Death Dragon: Lv10] [Protector of Goblins: Lv10] [Furious Berserk: Lv10] [Guardian of Death: Lv10] [The Gatekeeper of Helheim: Lv10] [Divine Death Dragon of Abyssal mes: Lv5] [Nidhogg''s Incarnation: Lv5] [One of a Kind: Lv5] [Orochi Incarnation: Lv1] {Divine Protections}: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Maria''s Divine Protection] ----- He became Orochi, I knew it! He became a dragon simr to that thing from Japanese mythology! I can''t believe he really became that! "Ugh, what the hell is wrong with this body?! Why am I a half-bat woman? Wait! Wait a second, this feels a bit weird! Have I used bat powers before? I can''t remember well but I liked being a demonic vampire before¡­" Partner in the other case had evolved to suddenly gain several bat beast woman appearances, her entire body became three meters tall, stronger, with longer arms that ended on long fingers, interconnected with red membranes that created a pair of big wings. Her skin was pitch ck in those sections, covered by a thin ck fur. She also grew bat-like ears, big and ck colored ones on top of her own head, her red hair remained, slightly short and as cute as ever. Her sharp red eyes now apanied by a fluffy amount of ck and red furing from her neck, resembling afortable scarf. Her legs also had changed, with big toes resembling the ws of a bat''s legs, and she also got herself a small ck tail. ----- [Name]: [Partner] [Status]: [Healthy] [Recently Evolved] [Thirsty for Blood] [Race]: [Demonic Blood Moon Vampire Bat Queen of the Night: Leutogi] [Rank]: [SSS] [Divinity]: [Divine me: Blood & Night (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [Physique]: [Demonic Vampire Bat Queen Of Night Physique (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [ss]: [Demonic Spear Crimson Moon Vampire Empress: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Subss]: [Divine Vampire Bat Queen of the Night ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Level]: [0/250] [HP]: [5.747.000/5.747.000] [MP]: [3.423.000/3.423.000] [KI]: [2.000.000/2.000.000] [Attack]: [4.926.000] [Defense]: [4.373.000] [Magic]: [5.505.000] [Agility]: [5.800.000] [Aether]: [110.000] [Divine Power]: [290.000] {Characteristic Skills}: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Blood Element: Lv--] [Demon Element: Lv--] [Vampire Princess: Lv--] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [Orichalcum Skeleton: Lv9] [Awakened Body: Lv9] [Divine Super Self-Regeneration: Lv3] [Frenzied Flesh Devouring: Lv4] [Divine Blood Feast: Lv4] [Sonic Speed Flight: Lv5] [Vampiric Evil Eyes: Lv9] [Divine Greater Supernatural Strength: Lv4] [Demonic Body: Lv6] [Lilith''s Embodiment: Lv5] [Seductress: Lv5] [Lesser Divinity: Blood: Lv1] [Divinity: Night: Lv1] [Divine Vampire Bat Goddess Body: Lv1] [Leutogi''s Embodiment: Lv1] {Resistance Skills}: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Physical Damage Resistance: Lv9] [Greater Magical Damage Resistance: Lv8] [Holy Light Resistance: Lv7] [Sunlight Immunity: Lv--] [Fire Resistance: Lv10] [Corruption Resistance: Lv10] [All Element Resistance: Lv10] [Demonic Power Absorption: Lv10] [Darkness and Blood Absorption: Lv1] {Physical Skills}: [Divine Crimson Skeleton Limb Growth: Lv4] [Demonic Intimidating Aura: Lv6] [Divine Combo Piercing Spear Attack: Lv3] [Hundred Consecutive Thrusts: Lv4] [Abyssal Vampiric Spear Thrust: Lv9] [Relentless Immortal Warrior: Lv4] [Demonic Blood Spear Arts: Lv6] [Demonic Blood Armor Arts: Lv6] [Demonic Gluttonous Fangs: Lv5] [Moon Vampire Queen Battle Arts: Lv5] [Divine Blood Boost: Lv3] [Demonic Strength: Lv6] [Vampire Bat Goddess Flesh Tearing ws: Lv1] [Vampire Bat Goddess Soul Eating Jaws: Lv1] [Vampire Bat Goddess Breath of the Night: Lv1] {Magical Skills}: [Divinity Drain: Lv6] [Blood Curse Infection: Lv10] [Demonic Ghost Fist: Lv6] [Abyssal Scarlet Star: Lv5] [Abyssal Blood Maniption and Transformation: Lv4] [Divine Blood Arts: Lv5] [Blood Puppeteer: Lv10] [Crimson Burst: Lv8] [Demonic Magic: Lv6] [Chaos Beam: Lv6] [Chains of Lust: Lv6] [Demon Gate: Lv51] [Blood Familiar Summon: Lv5] [Abyssal Vampire Bat Summon: Lv1] [Call of the Eternal Night: Lv1] [Blood Apocalypse: Lv1] {Support Skills}: [Acrobatics: Lv10] [Vampire Authority: Lv10] [Divine Vampiric Bat Goddess Blood Aura: Lv3] [Divine Blood Heal Elixir: Lv3] [Hunting: Lv10] [Cooking: Lv7] [Farming: Lv5] [Alchemy: Lv7] [Bloodshed Enhancement: Lv6] [Demonic Veil: Lv5] [Divine Veil of the Night: Lv1] {Title Skills}: [First Wife Of The Apostle of Death: Lv10] [Blood Death Knight: Lv10] [Blood Race: Lv10] [Grand Spear Master: Lv10] [Blood Empress: Lv10] [Merciless Assassin: Lv10] [God of Light Nemesis: Lv10] [Shameless Degenerate: Lv10] [gue Exterminator: Lv10] [Gluttonous Eater: Lv10] [Undead yer: Lv10] [Slime yer: Lv10] [King yer: Lv10] [Mold Breaker: Lv20] [Vampire yer: Lv7] [Little Farmer: Lv6] [ndestine Brewer: Lv6] [Butcherer: Lv10] [Mythical Beast yer: Lv10] [Vampire Duchess: Lv10] [Vampire Queen: Lv5] [Lilith: Lv5] [Demonic Incarnation: Lv5] [One of a Kind: Lv5] [Leutogi: Lv1] {Divine Protections}: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Maria''s Divine Protection] ----- She evolved into a new type of vampire, one named after Leutogi, the Bat Goddess of Polynesian Mythology. Damn, she looked really fluffy and cute, to be honest. Chapter 1049 Emeraldines Evolution 1049 Emeraldine''s Evolution ----- Lucifer and Partner underwent bigger evolutions than we could have predicted! And I kind of liked both, they looked so absolutely awesome. Well, Partner looked more cute than awesome, but that was also awesome by itself. "So I evolved into a Death Dragon with nine heads known as Orochi. Even for me, this is quite freaky." Said Lucifer. "I have never met a dragon with multiple heads that wasn''t just some monstrous hydra thing. I don''t even know what to do with these other eight heads I got." "Well, you can figure out something." Said Partner. "At the very least you can turn back! I am now perpetually stuck as a half bat beast vampire woman! I don''t really enjoy this!" "But you look so adorableeee!" I cried, hugging her and rubbing my face on her fluffy neck. "So fluffy, and you smell really nice too~" "W-Well, maybe it isn''t so bad now that I think about it¡­" Partner said while smiling a bit. "Wait, huh? Oh!" POOF! Suddenly, her appearance changed, as she returned to her pure Vampire form out of the blue. All the fluffiness reced by her big breasts. Well, not like I wouldin either way, these were also soft too. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Eh?! You turned back!" I said. "Yep, it looks like I can turn back, heh!" Partner smiled. "That form was actually like a transformation of sorts, I think¡­ Though there might be an even more extreme form, but I''ll use that whenever it is actually necessary." "I guess you''re not wrong with that, sometimes it''s better to remain not fluffy." I nodded with a smile. "Now that I think about it, you would leave a lot of fur in the bed¡­ A nightmare to clean." "I agree¡­" Lucifer nodded. "Hmm, I guess I don''t have nine heads when I turn into my humanoid form. This is good. However, I seem to be able to do this now. Despite not bringing my heads in my normal humanoid form, I can actually use each head as a new body¡­ Meaning I can summon clones of myself, eight more to be exact." FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Suddenly, Lucifer divided himself, there were now eight more of himself with us! They all looked slightly different, with different eye and hair color, their body sizes andplexions varied only very slightly, and their hair shape too. "It seems it works." He nodded. "It is as if I had eight more brains now I suppose." "A strange thing indeed." "My dear Maria, you''re so beautiful today." "Hey, you can''t just say that out loud!" "Hahah! HAHAHAH!" "I''m so tired of everything¡­ I wish I could have stayed dead." "I miss everyone so much; I feel so lonely¡­" All of them had¡­ Rather distinctive personalities. "Y-You fools! What are you even talking about?! Ugh, no, juste back, no more of this." Lucifer sighed, quickly calling them all back. "A-Apparently, they got some sort of personalities of their own¡­ Or maybe they embody my emotions, I don''t really know." "D-Do you truly feel that way?" I asked him, worried. "I¡­ Um, of course not." He smiled. "Those are extreme emotions. We all deal with many things inside our heads. I suppose those clones amplify such emotions to make it their main personalities, for some reason." "O-Okay. If you want to talk just tell me, okay?" I told him. "I know, don''t worry." He nodded, feeling embarrassed. "Hm? Oh, Emeraldine also hase out of her cocoon." FLAAASH! Emeraldine emerged from her cocoon, resembling an even more divine and beautiful version of herself. Her long blonde hair reaching her feet, her fair white skin glowing brightly, her eyes shining with rainbow light. And her wings, her wings were so big and colorful! ----- [Name]: [Emeraldine] [Status]: [Healthy] [Recently Evolved] [Race]: [Heavenly Spiritual Elven Fairy Queen Of Yggdrasil: Titania] [Rank]: [SSS] [Divinity]: [Divine me: Light & Nature (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [Physique]: [Divine Heavenly Spiritual Elven Fairy Queen Physique (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [ss]: [Yggdrasil''s Divine Spirit Huntress: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Subss]: [Divine Guardian of Yggdrasil: ¡ï¡ï¡ï (Mythical Grade)] [Level]: [0/250] [HP]: [3.365.000/3.365.000] [MP]: [7.125.000/7.125.000] [Defense]: [3.320.000] [Magic]: [6.125.000] [Agility]: [5.970.000] [Aether]: [120.000] [Divine Power]: [300.000] {Characteristic Skills}: [Nature Element: Lv--] [Holy Light Element: Lv--] [Life Element: Lv--] [Spirit Element: Lv--] [Divine Element: Lv--] [Royal Elven Lineage: Lv--] [Beloved by Spirits: Lv--] [Elven Language: Lv--] [Divine Charming Beauty: Lv10] [Divine Spirit''s Vessel: Lv4] [Divine Spirit Nest: Lv4] [Divine Spiritual Body: Lv8] [Lesser Divinity: Nature & Light: Lv7] [Lesser Divinity: Hunting: Lv7] [Divine Yggdrasil''s Crest: Lv6] [Sacred Gardener: Lv6] [Titania Embodiment: Lv1] [Fairy Queen of Yggdrasil''s Divine Spirit Wings: Lv1] [Divinity: Spirit Magic: Lv1] {Resistance Skills}: [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Greater Magic Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Light Absorption: Lv10] [Nature Assimtion: Lv1] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Corrosion Resistance: Lv10] [Fear Resistance: Lv10] [Chaos Resistance: Lv10] [Light and Nature Absorption: Lv1] {Physical Skills}: [Divine Senses Of Exploration And Foraging: Lv4] [Divine Spirit Queen''s Archery Arts: Lv5] [Expert Hunting: Lv9] [Divine Sharp Magical Reflexes: Lv4] [Wide-Area Mana Sense: Lv9] [Divine Body Advanced Acrobatics: Lv4] [Divine Spiritual Arrow: Lv7] [Divine Huntress Physique: Lv7] [Hyper Speed: Lv7] [sh Step: Lv7] [High-Speed Arrow Shooting: Lv7] [Multiple Arrow Shooting: Lv8] [Divine Yggdrasil Body Transformation: Lv1] {Magical Skills}: [Divine Spirit Summon: Lv7] [Divine Holy Healing Light: Lv5] [Divine Regenerating Light Domain of Nature: Lv5] [Divine Beam of Holy Light: Lv5] [Yggdrasil Magic: Lv7] [Divine Spirit Fusion: Lv7] [Divine Spirit Magic: Lv7] [Spiritual Magic Aura: Lv8] [Divine Arrow of Yggdrasil: Lv7] [Titania''s Divine Spirit Arrow Of Nine Elementals: Lv1] {Support Skills}: [Alchemy: Lv10] [Cooking: Lv10] [Agriculture: Lv10] [Dismantling: Lv10] [Crafting: Lv7] [Taming: Lv6] [Lovemaking: Lv9] [Graceful Charm: Lv8] [Heart Soothing Divine Smile: Lv8] [Hug of Adoration: Lv8] [Great Kindness: Lv8] [Divine Soothing Domain of Titania: Lv1] {Title Skills}: [Huntress: Lv10] [Spirit Mediator: Lv10] [Forager: Lv10] [Priestess: Lv10] [Spirit Master: Lv10] [Kindhearted Healer: Lv10] [Beloved Wife: Lv10] [Motherly Wife: Lv10] [Comforter: Lv10] [Yggdrasil''s Chosen: Lv7] [Artemis Incarnation: Lv7] [Ancient Fairy: Lv6] [Titania Incarnation: Lv1] {Divine Protection}: [Yggdrasil''s Divine Protection] [Maria''s Divine Protection] ----- Chapter 1050 Lets Begin 1050 Let''s Begin ----- Emeraldine evolved into her new form "Titania", and much like Lucifer and Partner, she also became SSS Rank! Looks like they couldn''t ept me bing L Rank, so they had to skip two Ranks as well? I think this is the influence of my System Unique Skill, just like with Nyx, it allowed them to develop many abilities and powers. And above all, they all fully developed their Divine mes too! And even Physiques as well! And they''re already quite developed too. I think this might be a bit overkill, but it is fine, right? After all we''ll have to fight all sorts of ridiculous foes even more from now on, might as well be as overpowered as possible. "What a peculiar form! I think I''ve barely changed much, other than looking a bit brighter?" Wondered Emeraldine, looking at her own majestic appearance. "Don''t you think, honey?" "W-Well¡­ I would have to say you''re so beautiful I might actually just die by looking at you." I said, holding her hands gently. "Such a beautiful and precious goddess¡­ Can I truly have you as my wife now? It feels like I don''t deserve such divine beauty with me!" "Hahahah! E-Enough with that! I didn''t use to be like this back then, you know? I was rather average looking." She pouted. "These evolutions really like to boost my beauty for some reason- Ah, and my breasts, they are at least twice as big now, so annoying¡­" She was readjusting her clothes, making her very big breasts bounce beautifully. It was almost hypnotic to see. I might be being a pervert right now but now that I can grow a dick I would love to fuck those fat milkers. "M-Maria you''re staring at them a lot, do you like them?" Emeraldine blushed a bit as she looked at me with a cute smile. "I would be lying if I said I like them, I am utterly fascinated by them¡­" I sighed. "But we got more important matters to do right now. If everything goes fine today, let''s have fun tonight, alright?" "S-Sure." She smiled, giving me a kiss. "Now that we evolved, it is time to finally go. Are the rest of the people ready inside your Domain?" "Yes, this will be the perfect chance for everyone that hasn''t gotten enough EXP to level up. As I nned beforehand, we''ll divide into threerge groups. These new Zombie Vampire friends here, including Kimiko, will help us spread through all three underground facilities, rescue the prisoners, and destroy the Divine Blood Cubes to open the divine barrier." I said. "I could destroy the barrier on my own I believe, but it''s better to prioritize the safety of everyone first. If I go all-out from the beginning, I might cause a lot of disasters after all." "Yeah you''re not wrong." Nodded Lucifer. "You''ve be ridiculously strong, let''s admit that¡­ Now, shall we start? Are the teams assembled?" "Yeah, they are." I nodded. "We''ll first infiltrate the city through my shadows and get to the entrance from Kimiko''s lead. Then she and her vampires will divide with my own bodies as well, and we''ll separate and attack, free, and then regroup to confront the big boss, Hendrick, one of the four horsemen. He''s not going to be an easy foe, even as strong as I''ve evolved, I can tell he might pull something out of his ass, Vampires are resourceful after all." "Yes, I shall help as much as I can- I mean, as much as we can." She looked at her vampires, they all nodded obediently. "You better do, or I''ll drink all your blood." Said Partner looking at them down like ants. "Enough Partner, not threatening others for now." I said, crossing my arms, and epassing everyone on my shadows. "Let''s go." FLUOSH! As everyone was epassed on my darkness, we moved away rapidly. With Kimiko''s lead, we entered the city, passing through an invisible second barrier aside from the divine blood barrier. This barrier was much easier to go through, although I still had to break a small hole through it, nothing too hard to do with my current, grossly high stats! After that, it was as easy as moving between the shadows of the beautiful and bustling city and then get to a very dark area of the city, moving underground through several abandoned houses and temples built in the past. Until finally, we got there, arge door made of stone, sealed shut with runic engravements. Kimiko walked out of it and used her authority as a Vampire of this area to open the door for us, her hands trembling. "I-It is done, the door is open." She sighed. "Ah, I can''t believe we are doing this¡­" "Don''t worry, you are fighting for the winning side, girl." I smiled. "I''ll give you freedom once we''re done with this, once that happens, you can do whatever you want with your life." "Freedom¡­" Kimiko''s eyes glowed slightly brightly. "That is a word I hadn''t heard for so long¡­" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Well, you''ll experience it soon enough." I smiled. "For now, let''s go." She hid inside my shadows, and we traveled through the interior of the dungeon. The entire pyramid was still active, mummies, undead mummy dogs, walking sphinx, and vicious cube slimes crawled through every corner, but they were of no threat against us, I mostly ignored them or tamed them. If they were undead, by merely being near me, they were instantly "tamed" and became my loyal soldiers. I just told them to pretend to just be wild undead until furthermands. I think I had a small n with these guys, but I''ll have to employ itter. Finally, we reached to a more popted area, there were no monsters and several barriers set to stop them from advancing. There were three paths. "This is it. Just as we talked, three groups, we defeat anything we find, free the people, then we regroup here." I said, as everyone nodded. "Let''s do this." FLASH! Chapter 1051 Divide And Conquer 1051 Divide And Conquer ----- We divided and conquered. Three teams, as quickly as possible. The vampires didn''t stand a chance. With my divided powers I was still vastly overpowered. And I could share any ability between each other, such as my power to meld within darkness and hide inside of it. With that, we were able to easily capture any vampire we found, kill them, and move on. Through all three routes. Eventually, we reached the end of every route after killing like four hundred vampires, it wasn''t anything worth nothing, they died almost instantly from one of my attacks, though I left my friends and family kill them by ganging on them to get the most EXP. Eventually, we reached the sealed and guarded facilities. The guards were stillpletely unaware of what was happening, though I was sure they would get a wing of it very quickly. "So what do we have for dinner?" "I don''t know, more blood?" "I think you could enjoy something else, like death for dinner, no?" "Death? No that''s really dumb who said that- Aaah!" CRASH! The two guards in front of me were quickly impaled by my ck tentacles, surging from my head. I absorbed them inside of my shadows and moved out, behind me appeared Nyx, Tear, Takeshi and Laura, who I have brought with me. "Here we are." I said, looking into the distance, ignoring the dozens of Vampires rushing here. "See that building over there? I am fairly sure that''s the facility." There was a huge metallic building right inside the dungeon, it was at least as big as a noble''s manor,pletely reinforced with metal and many runes and barriers, probably to be able to contain the people they experimented on, as they often gave them powers. "You! What do you think you''re doing?!" "Dammit, who are they?!" "I don''t know, just fucking kill them!" "RAAAAH!" The Vampires attacked, first with a myriad blood projectiles and shadow projectiles, shaping their magic into all sorts of forms. I stepped forward, as a Void Barrier emerged out of my body, the projectiles were immediately reflected. "You''ll need to bring me something stronger than a God for me to even see a challenge." I smiled. "Tear, Takeshi, Laura, make sure to kill them without my help so you get the most EXP." Laura conjured infernal explosive chaotic mes with her bare hands, summoning spheres of fire that exploded everywhere sheunched them. Takeshi released his domain of the sea with his special weapon, as he transformed his fishing rod''s thread into a deadly ten-headed metallic hydra, his abilities over the control and shapeshifting of his unique skill''s weapon have grown with the weapon''s power. These two alone made sure to defeat most of the Vampiresing here, while I shielded them from all attacks, so they could go all-out without worrying about much of anything. They have already gone through a lot of challenges, so it was time for them to rx and have some fun leveling for once. Tear was the same, her ice spread rapidly everywhere, freezing everything she touched or nced at, her abilities were developing really well, evolving with each level. I hadn''t mentioned it earlier, but she was SS+ Rank, so it was naturally harder for her to level up quickly. Nheless, she was already getting closer to her max level, and so was Takeshi and Laura who were A+++ Rank. I was hoping that my System would also influence them and give them stronger stats, more sses, and physique and divine mes ahead of time, though I don''t know how to even give a divine protection to begin with. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The entire ce was cleared of vampires in a couple of seconds at most, not even a minute, almost a hundred of their corpses left behind. As I walked forwards, they were all risen back as Undead, and then immediately "tamed". "Open that facility." I ordered them. "Y-Yes¡­!" Unable to fight back against mymands, they all worked together to deactivate every Runic Arrangement set over the barriers, and then, opened the doors of the facility, all of them. As I stepped inside, killing the vampires that jumped on me by merely waving my hand and deleting them out of existence with a Void Wave, I looked at my surroundings. There were at least three hundred people inside of here, in the underground, and in every otherrge room, all gathered together like miserable cattle. Over half of them were all children, the other half mostly young adults or old people. It made me feel so much anger, but I had to calm myself down, I greeted them with a gentle smile. "I''vee to rescue you. The vampires, as you''ve seen, have been in." I dered. "I am Maria, a former witch that was executed unfairly years ago. I came back as a ghost, and I''vee to free all of you and kill all those that brought my demise years ago." I dered my existence to them immediately. "Come with me, I will bring you to a safe ce." "A-Ah¡­" "B-But¡­" "Maria, you said Maria?!" "S-She must be that vengeful ghost that killed all those damned nobles in the other duchies, remember?" "That woman?!" "Is it really you?!" "Please help me, my daughter, they have her in another facility!" "My son¡­!" "My mother, they took her!" "Calm down, it will be okay. As of right now, they''re being rescued." I smiled. "Enter inside my Domain for the moment." I opened a portal to my Soul Scape, where the people started to enter, they didn''t have much of an option right now. Those that were unwilling to be rescued were rescued forcefully, I didn''t had time to reason with them, so I just grabbed them and threw them inside. "And now, this¡­" After walking downstairs towards a small and sealed room, I found a crimson-colored cube, emanating arge quantity of Divine Blood Energy. "Bon Appetit." I grabbed the cube and swallowed itpletely, devouring it and crushing it into pieces. Its divine power was quite rich! The same scene was repeated two more times, as my other bodies did the same in the other facilities. Sadly, my brother was in none of the three. This means he could only be with Hendrick, that bastard. Well, unfortunately for him, his damned barrier is finally gone. Crack, crack¡­! CRASH! The crimson-colored divine blood barrier shattered into pieces. We were already back in the surface, standing over the rooftops of the houses. The pce protected by the invisible barrier was finally open for us to enter, the people down there was secured, and now I had an army of eight hundred Vampire Zombies to boot. "Hendrick, if you don''te out yourself, I am going to knock the door myself, and you don''t want me to do that." As I floated in front of the pce, hundreds of soldiers, with many vampires mixed within them, appeared, pointing their weapons and magic circles at me. "I-Intruder!" "Don''t let her inside!" "Attack! Fire!" A hundred spells were fired against me, fire, ice, winds, lightning, and more. "Fine, if you want it this way¡­" I sighed. "Then let''s y." ----- n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Chapter 1052 Rushing Towards The Man Behind Everything 1052 Rushing Towards The Man Behind Everything ----- Using all three of my bodies, I ate all three of the Divine Blood Cubes, feeling a surge of Divine Power rush through my entire Divine Soul at once. I felt a potent re of red mes surge through it all, flowing through me rapidly. It was an empowering sensation, as if I had almost gained a new Divinity, but I wasn''t quite there yet. My Divine me had yet to growrge enough after all. And well, unfortunately for Hendrick, the barrier he had made and erected with so much effort was now shattering into pieces. Crack, crack¡­! CRASH! The crimson-colored divine blood barrier shattered into pieces. We were already back in the surface, standing over the rooftops of the houses. The pce protected by the invisible barrier was finally open for us to enter, the people down there was secured, and now I had an army of eight hundred Vampire Zombies to boot. I flew into the skies, reaching the enormous pce where Hendrick was hiding with thest captives like the damned rat he was. My brother was most likely there! I knew it, I could feel his presence drawing closer. Something, something that connected us activated, the ring I got. I had already taken some blood from Partner, and the ring in my hands was tingling, shining! My brother was there, and he was alive! I''ll get him, I''ll rescue him! I''ll reunite with my family¡­ Even if I have to tear apart everything on my path! "Hendrick, if you don''te out yourself, I am going to knock the door myself, and you don''t want me to do that!" As I floated in front of the pce, the rest of my party gathering around the pce, hundreds of soldiers, with many vampires mixed within them, appeared, pointing their weapons and magic circles at me. All of these soldiers emerged from the pce, they grew desperate and panicked the moment they saw us appear. "I-Intruder!" "Don''t let her inside!" "Attack! Fire!" A hundred spells were fired against me, fire, ice, winds, lightning, and more. Magical imbued arrows, and even cursed javelins. Most of them were wielding weapons and armor made using materials from the Evil God Fragments secretions, making them stronger than normal. However, I had no fucking time to deal with these bastards. I looked down on them and gathered all my energies at once into the tip of my right hand''s index finger. ckness surged from my index finger, gathering into a tiny drop of void, which fell from the skies and slowlynded over the soldier''s attack. "W-What is that?!" "A speck of ck magic?" "Hah! Ridiculous, did you think that-" "{All-Consuming Void}" However, the moment Ipletely conjured the spell, it activated at full force. FLASH! Complete darkness engulfed everything, the soldiers, their magic, their weapons, their everything. It was a sphere of pure ckness, ofplete and utter void. And the void swallowed it all, and then disappeared, without making a single sound. And what was left behind weren''t corpses, or souls, or anything. There was, in fact, nothing left. Even the floor where they were standing disappeared, leaving behind a huge sphere-shaped dent on the entire pce. "W-Wow¡­" Lucifer blinked several times, trying to process what he just saw. N?v(el)B\\jnn "She deleted everything?!" Partner gasped. "All the soldiers gone¡­" Emeraldine muttered. "Let''s go." I said, leading the entire party inside the pce. We flew inside without time to lose. I shot Void Waves using my All-Consuming Void Skill, deleting from existence anybody that got in front of me. Those that appeared from behind were quickly taken down by my family, and if the were any other cockroaches around, the hundred of Vampire Zombies ravaged them into pieces. Eventually, we searched through the entire pce in half a minute, didn''t found Hendrick. So I moved towards the next n, using my heels, I mmed the floor down and opened the path towards the dungeon below. CRAAASH! The floor broke open immediately, as we all rushed down without waiting for a single second left. I moved, following the direction the ring was bringing me to. In the way, we met hundreds of vampires. Most of them assembled onrge armies ready to sh against us. "They''re here!" "CHARGEEEE!" The Vampires all charged forwards, attacking us with their powerful weapons and defending with their almighty demonic armors. It was an incredibly hard fight, we were unable to do a single thing as they pushed back. ¡­ Kidding! "Begone." I waved my hand, a wave of Void emerged, half the army was deleted out of existence. The other half was crushed below Nyx and Lucifer''s foot. There were then a second, third, and fourth armies. Each one packed with more powerful relics, weapons, and armor. Some had strange chaos magic, trying to blow everything with themselves. Yet. "Move aside." A simple thought of my mind and a sphere of pureher, chaos, and void emerged, quickly absorbing over two hundred vampires inside and crushing them until they all exploded, falling over the floor like a pile of mashed flesh, blood, bones, and torn apart armor and clothes. "This time I didn''t delete them with the Void, so you can eat themter, Partner." "Thank you master! You''re the best!" I did it mostly for her, I had noticed she got upset whenever I would kill them. It wasn''t because she pitied them or something, she didn''t like me wasting food. Nheless, we kept moving. Until the very end of the dungeon''s depths. All areas that would allow them to escape were blocked off by my Undead. Not only I summoned the Vampire Zombies, but I also summoned the Blood Bone Dragons through my Domain. It was rather easy as I made the Blood Dragon Bones pop out of the field, transformed them into powerful weapons and armor for the Zombie Vampires and my other Undead, and then as they broke apart, they reappeared within the mines, using my spirit clones, I quickly mined and summoned these giants. "Hendrick!" I mmed the door open and entered with everyone. But I never thought I would be prepared to see what was inside. Chapter 1053 Marias Brother 1053 Maria''s Brother ----- A gigantic gate stood before us; every single resistance was suppressed. All the Vampires and other Monsters Hendrick employed to stop us were all in. And across the gate, I could sense the present of my brother, Hendrick, and at least fifty more people. Hendrick wasn''t alone for sure. The bastard was holding all these people hostage. I don''t know how, but they were there, with him! And I could simply not let him have them. Whatever tricks he''ll use, they won''t be effective. "Hendrick, give me back my brother!" Concentrating all my strength, I mmed the door open. An explosion of chaos, void, andher essence destroyed the gatespletely, ck smoke spreading everywhere. Beyond the door, there was a huge hall, the hall where the Dungeon Boss was located. "Y-You''re finally here, I see¡­" I heard the voice of a young man, a rather snarky one, but that also sounded surrounded, cornered. "It seems things have escted to a level I can''t handle anymore. So you''ve forced my hand, Maria." His silhouette appeared amidst the smoke, his red eyes, his tall figure, and the fox mask he wore. He had long silvery-white hair, sharp red eyes, and as he took out that mask, it revealed his youthful and handsome face. He was wearing red armor over his body, and holding a strange, ck sword. "Hendrick, right?" I asked him. "Yes, the very same-" "Die." I waved my hand, a small sphere of void appeared in front of him. His eyes widened; his aura erupted from his body. Within a split second, he barely managed to evade the iing attack, moving towards his left, although his body still took damage. Half of his body had disappeared, blood and innards sttering over the flooring from the huge hole left behind. Even half his head was destroyed. Yet within mere seconds, he started regenerating. "Oi, oi, you can''t just attack me when I haven''t even exined you the situation in which you are right now, MARIA!" He roared back at me, his sword swinging towards me. "Don''t get cocky because you have evolved into an SSS Rank or something!" SLAAASH! A wave of chaotic and darkness energies reached me, as I noticed something within it. I would have ignored that attack normally, but I felt a powerful, piercing essence from within. I quickly tried toe vade it by bing incorporeal, but it didn''t work. The attack not only sliced through my arms, as ck blood came out of my wounds, but an explosion of burning white mes covered my entire body. The pain I felt was simr to what someone that was being melted by acid would feel. "Argh! W-What the¡­?!" "Just as I thought. This sword is certainly effective!" Heughed out loud. "This is the God yer. An ancient Sword Relic inherited by our Ancestors, given to us from our Ancient Family back in Umbralheim! A special weapon that deals immense damage against Gods, or those close to be one." "What kind of bullshit is that?" I asked in utter disbelief. "Our of nowhere a nobody like you gets a sword like that? This is fucking wonderful." "Hahahah! Are you despairing now, Maria?!" Heughed. "Well, let me tell you that the show has yet to end!" As the darkness of the room was illuminated by several lights. A gigantic thing emerged from the background. Epassing over a hundred meters of pure flesh and limbs, a monstrosity surged, made of over fifty people fused together into an abomination of flesh and limbs. Their faces were all mixed together, their bodies agonizingly twisting with one another. Their screams of help echoed, the creature started moving, its four gigantic limbs sttering the floor with blood and innards. "GRAAAHHH!!!" And I saw the heads of dozens of children spread through that thing. My eyes widened for a few seconds, I felt paralyzed when I saw the children screaming, the horror they were feeling, the agony. And my brother. He was there. His face, I recognized it. Screaming, crying blood from his twisted eyes, fused into the faces of many more. Constantly vomiting a green goo. For a moment, I didn''t know what to do. I waspletely paralyzed. Why? Why is this happening to my little brother? Why¡­ Why do we have to suffer so much? What¡­ What did we even do to these people to deserve this? "Yes, that is the face I would like to see from you." Hendrick appeared behind me, his sword shone with ck and white mes, as he swung it towards my neck. He was going to behead me. "Die, you mistake of a woman!" SLAAASH! The wave from that god-killing sword reached my body within a split second. Why couldn''t I move? He had cast no curse on me, no spell, nothing. Yet¡­ I felt so sad. So hollow. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I wanted to cry and scream. I¡­ "MARIAAA!" Before I could do anything, a giant nine-headed dragon appeared in front of me. And then a Vampiress and an elf. The sword attacking towards me ended hitting the dragon''s heads, three of them were instantly beheaded, an explosion of ck and white mes covering his body, as he screamed in agony. "AAARRGGHH¡­!" "Master! Snap out of it!" "Maria, please!" "Ah¡­!" My eyes opened, the horror I felt was pulled aside, the void in my body started to react, darkness epassing me entirely. This wasn''t me! I can''t let him manipte my emotions. They knew this would make me go crazy, so they did it. They used my brother to get to me. Yeah, it''s my fault he''s like this. But¡­ BUT! He''s not dead, right?! A-As long as he''s still alive, just like with Fabian and his friends. I''LL HEAL HIM! But first. FIRST! I have to kill¡­ KILL! KILL THAT BASTARD! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! I''M GOING TO FUCKING TEAR HIM TO SHREDS! I waved my hand as I disappeared from there, the mes covering Lucifer instantly disappeared as gentle mantle of void covered him for a second. His heads regrew as I healed him. "I''m going to kill you." I appeared in front of Hendrick with nothing else but bloodlust on my face. My forms lowly started to transform rapidly, as I gained the appearance of a gigantic half-jackal divine beast. "Huh?!" His eyes widened as he saw me transform. "Your fucking sword doesn''t intimidate me, dipshit!" I mmed my giant dog foot towards him, crushing his entire body into the ground. His barriers shattered rapidly, his entire body was crushed and twisted over the floor. His bones exploded out of his body, asher and chaos spread everywhere. Yet the bastard was not dead yet. Tendrils emerged from his destroyed body, giant fleshy arms, tentacles, jaws and eyes, constantly regrowing him anew. "To think you would force me to transform so quickly! You''re too strong! I MUST kill you right now, before you be too much of a problem for our family!" "You? Kill me? You''re such a delusional piece of shit." Within a blink of an eye, I appeared above his monstrous form, summoning ten Void Stars above his head. He responded by grabbing his sword and imbuing it with his powers, a gigantic wave of ck and white mes shing against my magic. Chapter 1054 Dont Kill It! Chapter 1054 Don''t Kill It! ----- Everything happened too fast, but Maria and her family knew what to do at the end! They were able to think quickly. And even when Maria was paralyzed by the shock, they quickly came to help her snap out of it, and to shield her. Lucifer, with his enormous and draconic body decided to take the hit head on. His barriers shattered instantly, and he lost three of his heads. The white and ck mes that burned over his body also burned his soul. He felt how the mes worked, these mes conjured by the God ying Sword fueled themselves by absorbing the target''s Divine mes! The stronger the target''s Divine mes, the stronger the attack power of the God ying Sword became. Although he was burning more and more, Maria easily resolved the problem. A veil of void ate all the mes away in an instant, and in another second, his heads regrew, and his wounds were healed. Maria since the beginning that had an amazing ability to heal Undead, although not so much with living people. Lucifer, despite all his evolutions, was still counted as her Undead. "I''ll take care of him, please restraint that monster- I mean, where my brother is! Keep that thing alive, please!" Her telepathic messages reached everyone''s heads. They immediately nodded in unison. Just as she shed against Hendrick and seemingly killed him, only for his body to regrow anew and a monstrous mass of tendrils, eyes, flesh, and muscles, everyone else noticed the gigantic aberration moving as well. The chimera made of countless children and people that were experimented with and made into pseudo homunculi. Their unified Demonite Crystal Cores constantly flowed through their aberrant, fused body. It was clear Hendrick had used some sort of demonic power to fuse them aberrantly forcefully just recently. The horror these people might have felt in these moments must have been tremendous, everyone in the scene could tell. "OOOOGGGHHH¡­!" The gigantic chimera gave a loud scream, its massive arms moved forwards, apanied by the screams of the countless people unified with it. Suddenly, its flesh began to convulse, and from within, dozens after dozens of fleshy monstrosities started separating themselves from it. And they weren''t normal either, hyper charged with Chaotic Miasmic Energies, they were all between ten to thirty metersrge, rapidly charging towards everywhere. Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, Jonathan, Nyx, and everyone else quickly put themselves in front of the iing army. "Don''t let them escape, if those things run into the city, everyone will die!" Lucifer roared, his nine serpentine heads opening their jaws and releasing breath attacks, vaporizing the monsters. "Make a barricade, all of you!" Nyx said, ordering a hundred Phantom Dragons she had previously summoned, which quickly flew where there was once a gate and fused together into a multiyered wall. Meanwhile, Maria''s Undead shed against the iing aberrations, pieces of rotten flesh, blood, bones, and tendrils sttered everywhere as both aberrant armies shed. The creature behind it all was the single thing they couldn''t kill, as it had Maria''s little brother in it, and another 49 people too. "GRAAAH!" The thing quickly roared again, extending its tendrils towards everyone, countless tentacles appeared, pointing themselves towards everyone and firing spheres of miasma. "Careful!" Emeraldine detected they were a deadly attack, quickly assembling barriers made of light and wood, as the spheres reached them, explosions of dark miasma erupted one after another. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "How do we deal with this?!" Partner asked. "Should we neutralize it, but how?" "We can''t hurt it too much; we might risk destroying the original bodies!" Emeraldine held off as the explosions came. "Then maybe sealing it?" Jonathan suggested. "By using sealing chains magic, it might be possible temporarily seal its movements, or even its ability to move." "We can try that, yeah." Partner nodded, as she moved through the battlefield, swinging her spear and destroying the mini aberrations as they came. "But how? And will it hold on enough?" "We''ll need to first weaken it a bit. We might have to just risk damaging the original bodies a bit. But Emeraldine can heal it backter, right?" Lucifer asked. "Lucifer¡­" Emeraldine felt slightly conflicted, if they did just that, wouldn''t Maria get upset? However, it wasn''t as if Maria was here right now. She was now fighting Hendrick, and the time was dire. "Very well!" Although the monster producing aberration didn''t seem stronger than an S+++ Rank Boss, and the group here could have easily in it, that wasn''t the n at the end. If they were to do that, the people merged together would all end up dying, and that wasn''t something Maria would have wanted. After all, everyone took her request seriously. "Then let''s begin! Tear, please freeze its limbs so it can''t move so easily!" Said Emeraldine. "Laura, Takeshi, can you help Tear do that? Especially Takeshi! Laura you can clean the area around them with your magic." "Got it!" Laura nodded. "Alright!" Takeshi said. "I''ll do what I can!" Tear said. The trio quickly rushed into battle. Takeshi expanded his ocean domain, Laura destroyed the iing mini aberrations, and Tear expanded her frost with the aid of the endless oceanic water produced by Takeshi. At the same time, Fabian''s groupbined with Catarina and Silva battled the other half of the army of mini aberrations. Emeraldine gave them a simr task as well. She knew that some of Fabian''s friends had special abilities and elements that could of some help. "Fabian and Catarina''s group, try to y as many of the smaller monsters as you can! Attempt to restrain the frozen limbs so they don''t free themselves so easily!" "Got it!" They roared in unison. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Catarina roared, rushing forwards first, and charging against all the aberrations. Her fiery phantasmal body was the embodiment of battle. After having be a powerful battle ghost simr to Maria inposition, but much different, she felt like she had been reborn. "Move aside, you little shits! RAAAH!" Her fists moved rapidly, leaving behind crimson blood mes, with her endlessly shapeshifting, incorporeal body, she could take almost any shape, grow as many limbs as she wanted, and fight even more fiercely than before. ----- Meanwhile, Jonathan was standing in front of it, channeling his strongest sealing spell! As she cleared the way for those behind her to advance, frost spread through the floor, slowly freezing the monster''s limbs. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! Chapter 1055 The God-Slaying Blade Chapter 1055 The God-ying de ----- BOOOM! Maria''s Void Stars, abination of her All-Consuming Void and Abyssal Netherworld''s Star Skills, shed against Hendrick''s sword sh. An explosion of ck and white mes erupted, the mes covering her entire body. "Fuck!" She felt the same pain she felt the first time she was hit. These mes burned more than anything she had ever experienced. Although she had already absorbed back her lost arm and regrown it, the damage left on her soul had left scars. Yes, scars! Whatever these ck and white mes were, they left scars in a powerful soul such as her. Wherever that bastard of Hendrick got himself that sword, it was a very special ce. Because she easily discovered the sword''s powers worked by absorbing and fueling its own mes from the Divinity mes inside souls. "So that''s why it burns so much!" She created a veil of void and covered her body, which had already undergone a great change, transforming her into a giantess jackal beast woman. Her entire body now covered by fine ck fur, her head resembling that of a beautiful and refined jackal, and her dress and clothes having changed as well, resembling a ck, green, and gold colored Egyptian magician robes. Ding! [You have activated the [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv1] Skill and temporary transformed into the {Divine Beast of Death, Guardian of the Underworld, Anubis}!] [For the duration of this transformation, your MP, Divine Power, and all otherpatible Energies are constantly drained. Your MP, Magic, Aether, and Divine Power Stats increase by +1000%, while your HP, Attack, Defense, and Agility increases by +500%, with an additional +30% boost with each Skill Level for both buffs. Your appearance will also change, naturally giving you the abilities of a Divine Canine Beast God.] [In this form, you will gain ess to Unique Divine Abilities, which trigger automatically as you transform, further boosting your powers as both a Necromancer and a Goddess of Death. The power of such Unique Divine Abilities increases by +100% with each Skill Level, and their Energy Requirements decrease by -5% with each Skill Level.] [Avable Divine Abilities: {Demonic Abyssal Fog Cloud Of Death}, {Divine Death Relic: Anubis'' Bnce and Scythe}, {Abyssal ck Death Void}] Maria felt her power rising as she transformed, all her stats skyrocketed, and her new form, abination of many powerful Transformation-based Skills, was already showing its incredible effects. "You''re NOTHING but a NUISANCE, Maria!" Hendrick groaned monstrously; his body continuously shapeshifting as he was trying to create a morepact form. His fleshy tendrils, muscles and bones attempting to reorganize. However, that was not happening with Maria literally right beside him. "Oh yeah? Well, this nuisance is going to fucking kill you, just like I killed your little sister, remember her? The ugly bitch?" "Y-YOUUU!" The furious Vampire quickly remembered the first horseman that was in back in the Duchy of Affnaria, when they had attempted to take over the ce using both drugs and then an invasion from the vampires, triggering all drug addicts through their magic and transforming them into crazed ghouls. Maria knew these bastards had no empathy for other people, they saw all mortals as nothing but ants to be used and squished. However, between one another, there was a bond of some sort. Especially between the higher ups, who considered one another as family. His giant sword swung downwards as Hendrick attempted to sh Maria into pieces with a series of rapid attacks, all while a dozen magic circles materialized, conjuring blood magic projectiles at lightning speed. Maria, meanwhile, materialized a huge scythe out of her Death, Darkness, Phantom, and Void Essence together, while spreading a ck fog around her entire body, resembling ck clouds of darkness. "{Divine Death Relic: Anubis'' Scythe}! {Demonic Abyssal Fog Cloud Of Death}!" The fog spread around her as her Undead appeared by her side. The giant Blood Bone Dragons began to transform, bing twice asrge and covered on ck and golden colored armor, overflowing with power. The dozen dragons shed against the shing blows and projectiles from Hendrick, defending Maria happily. Their bodies resisted several hits before exploding into pieces. "Your little minions are too weak to evenpare to this sword''s power!" "Is that so?" However, Maria''s fog spread further and further, the undead that were destroyed suddenly began reviving themselves again. Hendrick suddenly realized something wrong was happening, and it was within that fog''s power! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Not only that fog mutates her undead into stronger versions, but it also even allows them to revive?!" He thought, his many eyes quickly shifting towards Maria. "But I bet they can''t revive forever, there must be a limit!" He imagined. He swung his sword and tendrils, attacking the Undead constantly. As their bodies fell down and perished, they were instantly healed back to full, their power never going down. Sometimes when an undead was destroyed, not even Maria''s Heal Undead Skills would help her recover it fully, and most of the time if she did, they would be much weaker and require materials. But this fog, the divine ability of her Anubis transformation, required none of such things! And it only became more apparent how utterly broken this power was as she summoned dozens of Vampire Zombies by her side, just to rub it on Hendrick''s face. "Dammit, you traitors! How dare you attack me?!" Hendrick kept hacking and shing away his own former subjects, only for them to be reborn almost instantly. Their bodies overflowing with new power as the fog granted them new Egyptian-like armor and weapons, and greater physiques and magic power. "You like my gift, Hendrick?!" Maria roared, evading the dozens of tendrils attempting to attack her. The Blood Bone Dragons stopping them as she kept moving forwards. "How does it feels now?! To have your entire family turned against you?! I was nning to negotiate with you when I got here, but it seems you were fucked in the head from the beginning! The moment you dared to do that to my brother, you''ll receive a fate worse than DEATH!" Maria swung her giant golden and ck scythe, charging it with a Void Essence, as a giant sh that pierced through space and dimensions reached Hendrick, his countless eyes widening as he ced his sword in front of him to defend! BOOOM! ----- Chapter 1056: Sealing The Abomination Chapter 1056: Sealing The Abomination ? Jonathan concentrated his Mana into his entire body, and then poured it down beneath his foot. A golden magic circle slowly expanded, generatingrge runes that danced with one another, shifting constantly and glowing brightly. He was conjuring a powerful Divine Holy Light Spell that was actually made bybining a dozen normal Spells together. However, as he generated the powerful Spell, he couldn''t help but feel a great amount of sorrow and frustration. Mostly because he recognized the face of Maria''s little brother the same way she did. His heart felt broken the moment he saw the child''s face, twisted and merged with others, screaming, crying blood, and vomiting. It was such a horrid sight; he could barely hold himself together. Jonathan hadn''t met Arthur that long, but he knew the boy, and had met him, and had interacted with him. And he knew how pure and innocent he was. To know these monsters twisted that innocent child into such a monstrosity against his own will made him suffer a tremendous amount of pain and anger,parable to the time he saw Maria being executed while he was unable to do anything himself. Seeing how he already felt this way, he couldn''t help but wonder how horrible Maria felt, so terrible that despite the amount of strength she had acquired now, she was stillpletely paralyzed. "They knew this was her weak point and abused it! Monsters... All of them are the real monsters!" Jonathan roared in utter fury, channeling it all. FLASH! His magic circle expanded into a Domain out of the sudden, his Divine Protection''s powers shing through his entire body. The Divinity Fragment Baldr had gifted to him, even after death, remained within him, and it was now slowly dissolving, without its former master, Jonathan was now unknowingly slowly absorbing the fragment of divinity within his Divine Protection, making its powers his own. His Divinity me slowly started to ze, forming, shining with a golden light never seen before! Thebination of his confliction emotions and everything else, his rage, his frustration, his sorrow, all of it! "Don''t worry Maria! We will save him! We will save your brother, NO MATTER WHAT!" With a mighty heroic roar, his Spell was almost finished! Meanwhile, the limbs of the aberration were mostly frozen, but it continuously attempted to regrow new limbs and to destroy its frozen prison. However, Catarina, Silva, Fabian and his friends, Nyx, and Laura were constantly stopping it. Cutting and burning the new formed limbs made out ofbined and coiled tendrils. Explosions of mes, blood energy, darkness, phantasmal energy, and demonic energies constantly erupted. The massive aberration was unable to move at all now, surrounded by an ever-growing fortress of ice. Tear and Takeshi''sbined efforts were incredible, slowly yet steadily restraining the creature. At the same time, Lucifer, Partner, Emeraldine, and Nyx were shing against the rest of literally everything, such as the hundreds of smaller aberrations the chimeric creature kept birthing out of its own flesh. Nyx and Emeraldine in specific conjured powerful barriers to protect everyone from deadly explosive magic conjured by the chimera constantly. Partner and Lucifer were on the front, fighting head on with all the iing armies of critters. It was an intense battle despite the weak opponent, it was much challenging than anything before, just for the very reason that they couldn''t harm it too much. And as the battle progressed, the monster kept fighting the ice, it seemed that it would notst for much longer, as the ice started melting once the monster suddenly figured out something. "Graaahh...! GRAAARRGH!" As it screamed in agony with its unified voices, ck and purple mes,posed of chaos and miasma, started covering its entire body, spreading into the ice. The ice immediately began melting, and Tear and Takeshi were trying to ovee the Chaotic Miasmic mes but failing rather miserably. Emeraldine could imbue the mes with her light, but she was busy protecting everyone. "Dammit, it is evolving and developing new abilities!" Emeraldine said. "Is it adapting, perhaps? We are making it stronger by not finishing it off... Such a fast level of adaptability...! Jonathan! Is it ready yet?!" As everyone grew more and more desperate, their gazes were all fixed into the tall man. The Hero of Light''s blue eyes shone brightly, bing bright gold. His Divinity me red brightly, as the Divine Protection of Baldr dissolved into his soul and body. He was no longer divinely protected; he turned such a divine protection into his own developing Divinity me! And the changes showed instantly, as his entire body radiated almost the same light as Baldr did. His Magic Circle expanded like a domain of eternal golden light, quickly covering everything within their vicinity, right below everyone''s foot. "Yes, I am ready." His eyes shone brightly. "{Divine Holy Light Magic}: {Heavenly Sealing Stake}!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om FLAAASH! The magic circle expanded as its runes shed with bright light, theybined together as the light merged into a single, gigantic stake of light, which fell into the monster, without piercing its flesh or damaging it. It was like an ethereal attack, something that impacted the monster yet left no damage, it felt powerful and purifying, making the creature squirm in agony. The faces that were awake while this happened while passed out, as the stake of light instantly sealed the creature. Its entire body was covered on countless chains of light, wrapped tightly andpletely, until it resembled somethingpletely different than its original form. The monster was now unable to move, and its consciousness had been knocked out, in a state of either torpor or sleep. "W-We did it...!" Muttered Jonathan, sighing in relief. "Hahhh... W-We somehow- Ugh." However, it didn''te out without a proper cost, Jonathan vomited blood, noticing his body started feeling weaker. The powers he had used exerted his current body limits, and he was paying the price for that now. "Jonathan!" Emeraldine noticed his situation and ran to help him, covering him on healing light. Chapter 1057: Hendricks Last Resort Chapter 1057: Hendrick''s Last Resort ? SLAAASH! A sh that sliced through the fabric of space was unleashed, as Maria activated the third andst Divine Ability within her amazing divine form, the {Abyssal ck Death Void}! It was the strongest magic spell she had, even more potent than All-Consuming Void and her Nether Star Skillsbined. That, coupled with her scythe''s ability to ignore physical defenses and directly damage a soul helped her slice through Hendrick''s very soul! An immense amount of agony permeated the greedy and vicious vampire''s entire soul. His screams of agony reverberated across the entire desert port city. His soul wasn''t just split into two, it quickly gained many more cracks, which spread across his soul, and then, as his soul exploded into pieces, this spread across his physical body. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Countless explosions burst out of his own body, flesh, blood, and innards tearing apart and exploding. Hendrick continued screaming, incapable of believing he was being overwhelmed to such an extent! "Gryyyaaagggh! D-Dammit! I''m going to die! FUCK! AAARRGHH!" As his flesh exploded into pieces and as he attempted to keep his broke soul together, Maria rushed forwards, her body suddenly surrounded by a dozen Void Stars at once, which she fired consecutively against his body. More and more explosions bombarded over Hendrick. His giant tendrils grasped into the God yer Sword, using its gigantic size to block the magic attacks. His ck and white mes unleashed storms with each wave of the sword towards Maria. The ghost woman barely managed to evade them, some hitting her directly and weakening her, only for her Void Mantle to quickly delete them off her body. "HENDRICK! I am not stopping until you''re dead!" Maria ruthlessly started shing his body into pieces with her scythe. Tanking all sorts of magic spells Hendrick conjured to defend himself. Her body was so tough she simply bounced off most damage easily! His God yer Sword was literally the only thing keeping him from instantly dying. "No...! This can''t be true! I haven''t even... They are not even here yet...!" Hendrick thought, gritting his countless jaws. His body had already been reduced to below half of what it was in just a couple of seconds. His regeneration could simply not keep up with Maria''s consecutive attacks. "I have to... I have to use that thing! If I can absorb or devour it, I might recover! And it will cause a lot of emotional damage on that bitch!" He thought, thinking himself a genius. However. RUMBLE! And as if things couldn''t get any worse for him, something happened. A gigantic stake made of holy light descended towards the chimeric aberration he had made by fusing all the people he kept prisoner down here. His eyes widened as thousands of chains wrapped around the monstrous being, putting it on a status of stupor and sleep! "NO!" As he screamed in agony, Maria''s scythe sliced through his flesh again. Arge chunk of himself, containing his soul fragments and his mind, escaped before the rest of his body were to be destroyed, only holding the sword with him, barely. "What? Were you nning on using my brother against me again, you bastard?" Maria asked with a furious and vicious smile. "Too bad. I know this might be a personal grudge of yours. You''re doing this not just to make me suffer, you''re doing this because I killed your fucking sister, isn''t it?" "It''s more than just that... But yes!" Hendrick roared. "We will never forget what you did to her, you damned ghost! You''ve been a nuisance to all our ns since you awakened out of nowhere, yearster after your death! You should have simply remained dead! You were nothing but a steppingstone, and small piece of shit you sometimes step on! Why... Just WHY have you be such a huge problem now?!" "You sound like an absolute fucking loser, and I''m loving every single word you''re saying right now, Hendrick." Maria rushed towards him, feeling her energies depleting rapidly, but then quickly recovering thanks to all the power she gained from her Soul Scape. "Keep crying, you''re not going to get away with it!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! She shed him three more times, Hendrick felt his already shattered soul break even more. His limp body sticking to the sword as he attempted to shield himself from Maria, but it wasn''t working at all. "Dammit...! I have to do it...! They''re not here yet, and I''m going to fucking die if I don''t!" The Vampire, who was rather youngpared to the others, was always heralded as a genius. Hendrick had always had an easy life since his conception as a Vampire from birth. Served by everyone, a genius at birth, an amazing fighter, tactician, and the mind of a conqueror. It wasn''t an overstatement when he was given the title of the Horseman of Conquest. Using his tactics, influence, charisma, and power, Hendrick managed to draw an immense amount of followers, bing a prominent figure within the expanding vampire family. He had conquered many cities, forced their rulers to obey him through ve contracts, and slithered like a vicious snake, or perhaps like a trickster fox within the shadows. Yet now... Out of nowhere! Maria, someone he had believed was dead long ago, someone that shouldn''t matter at all. What most would merely call a "background character" suddenly appeared. Not only did she be a ghost after years of having dead, but she also evolved, she grew stronger, and she started fighting back.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om She even revived the Dragon King that was thought long gone, and quickly assembled herself a small party of utterly overpowered people! And once she decided toe to Goldsand, he knew that he had to do everything he could to stop her. However, the news about her defeating two gods never arrived, as there were no actual witnessers other than the gods themselves. Therefore, although he was prepared, he never thought Maria would have already reached such a level of strength! "T-This is my only choice now...!" Regretfully, what remained of his soul and flesh suddenly touched the sword''s de, letting the de itself pierce himpletely. "What?!" Maria nced in disbelief at what Hendrick did, before seeing the sword glow with a malicious ck and red aura. A crimson eye opened on its handle, as it devoured Hendrick''s soul fragments and remaining flesh and blood. And became something else. FLASH! Chapter 1058: Maria Avenges Her Brother Chapter 1058: Maria Avenges Her Brother ? Hendrick had been so hesitant about this because he knew he would never be able to go back to his former self. But seeing how he was truly going to die; he had no other option. Maria watched as the bastard let the God ying Sword pierce his body and soul, and then devour everything. Of course, she didn''t stand there watching, immediately rushing to stop him, only for the sword to release a ck and red aura the moment it devoured Hendrick. The red jewel on its handle became a bright red eye, and then, a shockwave of ck and white mes, the very mes that could hurt and even leave scars on her soul, were released as a potent shockwave. TRUUUM! "Ugh! FUCK!" Maria quickly conjured barriers out of her Void, defending from the mes and quickly cleaning her body from them. She gritted her sharp jaws, looking at the giant sword transform. Its ck metal expanded into countless tendrils, the sword was no longer a sword as it grew arms, legs, a head, and became a five-meter-tall man made of ck and red metal, with a big eye-shaped jewel on his forehead. His appearance, with white hair and everything, was the exact same as Hendrick! "So this was your trump card, huh?" Maria wondered, standing up and confronting Hendrick. A robe made of ck and white mes covered Hendrick''s body, making him overflow with tremendous god-ying powers! "This is it...! You forced me to be this thing! I''ll now be forever cursed, forever cursed to be this damned sword! But that doesn''t matter anymore! As long as I can KILL you for good, MARIA!" Hendrick had grownpletely insane at this point, rushing towards Maria as an endless wave of ck and white mes surged, rushing towards her. It was so much that she knew she wouldn''t get out of this without major wounds into her soul. But that didn''t matter to her, as long as she could kill this bastard anyways! Both were sacrificing things to fight and kill one another. This was the truth about this world. About the Tower! At the end, it all resumed to this, a battle to the death. Be it to avenge a loved one, or to gain power. It all resumed to this. The most primal form of resolving conflicts. A fight to the death! To kill one another. "I dare you touch me now, Maria! These mes shall burn youpletely! Hahaha!" "RAAAH!" Maria gave a loud beastly roar, her body transforming as she gained the powers of her fully unleashed Evolution. Her appearance as Anubis fusing with that form, as she started to grow evenrger than before, matching and then surpassing Hendrick''s size. Her gigantic tentacle-hair waved towards Hendrick, shing against his zing body after she imbued the tentacles withs a tenyered Void Veil for self-protection. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! These were the attacks that helped her kill Gods themselves! Hendrick, who foolishly took them all head-on imagining himself invincible now, paid the price. Crack, crack...! CRASH! "Ugh?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om His arms broke apart and his face gained several cracks, Maria''s tentacles had no damage whatsoever, and her giant scythe, apanied by her sword and her axe, rushed down towards him. A barrage of attacks was unleashed against Hendrick, resembling a storm of attacks. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! The Vampire attempted to fight back, shes of his legs and waves of mes hit Maria constantly, yet she just tanked them head on. It didn''t matter if her soul burned away or if she was left with scars on it. Her soul was at least a thousand timesrger than Hendrick anyways! "W-What...?!" Hendrick screamed in utter disbelief as he saw Maria stepping forwards, like sentinel incapable of falling. "Despite all the damage you''re taking, you''re just walking towards me?! You''re burningpletely!" "Yes, I am." Maria said, giving another step, holding her weapons with her many arms. "And so what?! I told you that I will kill you, Hendrick. And that''s what I''m going to DO!" "Y-You''re insane! You''re a monstrous fucking madwoman!" Hendrick screamed, conjuring a hundred ck swords out of his ownponents, covering them on white mes, and firing them at Maria. "Let''s see if you can tank this now!" As the swords approached, Maria''s only red eye over her face glowed with a bright red light, space around her distorted as she disappeared from the scene instantly. All the swords ended hitting either the walls or the floor and exploding, without hurting her. "Huh?!" Hendrick noticed her presence looming right behind him, her gigantic body looking down at him like a mere ant! "How is this possible?! You...! You never used that before!" "I''ve not even gone all-out against a piece of shit like you." "You mean you''re even stronger than-" Hendrick couldn''t continue talking, Maria''s three weapons moved towards him. He tried to move at lightning speed to evade, yet as he moved to the left, a dozen giant Undead stopped him, attacking him and sacrificing themselves to push him back towards Maria. "Damned Undead, get away!" "You''re done for." "No, w-wait! WAIT!" Hendrick asked for mercy, but maria gave him none. Her three weapons, imbued with the boosts and strengths of herbined Skills and Abilities, pierced through the divine metal of his sword body, and crushed him into bits. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! His entire body was shattered into countless pieces, his already shattered soul was exposed, as Maria, despite burning constantly by the white mes, loomed towards him. A ck hole opened within her chest, devouring his body and his soul. "This isn''t... fair..." Hisst thoughts before the endless void were still full of arrogance and selfishness. A man born with everything in life, that only strived to follow goals that made countless other innocents suffer,ining about life not being fair? Maria almost snorted out ofughter after hearing those thoughts he had as she devoured his soul and absorbed his mind''s memories as information. She didn''t feel like she lived them, but they were absorbed as information instead. "What?! This bastard...!" However, when she realized what he had been "waiting for" this entire battle, Maria panicked slightly. FLUOSH! Suddenly, in the middle of the enormous hall, a portal to another floor of the tower opened. And not one, not two, not three. But five silhouettes stepped out of it. Chapter 1059: Lower Floor Raid Chapter 1059: Lower Floor Raid ? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om A portal opened out of nowhere. Through the power of some relic or item Maria had not detected at all, a portal to another floor of the Tower opened yet again! This time, the portal wasn''t red or ck though, it released a sh of bright white and golden light. And from within, five silhouettes stepped out. The entire group of "reinforcements" that Hendrick had called. And that unfortunately were unable to catch up with him on time, as he was now more than dead. Maria had not only killed him, but she also ate him whole. Both soul and body and everything. The powerful God ying Sword was strong, but the wielder was perhaps too weak to wield its powerspletely. "Well, well, looks like we are quitete?" "Where might Hendrick be?" "Hey, are you there? We''vee back to repay the favor." "...Ah!" "What happened here?!" The group of five men stepped out of the light created by their portal, as Maria squinted her monstrous and giant eyes against them. They weren''t just your average run of the mill bastard. They exuded powerful Auras, overflowing not with Mana, but with Ki! Four of them resembled a mix between Chinese and Koreans, with handsome and youthful faces. Wearing ancient Chinese clothes with varied colors, mostly shades of gray, with a lot of ck and red colors. Maria quickly recognized their appearances as your average demonic cultivator from a Xianxia Novel. However, it was the fifth that surprised Maria. Compared to the other four, he was at least fifty times stronger, yet looked rather inconspicuous, a slightly tall old man, with long white hair and beard, wearing pure ck robes with red droplets of blood as decorations. He looked at Maria in silence after he realized what had happened here. Somehow, Hendrick had given them a favor, and these cultivators hade to repay it by helping him defeat Maria andpany. And then, the same message appeared once more. This time, it was alerting the invasion of yet another group of hostile invaders. [Warning! A Special Lower Floor Raid Event is in effect!] [Your Floor is now undergoing invasion from outside forces of a floor below yours within the Tower. Invasion Origin: {Floor 40: Murim}] [Because the Invaderse from a world below your own, they have received apensation. All their Total Power and Stats have increased by +100%.] [Fend off the invaders to gain Contribution Points you can utilize to purchase items in the Raid Shop! Or sumb to the endless greed of the ruthless cultivators.] It was just as Maria imagined. This was a raid! A raid of only five men, but it was a raid, nheless. The worst part was that because they came from a world below Yggdrasil, they received an enhancement to all their stats as a pensation". "It appears we are quitete. It wasn''t so easy to create a Portal here after all." The old man sighed. "Unfortunately, our good friend is dead. I can''t feel his evil presence anywhere, his blood energy is gone as well. How... unfortunate, yes, yes." The old man didn''t seem bothered at all after learning this, however. His eyes fixated in the entity that Maria had be. Her eldritch appearance, and also her jackal-like form, exuding an aura of pure all-consuming dread. Although it didn''t show, he was slightly... wary of her. "Who are you bastards?!" Lucifer roared first. "You want to start a fight now?! Your damned ally''s gone! He''s dead!" "You want to be our meal, by any chance?" Partner smiled viciously. "We''ve barely warmed up anyways." Emeraldine said threateningly. "Hahh... I guess I can go for round two." Jonathan smiled, already a bit more recovered. The five Murim inhabitants were still considering their odds. If they could kill these foes, they would be able to gain tremendously strong corpses to absorb and enhance their cultivation. However. "So?" Maria asked the five cultivators, their eyes widening as they saw the enormously strong auras surging from them. It was quite clear they were all beings above S Rank. They were quite confident on defeating even SS Rank foes. But anything above that would already risk their lives. SSS Rank foes, maybe if they all ganged against a single one. But three of them? No, it seemed utterly futile. Yet the foolish younglings provoked them even more. "You dare speak to us in suchnguage, you savage of Yggdrasil?!" "You must love to court death!" "Aren''t you the frogs in a well here?" "Just because your world is higher than ours, it doesn''t mean you''re stronger than us..." The foolish younglings had no idea what they were saying! Unlike their old demonic cultivator master standing behind them, they had no ability to easily detect a foe''s Rank outside their own world. "You guys are delusional..." Partner pointed her two spears at them. "We''vee here to repay a favor, yes." The old master finally spoke. "But that favor cannot be repaid anymore, as the one that has given it to us seems to be long dead. We are humble visitors from the Murim world." Suddenly, the old man bowed his head in front of Maria and the rest of her party! At this scene, his own disciples were left utterly bbergasted. "Master?!" "W-Why?!" "Why are you bowing in front of those monsters from Yggdrasil?!" "SILENCE!" However, with a mighty and furious roar, their master shut them all down. And immediately mmed their heads with his hands, pushing two more of them to bow, while he used his Aura to force the other two to do the same. "I apologize, sincerely apologize for the misconduct of these foolish disciples of mine! You see, they''re very young and rash! But I will take responsibility for their foolishness." He was acting with incredible manners, not something that Maria had ever seen before. Above all, he was asking for forgiveness and even bowing his head in such an elegant way, while somehow still keeping his own majestic aura. Another being in their situation would have foolishly charged at them and gotten killed pathetically. Yet this old master knew of better ways to handle stronger beings. Just like in Murim, lick their boots clean! "Hoh-" Maria smiled. Chapter 1060: Winning By Doing Absolutely Nothing Chapter 1060: Winning By Doing Absolutely Nothing ? Although the System was telling them that they had to fend off the hostile invaders, the Demonic Cultivator Master behind the four rash disciples quickly bowed his head, forcing his four disciples to do the same thing. As he reprimanded them and told them to shut up, their bloodthirsty auras slowly receded. Maria and Partner particrly noticed that their Auras possessed Blood Energy, but they weren''t Vampires! Was this some sort of secret demonic cultivation technique the vampires passed onto these people? Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully suppressed the hostile raid of invaders from the lower floors.] [All five invaders of {Floor 40: Murim} have surrendered their lives to your party!] [Because this count has both defeating them and ying them, you and your party have gained a shared amount of 100.000 Raid Points.]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [You can spend these Raid Points in the Exclusive Shop for this Raid at any time.] "Well, isn''t that easy to abuse?" Mariaughed internally. "Nah, I bet there are some regtions to it. If the Tower catch me trying to abuse such a system, I''ll probably get punished somehow." Maria quickly directed her eyes at the cultivators. "Is that so? It seems you''ve truly pledged your sincerity and honesty." She said. "First of all, if you want us to spare you, what as your connection with Hendrick? And what... did he gave you that you came all the way here to help him?" "Ah...!" "Well, that''s..." "Silence, you two." The Master spoke. "First of all, I would like to introduce myself sincerely. My name is Wu Lieng, one of the three Elders of the Blood Demon Sect that dominates the southern area of the Windy Mountains, thatys at the north of the Central Continent." Maria nodded as she heard his introduction, however, she was never lowering her guard. Her transformation had deactivated itself and she was back to her more humanoid form, but in both of her hands, there were very powerful weapons, ready to strike. "So youe from the Windy Mountains of the Central Continent, and you''re one of the three Elders of this Blood Demon Sect. Hah, I can already guess you are a good friend of the Vampires here!" Mariaughed. "My name is Maria, as you could have guessed already. Ie from nowhere and I go wherever I please. Simply making all the bastards that ruined my life pay with blood. Now tell me, what is your fucking rtion with the Vampires? You see, we are the opposite of you! Incredibly righteous people. We love to kill evil bastards. Depending in your answer we might execute you all right now." "Tch...!" "How dare she...?!" "Ugh...!" "Dammit!" The four younglings seemed rather angry, but Maria and her party''s presences were enough to force everyone to kneel in front of her anyways. They started to slowly recognize how overwhelmingly strong they were. "We will tell you with sincerity what we are." Sighed the master. "We belong to an ancient dynasty of demonic cultivators, unorthodox. We are often called viinous in our world. And our rtionship with Hendrick is one of mutual benefit. Hendrick was our connection to this world''s vampire family. He allowed us to learn the techniques of the Vampires, and in exchange we lend them our techniques. Alongside that, we traded both human and beast souls, blood, and relics. We came here for his aid so he wouldter on owe us a favor, so we could further request more scrolls toplete our young sect''s martial arts." "So you kill people to gain benefits?" I sighed. "Innocent people?" "Not all the time, we mostly hunt other smaller sects, hunting mortals is rather boring, and they give little benefit. Cultivators that already have fought and hunted down others are more of the type of prey we hunt." The master said. "You may judge that however you want. But as we belong to another world... We believe what we do there shouldn''t affect your opinion on us." "You''re desperate to live, aren''t you?" Sighed Maria. "Very well, I won''t kill you. But I won''t let you go easily either. I''ve always been curious about Murim as a world. So you''re going to be my first connection to it. I''ve heard there are a lot of bastards, and if the vampire''s connection goes all the way there, then I would rather find out more." "There are other sects, much bigger, stronger, and malefic than ours that have received the aid of the Umbralheim Vampire Families for many generations." Spoke Wu Lieng. "They often invade other worlds and plunder them of their resources and lives. We were humbly at the beginning stages. If we guided... We might reach a different oue than them." "Hahaha! Are you asking me to be your patron or something? You''re delusional! Trying to find some benefit of almost getting killed, how funny you Murim people are." Mariaughed. "But I kind of like that. you''re going to show me your sincerity from now on. Yes, you''re going to do so." Suddenly, her Void Soul expanded out of her body, extending towards the Cultivators. "These are Void Soul Chains; they will permanently bind your soul to mine. An oath. If you ever dare betray me or any of my allies, your souls will be immediately eaten." Maria spoke with a serious tone of voice. With cold sweat dripping from their foreheads, the cultivators nodded after looking at their master nod first. Then, the old Wu Lieng stepped forwards, with a stoic face that didn''t show his emotions. "Please, allow me to take the chains first, Lady Maria." He bowed again. "Huh, how willing they are to serve..." Partner said. "They''re suspicious, but if they take those chains, there''ll be little to worry about." "I would have simply killed them." Lucifer crossed his giant, dragon arms. "Mama, can''t we eat them instead?" Nyx asked. "They said they asionally killed innocent people!" "I know." Maria sighed. "But dear, sometimes you have to allow trash and scum like this to be at your side, so you can then track those that are even worse. And they, although they said such things, have yet to gopletely into an unsalvable ce. As long as I guide them to the right direction." "Ooh..." Nyx nodded. "I see! So sometimes you don''t have to eat the baddies, but help them get better, and use them so they lead you to even worse people to eat!" "Precisely!" Maria giggled. "You learn well." As they watched the endearing conversation between mother and daughter, the cultivator''s souls were instantly chained by Maria''s void. There were absolutely no techniques or relics that would save them from these chains. "M-Master... What are we going to do now? We''ve been stripped out of our freedom!" "T-This isn''t right... we shouldn''t have allowed her to do this!" "Master, say something!" After the negotiations were over and Maria allowed the cultivators to apany her outside, the disciples couldn''t stop talking about how they lost their freedom and everything else in between. "Fools, this isn''t a loss of our freedom, this is a new opportunity! We either fought and died, or became her servants, and slowly, gained even more power than before. Following the strong is nothing butmon sense in Murim. This is why you are too inexperienced." Sighed Wu Lieng. "Now, make sure to act respectfully with your new Lady. She might revolutionize Murim, or everything as we know it. My old eyes can easily tell..." Chapter 1061: Saving The Port City Chapter 1061: Saving The Port City ? After enving those murderous cultivators and making them into my new bridge towards Murim, a world I was going to definitely exploreter, we decided to move on. I quickly stored the sealed chimeric creature inside of my shadows as I made my way outside the destroyed pce. The people all around the city were staring in disbelief at what had urred. I couldn''t me them for being so confused, a lot of things happened out of the blue. However, in these few hours, their entire city has been finally freed from an evil and poisonous organization that was slowly devouring them from the inside. Now, it was going to be up to their leaders to reinforce the security and the economy of this ce. I decided to quickly do a few more things, while subduing the cultivators, I also moved towards the jail areas, freed the jailed nobles that had opposed the vampires but were too precious to kill yet, and exined them what has happened. As they walked outside for the first time in perhaps years, they were left in utter disbelief as they learned their menace that they thought was an impossible foe they could never win against, to be utterly demolished to the ground, with absolutely no survivors left. "Y-You truly killed them all?!" "Even that bastard of Hendrick!" "Impossible, I never thought this day woulde. "T-Thank you, thank you so much..."N?v(el)B\\jnn The nobles, as malnourished as they looked, were quickly healed and fed by us. At the same time, Imanded my Undead to quickly begin repairing the entire temple and all the destroyed surrounding areas. I told them the Vampires I had, which were all wearing bone armor, were zombie vampires made out of their oppressors. "Yeah, they contain their souls and memories, so feel free tough at them and mock them all you want." I smiled. "They deserve it for abusing innocent people and killing so many." The surviving victims started insulting and throwing rotten fruits at the vampires as they worked, utterly humiliating them even after death. I guess this wasn''t much anyways, I could have eaten all their souls and killed them instantly, but I decided to have mercy on their souls for a change. Once a small announcement was made with the former lord that was able to finally retake control over the city while introducing me, we moved towards our rooms. I honestly wasn''t feeling like having any more interactions with outsiders for the day. I was almost fully concentrated inside of my Shadow Realm slowly separate the souls and bodies of the people made into that chimera. At the end, I simply had to do the same thing I did with Violet before and consume them entirely, and through my phantasmal stomach, slowly separate everything without actually digesting it. Such a process is incrediblyplex and hard, and takes a while, but it is not impossible. I was doing it slowly and cautiously, separating and "filtrating" each soul one at a time. There were roughly fifty, and I was at the twelfth soul. My brother was still mixed with the rest. I don''t think it''ll be possible to revive him fully, unfortunately, his body is too mixed with others, and I have never been a good Fleshmancer, I am a Necromancer after all. Unless I could obtain a skill that could allow me to easily control, separate, filter, and transform flesh. Is there one like that? While sitting over the bed in my room and hearing my family cook something, while the cultivators were invited to a separate room where they would spend the nigh (overseen by my phantom clones), I looked at the system messages. There was... a decent amount of gains, as I expected. Although not as much as before, because before we did a total boss rush where we fought like five big bosses one after another, including two gods. But nheless, the EXP was not bad at all. Ding! [You and your party have in several Hundred Vampires between A Rank to S Rank!] [You have in [Pure Blooded Vampire Duke, Horsemen Of Conquest, Hendrick (SS Rank)]!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [...] [Your Level has increased from Level 110 to Level 146/300!] [All your Stats have increased.] [You gained +120.000.000 System Points.] [The [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv1] Skill has Leveled Up!] [The [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones: Lv1] Skill has Leveled Up!] [Several other Skills have Leveled Up.] [You have fully absorbed the Soul, Blood, and Flesh of a powerful Pure-Blooded Vampire.] [The [Bloodline Absorption Technique: Lv1] Skill has Leveled Up!] [Your [Lesser Bloodline of the Bloodheart Vampire Family: 100% (Low-Rank)] Bloodline Abilities: [Blood Energy Gathering Technique] [Blood Weapon] [Curse of Blood] has Ranked Up to Mid Rank: 1%!] [The Bloodline has unlocked the Ability: [Control Vampire] and [Sunlight Reflection]!] [For equipping a Mid-Rank Bloodline, all your Stats have increased by 4% permanently.] Sunlight Reflection! Is this how the pure-blooded vampires can survive beneath the sun? How interesting. [You have absorbed theponents of the Divine Dark Relic: [God ying de (SSS Rank)]!] [You learned the [God-Burning White re: Lv1] Magic Skill!] [You learned the [ursed Divine Metal Creation: Lv1] Body Skill!] [You gained +50.000 Divine Power.] Oh, this... I acquired the properties of the sword itself? So I could theoretically create more of that sword out of my own body with those skills. Interesting indeed. "Hah~ I''m tired..." As I yawned and kept concentrating on my job inside my Shadow Realm, I tried to sleep, only to be woken up by a new System Notification. Ding! [Congrattions! You havepleted the {Challenge Quest}: [y Hendrick and Rescue Your Brother!] [Well done. Not only have you proven your strength by defeating the malefic vampire Hendrick, the self-proimed "Horseman of Conquest", but you''ve also managed to secure the safety and life of your brother.] [Now, it is up to your own hands to save him from his fate...] [Completion Rewards]: [50.000.000 System Points] [Pure Blooded Vampire-Themed Random Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Random Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x5] Wait, what? Chapter 1062: Quest Complete And Murim Raid Shop Chapter 1062: Quest Complete And Murim Raid Shop ? Ding! [Congrattions! You havepleted the {Challenge Quest}: [y Hendrick and Rescue Your Brother!] [Well done. Not only have you proven your strength by defeating the malefic vampire Hendrick, the self-proimed "Horseman of Conquest", but you''ve also managed to secure the safety and life of your brother.] [Now, it is up to your own hands to save him from his fate...] [Completion Rewards]: [50.000.000 System Points] [Pure Blooded Vampire-Themed Random Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Random Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] X5] Suddenly, and out of nowhere, a quest popped up, one I had alreadypleted, nheless! When did I get such an ability? I just can''t remember. "What the hell?" [Of course you get Quests now, my foolish master. Can''t you remember you unlocked the System Function: [Quest Generation]?] [It can generate Quests wherever there is enough causality to be absorbed. The more you change the fate of many with your actions, or your to-do actions, the more likely is a quest to appear.] [One showed up as you fought Hendrick and everything, but you were too concentrated on beating him to death, unfortunately.] The System quickly answered my confused words. I suppose that''s what happened. I had for a little while but never thought about it and eventually forgot about that. Though I still can''t believe how fucking angry I must have been to just not even check a system window appearing when I was fighting Hendrick. I really wanted him dead. "Well, that was unexpected, but I''ll happily ept the rewards I guess. Makes me feel a bit more fulfilled somehow." I felt rather happy. "Oh right, I also got those hundred thousand raid points... Might as well also spend those." I quickly decided to check the Raid Points Shop for this little Raid we got, which ended in just a few minutes with the cowards immediately surrendering. Well, it was better for them to do that, though I am now wondering how the fresh soul of those cultivators would have tasted like. Ding! [Because you have subdued and permanently enved the souls of the hostile invaders, including their powerful boss, you''ve gained an additional +50.000 Raid Points.] Oh? I got another fifty thousand... Alright, I''ll take them. This is definitely not my system but the Tower doing things. I suppose they recognize what I did as some sort of sure kill. Anyways, let me see the shop already. Ding! [The Raid Shop has opened. You will be able to ess it as long as you have Raid Score Points left to be used.] [Total Raid Points Earned: 150.000] [Raid Shop Theme: Murim Raid] [Consumable Items] [Evolution Items] [Skill Books] [Equipment] The same options as before popped up. For a moment I considered getting equipment, or evolution items, but I think those wouldn''t do much for me at the moment. So I immediately went for Consumable Items and Skill Books. [Showcasing the [Consumable Items] and [Skill Books] categories.] [Consumable Items] [High Yin & Yang Ki Essence Pill (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000] [Lesser Yin & Yang Ki Essence Pill (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [25.000] [Impure Yin & Yang Ki Essence Pill (S Grade)] [Cost]: [10.000] [Elemental Martial Beast Core (S Grade)] [Cost]: [5.000] [Divine Physique Enhancement Elixir (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000] [High Physique Enhancement Elixir (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [25.000] [Random Physique Enhancement Elixir (S Grade)] [Cost]: [10.000] [Martial Power Divinity Fragment (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [70.000] [Heavenly Demon Venerable Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000] Huh, alright, quite an interesting assortment of items. I was waiting for another stat boosting elixir, but those didn''t appear this time, what a pity. Instead I got physique enhancement elixirs? And also weird pills for yin and yang. What the hell are those for anyways? Lastly, there''s another tentative Fusion Ticket. I kind of want it, it has the theme of Heavenly Venerable? Whatever that is, it should be pretty strong, maybe. There''s also a weird Divinity Fragment. The hell is "Martial Power"? Seriously? At least make it cooler, like Yin and Yang or something. But not just Martial Power... Bleh. But maybe that it has a simple name is what makes it work? After all I do have a lot of physical skills I''ve developed on my own, my punching techniques and my kicking techniques. A Divinity that dealt with the concept of Martial Power could allow me to get even further in that regard and attain an even higher level of power on my self-developed Martial Arts, hmm. Oh well, let''s not make rash decisions, let''s see the other items avable. [Skill Books] [Heavenly Demon Venerable''s Immortal Aura Skill Book (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [70.000] [Void Shivering Tiger Fist Martial Arts Skill Book (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000] [Azure Sky Dragon Step Martial Arts Skill Book (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000] [zing Phoenix Ascension Kick Martial Arts Skill Book (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000] [ck Tortoise''s Body Reinforcement Martial Arts Skill Book (SS Grade)] [Cost]: [40.000] [Random Common Martial Arts Skill Book (A Grade)] [Cost]: [10.000] Well now, these options are... Yeah, weird. They''re all Martial Arts! And they sound quite fancy I suppose? Based on the four Chinese beasts I guess. I guess they could be pretty decent, but I don''t particrly care that much. Except that one about an Aura, that one seems a bit interesting. But what does an Immortal Aura even do? Can it suppress foes or something? Well, nothing new for me in that regard. I think I know what I''ll chose for now. Ding! [You have exchanged 150.000 Raid Points.] [You have purchased the [High Yin & Yang Ki Essence Pill (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000]!] [You have purchased the [Divine Physique Enhancement Elixir (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000]!]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [You have purchased the [Heavenly Demon Venerable Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [50.000]!] These were the best items I could pick in my opinion. The Divinity was tempting me, but I decided to ignore it at the end. Divinity Skills are good but not the best thing in existence. And it was also a fragment, not a full one. Now, let''s eat that pill and chug it down with the Elixir! Chapter 1063: Purchasing Murim-Themed Items! Chapter 1063: Purchasing Murim-Themed Items! ? The pill was huge and ck and white colored, at least as big as ten centimeters. I had to munch on it. The bitter vor was a bit off putting, but I was an undead, so it wasn''t going to make me puke or something. I chug it down with the golden and effervescent elixir, which was sweet, with a minty vor to it. Ding! [You have consumed (High Yin & Yang Ki Essence Pill (SSS Grade)]!] [A tremendous quantity of refined and harmonious Yin and Yang Ki Essence is flowing through your entire body!] [You have consumed [Divine Physique Enhancement Elixir (SSS Grade)]!] [A tremendous quantity of refined Physique Energy is rushing through your Physique, enhancing its powers!] I felt both my body and my soul convulse as I nkly stared at my hands. For a few seconds I felt slightly dizzy. ck and white energies rushing through my body constantly, refining my soul and body. Naturally, my Physique and my Divine me red with new power, as I felt my soul growingrger and my new physical body reinforcing itself, bing several times stronger. It felt like I was slowly breaking out of a shell, my body began to peel its own skin. Everyone that was present panicked for a bit, as they saw my skin being peeled, only to reveal an endless ckness, a pure void of nothingness inside of my physical body. "D-Don''t panic, I am just Ranking Up my Physique, haha... Ah, there it is." My darkness suddenly absorbed the swirling golden and ck energies of Yin and Yang together, which started spinning in the middle of my stomach, and then merged with it. Then, new skin grew anew, as I was back to normal. But I felt much different, this Yin and Yang stuff not only enhanced my Physique, but also my Soul and my Divine me! Ding! [Congrattions! Both your Divine me and your Physique have Ranked Up!] [Your [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death (Tier 1: Rank 10)] has Ranked Up to Tier 2: Rank 1!] [Your Divine me has gained the Aspect: {Yin & Yang}!]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [You gained +50.000 Aether.] [You gained +150.000 Divine Power.] [Your [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 1: Rank 10)] has Ranked Up to Tier 2: Rank 1] [Your Physique has absorbed the Aspect of {Yin & Yang}!] [All your Physical Stats have increased by +300.000.] [You learned the [Divinity: Yin & Yang Rotation: Lv1] Skill!] [You acquired the [Appreciate of the Yin and Yang Harmony Path: Lv1] Title Skill!] "I gained a Divinity?!" I couldn''t help but say that out loud as I saw the notifications appear. Yet the Divinity wasn''t in the me exactly, it was within my "stomach" or I guess the space between my physical body and my soul. That area of the "stomach" there were two powerful energies, a golden light and an umbral darkness, constantly rotating against one another, generating a harmonious essence. As a being of chaos and void, I felt shocked it was working with me and it wasn''t hurting me or something. It''ll depend on me how I use this newfound power. But for now let''s check that new skill. [Divinity: Yin & Yang Rotation: Lv1] A Unique Skill acquired by the one that has assimted the Essence and Harmony of Yin and Yang within themselves. An endless rotation is created inside their Physique and Divine Soul at the same time, which slowly harvest the Heavenly Essence of Heaven and Earth to maintain itself strong and generate Divine Ki of the highest quality of the element of Yin and Yang, which epass every element with the Dark and Light Spectrum. Using this energy and the divinity, it is possible for the Cultivator to reach even higher realms as their Cultivation hastens rapidly. The rotation never stops, and it generates constant energy and essence, which can help someone''s cultivation speed skyrocket. This Divinity includes the following Divine Abilities: {Radiance Of Yang & Darkness of Yin}: Grants the ability to umte Divine Yang and Yin Ki Essence into the body and utilize it to both cultivate the Soul, Divine me and Physique and also enhance the power of all Martial Arts, while also transforming abilities into new ones through the injection of this essence. 10.000 units are produced every hour for both, and this amount increases by another +10.000 with each Skill Level. It is also possible to unleash this power, umtingrge quantities of Yang or Yin Essence and releasing them into a myriad of Martial Arts or Spiritual Techniques, whose Damage and Effects will be based on 500% the user''s Ki Stat, with an additional +100% with each Skill Level. {Yin and Yang Rotation Harmony Aura}: Bybiningrge quantities of Yin and Yang Ki Essences and constantly spending this energy every second., you can create an almighty Divine Aura where both energies constantly rotate. This rotating essence unleashes a powerful amount of both Yang Light and Yin Darkness, which the user can freely shape into both Defense and Attack Forms. In Attack form, both light and darkness condense together to unleash powerful piercing, shing, or hacking attacks, dealing damage equal to 1000% of your total Ki Stat plus the amount of Yin and Yang Essence you add, the damage can further ignore 70% of your foe''s defenses, and leave behind Yin Curse Marks that drain Life and Mana from foes marked for 5 Minutes. In Defense Mode, shields can be summoned, with Durability based on 2000% of your total Ki Stat plus the amount of Yin and Yang Essence you add, and whenever a foe hits the shields with great power, Yang Marks will be left on their body, decreasing all their stats by -30% for 5 Minutes. With each Skill Level, all Ability Power and Effects increase by +25%, and their Energy Cost decreases by -5%. To obtain new Abilities within the Divinity, higher tiers of Divinity are required. Okay, okay, this was a pretty amazing Divinity! If I canbine this with my other Divinity, then I am even more prepared to fight even stronger foes. Maybe with this I can finally rx for once and be ready for anything? I wonder. Chapter 1064: Many New Skills Chapter 1064: Many New Skills ? With the Divinity also came something else, a Title! So I checked that out too, before moving on with other things. [Apprentice of the Yin and Yang Harmony Path: Lv1] A Special Title only given to enlightened cultivators that have reached almost the pinnacle but have realized they are only apprentices in the arts ofprehending and refining the Essence of Yin and Yang. Increases the amount of Yin and Yang Divine Ki Essence created every hour by +10.000, with an additional +5.000 with each Skill Level. Enhances the Cultivation Speed and Effectiveness of Yin and Yang Divine Essence Ki by +300%, with an additional +30% with each Skill Level. When unleashing an Aura, Martial Arts, or Spiritual Technique using Yin and Yang Divine Ki Essence, enhances those abilities Attack Power, Defensive Power, and Special Effects by +300%, with an additional +30% with each Skill Level. Oh, simple and to the point, and rather strong and amazing at that! With this my speed rted to everything with it increases even more. Nice! I''ll have to practice what to do with this new energy. I still got a lot of other new skills I''ve barely used. Though their effects are often always active passively. Now, the other things I wanted to see were: [Pure Blooded Vampire-Themed Random Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Random Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x5 I would love to drink that Elixir, but that would be too much. I think I''ll save it for my brother''s soul, which will be really wounded and weak. Yeah, I think that''s the right thing to do instead of just drinking it myself. And I believe that''s the reason it was given to me to begin with. So for now, let''s use the Grimoire instead! FLASH! As I willed it, the grimoire opened its pages, showing countless runic symbols that shed brightly, flying towards my body and fusing into my soul. Then, the grimoire itself disappeared into particles of light. So this is how Skill Grimoires were used, interesting. Ding! [You have used the [Random Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1!] [You learned the [Pdin''s Life Sacrifice: Lv1]!] A Pdin Skill? I guess it was really random... [Pdin''s Life Sacrifice: Lv1] As a Pdin, you sometimes must put the life of others before yours, sacrificing your life for those in need shoulde as something natural to do as a selfless knight that serves the righteous deities. When activating this skill, you can sacrifice a specified % of your own Health Points to instantly heal a target or many. This heal will be Absolute and Instant, even being capable of restoring lost limbs, internal organs, and also healing most basic diseases, curses, and other status ailments. The healed targets will additionally receive a [Holy Blessing of Protection] for 1 Minute, that will increase their Health Points Regeneration Speed and their Defenses by +100%, with an additional +20% with each Skill Level. Meanwhile, once you heal a target or many, you will receive a buff to all your Stats based on 50% of the target''s Stats for 1 Minute, with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. You also gain the ability to use one of their abilities at random. Once used, your Health Points cannot be recovered for the next Minute, so be careful. Damn, okay, alright. I don''t know if I''ll ever fucking use it, but sure, I''ll take it. The not being able to restore health is what makes it "bnced" I suppose. "Now..." The big crimson treasure chest in front of me slowly opened itself, revealing to me its contents, a bunch of silver-colored coins with a big "S" with blue color on top, and also three items. [You have opened the [Pure Blooded Vampire-Themed Random Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1!] [You received the following treasures: [System Points (Coin Form): +20.000.000] [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x1 [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1!] Wow, these items are also new and rare! And those silver coins turned into blue light that flew directly towards my body. So they were System Points all along! What the hell... I had no idea they could show up as physical currency. A Marble that allows me to get a random Privilege, a Ticket that lets me evolve a skill into a Divine Skill, andstly, another marble that canbine Privileges! I think I''ll let them forter, or another day though. I am already overwhelmed reading so many new descriptions. Though I might have to read another one for this. "System, is there some Biomancy Skill out there in the shop?" I wondered. "I really need something that can help me manipte live flesh and shape it perfectly." [Analyzing...] [Yes, your Shop Ability has evolved into [Outer Void Goddess Shop], based in your powers, authorities, and skill trees, you can obtain a lot of potential Abilities.] [Amongst them, there are these options]: [Flesh Transfiguration: Lv1] [Cost]: [15.000.000 SP] [Biomancy Magic: Lv1] [Cost]: [30.000.000 SP] [Flesh Disfiguration Fist Arts: Lv1] [Cost]: [40.000.000 SP] [These three options could align with what you want. The first and second one would be the best. The third one was added as a stronger, yet harder to control option.] [It supposed to be some sort of martial arts that disfigures the bodies of opponents temporarily. But it can be applied permanently through medicine.] How interesting. "Oh, they''re not the cheapest, huh?" I thought about it only a bit, before taking a decision. "Okay let''s buy them all!" Mypulsive thoughts ended winning, and I purchased everything, ugh. Good thing I had a lot of System Points, so it doesn''t matter, not at all. Ding! [You have exchanged 85.000.000 System Points.]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [You learned the [Flesh Transfiguration: Lv1] Skill!] [You learned the [Biomancy Magic: Lv1] Skill!] [You learned the [Flesh Disfiguration Fist Arts: Lv1] Skill!] I could have just bought Biomancy and be done with it! But I knew I needed more, and I was desperate to save my little brother and give him back his body. So no matter what, I will do what''s necessary. Just wait a bit longer, Arthur... Chapter 1065: Restoring Arthurs Body And Soul Chapter 1065: Restoring Arthur''s Body And Soul ? I kept working and working, without rest. After everything was said and done, I had dinner with my family and then everyone went to sleep, they were too tired to do anything else. And I didn''t me them. Even as I slept cuddling with Partner and Emeraldine, I was still concentrating myself within my Shadow Realm. Using these three new skills, I did what I could to save Arthur. I prioritized him over the rest of the people. And I was very sorry about that... But my brother was first, I simply had to prioritize him before everyone else. I''ll see what I can do with the restter. But my brother goes first! Anyways, the Skills descriptions: [Flesh Transfiguration: Lv1] A Skill often acquired by parasitic monsters. By spendingrge quantities of Mana and Ki, you can manipte living or dead flesh with your appendages, slightly parasitizing it and merging it with your own as you do. When "parasitizing" a host, you can freely drain their life force and mana for your own nourishment, at a rate of +100% the normal speed, with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. It is also possible to slowly detach your own flesh and move to a different host, changing the previous host form and shape permanently. With each Skill Level, the effectiveness and proficiency of this skill increases by +30%. [Biomancy Magic: Lv1] A Magic Skill often wielded by Biomancers, a rare branch of magicians that can control living cells and shape them into a variety of things, both biomechanical weapons, tools, relics, and more. By imbuing Mana into your bare hands, you can manipte both living and dead flesh, and even revive chunks of flesh if enough Mana and Life Force is used, constructingrge biomechanical creations. The effectiveness and precision when manipting Flesh increases by +30% with each Skill Level. When making biomechanical constructions, their power, quality, and effects increases by +50%, with an additional +20% with each Skill Level. New Spells can be created as the user experiments with the skill and its many functions.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Flesh Disfiguration Fist Arts: Lv1] An ancient Martial Arts from Murim, now long forgotten, that was once wielded by the most ruthless of demonic sects, the Flesh Demon Sect. Using this martial art technique, you can slowly disfigure the body and shape of your foe with each punch into their body. Over time, the damage is umted, and the target might slowly lose their control over their bodily functions, bing paralyzed, and an easy prey. When fighting while using this Technique, Attack Power, Attack Speed, and Flesh Disfiguration Speed Increases by +300%, with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, attacks can ignore 30% of the foe''s defenses. New Techniques can be created through the development of this Ability. The Skills had short description but synergized really well together. I quickly realized that just using one wouldn''t have been as fast and precise. But with all three of them working together, an incredible synergy was formed! And as I applied Yang Divine Ki Essence into the maniption and shapeshifting of the flesh and also the filtering of my brother''s soul, everything began to heal and rearrange much more easily. And through Biomancy, I was able to urately detect what belonged to my own blood and what didn''t. Using the ring of blood I acquired, and Partner''s own blood, detecting what was of my brother through Biomancy became easier. So, once I had umted almost everything that belonged to him, I rearranged his body back together. Using the memories I was getting of some of the children that had seen him before. I replicated almost to 99% uracy. It felt strange how I could mold flesh so easily, and I was also bing more and more used to the art around it. Though, I didn''t let my brother just be reamed like that. Although I took away all Demonite and chimeric fragments that could have infected him, I added some new things. I imbued a lot of runes into his body to forge a strong Yin and Yang Physique using my energies into his body. Later, I reced his eyes, which were nowhere to be seen, with one eye of Baldr and another of Oceania. Naturally, they didn''t possess their minds or something, so they were safe to use. And finally, I reinforced his skeleton by making it out of the [ursed Divine Metal Creation] Skill, while removing the cursed part and instead adding the blessing part of the Yang Essence. "And thest ingredient..." The mass of souls constantly rotating inside the resting chimeric mass of flesh which I had parasitized with my own soul to digest from the inside and then slowly separate to not kill the being slowly separated hisplete soul. I did it... The soul slowly moved towards his body through an umbilical cord-like extension connecting to my brother''s body, cing itself deep within his body. And when I made sure the soul was stuck into his body, I quickly used the Elixirs of Soul Restoration, pouring them into his mouth as he seemed to be on a state ofatose. Like that, his wounded and weak soul regained its vigor after drinking three of those Elixirs. FLASH! And it shone with beautiful, divine brilliance. I used my Mind-Bending skill to quickly delve into his mind and rearrange his sense of self and his consciousness in ce, which was all fragmented. And as I saw his memories, I couldn''t help but cry. "You''ve gone through so much..." I quickly removed the memories of when he was turned into that monster, it wasn''t something he needed to remember anymore. The cord connecting him to the rest of the chimera was cut off, as I left a dozen phantasmal clones working on rearranging back the flesh of everyone else. I held my brother in my arms, as I summoned him out of my Shadow Realm. He was breathing, he was sleeping soundly. Calmly... His slightly brownish blonde hair, and his cute and adorable face. It was really him. I brought him back... I did it... "Wee back, brother." As I cried in front of him, I kissed his cheek and covered his body on several nkets so he could restfortably. "Rest as much as you need, you deserve a good rest." Chapter 1066: Maria Brothers Life Chapter 1066: Maria Brother''s Life ? Arthur''s life had been filled with a lot of pain and suffering. It was only at the beginning where he was able to enjoy life as it truly was, only briefly, for his first years, living as a spoiled noble boy. Now, he could barely remember the face of his mother or his father. Their love and care, their smiles, their voices, their words. All of these things had begun slowly bing foggier memories as he kept on living, as he kept on struggling, and as he kept on escaping from danger. From this ursed world that destroyed his family and took everything away from him. His big sister... His beloved sister, Maria. He could still remember her face, barely. And her smile, and herughter, and her snarky jokes. And he could also remember the boyfriend she carried everywhere in her shenanigans, a man that wouldter on be known as the hero of light, Jonathan. They took it all away, everything. He still could remember how happy he was back then, how blessed he was, and how unaware of his own fortune he was. Out of nowhere, one day, they came. They acted nice at first, trying to let his parents open the gates for them. And they foolishly do so, as nobles, they wanted to solve whatever problem they had peacefully and through conversation and negotiation. A terrible mistake. This world''s "order" was nothing but fake. It was simted. It has always been about who was the strongest and who is the weakest. The Godsmanded, as the strongest, and everyone and everything below them must obey or die. Nobles or not, they were taken away. Arthur could still remember his mother screaming in horror as the knights grabbed her and started dragging her away. His father tried to fight back, but they hit him in the head and then he fell unconscious, they dragged him away as his nose bled.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om And his sister was nowhere to be seen, she wasn''t there when it happened, but he quickly learned, after having managed to escape with his aunt before the knights were to learn he and his aunt were in the house, that his sister was executed promptly after. He was barely 7 when it all happened, he didn''t know how to even process everything, he was constantly crying, without knowing what would be of his future. He wanted to see his mama and his papa again, he wanted to meet his sister again. But his aunt didn''t let him, she couldn''t let him die like the rest. They traveled the entire continent, escaping the ever-approaching clutches of the church. Every town they visited was quickly overrun by them, seeking them without rest. Even though they had already taken away the treasure of the family, even though they had already killed everyone, they couldn''t let that one little child escape. They simply couldn''t, the gods demanded the whole family to be dead, just like they had wiped out the other families that possessed the fragments of the Evil Gods that their ancestors had left for their sessors to protect and hide. "Run away, Arthur! Run away and don''t look back! Your aunt will be fine... I promise you." Eventually, his aunt died, as she tried to buy time for him while he ran away down the streets of a small city near the golden sands. She told him that she loved him like a son, before she ran head-first towards the knights, their swords mercilessly shing her entire body into pieces. As he ran away, Arthur dared to look back, only to see the horrendous and ruthless way his aunt died, leaving him scarred for the rest of his life, as tears of horror, despair, and agony apanied him for many days after that. "Auntie..." For the next weeks, he wandered the desert aimlessly, barely managing to survive, but with an ever-deteriorating body. He had to survive however he could, drinking the juice of cactuses, evading deadly monsters, and eating any bug he found. "Ugh... mom, dad..." Sometimes he would get sick, vomit, and get poisoned, but slowly he would heal, developing new skills that aided at his survival. Because he was from a noble family that were descendants of Heroes summoned from Another World, he had passive skills that helped him to better adapt to things, and also to learn resistance-rted skills faster. "Big sis..." He never forgot his family, always having them within his heart, as he kept on living, for them. Slowly, he survived, but never thrived, always running away, always looking for a new meal, always starving and thirsty, until finally, as he continued living aimlessly in these desertds, he found a city, the port city where he spent the next five years. The City of Emerald Fountain. It was a ce that he wouldter learn to be an even worse hell, dominated by corrupted gangs and vampires everywhere. He barely scrapped by as a beggar before he was forced to be a thief. Eventually, he joined a gang of orphans with simr lifestyles, and as he grew older, the skills he gained through his harsh life proved to be useful at leading others like him, and to be a leader. He gained friends, trusted bonds, and above all, a ce he thought he could call home, even as harsh as it was. Yet not all good thingsst forever. After years, the vampires finally tracked them all down, kidnaping the children one after another, and they found him too, Arthur. After learning his true identity they wanted to give him away to the church, but their master, Hendrick, had other ns for Arthur. "You will be an ideal bargaining chip to negotiate with your damned bitch of a sister." Smiled the vampire. "S-Sister? My sister is dead..." Arthur muttered. "T-They executed her..." "She''s dead, yes, but that didn''t stop her." Hendrick sighed. "That bitch, that piece of trash that doesn''t know when to stop, that doesn''t learn her damned ce! She has crawled out of the damn graveyard as a ghost and has been ruining our ns one after another!" "My sister... a ghost?" Arthur gasped. "She... She''s fighting...?" Chapter 1067: Siblings Reunited Chapter 1067: Siblings Reunited ? Arthur gasped after hearing what the Vampire said. His sister was fighting! Even after death, she was fighting as a ghost. Something he never thought or imagined possible at all. His sister was so furious, so filled with dark thoughts, that her corpse and her soul became corrupted, bing undead. But for some reason, she wasn''t a mindless one, she acted methodically, cunningly, and constantly grew stronger as well. Usually, corpses that died gruesomely would always be purified and washed with holy water, if not burned away. But for some negligence in part of those that handled her execution, Maria''s corpse and soul were not burned nor purified. Meaning that over time, all the hatred she umted, it transformed her soul, corrupting her, she cursed herself, bing a ghost.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "My sister... a ghost?" Arthur gasped. "She... She''s fighting...?" Arthur didn''t know what to think, she wasn''t revived or something, she had be a monster. He felt fear and sorrow after learning his sister might still be suffering as an undead, fighting against these monsters pointlessly. But at the same time, he couldn''t help but feel shocked and amazed, his sister was out there, dead or not, she was present, she was existing! A slight amount of hope had blossomed inside his heart in that moment. "She sure is fighting." Hendrick sighed. "She has already killed so many of our kind, and she has been doing even worse things. There''s no way I am giving you away to the church bastards, you''re going to be my little bargaining chip, Arthur, my boy." "M-My sister will find me! She''ll rescue and make you all pay!" Arthur screamed furiously, as they dragged him away. "She sure will! And once she does, I will show her the little brother she has been missing for so long! Wouldn''t that be a beautiful encounter?" Laughed Hendrick. "Of course, I will make sure to take good care of you, Arthur... In fact, I will make you much stronger too, you''re going to be my perfect little guinea pig. But him in thebs with the rest, use him as a vessel, just don''t kill him." "Remember my words! My sister... She''s strong! She wille for your life, BASTARD!" Arthur fought until the very end, even as he was experimented on, and slowly transformed. Even when they took away his heart and reced it with a miasmic crystal, and even when he suffered the agony of miasma flowing through his veins, as he felt like he would die at any moment. The hope he had gained after learning that his sister was fine was everything he needed to continue on living and fighting, no matter how hard it could get, and no matter how painful it was... Yet he never thought that Hendrick would go even further. When he and the rest heard explosions above the pce, Arthur knew it, as lethargic and sick as he felt after being turned into a chimera. "Big sis... She''s here..." Heughed. "She''se to kill all the bad guys... Big... big sis..." As tears flowed from his eyes, Hendrick appeared, panicking and shocked, gritting his sharp teeth in anger and frustration. With a wave of his hands, his demonic magic powers quickly took over the Demonite hearts of everyone. "She''s here... You damn bastards, you useless pieces of shit!" Hendrick screamed. "Be my meat shield! E-Especially you, Arthur! Your time has finallye for you to meet your sister, might as well greet her with a happy smile, right?!" "W-What are you...?!" Arthur''s eyes widened as he saw his own skin and arms melt away slime, slowly fusing with the bodies of the other children and people with him. Amidst their screams of horror, he experienced, in utter agony, as his entire body became disfigured and monstrous, fusing with the bodies of many others, even his soul did, as he was unable to even know what was happening anymore. But he felt nausea, pain, agony, and an intense headache. He kept crying blood, vomiting his own innards, all while his soul experienced great pain. "Big... sis..! GRAAGGHH...!" As he screamed in agony, slowly, he felt all sense of self. He only remembered a sh of bright light, and chains wrapping around his aberrant body. And then the darkness that he had imagined was death. Finally, he was finally going to die. For a moment, he felt relieved that the embrace of death would finally free him from the agony he was experiencing. Yet he didn''t die. Even as he found himself floating amidst an endless sea of obscurity, gentle hands, phantasmal in nature, held him. "Arthur... I will heal you, no matter what." It was the voice of his big sister. His mind was foggy, his memories didn''t make much sense anymore, and he felt a lot of pain. But even now, he could clearly remember her... His sister. He couldn''t talk, as he was constantly going between consciousness and unconsciousness. But he could feel her embrace, her phantasmal hands, her gentle touch, and the slight, relieving coldness that her hands brought to his pained, ring soul. Slowly, even his body was restructured, even as it had melted and fused with other bodies, everything, every single inch of himself came back, every cell, everything. And even those things that were missing were quickly reced, he got new eyes, new bones, a stronger body, yet still a living one. "Big... sis..." He watched her repair his soul, gently sewing it all back together, and then restoring himpletely, cing him back into his still living body, and feeding him with potions. These potions, he was unable to describe their vor, his tasting buds were inactive, yet he could feel the vor through his soul. Sweet and citric, delicious and refreshing. His weak soul became stronger rapidly, healing back and then bing several timesrger than ever before. The memories that didn''t belonged to him were long gone, and his mind and memories became clearer, much clearer, rapidly connecting back with his repaired and remade brain. His body wasplete... "Maria..." She had done the impossible, repairing his body down to the veryst detail. "I love you, big sis..." Arthur felt so grateful that he felt frustrated he couldn''t do anything to thank her. Despite his body needing rest, after only 24 hours of sleeping, he woke up. His eyes shining brightly with many colors. "A-Arthur?!" And Maria was there, shocked to see her brother awake. Arthur started crying tears of happiness as he saw his big sister sitting right next to him, his body resting over afortable and soft bed. The calm breeze washing down over his face,ing from the window of the inn they were staying in. Both siblings started crying desperately, as Maria hugged Arthur tightly, the first thing she did. "ARTHURRR!" She continued crying, as if her life depended on it. "Big sis... You''re really here, you''re alive..." Arthur continued crying. "I''m so happy, I''m so happy you''re here... Big sis... Big sis..." "I''m so sorry for taking so long to get to you..." Maria kept crying. "So much happened, but I finally am here, and I won''t let you go ever again... I will protect you. I will do what a big sister must have done from the very beginning..." Chapter 1068: Quest Complete Chapter 1068: Quest Complete ? (Maria''s POV) After remaking Arthur and healing his soul, I decided to dedicate myself on doing the same for the rest of the affected. With my new skills, I was not only able to shape and transform the soul more easily, and even heal it, but I was also able to shape flesh and transform it, restructuring it very easily. I couldn''t heal the wounds of the living like Emeraldine does though, I can restore flesh where it doesn''t exist, and I could probably close wounds very roughly, but healing magic from her would be better in that regard.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om However, with my three new skills, plus a lot of Yang Essence, which is pretty much arge amount of different elemental energies of the light spectrum that can heal over time, I was able to get things done even quicker than before. And thanks to my Yin and Yang Rotation Divinity thingy, I could even heal back souls more easily, helping them restore their memories and consciousness quickly. I spent the next day just doing this, while my friends and family rxed and chilled while going around the port city, eating, and helping the people reconstruct with my Undead. "I-I think I''m done..." I sighed in relief as I looked at the result of over 24 hours of hard work. There were over forty people in front of me, all alive, healed, and with their respective souls back inside their bodies. They were mostly children, so I am d I was able to help them go back. Unlike Fabian''s friends, which had already died long ago, I was able to save these people because despite being fused together into a monster, that monster wasn''t an undead monster, it was alive. To heal their souls, I used the Soul Elixir again, this time I mixed it with a lot of my Soul Scape Materials, and created a diluted version of it, which I feed to everyone! This included a big, purple-scaled dragoness that has been sleeping for a while inside my shadows. She had also been transformed into some sort of chimeric monstrosity, sewed together into a horrible vampire old man. She was a three-headed dragon, but one of her heads was shed away for that disgusting vampire to sew his torso into it. But the other heads remained fine and alive, keeping the body functions going, somewhat. I also had to thank the resilience and strength of dragons and their mighty bodies, for sure. Her soul was a mess though, but I was able to filter it and heal it, and now with this potion, she was further healed andpletely restored. Shecked her third head though, the one in the middle, but with Emeraldine''s healing and my own Yang Energies, we managed to regrow the entire head, with bones, brains, and everything. She was rather tired after such an intensive healing, so she went to sleep. "Phew... Finally done with you all." Now that I finally felt truly done, I looked at the notifications, some Skills Leveled Up a lot after all of this. Ding! [The Skills: [ursed Divine Metal Creation: Lv1] [Flesh Transfiguration: Lv1] [Flesh Disfiguration Fist Arts: Lv1] [Biomancy Magic: Lv1] have gained 3 Levels!] [The Skills [Divinity: Yin & Yang Rotation: Lv1] and [Appreciate of the Yin and Yang Harmony Path: Lv1] have gained 1 Level!] [You learned the Title Skills: [Apprentice Surgeon: Lv1] and [Apprentice Biomancer: Lv1]!] [The [Apprentice Surgeon: Lv1] and [Apprentice Biomancer: Lv1] Skills have gained 5 Levels!] "Not bad... I leveled up a lot of skills and got two new Titles." I sighed in relief yet once more, checking the Title Effects. [Apprentice Surgeon: Lv6] After having surgically helped many people, you learned this Skill. It could be said you''ve meddled with so much flesh you''re quite literally a Surgeon. However, you''re still in your apprentice years, do more surgical operations before you can be a Master Surgeon. Increases Surgical Techniques Abilities, Effects, uracy, and Dexterity by +50%, with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. Can urately the ideal areas where a problem is developing within a target''s body. [Apprentice Biomancer: Lv6] Biomancers are the opposite of Necromancers. While Necromancers deal with Undead bodies, skeletons, ghosts, curses, and the like, Biomancers use mostly living flesh for their magic. Combine flesh together, living if preferably, and transform it into new constructs of all kinds, summons, and even weapons and armor. Biomancers thrive where there is a lot of fresh flesh and blood. Increases any ability rted with Biomancy, be it Spells, Skills, or Techniques by +50%, with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. You can create Biomancy Spells more easily. "Not bad, I think this is what helped me get things done faster..." I wondered, quickly waving away the system window, only for a new one to pester me. Ding! "Ugh, what now?" [Congrattions! You havepleted the {Challenge Quest}: {Restore the bodies of all the victims of the chimera!} [Well done, not only did you restore your brother''s body and soul, but you did the same for all victims despite them not being rted with you. This must have been a tremendously tiring job, yet you did it without expecting any reward. You have a heart of gold.] [Completion Rewards]: [System Points: +20.000.000] [Nether Elixir of Helheim (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)] x1] "Oh..." I didn''t think I would get even more rewards! That was a sneaky little Quest. I got even more interesting items to useter. That Elixir sounds good, and the ticket and the marble as well. "Not bad..." However, I quickly left all of that behind, as I appeared out of my shadow realm, and sat down next to my brother, who was still sleeping over hisfortable bed. "Arthur..." I sighed, caressing his hand. "I wonder when will you wake up..." As I silently waited for him, I ended falling asleep next to my brother. And then, after a couple of hours, something woke up, something moving. When I opened my eyes, I felt shocked. It was Arthur, he had suddenly woken up! "A-Arthur?!" Chapter 1069: A New Family Member Chapter 1069: A New Family Member ? Arthur woke up, his eyes shining brightly with many colors. It seemed they were... working properly. Naturally, I was really shocked to see my brother awake. I was panicking right now! I was goingpletely batshit insane. "A-Arthur?!" At the same time as I screamed, Arthur started crying, still shocked to see me. "ARTHURRR!" I jumped over him and hugged him tightly, feeling the warmth of his body over my own cold body. "Big sis... You''re really here, you''re alive..." Arthur continued crying, speaking for the first time. "I''m so happy, I''m so happy you''re here... Big sis... Big sis..." It was really his voice, it was him, he even recognized me after all I''ve changed! "Do you recognize your big sis?!" I cried tears of happiness. "Even with this hair and my eyes looking red?!" "Of course I would!" He kept crying. "You''re my big sis!" He hugged me tightly. I couldn''t resist anymore, as I kissed his forehead and cheeks. Feeling the little brother I saw grow up since he was a literal baby fine and dandy in front of me made me go euphoric. "I''m so sorry for taking so long to get to you..." I kept crying. "So much happened, but I finally am here, and I won''t let you go ever again... I will protect you. I will do what a big sister must have done from the very beginning..." As I said that, Arthur epted my hugs and kisses, as heughed a bit after all the love I was giving to him. "Y-You don''t need to push yourself so far, big sis. It''s fine..." Arthur sighed, as I cleansed his face with a handkerchief. "A lot has happened, so much... B-But once I heard you were a ghost fighting against those people, I never lost hope! I''m so happy... you''re back." "Yeah, I became a ghost..." I sighed. "I-Is that bad for you?" "Well you''re already hugging and kissing me, so it''s not like I can say anything against it anymore..." Arthur sighed. "A-Also, I don''t think I am myself anymore... Ugh, my head hurts though." "Y-You shouldn''t be standing up yet though! Rest for now, okay? Your body and soul are still attuning." I told him. I gently ced him back into bed and covered him with nkets. "But... I want to be with big sis..." He sighed, looking sleepy. "It''s fine." I smiled, caressing his brown hair. "Big sis will watch over you until you wake up all refreshed." "Hmm..." Arthur slowly closed his eyes, as he fell asleep again. Geez, this boy. He''s just like I remember him. Always pushing himself a bit too hard, and a bit reckless. I remember he often swung a wooden stick like a sword, going around the house hitting the butt of every servant while calling himself a knight. It was very hrious, actually. But that isn''t the point here! Anyways, what I meant is, that he''s like I remember him.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om These memories I''ve finally regained, they make me feel so whole. "I''ll just silently watch over you until you wake up..." I smiled, as I sat down, right next to him. The hours passed, and my family and friends stepped inside the room, where I told them to be very silent. And also exined them what had happened while they were gone. "So uncle woke up?!" Nyx screamed very loudly. "N-Nyx! Please keep your tone very low, okay?" I sighed. "Your uncle''s very tired!" "O-Oh, sowy..." Nyx covered her mouth in surprise. "Well, I''m d he seemed fine." Lucifer smiled. "How long will he need to rest? I guess we are in no particr hurry to do anything, but..." "Hmm, I think three more days of rest. But he''ll probably wake up in a few more hours. If his body''s working properly, he''ll be hungry." I said. "I''ll make him some soup for him to drink. His stomach was pretty much all remade, so it probablycks most of the basic acids for digestion. We probably need some yogurt and other stuff." "I can get you that if you want." Jonathan said. "No problem, they sell a lot of products in this city, it being a port and everything." "Nice, thank you Jonathan!" I smiled. "I-I can also help too!" Partner said. "I can make the soup... Chicken soup is fine, right?" "With potatoes and carrot if possible, little salt." I said. "Okay, gotcha." Partner nodded. "Hm, is there something I can help with?" Lucifer asked. "I''ll need fresh water to wash him whenever he''s awake. He probably won''t be able to move his body properly." I exined. "Alright." Lucifer nodded. "What about the other people you saved too?" Wondered Emeraldine. "They were already teleported back to our vige. My Undead will take care of them, mostly the skeletons." I exined. "I sent Phantom Clones with them to take care of things properly." "Oh, that''s nice and considerate of you." Emeraldine smiled. "Then let me stay with you and assist you in anything you need, dear." "Aw, thank you my love." As she sat down next to me, I gave her a little kiss. "What do I do? What do I do!" Nyx was asking while jumping. "Err, well, maybe you can just stay here." I said. "No, actually go help your auntie Partner with making some soup." "Oh... Okay!" Nyx nodded happily. After that, everyone dispersed. We spent the next three days like that, nursing my brother while waiting for his slow recovery. Emeraldine could have tried using her healing magic, but the exhaustion he had was beyond just the body, it was also within his soul and the "attuning" that needed to be done. So we only could wait. Eventually, at the four monotonous and boring days, my brother finally woke up the next morning all energized, without any more headaches too. At this point, he had already been introduced to everyone in between his meals and whenever I had to wash him. "T-Thank you for taking care of me so far, I don''t know how I could ever repay you all..." Chapter 1070: What To Do Now? Chapter 1070: What To Do Now? ? After four days of working to help him, my brother finally woke up all fine and dandy, more dandy than ever! He looked strong too, I noticed that once his soul attuned with his body, a powerful Aura surged from his body. Because I had taken away everything Demonite and Miasma rted, this energy couldn''t possibly be that it was something else, his own inner strength. Maybe because I forged his body utilizing the Essence of Yin and Yang, he gained a very unique Physique. I noticed with my expanded senses, the Murim guys that had been hanging out with us so far, they suddenly stopped eating, as they were having breakfast in the living room, and looked up. "T-There is something powerful above." "Elder, can you sense it too? It is like... The harmony between Yin and Yang!" "I can, my foolish disciple." The Elder remained in silence. "Keep eating, she is watching us." Oh? He can even detect when I''m looking at him. These Murim guys are sure interesting. I really want to go to their little world and just kill every bastard that is rted or cooperating with my enemies. "T-Thank you for taking care of me so far, I don''t know how I could ever repay you all..." Arthur thanked everyone that has helped so far. "Oh, it''s nothing, please don''t mind it." Emeraldine smiled. "It is a pleasure to have you around, Arthur! Honey- I mean, Maria is very fond of you, I think with you around, she''ll finally feel better." "Honey?" Arthur asked. "I agree." Lucifer nodded. "d to see you feeling better, son. My wife might finally feel better with her brother around." "...Wife?" Arthur kept asking. "Hey Arthur! Remember me? Thest time you saw me you were like six..." Jonathan said. "I-I remember you, yes! I''m so d you''re with big sis, uncle Jonathan!" Arthur smiled. "D- Did you marry big sis?" "Eh? No, no, I just recently found her, a couple months ago." Jonathan said. "These people here, Emeraldine, Lucifer, and Partner have been apanying her so far." "Yep, I was your sis'' skeleton." Said Partner with a smile. "Don''t be scared of me, I might be a Vampire but that''s because it was the next evolution from a ghoul, I think... Anyways! d to see you fine! Master will finally be fine now. Maybe she''ll be willing to go to bed now... Hehe." "E-Eh?! Skeleton?" Asked Arthur. "B-Big sis, what''s going on? Why are these... They''re your friends, right?" "Ahahah..." I onlyughed nervously. Of course, the polyamorous rtionship I have with all four of them here is not normal. Even between nobles, usually only male nobles would have more than one woman, and they were treated as mistresses or something, can''t remember well. But usually, it was normal for people to be just between two... Yeah, I mean that''s normal everywhere, right? We are just the odd ones. "It''s a bitplicated... But I am in a romantic rtionship with Emeraldine, Partner, Jonathan, and Lucifer. I know it''s cringe, sorry." I apologized. "It''s just that... I couldn''t reject their love, and I love them all so..." "Huh..." Arthur muttered. "W-Well, it''s your life after all, c-can''t really judge. And I doubt that should be a subject of discussion after I just woke up." "Yeah! You''re smart after all." I sighed in relief. "A-Ah, right, there''s a third girl..." "Another?!" Arthur lost theposition. "B-Big sis, you should calm yourself a bit!" "Hahaha! Didn''t you say it was my life? Don''t get involved you little snotty brat!" I giggled, as I patted his head a bit too roughly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Ugh, what would mom and dad said if they learned about this..." He sighed. "I bet they would get really worried, and panic." Iughed. "And mom would reprimand me and tell me that having so many partners is not what a true nobledy would do, haha!" "Y-Yeah, and dad would say that you had an arranged marriage with some random noble dude we''ve never met before, but it was all false just to intimidate you." Said Arthur. "But at the end, they would ept me as I am anyways..." I looked into my hands. "They were always like this." "Y-Yeah..." Arthur nodded. "Well, what... What will we do now? I am revived, and... auntie''s dead. What has happened so far? I''m a bit outdated in everything." "Well, let us exin you as we eat. There''s a lot of things we have to tell you about, like the whole journey your big sis has had so far!" I said. "Anyways, how about we go to some restaurant to celebrate, everyone? Let''s invite Fabian, Catarina, and Tear and everyone else too!" Aside from my partners and my daughter, the rest of the party has been having a good time so far. Mostly absent of any responsibilities, they took this time for themselves, exploring the city, eating delicious food, training, leveling in the newly free dungeon, or just helping the city be reconstructed. It was a long journey since we set off after the events that transpired on the Tower of Skadi. We''ve been going from ce to ce, all just because I was looking for my brother. Hell, we even battled Gods, killed Gods, and discovered the truth about the world and the Tower that connected many more together. But now, what''s next? It was a tough question to answer. For one thing, I wanted to rest, but for another, I also wanted to get going and move to my next objective, to destroy the Empire of Light and the Church of Light. By doing that, the Gods will probably show up and then I can finally just kill them all. I did kill Oceania and Baldr without as much effort, although by heavily relying on my evolution for the second one. After devouring them and evolving, and getting stronger, I might be able to win against the majority of the gods if they''re as strong as Baldr. But is that even a thing? I bet they''re all super strong anyways. Odin in specific. I need to keep leveling and improving my abilities, preparing myself for the confrontation. And the day is not too far away either, the meeting between the rulers of the many kingdoms is soon toe, including the dukes that cooperated on destroying my family. I heard they moved the meeting to the Empire of Light from Jonathan. So, in a couple of months from now, the "final fight" might finally be upon us. Though, will it even be the final fight? Hmm, well, for now, let''s not concentrate on that. "I think we''ll rx and chill for the moment. I n to take another week in here before moving out." I said. "We''ll move back to my vige; we can go visit the dwarvester as well. I need to help my vige get bigger and stronger, reinforce the defenses, and also get stronger myself. A lot to do, actually." "I see... T-Then let mee with you, if possible. I want to fight and level up as well!" Arthur said. "I just looked at my own Status Window recently, and I noticed it was strange, and my level cap was very high now. I think I got stronger, d-did you do something to my new body, big sis?" "Hahaha, well, yeah. I didn''t want you to be weak after all." I smiled. "Let''s discuss more of this tomorrow though, for now, let''s eat and enjoy!" Chapter 1071: Night With The Boys 1 (R18) Chapter 1071: Night With The Boys 1 (R18) ? As the night arrived, and when everyone went to sleep, including my little brother, I sneaked to another room of the inn. Tonight I decided to dedicate some time to two of my partners, after I did a lot of fun stuff with Nia, Emeraldine, and Partner, they deserved some of my love as well. I don''t want them to feel neglected after all, and well, for one of them, we''ve only done it once. And it was a while ago, so I think it''s better to dedicate him some time alone. Thankfully Emeraldine and Partner were fast asleep this night, most likely all the umted exhaustion of having to take care of my brother hit them. But these two studs were much more durable, I sneaked outside the room holding their hands, as I dragged my men to another room, they already knew what I nned, I could notice their hard boners beneath their pants. I could hardly wait myself. I closed the door behind me as the two were blushing while pretending to not know what I wanted. "Maria, why did you drag us here, anyways?" Jonathan wondered, he looked a bit embarrassed. "Y-Yeah..." Lucifer pretended to not know, crossing his arms. "Geez, you two are so stubborn, I bet you know already." I smiled, as I walked towards them. I yfully lifted their chins, as I chose Jonathan first, kissing his soft lips, his beautiful, handsome face was hard to resist. His handsomeness was almost wless, and his blonde hair and blue eyes only made him even more enchanting. "Ahh..." Jonathan blushed, looking all red like a tomato as I pulled my tongue out of his mouth, I liked his lips and kissed them again. "Did you like it, honey?" I asked him, as he nodded. "Y-Yes..." He smiled. "A-Are you sure you want to do this?" "Of course, let''s have some fun together, just the three of us now." I smiled. "Lucifer, I assume you''re okay with- Eep!" He quickly grabbed me passionately, stealing me from Jonathan''s arms greedily, and kissing my lips. His strong lips captured my mouth, as I felt his tongue entering my mouth. Oh, he was kissing me with all the pent up stress, I see. "Hmm~ Ooh, you sneaky little lizard~" I giggled, as I separated my lips from his. "Were you that horny?" "I can hardly resist... I am getting tired of pretending I''m fine." He said, his draconic allure releasing his aura. His big boner rubbing on me. "Let''s mate, Maria... Now that your body is different, perhaps... I need to try, I want to get you pregnant." "Oooh?" I felt a bit flustered with that statement. "So you want to creampie this pussy of mine that badly? You missed it?" "I-I do miss it..." he nodded, suddenly getting more embarrassed. "Fufu, okay~" I smiled, kissing his chin. I sat down over the bed and started taking out my clothes, my two men stared in silence, growing more excited. I stopped once I was only wearing my lingerie.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Come here, dears." The two walked in front of me, as I gently took off their shirts, kissing their nipples and licking them a bit, even licking their armpits, their manly sweat was delicious, I loved men as much as women. I was a true bisexual at that. Women had such a beautiful and enchanting allure, delicate yet fierce, sweet, delicious. Meanwhile, males were strong, all-epassing, they engulf you like a fiery me. Their smell is strong, but alluring too, their strength, it makes you want them to take you and let them have their way with you. "Mooch, mooch~ I''m so lucky to have these two studs with me. You two are so beautiful." I admired their muscr bodies, both blushing as I praised them as if they were maidens instead of men. "Hmm, Jonathan''s nipples got a bit bigger? You almost got tits already, these are so big and muscr! Let me squeeze em~" "A-Ahh, wait, Maria...!" Jonathan moaned cutely, as I sucked his nipples as if they were a female''s tits, squeezing them tightly, he was so ripped these looked really big and juicy. "Oogh- Ahh..." He gritted his teeth as his boner got stronger. My blonde really loved having his nipples yed with from time to time, he was such a good boy. "What about you?" I looked at Lucifer, as I stared kissing his belly, licking his strong biceps. "Ahhh..." He moaned, standing upright as he let me have my way with his delicious, manly body. "Heheh~ I love seeing you two in pleasure." As I giggled, I quickly started lowering down their pants. "But it''s time for the main event. Show me those fat dicks already. I want to suck them dry~" They quickly got their pants down, and then their underwear, revealing the big part of why I loved men too. And my two men sure were packing big ones, they were so strong and fat, I could hardly resist, I was already licking my lips. Lucifer and Jonathan''s dicks were out at full, both were embarrassed they had to do this with the presence of the other, but they''ll get used to it anyways. "Hmm~ Smells delicious." I sniffed their fat cocks. "Been a while since you had it sucked, right dears? Who wants my tongue first?" "Me!" Lucifer said. "Of course, as your first husband... I deserve it first, right?" "T-That''s... I guess I can''t fight with that." Jonathan was gentle as always, letting Lucifer get it first. "Okay my love." I smiled. "I''ll go with yours first... I''ll masturbate the other, so it doesn''t feel so lonely, okay?" I stuck out my tongue, gently licking the tip of Lucifer''s dick, it was salty and very warm, ring red. I could hardly resist before I started kissing his rod, sucking it with my tongue, slurping it, eating it, devouring it. That salty vor, that delicious, manly scent, and how big and hard it was. Oh my god, I could hardly resist it! I kept sucking and sucking this delicious gift of the heavens, until my beloved ended grabbing my head and pulling his cock deep on my throat. What a beast~! He was cumming. Chapter 1072: Night With The Boys 2 (R18) Chapter 1072: Night With The Boys 2 (R18) ? . ? ? Lucifer fiercely shoved his cock deep inside. "Ooh, I''m cumming ~! Ngh...!" He ended cumming inside my throat, a big, fat and steamy load of cum filled my mouth, but I didn''t let go of a single drop, drinking it all. Such a delicious treat~ "Ahhh~" Lucifer sighed in relief as he came fully and saw me as I gently licked his cock and left itpletely clean. "I drank it all~" I showed him my open mouth. "Good, good girl..." He smiled, caressing my face. "Beautiful girl." "Heheh~ Now''s turn for my boy." I said. "Jonathan~" "Maria, before you start I would like to tell you that you don''t need to force yourself to- Oogh?!" Before he could say anything, I already started sucking it. His was a bit smaller than Lucifer on his humanoid form. Naturally, a dragon''s dick will always be bigger than an human''s even on their polymorphed appearance. But still, that it was smaller had its charms, it had a sweeter taste than the saltiness of my Lucifer, it was softer yet still very hard, and I could manage to fit it all in without any problems, I loved sucking it in and out constantly, making lewd noises. "F-Fuck... I-I''m cumming! P-Pull it out...!" "Nuh-huh~" I didn''t pull it out, I drank all my boyfriend''s delicious cum, until the veryst drop. Later, I cleansed his dick until there was nothing left of his delicious elixir. I felt like a subus right now, sucking on males'' penises like they were a delicious meal, I''m such a bitch. "Okay~ Time for the big event. Who''s sucking mine? Taking turns or doing it together?" I quickly pulled out my panties, revealing my wet pussy. "I-I guess we can share it and do it together..." Lucifer said. "Y-Yeah!" Jonathan nodded, gulping saliva. "Okay~"I giggled. "Here, suck it." "My queen''s delicious elixir..." Lucifer immediately started sucking my pussy frically. Jonathan continued from below, sucking the area below and sometimes even licking my asshole, he was very gentlemanly and all, but he liked my ass a lot, he sucked it more than my pussy, eheh. "Oooh, yes, just like that..." I moaned. Their warm tongues assaulted my pussy and my ass, I could barely resist these two manly men''s passion. I gritted my teeth, letting out a big squirt over their faces. "Aahh~ Fuck- Oogh..." I sighed in relief, resting over my bed. I noticed they were in a daze, enchanted by their maiden''s body. "Hehehe~ What are you looking for? Let''s fuck..." I smiled. "Jonathan, wan to try my ass?" I put myself in all four and spread my butthole for him. He looked at it while drooling. "Go in, champ~" I shook my ass cheeks for him like a whore in heat. Honestly, I really wanted to try anal, so if he was up for it, I was all for it. "F-Fuck..." He couldn''t even resist, shoving his cock right in! I felt his fat cock entering and spreading my butthole rapidly. The heat I felt entering my body was a bit scary, it hurt only a bit, but the feeling of many my asshole spread out from the inside was amazing. "F-Fuck! Oooh- J-Jonathan!"N?v(el)B\\jnn I couldn''t help but moan in pleasure as he shoved it all inside, without missing a single inch. "Aahhh! Maria, you''re so tight...! So good!" He quickly started moving his hips, thrusting on my ass while giving me little ps on my ass cheeks, or grasping them tightly, squeezing them. p! p! p! p! The sound of our flesh hitting one another reverberated across the room, I hastily moved my hips, letting my man dig me like a whore in heat. I wanted his cock deeper and deeper, it was so fucking good! I never thought that getting fucked in the ass would feel so fucking blissful. "Ooh, yes, baby! Fuck my bitch ass!" I cried. "Maria, it''s so good!" Jonathan kept moaning. "Ahh, I-I''m cumming already...!" He gritted his teeth, as he grasped my ass tightly. I pushed my ass down and touched his hairy crotch with it, feeling the warm of his body behind mine. And then he came, a big, fat load of his warm cum filled my asshole. It felt strange, yet really good, and delicious. I couldn''t just... I couldn''t describe it well. But it was amazing, I felt so filled with his manly seed. "Ahh~" I felt a slight tinge of pain as he pulled his fat cock out, he spread out my asshole as he saw his cum slowly fall into the bed. "Ooh, fuck..." I moaned in pleasure, as I felt my ass twitching constantly. "T-This is so fucking hot... You have such a beautiful rear, Maria." Jonathan kept praising my spread-out asshole, he was really something. "Ahem!" However, I couldn''t catch a break quite yet, a big manly dragon was waiting patiently his turn. "I let Jonathan have it first because I had the blowjob first, but now it should be my turn right?" He asked with sharp, draconic eyes. "Hehehe, right~"I giggled. "Alright, Lucifer. I know what you want. You want to breed your slutty wife, right? This, you want to pound it really hard, don''t you?" I spread my pussy for him. "You''re such a tease..." He smiled, biting his lips as he spread out my legs and put himself in front of me, rubbing his big cock over my pussy. "Ahh, it''s so warm... You already got natural lube with all the juice you squirted before..." He started licking his lips. "Go in, my dragon." I said. "Fuck me raw~ Get me pregnant! If you can~" "Is that a challenge?" He smiled passionately. "You should have never challenged this mighty dragon here!" He grabbed his cock and shoved it deep inside my pussy. "Oooh! Oh my god!" I moaned in pleasure, his warm, fat rod shoved deep inside my pussy. I feltpletely engulfed by his ring dick, my pussy spread out and contracted, I couldn''t control it anymore as he started shoving it deeper and deeper, in and out, in and out! He dominated mepletely, pushing me down and spreading my legs. I wrapped them around his torso as he kept fucking me hard, we quickly started kissing passionately, his delicious tongue was sucking and licking my entire mouth. p! p! p! p! "Hmmm~ Oooh! Ooggh! Oohh~!" I kept moaning like a whore, as Lucifer kept fucking me harder and harder. I could barely resist! I was about to cum- In fact, I was cumming right this instant. "Ahahh~ I''m cumming!" I cried, as I squired, only making even more lube for him. "Such a little bitch, can''t even wait a bit? You can grow a dick and all, but it looks like you still can''tpare to a man!" Heughed. "Oooh, yes! I can''tpare to my manly Lucifer! My dear dragon husband, fuck me harder you fucking stud!" I moaned, drowning in the pleasures of his manly cock fucking me like his mate. p! p! p! p! "I shall!" He roared mightily, fiercely biting my neck. "Get pregnant, my wife!" He quickly shoved it deep, reaching all the way down and filling me with his cum. This sensation waspletely different... I felt such bliss. "Ahhh~" I sighed in relief, feeling his cum fill me up. "Mooch, mooch." We continued kissing for a little while, before he pulled out, a gigantic amount of cum coming out. "So much..." "Yeah..." "Wanna go for round two?" "Eh? Already?" "Come on!" I pushed him down and got myself over his cock now. "Do you think that''s it? We''re going for the rest of the night, baby~" Like that, we fucked like rabbits and both Lucifer and Jonathan came inside me like twenty times each, I think. I won''t be surprised if I ever get pregnant at this point... Chapter 1073: The Next Morning, Taking The Two Divine Thrones Chapter 1073: The Next Morning, Taking The Two Divine Thrones ? I woke up the next morning feelingpletely wasted, cuddling between Jonathan and Lucifer, who were both hugging me. I couldn''tin, they were warm and cozy, but I was getting a bit overwhelmed by the heat, despite being near the sea, which brought a lot of wind, this was still the damn desert, so it was really freaking hot. Somehow, now that I obtained a physical, fleshy body, I feel temperatures much better than as a ghost, so I kind of feel more annoyed, and I can even sweat again, yes, I''m sweating like crazy, actually... "Hmm..." Jonathan gave a cute moan as I tried to move away, but his big arms quickly wrapped around me and then he kissed my cheek, without letting me go. Oh my gosh, he was really cute even when he slept! He hasn''t changed at all like how he used to be... Actually, now that I finally remember my life when I was alive, I did lose my virginity with him, huh. I remember being rather euphoric back then, having lived a whole life as an ugly loser girl, to suddenly lose my virginity with such a handsome adonis was insane, especially someone so prince-like such as Jonathan. From the shiny blonde hair that looks like it made of gold, to his bright, enchanting blue eyes, his tall, muscr yet leanplexion, his face thatbines both manliness and a gentle cuteness, he is indeed a man born with gifted beauty... Though, I don''t want to remember my first time more than that, I was very clumsy and dumb, and I ended orgasming and cumming ahead of time, I was a "quick shot" even before I could even grow a dick like now. "Ugh..." I tried to quickly walk away, but then Lucifer wrapped his long tail around my legs, and he rubbed his face on my own, smelling my hair as he slept. Hey! From a handsome hero to a grumpy and handsome dragon, I was between two manly beauties. Most girls would die to be in my ce. But honestly, I want to get out! I want some free space... POOF! I turned into shadows and quickly escaped their embrace. The two, while still sleeping, ended hugging one another instead. Hahah! I wonder how long they''ll take to notice... Was never into Yaoi myself but between my husbands, it sounds a bit interesting. Though they would probably rather die than try anything, this is simply a funny misunderstanding, and I don''t n to force them into anything anyways. Moving on, I walked towards the window and opened it, feeling the gentle and salty wind of the sea. The ocean was just a couple blocks from here. There were all kinds of boats there, and it was overall a really beautiful scene from up here. The smell of the sea and the water made me kind of want to go explore the ce with my family. We''ll stay another week here, so we might as well go for a change of pace? Right? I want to take a dip and just have some fun while forgetting about everything else, even if for just a week. And then I looked at a system window that popped up. Ding! [An incredible feat! You''ve dethroned two yers that have taken the {Divine Thrones} of the {World of Yggdrasil}!] [The {Divine Throne of Seas} and the {Divine Throne of Sunlight} have be yours. You may choose to reject the Thrones and give them to somebody else qualified for them or keep them and be the Goddess of both Divine Thrones.] [Divine Thrones are special positions within the Worlds of the Tower, who represent the original gods that once inhabited it! You will gain their former authorities and immense divine power to manipte and control thendscape, the heavens, and the mortals.] [However, once you take a throne, you will also receive penalties if you dare descend with your Divine Powers as a Divine Throne into the Mortal World below, be careful.] [The Effects of the [Ginnungagap Divine Protection] has been activated!] [The Power of {Boundless} is in effect. You are unaffected by any restraint or penalty in the tower or any world within it.] [You can now take the {Divine Throne of Seas} and the {Divine Throne of Sunlight} without receiving penalties or restrictions.] Yeah, this. I haven''t decided before, but now, after experiencing a few more things and thinking about it. And well, after seeing the beautiful sea, I simply had to ept. I can''t let any other bastard dare to take away these beautiful thrones from Yggdrasil, a world I''ve grown to love despite all the hardships and suffering it has brought to me. And well, thanks to the blessing of Ginnungagap, I don''t get any penalties even as I descend, while I get all the amazing bonuses. I had thought about giving them to someone, like, Jonathan would benefit from the Sunlight Throne a lot! However, they aren''t affected by my Boundless Status, so only I can use them properly without penalties. Hehehe, what''s there to think about anymore? Let''s take it! The Throne of the Seas and the Thone of Sunlight shall be mine. "Yes, I ept." I nodded.N?v(el)B\\jnn FLASH! Two shes of light descended from the skies out of nowhere, one gold and another blue, impacting me. The people around the city panicked, pointing at the sky. The two shes of light were ethereal, dealing no damage to anything, but still being very loud and bright, Lucifer and Jonathan woke up, hugging one another they screamed in horror and jumped away from one another, before directing their gaze to me. "Maria, what''s happening?!" Lucifer screamed. "I-Is it another God? Are they descending to fight?!" Jonathan panicked. "No, don''t worry." I smiled, as I fully absorbed the two Divine Energies, creating a connection with both Thrones of Yggdrasil. "I''ve simply be a true Goddess of Yggdrasil now~" The Golden Essence of the Sunlight Throne and the Azure Essence of the Sea Throne shone brightly, flowing through my entire body, and empowering me even further. This was the power of Authorities. Chapter 1074: The Wrath Of The King Of Gods Chapter 1074: The Wrath Of The King Of Gods ? Suddenly, within the Realm of the Gods, Asgard, the many Gods that were gathered in an emergency meeting that Odin called panicked as they sensed something happen. A trembling explosion, the light of two Gods that were killed, their power, everything, taken away! RUMBLE! "T-This sensation...!" Odin muttered. "No! Is she taking both Thrones?! Is her Soul strong enough to even do that?!" "The Throne of Sunlight...! And the Throne of the Sea! They''re being upied by some sort of darkness, an endless void!" "What is this chilling sensation?!" "Lord Odin, you''re the one that has let this happen!" The other Gods weren''t happy either, despite how serviceable and loyal they were to the King of Gods, after the mistakes that Odinmitted, they couldn''t help but feel frustrated and angered. He sent two of his children, which were among the strongest, to their deaths, and only made their foe even stronger as a result! "I-It''s not my FAULT!" Odin roared. "It is fault of those bastard children that were weak pieces of garbage! You dare talk back to me?! Do you want my spear to pierce your head? I could easily rece your Thrones anyways!" The Gods panicked, quickly growing silent, although in their minds, they couldn''t help but feel their view of Odin only go down rapidly. "H-He called his own children''s pieces of garbage? After they died so gruesomely?" "He''s a monster..." "The King of Gods is insane..." "To be expected of my insane father, I guess he doesn''t even care about big sis and big brother..." "And mother left him too, where is she?" Over half of the Gods present were also Odin''s children, but they were also being treated like garbage. It was as if Odin had no bond or connection with anybody, not even the most ruthless god out there would be this insensitive with their children. Some spected he had gone mad with all the power he stole from Yggdrasil''s original Gods, the Divine Dragons and the Titans, while others blindly followed whatever he said or thought, mostly already brainwashed by him, his loyal dogs. Among the Gods, there were also some surviving Titans, those that were defeated and pathetically kneeled in front of Odin were forgiven and taken as subjects. They had to forbid mostly all the things they possessed, and even sold their own people to Odin.N?v(el)B\\jnn Among them, Skadi was one of those, she was still alive, sitting around the table, her face was full of sorrow, frustration, and fear... Despite having been known as an almighty Titaness, she was now nothing but Odin''s dog. "Odin, you''ve gone insane with power... Even back then, you seemed reasonable, but what has happened to you now?" She thought. "Since Tyr''s betrayal that he has changed. Despite having punished him and turning him into the Monstrous Evil God, and cutting him into pieces, he still hasn''t satiated his desire for revenge? Was he hurt so badly because his son wanted to create a fairer world?" "Tyr..." Skadi sighed deeply. Among all of Odin''s children, Tyr was the most righteous and thoughtful of them all. A man of great integrity and charisma, many of the Gods praised him as someone that would eventually take the Throne once Odin grew old enough. He had many ideas, as someone born after the war, he never went through the invasion, he was a child born in Yggdrasil, and grew intelligent and not as spoiled because Frigga took good care of him as her first son. He was someone that had promised Skadi to create a world with peace, where both the old and new Gods could coexist, a world where he would make her happy... She shed a small tear, every time she remembered him, the only man she ever loved. "Tyr, you don''t know how much I miss you..." She looked into the distance, sensing the darkness of Maria spread through Asgard. Tworge temples, one gold and another azure, were overtaken by her darkness, turning dark purple, overflowing with auras of shadow and void. The Gods didn''t even dare touch it, and Odin knew that if he tried destroying the Thrones, the whole Yggdrasil would end up engulfed in chaos, quickly being destroyed. Every Divine Throne was there for a reason after all, they were the Pirs of the world, as insane as he was, he couldn''t destroy them even if his enemy took them. "Frigga... Look what you''ve done! Because you gave me nothing but weak, pathetic children!" Odin roared angrily, gritting his teeth. "Have you found her yet?!" He furiously asked the other Gods. "N-No, Lord Odin... Frigga hasn''t been spotted anywhere." "We believe that Mother might have... Escaped to the Mortal World." "What?!" Odin muttered. "But she also possesses a Throne! Is she stupid or something?! Hah! Well, quickly, start searching for her! If she doesn''t willinglye back, force her... And if that doesn''t work either, kill her, I need that throne back." "Y-Yes..." "K-Kill mother...?" The Gods were conflicted but couldn''t disobey their tyrannical King. Distrust was already brewing between many of the Gods, and Skadi herself, was already growing an immense hatred for Odin. Eventually, hell would break loose. And Loki and Hel weren''t even present here anymore. Ding! [You have epted the {Divine Thrones} of the {World of Yggdrasil}!] [The {Divine Throne of Seas} and the {Divine Throne of Sunlight} have be yours, and you''ve fully upied both Thrones.] [The Effects of the [Ginnungagap Divine Protection] has been activated!] [The Power of {Boundless} is in effect. You are unaffected by any restraint or penalty in the tower or any world within it.] [You have taken {Divine Throne of Seas} and the {Divine Throne of Sunlight} without receiving penalties or restrictions.] [The new Status Section {Divine Thrones} has been created!] [Remember that Divine Thrones are restricted to their respective Worlds within the Tower, once you reach another World, you won''t be capable of summoning their Divine Power.] [You acquired the [Divine Throne Of Seas And Sunlight: Lv1] Title Skill!] I looked at the system notifications pop up, as my body continued overflowing with the Authority of the two Thrones. I felt my own Soul upy two physical thrones, high in the skies. It was only my powers, so I can''t get there physically yet. But maybe, pretty soon, I will. "Wait for me, bastard." Chapter 1075: Great Growth Chapter 1075: Great Growth ? I managed to connect with the two Thrones right away, the Throne of the Sea and the Throne of Sunlight, with them, I felt somewhat much stronger. Not only was my connection with these elemental Authorities much stronger now, but I even gained a new skill and Bonus Stats! Ding! [You have epted the {Divine Thrones} of the {World of Yggdrasil}!] [The {Divine Throne of Seas} and the {Divine Throne of Sunlight} have be yours, and you''ve fully upied both Thrones.] [The Effects of the [Ginnungagap Divine Protection] has been activated!] [The Power of {Boundless} is in effect. You are unaffected by any restraint or penalty in the tower or any world within it.] [You have taken {Divine Throne of Seas} and the {Divine Throne of Sunlight} without receiving penalties or restrictions.] [The new Status Section {Divine Thrones} has been created!] [Remember that Divine Thrones are restricted to their respective Worlds within the Tower, once you reach another World, you won''t be capable of summoning their Divine Power.] [You acquired the [Divine Throne Of Seas And Sunlight: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You gained +2.000.000 Divine Power!] [You gained +500.000 Aether!] [You gained +10.000.000 Mana!] Divine Power, Aether, and Mana! My Soul felt at least 50%rger out of thin air, and my Divine Power tripled too! The more Divine Power, the stronger all my Divinity-rted Abilities be, and with it, I can further enchant all other Spells, Skills, and Techniques and convert them into Divine Abilities too. Divine Power is what makes Gods so incredibly powerful, the higher it is, the stronger their Divine and Authority Powers are. Divine Power-enchanted Abilities can naturally rip through most mortal-level things, anything below L Rank or even below that just gets curb stomped to death. The only reason I was able to survive against Gods was because I was already developing my own Lesser Divinities and could counter their own, and also my strange soul that had mutated and be even stronger. And well, my Unique Skills too! And after my Evolution, all of those aspects only grew much stronger, which allowed me to kill Baldr, one of the strongest sons of Odin. And after I ate him and Oceania... Yeah, I got strong, very. But with these Thrones, I can finally feel like I can truly channel that overwhelming power they showcased. Even when they were weakened because they decided to descend, I could still feel how overwhelming they were. Especially Baldr, that bastard almost killed everyone. At least Oceania used the stupid Saintess as a vessel, that monster just came down personally to beat the shit out of us... Thankfully he had an horrible death, so I''m happy. More importantly than anything, those two Authorities didn''te with lengthy descriptions or something, just a "feeling" of what I could do. By looking at the sun above the skies, and the water of the sea, I felt a connection, an intrinsic one. Baldr and Oceania couldn''t really control all of the Sea and the Sunlight, a part of it, a fragment of their incredible, all-epassing power. But it was enough to make them overwhelmingly strong. I am sure there must still be other Sea Gods and Sunlight Gods, but Baldr and Oceania were at least among the strongest. The others are probably their goons, Lesser Gods or maybe Demigods? Anyways, their Thrones are probably much smaller, I can feel that at least I possess 70% of the Seas and 60% of Sunlight. I can condense, control it, and call upon it, though it costs tremendous amounts of Divine Power and Mana. However, I also felt like I could somehow restore my own Mana more rapidly if I absorbed Sunlight and the Seas''s energy. It was a strange feeling, like I was a nt asking for water and the sunlight. Despite being a ghost that majored mostly on darkness and death before, suddenly gaining such a different power sure feels a bit strange, but I can''tin either way. "What''s wrong with you two? Have never seen a goddess before?" I giggled, as Jonathan and Lucifer stared at me in shock. "Y-You took the Thrones?" Lucifer asked. "Yep." I nodded. "Wait but wouldn''t that negatively affect you if you''re not in the Realm of the Gods?!" Jonathan panicked. "Nope. I''m as fine as you can see me." I smiled, winking at them. "Let''s have breakfast while we talk about it~" After taking a quick shower, we moved with everyone else. I was slightly reprimanded by Partner and Emeraldine for leaving them sleeping and having fun with only my men, but it''s not like I could have done much about it, I didn''t want to wake them up.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "So you became a goddess now?!" Arthur gasped. "H-How is that even possible to begin with? Wait, no, I did hear you killed two but..." "It''splicated, but it has to do with the thrones and all of that stuff." I said. "Anyways, let'' me exin..." I exined a lot of things while we ate breakfast, Nyxck of attention quickly made her get bored and she started ying with the other children, but my brother nodded as he heard everything attentively. "I''m relieved you''re not bound by some weird rules the Gods have." Emeraldine sighed in relief. "Yeah, me too I guess." Nodded Arthur. "But big sis, what can you do with that power other than just control the elements?" "Let''s see what I can do then! Let''s move to the beach!" I smiled. "There''s a lot we can do over there, I want to enjoy the sea mostly, but we can experiment too." "Yaaay! The beach!" Nyx celebrated. "I wanna go swim and catch fishies to eat!" "Me too! We''ve never seen the sea before!" Fabian nodded. "Right guys?" "Yeah, we haven''t!" "It would be fun, maybe." "I would like to go!" His friends seemed to be as hyped to go as Nyx, so I guess we were definitely going there to take a break and catch some fresh air. Despite how hot is in this desert, the beach does seem much more temperate. "Alright then, let''s go!" Chapter 1076: Beach Episode Chapter 1076: Beach Episode ? The closer I got to the beach, the more connected I felt with the ocean itself, it felt like it was definitely calling for me. My senses expanded even further than before, connecting to the seas. It felt that, if I ever wanted, I could expand them into the ocean, spreading them and seeing everything within its endless confines. The beautiful, azure colored canvas of salty water, apanied by the bright sun on top, reflecting its light above the crystalline azure sea, the gentle sound of the ocean waves, the sea birds crying, the fish swimming, and the salty smell of the sea. It was all so wonderful, and with this new Authority, I could somehow feel even more connected to everything than before. It kind of made me love the ocean more than I thought! Especially because this is, I think, the first time I ever visit the sea in this second life. "Wow... So this is the big ol'' sea!" Said Catarina. "Hey Silva, wanna go for a swim?!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "I-I don''t know how to swim big sis..." Silva muttered. "Don''t worry! With ckie we''ll teach you!" Catarina grabbed her adopted daughter (at this point), and went to the beach with her wolf. "Woof! Woof!" "W-Wait, I don''t wanna swim yet!" Silva was both embarrassed and flustered, but at the end Catarina and ckie helped her get into the water. "I-It''s cold!" "Hahaha, yeah, it''s always cold at the beginning, don''t worry!" Catarinaughed. "It''s nice, it''s nice~!" They were having their own fun I guess. Catarina was a bit pushy, but Silva was too shy, so she needed someone to push her a bit or she wouldn''t get anywhere. The girl was improving though, Catarina has proven to be a pretty good adoptive mother, although she prefers to be -called big sis. Maybe everything this evil vampiredy ever needed was a family, huh? She sure looks happy. Maybe I should bring Silvio and Francesco to meet her, after all they''re like siblings, right? Hmm, well, I guess I could try thatter though, I can sense they''re busy helping the dwarves in the smithy and also cooking, they''ve be the chefs of the vige. "Is that truly Lady Catarina? I remember hearing a few rumors about her some time ago..." Kimiko was by my side, there were a few more Zombie Vampires I had brought with me, the secret behind their ability to resist sunlight was a special series of runic tattoos spread around their bodies, creation of Hendrick''s research. This trait was inherited into their Zombie forms, which looked very much alive thanks to my advanced Necromancy. "Yeah she is, now Kimiko, I didn''t bring you here to walk around acting sexy in that swimsuit." I told her. "Eep! W-What must I do, master?" she asked timidly. "This beach is nasty! Look, there''s a bunch of trash everywhere! All this time you vampires took over, things such as basic cleaning werepletely forgotten. All of you guys are taking responsibility for that! Begin cleaning the entire beach! I want it pipping clean by the end of the day, you heard me?" I roared back at the three hundred Zombie Vampires I bought. The people in the beach and the port looked at the scene with curiosity and surprise. Some panicked, but they were quickly told they were Undead below my control. I had already be popr enough that most people recognized my name as "Maria the Necromancer". "Y-Yes, we understand, master!" Kimiko bowed her head. "W-We''ll do our very best to clean the beach! Leave it to us!" "Good, put all your vampire skills to use to clean as efficiently and fast as possible!" I roared. "And don''t you dare ck off!" "Y-YES!" The Vampires quickly dispersed around the beach, beginning to carry the trash away into a ck hole I created. A piece of my own shadow that I left for them to throw all the trash into. As for the rest of us? Well, we just enjoyed the beach! We picked a slightly cleaner and lonelier ce in the beach and set up arge tent for all of us. In there, we got into our swimsuits, which I prepared using my abilities, and we set off to explore the beach. "Woah, my god, who are these two beauties I''m finding here?" I eyed Emeraldine and Partner, who were both sporting beautiful swimsuits. "Hahaha, you also look gorgeous, Maria!" Emeraldine was wearing a green colored one that wrapped around her breasts and her hips, with a beautiful semi-transparent white veil, and a white summer hat. Her green swimsuit also had sunflowers as decoration, she looked so lovely. "Yeah you''re pretty hot, Emeraldine''s fucking hot too. You two are hot, actually..." As for Partner, who was acting horny again, she was wearing a one-piece ck and red swimsuit, with red roses as decoration, she liked this one because she said she didn''t want to show too much skin, as a vampire and all, even though she was already immune to sunlight, it was still tiring to be exposed directly for so long. She also took a ck summer hat, and a parasol to carry around, mostly looking for shade. "Let''s go to the water! I want to try swimming! I haven''t taken a good swim in so long, since I was a little girl back in my vige''s nearbyke." Emeraldine said, she was hyped for a swim. "Sure, let''s go!" I nodded. As we sshed into the cold water and began swimming around, I felt my connection with the oceans strengthen even further. For a moment, it truly felt as if my soul had be an extension of the sea and viceversa. It was a strange yet pleasurable sensation, the more I swam, the more I felt this connection strengthen. And not only that, but my Mana was also recovering very quickly by merely touching the sea. It was as if the sea was this endless pool of Mana and other energies, and by merely willing it, countless rivers of its energies flowed into my body. Just being here was so rxing! RUMBLE! However, almost poetically, something emerged from the oceans just to ruin my day off... "ROOOAARR!" Chapter 1077: Sea Monster Attack Chapter 1077: Sea Monster Attack ? SPLASH! The seas trembled, as I felt powerful entities surging from its depths. They felt attracted by my presence. In fact, I also felt them, the very moment I stepped into the water. I had thought they would simply feel intimidated, but they came here anyways, they were at least over fifty of them, gigantic beings, all of them. "ROOOAARR!" RUMBLE! The oceans trembled, the people that were enjoying the beach panicked, many of them beginning to run away. They were not used to this. These oceans were known for being very peaceful, there were almost no sea monsters. "What the heck are those guys?!" Partner groaned angrily. "They daree bother us in our time alone in the beach?! Are they so desperate to die or something?" "It seems they''vee for you, Maria!" Emeraldine panicked. "A-Are they angry you took the Throne?" "I think so?" I wondered, looking at the gigantic beast emerge. Krakens, Giant Sharks, Massive Sea Serpents, Chimeric Aberrations, Enormous Fish with Giant Jaws, Venomous Eels, Titanic Pufferfish, Flying Manta Rays, and more Sea Monsters appeared. Their appearances were varied, but each one was at least S Rank, some of them even SS Rank. And they didn''te here peacefully, nor to suddenly pay respects to me. These creatures from the depths were probably living in the deeper areas of the oceans of this area, and since they sensed my presence, they came rushing. To eat me. Naturally, even as beasts, they desire more power, to stand at the apex, if they can eat me and then steal my Throne, they could ascend as Gods themselves, a in and simple strategy. "SHAAAH!" A monstrous three-headed Shark Kraken rushed towards me, an SS Rank Monster, one of the twenty or so of this Rank. It was a giant red octopus with three shark-like heads, packed full of sharp fangs. "You guys are seriously fucking stupid." I facepalmed. "Are you seriously trying to fight a Goddess of the Sea, in her own territory? You''re just asking for death! Your greed was your demise!" I quickly flew into the skies, the sea responded to my very thought, a swirling tornado of oceanic water lifted up into the skies, trapping the three-headed monstrosity. As an SS Rank Monster, it possessed both tremendous physical power and magical power. To respond, it quickly attempted to freeze the sea with powerful magic, and then used that frozen sea water as projectiles imbued with near-divine magic, attempting to shred me into pieces. "Don''t make meugh." I smiled. "The Sun is awfully shiny today, isn''t it? Here, why don''t you sunbathe for a bit?" FLASH! The sun shone brightly, all of the sunlight reaching this area suddenly gathered together with a mere thought, a gigantic golden beam hit the three-headed shark kraken, its entire body exploded into pieces, its projectiles dealing no damage as they hit me. BOOOM! "Easiest lunch of my life." I smiled, quickly gathering the corpse''s shredded parts. "We''re having grilled octopus and shark for lunch!" "ROOOAARR!" "GRUOOHH!" "SHAAAAH!" However, despite having killed one of their SS Rank members, the Sea Deep Monstrosities didn''t give up at all, swimming towards me, firing a myriad of spells of all sorts of attributes. Some even wielded fire, others ice, darkness, light, nature, earth, and so on. "Hmm, just killing you on my own wouldn''t be good for everyone else. I got a little brother now, so I want him to level up quickly." I said. "{Triton''s Grip}" I closed my hands, as the seas suddenly transformed into a giant hand, wrapping around every monster and stopping them from advancing. They instantly attempted to fight back, furiously roaring angrily at me. "Partner, Emeraldine, can you weaken them for me? You can kill some but leave most alive please." I called for their help, mostly so they can get some exercise and feel included in the hunt. "Sure!" Partner smiled, jumping off the water and summoning her two demonic spears. She smiled evilly. "I was waiting for something like this, honestly~ Bon Appetit!" "Okay, I''ll weaken and restrain them more easily for you, honey!" Emeraldine said, quickly lifting up into the skies using her wings. She summoned her bow, and then pointed a big magic arrow at the distance,posed of several elementsbined together. "Now, stay still!" Partner resembled a blur of red and ck light, quickly shing, piercing, and cutting through the monsters with her two spears, explosions of darkness and blood energy erupting everywhere over the many beasts. Their magic followed her around, but she easily evaded or blocked it with a mere swing of her weapons. At the same time, Emeraldine fired her arrow, which then divided itself into a hundred more arrows of rainbow color, raining down upon the monsters and piercing their bodies, explosion of spiritual light engulfed them, followed byrge trees popping out of every arrow that pierced the monsters and blew a piece out of their bodies. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The screams of agony of the stupid beasts that dared to defy the new Divine Throne of the Sea quickly reverberated across the coast. I used my Authority and dragged them to the beach, and then I called my friends. "Arthur, everyone, kill these things! Get as much EXP as you can while we are at it!" I said. "Arthur, dear, big sis gave you some armor and a spear, right? You can summon them any time out of your Storage Shadow, I connected it to your own!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "O-Okay big sis!" Arthur didn''t hesitate, after he told me he wanted to be stronger, he jumped to the opportunity right away. Storage Shadows was one of my newest inventions, by cutting a piece of my own living shadows, and gifting them to someone else, it would merge into their own shadows and be a storage space. They can store anything they want there, and it would work very simrly to my own Inventory, things won''t go bad for a while inside, and they can summon anything inside with a simple thought and a bit of Mana. I shared this ability with literally everyone in my troops, except the vampire zombies, whom I only left arge Storage Shadow to throw the trash into. I saw Arthur and everyone else begin stabbing the beasts. "Yes, hahah... Grind that EXP!" Chapter 1078: Grinding A Lot Chapter 1078: Grinding A Lot ? And they sure grinded that EXP. Arthur used the spear I gifted him, part of the series of weapons I had already mass-produced beforehand, to deal decent damage to the giant overpowered SS Rank Monsters. Despite how high their defenses were, when I cursed them with a bunch of debuffs and while they were bleeding to death, it was easy for him to kill a few by stabbing their heads. He was very weak, but when his stats increased thanks to the armor I gave him, the spear, and the buffs Emeraldine and Jonathan conjured on him, he became as strong as a B Rank, so he was capable of much. With each Level he got, his Physique developed further, and his eyes red with bright light. I had made his new body incredibly strong and filled with Yin and Yang energy, so his Physique and everything else was bound to be powerful. Aside from my brother, my daughter Nyx and everyone else stabbed and killed the already weakened monsters. Yeah, it might''ve been a bit too cruel, I noticed the Cultivators looking from the distance, disgusted by our methods.N?v(el)B\\jnn I guess even those guys have some standards? I found it funny though. I think I might visit their world once I''m back to the vige and done with things over there, as ast visit to get as strong as possible before the big war against the Empire of Light. Anyways, everyone leveled up, Fabian and his friends, Silva, Catarina, ckie, most of my Undead as well as the Vampire Zombies, hell, even my family who were all SSS Rank got a lot of Levels, especially Nyx who was only SS Rank. And my little brother, well, he got a lot of Levels too, after his rebirth, his Level cap had increased to 100, and he hit the Level Cap right away, his body reacted, engulfing him on a cocoon of ck and golden light. FLASH! "W-What''s going on?!" He panicked. "Big sis, m-my body''s...!" He tried to break out of the cocoon, but I calmed him down. "Calm down, Arthur, this is a process I call evolution." I told him. "Your new body is special, it is no longer a human limited by the decree of the Gods, once you hit level cap, you evolve. So rx and sit down, and let the process finish, it shouldn''tst that long." "O-Oh, okay..." He nodded, quickly calming down. If I had to admit it, my brother was incredibly good at adapting and epting things. He panicked at first, but after an exnation, he immediately understood, calmed himself down, and fell silent, meditating as he let the evolution continue. Honestly, he has a lot of talent... "Oooh! Is that the power of Yin and Yang?!" "I can feel it! I had also felt it from Lady Maria..." "So her brother also possesses such a Harmonious Power?" "Impressive! How is this possible?" The four young masters that came with the Elder of Murim were all gasping in disbelief. It seems they werepletely unaware that it was thanks to them that I got the power of Yin and Yang, the Raid Shop was very generous. Maybe they have no idea of such mechanics? I guess I''ll keep it a secret for now. "Incredible, not only did he refine a Yin and Yang Harmony Physique, but he even used it to further breakthrough his Limits, evolving and obtaining an even higher Level Cap, most likely!" The Elder said, caressing his long, white beard. "Amazing! We did well in acting kind, Lady Maria and her brother might be destined to overthrow the Heavenly Demon and set the whole Murim on its head!" As the stupid old man celebrated whatever weird conspiracy he was plotting, my brother''s cocoon blossomed into a beautiful ck and white lotus, which then dissipated into light, revealing his form. He looked a bit taller, like two centimeters taller? His body seemed stronger, with well-toned muscles, and his hair color... changed. Half of it was now dark purple, and the other half was golden brown. The same thing happened to his eyes, one became crimson red and the other golden. I was a bit surprised his appearance changed more than I imagined. And by giving him a closer inspection, as he was shirtless due toing to the beach, there were ck and golden runes resembling tattoos spread across his body. The center of his chest had the runes converted into a Yin and Yang Symbol. And his Aura... it was potent! "I-Is it over?" Arthur wondered. "Big sis, I feel a bit dizzy..." "Woah! Uncle got a lot more colorful now!" Nyx gasped. "Big too! He got tattoos!" "He evolved..." Lucifer said. "He seems much stronger now, has he reached the Realm of A Rank at least?" "No, I think he''s already S Rank..." I covered my face. "Arthur, are you alright?" "I-I''m fine... Ugh..." I quickly caught him before he was to fall into the floor, he almost passed out right there! He looked tired after the Evolution, it seems it drained most of his energy and Mana and Ki, probably. But it sure gave him an enormous new power, although it instantly was turned off because he had no more energy to show it off. "Here, drink this Energy Elixir I prepared by refining a lot of monster blood." I quickly gave it to him; he drank it and made a bitter face. "Ugeh, what''s this big sis? It tastes like crap..." He almost vomited. "Just drink it, you brat!" I forced the elixir down his mouth until he drank it all. His body quickly becamepletely red for a moment, energy swelling through his entire body, and then it calmed down. "T-That was intense! What do you even use this for?!" He asked. "Hahaha! You don''t need to ask where I use this energy potion, brat." I smiled, patting his head. "Anyways, it would be better if you eat something for now. Let''s make lunch, everyone!" I quickly gathered everyone to help, even the vampires and the cultivators, as we started cooking a big barbeque with the bounty of the sea. Chapter 1079: Undersea Visitors Chapter 1079: Undersea Visitors ? SPLASH! A few figures surged from the ocean''s depths, their heads emerging from the deep and salty water, looking at the distance with curiosity. Their bright, rainbow-colored eyes noticed a huge feast of giant monstrosities that had once tormented their travels across the Azure Depth Road. However, their impression over the giant monsters being hunted wasn''t everything. Their eyes quickly moved towards the silvery-white-haired woman that was happily cooking the food with everyone else. She emanated an Aura of Azure color so bright and beautiful; it left them speechless... Her connection to the Sea was stronger than anything they''ve ever seen before, perhaps even surpassing that tyrannical Sea Goddess calling herself Oceania, that only used their ancestors as ves. Was she a new Goddess of the Ocean? Could she bring them salvation from the peril their tribe is going through? "Oracle... What do we do?" Asked one of them. "She... She has the strongest connection to the Sea, is she the Saintess we came looking for?" "The Saintess is gone, the Goddess is also gone, but she... She''s better than both." The one in front of the trio said. "W-We need to try at least... But let''s wait untilte, we can''t walk out at in daylight, the humans might get scared of us." "Right, let''s hope she doesn''t leave by then..." . ? (Maria''s POV) As I looked the sizzling seafood being grilled, while Emeraldine and Partner seasoned it with all kinds of spices and sea salt, I took a peek at my System notifications, there were quite a few. Ding! [You and your party have defeated [Abyssal Depths Sea Monster (S - SS Rank)] x57!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 146 to Level 151!] [All your Stats have increased. You gained Bonus System Points.] [The Levels of all your Party Members has increased greatly.] [Congrattions! You havepleted the {Challenge Quest}: [Abyssal Monster Hunt!] [Well done, not only did you hunt those annoying monsters that have been ruining the lives of many people from the sea for thest hundreds of years, but you''ve even feed the EXP to all your Party, making them much stronger as a result. Take these rewards.] [Quest Completion Rewards]: [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x3] Woah looks like another Quest triggered again! Seems that these monsters caused a lot of trouble, by hunting them I seem to have changed the fate of many people. Though, what does it means by People of the Sea? Is there someone living down there? Hmm, well, let''s first use some of the items I got, I''ve gotten quite a few. Should I trybining Skills now? I got that Skill Fusion Ticket I have yet to use after all! No, no, let''s better drink the consumables and open the treasure chest. Later I''ll think about what Skills to fuse anyways. The consumables I''ve umted so far were: [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Nether Elixir of Helheim (SS Grade)] x1 I had used the Soul Restoration Elixir to heal Arthur and everyone else before, but now I''m taking it all for myself. As for the Nether Elixir of Helheim, looks like something that Hel would gift to me, usually. It probably improves some Death thingy. And about thest one, Azure Sea Essence? Looks interesting, let''s drink them all. "Gulp, gulp, gulp..." FLASH! I felt the surge of three energies across my body after I just drank all the bottles at once, opening them and emptying them into my mouth. I looked like a cartoon drinking them, I could easily stretch my mouth to easily drink everything in a single, potent gulp. Golden, Azure, and ck colored energies flowed through my body, it felt like I was growing stronger bit by bit as I assimted them fully into both my soul and body. These energies were most likely Soul Energy, Death Energy, and Azure Energy? Sea Energy? I don''t know, something like that. Ding! [You have consumed the [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x3, [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x3, and [Nether Elixir of Helheim (SS Grade)] x1 Elixirs!] [You have strengthened your Soul greatly!] [You gained +75.000 Aether.] [You have absorbed arge quantity of Nether Energy!] [All of your Death-rted skills gained 1 to 2 Bonus Levels.] [You have reached the conditions, you''ve unlocked the [Nether] Stat!] [Nether]: [A Special type of Stat formed by the absorption of Death Essence and Nether, usually possessed by very powerful Liches and Necromancers, or mighty Undead beings. The higher it bes, the stronger all Death-rted Attributes, Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Raised Undead be. All Raised Undead Stats increase by +1% = 10.000 Nether.] [You have absorbed arge quantity of the Essence of the Azure Oceans!] [All your Sea-rted skills gained 1 to 2 Bonus Levels.] Well, well, this is a lot to process! Not only I got Aether, making my soul stronger, I gained a new Stat in Nether! And a lot of my skills leveled up too. This feels really nice, honestly. I gave a look to the new Stat.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Nether]: [100.000] So only one hundred thousand?! That''s much less than I imagined... But well, better than nothing I guess? With a hundred thousand, my Undead get a +10% boost to all stats, pretty okay I guess, I gotta raise it quickly so they get even stronger though. Frssshh... "Mama, the fish is ready!" Nyx called for me. "Big sis, I think the octopus too? I''ve never eaten though..." Arthurmented. "Gotcha!" I nodded. "Alright, let''s ce some tables and seats and lets enjoy a meal together, everyone!" We sat down to eat together, I forgot to open the treasure chest but that didn''t matter right now, as I was starving. The delicious vors of these monsters were to DIE for, and I forgot to even make them into Undead. Meh, it didn''t matter that much. I still had that giant whale that was Oceania''s pet anyways. In between eating,ughing, and drinking, the night quickly came, and we decided to camp in the beach for the rest of the night. The ce was peaceful and soothing. "Phew, it was a nice day~" As I looked into the night sky and admired the moonlight, suddenly, I felt somethinging out of the water... SPLASH! Chapter 1080: The Mermen Chapter 1080: The Mermen ? They appeared out of the sea water, walking out of it was if it werepletely normal for them, moving from the depths of the salty ocean to the sandy beaches. Their appearances were rather humanoid, but with clear fish-like features. They had pale blue skin, scales covering several parts of their bodies, big gills in their necks, long, pointy ears with membranes, azure or red hair, and big, yellow eyes. The males hadrger, more muscr physiques than the females, while the two females were gorgeously beautiful at mere nce, no imperfections in their appearance at all, almost deceiving, unnatural. They had long ws, fingers connected by membranes. And they had long fish-like tails at the end of their backs, they weren''t quite mermaid-like, they had legs and a more homogenous appearance over than the big contrast between just a human half and a fish half. "..." I stopped what I was doing and quickly faced them. "Aren''t you mermen? This is the first time I see them in person, do you people often visit the city?" "A-Ah, no..." Muttered one of the girls, with long red hair. "A-Actually..." "Well, we..." "Um, can we...?" All four of them were trying to talk at the same time, and they were very nervous! Which made everything even more awkward for no reason. I sighed, quickly stopping their babbler. "One at a time, exin me why you''re here and what do you want." I said. "I would also appreciate if you told me who you are, and where did youe from. I had no idea there were Mermen in the nearby oceans. I had expanded my senses quite a lot but found none! Did you just arrive here?" "Y-Yes, we just did." The red-haired mermaid girl nodded. "My name is Everose, this is my sister Aqua, and these are our two friends, Halk and Coral." "Nice to meet you..." Aqua smiled gently. "It is an honor to meet the new Goddess of the Seas..." "Indeed, an honor." The two guys bowed their heads while the girls were much more casual. I could already the girls probably had a higher societal position than the guys they brought along. "I see, pretty names. I am Maria. And yes, I suppose I am the new Goddess of the Sea?" I said. "I won''t hide anything and be brutally honest with you, I killed and ate the previous one." "EH?!" The four mermen quickly stepped back in shock. Hah! I knew that would be their reaction. "Were you servants of Oceania? I did know she had quite a lot of them, Divine Sea Spirits mostly, but I had no idea she had mermen servants," I said. "Well, you see, I became the sworn enemy of most of the Gods, we got into a fight, and I ended killing her... She tried killing me first. Actually she tried ending the whole town''s poption. She was really insane, her Saintess also died with her." "S-Such a thing is possible?" "I-I can''t believe it..." "Oceania-sama... dead?" "I can''t... I..." Looks like they liked her? I haven''t checked Oceania memories yet because they''re so convoluted, but I am fairly sure she was never nice to anybody in her whole life, she grew up as just a spoiled brat. Yet these people loved her? Yikes, now I feel kind of bad and- "Thank you so much!" "I can''t believe how happy I am!" "So it''s true! Oceania-sama is truly dead!" "Amazing! Thank you so much, oh legendary God yer!" The mermen then prostrated in front of me in reverence. Ah, of course. I should have guessed they were going to get happy, I''m d I was right.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Totally. "A-Ahahah, okay, okay, calm down." I giggled. "Anyways, I imagine you live quite far away into the ocean, why did youe here? And specifically towards me? Is it because of my new Divine Throne? Were there responsibilities I didn''t know about?" "Our original intention was to search for the legendary Divine Oasis Spirit, we''ve heard legends about her!" "We heard she came from the original world where our ancestors came from, Antis!" "The Divine Oasis Spirit used to be a great Guardian of our tribe!" "So we wanted to find her so she could help us...!" "Ah..." Oof, how do I tell them? Well, let''s just be rash. "Actually, you guys are a bitte... The Divine Oasis Spirit died like, thousands of years ago." I muttered. "EH?!" Their reactions were really precious, these people were very na?ve and innocent, almost cute. "Hahah! You guys are so cute. Calm down, she might be dead, but she has a reincarnation, a young boy named Celes." I exined. "But what did you need the help of the spirit for, anyways?" "W-We need the help of the ancient hero, the Divine Oasis Spirit... So we could appease the wrath of the King of the Depths..." Sighed Everose. "The King of the Depths?" I wondered. "Who''s that? Was it one of the monsters I hunted down?" "N-No, not those! The King of the Depths is a Divine Beast of incredible power!" Said Everose sister, Aqua. "It was once sealed by the Divine Oasis Spirit long ago, but she was unable to defeat it!" "A couple of days ago, something happened. A brilliant star fell from the skies and impacted the Sacred Grounds where it is sealed, shattering the chains..." Said Everose. "Since then, the chains have continued to gain cracks, and the horror that once dominated the entire oceans might once more awaken!" Cried Aqua. "Our strongest warriors and magicians are already busy dealing with the never-ending wave of Sea Monsters answering the call of the King of the Depths, we came here looking for help..." "I see..." I nodded. "A star fell from the skies? What could that be? Do you know something about it?" "No, but we do remember hearing... A weep, like a cry, when itnded." "But nothing else than that..." "It''s a mystery to us, but most think it might have been sent by Odin, who hates us..." "Please, new Goddess of the Sea, could you help our tribe? We will offer you anything you want in return!" "Anything you say...?" I smiled. "Hmm..." Chapter 1081: The Menace Of The King Of The Depths Chapter 1081: The Menace Of The King Of The Depths ? Okay, so let''s quickly sum things up a bit. The mermen exist as I thought, they live somewhere in the depths of the sea, as arge tribe of sea people. The Divine Oasis Spirit is like an Ancient Hero to them? They apparently aren''t born from Yggdrasil, like most races, they came from another world, this world is "Antis", where the Oasis Spirit also came from. There''s something, a King of the Depths of sorts, that is a super strong divine beast monster or whatever, and it might have been the original king of the seas. It was sealed long ago by the Oasis Spirit, but she wasn''t strong enough to kill it. A strange "star" came out of nowhere, fell from the skies, impacted the seal, and shattered it, slowly, it ising undone. The King of the Depths has the power to control Sea Monsters, and all the warriors and magicians of the Mermen Tribe are busy defending their home, so they were only able to send these four younglings. They also didn''t seem to like Oceania, celebrating she died. And thought that the Oasis Spirit was still alive, which might be because ofck ofmunication from the elders. Or perhaps they never learned of her death and have been living for many generations with the idea that their divine guardian is somewhere out there, in the cities of the desert. Seeing how they call her a Divine Oasis Spirit instead of her true name, it means that after bing an actual Divine Oasis Spirit, Naiad visited them again tomunicate them of her new title. Also, seeing how they hate Oceania but love Naiad, and how Oceania hasn''t really interacted with these guys at all for many generations, it probably means Naiad told them she betrayed Oceania and left her because she was a corrupt goddess. I guess it makes more sense now that I''ve summed everything up like this. I am not as busy anymore, and I am rather interested in visiting that Sea City, above all, these Mermen seem like an interesting folk. I am not really viinous, and I always help people when I can, actually. It could be said I am quite the righteous woman in many ways... I am just utterly ruthless against anybody else that deres themselves my enemy andes to kill me or my loved ones. In resume, there''s no point in not helping them, I also want a new source of EXP, the dungeons over here have monsters that are too low level. They said there were countless swarms of strong sea monstersing for them, so that''s a lot of EXP. Also the King of the Depths, if its as strong as they said, could also be a good source of EXP. Why even seal that thing? Might as well just kill it, right? And also, I''ll be able to create a new connection with these people, learn about their culture, their original world, and more about Naiad. At the end of the day, I''m not doing this just because they asked me for help, it is also because I am curious and want to explore their home, and grind EXP while we are at it. "You''ll offer me anything, right?" I smiled, walking towards them. "Y-Yes..." Everose nodded, as she blushed when she saw my hand caress her cute face. "I see - What if I ask you to be my little wife? Would you give away your body to me aspensation?" I asked. "E-Eh?" Everose blushed. "T-That''s...!" "Wait! She''s engaged, you can''t ask her that!" "Stop, you can''t!" The two men tried to stop me, but Everose stopped them first. "No, it''s fine... If it''s necessary to save my country, I would... do it... Goddess of the Seas, I don''t know your name yet, but I would... give away myself to you if that would make you help and save my people." Everose sighed. "Everose!" Aqua gasped. "No..." "Oh my, then maybe we have a deal now?" I wondered, as I approached my face towards her. She blushed, as I felt her heart beating faster and faster, preparing herself to get her first kiss stolen from a random, bewitching woman she met. Yet... "Hahaha! You pass, I can tell you''ve got great sincerity." I smiled, letting her go as I gently petted her head. "I am not someone that would ever do such a thing. Calm down, I was testing you. My name is Maria! I am known as the Dark Witch, and I am also a Saintess of Death, I follow the doctrine of the Goddess of Death, Decay, and Undead, Hel." "E-Eh? It was just a test?!" Aqua cried. "Phew... What a relief!" "Uwaah..." Everose covered her face in embarrassment. "I-I can''t believe I was about to give my all like that... I-I guess it does show my sincerity then,dy Maria?" "It sure does, and you''re so cute! I would never ckmail such a cutie pie." I giggled. "Sorry if I startled all of you." "I-it''s fine, it was a test at the end!" "Thank you for trusting us as well, Goddess of the Seas, Maria." The boys seemed relieved too, bowing before me. "Now, is this matter very urgent?" I wondered. "I kind of want to go pick one of my girlfriends and her son, Celes, I am sure he''ll be of great help in the depths of the ocean." "It is of urgent matter, but I think we can wait a day... Or two." Sighed Everose. "But not anymore than that... I am so sorry." "It''s fine, we''ll get it done in less than a day. For now, can you wait in the ocean? Or you prefer toe with me?" I wondered. "We Mermen usually don''t visit thend of air breathers..." Aqua sighed. "And the heat of the sun might dry out our skin, so we prefer to remain near the reef, once you''re done with your preparations, pleasee to this shore and call for us, we''ll make sure toe and lead you to our home, Lady Maria!" "Perfect, then see you tomorrow!" I waved my hand, as the four mermen nodded and quickly went back to the ocean.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I guess one little adventure before going back home is not so bad, right? Chapter 1082: The Queen Is Cunning Chapter 1082: The Queen Is Cunning ? It was the next morning when, while having breakfast, I exined to everyone what I just sawst night. They were rather surprised that there Mermen alive but were willing toe with me for the whole undersea exploration. Although there was one little problem though. "Um, how do we go underwater without, you know, drowning?" Partner asked. "I need to breathe now, after evolving so much... I am fairly sure Emeraldine too, and maybe Lucifer? Nyx definitely, and Jonathna, and everyone else except... Catarina and the deadest of Undead." "Oh right, I hadn''t thought about that..." I muttered. "But don''t worry, I think I can make up a spell for that! Something using my control over the water element and other things. Some sort of bubble that generates a steady amount of oxygen, and releases carbon dioxide should be possible, I believe?" Hey System, is it possible? [Yes, nothing too hard to do... You didn''t really need to ask me, are you that insecure? Haha!] Shut up! "I could actually create an essory with the effect instead, now that I think about it, I just need to rearrange the runes into the spell I want using my new Abilities as a Goddess of the Sea, and it should work." I said, rubbing my chin. "Good idea!" Emeraldine nodded. "Do you need any help?" "Yeah! I want to help too!" Nyx said. "Haha, okay, if you want to help, then let''s work together." I nodded. "Maybe I''ll need a bit of Takeshi''s help as well, his affinity with the element and his mastery over it is really good." "Sure! I''ll try to help as much as I can then." Takeshi nodded. "So what do we do in the meantime, auntie?" Laura wondered. Ah, now they call me auntie, I remember they used to call me mama. I guess they''ve grown old enough to find that cringy or embarrassing... "I''ll divide myself and go fetch Nia and Celes for this mission. I think it will be a golden opportunity for Celes to learn more about Naiad''s past and her people, and also for Eustace, who apanies him. Maybe he knows the mermen." I said. "Good idea I guess." Lucifer nodded. "Then I''ll stay on the skies and watch over so nothing suspicious happens, you''re never too sure if another God isn''t going to just show up and start sting everything again..." "I doubt it''ll ever happen now that I''ve grown so powerful, if they ever try, it would beplete suicide... But sure!" I nodded. "There might be other creatures out there anyways." "Hah..." Lucifer sighed. "You''ve certainly be quite the monster, indeed..." With that decided, we began working. With Emeraldine, Partner, Nyx, Takeshi, and a few other friends, I started crafting a new essory that would allow us to freely move, breathe, and swim very quickly underwater. Just breathing underwater wasn''t enough, also dealing with the ocean''s pressure should be a priority. At the same time, I divided myself into two, releasing a Divided Ego, and using Shadow Teleportation to swiftly shift through space, appearing within the Shadows I had already set up with the Phantom Guardians I left there. FLASH!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I''m back!" I said, looking around. "Oh..." I found myself inside of Sapphire Temples'' Pce, where the throne room was located. Charles, the Lord of this ce, wasn''t present at the moment, but his wife was sitting over the throne, assessing a pile of paperwork. "Oh my, Maria! You''vee back so soon!" The beautiful Rashna greeted me, her long ck hair with cosmic blue colors waved by the wind, her beautiful, brown-skinned body looked glossy beneath her revealing dress, her body covered on many essories made of gold. "It is a pleasure to have you here once more! How have you been?" "Ah, Rashna. I''m fine. I came back to pick up Nia and Celes for a little while." I exined to her. "The Guardians? So soon? You know that they''re important to protect our city, right?" Rashan sighed, making it as if it were that big of a deal. "It''s not like it matters, I can easily protect this ce without even being here..." I sighed. "My Undead and my Phantoms are here after all." "Would that be enough if... A rogue god appears or something?" she asked with a slightly teasing smile. "I mean, you''re free to take them, you''re our savior and we owe you everything... But perhaps a properpensation wouldn''t be so bad, to keep our rtionships well?" "Compensation...?" Dammit this woman, she''s a true schemer, isn''t she? It''s not like I''ll y around to her whims, she doesn''t have any power over me, but I can tell she''s trying really hard to make me feel indebted, when it''s the total opposite. She''s good at maniption, I have to admit it. However, I am not someone that can be manipted, unfortunately for her. "Yes, apensation. Perhaps... Maybe something, a little thing." Eshne smiled, licking her lips. "Like... perhaps... Something that my husband doesn''t need to know about?" "Eshne..." Hah, I knew she wanted an affair with me. I honestly can''t really guess what''s inside her head. But maybe she wants some of the benefits of bing my lover, even when she has a husband. "How about I just don''t listen to whatever nonsense you''re talking about? I can do whatever I want." I smiled. "I''ll take my Nia and her son, and I won''tpensate you for that either- You''re lucky you''re very beautiful, but even with your beauty, my patience has limits, Eshne. Don''t try to manipte me again." "E-Eh? I wasn''t trying to do any of that...!" Eshne panicked a bit. "I-I''m sorry, Lady Maria! Please forgive my rudeness!" She quickly stood up and ran to my side, kneeling and prostrating in front of me, asking for forgiveness. She''s so dramatic. "Whatever Eshne, I''ll go pick them up. How about you have fun with your husband instead of asking someone else to have sex with you?" I sighed, quickly disappearing once I located Nia and Celes location. "S-So harsh..." she sighed, with crocodile tears. Chapter 1083: Picking Up Nia And Celes Chapter 1083: Picking Up Nia And Celes ? I left that horny queen of the desert on her own, as I wasn''t in the mood to fall for someone''s charms right now, Nia had already won me over and I wasn''t nning on really falling for any more brown-skinned milf for the moment. Nia was the only deserving of my love and attention as a hard-working mother with amazing talent and a wonderful personality. FLASH! I moved across the shadows, as I found her in her own manor. The Lords gifted her thisrge property to her and her son to live in. There was a huge garden the two were taking care of, full to the brim with all kinds of beautiful flowers. I saw little Celes walking around the garden, with his three spirits at his side, the spirits he had inherited from Naiad, and Eustace not too far away. They were gently watering the nts, there were also many trees making a lot of shade, so the whole atmosphere was really cozy despite the heat and despite being in the middle of a desert. "And now we water down little pink flower, and little white flower!" Celes pointed, as tiny droplets of water fell over the flowers. The nts, which seemed to be Spirit nts that evolved due to his spiritual water mutating them, reacted with small, golden and green auras of gratitude. "Hehe, you''re all happy, aren''t you? If you''re happy, I''m happy too!" "Fufu, what a beautiful garden you''ve made, Celes." Imented, startling him a bit. "Uwaah!" He jumped from where he was, and then looked back. "Oh?! Auntie Maria! You''re back so soon? It has only been around a week!" He ran towards me and hugged me, he seemed to have missed me more than I imagined. I hugged him back, gave him a kiss on his forehead, and a head pat. "Yep! How have you and your mother been? Has the nobility here treated you well?" I asked. "Yeah, everyone''s nice!" Celes nodded. "Since mommy became a noble, everyone respects her and calls her a hero too!" "How nice! She''s indeed a hero that protected this city after all, and you are too." I touched his little nose, Celes giggled cutely in response. "Lady Maria, it is nice to see you once more." Eustace greeted me. "Have youe visit the family for a few days, perhaps?" "Oh, no, I''vee to bring them with me to a mini adventure into the sea, actually!" I smiled. "The Sea?!" Eustace and Celes reacted rather shocked at the same time. "Yep!" I nodded. "And-" "Celes! Dear, I prepared some lemonade and some crackers, do you want some?" Nia walked out of the manor, wearing a beautiful white dress, she was as beautiful as I remembered her. "Mama, auntie Maria''s back!" Celes said. "Oh? Ah! Maria!" Nia opened he reyes wide and smiled adorably, leaving behind what she was carrying and running towards me. "Nia, I''m back- Ugh...!" She hugged me very tightly, and then her lips touched mine, and we kissed rather passionately. She seemed to have missed me more than I thought in thesest few days. "Mooch, mooch, I missed you!" She said in between kisses, I could hardly resist her delicious lips anyways. "Are you staying here for a week? At least a week, right?" "I missed you too..." I caressed her head. "And well, no, I''m not staying for a week..." "No?!" Nia looked heartbroken, gasping.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Calm down please, let me exin..." I sighed. "Let''s sit down, Celes,e here too." I grabbed the lemonade and the crackers and ced them near the table, as we sat down to talk, Nia wouldn''t let go of my hand. This woman was really in love with me, and honestly, I was beginning to also develop a lot of those feelings for her as well. "So..." I exined them what had happened slowly so they would understand. At the end, they were able to get it right and weren''t overreacting. "I-I see, so that was it! I can''t believe you met Mermen from all things, I always thought they were a myth, or that they no longer existed in Yggdrasil..." Nia smiled. "Celes, would you like to visit the mermen people and help them out?" "Sure!" Celes nodded. "I also want to learn more about auntie Naiad! Eustace, did you know the Mermen?" "I did, I visited them with my dear Naiad many times." Eustace''s ghostly face smiled. "They''re good, hard-working people. Sometimes way too honest, their culture is beautiful and they''re wonderful people overall, the reason why my Naiad was such an amazing person was because of her tribe, that raised her to be who she was." "I see..." I nodded. "I wonder if there might be some mermen still alive from those times... How long do they live?" Wondered Nia. "Unfortunately, I doubt it. Mermen live at most two hundred years; they are not that long livedpared to elves." Sighed Eustace. "Nheless, meeting a descendant of her family would be enough for me." "Alright! It''s decided then, pack things up. Bring me anything you want to bring, and I''ll store it for you two." I smiled. "Okay! Adventure time! Adventure Time!" Celes was really happy. "Also Nyx going to be there too! Yaaay!" It was very obvious this boy had a crush on my daughter... "Calm down Celes, let''s pack some clothes first, okay?" Nia sighed, following him around. "Maria, can you help me choose some clothes? I can''t decide! I was given so many now by the nobles..." "Oh? Sure dear." I nodded, walking by her side. She tried a bunch of clothes; she was that type of woman that was quite indecisive and took like a whole hour to choose something to wear. "Nia, you honestly look beautiful in any dress..." I sighed. "Just pick any, you''ll look like a goddess for sure." "M-Maria! Haha, saying such things..." She blushed a bit. "Despite being an old woman, you keep praising my beauty... You''re too nice with me." "It''s the whole truth~" I caressed her hair, kissing her lips again. "Did you miss me that much?" "I did..." She nodded. "A-And I wanted to tell you something..." She slowly approached my hears. "I-I think I''m pregnant..." "Oh..." Chapter 1084: Moving Underwater Chapter 1084: Moving Underwater ? "I-I never thought I would get pregnant so soon, but I got all the symptoms, the same one when I got pregnant from myte husband." She sighed. "I never imagined a woman would give me a child... It is a bit strange when I think about it, but I love you so much that it doesn''t really matter, you''re more akin to a goddess than a normal person after all, ahah." "Yes, I suppose..." I nodded. "Well, I was already guessing it would happen, I came a lot inside... We did it without any protection either. I am just a bit startled my seed can fertilize so quickly..." I muttered. "Fufu, maybe we''ll get many children in the future?" She wondered. "H-Hey, one is enough I think!" I felt a bit embarrassed. "Oh right! I didn''t ask, did you find your brother and all?" She wondered, gasping in disbelief that she hadn''t asked before. "I''m sorry for not asking before..." "Yes, we found him! I took a while, but I healed him and he''s super fine now! I even made him stronger than ever... My little brother''s ready for the adventure as well." I smiled. "And the Vampires were taken care of, so the whole desert is finally safe." "So wonderful! I''m so happy for you and your brother!" She hugged me tightly, herrge breasts pressing against my much smaller ones. "I hope you can introduce him to me..." "Sure, I''ll introduce you as his sister-inw." I giggled. "A-Ahahah." Nia giggled adorable, feeling embarrassed. "W-Well, we got everything ready then, Celes, let''s go!" "Yes mama, I''m ready too!" He walked downstairs and greeted us, wearing some fancy little noble clothes, blue pants, white shirt, with a blue-colored jacket made of fine silk, he looked very fancy indeed. "Oh, such a fancy little prince!" I giggled. "Did you get ready for my daughter in specific, I wonder?" "T-That''s not it, auntie!" Celes got embarrassed, growing redder. "Hahaha, so cute~" Niaughed. "Now, we''re ready, can you bring us there?" "Of course." I grabbed her hips tightly and then held Celes over my other arm, swiftly engulfing them on shadows. Within a split second, we reached the interior of the Pce we were staying in, Nia and Celes greeted everyone there, as I quicklybined with my other half. The essory was also done by now. Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully crafted the [Divine Ocean Protection Ring (S+++ Grade)] x50!] [The Divine Power of your {Divine Throne of the Sea} has been imbued into the fifty Rings, transforming them into Divine Relics!] [Their Effects have been further enhanced as long as they''re used near a source of Water.] [You earned 50.000.000 EXP!] [You earned +500.000 Skill Proficiency.] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 151 to Level 154!] [All your Stats have increased. You earned Bonus System Points.] Nice, I gained a lot of levels, woah. I did mass produce them so I could get a lot and maybe sell some, but this growth is still amazing. I even blessed the items and turned them into Divine Relics! I had no idea I could just do that. "Nyx! Hi!" Celes greeted Nyx. "Oh, Celes!" My daughter ran towards the boy. "Wee back! Did youe for the adventure too?" "Yep! I''m definitely going!" Celes nodded. Fabian, Takeshi, and the rest also greeted Celes and Nia, as Nia greeted my family, she was as nice as ever, although Partner was looking at her with squinting eyes, Emeraldine hugged and kissed her cheek to greet her nicely. "d to see you back, Nia-" Emeraldine smiled. "Now that you''ve be one of Maria''s lovers, I suppose we should getfortable together as well. If you need anything just ask, let''s be best friends!" "O-Oh? Sure!" Nia smiled, the two had rather simr personalities in terms of their gentle heart. "I would dly, Emeraldine, thank you so much!" "Hmm, I guess so, wee back..." Partner said. "Anyways, when are we going to the sea? I''m getting a bit bored of just sitting around, master." "Don''t be impatient, dear." I sighed, touching her little nose. "We''ll go a few hours after lunch. I''m afraid we might begin fighting monsters the moment we get closer to their tribe, after all that Unsealed King of the Depths is constantly summoning creatures to attack them." "It will be surely troublesome..." Nia said. "I-I hope my magic works underwater..." "It should work just fine, as long as you imbue it with your Magic Aura," Emeraldine said. "We already awakened your Magic Circuits, have you been cultivating them so far?" "Of course, every free time I get, I cultivate my Internal Mana, it has increased quite decently so far!" Nia said. "Thank you for doing that for me back then, Emeraldine. I think it was what ultimately helped me be strong." "It''s nothing, I did it because we''re friends." Emeraldine smiled. "Anyways, the rings are done, honey. Check them out, I think they got all the functions you wanted, plus some more bonuses... They ended bing Divine Relics from all things, it''s impressive." "I see..." I nodded, checking the rings themselves. [Divine Ocean Protection Ring] {Item Type}: [essory] [Divine Relic] [Ring] {Item Grade}: [S+++] {Item Requirement}: [500.000+ MP] {Item Durability}: [700.000/700.000] {Item Effects}: [HP]: [+200.000] [MP]: [+500.000] [Attack]: [+200.000] [Defense]: [+300.000] [Magic]: [+400.000] [Agility]: [+400.000] [Water Attribute Power]: [+500.000]N?v(el)B\\jnn {Runic Engravings}: [Swimming Speed +300% (S)] [Water Attribute Resistance +70% (S)] [Water Element Damage Taken -60% (S)] [MP & Agility +25% (S)] [Deep Sea Pressure Resistance +100% (S)] [Water Magic Power +200% (S)] {Item Abilities} [Divine Relic: Blessing of Maria, the Goddess of the Sea]: This Ring has transformed into a Divine Relic after receiving the Blessings of Maria, the Goddess of the Sea. When equipped and imbued with Mana, it can grant the wielder the ability to create a special, almost invisible veil around their bodies, which allows for the ability to easily breathe underwater. When Swimming, increases Speed by +200%, and when fighting underwater, Increases All Stats by +30% and HP and MP Regeneration Speed by +250%. When this ring is equipped, the ability to conjure Water Magic also bes possible. These effects double when being near a water source. {Description} An amazing Divine Relic forged for the ability to easily breathe, move, and fight underwater. "Oooh! It''s perfect!" Chapter 1085: Time To Visit An Undersea Kingdom Chapter 1085: Time To Visit An Undersea Kingdom ? The sun was already beginning to set in the horizon when we finally decided to depart. As a whole group, we were a lot. I decided to also bring the dumb Martial Artists from Murim along, mostly encased inside my Shadow Realm for now, I didn''t want them to bother us or something for the moment. As of Nia and Celes, they were mostly ready. They meet, greeted, and talked a bit with Arthur, getting to one each other a bit better. Once we equipped the rings and felt their effects, we tested them first, and they worked really well. I actually didn''t really need the air breathing thing; I could simply not breathe and would be fine. However, the faster swimming speed, resistance to deep sea pressure, water magic enhancement, stat boost while in water, and so on, were really good! Topensate for our movements getting a bit wonky undersea, we got a boost to everything. Everose and Aqua greeted our whole party as they appeared within the beach shallows after I called them. The mermaid girls were a bit shy about showing themselves though, but still showed up, surprising everyone. "H-Hello everyone... Thank you for considering helping us!" Everose smiled politely. "We never expected you all woulde, so many people! Lady Mari has such arge party..." Aqua said in surprise. "So these are the little mermaids, huh?" Partner greeted them. "Aren''t you cute?" "They are indeed quite adorable." Emeraldine giggled. "Nice to meet you two, I am Emeraldine." "Mermaids in the flesh!" Nia gasped. "Incredible... I thought their existence was a myth..." "It certainly feels like that, yeah." Lucifer nodded. "They never show themselves to anybody, and because they live so far in the depths of the sea, nobody bothers them either. It could be considered a miracle by itself that they appeared here out of the blue." "Amazing... It is so cool how there are so many kinds of people everywhere!" Jonathan was pumped up. "Please, mydies, bring us to your home and then we shall vanquish the evil monster that torments you!" He was really acting like the hero he was, huh? "Mermaids..." Tear said, caressing her ne. "I wish Veredorr could see this..." "I''m sure he is." I nodded. "Now, let''s get moving, everyone! Wear your rings and don''t separate! I will use Shadow Threads to connect with everyone." I wrapped shadow threads on everyone''s waists. "Let''s go!" We quickly jumped into the sea, swimming and swimming some more. Eventually, we reached the nearby coral reef, colorful and beautiful, full of countless types of fishes surrounding it. The ce was indeed full of biodiversity. The two bodyguards the girls came with also joined us, as the four mermaid quickly spoke to us through telepathy. "This is how we speak underwater most of the time! Everyone, we swim a bit faster, do you think you can keep up with us?" Everose wondered. "Don''t worry, these rings seem to be working perfectly, go ahead, girl." I said. "Very well! Let''s go then, everyone!" The little mermaid quickly swam across the depths of the blue sea. They were indeed very fast, swimming as fast as dolphins, but with the rings, we were able to easily catch up with them. Of course, in the way there, we explored the surroundings with our eyes, seeing the beauty of the deep sea. The colorful corals, the countless animals that only belonged here, the giant creatures and rare monsters. We didn''t hunt anything though, only watching. The beauty that is often hidden from most people, deep in the sea. As I gained a Divine Throne of the Sea, I felt much more connected to the ocean. I was able to further appreciate its beauty, biodiversity, and enormous and ever-expanding azure horizon. "Such a beautiful ce this is..." Jonathan said. "I have never explored the ocean depths!" "Me neither, I had only swum onkes or rivers before..." Lucifer nodded. "It is indeed very beautiful... Ah, this reminds me, there should be a family of Divine Sea Dragons out there, do you mermaids know anything about them?" "Divine Sea Dragons?" Wondered Everose. "Yes, we remember them from the tales and myths we''ve heard, but there''s none of them close to where we live. It is said they prefer colder waters, so they live near the Continent of Niflheim!" "Hoh, interesting..." Lucifer seemed to have gained some hope. "I would like to one day met more of my brethren..." "Sure! We''ll find them one day, don''t worry honey." I smiled, patting his head. "D-Don''t treat me like a kid! I was just saying..." Lucifer blushed a bit. "Heheh." Emeraldine giggled at the side, only making him even more embarrassed. We swam for hours until the night arrived, the gentle moonlight illuminating our path. Eventually, we finally reached our destination, it was deep underwater, between many "ocean cliffs", there was a gigantic kingdom. Yeah, they weren''t at all a little tribe! It was a huge castle made of colorful coral, surrounded by hundreds of houses also made of colorful corals. The surroundings had arge cage-like wall, made of transparent coral, and surrounding it, there was a magic barrier. "W-Wee to Aquarose, our Kingdom...!" Everose said. "And... Well, as you can see, my people are still struggling, even now...!" It wasn''t all beautiful though, there were five Dimensional Gates of some sort, which were constantly summoning powerful Deep Sea Monsters at the Level and Rank of the ones I had hunted beforehand. The mermen were constantly resisting their invasion, sheltering themselves inside the barrier while conjuring magic to attack them from long-range, icicle spears and spiraling boiling water hit the beasts, sometimes darkness or light magic, but their scales and bodies were too tough, barely dealing damage. The barrier was gaining cracks as well, eventually, it would give in and end up breaking, which would be the doom of the Aquarose Kingdom. "Looks like we have to work just as we arrived!" I said. "Alright everyone, time to hunt our dinner! Who wants more seafood?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om I quickly manipted the oceans with my Authority, the deep-sea beasts could have never seen iting. Chapter 1086: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 1 Chapter 1086: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 1 ? The knights and magicians of Aquarose were struggling. It has been now six days since the invasion of Deep Sea Monsters began, and they had little time to even rest. It was already surprising when a mysterious, golden star fell from the skies, hit the Sealed Depths, and broke the chains sealing the King of the Depths. But right after that, the still sealed, but not so much monster decided that the best way to get back at the people while slowly breaking his seal was to summon a million monsters to utterly destroy them. The magicians were already exhausted, their Mana being constantly replenished eating Mana Pills, the equivalent to Mana Potions for underwater people, their bodies were growing weaker the more they pushed themselves. The knights were constantly fighting, gathered around the small cracks that had surged, where smaller monsters constantly sneaked inside the barrier, they had been risking their lives since then, with a dozen casualties already having happened. They looked weary, exhausted, gasping for air. They conjured their magic, swung their weapons, fought and fought, without end...n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The old Kingdom of Aquarose, founded thousands of years ago by the people of the World of Antis, was slowly approaching its end. They werepletely powerless, having been thousands of years since their tribe has given birth to a talented individual that could be as strong as Naiad. "ROOOAARR!" The lethargic and exhausted warriors, that were already beginning to fall asleep as they stood, suddenly were startled by a loud roar. A gigantic oceanic reptilian monstrosity, a Big- wed Azure Sea Turtle roared. It mmed the barrier with its gigantic ws, piercing the barrier and opening the cracks even further. The people panicked, countless magic spells and weapon techniques shing against the walls. Yet it was utterly futile, the scales as tough as anything they''ve ever faced! Crack, crack...! "N-No... Is this the end?" Crack...! "It''s over..." CRASH! "Nooo!" The barrier shattered into countless pieces,pletely disappearing. The people panicked, screaming in utter horror and frustration as thousands of massive monsters rushed down! Within seconds, they would leave everything in ruins, and kill everyone! "Lady Naiad, forgive us..." A magician mermaid cried, as she epted her fate, too tired to even more. Yet. RUMBLE! The oceans rumbled, trembling. Suddenly, it felt as if the water that has been around them since birth became alive, it became a single, divine being! "W-What...?!" The magicians gasped, although all of them were proficient in using the water in their surroundings through their magic, none of them actually had the power to do what they were seeing right now, they simplycked both control and mana! FLUOSH! Thousands of gigantic hands appeared, the palms grasped the enormous, monstrous deep- sea beasts, crushing them one after another. "W-What''s happening?!" "The seas... They''re acting on their own?!" "T-This is a miracle! Mother Sea has answered our call!" Mother Sea, a deity that the Mermen of the World of Antis believed and prayed to. Much like Mother Earth, she was a representation of the ocean, the life it brings, and also its unforgiving wrath. The seas didn''t stop there, rapidly spinning around the entire castle, creating a powerful divine barrier. Any monster that got closer had their bodies shredded to pieces. The water was spinning at such a high speed that it worked as a chainsaw of sorts, abusing the water pressure at high speeds to shred through anything. At the same time, the Dimensional Gates teleporting the monsters began to tremble, more and more monsters starteding out as response. But they were all being captured by the endless oceans, wrapped tightly and restrained no matter if they were S Rank or SS Rank! "GRUOOOHH...!" "SHAAAAH!" "GREERGHHH...!" The monsters groaned in agony, making the oceans tremble before their agonizing roars. The people of Aquarose opened their eyes wide in shock, noticing the presence of someone- no, of many people! However, in the middle of all these people, there was a single woman with pale white skin, long silvery-white hair, and sharp red eyes, she controlled the seas with incredible precision, and then imbued them with her Dark Powers. "{Chaotic Void Ocean Waves}!" Shebined the element of Chaos and Void into the water, turning it ck and gray in color, the void and chaos quickly shaped themselves into spiraling spears, piercing and impaling hundreds of monsters at once. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Within mere seconds, the beasts that were terrorizing them for so long, who the mermen thought were invincible due to their tremendously high Ranks, were being torn to pieces as if they were nothing but insects! "Is she... Is she a Goddess of the Sea?! I can''t believe my eyes!" "She controls the oceans seamlessly!" "I didn''t think the Goddess of the Seas would look like that, but I am not going toin!" "Wasn''t this world''s goddess of the sea Oceania? She doesn''t look at all like her... based in the ancient carvings!" As the people gasped in shock and saw Maria as their new Goddess of the Sea, Maria smiled as a group of over ten other people appeared by that woman''s side, utilizing their incredible physical strength, weapon techniques, and magic to quickly overwhelm any other monster. Partner''s spears pierced and impaled everything, covering the monstrosities on countless bloody holes, and then blowing them up with into pieces. Emeraldine fired her arrows, which worked like underwater torpedoes in the sea, rapidly chasing after their prey and blowing them up. Lucifer swam rapidly using the ring''s effects, using his long tail, wings, ws, and jaws to bite and tear through everything. Jonathan swung his divine sword, a wave of holy light was unleashed, slicing through anything and splitting them in countless pieces. Although he had overused his powers to his limits before and wounded his soul, at the same time, he had managed to integrate the leftover Divine Blessing of Baldr into his soul, creating his own Divinity Ember. With this power, he was dominating the battlefield, moving like a sh of light as he fought! Everyone else fought as well, the battlefield, which had brought so many struggles to the mermen, had turned into a ughterhouse at this point. And as if the surprises couldn''t be enough, the guards noticed something, the presence of the mermen that had been sent to look for the Oasis Spirit. "I-It''s Princess Everose and Princess Aqua!" "T-They''re back!" They celebrated the return of their princesses. Chapter 1087: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 2 Chapter 1087: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 2 ? Upon Maria''s forces arrival, the hundreds of Giant Aberrant Deep Ocean Monsters were massacred one after another. With Maria''s superb control over the seas thanks to her Divine Throne, she easily manipted the water surrounding everyone, shaping it into countless chains and hands, grabbing every foe she could find with her Senses and restraining them, while also forming a barrier around the Aquarose Kingdom. The mermen that had been fighting and resisting the invasion for a whole week were finally allowed some respite and rest, as they nced the scene, still in disbelief and exhausted. Maria''s Divine Ocean barrier was incredibly strong, constantly spinning, any monster that got nearby was instantly shredded into pieces due to the intense and strong pressure of the seas spinning at high velocity. And for those that were restrained by her, well, they suffered a much more painful death, as Maria''srge group of friends and family members swarmed the giant monstrosities, beginning to quickly attack them at once. "Mama''s amazing! She''s really the new goddess of the sea!" Nyx said happily. "Celes, can you manipte the ocean too?" "I-I think so, a bit!" Celes nodded. The boy was sitting over Nyx''s head with Nia behind him. Maria and Lucifer''s daughter rapidly swam around the entire sea in her long, majestic form. Her new evolution giving her an already well optimized draconic body to swim. FLASH! While she swung her giant wings-ws, her arm-ws, her leg-ws, and her tails against her foes as she tore them to shreds with ease. Her Phantasmal mes weren''t affected by water at all, easily covering her foes and weakening them, burning and consuming their souls. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "Go!" But that wasn''t all, Nyx quickly summoned her army of Phantom Dragon Familiars, formed out of her own Phantasmal Energies, now imbued with the power of her developing Divinity, they were powered up, lookingrger and more intimidating. The Phantom Dragons shed against the iing deep sea monsters, stopping their charge and giving time for Celes and his mother Nia to conjure their magic and attack them. "{Divine Windstorm Magic}: {Vacuum Bullets}!" Nia used her mastery over the element of Wind, which she had been studying and improving ever since she met Maria, firing giant bullets of winds that created vacuum bubbles that she shot at the speed of bullets. Once the bubbles contacted any foe, their bodies were instantly riddled with countless holes, an incredibly deadly technique that seemed to work even better underwater as the power of the vacuum became more intense with the pressure of the deep sea! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! As Nia unleashed her might, as thousands of such bullets were conjured underwater, her talented son quickly unleashed his own divine spiritual powers, his three spirits which he inherited from Naiad and the ocean ghost knight that was Eustacebined their power with his own. "Naiad had the ability to control the seas, this is why she was so sought after by the Goddess of the Sea, Oceania!" Eustace said. "That evil goddess couldn''t ept that Naiad, who originated from the world of Antis, could control the sea almost as good as her, and tried to make her into her servant to control her! However, after Naiad could no longer ept her tyrannical dominance, she escaped her Divine Realm. Celes, you''ve inherited Naiad''s powers, use them as she did, and control the seas!" "I-I will do my best!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Celes conjured his oceanic powers the most he could, although they couldn''tpare to Maria, they seemed enchanted with Spiritual Divine Energy, which seemed to enchant their power even more. The seas shaped, as dozens of enormous hands appeared, shining with azure color unlike Maria''s ck oceans. Nyx gasped in awe as she saw Celes conjure his powerful magic! BAAAM! The enormous palms shed against thergest of beastsing right out of the dimensional gates, constantly hitting them as hard as possible, stopping their advance or outright killing them by breaking their bones and crushing their insides. "T-This is not everything yet...!" Celes quickly conjured a dozen of enormous, spiraling spears made of swirling oceanic water, further enchanted with the azure divine spiritual energies he possessed. The spears flew, piercing the bodies of more monsters. Celes, Nyx, and Nia were singlehandedly stopping more invaders froming, ying any creature that dared trespass the dimensional gates! Maria thought about closing them right now, but the amount of EXP they were bringing was enticing. "Let''s keep going and see if they ever get exhausted of monsters..." Nobody was truly struggling in this fight thanks to Maria''splete control of the seas, and this only became an amazing grinding spot for everyone to get more EXP. Everyone was doing their best to grind as much as possible, opportunities like these wouldn''t appear somonly, so they had to make sure to grind as much as possible. "Celes is amazing!" Takeshi said. "I also need to up my game...! {Ocean Domain}!" Takeshi conjured his powerful abilities, further evolved and conjured out of the Unique Skills he had been given after his reincarnation in the world of Yggdrasil. Expanding his already ocean and water-control themed powers around the ocean created an incredible synergy. Although hecked Maria''s overwhelming expanding powers and Celes Divine Spiritual Power, he had a much higherprehension and experiencing using the element of water. And above all, he had an incrediblypatible weapon literally made to capture and y undersea creatures, his Fishing Rod, which after all his growth so far, had be a Divine Relic of its own! "{Divine Fishing Rod Arts}: {Silver Mercury Hydra}!" His Fishing Rod''s thread changed, growingrger and transforming into a gigantic hydra, it expanded and stretched everywhere, with its countless metallic heads, it pierced the bodies of the monsters and trapped them into painfuls of metal wire, dragging them towards Takeshi''s Domain where they faced a swift death. "Woah, he''s really amazing when there''s a lot of water..." Laura felt a bit frustrated, her explosions weren''t as strong underwater no matter how much Miasmic Power she infused into them. Nheless, by throwing around her pebbles after touching them, she constantly unleashed dozens of bombarding attacks against the monsters, making sure they wouldn''t attack Takeshi from the back. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! And of course, Tear, someone capable of controlling ice, was having a lot of fun. Chapter 1088: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 3 Chapter 1088: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 3 ? Tear could control the element of ice with tremendous precision, dexterity, and mastery. Having spent thousands of years as the Ice Queen, the power of the crown granted her a gift that even with the treasure destroyed, ended giving her unparalleled control over ice. And as she continued leveling up and bing stronger, her magic only became more potent. The ne made of Veredorr''s Soul Crystal shone with a slight brilliance, she didn''t notice, as she channeled her Icy Powers to her limits. "I''ll freeze all of you... {Frozen Sea}!" FLUOSH! The seas immediately began to freeze around her. Over thirty monsters were caught in the frost, instantly freezing into ice cubes within the sea, which suddenly became much colder than before. The ice kept expanding, capturing more and more monsters as they kept appearing. Maria assessed her surroundings as she looked at everyone fighting, for a moment she considered closing the gates now that they had gained enough EXP, but the monsters would simply never stoping. "Is this some sort of infinite EXP glitch? How is that Leviathan thing summoning so many monsters?" she wondered, swinging her hands as enormous ws made of Void Sea ripped apart the monsters in front of her. "Well, nobody looks tired, so let''s keep this up for a little while more... Or until they close, one of the two." With a smile, Maria continued supporting everyone, quickly noticing Silva, ckie, and Catarina''s teamwork. The former evil Vampiress had died once, then a second time after her physical body waspletely destroyed. However, after realizing how strong her soul had be, Maria ended evolving her into a mighty spectral ghost. One containing Catarina''s already developing fighting and demonic abilities, despite no longer having a physical body, much like her, Catarina was now able to materialize her body at will and channel tremendous physical strength this way. Meanwhile, although Silva was rather clumsy underwater and unable to fight properly, with ckie carrying her around and her powerful Miasmic Ability named {Miasmic Boost}, she was not only temporarily evolving most of the children''s powers, but also her own and that of Catarina. "ROOOAAR!" A furious three-headed Shark Chimera, with the lower half of a giant octopus rushed towards them, and three more like them also appeared from above and below. These were S Rank Monsters with sizes varying between forty to sixty meters of height, true behemoths! "Don''t get on our way, fuckers!" Catarina''s soul red with tremendous power, after having evolved and gained several levels, she had be increasingly more powerful, her giantess, oni-like appearancebined with her vampiric beauty made her a rather incredible-looking spectacle for everyone to see. Her fiery red body,posed of zing red soul essence and other powerful energies, further overflowing with her own Developing Divine Ember, unleashed her barrage of attacks. Her body shapeshifted, as over ten giant, muscr arms materialized. Her fiery red demonic aura boosted her strength already, but with Silva''s Miasmic Boost in effect, she was even able to expand a Domain and alter her surrounding''s physics, the seas around her didn''t hinder her movements. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! A myriad of punches pierced the bodies of the monsters within seconds, the gigantic creatures, all S Rank, were utterly humiliated as they were punched and shredded into pieces until nothing remained. "Wow! Big sis is so strong!" Silva was as always fangirling over her big sis. "ckie, we gotta show off too!" "AWOOO!" ckie, the Zombie Shadow Wolf, had further evolved into a Nether Fenrir, a species of dog- like Undead that lived within the depths of the Underworld, his size, strength, and appearance had grown drastically. And so did his powers!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om By absorbing the powers of Silva''s {Miasmic Boost}, ckie rushed across the seas as quickly as possible, resembling a blur of darkness, at the size of over thirty meters thanks to Silva''s buffing ability, he opened his giant jaws and started biting, while his bony ws tore through foes, leaving behind countless Shadow Nether mes. "ROOAAR!" With a singlemand, the Shadow Nether mes further expanded over the affected monster''s bodies, and then exploded, bursting the creatures into pieces. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! At the same time, Silva was also using her own magic, still trying to get the hang of it, she conjured Chaos Magic, which Maria had taught her some time ago. "{Chaos Bullets}!" Hundreds of tiny bullets made ofpressed Chaotic Energy were fired around, piercing the monsters and leaving countless holes across their bodies. Thebination of Silva, ckie, and Catarina made for an amazing team already, and Maria could rest at ease knowing that even if they departed eventually, that they would be alright on their own. Her eyes thennded on thest team that she had recruited through her journey across the Golden Sands, Fabian and his friends, Spectra, his white-haired and ghost-like crush, Nick, the cheerful brat with purple hair and poison talent, Beery, the shy little boy with blue hair capable of summoning vines and other nts, and Garon, the brown-skinned, ck haired and tallest of them all, with an affinity for fire and stone. Their magic was certainly unique, as it was directly connected to their Miasmic Abilities, powers that people that were modified into Chimeras naturally develop, usually, this was the whole reason why the Vampires kept producing them, once stable and controble, Chimeras created using monster parts and Evil God Fragment Secretions became incredibly strong soldiers. Each one developing unique Miasmic Abilities that could easily surpass any Skill the System could give to them, they were not only powerful, but easy to produce and with an endless source of test subjects living everywhere across the poorest streets of the world. Arthur himself, Maria''s brother, had also be a chimera, and although his body was remade, the Miasmic Ability he originally possessed remained within him, this made Maria realize one thing. These powers seemed to be imprinted within the chimeras'' very souls, and as they grew stronger, these Miasmic Abilities only improved even further. And these children Maria saved and had been raising so far, proved it to her. "They have improved..." Chapter 1089: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 4 Chapter 1089: Eliminating The Maritime Threats 4 ? Maria nodded as she looked at Fabian and his friends fight over forty Deep Sea Monsters on their own, the weakest monster at S Rank. Although alone they weren''t too strong, oncebined as a team, with Silva''s Miasmic Boost further enhancing their powers, they became apletely different team. And indeed, it was because of the incredible unseen synergy between their abilities, especially of Fabian''s Miasmic Ability {Demonite Control} which had awakened into {Demonite Demon}, which after a lot of intensive training, he was able to furtherbine it with his friends. The result? "Let''s do this, as a team!" A massive dark purple and red colored crystal fist smashed the head of a huge Maelstrom Squid, its entire head being squished and then crushed, the entire of its body then exploding into purple and green mes. §£§¡§¡§¡§®! Maria silently smiled as she saw where that massive fist originated, it was Fabian and his friends. Having activated and almost mastered his {Demonite Demon} Miasmic Ability granted him the incredible ability of not only covering his body with the Demonite to obtain a demon-like transformation. But he was also able to further expand the Demonite Demon form using more Mana, which he had been cultivating diligently through Mana Circuit Refinement and Expansion, and also by continuously leveling up. Inside of that giant made of Demonite, his friends were also there, all of them were in the chest area of the giant, encapsted within a bubble of crystals. Their powers connected together in what Maria could only describe as a huge mecha. It could share the Miasmic Abilities of Fabian''s powers, giving the Giant Demonite Demon immense power and size, as it also connected the children''s Mana and Souls together as one, empowering the entity to reach a strength almost equal to SS+ Rank. "Come at us!" The children roared, more and more creatures surrounded them, the near thirty-meter tall Demonite Demon Giant swung its four giant, crystal arms, each one overflowing with a different aura. Beery''s nature expanded into countless piercing roots that drained life force, Garon''s zing powers transformed another arm into a giant zing demon''s arm, Nick''s poison transformed the arm into a deadly venomous arm capable of weakening and melting the insides of foes, and Spectra could unleash phantasmal mes. §£§¡§¡§®! §£§¡§¡§®! §£§¡§¡§®! §£§¡§¡§¡§®! Each punch attack had their own elemental properties, synergizing together to easily overwhelm their foes and tear them to shreds. But that was mostly the surface-level power they possessed as a "passive effect" of this bination", Maria further analyzed their fighting abilities. As they noticed that whenever they were surrounded by many, their elemental powers would converge. "SHAAAH!" Over ten Crimson-Toothed Sea Snakes rushed towards the giant, using their giant jaws to bite through the Demonite exterior and managing to spread a few cracks. "Let''s do it!" Fabian roared. "{Elemental Demonite Weapon Summon}!" FLUOSH! The elemental and miasmic powers of the entire group of younglingsbined together into two enormous weapons, one was a giant zing axe, epassed by both phantasmal mes and red mes, the other was a huge dark purple sword, emanating a deadly poisonous substance, while being wrapped on sharp spikes. "§¯§¡§¡§¡§¯!" While unifying their strength together as one, they swung their weapons against their foes, the entire Demonite Demon Giant moved forwards relentlessly, its mecha-like form also opening its jaws to roar in unison with the children making it. SLAAASH! CLAAASH! With a furious spinning attack while in the water, the giant shed half the sea snakes while hacking and shredding apart the other half, explosions of mes erupting in the water itself. "We''re still getting the hang of it, but this is amazing, Fabian!" Nick celebrated. "Y-Yeah! I can''t believe how cool it is! Beery agreed. "We need to keep practicing though, we''re on an early stage of growth," Spectra said. "Don''t get too distracted, everyone." "There''s a lot of monsters left! They simply never stoping, this is the perfect opportunity to grind as much EXP as we can to level up!" Garon celebrated. "Focus, everyone! As Spectra said, we can''t lower our guards," Fabian said, as he and his friends controlled the Demonite Demon Giant. With devastating attacks, they made themselves very present in this underwater battlefield. everyone was fighting and hunting down the monsters that had terrorized the Aquarose Kingdom, Maria nced at her brother. "Arthur, you''re not fighting?" she wondered. "I-I am honestly afraid... We''re underwater, I don''t even know how to move properly here, and it''s not like I know how to fight much either..." Arthur looked around nervously. "Hmm, if you don''t want to engage physically, then how about using your Magic?" Maria asked. "Magic... I don''t think I ever had the chance to awaken any talent, big sis..." Arthur muttered. "You surely have one now, just do your best!" Maria smiled, touching his shoulders. "Here, let big sis help you out with that. I''ll control your Mana and create Magic Circles using the Yin and Yang Essence your Physique has. With that, you''ll get the knowledge imprinted into your body and soul so you can do it on your own!" "W-Wait, big sis! Agh...!" Arthur groaned as he felt his Mana energy and his Yin and Yang Essence being controlled by his big sister. It quickly gathered into dozens of ck and golden magic circles, where spiraling arrows made of Yin or Yang Essence appeared, further reinforced and materialized into spells with Mana. "Now!" The spells moved underwater like torpedoes, hitting their targets rapidly and exploding. Golden and ck energies consumed everything, as Arthur saw that his attacks ended killing one monster and weakening several others. "See? You''re strong! Now try it out again, let''s go!" Maria cheered him up. "On your own this time!N?v(el)B\\jnn "O-Okay...!" Arthur was willing to get stronger, as he nodded and started sting. Monsters continued appearing, giving everyone a nice amount of Experience Points for a while. However, after a whole hour of massacring monsters without end, the dimensional portals suddenly and abruptly closed. FLASH! And the entire Raid had been finally prevented. The mermen, who had been watching the scene in silence, finally had the time to celebrate, greeting everyone properly. Chapter 1090: Ther Underwater Kingdom Of Aquarose Chapter 1090: Ther Underwater Kingdom Of Aquarose ? (Maria''s POV) After the whole battle ended, the dimensional portals mysterious closed themselves after a minute since any monster stoppeding. I think that whoever this King of the Depths is or whatever, he probably finally ran out ofckeys, or the mana he used to summon the monsters from somewhere. It wouldn''t be an overestimation to say we hunted roughly over ten thousand monsters. There might be billions if not trillions of living beings in the sea, but only so many are actually S Rank and above, ten thousand of S Rank and above monsters is an immense feat, and we have probably cleansed the sea of at least thirty percent of its deadliest monsters already! Not bad. Ding! [You and your party have in [Deep Sea Monsters (S ~ SS+++ Rank)] x11537!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [...] [Your Level has increased from Level 154 to Level 201/300!] [All your Stats have increased. You earned arge quantity of System Points.] This caught me a bit off guard. I know it was a lot of strong monsters, but damn. Almost fifty levels worth of EXP, this was an insane grind. It was definitely worth it toe down here, an opportunity like this is incredibly rare. Also I got myself a bunch of new materials to create underwater Undead, because they are usually very clumsy in the water. But if I raise Sea Monsters as Undead, they''re bound to be pretty good underwater. [Your [ss]: [Immortal Void Venerable: **** (Legendary Grade)] has reached its Middle Stage of Development.] [You gained +1.000.000 Ki, +500.000 Divine Power, +2.000.000 HP, Attack, Defense, and Agility!] [You learned the ss Skill: [Immortal Void Venerable''s Authority: Lv1]!] [Your [Subss]: [Cosmic Void Architect: **** (Legendary Grade)] has reached its Middle Stage of Development.] [You gained +300.000 Aether, +2.000.000 MP and Magic!] [You learned the ss Skill: [Voidspace Architect Domain: Lv1]!] [Once you reach Level 300, you will be able to reach the Peak Stage of your ss and Subss Development.] [After your next evolution, a second Subss Slot will be possible to be unlocked using System Points.] Oh, this is so nice, I got such a huge boost to everything! I feel so much stronger, and my soul feels refreshed as well.N?v(el)B\\jnn Aside from that, there''s also two new skills, huh? Though it''s a bit annoying that my Nether Stat didn''t increase. What am I supposed to do to increase it? Leveling didn''t work at all. Let''s see again... [Nether]: [A Special type of Stat formed by the absorption of Death Essence and Nether, usually possessed by very powerful Liches and Necromancers, or mighty Undead beings. The higher it bes, the stronger all Death-rted Attributes, Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Raised Undead be. All Raised Undead Stats increase by +1% = 10.000 Nether.] It doesn''t say any way to increase it! Dammit, I guess I''ll have to ask Helter, I haven''t talked with her for a long while now that I think about it. Oh well, let''s just move on and- Ding! [Congrattions! You havepleted the {Main Story Quest}: {Save the Kingdom of Aquarose from the invading Deep Sea Monsters!} [When you arrived at the Kingdom, not only were you surprised it was much bigger than the "vige" you imagined, but it was also overrun and being attacked by thousands of powerful deep-sea monsters!] [With your friends and family, you''ve battled to fend them all off, and you''ve managed to save the Aquarose Kingdom from a swift demise. The feat you''ve aplished will be remembered for ages toe by the mermen people.] [Completion Rewards]: [System Points: +30.000.000] [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Divine Undead Summon Scroll (SS Grade)] x1 [Lost Crown of Antis Fragment (??? Grade)] x1] Man, another quest! Well, I guess this one was indeed something that definitely deserved some sort of reward, we did save a whole Kingdom after all. Is this why the Quest is not considered a "Challenge Quest" anymore but a Main Story Quest now? Interesting how it does these things, but I sure got a bunch of items, again. I think I might begin sharing these, I don''t want to hoard everything for myself. Though there are some interesting new additions, a special skill evolution ticket that fuses the soul fragments of deep-sea monsters? So it turns the skill into a certain theme, huh? Then a marble that gives me a random privilege, interesting. The Elixirs, which mighte in handy not only for me. And then there''s this Scroll that lets me summon a Divine Undead? Wait, wait, how does that even work? Lastly, there''s this... a fragment of the crown of Antis?! How did the System find this item? Or did it create it? I took the crown out, and it looked ancient and cold, worn down. "System where the heck did you get this..." [The Quest System merely creates and materializes items using Fate and Destiny Essence that is spread out as you change the Fate of people.] [I have no idea how that came into existence, there''s a whole different calction when those items are made which I don''t control.] [However, I would assume this crown didn''t exist, or perhaps it existed once, but it was somewhat destroyed.] [Now, the Quest System merely restored a fragment of it using the leftover Essence that the powerful relic left behind within these waters.] "Interesting..." I nodded. As we moved closer to the city, I noticed the mermen celebrating and greeting us very happily. It wasn''t anything hard for us, but I guess we did save their lives, that''s good. "Princess Rose!" "Princess Aqua!" "You two havee back!" "They brought heroes to save us! They did it!" The mermen were mostly flocking around the two "princesses". It seems they lied to us, a little bit... "Huh! So you two were princesses at the end!" I crossed my arms. "Why didn''t you even tell me that?" "A-Ahahah..." Rose and Aqua only couldugh nervously. Did they thought that if they said they were a big Kingdom and not a small and pitiful vige, I wouldn''t have helped? Chapter 1091: Mermaid Princesses Chapter 1091: Mermaid Princesses ? "W-We are very sorry!" Aqua cried. "I''m sorry..." Rose cried as well. Both mermaid girls were bowing down and asking for forgiveness. I wouldn''t me them if they were scared, I showcased a lot of my power right there and I bet they were really scared after seeing that. "Hah..." I sighed, crossing my arms. "It''s fine, I guess... But did you had to lie to me?" I asked. "Yeah, why did you lie about such an important thing?" Partner asked. "W-We thought that Lady Naiad''s family descendants were only a couple, a few dozen at most..." Emeraldine said. "Although you were still on a crisis and all, it wasn''t necessary to lie about it!" Lucifer said angrily. We were like a quartet of parents reprimanding their children, Aqua and Rose, despite being the princesses, could only ask for forgiveness, leaving the rest of the mermen shocked. "We thought that if we didn''t lie about it, you would end up thinking we were being shameless..." Aqua sighed. "S-Sorry!" "Yeah, our Kingdom is big and has great riches actually, its just that these monsters were so strong, we were unable to fight back," Rose said. "And well, after seeing how you were, err, we imagined it might''ve been smarter to tell you our ce was small and pitiful, instead of being full of... well, a lot of people and riches." "I kind of get the point of it but that''s still a bit scummy," I said. "Oh well, you better make up for it by sharing some of those riches? Hm?" "O-Of course..." Aqua nodded. "We were definitely nning to pay, yes!" Rose said. I don''t know if I should trust their words anymore, they seemed like they wanted free help. But I guess it still good. They were indeed about to die, so they didn''t lie with that. "Everyone, instead of thanking us, please thank these heroes we brought!" Aqua said. "Y-Yes, that''s right!" Rose nodded. "We were unable to find the Divine Oasis Spirit, Naiad. We learned that she had been dead for many years. However, Lady Maria and her family decided toe to help after hearing our very sad story..." Yeah, very sad, huh? "Oooh! So they''re people from the surface then?!" "I never thought they would be so different! Weren''t all people from the surface just elves?" "You''re totally wrong, they were all humans... Right?" "What about dwarves? No?" These guys are totally clueless about everything, it seems. "We are a varied group of various races, there''s a lot of people in the surface..." I sighed. "Anyways, thanks for the warm wee. Arthur, my brother, and Emeraldine here will make sure to heal any of the wounded for now." "Yes, of course!" Emeraldine nodded. "Wait, I can heal?" Arthur wondered. "Yes, you have the affinity for it," I nodded. "Emeraldine, you can teach him some healing spells? He''ll memorize them right away like he did with me." "Sure! Leave it to me," Emeraldine nodded. "Arthur, dear, stay still." "A-Ah, yes, thank you auntie..." Arthur blushed a bit after Emeraldine touched his shoulders and stayed behind him. I guess it makes a bit of sense, she''s very beautiful and my brother''s a teen, so I guess he has begun noticing how women are very beautiful and cute.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Woah!" Arthur gasped as he saw his hands lit up with golden light. A magic circle was formed after Emeraldine controlled his Mana. A sh of healing light surged, covering a wounded person with a broken arm and a missing eye. FLASH! The light quickly healed thempletely, as if they had never lost an eye or broken their arm to begin with. "I-Incredible!" The bulky, blue haired merman gasped in happiness. "Thank you so much, youngd! I can finally swing my trident arm, hahaha!" "Me next, please...!" "My sister was a mage and she hit her head; can you heal her?" "I broke one of my ribs..." "A monster ate my right hand, can you heal it back?" They were quickly swarmed by countless mermen in need. They received treatment and then celebrated with happy and cheerful smiles andughter. Seeing how colorful their home was and how their personality was, I could assume that the mermen and mermaid people had a rather rich culture that prioritized good vibes. They were very grateful,ughed, celebrated, and there was literally nobody looking at us with suspicion or acting cocky or annoying. They were honest people, maybe too honest at times, it truly showed how they grew up isted from the rest of the world, in their own little paradise. Well, until that star fell from the sky. "Thank you so much, dear! You''re such a cutie pie!" a purple haired mermaid giggled, caressing Arthur''s head. "We owe you our lives! Thank you for restoring these big muscles! Bwahaha!" a very muscly ck-haired mermanughed flexing his big arms. "Such a miracle! Thank you, thank you!" a green haired merman said. "Please take these pills I''ve made; they can heal you of some sea-bound diseases!" "Take this, it''s a magic ring I never use, it''s yours!" "Here, please take this ancient trident I found wandering the ruins the other day." "I don''t have much to repay for the favor, I hope this Rainbow Pearl I found around is of some use!" They kept gifting us all kinds of treasures, which they seemed to use as mere decorations at most? They didn''t seem to even realize the value of these items! It is indeed a very rich country, but I guess without connections to the surface, its not like their riches can be used in anything. In between their celebrations, and as we explored the streets that led to the castle, which was just as colorful and beautifully made out of many-colored corals and giant ms, we reached Aqua and Rose''s true home. "Wow, this castle''s so big and beautiful, everywhere there are so many colors..." Nyx swam around. "Yeah! It''s really cool!" Celes nodded. "W-Wee to my home..." Rose muttered. "You sure live nicely, this ce''s beautiful and very fancy... Unlike what you told us about," I nodded, looking around. "We''re sorry..." Aqua kept apologizing. They led us to the throne room right after that, it was necessary for us to meet their parents so we could have a better conversation about everything that has happened so far, and also get a better picture. Chapter 1092: Meeting The King And Queen of Aquarose ? The gate to the throne room opened, bringing us to the huge room where the King and the Queen of Aquarose were. ording to what we heard from the guards; they were hiding underground until recently. The colorful throne room was finely decorated with all sorts of golden statues and also colorful furniture made of giant corals. There were also some paintings, I don''t know how they did those underwater though. The King sat over hisrge throne, beautifully decorated with bounties of the sea, such as colorful corals, ms, the shells of sea snails, and sea stars. His bulky appearance and near giant-size made him rather intimidating, he was roughly three-meters-tall, with bulky arms and legs that were as huge as logs. His long fish tail wrapped around the throne room. His long blue hair and sharp green eyes immediately gave away he was someone of nobility, the golden crown above his head also... well, gave that away too. He was holding upon a gold, silver, and blue colored trident, which exuded the Aura of a Divine Relic! Meanwhile, the Queen was much smaller yet not too small, she was still roughly two and half meters tall, with a much slender yet still big figure. Her beauty was very noticeable, her gentle, pink-colored eyes melded well with her dark purple hair, her crown was golden and pink, and she wore a dress of pink and white color. The King was only wearing something around his hips but was almost naked. People just don''t wear those many clothes here, and it makes sense, wearing clothes underwater feels very annoying. The king and the queen remained in silence as they analyzed us with their sharp eyes. Their presences weren''t weak at all! They both exuded the Auras of S Ranks at the very least, if not slightly higher. "Father, mother, we''ve returned as promised..." "We present you the heroes that saved this Kingdom from the monsters..." The two princesses acted very respectfully to their parents, despite being... well, their kids, I suppose the royal family of this Kingdom had some level of etiquette. Their silence was only interrumpted by a sudden celebratory scream. "MY DAUGHTERS ARE BACK!" "I WAS SO WORRIED!" Both parents rushed out of their throne seats and jumped over Aqua and Rose, hugging them both. The girls felt embarrassed, blushing while asking their parents to let them go. "You don''t know how much you made daddy worry, Rose, Aqua!" cried the King, kissing his daughters in the cheeks. "Mommy was also worried to death! I''m so happy you''re fine!" the Queen was in tears of happiness, hugging and kissing her daughters. "Ah..." We were left speechless over the sudden change of atmosphere. I could swear they were intimidating and everything, but they ended being very expressive... like everyone else in this city, I suppose. "W-Wait, mom, dad, stop!" Rose cried, trying to fight against her father''s hugs. "You''re embarrassing us in front of our guests!" "T-They''re the heroes that saved everyone, please don''t ignore them..." Aqua cried. "R-Right!" the King''s eyes widened, he looked rather clueless. "I almost forgot, oh my gosh, silly me!" the Queen giggled carefreely. What a way to kill their intimidating presences, these two are just as silly as their people I suppose!N?v(el)B\\jnn The two quickly flew back to their thrones. "Ahem! Greetings, travelers from the surface," the King tried to pretend nothing that we saw before happened. "Thank you for saving our Kingdom, we really thought everything was over back then... You came here like a miracle, saving us from our despair. If you hadn''t arrived in time, I am afraid everything we''ve built for thest thousands of years would have been lostpletely." "You have our eternal gratitude," the Queen smiled. "Please, feel free to stay as much as you need to! We will also, of course, give you all a properpensation! And thanks again, truly..." They didn''t look that emotionally impacted about being saved than to seeing their children again, maybe living as royalty has twisted their perception of reality because it truly feels like they''re forcing themselves to act grateful... Well, whatever. "Yeah, let us introduce ourselves at the very least!" I sighed. "I am Maria, I''ve killed the goddess of the sea recently and inherited her powers, if you haven''t guessed already. You two seem very rxed, and only seemed to care about your daughters. Please think more deeply about what happened and don''t take everything too carefreely." "A-Ah... Wait, what?!" the King screamed. "S-She killed the goddess?" the Queen gasped. "Anyways..." After I gave them a good reprimand for acting so carelessly and letting everyone else in myrge group introduce themselves, the King and the Queen pondered more deeply about what I told them, and sincerely apologized. "We are sorry if it was shown that way, we were indeed very afraid. It just that, we had an even greater fear that our daughters would have died..." the King sighed. "After all, those two ended escaping our Kingdom looking for a person only talked about in legends..." the Queen said. "Wait! You two ran away from home?!" I asked. "W-Well, we brought bodyguards, so we thought it was fine..." Rose muttered. "It''s not?" Aqua wondered. "Of course its not!" Lucifer roared angrily. "The more I learn about you and your family the more I feel like even I am a better parent. And you two, stop being such useless parents and reprimand your daughters for once! Without disciple you will only raise good-for-nothing freeloaders! It''s fine to love your children! I love mine very much, but it is also important to teach them disciple and responsibilities." "Y-Yes, we understand..." the Queen nodded. "We are sorry..." "It''s our bad, our bad..." the King nodded. "We will try to correct them from now on." The reason why the guards weren''t barking back at us for disrespecting the rulers was because they knew we were super strong, and saved everyone''s lives, also after we exined we were all almost like Gods, it was easy to even reprimand rulers with ease. "Rose, Aqua, although you brought heroes to save our kingdom, you''ve done something very bad, so you''re grounded!" the King dered. "§¦§¦§¦§¯?!" The princesses were shocked that the reward they received by bringing the heroes was getting grounded. Well, serves them right for being liars too! Chapter 1093: A Welcoming Feast Of Seafood Chapter 1093: A Weing Feast Of Seafood ? After a lot of banter which ultimately led to all of us having a big banquet together in the dining room, which actually had a bubble of air so mermen can enjoy the vors of food better, we continued talking about the current situation of the Aquarose Kingdom. Also, I learned most houses had these bubbles of air when eating, mermen seem to have figured out that eating underwater barely gives you any proper vor of the food. Also cooking food and other things is mostly impossible, quite smart, I have to admit that. The food they served was rather delicious and varied, and full of color. Giant ms with sweet meat gently grilled, roasted fish of all kinds of colors, they often kept the scales which the mermen ate anyways, and the heads too. There was also lots of crabs, green, blue, red, brown, ck, and white colored crabs adorned the entire table, their meat varied in tastes, some were very sweet, others more bitter, some were quite salty! And the dark red ones were incredibly spicy, apparently they originated from thermal vents and had a slight amount of poison, enough to be edible for most people, but that gave it a really nice spiciness. As for drinks, we enjoyed a myriad of wines and juices, half of them made out of the nectars extracted from polyp trees, unique trees that grow down here made out of immobile jellyfish that harden and be tree-like, simr to corals. When they harden and be tree-like, they apparently create fruit polyps, which often mature into mobile jellyfish that travel far away to settle down and then grow as new trees. But if taken ahead of time they''re full of a very sweet nectar. So it''s like eating egg juice, its very bizarre, but the taste is nice, fruity and with a nice tanginess to it, the juices are then fermented into a lot of different wines. The fresh juice tends to have small sweet-vored bits of jellyfish inside, which seemed to make it a favorite of the children. "Although we started with the wrong leg, I have to admit your cuisine is incredible!" I said. "So many varied dishes, they''re so good and interesting! Its amazing the amount of ingredients you''ve found down here and adapted into your cooking." "Haha! Thank you, we are quite proud of our ingredients and cooking, yes," the Kingughed. "And we are honored our saviors, and the new goddess of the sea thinks so highly of them!" the Queen smiled cutely. "Now that we''ve eaten and feel fuller, I suppose we can talk of more important matters," I said. "I would like to know more about the sealed "King of the Depths" or whatever he''s called, and this star that fell, any information about these ruins someone also mentioned? And overall, how did your Kingdom just got made here?" "I suppose you do have quite a lot of questions! I guess it makes sense you''re so curious," the King nodded. "Perhaps we could begin with a little exnation of how Aquarose came to be." "We would really appreciate it!" Celes said. "I am very interested as well..." "Oh right, Eustace, are you not asking them if they recognize you?" I sent a telepathic message to him. "I suppose it has been many generations, it''s impossible for them to recognize me... But just by seeing them all alive and prospering, I''m happy Naiad''s family is doing well," Eustace smiled while standing behind Celes. I guess there''s no helping it, he doesn''t want to bother them with this. The King and the Queen then started their small tale about this Kingdom''s origins and their foundations. "It happened perhaps ten thousand years ago, our people were a small tribe that originated from a world connected to this one through the Tower," the King said. "Our world was named Antis, and it was full to the brim with many ind nations and underwater tribes. Because of the constant wars between the many forces of such a vast, nautical world, our small tribe decided to escape the conflicts and destruction." "It is said in the old tales that Naiad, the Lady of Calm Waves, a young and strong Divine Saintess had be what many call a "yer", a climber of the Tower, she was an adventurer and a powerful woman. She explored the many worlds, bing very strong, an came back to lead us to a much more peaceful world, one whose waters were mostly uncharted, where mermen did not exist," said the Queen. "She had a party of friends from other worlds, amongst them there was his lover, Knight Eustace, a man with convictions and courage that helped us settle down for many years, always protecting us," said the King. "By exploring the nearby ruins, we obtained new powers as we learned how to harbor the Tower''s powers, leveling up and obtaining skills, we created our own little territory in these depths," said the Queen. "It is said that there were many years of peace, our small vige slowly grew bigger as we settled down inside the shell of a giant, long dead Titan m, whose form we slowly changed and transformed into our new homes," the King said. "Lady Naiad often came to visit us, telling us tales of the surface." "We thought we would live in peace, but then... That appeared, a creature from the depths, a monstrous being with ten heads and twenty appendages, as the tales say," the Queen exined. "The King of the Depths was a furious beast, a resentful monster that only desired the demise of anybody that disturbed their sleep. Because of all themotion the building of our kingdom caused, he was awakened, and in his fury, he almost managed to wipe us all out..." "But Lady Naiad helped us, using her incredible powers, she battled the monstrous aberration!" the King said. "She wielded the power of these oceans, and both the King of the Depths and our Hero Naiad were almost equally matched! However, mustering herst powers, Naiad put a seal on him, the King of the Depths going into an endless slumber..." "And that is mostly what we''ve been taught since we were young about the past," the Queen smiled. "Was it of any help to understand the current situation?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Y-Yeah, a bit..." I nodded, looking at Eustace. "Are you sure you don''t want to say you''re Eustace now?" I asked him telepathically. Chapter 1094: The Star And The King Of The Depths Chapter 1094: The Star And The King Of The Depths ? "No, I think it''s fine like this, I have died long ago, and I was unable to protect Naiad. I failed to do so... I don''t really want to speak with these people, I would only feel shame," Eustace sighed. "Oh well... I guess I get where you''reing from," I nodded. "Let''s leave it be then..." I suppose he really didn''t want to expand into this subject anymore. Maybe he was indeed still mourning Naiad. It was better to leave him be, he had already avenged her, and lived as a ghost only to help Celes. I think he might eventually pass away peacefully once Celes grows up, he probably only wants to see him grown up and strong before moving on. I had almost forgotten why ghosts exists to begin with. "So that''s how it happened," Lucifer nodded. "I see, Naiad''s sacrifice was very noble, and she will live in all of your memories, as she lives within our hearts." "Thank you for listening," the King nodded. "Now, I suppose we should move onto the other matter, the present." "It happened over a week ago, a bright star fell from the skies, apletely golden, yellow star that shed into the water''s depths," the Queen exined. "It moved fast even underwater, passing right next to our Kingdom, and thennding far away." "We heard a loud explosion, a boom! Like nothing you''ve ever heard before. Especially because we''re underwater, so sound is not so easy to even "hear". As you might guess," the King sighed. "The first squad of soldiers I sent to explore the area where the King of the Depths had been sealed was almostpletely massacred, only a single person came back, reporting that the Seal had been shattered, and countless cracks were constantly spreading. What''s worse, it was all the star''s fault." "Apparently the star fell right over the seal, I don''t know if it was intentional, perhaps a punishment of the Gods, or maybe it was our karma, bad luck..." sighed the Queen. "But not only did the star break the seal and weakened it, slowly letting the King of the Depths seep out its influences again, but it seemed to be stuck there."N?v(el)B\\jnn "Stuck?" Partner wondered. "You mean the star is inside of that seal?" "Yes, more or less something like that," nodded the King. "It was reported it was empowering the King of the Depths, whose power should have decreased over time as he was sealed..." "That Star can''t be something less than a divine relic then, right?" I wondered. "Pharaoh, have you heard of anything like that?" The Pharaoh we had recruited back then in the first city of the Golden Dunes we visited had been looking at the three fragments of the Starship we had secured. After visiting all three pyramid Dungeons from all three cities, we collected the pieces, which his ancient civilization had built to visit the God''s Realm. He had been inspecting it and trying to find a way to repair it together using his ancient knowledge, so he had been quite busy, and constantly asking for a lot of materials. As I called him, he quickly appeared out of my shadows, startling the King and the Queen, the princesses, and even the guards. "Yes, it must definitely be some sort of Divine Relic," he nodded. "Sometimes the Gods would discard them, throwing them into the world below without thinking about the consequences they could cause... Such as the Scepter of Radiance, which my people found long ago and treasured as a gift from the gods, only to find out it was something they discard, which they didn''t want mortals to touch." The Scepter of Radiance, a powerful Divine Relic that epassed the Divine Power of Sunlight, the Pharaoh''s Ancient Civilization found that item and used it to facilitate their lives, eventually bringing forth the wrath of the Gods, who couldn''t ept the mortals using this power without their permission. If I recall correctly, it was Baldr, the bastard I killed and ate that ended their entire civilization within seconds. I''ve avenged his people, but even now, he must still feel rather bitter, especially because we''ve been unable to find the Scepter even after investigating all three cities. I think Hendrick might have sold it to someone long ago, I''ll have to browse the memories I acquired from eating his soul to find out more about that. "A Divine Relic!" cried the Queen. "D-Does that means that the Gods wille down to retrieve it?! What will happen to us now?!" the queen panicked a lot. "Calm down, dear..." the King hugged her, caressing her head to calm her down. "It''s fine, we will retrieve that "Star" and kill the King of the Depths," I said. "It''s not like we were going to leave without finishing the job. But now that we know it''s a Divine Relic, it pretty much confirms the reason why that monster had the power to open those portals." "Yeah, it might be using the Divine Relic''s Divine Powers to enhance its abilities even further!" Emeraldine said. "If we don''t stop it before itpletely assimtes the Divine Relic''s powers, it might end up freeing itselfpletely and escaping before we can catch it." "After seeing how we just killed all of its monsters, it probably is quite scared of us now..." I nodded. "Or at least slightly wary." "Hmm, so we go right now, or should we rest?" Lucifer wondered. I looked at the children, they looked very sleepy right now. "I think we can do this tomorrow, the children are quite sleepy after all," I said. "Would that be alright with you, King, Queen?" "But of course, Lady Maria!" nodded the King. "You may stay as much as you please, our home is your home." "There are a couplerge rooms inside this bubble," said the Queen. "They''re a bit dusty because not many like sleeping on drynd, but you can use them to sleepfortably." "Thank you," I nodded. "Well then, shall we go rest for the night?" However, as we were about to make our way to those rooms, a guard came flying here. "Your majesty! There''s a problem, the number of people affected has increased again... There are more infected than before...!" "What? Again?!" Infected? Chapter 1095: The Infected Mermen Chapter 1095: The Infected Mermen ? "We''ve ced them inside the bubbles to quarantine them from the rest of the waters... But at this pace, it''ll most likely continue to spread..." sighed the guard. "Some people are already presentingrge mutations... Those that have lost their sanity have been locked down, but the areas in which we can keep them are all being upied." "T-That''s..." the King seemed unable to even give a proper answer. "Don''t worry, the heroes here said they would defeat the King of the Depths, perhaps after his death, the disease might disappear." "What disease?" I wondered. "What''s happening? Is there sick people?" Emeraldine asked. "You mentioned mutations?" asked Lucifer. "Ah... well..." the queen muttered. "It''s another of the problems which we didn''t really wanted to bother you with, even though it''s quite big..." the king said. "Just exin, tell us what it is," I said. "Well..." The King and the Queen then started exining. Apparently, since the entire incident with the monsters began, that a strange disease started to be spread. The blood of the smaller monsters they''ve been able to y came infected with something, and once it spread inside the waters of the city, some people was affected. Strange ck spots started appearing over their bodies, they started experiencing fever, hallucinations, and severe pain over their entire bodies. Some were so much in pain they werepletely paralyzed, the disease spread out rapidly, and they quickly quarantined them inside of bubbles. There was no cure to such a disease, their alchemy was subpar, and unable to heal anything. Trying to extract the mutated areas would only cause severe agony and pain and would make people quickly die. "What''s worse are the mutations, which started appearing on people that had been sick for over five days," said the King. "Strange mutations, extra limbs, red eyes growing over their bodies, mouths with sharp fangs... The people were in pain and agony, some even growing strange tentacles," the Queen sighed. "And in this stage, aside from the mutations, red-, ck-, and purple-colored crystals would start growing on people, slowly consuming their life and sanity, they would be insane, losing their minds and unable to recognize anybody," the King said. "T-This is a disease we call {The Depth''s Fever}," said the Queen. "And... there''s currently no cure." That disease... it sounds too familiar, isn''t it? ck spots over the body, then mutations such as extra limbs, tentacles, red eyes, mouths... Andstly, crystals growing over their bodies. That''s definitely Demonite! "That''s because it might not be a disease at all," I said. "Yeah..." Lucifer nodded. "It sounds like Miasma infection." "M-Miasma?" asked the King. It was quite clear that these people had no idea of such things themselves, they''ve been living in here, away from all the dangers of the surface. "There''s a possibility the King of the Depths intends to kill everyone slowly and absorb back their powers through the crystals, by eating them once the entire Kingdom is infected," said Emeraldine. "It is called Miasmic Infection, it happens when people are exposed to Miasma for a long time, they develop horrible mutations and their bodies grow Demonite, which slowly uses their lifeforce, stamina, and mana to growrger, like a cancer." "Only a few people like us are stable enough to control the miasma and deactivate its harmful effects..." I sighed. "Even if you could have survived the monsters, all of you would have eventually perished against this Infection." "I-It can''t be..." the King muttered. "What will we do now?" cried Princess Rose. "The people..." muttered Princess Aqua. "Don''t worry, calm down," I said. "We can do something about it. We''ve dealt with simr cases many times already. It could be said we''re experts when ites on dealing with this sort of deal." "However, even then, this makes me think... Could the King of the Depths have something that could help it create Miasma? I know its an ancient monster, but usually, that alone wouldn''t let it just make such a corrosiveponent," said Emeraldine. "Yeah, if we were to let that thinge out of the seal, it would most likely end up contaminating the entire oceans with miasma, which would be terrible detrimental for the entire world..." said Tear. "We can''t let that happen then!" Takeshi said. "We also have to protect the fishies and the mermen." "Hmm, lots to do. But first, can you lead us to the infected? We would first need to see how its developing," I said. "Of course, please, can you bring them there?" the King asked. "I shall, your majesty," the merman guard nodded. "Please, follow me, everyone." As we started following them, a new Quest popped up.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Ding! [The Special {Main Story Quest} has been generated: [Save the Infected Mermen From the Miasmic Infection] [After learning from the King and the Queen about a deadly disease that has begun to spread across the people of the Aquarose Kingdom, you''ve learned that it is not a disease, but a Miasmic Infection.] [If not treated any time soon, the mutations might only continue to worsen and the infection to spread uncontrobly, a bleak future awaiting the people of this Kingdom, only bing a farm of Demonite for the King of the Depths to devourter.] [You''ve offered your help to the King and the Queen, and now the fate of these people is within your hands.] [Completion Rewards]: [EXP] [System Points] [Special Items] [Failure Penalty]: [Lose the Trust of the Mermen] [Decreased EXP Earned] [System Points Tax] [Time Limit: 3 Days] [Do you ept this Quest?] [Yes] [No] [If not answered within 10 Minutes, the Quest will be automatically epted.] So there''s actually a chance for me to just reject it, huh? It is also showing that there''s clear Failure Penalties, something I didn''t see before either! Interesting... Very interesting, I suppose the Failures are justified. After all, the System uses a lot of resources for each Quest, if I fail it, the System needs to take back some of that to recover the loses. Of course, this wasn''t really hard to do anyways, so I pressed [Yes] without hesitation. [You have epted the Quest!] [Time Remaining: 3 Days.] "Let''s do this." Chapter 1096: New Main Quest Chapter 1096: New Main Quest ? Because if we all went together it would be too many people in small areas, I decided to only go with a few of my friends and family instead of everyone. I left the majority behind. Arthur insisted oning saying his powers could be of some help, then I also brought along Celes, who said his powers could also heal really well, he wasn''t wrong, his healing was superb. Nia tagged along for her son. Aside from them, Emeraldine apanied us, and Partner who was adamant on being my "bodyguard", at all times. Thankfully she was actually rather good at alchemy now, so she could help too. Fabian also decided toe along, saying that his Demonite Maniption abilities could be of help on treating the people that were too infected with them. And everyone else? Well, they stayed behind, there wasn''t any need to bring more people for this trip, everyone else was quite tired too. My little baby Nyx had already fallen asleep on her father''s arms, so he made sure to bring her to her bed to sleep. Ding! [The Special {Main Story Quest} has been generated: [Save the Infected Mermen From the Miasmic Infection] [After learning from the King and the Queen about a deadly disease that has begun to spread across the people of the Aquarose Kingdom, you''ve learned that it is not a disease, but a Miasmic Infection.] [If not treated any time soon, the mutations might only continue to worsen and the infection to spread uncontrobly, a bleak future awaiting the people of this Kingdom, only bing a farm of Demonite for the King of the Depths to devourter.] [You''ve offered your help to the King and the Queen, and now the fate of these people is within your hands.] [Completion Rewards]: [EXP] [System Points] [Special Items] [Failure Penalty]: [Lose the Trust of the Mermen] [Decreased EXP Earned] [System Points Tax] [Time Limit: 3 Days] [Do you ept this Quest?] [Yes] [No] [If not answered within 10 Minutes, the Quest will be automatically epted.] [You have epted the Quest!] [Time Remaining: 3 Days.] After epting the Quest, which had its fair amount of penalties, we moved towards the area where the infected were being kept. It was an area where the noble district used to be, which had beenpletely emptied for the infected to stay. It had arge air bubble, and many house inside, alongside an underground prison for criminals, which was also evacuated. The colorful streets were beautiful, but the gloominess of this ce was palpable, especially the strong scent of Miasma covering everything. "That''s a familiar scent..." Fabian said. "Demonite''s everywhere..." "Yes, this is the ce, all these houses harbor infected people which are being taken care by personnel wearing special suits..." said the guard. "There''s a house over there, that one, the yellow with red spots one, yes that one. That house has a staircase leading down where the infected that had mutated are kept..." He pointed at a house he had just described, it was long and had the shape of a cone-shaped shell, inside apparently there was a staircase leading down to the prison where the mutated were kept at bay for now. "I see, thank you," Emeraldine nodded. "I was wondering, how many infected people are there right now?" "Currently? I don''t really know, a lot..." the guard said. "You would need to ask the doctor first, he''s over there." "Aren''t you quite useless..." Arthurmented slightly angry. "I-I''m sorry, I am just a guard..." sighed the merman. "Arthur, calm down," I said. "Don''t be aggressive. Alright, let''s go then." "Sorry, I just got a bit irritated... I can also sense the strange aura of the miasma, its sickening..." Arthur sighed. "I lived years with those things inside my body, so I can rte to all the pain the people are feeling... I can even somehow sense their pain, it''s so hurtful..." "You can sense their pain?" Emeraldine wondered. "Really?" Celes asked. "That must be some sort of power, big bro!" Perhaps it is something left from his Miasmic Ability? I have yet to figure out what his true Miasmic Ability is too. Or it might also be rted to his time when he had been merged with all those other people. It might have made him sensitive to these kinds of things. "Are you okay, little brother? Maybe I shouldn''t have brought you along..." I said worriedly. "Nah, it''s okay, it''s not like it hurts me, but it is a bit rming," he sighed. "Is this the ce?" We walked towards a green colored house, resembling a tree made of green coral. "Yes, this is where the doctor is, please enter," the guard nodded. As we made our way inside, we were greeted with a bunch of apothecaries trying to make medicines through alchemy, there was also someone in charge. A middle-aged-looking man with a tired-looking expression, long ck haired and a small, shaggy beard. "Hah... When will this end?" he wondered. "Hm? Wait, who are you?" "We''re here to help," I said. "Maybe you don''t recognize us, but we were the ones that saved your city, Doctor." "Huh? Wait, I see! That''s why you weren''t mermen, you must be the heroes!" the doctor readjusted his sses. "Nice to meet you, I am Doctor Altamar, probably the only avable doctor at the moment. The rest... Well, they''re already sick too." "Looks like the people with least resistance get infected pretty quickly," I nodded. "Nice to meet you, I am Maria, this is Partner, Emeraldine, Celes, Nia, Fabian, and Arthur, my brother." "Looks like you brought quite therge group of people, I assume you came to help somehow?" the doctor wondered. "Yes, we''re trying to do that, I was wondering first, how many people are infected?" I asked. "Like, an estimated number?" Emeraldine wondered. "Hmmm," the doctor rubbed his chin. "There''s approximately three hundred and fifty-two people infected, seventy of them have fully mutated and are being kept below. Thirty more are in the process of mutating as well..." "So many people..." Emeraldine gasped. "We must quickly do something, Maria!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "I know, can you bring us to the patient with the least symptoms first? I want to try something," I said. "V-Very well then,e with me," the doctor nodded. Chapter 1097: The Strange Infection Chapter 1097: The Strange Infection ? Doctor Altamar led us to the nearest house, there were roughly twenty people there, they all just started having symptoms. They were all, naturally, mermen. Their ages ranged widely, though there was also a lot of children, so they''re definitely much weaker than the adults against miasma. I am guessing this must be a reason why they''re also chosen to be chimeras, they ept more easily the miasmic infection and don''t fight back, allowing those wicked vampires to easily turn them into chimeras or use them for homunculi. Their blue skin was covered on slimy, ck-colored spots. There were perhaps dozens all across their bodies. Those that had spots on their eyes had them swollen andpletely red. Those that were awake were in real pain, gasping for air, gritting their teeth, constantly having shivers. They were talking nonsense, hallucinating. "T-This is..." muttered my brother, hearing the voices of pain everyone. "You''re in so much pain... I can tell." "Even now, we can barely help them through the pain with some medicine, but nothing we''ve used works. Not even the healing spells our priests had used on them, nor our strongest elixirs..." said Doctor Ultramar. "I see..." I nodded. "Let me try something." I sat near one of the affected, touching their hand, which was covered on ck spots. "Hahhh... Mama... Hahhh... Ma... ma..." It was a Little mermaid girl, no older than five years of age, with short pink hair, she was constantly crying, her two eyes covered on ck spots, red and swollen. "Calm down, it''ll be fine now." I closed my eyes, spreading my [Phantasmal Multi-Layered Mind Domain] Skill and cing it inside of her own body. Like this, I could immediately see absolutely everything inside of her physical body and even her soul, detecting every problem within seconds. What I saw was surprising... "I see how it is..." I nodded. "This is not a disease, it is Miasmic Infection, yes. But it''s also... Some sort of powerful, borate curse." "A-A curse?!" asked Doctor Altamar. "But that''s... We''ve also tried anti-curse magic on them before, howe it didn''t work?" "That''s because this is a curse imbued with corrupted divinity, any of your spells would never work," I sighed. "I''ll extract the curse now, stand on guard." "On guard?" the doctor was confused. FLUOSH! I ced my hand over the girl''s forehead, as I absorbed the curse, miasma, and everything bad out of her, a mass of ck miasma surged, overflowing with a corrupted golden divinity merged with red and ck colors. "Ahh, it''s working?!" The doctor quickly started crying as he saw the ck spots over the girl beginning to disappear, until none were left, her little eyes were still slightly swollen, red, and crying, but the ck spots were not there anymore. What came out of her was this, a sphere of miasma and corrupted divinity, which then... Started to move. "Gryeeeggghh!" It suddenly jumped away from my grasp, reaching the ceiling. "W-What?!" The doctor fell over his own butt as he saw in disbelief what came out of the little girl. It quickly took the shape of some sort of crustacean monster, with multiple legs, and a dark blue shell, with big red eyes. It emanated the Aura of a strong monster, at least A Rank thanks to the divinity fragment it carried within itself. "T-That''s a curse?!" the doctor gasped. "Woah..." Arthur muttered. "SHAAAH!" The three-meter-big crustacean-like monster roared furiously, rushing down towards us, it opened its jaws, revealing a mucous, acid-like substance. It moved at lightning speed, any normal person would easily get killed by this thing. "Arthur." "Okay!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om However, not us. Arthur stepped forwards, pointing his hands towards the creature. Within a second, a sh of bright Yang Essence surged, like a bright miniature sun. "{Yang''s Radiance}" FLAAASH! "Gryyeegghhh...!" The bright light consumed the cursed creature within an instant, burning it to the point it suddenly became a pile of ash and disappeared. My little brother was sure strong! "It''s done... This girl should recover over time, but Emeraldine can hasten that process. Can you heal her?" I asked her. "For sure, leave it to me," Emeraldine nodded, a wave of her hands, and divine spiritual light surged,bined with life and nature essence. A Nature and Light Spirit Druid such as her was made to be an ultimate healer, especially with her two Divine Spirits and her Blessing of Yggdrasil. FLASH! The bright golden and green light epassed the little girl, her swollen and damaged body quickly returned back to normal, and she even woke up. "Huh? Ah... My head..." she groaned. "W-What happened?" "S-She''s cured?!" the doctor screamed. "I-I can''t believe this; you healed her so quickly! And that thing..." Doctor Altamar looked rather traumatized after seeing everything, but he tried to keep it together. "It was all some sort of creature?" he asked. "I believe so," I nodded. Looking at the system notification. [Your Party has defeated the [ursed Deep Miasmid (A+ Rank)] x1!] [You earned 350.000 EXP.] "It is called an ursed Deep Miasmid," I said. "It is new, we haven''t seen something quite like this before, but I can already guess how they work. Every person that got infected has one of those critters inside. It starts as Miasmic Infection, but they quickly form inside, then slowly merge with the person, draining their energy and mana, turning them into Demonite and mutating them at the same time. They are probably directly below the control of the King of the Depths." "I can''t believe it was even worse than I imagined..." the doctor muttered. "Is there anything I can do to help?" "Yeah, there are too many people so if I do this one by one, we will never finish this in time," I nodded. "So we''ll start taking them out byrge batches. If possible, I would like you to help us organize a lot of people together." "I-I see... Very well! Leave it to us!" he nodded, quickly running to prepare. "An ursed Deep Miasmid, huh? That''s not a name we''ve ever heard before," Partner said. "It''s most likely a unique creation of this sealed creature," I exined. "Probably by using the powers of the Divinity it had..." We have to take care of this quickly before things worsen. Chapter 1098: Cleansing, Hunting, And Healing Chapter 1098: Cleansing, Hunting, And Healing ? After some organization, we immediately started the "cleansing, hunting, and healing" process. I had quickly made a three-step process using my special abilities and the help of everyone in here involved. Thanks to the Doctor, we were able to quickly purify everyone who had yet to get infected with Emeraldine''s magic, leaving a veil over their bodies which would protect them from getting infected. Lastly, I spread my shadows below everyone and also summoned several Undead,rge Skeletons, Zombies, and Specters of various shapes and sizes, expanding my [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones] Skill Domain at the same time, giving them powerful Blood Bone Dragon Armor and Weapons to not only them but everyone. The guards and the doctor also wanted to be present, so I had to quickly arm them up with decent defenses and a good enough weapon. I gave everyone Blood Bone Dragon Shields and heavy armor mostly, and also spears. I also had my own equipment such as the Ghoul Armor and the Thunder Spear, which I mixed in between everyone, some of them getting double armor, such as Nia and Celes. "Ahh, this is a bit heavy..." Nia cried. "But I do feel quite protected!" she was wearing full body armor; I couldn''t even see her face. "It''s better to do this than to be sorryter, I guess..." Celes said. "So much equipment on top of equipment..." Arthur said, he seemed a bit ufortable. "Big sis, I think you''re being a bit too overprotective. Why does Partner not wear any armor though? Emeraldine either..." "That''s because they''re tough enough to withstand everything without armor," I said. "Though, they''re still wearing strong equipment, it is just custom made for them by me too, their clothes and everything, it counts as armor, just like my own dress." "Ooh..." Arthur seemed to understand. "Still a bit annoying..." Fabian said. "Auntie, are you sure this''ll work out?" "Don''t worry Fabian, it''s all calcted," I nodded. The n was simple, as everyone would stay around the fifty infected people, I would use the same powers as before and quickly purify them out of the curse, letting the critters out. Then, after that, Emeraldine would conjure healing and barrier magic on the victims, protecting them, and while I also protected them, everyone would take care of the Miasmids. The thing is, even by protecting them, we still had to be careful, so I couldn''t use any of my super destructive attacks. Therefore, it was up to Arthur and the rest to ush small and not so devastating attacks on their own. I''ll fire Blood Dragon Bone Projectiles and try to trap the monsters with Shadow Threads. "Anyways, now that everyone knows their ce int his strategy, let''s begin. There''s no time to waste." I waved my hand, as I spread my powers and imbued them into the bodies of all the infected, their struggling faces slowly rxing as I extracted every single droplet of miasma and cursed energies inside of their bodies. FLUOSH! And there they were, fifty spheres of dark cursed miasma. "Emeraldine, now!" As the spheres started shifting and about to transform, Emeraldine swiftly conjured her purifying magic, healing magic, and barrier magic. FLAAASH! The Miasmids took some damage from the purifying magic, but all of them survived, although confused and in pain, they escaped into the ceilings and walls. "Attack them, now!" As I gave amand, the battle finally began. Explosions of small spells echoed across therge building, weapon attacks reducing the Miasmids into tiny pieces, and my Blood Dragon Bone projectiles constantly dealing damage to them. "Gryyeegh!" The Miasmids had no time to respond, some tried to fire acidic bullets but were quickly blocked by the giant shields I had given to everyone. "Don''t have mercy!" Imanded with great charisma, or well, I think I did, as the attacks continued pouring down, the Miasmids continued being torn to shreds and purified, turned to ashes. The entire battle was quick yet slightly desperate,sting roughly ten minutes. Once we were over, Emeraldine and Arthur did ast check, and purified the entire building a second time, noticing two Miasmids had been hiding beneath the beds, and quickly being taken care of. After a third check, there were no longer any more of these little bastards around. "Looks like we did it, well done! Let''s rest for a bit now..." Everyone sighed in relief, quickly sitting down to rest. Although it wasn''t that tiring to me, everyone else would disagree with me in that statement, as it was indeed quite tiring for them. "Eat something for now, rest, and then we''ll continue. We can''t waste much time as I said," I quickly shared some meals and with Emeraldine and Arthur''s help, we healed everyone from exhaustion or residual Miasma.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om After another fifteen minutes of rest, we moved onto the next batch, fifty more people. The process was pretty much the same without any variables, the critters were a bit more aggressive this time, as if they knew we wereing for them, but died the same anyways. Another ten minutes of rest, and the we moved to the third batch, then the fourth and fifth batches, until we finally had cleansed and healed everyone that hadn''t fully mutated. "So many people fully healed... I can''t believe this!" Doctor Altamar was having a hard time processing how well things went. "We are not done yet though," I said. "We''re moving to the mutated people now; we can''t stop until everyone is fully healed after all." "T-The mutated people... Is it really possible to heal them too, even in their stage?" he asked. "Yeah... I think it should be possible, they will be left very weakened, but I think we can resolve that," I nodded. As for body disfiguration that might be left, I can easily take care of that with my various flesh-maniption and modifying skills. With his lead and the guards, we moved to the staircase leading to the underground prison. There were over a hundred prison rooms down here, almost all of them upied. "I can hear them... Their screams," Arthur sighed. "They''re so confused and in pain..." "Don''t worry, we''ll take care of that," I said. "Let''s do this." Chapter 1099 Youre A Fan Of Helping Others 1099 You''re A Fan Of Helping Others ----- We moved downstairs, where we found thest infected people. They were constantly roaring and groaning, detecting our presences, they immediately attempted to attack us, only being blocked by the hard steel walls. "Grooaargh!" "Grooohhh!" "Raaarrrr!" They werepletely wild and wouldn''t listen to any words whatsoever. Some of them were just starting their transformation, while others had already fully transformed. Extra limbs, tentacles, eyes, and jaws spread through their bodies. The ck spots had be crystals of red, dark purple, or ck color, emanating strong miasmic radiation. I can tell why they''re spreading so fast, the Demonite is purposely made to spread the miasmic infection. "The reason why new infected keep popping up is because of these crystals in their bodies," I exined the doctor. "It spreads a certain miasmic radiation often invisible to the naked eye. These crystals vary in potency and power, some of them, however, are so deadly that they can directly melt flesh upon contact." "I-I see¡­ I suppose you do have quite a lot of experience handling such things, Maria?" wondered Doctor Altamar. "More or less¡­" I nodded. "First of all, we''ll remove all their Demonite though, if it remains in the body after being purified, it might only worsen their health. Fabian, this is where you''ll enter." "Leave it to me," Fabian nodded, stepping forwards. "What will the child do?" the doctor asked. "Fabian used to be a normal human before, but the Vampires used him as a test subject of sorts, transforming him into a half-homunculus, those that were already alive when modified, or as some call them, chimeras," I exined. "Two of my adoptive children, Laura and Takeshi, were souls ced inside already created bodies, though they still went through a lot of pain, once they leveled and evolved, they ended bing Half-Devils, and then Devils, apletely different race of people that use Miasma as their lifeblood and have Demonite Heart Cores." "S-So strange¡­ So there was such a thing happening in the surface, I simply had no idea," the doctor sighed. "So these people, what could they be considered?" "I suppose they could be somethingpletely new due to their circumstances," I said. "They were not experimented on to be like this, nor their bodies were pre-made like this. If anything, they''re a new type of creature, Miasmid Infected, I suppose. Fabian is what you would call a Half-Homunculi, he had been able to survive with his mutations and grew even stronger, but I think he has already evolved into a Half-Devil." "Yeah, I evolved into that not too long ago, actually!" said Fabian. "Since then that I haven''t gone through any pain anymore¡­ And I can better control my Miasma. It is a cursed power put into me by those monsters, but it''s the only thing I have to fight against them, so I''ll simply keep using it while I can. Like this." He pointed his hands at the Infected, their Demonite crystals started slowly tearing themselves out of their bodies, flying towards Fabian and then being absorbed into his own skin. "W-What¡­?!" The Doctor stepped back in utter disbelief. "Maria! Didn''t you said touching them was dangerous?!" he asked. "Not to most of us, if you get strong enough, or are already a monster born from Miasma, then it has little effect," I shrugged. "Of course, Fabian is even more special than that." "Yeah, Fabian can produce, transform, and absorb Demonite Crystals, it is part of his special ability," said Emeraldine. "It is a bit sad, but he has been able to assimte and embrace his powers despite how they hurt him at the beginning¡­" "It is what these people develop, it''s called Miasmic Abilities," I exined. "And now, Fabian is making use of it for good." "I-I see¡­" the doctor seemed to pity the boy a bit. And honestly, I did too. But it wasn''t as if anything else could be done. After all those hardships, he was living and thriving, and after finally taking care of everything over at the desert, he wanted to keep helping people. "Fabian is a hard-working child," smiled Nia. "Thank you for helping him recover, and give him a family, Maria." "Eh? Ah, well, no problem," I said. "It justes out naturally from me most of the time¡­" "Fufu, I know~" Nia petted my shoulders. "Despite how you often act, I am sure you love to help others¡­" "What? I don''t love it¡­" I sighed. "It is all just to get benefits; I am not some wannabe hero or something¡­" "Hah, even I can find the irony at that," Emeraldine giggled. "Hey, quit teasing master!" Partnerined. "Ah¡­ I mean, if I have the strength and the power, why not help a bit, sometimes? So much strength goes to waste if I don''t use it, right?" I shrugged. "It just so happens that all these people tormenting innocents are all perfect bags of experience points, it just coincidence!" "Big sis, you don''t really need to hide it, you''ve always been a fan of helping others even before turning into a ghost,"ughed Arthur. "I still remember how you would wander around our town helping anybody you found with your magic, although it didn''t work well sometimes." "Yeah¡­ I do remember that too," I nodded. "I finally can remember all those times too." As I kept chatting with everyone, Fabian finally returned. "It''s done, they have strong regeneration abilities, so their wounds healed quickly," Fabian said. "I took all their Demonite, and I feel¡­ A bit bloated, I''ll need some time to digest everything, but I think I might get stronger from this. I didn''t know I could get stronger by eating other Demonite than the one I produce." "A pretty convenient power, actually! Now, let''s begin! It is quite convenient they''re all in cells," I said. "Let''s use same strategy as before. I''ll extract the Miasmids, Emeraldine heals and conjures barriers, and everyone kills the critters. Can you do it on a long row, Emeraldine?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I sure can, don''t worry," she was confident about it. "Then let''s begin." ----- Chapter 1100 Slaying Miasmids 1100 ying Miasmids ----- n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "SHAAAH!" The Miasmids emerged one after another,ing out of each cell I purified by absorbing the people inside''s miasma and gathering into a single sphere. Their shapes varied, from crabs to giant shrimps, ms, and even fish this time, their appearance was as varied as the ocean creatures. They were all the wicked children of that thing, the King of the Depths, whatever it is, it''s beginning to rub me the wrong way already. I am almost certain it probably possesses an Evil God Fragment now, there''s no way any other creature could create these monstrosities out of nowhere! "Now!" "On it!" "Okay!" "Let''s do it!" Emeraldine conjured her magic, this timebining it with Arthur and Celes. Why? So her barriers and healing can expand much faster. Yang Essence, Divine Spiritual Energy of Light and Nature, and Divine Spiritual Essence of Oasis allbined together into a wave of liquid gold energies, washing down across the entire room. SPLAAASH! The Miasmids were quickly caught up as well, suffering and agonizing as their bodies burned and melted down the more they touched this "liquid". The barrier then strengthened and materialized, bing solid gold in appearance, protecting all the wounded from the Miasmids that might try getting back into their vessels. "Kill them!" Imanded an army of Blood Dragon Skeletons to fight, which I had already mined out of my [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones] Domain and brought them over here using my phantom clones. "ROAAR!" The Blood Dragon Skeletons roared furiously, rushing to fight with tremendously high stats stacked together. Alongside that, Nia, Partner, and Fabian also joined the fight, and the doctor and the guards behind us too. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions of magic and weapon techniques were unleashed constantly, the Miasmid stood absolutely no chance, their bodies quickly being torn to shreds and then burned to ashes. Naturally, I also did my part, as the owner of the Sunlight Divine Throne, I conjured a myriad of spells and skills rted to that Divinity, sting the Miasmids after they were weakened. The thing is, if you don''t use light to turn them into ashes, they simply won''t die, even after being cut to pieces and so on, they would slowly regenerate ande back, which was very annoying. So, while letting everyone weaken them and temporarily paralyze them by crushing the Miasmids, Arthur, Emeraldine, and I used our light magic to turn them into ashes. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The battle continued for a couple of minutes, but ultimately, we came on top. After making sure no Miasmids were left behind, we quickly moved on to heal the people and reconstruct any facial disfiguration left behind. And there were many¡­ But thanks to everyone working together, that was also taken care of within twenty minutes. After that, the people were taken out of the cells and gently brought back to the surface by my shadows. "Phew! I think that should be it for now," I sighed in relief. "That was a lot more intense than I would have originally expected." "I have to admit the same thing¡­" Doctor Altamar said. "I can''t believe they ended being strange, cursed beings instead of just a disease¡­ I failed as a doctor for not being able to see such a thing." "It''s fine, you couldn''t do everything on your own," I said. "Now that we''re done here, let''s quickly report the good news to the king and the queen, and also these people¡­ Will they go back to their homes?" "Ah, yes! They had already been notified, all their families areing soon to pick their family members, everyone must be extremely happy!" said Altamar. "Well, a good job well done, everyone! We can finally go to sleep¡­" I yawned. "Let''s get going." They told us that the King and the Queen were already sleeping¡­ So they''ll end up giving the good news tomorrow morning, and as for us? We all went to our beds to sleep. It was nice that they had bubbles with air here, so we could sleep without feeling ufortable, I simply couldn''t imagine myself trying to sleep while being submerged underwater. And, well, there were a lot of rewards, I checked them as I cuddled between Emeraldine and Nia, Partner was between me and Emeraldine, but ced herself lower, I guess she wanted to rest over my belly¡­ Ding! [You and your party have defeated [ursed Deep Miasmid (A+ Rank)] x372!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [¡­] [Your Level has increased from Level 201 to Level 214!!] [All your stats have increased. You earned Bonus Level Up System Points.] [The Level of several Skills has increased.] [You learned the Support Skill: [Divine Purifying Sunlight: Lv1]!] ----- [Divine Purifying Sunlight: Lv1] A Divine Skill only learned by those capable of controlling a Divinity of Sunlight. Harness Mana and Divine power, channeling your Divinity of Sunlight to unleash a blinding, purifying, and cleansing sunlight sh to any target within your sight on an adjustable perimeter of up to 500 meters, with an additional +50 meters with each Skill Level. Healing Effects and Damage Effects can be switched as the user desires, and their Healing or Damage is based on 150% of the user''s Magic and Divinity Statsbined, with an additional +25% with each Skill Level. ----- [You acquired the Title Skill: [Miasmid yer: Lv1]!] ----- [Miasmid yer: Lv1] A Title granted to those that have in over three hundred Miasmid entities, monstrosities born from Miasma and Corrupted Divinity. When fighting any Miasmid, Miasma-type, Darkness-type, Death-type, and Chaos-type foes, Damage Dealt increases by +100%, with an additional +10% with each Skill level. You can also ignore 20% of their defenses and all your stats increase by +15%. ----- These two new Skills are pretty nice, I would say so myself. However, they weren''t the big thing about today, no, the big thing was the questpletion, naturally! It was a big quest too, so if Ipleted it in less than 3 days, I wonder if the rewards would be better¡­ ----- Chapter 1101 Quest Complete 1101 Quest Complete ----- Yes, the quest, of course I can''t forget my free stuff. And here it was¡­ the penalties were big, so I hope the rewards make up for risking it. Ding! [You have sessfullypleted the Special {Main Story Quest}: [Save the Infected Mermen From the Miasmic Infection] [Congrattions! Not only were you able to find the real cause of the disease and destroyed it from the root, but you were also able to heal everyone to full health andpletely secured the safety of the affected, even the mutated.] [You and your friends have saved hundreds of lives now, and each one of them is eternally grateful for what you''ve done for them, and so are all their family members, who missed them so much, and were so worried about what had happened to them.] [You have already saved the Aquarose Kingdom twice in a row, but the King of the Depths remains alive¡­ You can''t leave before taking him down, or the same tragedy you''ve managed to prevent might repeat itself in the future.] [Completion Rewards]: [50.000.000 EXP] [10.000.000 System Points] [Aquarose Kingdom''s Citizens Trust +1.000.000] [Aquarose Kingdom Mermen Themed Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Lost Crown of Antis Fragment (??? Grade)] x1] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 214 to Level 215/300!] [All your Stats increased. You gained bonus System Points.] Ah, even more items and even a level up, not bad! Also there''s the Trust? It''s a stat? Now that feels a bit odd, huh¡­ Oh well, it''s nice, and that''s the only thing that matters at the end of the day. I got yet another of those crown fragments, which is a bit concerning, I got two now, and it seems that I''m missing two more fragments toplete this item. I should ask the King and the Queen about what exactly these are tomorrow morning, I guess. For now, I should simply sleep, even with all my power, I do feel slightly mentally exhausted, a good nap would be nice. . . . Deep within Maria''s Shadow Realm, the Cultivators of the World of Murim remained in silence, sitting above the eternal darkness. Maria had ced them there for the time being, supplying them with basic necessities until they were of any use, or until she returned to Murim. At first, the young disciples hadined a bit, but their old master had convinced them that this was much better than dying, and that if they acted obediently, great things might await them in the future. However, as they tried to use this time on meditation and cultivation to not waste it away, they couldn''t help but feel disturbed¡­ Indeed, Maria''s Shadow Realm, was a Realm formed inside her own Shadows and Darkness, contained inside of her body and her shadow itself, which she could manipte, fuse into other people''s shadows, and create portals to. It was also where she stored all her Undead, so the often ruthless and cold cultivators had to deal with living surrounded by thousands of Undead. Of all shapes and sizes, some were ghosts, other skeletons, some others were zombies and had nasty smell. But they had to deal with it, they couldn''t escape or do anything! It wouldn''t be an overstatement to say Maria had them as hostages for the moment, and the only reason she didn''t killed them was because they begged for mercy and also because they had some use in the near future. "Elder Wu Lieng, just how long do we have to be here? This is¡­ beyond disgusting,"ined one of the young disciples. "Silence," Wu Lieng opened one of his eyes, as he was trying to meditate. "The Undead here could easily rip us all apart into pieces, you know? I might be strong, so I could probably kill a few many, but eventually, I would too die. They are incredibly powerful for just her soldiers. Don''t provoke their wrath!" "A-Ah, yes¡­" The disciples quickly tried to remain calm andposed, but the stench of rotten corpses walking nearby and the wails of specters, and even the crackle and sound of skeletons'' bones was horribly stressful and infuriating! "Ugh¡­" "Patience, patience¡­" "This is¡­ torture¡­" "I miss the brightness of the sun¡­" N?v(el)B\\jnn They were truly sorrowful, and their master, who had grown them slightly spoiled because they were very talented, couldn''t help but sigh. At his old age, he could say this was a paradisepared to other things he had gone through. Some of them included hiding beneath piles of corpses for days to not be caught by enemy units in the middle of wars, escaping for his life for over a year while being chased by powerful assassins, and even when he was publicly humiliated and tortured by a demonic sect when he was caught stealing from their storage at a young age. "Younglings, you''ve grown too spoiled, think about even worse things, and this will only be a breeze," sighed Wu Lieng. "Youin too much, but you don''t even realize the level of kindness that Lady Maria has. We''re in good hands, rx and cultivate. We will eventually get out of here. I am sure her kindness wouldn''t let us rot here for an eternity." "I sure hope¡­" sighed one of the disciples, he looked like an average cultivation story side character, sharp Chinese eyes, pale white skin, and long ck hair. "Wait, what''s that?" He pointed at the distance, seeing something moving in between the sea of walking corpses, it wasn''t like the rest, it was moving and alive, exuding a powerful aura. It was a giant being unlike the rest, whose body was covered on brilliant, purple-colored crystal-like scales, exuding an aura of draconic and divine power. "T-That''s a dragon?!" Wu Lieng gasped. "And not one from Murim, but a Divine Dragon from Yggdrasil, one of the strongest dragons in the entire tower¡­! Why¡­ Why does Lady Maria have one just sleeping inside his Shadows?" The giant purple dragon was still sleeping, but as it slept, it started to move around. Soon, it would wake up¡­ Chapter 1102 Arachne Wakes Up Chapter 1102 Arachne Wakes Up ----- But that wasn''t all, as the slumbering dragon began to slowly wake up from her long rest and recovery, someone else, a little slothful girl was also waking up. RUMBLE! The entirety of the Shadow Realm trembled; all five cultivators ended jumping out of the floor as they noticed a mass of shadows hanging from the ceiling beginning to be torn apart. It resulted that such a thing wasn''t just part of the Shadow Realm, no, it was some sort of cocoon-like creation made using spiderweb-like secretion. Crack, crack¡­! "W-What is that thing?!" "Master, is it some sort of monster?!" "How many horrors are sealed down here?" "R-Run!" Wu Lieng wasn''t calm this time, the enormous demonic pressure he felt surging from the cocoon was the real deal. "Run as quickly as you can!" He quickly started to run away with the other four cultivators, as the entire Shadow Realm trembled. Hundreds of Undead were thrown away by the enormous shockwaves of demonic energy. TRUUUM! It felt like the entire Realm was being torn apart, and it was just the cocoon being destroyed! It didn''t make any sense. Whatever was inside of that cocoon, it had suddenly be even more powerful than before. Demonic Energy surged endlessly, making the cultivators kneel and forcing all the Undead to escape or be blown away into pieces. As Wu Lieng revealed the truth, the disciples fell intoplete silence. Slowly, the demonic energy started to go back to the cocoon, the cultivators nced in disbelief at the entity that surged from within it. it was actually not that big, she looked like a girl in her teenager years, with long ck and white colored hair, sharp crimson eyes, and six more purple eyes in her forehead. "A-A girl?" wondered one of the cultivators. "No, that''s definitely not just a girl, you fool!" a second cried. "M-Master Wu Lieng, what is she?!" the third disciple asked. Wu Lieng remained in silence as he nced at the girl, her powers distorted her surroundings, even Maria''s Shadow Realm could barely contain her inside. "That''s¡­ I''ve heard about them, a Cmity!" As Wu Lieng revealed the truth, the disciples fell intoplete silence. In every world of the Tower, Cmities existed. It was thought that they were regtors, disasters, some called them "Raid Bosses", but they would continuously appear through the eons. In the world of Yggdrasil, Cmities were assigned a Sin, but in other worlds, they were often times carrying a different power, often dark or opposite to the good side. In the world of Murim, Cmities also existed, and Wu Lieng still remembered the first time he saw one. It was the time his entire vige was destroyed, hundreds of years ago, when the Cmity that was once a man, the three-headed golden dragon, destroyed everything. How? By burning it all with his golden mes, anything that burned by his mes became glittering gold, which he tore apart and ate¡­ Even the old Murim master felt perplexed, the presence of a Cmity, its demonic aura, its overwhelming power. The origin of Cmities was still a mystery in Murim, but it was known that they were able to continuously grow stronger by devouring life. However, the girl in front of them was¡­ a bit different. Large arachnid legs surged from her back, as if tearing through her skin, they helped her walk out of the ceiling, reaching the ground below. Her sharp eyes red at them, noticing their presence there. The aura the girl exuded was strong enough to make them feel lethargic, their bodies felt heavier, and it was as if they didn''t want to move anymore. "W-What is this demonic presence?!" muttered Wu Lieng. "W-Who are you?! Ugh¡­!" "¡­" the girl looked down at them, rapidly moving towards their direction, her many arachnid legs making the entire Realm tremble. They couldn''t move, they couldn''t do a single thing, in fact! Other than just watch as she approached, about to eat them. "You¡­" she asked, her sharp arachnid eyes ring into their very souls. "Y-Yes?" Wu Lieng looked upwards, only to notice her face still looked like that of a little girl. "Are you new around here? I didn''t know mama left some new friends!" she said with a happy smile. "Nice to meet you¡­ I was feeling so sleepytely, so I slept a lot¡­ But it seemed it was because I could evolve! I didn''t know!" "I-I see¡­" muttered Wu Lieng. "Wait, by mother you mean Maria?" "Yes!" smiled the girl. Wu Lieng then gave a look at his disciples. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om If the woman named Maria had a "daughter" that was a Cmity as strong as the three-headed golden dragon, then there was little point in ever doubting her! "N-Nice to meet you then¡­" muttered the old man. "You all, greet her." "Y-Yes, I greet you¡­" "It is an honor¡­" "I-I hope you had¡­ a good sleep?" "Please don''t eat us¡­" "Hehehe, you guys are funny! I''m going outside, bye!" the girl quickly crawled out of the shadows, which easily allowed her to move outside. The cultivators had tried so long to escape the shadows, but were always unable to, however this girl didn''t even have to force her way out and was able to escape easily! "So? Are you fools ever going to doubt her again?" Wu Lieng asked his disciples. "N-No, never¡­" "She''s¡­ she might really be strong enough to do much more, yes." "I thought my life was going to end in that moment!" "Ugh¡­ I think I''m going to puke¡­" As Wu Lieng looked at Arachne disappear, he sighed. When did everything went to shit so much? Well, from the very beginning, living a terrible life like his ended bringing him to this point. "I might have stepped too far from my own boundaries now¡­" he thought. "To think I would end up meddling with such powerful beings¡­" But perhaps this was an opportunity for the old man. The very reason he had begun growing so strong through all these years. And the reason why he meddled with Yggdrasil''s Vampires to obtain their powerful techniques. It was all to avenge his vige, and his family. To kill the Three-Headed Golden Dragon, the strongest Cmity of Murim. "I have to convince Lady Maria to help me kill him¡­ No matter what." As he made up his resolve, Arachne went to greet Maria''s morning. ----- Chapter 1103: A Plan To Extract A Sin Chapter 1103: A n To Extract A Sin ? (Maria''s POV) The next morning arrived quite quickly, quicker than I thought. The sun here though, barely reached these depths, but it did shine through the windows, it was a small, azure light that came from above the seas. I somehow miss the sun despite never being a big fan of it as a ghost. Is it because of the Divine Throne I took, perhaps? Whatever the case, it was time to start another day here. I don''t know how long we''ll be staying in this Kingdom, probably no longer than a week. But for now, I think we should get ready to go take down the King of the Depths. After that, we could rx a couple more days and then quickly depart back home. I already miss that old castle where we live, and also the nearby Dwarven Kingdom, and all our people living there. I can see them through my summons, but I just want to go meet them personally. "Come on, time to wake up everyone, we can''t just sleep forever here, the sun barelyes out of the window," I tried to wake up Partner, Nia, and Emeraldine, who were cuddling with me. "Ah... Did I oversleep? My bad..." Emeraldine sat down over the bed, still looking sleepy. "I want to cuddle some more..." Nia wouldn''t let go of me, hugging me even tightly than before. "Hmm? It''s morning already...? No way, we barely slept..." Partner yawned, showing her big vampire teeth while doing so. "Hm? Wait, what''s that?" However, as I was helping my cute girls wake up, suddenly, my shadows flickered. And I felt something really powerful emerge from them. Wait, is that Arachne? Now that I remember, there was somemotion inside my Shadow Realm... FLUOSH! My shadows flickered and opened, revealing Arachne crawling out of them. However, her appearance was much more different than before. She looked more... I don''t know, grown up? Before she looked like a girl in her eight years of age, but right now she looked like someone in their fourteen or fifteen. Above all, her hair changed colors, gaining ck and white colors. Her eyes also changed, she grew six permanent spider-like eyes over her forehead, going along her two sharp crimson eyes, imitating the eight eyes of a spider! Also her hands were covered in ck exoskeleton, with sharp w-like tips in each of her fingers, her toes were the same. Andstly... Well, she had a much more "arachnid" vibe to her, of course, I was not including the eight-giant spider-like legsing from her back. "Arachne!" "Mama! I woke up!" Arachne jumped out, quickly rushing to hug me with her big spider ws and her smaller arms. I felt her hug very strongly, she almost broke the wall behind! §£§¡§¡§®! "Ugh... I am happy to see you''re awake again, dear..." I groaned. "But do you need to be so rough?" "Sorry...! I was happy to see you again, I slept a lot..." she yawned. "But I feel a bit more energetic after sleeping so long!" She sure did sleep a lot. Probably more than a week. Her Sloth Sin is bing worse. And I think her evolution, although it gave her a lot of power, is only making her condition worsen. "You look a bit different, mama?" she wondered. "Like, I can feel it all over you, lots of power... And divinity power?" she wondered, tilting her head. "Yes, yes, a lot happened while you slept, Arachne," I nodded. "I''ll tell you more... So first, sit down and listen, alright?" "Oh? Okay!" she nodded without hesitation. After that, as we woke up, I exined her what had happened.N?v(el)B\\jnn Nyx was sleeping with her dad in an adjacent bed, so the two slowly woke up from all themotion. Jonathan was in the other bed to the left, he had been awake for some time, but just recently walked out of bed. Andstly, my brother, he was sleeping in the bed right in front of mine. Oh, and little Celes was in my bed, he would go anywhere his mama, Nia would go, so he quickly stayed with her by our side. He''s a clingy child, simr to Nyx, it''s going to be hard to separate him from his mom to have some alone time with Nia sometimes... But well, he''s such a cute and good-hearted child, so it doesn''t matter if he bes my little adoptive son or something. Though, seeing how he has a crush for Nyx, perhaps future son-inw would fit better? "So that happened... a lot happened then..." Arachne nodded. "Wow, we''re under the sea now? I never thought we would go underwater like this... Amazing..." Arachne walked into the window and saw the sea outside, she was very happy, her big eyes shining brightly. "She evolved, right? She feels much stronger..." Lucifermented. "Yeah, I believe she underwent a new evolution, her Sin is constantly forcing her to transform and be bigger and stronger, I wouldn''t say it''s exactly a bad thing but... Well, ites with a lot of drawbacks too," I sighed. "Hmmm, Arachne, you don''t feel sleepy?" Nyx wondered. "Not much right now, I want to eat with everyone!" Arachne smiled, but then she yawned a bit. Was she forcing herself awake? Damn, the sin is only getting worse... Perhaps it should be about time I perform that ritual. I had gotten that one book from Hel for this very reason. A special grimoire of ancient times, held by old wizards that discovered and brought the sins into this world. This was the origin of the Cmities as we know them today. I''ve been reading that book over and over again, and I''ve already memorized that special ritual formation. I have enough materials for it, mostly souls and corpses. And I can use my own blood as a sacrifice too. So the only thing left, is to perform it. But the thing is, would Arachne be okay with me striping it away from her? After all, it is what makes her so strong. I will try to make it so the power she gained won''t disappear but... Even then, she won''t be able to grow stronger so easily after the sin is extracted. Would she be okay with that? Chapter 1104: Arachne, What Do You Want? Chapter 1104: Arachne, What Do You Want? ? Before doing anything, I took a look at Arachne''s Status, it has been a while. [Name]: [Arachne Arachneia] [Race]: [Primordial Dark Arachneia Empress of Sloth] [Rank]: [SSS+] [Level]: [0/250] [HP]: [7.500.000/7.500.000] [MP]: [8.500.000/8.500.000] [Attack]: [7.650.000] [Defense]: [8.070.000] [Magic]: [8.050.000] [Agility]: [5.270.000] {Characteristic Skills}: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Arachneia Supreme Authority: Lv--] [Primordial Beast Body: Lv10] [Body Transformation: Lv9] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [God Language: Lv6] [Primordial Thread Weaving: Lv10] [Primordial Poison Fangs: Lv9] [Supernatural Great Senses: Lv9] [Great Eight Eyes of Destruction: Lv9] [Corrupted Divinity: Cmity of Sloth: Lv1] [True Vessel of Sloth: Lv1] {Resistance Skills}: [Status Effect Great Resistance: Lv10] [Greater Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Great Elemental Resistance: Lv10] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv--] [Erosion Immunity: Lv--] [Chaos Immunity: Lv--] {Physical Skills}: [Masterful Thread Maniption: Lv10] [Imprable Chitin Shell: Lv10] [Orichalcum Body: Lv10] [Slothful Aura Manifestation: Lv8] [Dream Parasite: Lv1] {Magical Skills}: [Spider Queen''s Shadow Magic: Lv10] [Abyssal Magic: Lv8] [Primordial Sin Magic: Sloth: Lv8] [Cmity Chaos Magic: Lv1] [Nightmare Magic: Lv1] {Support Skills}: [Slothful Rest: Lv8] [Commander Of Cmity: Lv8] [Sleeping Growth: Lv1] {Title Skills}: [Primordial Beast: Lv10] [Arachneia Empress: Lv10] [Primordial Thread User: Lv10] [Primordial Poison User: Lv10] [Lonely Empress: Lv8] [Snake''s Friend: Lv10] [True Cmity: Sloth: Lv8] [Sleeping Princess of Spiders: Lv9] [Sleepy Head: Lv10] [Dreamer: Lv8] [Adopted Daughter Of The Saintess of Death: Lv10] [Awakened Sloth: Lv1] {Divine Protections}: [Loki''s Divine Protection] [Hel''s Divine Protection] {Curse}: [Demonic Stigma: Sloth] They had increased a lot again! However, I can''t believe my stats are even higher now. I remember when she was so strong the first time I meet her, her stats were out of this world. Yet not only I''ve caught up to her, but I''ve now be twice if not thrice as strong now... I sure grow fast, it''s a bit insane when I sit down and think about it. She got some new, dangerous-sounding Skills, and honestly I am beginning to think that it might be a bit toote to take her sin now.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Everything appears to show that she''s been assimting more and more of the sin. Has she fully assimted it now? I can''tpletely tell, but it exudes from her body naturally now, creating an aura that makes people feel lethargic. Thankfully, thanks to Emeraldine''s presence of light and spiritual divinity, she was able to cancel Arachne''s Aura. I think I could control it using my Boundless Status thanks to Ginnungagap''s blessing, if I ever take the sin for myself. And I believe it might be the only option if I want Arachne to have a normal life... She sleeps for so long, that many things always happen, so it''s a bit sad when she wakes up to find so much time has passed, and she has missed so many things. So, as we were having breakfast already, with Arachne eating a big feast with Nyx and Celes by her side, I decided to exin her my n. The King and the Queen had yet to wake up apparently, and only the princesses and their guards joined us for breakfast. Apparently the two rulers of the Kingdom were up untilte assessing a myriad of things. "Arachne, your powers are rted with the Sin of Sloth, right?" I asked her. "I know this might be a delicate topic, but I think it was about time we addressed it... Since I met you for the first time that you were very different than the rest. You were born inside a dungeon and raised by the Arachneia, and they raised you as their little queen. But you were always a Cmity, born and chosen to be that." "Hm, I know..." Arachne nodded. "I''m always grateful that mama wasn''t afraid of me, and that she gave me a lot ofpany. My family is nice, but they can''t talk, and are a bit cold, and they can''t cuddle with me... But mama was always cuddly." She looked a bit sad after recalling that though, as she cleansed her mouth that was full of barbeque sauce. "Mama makes me good food and loves me, and brings me to all kinds of ces I would have never went to before! I-It doesn''t matter if I sleep most of the time... don''t feel bad about it," she smiled. "It''s okay! A-As long as I can see mama, and everyone when I wake up, it''s fine..." || We remained in silence after hearing Arachne''s words. She was trying to calm us down, she perhaps thought we were sad. And well, we were, at least I was sad about her situation, I wanted it to end. "I know I can''t be present... all the time..." she was about to fall asleep, but woke herself up forcefully. "A-And it''s fine... Don''t worry about me!" "No, I don''t think it''s fine, Arachne," I said. "Your origins and everything, you were born to be a Cmity, but is that okay with you? What would you say if I offered you a chance... A chance to change? I''ve discovered something, a ritual that could take away that sin that torments you." "Huh?" her eight eyes lit up. "R-Really?" "Maria..." Lucifer looked at me worried, because the ritual included transferring the sin to my own body instead. "You don''t have to-" "It''s fine," I looked back at him, with a smile. "I can take it." I looked back at Arachne with a nod. "I can! Lady Hel, who recently blessed you, is also a bit fond of you. She gave me a special book, and with it, there''s a ritual we can perform to take it away," I said. "It would be a bit long and perhaps stressing for you, and painful too... But I think it could work. I''ll make sure it works, no matter what." Arachne seemed surprised, still not believing what I was saying. "So? Would you like that or...?" I asked. "Maybe you don''t want to? It''s perfectly fine if you don''t... I guess it''s your choice." "My choice...?" Arachne looked at her own reflection over the ss of water. Chapter 1105: For How Long Can You Resist? Chapter 1105: For How Long Can You Resist? ? As she battled her drowsiness, Arachne recalled her life so far, as she heard what Maria had to say. The sole concept of not being tied by the sin of Sloth anymore was something she had dreamed about so many times already, but that she never truly considered something real. Why? It wasn''t because she was just a child that had no idea about anything, but it was because of her very existence. Her birth, her very being, her everything... Although some Cmities are chosen after growing up by the Cmity Seed, or have it transferred from another, deceased Cmity, there are also Cmities that are born to be them. Arachne was one of them, the Sin of Sloth shaped her to be her vessel the moment she was born. She never knew something else, nor she knew any better. Since she was nothing but a little spider inside an egg, that the Sin of Sloth made her its vessel, transforming her, and giving her the appearance she had. She looked so different than the rest of the Arachnea, a race of giant spider monsters for this very reason. Because of this, she always felt excluded, even when her kindred took care of her. They groomed her, feed her, and even used their spiderwebs to craft her all matter of items to help her in her daily life, they truly cared for her. But their cold, big eyes, their giant bodies... it created a sense of strangeness to her, something she often hid by just sleeping, and sleeping, and sleeping. She knew she was smarter than her kindred, she knew they were like drones, obeying her very whim and helping her in everything. And because of thisck of sense of individuality between them, she couldn''t make friends, and she couldn''t see them as individual family members like a mother, or a father, or a sibling. She felt lonely, even as she developed, she felt trapped, suffocating inside of the depths of her dungeon. Until a little snake suddenly appeared, it was Maria. Back then she didn''t know who it was, or what it wanted, but it was yful and nice, perhaps the first ever little critter she kept that didn''t die instantly to her powerful, demonic presence. For many months, and over a year, she spent time with the spider, and slowly learned her true identity, as Maria. After getting to know her, Maria manifested a phantasmal form there, one that little Arachne loved, she was not just a friend, but her motherly attitude quickly made her feel more like a big sister, and then a mother. It didn''t take too long for Arachne to start calling her "mama", because she was perhaps the first ever motherly figure in her entire life, the Arachneia were too cold and distant for her to ever call any of them her mom. And although one of themid the egg where she hatched, none of them ever revealed who it was, they were all indeed just drones,cking individualism. But Maria was different, a ghost or not, a snake or not, she was her mama... Maria taught her many things, how to speak better, how to read, she slowly softened her heart, and made her act less cold as well. She did this mostly because she didn''t want a being as powerful as Arachne to grow up spiteful and aggressive against the world. She raised her carefully, teaching her the good and bad things about the world, but always making emphasis in the good ones. Maria was still unexperienced with children back then, but she ended doing a wonderful job. A being born to be a Cmity, whom Loki had specifically created so she would eventually destroy the Continent of Midgard, ended bing Maria''s adopted daughter. Arachne didn''t know what the God of Mischief and Chaos looked like, or who he was. He had never ever showed himself to her, nor ever talked to her either. To him she was but a tool, but that tool was slowly shaped into an actual person. Maria could''ve guessed already, back then, that Loki was probably rather frustrated... But she didn''t really care, the girl deserved a different life, even if she was created to be a monster, even if she was destined to be a Cmity that would destroy Midgard. She wouldn''t let Loki get away with that! Yet... What did Arachne think about this through this entire time? Maria was always careful and delicate of how she talked with her, she didn''t want to provoke her or make her angered, so she often never asked all these questions. But after seeing how she had grown so much and developed a strong individuality; she asked that question. Arachne honestly felt conflicted. For one part, she wanted to be freed from her shackles, to finally do as she pleases, and to not be cursed to sleep almost every time, for days and days.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om She was honestly happy as she was, even if she couldn''t join the adventures all the time... But if she could actually wake up and be awake for hours like everyone else, and sleep normally and not for months or weeks, she would give away everything for that. But something deep down within her own instincts told her that rejecting her very being as a Cmity was something she simply couldn''t do. It was anti-natural, it was going against thews of the world, and even of the god that granted her these powers and created her. Even as much as she had resisted these urges, as she evolved, she felt them stronger than ever. Destroy the mortals. Bring cmity to the continent of Midgard! Fill the continent with your spiders and devour everyone''s souls. These weren''t just orders; these were instincts surging from the depths of her very being. And only thanks to Maria and everyone here, was she able to fight against them. But for how long? For how long would Arachne be able to resist, before the bonds she had made with everyone here no longer meant anything, as her instincts would take over and force her to destroy everything? Such was the fate of a True Cmity... Yet Maria was not going to let that happen. "Arachne..." She held her adoptive daughter''s hand gently. "Tell me what you really want." "I..." Chapter 1106: Her Answer Chapter 1106: Her Answer ? Maria knew there was something wrong with Arachne, her new evolution wasn''t just that, it brought to her a powerful, demonic instinct, that she had tried to suppress this entire time. That very same instinct that made the undead escape from her and even made the cultivators almost die out of horror, the same presence that made Wu Lieng be reminded of the Cmity that destroyed his home, the Three-Headed Golden Dragon. It was simply an Aura, but it suppressed everything so much, that only a few could manage to cancel its effects by ovepping them with their own divine auras. Maria knew that if Arachne continued developing this deadly power, it would only bring her demise, or everyone else''s demise. "Arachne..." She held her adoptive daughter''s hand gently, as she appeared by her side. Her crimson eyes looked at Arachne''s eight eyes, they looked about to cry. "Tell me what you really want." "I..." A simple question was all she really needed. Arachne''s little fists tightened up, as she looked back at her mama and hugged her belly. And Maria quickly felt her warm tears covering her dress. "I don''t want to be a monster..." Arachne started weeping, tears constantly falling from her eight eyes. "I didn''t want to be born like this! Please help me, mama...!" Arachne let it all out, as she started crying like she had never done before. This was perhaps the first time that Maria ever saw the girl even shedding a tear. And it was all the emotions she had been bottling up deep inside of her heart. Since the moment she was born that she didn''t want to be a monster. She didn''t feel identified with her kindred, she even felt slightly afraid of them at the beginning. And as she experienced life with Maria and her family, she realized she didn''t want anything else than to be like them. A family, people... She didn''t want to be a monster at all. It was a horrible curse given to her when she was just born, without it, she might''ve been a normal Arachneia, incapable of even recognizing herself as an individual. But after being born like this, she was given intelligence, a personality, and a sense of self. It was both a curse and a blessing, and one she didn''t want to carry anymore. "Arachne..." Maria felt moved by the girl, hugging her back. "Don''t worry... I will heal you, I will take the Sin away, I promise you. Once it''s done, you will be a normal girl, or at least, free from it... I don''t know ifpletely normal, haha... But don''t worry." "Mama..." Arachne kept weeping, rubbing her face on Maria''s belly. "I love you mama... You''re the only person... that ever showed me kindness..." "Ah dear..." Maria was about to cry too, she hugged he girl, letting her little head rest over her shoulders. "Of course, I love you as your mother... I will always do, don''t worry." She gently kissed her cheek and her little nose, smiling back at Arachne, and cleaning her tears, having eight eyes made her face covered in too many of them. "Eat as much as possible before anything, alright? We''ll start once everyone is done. In the meantime, I will begin preparations inside my Soul Scape," Maria said. "We''re doing it in there?" wondered Arachne. "Yep, it''s the safest ce I can think of right now," Maria nodded, petting her head. "Nyx, Celes, I''m counting on you two tofort her for now..." "Y-Yeah, don''t worry about it, mama!" Nyx nodded, her cute tail wagging. "Arachne''s my big sis after all!" "Big sis?" wondered Arachne. "B-But I was mean to Nyx before..." "It''s fine! I a forgive Arachne!" Nyx smiled cutely. "Let''s be sisters!" "N-Nyx..." Arachne nodded. "T-Thank you... I''m so happy..." She ended being hugged by Nyx too, as Maria''s little daughterforted her.N?v(el)B\\jnn Maria''s little baby was very good at understanding people''s emotions and responding ordingly. "She was so well raised, I''m so proud of her." Maria thought. "I-I''ll do what I can too..." Celes nodded. "At least, we''ll try to not let her fall asleep." "Yeah, if she falls asleep right now, I can''t do the ritual, it requires her to stay awake at least until it begins," Maria exined. "Then we''ll also help however we can!" said Fabian. "Hi, I guess we''ve never really talked properly before..." "Nice to meet you Arachne!" said Spectra. "Yeah... Hi," Beery smiled. "We just have to keep you busy talking, right?" wondered Garon. "Then it''s not that hard!" Nick nodded. "Thank you everyone..." yawned Arachne. "Aah, it''s hard to resist it..." "Let''s keep her busy!" said Nyx. "Hey, Celes, can you ssh water into her face too?" "Eh? I can but is she okay with it?" Celes wondered. "It''s fine, don''t worry!" Arachne nodded. "T-Thank you... hmm..." she was slowly drowsily about to close her eyes again. SPLASH! However, Celes responded quickly, dropping a bit of very cold water into her face, making her quickly open her eyes wide. "Ahh! R-Right, no sleep, no sleep... I''ll eat while we talkt-then!" Arachne quickly started eating as Maria hurriedly prepared the ritual formation inside her Soul Scape. She arranged all necessary materials, most of them extracted from her Soul Scape and also from her Undead army, such as corpses, souls, and fresh blood. "You''re really going to extract a sin from a Cmity?" Tyr started to reprimand her. "Are you crazy, Maria?! Do you think that would even work?" "I have to try, Tyr!" Maria said. "I know the method, it has to work, I''ll make it work!" "You..." Tyr sighed. "Okay, let me help them... What can I do?" Tyr sighed, recalling a bit of his past, his fragmented memoriesing back the more Maria absorbed new fragments of the evil god. He also had a little family of his own, a wife and even two children... The god could rte to Maria''s struggles, and how a good parent would do anything for their kids. Even if it means having to do the impossible, they wouldn''t rest until they did it. "Thank you, Tyr, really." Maria and Tyr continued creating the Demonic Ritual Formation. Slowly, it all came together. And the Ritual was soon about to begin. Chapter 1107: Sin-Extraction Ritual Chapter 1107: Sin-Extraction Ritual ? Ten minutester, and the Ritual Formation was finally done. Arachne was barely awake as she was being kept distracted by all her friends and Celes water sshes. She was very strong, resisting the urge to sleep by her deadly sin was something incredible andmendable. Maria quickly carried her half-sleep daughter towards the center of the Ritual, where she had carved an altar made of Death Stone, refined, and synthetized with Demonite Crystals of the highest impurity. This altar was the centerpiece of this Demonic Ritual, Maria had copied it at 100% uracy from how it was depicted in the Demonic Grimoire. There was a huge pentagram made out of corpses, blood, and souls surrounding the Altar. It looked ugly and utterly vile, but this was the only way. She was using the corpses of the vampires, which were the strongest corpses she had. Most of them were already zombies, so it was easy for her to tell them to ce themselves where she wanted. Following that, each tip of the pentagram''s star contained one special node, where she ced one hundred souls, it didn''t matter what they were, but they had to be in constant agony, so, although it pained her to do this, she ced them in cauldrons, boiling with liquified Demonite. It didn''t really matter much though, these were the souls of all the evil vampires that kidnapped and tortured children and people through the various cities, so it wasn''t as if they didn''t deserve this punishment. Maria was harsh, but only against those that deserved it. "Mama..." Arachne cried, looking at her mother. "I''m sleepy... Hurry..." "Okay, let''s do this," Maria nodded. "Everyone, are you ready?" The third step of the formation was the aid of everyone else. Indeed, to maintain this entire ritual, the ancient warlocks and demonic wizards used the mana and lifeforce of other warlocks! Those already imbued with demonic powers such as the children like Fabian, his friends, Takeshi, Laura, and others were perfect. Aside from them, Maria had also asked Tyr to help, making him fuse with the entire formation and making chaos energies and miasma flow through everything. While holding the grimoire, Maria started to chant as she sat down in the altar right next to Arachne, indeed, there were two altars. The transfer process was slow and painful, but this was the only way. "Lord of Eternal Sins, I invoke your malice into these unholy grounds." "With six hundred wailing souls, in perpetual agony." "With one hundred corpses, fresh and recently dead." "And with the Mana and Lifeforce of my fellow cultists, I invoke your malicious presence!" FLUOSH! Suddenly, crimson and ck mes started lighting up one after another, across all pentagrams. At the same time, the environment became incredibly heavy, everyone could feel how it became increasingly harder to breathe. A demonic, otherworldly presence emerged, and it didn''t evene from this world, no, it didn''te from Yggdrasil at all, it came from the depths of the tower, in the floors known as the "minus floors", where all sevenyers of hell resided. This was the origin of the Sins, and why the Warlocks of ancient times invoked them here was still a tremendous mystery, perhaps to fight against the invading Gods led by Odin, or perhaps for another motive entirely. Whatever was the case, to be allowed to move a Sin from one vessel to another, the conjurer had to invoke the Presence of the Archdemon that controlled it. And the Archdemon that Controlled the Sin of Sloth was... RUMBLE! The mes surged, slowly taking shape, into the faint figure of a gigantic being,rge and muscr, yet with a pair of crimson,zily looking eyes. It had several spiraling horns growing upwards, and its face couldn''t be discerned. The Presence was but a small fragment of the Archdemons true powers, and it wasn''t even theirplete consciousness either. By offering all these sacrifices, the Archdemon''s Will, as Maria wanted to call it, was summoned. "I invoke you, Lord of Stagnation, father ofziness, master of slothfulness, Archdemon of Sloth, Belphegor!" Maria continued the invocation, as Belphegor''s presence made itself clear. Everyone in the surroundings felt an incredible, intense drowsiness. He didn''t speak, he couldn''t bother to. He lookedzily at Maria for a second and blinked. "I implore of you, Archdemon of Sloth, allow this small, weak vessel some respite. And let the Sin of Sloth rest within my own body, as I am more fit for its existence!" |||| The mes flickered and the demonic runes spun around the entire pentagram, Belphegor only watchedzily, about to fall asleep himself. Then, there was silence, Maria had to await Belphegor''s approval. "You... Why... do you even bother?" he yawned, with the voice of an old,zy man. "Hahh... I can''t even... sleep well right now... so annoying, do as you please. Leave me alone." He quickly disappeared; indeed, he acted just as Maria expected an Archdemon of Sloth would do! She was given permission, as the ritual finally and properly began. RUMBLE! The demonic mes flickered, transforming into two rivers and piercing Arachne and Maria''s chests, rapidly reaching the depths of their souls. CLASH! CLASH! "Ugh...!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Aaagh!" Even Maria felt the pain of this ritual, it was something she would have to share with little Arachne. However, for her, it didn''t matter how much pain she would go through, if it would help her daughter finally led a happier life. "Don''t worry, Arachne... I will carry the sin for you instead." "Ma... ma..." Arachne fell asleep after that, and so did Maria. The two souls found themselves drowning through an endless sea of demonic mes and shadows. They tried engulfing them, and as Maria tried to reach Arachne, the girl was quickly dragged into the depths by something else. Countless ck, fleshy tendrils. "Arachne!" Maria moved towards her, battling the mes and the shadows, moving as fast as she could. "Do you think... I will let you... take her away from me...?" The voice of a tenebrous entity reverberated through the entire mindscape. And then Maria saw it, countless crimson eyes staring at her, and countless ck colored, fleshy tendrils aiming at her soul. Maria knew what this entity was. It was the Sin of Sloth itself! "Arachne is mine... she''s mine... my perfect vessel... We shall... sleep forever... together... we''re inseparable... You... YOU DIE!" Yet Maria did not panic, she knew exactly what to do. After all, this was the exact next step of the ritual. To "steal" the Sin of Sloth from Arachne, Maria had to first beat him in a battle of souls. "Bring it on..." Chapter 1108 Confronting The Sin Of Sloth 1108 Confronting The Sin Of Sloth ----- Maria saw the emerging form of Sloth, an entity that seemed to actually have no shape at all, her entire surroundings were just Sloth. The walls of flesh, the eyes, the tentacles, the arms with sharp wed hands. They slowly moved towards her soul, attempting to grasp it and destroy it. As she was exposed to this view, Maria felt slightly¡­ Sleepy, even though her body was already with their eyes closed and seemingly sleeping, her very inner consciousness, her soul itself, was slowly being affected as well. And she could tell that if she fell asleep within a dream, it would bepletely over for her. As powerful as she was, if Sloth could simply rip apart her consciousness and never wake her up, she might as well be dead! "Hah, this is a bit moreplicated than I had originally thought¡­" Maria smiled, looking around her surroundings. "Nobody can escape me¡­ I am sloth¡­ everyone must always rest; everyone must always sleep. And when they do, I am there... I am part of every single living being¡­! Exhaustion is a primordial force that drives all living beings to rest, no matter what!" the Sin continued talking. "Your dreams¡­ I shall feast on them! Your motivation¡­ it shall be mine to eat! Anything you could ever aplish¡­ I''m going to shatter it!" The Sin of Sloth was a peculiar one, often looked down by Warlocks as one of the weakest because it caused their wielders to always sleep. The other Sins wouldn''t give such drawbacks, and instead granted tremendous power easily as long as they did certain things. However, the danger of Sloth didn''tpletelyy within the vessel but what it could do, slowly, the vessel would continue to grow powerful the more they slept and develop dream and nightmare rted abilities. Arachne had yet to fully obtain these powers, but she already had some Skills rted to them. Eventually, the Cmity of Sloth would spread an endless Dream Fog that would make everyone that touches it or gets closer fall asleep, and have their souls and minds sucked into an endless Dream of Nightmares. And obviously, their bodies would eventually die and rot, it was almost like a one-hit KO ability, it just took some time to properly form, years sometimes, but it was powerful enough to destroy entire worlds once fully matured. And Maria right now was trapped within such a thing, inside a Nightmare Realm, her newly created physical and living body was now asleep and would slowly die if her soul didn''t return to it beforehand! "Your soul¡­ is now mine! You foolish woman¡­ KAHAHAHA! Your delicious soul¡­ I SHALL SLOWLY DIGEST IT!" Because this was a Nightmare Realm, she could not easily rely on her equipment, nor weapons, she couldn''t summon anything physical here, nor even ask for the aid of friends. The only thing she could rely on was her Soul, but in a Nightmare Realm where souls were slowly devoured by Sloth¡­ Could she truly win? Maria saw her own Soul slowly beginning to dissolve, the darkness and the ws of Sloth tearing through it, and she wasn''t even able to fight back. Her consciousness was slowly fading away, her soul was being eaten¡­ It was as if thews that Maria had ever worked with didn''t even work in this Realm. It was rather ironic how confident she was, to end up falling into the stomach of her foe right away¡­ This quickly made Maria understand how weak she waspared to the true horrors of the Tower, and how strong she had to grow in the future. If she survived this¡­ "So this is your true power, I can''t even move?"ughed Maria. "You truly are a ridiculous thing¡­ Are all Sins like this?" "Only I have this level of power over dreams and nightmares! The moment you decided to be my new vessel, I had already decided to devour your soul! Nobody can decide who I take as a vessel¡­ Arachne is mine, MINEEEE!" Slothughed as his countless appendages continued tearing through Maria, her body was torn to shreds, nothing left but a pond of ck miasmic slime, which was slowly being digested by the nightmares. Maria felt like her mind was slowly fading away, unable to do a single thing! Were all her struggles in vain? She tried so hard to save Arachne, only to die so hopelessly, without even being able to do a single thing. The void, her divinities, nothing responded. It was an absolute Realm where only Sloth dominated everything. The Sins were powers beyond Divinities, direct creations of the mighty Archdemons, rulers of the Minus Floors of the Tower. Despite all her efforts, Maria was not strong enough to ovee a Sin on its purest, most ancient form yet. It simply didn''t work n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "This is the end, foolish mortal!" Countless jaws rushed towards whatever was left of her consciousness, devouring herpletely. CRUNCH! "Mama¡­" Arachne was still somewhat awake, in this state, as the nightmare realm engulfed her endlessly on its seas of darkness. She saw her mother be devoured without any way to fight back, a terrifying sight. "No¡­ Mama¡­!" "SILENCE! You''re only mine, Arachne. I won''t let anybody separate you from me¡­ We will be together¡­ we will continue sleeping¡­ forever and ever, sharing dreams, eating souls¡­ why wouldn''t you like that, instead of meddling with those pathetic mortals?!" "But¡­" Arachne''s eyes started crying, as she tried to reach whatever fragments were left of Maria. But it was toote, the jaws devoured every single bit left behind, digested by the Nightmares. Crack, crack¡­! "Arachne¡­ Ngh¡­ I''m leaving the rest to you¡­" CRASH! Her soul was shattered and eaten! "I know you¡­ can do it¡­" Maria, someone that had devoured two Gods, waspletely and utterly hopeless against the Sin of Sloth. She had truly died. Herst whisper was the only thing Arachne heard before eternal silence. "No¡­ Mama¡­! NOOOO!" Arachne''s scream reverberated through the Nightmare Realm, shaking it to the core. Sloth started to struggle, suddenly feeling a certain pressure pushing him back. "W-What is this?! Arachne! You dare defy me?!" After everything¡­ After everything I''ve done for you?!" The enormous and endless body of Sloth, which expanded all across the Nightmare Realm started shaking. But it was only that. Naturally, a vessel had no power over their parasitic Sin. "SILENCE, YOU FILHTY VESSEL!" With a furious roar, Sloth''s entire powers suppressed Arachne, endless shadows and nightmares started devouring Arachne''s consciousness as well. "I have no use for you if you''re going to do this to me! You traitor¡­ I''ll destroy your mind, and then you will be a perfect body for me¡­ WE WILL BE FOREVER TOGETHER, ARACHNE!" "No¡­! STOP¡­! NOOO!" Arachne kept crying, as the darkness started entering every inch of her body, filling her consciousness with endless obscurity. The memories she had built, her own sense of self, everything was being threatened, slowly about to be devoured. "Mama¡­" As Arachne kept crying, about to sumb to her fate. Something happened. A bright, golden light appeared amidst the darkness, clearing Arachne''s mindpletely. FLASH! - Chapter 1109: Fight Back, Arachne! Chapter 1109: Fight Back, Arachne! ? Arachne kept crying, as the darkness started entering every inch of her body, filling her consciousness with endless obscurity. "No...! STOP...! NOOO!" The memories she had built, her own sense of self, everything was being threatened, slowly about to be devoured. "Mama..." As Arachne kept crying, about to sumb to her fate. Something happened. A bright, golden light appeared amidst the darkness, clearing Arachne''s mindpletely. FLASH! As Arachne despaired, a sh of bright golden light surged from within the endless nightmarish darkness. The nightmares consuming her mind quickly retreated, burning in agony, and turning into ashes. Sloth felt the burning sensation, the pain felt as real as he could imagine! "W-What is that light?!" The Sin quickly retreated, his countless red eyes ncing in disbelief at the light, which came directly from Arachne''s body. From her chest, a sphere of light surged, illuminating everything with bright rays of light. "That light... mama?!" The Divinity of Sunlight surged. Indeed, this was a Divinity that Maria had obtained after devouring Baldr''s soul. A powerful ability that could cleanse all darkness. "T-That can''t be! Her Divinity remained even after I ate her soul?!" Sloth groaned. SPLAAASH! However, that wasn''t all, as another sphere, this one glowing with azure colored light, surged. Summoning a tsunami of water against the entire Realm of Nightmares and pushing it back. "Another Divinity?! She had two?!" The sphere of Sunlight and Seas quickly flew towards Arachne, rotating around her, giving her Soul a veil of Divine Protection. Sloth''s countless eyes popped up almost like a cartoon parody of himself. "Mama, is that you?" Arachne looked at the two rotating spheres of divinity, feeling stronger over time. Maria was not responding; her voice was nowhere to be seen. But her intent, her motherly protection, it was there! Arachne could still feel her, everywhere... She was watching, she was waiting for her to do something. Maria could only do a bit, but it all depended on the vessel herself to fight back against their parasitic Sin. She sacrificed everything, she bet it all on this moment. Her Divinities, given the little bit of intent left behind from her soul, immediately went to protect Arachne. She felt the warmth of Sunlight and the refreshing cold of Sea, the two Divinities Maria had taken from evil Gods.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Belonging to Divine Thrones, their power surpassed what the Sin could have done to Maria''s Soul because they were tied with the World of Yggdrasil! "Was this... mama''s n all along?" Arachne wondered. "Sacrificing everything for me... She''s so reckless..." "ARACHNEEEE!" Sloth roared with a demonic howl, his endless amorphous body rushing towards the girl. Arachne''s eyes shone brightly, half of them shone with the divine radiance of sunlight, the other half with the azure light of the sea. "Mamam left the two of you with me because she trusted on me...!" Arachne looked into the distance. "I won''t fail her, mama''s soul... I''ll save her!" The two Divinities quickly fused back into her chest, as Arachne''s Aura of Sunlight and the Sea unleashed a wave of golden and azure energies, shing against the domain of Sloth! CLAAASH! "Y-YOU?! How are you...!" Sloth was incapable of believing his eyes once more, Arachne harnessedpletely different divinities, powers that didn''t even belonged to her! However, as long as the owner allowed it, the Divinities could actually belong to anybody that could take on their power. And Arachne''s body and soul, were incredibly powerful already. She alsocked a Divinity me, so both Divinities were not stopped by an already existing one inside of her soul. "Sloth...! I will fight back! I won''t be your puppet, nor your vessel!" Arachne roared, jumping into battle as her entire body was suddenly covered by an arachnid armor of ck and dark purple color. "I don''t like you! GO AWAY!" The Divinities flowed through her body, her exoskeleton armor changed color, bing gold and azure colored,bining her innate abilities with the Divinities! Her ws grewrger, shining with the two divinities and her arachnid powers. "RAAAH!" She swung all eight of her ws against Sloth, as his appendages were quickly cut through with ease, explosions of golden light and azure water erupting with each sh, Sloth felt his own body, the very embodiment of his existence, weakening and feeling even more pain! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "W-What is the meaning of this?! How can she hurt me?! She''s my vessel! YOU... YOU MUST OBEY ME!" Sloth rushed towards Arachne, his countless tentacles shing against Arachne and mming her into the floor with tremendous force, her armor gained countless cracks, shattering. CRAAASH! "Ugh...!" "You DARE defy me?! The very source of your powers? The very SOURCE of everything you are?!" "I-I am not you... And you''re not me!" As Arachne stood back up, the power of the Divinities responded within her once more. Maria could have tried staying within the Realm by using these two Divinities. Btu she chose another method, to let the vessel herself do it. Why? Because she knew that by herself, it wouldn''t be possible. The only one that can go against a Sin at their Full Power is the vessel that can sustain such power. "YOU DAMNED BUG!" Sloth furiously attempted to stomp over Arachne with his countless appendages, fusing them together into a giant hand. However, a sudden pain stopped his attack, not just a single little feeling of pain, but many, spreading through the entirety of his body. And the entire Nightmare Realm. Crack, crack...! "W-Wha...?!" Sloth looked at the cracks, which started leaking golden light and azure oceanic water. His very existence was already damaged, wounds were spread all over, every one of Arachne''s attacks ended leaving more than just some pain! "My very existence... It is damaged? Ah!" And then, he felt something even more terrifying, as the little Arachne''s wounds slowly healed by the power of the divinities. Within the cracks, there was something. Something creepy, staring at him. Countless azure, golden, and crimson eyes, a spiraling void of chaos and nothingness... "T-That''s...!" The presence of the being he had eaten so easily, it was leaking out. He had yet to fully digest her at all! "Mama!" Arachne smiled, looking at Maria slowly beginning to free herself from Sloth''s stomach. "Keep fighting, Arachne! I know you can do it!" "I will! I won''t stop!" Arachne jumped into battle. Chapter 1110: Fighting The Sin Of Sloth! Chapter 1110: Fighting The Sin Of Sloth! ? "No...! This is impossible! You can''t simply do that!" Sloth was raging with tremendous frustration and confusion. Why was Maria still alive? And why was Arachne fighting back so well? How was she able to gain such resolve? She never had any of that before! It was her, her, and HER! Maria! Her creeping presence surged from every crack, which was a wound Arachne''s attacks left behind. Maria''s soul had been eaten, yes, but that was also part of her n. At the end, she wanted to have her soul devoured so Sloth could absorb her and therefore, make her part of his own body. Through Arachne reveling against him and fighting back using her Divinities, she opened cracks she could abuse, and not only open them up, weakening Sloth, but also draining his powers. "Why do I feel so weak? W-What is this?!" Maria had changed ns; she was not going to just change vessels. She was going to destroy the Sin of Sloth. "Arachne, keep going at it!" As Arachne rushed to fight, she leaped into the air and recovered her exoskeleton armor again, swinging her eight and sharp spider ws against Sloth''s entire body. His tentacles, hands, and jaws rushed towards her, only to be torn apart, shed, crushed, and pulverized with countless explosions of gold and azure light. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "UUAAAGGH!" Sloth was constantly growing weaker and weaker; it wasn''t supposed to even happen. The Nightmare Realm was his absolute Realm where he decided the fate of every Soul that entered! Yet, the more attacks he received from Arachne, the weaker he felt! He retaliated against her, but Arachnebined her powers, creating shields out of her own exoskeleton and reducing from of the damage. She didn''t even had to kill him herself, just weaken him enough for Maria to do the rest. "YOU BASTARDS!" With a furious and frustrated scream, Sloth''s entire body startedpressing rapidly, bing not asrge. At the same time, by his will, the Nightmare Realm distorted, as countless Nightmare Beasts started popping out of nowhere. These beasts had the exact same appearance as Arachne''s servants and siblings, the Arachneia monsters. Which were her obedient and loyal family. "SHAAAH!" However, they weren''t the real ones, but twisted recreations of her memories, rushing towards Arachne, they attempted to swarm her with numbers, Sloth desperately summoning over two hundred of them at once. "DIE!" With a furious roar, hemanded his nightmarish army, the spiders attacking Arachne rapidly, powerful bites, w attacks, and even spiderweb started reaching her. "Using the image of my family against me, y-you''re really a wicked thing!" Arachne didn''t hesitate though; she knew they weren''t real. She swung her ws and legs, crushing the Nightmare Beasts one after another, as they exploded into ck smoke. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, more kept appearing, hitting her from behind and constantly throwing her around, she fell, stood back up again, and continued doing the same over and over again, relentlessly. The blooding from her face was the show of her own soul growing weaker and damaged, but the two Divinities within them used their power to slowly heal her wounds. "Ugh... Mama, they''re too many!" Arachne started to panic as they endlessly kepting from everywhere. As long as they were inside a Nightmare Realm, the Nightmare Beasts could be produced endlessly by the Nightmare Master, Sloth. "I ended being foolish enough to let you hit me a few times, but that''s as much as you''ll get, my foolish vessel...! Now die against these creatures, which I shaped perfectly to fit your damned family of disgusting monstrosities...!" The spiders swarmed over Arachne, as she felt their sharp mandibles tearing through her armor and then beginning to gnaw her flesh, her soul was growing weaker, but the divinities of Maria kept protecting her, firing beams of light and disintegrating the spiders as much as they could, while waves of oceanic water pushed them away. BOOOM! SPLAAASH! "Hahhh... Hahhh..." Arachne was gasping for air, feeling more and more exhausted. "Arachne...! Are you okay?!" Maria''s voice echoed. Her giant tentacles started tearing through the cracks, but it was barely still not enough to ovee the difference in strength. Sloth was also constantly trying to digest her back into his entire being. "I-I''m fine! Don''t worry... Don''t worry about me!" said Arachne, gasping for air. "As long... As long as I can fight, I won''t stop! I WON''T!"N?v(el)B\\jnn FLAAASH! Her entire body suddenly erupted with tremendous power, a gigantic mass of darkness and dark purple poisonous energies surged from her little body, transforming herpletely. "What?!" Her presence suddenly changed, making Slothpletely shocked about what was happening anymore! The Nightmare Realm was distorted, as something enormous appeared where Arachne was. Instead of the cute little girl, there was an enormous ck and dark purple colored spider, an Arachneia Queen, looking almost exactly like her kind now, and no longer humanoid. She was at least ten times as big as her siblings though, with double the number of legs, and two enormous antennas above her head, which started charging with deadly energies. "SHAAAHHH!" With a ferocious arachnid hiss, Arachne rushed forwards, her massive legs crushing to death the Nightmare Beasts before they even got closer. Her antenna pointed at the distance, firing beams of chaos and darkness against her foes, explosions spread through the entire Realm. And Sloth, who was trying to hide his body within the darkness, ended being targeted amidst the chaotic battlefield as the two Divinities appeared above him, bombarding him with explosive projectiles of Divine Light and Divine Water. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "N-No! Wait...! UGH...! ARRGHH!" Sloth kept taking damage, the cracks around his Nightmare Realm and Soul continued spreading, and he was running out of options, to make things worse, Maria''s presence had be strong enough after he was weakened, her soul fragments spread through his entire being appeared and started to attack too. "It''s toote now, Sloth! You''re going to get what you fucking deserve!" Her enormous tentacles rapidly shapeshifted into sharp and deadly spears made of spiraling Void and Chaos energies, rushing towards him, and piercing his body dozens of times! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Chapter 1111: Sloths Power Chapter 1111: Sloth''s Power ? Crack, crack...! CRACK! As Arachne and Maria''s Divinities attacked the Nightmare Beasts and Sloth as much as possible, the cracks across the Realm of Nightmares, which was directly connected to Sloth''s own Embodiment, widened. And from within, Maria was finally able to emerge, although her soul had been torn to shreds and absorbed, every single piece remained strong, resisting being digested, and through these "cracks", they started to rapidly reassemble back into Maria''s true soul. From within the cracks, herrge appendages surged, amorphous and non-humanoid, showcasing the true nature of her soul powers. Maria had evolved into an Outer entity, blessed by the mysterious Ginnungagap, and bing the [Void-Born Mistress Of Tenebrous Stars: Shub-Niggurath]. "It''s toote now, Sloth! You''re going to get what you fucking deserve!" Using her powers, the mistress extended her influence even across the Realm of Nightmares that had devoured her very soul! Her enormous tentacles rapidly shapeshifted into sharp and deadly spears made of spiraling Void and Chaos energies, rushing towards him, and piercing his body dozens of times! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Sloth felt utter agony as a part of his very existence was once more hurt! He thought Maria wanted to turn herself into their new vessel, but right now, she was trying to kill them?! How can she kill a Sin to begin with? Not even Sloth, a Sin, an existence born from the materialization of an Archdemon''s powers created by sacrificing millions of souls and other demonic treasures, knew how he could even die. Primordial Sins were powerful existences, beings that could even go beyond the Tower and the Worlds they inhabited, they were seen as constants, parts of nature itself, to be a vessel was an eternal curse. Only the Ancient Warlocks which summoned them into the World of Yggdrasil knew of ways to use them, but that was only a cheap way to transfer them from one vessel to another. And that often ended badly, as both vessels would die and then the Sin would simply find anything else that was close by. But it was different this time, Maria was not screwing around, she was going to kill him. She was going to kill a Primordial Sin! "You can''t possibly...! Are you nning to kill a Primordial Sin?!" Sloth screamed, his monstrous and aberrant, demonic body started topress even more as he continued bleeding out his own demonic energies, the lifeblood of his existence. "I AM!" Maria roared with powerful Authority, her very existence bing stronger as Arachne attacked Sloth from behind while shredding through the army of Nightmare Beasts. At the same time, the Divinities of Sunlight and the Seas moved back to Maria. Her tentacles, her entire soul and mass continued pouring out from the cracks,bining together into a humanoid form, a tall, giantess made ofpletely pitch-ck void and chaos energies, showing red, blue, and golden stars inside of her body, which looked as if it were made of a neb. Her long hair had been made into countless of long, thick tentacles, and there was only a single, crimson, gold, and dark purple colored eye in the middle of her face, no mouth or nose could be seen. And right in her chest, arge hole, a ck hole that absorbed all the energy in her surroundings, opened, the manifestation of her [Primordial Skill: All-Eating ck Void Heart: Yog-Sothoth], an evolved Unique Skill! "It''s not myplete Soul, but it should do!" Maria was back at longst, as Sloth had been weakened enough for her very existence and her soul shards to reunite within the Nightmare Realm before they were eaten. Before, against Sloth''s Authority, she could only see as she was eaten, but as he grew weaker, her existence gained much more freedom within his own Nightmare Realm. "I''ll make of this Nightmare Realm and all your powers mine, Sloth! I won''t be your vessel; you''re going to be my meal instead!" Her Divinity of Sunlight and Seas fused back with her Soul Body, as Maria skipped through the imaginary space of the Nightmare Realm using her [Void Shifting Spatial Movement] Skill, appearing right at the left side of Sloth''s monstrous body. "She can teleport through my Nightmare Realm?!" Sloth thought, as he saw Maria conjure several powerful spells against him consecutively. "{All-Consuming Void}!" A wave of pure void engulfed Sloth''s entire aberrant body within a split second, as a huge explosion of pure Void consumed himpletely. BOOOM! "Uuuaaagghh!" The Nightmare Realm started to grow distorted and broke apart even more, the Void consumed over half of Sloth''s entire being. His flesh and blood rapidly beginning to regenerate, but it was too slow. "You''re Sloth, so I guess you''re pretty slow, huh?" "G-GET AWAY FROM MEEE!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Sloth panicked, hundreds of crimson eyes across his body and the realm fired beams against Maria, capable of piercing and tearing through souls. She quickly shifted through space, evading as many as she could as she conjured more of her powerful Spells and Skills. "{Chaotic Void Ocean Waves}! {Umbral Death Blight}! {God-Burning White re}!" Three Skills were activated at the same time, as an oceanic mass of void rushed down,bined with ck death light, and burning white mes, which Maria thenpressed into a dozen spears of swirling elements. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Each time the spears pierced Sloth''s body,rge chunks of his flesh and blood were gone, his existence was fading away rapidly! For the first time ever through his life, the Primordial Sin actually felt fear for his life being in danger. "Am I really going to die?! Is this even possible?" he thought. "No, this can''t... This can''t be possible! I am a Primordial Sin! I am an element of nature, born from mortal''s sins! I am darkness and evil...! I am the creation of an Archdemon!" Sloth kept growing desperate, the Nightmare Realm beginning to move towards his bleeding, dying body and beginning to rapidly fuse with him, making himrger and stronger, but at the same time, making him lose his entire sense of self. "GRAAAHHH!!!" With a monstrous roar, Maria had to evade countless tentacles moving her way, finding Arachne, having been grabbed by them and rushing to help her. "Arachne!" Chapter 1112: Killing A Primordial Sin Chapter 1112: Killing A Primordial Sin ? Arachne had little time to escape, one moment he was fighting and killing the Nightmare Beasts, and the other the entire Nightmare Realm distorted, beginning to fuse with the dying Sloth into an aberrant creature. "W-What''s happening?!" she cried. "Arachne! You ungrateful child! This is what you''ve forced me to do! You simply couldn''t live with me, couldn''t you?! You had to ruin everything! I''LL KILL YOUUUU!" Sloth roared furiously, gigantic ws made of nightmares and darkness rushed towards Arachne, grabbing her body, and tearing apart her giant spider legs one after another. "Aaaaaggh!" Arachne screamed in agony as she was being tortured by Sloth, so resentful of what was happening to him that he wanted to relieve all his anger against a child. "I''ll tear apart every single one of your legs, you ungrateful little piece of shit!" "Why?! I am not at fault here! I didn''t ask to be your vessel! Why should I be punished?!" Arachne kept trying to fight back, as she constantly cried tears of pain and frustration. Frustration against her gate, against how she was born, and over the hatred she felt about her situation. She wanted to live like any normal girl, she wanted to spend time with her new family, and she didn''t want to be constantly sleeping every single minute of her life! Her antenna charged herst remaining energies, firing two beams of chaos against Sloth''s face! BOOOM! BOOOM! Both explosions pierced through his flesh, leaving tworge wounds that were slowly regenerating back to normal. However, Sloth was even more pissed off! "Uuuggghh...! DIE ALREADY!" With a furious roar full of frustration, Sloth''s monstrous appendages shaped into countless spears of darkness, attempting to pierce Arachne''s body and destroy her mind and soul once and for all. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CRASH! The sound of her armor exploding into countless pieces and the attacks piercing flesh reverberated through the imaginary Nightmare Realm, only for Sloth to quickly realize he had only hurt... Himself?! "W-What?!" His own spears pierced his own arms and tentacles at the end, Arachne was nowhere to be seen. His countless eyes quickly realized where she was tough, right above the skies, being carried by Maria''s arms. Little Arachne had already gone back to her original, smaller form, exhausted. "You fucking piece of shit, hurting children like this... Go fuck yourself, garbage." Maria didn''t even hold any sort of fear anymore against Sloth. Only utter hatred! "Y-YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT MYSELF!" Sloth lost his coolpletely, an ancient being such as himself had never been insulted this much through his entire life! He had to eliminate her, he had to finish what he started now. Or die trying! "DIEEE!" His endless body moved, hundreds of appendages piercing through everything to reach her, yet Maria remained unfazed, the damage Sloth took at this point was too great. She decided to finish him off now once and for all and put an end to this long fight! "{Divinity: Yin & Yang Rotation}" FLAAASH! From within her, two masses of divinity started overflowing, her Divinity of Yin and Yang activated fully, darkness and light, life and death, day and night,plete opposites of one another rotated within her internal body. Her powers rose, as a tremendous quantity of Divine Yin and Yang Ki surged from her body. her Aura and her Soul fused together, transforming into gigantic fists, and then she activated her own martial arts, created by her own genius talent. She had already used her soul to physically fight before many times, she didn''t even need her new physical body in this moment! "{Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique}! {Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs}! {Selene''s Palm of Judgement}!" Maria activated three skills at the same time, as her spectral arms began countless more, these golden and ck fists, epassing life, death, light, darkness, day, and night, and more, fell down towards Sloth like an endless rain of meteors. "[Infernal Spectral Fist]! [Divinity Shattering Death ws]!" Some of these fists red with infernal spectral mes, erupting with huge explosions, and others became sharp bony ws, tearing through Sloth''s body. "[Skeleton Arms of the Abyss]! [Life Draining Phantasmal Chain Attack]!" Hundreds of giant skeleton arms surged, madepletely out of pitch-ck bone, shing, tearing, and punching through Sloth''s very existence, each blow became a chain attack that drained the Sin''s very lifeforce! "[Abyssal Palms of Death]!" Then, all the attacks fused together into a dozen gigantic palms made of pure darkness, Sloth kept trying to defend or resist, but was unable to do so! His greatest efforts were utterly in vain, his very existence was being destroyed, each palm crushed him like a bug. "Uuuaaaggh! S-STOP...! STOOOP!" Sloth kept demanding her to stop, but Maria would not stop, she did not listen, and the only thing she cared for was to end this and kill him! Vessel? That was no longer a thing for her! As long as Arachne was safe with her, the soul of the girl would not suffer from Sloth''s death anyways. "This is your end, Sloth. You should have cooperated instead of fighting back. Bear in mind as you die, that this is the fate your arrogance led you to!" "[Soul Shattering Spear Hand]!" As Maria roared, all her fistsbined into only a few handfuls of enormous, spiraling spears made of ck and white bone, rushing down like drills, and piercing through Sloth onest time.N?v(el)B\\jnn "UUUAAAGGHHHHH!" Sloth gave hisst scream of agony before his very existence waspletely destroyed, leaving nothing behind but particles of his powers and Sinful Soul. Maria hastily absorbed everything left behind, finally recovering her Soulpletely, and then healing Annabelle''s soul, which was left with a hole in her chest after Sloth disappeared. "This should be enough." She repaired that hole left behind by fusing her powers with what was left behind of Sloth, and also his Nightmare Realm, healing the girl''s soulpletely. "It should be about time we wake up now... It''s finally over, Arachne." The darkness that epassed their soulspletely disappeared, as both of them opened their eyes again. Chapter 1113: Arachne Is Finally Free Chapter 1113: Arachne Is Finally Free ? As Arachne''s eyes slowly opened again, the girl felt... lighter than ever before. There was no longer a strong, overwhelming weight over her entire body, making her feel always tired. She felt the touch of her hand over the cold stone bed, and slowly sat down, admiring her surroundings. Even though Sloth didn''t deprive her of any of her senses, it felt like she was finally feeling thempletely, for the first time through her entire life. She looked around her surroundings, the moonlight of Maria''s Soulscape, the ck soil beneath, the smell of dirt and nts, ofher and chaos. It was all so new, so surprising, so incredible! She looked around, and then sensed her own body, her own soul, there was no longer anything there, no longer there was an annoying parasite forcing her to sleep, and she didn''t feel sleepy anymore either. "She''s awake!" said Lucifer. "T-The aura she had before, it''spletely gone already?!" Partner wondered. "Arachne! Are you okay?" Nyx wondered, running to see her. The ritual had already ended, so it was safe to enter the ritual circle for now. "I-I... I''m fine... Ah, but mama, is she okay?!" Arachne wondered, as she was hugged by Nyx. "She''s fine! Look, she''s- she''s waking!" Nyx quickly flew with her wings towards her mama after seeing her waking up. "Mama! Are you okay?!"N?v(el)B\\jnn She jumped over Maria''s face, pushing her down. "Mguh...!" "N-Nyx! Be more careful with your mother!" Lucifer came running to see Maria, Partner too, and also Emeraldine, Jonathan, and Nia. The rest of the kids went to check on Arachne, finding out she waspletely alright too. Celes was also ready to heal her. "Maria, are you alright?" Lucifer wondered. "Mama!" Nyx cried. "I-I''m fine, you shouldn''t worry about me! Worry about Arachne instead, geez," Maria was about to p Lucifer for not worrying about the child as much as for her. "Is she okay? I ended having to destroy that Sin because it was an annoying piece of shit, but her soul was damaged. I healed it but I don''t know if she''s okay and-" As Maria stood up to go see Arachne, the girl had already run towards her, hugging her legs. Maria gasped, quickly lifting her up. "Arachne! Are you alright? No adverse effects?" Maria wondered, her crimson eyes inspecting the girl''s Aura and her Soul. "I-I''m fine mama... Thank you, sniff..." she was crying while Maria lifted her up. "Arachne?" wondered Maria. "Thank you mama... For helping me..." she kept crying. "I never thought how it felt to never feel sleepy... Thank you! Buaaah!" She ended crying much more than Maria had expected or seening, the girl waspletely moved by the fact she was no longer cursed. And Maria couldn''t help but smile,ugh, and lift her up. "You''re free, Arachne! You''re no longer cursed! That thing is gone, and it will never return, ever again!" she kept giggling. "Yaaaay! Thank you mama! I''m so happy! I feel like... Like I can do anything now!" she said. "I want to eat a lot, and y with everyone, and explore... And see the world! I will only sleep a bit at night, and I''ll spend the rest of the day awake!" It was something so simple anybody gave for granted, but for Arachne, it was a big deal, to be able to finally enjoy her life properly, and not by small glimpses as she woke up for no longer than two hours, sometimes even an hour. But now, she could sleep just six or eight hours, and enjoy the rest of the day awake, no longer feeling forced to sleep, no longer feeling forced to hibernate, Sloth was no longer demanding her things, nor forcing her to do what she didn''t wanted to do. She was free, truly, andpletely free! "Everyone, let''s y a game, anything!" "Well let''s see if you can catch me then!" "I bet you can''t!" "Come on sleepyhead, let''s y catch then!" Arachne started ying with all the kids, as they began running around, she started catching them. Maria watched the scene with a big smile in her face, barely resisting her tears of happiness. She had been taking care of that girl for a lot of time now, even more she created her vige that she found her, so of course it was very moving to finally see her acting like she wanted, like a child. "You did an amazing job, Maria! I can''t believe it worked so well!" Nia said. "But how did you do it? I thought you wanted to be the sin''s vessel... despite how opposed we were, you were doing it anyways... But I''m relieved it was destroyed, but how did you do that too?" Nia loved asking a lot of questions, despite her age, she was as very curious woman. "Well, it happened when I entered her Soulscape of sorts, the Sin already activated his powers, dragging me inside some sort of Nightmare Realm. I couldn''t even negotiate with him before he shattered my soul and ate it!" Mariaughed. "So at the end I decided to kill him. I didn''t knew it was possible but I did it anyways, seems like it worked. Might do the same with the other Cmities if I ever find the rest. They''re in the other continents, right?" "YOU WHAT?!" Everyone panicked and became euphoric the moment Maria said her soul was shattered and eaten, that was something that had never happened to her before! Well, her soul had been torn apart many times, even blown up into pieces as a ghost, but it had never perished because of that. So she had to sit down and exin to everyone how it went, they listened attentively, while asking questions asionally. However, once she had fully exined how it went, they felt relieved it was still some sort of "n" from her, and she didn''t just get overpowered out of nowhere. "Phew, well, I guess it was a good n then, although you shouldn''t be so reckless..." Emeraldine sighed, hugging Maria, and kissing her cheek. "Y-Yeah, it was my master n..." Maria looked elsewhere. The truth was that it wasn''t exactly her n! Sloth ended being much stronger than she thought and she had to improvise a lot. However, she didn''t want to worry them, so she kept that a secret... Chapter 1114: The Results Chapter 1114: The Results ? (Maria''s POV) As everything was finally over regarding Arachne, we decided to move out of my Soul Scape after a little bit. Arachne was very happy and wanted to keep ying with the children, but I told them they could do it outside. The Soul Scape wasn''t the best ce out there, it was slightly lugubrious, strange, and dark, there was also that one Void Star, staring at us in silence, and he''s a bit creepy, I have to be honest. But aside from that, we decided to rest for the rest of the day. I had nned to go eliminate the King of the Depths right now, but it was better to rest another day and assess things, especially my gains and how Arachne is handling things. We did most of this in the morning right after breakfast. First of all, I took a look at Arachne''s status before anything. I wanted to see if anything had changed. [Name]: [Arachne Arachneia] [Race]: [Primordial Dark Arachneia Empress of Sloth] -> [Primordial Dark Arachneia Princess of Dreams And Nightmares: Niorun] [Rank]: [SSS+] [Divinity]: [Divine me: Dream & Nightmares (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [Physique]: [Dream-Weaving Nightmare Arachnid Princess Physique (Tier 1: Rank 5)] [ss]: [Divine Sorceress of Dreams: *** (Mythic Grade)] [Subss]: [Dark Sorceress of Nightmares: *** (Mythic Grade)] [Level]: [0/250] [HP]: [7.500.000/7.500.000] [MP]: [8.500.000/8.500.000] [Attack]: [7.650.000] [Defense]: [8.070.000] [Magic]: [8.050.000] [Agility]: [5.270.000] {Characteristic Skills}: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Death Element: Lv--] [Poison Element: Lv--] [Dream Element: Lv--] [Nightmare Element: Lv--] [Arachneia Supreme Authority: Lv--] [Primordial Beast Body: Lv10] [Body Transformation: Lv9] [Fiend Language: Lv10] [God Language: Lv6] [Primordial Thread Weaving: Lv10] [Primordial Poison Fangs: Lv9] [Supernatural Great Senses: Lv9] [Great Eight Eyes of Destruction: Lv9] [Corrupted Divinity: Cmity of Sloth: Lv1] -> [Divinity: Princess of Dreams and Nightmares: Lv1] [True Vessel of Sloth: Lv1] -> [Divine Embodiment: Niorun: Lv1] {Resistance Skills}: [Status Effect Great Resistance: Lv10] [Greater Damage Resistance: Lv10] [Great Elemental Resistance: Lv10] [Poison/Toxin/Venom Absorption: Lv--] [Erosion Immunity: Lv--] [Chaos Immunity: Lv--] [Dream and Nightmare Absorption: Lv--] {Physical Skills}: [Masterful Thread Maniption: Lv10] [Imprable Chitin Shell: Lv10] [Orichalcum Body: Lv10] [Slothful Aura Manifestation: Lv8] [Dream Parasite: Lv3] {Magical Skills}: [Spider Queen''s Shadow Magic: Lv10] [Abyssal Magic: Lv8] [Primordial Sin Magic: Sloth: Lv8] [Cmity Chaos Magic: Lv3] [Nightmare Magic: Lv4] [Divine Web of Dreams: Lv1] {Support Skills}: [Slothful Rest: Lv8] [Commander Of Cmity: Lv8] [Sleeping Growth: Lv3] [Dream Soul Restoration: Lv1] [Mind Healing: Lv1] {Title Skills}: [Primordial Beast: Lv10] [Arachneia Empress: Lv10] [Primordial Thread User: Lv10] [Primordial Poison User: Lv10] [Lonely Empress: Lv8] [Snake''s Friend: Lv10] [True Cmity: Sloth: Lv8] [Sleeping Princess of Spiders: Lv9] [Sleepy Head: Lv10] [Dreamer: Lv8] [Adopted Daughter Of The Saintess of Death: Lv10] [Awakened Sloth: Lv1] -> [Awakened Little Goddess Niorun: Lv1] {Divine Protections}: [Loki''s Divine Protection] [Hel''s Divine Protection] {Curse}: [Demonic Stigma: Sloth] -> [None] Wow, her status really changed, more than I imagined! Many of her skills werepletely rewritten, and she obtained ss, Subss, and even a Divine me! She even changed her Race, bing a Princess of Dreams and Nightmares, a potential goddess, even receiving a name, Niorun. Her Curse was gone, she obtained a proper Divinity, and more, it was surprising! And the most interesting part was that only skills negatively affecting her were rewritten, those that didn''t were kept in her status, so she still has some beneficial powers from Sloth. Is this because I used the powers of Sloth to refill her soul once it was left slightly hollow when he died? I also used the Nightmare Realm essence mixed with him. This probably exin her sudden evolution, and her new Dream and Nightmare Abilities, which had developed barely before, but seem much proper now. If she trains this ability, she could be an incredible fighter with Dream and Nightmare magic! She also gained healing abilities to help the soul and the mind be restored, interesting, probably has to do with dream magic being connected with souls and minds. Her stats didn''t increase, but they didn''t decrease either, so that''s good. She''s still as strong as before, maybe even a bit stronger now. I''m d things ended well; I am really relieved... And about me? Well, I did get some stuff as well. After all, I ate a Sin afterpletely destroying him and his entire Nightmare Realm too. I had already kind of assimted the Nightmare Realm after my soul was shattered andN?v(el)B\\jnn "devoured", which allowed me to merge with it as I was being "digested". Ding! [Congrattions, you have in the [Primordial Sin of Sloth (??? Rank)] x1!] [You have devoured and absorbed the leftover power of the [Primordial Sin of Sloth] and their [Nightmare Realm]!] [All Your Stats have increased by +1.000.000!] [You acquired the Characteristic Skill: [Shattered Nightmare Realm Soul Body: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Magic Skill: [Primordial Sin Magic: Sloth: Lv1]!] [An incredible, never seen feat before! You have gained the recognition of the Tower itself.] [You acquired the Title Skill: [Primordial Sin yer: Lv1]!] [You received the Privilege: [Archnemesis of All Sins (A Rank)]!] [The Tower has rewarded you for your great achievement with a Special Item: [Demon Gate Key (S Grade)] x1] Wait, I got an item rewarded by the Tower itself? Was it that big of a deal to kill a Sin? What the hell is this key anyways? [Demon Gate Key (S Grade)] A Special Demonic Key created by the Tower itself to open a Demon Gate that leads to the first Floor of Hell and its sevenyers, located below the first floor of the Tower. This Key can be used indefinitely, with a cooldown of 30 minutes with each usage, granting the ability to freely enter hell at will, albeit with that small time limit. The Seven Layers of Hell are a dangerous Realm located below the first floor of the tower, often known as the Negative Floors, which start at o and go all the way to -7. Beware of wandering into the Layers, their Archdemons, beings that govern them, roam freely and might not like your presence there. Wait, is this for real? I gained the ability to just walk into Hell if I ever want! Will I ever need this anyways? Damn... Chapter 1115: New Power Chapter 1115: New Power ? I nced at the red key with great interest and a bit of wonder, although there was no quest this time, which was quite surprising, I did receive something, a key from the Tower itself! [Demon Gate Key (S Grade)] A Special Demonic Key created by the Tower itself to open a Demon Gate that leads to the first Floor of Hell and its sevenyers, located below the first floor of the Tower. This Key can be used indefinitely, with a cooldown of 30 minutes with each usage, granting the ability to freely enter hell at will, albeit with that small time limit. The Seven Layers of Hell are a dangerous Realm located below the first floor of the tower, often known as the Negative Floors, which start at o and go all the way to -7. Beware of wandering into the Layers, their Archdemons, beings that govern them, roam freely and might not like your presence there. It is an indefinite-usage item that allows me to instantly open a gate to the first floor of Hell, which seem to be the "negative floors" of the tower, right below Floor 1. I don''t even know what world Floor 1 is, and there''s one hundred floors at that though. But I suppose it might be the lowliest of worlds out there. It also has a cooldown of only 30 minutes, so maybe I could explore that ce for half an hour and then get the hell out of there. I did kill a Sin, so I guess this is just my reward for it, now, I wonder if Belphegor would be angry at me for doing that, or if he''s chill as always. I did kill his Primordial Sin after all, a powerful embodiment of negative power that has lived for eons, many generations in fact.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om I didn''t get any EXP from ying it though, was it even alive? It was definitely alive, right? I mean... Eh, whatever. I did get a lot of gains though. Ding! [Congrattions, you have in the [Primordial Sin of Sloth (??? Rank)] x1!] [You have devoured and absorbed the leftover power of the [Primordial Sin of Sloth] and their [Nightmare Realm]!] [All Your Stats have increased by +1.000.000!] [You acquired the Characteristic Skill: [Shattered Nightmare Realm Soul Body: Lv1]!] [You acquired the Magic Skill: [Primordial Sin Magic: Sloth: Lv1]!] [An incredible, never seen feat before! You have gained the recognition of the Tower itself.] [You acquired the Title Skill: [Primordial Sin yer: Lv1]!] [You received the Privilege: [Archnemesis of All Sins (A Rank)]!] [The Tower has rewarded you for your great achievement with a Special Item: [Demon Gate Key (S Grade)] x1] Seeing this again, I obtained three new skills and a new Privilege, though thetter are all rewards from the Tower. It went all ording to n, of course. By letting Sloth eat me, I was able to then eat him from the inside out, while Arachne weakened him. It was aplete and total teamwork there, I relied on her as much as she did with me, and she got a lot stronger too, seeing her status from before, it had changed a lot. Her stats didn''t increase but all her ws were quickly corrected, and she gained dream and nightmare elemental powers. Which apparently were sloth''s whole shtick this entire time, and I had no freaking idea... I really got caught off-guard there, but heh, all ording to n anyways. Well, whatever the case, I still got one million stats, three skills, and one privilege. I have a few other Skills I haven''t checkedpletely, so I might as well inspect them, and also my privileges. [Shattered Nightmare Realm Soul Body: Lv1] Your Body and Soul have absorbed the shattered fragments of arge Nightmare Realm and have be one with it. Your Soul Body can now create, open, close, and expand an internal Fragmented Nightmare Realm where the souls of those asleep can be dragged inside and battled. If the battle is won by the wielder, the souls can be directly eaten, and the foe killed immediately. This Fragmented Nightmare Realm ispletely controlled by the user alone, and through the usage of Mana, it can be expanded and transformed, not only to trap foe''s souls inside, but also to unleash a {Nightmare Soul Aura} around the user that will cause foes to randomly feel [Drowsiness], [Headache], [Confusion], and [Weakness] for 1 Minute and which can be stacked together. Alongside that, foes that fall into any of these conditions will also have their Stats lowered by 30%, with an additional +1% with each Skill Level. The Fragmented Nightmare Soul Realm Size, Power, Expansion, and Healing factors will be based on 50% of the user''s Magic and Aether Stats, with an additional 5% with each Skill Level. Using the Nightmare Essence extracted from the Realm, Nightmare Magic can be conjured to mess with a foe''s soul and mind, and also attack them using their greatest fears. Using Mana, Nightmare Beasts of various shapes, sizes, and power levels can be summoned and created inside of the Fragmented Nightmare Realm, whose power will be based on 10% of the summoner''s total stats, with an additional 2% with each Skill Level, and while fighting inside the Fragmented Nightmare Realm, their stats double. So with this I pretty much gained a new Element, Nightmare! It goes really well with Darkness and Death already, mixing all three together will give me an amazing ability to weaken foes and have the chance to directly extract their souls if they fall asleep, pretty good. It might not work with overpowered foes, but with anything else, it could be a very useful ability, I am definitely going to use this a lot, without a doubt. It alsoes with so many abilities, the power of just extracting souls from sleeping targets is just one of them, I can also get Nightmare Essence? Conjure Nightmare Magic, summon Nightmare Beasts, and even unleash a Nightmare Aura to cause status effects and weaken foes, really good! Ding! [You have acquired the [Nightmare Element: Lv--] Characteristic Skill!] Ah, there it is, fully assimted by now. Chapter 1116: Powerful Skills Chapter 1116: Powerful Skills ? The fragmented nightmare realm soul skill was certainly interesting, and it brought a whole new set of abilities to the table. Now the important thing is... Where and how do I employ them into my fighting style? Well, for once it will probably help me never get eaten by a dream or nightmare weaver ever again, thankfully. I suppose I could evenbine it with other Skills, now that I think about it... Right now I only have to Fusion Skills, and both are already pretty damn strong and useful. But we''ll see. I would like to use my older Skills for fusion first, nheless. Now, onto the other skills. [Primordial Sin Magic: Sloth: Lv1] A the one that has devoured and killed the Sin of Sloth, you have stolen his primordial sin powers and made them yours. Channeling upon this Slothful power andbining it with your Mana, you can conjure Primordial Sin Magic of Sloth, specializing in the ability to slow down, weaken, and confuse foes, enhance regeneration and healing, making foes fall asleep or on very exhausted states, and drain the energy and soul of foes through this process. New Spells are unlocked with each Skill Level. The Magic Power and Effects of these Spells is based on 100% of Magic and 25% of Aether Stats, with an additional +10% with each Skill Level. Additionally, you can unleash a powerful {Demonic Aura of Sloth} by spending Mana and Demonic Energies together, which will make all foes within a 100-meter radius feel lethargic and sleeping, and prone to fall asleep if their concentration breaks, when they fall into a state of [Drowsiness], their skill and Magic Power decreases by 30%. Avable Spells: Level 1: [Slothful Curse Beam (Causes Drowsiness)] [Paralyzing Presence (Paralyzes Foes)] [Nightmarish ws of Sloth (Damage, Causes Confusion)] Level 3: ??? Level 6: ??? Level 8: ??? Level 10: ??? Oooh, not bad at all! So this is the Sloth Magic that Arachne also has? Probably hers is different though, mine specifically says I got it from killing and absorbing Sloth, so maybe mine is weaker or stronger than hers, or just different spells altogether. Maybe I can ask herter to test out her many spells and abilities so we can make someparisons and whatnot. Anyways, there was also this one Title... [Primordial Sin yer: Lv1] A Title bestowed to those that have not only defeated a Primordial Sin, but outright killed it, destroying their very existence, something thought to be impossible as Sins are intangible beings that live eternally and take over vessels, once thought to be manifestations of the Nature of the Layers of Hell themselves. In the past, it was always thought that the only way to free yourself from a sin was by transferring it to another vessel or dying, it was never imagined that they could be destroyed until your existence was brought upon the Tower. This Title is both an achievement and also a powerful Skill for achieving such a tremendous feat beyond recognition and that has never ever happened before. When fighting Wielders of the Primordial Sins, their Creators, or rted beings such as Demons and Demonic Beasts, Damage Dealt increases by +500%, with an additional 20% with each Skill Level, and you can ignore 50% of their Defenses, while you take 30% Less Damage from them. For each Sin you destroy and absorb their remaining, leftover essence, you will gain the ability to create a Demonic Sin Spirit from its fragments, which you will be able to contract right away. Their power will increase based on their original strength and 25% of your Attack, MP, Magic, and Aether Stats. The more Demonic Sin Spirits you gather, the stronger they will be, with a boost to All their Power of 200% with each contracted Demonic Sin Spirit after the first one. Avable Demonic Sin Spirits: [Sloth]: [Ready to be Created] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] Woah, okay! This is kind of fantastic, isn''t it?! I can actually get Demonic Sin Spirits?! Also my damage dealt against demons is boosted, I can ignore fifty percent of their defenses, and even reduce their damage dealt against me?! This is insane! I never imagined it could get this ridiculous. And it even includes their creators? This means the Archdemons, isn''t it? "Well alright, how about we try these for now then?" First of all, I decided to try the Nightmare Soul Body Skill. Interestingly enough, it was always active, so by merely closing my eyes and concentrating into my body and soul, I saw something. "Oh?" There they were, a bunch of ck colored bubbles of nightmarish essence, indeed, they were fragmented just as the skill stated, but with a thought, I was able to easily connect them together through bridges, expanding it. As I put more of my senses into the bubbles, fragmented nightmare realm pieces, I saw the same realm as before, where we had been trapped some time ago, its eternal darkness, and the weird feeling of having my soul pulled inside. It''s a bit dangerous, and I think I could employ it defensively too, something the skill didn''t stated, but that''s totally valid and could work... If I coat myself with it, I wonder what could happen to a foe''s soul... "Oh well, that''s that... Now to the more fun part..." I quickly activated the Title''s effects, as I felt a sudden connection to something that had yet to even exists. In front of me, fragments appeared, they resembled ss pieces, but of red color. I gathered them together with my bare hands and put them together until a strange mass of demonic power was created, which then was filled with the spiritual energy of the world. FLASH! And then a bright crimson light surged, almost blinding me and everyone around me, they panicked a bit, but after I calmed them down, the light slowly went down until it disappeared. And what was left behind was a Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth. Their appearance was... Oh.N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 1117: Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth Chapter 1117: Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth ? This Title was a pretty good skill by itself, the ability it had, giving me the power to y more easily anything rted to the sins was already pretty good. However, what was truly important here was its secondary effect, one you wouldn''t expect a Title Skill to have at all! For each Sin you destroy and absorb their remaining, leftover essence, you will gain the ability to create a Demonic Sin Spirit from its fragments, which you will be able to contract right away. Their power will increase based on their original strength and 25% of your Attack, MP, Magic, and Aether Stats. The more Demonic Sin Spirits you gather, the stronger they will be, with a boost to All their Power of 200% with each contracted Demonic Sin Spirit after the first one. Avable Demonic Sin Spirits: [Sloth]: [Ready to be Created] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] [???]: [Not yet Found] And using its effects, I created myself my second ever contracted spirit, and a weird one at that, a Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth. FLASH! The fragments of the Sloth Sin Power converged together with the spiritual energy of the world of Yggdrasil, that flowed everywhere without stopping. Ding! [Congrattions! You havebined the Fragments of the Demonic Sin of Sloth with the Spiritual Energy of the World of Yggdrasil to create the {Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth}!] [To fulfill the contract, please name the spirit!] The Spirit itself materialized in front of me, it had the shape of... Well, of a tiny ck and red spider! It was like a ck spider made of steel, embedded with crimson jewels over its entire body. "Oh, a spider?!" Partner wondered. "Is that a new spirit?" "It is!" Emeraldine nodded. "How did you even get that, Maria?" "Err, part of a new Title Skill... The fragments of sloth made themselves into a spirit for me," I said. "Seems like I can do the same with every single sin I destroy." "What?! Well, that''s bizarre..." Lucifer said. "And it has a spider shape like Arachne? Maybe it inherited her powers!" said Nyx. "A spirit? I had never seen one before..." said Arachne. "Well, I wish I could call her Arachne but that''s not possible, so let''s go for Obsidian!" I said, nodding. "I think that''s a good name, right?" The spider slowly nodded and then jumped over my head, its eight eyes were all red jewels, and it jumped like jumping spiders do! Ding! [You have named your Spirit and fulfilled the contract!] [The [Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth: Obsidian] has be your third contracted Spirit!] [You have fulfilled the conditions and have unlocked the [Spirit] Stat!] [Stat: Spirit]: [A Stat that is unlocked once the user creates a contract with three or more Divine Spirits and has umted enough internal Spiritual Essence. The more it increases, the stronger the user''s Spiritual Magic, Spiritual Skills, and Spirits Stats be. Spiritual Essence can also be created on simr quantities over time, and directly affect the user''s soul, enchanting its powers. Necessary to climb the Tower, as many floors will require the user to have spiritual abilities.] [Current Spirit Stat: 1.500.000] Huh, pretty nice, and I got 1.5 million right off the bat! Anyways, how many Spirits I have right now though? {Contracted Spirits}: [Evil God Fragment of Chaos Spirit: Tyr (Affection: 90/100)]: Strong, Developing. [Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit: Amethyst (Affection: 70/100)]: Feels slightly ignored. [Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth: Obsidian (Affection: 10/100)]: Newbie, a bit of empty headed. Ooh, so that''s- Wait, what?! Why is TYR there? He counts as a contracted Spirit?! No way! But he''s an old man... Ugh, okay then, fine.... I suppose he already is like my first ever spirit, a chaos spirit at that, so it makes some little sense. And he has absorbed a lot of fragments so he''s pretty strong now, by fusing with him I can unleash tremendous chaotic prowess.N?v(el)B\\jnn Then there''s Amethyst, the moth miasmic poison spirit I found on the tomb where Eustace had died and had his soul cursed and sealed. She has enhanced my poison abilities and miasmic power to brand-new levels, but she feels ignored? How do I remediate that? Do I just bring her along or...? Hm, and then there''s Obsidian! Only ten out of a hundred affection, makes sense, she''s the newbie here. Though, Empty-headed? A bit too harsh there, System. Ding! [For having unlocked the Spirit Stat, you unlocked the [Divine Spiritual Master: Lv1] Title Skill!] [Divine Spiritual Master: Lv1] A Title bestowed to Magicians that not only have umted the sufficient amount of internal Spiritual Essence inside of their Souls but have contracted three or more Divine Spirits into their Souls. You have be a Divine Spiritual Master, unlocking the Spirit Stat, and granting you the ability to empower and further evolve and strengthen your Divine Spirits topletely new levels, furtherbining your power with them into a single entity. All your contracted Spirits receive a boost to their Magic Power and Defensive Power of 300%, with an additional +15% with each Skill Level. And the maximum amount of MP required to use their powers decrease by 20%. You can now wield the power of your Divine Spirits topletely new levels, as you can now fuse with them through [Divine Spirit Fusion],bine them together through [Divine Spirit Combination], or transform them into Weapons or Armor through [Divine Spirit Weaponization] and [Divine Spirit Armor]. Their Power and Defense in such forms depends on 50% of your Magic and Spirit Stats, with an additional 5% with each Skill Level. Oh damn, this is pretty decent, I didn''t think I could get this at all! So Divine Spirits can even be turned into weapons, armor, or even fused together or into my own body and soul, interesting. Well, I''ve certainly been doing a lot of thetter with Tyr, but not the former. A weapon form of Tyr would certainly be strong, and I wonder the same for Obsidian and Amethyst. I wonder though, does Emeraldine has this skill? Maybe I should help her get a third Divine Spirit... Knock, knock. Suddenly, the door opened after a few knocks, as the twin princess appeared. "Everyone, mom and dad have invited you to lunch!" Chapter 1118: Fragment Of The Lost Crown of Atlantis ? Princess Aqua and Everose came to pick us up for lunch, I hadn''t realized that much time had passed since breakfast, but I guess the whole Sin thing wasn''t really short at all either... With rumbling stomachs, we epted the offer and quickly went to eat lunch, invited by royalty themselves. The King and Queen of Aquarose were present, they had woken up exceptionallyter today, I suppose due to being so tired of doing a lot of stuff, I don''t know what stuff though. "We apologize for waking up sote! And being unable to thank you in regards for what you did yesterday, saving all the sick people was such a miracle, so many were being constantly sick, and we werepletely unable to save them, we are truly grateful for your help," the King of Aquarose thanked us, his long beard being caressed by hisrge hands. "It''s honestly incredible what you did, we never imagined you would go so far for our people, you have our eternal gratitude, and of course, we''ve brought you a bountiful reward too!" the Queen said. "We''ve gathered a bag withrge quantities of Gold, I believe the people of the surface use that as money, right?"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Additionally, we''ve secured three hundred Spirit Stones of Water, Fire, and Ice Element from our treasury," the King said. "And aside from that, we''ve brought magical artifacts for everyone!" the Queen pped. Dozens of soldiers brought bags after bags of gold, spirit stones, and treasures for us. We were a bit surprised; I was expecting some payment, but they brought so much I felt a bit bad. "Are you sure this is fine?! Isn''t this too much? What about your Kingdom''s own economy?" I wondered. "We will be fine, don''t worry!" said the King. "We have arge quantity of Gold anyways; this is but a miniscule percentage of it!" "Oh, okay then..." I nodded. "Well, thanks for the funds anyways! I think we''ll be able to make good use of them for our vige." "That''s right! It''s a lot of money..." Nia muttered, looking at the money with her green eyes wide open. "A-Ahem, and these artifacts, what are they?" "It''s a lot, please take a look," the Queen said. The soldiers opened the bag, revealing rings, bracelets, helmets, armor pieces, tridents, staffs, swords, and spears. They were all gold and blue colored, embedded with many magical and spiritual stones. "Wow, what loot!" said Nyx. "A lot of stuff! Can I grab something, mommy?" "I mean, sure, go ahead..." I nodded. "These are artifacts that we''ve dug from ancient ruins," said the King. "Apparently, long ago, these oceans were solidnd, and ancient civilizations lived here, their artifacts were madebining spiritual and magical energies together!" "So these are artifact of old civilizations, perhaps the dragons and titans that once inhabited the entirends here..." I nodded. Nothing of those things really interested me, though, they weren''t as good as my equipment, but everyone else did like them, so I let them take whatever they wanted. The artifacts had special effects imbued into them that made them stronger while working underwater, interestingly enough. So perhaps this was a society of water dragons too? Maybe it wasn''tplete solidnd, and this area of the desert was more like a beach back then, close to the sea. I epted the rest of the rewards, gold was good for our personal funds and the crystals too, as for everything else, I was satisfied. It would have been nicer to get something like a skill Book, maybe, but I would be too greedy there, I am getting skills from left and right, so that''s more than enough for the moment. "We''ve decided to take a break for today and go tomorrow to deal with the King of the Depths, if you don''t mind our stay," I said. "Oh, of course not! You''ve done so much, you are not even obligated to do any more..." said the King. "That''s right, you''ve helped this Kingdom more than you could ever think. Even if we keep getting attacked by monsters in the future, our people will be able to fend them off after recovering!" said the Queen. "I don''t think it would be that easy, mom, dad," sighed Everose. "Please stop being so prideful and just ask them for their help on ying that thing. They''re the only ones capable, if you act like this some more, they might even leaveter!" "E-Everose, calm down, you can''t just speak to our parents in such a tone..." his sister, Aqua, tried to reprimand her. "No, she''s not wrong... I suppose we''re just trying not to make them feel forced to it, even if they''re so powerful, to ask them such a monumental task, akin to only heroes is... well, I wouldn''t know how to put it in words," the King sighed. "I know everything is quite hard to process, but I wasn''t lying when I said I killed two Gods," I smiled. "Don''t worry about it and leave it to us. We''ll rest and then... We''ll get it done; I assure you." "Thank you, Maria..." nodded the Queen. "We are counting on you... to finally end this, once and for all." "Of course!" I nodded. "Ah, right..." I quickly remembered something I had been collecting with my quests so far, the fragments of a certain crown. The [Lost Crown of Antis Fragment (??? Grade)]! "Do you know anything about a Lost Crown of Antis, by the way? Recently, I''ve found two fragments out of it," I showed the King and the Queen the pieces. "T-The lost crown of Antis, that''s...!" muttered the King, looking at the pieces in disbelief. "I can''t believe it! Are they real?! T-These are truly real! Oh... By the Sea Mother!" "I-I can''t believe it, just where have you found this, Maria?!" the Queen asked me. "T-These fragments... Y-You see, this artifact... well..." "What''s wrong? So you know about it!" I said. "Can you tell me what exactly is?" The two looked at one another, still surprised. "The thing is... the crown is supposed to have been destroyed long ago, not a single piece left," the king stated. Chapter 1119: Helping Out A Bit More ? After showing the pieces of the crown to the King and the Queen, their reaction was beyond what I had originally expected, like,pletely! "T-The lost crown of Antis, that''s...!" muttered the King, looking at the pieces in disbelief. "I can''t believe it! Are they real?! T-These are truly real! Oh... By the Sea Mother!" "I-I can''t believe it, just where have you found this, Maria?!" the Queen asked me. "T-These fragments... Y-You see, this artifact... well..." "What''s wrong? So you know about it!" I said. "Can you tell me what exactly is?" The two looked at one another, still surprised. "The thing is... the crown is supposed to have been destroyed long ago, not a single piece left," the king stated.N?v(el)B\\jnn Huh? How is that possible? I mean,pletely destroyed to the point absolutely nothing was left behind... "How did this happen?" wondered Emeraldine. "S-Sorry for butting in, but I am quite interested now..." "Me too, I''m wondering what the crown did to deserve such a fate..." Lucifer nodded. "Well, we shall exin it," sighed the King. "This is some old tale, of long ago, when our tribe had just arrived in the world of Yggdrasil," said the Queen. "It was said that Priestess Naiad possessed the power of the Crown of Antis, an artifact gifted to her by a King from Antis, her father, long ago," the King said. "The crown had the power to open a gate directly to the world of Antis, it was a way for her toe back home," said the Queen. So that''s how it is... "But why was it destroyed?" wondered my daughter Nyx. "Yeah?" Arachne asked. "Well, it happened in the battle against the King of the Depths," said the King. "Using his powers, he destroyed the crownpletely, leaving nothing but ashes." "Naiadmented the only thing that could have brought her back home, but never regretted her decision ofing to Yggdrasil''s seas," said the Queen. "T-This is why we are so surprised you found two fragments of it!" the King said. "I''ve been using Appraisal on it all this time and it certainly seems to be the legit thing!" "But how did you find it? Were the tales of old false and the crown was instead only broken?" the Queen wondered. "And where did you find it, Maria?" "Hmm, I can''t say that for now," I said. After all, they''re Quest Rewards, if I spill the beans right now, wouldn''t that be a bit too hard to believe? "But I can say that I might be able to get the third andst part once we go fight the King of the Depths..." I said. "So I was thinking what to do with it, if its truly a tool to help you go back to your home world..." "Ah, no, please, we don''t really mind it if you keep it," the King smiled, nodding. "That''s right!" the Queen agreed. "It would be a good gift for all of you after all. It has been thousands of years since our tribe arrived in Yggdrasil, and we know very little of Antis ourselves. This is our home world, and these seas are what we''ve always known since we were born." "Indeed, it would be weird for us to go back there... Also, they had ran away in the first ce because of the many wars," sighed the King. "We would rather stay in these peaceful oceans, to be honest." "Hahah... I suppose," Iughed a bit. "Then I''ll keep it, I might eventually take a trip there then..." Celes is the reincarnation of Naiad, and Naiad was the priestess of the Mother Sea, apparently, daughter of one of the Kings of Antis, no less. Perhaps... if that King is long-lived and still alive, he could probably recognize within Celes the soul of his daughter? Or maybe not and it''s just weird and doesn''t matter. Well, whatever the case, I want to visit that nautical world and see how it is. If its truly just an endless ocean with inds, it sounds really fun, we could be pirates for a bit and everything... "Well thanks for telling us about that, I guess I''ve learned more than I imagined..." I nodded. "No problem, now, let us enjoy the meal we have here," the King smiled. "Our chefs worked very hard for it! Please enjoy it, everyone!" the Queen said. And we did, the food was really delicious and varied, the amount of seafood we were ingesting was tremendous. And so many preparations and tes we''ve never seen before too. However, after this little trip, we might get really tired of it eventually, and we might not want more seafood for a while, I believe... Once we finished our meals, we decided to have a trip around the city, while helping the people in anything they needed. Well, it wasn''t my idea! I am not that goody two shoes to do so much good for random people, but Emeraldine and my daughter insisted on wanting to help. And then Nia agreed, and then Celes, and then the rest of the kids, and Jonathan... Partner and Lucifer were more like me though, just on their own and without the intention to help every in every single thing. However, everyone else is very heroic, and I believe Nyx and even Arachne are like this! Well, I guess... it''s fine, right? As long as we have the power, and it doesn''t really bother us or affect us negatively, it''s never wrong or bad to be a nice person and help others. Most of the time heroes are criticized because of their self-sacrificing nature, helping others by sacrificing their own time effort, powers, and even money and life. I suppose that''s where the hatred came from, talking through the perspective of an avid light novel and web novel reader. Though, I also don''t really like edgy, selfish characters either. I just like a good middle ground that doesn''t go overboard, but I suppose that''s also too perfect, huh? Nheless, I ended helping the people rebuild their houses... Chapter 1120: Maria Is A Refined Noble Lady! Chapter 1120: Maria Is A Refined Noble Lady! ? Because of the insistence of my baby girl Nyx, I ended helping the townsfolk like the good heroine I am! I am so graceful and nice, aren''t I? "Thank you so much for rebuilding my house... Please take this golden cup!" "I really thought I would have to buy another house after the disaster, thank you so much... please take this pearl!" "I never thought there would be such goodhearted people out there, take these delicious scallops I caught!" "Without your aid, the house where I grew up with my whole family would have had to bepletely demolished to rebuild it anew, thanks! Please take this bag of sea urchins! They''re fresh and ready to eat!"N?v(el)B\\jnn The mermen were actually very grateful though and would happily bring anything of value topensate us for our help. Gold, pearls, jewels, and food was themon reward we received. At first I didn''t really think it would be too much, but it ended being a lot more! Once it was finally over, I had yet another big sack of gold and precious magic jewels, so that''s even more money and funds for the vige. Aside from that, lots of food, which I saved inside my Inventory to keep it preserved until we went back home, like that we could have a big feast of fresh seafood for everyone to taste back home. "Mommy, everyone was so happy! They gave us a lot of rewards too!" said Nyx. "I can''t believe it! So goodwill does pay off!" "Y-Yeah, I am surprised too," I nodded. "Usuallymoners are too poor to repay for kindness, the only thing they can give you is a "thank you so much!" or sometimes they don''t even thank you..." "Sis, aren''t you acting a bit too elitist there? We aren''t nobles anymore..." said my brother. "We aremoners as well. Our noble titles were taken away..." "Eh?! Ah... Oh well..." I sighed. "Well, even then, I am sure I am of a higher social status than themoners, I am quite strong myself, so that should suffice, isn''t it? Heh!" "I''ve noticed it just now, but you sometimes talk a bit weird, like you''re a spoiled rich girl," said Lucifer. "That''s because her memories of when she was alive finally came back fully," Jonathan giggled. "Maria was always like this. She had sure grown a lot, bing much humbler- Well, it wasn''t like she was a bad person either, it was just her way of being like that." "Mom stuck that personality into her, for sure..." Arthur nodded. "A-Arthur! How could you say such a thing about your sister dearest?" I sighed. "And yeah, sometimes it justes out of me, this way of speaking... I can''t believe I talked about social status, I''ve never really cared about that before, huh? This mix of memories messed me up a little bit." "Mama is mama no matter what!" Nyx said. "It doesn''t matter! I will also be a refined nobledy!" "Oh my! Really my dear little flower? Then mama shall be very proud! Let us grow together as nobledies of high society then, mama will teach you all the tricks that my beloved mother taught me! Ohohoho!" Iughed. Ah! "I did it again..." I sighed. "Well, we''ll have to just get used to it," shrugged Catarina. "Not like it matters, she has always acted kind of like she has a stick up her ass..." "You say that because we were foes before...!" I groaned. "Please set aside such harmful opinions about my noble birth! Ahem... I mean, don''t be mean." "Hahaha! This is actually a bit funny," Catarina kept teasing me. I swear by the gods if I wasn''t a refined woman, I would beat her senseless... Wait, no, I shouldn''t think like that either. "Big sis, don''t bully auntie Maria... She''s nice," Silva came to the rescue, telling Catarina to cut it out. "You''re being a big meanie for no reason!" "S-Silva?!" Catarina looked like the world wasing down for her. "I-I''m sorry, I won''t be a meanie, don''t get angry with me..." "Hmph, apologize to auntie!" Silva said. "Eeehh..." Catarina groaned. "Ok, sorry." "So dry..." I sighed. "Well, whatever the case, shall we return to the castle? I''ve reinforced the defensive barrier using my divinity and my magic, so the ce should be safe even if a trillion monsters invade." "Don''t jynx it please..." Emeraldine said. "I-I am not!" I sighed. "Anyways, Nia, have you liked the trip so far? What about Celes?" "Ah! Yes, I do love this ce... It''s so lovely and big! It is the first time I even go anywhere else than my own city and see other things than the desert," Nia sighed. "Its quite fantastic, sorry if I am quite silent, I just am in awe about everything..." "I see, well, good for you then," I nodded. "I also like it here! It''s like... weird, like these people, the mermen, they feel like my kindred for some reason," said Celes. "I feelfortable here too, stronger even... Maybe being close to the sea makes me stronger?" "It probably does that," I nodded. "Most likely the power of his soul..." Eustace noticed. "As he grows up and bes stronger, the inherited strength of his soul, of Naiad, will be greater. Its only naturel he''ll feelfortable aroundrge bodies of water." "I see..." Nia nodded. "W-Well, I''m d you''re feeling happy here, Celes. But don''t feel too ustomed yet, our home is still our home, alright?" "Yeah, I get it mom!" Celes nodded. "Anyways, it''s getting quitete, shall we go have dinner?" I wondered. "It has been a few hours since lunch after all..." "Sure!" Nyx said. "Arachne are you hungry?" "Very!" Arachne nodded. "Also I don''t feel sleepy at all yet... It''s amazing!" "Is that so? I''m happy for you then, dear," I smiled. As we made our way back home, my Shadow Realm continued having its usual tremors. A certain dragon I had rescued from a bastard warlock that used her body as an augmentation and I had healed fully some time ago, was beginning to slowly wake up. And she did it by groaning and having very vivid dreams, I think... Her name was Violet, right? I''m sure Lucifer is going to get happy once I share him the news. Chapter 1121: Violets Past Chapter 1121: Violet''s Past ? "Sister..." Crystal''s sister, Violet, could only be described as a warrior that would never give up. She was one of the strongest dragons of her tribe in the mountains, and overprotective of her little sister. She was an example that every little dragon wanted to follow without a doubt, someone they admired and looked up to. "Where... where am I?" Even Lucifer back then had to ept how strong she was, and her almighty strength,bined with her violet-colored crystalline scales and her poisonous fire breath made her a formidable fighter within the Fire Dragon Tribe. "My head... it hurts..." She was one of the dragons that fought the most in the war against the Empire of Light, when the Demon King allied himself with every other tribe and the mighty dragons to defend themselves from the constant harassment and persecution of the humans. "Lucifer... did you protect my sister?" It all concluded in this massive war, where the Gods themselves aided their chosen humans. Many heroes died from both sides, but eventually, the humans won with the help of the Gods, and even the mighty Fire Dragons, that had inhabited Midgard before any person fromn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om another world ever reached Yggdrasil, were in. "That''s right... I escaped..." Yet Violet had a different fate, in thest moments of her struggle against the powerful Heroes chosen by the Gods, she was struck with a powerful sealing ability, which sealed her powers over time. "I''m sorry, everyone..." Cowardly, she had to run away as the rest of her kindred and allies were being ughtered. Her pride would have not allowed her to do so, but the seal put on her made herpletely useless, her wings carried her far away, reaching the sands of the Golden Dunes. "I''m a disgrace to the dragon kind..." She still could remember, the hot, burning sands, her thirst for water, her hunger, and her endless sleep to recover. The seal ced inside of her body and soul was strong, and it took hundreds of years to wear off. Violet had to sleep under the sands for many years. She wanted to go help everyone, to save them, but she could barely move anymore. "Crystal..." Every day she would remember her family, especially Crystal, and Lucifer, and their children, their precious children... "Damned... humans..." As the years went by and the seal weakened, she woke up, walking from oases to oases, drinking water, hunting beasts, slowly, her wings began to regain some of their former strength. "I wish I could have been able to go back..." Yet her wings would not lift her into the sky yet, and her efforts were always in vain... Despite everything, she was still bound to the ground, and her body was too big and weakened to move properly yet. She could only pray to the Primordial Gods, Ymir, and Tiamat, as she rested, trying to recover her strength. She prayed, and prayed, and continued praying, without end in sight. Her seal wore off through years, thousands of years. The hero that used such a potent seal, she killed him, and she was relieved about that, a monster with such a powerful ability could have brought even more doom to the world. However, right now, she was suffering his revenge. "Crystal, Lucifer... please... please be alive..." She often thought that every night as she slept, trying to recover. After thousands of years, the world had changed greatly, yet as she lived in the dunes, she was never able to see it change at all. "How long has it been... the seal is finally being worn off..." she said back then, looking at the dunes. "Maybe I can finally-" "An interesting specimen." "A dragon?" "It''s mine..." Yet she met apletely different fate when she was found by them, the mysterious vampires that dwelled in the dunes, covered on ck cloaks, and that directly obeyed a dark lord of sorts, a being from another world that brought them great enlightenment. "W-Who... Who are you?! Get off me!" Violet tried to fight back, with ws, fangs, tail, and her breath, but her weakened state made her unable to unleash her true power, and the warlocks overwhelmed her. Their magic and curses weakened her even more, putting her to their mercy. They carried her to the dark depths of theirboratories, and did all sorts of horrendous experiments on her body. "Why... Why is this happening to me?!" "This is... you monsters..." "I... No..." "This is my punishment... for running away... for being a coward..." Slowly, her mind faded away as her body was riddled with cables and augmentations, metallic pieces and magic artifacts fused into her bone and flesh. The warlocks chose one of their strongest men and allowed him to fuse into Violet''s body, they cut down her head and attached two other heads, still keeping her alive as they did the imnt. A monstrosity was born, with her original neck now attached to a horrendous vampire, she became an aberration. Violet, even as her consciousness remained in her soul, sleeping eternally, still feel all the pain, for hundreds of years since her monstrous transformation. Yet, out of nowhere, a feeling of liberation happened, a great feeling of calmness, the pain disappeared, and her body, everything came back. Her head regrew, her limbs, everything... even her shattered soul, parasitized and slowly devoured by her host was recovered, filtered, and cleansed. Her consciousness, which had long ago died, slowly started to regain all her memories, her mind slowly woke up. "Cry... stal..." And the only thing she could think about was her dear sister, her young baby sister, which she spoiled so much. Memories of those times constantly shing through her mind. Of when she visited her sister''s nest she had with Lucifer, and their adorable babies could come running to see her. "Auntie Violet''s here!" "Auntie did you bring meat?" "Auntie, hi!" And of her sister''s giggle. "Come on children, don''t just climb over auntie Violet like that, haha...!" Violet continued perseverating, as her consciousness finally regenerated, and these memories... These memories that constantly shed through her mind. She couldn''t help but cry, with her new eyes, with her regenerated body, as she finally opened her eyes. Maria and Lucifer were right in front of her. "You...? Lucifer?" Chapter 1122: A Talk With An Old Dragon 1 Chapter 1122: A Talk With An Old Dragon 1 ? When Violet finally woke up, finding herself within a Realm of Endless Shadows, the first thing she thought was that she had died and was in the Underworld, where the Goddess of Death Hel governed. It added to it that there were even Undead around, skeletons, zombies, and even a group of strange people, led by an old man with a long beard. She thought that they had died young with their old master, pitying them. However, the more "alive" she felt, the more she realized that she wasn''t actually dead. In fact, she had gone through an almost dead-like experience already. Her body was taken away, her soul was almostpletely eaten, fused with that of a wicked vampire. But right now, she was not dead, and as the memories of her past kepting and going, mixing with the memories of the present, she quickly realized that she had been revived, somehow. The tenderness she felt as she was being healed back to normal, even her head, which had been gone for so long, her brain, everything. Even her soul was restored to full, no longer mixed, fused with a disgusting old vampire, not even memories of his own mind remained within hers. "Hahh... I-I''m alive... After so long?" She started crying, realizing how lucky, yet unlucky she has been. Everything is probably already gone; it has been thousands of years after all. But who, who did this to her? Who healed her? It didn''t take too long for them to appear in front of her, alongside someone she would instantly recognize. A beautiful woman with long, silvery-white hair, sharp red eyes, and skin as pale as candlewax, wearing a ck dress and a ck hat, her appearance seemed intimidating, she had never seen a human like her before. And the other, the other resembled a Majin of some sort, with long white hair, pale blue eyes, ck horns growing across his head and then his neck, long wings, ck and dark blue scales on his arms and legs, and sharp ws, wearing a rather fancy-looking suit. For a moment she didn''t knew who he was, but his presence alone, and his scent, she immediately recognized him after that! "She''s awake, it seems! Finally," sighed the woman. "Name''s Maria, and this is Lucifer... Actually, maybe you recognize him already?"N?v(el)B\\jnn "M-Maria...?" Violet muttered. "Lu... Lucifer?!" "Violet..." sighed Lucifer, looking at her with an expression full of sorrow, but also with a faint smile. "I''m d to see you alive... Even after everything." FLASH! ck lightning erupted from his body as he quickly transformed, showing his draconic appearance to Violet in front of him. Without a doubt, he was the dragon her sister had chosen as a mate, the father of her sister''s children, the prideful Dragon King of the Fire Dragon Tribe of Midgard! "It''s really you, you bastard!" Violet started crying, running towards his giant, draconic form. It had changed a lot actually, too much perhaps. But the base appearance he had before dying remained, now further evolved, given a more monstrous and at the same time lugubrious, phantasmal form. Yet it was all the same! Violet hugged Lucifer, licking his entire face as Lucifer epted her love, she would rarely ever do this. But after thousands of years, she still loved him as her brother-inw, and would happily lick his entire face after feeling so lonely. "Ugh, Violet, stop licking me- Agh!" Luciferined. "M-Maria, help me!" Maria giggled as she saw violet licking and biting Lucifer''s entirely. It was the first time she was seeing how dragons showed affection to family members. They groomed each other''s scales as both a gesture of love and appreciation and also as a way to trust each other. "So cute! Lick her back too, Lucifer! I know it''s nothing romantic, rx." "F-Fine..." Lucifer had grown ustomed to human customs, so he had forgotten about this little ritual they did, he hugged Violet back, giving her the warmth and love she was missing for so long. He licked her face, cleansed her neck scales with gentle bites, and made her feel better and happier. "Calm down Violet, I am not going anywhere... It has been a long time, I''m happy to see you, sister-inw," he smiled. "Me too, Lucifer..." she kept crying. "I never thought I would be so happy to see your dumb face... But you''re perhaps the only left, isn''t it?" "..." Lucifer remained in silence for a brief moment. "N-Not everyone, my sister is also alive. And... there''s a child that survived too." "W-What?!" Violet gasped. "Truly?! So not everyone is gone... Brunhild is alive! And... the other children and Crystal... They aren''t?" |||| Lucifer didn''t answer, Maria also remained in silence. Violet could guess what had happened. "I-I see..." she sighed. "I had cried so much knowing full well I could wake up to a future without them... I think my tears are allpletely dry by now, but even then... It hurts so much..." Violet lowered her head, despite her words, more tears came from her big eyes. Luciferforted her, hugging her and caressing her head. "It has been a very long time since you werest conscious, Violet." Maria walked towards her. "Nice to meet you... Err, I am Lucifer''s... How should I say it?" "You''re his new mate? I know, you have his scent all over your body." "Eh?! Ah... Oh well, yeah, that... I thought it would upset you." "Not at all... It has been thousands of years, Lucifer died too, didn''t he? His Aura... he feels like he''s between life and death, strange. Also the two of you... you''re full of divine power." "Yes, it''s a long story..." Lucifer nodded. "Maria there, she revived me, well, she raised me as an Undead. When I died in the war, my body slowly rotted and was filled with miasma, forming a dungeon where I was sealed inside." "Uh-huh..." Violet nodded, as she heard their entire story while sitting down and eating roasted meat and water that Maria brought to her. They had a long conversation to catch up, and for the first time, old Violet was able to smile, even if a little bit. Especially when she heard about the little princess, Nyx. Chapter 1123: A Talk With An Old Dragon 2 Chapter 1123: A Talk With An Old Dragon 2 ? "So Nyx, this is your auntie." "Auntie?" Nyx was summoned inside of Maria''s Shadow Realm after she and Lucifer exined to the old dragoness about everything that has happened so far. She was left speechless of the many things they had done and achieved, and even more about Maria''s past, and how they killed two Gods. She felt happy even after everything that happened, and now, Nyx was brought inside of Maria''s Shadow Realm for onest thing! The little and cute baby ghost dragon girl looked a the gigantic, purple-scaled dragoness with a bit of confusion. "Oh my, she''s such an adorable little thing..." Violet was fascinated. "Was she the only surviving egg? She must have been blessed by Tiamat or something, it''s the only way she could have lived until now..." "Well, it was actually thanks to Crystal''s spell, it fossilized the egg and kept it alive and safe until someone poured a lot of mana into it," Lucifer exined, caressing Nyx''s head. "The amount of Mana and Power we imbued into the egg was rather huge, she underwent special changes, inheriting part of our current power. Maria even added a fragment of her soul to make sure she would be born healthy." "So that''s how I was born!" Nyx didn''t actually know that. "Crazy! Wait, so I have two mamas?!" "Haha, I suppose she has yet to learn all of that..." sighed Violet. "Indeed, I am the sister of your other mama, Crystal. She was your papa''s first wife, a very powerful dragon. She was the one that made your egg." "Oooh... Wait, I remember seeing her somewhere..." Nyx was trying to remember. "Hmm, can''t remember well... But it was in a field of flowers?" "Y-You meet her again?!" Violet wondered. "Yes, you haven''t let us get to that part yet!" Maria said. "You see, it was a bit gruesome though, but..." She went on a long exnation about how they met Crystal again, back in the Miasmic Dungeon that had been sealed inside of the Dwarven City, where something simr that happened to Lucifer ended happening to her too. Her body became an Undead and her soul ended being cursed and trapped inside of the undead body, however, unlike with Lucifer or Violet, they were unable to bring her back, her soul had been worn down too much and she wanted to pass away already. "I-I''m d you were able to see her onest time..." Violet sighed. "My little sister... She was strong until the very end, wasn''t she? And the little rascals... I just hope they''re doing well now." "Perhaps if I begin cultivating my Draconic Powers enough, I could probably one day visit the Draconic Record Realms... Perhaps their souls are there, resting," Lucifer sighed. "The Draconic Record Realm..." said Violet. "Right, the ce where all the souls of dragons go to..." "Like the Titan Record Realm?" Maria wondered. "I visited that ce when I evolved into a Titan of Moonlight, I was able to speak with a bunch of dead Titans."N?v(el)B\\jnn "EH?!" The two were surprised. It seemed Maria never told anybody about that! "Wait, I never talked about that? Oops, my bad..." Mariaughed a bit. "Then I''m the only sucker that can''t fully ess that ce..." Lucifer sighed. "What do Ick? Or is it because I died once?" "I can''t enter either, I suppose we just aren''t worthy yet," said Violet. "It is very rare for dragons that are alive to be able to be given ess..." "But Brunhild can enter, she even acquired the power of Muspel, the Primordial Dragon Mother of Fire!" said Lucifer. "Thanks to her she evolved into some sort of Divine Dragon." "What?! She did?!" asked Violet. "No way! I can''t believe she got ahead of me! This is not fair! That damn Brunhild!" "Hahaha! My sister is just that incredible I suppose," Luciferughed. "I guess these two are much happier now..." Maria sighed in relief. "Mama, is this my aunt? Why doesn''t she take small form?" Nyx wondered. "I don''t think she knows how to..." Mariaughed. "Violet, if you''re going to hang out with us, you better take on a smaller form, do you know how to use Polymorph magic?" "I guess she doesn''t, I''ll have to teach her that," said Lucifer. "Ha, my bad... Right, you''re hanging out with a bunch of little people," Violetughed. "I guess I''ll have to try and get smaller for your sake." "Yeah you have to get smaller, auntie!" said Nyx. "Or you won''t be able to hug me..." "R-Right!" Violet nodded, suddenly gaining even more drive than before. After Maria helped her out, Violet managed to transform using Polymorph, and after another hour of trying to stabilize the spell and the transformation, she unlocked the Skill and was able to do it much more easily. Her polymorphed form also looked like some sort of majin, with clear purple skin, crystal- like purple scales around her arms, legs, and some of her torso and neck, ck horns in her forehead, and dragon wings made of purple crystals, alongside a long, thick tail. Her hair was white and long, with sharp red eyes, most people would confuse her for some sort of Majin, perhaps even a Subus... "So? How do I look?" she modeled her naked body. "Hot," Maria said with honesty. "You look fine, but in this form you need to get some clothes, Violet," sighed Lucifer. "Maria can you make her something?" "Sure, do you want something sexy, cute, or mature?" Maria wondered, already creating her Shadow Threads, which could be used to make fabric and clothes with ease. "Hmm, can it be sexy and mature?" wondered Violet. "After so many years, I kind of want to have a new style to myself, a new identity... Maybe finally get me a mate too. I want a strong male to have children... Seeing how our tribe is so small now, I feel it''s my responsibility." "Hahaha! Alright girl, you got this," Maria giggled. "There you go!" FLUOSH! Violet''s polymorphed body quickly gained a set of ck, white, and gray clothes around her body. Chapter 1124: No Plans So Far Chapter 1124: No ns So Far ? After the conversations with Violet, and everything else, I quickly made her some new clothes. Something easy made out of my Shadow Threads. It was a pair of ck boots, ck thighs, a ck leather mini skirt, a white blouse, and jacket, she looked really stylish with that. Once finally done, we walked outside my Shadow Realm, now bringing with ourselves yet another newpanion, and a big and strong one, a powerful dragon. While I healed her, I gave myself a few liberties, boosting her power along the way using high quality materials and by imbuing her with arge quantity of my Elemental Essence and Mana. She was much stronger than before she was captured by the Vampires now, though I haven''t looked at her Status in specific, I can confidently say she''s at least at the SS Rank Level at the very least, enough to be a very strongpanion. Once we walked outside, we found ourselves in the surrounding garden of the Aquarose Kingdom Castle, the garden wasposed of lots of aquatic nts and corals, making it extremely colorful. "Woah, what is this ce?! So pretty!" Violet looked around. "Right, you didn''t even tell me where we are right now!" "We are in the Kingdom of Aquarose, made by mermen and mermaids," said Lucifer. "It is a city under the sea!" I said. "Pretty cool, right? Nyx and the children love the ce." "Yeah!" Nyx nodded. At the distance was the rest of our family, mostly scattered around the entire garden, ying, spending time alone, or snacking. "Aquarose? I had no idea such a ce even existed!" said Violet. "Incredible... So why are you here though?" "Long story short, we were invited here to deal with a little thing," I said. "Some big monster of the past, sealed. And then unsealed by a falling star of sorts... We came here when there were several dungeon portals bringing thousands of monsters, we killed them all and then finally reached the King and the Queen, and we''ve been solving their problems for now, and getting paid well." "Interesting..." Violet nodded. "Are you taking responsibility for something?" "Yes, I did kill the Goddess of the Sea and took her throne, so I''m going to do some good in the sea while I''m at it," I said. "Once we''re done with this, we''re back home for a little while, to prepare for what''sing." "The Empire of Light?" Violet wondered. "Of course, those bastards have yet to die," Lucifer nodded. "They killed us all back then, and they have grown even more corrupted since then, cooperating with the Vampires, using the Evil God Fragments, and Odin is a rampant madman of a God, we even discovered the origin of the Gods themselves." "Origins?" Violet wondered. "I suppose you''ve never heard of the Tower, right Violet? About how Yggdrasil is nothing but Floor 50 of this tower, which harbors 100 floors? I don''t know if each floor is a new world, but there''s at least over ten worlds connected to the entire tower." I exined. "W-What...?!" "The Gods we''ve known this entire time, Odin and his children, and many of his allies'' ones, were all "yers", a name given to those that climb the tower and have unlocked their Soul Books, a power the Tower grants for any world within it to develop and grow," Lucifer exined. "They''re usurpers, they killed our original Gods, the Divine Dragons, and the Titans, and took their Divine Thrones in the world of Yggdrasil. They have been actively working on convincing the poption that they were always the Gods of this world, and they even made a whole fake story about them being born out of Yggdrasil, no less." "T-This can''t be..." Violet muttered. "Our whole world, everything has always been... a farse? Something fake made by them?" "I wouldn''t say everything is fake, but history as a whole might be," I nodded. "We''ve killed two Gods; Odin is certainly not happy about that either. He''ll go mad, and the imminent war against the Empire of Light ising soon, a war we''ll either start ourselves, or that the Gods will bring to our doors." "What... is your n?" wondered Violet. "Right now, we don''t particrly have any n," said Lucifer. "But there will be a meeting between all the nobles and leaders of the entirety of Midgard, including the many Dukes and Princes, other allied nations too. We n to take advantage of that, infiltrate the entire thing, destroy the problem from the root, and free Yggdrasil from all these corrupt bastards." "The Gods will certainlye down once they see us there, we''ll kill like a hundred birds with a single, big stone," I smiled. "It is quite the far-fetched n, and it also feels like you barely know if it''ll ever work!" said Violet. "But... I guess it is better than nothing, indeed." "Jonathan is here with us," I said. "He''s a Hero, a former Hero, and also my boyfriend when I was alive, and now... Well, I suppose he is my second boyfriend now." "Second?!" Violet wondered. "Huh? Ppfff... Hahaha! I can''t believe it, Lucifer, you''re actually Maria''s concubine? I thought it was the other way around! So she has many?" "S-Shut up! There''s nothing tough about it! Maria is strong and deserves many partners, if so she wants, there is nothing in our culture against it, so drop it..." Lucifer felt slightly embarrassed. "Mama has many wives too! Auntie Partner is nice and tomboyish! She''s strong! Then there''s auntie Emeraldine, she''s so gentle and nice! And then there''s auntie Nia, she''s mommy of Celes, and she''s very nice like auntie Emeraldine!" said Nyx, she liked the big family. "I-I see... What about your uncle Jonathan? I am not too fond of heroes..." sighed Violet. "I wouldn''t me you, seeing how they were the reason you died, and everyone else died too..." I sighed. "But rest assured, Jonathan is someone we can all trust, and he''s good. Ah, right... there''s also the issue with the Vampires, but I think they have a simr goal to ours, so we might end up meeting once the war begins. If we be allies or foes, that''ll be decided there. But we''ve killed half of their forces by now." "S-So many things to keep track on!" Violet groaned. "My head... I need something to eat, sweet if possible." "Hahah, okay, how about ice cream?" Iughed. "Everyone! Who wants ice cream?" Like that, we decided to eat ice cream before dinner, gathering around in the garden, with the ice magic of Tear, we made a lot of vors of ice, her magic was very useful.N?v(el)B\\jnn And while we ate, we also introduced Violet to everyone, and everyone introduced themselves to her. We also were able to tell her more about literally everything, and also about Jonathan and everything he knew about the Empire of Light. When it gotte, we moved back to the castle where we decided to have dinner with the King, the Queen, and the princesses and their guards. In there we talked more about the crown of Antis and its potential powers, and also I tried to ask them for anything else they knew about that sealed monsters. Chapter 1125: Fusing Skills Chapter 1125: Fusing Skills ? "Hmm, everything we know about the King of the Depths is quite limited," said the King of Aquarose. "But we do know that he was a powerful entity that lived in the depths of the seas, even before we arrived here." "Although our ancestors faced little resistance, when he learned about us after years, he immediately came to destroy us," said the Queen. "We believe that... our ancestors finding this sea too peaceful wasn''t just good luck, this entity, this king of the depths, had simply wiped out any civilization in the seas before we arrived, hence why it was so peaceful, and why there was only just nature here..." The Kingmented. "Powerful enough to just wipe out any civilization underwater?" I wondered. "Huh, Lucifer, do you know of anything like that? You''re the oldest around here." "You''re calling me old man?!" Luciferined. "But yes, I do know, or well, I''ve heard of some ancient underwater civilizations from the past. The Water Dragons for example, all of them inhabited the sea orrge bodies of water such as massivekes, their primordial dragon mother was Ran. The Ocean Titans too, whose Primordial father was Oceanus, they both inhabited the entire oceans, or so I''ve heard in the old stories." "Perhaps that big, ugly monster ate them all!" said Nyx. "Maybe... if that were the case I don''t know if we could be able to handle such a ridiculously powerful being, so unlikely," said Lucifer. "They were probably vanquished by the new Gods led by Odin." "But where the hell did a monster like this came from then?" I wondered. "Well, we''ll see what it is once we go beat his ass." "Well said! Cheers for that!" the Kingughed cheerfully. The dinner ended after a lot of talking and eating, and we moved to rest for the rest of the night, well, not exactly for me, there were a few things I wanted to do right now. Checking my avable items and see what I could use, for example, I''ve been itching to fuse some Skills too, I have the feeling this sealed monstrosity might be stronger than I imagine. Here are all my riches: [Heavenly Demon Venerable Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] x1 [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x2 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x2 [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x6 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x6 [Divine Undead Summon Scroll (SS Grade)] x1n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Aquarose Kingdom Mermen Themed Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 Yes, yes, that''s way too many useful things. Skill Tickets, Grimoires, Privilege stuff, and also Skill Fusion thingies. Before anything, I suppose the most decent thing to do right now is drinking the Elixirs, right? Yep, let''s get to that first. [You have consumed the [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x6 and [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x6!] [You have consumed and absorbed arge quantity of Soul Essence and Azure Sea Essence!] [Your Aether Stat has increased by +600.000!] [Your Divinity Stat has increased by +300.000!] [All Ocean and Sea-type Skills have gained 2 Levels!] Nice, I feel a bit stronger, my Soul got a good boost, more Aether and Divinity is never bad. Now, onto the other things. And by other things I mean using the Fusion Ticket right away! What Skills do I pick? There''s so many possibilities... Should I pick useless or not too strong Skills again like I didst time? Or perhaps choose something insane now, well, the previous one was also insane but... Hmmm, okay, let''s see. I checked my own Status and saw all avable skills, there was a lot of skills, too many. I can choose up to six skills, so that''s still a lot! It shouldn''t be so hard, let''s pick all the skills that have be mostly outssed, or that I don''t use as much anymore, but that were strong on their time. Hmm... ... ... ... Okay, done, let''s do this. I got a good idea now, and it would fit well the ticket''s effects as well. Ding! [You have used the [Heavenly Demon Venerable Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)]!] [You have selected the following Skills for Skill Fusion using the Ticket: [Nightmarish Abyssal Soul Shattering de Arts: Lv8] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv10] [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv10] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv10] [Phantom Moon Shadow Kicking Technique: Lv9] [Magic Archery Techniques: Lv10]!] [Initiating Skill Fusion!] FLAAASH! Six spheres emerged from my soul, fusing with the ticket. To not make a ruckus, I was doing all of this inside of my Shadow Realm, the only thing around were the Undead. The ticket turned into particles of light and fused with all the spheres, my skills, which alsobined together into something evenrger. RUMBLE! "T-This is...?!" The entire Shadow Realm trembled?! How is that even possible! I was bbergasted, but I sat down and calmed myself as I watched the enormous power flowing towards my soul. I happily absorbed it into my soul, receiving its full power entirely, the tremendous and overwhelming emotion I felt. Suddenly, an enlightenment of sorts, a sh of bright light that illuminated my mind. Ibined all my fighting and weapon-rted skills into something that wouldbine them all into an ultimate fighting technique. I would have done thister when I could fuse more skills using my skill Forge, but the ticket, with a max of 6 Skills, as ideal! For a moment, my very soul transformed into something different. A powerful presence, an almighty being, a multi-armed demon of war and bloodshed. And it was awesome. Ding! [The Skill Fusion has been a sess!] [You have created the Fusin Skill: [Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts: Lv1/20]!] An interesting name, and I already want to test it so badly... Chapter 1126: A Powerful New Skill Chapter 1126: A Powerful New Skill ? Ding! [You have used the [Heavenly Demon Venerable Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)]!] [You have selected the following Skills for Skill Fusion using the Ticket: [Nightmarish Abyssal Soul Shattering de Arts: Lv8] [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv10] [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv10] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv10] [Phantom Moon Shadow Kicking Technique: Lv9] [Magic Archery Techniques: Lv10]!] [Initiating Skill Fusion!] The Skills merged rapidly, creating something brand-new almost instantaneously. Yet to me, time itself felt like it was going slowly as I saw this skill being born. It was as if the skill itself was a divinity of its own. [The Skill Fusion has been a sess!] [You have created the Fusin Skill: [Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts: Lv1/20]!] An interesting name, and I already want to test it so badly... [Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts: Lv1/20] A Divine Skill born from the fusion between the [Nightmarish Abyssal Soul Shattering de Arts: Lv8], [Barbaric Dark Axe Arts: Lv10], [Demonic Ghostly Fist Technique: Lv10], [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv10], [Phantom Moon Shadow Kicking Technique: Lv9], and [Magic Archery Techniques: Lv10] Skills through the [Heavenly Demon Venerable Themed Skill Fusion Ticket (SSS Grade)] Item. A convergence of several powerful weapon and fighting techniques together into an ultimate Battel Arts thatbine every weapon the user has ever wielded and will ever wield into an immensely powerfulbo of consecutive attacks. Overwhelm your opponents with countless blows before they can even react, each blow with several powerful effects, from slowing down foes, lowering their defenses, breaking their stances, absorbing their mana and health, and more. All Techniques Damage dealt are enhanced by 2000% with an additional 50% with each Skill Level. Additionally, it is possible to drain HP, MP, and Ki from a foe with each strike based in 50% of damage dealt, alongside ignoring all their defenses by 60% and deal Divine Soul Piercing Damage, which deals 100% damage to their souls. Each consecutive blow to a single foe will increase damage dealt by 10%, up to a maximum of 1000%, and there''s a 25% chance with each blow to inflict a myriad of Status Effects, such as [Soul Paralysis] [Miasmic Poisoning] [Divine Light Exorcism] [Ocean Waves of Restraint] [Mana-Draining Vines of the Death Tree], and more. By channeling both Ki, Mana, and other Essences, it is possible to unleash these techniques fully through the power of the {Aura of the Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable}, which will emerge as a powerful guardian behind the user and will be capable of imitating any of their movements and techniques, while also being able to materialize weapons through its Aura alone and give support, attack power, defense, and stamina to the user when summoning its powers. The Power of the Aura and all of its Effects are based on 50% of all the user''s Stats, with an additional 1% with each Skill Level. While activating the Aura, your MP and KI will be gradually drained, and you are able to choose between two Stances and Modes:n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om {Enlightened Stance: Brilliant of Yang}: Channel your Yang Elemental Ki and Essence to unleash a state of pure enlightenment and inner meditation and peace. Your Aura gains the Light Spectrum and Yang, dealing greater damage to Dark, Demonic, and Chaotic beings of up to 1000%. While in this state, your Movement Speed, Dexterity, Agility, and Calmness increases by 500%. Any attack will be imbued with the power of the Brilliant Yang and unleash devastating explosions of Light that will deal additional 300% damage within 100 meters around the initial blow. The Light will scatter and create Yang Domains, whoever stands on those will have their Health and Ki restored ten times as fast. {Demonic Stance: Darkness of Yin}: Channel your Yin Elemental Ki and Essence to unleash a state of pure demonic fury. Your Aura gains the Dark Spectrum and Yin, dealing greater damage to Divine, Light, Life, and Nature beings of up to 1000%. While in this state, your Attack Power, Vitality, and Madness increases by 500%. Any attack will be imbued with the power of the Dark Ying and unleash devastating explosions of Darkness that will deal additional 300% damage within 100 meters around the initial blow. The Darkness will scatter and create Yin Domains, whoever stands on those will have their Attack Power and Vitality increased by 200% for 1 Minute. {Harmonizing Stance: Yin & Yang Bnce}: Combine both Stances at the same time to unleash theirbined effects and abilities, further boosted by 200%. You can also unleash theirbined power through the {Fist of the Yin and Yang Dragon} that will unleash a devastating, explosive attack within a 500-meter radius, dealing up to 3000% damage and ignoring 80% of all foe''s defenses. Can only be used thrice while in this form, and this form can only be kept for 30 Minutes every day. Avable Techniques: Level 1: [Myriad Dark Yin Moonlight Hydra Venomous Fang Kick] [Endless ck Sun Skeleton Soul-Eating ws] [Nightmarish Axe Of Hellish Phantom ze] [Endless Abyssal Vertebrae Spear of the Eclipsing Sun Beast] [Void-Devouring Yang Dragon Fang Sword] [Netherworld''s Abyssal Palm of Ten Thousand Deaths] Level 5: ??? Well, alright then, now that''s a skill! It had so many effects, and to be honest I didn''t want to test it on my poor Undead, but there''s a gigantic monster that''s about to get the beating of his life once tomorrow arrives. The effects are like abination of all the other Skill but boosted even more. The stances, theirbined form, and everything, it seems this new Fusion Skill really took a lot from my Yin and Yang Skill. The Techniques it has though, I want to test them so badly! But it''s better to move on to the other items and get something else before going to sleep. There''s a lot of things though, what do I even pick before sleeping? Right, I know, that one seemed interesting. A beautiful, azure colored grimoire in front of my eyes, yet another of the many rewards I get from my new Quest Function. "Let''s see..." Ding! [You have used the [Aquarose Kingdom Mermen Themed Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1!] Chapter 1127: A New Skill Chapter 1127: A New Skill ? I opened the grimoire, runes flowing out of it, flying into my soul, and imprinting their power into my own. For a moment, I felt a new power surge from my soul, being born from it, and growingrger andrger. I could sense the waves of the sea, the raging ocean, the animals of the deep ocean, and the many guardians it once had. Sea Dragons. Ocean Titans. Was this vision made by the grimoire or something else? They were looking at me with smiles, somehow expecting something out of me. "Into you we entrust a small piece of our ancestral legacy." "Free them from their endless nightmares." "You''re the only one that might be able to save the oceans now..." They kept talking, but I didn''t understand what they even meant! What''s going on right now? I can''t free myself from this illusion, or dream, or whatever it is! "You, who has taken my Throne..." A Titan with clear blue skin, a long white beard, and fish scales over his arms, legs, neck, and more red at me with his emerald-colored eyes. His bald head and muscr appearance gave him the look of a powerful grandpa, tremendous in might and appearance, and with a tattooed body resembling the waves of the ocean and the deep-sea monsters. "I entrust on you my first andst request, as the Father of all Ocean Titans, Oceanus." "Y-You''re...? Wait, am I in the Titan Records?" No, it can''t be, there are Dragons here too! So what is this ce? "Please, bring them the peace they deserve... And take upon you the fallen star. They might be the very key to finally save our world, which we lost to them." His giant finger reached me, I couldn''t escape or move away, it touched my forehead, as I felt a sudden wave of power, like a powerful tsunami washing me down. SPLASH! The cold water washed over my entire body, as I opened my eyes, finding myself resting over the bed like before. I had split my consciousness to be inside my own Shadow Realm while my body still existed outside, but this... It seems I was just sent outside for some reason? Just what was that?! I never thought an item that could give me a skill would trigger this weird vision. Ding! [You have used the [Aquarose Kingdom Mermen Themed Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1!] [You learned the Divine Skill: [Oceanic Titan''s Draconic Spirit Transformation: Lv1]!] A transformation Skill?! I have so many already though, but I feel this one is a bit special. [Oceanic Titan''s Draconic Spirit Transformation: Lv1] A powerful Divine Skill learned from the [Aquarose Kingdom Mermen Themed Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] which has been further imbued with the Divinity Fragment of Oceanus, the King of the Ocean Titans, and the blessings of the ancient Sea Dragons. Channel theirbined divine essence andbine it with your Ki, Mana, and Ocean Essence to unleash their Spiritual, Divine Power at once, transforming your entire body into a fusion between the Ocean Titans and the Sea Dragons of ancient times. Based on Skill Level, the duration and transformation effects will vary greatly. Once activated, you will summon the skill''s spiritual divine manifestation, which you can choose between leaving as an Additional Aura, Imbue into your Body, or even Imbue into a Weapon or Armor instead. The effects will vary greatly depending in the target of the Skill''s powers, but it will grant unique transformation and effects. When Transformed, increases All Stats while being underwater by 500% (+5% x Skill Level), enhances the power of all Water-Type Spells, Skills, Divinities, and Spirits by 600% (+4% X Skill Level) and imbues every Physical or Magical Attack with Ocean Titan and Sea Dragon Spirits, which will grant special effects. Ocean Titan Spirits will grant an enhancement to Brute Power of 200% and the ability to Ignore 50% of the target''s defenses. Sea Dragon Spirits will grant a boost to Attack Power and Magic Detonation of 200%, while draining 20% of damage dealt as Ocean Essence and Mana. In this form, the seas will obey you even more than before, and if you possess an already rted Divinity, the seas will always obey yourmands no matter what, and will constantly shapeshift, change, and transform to fit your necessities. And by using Ocean Essence and Mana, you can share the bonuses and powers to allies, although only 50% (+0.5% x Skill Level) of them, although it will further shorten the duration time. Additionally, you can learn new techniques with each Skill Level, whose power will increase by 500% (+20% x Skill Level) while being underwater, preferably the ocean, while also giving them the ability to ignore 30% of the foe''s defenses. Avable Techniques: Level 1: [Ocean Titan''s Divine Palms] [Sea Dragon''s Devastating Fangs] [Divine Oceanic Spirit Blessing] Level 3: ??? Wow, wow, wow, hold on a bit, this skill is much more amazing than I imagined! Although the "always be underwater" thingy is annoying, its perfect for now! Though, will I ever need the extra boost? I''m so strong right now... ... Wait, well, maybe. I mean, I still got almost killed by Sloth, so I have to rethink my cockiness a bit. Maybe I am getting too ahead of myself just because I killed two Gods. There are certainly a lot of overpowered monsters everywhere, I have to be careful and cautious. But not too paranoid either. There was a time when I was much weaker, chased around, and often just kept running away. I am no longer running away this time though, and that is not changing even if I realize I''ve been being a bit recklesstely. Anyways, time to sleep and train while in the Shadow Realm! And so, the hours went by, and as I analyzed my new abilities and also existing skills, the next morning arrived. No anomalous changes yet, no attacks either, the King of the Depths remained silent. But that alone was also unnerving and weird.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om As we finished eating breakfast, I quickly prepared the groups. Yes, I was going to divide this into two groups. One was staying and protecting Aquarose, the other wasing with me to kill the monster in question. Not everyone liked that, but this was my method. Chapter 1128: Its Time Chapter 1128: It''s Time ? As the next morning arrived, we ate breakfast and gathered together in front of the gate to the wild seas, as the merman called the ocean beyond the city. "Wait, we aren''t going all together?" wondered Fabian, looking clearly disappointed. "I''m sorry boy, but I need some people to stay here and make sure to protect the ce," I said. "I am not saying you won''t be useful or something, I''m saying I need to entrust you into being here and protect these people. Can you do this for me?" "I-I guess so..." Fabian nodded. "Alright!" I nodded. "Now, onto the teams. It''ll be much quicker if I choose whoes with me. Lucifer, Emeraldine, Jonathan, Nyx, and Arachne. Everyone else stays." "Wait, that''s it?!" asked Catarina. "I was also hoping to join! What the hell? Isn''t that monster big? We could give you some hand!" "I kind of get it though, if that thing decides to summon the portals again, the city is wide, we''ll need to protect it from its entire perimeter, we need many people for that," Laura noticed already my n. "We are all fairly strong too, but we can''tpare to them either... Even Celes is still growing and developing. I know mom wouldn''t want us to risk our lives pointlessly." "Even I recognize that, yeah," nodded little Takeshi. "I''ll do my best to protect the city with my abilities!" "I thought I was strong enough to help..." Tear sighed. "I have grown very strong, is it not enough?" "You are strong, yes," I nodded. "Your Ice Magic is particrly good in the sea, but that''s also why I''m keeping you here. I want your ice magic to offer protection to the citizens." "I-Is that so? I guess it is indeed more useful with protection than offense in that regard!" nodded Tear. "Okay, I understand... to an extent. I''ll stay and show you that I am reliable and strong." "Well said," I nodded. "Fabian and your group, I am counting on you guys as well! Do your best, and don''t feel disappointed. Everyone has to start somewhere, alright?" "I get it..." Fabian nodded. "Thank you for taking care of us, auntie, we''ll do our best!" "Yeah!" "Leave this to us!" "We''ve still got a long way to go, so this will be a good training!" "Well, if any monster appears at all though." Fabian and his friends were for sure an unexpected addition to our group that stayed for much longer than I could have imagined, but they have cemented themselves into a solid position within our ranks. Then again, our group has be too big even now, once we get back home I will be leaving them there, and might assign them missions and such, but I would prefer to keep our group small, so its easier to get around. "So I wasn''t chosen..." sighed Nia. "I-I suppose it makes sense, we are still learning and growing stronger." "Yeah, I want you to take care of Celes, Nia, I''m leaving him up to you," I said, caressing her head. "You''ve gotten stronger as well, you will be a reliable pir in the group, so make sure to work hard." "I will!" Nia nodded. "For my son and for everyone too... I never thought I would have so many friends, and such a cozy family as well. Thank you for giving me so much, Maria. I will not disappoint you!" "Well said!" I nodded. "Alright..." "Nyx, do your best!" Celes rushed towards us. "I will!" Nyx nodded. "Don''t worry, we got Arachne with us too, she''s super strong!" "I am!" Arachne nodded happily. "My power is better for defense for now, so I''ll keep everyone well protected for the moment!" said Celes. "I-I''m counting on you Nyx! A-And... Um." He walked towards her and then gave her a little kiss on her cheek! Oh my, the boy is bold! "C-Celes..." Nyx blushed a bit, and then giggled. "Hehe, thank you! Here''s one for you!" She cutely kissed his little cheek back. "N-Nyx I... um, I kind of... lo..." muttered Celes. Did he want to say love you? He was so cute and tiny... "Let''s leave that forter!" Nyx smiled. "Take care!" However my daughter was a bit oblivious perhaps, or just too young to care, so she ran to my side. Celes didn''t end disappointed or something, he got another little kiss. They were children, so they wouldn''t do more than that at the end of the day. But their innocent love was really cute, it was endearing. I am cheering for their future together, honestly! "Hmm..." However, Lucifer over here didn''t really like that too much. "So I''m not going? I guessed as much..." Violet shrugged. "Well, if any monster shows up, leave them to me anyways!" "Thank you Violet, we''re counting on your strength," I nodded. "Don''t overexert yourself please, you''re still healing!" said Emeraldine, who had treated her body so far with her healing magic. "Okay, okay-" Violet shrugged. "I don''t like her cocky attitude..." Partner muttered. "Eh? She''s a bit like you, no?" Iughed. "W-What?! Not at all...!" she blushed, feeling flustered. "Master don''t be mean!" "Hahah, it''s all good... Anyways, I think that''s it! We''re going!" After preparations, we were ready. The gates of the Aquarose Kingdom opened, as we jumped into the water again, swimming through it all, protected by our powerful new rings.N?v(el)B\\jnn The area where the King of the Depths was sealed was a few hundred kilometers from here. But we got there within mere seconds, swimming at incredibly elerated speeds. FLUOSH! "There! I can see something!" Arachne pointed at the distance. "That must be the Abyssal Gap where the monster was sealed!" Emeraldinemented. It was a gigantic hole in the middle of the sea, surrounded by several giant stone pirs, carved with many runes, and creating powerful chains. There was a near invisible barrier of azure color above the hole, which had gained a lot of cracks, and there was even a clear hole there, something had gone straight through it and hit the sleeping beauty down there. "The seal is about to break already?!" Lucifer wondered. "That''s...!" And there it was, what I was fearing. Miasma slowly consuming the seal covered it entirely... RUMBLE! And something from below started quicklying to greet us. "FRESH MEAT... OH, YOU DON''T KNOW HOW MUCH I''VE LONGED FOR IT!" And it could even speak... Chapter 1129: Against The King Of The Depths Chapter 1129: Against The King Of The Depths ? The King of the Depths was capable of speech, that surprised us more than we imagined. Especially because if he could speak, couldn''t we resolve this much differently? If he had been a mindless monster, it would be easy to just go against him, but this changed things a bit. Or maybe not at all, it all depended on if they were truly wicked or not... But can you really think they are good people after they tried to destroy the Aquarose Kingdom with their thousands of aquatic monsters? "King of the Depths, right? So you can speak. Perhaps we can solve this peacefully?" I asked. "Why did you attack the Aquarose Kingdom? What is your endgame? Do you have any demands? Perhaps we can solve your issues." The voice remained in silence for a few seconds before a demonicughter echoed from the depths of the ocean. "Haha... KUAHAHAHA! SURE THING! WHAT I WISH FOR IS THEIR TOTAL DEMISE! AS LONG AS YOU CAN ENSURE ME THAT, OF COURSE, WE CAN LIVE PEACEFULLY TOGETHER!" "But why do you want that?!" asked Arachne at my side. "There''s no reason to destroy them!" "REASON?! DO I NEED A REASON TO CLEAN THOSE INSECTS FROM INFESTING MY BEAUTIFUL OCEAN?!" RUMBLE! "DO I NEED A REASON TO KEEP MY BEAUTIFUL DOMAIN WITHOUT BEING DISTURBED BY YOU ALL?!" RUMBLE! "THIS SEA... THIS OCEAN... IT''S MINE! GET AWAY FROM IT! I''LL KILL ANYBODY THAT DARES TO BELIEVE THEY CAN HAVE A PIECE OF IT!" RUMBLE! He waspletely insane. There was no point in arguing, whatever things monster was, he was not capable of holding a proper conversation. "He''sing, everyone, ready your abilities and spells!" I unleashed my Aura, epassing my body and that of my allies, it came packed with several buffing Spells such as {Bloodshed Enhancement}, {Phantom Veil}, {Fake Death Doll}, and more. The first enhanced their attack power, the second increased their magic defenses, the third gave them a doll that could take a deadly hit for them. Yeah, they were the result of my growth as a magician and as a spell creator this entire time, and I had many other buffs I imbued into their bodies, everyone had be at least thrice as strong as a result. Crack, crack...! CRAAASH! RUMBLE! The ground shattered, the entire temple where the King of the Depths had been sealed waspletely destroyed as a gigantic, monstrous figure emerged, shattering the ground below and opening a massive hole through it all. His body ended being muchrger than I imagined, a gigantic monstrosity, a half-humanoid titanic beast, covered on countless hard, azure, and silver colored scales, with several sea serpent-like heads growing out of its entire body, dozens of muscr humanoid arms and also draconic arms, several tails, and many wounds, scars spread through its entire body. It had countless eyes, human-like and reptilian spread through its body, and aside from its seven serpentine heads, it had a giant maw opening from its neck down to its stomach. Several tails extended from its backside, resembling long tentacles, but they were scaled, full of these same eyes. Its size? Easily over two hundred meters! "GRUOOOHHH!" RUMBLE! The enormous Aura the King of the Depths exuded was nothing but Divine, and perhaps even higher than two of the Gods we foughtbined together. The pressure alone made us feel a tremendous force trying to crush us entirely. The seal had fully broken, and this monstrosity was finally freed. It wasn''t just that, the seas alone were moving to its own force, they were being controlled! FLASH! And above all, I saw it, the "star" that ended breaking the seal when it fell from the skies. A bright, big golden jewel incrusted inside of the monster''s chest, right above itsrgest maw, guarded by all of its seven serpentine heads and the long tentacle-like tongue it had on its massive maws. I could hear something from within it, a voice! "Help... me..." "Please..." "I... It hurts..." There was a person in that crystal?! So the star itself was a being, a living being! And it was almost the voice of a woman. I don''t know what''s going on right now, but I think that if we can free her, she could help us beat this bastard, or at least that would weaken him severely, as he''s drawing a lot of power from her. "HAHAHAHA! I HAVE NEVER FELT SO TRULY POWERFUL BEFORE! ALL OF THAT POWERI LOST FROM THAT DAMNED SEAL... IT''S BACK! MY DIVINITY... OUR DIVINITY IS FINALLY REACHING THE LIMITS OF THIS WORLD! I SHALL DROWN IT ALL! YOU''RE ALL GOING TO DIE, AND ALL YOUR CONTINENTS SHALL DROWN, THEY WILL BECOME MY DOMAIN!" "You sure love yapping, motherfucker," I said, my body quickly beginning to transform. "Can''t you tone it down?!" BOOOM! An explosion of ck thunder, darkness, and pure necrotic essence erupted from within my body, as my entire humanoid form took the shape of a humanoid jackal beast goddess. My Divinities evolving and temporarily fusing together into theplete power of a true Goddess of Death. [You have activated the [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv3] Skill and have taken the form of {Anubis, Guardian of the Underworld}!] [When transformed, your MP, Divine Power, and all four other Energies are constantly drained. Your MP, Magic, Aether, and Divine Power Stats increase by +1090%, while your HP, Attack, Defense, and Agility increases by +590%.] [Avable Unique Divine Abilities: {Demonic Abyssal Fog Cloud Of Death} {Divine Death Relic: Anubis'' Bnce and Scythe} {Abyssal ck Death Void}...] Yes, I transformed into my Anubis form, right from the get-go, there was no time to waste. "Attack him, now!" I roared. "Target the jewel on his chest! I''ll distract him!"N?v(el)B\\jnn Summoning the Divine Death Relic, Anubis'' Bnce and Scythe, I leaped forwards, shing against the gigantic monstrosity, his countless eyes ring at me. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! His scales were tremendously hard! I was not even dealing any damage with my normal attacks, and that''s considering these two Divine Relics have tremendous enhancement to their power and are already made by the fusion of my other weapons. "WEAK!" With a ferociousughter, the King of the Depths mmed my body with three different tails at the same time. §£§¡§¡§¡§®! Chapter 1130: The Mystery Behind The King Of The Depths Chapter 1130: The Mystery Behind The King Of The Depths ? §£§¡§¡§¡§®! Maria was sent flying by the attack of the King of the Depths, the water around her constantly shook, trying to crush her with tremendous pressure, but she resisted it, using her own Divinity of the Sea to counter the King of the Depths oceanic pressure aura. "Ugh, why are his scales so tough though?" Mario wondered that as she analyzed him while she flew towards him, quickly realizing something she had notpletely realized before, something that shook Maria to the core. [Maria! I''ve analyzed the scales already. Those aren''t just the scales of a sea snake... They belong to Divine Sea Dragons!] Those were Dragon Scales, Sea Dragon Scales, and not normal, but the Divine Kind! The System''s message quickly made Maria question what her foe truly was. "He''s a Divine Dragon?! But how could one look so hideous and monstrous, and be evil?" At the beginning she had thought that he was some sort of monster, an abomination with great power, ancient and power. But at the end... It was none of that, but a dragon?! No, perhaps several dragons at the same time! "That vision I had..." she wondered. "Could that have been a message from the Sea Dragons? To y this monstrosity that is using their bodies?" Maria couldn''tpletely tell right now, and she had no time to think much deeper either. She watched Emeraldine fire her explosive, divine spiritual arrows, which didn''t even manage to make a wound on the monster''s body. Then, she saw Lucifer sh against him as he matched his size, but his body was constantly being gored by spear-like tail attacks and deadly ws and punches, if it wasn''t for his incredible regeneration, he would be dead right now. Partner was constantly trying to find a weak point, or aim at the crystal, but she was being constantly caught and mmed away by the tremendous power of the King of the Depths'' necks, which were like limbs of their own too. Jonathan was parrying attacks with his giant holy made, barely managing to mitigate some damage, his powerful holy light sword techniques were dealing almost no damage either. Meanwhile, Arachne and Nyxbined their strength, transforming into their Giant Arachneia and Divine Dragon forms, assisting Lucifer with everything they had. Only Arachne''s attacks, the girl with the highest stats, was able to generate tiny cracks through the gigantic scales. But that alone wouldn''t be enough! "KAHAHAHA! ALL YOUR ATTACKS ARE FUTILE! WE ARE THE ULTIMATE BEING! WE ARE THE GUARDIAN OF THE SEA; WE ARE THE KING OF THE DEPTHS! WE WILL NOT LET ANYBODY TAKE AWAY OUR DOMAIN!" The King of the Depths roared ferociously with his seven heads, all of them opening and unleashing devastating dragon breaths of pure divine power, sting through anything! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Lucifer and the rest had to quickly evade, there was no way they could ever defend against such attacks, rapidly moving around, but the beams moved around, constantly being unleashed as the necks moved across the seas. "STOP!" Maria, with a furious roar, reached the King of the Depths, her scythe growing ten times asrge, her maximum size, as her own size quickly grew up to a hundred meters. "{Abyssal ck Death Void}!" Maria harnessed the power of Death, Darkness, and Void within her scythe and swung it down against the King of the Depths, targeting the seven necks together. At the same time, an enormous ck hole materialized and then grew into the size of a huge shing wave. SLAAASH! The sh reached the King of the Depths, his draconic form quickly being pushed several meters away as an explosion of pure death, darkness, and void engulfed his necks, stopping his breath attacks. BOOOMMM!!! Abyssal ck Death Void was the strongest Divine Ability of her Anubis form, capable of piercing through most defenses and dealing up to two thousand percent more damage, which increased even more based on the amount of souls she imbued into her scythe, and she had imbued over a thousand. "§¯§¡§¡§¡§¯§¡§¯§¡§¯...!" Yet theughter of the King of the Depths reverberated across the sea, everyone''s eyes widened as they saw the monstrous chimeric aberration''s body only having received small wounds across its necks, they were not even bleeding, just resemblingrge cracks through their scales, nothing else. "It didn''t behead them?!" Lucifer muttered. "But that''s one of Maria''s strongest attacks!" The worst part was that she couldn''t spam it, the cooldown was 1 minute, which had lowered to 40 seconds after the skill reached Level 3, but still, it was too much to wait! "It looks like you''re running out of tricks?" the King of the Depths smiled with his many jaws. "Was that your strongest attack, perhaps? It was rubbish. JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU SURFACE- DWELLING PESTS!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om With a crazed, maddeningughter, the King of the Depths harnessed his Divinity once more, materializing it into all of his ws, fists, and tails, and rushing towards them, swimming incredibly fast for its huge size! He pointed his countless limbs against them. Maria knew he was strong enough he could tear everyone to shreds with just a few blows, the only one that could confront him head-on was perhaps her, Arachne, and maybe Lucifer if his healing factor as a Death Dragon was taken into consideration. "Partner, Emeraldine, Nyx, stay behind and support us with everything you have, don''t hold back! Arachne, Lucifer, Jonathan, behind me!" "OKAY!" "ALRIGHT!" "VERY WELL!" Arachne, Lucifer, and Jonathan unleashed all theirtent powers as they rushed behind Maria, who quickly started to summon thousands of Undead, mostly all the sea monsters the King of the Depths had sent to the Aquarose Kingdom. "Go, stop him at all costs! Distract him! As long as I am in this form, you can''t die!" Mariamanded her Undead as her Aura spread like a fog underwater, the clear green and blue colored fog emanated an endless amount of necrotic essence everywhere. [You have activated the {Demonic Abyssal Fog Cloud Of Death} Divine Ability!] [Summons a Cloud containing Chaos, Void, Death, Moonlight, and Demonic Elements swirling together, which will summon any Soul or Undead you possess and temporarily transform them into {Divine Tomb Guardians}, whose Stats will increase by +300%. Whenever an Undead dies, it can revive through the fog endlessly. You can use the Souls contained within it to further enchant your Undead as well as your own Stats, temporarily.] This was one of the trump cards of the Anubis transformation, and Maria was going to abuse it! Chapter 1131: Abusing The Power Of Anubis Chapter 1131: Abusing The Power Of Anubis ? Partner, Emeraldine, and Nyx were left behind as they saw Maria, Arachne, Jonathan and Lucifer rush forwards. "Dammit, why can''t I go?! I am a Vampire; I can also regenerate very quickly, and I have the highest attack power here!" Partnerined. "Partner, stopining, there''s a reason why you were left behind!" said Emeraldine. "Most of your attacks, despite being physical, are long ranged, you''re technically a spear thrower at the end of the day." "What?! I''m not, I''m-" "Auntie! Stop it! Get yourself together and let''s help!" said Nyx. "Ah... yes, of course, fine!" Partner nodded. She quickly realized this wasn''t the time and moment to whine as she often did. Maria had a lot of patience with her, but at times, she pampered Partner too much and ended making her get too cocky. "Auntie, you have to take things seriously or we might die!" Nyx said. "Please stop whining all the time!" "Nyx...?!" Partner felt shocked the youngest person here was actually scolding her. "You''re not wrong... Sorry, okay? Sorry!" "Then let''s do this again! Our attacks can''t harm it... But what if we aim at therge cracks in the scales? They aren''t regenerating!" said Emeraldine. "You''re right!" said Nyx. "Auntie, let''s aim there then!" "It seems far away and they''re constantly moving, that''s not going to be easy to do!" Partner recognized. "Aren''t we Divine beings already? It shouldn''t be too hard for us! Concentrate your strength and your techniques!" Emeraldine said. As the trio prepared themselves to unleash as much long-ranged attacks as they could, the King of the Depths shed against Maria, Jonathan, Arachne, and Lucifer at the same time. "MOVE ASIDE!" His giant fists, draconic ws, spear-like tails, and sharp jaws were all coated on reinforced, strengthened Divinity, glowing with tremendous divine power. In front of him, a swarm of thousands of Undead Aquatic Monsters, some as big as him appeared, trying to stop him with everything they had. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! However, their bodies were shredded to pieces within a couple of seconds, his giant fists crushed them, and his ws shed them into pieces, all while his tail pierced their bodies. CRAAASH! Thousands of Undead were destroyed almost immediately! Yet, the fog kept expanding, giving the bodies of the Undead a new body, their bodies quickly reformedpletely back to normal again, and then continued attacking the King of the Depths. "They''re not dying so easily, huh?" The King of the Depths was being constantly held back by an immortal army, and as they died, Maria was constantly gathering their power, umting Soul Essence through the fog, which she used to quickly summon even stronger Undead. [You have activated the {Demonic Abyssal Fog Cloud Of Death} Divine Ability!] [Summons a Cloud containing Chaos, Void, Death, Moonlight, and Demonic Elements swirling together, which will summon any Soul or Undead you possess and temporarily transform them into {Divine Tomb Guardians}, whose Stats will increase by +300%. Whenever an Undead dies, it can revive through the fog endlessly. You can use the Souls contained within it to further enchant your Undead as well as your own Stats, temporarily.]N?v(el)B\\jnn After all, as the description stated, she could temporarily transform her Undead into even stronger beings, {Divine Tomb Guardians}! "{Divine Tomb Guardian Creation}!" Several of her Undead quickly underwent changes, their bodies shapeshifting rapidly into Egyptian-like mummies of their former appearances, some resembled pharaohs, wearing golden armor and weapons. Their boost to all stats was big, making them three times as strong. And this change also happened with Partner and Lucifer! Their bodies underwent a transformation, gaining golden armor around their bodies and even mummy wrap around their limbs, Partner''s skin turned brown and her hair blonde too. "This form...?!" Lucifer gasped. "I had not seen this power before!" "It''s something new I figured out," Maria said. "Don''t be bothered by it, we got a lot to do! CHARGE!" Maria rushed forward as the King of the Depths was being distracted by her Undead, which she also constantly detonated and revived through the fog, creating an endless wall of explosions. The explosions were dealing no damage to him at all, but they were stopping him from advancing, or at the very least, slowing him down slightly. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Your minions constantly sacrificing themselves for you is truly pathetic!"ughed the King of the Depths. "Your explosions do no damage to me! WE ARE INVINCIBLE!" With a pridefulughter, the King of the Depths swung his entire set of tails against all the Undead at once, throwing them away with tremendous force and power, to the point they would take a while to get back to him! BAAAM! At the same time, he elerated his swimming speed and quickly caught up to Maria, swinging his tremendous limbs against her while his sharp jaws came rushing down at her. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Maria intercepted the blows with her giant scythe, unleashing shing attacks of Death, Darkness, and Void that started to slowly spread a few more cracks through the scales. But this speed was way too slow! "BASTARD!" With a ferocious and draconic roar, Lucifer opened his jaws, unleashing a st of Abyssal Death mes against the King of the Depths, the mes spread through his gigantic body, but dealt no damage either. Then, Lucifer created two giant scythes and enchanted them with his new transformation, a golden aura surged from them, he quickly attacked with them. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! And small cracks were spreading now. Something was working at the very least, as long as he imbued it with his new transformation''s power, it could work somehow! "{Heaven''s Fall}!" Jonathan unleashed one of his strongest techniques, as a giant spear of light surged from the skies, piercing the ocean, and making it swirl around rapidly, hitting the King of the Depths with tremendous precision and power. BOOOM! "Not enough." Yet the monster was barely unscathed, only a few cracks, nothing else. "He''s tougher than me!" Arachne constantly exchanged blows with the King of the Depths, her exoskeleton was gaining cracks every blow, if it wasn''t for her healing factor, she would have already died. "They''reing, evade!" In the very moment Maria said this, everyone moved away as several giant projectiles rushed towards the King of the Depths, striking therge cracks through his necks! "Wha...?!" BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Chapter 1132: Combined Strength Chapter 1132: Combined Strength ? "I have so many questions regarding this new tan and my hair getting blonde out of nowhere, and don''t even mention the golden clothes or the damn mummy wraps around my legs and arms, but I''ll leave that forter, okay?!" Partner gathered her powers within her spears, making the swirl in midair as she unleashed her strongest spear technique whilebining it with her powerful, developing Divine me, her Aura moved rapidly, and from her body giant skeleton ws surged, of crimson color. Darkness and crimson red energies gathered, swirling around her two spears, it was her Divine Aura of Night and Blood, which fused together into ck and crimson clouds, creating a titanic crimson and ck spear. "{Demonic Blood Spear Arts}: {Divine Combo Piercing Spear Attack}! {Hundred Consecutive Thrusts}! {Abyssal Vampiric Spear Thrust}!" Unleashing several techniques within a single, overwhelmingly powerful projectile spear, Partner fired it towards the King of the Depths. "Go!" FLASH! At the same time, Emeraldine loaded her magic bow with their special abilities, her sharp eyes concentratingpletely, as her two Divine Spirits fused their essence into it. "[Divine Spiritual Connection]!" FLUOSH! The power of her spirits merged with her magic bow''s special Ability, as the giant arrow was conjured using many of her skillsbined together, enormous, and glowingrger and stronger, imbued with as many elements as she could muster. Until finally, her biggest projectile! "[{Divine Spirit Queen''s Archery Arts}: {Divine Yggdrasil''s Nine Worlds: Ragnar?k}!" A gigantic arrow of over ten meters of height was fired, overflowing with so many colors it seemed as if the arrow had been forged out of a rainbow itself. FLASH! Andstly, Nyx, she gathered all her powers together, over five hundred Phantom Dragons she summoned beforehand, all fused into a single, gigantic spear. "{Void Shadow Spear}! {Abyssal Spear of Death and Demise}! {Summon Phantom Dragon Familiar}! {Phantasmal Dragon Fusion}! {Phantasmal Dragon Fusion Magic}!" Combining the effects of dozens of skills at once, Nyx conjured a titanic spear to surpass all spears, made of darkness and phantasmal energies, and firing it at once. FLASH! All three projectiles traveled at lightning speed through the sea, reaching the King of the Depths the moment Maria and her group moved away. The King''s reflexes were fast, however, as he quickly shaped his divinity into a powerful barrier and moved away from the projectiles, managing to evade them! "Hah, as if- Ugh?!" However, his eyes widened as he saw the projectile quickly twist around and chase him again! He quickly red at the three culprits, Partner, Emeraldine, and Nyx were not giving up, remotely controlling their projectiles using their divinities mixed into them. "Then I''ll have to destroy them myself!" With just a thought, the King of the Depths summoned a dozen of weapons out of the water, fused with divinity and ice, and wielded them with his dragon ws and humanoid hands, readying himself to intercept them. Yet...! "Don''t let the fucker do that!" Mariamanded all her undead at once, having mostly all be Tomb Guardians, their power and size had increased tremendously, and they quickly fused together with her Aura and Divinities, bing gigantic ck skeleton ws! CLAASH! CLAASH! They grabbed the King of the Depths, pushing him down and stopping his many arms! Her furiously red back at Maria, trying to break out of them. "§¯§¡§¡§¡§¯!" However, Lucifer quickly rushed towards him, taking several hits from the monstrosity as his body was being damaged and regenerated constantly due to the fog from Maria''s transformation giving him near-immortality. Using all his limbs, he restrained a part of the titan''s body! "Y-YOU! STOP!" With a ferocious roar, his giant jaws started biting Lucifer''s shoulders, arms, and head, the Death Dragon screamed in agony. "Uuuaaaghh!" "LUCIFER!" "PAPA!" Maria and Nyx were about to break formation and rush to help him, yet Lucifer constantly regenerated back, smiling at them. "Don''t worry about me, Nyx! Your dad''s... TOUGH!"N?v(el)B\\jnn Nyx gritted her sharp jaws, her fiery red eyes glowing brightly as shemanded the spiraling spear to move even faster towards the King of the Depths. At the same time, Arachne appeared by the left side of the titan, using her giant legs and her spiderweb to retrain him as well! "YOU TOO?! UGH!" The King of the Depths was already busy trying to get Lucifer and Maria off him, yet now there was a third. And a fourth. FLASH! Holy chains materialized out of thin air, wrapping themselves around his arms and legs and stopping him from even conjuring strong magic anymore. Even if temporarily, and even if the chains were already gaining cracks. They all knew what they had to do. To win just a few, a couple of seconds! "GOOO!" Maria, Lucifer, Arachne, and Jonathan roared in unison, as Partner, Emeraldine, and Nyx responded to theirbined resolve, the three projectiles reached the King of the Depths, against his rage, and against his despair! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "UUAAGGH!" And he felt pain for the first time! The projectiles pierced therge cracks that Maria had created, and they reached his flesh. Five of his seven heads were cleanly sliced apart, exploding the flesh into pieces, and drifting by the ocean. His crimson blood covered the oceans, as the fury and agony of the King of the Depths quickly allowed him to free himself! "RAAAAH!" With a ferocious shockwave of pure Divinity, Maria and her group were sent flying away once more, the shockwave was so strong it damaged their souls greatly, making them feel utter agony. "UGH, FUCK!" Even Maria felt the pain, it was almost as agonizing as her first time feeling soul pain. "He''s still fucking strong!" "Hahhh... Bastard!" Lucifer roared furiously. "Ugh, my soul...!" Arachne cried. "Hahhh... Ungh..." "Arachne! Stay... Ugh, stay behind me!" Jonathan said valiantly. "Children should not... risk their lives when there are adults here." Despite being the one that suffered the most due to his fairly weak soul, Jonathan was the one that showed least pain, his bravery as a hero was tremendous and gave him an immovable resolve. "Y-YOU BASTARDS...! YOU MONSTERS...! YOU SAVAGES!" screamed the King of the Depths. "YOU''LL KNOW OUR WRATH... THE WRATH OF THOSE YOU SLAUGHTERED!!!" RUMBLE! As Maria tried to make sense over what he was talking about, the seas turned deep red,pletely crimson red, distorting space and time, and capturing everyone inside! FLUOSH! Chapter 1133: Unleash You Truest Form Chapter 1133: Unleash You Truest Form ? Maria tried to keep calm and analyzed the situation she found herself in. She was dragged with everyone else, including Partner''s group, into a separate Dimension of sorts, or perhaps a Domain. A Divine Domain made by the King of the Depths himself. Heughed maniacally in the middle of this domain, this pocket dimension of pure red oceanic water, swirling constantly, everyone quickly noticed countless eyes, giant muscr arms, and draconic heads slowly beginning to emerge. Everywhere. Thousands, tens of thousands of them! "This is a Divine Domain! Like the one Oceania and Baldr created!" Lucifer said. "Exactly..." Maria nodded, noticing that her Undead couldn''t be teleported inside. She ended losing over half her troops. "They''reing, attacks from everywhere!" Partner panicked. "So he brought us inside of here, trapped us, and wants to get rid of us quickly?!" wondered Emeraldine. "Let''s gather together with mama, quickly!" Nyx rushed, grabbing Emeraldine and Partner and barely evading countless giant draconic jaws and titanic hands constantly trying to grasp them. "As if I would let you!" roared the King of the depths, his wounds were not regenerating, and the heads he lost were not regrowing. As powerful as he was, he didn''t have endless regeneration. However. That didn''t matter when you are so strong! FLASH! With a single step, he appeared in front of Nyx, Emeraldine, and Partner, his titanic, monstrous body slowly gaining a more humanoid stance, as he swung dozens of gigantic weapons against them! Nyx unleashed a rampage of magic projectiles and her strongest skills, all while unleashing her dragon breath against the abomination. Spears of darkness and void, fireballs of death mes, hundreds of phantom dragons fusing into spears, and more just to try to stop him for a second! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Yet the monstrosity smiled, unscathed by the tremendous amount of attacks, his weapons rushing down, Nyx quickly intercepted them with her giant axe, a weapon Maria had crafter for her and somehow managing! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "UGH! RAAARRRGH!" With a ferocious and draconic roar, the power of her Divine Concept manifested, a massive shockwave of pure Destruction reached the King of the Depths, pushing him back a hundred meters! BOOOM! "Not enough, NOT ENOUGH!" However, the King of the Depths stepped forward, about to sh Nyx into two halves with a titanic axe, several timesrger than her own. "DIE!" However, Partner and Emeraldine had enough time to attack back as well! RUMBLE! "{Divine Vampire Bat Goddess Body}! {Leutogi''s Embodiment}!" Partner''s entire body suddenly underwent a strange transformation, her body gaining the form of a titanic, monstrous bat creature with ck and red fur, of over a hundred meters. "{Divine Yggdrasil Body Transformation}!" And Emeraldine also transformed, her entire body exploding into a mass of wood, transforming into a living Spirit Tree of her own! The King of the Depths was caught off- guard by their sudden change of form. "RAAAAH!" With a ferocious roar, Partner charged forward while wielding her two spears, which grew to her size. She unleashed hundreds of piercing attacks against the giant, shattering through his defenses due to her immense boost in power. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "TCH!" The King of the Depths twisted his body and quickly mmed Partner down with tremendous force, the sound of her bones breaking reverberated through the entire domain. CRAAASH! At the same time, Emeraldine''s wooden body wrapped around him, piercing the wounds of his necks, and trying to open the closed wounds, at the same time as trying to sap away her life force. Yet the King of the Depths quickly tore through her entire wooden body, reducing her to countless wooden pieces within a split second. CRAAASH! Time seemed to slow down for Nyx as she saw her two aunties being pushed down, only for a dark mass of pure void to appear above the monstrous titan and dragon hybrid. It resembled a jackal, but their body had undergone a special transformation, bingpletely pitch ck, and whose hair had be like long, ck tentacles instead. There was arge hole in the middle of her chest, and the rest of her body seemed to be made of distorting ck matter, with sparkling purple, red, and blue stars emerging. BAAAMMM!!!N?v(el)B\\jnn With tremendous force, the abomination''s remaining heads were pushed down, cracks spreading through their skulls as the massive body of the King of the Depths fell into the ground of their domain! CRASH! "UGH...! AAGH...!" The abomination groaned in agony, the remaining heads constantly bleeding, his eyes looked up to see the entity that had appeared, moving so fast she skipped through space itself to reach him. "Mama!" It was Maria, of course. Nyx was filled with happiness that her mother caught up to them in time. She was no longer in just her Anubis form, but she had undergone another transformation. [You have activated the [Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment: Lv4] Skill and undergone a transformation!] [You''ve unleashed your {Truest Form}, boosting the previous effects of this skill by an additional +1040%, while also increasing all Stats by 640%, and all Skill Levels by +5 (can surpass maximum level), temporarily. You also generate a powerful {Death ck Void Energy Mantle} within your entire body, covering you like an armor that decreases all Damage Taken, of all Elements, by -50%.] [Your {Truest Form} powers oveps and merge seamlessly with your Anubis transformation.] [Your Death, Void, and Darkness Elemental Power has increased by a further 200%, while the MP Cost of your transformation has decreased by 20%!] Maria felt stronger than ever, thisbination was infallible! However, because it cost a lot of Void Essence to use it, and it sapped away her energies like crazy, she had to time the moment when to use it. She couldn''t take upon this form forever after all. However, right now? She had no other choice. "DIEEEE!" The King of the Depths leaped towards Maria, the red sea of his Domain moving around, as tens of thousands of giant draconic jaws, ws, and titan''s fists rushed towards Maria at once. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! Chapter 1134: The Resentful Monster Chapter 1134: The Resentful Monster ? Within the Split second that Maria took to reach here and m the King of the Depths down, she activated another Skill within her arsenal, one that had been obtained mostly randomly out of a Grimoire, but that was very useful! "{Pdin''s Life Sacrifice}!" FLUOSH! A bright golden light covered Emeraldine and Partner''s bodies, which had been almost torn to shreds, she knew they could regenerate to an extent, but the damage had been to extensive, and Maria didn''t want to risk it! Ding! [You have activated the [Pdin''s Life Sacrifice: Lv1] Skill! You have sacrificed 40% of your Health to the two targets,pletely healing them from all wounds and restoring them to theirpletely healthy appearance.] [The healed targets will additionally receive a [Holy Blessing of Protection] for 1 Minute, that will increase their Health Points Regeneration Speed and their Defenses by +120%] [At the same time, you''ve received a buff to your stats based on 55% of the stats of the two targets you''ve healed for 1 Minute.] [However, for this Minute, you won''t be able to heal your own Health, be careful.]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om She gritted her teeth, sacrificing her own Health Points and rapidly restoring her two lovers back to pristine health, the children they carried were safe as well, thankfully. "We''re back to normal?!" Emeraldine gasped. "Maria! You didn''t have to, I could have-" "I''m a vampire, I could recover!" said Partner. "No, I won''t let you get shredded into pieces in front of me!" Maria said, a tear falling from her eyes. "I had no idea this bastard would be this powerful, please stay right behind me and support me! He''sing already!" "DIEEEE!" The King of the Depths leaped towards Maria, the red sea of his Domain moving around, as tens of thousands of giant draconic jaws, ws, and titan''s fists rushed towards Maria at once. She could feel his Divinity resonating tremendously with the Domain he created, and also... something strange, the souls, the souls of dozens of divine beings within him! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! Maria intercepted the iing blows with her scythe, as her bnce suddenly transformed in shape, bing a giant axe, while several more arms grew out of her back, all abination of phantasmal arms and void essence. "Don''t underestimate me." Maria was desperate now, unleashing her powerpletely, and activating her newest Fusion Skill, the power of Yin and Yang gathering around her quickly blossomedpletely. Her various hands materialized weapons out of her own Shadows and other essences and unleashed a barrage of attacks against the King of the Depths'' endless onught. "{Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts}: {Enlightened Stance: Brilliance of Yang}!" Ding! [You have activated the {Enlightened Stance: Brilliance of Yang} Technique!] [By channeling your Yang Elemental Ki and Essence you''ve unleashed a state of pure enlightenment and inner meditation and peace. Your Aura gains the Light Spectrum and Yang, dealing greater damage to Dark, Demonic, and Chaotic beings of up to 1000%. While in this state, your Movement Speed, Dexterity, Agility, and Calmness increases by 500%.] [Any attack will be imbued with the power of the Brilliant Yang and unleash devastating explosions of Light that will deal additional 300% damage within 100 meters around the initial blow. The Light will scatter and create Yang Domains, whoever stands on those will have their Health and Ki restored ten times as fast.] Maria''s entire body erupted with golden and white light, as her stance changed, her movements became even more precise and quick, the King of the Depths was being slowly pushed down, his attacks couldn''t possibly match her speed anymore. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Her scythe shed through his scales, slowly beginning to umte damage, her axe crushed the shattered scales, opening way for her spears to pierce through the exposed skin. Her attacks generated explosions of Yang, which slowly started to grind through the King of the Depth''s defenses, even his Divinity and his entire Domain couldn''t overwhelm Maria, at most they were equal. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Yet that didn''t end there, particles of Yang spread around, creating spheres of golden light which Maria quickly told her allies to get, their wounds, exhaustion, and Ki rapidly healed within these seconds! "We''re healing our Ki?!" wondered Emeraldine. "I can''t believe it!" "Ooh! Now time for the rematch!" Partner roared. "We have to go help mama, she''s on a stalemate!" said Nyx. "Yeah, let''s surround that bastard!" Lucifer roared. "Let''s go!" Jonathan nodded. "Mama, wait for us!" Arachne said. Maria felt the pressure of the King of the Depths constantly weighing down on her entire being, her movements became slower, and her entire body was bing heavier, her attacks began to slow down more and more. "WE WILL NEVER LOSE! WE ARE THE CHILD OF THEIR SUFFERING AND THEIR RESOLVE! WE SHALL PURGE THE WORLD, AND PROTECT THE SEA, OUR DOMAIN!" The King of the Depths kept talking nonsense Maria couldn''t understand properly, things that didn''t made sense to an extent, but that she quickly started to believe could have to do with what happened to the ancient Divine Sea Dragons and the Ocean Titans. His Divinity was growingrger andrger, the Aura that Maria had seen before,posed of countless of suffering divine souls emerged again, the screams of countless entities reverberating. "WE ARE REVENGE, WE ARE HATRED, WE ARE KARMA!" As he kept groaning, his attacks became stronger, and stronger, and stronger! Maria was being pushed back over and over again, her weapons started shattering and only her Scythe and her Axe were holding back, her many limbs being torn to shreds continuously, the power of the King of the Depths continued growing, he had not even unleashed everything yet. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "What are you talking about?! Just who are you exactly?! Are you really... the Sea Dragons and the Ocean Titans?!" "WE ARE THEM, YET WE AREN''T THEM! WE ARE THE CHILD BORN FROM THEIR HATRED, FROM THEIR SUFFERING, FROM THEIR DESIRE FOR REVENGE! WE ARE THE KING OF THE DEPTHS!" With a furious and draconic roar, countless tails shed against Maria, the enormous force, packed with the monster''s Divine Force, was enough to send her flying down again. BAAAMMM!!! At the same time, thousands of hands made of the red sea domain started grabbing her and trying to tear her to shreds! Chapter 1135: Yes, Me Again! Chapter 1135: Yes, Me Again! ? BAAAMMM!!! Maria was crushed down, feeling several of her limbs being torn to shreds, and even the tentacles of her head were shredded into countless tiny pieces, her ck blood sttering everywhere, as her giant body copsed on the "ground" of this domain made of red ocean water. And the moment she hit the bottom, something happened. Thousands of giant titan hands, draconic ws, and dragon jaws endlessly surged from around her, trying to grab her, bite her, sh her, and tear her into pieces. "REVENGE...!" "HATRED!" "KILL THEM ALL!" "THEY, WHO DARED TO TAKE EVERYTHING FROM US!" The entities that surged from the Divine Domain weren''t normal either, each one had a voice of their own, only making Maria even more frightened and shocked of the truth of the King of the Depth''s origins. Her mind worked much faster than others, and also much differently, within seconds her mind split into many, expanding through her powerful Domain, and sensing and thinking much faster than others. By analyzing the Divine Domain and also the responses of the King of the Depth, she learned many things through basic information gathering and thenbining the information learned. The first thing she learned was that he wasn''t some ancient monster. The second was that he was somehow rted to the Divine Sea Dragons and the Ocean Titans, the original intelligent inhabitants of Yggdrasil''s seas. And the third... that they might be, somehow, the Sea Dragons and the Ocean Titans themselves, or perhaps thest of the surviving members. Who, out of desperation for wanting to survive and defeat their ancient enemy, most likely the Aesir that arrived from the Tower... Merged themselves into this abomination. Hence why he said he was "born" from them. The King of the Depths is not them, but he was made out of them. An entity born from hatred and an endless desire for revenge and to protect the sea, the home of the now extinct tribes. "KILL HER!" "TEAR HER TO SHREDS!" "KILL ALL INVADERS!" "THE SEA IS OURS AND ONLY OURS!" As they continued to attack Maria, she quicklyposed herself, within seconds, she released a shockwave of pure Void, as she unleashed a storm of thousands of spells at once. "Fuck off!" "{Abyssal Netherworld''s Star}! {Abyssal Spear Arrow}! {Pandora''s Box}! {Chaotic Dark Meteor}!" Giant stars of abyssalher were summoned one after another, exploding on contact and dealing tremendous damage, followed by titanic spears of spiraling abyssal energies, explosions of countless poisons and diseases, and then giant meteors of crystalized chaos. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Naturally, the first spell was her strongest, an incredibly powerful skill she had obtained by eating the Death Fruits from her Soul Scape, giving her tremendous explosive power, which spread outher around the domain, infecting it and making it so it couldn''t attack so easily. But Maria had many more Magical Skills too! "{Gate of the Underworld}! {Phantasmal mes}! {Divine ck Lightning}!" Dozens of giant Gates opened out of nowhere, unleashing the horrors of the underworld as a downpour of ckher and giant skeletal and phantasmal ws started fighting and tearing through everything. Explosions of Phantasmal mes sucked away the life of the domain, which yes, was alive, as it was made of sea water, blood, and souls, and then ck divine lightning punished anything that got closer, burning them to a crisp. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "RAAAAHHH!" As if alive, the Divine Domain responded with a ferocious roar, countless draconic jaws opened and gathered their energies, Maria saw hundreds of dragon breaths being directed towards her way! "That''s not going to work! {Eternal Moon Mirror}! {Mystical Moon Phase Circle}!" Several moon-shaped mirrors materialized around her, as her Moonlight Essence, which she had been saving in great reserves, was finally beginning to be spent! The Mirrors quickly reflected the iing rays, protecting her from the attacks and sending them all back to their respective attacks, the domain itself. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The Domain started to weaken due to the umted damage, and it had only been just a couple of seconds since Maria was thrown into the bottom, but she was already reaching the King of the Depths again, finding out the rest of her family were fighting him all at once. They all looked worn down and full of wounds, yet thanks to her Yang Domains, they were constantly healing and recovering their ki, which powered their physical strength to never grow exhausted. "YOU INSECTS, KNOW YOUR PLACE!" The King of the Depths constantly intercepted their blows, kicked, punched, shed, and bombarded at them with a myriad of powerful spells, yet they kepting back, constantly hitting the wounds Maria had made, and beginning to weaken him constantly, slowly yet steadily. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "No, we will never give up!" Nyx roared, unleashing breath attacks and spells. "Just stand where you are, we''ll kill you eventually!" Partner smiled defiantly. "By the World Tree Yggdrasil, we will not give up!" Emeraldine said. "As the Hero of Light, I am the beacon of hope for many... It is my duty to y the wicked!" Jonathan said. "Everyone, keep fighting, don''t give up!" Lucifer roared. "This is the first time I''ve ever fought someone so strong...!" Arachne seemed slightly excited even in this crisis. "I can go all out!" As they fought, Maria finally arrived, and she did with a boom, quite literally, as she unleashed several Spells against the King of the Depths, specifically targeting his ever- growing wounds. "{Chaotic Void Ocean Waves}! {Umbral Death Blight}! {God-Burning White re}!" Waves of pure void, beams of dark light, and explosions of white mes bombarded his wounds, constantly making them worse, his body was bleeding more and more. The God- Burning White mes were especially effective, dealing the most damage. "YOU AGAIN?!" The King of the Depths opened his gigantic maw, gathering a tremendous amount of energy and pointing it at Maria, about to blow her up into ashes. Yet... "Yes, me again! {All-Consuming Void}!" Maria conjured her strongest spell, an all-consuming mass of pure void and darknessN?v(el)B\\jnn materialized in front of her, as it was fired directly towards the azure and red colored beam from the King of the Depth''s maws. BOOOMMM!!! Chapter 1136: Time To Go Further Beyond! Chapter 1136: Time To Go Further Beyond! ? At Maria''s reappearance after freeing herself from the endless clutches of the Blood Sea Divine Domain, the King of the Depths groaned in fury and desperation! He didn''t want to see her damned face once more. "YOU AGAIN?!" The King of the Depths opened his gigantic maw, gathering a tremendous amount of energy and pointing it at Maria, about to blow her up into ashes. Yet... "Yes, me again! {All-Consuming Void}!" Maria conjured her strongest spell, an all-consuming mass of pure void and darkness materialized in front of her, as it was fired directly towards the azure and red colored beam from the King of the Depth''s maws. BOOOMMM!!! The ck void immediately collided with his powerful beam, Maria''s transformationbined with her Anubis form further boosted her power topletely new levels, the void consumed the beam entirely, rushing towards the King of the Depths and covering his body with it. His already worsening wounds worsened even more! Blood and flesh sttering down and being consumed by the endless void. The gigantic abomination screamed in agony, groaning in pain. Yet at the same time, his Divine Powers awakened even further, the golden crystal within his chest channeled his powers, fusing them with his own. "Not enough...! NOT ENOUGH, YOU WEAKLINGS!" Even as he was right now, he never lost his monstrous pride, as a sudden shockwave of pure golden light surged from his body, the All-Consuming Void was suddenly and abruptly stopped, dissipating into thin air. TRUUUM! "Ugh! W-What is this?!" Lucifer groaned; the light burned through his skin. "This light! Is it simr to Baldr?! But how... How is this possible?!" "Careful!" Emeraldine cried. "Lucifer, retreat!" She extended her giant wooden hands and grabbed Lucifer, pushing him away while shielding everyone with her wood, which was not affected by the light as she was the only being of light and spiritual energies here. BOOOM! However, a sudden explosion consumed the light once more, making it disappear. Maria stood right in front of the monstrous chimera, her hands overflowing with the same light as Baldr, and simr to this one too. "So you can cancel out my Void with that Divine Light? Well, for your surprise I am also quite good at using it!" she smiled wickedly, her aura of darkness changing into one of Light, Divine Sunlight! "So, which way is it, bastard? Do you want to die against my void, or do you want me to cut you down to pieces with this?!" She showed him her giant scythe, which had only berger and more monstrous, her many phantasmal arms and her hair-tentacles were also holding a myriad of weapons made of materialized shadows, death essence, void essence, moonlight, and blood dragon bones. "Hahah... HAHAHAA! I AM BARELY STARTING!"ughed the King of the Depths. "You have YET to see what I am truly capable of! This power I have, I have BARELY tapped into it recently... I have to thank you deeply, for helping me learn how to use these powers, the powers we all inherited from our former selves! This is the supreme power to control all of the ocean, to drown the world and then the heavens! THE GODS MUST PAY!" RUMBLE! With a furiousughter, the light emanating from the crystal covered the entire body of the King of the Depths quickly started to change his body, it didn''t exactly heal his wounds, but it started to shapeshift him into something different. "THE SOULS OF MY FATHERS AND MY MOTHERS, THEY RESONATE WITHIN ME! THEY ASK ME FOR A SINGLE THING! ONE SINGLE THING!" he screamed, his heads twisting and his limbs breaking and reforming. "TO MAKE THEM PAY! TO AVENGE THEM! THE FLOOD SHALL CONSUME THE WORLD!" "Maria, what''s going on?! We can''t even get closer!" Lucifer groaned. "The light it''s too powerful! UGH!" "No matter how hard we try, it continues to burn through all, if we get there I''m going to turn into dust!" said Partner. "I-I can''t keep it at bay myself!" Emeraldine cried. "My powers can''t absorb itpletely!" "Ugh...! Even against me... This light''s radiance, is too bright!" Jonathan groaned. "When I fought Baldr, I experienced the same thing! There''s even light capable of overpowering me..." "Mamaaa!" Nyx cried. "What do we do?! It''s getting stronger!" "We have to do something!" Arachne said. Maria remained in silence as she watched the monster speak and transform, she sensed that light again, so simr to Baldr. Could it be?N?v(el)B\\jnn Was that meteor, that star that fell from the skies, not just that, but something else? Could it had been a God? "I think I''ve figured out the reason of that power. Not only he''s somehow thebination of many titans and dragons of the ocean, but he also... That star he got, the meteor that fell from the skies... It is something simr to a God, if not a God itself!" she said. "This light, this power of protection, he''s definitely using that god to gain this amount of power." "What?! A god?!" Lucifer gasped. "That thing was already so strong, and it has a damned god inside?!" "We can''t give up, if that thing ends up escaping, the entire world of Yggdrasil could be flooded by his raging oceans!" Emeraldine said. "Are you seriously implying the whole world is at stake now?!" Partner cried. "I didn''t sign to this shit!" "We might have rxed too much, perhaps," Jonathan sighed. "To think there was such a malevolent and powerful being here! And it is in the possession of a God it using to grow even mightier?!" "Mama, we have to do something! We can''t let it continue growing! It''s like... It''s evolving!" Nyx said, panicking. "Mamaaa!" "Yeah!" Arachne nodded. "We''ll have to breakthrough," said Maria. "And yes, dear, no need to repeat yourself, I am well aware of what we must do... But for this, I''ll need to go even further beyond! ...No, everyone here has to!" Maria''s Skills began to activate one after another, and then, her Privileges, powerful ingrained abilities into her very Origin Core. "{Divided Egos}!" FLASH! Chapter 1137: Charge! Chapter 1137: Charge! ? RUMBLE! The body of the King of the Depths continued exuding endless divine radiance, so strong that anybody that stepped there except Maria would be burned to ashes! Naturally, everyone panicked, especially Nyx, who wanted things to not end into a disaster. "Mama, we have to do something! We can''t let it continue growing! It''s like... It''s evolving!" Nyx said, panicking. "Mamaaa!" "Yeah!" Arachne nodded. Maria nodded, fully knowing what was happening, her mind seemed to have been in another ce for a slight moment, but she fully knew what to do. "We''ll have to breakthrough," said Maria. "And yes, dear, no need to repeat yourself, I am well aware of what we must do... But for this, I''ll need to go even further beyond! ...No, everyone here has to!" She knew that in her current form, it was still impossible. She had believed to have be so strong, she never considered that the Tower was vast, and even more Yggdrasil, an ancient world where dragons, titans, and gods waged war in the past. To think the King of the Depths would have to push her into a corner to the point she would have to resort to all her abilities at once, and even more! Maria''s Skills began to activate one after another, and then, her Privileges, powerful ingrained abilities into her very Origin Core, also activated. Especially a very powerful one, which she had not used because it also reduced her abilities. But as long as she made up for it with her own ways, it didn''t matter! "{Divided Egos}!" FLASH! Divided Egos, the powerful Privilege that granted Maria the ability to divide herself based on her many Body-type skills, into different, separate bodies that all shared the same mind and soul. She had not used this power ever since the invasion of the Frost Queen''s army, but now, it was necessary once more to ovee this tremendous trial. Or at least try to do so! FLUOOOSH! Her body shook, as everyone saw several different elemental bodies split out of Maria''s Outer God-like body, her tentacles wiggling as her soul and powers divided. And then they appeared, not at all looking the same as before, they were strange, monstrous, and aberrant on their own ord. "Wait, this is different than before...!" Lucifer said. "Is she summoning her Body Egos?" "Yeah, she''s using that but... It''s as if she had just given birth to new Gods- no, something even more powerful and mysterious, the same thing she is, Outer Gods!" said Emeraldine. Her [Eldritch Body] Skill was born into a ck, miasmic aberration covered on countless long tentacles and a single crimson eye; shadows emanated constantly from its own body. Her [Divine Thunder Spirit Body] Skill took the shape of a creature made of divine golden thunder spiritual energy, sometimes resembling a bird, other times, a mass of lightning with the shape of a maiden. Her [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul] Skill was her most humanoid divided ego, taking the shape of a tall, muscr titaness made of pink and clear purple moonlight essence, with hair made of stars. Her [Poisonous Cmity Swarm Body] Skill was born into an aberration made of miasmic, purple slimy ooze of poison, constantly taking the shape of gigantic insects and snakes. Her [Divine Ocean Goddess Body] Skill took the shape of an oceanic maiden, half fish and half woman, resembling a giant mermaid made of azure waters, emanating bright divinity. Tentacles emerged from her fish tail, making her look more monstrous than initially believed.N?v(el)B\\jnn Her [Divine Sunlight God Body] Skill became a tall woman made of pure sunlight, with golden light, and her long golden hair resembled an endless sea of liquid gold, opening crimson eyes from within and tentacles. Andstly, her [Shattered Nightmare Realm Soul Body] Skill turned into several masses of ck and dark purple clouds, sometimes giving out bright pink and golden lights, other times dark blue, shifting constantly as three giant crimson eyes moved around its cloudy existence, nightmarish ck shadows spreading around. It was seven, seven of her "children" made out of her own Body Skills, each one resembling an Outer God of their own, her own pantheon made from her very own body and soul. But in their current states, it still wouldn''t be enough, Maria thought. So she moved towards something else, choosing her family members, one after another, these entities merged into their bodies. They knew what was about to happen, as they epted the entities, made out of Maria''s powers, into their bodies, undergoing Divine Spirit Fusion with her. "Everyone, you know how to do it! We did it before, right?" she said. FLASH! The Divine Sunlight God Body merged with Lucifer, his appearance changing as he became a powerful entity, a spiritual dragon of gold and ck scales, overflowing with divine might. "T-This power...! The light no longer hurts, it is part of me!" FLASH! The Divine Moonlight Titan Soul Body merged with Jonathan, his appearance changing as he gained the appearance of the titaness slightly, bing androgynous, beautiful, with long hair made of sunlight and moonlight, his powers overflowing with eclipsing power, and his size bing incredibly tall. "This power... It is the same we once used together, Maria! This is the Eclipse Divinity!" FLASH! The Divine Thunder Spirit Body merged with Partner, its most suitable vessel, giving her divine, spiritual, and thunderous powers, fusing with her darkness and blood to give her crimson and ck thunder, her appearance became wild and electrifying, her hair bing long, made of red thunder. "Hahah... This power... YES! I love it!" FLASH! The Shattered Nightmare Realm Soul Body merged with Emeraldine fusing with her wooden and her fairy powers and giving her a powerful new form, something eclipsing, simr to Jonathan, light, life, death, and nightmares merged together, she resembled a mistress of the dark forests, with long white and ck butterfly wings, and armor made of ck and gold wood. "This power... I somehow feel... morepleted?" FLASH! Andstly, the Poisonous Cmity Swarm Body merged with Nyx and the Divine Ocean Goddess Body with Arachne, giving the two girls tremendous new transformations. Nyx became a giant, serpentine dragon with countless insectoid legs and sharp fangs, while Arachne became a titanic, crimson, and azure colored crab-like spider. "Now, together! CHARGE!" Maria charged together with her family, braving the endless divine radiance. CLAAASH! Chapter 1138: Oceanic Titan’s Draconic Spirit Transformation Chapter 1138: Oceanic Titan¡¯s Draconic Spirit Transformation ? Maria had more or less already guessed that by herself, it wouldn''t be possible to defeat the King of the Depths! His powers were overwhelming, and even if she tried absorbing his light, it would be so much her soul would explode. She had to rely on the power of her family with her, they were all powerful, but had yet topletely catch up with her. Therefore, she decided to forcefully allow them, temporarily, to catch up with her, giving them an equal level of power as hers! While she herself alone wouldn''t be enough, if everyone was at her same level, theirbined power would be apletely different subject altogether. Maria let out all her Divinities together, her Void and Death Divinity, her Shadow and Darkness, her Moonlight, and her Yin and Yang Divinities all into a single Aura of pure Celestial Divine Essence! She shed against the endless sea of radiance, but it was still not enough. RUMBLE! The light consumed her void and darkness, making it disappear. And although Moonlight could reflect the light and her sunlight could absorb it, it was still not enough! The power of the Seas started to not work too well either, the domain isted her from the rest of the oceans, leaving her incapable of draining power from it. However, the power of Yin and Yang were different, their resonating essences spun around within her soul, giving her a divine harmony, a state of power that spread out her own self across her surroundings. Bybining it with her many other Skills, Maria was slowly beginning to tear through the endless radiance! However, it was too slow, she wouldn''t make it in time because the light kept growing in intensity! Therefore, that''s where they also entered the battle. "Maria! Leave it to me!" Lucifer, with his new, radiant form. "Let''sbine our strength!" Emeraldine, with her pristine queen of the dark forest appearance. "You gave us this power, let''s not waste it!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Partner, with her thunderous, wild, and crimson form "With the power we share, Maria, let''s do this!" And Jonathan, with his overflowing power of eclipse. All four of her lovers rushed forwards, staying by her side, thanks to her efforts, their strength had fully awakened to be at the same level as L Rank or above entities. And with that, it finally seemed enough for all of them to break through! Crack, crack...! CRACK! "Ungh?!" The King of the Depths, who had yet toplete his metamorphosis, gasped as he noticed his endless radiant barrier was beginning to gain cracks. Crack, crack...! CRACK! "What?! Impossible!" CRASH! The radiance shattered into pieces, as the group charged forwards, making the entire Blood Sea Domain tremble. "S-STOP! YOU BASTARDS!" With a furious roar, the still metamorphosing King of the Depths roared in utter fury and disbelief, conjuring the sea and its powers against all of them. A titanic hand made of pure azure water surged, mming them down with tremendous force! BAAAAM! The entire surrounding oceans and the blood sea domainbined together into that attack, making everyone shocked and in pain. Not only that, but the moment the attack hit, their Mana and Life was drained tremendously. "This bastard...! You''ll fucking see!" Maria grew furious and had no longer any more patience, her entire body absorbing the ocean that the King of the Depths had let inside. She smiled, as azure-colored scales grew over her body, and her gooey, ck skin gained a dark blue color, a draconic tail surged,rge gills and shark sails, and draconic eyes. Alongside two pairs of muscr, azure-colored arms, overflowing with new power. The thing is, Maria still had another transformation Skill. It was one gifted to her by Oceanus himself, which she created a link to through the Grimoire she had absorbed. They had given her a request, but also a tremendous new power. The power of the seas, the power of both the Ocean Titans and the Sea Dragons, within her! "RAAAAAH!" With a ferocious roar, Maria pushed forwards, her body constantly changing until she gained the traits of Ocean Titans and Sea Dragons on top of her current Anubis and Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment transformations. The results were a scaled goddess of the dark seas, both a jackal of death, and an abomination of the outer void,bined together with the mighty physique of ocean and moonlight titans. All into one! Ding! [You have activated the [Oceanic Titan''s Draconic Spirit Transformation: Lv1] Skill Effects and have undergone a special transformation! [You have temporarily transformed into a {Oceanic Titan Draconic Spirit}!] [Once activated, you will summon the skill''s spiritual divine manifestation, which you can choose between leaving as an Additional Aura, Imbue into your Body, or even Imbue into a Weapon or Armor instead. The effects will vary greatly depending in the target of the Skill''s powers, but it will grant unique transformation and effects.] [When Transformed, increases All Stats while being underwater by 500% (+5% x Skill Level), enhances the power of all Water-Type Spells, Skills, Divinities, and Spirits by 600% (+4% X Skill Level) and imbues every Physical or Magical Attack with Ocean Titan and Sea Dragon Spirits, which will grant special effects. Ocean Titan Spirits will grant an enhancement to Brute Power of 200% and the ability to Ignore 50% of the target''s defenses. Sea Dragon Spirits will grant a boost to Attack Power and Magic Detonation of 200%, while draining 20% of damage dealt as Ocean Essence and Mana.] [In this form, the seas will obey you even more than before, and if you possess an already rted Divinity, the seas will always obey yourmands no matter what, and will constantly shapeshift, change, and transform to fit your necessities. And by using Ocean Essence and Mana, you can share the bonuses and powers to allies, although only 50% (+0.5% x Skill Level) of them, although it will further shorten the duration time.] [Additionally, you can learn new techniques with each Skill Level, whose power will increase by 500% (+20% x Skill Level) while being underwater, preferably the ocean, while also giving them the ability to ignore 30% of the foe''s defenses.] For that very moment, Maria''s control over the seas surpassed even the King of the Depths, as thousands of Sea Dragon Spirits and Ocean Titan Spirits materialized, fusing together into a gigantic palm. "{Ocean Titan''s Divine Palm}!" BOOOM! Chapter 1139: The Power Of The Ocean Chapter 1139: The Power Of The Ocean ? Maria underwent a special transformation, surprising everyone within the seas. Even the King of the Depths cowered in surprise and shock as he saw her wielding his seas much better than he could. Ding! [You have activated the [Oceanic Titan''s Draconic Spirit Transformation: Lv1] Skill Effects and have undergone a special transformation! [You have temporarily transformed into a {Oceanic Titan Draconic Spirit}!] [Once activated, you will summon the skill''s spiritual divine manifestation, which you can choose between leaving as an Additional Aura, Imbue into your Body, or even Imbue into a Weapon or Armor instead. The effects will vary greatly depending in the target of the skill''s powers, but it will grant unique transformation and effects.] Her Aurasbined together into an ocean of essences, resonating perfectly with the power of her new transformation. [When Transformed, increases All Stats while being underwater by 500% (+5% x Skill Level), enhances the power of all Water-Type Spells, Skills, Divinities, and Spirits by 600% (+4% X Skill Level) and imbues every Physical or Magical Attack with Ocean Titan and Sea Dragon Spirits, which will grant special effects. Ocean Titan Spirits will grant an enhancement to Brute Power of 200% and the ability to Ignore 50% of the target''s defenses. Sea Dragon Spirits will grant a boost to Attack Power and Magic Detonation of 200%, while draining 20% of damage dealt as Ocean Essence and Mana.] Her stats skyrocketed even higher, on top of all her previous stat boosts and power boosts, making her even mightier as long as she was underwater. Ocean Titan Spirits and Sea Dragon Spirits started emerging from her Aura, fusing into her body to continue her transformation. [In this form, the seas will obey you even more than before, and if you possess an already rted Divinity, the seas will always obey yourmands no matter what, and will constantly shapeshift, change, and transform to fit your necessities. And by using Ocean Essence and Mana, you can share the bonuses and powers to allies, although only 50% (+0.5% x Skill Level) of them, although it will further shorten the duration time.] She channeled the power of the Ocean Essence and Manabined together, sharing her power with her allies, making their appearances also shift slightly, giving them aquatic appearances! [Additionally, you can learn new techniques with each skill Level, whose power will increase by 500% (+20% x Skill Level) while being underwater, preferably the ocean, while also giving them the ability to ignore 30% of the foe''s defenses.] But that wasn''t all, as she was given techniques, inherited from the Ocean Titans and Sea Dragons themselves! For that very moment, Maria''s control over the seas surpassed even the King of the Depths, as thousands of Sea Dragon Spirits and Ocean Titan Spirits materialized, fusing together into a gigantic palm. "{Ocean Titan''s Divine Palm}!" It wasn''t just her thought, her entire family charged forwards, conjuring gigantic azure palms made of spiritual ocean essence and the endless resource of the sea itself around them. "I can do more... With the power that mama gave me!" Arachne in specific, who had merged with Maria''s Ocean Goddess Body, had undergone a new form, bing a crimson and azure-colored king crab-like spider. Her powers with the sea had been boosted the most too, giving her the power to control them and fuse them with her nightmares and dream energies. "UNGH?! W-WAIT! YOU BASTARDS!" Before the King of the Depths could do anything, dozens of gigantic palms made of the very ocean he was so proud to be able to control mmed his entire body countless times, sending powerful shockwaves of divinity that shattered his concentration, and disrupted his metamorphosis. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The constant blows quickly shattered the cocoon around the monster, as the light immediately fragmented into countless ss-like pieces, his body, still undergoing metamorphosis, was burning and in agony, making the monster go berserk. "GRAAAAH!" He quickly tried to control the seas again, as they were spilling into the blood sea domain and fusing with it, countless draconic heads surged out of it, rushing towards everyone else and aiming at them. "Careful!" Maria said, as everyone fought back against the iing heads while making their way towards the King of the Depths. Luciferbined his new powers with his old ones, creating giant des made of golden light and abyssal death mes, shing through the draconic heads approaching. "You won''t get closer this time, bastards!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! As he cut through anything, he opened his jaws, at the same time as his aura transformed into the heads of several dragons, unleashing several draconic breaths, bombarding his surroundings, and clearing arge part of the path forwards.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "You won''t get in the way anymore, bastards!" At the same time, Partner turned into a gigantic bat once more, now madepletely out of ck and crimson thunder, she overflowed with all-destructive power, sting away anything with tremendous power and explosive, thunderous might. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Her very own ws, wings, and her spears unleashed devastating, piercing blows, the summoned aberrations of the King of the Depths couldn''t keep up with her new, godly powers. "All of you must move aside! I won''t let you drown the world where everyone is living! This is wrong!" Emeraldine''s bow had be a giant, gold and ck colored bow that floated in midair, right above her, with a mere thought, it was filled with over thirty arrows made out of her own wood and spiritual, nightmarish powers. She fired the arrows at once, bombarding her surroundings and covering hundreds of meters, the explosions of dreams and spiritual life and nature spread through it all, the light was consumed and even the sea of radiance protecting the King of the Depths was unable to ovee the nightmares. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! But that wasn''t all, as ck and golden tree roots started growing out of the entire domain, weakening, and breaking it apart even more rapidly, draining away their energy. "Why do they keep fighting?! How did they get so powerful!" the King of the Depths thought, his chaotic thoughts beginning to fall into despair. "No... This can''t be! I am the supreme king of this sea! I am their herald of destruction and justice...! Why...! WHY DO THEY KEEP FIGHTING?!" But before he could attack them or think of another strategy, a giant spider and a serpentine dragon attacked him from behind. Chapter 1140: The King Of The Depths Desperation Chapter 1140: The King Of The Depths Desperation ? Nyx and Arachne attacked the King of the Depths from behind, Maria''s n was in motion. She had used her powers with everyone else, while letting the two children sneak behind him using her Spatial-Maniption abilities, by literally teleporting them behind him as he put his efforts into stopping the rest! All while his divine domain copsed, giving Maria and her allies, now boosted with her recent transformation, the upper hand. "RAAAAH!" Nyx roared ferociously, once more conjuring the powers of her Divine Conceptbined with her Phantom Dragon Summoning Magic,bining them together into gigantic armament, further boosted by the power of her new form''s swarm and poison characteristics. Using these powers, she conjured giant weapons made of phantom, poison, and destruction, and fired them against her foe, the King of the Depths rapidly responded, his body was half- regenerating and changing and the other seemed to be slightly simr than before, albeit half of it was giving a golden glow. "Tch! Don''t think this can hurt me!" He swung his hand, as giant waves of holy radiant light hit Nyx''s attempts at attacking him, only for the waves, barrier-like in nature, to shatter into ss pieces, her projectiles reached his flesh and skin, exploding and leaving behindrge wounds which his light then covered, trying to stop his bleeding. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "UGH...! How did you get so powerful?! You were nothing but weaklings before!" However, he had yet to taste Arachne''s power, the giant red and azure-colored crab-like spider attacked him from behind, her giant pincers overflowing with oceanic and nightmarish powers,bining them into Nightmare Seas. Not only her attacks were strong, but they were filled with nightmares that disrupted the formation of his new body, shattering the radiance trying to metamorphose some of his body parts, and weakening him severely. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The King of the Depths, as Maria had investigated, was a beingposed of the bodies and souls of ancient Ocean Titans and Sea Dragons! But this also meant it had multiple souls merged together into this abomination, by using Nightmare powers, furtherbined with the power of the Ocean Essence, Arachne was able to target all of these weak spots. "UGH! AGH! STOP!" With a furious and painful roar, the King of the Depths punched Arachne several times with his many limbs, right before crushing her into the floor beneath with a whip attack using his various tails! CRAAASH! Even if they were dealing damage to him, it didn''t mean that this monster had grown any weaker. He was mightily strong, so powerful he even overwhelmed Arachne, an already almost matured Cmity that could plunge an entire continent into chaos and destruction. "Arachne!" Nyx panicked but was quickly surprised as the King of the Depths started recovering from his dizziness and pain, ying a more active role on his fights without relying on his decaying domain anymore, he rushed towards Nyx, kicked her, and then sted her away with a dragon breath. BOOOM! "Ugh!" Both Nyx and Arachne fell into the bottom of the domain, as countless dragon heads and titan hands tried to tear them to shreds and eat them to help the King of the Depths regain some of the power he lost. "No! AGH!" "D-Dammit!" The two tried to free themselves but the iing attacks were endless, everywhere they stepped into were giant hands and draconic jaws! Arachne kept trying to destroy them with her high stats and skills, creating spiderwebs that trapped and cut through them, while Nyx fired beams of destruction and conjured armies of phantom dragons to her aid.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Girls!" Maria rushed towards their help, extending her long hair-tentacles, and wrapping them around them, quickly lifting them up after Jonathan appeared and cut through all of the monstrous apparitions from the domain. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "Now, take them!" Maria nodded, quickly dragging the girls back and letting Jonathan take care of the Domain, who quickly started cutting big parts out of it one after another with his de and his giant, titan form. "I''ll destroy this annoying domain once and for all! {Eclipsing Heaven}!" The Hero of Lightbined his powers with Moonlight, awakening into an even stronger power he had been wishing to tap into since that time Maria granted him her soul abilities, an eclipse of moon and sun, together as one. SLAAASH! A single sh of pink, gold, and silver color shed through it all, the entire decaying domain stopped decaying because it was simply split apart into countless tiny pieces, and then exploded. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "My Domain?!" The King of the Depths groaned, half of his body was melting away by the radiance spilling out of his body, his metamorphosis was interrumpted, and he had now be an iplete abomination, even more than before. "Y-YOU...! YOUUUUU!" RUMBLE! With a furious roar, his entire body kept releasing more and more shockwaves of pure radiance, shaking the entirety of the seas, Maria and her family started pushing through it anyways, unifying their power together. "What''s wrong? Did you thought I would let you evolve mid-fight?! You didn''t even have someone to protect you while you did that!" Maria conjured her weapons once more, several dozens of weapons made out of her own powers materialized, being wielded by all her arms and tentacles. And then she unleashed an onught of attacks, ring with Yin and Yang Ki, their perfect harmony skyrocketing her damage dealt and defense pration. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "S-STOP!" The King of the Depths was groaning in fury, Maria''s attacks pushed him, back, only for him to swing his countless limbs against her, the two exchanged blows, for a moment seemingly looking rather even, yet the King of the Depths started gaining the advantage, piercing, shing, and cutting through Maria''s body several times. "{Ocean Titan''s Divine Palms}! {Sea Dragon''s Devastating Fangs}!" But it wasn''t as if her attacks came alone, the power of her new transformation granted her the ability to enchant her attacks, Ocean Titan and Sea Dragon Spirits constantly appearing with each blow, punching, and biting through her foe''s body over and over again! "{Divine Oceanic Spirit Blessing}!" And she wasn''t even done yet, as a blessing of divine oceanic power further enchanted her weapons, making them grow in size as they absorbed the seas around them. "T-That power...!" The King of the Depths finally started to panic. Chapter 1141: Reach Even Further Beyond Chapter 1141: Reach Even Further Beyond ? Maria conjured the power of her transformation once more, summoning its innate blessing ability and transforming her weapons into even stronger versions of themselves, her des, spears, axes, hammers, and halberds attacked the King of the Depths with a ferocious charge, moving so quickly that he was unable to respond in time, each of her blows tore through his flesh, his radiance burning and beginning to disappear. "{Harmonizing Stance: Yin & Yang Bnce}!" Maria activated the Harmonized Stance of the [Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts] Skill, harmonizing andbining the effects of her {Enlightened Stance: Brilliance of Yang} and the {Demonic Stance: Darkness of Yin} stances at the same time! Golden and Darkness essences flowed from her body, at the same time as her attacks became more and more intense, the defenses and attacks of the King of the Depths, as a result, were growing sluggish. "How is this possible! Why am I getting slower?!" he thought. "This shouldn''t be possible...! No! I CAN''T ACCEPT THIS!" He kept fighting back more, the resonance of his abilities surged from his body, changing and transforming into several giant titan hands and sea dragon serpentine jaws. They attacked Maria as her own attacks triggered the same effects. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! It was as if the ancient Ocean Titans and the Sea Dragons were fighting against one another. The King of the Depths finally realizing that Maria''s powers were very simr to his own, they even possessed the same type of power and divine radiance.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Maria was constantly attacking, constantly activating everything she had, the King of the Depths kept fighting back, his countless jaws firing beams, his limbs striking down, chopping away her limbs, tentacles, and soul apart! Yet she couldn''t stop fighting, she couldn''t let this monster drown the world. Within the depths of her Origin Core, something was shining, something was resonating within. The culmination of all her power, of all her attacks, of all her skills. But there wasn''t enough time to grasp it yet, she couldn''t do it yet! "HAHAHAH! YOU''RE GROWING WEAKER!" The King of the Depths realized Maria was bing slower now, he quickly charged towards her, mmed her head down and then pierced her body with countless spear-tipped tails at once! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "UGH! N-NO...!" Maria lost the thing she was grasping, vomiting her own blood essence, and beginning to fall into the sea''s depths once more. "I... I am still not enough to beat him?" Yet she wasn''t alone. "MAMAAAA!" Nyx and Arachne roared in unison, rushing towards the King of the Depths, and hitting him with all their power! Nyx shed against the monster''s left shoulder, coiling her entire body around him, and beginning to bite and dissolve his flesh with her new power, Phantasmal Venom of Destruction, born from fusing her venom and poison from Maria''s Ego fused into her, her phantasmal dragons, and her Divine Concept of Destruction. Meanwhile, Arachne''s limbs and pincers pierced the right shoulder, wrapping her countless limbs around it and beginning to bite and pierce through his flesh, her Nightmare Ocean Divine Aura pierced his flesh and reached his soul, making his entire body tremble as his soul was being slowly eaten. "AAARRGGH! MOVE ASIDE YOU TRASH!" The King of the Depths gave a furious fit of rage, grabbing Nyx and Arachne and throwing them away from his body, only to realize the tremendous damage they dealt to him! In his anger, he materialized two spears of water andunched them at the girls. "DIE IMPALED LIKE THE BEASTS YOU ARE!" Maria panicked, Lucifer, Jonathan, Emeraldine, and Partner were right behind him, but wouldn''t make it in time! The spears wereunched, the girls'' bodies were pierced, her eyes widened, as she saw them bleeding and vomiting blood. CRAAASH! "UGH?!" "AGH!" "NOOOO!" Maria''s scream of fury and desperation resonated with all her powers at once, the seas shook, the sun above the skies shone brightly, the underworld itself heard her roar, and even the void outside seemed to resonate with her. "BASTARD!" With a furious roar, her powers culminated together into something, the spark of it all, her Origin Core resonated, shining with the brightest darkness. A crimson eye watched her amidst the endless void, a smile surging on its endless body. "Unleash your true power, oh herald of Nothingness!" His tenebrous, aberrant voice resonated within Maria''s very phantasmal heart, as her powers merged with her once more, her form suddenly changing, her strange form taking a much more refined appearance. Gray skin, a single silver eye, long tentaclesing from her head, sharp ws in her two other arms, and her foot, and a long, tremendously long tentacle-like tail. Her graytex-like skin gained countless golden tattoos, shining brightly. "T-This power...! What is this?!" muttered Maria. "Is this... a second form?!" Yes, she wasn''t wrong, the power of the [Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment] actually had stages, and as it grew stronger with each level, such stages could be unlocked. And right now, her true Divine Concept has begun to blossom at the same time as she transformed! Yet she had no time to think at all, she moved. Space itself, the sea, everything became nothing to her, there was no longer any boundaries for her, she moved unrestrained by them all. The emptiness inside of Maria since her conception as a ghost, it wasn''t just because she was a ghost. It wasn''t just because she had a curse inside of her. And it wasn''t just because she felt empty due to ack of emotions, or ack of happiness. There was something much more intrinsic to it, something that perhaps has been cultivating within the depths of her soul since then. Something that continued growing beyond "just a feeling", and the very emptiness that also granted her the element of the void. Maria was never a "chosen one" of any kind, but through all the suffering she had gone through, and through all her soul''s transformations. This emptiness became something more, even noteworthy of the Outer Gods to notice as one of their kindred. {Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment}: {Second Stage: Herald of Nothingness} TRUUUM! "H-Huh?!" Before the King of the Depths could realize what happened, half of his body had disappeared, as an invisible wave of Nothingness devoured it all. Chapter 1142: Herald Of Nothingness Chapter 1142: Herald Of Nothingness ? Maria had attained a new form, a new Stage, and one that further defied thews of physics and the world around her. The very emptiness of her soul, of her heart, of her origin core, it became a power she wielded, and perhaps even the origin of the Void Element she attained. {Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment}: {Second Stage: Herald of Nothingness} TRUUUM! "H-Huh?!" Before the King of the Depths could realize what happened, half of his body had disappeared, as an invisible wave of Nothingness devoured it all. It was so fast he was unable to fight at all, he only started at his own wounds, only for him to scream in agony. "UUUAAAGGH!" As he screamed in pain, Maria woke up from her daze, rushing towards the girls and prioritizing their life rather than defeating him. "Nyx! Arachne!" She had no time to pay attention to her new form, their lives were in danger! There were huge holes in their bodies, one piercing through Nyx''s stomach and the other piercing through the abdomen of Arachne. They were alive, barely. Once more, Maria used her powers to heal them, sacrificing her own life.N?v(el)B\\jnn "{Pdin''s Life Sacrifice}!" FLUOSH! A bright golden light covered Nyx and Arachne''s unconscious bodies, the holes in their bodies quickly regenerated instantly, in exchange for Maria''s life. Ding! [You have activated the [Pdin''s Life Sacrifice: Lv1] Skill! You have sacrificed 40% of your Health to the two targets,pletely healing them from all wounds and restoring them to theirpletely healthy appearance.] [The healed targets will additionally receive a [Holy Blessing of Protection] for 1 Minute, that will increase their Health Points Regeneration Speed and their Defenses by +120%] [At the same time, you''ve received a buff to your stats based on 55% of the stats of the two targets you''ve healed for 1 Minute.] [However, for this Minute, you won''t be able to heal your own Health, be careful.] Although she had to sacrifice a lot of her Life, it was totally worth it, the girls were now safe! "Ugh...!" However, the sheer pressure of her transformation, coupled with her suddenly losing forty percent of her Life quickly made her feel a tremendous pressure over her entire body, as if she could barely hold herself from exploding. "You have to rest for now, girls," she spread out her shadows, taking the girls inside her Shadow Realm to rest, before a giant draconic w made of azure sea essence and divine celestial light shed against her! CLAAASH! "AGH!" Maria was thrown down several hundreds of meters, feeling her flesh being torn apart by the King of the Depth''s tremendous power. She noticed his missing body had regrown using his powers, although entirely made out of pure divinity, the crystal on his chest had gained a few cracks. Whatever was inside was in pain, she could hear it. "Why won''t you DIE already?!" Maria rushed back to him within a second, deleting the space between her and him and appearing right in front of his faces, the King roared, his giant ws and tentacles made of light and azure energy shed against her. TRUM! TRUM! TRUM! TRUM! Yet with a mere thought, they were all deleted from existence,pletely and fully destroyed, the King of the Depth''s eyes widened, as he quickly attacked Maria to keep her busy. She had a tremendous power, but he knew he could defeat her, her body was still frailpared to his attack power! "RAAAAH!" With a furious roar, countless beams of light were shot at Maria at the same time, she had to concentrate and delete them all, for some reason no other skill or ability responded to her, her current form was the fusion of them all. TRUM! TRUM! TRUM! She deleted the beams as she made her way towards him, yet the King of the Depths unleashed another gigantic beam, which she deleted again, only for three more to appear, from above, below, and behind! "He''s really pushing me even in this state!" As Maria distracted herself destroying the beams, the King of the Depths quickly conjured a gigantic spear, the same one he used to pierce the girls andunched it at Maria within that split second she was busy dealing with his beams. "No." "Huh?!" TRUM! The spear, however, disappeared before it could hit her, and then, Lucifer, Jonathan, Emeraldine, and Partner struck down the King of the Depths, having finally reached him. Their strongest attacks allbined together into an almighty force. "You dare almost kill my daughter?! DIE, YOU BASTARD!" Lucifer''s swords of sunlight and abyssal death mes pierced the King of the Depth''s entire body. "You''re one tough fucker, but this is as far as you''re getting!" Partner''s monstrous form harnessed and then released all her crimson and ck thunder at once, fusing it with her two spears and piercing the monster''s body. "Enough is enough!" Emeraldine fired herrgest arrow, piercing the monster''s stomach and then exploding, releasing countless branches and roots that sapped his energies. "We won''t let an aberrant monster such as yourself destroy this beautiful world!" Jonathan swung his sword several times, unleashing spears made out of Eclipsing light that left countless holes through the King of the Depths. "UUAAAAGGH!" The King of the Depths screamed in agony as he was sunk into the bottom of the ocean''s depths with everyone else, Maria rushing towards them appearing right in front of his chest through deleting all space between her and her target. "S-STOP! STOOOOP! MY PURPOSE...! I MUST... I MUST DEFEND THE LEGACY OF-UGH?!" Crack, crack...! Before the King of the Depths could speak another word, Maria touched the golden jewel in his chest, and shattered it. CRASH! And what came out of it was nothing but a woman, yes, a beautiful, mature woman with pale white skin and long, golden brown hair. "I knew it, a goddess!" As Maria took her with her arms, the King of the Depths desperately pushed everyone attacking him away, even as his arms and legs were torn to shreds due to their attacks, and quickly extended his jaws towards Maria and the woman she rescued. "I''LL DEVOUR YOU BOTH!" CRUNCH! "You really don''t know when to quit." TRUUUM! "GUH?!" Yet instead of having devoured her and the woman she rescued, the King of the Depths quickly realized half his jaws werepletely destroyed and deleted from existence, only leaving wounds. "I am figuring out this power as I go, did you like this? I call it {Aura of Nothingness}," Maria smiled. "Anything that I don''t approve of gets destroyed to consumed by Nothingness." "G-GUH...! YOUUU! AAAGGGHH!" With a furious roar of frustration, the King of the Depths rushed towards Maria gain, only for her to decide to end this once and for all. Her eyes, however, didn''t held that much hatred. But only pity. "Your existence is the result of the suffering of the ancient Ocean Titans and the Sea Dragons..." she sighed. "You sought to protect them, but there was no longer any more of them left alive, right? You''re strong, but... You''re too chaotic to be left alive, King of the Depths." A sphere of gray and ck color materialized in front of Maria''s silver-colored eye. "This is our farewell." The sphere reached the King of the Depths, consuming himpletely, his entire body slowly disappeared, turning into Ashes of Nothingness. "T-This power...!" he thought. "Maybe... Maybe she can... finally defeat those damn gods...!" Before dying, he smiled, imagining the gods'' demise before fully disappearing. Chapter 1143: A Vision Of The Past Chapter 1143: A Vision Of The Past ? As the King of the Depths slowly dissipated, the remaining fragments of his divine soul didn''t disappear, yet they also didn''t try to fight back, they flew towards Maria, being absorbed by her own powers. FLASH! And then, she was suddenly taken elsewhere, her consciousness moved towards a different ne, a different world, or perhaps, memories of a past long forgotten. An endless azure sea, cities below the ocean. People of all shapes and sizes swimming around, Ocean Titans and Sea Dragons. Despite being only two types of divine beings, their appearances all varied, there wasn''t a single one that wasn''t different from the other. Some Ocean Titans were big and burly, with azure scales, and then there were smaller ones, with fish-like tails and sharp fangs, others had red scales or colorful scales, with long, rainbow colored hair. A few of them were even slightly more animal-like, with tentacle-like arms from octopus, or even slug appendages. The Sea Dragons varied greatly, some were multi-headed hydras, others were like sea serpents, others like sea snakes, a few like giant barracudas, others like beautiful, goldfishes, some like crocodiles, their appearances endlessly varied. It was a beautiful underwater world, one where both Divine Tribes lived together, nurturing the coral reefs, expanding them, feeding the animals, and letting them expand and reproduce, they were farmers of the ocean, taking care of the algae and many animals. Whales and giant sharks respected them and loved them, nature was one with them, they were born in the ocean, and in the sea they belonged... Yet everything changed when the skies broke open, and a door to another world opened, a loud announcement resonated across the entire world of Yggdrasil, even those that dwelled underwater heard it. [Integration with the Tower has been sess. Dimensional Bubble has been materialized surrounding the world of {Yggdrasil}, because the world is strong, it has been given the floor Number 50.] [Initializing World Door Aperture. yers can now invade your World, to further climb the tower, they mustplete certain tasks.] "W-Wha...?!" "What was that?" "A voice resonated everywhere!" "Even underwater?" The underwater races often spoke through telepathy magic, unable to properly speak underwater as their voice could not be heard when there was only water. Some of them also spoke through sonars, mostly the dragons, as the titans were not equipped with that ability. Yet everyone was able to clearly hear that voice, no matter where they were and no matter who they were, children, adults, babies, elderly, it didn''t matter, even the dragon children inside their eggs heard it all. This was followed by several figures emerging from the door in the sky, many gods around Yggdrasil were shocked, the Dragons and the Titans, guardian of nature and this world''s life, quickly stood up, going to see what themotion was. The Ocean Titan Father Oceanus, and the Sea Dragon Mother Ran, stepped into the heavens with their powerful Divine Powers, as the oldest of their kind, they had many more abilities than the rest. And who greeted them were a group of small beings, much smaller than them, with clear skin and long hair, sharp eyes, and wearing armor and holding weapons imbued with divine powers. "Are you the people that entered our world through that gate?" "Who might you be, strangers?" "Well, this is our first time ever seeing people from another worlds! Isn''t that incredible? What are your names, my friends?" At first, the Titans and the Dragons tried to talk with them, even wee them into their beautiful world... Yet. "Friends?" The man leading them all, a young, blonde man with a short white beard and sharp golden eyes, holding a divine spear made of golden light, smirked at the first Titan he saw. A beautiful and friendly titan, brown-skinned, the young brother of the Father of the Mountain Titans, Caspian the Kind. "Well, although some of my brothers are worried, I know that sometimes, we just need to talk and get along, right? How about we talk while having a meal? I am quite interested in-" Before the Titans and the Dragons could react, the blonde human swung his spear towards the titan, the spear moved at lightning spear. The Father of the Mountain Titans, Terran, rushed towards his young brother, but he was too big and slow, incapable of saving him. "CASPIAN!" "Eh?" BOOOM! "G-Guh...?!" Caspian''s handsome face distorted in shock and pain, as he started vomiting blood, his chest has been pierced by the invader''s spear of light, a giant hole carved through. His heart was gone, and so his lungs. Tears starteding out of the young titan''s face, unable to process what was happening. "B-Bro... ther..." Before he could do anything else, the young titan fell into the seas, dead.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "CASPIAAAAN!" Terran screamed in horror and disbelief as he saw his young brother, whom he loved so much, die in such a horrendous and sudden way. "How...! How could you...! Caspian was...!" Terra started crying as he held his brother on his arms, his furious, burly body, with a long beard and shiny eyes made of jewels, roared furiously. "YOU BASTARDS! YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN OUR DOMAIN!" "It seems that got you our intention straight," the man smiled. "My name is Odin, Father of the Aesir Family, we are the first yers to have ventured into the Tower, and from this moment, your world belongs to us." The spear of light came back to his hands, as his power of light and thunder surged from within his Divine Aura endlessly, the skies above began to swirl wildly. "WE WILL NEVER GIVE OUR WORLD TO A MONSTER LIKE YOU!" "That is fine by me! Come and die by my hand, you aberration! Hahaha!" Terra left his brother''s corpse over the sea as he ran towards Odin, shing against his almighty spear with his gigantic metallic hands. "Terran, don''t fight him alone!" "He''s too dangerous!" Oceanus and Ran quickly joined him, using the powers of the sea to their advantage, as giant waves and sea magic spells were summoned, bombarding Odin and his family of wicked Gods. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Maria watched it all in disbelief, this was without a doubt, the beginning of the end for the world of Yggdrasil. Chapter 1144: The Origins Of The King The Depths Chapter 1144: The Origins Of The King The Depths ? The battles raged above the seas, Odin brought with him his whole family of Aesir, his siblings and some of his oldest children, Baldr was there, Maria noticed he was there, ughtering Titans and Dragons with his tremendous powers. There were no restrictions regarding divinities in the past, so they were able to go all-out without problems, making the entire war a terrifying ughter. Although the Titans and the Dragons were much bigger and had the advantage of controlling the elements, the Aesir were incredibly lethal, holding powerful divine weapons that could break through divine skin and divine scales with ease, and even break through the titan''s strongest divine barriers. Odin led the charge, invincible and unmovable, a terrifying monster, a beast with no equal, only when Ymir and Tiamat themselves, gigantic beings that surged from the depths of the world of Yggdrasil stepped on, was when the war gained a stalemate. RUMBLE! "YOU, WHO HAS ONLY BROUGHT PAIN AND SUFFERING TO OUR WORLD!" "WE CANNOT LET YOU HAVE YOUR WAY ANY LONGER, WORLD CONQUEROR, ODIN!" The voices of Ymir and Tiamat reverberated across the skies and the earth, for hundreds of years they battled, Odin''s strength was almost equal to the two, several of his children and brothers died in the war, but he never cared. The Titans and the Dragons seemed to have gained hope, only for some of their own kind to betray them and ally the invaders, after they promised them they wouldn''t kill them or their children and would give them thrones in their new world. Amongst the traitors, there was Skadi, Titan Queen of Frost, after sealing her Ice Dragons in her Tower, an act of betrayal against her faction, Odin received her within his army family, making her the Goddess of Ice. Ymir and Tiamat fought to the very end, protecting Yggdrasil and their remaining children, but at the end, because of this shift in battle, they were unable to ovee the endless attacks from Odin''s faction, and perished. Maria saw their fall, the fall of giants amongst giants. Ymir, a being made of thend itself and countless mountains, valleys,kes, rivers, forests and more, fell into countless pieces. And Tiamat, a gigantic dragoness with multiple heads of every color representing her many dragon families, was beheaded until she could no longer move. In the veryst moments, the two, below Odin''s nose, fused their corpses and souls into thend of Yggdrasil, stopping it from copsing due to the tremendous battle. The Realms told in these legends and "history" were never true, Yggdrasil was never divided into realms, it was always a whole world. However, that Ymir and Tiamat, alongside their dead children merged with the world to heal it, wasn''t wrong. They saw the world slowly dying due to their divine battle and sacrificed what little power they had left to maintain it alive, and also to empower Yggdrasil with their divinities, making her so powerful she was capable of controlling Fate and the Divine Thrones. It was then when Yggdrasil became so strong, that she created stronger Laws within Yggdrasil, Odin and his family were forced to move to the Heavenly Realm of Asgard, if they were to ever step down, their divine powers would decrease drastically, bing too weak. Although they had be rulers of the world, they couldn''t do as they pleased... Or at least, as much as they pleased. This was the final trump card of Ymir and Tiamat, and even then, Odin did not mind it that much. Yet not all Titans and Dragons died and merged with the world, the countless ughtered souls of the Ocean Titans and Sea Dragons, even including their children and unborn babies, merged within the raging seas of Yggdrasil. Covered by the blood of countless Gods, their souls and their divinities decayed into an evil power over many eons, and when Odin betrayed his own son, Tyr, who desired to create a new and more peaceful world by overtaking his throne, turning him into a monster with the help of Loki''s Chaos Magic and pretending to be forced to y his own, wicked son, a fragment of Tyr, the Evil God, fell into the seas. And in that moment, it was devoured by their resentful souls, the Ocean Titans and Sea Dragons absorbed Tyr''s fragment whole, and used him to be something else, something monstrous, something vengeful... Led by the resentment of Terran, Oceanus, and Ran who died in these seas, the King of the Depths was born, a chimeric aberration so powerful it could y the gods, yet unable to do so because it was confined to the depths of the sea, in a fit of madness with no rationality. It had grown obsessed with only protecting the seas, and with the Gods in Asgard, they never truly noticed his existence. At the end, the only ones that were punished were innocent people that came from Antis, who were almost ughtered by the King of the Depths for "trespassing" hisnd. After having settled down for many hundreds of years and having created whole nations underwater, the Mermen were reduced to nothing but a single, surviving Kingdom, the shelter of all thest survivors, Aquarose. "DESTROY...! WE WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU! YOU WHO DID THIS TO US! YOU WHO KILLED US ALL! YOU WHO SLAUGHTERED US! DIE! BEGONE FROM OUR SEA!" As the monstrous aberration roared, a beautiful mermaid conjured her divine magic, the priestess of Mother Sea of the World of Antis, Naiad unleashed her strongest sealing spell, after having set up the perfect ce to seal him, within the very ruins of the ancient civilization of the Ocean Titans and the Sea Dragons, which were still imbued with great amounts of their leftover Divine Power. FLAAASH! A ray of azure light hit their entire body, pushing them down, the formation she created immediately activated, sealing the King of the Depths beneath an endless amount of divine chains.N?v(el)B\\jnn "GRAAARRRRGHHH!" His screams slowly faded away as Naiad sighed in relief, looking down at the creature, yet only feeling pity, no rage at all, even when he had killed so many of her people. "Such a vengeful amalgamation of souls... May you rest in peace..." Chapter 1145: Farewell Chapter 1145: Farewell ? After the King of the Depths was sealed for so long, something finally happened, a shooting star fell from the skies, a goddess that had been rejected by the heavens and that had run away from the monster that she once called a husband. She realized his madness, something she had been blind to for too long until he started to treat her badly for it. She was too self-centered, a woman that had barely just begun to open her eyes about reality and the world around her, perhaps too blinded by love and loyalty before to realize the horrendous acts she and her familymitted. Perhaps in her own sorrow and self-loathing, she fell from the skies without purpose or any desire other than to die, what else was there for her other than a monster of a husband and a family of psychopaths? She too, was as insane as them before, but this awakening, thismon sense that surged within her after living for so long and experiencing so much, only made her hate herself more than anybody else. She fell, her divinity crystalizing her, aiming to protect her even as she fell from the heavens and became weaker. She was not the divine goddess of protection for nothing after all, even if she didn''t wish for, her divinity would protect her. SPLASH! As she fell into the seas as a crystalized sphere of golden crystals, she continued moving down with tremendous force, until she fell over the area where the King of the Depths was sealed, piercing through his chains, and hitting his body. BOOOM! "This is...?! A gift from the heavens?! Has lord Ymir finally blessed me?!" The King of the Depths devoured the sleeping goddess, gaining her tremendous divine powers, and regaining his former strength, slowly, he started breaking through the seal, while using his powers to summon monsters to devour any intelligent life in the sea. And that''s where Maria and her family appeared, how they met the Aquarose Kingdom, and ultimately battled the King of the Depths... In that moment, as he faced them, he couldn''t help but feel somewhat... fulfilled. Finally, gods wereing to fight him. Finally, he was going to y them! Yet as they fought, they constantly fought more and more fiercely. Despite the powers he had, the King of the Depths was unable to win. The tremendous hidden strength within the very depths of Maria''s Origin Core were something beyond him. Beyond anything.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The power of Nothingness consumed him, as all his ire, all his vengeful madness, it dissipated into the waters. At longst, the souls felt relieved, that they were finally going to disappear. Living like this, it was nothing but a torture... "Thank you, Maria." Maria found herself standing above an endless azure sea, as the Divine Souls of the Ocean Titans and Sea Dragons appeared in front of her, one after another, making the sea tremble. There he was, the mighty Oceanus. And also the gigantic Ran. Both the father and mother of their respective tribes. But also, there was another Titan, a gigantic made of stone and ore, with eyes made of jewels. Terran, the father of the Mountain Titans. "Everyone is here, I guess..." Maria smiled, receiving them, suddenly noticing her form had reverted to her humanoid appearance. "Ah, the cool transformation is gone?" It was mostly gone because Maria was in a space between the mindscape and the Titan Records Realm, a Realm created by the Soul of Ymir fused into the world of Yggdrasil. "Yes, we wanted toe and thank you personally for freeing our souls, at longst," Oceanus said. "Wemitted many mistakes, and we only ended ruining the lives of innocent people for our own hatred..." Ran apologized. "It was all my fault, when I died, I cursed my own soul," sighed Terran. "It was probably the reason why I was unable to go to the Titan Records too." "Well, things are different now..." said Maria. "You guys can go back there now, right?" They looked at one another, yet Maria noticed something was odd. "It is impossible now," Oceanus said. "Our souls have been destroyed after they merged and decayed over so long..." Ran said. "What you''re seeing right now is, but thest remaining consciousness fragments left behind," Terran said. "We used this to give you that skill you obtained, a trump card that allowed you to win." "Well, I wouldn''t say it helped me win but it was very useful, yeah," Maria nodded. "Thank you... And damn, you can''t really go? Seriously?" "Unfortunately... Our souls are slowly going to disappear," Oceanus sighed, yet he smiled. "But that doesn''t really matter, is it?" "Our families and everything, they''re long gone," said Ran. "We are only going to disappear; the void will wee us." "Maria..." Terran said, looking at Maria. "You''re someone strong and incredible, someone with the potential to defeat Odin and the Gods... We leave our beautiful world to you, ourst hope." "W-Wait a second, all of the world?!" Maria panicked a bit. The old godsughed a bit at her way of talking, she was so casual about everything. "She is indeed very unique,"ughed Oceanus. "She reminds me of your little brother, Terran," said Ran. "Caspian..." Terran sighed. "That''s right, please, Maria, take it. Ourst powers." "Wait, huh?!" FLASH! Maria felt several tiny fragments shine within her, thest pieces of their souls. "But if you used this, maybe you could go to the Titan Records! Do you need to sacrifice yourself for me?!" Maria tried to change their minds. But they were already decided. "It''s fine, our souls should need to be much stronger to get there," said Terran. "And our siblings have taken our ces..." "I think it''s time... I just want to pass away," said Oceanus. "Me too... I''m so tired of everything," Ran sighed. Maria for the first time meet beings so ancient they only wanted to pass away and leave everything behind. She couldn''t argue with them, they weren''t wrong in their words either. "Don''t worry, we shall go to the sea," said Oceanus. "Indeed..." Ran nodded. "And I shall go back to the mountains..." Terran smiled. "Good luck, Maria. Please, take care of this fragile world..." "Everyone..." Maria wanted to talk so much with them, yet they all disappeared before she could even begin. A sense of bittersweetness filled her heart. Chapter 1146: The Seas Have Been Freed Chapter 1146: The Seas Have Been Freed ? The people around Aquarose sighed in relief, despite Maria leaving behind most of her forces, they had barely managed do defend the city. The heads that Maria''s group had cut off from the King of the Depths had infiltrated into the city''s outskirts and started attacking, summoning countless sea monsters. With the aid of Catarina, Silva, Fabian and his friends, Takeshi, Laura, Tear, Celes, Nia, Violet, Arthur, and many Undead, they were able to resist the endless onught of monsters for thesest few minutes, before they all started turning into ashes. The portals summoning them also disappearedpletely, revealing that it was all because of the King of the Depths, most of his heads had been destroyed though, but the ones that remained alive quickly turned into ashes as well, groaning in agony onest time. "GRUOOHHH...!" As they screamed, they slowly disappeared, the people watched in disbelief and awe, before raising their arms and celebrating, the monster that had tormented them for so long was finally gone. "The monsters... They''re all disappearing!" "T-They won?!" "Did they defeat that thing?" "They did it...!" "I can''t believe it... They killed that monster that not even our Ancestor, Naiad, could!" "That sneaky monster tried to attack everyone here when Maria and her allies were far away, thankfully she left behind her other half of her allies..." "Yeah, what a relief!" As the people celebrated, Tear and Catarina nced at the distance, the surroundings, and then sighing in relief. They were still in high alert, but it seemed it was true. "They are really all just disappearing! I can''t believe it, were these monsters all made through magic?" wondered Tear. "Would exin why they were so endless," said Catarina. "Though I can''tin, the EXP was superb! Right Silva?" "Yeah I leveled so much!" said Silva. "I''m close to getting to S Rank!" Silva had already evolved to A Rank, and her power showed, her Miasmic Boost Ability had expanded and evolved, granting her the ability to further evolve, transform, and give new power to anybodypatible with Miasma. She was also able to use it on many more allies at the same time, enough to boost a whole legion of Undead with an even greater boost to all their stats and so on. "I can''t be as rxed as you are, everyone almost died..." Tear sighed, caressing her ne. "But well, we did it, and that''s what matters... I finally helped saving a bit more people. To make up for all those I hurt." "Heh, cheer up already!" Catarinaughed, patting Tear''s back. "Just be happy you won for once." "R-Right! Haha, thank you, Catarina," Tear nodded. As the ghost and the ice giant walked back into the city, the rest of the defenders all gathered, mostly around the seats to sit down and chill, they were too tired. "Ugh, man, I''m beat..." Fabian groaned in relief. "We really had to go all-out, too much I would say..." Spectra said. "Yeah, no shit..." Nick nodded. "This was exhausting, but we grew stronger!" Garon said. "Yep! I feel stronger!" Beery agreed. The children felt much stronger than before, all these dangerous encounters and events were very not kid-friendly, but as they perseverated through them, they gained substantial amounts of power. "What about you, Laura?" Takeshi wondered. "I think I can already evolve to SS Rank, hopefully," Laura said. "Me too! Do you think they''ll let us join them for their main battles once we get that strong?" wondered Takeshi. "Hmm, I don''t know, they''re going too fast," said Laura. "We need to somehow get to SSS Rank I think." "Ugh, that feels way too hard! It''s unfair..." Takeshiined. "Come on, we''ve been growing super-fast so far, its already ridiculous on its own, and you want to catch up with people that were already stronger than us when we first met?"ughed Laura. "But what about Nyx? She wasn''t that strong before..." Takeshi said. "Nyx is a different case! She''s a Dragon, a powerful one, so she grows even super-fast," Laura said, petting Takeshi''s head. "Anyways, let''s gather up with everyone else- Ah, Celes is over there, and Arthur-!" "Hey guys! Arthur~!" Laura ran towards Arthur, whom she had begun to talk a lot with. Takeshi could tell there was something going on with Laura, she definitely was slightly attracted to the boy, but well, they were close in age, and Arthur was also quite handsome and slightly cute, Laura''s type, which is quite rare. "There she goes again... She really likes him, huh? I don''t know how auntie would react to this..." said Takeshi, crossing his arms. "Ah, Laura, well done," Arthur smiled gently. "You''re pretty strong even underwater." "Ah, really~?" Lauraughed a bit. "You''re pretty strong too, Arthur!" She was acting so unlike herself that her brother felt slightly disgusted. "Well I''m still trying to get used to my abilities..." Arthur said. "I still can''t control this power well enough, but thanks." "Auntie Maria must be getting here with everyone else!" Celes said. "If they defeated the King of the Depths and all!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "That''s right, should we start cleaning up and helping the people in the meantime?" said Nia, Celes'' mother. "Celes, Arthur, can you help heal some of the wounded people?" "Of course," Arthur nodded. "Leave it to me, Nia." "Sure!" Celes nodded, very obedient with his mama. "I-I''ll help however I can too!" Laura followed them from behind without losing sight of Arthur, her crush. As they rushed away, a gigantic, purple-scaled dragon gazing into the sea outside of Aquarose remained in silence. "Just now... I felt something, I am sure I felt something, a presence simr to the dragons of old!" Violet thought. "Was the King of the Depths rted to Sea Dragons then?! But that''s... why would they ever go mad and attack innocent people then?" Violet seemed concerned, but there was little she could do now, as the presence she felt before quickly disappeared. "Oh well... At the very least they''reing," she looked at the northwest. "They''re getting closer, so it looks like the monster has been finally in. These seas can finally be peaceful once more." Chapter 1147: Frigga Chapter 1147: Frigga ? (Maria''s POV) When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the seas right where we were before, the King of the Depths was gone, and so all the cursed souls that made him up too. I felt slightly bad though, I was unable to save those people, and they simply... Well, they just disappeared. They seemed relieved of that though, like they didn''t want to even try to get into the Records anyways, and judging by what I saw, yeah, I can understand that. Those memories I saw were very revealing, from Odin and the Aesir arrival to the betrayal that some of the Titans and Dragons did against their families so they could ensure their survival, and everything else. That was pretty nasty, but I guess they were desperate and thought Ymir and Tiamat wouldn''t win either way, the world had been almost destroyed in the war too. If it weren''t for Ymir and Tiamat sacrifice, the world wouldn''t have restored from all the damage it took... Well, it also allowed me to see the power and strength of Odin more closely, and yeah, he''s certainly very powerful. More than I had originally imagined too, if he was able to kill those titans and dragons, which were already tremendously strong beings so easily with his spear... There''s nothing saying he can''t do the same against me and my family once we fight, I need to get even stronger first. The power of Nothingness I had grasped, that second form, it was now gone, and I was only left with little clues about it at all. But I think that was the power of my Divine Concept, or whatever it is called. My daughter Nyx has the Divine Concept of Demise, do I have the Divine Concept of Nothingness, or Emptiness? I don''t know what exactly it is... "Hmm... Ugh..." Ah, right, there''s a woman in my arms, a beautifuldy with blonde hair and skin like porcin, yet she''s quite mature and motherly,pletely naked... Damn she has a beautiful body. But based in the memories I saw; this is most likely a goddess rted to Odin! Just who is she? Some of her memories were mixed with the King of the Depths. "You''re Frigga, aren''t you?" I asked her. "You''re Odin''s wife." "Ah! W-Wha...?! Y-You''re that ghost monster?!" Frigga opened her eyes and immediately panicked. I smiled, making her only grow more shocked. "How nice to see you! Yes! I am that ghost monster," I nodded. "Should I eat you now like I did with those two other gods~?" "W-WAIT A SECOND!" Frigga screamed. "I don''t want to fight! I SWEAR I DON''T WANT TO FIGHT!" She was panicking a lot, resembling a little puppy. But how sincere are her words, truly? I don''t know if I could even trust her to begin with! My family rushed to my side once they saw everything finally ending. "Maria! Are you okay? And who is that goddess supposed to be?" Lucifer wondered, looking down at Frigga and making her tremble in fear. "A-A dragon?!" Frigga screamed. "Yeah he''s a dragon, and I''m a Vampire, sup?" Partner appeared right behind her, grabbing her neck with her ws. "W-Wait a second, please don''t hurt meeeee!" Frigga started crying while covering her nude chest.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Come on Partner, Lucifer, let''s not intimidate her," said Emeraldine, joining in. "If she''s truly a goddess, even if an enemy, as long as she''s not hostile, I think we should treat her fairly." "T-That''s right! You''re so nice with me!" cried Frigga. "Please save me- Eek!" However, Emeraldine was also ring her with a face of disgust and hatred, although her words were kind, her aura and her face expression weren''t. It looked as if she was looking at walking garbage. A rare sight because I''ve never seen Emeraldine looking at something like this! "P-Please don''t look at me like this..." sighed Frigga. "Can''t I get somewhere with clothes? Perhaps a meal? I swear I will exin everything about me to you, and I won''t attack you either, I swear!" "Wow, she even wants a meal and clothes?" wondered Partner. "Should I just dry her out of her blood now? Maybe I can turn her into an obedient vampire servant~" "Hyeek! Please don''t hurt me, I am just as terribly betrayed as you are!" Frigga cried, hugging me back and hiding her face behind my head. I wanted to throw her away, but I slightly pitied her, she seemed to have been cast out, and even if she belonged to Odin''s side, it didn''t mean that she was exactly evil, right? Also I killed two of her kids so... I do feel slightly guilty now. I''ve also checked her intentions, her soul, and her heart, and she''s being honest, she''s genuinely afraid, and weakened to the point anybody here could easily kill her too. "Calm down everyone, she had been drained out of her divinity to the point she''s much weaker than all of us," I exined. "She''s also... being honest, I read her Soul." "Is that so..." Lucifer nodded. "Hah, very well then, let''s bring her along." "I am not so sure..." Partner groaned. "Can''t we at least seal her or something first?" "She''s a goddess, so by merely stepping into the world of mortals she''s already weakened," said Emeraldine. "Let''s leave her be for now." "If she tries anything funny I''ll eat her, don''t worry," I said. "I''ll leave a shadow, a piece of my own soul and shadows, with her, so if she tries anything funny... CHOMP!" I gently bit her neck, making her panic, then I pulled out my mouth, leaving behind a slight mark. Damn she was so weak even a yful bite hurt her? "I-I''mpletely to your mercy, I give up!" she kept crying. "So please don''t hurt me... I... well, I wanted to die a bit back then but... Well, I realized that was very scary. I thought I was a brave woman, but my divinity didn''t let me kill myself." "Your divinity you say?" wondered Lucifer. "Are you sure it wasn''t just your subconscious at work?" "Hahh... Maybe..." Frigga sighed once more. After that, we moved back to Aquarose. Chapter 1148: The Origin Of The Gods Chapter 1148: The Origin Of The Gods ? "Mama, who is that?" As we moved to Aquarose, Nyx wondered who this woman I was carrying even was. "This is Frigga, the Goddess of... Pregnancy and Protection, I think?" "It''s Motherhood, not Pregnancy!" Frigga sighed. "But yes, those are the Divine Thrones I govern over..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hmph, I wonder who you took these from, huh?" wondered Lucifer. "Answer me." "My husband gave them to me forcefully! And... Well, I think they belonged to Tiamat," sighed Frigga. "She has Tiamat''s Divine Thrones?!" asked Partner. "No way makes sense why that giant fish monster was so powerful after swallowing her. Are you sure you don''t want to eat her, master?" "I''m sure it''s fine for now," I nodded. "Don''t worry." As I said that, I created a ck dress for Frigga to cover herself up, made out of my Shadow Threads. "Ah, thank you..." she blushed a bit, feeling better now that she had something to dress up with. "Why were you even naked to begin with? Can you move on your own?" I asked her. "I-I think I can, yes," she said. "And I was naked because... Well, the force of collision destroyed everything I was wearing... Except my body. Usually the clothes we wear are Divine and can''t be destroyed so easily! But... Well, Odin told me to leave anything of value, so I was only able to wear Mortal Clothing..." "Woah, just what happened there?" wondered Partner. "Did your husband seriously dumped you? After thousands of years? Also you seem awfully nice after we killed two of your kids." "My husband has gone mad for a long time..." Frigga sighed. "He cannot be reasoned with even less than before. Back then when I was much younger... I was stupid and na?ve, and admired his might and strength, before being known as the World Conqueror or the King of the Gods, Odin was known as the Viking King, the strongest warrior of Valha, the world where wee from." "Valha..." I said. "So that''s not the heaven of this world?" "No, the Souls go elsewhere, to Helheim," she said. "Sometimes, they are reincarnated back after washing by the Rivers of the Dead, but the concept of Valha is... yet another lie made by my husband to control the people. No mortal ever goes to a "heaven" or something of the sort. At least not those of this world." So there''s another world out there where the Aesir came from named Valha, and he''s a Viking King?! Makes sense why he''s such a barbaric son of a bitch. "So you left him because he was a madman..." I said. "And because... He wasn''t even upset about the death of Baldr and Oceania," sighed Frigga. "They were my children, even though I barely had time to raise them, even though... I am indeed sad of their deaths, but they... too, like their father, had grown wicked. They sought their deaths, and I was unable to stop them. I dot not me you for trying to defend yourself from them. I only me myself for being unable to stop them." "I... see..." I still feel a bit bad though, this is really awkward. "Huh, I''m sorry about that..." Nyx said. "But they were very evil and tried to kill mama and papa... Why didn''t you raise them to be good kids?" Nyx went straight with that question, huh? She''s very direct. "I... tried!" Frigga cried. "But... Yeah, it was because I failed, I am a terrible mother at the end. I let that man manipte me, and I was stupid enough to nod at everything he said. But there was a point I couldn''t keep going, after two of our children died, I decided to leave this behind. Even if I died, even if I die by your hands, Maria... I think that''s fine too. I want him to pay, if you want, use my power to grow stronger, and kill that madman..." She was being serious this time. "Well, if you insist, Bon Appetit!" I said with a smile, my shadows opening into endless jaws. Frigga screamed in horror as she started crying. "W-Wha...?! Wait a second, I thought you weren''t going to actually do it! Don''t eat me!" She''s such a scaredy cat, this woman... "Calm down, I''m joking," I sighed. "I thought you were a Viking woman! Why are you such a scaredy cat?" "Who wouldn''t be when facing the monster that has terrified this world so far?" she sighed. "You also ate my two children; I am justified for feeling afraid!" "R-Right..." I nodded. "Anyways, enough with bad jokes, we are here. Let''s talk more about you once we get into the Aquarose Kingdom." "Aquarose... Kingdom?" Frigga wondered. "I have never heard of such a ce, is it in some deste ind?" "No, it''s an underwater Kingdom of mermen from the world of Antis," said Emeraldine. "It seems that as long as they are underwater, the Gods couldn''t see them. I thought Oceania was in charge of the seas, did she never report this to you?" "A-Ah?! W-Well... Oceania was such a bratty andzy girl... She never truly did her job," sighed Frigga. "She would justze around or mess around with mortals. As part of the new generation born here once the war was already over... That girlcked many life experiences." "Okay then, anyways, here we are, behave and pretend to just be a normal person... A human or something," I said. "We can''t let them know you''re actually Frigga..." "I understand," Frigga nodded. "W-What about your friends?" "I can''t reveal it to them either for now, but I''ll tell them once we''re out of here," I said. "Anyways, let''s go." We stepped into the Aquarose, being cheered up by everyone, apparently there was a big battle here, with several monster corpses scattered around, they had invaded here as I thought, but it seems they managed to defend well and survived, thankfully. "Wee back, sis!" Arthur greeted me first, hugging me tightly. "You did it! You saved everyone... again!" "Hahah, I wouldn''t have been able to do it without everyone that came with me, thanks for protecting the city, little brother," I kissed his forehead. "Let''s go celebrate, I''m starving!" Chapter 1149: Celebrations Chapter 1149: Celebrations ? "Wee back dear! Everyone too! I see everyone is fine, was the battle hard?" Nia ran to my side once we arrived, hugging me, and kissing me with her delicious lips, I happily received her hug and her kiss, she seemed to have be slightly upset I didn''t bring her along, but it was nice she felt better now. "Nia! Yes, it was very, VERY hard, actually..." I sighed. "I thought we wouldn''t have made it. But I was able to awaken something within me, mostly thanks to everyone''s efforts and minebined. And, well, we can talk about that in the feast." "Yeah!" Nia nodded, and then red at the gorgeous, very tall, and slightly muscr blonde by my side. Now that I realized, Frigga was packed with muscles, she had a beautiful, feminine, yet chiseled body. I guess she was truly a Norse woman, to be honest. But I have to resist her charm, I can''t be lusting for Odin''s wife! And Nia was ring at her with a slight amount of jealously, grabbing my arm tightly. "Who. Is. She?" she smiled at me with a slightly threatening smile. "Maria?" W-What is this sensation? Is she actually a jealous woman? But I have so many partners... Does she only ept them because they came before her, but anything new... is not too well received? I guess she''s kind of like Partner. Anyways, it''s not even like I am going to start kissing Frigga or something, we''re technically enemies. Actually isn''t she more like a prisoner of war or something? Yeah, let''s go with that logic. "She is the woman we found after defeating the King of the Depths..." I said. "Um, I think she might be someone very strong, she was inside of him, we assume she might have been the fallen star." "What?! Really..." Nia looked at Frigga with her sharp emerald eyes. "Okay then... You must be very tired and confused, dear, are you alright?" Oh, she became much nicer now. "I-I''m fine-Eek!" Frigga quickly was frightened by seeing Nia''s overly serious gaze, she was nice in the outside, but her gaze was cold like Emeraldine. "Why do all of you mortals make such scary faces..." Frigga sighed. "Mortals?" Nia wondered, rising an eyebrow. "A-Anyways! She needs some rest, and so all of us, so let''s go back to the castle!" I said. "Is there a feast being prepared? We''re starving. Arthur?" "Ah yeah! There''s something being made, also there''ll more food given to everyone in a celebration for the rest of the citizens," Arthur said. "So everyone will be celebrating, isn''t that nice?" "Yeah! Let''s go! Time to kick back and rx for once, we''ve done enough, everyone!" I roared, as the people cheered up. "WOOOHHH!" "Our saviors!" "Thank you for everything you''ve done!" "You''re so amazing!" "Please take this gold I found in my house." "Here, grab these legendary items I had stashed away please!" And they were all so rich they didn''t know the true value of all their treasures, they kept gifting me things made of gold and magic items with spirit jewels and such, that would all -cost a lot. But I wasn''t so humble as to not ept it, so I happily received anything they threw at me, it was going to be capital for my little town, so it was necessary. "Thank you, thank you!" As we made our way inside the castle while people threw confetti at us and also all sorts of valuable treasures, the King, the Queen, and the two Princesses greeted us with wide smiles. "Thank you so much!" And then they prostrated before us and put their foreheads over the floor. "E-Eh?! Hey! Why are you doing that?!" I was shocked. "This is a bit excessive!" Emeraldine agreed. "Haha, yeah, prostrate yourselves," Partner enjoyed it... "What''s wrong with you?" Lucifer was... well, he found it awkward. "Please, you''re rulers, there''s no necessity to do this!" Jonathan was humble and tried to help them stand up. "I am sorry, but we thought it was necessary," said the King. "You''re practically Gods and everything..." "Yes, isn''t Lady Maria a goddess?" wondered the Queen. "You''ve done so much for us already too! After talking about it, we realized how unjustly we''ve treated you! if you''re truly a goddess, we should have prostrated ourselves right away! Forgive us!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Y-Yeah, sorry for being bratty back then!" Princess Rose said. "I agree... she was bratty! I''m sorry!" Aqua said. "Hey, which side are you on?!" Roseined. "Ahem! That is enough," I said with a smile, stand up. "I might have obtained a god''s powers, but I don''t consider myself a god. The gods of this world, the gods of Yggdrasil, most of them are long gone. The new gods are nothing but fakes that stole their powers. I am no god, I am merely another person, just... a very strong person!" "V-Very strong wouldn''t make it..." said the King. "But still, thank you so much, we owe you our lives, our kingdom... everything." "If you ever feel like you want to live somewhere and can''t find a ce, pleasee here, we will wee you and anybody you bring with open arms," said the Queen. "That''s right! We could even let you live in the castle- Or build a new castle for you!" the King nodded. "I''ve noticed you like women too, you can marry my two daughters!" the queen said. "I promise you they will be good wives!" "E-Eh? Mom?!" Rose panicked; she clearly didn''t want that. "I wouldn''t mind~" Aqua smiled coquettishly, biting her lips. "I-I am not taking any girl for marriage, thank you," I sighed. "And thanks for the offer. I actually have my own small town I take care of... but I have a few too many enemies, so if I ever need to relocate them. I''ll be counting on that offer." "Of course, leave it to us!" said the King. "Yes, yes!" the Queen said. "Very well, now that we''ve done talking, who is thatdy with you, I wonder? She has such a strange... divine aura to her." "She''s... Err, the fallen star," I exined. "The King of the Depths ended swallowing her, gaining tremendous new powers as a result." "Hello, nice to met you," Frigga said. "I... don''t remember my name, nor who I am... But I am eternally grateful for those that saved my life, and I am also deeply sorry, if I caused you any trouble." At least she knew her manners. The King and the Queen nodded. "I see, I don''t know what you might be, perhaps a Valkyrie? You possess such an aura," said the Queen. "Whatever you are, girl, wee to our Kingdom," said the King. "You are just another victim, so don''t feel sorry about anything! Please, I hope you can join us in our feast!" "O-Of course... I am so hungry, thank you so much," Frigga smiled, learning about the honesty and good hearts of the mermen. "You''re too nice..." Like that, after introductions and cancelled arranged marriages, we moved to have a big feast. The mermen started signing their beautiful songs, creating a festive atmosphere, as a gigantic feast of seafood awaited for us. Today I''m pigging out, time to celebrate! Chapter 1150: A Bit Kinky... Chapter 1150: A Bit Kinky... ? We all gathered together for the big feast, there were guards and soldiers present too, the two princesses and their rulers, the king and the queen gathered here as well, eating, and celebrating. The amount of delicious food given was perhaps ten times as much as our previous feast. It made me really wonder where they found all of this food from, but I guess the seas are very rich in food by themselves, bountiful with life everywhere, its easy-to-get food, and seeing how they also cultivate their own coral reefs and algae ntations, its quite clear they have learned how to independently grow their food and perhaps even raise sea cattle. Giant roasted fish, grilled whale meat, enormous deep fried tempura shrimp, several types of soup made of a myriad of types of fishes and mollusks, delicious, giant urchin with creamy texture and golden colors, and much, much more. Everything was delicious, and I couldn''t stop eating, I was actually starving. Before I evolved, I didn''t really feel true hunger, I only just felt like eating because it was a nice feeling. But with my physical body regained, which seems both "alive" and "dead" at the same time, I do feel quite a lot of hunger after big battles. "Have some of this, Lady Maria!" Aqua said. "Please also try these, made by our best chefs!" Rose said. The two mermaid princesses were constantly bringing me more food as they saw me eating everything within seconds. I tried eating with as much manners as I could, but everything would rapidly disappear anyways. "Thank you girls, but I don''t really need more of your help..." I said, trying to not sound too rude. "You see, my girls here want to help me out so you''re kind of in the way..." "Oh..." "Ah!" The two mermaid princesses noticed Partner, Emeraldine, and Nia ring at them with a slight difort, if not bloodlust emanating from them as a deadly crimson aura. Even Emeraldine was rather displeased! As she be more possessive over time? Well, not like I mind it, that''s cute. "R-Right! Then we are on our way!" "We are deeply sorry for displeasing you..." The two young mermaids ran away after I gave them the signal. I think they were trying to conquer me through the stomach. I did find them cute, but that''s about it. I did like Nia more than because of her beauty after all, she was a hard-working mother, a strong woman, and someone that always strived forward and fought for her child and now for us too. "Now that the fishes are gone, I brought you some wine, dear~!" Partner quickly served me some delicious sea wine made out of sea fruits. "Honey, I brought you these delicious fried fish rolls, there''s this white sauce that they go with... They''re very delicious! Give it a go!" said Emeraldine. "I did heard you liked fried shrimps, so I brought you a te with several different ones and several sauces too, my love," Nia said. My three beautiful women surrounded me, bringing me all the delicious food I could have asked for and even wine. I happily received everything and ate it while flirting and ying with the three. "It''s really good," I said, drinking the wine. "Want some?" "Yes!" Partner sat over my legs as I drank wine and gave it to her through a deep kiss. This was quite perverted, I had to admit it, but she loved it anyways, and I did too. I was a bit rxed now, so I didn''t mind being quite shameless. "Hmm~ Ah, so sweet-" Partner licked my lips and sucked on my tongue a bit. "I love it... give me more wine, please?" "Okay~ you''re like a baby asking for it," I giggled, I drank more wine and quickly gave her another deep kiss. "Like it like that?" "Hmm, yes~" she was already getting horny, blushing a lot. "Mooch~ Mooch!" She started kissing my neck and giving it gentle bites, hugging my body, and grasping my breasts tightly. Isn''t she quite hopeless? What am I going to do with this girl? "Can I get some wine like that t-too?" Nia wondered, looking at me with puppy eyes. "I wouldn''t mind it either..." Emeraldine said while blushing. "Oh, I thought you two were more reserved..." I giggled. "Okay, Partner, I can''t be all for yourself, so sit down at my side." "Hah~ Fine~" she shrugged, sitting down as I drank wine and kissed my two other girls. "Hmm~ Aahh~ Oh...!" Nia was shy about it, and some of the wine was spiled as she clumsily tried to drink it from my mouth while we kissed. But that was very cute too. "I-I''m sorry, I spilled some..." "Doesn''t matter, let me teach you how it''s done." We tried for two more times until she finally got it, and enjoyed drinking from my mouth, it was very kinky, especially because she was constantly sucking on my saliva, but I also loved it to be honest. "Hmm~" I licked my lips. "Now my baby girl,e here my love." "A-Ah, yes...!" Emeraldine quickly followed my lips ands tarted kissing me, even before I drank wine. "Quite eager, aren''t you? Come on now, wait a bit..." I drank wine and then kissed her. She drank the wine and licked her lips, kissing mine afterwards. "It''s good like this... It''s so embarrassing, but everyone''s busy thankfully," said Emeraldine while blushing. "Just don''t mind the world around us," I said, kissing her little nose. "It''s just the two of us, right?" "Yeah..." she nodded. "Um, tonight, can we...?" "Oh? Are you in the mood, honey?" I asked her. "Yes... I want to do it... Can you do it with... the thingy?" she wondered. "Heheh~ If you insist, it can''t be helped then~!" I giggled. She wanted me to use the "thingy" which was... well, the rod I can create now with my shapeshifting body.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hey, don''t exclude me from this, okay?" Partner said. "I want to join as well!" Nia said. "Fufu, aren''t you all too horny today? Calm down. Let''s have a meal before anything else, alright? Rx~" It was going to be a long night... Chapter 1151: The Next Morning Chapter 1151: The Next Morning ? A lot happenedst night, there was dance, there was a lot of liquor, too much, and I drank it all, then even more songs, food, it was a night of excess. And that didn''t stop at all, even when I moved to rest because I was immediately kidnaped by these three girls, and well, we had a lot of sex. Besides that, there was a lot to do, or well, a lot to check regarding my growth, after yesterday''s battle, I did grow quite strong. Not only from all the Experience and Levels I might have gotten, but also from that new form I achieved, which has left me thinking for a little while about the true depth of my strength. And what lies beyond it, the power of my abilities, and the Void itself, this second form I got, it seemed to bepletely different from anything before. And it perhaps controlled a power even more terrifying than in void, Nothingness... "Huh..." Though I don''t know if this is the right time to think about that while I just woke up. I kind of feel a bit sticky too, I need a bath. But first... Ding! [You have defeated the [King of the Depths (??? Rank)] x1!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [...] [Your Level has increased from Level 215 to Level 247/300!] [All your Stats have increased.] [You gained 32.000.000 System Points.] [You have fully devoured and absorbed the Divine Soul Fragments of the King of the Depths.] [You gained the [Ocean Titan] and [Sea Dragon] Divinity Fragments.] [Your Soul has grown exponentiallyrger!] [Your Aether Stats have increased by +1.000.000!] [All Stats have increased by +500.000 (Except Aether, Nether, and Divine Power)] [Your Divinity has been boosted greatly!] [Your [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death / Ying & Yang (Tier 2: Rank 1)] has Ranked Up to Tier 2: Rank 3!] [Your Divine Power Stat has increased by +1.000.000!] [All Stats have increased by +500.000 (Except Aether, Nether, and Divine Power)] [Your Physique has been greatly reinforced!] [Your [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 2: Rank 1)] has Ranked Up to Tier 2: Rank 3!] [All Stats have increased by +1.000.000 (Except Aether, Nether, and Divine Power)] [You learned the Skill: [Ocean Titan and Sea Dragon Divine Soul Amalgamation: Lv1]!] [You learned the Title Skill: [King of the Depths'' yer: Lv1]!] Yeah I felt like I had gotten some new skills, and the stat boosts, I definitely felt that new power too. Overall, a really good harvest. Though the whole story behind the king of the depths is pretty sad. I wonder if I did the right thing by ying it, maybe... Could I have changed their fate somehow, maybe? I am not too sure. But perhaps something could have been done. If I had tried... But they also looked pretty tired themselves, too tired maybe. They had been trapped into a monstrosity for too long, so I guess it makes sense they wanted everything to end now. But did they had to end it so tragically? And just after their entire world was stolen from them, and their people massacred. It makes it feel like their sacrifice was for nothing, right? But... If they managed to do something, it was certainly to influence me, because now I really know what I want to do. I want to protect this world and avenge all of these people, these people who had such awful deaths, the original guardians of this world. Odin had gone too far; he even rejected the wife that apanied him through this entire journey just because of his own megalomaniac tendencies. But if there''s anything I learned from those memories I saw, was that he is too strong, he''s much stronger than I imagined. Even with my current powers, can I beat him? With the power of Nothingness... As if, I can''t even control it, what happened yesterday was out of nowhere, I wasn''t truly in control of that. It happened in a moment of rage mostly. I need to learn how to channel this power. But is that even enough? Maybe Odin could resist such power, although Nothingness can consume everything. Maybe he could find ways to counter it, he''s an old warmongering monster after all. Who says he hasn''t fought beings with my powers? And that spear he has... its incredible, too strong too. Gungnir, was it? It was capable of easily impale and instantly kill Titans and Dragons; gods so strong they could shake continents with their footsteps. I''ll definitely be erased from existence first if I fight against him when he has such a deadly weapon. At the very least, I need something of equal strength to counter it too. Can the power of Nothingness even counter that? I... Hah, well, let''s think about thister, can''t really concentrate on this too much. The morning sun light was dim,ing from the water above, so most of the time the city was illuminated by colorful corals and crystals. I think this''ll be thest day we spent here, I would like to stay longer, but I want to get backn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om to my vige and met with everyone there. We need to discuss several things, and also n for the future. Because things are only going to get crazier, I believe. Especially now that Frigga is with us, I''ll have to extract as much information about Odin and the Aesir from her as I can, so we can be well prepared. Though, I also want to climb down the tower and see the other worlds below, see what they can offer me in terms of strength, I also did promise to go to the Murim World. I believe I can get a lot of strength from that ce''s Cultivation Methods and Martial Arts Techniques. But there are other worlds down there too, right? Valha for example, where Odin and the Aesir originated, or Antis where the mermen tribe came from. But what else is down there? Eustace''s original world... Which world is it? I never asked him at the end. A lot to do, but not as much time as I wish, let''s get this new day started. Chapter 1152: Theres A Lot To Talk! Chapter 1152: There''s A Lot To Talk! ? I had not considered it before, but I could also try visiting the other continents of Yggdrasil, there are also Cmities there, right? If I can catch them and eat their sins, I could grow exponentially stronger as well. However, somehow it feels like descending into a new world of the tower seems much faster than traveling to another continent within Yggdrasil, seeing how freaking vast it is, while to travel to other worlds you just have to enter through a portal, whose coordinates I already know, yeah, this portal is in the depths of the sea, probably close to the Aquarose Kingdom. Anyways, for now, let''s wake up these three sleepyheads and get the day started.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Come on you three~ Wake up~" I kissed their foreheads, slowly they opened their eyes. They looked so gorgeous... "Hmm? It''s morning already? Damn..." Partner groaned. "Ugh... just five minutes more..." Emeraldine covered herself with nkets again. "Uugh... Guhh...?" Nia slowly opened her eyes. "Ah! Celes! I have to go check on him!" As a mother, she quickly stood up and ran away. Except she was naked, so she endeding back to the room to pick her clothes. "There she goes... Celes should be fine anyways~" After that, we took a bath together and then to the living room, where we gathered with the rest of our big army of friends and family. I also hugged and kissed Lucifer and Jonathan, mostly because I had left them without any actionst night. Well, not like they seemed to mind. "Mama!" Nyx ran to my side and hugged me. "Mama, can we stay for another week here? They said they got a big dungeon where they hunt fish!" "Stay for longer?" I wondered. "Hmm, I am quite worried about our vige though, so I was thinking on going back today." "Whaaat? Why! So boring! I wanna stay!" Nyx startedining. "Nyx, behave in front of your mother," said Lucifer. "If she said we''re going back today, we''re going back today, understood?" "Uumm... Yes papa..." Nyx sighed; she looked a bit disappointed. "Honestly, if it were up to me, I would stay as well, but we really need to get back home," I said. "There''s also a lot we need to do, nning, reconstructing more of the city, expanding the farnds, reinforcing the walls, assessing our dungeons there, and so on..." "Oway..." sighed Nyx. "Can Celese at least?" "That... depends on her mother," I said. "She said she wanted to stay in their city, and Celes is kind of a guardian for the people... So, well, I wouldn''t mind bring them along but yeah." "Not fair, I wanted him toe!" Nyx said. "Celes, you don''t want toe?!" "I-I want to!" Celes said. "But I dunno if mom would be ok with that..." "Hmm... We mostly decided to stay because it was our home and all, but after experiencing time with everyone again, especially Maria, I think it''s quite hard to go away,"ughed Nia. "As long as Maria can keep that city protected, I think we cane too." "Really?!" I asked, really happy. "I''ll keep it safe, don''t worry! I''ll leave like three thousand S Rank undead there, that should do it, right? If they all die I''ll just summon myself there using the shadows and st anything that could be a threat!" "Fufu, you''re pretty excited about it, aren''t you? Okay, we''ll go too," Nia said. "I am not too used to cold environments though... I''ll need warmer clothes." "I know, ah, but don''t worry, since the Ice Queen was taken down, the winter there is not super long, and I think summer has finally arrived, most of the snow has melted in that area, except for the mountains," I exined. "So it has a pretty warm, yet not too dry climate." "Interesting... Well, we''ll go then," Nia nodded with a cute smile. "I hope I can be weed..." "Of course you will!" I nodded. "Ah, right... While we are at it, I should talk about a few things." "Hm?" Lucifer wondered. "What is it, Maria?" Jonathan asked. "Well..." I told them about the vision I saw of the past when we in the King of the Depths, and about the true power of Odin I witnessed. Frigga was there too, she had eaten in the feast, then went to sleep like any other person. Despite having been an aplice from that man and being the mother of two gods I killed, she was surprisingly... calm and human-like, more than we ever thought. "So that''s what you saw..." Lucifer nodded. "It must have been tough, are you feeling alright now?" "Yeah honey, I''m fine, don''t worry," I smiled, he was sitting by my side, he held my hand. Such a supportive husband. "It just left me thinking a lot of things... And also of the past and the people''s suffering." "Hmm..." Jonathan red at Frigga, and the everyone else did. "E-Eh? Ah..." Frigga was stuffing herself with a huge fish sandwich while drinking tea when we red at her like this, making her slightly flustered. "Gulp... W-What?" "Don''t "what" me!" Catarina said. "Aren''t you goddamn Frigga? Have something to say about your hubby?" "Is she really Frigga, the Goddess of Motherhood and Protection?" Violet asked. "To me she looks like your average human female... Are you sure you weren''t scammed?" "She''s definitely Frigga," I said. "Her power is authentic, just sealed due to being in the mortal world. Did you know that before they arrived, there was no such restrictions about divine beings? It was thanks to Ymir and Tiamat''s sacrifices that Yggdrasil gained enough power to be a Ruler of her own world and a pir of all creation. Creating these Laws which even the new Gods had to obey. This includes owners of Divine Thrones bing weakened when descending. But it doesn''t actually affect those with their own individual divinities like us... Well not me I do have two thrones now, but well, I am something else entirely." "Ahem... Well, yes, she''s not wrong," said Frigga, sighing. "Um... There''s just too much to talk, to be honest. But yes, my husband... or well, my ex-husband, has only grown stronger since then. Odin has stolen the Thrones of Ymir and Tiamat, bing the King of Creation and God of Heaven." Chapter 1153: An Oath With A Goddess Chapter 1153: An Oath With A Goddess ? Apparently the reason why Frigga was remaining so silent was because she had too much to talk about? That doesn''t make much sense though. "There''s just too much to talk, to be honest. But yes, my husband... or well, my ex-husband, has only grown stronger since then. Odin has stolen the Thrones of Ymir and Tiamat, bing the King of Creation and God of Heaven." Frigga said, drinking some tea afterwards. "You''re strong, Maria. Very strong, in fact, the blessing you received from the beings that inhabit the Outer Void is already incredible beyond belief. You could truly defeat him and end his insanity and his tyranny... But not yet, you have potential, but you must blossom it. At the very least, your Divinity has to reach Tier 7 before you can face him." "T-Tier 7?!" My Divinity was only Tier 2! How the hell can I jump to Tier 7 within a short amount of time? "I mean, it''s not that you need to be of that Tier in specific, but it is when your Divinity reaches the highest point of power and can materialize," said Frigga. "Not even my Divinity is that high though, I am only Tier 5." "That''s still pretty high!" everyone said. "A-Ah, am I? I''m so weakened now, I don''t know if I am really that strong,"ughed Frigga. "But Maria... Has a lot of power within her, she needs to level up to fully unlock it. I think her Divinity could reach higher tiers quicker, but she needs to face more challenges." Frigga said. "Um, fine, okay, let''s say you''re right, but so what?" asked Catarina. "Not like we can actually trust you either way. For all we know, you could be acting like a spy for your hubby, so he wees you back after getting all this info from us, right?" "T-That''s...! I didn''t mean to sound suspicious," sighed Frigga. "I can''t go back to him, I swear! He''ll only kill me if I return, no matter what I offer to that man, it''s not as if he cares... He has stopped caring about everything for a while. After bing so powerful, over the years, he has lost his humanity, everything I loved... is long dead. Odin, the man, is long dead, and only Odin, the God, remains. A personification of his powers and strength, but nothing else left behind than a broken shell that was once a person."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Okay sure but can we trust you based in that alone?" wondered Tear. "You could just be lying!" "I-I swear on my name as a goddess and as Frigga that I am not lying!" said Frigga. "Yeah, that doesn''t work well, you see," I sighed. "You could even be trying to get information about my home once we get back home, so... I am really reconsidering leaving you alive. Maybe I should really just kill you..." "Is it necessary to go so far?" Frigga sighed. "I know we''ve only met briefly, and that you hate my kind but... I want to cooperate with you, if your intention is to kill Odin and dethrone him... T-Then please, let me help you." "Again, how can I trust you?" I wondered. "This..." she suddenly offered me a golden thread. "What''s this?" I asked. "This thread leads to my soul," she said. "If you can connect it to your own, a Soul Oath of Gods can be made. If either of the two vite the terms agreed upon, we will receive a terrible punishment into our souls, it could even lead to death." "Hmm..." I wondered, looking at Emeraldine. She was the best at discerning if someone was lying or not. "She''s not lying... I can sense the honesty in her heart," said Emeraldine. "She wasn''t lying before but, even if I knew she wasn''t lying, I still can''t trust her. But at the very least, that Oath could create better ways to trust her to an extent. So I would take it." "Okay then, let''s ept your offer for the moment," I took the strand of soul and connected it with mine. "To allow you to trust me, I''ll let you add any conditions you want... I''ll trust you wont make any... ridiculous requests, if we want to cooperate together, we should stand in equal footing, hopefully," Frigga sighed, trying to tell me to not overdo it. "Hmm, okay." I ced some basic conditions. -She must swear herplete loyalty to me, a break of this loyalty will end with her soul being heavily damage or destroyed. -She must forfeit any information she knows, any knowledge, everything she knows, and no secrets must be kept from me. -She must forfeit all her possessions to me. -She will dedicate to help me and my friends and family without hesitating and without cking off for the next one hundred years. -She will never return to Odin but can try to recruit other gods to our side. -However, if these Gods don''t want to, she will have to help us defeat or kill them. "T-This is... Hahah... Surprisingly thoughtful," she smiled. "I guess you really got everything you wanted there. Okay... Very well, my life and my soul are now on your hands, Maria. I... I have already given up on my life. That I fell into that monster''s heart perhaps was karma, fate decided that I didn''t have the right to die on my own ords yet. I had to first pay for my sins... I had to pay for helping that tyrant make so many suffer." As she spoke, the Oath was made, a sh of bright ck and golden light, the brightness of both of our souls, resonated. It felt strange, as if I had a tight leash on her now. If I ever wanted... I couldpletely destroy her soul. I suppose I can finally trust her because her life ispletely in my hands. Any mishap, and she''s gone forever. "Okay, sure, yeah, go on with your monologue, we''re done," I nodded. "Now you''re going to give us more information about Odin, especially about his overpowered spear. And any weaknesses he has, anything. Now." "I understand..." she nodded. "I''ll tell you everything, but do you think this is the right ce? There are many people around if they were to learn I was Frigga..." "Hm, not wrong... Okay, let''s wait until we get back home then," I nodded, sighing. "Everyone, we''ll be departing!" Chapter 1154: Quest Complete Chapter 1154: Quest Complete ? Before departing, I noticed something I had not noticed at the morning, maybe because of my head was thinking too much about many stupid things. I had only given it a nce and then forgot about it, but someone was grumpy I wasn''t checking. [Hey Maria, check the damned Quest Tab already! It''s annoying to hold it all the time!] Mister Angel was screaming into my head. "Okay, fine, calm down, Jesus, do you have to get so angry over such things? Wait, does it really bother you?" [Of course it does! It''s annoying, just take your rewards!] "I just had no idea there was a quest, when did it appear?" [Midway through your fight against the king of the depths... And yes it is annoying, it remains on top of all other things, and makes processing speed slower.] "Not like you''re doing anything at all, aren''t you?" [The System is constantly assessing everything within you, Maria. It has be an important part of your growth and power, so yes, I am constantly working.] "Um, okay, let''s see..." Ding! [Congrattions! You havepleted the {Emergency Quest}: [Defeat the King of the Depths and Protect the Aquarose Kingdom]!] [You have done it, defeating the King of the Depths, and even managing to protect Aquarose while doing so. You have learned the truth behind the King of the Depths and his powers, the soulsposing him, and their tragic past.] [After learning the truth about the Aesir, Odin, and the past of Yggdrasil, you''re left with way too many questions.] [Can you truly save this world? Can you really defeat Odin? Is it possible with your current power?] [Although you have unlocked a new power within you, the Power of Nothingness, it is still an elusive strength, a Divine Concept whose grasp you cannot truly get, for the moment.] [After learning that the Fallen Star was nobody else than Frigga, you''re left with the responsibility of taking care of this goddess, while making your first divine ally, in the flesh.] [However... How would Hel respond to this sudden alliance? You should try asking your Patron first before doing anything she wouldn''t like!] [Quest Completion Rewards]: [30.000.000 System Points] [Lost Crown of Antis Fragment (??? Grade)] x1 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Nether Elixir of Helheim (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Spiritual Ki Reinforcement Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] x1 [Mysterious Sea Spirit Egg (??? Grade)] x1] "Woah that''s a lot of goodies, alright, I''ll take those," I nodded with a smile. I did finally get thest crown fragment too. But above all, these Elixirs looked pretty delicious, I was sure to grow a bit stronger if I consumed them all. And then there were those other items, the Divine Skill Evolution Scroll containing a Soul piece of the King of the Depths, which couldpletely change a skill once evolved, then the treasure chest, which might contain strong weapons or new armor, andstly, a mysterious sea spirit egg? Ding! [You have gathered all three fragments of the [Lost Crown of Antis]! All three fragments resonated with one another.] [Do you wish to recreate the crown bybining all three fragments together?] [Yes] [No] Ah, it seems I can do this now... Should I go for it or wait a bit longer? I guess there''s nothing wrong with waiting for the moment, though it does seem like it could be important, I am not nning on giving it to the Aquarose Kingdom. They said they ran away from their original world, so I don''t think it would be wise of them to return, especially because all living mermen already adapted to the seas of Yggdrasil, and don''t know how to survive in Antis oceans. Anyways, going to keep it for now and see what I can do with it. I''ll create it once we''re out of here. As of everything else, I''ll check itter too. "Here we are..." We stepped into the throne room, where we suddenly caught the King and the Queen kissing and... making out, despite their age, they were quite in love, it seemed. "My beautiful queen, how about we make a third child? A prosperous future await us now," the King said, kissing her neck. "W-Wait, dear, there are guests!" the Queen panicked as the two gasped in disbelief. "Yo." I said. "We''vee to say our goodbyes, we''ll get going." "W-Wait, you''re going away already?!" the King asked. "Ahem! I-I mean... Why so suddenly? I thought you would stay at least a few weeks? There are many things you have yet to see and explore, we would offer you the best we can to our heroes too..." "Yeah, why the hurry?" the Queen asked. "I''m really grateful for all the hospitality!" I said. "It has been a nice couple of days, to be honest... I don''t think we''ll ever forget them, right guys?" Everyone agreed as I asked them, they had a good time. "However, we really need to get going, for personal stuff... And we wouldn''t really want to get you all involved in our personal stuff," I said. "For your own safety..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The King and the Queen looked at one another, nodding. "I suppose this is a farewell then, Goddess Maria," the King said. "It has been truly an honor to have you here with us. And please, always remember that our kind will be eternally grateful to what you''ve done. If you ever require help, please, don''t hesitate to call for our aid." "Indeed," the Queen nodded. "You were truly a miracle for all of us... You and your people, we shall never forget you. Preparations for gold statues of all of you are already under construction! We''ll ce them all in the hall of honor, a new building we''ll create through the expansion of our territory." "W-Wait, what?!" I asked. "Isn''t that a bit too much?" "Hahaha! Hardly! We shall also open a church to pray for you, Goddess Maria!" the King laughed stroking his long beard. These guys are really quite something... Chapter 1155: Departure Chapter 1155: Departure ? "Will we ever see you?" "Can you pleasee back at least?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Aqua and Rose were constantly swimming around us, asking for us toe back quickly. They were sure going to miss us, maybe miss me more than the rest, but yeah. "Sorry, no promises, girls," I said. "Erm, also don''t wait for us... or me, get married to someone else if possible, alright?" "Ugh..." "Really?" Are these girls for real? "Yes, really! Anyways, farewell, take care, okay? I''ll open a Shadow Portal here only I can ess, so if I evere back, it''ll be through here," I said. "I do n to start doing some trading between your nation and my vige, maybe make a connection with the dwarves as well." "So you''reing back!" "Alrighto!" They were pumped up, but I just decided to ignore these mermaid princesses, our worlds were too different, and I would prefer if they remained living their leisure lives down here. "Please wait, as ast gift, we would like to give you this," the King said. "You''ve in the King of the Depths, so the least we could do is gift you half of our treasury!" Suddenly, a gigantic carriage brought a huge pile of gold, jewels and treasures, there were also many weapons included into the pile. "M-More things?!" asked Lucifer. "Oi this is too much, you''re going to fall into poverty like this!" "Poverty?" wondered the Queen. "Well, we don''t do trading with anybody, so this is mostly useless... We are rather self-sustained after all." "Unbelievable..." I sighed. "Okay, if you insist, I''ll take some of that!" I didn''t hesitate at the end, taking what they offered, it was better and less insulting to take and ept their generosity instead of just rejecting it. I opened a portal to my inventory, and everything got sucked inside. "Maria! Isn''t this excessive? I don''t feel right taking advantage of their generosity..." Lucifer was perhaps too nice at times. "Worry not honey, they''ll be fine," I said. "I left them some protection. Look." He looked into the seas surrounding the city''s bubble, realizing there were a few thousand undead sea monsters, most at S Rank and above. "If you want to put it that way, they''re paying me to protect them," I said with a smile. "Does that please you then?" "I-I... I guess so?" he wondered. "Hah, whatever the case, let''s just go, I''m tired of these overly generous people. Nobody else in the world will you find people openly gifting you treasures, and gold like them." "Hahah, yeah, they''re a very generous bunch,"ughed Partner. "So how do we go back home- Woah!" Partner stepped into the Shadow Portal as we all instantly teleported from Aquarose to the vige. Yep, once I pinpoint the locations and ce my Shadow Realm Fragments in them, I can use Shadow Teleportaiton to teleport from one ce quite literally to another. What greeted us was a beautiful grasnd surrounding a small town, or perhaps arge vige? Whatever the case, the town was surrounded by tall walls and a near invisible barrier. The sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly, the sun was nice indeed. "We''re really back home~ It has been a while!" said Emeraldine. "Yeah..." Partner nodded. "So this is your home?" wondered Nia wondered. "Such a beautiful and big ce, and this coldness... It is certainly different than the deserts!" "Woah, I feel... stronger here," said Celes. "Not as strong as in the sea but, the humidity is nice." "It''s no longer snowing all the time now!" Nyx jumped around happily. "Celes! Let me show you the ce! There are farnds over there, and then there''s the forest over there, and the mountains, and dungeons!" Nyx grabbed Celes hand and started showing him the surroundings, not physically bringing him there, of course, but she was mostly teaching him where all things were. "For anyone that isn''t familiar, wee to my home. I am not an ambitious woman, and I do not aim to create a nation," I said. "I have only created a smallmunity of hard-working people, and with their help, we''ve built a small home, a vige of sorts. I don''t aim for anything grander than this, but I guess my people is different... I don''t know how this will change in the future, but it has already changed quite a lot- Ah, right, anyways! Wee! And please, try to feel like at home." I distributed warmer clothes to everyone that came from the desert, Fabian and his friends were looking around in surprise, Eustace, and Nia too, amazed by the beauty of thesends of fertile green and humidity in the cold air. "Woah, this ce''s amazing!" Fabian said. "Such a beautiful town!" Spectra nodded. "It sure is huge!" Beery nodded. "Quite so..." Garon gasped. "Ahh, I don''t know if I like the style of the houses..." Nickmented. Fabian and his friends entered the town once the gates opened. Guards,posed of tall hobgoblin-like people, with muscr frame and horns, Majin, and also Rabbit-kin, greeted us. The Rabbit-kin also looked oddly different now, most of them had white and gold fur rings around their brown fur, and their eyes held a celestial, golden gleam to them. What did happen here while I was gone?! "It''s Lady Maria!" "She''s finally back!" "Wee back, everyone!" "She''s back, she''s back!" "She has brought many friends!" "New people? So many new faces!" "Surprising..." The people quickly ran out to greet us, all kinds of people. I couldn''t see any goblin anymore other than the youngest children. Everyone else had fully evolved into something beyond Hobgoblins. "Hello everyone! Hi!" I greeted them. "I''m back! Just to chill for a bit." As the people mored our return, I heard some familiar voices. "Oh,dy Maria!" "Auntieee!" "She''s here... Finally!" "It has been quite some time." I was greeted by three green-skinned people, former goblins, and friends of mine, and also two rabbit-kin people, also friends of mine. They were all people I once rescued, a long while ago, before everything truly began, when I had yet to even pick a ce where I could stay. Old friends... Chapter 1156: Earth Chapter 1156: Earth ? The group of five greeted me,ing at lightning speed to greet me as quickly as possible the moment they sensed my return. "It''s good to see you again, Lady Maria. I''ve been doing my best to take care of the ce with everyone else." The first to speak was Gobu, the goblin chief which had been assigned with taking care of this ce alongside many others. He had grown in more ways than just size, his appearance as a whole had evolved, before he had be a Hobgoblin, but now he had be something else. Taller, almost over two meters, his green skin became darker, and there were now a pair of ck horns growing from his forehead. "Auntieee! I''m happy you''re back!" Then a girl hugged me tightly, this voice... It was Gofumin! The young daughter of Gobu, and an adorable and extrovert little goblin girl. She was my daughter''s first ever friend too, and she was often yful, always looking forward to y and also explore, and grow stronger. Her appearance had grown too, she was still a goblin before I think, but now she evolved past a hobgoblin, bing simr to her father. However, unlike her father''s green skin, her skin was of a pale blue, and her horns were smaller, her body was cuter and smaller too, probably due to her age, and her ears pointy, with golden eyes. "Hohoho, is it my idea or has Lady Maria be more beautiful now?" The giggle of an old man echoed by my left side, the elder of the goblin tribe without a doubt, the old man known as Gobagi, I couldn''t believe he was still alive and kicking. His appearance be simr to that of the chief, although older and smaller. All three of them were wearing clothes they probably purchased from the dwarf merchants, as they looked rather well made and not as homemade as other clothes produced here. "It''s you guys! Hi! You''ve all changed a lot! Gofumin, you too! What happened?" I asked. "I guess your phantom clones here don''t pay attention to us that much," sighed the chief. "We underwent a special evolution a couple of days ago. I think something that changed within you triggered it, a power blessed us, giving us these new forms." "Yeah! It was crazy! Even I evolved twice in a row!" said Gofumin. "Now I have these weird phantom powers..." she showed me her hands overflowing with blue phantasmal mes. "She has phantom powers?!" I wondered. "Interesting... I think I know what it might have triggered it. After all, you''re all below my protection. It simply became divine now after I obtained a Divinity me- well, two, and also obtained two divine thrones." "W-Wha...?!" muttered the rabbit-kin man at my side, his tall and graceful appearance and brown, white, and gold fur made him look even more majestic than before. "Is that really the truth,dy Maria?!" "Oh, Syllis! Yes it is!" I nodded, greeting him. "How have you been?" "We''ve been fine~! Still trying to process how to use our new powers though, auntie Maria!" a bratty, younger sister of Syllis talked, she looked like him, but smaller, with longer hair. "Is that so, Bellerine?" I wondered. "And what might those powers be?" "It is the ability to wield the element of light, healing, and something else..." said Syllis. "It has only been some days, so we are still trying to practice and bring the full potential of our powers." "Very interesting!" I nodded. "And yes I was saying the truth, I did kill two Gods after all, and a Saintess... and then a fusion of dragons and titans... Also I discovered this world is contained within a tower connected to several other worlds, crazy right?" "Y-You might have discovered too many things..." said the chief. "Haha! Maybe! Anyways, let''s go inside the castle. Is Hermes there?" I wondered. "Yeah, he has been busy with paperwork ever since you left," said Gobu. "His two retainers never leave his side and take care of him, so I believe he''s mostly fine. Recently though, all Majin also went through some evolution." "So my blessing even affected them!" I wondered. "Very amazing, let''s go see him. And also let''s make something for lunch, shall we? There''s a bunch of new people I want to introduce to everyone." "Alright, leave that to us then!" Syllis said. "Bellerine,e help me." "Okay~!" his sister followed him from behind. As preparations were underway, I showed everyone the huge castle where we lived, there were many rooms that werepletely empty, so we decided to assign them to all the new faces. And after that, Hermes greeted us. "Lady Maria! It is good to see you back, it seems you''ve brought many new vigers?" he wondered, looking around. "Lord Lucifer is here too! Wee back. Everyone too, wee back everyone!" He was as polite as I remember him. "Yeah, we''re back, you''ve gotten a bit taller, haven''t you?" I looked at him, Hermes used to be much smaller. "A lot happened at the end, huh?" "Yes, more than you could imagine, mostly all people have now evolved at least twice," he said. "Including us the Majin. We believe it has to do with our connection to your powers. Could it be that the reason?" "Yep, not wrong at all," I nodded. "Anyways, let me exin as we have a meal together." We ate and I exined them everything, most were shocked at the news, but they had also said they guessed this would happen eventually. This meant a lot of things for the future, although our area is protected by Hel''s Divine Protection, it doesn''t mean the Gods can''t descend anyways. Although they are weakened when descending, still... They can do it, and if they prepare enough, they could destroy everything anyways. Frigga is here though, so perhaps something else can be done as well. Maybe even the possibility of recruiting more gods into our cause to y Odin and free Yggdrasil from his tyranny and lies. The truth about the tower did hit them hard, but who wouldn''t be hit hard from such a revtion? There was a lot to process, even more for me, when Eustace, in our conversation about his origins, revealed where he came from. "Yes... I do remember things more clearly now," he smiled. "Ie from the tower''s first floor, Earth." The tower''s first floor was my original world, where I came from. I couldn''t believe his words at first, asking him desperately to stop joking. Yet he wouldn''t stop, he said the truth and Emeraldine confirmed it. "Earth... Earth exists? It is connected to the Tower too?!" I screamed in utter disbelief. "T- This is insane! I... My soul did reincarnate from that world if some of you didn''t know yet... To think I could ever return... I never imagined it." "It could have changed a lot since your death there, Maria," said Eustace. "But Earth remains strong even after the Tower appeared and Dungeon Gates opened across the world. Hunters rose and new organizations to battle monsters were created. I used to be a Hunter too, before I climbed the Tower as a yer." "I-I see..." The sole thought of being able to see my mother and my sister again, from my first life, wasn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om making me go nuts. Now, without a doubt... I have to descend the tower. Chapter 1157: The Origin Of Calamities Chapter 1157: The Origin Of Cmities ? It has been a week since I returned home with everyone, and also since I learned about the first floor of the Tower being Earth, and where Eustace came from. Through the rest of the days, I tried asking him more about this world, but he had very faint memories, it was after all, thousands of years since then. Perhaps the Earth I know also changed a lot, more than I could have ever hoped for... Or maybe there''s some sort of time dtion between worlds? As I helped my vige''s construction, made more houses, reinforced the walls, created new farms with friends and family, and also meet Brunhild and the dwarves of the neighboring Dwarf Country, I constantly asked many things to those that knew more about the Tower than me. That included Frigga, whatever Eustace remembered, and also the cultivators I had brought with me, which were finally freed from my Shadow Realm, I gave them menial chores and works in the farms for now, they were pretty much on a tight leash, if they dared to escape their souls would be eaten, so they behaved well. I learned a couple of things, the most knowledgeable was Frigga, naturally. Eustace told me a few things he remembered about Earth on hisst visit, he said that the world had be filled with Hunters now after the Tower appeared, and people would sometimes "Awaken", obtaining Soul Books of their own, sses, and skills. He was part of one of the Hunter Guilds of that ce, and mostly had a lot of human friends, but as he climbed the tower, he lost many along the way, and it was in Antis where he met Naiad, who would join his guild and remain by his side until theirst days. Eustace also told me about "Gates" which were portals towards Dungeons that spawned on Earth. They varied in color based in their danger, and also if they were not cleared in time, areas would be overrun of monsters as the Gate would double in size and release a Dungeon Break. There were Hunter Ranks, from F to S Rank, kind of like Adventurers. I sadly never truly engaged with the world of Adventurers here. But if I go back to Earth, I might y around for a while, at least while I''m looking for my family, or at least, investigating what happened to them after I died. Even though I''ve lived another whole life here in Yggdrasil, Earth still remains within me, and I still have a very strong attachment to my original world... After that, I also learned from the cultivators about the ongoing rivalry between many worlds, and the several factions coveting the floors, and how much they hated Yggdrasil in specific. Why? Well, Frigga responded to that quite quickly, today, as we enjoyed dinner.N?v(el)B\\jnn "...It''s because Yggdrasil was almostpletely sealed and closed from the public," she sighed. "My husband barely allowed any yer to get inside, and whenever they did, it was through very special meanings, such as using an undiscovered, new gate, or sometimes through teleportation items. Therefore, since he became a God of Yggdrasil, that the progress of the yers climbing the tower has almostpletely halted." "And because it''s been closed for so long, it''s very hard for anybody to get inside, isn''t it?" I wondered. "I see... It probably has caused a lot of problems with all the worlds beneath our own." "Yes, and Yggdrasil is a tremendouslyrge worldpared to the rest, so it is full of rich resources that everyone wants," Frigga said. "I''m afraid that, when we finally deal with Odin, there might be a huge influx of invading yers." "Huh..." I nodded. "I wonder though, how do yers climb and stuff? When they get to a new world, what do they need to do there exactly, to climb further?" "Trials, the Tower will always give you a Special Trial for every World, most of the Time these Trials are shared by every person," said Frigga. "This World''s Trial was quite a few things, one of them was registering in the Adventurer''s Guild, any, andplete ten Missions of at least B Rank and above. After that, they had to fight a Special Boss Monster that inhabited every Continent." "Special... Boss Monster?" I wondered. "Yeah, the Cmities," said Frigga with a nod. "They''re meant to also be Bosses, which constantly respawn once defeated by groups of yers. Every few months, or sometimes even just once a year. However, Odin twisted the Laws around the Cmities, the Sins that possessed them and everything else, turning them into his ves which he used to wipe out humanity whenever they got toorge in poption..." "H-How horrible..." Emeraldine sighed. "So does that mean that everyone with a Cmity Title is a Boss?" "No, this has been twisted as I said, because of this, the Laws surrounding Cmities also changed," said Frigga. "Back then, it was the Tower that summoned the Cmities. You see, at the beginning of Odin''s reign, he hadn''t sealed this floor from the towerpletely. So I quite remember how it worked. But he used his authority to his advantage, twisting the Cmities into his personal servants once he snapped and went insane." "This as a result, created some sort of... error, a mistake, or something. Where the Sins ultimately were poured out and set free, the Tower was now giving Cmity titles to anything that could be a "candidate" but only the True Cmities carrying the Sins would be the real Bosses. Nheless, it isn''t as if it mattered, without yers, the purpose of Cmities changed, bing monsters, natural disasters that brought doom to each continent once a few tens of thousands of years passed." Frigga tried to exin things as much as she could, helping us truly understand the past, and how everything ended being twisted into the reality we thought as the only truth. Everything we knew was shaped by that man, twisted, and destroyed, bing somethingpletely different. And he brainwashed the entire world to make them believe this world has always been like that... Well, I''m relieved I managed to destroy the Sin of Sloth. But there''s six more Sins to destroy within Yggdrasil, I wonder if I could reason with them like I did with Arachne. Chapter 1158: A Week Later Chapter 1158: A Week Later ? Through the whole week we''ve been mostly working without stop, and talking and learning about the tower, so I had little time for myself, but today was different. After learning so much so far, the feeling of wanting more adventure and descending the tower only grewrger within me, and with these Murim guys constantly reminding me about it, I kind of want to get going already. I know I''ve been away for over a month, but even now, I already wanted to go somewhere else. It wasn''t that I felt no attachment for the people here, but to be honest, after the Majin woke up, things have be much more autonomous, they''re good at handling people, and goblins and rabbit-kin have grown both stronger and also very capable. I think that we''ll be leaving in a couple of days from now. Although rxing was my priority, with the iing reunion between all the rulers of the continent of Midgard in the Empire of Light, and also about the iing war at the end of the year, I can''t really ck off anymore, I want to descend and find out what''s going on, thene back. But before that, I needed preparations, and also to learn more about the world too. This morning, I was going to ask Frigga a few more questions, to see if what I was going to do would be good, or if it would be better to remain here. "Phew! All done in this area, Maria!" Emeraldine ran to my side wearing cute farmer clothes. "We''ve expanded the farm very far and wide! Although we got big farms in the dungeons too, it is nice to have them close to our home as well."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om She had been helping me with her useful Nature Magic and Earth Magic by digging through the wound, adding nutrients, and more, to make it perfect for nting all kinds of things. "It sure does," Brunhild sighed in relief, the beautiful sister of Lucifer had been hanging out with us since we came back. "I think it''s all up to you now, little Cecil." "Alright!" Cecil spread out his little hands, as he smiled cutely. "{Water Spirit Blessing Rain}!" FLUOSH! A rain of bright azure water rained down on all the crops, the seeds were already nted, quickly making all the nts growrger and germinate with the help of Emeraldine''s nature magic. "That was amazing, Celes!" Nyx said, bringing with her a rat she caught. "Want some rat?" "W-What? No thanks..." Celes was a bit shocked she brought that with her mouth. "Well, more for me!" Nyx ate the rat with a single bite. Yeah, she liked cleaning farm fields and eating... Anything she found, dragon stomachs were strong, so I wasn''t worried she would get a stomachache. As the sun shone brightly above the skies, bathing us with its bright sunlight, we moved back to the vige. We were greeted with a beautiful, developing vige, now with paved streets and many houses lined up, with our help, we were able to finally finish a big project they were doing within less than a week, and now the vige was housing over three hundred different houses. "Things have sure progressedtely," Jonathan said, walking by my left side. "People seems happy... Everyone seems rather busy in their jobs, and well, there''s sustainability too, right?" "Yeah," Lucifer nodded. "They can perfectly fend for themselves now... They barely if ever need our help, to be honest. We''ve done a good job, Maria." "Yeah... About that," I said. "I''ve been considering moving down to the tower in a week from now, or less... Are you okay with that? I know some of you want to stay here more, but things are quite urgent even now and..." "Of course we''ll go! Why not?" said Partner. "We know you''ve been thinking about it for a while now," nodded Emeraldine. "You''ve been quite absent minded most of the time." "Yeah sis, I''ve noticed it too," Arthur said. "You want to go to Earth, don''t you? It is where your soul originally came from? I didn''t knew you were a reincarnated person but that exins a lot of your antics..." "Hahahah... You got me," Iughed a bit, slightly nervously. "Sorry... I love this ce, and I wish I could rx all I wanted and wait for the babies to be born but... Um, I really want to go." "The kids will be born when they''re born, you don''t have to wait for it," said Nia by my side, kissing my cheek. "It has only been roughly a month since the pregnancy anyways, so our bellies aren''t even big yet. Don''t worry." "We can go!" Partner nodded. "I ain''t letting any kid stop me from ying some bastards." "Um, but I think you should cut down the wine for now, Partner," said Emeraldine. "We''re pregnant after all, it''s dangerous to drink alcohol." "What?! Aren''t we all like overpowered beings, I doubt it matters!" Partner said. "Our kids will surely be super strong, I betcha!" As the girls seemed willing toe with me, I saw Lucifer and Jonathan. "Of course we''ll go to, if you insist," said Jonathan. "I want to know about Earth myself, sounds like quite the interesting world!" "Me too," nodded Lucifer. "Though, I still have many questions about the tower we should ask before going down, I think." "Yeah, met too," I nodded. "What about you, Mist, Celes? Do you want toe with us?" "I want! I want!" Nyx was excited. "Visiting another world must be crazyyy! I can''t miss that, mama!" "If mom and Nyx are going, then I go too..." Celes seemed a bit afraid of visiting another world but wasing anyways. "Alright... I guess we''re going on a family trip of sorts?" Iughed. "We might have to take a few stops along the way, especially on the world of Murim. There are things that we need to solve there. Also I believe there''s a lot of opportunities to grow stronger there, so we have to take them." As I talked, we moved to the kitchen of our castle, now repaired, and refurbishedpletely, looking pristine and beautifully new, and started cooking breakfast. As we did, Frigga appeared, yawning. She had just woken up, what a life goddess... Chapter 1159: Buying The Party Ticket Chapter 1159: Buying The Party Ticket ? As we ate a giant breakfast feast, I finally moved to ask some serious questions to Frigga, some that were worrying me horrendously about the whole tower so far. "Frigga, just tell me already, does Yggdrasil have a time dtionpared to the rest of the worlds of the tower?!" I asked. "Does time go faster?!" "Hm?!" she muttered as she was eating something. "Why, yes, well, it used to be, right before I fell from heaven, it stopped because the bnce was broken... But yes, there was this time dtion. I think Odin nned to use it to his advantage to gain power rapidlypared to the other worlds by spending thousands of years here while only a couple of years passed outside." "S-So that means that... Well, do you know if Earth has time dtion?" I asked. "Most likely, but at a different level, Earth is a weak world with argeck of Mana," said Frigga. "Time inside, instead of going quick, goes slowerpared to other worlds. Nheless, by now, I think most worlds have aligned themselves to have the same time flow. At least within the Tower''s floors from Yggdrasil and below." "Nice... That probably means my family could still be alive and hasn''t aged and died..." I sighed. "W-Well, maybe they... died in other things but... at least the whole aging is out of the question!" "Does this mean that my world is still fairly simr how I left it thousands of years ago?" Eustace gasped. "T-Then... perhaps I could go back too..." "Of course!" I said. "You cane with us, Celes ising anyways." "Then I shall!" nodded Eustace. "What about me, mama? Can I go too? I want to know your world too!" said Arachne, quite excited. "Hmm, I don''t know." I said. "Frigga, can shee?" "It is hard to say, you did destroy the Sin of Sloth inhabiting her... But I think she might still be a Cmity, as a Boss, she wouldn''t be allowed to leave," said Frigga. "But isn''t she very strong? She could try bringing an Avatar with her instead." "Avatar?" Arachne wondered. "W-What''s that?!" "I''ll teach you how to make themter, dear," Frigga smiled with a motherly giggle. "It is a way to create a secondary body out of your divine powers! Very useful. You can safely travel beyond your world without risking your life. But it takes a lot of constant usage of divine power and mana to use, well, not like you''re missing on those." "Yeah! I''m strong!" Arachne nodded.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om With that resolved and out of the way, we moved to another discussion, about how the Tower would work exactly, and what we must do. "If we are descending, what should we do? I heard there were Trials," said Emeraldine. "Do we need to do them to descend?" "Yeah, you must," Frigga nodded. "Take it as if you were climbing, as long as you don''t clear those floors, you must do the corresponding Trials! Unfortunately, it might take longer than you thought to reach Floor 1." "Dammit, I knew it... How many floors until Floor 1 though, in which floor are we right now?" I asked her. "Here, I do have a map about the Tower, not every floor is an entire world though, sometimes they are special areas, trials, arenas, or towns specially for yers to gather and do special tests," she said, giving me a huge map. "Take a look, this is what all the worlds should be." "The worlds... Wait, so there''s much less than I imagined!" I said. "But still a lot..." Out of 100 Floors, there were at least 30? No, 40 that were worlds. Every 1 world, there was a special floor with trials and special tests of sorts. Some were easier than others. Sometimes there were several trials consecutively before another world appeared. Because we were in Floor 50 of the Tower, Yggdrasil, we would have hard tests right off the bat and then as we descend, they''ll be easier until reaching Earth. Some worlds seemed more developed than others, some hadplex names, probably with civilizations, others had names such as "Anthill" or "Labyrinthos" and although they weren''t Trial Floor, as they were giant worlds of their own, they weren''t asplex as Yggdrasil. So far, we''ll have to face at least twenty other worlds as we descend, and a bunch of Trial Worlds. Yikes! Isn''t this too much? Can''t we get a teleportation thingy- Wait a second. "We do have this though..." I said, showing Frigga a crown. "This item creates a portal to the world of Antis, which is in Floor 43! So we can skip those for now?" "Does it help you also go back here?" she wondered. "Yeah!" I nodded. "Then you could perfectly skip all those floors if you wanted!" Frigga nodded. "However, are you sure you want to do this? It''s not that it will take you years to climb or descend now, you''re very strong. Any trial would be easy for you. You should do all floors; you''ll gain considerable power! Don''t worry, if you''re worried about the Light Empire''s event,st time I heard, my ex-husband was furious things were forcefully dyed for at least another half of a year, after everything that has happened so far." "T-Then... we got enough time?" I wondered. "Maybe we should do it the traditional way then... But can we do the trials as a party? I hope there''s no personal trials." "The Trials are personal, but you can do them as a party too," she nodded. "For that you need to register as a party using a Party Ticket, it''s a rather expensive item but you can find it in Floor 48 I think." "Hmmm..." Wait, hey System, do you have that item in the new updated shop? [Why, yes, of course I do.] [Showcasing Tower Items...] [Party Ticket (SSS Grade)] [Cost]: [100.000.000 System Points.] Damn that''s expensive! But it seems to be totally worth it, if it can help us do the trials together, so the children wont have to struggle. "Alright! I think we''ll take this ticket then!" I smiled. Ding! [You have exchanged 100.000.000 System Points!] [You purchased the [Party Ticket (SSS Grade)]!] Chapter 1160: Plans Chapter 1160: ns ? After talking a lot with Frigga and Eustace about the Tower, we continued our day as usual, this time, I decided to spend some more time with everyone else. Especially with the rest of our party. As I was nning on only going with my family, everyone else was going to be left behind, and I had tomunicate this with my big "main party" that I brought everywhere across the deserts. Because we sure had a gigantic party... Just how big we were? Literally nothing could stand against us when we were so many, quite literally an army. I can''t believe we were so many and we still managed to always get anywhere somehow. "Just as I thought, you''re descending..." Catarina nodded. "Well, good luck then. I''m not really nning on going myself, that is too dangerous and unknown for me. I''ll stay in the vige for a while though, I want Silva to rest and learn math, magic,nguage, writing, and so on while staying here. And well... I just want her to have a better life for the moment. Once she is strong enough, maybe I''ll bring her along for my next adventure." "I''m definitelying, big sis!" said Silva, her crimson eyes full of determination to drag herself wherever Catarina went to, as dangerous as it might be. "Woof!" ckie also barked in affirmation, their Undead Wolf had be a rather mighty steed andpanion after several evolutions. "Sure, alright, you''re free to do whatever you want, you''re a free spirit at heart after all," I nodded. "If you want to, you can bring Francesco and Silvio with you too." The two Infernal zing Ghosts panicked, ring at me in utter disbelief. "Eeeh?! But master! You don''t want us anymore?!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "W-We''ve been helping everyone in the vige! We love cooking for the children!" "Is that so? Well... I just felt like I might be forcing you to be here, so if you truly wanted to leave, you''re free to do so," I smiled. "Nah, I am not bringing these two dumbasses," Catarinaughed. "Eh?! So mean!" "Catarina, after everything we''ve gone through, you can''t treat us like that!" Silvio and Francesca felt slightly hurt by her harsh words. But... "Look, I didn''t mean it in the way you thought," she sighed. "I do care about you two idiots... It just that, as you just said, you already made of this ce your home, right? There''s no obligation toe with me. You''re happier here- Ah right, we''re all ghosts now!" "Wait, you''re a ghost?!" "Can''t believe it!" The two gasped as their ghostly figures expandedically, and then Catarina showed her translucent, crimson-colored form. "Yeah, a lot happened back then, kind of lost my damned body, but Maria was there, she gave me ast, third chance,"ughed Catarina. "I gotta grow stronger now, I don''t want to get fucked by bastards like those ever again..." "As hard working as always, aren''t you?" "Well! That''s our Catarina for you." As Silvio and Francescoughed, I nodded. I guess they wanted to stay, they''ve be a rather important part of everyone''s daily lives. This might be perhaps the only vige in the entire world where people have grown used to live alongside Undead after all. Well, the poption is also rather unconventional, Goblins, Rabbit-kin, and Majin all together... With a couple other races, such as dwarves, shoved here and there. It''s a really unique ce... My vige. "I understand, I guess you want to go on your own with your family..." Tear nodded. "Honestly, as strong as I might be, I''ve always felt like most of my power is unearned, mostly the leftover strength of the crown itself... That damned crown that took away Veredorr from me. I''ll stay and train, I have yet to even develop my Divine Ember, but I can feel something already, a tiny spark. I need time for this." "Alright," I nodded. "Right, Tear, after we''re done with today''s talk,e see me in my room." "Huh? Okay..." She was a bit confused, but agreed, nheless. "Um, thank you so much for everything, auntie Maria," Fabian said. "Thesest days here... They''ve been wonderful." "Although we were born in that desert, we never felt like it was our home... I guess we never found a home because we always lived in the slums," sighed Spectra. "After everything, I bet they would have given us a nice ce to stay but... It still wouldn''t befortable for us." "Changing pace and going somewhere far away, with fresh air and the sea nearby is really nice!" said Beery. "The people are nice too, and of all shapes and sizes! I like it!" "As he said!" Garon nodded. "I wish we could go but it can''t be helped, we''re kids anyways..." "Yeeaah... But that doesn''t mean we won''t get stronger and one day apany you to a big battle!" said Nick. "That''s right, we have to repay you for all you''ve done for us..." Fabian nodded. "For saving my friends too... And Spectra." The boy held Spectra''s hand, as the girl nodded with a cute, lovely smile. Aww, aren''t they the cutest? "You''re going to make me die of diabetes, you brats! Come here!" I spread out my hands like a ghost and hugged them all tightly. "Of course! You can stay here as much as you want, permanently even! If you want, this will be your home from now on, alright?" "Ugh, you''re hugging us too tightly, auntieeee!" Fabianined. "Hahaha!" Spectra only giggled cheerfully. I''m d I picked these brats, they''re good kids. They will grow up to be incredible adults. I''m sure of it! "Um, mom..." Laura wanted to say something. "Oh yeah! You two shoulde with me if you really want to..." I said. "It can''t be helped after all I''m-" "No, we''re staying too," said Takeshi. "Yeah, we want to stay here..." said Laura. "Unlike you, we don''t have much of an attachment with Earth, we don''t really care about going back." "Not one bit," Takeshi said. "Oh..." I muttered. "B-But... really? Not one bit?" "Nope..." "Not at all." "Ahh..." Okay then... "Well, there''s something else, another reason too..." Laura said mysteriously. Chapter 1161: Its Time Chapter 1161: It''s Time ? "A reason?" I asked. I was surprised when Laura and Takeshi decided to note with me and stay, I had imagined they would be interested on seeing what was happening with Earth. But to think they had so little lingering attachments and were not even interested in going back. Is it because they died in idents where their families also died with them? Then yeah, unlike me, who is in the blue about my family, they don''t really have any lingering attachments. Also I think they died in two history idents from a while ago... Laura died in the Twin Towers, and Takeshi in a tsunami in Japan, I think? I can''t remember, and I honestly don''t want to, it is a bit too gruesome to think about how they died. And it would be so embarrassing topare it with me just getting buried by books after a Earthquake. Most pathetic death ever. Anyways, she had another reason though, or well, they had another reason. "Yeah, it''s because we feel we are a bitcking, too weak, maybe," said Takeshi. "Like Tear said before, we''ve not really been advancing much after we hit max level recently," said Laura. "Without a Divine Ember, we can''t get anywhere now... We have to sit down and try to get it first." "Yeah, and I think it is like... Connected to our Unique Skills in more ways than we imagined," said Takeshi. "Perhaps the way for our Unique Skills to evolve like yours, is for us to get this Divine Ember..." "I understand," I nodded. "Very well then, if you insist, there''s nothing that can be done about it... Thanks everyone! That was mostly all I wanted to talk about, you''re free now!" Everyone quickly dispersed, busy on their own things to remain here with us at all times. As everyone walked away, I stayed behind looking through the window while thinking about various things. Frigga was still there though. "Frigga, do you know how to easily help them get a Divine Ember?" I wondered. "Easily?! No," she said. "But I can help them obtain it, those thatined about it all had great potential and might be developing one without realizing, I can help them with it, yes. If you provide some divine treasures, its totally possible to help them more too." "Huh... I guess it can''t be helped," I sighed. "Now, what else did I want to talk about or do? I kind of forgot after all the talk... Ah, right! I have to go check on Veredorr and see if I can work on something for him..." "Veredorr?" wondered Frigga. "Is that one of your friends?" "A Frost Ghost that gave up his life to save Tear, she was the Frost Queen," I exined to Frigga. "But his Soul Core remained, a jewel that is the core of a ghost''s soul. Which Tear carries around as a ne. I want to see if I can do something about it, get it?" "I do..." Frigga nodded. "You''re quite a soft person, aren''t you, Maria? You''re always thinking on the other people''s problems and working to solve them and help them." "Huh? And is that supposed to be a bad thing?!" I asked. "They''re my friends and family, so of course I am a little worried sometimes." "Yeah, I just... it has been a while since I''ve faced people with such conviction," she sighed. "I guess my family was that screwed, huh?" "Most likely... I mean, you raised them," I muttered. "Um, anyways, I have to go. Once we begin to descend, I hope you can help everyone with their Divine Embers if possible." "Of course, it''s the least I could do for you," she nodded. "Leave it to me."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I disliked how familiar she acted all the time, but there was no helping it. I moved back to Tear, finding the cute Ice Titan girl sitting on the stairs leading to the living room. "Hey, let''s go to your room." I said, patting her shoulders. "A-Ah, Maria... Oh, yes," she said nervously. She walked by my side, looking all nervous, and even blushing a bit. "What''s wrong with you?" I wondered. "Um... Lady Maria I... I love Veredorr, so... I know you might want to do something with me but... I-I have to refuse, okay? I-I know I might be irresistible but-" "Eh?" I muttered. "W-What are you talking about?! I didn''t expect this kind of reaction from you..." I facepalmed, as I decided to clear things up a bit. "I want to check if I can revive Veredorr! I''ve grown plenty strong so far, after all," I said. "But for that we need to check if it would work or not, got it?" "O-Oh! So that was it, Hahahah..." sheughed slightly nervously. Yeah, this girl... Does she think I want to have sex with every girl? I only have fucked three! ...Well, it still a lot, but not every girl. "D-Do you think it can be done?!" "I don''t know, but we can try." As we entered her room and gained some peace, I quickly moved to it, touching her ne. Her chest was very big, so it couldn''t be helped I ended touching it lightly... she didn''t mind thankfully. I don''t have any romantic feelings towards her or something, but I have to admit, she got some massive ones. Veredorr is a lucky man. "Now, let''s see..." Let''s make this happen and not be a massive disappointment, because I really don''t want to break this girl''s heart. I closed my eyes, concentrating in the ne, the crystalized soul core of Veredorr which he left behind. While the rest of his soul was destroyed and everything else within it, he still left this. Inside of it, was his Origin Core, slightly fractured, with many cracks. Back then in the Tower of Skadi, I confronted a Vampire Necromancer, a woman with a tremendous ability over the dead. Which surpassed even mine... She was able to summon almost unkible Undead that never died as they used their Origin Cores to summon them, needing no souls, or even bodies. Why? Because even when you destroy a soul or a body, their Origin Cores remain, somewhere, always. And that power... I must tap into that as well. Chapter 1162: Doing Everything Possible Chapter 1162: Doing Everything Possible ? To touch an Origin Core, well, I''ve done that with mine already. And even with Arachne when I freed her of her Sin. Which means that it is possible now, I''ve done it already. I just have to do it again, without any weird formation or ritual. All on my own. I concentrated. Concentrated as much as possible. My Soul extended into countless of hands, phantasmal hands. They entered the crystalized soul core, entering apletely empty, ck space. Using my heightened phantasmal senses domain, I was able to see the interior, hear, and even taste it. It was an endless ck void, empty, devoid of anything. "This is the interior of her ne. There''s nothing here..." As I looked around, I felt slightly disappointed. And also... sad. Veredorr had been destroyed to the point there wasn''t even a single thing left of him? How could this even be... FLASH! "Huh?" But I was wrong, a sh of white light surged from very, very far away. I could have missed it, but there was a spark, a white dot amidst the endless void. I followed it with my soul, finally reaching it. It resembled a tiny pearl, infinitely small. Perhaps as small as a cell, or bacteria. Indeed, Origin Cores were usually infinitely smallpared to souls. Only the highest of divine souls and necromancy levels could ever truly detect them. "This is your Origin Core, Veredorr..." It had several cracks all over its white pearl-shaped body, and a few of its smaller fragments floated in midair. I gently grabbed them, manipting them with my sheer Divinity Essence, and slowly repaired it all back together. But the pieces wouldn''t stay put, they would drift away the moment my divinity was put away. "Hmmm..." I tried using conventional Undead Healing, it didn''t work. Any of its versions worked for that matter. Necromancy didn''t work either. This was something deeper than the surface level of Necromancy... "What can I do to heal an Origin Core?" I racked my brains... And then, something surged. This Divinity I had. Thebination of Yin and Yang, perhaps? "Yin and Yang Essence." I called upon this powerful essence, born from the spectrums of light, life, darkness, death, and so on. This energy then wrapped around the Origin Core. And with my Divine Power and Mana added into the mix, the fragments were patched together, finally, his Origin Core was healed. Now, the problem was still there. How do I raise this into an Undead? Do I just grab it and bring it outside? Or maybe... Hmm, this''ll take a bit more of time. ... I spent several hours thinking, I was grateful Tear was very patient, waiting as much as it was required without even moving a single inch.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I think I get it now..." Surrounding the white-colored pearl, Veredorr''s Origin Core there was a whole divine formation I had built. Yes, a formation within this infinitely small area, using pure essence and nothing else. Countless runes red, overflowing with power. I copied the ritual to extract the sin of sloth from Arachne, reversed it, and modified it, fusing it with alchemy and necromancy. At the end, my idea was simple. Origin Cores are part of a person''s "Root", it seems to connect them to a different dimensional ne where their information is stored. I don''t know where that is, and right now I have no time to investigate that. But so far, to bring back something from a mere Origin Core, I mustpensate for it, create them a new soul, and then a new body. All at the same time within less than a split-second window. It was harsh, but I was going to do it. Outside, in my Shadow Realm, Veredorr''s new body materials were ready. Flesh, bones, and more, belonging to both monsters, divine beasts, and vampires, which was what he originally was. Well, a Dhampir, but yeah. I ced the materials around Tear, and then activated the formation surrounding her, activating everything together at the same time. "Let''s begin." For theposition of his soul, I took a piece of my own soul, devoid of memories and most of my powers too, a phantasmal clone would suffice. FLUOOOSH! Everything activated,ing together. Tear gasped as her ne floated away and suddenly shattered into pieces, a tiny speck of light surged from out of nowhere. "W-What''s happening?!" I quickly grabbed her and teleported her away through shadows. "Just watch." "Oh...!" She nced as the Origin Core shone brightly, all materials fused together, forming an humanoid body around it, alongside a phantasmal clone dissolving itself to be the origin core''s soul. This is the hardest part, to reassemble everything from zero, and it has a high chance of failing as well! FLAAASH! RUMBLE! SPARK! Things were going smoothly until ck thunder surged and... Well, the origin core was rejecting its new soul. Dammit, is it not enough with my super strong soul?! What do you want then- Wait... I looked at Tear. "Tear! Can you imbue your ice and your soul aura into the formation?" "Eh?! Me?!" "Quickly, it all depends on you!" "R-Right! For Veredorr... I would do anything!" With all her remaining strength and with her soul in her bare hands, Tear imbued it all. Pouring her very emotions into everything else! FLASH! "Veredorr... Please, remember me!" She kept pouring more and more of her soul, it reached dangerous levels where she was taking damage now. "Tear, wait!" I tried to stop her, but it was working. I quickly connected soul threads into her soul, realizing her resolve, I imbued Soul Essence to heal her soul as she used it to form Veredorr''s soul anew. "And I... I love you! I love you so much! So please...!" RUMBLE! Veredorr''s soul was formingrger andrger, it was actually working! "Pleasee back, Veredorr! I want to talk to you; I want to tell you so many things! PLEASE!" As she screamed at the top of her lungs, her tears mixed with the entire formation, fusing into Veredorr''s soul. And they were thest ingredient. "Tear..." I heard the faint voice of a young man reverberating across the formation. And then his body took his soul as its vessel. And everything became one. FLAAASH! Chapter 1163: Veredorrs Revival Chapter 1163: Veredorr''s Revival ? Veredorr''s body was reformedpletely, and so was his soul. He slowly descended from the sky, falling into the floor not so majestically as he was created, feeling tired and exhausted. His appearance was almost the same as when he was alive, that of a handsome young man with sharp crimson eyes, short white hair, and pale white skin. I weaved some clothes for him quickly, pants and a shirt at the very least, I didn''t want him to go around naked after all! But anyways, well, it was aplete sess! And Tear just couldn''t wait for him to recover, running towards him and grabbing him tightly with her big arms, hugging him. "Veredorr!" she continued crying. "It''s you! It''s really you, right?!" "T-Tear..." Veredorr''s voice echoed. "I... think so, yeah." Their eyes met one another. "Do you remember everything, or only pieces?" she asked.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Almost... everything... Even when I sacrificed myself," he said. "It''s strange... I was sure I had died, yet here I am." "The Origin Core was damaged, but I was able to heal it just in time," I exined. "It is where most of your information is stored, so when you revived, your memories naturally came back. But! There might be some missing." "Master Maria! You did this? Thank you so much..." Veredorr said. "Thank you..." he started sobbing. "It''s fine, Veredorr, I owed you this much," I smiled, crossing my arms and watching the romance develop. Their eyes met again. "Is it true?" Veredorr wondered. "W-what?" Tear asked, still sobbing, with puppy eyes. "That you love me?" Veredorr asked. "I..." Tear muttered, slightly afraid of her answer. "Yes... I do! I-I love you, Veredorr... I love you so much!" "Truly?!" Veredorr couldn''t believe it. "All these years... You never... and I tried so hard... but... I thought that it was simply impossible, that you could never love a Dhampir like me, and I epted that too..." "N-No! No, of course not..." Tear muttered. "I-I''m sorry... I didn''t tell you before, I always thought I had the whole world ahead of me, that we had time... before my brother died, and when I took the crown... I''m so sorry... I-I... I liked you before... I was just shy... and dumb." "Tear..." Veredorr sighed. "I''m sorry for breaking your heart..." Tear cried, still sobbing. "C-Can you... can you forgive me?" "I..." Veredorr muttered, as he gently cleansed her tears. "I already forgave you long ago... I know what you went through, and I just... can''t find in myself the will to me you for these things. I love you too, Tear... I always did, and I never... stopped loving you." "Oh, Veredorr!" Tear waspletely and utterly conquered in that moment. "Let''s get married and have kids together!" "W-Wha...?!" Veredorr felt slightly surprised over that request. Don''t worry man, your new body is as good as a living one, so you''re totally equipped with everything to do just that! Before they could continue talking, Tear stole Veredorr a kiss on his lips, a quick one, just because. "Never, never do that again, okay?" she said. "Never leave me... and don''t... don''t die again." "I won''t..." Veredorr caressed her adorable face, as he kissed her back. The two started making out right there, kissing constantly, desperately almost, they had too much to catch up to, and I did well in doing this in Tear''s room inside the castle. "Mhnm~ Mwah~ Ahh! Veredorr~!" He started to quickly kiss her neck, embracing herrge breasts with his hands and tightly grabbing them. "I love you so much, Tear. You''re so beautiful, you''re so perfect...!" He kept kissing her passionately, as Tear carried him to her- well, their bed, while he sat over herp, kissing her lips and then her neck in intervals. Alright, I guess that''s enough for now, time for me to leave here before things escte to- Oh my god, she''s already putting his pants down?! "A-Alright, I''m going, byeee!" I ran away but I could swear I saw Tear sucking his... well, his thing. Damn, she was horny. Was that all her pent up stress from thousands of years of being an evil viiness? Veredorr was quite hung too, I made his new body like that, heh. I hope they have a lot of fun- Woah! PLAP! PLAP! PLAP! PLAP! "Oohhh! Veredorr! Harder!" "I''m going to get you pregnant! Take this!" They''re already fucking?! They''re too quickly! I ran away quickly and set a mini barrier for sound deafening, or the entire damn castle would hear them doing their little deeds. But my god, they''re quick. Jesus Christ... - After that, I decided to go chill in the rooftop, where I saw Lucifer looking at the sky in silence. "Hey, how are you?" "Maria... I''m fine. Were you busy? I felt something happening down there." "Yeah..." I sat by his side, resting my head on my dragon husband''s shoulders. "I revived Veredorr." "Eh?! Really?! T-This is big! Why didn''t you tell anybody?" I looked at him with a smile. "Well, Tear and him... Ahem, how do I put it? They missed each other a lot." "Huh? What do you mean?" "I mean a lot... A LOT." "...Oh." "Yeah, you get it now, right? I know you would." I patted his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "They''re fuc-" "I know what they''re doing, no need to say it out loud!" He grew slightly embarrassed, blushing and getting all red. Hahaha, I love teasing him, honestly. "So... Honestly, I took a glimpse at what they were doing, they''re pretty good at it," I said, putting my hands over his pants. "So-? Wanna do the same too?" "Gulp... In the middle of the day?" he muttered, feeling slightly nervous. "Yeah, this area of the roof is surrounded by tiny walls so... Wanna fuck here?" I smiled, putting myself over his legs, and rubbing myself over his crotch. Slowly, his big dragon rose quite strongly. "Hahh... Y-You''re quite something!" he said, furiously grabbing my ass. "Aaahh~ Yeah, grab it hard!" I said, kissing his neck. "Let''s have our little fun too~" "What am I going to do with you?" he smiled, kissing me. Well, and what happened afterwards can be guessed quite easily. Chapter 1164: The Next Morning Chapter 1164: The Next Morning ? The next morning arrived quite nicely, as the warm sun outside illuminated our room through the ss. I felt slightly exhausted, my hips in specific felt particrly heavy. Usually doing all these exercises wouldn''t hurt me, right? The thing is, Lucifer is also kind of a god now... in power and body, so of course when he gets intense, it''ll leave me a bit tired. And damn, he really went hard on mest night... I remember when he was so hesitant about sex back then, but now at the very mention of it, he quicklyes to bed with me, and we breed like rabbits. He has be better at having sex in his humanoid form too, and his trusts are... godlike. I''m not saying Jonathan is bad, but the hero is much gentler and he''s always kind of afraid of hurting me... He''s too considerate, meanwhile Lucifer loves it rough, and I do too, we''re pretty durable, so why not? Well, Jonathan was also resting at my left side, so... Well, I did had sex with him afterwards too, so I ended sleeping with my two husbands. They''re very warm and big, so I like being embraced by them from time to time. "You two sure love sleeping..." I looked at their sleepy faces, kissing them and then walking outside. I hoped Partner, Emeraldine, and Nia wouldn''t mind a night I didn''t spend with them. I give them most of my attention, they''re very needy, but I also like giving love to my two men from time to time, at least once or twice a week. They''re much less sexual than the girls though, so most of the time I have to take the initiative. I wonder if this is something with all men? Or perhaps just Lucifer, who is very old and serious, and Jonathan, who is too considerate. Anyways, once I was done taking a quick warm bath, cleaning myself, as I was covered on sweat and didn''t want to smellter, I moved to another thing I had to get done before departing! And that was... assessing and using most of the many items I''ve gathered so far, hopefully to use everything I have so I don''t have these hanging around for any longer. "Let''s see..." While sitting on a chair by the terrace and letting the sun bath my skin, I looked at the list of items I had after organizing them in my Inventory. [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x2 [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x2 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Undead Summon Scroll (SS Grade)] x1 [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Nether Elixir of Helheim (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Spiritual Ki Reinforcement Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] x1 [Mysterious Sea Spirit Egg (??? Grade)] x1] There were still some old rewards, including these Privilege Marbles, Tickets, and so on, more Skill Fusion and Evolution Tickets, and also a lot of Treasure Chests. There''s the typical elixirs, then the spirit egg... Now that''s something weird and interesting, I''ll have to open that now. The other treasure chests... I''ll probably also indulge into opening them and seeing what''s inside. And as for the rest of the privilege and skill-rted items, I might use a few now. Privileges are like super strong passive abilities, sometimes with active effects too. They''re apparently tied to a soul''s origin core and a developing divinity, so when I obtained them, I was already developing something like that. The first ones I received were from the Titans when I became one myself after evolving into Selene and receiving Ymir''s blessings. But now, I''ve also received quite a lot more, some I have yet to even check, but whose powers I could already channel almost naturally. The thing is, because they''re within the origin core, its quite easy to unleash their power as ites out naturally, like an instinct. Nheless, with items that can give me some new ones, and also with the power to evolve orbine them, there''s a bunch of new possibilities! Btu first... "That''s a lot of stuff, alright..." I muttered. "Hmm, I guess I''ll drink the Elixirs right away." I quickly took all the elixirs and drank them, my body might be "alive" now, but it could consume things within instants, all those elixir bottles disappeared in a matter of seconds, giving me a nice amount of energies I quickly refined and assimted. FLASH! "Hmm, not bad!" I felt a nice growth to my Soul in specific, and also my physical body''s Ki, the energy of a living body and life force itself, as most call it. It is an important type of energy used to fight using physical techniques and martial arts. Ding! [You have consumed the following Items: [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Nether Elixir of Helheim (SS Grade)] x20 [Spiritual Ki Reinforcement Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x20!]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [You have absorbed arge quantity of Azure Sea Essence, which has been instantly converted into Aether and Mana!] [You gained +500.000 Aether and +1.000.000 MP.] [You have assimted the very essence of Souls, and your Soul not only has recovered, but it has been developed and grown much bigger!] [You gained +500.000 Aether and Divine Power.] [You have consumed the essence of Helheim, the Realm of Death, and have increased your necromantic powers to new levels!] [You gained +1.000.000 Nether and +500.000 Aether.] [You have assimted a huge quantity of Ki into your body, making your body grow much stronger!] [You gained +1.000.000 Ki and +500.000 Physical Stats.] [You gained +2.000.000 Skill Proficiency, please select the skill category you want to use these skills into.] "So I must choose a skill category, huh? Interesting... Alright." Ding! [You have assigned all Skill Proficiency Points to the [Fused Skills] category!] [The Fused Skills: [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv3/20] [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones: Lv2/20] [Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts: Lv1/20] gained 5 Levels!] Chapter 1165: New Spirit Friend Chapter 1165: New Spirit Friend ? I consumed all the elixirs, gaining arge amount of Stats and also a ton of Skill Proficiency Points! Ding! [You have consumed the following Items: [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Nether Elixir of Helheim (SS Grade)] x20 [Spiritual Ki Reinforcement Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x20!] [You have absorbed arge quantity of Azure Sea Essence, which has been instantly converted into Aether and Mana!] [You gained +500.000 Aether and +1.000.000 MP.] [You have assimted the very essence of Souls, and your Soul not only has recovered, but it has been developed and grown much bigger!] [You gained +500.000 Aether and Divine Power.] [You have consumed the essence of Helheim, the Realm of Death, and have increased your necromantic powers to new levels!] [You gained +1.000.000 Nether and +500.000 Aether.] [You have assimted a huge quantity of Ki into your body, making your body grow much stronger!] [You gained +1.000.000 Ki and +500.000 Physical Stats.] [You gained +2.000.000 Skill Proficiency, please select the Skill category you want to use these skills into.] Naturally, I choose my strongest skills to be boosted. Ding! [You have assigned all Skill Proficiency Points to the [Fused Skills] category!] [The Fused Skills: [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv3/20] [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones: Lv2/20] [Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts: Lv1/20] gained 5 Levels!] "It''s only three Skills, but because they''re so few, it was easy to level them up a lot." I nodded. "Now, the egg! I am the most interested about what little critter could be waiting for me inside of here. Alright, let''s see..." I grabbed the egg from my inventory, which shone brightly, it looked as if it had been made out of a huge sapphire jewel, glistening with azure blue color, emanating both the aura of the seas and also the salty smell of the beach. "So how do I exactly...?" Ding! [To open the [Mysterious Sea Spirit Egg (??? Grade)] x1, please imbue it with your Mana, Blood, and anything else that could make the Spirit recognize you as their master.] [The energies, blood, and other things you give to the egg will transform your Spirit to suit your powers and abilities... But be careful, too much energy might end up killing the Spirit.] "Huh, alright, let''s be careful then." I created a slight wound in my hand, dropping a few drops of ck colored blood, yeah that was the color of my blood now. The ck colored blood was absorbed by the egg, which instantly turned on a darker blue, then purple, then ck... Oops?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I hope it doesn''t die! Then I added some Mana, and Ki, and Nether, and a bit of my Soul Aether into the mix! "There you go, have it all!" FLAAASH! The egg absorbed everything and then started cracking open, pieces of eggshell falling down, slowly opening into something else. And from within, clear blue and purple-colored tentacles emerged, breaking open the shell to reveal the creature inside. Well, the Ocean Spirit inside was... an octopus? Wait no. "Bribibibibi " It emerged fully, revealing its huge, transparent head. It was definitely not an octopus, its tentacles were hundred and also quite thin, with stingers at the end. This was a... "A jellyfish?" The jellyfish emanated an Aura of the ocean, but also of darkness and even... void. It seems it fully absorbed my elemental attributes. The creature''s tentacles hugged my arm, and they wouldn''t stop stinging me either. The jellyfish had a beautiful clear purple color, with many red and golden spots of light decorating her head, making them resemble eyes... Well, maybe they were eyes too? FLASH! And then I felt it, almost instantly once it was born, and when it touched me with its stinging tentacles, my soul and the spirit''s soul were connected, temporarily bing one. A contract was made almost instantly! Well then, that was quick. Ding! [You have opened the [Mysterious Sea Spirit Egg (??? Grade)] and have hatched the [Abyss- Crowned Ghostly Jellyfish Spirit]!] [You have created a bond with the Spirit, bing their Master!] [You gained +500.000 Spirit Stat!] [Please, quickly input what you desire the Spirit to be named.] "A name... Huh, I''m not good with those but," I muttered. "Let''s see... How about Medusa? It is what Jellyfish are called in Spanish too!" "Bribiibbhh?" she didn''t seem to enjoy it too much but wasn''t angry though. Ding! [You have called your new Spirit as [Medusa]!] [Once you can create another bond with a Spirit and reach five different contracted Spirits, you will be able to forge a new Power.] "Woah, five spirits?! Wait, so I got four now? Who are those?" I looked at my spirit stats. {Contracted Spirits}: [Evil God Fragment of Chaos Spirit: Tyr (Affection: 92/100)] [Poisonous Miasmic Moth Divine Spirit: Amethyst (Affection: 75/100)] [Demonic Sin Spirit of Sloth: Obsidian (Affection: 25/100)] [Abyss-Crowned Ghostly Jellyfish Spirit: Medusa (Affection: 30/100)] "Right! Tyr counts as a contracted spirit? Now that''s funny, hahaha!" Iughed. "Come out everyone!" I summoned the other three, as they appeared, materializing in front of me. Tyr with his big eyeball-shaped body and tiny tentacles below, Amethyst with her beautiful wings and big purple eyes, Obsidian with its ck and red colored spider body, she had the head of a skull too. And then Medusa by their side. "I remember crying I couldn''t get spirits before, but aren''t you quite cute together now?" I giggled. "Why am I included?! I''m not your damn spirit!" Tyrined. "The System says otherwise, you''re my tamed spirit!" Iughed. "Now, I do have Spirit Magic, right? I think you guys should try to practice Spirit Magic Spells that are of your own for once. Right? So you can help me better during battles." "Shiibeeee!" little Amethyst seemed willing. "Brurururu~" Medusa was fine with it too. "Nyeeeh!" however, Obsidian didn''t like that idea, groaning at me with furious crimson eyes. I guess her Affection towards me is much lower than the rest... Even Medusa has higher affection, and she was just born! "C-Come on Obsidian, don''t be like that..." I sighed. "Well, Tyr, can you help then?" "Shut up! I won''t!" Eh?! But his affection is above 90! Chapter 1166: Meeting Hel After A While Chapter 1166: Meeting Hel After A While ? Anyways, after getting rid of the elixirs and summoning and contracting my new spirit, I looked at the items again. There was still a lot. [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x2 [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)] x1n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x2 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Undead Summon Scroll (SS Grade)] x1 [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] X1 "Hmm, alright, before opening the treasure chests, let''s use this weird Scroll first!" I grabbed the Divine Undead Summon Scroll I had obtained before and used it. Apparently, it allowed me to summon a Divine Undead, which meant an Undead with a Divine Ember! None of my risen Undead had that though, they were very strong, some as strong as SS Ranks, but they had no such power, and couldn''t really develop it. Divine Embers were a very unique power, so whatever Undead I would get from this, it could have an immense growth potential. Anyways, let''s use it. FLUOSH! I opened the ck colored scroll, revealing red colored runes inside that shone brightly, phantasmal mes epassing the entire scroll. "Ugh?!" Suddenly, I felt as if the scroll began to unleash a lot of ck fog, so much itpletely engulfed me. It was strange and weird; it was as if I was being dragged away by the fog somewhere else! Was this really going to summon a new Undead?! When I was finally able to open my eyes again, I found myself sitting over a rocky floor, there was a rocky, cave-like ceiling covered by countless crystals faintly illuminating the ce. I could see all matter of weird creatures walking in the distance, giant skeletons, zombies, and ghosts of all types. It was a seemingly endless world of pure cave sections and undead creatures. At the distance I noticed giantkes and rivers made of boiling...her. "Hahah... I know where I am." I slowly stood up, sighing, as I looked at the person right in front of me. A beautiful, young-looking woman with pale skin, long white hair, and crimson-red eyes. She was wearing a ck dress, heels, and gloves. There was a crown made of bones above her head, and she was sitting over a throne made of several skeletons fused together. Her appearance, although rather interesting, wasn''t that... well, surprising to me. But I am fairly sure who she is, I''ve seen her before once, I think, or twice? I can''t remember how many times. "Of course you know, Maria," she sighed. "Wee back to the Underworld! Took you a while to use that scroll, huh?" "So was your n to teleport me here using the scroll?!" I asked. "Wow Lady Hel, I can''t believe you would treat your Saintess in such a way! Did you want to kidnap me? This is the same as luring children with candy!" "W-What nonsense are you talking about now, Maria?!" Hel facepalmed. "I did not teleport you here, only a part of your soul has been sent here temporarily, you dumbass. Anyways, we got a lot to talk about now, don''t we?! From killing a Saintess, then two Gods, and then you got Frigga in your team?! And now you''re nning on leaving the world altogether! Are you out of your mind right now?!" "I-I didn''t think you would take it so seriously, ma''am!" I cried. "Please forgive me!" "Okay, stop exaggerating," she sighed, her giant skeleton throne moved withrge insect- like legs, reaching me within a few seconds. "Come with me, we need to talk." "With you?" I wondered. "Wait, is Aunt Hel inviting me to sit at her side?!" I felt like a little girl again, being carried by my parents. "Don''t call me Aunt!" she angrily said. "Nowe here already!" She grabbed me and pulled me up with a surprising disy of immense physical strength. If I''m right she''s the daughter of Titans, so doesn''t that make her a Titan too? Interesting. Then the strength makes sense, yeah. "Um, so where do I...?" "Just sit here, there!" She forced my butt to sit right by her side, she was quite the rude olddy, wasn''t she?! "Ouch, your throne is as hard as bricks though, auntie! Does your little butt not hurt?" I wondered. "Stop talking nonsense already! Are you always just joking about everything?!" she asked angrily. "Look, I wouldn''t be trying to cope with jokes if you hadn''t dragged me down here out of nowhere! I got slightly scared; you see!" I sighed. "Anyways, what do you want to talk about? What happened is already in the past, it cannot be changed. And my desire to descend the Tower remains unchanged. Also! You never ever mentioned it to me! I thought you were going to reveal me the truth of things and all of that?" "Hahhh..." Hel sighed, revealing a little ghosting from her mouth, and then swallowing it back up. Was that her soul?! "Look Maria, that scroll you used does indeed have the purpose of letting you summon a Divine Undead. And you''ll be getting one from my personal army. However, it also allows you to get down here for like an hour, so let''s enjoy it while itsts. Let''s talk. First of all, your status as a Goddess. The Divine Thrones you took from Baldr and Oceania." "Right, okay, yeah... Huh? What about that?" I wondered. "Sigh... What do you think is going to happen to them?!" Hel asked angrily. "If you leave a world, you''ll still be the owner of the divine thrones, but their power will be emptied too! You need to make a choice, you either go down and relinquish your thrones, or stay here and continue being the goddess of such thrones. If you leave, the world might grow weaker or even more, Odin might try to steal the thrones from you." "So that''s what you mean..." She sure seems serious about it. I should make a decision then. And my decision is... "I refuse." Chapter 1167: A Talk With Mommy Hel Chapter 1167: A Talk With Mommy Hel ? "What do you mean by "I REFUSE"?!" Hel suddenly turned into a giant specter and grabbed me with her massive ws, shaking me around as if I was a ragdoll. "Eeeeehhh! Please wait a bit... Babababahhh!" I was being shaken so much I couldn''t even make sense of my words. "I didn''t mean it in bad faith! I actually got a n, auntie..." "Hmm? What n?!" Her true form as a titaness was revealed in that moment, as I saw her Titan Spectral form, enormous and terrifying, and she triggered it within a split second. She slowly turned back to her previous, self-contained tiny form, sitting over her throne again and grabbing me by the dress, as if to threaten me... Honestly she can act like that all she wants, but she''s not threatening at all, if anything she''s kind of cute! "Yes, I can divide my body, right? I was nning on upgrading that Privilege with my current items... Even fuse it too, to make it stronger..." I sighed. "I n to leave a Divided Ego of myself in here. Did you think I would just abandon my people?" "Hmm..." she calmed downpletely. "Okay, I am listening... Your System power, that Unique Skill has indeed provided you with such items through its ability to absorb, process, and forge Causality into usable abilities, items, and points, right?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "W-Woah, you already know how it even works?" I wondered. "I feel slightly... vited." "Come on! I have seen every inch of your soul by now, I am well aware you are also a reincarnation from someone from the first floor, and as a reincarnated soul, as it moves through the floors,yers between the worlds, your soul gains power. This power then is converted into Unique Skills upon your rebirth by the Tower," said Hel. "You''re not unique in this, those children you adopted also have Unique Skills too, and also there''s a few other people around Yggdrasil and many other worlds. They usually are quite famous, as Unique Skills are rather bnce breaking." "So you''ve really read my entire soul and know my greatest secrets! I truly feel vited now... How shameful of you, auntie," I crossed my arms. "Enough with your nonsense, Maria!" Hel said grumpily. "You''re probably among the strongest Unique Skill wielders, your Unique Skills have evolved intopletely ridiculous abilities... A-And you''ve even be the new interest of the Outer Ones. That''s a whole issue we''ll have to talk aboutter! Maria, I think they really want you to break the Tower now." "You know them?" I wondered. "Who are they exactly? They said they wanted me to bring freedom to the worlds but..." "Not even I know much," she sighed. "But all I know is that they''re beings that represent things beyond the Tower, they exist outside of it, and are perhaps older than the Tower. You''re... very, very unique, perhaps the only "vessel" that could truly harbor their divine protection without dying or exploding into pieces. You already have evolved into something that''s undead and not at the same time, I think they want you to join them eventually, as one of them..." "Freaky..." I said. "I doubt I''ll be doing that though, but I''ll dly take the sponsorship they''re giving me. The {Boundless} power is very useful!" "Hmm, I wouldn''t rmend you ying around with their whims," Hel said. "They have given you such power for a purpose, something they want out of you. If you don''t fulfill it... The void might just swallow you and you''ll just disappear." "...What? That happens?" I asked. "It can happen!" she said. "It has happened before... mortals, gods, titans, dragons! I''ve seen fools that have tried finding them, contacting them to give them power, saying their names and... POOF! They disappear, before they can even finish their sentence, they just... get swallowed by the void! They''re dangerous, Maria. I am honestly... afraid they''re expecting something from you. Be respectful with them and... above all, don''t act cocky in front of them!" "Hmm... From what little I talked with one of them, they didn''t seem that hostile," I said. "If anything they were kind of... fatherly?" "FATHERLY?!" Hel almost choked on her own saliva. "You''re insane! By Ymir and Tiamat! What sort of woman have I chosen as my Saint?!" she facepalmed. She was always so dramatic, Jesus Christ! "Okay, there, there, calm down auntie~" I patted her head. "Anyways, we good now? Don''t worry, I got this! I know the truth of everything mostly, and I''m going toe back once I''m done with my little tower exploration to do some ass kicking. I just need to get stronger fast, and the tower trials and the rewards they offer can give me what I need." "That''s... certainly true," she sighed. "As someone born in Yggdrasil, that has never stepped out of it through her entire life, I just can''t understand the desire of leaving the world, it''s just scary... But I guess you belonged to another world already. Your mind is different than mine... Anyways, we''re here." "Oh?" I hadn''t noticed before, but we were moving as we talked, across many ces, such as a forest of bones, a garden of flowers with heads, a huge storm made of ghosts, that lifted us up into arge mountain in the middle of everything. We reached the mountain, walking across a valley filled with skeletons and zombies walking around a huge graveyard, they were like people though, talking and enjoying another day. "Oh Queen Hel is back!" "Good morning your majesty!" "She has brought someone else?" "Who is she- Ah, the Saintess!" "Saintess! Saintess! PLEASE SIGN MY SHIRT!" Suddenly we were swarmed by many ghosts, zombies, skeletons, and other undead creatures trying to grab my attention. "A-Ah, hello everyone!" I said, waving my hand. "You all look... rotting and visceral!" "OMG! She''s so good withpliments too!" "Kyaaaah!" "Saintess please have my child!" "Enough with you lot, get away!" Hel roared, and they obeyed, they quickly stepped back. "Now, let''s go." "Where to?" I wondered. "My castle, obviously!" Hel said, pointing into a huge dark blue and ck colored castle on top of the mountain. "The Divine Undead I shall lend to you is there." Chapter 1168: Mushroom Chapter 1168: Mushroom ? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om As we moved across the valleys, we finally reached Hel''s castle, being allowed inside by giant Titan Skeletons, who opened the gates for us with loud roars. "A-Aren''t those Titans?" I wondered. "Yeah." she said. "I thought they went to...?" I muttered. "Not all of them, some decided toe to the underworld, wanting to serve me as my soldiers," said Hel. "You see, although all Titans in the past were powerful gods, I am rather special, born after Odin''s arrival and conquest, they see me as theirst hope. I carry on my shoulders the heavy responsibility to one day... defeat Odin." "You?!" I asked. "B-But what about...?!" "My father Loki? My siblings?" asked Hel. "Yes, they are slightly counted... Well, not my father. He''s strange. I have no idea what he''s been doingtely. I haven''t seen him in a couple years. Fenrir and Jormungandr are busy growing stronger in the more dangerous Layers of Helheim, where the ancient spirits of divine and primordial beasts exist, a perfect training ground for gods like them." "I see..." I muttered. "Loki, he''s sure a mysterious figure, have I ever interacted with them before?" "Not at all," she said. "But he is aware of your existence, he finds you quite interesting... Dad has his own ns, so I''m leaving him o his own. Whatever he''ll do... It''s not like I can stop him. But he may help... or not. He''s a Trickster God of Mischief and Chaos after all." "Uh-huh..." I nodded. "What about your siblings? I don''t ever remember seeing them either! Talk me more about them! Are they also Titans like you?" "Obviously, but we are different than the other Titans, our forms and powers different from the previous Titans," said Hel. "We are a new kind, our father, as a God of Chaos, influenced our powers and forms. But we also embody something else, Laws and Events. I am a Titan, yet I mostly remain in this form because its easier to go around. You already saw how I truly looked like before, right? It''s not easy to move like this. My existence just constantly eats any undead thates closer, so it''s a bit dangerous. It is as if I am a source of pure death, and anything I touch dies and is assimted, making merger... It''s scary. I don''t particrly love my powers." "Oh... I''m sorry to hear that," I said, patting her shoulders. "Maybe we can train so I help you get used to them?" "You''ll probably die before that," Hel sighed. "It''s not something that can be trained by someone clearly inferior to me either! You''re too weak to even dare help me train, Maria!" "Ahahaha! I guess so?" I giggled. "Hmm, well! And what about your siblings? What do they embody if you embody Death and the Underworld?" "Fenrir and Jormungandr are Divine Beasts of Destruction," said Hel. "They embody the end, Ragnar?k. And also possess the potential to one day gain the power to devour Odin and Thor, the strongest Gods. It is within their predestined Fate, but they''re still too weak. Unlike me, they grew much slower than me and cannot easily absorb dead beings to be bigger... They must undergo great trials to unlock theirtent, sealed powers... And it''s very hard for them. They''re not ready for a war, not yet..." "I see! Well, what if theye with me and they can get stronger through the Tower Trials?" I asked. "You said they''re rted with destruction or something? I bet that''s not really... as necessary as just your death." "What?! Again with your nonsense!" Hel said angrily. "I''m not letting them go to other worlds, that is way too dangerous!" I see, she''s the overprotective sister type, huh? Noted. "O-Okay, calm down, auntie! It was just a suggestion," I sighed. "Anyways, what Undead are you giving me? Is it a big titan skeleton too? Or perhaps a huge zombie with many arms? Or a specter of some sort? Wait, a dragon specter! I bet you got one of those!" "What? You think I would give away such powerful soldiers to you?" she sighed. "None such things! I will give you my weakest soldier, someone that no matter how many years they spend here, they seem to simply never grow stronger. So I figured out they would need to get more experience in the outside world... You could even drag them into the outside world too." "Huh?" I muttered. "A-And who might this person be?" "They''re there," said Hel, opening the gate with her skeleton throne''s giant ws. Creaaak...! The door opened; we could hear the sound of someone eating a lot of food. When we entered, we saw arge pile of food, yes, food in here, mostly made of... weird and disgusting things, flesh, eyes, gooey stuff, fruits, and flowers grown down here, and also souls. "Nom, nom, nom, nom...! Hmm, sho delicious- Guh?" "As you can see, the only thing they''re good for is eating and eating..." sighed Hel. "Despite them being promising before, as a unique being simr to you, that is between an undead and a living being, they simply... just won''t get anywhere." "Huh? Isn''t that...?!" I muttered. "Hey! Are you new around here? Come eat with me!" The "Undead" Hel had prepared for me was nothing but bizarre. And I mean, I could have never expected she would bring me to... "A mushroom?!" It was like a small child, I couldn''t tell if male or female,posed of ck, gray, purple, and dark blue mushroom of all kinds. It had a cute little face with rectangr, ck eyes, and a huge ck, purple, and red colored cap over their head. They were small, perhaps around a meter and twenty centimeters tall, at most... "Hey! I am not a mushroom!" the creature said. "I-I am a proud warrior of Hel-sama''s troops! A powerful being never seen before born from the rotten bones and flesh of Ymir! And I shall one day bring glory to-" "Enough with introductions, Myconidas, you''re going with Maria, she''s my Saintess," said Hel, patting their cap. "The big adventure you always wished for is upon you now." "E-Eeeh?! Hel-sama is kicking me out?! Nooooo!" Chapter 1169: Myconidas Chapter 1169: Myconidas ? Myconidas. This little mushroom girl... boy, whatever person, was quite strange. First, they were made out of mushrooms, yeah. Second, I could tell they had a powerful, very powerful Divine Ember! However, somehow, they had no idea how to use their powers and were absolutely not developing any since their conception. And also they''re quite cocky, and baby-like, despite being thousands of years old. "Nooooo! Hel-sama! Don''t leave me behind! Don''t kick me out! Buuaaaah! I promise I''ll get better and stronger!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om They started begging Hel as they grabbed her dress and began weeping over her, leaving herpletely covered in a slimy-like mucus made out of a bunch of spores. "Myconidas! That is enough! You cannot continue behaving like a child after so long! You are already several hundreds of thousands of years old!" Hel reprimanded him. "I have taken care of you since your conception but... It has be quite obvious you''re not suited for this ce. Your growth is most likely rted with the outside world, the surface, where you can find and interact with the living." "B-But all my friends...!" sniffed Myconidas, constantly crying out loud. "Don''t kick me out! I promise... I-I promise I will be better... Sniff. I just can''t... get stronger quickly! E-Everyone has their own pace, right?!" "Geez, Myconidas! That is enough! Maria is your new... master," said Hel. "And from now on, you''re her responsibility, not mine!" "What?! So all of this was just to throw me the responsibility of this... child thing?" I wondered. "So mean! I am not a child thing!" cried Myconidas. "I am Myconidas! A mighty entity born from the corpse of Ymir! Learn your ce, sniff..." He kept acting cocky as he tried and wept like a baby, serious they got some issues. "The corpse of Ymir?" I wondered. "So what exactly happened with that? Is that true? I remember hearing that Ymir and Tiamat''s bodies merged with the world to...?" "Yeah, part of that is true," said Hel. "However, not entirely. Odin has modified history and religion after all, making it seem as if things happened much differently than originally. Ymir and Tiamat did indeed die. They bestowed upon Yggdrasil their Divine Thrones and most of their divine power, and once that happened, their bodies slowly decayed over many years, mixing with the world. My dad was the one that brought arge part of Ymir and Tiamat''s corpses, fresh from the making, to raise me and create the Underworld properly." "S-So the Underworld didn''t exist before, Helheim?!" I asked. "No, it didn''t exist," Hel said. "Death wasn''t a throne before, it didn''t exist. But once Yggdrasil gained authority and the throne of the world, they changed it and created Death, the only throne that could ovee all things, and then Destruction. Oh, and Chaos was made before too." "So this world didn''t had death before?" I asked. "It had but it happened like it happens in other worlds without underworlds. Bodies just die, souls go through a period of cleansing and reincarnation," said Hel. "It happened naturally across the world itself, and they weren''t teleported to an underworld. This entire ce, it has been built inside half of Ymir and Tiamat''s skulls, carved using their femurs, some ribs, and their ws and fingers... They were so tremendously strong that even their body parts could twist space and reality, forming a Realm of its own that be the home of dad and his children, us. Aaand that''s where this little mushroom was born, Myconidas was the only mushroom to have ever appeared over the corpse of Ymir, a unique lifeform that I decided to adopt and rise when I was still a child." "Hel-sama! Don''t kick me... We''re best buddies, right? Forever..." cried Myconidas. "I-I''ll work hard for you... I love you! Buuaaahh!" "Geez, I know we''re family and all, but you have to grow, Myconidas!" said Hel. "I am sorry, but this is as long as you''ll stay here. One day, when you get stronger, you cane back. I''m being rough but this is the only way you''ll learn. I''ve spoiled you too much." "Not fairrrr!" cried Myconidas. "So he''s a living being or a dead being?" I asked. "Both, like your new body, Myconidas is both an undead and alsopletely alive!" said Hel. "A truly miraculous being. I often call them male, but they don''t really have any gender... So just call him whatever you want to." "Um, okay..." I said. "His origins seem pretty mysterious. Why couldn''t the corpses grow mushrooms and such?" "Their divine power was so intense that anything would just perish," said Hel. "Yet Myconidas appeared one day and only grew bigger. A being that didn''t die against the divinity irradiated, and instead absorbed it to grow. An incredibly strong lifeform!" "Yeaaaah!" Myconidas nodded, rising his little arms. "I''m amazing!" Looks like they havepletely recovered from their weeping after being praised a tiny bit, huh? How predictable of them. "I guess they count as an Undead then..." I sighed. "Alright, I''ll take them. I bet they just need to gain levels, and they aren''t getting that in here where nothing is alive. After all you only gain experience points and level up when taking the life of something." "B-But...!" Myconidas cried. I extended my hand towards him. "Come on now, let''s go," I smiled. "You can call me auntie Maria, I''ll take good care of you, Myconidas. There''s a bunch of people that would love to be your friend." "I don''t wannaaaa!" he kept weeping. "Hahh... Myconidas is a special type of being, my father once spected he might even be a God of Yggdrasil as well, an unseen, mysterious god rted to a Divine Throne that has yet to be awakened," said Hel. "But for that to happen, he must grow and develop. So, take him." Hel grabbed the mushroom boy... or girl, or both, or none, and gave it to me. "Ah, yes..." As he kept weeping, I grabbed their very light and spongy body, and patted their cute mushroom cap. "There, there, calm down baby... It''s alright." As he wept over my shoulders, Hel told me something. "Make sure to be careful with their Spore Aura, use some veil to cover that up," she said. "Gotcha! Anything else?" I wondered. "Nothing much than that, if anything else happens, contact me and we can resolve it together," Hel said. "Now, off you go!" FLASH! And I was finally back home. With a cute mushroom kid in my arms. "Woah! So many colors!" Chapter 1170: A New Little Pal Chapter 1170: A New Little Pal ? Myconidas came along, as he continued weeping on my shoulders for a little while, until we arrived in the world of the living, as I teleported here, he stopped crying almost instantly. "Woah, so many colors!" His big eyes shone brightly as he nced around his surroundings. And right away, I felt a few thingsing from him, a strange aura that emanated a lot of dust-like particles. "Alright Myconidas, wee to the world of the living!" I said. "In here you have to be more careful with not hurting people, alright? You naturally emanate an aura of cursed spores; can you maintain it within you?" "Huh?" he wondered. "I do that?" I facepalmed. "D-Didn''t Hel ever told you about it?" "She did?" I think she has but he just forgot about it! I can tell this child is quite... not so bright, perhaps because they''re a mushroom and their processing abilities are different, maybe. Whatever the case, he has to learn many things. "Anyways, yes you do that, and you need to learn to keep it, try please?" I asked.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I could conjure a veil and do it for him, but I want to see the mushroom doing their own job so they can begin growing stronger by realizing they must work hard. Nheless, I generated a domain in the form of a bubble to iste him from the outside world while he tried. "Um... Um, okay..." they muttered shyly. "Um... W-Will I see Hel-sama ever again?" "Yes! You will!" I nodded. "As long as you grow stronger, you can see her again, even join her back home." "Ohh... R-Really?" they asked cutely, their cute ck eyes turned slightly purple. "Then... I have to do my best... Hel-sama wasn''t wrong... about me... I''m weak and pathetic... I was... I always brag about my origins but... I don''t really have anything to show off for myself, I''m a failure of a God, sniff..." As he tried to conjure his powers, he started crying. They had lived for hundreds of thousands of years... Yet they had tried their best, but never achieved anything. The girl that raised them, who had so many expectations, ended being disappointed. Hel didn''t have to be so mean to him, to be honest... But I can also understand where she''sing from. If she didn''t let them go, they would never progress. "Come on now, you''re not a failure of a God!" I said, patting his mushroom cap. "I am sure you''ve got amazingtent potential. Your Divine Ember is enormous and strong! You just need the proper training." "...Really?" they wondered, looking at me with puppy eyes. Despite living for so long, their mentality was indeed still that of a child. And I don''t think it was because of being spoiled by Hel. It might be because that''s just how they are, their nature as a living being, perhaps they progress much slowly mentality-wise. "Yes, really! So do your best!" I said. "Let''s do our best, alright?" "O-Okay!" they nodded. "I-I''ll do my best... so Hel-sama no longer hates me for being so useless..." Myconidas looked at their tiny hands, glowing with some sort of power. That''s... Divinity?! That easily! Wasnding in the world of the living awakened something within him or... Was this triggered by emotions? The strong emotions he feels... FLUOSH! The aura he emanated, which could probably kill countless lives without him realizing, suddenly went back to their body, absorbedpletely. She looked at me with a cute smile, their hands suddenly glowing less brightly until the power they emanated dissipated. "Did you see?" she asked cutely. "I did it, auntie! I-I did... something... finally... sniff..." "Well done! There''s no need to cry! I am sure you''ll aplish even better things in the future!" I said, holding his hands gently and lifting them. "Let''s work together, Myconidas! I have a bunch of people I''m sure you''ll love to see and met!" "Um... really?" he wondered. "Yes, really!" I patted her head. "Let''s go, hold my hand." "Okay!" they quickly jumped off the table, apanying me as the Spirits around me also noticed the new summon I had. A new little friend had joined the party, one that I''ll have to take care of... Just how many little monsters will I have to babysit now? Well, Hel did see my talent at babysitting children, so I guess she saw on me as the only option. Huh, though she could have been a little nicer about the whole ordeal. Honestly... she was quite rough with the child. Myconidas potential, and that Divine Ember he has, they''re definitely powerful. There''s also something else within them I can feel. The Soul they possess, it is being connected to something. Something that has yet to be formed fully. A Divine Throne, maybe? A God born from the corpse of another... If Myconidas is truly like that, then they might truly be very special. Inside of her castle in the depths of the Realm of Helheim, Hel nced at a mirror while sitting over her skeleton throne,pletely alone in her own room. The mirror constantly shifted its imagery, showing photo-like projections of ancient times. This was a mirror gifted to her by her father when she was but a baby, allowing her to record moments. And such ancient moments she reminisced were all when she was with Myconidas. When she was a little baby carrying a small ck and purple colored mushroom attached to a white bone piece and smiling. Another time when she was slightly older, walking around with the mushroom resting over her head, the mushroom already had tiny hands, and smiled cutely. Another time when she was already a teenager, smiling with Myconidas sitting over her legs, having a meal with her siblings. Little Myconidas was stuffing himself with a lot ofher watermelon back then... Hel caressed the mirror as she nced at the scenes, as tears fell from her eyes. "Good luck..." she sighed. "I''m sorry for being rough but... If I hadn''t been like that, I could have never let you go..." She looked at more and more photos, only growing sadder. The mirror was then fixated to one photo where she was cuddling with Myconidas in her bed, hugging them like her child. "I''m going to miss you..." Chapter 1171: Back Home With A New Little Pal Chapter 1171: Back Home With A New Little Pal ? "My name is Celes, Myconidas! Nice to meet you!" "Wow! Hi Celes! First time I meet a human! Your eyes are pretty like blue jewels!" "T-Thanks! Hehe, you''re cute!" "Really?! Hahaha! I guess I am!" "Myconidas! Let''s y together!" "Okay Nyx! What do you want to y?" "Let''s y catch! You run and I try to catch you, hehehe!" "Okay!" "W-Wait, Nyx, that game is a bit...!" "Let''s begin! Raaarrr!" The children quickly started ying with Myconidas, giving him a lot of attention. He quickly went from being sad to being really happy, as Nyx began chasing him around and they began running around the entire house. "So that just happened, huh? You used the Divine Undead Scroll and ended getting dragged into Hel from all ces!" said Lucifer. "And that goddess just told you to take care of her kid?! Isn''t she a bit irresponsible?!" "I guess she''s a bit... Yeah, yeah," I nodded while sighing. "She is! But I think this was necessary anyways, that brat, Myconidas, he needs to experience the world outside of the Underworld. He seems to have enormous potential, but being confined there might have stunted his growth."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "And you''re willing to bring him along despite that?" muttered Partner. "I would have just rejected her offer!" "I guess you would, but it''s not like Maria had an option, after all, we owe a lot to Lady Hel," said Emeraldine. "She has been protecting this ce from other Gods, she has blessed us all with her powers and allowed Maria to grow this strong as well by turning her into her Saintess. Without her to begin with, things would certainly not be the same as before." "I agree..." I nodded. "She always helps me, and although sheins a lot and also reprimands me a lot... I can''t really getpletely mad at her for asking me this favor. I''ll just bring Myconidas along, what''s so hard about bringing another kid with us? There''s two already with Celes and Nyx anyways!" "Gyuuh! That''s right! And fourth with me, right?" suddenly, a cute egg-shaped wooden bird- like creature appeared by my left side, overflowing with an Aura of Spirits and Nature, it had two small holes on its mask-like face, and one long stick as a "nose" while being covered by green leaves resembling the plumage of a chick. "Oh, Root! Hey there, you wanted toe?" Root was a special type of nt creature, a monster, spirit, and cmity all in one, born from my Dungeon after a nt happened to absorb the fragments of a Cmity Seed which was once owned by the Ant Queen boss. Since then, I''ve taken care of him and he had evolved several times, progressively growing stronger and bigger, and bing a big help as his immense body can protect the vige, and he can even expand underground through his roots, he had also grown over at the elven vige where Emeraldine''s family is, recing the dead Spirit Tree that once protected them. "Yes, I want! I want!" he said happily. "Root is strong, can exist in many ces through Spiritual Roots gyuuh!" "Can you?" I wondered. "I''m a bit worried... You''ve already done a lot by protecting the vige, then expanding to Emeraldine''s elven vige too." "Also I''m in the dwarven city as a big tree!" he said. "People there is nice!" "Woah, even there?!" I asked,ughing a bit. "You''re sure strong... Have you evolved yet?" "Not yet!" he said. "Hmm..." I started analyzing his aura and spiritual form. Root was capable of turning into this small spiritual form to apany us sometimes, although he mostly remained absent from our adventure in the sands, mostly because it was too far away. But his spiritual powers have only grown with each level, and now he''s max level at S Rank. He had evolved into a World Treant previously, capable of turning into a giant tree. "I think Root might be able to evolve again, he''s overflowing with power," said Emeraldine. "He was also blessed, I believe, right? By both Hel and Yggdrasil, a very peculiarbination of Divine Protections!" "Gyuuuh! I want to evolve, master!" Root said, pping around me. "Okay, okay, but first, I think we could make a spirit contract now? You''ve be more of a spirit than ever before, right? Maybe with this, I could bring you along easily!" I said. "Ooohh? Really gyuuh? Fine, master!" said little Root. "But how do I do that?" "Stay still." I quickly touched his spiritual body with my soul and quickly attempted to create a connection, a contract with his spiritual powers using my own soul. "There... Can you feel it?" "Gyuuuh, I can!" he said. "So what''s next?" "Absorb that connection and meld it within yourself," I said. "Okaay..." he muttered. "Gyuh, gyuuuhh... Ahh, there?" FLASH! An immense ray of spiritual energy rushed over me, washing across my entire body with tremendous force. It was so much it made me gasp. Root has so much Spiritual Energypared to the rest of my Spirits; it was ridiculous! How is it possible he has so much?! Is it because of his unique existence and upbringing as both a Spirit, a Treant, and also a Cmity? Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully forged a {Divine Spirit Contract} with the [World Treant Spirit: Root]!] [Your Affection with Root has reached Maximum Level of 100! Root''s Stats and Skills have be 100% stronger when he''s fighting by your side, and you can use 30% of his Stats and Skills as well!] [Root will now be able to develop much faster and evolve into stronger forms.] [You gained +500.000 Spirit Stat!] [You gained +300.000 Nether Stat!] "Woah, I feel stronger!" he said out of nowhere. "Master?" "A-Ah, yeah! I feel so strong too," I nodded. "Now I got Five Divine Spirits contracted with me, damn." "Wow, that''s more than me!" Emeraldine sighed. "I have not been able to find suitable Spirits other than my Nature and Light Spirits. Though, I''ve had them since I was born so they''re always there for me..." "Gyuuh! I can make contract with auntie Emeraldine too, she is nice!" said Root, flying towards her. "Divine Spirit Contract!" "R-Really?" muttered Emeraldine, smiling cutely. "Thank you so much Root! You''re so cuteee!" she hugged him tightly. And at the same time, I fulfilled the conditions... Ding! [Congrattions! You have fulfilled the conditions: Contract Five Divine Spirits: 5/5!] [You have unlocked the Ability to...] Chapter 1172: Roots Evolution! Spiritual Heart! Chapter 1172: Root''s Evolution! Spiritual Heart! ? Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully forged a {Divine Spirit Contract} with the [World Treant Spirit: Root]!] [Your Affection with Root has reached Maximum Level of 100! Root''s Stats and Skills have be 100% stronger when he''s fighting by your side, and you can use 30% of his Stats and Skills as well!] [Root will now be able to develop much faster and evolve into stronger forms.] [You gained +500.000 Spirit Stat!] [You gained +300.000 Nether Stat!] After creating a contract with Root, I felt much stronger out of nowhere, and it was because I now had a passive buff that would activate whenever I summoned him by my side, which shared 30% of Root''s Stats and skills to me. I could use his skills! Although I cannot develop them as if they were my own, he really had a bunch of very interesting Skills I could happily use for myself. He also offered himself to Emeraldine as a third of her spirits, and she happily epted. They did the contract almost instantaneously, forging a bond. "Usually a Spirit can forge a contract with only a single person... But this is wonderful! Root can do it with multiple people!" Emeraldine said. "I can feel his powers dwelling within me now, it is as if he''s a Spirit of Nature, but also... I think this is Death Element? How peculiar! But it is so different than your Death, it is very connected to nature." "I guess you''ll have to train itter then," I said with a nod. "Anyways... What''s this?" I looked at the system notification that popped up once I made five spirit contracts, and I quickly remembered getting a notification earlier about something like that. Something about unlocking a special thingy once I got five, right? Yeah, I think that''s it... Ding!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Congrattions! You have fulfilled the conditions: Contract Five Divine Spirits: 5/5!] [You have unlocked the Ability to create a {Spiritual Heart}!] [By creating a Spiritual Heart, you''ll be able to crystalize the spirit energy of all your Spirits and connect them to it, giving you a brand-new spiritual power.] [With the {Spiritual Heart}, you will gain the ability to wield Spiritual Energy, conjure powerful Spiritual Arts and Techniques, and cultivate this energy to further grow your Spiritual Heart, which will also make all contracted Spirits stronger.] [As your {Spiritual Heart} cultivation progresses, you will be able to inherit Spirit Skills from your Contracted Spirits which you''ll be able to develop, level up, and use as you please.] [However, the best part of it will be your ability to be able to create, eventually, a {Spiritual Sanctuary} where your Spirits can rest at ease and regain their Spirit Energy, heal wounds, or even Revive when killed.] [The {Spiritual Sanctuary}, simr to your {Soulscape}, which now evolved into a {Divine Realm}, will create its own Spirit Treasures rted to the elements and characteristics of your Spirits.] [It is even possible for new Spirits to be born within your Spiritual Sanctuary, if your Spirits love each other enough!] "Woah, don''t joke with me, this is pretty awesome!" I said, celebrating a brand-new powerup. "Emeraldine! Did you know about Spiritual Hearts? I can make one now!" "Wait, you can?!" Emeraldine gasped. "T-That''s wonderful! Yes, I do know about them... They''re a very... well, secretive power, a special core that can be cultivated in unison with spirits. I''ve heard that very powerful Spirit Magicians in the Continent of Alfheim have it, it is only unlocked once you contract five divine spirits, so its definitely no easy feat, congrattions!" "I can''t believe she got it earlier than Emeraldine, the girl that has been using spirit magic this whole time..." said Partner. "Master, I think you''re a bit of a cheater..." "Hey, I wasn''t cheating! It just happened, okay?" I sighed. "Tyr was my first contracted spirits and he''s literally the fused parts of the Evil God Fragments but without being insane! And then there was the moth we found at Eustace''s ruins, then the Spider of Sloth, and then this jellyfish I obtained from an egg reward from my system!" "Oh wow, a jellyfish-like spirit?! So cuteeee - Abababababh!" Emelradine was electrocuted the moment she tried to touch him. "S-Stop Jellyfish, don''t sting her!" I ordered, as the spirit gently moved away. "Are you ok?!" "Yes, my Spirits healed me," sighed Emeraldine. "Ah, don''t start fighting, you guys!" Suddenly, Emeraldine''s Light and Nature Spirits, who had the slight shape of fairies made of golden and green light respectively, started annoying Medusa. "Bbbzzz!" Medusa released an annoyed, zapping sound, pointing her many tentacles at the spirits, who quickly flew away in fear. "Medusa, behave..." I sighed, petting her circr head. "For now, I''ll evolve Root first, so he can be stronger once I forge the Spiritual Heart." "Okayyy, gyuuuhh!" Root was excited. "I wonder what I will evolve into! I am looking forward to it gyuuhh!" "Me too!" I nodded. "Alright, let''s see..." Ding! [Do you wish for your Contracted Spirit/Familiar: Root, to Evolve into its next stage?] [Evolution might take a few minutes to hours, are you sure?] [Yes] [No] "Yep!" I pressed [Yes], without hesitation, as Root flew outside of the house, returning part of his powers that made him stay with us in a tiny spirit form back into the huge tree he was outside, the World Treant. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! And I could tell, two other rays of golden and green light surged from the west and the south, the other two extensions of his own body were also evolving at the same time. "Wow! What''s happening?" "The big tree, Root is evolving?" "Wait, right! Root is a Treant, isn''t he?" "Amazing! Look mama, papa!" The many citizens of the city nced the scene in awe as the gigantic tree evolved, bing evenrger and more majestic and spiritual than before. His normal-looking branches suddenly became evenrger, and his size doubled, the tree still had his funny face though, with two empty eyes as holes and a long branch as his nose, with a zigzag shaped mouth. His dark wood became of a clearer brown, and his dark green or blue leaves turned clear green this time, some even slightly golden in color. And above all, big fruits were made from his branches, and many flowers. Ding! [Congrattions! Root has evolved into [Divine Spirit World Treant: Yggdroot]!] Chapter 1173: Divine Spiritual World Treant: Yggdroot Chapter 1173: Divine Spiritual World Treant: Yggdroot ? Root''s body expanded several meters, rapidly growing across the outskirts of the city as gigantic roots emerged in and out of the ground, creating a secondary wooden barrier madepletely out of his massive roots around almost the entire city. The roots were huge and thick, almost ten meters thick each, and with dozens of them entangled everywhere against one another, they made an incredible defense against most external forces. If any foe appeared, Root would also be able to tell immediately! However, the best thing was his new appearance, bing as huge as two hundred meters of height, the shadows he created over a part of the city were very big, and his leaves waved by the wind. Also if he wanted, he could transform and generate huge legs and giant arms with sharp wooden ws, a very amazing new form and even more, a stronger body than we ever expected! His surroundings overflowed with spiritual light of many colors, tiny natural spirits of many elements appeared around him, making the entire wilderness surrounding the city full of spiritual energies, overflowing with bountiful nature. And I can''t believe he''s still a Treant?! Ding! [Congrattions! Root has evolved into [Divine Spirit World Treant: Yggdroot]!] [Root''s Rank has increased from S Rank to SSS+ Rank!] [All of Root''s Stats have increased! Root has unlocked new Stats! Root has forged their own Physique and Divine Ember!] "He even got a physique and an ember, sweet!" Although he still couldn''t get a ss or a Subss, most likely because he''s seen as more of a monster/spirit than a "person", he still developed a Divine Ember, so that''s pretty nice already. I quickly took a look at his stats. [Name]: [Root] [Race]: [Divine Spiritual World Treant: Yggdroot] [Rank]: [SSS+] [Divinity]: [Divine Ember: World Tree (Tier 1: Rank 1)] [Level]: [0/250] [HP]: [10.250.000/10.250.000] [MP]: [20.765.000/20.765.000] [Spirit]: [1.500.000] [Attack]: [2.550.000] [Defense]: [4.625.000] [Magic]: [5.625.000] [Agility]: [825.000] [Aether]: [200.000] [Divine Power]: [200.000] {Characteristic Skills}: [Dark Element: Lv--] [Nature Element: Lv--] [Life Element: Lv--] [Light Element: Lv--] [Spirit Element: Lv--] [Seed of Cmity: Lv9] [Divine Spiritual Nest: Lv3] [Divine Spirit Wood Shapeshifting: Lv3] [Rapid Life Drain: Lv3] [Mighty Powerful Endurance: Lv2] [Divine Spirit Embodiment: Lv2] [Yggdrasil''s Seed: Lv8] [Yggdrasil''s Crest: Lv5] [Divinity: World Tree: Lv3] [Divine Spirit Tree Body: Lv6] [Cmity Body: Lv5] [Divine Spiritual Ego Body & Soul Division: Lv1] {Resistance Skills}: [Reinforced Physical Resistance: Lv5] [Reinforced Magical Resistance: Lv5] [Status Effect Immunity: Lv--] [Poison Resistance: Lv10] [Acid Resistance: Lv10] [Water Resistance: Lv10] [Light Resistance: Lv10] [Darkness Resistance: Lv10] [Corrosion Resistance: Lv5] [Chaos Resistance: Lv5] [Nature Assimtion: Lv5] [All Element Resistance: Lv5] {Physical Skills}: [Uproot: Lv10] [Rest: Lv10] [Wooden Needle: Lv10] [Draining Roots: Lv10] [Automatic Recovery: Lv10] [Piercing Spear Attack: Lv9] [Defensive Shield: Lv9] [Powerful Bark Armor: Lv8] [Tyrant''s Wooden Arms: Lv8] [Fist Strike: Lv9] [Body m: Lv9] [Smash: Lv8] [Explosive Fruit: Lv8] [Earthquake: Lv6] [Spirit Wood Spears: Lv5] [Yggdrasil Cmity Physique: Lv5] [Divine Domain of Nature and Darkness: Lv5] {Magical Skills}: [Sharp Leaf Projectile: Lv10] [Rxing Aroma: Lv10] [Wooden Spear: Lv10] [Wooden Shield: Lv10] [nt Growth Enhancement: Lv10] [Shadow Bullet: Lv10] [Sunlight Beam: Lv9] [Life Enhancement: Lv9] [Roots of Life: Lv8] [Light Barrier: Lv8] [Holy Fist: Lv8] [Divine Spiritual Barrier: Lv5] [Summon Spirit: Lv5] [Spirit Fusion: Lv4] [Dark Yggdrasil Magic: Lv4] [Spirit Transfusion: Lv1] {Support Skills}: [Healing Leaf: Lv10] [Magic Leaf: Lv10] [Healing Nature Light: Lv10] [Fruit of Life: Lv9] [Dark Yggdrasil''s Fruit: Lv5] [Corrupted Yggdrasil Sap: Lv5] [Endless Regeneration: Lv1] {Title Skills}: [Servant of the Apostle of Death: Lv10] [Treant Progenitor: Lv10] [Forest Master: Lv10] [Nature''s Guardian: Lv10] [Merciless Killer: Lv9] [Aquatic Monster Exterminator: Lv5] [Yggdrasil''s Chosen: Lv7] [Tyrant Guardian of the Apostle of Death: Lv7] [Dark Yggdrasil: Lv5] [World Treant: Lv6] [Unique Species: Lv5] [Monster Yggdrasil Treant: Yggdroot: Lv1] {Divine Protections}: [Hel''s Divine Protection] [Yggdrasil''s Divine Protection] His stats were much higher than I imagined! Especially his health and mana, damn! And oh, he also unlocked the Spirit Stat, interestingly enough! His new Race is called "Yggdroot" for some reason, which is a bit funny, but I guess that''s still quite original rather than calling him just "Yggdrasil", right?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He had a bunch of amazing Skills, and if I read that right, once I create my Spiritual Heart and it grows strong enough, I can inherit skills from spirits, so I could get something from Root too! And he has so many interesting and unique skills... Now that he has reached this stage, I don''t even know what will he be once he evolves again... Just a bigger tree is the only thing that I can imagine right now. Well, not like that matters right now, right? "Well done Root!" I said, as I flew towards him to greet him. "Master, gyuuuh! I''ve be even bigger and stronger!" he said mightily. "I think I can apany you now, right?" "You sure can, haha!" Iughed. "You got a new skill specially for that too, it feels like your desires materialized into it! Try using your [Divine Spiritual Ego Body & Soul Division] Skill!" "Oh! Okay!" he nodded. "Hmmm...!" He concentrated, closing his eyes, and then, he used the skill, alongside the [Divine Spirit Embodiment] Skill too, creating his usual, spiritual, and small self again. POOF! However, this time it wasn''t just an extension of his spirit powers or like before, a full transformation of his body, it was as if he had created apletely new body out of nowhere. "I made it master! This is a secondary body! It carries half my stats!" he said. "But when I''m around master, these stats increase more gyuuuh!" "Right!" I nodded. "The Full Affection effects! You get a 100% boost to all stats by being around me, so even with your secondary body, it is as if you had all your stats, practically." "Nice! Gyuuuhh! I''m going with master to visit another world!" little Root celebrated. "Haha, well, for now, let''s go back. We''re not going yet, little one," Iughed. After that, I returned back to the castle where I enjoyed a nice morning breakfast with my family, before finally moving towards forging my Spiritual Heart. With all my Divine Spirits present, and inside of my roompletely alone, I started the process of crystallization. "Alright, as we already nned, imbue your spiritual energies into the center of my chest!" The Spirits nodded, doing as I asked. FLAAASH! Chapter 1174: Maria, Master Of Spirits Chapter 1174: Maria, Master Of Spirits ? The spiritual rivers of all five of my Divine Spirits reached my heart, from Tyr, to Amethyst, Obsidian, Medusa, and Root, all imbuing their mighty divine spiritual powers inside of my chest, which I held on with my own internal spirit power, which was rather faintpared to theirs, and which I actually couldn''t control as much as I wished. FLUOSH! "Come... on...! There... there!" Slowly, I felt as if the swirling elemental spiritual energies began to slowly solidify, crystalizing into a single organ, something solid and as crystalline as it could get. Slowly, all of the swirling energies were encapsted into a heart-shaped crystal. Tyr''s Chaos Element. Amethyst''s Poison Element. Obsidian''s Demon Element. Medusa''s Water Element. And Root''s Nature Element. The bnce wasn''t the best, three very destructive elements with two nature elements, but it would have to do, because I practically had no other way of doing it. "Ugh...!" I groaned. "Come on...!" There was still a bit of swirling power trapped inside of the Spiritual Heart, and it was taking an awful lot of time to crystalize fully as I wished! The chaos, poison, and demon elements went well together, but water and nature wouldn''t ept them, constantly shing and generating tiny shockwaves of ck lightning. If this continued, it could threaten to shatter the Spiritual Heart, and that would be a HUGE problem I would rather avoid at all costs! So I quickly spent all my spirit power and mana and forcefully crystalized everything, even if it hurt quite a fucking lot! FLAAASH! "Fuck, that hurts!" RUMBLE! However, once it was finally crystalized, my Spirit Power skyrocketed, as I felt my entire being connected to the Spiritual Heart. It waspleted quickly and painfully, but just as quickly, I received that power boost! "W-Woah...!" I felt the Divine Spiritual Energy of Chaos, Poison, Demon, Water, and Nature Elements, swirling together around my entire body and hands. It was like an invisible, protectiveyer of power, and it was intrinsically connected to the elements and also to my Divine Spirits themselves. "Phew... it''s done..." Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully forged a {Spiritual Heart}bining the Spiritual Elements of your different Divine Spirits!] [The Spiritual Elements of Chaos (Tyr), Poison (Amethyst), Demon (Obsidian), Water (Medusa), and Nature (Root) have been sessfully merged into the [Spiritual Heart]: [Demonic Chaotic Spiritual Nature Seas Heart (Tier 1: Rank 1)]!] [You gained +1.250.000 Spirit Stats!] [You gained +500.000 to all other Stats!] [You unlocked the Characteristic Skill: [Spiritual Heart: Lv1]!] [You gained the Title Skill: [Spiritual Heart Master: Lv1]!] [All Spirit-type Skills have gained 3 Bonus Levels!] "Sweet! More Stats and the Skills gained three bonus levels, even the new ones?! This is way too good!" I celebrated. "Hahaha! Now... Uh, wait a second, there''s none of the powers promised!" "Obviously you need to cultivate your Spiritual Heart to obtain them first, Maria!" Tyr groaned. "That''ll take you a while, so be patient. Did you thought you would get a Spiritual Sanctuary right away full of new Spirits to contract? Don''t be delusional, fool!" "Ugh, do you have to be so mean?!" I grabbed his big-eyed head and pressed it tightly. "Aaagh! Ouch, ouch! Is this how you treat your Spirit?!" he screamed. "Shut up, you''re just an old man actually!" Iughed. "Anyways, do you guys feel any stronger?" I looked at my Spirits, as they all nodded on their own ways, they seemed to have gottenrger, and their elemental spiritual auras have be stronger as well, so they definitely grew. And... [Spiritual Heart: Lv1] A Skill that only those special enough to have forged a Spiritual Heart after contracting Five Divine Spirits can obtain, it embodies their own Spiritual Heart''s growth, the more your Spiritual Heart grows, the more Spirit Abilities you will develop. By connecting with your Divine Spirits that you''ve done a contract with, you will be able to channel their Spiritual Elemental Powers and seamlesslybine them like never before, while also being able to unleash specialized Spiritual Arts and Spiritual Techniques. When connecting your Spiritual Heart with your Divine Spirits and unleashing Magic or Techniques of any Spirit-type, your MP, Spirit, and Magic Stats will increase by 500% (+25% x Skill Level) and such techniques and spells will be able to ignore 50% of the foe''s defenses. Slowly, you will be able to absorb their spiritual energies and refine your spiritual heart, forging it into a stronger form,rger, and capable of harboring even more energies. Once this happens, your spiritual heart will Rank Up, give you Bonus Stats, new Skills, Titles, and unlock new Spirit Abilities. Whenbining your Spiritual Aura with the Divine Spiritual Energy of your Spirits, you will be able to temporarily channel 50% of their Stats and Abilities and use them as your own, while also being able tobine them into your Divine Spirit Aura and unleash devastatingbined attacks and powers, whose damage will be based on 200% of theirbined Stats plus 100% of your Spirit Stat. Avable Spirit Abilities: Rank 1: [Divine Spirit Fusion] [Divine Spirit Armor Transformation] [Spiritual Heart Master: Lv1] A Title bestowed to Spirit Magic Masters who have miraculously contracted five Divine Spirits and obtained tremendous powers because of that, gaining the Spiritual Heart, a special organ that can cultivate and grow alongside them and their Spirits, granting tremendous amounts of spiritual power and talents above everyone else. Your Spiritual Heart will develop and grow as your Spirits grow too, you must always prioritize their growth, feeding them Spiritual Treasures orpatible Materials will increase their stats, affection, and the possibility of evolving into higher Spiritual Forms. As a Spiritual Heart Master, you possess several new passive abilities. While your Spirits are close to you and based on their Affection, you can share up to 50% of your total Stats and skills with them and viceversa (Minimum of 10%). When fighting using the help of your Spirits, you canbine their power with weapons, spells, skills, and abilities effects, increasing their effectivity and power based on the Spirits Stats. Increases All your Spirits Stats by 30% (+15% x Skill Level). Increases the power of Spirit Magic, Spirit Arts, Spirit Techniques, and Spirit Abilities by 100% (+25% x Skill Level).n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Definitely some good skills! I can already feel that part of their growth in strength is thanks to these! Chapter 1175: New Spiritual Powers Chapter 1175: New Spiritual Powers ? Reading the new Spirit Skills I had obtained, their effects were pretty good, and the umtion of passive effects and boosts was always a nice thing to behold. However, the most interesting thing I found was that the [Spiritual Heart] Skill came with unique Spirit Abilities! [Spiritual Heart: Lv1] A Skill that only those special enough to have forged a Spiritual Heart after contracting Five Divine Spirits can obtain, it embodies their own Spiritual Heart''s growth, the more your Spiritual Heart grows, the more Spirit Abilities you will develop. By connecting with your Divine Spirits that you''ve done a contract with, you will be able to channel their Spiritual Elemental Powers and seamlesslybine them like never before, while also being able to unleash specialized Spiritual Arts and Spiritual Techniques. When connecting your Spiritual Heart with your Divine Spirits and unleashing Magic or Techniques of any Spirit-type, your MP, Spirit, and Magic Stats will increase by 500% (+25% x Skill Level) and such techniques and spells will be able to ignore 50% of the foe''s defenses. Slowly, you will be able to absorb their spiritual energies and refine your spiritual heart, forging it into a stronger form,rger, and capable of harboring even more energies. Once this happens, your spiritual heart will Rank Up, give you Bonus Stats, new Skills, Titles, and unlock new Spirit Abilities. Whenbining your Spiritual Aura with the Divine Spiritual Energy of your Spirits, you will be able to temporarily channel 50% of their Stats and Abilities and use them as your own, while also being able tobine them into your Divine Spirit Aura and unleash devastatingbined attacks and powers, whose damage will be based on 200% of theirbined Stats plus 100% of your Spirit Stat. Avable Spirit Abilities: Rank 1: [Divine Spirit Fusion] [Divine Spirit Armor Transformation] I suppose this is where they''re unlocked, right? And instead of saying Level, it says "Rank", which means that they''re unlocked based on Rank and not as usual through Skill Levels. Right now there were only two Spirit Abilities, Divine Spirit Fusion, and Divine Spirit Armor Transformation. I kind of wanted to try them... So let''s try the first one! "{Divine Spirit Fusion}!" Ding! [You have activated the [Divine Spirit Fusion] Spirit Ability.] [Please choose two Spirits you''ve contracted to temporarily fuse together into a Fusion Spirit for 5 Minutes.] [Slot 1] [Slot 2] "Alright guys who wants to fuse?" I wondered with a slightly creepy smile. "This is fun, reminds me of Demon Tensei Games where you can fuse your monsters." "W-What are you talking about?" Tyr muttered, feeling awkward. "Okay, Tyr is the volunteer!" I said. "Who else? Right now I can only fuse two at a time." "Chuuuh!" suddenly Medusa gave a cute sound. "Alright, Medusa it is!" "W-Wait a second Maria!" Tyrined, but didn''t resist, heh. FLUOSH! [Initializing Special Fusion between Spirits Tyr and Medusa!] Their bodies melted together, swirling around one another until something else was made, something big and monstrous... [Sess! Temporary fusion between Tyr and Medusa has been sessful!] [You have temporarily created the [Abyssal Space-Breaking Chaos Squid Spirit: Erebus]!] "GRUOOGH!" The creature created didn''t seem to have inherited Tyr''s intelligence, as it groaned like a monster instead, it was a huge ck and white squid, with dozens of long, slimy, and ck colored tentacles, and three rows of huge and sharp crimson eyes across their long squid-like body. Also, it was like three meters tall! "Wow, it changed gyuhh!" Root said. "Kyuuuh?!" Amethyst panicked. "Guugh..." Obsidian kept his distance. "Alright Erebus, tell me what you can do!" I said. "Gerooohhhh..." Erebus groaned, swirling their tentacles, and suddenly piercing the empty air with them, slowly sliding into there and disappearingpletely. "E-Eh?! Wait a second! So the space breaking thingy was for real?!" I asked. "A Space Attribute Spirit! Interesting! It''s only five minutes long, but it could certainly be useful, especially to help my allies..." After that, I asked Erebus to try several other abilities against some undead skeletons I had. It was able to delete parts of their bodies by destroying the space within those areas and could unleash powerful cannon beams that destroyed everything on its wake. I don''t know how strong it was, but Tyr being in the fusion probably made it super broken already, after all he was a "Spirit" that kept growing stronger with each Evil God Fragment I ate. Once it returned back to normal, Tyrined he didn''t like being the squid. "Don''t you dare do this again, Maria! It was very disgusting!" "Yeah but you evolved into something with powers you don''t have, so it''s a plus!" After that little experiment, I moved to using the second spirit ability. "Alright now... Obsidian''s turn! {Divine Spirit Armor Transformation}!" "Geeeh?!" The spider didn''t really like the idea, but it was turned into a huge set of arachnid dark red colored armor which quickly epassed my body, boosting my spirit magic power through the roof, and also giving me more defense. Ding! [You have used the [Divine Spirit Armor Transformation] Spirit Ability on your Divine Spirit Obsidian!] [The [Divine Demonic Arachnid Spirit of Sloth Armor] has been created for 10 Minutes!] [The Armor''s Durability and Spirit Power is based on 300% of the Spirit''s own Statsbinedn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om together.] "Sleek!" I felt ratherfortable with the armor over my body. "Alsosts ten minutes! That''s much more than the fusion... I wonder if I cold turn a fused Spirit into an armor? Hmm, there''s many new possibilities now!" After I was done ying around, it was finally time to end this by opening some treasure chests and using some skill-rted items and so on, which I had been dying quite a bit. [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x2 [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x2 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] x1 "That''s a lot of stuff, but okay! Let''s just mass open the treasure chests, I''m tired of looking at their closed selves!" Ding! [You have opened the: [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] x1!] FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Chapter 1176: Opening Treasure Chests Chapter 1176: Opening Treasure Chests ? Without wanting to waste much more time, I looked at my avable items and quickly selected the treasure chests. [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x2 [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x2 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] x1 Once I''m done with the treasure chests, I''ll go to the meat and potatoes of these items. Ding! [You have opened the: [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] x1!] FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The treasure chests released bright explosions of light from their opening animations, quickly revealing their contents, they were quite shiny. Ding! [You have opened the [Abyssal Sea Monster Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] and obtained the Following Items: [Abyssal Sea Monster Summoning Ring (SS Grade)] x1 [Abyssal Sea Monster Dark Hammer (SS Grade)] x1 [Random Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x20] [You have opened the [Aquarose Mermen Kingdom Themed Treasure Chest (SS Grade)] and obtained the Following Items: [Aquarose Mermen Knight''s Royal Trident (SS Grade)] x1 [Aquarose Mermen Knights Royal Shield (SS Grade)] x1 [Random Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x20] [You have opened the [King of the Depths Themed Treasure Chest (SSS Grade)] and obtained the Following Items: [King of the Depths Divine Sea Dragon Sword (SS Grade)] x1 [King of the Depths Divine Ocean Titan Axe (SS Grade)] x1 [Random Skill Grimoire (SS Grade)] x1 [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x20 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x20] "Wooaah! Now this is a fantastic haul!" I smiled happily, Tyr and the rest of my Spirits were ring at me with slightly tired looking expression, as if they didn''t like my greediness. "C- Come on! Don''t look at me like that... Want some of the potions?" "None of those work on us, only Evil God Fragments for me orpatible spirit treasures for the rest," said Tyr. "Chuuuh!!" however, little Medusa started hovering over the equipment pieces instead. "Hm? You want to eat those?" I wondered. "Do they count aspatible treasures?" "Chuu! Chuuuhh!" the little jellyfish continued nodding. "Huh! Alright, you can eat the weak ones!" I said. "I was nning on gifting them but most of them are only good in the sea anyways, and we got plenty of equipment for sea battles from the king and the queen earlier anyways. There you go." I feed Medusa the [Abyssal Sea Monster Summoning Ring (SS Grade)], [Abyssal Sea Monster Dark Hammer (SS Grade)], [Aquarose Mermen Knight''s Royal Trident (SS Grade)], and [Aquarose Mermen Knights Royal Shield (SS Grade)]. Yeah, they looked fancy and had some interesting skills, being able to summon Sea Monsters had its pros, but I just didn''t care, I literally had almost a million undead by now, a lot of them were also sea monsters too, so whatever. "Here, eat them all!" "Chuuuuhhh~!" Medusa became very happy, slowly devouring the equipment by putting her tentacles over them and dissolving them with her acidic venom. Slowly, all four items disappeared, as she devoured thempletely. "Burp... Chuuuhh~!" She raised her little tentacles happily, and suddenly began to glow with azure light. "Woah! It''s evolving?!" FLASH! Her small baby-like form quickly changed, bing over a meter big out of nowhere, with a mollusk shell-like coverture over her once smooth head, she also had three jewel-like azure- colored eyes in her head, and her tentacles became thicker and more gtinous, gaining sharp ck hooks at their tips. Ding! [Congrattions! The [Abyss-Crowned Ghostly Jellyfish Spirit: Medusa] has devoured thepatible materials and have sessfully evolved into a [Dark Abyss-Crowned Spectral Azure Sea Ghost Jellyfish Spirit: Medusa]!] [Medusa''s Stats have increased! Medusa has gained a few new skills and Magic Spells!] [Medusa''s Affection with you has increased from 30 to 100! You can now further share stats and powers between one another.] [You gained +500.000 Spirit Stats.] [You gained +100.000 Aether Stats.]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Your Bond with Medusa and her evolution has strengthened and refined your Spiritual Heart!] [Your [Spiritual Heart]: [Demonic Chaotic Spiritual Nature Seas Heart (Tier 1: Rank 1)] has increased to Tier 1: Rank 6!] [You gained +500.000 Spirit Stats.] [You gained +1.000.000 MP Stats.] [You gained +250.000 Aether Stats.] [Four More Ranks to go for Tier 2!] "Oh nice! Affection increased by a hundred too?! Medusa, is your heart so easily to convince with just food?!" I asked in disbelief, grabbing her big body and petting her. "Chuuuuhh!" she happily started "kissing" me with her tentacles all over my face, or well, stinging me. It didn''t hurt me, but I''m sure she didn''t mean it to sting, it just how she expresses herself. "Aren''t you a cutie?!" I cried, hugging her, and kissing her big head. "Good girl! Very good girl!" "Chuuuhh!" she hugged me back with all her tentacles. Very tightly... "Ugh!" I groaned. "T-That''s enough!" I gently pushed her back, but she grew a bit conceited and wouldn''t stop grasping my entire body with her tentacles, I''ve read enough hentai to know where this was going, so I quickly vanished her to the Shadow Realm for now. "Chuuuhh!" "I''m sorry baby but you''re a bit too... Let''s say, touchy, calm down a bit!" "Chuuhh..." [Medusa''s Affection decreased by 10!] "EH?!" At the end I brought her back and just feed her a lot of fish, and she calmed down and the affection went back to 100. I guess she was actually really hungry, hahah... "Okay now that you''re done powering up, let''s move to my own powerups instead! Imma drink all these tasty elixirs, and then absorb these grimoires, heheh..." And about the big sword and the axe, I guess they''re high quality enough to either gift them or fuse them into my weapons. I''ll see what to do after I''m done with these other items. Chapter 1177: New Privileges Chapter 1177: New Privileges ? I didn''t even bother drinking each bottle of the elixirs, I just opened a ck hole in my chest and ate all of them at once. Worked just as fine as if I had drunk them normally anyways~ Ding! [You have consumed the Items: [Soul Restoration Elixir (SS Grade)] x60 [Azure Sea Essence Elixir (SS Grade)] x60 [Divine Skill Proficiency Elixir (SS Grade)] x60!] [You have absorbed arge quantity of Soul Power, which has further strengthened your Soul and your Divinity!] [You have absorbed arge quantity of Azure Sea Essence, further boosting your Soul and Divinity, alongside your physical body!] [Your [Divinity]: [Divine me: Void & Death / Ying & Yang (Tier 2: Rank 3)] has Ranked Up to Tier 2: Rank 5!] [Your [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress Of Death Physique (Tier 2: Rank 3)] has Ranked Up to Tier 2: Rank 5!] [You gained +1.000.000 Aether!] [You gained +500.000 Divine Power!] [You gained +1.500.000 to All other Stats!] [You have obtained 6.000.000 Skill Proficiency Points; please choose which Skill Category you want to assign them.] [You have assigned all Skill Proficiency Points towards {Fusion Skills} category.] [The Fusion Skills: [Divine Death Beast Transformation: Guardian Of The Underworld, Anubis: Lv8/20] [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones: Lv7/20] [Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts: Lv6/20] have gained 4 Levels!] "Nice, now that I''m done with the Elixirs... Random Skill Grimoire time!" I opened all three grimoires, their runes flew into my body as I quickly learned three new Random Skills, which can be from literally any ss out there, or perhaps even random monsters. It''s all up to luck, and because there''s literally no Luck Stat, I can''t even have an estimation what I''ll even get... "Hmm? Let''s see... Oh?" Ding! [You have used the [Random Skill Grimoires (SS Grade)] x3!] [You have learned three Random Skills!] [You learned the Skill: [Saintess of Holy Light''s Sanctifying Light: Lv1]!] [You learned the Skill: [Ash Mountain Werewolf''s Berserk Rampage: Lv1]!] [You learned the Skill: [Blue Oni King Unsealed War Runes: Lv1]!] "The hell are these skills?" I couldn''t help butugh a bit, they were sure random. "The first one..." FLAAASH! Once I activated [Saintess of Holy Light''s Sanctifying Light], a shining, holy light surged from my hands, so burning and bright even I felt a bit of pain by wielding it. "Damn..." It could pretty much sanctify and purify things, exorcize all matter of evil, undead, and demons, and deal super damage based on my Magic and Spirit Stat, and I just had a lot of that so it was super deadly even for me. Still, pretty interesting Skill! "AWOOOO!" The second Skill [Ash Mountain Wolf''s Berserk Rampage], once activated, unleashed the loud howl of a wolf as my aura shapeshifted into what resembled a giant werewolf, fusing with me. Using this power, I charged forward, devastating the empty rooms of the house and making a gigantic mess! However, I was able to confirm it was pretty strong. After repairing the mess very quickly using Alchemy and Crafting Skills, I moved to try the third Skill, [Blue Oni King Unsealed War Runes]!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om FLUOSH! "W-What the hell...?!" My skin turned blue, and I gained long Oni-like horns growing from my forehead, alongside many red runes covering my blue skin. Which once activated, unleashed a tremendous boost to my physical power and physical damage, also it made me go a bit berserk, so I deactivated it quickly. "Whew, these are indeed pretty good and useful, alright..." With that done, I could finally move to the meat and potatoes of everything, the Privilege and Skill based items! [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x2 [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x2 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] x1 My first aim was to make what I had told Hel I would create, a new and improved version of the Ego dividing Privilege I had... Though, those Random Privilege Marbles were too tempting, so I decided to use them right away anyways, screw it. FLASH! FLASH! Both spheres glowed brightly, fusing into my soul, and then registering within the very Origin Core of my existence two new "imprints". Privileges! Ding! [You have used the Items: [Random Privilege Marble (SS Grade)] x2!] [You acquired the Privilege: [Religious Devotee (B Rank Privilege)] [You acquired the Privilege: [Crazed Mad diator (B Rank Privilege)] "The hell are these Privileges?" [Religious Devotee (B Rank Privilege)] You''re a very devoted religious member of your society, you love gods and their many churches and religions, and have chosen to pray for them and hold tremendous faith. When Praying to any God, you receive a special Random Buff based on the God''s Elements and Divinities that''ssts for 1 Hour. If you ever get to talk with a God, and as long as you''re within their proximity, or within the proximity of their chosen divinely protected, All Stats increase by 100% and you can take 50% of the damage they take instead. The hell? This is kind of good... [Crazed Mad diator (B Rank Privilege)] You''re an insane mad, crazed bastard that loves ughtering in the arena, a true diator to the heart. When fighting mighty foes that hold bloodthirst against you, you will enter into a [Crazed diator] mode where all your physical power and physical damage will increase by 200% for the duration of the fight, but you might go a bit crazy. While you''re fighting surrounded by "spectators" of any kind, the EXP earned from ying foes increases by x3 and your foes will take 100% more damage from your physical attacks. Okaaay? That''s not bad at all either! "Alright, these are better than I thought... Now, moving on, Evolution!" Ding! [You have chosen the [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] Privilege to evolve using the [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)]!] [Initializing Privilege Evolution!] FLASH! The marble was swallowed by my origin core, as the privilege quickly fused with the marble inside of my origin core, growing stronger, bigger, and mightier. "Oooh, I can feel it now, this is a good one!" Ding! [The Privilege: [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] has sessfully evolved into the [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos (S Rank Privilege)]!] Chapter 1178: Evolving Privilege Chapter 1178: Evolving Privilege ? After getting two pretty good Privileges that enhanced my ability to gain random buffs based in the situation and also strength based in the situation... plus EXP boost, I moved on with the most important thing right now, Privilege Evolution! "Alright, these are better than I thought... Now, moving on, Evolution!" The Privilege I was choosing was pretty obvious already, the very reason I even started using all these items was, without a doubt, {Divided Egos}, the powerful Privilege that allowed me to easily divide my body into perfect clones sharing my stats based on how many Body-type Skills I have. This was its original form right now: [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] A being that has many faces can learn this ability almost naturally. This Privilege grants the user the power to divide their own powers and abilities into different "Egos" and fragment themselves, being able to act in several ces at the same time. Not to be confused with things such as "Phantom Clones" or "Familiars" as this power takes in ount the user''s true and total power and divides it depending in the amount of Divinities they possess, or "Body" rted skills. The more the user body is divided, the more pressure it puts into the original Soul and the more Mana is consumed. Because of this, it cannot be used continuously and endlessly. A proper cooldown is administrated upon usage. Additionally, increases the Total Stats of all Fragmented Egos by +100% and their skills and Magic Power and Effects by +50%. It''s really damn good, however, it won''t work once I leave the entire housepletely, so I need to first evolve it and make it so I can stay here and also leave the world to descend the tower with my family, to finally reach Floor 1, Earth. So, without further ado, I grabbed the big and shiny marble, and activated its effects, immediately choosing the Privilege in question, [Divided Egos]! Ding! [You have chosen the [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] Privilege to evolve using the [Divine Privilege Evolution Marble (SS Grade)]!] [Initializing Privilege Evolution!] FLASH!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The marble was swallowed by my origin core, as the privilege quickly fused with the marble inside of my origin core, growing stronger, bigger, and mightier. The innate powers of the Privilege rapidly evolved, spreading like roots across my Origin Core, giving me an unprecedented amount of new strength and power. "Oooh, I can feel it now, this is a good one!" I felt both connected with my own abilities, and also somewhat divided? As if there were many of "me" within my soul. Yet at the same time, they were all perfectly me, connected, yet separated. It was weird, but they weren''t exactly different people now. So this must be its evolved form... Ding! [The Privilege: [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)] has sessfully evolved into the [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos (S Rank Privilege)]!] There it is! And it evolved all the way to S Rank, that''s too nice! [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos (S Rank Privilege)] The Evolved form of the [Divided Egos (B Rank Privilege)]. A being that has many faces can learn this ability almost naturally. This Privilege grants the user the power to divide their own powers and abilities into different "Soul Egos" and "Body Egos" and fragment themselves, being able to act in several ces at the same time, even to the point of being present in different worlds. Soul Egos and Body Egos are different in that Soul Egos are ethereal and are mostlyposed of Soul and Divinity, while Body Egos are corporeal and physical, made up of the manifestation of powerful skills. Both canbine to create a {Perfect Divine Ego}, a much stronger version of Egos thatbines their power and creates new unique fused abilities between Soul Ego and Body Ego. Not to be confused with things such as "Phantom Clones" or "Familiars" as this power takes in ount the user''s true and total power and divides it depending in the amount of Divinities they possess, or "Body" rted skills. To also anchor a body or several bodies within a different World or ne, it is necessary to use the {Divine Anchor}, which can only be used twice. Once the {Divine Anchor} is taken away, all fragments within a world will disappear if the user is not present in them. The more the user body is divided, the more pressure it puts into the original Soul and the more Mana is consumed. However, if the Soul is strong enough and Mana is boundless enough, this pressure and mana requirements can bepletely ignored. Soul Egos and Body Egos can''t be of the same Divinities/Skills and must always be different whenbined into {Perfect Divine Egos}. Increases the Total Stats of all Soul Egos and Body Egos by +300% and their Divinities, Skills and Magic Power and Effects by +400%. When a {Perfect Divine Ego} is created, these effects are multiplied by x2.5 for them. Additionally, it is possible for these Soul Egos or Body Egos to temporarily fuse with a target that is an ally, granting them their powers, divinities, and skills for as long as 30 Minutes, with a cooldown of 6 Hours per Ego. "Woah, this is insane..." It was everything I could have ever asked for and more! There are even new divisions between Egos, such as Soul Ego and Body Ego, and I can create an even stronger one by fusing the body and the soul together, huh? That''s beyond insane. "Alright, how about we try this right away? {Divided Soul Ego}! {Divided Body Ego}!" FLAAASH! Suddenly, my body started to twist and turn, as mass and soul ether emerged out of it and something else was born. Even the creation of new divided egos was much more different than the normal way, it was a bit freaky even, as if I was a cell dividing myself, with all the fleshy details. "Bwahahaha! Nice, it worked as we wanted!" "Hmm? Oh, right, we divided, huh?" The Divine Thunder Spirit Body Ego and the Moonlight Divinity Soul Ego appeared in front of me, overflowing with their own unique powers and auras. And indeed, we shared the same thoughts, but the way theymunicated and talked was a bit different, pretty interesting... Chapter 1179: [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos] Chapter 1179: [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos] ? Ding! [You have activated the [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos (S Rank Privilege)] and have divided a Soul Ego and a Body Ego from your existence!] [The [Divine Thunder Spirit Body Ego] was created!] [The [Moonlight Divinity Soul Ego] was created!] [Their Total Stats have increased by +300% and their Divinities, Skills and Magic Power and Effects by +400%.] "Bwahahaha! Nice, it worked as we wanted!" "Hmm? Oh, right, we divided, huh?" The Divine Thunder Spirit Body Ego and the Moonlight Divinity Soul Ego appeared in front of me, overflowing with their own unique powers and auras. And indeed, we shared the same thoughts, but the way theymunicated and talked was a bit different, pretty interesting. They only inherited a part of my stats, so they were obviously not as strong as myself, but these buffs made up for that, their stats were now roughly almost the same as mine thanks to it! Wow, this is so broken, its literally dividing myself with little to not repercussions, and now I can also choose Skills that aren''t even Body rted too! Maybe I could even create a Body or Soul Ego of the Anubis Skill? Possibilities are endless, hehe!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om But I have yet to even see their maximum potential yet... "Alright, now that we saw this..." I muttered, suddenly interrumpted. "You want us to fuse? Sure! Hahaha!" the Thunder Bodyughed. "I wanted to try it too, let''s do that then, well, we''re all the same anyways-" Moonlight Soul shrugged. "O-Okay then! Do it!" I nodded. The two nodded, then fused together, hugging each other and... kissing?! They were kissing with tongue and all! "Was the kissing necessary?! Oi! Isn''t this selfcest?!" "Heheh, deep down you wanted that too~" "Yes..." "No I''m fairly sure I didn''t want that!" FLASH! Bothbined together, the soul inside of the body, their appearance changed. Before the thunder body looked like a girl made of golden thunder and ck clouds, while the moonlight looked like a slightly gloomy, talldy with long pink hair and silver eyes. But once they fused, something more morous-looking emerged, it was like their perfect fusion, long and silky purple hair, golden dress made of thunder, and silver thunder around their neck, they were tall and beautiful, with golden eyes and purple clouds around them. "Woah... What in the world?!" RUMBLE! And the power they released, it was tremendous, it was already higher than my own stats, although my stats were low now after I shared a part with them so, it''s hard to tell. But still, that''s strong! Ding! [You have sessfullybined the [Divine Thunder Spirit Body Ego] and the [Moonlight Divinity Soul Ego] to create the {Perfect Divine Ego: Goddess of the Silver Moon''s Lightning}!] [Their Total Stats have increased by +750% and their Divinities, Skills and Magic Power and Effects by +1000%.] That''s such a HUGE BOOST! Well, considering it''s thebined boost both gets separately, but then with a 0.5 added to it, I guess it''s fairly decent! "Hehehe! We''re pretty strong, huh? Who would have thought that actually dividing yourself like that would be much more convenient,"ughed the Perfect Divine Ego with a cheeky smile, winking at me. "Wanna kiss now?" "S-Stop with the selfcest!" I cried, covering my face. "Undone!" POOF! She quickly disappeared in an instant, finally leaving me alone. Did I really wanted to kiss my own self? Wait, does that even matter now? I should just forget about it and move on. "Anyways, looks like it worked pretty well, you guys," I smiled at my Divine Spirits, who had been watching the show while eating their meals. "It''s a pretty wicked Privilege," said Tyr. "But you must also take into consideration the powers and abilities you''ll lose once they''re divided, right? Because it''s like practically letting that particr divinity or skill disappear from your status, right?" "Oh yeah..." I nodded. "Once they''re made, I won''t be able to use what I used as "ingredient" for their creation, so you''re not wrong, I need to be a bit careful. For now I''ll probably leave a perfected divine ego using a Sea Body and a Light Soul, that should easily cover both thrones, so they don''t destabilize or are left without owners." "That would be for the best gyuuuhh!" Root nodded, eating a big piece of roasted monster meat. "But is there a limit to it, master?" "Hmm, the Privilege said something about {Divine Anchors}," I exined. "Apparently I only have two, but it technically lets me leave an anchor where I can leave the Egos there and they won''t disappear. I can also choose to unsummon the anchor and the egos in the worlds where I am not present will quickly disappear too." "Huh, I see..." Tyr nodded. "What an interesting ability. Usually Privileges are incredible passive abilities, only the strongest divine-level yers or gods usually have them, yet you have so many unique ones!" "Well the first batch was gifted by Ymir and the other Titans when I evolved into Selene," I exined. "And..." I spent a few minutes talking with Tyr and exining him stuff, after that, I decided to move on with the rest of my items, checking them yet again. [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)] x2 [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] x1 [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] x1 I have used most of my Privilege items except the single Fusion Marble! So it was finally time tobine some Privileges and see what crazy stuffes out of them. Let''s first see what the item''s limits are though. [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)] A special, divine item in the shape of a white marbleposed of crystalized Divine Power and Primordial Energies. It allows for thebination of Origin Core Privileges, creating a brand-new Privilege of higher Rank and power, sometimes born from thebination of the previous Privileges, and other timespletely different. The maximum amount of Privileges that can be fused using this item is 4, and once the item is activated and the Privilege Fusion begins, it cannot be turned off and the changes will be done permanently after fusion. Interesting, so I canbine four! Nice, let''s begin. Chapter 1180: Fusing Privileges Chapter 1180: Fusing Privileges ? Thest item regarding Privileges that I wanted to use was right in front of me, and yes, it had the shape of a marble again. I don''t know why they''re all marbles but... whatever. [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om A special, divine item in the shape of a white marbleposed of crystalized Divine Power and Primordial Energies. It allows for thebination of Origin Core Privileges, creating a brand-new Privilege of higher Rank and power, sometimes born from thebination of the previous Privileges, and other timespletely different. The maximum amount of Privileges that can be fused using this Item is 4, and once the item is activated and the Privilege Fusion begins, it cannot be turned off and the changes will be done permanently after fusion. Reading the vor text, it does reveal some pretty interesting things, such as that Privileges are like Origin Core Abilities themselves. And also that these marbles were crystalized from divine power and... primordial energies? No idea what that is. Anyways, four Privilege is a big step, let''s see all my Privileges right now... {Divine Privileges}: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)] [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)] [Divine Myriad Soul & Body Egos (S Rank Privilege)] [One With The Void (S Rank Privilege)] [Voracious Devourer of Gods (S Rank Privilege)] [Archnemesis of All Sins (A Rank Privilege)] [Religious Devotee (B Rank Privilege)] [Crazed Mad diator (B Rank Privilege)] Huh, okay, I don''t have that many though, but it still a lot ording to Tyr, he said I shouldn''t even have them to begin with, but they were gifted, so what can I do about that? I''ll probably merge the low ranked obviously, Jotun''s Might and Farbauti Cruel Strike are definitely getting merged... [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)] A Divine Power bestowed by the almighty Ymir. You can channel the Primordial powers of the Titan Records to obtain a small part of every soul within this Realm and enhance your Attack Stat with it, increasing it to a maximum amount of up to +1000%. However, the higher the bonus to Attack Stat, the higher the cost of Mana. Overusing this power might inflict great harm in your soul, be careful! Duration: 30 Minutes. Cooldown: 24 Hours. [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)] A Powerful Divine Privilege bestowed by nobody else than {F¨¢rbauti, the Cruel Striker} upon a chosen one. It allows for you to channel the power of his soul and summon his entire might in battle, forming a gigantic Axe made of Ice to strike down your foes with his Titanic Might! Deals up to +700% Damage, ignores up to 30% of a foe''s total defenses. Especially effective against Divine, Giant, and Cmity-type beings. Duration: 15 Minutes. Cooldown: 12 Hours. Their effects aren''t bad, but they aren''t the very best thing in the world, and they''re more like active skills, which is annoying. If by fusing that can be taken away and turn them into something like "automatic activation" that would be much sweeter for me. Then, what else? Should I throw the strongest ones there too? Hmm, nah, I should try to keep the S Rank privileges as they are if possible, I could justbine these two and be done with it, but it feels like I would waste an opportunity. Maybe I could add... Religious Devotee and Crazed Mad diator to the mix? Though I like their independent effects, dammit. "Hahhh, this isn''t as easy as fusing Skills, I always have a million skills so its easy to throw a lot into a fusion thing, but Privileges are few and precious..." I muttered. "Tyr do you have a privilege you can gift to me?" "What?! Why would I even... I think mine were shattered when my entire body and soul was transformed into what you know as "the evil god" unfortunately," he answered inly. "But isn''t your System really overpowered? Just ask him if you can buy Privileges." "Wait, true! Hey System, I do remember I unlocked a new System Ability recently... right? It''s called [Outer Void Goddess Shop], right? I used it to get that Party Ticket." I said. [After my evolution and the many new System Abilities I acquired, the [Outer Void Goddess Shop] is perhaps the strongest, it allows me to practically "hack" the tower and absorb itsponents, therefore I can sell you mostly everything that can be sold. And yes, in a higher floor, there''s a shop that sells Privileges.] "Woah! Really?" [Everythinges for a price though, I am sure you know, you''re quite greedy too, always saving your System Points instead of spending them. You hoard them a lot!] "Well, unless I really need to use them, there''s no need to waste them in unnecessary things, right? If I know I can win or defeat a foe, or get a clutch with my friends or family, why would I buy an item to facilitate the process?" [That''s definitely the mind of a greedy person! But well, although the item list is vast, there is no such item that can save you from a life-or-death situation. Most of them are situational, and can be used in interesting ways, but aren''t omnipotent items that can do all the job for you... Nheless, here''s what I can offer you that would fit you, miss greedy.] [Opening [Outer Void Goddess Shop]!] [Showcasing items that have been selected to be specifically useful for the user at this moment.] [Spiritual Beast (C Rank Privilege)] [Cost]: [50.000.000 System Points] [Giant''s Fist (C Rank Privilege)] [Cost]: [50.000.000 System Points] [These two privileges are both cheap and fit the other two privileges you''re fusing. These are the most fitting and cheapest for miss greedy.] "Don''t call me miss greedy! But sure, let''s take these!" I nodded fervently. Ding! Ding! [You have exchanged 50.000.000 System Points.] [You acquired the [Spiritual Beast (C Rank Privilege)]!] [You have exchanged 50.000.000 System Points.] [You acquired the [Giant''s Fist (C Rank Privilege)]!] "Nice! With this, let''s begin immediately!" I touched the marble and quickly chose all the privileges I wanted. Ding! [You have chosen the following Privileges for Fusion using the [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)], [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)], [Spiritual Beast (C Rank Privilege)], and [Giant''s Fist (C Rank Privilege)]!] FLUOSH! I felt a tremendous power surging through my Origin Core, which spread across my new physical body and every fiber of my muscles, bones, skin, flesh, and everything. I felt so much stronger, mightier... And my bones were full of calcium! Wait, what? Ding! [Privilege Fusion has been a sess!] [Congrattions! You have sessfully fused the Divine Privileges: [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)], [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)], [Spiritual Beast (C Rank Privilege)], and [Giant''s Fist (C Rank Privilege)] into the Divine Fusion Privilege: [Skeletal Titan Goddess of the Stars: Itzpapalotl (S Rank Privilege)]!] Huh?! What with that Privilege? I did feel stronger physically and all but... Skeletal goddess of the stars? Oh my god, and that name is really cool too, I''m fairly sure that''s an Aztec goddess! "I think I got a pretty insane Privilege..." I muttered. "Ah, yeah, my bones... They feel very strong now, almost as if- Uwaah?!" Suddenly I realized my bones wereing out of my own skin, covering my entire body. Chapter 1181: A New And Powerful Privilege Chapter 1181: A New And Powerful Privilege ? Ding! [You have chosen the following Privileges for Fusion using the [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)], [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)], [Spiritual Beast (C Rank Privilege)], and [Giant''s Fist (C Rank Privilege)]!]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [Privilege Fusion has been a sess!] [Congrattions! You have sessfully fused the Divine Privileges: [Privilege Fusion Marble (SS Grade)]: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)], [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)], [Spiritual Beast (C Rank Privilege)], and [Giant''s Fist (C Rank Privilege)] into the Divine Fusion Privilege: [Skeletal Titan Goddess of the Stars: Itzpapalotl (S Rank Privilege)]!] Huh?! What with that Privilege? I did feel stronger physically and all but... Skeletal goddess of the stars? Oh my god, and that name is really cool too, I''m fairly sure that''s an Aztec goddess! That''s kind of cool and all, but why skeletons and bones? Did the Privilege somehow change based in my powers and abilities? Was it altered somehow? "I think I got a pretty insane Privilege..." I muttered. "Ah, yeah, my bones... They feel very strong now, almost as if- Uwaah?!" However, the surprises didn''t end there, I did feel like my new bones had a lot of calcium, but I never imagined this was quite literally my bones bing stronger. Suddenly I realized my bones wereing out of my own skin, covering my entire body. "Huh?! Maria?" Tyr panicked, ring at me with his big ol'' red-colored eye, at the same time, Root and the rest of the Divine Spirits panicked, as my entire body was covered on my own ck bones. "Um... So this just happened, huh?" I muttered. "It is like an armor of my own bones, a bit freaky but I kind of find it interesting... So this Privilege does this?" "Try to concentrate! Privileges usually have automatic effects, but you can also turn them off as you please," said Tyr. "Calm down, breathe in and out and-" "Ah, there!" I quickly returned back to normal. "Nothing I couldn''t handle anyways~!" "Huh?! That was way too fast... it''s unfair!"ined Tyr. "Hahaha, what? Did it take you a while to master Privileges or something?" I wondered with a teasing smile. "It''s not the same for me, remember that I am a super talented, gifted, genius ghost woman eldritch deity and etcetera, blessed by gods and outer gods, so I am obviously going to get it easier than... I don''t know, whatever you were?" "You''re getting way too cocky now! Hey!" Tyrined, but I did enjoy his anger from time to time, it was refreshing. Anyways, I checked the new Privilege to not waste my time, it was the result of fourbinations, so it ended being S Rank right away. [Skeletal Titan Goddess of the Stars: Itzpapalotl (S Rank Privilege)] A Special Divine Fusion Privilege born from the fusion of Four Privileges: [Jotun''s Might (B Rank Privilege)], [F¨¢rbauti Cruel Strike (C Rank Privilege)], [Spiritual Beast (C Rank Privilege)], and [Giant''s Fist (C Rank Privilege)]. A Divine Power created from thebination of powerful Privileges and also your Divinities within your Origin Core. By channeling the Primordial Powers of the ancient Records of Itzpapalotl, the fallen skeletal goddess of stars, you can reinforce the Toughness, Durability, Strength, and Energy Reserves of your bones, muscles, and the rest of your body whenever you like by using Mana and other energies by up to 2.000%, with an additional boost to Attack and Defense Stats of 500%. Whenever you''re in danger or facing a powerful foe, you will naturally unleash {Titan Skeleton Goddess of the Stars Transformation}, which will temporarily transform your body, making your bones epass youpletely and turning you into a manifestation of the ancient Itzpapalotl, further increasing your Stats by 500%. In this form, you will be able to unleash three powerful Divine Techniques connected to your Privilege: {Itzpapalotl''s Starlight Bone Weapons}: Manifest your bones and transform them into a myriad of different and powerful weapons, whose Stats is based on +500% your current Bones Strength, Toughness, and Durability. Any attack using these weapons will unleash powerful {Starlight Explosions}, dealing up to +2.000% Damage and ignoring up to 70% of a foe''s total defenses. Especially effective against Divine, Giant, Undead, Mythic, and Cmity-type beings. {???}: Yet to be discovered. {???}: Yet to be discovered. To discover and unlock the other two Abilities, please absorb the Bones of many powerful beings. "Huh? This is pretty good, but having two of the abilities sealed feels like a rip-off!" Iined. "Rip-off?!" Tyr asked. "The Privilege is already better than thebination of the Privileges you used; shouldn''t you be happy with that for now?" "I guess so..." I muttered. "Well, I do have a lot of transformation Skills, so another is kind of..." "Well that''s your fighting style, you''re a shapeshifter that takes different forms and shapes to adapt to your foes fighting styles and abilities, or environment," he exined. "I am sure it''ll be of good use." "Hahah, if you put it that way, maybe! Yeah..." I nodded. All of the extra stats will probably make things a bit boring, but I am sure that they''lle in handy if I end up facing a ridiculously strong foe, which is always a possibility in the Tower, especially other worlds. Though, now that I think about it, I don''t have any armor skill, right? So this suits me well, a full body armor based on my damn bones sounds crazy for a Necromancer, so I guess I should be a bit happier about it. "Well, now that I am done with this, the only thing left are these skill items..." I looked at the two [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket (SS Grade)], and the single [Divine Skill Evolution Ticket: Deep Sea Monsters Soul Fragments (SS Grade)] and [Divine Skill Evolution Scroll: King of the Depths'' Soul (SSS Grade)] items. "Hmm, I have so many skills already, I think that''s enough for today..." I said. "More and I''ll feel sick, I want to chill and do other things... Like hanging out with friends and family, so let''s end it for now." "Alright," Tyr nodded. "I was getting bored of seeing you getting new powers all the time too, let''s do something more productive! How about we have a meal instead?" "Of course that''s the only thing you want..." I sighed. Chapter 1182: Dragon Family Reunited Chapter 1182: Dragon Family Reunited ? The time to move to the Tower was slowlying for everyone, and with Maria doing thest preparations, some of her friends grew slightly restless, they didn''t really want her to leave so quickly, but they understood that wanting to see her family again was one of the things she wanted to do the most. They knew that no one could apany her anymore, there were just too many people, and bringing a whole army of people to the tower was simply ridiculous. Bringing her entire family was already ridiculous enough, they were too many people, ording to Eustace, only moved in groups of four at most. Yet Maria was going with eight people! The number was double that! Eustace ha never heard of suchrge groups of people moving around the tower ever, mostly because of the risks that implied being such arge group, including the costs of food and more, and how trials could divide everyone if they didn''t have the special Party Ticket. Of course, not everyone was crazy about going with her though, and right now she was trying to rx for thesest days with her friends and family, especially with new family members that have joined, such as Violet, the elder sister of Crystal, someone thought to have died long ago. Maria, Lucifer, Violet, Brunhild, and a few other family members were sitting around thefortable living room, near the chimney while enjoying some snacks and hot drinks. "It has been over a week since you all returned, but even now I can hardly believe you were alive, Violet..." Brunhild kept weeping as she saw Violet sitting by her side, looking at her with a bored expression as she ate cookies and drank hot chocte. "Come on Brunhild, how long are you going to keep crying like a baby?" sighed Violet. "We already all cried the first few days, a lot happened, many were lost, but that''s it! We''ve got our whole lives ahead of ourselves now and I want to live for my sister, and also for her cute daughter... At least, that''s... my coping mechanism." "I totally understand how you feel," nodded Brunhild. "And you''re right, I''m just a crybaby at this point... I just... well..." "I suppose she doesn''t want to borate further, but my sister here spent a lot of time alone in the mountains of the dwarves," said Lucifer. "Unlike us who spent most of our time sleeping so it didn''t feelpletely despairing... It was a bit different with her, she was awake through all these years." "She was...?" Violet muttered. "I... damn, why didn''t you ever tell me about it?!" "I''m sorry, I just didn''t want to make you feel upset..." Brunhild apologized. "But yeah... A lot happened!" "By a lot she means loving the old dwarf king that made that kingdom, marrying him, and having kids with him!" Mariamented out of nowhere. "The whole royal family of that kingdom has dragon blood on them, did you know?" "E-Eh?!" Violet gasped. "Brunhild?! I had no idea you were into those small hairy dwarves! Hahahahaha! Now that''s rich, the reserved and cold Brunhild loving a dwarf king?! Oh my gosh if our people were alive this would make such a good gossip!" "M-Maria! Did you had to tell her like that?!" Brunhild felt embarrassed. "And that was so long ago too! My goodness! I wanted to talk about it slowly over time... Ugh." "I''m so sorry Brunhild, but I know you wouldn''t tell her, you feel embarrassed for that," sighed Maria. "You should feel happy about the love you felt with that man, even if he''s no longer with us, I am sure your love continues, right? And I am sure he still loves you too, wherever he is. Your descendants are like your kids after all, you''ve been taking care of them this whole time. Now there''s nobody in that kingdom that doesn''t know about Brunhild the Dragon Guardian!" "Y-Yeah... I... I love them," sighed Brunhild. "They''re indeed my precious children but... E- Even then, it is weird, right, Violet? I guess it was mostly because there were no dragons for me to mate... so at the end, I chose a different race, a man that loved me despite the being I was..." "There''s nothing weird about it! Love is love, Brunhild!" Violetughed. "Just look there! Isn''t Maria like... she was a human right? And Lucifer here is like a death dragon now or whatever, and they love each other. Didn''t you ever thought that if I didn''t mind them, I wouldn''t mind you either? Come on! I am not an asshole..." "Violet..." Brunhild started weeping again, running towards Violet, and hugging her tightly. "I love you sis!" "W-Wait, hold on a bit, Brunhild, aagh!" Violet groaned; she didn''t like getting touchy with people. "You''re as touchy as I remember you, huh?" "I''m just happy! I thought I was the only one, but there are now four of us! Lucifer, you, little Nyx, and me! Our family... it has truly grown bigger! Right baby girl?" "Yeah!" Nyx nodded as she was stuffing herself eating cookies. "I like having two aunties!" "Heh, aren''t you the cutest?" Violet giggled, kissing Nyx''s forehead. "I can already see how strong you''ll grow once you''re a full fledged adult, little Nyx! Once you hit that stage, maybe your auntie can teach you how to be a true big and bad dragon!" "Woow! Really?!" Nyx was excited.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yeah! You begin by burning viges and..." As Violet talked, Maria and Lucifer''s faces distorted in horror while Nyx heard with excitement. "Hahaha! I''m joking, we never did something like that!"ughed Violet. "If anything, that we dragons are evil beasts is all just fabrications of that damn church, we''re good and peaceful people that lived our own lives in our own ce. But yeah, we do have some traditions here and there... Oh right! I forgot to ask you Brunhild! So how was that king in bed? If you married a dwarf I bet he was pretty good, eh? And if he got you pregnant..." "V-Violet! Why do you have to ask such embarrassing things?! And even in front of the child! Ugh!" Brunhild was dying of embarrassment. "Hahahaha! Sorry, my bad! I''m just happy to have a family again!" Chapter 1183: Meeting Old Friends 1 Chapter 1183: Meeting Old Friends 1 ? To have some fun before departing, Maria andpany decided to go visit the Dwarf Kingdom again after a long while, bringing forth new faces that had never visited the ce, such as Fabian and his friends, and also Nia, Celes, and Eustace. "Woah, what with this ce?" Fabian gasped. "So many things... and steam?!" "Why is that carriage moving on its own?! It has no horses?" Beery jumped out of surprise. "Look! Look! They''re selling some weird fluffy colorful thing, it smells sweet! What''s that? they''re making it using a machine!" said Spectra. "It looks so colorful, but smells like sugar...?" Nick asked. "This ce''s so incredible!" Garon said. "That''s cotton candy kids," said Maria with a giggle. "They make it using a special machine, it''s really tasty! Do you want to give it a try?" "I want too!" Celes jumped, grabbing Maria''s dress. "Of course dear! Let''s go have some cotton candy then!" Maria nodded with a giggle. "Nyx, want some too?" "Oooh, cotton candy?! Yeaah!" Nyx came running towards Maria after she was called. She was mostly distracted from looking everywhere. As they all ran to buy cotton candy for the kids, there was a couple here that were having a date together amidst all the chaos. "This ce is so amazing... I never visited this ce before, Veredorr..." Tear smiled as she looked around, holding the hand of her boyfriend. "It is a pretty amazing ce, yeah!" Veredorr nodded, his pale skin was growing red from all the steam everywhere. "Really hot though... I visited it when I was a ghost, so I didn''t feel it at all, but yeah, this ce''s really something... How can dwarves just be fine in this heat?" "Haha! I guess we''re the weirdos here, we''re too used to the cold," giggled Tear. "I suppose so," Veredorr smiled, looking at Tear''s adorable attire, she was wearing a very beautiful white summer dress, and afortable-looking straw hat for the sun that was rather strong in the mornings here. "You look beautiful today as well." "E-Eh?" Tear was caught off guard with the suddenpliment, growing as red as a tomato, her blue skin turning red was also a very cute thing. "Geez... I am not that pretty... Seriously, I don''t know what you find cute about me..." "Everything?" Veredorrughed. "You''re the most beautiful woman in the world, Tear." "V-Veredorr, you''re embarrassing me...!" Tear covered her face with her big hands, as Veredorr smiled happily. He never thought that after his sacrifice he would somehowe back to life, even after everything that has happened, even after Tear became what she did... It was all thanks to her, to Maria, that he and Tear could now share a walk, like a normal couple, flirt with one another, and smile carefreely. "Sorry, maybe I went a bit too far..." Veredorr sighed. "I''m just... so happy to be here now, with you. I know it sounds ridiculous but, every time you caressed my Soul Core, every time you talked to me... I heard it, I always did." "Really?" Tear skipped a beat. "Yes, and I felt relieved you were there for me, even when I had died, even when my own existence... was barely a fragment of my own self," sighed Veredorr. "Your words, your warmth, your caress... I still remember them, and I also remember hearing you and everyone else, through the many adventures you had. A lot happened, isn''t it? You''ve changed too, Tear. Those adventures, those hardships... They''ve made you stronger and more dependable than ever before." "Heh... W-Well! Of course! I did a lot, right? I grew stronger, and I am still trying to redeem myself, but with you at my side, I know I can do it," she smiled. "I-I... I love you Veredorr..." "Tear..." Veredorr felt shocked by her confession out of nowhere. "I love you too!" "Veredorr!" "Tear!" Veredorr''s big giant girlfriend grabbed him with her hands and lifted him up, as she carried him the two kissed lovingly. It was a rather unusual scene, the size difference was very apparent, and many of the citizens watched with surprise. Most of the dwarvesughed a bit at it, some smiled, others felt embarrassed, but they couldn''t care less about what the world had to say about their rtionship. Right now, the two were together, and that''s all what mattered, they were happy together, in their own world. "Want me to buy you some cotton candy? I saw that you were eyeing it for a while," Veredorr sat over Tear''s shoulder. "E-Eh?! Ah... well, it does look a bit interesting..." Tear gulped saliva. Veredorr knew from back then when they lived close to one another, that Tear would devour any sweets he would rarely find, fruits, little candies, anything would do for her. As everyone continued their day there, Maria and her family finally reached a friend''s house, a dwarf mother of many, married to a Majin man. Knock, knock! "Hello! Is someone there~?" She knocked the door very loudly, until someone came running to open the door angrily. "Okay who is it?! Who is knocking the door so damn hard you piece of shit- Ah, Maria?! Long time no see!" It was a beautiful dwarf woman with red hair made into braids and freckles, with a tomboyish attitude and a motherly smile.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Helga! I brought the whole family today! Can we fit inside?" "Woah, what in the world?! You sure got a HUGE family!"ughed Helga. "Good thing we got arger house now! Lucifer! Emeraldine, Partner! How have you been?!" "We''ve been good, thank you Helga, a lot has happened," Lucifer smiled warmly. "Yeah, too much I would say!" giggled Emeraldine. "d to see you fine and healthy!" "Yep! We fought a few monsters here and there, a few gods... but it''s alright," Partner nodded. "Honest to god work." "E-Eh? Wait, what?!" Helga gasped. "Okay, you gotta tell me all of that right now! Myriad! Kids! We''ve got guests! Maria came back!" "Wait, what? Maria?!" Myriad responded from afar, Maria assumed he was on his workshop most likely. "Auntie Mariaaaa!" "Uncle Lucifer!" "Auntie Emeraldine is here?" "Auntie Partner looks so beautiful!" And also all five of Helga and Myriad children came running, it was a big family, but even then, they were very weing. Chapter 1184: Meeting Old Friends 2 Chapter 1184: Meeting Old Friends 2 ? A lot has happened since thest time we met with Helga, honestly. Too much has happened, I would dare say. I felt slightly nostalgicing back to the dwarven Kingdom and meeting with her and her family again. It has been over a year since we met, I would say it''s been two years by now? Yeah, it has been a long, long, long while! Her kids are all grown up now, I can''t believe that two years was all it took for most of them to get so tall. I guess their father''s genes were kicking in strong there, although a few remained smaller. "Come in! Come in!" Helga happily received us. Veredorr and Tear though, had gone somewhere else, they were on their own date, so I didn''t want to bother them. But they sure were being lovey-dovey all over the ce! Every ten seconds they were kissing or flirting with one another, damn. a bit I bet they went to a hotel because I''m sure that after all that kissing and flirting, they got a excited... Well, it''s almost certain because Veredorr asked me if I knew of a ce to stay for a few hours. So I guess Veredorr will be father pretty soon, seeing the rate in which they... well, do it. "Wee back, Maria! Everyone! Wow, you brought a lot of new friends! Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, and little Nyx too, wee back!" Myriad, Helga''s husband, a tall red-skinned Majin man wearing sses and looking nerdy despite his big and muscr build, weed us with a humble smile. "Thank you! Yeah I brought a lot of new friends here... This is Fabian, Beery, Nick, Garon, and Spectra! They''re kids we adopted when we went to visit the golden sand confederation!" "Nice to meetcha!" "Hi..." "Wow, the house is big!" "Hello!" "Thank you for your hospitality." "A lot of kids here! Huh!"ughed Helga. "Oh! There you are, Laura and Takeshi too! You''ve got so many kids, are you opening an orphanage, Maria? Hahaha!" "Aaah, I guess so? Hahaha! Anyways, what do you have for lunch?" I smiled cheekily. "My goodness! Aren''t you hungry?" sighed Helga. "Can''t be helped! Let''s make a huge feast for everyone, Maria brought a whole battalion here, hahaha!" "I guess so," sighed Myriad, nodding. "Don''t worry I brought a lot of stuff too! Come on, do you think we''re like that?" I said. "Yeah, I brought a lot of veggies from our farm!" Emeraldine carried with her a bag full of fresh vegetables. "Got some game I hunted on the way here..." Partner said. "I can bleed it out and skin it really quick and we got some fresh Snow Deer meat!" "I brought a lot of ingredients as well," said Lucifer. "Mostly a lot of spices and stuff from the desert countries, I am sure you''ll like it." Helga and Myriad immediately became happier, quickly weing us inside. We helped them cook while I introduced them to the rest of my family, including Nia, Celes, and Jonathan. I was pretty open about Jonathan and Nia being my romantic partners, and Helga was a bit surprised but didn''t really mind at the end. "Well we all know you''re pretty unsatiable, you already had three before and now five, haha!"ughed Helga. "Well! Your family is sure warm and weing, and this boy, is he well behaved?" "I am!" Celes nodded cutely. "I like auntie Maria''s family, everyone is nice... A-And Nyx is cute... and the best!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Is that so? Hehehe!" Helga smiled at Celes. "So you like her~?" "E-Eeeh?!" Celes grew redder. "T-That''s not... it....!" We couldn''t help but smile and giggle a bit, the little kid was too cute. "Thank you for your hospitality," said Nia. "It really means a lot! I am still getting to know the life of my dear, so it''s nice to know she has so many different friends! It is a bit overwhelming, but it''s nice. Your city is so beautiful and advanced too! Nothing like the city I came from." "Is that so, haha! d you like the ce, can get really noise sometimes, so sorry if you can''t sleep well," sighed Helga. "Us dwarves got the obsession with constructing stuff all the time, so you''ll see dwarves making shit everywhere, be careful when walking on the streets too!" "A-Ah! Yes!" Nia nodded, making several mental noses as she heard Helga''s warnings. She was really cute. "I also have to thank you," said Jonathan. "It really means a lot." "Oh my, weren''t you a hero or something? You''re always wee here, mister hero!" Helga said. "Right Myriad?" "Eh? Ah, yeah!" Myriad nodded from afar, he was roasting a lot of meat with Partner and Lucifer''s help in their backyard. "And this is my brother! The very reason we went to the sands was for him! Arthur be nice and say hi," I said, bringing my brother who had been rather silent, he''s not that good with social interactions. "H-Hi, thank you for having me, miss Helga," Arthur said nervously. "Hahaha! No need to be so stiff, young man! So you''re Maria''s brother, huh? A lot must have happened... I''m just d you''re alright," Helga smiled, petting his head. "Thank you..." Arthur looked genuinely happy for a bit. Nice, I did well in bringing him along, he really didn''t want toe, but I need him to learn to socialize a bit at the very least! Most of the time he just likes spending time in the library or inside his room. I guess it''s overwhelming how much life has changed for him. "Arthur! Want toe with us? We''re going to buy some groceries!" suddenly Laura stepped in, holding his arm. My brother blushed a bit. "Ah, Laura, sure..." he nodded calmly, walking out with Laura and Takeshi. Well, thankfully those two are doing their best to be his friends. And... I can already tell Laura likes him a lot. My brother blushed when she touched him, so maybe he reciprocates? We''ll see! Anyways, once we were done cooking and my brother came back with Laura and Takeshi bringing freshly baked bread and cheese from the nearby bakery, we had a huge feast with Helga''s family. Overall, it was a really nice day, and I enjoyed myself more than I thought. Slowly, I am getting ready to depart. Chapter 1185: Time To Get Going! Chapter 1185: Time To Get Going! ? A week had passed since then, and it was finally to depart and descend the tower, explore other worlds to get stronger, reach Earth, and see if my family... If my original family is still alive. I can''t stay there for too long unfortunately, as I muste back before the entire war begins, I can''t let Odin get away with everything he has done. Therefore, descending the tower, doing the trials, and receiving the many rewards will help our growth, ording to Frigga and many other gods. Even Hel said it would help us, so it can''t be helped. Right now, we were in front of our friends and some family members, right outside of the little city we''ve built. I already left behind a Perfect Divine Body and Soul fusion in the castle, so I''ll technically will still be with them, it epasses the Seas and Sunlight Thrones, so those don''t destabilize or are stolen by others. However, everyone still insisted on saying goodbyes to me, well, my family wouldn''t remain here, so I guess it''s to them mostly, but still! "Please take care, everyone!" said Tear with a gentle smile. "We''ll be waiting for your return!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yeah! Please take care and survive!" said Veredorr. "We''ll take care of this ce in your absence. I promise." Those two seemed really happy together, I can confidently trust them, they''re fairly strong too. Veredorr is rapidly gaining back all his levels and developing new abilities too, and Tear is already very strong. "Mom, take care please! Everyone else too! Aunties too!" Takeshi said. "We''ll train and be stronger, so once youe back, we are likepletely different people!" said Laura. I wish I could bring them along! But they insisted on staying and training, dammit. Well, they did say they weren''t interested in Earth anymore. "I wish you the best of lucks, auntie Maria, everyone else!" Fabian said. "Yeah!" Garon nodded. "Why are you leaving so soon?" Beery cried. "Come on Beery, don''t cry now!" Nick reprimanded him. "We''ll do our best to protect your house!" said Spectra. Those brats all look pretty happy, good for them! I hope they keep training but also keep learning from the small school we made inside the vige. "It is a pity we can''t go..." Francesco cried. "Please take care and don''t forget us!" Silvio said. "Oh well, what can we do about it? You two should stop being such crybabies!"ughed Catarina. "It''s Maria after all, they''ll be fine anyways." "Big sis, what''s the tower anyways?" little Silva asked. "Woof! Woof! AWO0000!" ckie said goodbyes on his own way. And them, well... they''re happy as they are. Silvio and Francesco are the vige''s beloved fire ghosts that heat every single chimney and cook a lot of food, they were especially helpful in the harsh winters when the Frost Queen was still active and... well, evil. Catarina, Silva, and Little ckie had be quite the peculiar and strong trio, and I''m sure they''re destined for greatness, though they''re taking their sweet time in my vige, not like I mind anyway. "We''ll take care of the ce while you''re away, everyone," said the Goblin Chief Gobu. "Take careee auntieee!" Gofumin said cutely. "Yeeaaaah!" Bellerine leaped into the air as she also joined. "As we''ve done before, this ce will be in good hands, so rest assured!" Syllis said proudly. "Indeed, please do what you must," nodded the young Demon Prince Hermes, while his retainers Gustaf and Cecilia remained in silence by his side. "We will protect this precious home you''ve built in our absence." "Then, master, I''ll continue with whatever I can do repairing the Astral Vessel," said Akhenaton, the pharaoh. The three parts of this flying magic spaceship necessary to reach the divine realm of this world was already secured, and he was taking care of it right now. "Gaaaooooo!" Kuro roared, saying goodbye, he wanted toe, but I left him behind so he could take care of the city with his strength. "Gebobobobo!" Mercury, the big metal slime, was the same. "OOOHHH..." Darkbound, the giant death knight groaned, waving his big hand. "Shyeeeehh! Krieeek!" Pyro, a giant zing spider I had recruited long ago, also said her goodbyes. "Awooooo! Come on dude, howl! Aren''t you a werewolf too?!" w, a former servant of the Frost Queen that was a white werewolf chief, howled on his giant wolf form, his current appearance after being raised as an undead. "Um... I-I would rather not..." sighed a werewolf man by his side, he was the shy and mysterious Beowulf, a silent vampire werewolf that was the former servant of one of the Vampires we in. I had interacted very little with him, but maybe one day he''ll get to talk more. "I-I will do my best to take care of the vampires for you, master Maria!" Kimiko said timidly, the Japanese descendant katana-wielding vampire girl we found back in the desert. I had left her in charge of most of the Vampires we ended "recruiting" which well, still kept their minds or thoughts. The rest are my personal vampire soldiers. "Well, Lucifer, Nyx, please take care! I''ll keep Brunhild over here in check, so she doesn''t end up hocking with another dwarf and making more dwarves with dragon bloodline, hahaha!"ughed Violet, what a way to say goodbye. "W-What?! I would never do such a thing!" cried Brunhild, facepalming. "Nyx please be careful okay? Listen to your father and your mother! And Lucifer! Don''t be too grumpy!" With everything said and done, we teleported to the underwater kingdom of Aquarose, where the King, the Queen, and the princesses were waiting for us, the door to Floor 49 of the Tower was right there. A door that had been sealed for thousands of years, it was finally unsealed, and ready for us to step into it and descend this tower. "You''re leaving then!" the King said. "Best of lucks, our saviors!" "We will keep the door sealed once you leave," said the queen. "You''ll be able to open it on your own from outside." "Alright then! Thanks!" I said with a nod. "Okay everyone, let''s do this!" Lucifer, Emeraldine, Partner, Jonathan, Nyx, Celes, Nia, Arthur, Arachne, Myconidas, and my spirits. They all came with me, I used the Party Ticket, and quickly stepped into the door with them. FLASH! And what we saw in the other side was... Huh? What the hell is this?! Chapter 1186: Floor 49 Trial: High School Magic Battle Fantasy Chapter 1186: Floor 49 Trial: High School Magic Battle Fantasy ? The ticket in my hands turned into particles of light, epassing all of us in its brilliance, and creating a powerful connection between each one of our souls. Ding! [You have used the [Party Ticket], all registered members of your group have be part of your Party! You will now share the same Trials, Quests, and other things. However, the Trials that are personal will have their difficulty increased based in the amount of members and their strength.]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om [Registered Party Members]: [Maria (Leader)] [Lucifer] [Emeraldine] [Partner] [Nyx] [Celes] [Nia] [Jonathan] [Arthur] [Arachne] [Those that are contracted to someone else as familiars will not be registered as Tower''s yers but as [Helpers], they cannot move around the Tower on their own but can be moved as long as their contractor brings them along.] Interesting, so that''s how it works, alright! Without further ado, we stepped into the huge gate in the underwater kingdom. We didn''t know where this would even lead us to. But we had to trust out gut. Eustace said that every trial was personal and unique, sometimes it was battles, and sometimes, somethingpletely different. Let''s go then, no point in hesitating. While my hands trembled slightly, I stepped forward, and so did everyone else with me. FLASH! As I moved forwards, it felt like my body and soul passed through several membranes. These membranes separated the world of Yggdrasil from whatever was beyond our eyes. All I saw was white, there was nothing. Then words appeared. [Analyzing... Higher Floor beings have been detected to have stepped down into the Tower.] [Administrating Penalties... ERROR.] [The Higher Floor beings have yet toplete any of the Trials, and the party leader''s {Boundless} Status have made them unable to receive penalties at the moment.] [All Party Members benefit from {Boundless}; penalties have been cancelled.] [You and your party have entered into the {Floor 49 Trial: High School Magic Battle Fantasy}!] Huh? Once the world around us finally became clearer, we all found ourselves inside somewhere, arge building, and there were many other people with us. I looked at the ceiling, this ce was all too familiar to me, in my first life. Yeah, I can perfectly recall this damned ce. The teenagers running around, talking, gossiping, preparing themselves for sses. The professors looked tired and exhausted, without really wanting to get anywhere. And then us... Yes, we were here, wearing... high school uniforms. The skirt was red and ck squares, white shirt, and red uniform. Even my usually long, messy hair was all nicely tied up into several braids, resting behind my back. I just... was leftpletely shocked. I was speechless. And the annoying sound of so many brats talking everywhere wasn''t nice either! Then, the shock continued, as I nced to my party, they were all right behind me. All of them were also wearing uniforms. Males wore male uniforms, with simr color schemes, and females... well, wore female uniforms, duh. Even Myconidas was wearing... oh, female uniform, alright. I guess he does look cute with- Wait, that''s not what I should be concentrating on right now! Oh my gosh, Nyx looked so cute in her first-year uniform though, Celes as well! And Emeraldine, Partner, and Nia just left me speechless. I never imagined I would want to see my cuties wearing high school uniforms! They look stunning! Gaaaahh! What the hell is this trial?! "W-What in the world? Where is this ce?" wondered Lucifer, he was the first to talk. "Woooah! So many people..." said Nyx, looking around. "Mama! Where are we?" "This is... the notification said something about a High School?" Jonathan wondered, looking very handsome. "Y-Yeah... Um, I don''t feel sofortable with such short skirts..." Nia was constantly trying to push her skimpy skirt down a bit, trying to cover her beautiful, brown-skinned thighs. I wanted to bite them; they were so thick. "Why did our clothes just change out of nowhere?! My equipment! Where is it?" wondered Emeraldine. "Is this what Trials are? So strange!" "Yeah, I don''t like this one bit!" said Partner. "Um, and there are so many damn brats running everywhere- Ack! Oi! Stop running around!" Partner reprimanded a group of kid that rana cross the corridor. "Hahaha, run, you''re making Partner angry!" "Sorry, sorry!" "Seriously why is she so grumpy all the time?" Students were talking as if they knew Partner from before. Okay, this is a bit freaky. "Can we get any context?" I wondered, looking around. Ding! And then, finally, something showed up to clear our confusion. [You and your party have entered into the {Floor 49 Trial: High School Magic Battle Fantasy}!] [To pass this Trial, you must survive in the High School for 7 Days. Don''t worry, as time will pass very fast inside of herepared to the rest of the Tower.] [Aside from surviving, there are four Tasks you and your party mustplete, and two more hidden Tasks that you can find andplete for extra rewards.] [Pass the five Battle Tests: 0/5] [Compete with other students and defeat them in the Student Arena: 0/10] [y the Beasts thate from the Fragmented Nightmare Realms: 0/300] [Ascend your Party to a minimum of Silver Rank: No Rank/Silver Rank] [???] [???] [If you cannotplete the tasks within 7 days, the Trial will be reset back to the first day until you canplete it or all party members die.] "Oi, oi, this is a bit too much, we''ll be here for a whole week?!" Partnerined. "Well, it says the time goes fast so... Maybe we should enjoy it?" wondered Emeraldine. "Though I am worried about my equipment, where is it? Oh?" FLASH! Suddenly, by willing it, Emeraldine summoned her bow, and I also felt like her previous clothes were still equipped to her. "I think our equipment came with us, it simply became the uniform," I exined. "I can feel my dress is the same. And weaponse out whenever we just summon them, interestingly enough..." "Hoh, this trial is weird, it''s like we were inserted into an already existing world, is this all just an illusion?" wondered Lucifer. "Ah, dammit..." suddenly Eustace''s voice echoed behind us. "No, it''s not an illusion, you got the hardest trial you could have gotten... I guess it''s because the party is big. Okay, listen to me. You got a Transmigration Trial." "Transmigration?!" Author''s Note: Okay so this will be the next big arc! It''ll be packed with a lot of new and great characters I love, and Maria and her family will go through many new experiences. Especially Maria, who will be able to relive her high school years and get to enjoy things a little bit. At the same time, the threat of this world and its mysteries will be unfolded slowly, and be assured, this world is much moreplex and deeper than it appears in the surface. This will be an arc where Maria will go through a lot of character development too. Chapter 1187: Nightmare Apocalypse World Chapter 1187: Nightmare Apocalypse World ? As Eustace revealed this to us, the system suddenly feed us with more context, thankfully the tower wasn''t merciless enough to leave us to figure everything out within a damn week. [Wee to the {Floor 49 Trial: High School Magic Battle Fantasy}!] [A world that interweaves magic and special powers with modernity and daily life, this is the world of Azure Star, very simr to Earth, it is a world divided in many countries, and you''vended directly in Battle Academy City, situated all the way in the middle of the artificial ind of Azure Bridge, where students from all over the world gather to learn how to use their special magic abilities to battle the ever growing threat of the {Fragmented Nightmare Worlds} born from human''s nightmares and negative emotions.] [You and your Party have been Transmigrated as the Academy''s top students, youngsters gifted with incredible abilities, and it is now your chance to show off all the amazing powers you''ve cultivated in another worlds and surprise your peers! Complete the Tasks given within the seven days to pass the Trial and move on to Floor 48''s Trial.] [Be careful though! This world is nothing but a {Apocalypse World} that once belonged to the Tower but was destroyed by something that happened within this very city! Will you be able to find out what? And does that even matter to you?] [Maybe the Hidden Tasks have something to do with that? Oops! I''ve talked too much now. Have fun in this brief yet entertaining school life you wish you had before!] [Time Limit: 7 Days] [If you cannotplete the tasks within 7 days, the Trial will be reset back to the first day until you canplete it, or all of the party members die.] Wait, what?! Hold on a second, this is too much to swallow! Apocalypse World?!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om So this world was destroyed, and now the tower trial somehow brought it back? How does that even works? Did it rewind time or recreated it out of "Records" from that world? Well, can''t really find out what happened here unless we get moving. "So that''s what it is..." said Lucifer. "A world that was destroyed, so its not a dream or an illusion." "Indeed..." Emeraldine nodded. "How troublesome... Though, slightly interesting!" She seemed rather enthusiastic. "But its weird, why does it reset?" asked Partner. "Wait, are we trapped in here until weplete this trial?" "T-That seems a bitplicated!" Nia muttered. "But um, I will do my best to help! Uh, I am still a bit confused... these uniforms and clothes are so strange, this is truly an alien world, huh?" "Mama, I like it!" said Celes. "Oh, look, my staff appears and disappears!" Celes began summoning and unsummoning his weapon at will, but then... "Ugh..." he suddenly fell to his knees. "C-Celes?!" Nia gasped, as I ran to his side. "Are you okay?" I asked. "There!" I used [Pdin''s Life Sacrifice] to give him my life and heal his sudden exhaustion, he felt better afterwards, but still dizzy. "I-I think I spent all my Mana..." he sighed. "Oof..." "So that''s it?" wondered Emeraldine. "I see, summoning and unsummoning a weapon costs arge quantity of Mana... I think it might be connected to this world''s powers or something, which we''ve also received." "How odd..." Lucifer sighed. "Is the boy fine then?" "Are you?!" Nyx asked Celes. "I-I''m fine, hehe, a bit tired, that''s all!" Celes smiled cutely. His three Water Fairies, the Nymphs appeared around him worriedly checking on him, and then helped him quickly recover his mana again. "Don''t be reckless, master!" "Please be more careful young master..." "Little Celes, don''t spend your mana so recklessly." "Sorry..." Celes sighed. "Um, so what do we do now?" "Hmm..." I was still trying to figure things out, even after being told we were top students of this big academy of magic battles or whatever, it was still pretty confusing. But if this a living, breathing world that somehow got revived just for this trial, then we have to take things more seriously, if possible. I thought Trials were like just small little challenges in between worlds, but I simply had no idea they could be just actual worlds themselves! But... let''s calm down. RIIINNNG! Suddenly, the school bell started sounding very loudly, it meant that today''s sses finally began. "Ugh, what''s that loud sound? So annoying!" Partnerined. "That''s the school bell rm," I exined. "It means that we have to go to sses now. If we''re in this setting as students, it would be better to meld together with the environment as we figure it out." "But what are our sses though? We didn''t even get that information-" FLASH! Suddenly, a golden card appeared in front of my face. "What?" I grabbed the floating card, reading what it said. Student Name: [Maria Belles] Academy ss: [1B] Elemental Specialization: [Death Element/Shadow Element] Dream Heart Weapon: [Halberd of Death/Sword of Darkness] Personality: [A bit Cocky] [Slightly Selfish] [Good at Heart] Likes: [Silent ces] [Nice People] [Sweets] [Undead] [Nightmare Realms] Dislikes: [Noisy ces] [Bullies] [Spicy Food] [Self-Righteous People] Description: Within the {Floor 49 Trial: High School Magic Battle Fantasy}, everyone takes a role in the academy. Right now, you''re the popr exchange student [Maria Belles], a calm and composed beauty with mysterious powers over Death Magic. You belong to ss 1B, and you are working diligently to make friends, despite your gloomy and silent attitude. Right now, you''ve made a couple of friends, and you''ve grown rather attached to the other top students, who share with you the burden of strength. Several boys have crushes on you and will constantly confess to you, and your powers also attract the interest of Nightmares, the monstrous inhabitants of the Fragmented Nightmare Realms. What with that Personality?! "Can everyone read this?" I asked. "Nyx we taught you how to read, right? Celes can read too, right? What about Arachne?" "I can read! It says I belong to ss 3B..." Celes said. "Hey! Why are you not on your sses already? I know you are top students here, but that doesn''t excuse you from skipping sses, youngsters." Suddenly, a tall and muscr man with short white hair and beard appeared, ring down at us with his big blue eyes, crossing his arms. Ding! [Warning! You have been spotted by a professor! Professor and other figures of authority can halt your progress in the trial, be careful!] [A {Figure of Authority} has set their eyes on you. While you''re below his {Authority Gaze}, all Stats and Abilities Power decreases by 90%] Huh... Chapter 1188: Dream Heart Weapon Study Class Chapter 1188: Dream Heart Weapon Study ss ? "Hmm, it says I am from ss 2B..." Arachne said. "It says I''m from Celes same ss!" Nyx pointed out. "Huh," I nodded. "Alright, let''s gather. Who is from ss 1B?" Lucifer, Jonathan, Emeraldine, Partner, and Nia joined my side. Then there was those for ss 2B, which was only Arachne and my brother Arthur. Then for 3B, which was Nyx and Celes only. Myconidas was counted as my familiar, so he wasn''t a student and was inside my shadows right now. "Hey! Why are you not on your sses already? I know you are top students here, but that doesn''t excuse you from skipping sses, youngsters." Suddenly, a tall and muscr man with short white hair and beard appeared, ring down at us with his big blue eyes, crossing his arms. I suddenly felt strangely weak before his authority, as if I was actually a student being scolded, instead of the grown ass woman I was! Ding! [Warning! You have been spotted by a professor! Professor and other figures of authority can halt your progress in the trial, be careful!] [A {Figure of Authority} has set their eyes on you. While you''re below his {Authority Gaze}, all Stats and Abilities Power decreases by 90%] You''re kidding me right?! As I panicked I noticed that there was a little thing above his head. What''s this? Name: [Hendrick Constance] Academy Position: [Professor of Close Combat and Weapon Arts] Elemental Specialization: [Fire Element (Major)/Earth Element (Minor)] Dream Heart Weapon: [Gauntlets of the Volcanic Dragon] Personality: [Temperamental] [Righteous] [Manly] [Gentle of Heart] Likes: [Obedient Students] [Hardworking People] [Spicy Food] [Beer] [Blood Pumping Battles] Dislikes: [Disobedient Students] [Punks] [Sweets] [Nightmares] Wait, I can even see their info?! However, my family was confused and didn''t know what to say, I think only I can see their info. Is it because of my own System? Whatever the case, I have to use this info to settle down his anger. "We are very sorry, Professor Hendrick! We were actually discussing about pushing our limits and working hard! And we kind of lost ourselves there... we''ll be on our way!" He squinted his eyes but after seeing that I was "being honest" with my cutest face, he sighed, letting us be. "Hmph, then go to ss already!" Ding! [The {Figure of Authority} Ability: {Authority Gaze} has been deactivated after you''ve convinced them that you didn''t mean to trespass the academy rules.] [All debuffs have disappeared and your Stats and Skill Power have returned to normal.] "Anyways, let''s go to our separate ssrooms," I told my family. "Let''s separate if possible. Celes, Nyx, be careful, okay? Also Arthur and Arachne, please get along." They nodded, those that belonged to my ss followed me, while the rest went on their way after. With my enhanced senses I heard them asking a janitor about the ssrooms and he guided them there. Phew... This Trial, despite looking all cute, was rather intense. The school, corridors, and even the ssrooms looked a lot like modern ssrooms, blue, white colored, beautifully clean though. Kind of resembled Japanese high schools, now that I saw it more clearly, like the whole buildings and their entire structures. As we entered the huge ssroom with Lucifer, Jonathan, Emeraldine, Partner, and Nia, we were quickly given a huge amount of stares by many students. "Well, well, ratherte to ss, hm Lady Maria? Do you have an excuse this time?" Suddenly, a slightly annoyeddy greeted me, a teacher with long blue hair tied into a ponytail and sharp golden eyes, she looked to be around her early thirties, wearing sses to look smarter. She was wearing tight ck pants, ck heels, and a white blouse, while holding what resembled a magic grimoire. Ding! [Warning! A professor seems slightly angered at you for beingte to ss! Their {Authority Gaze} has activated slightly, decreasing all your Stats and Skill Power by 30%] Oh for fuck''s sake, again?! "I''m very sorry, we ended talking too much about the subjects of today''s ss, Miss... uh." Name: [Frederica Eastbern] Academy Position: [Professor of Dream Heart Weapon Study] Elemental Specialization: [Ice Element] Dream Heart Weapon: [Frost Fairy Grimoire] Personality: [Cold] [Strict] [Feminine] Likes: [Obedient Students] [Silent Students] [Cold Meals] [Sweets] [Good Quality Wine] [Reading a Good Book (Fantasy Romance)] Dislikes: [Disobedient Students] [Punks] [Bullies] [Spicy Food] [Noisy or Annoying People] Wow, this is really useful, alright. "Miss Frederica... We were actually just talking about. Um, the Dream Heart Weapons." "Is that so? Well! Come sit down and learn more then, students. As top students, please try to be an example to follow next time." "Yes..." The problem now was, which seats were ours?! However, that problem was easily solved as a glowing color appeared on the seat that was for me. The same was for the others, so they sat down in their correct ces.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Phew, finally, we did manage to get there without many problems. As we sat down, they just wouldn''t stop talking to me through telepathy. "W-What do we do now?! Do I sit down and just do that?!" Lucifer asked. "T-This is... I remember going to the Knight Academy before, it slightly reminds me of those times, haha... But I''m weirded out, this ce''s so alien!" said Jonathan. "Ugh, I thought trials would be about fighting monsters..." Partner groaned. "I have never gone to an academy or school before! This is a bit exciting!" said Emeraldine. "Yeah, yeah, just concentrate on what they''re going to teach us, it might give us more clues about everything," I told them. As I dismissed them, I decided to just immerse myself into the character and listen to the professor in front of me. "Anyways, as I was saying, most people develop their Dream Hearts at a young age whenever they''re exposed to the Soot, the ck dust thates out of the Fractured Nightmare Realms," exined the teacher. "Most of you must already know this and already have one, but Dream Hearts grow stronger the more you defeat Nightmares and also by having strong aspirations, emotions, and bonds with other people. And so, Dream Heart Weapons grow stronger, evolve, or develop new abilities through this very development. Any questions?" I quickly raised my hand almost instantly. "Oh? Yes miss Maria?" the professor asked, as the whole ss stared at me. "What''s exactly the Soot? And where did these Realms originate from?" Chapter 1189: Q&A Chapter 1189: Q&A ? "Most of you must already know this and already have one, but Dream Hearts grow stronger the more you defeat Nightmares and also by having strong aspirations, emotions, and bonds with other people. And so, Dream Heart Weapons grow stronger, evolve, or develop new abilities through this very development. Any questions?" I quickly raised my hand almost instantly. As I listened to the sses attentively, I couldn''t help but end up asking the big questions. "Oh? Yes miss Maria?" the professor asked, as the whole ss stared at me. "What''s exactly the Soot? And where did these Realms originate from?" After my question, Frederica''s eyebrows rose a bit. "I believe that''s something that everyone knows, but! I suppose you want to refresh your memory for theing exams, yes?" she asked. "Well, first of all, the origin of the Fragmented Nightmare Realms goes back fifty years ago, when the first one was reported in Dragon Country, which ended with the death of half of the poption of the city of Shin Shanghai. Since then, Fragmented Nightmare Realms have appeared across the entire world, never-ending, they have brought both new dangers and also new opportunities to our world." "I see..." "It is believed that they originate from humans themselves, as it has been studied that these portals usually appear within densely popted areas, and that people naturally produce Negative Energy through a myriad of ways," exined the woman. "Usually, after a while, all of such energies condense and amass into a fragmented nightmare realm, epassing the nightmares of the poption around them. And this is where the Nightmares, inhabitants of these Realms, emerge." "Nightmares?" I asked. "They''re entities born from humans'' negativity, hatred, sins, and our inner darkness," exined the woman. "There are various types, from the Beast-type and Monster-type Nightmares, the mostmons, to the rare Demi-human-type, Demon-type, and the strongest of them all, Divine-type Nightmares, with only two of them to have ever been reported in the entire world so far. These smarter Nightmares work together to actively destroy humanity, they often have psychopathic tendencies and do not answer to reason, so they must be eliminated on sight, just like any. They may look like us sometimes... but they''re definitely not people." "So that''s how it is..." I nodded. "And about Soot?" "Soot is the supernatural, or well, as some would like to call it, "Magical" Substance generated from the Fragmented Nightmare Realms, the longer these Realms are open, the more the surroundings are exposed to it," she exined. "People that is contaminated with it either develop a sickness and die, or adapt to it, absorb it, and refine it into Dream Power, which fuels our abilities and magic. Once enough Dream Power is umted... poof! Your Heart evolves, crystalizing and bing a Dream Heart. And once you can grow your Dream Heart enough, a Dream Heart Weapon can manifest, born from your deepest desires, talents, bonds, aspirations, and dreams." "Wow..." I gasped. "So we''re survivors then!" "Y-Yes, exactly," she muttered. "Maria, did you forget all of this?" "Of course not! I was just refreshing my mind," I said with a nobledy-like attitude. "Anyways, thank you for refreshing my mind, miss Frederica." "Heh, well, I''m d I could be of any help to our talented exchange student," the professor smiled. "Now, students, open your books and go to page 36 of Dream Heart Weapon Manifestation studies. We''ll be reading about the many types of Dream Heart Weapons and their purposes, alright?" "Yes-" The students all nodded and quickly opened their books, I quickly did the same, checking the pictures and everything inside. We were really in another world, with their own history, people, abilities, enemies, everything. It was moreplete than I could have ever imagined too! I opened the book rather hastily, looking at its contents and reading along the teacher, who despite being cold, was rather nice when it came to teaching. Nightmares, Fragmented Nightmare Realms, Soot, Dream Hearts, and Dream Heart Weapons were all unique to this world, and I can''t remember any phenomena like this in Yggdrasil at all. this means our current weapons, the things we carried along, they ended bing our Dream Heart Weapons automatically, and were renamed too. Also our powers have been condensed, and even though our stats and skills remain the same, and perhaps even magic to an extent, things feel... I don''t know, assimted? Its like whatever power system of this world is, it has already absorbed our own powers and allowed us to have them back, but on the world''s own rules. It''s not like we''ve grown weaker, technically, but our abilities mighty present themselves differently, if that makes any sense. I exined this to my family as we read the books, most of them were reading with interest, although Arachne fell asleep during ss. "Um, auntie Maria, where are we?" Suddenly, I saw Myconidas appearing out of my shadows, looking around the ss. "W-Wait, Myconidas!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om I tried to stop him as everyone nced at me panicking. "What''s wrong?" the teacher asked. Wait, she doesn''t see him? So he''s invincible to them? How is this possible? Maybe unless I add "Soot" to him to manifest him into reality, he can remain unseen. Well that''s convenient! So he works kind of like Spirits, Spirits can''t be usually seen either. But when they attack or do magic or something, they can be seen. "N-Nothing! My stomach, ouch! It ached a bit, but I''m fine, thank you for worrying though, Miss Frederica," I said. "I see, if it hurts too much, you should get to the infirmary, Maria," she said. "Anyways, let''s continue on our sses, shall we? First of all, there are six main types of Dream Heart Weapons." The teacher started drawing on the board using her hands, it was a virtual board, very amazing. She drew what resembled a sword, axe, hammer, and spear, then a gun and bow, then a book and a staff, and then what resembled a creature like a monster, a shield and armor, and then other tools, such as cooking utensils, sses, alchemy tools, and so on. Hoh, this is pretty interesting... Chapter 1190: Hello Fellow Students Chapter 1190: Hello Fellow Students ? After pretending that my panicking words were because of my belly hurting, the professor continued her exnations. "Anyways, let''s continue on our sses, shall we? First of all, there are six main types of Dream Heart Weapons." The teacher started drawing on the board using her hands, it was a virtual board, very amazing. She drew what resembled a sword, axe, hammer, and spear, then a gun and bow, then a book and a staff, and then what resembled a creature like a monster, a shield and armor, and then other tools, such as cooking utensils, sses, alchemy tools, and so on. Hoh, this is pretty interesting...n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "The first one are Physical Close-Combat Weapons," she exined. "This epasses Swords, Spears, Hammers, Axes, and any adjacent to them." "Thenes long-ranged physical weapons, such as guns, rifles, cannons, and also bows, crossbows, longbows, and even ballista and so on." "Afterwards, there''s the magical types, grimoires, staffs, rods, and other small artifacts, these can manifest in more than grimoires, staffs, and wands, but they usually all share the same ability of allowing a user to conjure Spells of all sorts, and as they grow, they offer more Spells avable, such as my Grimoire. Healers are also catalogued in the Magic Types, but they could be said to be a subcategory, there are healers that can attack, and those that can''t. Some can protect and also buff allies, and so on." "Moving on, there''s the familiar type, these weapons can manifest in the form of living beings that are bound to the user, usually very powerful guardians, or small, mischievous beings with their own arsenal of spells and unique abilities. They are quite rare." "Then we move to protection types, such as shields and armors, they specialize on protecting the user, so they can''t quite be called "weapons" but that''s how they''re qualified, although if it were up to me, I would rename them Dream Heart Artifacts, but the people called them weapons because most of the time they''re weapons and- Ahem, I''ve gone too off-topic, anyways,stly..." "Lastly... Well, the Tool-type weapons, theye in a variety of shapes and forms, some more useless than others. They usually help a person perform... well, daily activities a bit better? Usually not qualified to join Fragmented Nightmare Realm raids, although they have greatly improved our daily lives, so they aren''t so useless." And that''s how she ended exining every type, it was quite intriguing, even more because my character information said I had two weapons... "And what about the Elements, teacher?" Emeraldine suddenly asked. "Elements! Yes, we will talk about them on another asion though, look at that! Time has gone flying, it should be break time in a few minutes," miss Frederica smiled. "Because you''ll have on-field sses after today, you may rest until then. It''ll be a tedious Monday. Professor Hendrick is rather enthusiastic about today''s Nightmare Hunting. Also, remember that this Thursday there''ll be the Student Arena, where you''ll be free to challenge whoever you want for battle! Of course, below certain conditions and with the strict supervision of everyone." RIIINNNGGG! "Anyways! You are dismissed, have a nice day, students." Frederica quickly packed her things and left right after the school bell ringing reverberated, she really just wanted to leave. Phew, well, that''s one ss alright. I guess I should- "Maria! What''s gotten into you? Refreshing your mind? Since when you have been so forgetful of such simple subjects?" Suddenly, a pretty pink-haired girl walked to my side, wearing the same uniform as I did. Her big emerald eyes and her the red ribbon over her head quickly brought my attention. She was rather small and chubby, making her look cuter. But who is this? "Seriously, I didn''t think you woulde sote to sses... Since when are you close to Lucifer? Jonathan... well, you two definitely have something, but Lucifer? Won''t Jonathan get jealous?" Another girl stepped in, she had long gray hair and gentle-looking silver eyes, with a slenderplexion unlike the chubby pink-haired girl. "Hahaha! For being so reserved you sure like ying around with the boys'' hearts,"ughed yet another girl, thest of the trio, a brown-skinned girl with short blonde hair and sharp orange eyes, she looked tall and strong, rather tomboyish. "Can''t you leave some for us at least?" "O-Oh... Um." I was still trying to process this. Did the Maria of this world already had three friends aside from Emeraldine and the rest of my family?! I quickly took a look at my family members, and there were simr scenes too! Emeraldine was surrounded by two girls, one blonde girl with pointy ears like her and another smaller white haired girl with also pointy ears. So in this world these pointy eared elves exist too? What''s the context behind that? At least Emeraldine was trying to be friendly with them. Though, it wasn''t the case for Lucifer. "Who the hell are you?!" he roared angrily at a pair of guys that were trying to talk to him. They looked like just your average dude bros, tall, strong looking, one had messy ck hair and the other short red hair, they were shocked Lucifer was acting as if he had never seen them in his life. And well, he hasn''t! "W-What the hell has gotten into you dude, did you have amnesia?" "It''s us, our friends? We''ve literally known each other for two yeas now! Come on." "What? Why would I ever be friends with a bunch of human kids-" "Lucifer! Stop it! You''re going to mess everything if you act like that! Just be friendly with them and pretend to be their friends! This is a trial!" "A-Ah... Ahem, I mean... Hah! It was... a joke, dude." Him trying to act like a youngster was almost about to make me cry out ofughter. "Hahaha, yeah dude, what the hell? Terrible joke." "Not cool man, you better buy us something to drink now to forgive you. Let''s go to the cafeteria already! They got tonkatsu sandwiches!" "Hurry before they run out!" "A-Ah, yeah...!" Lucifer was dragged away almost forcefully... well, I hope he''s well. Meanwhile, I noticed that Partner was... alone. And Jonathan was surrounded by a lot of girls giving him their lunches, and one tall, handsome white-haired guy with pointy ears. "Jonathan, can you try my sandwich? I made this specifically for you! It has all the stuff you said you liked!" "No wait, please eat this! I made these muffins with all my love..." "I-I brought you a drink... You always drink apple juice, so I guessed you liked it." "Oh man, I''m so hungry, can''t you girls share some for me too?" the white-haired guy asked. Is he the brother of Emeraldine''s "friend"? He looks simr. "Hahah... E-Erm, thank you!" Jonathan was trying to act nice, but he felt overwhelmed already. "You''re all so... so nice!" he winked at them. And the girlspletely lost it. "Kyaaaaahhh~!" "He winked at me!" "Jonathan, you''re so cool!" Their eyes even turned into hearts for a moment, wow. Yeah he can handle it for now, no need to help him, he got this. But anyways, why is Partner alone? Well, I think she''s happy like that. Lastly, Nia was also alone... She seemed slightly nervous. "Hey Maria, hello? Earth to Maria? Someone alive there?" The blonde girl kept bugging me. "Aaaah, yes, yes, I''m just sleepy..." I muttered. "Um..." I decided to quickly look at their info and see who the hell are these girls first! Chapter 1191: Emily, Alma, and Sofia Chapter 1191: Emily, Alma, and Sofia ? I looked at the annoying girls and their status to learn more about who the hell were they. Firs the tomboy, she''s annoying, but kind of cute. Name: [Emily Tompson] Academy ss: [1B] Elemental Specialization: [Lightning (Major)/Metal (Minor)] Dream Heart Weapon: [Metallic Thunder Sentinel Armor (Protection/Attack type)] Personality: [Cheerful] [Tomboyish] [Hyperactive] [Very Friendly] Likes: [Noisy People] [Any Type of Food] [Hanging out with Friends] [Strong Friendship Bonds] [Fighting] Dislikes: [Manners] [Stuck-up People] [Boring People] [Silent People] Huh, Emily then! She''s the typical tomboyish "Genki" type of girl, eh? Her dislikes are weird though, isn''t my character Silent, Stuck-up, and Boring? Yet she likes me? Huh? Then the pink-haired chubby girl, which seems like the nicest. Name: [Alma Anderberg] Academy ss: [1B] Elemental Specialization: [Water] Dream Heart Weapon: [Water Spirit Staff Undine (Healing, Buffing, Protection Type)] Personality: [Gentle] [Nice] [Cute] [Friendly] [Forgiving] [Insecure] Likes: [Her Friends] [Sweets and Snacks] [Cute Animals and Pets] Dislikes: [Fighting] [Bullies] [Difficulties] [Herself] Alma... Damn, she''s... well, Insecure and she dislikes herself. This made me feel a bit bad now, poor girl. Is it because of her weight? Hmm. Well, moving on, to the third girl, the slender, silver-eyed and gray-haired girl that looks like your average model studentdy. Name: [Sofia Mikhailov] Academy ss: [1B] Elemental Specialization: [Light] Dream Heart Weapon: [Six-Winged Archangel Automata (Familiar Type)] Personality: [Jealous] [Pretentious] [Narcissistic] Likes: [Herself] [Expensive Things] [When they Praise Her] [Her Father] Dislikes: [Maria] [Overly Nice People] [Stupid People] [Those that Don''t Know Their ce] Eh? This bitch dislikes me? What? While pretending to be my friend too?! Hm, I have to be wary of her, she''s the type of people that you can''t really trust! Anyways, based in their names I can guess that Emily is American, definitely, Alma is Sweden I think, and then miss narcissistic is Russian. "Hey, Maria?" wondered Sofia. "What''s wrong? Maybe your belly still hurts? Want us to bring you to the infirmary?" "A-Ah, no, I''m fine, thank you Sofia," I gave her a fake smile. "I was just thinking about... About Partner, she''s alone, why?" "Huh? Why are you asking about her?" Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Don''t you remember? You two fought the other day and there was a huge mess. She hates you..." "Wait what?" I asked, looking at my cute Partner, she''s just in her own world eating a lunchbox that materialized at her side. "Um, yeah... It was quite rough," said Alma. "She''s very unfriendly... I-I''ve tried to talk to her but she... she calls me a pig..." "Ehhh?!" I gasped. "Yeah she''s too rough! I kind of like her attitude a bit but she''s too much of a hater even for me!" said Emily. "Meh, well, leave her be, she wants to be alone. You won the match anyways, Maria. Ain''t nobody losing against your undead army anyways." "Hahah! Indeed," Sofia waved her gray hair. "Anyways, shall we go eat something at the cafeteria? If your belly is fine, let me buy you something, Maria." "Um? Ah... well... Sure! Go ahead, I''ll catch up to you right away, gotta look at something in here.., I forgot to write," I said. "AH, sure, then let''s go girls," Sofia led the two other girls who obediently followed her. Well, there they go. Now, let''s go check on them. I walked towards Partner first. The moment I did, a few of the ssmates that remained in the ssroom looked at us. Were they expecting a fight to break out? "Partner, you ok?" "Yeah I''m fine, I''m lucky nobody''s bothering me, ahaha! You got new friends out of nowhere, master, what the hell?" "Hahaha! Yeah it''s crazy." We were talking through telepathy though, we were only staring at one another intensively, making people instinctively step back nervously. "They''re about to fight, right?" "Damn... it''s about to break out!" "Should we call the teacher?" Partner red at me. "What the hell is wrong with them?" "I think there was a fight between our characters. Did you read your character description?" "Nope..." "Come on! Read it!" "Fine..." She read the golden card, and her eyes almost came out of her skull. "The hell is this?!" She mmed her desk angrily, making some students run away. "Yeeah, you''re like a bully or something, and you hate me... But let''s just pretend we got along now, okay?" "Suuure. Whatever," she told me, finally standing up and giving me her hand. "Let''s get along for now, Maria. I don''t want to fight anymore. I recognize you''re strong." "Sure! Let''s be friends from now on, Partner!" I said happily, giving her a handshake. The students gasped. "Wait, they got along?!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Huh? Friends?!" "Sofia is not going to like this at all..." "What the hell!" Jonathan, Emeraldine, and Nia also were watching, finding the whole interaction... really dumb. Yes I know it''s dumb, bear with me! "Okay, Partner recruited!" I said to myself. "Now..." I looked at Nia. "Nia! Did you read your card?" I asked her through telepathy. "Ahh! Y-Yes! Is Celes okay, Maria?" "He''s fine, he''s ying with the other kids right now." "Hah, that''s a relief." She exined to me her character was apparently another exchange student like me, someone that came from "Nile" which might be like a parallel Egypt of sorts. Apparently because she was very awkward and silent, she had yet to make any friends. "Nia we''re both exchange students, so wanna hang out?" I asked her personally. "S-Sure!" Nia smiled cutely. "Thank you so much!" she hugged me. The students once more made a ruckus. "She just became friends with the weirdo from Nile?!" "Eeeeh?!" "That was easy... Wow, Maria sure is good at making friends!" Ignoring them, I moved to Emeraldine. Her two friends red at me suspiciously, they were protective of her, a bit. "Emeraldine, hi!" I said. "Are these your friends?" I asked her. "Yes, these are Anneliese and Adele!" she presented them to me. "Sorry girls, Maria was my friend for a while, but I''ve been keeping it a secret!" She was really good at acting! I think she kind of liked this ce... "E-Eeeh? Is that true, Emeraldine?" the little Anneliese with white hair and yellow eyes gasped. "I-I seriously didn''t know..." the taller blonde, Adele, muttered. "Well yes, that''s that!" I said. "Jonathan! Come over!" "Yes ma''am!" Jonathan ran to my side. And then the whole ss went insane. "§¦§¦§¦§¦§¯§¯§¯?!" Oops, I forgot to do the whole... pretend thing with him. "W-Wait a second! Jonathan?!" "He just ran to Maria like he''s her dog..." "So the rumors of the two of them together..." "Is it true?!" The girls that liked him were dying inside, and his friend, the elf guy, walked to us. "Hahaha, dude, you just came running to see her," heughed. "Ah, Maria this is my... err, friend. His name''s Bernhard, I think he''s Annaliese''s brother, right?" Jonathan asked. "Yes, that''s my cute little sister over there," smiled Bernhard, looking all pure and nice. Though, I couldn''t help but think there was something odd about him. "Anyways, let''s go to the cafeteria together! As students I think it''s important we get along, all of us! R-Right?! So let''s go! Partner too!" I dragged everyone to the cafeteria, where we met with Celes, Nyx, Arachne, and Arthur, alongside Sofia, Emily, and Alma. The trio that was Maria''s friends were allpletely shocked I brought so many friends. "Maria! W-What is the meaning of this? Not only you brought all these people but... Partner too?!" Sofia waspletely furious. "Yep~ Deal with it," I shrugged. "What did you say?!" I think the one that hated Partner was her, not me... Chapter 1192: Stay On Character! Chapter 1192: Stay On Character! ? Sofia was shaken by my attitude; she was someone that seemed to not like Partner, or the character she had be, at all. I guess I could say I can understand to an extent. I mean, she''s supposed to be an evil bully girl or something, right? But even then, if we never move on from that things might be worse in this trial, so it''s better to forgive her, well, there''s nothing to forgive for me! But still, we have to pretend to forgive her? "Maria, you have to think this better! Partner''s always bullying you, don''t you remember?" wondered Sofia. "Right girls?" she asked our friends. Emily and Alma looked at one another and nodded. "Uuh, yeah! I mean, she''s very annoying..." said Emily. "She''s not the type of person you should get involved with, Maria." "T-That''s... Um, I... well, she''s mean," muttered Alma, rather shyly. "Huh..." Partner red at them with a bored expression, the girls thought she was being mean though. "Eek!" Alma covered her face with her little hands. "P-Please don''t hurt me! I-I''m so sorry!" "Come on now, don''t intimidate Alma like that, Partner!" Emily said, hugging her friend. "Hah, looks like I ended bing someone that really made a terrible reputation out of themselves," sighed Partner, sitting at my side and crossing her arms. "It''s a bit annoying but what can we do... I''ll be a better person from now on, I promise!" "E-Eeh?!" Alma cried. "...Really?" "Yes! I''m sorry for what I did..." said Partner. "And... Err, let''s get along? I''ll give you anything you want topensate... Like, um, whatever you want." "That''s... things won''t solve themselves so easily..." Alma looked elsewhere. "That''s right! You can''t just say you''ll be better and then make everyone just ept that!" said Sofia. "You should first start with your actions, like, for a whole month just behave. Then maybe we can talk." "A whole month?! We don''t have time for this!" Partner groaned, hitting the table. "Eek!" Alma cried again, she was quite the crybaby. "Tsk! Come on already, Partner! Wanna go or what?!" asked Emily, suddenly standing up. "Just leave us alone!" Jesus, these girls really love drama. I guess they are indeed high school girls. Partner looked at me. I waved my head, clearly telling her to not engage in fights. Yet... "Sure." She smiled defiantly at Emily! "Wait! No! No fights!" I said, putting myself between the two. "Please Emily be nicer, if Partner does something I''ll stop her. We just need to give her a second chance! Please... believe me, aren''t I your friend?" I asked Emily, grabbing her hands. She blushed a bit, trying to not meet my gaze. "I-I mean... Eeehh... I-If you insist! Haha... You''re too nice, Maria." I knew it! Her status did say something about liking Maria, so I abused that. It''s a bit cruel, but what else can I do. "Eeeh?!" cried Alma. "Emily, you were convinced so easily!" "I mean... Maria is our best friend, right?" Emily smiled, without wanting to let go of my hands. "So I want to trust her!" This tomboyish girl was too easy to manipte, it made me feel a bit bad. "Emily..." Alma muttered. "W-Well, Maria... yes, Maria is my friend too, right?" "Of course!" I nodded. I just knew them today but let''s roll with that. If I was back in high school I would definitely befriend girls like these, maybe. And this isn''t really an illusion but it''s all real, right? Like an entire world... that was destroyed and revived only for a trial. It''s both cruel and bizarre, but at the same time, perhaps it''s fine to be like this with others. To try to be friendly and make their lives better. These people, all of them died after all... "W-Well... P-Partner, you''ve... been very mean to me since I joined the school..." Alma muttered. "D-Do you truly mean it?" "I do," Partner nodded, she tried to be a bit more serious. "I''m sorry..." "Okay... I''ll try to trust you just because of Emily and Maria!" Alma muttered. "B-But if you ever go back to it I won''t ever forgive you ever again...! N-Neither Emily nor Maria too!" "Eh?! Alma?!" Emily felt shocked. "Okay, don''t worry," Partner smiled, nodding as she crossed her arms. "Let''s get along, Alma. I''m very sorry, you can insult me back all you want to make up for it too. Maybe even hit me? I won''t mind." "I-I would never do such a thing!" Alma sighed. "Do you only understand through only being physically hit, Partner? I don''t like hurting others... It''s wrong, you know..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Wrong?" Partner tilted her head. "I... well, sorry." It seemed as if Partner was slowly learning new things here. Maybe this isn''t just a trial, but a new opportunity for us to learn new things, especially my family. They''ll be able to socialize with many youths and learn about many ways people live too. "d they got along!" Nyx pped. "Amazing! Mama, auntie, you did it!" Nyx was right by our side. "Mama?" wondered Emily. "But Nyx''s Lucifer''s little sister, isn''t she?!" "A-Ah, sister?!" Iughed a bit. "Ah, yeah, I mean... Yes! It''s just a little game, we were ying and she calls me mama now... Leave her be, she''s just a child after all, I don''t really mind." I caressed Nyx''s head as I winked at her. She gasped a bit, realizing it was an act. "Y-Yeah! She''s mama, but it''s a game!" Nyx winked at them. "Huh?" "Hm?" Wait, did she had to wink at them though? Emily and Alma were still a bit confused, but they didn''t mind it either anyways. Well, whatever... "Hahhh... This is unbelievable! How could you just betray me like this!" Sofia angrily said. "I thought you were my friends! I''ve given you so much, and now you side with Maria and her insanity?" Our Russian friend wasn''t really happy either way. "Come on Sofia, let''s get along, don''t be selfish," said Emily. "Y-yeah, we have to get along with everyone, let''s try," Alma smiled cutely. "T-That''s! I just can''t with you all, you''re all so dumb!" Sofia angrily said. "And you, Maria! What the hell is wrong with you?! Ugh, I''m out of here! And- Huh?" "Are you sure you should be leaving like that, Sofia?" Suddenly, Jonathan asked her, as she noticed he was with us. "J-Jonathan...?!" She blushed like a cute and innocent maiden, immediately stopping from getting away from us. Oh, I see what''s going on here. I think I understand now why she hates Maria. Chapter 1193: This Might Be Our Greatest Challenge So Far! Chapter 1193: This Might Be Our Greatest Challenge So Far! ? Although we convinced two of the three friends around Maria''s circle of friends, Sofia, the arrogant Russian youngdy that disliked Maria to begin with, waspletely against the idea. "Come on Sofia, let''s get along, don''t be selfish," said Emily insisted. "Y-yeah, we have to get along with everyone, let''s try," Alma smiled cutely, trying to convince her with her adorable smile. But that didn''t work, Sofia was a stone-cold youngdy, and a very arrogant, selfish one at that. It wasn''t that Partner meant anything to her, she didn''t mind at all. But befriending Partner probably was a thing of ss for her. "T-That''s it! I just can''t with you all, you''re all so dumb!" Sofia angrily said. "And you, Maria! What the hell is wrong with you?! Ugh, I''m out of here! And- Huh?" However, Sofia suddenly stopped her track from escaping. Honestly I wasn''t going to continue trying to convince her, the girls clearly preferred me over her at the end, and she doesn''t even like us. I don''t think she likes any of her friends... she''s very mean and probably is our friend just for images. "Are you sure you should be leaving like that, Sofia?" Suddenly, Jonathan asked her, as she noticed he was with us. His beautiful blue eyes sparkled, as his handsome face met hers. "J-Jonathan...?!" The two looked at one another, sparkles appeared everywhere, I could even see flowers blooming in the atmosphere. What the hell is this? Was this world an Otome Game all along?! She blushed like a cute and innocent maiden, immediately stopping from getting away fromn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om us. Oh, I see what''s going on here. I think I understand now why she hates Maria. It''s because the character Jonathan is, probably has a crush on Maria or something, based on the rumors about him being with me. Then Sofia likes Jonathan, makes sense, he''s kind of a perfect handsome young knight, a true hero. Light magic, swordsmanship, tall, muscr, yet also lean build, handsome face, big blue eyes, blonde hair. He''s indeed quite the perfect man, and he''s also gentle and heroic, merciful... Dammit this guy, does he even have a w?! If anything, it would be his naivety I guess, he''s easily manipted by others. Like it happened with the Church of Odin and the Empire of Light when they were able to stop him from stopping my execution. Back then he had the power to stop it but ended just seeing me getting killed. It was because they had his family hostage though, and they threatened on killing them if he acted. So that''s why I don''t really have any grudge against him... But he changed now, and he is putting me before his own family even, he doesn''t even know how they''re doing at all. But well, that''s that, and this is this. "Come on Sofia, you''re making Jonathan look sad," I said. "Let''s get along! I''ve also bought Jonathan, Emeraldine, Nia, and many other friends! How about we expand our friend group? Us four is too little!" "E-Eeeh? Jonathan is... do you want to?" Sofia muttered, blushing even more. "Well yes, if you don''t mind, I would dly be your friend, Sofia!" Jonathan smiled, winking at her. That''s my boy, show her your divine rizz! "J-Jo... Jonathan..." Sofia waspletely and utterly won over. "Well! Whatever... I mean, I suppose we need more friends to do the iing exams. The year of just written and practical stuff is now over, the next exams are all in the field after all, us four won''t be enough. Most parties areposed of six members... Fine, fine!" The Russian youngdy sat down again; we were left slightly dumbfounded. "Man, you''re good at this," Jonathan''s friend, the tall elf man Bernhardughed, patting Jonathan''s shoulders. "Not bad! I had been thinking about recruiting some cuties for a party! If we could get them with us, we would be unstopable..." "Eh? Is that so..." Jonathan was still a bit lost. "Um, well, let''s get along then..." He''s good at acting he was clearly flustered about this entire ordeal, and I can''t me him for it either way. "Hey, I''m back. Those damn kids wouldn''t let me alone for a single second..." Lucifer stepped in, carrying with him a few bags of chips, cookies, and some drinks. "Want to eat something? I think this contains food, right?" "Ah yes!" I nodded. "This is also going to be our new friend! He said he got on a new leaf!" "Huh?" Lucifer looked at Emily, Alma, Sofia, and the other people of this world that were with us, such as Emeraldine''s elf friends and Bernhard looked at him in surprise. "Even Lucifer...?" Emily muttered. "I-I mean... he''s kind of cool but really?" "Um..." Alma was nervous, but she blushed when he saw Lucifer approach. "Hi... err, did Maria introduce us to you?" "Ah?" Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Right... ahem, yes... of course." "Papa I want snacks!" Nyx started annoying her father. "A-Ah! I mean, big brother!" "Big bro... ther?" Lucifer was even more confused. "Maria, what the hell is going on now?" he asked through telepathy. "I''ll exin things as they go, for now, let''s be all friend with one another," I told him, winking at him. Like that, after a few exnations, the exasperated screams of disbelief of Sofia, and Jonathan trying to calm her down, we enjoyed a small lunch before the sses of today resumed. My family was crazy over the snacks of this world very simr to modern Earth, the cookies, fries, cheese-vored sticks, sugary drinks, and juices, and all those kinds of pastries, sandwiches, and more being sold made them all go insane. They ended eating so much that the students were a big weirded out, even Jonathan ate a lot, Sofia was shocked he could fit all of that on his stomach. [Congrattions! You have managed to keep the friendship with your Character''s Friends stable, while also strengthening it slightly.] [You gained +300 Friendship Points.] Huh? Friendship Points? .... "Alright students! Now that you''ve grown limated to the academyst year and you did all your practice, it''s time to get to the real field of work here!" roared professor Hendrick, crossing his huge and muscr arms. Right now, we found ourselves wearing some armor and equipment over our school uniform, all lined in front of the professor in the school''srge arena-like stadium. "Today we''ll begin your real training!" he smiled. "You''re fighting Nightmares! Prepare yourselves!" Finally, some action! Chapter 1194: Friendship Points Shop Chapter 1194: Friendship Points Shop ? After the break, we found ourselves wearing some armor and equipment over our school uniform, all lined in front of the professor in the school''srge arena-like stadium. It seemed that today all students of several sses, which all happened to belong to my group as well, so even the children could be with us, were here to do some sort of exam. "Alright students! Now that you''ve grown limated to the academyst year and you did all your practice, it''s time to get to the real field of work here!" roared professor Hendrick, crossing his huge and muscr arms. Real field work, huh? So that means... "Today we''ll begin your real training!" he smiled. "You''re fighting Nightmares! Prepare yourselves!" Finally, some action! Nightmares, the origin of this world''s problems and the very reason this entire academy exists to begin with. They emerge from Fractured Nightmare Realms, and are born from people''s negative emotions, nightmares, sins, and so on. There are many types of Nightmares, which we learned about in ss, so we''re really well informed about this world''s primary threat. Yet, even as I heard the professor talking, I just couldn''t shake off the little thing that had appeared in front of me. [Congrattions! You have managed to keep the friendship with your Character''s Friends stable, while also strengthening it slightly.] [You gained +300 Friendship Points.] After managing to keep Sofia as my friend thanks to Jonathan''s charms, this little message had appeared as a bright and pink colored message. Friendship Points... What the hell is that? I had yet to ask the System or the Tower because we''ve been going from one ce to another, and right next to the students. But right before this entire thing started, I went to the bathroom while the rest of the students had fifteen minutes to prepare for the battles. "System, what''s Friendship Points?" I asked as I opened the bathroom and looked at my mirror. Well, look at you, aren''t you a pretty youngdy? Ding! [Friendship Points are a special currency of points you can earn in this Unique Trial only!] [By doing special actions with the Characters of this world, and only them, not your Party Members, you can earn such points.] [These Points can be used to purchase special Effects, Items, or Upgrades in the Friendship Shop, or can even be used to calm down Figures of Authority from directing their indignation or wrath against you.] [They can even be used to calm down a certain Character and make them friendlier with you, although it cannot be done towards Special Characters that are immune to such effects.] [Current Friendship Points: 300] [Showcase Friendship Points Shop?] [Yes] [No] "Uh, sure." I pressed [Yes] and saw the shop; it had more items than I imagined, but they weren''t like I imagined. [Showcasing Friendship Points Shop...] [Avable Friendship Points]: [300] [Cupid Arrow (A Grade)] [Cost]: [3000] [Forgiveness Letter (A Grade)] [Cost]: [2500] [Dream-Visiting Magic Orb (A Grade)] [Cost]: [2200] [Together Strong Band (B Grade)] [Cost]: [2000] [Clue-Finding Magnifying ss (B Grade)] [Cost]: [1800] [Nightmare Detector (C Grade)] [Cost]: [1500] [...] "Huh, interesting." All the items were weird corny stuff, a Cupid Arrow to make someone develop romantic feelings for another character, a letter to make someone forgive you for being mean, something to visit someone else in a dream, a band to... rally people together more easily, I guess that one is more useful. Then there''s a thing to find clues, and a detector of nightmares. Okay not so bad, the Cupid Arrow and the Forgiveness Letter were weird, but the rest are pretty interesting. The thing is, these are all one-time-use items, so they disappear when used only once. So I have to be careful. Maybe they''ll be useful in certain scenarios or events, so I can''t just look down on them so selfishly... "For now, let''s go back." I went back to the area where everyone was, resembling a huge arena, there was literally no other way for me to describe this huge ce. The professor nodded once he saw me return and quickly walk to the side of my friends. "Alright, everyone has trained and done their warmup, time for the real deal!" he said. "Today you''ll be able to finally create your own Parties! Remember that the maximum amount is six people, no more or it bes too bloated! Once you''ve made your party, make a line in front of me, and then we''ll proceed! If I see some of you left out at the end, then you''re making a party forcefully." Ah right, the typical thing, when there are some students that don''t have friends and can''t form a group, they just put those without friends together by default. Its such a shitty move, but I guess it can''t be helped... It did happen to be back in school, more times than I want to admit. "Alright, six party members..." If it were up to me I would immediately choose my family, but with Emily, Alma, and Sofia here, that''ll be impossible. "Alright, we need two more," said Emily. "Who do we pick?" "Maybe Jonathan?" wondered Alma. "I-I mean, he seemed to be your friend, Maria."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Jonathan definitely," said Sofia with a nod. "He''s strong and a good all-rounder, he''ll complement us well! Right Maria?" Her stare was killing me... "I suppose Jonathan, yes." I nodded. It wasn''t that I didn''t want him to join, so whatever. "As for the sixth... Partner, right?" I smiled. "Huh? Her?!" Sofia gasped. "W-Well, it''ll be a nice opportunity for her to show us she''s not a bad person, right?" Emily wondered. "Um, I don''t know if I could trust my back to her yet..." Alma sighed. "B-But if Jonathan and Maria are here, I suppose..." "Hah?! Are you out of your mind, Maria?!" Sofia asked. "You can''t just-" "The only one that can convince Jonathan is me, Sofia, so agree to my demands or we won''t have him with us," I said. "Ah... Y-You''re getting a bit on my nerves today," Sofia sighed, waving her hair. "Whatever! Do as you please! Sheesh, you''re such a bad friend..." Bad friend? Maybe you should look yourself in a mirror... Heh, I think I can manipte her using Jonathan, that was easier than I imagined! Chapter 1195: Entering The Fractured Nightmare Realm Chapter 1195: Entering The Fractured Nightmare Realm ? After Sofia and the other girls insisted on Jonathan joining, I also asked for Partner, Sofia protested though. "Hah?! Are you out of your mind, Maria?!" Sofia asked. "You can''t just-" "The only one that can convince Jonathan is me, Sofia, so agree to my demands or we won''t have him with us," I said. "Ah... Y-You''re getting a bit on my nerves today," Sofia sighed, waving her hair. "Whatever! Do as you please! Sheesh, you''re such a bad friend..." Bad friend? Maybe you should look yourself in a mirror... Heh, I think I can manipte her using Jonathan, that was easier than I imagined! After that, Jonathan and Partner joined, the rest of my family formed their own parties, so it wasn''t that bad. Lucifer, Nyx, Nia, Celes, Arthur, and Arachne formed a party together. Meanwhile, Emeraldine decided to join the elves that liked her so much, plus the two guys that were friends with Lucifer''s character. I was a bit worried about them, especially Emeraldine, so I decided to leave a Divided Ego in their Shadows to monitor and see if everything goes well. "Alright students, follow me!" Professor Hendrick led us through a long tunnel, until we reached another area of this enormous stadium-like building. In there, there were several ck doors with numbers imprinted on them. "If you didn''t know, this academy has rankings based on parties! So right now you''re all No Ranked, but as you defeat Nightmares, pass exams and tests, and progress, you can Rank Up and receive benefits!" said the professor. "For now, today''s test is simple, enter these newbie-level Fractured Nightmare Realms and y ten Nightmares and the Boss. You''re all strong so I am pretty sure there shouldn''t be much of an issue." As the professor exined, I noticed there was a bracelet around our wrists. When did that appear? Was it always there? I seriously didn''t realize. "But if there''s one, don''t doubt on using your bracelets to call for help. We''ll go help you immediately, but that''ll also mean you''ll be disqualified! Okay?" Oh, so there''s such a security system, I guess it''s not too bad, though being too weak ora coward means getting disqualified, an instant F in the exam. And if I want toplete the Trial, we can''t afford that. The professor then walked towards the many doors in front of us, they emanated slight auras of darkness. "Now, chose a door, they''re all the same anyways! You''ll have until the end of the day to get it done, so take your time and be careful. Make sure to employ everything we taught you in sses about Fractured Nightmare Realm exploration!" It was finally beginning! Let''s see what the hell these Nightmare Fractured Realms all are about. "Hmm, let''s pick the lucky number, seven!" said Emily, pointing at that door. "W-Wait! Someone else is going there already!" Alma panicked, noticing that Lucifer''s group quickly opened the door and went in. "By mama! See youter!" Nyx waved her little hand at me. I wanted to give her a kiss and a hug, but I guess that can''t be done right now. "I guess they took that one," I said. "How about four, it''s also a lucky number for some people- Ah." However, Emeraldine''s party quickly choose it as well. At the end, we had to settle with the door number 13, the unlucky number! "W-Why the unlucky number from all of them?!" Alma cried. "Well, it''s not like if it''s an unlucky number or not matters," Jonathan smiled gently. "It''ll be okay, girls." "You think so~? Really?" Sofia wondered, giving him puppy eyes. "If he says so... Well, Maria is with us too, and Sofia''s pretty tough as well, me too! I''m strong, hehe," Emily giggled. "So don''t worry, Alma!" "Anyways, are we going or not? It''s going to be ok," said Partner. "Let''s go!" She opened the door, and we followed behind, I stepped forward right behind Jonathan, quickly finding myself in what resembled... Hm, this looked like the interior of an old manor, probably of thest two centuries or something.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The entire area was made of old, dark brown wood, there were spiderwebs everywhere, the windows were broken, and what was outside was just the ck void. The floor was slightly cracked and there were holes. There was also a huge staircase that split into left and right, with corridors leading further into the manor. There were also little details, such as clocks whose arrows were constantly spinning, chairs and tables with rotten food on top of them. And creepy portraits hanging on the walls near the staircase, with people thatcked faces. Damn this was really giving me the creepy crawlies, how exciting! [Your Party has entered the [Fractured Nightmare Realm]: {Abandoned Manor of the Puppet Master} [Rmended Difficulty Level]: {Grade 5} [Nightmares Present]: [50+] [Nightmare Decaying Rate]: [4%] [Current Task]: [Eliminate at least 10 Nightmares and the Nightmare Lord of the Realm] "Huh, so this is a Grade 5 Nightmare Realm," Emily said. "It looks like some random shabby house, hahah!" "Yeah, its- Wait, Emily!" Suddenly, I heard Alma scream as Emily ran forward, only to trip on a chair that suddenly moved on its own, falling the ground. The wooden floor then fractured and transformed, revealing a huge, fleshy jaw, with countless sharp fangs inside. "Mimicking Puppets!" Sofia called their name, immediately noticing what they were. "Shyaaaggh!" The chairs and the tables quickly grew insect-like legs and jaws with long tongues, rushing towards Emily, who was suddenly wrapped around a slimy tentacle-like tongue. "Uuuaaaggh! What the hell?!" "Emily!" I ran to her help, but then... BOOOM! A sudden explosion of electricity emerged from her body, the Floor Mimic''s mouth was blown off into pieces, blood and wooden pieces sttering everywhere. "Hah, you damn things! Who do you think you''re messing with, huh?!" Emily unleashed her Dream Heart Weapon, a full-body armor made of bronze and gold- colored metal, with sharp spikes all over her body. "Don''t worry about Emily, Maria," Sofiaughed. "She''s the owner of the [Metallic Thunder Sentinel Armor]. If anything, she''s the one we should worry about the least." "OORAH!" With a furious roar, Emily''s armored fists, covered on spikes conducting electricity, punched the Chair Mimicsing after her, blowing them up into pieces. BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! I guess she was pretty strong, then- "§°§°§°§°§¯§¯§¯§¯..." However, a lugubrious voice suddenly startled us. The paintings behind Emily started to shake. Ande to life. "Give me back my face...!" Chapter 1196: Fighting Nightmares Chapter 1196: Fighting Nightmares ? Right after Emily used her armor to fight against the Nightmares, the paintings right behind her started moving and talking... Yes, indeed. "§°§°§°§°§¯§¯§¯§¯..." The paintings started extending out of the canvas, made out of spectral energies and swirling, chaotic nightmare soot, the creatures rapidly grabbed their own canvas and dragged it with them. Giant ws of over three meters each started crawling over the ground, they were four of them all of them exuding a strong aura of Nightmare Energy, turning their surroundings ck. "Give me back my face...!" Their appearances were like monstrous forms of the people in the paintings, with theirck of faces apparently present, and also the "grudge" of these beings. "This is sure something..." Despite having lived in Yggdrasil for so long I never had seen a painting monster, so this is pretty cool, honestly. "GIVE ME BACK MY FACEEE!" They screamed, opening their faceless jaws and unleashing beams of darkness against Emily, she tried to defend, but was blown away. BOOOM! "Ugh!" Her armor was tough so she resisted, but her body was heavy, so she had a hard time controlling where she wouldnd, ending up hitting the ground, shattering the wooden floor, and then hitting the walls at our side. "I''m fine..." she groaned, falling to the ground. "Ugh..." "No you''re not fine! [Water Spirit Staff Undine]!" Alma ran towards Emily, conjuring a staff made of azure metal and with a huge bubble of water on top. Then, the staff released a blue glow, as water epassed Emily, a spiritual water that quickly healed her internal injuries. "MY FACEEEE!" The four painting monsters rushed towards us; they were definitely on another level than the Mimics because they could easily fire beams of darkness. Strangely, they were particrly fixated on Emily, as if they had found her face as their target to their wrath. "Don''t think you can get away with this!" roared Sofia. "[Six-Winged Archangel Automata]!" FLUOSH! Her Powers manifested as light emerged from her body, quickly taking the form of a huge, two-meter-tall robot, a machine of pure white and silver color, glistening with a smooth metallic surface. Its two arms and legs ended on pointy needles, and their face was wearing a strange golden mask resembling a calmly smiling woman. The automata also had long; golden hair made of chains of gold metal.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Lastly, three pairs of huge wings made of des of light epassed its back, the entity, the Dream Heart Weapon of Sofia, released a powerful presence. "Look, Jonathan, this is my strength!" She wanted to show off in front of him, of course. "Go!" Shemanded, pointing her hand, as the automata immediately flew towards the Nightmare Paintings, swinging their legs and arms and piercing through their ws. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! The Nightmare Paintings attempted to attack physically, but as their arms were destroyed by the automata, they retorted to firing beams of darkness, which didn''t work well either. BOOOM! The beams hit the automata, only for its shiny metallic body to shine even brighter as the smoke dissipated, it took no damage. "Oh, it''s amazing!" I said. "Aha! Finally you''re recognizing my amazing weapon, Maria," Sofia waved her hair. "There is nothing my Automata cannot do! All of you can just sit down and rx, I''ll carry you." She looked at her automata with a prideful smile. "Eliminate them!" "!" The automata rushed forward, its wings helping it fly at lightning speed, the painting monsters attempted to fire more beams only for them to all be easily blocked. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! With a barrage of shing attacks from two pairs of its six wings, the automata easily shed apart the Nightmare Paintings, ultimately making their body parts explode into ck soot. POOOF! "And done!" Sofia smiled pridefully. "Heheh! Wasn''t that an amazing show? Hm, Jonathan?" "Yeah it was pretty great, your weapon is strong, Sofia," Jonathan smiled, he was mostly just talking how he was, no longer pretending. "Anyways, is Emily ok?" "She''s fine, just pay more attention to me instead!" Sofia pouted, but Jonathan went to check on her. "I''m fine, haha, Alma healed me quickly," Emily smiled. "But I sure was sent flying, I think I had broken a rib right there! Tough shit, I need to be more careful." Despite her armor protecting her, it also weighted over her body, if she was sent flying and then fell on the ground, she was naturally going to hurt her body beneath it. "You ok?" I asked Emily. "Yep, no worries!" she showed me her face through her helmet, winking at me. Isn''t she a cutie? Well, if the girl''s fine then it''s all fine. Though I feel a bit bad I didn''t do anything, I better work a bit, or the tasks are never going to get done. I saw Sofia gathering ck stones from the floor, which she called Nightmare Stones, they were crystalized Nightmare Energy that can be used for a lot of things and are usually sold for a good price. "Anyways, shall we advance?" I wondered. "I''ll summon my Undead to make things easier for us." I quickly expanded my Shadows and skeletons emerged. I chose the human-like and beast-like skeletons of the smallest size, the ce here was limited. I couldn''t bring the heavy hitters for now, Myconidas was summoned though. "Wow this is a big manor!" he said, looking around. "Woah, every time I see her abilities I''m always shocked," said Emily, crossing her arms. "Her Undead Summon is so cool too!" "Yeah, it definitely is!" nodded Alma. "So many too! We''ll definitely clear this on time!" "Alright then, let''s go!" I said. We explored the manor cautiously, moving upstairs and letting the skeletons walk through things first. Traps were triggered sometimes, the floor broke, a huge hand made of wood crushed them, and so on. Eventually, the left corridor was unsafe, it broke down into a hole that led to the void outside, so we took the right corridor, which aside from an arrow trap that triggered by touching the carpet on the floor, was safe. "Alright, second room..." I looked into the room, peeking from the wall. "Hm? There doesn''t seem to be much of anything." As I stepped forward, suddenly, everything came alive, chairs, tables, paintings, the damn chimney grew fangs and started spiting fire everywhere, and the books began flying around, shooting slicing paper at us. Of course... Chapter 1197 Puppet Nightmares 1197 Puppet Nightmares ----- This entire damn manor was full of mimic "puppets" although they were all very fleshy to me. I imagine this is because of the manor''s name, {Abandoned Manor of the Puppet Master}. Does this mean the final boss or well the "Nightmare Lord" is actually the puppet master himself? No wait, if its abandoned, then it must be someone else, the puppet master abandoned the ce after all, so maybe a mega mimic thing. Well, for now, ughter it is. CRASH! BAAM! CLASH! SLASH! RUMBLE! My Undead rushed forward, grabbing the flying books and tearing them page after page. Some of them swung swords, axes, or spears made out of Blood Dragon Bones, easily tearing through the painting''s giant ws, and then shing them apart so they wouldn''t fire beams. The beast-like undead rushed forward with great speed, biting and jumping over the Mimic Chairs and Desks, while also tearing apart the ones hidden in the ground. However, the mimic chimney was pretty deadly, firing fire everywhere. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Its fire was tremendously potent, easily destroy a couple of my undead. This meant this thing was equivalent to the level of an S Rank Monster? We''ve been ying everything easily so far so I thought this world was low-level, but the trial description did say it would adjust the difficulty ording to our levels and ranks, right? So although people here don''t realize, the Nightmares here are probably at minimum A Rank, medium ones are S Rank, strong ones might be SS Rank, powerful ones at SSS Rank, and the peak ones at L Rank. "Well, that''s a bitplicated, this fire''s strong," I said. "Hm, Alma can you put it down before it burns the entire area?" I noticed as the fire spread everywhere, that I could easily put it down by swallowing it with my shadows or something, or even ask little Medusa to do it for me. However, that would be a bit too easy, right? And it would be better if everyone does a little work when we fight here, so they can be recognized. "I think I can¡­!" nodded Alma, slightly shyly. "Um, my offensive magic is not the best, but I''ll do my best!" She swung her huge staff into the mes as a huge wave of water was summoned, sshing everywhere, rain fell, quickly turning off the deadly mes. SPLAAASH! "Cough¡­ COUGH!" The Mimic Chimney started coughing, suddenly beginning to move using giant spider-like legs, that thing definitely didn''t want to give up yet. "Jonathan, Partner, that thing''s probably S Rank or even SS Rank, we should finish it off quickly while it''s wet!" I said. "Okay!" nodded Partner. "Leave it to me! {Dual Spears of Blood and Darkness}!" Emily, Alma, and Sofia gasped as they saw Partner enter into action, summoning her Dream Heart Weapon her two spears which had such a name in this world. Partner, like a blur of red and ck color, rushed through the small battlefield, quickly destroying the Mimicsing at her with her spear, making them explode upon piercing their bodies. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Then, she aimed at the chimney mimic, which quickly readied another fire breath, unleashing a hellish beam of mes against her. "[Divine Golden Sword of Light]!" However, Jonathan rushed forward, summoning his Dream Heart Weapon, the sword was swung down, as a huge shing wave of light was unleashed, cutting through the mes and letting Partner through them. "Thank you dude!" She stepped over his head, making Sofia scream in anger as her spears pierced the chimney mimic, its stone body was immediately destroyed with a barrage of rapid, piercing blows that unleashed explosions of blood and darkness energies. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "GRUOOHHH¡­!" The creature quickly crumbled down into pieces, dying on the spot, and disappearing into ck soot, leaving behind a huge ck colored jewel. "T-That was amazing, Partner''s strong¡­" Alma said. "I wish I was so strong¡­" "Everyone has their own strengths," said Partner gantly. "You''ve got yours, Alma. Don''t worry, you''re plenty useful." "O-Oh, thanks?" Alma was a bit confused. "Hahaha! That was cool!" Emilyughed. "Though, did you had to step over Jonathan''s head like that?" Emily couldn''t stopughing at that. "It''s fine, I don''t really mind," Jonathan shrugged. "But Jonathan! You have to make yourself respected!" Sofia sighed, storing the ck stone in her inventory ring, she was the only one with one due to how expensive they were in this world. I could just store them in my inventory, but its better to let her do it anyways. "Respected?" Jonathan wondered. "It was just a necessity to defeat a foe, I don''t mind it, Sofia." "Yeah, he doesn''t mind it, calm down Sofia," I said, patting her shoulders. "Anyways, shall we advance? And how many rooms are in this thing?" "Hmph¡­" Sofia moved her shoulder, without wanting me to touch her. "It''s a Building-type Nightmare Realm, they can be either super huge or small. This is a low grade one so it shouldn''t berger than an actual manor. I think we might find a couple more rooms before thest one. As we advance upstairs¡­ Probably two more floors, I would say." "Look, there are the stairs!" said Emily, pointing at the distance. "Let''s go then! No time to waste team!" The tomboy ran into the stairs recklessly again¡­ "Uwaack!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The result was obvious. "SHAAAHH!" The stairs shook, and so did all the decorations around them, more books appeared, nowrge furniture generated giant ws and spider legs, and there were also two chimney mimics, coupled with what seemed like a dozen more chair mimics. And about five¡­ floor mimics. "Dammit this ce is so annoying!" Emily started banging and smashing everything with her thunderous, armored fists, but the Staircase Mimic was enormous, its countless tentacles were destroyed by her, but they regenerated quickly, trying to catch her. Sofia facepalmed. "I told her to not run directly into unknown territory¡­ this is like the rule number one of exploring Nightmare Realms!" she sighed. "Well, let''s go help that muscle brained girl! Everyone, charge!" ----- Chapter 1198 The Nightmare Lord 1198 The Nightmare Lord ----- "Emilyyyy! Be careful please!" Alma panicked, conjuring several barriers of water, and protecting Emily from the powerful blows of the Giant Furniture Mimics, each barrier exploded into water once it was hit once, but it did block a blow at least. "Dammit this thing won''t let go of me!" Emily found herself trapped within the fleshy tentacles of the huge Staircase Mimic, which was constantly trying to pull her into its giant maws and eat her whole. If it weren''t for her armor, this would have made for a lewd scene. Thankfully, that wasn''t the case. Ahem! "Charge!" After Sofia roared, her Automata rushed forward, shing against dozens of mimics at once and serving as our tank, it swung its arms and legs, piercing their bodies and quickly beginning to tear them apart. My Undead moved in unison, overwhelming the Mimics by hitting them from every angle, pushing forward, they continued crushing the furniture, pieces of flesh and wood sttering into the ground. "Haaahh!" Jonathan swung his sword carefully, making sure not to blow up the manor. This entire ce was very susceptible to damage due to being so weak, and it wasn''t at all like a dungeon. If the entire manor broke, we would probably end up being lost in the endless dark void of the nightmare realm, which ends almost 99% of the time on the entire party being eaten by the Nightmare. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Three shes easily made dozens of the book and furniture mimics explode into ck soot, dying instantly. Then, he conjured a barrier made of light and quickly pushed it forward, hitting the staircase mimic. BOOM! A small explosion of light was generated out of the barrier shattering, enough for the staircase mimic to scream in pain, letting go of Emily. "Gryyaaggh!" "Ugh!" Emily quickly punched the stairs and destroyed them, before charging thunder into her chest and roaring angrily. "You damn¡­ perverted monster! FUCKING DIE!" TRUUUMMM!!! The reckless tomboy let loose, quickly sting the staircase mimic into smithereens, and exploding with a gigantic boom! BOOOM! The only thing left was a huge hole leading to the floor below, where spider-like mimics suddenly started crawling from. "Uwaah! What the¡­?!" She quickly retreated, finding herself surrounded by hundreds of tiny spider-like mimics made of small furniture. "Emily, stop screwing things up!" I said. "Jesus, this girl¡­!" It was time I guess. I quickly stepped forward, waving my hands, as void emerged from them. "{Chaotic Void Ocean Waves}" I unleashed waves of water-like void from my hands, which quickly washed away all the mimics and disintegrated them, quickly reaching the floor below and killing anything there. I think there was a huge spider, but it died just as easily. After that, while the furniture mimics and the paintings rushed to my back, I summoned my two Dream Heart Weapons to fight back. "[Halberd of Death]! [Sword of Darkness]!" With a huge ck halberd and a red and purple colored sword emanating darkness, I stepped forward, leaping into action. My halberd cleaved through their wooden bodies with ease, reducing them to smithereens, while my sword shed them apart into countless pieces. CRASH! CRASH! SLASH! SLASH! As the monsters died one after another, my undead kept everything in control, eventually, after ourbined efforts, thest mimic was finally in. "Phew, it''s finally over! What the hell man, this ce''s full of Nightmares!" Emilyined. "Well, if it wasn''t because you charged recklessly into battle, none of this would have happened!" said Sofia angrily. "Please be more careful from now on, okay?!" "Sorry¡­ I''m really sorry¡­" Emily cried. And then, the sound of her stomach rumbling very loudly echoed across therge, destroyed room. "I guess someone''s hungry," Alma giggled. "Well, how long have we been exploring so far?" "A couple of hours¡­" Sofia sighed. "Then maybe we could eat something, no?" Jonathan asked. "Did you bring food somehow?" wondered Sofia. "My ring''s empty." Ah, I guess its time for me to reveal yet another of my cheats. Marvel before your great friend, girls, I have many amazing abilities! "Don''t worry, I brought food." I opened my Inventory, a small ck hole opened in front of everyone, where I grabbed arge quantity of pre-made meals, still pipping hot I had prepared back in Yggdrasil. I can''t believe I could bring them here, they''re practically alien meals, would they be fine eating this? System, help! [They''ll be fine¡­ Food is food, the beings of Yggdrasil and this world are not ipatible biologically, so it doesn''t matter. If anything they might feel very energized due to all the magic energy.] Oh nice! "Woah, what the hell! Maria! I had no idea you had a subspace storage ability?!" gasped Emily. "Is that an extension of your Shadow Magic?!" "Can Shadow Magic do that?!" Sofia asked me. "I-I had no idea! Your power is worth tens of billions¡­! How much can you store?! Can you store whole airnes perhaps?" "Um, calm down Sofia, it''s not that big!" I lied. "And yeah it''s shadow magic. Pretty cool, huh? Want to eat? I got lunches for everyone! Undead, turn into a table and seats!" The skeletons rapidly transformed by mymands, as I used Bone Maniption to quickly fuse them into a beautiful, white-colored table and also seats for everyone. "Y-You can even do this with the skellies?!" Emily gasped again. "Wow, it''s a bit creepy though¡­" Alma muttered. "But that food smells so nice, I''ll risk it for the biscuit!" Aren''t those two airheads the cutest? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Nice, I was so hungry!" Partner licked her lips. "Do you have some blood too?" "Blood?!" Emily and Alma gasped, even Sofia red at Partner weirdly. "Uh, well, my Element of Magic is Blood, so to keep it strong, I must drink blood¡­" Partner tried to act like someone that didn''t want to do that. "Ugh, it''s disgusting but there''s no helping it if I want to stay strong¡­" "Ah¡­ W-Well¡­ I''ve heard weirder things from other people I guess," Emily shrugged. "Ahh¡­ I once heard that Nature Magicians have to eat a lot of vegetables!" said Alma. "M-Maybe it''s like that?" "Do you see Emily eating metals?" facepalmed Sofia. "Well, whatever¡­ Jonathan~! Come sit by my side!" This girl is so two-faced its even funny at this point¡­ Anyways, like that, we sat down and ate a nice meal before continuing. And eventually, as we in groups of mimics and paintings one after another. We reached thest floor, and a huge ck door greeted us. "Phew, that was sure some nice exercise¡­" sighed Emily. "Let''s get over with this then!" As she was about to push the gate open, I quickly grabbed her with my skeletons and dragged her back. "Don''t be reckless! Were you going to open the door? Are you insane?" I sighed. "S-Sorry! I was doing it without thinking, hahah!"ughed the short-haired blonde tomboy. "A-Anyways, I guess the undead should do it first, r-right? Please let me go¡­" "Okay¡­" as I let her go, I quickly ordered the skeletons to open the gate. "Now¡­ Open the gates." The skeletons pushed the ck gate open. Creaaak¡­! The sound of the gate opening reverberated, revealing a dark room that slowly illuminated by the light of candles being lit up. Eventually, we saw arge figure, a giant puppet-like being, groaning in the floor. "G-Graaaggh¡­ Graaaggghh¡­!" As it groaned, we prepared for battle. "This must be the Nightmare Lord-" Sofia''s voice was cut short, as the darkness was finally andpletely dissipated. Revealing a second figure, someone. A small person, a girl. Chapter 1199: Nightmare Demon Chapter 1199: Nightmare Demon ? A mysterious girl had appeared in front of us, looking different than any other Nightmare we''ve fought. She resembled a human, mostly, a young human girl, small, wearing a ck dress, with long, messy ck hair, a single crimson horn in her forehead. And unnatural pitch-ck eyes. Her presence? Easily exuding the power of something beyond SSS Rank. She was in the middle of crushing this Fractured Nightmare Realm'' Nightmare Lord, a giant Puppet. CRASH! She crushed it, making the puppet explode into ck smoke, which she absorbed with her mouth, eating it as if it were a delicious meal, and then licking her lips afterwards. Then, her pitch-ck eyes red at us, I felt a sudden pressure, but not something I couldn''t withstand. Her presence was immense, as she red at me, Jonathan, and Partner. Partner and Jonathan were fine too, but Sofia and the rest... they immediately fell to their knees. "So you''re here..." she muttered. "Looks like there''s recements again, huh?" She seemed aloof, as if not even interested in us. Yet... What does she mean by recements? Maybe I''m overthinking, right? It can''t possibly be because... ... Does she know we are taking over these characters?! Just who is this child?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "So boring... I''m so tired..." she groaned, looking both tired and slightly sad. She yawned, looking down at the floor and dropping her shoulders. It seemed as if she didn''t even want to fight against us. "I wonder, will this be finally thest loop? Or will we be ever trapped in this endless hell?" She suddenly sat over the floor, looking at the ground without even making eye contact with us anymore. "I''m so tired..." "W-What are you... who are you?!" Sofia asked, hiding behind her automata. "Me?" the girl groaned, yawning. "I''m a Nightmare Demon... Nice to meet you for the 124th time, Sofia. You look as... cocky and stuck-up as ever." The girl then nced at Sofia, smiling slightly. "It''s nice seeing you again... Maybe I should try to kill you for real now... Last time I didn''t even bother." This is getting out of hand! She knows... She knows everything?! This Nightmare Demon talked about loops, and even said how many times it has been going, an endless loop of 7 days, a week that has been repeated... For 124 times? "Maria! This is a Nightmare Demon!" Emily cried. "W-We can''t fight it! We have to esca-" FLASH! Before Emily could finish her words, suddenly, the Nightmare Demon appeared in front of her. "Right, I like you the most, Emily, you''re the cutest... Die and be one with me." The previously sad, innocent-looking girl smiled, showing sharp fangs, Emily gave a step back, before the Nightmare Demon''s hair turned into ck tentacles and attempted to attack her. No, more like engulf her, and eat her, every tentacle made of her hair grew sharp fangs, and her entire body divided into two halves, showing even more fangs inside, and a long tongue. Her appearance... was nothing but a fa?ade, just like Mimics. To make us lower our guards. And unfortunately, it worked on me, dammit. BOOOM! "Hm?" The Nightmare Demon groaned in slight annoyance, as I fired at her a beam ofpressed Void Waves, she was pushed back a few dozen meters. At the same time, Partner managed to grab Emily in time and jump way from her range! "You..." The Nightmare Demon red at me, smiling. "You''re not like the others, aren''t you? Heheh... HEHEHE!" "...I don''t want to kill you, if you''ve gone through a loop and know of the previous participants," I said. "Please surrender, let''s talk." Sofia, Alma, and Emily gasped as they saw me saying such words, but it wasn''t like I wanted to kill this Nightmare Demon anyways. Maybe if it didn''t know about previous loops, I would have killed her but... That''s not the case right now! "Oh?" she smiled back at me, tilting her head. "You think I''ll join you just because I recall memories of previous timelines? How foolish... So boring. Not even in 124 timelines, have I ever allied one of your kind. My existence alone is born from humanity''s darkest emotions and nightmares. Your greatest fears, your hatred... Do you believe I would ever be an ally of your kindred?" "I''m not a human though, and I''m fairly sure you can sense that," I said, her eyes squinted. She quickly sensed myposition, and indeed, she was even more surprised. "A nightmare...? No..." she muttered. "You''re different and strange... Heheh! Sorry, but I dislike making friends... I''m a loner after all~ I like eating other Nightmares. So let''s fight to the death instead, shall we?! The strongest decides what to do with the loser!" FLASH! She appeared in front of Alma this time, her giant tentacles rushing towards her, aiming to pierce her entire body into pieces. "Alma, let me eat that fatty meat of yours again! It was so good before- GUUH?!" CRAAASH! With a single swing of my sword, the Nightmare Demon was quickly pushed down, I swung with the power to split a mountain, the entire manor split apart too. RUMBLE! Her entire body was split into two halves, as she quickly sttered ck blood into the ground of the split apart manor, which I quickly repaired. How? By using Alchemy and Shadow Sculping Arts. I merged my shadows into the entire manor''s structure, strengthening it and recovering all its damage. "G-Gugh...! Ugh...! YOU!" With a furious roar, the Nightmare Demon screamed, her two halves quickly returned back into a single body and with her entire power, she jumped on me like a feral beast. Her arms and legs transformed into those of some sort of bear or wolf, covered with ck fur, while she grew wolf-like ears on top of her head. "GRAARRR!" Each of her attacks released a powerful shockwave of pure concentrated Nightmare Energy, enough to split the entire manor apart. The shockwaves, if let free, would tear to shreds Sofia, Alma, and Emily with ease. Without a doubt, this Nightmare Demon was L Rank! I couldn''t help but smile, honestly. "I''m so happy you''re resilient! Would you be my sandbag?" I swung down my fist, as hundreds of more phantasmal fists followed behind, impacting her entire body hundreds of times at once. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! Chapter 1200: Intense Battle! Chapter 1200: Intense Battle! ? The Nightmare Demon kept shapeshifting, now gaining werewolf and werebear-like features and an augmentation of her physical strength. Her blows easily pierced through my barrier of shadows, shattering it. "GRAARRR!" Each of her attacks released a powerful shockwave of pure concentrated Nightmare Energy, enough to split the entire manor apart. The shockwaves, if let free, would tear to shreds Sofia, Alma, and Emily with ease. Using my Shadows, I generated a wide domain, absorbing the shockwaves while I saw Partner and Jonathan protecting the girls. "Maria, I''ll protect the girls! Please take care of that thing!" Jonathan conjuredrge shields made of light, it seemed his powers had evolved in new ways in this world, through the power of a Dream Heart. "Sure!" "Where are you looking at?!" The Nightmare Demon roared furiously, her little girl face distorting as countless red eyes grew over it, and then the fur of a wolf and a bear, and its jaws. "RAAARRR!" With a furious roar, her giant ws shed through my school clothes, tearing them apart, she was even managing to tear through my dress, Hecate! Hecate, however, had already enough with being turned into a schoolgirl uniform, and quickly attacked back, giant fists made of threads hit her back. However, despite all of that, Hecate was barely dealing even a hint of damage against the Nightmare Demon, this girl was tough as hell. "Heh!" I couldn''t help but smile, honestly. Without a doubt, this Nightmare Demon was L Rank! I looked at her eyes, as she swung her ws against me again, releasing giant slicing waves of Nightmare, destroying the manor''s ceiling, and sending the two of us flying into the Nightmare Realm''s void. BOOOM! As she approached me, however, I red into her ck eyes, approaching my entire body towards her, and then grabbing her giant, wed arms. "Ugh! What the...?! Let go of me!" "I''m so happy you''re resilient! Would you be my sandbag?" As she started kicking my stomach with tremendous force, which made my body squirm a bit, I quickly decided to act. Even though we were in a world ruled by differentws, the powers we developed, and which the Tower recognized, could be used. [Divine Spectral Asura''s Endless Limbs: Lv9]! And... {Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts}: [Netherworld''s Abyssal Palm of Ten Thousand Deaths]! I swung down my fist, as hundreds of more phantasmal fists followed behind, quickly shaping into gigantic palms of shadows andher energy, impacting her entire body hundreds of times at once. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! "Uuuaagggh!" The Nightmare Demon screamed in agony as her two arms were torn apart and then eaten by my shadows, shaped into countless jaws eating it all apart. At the same time, my attacks continued hitting her body, several holes appearing through her every time I hit her, although they also tried to heal back rather quickly. "GRRRHHH...! YOU''RE STRONG! LET ME SHOW YOU THE POWER OF A TRUE NIGHTMARE DEMON TOO!" While roaring at me, she smiled, the Nightmare Void around us shook, suddenly gathering tremendous quantities of Nightmare Essence around her body. "This is the technique I''ve learned after 124 loops!" sheughed. "I learned to control Nightmare Realms themselves! And you know? They''re an endless source of Nightmare Essence! Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!" Then, as the energy gathered around her, resembling a storm of darkness, she released it all against me at once. "{Endless Nightmare}!" It all gathered into a single beam, reaching me within a split second, nightmares engulfed my bodypletely, as everything I saw were visions of the lives I''ve gone through. The torture I went through before bing a ghost, the bullying and loneliness I felt in school in my previous life. All the things that went wrong and that could have gone wrong, they all materialized. They tried eating away at my resolve, my will, my soul, and my mind. All while my real body was rapidly being disintegrated by the endless wave of Nightmare Void, an element I had never seen before. It wasn''t either thebination of Nightmare or Void Elemental Mana, no this was its own unique energy from this world. And it was terrifying strong. Yet... RUMBLE! A radiant golden light surged from my body, piercing through all nightmares, the horrors I saw, the agony I went through, everything dissipated, being quickly destroyed. "Huh?! What!" The Nightmare Demon gasped as she saw my body reappear within the endless Nightmares which were distorting around me, my body was regenerated instantly. "{Enlightened Stance: Brilliance of Yang}" My body and my soul reached a calm, tranquil state. Despite how I was forced to revive such agonizing memories, I quickly came back to normal. The power of Yang, its radiance and light, illuminated my path, as my Divinity of Yin and Yang continued resonating within me, constantly rotating against one another. But I wasn''t done... "{Yin and Yang Rotation Harmony Aura}!" FLUOSH! The power of these two energies surged from my body as an Aura materialized, rapidly growing stronger and stronger over time. My entire body was epassed by pure light and also darkness. "Now..." I red at the Nightmare Demon. "Come at me." "TCH!" She clicked her tongue, quickly growing several eyes through her body, as she suddenly grew a large pair of ck feathered wings. "{Nightmare Eyes}!" Beams of nightmare essence rushed down towards me, enough to cause simr hallucinations and alsobine it with destructive power like the Endless Nightmare Spell. Yet, they were morepact, smaller attacks, but once many umted, they could certainly devastate anybody. Except me. "{Heavenly Nightmare Demon Venerable Abyssal Ghost Asura Battle Arts}: [Fallen Angel''s Radiant Palms of ck Light]" My entire aura and body transformed, resembling a giant ck and golden angel, which swung their giant palms against her attacks. Each Nightmare Eye exploded into pieces as it was hit, explosions of radiant yang energy erupting, burning her entire body.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Over time, she was unable to resist the blowsing from every angle, left, right, above, below, behind, and the front. Until finally, she broke down into pieces. "Uuaarrggh!" BOOOMMM!!! I rushed down, as she fell over arge wooden tform that detached itself from the manor, well, whatever was left of her. Her head. "Ugh...! Y-You didn''t kill me?!" "Of course not! I said I would need your help, right?" "Hahaha..." However, sheughed. "Fool! While you were fighting me, did you think your friends would be safe?!" Author''s Note: We reached 1200 Chapters! Chapter 1201: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 1 Chapter 1201: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 1 ? The moment Maria broke open the Manor''s ceiling and flew away with the Nightmare Demon, Sofia, Alma, and Emily were left speechless, they didn''t even understand what she was talking with the Nightmare Demon but felt relieved it was gone... yet worried at the same time that Maria just went to the Nightmare Realm Void without even hesitating! "Ahh! Maria went to the void!" Alma cried. "She''s in danger in such a ce, it has been proven that there''s barely any oxygen there! It''s like jumping into outer space! People can''t survive in there!" "We need to do something and help her!" Emily said. "Jonathan! Aren''t you worried?!" "Maria''s strong," said Jonathan. "There''s nothing to worry about, just trust her." "Yeah, why are you panicking so much?" Partner yawned. "Calm down." "Even if you think she''s strong, is she even strong enough to fight against a Nightmare Demon?! They''re one of the strongest Nightmares that can appear inside Fractured Nightmare Realms!" Sofia seemed to be quite worried, surprisingly. Although her worry was more into the consequences that Maria''s death would cause and how that would affect her life, rather than her being specifically worried about Maria dying. "I don''t think we can worry about her anyways..." Partner smiled, as she noticed that from within the hole in the ceiling, giant creatures starteding out, disfigured monstrosities of many shapes, constantly twisting into memories of people and their traumas and hatred. "Aahhh... I don''t want to work anymore... I''m so tired of WORKING!" A giant zombie-like ghoul nightmare appeared, resembling an old office worker crying blood, whose arms and legs were tied to ck chains, slowly crawling inside the manor. "I hate them! Why is every girl prettier than me?! WHY?! WHY?! WHYYYY!" A spectral nightmare resembling a woman with tons of makeup in her face, slowly tearing her face apart with long w-like nails emerged, constantly screaming. "Everyone is such a scum bag at school... I''m tired of it... I don''t want to be bullied anymore... STOP...! STOP! STOP! STOOOP!" And then a monstrous creature made of flesh and tentacles, with the slight appearance of an overweight high school boy emerged, constantly wailing while eating its own hands. Partner and Jonathan didn''t recognize these Nightmares at all! "T-Those are Trauma-Grade Nightmares!" Sofia gave a step back. "They harbor so many Negative Emotions that they be embodiments of Suffering and Traumas..." "Hoh, they''re pretty tough then, eh?" Partner smiled, summoning her two spears. "Nice for a warmup!" "STOP BULLYING MEEEE!" The fat fleshy Nightmare screamed, its giant body began convulsing, vomiting acid everywhere, which rapidly began melting the wooden floor, walls, and ceiling. SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! Partner, who recklessly charged to fight, was hit by the acid head on. Her armor made by Maria resisted, although a lot of it ended melting, burning her skin beneath. "Ouch! Agh! Dammit, that hurt!" If it ended hurting someone at SSS Rank like Partner, that could only mean one thing, these Nightmares were all SSS Rank at the very least! "Partner! Don''t charge recklessly! We have to work together as a team!" said Jonathan. In that moment, another ssh of acid rushed towards Partner, but Jonathan quickly conjured a giant shield of light, which blocked the acid and then sent it back into the Nightmares. SPLAAASH! They screamed in agony, quickly rushing forward in anger and pain. The Nightmare resembling an overworked office worker reached Sofia, opening his jaws, and aiming to eat her whole. "I''M SO HUNGRYYYY! LET ME EAT AT LEAST! NOT EVEN A BREAK FOR HAVING LUNCH, YOU GREEDY PIGS!" "[Stx-Winged Archangel Automata]!" Sofia screamed, as her Automata surged from thin air, quickly swinging its many pointy arms at the Nightmare, and destroying its huge, extended jaws, its teeth were sent flying into the air. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The automata''s wings made of light des were fired right after, piercing through the Nightmare''s big, bulging eyes, and making them explode, ck blood sttering into the floor. "GRUUUAAGH!" With a scream of agony, the office worker nightmare stepped back, covering its wounded face with its hands, at the same time as the chains on its limbs suddenly started moving on their own, hitting the automata from left and right. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! The automata resisted the attacks with its incredible resilience, grabbing the chains and shattering them apart with powerful and strong blows using its sharp spear-like arms. CRAAASH! "Looks like Sofia can handle that one...!" Jonathan thought. "But the other two...!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om He noticed that Partner was fighting against the giant and greasy fleshy Nightmare, constantly piercing its fat body, and making pieces of its acidic flesh fly everywhere. "Ouch! Dammit, this thing''s so dumb!" She was doing fine, as a vampire her regeneration factor was strong, so Jonathan didn''t think she would struggle. "She''ll be alright..." Then, he noticed the third Nightmare screaming in anger, her giant, red-painted ws shing at the air, unleashing giant waves of pink-colored mes at Alma and Emily. "WHY?! WHY ARE YOU PRETTIER THAN MEEEEEE! IT''S NOT FAIR! WHY WAS I BORN UGLY?!" The furious Nightmare unleashed her pink mes, Alma desperately summoned her Dream Heart Weapon once more, conjuring barriers of spiritual water. "[Water Spirit Staff Undine]: {Water Barrier}!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The mes impacted her barriers, which shook and then sshed water everywhere. Alma quickly conjured more and more barriers. They weren''t really that strong but could withstand one attack before being destroyed. "Dammit that cowardly thing is not getting closer!" Emily quickly covered her body with her [Metallic Thunder Sentinel Armor] once more, as electricity started coursing through her body. "Alright then, I guess I''ll have to try that technique I''ve been practicing for months..." She smiled, as Alma noticed that a lot of Dream Energy was gathering in Emily''s fists, rapidly glowing brighter. "Emily?! What are you doing? You''ll empty all your energy like that!" "Well! What else can we do?!" The tomboy stepped forward, her golden fists quickly unleashing all the electricity she gathered into them at once. "Look closely, Alma! I''m no longer just an armor or closebat-type fighter! I''m more than just that! And you too can change! What our weapons are doesn''t mean we''re locked on their original abilities!" Emily roared. "{Thunder Dragon Breath}!" A giant st of golden lightning erupted from Emily''s armored fists, reaching the Nightmare. BOOOMMM!!! Chapter 1202: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 2 Chapter 1202: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 2 ? Although the existence of Techniques and Spells had been a staple in this world since the appearance of Nightmare Realms, usually, only Magic-type fighters could ever use Spells, as it required a staff, wand, or grimoire-type weapon. Meanwhile, physical fighters were usually capable of using something simr, but using their weapons directly, named Weapon Techniques. It was the norm for both types to be unable to use the other''s abilities like this. But since a few years, such misconception had begun to rapidly deteriorate with the surge of new fighters capable of conjuring spell-like attacks, and magicians that began to specialize on abination of weapon techniques and magic, usually using external weapons. And now, Emily showed Alma that the misconception that the girl had thought her entire life was nothing but a lie. Alma had always believed she could only use support magic, but that was far from the truth! "Look closely, Alma! I''m no longer just an armor or closebat-type fighter! I''m more than just that! And you too can change! What our weapons are doesn''t mean we''re locked on their original abilities!" Emily roared. "{Thunder Dragon Breath}!" A giant st of golden lightning erupted from Emily''s armored fists, reaching the Nightmare, the wailing woman-like nightmare screamed, using its ws, and trying to destroy the attack. However, the lightning engulfed the Nightmare''s arms, disintegrating them and then, piercing through her chest. BOOOMMM!!! The Nightmare gave a loud, agonizing scream. "GYYYAAAAAHHHH!" Half of its body quickly disappeared, the other half fell into the ground, covered on electricity and twitching in agony, groaning, and constantly growing arms with long red nails or lips painted pink. "G-Graaggh... U-Ugly... I''m so... ugly..." Alma was amazed, Emily almost killed such a strong Nightmare all on her own! "Emily, that was awesome! You were able to unleash such a long-ranged attack, it was like a spell! Ah! Emily?!" Alma ran towards Emily, noticing the girl''s armor disappeared, she had grown exhausted, gasping for air as she fell into the floor. "I''m fine... just... tired... I''m leaving the rest to you, Alma..." "Eh?!" Alma gasped as she tried healing Emily, but she wouldn''t wake up. This was a clear symptom of overusing a Dream Heart''s powers to surpass a previously stablished limit. It could sometimes make a person''s Dream Heart shatter, but it seemed that Emily had barely managed to avoid such an oue. "Ugly!" "Ugly! Ugly!" "Everyone is ugly!" "I''m the ugliest one!" "Ah!" Alma panicked as she saw the monstrous swarm of creatures that starteding out of the Nightmare that had almost been killed by Emily. The only half that remained was the lower half, its squirming legs moving and regrowing, resembling a spider made of legs with long red nails. To make things even more disgusting, the wound left behind didn''t heal, but constantly regrew new flesh, which separated into aberrations made of fingers and toes, with sharp jaws and eyes. They ran towards Alma and Jonathan, while constantly screaming "Ugly!" at everything. Jonathan quickly started fighting, swinging his de, and shing them into pieces, his divine light easily turned them into ashes, but they kepting endlessly. "Alma, stay behind, I''ll go finish off that thing, so they don''t swarm everywhere!" Jonathan called for Alma, yet she remained in silence. "Alma?" She was gripping her fists tightly, the shy girl, who had been bullied most of her life, but finally found real friends in Emily, Maria, and Sofia after entering the academy, seemed to want to change. "P-Please... let me do it instead, Jonathan!" "What?! But...!" "Emily trusts me... She said that if I don''t do it now, I''ll never do it!" "Alma..." "She trusted me to do this so please... could you protect my back instead?" Jonathan was a very soft man, seeing a young girl, that looked shy and indecisive before seemingly gain some confidence, he felt slightly happy as well. He wanted to trust her, of course. As a beacon of hope, and a hero that has led many people, he was very empathetic, immediately recognizing what Alma meant. "Fine... I''ll trust you, Alma! I''ll take care of your back!" "T-Thanks!" Alma nodded, her staff gathering energy and then rapidly producing arge sphere of spiritual water, she closed her eyes, as memories shed through her mind. Memories of her when she was in school. "Fat piglet! Fat piglet!" "You''re only good at healing! What else can you even do?" "Your barriers break with a single hit! You call yourself a support magician?! Might as well use your fat ass as a shield, hahaha!" "Your healing leaves everyone covered on water, it''s really inconvenient! Also, shouldn''t you get a bit more fit? If you''ll go into a battlefield you need to stop being so fat!" "Ugh, have you considered losing some weight? You really don''t fit with us..." Scorn, hatred, jealously, narcissistic people... she had gone through the worst of society, yet Alma remained strong, always moving forward, despite everything. She grew up with only her grandmother, both of her parents had died in a car ident when she was only two years of age. Her grandma, a support user that wielded a little cup that generated healing water, taught her a lesson she had mostly forgotten by now. "Listen, Alma... the true power of someone''s Dream Heart Weapon doesn''t lie in their type, or even in their element," her grandma said. "It lies within their own potential, imagination, and will. If you want to be an offensive magician, the only thing stopping you... is you, dear. Believe in yourself. Keep training, one day... you''ll do it. You''re much more talented than our entire family after all!" "Grandma..." Alma''s eyes opened, glowing brightly with azure light, her staff glowed brightly, absorbing her emotions and above all... Her will! "We''ve been through a lot together, haven''t we, Undine?" She nced at her staff flicker a bit. Alma smiled gently. "I know you''re a shy girl like me... but I also know that we got a lot of potential... all of this magic power, let''s use it to save people! Would you give me a hand?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om FLASH! The sphere of water shaped itself, Jonathan, Sofia, and even the Partner reacted at the enormous quantity of magic power. A giant trident of flowing water was formed, overflowing with magical power! "{Undine''s Trident}" FLASH! The trident pierced through dozens of Little Nightmares, reaching the giant, regenerating Nightmare and then, piercing its body. And then, azure light engulfed everything. BOOOMMM!!! Chapter 1203: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 3 Chapter 1203: Surpass Your Limits Right Here, Right Now 3 ? "Listen Alma, the true power of a Dream Heart lies within your own potential, imagination, and will. If you want to be an offensive magician, the only thing stopping you... is you, dear. Believe in yourself. Keep training, one day... you''ll do it. You''re much more talented than our entire family after all!" "Grandma..." After remembering the words of her grandmother and regaining some of her already long- lost will to be stronger, Alma''s confidence rose a little bit more. "I know you''re a shy girl like me... but I also know that we got a lot of potential... all of this magic power, let''s use it to save people! Would you give me a hand?" Asking her staff to help her for the first time, Alma achieved a miracle. FLASH! The sphere of water shaped itself, Jonathan, Sofia, and even the Partner reacted at the enormous quantity of magic power. A giant trident of flowing water was formed, overflowing with magical power! A previously known and registered Support-type Dream Heart Weapon suddenly changed. Alma realized in that moment, that all her support abilities had manifested for a reason. It was because she wanted to protect herself from the outside world, and to protect her grandmother. However, to truly unleash her potential, she had to think differently. She needed resolve! "{Undine''s Trident}" FLASH! At hermand, the trident made of magic was sent flying at lightning speed. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! The trident pierced through dozens of Little Nightmares, reaching the giant, regenerating Nightmare and then, piercing its body. And then, azure light engulfed everything. BOOOMMM!!! The resilient Trauma-type Nightmare was finally destroyed, making everyone present shocked! Even Sofia couldn''t believe it. "Wasn''t she only a support-type?!" she wondered, realizing that, just like Emily had showed just before Ama, there was no such things as "limits" within a Dream Heart Weapon. "Hmph! Don''t think you can just do all of this and get away with it! I''ll do my part as well!" The Russian girl couldn''t let her friends steal the show, her pride didn''t allow her. The Nightmare her automata was fighting was taking a while to die, it was a huge and rather resilient. She, unlike Emily and Alma, was already quite proficient in offensive magic. Her automata were a strange familiar-type Dream Heart Weapon, but that actually enhanced her magic conjuration abilities. "GRAAAH! I DON''T WANT TO WORK ANYMORE!" The giant Nightmare, even as wounded as it was, kept attacking. Every wound on its body turned into new eyes, which constantly started shooting highly concentrated blood beams that forced her automata to be pushed back or even block them so she wouldn''t get hurt. It was bing more troublesome than Sofia had predicted, so she decided to show off a bit, despite her father always telling her that she didn''t have to show off too much, lest she would risk having the eyes of rival families from her country on her. "It''s troublesome, but whatever!" With a loud sigh, Sofia rose her delicate hands into the sky, suddenly, a huge mass of magic was conjured, rapidly forming into a huge gate that created dozens of spears made of light. "{Radiant Armory}: {Sunlight Spears}" Radiant Armory, her family''s special Magic School, the ability to summon a literal Armory made of Light, which allowed the conjurer to summon all kinds of weapons with ease. "GRAAH?!" The overworked nightmare wasn''t able to see iting, before its entire body was impaled by several dozens of spears of light, which rapidly exploded right after. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The Nightmare groaned in pain, but didn''t die yet, quickly rushing forward and swinging its giant ws against the automata. CLAAANK! With a loud, metallic sound, the automata''s body broke into pieces, reaching the floor and sttering everywhere. "W-What?!" Sofia gasped, incapable of believing what she saw, the overworked sryman Nightmare was mighty, full of the stress of over forty years of working in an abusivepany! "GIVE ME VACATIONS! I DESERVE A BREAK, YOU MONSTERS!" Its jaws opened, gathering energy, and suddenly firing a giant beam of ck nightmare darkness towards Sofia. "Aah!" Sofia panicked, trying to conjure a soul from her Radiant Armory, but it was too slow. BOOOM! Darkness engulfed her, only for her eyes to widen, noticing Jonathan in front of her. "Sofia! Don''t be so surprised when your weapon shatters, it''ll regenerateter, right? Calm down! You almost died!" "Aaahh! J-Jonathan! My hero!" Sofia looked blissfully happy after being saved by Jonathan, but at the same time, considered the words he said. "But the automata... this is the first time it ever broke..." "You need to learn better ways to use it! Just asking it to fight for you won''t be enough in the future..." "But what should I do?" "RAISE MY PAY! GIVE ME AN INSURANCE!" The sryman Nightmare wasn''t going to wait for these two to finish their talk, swinging his fists down, Jonathan rapidly intercepted them with his light shields and his sword techniques, quickly blocking the blows and then, slicing through both of its arms. SLAAASH! "AAAGGHH!" The Nightmare screamed in agony as it lost both arms, and then Jonathan faced Sofia again, his eyes gleaming with the desire to help these young squires. "Sofia, your power lies within your element and your dream heart weapon, right? How about trying to partially summon a part of your automata?" "What? That''s not... possible?" Sofia''s eyes widened, as she quickly tried it, her automata had beenpletely dissipated into particles of light, so summoning itpletely was impossible. However... FLUOSH! Suddenly, the giant spear-like arms were summoned, right above Sofia''s shoulders, as if they had be something like a secondary pair of limbs. "Oh wow! I can do this?!" "You got metal magic, right? Use your imagination! Try to modify the metallic parts!" "That''s...!" Sofia''s eyes shone brightly, amused, as her metallic limbs suddenly turned into giant silver- colored drills, imbued with light. "Now, shot them!" "Shot them?!" "Yeah!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "That''s... Okay?!" Sofia nodded and obeyed only because it was her crush telling her. She "willed" for the limbs to detach themselves and were sent flying into the air at lightning speed. "W-What?!" She was shocked to have never discovered such a feature within her already strong summon! Within that second, the two drills pierced through the Nightmare''s face and torso, exploding into light and needles made of metal. BOOOM! BOOOM! Chapter 1204: Victory? Chapter 1204: Victory? ? Sofia''s improvised attack, all thanks to Jonathan''s'' guidance, ended finishing off the strange Nightmare within seconds, piercing its head and its chest, and then exploding. BOOOM! BOOOM! Both explosions ended filling the Nightmare with thousands of metallic needles enhanced with holy light magic, which quickly made it fall into pieces from the inside out! "Why... this damn... damn job... give me a... vacation..."N?v(el)B\\jnn The overworked sryman Nightmare groaned onest time, its eyes ring at Sofia before shedding a tear, and then dissipating into ck smoke. "It''s done..." Sofia fell to her knees, gasping for air, she felt relieved the thing died, but at the same time, shocked to have learned so much out of nowhere. "Jonathan... thanks," she said, smiling back at him. "I never thought I could do all of that before... I''ve been focusing too much on appearances I guess... maybe." "I suppose it''s because your familiar weapon is already very strong," Jonathan said. "So you never needed it to go even further or find new ways of using it." "Right... Yeah," said Sofia, her eyes sparkled brightly. "How could I even repay my hero now~? I will give you anything you ask! I''m quite rich, you know? So just ask away, please~!" "H-Huh? No thanks, I don''t really need anything right now, Sofia," Jonathan felt a bit weird that a teen was interested in him romantically, and he tried to be as cold as possible, though it never worked. "Aren''t you too humble?"ughed Sofia. "I guess that''s why you''re often called a hero anyways!" As the two talked, suddenly, the scream of the third Nightmare echoed. "ENOUGH! PLEASE... NO MORE... DON''T BULLY MEEEEE!" The giant mass of fat and flesh screamed in agony, as Partner kept stabbing it with her spear, piercing through its flesh and leaving countless holes. "Just die already you bag ofrd!" With a furious, vampiric roar, Partnerbined both spears into a giant spear of blood and darkness, firing it towards the Nightmare and then... BOOOMMM!!! It quickly exploded into pieces, sttering flesh, and acid everywhere, before everything turned into ck smoke, and it finally disappeared. "Hahh... this damn thing! Ugh, I''m almost naked now! My clothes!" Her clothes were slowly regenerating, but it would take a couple of hours beforepletely going back to normal. CRASH! And in that moment, Maria arrived, breaking through the ceiling, and carrying with her a talking head... everyone gasped as she lookedpletely fine. "Maria! You''re fine!" Alma happily cried. "Maria! Where?!" Emily even woke up after hearing her friend''s name. "She''s really fine... and that head... Wait, the Nightmare Demon?!" Sofia screamed in horror. "Hey! Yeah I''m fine... So you defeated the big Nightmares? Nice, well done," Maria smiled, walking towards Partner, and giving her a head pat, before covering her body with shadow threads, creating a dress for her. "There! That''ll do." "Ah, thank you..." Partner sighed in relief, walking to Maria''s side and hugging her tightly, asking for kisses. "W-Wait, remember that we''re..." Maria panicked. "Ah... right..." Partner realized they couldn''t just do whatever they wanted in front of these people. Though the hug was nice, they quickly separated and walked back to their friends. "Maria!" "Not fair! I also wanted a hug!" Alma and Emily hugged Maria tightly as well, only to scream the moment something tried to bite them. "Oi, get off me you damn humans!" It was the head of the Nightmare Demon! It was actually talking, and pretty much alive! "Maria?! Why did you...?!" Alma panicked. "How is that thing alive with just a single head?" wondered Emily. The two girls hugged one another, mostly out of the fear they felt out of that thing. It was honestly way too creepy. "It''s going to die soon, don''t worry," Maria lied, throwing the head inside her shadows so it wouldn''t create more problems. "Hey, where are you bringing me to?! You damn-" The Nightmare Demon''s screams stopped as she was swallowed by Maria''s shadows, making the girls believe it died. Well, that was far from the truth, Maria was aiming to keep it around, and alive, to learn more about this world and the trial of the tower. She was too intrigued to know more, and she had grown worried, just how many times this trial had been repeated. And if the Nightmare Demon remembered it, does that means that there have been other participants recing Maria and the rest of the crew? There was too much to ask them, but for now, she wanted to get out of here. "Well, I think we''re done here, should we get going? Ah, don''t worry about that nightmare demon, it''s gone now," Maria sighed in relief. "It was an unexpected encounter, but still, a work well done is a work well done! Right?" "Y-Yeah, I suppose so..." Emily nodded. "I also want to get out of here, I think wepleted every requirement. We got a lot of Nightmare Stones as proof too, let''s bring the big ones from the three Trauma Nightmares as well!" "Yeah!" Alma nodded. "If we could sell those, we could make quite a lot of funds!" "Well, to each their own," said Sofia. "I''ll take the one I defeated on my own, you can split the one you defeated together, and Partner can take the one she defeated." "Makes sense to me," Maria nodded. "Alright, Jonathan, are you fine?" "Ah, yeah, I''m fine, just a bit tired," nodded Jonathan. "Let''s go." Maria quickly analyzed what had happened to the other two parties through the egos she left with them. Apparently, they didn''t encounter Nightmare Demons, but did encounter really strong Trauma-type Nightmares, as if someone had ced them there. The partyposed by most of her family easily took care of them even if they were three of them, while Emeraldine had quite a lot of difficulties, as she was the only very strong one of her party, the other elves were quite skittish and fearful. At the end, while they escaped, Maria''s ego appeared and managed to help Emeraldine defeat the Nightmares before she walked back to her team members carrying the Nightmare Stones. When the three groups walked out of the Fractured Nightmare Realms and regrouped, they shared experiences and more, all while the professor congratted them. However, problems quickly arose again. Some of the student parties weren''ting back. Chapter 1205: Thats More EXP Than I Imagined Chapter 1205: That''s More EXP Than I Imagined ? After finishing the Nightmare Realm and finallying out after a very unexpected appearance of a Nightmare Demon, we regrouped with the rest of my party. A few things had happened, especially with Emeraldine''s party, while the one led by Lucifer was fine even when Trauma type Nightmares appeared, which are all equal to SSS Rank, with Emeraldine it was a bit harder because she had to take them down on her own, her "elf friends" were very cowardly and they had even run away, leaving her behind. Well, I can''t really me them, those things are really creepy and strong, bute on! Not even Alma or Emily ran away with us... then again, whatever. I helped Emeraldine using my ego and allowed her to return triumphantly with the big nightmare cores. Once we regrouped, the students wouldn''t stop talking, and while doing all of that, I noticed quite a few notifications. System notifications. Ding! [You and your Party have defeated hundreds of [Nightmares (S Rank ~ SS Rank)] and Nine [Trauma Nightmares (SSS Rank)]!] [You earned arge quantity of EXP!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 247 to Level 252/300!] [All your Stats have increased! You gained bonus System Points.] [Some of your skills have Leveled Up!] [You acquired the [Nightmare yer: Lv1] Title Skill!] [You learned the [Dream Heart Weapon: Lv1] Characteristic Skill!] Damn, I gained more EXP than I imagined! Nightmare yer Title, and even some new Skill about Dream Heart Weapons! This is pretty interesting, so I can keep learning skills even while being below this trial''s "rules" and this world''s ws". Maybe because of my System? Well anyways, there were a few other things... [Story Character: [Emily] has grown stronger due to the resolve you''ve given to her!] [You gained +300 Friendship Points.] [Story Character: [Alma] has grown stronger and discovered her Offensive-type Spells thanks to the resolve she has gained from Emily, directly involved from your own influence!] [You gained +300 Friendship Points.] [Story Character: [Sofia] has grown stronger and discovered new abilities thanks to Jonathan.] [You gained +300 Friendship Points.] [You have strengthened the Bonds between the Story Characters and you.] [You gained +500 Friendship Points.] So I can gain points like this! That''s really nice. Ding! [You havepleted some of the Necessary Task toplete the {Floor 49 Trial: High School Magic Battle Fantasy} and revealed one of the Hidden Tasks!] [Pass the five Battle Tests: 0/5 ->1/5] [Compete with other students and defeat them in the Student Arena: 0/10] [y the Beasts thate from the Fragmented Nightmare Realms: 0/300 -> 300/300] [Ascend your Party to a minimum of Silver Rank: No Rank/Silver Rank -> Bronze Rank/Silver Rank] [???] -> [Discover the Truth of the World: 0/1] [???] Oh! This is progressing smoothly, and it''s just the first day. So one of the tasks is... discovering the truth of the world? That''s really... quite far-fetched. The truth is that it''s in a loop? No wait, why is it in a loop, and why was it destroyed? And maybe... why do the Nightmare Realms, and Nightmares, exists to begin with? Maybe all of these essential questions make up for "discovering the truth of the world". But can I even do it within seven days? Well, maybe our little Nightmare Demon head could help with that. Also we have to do that Student Arena, but it seems that, thanks to our achievements, professor immediately raised our party to Bronze Rank. Yes, this also had to include the three parties we formed separately. Only when all three were raised to Bronze Rank did the progression appeared... I guess we''ll have to do three times the effort, but I suppose it''s worth it. "Alright, you''re all now promoted to Bronze Rank officially! Excellently done, students," said Professor Hendrick Constance, crossing his burly arms as heughed. "However, what had happened inside the Realm is very shocking... Trauma-type Nightmares? And also a Nightmare Demon... I''m simply amazed you were able to survive." Ding! [You and your party have surprised the Story Character: [Professor Hendrick Constance] due to your great achievements so far! His affinity with you and the rest of your party has increased.] [You gained +500 Friendship Points.] Oh nice. "I''ll have to report this immediately to the director and also to the government authorities. I had believed these Realms were safe for students at a certain level, but this is... If it wasn''t because you are all exceptionally talented, it would have ended much worse." He wasn''t wrong, this was certainly something normal at all! I believe the "story" of this world is rted to what happened to us, someone must be plotting the death of the students of this academy, which raises Dream Guardians to protect people from Nightmares. "I''m honestly worried, Professor..." I said. "Hasn''t the other students taken a while? Only half had returned so far and the day''s about to end." "Hmm..." the Professor grew more worried, until suddenly, a single student, covered on wounds and bleeding, came running out of one of the doors. "Haahh...! S-Someone help...! Help me!" The young student, a boy with short ck hair and a smallplexion fell to the floor, missing a whole arm and with holes over his legs, it was a miracle he crawled out! "Emeraldine! Alma!" "Yes!" "A-Ah, right!" I called the two of them as they ran by my side, they quickly started healing the student, who was semi-conscious, constantly talking. "This is... Student David?!" wondered the Professor. "Why didn''t you ring the rm so someone could go rescue you?! What happened!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "T-The rm didn''t work!" cried the young man. "T-They got them...! A bunch of Trauma... Trauma Nightmares appeared! My friends... Oh no! They''re all dead! I-I...! Ahhh...! Nooo!" He started screaming, growing madder in between tears, whatever he saw, it was terrifying. With five more Nightmare Realms left to bepleted, we had to act quickly before more students fell to this scheme! "I''ll have to quickly report to authorities, please wait here!" As the professor immediately ran away, I quickly decided to act on my own. "Alright, I guess it''s up to me..." I divided myself into five more egos, sending them to the different Nightmare Realms as quickly as I could, apanied by many undead carried in their shadows. I have to hurry! Chapter 1206: Helping The Students Chapter 1206: Helping The Students ? Inside one of the five Fractured Nightmare Realms left, which resembled a series ofbyrinthian caves with water pools and glowing crystals inside. "WHY DID YOU CUCK ME WITH THAT MAN?!" Anky-looking Nightmare in the slight shape of a screaming human man roared, its face distorted and long, its jaws spreading across its entire body. The monstrous Nightmare rushed towards the students in front of him, targeting the females in specific.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Uuaaaggh!" "Noooo!" They tried fighting these things and ended with one of the students dead and their weapons all destroyed. These monsters were simply too strong. Trauma-type Nightmares wasn''t something they were supposed to fight yet, even less prepared for! "YOU WILL RETURN WITH ME AND STOP BEING WITH THAT MAN! RIGHT... NOW!" The monstrous Nightmare screamed furiously, swinging its giant arms towards the girls in front of him as he vomited purple mes that spread out everywhere. Traumas were among the deadliest Nightmares, embodying the cumtive trauma of people across the world. As the girls closed their eyes and hoped for their deaths to be swift, while the other half of their team had already run away, the ws descended. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! They had closed their eyes believing they would die, only for the ws to end upnding on something, or several somethings. Their eyes slightly opened, as they saw an army of monstrous skeletons of all shapes and sizes. "Huh?!" "U-Undead?!" The two girls nced at one another in disbelief, before finally realizing that the army of Undead wasn''t everything, a ghostly young woman emerged amidst the many skeletons, exuding an Aura of Darkness and Death. It was as if an even worse Nightmare had showed up! Yet once she faced the girls, they immediately recognized her face. One of the strongest students of the Academy and also the famous Necromancer. "M-Maria?!" "It''s her...?" Maria looked a bit different thoughpletely made of shadows, as she was using an Ego of her own Skills and Body Parts she swiftly nced at the Nightmare, and the two other Traumasing right behind it. "MY CATS... GIVE ME MY CATS!" A twisted Trauma Nightmare of an old woman merged with hundreds of cats, who was constantly vomiting monstrous cat-like Little Nightmares. "FUCK! FUCK EVERYTHING! FUCK YOU! I HATE THIS! I HATE THAT!" A giant, zing and muscr man-like Nightmare, with many muscr arms and a volcano- like head constantly releasing fire, its entire body aze. One embodied the unhealthy obsession that lonely old people have with pets, and the hatred that people have against one another. "Well, this is myst visit, aren''t you all quite feisty? Shut up for a while." With a wave of her ghostly hands, a Domain spread out, resembling a dark graveyard-like farm where only crimson bones grew from the soil. The sky turned into night, as a bright silver moon glowed above. RUMBLE! The soil then shook as the crimson bones took form, resembling giant Blood Bone Dragons, giant in size, they rushed towards the Nightmares and started shing them apart with their giant ws and sting them with fiery breaths of phantasmal mes. BOOOM! CLAAASH! BAAAM! CRAAASH! The Nightmares screamed in agony, but were quickly disposed, torn to shreds and then exploding into ck smoke, the two surviving students had already passed out due to all the shocking things happening in front of them. "Looks like I''m finally done..." Maria grabbed the three Nightmare Cores of the Trauma Nightmares she had just in, and nced at their big, spherical forms and quickly saving them in her inventory. She didn''t want to share them or make it so these students would try to get those cores for themselves because this was their raid or something. "I might as well take care of the other annoying Nightmares around here! Let''s clean the ce, hehe..." While telling the skeletons to bring the two girls to the outside world, Maria began killing any Nightmare she detected with her magic, conjuring giant bows made of darkness and firing arrows of shadows and phantom mes. "{Abyssal Spear Arrow}" They had the shape of giant spears made of darkness, epassed by blueish phantasmal mes. Each projectile pierced through all matter of Nightmares, destroying them on the spot and then she quickly stored their Nightmare Cores. She did the exact same thing in the other Fractured Nightmare Realms where she had to save the students being attacked by the stronger Trauma-type Nightmares and stole like over a hundred Nightmare Cores all for herself. ....And maybe her family too. At the same time, across the rest of the Fractured Nightmare Realms, she guided the students she saved outside, while also bringing the corpses of those that died. The authorities had already arrived, and were mostly cooperating with her in four out of the five realms, but this one had yet to have any figure of authoritye to help. "Hm, it''s not that they were slow it''s just that I was too fast..." Indeed, Maria had done things in less than thirty minutes, so she was indeed incredibly fast in what she did. Eventually, after all her egos arrived, they flew to her main body, fusing back with her. There were many professors and students walking everywhere, meeting the recued students, some started crying over the casualties. Out of the five teams, three students died, a terrible tragedy. The biggest issue that Maria detected, and the cause of this entire tragedy wasn''t just the Nightmares, but a Nightmare Force Field previously ced on all the Realms, which didn''t allow the artifact given to the students to work properly. This artifact would instantly send a signal to a professor, who would run inside and save the students from any threat, but this force field barrier made of nightmares fused together, made it not work. Maria exined this to the professors that gathered here, there was even the director, a lot of people, too many for her to check individually, unfortunately. However, dread grew within each student and professor when they learned about the existence of this barrier. Which was, without a doubt, pre-made. "I think this means that someone else... made these before the students entered, maybe yesterday," Maria exined. "Someone in this academy is nning to kill the students." Chapter 1207: Whos Behind This? Chapter 1207: Who''s Behind This? ? The mystery behind the bracelets not working was quickly resolved by yours truly, as I was able to easily detect weird barriers outside of the Nightmare Realms'' main dungeon area. Right outside, where the Nightmare Void is located, was where I found the barriers. I had noticed them slightly on our own Realm exploration, but I think I ended destroying it on my battle against the Nightmare Demon. Nheless, the rest of the Realms all had them, which wereposed of roughly a hundred Nightmares of Lesser form, mixed together by clearly someone that knew how to do this. "I think this means that someone else... made these before the students entered, maybe yesterday," I exined. "Someone in this academy is nning to kill the students." When I exined this to the professors, they all felt slightly shocked. "This is... although that''s a possibly, let''s start by not pointing fingers at one another, Maria." "Indeed, let''s calm down... This is too much to process after all." "Three students died, we did expect some to get wounded, I mean, this is not an easy job, we can''t always guarantee everyone was going to make it but.. at the beginning? This is indeed disheartening." "Hahh... Thank you for your help, Maria. Without your help, many more would have died, we owe you a lot." Professor Frederica Eastbern said, readjusting her sses as she tried to smile, even though she looked devastated. "That''s right, you''re a student after all, so please go rest," said a burly man, Professor Hendrick Constance. "You''ve done more than enough for today, Maria. The rest is all up to us, we''ll investigate things thoroughly and find clues. Authorities are here now, and they''ll remain around the academy for better protection. Rest assured that your safety is our priority." "Okay then..." I guess a student, I couldn''t really do much myself at the end... Wait no, I can do a lot! But the thing is, I need to y along as the student. I''ll investigate more on my own or with my familyter. For now, we should go rest, they weren''t wrong at telling me that, too many things have happened, and everyone needs to rest, especially me. The first of these seven days wasn''t so bad, it was full of a lot of fun, even this was a bit fun and interesting, though those three students died... is very gruesome. I wish I could have known beforehand about all of this; I might have been able to prevent it. Ding! [You have in arge quantity of Trauma-type and Lesser Nightmares!] [You earned arge quantity of EXP!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Your Level has increased from Level 252 to Level 257/300!] [All your Stats have increased! You gained bonus System Points.] [Some of your Skills have Leveled Up!] [You have earned the Respect and Gratitude of many Professors and Students of the Academy.] [You earned +2.000 Friendship Points.] Oh, this is nicer than I thought, I guess I did get even more levels from this, not bad. I killed so many Nightmares, I don''t think I''ll get such an easy opportunity as I did now. "And that''s what I found out, mostly..." I exined to my friends and family what had urred and what I had discussed with the Professors, they nodded, my family seemed to be suspicious of the academy people, while the students, Sofia, Alma, and Emily alongside the others, were afraid of something lurking in the shadows. "Ugh, what are we going to do now?" wondered Alma. "Is someone trying to kill us? But why? What have I done to anybody?" "It''s not that," said Sofia. "It simply means that the Nightmares are targeting us now... That Nightmare Demon that Maria fought, maybe there''s more like that. Intelligent Nightmares are rare, but the Demons are among the smartest. Without doubt, I bet it''s them!" "Well, maybe," said Emily. "I guess they got something to do. But if whole Nightmare Demons would have infiltrated this ce, we could have already been able to tell, right? They aren''t the sneakiest, their presences alone release a lot of Soot into the air." "That''s... not wrong," muttered Sofia. "But that Nightmare Demon definitely knew something, talking all smart about us, like she knew us!" "Right... T¨CThat''s right! Do you remember something else, Maria? I know you talked with her..." said Alma. "A bit, she did say something about knowing us all..." I said, trying to act like I didn''t knew much. "But through the majority of the fight she didn''t want to talk, and would continue screaming angrily like a monster... I had to eliminate her." "Oh..." Alma sighed, looking a bit disappointed. "W-Well, I don''t think we''ll be able to figure out much anyways, right? Pointing fingers at other people without having any proof it was them either... Maybe a professor did it, or maybe a student, or maybe none. Without clues, we can''t do much." "Yeah... So we have to just find our clues, right?" Sofia smiled. "Sofia... are you suggesting we investigate the whole school?" asked Jonathan. "Don''t you think that''s a bit excessive?" I guess he didn''t want the students to get involved with this whole thing, it was better if we did it on our own. "Yeah!" my daughter suddenly said. "It''s a bit excessive, big sis Sofia!" "We should rest for now, it''s gettingte after all," Arachnemented. "Right?" "Yeah and I''m hungry!" Celes nodded.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "E-Eh? Ah..." Sofia felt a bit overwhelmed as all the children started bothering her. "Okay, okay! I understand! L-Let me go already! Ack!" It was better if Sofia didn''t get strange ideas into the other girls'' heads, trying to investigate on their own will only lead to their deaths. Whoever is behind this, might be an incredibly powerful person... or Nightmare. And I am sure that talking head I got might be happy to reveal us some of the things she knows once I can get the time to talk to her. Anyways, once the day came to an end, we went to eat at therge cafeteria, the food of this world, very simr to modern Earth, was quite superb, so we ate a lot. Chapter 1208: The Nightmare Demon Gathering Chapter 1208: The Nightmare Demon Gathering ? Within the endless void that connected all Fractured Nightmare Realms, there was arge sea of pure nightmare void, stretching into thousands of rivers that fractured off the Main Nightmare into countless Realms that continued emerging endlessly across the world. Amidst them, there were several figures, dozens after dozens of these beings, walking across an endless castle made of darkness and covered with crimson eyes. Each castle corridor led to a different realm of many shapes and sizes, created from the endless nightmares, trauma, and hatred of humanity. From all these doors, these beings came, in all shapes and sizes, Nightmares. The embodiment of humanity''s deepest fears, their traumas, their hatred, and their insanity and madness. Yet they weren''t the normal ones. No, these weren''t little Nightmares. They were covered with sharp horns, they looked slightly more humanoid and "perfect" than the other Nightmares. They could talk to one another, and even interact much better as well. They were intelligent. They were Nightmare Demons. They walked across the endless corridors with smiles on their faces, after so long, the Second Gathering had finally begun, the Nightmare Demons walked forward, gathering inside an enormous ck hall. Illuminated by purple-colored mes floating everywhere, the Demons born from people''s fears, traumas, hatred, and pain walked forward. And right above them, standing on the second floor of the hall, looking down at every other Nightmare Demon, five of these Demons stared down at them. Their appearances couldn''t even be seen, shrouded by darkness, but their silhouettes were barely visible. A small one with little imp-like wings was floating around, it had small horns. A tall demon with long arms and ws, and a single horn that came from their head, pointing upwards. A burly one with an enormous body, several arms, and three heads, each with a single crimson eye. A demon with a seductive and feminine silhouette, wearing some sort of very tight dress, with two horns that spiraled downwards and long hair. Andstly, a tall demon whose silhouette resembled an average-looking man, with long hair and two horns that unified into a ring with a red jewel in the middle. "I''m d you''ve gathered here, my kind," he spoke first. "It has been a few years since the First Gathering! And I can see that there are many new faces here. It fills me with joy to know that the Nightmares of Humanity have given birth to more of our kind. Compared to them, we are perfect beings. Blessed by the power of Nightmares and also intelligent. Alone we can conquer the world... yet why don''t we do it?" He quickly nced at everyone with his four glowing eyes. "Can someone answer me why haven''t we done it yet?" A Demon below quickly spoke. "Because the Humans have developed Dream Hearts and are fighting back?" "Correct!" The Demons pped, ncing at the demon that answered and praising him. However, a secondter, that Nightmare Demon started inting like a balloon and exploded. SPLAAAT! Silence fell in the entire hall, as the Nightmare Demons nced back at the Five. "See? I''m merciful, he died without knowing he was wrong," the man said. "Did you had to do that? Our kind is very rare, please don''t kill Nightmare Demons," said the woman by his side. "My bad, it was an impulse. After all the things that made me... make me a bit impulsive," the manughed. "Now... The very reason why we, Nightmare Demons, have not overtaken the world, which is rightfully ours as the new race of intelligent beings is because... we are too few!" The Nightmare Demons gasped, stepping back. "Even after the Nightmare Realms opened, human poption has still maintained itself above five billion!" the Nightmare Demon said. "And what about us? We''re not even a hundred! We need more of our kind, right?" "It''s a bit hard to find more of our kindred because of the necessary conditions for our birth," said the woman. "I, as one of the few that can birth our kind, can only make one every year, unfortunately that''s not enough. Hence why I told you not to kill them!" "Yes, I apologize," sighed the man. "Anyways, this gathering today is not just to feast on the Dreams of Humans we''ve gathered today, but also to talk about something important. An ongoing project of ours..." "Ongoing project?" "What could it be?" "Is it rted with creating more of our kind?" The Nightmare Demons were confused, wondering what was being talked about. "Indeed! I assume everyone already knows about Dream Hearts, right? The thing every human that doesn''t die against Soot develop." Said the man. "Boy, open the door." "Yes!" The smallest of the silhouettes nodded, flying towards arge door behind them and opening it wide, the entire wall came off, revealing the rest of the castle. A gigantic treasure of pink-colored crystals piling up to the thousands, they all came out, flooding half of the hall where the Nightmare Demons were located. Some of them immediately noticed what this was. "Well! Our efforts have paid off. Through tricking foolish humans all these years..." the man spoke. "We''ve secured a stash of tens of millions! Pretty good, right? Those foolish Dream Warriors, as they call themselves... they die so easily! It is as if humans have be our farms of Dream Hearts, they''re delicious, right? They can keep us strong if we eat a few every now and then but... They are not for eating." The woman at his side smiled, walking towards the Dream Hearts and then, suddenly turning into an endless ck fog epassing it all. "Now, my beloved will show you all what is what we''ve been working on this entire time!" RUMBLE!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The entire dark castle trembled, the Dream Hearts started being absorbed by the endless ck fog, rapidly disappearing one after another, then, countless ck runes appeared, spreading across the walls and the ceiling. And what was born from it was a giant mass of ck and red flesh, tentacles wiggling everywhere, and enormous growths from every piece of flesh, rapidly absorbing the Dream Hearts and then creating something. Something hideous. Chapter 1209: Lie, Lie, And Lie Some More Chapter 1209: Lie, Lie, And Lie Some More ? RUMBLE! The entire dark castle trembled, the Dream Hearts started being absorbed by the endless ck fog, rapidly disappearing one after another, then, countless ck runes appeared, spreading across the walls and the ceiling. These runes thenbined together, rapidly forming something together, a powerful Nightmare Formation. Every Rune was made fusing a hundred Nightmares together. Their connection recreating a monstrousbination of Nightmare Essence and Souls. FLUOSH! The ck fog expanded and then rapidly materialized, fusing with everything within its range. The Nightmare Demons had to step back to not be caught, some of them ended being grabbed by something and eaten, but none truly cared. "GRUOOOHHHH...!" ...And what was born from it was a giant mass of ck and red flesh, tentacles wiggling everywhere, and enormous growths from every piece of flesh, rapidly absorbing the Dream Hearts and then creating something. Something hideous. The Nightmare Demons watched in awe, dozens after dozens of their kind were being created in front of their eyes! "By turning the Nightmare Castle into a Nightmare Formation of tremendous power, we''ve been able to amplify my wife''s powers to the limits,"ughed the man. "And now, she will give birth to thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions!" The Nightmare Demons gasped, in awe! Despite not being moved at all when one of their kindred died agonizingly against their very leaders, when they heard these words full of hope, they were filled with inspiration. "So I need your help, my kindred..." the man smiled. "Bring me Dream Hearts, hunt the Humans! Risk your lives if you must! This n must continue no matter what! In seven- no, five days! As long as you provide enough food... The Nightmare Demons shall be the dominant species of this!" "Ooohhh!" "Yes, King of Nightmares!" "We shall hunt!" "Our reign is soon to begin!" "Humanity is inferior! Nightmares are superior!" "We will keep Humans as mere cattle!" "Kill them all! it doesn''t matter if we die as well!" "As long as we can bring our Queen all the food she needs... Our reign shall begin!" The doors opened, as the Nightmare Demons jumped from them into many Fractured Nightmare Realms and Fragmented Nightmare Worlds. Such Realms and Worlds connected to many areas of the, as they sought the fuel for the further creation and expansion of their kindred. Dream Hearts.N?v(el)B\\jnn The Nightmare Demon leading them all smiled, ncing at the scene with a confident smile. "Thank you, without your help, it wouldn''t had been possible. After so many tries, endlessly stuck in this time loop... You have changed our future." The man walked towards another room to the left side of the floor he was standing. The world around turned upside down, as he found himself walking in the ceiling of this room. Right beneath him a person was sitting over a wheelchair, a young woman, with cascading, silky silvery-white hair, and crimson eyes. A gentle smile surged in her lips. Without a doubt, she was not a Nightmare Demon or a Nightmare. She was a human. "A pleasure, King of Nightmares." Her eyes nced at the room where she found herself into, an endless garden of flowers, a beautiful blue sky, and many children running across this beautifulnd. "Nightmares are indeed the future, now I truly see it," she sighed. "With them, we can recreate every memory of every human being that has existed or will exist. Isn''t that... simply wonderful? A world for us, no more suffering, no more pain..." "Indeed," the man walked to her side, admiring the beauty of this World. "I''m d you''ve finally understood, after so many tries, that there is only one future, one where Nightmares engulf the world. Only then will Humanity ever find peace." "Yeah... I don''t know why I was so foolish," she sighed. "Nightmares are not hostile; they''re only trying to save us. This shall be thest loop. Please... destroy humanity." "As you wish." The Nightmare Demon man nodded. "Let''s create a better world together." (Maria''s POV) After we had dinner with my family and the new friends of this Academy, we moved to the restrooms everyone had in the adjacent building. Apparently every student has a singr room for themselves, but if you''re family members, you can request rooms together. That''s why Lucifer and Nyx, Celes and Nia, and Arthur and I were onrger rooms where we slept with our family members. Turns out Arthur in this world is like... the half-brother of the character I''ve taken over. He''s supposed to be a silent boy who sometimes hangs out with me, but well, that does fit his personality quite a lot. My little brother is not very talkative, isn''t he? Though, there was a lot we needed to talk about. However, Emily, Alma, and Sofia wouldn''t leave me alone, even when I went to my room, they came running to my side and I had to invite them over as they had a lot to chat with me about regarding everything that happened today. "A lot happened today, Maria... But thanks to you and Jonathan we were able to survive," sighed Alma. "Thanks a lot for being with us there..." "Ah, yeah... no problem Alma!" I said. "Well, you did help a lot too, right? Your abilities developed as well." "Yeah, but I''m still a long way to go from improving upon them," Alma said. "B-But thanks to you and Emily, and Sofia, I was able to get that far..." "It was pretty obvious your ability could be used offensively Alma, I think you were just afraid, maybe," said Emily. "Maybe..." Alma sighed. I felt a bit nervous with three cute girls wearing pajamas sitting on my bed, especially because they were treating me like their own age, I''m fairly sure they''re not even older than 18! However, I had to endure, thankfully they talked very cute things. "Hmph, well, yeah, you two got pretty strong I guess!" sighed Sofia. "Though, I had no idea you could go against a Nightmare Demon, Maria! Even less that you could... divide into phantasmal forms, are all those Spells rted with your Dream Heart?" "Ahhh... Yeah, there''s a lot of abilities I have not shown before," I said. "I had to use them right now... That''s why!" I guess part of the trial was lying as much as possible, but this sure was annoying! Chapter 1210: What Is This World? Chapter 1210: What Is This World? ? "Anyways, the professors said that tomorrow we can go visit our families if possible," said Sofia. "Thankfully my family moved here a while ago, so that won''t be an issue... But I guess that won''t be so easy for you two." "Yeah, my family is in Brooklyn, ain''t no way I''m getting there for a single day, sucks but that''s how it is," shrugged Emily. "My grandma is in Switzend..." Alma sighed. "So not for me either... Hah..." "I guess only our prestigious families could move so easily to the safest city of the world," Sofia smiled proudly, waving her long hair. "Isn''t that right, Maria?" Wait, what? Does this Maria have a family here? Wait right, Arthur... if he''s part of it then maybe there''s more of them. I have to investigate that. "Right! I had justpletely... forgotten," I said. "But I guess I could go see my family with Arthur. Kind of boring though, I want to hunt more Nightmares and get stronger." "Boring?! But don''t you love your family?" wondered Alma. "Yeah, you usually always are talking about your big sister..." said Emily. "Amelia was her name?" "How''s Amelia doing by the way?" wondered Alma. "You haven''t talked about for a few days!" "Amelia, my big sister?" I wondered, feeling a bit puzzled. "Uh, good! She''s... fine! Yeah!" "But wasn''t she having difficulties eating recently? You said that the other day," said Emily. "Is she better? Maybe it was just a cold?" wondered Alma. Ah, this is hard. "I mean yeah, it was just a cold, she''s doing better," I nodded. "Um, but remember what I told you the other day?" "Hm? What?" wondered Emily. "Oh yeah, you said Amelia''s Dream Heart Cancer was recovering a little? But then she got sick again..." said Alma. Dream Heart Cancer? What''s that? Like, literal cancer inside a Dream Heart? So to resume, I have a big sister that is named Amelia. She''s sick and has Dream Heart Cancer. And uh, she was feeling a bit sick right after getting a bit better, I believe. Okay, noted. Can I extract more info from them somehow? Hm. "Yeah, she improved," I nodded. "But... um, well, don''t you remember how she was back then?" I went for a special question that might bring more info. It was a bit risky but... I think it worked. "Yeah, when she was in the academy a while back..." Alma sighed. "She was a very calm girl, very respectful too." "Has she worsened since that time the cancer appeared?" wondered Emily. "I remember that it happened when we were testing abilities in a sparring match..." "It''s a bit sad she didn''t even get to explore a Nightmare Realm with us..." Sofia muttered. Huh, so that''s her personality, alright. "Yeah she has be quite gloomy, I''m worried," I nodded. "Anyways! I think that''s it for tonight''s talk girls, I really want to sleep..." "R-Right, I''m so sorry, you must be tired, Maria," Alma apologized. "I''ll get going... Before, um, can I hug you?" "Huh? Sure... But why?" I wondered. "Um... I just, was very worried... for a moment back then, I really thought that I would lose you, and everyone else... It was very scary," Alma sighed, looking down. This only made me think more than I thought. After hearing from the Nightmare Demon that there were loops before this one. And that they inevitably failed one way or another... Has this world been on a constant repeat, for hundreds of tries?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The save 7 days... over and over again. Yet these people don''t know. Alma here, an insecure, yet strong willed girl, someone that has a strong and big heart, which is also very frail. She probably doesn''t know how many times this week has been repeated, how many times her life has perished and revived as the time went back. That''s... I had not thought about that. Yet she''s unaware, and smiles, asking me if I could hug her. This world... the people in them. Is there a way to free them from this endless loop? Not even the trial itself asks me to save the world, its only toplete those things. If I leave by doing the bare minimum, will this world''s agony continue forever? When will it end? When will it... "Maria?" Alma wondered. "Ah, sorry, was it awkward? I''ll go now..." "No, wait!" I gently grabbed her little chubby arm, and then hugged Alma tightly. "If you want a hug, there''s nothing to ask for, juste and hug me directly, Alma!" Maybe this might be just a trial, but I really have a soft heart, to be honest. These people... I want to help them. These girls, whose lives are on constant repeat. I want to save them too. Fine, I''ll be the "Maria" of this world if that''s necessary. And the friendship that this character forged with them... I will not waste it. Maybe at the end, I''ll be able to finally tell them the truth. But for now, I don''t want them to be sad. "M-Maria..." Alma blushed a bit, smiling fluffily. "T-Thanks... I''m so happy that you''re my friend, sniff... Thank you for being my friend Maria... Sniff..." Alma started crying after I hugged her! What am I going to do with this girl? She''s too pure, seriously. "There, there, it''s alright, no need to cry," I giggled, patting her head. "Y-Yeah,e on Alma, don''t be a crybaby," Emily sighed. "Let''s go to bed,e, I''ll hug you all you want!" "Emily! Thanks..." Alma then epted Emily''s hugs as well, as the two girls went to their respective rooms after that. Sofia also started going, but before leaving, she stopped and then nced at me while I was sitting over the bed. "Actually... Um, I wanted to ask you something, Maria," she said, looking a bit shy. "Yes?" I wondered. "What''s... your rtionship with Jonathan?" she wondered, looking very serious. "Huh?" "Do you like him too?" she asked. "Are you two in a rtionship, or are those... baseless rumors?" She ced her hand in her chest, looking worried. It was as if her whole life depended on my answer. "Sofia..." The man you love is not the same person that is here... Chapter 1211: Unwanted Drama Chapter 1211: Unwanted Drama ? From what I''ve gathered so far, the people that we rece in this world, were indeed their own characters. This world... it ran before we were sent here. Therefore, there was once a person that I am recing, and also Jonathan is recing someone else too. However, somehow, these people, all of them disappeared. They aren''t here. I don''t know if the trial itself made us rece them, and these people were simply... taken somewhere elseN?v(el)B\\jnn or. Something else happened to them, did they die? A death that cannot be reversed even by the loop? The Nightmare Demon said there were many faces that reced my character, that means that there were many that took upon this character. The same goes with Jonathan, Lucifer and Nyx, and so on... Jonathan and I are indeed in a rtionship, but within the context of this story, are we? The characters we rece... is it really good to talk in their behalf? If I tell this girl that we are indeed in a rtionship, Sofia might have her heart broken, but I can''t also keep feeding her such cruel lies either. Whatever response I can give to her, it''ll be cruel, and it''ll either feed her with lies or break her heart. She''s this character friend, and even if she''s selfish and doesn''t like me that much, I think she''s still... a good girl, deep down. What do I do? "Maria?" Sofia asked me, looking worried. I just want to tell her that "yes" so she stops flirting with him. But at the same time, maybe the original character Jonathan is recing did love her back. I would be denying her the love of her life? But that''s not Jonathan so... Yeah, I just can''t do this. There''s a line I can''t cross. "Yes." Her eyes widened, as she gave a step back. "Jonathan and I are indeed in a rtionship, I wanted to tell you but..." Sofia''s breath became heavier as she nced at me with disbelief, covering her face. "I''m his... girlfriend." "No..." Sofia sighed, looking down. "But that''s... Y-You promised me that you wouldn''t... that you wouldn''t...!" Her prideful face twisted, frustration, sadness, fear... The mix of emotions of someone heart broken. "I''m sorry... but our love is real and I can''t deny it. Sofia, you''re an amazing girl, I''m sure that-" "S-Shut up!" She started crying, as she red at me while furrowing her eyes. "How could you do this to me... I thought we were... we were friends! You said... Sniff, you said... that you wouldn''t take him away from me!" "But Sofia, Jonathan is not yours, he''s free to chose who he can love!" "Yeah but you seduced him!" "I-I didn''t! He just likes me, what do you want me to do?!" "You''re... you''re a terrible friend!" Sofia continued crying, opening the door and running away. "Sofia!" I ran outside the door, seeing her run away. For a moment I wanted to follow her but... I hesitated. What can I do in this situation anyways? I''ve met her for a single day, I don''t feel guilty either. But... it makes me sad; how many times has this girl gone through this? What... what am I supposed to do? [Your Rtionship with Story Character: [Sofia] has worsened.] [If your Rtionship continues to worsen, you may permanently lose her Friendship and she might be an Enemy instead.] And then an annoying message on pink color appeared in front of me. Dammit. Really? Enemy? That''s a bit too much. Okay, I need to gather with my family anyways. I''ll try to talk her tomorrow about it. Maybe we can convince her to like that other elf guy, he''s as handsome as Jonathan, well, not so much but he''s simr right? Maybe he can be a good choice... Oh! Or I could use that Cupid Arrow? Maybe that can fix that! Or maybe not... "Hah... Okay, let''s go." I quickly merged with my shadows, and using the Shadow Realm Fragments I left on all my family, I used Shadow Teleportation to teleport them directly inside my Shadow Realm. Also the Shadow Realm Fragment remains there, so I can actually send them back where they came from pretty easily. Very convenient, right? "Ah! Finally! We can talk normally!" Partner celebrated. "Mama! Hug!" Nyx ran to my side, hugging me tightly. "Nyx!" I received my daughter''s hug happily. "Huh? I was in the bathroom..." my brother was in the bathroom, hence the reason why he wasn''t there in the battle. "Phew, thankfully I was already done... Maria please ask before teleporting me." "I''m so sorry Arthur!" I sighed. "Also I heard that girl''s scream from before, what the hell happened?" he wondered. "A bit of school drama I don''t really like..." I sighed. "I''ll exin it to everyone, so tomorrow you can help me out at convincing Sofia." I exined to everyone what happened while we had a second dinner with the meat of monsters I brought, cooking a lot of delicious meals for everyone just for the sake of it. A family time like this was what I needed after pretending to be a school student in an academy about love and drama... and nightmares. I prepared arge BBQ, made some veggies, rice, noodles, and prepared some other things, bringing a whole kitchen in my inventory for convenience. As we enjoyed the enormous meals and ate as much as we wanted without looking weird to the people of this world, we talked about what happened today, and I also told everyone what transpired with... Sofia. "Oh my god, is she really like this?" sighed Jonathan. "What can I even do in this situation? This trial is... sure something." "It''s ridiculous!" said Partner. "Let''s just wreck shit and get all the stuff done and then let''s get out of here!" "Ah, well, I had thought about that, but this world..." I muttered. "I think its Cursed." "Cursed?" Lucifer wondered. "There''s no way an entire world can be Cursed... Right?" "Um, well, after I discovered something from a certain someone, I''ve begun to find out a lot of things about this little world," I said. "But how about you tell us more, Nightmare Demon?" I summoned a floating head, scaring a few of my family members. "A floating head!" Myconidasughed, pointing at the thing. "Oi! You bastard! Let me go already!" Chapter 1212: Interrogation 1 Chapter 1212: Interrogation 1 ? Thanks to all the things I cooked, we were able to enjoy a really good meal. Eating as much as we wanted without looking weird to the people of this world, we talked about what happened today, and I also told everyone what transpired with... Sofia. Yeah, Sofia, a bit of an annoying topic, but it had to be talked about even if it was a bit embarrassing! "Oh my god, is she really like this?" sighed Jonathan. "What can I even do in this situation? This trial is... sure something." I seriously didn''t expect Jonathan to react like this, I guess even her flirting was getting on his nerves. I guess this is the fate of every handsome guy like him, he also had a lot of crazy girls back on Yggdrasil. "It''s ridiculous!" said Partner. "Let''s just wreck shit and get all the stuff done and then let''s get out of here!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Meanwhile Partner really just wanted to wreck everything and not go along the trial''s rules, which was a bit dangerous. Do I have to put a leash on her or something? Seriously... "Ah, well, I had thought about that, but this world..." I muttered. "I think its Cursed." "Cursed?" Lucifer wondered. "There''s no way an entire world can be Cursed... Right?" "My little and innocent Lucifer, you''repletely wrong at that. I believe the whole Nightmares everywhere are the off shot of some sort of wicked world-wide curse or something." I said. "But that''s just my theory at the end, though Nightmares are really... They truly have a lot of curse-like qualities to them." "But even then..." Lucifer muttered. "Well, why should we care so much about this world? Once we''re done we can leave and be done with it, no?" That''s a fine response from someone that hasn''t bonded a bit with the people here and is unaware of the time loop that happens every 7 days. But that''s about to change... "Hah, well... I discovered something from a certain someone, I''ve begun to find out a lot of things about this little world," I said. "But how about you tell us more, Nightmare Demon?" I summoned a floating head, scaring a few of my family members. "A floating head!" Myconidasughed, pointing at the thing. "Oi! You bastard! Let me go already!" Yes, the floating head of that Nigthmare Demon, she was pretty much alive in this weakened state. "She''s a Nightmare Demon, most of you heard a bit about her and how I fought her and supposedly "killed her", but that was a lie, she''s alive, and she knows a lot," I exined. "So I brought her with me to ask her many questions. She also said something about... a loop, about that this world is repeated many times, and that there''s always someone else recing our roles too. Isn''t that right, friend?" "I''m not your friend!" she said angrily. "T-This is ridiculous, nobody has ever done this to me in over a hundred loops, howe you''re so strong?! You''re not at all like the other wimps that either ran away or died..." "See? She''s talking about that again!" I said. Everyone gasped, hearing about it from a Nightmare Demon of this world truly shook them even if a little bit. "What does she mean by loops?" asked Emeraldine. "Is this what you meant, Maria? Nightmare Demon, does this world... repeats itself every 7 days?" "Duh! Yeah?!" she groaned. "This damn world is cursed, I tell you! Since that fucking bitch ruined our King''s ns and stabbed herself in the damn heart... Ugh, now there''s someone recing her every 7 days, really annoying! Well, not so much, I enjoy killing the weaklings but... this is the first time something like this happens!" She once more talked insane stuff. "Stabbed herself in the heart?" Lucifer asked. "Reced? Are you talking about Maria?" "Yeah!" the Nightmare Demon seemed to not care about revealing more information, it was as if nothing really mattered to her. "This bitch here, she gets reced every 7 days by someone else. Sometimes it''s the Apostle of some Otherworldly God, other times it''s some "Isekai''d" Character or whatever. Last time, there was this stupid fucking bitch, she ran away after throwing that Sofia, Emily, and Alma to me, so I ate them and then chased her. She tried to teleport away or something, but I got her and ate her piece by piece, hahaha!" "W-What..." not even I was able to remain calm, muttering in disbelief. "Really?! You''re quite wicked, aren''t you? good thing they came back in the loop, but Jesus Christ... Calm down." "What do you mean with Calm Down? Stop trying to rationalize my actions! I am the embodiment of Humanity''s Nightmares!" she roared angrily. "I feast on humans eat their souls and their delicious Dream Hearts! I feed on their hatred, self-loathing, sorrow, and fear! That''s what I do, I''m a Nightmare!" "She''s a bit edgy," Niamented. "Ahem, well... Lady Nightmare Demon, can you tell us more about these loops? Do you know who the names were of the... people we''re recing?" "No idea who you are," said the Nightmare Demon. "Nor I know their name either... It kept changing every loop I got tired of remembering it." "But howe everyone''s memories reset except yours?" asked Jonathan. "I''m not the only one..." said the Nightmare Demon. "I''m special~ I''m the King''s daughter! So my Nightmare Core is connected to the Nightmare Void Sea. Which is unmuted by the flow of time! You see, time might reverse, but the Nightmare Void Sea remains the same, in fact, it worsens every loop! Hahaha!" "Wait what?! Really?!" Partner asked in disbelief. "How''s that even...!" "We grow stronger every loop while you pitiful humans get weaker! Idiots! Fools! I might not be able to do it myself, but we Nightmares will one day stop the loop from happening!" The Nightmare "princess" continuedughing, as she shook the entire Shadow Realm with herughter. Even as a head, she remained very powerful, I had to use my divinities to keep her fully sealed... Chapter 1213: Interrogation 2 Chapter 1213: Interrogation 2 ? "I''m not the only one..." said the Nightmare Demon. "I''m special~ I''m the King''s daughter! So my Nightmare Core is connected to the Nightmare Void Sea. Which is unmuted by the flow of time! You see, time might reverse, but the Nightmare Void Sea remains the same, in fact, it worsens every loop! Hahaha!" "Wait what?! Really?!" Partner asked in disbelief. "How''s that even...!" "We grow stronger every loop while you pitiful humans get weaker! Idiots! Fools! I might not be able to do it myself, but we Nightmares will one day stop the loop from happening!" The Nightmare "princess" continuedughing, as she shook the entire Shadow Realm with herughter. Even as a head, she remained very powerful, I had to use my divinities to keep her fully sealed. "You can''t keep trying to save this world, it''s doomed! It''s ours! The sacrifice of that dumb girl that you''re recing will be for nothing, hehehe! Hahahaha!" Sheughed at me, as loud as she could. I didn''t really mind it; she was kind of cute on her own talking head vibe. But more importantly, what she said... "From the girl I reced?" I asked. "You mean... What was her name then?!" "I... don''t have any idea! But I know she loved this world so much, despite being so weak... So she did something really stupid and terrible, and doomed this world even more, an endless loop! It''ll only worsen everything, dumbass! Now whatever Gods out there are constantly trying to send people to save this world... Why are they trying so hard?! Hahaha!" So this world was truly doomed, but the character I''m recing somehow stabbed herself in the heart and created this time loop to save it? Maybe because of how unstable it was, the Tower doesn''t know what to do with this World, so its constantly trying to ask others toplete it or save it as a trial. Everyone remained mostly in silence as they heard herughing. Knowing that there was someone that we''re recing, that gave everything they had to save this world, but that ended dying despite the loop. It''s kind of sad, even more when the people around us doesn''t realize these people are being reced byplete strangers. The girl I am recing, the good friend of Alma, Emily, and Sofia... The young man Jonathan is recing, Sofia''s crush. The bully yet brave girl that Partner is recing. The gentle hearted girl that Emeraldine has be. The lonely exchange student that Nia is recing. The children that Celes, Nyx, Arthur, and Arachne are recing too. They''re all dead... Sofia has no idea the man she loved is dead, constantly believing whoever reces him that... he''s alive and right there. The friend Emily and Alma loved is dead, killing herself to create an endless loop to save their lives, amidst the despair of this world''s end. It''s a lot to take in, I really thought the Tower''s Trials would be easier things. Like, I don''t know, hunting for treasures, killing monsters, or protecting a territory? But no, it''s much more... fucked. The Tower is literally telling us "here, please save this world, ok? Bye." Did the Tower do this because it knows we''re very strong, enough to make that an actual possibility? Huh... Well, for now, let''s start from the beginning again. This Nightmare, I can''t kill her, the information she has is too valuable. So I''ll make her work for me, even if she doesn''t want to. "...What''s your name?" I asked her. She red at me with anger, surprised I asked her name. "Why should I give you my name anyways?! We''re enemies! Did you think you can keep me here for long?! I''ll simply get back my strength in no time and eat all of you, filthy humans!" "We are not humans though," I said with a smile. "Lucifer, Nyx, can you show her?" "Sure." "Okay mama!" RUMBLE! With a storm of ck and purple lightning, their bodies erupted with tremendous power, and within seconds, they turned into two gigantic dragons. Their Divine Draconic Auras, so powerful and mighty, made this arrogant Nightmare Demon Princess rethink her word choices. "W-What...?!" "As you can see they''re dragons," I said. "Yes, maybe Jonathan is a human, Nia too, Celes, my boy, is also a human as well. However, the rest? Not so much. Not even my brother is a human anymore. I couldn''t let him be a mere human, I had to make him stronger." "Hah... Well, it couldn''t be helped," Arthur shrugged. "Though I wish I was just a normal human, that would be a disadvantage nowadays..." "I''m a spider! Look!" Arachne suddenly became a gigantic, monstrous spider. "Technically I am more like Fairy, and also a Wood Spirit!" said Emeraldine, as she unleashed her true form, glistening like a goddess of the forest. "I am a Vampire," said Partner. "Want to see my ugly form?!" FLUOSH! Partner grew her bat-like parts, then she quickly turnedpletely into a monstrous, crimson and ck colored bat monstrosity. This was followed by me, as I used my Anubis transformation to show her a monstrous, beast-like form. If I unleashed my other Outer Goddess form I might end up shaking the whole academy and that''s not my n today. "So?" I asked her. "Do you still think we are mere humans?" Our Auras, our Strength, our Divinities, all surprising, insane to her. This entire time she had fought only humans with varied abilities or magic powers at most. But actual monsters like us? Never, apparently.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "W-What is this...!" the Nightmare Demon Princess cried. "J-Just what are you all?! Howe you''re... this is not right! They sent monsters?! Are you Nightmares too, like me?! Nightmare Demons, perhaps?!" "I guess she can''t rationalize our existences otherwise," I said to my family. She seemed to be going insane, something incredible for a being born from humanity''s traumas, hatred, and fears. "You can call us that, but we''re Otherworldly Gods thate from a higher world. Now... you either cooperate with us, or I eat you and your soul, and I drain every hint of info within you anyways," I said. "I''m hungry, you know? Normal food doesn''t make it for me anymore." My ferocious jackal-like face groaned, as I showed her my sharp teeth. "Eeep! P-Please spare me! I''ll do anything you say!" That was easier than I thought. Chapter 1214: A New Lackey Chapter 1214: A New Lackey ? We nced at the Nightmare Princess while unleashing our "true forms" so intimidating and monstrous that it made her go a bit crazy. "W-What is this...!" the Nightmare Demon Princess cried. "J-Just what are you all?! Howe you''re... this is not right! They sent monsters?! Are you Nightmares too, like me?! Nightmare Demons, perhaps?!" "I guess she can''t rationalize our existences otherwise," I said to my family. She seemed to be going insane, something incredible for a being born from humanity''s traumas, hatred, and fears. But no, we are not beings as simple as "Nightmare Demons" that''s really dumb. So, let''s call ourselves "Otherworldly Gods" instead! Isn''t that much better? Yeah, it has a nice ring to it, I like it! "You can call us that, but we''re Otherworldly Gods thate from a higher world. Now... you either cooperate with us, or I eat you and your soul, and I drain every hint of info within you anyways," I said. "I''m hungry, you know? Normal food doesn''t make it for me anymore." My ferocious jackal-like face groaned, as I showed her my sharp teeth. I could essentially eat her right now if I wanted, a single bite was enough. However, it would be more useful for her to be alive for us, as she could help us infiltrate with the other Nightmare Demons, and more. Although I beat her to almost death back then, it seemed she didn''t realize I was going easy on her... She imagined she could defeat me after regaining her strength. And that I was a softie that would let her live until then... She was wrong,pletely wrong. And it showed, her face was growing fearful, she was sweating a lot, her eyes spiraling with insanity, head was trembling, she was gritting her sharp eyes. "Eeep! P-Please spare me! I''ll do anything you say!" she kept crying tears of horror, our presences seemed to even inflict damage into her mind. "Mighty Nightmare Demons of such a high lineage as you... I-I''ll serve you! Y-Yes! I dislike my father anyways! S-So please let me serve you! I''ll tell you! Anything you want I''ll tell you!" "That was easier than I thought," Iughed. "Where is that bravado from earlier, Nightmare girl? Now tell me your damn name, we''re making a contract." "A-A contract?" she asked feaerfully.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yes! Nightmares are beings simr to Spirits," I said. "So I want to try making a contract with you. I''ll be your master and you, my Nightmare Demon Spirit! Do you like the idea? You may even grow stronger than before, dear." "B-But that''s... isn''t that very?!" she cried. "I-I...! I am made from the fears, hatred, and trauma of humanity, but even this is... a bit too much? Please have mercy, we''re on the same side if you''re truly Nightmare Demons! Why don''t we... cooperate normally?" "Screw this bitch! Why don''t we just eat her?!" Partner roared angrily. "I''m not in the mood for her yapping anymore! You either cooperate or you''re dead meat!" "Hyeeeh! Okay, okay! I''ll do it! I don''t want to dieeeee!" She didn''t want to die for some reason, she''s very cowardly, even though she was so rough against me and thought she could win, risking her life as we battled. Does that mean that she pussies out when she learns that she has no chance? "Aren''t you quite the pussy? HAHAHAHAH!" Partnerughed at her, pointing her fingers at the tiny head. "Pathetic bitch! Don''t even try to get cocky again, you heard me?!" "Y-Yes!" the Nightmare Demon kept crying. "I don''t want to die... Uwaaah! Papaaaa!" She started calling her papa now... Dammit, why do I have to feel a bit bad now? I''m so stupid. "Okay, just give me your name and we''ll stop bullying you," I said. "Then, a contract! And I could even help you regrow your body afterwards." "Ugh... Sniff, my name is... Beatriz," she sighed. "I am the Third Daughter of the Nightmare Demon King! A-And... I specialize on Shapeshifting. I can turn in any form and shape!" "Well, that''s convenient," I nodded. "Alright, Beatriz, I''ll start the contract now. agree to all terms and you will live, and even gain benefits." "Okaaay?" She lifted an eyebrow as she nced at me curiously and confused. I stated all conditions. Very basic stuff, such as total loyalty, no betrayals, giving all info, giving all her help, and even fighting other nightmare demons or nightmares if necessary. Also not killing humans anymore, unless I tell her to do so, and she''ll obey every word I say, always, forever. "T-These terms are insane; wouldn''t it be better to just die?!" Sheined, groaning angrily as her head hopped on the floor. "Well! I''ll dly make your wishe true!" Partner smiled viciously, licking her bat-like jaws, opening them and... "Hyaaaaggh! Noooo! Okay! I-I ept the terms! Eww, your breath stinks!" As sheined while Partner intimidated her, she agreed to the terms and conditions of our contract. Perfect. FLUOSH! A Spiritual and Cursed Connection was established between the two of us, as threads made of our dark soulsbined and got together. She was now a new Spirit of mine, yet she wasn''t really a spirit either, kind of like Tyr! I felt a surge of her Nightmare energies, feeling slightly stronger. I had already obtained Nightmare Elemental Powers from absorbing part of Arachne''s powers. But it seemed these werepletely different elements anyways. The Nightmare Essence of this world wasn''t Nightmare-type Mana at all, nor Demonic Energy. It was just... its own and twisted Essence. Amazing! Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully created a [Spirit Contract] with the [Nightmare Demon Princess: Beatriz (SSS Rank)]!] [Your Starting Affection with Beatriz is of 0/100!] [A terrible Affection level! Please get to her better side and make her happier to get more bonuses!] [Currently, your bond is forced, therefore, you can only gain a bit of her powers.] [Nightmare Essence is coursing through your body, apletely new energy and element!] [If you can assimte enough, you may assimte the unique power system of this world permanently, and even gain new Stats and Skills.] Interesting! Chapter 1215: A New Little "Friend" Chapter 1215: A New Little "Friend" ? The contract was formed quite quickly with Beatriz. Ding! [Congrattions! You have sessfully created a [Spirit Contract] with the [Nightmare Demon Princess: Beatriz (SSS Rank)]!] [Your Starting Affection with Beatriz is of 0/100!] [A terrible Affection level! Please get to her better side and make her happier to get more bonuses!] [Currently, your bond is forced, therefore, you can only gain a bit of her powers.] [Nightmare Essence is coursing through your body, apletely new energy and element!] [If you can assimte enough, you may assimte the unique power system of this world permanently, and even gain new Stats and Skills.] As I nced at the messages, I realized that there was zero affection! I guess it was to be expected, this girl probably fucking hates me, and I won''t me her for that. But now that this is done, she''s mine. "Uaagggh! Why did I agree to this!" Beatriz continuedining as she grabbed her own face and started chasing it with her newly grown body. "Huh?! My body''s back already! What the...?!" I helped her regenerate it by giving her a lot of my Mana, it seemed she assimted it just fine, and it turned into Nightmare Essence. So its possible to turn Mana into this Essence... as long as it is first injected into a Nightmare. "I''m back! Hahahaha!" She resembled a blue-skinned Oni girl, with long white hair, six crimson eyes, and two ck horns growing from her forehead. Though, she was stark naked! "Hey, get some clothes you pervert!" I said. "I''m not the pervert here, you just remade my body out of nowhere!" she cried. "But it''s nice..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om POOF! With a swirl of shadow nightmares around her body, Beatriz got her ck dress back again, smiling happily at us. "Heh! Now I finally look like the princess I am!" She even whisked to reality a ck crown over her body. Nightmares were able to change their body appearance and even grow clothes around their bodies. But I think Beatriz is even better, as she can shapeshift, its apparently her special Nightmare Ability. "So what Nightmares do you exactly embody, Beatriz?" I asked. "You''re so afraid of death, it''s almostughable... Do you embody people''s fears?" "W-What?! Well! Who wouldn''t be afraid of death, idiot?" she sighed. "And... well! I embody the Fears of Rejection, Lack of Self-Esteem, and the Fear people have against their own Appearances. Ugly people that hate themselves, or those that feel like they were born in the wrong body, body dysphoria, and so on! Hehehehe! Scared yet?!" "Huh, that''s tamer than I imagined..." said Partner. "I really thought she would be something scarier," said Emeraldine. "Wanna be my friend?" Nyx said, wagging her big dragon tail. "You''re like... like a cute demon princess! Do you have dresses for me too?" "I don''t want to be the friend of some ugly dragon!" Beatriz angrily said. "And I won''t give you any of my wardrove-" CRASH! Lucifer''s fist came down towards her faster than I was about to kick her, crushing her like a bug, sttering her body on the ground. "Don''t you dare call my daughter ugly!" "H-Hyeeeegghh..." Beatriz gave an agonizing scream, her body was slowly recovering, but she went through quite the pain. "Daddy! Don''t be mean! She''s our ally now, right? I don''t mind!" said Nyx, pouting. "Don''t hit my friends!" "W-What? Your friend?!" Lucifer sighed. "Nyx... what''s gotten into you? Why would you want that thing to be your friend?" "She''s not a thing and I think she''s just a bit afraid..." Nyx said, angrily. "Right?" "Uuggh... Don''t try to sympathize with me, I''m a Nightmare!" Beatriz kept yapping. "Nyx... I wouldn''t rmend you to try to be the friend of a Nightmare..." even Celes was trying to convince her otherwise. "Hmph, I be friend with whoever I want..." said Nyx. "Also Arachne was also like a big demon monster or something, right? But mama turned her into a nice girl and she''s my friend too!" "We started with the wrong foot but we''re friends now, yes," Arachne nodded with a calm smile. "Beatriz! Let''s be friends too!" "Yeeah! Let''s be friends!" Nyx nodded. Nyx and Arachne ran towards Beatriz, dragging Arthur and Celes with them, while helping Beatriz get her body back together. "S-Stop touching me! I can do this on my own, geez!" As the Nightmare Demon girlined, I saw the kids trying to talk with her... They were surprisingly happy that another "kid" has joined us. Although she was certainly not in the same position as them. Well, my brother didn''t like this though. "Why am I here? I''m not even a kid anymore..." he sighed. "I''m older than I look!" "Uncle, don''t be like that!" Nyx said. "Hahhh..." My brother was weak against Nyx, so he ended ying along. "Ugh, you''re all so annoying, stop pestering me! Aaaagghh! Enough... Enough!" Beatriz groaned in annoyance as the kids were ying with her dress and her hair, she couldn''t hurt them due to the contract. She was calling them ugly and stuff but that didn''t seem to shake them, they surprisingly had a lot of mental resilience. "Are you sure this is fine?" wondered Lucifer, ncing at me. "To recruit that monster... She''s too evil! Didn''t she say she ate your friends in the previous loops? I-I mean, the friends of your character?" "Yeah... She''s not a good person at all," I said. "But that''s why I got a leash on her. Now either has to get along, or she''s going to die... I believe she''ll be necessary for what''s toe. Especially as a Nightmare Demon, we could infiltrate or even find out where they live, their nests, or even their ns." "Right... I guess I didn''t consider that," said Lucifer. "But even then... I don''t like this." "Hm, I do like the decision!" said Jonathan. "I would have done the same, honestly. Maria, you''re a good person. And it shows even now. Beatriz is also useful too, so it''s not just a "dumb" act of kindness." "Yeah!" nodded Emeraldine. "I was a bit afraid at first but if she''s your contracted spirit, it should be doable... The question is, how do we bring her along? Only in your shadows?" "Hmm, I got another idea," I smiled. "Beatriz! Come here!" "W-What now?!" she groaned, her hair was covered with pink ribbons and made into braids by the girls. It was hrious, they were treating her like a doll... Chapter 1216: A New Pet Chapter 1216: A New Pet ? "So cuteeee!" "Maria! I had no idea you had such a cute familiar." "She''s so fluffy! What breed is she?" "Uhh, ck cat breed?" The ssrooms of ss 1B were noisy this morning, it was already the second day since we started this damned trial, and today many of the students I saved yesterday were flocking around me. Intiailly to thank me for saving their lives, but after seeing the little creature I brought with myself, thye quickly started caressing her and calling her cute. And indeed, she was a cute ck cat. "Mereow!" She angrily hissed at the girls though, swinging her ws at them but never actually hurting them, mostly just to scare them a bit. She couldn''t hurt them after all, she was below a special contract! "Hey you terrible contractor! What is this?! Why am I being subjected to such torture?! What''s wrong with your head?!" Although she was an adorable ck cat, she talked like an annoying brat only through telepathy, and only to me. Yes this was Beatriz new form, a ck cat! My genius idea was to easily let her inside by telling her to turn into a cute ck cat. Her Shapeshifting abilities are so good she was able to easily camouge even her aura as a Nightmare Demon by suppressing it. "It''s fine, they just think you''re cute." I smiled at her, as she continued being subjected to the "torture" of being petted continuously, making her freak out.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Um, Maria, I had never seen that cat before, is it new?" Alma wondered, as she was looking at the cat by my side. "I-It''s kind of too aggressive... Wouldn''t it hurt someone?" Emily was also asking a simr, concerned question. "Nah, there''s nothing to worry, her contract says she can''t actually hurt humans, she only freaks out, but she can''t actually hit others." Alma and Emily looked at one another, unable topletely believe that. "Ah well, anyways... Do you know if something happened to Sofia?" Emily asked me. "She''s been silent this whole time and when we went to say hi she told us she didn''t want to... talk right now," Alma muttered, nervous. "Uh..." I looked at Sofia, nervous. She was silent, sitting on her own seat, reading a book, her eyes seemed devoid of light, and her face expressionless. "Heh, is that the girl whose heart you broke?" Suddenly, I heard the voice of Beatriz. "It''s not my fault! Jonathan is my lover, even if he''s recing a person she loves, it doesn''t mean I can let her love him!" Beatrizughed. "Hahaha! I guess you''er not a cuck then... Well! I guess you''ll have to deal with one less friend now! Gahahaha! Pity, that girl''s rather strong... I can sniff something within her though." "Sniff?" "Yeah, she''s... furious, and also very sad. You know how Nightmares are born from Humanity''s negative emotions? Well, she''s exuding a lot of that." "Will something bad happen?" "No idea! But she''s exuding a lot of bad vibes. You better take care of her before it might be toote." "Toote for what?!" "Toote before she loses her mind andes to kill you or something... Dunno!" "You definitely know something, tell me!" "I swear I don''t know anything else! But my dad once told me that when humans gather a lot of negative energies, they can lose it if it reaches a breaking point. T-That''s all! Seriously!" "Hmm..." "Maria?" Alma wondered, tilting her head. "Um... Do you know something?" "Do you?" Emily wondered, crossing her arms. "Ah..." Should I tell them what happened? Wouldn''t this make them hate me too? It''s better to keep it for my own until I can solve this issue with Sofia. She''s an important Character in this Story, so it would be better she''s not my enemy. "Just leave her be, she''s always been a cunty selfish girl, right?" wondered Partner, stepping in. "She''lle to terms that she can''t be all that without friends. She suddenly just bes a lonely loser." "Just like you?!" Emily sighed, looking at Partner angrily. "Don''t say that of Sofia as if you knew her, Partner!" "Y-Yeah..." Alma nodded. "Um, Maria? Can you try talking with her at least?" "Eeehhh..." I really didn''t want to get into more drama, dammit. But this damned world seems to thrive on school romance drama. So here I go, I guess. "Sure, leave it to me..." Let''s give it a try. I walked towards her, as she was reading a book about Dream Weapons. "Sofia? Eh, are you alright?" She was ignoring me. "Um..." "Sofia? Hey." She continued flipping the book pages faster, and faster, she wasn''t even reading the text. She was just pretending to be busy. "Come on now, don''t ignore me... We''re friends, right?" §£§¡§¡§®! However, she angrily closed the book and then red at me furiously. "We''re not friends anymore..." "Eh? That''s...e on..." "Leave and don''t talk to me ever again." "But Sofia! Everything for just a man?" "Just... a man? You never ever told me that you... why are you like this, Maria?! Do you enjoy it? Do you like toying with people so much?" "Huh? I haven''t done any of such... things." "You''re so selfish..." "Selfish? You''re the selfish one, thinking you can simply make someone love you just because. I couldn''t help it, you know? And... well... it''splicated." This was getting weird, and I didn''t like this at all, I needed to swiftly calm her down before. "Complicated?!" she cried angrily, a few of the ssroom students suddenly nced at her. "Sure wasplicated to tell your friend you were fucking their crush, huh?!" "Sofia! How can you say something like that?" "Agh! Just don''t talk to me anymore! I don''t have any friends anymore!" "E-Even Alma and Emily? They don''t have anything to do with this!" "I bet they know about this, and they yed dumb, right?! Nobody here is my friend... everyone... everyone is always a selfish fuck!" Suddenly, Sofia stood up and ran away from the ssroom. "S-Sofia!" Alma cried. "Wait!" Emily quickly started chasing her. Damn, it feels so weird to be med for things I never did. Taking the role of another person is... Indeed,plicated and annoying, if not a torture on its own. I see why this is such a difficult Trial, and why everyone has failed before too. Chapter 1217: A Talk With Sofia Chapter 1217: A Talk With Sofia ? As I saw Alma and Emily run behind Sofia, I sighed, my family quickly walked to my side. Well, those in the ssroom. "I guess I should go as well," said Nia. "It is a bit of a pickle, but they''re just girls in love, I am sure they''ll understand if we talk to them nicely." "I''ll go with you then," said Partner. "I''m not so sure that girl can keep herself calm." "Let me go too," Lucifer said. "I also have to go, this is all because of my fault," Jonathan sighed. "I should have rejected her myself instead of making you do all the excuses. It''s my responsibility." "Of course I''m going as well, please don''t forget about me," Emeraldine smiled gently. "Everyone... Ugh, thanks, let''s go then," I nodded. There wasn''t anything else I could do but chase after her and try to exin things to her properly. But seeing what they believe we are, with what we actually are. Is there really the possibility of making up? To them, we''ll sound selfish and stupid at the end, because they know apletely different person than what we actually are. Perhaps, maybe if I could somehow project my memories into their minds, would it be possible for them to realize we aren''t exactly the person they think we are? But thenes the possibility that they''ll be even more afraid of the truth, of this loop... And that those they considered friends are long gone, reced byplete strangers. Verypleted and deep stuff, this trial is literally killing me. Or more like, killing my heart! It''s like watching a drama on TV, but I''m forced into the protagonist body without any of their previous memories! "Man, if this had continued as just a battle academy fantasy, it would have been so much easier..." I sighed, running towards Emily and Alma with my friends. "Girls! Did you find her?" "She went to the bathroom..." Alma sighed, gasping for air. "Hahh... I''m tired..." "Should we go see- Ack!" Emily gasped as she noticed the army of friends behind me. Lucifer, Jonathan, Emeraldine, Nia, and Partner. Yeah I just bought five people with me! "So many people?! Maria, this is a private thing..." Emily sighed. "It''s fine, they''re also my friends..." I said. "At least Jonathan shoulde with us." "But it''s a girl''s bathroom!" Alma said. "It would be a vition of the guidelines if he goes inside..." "Hmm, then let''s go bring her outside," I said. I walked into the bathroom with Alma and Emily, and quickly reached the area where she was. "Ahh... Sniff..." She was crying. I''ve only met this girl for two days now. I shouldn''t really feel bad at all either. I mean, I just met her, and she has been kind of a cunt! But... somehow, I felt bad. Why do I feel bad? It feels as if something might be influencing me. This world? Or... The Character that I am recing? As selfish and spoiled as she was, Sofia still looked like a decent person. I mean, she worked towards helping her friends and all. And it was clear she cared about Alma and Emily to an extent... And perhaps even a bit for the character I''ve reced. It''s just that... things happened like that. What can I do to solve this problem? The problem is that Sofia is sad and destroyed because the man she likes loves someone else and has been in a rtionship with her friend. Damn, putting it like that it does sounds fucking terrible. But the thing is, I am not this character, and Jonathan isn''t that character either. To let her do whatever she wants would imply she would continue flirting with my boyfriend. And that''s not something I can ept, trial or whatever. Therefore, I just told her the truth. But that ended hurting her because doesn''t have the context that I have. That wee from another world and aren''t the people she thinks we are. Therefore, I have to rify this problem, and tell her that those people are... fucking dead. Damn! Is there a way to solve this without traumatizing her even more? Hmmm... Wait, the Friendship Shop! "Sofia? Are you there?" Alma called for her. "Leave me alone..." Sofia responded bitterly. "Please don''t cry, Sof! We love you!" Emily called for her. "Y-You''re our friend..." Alma nodded. "If you were my friend you would have told me that Maria was with Jonathan!" "B-But we didn''t know that!" "Seriously, we didn''t!" I had already told them what happened, they epted it faster than I imagined, maybe because they already had a strong bond with my character. However, they still felt a bit angry at me, but not enough to act like Sofia. "Sofia, it''s true, they didn''t know. I kept this a secret. I knew it would hurt you, and I didn''t want to hurt you." "Then why did you even do it?!" "Because love... is not something that can be decided by just saying a man or a woman is yours." "But..." "I know it hurts; I seriously know. Through my childhood, I went through one too many rejections." Remembering my past, my childhood, my high school years back in Earth. I seriously went through a lot of shit. I was the nerdy, dumb girl of the ssroom. The popr gals bullied me for being weird and quirky. I only had male friends because of my hobbies, such as liking anime and games... But. Whenever I fell with one of them, and I confessed... I would always face rejection. Sometimes it was cold, and we never were friends again. Other times, it was with an apologetic expression, and we continued being friends despite that. People that say that women have it easy are wrong. Only beautiful women have it easy!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om I was an ugly bitch, and I didn''t take care of my appearance either so... Yeah, no dude ever saw me as a girl. When I started taking care of myself, it was a bit toote, and I was already in college. And that''s when... when I died. Then there''s my life as Maria in Yggdrasil,pletely different, thanks to the wishes I asked for. I was born in a fancy family, I was beautiful, and I had strong magic powers. It was an ideal life! Yet... even then, everything ended with me being beheaded. Chapter 1218: Nightmare Born Chapter 1218: Nightmare Born ? So yeah, I went through so much shit, now that I think about it, my heartbreaking rejections weren''t even the bad things. I got everything I wished in my second life, but even then, the world itself wasn''t having it, so it decided to ruin my life. The perfect life I had, they destroyed it. It made me ponder a lot of things, when I finally regained all my memories. Being a ghost without those memories actually helped me move forward without falling into despair. I was able to get a family, friends, and even a daughter before regaining all those memories. Because if I still had them since the beginning, I might have be somethingpletely different. It helped me move on... I guess. And it also made me realize how good I actually had it in my first life. Just because of some dumb rejections, I let it ruin my life. I became depressed, and too focused on just reading to escape my reality, a reality I ruined on my own. Damn... I never thought this much about everything. This trial, it sure has made me think a lot. If I hadn''t let those rejections and my school life affect me so much, I might have not been in the library in that moment. And I might have not died when the Earthquake hit. In resume... I died because of my own life choices, and because I let superficial problems ruin my life. "What do you know about anything?" Sofia spoke to me. "You''re miss perfection... everything always goes well with you... everyone admires you... everyone loves you! Have you ever had any hardship in your life?" "Hah, too many to count, dear." "W-What? Don''t joke with me..." "Seriously, I''m not joking... When I came to this school, I thought everything was going to be an easy walk in the park, but it wasn''t." I sighed, ncing at Alma and Emily. "It has been just two days but... It has made me think so much about my life, more than I thought..." "Maria?" "W-Why are you talking like that?" The two girls noticed something weird, yeah. I just was talking from the heart, no more hiding bullshit. And somehow, I feel moved. Are these emotions...? Ding! [The {Lingering Emotions} of the {Fallen Heroine} are slowly being imbued into your heart.] [You''re understanding more what her emotions were towards her friends.] [Your empathy towards Sofia has increased.] [Memories the {Fallen Heroine} has gone through are being shared with you] This is...? And then I saw it. Time stopped for a moment, and countless mini movies appeared around me. Projections of the memories of the character I reced, seen through first person. The first time she met Sofia, when she was a cocky youngdy without a hint of friendliness. "Hmph! You might be quite strong, but so what?! I''m even stronger! I''ll beat you and proim the title as the strongest here!" She was full of insecurities and wanted to prove herself to make her father proud. Because to her, her father''s approval was everything in her life. Yet the Heroine won and defeated her in the Student Arena. "T-This can''t be... I lost?! No..." Her cocky face shattered, and she... She didn''t rage like a viin or something. No. "I... lost?" She started crying like a child. She cried, and everyone saw her cry. She nced at the arena spectators, a tall, bearded man with the same features as Sofia nced at her. Furiously. "Hmph... What a disappointment." And walked away in disappointment. "No... father! Wait...! FATHER!" Sofia desperately called for her father, crying. Everyone looked at her with smiles. Some evenughed at her misfortune. She had gained a bad reputation in the school due to her attitude after all. So everyone kind of hated her... Yet the Heroine... She extended her hand towards her. "Huh? I-I don''t... need your pity!" Sofia pped her hand away and ran from the arena, however. Yet the visions continued. Over the days, Sofia became someone almost unnoticed, always silent, alone, depressed. The Heroine, Alma and Emily, helped her slowly feel better. They constantly talked to her. "How are you doing, Sofia? I-I bought you some cookies I made! Want to try?" Alma offered her cookies, which Sofia reluctantly ate. "They''re bad, add less salt." "Ouch... ok." She was cold at first, but over time, the cookies tasted better. "They''re not bad..." And Alma smiled cutely, making Sofia smile back a bit. "Sofia! Let''s go train together!" Emily trained with her, and Sofia was able to grow stronger over time, learning about her magic and techniques. "Thank you for helping me, Emily." And the heroine? She did all of this with them, always at Sofia''s side. Although she was cold and silent at first, they slowly melted her icy heart. Eventually, although she never thanked them for their friendship, Sofia became their friend. And... "Yeah, I... I like ***... Please don''t tell him, ok?! I''m so embarrassed I''m telling this to you, ***. But you''re my... my best friend so... I thought I could tell you that, at the very least!" And then she told the heroine she liked ***, the person that Jonathan is now recing. So that''s what''s happening. This world... The characters we rece, they aren''tpletely gone. Their emotions, their wills, even their memories, somewhat... Remain, and slowly, they be ours too. This love I felt, it wasn''t romantic. It was the love of a friend. The lingering love of the Fallen Heroine towards the selfish Sofia. I''ll do you a favor then. I''ll tell her how you feel. "Sofia..." "" "I love you as a friend... We''ve gone through a lot for these years." I touched the bathroom''s door gently. "Remember that time when you were rejected by your father, and you cried because I defeated you?" "Ah!" Sofia reacted. "I didn''t hate you back then... I never did." "Huh?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I admired you, and I wanted to fight you because of that... I didn''t want to humiliate you either." |||| "That''s why... I... I wanted to be your friend." "Maria..." "I''m sorry, Sof... but please, don''t let this break our friendship, the friendship we''ve forged for all this time... I don''t want to see you cry anymore..." "... "After all, you''re the prettiest of this school! So I think a smile would... fit you better. A-And... Um, well, you moved on from your father, right? So... Can''t you move on from this too?" "Sofia... please!" Alma called. "We love you... please don''t... do this," Emily sighed. "I''m sorry, Sofia... for everything I''ve done. And I''m willing to take responsibility for this. I''ll even... go away, and never talk to you if you want... But please, don''t do the same for Alma and Emily," I said. "They love you and... They have no fault in any of this." "Maria..." "But..." The two seemed a bit hesitant, they didn''t want me to take the burden, but it was fine. I didn''t mind it, as long as they would remain together as friends. It''s fine. There was only silence for a couple of minutes. But. Creaak... The door of the bathroom slowly opened, revealing a very depressed-looking Sofia. Her makeup was all ruined, she cried a lot, and even her hair looked messy. "Sofia..." I nced at her with Alma and Emily. "Maria..." She started crying again. "I''m sorry..." "Huh?" "But why?" "Sof?" "I... can''t... take it... anymore..." Sofia suddenly started breathing heavily. "R-Run..." She nced into my eyes. "Please run away!" "Wha...?!" And then, I heard it, a crack. Crack... CRACK! The crack of Sofia''s Dream Heart, before ck fog surged from her body, and she fell into her knees. "Sofia!" We all ran towards her. But it was toote. Something was being born from her. A ck cocoon, with red, fleshy tendrils. In the shape of a heart, pierced by a thousand ck needles. It opened its single eye. "A Nightmare?!" I quickly grabbed Emily and Alma. TRUUUM! Before a huge shockwave of Nightmare Essence erupted. And a Fractured Nightmare Realm was born. BOOOM! Chapter 1219: A Bad Dream Chapter 1219: A Bad Dream ? BA DOOM! BA DOOM! BA DOOM! The sound of heartbeat echoed across an old manor. It was a loud sound, so loud and annoying, that it made her open her eyes. Slowly, she found herself sitting on the floor of her old bedroom. Her bed, her furniture, everything was here with her. "Huh?" She nced around, there was a clock. In the shape of a heart. As the clock''s hands moved, the sound of the heartbeat continued reverberating. "Where am I?" The girl woke up in her old bedroom, confused. Her pale skin, which made her look almost sickly. Her long gray hair, reaching her legs. And her silver eyes, looking around confused. BA DOOM! "Huh? Wasn''t I older?" She felt lighter and smaller, as if she had be younger. KNOCK, KNOCK! And then, she was startled, as someone began knocking at the door. "Eh?" She was afraid, stepping back. "Sofia! Are you awake yet?" That voice... She recognized it instantly. "Mom?" But it couldn''t be! Sofia''s mother... She had been dead for years. The door opened, as a dazzling woman with white hair and golden eyes stepped in. BA DOOM! She looked simr to her daughter, or perhaps her daughter to her. "Dear, what happened? Why are you in the floor?" "Mother? What? Huh... but you... didn''t you die?" Her mother seemed confused. BA DOOM! "What are you talking about, honey? I''m not dead... Did you have a bad dream?" "I..." Sofia felt confused, touching her face, trying to wake up. "This is not a dream? Where am I? Wasn''t I... I..." She felt like she was somewhere else but... BA DOOM! She couldn''t recall anymore. Maybe it was indeed just a dream. A weird dream of the future? One where her mother died, and where she suffered because of bad friends. A weird dream, maybe a nightmare. Yes, a nightmare, and that''s all. BA DOOM! "Mom... Mom!" Sofia smiled adorably, happy. She ran towards her mother, hugging her tightly. "Oh my... Just what happened to you? Sofie? Why are you crying..." Her mother hugged her daughter, and then lifted her up, carrying her in her arms. "Mom... I dreamed you died, and that dad hated me... and that I had friends, but... they betrayed me... And..." "Hahh... enough, it was just a bad dream... Maybe a nightmare?" Her mother cleansed her tears, smiling warmly at her. BA DOOM! "Everything is okay, alright? Remember! Today we were having a pic with your father, right?" "A-Ah... I didn''t remember..." "Well! Aren''t you quite the forgetful girl! You''ll get punished with lots of tickles from your mama!" Her mother yed with her, tickling her belly and her little neck. "Ahahaha! Mooom! Stop it!" Sofia giggled innocently, as her mother tickled her belly and then kissed her forehead. "Feeling better now, baby princess? Let''s go have a pic then!" "Oway!" Sofia smiled, as her mother carried her downstairs. The house, everything, it was just like she remembered. "My old house..." It felt as if it had been years since she ever saw it. Yet, that couldn''t be the case. She simply had a bad dream... Right? BA DOOM! "Is Sofia ready, udia?" "Yes dear, she''s here." And then, as she walked downstairs with her mother, she was greeted by her father. A tall man with a serious expression on his face. White hair, and silver eyes. He seemed dull most of the time, and expressionless. Yet, he was smiling now, lightly so. "Dad... Has he ever smiled like this before?" It was like she had never seen her father smile ever before. But maybe, that was also part of the dream she had. That nightmare. BA DOOM! "Papa... you''re smiling?" Her father raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Why wouldn''t I smile? When I see my beautiful wife and my wonderful daughter, I can only smile. Good day, Sofia. Did you sleep well?" Her father walked towards her and hugged her. When was thest time he even hugged her? And then he kissed her nose. When was thest time... he ever did any of this? Sofia was left bbergasted, speechless. "Papa..." "Hm? What''s wrong? Is she ok, udia?" "I think she had a bad dream..." Her mother was preparing things for the pic in the kitchen. "Is that so?" BA DOOM! Her father nced at Sofia, sighing. "It was only a bad dream, Sofia... Don''t let such things, fantasies, affect you. I''ve also had... couple of bad dreams myself. Thos that you wake up screaming, hahaa!" "R-Really?" "Yes, but, at the end of the day, they''re dreams." Her father patted her head. "They''re not real." "Not... real?" The already cloudy memories of that dream slowly began to fade away. If that was not real then... She had nothing to worry about. Right? BA DOOM! "Yeah! You''re right papa! Thank you." "Hahah, good girl." Her father quickly helped her mother pack things up, before the three walked down the vast gardens that surrounded their house. The sky was sunny and beautiful, and the forest lush and alive, birds sang, and the wind was soothing. It was such a nice day. BA DOOM! Eventually, they reached the perfect ce. A small hill that was surrounded by flowers of all colors. "Wooaaah! What is this ce? I had no idea this existed here!" Sofia ran across the flower garden, as her parents walked behind her, giggling. "It''s something I''ve been working on for thest year! Do you like it, Sof?" "I love it mama!" The family set everything for a pic, nket and all. And then sat down, enjoying the shadow of a single,rge tree over that hill. BA DOOM! "Everything is going to be okay, Sofie." Her mother said. "Don''t worry about bad dreams... they''re not real." Her father reassured her. And Sofia, only six years of age, smiled. "Yeah! I''m so happy that it was just a bad dream!" And she ate, and she smiled, and sheughed. BA DOOM! The clock continued tickling. It suddenly opened an eye. A crimson eye. Fleshy red veins spread through the entire building. The garden. Yet Sofia could not see them. They wrapped around her body. As she smiled and was happy. The clock continued tickling. BA DOOM! And the Nightmare Heart continued feeding. "Ah... what a beautiful childhood." BA DOOM! "It brings me so much joy to see you happy, Sofia." BA DOOM! "Please, forget everything else..." BA DOOM! "I''m here for you... Your dear, dear Nightmare." BA DOOM!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "And unlike all of them... I will never leave you alone." . (Maria''s POV) Darkness engulfed us, as we found somewhere else entirely. This is... A twisted world born from Sofia''s Traumas. "Her Dream Heart... it became a Nightmare Heart." Chapter 1220: Lost Inside The Nightmare Realm Chapter 1220: Lost Inside The Nightmare Realm ? (Maria''s POV) Darkness engulfed us for a split second, before we were tossed into apletely unknownndscape. Using my powers, I was able to protect Emily and Alma, bringing them with me. "Hahh... Hahh..." "W-What happened?" The two girls were confused, as they nced around apletely different world. A dark garden, with red, ck, and purple nts. A purple sky, illuminated by a crimson moon. "Heheh!" And... "Mamaaaa!" "Oh no..." "Papa?" The whisperings of a child echoing everywhere. Small phantoms of someone, a girl with long white hair and silver eyes. Running around, giggling. Constantly, everywhere. "This is... a Fractured Nightmare Realm." I stood up, looking around. "Eh?!" "What?!" Alma and Emily couldn''t believe it. "Sofia... made this." Their eyes widened. A twisted world born from her Traumas. "Her Dream Heart... it became a Nightmare Heart." The two nced at me in disbelief, they really didn''t want to believe this happened. But it was clear as water that this was all provoked by her, or well, by whatever was going on with her. "This dark garden, and those visions we asionally see... They''re most likely from Sofia," I exined. "We are in what could be said to be a Nightmare Realm made from her own Heart." "But that''s... how is that possible?!" asked Emily. "Maybe you''re wrong Maria, maybe it''s a Nightmare that attacked us!" "Maybe... or maybe not," I sighed. "I''m not so sure myself, so please don''t take it on me... I''m just trying to bring whatever I can tell right now." "Um... I saw it too..." Alma sighed, looking around with slight fear. "I saw Sofia, when she said we had to run away... She was afraid, I think this wasn''t something... she could control. Please, don''t me her for this!" I guess that''s indeed what Alma would have said. And I like her because she''s very honest and good too. She''s a good friend, I wish she had been my friend back then... "Yeah," I nodded. "I think what happened to her isplicated... But I believe all her dark emotions and perhaps... even her memories of her past, they all seemed to create enough Negative Energy from her to infect her own Dream Heart, turning it into a Nightmare Core... or well, Heart." "So you''re saying she birthed a Nightmare?" wondered Emily. "Ugh... Guuggh..." Emily started puking after she realized what had happened, I couldn''t me her for that. Alma used her healing magic to make her feel a bit better. "I wouldn''t say she gave birth to it..." I said. "More like, her Negative Energy and her Dream Heart became one, creating a Nightmare from her Traumas, Frustrations, Hatred, and Fears. Has it even been registered before? This happening?" The two girls looked at one another, without a clue of what I was talking about. "N-No, never," said Emily. "This might be the first time it happens... Or..." "Or the governments have been hiding that Dream Warriors can be Nightmares..." Alma muttered, in utter disbelief. "Definitely could be a possibility..." I nodded, sighing. "If people knew they could turn into Nightmares by bing a Dream Warrior, then many wouldn''t ever want to work as or train to be one, right? They would rather stay home... Or even worse, normal people would discriminate or try to outright kill Dream Warriors as they could be a threat if they turn into Nightmares." "After all, I don''t think humans can turn directly into Nightmares, right? They''re born from Dream Realms after all," said Emily. "But our Negative Energies is what... apparently creates them... Agh, I don''t know if we should bet talking so much right now, this whole damn ce is so unnerving." "I agree," nodded Alma. "But um... Then this means that while normal humans can''t turn into Nightmares, those that develop Dream Hearts can? Because our Negative Energy doesn''t simply go away, it continues to... umte inside our Dream Hearts?" "Wait, wait, wait," Emily muttered. "Does that mean that just anybody could turn into a Nightmare then?! And it seems like its inevitable then! Everyone goes through shit all the time after all, so..." "Yeah, it''s just Alma''s theory but it could mean that all of us have a tickling time bomb inside of our Dream Hearts," I exined. "Sooner orter, we could all turn into Nightmares once enough Negative Energy is umted in our Dream Hearts... But Sofia seemed to have been elerated with this whole drama. However, I still believe it wasn''t just that, but it might have been thest thing topletely trigger it." "What else could it have been then?" asked Emily. "Since when has Sofia had her Dream Heart?" I wondered, as I started spreading my Shadows, summoning skeletons and sending them away to inspect the surroundings. "I... I think she''s one of those that was born with one," said Alma. "She said she had always had "her talent" from birth!" "So after the appearance of Nightmare Realms, not only could normal people gain a Dream Heart through exposition to the Soot," I said. "But also there''s people that can be born with one already, maybe because their parents were exposed to it and survived..." "Y-Yeah, I think so..." Alma sighed. "Um, Maria...?" "Yes?" I wondered.N?v(el)B\\jnn "I want to save Sofia..." Alma sighed. "I-I don''t want her to remain as a Nightmare, could it be possible to kill that Nightmare and save her?" "I don''t know, I really don''t know..." I said. "But it''s worth giving it a try, right? Though, I don''t know about this but, do people die if their Dream Heart is shattered?" "Some die..." said Emily. "Well, the majority die instantly, Dream Hearts are said to regte the Soot inside our bodies, making it our power, which then help us manifest Dream Weapons and Magic or Techniques derived from them." "Hmmm..." I nodded. "So in a way, it is as if... as if Dream Hearts are like Nightmares themselves, but purified, the Dream Weapon even, it could be something like a "Tamed Nightmare" in a way." "What? That''s insane!" Emily muttered. "T-There''s no way..." Alma cried. "Heheh..." "Hahaha!" "Oooh!" Suddenly, as we continued talking, we heard giggles, the giggles of children approaching. The little phantoms of little Sofia we saw, they were rapidly approaching us,ing from the dark gardens. Their eyes were red, crying blood. "Hey, hey! Let''s y!" Chapter 1221: Attacked By Bizarre Nightmares Chapter 1221: Attacked By Bizarre Nightmares ? We couldn''t be left alone to talk not even a little bit, as these little phantasmal Sofias started walking towards us with rather... sinister looks in their faces. They were small kitchen knives covered with blood as well, smiling cutely, yet their eyes were dark red, and they were constantly crying blood. Talk about creepy, not even me as a ghost is this creepy! [Your Party has entered the [Fractured Nightmare Realm]: {Dark Garden of Fake Nostalgia} [A Fractured Nightmare Realm created from a Nightmare born from a Dream Heart, it is much smaller than normal Realms, but it is densely packed with the Dream Heart owner''s memories and traumas turned into monsters.] [Rmended Difficulty Level]: {Grade 7} [Nightmares Present]: [100+] [Nightmare Decaying Rate]: [66%] [Current Task]: [???] [The Nightmares [Deceiving Silver-Haired Princess (S Rank)] has noticed your presences; their innocence masks their bloodlust.] "Looks like this Nightmare Realm is Grade 7!" I said. "Girls! Get ready to fight, we have to break through this and find Sofia!" "O-Okay! But aren''t those like Sofia?" wondered Emily. "But they''re so creepy, they''re not her!" said Alma. The two girls summoned their Dream Weapons. Emily was covered on her bronze and gold- colored armor from head to toes, and Alma summoned her staff, overflowing with an aura of azure color. "Heheheh! Hahaha!" "Let''s y! Let''s y, pleaseee!" "Hahaha! Will you y with us?" As the Nightmares giggled and acted innocently, they started moving really quickly, reaching us within mere seconds, and pointing their sharp knives at us. They didn''t aim to stab us with them, they literallyunched them at us, using the knives as projectiles instead! However, with a single wave of my hand, a wave of Shadows was released, engulfing all the knives and making them disappear instantly into pure darkness. There were six of them, and as they saw their knives disappear, suddenly, they materialized new ones out of their hands. "Oh, so they can do that... Alright, better eliminate them quickly," I nodded. "Emily, Alma, can you take a few down?" "Yeah!" nodded Emily. "Leave it to us!" "Alright." I rushed forward, summoning my sword and swinging it down. SLASH! One of the Nightmares was instantly sliced apart, exploding into ck smoke and disappearing. POOF! As that one died, two more attacked me from the sides, firing dozens of knives at me. "Ah well!" [Endless ck Sun Skeleton Soul-Eating ws]! I swung my hand upward as my Aura transformed, mixing with my shadows as a huge skeleton fist appeared from below the Nightmare, making it disappear instantly as its entire body was destroyed. BAAAM! These giant ws quickly emerged as I swung my fists, an easy technique I could conjure any time,posed of Shadows and Darkness primarily, but with a lot of Yang Ki as well, and the ability to eat souls through phantasmal energy. "You''re not fun!" The third Nightmare cried, suddenlybining all her knives into a gigantic knife and firing it at me, I quickly stepped forward, shing it apart with my sword and then... CRASH! A giant ck skeleton hand crushed her, making her disappear into a cloud of ck smoke, or soot, as it is often called.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om POOF! "And done, how are you girls handling things?" I quickly took a peek at them, noticing they were doing fine, one of the Nightmares was already gone, only leaving behind a little ck stone. The other two, however, were never letting them get close, as they constantly ran away or in circles, firing their knife projectiles while making sure they weren''t hit. Annoying, yeah. "Ugh, dammit!" Emily looked frustrated, she was constantly protecting Alma from getting stabbed by the knives, so the two of them were forced into a defensive position. This is not the way of doing things at all! "Emily, charge forward, Alma, keep up with her using your magic and protect yourself!" I said. "You have defensive magic spells, right? Don''t let Emily protect you, it''s the other way around!" "Eh? But Maria!" Emilyined. "She''s not wrong!" nodded Ama. "Trust me on this one, Emily!" Emily seemed to be hesitating for a bit, she really didn''t want to see Alma hurt. "O-okay, but heal yourself if you get hurt, ok?!" Emily nodded, rushing forward as her entire armor started overflowing with electricity. The Nightmares responded by quickly trying to run away from them, aiming to reach their backs and attack. However, Emily furiously pped her hands, releasing a small thunderbolt. BOOOM! It hit directly one of the Nightmares, not killing it instantly as her strength wasn''t long- ranged magic like this yet, but it did stun her. Enough for her to reach the Nightmare and in between a rain of knives fired by the stunned monster, she smashed its head and the rest of its body with her gauntlets. BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! POOF! "Fuck yeah! Finally got it- Ah! Alma!" Emily panicked as she hadpletely forgotten about Alma, only to find her defending against many attacks from thest Nightmare, the knives were easily blocked by a water bubble she created to protect herself. "You''re so boring!" However, the Nightmare grew angered, suddenly transforming one of her arms into a giant ck scythe and swinging it down, shing apart the bubble! SLASH! SPLAAASH! As the water rushed down and sttered everywhere, the Nightmare charged against Alma with a devilish smile, swinging her scythe-like arm! "Heheh! Die, for me, ok?" "You might have her voice, b-but you''re not my friend Sofia!" However, Alma didn''t cower or escape, the moment the bubble copsed, she quickly repurposed some of the water and created a spiraling spear of water, hitting the Nightmare almost at point nk. BOOOM! The powerful pressure of the spiraling water and its piercing impact quickly made the Nightmare explode into ck soot, dying on the spot. Once it was finally over, both girls sighed in relief. "Hahh... Those things were tougher than I imagined!" said Emily. "I mean, not really tough, just really annoying to deal with, running around and firing knives..." "Yeah..." sighed Alma. "I dislike how they look like Sofia and have her voice... I want this to end quickly." "Don''t worry, it''ll end quickly," I smiled. "Now that those distractions are gone, let''s find Sofia and save her, shall we?" I wasn''t leaving without her. Chapter 1222: What Happened Outside Chapter 1222: What Happened Outside ? RUMBLE! While Maria, Emily, and Alma were engulfed by Sofia''s Fractured Nightmare Realm, the rest of the people outside the bathroom seemed to have remained mostly intact. The shockwave of Nightmare Energy was powerful, enough to quickly force them to step back, the school also entered in panic as everyone started running, cracks appeared in the ceiling and walls, as the there was a ck curtain in the girl''s bathroom, an entrance to this Nightmare Realm. "What the hell happened?!" asked Partner. "Maria! Where is she?!" "This is a Nightmare Realm! Wait, Partner, don''t go in without a n!" Lucifer grabbed Partner before she was to go inside. "Calm down! Maria is very strong; I doubt she''ll face any difficulties anyways."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "But I''m worried!" Partner cried. "Aren''t you?!" "I am but calm down!" sighed Lucifer, trying to hold down Partner who was constantly kicking and punching him to let her go. "What is this? How did this appear out of nowhere though!" said Emeraldine. "Not only Maria but I feel like Sofia, Emily, and Alma disappeared inside too! Will they be alright with only Maria? W-What if they get separated!" "This is indeed dangerous... Maybe we could split and send a small group inside?" Nia wondered. "I''m worried! This world is so strange and confusing... Nightmares appearing out of nowhere, that''s not something that even in Yggdrasil happens!" "Hmm... calm down, Nia," said Jonathan. "Maria actually never left us... Look." "Huh?" Everyone suddenly nced into their shadows, which quickly began tobine to form the appearance of Maria but made of shadows! "Calm down everyone, I''m fine for now!" "Maria?!" They gasped in shock and disbelief, and also relief she was okay, and that they could talk with her like this too! It was never something they guessed she could do but now that they thought about it, seemed pretty obvious. "I left a Soul and a Body Ego here," she said. "This is my Shadow Soul Ego; the Body Ego is with the kids right now. like this we canmunicate even when I''m far away! Pretty cool, right?" "Yeah but I''m d you''re ok! Is nothing bad happening there?!" asked Nia, panicking and hyperventting. "C-Calm down a bit dear, it''s alright, seriously," she said. "Though, I guess it''s not really alright how all of this happened... It was provoked by Sofia." "By Sofia?!" Jonathan wondered. "Wait, how?" "Uuh, I think I''ve learned a new thing about this world. Dream Hearts can turn into Nightmare Hearts and create Nightmares based on people''s Negative Energy umted from their feelings of Frustration, Hatred, Fear, Traumatic Memories, and so on," Maria exined. "So this ended happening to Sofia because... well, because of what happened." "There''s no way she would go so crazy about it like that!" said Partner. "The hell is wrong with that girl... seriously!" "So this is one of the things that hasn''t been revealed to the public, then?" asked Lucifer. "I had my suspicions. This means that any person with a Dream Heart has the potential to be a Nightmare? Or create one..." "Yes, I''ve spected that the reason is because the Dream Heart absorbs all the Negative Energy of a person instead of this energy simply dissipating into thin air... meaning that every Dream Warrior could be a tickling time bomb," said Maria. "But we''ll have to solve thister... Hey Beatriz!" "Hm?" Beatriz quickly appeared out of Maria''s shadows. "W-What is it?" "Come with me, I''ll summon you inside. You''ll be of great help figuring out what''s inside," said Maria, grabbing Beatriz from her cor like a cat. "Uwaack! Hey wait a second- Uaagh!" And then she was dragged away. Then Maria appeared again. "Right now, I''m moving across a dark garden with the girls, the entire Realm seems to be made out of Sofia''s Traumatic Memories," said Maria. "The first Nightmare we fought were literally Sofia in her childhood, they resembled pale ghosts... crying blood and holding knives, really weird and creepy." "Wow..." Emeraldine muttered. "I-I didn''t expect Sofia to have traumas like that, isn''t she like a richdy? Just what was her life like until she got here?" "Perhaps we''ve underestimated the girl," said Nia. "For now, what should we do then, Maria?" "I''ll try to find a way to save her. Until then, there''s no need toe. But if I need extra help, I''ll call you." Maria winked at everyone. "This is also a good opportunity to learn more about Sofia... and also for Emily and Alma to get stronger. So I''ll stay here until its resolved. It shouldn''t take too long." "A-Are you sure?" wondered Partner. "I''m about to jump there anyways!" "Please don''t, stay there for now," said Maria. "We don''t know if Nightmares would end uping out from this fracture, so I want strong people outside to deal with them, I''m leaving this task to you guys." "Alright then..." sighed Partner. "But please take care! Ok?" "I''m fine, it''s not like I''ll leave though, this Soul Ego will remain here!" said Maria. "Ah, we found some sort of weirdbyrinth now... Huh, this ce''s sure weird. Wait, what''s that?!" Maria suddenly seemed to panic, making everyone in front of her panic even more! "M-Maria?! What is it!" Jonathan cried. "Ah, nothing, haha, it was just a creepy shadow- Woaaah!" Everyone started sweating a lot at Maria''s reactions to what was happening in the Nightmare Realm, she quickly created a projection of what she was seeing. "Ok, how''s this then? Only you can see it anyways," Maria said. "I made it using Illusion and Mind-Bending Skills and Spells! Pretty neat, right? It''s like a projection of what I''m seeing into your heads, with livementary!" "T-This is really weird..." Lucifer muttered. "Wow, so that''s how it looks inside?" wondered Partner. "Maria, what was that shadow?! Be careful!" Emeraldine said. "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine," said Maria. "Looks like this whole Labyrinth is being guarded by weird Shadow-like Nightmares... I might require the help of some Undead and Beatriz, huh?" As if they were watching a youtuber ying a game with livementary, the group nced at Maria''s adventures with nervousness clear in their eyes. Only Maria was taking this easy, everyone else was too worried! Soon enough professors and other authorities arrived, and they had to exin to them what happened. However, due to Maria''s request, they skipped the part where Sofia was the one that made this Nightmare Realm... Chapter 1223: Going Through The Dangerous Nightmare Realm Chapter 1223: Going Through The Dangerous Nightmare Realm ? (Maria''s POV) Once we defeated all the Nightmares that had appeared to greet us, I had a little talk with my family outside of the Nightmare Realm, thankfully I left some Egos with them, so I was able tomunicate even between these two separate dimensions, a pretty neat trick. With that, I managed to bring along Beatriz, summoning her to my side in her cat form, she was confused an angry, but once she got here, she looked slightly happy andfortable, like as if she were at home. "Huh, this ce''s not so bad, it has a lot of Nightmare Essence concentrated! That Sofia... I never thought she had this potential! Maybe in the previous loops I wouldn''t have eaten her if I knew I could turn her into this, haha!" As she talked through telepathy, Emily and Alma, who were recovering from the battle, noticed the cute cat appearing, sensing her powerful aura. "Oh, it''s your familiar? You could summon her like this?" wondered Emily. "Yeah! I can summon many more familiars too," I said. "Before we fought I sent a dozen Skeletons to check my surroundings. I managed to mentally map some of the area before they died by being eaten by Nightmares." "E-Eaten?!" Alma cried. "How many are there? Did you see them?" "Maybe too many!" I said. "There were giant trees,rge shadows, creepy crawlies, andrge bugs... But there seems to be a lot of dead-ends." "What does that mean?" wondered Emily, drinking a special drink full of electrolytes and vitamins for athletes I gave to her. "It means that most of the directions they went to led to ces with nests teeming with Nightmares," I said. "If we had all the time in the world I would happily go hunt them, but we clearly don''t have any time..." "So there''s Nightmare Monster nests here? This is the first time I hear of such a term; this means this Realm must be huge!" Alma said. "It''s really big, yeah, like a huge piece ofndscape. But it has an end, one of my skeletons reached the border, falling from the ground and reaching the Nightmare Void Sea, being swallowed and disappearing... Not a good thing to look at," I sighed. "Hm, imagine it like we''re standing on top of a floating ind." "O-Oh..." nodded Alma. "That''s still very scary..." "Yeah," I said. I''ve used my Automatic Mapping Skill to rapidly map everything my skeletons saw though, and I got an overallyout of the entire Nightmare Realm. "We''re currently in the middle of the entire Realm, an area that is an open grasnd surrounded by a garden of flowers," I exined. "From what I could detect, to the west there''s a series of holes that lead to an Underground Nest of Mole-like Nightmares... that look really strange. Then to the east there''s a frozen garden of ice flowers full of weird mannequin-like Nightmares with sharp limbs." "That sounds annoying..." Emily said. "Behind us, there''s some mountains with open caves leading inside areas full of strange golem-like nightmares," I exined. "Andstly, if we go straight from here, we''ll reach something resembling abyrinth made of nts. It had some weird shadow things, but it seemed like the safest for you two. Also, the Nightmare''s rate of assimtion is increasing a lot over time, so we have to hurry, or it might be impossible to save Sofia." "You''re right!" nodded Alma. "Please Emily, stop resting, we have to hurry! Nom, nom, nom!" She finished eating the little cereal bar I gave to her as she said she got hungry from overusing her magic, and then Emily nodded, finishing her energy drink. "Alright!" She started stretching for a bit and then nodded. "Let''s go, Maria, lead the way please!" "Sure, follow me!" While using my shadows to move faster through the Nightmare Realm, we dashed across the dark garden, trying to run as fast as possible so more Nightmares wouldn''t end up swarming us. But even when we moved quickly after I enhanced their speed using my Shadows, those things appeared anyways. RUMBLE! The gardens surrounding us started to tremble, as gigantic red, purple, and ck roses with eyes on their bodies emerged from the ground. "GRYYAAAAAHH!" With horrendous, ear-piercing screams, dozens of giant five-meter-tall Nightmares emerged, quickly moving their long roots and branches covered on poisonous needles ton/?/vel/b//in dot c//om catch us. "Hahaha! Look what you got yourself into now! A bunch of Nightmares want to eat you!" Beatriz was enjoying this, the little rascal. "Emily! Alma! Attack them, I''ll cover the rest!" "Yeah!" "Okay!" Alma quickly loaded her armor with lightning and swung her fists, shing against the roses and sting holes through them, their roots were of no use, as she easily broke through them all. "{Thunderous Fist}!" §£§¡§¡§®! §£§¡§¡§®! §£§¡§¡§®! §£§¡§¡§®! Her fists were fast and powerful, followed by kicks and headbutts, as long as she used her Dream Weapon, her entire body became a weapon of its own. Meanwhile, Alma conjured her magic using her Staff once more, this time spread bubbles everywhere around her and then changing their shape... hardening them. Wait, what is she doing?! "If its water then... Then I can... do this much, right?! Please... Please work!" As she cried, her eyes glowed with azure light, as her aura turned into one of frost, the water needles suddenly frozen, bing dozens of ice needles! "{Ice Needles}!" The ice needles were fired, piercing through the Rose Nightmares bodies and then freezing their bodies as they did, slowing them down and outright shattering them into pieces once they frozepletely. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! It was incredible! What was once thought to be a Dream Weapon that only worked for support, was rapidly shaping into an offensive Weapon as well. "SHYAAAAGH!" As I faced over four gigantic Rose Nightmares, I smiled. "Well done girls! Now''s... Myconidas, it''s time for you to shine! Beat these big nts for me, will you?" I summoned a little mushroom boy, who had been dying for some action. "Finallyyyyy! It''s my time to shineeeee!" As he emerged from my shadows and leaped into the air, he touched one of the Nightmares. FLASH! Chapter 1224: Myconidas Power Chapter 1224: Myconidas'' Power ? "SHYAAAAGGH!" The monstrous Rose-like Nightmares opened their massive jaws and quickly aimed to eat Myconidas with a single bite, he was small enough for that. However, they quickly learned how wrong they were in such a foolish assumption. The moment Myconidas'' little hand touched one of them, suddenly, ck color covered their entire body as an oozy, slime-like substance grew all over their bodies. Mold. "{Divinity: Wither & Decay}!" With a single set of words, Myconidas unleashed his Divinity, the power he was born with as he grew as a mushroom from one of Ymir''s bones, a divine being of his own, a naturally born god from Yggdrasil who had yet to fully awaken as one. FLUOSH! And then, the Nightmare coughed ck blood and dropped into the floor, groaning in agony. Nightmare or not, it was a living being and it could wither and decay. The mold grew all over its body until it started to fall apart and turn into mush, dying an horrendous death. Another Rose tried to eat him and suffered the same fate, copsing the moment he touched it, then, the other three stepped back and gathered energies into their jaws, firing Nightmare Beams from their eyes. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Uwawaaahahh!" Myconidas panicked a little bit, but he was fine, as he quickly unleashed his aura more strongly, touching the ground to create a wall made of mushroom and mold. "Long ranged attacks! I guess that''s my weakness!" he said. "Hmm... How about this?!" He touched the ground with his little hands and then spread his mold and mushrooms towards the Nightmare''s roots, who were unaware of his stealthy attack as they continued firing beams due to their panicking fear. FLUOSH! Before they could realize what was happening, the mold and ck and purple mushrooms were already covering their entire bodies, absorbing their nutrients and making them wither away. They copsed into the ground, feelingpletely weak before they started Decaying and turning intopost, pretty much. The thing is, they didn''t even die like normal nightmares by exploding into ck soot either. Myconidas power was so strong it kept them in their physical forms until they point they decayed away. Once they turned intopost, there was a small Nightmare Core that popped up, but without me even telling him anything, he ran to collect them and then... "Nom, nom, hmmm! They taste nice!" He started eating them! "W-Wait a second Myconidas, I don''t know if you can eat those! Wait!" I tried to stop him because I was worried Hel would scold me or something. "They''re mine, I earned them! I''ll eat them all!" He ended opening his mouth to a gigantic size and eating all the cores, crunching them into bits and swallowing them. "Phew!" he said, patting his belly. "It was a good meal! I was hungry! Master doesn''t feed me well!" "I-I''m sorry, I was busy and- Wait, are you ok? Really? You just ate crystals imbued with Nightmare Essence!" As I was panicking a bit, Beatriz walked by my side. "Just what the hell did I just watch?" she asked me through telepathy. "Oi master, what''s that thing?! Is it from your world?" "Ah! Yes... he''s Myconidas, a God of Decay and Withering, a young one born from the bones of a Titan God named Ymir," I gave Beatriz a brief introduction. "The Goddess of the Underworld, Hel, gave him to me as my... Well, "undead" but he''s technically a Divine Death Mushroom of Decay and Withering, I don''t know if it counts as an Undead." "Y-Your world is insane..." Beatriz muttered. "Just when I thought we Nightmares were awesome you... You appeared, and your little group of monsters. To think there''s such terrifying worlds out there... Yggdrasil, huh? I would rather never visit such a dreadful ce!" "I mean, you might if you continue as my contracted spirit, hahaha!" "Nooooo!" As Iughed at Beatriz dread, I heard Emily and Almaing to my side, a bit tired, but with the assistance of the Skeletons they were able to wipe out over twenty more Rose Nightmares. "We''re done here..." sighed Emily in relief. "Ah, the skeletons brought you the Nightmare Cores..." "I-I can''t believe I did it! I produced Ice Spells!" said Alma happily. "Hehehe!" "Good for you Alma!" Emily patted her head. "Yeah, amazingly done!" I nodded. "I knew you could do it!" "T-Thank you..." Alma lowered her head, blushing in embarrassment. She was so cute...n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I want to save Sofia, so I have to grow stronger..." she said, gripping her fists tightly. "Sof must be scared and confused right now... we have to find her!" "Right! Yeah," nodded Emily. "Maria, do you know where we could go now? I''m honestly lost, but you got perception abilities or that mental mapping you talked about earlier." "I am not too sure, but we were going to thebyrinth as it seemed like the safest ce, and where Nightmare Essence was leaving trails but... Hmm," I looked at Beatriz''s cat face. "Can you lead the way, Beatriz?" She squinted her eyes at me slightly angrily, but then nodded. "For fuck''s sake, is this why you brought me here, you bad master?!" Beatrizined through telepathy. "Ugh... but yeah, I can sense that girl. Sofia has a very peculiar smell, and her Aura of Dream Essence is strong- well, it''s all Nightmare now, so she''s very tasty. It''s like a huge steak, I''ll lead you there as long as you let me take a bite off her!" "How about I let Myconidas wither you to death instead?" I asked her nicely through telepathy. "Mereow!" she said, as Emily and Alma''s eyes widened, the cat began walking straight towards thebyrinth. "What did she say?" asked Emily. "She''ll lead us where Sofia is," I said with a smile. Like that, we followed Beatriz who happily led the way through thebyrinth made of nts, which were made into giant walls. There was a ceiling too, made of countless vines wrapped together, so it was difficult to fly over everything... And honestly, if we don''t want to attract a giant swarm of Nightmares in the sky, it''s better to just walk. Yet... "Sssshhhhh!" Suddenly, something started creepily stalking us... Lanky, slender creatures made of shadows. Chapter 1225: Strange Creatures Chapter 1225: Strange Creatures ? "SSSHHHHH!!!" The sound of the creeping shadows continued growing closer and closer as we moved through thebyrinth, following Beatriz guidance. We moved very quickly, yet the shadows followed just as quickly. They didn''t attack though, they only watched, they were creeps that liked to stalk... Therefore, their name was simple, Stalking Shadows. "There''s more and more of those things approaching us, Maria," Beatriz said. "Be careful, they''re only watching for a reason, they might ambush us once we reach a dead end!" "I hope you don''t bring us there then!" I told her. As we talked through telepathy, I noticed that Emily and Alma looked weird, Myconidas patted my shoulder, noticing it as well. "Master, what''s wrong with them? They look paler." He said. "Wait... Emily, Alma? Are you ok?" I asked the two. "Ugh... I feel strange and groggy," groaned Emily. "Hahh... Hahhh... I can''t breathe well," Alma sighed. "Alright, hop into my shadows, I''ll carry you," I nodded. I should have done this from the beginning, but they insisted they wanted to move on their own and exercise, especially Alma who kept insisting she wanted to lose weight and walking a lot was the perfect way.N?v(el)B\\jnn But right now, I wasn''t going to go by their selfish reasons anymore. I grabbed them with my shadow tentacles and carried them by my side, but their states didn''t improve, they looked even weaker. "Ugh, my head..." "Hahh... Hahh... so tired..." "This is not good," I said. "{Pdin''s Life Sacrifice}" Activating the Pdin''s Life Sacrifice Skill at Level 3, I donated part of my Health to them, rapidly refilling their entire Health in that moment. They immediately felt better as they gasped for air. It was a very useful skill to have around! [Pdin''s Life Sacrifice: Lv1] As a Pdin, you sometimes must put the life of others before yours, sacrificing your life for those in need shoulde as something natural to do as a selfless knight that serves the righteous deities. When activating this skill, you can sacrifice a specified % of your own Health Points to instantly heal a target or many. This heal will be Absolute and Instant, even being capable of restoring lost limbs, internal organs, and also healing most basic diseases, curses, and other status ailments. The healed targets will additionally receive a [Holy Blessing of Protection] for 1 Minute, that will increase their Health Points Regeneration Speed and their Defenses by +100%, with an additional +20% with each Skill Level. Meanwhile, once you heal a target or many, you will receive a buff to all your Stats based on 50% of the target''s Stats for 1 Minute, with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. You also gain the ability to use one of their abilities at random. Once used, your Health Points cannot be recovered for the next Minute, so be careful. Not only did they restore their health, but they gained some Holy Blessing of Protection on them, it onlysted a bit, but it ensured their safety. The thing is, for its duration I can''t heal myself, but that didn''t matter that much to me anyways! "Aahh! W-What happened? I felt so weird!" Emily groaned. "Huh? I''m fine now? I tried healing myself, but it didn''t work... how did you do this, Maria?" Alma wondered. "I used an ability that sacrifices some of my health," I exined. "For now though, I think I''ve figured out what has happened... to you two." I nced behind us, as we suddenly stopped moving, the Lurking Shadows hid from us, but I could still sense their presences behind the walls, their silent echoes resonating. "Sshhh..." "Shhhhhh..." "Sssshhhh..." These damn things were somehow sucking the life out of Emily and Alma, it didn''t work on me or anybody else, so I didn''t realize at first. It must be part of their ability to "Creep" and "Lurk", I had thought they were waiting for an ambush, but that''s not how they operate. Their intention is to never attack you directly, they only creep and lurk, slowly draining your life while they chase after you. Silent, lurking killers that don''t even touch you... "Reveal yourselves!" I roared. "{Divine Purifying Sunlight}!" I unleashed my Skill, channeling the powers of Sunlight I took from Baldr, a sh of bright sunlight emanated from my entire body, quickly illuminating all surroundings. The shadows lurking and hiding screamed in agony as they suddenly showed up, crying loudly and moving their heads and faces in horror. "GRYYAAAEEEGGHH!" The shadows screamed in agony, emerging and showing us their true appearances, they resembled women, the distorted bodies of an adult woman slightly simr to Sofia, but that wasn''t really her representation. Perhaps her mother? Their skin was charcoal ck, covered on cracks as if they were made of stone or charcoal, actually. Their hair was long and ck, messy. And they only had a single arming from their chest, in between two saggy breasts. Their face, distorted with a furious expression, showed something constantly hushing people, as if they were obsessed with making us shut up. "SSSHHHH! SHHHHH!!!" Their single hand was in front of their face, constantly doing in this position, with the index finger upward and the palm closed into a fist. "SSSHHHH!!!" I knew Nightmares take into grotesque forms that even surpass the Undead Monstrosities and Chimeras I''ve seen in Yggdrasil by far. But this is really quite something... even more because it represents one of Sofia''s traumas. Did she have an abusive mother? Or a family? I know her father is cold, but this is... too much. "What the hell are those things?!" Emily asked in disbelief. "Uwaah! They''re really disgusting-looking...!" Alma covered her face. "Just Nightmares," I said. "Skeletons! Myconidas! Beatriz, kill them all!" Like that, we charged against the Lurking Shadows, who were left stunned with my Skill channeling the power of Sunlight. I swung my sword and my giant axe, cutting through their stone-like bodies and making them explode into ck clouds of dust one after another. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Though, some of them were so tough they didn''t die right away... They were left constantly groaning. And I could swear I was able to hear words... "Shut up, shut up... Sssshhhh... Bad girl... bad girl! Bad girl... shut up, shut up! Shut up! I am tired... so tired... I don''t want to hear you! Stop talking... shut up... SSSHHHHH!!!" Just what did Sofia went through for this thing to be born from her Traumas? Chapter 1226: The Mysterious Manor Chapter 1226: The Mysterious Manor ? "{Thunderp}!" Emily unleashed a barrage of punchesbined with thunderbolts against the Lurking Shadows, their bodies quickly exploded into pieces as she smashed them down to dust. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Her abilities had improved the more Nightmares we fought. I don''t know how Dream Hearts worked exactly, but the more Nightmares a Dream Warrior defeats, the stronger their Dream Weapon grows. Maybe it is through the absorption of the foe''s Nightmare Essence or something? Probably summed with personal growth as well. "{Ice Spears}!" Alma, in the other case, improved upon the Ice Needles, now making themrger and heavier, and producing them in much less quantity, quality over quantity this time! She fired the ice spears, piercing the Lurking Shadows bodies and freezing them before shattering them into pieces, loud explosions of ice dust spread out everywhere. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Phew..." She sighed in relief as she noticed there weren''t any more Nightmares, she seemed slightly proud of herself, and that was good, she had grown stronger. By improving upon little things, she can slowly buildrger and stronger things. Turn water into small ice, then make it a needle. Then, make the needlesrger, and she got spears. Next, she has to improve even more and begin to shapeshift the ice into moreplicated forms and shapes. But that''ll be forter, we don''t have time to go around helping them train. "Come here! I''ve been really hungrytelyyyy! NYAAAH!" Beatriz transformed into an aberrant ck cat with several heads and red eyes over her body, monstrously devouring the Lurking Shadows with a single bite and swallowing them after crushing them into smithereens inside her many jaws. Nightmare Demons naturally predate all other Nightmares, Beatriz herself had said it is their "birthright" and that all other Nightmares are simply "inferior" to them, only born to be their food or pets. "Hey, don''t eat them all!" Myconidas chased her around and killed the rest of the Lurking Shadows with his abilities, eating the cores and feeling... stronger? Somehow, he felt like he was getting a bit stronger. I guess if it works, it works. "We''re done!" I nodded, watching my skeletons bring me the Nightmare Cores. "Let''s go now, quickly! Beatriz, lead the way!" "Nyaaah~!" Beatriz quickly kneeled, letting us sit over her wide back, Emily and Alma were a bit creeped out how the cat transformed, but didn''t really reject the offer. "Hey, Maria what the hell is this cat? Where did you get such a strong familiar?" wondered Emily. "T-The mushroom is also very strong!" said Alma. "It feels like you''ve been hiding a lot of things from us, Maria... You seem much stronger than we thought." "Ah! Uh... Sorry about that," I apologized. "I just thought it wasn''t really necessary to talk about everything, my bad." "Oh well..." Emily shrugged. "It''s better like this!" Alma nodded.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Meow!" Beatriz meowed, as our travel quickly ended, she sat down in front of an enormous building resembling an old manor that would be usually owned by a rich family. "This is the ce," she told me through telepathy. "I can smell that big juicy steak here! This is where Sofia is located." "This is the ce," I said. "Beatriz can sense Sofia inside." "Really?" wondered Emily. "So she''s... in a manor?" wondered Alma. "This is like the previous Nightmare Realm we visited...!" "A bit, yeah," Emily nodded. "But its muchrger inside, I can tell... There''s a certain... like, spatial or dimensional force within it." "You can even sense that, Maria? You''re amazing," said Emily with a gasp. "Ah, nah, not that much..." Iughed a bit humbly. "Anyways, we should get inside. We don''t have much time... The Nightmare Decaying Rate has already reached 70% in just like the half hour we''ve been here. Give it an hour or two and... everything might be lost." "Yeah, you''re not wrong," nodded Emily. "This is it then..." "Hahh... I''m nervous," Alma sighed. "Sof..." "Don''t worry, there''s nothing to be nervous about," I smiled. "We''ll go inside, kill any Nightmare, find Sofia, kill the Nightmare Lord, and heal her." "Y-You can heal her even if the Nightmare Heart is broken?" wondered Alma. "I think it might work if I use the same ability I used that gave you my lifeforce," I exined. "It''s an absolute heal that ignores any ailment or curse. So I''m at least 90% sure it could work." "Only 90%?!" Emily panicked. "Look, it''s either that or... or Sofia ends up bing a Nightmare or something... something even worse," I sighed. "Yeah, something even worse," Beatriz told me. "That girl is dying... and her Nightmare wants herpletely for itself... If things keep going as it is and the Nightmare Lord consumes herpletely, there''ll be the birth of a new Nightmare Demon, I can feel it." Dammit. "Okay, let''s go." I nodded with confidence, as I moved towards the manor with everyone else. In front of the manor''s entrance, there was a small garden of withered flowers and dead vines. No Nightmares in sight, but there were two weird statues at the left and right side of the gate, they resembled knights made of gray stone, holding spears and shields. They were three-meters-tall, intimidating but... CLANK! Ah, of course they''re Nightmares. The two Knight Statues suddenly moved out of nowhere, giving one step forward that shook the ground between the two of us. "T-The statues are moving?!" Alma panicked, giving several steps back and hiding behind me. "Ah shit, here we go again I guess!" Emily groaned, her Dream Weapon covering her body as an armor. "Alma, don''t be too afraid, we gotta safe Sof no matter what!" "R-Right!" nodded Alma. "Please rely on me! I''ll do my best to help too!" "Okay then, here theye," I said, wielding my sword and the axe as the two giant statues rushed towards us. They swung their spears with genuine dexterity and skill, unleashing barrages of Spearmanship techniques, releasing explosions of darkness against us with each blow. We can''t waste our time with this small fry, we have to hurry! Chapter 1227: The Manors Guardians Chapter 1227: The Manor''s Guardians ? The moment we reached the manor, right in front of the entrance, there were two three- meter-tall knight statues, holding long spears. They seemed normal and inconspicuous at first nce, but once we got closer to them... CLANK! Of course, they were Nightmares this whole time! Yeah, the plot twist that something you don''t think is a Nightmare ends up being one is getting a bit old! The two Knight Statues suddenly moved out of nowhere, giving one step forward that shook the ground between the two of us. RUMBLE! They started moving, pointing their spears at us. "T-The statues are moving?!" Alma panicked, giving several steps back and hiding behind me. "Ah shit, here we go again I guess!" Emily groaned, her Dream Weapon covering her body as an armor once more. "Alma, don''t be too afraid, we gotta safe Sof no matter what!" Emily smiled back at Alma, which helped her friend regain some confidence. "R-Right!" nodded Alma. "Please rely on me! I''ll do my best to help too!" She pointed her magic staff at the knights, as I nodded. I guess if we''re on a hurry there''s no point in letting them struggle too much. We have to deal with these as quickly as possible. I''m confident I can help Sofia even if we break her Dream Heart, but if we take too long, the Nightmare will end up decayingpletely and devouring her. So we can''t waste our time with this small fry, we have to hurry. "Okay then, here theye," I said, wielding my sword and the axe as the two giant statues rushed towards us. They swung their spears with genuine dexterity and skill, unleashing barrages of Spearmanship techniques, releasing explosions of darkness against us with each piercing blow. I acted as the tank this time, using my clothes, which were actually my magic dress, to protect myself, while also covering me with an armor of Blood Dragon Bones. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! I received their blows without being pushed back at all, they were most likely S Rank, yet they were huge and strong, they could easily kill Emily or Alma if I lowered my guard. "Now, girls, attack them from the sides!" As I held them back, Emily charged her fists with electricity, unleashing a barrage of punches against the statue to the left. "{Thunder Fists}!" Meanwhile, Alma imbued her staff with her Dream Essence, forming a huge spiraling water spear which then she froze. "{Frost Javelin}!" Both powerful attacks impacted the two statues, as I held them back and then quickly swung my hammer and my axe against them, further shattering their bodies. Crack, crack...! BOOOM! Both statues quickly exploded into pieces, as the smoke dissipated, however, I quickly realized they weren''t dealt with yet. "Wait a second...! Emily, Alma, stay back!" As I told them to step back, the girls were already walking to my side, unable to move in time, two figures emerged from amidst the cloud of dust. These weren''t really statues, they were stone shells, covering something inside much more terrifying-looking. "GRYAAAH!" "GRUOOH!" They werenky and made of dried red flesh, their faces resembled some middle-aged man, with a short beard made of white tentacles, their faces were distorted though and almost unrecognizable. But I did recognize it from the visions I saw of Sofia''s past, what I saw. These resembled her dad, horribly so! They swung their giant hands at the girls, trying to crush them with the sheer force of their blows. Emily managed to block their iing blows with her armor, but her armor already gained several cracks! Alma conjured a barrier of water, which they easily moved through. "Alma, run!" Emily was trying to bring their attention, but Alma didn''t move. "I know what to do!" Alma quickly harnessed her powers, as her Aura turned into cold winds. "{Frozen Coffin}!" In that second where the monsters were moving through her water barrier, ignoring it, the water suddenly froze, trapping them inside. Amazing! "Now, kill them!" "Yeah!" "Alright!" I leaped towards the hideous monsters, swinging my de and my axe, and cutting the head and then the entire body of one of them. CRASH! BOOM! "Emily! Try to turn transform your metal into des to slice through foes more easily!" "des? You''re right!" Emily turned her gauntlets into long metallic, electrified des, beheading the other nightmare right away. "This is a new one! {Thunder de}!" SLASH! Interesting, even Emily was learning how to properly manipte the metals within her armor, not just the thunder element imbued into it. It worked surprisingly fast, she''s an incredibly quick learner, simr to Alma. POOF! POOF! The two Nightmares exploded into ck smoke, disappearing and leaving behind two ck crystals, with a tint of red. "Hah, you didn''t even need my help this time, not bad! I always ate those girls so I had no idea they could be this good." Beatriz said, walking to my side with a cocky smile. "It would have been nicer if you had sniffed them from afar, but you didn''t," I said. "You didn''t alert us of their danger... Are you trying to see how far you can do things within the contract''s restrictions? Let me tell you, I can modify it as I please." "E-Eh?! Wait a second, I never intended that! I didn''t really sense them at all, they were hidden inside of their stone armor, concealed!" Beatriz tried to argue. "Please forgive me...!" "I''ll believe you for now, I don''t have much time for you anyways," I sighed, walking to Emilyn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om and Alma. "That was intense, are you two alright?" "Yeah, we''re fine..." Alma nodded. "We didn''t take that much damage. Emily''s fine too." "My armor broke," said Emily. "But like this... I can regenerate it!" She unsummoned her Dream Weapon and then summoned it again, as it appearedpletely repaired anew, an interesting power they possessed. "Alright then! Let''s go! Beatriz can sense Sofia very close," I said. "We have to find her as quickly as possible!" As I opened the door, the interior of the manor''s first floor opened up to us. It wasn''t gigantic or overly extended in size, it actually had the size of a normal three-floor manor. And what greeted us inside was... "Heheh... Wee!" "Hiiii!" "Let''s y!" "Heheh!" Falling from the ceiling, dozens of dolls shaped like Sofia appeared, hanging on threads. Chapter 1228: The Bizarre Manor Chapter 1228: The Bizarre Manor ? Before entering the manor I had asked Beatriz if she sensed Sofia. "Yeah I can sense her, she''s pretty close," she said. "Inside... Definitely in thest floor." "Should we try breaking through the walls, maybe fly all the way up there?" I wondered. "I wouldn''t rmend that, this manor is the core of the Nightmare Realm," Beatriz said. "If you destroy it or try to forcefully climb it from outside you might shatter the Nightmare Realm and speed up the Nightmare Decaying process." "Ah dammit..." I sighed. "Then it''s the old-fashioned way... Three floors, right? It shouldn''t be that hard." "You''re a monster so definitely, it won''t be hard, but you have to hurry!" Beatriz said. "Unless you want to see that girl bing a monster, hehe." I ignored thatst remark. "Alright then! Let''s go! Beatriz can sense Sofia very close," I said. "We have to find her as quickly as possible!" "Yeah let''s go!" Emily nodded. "We''re closer, let''s keep up the pace please!" Alma said. As I opened the door, the interior of the manor''s first floor was revealed to us, it was surprisingly clean ck manor, with red colored tapestry here and there. It wasn''t gigantic or overly extended in size, it actually had the size of a normal three-floor manor. There were three stairs leading to the second floor, and from the stairs, there were several corridors and other rooms, as far as I could see. However, once we entered the manor, we weren''t alone there, no, something was already waiting for us as we entered. And what greeted us inside was... "Heheh... Wee!" "Hiiii!" "Let''s y!" "Heheh!" Falling from the ceiling, dozens of dolls shaped like Sofia appeared, hanging on threads. They around the same shape as the other ghostly Sofias we fought before. They were holding knives covered on a purple liquid, most likely poison. These dolls didn''t look strong, but they were dozens after dozens, and more kepting from the ceiling. When I looked at the ceiling, the only thing I saw was darkness, a veil of shadows where they emerged. Yeah, that''s definitely not something normal manors have. "Dolls?!" Emily panicked, covering her body with her armor. "There are so many!" Alma said. "Careful, their knives are poisoned!" I said. "Alma! You need more protection! Here!" I waved my hand, conjuring the Blood Dragon Bones and covering Alma''s body with a full- body armor. It looked a bit scary and didn''t really fit her appearance, but it was necessary.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Uwaah! Armor?! You can do this too, Maria?" "Yeah! Now let''s advance!" As I tried to lead them to the stairs, the dolls naturally tried to get on our way, giggling maliciously, they hanged around the ceiling above us, moving through their threads while trying to stab us constantly. "Where do you think you''re going!" "Let''s y some more pleaseeee!" "Hehehe! Hahahah!" "Pretty pleaseeeee!" Dozens after dozens of dolls chased after us, going left and right as they bnced around with their threads, Emily and Alma ducked as they came, but when ever Emily tried to punch them, they were already out of range. "y with us please!" "We want to y games!" "Mama and papa doesn''t y with us!" "Pleaseee let''s y gameees!" "We are so boreeed!" Their voices were those of Sofia when she was a child, most likely, and their intentions, although malicious as Nightmares, carried the innocence and past of Sofia. "Those damn dolls are so creepy, ugh!" Emily groaned. "Yeah but they''re also... I pity them," sighed Alma. "They just want to y..." "To y by cutting us into bits!" Emily screamed angrily, managing to punch one of them away, a single punch made them explode into ck smoke, they weren''t strong. POOF! "But think about it, so far we''re faced Nightmares that were all actually born from Sofia''s own Nightmare Heart, it means every single monster is intrinsically connected to her Traumas, Fears, and Frustrations," I said, swinging my sword and my axe, and releasing a sh of darkness and phantasmal mes. SLAAASH! The Dolls were consumed by the wave of shadows and burned through the phantom mes, disappearing into explosions of ck smoke, leaving tiny Nightmare Core jewels behind. I gathered them with my shadows. "Does this mean her parents neglected to such an extent they didn''t even y with her?" I asked. "This would exin why these dolls exist..." "M-Maybe..." sighed Alma. "Hmm, Sof never talked too much about her past, didn''t she?" "She doesn''t even like to talk about her family," said Emily. "Now I see why''s that the case..." "Perhaps what happened to her wasn''t Maria''s fault, after all, we have yet to even find a Nightmare themed after her or something," said Alma. "If anything... It''s her family that fills her nightmares." "Her mom and her dad..." Emily nodded. "Damn it, why did we never ask her these things? I feel so bad now... Maybe she wasn''t wrong, we are bad friends. We were disinterested in her past, in why she was the way she was... Maybe she wasn''t just angry at Maria, it was just all her frustrations together." "Yes, she reached a "breaking point", perhaps the umtion of traumas, frustrations, and fears slowly fills the Dream Heart with Nightmare Essence," I exined. "Until they be extremely unstable emotionally, anything that ultimately causes the person to be emotionally shaken or impacted will trigger their Dream Heart... and transform it, all while creating a Nightmare Lord out of it." "T-That sounds so horrible..." Alma sighed. "Will it happen to us too?" "If it really can happen to anybody..." Emily said. "I don''t really know, but I''ll do everything I can so that doesn''t happen," I smiled to them. "Don''t worry... Beatriz! Where''s Sofia? Can you lead us?" "Mereow!" Beatriz nodded, rushing upstairs as we quickly followed her. The manor interior was too small to ride her, and she turned into her much smaller form to guide us through it. Eventually, we reached a room full of mannequins with a sealed door with ck chains at the other side. "I can feel her presence through that door!" Beatriz told me. "But you''ll have to pass through these guys, they''re Nightmares." Just as she said that the mannequins started moving on their own. Chapter 1229: The Crying Mannequin Chapter 1229: The Crying Mannequin ? The mannequins started moving on their own, startling Emily and Alma a little bit, only a little, I could tell they were already guessing those would be Nightmares. However, unlike previous Nightmares, they had no faces, no clothes, and no weapons either, it seemed they had no rtion to Sofia''s traumas. So, going on with the theme, it would be easy to think they weren''t Nightmares if they weren''t about Sofia... Well, maybe they are about Sofia, and we simply couldn''t tell yet. Until they started moving, and they began whispering. "M-Mas... ter..." "Why do you... why do you cry?" "Master..." "Why?" "I cannot... make you happy?" "Master Sofia... Don''t I bring youpany?" As they started to move, suddenly, small wings made of light appeared on the white mannequins, and small golden lines surged. Their hands suddenly became sharp needles, and they red at us with their faceless faces, with a small, broken halo hovering over their heads. "A-Are those...?!" Alma gasped. "Sofia''s Dream Weapon?" "Wait, the Automata?!" asked Emily. "Most likely, yeah," I nodded. "It seems that this is what happened to it... I thought it would be simply gone, but it ended merging with the Nightmare Realm, ultimately... bing part of it." And there were dozens of them, although they seemed much weaker than Sofia''s original [Six-Winged Archangel Automata]. For instance, they weren''t made of metal, and they only had a single pair of small wings, their halos were destroyed, and they seemed to emanate a much weaker aura.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "They''re weaker though," I said. "We should take care of them quickly! Beatriz, go crazy." "Mereow!" Beatriz was the first to charge against the mannequins right after we reached here, the mannequins, in response, also charged against us, a dozen attacked Beatriz, which were quickly torn to pieces and eaten by her. However, several more of them ignored her, rushing towards us instead. Emily greeted them with her electrified punches, managing to break one of them into pieces. CRASH! However, three more surrounded her, resisting her blows and then sliding through her arms, aiming at the small crevices in between her armor with their sharp needle-like arms. A single piercing strike from them on a vital spot, and Emily would die almost instantly! "Don''t you dare think you can easily get through me!" However, I didn''t need to help her, as she quickly transformed her armor''s form, growing long, electrified spikes, piercing through the mannequins'' bodies and killing them all. CRASH! At the same time, I greeted over five of them on my own, swinging my sword to release a wave ofpressed void, shing them apart. "{Void de}" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! As they exploded into pieces, I noticed that Alma was firing her ice spears and trying to freeze them, but they were too fast for her, she was being surrounded. "Go help her!" I activated the [Demonic Farm and Abyssal Mine Of Blood Dragon Bones] Skill, opening the Domain of the Demonic Farm and the Abyssal Mine of Blood Dragon Bones, which quickly summoned both Blood Bone Dragons to assist Alma. At the same time, they managed to break her armor. Crack, crack...! CRASH! "Ah! No! Maria''s armor is already destroyed?!" As she panicked and the mannequins were about to attack, I didn''t ho help her, because I knew that armor had another effect. FLUOSH! "ROOOAARR!" The moment her Blood Bone Dragon Armor broke, the remaining essence materialized, summoningrge dragons made of blood red phantasmal energies, these were Phantom Blood Dragons, which inherited the armor''s stats x5 and wouldst 5 minutes protecting their wearer. Any attack that targeted Alma was reflected by this; while also firing breath attacks that consumed and destroyed the mannequins, this gave Alma enough time to fight on her own before my Blood Bone Dragons were to help her. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Eventually, only one mannequin was left behind, standing near the door, in silence. The other mannequins, even when destroyed, didn''t turn into ck smoke and disappeared though. They remained as countless shattered pieces. Were they actually not nightmares but actual mannequins infused with life? Or... fragments of a Nightmare. "I think I know what''s going to happen..." I sighed. "Y-You... You want to harm her... my... master?" he wondered, looking sad. "You want to harm her... Master Sofia..." "Wait! No, we don''t want to harm her!" I tried to reason with him. "We''vee to save her! If you''re really her guardian, then you must understand she''s suffering here, right?" "Mydy is happy..." he muttered. "My dear master So... fia... who has suffered so much... you were... her friends, yet you did such... awful things to her... everyone always makes her suffer... I just want to see her happy... I want to make her... smile." "Y-You''re...?!" I gasped. "Wait, are you the Nightmare Lord?" Emily and Alma nced at me, gasping. It made sense, if it was Sofia''s Dream Weapon, then it could have simply evolved into a Nightmare Lord upon the corruption of her Dream Heart! But... it was only an assumption. "No..." he muttered. "I cannot make her happy... I am... a failure... but he can make her happy... My heart... I''ve given it to her... I''ve... given her everything to her... So she''ll be happy... fo... fo... forever." "Your heart?!" Emily asked. "What do you mean by your heart-" RUMBLE! As Emily tried to ask the mannequin questions, its entire body started twitching, shattering and falling into pieces, suddenly, every piece of the mannequins we destroyed exploded and also released light from within. The sparkling golden light gathered together, suddenly forming something. The mannequin parts melted into miasma, fusing together into something resembling Sofia''s Familiar. But also much more bizarre, twisted. It now had a huge hole on its chest, shattered, and constantly bleeding a ck miasmic goo. The rest of its body was pitch ck, with cracks of golden color. His head had the mask of a smiling man and a crying woman, and it had six wings, made of purple light at the left, and golden light at the right. His halo was strange too, only one half was gold, the other half, red, broken and slowly bleeding red liquid. "For... her... I would do... anything... do you understand?" he muttered, while his entire body quivered. "For master Sofia''s happiness... I will... kill all of you." Chapter 1230: Nightmare Vice-Lord Chapter 1230: Nightmare Vice-Lord ? At the end, the Nightmare we were fighting was indeed him, Sofia''s Familiar, the [Six- Winged Archangel Automata]. However, it was twisted and demonic, having given up "his heart" to protect and make Sofia "happy", which most likely was what created the Nightmare Lord. Therefore, his true form would bepletely different... He said he wanted to make her happy, but he''s unable to understand that whatever happiness Sofia is going through, it isn''t real. It seems unaware, or simply doesn''t care if she''ll die afterwards, as long as he made her happy before... Indeed, despite having good intentions, it cannot think like a human. FLUOSH! The sparkling golden light left behind by his body parts gathered together, suddenly forming something. The mannequin parts melted into miasma, fusing together into something resembling Sofia''s Familiar. But also much more bizarre, twisted. It now had a huge hole on its chest, shattered, and constantly bleeding a ck miasmic goo. The rest of its body was pitch ck, with cracks of golden color. As it formed, a powerful Aura of Nightmare and Light surged, abination I didn''t thought possible, but thatbined Sofia''s Familiar Element with the Nightmare Elements. His head had the mask of a smiling man and a crying woman, and it had six wings, made of purple light at the left, and golden light at the right. His halo was strange too, only one half was gold, the other half, red, broken and slowly bleeding red liquid. It wasn''t really blood, but something simr to the miasma. This thing... It seemed much stronger than what Sofia''s Familiar originally was. "For... her... I would do... anything... do you understand?" he muttered, while his entire body quivered. "For master Sofia''s happiness... I will... kill all of you." He finished his reconstruction as six long arms that ended on incredibly long and sharp crimson needles emerged; it resembled a spider somewhat. [The {Nightmare Vice-Lord}: [Fallen Heartless Six-Winged Archangel Automata (SSS+ Rank)] has manifested himself!] [He seeks nothing but to see Sofia happy within the endless Nightmares, and he will protect her until his dying breath.] [Before you can advance any further, you must defeat him for good.] "For master Sofia... I would give up my everything..." he continued muttering. "I will... make her happy... I will give her the happiness... she never experienced!" His Aura grew stronger, as Emily and Alma quickly stepped back, as I stepped forward. "Whatever happiness she''s experiencing now is nothing but an illusion!" I said. "She has been trapped within a dream, a nightmare! If she doesn''te out, she''ll die! Don''t you understand?! Shouldn''t it be your duty to protect your master from death?!" "I am protecting her right now..." he said. "You will wake her up, and you will try to kill him, my heart... Once you do that, she will die... I cannot let you kill her." "She won''t die!" Emily said. "We''ll heal her just in time! Believe us!" "Y-Yeah!" Alma said. "Y-You''re Sofia''s Dream Weapon, her guardian... Do we have to really do this? Can''t we solve things peacefully?" "Peace is not an option..." said the Automata. "It never was. Master''s happiness... I will not let you disturb it!" Without talking any longer, the bastard attacked us without impunity. I guess I shouldn''t have even bothered trying to reason with him! He''s nothing but a monster anyways, Dream Weapons are just Nightmares that don''t possess negative traits. However, at the end of the day, once this guy was corrupted, he showed his true colors, aplete an endless obsession towards Sofia. I received his iing attack with my sword and my halberd at the same time, an explosion of shadows, phantasmal mes, moonlight, light, and nightmare energy erupted. CRAAASH! "Make her happy my ass, you''re just an obsessed bastard!" He seemed to grow slightly angered after hearing me. "Silence! You simply have no idea what Sofia truly wants! Y-You... you''re the one that... that broke her heart!" "No, Sofia''s heart was already broken, that girl had been holding the pieces together this whole time until she simply could not do it any longer..." I said, as my sword red with Void Energy. "I''ll help her stitch back that heart, and then heal itpletely!" I swung my de vertically, as a huge wave of pure void was unleashed. The Archangel groaned in agony as its entire body was sliced apart. SLASH! "Nnggh...! U-Useless!" However, he quickly stuck himself back together. Indeed, this bastard was without a doubt an SSS Rank Nightmare. But even then... He''s no match against me! "MASTER SOFIA IS MINE TO MAKE HAPPY!" He furiously roared like a beast, unleashing a barrage of attacks using his six needle-like arms at once, which I intercepted with my weapons, at the same time as I summoned several arms made of phantasmal energy, using my Martial Arts to punch through his body. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! As I held him back, I looked at Emily and Alma, quickly noticing they were already charging their attacks. Good, these girls work fast. "Provide me with support from afar! Don''t you dare fight him! He''ll kill you with a single blow!" "We know!" "We''ll help you out in the back!" As they said that, the Automata quickly red at them, rushing away from my grasp and trying to attack them, it was as if he was way too obvious. "Hey, where do you think you''re going?"N?v(el)B\\jnn TRUUM! However, to his surprise, he suddenly was pulled back to me by space itself, ring at me in disbelief, he attacked me furiously. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! Then, once more, he tried to kill Emily and Alma. Yet... TRUUM! He came back to me yet again. "W-Wha...?!" More and more he tried to escape my grasp, but he couldn''t. I was using [Void Shifting Spatial Movement] to manipte the space around me. I simply pulled him back to my side every time the coward tried to run and kill the weaker members of my party first. "I-Impossible...! How can you do that?!" "Space Maniption, bitch." Ibined one hundred phantasmal fists at once, imbuing it into my right hand and then... "{Abyssal Palm of Death}" BOOOM! Chapter 1231: The Automata That Wanted To Protect Their Master Chapter 1231: The Automata That Wanted To Protect Their Master ? The Automata constantly tried to kill Emily and Alma first, the weakest of our group, probably to try and absorb their Dream Weapons to be stronger. But I wasn''t going to let that bitch do that, nuh-huh. "W-Wha...?!" More and more he tried to escape my grasp, but he couldn''t. He would alwayse back to me! I could see his eyes across his mask, he was shocked. I was using [Void Shifting Spatial Movement] to manipte the space around me. I simply pulled him back to my side every time the coward tried to run and kill the weaker members of my party first. "I-Impossible...! How can you do that?!" "Space Maniption, bitch." Ibined one hundred phantasmal fists at once, imbuing it into my right hand and then... "{Abyssal Palm of Death}" BOOOM! With that single fist, I flew away his entire body into smithereens, as his pieces flew away and hit the ground. However, they rapidly started flying back together, regenerating. "H-How dare you...!" As he was rapidly forming back, Emily and Alma attacked, a pair of flying fists imbued with lightning hit him directly, exploding into hundreds of electrified needles, meanwhile, a massive ssh of water covered his body, making the conduct of electricity even deadlier. "Guugh?!" BOOOM! It exploded a second time, as its entire body fell apart, only for its light and miasmic nightmare to fuse back together again. "Beatriz, what the hell is this thing?" I asked her. "I am not so sure; I have never seen anything like this before!" she said. "But it''s like a Dream Heart Weapon, turned into a Nightmare? No, it''s like a hybrid. This somehow has given it the Dream Heart Weapon''s regeneration coupled with the power of Nightmares!" "Are you kidding me?! So they''re immortal?" I wondered. "Not really..." she said. "It still made of matter... Just disintegrate it." She smiled at me, as I sighed. "I will... I will protect master... Sofia! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" The Automata screamed, rushing towards me at lightning speed as he was still regenerating, all six of his giant needle-like arms shed against me. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! I intercepted them with my sword and Halberd, conjuring shields made of Blood Dragon Bones, which immediately shattered, summoning dozens of Phantom Blood Dragons. Crack, crack... CRASH! "ROOAAARR!" "Urgh?!" The Automata was startled as its entire body was coiled by all these phantasmal beings, constantly burning through him. The dragons kept him entertained, as he started tearing them apart one after another while I quickly prepared something for him. The Automata''s true personality was that of a coward, unable to ept reality and move on, he entrapped Sofia inside an endless nightmare, and wanted her to die happily, merely an illusion. "I will make her... HAPPY!" With a furious roar, he broke through all the Phantom Blood Dragons, rushing towards me as his body started bloating and growingrger and more monstrous, countless tendrils of ck goo epassing him. "Happy you say..." As he approached me, within that split second, my body quickly transformed, gaining the appearance of the Death God of Egyptian Mythology, Anubis. "I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT UNDERSTANDS HER!" He swung his massive ws against me, now having turned into six massively muscr arms, yet I nced back at him with indifference. "Oh yeah? You understand her?! Instead of making her happy through a damn illusion, why don''t you try to make her happy in real life, you fucking dimwit?!" With all my might, I received his barrage of attacks, both my sword and my halberd merged into a giant scythe which I swung down, unleashing a destructive ck hole. "{Abyssal ck Death Void}!" "W-What?!" His entire arms were consumed by the ck void, as itpletely absorbed and consumed everything within his body, he started disappearing, screaming in agony. "W-What is this?! UUAAAAGGGGH! NO...! Sofia...! NOO00!" He started elongating like a noodle, trying to escape by detaching the parts my attack was absorbing! This fucking bastard, I swear to god he''s- "We won''t let you escape! {Thor''s Thunderous Hand}!" Emilybined and amassed all of her armor into a gigantic golden, metallic hand, imbuing it with all the electricity she could, shing against the other half of the Automata and pushing it towards the ck hole. CLAAASH! "Ugh!" "Please, leave Sofia to us! {Eight-Headed Frozen Serpent}!" Almabined all the water she could, creating several currents in the shape of an eight- headed serpent,bining everything she had and turning them into ice. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! "N-NO!" The Automata was pushed towards the ck Hole, which I enchanted using my other Void- rted Skills, making it enormous and all-epassing. "Stop... Stop this...! STOOOP! MASTER SOFIA...! I MUST... MAKE HER HAPPY! I MUST... MAKE HER...! HAPPYYYYYY!" "Your idea of happiness is twisted! You are only going to make her suffer more! Don''t you get it?!" "No...! I-I...! NOOOOOO!" With a delirious and monstrous scream, the Automata waspletely consumed by the void, being disintegrated to a molecr level.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om BOOOMMM!!! Beatriz managed to turn into a mantle of nightmare shadows and protected Emily and Alma in time as Imanded her, while I faced the explosion. || || I nced at the ceiling, as I saw the ashes of the Automata falling from the skies, small sparkles of light and soot. And then, a small, shattered mask, the only thing left of him. "There''s some of him left!" said Emily. "W-We have to destroy it!" She was panicking, it was understandable. However, this wasn''t the way. "Calm down," I said. "It can''t regenerate anymore." "A-Ah... Master.... So... fia..." As it muttered her name again, the light of the mask started to fade away. "She''ll be better outside of this nightmare, facing reality might be harsh sometimes, but it''s better than living an illusion that you know will never be true." "Why... do you insist... of saying such things...?" "Because that''s how things are." "Hah... hahah... What is reality...? What is... an illusion?" "What?" "Are you sure... you''re not living in a dream... either?" "But... I''ve been defeated... I was a failure... unable to protect her... after seeing her cry so much... I only... I only wanted her... to smile..." "Is that so?" "Please... promise me that... that you will... protect her... that you will make her smile." "I will." "Thank you..." The mask faded awaypletely. Chapter 1232 Photos And Fragmented Memories ----- This wasn''t a world I belonged to, this wasn''t even a world I''ve been for as long as the others, but since I started the trial in this world, that I''ve begun to realize its biggest challenge. It wasn''t fighting, I have yet to struggle with any battle. It was something else, it was¡­ It was taking responsibility for other people''s mistakes. It was taking the ce of another person, someone forgotten, that sacrificed themselves, and live their life. Without a doubt, through my three lives, this has been, perhaps, one of the hardest of challenges. It was more challenging than fighting a god, or even a sin. Maybe not as hard as having to find my brother and then having to reconstruct him from zero¡­ But close to it, I guess. When everyone ces their expectations into me, believing I am someone else, when they cheer for me, believing I am someone else, and when they ask me favors, when they trust me their beloved, believing I am someone else¡­ And right now, I have promised someone I would protect and love, and make smile one of these people, who believe I am someone else. "¡­" As the mask faded away, I felt heavy weight over my shoulders, an invisible weight, perhaps. This trial was never going to end unless I took responsibility for everything, even if I hadn''t done it, even if I didn''t belong to this world. The reason why it was never cleared, it''s pretty clear now. Its because of how hard it is, even for the strongest climber of the Tower, to take responsibility for a life they didn''t experience, and for friends that they have never known. "Hah¡­ I really did promise that, huh?" There are no take backs now, I''ll have to make her smile, and protect Sofia. I killed the only person that loved her to the extent of giving her a false happiness, that went to the extent of making a Nightmare Domain, all for her happiness. "It''s gone, huh?" Emily wondered. "Maria, are you ok?" The brown skinned tomboy wondered if I was alright, tilting her head in confusion. She was cute, I had to be honest. "I''m fine, thank you Emily. I just¡­ Ah, I''m tired." Alma walked to my side, patting my shoulders. "Let me heal you, Maria. You''ve fought the most between all three of us¡­" She used her magic to heal a bit of my exhaustion. It shouldn''t really work on me because I''m so strong, but it somehow did. It soothed my mind, at least. And that''s all I really needed. "Thanks¡­ Anyways, we''re done here," I said. "Let''s go¡­ Sofia is on the third floor; the stairs are at the other side of that door." "Alright¡­" Emily nodded. "Hahh¡­ I''m running out of Stamina though; we have to finish this quickly." "I''ve never used magic for so long, I also feel exhausted¡­" nodded Alma. "But the more we fight and pushed ourselves, the more our powers evolved." "Yeah! But without Maria here to carry us, none of that would have even been possible anyways," Emilyughed. "Seriously, thanks a lot." "It''s fine," I sighed. "It is what I had to do¡­ Let''s finish this already." Without wasting any more time, I opened the door, breaking the ck chains with my bare hands. The door creaked, revealing a room full of old furniture, statues, portraits, and photos. At the end of the room there was a stair leading upwards, a strong shadow essence surged from within, resembling a mass of miasmic liquid, like a membrane leading somewhere else. "That must be it¡­ Hm?" As we walked around, we couldn''t help but look around, the portraits, the photos, and even the statues, they weren''t some random images or something, they looked like they were authentic pieces of Sofia''s memories. "This is¡­ Is this Sofia when she was a child?" wondered Emily, looking at a photo. Sofia was there, with her long white hair and her silver eyes, ncing at the photographer with a face that clearly showed she wasn''t happy. She looked exhausted, tired, and seemedpletely absent of the joy and innocence of a child. At her side seemed to be her mother, she looked a lot like her, but taller, with sharper eyes. Her hair was short, only reaching her neck, and she seemed to be faking a smile, holding Sofia''s hand barely. Then at her left side was her father, a tall, strong-looking man with short hair, his face was serious, his eyes silver eyes seemed lifeless. "A child that isn''t happy or even seems afraid, a mother that is faking a smile with eyes like those of a viper, and an emotionless, expressionless father¡­" I said. "I wonder what happened in this house that they all look so bitter?" "Just what did Sofia went through¡­" sighed Emily. "I remember that her father was very strict with her," said Alma. "Hmm¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn We continued walking, quickly noticing another photography, it was yet another family photo, this time Sofia was a few years older, looking a bit more straightened, with a proud stance, she was pretending to look smart, yet her eyes¡­ they looked sad. Her father remained the same, but was growing a beard now, and her mother¡­ She was smiling with an even wider, and even more fake smile. It was almost creepy. "This is where she started to change, Sofia¡­" said Emily. "Hmm¡­" I nodded. "Sof¡­" Alma gently touched the photo. We continued moving, there weren''t any Nightmares hiding or anything, this was apletely empty room with no threats. Only photos, memories. We saw another photo of Sofia and her family, this time her mother looked much more ghostly, pale and exhausted, her face seemed to have aged decades. Sofia was much taller and with a more prideful expression, but her eyes showed concern, and her father, now with a fully grown short beard, remained unfazed, emotionless, as ever. "Her mom¡­ is she sick?" wondered Emily. "I think so¡­" Alma said. Then, we moved to the third photo. Only Sofia was there, with her father. Sofia was crying, covering her face with her arms. And her dad remained there. Standing, emotionlessly and expressionlessly. ----- Chapter 1233 Entering The Deepest Layer Of The Nightmare Realm ----- These pictures clearly showed what happened to her in the past, thest picture we saw seemed to shock Emily and Alma a bit, though I had guessed it already. "Her mom died, didn''t she?" Alma asked. "Yeah, I mean, we already knew that¡­" Emily said. "But it still a bit sad!" Alma sighed. "I-I wish I could tell something to Sofia to help her, but everything I think about¡­ I know it won''t work. She has closed her heart so much." "Hmm, yeah," Emily sighed. "But even then, we have to try, no matter what. We have to save her." As I heard them talking, I sighed, looking around, I noticed other portraits and photos, some of them showed little Sofia ying with a small Automata. Sometimes they would y hide and seek, other times, they would y teatime, whenever she felt lonely, she would summon him and order him to be by her side. To be her friend¡­ "She had her Dream Weapon from such a young age?" wondered Emily. "I think she was born with a Dream Heart¡­" said Alma. "I wonder if that has some corrtion to her mother looking so sickter¡­" "Maybe," I sighed. "But this is¡­ well, I can tell now, I can see why that Automata would be so fond of her, so obsessed too. Maybe it was born without a purpose other than being a weapon, but after all these years of seeing her grow up, and of growing up with her, they forged a very strong bond." "That''s sad¡­" sighed Emily. "And we¡­ we killed him¡­" Alma muttered. "Ugh¡­" "L-Look, we didn''t have any other option! It was trying to kill us¡­" Emily crossed her arms. "I-I¡­ I guess¡­" "Maybe Sofia''s own wish to have a friend when she was all lonely became something like¡­ a Curse," I said. "A curse?" Alma and Emily nced at me with confusion. "Yeah, for a while now I''ve been thinking, that Nightmares themselves are the byproduct of a curse," I exined. "Curses, which are born out of our hatred, frustrations, traumas, and fears. Of all our darkest, strongest emotions. They manifest out of our bodies, bing a malefic energy. Sofia¡­ probably cursed her Automata without realizing, through years and years of asking it to be a recement for her family, it was Cursed into bing her family, and someone obsessed with making her happy. I wouldn''t say this was all of Sofia''s fault, her Familiar definitely¡­ nned this." "Damn¡­" Emily muttered. "I mean¡­ Damn." "I-I never thought of everything like that before¡­" Alma sighed. "My family¡­ they died in a Nightmare Realm ident in the middle of my vige. It happened when I was very little, I always thought Nightmares were just hideous monsters and nothing else, but¡­ if they''re truly just the Curses that we make, then¡­ Does it means that everyone is held responsible for what''s happening in the world right now?" "I-I wouldn''t really¡­ Hmm," I sighed. "I had the idea that this entire Nightmare Phenomenon might have been created when all of humanity harnessed so much negative energy that it harnessed, amassed, and merged into a massive Curse, it cursed the entire world¡­ Well, it just a theory though." "It freaks me out!" Emily groaned. "Ah, whatever, we can''t stay here all day, let''s go upstairs!" "Yeah!" Alma nodded. "What we''re talking about won''t ever help Sofia, so¡­" "You''re right."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om I walked to their side, then expanding my shadows, I hugged them both tightly. Beatriz also was grabbed tightly, as she meowed angrily. "Let''s go with a single jump!" I leaped off the stairs and into the shadows that led to the third floor without any moment of hesitation. "M-Maria?! Wait a second¡­!" "Uwawawaaahhh!" "Mereooow?!" As all three of them panicked, I reached the shadows and passed through them, feeling like we were going through some very cold, slimy substance. FLUOSH! Then, that disgusting feeling was washed away by a very warm, blinding light, pure white light that engulfed uspletely. It felt like we were absorbed by it, and then, throw somewhere else. "Ugh¡­ My head¡­" "Ouch, my butt hurts a bit¡­" "Meoow¡­" As I heard them speaking, I slowly opened my eyes and expanded my senses, realizing we were now in the middle of a forest. However, it didn''t look dark or "nightmarish", no, it was bright and beautiful, with many normal colors, green forest, blue sky, and a beautiful sun above. We were sitting over grass and flowers. We felt a bit surprised, but we quickly stood back up, realizing that sitting down wouldn''t do much. "So this is where Sofia is?" Emily wondered. "Yeah," I nodded after I saw Beatriz give me a little nod. "S-So what is this ce though? Another nightmare? It doesn''t seem nightmarish¡­" said Alma. "Because it''s not," I said. "Technically we''re on something simr to an actual Pure Dream, it''s like a nightmare absent of its negative energies. A good dream constructed using nightmares." "Huh¡­" Emily looked around. "So where''s Sof?" I looked at Beatriz, who started walking to the left. "Let''s follow the cat, she knows where she is." We followed Beatriz through the gardens of flowers and the grasnd, reaching the forest and passing through it. The rxing atmosphere of a summer day was really palpable, so rxing it was that it made us feel more distracted than usual. Perhaps it was part of the Dream''s effect to make you feel more soothed and calmer, while also wanting to just "enjoy the moment" and not think about anything else. By connecting my shadows with Emily and Alma, I was able to wake them up whenever they felt like they were too distracted. Eventually, after a couple of minutes of just walking while enjoying the forest''s view, hearing the birds chirping and the cicadas singing, we reached a clearing. The clearing was covered on white flowers, and it had a small hill, with a bit, old tree sitting on top. And right there, there was a family of three, enjoying a pic together. "Mama, I want that sandwich!" "This one dear? Okay." "Hahah, aren''t you eating too much, Sofia?" "But I''m hungy daddy!" After Emily and Alma saw Sofia, they were left speechless. "Sofia¡­" Alma started crying, realizing that this was Sofia''s "ideal dream". "Damn it¡­" Emily sighed, fully knowing what he had to do now. "Let''s go." I led them because I knew they wouldn''t be able to do it on their own. ----- Chapter 1234: Finding Her Chapter 1234: Finding Her ? I can understand now why Sofia was the way she was. Through the paintings and the portraits we saw, we learned a bit about her childhood. And also, when we fought her Dream Weapon, we learned some more. About how lonely she was, and about how her father was the only person there after her mother''s early passing. Emily and Alma thought something happened to her, perhaps she got sick after giving birth to a child with a Dream Heart. Maybe it was some sort of experiment her father did with her, to create someone with a Dream Heart from birth, so they would be powerful from the very beginning. To surpass all others, and perhaps this is why he also had such high expectations of her, and also why he was so disappointed once she lost against the person I am recing. I don''t know her true name, but I saw her memories, and I felt the love andpassion she felt for Sofia, she understood her the best, even better than I could. This Trial is a tricky one, there''s no such thing as a big challenge of life or death, the challenge itself is about emotions, and how to deal with a life that was never yours, how to rece someone, and how to save the people closer to this person while doing so. It''splicated, and harder than I imagined, harder than any battle I''ve had maybe... Battles simply end, it''s a fight after all, they can be intense and bloody, but at the end, they end, and there''s nothingplicated other than fighting, something I''ve grown so limated to. But this? This is really a test, too hard for mostly every single person before us, a world that is in a constant loop, cursed, and unable to move on. "Mama, I want to eat that next..." "But you''ve eaten enough, dear." "I want some more... I don''t want this day to end!" "Well, she usually doesn''t eat that much, let her have a bit more." Sofia asked for a piece of cake, as her mother gave it to her, she ate it slowly, savoring every inch of that cake with the tiny fork she used. I could tell right away that she somehow knew this was notpletely real, she wanted this day to never end at all after all... She wasn''tpletely conscious, but perhaps partially, without a doubt, there might be a part of her mind that''s aware of what''s happening. But after going through so much, she is probably happily living within this illusion, made by her own Dream Heart Weapon, her Familiar, the Automaton, that broke apart its own heart and use it to give her what she wanted. He gave her his heart, the heart he created over many years by living by her side and bing her friend, the only friend she had... "I-Is this really okay?" Emily muttered. "Sofia... She looks so happy; it makes me feel terrible." "Yeah..." Alma said. "But... at the same time, we know this isn''t real. We can''t leave Sofia like this, what if she gets even worse afterwards? What if she dies? The Nightmare Decaying Rate... we can''t let it advance any further, Emily!" "She''s not wrong," I nodded. "As happy as she is, this is merely an illusion that is eating away at her own mind, maybe even her soul." "R-Right..." Emily nodded. "Ah, I don''t know why I said that..." "I mean, I kind of get it too..." I said. "Her own Familiar said the same thing, that it didn''t matter if she were to die, as long as she could be finally happy, even if it was all an illusion." "Then... is it really wrong to leave her like this?" Emily muttered. "Emily! B-But she''ll die!" said Alma. "Yeah! I know... I love Sofia, she''s my friend..." Emily said. "And I would be so sad if she died but... What makes this wrong at the end? To leave her do whatever she wants... Wouldn''t it be selfish to take her away from her happiness just because we think that''s better for her? At the end, we only just want her for ourselves then, it wouldn''t change anything... She would still live a sad life, even with us, she didn''t seem that happy." "E-Emily..." Alma sighed, looking at Sofia, and shedding a few tears. "I-I don''t... I don''t know what to say... I-I... I wish I could be closer with Sofia. I wish I could have been her childhood friend... Maybe I could... I could have changed her life." Alma gripped her fists, doubtful. "What do you think, Maria?" Emily asked me. "What should we do?" wondered Alma. So it was all up to me at the end, I had to take the decision. I had to decide if Sofia dies happily, finally leaving the world she hates. Or if we rescue her, and we force her to keep living a miserable life, while trying our hardest to make her happy, and, as it was shown before, failing miserably. Both options are terribly sad. But perhaps not having known her for too long is a blessing in disguise for me, because it helps me take decisions much more coldly than these girls.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "We''ll rescue her." I said nonchntly. "You don''t need toe. But I''ll grab her and take her away from that ce. She''s being parasitized by an evil nightmare. And we kill those. So we''ll kill that nightmare. And she''ll have to deal with her life and keep on living. We''ll be there for her. And she''ll either have to choose, if she wants to keep being a self-loathing bitch, or to ept that there''s people that love and care for her. Like you two- Like us." The two looked at me in surprise, they didn''t expect me to get so rowdy, but that''s how I am. "Y-You''re for real..."ughed Emily. "I guess... I guess so! Yeah..." "I wouldn''t call her a b-bitch..." Alma said. "But yes, let''s save her... I guess Maria is right." "Then let''s go." We stepped forward, as we walked right towards Sofia, interrupting her in her family pic. "Sofia!" Emily called for her. "Sof!" Alma called for her too. "Eh?" Sofia nced towards them; her eyes slightly widened. At the same time, her parents were confused. "Who are... these girls, Sofia?" her mother wondered. "Do you know them?" her father asked. "I-I..." And then I walked in front of her, extending my hand towards her. "Sofia, we''vee for you. Let''s go back to the real world." Chapter 1235: Sofia Chapter 1235: Sofia ? Maybe because I didn''t have such a long-standing bond with Sofia unlike Emily and Alma, I was able to take this decision without feeling too bad about it. Although I did empathize a lot with her and felt genuinely sad about her childhood and the reason why she''s even in this dream to begin with, I know that this isn''t the best. Dying in an illusion doesn''t mean she''ll be happy; it means that she''s forcing herself to be happy within the illusion. But since she already is self-aware, she knows this isn''t real, and there''s a part of her deep down that is not enjoying this, most likely. A part of her that''s wondering "Why am I doing this, if I know it''s not real?" and I want that part of herself to win, not the other, delusional side. Hermon sense must triumph above her emotions, and she has to face reality, instead of trying to hide behind lies. We stepped forward, as we walked right towards Sofia, interrupting her in her family pic. "Sofia!" Emily called for her. "Sof!" This is the end of Part One. Upgrade Premium to read full content: Upgrade Now The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 1236: The Embodiment Of Dreams Chapter 1236: The Embodiment Of Dreams ? After I exined to Sofia what would happen if she remained here until she died, she quickly realized it was indeed a bad idea. And with Emily and Alma here to cheer her up some more, the idea of returning quickly emerged in her little head. "We love you Sofia!" Emily started crying. "Pleasee back with us! We''ll do our best to be... the best friends you could ever hope for!" "Please don''t die Sof!" Alma cried. "I need you with us!" "..." Sofia looked at her friends with eyes full of emotions, crying. "Really?" She seemed doubtful, but at the same time, hopeful. This entire time she had been ignoring their love as friends, I don''t know why. Perhaps it was her own pride that was working against her. But right now, she needed to let go of that. "Yes!" I nodded. "Please, stop ignoring how much we care for you, Sofia! Come back with us!" She widened her eyes, as she touched her chest, where her heart was, with her little hands. And then, she looked at me with puppy eyes. Jesus, if you look at me like that, you''ll make me want to adopt you... "Maria..." She started crying, slowly walking towards us. Emily and Alma''s eyes brightened, as it seemed that things might solve themselves more peacefully than I imagined. "Do you promise me that... you''ll be with me and... love me?" "Huh?" That''s a weird question... "Yes, of course Sofia," I nodded. "Emily and Alma too. Maybe your mom is gone, your father might not even show you affection, but... I don''t think there''s nothing wrong with appreciating the love of friends." Sofia nced at Emily and Alma who nodded, and then she blushed a bit after she nced into my eyes. "I''m sorry for never wanting to ept it... I was so dumb..." Her parents nced at her in disbelief, bingpletely speechless after her words. They probably had no idea why she was acting like this, or why she was saying all these things. But this was the real Sofia talking, not the little girl they believed was Sofia. She extended her hand towards me, as I decided to grab it, and drag her out of this ce. Yet. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM US!" Her parents screamed with loud, monstrous voices, their faces suddenly twisted into aberrant ghostly beings, their jaws opened widely, as the sky darkened, and the entire grasnd turned into a cursed forest. RUMBLE! The ground trembled, as their hands attempted to grab my arms and push me away with all their force. I noticed their appearances changed as well as they becamepletely twisted monstrous beings, their skin turned purple and their arms and legs overly long, every finger resembled ws. "W-What?! What''s happening?!" Sofia cried. "Mom? Dad?!" "YOU''RE OUR DAUGHTER!" "YOU CAN''T GO OUT WITH STRANGERS, SOFIA!!!" "Wait, they''re not strangers! They''re my..." She nced at Emily, Alma, and me. "They''re my friends!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "BUT SOFIA...! DON''T YOU WANT TO STAY WITH US?! WITH YOUR BELOVED PARENTS?!" "WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH, MY DAUGHTER!" Her parents red at her, space and time around us twisted, the entire Nightmare seemed to be crumbling apart, the grasnds withered, the cursed forest grew everywhere, the ground began to tear apart and float in midair. They red at her, waiting for an answer. "I wish that was the case..." Sofia muttered. "I wish... I wish the real versions of you had been as nice as you were..." Sofia started crying again, looking at her monstrous, disfigured parents. "I love you two... I love you so much..." she continued crying. "Mom... I miss you every day. You were a bit hysterical, sometimes too nervous... but you loved me..." "SO... FIA..." "And dad... You''re so grumpy, and cold with me... But I still remember that there was a time when you were nice with me, when we went out to eat, and I saw you smile once..." Sofia muttered. "And despite everything, y-you''re my dad... and I''ll always love you anyways." "MY... DAUGHTER..." Sofia smiled a bit. "But you''re not real... I always knew it, this is an illusion, you''re most likely Nightmares, even," she muttered. "Nightmares I created... You''re my precious memories, of the times when my parents were happy, when mom was alive... You''re part of me." She walked towards them, hugging the two Nightmares. "And I love you for that!" The two suddenly seemed shocked, slowly returning to their normal appearances, as they started crying, hugging her back. "Sofia!" "I love you, my daughter...!" "I love you too..." Sofia kissed her dad and her mother in the face. "But I have to go... Would you let me go back?" The two looked at one another. "Only if you promise us something..." her mother said. "And only when you do..." said her father. "W-What is it?" Sofia wondered. Her parents caressed her head, and then smiled lightly amidst tears. "Please... Love yourself." The two said at the same time. Love yourself... That''s right. I don''t know why I never realized that until now. But Sofia... her greatest w is that she doesn''t love herself. She thinks herself unworthy of the love of her friends, this is why she ignored them. She didn''t want them to suffer with her and her traumas. "Love... myself?" Sofia asked in disbelief. "That''s... it?" Her parents nodded. "It''s no easy task," her mother said. "Most people can''t seem to love themselves. Their failures, their traumas, their fears, their frustrations... it makes it often impossible." "But you can only begin loving yourself... when you forgive yourself," said her father. "Please, Sofia... forgive yourself. You''vemitted many mistakes, but don''t we all? Perhaps you disappointed the real me, but that doesn''t mean your life is over. And it wasn''t your fault your mother died. Your mother... she decided to have you even if it meant shortening her lifespan. Because she loved you." "Really?" Sofia muttered. "Is that really true? Can I really move on...?" Her parents nodded. "Mom... I love you; I''ll never forgive you!" Sofia hugged her mother again, as she cried onest time. "I love you too." "We love you, and we''ll always do." Her parents suddenly turned into light. The darkness and nightmares thatposed them. They were purified... I never thought this could ever happen. "Take care, Sofia... And please, appreciate the friends you have..." "They are... your greatest treasure." As her parents dissipated into particles of light, Sofia was left there. And I grabbed her little hand. "Let''s go, Sofia." It was time to end this. Chapter 1237: Leaving Dreams Behind And Facing Reality Chapter 1237: Leaving Dreams Behind And Facing Reality ? N?v(el)B\\jnn Something incredible happened, not only did Sofia''s parents, which were clearly Nightmares I was about to y turned back to normal after her words, but they even talked a lot to her. They told her that she had to stop ming herself for everything that has happened in her life, and that she had forgiven herself, and then love herself. That''s not something I ever expected toe from a Nightmare, they weren''t mad, they were conscious of themselves, and also that they were made by Sofia. And somehow, they loved her... despite being Nightmares. "Really?" Sofia muttered. "Is that really true? Can I really move on...?" Sofia doubted for a moment, she didn''t know if it was fine. But I knew it was fine, she doesn''t have to me herself for these things. If I med myself for the death of my family all this time, I wouldn''t have even been able to aplish half of the things I did. After Sofia''s words, her parents nodded. "Yes, it''s fine Sofia," her dad said. "Please move on." "Indeed, it''s okay," her mom said. "It''s really okay." After hearing these encouraging words, Sofia was moved. "Mom... I love you; I''ll never forgive you!" Sofia hugged her mother again, as she cried onest time. "I love you too." "We love you, and we''ll always do." Her parents suddenly turned into light. The darkness and nightmares thatposed them. They were purified... I never thought this could ever happen. But somehow, Sofia''s own presence, her own words, were transforming Nightmares. Was this ever documented before? Has any person been able to do this? To help Nightmares turn into... light? Just what does this means? As they dissipated, her parents gave onest farewell. "Take care, Sofia... And please, appreciate the friends you have..." "They are... your greatest treasure." As her parents dissipated into particles of light, Sofia was left there. "They''re gone..." Sofia sighed. "I thought they were Nightmares but... they left on their own? Without trying to kill anybody... why?" She also wondered the same thing I did. "Maybe... maybe they didn''t mean to do bad things," said Alma. "How so?" Emily wondered. "Maybe... W-What if... Nightmares just didn''t ask to be the way they are? They''re suffering... they''re always suffering, aren''t they?" "Yeah," I nodded. "Perhaps just killing them using Dream Weapons is not the only way to defeat Nightmares... Maybe you can also purify them through helping them solve whatever grudges, traumas, or fears they had." "So you''re saying that... When Sofia talked to the Nightmares that were her parents, and when she received their help, and epted their words, they felt.., fulfilled or something?" Emily wondered. "Maybe..." Alma said. "Yeah..." I said. "Yeah." I grabbed Sofia''s little hand, within this Realm, it seemed she was locked into the form of a little girl. "Let''s go, Sofia." It was time to end this. "We''re going out?" she wondered. "But this ce... Don''t we have to destroy it?" She was still looking like a sad puppy, but she wasn''t wrong, we had to destroy this ce and leave nothing behind. But I wanted to go back to that manor at least, her staying in this little form would be inconvenient. "Maybe... or maybe not." I looked at her, patting her head. "Why are you the way you are, Sofia?" I sighed. "I hope with this, we can get along a bit better." "I-I''ll try..." she muttered. "I''m very sorry to all of you for what happened... I was dumb, and I let my emotions consume me... And this thing happened to me- I just can''t believe that I..." "It''s fine!" Emily said. "Really, let''s just... move on Sofia." "Yeah... If we remain like this, talking about what went wrong all the time," said Alma. "We''ll never move on... Right? That''s what your parents wanted, bestie." "B-Bestie?" Sofia blushed a bit. "Alma... After I''ve treated you so harshly, you still see me as your friend? I..." "Yeah! I-I mean... I know you didn''t mean the things you said, right?" Alma smiled. "You were only sad, and you sometimes let your emotions get the best of you, and you say things to rant out your own frustrations, your own anger..." "But I hurt you..." Sofia muttered. "I''m... I''m really sorry Alma..." Alma felt moved by Sofia apologizing, she smiled even cutely, shedding a small tear. "It''s fine!" Alma smiled, hugging Sofia. "I know you''ve gone through a lot... I just hope we can continue being friends... You and Emily, and Maria... you''re the only friends I''ve had in my entire life... So I really love you and appreciate you a lot... Grandma always said to not let go of great friends after all!" She''s too pure for this world. "Damn it... You''re so nice Alma, I don''t deserve you..." Sofia hugged Alma tightly. "A-And you''re really cute too... I always wanted to tell you that! You''re really cute... so don''t ever believe you''re ugly, or overweight..." "S-Sofia..." Alma smiled, blushing. "Thank you, you''re really cute too, I want to hold you like a baby in that form!" "H-Hey, don''t hold me!" Sofia panicked as she was grabbed like a baby. "Hahah! Well, now... It''s nice to see you back Sof," said Emily, crossing her arms. "I hope you don''t hold more grudges against us..." "I''m sorry... I won''t do that again," Sofia sighed. "Emily, you''re... your energy every morning was always nice. It lifted my mood when I felt so terrible sometimes. Thank you for always being our sunshine." "Oh? Aren''t you saying a lot of ttering stuff, hehe!" Emily smiled. "Well, thanks! I like cheering up people! I dislike gloomy people that won''t talk or be all sad. Life''s short so we gotta live it well, right?" "Hahah... You''re right," Sofia nodded. "Life is... short." She looked at her own hands, panicking. "I don''t want to die..." After never caring if she died or not, this time, Sofia realized something. She liked her life, and her friends. And she didn''t want to die. "We have to get out of here quickly, somehow...! Maria, can you lead us outside?" "I can! Let''s go!" RUMBLE! Suddenly, as I grabbed Sofia and let her piggyback me, the ground trembled even more, as this entire Illusion Realm started breaking apart. And then... BA DUM! BA DUM! The loud sound of a heartbeat echoed across the entire world. Chapter 1238: The Nightmare Lord Emerges! Chapter 1238: The Nightmare Lord Emerges! ? RUMBLE! Suddenly, as I grabbed Sofia and let her piggyback me, the ground trembled even more, as this entire Illusion Realm started breaking apart. And then... BA DUM! BA DUM! The loud sound of a heartbeat echoed across the entire world. "Where do you think you''re going, my little Sofia?" BA DUM! BA DUM! "I HAVE YET TO FINISH MY MEAL, YOU KNOW?!" And then, what resembled a gigantic ck tree covered with red arteries, and a huge heart constantly beating emerged amidst the darkness of the void beneath. With a single crimson eye on the heart, and countless arteries, veins of red flesh spreading across the rest of the ck bark, this entity. Its size was way past a hundred meters, a gigantic behemoth. Without a doubt, this was the Nightmare Lord! "W-What is that thing?!" Emily panicked. CRASH! "Uwaaahhh!" Alma cried. "Heeelp!" Suddenly, the ground beneath copsed as she fell into the abyss below! "ALMA!" Sofia and Emily screamed, as I quickly extended my hands into a ghostly form and caught Alma barely, lifting her up. "Aahh! M-Maria... Thank you!" Alma cried. "I-I thought I would-" Crack, crack...! But as I managed to grab her and started lifting her up, countless of ck colored wooden roots covered on red arteries rushed towards Alma, trying to coil around her body. "Where do you think you''re bringing her?! SHE''S MY NEXT MEAL!" This shitty Nightmare Lord... I''ve had enough of it already! "Don''t get too cocky, you piece of shit." I harnessed the power of Death, Darkness, and Light in one of my hands, and pointed it into a finger-gun at the Nightmare Lord. "{Umbral Death Blight}" A beam of pure Death and ck Light was shot, followed by a dozen more, enhanced with my high stats, it pierced through all the roots trying to get to Alma within a split second. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "UGH?!" The Nightmare Lord looked clearly annoyed and pained, his single eye locking on me, full of disbelief. "And that wasn''t even my strongest technique," I smiled. "Want to see something more interesting, you bastard?" As I held Alma, Emily, and Sofia with my Shadows and Phantasmal Hands, a giant mass of ck mes materialized in front of me, gathering Nether and Death within. "{Abyssal Netherworld''s Star}" The sphere grew to a titanic size, the girls nced in disbelief, their eyes widening in utter andplete shock. But that was to be expected, I''m strong as hell. "Y-You dare...?!" the Nightmare Lord. "You dare believe you''re stronger than me, the NIGHTMARE LORD?!" The furious tree started to distort reality around us, as the Nightmares of Sofia gathered here, all together, the howling shadows, the creepy dolls, the ghosts, the statues, multiplied by the hundreds. "Let''s see if you can go against hundreds of all of these Nightmares!" heughed. "SOFIA''S HEART SHALL BE MINE TO FEAST ON!" "Maria!" Emily cried. "They''reing from every angle!" "W-We can''t even fight in this position! There''s no footing at all!" cried Alma. "A-Are you sure you can go against them on your own, Maria?!" Sofia panicked. "I know you''re strong but... You''ll lose!" As Sofia screamed and the other girls panicked, realizing the full power of a Nightmare Lord, I didn''t even flinch. The gigantic sphere, the Abyssal Netherworld''s Star, multiplied, suddenly dividing by ten. "Nah, I''d win."N?v(el)B\\jnn Ibined the stars with a storm of void that I materialized a secondter, and then send it all out against the Nightmares. At once. FLUOOOSH! The storm of spiraling dark void and the umbral stars engulfed the Nightmares, disintegrating them one after another, while sttering deadlyher over the tree and then, eventually, bombarding it. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! "Ungh?! AAGGH!" The Nightmare Lord screamed in agony, as his Nightmare Barrier,posed of the Nightmare Realm itself, began to rapidly shatter. I continued expanding and transforming this "Void Storm" and continuously destroyed any Nightmare that came closer, explosions bombarded the massive tree. Until its barrier shattered. Crack, crack...! CRAAASH! "No, impossible!" The nightmare lord was leftpletely shocked as his barrier,posed of the very fabric of this nightmare realm, shattered into pieces. "That barrier was made of my own realm''s structure! H-How can you break through space itself?!" "That''s an easy task. Let me show you something even more amazing." "Ah?! Stop! I''ve had enough of you!" RUMBLE! The Nightmare Realm distorted as thousands of tree roots and branches emerged from the skies, the ground, and even the empty air, piercing through space and reaching us within mere seconds. Each bark gathered Nightmare Energy and fired beams at me from all angles, aiming to utterly vaporize us. But nah. That wouldn''t work anyways. "You''re so weak it''s funny." I smiled, as my Moonlight Energy erupted from my body. "{Mystical Moon Phase Circle}" FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Dozens of silver moon-shaped mirrors materialized one after another, rotating around my body and surrounding me. Each nightmare beam that came forward was immediately absorbed and then fired back, reflected, in fact. And each reflected beam was charged with even more power than before, breaking through and vaporizing every branch and root aiming to reach us. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Before, I couldn''t abuse this skill as much as I wanted, but right now, after having been gathering so much Moonlight Energy? I could happily spam this skill as much as I wanted! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "You''re reflecting my...?! My attacks!" The Nightmare Lord was fucking stupid if he was just realizing that. Nheless, I was already preparing another attack. FLASH! My body suddenly started growingrger andrger. "Maria?!" Sofia gasped. "W-What''s going on!" said Emily. "She''s transforming again! Like she did before into a dogdy...!" said Alma. "It was like Anubis, but this is different... A titaness?!" Alma wasn''t wrong, I activated my Titan Selene Skills, quickly transforming into my pure Moonlight Titan form, by using my [Lesser Divinity: Moonlight], [Divine Moonlight Titan Soul], and [True Titan Strength], I embodied a Titaness made of dark purple and pink moonlight. Because my Void-Born Outer Being Embodiment might be too scary and monstrous for the girls, I decided to go onto another, older transformation. "T-This is amazing! I had no idea you had this power, Maria!" Sofia said. "Uuoooohhh! So cool!" said Emily. "Amazing!" Alma pped. "{Selene''s Palm of Judgement}" And then, I extended my palms towards the iing branches, and the tree-like Nightmare Lord. CRAAASH! Chapter 1239: Fighting The Nightmare Lord! Chapter 1239: Fighting The Nightmare Lord! ? I transformed into my Selene form, making my stats skyrocket even more, and giving me a powerful and potent boost to my Moonlight Elemental Magic and skills.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Just enough to show the Nightmare Lord that I wasn''t messing around anymore. And then, I extended my palms towards the iing branches, and the tree-like Nightmare Lord. "{Selene''s Palm of Judgement}" My palms extended and grew to a tremendous size, piercing through all the branches and rootsing towards us and shattering them into pieces. At the same time, the palm hit the body of the titanic Nightmare Lord Tree, piercing through his bark and his wooden body with tremendous force. CRAAASH! "Uaaaggghhh!" As the Nightmare Lord screamed in agony, the entire Nightmare Realm trembled, countless cracks started opening up everywhere, where Miasmic Nightmare Essence began pouring out. "DIE, ALL OF YOUUUU!" With a frustrated scream, the Nightmare Lord shaped the Miasmic Nightmare Essence as if it were y, transforming it into more and more of the Nightmares we''ve battled before. "There''s moreing?!" asked Emily. "Shit, they''re never-ending!" "If we can''t kill the Nightmare Lord in time the entire Nightmare Realm will decay and engulf the entire Academy!" said Alma. "Maria! Let us help you somehow!" "But..." I guess they could help, yeah, I can handle everything on my own but, if they help, maybe they can also get stronger, and perhaps develop more as they learn about their abilities. "Sure!" I decided to finish my transformation and quickly take upon a ghostly form of Selene, while Alma, Emily, and Sofia floated inside of my ethereal body. "T-This is... We''re floating?" wondered Emily. "Woah!" Alma muttered. "It''s so serene in here..." "Girls, don''t lose focus!" Sofia said. "We said we would help somehow but... How do we even help?" "We can just shoot Lightning and Water or Ice with Alma!" said Emily. "Maria, let us take care of whatever small fry gets past you!" "Yeah!" Alma nodded. "Alright then, let''s go!" I nodded. "What can I do myself now? My Familiar is dead... and my Dream Powers, I lost them?" Sofia looked at her own little hands, pondering what power she could use now. Indeed, it was a strange thing. Her body was definitely hers, yet at the same time, she had been reduced to the size of a child, hopefully temporarily. Her Familiar has been killed forever, and it won''t be able to return. And her Dream Heart had been corrupted, and it is now probably inside of that Nightmare Lord, it was most likely separated from her once the Nightmare Lord was born from her chest. I''m d she''s alive after that, but I believe it might be something temporary, she looks healthy and fine now, but it must be rted to the Nightmare itself keeping her alive. Once the Nightmare Realm is destroyed, we have to quickly heal her back to full. "Now, let''s go! {Dream Heart Weapons}!" I materialized my Dream Heart Weapons at once, as I rushed across the skies, shing apart the branches, roots, and Nightmares that came to our view with my giant sword and my halberd. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! As they were sliced and cleaved apart, several of them ended slipping my own attacks, aiming to attack my body. And that''s where Emily and Alma entered the battle. Emily quickly covered herself on her own golden armor, unleashing thunderbolts against the iing Nightmares, vaporizing them. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! At the same time, Alma conjured her water, froze it, and shaped it into dozens of huge icicle spears, firing them at lightning speed and piercing through foes with them. CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! As we drew closer to the tree, the evasive Nightmare Lord started manipting the space within the Nightmare Realm, attempting to move himself away from us, while continuously shooting Nightmare Beams. "You will never get to me! I can manipte space in this Nightmare Realm as much as I want! I''m literally invincible!" "Nah, I don''t think you are." I said, smiling at him. "{Void Shifting Spatial Movement}!" TRUUUM! Space itself was distorted as my entire body was epassed on pure void, within a second, we teleported through space itself, reaching the Nightmare Lord''s vicinity! "Aaah!" He panicked, quickly twisting space and pushing himself several kilometers away. Then again... TRUUUM! We appeared right in front of him. "I won''t let you touch meeee!" However, he quickly disappeared from our grasp once more. "Annoying..." TRUUUM! This time, I appeared behind him, his eye was only one, and it was in front. Naturally, his vision wasn''t the best, I swung my sword against his bark. CLAAASH! However, my sword ended slicing through an empty, hollow tree, as I noticed that this guy wasn''t the real one?! "Wait, what?!" Emily asked. "It''s not the real one?" "So where is the real Nightmare Lord?!" asked Alma. BA DUM! Sofia''s eyes widened, looking up. "Over there!" She pointed into the dark skies, noticing a gigantic eye ring at us from above, and a huge heart beating. The branches and roots spread everywhere, constantly growingrger. "Hahahaha! See?! This is what you''ve forced me to do! I''ve merged with my own Nightmare Realm...! To tell you the truth, I never thought this was even possible!" As the Nightmare Lordughed, more and more of the Nightmare Realm started to be compressed, as endless branches and roots emerged from everywhere. "Hah, don''t think that doing that will help you somehow win, you fuck." I smiled, as I quicklybined both of my weapons together into a huge scythe at the same time as I used my Anubis transformation. My Selene Titaness formbined with the Anubis Transformation, as I became an enormous Anubis Goddess of Moonlight, the jackal head now bing a ck helmet instead, and ck and gold robes covered my body. "Emily, Alma, use all your Elemental Power! I''ll fuel you with Mana!" I said. "Mana?" they wondered. "I mean Dream Power or whatever!" I said. Also, I summoned all my Undead at once, bringing forth countless skeletons, especially from giant SS Rank and above Undersea Monsters. Myconidas also popped out of my Shadows, unleashing a wave of withering and decay that destroyed the branches and roots that approached him. We charged, moving into the skies. If he became the whole Nightmare Realm... Then that makes things even easier. I''ll kill him, and the whole Realm, with one fell swoop. Chapter 1240: Going All-Out! Chapter 1240: Going All-Out! ? After the Nightmare Lord revealed he merged with the Nightmare Realm itself, and startedpressing it around us to corner us, I quickly decided to unleash a bit more of my powers. FLUOSH! My Selene Titaness formbined with the Anubis Transformation, as I became an enormous Anubis Goddess of Moonlight, the jackal head now bing a ck helmet instead, and ck and gold robes covered my body. My Aura of Moonlight merged with the powers of Anubis, as giant neb-like clouds of purple and pink colors emerged around my body, releasing both Death, Phantom, Darkness, and Moonlight essences. It seemed that even Anubis Transformation''s special abilities had improved somehow, fantastic. "Emily, Alma, use all your Elemental Power! I''ll fuel you with Mana!" I said. "Mana?" they wondered. "I mean Dream Power or whatever!" I said. Yeah, I had already discovered when I healed Beatriz that I can transform Mana into Dream Energy or Essence or whatever it''s called. This is the end of Part One. Upgrade Premium to read full content: Upgrade Now The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!